Rambling's New Years Eve to Championship Game Predictions

Alright here you are, the rest of the bowl season predicted and another football season in the bank. Don't mock too hard but do enjoy the football over the next 8 days.

Monday, December 31st, 2012:
NC State vs Vanderbilt, 11:00 am ESPN, This game had more intrigue preseason when we thought NC State would have one of the best defenses in the country and had a chance to be in a much better bowl game. Vanderbilt built on a great first season under James Franklin and continued to improve they had some inconsistancies to start the season but seemed to pull themselves together as the season went along. I think they have the better defense and only slightly worse offense and should be able to take some advantage from a secondary that has underwhelmed this season. Winner: Vanderbilt ATS: NC State +7.5
USC vs Georgia Tech, 1:00 pm CBS, I want to say this game will be close but I don't see Georgia Tech having the offense or the defense to really stick in this game. I think USC will shred this secondary and both Lee and Woods should have huge games. The triple option may cause monte some fits but with a month to prepare they should be able to come up with something. Winner: USC ATS: USC -7
Iowa State vs Tulsa, 2:30 pm ESPN, Iowa State was a mid tier Big XII team in a very good conference that is alright but they aren't overly special this season. Tulsa, won Conference USA but they are a disfunctional and can't seem to put two offensive drives together in a row. This will be a sloppy game that may not be all that fun to watch. Winner: Iowa State ATS: Iowa State -1
LSU vs Clemson, 6:30 pm ESPN, This is a BCS game wrapped in a Twighlight Zone episode of awesomely energetic head football coaches. Les Miles' squad isn't as good as last years but the defense is awesomely impressive. Dabo Sweeney's team may actually be better than last years Orange bowl team but an early loss to Florida State and a down ACC kept them from moving far enough back up the polls to recieve a BCS game invite. I think the Bayou Bengals defense will slow down the high flying attack of Clemson and, as they had the knack of doing this year, just enough offense to score more points than there opponent. Winner: LSU ATS: Clemson +6

Tuesday, January 1st, 2012:
Mississippi State vs Northwestern, 11:00 am ESPN2, Northwestern was once again a solid football team that let good opportunities slip through there hands. Mississippi State won their first 8 games this year but weren't very impressive in any games versus opponents that were considered quality this season. This game should be close and that's a scary though with both of these teams. Winner: Northwestern ATS: Northwestern -1
Purdue vs Oklahoma State, 11:00 am ESPNU, The shuffling of bowl slots in the Big XII and Big Ten have left us with one of the bigger mismatches of the bowl season. Oklahoma State's middling record overall is a bit decieving because this team really found its stride at the end of the season led by QB maturation. This game should be over by midway through the third quarter and the Cowboys should walk away with this one. Winner: Oklahoma State ATS: Oklahoma State -17
Georgia vs Nebraska, 12:00 pm ABC, The runners up in their respective conference championship games meet New Years Day but they played two completely different games heading in. Georgia went toe to toe with Bama for four quarters and came up a handful of yards. Nebraska took a beatown from a Wisconsin team that had troubling finding their stride this season. Georgia has the best two units on the field and the better QB but has had issues when heavily favored. Winner: Georgia ATS: Georgia -9
South Carolina vs Michigan, 12:00 pm ESPN, South Carolina was bad this year away from home, yes their record says they still won most of those games but when looking at games like the one versus Kentucky you have to wonder what changes so much. Michigan was good but suprising success last season raised expectations too high for a flawed team that still had some growing to do. I think this one comes down to which quarterback makes the fewest mistakes and wether the Michigan front seven has anything for the Gamecocks offensive line. Winner: South Carolina ATS: Michigan +6
Wisconsin vs Stanford, 4:00 pm ESPN, Wisconsin made school history by making a third straight Rose Bowl game, this team unlike the first two however goes to Pasadena a much different type of team. Wisconsin with just 8 wins has been a disappointment but with Ohio State and Penn State, took advantage of a title game berth and layed the wood on Nebraska. Stanford suprised a bunch of people post Andrew Luck by doing somehting Luck's teams never did (win the conference/Rose Bowl berth). This team is just as balanced and has hit their stride after the injection of Hogan at quarterback in the starting lineup. Winner: Stanford ATS: Stanford -6
Northern Illinois vs Florida State, 7:30 pm ESPN, Northern Illinois has drawn a lot of ire for being an automatic qualifier to the BCS but those nitpicking about a loophole are missing a greater story, MACtion is coming to the BCS. This isn't just any MACtion but a Northern Illinois team with one of the most exciting players in the country, Jordan Lynch. Florida State is the vastly more talented team  with higher paid coaches and betteer facilities but the Seminoles have the ability to play down to their perception of an opponent and with a very good player under center NIU that could be a recipe for disaster on New Years Day. Winner: Florida State ATS: NIU +13.5

