In rather surprising news, Tyler Gabbert, the younger brother of Blaine Gabbert, has unexpectedly decided to transfer from the University of Missouri.

When reached for comment about his son’s decision, this is what Chuck Gabbert told Dave Matter of the Columbia Tribune:

“The Gabbert family thinks the world of Coach” Gary “Pinkel and Coach” David “Yost,” Chuck Gabbert said. “This a decision that Tyler has come to. It’s not a knee-jerk reaction. It’s a very long thought-out process that Ty went through in evaluating what he wants to do in his football career. Yes, he was in the midst of a quarterback battle. Nothing’s given to you and it’s a competition. And Ty feeds on that competition. But there were other factors we’re not going to get into that Ty evaluated. He just felt he wanted to make a change. He leaves behind a lot of great friends and is going into an area right now where we don’t have any idea ultimately where he’s going to play. He’s got a while to figure that out, which is great. He’s just looking forward to a fresh start.”

Gabbert has been in a battle this spring with sophomore James Franklin to succeed Blaine Gabbert, who was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 10th overall pick in last month’s NFL draft. Franklin was elevated to the top of the depth chart after a stronger performance in the Tigers’ spring game, but Missouri’s coaching staff said that the competition would re-open in August.

People can believe whatever they want and I’m sure some will suggest that Gabbert is transferring because his name isn’t currently at the top of the Tigers’ depth chart. And maybe that’s the truth, even if the Gabbert family won’t admit it.

But the bottom line is that this young man has the freedom to decide his future and if he doesn’t think that Missouri is a fit anymore, than he has the right to change his mind. Nobody outside of Gabbert and his family know why he’s making this decision and quite frankly, nobody needs to know either. Yes, it’s a blow for Missouri but this is a private matter and it should stay that way.

According to the Columbia Tribune, Gabbert is considering Arizona, Clemson, Iowa, Louisville and Wake Forest, but has yet to make a decision on which school he’d like to transfer to.

One of the beauties of getting XM radio is that I get to listen to the Paul Finebaum show on a daily basis. For those that don’t know, Finebaum’s show is technically now a national college football radio show, but it can’t get away from its southeastern roots.

Every four out of five callers is from Alabama or Mississippi, and they’re crazy. The conspiracies they come up with on the officiating and play-calling from week to week would make Glenn Beck proud.

But the Cam Newton scandal has sent these folks into overdrive, and forced me to spend more time inside my car while it was sitting still in my driveway than one person should. People are blaming the press, Mississippi State, the press, Florida, the press, Nike, the press, Florida and the press. One caller, minutes after ESPN’s Joe Schad hung up with Finebaum, basically threatened to beat him up. It was amazing.

I don’t have a conspiracy theory on this, which is sad. But it will be really interesting to see how Auburn and Newton play today after having to listen to all of this over the last week.

I’m not picking the game because I have no idea who’s taking the field, but if Newton doesn’t play, expect the Bulldogs to win. A.J. Green has made them a legit SEC team. If Newton plays, however, the Tigers will roll on.

It’s a fairly light week in college football, meaning we’re probably going to see something crazy happen. So let’s look at what should be the biggest games.

No. 24 Kansas State at No. 17 Missouri, 12:30 p.m.: These teams are going in opposite directions, which could have a big impact on this game. Missouri has lost two straight games after making it deep into the top 10. Kansas State, meanwhile, is coming off a beating of Texas. I know the Longhorns are awful this year, but that’s still a confidence booster for the Wildcats. It’s kind of like beating up the school bully while he has a broken leg. It’s obviously not as cool as it should be, but it’s still helps your confidence. But I do think that Missouri is the better team, and the home-field advantage will help, too. Pick: Missouri 31-28.

