12:00 PM
#10 Virginia Tech (9-2) @ #17 Virginia (9-2)
Two teams that started off slowly, but have come on hard the last few weeks to make this an interesting, interesting game. In fact, both are coming off of complete shitkickings of Miami; Virginia's was more one-sided, but VT's holding of the Canes to negative 2 rushing yards was probably the most impressive individual statistic. I'll still give UVA the edge at home, though - they've been more impressive as a whole in recent weeks, and again, they're at home. Still, this should be an ugly defensive battle that either team can win.
My Pick: Virginia
Confidence: 1
#13 South Florida (8-3) @ Pittsburgh (4-6)
Pitt can be a dangerous team - they have an ever-improving frosh QB and two good running backs. Still, after what USF absolutely did to poor Louisville and Brian Brohm, this could be put away early and turn out ugly.
My Pick: South Florida
Confidence: 3
Miami (5-6) @ #24 Boston College (9-2)
God, Miami's going to go 5-7, aren't they? As overrated as BC can be at moments, if they can do one thing, it's shut down the run. And as their -2 rushing yards against Virginia Tech showed, Miami's running game can be shut down. And whoever Miami starts at QB, well, they're not good enough to win this game alone. Miami definitely has the talent to pull this off, but it requires a performance living up to said talent, and they've shown nothing near that this year.
My Pick: Boston College
Confidence: 3
Maryland (5-6) @ NC State (5-6)
Oh, who knows. The ACC picture has somewhat unmuddled itself in the past few weeks, but these two teams remain question marks in the middle of the pack. They're not GOOD, they're not BAD, and NC State has a tendency to just throw games away via interception. And hell, why not call for that to continue.
My Pick: Maryland
Confidence: 1
1:00 PM
Buffalo (4-7) @ Kent State (3-8)
Kent State's been horribly unlucky all year - can they just get one win? Please?
My Pick: Kent State
Confidence: 2
Tulane (4-7) @ East Carolina (6-5)
ECU's scuffling and hasn't really impressed me. Plus Tulane is MATT FORTASTIC, and how can I not pick them with that adjective.
My Pick: Tulane
Confidence: 1
1:30 PM
Tennessee (8-3) @ #19 Kentucky (7-4)
The Vols pass defense is pretty bad, so yeah, Kentucky can exploit it all day and all night. Then again, Kentucky's defense is no great shakes either. I haven't been all that impressed with Tennessee, and again, they have a weakness Kentucky can exploit, so I'll give the nod to the 'Cats.
My Pick: Kentucky
Confidence: 1
2:00 PM
Utah (8-3) @ #23 BYU (8-2)
BYU's just been bitchslapping the conference, and the MWC champ seems to always finish undefeated in the conference on the year. Utah has a definite shot, and seem to be the #2 team in the MWC, but again, BYU's far and away the favorite.
My Pick: BYU
Confidence: 3
UTEP (4-7) @ Central Florida (8-3)
UTEP's just absolutely crumbling, and UCF's one of the elite teams in the conference. Kevin Smith could have an insane day, but either way, this'll be lopsided.
My Pick: Central Florida
Confidence: 4
SMU (1-10) @ Memphis (6-5)
Same thing as above - SMU's just dead in the water. Memphis'll put up a lot of points, they'll win at home, yep.
My Pick: Memphis
Confidence: 3
Miami of Ohio (6-5) @ Ohio (5-6)
Pardon me while I shrug and yawn. Miami seems to be the better team, even if it's hard to recommend anyone that participated in their game vs. Akron. But still, I'll choose the home team in the name of MAC parity and general silliness.
My Pick: Ohio
Confidence: 1
Temple (4-7) @ Western Michigan (4-7)
WMU beating Iowa shows they at least have a pulse after being possibly the most disappointing team in the country. So I'll give them the nod at home.
