Matt: Well,
another week in the books and another disappointing loss by my Hoosiers. But,
I’m going to put it behind me and look forward to this week’s matchup, one
where we are actually a favor! I was unable to bridge the gap that Ryan has
created in our picks and he continues to have a 11 game lead on me after we
tied this week. Ryan is now 436-140 (.757) while I am 425-151 (.738). A lot of
exciting games this week, including two Thursday games with national title
implications. Got seven matchups to bring you this week, so enjoy.
Oklahoma at Baylor,
Thursday 7:30 PM, FOX Sports 1
Matt: This game
is huge, it not only has Big 12 conference title implications, but it also has
national championship implications. Baylor is playing lights out this season
and is one of the surprise teams of the year. Just like Michigan State, another
surprise this year, the Bears are doing it with a great defense. Baylor’s
defense is in the top 10 in both rushing and passing. If that wasn’t enough,
Baylor’s offense is a powerhouse as well, leading the nation in passing yards
at 417.3 yards per game and 7th in the nation in rushing at 301.1 yards
per game. On the other side of the ball is Oklahoma, who’s numbers aren’t as
impressive but handed the Red Raiders a lost and only loss came at the hands of
the Longhorns. This is the first of three games Baylor has to play in a row
against ranked teams in the Big 12, after this, they’ll take on Texas Tech
followed by Oklahoma State. So, if the Bears want to find themselves in talks
for the national championship game, they’ll have to start this tough three
weeks off with a win, and I think they will with their balanced offense and
great defense.
Winner: Baylor
Winner: Baylor
Ryan Winner: Oklahoma
Oregon at Stanford,
Thursday 9:00 PM, ESPN
Matt: Another huge game on Thursday evening, and another game that
has not only conference implications, but national championship implications as
well. If Oregon wants to find themselves back in the National Championship
game, they’ll have to win this one, because after this one, their only other
test is Oregon State. And even that one isn’t nearly as intense as this week’s
matchup against the Cardinal or two week’s ago matchup against UCLA. Marcus
Mariota is still looking like a Heismen front runner, and through 11 weeks, he
still hasn’t throw an interception. However, he now has to march into enemy
territory and go against the tough Cardinal defense. The Cardinal had a tough
test against Oregon State two weeks ago, but the Ducks are a whole another
beast. Oregon is second in the nation in scoring offense with 55.6 points per
game. If Stanford is going to hand Oregon their first loss, they’ll have to do
it by stopping this powerful offense. Unfortunately, I don’t think that is
going to happen and Oregon goes on to win this one, perhaps a lot easier than expected.
Winner: Oregon
Winner: Oregon
Ryan Winner: Oregon
Air Force at New
Mexico, Friday 9:00 PM, ESPNU
Matt: Well, for
the first time this year, New Mexico is actually playing on national
television. This one is I’m sure interesting for Ryan, seeing as how he is
employed by the Air Force but is also a huge New Mexico fan, and will be a
student there eventually. Last week, Air Force crushed Army by outscoring Army
in every quarter expect the first. Anthony LaCoste destroyed the Army defense
by rushing for 263 yards and 3 touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, New
Mexico had a close loss to an average San Diego State team to fall to 2-6 on
the year. New Mexico has one of the worst rushing defense in the nation at 122nd
in the nation, out of 125. However, Air Force isn’t much better in rushing
defense at 113th in the nation. This one is going to be a very close
game, and both teams are going to look to rush the ball a lot. Ultimately, I
think it comes down to home field advantage, so I’m going with the Lobos on
this one.
Winner: New Mexico
Winner: New Mexico
Ryan Winner: New
Mexico
Illinois at Indiana,
Saturday 3:30 PM, BTN
Matt: I don’t
know where to start with my Hoosiers. Last week’s loss was completely
heartbreaking. Now it is a very hard road to find my Hoosiers in the post
season, but this game right here is a great way to start that. Illinois hasn’t
won a Big Ten game since 2011, unfortunately it was against my Hoosiers, but
that was a completely different team back in 2011. Both of these teams are
pretty evenly matched in terms of numbers, but the biggest difference in my eye
is Indiana’s big play potential. Ultimately, I think that is going to be the
decisive factor in this game. I currently live in Champaign, and I am tired of
seeing orange and blue everywhere I go. Not only do I want my Hoosiers to win
this game because it is my alma mater, but I want them to win so I can proudly
wear my Indiana gear on Monday to work just to rub it in a little more. I think
that the Hoosiers pull this one off, and go to Madison next week with some real
confidence after two disappointing weeks.
Winner: Indiana
Winner: Indiana
Ryan Winner: Indiana
Notre Dame at
Pittsburgh, Saturday 8:00 PM, ABC
Matt: While most
of the nation will be watching the Alabama-LSU game, this game will be on as
well. Look, maybe I’ve been a bit harsh on Notre Dame this year. Their win over
Michigan State earlier in the year is starting to look really good as the
Spartans climb in the ratings and are on top of their division in the Big Ten.
Now Notre Dame travels to the Steel City to take on the Panthers of Pittsburgh.
The Panthers? Not so good this year, ranking 104th in rushing yards
per game at 122.5 and 70th in passing yards at 223.4. Their defense
isn’t that great either. I don’t expect Notre Dame to have too many problems
with Pittsburgh, but you never know. I think Notre Dame wins this one easily.
Winner: Notre Dame
Winner: Notre Dame
Ryan Winner: Notre
Dame
Iowa at Purdue,
Saturday Noon, BTN
Matt: I think I
was completely right in saying last week that Purdue’s matchup against Ohio
State was going to be one that they and their fan base wanted to forget.
Braxton Miller was completely dominate the first half and even after he was
pulled the Boilermakers couldn’t do much damage to the Buckeyes. Purdue has a
much easier task in front of them with Iowa, but it is still no cake walk. This
isn’t the Iowa team of past, but it is still a Iowa football team that was
three points away from beating now undeafted Northern Illinois, an Iowa team
that for a bit gave both Wisconsin and Ohio State a run for their money. Two
black and yellow teams face off at Ross Aid stadium, but only one is going to
come out with a W. I think this is going
to be an easy win for Iowa, maybe not as bad as a blowout as last week’s
thrashing by Ohio State, but still a one sided game.
Winner: Iowa
Winner: Iowa
∫Ryan Winner: Iowa
LSU at Alabama,
Saturday 8:00 PM, CBS
Matt: Ah, the
crème de la crème of college football in Week 11. This game is probably the
biggest game of the year. It has so many implications; I’m not even sure where
to start. Alabama gets their fist test since, honestly, probably Texas A&M,
and even in that game it didn’t seem to be much of a fight. This game is going
to be great. Alabama’s tough defense going against LSU’s powerful balanced
offense. However, this isn’t the same LSU team that was able to knock Alabama
off in the regular season, only to lose to them in the National Championship.
And this isn’t the same Alabama team that allowed LSU to beat them in the
regular season before beating them in the National Championship. Alabama is
much better than that team, and LSU is not as good as that team. I think that
for all the hype this game is getting, it’ll be a little less exciting than
hoped. I think Alabama’s defense and balanced offense is going to be too much
for LSU, especially since the Crimson Tide are playing at home. This one goes
to Alabama. Roll tide.
Winner: Alabama
Winner: Alabama
Ryan Winner: Alabama
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