College Football Week 11 Picks

Another disappointing 2-3 performance for the second week in a row. Enough messing around. This week we bring out the big boys and pick games that have both conference and national title implications.


Ohio vs Buffalo

The MAC East's top two teams square off in a matchup that is likely to decide one half of the MAC Championship game. Both Ohio and Buffalo are coming off bye weeks after crushing each of their opponents the week before. This should be an interesting Tuesday night game.

Ohio will look to advance to the MAC championship for the first time since 2011 when it lost to Northern Illinois after being up 20 points at halftime. The Bobcats are led by QB Tyler Tettleton who has thrown for over 300 yards in three straight games to go along with nine touchdowns and three interceptions. Tettleton will look to get the ball into WR Donte Foster's hands early and often as Foster has caught 28 passes over the last three games. Tettleton will also rely on RB's Beau Blankenship and Ryan Boykin to help run the Bobcat spread offensive attack against a Bull's defense that only gives up 140 rushing yards per game. Blankenship and Boykin will need to find some creases to help Tettleton run the offense to prevent the Bulls from double teaming Foster on the outside.

The Bulls are off to their best start since Turner Gill took them to the MAC championship in 2008. The Bulls are a strong defensive team and have only allowed 12 points per game since their losses to Ohio State and Baylor. Along with their strong defense, the Bulls have a powerful running attack led by Branden Oliver. Oliver has rushed for over 100 yards in four straight games and will need to do the same tonight if the Bulls expect to beat the Bobcats. The Bulls aerial attack, while not deadly, has proven to be very efficient so far this season. QB Joe Licata has thrown for a little over 1500 yards to along with 14 touchdowns and only four interceptions. The Bulls will look to beat the Bobcats down with their running attack and have Licata manage the game for them.

Key Matchup: Oliver versus the Ohio front seven will be the key matchup in this game. If Oliver game run for big chunks like he has the last four games, the Bulls will be in good shape. If the Bobcats can hold Oliver in check and force Licata to beat them, the Bobcats will feel pretty good about their chances.

Prediction: +Ohio University 24 - +University at Buffalo (UB), Office of Admissions 21



Oklahoma vs Baylor

The Oklahoma Sooners travel to Waco to take on the Baylor Bears in a game that has Big 12 Title implications. The Sooners are coming off a bye week after beating Texas Tech in the previous week. The Sooners will look to continue their chase for another Big 12 Title on Saturday. The Sooners gameplan should be simple enough, run the ball. The Sooners average 234 yards of rushing per game and will look to continue that success against Baylor on Saturday. Not only will the Sooners look to do that as it is their bread and butter, but also because if they can run the ball successfully, it will keep the high octane Baylor offense on the sidelines and force them to score on all of their possessions. The Sooners will rely on a bevy of runners including QB Blake Bell along with RB's Brennan Clay, Damien Williams and Roy Finch. Expect anywhere between 35 to 50+ carries on the night for the Sooner offense. When Bell looks to throw, he will undoubtedly looks for WR's Jalen Saunders and Sterling Shephard. The pair have combined for 50% of the Sooners receptions and have built a good rapport with Bell. If the Sooners have to rely on Bell to beat the Bears through the air, it will be a long night for the Sooner faithful.

The Bears are coming into this top 10 showdown white hot on offense scoring almost 64 points per game. The Bears will look to continue this scoring pace on Saturday when they host the Sooners at Floyd Casey Stadium. The Bears have been lights out on offense both through the air and on the ground. QB Bryce Petty has thrown for almost 2500 yards, 24 touchdowns and only one interception so far this season. Petty has spread the ball around to a plethora of receivers including Antwan Goodley and speedster Tevin Reese. On the ground, like the Sooners, the Bears spread the rock across multiple backs including Lache Seastrunk, Shock Linwood and Glasco Martin. Seastrunk who professed his Heisman candidacy in the preseason has been excellent so far this season averaging nine yards per carry to along with 11 touchdowns. Expect the Bears to continue their offensive balance and adjust according to what the defense gives them.

