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(42) Washington State vs (1) UCLA – 6:00 PM EST [Last Year: UCLA 2 - 0 Washington State]

A half a month after taking Stanford to the limit in Pullman, Washington State gets another chance to sign off in their home finale with a potential upset over fancied opposition. Since that defeat to the Card, Washington State has solidified its at-large credentials with three straight clean sheet victories by multiple goals over Pac-12 opposition. The Cougars know that an upset over UCLA would all but seal their NCAA Tournament spot while also knowing that with five straight on the road to finish the regular season, this may be one of their best shots to make a statement. UCLA will be looking to make a statement of their own after their first defeat of the season to Stanford last Sunday. The Bruins were crushed on the scoreline but played a little better than that may have indicated. Still, it’s going to be very interesting to see how UCLA’s young core responds to their first big setback. Pullman’s far from the easiest place to play (just ask Stanford), and anything less than the Bruins’ best could mean an untimely upset. UCLA’s schedule eases up considerably after this match, and B.J. Snow’s side will want to start building momentum for a big finishing kick for the Pac-12 contenders.

(15) Kentucky vs (26) Tennessee – 7:00 PM EST [Last Year: Tennessee 0 - 1 Kentucky]

After splitting their first three weeks of SEC action, Kentucky will be hoping two more games at home affords them the opportunity to solidify their position as a contender for a national seed. The Wildcats have just won three of seven, but a quick start has likely ensured that UK has nothing to worry about come Selection Monday, though they would like to have a chance to potentially rise above mid-table in the SEC. That would mean registering wins over teams like Friday’s opponent, Tennessee. After seeing their title hopes dwindle following two losses in their first three, the Lady Vols have persevered and won their last three over the league’s dregs to at least give themselves a fighting chance going into the stretch run. Four of those five are away from home though, meaning if Tennessee are to get back to the top of the SEC mountain, they’ll have to fight for every last point. Kentucky were able to pull off the upset in Knoxville last season, but to make it another winning season over the Lady Vols, they’ll have to find a way to keep Tennessee’s dangerous frontrunners in check. UT has gotten ten goals from both Caroline Brown and Emily Dowd, the first time the program’s had a pair of players go into double digits in a long time. If Kentucky can’t find a way to contain the Tennessee attack, it could be a long night for Big Blue Nation.

(34) Notre Dame vs (49) Georgetown – 7:30 PM EST [Last Year: Georgetown 1 - 1 Notre Dame]

Sitting in third in their division in the Big East and sixth overall in the league probably wasn’t what Notre Dame had in mind at the beginning of their title defense, but it’s reality for an Irish side still looking to erase the last vestiges of doubt and climb off the bubble for the NCAA Tournament. A win over Georgetown would certainly help in that regard, while also putting the Irish in position to at least have a chance of topping their division in the league. Notre Dame are back with the services of injury victim Courtney Barg in midfield, while Jessica Schuveiller has taken to her new midfield role very well, a move which has seemed to reenergize the team. The gremlins haven’t totally been exorcized though, as the scoreless draw against Rutgers last Sunday shows. The Hoyas seemed to have been rolling coming into last Sunday with five wins in six as the offense sizzled. But Georgetown fizzled at home against Louisville, a result that brought the Cardinals back into the bubble picture while Georgetown’s own bubble status is very much threatened again. The Hoyas haven’t beaten a team in the uRPI Top 75 and need a result here in the worst kind of way. If they slip to defeat against the Irish, it’s conceivable that Georgetown may need to sweep their final two league games and win a game or two in the Big East Tournament to feel confident going into Selection Monday.

