Rivalry Week (College Football Week 14 Preview)

Ryan: 565-175

Matt: 549-191

Purdue at Indiana

Matt: The Old Oaken Bucket Game. A game that I as an Indiana fan look forward to very much every year. When I first started as a student at Indiana University, this game wasn’t a game that took place the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It was a game that took place the first Saturday after that Saturday. When all the students were back from Thanksgiving break, and ever since they moved it to this game to the Saturday after Thanksgiving, I feel like it has lost a bit of it’s intensity. However, it is still a rivalry game and I’m sure both teams have this game circled. Both Purdue and Indiana have had seasons that they are looking forward to erasing, but I think Indiana’s season has a bit of a better overall look, looking back at it. Beating Penn State for the first time, and being a lot more competitive than in the past few years. However, there is no reason this team shouldn’t be bowl eligible and the one reason they aren’t is the defense. I’m really looking forward this game, and sure Purdue fans will tell you that they have the edge in this series, but in this game I think the Hoosiers have the edge and bring the Old Oaken Bucket back to where it belongs: Bloomington, Indiana
Winner: Indiana

Ryan: Though college football is coming to an end, I’m sure it’s one that these two teams are looking forward to. Both Purdue and Indiana have had terrible seasons and no post season play on the horizon. The last game is going to be the biggest of the year: The Old Oaken Bucket Game. Normally, there is a clear favorite to win it. This year, that is not the case. Both teams have shown that they cannot compete with the top tier in the Big Ten, getting destroyed by Ohio State and Wisconsin. Danny Ettling showed some improvement against Illinois, but he has a long way to go. The Hoosiers get Purdue at home this year, and I look for them to try and grab momentum early, airing it out with Nate Sudfeld.  In all but one of the Hoosiers offense, Sudfeld has failed to throw for over 250 yards. If the Hoosiers can’t get the passing game going, I see the Boilers being able to win it. Purdue has shown up for one game this year when Notre Dame came to town. If Purdue can bring the same intensity to Bloomington, they might just be able to take home the Bucket, which they have won two straight and 68 percent of the time. With that said, Boilers cap off their terrible season with a little white light.
Winner: Purdue

Minnesota at Michigan State

Matt: Michigan State is coming off another win against Northwestern, and they punched their ticket to the Big Ten title game as the representative for the Legends division. The Spartans have really had such a successful season because of their defense. One of the best defenses in the nation. Michigan State finishes their season against the Golden Gophers, another surprise team in the Big Ten. I think the Spartans finish strong and finish their season undeafted in the Big Ten and heading into Indianapolis hoping to pull off the upset and find themselves in a BCS bowl, perhaps, with a lot of luck and loses by other teams, the National Championship.
Winner: Michigan State

Ryan: Michigan State is kicking themselves for losing to Notre Dame earlier in the season. The Spartans are 10-1 and ranked thirteenth in the nation. If Michigan State hadn’t struggled at Notre Dame, a game in which they lost by four, then maybe they would have hopes of their own national title. However, Michigan State has put together a great year, one that will find them in the Big Ten Championship game against Ohio State. Not looking forward, the Spartans play a Minnesota team that has a lot to play for. The Gophers have embraced their coach and now with the ongoing seizure situation, have rallied to make this year mean something. Minnesota has flirted with the rankings, but after a loss to Wisconsin, they might just fall right out of it. The Spartans have relied heavily on defense this year, only allowing 12.5 points a game. Mix the Michigan State defense with a Minnesota offense that has only scored over twenty points three times in Big Ten play and you get a great matchup for Michigan State.
Winner: Michigan State

Ohio State at Michigan

Matt: At the beginning of the season, this game was going to be the one game that I thought Ohio State might have trouble winning, but after Michigan disappointing season, and Ohio State being undeafted and being dominate over just about every team they faced, it’s hard to see a way that Ohio State doesn’t win this. The one stat that does play a factor in this game is that Michigan has only lost once at home under Brady Hoke. However, this isn’t a game that I think the home advantage is going to be enough to overpower the Buckeyes. Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde are running on all cylinders right now and if they want to find themselves in the National Championship game they’ll have to beat their old rivals and do it with some style. I think the Buckeyes will just do that and keep my hopes of predicting the National Champion alive.
Winner: Ohio State