Wednesday, January 2nd, 2012:
Louisville vs Florida, 7:30 pm ESPN, Remember how Cincinatti-Florida played out a few years back? This one has all the markings of being just that ugly, with the Cardinals turnover issues at times this season this game could fast resemble the South Carolina game of this season. Props are in order for both head coaches getting their teams to suprising heights this season. Winner: Florida ATS: Louisville +15

Thursday, January 3rd, 2012:
Oregon vs Kansas State, 7:30 pm ESPN, This game was the National Championship game a couple months ago and for that reason is still manicly intriguing. Oregon's offense as really good against bad to above average teams but seemed to take a much too big of a step back against the better teams on the schedule. The defense still has it's issues but there is talent there and that's good news. Colin Klein , Kansas State and Bill Snyder hasve surprised the nation for the second year in a row and should provide a nice contrast to the Oregon Ducks. Whichever defense makes the least mistakes should be the one that leads their team to victory. Winner: Oregon ATS: Kansas State +9

Friday, January 4th, 2012:
Texas A&M vs Oklahoma, 7:00 pm FOX, This game rivals LSU-Clemson for best non-BCS game A&M suprised many with their performance in year 1 in the SEC, led by Johnny Manziel. Oklhoma is led by Landry Jones who has big numbers but if you can find anyone in love with him who doesn't ride for Oklahoma football I'd like to hear from them. Manziel and company should be able to move the ball versus the Sooner defense but Landry Jones and company won't go easily. Winner: Texas A&M ATS: Oklahoma +3.5

Saturday, January 5th, 2012:
Pittsburgh vs Mississippi, 12:00 pm ESPN, I am not excited by this matchup, Pitt is better but they still lost to Youngstown State this season. Ole Miss made impressive strides in Hugh Freeze's first season but they still weren't as good as you'd expect a bowl eligible SEC team to be. Watch because it's the last Saturday game and because it's still football. Winner: Mississippi ATS: Mississippi -3

Sunday, January 6th, 2012:
Kent State vs Arkansas State, 8:00 pm ESPN, This game on the other hand is completely worth watching after the NFL playoffs are done, because there will be firewords. Kent State has a very exciting player in Dri Archer who will undoubtably make a couple plays that make you say "DAMN!!". Arkansas State, has landed it's head coach in a BCS job for the second straight year and have won the Sun Belt for the second straight season. Winner: Arkansas State (and you for getting to watch MACBEAST) ATS: Arkansas State -4

Monday, January 7th, 2012:
Notre Dame vs Alabama, 7:30 pm ESPN, Do you like defensive football? Do you like heavyweight programs? The answers for most people is not really and no, however this game is going to be all about the pageantry of college football, the history of two progams who's alumni and past coaches ring through the annals of history. The teams on the field both have top 10 defenses paired with offenses that have done enough to win games this season. Alabama's offense is a bit more advanced than Notre Dame's but with a serious conversation about the best unit on the field this game should be a barn burner. Winner: Alabama ATS: Notre Dame +10

Rambling's Post-Christmas Pre-New Years Eve Bowl Picks

Here you are my next set of predictions, they will certainly be wrong but hey that's the risk.

