Our Vanderbilt Basketball team secured a major road victory last night at Pittsburgh behind our 5’9″ 165 pound guard Trey Thomas, who shoots it like Steph Curry. Trey is a total stud and finished with 14 points including 4 huge trifectas in the last 12 minutes of the game to lead us to a 68-52 victory over Pittsburgh on the road. We moved to 4-1 with the victory and face Mississippi Valley State next on Monday at Memorial at 7 PM CT on ESPN+ and SEC Network+. Pipp added 11, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Jordan Wright, who has become a terrific player for us, chipped in 9 and led the team in rebounding with 7.

I really like our team. Quentin Millora-Brown, our 6’10” center, is doing an excellent job with his size, altering shots and making shots. Quentin is a highly skilled player. Myles Stute, Tyrin Lawerence, Jamaine Mann and Terren Frank are very good players as well. Shane Dezonie and Gabe Dorsey are freshmen who are going to be good players for us, which includes this season. We’ve got a team that can make the tournament. Our only loss is to VCU and they just defeated Syracuse yesterday in the Bahamas at the Bad Boy Motors Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament, so they’re for real. They won 67-55. They play defending national champion and No.6 Baylor today in the Bahamas at 4 PM CT on ESPN.

I like how Stack is developing this group and how Scottie is leading it. Would love to get our big man Minnesota transfer, 7’0 Liam Robbins, back on the floor in the future. It may be a little while, I’m guessing maybe January or early February, hopefully sooner, and we’re also missing point guard Rodney Chatman, who should be back sooner than that, but we’re doing well with the players we’ve got. They’re a talented, focused group.

So good stuff going on with our bball team. Like the way we’re progressing.

Football @ Tennessee Saturday at 2:45 PM CT on the SEC Network.

I didn’t like what our football team did in the second half against Ole Miss last Saturday, I loved it. We took it to them and were the more physical team. Clark is changing the culture, our guys are buying in, and we’ve got a shot in that city in the East. I like us to play well. Quarterback Mike Wright has the heart of a champion, and our defense is starting to play lights out. We’re building for a bright future under Clark, but want our seniors, Cam Johnson, Chris Pierce etc. to go out as winners. They have been winners as student-athletes, and have been through some tough times, so they deserve to go out on a winning note and then pursue their bright futures on the next level or in promising professional careers.

A final note, Dansby Swanson and Kyle Wright were instrumental in leading the Atlanta Braves to their first World Series title in 26 years (1995) as Dans cranked a pair of homers, one critical one in game 4, and another key one in game 6, and Kyle pitched 5 shutdown innings in game 4 to lead the Braves to the World Championship. Proud of both of them, and proud for Corbs and the program. Like our 2022 squad. We’ve got a real shot to make it to Omaha and doing well there. Will be on our baseball team in January. A lot to be excited about with this group as always.

Men’s Golf looks highly promising under Coach Scott Limbaugh. We’ve got a couple of stud freshmen to go along with some talented upperclassmen. Looking forward to keeping you posted on Men’s Golf in the spring.

God Bless, Happy Thanksgiving and Anchor Down!

Does it get any better than this? Thanksgiving, one of the best holidays of the year, time to be with family and friends, maybe some duck or deer hunting, golf, or just watching some superb college football, and that’s what we have this weekend on the College Football landscape.

Week 13 is headlined in these parts by the 86th Iron Bowl taking place down on the Plains Saturday at 2:30 PM CT on CBS. The No.3 Crimson Tide is 10-1 and 7-1 in the SEC and has earned a trip to play the Georgia Bulldogs next Saturday, 12-4, at 3 PM CT in the SEC Championship Game on CBS. Should be a classic. But this game is the most important one for both teams at present. Auburn is 6-5 overall and 3-4 in the SEC. Alabama leads the series at 47-37-1, but the Tigers lead in the Iron Bowls that are played on campus, 17-11, and are 10-5 at games at Auburn. So, despite the records, this one just means more, more than any rivalry in the country. Can’t beat this 365 day a year spectacle, it doesn’t get any bigger or better than this.

Some other key SEC intra-state rivalry games along along with gigantic national tilts headlined by Ohio State @ Michigan with so much at stake this time around. Oklahoma at Oklahoma State in Bedlam has tremendous implications riding in Stillwater on Saturday. The Cowboys are trying to get the very heavy albatross off their back in this heated rivalry.

So, here it is, Week 13, unplugged.

