Week 12 Predictions

Last week I was a cool 12-8 for a grand total this season of 137-86. Fair I suppose. I will dispense week 11 analysis this week or at least for today. May get to it later in the week but doubt it. There were some pretty good games over the weekend although no earth shattering upsets. TCU, Oregon and even to some extent, Auburn were all tested. Boise as expected was not. OK State may be the real deal and TAMU is rising. Wisconsin and Ohio State are darn good teams and not out of the National Championship picture either. For those that care, Troy does not look like they may be the best team overall in the Sun Belt after all. They will likely still be in the New Orleans Bowl though. That being said - on to the predictions.

1. Ohio vs Temple: In about an hour or so this one kicks off. It is of extreme importance to both teams as the loser may well be out of the MAC West picture. Temple appears to be in the driver seat with Miami(OH) and the Bobcats nipping at their heels. Solich and Golden are both good coaches but Temple is probably the better team here. I will go with Temple to win this one. Go with the Owls.

2. Miami(OH) vs Akron: This one is important if Miami(OH) is to have a shot at the MAC West. It should be a breeze for the RedHawks as Akron has yet to win a game. I will go with the Red Hawks here.

3. Toledo vs Bowling Green: Another MAC contest. Yes. This could be important for the Rockets in the MAC East should Northern Illinois falter. Go with the Rockets. This has been an interesting conference this season.

4. Fresno State vs Boise State: Fresno is one of the two remaining WAC teams that may have a slight shot at dashing the Bronco's BCS hopes. Unlikely but stranger things have happened. I will go with Boise State here.

5. Northern Illinois vs Ball State: Yet another MAC game. The Huskies need to finish the rest of the season strong to stay ahead of Toledo. If they falter Toledo is back in it. Go with Northern Illinois.

6. West Virginia vs Louisville: WVU needs this win and some help to take the Big East crown. They should do their part here and beat Louisville. Go with WVU.

7. Troy vs South Carolina: A tune up game for the Gamecocks? Perhaps and perhaps not. Troy has fallen off somewhat and lost two conference games in a row. Very surprising. Spurrier is having a very good season thus far and should be able to beat Troy with relative ease.

8. Appalachian State vs Florida: Meyer may have his work cut out for him this week. App State is quite good but probably not up to beating most SEC foes. I will go with the Gators here but it may be closer than expected.

9. Kansas St vs Colorado: Dan Hawkins is gone in Boulder and that is good for the program. His son is still at QB though and that does not really bode well. The Buffs pulled off a minor upset last week over Iowa State and may have some confidence in themselves and believe in their "new start." Could be a good game. Depends on which KSU team shows up. Go with the Wildcats.

10. Illinois vs Northwestern: Illinois needs this game and perhaps may get it here. Zook for sure needs to win out the rest of the season for career reasons. There was no reason for the Illini to lose last week to the Gophers. Funny though how a new coach can pump life into a dismal team. Brewster is out in MN and that was probably a major reason for the win. This is very similar to what happened in Colorado. That being said, I will go with Illinois to pull off a minor upset over Northwestern.

11. Virginia Tech vs Miami: Both teams need this game and Va. Tech is probably the better team. Miami is better coached most likely and I will go with the Canes to pull off a minor upset here.

12. Florida Atlantic vs Texas: Texas should win this game over the Owls but the Sun Belt has played the big boys pretty tough this year and the Horns are just dismal. I still think that Texas will prevail. Go with the Horns.

13. UConn vs Syracuse: Both need this game and UConn must have this it to have any shot at all of staying in the hunt. Both have been playing pretty decent ball of late with UConn perhaps being the most "impressive." I think I will still go with the Orange here. It is a home game and Syracuse has been down for quite a while.

14. Houston vs Southern Miss: Another must win game for both teams to stay in their respective divisions. U of H did not look real good last week against Tulsa and USM took down UCF. I will go with the Eagles in a tight one. It depends a lot on which Coogs team shows up thoug.

15. Nebraska vs TAMU: The Huskers are likely not even a dark horse for the National Championship at this point but are still a darn good team. TAMU is much improved this year and will be at home. I think that Pelini is a much better coach than Sherman but Tannehill may be a better QB than Martinez at this point. This is a toss up and I will guess and go with the Huskers.

16. LSU vs Ole Miss: The Tigers had their scrimmage last week against their upstate Sun Belt foe. Ole Miss is just not a very good team but the Tigers have the potential to play down to their level. Probably won't happen but not out of the question. I will go with LSU here.

17. Utah vs SDSU: SDSU gave the Frogs all they could handle last week and Utah was made to look ridiculous against a below par Irish team. Utah will probably be back ready to play this week but it will be a close one. Both teams are well coached and talented and may be just about even. I will go with the Utes in a close one.

18. Arkansas vs Mississippi State: The Hogs are the better team but the Bulldogs are pretty decent. I think it will be close but give the Razorbacks the edge. Go with Arkansas.

19. Montana vs Montana State: This is the IAA game of the week. I have not paid too much attention to the Big Sky this year but both of these teams look pretty good. Montana is usually in the mix for a title shot and State is much improved over past years. I will have to go with Montana here.

20. California vs Stanford: I will pick this to be the potential shocker this week. Stanford is a good teams hands down and Cal can show flashes. Probably the talent of Stanford will prevail. They are well coached with a good QB while Cal is just well coached. Go with Stanford.

Have a good week and enjoy the games.