When I look at this season's three Heisman Trophy candidates I have trouble picking out a front runner. I know that all the big networks are expecting the first-ever freshman in Johnny Manziel to win it. I can see that but I am still going to break each of the three finalists down and tell you our picks to win it.
Johnny Manziel, Freshman, Quarterback, Texas A&M:
Let's take a look at what could be the first freshman to win the most sought after award in college football. There is no doubt that Manziel has had a spectacular redshirt-freshman season and deserves all the attention he has received. For a freshman to finish the season with a 155.9 quarterback rating is unreal. That qb rating ranked him 17th in the country behind some excellent quarterbacks and was just one place behind the other quarterback finalist Kansas State's Collin Kline. As far a passing yards he was just 81 yards from a 3,500 yard season with 3,419 on the season which was No. 16 in the country. Manziel also threw for 24 touchdowns and just eight interceptions which is a 3-1 ratio, not bad for a freshman. He also completed 68.3 percent of his passes in 2012. Although his passing numbers were outstanding his rushing numbers are what have really put him at the top of this race. He ran for 1,181 yards and 19 touchdowns on the season. He averaged an astonishing 6.4 yards per carry which is better than eight of the top 10 rushers in the country this season. With a total of 4,600 offensive yards during the season he set the SEC total offense record. His unreal numbers helped his team to top-15 marks in both passing yards (No. 14, 317.3 ypg) and rushing yards (no. 13, 235.1 ypg). With his 43 total touchdowns he accounted for 258 points this season which was the second-most in the country averaging just over three touchdowns per contest at 21.5 points per game. He also helped his team to the No. 3 scoring offense in the country averaging 44.8 points per game.
Manziel's individual numbers were pretty remarkable, but his effort turning this Aggie team from a 7-6 squad in 2011 to a 10-2 squad in 2012 is another impressive stat about this freshman signal caller. Manziel and the Aggies biggest win of the season came against then No. 1 Alabama in Bryant-Denny. Manziel led his Aggies into one of the toughest places to play in the country and knocked off the undefeated Tide which was cruising its way to its second-consecutive National Championship game. Manziel put a Heisman worthy performance throwing for 253 yards and two touchdowns on 24-of-31 passing. He also ran for 92 yards on 18 carries. The Alabama win was huge for his Heisman campaign, but that was the Aggies only major win. Their only other top-25 victory came against Louisiana Tech, 59-57. Louisiana Tech was a pretty solid team this season, but had absolutely no defense and the Aggies won a thriller and Manziel went off. He threw for 395 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. What was most impressive about his performance is he ran for 181 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries, including a 72 scamper for a touchdown. The Aggies only two losses this season came at the hands of two teams that ended up in the BCS top 10 by a combined eight points. They lost an early season heartbreaker to then No. 24 Florida 20-17 and lost another home game against then No. 6 LSU 24-19. In my book those two losses are excusable, however, I still think when handing out the most prestigious award in college football the players team record also needs to play a factor. No doubt the Aggies had one of the best seasons in the SEC, but the next two finalists led their teams to better records.
Prior to Saturday's Heisman selection Manziel won the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback award.
Manti Te'o, Senior, Linebacker, Notre Dame:
Te'o will leave Notre Dame as one of the most decorated players in its history and that is saying something. If Te'o wins the Heisman Trophy on Saturday he will be the most decorated in NCAA history. There is no doubt that he deserves the award. Te'o is a the key contributor on arguably the best defense in the country for the Irish. I have no problem saying without their defense playing at such a high level the Irish would not have made their way to the National Championship. Te'o led the Irish defense in total tackles with 103 including 52 unassisted. His 100-tackle performance in 2012 is his third-consecutive season with 100 or more tackles. He also recorded 1.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss. His most impressive stat for a linebacker is his seven interceptions which tied for No. 2 in the country this season. It is very rare to see such a great tackling linebacker able to cover so well and be in the right place to make picks like that. Te'o had an exceptional individual season, but he helped the Irish defense to a top 25 ranking in seven separate categories. The Notre Dame defense's most impressive stats were the No. 1 scoring defense that allowed just 10.33 points per game followed by its No. 3 ranked redzone defense that allowed just 95 redzone points. The Irish allowed just two redzone rushing touchdowns and six passing touchdowns. The two redzone rushing touchdowns was the best mark in the country this season. It helps when you have a tank like Te'o clogging the middle stopping opposing rushers from crossing the goal line.The Irish scoring defense is really what has helped them make the National Championship but it also helps having the No. 6 total defense in the country allowing 286.83 yards per game, along with the No. 4 rushing defense (92.42 ypg) and the No. 21 pass defense (194.40).
Te'o like Manziel helped lead the resurgence of his team to national prominence. He helped an 8-5 Irish team in 2011 to a undefeated 12-0 record in 2012. He helped lead the Irish to their first-ever BCS National Title appearance and a chance at their first National Championship since 1988. The Irish are looking for their 10th undefeated season in school history and their first BCS National Championship. There is no doubt this team has had some scares along the way but has beat some tough teams and has done it with defense. The Irish beat five teams ranked in the top 25 at the beginning of the season. Notre Dame had two huge wins against teams that finished in the top 12 of the final BCS rankings. The biggest of which came in an overtime thriller against then No. 17 Stanford, when Te'o recorded 11 tackles. His biggest play of the season came in Norman against Oklahoma when he intercepted a Landry Jones pass in the fourth quarter that helped open the door for a 20 point Irish quarter to win 30-13. The Irish also defeated No. 10 Michigan State, No. 18 Michigan and won their final game of the season at preseason No. 1 USC, 22-13 (that was a joke, but that is for another time). No doubt Te'o was the leader on and off the field for the undefeated Irish and if this team wins the National Championship it will be because he makes some big plays in the title game. As I said above, when the Heisman race is so close with no real frontrunner I think you have to look at the players team's record. Te'o unlike Manziel and Kline led his team to an undefeated season and did it from the defensive side of the ball.
Prior to the Heisman selection on Saturday Te'o cleaned up the postseason awards and is looking to become the most decorated player in NCAA history. He won the Maxwell, Walter Camp, Vince Lombardi/Rotary, Chuck Bednarik, Bronko Nagurski and Dick Butkus awards. If he wins the Heisman on Saturday there is no doubt he will be the most decorated player in NCAA history and even Notre Dame history, which is one hell of a feat.
Collin Klein, Senior, Quarterback, Kansas State:
Another player that has really led his team back to the promise land. This team looked like it was going to meet the Irish in the National Championship game until a very inexplicable loss to Baylor. That being said, Collin Kline proved himself as one of the best players in the game this season. Kline finished the season with a better quarterback rating than Manziel of 156.1. He threw for less yards, tossing for 2,490 while completing 66.2 percent of his passes. He threw 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions for just over a 2-1 ratio. Not quite as good as Manziel, but his team did not only rely on him like Manziel's did. Klein had a great season on the ground accounting for 890 yards and 22 touchdowns and averaged 4.6 yards per carry. Klein put up 3,380 total yards this season and accounted for 37 touchdowns. He was No. 11 in the country in points responsible for with 222 total averaging 18.50 per game. Klein may not have had the amazing individual numbers Manziel had, but like I said before Klein had other players on his team Manziel was the only thing Texas A&M had. Klein led the Wildcat offense to the No. 10 scoring offense in the country averaging 40.7 points per game. K-State also had the No. 33 ranked rushing attack in the game averaging nearly 200 yards per contest at 198.3 ypg. The Wildcats redzone offense was very stout finishing 26th in the country scoring on 87 percent (59-of-68) of their redzone trips.
Klein was the reason this team was able to put up a 11-1 record and win the Big 12 this season. This team had some huge wins with just one bad loss, which is why it is not playing in the National Title against the Irish. Klein led the Wildcats to their biggest victory of the season against No. 6 Oklahoma in Norman. The 24-19 victory was Klein's least effective game against a top-25 school but he still threw for 149 yards and rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown. I understand those numbers are not spectacular, but it was his fourth quarter touchdown rush that put the Wildcats ahead for good. The Cats took down Kansas and Iowa State, before traveling to Morgantown for what then was a major matchup against No. 13 West Virginia. Klein and the Wildcats had their official coming out party on the (overrated) Mountaineers. No matter it being overrated for not, WVU did not even show up for this game and allowed Klein to go off accounting for 364 total yards and seven touchdowns. He passed for three touchdowns and 323 yards as well as rushing for 41 yards and four touchdowns. I know the WVU defense was horrible this season, but still to give up seven touchdowns to one player is pretty bad. The following week Klein and the Wildcats returned home to take on No. 14 Texas Tech and put up 55 points for the second-straight week. Klein passed for 233 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 83 yards and another two touchdowns. It was at this point he was all by himself at the top of the Heisman rankings. Playing their third-consecutive top-25 team in Oklahoma State the next week Klein and the Wildcats beat the Cowboys 44-40. The game that I think lost Klein the Heisman was the 52-24 loss to Baylor in Waco, Texas. Although he accounted for the Wildcats three touchdowns he also threw a season-worst three interceptions in the defeat. K-State rallied to win the final game of the season against No. 18 Texas but could not move up the ranking far enough to make the National Championship and thus I think losing Klein the Heisman. Kansas State still won the Big 12 and is on its way to one of the most intriguing matchups of the BCS bowls against Oregon.
Prior to the Heisman presentation on Saturday, Klein won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award for the best senior quarterback in the country.
Our picks for the Heisman Trophy:
After breaking down the three finalists for the Heisman trophy it is still very difficult to pick a winner, but I know I have to. I am going with Manti T'eo from Notre Dame. I chose him because he led the Irish to their first BCS Championship game and their first undefeated season since 1988. Let me get one thing out before I start getting hate mail from A&M fans. Manziel is more than deserving of the award, but there has never been a pure defensive player win the Heisman and this is the year for it. Manziel had an amazing freshman season and I am sure will have three more chances to win the Heisman. My only problem with a freshman winning the award, and I have been saying this since Manziel took the lead in the race, is it took a lot for everyone to give Tim Tebow the Heisman as a sophomore after he scored 56 touchdowns! Also my feeling is that if this trophy is awarded to another offensive player it should become an offensive award. This award is supposed to go to the most outstanding player in the country not just the most outstanding offensive player. Eight times out of 10 this award will go to the best player on the best team and right now T'eo is the best player on the best team. Our Heisman voting went as follows:
Nick:
1-T'eo
2-Manziel
3-Klein
Jeremy:
1-Manziel
2-T'eo
3-Klein
Thanks for reading! Make sure to check us out on twitter @kinneybrozcfb
Friday, December 7, 2012
Thursday, December 6, 2012
2nd Down: Top 25
Top 25
BCS-(AP)
1-(1) Notre Dame 12-0
2-(2) Alabama 12-1
3-(4) Florida 11-1
4-(5) Oregon 11-1
5-(6) Kansas State 11-1
6-(8) Stanford 11-2
7-(3) Georgia 11-2
8-(7) LSU 10-2
9-(9) Texas A&M 10-2
10-(10) South Carolina 10-2
11-(11) Oklahoma 10-2
12-(13) Florida State 11-2
13-(15) Oregon State 9-3
14-(14) Clemson 10-2
15-(21) Northern Illinois 12-1
16-(12) Nebraska 10-3
17-(16) UCLA 9-4
18-(19) Michigan 8-4
19-(20) Boise State 10-2
20-(21) Northwestern 9-3
21-(22) Louisville 10-2
22-(18) Utah State
23-(NR) Texas
24-(24) San Jose State
25-(25) Kent State 11-2
*Ohio State is ranked #4 in the AP but ineligible for the BCS
Overrated
Come on... How can you justify Nebraska at 16? This team just got ripped apart by a five loss Wisconsin team. If that had been a regular season game, the Huskers would have fallen a heck of a lot farther than four friggin spots.
Pretty much every other team from the B1G.
Underrated
Northern Illinois- The Huskies put together a great season and after dropping their first game of the season by one point to Iowa, NIU won their final 12 games by an average of 19 points. Led by dynamic quarterback Jordan Lynch, the Huskies go for just over 250 rushing yards per game and boast the nations 18th ranked scoring defense.
Jeremy's Top 25
1-(1) Notre Dame 12-0
The Irish finish as the only undefeated team in the nation and I think they've got a good shot against Alabama in the title game.
2-(2) Alabama 12-1
Alabama took perhaps the best shot Georgia had and lived to tell about it. This running game will be fun to watch against a physical, athletic front seven for Notre Dame.
3-(4) Florida 11-1
This might just be the best team in the SEC- with the schedule they had, they earned it. I would have liked to see them get a better draw in the BCS.
4-(5) Oregon 11-1
The Ducks had a great season and will get one of the better bowl matchups this season against Collin Klein and the Kansas State Wildcats.
5-(6) Kansas State 11-1
Kansas State finished the season strong and locked up the Big-12 with their win over Texas.
6-(9) Stanford 11-2
Nick has it right- this program is turning into a power in the Pac-12 and with the emergence of Kevin Hogan they'll be right back in the race next season.
7-(3) Georgia 11-2
Tough loss for the Dawgs who played, arguably their best game of the season.
8-(7) LSU 10-2
Given the offensive woes they had for most of the season, 10 wins looks pretty impressive for this squad.
9-(8) Texas A&M 10-2
Definitely one of the most exciting teams to watch all season. Great matchup against Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl.
10-(11) Oklahoma 10-2
The Sooners had a great season yet again and had a shot at the Big-12 going into the weekend.
11-(12) Florida State 11-2
Good luck putting a finger on these guys. At times the Seminoles look like they could be the best team in the country. Other times... they're getting shut out in the second half by Georgia Tech.
12-(10) South Carolina 10-2
Spurrier has done a great job at South Carolina and there's enough youth on this team to be right back in the mix next season. Should be interesting to see them against Michigan in the Outback Bowl.
13-(14) Clemson 10-2
Good year for Dabo's boys, whose only losses were to top 12 teams, FSU and South Carolina. Their matchup with LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl will be one to circle on the schedule.
14-(19) Northern Illinois 12-1
Great season for the Huskies and hat's off for crashing the big boy party. They'll have a chance against an unpredictable FSU team.
15-(18) Oregon State 9-3
What a turn around from last seasons and a 3-9 record.
16-(20) Boise State 10-2
There are a lot of teams that would like 10-2 to be a down year.
17-(23) Louisville 10-2
Despite a few tough losses, the Cardinals are headed to a BCS game. Too bad it's against Florida and they're going to get smoked!
18-(21) Utah State 10-2
The Aggies closed the door on the WAC with a conference championship in their final season.
19-(15) UCLA 9-4
It was a good season for UCLA who was 9-2 until two weeks ago but back to back losses to Stanford tell us that they're not quite ready for the big-time.
20-(24) Northwestern 9-3
It was a great season for Northwestern who was in the hunt for the B1G until late in the season. Pat Fitzgerald has done a great job here.
21-(16) Kent State 11-2
Kent State was on the brink of a BCS birth, but a heartbreaking loss to NIU ended the dream.
22-(NR) Michigan 8-4
I'm not sure Michigan is a top 25 team but there really no one else out there that I like ahead of them.
23-(13) Nebraska 10-3
It's hard to excuse the ass-whipping the took at the hands of five loss Wisconsin. They stay in the top 25 because, unlike Wisconsin, Nebraska was the top team on their side of the conference and lost in the conference championship... (look at me making excuses for the B1G).
24-(25) San Jose State 10-2
The team has improved by leaps and bounds over the past few years, from 1-12 in '09 to 5-7 last season and now, 10-2 and a top 25 finish.
25-(17) Texas 8-4
See Nebraska. Except for the winning the conference thing.
Nick's Top 25
1-(1)-Notre Dame 12-0
The Irish were idle, but are looking to the National Championship game against Alabama.
2-(2)-Alabama 12-1
The Bama-Georgia game was an instant classic. Both teams knew that they were playing for a chance at the Irish in the National Championship and the Tide wanted it a little more. Huge performances from Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon carried the Tide to victory in that one. Now Bama will be the Irish in the title game.
3-(4)-Florida 11-1
Great season for Florida. Its too bad they did not get a better draw in the Sugar Bowl, not sure if Louisville can hang with the Gators.
4-(8)-Kansas State 11-1
This team came out of now where but with a quarterback like Collin Kline it showed it was one of the best teams in the country this season. The Wildcats got a tough draw in the Fiesta Bowl but it is one of the most intriguing BCS games other than the NC.
5-(6)-Stanford 11-2
This team is becoming a Pac 12 power. The Cardinal beat UCLA two weeks in a row to earn the Rose Bowl bid, but yet again another bad draw getting a five loss Wisconsin team. Too bad. I would have loved to see Flordia-Stanford in a BCS game.
6-(5)-Texas A&M 10-2
Here is another team that really came out of no where. Wow, Johnny Manziel, a Heisman finalist, put this team on his back and won 10 games including probably one of the biggest wins in program history at Alabama. The Aggies have one of the better non-BCS bowl matchups this season with Oklahoma.
7-(7)-Oregon 11-1
Solid season for the Ducks but the late loss to a very good Stanford team knocked them out of the BCS title race, but they have a great matchup with K-State in the Fiesta Bowl.
8-(3)-Georgia 11-2
Tough loss for the Dawgs in the SEC Championship, but Bama just would not be stopped. Interesting draw getting Nebraska, who just gave up 70 points to a five-loss Wisconsin team, in the Capital One Bowl.
9-(9)-LSU 10-2
The Mad Hatter puts another 10-win season together in Baton Rouge. This team has a great defense but could not get over average offensive play.
10-(10)-South Carolina 10-2
The Gamecocks finished the season strong after losing star tailback Marcus Lattimore and 10-wins in the SEC is nothing to sneeze at. Spurrier was also rewarded with a pretty large extension.
11-(11)-Florida State 11-2
Tough finish for a team that was a dark horse for the National Championship this season. Still an ACC Championship is a great start for a still fairly young Nole squad. This team is not going anywhere for a while.
12-(12)-Oklahoma 10-2
Stoops and the Sonners were "snubbed" out of the BCS but they did not take care of business like they needed to, to impress the voters enough to bump the Huskies out of that No. 15 spot. Still great season, but one loss for the Sooners gets them in a BCS game and a Big 12 title.
13-(15)-Clemson 10-2
This Tiger team is improving, Sweeny has them playing at a very high level and this team is headed in the right direction.
14-(19)-Oregon State 9-3
Another come from no where team. I in now way would have expected the Beavers to get to nine possibly 10 wins this season, but here they are finishing in my top 15.
15-(17)-Northern Illinois 12-1
The Huskies won a thriller in the MAC title game and the voters rewarded them for a 12-win season with a BCS game. I like the pick and I love them crashing the BCS party and making talking heads like Kirk Herbstreit try and say what a travesty it is when the little boys get a chance to play with the big boys.
16-(18)-Utah State 10-2
This is a tough team and nothing better to leave with a share of the WAC Championship in its final season in the league.
17-(21)-Boise State 10-2
Boise is in the same boat as Utah State. This is not a Bronco team of old but 10-2 is a great season and a share of the MW Championship in its final season.
18-(14)-UCLA 9-4
Tough to keep UCLA in the top 25 with four losses, but two of the four came against Stanford in consecutive weeks. This team overachieved this season and the future looks bright in LA.
19-(16)-Kent State 11-2
Heartbreaking loss for the Golden Flashes in the MAC Championship and now they lost their coach, but still a great season winning 11 games.
20-(23)-Louisville 10-2
Charlie Strong is one of the hottest coaches in the country but he decided to stay at Louisville long term thanks to its move to the ACC. Strong did a great job taking this team to a BCS game- problem for them is they have one of the toughest draws against Florida.