Last Week, 21-3, Overall, 199-86, 70%

ATS, 12-12, Overall, 150-133, 53%

No.3 Alabama @ Auburn

Jordan-Hare Stadium

2:30 PM CT

CBS

Brad, Gary, Jamie

Crimson Tide by 19 1/2

This is always a tricky one to predict, particularly in Auburn where magic happens for the Tigers. The late great Rod Bramblett had the historic call on the Kick 6 in 2013, “And Auburn’s going to win the football game! ” There have been incredible moments on both sides. While this means more to the Crimson Tide on a national scale with playoff implications riding, it means just as much for the Tigers, which want to finish the regular season with the best victory on their resume in 2021, as it always is for both sides. T.J. Finley will once again be under center for the Tigers. He did some good things against South Carolina last Saturday in a loss, and he’s capable. Bryce Young is soaring right now. I’d call him the Heisman favorite going into this weekend as he’s completed 72% of his passes, 263-of-387, for 3,584 yards, 38 TDs against only 3 interceptions. I don’t see the Tigers having great success stopping the Tide passing game with Jameson Williams and John Metchie being forces in the game. I like the Crimson Tide at Auburn this year.

Alabama 38, Auburn 21

No.1 Georgia @ Georgia Tech

Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta

11 AM CT

ABC

Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky, Kris Budden

Dawgs by 35

This has got to be the best name for a Rivalry, “Clean Old Fashioned Hate.” Can anybody stop the Dawgs? Maybe the Crimson Tide or Ohio State. The list is a short one.

Georgia 45, Tech 7

No.2 Ohio State @ No. 5 Michigan

The Big House, Ann Arbor, MI.

11 AM CT

FOX

Gus, Joel, Jenny

Buckeyes by 8

I just think the Ohio State offense is too much for Michigan to handle.

Ohio State 35, Michigan 24

Thanksgiving Night, Thursday

No.9 Ole Miss @ Mississippi State

Davis Wade Stadium, Starkvegas

6:30

ESPN

Tess, Gregory, Katie George

State by 1 1/2

Does it get any better than the Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving Night, especially this one with the teams and their respective quarterbacks excelling? Lane and Leach are stellar coaches and their teams reflect that. Ole Miss is 9-2 and Mississippi State is 7-4, but had one of the most impressive victories of the season coming back from a 28-3 deficit @ Auburn 2 weeks ago in winning, 43-34. Matt Corral of Ole Miss and Will Rogers of Mississippi State are prolific quarterbacks. I’m going with the Bullies at home this time in what will be an epic game in the Magnolia State.

Mississippi State 31, Ole Miss 28

Saturday

No, 15 Texas A&M @ LSU

Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge

6 PM CT

ESPN

Tom, Jrodg, Cole

A&M by 6 1/2

I like the Aggies by a few, but for O and his team to give it a great effort in O’s last game in Baton Rouge. Sorry to see him go.

A&M 24, LSU 20

Other SEC featured Matchups both in and out of Conference

No. 23 Clemson 24, South Carolina 21

Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia

6:30 PM CT

SEC Network

Taylor, Stinch, Alyssa

Clemson by 11 1/2

I like Shane Beamer’s scrappy and impressive Gamecocks team to give Clemson everything they want. I’ll take the Tigers to barely prevail.

Friday

Arkansas 31, Missouri 21

War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock

2:30 PM CT

CBS

Noah Eagle, Rick Neuheisel, Aaron Murray, Jenny Dell

Hogs by 14 1/2

I like the Tigers to give the Hogs a hard fought game.

Saturday

Florida State 28, Florida 27

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville

11 AM CT

ESPN

Mark Jones, RGIII, Quint

Gators by 2 1/2

I like the Noles to pull off the upset of a team that has just been reeling lately and fired Dan Mullen. Gators are just too dysfunctional right now. A friend of mine asked me what is the best job out of Florida, LSU or USC. All 3 jobs are elite,. At SC you can recruit California and get all the elite players you need and add a few more on the Left Coast. At Florida, you have that state, which produces the second best talent in the country after Texas and right ahead of California. And LSU has a highly fertile recruiting area. I’d go in order of best recruiting states, 1. Texas, 2. Florida, 3. California, 4. Georgia, 5. Louisiana. Louisiana has major metropolises in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, which has 1 million people in its metro area. New Orleans has 2 million. Shreveport is a pretty decent sized town as are Lafayette and Monroe. So all 3 jobs are elite. USC would be the easiest job of the 3 because they’re in the PAC-12 and the other 2 play in the gauntlet that is the SEC. Mario Cristobal seems like a good fit at SC. LSU could stay in state and hire Billy Napier, though they may want to go with a more established head coach, but Billy has proven that he is ready in my opinion. Maybe Luke Fickell at Florida. Just some names to toss out there. I’d say in terms of best jobs, 1. LSU, 2. Florida, 3. USC.

Kentucky 24, Lousiville 20

Cardinal Stadium, Ville

6:30 PM CT

ESPN2

Chris Cotter, Mark Herzlich, Jalyn Johnson

Cardinals by 3

Give me running back Chris Rodriguez and the Wildcats to pull off the upset. Mark Stoops is another name that has come up for the Florida job.

