If you missed any of the college football action, get caught up with our five most important things to take away from the weekend.

1. Alabama clinches SEC West — Alabama got just enough from quarterback Greg McElroy, and the defense held LSU in check to clinch the Crimson Tide’s second straight SEC West title. Although the passing attack wasn’t prolific, McElroy and receiver Julio Jones made the biggest play of the game, hooking up on a short screen pass that went for a 73-yard touchdown. The LSU offense struggled to move the ball and stalled once quarterback Jordan Jefferson and running back Charles Scott were knocked out of the game. Alabama won’t win many beauty contests with its victories, but that’s fine with coach Nick Saban. The Crimson Tide won’t have an easy road to finishing the regular season undefeated, especially with road dates against Mississippi State and Auburn ahead. However, the Crimson Tide once again control their own destiny in their pursuit for the national title.

2. Ohio State thinking roses — Ohio State’s mission on Saturday is simple: Beat Iowa and the Buckeyes are headed to Pasadena. Of course, there’s that rivalry game against Michigan after they host the Hawkeyes this week, but the Buckeyes would be headed to the Rose Bowl regardless of that outcome. In the big victory over Penn State, Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor didn’t post huge numbers, but he was effective and make big plays when the game was on the line. Not to mention, the Buckeyes defense held Daryll Clark to 125 yards passing and forced an interception. The Buckeyes will get a tough test from the Iowa defense, but without quarterback Ricky Stanzi, who was injured this weekend against Northwestern, don’t expect the Hawkeyes to get much going offensively.

3. Notre Dame out of BCS picture — Barring a miracle, Notre Dame will miss out on a BCS game for the third consecutive season. The final nail in the coffin was Saturday’s disappointing loss to Navy, which renewed talk of Charlie Weis’ job security in South Bend. The Irish easily outgained the Midshipmen (512 to 404), but couldn’t overcome three turnovers and sub-par production from the running game. The Irish have difficult games remaining against Pittsburgh, Connecticut and Stanford, so a bid in the Gator Bowl is no guarantee. The Irish have three elite players on offense — quarterback Jimmy Clausen and receivers Golden Tate and Michael Floyd — but the talent on defense hasn’t caught up. Although the loss to Navy was damaging to Weis’ future, the next three games likely will decide his fate.
 
4. Clemson, Georgia Tech closing in on ACC title matchup — This could finally be the year Clemson gets over the hump. The Tigers have been one of the most difficult teams to figure out each week, but they have turned a corner under coach Dabo Swinney. Sure, there was a ridiculous loss to Maryland in early October, but the Tigers have reeled off four wins in a row, including a 40-37 victory in overtime against Miami and Saturday’s 40-24 win over Florida State. While the Tigers need wins in their final two ACC contests to secure a bid to Tampa, all that stands for Georgia Tech is a win against Duke this Saturday. The Yellow Jackets and Tigers have already played once this year, with Georgia Tech pulling out a 30-27 win. However, a second matchup would definitely be worth the price of admission, especially with two potential first round NFL draft picks at running back in Clemson’s C.J. Spiller and Georgia Tech’s Jonathan Dwyer.

5. Pac-10 race tightens — Oregon’s loss to Stanford ended any hopes the Ducks had of playing for the national title, but all is not lost. Should the Ducks win out, they will still play in the Rose Bowl. A tough stretch lies ahead, though, with games against Arizona State, at Arizona and vs. Oregon State. Arizona controls its destiny to make its first appearance in the Rose Bowl, but it won’t be easy either. To get to Pasadena, the Wildcats have to win at California, Arizona State and USC and knock off Oregon at home. Considering the Ducks and Wildcats have difficult matchups remaining, USC isn’t dead in the Rose Bowl picture and moved back into position for an at-large BCS bid with losses by Iowa and Penn State.

Other thoughts from Week 10

Nebraska has been involved in two of the most bizarre yardage/turnover games this season. The Cornhuskers outgained, but suffered eight turnovers in a loss against Iowa State. However, Nebraska turned the tables on Oklahoma this week, gaining only 180 yards, but using five Sooner turnovers to score the upset.