21-(22)-Northwestern 9-3
Great season in Evanston and this team looks like it could contend for a B1G Championship in years to come.
22-(13)-Nebraska 10-3
This team is lucky to stay in the top 25 after giving up 70 points to a five-loss Wisconsin team, but they stay because of lack of teams behind them. The Huskers have a tough draw with Georiga in the Capital One Bowl.
23-(24)-San Jose State 10-2
I would have never guessed the Spartans would win 10 games in my life time but they finished off a great season before the move to the MW.
24-(NR)-Rutgers 9-3
Tough loss for the Scarlet Knights to Louisville but still a solid season in the first year without Greg Schiano.
25-(20)-Texas 8-4
After it looked like Texas was on its way to another five or six loss season the Longhorns pulled it together and managed eight wins. Still not back to where it was or should be but Texas will be back as long as Mack Brown is its head coach.
BCS-(AP)
1-(1) Notre Dame 12-0
2-(2) Alabama 12-1
3-(4) Florida 11-1
4-(5) Oregon 11-1
5-(6) Kansas State 11-1
6-(8) Stanford 11-2
7-(3) Georgia 11-2
8-(7) LSU 10-2
9-(9) Texas A&M 10-2
10-(10) South Carolina 10-2
11-(11) Oklahoma 10-2
12-(13) Florida State 11-2
13-(15) Oregon State 9-3
14-(14) Clemson 10-2
15-(21) Northern Illinois 12-1
16-(12) Nebraska 10-3
17-(16) UCLA 9-4
18-(19) Michigan 8-4
19-(20) Boise State 10-2
20-(21) Northwestern 9-3
21-(22) Louisville 10-2
22-(18) Utah State
23-(NR) Texas
24-(24) San Jose State
25-(25) Kent State 11-2
*Ohio State is ranked #4 in the AP but ineligible for the BCS
Overrated
Come on... How can you justify Nebraska at 16? This team just got ripped apart by a five loss Wisconsin team. If that had been a regular season game, the Huskers would have fallen a heck of a lot farther than four friggin spots.
Pretty much every other team from the B1G.
Underrated
Northern Illinois- The Huskies put together a great season and after dropping their first game of the season by one point to Iowa, NIU won their final 12 games by an average of 19 points. Led by dynamic quarterback Jordan Lynch, the Huskies go for just over 250 rushing yards per game and boast the nations 18th ranked scoring defense.
Jeremy's Top 25
1-(1) Notre Dame 12-0
The Irish finish as the only undefeated team in the nation and I think they've got a good shot against Alabama in the title game.
2-(2) Alabama 12-1
Alabama took perhaps the best shot Georgia had and lived to tell about it. This running game will be fun to watch against a physical, athletic front seven for Notre Dame.
3-(4) Florida 11-1
This might just be the best team in the SEC- with the schedule they had, they earned it. I would have liked to see them get a better draw in the BCS.
4-(5) Oregon 11-1
The Ducks had a great season and will get one of the better bowl matchups this season against Collin Klein and the Kansas State Wildcats.
5-(6) Kansas State 11-1
Kansas State finished the season strong and locked up the Big-12 with their win over Texas.
6-(9) Stanford 11-2
Nick has it right- this program is turning into a power in the Pac-12 and with the emergence of Kevin Hogan they'll be right back in the race next season.
7-(3) Georgia 11-2
Tough loss for the Dawgs who played, arguably their best game of the season.
8-(7) LSU 10-2
Given the offensive woes they had for most of the season, 10 wins looks pretty impressive for this squad.
9-(8) Texas A&M 10-2
Definitely one of the most exciting teams to watch all season. Great matchup against Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl.
10-(11) Oklahoma 10-2
The Sooners had a great season yet again and had a shot at the Big-12 going into the weekend.
11-(12) Florida State 11-2
Good luck putting a finger on these guys. At times the Seminoles look like they could be the best team in the country. Other times... they're getting shut out in the second half by Georgia Tech.
12-(10) South Carolina 10-2
Spurrier has done a great job at South Carolina and there's enough youth on this team to be right back in the mix next season. Should be interesting to see them against Michigan in the Outback Bowl.
13-(14) Clemson 10-2
Good year for Dabo's boys, whose only losses were to top 12 teams, FSU and South Carolina. Their matchup with LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl will be one to circle on the schedule.
14-(19) Northern Illinois 12-1
Great season for the Huskies and hat's off for crashing the big boy party. They'll have a chance against an unpredictable FSU team.
15-(18) Oregon State 9-3
What a turn around from last seasons and a 3-9 record.
16-(20) Boise State 10-2
There are a lot of teams that would like 10-2 to be a down year.
17-(23) Louisville 10-2
Despite a few tough losses, the Cardinals are headed to a BCS game. Too bad it's against Florida and they're going to get smoked!
18-(21) Utah State 10-2
The Aggies closed the door on the WAC with a conference championship in their final season.
19-(15) UCLA 9-4
It was a good season for UCLA who was 9-2 until two weeks ago but back to back losses to Stanford tell us that they're not quite ready for the big-time.
20-(24) Northwestern 9-3
It was a great season for Northwestern who was in the hunt for the B1G until late in the season. Pat Fitzgerald has done a great job here.
21-(16) Kent State 11-2
Kent State was on the brink of a BCS birth, but a heartbreaking loss to NIU ended the dream.
22-(NR) Michigan 8-4
I'm not sure Michigan is a top 25 team but there really no one else out there that I like ahead of them.
23-(13) Nebraska 10-3
It's hard to excuse the ass-whipping the took at the hands of five loss Wisconsin. They stay in the top 25 because, unlike Wisconsin, Nebraska was the top team on their side of the conference and lost in the conference championship... (look at me making excuses for the B1G).
24-(25) San Jose State 10-2
The team has improved by leaps and bounds over the past few years, from 1-12 in '09 to 5-7 last season and now, 10-2 and a top 25 finish.
25-(17) Texas 8-4
See Nebraska. Except for the winning the conference thing.
Nick's Top 25
1-(1)-Notre Dame 12-0
The Irish were idle, but are looking to the National Championship game against Alabama.
2-(2)-Alabama 12-1
The Bama-Georgia game was an instant classic. Both teams knew that they were playing for a chance at the Irish in the National Championship and the Tide wanted it a little more. Huge performances from Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon carried the Tide to victory in that one. Now Bama will be the Irish in the title game.
3-(4)-Florida 11-1
Great season for Florida. Its too bad they did not get a better draw in the Sugar Bowl, not sure if Louisville can hang with the Gators.
4-(8)-Kansas State 11-1
This team came out of now where but with a quarterback like Collin Kline it showed it was one of the best teams in the country this season. The Wildcats got a tough draw in the Fiesta Bowl but it is one of the most intriguing BCS games other than the NC.
5-(6)-Stanford 11-2
This team is becoming a Pac 12 power. The Cardinal beat UCLA two weeks in a row to earn the Rose Bowl bid, but yet again another bad draw getting a five loss Wisconsin team. Too bad. I would have loved to see Flordia-Stanford in a BCS game.
6-(5)-Texas A&M 10-2
Here is another team that really came out of no where. Wow, Johnny Manziel, a Heisman finalist, put this team on his back and won 10 games including probably one of the biggest wins in program history at Alabama. The Aggies have one of the better non-BCS bowl matchups this season with Oklahoma.
7-(7)-Oregon 11-1
Solid season for the Ducks but the late loss to a very good Stanford team knocked them out of the BCS title race, but they have a great matchup with K-State in the Fiesta Bowl.
8-(3)-Georgia 11-2
Tough loss for the Dawgs in the SEC Championship, but Bama just would not be stopped. Interesting draw getting Nebraska, who just gave up 70 points to a five-loss Wisconsin team, in the Capital One Bowl.
9-(9)-LSU 10-2
The Mad Hatter puts another 10-win season together in Baton Rouge. This team has a great defense but could not get over average offensive play.
10-(10)-South Carolina 10-2
The Gamecocks finished the season strong after losing star tailback Marcus Lattimore and 10-wins in the SEC is nothing to sneeze at. Spurrier was also rewarded with a pretty large extension.
11-(11)-Florida State 11-2
Tough finish for a team that was a dark horse for the National Championship this season. Still an ACC Championship is a great start for a still fairly young Nole squad. This team is not going anywhere for a while.
12-(12)-Oklahoma 10-2
Stoops and the Sonners were "snubbed" out of the BCS but they did not take care of business like they needed to, to impress the voters enough to bump the Huskies out of that No. 15 spot. Still great season, but one loss for the Sooners gets them in a BCS game and a Big 12 title.
13-(15)-Clemson 10-2
This Tiger team is improving, Sweeny has them playing at a very high level and this team is headed in the right direction.
14-(19)-Oregon State 9-3
Another come from no where team. I in now way would have expected the Beavers to get to nine possibly 10 wins this season, but here they are finishing in my top 15.
15-(17)-Northern Illinois 12-1
The Huskies won a thriller in the MAC title game and the voters rewarded them for a 12-win season with a BCS game. I like the pick and I love them crashing the BCS party and making talking heads like Kirk Herbstreit try and say what a travesty it is when the little boys get a chance to play with the big boys.
16-(18)-Utah State 10-2
This is a tough team and nothing better to leave with a share of the WAC Championship in its final season in the league.
17-(21)-Boise State 10-2
Boise is in the same boat as Utah State. This is not a Bronco team of old but 10-2 is a great season and a share of the MW Championship in its final season.
18-(14)-UCLA 9-4
Tough to keep UCLA in the top 25 with four losses, but two of the four came against Stanford in consecutive weeks. This team overachieved this season and the future looks bright in LA.
19-(16)-Kent State 11-2
Heartbreaking loss for the Golden Flashes in the MAC Championship and now they lost their coach, but still a great season winning 11 games.
20-(23)-Louisville 10-2
Charlie Strong is one of the hottest coaches in the country but he decided to stay at Louisville long term thanks to its move to the ACC. Strong did a great job taking this team to a BCS game- problem for them is they have one of the toughest draws against Florida.
21-(22)-Northwestern 9-3
Great season in Evanston and this team looks like it could contend for a B1G Championship in years to come.
22-(13)-Nebraska 10-3
This team is lucky to stay in the top 25 after giving up 70 points to a five-loss Wisconsin team, but they stay because of lack of teams behind them. The Huskers have a tough draw with Georiga in the Capital One Bowl.
23-(24)-San Jose State 10-2
I would have never guessed the Spartans would win 10 games in my life time but they finished off a great season before the move to the MW.
24-(NR)-Rutgers 9-3
Tough loss for the Scarlet Knights to Louisville but still a solid season in the first year without Greg Schiano.
25-(20)-Texas 8-4
After it looked like Texas was on its way to another five or six loss season the Longhorns pulled it together and managed eight wins. Still not back to where it was or should be but Texas will be back as long as Mack Brown is its head coach.
Monday, December 3, 2012
1st Down: Championship Week Recap
SEC Championship
#2 Alabama 32 vs. #3 Georgia 28
Instant classic here. All I can say about this one is wow! This game was built up to be such a great match up and it did not disappoint. I thought A.J. McCaron's 45-yard toss to Amari Cooper for the game-winning touchdown was about as clutch of a play as a quarterback can make. Even better came one play before on third and five on the same Tide drive, with T.J. Yeldon carrying Bulldogs for five yards and the first down that sparked the Tide. This game was won by Alabama on the ground the combo of Yeldon and Eddie Lacy was unstoppable when it came down the stretch. The two combined for 334 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. Lacy went for 181 on 20 carries and Yeldon 153 on 25 carries. Give Georgia credit in this game though they had a chance to win it at the end and concerning the question of the last few plays, I will never question a coaching call because I am not a head coach and never will be. The fact is the Dawgs had their chances in this game it is just hard to keep the defending national champs away from a chance at defending their title.
I cannot talk any crap on Jeremy's call here. This game could have gone either way, but Nick Saban and the Tide were just too strong in the end.
-Jeremy-Georgia, 34-31
-Nick- Alabama, 27-24
B1G Championship: #12 Nebraska 31 vs. Wisconsin 70
Another wow game, but for another reason. The Blackshirt defense gave up 70 points!!??? Really? The Huskers allowed a program-worst (not just the worst in the last 10 years, but ever!) 539 yards rushing. That is pathetic. Three Badgers ran for 100-plus yards with freshman Melvin Gordon leading the way with 216 yards on nine carries. The NCAA career leader in rushing touchdowns Monte Ball added 202 yards and three touchdowns. Just when you think it couldn't get worse for the Huskers, junior Badger James White had the best scoring day, rushing for four touchdowns and 109 yards on 15 carries. There is not much else to say about this game. The Badgers put the Huskers behind early and forced Taylor Martinez to throw the ball and you can ask anyone who has watched him this season, when he is pressured and hurried he reverts back to the old Taylor Martinez who cannot throw the ball like he was touted to at the beginning of the season. Even worse is for the B1G, it is sending a five-loss Wisconsin team to the Rose Bowl to face one of the best teams in the country in Stanford.
-Nick- Nebraska, 27-17
-Jeremy- Nebraska, 27-24
ACC Championship: #13 Florida State 21 vs. Georgia Tech 15
This is a game both Jeremy and I expected FSU to run away with and with the score 21-6 at halftime I fully expected the ‘Noles to do just that. Just like FSU has all season when leading big at halftime they took their foot off the gas and expected to cruise to the win. The problem was Georgia Tech had nothing to lose and they knew it and came out and made the ‘Noles sweat in the second half. Florida State hung on for the ugly win. None the less a good win for the ‘Noles as they did what everyone expected them to do to start the season, win the ACC. Now looking at the BCS matchups the ‘Noles have another team with nothing to lose against Northern Illinois in the Orange Bowl.
-Jeremy- Florida State, 38-24
-Nick- Florida State, 45-17
#6 Kansas State 42 vs. #18 Texas 24
Kansas State and Collin Kline were looking to make a big statement with a improving Texas team. As a team the Wildcats accomplished that, but Kline did not make the statement I think he needed to for a Heisman locking performance. No doubt Kline had a solid performance with 287 total yards and three touchdowns, but he just did not look dominate enough to win him the Heisman. Great win for the Wildcats and now they are looking forward to the Fiesta Bowl in what should be a great game against Oregon.
-Nick- K-State, 38-28
-Jeremy- Kansas State- 44-34
#11 Oklahoma 24 @ TCU 17
This game was a little closer than I thought, but TCU is an improving and young team that looks like it should be a solid contender next season. As for the game, I think the Sooners needed to make a bigger statement for getting itself in a BCS game. I feel like one of the reasons the voters found a way to get NIU in a BCS game is because the Sooners did not step up and show that they really wanted it. I think if Oklahoma would have come out and run over the Horned Frogs voters would have had a tougher time moving NIU to No. 15 because they would have wanted to see OU in a BCS game. None the less, OU is a solid team with 10 wins this season and have one of the better non-BCS bowl matchups against Texas A&M.
-Jeremy- TCU, 24-23
-Nick- Oklahoma, 35-24
#15 Oregon State 77 vs. Nicholls State 3,
Do we even need to talk about this game? Good for Oregon State to put up a school-record 77 points, but against and FCS school. Nothing other than that to really talk about other than OSU racking up 638 yards of total offense. Enough said.
-Nick- OSU, 38-14
-Jeremy- OSU, 41-13
#20 Boise State 27 @ Nevada 21
Boise State did exactly what it has done all season against average teams, jumps out to a big lead and then lets it get whittled down and almost loses. This is not the Broncos teams of old, but 10 wins and a split MW Championship in its last season in the league is a solid season for Peterson and Co.
-Nick- Boise State, 35-21
-Jeremy- Boise State, 31-20
#23 Oklahoma State 34 @ Baylor 41
We both whiffed on this game, so give Baylor credit for winning three-consecutive games against ranked or previously ranked opponents. The Bears have relied on offense all season and it did not disappoint on Saturday putting up 41 points. Baylor advanced to 7-5 with the victory and dropped the Cowboys to 7-5 themselves. Great win for Baylor and it closed what looked like a dismal season out with three-straight.
-Jeremy- OK State, 56-51
-Nick- Oklahoma State, 52-45
#2 Alabama 32 vs. #3 Georgia 28
Instant classic here. All I can say about this one is wow! This game was built up to be such a great match up and it did not disappoint. I thought A.J. McCaron's 45-yard toss to Amari Cooper for the game-winning touchdown was about as clutch of a play as a quarterback can make. Even better came one play before on third and five on the same Tide drive, with T.J. Yeldon carrying Bulldogs for five yards and the first down that sparked the Tide. This game was won by Alabama on the ground the combo of Yeldon and Eddie Lacy was unstoppable when it came down the stretch. The two combined for 334 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. Lacy went for 181 on 20 carries and Yeldon 153 on 25 carries. Give Georgia credit in this game though they had a chance to win it at the end and concerning the question of the last few plays, I will never question a coaching call because I am not a head coach and never will be. The fact is the Dawgs had their chances in this game it is just hard to keep the defending national champs away from a chance at defending their title.
I cannot talk any crap on Jeremy's call here. This game could have gone either way, but Nick Saban and the Tide were just too strong in the end.
-Jeremy-Georgia, 34-31
-Nick- Alabama, 27-24
B1G Championship: #12 Nebraska 31 vs. Wisconsin 70
Another wow game, but for another reason. The Blackshirt defense gave up 70 points!!??? Really? The Huskers allowed a program-worst (not just the worst in the last 10 years, but ever!) 539 yards rushing. That is pathetic. Three Badgers ran for 100-plus yards with freshman Melvin Gordon leading the way with 216 yards on nine carries. The NCAA career leader in rushing touchdowns Monte Ball added 202 yards and three touchdowns. Just when you think it couldn't get worse for the Huskers, junior Badger James White had the best scoring day, rushing for four touchdowns and 109 yards on 15 carries. There is not much else to say about this game. The Badgers put the Huskers behind early and forced Taylor Martinez to throw the ball and you can ask anyone who has watched him this season, when he is pressured and hurried he reverts back to the old Taylor Martinez who cannot throw the ball like he was touted to at the beginning of the season. Even worse is for the B1G, it is sending a five-loss Wisconsin team to the Rose Bowl to face one of the best teams in the country in Stanford.
-Nick- Nebraska, 27-17
-Jeremy- Nebraska, 27-24
ACC Championship: #13 Florida State 21 vs. Georgia Tech 15
This is a game both Jeremy and I expected FSU to run away with and with the score 21-6 at halftime I fully expected the ‘Noles to do just that. Just like FSU has all season when leading big at halftime they took their foot off the gas and expected to cruise to the win. The problem was Georgia Tech had nothing to lose and they knew it and came out and made the ‘Noles sweat in the second half. Florida State hung on for the ugly win. None the less a good win for the ‘Noles as they did what everyone expected them to do to start the season, win the ACC. Now looking at the BCS matchups the ‘Noles have another team with nothing to lose against Northern Illinois in the Orange Bowl.
-Jeremy- Florida State, 38-24
-Nick- Florida State, 45-17
#6 Kansas State 42 vs. #18 Texas 24
Kansas State and Collin Kline were looking to make a big statement with a improving Texas team. As a team the Wildcats accomplished that, but Kline did not make the statement I think he needed to for a Heisman locking performance. No doubt Kline had a solid performance with 287 total yards and three touchdowns, but he just did not look dominate enough to win him the Heisman. Great win for the Wildcats and now they are looking forward to the Fiesta Bowl in what should be a great game against Oregon.