Penn State at No. 9 Ohio State, 3:30 p.m.: Detroit News columnist Terry Foster threw out a random “Joe Paterno is retiring” tweet this afternoon. Now, before you take that to heart, you should realize that Foster uses his Twitter feed for verbal diarrhea as opposed to actually breaking news. Either way, Ohio State is way too strong for the Nittany Lions, no matter how good they’re playing right now. And of course, how good they’re playing right now is relative, considering they just played Michigan and Northwestern. The Buckeyes are severely overrated, considering the schedule they’ve played, but they’ll win this one without a lot of trouble. Pick: Ohio State 24-10.

No. 19 Mississippi State at No. 12 Alabama, 7:15 p.m.: Mississippi State is probably better than you think it is. The Bulldogs lost to Auburn and LSU, and the Auburn loss was very close. Alabama is struggling a little bit with defending its title, but it’s also struggling with calling plays, lately. The Crimson Tide have ridiculous playmakers in Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson and Julio Jones, but are somehow finding ways to not put them in the best ways to succeed. Moving halfway toward to finding that will be enough this weekend, because as good as the Bulldogs are, Alabama is that much better. Pick: Alabama 31-14.

No. 23 South Carolina at No. 22 Florida, 7:15 p.m.: Florida’s offense was a lot of fun to laugh at early in the season, and that’s not totally gone. But the Gators are improving as the season goes on, and Steve Adazzio completely succumbs to Urban Meyer’s commands starts to use his playmakers. I’m hearing that Marcus Lattimore is completely healthy for this one, which will help the Gamecocks, but I don’t think even he and Alshon Jeffery will overcome a Florida team that’s at home and finally moving in the right direction. Pick: Florida 21-17.

No. 10 Oklahoma State at Texas, 8 p.m.: I keep thinking that the Longhorns are going to come up with a Texas-type effort and win a game they shouldn’t. The problem is, nothing I’ve seen from them so far has shown me they’re in any position to do that. Texas is obviously in flux, and struggling with its young players. This is not a good week to be in that situation, as Oklahoma State looks to be firing on all cylinders. Justin Blackmon is the real deal, and I don’t think Texas, or anyone for that matter, can stop him. Pick: Oklahoma State 34-24.

I figured it was only a matter of time before Auburn jumped Boise State in the human polls. I just thought it would come after a win a little bigger than at Ole Miss — a team that is now 3-5 and lost at home to Jacksonville State.

But the latest USA Today/ESPN coaches poll is out, and there are the Tigers, 23 points ahead of Boise at No. 2.

I get it, Auburn has better credentials to this point in the season than Boise State does. It plays a tougher schedule, and is deserving of the No. 2 spot in the polls. (Side note: Saw Oregon for the second time live last night, and my god, the Ducks are good. I mean, I was impressed with the way they blitzed UCLA, but they made USC look slow last night. That’s crazy.)

What I don’t get is the timing. If you had Boise State No. 2 in your poll last week, what did the two teams do this week that made you change your mind? The Broncos were a little sloppy, and obviously not fully on their game on Tuesday, and still blew Louisiana Tech. To me, that’s the measure of a really good team, one that can still win handily while not at its best. Auburn, meanwhile, looked pretty slick in a 20-point win of its own against Ole Miss. Impressive, for sure, but not so impressive that you would think, “Wow, this is the performance that pushes Auburn to No. 2!”

Of course, I don’t know how important this jump really is. Boise needed Auburn and/or Oregon to lose anyway, and now that just becomes more evident. The Tigers and Ducks will still be Nos. 1 and 2 in the BCS standings when they’re released tonight, and the Broncos will continue to have to root against other teams for their own self interest.

A couple other notes from the poll: Missouri falls to No. 14 and Michigan State to No. 15 after some tough losses Saturday. Florida State fell from No. 15 to No. 24 after its loss Thursday. Of course, in the spirit of this always sane poll, that’s one spot in front of NC State, the team it just lost to. Which has the same record.

Michigan State’s run at a dream season is over, and it was ended awfully abruptly by Iowa. The Spartans fell 37-6 to the Hawkeyes in a game that wasn’t even that close. If that’s even possible.

The perfect analogy for this game came in the first quarter, when Iowa ran an interception back for a touchdown. There was a Michigan State fan with her head down, banging on the wall, and possibly crying. It was a moment she was probably expecting at some point this season, because she realized that she’s a Michigan State fan, but it’s still incredibly hard to take when your team has started 8-0.

