1.   A Cubs victory would have kept them at least even with the Mets, who played later against Montreal, for the last seat in the National League playoffs.

2.   A victory keeps them alive, but only if either the New England Patriots or the Los Angeles Raiders lose Sunday.

3.   A victory today keeps their faint Rose Bowl hopes alive and strengthens their case for a Cotton Bowl berth.

4.   A UCLA victory would keep the Bruins in the national-title picture.

5.   A victory merely kept the Pacers alive and hanging around.

6.   A victory might keep him in line for a big-money fight, particularly in light of his vulnerability.

7.   But it is the Bengals that enter this matchup with the better record through eight games and only a Cincinnati victory keeps it that way.

8.   But the victory did keep SMU in a tie for second in the WAC with UT-El Paso, which defeated TCU on Saturday.

9.   Mississippi State needs a victory to keep alive its hopes for a division title.

10.   Needing a victory to keep the series alive, it had to be aggressive while the MetroStars could afford to be defensive.