Ohio State fans need to root for Michigan. Seriously.The Buckeyes loss last Saturday to Penn State has created this somewhat uncomfortable situation, where their fans have to pull for their hated rival. Heres why: The sixth-ranked Buckeyes can win a three-way tiebreaker in the Big Ten East among themselves, Michigan and Penn State if all finish 8-1 in the conference, which would mean the Buckeyes beating the Wolverines in the regular-season finale.If Michigan were to lose before Nov. 26, Ohio State would need another Penn State loss to win the division and move on to play for the Big Ten title with an 8-1 record.Of course, the Buckeyes still need to take care of their own business, and that starts Saturday at home against Northwestern. As for No. 2 Michigan, a short road trip to Michigan State is up next. The Spartans have owned the rivalry lately, but they also currently own a five-game losing streak.Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio built a Big Ten power on a foundation of victories against Michigan. Seven in the last eight meetings to be exact. The Spartans have also won two of the last three Big ten titles, beating Ohio State along the way each time.It is a long shot, but nothing would be more Michigan State than beating Michigan and in the process helping to eliminate Ohio State.The picks:(hash)GOACCNo. 25 Virginia Tech (minus 4+) at PittsburghThe Hokies would be tough to catch in the ACC Coastal with victories against North Carolina, Miami and Pitt ... VIRGINIA TECH 27-24.FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTSNo. 22 Navy (plus 8) at South FloridaThe Bulls allowed nearly 300 yards rushing to Temple last Friday night ... USF 38-32.MARQUEE MATCHUPSNo. 3 Clemson (minus 5) at No. 12 Florida StateThe Tigers only victory in Tallahassee since the Seminoles joined the ACC in 1992 came in 2006 ... FLORIDA STATE 35-31.No. 4 Washington (minus 10) at No. 17 UtahA somewhat unexpected Pac-12 game of the year ... WASHINGTON 28-20.B1G GAMESNo. 2 Michigan (minus 23) at Michigan StateBig brother strikes back; the Wolverines havent been favored by this much against the Spartans since 1992 ... MICHIGAN 35-14.Northwestern (plus 27) at No. 6 Ohio StateThe Wildcats last victory in Columbus was in 1971; Northwestern has beaten the Buckeyes once since ... OHIO STATE 35-24.No. 7 Nebraska (plus 8+) at No. 11 WisconsinThe Huskers are 1-5 on the road against ranked teams since joining the Big Ten in 2011 ... NEBRASKA 23-20.ROAD TESTSNo. 8 Baylor (minus 3) at TexasNo. 10 West Virginia (minus 3+) at Oklahoma StateThere will be one less Big 12 unbeaten after this weekend ... TEXAS 38-31; WEST VIRGINIA 27-26.No. 13 Boise State (minus 13+) at WyomingThe Broncos are 10-0 all-time against the Cowboys ... BOISE STATE 31-23.No. 15 Auburn (minus 4+) at MississippiThis will be the sixth ranked opponent the Rebels have faced, though two no longer are ... AUBURN 33-28.CONFERENCE CALLSNo. 5 Louisville (minus 31+) at VirginiaAnother chance for Lamar Jackson to do fun stuff ... LOUISVILLE 45-21.No. 14 Florida (minus 7+) vs. Georgia at Jacksonville, FloridaTennessee needs a Gators loss; the Vols can send a thank-you card to the Bulldogs ... GEORGIA 21-17, UPSET SPECIAL.Kansas (plus 40) at No. 16 OklahomaFrom 1995-97, the Jayhawks won three straight against the Sooners; Kansas has not beaten Oklahoma and lost the last two meetings by a combined 106-14 ... OKLAHOMA 53-7.No. 18 Tennessee (minus 13) at South CarolinaPart I of the Volunteers schedule was about surviving; Part II is about not screwing up ... TENNESSEE 28-10.No. 24 Penn State (minus 11+) at PurdueWant to throw away all that positive momentum from a huge upset? Lose to Purdue ... PENN STATE 35-14.TWITTER REQUESTSMiami (minus 2+) at Notre Dame -- (at)nashman92The Hurricanes have lost three straight and the Irish are off to their worst start since 2007. Not exactly the way to revive rivalry ... NOTRE DAME 28-24.Maryland (plus 5) at Indiana -- (at)TheDudeBecksThe Terps are a victory away from bowl eligibility under new coach DJ Durkin, a season after winning three games ... INDIANA 27-24.UCF (plus 9) at Houston -- (at)brianmctaggartMaybe the bright side of Houston losing two of its last three is the Cougars might be able to keep their coach another year? Nah, probably not ... HOUSTON 37-24, BEST BET.Texas Tech (plus 8) at TCU- (at)iamDougWarrenFirst to 50 wins? Not so fast. The Red Raiders have lost four games in the last two seasons in which they have scored 50 points ... TCU 62-45.---Record: Last week 13-9 straight; 3-19 vs. points.Season: 116-45; 68-88-3.Upset specials: 2-6.Best bets: 1-7.---Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP---APs college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org Wily Peralta Jersey . - Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings was speaking to a group of local high school students earlier this week when the conversation turned to the importance of being prepared when opportunities in life arise. Paulo Orlando Jersey . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf. http://www.royalsteamproshop.com/Royals-Ian-Kennedy-Kids-Jersey/ . Coach Tom Thibodeau says the former MVP will probably start travelling with the team in the next few weeks. Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee at Portland in November and was ruled out for the remainder of the season by the Bulls. Brandon Moss Jersey . -- Teemu Selanne scored the first goal of his 22nd NHL season, and the Anaheim Ducks extended the best start in franchise history with their fifth straight victory, 3-2 over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. Joakim Soria Jersey . LOUIS -- Roman Polak was celebrating even before Alexander Steen scored the winning goal in Saturdays 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. LOS ANGELES -- When Bryan Bickells shot slipped out of Jonathan Quicks usually inescapable glove and trickled into the Los Angeles net early, the Chicago Blackhawks figured Game 4 might be their chance to snap the Kings daunting streak of home dominance. When Marian Hossas shot eluded Quick for the go-ahead goal two periods later, the Blackhawks knew they had cracked their foes star goalie and the formula for winning at Staples Center. The Kings are teetering in the Western Conference finals -- and Chicago needs just one more win to topple the defending Stanley Cup champions. Hossa scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period, and the Blackhawks moved to the brink of the Stanley Cup finals with a 3-2 victory Thursday night, ending Los Angeles 15-game winning streak at home. "They were playing so well at home, and to finally break that streak, were happy about it," Hossa said. "We knew about it. We talked about it before the game. We were hoping to break it, and we got it." Corey Crawford made 19 saves, and Patrick Kane tapped in the tying goal as Chicago rallied from a second-period deficit to beat the Kings. Los Angeles hadnt lost in its rink since March 23, including eight playoff games. Bickell had a goal and an assist for the top-seeded Blackhawks, who took a 3-1 series lead even without suspended defenceman Duncan Keith. After losing Game 3 in listless fashion, the Blackhawks had a solution to every dilemma, from the Kings two early leads to the absence of Chicagos ice-time leader and top defenceman. "We knew our defence was going to step up, and they did," Bickell said. "We had a good feeling coming in. We had a bitter taste from the last game. They had a big start, but we stuck with it and eventually got it back." Game 5 is Saturday night in Chicago. Slava Voynov and Dustin Penner scored for the Kings, who had the NHLs longest home post-season winning run since 2009. The champs know they are in trouble after failing to hold on to a late lead in front of their Conn Smythe Trophy-winning goalie. "Its an incredibly skilled team," Kings defenceman Drew Doughty said of Chicago. "Were not getting into something we didnt know. When you turn the puck over like that at the blue lines, with the skill they have, its only a matter of time before they put one on the scoreboard. Hopefully we learned our lesson, and weve got to win the next one." The Blackhawks thrived without Keith, who served a one-game suspension for high-sticking Jeff Carter in the face during the second period of Game 3. Sheldon Brookbank filled in while Chicago played strong team defence in front of Crawford, allowing just two shots by the desperate Kings in the third period. "Right from the first couple shifts, we were moving our feet, playing with speed," said defenceman Brent Seabrook, who led Chicago with 26:20 of ice time. "We were getting in on the forecheck and making good plays. It was big for our group to come back with a good effort." Los Angeles hadnt lost a playoff game at home since Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals last season, winning nine straight overall. The Kings also had been outstanding when playing with a lead in front of Quick, who stopped 25 shots, but Los Angeles uncharacteristically surrendered that 2-1 lead late in the second period. The high-scoring Kane ending his