Gamedayr’s intriguing college football matchups, Week 12
Beverage + Remote + Saturday = Joy
The college football season has kicked into high gear.
Each and every week across the nation brings countless new and unique plotlines between players, between coaches and of course, between rival fan bases.
In fact, so intense has the college football landscape become that we are too excited to only pick ten games to at least click over to come Saturday. Thus, after our personal No. 1 pick we've included a little Saturday Special for your enjoyment for the very first time.
Which games are you watching this weekend?
10. Sam Houston State at No. 8 Texas A&M
Two reasons to give this game a quick glance, even though in all likelihood this one has a chance at getting really ugly really early: First, it is always intriguing to see how a team reacts after pulling a massive win out of thin air like the Aggies’ program-altering upset of then-No. 1 Alabama.
Make no mistake about it, joining the SEC and promptly taking down the kings of the mountain has altered that program for the better.
Secondly, of course, this 3:30 game provides viewers with yet another chance to watch Johnny Football take the field. That should be reason in itself, because A&M’s redshirt freshman quarterback is truly a superstar.
9. Western Carolina at No. 4 Alabama
Just like taking a quick peek at the Texas A&M game to see if there is any and all chance at a letdown or a victory hangover, checking in on this most likely one-sided affair will provide a great glimpse into just how ticked off the Tide is after last week’s loss.
Whether or not Nick Saban’s squad gets a crack at the BCS Championship game is way up in the air with three undefeated teams remaining (more on that a li’l later, folks), but Bama does face Western Carolina for sure.
It won’t be for a crystal ball, but it will be for pride; expect a proud bunch of stars take out their frustrations on the little guy in this one.
Or not. Wouldn’t that be intriguing?
8. No. 12 Oklahoma at West Virginia
The Big 12 is always a safe bet if you love watching points go up on the board. In this matchup of teams with absolutely nothing to lose (but not really all that much to gain, either, thanks to a combined six losses between them) viewers should expect a high-scoring, defense-optional affair.
West Virginia’s Geno Smith had been a lock for the Heisman Trophy until he melted down more atrociously than Britney Spears when she shaved her head.
His Mountaineers have looked just as bad, a four game losing streak train-wrecking their season worse than the train wreck that was, ummm, Britney Spears when she shaved her head.
If West Virginia can get back on track in front of the home crowd, its first season in the Big 12 will have been salvaged just slightly from out of the garbage heap.
7. No. 23 Texas Tech at No. 24 Oklahoma State
This matchup of Big 12 teams is all about two things: Trajectory and expectations.
After blowing out then-No. 5 West Virginia and then handling a very good TCU squad on the road in triple overtime, quarterback Seth Doege had his Red Raiders on course for a BCS bowl berth and a possible Heisman for himself.
Since, Tech has been blown out by Kansas State, been upset by a Texas squad with a defense that would make OJ Simpson’s attorneys laugh out loud, and barely snuck by a wretched Kansas Jayhawks team.
Expectations? High. Trajectory? Into the toilet.
Oklahoma State, on the other hand, was entering the 2012 season without its star quarterback, Brandon Weeden, or wide receiver, Justin Blackmon, after both were selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Coach Mike Gundy has been forced to start two true freshmen at the sport’s most important position. Early on, the team looked the part of the novice, going 2-2, but the Cowboys have gone 4-1 since, losing only to Kansas State. In Saturday’s 55-34 win over West Virginia, third-string junior Clint Chelf started and threw for 292 yards and four scores. Expectations? Low. Trajectory? Shooting for the stars.
6. Wake Forest at No. 3 Notre Dame
The Demon Deacons take on the Catholics in this matchup of religiously-motivated mascots or nicknames. Unfortunately for Wake Forest, that is just about where the similarities end.
Currently sitting at 5-5, Wake Forest is simply fighting for bowl-eligibility, whereas at a sparkling 10-0, the Fighting Irish are fighting for a spot in the BCS National Championship game.
The Deacons have allowed 289 points on the season for an average of 28.9 per game. That ranks at No. 72 in the nation.
Led not by a flyin’ Hawaiian, but by a Hawaiian tidal wave, linebacker Manti Te’o and Co. have only given up a total of 111 points on the year. The 11.1 points per game is No. 1-nationally.
Of course, Notre Dame was taken to triple overtime by an equally poor Pitt squad, and Notre Dame’s quarterback, Everett Golson is still a work in progress, so stay tuned.
