WEEK 12

Shane Beamer seems like a really likable guy. And that fact has made it all the more tough to watch South Carolina piss this season away in epic fashion. But yesterday, a season-defining moment of redemption! Up 30-3 on the road in College Station against the #3 team in the country. Dating back to 2004, SEC teams trailing by 27 or more had been 0-286. The good guy was destined for a bright moment in a dark year. And then Mike Elko remembered he’d just signed a $10M a year contract and probably shouldn’t immediately shit the bed. And back came the Aggies, joining a Texas state trooper in bashing the Gamecocks in the second half, blanking them on defense while dropping 28 on offense. Final score 31-30. Huge implications for the playoff, with A&M in contention for a first-round bye if they stay on track from here.

 

In Tuscaloosa, the tide (see what I did there) rolled the other way, however, with Alabama unable to complete a comeback of their own, falling to the visiting Sooners 23-21, an expertly blocked FG possibly being the defining moment. With Missouri and LSU remaining, 8-2 Oklahoma is dreaming about December (and possibly January!) games.

 

Sticking with the SEC, oh Texas. All season, pundits have tried to justify their pre-season verbal fellatio of the Longhorns, chalking up early losses to a slow start. In Athens, that was (God willing) finally put to rest. This team is not top tier, evidenced by the Bulldogs whopping a lifeless squad 35-10. Georgia all but secured their CFP spot. Texas all but blew theirs.

 

In Pittsburgh, Notre Dame was all business against a Pitt team that’s been hard to decipher. At 8-2 with 3-7 Syracuse and 3-7 Stanford remaining, I suspect Jesus will have some more chances at playoff TDs this year.

 

Out West, the Trojans are making me take a second look after a 26-21 win over the visiting Hawkeyes, a Top 25 victory. This team has some unexpected grit, and if they bet Oregon next week, things get even more interesting in the B10…

 

I don’t even know what to say about the ACC. It’s a goddamn mess. Pardon the language (and belated apologies for my use of the word “fellatio” earlier). With only VA Tech remaining, can this group of Cavalier hacks actually win an ACC championship? We’re talking Jordan Belfort-level fraud if that happens, and yet, it’s possible. And after GA Tech barely snuck by 1-10 Boston College, it makes me sick to think any ACC team is taking a playoff spot this year. Mercy.

 

In the games ESPN Pick ‘Em interns want us to think have some meaning, ECU outlasted Memphis 31-27.  Jacksonville State knocked off the Owls of Kennesaw State. BYU tried to make up for breaking my heart last week, leveling TCU 44-13 in an act of clear vengeance. Arizona outdueled the Bearcats in Cincinnati, taking a 3-point lead late. And San Diego State and Boise State squared off in a defensive standoff, the Aztecs putting up just a few more at the end.

 

Oh, and fun fact of the week: the longest home winning streak in FBS belongs to… Indiana at 15.

 

In OTC, we have a mere THREE weeks left (where has this season gone?). 

 

RecordSetter98 was on point this week, posting a 46, a full five points above the next closest competitor. The performance move him for a tie for 3rd to a tie for 2nd, sharing the spot with PSU1996. Our leader, dallas2697, struggled, managing only a 31 on Week 12, his lead shrinking to just two points. Still in the hunt – Sprint82 at 431, Tbailet7 at 423, and EK pickem at 422.

 

Next week promises to be tricky, the lull before rivalry week, only one major game of note on the slate: USC v. Oregon. It’ll be a prime chance to make a move for those who are dialed in. Think you’re slick? Make that pick!

 

 

 

                    VEGAS

#9 Notre Dame (-13.5) @ #22 Pitt

Arizona @ #25 Cincinnati

#11 Oklahoma @ #4 Alabama (-6.5)

#21 Iowa @ #17 USC (-6.5)

#19 Virginia @ Duke (-5.5)

Memphis @ East Carolina (-3)

#10 Texas @ #5 Georgia (-3.5)

Kennesaw State (-3.5) @ Jacksonville State

TCU @ #12 BYU (-3)

Boise State @ San Diego State (-2.5)