Do you know what this Saturday is? I’ll wait a second while you think about it….. that’s right, Saturday is the long awaited battle between Middle Tennessee State and Florida Atlantic, woooo!! The Hilltoppers and the Mean Green, two of college football’s most unique mascots. In addition to this lovely affair that college football is treating us to, Saturday is also one of my favorite days of the year: Halloween!

Halloween is an exciting holiday because you get to pretend that you are something, or someone, totally different from your true identity. Several football teams are pretending to be something they are not by appearing to be national championship contenders at this point in the year. But as the 2009 season approaches its final stretch, which teams are true contenders and which are merely pretenders hiding behind a mask and weak schedules?

With no playoff in place for college football, many teams’ fate are left at the mercy or arbitrary polling and computer formulas. Unlike any other sport, only two teams have a chance to play in the title game. You can tell your daughters and your little sisters that there will be no Cinderella after Halloween this year, at least until March Madness rolls around. Several teams, however, will need to keep their beauty pageant contestant costumes ready if they play to make it to the big game. Here is a list of pretender vs. contender for teams who have a decent shot at making the BCS Title Game through week 8:

Contenders:

Florida #1: the Gators have one ranked team left on the schedule (@ #22 South Carolina) but they also play tough games against UGA and Florida State. A matchup with the winner of the SEC West, either Alabama or LSU, will most likely decide which SEC team will play in the BCS Title Game. The Gators will definitely be the better team in every game they play until the SEC Title Game, which could go either way. But at this point, the Gators are as real as it gets.

Alabama #2: the tide squeaked out a win against Tennessee to remain undefeated in week eight. A loss would have been devastating to the tide’s national championship ambitions. It won’t get much easier for bama this week as they host #9 LSU (a game which will decide who represents the SEC West in the title game. Bama just seems to have an answer for every question their opponents pose this year.

Texas #3: The Longhorns face their toughest remaining test this weekend when they travel to #14 Oklahoma State. Coly McCoy, although not as gaudy as last year, is putting up some impressive numbers (1806 yards and 14 TDs). Other than the game against Oklahoma, the ‘horns have scored at least 34 points in each of their games and have held opponents to 20 points or less in six of their seven contests so far. While this weekend will likely forecast the team’s fate, Texas certainly looks like they are on their way to the BCS Title Game.

USC #5: anytime USC is in the top five of the BCS standings before December, there is a good chance the Trojans will keep climbing to the top. A tough remaining schedule for USC has its advantages (impressing voters with potential quality wins over #10 Oregon, #20 Arizona, Arizona State, Stanford, and UCLA) and disadvantages (risk of losing to any of those capable squads). While it will be tough to justify a one loss USC over an undefeated team currently in the top 3, the Trojans still have a shot. And if they get chance, the talent and coaching at USC makes them a contender.

Cincinnati #8: I’ve been saying this for weeks now: Cincinnati is sneaky good. Although they are no longer flying under the radar, the Bearcats continue to impress voters. While averaging 40.7 points per game and holding opponents to 13.7 points per game, Cincinnati has been dominant all year (their closest victory being an 8 point win against Fresno State). Like USC, the Bearcats will need a loss or two from the current top three teams to continue to climb the BCS standings. The schedule looked a lot easier earlier in the year than it does now for Cincy: #21 West Virginia and #15 Pittsburgh, still on the schedule, have been shockingly good thus far. If the Bearcats run the table in the Big East (and win an out of conference matchup against a struggling Illinois team), it will be tough to keep them out of the national championship picture.

Pretenders:

LSU #9: Let me start by saying that LSU and Alabama could easily swap roles if LSU comes away with a win this week. However, LSU has been far too consistent on offense to be considered a true contender at the moment. With a subpar performance against Mississippi State and only scoring 3 points against Florida, LSU has shown that they don’t necessarily bring their A-Game week in and out. When they do, LSU is tough to beat. The problem is, LSU still has to play #2 Alabama, #25 Ole Miss, and a tough Arkansas team, as well as Florida in the SEC Championship game (assuming they make it that far). That is a rough gauntlet for an unfocused team that doesn’t play to its potential every week.

Boise State #7: The Broncos have been getting an awful lot of mileage out of a week one win against Oregon (at home). Climbing to #7 without playing a ranked team or even so much as another BCS conference opponent is a little ridiculous for Boise State. I understand that they will most likely be undefeated, but to justify an appearance in the BCS Title Game with that schedule is almost impossible. I wouldn’t feel bad about BSU getting left out in January.

TCU #6: TCU deserves more respect than Boise State, having played Clemson, Virginia, BYU and still Utah remaining on the schedule. But there is really only room for one BCS buster, and an undeserving Boise is standing in the way of the Horned Frogs. Almost zero percent chance TCU gets the chance to win a national title this year.

Iowa #4: There is just something about this team that I can’t buy into. A last second win over Michigan State, barely beating Northern Iowa and Arkansas State, and an overall weak schedule (Penn State and Ohio State are the only teams they’ve faced who will be ranked at the end of the year): I’m just not sold on the Hawkeyes. On Tuesday came news that their starting RB is out for the rest of the year and their best offensive lineman is also out for an extended amount of time- its going to be an uphill battle for the Hawkeyes. Iowa is sitting pretty at #4 in the current BCS standings, but a November 14^th visit to Ohio State will most likely change that.

Oregon #10: The Ducks offense came to life after an embarrassing (in more ways than one) showing in Boise. Its better to lose early in the world of college football, so the Ducks got that one right. Just as Oregon is gaining back respect, USC is on the docket this weekend. It doesn’t get much easier after this week as Oregon still must play Arizona State and Oregon State at home, as well as Stanford and Arizona on the road. Better crank up the “quack, quack, quack” underdog chant if Oregon has a prayer of making it through the rest of the year unbeaten.

Georgia Tech #11: The only team outside of the top 10 that I decided to include and here is the reason: Tech is sitting at #11 with an extremely manageable remaining schedule, probably easier than any of the top 10 teams. With home games against Wake Forest and Duke and road trips to Vandy and Georgia, there isn’t a huge challenge left for the Jackets. They have a long, long way to move from 11 to 2 in just four games, but if the chips fall right, I think Tech is capable (but not likely) of contending for a title. If they win out, they could very well be a one-loss ACC champ stuck on the outside looking in. That is, unless a few miracles happen.

Here are my picks for the week (winners in bold):

UNC @ VA Tech (Thurs)

West VA @ USF (Fri)

USC @ Oregon

Texas @ OK State

Mich @ Illinois

Mich State @ Minnesota

UGA @ Florida

South Carolina @ Tennessee

Ole Miss @ Auburn

EMU @ Arkansas

Miss State @ Kentucky

Georgia Tech @ Vandy

Tulane @ LSU