There was big surprise out in Austin as Charlie Strong's Longhorns took down then-ranked #23 West Virginia, 33-16 behind 3 touchdowns from Jonathan Gray. Meanwhile over on the west coast, the fighting Irish were battling their way back into the game against Arizona State after falling behind 34-3. However turnovers including two pick-sixes thrown by Goldson would be the difference in a 55-31 thriller. Over in the Big Ten, rivals Michigan State and Ohio State squared off with the Buckeyes pulling the upset over the Spartans, 49-37. TCU ran past Kansas State, 41-20 while Baylor cruised past Oklahoma, 48-14. Finally, LSU and Alabama met down in that Death Valley-West and the Crimson Tide were able to escape in overtime with a 20-13 victory. You might be thinking how could this week ever top last week's games but when you take a look at this week's matchups, it might actually be possible. It is another week so of course we have another top five SEC showdown with the top ranked Bulldogs (Mississippi State, that is) heading to Tuscaloosa to take on the Crimson Tide. Todd Gurley returns to lead Georgia against Auburn and Spurrier returns home to the Swamp with his Gamecocks. Over in the ACC, cross-division rivals Clemson and Georgia Tech meet down in Atlanta and Florida State and Miami square off down in South Beach. Lets get to pickin'!#1 Mississippi State @ #5 Alabama
Can the Crimson tide regroup and be ready for a showdown with the top team in the land after last week's overtime thriller against LSU? The good news is they are back at home this week after surviving a physical and hard fought battle down in Baton Rouge last Saturday. The stakes don't get much higher than this as both teams still control their own destiny but someone has to lose Saturday. While the Bulldogs are undefeated and might be able to survive a loss against #5 Alabama, a second loss for the Tide would almost surely knock them out of the playoff discussion. Amari Cooper is hands down one of the best wide outs in college football right now and is a game-changer. It will be quite the quarterback duel as Dak Prescott and Blake Sims square off. Both have thrown for over 2200 yards this year and have the ability to beat you with not only their arm but their feet as well. I think this one comes down to experience and being able to handle the pressure and hype. With the game on the line late in the fourth quarter, especially down in Tuscaloosa, I'd have to go with Alabama to get the job done. The Pick: Alabama
#3 Florida State @ Miami
One of college football's greatest rivalries is renewed this weekend down in Miami as the Hurricanes and Seminoles meet for their annual showdown. As of late, this game has been played at the beginning of the season but I like how it was moved towards the back half of the season this year. In a game with another solid quarterback match-up FSU's Jameis Winston will go to battle against Miami's true freshmen Brad Kaaya who currently leads the ACC in touchdown passes, yards per attempt, yards per completion and quarterback rating. RB Duke Johnson isn't too shabby either as he's rushed for over 1200 yards and 9 touchdowns this year and is the heart and soul of the U. Miami is a different team when he's not involved, so his success willp play a huge role in the Hurricane's bid for the upset. FSU has won the last four in the series outscoring the Canes 142-70. While I think Miami will keep it competitive early I think the Noles will rise to the occasion in the 2nd half (like they have all year) and find a way to win.The Pick: Florida State
#9 Auburn @ #15 Georgia
Auburn's luck finally ran out Saturday night as the Aggies were able to survive thanks to two Tiger turnovers in back-to-back possessions late in the fourth quarter, one coming at the the Aggie 2-yard line. There is no time for the Tigers to hang their heads as they will again have a big test on the road at Georgia this weekend. Todd Gurley will be back in action as the Dawgs look to sprint towards the SEC-East finish line after stumbling down in Jacksonville against Florida. Interested to see how Auburn is mentally after last weekends' emotional and physical game. Georgia will be looking for revenge after falling victim to Auburn's magical string of luck last year on the road when Ricardo Louis caught a tipped pass off a UGA defender and took it 73 yards to the house for the game winning score with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game in of the most memorable plays of last season. While Auburn has continued to look good on offense, at times they have struggled to make stops on defense. That being said, I look for UGA behind Chubb and Gurley to run wild on the Auburn defense and for the Dawgs to play well enough on defense to get the win.The Pick: Georgia
#19 Clemson @ #22 Georgia Tech
One of the ACC's finest rivalries adds another chapter Saturday down in the ATL as the Tigers take on their Coastal divisional foe, Georgia Tech. No matter the record, this game always seems to provide an intriguing match-up. This year its the nations top ranked 3rd down defense against the nations top ranked 3rd down offense...something has gotta give. And while Tech hasn't seen a defense like Clemson, the Jackets are always a challenging task for the Tigers and it'll take a solid team effort to leave Atlanta with a win for the first time since 2003. I think the difference here is Deshaun Watson. Defense will continue to play at a high level and keep the Tigers in the game and offense will should be able to consistently put points on the board with #4 back on the field. Last year the defense did a solid job stopping Paul Johnson's offense holding them well below the their season average entering the game..you gotta think that this year, with an improved defense that they should be able to make necessary stops again. The Tigers have won the last two meetings by a combined score of 102-62 but seem to struggle offensively when they head to Atlanta. I think that changes Saturday at high noon. I think this will be a higher scoring game as GT's defense is not so great! That sounds good for an offense that will try to be get back on track with Watson back under-center. In addition to Watson, center Jay Guillermo should be back after breaking a bone in his foot against North Carolina State while WR Charone Peake is also expected to return for the first time since the Florida State game.The Pick: Clemson
South Carolina @ Florida
Its been a rough, rough year down in Columbia. The departure of the winningest QB in Conner Shaw and a defense that was among the nations best has hurt the Gamecocks this year. The biggest problem hasn't been so much new players but the fact that Carolina simply hasn't been able to finish the job. Heading into this season, some had the Gamecocks has contenders for a SEC title but here we are in week 12 and the Gamecocks will be lucky if they even make it to a bowl game. On the greener side of the grass, the offense has been productive and improved as the year has progressed but stalled when it mattered most in the final moments of close games. Mike Davis is beginning to run like the Heisman contender some thought he was in the offseason. At first glance I would have to say that Florida wins this game, especially if they play the way they did against Georgia. But something tells me that was a fluke-ish type performance. However, if it wasn't and the Gators are rallying together behind their coach to finish this season on a positive note...watch out. We all know South Carolina's defense is very charitable and if the Gators are able to get big chunks of yards on the ground it could be a long afternoon in the Swamp for Spurrier's Gamecocks. At the end of the day, I think South Carolina is a better team but since they beat Georgia they have yet to put together a solid and complete effort for four quarters. Spurrier would love nothing more than to win down in the swamp Saturday but I think the Gamecock's defensive struggles and inability to finish bites them yet again.The Pick: Florida
Other Predictions:
#4 TCU over Kansas
#6 Arizona State over Oregon State
#21 Duke over Virginia Tech
#17 LSU over Arkansas
#18 Notre Dame over Northwestern
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