Bighorn Basin rivals whose rivalry goes way back.

A game with huge playoff seeding implications.

A chance for one team to prove it's back for good; a chance for another team to prove its glory days aren't over yet.

So... are you thinking about Greybull at Riverside? Or Powell at Cody?

Because those statements accurately describe both games -- two huge Week 8 games on Friday.

The Powell-Cody matchup will decide which school wins the 4A West championship (and, subsequently, the No. 2 seed in the 4A playoffs). The fallout for the loser isn't quite as cut-and-dry, though.

If Powell wins, it's pretty simple: Cody is the runner-up and the No. 4 seed in the playoffs. If Cody wins, Powell falls into a tie with Lander -- and maybe Worland, if the Warriors beat Star Valley -- for second place in the conference standings. Then we all break out our tiebreaking procedures and go from there.

But we'll worry about that when the time comes. For now, it'll be interesting to see how the defenses stack up in this one. Powell has only given up 83 points this season and never more than 19 in a game -- and never more than 14 in a game it's won -- while Cody's given up only 77, including single digits to four of its past five opponents.

As for Greybull-Riverside, the 2A playoff implications are limitless. Right now, the defending state champion Rebels are seventh in the power ratings, hardly a secure spot for a team trying to defend its championship. Meanwhile, Greybull is not much safer in sixth place as the oft-stomped Buffaloes try to finish the regular season with a winning record for the first time since 2003 -- a huge mental step for a team on the verge of becoming a perennial powerhouse.

These two schools are only eight miles apart and their rivalry is deep. But there hasn't been a game this big in this rivalry for quite some time. The winner is guaranteed to move on in the playoff race, while the loser sits on pins and needles until the power rankings sort themselves out.

To put it succinctly, these are big games. And I'll take the upstarts -- Cody and Greybull -- to knock off the old favorites.

Here are the rest of this week's picks, with projected winners in bold type:

Thursday
Class 2A
Big Horn vs. Tongue River, at Sheridan: Even with the Rams at 7-0 and the Eagles at 0-7, nothing can be taken for granted in this game. That's been proven time and time again in this series.

Interclass
Wind River at Shoshoni: Even with both teams heading to the playoffs -- WR in 2A, Shoshoni in 1A -- the Cougars have the upper hand here.

Friday
Class 5A
Cheyenne Central at Laramie: The Indians have been a quirky team all year. And they could very well be a dangerous team in the playoffs.
Cheyenne East at Gillette: Don't call this game meaningless. Neither team wants to interrupt the momentum they have built up heading into the playoffs.
Evanston at Natrona County: With both teams already in the playoffs, don't expect too many fireworks. Think lots of off-tackle running plays, safe passes and a final score that might be closer than you think.
Kelly Walsh at Sheridan: The Broncs are back. And if they do things right, this could be the second of five straight games at home for them.
Rock Springs at Green River: The Tigers could create a whole bunch of problems in the 5A South if they can find a way to pull off the upset of the Wolves. And after the Wolves' tough loss last week, a Rock Springs upset seems entirely plausible. For now, though, the house will take GR.

Class 4A
Douglas at Wheatland: The Bulldogs could have probably wrapped up a playoff berth if they had won last week. But they lost. Now they have to try and pull off a monumental upset if they want to sniff the playoffs again.
Rawlins at Buffalo: Never bet against the Bison to lose twice in a row.
Worland at Star Valley: The Warriors' October curse has finally been lifted -- which means a deep playoff run is still a possibility.

Class 3A
Lovell at Thermopolis: The Bulldogs' loss last week was more of a ? than a ! Look for them to bounce back.
Mountain View at Lyman: The Buffalos have had control of this series lately, winning three in a row and 15 of the past 19 meetings. And with the Eagles' struggles, it's a pretty safe bet that trend will continue.
Wright at Glenrock: Last four weeks: Glenrock 148, opponents 13.

Class 2A
Lusk at Burns: This is a pretty rare occurrence in Wyoming: Two undefeated teams meeting up in the last week of the regular season. My educated guess goes to the Broncs....
Pine Bluffs at Saratoga: If the Panthers can find a way to generate some offense, their defense is stout enough to pull out a win in this one.
Sundance at Lingle: The Doggers have been one of the most pleasant surprises in 2A this fall. Now, they have to prove something else: that they're not just a nice surprise, they're a legit championship contender. The bulk of that proving comes next week, but it sure can start here....

Class 1A
Burlington at Dubois: The Huskies are conference champs for a reason.
Hanna at Wyoming Indian: The Chiefs can wrap up their second straight winning season -- a first in school history -- if they can win at home on Friday.
Normative Services at Upton: The Wolves could be a nightmare in the 1A playoffs if the improvement they showed last week continues to grow.
Southeast at Guernsey: With the conference championship on the line, the experienced Cyclones should play up to the challenge.

Interclass
Big Piney at Cokeville: The Panthers could be nice guys and try to let the Punchers keep some of their fading playoff hopes alive. But don't count on it.
Hulett at Moorcroft: With both teams likely hosting games in the first round of the playoffs, this game simply becomes a tune-up for the bing one at home next week.
Jackson at Kemmerer: There are a bevy of subplots here, but it boils down to this: Jackson is trying to make the playoffs. Kemmerer is trying to preserve its undefeated season and get revenge for their only loss last season.
Newcastle at Torrington: Two teams on the playoff bubble should create some exciting football. Honestly, I'd really like to get down and see this one. It should be a great ballgame and it should be played with the type of intensity you like to see in Week 8.
Riverton at Lander: The short version: Lander has a lot more riding on this game than Riverton does.
Rocky Mountain at Pinedale: After a hot start, the Grizzlies have fallen on hard times. And they could fall out of the playoffs if they lose this one. It's never fun to be in that situation.

Six-man
Meeteetse at Bridger, Mont.: Bridger comes in undefeated and on a roll. Meeteetse comes in desperate for a victory to make the postseason. Combined, that means these two teams could be setting up for a great game that goes down to the wire or a not-so-close game that fans can leave early. I hope it's the former.

There are my choices, but I've certainly been proven wrong before. What do you think will happen this weekend? What are your choices for this week's surprises? Post a comment below.

Also, as soon as I can on Friday, I'll be posting the projected playoff pairings for all five divisions of Wyoming football. The first place you'll see them is at The Blitz, which you've surely heard of by now (or at least I hope you have). There is at least one out-of-state game scheduled for Saturday, but I don't anticipate it having much of an effect on the power ratings. So, barring any unforseen postponements, we should be able to have all the playoff pairings up for you by Friday night.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com