My Pick: Western Michigan
Confidence: 1
Wake Forest (7-4) @ Vanderbilt (5-6)
Yawn, all this mediocrity. Vandy's looked much better of late, so I'll give a competitive SEC team the edge at home over a pretty good is blase Wake team.
My Pick: Vanderbilt
Confidence: 1
3:00 PM
Arkansas State (5-6) @ Southern Miss (6-5)
Bleh. Arkansas State was dead in the water after a hot start until they had a big day against North Texas, but, well, it's North Texas. USM's no great shakes this year, but Arkansas State hasn't shown me much in months.
My Pick: Southern Miss
Confidence: 2
Tulsa (8-3) @ Rice (3-8)
Rice has gotten better, but Tulsa's still the absolute beast of the C-USA, and since a win clinches their division of C-USA, they'll be motivated here too. Eep.
My Pick: Tulsa
Confidence: 4
3:30 PM
Connecticut (9-2) @ #3 West Virginia (9-1)
Oh, this one'll make me sad. UConn's one chance is that they're a team that wins on turnovers, and as both the USF game and late in the Cincy game showed, WVU can fumble it over quite easily. But still, this is at West Virginia, and UConn hasn't shown much on the road. WVU shuts down the run, and UConn is essentially useless without their running game. And the Mountaineers are just a much better team. Sigh.
My Pick: West Virginia
Confidence: 3
#6 Georgia (9-2) vs. Georgia Tech (7-4)
GT looked good against UNC, but UGA's been looking better against better teams. There's the old axiom that anything can happen in a rivalry game, but that's the only reason this shouldn't be a completely one-sided affair.
My Pick: Georgia
Confidence: 3
Oklahoma State (6-5) @ #11 Oklahoma (9-2)
Sam Bradford's in, so this one got interesting. OK State doesn't have much of a defense, and OU's can be hit or miss. As much as I'd like to pick Oklahoma State, and I'd really like to, I just can't see it with Bradford in, since it's not like he has a hand injury that will affect his mechanics or anything. Plus while losing DeMarco Murray hurts, the Sooners have a bunch of talented running backs. OU should win what could very well be a fun little shootout.
My Pick: Oklahoma
Confidence: 2
#12 Oregon (8-2) @ UCLA (5-5)
Oh jeez. Despite having the inferior Leaf brother at quarterback, Oregon may actually be better off, as UCLA's essentially starting a wide receiver at the position. I'll give Oregon the edge since I assume they've re-worked their offense to fit Leaf, but UCLA can give them fits if they feel like it.
My Pick: Oregon
Confidence: 1
Duke (1-10) @ North Carolina (3-8)
UNC's very underrated - if their QBs threw less interceptions, they could easily have a better record. Which...seems like an obvious thing to say. But still, it's better than not being able to move the ball at all or anything. As I said with the Notre Dame game, Duke's given up, although this being a rivalry game (and Duke's best shot at a second win) should have them fired up. Still, I'll give the edge to the better team, even though Duke has a shot if they feel like it.
My Pick: North Carolina
Confidence: 2
Kansas State (5-6) @ Fresno State (6-4)
KSU's in the absolute doldrums, but staring bowl-eligibility in the face should hopefully motivate them. Plus Fresno's not all that good.
My Pick: Kansas State
Confidence: 2
Texas Southern @ Houston (7-4)
Come on now.
My Pick: Houston
Confidence: 5
Utah State (1-10) @ Idaho (1-10)
After some sophisticated computer analysis, I have determined that both teams are very bad. Idaho is at home and seems less worse.
My Pick: Idaho
Confidence: 1
Notre Dame (2-9) @ Stanford (3-7)
Oh jeez. Notre Dame's probably the better team, honestly. Which...says a lot about Stanford. But it's at Stanford. Oh jeez. I'll just go with the Irish, who knows.
My Pick: Notre Dame
Confidence: 1
4:00 PM
Ball State (6-5) @ Northern Illinois (2-9)
NIU's gotten a bit better recently, but are still very bad. Ball State's one of the better MAC teams, which...means little with the conference's parity, but I'll still give it to the Cards.
