Week 12 vs. the Machine's Record: 8-9 (-1)
Overall Record: 81-39 (67.5%)
Overall vs. the Machine: 23-23 (+/-0) (50%)
Thursday, November 25
#20 Texas A&M 17 at #63 Texas 9. An Aggies win would give A&M its first 9-win season since 1998, and Texas its first losing season since 1997. Texas will be lucky to score on the Wrecking Crew. A&M rolls in Austin.
Friday, November 26
#1 Auburn 27 at #13 Alabama 34. Alabama's 20-game home winning streak is on the line, and the Tide would like nothing better than to throw a big stick in Auburn's national title dreams. Auburn hasn't faired extremely well in road environments (at Mississippi State, Kentucky, and Ole Miss... not exactly an intimidating stretch), and Tuscaloosa for the Iron Bowl will be a whole 'nother animal.
#25 Arizona 34 at #3 Oregon 48. Oregon's defense isn't overpowering, but all it has to do is find one stop and let the Ducks O do its thing: Score points. Lots of them.
#4 Boise State 41 at #12 Nevada 30. The Bronco defense will be severely tested by Colin Kaepernick, the dual-threat QB at Nevada, who is one of the most overlooked playmakers in the nation. The Wolfpack will hang around for a while, but the Boise Bus simply isn't stopping in Reno.
Saturday, November 27
#36 Michigan 20 at #5 Ohio State 31. Ohio State has a defense, and an offense. Michigan has... well, Michigan has an offense.
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#7 LSU 24 at #14 Arkansas 27. UPSET ALERT. The Hogs have an offense. LSU has a defense. What happens on the other side of the ball will determine this game. Arkansas has won the last two in Little Rock in the series. They get it done here.
#53 BYU 27 at #18 Utah 30. This one will be closer than the records would indicate. BYU has been a program on the rise after starting 2-5 (they are now 6-5), while Utah has dropped two of its last three (in embarrassing fashion) at 9-2. The last Holy War will be one for the ages, as Utah and BYU both leave the Mountain West to go their separate ways.
#33 Florida 21 at #21 Florida State 27. This isn't your 1-year younger self's Tim Tebow-led Gators. This is a lost and confused team lacking in leadership on the field and the press box. Florida State is brimming with confidence under first-year coach Jimbo Fisher, and beating the Gators would send a message that the Seminoles are the big boys in the state.
#19 South Carolina 27 at #58 Clemson 17. The Gamecocks are in a similar position to Clemson last year, in which the Tigers clinched their division (anyone know which division is which in the ACC? anyway, they clinched one of them) the week before, then promptly lost to a lowly South Carolina team. People chalked that up to the sad state of affairs in the ACC, and you know what? They were right. SEC > ACC. Easiest-to-derive inequality. Ever.
Game of the Week: # 11 Oklahoma at #8 Oklahoma State.
Bedlam. The Sooners come to Stillwater as the lower-ranked team in the Bedlam Series for the second year in a row. The Cowpokes haven't beat OU in near a decade. The winner advances to the Big 12 Championship in Arlington. The stakes couldn't be higher. Bedlam.
- OU Offense vs. Oklahoma State Defense. The OU offense is playing at a very high level. OSU's defense has been.... suspect at best this year, but in the last few games, really put the clamps down (granted, they played KU and KSU during this stretch). However, OU should have no problems moving the ball. OU -3
- OSU Offense vs. OU defense. Oklahoma's usually stout D has disappeared for whole stretches this year. That's not good news against the Big 12's best offense. If top pass defense Nebraska was torched (albeit in a Cowboy loss) and top run defense Texas was manhandled by Oklahoma State, what chance does OU have??? OSU +4
- The road-game jitters. OU's road game woes have been well documented (in fact, every single one of OU's conference losses in the last 9 years have come on the road...) And they're not necessarily close losses, either. They do it with turnovers (at Nebraska in 2009, 5 INTs). They do it with poor tackling (at Missouri this year - 200+ yards in the second half allowed). They do it with both. (at Texas Tech in 2009 - 30-point smackdown). The one constant is that they do it. OSU +2
- Bedlam. Oklahoma has won the last 8 in the series, dating to the 2001 debacle at Owen Field (Bob Stoops' ONLY home conference loss). The Sooners have dominated the series, even when the Cowboys are favored (see the shutout win last year). History is a good guide. OU -1
The Verdict: OSU +2
The Prediction: A high-scoring affair will be blown open by a Landry Jones interception, and that spark will be all it takes to ignite the wildfire of OSU's offense. The Sooners aren't comfortable playing catch-up (gags against Mizzou and A&M come to mind), and the Cowboys will run away with it. Oklahoma State 52, Oklahoma 41
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