While Michigan covered easily and Cal made for a nice underdog pick at Stanford, Oklahoma and Oregon both lost outright which gave me a 2-2 record for Week 12. That puts me at 26-20-2 on the season with just two weeks remaining until Bowl season starts. Maybe the college football gods will humor me with a victory this weekend…

…ha! That’s rich.

Georgia @ Georgia Tech, 12:00PM ET
I fully expect the Bulldogs to have a hangover after clinching a SEC title berth last weekend in their highly impressive 19-10 romp over Kentucky. (/end sarcasm.) The Yellow Jackets are 4-1 against the spread in their last five non-conference games and 5-2 ATS in their last seven versus the SEC. The Dawgs, meanwhile, are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games versus a team with a winning record and 1-4 ATS in their last five non-conference games. I like GA Tech to hang with its in-state rivals today, if not win outright.
THE PICK: GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS +6

Oregon State @ Oregon, 3:30PM ET
Following their loss last Saturday to USC, the Ducks really only have one chance to reach the national title game: Blow out their next two opponents and hope like hell the top teams fall. Oregon State would seem like a massive value at +28 but Oregon is angry. This one could get real ugly, real fast and Chip Kelly isn’t going to stop lighting up the scoreboard if he gets a chance.
THE PICK: OREGON DUCKS –27.5

Penn State @ Wisconsin, 3:30PM ET
Even though they won last Saturday in Illinois, the Badgers’ 28-17 victory over the Illini certainly wasn’t impressive. Thus, I like them to “bounce back” against a Penn State team this weekend that simply doesn’t have the offensive firepower to match the likes of Montee Ball and Russell Wilson. The favorite is 6-0 against the spread in the last six meetings between these two teams while the home squad is 4-1 against the number in the last five meetings.
THE PICK: WISCONSIN BADGERS –14.5

Clemson @ South Carolina, 7:45PM ET
The Tigers have turned the ball over 11 times in their last three games and the Gamecocks have a very opportunistic defense. That sounds like a recipe for disaster for Clemson, which is just 1-4 against the number in its last five games against South Carolina. I’m not a big fan of laying the points with the Gamecocks, who have a habit of making things more interesting than they need to be. That said, Clemson certainly doesn’t look like a team right now that deserves to be playing in the ACC title game.
THE PICK: SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS –3.5

Check out College Football Point Spreads at Bullz-Eye.com.

It’s November, and predicting college games in November is akin to jamming your hand down a garbage disposal with a ring on each finger.

In other words, it can be a bloody mess of a situation.

Sorry for the graphic nastiness. I’m just a little salty after going 1-3 last week, which dropped my season record to 24-18-2. That’s not bad overall but when you consider I haven’t had a winning week in a while, I’m a little on edge. (I’ve had plenty of .500 weeks, but a push is not a win, my friends.)

The hook screwed me in the Nebraska-Penn State game while Illinois was thumped at home by Michigan and Nevada couldn’t cover the digits against Hawaii. Louisiana Tech was an easy winner at Ole Miss, but a 1-3 record isn’t going to do it. Unless, of course, you name your prediction column “Fade Material.” Then you’re covered either way. (See, smart, huh?)

On to this week’s nastiness…

Nebraska @ Michigan, 12:00PM ET
I think the Huskers are a pile of inconsistent dirty diapers. One week they hold Michigan State to only a field goal and then come out the following Saturday and lose to Northwestern at home. Then they build a 17-0 lead on Penn State only to keep the Nittany Lions in it until the very end. My point is, I don’t trust Nebraska. I don’t know what I’m getting in Nebraska. I know what I’m getting in Michigan. They can’t throw the ball but Denard Robinson is going to make plays and the Wolverines have been unbeatable at home this year. The hook scares the hell out of me after what happened last week at Happy Valley but I’m going to roll the dice anyway with the home favorite.
THE PICK: MICHIGAN –3.5

Oklahoma @ Baylor, 8:00PM ET
The Sooners are done losing this year (at least in the regular season) and they clearly are out to prove that they’re still national-title worthy. The last time these two teams met was in Waco last year, where Oklahoma rolled to a 53-24 victory. I expect more of the same this year from Landry Jones and Co. Robert Griffin III is a nice player but I trust Oklahoma’s defense to stop Baylor’s explosive offense way more than I trust the Bears to slow down the Sooners.
THE PICK: OKLAHOMA –15

