I do love this time of year. Besides the actual meal itself, Thanksgiving signals a wonderful array of things: Christmas time, Christmas lights, deals on electronics on Friday and, most importantly, football.
Yes, football's been going on for the past few months, but now we're getting down to the nitty gritty of college football and the NFL playoff picture is starting to take place. With all the great games on this weekend, let's get right to them.
Auburn at (1) Alabama (-14.5)
The Iron Bowl, depending whom you talk to, is the greatest football rivalry. I've yet to see this as Auburn has taken the last five and the game has rarely mattered. Now it does. Alabama has already clinched a spot in the SEC championship game against Florida, but a loss here would still be devastating. Auburn's been terrible this year. It looks like they've finally settled on their talented, albeit raw sophomore QB Kodi Burns. An upset over Alalabama also gets Auburn bowl eligible. I think this game is going to be much closer than any Tide fan would like. Not sure if Auburn can pull out the win, but Tubberville's going to throw everything he's got at them.
Pick: Auburn
(3) Oklahoma (-7) at (12) Oklahoma State
So, if the Boise State - Idaho game escalated quickly, the Oklahoma - Texas Tech game escalated really quickly. I mean, where did that come from? That was unbelievable. How do you even rank Oklahoma and Texas now? I mean, you've got to put Texas first because of head to head, right? But how do you ignore that dismantling of Texas Tech that Oklahoma did last week? It would be so much easier if Oklahoma State did us all a huge favor and just beat Oklahoma, right? Plus, that would send Oklahoma to the Fiesta Bowl to most likely play Utah. There's no way Utah wins that game. I'm making this pick with my head, but my heart will be with Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Pick: Oklahoma
(4) Florida (-17) at (20) Florida State
I see what Bobby Bowden has done. How sneaky of him. Recruit one ridiculously smart player who ends up getting awarded a freaking Rhodes Scholarship, and it takes away all the attention from the other thugs that he's been recruiting that like to incite campus brawls. Not to take away from the story of Myron Rolle, though. The guy interviewed for the Rhodes Scholarship on Saturday then boarded a private plane to the game and entered in the second quarter. Much more impressive than when Vince Carter decided to walk in his graduation from UNC before a Game Seven of the NBA playoffs. Well, enough with the Florida State lovefest because Florida is on a mission and is going to roll the Seminoles and easily cover this spread.
Pick: Florida
(22) Georgia Tech at (11) Georgia (-8)
I'm going to make a bold prediction that Ole Miss is the third best team in the SEC. I think this will become more apparent after Georgia gets upset by Georgia Tech this weekend. Georgia's been disappointing this year. Some would point to injuries. I would just say they've been overrated. Georgia Tech has gone old school with the wishbone offense. Check out this clip:
I have no faith in Georgia's defense to defend that.
Pick: Georgia Tech
(23) Oregon at (17) Oregon State (-3)
The old Civil War game. Oregon can do us some favors with a win over Oregon State this weekend. That would make USC the Pac-10 champion and basically make it between Ohio State and Boise State for the last BCS spot. What has Oregon been doing since we played them? They burned the redshirt on Darron Thomas, he came in and lit it up against a prevent defense, Oregon fans everywhere were excited about him, and now he's played in only three subsequent games and has only attempted seven passes. I'm so confused. Play the kid and get a win here for us.
Pick: Oregon
Nevada (-5) at Louisiana Tech
So, I haven't seen any highlights of Kellen's pick sixes against Nevada last week. I had to meet some friends from college who were in town for dinner last Saturday. I thought the game was in hand so I left after halftime. I then spent the next two hours cursing under my breath as I kept refreshing the game on my phone. So from what I've gathered from everyone else's observations, Kaepernick was not impressive, the interceptions were not exactly the result of stellar defensive play, and Nevada basically got some breaks that kept the game close. I'm guessing that Nevada will get back to what they do best this week and rack up a ridiculous amount of rushing yards and snap Louisiana Tech's four-game winning streak.
Pick: Nevada
New Mexico State at Utah State (-6)
I've been watching Celebrity Rehab 2 on VH1 lately and I'm convinced more than ever that Hal Mumme and Gary Busey are related to each other. Check it out for yourself.
Think about this the next time you see Hal Mumme roaming the sidelines.
I'm surprised that there is even a line out on this game. Both teams have been putrid. I'm thinking that maybe the USU Aggie players will give a little extra for Brent Guy's last game.
Pick: Utah State
Washington State at Hawaii (-28.5)
Anyone catch the Apple Cup last week? The Cougars outlasted the Huskies in double OT to pick up their second win and first against an FBS team. Washington remained winless. I was just happy to see that four quarters were not enough to determine the great in-state rivalry. I'm sure fans of both schools were just happy to get some free football after the seasons they've endured.
Hawaii is playing their second of three straight home games, all games that are their opponents' last on the year. It sure can't be difficult for the Hawaii AD to schedule at the end of the season.
Pick: Hawaii
Fresno State at (9) Boise State (-21)
Will this season be the last season of unwarranted preseason hype for Fresno State? If they come out ranked in the preseason next year or picked to win the WAC, I'm going to go crazy. Is their midseason breakdown even a surprise anymore? The only question is after which game is the slide going to start. Boise State ran all over Fresno last year when Harper and Avery both went over 100 yards. Imagine what will happen this year when we can throw, too. I'm getting excited.
Pick: Boise State
Last Week (2-5), Overall (56-40-1)