John Walters

Half of the top six schools in the AP poll have this weekend off (No. 1 Alabama, No. 4 Texas and No. 6 USC) and a fourth, No. 3 Florida, might as well. The Gators host The Citadel.

On the surface, then, it looks like a second straight “Stale Saturday.” No wonder the Rhodes Scholarship committee scheduled applicant interviews for this weekend (they’re not dumb, after all).

Do not despair. Look deeper and you will find that this is potentially the most intriguing weekend of the 2008 season. I offer, then, reasons to tune in to the last truly terrific Saturday of the year.

Rotten to the core
Just how bad is 1-10 Washington State? Saturday’s opponent, Washington, is 0-10, without their quarterback, under the direction of a lame-duck coach, playing on the road — and yet the Huskies are still a 7-point favorite in Pullman. This year’s Apple Cup has an inimitable “If it bleeds, it leads” feel, which explains why FSN is televising it nationally. If you’re the kind who types “skateboarding accidents” into the YouTube search bar, you’ll love this "nontest."

Bee-Listers
Utah, a.k.a., “the Beehive State,” is abuzz over Saturday’s Holy War. BYU, which in mid-October had the nation’s longest win streak (16 games), visits Utah, which is currently tied with Texas Tech for that distinction (12 games). The Utes, whose last loss was to the Cougars 363 days ago (from Saturday), would clinch a second 12-0 start and BCS bowl berth in the past five seasons with the victory. You know how many other schools can make that boast? None.

Rolle’s Royce? More like Rolle’s Learjet.
Andy Samberg and Chris Parnell starred in “Lazy Sunday.” Florida State’s Myron Rolle has the lead in “Crazyy Saturday.” The Seminole safety begins the day in Birmingham, where he will interview for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. Rolle, a pre-med who graduated in 2 1/2 years with a 3.75 GPA, is one of seven regional finalists for two available spots.

The two winners will be announced late in the afternoon. Then Rolle, who has NFL-caliber talent, will board a chartered jet to College Park, Md., where the Seminoles have a 7:45 p.m. kickoff versus No. 25 Maryland.

This story is, to a sideline reporter, what election night was to Roland Martin.

The Orange Bowl Play-In Game (Sort of)
Cincinnati, WKRP hosts Pittsburgh in a tussle between two of the three one-conference-loss teams in the Big East. Should the Bearcats win, all that would stand between them and a trip to the Orange Bowl would be the Orange (Ironical? Ironic? How about coincidental?) of Syracuse. Cincy leads the nation in net punting (Woo!). Should Pitt win, it’s on to Heinz Field, where the Panthers host the third one-loss team, West Virginia, the following Saturday.

This is what Vanna White sees: V_ _    T_ _ _
Nevada sophomore running back Vai Taua began the season as the backup to the WAC’s leading rusher of 2007, Luke Lippincott. Since Lippincott’s season-ending knee injury, Taua has helped the Wolfpack become the nation’s most prolific rushing team, averaging 175 yards per game in his last five starts.

Nevada hosts undefeated Boise State seeking to avenge last year’s four-overtime 69-67 defeat, a game that featured an NCAA-record 136 points scored. If Utah loses and the Broncos win, the boys from Boise might be back in the BCS (if they beat Fresno State at home the following week). But what if the ‘pack sacks the Broncos? And what if Utah loses?

Could an undefeated Ball State (currently 11-0 and 17^th in the BCS standings) win the at-large berth?

Or would a one-loss BYU (currently 14^th) remain ahead of them — and perhaps even jump ahead of an undefeated Boise State?

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