-Nick- K-State, 38-28
-Jeremy- Kansas State- 44-34
#11 Oklahoma 24 @ TCU 17
This game was a little closer than I thought, but TCU is an improving and young team that looks like it should be a solid contender next season. As for the game, I think the Sooners needed to make a bigger statement for getting itself in a BCS game. I feel like one of the reasons the voters found a way to get NIU in a BCS game is because the Sooners did not step up and show that they really wanted it. I think if Oklahoma would have come out and run over the Horned Frogs voters would have had a tougher time moving NIU to No. 15 because they would have wanted to see OU in a BCS game. None the less, OU is a solid team with 10 wins this season and have one of the better non-BCS bowl matchups against Texas A&M.
-Jeremy- TCU, 24-23
-Nick- Oklahoma, 35-24
#15 Oregon State 77 vs. Nicholls State 3,
Do we even need to talk about this game? Good for Oregon State to put up a school-record 77 points, but against and FCS school. Nothing other than that to really talk about other than OSU racking up 638 yards of total offense. Enough said.
-Nick- OSU, 38-14
-Jeremy- OSU, 41-13
#20 Boise State 27 @ Nevada 21
Boise State did exactly what it has done all season against average teams, jumps out to a big lead and then lets it get whittled down and almost loses. This is not the Broncos teams of old, but 10 wins and a split MW Championship in its last season in the league is a solid season for Peterson and Co.
-Nick- Boise State, 35-21
-Jeremy- Boise State, 31-20
#23 Oklahoma State 34 @ Baylor 41
We both whiffed on this game, so give Baylor credit for winning three-consecutive games against ranked or previously ranked opponents. The Bears have relied on offense all season and it did not disappoint on Saturday putting up 41 points. Baylor advanced to 7-5 with the victory and dropped the Cowboys to 7-5 themselves. Great win for Baylor and it closed what looked like a dismal season out with three-straight.
-Jeremy- OK State, 56-51
-Nick- Oklahoma State, 52-45
Saturday, December 1, 2012
4th Down: Conference Championships and Week 14 Finals
This weekend out picks are going to go separate because we would like to talk about each championship game because almost all of them have major implications.
SEC Championship, 4pm ET, CBS
#2 Alabama vs. #3 Georgia
My initial thought is to go with Alabama in this game. The Tide has been much more consistent over the course of the season than the Bulldogs and it seems like you know what you're going to get from week to week. Georgia has largly been a mystery to me this season and is a team with incredible upside, but they've rarely been able to put it all together in a way that gives me much confidence. That said, I think they've got more upside than Alabama and are more than capable of pulling off the upset today. I see this game going one of two ways- Alabama comes in and steamrolls this Georgia team that is not locked in and ready to play, or Georgia is locked in and for the first time this season puts it all together and shows us all what they're capable of. Logic says pick the Tide.
-Jeremy-Georgia, 34-31
-Nick- Alabama, 27-24
B1G Championship, 8:17pm ET, FOX
#12 Nebraska vs. Wisconsin
Good grief... flip a coin. The B1G has been an absolute nightmare to pick this season and just when it seems like you've got it figured out something happens and you're back to square one. Nebraska is the winner of six straight to get into this game and beat Wisconsin 30-27 earlier this season. The Badgers have lost three of four and are only in this game because Ohio State and Penn State are ineligible. The Huskers have one of the best rushing attacks in the nation and I think they'll be able to ware down Wisconsin. This one is close, but I think Nebraska is the better team and will get the win.
-Nick- Nebraska, 27-17
-Jeremy- Nebraska, 27-24
ACC Championship, 8pm ET, ESPN/WatchESPN
#13 Florida State vs. Georgia Tech
Thank goodness the BCS Title game is going to be at the Orange Bowl this season, because I'm sure the potential ACC-Big East matchup of Georgia Tech-Louisville is making bowl officials nauseous and, wouldn't it be just like the ACC this year to lay an egg and send a team that had to petition for bowl eligibility to the Orange Bowl? This is possible, but not likely. I think Orange Bowl officials will be smiling with the matchup of Florida State-Louisville. I believe the Seminoles are just too talented and too well coached to lay an egg two weeks in a row. They're coming off a bad loss at home to the rival Gators last week, where I think they were exposed a bit, but I think they'll be ready for GT's option attack and take care of the Yellow Jackets.
-Jeremy- Florida State, 38-24
-Nick- Florida State, 45-17
#6 Kansas State vs. #18 Texas, 8pm ET, ABC
Kansas State has had the week off to lick their wounds and heal up after a devastating loss to Baylor that knocked the Wildcats out of the No.1 spot and out of the BCS Title race. I think Bill Snyder will have his team firing on all cylinders this evening and I predict Collin Klein will have a statement game against a shaky Longhorns defense. UT had been playing well and were the winners of five straight before getting beat, at home by a young TCU team last week and now Texas seems to have more questions marks as they head in to this matchup with K-State. With a win, K-State will win the Big-12 and I think they go in and take care of business.
-Nick- K-State, 38-28
-Jeremy- Kansas State- 44-34
#11 Oklahoma @ TCU, 12pm ET, ESPN/WatchESPN
This looks to be a great game, with both teams coming off great wins a week ago. Oklahoma pulled out a come from behind victory in the Bedlam Game, while TCU played one of its best games of the season going to Texas and take care of the Longhorns. Oklahoma looks to be an easy favorite against a very young Horned Frogs team, but like I said, TCU got a statement win last week and grew up a lot last week. I think TCU can pull off the upset if they can keep it close. I'm taking the upset.
-Jeremy- TCU, 24-23
-Nick- Oklahoma, 35-24
#15 Oregon State vs. Nicholls State, 2:30pm ET, Pac-12 Network
No doubt Oregon State would have much rather scratched this game and played in the Pac-12 Title game last night, but this is where they're at. A make-up game from week 1, Oregon State finishes their season against FCS, Nicholls State. Not much to say here. OSU should take care of business and finish their season with a win, going into bowl season.
-Nick- OSU, 38-14
-Jeremy- OSU, 41-13
#20 Boise State @ Nevada, 3:30pm ET, ABC
This Nevada team has been a thorn in the side of the Broncos for a few years now, having knocked them out of a few possible BCS births and a couple would be undefeated seasons. You never know what could happen to the favored Broncos as they travel to Nevada but I don't see another upset on the horizon this week. While this Boise State team isn't playing for a BCS birth, they are looking to lock up a MWC title and I don't see them slipping up this week.
-Nick- Boise State, 35-21
-Jeremy- Boise State, 31-20
#23 Oklahoma State @ Baylor, 12pm ET, FX
On your mark... Get set... GOOOO!!! This looks to be an absolute track meet as both teams have explosive offenses and no interest in playing defense. Both teams have put up big numbers on what were thought to be good defenses- OK State went for 48 on Oklahoma last week, while Baylor drubbed K-State for 52 two weeks ago. Chances are we'll see close to 1500 yards of offense and 100 total points scored. I think OK State wins but not before some serious fireworks.
-Jeremy- OK State, 56-51
-Nick- Oklahoma State, 52-45
MAC Championship: No. 21 Northern Illinois (11-1, 8-0 MAC) vs. No. 17 Kent State (11-1, 8-0 MAC), 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
What better way for the MAC to end the season with two 11-1 squads going at it. Both of these teams are very solid with their own strengths. To start with both teams have excellent rushing attacks. NIU has the ninth-best rushing attack in the country averaging 245 yards per contest, Kent State is no slouch either rushing the ball with the 11th-best running game in the country averaging nearly 242 yards per game. Both teams feature 1000-yard rushers, but the Golden Flashes have two. Dri Archer and Trayion Durham have rushed for 1337 and 1176 yards, respectively, and both have14 touchdowns on the season. Northern Illinois has one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country in Jordan Lynch who has 1,611 yards rushing this season and 16 touchdowns. Lynch not only has rushed for 1500-plus yard, but has thrown for 2750 yards and 23 touchdowns. No doubt NIU has the better quarterback with Lynch having 4,361 yards and 39 total touchdowns. What could create a problem for the Huskies is that if Lynch is off or if Kent State really slows him down they do not have much behind him to pick up on the offense. One good thing for the Huskies is they are 12th in the country in points per game at 40.5 and 15th in points against 17.5. NIU is also on an 11-game heater with its only loss of the season coming by one point to Iowa the first week of the season. Kent State statistically is worse allowing 23.5 points per game (37th) and scoring 34.4 (35th), but I think this team is more balanced and should be able to come away with a win. I fully expect this game to be close and be decided by a touchdown or less.
-Nick, Kent State, 35-31
-Jeremy, Kent State, 41-34
Pac-12 Championship: No. 16 UCLA (9-3, 6-3 Pac-12) vs. No. 8 Stanford (10-2, 8-1 Pac-12), 8 p.m ET, FOX
This has been a very tough game for me to breakdown because these teams just played last weekend. Stanford looked like the much better team in last weekends match up winning 35-17, but it is always difficult to beat a team twice in a season, especially twice in two weeks. This game, for me, comes down to the defensive fronts, Stanford has one of the best front sevens in the country if not the best and one of the most talanted running backs in the country in Stepfan Taylor. Stanfords numbers aren't goddy or out of this world but their defense allows just 16.9 points per game which is the 11th-best in the country. On offense they do not wow you either but Taylor has quietly had a great season rushing 278 times for 1,364 yards and 11 touchdowns. UCLA does not wow you either ranking in the 30s in both passing offense (32, 279.5 yards per game) and rushing offense (34, 196.2 yards per game) but that is a very balanced attack. UCLA has a solid front four but if you get passed the front four the back seven is not as great tacklers. One thing UCLA has going for it is a pretty solid quarterback in Brett Hundley who has thrown for 3,234 yards and 26 touchdowns. That being said I still think Stanford is disipline enough to get it done two weeks in a row and head on to the Rose Bowl. Stanford should win a closer game than last week.
-Nick, Stanford, 31-28
-Jeremy, UCLA, 34-31
SEC Championship, 4pm ET, CBS
#2 Alabama vs. #3 Georgia
My initial thought is to go with Alabama in this game. The Tide has been much more consistent over the course of the season than the Bulldogs and it seems like you know what you're going to get from week to week. Georgia has largly been a mystery to me this season and is a team with incredible upside, but they've rarely been able to put it all together in a way that gives me much confidence. That said, I think they've got more upside than Alabama and are more than capable of pulling off the upset today. I see this game going one of two ways- Alabama comes in and steamrolls this Georgia team that is not locked in and ready to play, or Georgia is locked in and for the first time this season puts it all together and shows us all what they're capable of. Logic says pick the Tide.
-Jeremy-Georgia, 34-31
-Nick- Alabama, 27-24
B1G Championship, 8:17pm ET, FOX
#12 Nebraska vs. Wisconsin
Good grief... flip a coin. The B1G has been an absolute nightmare to pick this season and just when it seems like you've got it figured out something happens and you're back to square one. Nebraska is the winner of six straight to get into this game and beat Wisconsin 30-27 earlier this season. The Badgers have lost three of four and are only in this game because Ohio State and Penn State are ineligible. The Huskers have one of the best rushing attacks in the nation and I think they'll be able to ware down Wisconsin. This one is close, but I think Nebraska is the better team and will get the win.
-Nick- Nebraska, 27-17
-Jeremy- Nebraska, 27-24
ACC Championship, 8pm ET, ESPN/WatchESPN
#13 Florida State vs. Georgia Tech
Thank goodness the BCS Title game is going to be at the Orange Bowl this season, because I'm sure the potential ACC-Big East matchup of Georgia Tech-Louisville is making bowl officials nauseous and, wouldn't it be just like the ACC this year to lay an egg and send a team that had to petition for bowl eligibility to the Orange Bowl? This is possible, but not likely. I think Orange Bowl officials will be smiling with the matchup of Florida State-Louisville. I believe the Seminoles are just too talented and too well coached to lay an egg two weeks in a row. They're coming off a bad loss at home to the rival Gators last week, where I think they were exposed a bit, but I think they'll be ready for GT's option attack and take care of the Yellow Jackets.
-Jeremy- Florida State, 38-24
-Nick- Florida State, 45-17
#6 Kansas State vs. #18 Texas, 8pm ET, ABC
Kansas State has had the week off to lick their wounds and heal up after a devastating loss to Baylor that knocked the Wildcats out of the No.1 spot and out of the BCS Title race. I think Bill Snyder will have his team firing on all cylinders this evening and I predict Collin Klein will have a statement game against a shaky Longhorns defense. UT had been playing well and were the winners of five straight before getting beat, at home by a young TCU team last week and now Texas seems to have more questions marks as they head in to this matchup with K-State. With a win, K-State will win the Big-12 and I think they go in and take care of business.
-Nick- K-State, 38-28
-Jeremy- Kansas State- 44-34
#11 Oklahoma @ TCU, 12pm ET, ESPN/WatchESPN
This looks to be a great game, with both teams coming off great wins a week ago. Oklahoma pulled out a come from behind victory in the Bedlam Game, while TCU played one of its best games of the season going to Texas and take care of the Longhorns. Oklahoma looks to be an easy favorite against a very young Horned Frogs team, but like I said, TCU got a statement win last week and grew up a lot last week. I think TCU can pull off the upset if they can keep it close. I'm taking the upset.
-Jeremy- TCU, 24-23
-Nick- Oklahoma, 35-24
#15 Oregon State vs. Nicholls State, 2:30pm ET, Pac-12 Network
No doubt Oregon State would have much rather scratched this game and played in the Pac-12 Title game last night, but this is where they're at. A make-up game from week 1, Oregon State finishes their season against FCS, Nicholls State. Not much to say here. OSU should take care of business and finish their season with a win, going into bowl season.
-Nick- OSU, 38-14
-Jeremy- OSU, 41-13
#20 Boise State @ Nevada, 3:30pm ET, ABC
This Nevada team has been a thorn in the side of the Broncos for a few years now, having knocked them out of a few possible BCS births and a couple would be undefeated seasons. You never know what could happen to the favored Broncos as they travel to Nevada but I don't see another upset on the horizon this week. While this Boise State team isn't playing for a BCS birth, they are looking to lock up a MWC title and I don't see them slipping up this week.
-Nick- Boise State, 35-21
-Jeremy- Boise State, 31-20
#23 Oklahoma State @ Baylor, 12pm ET, FX
On your mark... Get set... GOOOO!!! This looks to be an absolute track meet as both teams have explosive offenses and no interest in playing defense. Both teams have put up big numbers on what were thought to be good defenses- OK State went for 48 on Oklahoma last week, while Baylor drubbed K-State for 52 two weeks ago. Chances are we'll see close to 1500 yards of offense and 100 total points scored. I think OK State wins but not before some serious fireworks.
-Jeremy- OK State, 56-51
-Nick- Oklahoma State, 52-45
MAC Championship: No. 21 Northern Illinois (11-1, 8-0 MAC) vs. No. 17 Kent State (11-1, 8-0 MAC), 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2
What better way for the MAC to end the season with two 11-1 squads going at it. Both of these teams are very solid with their own strengths. To start with both teams have excellent rushing attacks. NIU has the ninth-best rushing attack in the country averaging 245 yards per contest, Kent State is no slouch either rushing the ball with the 11th-best running game in the country averaging nearly 242 yards per game. Both teams feature 1000-yard rushers, but the Golden Flashes have two. Dri Archer and Trayion Durham have rushed for 1337 and 1176 yards, respectively, and both have14 touchdowns on the season. Northern Illinois has one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country in Jordan Lynch who has 1,611 yards rushing this season and 16 touchdowns. Lynch not only has rushed for 1500-plus yard, but has thrown for 2750 yards and 23 touchdowns. No doubt NIU has the better quarterback with Lynch having 4,361 yards and 39 total touchdowns. What could create a problem for the Huskies is that if Lynch is off or if Kent State really slows him down they do not have much behind him to pick up on the offense. One good thing for the Huskies is they are 12th in the country in points per game at 40.5 and 15th in points against 17.5. NIU is also on an 11-game heater with its only loss of the season coming by one point to Iowa the first week of the season. Kent State statistically is worse allowing 23.5 points per game (37th) and scoring 34.4 (35th), but I think this team is more balanced and should be able to come away with a win. I fully expect this game to be close and be decided by a touchdown or less.
-Nick, Kent State, 35-31
-Jeremy, Kent State, 41-34
Pac-12 Championship: No. 16 UCLA (9-3, 6-3 Pac-12) vs. No. 8 Stanford (10-2, 8-1 Pac-12), 8 p.m ET, FOX
This has been a very tough game for me to breakdown because these teams just played last weekend. Stanford looked like the much better team in last weekends match up winning 35-17, but it is always difficult to beat a team twice in a season, especially twice in two weeks. This game, for me, comes down to the defensive fronts, Stanford has one of the best front sevens in the country if not the best and one of the most talanted running backs in the country in Stepfan Taylor. Stanfords numbers aren't goddy or out of this world but their defense allows just 16.9 points per game which is the 11th-best in the country. On offense they do not wow you either but Taylor has quietly had a great season rushing 278 times for 1,364 yards and 11 touchdowns. UCLA does not wow you either ranking in the 30s in both passing offense (32, 279.5 yards per game) and rushing offense (34, 196.2 yards per game) but that is a very balanced attack. UCLA has a solid front four but if you get passed the front four the back seven is not as great tacklers. One thing UCLA has going for it is a pretty solid quarterback in Brett Hundley who has thrown for 3,234 yards and 26 touchdowns. That being said I still think Stanford is disipline enough to get it done two weeks in a row and head on to the Rose Bowl. Stanford should win a closer game than last week.
-Nick, Stanford, 31-28
-Jeremy, UCLA, 34-31
Thursday, November 29, 2012
2nd Down: Top 25
Top 25
BCS-(AP)
1-(1) Notre Dame 12-0
2-(2) Alabama 11-1
3-(3) Georgia 11-1
4-(5) Florida 11-1
5-(6) Oregon 11-1
6-(7) Kansas State 10-1
7-(9) LSU 10-2
8-(8) Stanford 10-2
9-(10) Texas A&M 10-2
10-(11) South Carolina 10-2
11-(12) Oklahoma 9-2
12-(14) Nebraska 10-2
13-(13) Florida State 10-2
14-(15) Clemson 10-2
15-(16) Oregon State 8-3
16-(17) UCLA 9-3
17-(18) Kent State 11-1
18-(23) Texas 8-3
19-(21) Michigan 8-4
20-(25) Boise State 9-2
21-(19) Northern Illinois 11-1
22-(22) Northwestern 9-3
23-(24) Oklahoma State 7-4
24-(20) Utah State 10-2
25-(NR) San Jose State 10-2
*Ohio State is ranked #4 in the AP but ineligible for the BCS
Overrated
Michigan- I suppose B1G commish, Jim Delany would have a fit if he didn't have a few teams in the top 25, but how is Michigan still considered a top 25 team, and No. 19 at that? I realize that their four losses are against ranked opponents, but that the point. They've taken care of the other crap teams in the B1G, but haven't been able to beat any good teams this season. Their only win against a team with a winning record was at home, in overtime, against Northwestern.
Underrated
Florida- Lesson learned from last week. The Gators, who had struggled in previous weeks against lesser competition, had little trouble putting the Seminoles away on Saturday. The Gators out manned the 'Noles at the line of scrimmage and forced five turnovers. The Gators have answered the call nearly every week this season, with big road wins against Texas A&M and FSU as well as wins over LSU and South Carolina. Florida has played five teams ranked in the top 15 and are 4-1 in those games.
