Week 12 Predictions

November To Remember

With college football kicking off on Tuesday night, fans were blessed with the chance to watch football Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, AND Saturday last week. It was rather nice if I do say so myself. The big news out of the earlier played games came from out west as #5 Stanford knocked off #2 Oregon 26-20 giving them their second straight win over the Ducks. Baylor took on Oklahoma that same night but had no trouble with the Sooners dominating them by a score of 41-12. That is a 29 point margin of victory over the former #10 team in the nation.  Very impressive! If Baylor was to win out and somehow Alabama or Florida State trip up, Baylor would be right in the mix for a chance to play for a BCS title. The Bears host a 7-3 Texas Tech squad Saturday night in Arlington. Vanderbilt pulled the big upset of the day blowing out Florida in the Swamp and ruining the Gators homecoming festivities, 34-17. Texas A&M survived a shootout with Mississippi State 51-41. Neyland Stadium couldn't slow down Auburn and the Tigers got it done on the road. Over in the ACC, the Coastal division is a mess and Florida State continues to dominate anything that crosses its path. With just a few weeks left in the regular season its now or never for teams to make that final push and make a statement. Its not about how you start but its how you finish....its time to make this November something to remember. I've rambled on enough....lets get to business. 

#23 Miami @ Duke 

Duke is 7-2...let that sink in. If the Blue Devils can knock off the Hurricanes this weekend, they could find themselves making a trip to Charlotte next month to battle FSU for the ACC Championship. Miami is coming off not one but two blowout losses after falling to Logan Thomas and the Hokies last Saturday. Georgia Tech is 1st place in the division but with a road trip to Clemson Thursday night, the opportunity to make a move towards the top of the division is on the table for Duke, Miami and Virginia Tech. I'm gonna put something down in writing I thought I would never say, BUT I'm jumping on the Blue Devil bandwagon. Make it three straight losses for the Canes and give the ACC Coach of the Year trophy to Mr. Cutcliffe for a job well done this year. 

The Pick: Duke

#10 South Carolina vs Florida

The wheels have fallen off in Gainesville. Florida looked like it was a force earlier in the season but a pile of injuries has made life very difficult in Gator country. Things got much worse after Saturday's debacle at home against Vanderbilt. A night game in Columbia with SEC-East title dreams hanging in the balance? Against the Ole Ball Coach's former team? Hard to pick against the Gamecocks, considering the situation. You know Williams Brice will be rocking. NOT SO FAST though....I'm picking South Carolina but they can't come out flat and overlook the struggling Gators. Florida has nothing to lose, and that makes them dangerous regardless of how they have played the past few weeks. 

The Pick: South Carolina 

#7 Auburn vs #25 Georgia 

Another classic SEC showdown between these two rivals. Auburn has had a great turnaround this year and have positioned themselves for a crash-course showdown with rival Alabama to conclude the regular season that will have BCS title implications. Auburn's only loss this year came against LSU back on September 21st. Georgia still has life in the SEC despite its roller-coaster season and a win would not only shake up the BCS picture but make things even more interesting in the East division. Its going to be tough for the Bulldogs to go on the road and pick up the win, but I think they find a way. Yupp, I'm calling for the upset!! 

The Pick: Georgia 

#8 Clemson vs Georgia Tech

We have Thursday night football in Clemson for the first time in over a decade. Not to dismiss the Citadel next week but this will be the Tigers last "real" home game and Boyd's last time playing under the lights in Death Valley. The Tigers have responded well since their woodshed beating from the Seminoles and are as healthy as they've been all season and are playing well at the right time. This rivalry is always an interesting showdown. 12 of the last 18 games have been decided by five points or less including a 6 game streak between 1996-01 when every single game was decided by exactly three points. Defending the option is never an easy task and Clemson will have to play good assignment football every single snap to avoid giving up big plays and keep the yellow jackets in front of them. Do your job and stick to your assignment and the rest should fall into place. I think the defense will rise to the occasion at home and take care of business and the offense does its part as well. Not to mention a prime-time crowd under the lights...Tigers roll. 

The Pick: Clemson 

Other Predictions:

#12 Oklahoma State over #24 Texas

#1 Alabama over Mississippi State 

#2 Florida State over Syracuse 

Virginia Tech over Maryland 

#5 Baylor over Texas Tech