I have always believed that the number zero is extremely defining! In the world of sports, like real estate, it’s all about “location, location, location.” A zero in the right column of the win-loss ranking is a very good thing, while a zero in the left column is not so good!

As college football enters its home stretch, anyone remotely associated with the game knows full well that USC, Texas, and Alabama (listed in order of team BCS ranking), remain the only undefeated teams in the nation. However, there are a few other teams with a zero in the far right column, when it comes to conference standings.

West Virginia of the Big East easily took care of Cincinnati on Wednesday night, moving to 5-0 in the league. The Mountaineers still have games left on Nov. 24 against Pittsburgh (at Morgantown) and Dec. 3 in South Florida. The Mountaineers had the Big East title in their hands last year, but lost at home to Boston College 36-17 and in Pittsburgh (16-13) to end the year. This year’s team shows no signs of imploding, but you never know

TCU has already won the MWC title, in its first year in the league. The Horned Frogs easily dispatched Colorado State last Saturday (33-6), capturing the school’s first outright conference title since winning the SWC crown in 1958. At 7-0 at MWC, the Horned Frogs (29-point favorites!) Need just beat UNLV in Fort Worth on Saturday to finish 10-1 overall and 8-0 in the league. Ironically, the team’s only loss in 2005 came against former SWC rival SMU. Just a week after opening the season by winning 17-10 at Norman against the Sooners (as underdogs with nearly four TDs), TCU lost 21-10 at SMU, a team that is just 3-6 on the year.

At least one of the seven remaining undefeated college football conference teams HAS to lose this weekend. WAC’s Boise State and Fresno State (both 5-0), meet Thursday night on ESPN. Boise State entered the WAC in 2001 and in that first year, ended Fresno’s 17-game home win streak with a 35-30 win as a 16-point underdog. After losing at La Tech later that year, Boise began a conference winning streak that went as long as 31 games! During that streak, the Broncos are an impressive 21-10 ATS.

Despite the fact that Boise owns that long conference winning streak and has beaten Fresno in all four meetings since joining the conference (winning by an average score of 41-21 and going 4-0 ATS), the Bulldogs are solid favorites (more than one TD) in Thursday’s game. Fresno State is surely not far behind, as the Bulldogs are 38-5 SU at home since 1998 and enter their matchup with the Broncos at 7-1 (only loss in 8-1 Oregon, 37-34) and occupied ranked 20th in the AP (current BCS ranking is 22nd).

The winner of Thursday’s matchup will likely win the rest of the way in conference play, but he’s not a ‘lockout.’ Boise has an easy game at home against Idaho, but must play at La Tech (7-1 SU at home since 2004). As for Fresno, after traveling to USC on Dec. 19 for a non-conference game, the Bulldogs must head to Reno, where Nevada has gone 9-2 SU and ATS in its last 11 home games. Fresno ends the season with a game against La Tech at home.

Returning to the top three teams in the nation, USC faces the one school that has given them the most trouble in recent years. USC is bringing a 31-game winning streak to its game at Cal this Saturday, as well as a 14-game road winning streak and a 21-game Pac-10 winning streak. Cal was the last team to beat USC, 34-31 in triple overtime in 2003. Cal almost beat the Trojans last year in Los Angeles losing 23-17 and in 2003, losing 30-28. Adding a little more drama to the mix, a USC victory will tie Cal’s record Pac-10 winning streak of 22 straight, set between 1947 and 1950. USC is an 18 1/2-point favorite and will close out the year with games at home against Fresno State and UCLA (the Trojans have won 25 in a row at the Coliseum).

Texas, the No. 2 team in the nation, looks for its 17th straight victory this Saturday in Austin against Kansas. While Texas and USC have won games by similar margins, Texas outscoring opponents 48.3-14.3 with USC outscoring opponents by an average of 49.9-20.6, the Longhorns are 8-1 ATS while the Trojans are just 4-5 . Texas is a 33-point favorite over Kansas and ends its regular season with a visit to College Station, where the Longhorns face the disappointing Aggies. Texas’ likely opponent in the Big-12 title games is Colorado, a team the Longhorns beat in Austin, 42-17, on Oct. 15.

While few think USC or Texas will stumble down the stretch, the No. 3 team in the nation, Alabama (but only 3-6 ATS), finds itself a local ‘dog’ (plus-3) this Saturday at No. .5 LSU. Since losing WR Tyrone Protho, the Tide have scored just ONE TD in their last three SEC games. However, Alabama owns the No. 1 scoring defense in the country (8.2 PPG) and should not be ruled out of any game. If Alabama escapes against LSU, the Tide plays Auburn in the “Iron Bowl” on December 19 at Auburn. Alabama’s likely opponent in the SEC title game (should the team make it that far) is either Georgia or Florida.

The SEC saw Auburn go 12-0 last year, but it missed the BCS title game, and it seems likely that Alabama will go 12-0 in 2005 and miss out, too. USC increased their lead over Texas in the latest BCS standings and Texas’ lead over Alabama is SUBSTANT! BCS history says that the two teams ranked first and second in the initial BCS poll of the season (this year it was USC and Texas), have NEVER met in that year’s BCS title game. However, USC and Texas already made BCS history in 2005, as the same two teams had never before been one or two in each of the top four BCS positions in a season. Perhaps USC and Texas are destined to meet in Pasadena?

KIND LOSERS

I can’t close without listing the winless teams, the ones with the zero in the wrong place! Temple is 0-10 (4-6 ATS) in 2005 but has the week off before closing out his season Dec. 19 at Navy. The state of New Mexico is 0-9 (2-7 ATS) and is home to Nevada, where the Aggies are underdogs by 9 1/2 points. Buffalo, also 0-9 (5-4 ATS!) is at Kent State and the Bulls may have a chance. The not-so Golden Flashes are just 1-8 in 2005, but are favored for about a TD. Note: Buffalo also owns the longest road losing streak in the country at 22 straight.

Rice (0-8 SU and 1-7 ATS) in 2005 and owner of the nation’s longest current losing streak at 14, plays his Homecoming game this week against 2-6 Tulane. Owls are actually a ONE POINT favorite! Could be? By the way, including Buffalo, New Mexico State and Rice (Temple will play this year as an Independent), there are still 13 schools yet to win in the conference and they will enter this weekend’s action.