seven-game goal drought in a quiet post-season by charging into the crease to tap home the tying goal on a rebound of Niklas Hjalmarssons shot and Bickells deflection late in the second period. Hjalmarsson finished with two assists. After Los Angeles killed a penalty to open the third period, Michal Handzus caught the Kings napping and set up a break with the speedy Hossa, who ripped a precise shot for his seventh goal of the post-season. "Thats one thing that (coach) Darryl (Sutter) has been hard on us for right now," Doughty said. "Were making too many turnovers, in the neutral zone especiallly.ddddddddddddThat was a cause of two of the goals. We made turnovers and they came back down on odd-man rushes and scored. If we want to win, its something we cant be doing." The Kings played their third straight game without centre Mike Richards, who has an apparent concussion after a big hit from Chicagos Dave Bolland in the series opener. Richards was the Kings leading post-season scorer with 10 points when he got hurt. Los Angeles unbeaten stretch at home ended in unusual fashion with the blown lead, and the low-scoring Kings title defence could be over in two days. The NHL hasnt had a repeat champion since the Detroit Red Wings in 1998, and Los Angeles has managed just eight goals in four games against the powerful Blackhawks. "They didnt have many great scoring chances," Crawford said. "We mostly kept them to the outside. It was great for us to shut them down." Chicago needs one win in three games to advance to its second Stanley Cup finals appearance since 1992. The Blackhawks have been mostly rolling since their 5-2 victory in the season opener at Los Angeles in January, ruining the Kings banner-raising ceremony. The Blackhawks hadnt won a playoff round in the past two seasons since their Stanley Cup triumph, replenishing their roster on the fly around their talented young core. Just nine players remain from the championship team, but its safe to say the rebuild is complete for a team that won its second Presidents Trophy with a 36-7-5 regular season, followed by a gutsy rally from a 1-3 series deficit against Detroit to escape the second round. The Kings opened Game 4 with the same urgency they showed two days earlier, forcing their way into Chicagos zone and preventing the Blackhawks usual slick passing. Los Angeles fourth line created the first goal just 3:28 in when Kyle Clifford passed from behind Chicagos net to Voynov, who skated in alone for a slap shot past Crawford. The goal was Voynovs sixth of the post-season, extending his single-season playoff record for Kings defencemen. Chicago responded, easily killing a penalty while holding Los Angeles without a shot for about 11 minutes. The Blackhawks evened it on an innocent-looking play by Bickell, whose wobbly shot somehow got out of Quicks glove for his eighth goal of the post-season. Bickell is on a remarkable playoff run before unrestricted free agency this summer, scoring a goal in each of the past three games and five of seven overall. The Kings went back ahead early in the second period on another strong shift by their newly assembled big line featuring Carter, Penner and rookie Tyler Toffoli, who has taken Richards place in the lineup. They also victimized the Blackhawks third defensive pairing: Carter drove the net while Chicagos Nick Leddy failed to knock him off the puck, and Penner swept home the rebound of Carters backhand when Brookbank couldnt move him out of the crease. Chicago tied it late in the period when Hjalmarsson launched a long shot through Bickells screen and past Quick. Kane tapped it home for a much-needed boost for the prolific scorer who had managed just two goals in the playoffs after getting 23 in the regular season. After Hossa scored his second goal of the series, Quick made an exceptional glove save on Kane later in the third period. But Quick and the Kings have yielded 10 goals in the series -- the same number they gave up in six first-round games and seven second-round games. "Its a loss. Theyre all the same," Quick said. "Weve just got to win one game. Thats all weve got to do." NOTES: The Kings lost at home in regulation just four times in the regular season. ... Brookbank played only 6:50 and was a minus-2, but coach Joel Quenneville praised his work. ... Los Angeles captain Dustin Brown has one goal in the last nine games, none in the conference finals. Top scorer Anze Kopitar has one goal in 13 games, also none in this series. Brown and Kopitar tied for the NHL playoff scoring lead last season with 20 points apiece. ' ' '