Boise State clearly has the most at stake

They're both searching for respect and attempting to shore up their national standing by taking on opponents against whom they supposedly have no chance.How can they possibly do that if they play each otherThere are absolutely no positive stakes in this game, nothing that can be culled from winning or losing.The winner will have no legitimacy in declaring their right to an alternative national championshipmuch less than Utah had last year in beating Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.The loser, far from enjoying the notoriety of their BCS bid, will actually be set back in the long run. Their loss will reflect poorly on the strength of their conference, and they'll have to overcome hearing about how they "couldn't even win against the other mid-major" for years to come.As many have pointed out, this matchup already occurred in last year's Poinsettia Bowl, to extremely lackluster viewership (it was, in its defense, played on Dec 23rd) Undefeated No 9 Boise State was "upset" by No. 11 TCU on the strength of the Horned Frogs' defense, which held Boise to only a field goal in the second half and 250 yards total while rallying from a 13-0 deficit.Defense will likely win the day again, and TCU has Boise beaten on every punch. With a good run defense and a better pass rush, TCU's D is trending upwards.

Only once have they surrendered more than 300 yards to a team, and that was 309 to Clemson, their most difficult opponent, in week five.In their last five games, the TCU defense has been nothing short of suffocating.Meanwhile, Boise has surrendered 500 yards twiceto Fresno State and Idahoand nearly allowed Nevada to rally late A loss would have cost them the WAC. The Broncos gave up alarming rushing totals to Fresno State and Louisiana Tech and escaped Tulsa on a turnover on downs after struggling to put away theBulldogs in the fourth quarter.Were TCU to struggle on offense, you might say the game could be close, but the Horned Frogs are also fielding the country's fourth-highest rated passer and four rushers with at least 500 yards (including Dalton, who clocks in at 543 total). Boise's defense will be no match for the more battle-tested Frogs, particularly now that Austin Pettis, Boise's second-most prolific wide receiver, may miss the game with a lower leg fracture.Boise State clearly has the most at stake. An upset of the Horned Frogs would not only add legitimacy to their "Any Team, Anywhere" slogan, but would also count as a W in the revenge column after suffering TCU as 2008's only loss.But TCU is just too good in the fundamentals to allow anything unbecoming from the Boise offense. Their strength on defense is their pass coveragethey play a base 4-2-5, meaning there are five defensive backs in coverageand should frustrate Kellen Moore all evening while Dalton makes a serious claim for the 2010 preseason Heisman watch lists.George Orwell would have appreciated what the Fiesta Bowl and the BCS have done to the mid-major mythology and the possibility of the BCS Bust.

By the end of this week, the Lakers will have played 17 of 21 games at Staples Center, so it's no surprise that they are looking pretty content at the top of the league and also atop of The Daily Hurt's weekly power rankings. Also Allen Iverson was the only man who picked up a million dollars last week and didn't have to sleep with Tiger Woods to do it.LA LAKERS - Boredom appears to be the only real obstacle facing the Lakers face right now. Phil Jackson must be hoping it doesn't turn Ron Artest back to the (halftime)bottle.BOSTON CELTICS - Boston won its four road games this week by a combined 50 points. Therefore, the C's are probably not too daunted by playing three of their next four on the road.ORLANDO MAGIC - The Magic are going about their business quietly, and I think they remain the biggest threat to both the Lakers and Celtics yes, even more so than the Cavs. If LeBron does shoot through next year, do you think that Dan Gilbert would be interested in retiring the No.