Jeremy's Top 25
1-(1) Notre Dame 12-0
2-(2) Alabama 11-1
3-(3) Georgia 11-1
4-(7) Florida 11-1
5-(5) Oregon 11-1
6-(6) Kansas State 10-1
7-(9) LSU 10-2
8-(10) Texas A&M 10-2
9-(11) Stanford 10-2
10- South Carolina 10-2
11-(12) Oklahoma 9-2
12-(4) Florida State 10-2
13-(15) Nebraska 10-2
14-(8) Clemson 10-2
15-(13) UCLA 9-3
16-(20) Kent State 11-1
17-(14) Texas 8-3
18-(16) Oregon State 8-3
19-(21) Northern Illinois 11-1
20-(22) Boise State 9-2
21-(24) Utah State 10-2
22-(17) Rutgers 9-2
23-(18) Louisville 9-2
24-(NR) Northwestern 9-3
25-(NR) San Jose State 10-2
In the mix- Michigan, Oklahoma State, Mississippi State, San Diego State, TCU, Vandy
Nick's Top 25
1-(1)-Notre Dame
Notre Dame has asserted itself as the No. 1 team in the country as the only team to finish the season undefeated. I think everyone is writing them off against either Bama or Georgia but I don't think it will be that easy of a game against the Irish defense.
2-(2)-Alabama
I have said all season even after its loss that Alabama is the best team in the country. We will see if the Tide can get past a tough Georgia team to win the SEC Championship and meet the Irish in the title game.
3-(3)-Georgia
Could not ask for a better match up of 2-3 in the SEC Championship. Georiga and Aaron Murry are going to have to convert third downs to beat the Tide. The Dawg defense is tough and is going to need to be to stop the Tide rushing attack.
4-(4)-Florida
Big win for the Gators. When it looked like they were on the ropes and FSU was going to run away with the game, Florida forced some big turnovers to run away with the game themselves.
5-(6)-Texas A&M
If (Notre Dame's) Brian Kelly doesn't win coach of the year Kevin Sumlin should. I would have never guessed this team would have had such a great season in its first year in the SEC. It helps having a player like Johnny Manziel, but still great year for the Aggies.
6-(7)-Stanford
No one would have guessed that Stanford would be the best team in the Pac-12 this season, but a big win over Oregon and a possible Pac-12 title have them eyeing the Rose Bowl. Sadly enough the Cardinal will probably meet a three or four loss B1G team in the Rose Bowl.
7-(8)-Oregon
The Stanford loss knocked the Ducks out of the National Title game and now it looks like out of the BCS consideration too. I am not sure why they are still in consideration for a BCS game, but if Kent State takes care of business in the MAC title game I think it should make the jump to 16. Sorry Ducks. The flaw of this team has been playing from ahead all season and when they had to play from behind they did not know what to do.
8-(9)-Kansas State
Tough one this weekend for the Wildcats. Texas just lost at home to TCU and is looking for someone to take its revenge out on. That being said, Kansas State has its eyes set on the Big-12 title and a BCS berth. This has been a great team all season and if Collin Kline has a great game against Texas he could make a serious statement in the Heisman race.
9-(10)-LSU
The Tigers two losses this season came to the second and fourth ranked teams yet they stay all the way back at nine. I think this is a team with a great defense but an average offense and below average quarterback. The Tigers won't make the BCS this season but did the right thing locking up Les Miles and not letting him go to Arkansas.
10-(12)-South Carolina
This team has just kind of floated along in and out of the top 10 all season. It plays good defense but the loss of Marucs Lattimore could not be overcome.
11-(5)-Florida State
This team finishing the regular season like it did was sad. At the beginning of the season I would have picked it to meet the Tide in the National Championship game. I still think this is one of the better teams in the country, but they have some serious sole searching to do and need to learn how to win on the road.
12-(13)-Oklahoma
Whoever thought that the Sooners would be Longhorn fans? But this weekend a loss by Kansas State could move the Sooners up and give them an at large BCS berth.
13-(16)-Nebraska
The Huskers should win the B1G in just its second season, a down B1G, but still good chance at a Rose Bowl berth for the Huskers. Burkhead and Abdulla have taken this team on their back and run them all the B1G Championship game.
14-(17)-UCLA
I have to admit, I did not think this team was going to be worth anything at the beginning of the season. Even after a win over Nebraska I wasn't sold. After the Bruins handled USC two weekends ago I am actually looking forward to the Pac-12 title game. Even though Stanford beat up on UCLA last weekend I think it will be a tougher game on Friday night.
15-(11)-Clemson
Clemson's loss to South Carolina took it out of BCS at-large contention, but still a good season for the Tigers, 10 wins is nothing to shake your head at. If this team can improve on defense I think it could really challenge Florida State in the ACC.
16-(20)-Kent State
What a great year for Kent State and the MAC. If the Golden Flashes take care of Northern Illinois and win the MAC Championship this weekend they deserve at least BCS consideration. That would make them 12-1 with their only loss coming early season to a Kentucky team that looked a lot better then than it does now.
17-(21)-Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois is in the same boat as Kent State a win in the MAC title game could put them in BCS consideration. The Huskies are also 11-1 and 12-1 should get them BCS consideration.
18-(23)-Utah State
Utah State has had a sneaky good year. This team should be able to use this good season to build momentum for its move to the Mountain West next season. Too bad for the Aggies but the WAC bowl tie ins will not get them a good game.
19-(15)-Oregon State
No matter the three losses, I think OSU is still a solid team. It ran into a buzz saw against Oregon last week, but a big bowl win would build this team some great momentum for next season.
20-(14)-Texas
Texas' loss to TCU at home was pretty inexplicable, but the Longhorns have a chance this weekend to make everything right with an upset of K-State. If this team could get settled at quarterback I think it would have a better chance to win. This defense also needs to be addressed for this team this week and in the offseason.
21-(22)-Boise State
Still not the Broncos teams of old, but this team has recorded a solid season. Will probably leave the MW as Co-Champs (that is if the Big Least doesn't crumble before they can make the jump). The Broncos seemed to improve as the season went on and look like a solid contender.
22-(NR)-Northwestern
Great season for the Wildcats not going to end in a BCS berth, but nine wins is good for any team.
23-(18)-Louisville
Louisville is coming off a tough loss to UConn and needs a win this weekend to secure a BCS berth. Great matchup with the Scarlet Knights this weekend.
24-(NR)-San Jose State
Another WAC team that has had a great season. This came out of no where. Like Utah State this team has built some great momentum before jumping to the MW.
25-(NR)-TCU
I know it is tough to put a four loss team in the top 25, but I like the way this team has played all season and a win over Texas in Austin is a great victory. Not a bad first season for Gary Patterson and the Frogs in the Big 12.
BCS-(AP)
1-(1) Notre Dame 12-0
2-(2) Alabama 11-1
3-(3) Georgia 11-1
4-(5) Florida 11-1
5-(6) Oregon 11-1
6-(7) Kansas State 10-1
7-(9) LSU 10-2
8-(8) Stanford 10-2
9-(10) Texas A&M 10-2
10-(11) South Carolina 10-2
11-(12) Oklahoma 9-2
12-(14) Nebraska 10-2
13-(13) Florida State 10-2
14-(15) Clemson 10-2
15-(16) Oregon State 8-3
16-(17) UCLA 9-3
17-(18) Kent State 11-1
18-(23) Texas 8-3
19-(21) Michigan 8-4
20-(25) Boise State 9-2
21-(19) Northern Illinois 11-1
22-(22) Northwestern 9-3
23-(24) Oklahoma State 7-4
24-(20) Utah State 10-2
25-(NR) San Jose State 10-2
*Ohio State is ranked #4 in the AP but ineligible for the BCS
Overrated
Michigan- I suppose B1G commish, Jim Delany would have a fit if he didn't have a few teams in the top 25, but how is Michigan still considered a top 25 team, and No. 19 at that? I realize that their four losses are against ranked opponents, but that the point. They've taken care of the other crap teams in the B1G, but haven't been able to beat any good teams this season. Their only win against a team with a winning record was at home, in overtime, against Northwestern.
Underrated
Florida- Lesson learned from last week. The Gators, who had struggled in previous weeks against lesser competition, had little trouble putting the Seminoles away on Saturday. The Gators out manned the 'Noles at the line of scrimmage and forced five turnovers. The Gators have answered the call nearly every week this season, with big road wins against Texas A&M and FSU as well as wins over LSU and South Carolina. Florida has played five teams ranked in the top 15 and are 4-1 in those games.
Jeremy's Top 25
1-(1) Notre Dame 12-0
2-(2) Alabama 11-1
3-(3) Georgia 11-1
4-(7) Florida 11-1
5-(5) Oregon 11-1
6-(6) Kansas State 10-1
7-(9) LSU 10-2
8-(10) Texas A&M 10-2
9-(11) Stanford 10-2
10- South Carolina 10-2
11-(12) Oklahoma 9-2
12-(4) Florida State 10-2
13-(15) Nebraska 10-2
14-(8) Clemson 10-2
15-(13) UCLA 9-3
16-(20) Kent State 11-1
17-(14) Texas 8-3
18-(16) Oregon State 8-3
19-(21) Northern Illinois 11-1
20-(22) Boise State 9-2
21-(24) Utah State 10-2
22-(17) Rutgers 9-2
23-(18) Louisville 9-2
24-(NR) Northwestern 9-3
25-(NR) San Jose State 10-2
In the mix- Michigan, Oklahoma State, Mississippi State, San Diego State, TCU, Vandy
Nick's Top 25
1-(1)-Notre Dame
Notre Dame has asserted itself as the No. 1 team in the country as the only team to finish the season undefeated. I think everyone is writing them off against either Bama or Georgia but I don't think it will be that easy of a game against the Irish defense.
2-(2)-Alabama
I have said all season even after its loss that Alabama is the best team in the country. We will see if the Tide can get past a tough Georgia team to win the SEC Championship and meet the Irish in the title game.
3-(3)-Georgia
Could not ask for a better match up of 2-3 in the SEC Championship. Georiga and Aaron Murry are going to have to convert third downs to beat the Tide. The Dawg defense is tough and is going to need to be to stop the Tide rushing attack.
4-(4)-Florida
Big win for the Gators. When it looked like they were on the ropes and FSU was going to run away with the game, Florida forced some big turnovers to run away with the game themselves.
5-(6)-Texas A&M
If (Notre Dame's) Brian Kelly doesn't win coach of the year Kevin Sumlin should. I would have never guessed this team would have had such a great season in its first year in the SEC. It helps having a player like Johnny Manziel, but still great year for the Aggies.
6-(7)-Stanford
No one would have guessed that Stanford would be the best team in the Pac-12 this season, but a big win over Oregon and a possible Pac-12 title have them eyeing the Rose Bowl. Sadly enough the Cardinal will probably meet a three or four loss B1G team in the Rose Bowl.
7-(8)-Oregon
The Stanford loss knocked the Ducks out of the National Title game and now it looks like out of the BCS consideration too. I am not sure why they are still in consideration for a BCS game, but if Kent State takes care of business in the MAC title game I think it should make the jump to 16. Sorry Ducks. The flaw of this team has been playing from ahead all season and when they had to play from behind they did not know what to do.
8-(9)-Kansas State
Tough one this weekend for the Wildcats. Texas just lost at home to TCU and is looking for someone to take its revenge out on. That being said, Kansas State has its eyes set on the Big-12 title and a BCS berth. This has been a great team all season and if Collin Kline has a great game against Texas he could make a serious statement in the Heisman race.
9-(10)-LSU
The Tigers two losses this season came to the second and fourth ranked teams yet they stay all the way back at nine. I think this is a team with a great defense but an average offense and below average quarterback. The Tigers won't make the BCS this season but did the right thing locking up Les Miles and not letting him go to Arkansas.
10-(12)-South Carolina
This team has just kind of floated along in and out of the top 10 all season. It plays good defense but the loss of Marucs Lattimore could not be overcome.
11-(5)-Florida State
This team finishing the regular season like it did was sad. At the beginning of the season I would have picked it to meet the Tide in the National Championship game. I still think this is one of the better teams in the country, but they have some serious sole searching to do and need to learn how to win on the road.
12-(13)-Oklahoma
Whoever thought that the Sooners would be Longhorn fans? But this weekend a loss by Kansas State could move the Sooners up and give them an at large BCS berth.
13-(16)-Nebraska
The Huskers should win the B1G in just its second season, a down B1G, but still good chance at a Rose Bowl berth for the Huskers. Burkhead and Abdulla have taken this team on their back and run them all the B1G Championship game.
14-(17)-UCLA
I have to admit, I did not think this team was going to be worth anything at the beginning of the season. Even after a win over Nebraska I wasn't sold. After the Bruins handled USC two weekends ago I am actually looking forward to the Pac-12 title game. Even though Stanford beat up on UCLA last weekend I think it will be a tougher game on Friday night.
15-(11)-Clemson
Clemson's loss to South Carolina took it out of BCS at-large contention, but still a good season for the Tigers, 10 wins is nothing to shake your head at. If this team can improve on defense I think it could really challenge Florida State in the ACC.
16-(20)-Kent State
What a great year for Kent State and the MAC. If the Golden Flashes take care of Northern Illinois and win the MAC Championship this weekend they deserve at least BCS consideration. That would make them 12-1 with their only loss coming early season to a Kentucky team that looked a lot better then than it does now.
17-(21)-Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois is in the same boat as Kent State a win in the MAC title game could put them in BCS consideration. The Huskies are also 11-1 and 12-1 should get them BCS consideration.
18-(23)-Utah State
Utah State has had a sneaky good year. This team should be able to use this good season to build momentum for its move to the Mountain West next season. Too bad for the Aggies but the WAC bowl tie ins will not get them a good game.
19-(15)-Oregon State
No matter the three losses, I think OSU is still a solid team. It ran into a buzz saw against Oregon last week, but a big bowl win would build this team some great momentum for next season.
20-(14)-Texas
Texas' loss to TCU at home was pretty inexplicable, but the Longhorns have a chance this weekend to make everything right with an upset of K-State. If this team could get settled at quarterback I think it would have a better chance to win. This defense also needs to be addressed for this team this week and in the offseason.
21-(22)-Boise State
Still not the Broncos teams of old, but this team has recorded a solid season. Will probably leave the MW as Co-Champs (that is if the Big Least doesn't crumble before they can make the jump). The Broncos seemed to improve as the season went on and look like a solid contender.
22-(NR)-Northwestern
Great season for the Wildcats not going to end in a BCS berth, but nine wins is good for any team.
23-(18)-Louisville
Louisville is coming off a tough loss to UConn and needs a win this weekend to secure a BCS berth. Great matchup with the Scarlet Knights this weekend.
24-(NR)-San Jose State
Another WAC team that has had a great season. This came out of no where. Like Utah State this team has built some great momentum before jumping to the MW.
25-(NR)-TCU
I know it is tough to put a four loss team in the top 25, but I like the way this team has played all season and a win over Texas in Austin is a great victory. Not a bad first season for Gary Patterson and the Frogs in the Big 12.
Monday, November 26, 2012
1st Down: Week 13 Recap
Biggest Winner
Notre Dame- The Irish had big expectations going into the season. On paper, and with the schedule they had, it seemed like a BSC game might be possible. In reality, I think everyone expected another season of Notre Dame not living up to the lofty expectations. This Irish team completely blew apart every one's expectations and was the only team to finish the season undefeated (OSU is undefeated but so would any decent team in the B1G... and their on a post season ban) will appear in their first BCS Championship game in school history.
The MAC- The little conference that could doesn't seem so little. The MAC has seven bowl eligible teams and could have four teams finish with 10 wins. Not only that, but there is an outside possibility that Kent State could sneak into a BCS at large birth.
Biggest Loser
The ACC- The ACC went into this week with a golden opportunity to improve the reputation of the league with four games against SEC opponents. They finish the weekend with four losses to SEC opponents and, if it's possible, probably less respect then they went into the weekend with. The bell cows of the league, FSU and Clemson had big opportunities against some of the SEC elite (Florida and S. Carolina, respectively) and they each laid a big, fat egg. The Seminoles, who will play GT for the ACC Championship, still have a shot at a BCS birth, but a win over #4 Florida would have been huge for the program and the conference. Clemson, who was in the mix for an at large BCS birth, was also not up to the task as they just couldn't handle a superior Gamecocks squad. Wake Forest and Georgia Tech weren't expected to get wins against Vandy and UGA, but the ass kickings they received just made matter worse.
B1G- The Legends and Leaders conference gets to sit back and look up at its best team, Ohio State, go undefeated and forgo a BCS Championship shot and a post season appearance in general, further widening the gap between the conference and respectability. Instead of getting an Ohio State team that could probably compete with the big boys (I say probably because their conference schedule was as big of a joke as their non-conference schedule) we'll all get to see Nebraska or Wisconsin get their heads beat in by whoever they're unlucky enough to play in the Rose Bowl. The Huskers, who are 10-2 on the season would at least look respectable in a BCS game, but should Winsonsin win, and givin how the B1G's shaped up this year they probably will, the B1G champ would be 8-4 overall. SaWeet! Thanks Jim Delany.
Kinney vs. Kinney
With the Thanksgiving holiday, Nick and I only picked the Saturday games. Of the 12 games we picked, Nick and I agreed on nine, differing on Stanford-UCLA, Oklahoma-OK State and Michigan-Ohio State. Nick gets the nod on two of the three games we disagreed on, picking Stanford and Oklahoma, while I get the Buckeyes over the Wolverines.
It was a tough week of picks for both Nick and I, but Nick gets the nod this week, thanks to Stanford and OU.
Week 13 Talley
Nick- 7-5, season- 117-44 (.727)
Jeremy- 6-6, season- 103-40 (.720)
Thursday, Nov. 22
#16 Texas- 13, TCU- 20
The Longhorns weren't enough for the Horned Frogs on Thanksgiving. TCU's defense was reminiscent of seasons past as they bottled up, what had been a productive Texas offense.
Friday, Nov. 23
#7 LSU-20, Arkansas- 13
Oh, LSU... They're like a box of chocolates... Arkansas has been playing better football lately and this game was pretty much their season, so it's reasonable to expect them to come out swinging, but LSU shouldn't have needed all 60 minutes to put this team away.
#14 Nebraska- 13, Iowa- 7
With the win, Nebraska sews up an appearance in the B1G Championship game.
#23 Kent State- 28, Ohio- 6
Kent State gets their 11th win of the season putting down a sliding Ohio team. Good on ya, MAC!
#24 Arizona- 34, Arizona State- 41
ASU comes roaring back, putting up 24 points on 'Zona in the fourth quarter to get the win.
#25 Washington- 28, Washington State- 31 OT
And another never-should-have-been-ranked Pac-12 team falls...
Saturday, Nov. 24
#1 Notre Dame- 22, USC- 13
The Irish just keep doing what they do. They run the football, play lights out defense and don't beat themselves. Notre Dame's defense, led by Heisman candidate Manti Te'o, held a potent USC offense to just 281 yards and forced two turnovers. Freshman quarterback, Everett Golson was steady, throwing for 217 and Theo Riddick ran for 146 and a score. With the win, the Irish punch their ticket to the BCS Championship game.
-Jeremy- Notre Dame, 31-17
-Nick- Notre Dame, 24-14
#2 Alabama- 49, Auburn- 0
A fitting end to a historically bad Auburn season. The Tigers would have needed a bit more than just a miracle to beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa again and Cam Newton wasn't going to walk out of the tunnel and lead a comeback this time. Auburn managed a paltry 163 yards of offense and gave up 483 to Bama as the 'Tide roll into a meeting with Georgia for the SEC and a shot at Notre Dame in the BCS Championship game.
-Nick-Bama, 41-17
-Jeremy- Bama, 31-10
#3 Georgia- 42, Georgia Tech- 10
It was a long shot to begin with for GT and it was apparent from the beginning that it would be a long day for Yellow Jackets. Surprisingly, this Georgia Tech team will represent the ACC Coastal division in the ACC Championship game... at 6-6. On the flip-side, Georgia got an easy tune-up game as they head into a slug fest with Alabama for the SEC title and a shot at Notre Dame for the BSC title.
