NCAA College Football Week 14 Picks - Early Games
NCAA College Football Week 14 Early Games
All times Eastern
Friday, November 30
7:00 pm Northern Illinois vs. Buffalo (-3 1/2, 49 1/2) - MAC Championship played at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan has the Bulls of Buffalo facing the perennial powerhouse Northern Illinois Huskies. Winners of the MAC East, Buffalo was 10-2 overall and 7-1 in conference play. Their prolific offense (35.3 ppg) is rivaled by their aggressive defense (24.3, 41st).
Northern Illinois is tied with LSU at #24 in points allowed (20.9), and they must depend on that group, because the offense has hit the skids, ranked 122 of 130, scoring just 19.9 point per game. The Huskies were 7-5 overall, but ran up a 6-2 record to take the MAC West. Buffalo's ability to score should be the deciding factor in what figures to be a low-scoring game.
Coin Flip: Buffalo
PREDICTION: Bulls 24 Huskies 14
After the Huskies shut down the best offense in the conference last week, humbling Washington State, 28-15, they secured the North division with a 7-2 mark and were 9-3 overall. The two conference losses were close calls, losing 30-27 at Oregon in overtime, and 12-10 at Cal. Washington has all the tools on defense needed to close out the Utes. A complete blowout should not be ruled out.
Coin Flip: Utah
PREDICTION: Huskies 31 Utes 13
12:00 pm #14 Texas vs. #5 Oklahoma (-8, 78) - At AT&T Stadium, in Arlington Texas, the Big 12 conference champion will be crowned. While Oklahoma is ranked #5 and would logically move up if Georgia loses to Alabama later in the day, they are probably not championship caliber even if they beat the Longhorns, unless it's convincingly, and they show some defensive acuity.
The Sooners are the highest-scoring offense in the college ranks, clicking for 50.3 points per game, but their defense is ranked #100, allowing 32.8 ppg. By contrast, the Longhonrs are ranked #51, allowing a more reasonable 25.2 points per outing, is #46 (31.7). Understandably, the Big 12 is loaded with wide-open offensive teams, so the defensive numbers are highly skewed. Texas beat Oklahoma, 48-45, in the Red River Shootout on October 6, but the Sooners were rallying and just ran out of time. Expect Oklahoma to offer no mercy here as they know the stakes, but the Longhorns will give their best as well. This should be a very close call, either way.
Coin Flip: Texas
PREDICTION: Sooners 51 Longhorns 46
Mack played much of the 38-10 win over South Florida last week, and while he was only 5-for-14 passing, he did rush for 51 yards and didn't turn the ball over. He'll be called upon to keep the offense moving against Memphis, which shouldn't be that difficult, since the Tigers allow 242 rushing yards and 29.5 points per game.
The UCF defense will be another key for the Knights. They are #18 nationally in points allowed, giving up a mere 19.5 points per game. They'll have to contain one of the more potent offense in the country. On average, Memphis scores 43.8 points, good for a #6 national ranking. The Tigers went 7-5 overall and 5-3 in the West division, and nearly upset UCF back in October, losing 31-30 at home. This is a tough call, but until the Knights lose, stick with them.
Coin Flip: UCF
PREDICTION: Knights 34 Tigers 27
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Week 14 late Games
8:00 pm #17 Utah vs. #11 Washington (-5, 44 1/2) - The PAC-12 Championship is played at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, CA. To say the conference was wide open this season would be a considerable understatement. The Utes took the South with a 6-3 conference mark and were 9-3 overall. One of their losses was in week three, to these same Huskies, a 21-7 performance that is likely to have a lasting effect, considering the game was played in Utah.
Saturday, December 1
3:30 pm Memphis at #8 UCF (-3, 64 1/2) - With AAC offensive player of the year injured in last week's game, the Knights will turn to Darriel Mack Jr. to lead them to the American Athletic championship and their 25th straight win.