Ryan: Michigan has been a huge disappoint this year, just not to me. At the beginning of the year, I was not sure what all the hype was about, and now I think just about everyone in the nation is with me. The Wolverines have lost four of their last six games, one of which was Brady Hoke’s first home loss against Nebraska. If that alone wasn’t enough, this week they host the number three team in the nation and their bitter rivals: Ohio State. The Buckeyes are coming into this game with a staggering 23 game winning streak. Ohio State has bigger fish to fry this year with the Big Ten Championship game against Michigan State and a possible National Title game, but they will make sure to punish the hated Wolverines. Braxton Miller exited Heisman talk when he got injured earlier in the season, but he hasn’t skipped a beat since his return. Ohio State ranks in the top ten in scoring offense and defense, which makes them a tough team to prepare for. Seeing is how Michigan has a terrible coach and team, that switches to an impossibility. The question at the beginning of the year was about Devin Gardner’s accuracy, which is answered with a big red “X.” Gardner is completing less than 60 percent of his passes and has thrown eleven interceptions. Ohio State is going to have a field day in Ann Arbor.
Winner: Ohio State

Alabama at Auburn

Matt: I am so excited about this game. It’s probably the biggest game of the year. It’ll not only determine who will be going to the SEC Championship game, but it could determine who find a spot in the National Championship game. Auburn is definetly the comeback team and the surpise team of this year. Going from 3-9 and not winning a single SEC game to going 10-1 and only losing to LSU thus far in the SEC. This game is going to be so intense, I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle it. Auburn’s offense is dynamic, Alabama’s defense is powerful. This game I think could go either way. I’m going to go with  Auburn though because Alabama’s ego and lack of tough opponents in recent weeks will come back to haunt them and Auburn will find themselves with much to celebrate at the end of the night.
Winner: Auburn

Ryan: An Iron Bowl has never meant this much since, well, never. This is the first time the Iron Bowl will decide who goes into the SEC Championship Game from the West. This game also has National Championship implications for both teams. Alabama has been the steady number one all year, but Auburn has put together a great season of their own. As if this game needed any more hype. Both teams put up thirty points a game, but the Crimson Tide once again have a stout defense, allowing less than ten points a game. Auburn is lucky to be here today, scraping by against Washington State, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and last week against Georgia. The Tigers winning margin in those games was a combined twenty-eight points. Alabama hasn’t won a game by less than ten except for the shootout against the Aggies. With all on the line this week, I look for Nick Saban to have the Crimson Tide on lockdown and ready to go. Saban has always prepared his teams for big games, and that is something Auburn will lack with a first year head coach. All the signs point to Alabama once again winning the West, and that’s where I am going as well.
Winner: Alabama

Clemson at South Carolina

Matt: A cross conference rivalry that I feel like in recent years a bit lopsided toward South Carolina, because South Carolina has been a powerhouse in football for quite some time while Clemson is just now coming into the spotlight. Both of these teams have had a bit of disappointing season, with national championship hopes in their eyes and now they need help from a lot of different teams if either of them wants to find themselves in the National Championship game. South Carolina’s big thing coming into the season was Jadeveon Clowney. With everyone picking him as the preseason Heismen winner, but he hasn’t really shown up this year. One could even argue that he hasn’t been the best defense player this year, let alone the player of the year. Regardless, this should be a pretty decent rivalry game but in the end I think that Clemson comes out on top on this one and in the hunt for a BCS bowl.
Winner: Clemson

