By Chris Carlson: Week 12 was full of close call victories by undefeated TCU and Michigan along with Tennessee getting beat down.
Week 13 is rivalry week which only adds to the level of meaningful matchups regardless of what the point spread claims. So much at stake in the next two weeks almost guarantees some crazy stuff will take place.
Marquee Matchups
#2 Ohio State vs. #3 Michigan: The first item that must be mentioned is Wolverines RB Blake Corum. Not only his availability also effectiveness if he does indeed play on Saturday. U of M backup RB Donavan Edwards has already been ruled out by the way. Michigan needed late-game dramatics to beat Illinois and without much of a threat to pass especially deep equates to a long day at the horseshoe for the boys in blue. Ohio State’s depth at running back has been tested but at least they’ve managed to answer that unlike Michigan. Defiantly not saying it will be a blowout but in the end Ohio State will covers let’s put it that way.
The Pick: Ohio State -7.5
#6 USC vs. #15 Notre Dame: A long time rivalry that we could someday see in the Big Ten takes centers stage in primetime on ABC this Saturday. The Trojans are in need of a deeper resume which is what awaits USC versus Notre Dame and presumably Oregon. Keep an eye on Washington as well in the PAC-12 title game. The Irish will look to pound the rock and control time of possession to keep USC’s potent offense on the sidelines. If Notre Dame is able to hit on a few explosive gains they should at least cover if not win outright. USC’s defense needs to tighten up in the red zone and/or cause a key turnover or two. Two words some up my prediction, Caleb Williams.
The Pick: USC -5.5
Under The Radar
#9 Oregon vs. #21 Oregon State: Not all is completely loss for the Ducks after saving their hopes for a berth to the PAC-12 Championship game by beating Utah. The Beavers have been in the cut winning 5 of their last 6 outings and have the advantage of playing this rivalry game formally dubbed “The Civil War “at home. First things first, will Oregon QB Bo Nix’s ankle dramatically improve in a week? Both offenses feature a great mix of pass/run but obviously without Nix being a real run threat hurts Oregon making them more predictable. If you’re betting on this one you should wait until the last second to see the status of Nix warming up.
The Pick: Oregon -3 But If Nix doesn’t look much healthier +3 Beavers.
#19 Tulane vs. #24 Cincinnati: Winner of this flying under the radar matchup will likely play the program that beat them both, Central Florida. Since losing to UCF the Bearcats have been scrapping by but still delivering the “W’s”. Before losing to UCF Tulane had it rolling and now can earn a rematch if they win on the road. Something tells me the green wave will get a big road win on the strength of the run game and timely turnovers.
The Pick: Tulane +1
Saturday Upset Special
Minnesota bounces back from a heartbreaking loss to Iowa with a win over Wisconsin as a +3 road dog.
Washington State as a +2.5 upsets #13 Washington in front of the Cougars home crowd? Also, this should be in the hardcore barnburner section because it generally is a hard-fought game.
Hardcore Barnburner
Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech: Oklahoma started fast and we’re able to hold off a comeback by OKST last week. The Red Raiders have shown up in a big way for 3 weeks in a row resulting in two solid wins. Close to a pick’em type contest should give us a nice little barnburner to pay attention to in the 2nd half.
The Pick: Texas Tech +2
Against The Spread
South Carolina +14.5 versus Clemson or Buy More Points.
Baylor +8.5 dog versus Texas.
Nebraska +10.5 versus Iowa.
Rutgers +14 versus Maryland.
Podcast Link: https://t.co/HM1MG0OoJS
Quick Hits Recap & My Top-4 Plus 2 More.
-My Top-6: Georgia, Ohio State, TCU, Michigan, LSU, and USC.
-TCU moved to 11-0 for the first time since 2010 and also became the first BIG-12 team to go 11-0 in the College Football Playoff era.