-Nick- Georgia, 38-17
-Jeremy- Georgia, 30-14
#4 Florida- 37, #10 Florida State- 26
"This will be a slug fest and will likely come down to who can control the line of scrimmage and who doesn't turn the ball over." When I wrote this last week, I was thinking, based on the past few weeks, that it would be the Seminoles controlling the line of scrimmage and forcing the turnovers... Not so much. FSU turned the ball over five times and gave up 244 yards on the ground. The Gators had been battle tested and have won big games on the road against top 10 teams. The Seminoles soft schedule showed up here as they just weren't ready for the Gators.
-Jeremy- Florida State, 27-24
-Nick- FSU, 31-21
#5 Oregon- 48, #15 Oregon State- 24
Well, the Ducks wouldn't stay down long. For a quarter, it looked like Oregon might still be suffering a little Stanford handover, but the Ducks offense picked up speed in the third quarter and rattled off 28 straight points in just over ten minutes of play. The Oregon ground game, that was bottled up for 198 against Stanford, erupted for 430 yards on the Beaver defense, while the Oregon defense was all over OSU, forcing six turnovers.
-Nick- Oregon, 35-31
-Jeremy- Oregon, 41-38
#8 Stanford- 35, #17 UCLA- 17
In a preview of the Pac-12 Championship that will see these two team play again next week, Stanford was too much for the Bruins who lost for the first time since the beginning of October. The Cardinal controlled the line of scrimmage, gaining 221 on the ground. We'll see what happens this Friday in round two with a Rose Bowl birth on the line.
-Nick- Stanford, 28-21
-Jeremy- UCLA, 30-21
#9 Texas A&M- 59, Missouri- 29
It was a big game for the two SEC newbies. A&M jumped out on the Tigers and lead 48-7 going into half time. Quarterback Johnny Manziel had another epic performance, going for 439 total yards and five touchdowns. With the win, A&M finishes it's inaugural season in the SEC at 10-2 overall and 6-2 in conference play. On the flip side, Mizzou struggled in its first season in the conference going 5-7 overall and finishing 2-6 in SEC play.
-Nick- Aggies, 45-17
-Jeremy- A&M, 38-17
#11 Clemson- 17, #12 South Carolina- 27
Put a cork in it Dabo. As it turns out this isn't quite the same Death Valley as the one the Gamecocks lost in, in October. A surprisingly low scoring game, was back and forth until a late forth quarter touchdown put South Carolina up 10 points and that was that. The Gamecocks held the potent Clemson offense to 328 yards (about 200 less than they'd been averaging) and sacked Tajh Boyd six times.
-Nick- Clemson, 45-38
-Jeremy- Clemson, 41-38
#13 Oklahoma- 51, #21 Oklahoma State- 48
Whew!!! What else would you expect from the Bedlam game? Oklahoma State got out to an early lead and were able to stay even or a score ahead of the Sooners through regulation with Oklahoma getting a four yard touchdown run by the "Bell-dozer" with 0:04 seconds left in the game to send it into overtime. The Sooners first lead of the game would be all they needed as running back Brennan Cley ran 18 yards for the game winner. With the win, OU keeps it's conference and BCS hopes alive.
-Nick- Sooners, 52-45
-Jeremy- OK State, 44-41
#18 Rutgers- 6, Pitt- 27
Pitt out Rutger'd Rutgers. The Panthers racked up 138 rushing yards, while holding the Scarlet Knights to only 50. With the win, Pitt snapped its two game losing streak and gives Rutgers its first conference loss of the season, mucking up the Big East race. Pitt gets one step closer to bowl eligibility and giving Louisville a breath of life to get a shot at the Big East Championship.
-Nick-Rutgers, 24-10
-Jeremy- Rutgers, 17-13
#19 Michigan- 21, Ohio State- 26
What a fitting end to an abysmal season for the B1G. The conference was pretty much awful from top to bottom and the only bright spot and respectable team is Ohio State who is not ineligible to win the B1G or play in a post season game. The Wolverines, who had high hopes and high rankings going into the season finishes 8-4 on the season but was pretty uncompetitive against top competition this season.
Nick-Michigan, 31-27
-Jeremy- Ohio State, 35-28
#20 Louisville- 20, UConn- 23 3OT
It seems this week that no one really whats to win the Big East. With the Rutgers loss Louisville had a chance to take control of the conference going into these teams season finale that will decide the winner of the conference. With this loss, they'll not only need to beat Rutgers, but they'll also need to finish ahead of them in the BCS standings.
-Nick-Louisville, 24-10
-Jeremy- Louisville, 28-17
IDLE
#6 Kansas State- next game- Dec. 1 vs. Texas
#22 Boise State- next game- Dec. 1 @ Nevada
Notre Dame- The Irish had big expectations going into the season. On paper, and with the schedule they had, it seemed like a BSC game might be possible. In reality, I think everyone expected another season of Notre Dame not living up to the lofty expectations. This Irish team completely blew apart every one's expectations and was the only team to finish the season undefeated (OSU is undefeated but so would any decent team in the B1G... and their on a post season ban) will appear in their first BCS Championship game in school history.
The MAC- The little conference that could doesn't seem so little. The MAC has seven bowl eligible teams and could have four teams finish with 10 wins. Not only that, but there is an outside possibility that Kent State could sneak into a BCS at large birth.
Biggest Loser
The ACC- The ACC went into this week with a golden opportunity to improve the reputation of the league with four games against SEC opponents. They finish the weekend with four losses to SEC opponents and, if it's possible, probably less respect then they went into the weekend with. The bell cows of the league, FSU and Clemson had big opportunities against some of the SEC elite (Florida and S. Carolina, respectively) and they each laid a big, fat egg. The Seminoles, who will play GT for the ACC Championship, still have a shot at a BCS birth, but a win over #4 Florida would have been huge for the program and the conference. Clemson, who was in the mix for an at large BCS birth, was also not up to the task as they just couldn't handle a superior Gamecocks squad. Wake Forest and Georgia Tech weren't expected to get wins against Vandy and UGA, but the ass kickings they received just made matter worse.
B1G- The Legends and Leaders conference gets to sit back and look up at its best team, Ohio State, go undefeated and forgo a BCS Championship shot and a post season appearance in general, further widening the gap between the conference and respectability. Instead of getting an Ohio State team that could probably compete with the big boys (I say probably because their conference schedule was as big of a joke as their non-conference schedule) we'll all get to see Nebraska or Wisconsin get their heads beat in by whoever they're unlucky enough to play in the Rose Bowl. The Huskers, who are 10-2 on the season would at least look respectable in a BCS game, but should Winsonsin win, and givin how the B1G's shaped up this year they probably will, the B1G champ would be 8-4 overall. SaWeet! Thanks Jim Delany.
Kinney vs. Kinney
With the Thanksgiving holiday, Nick and I only picked the Saturday games. Of the 12 games we picked, Nick and I agreed on nine, differing on Stanford-UCLA, Oklahoma-OK State and Michigan-Ohio State. Nick gets the nod on two of the three games we disagreed on, picking Stanford and Oklahoma, while I get the Buckeyes over the Wolverines.
It was a tough week of picks for both Nick and I, but Nick gets the nod this week, thanks to Stanford and OU.
Week 13 Talley
Nick- 7-5, season- 117-44 (.727)
Jeremy- 6-6, season- 103-40 (.720)
Thursday, Nov. 22
#16 Texas- 13, TCU- 20
The Longhorns weren't enough for the Horned Frogs on Thanksgiving. TCU's defense was reminiscent of seasons past as they bottled up, what had been a productive Texas offense.
Friday, Nov. 23
#7 LSU-20, Arkansas- 13
Oh, LSU... They're like a box of chocolates... Arkansas has been playing better football lately and this game was pretty much their season, so it's reasonable to expect them to come out swinging, but LSU shouldn't have needed all 60 minutes to put this team away.
#14 Nebraska- 13, Iowa- 7
With the win, Nebraska sews up an appearance in the B1G Championship game.
#23 Kent State- 28, Ohio- 6
Kent State gets their 11th win of the season putting down a sliding Ohio team. Good on ya, MAC!
#24 Arizona- 34, Arizona State- 41
ASU comes roaring back, putting up 24 points on 'Zona in the fourth quarter to get the win.
#25 Washington- 28, Washington State- 31 OT
And another never-should-have-been-ranked Pac-12 team falls...
Saturday, Nov. 24
#1 Notre Dame- 22, USC- 13
The Irish just keep doing what they do. They run the football, play lights out defense and don't beat themselves. Notre Dame's defense, led by Heisman candidate Manti Te'o, held a potent USC offense to just 281 yards and forced two turnovers. Freshman quarterback, Everett Golson was steady, throwing for 217 and Theo Riddick ran for 146 and a score. With the win, the Irish punch their ticket to the BCS Championship game.
-Jeremy- Notre Dame, 31-17
-Nick- Notre Dame, 24-14
#2 Alabama- 49, Auburn- 0
A fitting end to a historically bad Auburn season. The Tigers would have needed a bit more than just a miracle to beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa again and Cam Newton wasn't going to walk out of the tunnel and lead a comeback this time. Auburn managed a paltry 163 yards of offense and gave up 483 to Bama as the 'Tide roll into a meeting with Georgia for the SEC and a shot at Notre Dame in the BCS Championship game.
-Nick-Bama, 41-17
-Jeremy- Bama, 31-10
#3 Georgia- 42, Georgia Tech- 10
It was a long shot to begin with for GT and it was apparent from the beginning that it would be a long day for Yellow Jackets. Surprisingly, this Georgia Tech team will represent the ACC Coastal division in the ACC Championship game... at 6-6. On the flip-side, Georgia got an easy tune-up game as they head into a slug fest with Alabama for the SEC title and a shot at Notre Dame for the BSC title.
-Nick- Georgia, 38-17
-Jeremy- Georgia, 30-14
#4 Florida- 37, #10 Florida State- 26
"This will be a slug fest and will likely come down to who can control the line of scrimmage and who doesn't turn the ball over." When I wrote this last week, I was thinking, based on the past few weeks, that it would be the Seminoles controlling the line of scrimmage and forcing the turnovers... Not so much. FSU turned the ball over five times and gave up 244 yards on the ground. The Gators had been battle tested and have won big games on the road against top 10 teams. The Seminoles soft schedule showed up here as they just weren't ready for the Gators.
-Jeremy- Florida State, 27-24
-Nick- FSU, 31-21
#5 Oregon- 48, #15 Oregon State- 24
Well, the Ducks wouldn't stay down long. For a quarter, it looked like Oregon might still be suffering a little Stanford handover, but the Ducks offense picked up speed in the third quarter and rattled off 28 straight points in just over ten minutes of play. The Oregon ground game, that was bottled up for 198 against Stanford, erupted for 430 yards on the Beaver defense, while the Oregon defense was all over OSU, forcing six turnovers.
-Nick- Oregon, 35-31
-Jeremy- Oregon, 41-38
#8 Stanford- 35, #17 UCLA- 17
In a preview of the Pac-12 Championship that will see these two team play again next week, Stanford was too much for the Bruins who lost for the first time since the beginning of October. The Cardinal controlled the line of scrimmage, gaining 221 on the ground. We'll see what happens this Friday in round two with a Rose Bowl birth on the line.
-Nick- Stanford, 28-21
-Jeremy- UCLA, 30-21
#9 Texas A&M- 59, Missouri- 29
It was a big game for the two SEC newbies. A&M jumped out on the Tigers and lead 48-7 going into half time. Quarterback Johnny Manziel had another epic performance, going for 439 total yards and five touchdowns. With the win, A&M finishes it's inaugural season in the SEC at 10-2 overall and 6-2 in conference play. On the flip side, Mizzou struggled in its first season in the conference going 5-7 overall and finishing 2-6 in SEC play.
-Nick- Aggies, 45-17
-Jeremy- A&M, 38-17
#11 Clemson- 17, #12 South Carolina- 27
Put a cork in it Dabo. As it turns out this isn't quite the same Death Valley as the one the Gamecocks lost in, in October. A surprisingly low scoring game, was back and forth until a late forth quarter touchdown put South Carolina up 10 points and that was that. The Gamecocks held the potent Clemson offense to 328 yards (about 200 less than they'd been averaging) and sacked Tajh Boyd six times.
-Nick- Clemson, 45-38
-Jeremy- Clemson, 41-38
#13 Oklahoma- 51, #21 Oklahoma State- 48
Whew!!! What else would you expect from the Bedlam game? Oklahoma State got out to an early lead and were able to stay even or a score ahead of the Sooners through regulation with Oklahoma getting a four yard touchdown run by the "Bell-dozer" with 0:04 seconds left in the game to send it into overtime. The Sooners first lead of the game would be all they needed as running back Brennan Cley ran 18 yards for the game winner. With the win, OU keeps it's conference and BCS hopes alive.
-Nick- Sooners, 52-45
-Jeremy- OK State, 44-41
#18 Rutgers- 6, Pitt- 27
Pitt out Rutger'd Rutgers. The Panthers racked up 138 rushing yards, while holding the Scarlet Knights to only 50. With the win, Pitt snapped its two game losing streak and gives Rutgers its first conference loss of the season, mucking up the Big East race. Pitt gets one step closer to bowl eligibility and giving Louisville a breath of life to get a shot at the Big East Championship.
-Nick-Rutgers, 24-10
-Jeremy- Rutgers, 17-13
#19 Michigan- 21, Ohio State- 26
What a fitting end to an abysmal season for the B1G. The conference was pretty much awful from top to bottom and the only bright spot and respectable team is Ohio State who is not ineligible to win the B1G or play in a post season game. The Wolverines, who had high hopes and high rankings going into the season finishes 8-4 on the season but was pretty uncompetitive against top competition this season.
Nick-Michigan, 31-27
-Jeremy- Ohio State, 35-28
#20 Louisville- 20, UConn- 23 3OT
It seems this week that no one really whats to win the Big East. With the Rutgers loss Louisville had a chance to take control of the conference going into these teams season finale that will decide the winner of the conference. With this loss, they'll not only need to beat Rutgers, but they'll also need to finish ahead of them in the BCS standings.
-Nick-Louisville, 24-10
-Jeremy- Louisville, 28-17
IDLE
#6 Kansas State- next game- Dec. 1 vs. Texas
#22 Boise State- next game- Dec. 1 @ Nevada
Saturday, November 24, 2012
4th Down: Rivalry Week Picks
Thursday, Nov. 22
#16 Texas- 13, TCU- 20
The Longhorns weren't enough for the Horned Frogs on Thanksgiving. TCU's defense was reminiscent of seasons past as they bottled up, what had been a productive Texas offense.
Friday, Nov. 23
#7 LSU-20, Arkansas- 13
Oh, LSU... They're like a box of chocolates... Arkansas has been playing better football lately and this game was pretty much their season, so it's reasonable to expect them to come out swinging, but LSU shouldn't have needed all 60 minutes to put this team away.
#14 Nebraska- 13, Iowa- 7
With the win, Nebraska sews up an appearance in the B1G Championship game.
#23 Kent State- 28, Ohio- 6
Kent State gets their 11th win of the season putting down a sliding Ohio team. Good on ya, MAC!
#24 Arizona- 34, Arizona State- 41
ASU comes roaring back, putting up 24 points on 'Zona in the fourth quarter to get the win.
#25 Washington- 28, Washington State- 31 OT
And another never-should-have-been-ranked Pac-12 team falls...
Saturday, Nov. 24
#1 Notre Dame @ USC, 8pm ET, ABC
Notre Dame seems to rise to the occasion against it's tougher competition while USC tends to go the other direction. The Trojan's have lost three of four and they're about to face an Irish team that's on the brink of a BCS Championship appearance. I fully expect Notre Dame and it's top ranked scoring defense to stifle USC and it's back up quarterback. Irish win and play in their first BCS Championship game in school history.
-Jeremy- Notre Dame, 31-17
-Nick- Notre Dame, 24-14
#2 Alabama vs. Auburn, 3:30pm ET, CBS
This game should be pretty ugly for the Tigers. In Bryant-Denny with a chance to make a statement in the national title picture, The Tide should roll in this game.
-Nick-Bama, 41-17
-Jeremy- Bama, 31-10
#3 Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, 12pm ET, ESPN/ESPN 3D
Georgia is another team that is looking to make a national title statement and a blowout victory over Tech could have help them gain some momentum going into the SEC title game against Bama. Dawgs should be able to control the ball in this game and slow down the triple-option attack.
-Nick- Georgia, 38-17
-Jeremy- Georgia, 30-14
#4 Florida @ #10 Florida State, 3:30pm ET, ABC
If you didn't look at the rankings it would be easy to think the 'Noles were the No. 4 team in the nation and Florida No. 10. The Seminoles have the nations 7th ranked scoring offense and 5th ranked scoring defense and few teams have been as dominant at home this season than FSU. The Gators have the nations 3rd ranked scoring defense but have really struggled offensively this season, especially the past few weeks. This being the rivalry it is, you can throw stats and records out the window. This will be a slug fest and will likely come down to who can control the line of scrimmage and who doesn't turn the ball over. I think the 'Noles, at home, get it done but it's going to be close.
-Jeremy- Florida State, 27-24
-Nick- FSU, 31-21
#5 Oregon @ #15 Oregon State, 3pm ET, Pac-12 Network
I think Oregon gets back on track this week. This game should be close though and it could end up like its game against Stanford did last weekend. The tough Oregon State defense could prove troublesome for the Oregon offense. This game should stay close, but I think the Ducks get the win.
-Nick- Oregon, 35-31
-Jeremy- Oregon, 41-38
#8 Stanford @ #17 UCLA, 6:30pm ET, FOX
Stanford is looking to continue its hot play with another top-25 victory. It will be tough to go get a win the Rose Bowl, but I think the Stanford front seven and its running game should get it a victory here.
-Nick- Stanford, 28-21
-Jeremy- UCLA, 30-21
#9 Texas A&M vs. Missouri, 7pm ET, ESPN2/WatchESPN
Texas A&M and Johnny Manziel should be able to control this game pretty well. Mizzou has had a tough first season in the SEC and I don't see this game being any different. The Aggies are looking to make a statement so expect this game to get out of hand pretty quick.
-Nick- Aggies, 45-17
-Jeremy- A&M, 38-17
#11 Clemson vs. #12 South Carolina, 7pm ET, ESPN/WatchESPN
This has to be the highest ranked these two teams have played in rivalry week in a long time. Both a very solid teams but I agree with Jeremy's overrated this week talking about South Carolina. I just think this team has not been able to recover from the loss of Marcus Lattimore. This should be a high scoring game and I think the high-powered Clemson offense gets the win here.
-Nick- Clemson, 45-38
-Jeremy- Clemson, 41-38
#13 Oklahoma vs. #21 Oklahoma State, 3:30pm ET, ESPN/WatchESPN
Bedlam! Another top-25 match up in this series. Interesting because it used to be Oklahoma State would only win this game in a upset matchup. I don't think the Cowboys will be able to hang this week. Stoops and the Sooners need a big win to keep their Big 12 hopes alive. I think in Norman the Sooners should be able to handle pretty well.
-Nick- Sooners, 52-45
-Jeremy- OK State, 44-41
#18 Rutgers @ Pitt, 12pm ET, ESPN2/WatchESPN
At one point this season it looked like a Big East team would end up undefeated, but all fell out of the ranks. Rutgers has a tough defense and I think it should be able to handle an average Pitt team. Gary Nova is also one of the best quarterbacks in the country and he should pick apart the Pitt defense.