Key Matchup: The matchup in this game will be the Baylor front seven against the Oklahoma running game. If the Bears can keep the Sooners in check for the most part, then their offense can take over from their and it will be a good night in Waco. If the defense has trouble stopping the Sooners running game leading to long drives, than it could be a long night in Waco.

Prediction: +Baylor Athletics 42 - +The University of Oklahoma 38




Oregon vs Stanford

Marcus Mariota and the Oregon Ducks travel to Palo Alto to take on the Stanford Cardinal. The Ducks have revenge on their mind after missing out on the National Title last year thanks to their loss to Stanford in Eugene. Nothing would make the Ducks happier than to not only beat the Cardinal and return to the National Championship, but also to do it in impressive fashion and solidify Mariota's Heisman candidacy. Mariota has been electric so far this season, tallying up over 2800 total yards and 29 touchdowns with no interceptions. Mariota leads an explosive spread option offensive attack that has a speed and weapons all over the field. Joining Mariota in the backfield is a stable of running backs including Byron Marshall, Thomas Tyner and De'Anthony Thomas. All three have the ability to go 80 yards in a split second, which has proven to cause nightmares for opposing defenses this year. With the stable of running backs along with Mariota dual threat capability, the Ducks have embarrassed every team on their schedule so far. If the Cardinal can't stop the Oregon rushing attack early with their physicality, then the Cardinal will get run out of the stadium before it can realize what happened.

The Cardinal look to keep their National Championship hopes alive while ending their new found rival's as well on Saturday. The Cardinal have had a week to prepare for the Ducks offense after beating Oregon St in Corvallis the previous week. Stanford will no doubt look to impose their will both offensively and defensively in the trenches against the Ducks. RB Tyler Gaffney has rushed for over 100 yards in each of the last three games and it is wise to assume the Cardinal will ride Gaffney on Saturday. Expect Gaffney to carry the rock at least 30 times as the Cardinal will look to move the chains and keep the Ducks offense on the sidelines and the best way to do that is through Gaffney. QB Kevin Hogan will look to prevent the Ducks from stacking the box by getting the ball out to WR Ty Montgomery as well as with his legs. If Hogan can manage the game by moving the chains and not turn the ball over, the Cardinal will have a good shot at ending the Ducks championship hopes again.

Key Matchup: RB Tyler Gaffney against the Oregon front seven. If Gaffney can shred the Ducks defense the way he has opposing defenses all season the Cardinal will have a chance at the upset. If the Oregon front seven can play physical and not get beat off the ball, then this game could get out of hand real quick.

Prediction: +University of Oregon Ducks 30 - +Stanford Athletics 24



LSU vs Alabama

The LSU Tigers travel to Tuscaloosa to take on the Crimson Tide in what is a major stepping stone for Alabama. The Tigers are coming off a bye week after trouncing Furman 48-16 the week before. The Tigers have been a tough team to figure out so far this season. One week the offense will play very well, but the defense will struggle and vice versa the following week. The Tigers have yet to play a complete game and now would be the time to do it against Alabama. QB Zach Mettenberger will lead an improved passing attack into Tuscaloosa, something the Tigers haven't had for quite a while, and will look to avenge last season's home loss to the Crimson Tide. Mettenberger has played great all year with the exception of the Ole Miss game and will look to take advantage of an Alabama defense that has struggled a bit against the spread offense this year. Mettenberger will look to get the ball to Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry on the outside, especially in short yardage situations when the Crimson Tide will stack the box to defend against the run. The Tigers will also rely heavily on RB Jeremy Hill, who has rushed for 120+ yards in three of the last four games. Expect Hill to get between 25 and 30 carries against the Crimson Tide on Saturday. If the Tigers can run the ball efficiently and Mettenberger can get the ball out to Beckham and Landry in tight press coverage, then the Tigers will go into Tuscaloosa and upset the Crimson Tide.

