Nov 30, 2013; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles running back Devonta Freeman (8) runs the ball in for a touchdown against the Florida Gators during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Florida State Seminoles defeated the Florida Gators 37-7. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The final week of College Pick’Em has arrived and with some great matchups in Championship games and rivalry matchups as teams wrap up their regular season. Hopefully, our entries can finish strong as well even though there are some very tricky games to pick and some awesome matchups to watch this Saturday. ESPN has selected the top ten games and six of them involve ranked temas on both sides of the field. Make sure to get your picks locked in and keep your remote handy since there’s sure to be more wild games this weekend (even though I can’t guarantee a missed field goal returned for a touchdown as time expires).
Last week, my picks pulled in 47 points which was five over the average of 42. I nailed my top six picks but dropped three of my least confident four as Alabama, USC, and Georgia Tech all went down. In our FantasyCPR group, I tied for the top score with huskerchick3138 who also put up 47 while mcaallen maintained his lead in the season standings with 41. The mdaallen entry has been stellar all year and is currently ranked 238 in the world with 605 points.
Here’s my picks and the points I have in each in these straight-up ten picks. Make sure to check out FantasyCPR.com for Mike Marteny’s picks against the spread as well.
1 point: Rutgers Scarlet Knights over South Florida Bulls: Both teams have struggled to 2-5 records in the American Athletic Conference making for a close but undesirable pick either way you go. USF hasn’t won in their last five games although they did stay with #19 UCF before losing late in their last game. Rutgers hosts this game and actually has a win in November even though it was an ugly won over similarly struggling Temple. It’s hard to be confident in either team, but I’m more sure that USF finds a way to lose this one.
2 points: Connecticut Huskies over Memphis Tigers: These two teams aren’t very good as evidenced by their combined 5-17 record coming into this game. UCONN is coming of a pair of wins and is at home. Last week, Memphis lost by 20 at home to Temple who the Huskies beat by a touchdown at Temple two weeks ago. I’m not putting many points on it, and I doubt I’ll watch it, but I do think that the Huskies are the better pick.
Nov 30, 2013; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Braxton Miller (5) runs the ball during the third quarter against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
3 points: Ohio State Buckeyes over Michigan State: In the Big 10 Championship game, OSU puts its shot at a National Championship on the line on a neutral field in Indianapolis as they take on the Spartans who have won eight in a row since losing at Notre Dame in their only loss of the season. Their defense is among the best in the country, and they’ll be looking to avenge their loss from last season to Wisconsin in this same Championship game. In the end, though, I think the Buckeyes offense and Urban Meyer will be just a little too much for Sparty. Michigan State hasn’t had too many tough road games, and they have only played two ranked opponents (1-1). They definitely have a chance at derailing the Buckeye’s run, but I think that OSU getting the win is the more likely outcome.
4 points: Auburn Tigers over Missouri Tigers: If you’ve watched Auburn’s games the last two weeks, you know not to pick against this team. Mizzou has had a great run, but the Tiger magic has too much momentum to go against it in the SEC Championship game. Whoever wins will have a good case for the National Championship game which could lead to plenty of debate in the final year of the BCS.
Nov 30, 2013; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Baylor Bears wide receiver Clay Fuller (23) catches a touchdown pass in front of TCU Horned Frogs safety Derrick Kindred (26) during the first quarter at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
5 points: Baylor Bears over Texas Longhorns: The Bears host Texas on Saturday afternoon in Waco in one of their in-state rivalries. Baylor is at home and their high-powered offense should be enough to get them the win they need to put pressure on Oklahoma State for the Big 12 Championship even though I think they’ll fall a little short since I expect OSU to win. Texas has turned their season around, but they’ve struggled on the road barely beating WVU and Iowa State.
6 points: Arizona State Sun Devils over Stanford Cardinal: ASU has a chance to avenge their only in-conference loss and this time they get to host the Cardinal in the desert as they look for a trip to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl. ASU is much better at home, and I think they’ll be able to overcome the loss of RB Marion Grice and get a win over Stanford who struggled to put Notre Dame away last week.
Nov 23, 2013; Stillwater, OK, USA; Multiple Oklahoma State Cowboys celebrate after Cowboys cornerback Tyler Patmon (26) ran a fumble recovery for a touchdown against the Baylor Bears at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
7 points: Oklahoma State Sooners over Oklahoma Sooners: The whole day of college football starts with Bedlam which kicks off at noon in Stillwater. It should be a great game with two solid teams peaking at the right time, but with the homefield advantage and a high-powered offense I think the Cowboys will get the win they need to get them to the Fiesta Bowl.
8 points: UCF Knights over Southern Methodist Mustangs: UCF may win ugly, they may win late, but they just keep on winning. SMU lost last week 34-0 to Houston, so I don’t think they’ll pull off the win in this one.
9 points: Fresno State Bulldogs over Utah State Aggies: Fresno State and Utah State both went 7-1 in conference play and meet this week in Fresno as the Bulldogs try to bounce back and get the win they need to claim the Moutain West title. Fresno has won eight of the last nine meetings between the schools including each of the last five. Fresno State has also won their last 12 home games, so I think they’ll bounce back even against a tough USU defense.
10 points: Florida State Seminoles over Duke Blue Devils: In the ACC Championship game, the Seminoles have everything to play for. A win gets them a shot at the National Championship and a chance to run the table. Duke has already had a great season, probably the best in the history of their program, but I don’t see the Blu Devils pulling off this upset. No one has even come close to beating FSU this season with their narrowest margin of victory coming back in the last week of September when they beat BC by 14. I don’t see Duke keeping this one close as the ‘Noles keep on rolling.