The Spartans were legit, don’t get me wrong. They beat up Michigan and Wisconsin. Sure, they had to squeak by Notre Dame (which just lost to Tulsa. Eek.) and Northwestern, but that happens during the course of the season. The big thing for the Spartans was that they were winning, and that’s all that mattered to a fanbase and program that doesn’t have a recent history of doing that. They can still come up with an amazing season, with three winnable games to close out the season. An 11-1 season could maybe still get them to a BCS bowl, which is huge.

Meanwhile, Missouri is looking at its first defeat of the season, as well in Nebraska. So that’s two of three unbeatens who have gone down already this week. Isn’t college football fun?

With the prospect of a bowl game or a Pac-10 championship taken away from it before the season even began, USC’s football program has had to look elsewhere for motivation.

After a lackluster showing in early-season matchups against Hawaii, Virginia and Minnesota, and a loss at home to Washington, many wondered if the Trojans really even cared. A last-second loss at Stanford and a blowout of California, however, has shown that not only do the Trojans care, but they’re still a pretty darn good football team.

There was attrition at the school this offseason when the NCAA instituted a two-year bowl ban and a reduction in scholarships, but it’s still USC. It’s still the same team that has been bringing in top five recruiting classes year after year, and putting more five stars on the bench than many teams have seeing the field.

So now nobody’s thinking of the Trojans, as they cannot be a part of the title discussion themselves. They can severely alter the landscape today, though, and I’d imagine they’ll be real excited to try and take advantage of that opportunity.

No. 5 Michigan State at No. 18 Iowa, 3:30 p.m.: I can’t help but think Iowa is overrated. It lost at Arizona early in the year, and its supposedly stout defense had all sorts of problems with Tate Forcier and then gave up 31 to Wisconsin a week later. Now the Hawkeyes will have to deal with their toughest opponent yet in the Spartans, who are coming off a squeaker against Northwestern. It was the type of game Michigan State fans are used to seeing go the other way, so you’ll have to excuse them for being overly happy with it. But can Sparty pull out another one in Kinnick? Does Mark Dantonio have any more trick plays up his sleeve? I think the answers are yes and yes, but for whatever reason, I just don’t see it happening today. Pick: Iowa 27-24.

No. 6 Missouri at No. 14 Nebraska, 3:30 p.m.: It turns out, Missouri was even better than I thought it was. The win over Oklahoma is a huge step for Gary Pinkel and his program. The difference between a program capable of winning a big game and one capable of winning a national title, however, is bouncing back and winning another big game the next week. I’m not sure if Missouri is equipped to do that. Heck, I’m not sure many teams are equipped to get up for No. 1 at home one week then travel to Lincoln the next. Pick: Nebraska 24-20.

No. 1 Auburn at Mississippi, 6 p.m.: A look at Auburn’s schedule would suggest that it will be undefeated heading into the Iron Bowl on Thanksgiving weekend. This one, along with home dates with Chattanooga and Georgia precede the Tigers’ matchup with Alabama. But if you’ve been watching any ESPN this week, you’re aware of Houston Nutt’s ability to spring an upset over a highly-ranked team. He did it a few times at Arkansas, and will be looking to add another one to his belt today with Ole Miss. The problem is, I just don’t see Mississippi have the playmakers on the field to pull this off. And it certainly doesn’t have the playmakers on defense to stop Cam Newton. Pick: Auburn 34-24.

No. 25 Baylor at Texas, 7 p.m.: I read somewhere that to motivate his team this week, Mack Brown took a $20 bill, crumpled it up, spit on it and stomped on it. He then asked his team if the bill had changed at all. That science lesson was supposed to show the team that it’s still Texas, no matter the beating it has taken on the field or in the press. It’s an interesting analogy that Brown made, considering a $20 bill doesn’t have 25 new pieces to it every year. But, hey, maybe science is different in Texas. As for this week, he’s probably going to be proven to look like a genius. The Longhorns should be able to shut down Robert Griffin and Baylor. Pick: Texas 31-21.

