Miami and Ohio State control their own destinies

There were four unbeaten teams heading into last weekend's college football match-ups, making the National Championship picture cloudy. Thanks to the downfall of Oklahoma and the fact that now 8-1 Bowling Green of the MAC conference was never going to get serious consideration for the National Championship, it is now a two team race. Miami and Ohio State control their own destinies. If Miami wins its remaining three games and Ohio State its final two, this is your 2003 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. But the road is tough with every opponent gunning to be the spoiler.

Miami was supposed to face a challenge from Tennessee last weekend, but once again the 5-4 Volunteers looked more like their feeble mascot, "Smokey" the hound dog, instead of an upper-echelon SEC squad. But, it is still difficult to tell whether Tennessee played a horrid game or Miami played an incredible contest. There was probably a combination of the two as the Hurricane defense was smothering and it's offense cruising, while the Vol's defense was depleted due to injury while the offense has been stuck in neutral all season.

Miami extended its win streak to 31 games with its last victory, but by doing so Miami remains every team's big game with its last three games possibly being the hardest of the season. After a much-needed bye this weekend, the Hurricanes have a date with Pittsburgh. Just like the Hurricanes, the Panthers are undefeated in conference play.

Pitt will be a tough cookie to swallow because of its air attack and team defense. The Panthers boast the Big East's second rated quarterback in Rod Rutherford and second leading receiver in freshman wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. The team's defense held Texas A&M, who beat Oklahoma last weekend, to 14 points in a losing effort and has not surrender more than 24 points in any single game all season. Pitt crushed Syracuse and also beat Virginia Tech, who was perfect until suffering back-to-back losses to Pitt and Syracuse.

Although Miami is questioned every week, they have produced for 31 straight games. A win against Pittsburgh in two weeks and the Hurricanes are in the driver's seat to return to the National Championship game. The leadership of quarterback Ken Dorsey and running back Willis McGahee in combination with excellent team defense has been strong enough to carry the 'Canes this far, but Pitt is an under-rated squad with much to prove. After the Pitt game Miami must travel to Syracuse who is riding on cloud nine after knocking off Virginia Tech in three overtimes last weekend. Finally the 'Canes travel home to face the worn-out Hokies of Virginia Tech, who always have upset potential.

If Miami is successful in winning its final three contests, the Hurricanes might see Ohio State in Arizona. The Buckeyes are currently 11-0 and also control their own destiny.

Ohio State was much more impressive early on as compared to its victories in the last couple of weeks. With the freshman phenom Maurice Clarett setting rushing records, the Buckeyes received national attention from their first game against Texas Tech where Clarett ran for 175 yards on 21 carries in his first collegiate game.

The Buckeyes' efficiency has been reliant on the proficiency of Clarett. The freshman stud mowed down opposing defenses early in the season, but has been hampered by a knee injury in recent games. Ohio State beat conference foe Wisconsin by five, and then rival Penn State by seven. After those two near-defeats, the Buckeyes came back to blow out a surprisingly decent Minnesota team 34-3. Last weekend, Ohio State was expected to do the same to Purdue, but only won 10-6.

Although all four of Ohio State's games ended with a "W," only one was truly convincing. It has been proven time in and time out that when a team flirts with defeat on a weekly basis, only disaster can emerge.

Of any team fighting for a National Championship bid, Ohio State definitely has the easiest finish. Not only will they not have to play a conference championship game like the Big 12 and SEC conferences, but they do not have to play fellow Big 10 undefeated, Iowa, at all this season. With a less-than-spectacular Illinois team up next, Ohio State can start preparing early for possibly its biggest test of the season.

After traveling to Champagne, Illinois to battle the Fighting Illini, Ohio State finishes its regular season against the tenth ranked Wolverines. Michigan has the tools to rain on the Buckeyes parade. With a solid running back and a kicker that has made clutch field goals, the Wolverines are plenty dangerous. If quarterback John Navarre can control his arm, Ohio State might be cut out of the entire BCS picture.

The bottom line is if Miami and Ohio State win their remaining games, they play each other for the Sears Cup. But, if Miami or Ohio State stumbles, it becomes a wide-open race with many quality one-loss teams thrown back into the mix. College Football is the most competitive it has been in years, and a loss by either of the two undefeated squads will ruin either of their respective seasons. An Ohio State loss opens the door for Iowa to win the Big 10 to steal the automatic bid to the Rose Bowl and possibly leave Ohio State out of the BCS picture. And while a Miami loss would probably still have the Hurricanes in the BCS, Pittsburgh could still steal the show and drop Miami from National Championship hopeful to praying for an at-large bid to a lesser BCS game.