NCAA Football Game Thread: Week 12

And just like that, down go the Pokes and there's another shake up in Cyclone fashion. The No. 2 ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys lost yesterday evening at the hands of the unranked Iowa State Cyclones which will shake up the rankings quite significantly once again. 

What that does is mix up the possibilities for whoever seemingly will face the LSU Tigers in the National Championship Game. There's quite a significant amount of games left to determine that but the regular season is drawing closer to a close. It will be very interesting to see how the rest shakes out and which teams will be playing one and other in all the major bowl games.

After this week, there are in reality two more significant weeks. Week 15 will be the last game played between Army and Navy. After that, we'll enter the Championship Games.

Follow below to see what games I have highlighted for this afternoon.

No. 16 Nebraska vs. No. 17 Michigan

This game will not only have an effect on the rankings but could also have Big Ten implications. Both teams have dropped games that they wished they could have back but they are where they are at. Dennard Robinson and the offense will have it's work cut out against players like Alfonzo Dennard and Jared Crick this morning. This game could be one of those thrillers that comes down to the wire.

No. 5 Oklahoma vs. No. 22 Baylor

Oklahoma really needs to string together blowouts the rest of the year against quality teams like Baylor and Oklahoma State if they want a shot at the National Championship Game. It's an outside shot, but they can now potentially put themselves in position to make a run at it. Many people who have started cranking out mock drafts, have Oklahoma's quarterback, Landry Jones going in the top five picks. He really needs to have a solid finish to the season if that will come true. Robert Griffin III has been quite stellar this season as well at the quarterback position for the Baylor Bears. However, the Bears' defense is been as thin as water and the Bears will most likely lose a shootout with a high powered offense like the Sooners.

Washington vs. Oregon State

I only am featuring this game because Nick Montana is getting his first start of the season. For 49ers fans, this is relatively significant. Many of us grew up worshiping the ground his father (Joe Cool) walked on. Montana was a football God... so naturally, watching the son of a football God will be interesting; especially considering that Nick was a four-star recruit. The Beavers don't have a spectacular defense, and Montana will have plenty of support on the ground from running back Chris Polk which should take some of the pressure off.  Even though Oregon State's record says they aren't very good, they have played teams very closely this year. Unless Montana is the second coming of his father today, the Beavers actually have an outside shot at a win here. Quarterback, Sean Mannion for the Beavers has been okay but tends to throw a lot of passes to the other team. If he has one of those games today, it's also possible that this one gets ugly in a hurry. For more on this game, click here. Unfortunately, this game is not being televised, so we will have to wait and catch the highlights.

*Note: I will not be around later this evening as I will be attending the Arizona/ Arizona State game and tailgate. So enjoy the games and I will catch you all next week.