Last week: 7-2 Overall: 72-30
No. 17 North Carolina at Virginia Tech, Noon ESPN
Much respect to Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer. He changed the program in Blacksburg -- heck pretty much created it. He never won a national championship, but won several Big East and ACC titles and had a string of eight 10-win seasons in a row that no other school in the country could match. And no doubt he's smacked around UVa for a long time now. I was in 10th grade the last time the Wahoos defeated the Hokies. I'll be 28 in less than a month. There's sure to be plenty of fanfare for this game. However, the Hokies will find the sledding tough for Beamer's final home contest at Lane Stadium. North Carolina comes in with nine straight victories, a potent offense, and a much better defense than a year ago. The Tar Heels seem determined to show they can be legitimate contenders for not only the ACC title but also the four-team playoffs. They've won their past two games over Duke and Miami by a combined score of 121-52. Winning out is their only shot, and then they need some help. I can't see a way the Hokies don't at least stick around in this game a little, given the emotion they will be playing with. To pull the upset, though, is a different proposition. I just can't see it. Even if the UNC defense has an off day, how can the Tech offense keep up with the UNC offense?
North Carolina 38, Virginia Tech 24
No. 15 LSU at No. 22 Ole Miss, 3:30 p.m. CBS
Reports coming out of Baton Rouge are Les Miles is on the hot seat. Unbelievable when two weeks ago, he had the Tigers undefeated and ranked No. 2 headed into a showdown with Alabama. Such is life in the cutthroat SEC, though. Two double-digit losses to Alabama and Arkansas have made LSU fans think Miles just can't win the big one anymore. However, he's always won at least eight games at LSU (he started there in 2005) and has never lost three games in a row.
LSU 27, Ole Miss 23
No. 24 USC at No. 23 Oregon, 3:30 p.m. ESPN
Both these teams have seen resurgences late in the season. The Trojans are actually in the driver's seat for the Pac-12 South since they beat Utah and Utah now has two losses. The Ducks surprised Stanford last week and now has a shot at the North should the Cardinal slip up against Cal. Both teams are on four-game winning streaks and both are winning close, high-scoring games so it should be an entertaining affair. I'll give the home team the slight edge.
Oregon 42, USC 38
No. 9 Michigan State at No. 3 Ohio State, 3:30 p.m. ABC
The Big Ten's marquee game is not quite as big as it had hoped, but still has tons of ramifications. Neither team has been all that impressive, with MSU scuffling a number of times this year before finally losing to Nebraska two weeks ago. OSU has struggled on offense this year but is still undefeated. A loss knocks the Spartans out of playoff contention and severely hurts the Buckeyes' chances. If OSU wins, and Michigan beats Penn State, next week's rivalry game will be for the Big Ten East. MSU QB Connor Cook is banged up, hurting Sparty's chances to pull the upset.
Ohio State 31, Michigan State 21
No. 10 Baylor at No. 6 Oklahoma State, 7:30 p.m. Fox
This result of this game and the next one will help shape the finishing run of the college football season. Baylor, Oklahoma State, TCU, and Oklahoma all still can win the Big 12, and all still have aspirations of making the playoffs, though at differing levels of probability. In this one, the Cowboys have emerged as kind of the surprise undefeated team left in the conference while the Bears were the presumed favorite but lost last week at home to Oklahoma, knocking them off course. I like Oklahoma State to do its part in setting up a huge Bedlam game next week with its rivals from Norman, though I think it could be a very close game.
Oklahoma State 41, Baylor 40
No. 18 TCU at No. 7 Oklahoma, 8 p.m. ABC
This game lost a lot of dazzle with TCU's 20-point loss to Oklahoma State two weeks ago. And last week, the Horned Frogs struggled with winless Kansas and QB Trevone Boykin hurt his ankle, so he might not play in this contest. The Sooners have been unstoppable since losing to Texas in October, having won their past five games by an average of 38.4 ppg while putting up averages of 55.2 points and 618 yards. I like OU to dispose of TCU and head to Stillwater next week for their huge showdown with the Cowboys still with just one loss.
Oklahoma 45, TCU 27
Duke at Virginia, 3:30 p.m. ESPN3.com
UVa is actually a slight favorite in this game, but I'm giving Duke the edge, as long as Thomas Sirk plays at QB. He suffered an upper-body injury two weeks ago when the Blue Devils were thrashed by UNC and did not play last week when they lost to Pittsburgh. But he makes their offense go, and if he plays, that should be enough for the Blue Devils to win at Scott Stadium. The crowd could be the smallest in a few decades and the team is likely only playing for pride and maybe coach Mike London as he nears the seemingly likely conclusion of his tenure in Charlottesville. So the atmosphere won't be the best, Louisville carved up the Cavs' defense last week, and Duke coach David Cutcliffe has mostly owned London, losing only once to him, in Virginia's 2011 bowl year.
This adds up, for me, to a disappointing day for the 'Hoos. If they pull it out, I will have underestimated the effect of the Miami end-of-game-fiasco on Duke's psyche. The Blue Devils have not played very well since a win was basically stolen from them when they lost at home to the Hurricanes three weeks ago on a harried and much-criticized play at the end of the game. And I have been surprised by Virginia this year. Despite the lack of success during London's tenure, the team has looked decent this season and been close to winning a few games this year I didn't expect -- Notre Dame, Miami, and Louisville, to be specific. Indeed, had London learned to win close games, he would likely still be coaching past this season and probably would have already gone to a second bowl with the Wahoos.