Ryan: Clemson was a preseason top five team with all the aspirations in the world. One visit from the Seminoles changed all that. After getting blown out against Florida State, the Tigers lost all shot at a National Title. Now, the Tigers have to hope for an at-large BCS bid. Don’t get too ahead of yourselves Clemson. South Carolina is looking to finish the season with a huge rivalry win. Aside from losing to Georgia and a terrible loss to Tennessee, the Gamecocks have mustered out nine wins and looking to make it double digits. Connor Shaw has been the face of this team, throwing for almost 2000 yards and twenty touchdowns and only one interception. Shaw has also rushed for over 400 yards with four touchdowns. However, Shaw isn’t the only quarterback playing in this game. Tajh Boyd has over 3000 yards passing for the third straight season with 37 combined touchdowns. Boyd has always been a stat quarterback while at Clemson but was never able to win the big game. With one last game at Clemson, Boyd will look to put the team on his back against South Carolina. A big storyline coming into the season was how amazing Jadeveon Clowney was. Clowney was a man among boys, the most NFL ready player in college football, hands down the best player in the game. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Clowney has looked pedestrian at best this year, looking like he isn’t giving any effort. With only two sacks and less than fifty tackles this year, Clowney has disappointed. With Boyd wanting to leave on a high note and Clowney underperforming, I see Clemson with a great season finale.

Winner: Clemson

Notre Dame at Stanford

Matt: Stanford comes off a knockout victory over California but the loss against USC is still on their mind and I’m sure still hurting a bit. This was a Stanford team that was suppose to finally break through and find themselves in the National Championship game, and now they had to get help from Oregon (which they did) to find themselves in the Pac 12 title game. Stanford’s season, like a lot of the one lose teams, has been a bit of a disappointment. Now they welcome the Fightin’ Irish into their stadium in a rivalry game. I know I’ve been hard on Notre Dame all year, but they have fallen, but are still able to be ranked heading into their last game of the season. Now they have their toughest test of the year against Stanford and I just don’t see them pulling it off, Stanford is not going to let themselves slip against and lose a game that they should win. Stanford wins this one.
Winner: Stanford

Ryan: Earlier in the year, I predicted this game to decide who plays Alabama in the National Title game. Now, both teams are fighting for a decent bowl game, maybe a BCS game. Stanford clinched the Pac-12 North with Oregon losing to Arizona on Saturday. Even with the championship game spot, the Cardinal will want to finish strong against rival Notre Dame. The Irish have performed well this season, losing only to ranked Michigan and Oklahoma, and an upset against Pittsburgh. Notre Dame seemed to be hitting on all cylinders until they lost to the Panthers. Last week against BYU, Notre Dame sprung out to an early lead but faltered late, allowing BYU a chance to win. Stanford’s two losses came to Utah and USC, both teams unranked. Both teams have tailored their games knowing that the defenses are strong. Both defenses allow less than 23 points a game. Notre Dame lost a key part of their defense when Louis Nix had season ending surgery. In his absence, Stephon Tuitt has stepped up to the plate as the leader on the line. The big key for this game will be who can make the big play that sets the tone for the entire game. The Irish have a few big play guys in TJ Jones, George Atkinson III, and now Tarean Folston, who looks to be the running back of the future. Notre Dame does what it takes to win in Palo Alto.
Winner: Notre Dame

Texas A&M at Missouri

Matt: At the beginning of the year it was all about Johnny Football. Weather he could take his talents and will his team to the National Championship. However, it seems that dream is no longer possible and he’ll end his college career (my prediction, he hates being in College Station, and doesn’t want to spend another minute there) by hoping to find him and his team in a high end bowl game. That, however, will be a tough test considering the Aggies have to face Missouri. A game that at the beginning of the season, they didn’t think would be a tough test. This is going to be an interesting game, and Missouri is looking to punch a ticket to its first ever SEC title game after only joining the SEC last year. I think that is motivation enough for the Tigers to get past Johnny Football and find themselves in the SEC Title game, and maybe even the National Championship game.
Winner: Missouri

