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. Ohio State wins Big Ten — It wasn’t easy, but Ohio State’s win over Iowa assured the Buckeyes of a Big Ten title and a berth in the Rose Bowl. Despite winning or claiming a share of five consecutive league titles, this will be the Buckeyes’ first appearance in the Rose Bowl since the 1996 season when they defeated Arizona State. Sophomore quarterback Terrelle Pryor only threw for 93 yards, but he didn’t have a turnover and did everything the Buckeyes needed to win this game. Iowa played this game without starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi and running back Brandon Wegher, but got some help with the return of Adam Robinson in the backfield. James Vanderberg played relatively well in his first start under center, but threw three interceptions and took a costly sack in overtime. Although losses to Northwestern and Ohio State ended a promising season for the Hawkeyes, a win over Minnesota this Saturday would give them a 10-win season for the first time since 2004. Although Ohio State claimed the Big Ten title with one game to play, there is still plenty of incentive this week. With a win over the Wolverines this Saturday, the Buckeyes can eliminate Michigan from bowl contention.

2. Stanford crushes USC — Even after USC’s loss to Oregon, the Trojans still had hope of grabbing an at-large spot in the BCS. Not anymore. Stanford’s 55-21 victory means the Trojans won’t play in the BCS for the first time since 2001. Just like the loss to Oregon, it’s surprising to see how much the Trojans have struggled on defense. The Cardinal collected 469 total yards, with 325 coming on the ground. The Trojans didn’t help their cause with four turnovers, including an interception that was returned for a score. Where does Pete Carroll go from here? The Trojans can win their final two games and a bowl to finish with 10 victories. However, playing in the Las Vegas, Sun or Holiday Bowl won’t be what Carroll and his staff had in mind at the beginning of the year. Considering the returning talent on this team next season, the Trojans could be a preseason top-five team. However, the loss of eight starters on defense and two coordinators proved to be too much for the Trojans to overcome this year.

3. Notre Dame falls again — The Charlie Weis watch is officially on in South Bend. After starting the year 4-1, the Irish have dropped three of their last five. All four losses by the Irish have been by seven points or less, but will winning the final two games and a bowl contest be enough to keep Weis around? Looking ahead to 2010, things may not be much better. Quarterback Jimmy Clausen and wide receiver Golden Tate may jump to the NFL and the offensive line started four seniors against Pittsburgh. Although Dayne Crist is a highly-regarded passer and the likely replacement for Clausen, he suffered a torn ACL against Washington State and may not be ready for spring practice. The offense may be the least of the worries next year, especially with the talent on defense lagging once again. If Clausen and Tate jump to the NFL, 2010 will be a rebuilding year for the Irish. Notre Dame has a huge choice to make — do you rebuild with Weis or a new coach?
 
4. Big 12 North taking shape — Since the 9-7 debacle against Iowa State, Nebraska has won three in a row and a win over Kansas State this Saturday would clinch a spot for Cornhuskers in the Big 12 title game. The passing game has struggled all season, but Zac Lee played well against Kansas, completing 13 of 21 passes for 196 yards. The Cornhuskers also have a healthy Roy Helu Jr., as evidenced by his 156 yards and three scores against the Jayhawks. The Wildcats suffered their first home loss of the year against Missouri last week and must hit the road for the showdown against the Cornhuskers. The Wildcats have yet to win on the road this year and it will be a tall task to upset the Cornhuskers and claim the Big 12 North title.

5. Georgia Tech clinches ACC Coastal — There were plenty of doubters about the option offense working in the ACC, but two seasons later, Georgia Tech has proven the critics wrong. The Yellow Jackets faced even more criticism after their 33-17 loss to Miami earlier this year, but they made some adjustments and reeled off eight wins in a row, including Saturday’s ACC Coastal clinching victory over Duke. The Yellow Jackets are still struggling to find the right mix on defense and will have their hands full in the ACC title game if they matchup with Clemson. However, coach Paul Johnson has done an excellent job getting this team into position for a ACC Championship after the rough loss to Miami.

Other thoughts from Week 11

As long as TCU wins its final two games, the Horned Frogs will play in a BCS game. The Horned Frogs have non-conference road wins over Virginia and Clemson, while beating conference foes BYU and Utah by a combined score of 93-35.

Rice’s victory over Tulane means there are three teams searching for their first win of 2009 — Eastern Michigan, New Mexico and Western Kentucky.

South Florida’s annual late-season slide continued with Thursday’s 31-0 loss to Rutgers. The Bulls are 19-19 over the last five seasons from October until the end of the season.

Temple’s win over Akron on Friday night gave the Owls their eighth straight win of 2009. The eight wins by Temple are the most in a season since 1979.

Although Houston controlled Conference USA’s West Division and has wins over Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, if SMU wins out, the Mustangs will play for the conference title. The Cougars’ loss to UCF was not only costly to Houston’s conference title hopes, but put a dent in quarterback Case Keenum’s Heisman campaign.

There were a few grumblings out of Chapel Hill after North Carolina was 4-3 and coming off a loss to Florida State. Since that loss to the Seminoles, the Tar Heels have won three in a row, including victories over Virginia Tech and Miami. With favorable matchups against Boston College and NC State remaining, the Tar Heels could close out 2009 at 9-3 and as one of the hottest teams in the nation.

Looking ahead to Week 12

A small sample of what’s ahead

Boise State vs. Utah State (Friday)
Another primetime opportunity for Broncos to impress.

Penn State vs. Michigan State
Win by Michigan State would end Penn State’s BCS-at large hopes.

Ohio State vs. Michigan
Buckeyes hope to end Michigan’s fading bowl hopes.

Kansas vs. Texas
Should be another easy day for Colt McCoy and Texas offense.

Minnesota vs. Iowa
Hawkeyes need a win to keep BCS at-large hopes alive.

Kansas State vs. Nebraska
Winner clinches spot in Big 12 title game.

Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech
Should be no shortage of points in this one.

LSU vs. Ole Miss
Rebels have been disappointing, but a chance to spoil LSU’s top-10 ranking.

California vs. Stanford
Stanford needs a win to keep Rose Bowl hopes alive.

Oregon vs. Arizona
Oregon controls destiny for Pac-10 title, but winning in Tucson won’t be easy.

Infirmary Report

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

Fresno State RB Ryan Mathews (concussion)
Georgia WR A.J. Green (shoulder)
Hawaii QB Bryant Moniz (ribs)
Idaho QB Nathan Enderle (shoulder)
Iowa RB Brandon Wegher (ribs)
LSU QB Jordan Jefferson (ankle)
Marshall RB Darius Marshall (leg)
Marshall TE Cody Slate (knee)
Maryland QB Chris Turner (knee)
Oklahoma State QB Zac Robinson (head)
USC WR Damian Williams (ankle)

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