There’s nothing like Thanksgiving week if you’re a college football fan, right?
Not only does this week offer up the chance to get our fill on various delicious meats, sides, and desserts, but our sports appetite will be more than whetted as well, with several of college football’s top rivalries taking place throughout the weekend.
Next weekend might be considered an even bigger one, with several conference titles on the line, but before the likes of Florida, Alabama, Texas, and others tend to those matters, they have to take care of upset-minded rivals first.
Of course, the week’s best game might be outside of the BCS conferences, as Boise State hosts Nevada with their BCS hopes and a WAC title on the line in what is expected to be a shootout from the start.
Do I have any upsets in the cards in this week’s Top 25 college football picks? Check them out below, and of course, if you disagree with my selections and want to chime in with your own, don’t hesitate to comment.
As always, the lines in this week’s college football picks are brought to you by SBG Global.
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Will Colt McCoy and Texas leave College Station with their national title hopes intact?
Thursday
Texas A&M vs. Texas (-21)
The last time that Texas went to College Station as an undefeated team, in 2005, the Aggies very nearly pulled off the upset.
This Aggies team has the offense to put a scare into the ‘Horns, no doubt about that. The problem, however, is a pass defense that’s running into an on-fire quarterback.
Prediction: Texas 41, TEXAS A&M 25
Friday
Auburn vs. Alabama (-10)
Could the Tigers shake things up by upsetting the Tide? They certainly could, and in fact, I think they can keep it close throughout. The question is: Can Auburn stop Mark Ingram? Not with a run defense that’s ranked 88th in the country.
Prediction: ALABAMA 24, Auburn 13
Cincinnati (-20 ½) vs. Illinois
Will the Bearcats get caught looking ahead to their Big East title decider at Pittsburgh? Not likely. This will be Senior Day for Tony Pike and Marshawn Gilyard, and they’ll commemorate it by hooking up on a regular basis on the way to a resounding Cincinnati win.
Prediction: Cincinnati 38, ILLINOIS 20
Boise State (-13 ½) vs. Nevada
This game should be one of the most exciting games of the college football season, and if you don’t tune in on Friday night, you’ll be missing out. As impressively as Boise State has been beating up on WAC foes, Nevada has been doing the same, and the Wolf Pack have the firepower to pull off the shocker. Will they? I think they’ll fall a little short, but they’ll earn a lot of new fans along the way.
Prediction: Boise State 52, NEVADA 42
West Virginia (Pick) vs. Pittsburgh (Pick)
This game doesn’t have any bearing on the Big East title race, as Pitt could lose in Morgantown and still win the Big East if they beat Cincinnati next week, but the Panthers will more than be up for the latest edition of the Backyard Brawl. Hopefully this showdown won’t be nearly as ugly as the last two, but if that’s the path that Pitt takes to their 10th victory and their third straight over the Mountaineers, then so be it.
Prediction: PITTSBURGH 23, West Virginia 20
Colorado owns an upset win over Kansas and nearly did the trick on the road against a Zac Robinson-less Oklahoma State team last week, so don’t discount their chances against Nebraska.
However, they’ll be more than a little fortunate if they can score even a third of the 65 points that they scored last time the Huskers came to Boulder, and with the way Nebraska’s defense is playing, the Buffs might be fortunate to even get a fifth of that. And even if there’s some defensive improvement on Colorado’s part, I don’t see it being nearly enough for the upset.
Prediction: NEBRASKA 20, Colorado 6
Saturday
Florida (-24 ½) vs. Florida State
Have you see the Seminoles play defense lately? Wait, what’s that? That’s right, they haven’t been. Tim Tebow has put up huge numbers against FSU in each of the last two years, and given the factors (Senior Day, his previous success vs. FSU, the Noles’ defensive ineptitude), it’s not unreasonable to expect the same outcome.
Prediction: Florida 42, FLORIDA STATE 19
TCU (-44 ½) vs. New Mexico
All that stands between TCU and a BCS bowl is a 1-10 team. At home. It couldn’t get any easier, right? The Lobos came close to upsetting BYU a couple of weeks ago, are coming off of their long-awaited first win of the season, and would love nothing more to make TCU sweat a little.
However, as far as the Horned Frogs have come, they wouldn’t be denied even if they had to face Utah or BYU in their season finale.