USC @ Oregon, 8:00PM ET
When I first saw this line I said, “Wow, 14.5 points? USC has more than enough talent to hang with Oregon and cover that spread.” Then I remembered how badly the Ducks took it to the Trojans in Southern Cal last year and one of the many unwritten rules of college football betting: Never go against Oregon in Eugene. I think I’m 0-42 either with or against the Ducks this season, but I like them tonight. Matt Barkley will keep things close at first but Oregon is just too explosive on its home turf.
THE PICK: OREGON –14.5

Cal @ Stanford, 10:15PM ET
With the way Andrew Luck and Co. lost last Saturday to Oregon, I think it’ll take them a quarter or two to shake off the bad vibes. Cal is a very imperfect team but its more than capable of hanging with the Cardinal if Stanford comes out in a fog. Call this one a hunch, but I like the Golden Bears to stay within a touchdown or two of the Cardinal.
THE PICK: CAL +17.5

Check out College Football Point Spreads at Bullz-Eye.com.

After Stanford failed to top Cal earlier in the evening, Jermiah Masoli provided some late-game heroics for his Oregon Ducks. In double overtime, Masoli took the snap at the Arizona Wildcats’ 1-yard line and ran the ball in for a touchdown. The Ducks will now face Oregon St. next week to see which team advances to the Rose Bowl.

The Rose Bowl race is no longer complicated: The winner of Oregon (7-1) versus Oregon State (6-2) on Dec. 3 (a Thursday) in the most important Civil War ever played will earn the Pac-10′s automatic bid to Pasadena.

Arizona, the only Pac-10 or Big Ten Conference team never to play in the Rose Bowl, is still that team after a wrenching defeat pinned a third league loss on the Wildcats. Arizona had already succumbed this season, to Washington, on a game-winning touchdown that deflected off a receiver’s foot.

What else could bounce off something to torture Arizona?

How about Oregon’s kicker, Morgan Flint, tying the score, 24-24, in the fourth quarter with a 43-yard field goal that deflected in off the crossbar?

Assuming the Ducks win their all-state showdown, they’ll finish the season with a record of 10-2. They would then meet the Ohio State Buckeyes, another 10-2 team ranked in the top 10, in the Rose Bowl. We’ll see how the other Bowl games take shape, but this one at least sounds appealing.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

I thought this week in college football was going to be a massive dud. However, after UConn’s emotional victory over Notre Dame and now this thrilling finish in Oxford, I’ve been proven wrong.

Although the majority of the game was evenly matched, people are simply going to focus on the Tigers’ final drive. Ole Miss came out with a contagious passion, displaying confidence on both ends of the field. The Rebels held LSU to five plays and nine yards in the first quarter — pretty impressive. Still, LSU capitalized on key opportunities, particularly after a blocked field goal which Patrick Peterson returned for a 53-yard touchdown. Despite their underwhelming start, LSU had a slight lead over their opponents at the half: 17-15.

Before this game, LSU was 38-5 when leading at the half under coach Les Miles. That’s strange, because what followed was a downright sloppy performance by the Tigers’ defense. Dexter McCluster — one of the most exciting players to watch in all of college football — embarrassed the Tigers’ front seven, exposing its weaknesses on many of his 24 carries. Rebels quarterback Jevan Snead had an solid game, but it was McCluster who actually threw his team’s sole touchdown, finding Shay Hodge in the fourth.

With less than two minutes left in the game, it looked as though Ole Miss had this one in the bag. However, LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson has shown essential composure under pressure. With the clock winding down, he hit Rueben Randle for a 25-yard touchdown pass. The score was 25-23 in favor of Ole Miss, so the Tigers went for the two-point conversion. They failed, but the Tigers weren’t ready to quit.

In his deliberate coaching style, Les Miles immediately ordered an onside kick. Somehow sneaking by McCluster, the Tigers’ Brandon LaFell recovered the ball. Jefferson then connected with LaFell for a 26-yard reception. For a brief moment, I thought LSU was going to pull through. Three plays later it was fourth-and-26 from the Ole Miss 48. Only nine seconds remained. What, only nine seconds? Where did all the time go? Well, LSU wasted 17 seconds after their third down before calling a time out. The stadium held its breath as Jefferson threw downfield to Terrance Toliver. Surrounded by Rebels, Toliver made a remarkable catch at the Rebels’ six-yard line. Here comes the Tigers’ field goal team to win the game. Wait, never mind. With the clock stopped on the one second mark for the referees to reset the chains, Les Miles froze. What happened to that readiness? His field goal team never stepped on the field. Instead, Jefferson attempted to spike the ball. Blah. The clock ran out and Ole Miss had defeated LSU at home for the first time in eleven years.

It was a perplexing end to a magnificent game.

No. 17 Ball State puts its season on the line Wednesday night in Mt. Pleasant when they take on MAC rival Central Michigan at 7:00PM ET.