-Nick-Rutgers, 24-10
-Jeremy- Rutgers, 17-13
#19 Michigan @ Ohio State, 12pm ET, ABC
The Game. This game has become more and more intriguing with only one other undefeated team in the country now. Ohio State has a lot to play for if the AP will make the biggest mistake ever and split a national title. Michigan is looking to knock off its most heated rival and show them that they are for real. Michigan lost a lot to play for with Nebraska winning but I doubt it needs much motivation to get up for an undefeated Ohio State team. I think Michigan pulls off the shocker today.
Nick-Michigan, 31-27
-Jeremy- Ohio State, 35-28
#20 Louisville vs. UConn, 12pm ET, Big East Network/ESPN3
Louisville looked like it was on track to go undefeated and really mess up the national title picture, but a bad loss to Cuse dropped them very far. Louisville has a solid defense and I think it should be able to win this game for the Cardinals.
-Nick-Louisville, 24-10
-Jeremy- Louisville, 28-17
IDLE
#6 Kansas State
#22 Boise State
#16 Texas- 13, TCU- 20
The Longhorns weren't enough for the Horned Frogs on Thanksgiving. TCU's defense was reminiscent of seasons past as they bottled up, what had been a productive Texas offense.
Friday, Nov. 23
#7 LSU-20, Arkansas- 13
Oh, LSU... They're like a box of chocolates... Arkansas has been playing better football lately and this game was pretty much their season, so it's reasonable to expect them to come out swinging, but LSU shouldn't have needed all 60 minutes to put this team away.
#14 Nebraska- 13, Iowa- 7
With the win, Nebraska sews up an appearance in the B1G Championship game.
#23 Kent State- 28, Ohio- 6
Kent State gets their 11th win of the season putting down a sliding Ohio team. Good on ya, MAC!
#24 Arizona- 34, Arizona State- 41
ASU comes roaring back, putting up 24 points on 'Zona in the fourth quarter to get the win.
#25 Washington- 28, Washington State- 31 OT
And another never-should-have-been-ranked Pac-12 team falls...
Saturday, Nov. 24
#1 Notre Dame @ USC, 8pm ET, ABC
Notre Dame seems to rise to the occasion against it's tougher competition while USC tends to go the other direction. The Trojan's have lost three of four and they're about to face an Irish team that's on the brink of a BCS Championship appearance. I fully expect Notre Dame and it's top ranked scoring defense to stifle USC and it's back up quarterback. Irish win and play in their first BCS Championship game in school history.
-Jeremy- Notre Dame, 31-17
-Nick- Notre Dame, 24-14
#2 Alabama vs. Auburn, 3:30pm ET, CBS
This game should be pretty ugly for the Tigers. In Bryant-Denny with a chance to make a statement in the national title picture, The Tide should roll in this game.
-Nick-Bama, 41-17
-Jeremy- Bama, 31-10
#3 Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, 12pm ET, ESPN/ESPN 3D
Georgia is another team that is looking to make a national title statement and a blowout victory over Tech could have help them gain some momentum going into the SEC title game against Bama. Dawgs should be able to control the ball in this game and slow down the triple-option attack.
-Nick- Georgia, 38-17
-Jeremy- Georgia, 30-14
#4 Florida @ #10 Florida State, 3:30pm ET, ABC
If you didn't look at the rankings it would be easy to think the 'Noles were the No. 4 team in the nation and Florida No. 10. The Seminoles have the nations 7th ranked scoring offense and 5th ranked scoring defense and few teams have been as dominant at home this season than FSU. The Gators have the nations 3rd ranked scoring defense but have really struggled offensively this season, especially the past few weeks. This being the rivalry it is, you can throw stats and records out the window. This will be a slug fest and will likely come down to who can control the line of scrimmage and who doesn't turn the ball over. I think the 'Noles, at home, get it done but it's going to be close.
-Jeremy- Florida State, 27-24
-Nick- FSU, 31-21
#5 Oregon @ #15 Oregon State, 3pm ET, Pac-12 Network
I think Oregon gets back on track this week. This game should be close though and it could end up like its game against Stanford did last weekend. The tough Oregon State defense could prove troublesome for the Oregon offense. This game should stay close, but I think the Ducks get the win.
-Nick- Oregon, 35-31
-Jeremy- Oregon, 41-38
#8 Stanford @ #17 UCLA, 6:30pm ET, FOX
Stanford is looking to continue its hot play with another top-25 victory. It will be tough to go get a win the Rose Bowl, but I think the Stanford front seven and its running game should get it a victory here.
-Nick- Stanford, 28-21
-Jeremy- UCLA, 30-21
#9 Texas A&M vs. Missouri, 7pm ET, ESPN2/WatchESPN
Texas A&M and Johnny Manziel should be able to control this game pretty well. Mizzou has had a tough first season in the SEC and I don't see this game being any different. The Aggies are looking to make a statement so expect this game to get out of hand pretty quick.
-Nick- Aggies, 45-17
-Jeremy- A&M, 38-17
#11 Clemson vs. #12 South Carolina, 7pm ET, ESPN/WatchESPN
This has to be the highest ranked these two teams have played in rivalry week in a long time. Both a very solid teams but I agree with Jeremy's overrated this week talking about South Carolina. I just think this team has not been able to recover from the loss of Marcus Lattimore. This should be a high scoring game and I think the high-powered Clemson offense gets the win here.
-Nick- Clemson, 45-38
-Jeremy- Clemson, 41-38
#13 Oklahoma vs. #21 Oklahoma State, 3:30pm ET, ESPN/WatchESPN
Bedlam! Another top-25 match up in this series. Interesting because it used to be Oklahoma State would only win this game in a upset matchup. I don't think the Cowboys will be able to hang this week. Stoops and the Sooners need a big win to keep their Big 12 hopes alive. I think in Norman the Sooners should be able to handle pretty well.
-Nick- Sooners, 52-45
-Jeremy- OK State, 44-41
#18 Rutgers @ Pitt, 12pm ET, ESPN2/WatchESPN
At one point this season it looked like a Big East team would end up undefeated, but all fell out of the ranks. Rutgers has a tough defense and I think it should be able to handle an average Pitt team. Gary Nova is also one of the best quarterbacks in the country and he should pick apart the Pitt defense.
-Nick-Rutgers, 24-10
-Jeremy- Rutgers, 17-13
#19 Michigan @ Ohio State, 12pm ET, ABC
The Game. This game has become more and more intriguing with only one other undefeated team in the country now. Ohio State has a lot to play for if the AP will make the biggest mistake ever and split a national title. Michigan is looking to knock off its most heated rival and show them that they are for real. Michigan lost a lot to play for with Nebraska winning but I doubt it needs much motivation to get up for an undefeated Ohio State team. I think Michigan pulls off the shocker today.
Nick-Michigan, 31-27
-Jeremy- Ohio State, 35-28
#20 Louisville vs. UConn, 12pm ET, Big East Network/ESPN3
Louisville looked like it was on track to go undefeated and really mess up the national title picture, but a bad loss to Cuse dropped them very far. Louisville has a solid defense and I think it should be able to win this game for the Cardinals.
-Nick-Louisville, 24-10
-Jeremy- Louisville, 28-17
IDLE
#6 Kansas State
#22 Boise State
3rd Down: Rivalry Week
Game of the Week
Stanford at UCLA- No game has the implecations that this one boasts. Both teams are currently on top of their respectives side of the Pac-12. Stanford, having just knocked off Oregon, will win the Pac-12 North with a win over UCLA and in doing so will completely end Oregon's BCS title hopes as well as secure a rematch with UCLA in the Pac-12 title game, with Rose Bowl hopes on the line. UCLA has little to lose in this game, having secured their spot in the Pac-12 Championship with thier impressive win over USC last weekend.
Oregon at Oregon State- This game could have BCS title implecations if- Stanford loses to UCLA this weekend, which will put the Ducks back in the Pac-12 Championship, assuming they can take care of the Beavers. If Notre Dame also loses, there will be another spot in the BCS Championship open against the SEC winner. A one loss Ducks team could potentially get back in the mix if they can win the Pac-12.
If Notre Dame loses...
Notre Dame- obviously, all the Irish have to do is win and they're in.
Alabama and Georgia- win and they're in.
Florida- It's going to be tough without having a chance to win the SEC. Alabama and Georgia would both have to lose this weekend and if the Gators beat the 'Noles by 20, they might have enough juice to sneak into the BCS Championship. They'd probably need Oregon and K-State to lose too, secure it.
Oregon- The Ducks lost control of their fate's last week and now need some serious help to get back into the mix. The Ducks have to beat Oregon State this weekend and will need Stanford to lose to
UCLA this weekend to get into the Pac-12 Championship. Take care of that and hope for a Notre Dame loss and they'll be able to punch their ticket to Miami.
Kansas State- Like Oregon, the former No.1 Wildcats need some help. But, with a win over Texas and a Notre Dame loss, the Wildcats will have a good chance to get in. Might need a Ducks loss to really get a serious look.
LSU- Like Florida, it's hard to see a non-SEC champ making the BCS title game. The Tigers two losses make it even more unlikely. They would pretty much need everyone in front of them to lose this weekend and might need a few teams behind them to lose as well.
Stanford- This is where it could get interesting. If Notre Dame loses and Stanford can beat UCLA this weekend and the following weekend in the Pac-12 Championship, the Cardinal might be able to gain enough ground to get in the conversation. Would votes select a one loss Ducks team or a two loss, Pac-12 Champ that beat Oregon in Oregon? They'd need K-State to lose to Texas and probably a Florida loss.
Texas A&M- If it's a long shot for Florida and LSU, it's an even longer shot for Texas A$M. It's unlikely that, even if total chaos takes place ahead of them, that they'll be able to jump from No. 9 to No. 2. Besides, like LSU, if the BCS had to take a two loss SEC team and 'Bama and Georgia both lose this weekend, it would likely still be an Alabama or Georgia going with two losses than A&M.
Florida State- The 'Noles will need some serious help, but they have the best 'outside' shot in my opinion. Granted, there's going to have to be some chaos on top. First, the Irish have to lose. If the 'Noles can beat Florida, and I mean really beat the Gators (like by at least two touchdowns) they should gain some serious ground in the top ten- likely moving up somewhere between No. 4 to No. 6. The Nole's will also need a big blowout in the ACC Championship game against whichever garbage team they play. That said, big wins in their final two games will probably not be quite enough. They'll need help- K-State loss to Texas; Stanford to win this weekend, keeping Oregon out of the Pac-12 Championship. Should this all happen the voters will have some interesting decisions to make- does a one loss FSU have a better arguement than a two loss, Pac-12 Champ Stanford, or a one loss Oregon or Notre Dame?
Stanford at UCLA- No game has the implecations that this one boasts. Both teams are currently on top of their respectives side of the Pac-12. Stanford, having just knocked off Oregon, will win the Pac-12 North with a win over UCLA and in doing so will completely end Oregon's BCS title hopes as well as secure a rematch with UCLA in the Pac-12 title game, with Rose Bowl hopes on the line. UCLA has little to lose in this game, having secured their spot in the Pac-12 Championship with thier impressive win over USC last weekend.
Oregon at Oregon State- This game could have BCS title implecations if- Stanford loses to UCLA this weekend, which will put the Ducks back in the Pac-12 Championship, assuming they can take care of the Beavers. If Notre Dame also loses, there will be another spot in the BCS Championship open against the SEC winner. A one loss Ducks team could potentially get back in the mix if they can win the Pac-12.
If Notre Dame loses...
Notre Dame- obviously, all the Irish have to do is win and they're in.
Alabama and Georgia- win and they're in.
Florida- It's going to be tough without having a chance to win the SEC. Alabama and Georgia would both have to lose this weekend and if the Gators beat the 'Noles by 20, they might have enough juice to sneak into the BCS Championship. They'd probably need Oregon and K-State to lose too, secure it.
Oregon- The Ducks lost control of their fate's last week and now need some serious help to get back into the mix. The Ducks have to beat Oregon State this weekend and will need Stanford to lose to
UCLA this weekend to get into the Pac-12 Championship. Take care of that and hope for a Notre Dame loss and they'll be able to punch their ticket to Miami.
Kansas State- Like Oregon, the former No.1 Wildcats need some help. But, with a win over Texas and a Notre Dame loss, the Wildcats will have a good chance to get in. Might need a Ducks loss to really get a serious look.
LSU- Like Florida, it's hard to see a non-SEC champ making the BCS title game. The Tigers two losses make it even more unlikely. They would pretty much need everyone in front of them to lose this weekend and might need a few teams behind them to lose as well.
Stanford- This is where it could get interesting. If Notre Dame loses and Stanford can beat UCLA this weekend and the following weekend in the Pac-12 Championship, the Cardinal might be able to gain enough ground to get in the conversation. Would votes select a one loss Ducks team or a two loss, Pac-12 Champ that beat Oregon in Oregon? They'd need K-State to lose to Texas and probably a Florida loss.
Texas A&M- If it's a long shot for Florida and LSU, it's an even longer shot for Texas A$M. It's unlikely that, even if total chaos takes place ahead of them, that they'll be able to jump from No. 9 to No. 2. Besides, like LSU, if the BCS had to take a two loss SEC team and 'Bama and Georgia both lose this weekend, it would likely still be an Alabama or Georgia going with two losses than A&M.
Florida State- The 'Noles will need some serious help, but they have the best 'outside' shot in my opinion. Granted, there's going to have to be some chaos on top. First, the Irish have to lose. If the 'Noles can beat Florida, and I mean really beat the Gators (like by at least two touchdowns) they should gain some serious ground in the top ten- likely moving up somewhere between No. 4 to No. 6. The Nole's will also need a big blowout in the ACC Championship game against whichever garbage team they play. That said, big wins in their final two games will probably not be quite enough. They'll need help- K-State loss to Texas; Stanford to win this weekend, keeping Oregon out of the Pac-12 Championship. Should this all happen the voters will have some interesting decisions to make- does a one loss FSU have a better arguement than a two loss, Pac-12 Champ Stanford, or a one loss Oregon or Notre Dame?
Thursday, November 22, 2012
2nd Down: KinneyBroz Top 25
Top 25
BCS-(AP)
1-(1) Notre Dame
2-(2) Alabama
3-(3) Georgia
4-(6) Florida
5-(5) Oregon
6-(7) Kansas State
7-(8) LSU
8-(11) Stanford
9-(9) Texas A&M
10-(10) Florida State
11-(12) Clemson
12-(13) South Carolina
13-(14) Oklahoma
14-(17) Nebraska
15-(16) Oregon State
16-(18) Texas
17-(15) UCLA
18-(21) Rutgers
19-(20) Michigan
20-(19) Louisville
21-(22) Oklahoma State
22-(NR) Boise State
23-(23) Kent State
24-(NR) Arizona
25-(NR) Washington
Overrated
Georgia and Florida. I think they're both solid teams but they've both looked really vulnerable at times, especially the Gators. Florida needed help from Missouri and UL Lafayette in back to back home squeakers and even struggled a bit against Jacksonville State last week. The Gators offense is atrocious and if not for one of the best defenses in the nations, the Gators would be looking a much different season.
Georgia has played well recently, but I'd really like to see them dominate a quality opponent. They feel a little like paper tigers to me at this point. They're one and one against the top teams on their schedule, getting blasted by S. Carolina, then needing multiple turnovers to get past the Gators.
Underrated
It's interesting to me that Florida State is still on the outside looking in in this situation. The Seminoles are 10-1 with their only loss, though a bad loss, was on the road by one point. I'll give you the lack of strength in the ACC, but looking at what Oregon has gone through, is their schedule really that more difficult? They lost to the only quality team they've played this season and only dropped two spots. The Seminoles are still trying to dig their way out of their mid-season loss to NC State.
Are You Crazy?!?!
Jeremy's Top 25
1-(2) Notre Dame 11-0
Hard to argue with the 11-0 Irish being No. 1. We'll see if they can hold onto it.
2-(4) Alabama 10-1
The Tide were reborn with losses by K-State and Oregon. All in all, they're still probably the most well rounded team in the nation.
3-(5) Georgia 10-1
They Bulldogs have it all laid out for them. They're playing well and should give Alabama a run for their money in the SEC Championship game.
4-(6) Florida State 10-1
No one has gotten punished for their one loss this season like the 'Noles. They've shown signs that they can compete with the best in the nation and will get their chance this weekend against the rival Gators.
5-(3) Oregon 10-1
Huh... Oregon finally plays a quality team and guess what happens...
6-(1) Kansas State 10-1
It's tough to go undefeated and K-State found that out against Baylor. They're still in the hunt but will need some help to get back into the title conversation.
7-(7) Florida 10-1
Mega-defense, but the Gators offense will need to show some signs of life with a trip to Tallahassee coming up this weekend.
8-(8) Clemson 10-1
Same as the last 12 weeks. Clemson is an absolute juggernaut on offense but their defense is keeping them from getting much respect.
9-(9) LSU 9-2
Some weeks they look like one of the best teams in the nation. Other weeks... ugh.
10-(10) Texas A&M 9-2
I really like A&M, but there's just too many one loss teams ahead of them.
11-(12) Stanford 9-2
Big win over Oregon not only gives them control of the Pac-12 North, but could get them in the title game if all hell breaks lose.
12-(11) Oklahoma 8-2
The Sooners remind me a little of LSU. Sometimes they look absolutely dominant. Other times, not so much.
13-(15) UCLA 9-2
UCLA is quietly creeping up the polls. They took the fight to USC last weekend and will have a second chance at the Pac-12 crown.
14-(14) Texas 8-2
The Longhorns have put their mid-season struggles behind them and have one four straight.
15-(13) Nebraska 9-2
The Huskers have won five straight and will lock up their side of the conference with a win on Saturday against Iowa.
16-(16) Oregon State 8-2
The Beavers bounced back strong off their loss to Stanford, by dismantling the Cal Bears.
17-(19) Rutgers 9-1
The Scarlet Knights are in the drivers seat in the Big East.
18-(18) Louisville 9-1
Louisville had the week off after a tough loss to Syracuse. They're still in the hunt for a BCS birth if they can win their next two.
19-(22) Michigan 8-3
It's been an up and down year for the Wolverines, who have struggled against some of the tougher competition they've faced. They face their arch-rival, Ohio State, this weekend.
20-(20) Kent State 10-1
It's been a solid year for the MAC and Kent State.
21-(23) Northern Illinois 10-1
Potentially, headed for back to back meeting with Kent State for the MAC crown.
22-(24) Boise State 9-2
Though they haven't made the kind of noise this year that they have in the past, Boise has put together a solid season and can still win the MWC.
23-(NR) Oklahoma State 7-3
The Cowboys have been tough this season, despite a few tough losses. They've got a chance to cause trouble for in-state rival, Oklahoma this weekend.
24-(NR) Utah State 9-2
Utah State has come out of nowhere this season and just knocked off, then ranked Louisiana Tech.
25-(NR) Washington 7-4
The Huskies have done pretty well this season having played one of the toughest schedules in the nation. They've got big wins over Stanford and Oregon State.
