The calm before the storm; with the end-of-season rivalries starting in ten days, and after two straight weeks of upsets and thrillers, this weekend's games offer the fan a brief pause before the BCS competition begins in earnest. Only two games featuring match-ups of ranked teams, both in the Big-10, as Ohio State tries to maintain its hopes of a second straight title against Purdue (last year's game was decided on a long TD pass in the final minute), while Minnesota becomes the first major Division 1 program to finish its regular season, in Iowa. Oddly enough, the Buckeyes are more concerned with how LSU, ranked third in the polls but well back in the BCS standings, does, than with USC; should the Bayou Bengals fall while Ohio State runs the slate against Purdue and Michigan, the Buckeyes will probably move past USC based on its strength of schedule. Also take note that Ohio State, after this weekend, will have played 8 of its 11 games at home, while USC has played 6 of its 10 games on the road.

In the meantime, with USC well-rested from its Bye Week, en route to a showdown with bottom-dwelling Arizona, here is our Song Girl of the Week: it's Alanna, a junior majoring in Communications, with an interest in the "Entertainment Industry" (I thought that phrase died with Sinatra). She hopes to attend law school (what Song Girl doesn't?), and asserts that "USC is a fantastic school and I am extremely grateful that I have become a member of the Trojan family. It is a privelge[sic] not only to attend a university with such academic prestige but also to be surrounded by such a bright and charaismatic[sic] student body."