Ryan: Texas A&M has done everything to make itself meaningless in the SEC this year. The Aggies have lost three games in SEC play so far this year and may make that four this week against Missouri. Johnny Manziel has put up more impressive numbers this year, but has not come through when it matters. Though Manziel matched Alabama down the stretch, early interceptions cost him that game. With the game on the line against Auburn, ole Johnny Football couldn’t make a play. Last week against LSU, Manziel just looked awful. This week, the Aggies play a Missouri team with one of the best defensive lines in the game today. Missouri has come out of nowhere this year with ten wins and a chance to play in the SEC championship game. Missouri is in control of its fate. A win and they are in, a loss and they are not. It all looked like it was over for the Tigers when starting quarterback James was out for four games, but the Tigers held on to win three of the four. Missouri and Texas A&M both know how to score points, but the difference is on the defensive side of the ball. The Aggies have struggled all year, allowing over thirty points per game whereas the Tigers only allow nineteen. With the SEC on the line, I like Missouri to win.
Winner: Missouri

New Mexico at Boise State

Matt: I’m not going to say too much about this game, but I will say this. I’m thinking that Ryan is really excited that college basketball has started and he can put the Lobo’s football season behind him. A great rushing team, but that hasn’t been enough for the Lobos this year and they finish the season against a decent team in Boise State. Boise State shouldn’t have too much trouble with the Lobos. Boise State wins.
Winner: Boise State

Ryan: New Mexico has had a sad year. The Lobos entered the season hoping for a bowl game but have only won three games so far. Man factors have played into the Lobo’s upsetting season: no passing game, no defense, and no big playmakers. Kasey Carrier has struggled this year and will miss the final game with a concussion. Boise State isn’t having one of their Cinderella stories either. The Broncos are 7-4 and need a loss from Utah State in order to go to the Mountain West Championship. The Broncos are missing Kellen Moore this year, having to go between two quarterbacks, never finding one that sticks. New Mexico has also used two quarterbacks, but neither of which can throw the ball. This game looks to be a sloppy one with no defense and a lot of running.
Winner: Boise State