No. 2 Oregon at USC, 8 p.m.: First of all, I and the rest of the Midwest would like to thank ABC/ESPN for giving us Ohio State at Minnesota on ABC and Michigan at Penn State on ESPN instead of arguably the game of the week. We really enjoy watching three crap-tastic Big Ten teams rather than a Pac-10 matchup that will go a long way toward deciding who the national champion is. So, thanks. As for the game we won’t be able to watch, logic would tell us that USC, although talented, doesn’t have the defense to hold Oregon under 60. I’d agree, if Oregon was more of a passing attack. USC still has good athletes on that side of the ball, and most of them are up front. I’m not saying they’re going to shut down Oregon, but I think this will be as tough a defensive matchup as Oregon has faced. Offensively, the Trojans can score with anyone. Matt Barkley is somehow flying under the radar this year, despite throwing for nearly 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns already. Like I said in the headline, this is USC’s title game, and as much as I despise the way Lane Kiffin works, I think he’ll have his kids ready to go in this one. Pick: USC 35-34.

The latest USA Today/ESPN coaches poll is out, and once again an upset near the top has forced some movement.

Oklahoma lost to Missouri in primetime, and tumbled from No. 3 to No. 11. That means there will be a new BCS No. 1 when the standings are released tonight. The most likely candidate is Oregon, which remained a very strong No. 1 in the poll, receiving 50 of the possible 58 first-place votes.

One team that could jump the Ducks with the computers’ help, however, is Auburn. The Tigers have the best resume with wins over LSU, Arkansas and South Carolina. They jumped over TCU from fifth to third after Saturday’s win against LSU, and I’d be surprised if the Harris Poll didn’t mirror the coaches. Because, well, Harris Poll voters are lemmings (and I really don’t have a problem with Auburn jumping to No. 3).

Michigan State moved into the top five with its squeaker against Northwestern. It’s a curious time to move a team ahead of Alabama, but it’s a big thing for the Spartans, who face their stiffest remaining test next week. A win over Iowa sets the Spartans up for an unbeaten season, and it would be tough for pollsters to move a one-loss team — even Alabama — over a major conference unbeaten. It would have been easier to keep Alabama ahead, if that makes any sense.

The poll’s biggest mover was Missouri, which catapulted to No. 8 from No. 16 after beating Oklahoma. The Tigers and Utah remain the only undefeated teams who are behind Alabama. The most surprising move of the week: Michigan moving back into the top 25 after a bye week. Apparently the voters not getting a chance to see Michigan’s defense allow 500-plus yards and 30-plus points was enough to bring back the just-lost-two-home-games-in-a-row Wolverines.

My wife essentially makes the schedule in our house. My job is to make sure I stay gainfully employed and just show up to the things she’s set up for us. It’s normally pretty easy and painless, to be honest. And since I’m a scatter-brain most of the time, I completely relinquish the scheduling.

But she messed up this weekend. Big time. We’re signed up for a wine tasting at 6 p.m. (EDT) today, which will be smack dab in the middle of some of the best college football finishes of the day. It also means I’ll be out of commission after 6 p.m. (never drink and blog kids, it never ends up well), so expect heavier blogging early in the day, and not much later. I’ll let you decide if that’s good or bad.

After the jump, I’ll dissect some of the great matchups of the day (there a couple of huge ones), and introduce a couple of new features for this morning forecast post.

Last week I was 1-4. Straight up. No spread. I was 1-4. Time to step my game up.

No. 7 Michigan State at Northwestern, noon: One of my greatest friends is a Michigan State grad, and he’s crapping himself over this game. The Spartans biggest defensive deficiency is in the pass game, but only one opponent so far has been able to take advantage of that (Notre Dame). Three opponents were toothless, while the others (Michigan and Illinois) don’t have passing games that scare you. Northwestern features Dan Persa, the nation’s fourth most efficient passer. But Persa and the Wildcats have played a weak sauce schedule, barely beating the now coachless Minnesota Golden Gophers, and losing to a bad Purdue team. So, Kyle, my pants-crapping friend, put away the Depends and just sit back and enjoy another Spartan victory. Pick: 34-27.

