NCAA Football 2019 Week 13 picks

Wed Nov 20
Akron Zips at Miami Ohio Redhawks:  The Redhawks may have clinched their division, but they won't slow down.  Although, even slowed, they'd get past the struggling Zips.  MIAMI OHIO

Thurs Nov 21
NC State Wolf Pack at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: The worst offense in the conference faces the worst defense in the conference. Here, I think that bad defense will give the Wolf Pack offense a chance to finally shine.  NC STATE

Fri Nov 22
Colorado State Rams at Wyoming Cowboys:  Would you believe that the Cowboys have the best defense in the Mountain West?  It's true, and that defense will make life hard for the Rams.  WYOMING

Sat Nov 23
Top 25:
#5 Penn State Nittany Lions at #1 Ohio State Buckeyes:  Prior to last week, I would have thought this game would be a lot closer than it will be now.  Penn State has lost one key defender to injury and lost another for the first half of this game.  Indiana almost engineered a comeback against this defense; the Buckeyes will establish a lead that the Nittany Lions won't bridge in the second half.  OHIO STATE

Arkansas Razorbacks at #2 LSU Tigers:  Easy win for the Tigers.  LSU

Western Carolina Catamounts (FCS) at #4 Alabama Crimson Tide:  The Catamounts aren't doing well against FCS opponents.  This will be easy, even without Tua.  ALABAMA

Texas A&M Aggies at #6 Georgia Bulldogs:  The Aggies have some strength, but they just don't have the strength to cut it between the hedges.  GEORGIA

#7 Oregon Ducks at Arizona State Sun Devils:  The Sun Devils can be a tricky team, but the Ducks are just too strong to be stopped for long.  OREGON

#8 Utah Utes at Arizona Wildcats:  Utah should make short work of the other Arizona team in the Pac-12.  UTAH

TCU Horned Frogs at #9 Oklahoma Sooners:  TCU was hoping that would be a good year for them.  It hasn't been.  OKLAHOMA

Purdue Boilermakers at #10 Wisconsin Badgers:  Wisconsin did not get their fifth shutout of the year against Nebraska.  While they might get it here, I think the Badgers will rest some of their defense in preparation for the end of the season.  They'll still win.  WISCONSIN

#11 Michigan Wolverines at Indiana Hoosiers:  Since Indiana played Penn State so closely last week, should Michigan be scared?  Especially since they might be looking forward to Ohio State next week.  This might be another close game, but I think Michigan has found their groove.  MICHIGAN

Boston College Eagles at #12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish:  The Irish wipe out the Eagles to continue their pursuit of a 10-win season.  NOTRE DAME

#13 Minnesota Golden Gophers at Northwestern Wildcats:  The Gophers lost their first game of the season last week, but they'll bounce back strongly against the struggling Wildcats.  MINNESOTA

Illinois Fighting Illini at #14 Iowa Hawkeyes:  I would love the Illini to win, but Iowa has just shown how tough they are at home.  IOWA

Texas Longhorns at #15 Baylor Bears:  Just how much did Oklahoma exhaust the Bears last week?  Texas might pull off the upset and beat them, but I'll give Baylor one final drive to get it together.  BAYLOR

Temple Owls at #16 Cincinnati Bearcats:  This should be an easy win for the Bearcats, but Temple has shown the ability to shock stronger team.  Cincy should watch out for an upset.  CINCINNATI

Samford Bulldogs (FCS) at #17 Auburn Tigers:  Another weak FCS team plays the SEC.  Easy win for Auburn in preparation for their showdown with the Tide.  AUBURN

#19 SMU Mustangs at #23 Navy Midshipmen:  Wow, oh wow, this should be an exciting game.  SMU's dynamic offense against Navy's stingy defense.  Navy pits their unbeaten home record against a team that had an extra week to prepare for this game.  SMU seems best set up to win this, but I'll give a slight nod to Navy in the upset.  NAVY

#20 Memphis Tigers at South Florida Bulls:   South Florida's defense has toughened, but their offense still stinks.  Memphis' offense will be slowed, but not stopped by the Bulls defense.  MEMPHIS

Texas State Bobcats at #21 Appalachian State Mountaineers:  The Bobcats offense won't keep up.  This game should be over by halftime.  APPALACHIAN STATE

#22 Boise State Broncos at Utah State Aggies:  The Aggies hold the last chance to prevent Boise State from winning the division.  They have been a powerful team at home this season, That certainly makes them a potential for the upset, but I feat the Broncos offense is just too strong.  BOISE STATE

#24 Air Force Falcons at New Mexico Lobos:  The Lobos haven't won a single Mountain West game.  AIR FORCE

#25 UCF Golden Knights at Tulane Green Wave:   UCF really did not need an extra week to prepare for this game.  UCF

Big Ten:
Michigan State Spartans at Rutgers Scarlet Knights:  Rutgers will still be looking for their first conference win.  MICHIGAN STATE

Nebraska Cornhuskers at Maryland Terrapins:  This will be a very close game.  I'd like to pick the home team, but Nebraska has shown some strength recently, while Maryland has dwindled.  Nebraska needs to win out in order to be bowl eligible, and this game will help get them there.  NEBRASKA

Other Games of Interest:
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at UAB Blazers:  This is a crucual game for the Bulldogs.  A loss would severely hamper their hopes at winning the division, while a win gives UAB a chance to capture it.  Worse, the Blazers are a potent home team.  Since the Bulldogs lost last week, I think they will practice extra hard this week to prevent a second consecutive loss, so I'll give them an edge, but this game will likely be close, whose lead changes several times.  LOUISIANA TECH

Troy Trojans at Louisiana Ragin Cajuns:  On the other hand, this Louisiana team should have a fairly easy time winning.  LOUISIANA

Kansas State Wildcats at Texas Tech Red Raiders:  This game could be closer than Wildcat fans would like, as the Red Raiders are not incompetent.  Kansas State should get themselves together to win, but they might be behind at halftime.  KANSAS STATE

Miami Hurricanes at Florida International Golden Panthers:  This should be a one-sided game.  MIAMI

Washington Huskies at Colorado Buffaloes:  While Washington is not going as well as they hoped this season, Colorado is having a worse season.  This should be Washington's game.  WASHINGTON

San Diego State Aztecs at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors:  Playing in Hawaii is always tough, and the Warriors have a good team this year.  However, the Aztecs have been a devastatingly effective road team, and their defense is potent.  I have found stronger defenses tend to prevail, so the Aztecs have my vote.  SAN DIEGO STATE