Weekend Primer

Your guide to the weekend, SIOC style.

EA Sports NCAA Football Challenge Prelim, UConn, 12 p.m.The 16th and final spot in this X-Box 360 tournament is up for grabs. The big showdown will take place at the 2009 Rose Bowl, where EA Sports will give away $10,000 to the most skilled X-Box 360 gamer. (Note to self: Video game companies not affected by financial crisis). According to EA Sports Marketing Director Brian Movalson, it will be a blast: "The EA SPORTS NCAA Football Challenge presented by Coca-Cola Zero brings the competition and excitement college football players feel every week to gamers in college towns across the nation." Well, kind of. But without the physical exertion, rabid fans and all-around interest in what you're doing from people besides you.

NCAA Hockey: Colgate vs. Robert Morris, 4 p.m.This week, the NCAA ranked Colgate No. 1 in student-athlete graduation rate. Help the school maintain that pristine ranking by yelling out midterm review questions to players sitting on the bench.

Miniature Golf, Kansas State, 7 p.m.Perhaps K-State should be spending more on Friday night student activities and less on assistant coaches.

NCAA Football: No. 12 Boise State at San Jose State, 9 p.m.The Broncos are already thinking about what booze they'll use to spike the bunch bowl when they crash the BCS party. The Spartans are the only bouncer with the defensive skills to stop them. Will they succeed in keeping the party a major conference affair? Or will some poor, companionless SEC team have to spend the first week in January home alone? (Thus concludes this week's drawn out metaphor.)

NCAA Football: No. 16 South Florida at Louisville, 12 p.m.Remember the Big East glory days of 2006. It was commonplace to find not one, not two, but three Big East teams in the top 15. How times have changed. Now, this qualifies as Louisville's biggest game of the year. At least basketball season starts soon.

NCAA Football: No. 3 Penn State at No. 9 Ohio State, 8 p.m.When Terrell Pryor burns a bridge, he really burns it. First, Pryor spurned Penn State for OSU's ambrosial scarlet. Now, the Pennsylvania native is telling reporters "I'm from Ohio." He's from both Pennsylvania and Ohio? Sounds like a desperate presidential candidate. If the Nittany Lions fall it'll be a difficult loss to swallow, but don't worry, students can find comfort in their new Penn State Faculty Trading Cards.

Cornell University Intercollegiate Figure Skating CompetitionWith the Winter Olympics less than 16 months away, there are two choices: Become a die-hard figure skating fan who stresses over every triple-lutz like it's a Super Bowl winning field goal, or hopelessly attempt to avoid the unavoidable barrage of figure skating coverage. If you choose the former (and live in upstate New York), this collegiate competition is a good place to start.