No. 6 LSU at No. 4 Auburn, 3:30 p.m.: There are two magical forces meeting in this game, as Cam Newton’s amazing season matches up against Les Miles’ wild ride. I don’t think it’s wise to bet against either of these things. Newton will destroy you with his arm and legs. Every time he takes a snap, Urban Meyer dies a little inside, thinking of what could have been while simultaneously poking at his Steve Addazio voodoo doll. Miles, meanwhile, is forcing writers around the country to try and find whatever is beyond selling your soul to the devil, because even the devil is looking at what Miles is asking for, and saying, “you’re kidding, right?” LSU basically had an extra week to get ready for Newton, as it played McNeese State a week ago. I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing, honestly. I do know, however, that this is by far the best defense Newton has seen this year. Pick: LSU 24-20.

No. 13 Wisconsin at No. 15 Iowa, 3:30 p.m.: Huge win for the Badgers last week, obviously, knocking off the then-No. 1 Buckeyes. But I still have serious doubts about Wisconsin. I can’t really explain why, and I think last week I might have said I don’t believe in Auburn (oops), but there’s something about the Badgers that I don’t like. Anyone can get up for a game against No. 1 and possibly pull an upset at home, especially any team with the talent Wisconsin has. But is that something the Badgers can maintain this week in an equally big game on the road against perhaps the Big Ten’s best team? Um, no. Pick: Iowa 27-17.

No. 16 Nebraska at No. 14 Oklahoma State, 3:30 p.m.: Oklahoma State is putting up points this season at a nearly Oregon-esque pace. Problem is, the Cowboys are giving up points at a Michigan-esque pace. Troy put up 38 on them. Louisiana-Lafayette put up 28. Texas A&M (with 70-bajillion turnovers) put up 35. In short, this is just the defense for T-Magic to rebound against. Texas was a tough matchup for Nebraska because it was coming off a bye week, and it has the athletes on defense to corral Taylor Martinez. Oklahoma State doesn’t have that, or anywhere near that. The other thing the Cowboys don’t have is previous experience against a defense anywhere near what Nebraska has. Pick: Nebraska 34-26.

No. 1 Oklahoma at No. 11 Missouri, 8 p.m.: In case you haven’t noticed, I’m using the BCS rankings. So now that we’ve got that cleared up, there’s a reason both of these teams are ranked above where the humans have them: they’re both good. My preseason championship game pick was Boise State against Ohio State, but I really toyed with the idea of putting Oklahoma in there. If the Sooners win today, they simply have to avoid the annual Bob Stoops “Uh oh” game to get to the Big 12 championship where they’ll likely see Nebraska. So, hindsight is 20-20, but I’m giving myself some credit for thinking about it. Missouri, oddly enough, has a tough defense. It also has Blaine Gabbert and a solid offense. This will be the Sooners toughest test of the year. Including Nebraska. Pick: Oklahoma 24-23.

Hey! New features!

Player with the most on the line today

Newton, and I don’t think it’s all that close. Most have him at the top of their Heisman Trophy ballot right now, and with good reason. But as I said earlier, this is his first really big test against a very good defense. If he’s impressive in a win today, he’ll remain on the top of those Heisman lists as he and the Tigers very likely will be unbeaten going into the regular-season finale against Alabama.

Coach with the most on the line today

Brian Kelly, Notre Dame. He’s not in danger of getting fired, but a loss today to Navy and the the Irish faithful start losing faith. The 1-3 start was hard to take, but the losses were reasonable considering the opponents and the situation. Losing to Navy, however, brings up the “same as Weis” argument that Kelly desperately needs to avoid. The Midshipmen should never be a barometer game for the Notre Dame program, but that’s exactly what this is today. It’s win fairly comfortably, or feel the heat start to rise.