Wednesday, December 26th, 2012:
Western Kentucky vs Central Michigan, 6:30 pm ESPN, Central Michigan was a middling MAC team this year, it was a pretty good version of the MAC but still they weren't anything to write home about. Western Kentucky on the other hand waas above average in what was one of the best Sun Belt seasons in history. It will be interesting to see how this team plays without Willie Taggert at head coach. I still think WKU is good enought without Taggert to take care of Central Michigan. Winner: Western Kentucky ATS: Western Kentucky -5

Thursday, December 27th, 2012:
San Jose State vs Bowling Green, 2:00 pm ESPN, The turnaround at San Jose State has been quite impressive and it was rewarded with the loss of their coach to the Pac-12. Bowling Green came close to playing for a MAC championship but they came up just short of the prize. This will be a showcase of two suprise non-AQ schools but should be San Jose State pulling away late. Winner: San Jose State ATS: Bowling Green +7.5
Cincinnati vs Duke, 5:30 pm ESPN, Duke was the Cinderella of the beginning of the season and are still a great story, going to their first bowl game in centuries, but they showed they're still a middle of the pack ACC team. Cincinnati was a solid team but not flashy, they will also be playing without head coach Butch Jones. Winner: Cincinnati ATS: Duke +7.5
Baylor vs UCLA, 8:45 pm ESPN, This has the ability to be the most exciting game of the bowl season (probably not the best played), and the offensive fireworks should be plentiful. UCLA's offense has florished in Jim Mora's first season and much of that is thanks to Brett Hundley and running back Jonathan Franklin. Baylor has picked up well after losing RGIII to the NFL, much of that thanks is to athletes like Seastrunk. The defenses are secondary thoughts in this one and both have been gashed this season. Winner: UCLA ATS: UCLA Pk

Friday, December 28th, 2012:
Ohio vs ULM, 1:00 pm ESPN, This is a matchup of early sesaon BCS busters who's seasons took a turn for the worst. Ohio started off the year with a win over Penn State and a very managable schedule but then it took them too much effort to disperse of Marshall and we should have seen teh colapse coming. ULM almost took down Auburn, took down Arkansas and almost took down Baylor in a three week period, but they just didn't have the staying power to carry out their Sun Belt schedule. Winner: ULM ATS: Ohio +7
Rutgers vs Virginia Tech, 4:30 pm ESPN, This game is James Gandalfini naked ugly and won't be very exciting or well played but it's worth a watch because it will be close and there is some defensive talent on the field. Rutgers is good enough to force Logan Thomas into a couple mistakes and that should be the difference. Winner: Rutgers ATS: Rutgers +2
Minnesota vs Texas Tech, 8:00 pm ESPN, In a down year for the Big Ten a matchup with Texas Tech is tough for Minnesota because they are better by far than the Golden Gophers. Winner: Texas Tech ATS: Minnesota +13.5

Saturday, December 29th, 2012:
Rice vs Air Force, 10:45 am ESPN, Appreciate this game for what it is, a pre-noon game that allows you to watch football for 14 hours and to not spend more time with family members than you need to on a saturday. Rice is a middle of the road CUSA team and Air Force is a middle of the road MWC team and that means we take the team from the better conference. Winner: Air Force ATS: Air Force -1.5
West Virginia vs Syracuse, 2:15 pm ESPN, One team started off with sky high expectations, however a lack of defense forced a very good offense to be otherworldly and that wasn't going to last a year. Syracuse is better than you think and will put up points and stay in just about any game, I like the progress tha thas been made in upstate New York. Winner: West Virginia ATS: Syracuse +4
Navy vs Arizona State, 3:00 pm ESPN2, This game shouldn't be very competitive, not that Navy is a solid team but Arizona State was much improved and above average in Todd Graham's first season. Winner: Arizona State ATS: Navy +14.5
Texas vs Oregon State, 5:45 pm ESPN, Texas has been one of the biggest enigmas of the college football season, between the Kansas game and their late season rally I'm not sure we know quite who they are. Oregon State was the biggest surprise of the season with wins over Wisconsin and UCLA they come out of nowhere and were well above average in the Pac-12. I think this one should be fun but ultimately Oregon State is more consistant. Winner: Oregon State ATS: Oregon State -3
TCU vs Michigan State, 9:15 pm ESPN, TCU was right behind Texas in the enigma category mainly due to drug issues around the team, but they had issues with turnovers and some lapses in defense. Michigan State took a step back after last years Big Ten title game appearance, but they still have a dynamite rushing attack and an attacking defense. Offenses won't be good but the defenses withh be fun to watch. Winner: TCU ATS: Michigan State +3

That will get you from today through the weekend before New Years Eve and I'll have those games up soon.

