A decent 3-2 performance last week. This week, we choose five games that have implications from National Title to Conference Championship to rivalry win. Here are this weeks picks.
Alabama vs Auburn
The much anticipated Iron Bowl is finally here. Alabama looks to cement another trip to the BCS National Championship while Auburn looks to shake up the National Championship picture entirely and put themselves in a position to play in the big game.
Alabama comes into this game rolling like they have all year long. The defense hasn't allowed a team to score more than 20 points since Texas A&M did it back on Sep 18 while the offense has scored 30 or more in seven out of the last eight games. QB AJ McCarron has been spectacular all season long making big plays and putting his team in position to win each and every single game. While McCarron is a dark horse for the Heisman Trophy, the trophy that matters to him is another BCS Title. McCarron has done a great job all season not only spreading the ball around to many targets but also completing passes at almost a 70% clip. He has a favorable matchup against an Auburn defense that has trouble stopping high powered, balanced offenses like Alabama's. McCarron will look to WR's Amari Cooper and Christion Jones in the open field and Kevin Norwood in the Red Zone as Norwood has scored a touchdown in four straight games. The Crimson Tide also sport a power offensive running attack led by T.J. Yeldon and speed back Kenyan Drake. Yeldon missed the Tide's last game but rushed for over 130+ against LSU and Mississippi St and will be ready to go against Auburn. If Alabama can run the ball effectively early against Auburn and put them in a whole early that forces the Tigers to rely on the pass, than it could be a quick ending to the Iron Bowl.
The Tigers find themselves in BCS Championship talks for the first time since they won it all back in 2010. QB Nick Marshall leads the Tigers run heavy spread attack. Marshall has rushed 123 times this season and is averaging almost seven yards per carry and has nine touchdowns this season. The Tigers will need him to make plays with his feet on designed runs and on passing plays for them to beat the Crimson Tide. Marshall hasn't been relied on to throw the ball much this year, but he will need to throw the ball downfield in this game as the Crimson Tide will more than likely stack the box to stop the run. The Tigers are coming off a bye week, so it will be interesting to see what kinds of wrinkles they put in the passing game to help Marshall out and keep the Crimson Tide on their heels. When Marshall is put in passing downs, expect him to target WR Sammie Coates early and often. Coates has been a big play receiver averaging over 22 yards per catch and has five of Marshall's nine passing touchdowns. The wild card for the Tiger offense is RB Tre Mason. If Mason can run the way he has all year long even against a stacked front, the Tigers will be in contention in this game. Mason is averaging five and a half yards per carry and has 17 touchdowns so far this season. If the Tigers are going to beat Alabama, they will need to put the ball in the end zone rather than settling for field goals.
Key Matchup: The Auburn defense vs the Alabama rushing attack. If Auburn can slow down the Crimson Tide rushing attack and force some third and long opportunities, then they can get themselves in position to force Bama to punt or even intercept McCarron and get their explosive offense back on the field. If the Tigers have trouble containing Yeldon and Drake, than McCarron and company can expose the secondary when the defense is overplaying to stop the run and get the Tigers in a whole early, forcing them to step out of their comfort zone and pass.
Prediction: +Alabama Crimson Tide 34 - +Auburn Athletics 21
Notre Dame vs Stanford
The Fighting Irish look to win for the first time in Palo Alto since 2007 when they take on the Stanford Cardinal. The Irish have had an up and down year, beating the likes of Michigan St and Arizona St while losing to Pitt. Senior QB Tommy Rees looks to go out with a win in his regular season finale as the QB for the Irish. Rees has had a decent season throwing for over 2700 yards and 25 touchdowns, but has also had some trouble with his decision making as shown by his 11 interceptions. Rees will need to be spot on against a tough Stanford defense that ranks 14th in points per game allowed. Rees will need to get the ball in the hands of WR's TJ Jones and DaVaris Daniels. Both Jones and Daniels have gotten the significant majority of Rees' throws and there is no reason why that won't continue against the Cardinal. Notre Dame has struggled mightily running the football, but if it expects to beat Stanford in Palo Alto than the Irish will need to establish some sort of rushing attack. In the three games the Irish have lost, RB Cam McDaniel has averaged only 4 carries per game. While it will be tough sledding against the tough physical front of Stanford, the Irish will need to keep the Cardinal on their heels with a balanced attack or else this will be a pounding delivered by the Cardinal.
The Cardinal look to improve to 6-0 against ranked teams this year when they take on the Irish on Saturday. QB Kevin Hogan, like Rees, has had some good moments this year throwing for over 2000 yards and 18 touchdowns, but has also been too conservative at times. Luckily for Hogan, he has a power back in Tyler Gaffney that he can rely on. Gaffney has been sensational this year rushing 251 times for 1300 yards and 16 touchdowns. He will be called on again on Saturday to be the workhorse of the Cardinal offense. It is a favorable matchup for Gaffney as the Irish allow 168 rushing yards per game. If the Cardinal are forced to throw the ball, Hogan will target WR Ty Montgomery. Montgomery has been the only real threat vertically for the Cardinal and he should have opportunities on Saturday as the Irish will look to stop the run. If the Cardinal can run the ball effectively like they have all year, this game won't be close in the third quarter.
Key Matchup: Stanford defensive line vs Notre Dame offensive line. If the Stanford defensive line can prevent the Irish from running and put pressure on Tommy Rees, than that will bode well for them as Rees has been prone to making mistakes. If the Irish can protect Rees throughout the game and establish a little push up front for the running game, than Notre Dame will be in this the whole way.
Prediction: +Stanford Athletics 31 - +Notre Dame Athletics 14
Clemson vs South Carolina
Tajh Boyd and the Clemson Tigers looks to beat South Carolina for the first time since 2008. Clemson has been phenomenal all year with the exception against Florida St and will look to end their season in style with a win over the Gamecocks. Boyd has had a great senior year, throwing for 3200 yards and 29 touchdowns while also rushing for 260 yards and eight touchdowns. Boyd has occasionally made some poor decisions, but he will need to mistake free for the Tigers to beat the Gamecocks in Columbia. Boyd will no doubt look for future NFL first round WR Sammy Watkins throughout this game. Watkins leads the team with 78 catches to go along with 10 touchdowns. Clemson will need to get the ball to Watkins early and often in order to win this game. WR Martavis Bryant is Boyd's other option and will see plenty of targets as well. RB Roderick McDowell will also need to find some holes to keep the Tiger offense balanced so the Gamecocks defensive line doesn't rush the passer every down. If Boyd can limit his mistakes and the Tigers get some explosive plays out of Watkins, then they will have a great chance at knocking off their rival in Columbia.
The Gamecocks look to continue their defensive dominance over the last few games on Saturday when they take on the best offense they have seen since Georgia in week 2. The Gamecocks have put in a very balanced offensive attack all season long with QB Connor Shaw at the helm. Shaw has thrown for 2000 yards, 20 touchdowns and only one interception. He has also been a lethal runner, averaging just under four yards per carry and four touchdowns. Shaw has done a great job spreading the ball out to multiple receivers all year long and if he can do that on Saturday against a defense that has struggled against the pass, then the Gamecocks will be in good shape to beat their arch rival again. The most important component of the Gamecock offense is the running game led by RB Mike Davis. Davis is averaging over six yards per carry and has rushed for over 100 yards in all but three games this season. If Davis can rush for over 100 against the Tigers and keep the chains moving to keep the explosive Clemson offense on the sidelines, than the Gamecocks will be in control of this game.
Key Matchup: Clemson front seven vs Mike Davis. If the Tigers can slow down the rushing attack of Mike Davis and Connor Shaw and force the Gamecocks to be one dimensional, than they will have a good chance to outscore the Gamecocks. If the Tigers have trouble stopping Davis or containing Shaw, they will be in big trouble as they will not only need to come from behind, but also because the Gamecocks will milk the clock with long touchdown scoring drives.
