College Football’s “rivalry week” may have passed, but there are a few interconference brawls set for Saturday as Florida State visits Florida in the always-intense Sunshine State battle and Georgia Tech hosts Georgia for the Governor’s Cup.

Those games will go a long way toward determining ACCSEC bragging rights, but neither has much to do with the Bowl Championship Series. Florida State and Georgia have already reserved spots in their respective conference title games next Saturday. The Virginia Tech Hokies will oppose the Seminoles if they beat 5-5 North Carolina Saturday, while LSU will take on Georgia if it can dispatch Arkansas as expected. Here’s a look at Saturday’s key games:

NO. 24 FLORIDA ST. (7-3, 5-3) AT NO. 23 FLORIDA (7-3, 5-3)
(Sunday, 3:30 p.m., CBS)

The six combined losses may detract somewhat from what has been perhaps the sport’s best rivalry over the last 15 years, but anytime the Seminoles and Gators get together, there’s sure to be lots of intensity, animosity, and a host of future high-round NFL draft picks on the field.

Both teams have suffered through uneven seasons. Florida State will play in the inaugural ACC championship game next week despite two straight conference losses and three overall, all to teams that were unranked at the time. But a win here would give coach Bobby Bowden – who is starting to hear some of the same rumblings of discontent from the alumni and fans that Penn State’s Joe Paterno dealt with the last few years – wins over both his chief rivals (the Seminoles edged Miami in their season-opener).

Florida State’s vaunted defense has been disappointing in the season’s second half, and was strafed for 35 points by Clemson two weeks ago, which put too much pressure on the offense and freshman quarterback Drew Weatherford. A faltering running game may get a boost from the return of tailback Leon Washington against the Gators.

First-year Florida coach Urban Meyer is also feeling the heat after losing to South Carolina and legendary former Gators coach Steve Spurrier two weeks ago, but a win over Florida State would give Meyer bragging rights in Florida’s three main rivalries after earlier wins over both Tennessee and Georgia. Unforunately, Meyer doesn’t yet have the type of players he needs to run his spread-option attack. Quarterback Chris Leak, a holdover from the Ron Zook era at Florida, oozes talent but has never looked completely comfortable operating Meyer’s complex scheme.

This is likely to be a defensive struggle, with the outcome determined by which quarterback is able to make a big play or two down the field.

NO. 15 GEORGIA (8-2, 6-2) AT NO. 21 GERORGIA TECH (7-3, 5-3)
(Saturday, 8 p.m., ABC, regional coverage)

There might not be a team in America with a more impressive pair of road wins this year than Georgia Tech’s victories at Auburn to open the season and at Miami last week. In between, however, the Yellow Jackets dropped three games, include a 51-7 thumping at Virginia Tech, a team that was dominated by those same Miami Hurricanes. Go figure.

Georgia Tech might have the motivational edge, as Georgia is playing this game basically for Peach State pride. The Bulldogs clinched the SEC East division with their win over Kentucky last week and will either reach a BCS game by winning the SEC championship next week or settle for one of the conference’s secondary bowl games, a scenario that won’t change no matter the outcome versus the Yellow Jackets.

Georgia Tech quarterback Reggie Ball is a scrappy, undersized passer who doesn’t always look pretty, but usually manages to get the job gone. Exhibit A was Ball’s performance in the upset of Miami – 11-for-30 for 159 yards and no touchdowns, but Ball did manage to come up with several key completions to acrobatic wideout Calvin Johnson, who may be the nation’s best player at his position.

Georgia’s offense has regained its footing since quarterback D.J. Shockley returned from a knee injury that cost the Bulldogs a win over Florida, but he will face a stern test against Georgia Tech’s aggressive defense. The Yellow Jackets blitzed Miami all game long, leading to seven sacks and a game-sealing interception.

NO. 8 NOTRE DAME (8-2) AT STANFORD (5-5, 4-4)
(Saturday, 8 p.m., ABC, regional coverage)

This game may appear to be little more than a road bump for Notre Dame, which would all but clinch an at-large BCS berth with an impressive win, but the Irish should still be wary of the long roadtrip to Palo Alto.

Stanford is just 5-5 and coming off a thumping at the hands of arch-rival Cal in the annual “Big Game,” but the Cardinal are coached by Walt Harris, who, as the coach of Pittsburgh, won at Notre Dame last year. Stanford must upset the Irish to become bowl-eligible for the first time since 2001.

Notre Dame’s vaunted passing game should have little trouble moving the ball, with Brady Quinn throwing to Jeff Samardzija, the junior who has been a revelation this season. Smaradzija was little-known entering the season, but he has shown tremendous hands and ball skills in putting together a 63-catch, 999-yard season. Quinn has already broken several school records this year and has to be salivating at the thought of facing Stanford’s porous pass defense, which gives up over 270 yards per game through the air.

In the economics of college football, the BCS bowls that are not hosting the championship game are first and foremost concerned with selling tickets and driving TV ratings. No school has a larger fan base or higher national profile than Notre Dame, so it’s a virtual certainty that an eligible Fighting Irish squad would receive one of the two at-large berths, ahead of teams with potentially better records such as one-loss Oregon and Virginia Tech.

This will be the final game at Stanford Stadium, with construction crews standing by to tear down the old 80,000-seat bowl and replace it with a cozier, 50,000-seat configuration in time for next season. Perhaps Stanford will draw inspiration from several former greats, including John Elway and Bill Walsh, who will be on hand for a halftime ceremony.

Mr. Levine is a writer for FootballOutsiders.com.