Rambling's Pre-Chrstmas Bowl Picks

Saturday, December 15th, 2012:
Nevada vs Arizona, 12:00 pm ESPN, Arizona's has made strides in year one under Rich Rodriguez but they're still a flawed team. Nevada is good but they aren't what they were in Kaepernick's senior year. Neither of the defenses are going to have much to say agaisnt these offesnses which means it comes down to offensive game plans. Winner: Arizona ATS: Arizona -8.5
Toledo vs #22 Utah State, 3:30 pm ESPN, Utah State has had a bunch of near misses this season versus AQ competition, but they are legit team with some very good showings this year. Toledo looked like it was in control of the MAC this season but they faded late and made the early season success look like a mirage. Winner: Utah State ATS: Utah State -10

Thursday, December 20th, 2012:
BYU vs San Diego State, 7:00 pm ESPN, This will be a low scoring slugfest that will feature good defense and not much to look at on offense. I don't have much more to say about this. Winner: San Diego State ATS: San Diego State +3

Friday, December 21st, 2012:
Ball State vs UCF, 6:30 pm ESPN, UCF has had potential the last couple of seasons but they haven't put it all together yet. Ball State surprised a bit in the MAC and should be able to take advantage of some of the weaknesses on this years UCF squad. Lastly, George O'Leary. Winner: Ball State ATS: Ball State +7

Saturday, December 22nd, 2012:
East Carolina vs Louisiana- Lafayette, 11:00 am ESPN, The University of Louisiana- Monroe got all teh pub this season and for good reasons but ULL beat Monroe and was a better than expected team in the Sun Beast. East Carolina is that solid CUSA team that gets it's bowl bid and leaves people underassuming it. Winner: ULL ATS: ULL -5.5
Washington vs Boise State, 2:30 pm ESPN, Washington has been up and down and up and down all season, if you can predict if the Stanford beaters or the losers to Wash State shows up good luck. Starting with the Michigan State game Boise State has continued to grow, although the offensive growth has been slow. The surprise for the Broncos is how far the defense has come along after all of the losses after last season. Winner: Boise State ATS: Boise State -4.5

Monday, December 24th, 2012:
Fresno State vs SMU, 7:00 pm ESPN, Last up this week is a matchup of teams that alwasy seem to be right around third in their league. Fresno State is built around it's rushing game but the younger of the Carr's has had a superb season. SMU under June Jones, heads back to his former coaching spot but I'm not sure this Mustangs team is consistant enough to scar most teams this season. Winner: Fresno State ATS: SMU + 12.5

So this is it for the pre-Christmas lineup, I'll have the post-Christmas predictions up before the holiday and it should be a lot of fun to watch and see who proves us right and wrong.

Rambling's 2012-13 Bowl Rankings

Well it's that time of year we have all of the bowl matchups but I'm more excited about some than others and the bottom half is a bit shabby. So let's take a look at this year's slate.

1. Discover BCS National Championship Game: Notre Dame vs Alabama, Jan. 7th 7:30 pm ESPN, I mean if you're not excited to see what comes out of this game you obviously hate both teams enough to not enjoy good, hard hitting defensive football. It should come down to which offense makes enough plays. Should make this an illuminating game.

2. Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oregon vs Kansas State, Jan. 3rd 7:30 pm ESPN, I have this one next on the list because one month ago we thought this would be the national champhionship game matchup. This game also provides us a dichotomy of offensive styles, Oregon's breakneck pace versus the more methodical approach of Bill Snyder's Wildcats. The K-State defensive hold a bit of an edge but Oregon certainly does lack for talent. Should be a wonderful watch.

