Week 13 - On Even Ground

With Thnksgiving upon us, I'm thankful that a 3-2 week put me back at .500 this late in the season.

Week 12: 3-2
Season: 29-29-2

Let's get right to the Week 13 Picks.

Pittsburgh   EVEN   West Virginia

I really don't know a heck of a lot of what has happened in the Big East this season, other than Cincinnati has managed to run the table in and out of conference, and is looking like a dark horse candidate for the BCS Championship should Texas, Florida and Arkansas lose games. After the Bearcats, however, Pitt has been racking up a pretty decent string of wins as well. The Panthers' only loss has come to North Carolina State, but their biggest test is yet to come (with the aforementioned Bearcats lined up for December 5th). Before they get to Cincy, the Panthers need to take care of this week's opponent - a formidable West Virginia squad that is looking to exact some revenge after Pitt's 2007 upset knocked the Mountaineers out of the National Title race. West Virginia played Cincy well last week - nearly eking out an upset win.  Though I don't think Pitt is better than Cincy, I do think they'll give West Virginia trouble - and with the Mountaineers' leading rusher Noel Devine nursing a bad ankle, I think Pitt will hold West Virginia in check. Don't believe me? Ask Charlie Weis and Notr Dame. I'm taking Pittsburgh straight up.


Temple  -2.5  Ohio

The train just keeps rolling. Riding a nine(!) game winning streak, the Owls look to capture their first MAC East title. A smart person would attribute Temple's turnaround to Freshman RB Bernard Pierce (who will not play this week due to an injured shoulder) or the fantastic job that Al Golden has done in his 4th year as head coach, but I'll give the credit to Jesse Martineau who is backing this team as if it came from Manch Vegas. Even if the Owls are missing Pierce (and his 15 TDs), I think Temple can win this one by 3 or more. I'll take the Owls giving the points.


Clemson  -3   South Carolina

The South Carolina State Championship Game. With Clemson heading to the ACC title game, this one really just comes down to pride. The Tigers have won the ten of the last twelve meetings between the schools, and are coming in with a six game winning streak. The Gamecocks and the Ol' Ball Coach have seen their season fall apart since losing to Alabama, having dropped 4 out of 5 games. I really don't think SC has enough motivation to win this one, and it looks like Steve Spurrier is destined for a .500 season - only the third non-winning season of his college coaching career. I'm taking Clemson giving three points.


North Carolina  -5.5  NC State

Sticking with the in-state rivals theme, we'll travel north for the North Carolina State Championship Not Involving Duke or Wake Forest. UNC demolished Boston College last week and I don't see the Wolfpack giving them much more trouble than the Eagles did. On a side note, my dad won two tickets to the BC game last week, and went with my uncle. I asked my dad - who is not a huge college football fan - what he thought of the game. "Well, we had to take a shuttle bus from satellite parking, and by the time we got there, BC was already losing by 14. We should have just got back on the bus and gone home." As usual, my story has no relevance to anything whatsoever. I'll take UNC giving 5.5.


Oklahoma  -8  Oklahoma State

I'll bet no OU fan saw this one coming. The Cowboys are ranked and looking for a big bowl game. Oklahoma is just trying not to embarrass themselves too much. Even though OSU is ranked, the Sooners are favored. Sorry OU fans, I'm smelling upset here and taking OSU with the points.