My Pick: Ball State
Confidence: 2
Nevada (5-5) @ San Jose State (4-7)
Could be a neat little game, especially with it being at SJSU, as both teams have big-offense ability when they feel like it. Nevada's been the better team, but either one has a chance if this devolves into a shootout.
My Pick: Nevada
Confidence: 2
Western Kentucky @ North Texas (1-9)
WKU's been competitive in their I-A games, UNT less so.
My Pick: Western Kentucky
Confidence: 1
4:30 PM
UAB (2-9) @ Marshall (2-9)
Marshall's actually stepped things up to look a lot better lately, plus they've been the better team of the two throughout the year. Really though, yawn.
My Pick: Marshall
Confidence: 2
5:00 PM
#7 Florida (8-3) vs. Florida State (7-4)
FSU hasn't been all that impressive of late - I mean, they gave up 340 yards to Maryland, bleh. I mean, the Seminoles are fine and all, but I rate them fairly low in Tebow stoppability. If Tebow gets hurt, sure, but they only have a 15% or so chance otherwise.
My Pick: Florida
Confidence: 3
5:30 PM
UNLV (2-9) @ New Mexico (7-4)
Bleh. New Mexico's a wholly fine team that really doesn't impress at anything, UNLV could be just the same if they had gotten a few more breaks during the season. I'll call for UNLV to catch one here and even things out a tad.
My Pick: UNLV
Confidence: 1
7:00 PM
#25 Clemson (8-3) vs. South Carolina (6-5)
Statistical analysis is a folly in a Clemson game. I mean, come on, we know the implosion is on, don't we?
My Pick: South Carolina
Confidence: 2
Florida Atlantic (5-5) @ Florida International (0-10)
Rivalry game, anything can happen and such, but FIU's just rotten, and FAU's been a competitive team almost all year. Hell, they beat Minnesota, that counts for...a little.
My Pick: Florida Atlantic
Confidence: 3
Louisiana-Monroe (5-6) @ Louisiana-Lafayette (3-8)
ULM was the better team even before they beat Alabama, and with a chance at a bowl AND this being a rivalry game, I assume the Warhawks will be motivated to absolutely dominate, which they easily can.
My Pick: Louisiana-Monroe
Confidence: 2
Washington State (4-7) @ Washington (4-7)
Intriguing, especially after last week, where Wazzou got annihilated by Oregon State, and Washington went batshit insane on the ground. Still, both teams should bring their A game, and I'll go with the better team on the year.
My Pick: Washington State
Confidence: 1
7:15 PM
#21 Cincinnati (8-3) @ Syracuse (2-9)
I feel obligated to write a sentence for this preview.
My Pick: Cincinnati
Confidence: 5
8:00 PM
#4 Missouri (10-1) vs. #8 Kansas (11-0)
...really? This is such a hard one to pick, especially since Kansas's annihilation of Iowa State impressed me. Both offenses are obviously great, but the question mark is Kansas's defense - we know Missouri's is fine, but nothing special, and Kansas's has been great, but not against many high-powered offenses. Then again, Missouri's had much worse stats against mostly the same level of guys. And really, the rivalry game axiom makes this even more of a pick 'em. The statistical edge screams Kansas Kansas Kansas, but inertia's a hard thing to overcome, and I'll go with the pick I made a few weeks ago.
My Pick: Missouri
Confidence: 1
Alabama (6-5) vs. Auburn (7-4)
Alabama's not a bad team, they just had a bad case of turnoveritis against LA-Monroe. Auburn's a very vulnerable team with Brandon Cox at the helm, and I think the Tide just might want some redemption here.
My Pick: Alabama
Confidence: 1
TCU (6-5) @ San Diego State (4-6)
TCU seems to have turned the ship around. This'll probably be one-sided.
My Pick: TCU
Confidence: 3
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