College Picks, Week 13

With Thursday night games and family things happening this week, picks are being made on a Tuesday night. This is Rivalry Week, with many, many grudge matches taking place all over the country. In most of these games, you can throw out the records, as pride and bragging rights are more than enough. The BCS also is a player this week, as teams continue to position themselves for a big-money bowl.

Last Week: 12-8
Season: 158-82

Oklahoma State at Oklahoma: The Sooners’ national championship hopes disappeared on the turf of Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock last week, as QB Sam Bradford suffered a concussion on the first offensive play from scrimmage, and OU was upset by Texas Tech. Now, the Sooners find themselves fighting for a South Division championship and a spot in the Big 12 championship game. OSU is barely bowl-eligible at 6-5. This is their Super Bowl. OSU lives to beat OU. The Sooners will be forced to focus on OSU and to not overlook the Cowboys. If Bradford returns, as expected, the Sooners could be dangerous. The bleeding stops Saturday in Norman. Pick: OU

Missouri vs. Kansas at Kansas City: 20 years ago, these schools made up two-thirds of the Bermuda Triangle of college football. Both schools won one game each that season. This season, KU is 11-0, and Mizzou is 10-1 with a close loss to OU in Norman. This is the game of the year. Both teams are great on offense. KU is slightly better on defense. However, Missouri has scored a minimum of 32 points in every game this year. Unfortunately, someone has to lose this game. Missouri earns a trip to San Antonio for the Big 12 championship game. KU stays in the running for a BCS at-large bid. Pick: Mizzou

Nebraska at Colorado (Friday): Winner gets a trip to Shreveport or to some other Big 12 bowl locale. The loser stays home. This is most likely Nebraska coach Bill Callahan’s last game. When we last saw the Huskers, they were hanging 73 on Kansas State, a week after giving up 76 to Kansas. Talk about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Husker. CU has lost four games to Big 12 North teams. This game is as unpredictable as it gets. The Huskers are playing better as of late. Pick: Nebraska

Texas at Texas A&M (Friday): This is the swan song for Aggie coach Dennis Franchione, who will most likely be fired after the game. Texas finds itself with a chance to win the Big 12 South with a win and some help from the Oklahoma Aggies. Texas gets revenge for last year’s A&M win in Austin. Pick: Texas

Kansas State at Fresno State: K-State plays a rare season-ending non-conference game. It’s a tough ending to a tough season. The Wildcats can still qualify for a bowl with a win. The win doesn’t happen. There’s a reason why few teams want to travel to Fresno. It’s a tough place. Pick: Fresno State

Alabama at Auburn: The Iron Bowl. The Four Million Dollar Man, Nick Saban, takes his Tide to the Loveliest Village on the Plains a week after an inexcusable loss to Louisiana-Monroe. It doesn’t get any better for the Tide. War Eagle gets its sixth win in a row over Bama. Pick: Auburn

Arkansas at LSU (Friday): Houston Nutt enters perhaps his last game as coach of the Razorbacks as a decided underdog on the road at the #1 team in the nation, LSU. The Bayou Bengals are two wins away from a national championship game on their virtual home field at the Superdome in New Orleans. Do the Pigs have a chance? Not much of one. Pick: LSU

Tennessee at Kentucky: This game was once played for a barrel of bourbon, before two Kentucky players were killed by a drunk driver in 1999. It became smart to de-emphasize the alcohol. The rivalry hasn’t cooled off at all. Tennessee needs a win to earn a spot in the SEC championship game. Kentucky has had some good wins, but has fallen victim to the brutal SEC schedule. The Cats smell blood, and can make their season with a win over the Vols. It doesn’t happen here. Tennessee gets the win. Pick: Tennessee

Florida State at Florida: The Seminoles have shown flashes of brilliance this season, and flashes of mediocrity. The Gators have three losses to SEC opponents. Throw out the records in this one. However, there’s a guy named Tebow that plays for the Gators. Advantage, Florida. Pick: Gators

Clemson at South Carolina: Another bitter in-state rivalry, with two coaches which have active agents. Tommy Bowden is about to get run off from Clemson after not winning a division or conference championship in nine years. Steve Spurrier is rumored to be unhappy at South Carolina and has been mentioned in connection with the Texas A&M job. Which team wants to fight for their coach? The ‘Cocks have been in freefall. Pick: Clemson

Georgia at Georgia Tech: The Bulldogs enter this game as a team that no one wants to play. The Yellow Jackets enter this game as a team that a lot of teams want to play. This could be the last game of the Chan Gailey era in Midtown Atlanta. The Bulldogs are too much. Pick: Georgia

Ole Miss at Mississippi State: The Egg Bowl. The Rebels have shown themselves to be the worst team in the SEC. MSU is bowl-eligible in Sylvester Croom’s fourth year, and are trying to solidify a bowl bid. Rebels get Croomed. Pick: Mississippi State

USC at Arizona State (Thursday): Thursday Night Football returns to the wild Pac-10, where both USC and ASU suddenly have Rose Bowl hopes once again. This has been a bad year by USC standards. The Trojans have lost two games. ASU now controls their own destiny in the Pac-10. The Fighting Sun Devils won’t blow it. Pick: ASU

Connecticut at West Virginia: Believe it or not, this is for a conference championship. UConn is 5-1 in the Big East, and has an opportunity to go 10-2, win the conference, and go to a BCS bowl. They haven’t played a team as good as West Virginia. The Mountaineers have a good chance to play for a national championship. They take no prisoners against UConn. Pick: WVU

Virginia Tech at Virginia: Big game in the Commonwealth for a division championship in the ACC. Virginia Tech has the tradition, while Virginia has the home field. This is the Cavs’ year. Pick: Virginia

Utah at BYU: The Holy War. BYU has rolled through the Mountain West. That continues here against their archrival. Pick: BYU

Duke at North Carolina: A great basketball game, a horrible football game. Duke is so bad, they lost by three touchdowns to Notre Dame. Pick: UNC

Notre Dame at Stanford: Notre Dame makes their annual trip to the West Coast to play Stanford. The Irish need a win to avoid a 10-loss season. Stanford attempts to earn wins over USC and Notre Dame in the same season. Coach Jim Harbaugh is a Michigan man, and thus has no love lost for the Irish. Pick: Stanford

Oregon at UCLA: The Ducks find themselves reeling after the season-ending injury to QB and Heisman Trophy candidate Dennis Dixon. Oregon has plenty to play for, as they can still go to the Rose Bowl as long as they win out and Arizona State loses. UCLA defines inconsistency. Pick: Oregon

Boise State at Hawaii (Friday): The game of the year in the WAC. Both teams have an outside chance at the BCS. They have one loss between them. There will be a lot of points scored in this game. It will be a wild scene in Honolulu. The home island advantage is too much for the plucky Broncos to overcome. Pick: Hawaii