NCAA Week 13 picks

It's the final full weekend of FBS games, and some chief rivalries get played.  We also have teams battling for the final conference and divisional titles, so it will be exciting.

Tues Nov 21
Kent State Golden Flashes at Akron Zips:  The Zips need a win to clinch a spot in the MAC championship.  Given Kent State's problems, that seems likely.  AKRON

Thurs Nov 23
Ole Miss Rebels at #22 Mississippi State Bulldogs:  In an in-state rivalry like this one, records don't always apply.  In this case, though, it is a good indication of which team has the talent and which one does not.  Wither Ole Miss.  MISSISSIPPI STATE

Fri Nov 24
#14 South Florida Bulls at #5 UCF Golden Knights:  The two best teams in the American Athletic Conference face off.  The winner goes to the conference championship game against Memphis, the loser misses out on a New Years Day bowl.  UCF is unbeaten with a dynamic offense, but the South Florida defense is stingy and fierce.  This will be a close game.  I'll favor UCF, but that Bulls defense could be enough to swing the game their way.  UCF

#9 Miami Hurricanes at Pitt Panthers:  The Hurricanes get a breather before their ACC Championship bout against Clemson, and they may need it.  Miami has not been overly impressive until their win over Notre Dame, and they need a chance to ground themselves before they face the stiff Clemson defense.  MIAMI

Baylor Bears at #13 TCU Horned Frogs:  TCU chalks up another win against the struggling Bears, and catapults into the pseudo-championship game.  TCU

#17 Virginia Tech Hokies at Virginia Cavaliers:  Virginia was a surprisingly strong team earlier in the season, but recently they have slipped.  Tech should be able emerge victorious without too much effort.  VIRGINIA TECH

Western Michigan Broncos at #24 Toledo Rockets:  The Rockets have been perfect at home, and they need to continue that trend to win their division.  They should, but the Broncos won't make that easy.  TOLEDO

Iowa Hawkeyes at Nebraska Cornhuskers:  Iowa has lost two games in a row, but they are still a strong team, and they should demonstrate that this week against a chronically underperforming Cornhuskers team.  IOWA

Northern Illinois Huskies at Central Michigan Chippewas:  The Huskies need a Rockets loss to advance to the MAC championship.  They may not get that, but it won't stop them from playing hard to finish with a 9-3 record.  NORTHERN ILLINOIS

Navy Midshipmen at Houston Cougars:  It may not be as meaningful as the South Florida-UCF game, but this might be the most exciting (and closest) American Athletic game of the weekend.  Navy is an almost run-exclusively offense, Houston has a strong running defense.  Navy's defense is fast and Houston's receivers rely more on finese than speed.  This game could really interesting before it concludes.  HOUSTON

Ohio Bobcats at Buffalo Bulls:  Ohio will already know if they can make the MAC championship.  Even if they can't, they're playing for one of their best seasons in school history.  OHIO

New Mexico Lobos at San Diego State Aztecs:  San Diego State is playing for a ten-win season, which could get them into the Top 25.  SAN DIEGO STATE

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Florida International Golden Panthers:  Call it the Compensation Bowl.  Both of these teams had a chance at the division title, now the winner is simply playing for a seven-win season and a near-certain bowl bid.  WESTERN KENTUCKY

Sat Nov 25
#1 Alabama Crimson Tide at #8 Auburn Tigers:  Like many instances of the Iron Bowl, the winner of this game advances to the SEC Championship Game.  Alabama certainly has the talent and the momentum, but Auburn has gotten really motivated for their toughest opponents this season.  An upset could be looming.  ALABAMA

#2 Wisconsin Badgers at Minnesota Golden Gophers:  Wisconsin should conclude this game unbeaten moving into the Big Ten championship game next week.  WISCONSIN

#3 Clemson Tigers at South Carolina Gamecocks:  South Carolina can be tricky, but the Clemson defense is just too strong this year to consider an upset.  CLEMSON

West Virginia Mountaineers at #4 Oklahoma Sooners:  Can West Virginia engineer the upset and knock the Sooners out of the playoffs?  Maybe, but I'll have to see it to believe it.  OKLAHOMA

#6 Ohio State Buckeyes at #23 Michigan Wolverines:  The Buckeyes come to the Big House for this year's edition of the War of Toledo.  Michigan wants a win, but I don't think they'll get it.  Even if Peters comes back to play this game, the Buckeyes are too tough.  OHIO STATE

#7 Penn State Nittany Lions at Maryland Terrapins:  The Nittany Lions will advance to a New Years Day bowl with a strong victory over the inconsistent Terrapins.  PENN STATE

#10 Georgia Bulldogs at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets:  This is another rivalry game where one rival has why too much power over the other this year.  GEORGIA

#20 Washington State Cougars at #11 Washington Huskies:  The Apple Bowl gets some added excitement, as a Cougars upset sends them to the Pac-12 Championship Game.  Washington certainly has the tools to prevent that, but the Cougars will play very committed football.  WASHINGTON

#12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at #19 Stanford Cardinal:  Another intense rivalry game, and this one should be exciting!  The Irish have a dynamic offense, but the Cardinal defense can make life hard for opponents.  Stanford also has an unbeaten home record this season, so that shows how tough it can be to play them.  Notre Dame has the edge, but watch out if Stanford gets the ball last with less than six points behind.  NOTRE DAME

Kansas Jayhawks at #15 Oklahoma State Cowboys:  This should be an easy win for the Cowboys.  OKLAHOMA STATE

#18 Boise State Broncos at Fresno State Bulldogs:  It's Mountain West Championship Round 1, as these two will face each other again next week.  It's hard to beat the same team two weeks in a row.  If the Fresno State coaching staff is smart, they will hold back some trick plays, and use this week to gauge Boise State.  Then, in next week's Mountain West Championship, throw everything they have at them.  BOISE STATE

East Carolina Pirates at #21 Memphis Tigers:  The usually-stingy Pirates defense has evaporated this season, so Memphis will get a nice easy game leading to next week's American Athletic Championship.  MEMPHIS

#25 Northwestern Wildcats at Illinois Fighting Illini:  The Illini will fail to win a conference game this season as the Wildcats extend their winning streak to seven games.  NORTHWESTERN

Big Ten
Michigan State Spartans at Rutgers Scarlet Knights:  Rutgers have lost the chance at a bowl.  Could they play spoiler to the Spartans?  Not with the defense those Spartans have.  MICHIGAN STATE

Indiana Hoosiers at Purdue Boilermakers:  The winner is bowl eligible.  That will have both fighting hard, but I think the Hoosiers have the better offense.  INDIANA

Other Games of Interest
Louisville Cardinals at Kentucky Wildcats:  This game would be more interesting if the basketball teams were playing, but both teams have 7-4 records right now.  Who goes on to win their eighth?  You can never count out Lamar Jackson, so I have to favor the Cardinals.  LOUISVILLE