Alabama will look to keep rolling towards another national championship on Saturday when it takes on LSU. Alabama is also coming off a bye week after demolishing Tennessee the week before.  Alabama has been dominant on both sides of the ball of late scoring 45 of more in four straight games as well as holding opponents to 10 points or less in all four of those games as well. The Crimson Tide offense starts with QB AJ McCarron.  McCarron has been brilliant all year not only in his decision making, but also in his ability to manage the game and take what the defense gives him. McCarron has completed almost 70% of his passes and has thrown 16 touchdowns to only three interceptions. In the biggest game of the season, McCarron throw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns against Texas A&M on the road in College Station. McCarron will look to keep his efficiency by spreading the ball around the WR's Kevin Norwood, Christion Jones, Amari Coopers and DeAndrew White. The Tide will also lean on the legs of T.J. Yeldon, who has been racking up lots of yards and touchdowns while sharing time with Kenyan Drake. Like McCarron, Yeldon was at his best when it counted the most against Texas A&M and it will be interesting to see how those two play come Saturday against LSU.

Key Matchup: Jeremy Hill against the Crimson Tide front seven. Alabama is one of the best in the country against the run and if Hill can't get anything going against them, then that puts more pressure on Mettenberger to make plays on his own, which is not a recipe for success against Alabama. If Hill can get some first downs are the ground and keep drives going the Tigers will be in it to the end. If he can't get any traction on the ground, then the Tigers will be out of it by the end of the third quarter.

Prediction: +Alabama Crimson Tide 27 - +LSU Football 14


Upset Special

Houston vs UCF

The American Athletic Championship could very well likely be decided on Saturday in Orlando when the Houston Cougars take on the UCF Knights. UCF has already beaten Louisville, so a win over Houston would all but seal up the conference title for the Knights. The Cougars are coming off an unimpressive win over South Florida in a game that wasn't decided until the final minute of the game. QB John O'Korn looks to lead his team past the Knights and give Houston their first regular season win over a ranked opponent since 2009 when the Cougars beat the Oklahoma St Cowboys in Stillwater. O'Korn has been nothing short of magnificent so far this season, throwing for over 2100 yards, 22 touchdowns and only four interceptions. He will need to be on his a game on Saturday against a very good defensive unit.  O'Korn will look to get the ball to Deontay Greenberry and Daniel Spencer, two of his playmaking wide receivers.  While the Cougars don't run that often, O'Korn will need help from RB's to prevent the UCF defense from pinning their ears back and rushing the passer early and often. RB's Ryan Jackson and Kenneth Farrow both average over 5 yards a carry but neither has gone over 100 yards since the second game of the season. It will be tough sledding against the Knights defense, but Jackson and Farrow will need to scratch and claw for every yard to keep the chains moving and wear out the Knight defense.


The UCF Knights are coming off a bye week after destroying UCONN 62-17 and it will be interesting to see what the Knights gameplan will be for the Cougars. The Knights are a very good team across the board that can run, pass and play great defense. The Knights are led by QB Blake Bortles who has completed 67% of his passes for over 1800 yards, 15 touchdowns and only five interceptions. Bortles has been on a tear the last two games throwing for six touchdowns and one interception while averaging a QB rating of 192. Bortles is also helped out with a pretty decent rushing attack led by Storm Johnson. Despite a rough outing in his last appearance, Johnson has averaged over 4.6 yards per carry over his last four games including games against Louisville and South Carolina. Johnson should have some running lanes as the Cougars give up 144 rushing yards per game. The Knights will look to play stout defense and attack with a balanced offensive approach that keeps the chains moving and the explosive Houston Cougar offense on the sidelines.

Key Matchup: How will the UCF defense stack up against O'Korn and the Cougar passing attack? If the Knights can keep plays in front of them and get the Cougar offense off the field early, than it will be a good night for UCF. If the Cougar can string together some drives and beat the Knights deep, it will be a good night for the Cougars. In this day and age, offense seems to get the better of the defense more often than not.

Prediction: +University of Houston 31 - +UCF Knights 24

Last Week: 2-3
2013 Season: 31-19