(36) Ohio State vs (61) Iowa – 7:30 PM EST [Last Year: Iowa 1 - 3 Ohio State]

Could Ohio State go from the College Cup to missing out on the Big Dance entirely? That seems a little extreme at this point, but it’s worth noting that the question is even being raised as Ohio State lingers near the bubble for the NCAA Tournament. The Buckeyes looked to be sitting pretty just a few weeks ago with wins over West Virginia and Illinois in its back pocket and no truly bad losses to their name. But it’s been a roller coaster since, with the Buckeyes beating Wisconsin a few Sundays ago after a defeat to Penn State. Last Sunday though was a real wakeup call to these Buckeyes as OSU fell on the road to Purdue, all but icing their Big Ten title hopes and sending them on a downward bend in the RPI. Some strong wins means that Ohio State probably still has a bit of a cushion, but that could evaporate with losses to some of the league’s teams languishing further down the standings. One of those teams is Thursday’s opponents, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have won just two of six in the league so far and losses to Michigan and Minnesota have countered a win over Michigan State and draw with Illinois and leaves Ron Rainey’s team needing a strong finishing kick to have hopes of breaking into the Big Dance. Games against OSU, Penn State, and Wisconsin will give Iowa a chance at climbing the ladder, but unfortunately for the Hawkeyes, all of those games are away from home, meaning they have an uphill task ahead of them which starts on Thursday in Columbus.

(25) Auburn vs (28) LSU – 8:00 PM EST [Last Year: LSU 2 - 1 Auburn]

The Tiger Derby is always one of the most passionate SEC fixtures of the season, and this year’s battle on The Plains figures to be no different. Auburn comes into this match reeling, having lost three in a row which has destroyed their once blooming title hopes after having won their first three league matches. Now it’s a battle to keep their status as national seed contenders as they host an LSU side still hoping to be in the SEC title mix when they travel to Gainesville next weekend. The Bayou Bengals have been in tremendous form since a 1-3-0 start, going 9-1-1 since. That one loss may be costly down the line though, as after winning their first four league games at home, LSU dropped a 2-1 extra time decision to Vanderbilt in Nashville. Victory for LSU here is essential if they want to continue their drive towards a potential first league title in program history, and they’ll likely be banking on an offense that has really come to life as of late. LSU’s offense has scored multiple goals in six of their last seven and hasn’t been shutout since the loss at Rice in early September. That’s ominous for an Auburn side who has been leaking goals at a staggering rate over the past two weeks, having given up ten in the past four matches, including three to Florida and South Carolina last week. Karen Hoppa will be hoping that getting back on home turf can cure some of those woes and arrest the slide that has taken hold of Auburn’s season over the past few weeks.

(24) Baylor vs (57) Missouri – 8:00 PM EST [Last Year: Baylor 0 - 2 Missouri]

If someone would’ve told you before the season that going into this fixture that Baylor would be close to locking up an NCAA Tournament berth, and Missouri would be fighting for their bubble lives, you’d probably have given them a strange look. But that indeed is where these two teams are heading into the stretch run of the regular season. A six match unbeaten run including five wins has the Bears roaring their way closer to the Big Dance, and last weekend’s road sweep of Kansas and Iowa State means Baylor’s 3-0-1 in the league since losing to Texas A&M.; You’d think that Baylor would be in as long as they beat Oklahoma and Jackson State, but it’s the latter that could be the fly in the ointment as the SWAC side’s RPI is going to send the Bears’ computer number downward. The degree of which is generally unknown at the moment, but the thought of a big drop means the Bears will want to take care of business at home. Missouri’s not a bad team as victories over Ohio State and Texas A&M; show, but scheduling the likes of Eastern Illinois, Northern Arizona, and SIU-Edwardsville has been destroying their RPI numbers. If the Tigers are on the bubble, those big wins should see them through, but they do need to finish strong, with three wins in the last four in the regular season a goal worth meeting. That starts on Friday in Waco in a match that’s sure to be a physical affair between these two league rivals.

