Week twelve weekend thoughts

Virginia Tech @ Virginia

How will the Hokies respond after a crushing defeat to Miami and a week off to either pout or get proactive?  Their pattern of late-season collapses in recent years appeared to finally be over after a fine finish last year.  But maybe that was an aberration, thanks to the poise of veteran quarterback Bryan Randall.  Although UVA's middling, Al Groh would love to quiet some locals and take care of this game.  However, the Hokies should win unless the train is officially off the tracks.

Oklahoma @ Texas Tech

The Sooners are rolling, the Red Raiders are reeling.  Oklahoma appears to have remedied their early season shakiness, although they are yet to play anywhere near the level of previous Oklahoma squads.  The Sooners have owned Texas Tech and will continue to do so, knocking the Red Raiders outside of the top 25.

Ohio State @ Michigan

Last year, Ohio State routed Michigan, embarrassing the favored Wolverines before their trip to the Rose Bowl.  This year, Ohio State is the favorite and Michigan is looking for some measure of revenge and nice ending to a tumultuous regular season.  However, I will defer to much of what regular commenter Solon says, and proclaim a Buckeye victory.

Duke @ North Carolina

Oh God, help us!  It's NCAA basketball season again.  I catch up on a lot of reading from January to March.  Anyway.

Syracuse @ Notre Dame

Wow the Orange have been terrible this year.  That happens sometimes with new coaches.  Othertimes, teams play their way into CFR's top 5, like Notre Dame.  We could have a snowy afternoon in South Bend for this one, which would be fun TV watching.  The Irish are an easy pick here.

Utah @ BYU

ESPN GameDay came here last year on Rivalry weekend.  Give that Urban Meyer guy some credit.

Alabama @ Auburn

Ahhhh the Iron Bowl.  Last year's game was dicey at times for the undefeated Tigers as they hung on against an inept Alabama offense.  Alabama's playing about the same this year, although Kenneth Darby and Brodie Croyle are actually healthy for this one.  Auburn's not as good, but somehow I think they'll come out with an even bigger win than last year.

Penn State @ Michigan State

The Nittany Lions would normally be a big favorite for CFR here, especially given the Spartans' El Foldo act.  However, funny things happen in East Lansing, which makes me nervous.  That said, I think the Spartans are just too down and should more or less get rolled here.

Oregon State @ Oregon

The Civil War, with a battlefield thousands of miles to the northwest.  Oregon's had a fine year but are upset candidates if the Leaf/Dixon combo at quarterback don't perform.  The home atmosphere and the shot at a 1-loss season should be enough to overcome a bad Beavers team.

Clemson @ South Carolina

Both teams are still celebrating wins over Florida and Florida State last weekend.  South Carolina should have a decided edge in coaching and confidence here.  The rowdy home crowd should put them over the top.

Fresno State @ USC

The Trojans have a lot to play for, returning for a tough final home stretch.  Reggie Bush could use a little Heisman help, and the Trojans could use a big win to ease some doubters.  Fresno State is a tough squad but the Trojans should win comfortably. 

Comments

[Paxil]

did you see that Matt Moore is out this week for the Beavs? I forget who their backup is, someone just told me last night but I had never heard of him. Oregon should roll.

[Solon]

I think the backup's name is Gunderson, a/k/a the pregnant woman from the movie Fargo. She is no longer pregnant but she might have some trouble against a strong Oregon D. Of course, she will probably not throw as many interceptions as Moore would have, so it might be a wash.