Week 12 College Football Predictions
Oh my!!! Week 11 just happened and it was beautiful!! Down goes UNC, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Texas A&M, Washington, and most of all, Michigan!!! That's what a wild week in college football will do for the average fan, which is becoming a witness of chaos. One of the best parts of College Football over the last three seasons has been the addition of the four-team College Football Playoff. At the time of creating the playoff, one of the main concerns was that it would decrease the importance of the regular season. That issue has clearly not occured and it does not look like it will be happening anytime soon. The College Football regular season is still the best regular season in all of sports. Yes, college and professional. Some critics believed that four teams would be too much to decided the national championship. Honestly, I can think of five other teams right now that probably will not be ranked in the top 4 today, but could still be considered for a national championship if the playoff field was more than four. That's what still makes the regular season for college football so special. Teams are fighting for playoff spots every single week. This week, we'll be seeing more drama occur as teams will keep battling for bowl elgibility, conference championships, and of course, a spot into the College Football Playoff. Here are the predictions for Week 12:
#5 Lousville (9-1) at Houston (8-2)- When I saw this matchup prior to the regular season, I knew it was going to have major playoff implications. Obviously, the implications aren't as big as they could be. Let's not forget, Houston pulled off a major upset during the first weekend by upsetting Oklahoma. Houston could pull off the upset again too, but we all know that Lamar Jackson loves the spotlight. He could've won in Death Valley against Clemson earlier this year. He won't lose in Houston on Thursday night. Jackson is getting better and better every week and it's looking like he might be able to cross the finish line in this Heisman race at the end of the year. Louisville 28, Houston 17
#2 Ohio State (9-1) at Michigan State (3-7)- I know I'm not the only person asking this question, but what on earth happened to Michigan State???? They have had one of the worst turnarounds in college football in quite sometime. Nothing has gone right for this team since they lost to Alabama in last year's playoff. Their three wins are against Furman, Notre Dame, and Rutgers. Ouch!!!! I believe Ohio State is going to come into East Lansing and stomp on this squad. They're seeking revenge from last season's upset in Columbus, which eventually cost them a spot in the College Football Playoff with only one loss. Look for Urban Meyer to get the last laugh this Saturday. Ohio State 35, Michigan State 13
#23 Florida (7-2) at #16 LSU (6-3)- I like this matchup a lot. We'll get to see who wins the "DBU" matchup Saturday afternoon as both teams look to spotlight their defensive backfield in this SEC rivalry. Florida has Jalen Tabor and Quincy Wilson and LSU has Jamal Adams, Tre'Davious White, and Kevin Tolliver. Let's not forget that both these teams have talented front sevens as well, which will make this game quite the defensive battle. The edge is going to go to the better offense and that offense is LSU's. Ed Orgeron has done a wonderful job since taking over for Les Miles in late September after a 2-2 start to the season. Even though LSU lost to Bama 10-0, Orgeron still has an oppurtunity to gain the head coaching position by winning these next two games over Florida and Texas A&M next week. The offense has improved drastically as well with Leonard Fournette progressivly getting healthier and backup running back Derrius Guice filling in as well. This game will be won in the trenches. LSU 27, Florida 20
#22 Washington State (8-2) at #10 Colorado (8-2)- Didn't see this one coming. Both teams have been playing outstanding football this season, despite Washington State somehow losing to Eastern Wasington at the beginning of the year. Colorado has done a tremdous job as well and still fighting for a spot in the PAC-12 championship game. I'm expecting this game to be a shootout as both teams have excellent quartbacks and receivers to light up the scoreboards in this showdown. It's going to be a hostile environment in Colorado, but Luke Falk has more experience in games of this magnitude. Washington State 38, Colorado 35
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Virginia Tech (7-3) at Notre Dame (4-6)- Notre Dame has had a down year, but it's a miracle that they still have a chance to become bowl elgible. It was supposed to be a season to compete for a National Championship with DeShone Kizer returning at the helm at quarterback with a loaded offense. Many people forgot one thing. You need a defense to win football games and Notre Dame's early defensive struggles put them in a tough spot earlier in the year at 1-3. Virginia Tech's season so far has been a success under first year head coach Justin Fuente, but some of the losses they have had this season have been confusing, especially Syracuse. I'm smelling an upset in this one. Notre Dame 31, Virginia Tech 24
#9 Oklahoma (8-2) at #14 West Virginia (8-1)- After last weekend, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Big 12 Champion in the College Football Playoff. Both of these teams would be well deserving. Obviously, other teams are going to have to lose in order for the Big 12 Champion to even be considered, but both teams have to worry about this game first. After a 1-2 start with losses to both Houston and Ohio State, Oklahoma has rebounded due to the play of Quarterback Baker Mayfield and WR Dede Westbrook, who both have a real shot of winning some awards at the end of this season. WVU has had a remarkable season under the play of Quarterback Skyler Howard, but Oklahoma is the best team their going to be facing all year. The lost to Oklahoma State still raises questions regarding if WVU can win big games. Baker Mayfield already proved that last year with the Sooners. Oklahoma 42, WVU 38
Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
#13 USC (7-3) at UCLA (4-6)- Unlike Notre Dame this season, USC was able to regain their composure after a 1-3 start that included losses to Alabama, Stanford, and Utah. Ouch!! Since September, USC has been playing up to everyone's standards and are on a six-game winning streak that includes wins over Colorado and Washington. They probably won't make the playoff this year, but their next two games are against long-time rivals UCLA and Notre Dame. UCLA will be this Saturday and things have gone completely downhill this season, especially with the loss of Quarterback Josh Rosen to a season-ending injury. WIth the momentum USC has right now, this game won't even be close. USC 38, UCLA 10
