NCAA 2011 Week 12 picks

Once again we start the week with the MAC

Tuesday, Nov 15
Ball State Cardinals at Northern Illinois Huskies: A Huskies win here knocks Ball State from any division title possibilities, and solidifies their bid.  NORTHERN ILLINOIS

Wed Nov 16
Ohio Bobcats at Bowling Green Falcons:  Ohio seals their division title bid with a win here.  OHIO

Thurs Nov 17
North Carolina Tar Heels at #13 Virginia Tech Hokies:  The Hokies continue their battle for the division title.  This should be an easy victory to propel them into their showdown against Virginia next week.  VIRGINIA TECH

#19 Southern Miss Golden Eagles at UAB Blazers:  Southern Miss wins the division with this victory.  SOUTHERN MISS

Friday Nov 18
#1 Oklahoma State Cowboys at Iowa State Cyclones: The Cyclones would love to play spoiler, but the Cowboys offense is too strong.  I think the Cowboys will be playing in the BCS Championship Game, provided they don't stumble against Oklahoma.  OKLAHOMA STATE

Toledo Rockets at Central Michigan Chippewas: Toledo can continue to pressure Northern Illinois with a win here.  TOLEDO

Top 25
#2 LSU Tigers at Ole Miss Rebels:  This should be an easy win for the top SEC team.  LSU

Georgia Southern at #3 Alabama Crimson Tide:  Alabama gets to beat up on a top FCS team.  ALABAMA

#4 Oklahoma Sooners at Baylor Bears:  Baylor might give them a serious challenge, although they haven't been as dominant as they were at the start of the season.  The Sooners can use this as a good warmup for the Cowboys.  OKLAHOMA

California Golden Bears at #5 Stanford Cardinal:  Cal has played spoiler before, but they don't have the offense of the Ducks, so Stanford should get back to their winning ways.  STANFORD

SMU Mustangs at #7 Houston Cougars:  Houston continues to be an unbeaten team with no chance of being a BCS Buster.  HOUSTON

#8 Wisconsin Badgers at Illinois Fighting Illini:  The Illini have lost four after starting 6-0, and this one will be another loss.  The Illini need to salvage their season with a win next week.  WISCONSIN

#9 Boise State Broncos at San Diego State Aztecs:  The Broncos no longer have a shot at the BCS Championship Game, and likely no chance at the Mountain West title, but they are still playing for a good bowl game.  They will get back on track in this game.  BOISE STATE

Mississippi State Bulldogs at #10 Arkansas Razorbacks: The Razorbacks need a win to possibly steal the division title from LSU.  The Bulldogs can be a tough team to beat, but Arkansas seems to have a team of talented tools this season.  ARKANSAS

#18 Nebraska Cornhuskers at #11 Michigan Wolverines: This contest decides who can challenge Michigan State for the division title.  Nebraska hasn't been overly dominant in their conference games, but they tend to play well.  Michigan has been more impressive in their victories, and it's tough for visitors to play in the Big House, especially if they aren't used to it.  MICHIGAN

#12 Clemson Tigers at NC State Wolf Pack:  A win here clinches the division title for Clemson.  They won't let that slip away.  CLEMSON

Colorado State Rams at #14 TCU Horned Frogs: TCU wins the conference with a win here.  With the state of the Rams, that shouldn't be a problem.  TCU

The Citadel at #15 South Carolina Gamecocks:  There are three FCS v FBS games this week - quite a few for this late in the season.  SOUTH CAROLINA

Indiana Hoosiers at #16 Michigan State Spartans:  The Spartans play the weakest team in the conference.  Nice easy win here.  MICHIGAN STATE

#20 Cincinnait Bearcats at Rutgers Scarlet Knights:  This is a "do or die" game for Cincy's chances at the conference title.  A loss here puts them practically out of the race.  Rutgers is good, but too inconsistent.  I think Cincy will diagnose what happened last week and bounce back.  CINCY

Kentucky Wildcats at #21 Georgia Bulldogs:  Georgia has already won their division, but they won't slow down.  GEORGIA

#22 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Duke Blue Devils:  With basketball season beginning, the Duke fans attention shift to a winning team.  Good thing, as this won't be a pretty game.  GEORGIA TECH

Virginia Cavaliers at #23 Florida State Seminoles:  The Cavs need a victory to keep pace with the Hokies, but the Seminoles are pressing Clemson.  They are also chasing a good bowl game.  I'd love to see the upset, as I'd like to see the Cavs play in the conference title game, but I'm afraid the Seminoles are too good.  FLORIDA STATE

Boston College Eagles at #24 Notre Dame Fighting Irish:  BC bounced back last week, but the Irish will slap them back down.  NOTRE DAME

#25 Kansas State Wildcats at Texas Longhorns:  Amazingly, all Top 25 teams are playing this week!  The Wildcats need a win to remain in the Top 25.  They might, but Texas is also strong.  This will be a massive battle, which could go to overtime.  Can K-State win TWO lengthy games in a row?  Maybe.  KANSAS STATE

GAME OF THE WEEK:  #17 USC Trojans at #6 Oregon Ducks:  Oregon puts themselves in the Pac-12 title game with a win here.  Truthfully, given USC's postseason ban, this is truly the Pac-12 Championship Game.  USC plays well in championships, but I think Oregon's offense will prove too much for the Trojans.  OREGON

Best of the rest
New Mexico Lobos at Wyoming Cowboys:  The Cowboys are hoping to maintain pace with TCU for the conference title.  Even if they can't, they want a good record for a good bowl game.  Wyoming is having a good year, and they certainly have the tools to overwhelm the Lobos.  WYOMING

Arkansas State Red Wolves at Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders: Arkansas State has already won the Sun Belt, but they want to finish with an unbeaten conference record.  Middle Tennessee is one of the bottom teams, so they should win this one.  ARKANSAS STATE

Kansas Jayhawks at Texas A&M Aggies: Kansas fought hard last week, but the Aggies are still a strong team, despite a 5-5 record.  TEXAS A&M

Tulsa Golden Hurricane at UTEP Miners: Tulsa is chasing Houston, and they want to remain unbeaten in conference play.  They should be able to do that against the struggling Miners.  TULSA