DATE	TIME (ET)	MATCHUP	TV	Matt	Ryan
Tuesday	7:00 PM	Western Michigan at No. 16 Northern Illinois		Northern Illinois	Northern Illinois
Thursday	7:30 PM	No. 24 Ole Miss at Mississippi State		Ole Miss	Ole Miss
Thursday	7:30 PM	Texas Tech at Texas	FOX Sports 1	Texas	Texas
Friday	12:00 PM	Iowa at Nebraska		Iowa	Iowa
Friday	12:00 PM	Southern Methodist at Houston		Houston	SMU
Friday	12:00 PM	East Carolina at Marshall	CBS Sports Network	East Carolina	Marshall
Friday	12:00 PM	Toledo at Akron	ESPN 3	Toledo	Akron
Friday	1:00 PM	Miami (OH) at Ball State	ESPN 3	Ball State	Ball State
Friday	1:30 PM	Bowling Green at Buffalo		Bowling Green	Bowling Green
Friday	2:00 PM	Massachusetts at Ohio	ESPN 3	Ohio	Ohio
Friday	2:00 PM	Eastern Michigan at Central Michigan	ESPN 3	Central Michigan	Central Michigan
Friday	2:00 PM	Texas State at Troy	ESPN 3	Troy	Troy
Friday	2:30 PM	Arkansas at No. 22 LSU	CBS	LSU	LSU
Friday	3:00 PM	Florida International at Florida Atlantic	FOX Sports 1	FAU	FAU
Friday	3:30 PM	No. 15 Fresno State at San Jose State	CBS Sports Network	Fresno State	Fresno State
Friday	3:30 PM	Miami (FL) at Pittsburgh		Pittsburgh	Miami (FL)
Friday	3:30 PM	Washington State at Washington	FOX	Washington	Washington
Friday	7:00 PM	Oregon State at No. 5 Oregon	FOX Sports 1	Oregon	Oregon
Friday	8:00 PM	South Florida at No. 18 UCF		UCF	UCF
Saturday	TBA	No. 25 Minnesota at No. 13Michigan State		Michigan State	Michigan State
Saturday	TBA	Purdue at Indiana		Indiana	Purdue
Saturday	12:00 PM	No. 2 Florida State at Florida		Florida State	Florida State
Saturday	TBA	No. 4 Baylor at TCU		Baylor	Baylor
Saturday	TBA	No. 14 UCLA at No. 23 USC		USC	UCLA
Saturday	TBA	Duke at North Carolina		Duke	Duke
Saturday	TBA	North Texas at Tulsa		North Texas	North Texas
Saturday	TBA	Virginia Tech at Virginia		Virginia Tech	Virginia Tech
Saturday	12:00 PM	No. 3 Ohio State at Michigan		Ohio State	Ohio State
Saturday	12:00 PM	Rutgers at Connecticut		Rutgers	Rutgers
Saturday	12:00 PM	Temple at Memphis		Memphis	Memphis
Saturday	12:00 PM	Kansas State at Kansas	FOX Sports 1	Kansas State	Kansas State
Saturday	12:21 PM	Wake Forest at Vanderbilt	ESPN 3	Vanderbilt	Vanderbilt
Saturday	12:30 PM	Maryland at North Carolina State	ESPN 3	Maryland	Maryland
Saturday	1:00 PM	Southern Miss at UAB		UAB	UAB
Saturday	2:00 PM	Air Force at Colorado State	ESPN 3	Colorado State	Colorado State
Saturday	2:00 PM	Colorado at Utah	Pac-12 Network	Utah	Utah
Saturday	2:00 PM	Wyoming at Utah State		Utah State	Utah State
Saturday	2:00 PM	South Alabama at Georgia State	ESPN 3	South Alabama	South Alabama
Saturday	3:00 PM	Tulane at Rice		Rice	Rice
Saturday	3:00 PM	Brigham Young at Nevada	CBS Sports Network	Brigham Young	Brigham Young
Saturday	3:30 PM	No. 1 Alabama at No. 6 Auburn	CBS	Auburn	Alabama
Saturday	3:30 PM	Penn State at No. 19 Wisconsin		Wisconsin	Wisconsin
Saturday	3:30 PM	Georgia at Georgia Tech		Georgia	Georgia
Saturday	3:30 PM	Idaho at New Mexico State	ESPN 3	Idaho	New Mexico State
Saturday	3:30 PM	Boston College at Syracuse	ESPN 3	Boston College	Boston College
Saturday	3:30 PM	Northwestern at Illinois	BTN	Northerwestern	Northerwestern
Saturday	3:30 PM	Louisiana Tech at UTSA		Louisiana Tech	Louisiana Tech
Saturday	3:45 PM	UTEP at Middle Tennessee		Middle Tennessee	Middle Tennessee
Saturday	4:00 PM	Arkansas State at Western Kentucky	ESPN 3	Western Kentucky	Western Kentucky
Saturday	4:00 PM	Iowa State at West Virginia	FOX Sports 1	West Virginia	West Virginia
Saturday	7:00 PM	No. 7 Clemson at No. 11 South Carolina		Clemson	Clemson
Saturday	7:00 PM	Notre Dame at No. 9 Stanford	FOX	Stanford	Notre Dame
Saturday	7:00 PM	Tennessee at Kentucky		Tennessee	Tennessee
Saturday	7:00 PM	Louisiana-Monroe at Louisiana-Lafayette	ESPN 3	Louisiana-Lafayette	Louisiana-Lafayette
Saturday	7:45 PM	No. 12 Texas A&M at No. 8 Missouri		Missouri	Missouri
Saturday	9:30 PM	Arizona at No. 17 Arizona State	Pac-12 Network	Arizona State	Arizona State
Saturday	10:15 PM	New Mexico at Boise State		Boise State	Boise State
Saturday	10:30 PM	San Diego State at UNLV		UNLV	UNLV
Saturday	11:00 PM	Army at Hawaii		Hawaii	Hawaii