Joe Pa's Nittany Lions have shot up to No. 12 in the rankings, but Illinois and dual-threat QB Juice Williams look to bring them back to earth this weekend. AP

By Eric Horowitz

Your guide to the weekend, SIOC style.

Friday

NCAA Men's Soccer: No. 1 Wake Forest at No. 2 Maryland, 8 p.m., FSC
Young vs. Leinart, Bird vs. Magic, Shawn Johnson vs. Nastia Lukin and now ... Wake Forest vs. Maryland. It's the battle for No. 1. This game is so big it's even being televised! (On the Fox Soccer Channel, but still...)

Saturday

Husker Bowl, University of Nebraska, 12 p.m.
Although Nebraska's men's football team will take on Virginia Tech later in the evening, the daytime belongs to the Cornhusker female football players. This sorority "powder-puff" football competition (sponsored by the Sigma Nu fraternity) will raise money for St. Jude Hospital.

NCAA Men's Water Polo: Slugfest, UC Santa Cruz
Good news. The time has finally come to break out that novelty UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs t-shirt you bought after seeing Pulp Fiction. Come cheer on the Banana Slugs as they host water polo powerhouses UC Davis, Redlands and Santa Clara.

Lose the Shoes Soccer Tournament, Boston University, 6 p.m.
Anybody can play soccer with a pair of fancy cleats. It takes a real footballer to play barefoot. The proceeds from this shoeless three-on-three soccer tournament will go toward fighting AIDS in Africa.

NCAA Football: No. 22 Illinois at No. 12 Penn State, 8 p.m.
Don't look now, but Joe Pa's Nittany Lions are creeping into the national championship picture. They get their first real test this week. Also, prior to the game don't miss the Big Ten Network's two hour special on Beanie Wells' foot.

Sunday

Big House Big Heart Run, University of Michigan, 1 p.m.
Ever dreamed of dashing through the Big House tunnel and onto the field as the stadium's scoreboard shows your dramatic entrance? Now's your chance to do what Ryan Mallet clearly didn't think was all that special. Those who make it to the end of this charity 5k will finish their runs the way Michigan football players start their Saturdays.

"We the People Fest" with Chuck Norris, Kent State University, 3 p.m.
The purpose of this three-day festival is to educate people about the voting process through movies and speakers. If anybody can accomplish that, it's got to be Walker Texas Ranger himself. Norris' Sunday speech will undoubtedly give American politics the butt-whoopin' it needs.

Skate with the Sioux, University of North Dakota, 3 p.m.
Kids ages three-14 will get the chance to meet and skate with the fourth-ranked UND hockey team. And unlike Duke's "Ball with the Blue Devils" (where participants must be at least 17-years-old because of Coach K's constant profanity), "Skate with the Sioux" is a wholesome activity everyone can enjoy (unless you're a Native American offended by the team's name, mascot and logo).