3. Rose Bowl Game Presented by Vizio: Stanford vs Wisconsin, Jan 1st 4:00 pm ESPN, I know it involves a 5-loss Big Ten team but these two teams are cut from the same cloth which should be interesting. Both OCs have shown a willingness to tweak systems that were rooted in tradition, Stanford's Hogan gives them a new twist to a system that we didn't see open up with Luck (not because he wasn't athletic enough). On the Wisconsin side, OC Matt Canada has used more motion and shotgun sets to get athletes like Melvin Gordon and James White into space and to keep defenses on their heels. On the other side of the ball, Wisconsin has one of the best LB corps in the country and Stanford has as stout a front 4 as you're gonna see outside the SEC. Even with Bielema hitting the road I think this game will be closer than many expect it to be.

4. AT&T Cotton Bowl: Texas A&M vs Oklahoma, Jan 4th 7:00 pm FOX, This is a BCS type matchup as both teams are good enough to have been placed there. This is also a matchup of former Big XII companions and there is bound to be some bad blood left behind. Johnny Manziel versus a Oklahoma defense that has had struggles this season. Landry Jones versus a A&M defense that has been excellent as it has matured under Coach Sumlin's staff. If nothing else we should see some points and get to debate the merits of the countries two best conferences.

5. Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl: Baylor vs UCLA, Dec 27th 8:45 pm ESPN, Points galore, I mean enough points to make Rice-Air Force entertaining.

6. Valero Alamo Bowl: Texas vs Oregon State, Dec 29th 5:45 pm ESPN, Oregon State is real, Texas is something else, an enigma and going into this bowl without their offensive coordinator.

7. Discover Orange Bowl: Northern Illinois vs Florida State, Jan 1st 7:30 pm ESPN, Can Northern Illinois stick with the 'Noles. Will Florida State continue to play to to a percieved much weaker opponent?

8. Chick-fil-A Bowl: LSU vs Clemson, Dec 31st 6:30 pm ESPN, LSU has an elite defense and an epicly bad offense. Clemson comes in with underrated QB Boyd and a good bunch of talent.

9. GoDaddy.com Bowl: Kent State vs Arkansas State, Jan 6th 8:00 pm ESPN, I certainly could have ranked this game higher because their will be fireworks in this game and Russell Crowe asking if you're not entertained.

10. Outback Bowl: South Carolina vs Michigan, Jan 1st 12:00 pm ESPN, These two can be lumped together, I don't know what to expect out of the Big Ten teams because they've been up and down all season. I also don't know what form the SEC teams will take; South Carolina has been abysmal on the road this year and Georgia doesn't handle being expected to win well.

11. Capital One Bowl: Nebraska vs Georgia, Jan 1st 12:00 pm ABC,

12. Allstate Sugar Bowl: Louisville vs Florida, Jan 2nd 7:30 pm EPSN, This one strikes me much like the Cincinnati game a few years back, a Florida team that still has a lot to prove. Louisville is a good team but nothing special but Strong should be amped up to play his former team.

13. Maaco Bowl Las Vegas: Washington vs Boise State, Dec 22nd 2:30 pm ESPN, This is a early season matchup next year, but this one pits two incomplete teams. Boise has grown all season but loss like they had isn't a one year rebuild, certainly one of Peterson's best. Washington hasn't taken the leaps that were expected under Sark and this team still looks like it has major flaws and not just at the hot button of QB. 

14. Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Toledo vs Utah State, Dec 15th 3:30 pm ESPN, Was Toledo a mirage all year that then faded? Was Utah State underappreciated all year or were their performances against good teams just them getting up for a couple big games?

15. New Era Pinstripe Bowl: West Virginia vs Syracuse, Dec 28th 2:15 pm ESPN, This is gonna have points to spare and be close in the end because well did you watch any Syracuse this season? Exactly.

16. AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl: Ohio vs ULM, Dec 28th 1:00 pm ESPN, This one intrigues me because both these teams finished the year looking like the opposites of the promise they showed early on.

17. Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl: Mississippi State vs Northwestern, Jan 1st 11:00 am ESPN2, I don't have a read on either of these teams, Mississippi State didn't show much this year once they hit the meat of their schedule and Northwestern on the other hand is what they've been throughout the Fitzgerald era.

18. Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl: TCU vs Michigan State, Dec 29th 9:15 pm ESPN, Gary Patterson doesn't have his best team but neither does Michigan State and this game will be the perfect wrap to the season for both teams.

19. Hyundai Sun Bowl: USC vs Georgia Tech, Dec 31st 1:00 pm CBS, USC will win but the defensive train wrecks should be absolutely amazing.

20. San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: San Diego State vs BYU, Dec 20th 7:00 pm ESPN, San Diego State seems to fly continuously under the radar and BYU has one hell of a defense.

21. BBVA Compass Bowl: Pittsburgh vs Mississippi, Jan 5th 12:00 pm ESPN, These teams are just interesting and both have gotten much better over the course of the sesaon.

22. Military Bowl - Pres. By Northrop Grumman: San Jose State vs Bowling Green, Dec 27th 2:00 pm ESPN, I will probably regret putting this one so low, I admit to not know much about either team other than San Jose State gave Stanford a run for its money. I think this is a sneaky good game.

23. Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: NC State vs Vanderbilt, Dec 31st 11:00 am ESPN, NC State lost to Tennessee and beat Florida State, Vanderbilt looked very good against South Carolina but had a stretch of far too big of beats versus good teams. This one should be fun.

24. Belk Bowl: Cincinnati vs Duke, Dec 27th 5:30 pm ESPN, Good for you Blue Devils fans, hopefully next year your bowl game will look more competative next season but yay Duke. Cincy was better than you think.

25. Russell Athletic Bowl: Rutgers vs Virginia Tech, Dec 28th 4:30 pm ESPN, This is fascinating because of the shit show that Va Tech has been this year and because Rutgers was much better than many thought in Flood's first year.

26. Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg Bowl: UCF vs Ball State, Dec 21st 6:30 pm ESPN, Read description below (somehow ended up writing these from 35 up).

27. AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Iowa State vs Tulsa, Dec 31st 2:30 pm ESPN, I think this will be an adequate game between two adequate teams.

28. R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: East Carolina vs Louisian-Lafayette, Dec 22nd 11:00 am ESPN, Could be interesting as ULL was a thorn in the side of some very good teams this year. East Carolina isn't flashy and the Pirates are alright with that.

29. Heart of Dallas Bowl: Purdue vs Oklahoma State, Jan 1st 11:00 am ESPNU, Oklahoma State big in this one as Purdue was bad in a down Big Ten and Oklahoma State was surprisingly good ina good Big XII.

30. Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas: Minnesota vs Texas Tech, Dec 28th 8:00 pm ESPN, I don't have much to say here, but Kliff Kingsburry is coming back to Lubbock. In the words of Clay Travis it isn't gay if it's Kliff Kingsburry.

31. Gilden New Mexico Bowl: Nevada vs Arizona, Dec 15th 12:00 pm ESPN, I may have this game ranked way too low in all fairness but when looking at this game I just can't stop the disinterest.

32. Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Fresno State vs SMU, Dec 24th 7:00 pm ESPN, June Jones returns to Hawaii, Fresno is solid but SMU is sloppy.

33. Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Navy vs Arizona State, Dec 29th 3:00 pm ESPN2, Arizona State is just miles better than Navy and this should be a blowout by halftime.

34. Bell Hellicopter Armed Forces Bowl: Rice vs Air Force, Dec 29th 10:45 am ESPN, Why do this to yourself just catch up on your sleep between Christmas and New Years.

35. Little Caesars Bowl: WKU vs CMU, Dec 26th 6:30 pm ESPN, WKU is interesting with the Taggart loss and CMU is a 6-6 MAC team.