Duke 26, Virginia 24
No. 17 North Carolina at Virginia Tech, Noon ESPN
Much respect to Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer. He changed the program in Blacksburg -- heck pretty much created it. He never won a national championship, but won several Big East and ACC titles and had a string of eight 10-win seasons in a row that no other school in the country could match. And no doubt he's smacked around UVa for a long time now. I was in 10th grade the last time the Wahoos defeated the Hokies. I'll be 28 in less than a month. There's sure to be plenty of fanfare for this game. However, the Hokies will find the sledding tough for Beamer's final home contest at Lane Stadium. North Carolina comes in with nine straight victories, a potent offense, and a much better defense than a year ago. The Tar Heels seem determined to show they can be legitimate contenders for not only the ACC title but also the four-team playoffs. They've won their past two games over Duke and Miami by a combined score of 121-52. Winning out is their only shot, and then they need some help. I can't see a way the Hokies don't at least stick around in this game a little, given the emotion they will be playing with. To pull the upset, though, is a different proposition. I just can't see it. Even if the UNC defense has an off day, how can the Tech offense keep up with the UNC offense?
North Carolina 38, Virginia Tech 24
No. 15 LSU at No. 22 Ole Miss, 3:30 p.m. CBS
Reports coming out of Baton Rouge are Les Miles is on the hot seat. Unbelievable when two weeks ago, he had the Tigers undefeated and ranked No. 2 headed into a showdown with Alabama. Such is life in the cutthroat SEC, though. Two double-digit losses to Alabama and Arkansas have made LSU fans think Miles just can't win the big one anymore. However, he's always won at least eight games at LSU (he started there in 2005) and has never lost three games in a row.
LSU 27, Ole Miss 23
No. 24 USC at No. 23 Oregon, 3:30 p.m. ESPN
Both these teams have seen resurgences late in the season. The Trojans are actually in the driver's seat for the Pac-12 South since they beat Utah and Utah now has two losses. The Ducks surprised Stanford last week and now has a shot at the North should the Cardinal slip up against Cal. Both teams are on four-game winning streaks and both are winning close, high-scoring games so it should be an entertaining affair. I'll give the home team the slight edge.
Oregon 42, USC 38
No. 9 Michigan State at No. 3 Ohio State, 3:30 p.m. ABC
The Big Ten's marquee game is not quite as big as it had hoped, but still has tons of ramifications. Neither team has been all that impressive, with MSU scuffling a number of times this year before finally losing to Nebraska two weeks ago. OSU has struggled on offense this year but is still undefeated. A loss knocks the Spartans out of playoff contention and severely hurts the Buckeyes' chances. If OSU wins, and Michigan beats Penn State, next week's rivalry game will be for the Big Ten East. MSU QB Connor Cook is banged up, hurting Sparty's chances to pull the upset.
Ohio State 31, Michigan State 21
No. 10 Baylor at No. 6 Oklahoma State, 7:30 p.m. Fox
This result of this game and the next one will help shape the finishing run of the college football season. Baylor, Oklahoma State, TCU, and Oklahoma all still can win the Big 12, and all still have aspirations of making the playoffs, though at differing levels of probability. In this one, the Cowboys have emerged as kind of the surprise undefeated team left in the conference while the Bears were the presumed favorite but lost last week at home to Oklahoma, knocking them off course. I like Oklahoma State to do its part in setting up a huge Bedlam game next week with its rivals from Norman, though I think it could be a very close game.
Oklahoma State 41, Baylor 40
No. 18 TCU at No. 7 Oklahoma, 8 p.m. ABC
This game lost a lot of dazzle with TCU's 20-point loss to Oklahoma State two weeks ago. And last week, the Horned Frogs struggled with winless Kansas and QB Trevone Boykin hurt his ankle, so he might not play in this contest. The Sooners have been unstoppable since losing to Texas in October, having won their past five games by an average of 38.4 ppg while putting up averages of 55.2 points and 618 yards. I like OU to dispose of TCU and head to Stillwater next week for their huge showdown with the Cowboys still with just one loss.
Oklahoma 45, TCU 27
Duke at Virginia, 3:30 p.m. ESPN3.com
UVa is actually a slight favorite in this game, but I'm giving Duke the edge, as long as Thomas Sirk plays at QB. He suffered an upper-body injury two weeks ago when the Blue Devils were thrashed by UNC and did not play last week when they lost to Pittsburgh. But he makes their offense go, and if he plays, that should be enough for the Blue Devils to win at Scott Stadium. The crowd could be the smallest in a few decades and the team is likely only playing for pride and maybe coach Mike London as he nears the seemingly likely conclusion of his tenure in Charlottesville. So the atmosphere won't be the best, Louisville carved up the Cavs' defense last week, and Duke coach David Cutcliffe has mostly owned London, losing only once to him, in Virginia's 2011 bowl year.
Duke 26, Virginia 24
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