Nick's Top 25
1-Notre Dame
2-Alabama
3-Georgia
4-Florida
5-Florida State
6-Texas A&M
7-Stanford
8-Oregon
9-Kansas State
10-LSU
11-Clemson
12-South Carolina
13-Oklahoma
14-Texas
15-Oregon State
16-Nebraska
17-UCLA
18-Louisville
19-Michigan
20-Kent State
21-Northern Illinois
22-Boise State
23-Utah State
24-Washington
25-Oklahoma State
BCS-(AP)
1-(1) Notre Dame
2-(2) Alabama
3-(3) Georgia
4-(6) Florida
5-(5) Oregon
6-(7) Kansas State
7-(8) LSU
8-(11) Stanford
9-(9) Texas A&M
10-(10) Florida State
11-(12) Clemson
12-(13) South Carolina
13-(14) Oklahoma
14-(17) Nebraska
15-(16) Oregon State
16-(18) Texas
17-(15) UCLA
18-(21) Rutgers
19-(20) Michigan
20-(19) Louisville
21-(22) Oklahoma State
22-(NR) Boise State
23-(23) Kent State
24-(NR) Arizona
25-(NR) Washington
Overrated
Georgia and Florida. I think they're both solid teams but they've both looked really vulnerable at times, especially the Gators. Florida needed help from Missouri and UL Lafayette in back to back home squeakers and even struggled a bit against Jacksonville State last week. The Gators offense is atrocious and if not for one of the best defenses in the nations, the Gators would be looking a much different season.
Georgia has played well recently, but I'd really like to see them dominate a quality opponent. They feel a little like paper tigers to me at this point. They're one and one against the top teams on their schedule, getting blasted by S. Carolina, then needing multiple turnovers to get past the Gators.
Underrated
It's interesting to me that Florida State is still on the outside looking in in this situation. The Seminoles are 10-1 with their only loss, though a bad loss, was on the road by one point. I'll give you the lack of strength in the ACC, but looking at what Oregon has gone through, is their schedule really that more difficult? They lost to the only quality team they've played this season and only dropped two spots. The Seminoles are still trying to dig their way out of their mid-season loss to NC State.
Are You Crazy?!?!
Jeremy's Top 25
1-(2) Notre Dame 11-0
Hard to argue with the 11-0 Irish being No. 1. We'll see if they can hold onto it.
2-(4) Alabama 10-1
The Tide were reborn with losses by K-State and Oregon. All in all, they're still probably the most well rounded team in the nation.
3-(5) Georgia 10-1
They Bulldogs have it all laid out for them. They're playing well and should give Alabama a run for their money in the SEC Championship game.
4-(6) Florida State 10-1
No one has gotten punished for their one loss this season like the 'Noles. They've shown signs that they can compete with the best in the nation and will get their chance this weekend against the rival Gators.
5-(3) Oregon 10-1
Huh... Oregon finally plays a quality team and guess what happens...
6-(1) Kansas State 10-1
It's tough to go undefeated and K-State found that out against Baylor. They're still in the hunt but will need some help to get back into the title conversation.
7-(7) Florida 10-1
Mega-defense, but the Gators offense will need to show some signs of life with a trip to Tallahassee coming up this weekend.
8-(8) Clemson 10-1
Same as the last 12 weeks. Clemson is an absolute juggernaut on offense but their defense is keeping them from getting much respect.
9-(9) LSU 9-2
Some weeks they look like one of the best teams in the nation. Other weeks... ugh.
10-(10) Texas A&M 9-2
I really like A&M, but there's just too many one loss teams ahead of them.
11-(12) Stanford 9-2
Big win over Oregon not only gives them control of the Pac-12 North, but could get them in the title game if all hell breaks lose.
12-(11) Oklahoma 8-2
The Sooners remind me a little of LSU. Sometimes they look absolutely dominant. Other times, not so much.
13-(15) UCLA 9-2
UCLA is quietly creeping up the polls. They took the fight to USC last weekend and will have a second chance at the Pac-12 crown.
14-(14) Texas 8-2
The Longhorns have put their mid-season struggles behind them and have one four straight.
15-(13) Nebraska 9-2
The Huskers have won five straight and will lock up their side of the conference with a win on Saturday against Iowa.
16-(16) Oregon State 8-2
The Beavers bounced back strong off their loss to Stanford, by dismantling the Cal Bears.
17-(19) Rutgers 9-1
The Scarlet Knights are in the drivers seat in the Big East.
18-(18) Louisville 9-1
Louisville had the week off after a tough loss to Syracuse. They're still in the hunt for a BCS birth if they can win their next two.
19-(22) Michigan 8-3
It's been an up and down year for the Wolverines, who have struggled against some of the tougher competition they've faced. They face their arch-rival, Ohio State, this weekend.
20-(20) Kent State 10-1
It's been a solid year for the MAC and Kent State.
21-(23) Northern Illinois 10-1
Potentially, headed for back to back meeting with Kent State for the MAC crown.
22-(24) Boise State 9-2
Though they haven't made the kind of noise this year that they have in the past, Boise has put together a solid season and can still win the MWC.
23-(NR) Oklahoma State 7-3
The Cowboys have been tough this season, despite a few tough losses. They've got a chance to cause trouble for in-state rival, Oklahoma this weekend.
24-(NR) Utah State 9-2
Utah State has come out of nowhere this season and just knocked off, then ranked Louisiana Tech.
25-(NR) Washington 7-4
The Huskies have done pretty well this season having played one of the toughest schedules in the nation. They've got big wins over Stanford and Oregon State.
Nick's Top 25
1-Notre Dame
2-Alabama
3-Georgia
4-Florida
5-Florida State
6-Texas A&M
7-Stanford
8-Oregon
9-Kansas State
10-LSU
11-Clemson
12-South Carolina
13-Oklahoma
14-Texas
15-Oregon State
16-Nebraska
17-UCLA
18-Louisville
19-Michigan
20-Kent State
21-Northern Illinois
22-Boise State
23-Utah State
24-Washington
25-Oklahoma State
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
1st Down: Week 12 Recap
Biggest Winner
Notre Dame and the SEC. For the first time all season, and at least the rest of this week, the Fighting Irish control their own destiny. Notre Dame, who's been stuck behind the best of the best all season now sits alone on top of the college football world and have at least secured a BCS bowl birth, if not a BCS Title shot.
The SEC is the other big winner of the weekend. After Alabama's loss to Texas A&M last week, it looked like the SEC reign over college football would come to an end. After Mike Slive finishes his thank you notes to Baylor and Stanford, he'll get to sit back and watch Alabama or Georgia move on to represent the SEC in their 7th BCS title appearance.
Hat's Off
Baylor- The Bears hadn't played anything resembling defense all season and had given up 40 or more points in five games this season. They're ranked 117th in the nation in scoring defense and 119th in the nation in total defense. That all changed, Saturday as the Bears defense consistently stifled Heisman front runner, Collin Klein and the Wildcat offense. Baylor held the No. 1 team in the nation to 362 yards and a mere 76 rushing for a team that was averaging over 200 coming in.
Stanford- No only did Stanford effectively knock Oregon out of a BCS title bid, but they also took control of the Pac-12 North and with a win next week over Pac-12 South leader UCLA, the Cardinal will be Rose Bowling.
Jim Mora- In his first year as head coach of the Bruins, Jim Mora has his team at 9-2 on the season and secured a spot in the Pac-12 Championship with their 38-28 win over rival USC last weekend.
Moving Forward
The BSC picture is about to get even messier. At the moment the title picture is nice and neat with the Irish on top and the winner of the SEC taking the other slot. It's not easy to be the No.1 team in the nation and the Fighting Irish still have to take a trip to SoCal and come away with a win. That's looking a lot more likely given the way USC has been playing lately and it looks like quarterback Matt Barkley will be unavailable.
Should Notre Dame go down, then what? K-State has yet to lock up the Big-12 and Oregon might not even get a shot at the Pac-12 championship. It's highly unlikely that the voters will put either team in the championship game if they don't win their conference. Who's left? An SEC vs. SEC rematch? Doubt it. Florida would be next in line in the SEC but they've got to go to Tallahassee and try to beat a Seminoles team that's an absolute juggernaut at home. So what about the 'Noles as the second team? Not likely. They're stuck at No. 10 in the BSC and even with a win over Florida and a win in the ACC Championship game, it's not likely that they'll be able to jump eight spots to get to No. 2. Who's that leave? K-State or Oregon could make it back to No. 2 if they're able to win their conference but that's not in their hands. Stanford is currently leading the Pac-12 North and sit at No. 8. Is it possible for a two loss Stanford team to come out of the Pac-12 to play in the BCS Title game? Yikes. At least that might expedite the play-off process.
Kinney vs. Kinney
With 20 games this weekend to pick from Nick and I agreed on 16 games. Fortunately, I picked three of the four correctly giving me my first weekly win, since week one. I also overtake Nick in win percentage. Tough break brosef!
Week 12 Talley
Nick- 15-5
Jeremy- 17-3
Season Talley
Nick- 110-39 (.738)
*Jeremy- 97-34 (.740)
*no picks week 7
No. 1 Kansas State- 24, Baylor- 52
Even a broken clock is right twice a day and out of the 12 games Baylor will play this season, they were bound to play defense in one of them, and boy, did they pick the right one! The Baylor defense was all over Collin Klein and the K-State offense, while the Wildcats were completely outmatched against Baylor's high powered offense.
-Nick, Kansas State 42-28
-Jeremy- Kansas State, 52-24
No. 2 Oregon- 14, No. 13 Stanford- 17
Not going South this winter. Not only did Oregon all but kiss their BCS title hopes away, they no longer control the Pac-12 North. The Stanford front seven was more than up to the task against the churn-and-burn Ducks offense.
-Nick, Oregon 38-24
-Jeremy- Oregon- 42-31
No. 3 Notre Dame- 38, Wake Forest- 0
The Irish defense had no trouble shutting down the Wake Forest offense, while Notre Dame's offense racked up 584 yards in a tune-up for next week's visit to SoCal.
-Nick, Notre Dame 31-13
-Jeremy- Notre Dame, 30-10
No. 4 Alabama- 49, West Carolina- 0
Not a good week to be West Carolina. The Tide took their frustration out on the hapless Catamounts and now, thanks to Baylor and Stanford have a shot at getting back to the BCS title game.
-Nick, Bama 41-10
-Jeremy- Alabama- 45-6
No. 5 Georgia- 45, Georgia South- 14
After a slow start the Bulldogs took care of FCS, Georgia Southern. Aaron Murray threw for 330 yards and four touchdowns, but the Dawgs gave up 302 rushing yards. They'll need to shore that up with a Georgia Tech coming up.
-Nick, Dawgs roll 45-17
-Jeremy- Georgia, 44-10
No. 6 Florida- 23, Jacksonville State- 0
The Gators took care of FCS, Jacksonville State, but for the fourth week in a row, their offense looked completely out of sync. The Gators only managed 23 points and 356 yards of offense.
-Nick, Gators 38-14
-Jeremy- Gators, 28-10
No. 7 LSU- 41, Mississippi- 35
Ah, Les Miles. Thanks for never letting us down. It took the Tigers all 60 minutes and a 21 point fourth quarter to get past Ole Miss.
-Nick, LSU 35-17
-Jeremy- LSU, 37-14
No. 8 Texas A&M- 47, Sam Houston St.- 28
Johnny Manziel might have moved into the top spot in the Heisman running with a K-St. loss and 360 yard, four touchdown performance against Sam Houston State.
-Nick, Texas A&M 48-24
-Jeremy- Texas A&M, 52-16
No. 9 South Carolina- 24, Wofford- 7
What's with the SEC this week? Maybe it's football karma for the SEC for giving us such crappy games in Nov. S. Carolina squeaked by Wofford, needing a strong fourth quarter to get past the FCS school.
-Nick, South Carolina 42-21
-Jeremy- S. Carolina, 38-12
No. 10 Florida State- 41, Maryland- 14
FSU locks up the ACC Atlantic with the win over Maryland. The 'Noles defense was stifling, allowing only 170 total hards against the struggling Terps.
-Jeremy- FSU, 34-17
-Nick, Noles, 24-17
No. 11 Clemson- 62, North Carolina State- 48
The offensive fire works continue for the Tigers... but the defensive ineptness also continues.
-Jeremy- Clemson, 57-24
-Nick, Clemson, 48-28
No. 12 Oklahoma- 50, West Virginia- 49
The Sooners get a last second touchdown to survive the feisty Mountaineers.
-Jeremy- Sooners, 54-37
-Nick, Sooners 48-45
No. 14 Nebraska- 38, Minnesota- 14
The Huskers lock up the B1G's Leaders division with a big win over Minnesota. The Huskers racked up 444 yards and limited the struggling Beavers to just 177.
-Jeremy- Nebraska, 41-20
-Nick, Nebraska 38-17
No. 16 Oregon State- 62, California- 14
Oregon State took out last weeks frustration on the suffering Cal Bears. The Beavers forced four Cal turnovers and Sean Mannion returned to throw for 325 and four touchdowns.
-Jeremy- Oregon State, 34-17
-Nick- Oregon State, 24-7
No. 17 UCLA- 38, No. 18 USC- 28
And the slide continues. UCLA jumped out to an early 24 point lead and held off a late Trojan's run, injuring quarterback Matt Barkley in the process. With the win, the Bruins earn a return trip to the Pac-12 championship.
-Jeremy- UCLA, 42-41
-Nick, USC 38-31
No. 20 Louisiana Tech- 41, Utah State- 48 OT
You can't outscore everyone. The completely lacking, Bulldog defense finally caught up with them against Utah State.
-Jeremy- Utah State, 41-31
-Nick, Louisiana Tech 56-50
No. 21 Michigan- 42, Iowa- 17
The Devin Gardner, Denard Robinson quarterback/running back duo worked pretty well for the Wolverines, as they blow past the struggling Hawkeyes. Gardner threw for 314 and three passing and three rushing touchdowns, while Robinson rushed for 98 yards.
-Jeremy- Michigan, 28-16
-Nick, Michigan 35-31
No. 22 Rutgers- 10, Cincinnati- 3
'Rutger-ball" wins again. It's not pretty but the Scarlet Knights get it done and stand alone at the top of the Big East.
-Jeremy- Cincinnati, 28-24
-Nick, Rutgers 31-17
No. 23 Texas Tech- 21, No. 24 Oklahoma State- 59
A 28 point second quarter helped Ok State blow past the free falling Red Raiders.
-Jeremy- Oklahoma State, 38-34
-Nick, Texas Tech 31-17
No. 25 Washington- 38, Colorado- 3
Well, hats off to the Buffs for making it interesting for a half- they went into the break, down only 7-0. But, the true Buffalo's showed up in the second half getting outscored 31-3 in the second half.
-Jeremy- Washington 38-17
-Nick, Washington 35-7
Thanks for reading!
As always, follow us on twitter @KinneyBrozCFB
Notre Dame and the SEC. For the first time all season, and at least the rest of this week, the Fighting Irish control their own destiny. Notre Dame, who's been stuck behind the best of the best all season now sits alone on top of the college football world and have at least secured a BCS bowl birth, if not a BCS Title shot.
The SEC is the other big winner of the weekend. After Alabama's loss to Texas A&M last week, it looked like the SEC reign over college football would come to an end. After Mike Slive finishes his thank you notes to Baylor and Stanford, he'll get to sit back and watch Alabama or Georgia move on to represent the SEC in their 7th BCS title appearance.
Hat's Off
Baylor- The Bears hadn't played anything resembling defense all season and had given up 40 or more points in five games this season. They're ranked 117th in the nation in scoring defense and 119th in the nation in total defense. That all changed, Saturday as the Bears defense consistently stifled Heisman front runner, Collin Klein and the Wildcat offense. Baylor held the No. 1 team in the nation to 362 yards and a mere 76 rushing for a team that was averaging over 200 coming in.
Stanford- No only did Stanford effectively knock Oregon out of a BCS title bid, but they also took control of the Pac-12 North and with a win next week over Pac-12 South leader UCLA, the Cardinal will be Rose Bowling.
Jim Mora- In his first year as head coach of the Bruins, Jim Mora has his team at 9-2 on the season and secured a spot in the Pac-12 Championship with their 38-28 win over rival USC last weekend.
Moving Forward
The BSC picture is about to get even messier. At the moment the title picture is nice and neat with the Irish on top and the winner of the SEC taking the other slot. It's not easy to be the No.1 team in the nation and the Fighting Irish still have to take a trip to SoCal and come away with a win. That's looking a lot more likely given the way USC has been playing lately and it looks like quarterback Matt Barkley will be unavailable.
Should Notre Dame go down, then what? K-State has yet to lock up the Big-12 and Oregon might not even get a shot at the Pac-12 championship. It's highly unlikely that the voters will put either team in the championship game if they don't win their conference. Who's left? An SEC vs. SEC rematch? Doubt it. Florida would be next in line in the SEC but they've got to go to Tallahassee and try to beat a Seminoles team that's an absolute juggernaut at home. So what about the 'Noles as the second team? Not likely. They're stuck at No. 10 in the BSC and even with a win over Florida and a win in the ACC Championship game, it's not likely that they'll be able to jump eight spots to get to No. 2. Who's that leave? K-State or Oregon could make it back to No. 2 if they're able to win their conference but that's not in their hands. Stanford is currently leading the Pac-12 North and sit at No. 8. Is it possible for a two loss Stanford team to come out of the Pac-12 to play in the BCS Title game? Yikes. At least that might expedite the play-off process.
Kinney vs. Kinney
With 20 games this weekend to pick from Nick and I agreed on 16 games. Fortunately, I picked three of the four correctly giving me my first weekly win, since week one. I also overtake Nick in win percentage. Tough break brosef!
Week 12 Talley
Nick- 15-5
Jeremy- 17-3
Season Talley
Nick- 110-39 (.738)
*Jeremy- 97-34 (.740)
*no picks week 7
No. 1 Kansas State- 24, Baylor- 52
Even a broken clock is right twice a day and out of the 12 games Baylor will play this season, they were bound to play defense in one of them, and boy, did they pick the right one! The Baylor defense was all over Collin Klein and the K-State offense, while the Wildcats were completely outmatched against Baylor's high powered offense.
-Nick, Kansas State 42-28
-Jeremy- Kansas State, 52-24
No. 2 Oregon- 14, No. 13 Stanford- 17
Not going South this winter. Not only did Oregon all but kiss their BCS title hopes away, they no longer control the Pac-12 North. The Stanford front seven was more than up to the task against the churn-and-burn Ducks offense.
-Nick, Oregon 38-24
-Jeremy- Oregon- 42-31
No. 3 Notre Dame- 38, Wake Forest- 0
The Irish defense had no trouble shutting down the Wake Forest offense, while Notre Dame's offense racked up 584 yards in a tune-up for next week's visit to SoCal.
-Nick, Notre Dame 31-13
-Jeremy- Notre Dame, 30-10
No. 4 Alabama- 49, West Carolina- 0
Not a good week to be West Carolina. The Tide took their frustration out on the hapless Catamounts and now, thanks to Baylor and Stanford have a shot at getting back to the BCS title game.
-Nick, Bama 41-10
-Jeremy- Alabama- 45-6
No. 5 Georgia- 45, Georgia South- 14
After a slow start the Bulldogs took care of FCS, Georgia Southern. Aaron Murray threw for 330 yards and four touchdowns, but the Dawgs gave up 302 rushing yards. They'll need to shore that up with a Georgia Tech coming up.
-Nick, Dawgs roll 45-17
-Jeremy- Georgia, 44-10
No. 6 Florida- 23, Jacksonville State- 0
The Gators took care of FCS, Jacksonville State, but for the fourth week in a row, their offense looked completely out of sync. The Gators only managed 23 points and 356 yards of offense.
-Nick, Gators 38-14
-Jeremy- Gators, 28-10
No. 7 LSU- 41, Mississippi- 35
Ah, Les Miles. Thanks for never letting us down. It took the Tigers all 60 minutes and a 21 point fourth quarter to get past Ole Miss.