Speaking of the Big 12, it’s been tough for Baylor to win without quarterback Robert Griffin, but the Bears pulled off an upset over Missouri this week. Assuming Griffin is 100 percent next season, a bowl bid should be within reach.

One other team from the Big 12 deserving of credit is Kansas State. The Wildcats still need one win to become bowl eligible, but they have a chance to win the Big 12 North with victories in their final two games. It’s not a particularly strong year in the Big 12 North, but coach Bill Snyder is doing an excellent job in his return to the sidelines.

Since receiving a vote of confidence by athletic director Ron Guenther, Illinois has won two straight and still has a chance to make a bowl game with victories in its final three games.

SMU is a quiet 5-4 and in position to return to the bowl scene for the first time since 1984. With three winnable games against UTEP, Marshall and Tulane up next, don’t be surprised if the Mustangs finish 8-4 and enjoy a trip to Hawaii for the bowl season.

Barring an upset, Michigan will miss out on a bowl game for the second straight year. Think the seat is starting to get a little warm for Rich Rodriguez in Ann Arbor?

Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder sustained a shoulder injury against Clemson and will miss Saturday’s game against Wake Forest. If the Seminoles lose to Wake, making a bowl game will be nearly impossible, especially with a matchup against Florida remaining. How odd will it be when the bowl slate is released with Florida State and Michigan not in the postseason?

Looking ahead to Week 11

A small sample of what’s ahead

South Florida vs. Rutgers (Thursday)
Great matchup between two promising quarterbacks — B.J. Daniels and Tom Savage.

West Virginia vs. Cincinnati (Friday)
Mountaineers looking to end Cincinnati’s undefeated season.

Florida State vs. Wake Forest
Both teams desperately need a win for bowl hopes.

Georgia Tech vs. Duke
Win over Duke clinches ACC Coastal for Yellow Jackets.

Clemson vs. NC State
Are the Tigers in for a letdown?

Florida vs. South Carolina
Steve Spurrier hopes to ruin alma mater’s undefeated record.

Miami vs. North Carolina
Canes need a win to stay alive in ACC Coastal race.

Iowa vs. Ohio State
Buckeyes clinch Rose Bowl with win over Hawkeyes.

Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh
Panthers look to make it two in a row over Irish.

Nebraska vs. Kansas
Jayhawks desperately need a win to stay in contention for Big 12 North title.

Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma State
There should be no shortage of points in this one.

Tennessee vs. Ole Miss
Rebels hope to snap 12-game losing streak to Volunteers.

Arizona vs. California
Arizona quietly controls its destiny in the Pac-10 race.

Utah vs. TCU
Utes are TCU’s biggest hurdle to an undefeated season.

Infirmary Report

Taking a look at some of the key players suffering or not playing due to injuries this weekend.

California RB Jahvid Best (concussion)
Florida State QB Christian Ponder (shoulder)
Idaho QB Nathan Enderle (rotator cuff)
Illinois QB Juice Williams (leg)
Indiana RB Darius Willis (leg)
Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi (ankle)
Kentucky RB Derrick Locke (knee)
Kentucky WR Randall Cobb (thumb)
Louisville RB Victor Anderson (shoulder)
LSU QB Jordan Jefferson (ankle)
LSU RB Charles Scott (collarbone)
Maryland QB Chris Turner (knee)
North Carolina RB Shaun Draughn (shoulder)
Northwestern QB Dan Persa (hand)
Notre Dame RB Armando Allen (ankle)
Notre Dame TE Kyle Rudolph (shoulder)
UCF QB Brett Hodges (ribs)
UCF RB Brynn Harvey (ankle)
UCLA QB Kevin Prince (concussion)
Virginia QB Jameel Sewell (shoulder)
Washington State QB Jeff Tuel (knee)
West Virginia RB Noel Devine (ankle)
Wisconsin RB John Clay (concussion)

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