(31) Rice vs (16) UCF – 8:00 PM EST [Last Year: UCF 1 - 1 Rice]

Is the fairytale beginning to end for the Rice Owls? After occupying a nice and cushy spot in the RPI for much of the season, thanks to a win over LSU among other results, the Owls have started to slide down the RPI table thanks to just two wins in their last five matches. Rice has dropped matches to C-USA title contenders Memphis and Colorado College and are very much on the bubble after going winless last weekend. If Rice is to keep their at-large hopes alive, they almost certainly need to get a result on Friday night against a UCF team fighting for a national seed once more. The Golden Knights haven’t been in great form in the league either though with a 3-1-2 record that has undermined any title ambitions they came into conference play with. While UCF is solidly in the field, they know that they need to start piling on the wins if they want a coveted national seed come November. They also want to start building up some momentum for next Sunday’s marquee matchup with league title favorites Memphis, who are seeking to dethrone the Knights this season.

(51) Texas Tech vs (35) Kansas – 8:00 PM EST [Last Year: Texas Tech 2 - 0 Kansas]

Lubbock will play host to a Big XII bubble battle between the home Red Raiders and visiting Jayhawks. Texas Tech is living on a knife’s edge right now, with wins over Rice, St. Mary’s and Missouri making up the bulk of their middling resume. Odds are, they’re going to need more than a few wins down the stretch to sneak into the at-large contending group. A first step against Kansas would be big for Tom Stone’s bunch and would potentially usurp another bubble rival in the process. Kansas and their comically bad defense (one clean sheet in fifteen games) has been up and down all year and is still looking for a big statement win to hang their hats on come Selection Monday. The bad news is that they’ve got no really big matches left in the regular season. The best they can hope for really is to knock off bubble rivals Texas Tech and Missouri over the next few games and then take care of business against the league’s lower lights before getting another chance at a big scalp in the Big XII Tournament.

(41) Vanderbilt vs (47) Georgia – 8:00 PM EST [Last Year: Georgia 1 - 0 Vanderbilt]

It may not quite be a Loser Leaves Town match as far as the bubble is concerned, but considering how absent of heft each of these teams’ resumes are, it’s not far off. Vandy probably wouldn’t be in this discussion period had they not upset LSU in Nashville last Friday night. The Dores opened up the league season with four straight defeats on the road where they didn’t score and gave up multiple goals each game. Getting six of their last seven back in Nashville looks like a blessing though, and Vandy won both matches last weekend to get themselves back in the postseason hunt. Georgia are in much better shape for the SEC Tournament but are just as desperate, if not more desperate, in regards of their battle to make it back to the Big Dance. The best thing the Bulldogs have on their resume is a win over South Carolina which may not merit them much of a look compared to some of their bubble rivals and their bigger wins. It means that the side from Athens probably needs to win at least three and maybe four of their last five to avoid major pressure in Orange Beach. Meanwhile, their opponents on Friday will just be hoping to contain Alexa Newfield and pick up more points as they push for a return trip to Orange Beach.

(56) Portland vs (60) San Diego – 10:00 PM EST [Last Year: San Diego 0 - 1 Portland]

OK, now this may be a Loser Leaves Town match as far as NCAA Tournament hopes go. Both of these sides enter Friday a game under .500 and on life support as far as their bubble hopes go. Portland’s a little better off thanks to wins over Florida State, Washington State, and Oregon State but still have to be at .500 come season’s end which isn’t a guarantee with some of their stuttering form. Portland also has a title to defend in the WCC but made their lives a lot harder after losing in Provo to BYU last week. With their next three at home where they’ve lost just once this year, to Stanford, Portland needs to channel some of their Merlo Magic and string together some wins. San Diego has stumbled through the middle third of their season in a haze, losing five in a row and seven of nine to see themselves in a world of bubble hurt. After losing their league opener to Pepperdine, they rebounded to beat San Francisco for their first win in a month, but they still face an uphill climb towards the NCAA Tournament. A loss to Portland would drop their RPI further and leave them at two games under .500 with six to play. The stakes could hardly be higher in the Pacific Northwest for these two league rivals in the unusual position of fighting for their postseason lives.

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