More questions for BlogPollers today (or, uh, “yesterday”). Hopefully I read them all carefully this time and don’t get points knocked off for poor grammar.

(Original questions and everyone elses answers here.)

1. What’s THE critical game of the season on the national scene?
So many to choose from… my first inclination is Texas-Oklahoma, though its early enough in the season that one or the other could theoretically bounce back from a loss here and sneak into the national title game, provided only one team in the country ends up undefeated. I think the reasons for its criticality are obvious, Texas needs to get over the Sooner hump regardless of national implications, especially with a game in early October that can brand this stellar team (on paper) as once again average when it counts. For Oklahoma, I would imagine they’d come into this one as slight underdogs (obviously depending on how September pans out), but will probably have adjusted from the losses of the offseason and be out to prove that they’re still the team to beat in the Big XII. If the first month of the year plays to its script, the momentum coming out of this game could launch the winners and bury the losers.

Closer to my area of focus, the obvious is/could be the OSU-Michigan game, but I think the round robin with Iowa for those two will set up if The Game means anything at all. Of course, they could all just beat up on each other and leave the Big Ten out of the Rose Bowl altogether.

2. What’s the most critical matchup for your team?
As a Michigan fan, its game at Iowa. Whatever happens will happen against Ohio State (that and you told us we couldn’t use that game anyway), but a loss at Iowa could spoil any conference title (at least) hopes before late November gets here.

Now, as a BG fan, can I just answer “the end of November”? While matchups at Wisconsin and Boise State are critical for “the next step”, the Falcons still have a step to take in grabbing a MAC title for the first time since 1992. Wins at Madison and/or Boise would be outstanding, but even 50 point losses won’t take them out of the MAC title hunt (ask Toledo about their trip to Minnesota, and the subsequent visit to Mark Mangino’s belly in Kansas last year). The November 15 game at Miami(OH) is huge, and should be their first real test in the MAC, not to mention a chance to rid the “can’t win the big road game” demons in Oxford. Of course, with a win at Miami(OH), or enough ForeHawk losses before Nov. 15, its Toledo time the following week. Fortunately its at friendly Doyt Perry Stadium, and the home team HAS won every year since ’98 or so, but one or both teams could have a division title on the line. The fun part could come the week after that, which might be another matchup with the Rockets in Detroit for the MAC Championship. I don’t know if that’s ever happened in college football before, but it would certainly be exciting, if nothing else. Aside from conference title hopes, I don’t think I’d put a “critical” label on that one as much as the other two, as a bowl bid would likely have been extended with the MAC East crown. Still, that three weeks could be the most exciting stretch Falcon football has seen in quite some time.

3. What’s your wingnut upset prediction of year?

I don’t know if it’s “wingnut” enough, and I didn’t really put much thought into it, but looking at mid-to-late season matchups, the Louisville at Cincinnati game screamed out to me. The Cardinals will be playing their second straight road game, a week after facing their first Big East test at West Virginia. Not only that, but they’ve got Pittsburgh the following week which, with a win over WVU could start to get Big East title matchup chatter going, thus setting the perfect table for an upset at Cincy. Toss in Cincinnati’s penchant for beating or scaring top teams, and I bet the Bearcats keep this one within a touchdown, if not pull out the win. (And Bob Huggins and his staff will do much rejoicing.)

Want wingnut? I bet Indiana or Illinois knocks off one of the Big 10 “big four” (UM, OSU, Iowa, Wisky) before the season is done, but that kind of vagueness is cheating.