Week 12 Predictions

Week 11 Record: 8-2
Overall Record: 73-37 (66.4%)


Friday, November 19
#50 Fresno State 21 @ #4 Boise State 47. How many times do I have to write it: Boise simply does not lose at home. Ever.

Saturday, November 20
#9 Wisconsin 34 @ #30 Michigan 24. Wisconsin just has too much offense for the Wolverine's much-maligned defense to handle.


#8 Stanford 30 @ #60 California 20. THE GAME. Cal is respectable at home, and horrendous on the road. Stanford comes into Strawberry Canyon looking to stay in the BCS race (sort of).


#7 Ohio State 20 @ #22 Iowa 24. UPSET SPECIAL! The Hawkeyes are tremendous in Kinnick Stadium, their sole loss to #9 Wisconsin by 1 point in the final minute. Ohio State hasn't played anyone. No, seriously. Ohio State has a worse strength of schedule to this point than Boise or TCU. (but better than Oregon!)


#17 Virginia Tech 31 @ #26 Miami 17. With a win, Va Tech crushes any hopes Miami had of winning the ACC. Hokies roll.


#14 Arkansas 45 @ #21 Mississippi State 34. The Hogs' Offense will dismantle Miss State's D, and the Bulldogs simply don't have the firepower to keep up.


#29 Florida State 30 @ #31 Maryland 17. Thought about calling the upset here, but Florida State has its eyes on the prize of an ACCCG berth (yes, this is a desireable thing in some places on planet earth).


#31 NC State 28 @ #47 North Carolina 17. North Carolina has the athletes to pull off the upset. Unfortunately, most of them are sitting on the bench, indefinitely.


#57 Illinois 19 @ # 40 Northwestern 27. Gameday comes to Chicago and Wrigley Field for the first football game within the ballpark in decades. Illinois is coming off perhaps the worst loss (it's hard to be precise; there have been so very many bad ones in Zook's time) in the last decade to an abysmal Minnesota team. Northwestern is riding high off a win over Iowa. Those patterns will continue this week.

Game of the Week: #10 Nebraska @ #18 Texas A&M
GOTW Record: 7-4

• Nebraska Offense vs. Texas A&M Defense. The teams are very evenly matched, A&M's rush D is excellent, as is Nebraska's rush offense. The Aggies have been torched through the air, but Nebraska doesn't throw much. +/-0
• Texas A&M Offense vs. Nebraska Defense. The Aggies are going to have to force the run, because there is no way a still-new starting QB breaks the Nebraska Secondary where Jake Locker, Nathan Enderle, Justin Weeden, and Blaine Gabbert have failed. Luckily the NU rush defense is relatively soft. +/-0
• Turnovers. The Aggies are beset by turnovers, which the Nebraska D thrives on. Interceptions will be extremely costly versus the Huskers. Neb -1
• The 12th Man. The Aggies are ready to have a rowdy environment for the Huskers when they arrive in College Station. But the Huskers actually do better on the road than at home, where they have won 9 straight Big 12 road contests. +/-0

The Verdict: Nebraska -1

The Pick: Well, a very big part of me says the Aggies are going to continue their hot streak. Another part says Nebraska's road winning streak is quite impressive. But all streaks have to break sometime. This one says it'll be the Huskers': Texas A&M 31, Nebraska 27.