Looking ahead to the best matchups of the '06 season

	Troy Smith and the Buckeyes will get another shot at Texas on Sept. 9 in Austin. John Biever/SI
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You see what happens? Schools such as Ohio State, LSU, USC and Texas were foolish enough to schedule heavyweight non-conference games this season (the latter three on the road) and they each paid dearly for it. None of them qualified for a BCS bowl.

What?!? Three of them did? Two of them even won their BCS games?

So you're telling me it's possible to give the people what they want and still play in a BCS game? Even to play for the national championship? Even to win one?

Sweet Lincoln's mullet!

For the record, LSU played at Arizona State, USC took on Notre Dame (granted, that one's an annual deal), and Ohio State hosted the Longhorns. All four schools finished in the top six.

We here (which is to say "Me") at the Blitz appreciate that these schools scheduled those games. Texas-Ohio State and USC-Notre Dame produced some of the most indelible moments of 2005. Those non-conference main events are not only good for the sport, but also as this season demonstrates, they provide "indisputable video evidence" that such games are good for the teams who participate in them. You wanna be the best? Play the best.

In that spirit here is one man's preview of the best non-conference games of '06. And, to be fair, we want to recognize those schools such as Michigan, Georgia Tech, and the three Sunshine State powers who annually play the same powerhouse out of conference each autumn (e.g., the Yellow Jackets play Georgia). Games such as Florida State-Florida or Michigan-Notre Dame are not on this list, but they are just as laudable.

Here you are, then. My "Wait 'til This Year!" list of intriguing non-conference matchups:

Sept. 2

California at Tennessee
The Golden Bears (or, for those Davy Crockett fans in the Volunteer State, "b'ars") invade Knoxville with a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett. The Vols' Erik Ainge should at last have the quarterback job to himself.

Sept. 9

Penn State at Notre Dame
The Nittany Lions and Fighting Irish played some memorable games in the late 1980s and early '90s, but have not met since '92. Will Butkus Award winner Paul Posluszny, who may have suffered a serious knee injury in the Orange Bowl win, be back to anchor a defense that will face likely the nation's most prolific passing offense? Irish offensive stars Brady Quinn, Jeff Samardzija and Darius Walker return, as does their leading receiver in '04, Rhema McKnight. Tight end Anthony Fasano will have graduated and will likely go pro, but he does have a season of eligibility remaining.

Ohio State at Texas
Quarterbacks Troy Smith and Vince Young (if he comes back) duel in Austin in an early Heisman showdown, while Billy (WR, Longhorns) and Antonio (TB, Buckeyes) contend for the MVP (Most Valuable Pittman) award. The Buckeye linebacker corps will need to grow up in a hurry to replace the likes of A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel.