2017 Week 12 Preview

Week 11 did not disappoint. Two of the top four teams got blown out on the road. Two more of the top 10 also lost. Bama was in a dog fight with Mississippi State and Oklahoma State barely survived their trip to Iowa State. We’ve had 14 ranked vs. ranked games in the last two weeks. There is only one of those such games this week. We are almost done with the regular season. College football goes by way too fast.

How I Fared: 6-1 last week (picks were good, analysis not so much), 47-22 overall

Notable Games
24Michigan at 5Wisconsin
After having a very not good schedule, Wisconsin is now playing their second ranked game in a row. The Badgers have also won convincingly in their last two games. Their QB did throw two pick sixes against Iowa, but those two scores were Iowa’s only scores. Michigan found a little bit of an offense in their last few games when they switched to their 3rd string QB. Both these teams play great defense so this should be a very Big 10 game. Lower scoring and lots of defense. If you like that kind of game, this one is for you. Despite their lame schedule, it is difficult to get to November undefeated when you play in a power 5 conference.
I am picking Wisconsin

Utah at 18Washington
Washington got taken down by Stanford last week. USC is now the lone hope for the Pac12 to make the Playoff. And they would need a ton of help to do that. Utah has been ok this season but not great. The Utes are 5-5 and have struggled in Pac12 play. I think Washington will bounce back this week unless they decide to look ahead to Washington State and the Apple Cup. Utah being on the brink of bowl eligibility might make this a closer game than it might usually be. That being said, I still think Washington will come out of this one with a win.
I am picking Washington

SMU at 21Memphis
Do you like points? Then watch this game. These teams score and they are fun to watch. SMU lost a heartbreaker to Navy last week after coming back from a 11-34 halftime deficit. (Just for fun, Navy scored 43 points and amassed 559 yards, all on the ground. Navy was 0/1 passing and that was an INT.) Memphis doesn’t have the greatest run game, but I suspect they will do okay this week. I’m excited for this one. It should come down to the end.
I am picking Memphis

Fresno State at Wyoming
With all the good matchups this year, I feel like I have been neglecting the Mountain West. Both of these teams are 7-3 overall and 5-1 in conference play. It’ll be cold. Fresno State has a weird conference loss to UNLV and Wyoming’s conference loss came on the road to Boise State. These are good teams and this should be a very interesting game. Wyoming QB Josh Allen has kind of fallen off the radar, but he’s still good. I am picking the Bulldogs because they have been more consistent. They have better losses (except for UNLV). I think this will be close and could come down to the team who has the ball last.
I am picking Fresno State

Arizona at Oregon
So there aren’t a ton of good games this week. This one looks kind of interesting if Oregon QB Justin Herbert plays. Arizona QB Khalil Tate has been a great spark for the Wildcats. Oregon is one win away from being bowl eligible, but they should beat Oregon State next week. This could be an extremely fun Pac12 game, but it could also be a blowout by Arizona. Khalil Tate is fun to watch at least.
I am picking Arizona

FIU at FAU
Lane Kiffin is good at coaching offense. The FAU Owls are scoring just under 40 points per game. FIU seems to be a pretty decent team and they are bowl eligible. I have no idea if this game will be interesting. But Lane Kiffin as a human is interesting and they should score a lot of points. I’m just adding to the rat poison though.
I am picking FAU

16Mississippi State at Arkansas
I’ll keep this short and sweet after this no bueno week here on The Hill. Mississippi State gave Alabama all they could handle and came up just short. Nick Fitzgerald is a legit dual-threat QB who should tear up Arkansas’s defense. I don’t expect this to be a game. I hope the Hogs will show some fight, but I do not think they can sustain 4 quarters of strong football against this Mississippi State team.

Top 25
Mercer at 1Alabama
The Citadel at 2Clemson
Virginia at 3Miami
4Oklahoma at Kansas
24Michigan at 5Wisconsin
ULM at 6Auburn
Kentucky at 7Georgia
Navy ay 8Notre Dame
Illinois at 9Ohio State
Nebraska at 10Penn State
UCLA at 11USC
12TCU at Texas Tech
Kansas State at 13Oklahoma State
14Washington State BYE
15UCF at Temple
16Mississippi State at Arkansas
Maryland at 17Michigan State
Utah at 18Washington
19NC State at Wake Forest
20LSU at Tennessee
SMU at 21Memphis
California at 22Stanford
Minnesota at 23Northwestern
Air Force at 25 Boise State

Other Games
UNLV at New Mexico (Friday)
Middle Tennessee at Western Kentucky (Friday)
Texas at West Virginia
Rutgers at Indiana
Pittsburgh at Virginia Tech
Fresno State at Wyoming
Syracuse at Louisville
Purdue at Iowa
Arizona at Oregon
Texas A&M at Ole Miss
UAB at Florida
FIU at FAU