-Nick, LSU 35-17
-Jeremy- LSU, 37-14
No. 8 Texas A&M- 47, Sam Houston St.- 28
Johnny Manziel might have moved into the top spot in the Heisman running with a K-St. loss and 360 yard, four touchdown performance against Sam Houston State.
-Nick, Texas A&M 48-24
-Jeremy- Texas A&M, 52-16
No. 9 South Carolina- 24, Wofford- 7
What's with the SEC this week? Maybe it's football karma for the SEC for giving us such crappy games in Nov. S. Carolina squeaked by Wofford, needing a strong fourth quarter to get past the FCS school.
-Nick, South Carolina 42-21
-Jeremy- S. Carolina, 38-12
No. 10 Florida State- 41, Maryland- 14
FSU locks up the ACC Atlantic with the win over Maryland. The 'Noles defense was stifling, allowing only 170 total hards against the struggling Terps.
-Jeremy- FSU, 34-17
-Nick, Noles, 24-17
No. 11 Clemson- 62, North Carolina State- 48
The offensive fire works continue for the Tigers... but the defensive ineptness also continues.
-Jeremy- Clemson, 57-24
-Nick, Clemson, 48-28
No. 12 Oklahoma- 50, West Virginia- 49
The Sooners get a last second touchdown to survive the feisty Mountaineers.
-Jeremy- Sooners, 54-37
-Nick, Sooners 48-45
No. 14 Nebraska- 38, Minnesota- 14
The Huskers lock up the B1G's Leaders division with a big win over Minnesota. The Huskers racked up 444 yards and limited the struggling Beavers to just 177.
-Jeremy- Nebraska, 41-20
-Nick, Nebraska 38-17
No. 16 Oregon State- 62, California- 14
Oregon State took out last weeks frustration on the suffering Cal Bears. The Beavers forced four Cal turnovers and Sean Mannion returned to throw for 325 and four touchdowns.
-Jeremy- Oregon State, 34-17
-Nick- Oregon State, 24-7
No. 17 UCLA- 38, No. 18 USC- 28
And the slide continues. UCLA jumped out to an early 24 point lead and held off a late Trojan's run, injuring quarterback Matt Barkley in the process. With the win, the Bruins earn a return trip to the Pac-12 championship.
-Jeremy- UCLA, 42-41
-Nick, USC 38-31
No. 20 Louisiana Tech- 41, Utah State- 48 OT
You can't outscore everyone. The completely lacking, Bulldog defense finally caught up with them against Utah State.
-Jeremy- Utah State, 41-31
-Nick, Louisiana Tech 56-50
No. 21 Michigan- 42, Iowa- 17
The Devin Gardner, Denard Robinson quarterback/running back duo worked pretty well for the Wolverines, as they blow past the struggling Hawkeyes. Gardner threw for 314 and three passing and three rushing touchdowns, while Robinson rushed for 98 yards.
-Jeremy- Michigan, 28-16
-Nick, Michigan 35-31
No. 22 Rutgers- 10, Cincinnati- 3
'Rutger-ball" wins again. It's not pretty but the Scarlet Knights get it done and stand alone at the top of the Big East.
-Jeremy- Cincinnati, 28-24
-Nick, Rutgers 31-17
No. 23 Texas Tech- 21, No. 24 Oklahoma State- 59
A 28 point second quarter helped Ok State blow past the free falling Red Raiders.
-Jeremy- Oklahoma State, 38-34
-Nick, Texas Tech 31-17
No. 25 Washington- 38, Colorado- 3
Well, hats off to the Buffs for making it interesting for a half- they went into the break, down only 7-0. But, the true Buffalo's showed up in the second half getting outscored 31-3 in the second half.
-Jeremy- Washington 38-17
-Nick, Washington 35-7
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Friday, November 16, 2012
Fourth Down: Week 12 Picks
Week 12 picks
No. 1 Kansas State @ Baylor-8 p.m. ET, ESPN
This could go two ways. I could be really high scoring or Kansas State could do what it has done to every other high powered offense play possession football and win big. Against West Virginia the Wildcats just played ball control and ended up winning 55-14. Agianst Oklahoma, K-State again played ball control and excellent defense and won. I see this just like the WVU game, Baylor (like WVU) cannot play defense and Collin Kline will go off. I think the Wildcats should be able to slow down the Baylor offense and win this handily.
-Nick, Kansas State 42-28
-Jeremy- Kansas State, 52-24
No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 13 Stanford-8 p.m. ET, ABC
This is going to be the most physical defense Oregon has faced this season. I think the front seven of Stanford should be able to slow down the Ducks a little bit on offense. That being said, I do not think Stanford can slow down the Ducks enough to win. Oregon is going to get its points, but the quarterback situation at Stanford is so up in the air that I do not think the Cardinal can put up enough points on offense to hang with the Ducks. In Autzen the Ducks should win.
-Nick, Oregon 38-24
-Jeremy- Oregon- 42-31
No. 3 Notre Dame vs. Wake Forest-3:30 p.m. ET, NBC
The Irish are looking for style points to try and make their first National Title apperance in the BCS era. Notre Dame needs two dominating wins over Wake Forest and USC to have a chance at the title. Wake Forest is an average team and Notre Dame should win this pretty handily, but they have struggled the last couple games with below average teams. Even with their struggles latley I think the Irish will realize the opportunity they have and make a statement against Wake.
-Nick, Notre Dame 31-13
-Jeremy- Notre Dame, 30-10
No. 4 Alabama vs. West Carolina-12:21 p.m. ET, SEC Network/ESPN3
After looking at the SEC lineup this week all I could do is laugh. I am not going to spend very much time on either of these games. Alabama is going to take out its frustration of losing to the Aggies on West Carolina.
-Nick, Bama 41-10
-Jeremy- Alabama- 45-6
No. 5 Georgia vs. Georgia South-1:30 p.m. ET, GamePlan/ESPN3
Another FCS matchup for a top-10 SEC team. Georiga is going to use this game to gain some confidence before meeting the Tide in Atlanta in the SEC title game.
-Nick, Dawgs roll 45-17
-Jeremy- Georgia, 44-10
No. 6 Florida vs. Jacksonville State-1 p.m. ET, GamePlan/ESPN3
Florida has really come back to earth after climbing to No. 2 in the BCS standings during the middle of the season. The Gators almost lost to Louisiana Laffeyette last weekend in the Swamp. I don't expect them to struggle this weekend.
-Nick, Gators 38-14
-Jeremy- Gators, 28-10
No. 7 LSU vs. Mississippi-3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
The only worth while SEC game of the weekend and it is still not that great of a game. Ole Miss is athletic and improved but still not ready to compete with the big boys in the SEC. LSU is too strong and athletic on defense for Ole Miss to be able to move the ball.
-Nick, LSU 35-17
-Jeremy- LSU, 37-14
No. 8 Texas A&M vs. Sam Houston St.-3:30 p.m. ET, GamePlan/ESPN3
I find it funny that all of these top 10 SEC schools play FCS oppoenents this weekend. Sam Houston might be the toughest team any of them play, but I do not think the Aggies will have a problem at home.
-Nick, Texas A&M 48-24
-Jeremy- Texas A&M, 52-16
No. 9 South Carolina vs. Wofford-1 p.m. ET, GamePlan/ESPN3
South Carolina has struggled to move the ball on offense after Marcus Lattimore was injured, but they shouldn't have a problem with Wofford this weekend.
-Nick, South Carolina 42-21
-Jeremy- S. Carolina, 38-12
No. 10 Florida State @ Maryland-Noon ET, ESPNU/WatchESPN
Florida State has really struggled on the road this season and I expect Maryland to make this a game for at least a half, especially with the Seminoles eyeing their annual game against Florida next week. Even with the road issues the Seminoles have had, I don't see a fifth-string linebacker beating this 'Noles team. Maryland has played well at times on defense this season, but they won't get any rest against a relentless FSU offense.
-Jeremy- FSU, 34-17
-Nick, Noles, 24-17
No. 11 Clemson vs. North Carolina State-3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN2
Will NC State clip the Tigers too? Doubt it. Especially not at Death Valley. Clemson is technically still alive in the ACC race, but they're also right in the mix for an at-large BCS birth. Offensively, the Tigers are simply too talented and explosive to be contained by NC State. Clemson has yet to pull a "Clemson" (an inexplicable loss that derailes their season) but I don't see that happening this weekend.
-Jeremy- Clemson, 57-24
-Nick, Clemson, 48-28
No. 12 Oklahoma @ West Virginia-7 p.m. ET, Fox
This is an interesting game and I could see a situation where Oklahoma slips up against a West Virginia team who's trying to stop a four game skid and gets you at home. But, I've picked West Virginia twice against top 25 opponents and I'm not falling in that trap again. The Mountaineers have, arguably the worst defense in the nation and they won't be able to put up 40 or 50 points against this Sooners team.
-Jeremy- Sooners, 54-37
-Nick, Sooners 48-45
No. 14 Nebraska vs. Minnesota-3:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network
Everything says Nebraska wins this game running away. But, this is the B1G and good luck picking games in this conference. Even so, the Huskers are on the verge of wrapping up the Legends division and I can't see them slipping up against this Minnesota team, expecially in Lincoln.
-Jeremy- Nebraska, 41-20
-Nick, Nebraska 38-17
No. 16 Oregon State vs. California-10:30 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network
Oregon State suffered a tough loss last weekend to Stanford and I see them bouncing back against a Cal team that's having trouble doing anything well. Oregon State hasn't lost at home should take care of Cal as a tune up game for next week's matchup against Oregon.
-Jeremy- Oregon State, 34-17
-Nick- Oregon State, 24-7
No. 17 UCLA vs. No. 18 USC-3:05 p.m. ET, Fox
At the beginning of the season, this would have seemed like a no-brainer. As it sits this week, it's really anyone's guess. UCLA has played well for most of the season, except for a head scratching loss against Cal. USC has fallen a long way from the preseason No.1 with the ready-to-be-named Heisman winner in Matt Barkley. While Barkley has played extremely welll at times this season, his USC team has been all over the map and had some major struggles on the road. Overall UCLA gains more yards per game on offense and gives up about the same number of points on defense. The Bruins are also in control in the Pac-12 South and secure a shot at a rematch against the Oregon Ducks with a win. This should be a great game and the team with the most mental toughness and resolve will get the win... That's not USC.
-Jeremy- UCLA, 42-41
-Nick, USC 38-31
No. 20 Louisiana Tech vs. Utah State-4 p.m. ET, ESPN3
This is a great matchup of a high powered, high scoring offense against a solid, shut down defense. I'm going defense in this game and taking Utah State in the upset.
-Jeremy- Utah State, 41-31
-Nick, Louisiana Tech 56-50
No. 21 Michigan vs. Iowa-Noon ET, ESPN
Another B1G guessing game. Every time I put Michigan back in my top 25 they lose. However, I don't see that happening this week against Iowa. The Hawkeye's haven't beaten anyone of note this season and Michigan has been tough to beat at the Big House. Wolverines get it done.
-Jeremy- Michigan, 28-16
-Nick, Michigan 35-31
No. 22 Rutgers @ Cincinnati-Noon ET, Big East Network/ESPN3
This is an interesting matchup and a tough one to call. Rutgers is a solid team that rarely beats itself, but Cincinnati can score points and I don't think Rutgers can play from behind. I think Cincinnati gets a win at home and really muddies up the Big East.
-Jeremy- Cincinnati, 28-24
-Nick, Rutgers 31-17
No. 23 Texas Tech @ No. 24 Oklahoma State-3:30 p.m. ET
-Jeremy- Oklahoma State, 38-34
-Nick, Texas Tech 31-17
No. 25 Washington @ Colorado-1:30 p.m. ET, FX
Colorado. The closest thing to a free 'W'.
-Jeremy- Washington 38-17
-Nick, Washington 35-7
No. 1 Kansas State @ Baylor-8 p.m. ET, ESPN
This could go two ways. I could be really high scoring or Kansas State could do what it has done to every other high powered offense play possession football and win big. Against West Virginia the Wildcats just played ball control and ended up winning 55-14. Agianst Oklahoma, K-State again played ball control and excellent defense and won. I see this just like the WVU game, Baylor (like WVU) cannot play defense and Collin Kline will go off. I think the Wildcats should be able to slow down the Baylor offense and win this handily.
-Nick, Kansas State 42-28
-Jeremy- Kansas State, 52-24
No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 13 Stanford-8 p.m. ET, ABC
This is going to be the most physical defense Oregon has faced this season. I think the front seven of Stanford should be able to slow down the Ducks a little bit on offense. That being said, I do not think Stanford can slow down the Ducks enough to win. Oregon is going to get its points, but the quarterback situation at Stanford is so up in the air that I do not think the Cardinal can put up enough points on offense to hang with the Ducks. In Autzen the Ducks should win.
-Nick, Oregon 38-24
-Jeremy- Oregon- 42-31
No. 3 Notre Dame vs. Wake Forest-3:30 p.m. ET, NBC
The Irish are looking for style points to try and make their first National Title apperance in the BCS era. Notre Dame needs two dominating wins over Wake Forest and USC to have a chance at the title. Wake Forest is an average team and Notre Dame should win this pretty handily, but they have struggled the last couple games with below average teams. Even with their struggles latley I think the Irish will realize the opportunity they have and make a statement against Wake.
-Nick, Notre Dame 31-13
-Jeremy- Notre Dame, 30-10
No. 4 Alabama vs. West Carolina-12:21 p.m. ET, SEC Network/ESPN3
After looking at the SEC lineup this week all I could do is laugh. I am not going to spend very much time on either of these games. Alabama is going to take out its frustration of losing to the Aggies on West Carolina.
-Nick, Bama 41-10
-Jeremy- Alabama- 45-6
No. 5 Georgia vs. Georgia South-1:30 p.m. ET, GamePlan/ESPN3
Another FCS matchup for a top-10 SEC team. Georiga is going to use this game to gain some confidence before meeting the Tide in Atlanta in the SEC title game.
-Nick, Dawgs roll 45-17
-Jeremy- Georgia, 44-10
No. 6 Florida vs. Jacksonville State-1 p.m. ET, GamePlan/ESPN3
Florida has really come back to earth after climbing to No. 2 in the BCS standings during the middle of the season. The Gators almost lost to Louisiana Laffeyette last weekend in the Swamp. I don't expect them to struggle this weekend.
-Nick, Gators 38-14
-Jeremy- Gators, 28-10
No. 7 LSU vs. Mississippi-3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
The only worth while SEC game of the weekend and it is still not that great of a game. Ole Miss is athletic and improved but still not ready to compete with the big boys in the SEC. LSU is too strong and athletic on defense for Ole Miss to be able to move the ball.
-Nick, LSU 35-17
-Jeremy- LSU, 37-14
No. 8 Texas A&M vs. Sam Houston St.-3:30 p.m. ET, GamePlan/ESPN3
I find it funny that all of these top 10 SEC schools play FCS oppoenents this weekend. Sam Houston might be the toughest team any of them play, but I do not think the Aggies will have a problem at home.
-Nick, Texas A&M 48-24
-Jeremy- Texas A&M, 52-16
No. 9 South Carolina vs. Wofford-1 p.m. ET, GamePlan/ESPN3
South Carolina has struggled to move the ball on offense after Marcus Lattimore was injured, but they shouldn't have a problem with Wofford this weekend.
-Nick, South Carolina 42-21
-Jeremy- S. Carolina, 38-12
No. 10 Florida State @ Maryland-Noon ET, ESPNU/WatchESPN
Florida State has really struggled on the road this season and I expect Maryland to make this a game for at least a half, especially with the Seminoles eyeing their annual game against Florida next week. Even with the road issues the Seminoles have had, I don't see a fifth-string linebacker beating this 'Noles team. Maryland has played well at times on defense this season, but they won't get any rest against a relentless FSU offense.
-Jeremy- FSU, 34-17
-Nick, Noles, 24-17
No. 11 Clemson vs. North Carolina State-3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN2
Will NC State clip the Tigers too? Doubt it. Especially not at Death Valley. Clemson is technically still alive in the ACC race, but they're also right in the mix for an at-large BCS birth. Offensively, the Tigers are simply too talented and explosive to be contained by NC State. Clemson has yet to pull a "Clemson" (an inexplicable loss that derailes their season) but I don't see that happening this weekend.
-Jeremy- Clemson, 57-24
-Nick, Clemson, 48-28
No. 12 Oklahoma @ West Virginia-7 p.m. ET, Fox
This is an interesting game and I could see a situation where Oklahoma slips up against a West Virginia team who's trying to stop a four game skid and gets you at home. But, I've picked West Virginia twice against top 25 opponents and I'm not falling in that trap again. The Mountaineers have, arguably the worst defense in the nation and they won't be able to put up 40 or 50 points against this Sooners team.
-Jeremy- Sooners, 54-37
-Nick, Sooners 48-45
No. 14 Nebraska vs. Minnesota-3:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network
Everything says Nebraska wins this game running away. But, this is the B1G and good luck picking games in this conference. Even so, the Huskers are on the verge of wrapping up the Legends division and I can't see them slipping up against this Minnesota team, expecially in Lincoln.
-Jeremy- Nebraska, 41-20
-Nick, Nebraska 38-17
No. 16 Oregon State vs. California-10:30 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network
Oregon State suffered a tough loss last weekend to Stanford and I see them bouncing back against a Cal team that's having trouble doing anything well. Oregon State hasn't lost at home should take care of Cal as a tune up game for next week's matchup against Oregon.
-Jeremy- Oregon State, 34-17
-Nick- Oregon State, 24-7
No. 17 UCLA vs. No. 18 USC-3:05 p.m. ET, Fox
At the beginning of the season, this would have seemed like a no-brainer. As it sits this week, it's really anyone's guess. UCLA has played well for most of the season, except for a head scratching loss against Cal. USC has fallen a long way from the preseason No.1 with the ready-to-be-named Heisman winner in Matt Barkley. While Barkley has played extremely welll at times this season, his USC team has been all over the map and had some major struggles on the road. Overall UCLA gains more yards per game on offense and gives up about the same number of points on defense. The Bruins are also in control in the Pac-12 South and secure a shot at a rematch against the Oregon Ducks with a win. This should be a great game and the team with the most mental toughness and resolve will get the win... That's not USC.
-Jeremy- UCLA, 42-41
-Nick, USC 38-31
No. 20 Louisiana Tech vs. Utah State-4 p.m. ET, ESPN3
This is a great matchup of a high powered, high scoring offense against a solid, shut down defense. I'm going defense in this game and taking Utah State in the upset.
-Jeremy- Utah State, 41-31
-Nick, Louisiana Tech 56-50
No. 21 Michigan vs. Iowa-Noon ET, ESPN
Another B1G guessing game. Every time I put Michigan back in my top 25 they lose. However, I don't see that happening this week against Iowa. The Hawkeye's haven't beaten anyone of note this season and Michigan has been tough to beat at the Big House. Wolverines get it done.
-Jeremy- Michigan, 28-16
-Nick, Michigan 35-31
No. 22 Rutgers @ Cincinnati-Noon ET, Big East Network/ESPN3
This is an interesting matchup and a tough one to call. Rutgers is a solid team that rarely beats itself, but Cincinnati can score points and I don't think Rutgers can play from behind. I think Cincinnati gets a win at home and really muddies up the Big East.
-Jeremy- Cincinnati, 28-24
-Nick, Rutgers 31-17
No. 23 Texas Tech @ No. 24 Oklahoma State-3:30 p.m. ET
-Jeremy- Oklahoma State, 38-34
-Nick, Texas Tech 31-17
No. 25 Washington @ Colorado-1:30 p.m. ET, FX
Colorado. The closest thing to a free 'W'.
-Jeremy- Washington 38-17
-Nick, Washington 35-7