Yesterday was certainly an interesting and exciting day in the college football world. Seven ranked teams played; six of which faced off against each other.
#2 Auburn walked in to Tuscaloosa, AL feeling very confident riding on the back of an undefeated season. Early on it looked as though the #11 ranked Crimson Tide was going to pull off the upset with ease. However, the Tigers clawed their way back in the second half to pull off the win. You can't really call it an upset, but the game certainly had that feeling throughout. The final score was 28-27.
The only game that featured only one ranked team was #15 Nebraska at Colorado. The Huskers dominated Colorado pretty much the entire way in that game. Quarterback Taylor Martinez was out but sophomore quarterback Cody Green, and running backs Rex Burkhead and Roy Helu, handled the load quite well. Nebraska will now move on to the Big 12 Championship Game where they will face either Oklahoma or Oklahoma State. So today's matchup featuring the Cowboys and the Sooners have enormous implications. The final score to the Husker win was 45-17.
#21 Arizona appeared as though they were going to give Oregon fits all day long, but ultimately the Wildcats just could not hang with the #1 Offense and team in the nation. Oregon beat the Wildcats 48-29.
And last, but perhaps the most exciting game of the week was the huge upset brought to you by the #19 ranked Nevada Wolfpack. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick showed that he deserves to be in the Heisman talks that people have put him in. # 4 ranked Boise State jumped out to an early 17-0 lead early in the first half but the Wolfpack did not count themselves out. The Broncos usually, and most often this season, have jumped out to huge leads and set it on cruise control the rest of the way. The game would not go so smoothly. Boise State's quarterback Kellen Moore threw a magnificent bomb to speedster Titus Young to put the Broncos in position to win the game with a field goal... only it would not go as planned. Boise State's usually automatic kicker missed the game-winning field goal which pushed the game in to overtime. Boise State then received the ball first and the kicker had another chance to take the lead and he pushed it the second time after pulling it in his first opportunity. Nevada wasted no time and marched down close enough to put their redshirt freshmen kicker in position to win. He delivered. Nevada upset Boise State 34-31.
After the jump, we'll take a look at some of the potentially great games on the docket today.
Michigan vs. #8 Ohio State
Even though Michigan has not played up to par this year, the matchup here usually is a good one. Cameron Heyward and the rest of the Buckeye defense will have their hands full trying to contain Michigan's quarterback Denard Robinson. Ohio State has their own weapons on offense too though. Michigan may not have enough defense to contain DeVier Posey, Terelle Pryor, and both running backs in Brandon Saine and Dan Herron. Ultimately, Ohio State should come out on top in this one.
#10 Michigan State vs. Penn State
Michigan State has been one horrible game (against Iowa) from a perfect season. Earlier in the year, they beat two ranked teams in the Wisconsin Badgers and the Michigan Wolverines. Kirk Cousins and the rest of the Spartan offense have really stepped it up this season averaging 31.6 points-a-game. But when these two teams meet, there is no telling what can happen. Penn State will rely on their defense who hasn't exactly played like a typical Penn State D this year. Evan Royster will need to have a huge game in order for the Nittany Lions to stay in this one. But overall, it should be smooth sailing for the Michigan State Spartans.
#5 LSU vs. #12 Arkansas
I haven't been able to watch as much as Patrick Peterson this year as I have wanted to. I saw plenty from him last year, but not so much this year. His return skills are extremely fun to watch and his coverage skills don't fall short of that as well. Ryan Mallett and the Arkansas run game will have their work cut out today. LSU has the 8th ranked defense in the nation only allowing 16.5 points-a-game. This may be the most intriguing game of the day. The Tigers should come out on top in this one.
#18 South Carolina vs. Clemson
Stephen Garcia is one of the more exciting quarterbacks in the nation. But the main attraction for the Gamecock offense is Marcus Lattimore. The kid can flat out run the rock. And run it he will. Clemson has some very good defensive players but there is definitely a few holes that can, and most likely will, be exploited. The defense ranked 9th in the nation. Clemson doesn't have the greatest offense but they are able to put up points. It will be mainly up to Clemson's defense led by safety DeAndre McDaniel and defensive end Da'Quan Bowers to give them a shot. I just think Lattimore could be too much to hold off for the entire game.
#13 Oklahoma vs. #9 Oklahoma State
Perhaps the biggest game of the day this afternoon. The Sooners have the #4 ranked passing offense in the nation led by quarterback Landry Jones and wide receiver Ryan Broyles. Oklahoma State has a scary offense as well. Kendall Hunter is one of the best running backs and most explosive in the nation. OU has been in some big games but have been very streaky dropping games to Missouri and Texas A&M. However, if the Sooners can win this afternoon, they will earn the other spot in the Big 12 Championship to face off against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. I will have my eyes glued to this game. Even though OSU has the tools to win, OU has the advantage in wins for this Bedlam game winning 80 of the 104 games played against the Cowboys.
Here is the rest of the schedule for week 13:
