Fiesta Bowl Preview: Baylor (11-1) vs UCF (11-1)

        Ok, this is going to be good. Before you dismiss this as one of the more lopsided BCS bowls in recent memory, (I was tempted to, before I did a little research) consider this: The 15th ranked Knights (not bad, you must admit) have dropped just one game this year, and have a couple big wins over decent opponents such as Louisville and Rutgers, in a 41-17 upset. So this isn't as laughable a matchup as it might immediately seem, if one were to only look at the conferences from which the teams hail, or their histories. This is the biggest game in Knight history, and by virtue of that fact they probably deserve some respect for getting here. All that being said, a 17 point spread is telling, even on such a big stage as a BCS bowl. I won't let the suspense kill you, dear reader. I go Bears, in a shootout for the ages.

Petty will put on a show, make no mistake.

      And I do so in large part because of one young man down in Waco. Bryce Petty did not get as much national or Heisman attention as most now feel he deserved, in retrospect. He was a great player on a great team, he had great moments, and his stats were stratospheric. But New York and the players who were there is now of no concern to the Bears, whose attention can now solely lie in Arizona. This is a high powered offense, a smooth running, well oiled, perfectly drilled machine. The Mercedes Benz of college football offenses, one might say. This isn't even an arguable point by now, as with the regular season in the books the Bears scored on average a whopping 53.3 points. Unheard of, and easily good enough for first in the nation. So  while I won't declare them the best offense in college football (strength of schedule is certainly questionable) it can't be denied that they are good at scoring points. They like doing it, they do it early, often, and they do it well, even against the occasional good team. If the Bears score under 40 points in this game I will be shocked. They should be firing on all cylinders, Petty on the same page as his happy band of talented, explosive receivers, and it will make good watching. Of course that's not to mention running back Lache Seastrunk (makes the list of great running back names, one of the best I'd say) who rushed for 1,000 yards again this season and had 11 touchdowns for the Bears. He will feature prominently as well, I should imagine.

       Now UCF's defense is a major cause of concern, to be sure. Little talent and almost no spine have me thinking Baylor will score when they want to, as stated above. However, this team as well can score points. They dropped 38 on the previously vaunted Louisville defense early in the season, and they scored 41 against Rutgers. Those are two good defenses there, in fact I seem to remember ESPN wanted to crown Louisville one of the best in the country. So both those wins are statement wins, testaments to this offensive power. They are led by junior Blake Bortles, a talented young lad who is actually projected to go top 10 in the 2014 NFL draft should he forgo his senior season. How's that for no name recognition, especially as a great player? So make no mistake, this is a good, well coached offense led by an excellent quarterback. They will score a lot of points as well. Let's say under 30 would have me genuinely, sincerely shocked.

Can the Knights rise to the occasion? I suspect victory is beyond their grasp.

        They will score a lot, but it won't be enough. This one goes to the Bears, easily, but I will watch without a doubt, as this could easily be one of the highest scoring BCS bowl games in recent memory. Seriously, this might bring you back to West Virginia 70 -Clemson 33, or perhaps the less lopsided but no less exciting Boise St. 43- Oklahoma 42. It's definitely possible that this game would match, or even dare I say surpass, such ludicrous days of yore. So who doesn't want to see, as I predict, Baylor 53 UCF 38?

Five College Football Games to Watch (Week 13)

Well it's not the best week I've ever seen, but this Saturday in the world of collegiate pigskin deserves your attention for several reasons. As the season comes to a close, every game is an opportunity not to earn a berth, but to lose one. What a twisted world. Anyways, that's the way it goes, so if you're favorite team is in the top 10 right now, hold your breath and cross every appendage of your body that they'll run the table at this point. It's been a great season, with some memorable games, but these next 3 weeks should be the most exciting part, as per usual. Here are 5 games to watch this weekend, in no particular order, with my (humble) predictions:

9 Texas A&M @ 18LSU: The Tigers are coming off a loss to be proud of, while the Aggies look to secure a BCS bid, perhaps. While they are more or less out of the SEC title game running, they can still finish the season well, despite a poor defense. That soft defense has plagued them all season, leading to losses in games where their studly young quarterback puts up 41 (ahem, Alabama.) Speaking of whom,  Johnny Manziel is definitely another reason to watch this one, as all of a sudden some are questioning Jameis Winston's stranglehold on New York glory. I am not one to call for Winston's head just yet, (I reserve judgement, if you were interested) but we will have to see how it plays out. Regardless, the Winston case has thrown a wrinkle into the perfect little Heisman world, and for Johnny Manziel that means hope, if he can do something incredible against LSU and then Missouri next week. Closing out the season with 2 top 10 opponents means 2 oppurtunities to prove his legitimacy. Johnny Football knows this, and you can bet he wants to secure his status as frontrunner. Now is when one wins a Heisman race. I think we'll see Manziel do just that (not win per se, but at least make a good case), and people forget, as good as LSU is, they have lost thrice this season! Zach Mettenberger let me down last week, and though his two big outside threats (Jarvis Landry and Odell Becham) had some big plays, they couldn't finish the game against the Tide. I won't fall for LSU again, and say Texas A&M 31 - LSU 17

BYU @ Notre Dame: Call me a homer, but I've watched every ND game this season, as I'm a big fan. While their season ended with a loss to Pitt a couple of weeks ago, this should prove to be a good one. These are simply two traditionally powerful football teams, and while neither has lived up to potential this year, that doesn't mean we won't see great talent on display. I'll be watching for several reasons: It's Senior Day in Southbend, usually emotional, and BYU plays well against the Irish, every time. Regardless of rankings, or lack thereof, this is a good game without fail, and I go ND 27 - BYU 21

19 Arizona St. @ 14 UCLA: The Bruins have played their best in losses this season, while the Sun Devils have won 5 straight. We should see some great Pac 12 football, especially in the wake of Stanford and Oregon losses. Now these teams have something big to play for. I give this one to a high powered Sun Devil offense, although it should be an excellent matchup against the Bruin defense that contained even the mighty Ducks for a half this season. Arizona St. 24 - UCLA 16

8 Missouri @ 24 Ole Miss: For whatever reason, almost every college football guru has the Rebels in this one. I don't see that, as even with the Rebels at home there is clearly a superior team here. The Tigers have dropped one game all season in the mighty SEC and incredibly they are this close to an SEC title game. I can't see 13 year veteran head coach Gary Pinkel letting his fine Mizzou squad drop a game of this importance. They've stepped up big in some huge games already this year, including wins over Georgia and Florida. So I go against the grain and back the favorite? I guess so. Missouri 31 Ole Miss 20 

Bryce Petty's been doing that a lot this season. 

3 Baylor @ 11 OSU: This is the one to watch this weekend. It could easily be the most fun I have this college football season. I honestly can't begin to say how excited I am for this Big 12 matchup. I have been eyeing (and writing about) this game for three weeks now, as Baylor went into the only tough stretch of the season not having faced a quality opponent up to that point. Now the Bears are on the other side of games against Oklahoma and Texas Tech, and have two nice wins on the record. So this game is it, for Bryce Petty's Heisman hopes (again, we're waiting on Jameis Winston's eligibility) and Baylor's BCS title bid. Granted, even if they win in convincing fashion, they need Alabama or the Seminoles to drop a game to make it, but if, no when the Bears win this one big they can say without a doubt they are for real. This is a team that can score. They do it, early, often, and well. They seem to enjoy it, and now we've seen they can do it against pretty good football teams. The Cowboys qualify as such, so this game is huge. The Bears are now undoubtedly a team of national prominence, and I must say it suits them. It's gonna be great, and I see Baylor 42 OSU 27. 

Seriously, watch that game if no other. If you're a fan of college football, or even just sports, or, nay, just excitement, watch this game. After Winston's semi allegations exploded, Bryce Petty's odds to win the Heisman surged correspondingly. We'll have to wait and see.

College Football Picks (Week 11)

The best Thursday night in the history of college football, without a doubt. I guess the NCAA doesn't like making money, because if they did one of these games would be primetime Friday night, and another couple on Saturday. But I'll be watching anyways, and so should you, because this is the best week in college football this season. Here are the 5 biggest games, and my picks.

(In terms of predictions, I repeat my philosophy that fortune favors the bold. So if you see unorthodoxy here, or strangely specific calls, I don't expect to get them all right, it's just what I see possibly happening. A fair amount of analysis and statistics go into these, but for the most part I can only hope to be close.)

Stanford defense doing what they do best

2 Oregon @ 6 Stanford: This is going to be great Thursday night football, with the Ducks excited to demolish another wanna be PAC 12 champion (ahem, UCLA) and an incredibly tough, physical Stanford front 7 looking to put a certain Heisman frontrunner on his back. These guys are a scary group, but I believe Oregon's offensive line will rise to the occasion. We all remember the Cardinal's 17-14 OT win last year, the only thing keeping Oregon from a national championship. This looks to be another great game, with a more mature Mariota leading the Duck's charge. If Stanford wins this game it will be with huge defensive play, though that goes without saying. You can't beat the Ducks without defense, because they'll drop 28 on you in a half, no sweat. Between Byron Marshall and, of course, DeAnthony Thomas at running back and everyone's favorite Hawaiian at quarterback, I don't see even Stanford stopping this squad from scoring early and often. Stanford has been great against the run all year, and in total they've allowed only 19 points per game, but that won't stop me from betting the farm on the best offense in the country. Especially when headed by Mariota, who is looking for a big Heisman moment after a bye week. You can also count on Oregon's defense (a seriously underrated group) to not miss many tackles and not to blow much coverage. Oregon 31 Stanford 10

12 Oklahoma @ 5 Baylor: I have had Bryce Petty in my Heisman rankings for 3 weeks now, and it's getting kind of boring to see him score 60 points a game against 9 year old girl flag football teams. I am very excited to see if he can do it (and by "it" I mean score at least 35) against a team that can play some serious football, and Oklahoma is fielding just that. After an "out-of-nowhere-but-didn't-we-kinda-expect-that"loss in the crazy Red River rivalry to an unranked Longhorn team, Oklahoma has looked really, really good. I pick the Bears here because I'm Petty's biggest fan, but not by much. They win this one in a squeaker and a shootout. If both teams score their average points, this game will end with almost 100 points on the board. Of course that won't happen, but it'd be nice to see Baylor actually play some defense, and though this will be a high scoring game it will be the Bear's defense who wins it late, in their first big stand of a high scoring game. I'll be watching this during Oregon Stanford commercials, and I expect to see Baylor 42 Oklahoma 38

Jarvis Landry has almost 900 yards this season

10 LSU @ 1 Alabama: Could it be? Could this be the week we see the Tide tumble? No, it won't be. But I think this week many people will learn that this is not a perfect football team, by any stretch of the imagination. People always assume that without question Alabama's defense is flawless, but they have looked bad at times this season. Remember, they let Manziel score 42 against them earlier this season, and their secondary in particular has been at times suspect. This is a match made in heaven, then, because Zach Mettenberger (a good SEC quarterback who is always forgotten, somehow) has two explosive threats on the outside; Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. These two are his top targets, and I see both of them, especially Landry, teaming up with Metts to expose 'Bama's at times unexperienced secondary. Obviously this is a huge rivalry game, and the atmosphere alone should be reason enough to watch. In the end, however, this one will again be about AJ McCarron and his talented receiving core, TJ Yeldon and his money sign double throat slash, and Nick Saban and his creepy ability to outcoach anyone, even Les Miles. Tune in Saturday night to see an incredible football game. Alabama 31 LSU 24

Virginia Tech @ 14 Miami: Now three weeks ago this could easily have been a top 10 matchup, but just because both teams (in particular the Hokies) have gotten spanked recently doesn't mean this one won't be worth watching. I also just like the ACC, and like the idea of their being a relevant conference in college football. Between the 'Noles, Tigers, and 'Canes, even the SEC fans have to admit that some teams here can play. Logan Thomas has looked terrible in two losses to Duke and BC, but here's hoping he steps up against a humbled Miami team. 7 was the highest ranking in a long time for the Hurricanes, but an second half egg laying against FSU (they were down 21-14 after the first half, but ended up losing 41-14) banished them way down the rankings. This will be a better game than people expect, and a quarterback desperate to improve his spiraling draft stock in Logan Thomas will make some big plays, leading the Hokies to a big upset win, their first in 3 weeks. Virginia Tech 23 Miami 17

Nebraska @ Michigan: Two perennial Pac 10 powerhouses go at it Saturday afternoon, but it must be said that I hate to put a game between two unranked teams in my top 5. However these squads started the season ranked 18th and 17th, respectively, which shows the type of talent that will be on display this week. Nebraska is coming off a Hail Mary win against Northwestern, while Michigan looks to beat a conference rival. Both teams are limping into this game, as Nebraska's season was declared a wash after a loss to Minnesota and Michigan has lost twice this season, while barely beating Akron and UConn. Each squad has their fair share of injuries as well. Although things haven't gone as planned this season for either team, both are looking for defining moments here, and for both teams this would be one of the biggest wins of the season. This is a rematch of a great Sugar Bowl from a couple of years back, and this time around I see Devin Gardner coming back after a 7 sack day (not fun) against MSU and having a big game. Both teams are resilient, both will respond, making this fun to watch. Michigan 28 Nebraska 20