5. No. 1 Kansas State at Baylor
Far from the bright lights of the Big Apple, the glare of the spotlight has descended upon the Little Apple of Manhattan, Kansas – and onto senior quarterback and Heisman frontrunner, Collin Klein, specifically.
Looking at the schedule, one might assume the Wildcats have a fairly clear-cut path on their march towards the BCS National Championship game, but don’t sleep on Saturday’s road test at Baylor.
The 2011 Heisman winner came out of Baylor, and Robert Griffin III’s replacement, Nick Florence, practically starts piling up yardage when he first steps out of bed with a yawn and a touchdown pass. He currently leads all of FBS averaging a whopping 394.8 yards per game individually.
K-State has already shut down the likes of Geno Smith at West Virginia, Seth Doege at Texas Tech and Landry Jones of Oklahoma.
If Klein and the Wildcats defense can do it again, this squad will be one step closer to going where it never has before.
4. Ohio State at Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Badgers have been the definition of maddeningly inconsistent all season long en route to a 7-3 record.
The Ohio State Buckeyes, on the other hand, have been the definition of consistently excellent all year en route to a perfect 10-0 record.
So why is it that Wisco has already clinched a spot in the Big Ten Championship game? Why, because Ohio State was banned from postseason play in 2012, of course!
The mighty conference as a whole has been down mightily as a whole this season, and one can be sure the Big Ten brass will be pulling for the Badgers. A four-loss team headed to the Rose Bowl does not look good, but a team with three and an upset over undefeated Ohio State? That is literally a whole new story.
3. North Carolina State at No. 11 Clemson
The only team Clemson has lost to thus far has been conference foe Florida State.
The only team Florida State has lost to in 2012 has been North Carolina State.
Thus, by way of the transitive property, the 6-4 Wolfpack should have no issues dispatching of the 9-1 Tigers.
However, we all know it doesn’t work that way, especially not if quarterback Tajh Boyd and his 2,941 passing yards have anything to do with it.
But it will sure be intriguing to see what happens (see how we did that there?).
2. No. 18 USC at No. 17 UCLA
The fans of both sides of this intra-city matchup are not messing around anymore, that’s for sure. Long overshadowed by the national championships and the Heisman Trophies won by the Los Angeles counterparts, the UCLA fan base has taken it upon themselves to protect their home turf on Saturday. A groundswell of support was sustained calling for security to keep USC’s Trojan mascot from spearing his sword into the middle of the field in the Trojans’ traditional pregame show.
He would, of course, be stabbing the Bruins’ logo.
Fans don’t like that, and thus the school’s administration has instructed security to keep that sword out of the grass, or keep the USC band off the field for the rest of the game, including missing its planned halftime routine.
Oh, and did we mention there’s a football game with Pac-12 championship implications on the line?
1. No. 13 Stanford at No. 2 Oregon
After a heartbreaking overtime loss at the hands of undefeated Notre Dame a few weeks ago, the Stanford Cardinal have a chance to derail the national championship dreams of yet another unbeaten program in high-powered Oregon.
The issue for Stanford is at quarterback. Well, that and the fact that there is no real way its defense is going to be able to hold the Ducks’ offense to the 17.2 points allowed it has been averaging all season.
One cannot hope to stop two of the nation’s best running back in Kenjon Barner and De’Anthony Thomas, nor is there much game-planning that can beat quarterback Marcus Mariota.
They can only hope to be contained by the studly Stanford defense.
Can freshman Kevin Hogan, who only made his first career start a week ago, put up enough points to overcome the sensational Oregon offense?
We have no idea, but it will sure be fun to watch on Saturday.
Saturday Special: Utah State at No. 20 Louisiana Tech
The championship game no one is talking about is a heck of a lot more intriguing than simply checking in to see how badly Alabama or Texas A&M are beating up on patsies, especially considering the talent on offense La. Tech brings to the table.
Freshman Kenneth Dixon has already scored 24 touchdowns in 2012, more than any other freshman in the history of college football.
Quarterback Colby Cameron attempted 419 straight passes without recording an interception, another collegiate record.
At 9-1, the Bulldogs’ only loss came in a shootout, 59-57, against the Texas A&M Aggies.
On Saturday, another group of Aggies, this time out of Utah State, looks to upend Tech’s first run at a WAC title and claim the crown for itself.
Wouldn’t it just stink if you lost two games all season but only against one team name?
Information and statistics from ESPN.com were used in this article.
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