I know, I know – it’s MAC football. Who cares right?

Most will look at this game and shrug it off as just another useless game in the middle of the week, but the ramifications for both teams are pretty high and it should make for an exciting game. First and foremost, Ball State is 10-0 and trying to prove that its an elite program, although if last week’s performance against Miami of Ohio was any indication, the Cardinals are who we think they are – a great MAC team, but one that would get destroyed by the likes of any team ranked ahead of them in the polls.

Meanwhile, the Chippewas are 8-2, but more importantly (at least to them), they’re 6-0 in the MAC. A CMU victory would not only be a huge upset, but it would also catapult the Chips into first place in the MAC West Division and a chance to win the conference for the third straight year. This isn’t just a MAC game – it’s the MAC game of the year.

The Cardinals have essentially steamrolled their competition this season, but also haven’t played any truly tough opponents, unless you consider Navy and Indiana as tough. They did crush Northern Illinois – who has vastly improved this season – 45-14 on November 5th, but the Huskies are still far from an elite team right now.

An upset might be in order tonight. At one point this season, CMU quarterback Dan LeFevour was considered a candidate for the Heisman Trophy but an ankle injury sidetracked his season. He led the Chips to win over NIU last week and appears to be healthy again.

The key in this game, however, will be whether or not CMU’s defense can slow down Nate Davis and the BSU offense, which is averaging close to 40 points a game. The Chips certainly have the offense to compete with the Cardinals, but their no-huddle approach only gets BSU’s explosive passing attack back on the field quicker. And CMU has been known to allow opponents to sneak back into ball games in the second half (see their game at Northern last week as proof), which certainly would spell disaster against a solid Cardinal team.

Either way, football is being played on a Wednesday night. And not only that, but a team is actually unbeaten and ranked…and is playing on Wednesday night. You can’t ask for more.

It’s amazing how trends develop in football. For example: players leaping over each other. I’ve seen it so many times that I’m almost beginning to expect a running back or wide receiver to leap over a defender to gain an extra couple of yards.

Here’s the latest example of a player jumping over a defender as Beanie Wells does his Superman impression in leaping over an Illinois’ defensive back in the Buckeyes’ 30-20 victory last Saturday.

Love the music. And as long as defensive backs are going to keep trying to tackle players low, I think we’ll see more plays like this.

- Raise your hand if you thought Stanford would upset USC again when the score was tied 17-17 at halftime. (Hand raised.)

- Not that a ton of people care about Conference USA, but what a statement by Houston. I don’t know what was more impressive, the fact that the Cougars scored 70 points or that they held Tulsa to only 30 points.

- Iowa’s Shonn Grenne (30 carries, 211 yards in a 22-17 win over Purdue) is a legit Heisman candidate for 2009.

- What happened to Kansas? I realize they didn’t play any of the top teams in the Big 12 last year, but they’re better than 6-5 aren’t they?

- They might have won 34-7, but Penn State’s win over Indiana was the least impressive 34-7 victory in some time.

- One of the more underrated rivalries in college football is Georgia-Auburn. And the Tigers easily have one of the more underrated defenses in the nation.

- Early upset watch for Week 13: Nevada over Boise State. The Wolf Pack’s offense is good enough to keep pace with the Broncos’ explosive attack and Boise hasn’t faced a tough opponent all year. (Unless you consider when they faced Oregon and their fourth string quarterback a tough opponent.)

- Worst…Michigan…season…ever.

- Underrated game of the week: No. 14 Ball State at Central Michigan next Wednesday.

- College football fans were cheated by not getting to see Beanie Wells run for a full season. He was amazing against Illinois.

- How about Troy hanging with LSU in Baton Rouge? Had they not turned the ball over three times, the Trojans could have pulled off one of the best upsets in college football this season.

The rankings and polls suggest that Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide is the best team in college football. Considering they’re 11-0 this season with wins over previously No. 1 ranked Georgia and SEC foe LSU in Baton Rouge, it’s hard to question why the polls have ‘Bama at numero uno.

But are the Tide the legit top ranked team in the nation or are they there by default because they’re unbeaten? With the way Florida crushed South Carolina 56-6 on Saturday and have run roughshod over everybody since losing to Ole’ Miss in late September, are the Gators the true No. 1 team in college football?

Not to take anything away from Alabama or No. 2 Texas Tech, but no team in college football is playing better than Florida is right now. They’re arguably the fastest team in the nation and their defense has played absolutely remarkable this season, holding opponents to just over 11 points a game.