Rambling's Week 14 CFB Picks Review

This should be an exciting weekend for college football with conference champions crowned and the National Championship match-up decided. Enjoy three straight days of championship football.
Well here we are the regular season has come to an end, Army-Navy is next week but it isn't counted as a regular season game for bowl status. Thank you all for reading this year, I hope to have a season review coming up and then we'll dive into bowl season.

Thursday, November 29th, 2012:
Louisville at Rutgers, 6:30 pm ESPN, So it turns out it was actually a four team tie but it won't matter as Louisville was highest ranked going into the week and their win won't drop them any further. Winner: 0-1 ATS: 0-1

Friday, November 30th, 2012:
#21 Northern Illinois at #17 Kent State (Ford Field), 6:00 pm ESPN2, This game was closer than I expected but Jordan Lynch and NIU pulled out the victory in OT and have a chance at a BCS bowl with a little help from the polls. The bummer news is that Dave Doeren took the NC State job and won't be their to coach them in whatever bowl they play. Winner: 1-1 ATS: 1-1
#16 UCLA at #8 Stanford, 7:00 pm FOX, Much closer this week than last and I should have expected it because both coaches staffs had a week to make adjustments on what they didn't do well last week. Props to UCLA for making a game of it and to the coaching staff for putting the kids in that position. Winner: 2-1 ATS: 1-2

Saturday, December 1st, 2012:
#11 Oklahoma at TCU, 11:00 am ESPN, TCU hung around in this game but just couldn't get close enough to really win this game. Oklahoma's win put the pressure on Kansas State to win against Texas to close out their Big XII championship. Winner: 3-1 ATS: 1-3
#23 Oklahoma State at Baylor, 11:00 am FX, Both these teams are gonna be fun to watch for a few years, I think OK State will be the better team over the next couple but there isn't a team that's really going to be itching to play Baylor either. This game was well played and well coached on the Bears side and OK State showed it's inexperience in the final game of the season. Winner: 3-2 ATS: 1-4
UCF at Tulsa, 11:00 am ESPN2, This was probably the most exciting game that noone watched Tulsa returned a kick for a touchdown, got the extra point blacked then won the game in overtime which took multiple reviewed goaline tries. Winner: 4-2 ATS: 2-4
Middle Tennessee at Arkansas State, 2:00 pm ESPN3,  Winner: 5-2 ATS: 2-5
#20 Boise State at Nevada, 2:30 pm ABC, Boise makes it a three-way tie for the MWC and all are co-champs because of the MWC bylaws just couldn't go far enough to seperate the three teams. Winner: 6-2 ATS: 2-6
#2 Alabama vs #3 Georgia (Georgia Dome), 3:00 pm CBS, The best game of the weekend that include overtime MACtion in the title game. This game had major swings, hard hits, great athletic plays and an argument about what really happened on the last play. The SEC probably should have had three teams in the BCS (if it weren't outlawed) because I don't think there is any doubt that Alabama, Georgia and Florida all were top 5 teams and LSU/Texas A&M weren't far behind. Winner: 7-2 ATS: 3-6
#18 Texas at #6 Kansas State, 7:00 pm ABC, Kansas State wins, and wins the Big XII title but the story here again is Texas who has had one of the most infuriating seasons in recent history. They look like barn-burners and then look like a team trapped inside a burning barn. How much more of a leash does Mack Brown get? Congrats to Bill Snyder and the Wildcats for a great season. Winner: 8-2 ATS: 4-6
#13 Florida State vs Georgia Tech (Bank of America Stadium), 7:00 pm ESPN, This game was controlled by Florida State but in very FSU fashion they let Georgia Tech hang around, this undoubtedly had something to with the loss of E.J. Manuel. It will be interesting to see how this FSU team responds to being overwhelmingly favored to crush NIU. Winner: 9-2 ATS: 4-7
#12 Nebraska vs Wisconsin (Lucas Oil Stadium), 7:17 pm FOX, Raise your hand if you saw Wisconsin coming out like that and then not lifting off the gas until up 30-something midway through the third. If this team shows up in Pasadena we will have a ball game, let's see if they can show some consistency through the layoff. Nebraska played it's worst game of the year at the least opportune time. Winner: 10-2 ATS: 4-8