Prediction: TCU 48, New Mexico 3
No Georgia fan wants to remember what happened last year in Athens, when the Jackets turned a 28-12 halftime deficit completely around by scoring 26 unanswered points in the third quarter en route to a 45-42 win. That Georgia team was pretty good. This one isn’t. Worse yet, this Georgia Tech team is better than last year’s. Losing at home to Kentucky didn’t do much for the Mark Richt detractors, and this will turn up the heat all the more, whether or not it’s justified.
Prediction: GEORGIA TECH 34, Georgia 17
Oklahoma (-9) vs. Oklahoma State
Quite the reversal of roles here. While the Cowboys are in the hunt for a BCS berth, the Sooners come in with a 6-5 record and likely all too ready for a nightmare season to be over with. Zac Robinson will likely be back at QB for Oklahoma State after missing the Colorado game, and that’s huge, but I do think there’s still some fight left in Oklahoma somewhere, even after the way the season has gone to this point.
Prediction: Oklahoma 28, OKLAHOMA STATE 21
Virginia vs. Virginia Tech (-16)
So, is this Al Groh’s last stand? Time and time again over the years, the Cavaliers have delivered when Groh’s job was on the line, but it might take only the blowout of blowouts to keep Groh employed. Unfortunately, his fate is signed, sealed, and will be delivered sometime in the near future, but not before the Hokies get their kicks in.
Prediction: Virginia Tech 27, VIRGINIA TECH 14
BYU (-7 ½) vs. Utah
This one isn’t to decide a BCS berth, but both teams are looking to reach 10 wins for the season, and hey, it’s BYU-Utah. Perhaps after the game they can commiserate about how they both got whipped by TCU, but during the game, there won’t be too many pleasantries. The Cougars will be looking to deliver some revenge after last year’s 48-24 loss in Salt Lake City, and revenge will indeed be delivered.
Prediction: BYU 31, UTAH 28
South Carolina vs. Clemson (-3)
The two Palmetto State archrivals come into this one on opposite ends of the spectrum. Clemson rolls into Columbia with six wins in a row and the ACC title game to look forward to, while the Gamecocks limp into their season finale with four losses in their last five games.
South Carolina needs this one to at least partially appease those left disappointed by another mediocre season. Unfortunately for them, they’re not the same team that started 5-1, and Clemson isn’t the same one that started the season 2-3.
Prediction: CLEMSON 31, South Carolina 21
We’ve seen thriller after thriller between these fierce rivals in recent seasons, and I don’t expect anything different on Saturday. This is a must-win for LSU, who went from having a chance to jump into the national title race a few weeks ago to staring at another mediocre finish.
Ryan Mallett struggled against the tough defenses that he faced earlier in the season, but he comes in on fire in Arkansas’ four-game win streak (78 for 107, 1,295 yards, 11 TD, 3 INT), and if he gets it going, can LSU keep up? Unfortunately for Les Miles, I don’t think so.
Prediction: ARKANSAS 30, LSU 23
Case Keenum and Houston will clinch a berth in the Conference USA title game with a win over Rice.
Rice has one of the most porous pass defenses in the country, as the Owls are giving up 256 pass yards per game and have allowed 25 touchdown passes this season. Against the nation’s most prolific passer, that’s a recipe for disaster.
Prediction: HOUSTON 49, Rice 17
Well isn’t this a rarity? UCLA comes in as the hot team, having won three in a row, while the Trojans come in having dropped two in blowout fashion, with an ugly win over Arizona State sandwiched in between.
I think having an off week will have greatly benefited USC and allowed them to regroup and refocus after a couple of crushing defeats, and while the offense still might not be in for a resurgence against the Bruins, I do look for a convincing defensive performance.
Prediction: USC 27, UCLA 10
North Carolina State vs. North Carolina (-5 ½)
North Carolina State has lost six of their last seven, and in that span, they’ve turned the ball over a whopping 22 times.
Why does that matter? Because North Carolina has forced 14 turnovers during their current four-game win streak. Hmm…
Prediction: NORTH CAROLINA 24, N.C. State 14
Mississippi State vs. Ole Miss (-8)
Losing season as it may be for MSU, it’ll end on quite a high if the Bulldogs can deliver a blow to Ole Miss’ Cotton Bowl hopes. Anthony Dixon comes into his final collegiate game within reach of the MSU’s single-season rushing record and 4,000 yards for his career. He may well fall a little short, but he and the Bulldogs won’t be denied a win in their season finale.
Prediction: MISSISSIPPI STATE 31, Ole Miss 24
