College Football Handicapping

No 1. Florida Gators (12-0) vs. No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide (12-0)

Last week Florida crushed Florida State 37-10 while Alabama had a tougher time in a 26-21 comeback win over Auburn. Well, this SEC Championship game is for all the marbles, as the winner will play for the National Title. The Gators have the nation’s top-ranked defense and the Tide rank 3rd. Both teams’ offenses rely on the running game and the Tide need to contain Tim Tebow and the Gators have to contain RB Mark Ingram, who are both Heisman candidates. The team that can move the chains on the opponent’s stellar defense will win this game.

No. 3 Texas Longhorns (12-0) vs. No. 22 Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-3)

Last week Texas beat Texas A&M 49-39 in a shootout and Nebraska beat Colorado 28-20. If Texas can win this Big 12 Championship Game they will play the winner of the SEC Championship game for the BCS national title. The Huskers have won 5 straight games and their defense, which ranks 11th in the nation, has only given up an average of just over 10 ppg in their 5-game winning streak. They have to contain Colt McCoy and the well-rounded Texas offense that can move the chains on the ground and through the air. The Huskers’ offense only ranks 92nd in the nation and they will have to figure out how to score on Texas and their 5th ranked defense.

No. 5 Cincinnati Bearcats (11-0) at No. 15 Pittsburgh Panthers (9-2)

Last week Cincinnati beat Illinois 49-36 while Pitt was upset losing to West Virginia 19-16. The winner of this game will win the Big East and play in a BCS Bowl game. Even though the Bearcats may go undefeated their chances of playing in the BCS title game are very slim. The Panthers’ D ranks 25th in the nation and they have to contain a Bearcats’ offense, which is ranked 5th in the nation, led by stud QB Tony Pike. Pitt has a decent offense, but they are not a high scoring one so if this game becomes a shootout The Bearcats will win.

New Mexico State Aggies (3-9) at No. 6 Boise State Broncos (12-0)

Last week Boise State beat Nevada 44-33 while New Mexico State lost to San Jose State 13-10. Much like Cincinnati and TCU, Boise State will probably end the season undefeated, but they will not have a chance for the National Title. The Aggies have lost 6 straight games and rank dead last in the nation on offense and 99th on defense. The Broncos are legit on both sides of the ball. This game could get ugly.

No. 16 Oregon State Beavers (8-3) at No. 7 Oregon Ducks (9-2)

Last week both teams had the week off to get ready for this big Civil War game. The winner of this game will win the Pac 10 and play Ohio State in the BCS Rose Bowl. The Beavers rank 40th on defense and to win this game they will have to contain a Ducks’ rushing offense that ranks 8th in the nation. The Beavers have a well-balanced offense and the Ducks and their 27th ranked defense have to defend both the pass and the run. If the Beavers can keep the Ducks from having a huge game running the ball they have a good chance to win this game.

No. 10 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (10-2) vs. Clemson Tigers (8-4)

Last week Georgia Tech was upset losing to Georgia 30-24 and Clemson was also upset losing to South Carolina 34-17. The winner of this ACC Championship game will play in a BCS bowl game. The Tigers rank 14th on defense and they have to contain a Tech running game that is averaging 305 rushing yards per game. Clemson does not have a high scoring offense and they will have to win this game with defense.

Arizona Wildcats (7-4) at No. 18. USC Trojans (8-3)

Last week Arizona lost to Oregon 44-41 while USC beat UCLA 28-7. Neither team will play in a BCS bowl game this season, but the winner of this game can improve their bowl positioning. The Wildcats have the nation’s 34th ranked offense and they will be facing struggling USC defense. Even though the Trojans held UCLA to 7 points in their last game they have given up an average of 30 ppg in their last 5 games. If this game becomes a shootout the Wildcats have a chance in this game.

No. 19 California Golden Bears (8-3) at Washington Huskies (4-7)

Last week Cal had the week off while Washington beat Washington State 30-0. The Huskies will not go bowling this season, but they can play spoiler and keep the Bears from playing in a solid bowl game with a home win this Saturday. It will be a huge lift if Cal RB Jahvid Best will play, as his status is still up in the air. The Huskies only rank 88th on defense and 66th on offense. However, they are at home and they did beat USC there this season.

No. 21 Houston Cougars (10-2) vs. East Carolina Pirates (8-4)

Last week Houston absolutely spanked Rice 73-14 and East Carolina beat Southern Miss 25-20. The winner of this game will win the Conference USA, but will not play in a BCS bowl game. However, the winner will play in a solid bowl game while the loser will not. The Pirates rank 68th on defense and they face the Cougars and their top-ranked offense that is averaging 583 yards per game. The Cougars only rank 110th in the nation on defense, but their offense is the highest scoring one on the nation. The Pirates have to win this game on defense to have any chance to win this game.

No. 23 West Virginia Mountaineers (8-3) vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (8-3)

Last week WVU upset Pitt 19-16 while Rutgers beat Louisville 34-14. There is nothing at stake in this game, but the winner will improve the bowl they play in. the Knights have won 4 of their last 5 games and they have the nation’s 20th ranked defense. The Knights’ defense has to defend both the pass and the run in this game. Rutgers only ranks 95th in the nation on offense so they have to win this game on defense.

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