Week 12 Preview

Last week saw 4 top 10 teams play on Thursday night. That isn’t the case this week, but 3 top 25 teams play before Saturday. There is the possibility for some huge upsets this week. As we come to the end of the regular season, conference races are heating up and BCS hopes are still alive for some, and have already been crushed for others. This should be another exciting week of college football.

Notable Games
Should the Cardinal Be on Upset Alert? Hey, wait a minute… Didn’t USC fire their coach or something? Yes. They did. And they are still bowl eligible and have a 7-3 record. That is why this game is so important. Stanford should be on upset alert. USC has improved since the beginning of the season, and they are at home. Each of these teams had huge wins last week, but a different kind of “huge” for each. USC’s win was huge because they won by 34 points. Stanford’s win was huge because they beat Oregon, giving themselves the chance to win the Pac 12 North, and with a slip from a couple teams, possibly the chance to play in the National Championship. But USC can ruin all of that on Saturday. I don’t think the Trojans will be able to do it, but players like Marquise Lee and Silas Redd are not to be underestimated. I definitely don’t see this being a blowout, but I’ve been wrong before. I am picking Stanford by a TD or more.

Can the Tigers Continue Their Dominance? At the beginning of the season I would not have believed you if you said the top 10 team in this matchup would be Auburn. Do preseason predictions ever turn out 100% right, though? It would be pretty boring if they did. This game could be a little closer now that Todd Gurley is back for the Bulldogs. But the Tigers have proven themselves time and time again. Especially with Tre Mason leading the rush attack. Auburn has everything to lose in this game. Though they can’t win the West Division, if they want to stay in the position they are in, they have to win this game. Auburn were able to beat Tennessee in Knoxville easily last week, and Georgia was able to handle Appalachian State as well. I think being at home will be what Auburn needs to beat Georgia. We might have another repeat of the South Carolina Missouri game, though. Wouldn’t that be great (especially because I didn’t get to see the SCAR Mizzou game). I am picking Auburn by a TD.

Can Texas Get to 7 Wins in a Row? I really hope you got to see the Texas West Virginia game last week, or at least the end. Texas won its 6th straight game and is now 6-0 in the Big 12. They also cracked the BCS top 25 (and rightly so). It isn’t too often I praise Texas, because, well, they’re Texas, but they have been playing some good football this season. But they lost RB Johnathan Gray last week vs WVU. That could be a huge blow for this Texas team who relies more on offense than defense. With all that said, I think Texas will be able to continue winning. Oklahoma State needs this win too. Both of these teams also have to beat Baylor if they want to win the Big 12, but they have to get a win on Saturday first. I am picking Texas by less than a TD.

Are You Ready For Some Wednesday Night #MACtion? This is a huge game. The combined record of these two teams is 18-1. This is definitely a recipe for some #MACtion. Most weekly followers of college football know about 15th ranked Northern Illinois and their hopes of being BCS busters once again. The Huskies are currently 9-0, but will have to face a 9-1 Ball State team that is hoping to pull the upset and possibly crack the top 25. This game is being played on Wednesday night. It should be a good game, and who doesn’t want to watch Jordan Lynch play QB? He is pretty good at what he does. I am picking Northern Illinois by a TD or less.

Who Will Have the Inside Track in the Legends Division? 16Michigan State goes to Nebraska this weekend to face off for the lead in the Legends division of the Big 10. One of the biggest names probably won’t play once again for Nebraska. Taylor Martinez might not make it back to the field at all this season, let alone this game. Michigan State has proved to be a really good team. They also have a very impressive defense, which is why I think they will be able to win this game. Both of these teams have beaten Michigan in the past two weeks, putting the fate of these teams in their own hands. Nebraska has to win to stay in contention, while Michigan can drop this game as long as Nebraska loses one of their last two afterwards. But I’m pretty sure the Spartans don’t want to leave it up to Nebraska to decide their fate. After seeing what Michigan State did to Michigan, I find it hard to pick against them, especially at home. I am picking Michigan State by a TD.

Can the Blue Devils Beat Another Ranked Conference Foe? Hey, look! Another team I usually try to avoid talking about because that saying “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” Ok, I don’t always follow that, but that’s not the point. Duke is 7-2 with a win over a (highly overrated) top 15 team. Then that 14th ranked Virginia Tech team dropped from the rankings and beat 11th ranked Miami. I don’t think Miami deserves to be ranked at all after their loss last week, or based on the strength of their team. I think Duke can get another huge ACC upset win this week. They were able to beat Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, and they are at home this time. I have yet to see the Blue Devils play on TV, but I’m sure I will get the chance on Saturday. I am picking Duke by less than a TD.

Top 25
1Alabama at Mississippi State
Syracuse at 2Florida State
3Ohio State at Illinois
Texas Tech at 5Baylor (Arlington)
Utah at 6Oregon
Georgia Tech at 8Clemson (Thursday)
Florida at 10South Carolina
Washington at 13UCLA (Friday)
17UCF at Temple
Iowa State at 18Oklahoma
Oregon State at 19Arizona State
Houston at 20Louisville
Indiana at 22Wisconsin

Other Games
Cincinnati at Rutgers
Kentucky at Vanderbilt
Maryland at Virginia Tech
Washington State at Arizona
Michigan at Northwestern
Texas State at Arkansas State
TCU at Kansas State