Obviously we’ll know more on December 6 when the Tide and Gators meet in the SEC Championship Game, but you just get the feeling that Alabama is due to stumble. They weren’t overly impressive in a 32-7 win over Mississippi State on Saturday (at least in the first half) and they’ve struggled playing four quarters outside of their impressive win over LSU.

If the two teams meet tomorrow on neutral ground, I’ve got to believe that Florida would hand ‘Bama its first loss of the season.

Top 25 vs. Top 25
No. 25 South Carolina at. No. 4 Florida, 3:30 PM ET CBS
After they were shocked by Ole’ Miss and turned in a lackluster performance in a win over Arkansas, the Gators trounced LSU, Kentucky, Georgia and Vanderbilt in convincing fashion. Nothing against the three teams ranked higher, but Florida might be the best team in college football right now. Tim Tebow has resurrected his Heisman candidacy after rushing for five touchdowns and accounting for 424 total yards in the Gators’ 51-31 win over the Gamecocks last year. But Steve Spurrier’s squad has been one of the hottest teams in the nation over the past couple of weeks. The rotation of Stephen Garcia and Chris Smelley at quarterback has lifted South Carolina and the defense has played inspired. This is a better matchup than most think, although it’s highly possibly that Florida could roll with how well they’ve played over the past month. Expect the Gators to use this as another statement game leading up to their huge battle with Alabama in the SEC Championship Game December 6.

Upset Watch:
No. 16 North Carolina at Maryland, 3:30 PM ET ABC
The Terps have clearly been a different team at home than on the road where they’re 4-0 and averaging 25.5 points per game as opposed to 1-3 and 11.75 PPG on the road. Maryland has also won five straight against ranked opponents the past two years and still control their own destiny in the ACC Atlantic. Three wins in their final three games would send the Terps to the ACC title game, which is amazing considering this was the same team that got drubbed 31-0 by Virginia. If Maryland is going to pull off the upset they’ll need to get Da’Rel Scott and Davin Meggett going in the running game because putting the ball in the air against the Tar Heels is a risky proposition. UNC has one of the best ball hawking defenses in the nation and has forced opponents into mistakes all season. If the Terps play things close to the vest offensively and rely on their defense to win the game, an upset could be in the making.

Other notable games:
Mississippi State at No. 1 Alabama, 7:45 PM ET
It’s highly unlikely the Tide lose focus against a 3-6 Mississippi State team, but the Bulldogs did pull off one of the better upsets of the year when they crushed previously No. 13 Vanderbilt 34-3.

No. 3 Texas at Kansas, 12:30 PM ET
The Longhorns try to keep in the national title hunt while the Jayhawks look to end the season as quickly as possible.

No. 10 Georgia at Auburn, 12:30 PM ET
This is one of the more underrated rivalries in the SEC.

If Ball State is the 14th-best team in the nation, than Charlie Weis is the coach of the year. How this team is ranked higher than BYU, TCU, LSU and even Tulsa is beyond me.

The Cardinals put their unbeaten season on the line Tuesday night against fellow MAC opponent Miami of Ohio and they came away with a 31-16 victory. They might have won by double-digits, but this was one of the least impressive performances by ranked team I’ve seen all season.

First and foremost, Miami of Ohio is a bottom feeder in the MAC. Yet they were able to score on every possession in the first half except for one, which they could have scored on had they not turned the ball over on a fumble in Ball State territory. Had the Redbirds not killed touchdown drives on their own with poor execution (i.e. dropped passes, passes thrown into double-coverage, etc.), they could have easily hung 30-plus points on the Cardinals. At one point late in the second half, a Miami receiver dropped a touchdown pass with nobody around him because the defender had fallen down 10 yards away from the play. And again, this isn’t a very good Miami of Ohio team. Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t lining up under center. If they played even a decent MAC team on Tuesday night the Cardinals probably lose.

Granted, this was only one game and they did crush Northern Illinois (a decent MAC team) a week ago. But if Ball State gets into a BCS bowl game (highly, highly unlikely even if they go undefeated), they’ll get shredded. If they played Florida tomorrow, they would lose by 70. If they played anybody with remotely a decent defense, they would get embarrassed.

Nate Davis is a great player and Ball State’s offense is fun to watch against other MAC opponents, but this isn’t like previous years where an undefeated Boise State or West Virginia team deserves a chance to see what they can do against the big boys. In fact, I’d be willing to say that the Cardinals don’t get past Central Michigan or Western Michigan the next two weeks. I don’t mean to crap all over a nice story, but the reality of the situation is that Ball doesn’t have the horses to stack up against other ranked programs.

Update: Eating crow: Ball State is no joke