It's Thanksgiving weekend, which means Major Rivalry Week!
Thanksgiving Day
#22 Ole Miss Rebels at Mississippi State Bulldogs : We kick off rivalry weekend with the Egg Bowl. Despite better stats and a better record, Ole Miss is the underdog in this year's bout. That's a sure way to get their juices flowing! While I agree an upset is possible, that media slight might enrage the Rebels and push them even more. OLE MISS by six
Fri Nov 26
Boise State Broncos at #25 San Diego State Aztecs : The two division leaders in the Mountain West square off. The winner moves on to the Mountain West Championship, the loser will need some help. Both teams are strong, but the Aztecs' stronger defense I think will propel them over the Broncos quicker offense. SAN DIEGO STATE by three
#13 Iowa Hawkeyes at Nebraska Cornhuskers : No contest. Given Iowa's defense, this might be a shutout. IOWA by 16
UTEP Miners at UAB Blazers : Again we have two fairly evenly matched teams. UAB has handled the pressure of close games better this season, so I favor them. UAB by four
#2 Cincinnati Bearcats at East Carolina Pirates : It's a down year for the Pirates, although that defense might slow Cincy enough to prevent them from having the blowout win they need to impress the playoff committee. CINCY by 17
Missouri Tigers at Arkansas Razorbacks : Welcome to Hog Country, and nothing fights harder than a wild boar. Those Razorbacks are fiesty fellows, and a close loss to Alabama last week will only fire them up more. ARKANSAS by 13
#14 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at South Alabama Jaguars : Maybe the biggest blowout of the weekend. COASTAL CAROLINA by 27
UNLV Running Rebels at Air Force Falcons : The Falcons will be the running force on this field. AIR FORCE by 18
Colorado Buffaloes at #21 Utah Utes : There is no question that the Utes will win this game. The question is whether they will rest key starters in preparation for the Pac-12 Championship. UTAH by 23
TCU Horned Frogs at Iowa State Cyclones : TCU needs this win to be bowl eligible. Sorry, they won't get it. IOWA STATE by 14
North Carolina Tar Heels at #18 NC State Wolfpack : With Wake Forest playing weakling Boston College (that game is coming up), I think the Wolfpack know this game won't get them to the ACC Championship. They have incentive enough to beat up on their in-state rival. NC STATE by 18
Sat Nov 27
Top 25
#1 Georgia Bulldogs at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets : The Battle of Georgia isn't really in question this year. GEORGIA by 26
#3 Ohio State Buckeyes at #6 Michigan Wolverines : The Battle of Toledo, though, will be a bit closer. Both teams have dynamic offenses, although Ohio State's is certainly faster and stronger. The Wolverines have tuned up their running attack, an area the Buckeyes have had some trouble defending this season. Since this is in the Big House, Michigan will fight hard for the home fans. Somehow, though, Coach Harbaugh always seems to make a bad decision in the second half of this rivalry that costs Michigan, and I think he will do so again. OHIO STATE by six
#4 Alabama Crimson Tide at Auburn Tigers : The Iron Bowl looks pretty one-sided this year based on record and performance, but the Tide have shown some vulnerabilities. Do I think Auburn has a chance to win? Not a good one, but I think this game will be closer than comfort for Tide fans. ALABAMA by nine
#5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Stanford Cardinal : On paper, this game looks like a shoe-in for the Irish. On the field, however, the Cardinal love to push the Irish around, so this game won't be easy. NOTRE DAME by ten
#8 Oklahoma Sooners at #7 Oklahoma State Cowboys : Never has Bedlam faced such an interesting situation. The teams are right next to each in the rankings, the winner leads the conference (and likely faces Baylor in the Championship Game), and the winner has a reasonable shot at the college playoffs. HUGE stakes here! The Cowboys have continued to improve, so they have the momentum. They also have the crowd on their side. While they don't have the "name" talent associated with the Sooners, their players seem to mesh together much better. I like the Cowboys chances here, although this year it really is any team's ball game. OKLAHOMA STATE by three
#9 UTSA Roadrunners at North Texas Mean Green : Not in doubt. UTSA by 24
Texas Tech Red Raiders at #10 Baylor Bears : Baylor knows they go to the Big XII Championship if they win. Pack your bags, boys, you have a trip to Arlington in your future! BAYLOR by 21
#11 Houston Cougars at UConn Huskies : No contest. HOUSTON by 30
#24 Penn State Nittany Lions at #12 Michigan State Spartans : The Spartans defense will give Penn State fits. MICHIGAN STATE by 18
#15 Texas A&M Aggies at LSU Tigers : It's a down year for the Tigers, while the Aggies hope to score a bid to a New Year's Day bowl. TEXAS A&M by 20
#16 Wisconsin Badgers at Minnesota Golden Gophers : Wisconsin will know the stakes when this game starts. If Iowa won the previous day, they need to win in order to win the division. If Iowa lost, they already HAVE clinched, and may rest up before the Big Ten Championship. I think Iowa will win, so the Badgers will battle. WISCONSIN by 16
Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks at #17 Louisiana Ragin Cajuns : The Battle of Louisiana will be pretty one-sided this year. LOUISIANA by 17
#19 Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Boston College Eagles : For Wake it's easy -- win and they are in the ACC Championship. Given the collapse of BC this season, that seems very likely. WAKE FOREST by 23
#20 Pitt Panthers at Syracuse Orange : Syracuse needs a win here to be bowl eligible. While I would love to see the Orange play in a bowl, I don't think it's happening. PITT by 16
Oregon State Beavers at #23 Oregon Ducks : I thought this might be the game that knocked the Ducks out of playoff contention, but that already happened. I don't think the Ducks have identified what caused their collapse last week, so you can bet that the Beavers will use the high spirit of the Civil War to unseat favored Oregon. In an upset pick, OREGON STATE by four
Big Ten
Maryland Terrapins at Rutgers Scarlet Knights : If Maryland can limit their mistakes, they should win this game. MARYLAND by 13
Northwestern Wildcats at Illinois Fighting Illini : Northwestern just can't seem to get it together. They defense should slow the Illini, but they can't put together two consistently good drives, so their offense will keep them out of this. ILLINOIS by 12
Indiana Hoosiers at Purdue Boilermakers : Strong finish for the Boilermakers. PURDUE by 17
Other Games of Interest
Florida State Seminoles at Florida Gators : Florida is in a tailspin, and it has cost them their coach. The Seminoles started the year in trouble, but they've picked themselves up a bit. Added stakes here: the winner goes to a bowl game, and the loser doesn't. FLORIDA STATE by nine
Army Black Knights at Liberty Flames : The Flames were strong for most of the season, but they've lost their spark, and lost two games in a row. Army needs a strong lead-in for the Army-Navy Game. ARMY by 14
Georgia Southern Eagles at Appalachian State Mountaineers : Another division title is on the line, and Appalachian State tends to win those when it matters. APPALACHIAN STATE by 13
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Marshall Thundering Herd : The East division title is on the line here. Marshall has been the stronger team throughout this season, but don't discount the Hilltoppers. They don't tend to win big, but they win consistently. I think they will find a way to edge out the Herd. WESTERN KENTUCKY by six
BYU Cougars at USC Trojans : For the Trojans to have a shot at a bowl game, they have to win here. I don't think they will, especially since BYU got to rest last week. BYU by 16
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