NCAA Week 13 picks

Welcome to Thanksgiving weekend, the last week of the season for most teams, although most of the Big Ten has already finished.  The Big East and Pac-10 still have games next week, as do Army and Navy, but this is the last week for most conferences.  It kicks off Thanksgiving night with a major Texas rivalry...

Thurs
#2 Texas Longhorns at Texas A&M Aggies:  The Aggies always play hard when Texas comes to town, but I don't think they have the stuff this year to pull off an upset.  It looks like Texas will be unbeaten going into the Big XII Championship Game.  TEXAS

Fri
#21 Temple Owls at Ohio Bobcats:  Temple is ranked and bowl eligible for the first time in thirty years, and have a chance to play in their first FBS championship game!  The Owls have too much incentive to let Ohio screw this up.  Temple's offense has been lighting up scoreboards all over the heartland, and the Bobcats' defense doesn't seem capable of slowing them enough.  TEMPLE

Illinois Fighting Illini at #6 Cincinnati Bearcats:  I'd love to see the Illini knock off Cincy, but I don't think it'll happen.  With dangerous Tony Pike coming back under center, I just think the Illini will be skinned.  That leaves an unbeaten Bearcats team to travel to Pittsburgh next week.  CINCY

Northern Illinois Huskies at #15 Central Michigan Chippewas:  The Chippewas are enjoying their highest ranking ever, and they'll be playing for the MAC title and a New Years Day bowl.  They won't let the Huskies stop it, no matter how much the Huskies want to avoid consecutive losses.  CENTRAL MICHIGAN

#1 Alabama Crimson Tide at Auburn Tigers:  The Tide have to travel to Auburn, but this Tigers team doesn't have the bite of previous seasons.  Alabama clearly has the better defense, and the better offense, too.  ALABAMA

#20 Nebraska Cornhuskers at Colorado Buffaloes:  It has not been a good year for the Buffaloes, and closing it against Nebraska, a team going to the Big XII Championship Game, is definitely the lowpoint.  NEBRASKA

#7 Pittsburgh Panthers at West Virginia Mountaineers:  Pitt doesn't NEED this victory to get the Big East, but they DO need it if they want to get into a BCS bowl.  That's a goal Dave Wannstedt stated when he came to Pittsburgh, and he might get it.  PITT

Top 25
Florida State Seminoles at #3 Florida Gators:  Do you think the Gators will let the Seminoles screw up the matchup of unbeatens in the SEC Championship Game?  Not a chance.  FLORIDA

New Mexico Lobos at #5 TCU Horned Frogs:  TCU shouldn't have any problem remaining unbeaten.  TCU

Georgia Bulldogs at #8 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets:  This bitter state rivalry will go to the home team, as Georgia just lacks the power this year.  GEORGIA TECH

#13 Oklahoma State Cowboys at Oklahoma Sooners:  Here's a potential upset.  The Cowboys have a high-powered offense, but so does Oklahoma, and the Sooners have gotten up for strong opponents this season.  I'll pick the Cowboys, but watch out for the Sooner Schooner!  OKLAHOMA STATE

#16 Utah Utes at #14 BYU Cougars:  Runner-up for my Game of the Week, these two teams are fairly evenly matched.  It's really anyone's game to win or lose.  I think the team who makes the fewer mistakes will win, and with the home crowd to distract the Utes, they might make a crucial mistake.  BYU

Rice Owls at #17 Houston Cougars:  Rice won't even make the Cougars sweat, awarding the Conference USA West title to Houston.  HOUSTON

#18 Virginia Tech Hokies at Virginia Cavaliers:  Tech has owned their instate rivals over the past several years, and that dominance will continue.  VIRGINIA TECH

#19 Clemson Tigers at South Carolina Gamecocks:  Another in-state rivalry that can be tough, the Tigers would seem to have the upper hand in this game.  However, Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks have surprised some teams this year, and they could do the same to Clemson.  This is by no means an assured victory for the Tigers, as this one could go down to the wire.  CLEMSON

#22 Ole Miss Rebels at Mississippi State Bulldogs:  This in-state rivalry won't end nicely for the home team, as the Rebs have a much stronger team this year.  OLE MISS

Arkansas Razorbacks at #23 LSU Tigers:  The Tigers are hoping to bounce back from their close loss last week, but the Razorbacks won't make it easy.  The Tigers defense might force a late fourth quarter turnover, stopping a comeback attempting by Arkansas and preserving a very close win for LSU.  LSU

UCLA Bruins at #25 USC Trojans:  The final game in Rivalry Weekend, these crosstown rivals always battle tough.  With USC showing rare weaknesses this season, the Bruins might think they have a chance.  While they might, I don't think the Trojans are THAT bad, as UCLA hasn't been showing much this season.  Unless the Trojans completely collapse with a BCS bowl out of reach, the Bruins should still lose.  USC

Game of the Week -- Nevada Wolf Pack at #4 Boise State Broncos:  Both teams are unbeaten in the WAC and the conference title is on the line.  You can't get much more exciting than this!  While Boise would seem to have the obvious upper hand, including home field advantage, the Wolf Pack have a strong defense and they've successfully forced turnovers from their opponents.  If they can keep the Broncos from getting off to a fast start, and stall a couple of drives with turnovers, they might stand a chance.  I'll still pick the Broncos, though.  BOISE STATE

Other Games of Interest:
North Carolina Tar Heels at NC State Wolfpack:  North Carolina has not had as great a year as they expected, but they can redeem themselves in their fans' eyes by smashing their rival.  NORTH CAROLINA

Syracuse Orangemen at UConn Huskies:  Syracuse pulled off an upset last week, but I don't think they can do two in a row.  Paulus may be getting the hang of being QB, but there are still too many other positions that need work on that team.  UCONN

Texas Tech Red Raiders at Baylor Bears:  Baylor can surprise, but they can't generate enough offense to outpace the Raiders.  TEXAS TECH

Navy Midshipmen at Hawaii Warriors:  The Warriors are tough at home, but even "tough" by this year's standards isn't much of a threat to the Navy team.  Hawaii's defensive line isn't strong enough to stop the powerful running attack of the Midshipmen, and Navy can slow down Hawaii's offense enough to stay ahead.  NAVY