Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

With the college football world spinning counterclockwise after BCS darlings Alabama, Kansas State and Oregon all lost, we have arrived at a unique junction in the season where a 6-point underdog today conceivably could be playing for the national championship.
Heeeeere come the Gators!
Yes, the Gators, offensively inept for the past month, challenged to the end by Louisiana-Lafayette two weeks ago and underdogs by a touchdown at Florida State, could be in line for a shot at the championship should things fall their way.
First of all, Florida, currently No. 4 in the BCS standings, must beat the Seminoles this afternoon, which to many makes this Gators championship scenario a non-starter.
The Seminoles have been snarling for the past month that they can barely crack the BCS top 10 despite a one-loss season. The BCS computers simply don’t like the ACC, mainly because the ACC isn’t very good. Actually, it’s bad. This season, in the ACC heavyweight class, you have FSU, maybe Clemson, and, ah…..well, you have FSU and maybe Clemson.
Miami has elected to put itself on perpetual probation, and perennial ACC power Virginia Tech is playing like it got readmitted to the Big East.
Maryland got fed up with the whole mess and announced this week that it is going to the Big Ten, to which the rest of the ACC members said, “Fine, and take those hideous helmets with you.”
There isn’t much help on the way for the conference’s football profile as once-solid grid powers and soon-to-be members Pitt and Syracuse are stuck in hapless rebuilding phases. UConn, with its exceedingly modest football aspirations, is Maryland’s potential replacement.
So, the Noles have gotten zero help from the computers, and the humans aren’t smitten with FSU, either. And here comes UF, a hated rival and a BCS computer love child because of its affiliation to the almighty SEC, rolling into Doak Campbell today. Does any of this sound like a dream scenario for the Gators?
Also required for UF to make the championship game is a Notre Dame loss at USC, which seemed possible, maybe probable, until Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley did his Ben Roethlisberger (or Byron Leftwich or any other Steelers quarterback of your choosing) imitation and injured his shoulder in last week’s loss to UCLA. The No. 1 Irish, who have magically escaped defeat several times, have caught another big break.
Should the Irish stumble, the Gators have the inside shot to the title game because Alabama, No. 2 in the BCS poll, and Georgia, No. 3, will meet in the SEC title game. The smart bet is that one of them will lose.
Thus, the path would be open for the Gators. If they can dodge the flaming spears today.
The Mighty News-Gazette Divine Nine is always on fire:
No. 1: The Irish, somehow. No. 2: Stanford (who was robbed at South Bend). No. 3: NFL overtimes. No. 4: Ohio State (What’s more frustrating than being unbeaten, but on probation?). No. 5: Roll Tide. No. 6: Little Ben. No. 7: Sir Jack. No. 8: Johnny Football. No. 9: Deep Fried Turkey Pudding.
To the picks:
Florida at FSU (-6): The Texas A&M/ South Carolina Gators can win this, but the Georgia/La. Lafayette Gators probably are going to show up. Noles by 9.
Stanford (-2) at UCLA: Can it be a trap game for both teams? Cardinal are coming off the huge upset at Oregon, and UCLA beat USC last week. Cardinal by 1.
Michigan at Ohio State (-3.5): Wolverines are one of the Big Ten’s many mystery teams, but there’s no mystery about OSU’s record. Buckeyes by 4.
South Carolina at Clemson (-4): Gamecocks got way lost on their way to the SEC title game. Tigers by 3.
Notre Dame (-6) at USC: The BCS execs are salivating at the thought of the unbeaten Irish headlining their championship game. Irish by 2.
The paid professionals:
Tennessee (-3.5) at Jacksonville: How can anyone be favored in this? Titans by 2.
Atlanta at Tampa Bay (pick ‘em): Do the Bucs have anything left after that comeback last week? Not sure. Falcons by 2.
Seattle (-3) at Miami: Someone is butchering dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico. The NFL version hasn’t fared much better lately. Fins by 2.
Baltimore  (-1) at San Diego: Ravens never play well on the coast. Maybe the weather is too good. Bolts by 2.
Green Bay at N.Y. Giants (-2.5): Giants come off a bye week. It seems like they’ve been on a bye for the past month. G-men by 2.
Brian “Big Man” McBride’s Super Sniffer Upset Special: Saints over 49ers by 3.
Petey “The Gators Are Going To Win” Covino says: Gators by 6.
Andrew “Flaming Spear” Sullivan says: Noles by 17.
Tom “Captain” Kirk’s Beam Me Up Scotty NFL Prime Time Pick: Green Bay by 6.
Ken Jackson says: South Carolina by 3; Pack by 7; Ravens by 4.
Last week: Plailing Philly (6-4, 75-32) and Ravaged Ribs (6-4, 77-30) say, “No more turkey, please!”