Prediction: +Clemson Tigers 38 - +South Carolina Gamecocks 31
Texas A&M vs Missouri
Johnny Manziel looks to put himself in position to repeat as the Heisman Trophy winner when his Aggies take on the Missouri Tigers on Saturday. Manziel is coming off arguably his worst performance of his career against LSU last week and will look to end the season on a high note by knocking off the Tigers in Columbia. Manziel has been spectacular once again this season, completing almost 70% of his passes for 3500 yards and 32 touchdowns. He has also rushed for 665 yards and eight touchdowns. He will need to make plays with his legs against the stout pass rush of the Missouri Tigers. Manziel will no doubt continue to look deep for big play WR Mike Evans, who is averaging 21 yards per catch and has 13 touchdowns and Malcome Kennedy underneath who is second on the team with 55 catches. The Aggies will use their plethora of running backs including Ben Malena, Trey Williams and Tra Carson along with Manziel to establish the running game early to try and wear down the Missouri defensive line and prevent them from pinning their ears back against Manziel. If the Aggies can neutralize the Missouri pass rush, then the Aggies will be in great position to win this game.
Missouri looks to clinch the SEC East with a win over the Aggies on Saturday. QB James Franklin has led the Tiger charge this year with his dual threat ability, totaling over 2000 yards and 17 touchdowns, despite missing four games to an injured shoulder. Franklin will need to make some plays both through the air and on the ground against a weak Aggy defense to keep Manziel on the sidelines. Franklin has a trio of wideouts that have been reliable all year. L'Damian Washington has been the Tiger deep threat, averaging 19 yards a catch and nine touchdowns, while Dorial Green-Beckham has been the red zone target due to his size and Marcus Lucas has been the possession receiver. All three should be able to find holes in the Aggy secondary that has struggled all year long. The Tigers will need to run the ball as well to prevent the Aggy offense from getting on the field. RB Henry Josey has had a great year, averaging six yards per carry to go along with 12 touchdowns. He will need to run effectively against A&M to secure his team's spot in the SEC Title Game.
Key Matchup: Texas A&M offensive line vs Missouri defensive line. If the Aggies offensive line can keep Manziel upright and prevent him from taking big hits like he did against Auburn and LSU, than the Aggies can win this game. If the Tigers can get to Manziel with just their front four and drop the other seven into coverage, than the Aggies will have a tough time getting an offensive rhythm, which is good news for the Tigers.
Prediction: +Mizzou Athletics 31 - +Texas A&M University 28
Upset Special
USC vs UCLA
The Battle for Los Angeles takes place on Saturday when a resurgent USC takes on a tough UCLA. USC has won six of seven since firing Lane Kiffin and replacing him with Ed Orgeron and will look to continue the momentum on Saturday against UCLA. QB Cody Kessler has thrived since being named the full time starter, throwing for 2500 yards and 14 touchdowns and six interceptions. Kessler hasn't thrown an interception since the Trojans played California at the beginning of November. He will need to play mistake free if the Trojans expect the beat the Bruins on Saturday. Kessler will no doubt look to target future NFL WR Marquise Lee along with Nelson Agholor. The resurgence by USC, however, has been led by their running attack led by Tre Madden and Javorius Allen. The pair are averaging over five yards per carry and have 14 touchdowns between the two. If USC expects to beat UCLA they will need to run between the tackles and score touchdowns rather than settling for field goals.
UCLA looks to rebound after losing to Arizona St last week. QB Brett Hundley leads the Bruins offensive charge against the Trojans. While he has struggled at times this season, Hundley has put together a nice pretty good season, completing 68% of his passes along with 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has also been a threat on the ground rushing for 507 yards and seven touchdowns. Hundley will need to take care of the ball and make some plays with his legs on Saturday for the Bruins to beat the Trojans. Hundley will look for WR's Shaq Evans and Devin Fuller will he needs to make a play through the air. Both have 40+ catches on the year and have been the consistent receivers for the Bruins. The Bruins will also try to establish their running game RB's Paul Perkins and RB/LB Miles Jack to go along with Hundley. Both Perkins and Hundley will do the open field running while Jack comes in around the red zone. If the Bruins can stay balanced, they will have a great shot at beating USC. If they struggle to stay balanced like they have in their losses against Stanford and Oregon, than the Bruins will come up on the losing end of this game.
Key Matchup: The USC rushing attack vs the UCLA front seven. If USC can run between the tackles and keep drives going, than they will be in this game from beginning to end. If UCLA can stop the USC rushing attack and force Kessler to beat them, then they will be in good position to win as Kessler has shown that he has been turnover prone earlier in the season.
Prediction: +USC Trojans 28 - +UCLA Bruins 24
Last Week: 3-2
2013 Season: 41-24
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