I hope everyone is ready for an action-packed Saturday of football! I'll be spending my Saturday with my family down in Jacksonville, FL as my Uncle is getting married today. However, there are still a ton of big games this weekend and I'm still going to make my picks for the week, so here we go!
1. 21 Memphis at Temple
Memphis is coming off of two straight losses, the most recent one to an undefeated Houston team that is looking to crash their way into a New Year's Six Bowl game. The Owls have dropped two out of their last three, coming off of a major upset at the hands of South Florida last week. Both teams are looking to find their footing after struggling the past few weeks. Temple still has a strong defense, but they have had some very rough few weeks. I'm giving Memphis might have the edge in this one. Their offense is coming off of two sub-par performances, and they are ready to explode. I think that Paxton Lynch will be too much for the Owls to handle today and Memphis gets the win 38-20.
2. 12 Michigan at Penn State
The Nittany Lions have played very well this season, and have one of the better defenses in the nation giving up just 17.7 points per game. Michigan has a much stronger offense than PSU, but their defense is nothing to forget about. The Wolverines are giving up an average of just 14.8 points per game. Both teams will come out tough, but I think the Wolverines want a chance at the BIG 10 Title, and they'll hold off Hackenberg winning this one close 21-16.
3. 15 LSU at 22 Ole Miss
Another classic rivalry takes place down in the SEC this weekend. The Tigers have lost two straight and now travel to Ole Miss to take on a confused Rebels squad. Everyone and their dog still has to be wondering how Ole Miss let Arkansas upset them two weeks ago with that insane 4th & 25 conversion. The Rebels are still playing for a spot in the SEC title game however. If they win today, and Auburn upsets Alabama next week, the Rebels can reach the SEC title game with another win in the Egg bowl. Leonard Fournette has more or less dropped out of the Heisman race as LSU has dropped their last two games. Even though the Rebel's defense is loaded with 4 and 5 star talent, they haven't quite lived up to the hype. Let's see how they handle Fournette. I think Ole Miss takes care of business though and wins this one 34-21.
4. 24 USC at 23 Oregon
At the beginning of the season, this looked like the preview match-up of the PAC-12 Title Game, but times have changed. USC still has a very good shot at winning the South Division, but Oregon is never an easy hurdle to jump. Especially since they are coming off of a major upset on Stanford just last week in Palo Alto. Both teams have explosive offenses and defenses that aren't bad, but don't always live up to their hype. Two of the Duck's losses have come at home this year, but USC has not traveled the best this season. I think that the Ducks are on the rise again, and I still see Utah getting into the PAC-12 Title game. Ducks win it 40-30.
5. UCLA at 13 Utah
The Utes are still very much in contention for not only a PAC-12 Title, but possibly a New Year's Six Bowl! They get a struggling UCLA team at home this week, and are looking to bounce back from that Arizona loss. UCLA has all the talent and potential to win the South Division, but they have dropped key games in horrible fashion. They can still reach the PAC-12 Title game if they win out, but I don't think that they'll be able to get it done in Salt Lake City. Devontae Booker is going to run over, around, and through the Bruins defense leading the Utes to a 35-17 victory.
6. 20 Northwestern at 25 Wisconsin
This is an interesting match-up over in the BIG 10 West. Both the Wildcats and the Badgers have had somewhat tough stumbles throughout the year, but they have both also won a lot of close games. I think that this line should be a little closer than the 10 point margin the experts are saying. I'm not really sure how to peg this one. Neither team has very much offense, but both defenses are two of the best in the conference. Look for a low scoring affair in this one with the Badgers edging out Northwestern at home 18-13.
7. 9 Michigan State at 3 Ohio State
This is the big showdown in the BIG 10 this week. A game that gives the winner a big advantage in winning the East Division. Both of these teams have been near the top of the rankings all season long despite their lackluster performances on the field. I personally don't think that either one of these teams is the real deal this year, but the winner definitely puts themselves in a good position for the playoff. Connor Cook better get back on his game quick, because he'll have Joey Bosa and a very fast Buckeye D-line coming after him all game. If the Spartans can control the clock, they may be able to stay close and possibly pull the upset. The score will be pretty tight until mid-late third quarter. By then, J.T. Barrett will figure out how to hurt Sparty, and he'll start going off. Look for Braxton Miller to be a HUGE factor against MSU's struggling secondary. I have the Buckeyes winning this one 38-24.
8. Mississippi State at Arkansas
I chose this game because it looks like a very interesting match-up to me. If you have not watched either of these teams much this season, both are playing very good football, especially as of late. Arkansas is coming off of two massive upsets on Ole Miss and LSU. They'll be looking to continue their power rushing attack and control the clock all game long. The Bulldogs are lead by star QB Dak Prescott, who has been putting up insane numbers all season long. He has over 2600 passing yards, 18 TDs and only 2 picks. I love watching Dak play, and I think he'll play great against a vulnerable Razorback defense, but I don't see a victory for him. Arkansas QB, Brandon Allen has had quite an impressive season too. He holds at 22:6 TD:INT ratio, and a very impressive 7:1 ratio for the month of November so far! I think that this will be a good game, but the Razorbacks win it 38-24.
9. 10 Baylor at 6 Oklahoma State
The Bears took a stumble last week as they fell to the Sooners at home. They have another tough challenge this week as they travel to take on an undefeated Oklahoma State. They Cowboys tore apart the Horned Frogs of TCU a couple weeks ago, and look primed for a big showdown next week in Bedlam. Their defense has looked good, but they have yet to play an offense like Baylor. I think that Stidham will bounce back and upset the Cowboys today. Look for another big shootout, but the Bears take this one 56-45.
10. 18 TCU at 7 Oklahoma
TCU has fallen off the past few weeks, and overall hasn't played the best football all season. Today they walk into Norman, OK looking to upset Big-Game Bobby without their Heisman-caliber QB or WR. They are going to start their Freshman QB Foster Sawyer who has only thrown 8 passes in his career. Without a go-to target like Doctson, the Sooner defense should have a feast. Baker Mayfield will tear apart a struggling TCU defense as well. I have the Sooners big in this one. OU wins 45- 21.
11. Cal at 11 Stanford
Another great rivalry in College Football, often called "The Game". Cal looked promising earlier this season, but have not found their groove since that loss to Utah. Stanford is trying to lock up the PAC-12 North Division with a win today since they were upset last week by the Ducks at home. Look for McCaffrey to be a big factor in this one. I don't think that Cal will be able to stop him, and Stanford will run to a victory. Probably no crazy finishes in this one, I have the Cardinal winning 35-17.
I hope you all enjoyed my picks, and hopefully we can get back on track this season! Let's have a great day of football today! Thank you, and GO BIG RED!
#CollegeFootballKnowItAll
Alex Fernando
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