For some reason, Virginia Tech is playing two Thursdays in a row. Fans in Washington, of which there are quite a few, will be bleary-eyed tomorrow, but no worries. If Maryland can beat Georgia Tech, the Hokies should have no problems. Here's what Washington is watching before kickoff:

-- The Senate is still attempting work on the second incarnation of SCHIP. Senate negotiators, led by Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus, are trying to cut deals with House Republicans that would attract enough votes to override a veto. Baucus and Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley, the committee's ranking member, are set on establishing a cigarette tax to pay for the $35 billion SCHIP expansion, and Baucus said the group has agreed in concept, writes CongressDaily (subs req'd). On the other side of the Capitol, the House never got around to the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act, so they'll try again today.

-- The Administration has an unusually public day today. President Bush will make remarks at the Heritage Foundation, meet the 2007 Little League World Series champions and attend an RNC dinner in Washington. Vice President Cheney addresses the American Legion in Indianapolis, then fundraises for Sen. John Cornyn and the NRSC in Dallas. DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff holds a press conference with vulnerable Maine Sen. Susan Collins on preventing improvised explosive device attacks in the U.S. And Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice leaves for a six-day trip to Turkey, Israel and the Palestinian Territories.

-- On the Presidential campaign trail, the mini-blow up surrounding Hillary Clinton's remarks on immigration seemed to get worse as yesterday went on, fueled in large part by rivals John Edwards and Barack Obama. Clinton strategists, writes the Washington Post, are looking at containing fallout, while Edwards will kick off a new ad campaign centered on debate footage. The Clinton camp, in a hastily-arranged conference call yesterday with supporters, appealed for more money to fight back from attacks they said would continue, writes The Hill. Something for Clintonistas to consider: If they act like the debate really hurt, does that become a self-fulfilling prophecy? Mark Penn doesn't think so: The strategist says he is already detecting backlash among women voters.

-- And by the way, Clinton supports a plan granting drivers' licenses to illegal immigrants, proposed by her home state governor, Eliot Spitzer, per Adam Nagourney. Aides and advisors said she broadly supports the goal, but is not aware of either of Spitzer's specific plans. So, hand her Democratic opponents a victory for requiring clarification on an issue, and hand her GOP opponents a massive issue for the general election, and, perhaps most importantly, a new issue that hasn't been beaten to death like most other anti-Clinton rhetoric.

-- Over the next week and a half, leading up to the Iowa Democrats' Jefferson-Jackson Dinner next Saturday, candidates will pour into Iowa, where they all realize how tight the race really is. Every four years, AP veteran Mike Glover gets to write a story like this one, in which Democratic candidates are appealing to voters to at least make them their second choices, assuming the first choice doesn't make the 15% threshold. The second choicers mattered in 2004, when Edwards' people picked up significant support around the state from supporters of Rep. Dennis Kucinich.

-- In Virginia, Rep. Tom Davis has been helping his wife, State Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis, in her bid for re-election. And in what may be a sign that Davis does not intend to seek re-election next year, his campaign has given nearly $400,000 in in-kind contributions, the Politico reports. Devolites Davis' Democratic opponent, Chap Petersen, is not pleased, and sent a letter to media outlets urging stations to pull the ads because of a lack of the required disclaimer. The race, as we wrote recently, is one of the most contested in a state where Democrats are optimistic about their chances to pick up the State Senate. Davis himself said his wife and Petersen will spend $1 million each on the race, a ridiculous amount for a job that pays $18,000 a year.

-- We said the New Jersey legislature, up for election on Tuesday, would not change more than a few seats one way or the other, and thanks to big Democratic leads, the GOP will not likely take over a chamber. But while the races don't offer too much drama, both parties are raising big bucks. The Newark Star-Ledger today reports Democrats have raised $28 million and the GOP has collected $11.4 million for their races. One strategist told Politics Nation that at least one of his clients' opponents had broken the spending record with almost two weeks to go in a race. All 120 legislative seats are up for election, and with no contribution limits to state, county and local parties, the money has only just begun to flow.

-- John Arthur Eaves is still spending millions on the one governor's race this year that has received virtually no attention. Eaves, a trial lawyer, is trying to unseat first-term Gov. Haley Barbour, and has poured millions into his own campaign, including most of the $2.24 million he raised between October 1 and 27. At the end of that period, Barbour maintained $1.72 million cash on hand to Eaves' $95,000. The race is so far off the radar that Politics Nation has yet to see a poll conducted in the state. Democrats will win the governorship here eventually, and they already own the Attorney General's post, but likely not this year.

-- Bad Luck Of The Day: Why did Barack Obama not get the New Hampshire SEIU endorsement? Because of a sick baby, who we sincerely hope is alright. In several bizarre twists last week, the state chapter, which represents about 10,000 people, voted to endorse Edwards, though not without a huge fight, multiple votes and a lot of angry rank-and-file members. Read accounts here and here. Obama has lagged behind Edwards and Clinton in union support, and a win in New Hampshire would have been big for him. But the fact that he competed, at least, is a positive sign for his camp.

-- Today On The Trail: Hillary Clinton stops by Wellesley College, her alma mater, and UNH-Durham today. Barack Obama holds a rally in a different Durham, this one in North Carolina, while Joe Biden formally files for the New Hampshire ballot, then holds a pizza party with supporters in Concord. On the GOP side, John McCain holds events in Myrtle Beach and Goose Creek, while Mitt Romney stops in Decorah, Mason City, Charles City and West Des Moines, Iowa. Fred Thompson has breakfast with Nevada Republicans in Las Vegas, Rudy Giuliani attends a rally of New Jersey legislative candidates in Manalapan, and Ron Paul opens a campaign office in Greenville, followed by a Spartanburg County Republicans' monthly meeting.