Tennessee 31, Vanderbilt 17

Neyland Stadium, Knoxville

2:45 PM CT

SEC Network

Dave, Deuce, Andraya

Vols by 31

I was really impressed with how my Commodores played in the second half against Ole Miss last Saturday Night in a 31-17 defeat. They were the more physical team in the second half. Clark Lea has had to overhaul the psyche of this program after the traumatic 0-9 SEC season last season. I see Clark making progress. I like my Commodores to be competitive against the Vols and start building some momentum for the program to get back to bowl games.

Friday

No.4 Cincinnati 35, East Carolina 17

Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, N.C.

2:30 PM CT

ABC

Jason, Andre, Carc

Cincy by 14

The Bearcats proved they are for real with their 48-14 victory over SMU last Saturday. They keep it going this Friday on the road and will face a very good Houston team in the American Championship Game next Saturday at Cincy. If they win out, it’ll be hard to keep them out, but a 12-1 Oklahoma State team would be tough to keep out also. A lot to be decided.

No. 7 Oklahoma State 27, No. 10 Oklahoma 21

Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater

6:30 PM CT

ABC

Chris, Kirk, Holly

Cowboys by 4

Really believe in the Pokes. Mike Gundy’s defense looks elite and they’ve played some pretty potent offenses, Maybe not Alabama or Ohio State, but they’ve been excellent on that side of the ball. The Sooners have owned this series with a 90-18-7 record and have won 16 of the last 18. But it’s a different year with different teams, and I like this Pokes squad to get over the hump and set themselves up for a rematch with Baylor in the Big 12 Championship Game with a playoff spot possibly on the line with a victory there. The Cowboys have already defeated the Bears this season.

No.6 Notre Dame 42, Stanford 14

Stanford Stadium, Palo Alto, CA.

7 PM CT

FOX

Joe Davis, Brock Huard

Irish by 19 1/2

The Fighting Irish need some chaos to ensue to make the playoff, but they’re playing as well as anybody in the country right now outside of Georgia and Ohio State.

No.8 Baylor 34, Texas Tech 17

McLane Stadium, Waco

11 AM CT

Fox Sports 1

Dan Hellie, Robert Smith

Baylor by 14

The Bears have had a super year in Dave Aranda’s second season. Aranda is another guy whom LSU and USC will be interested in. Florida, too.

Friday

No. 19 Utah 38, Colorado 10

Rice Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City

3 PM CT

FOX

Joe Davis, Brock Huard

Utes by 23 1/2

Utes were spectacular last Saturday in hammering Oregon, 38-7. After a slow start to the season, Utah is now 8-3, and 7-1 in the PAC-12 South. They will face the Ducks in a rematch next Friday Night, 12-3, at 7 CT on ABC.

No. 13 BYU 34, USC 21

Memorial Coliseum, L.A.

9:30 PM CT

ESPN

Dave Flemming, Rod Gilmore, Stormy Buonantony

BYU by 7

Like the Cougars to move to 10-2. What a season under Kalani Sitake.

No. 11 Oregon 30, Oregon State 27

Autzen Stadium, Eugene

2:30 PM CT

ESPN

Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, Lugues

Ducks by 7

Expecting a highly competitive “Civil War.” Ducks have to win to get into the PAC-12 Championship game, so a lot on the line for them.

Minnesota 24, No,. 14 Wisconsin 23

Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis

3 PM CT

FOX

Timmy B., Spencer

Badgers by 7

Like P.J. Fleck and his team to “row the boat,” and pull off the upset at home.

Friday

No. 20 North Carolina State 35, North Carolina 28

Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh

6 PM CT

ESPN

Matt Barrie, Roddy Jones, Tiffany Blackmon

NC State by 6

Like the Wolfpack to keep their excellent season going and move to 9-3 and 6-2 in ACC

No. 24 Houston 52, UConn 14

Pratt & Whitney Stadium, East Hartford, Conn.

11 AM CT

CBS Sports Network

Jason Knapp, Ross Tucker, Tina Cervasio

Cougars by 32 1/2

Like the Cougars to have a lot of momentum going into Cincy next Saturday.

No. 18 Wake Forest 34, Boston College 31

Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, MA.

11 AM CT

ESPN2

Dave O’Brien, Tim Hasselbeck, Kelsey Riggs

Wake by 4 1/2

Like the Demon Deacons to slip by the Golden Eagles on the road and make the ACC Championship game, which is quite an accomplishment in Winston-Salem. If Wake were to lose and N.C. State and Clemson were victorious, then I just don’t know the answer to that as there would be a 3 way tie at 6-2 and Wake has defeated N.C. State, N.C. State has defeated Clemson and Clemson has defeated Wake. The ACC has rules for that. Will cross that bridge if we get to that point.

Penn State 17, No. 12 Michigan State 14

Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI.

2:30 PM CT

ABC

Sean, Todd, Molly

Nittany Lions by 1

James Franklin just signed a 10 year contract extension with Penn State. His players are fired up about that and will show it in a very good defensive contest with Sean Clifford and the Penn State offense doing just a little more than Kenneth Walker III and the Spartan offense.

Friday

Nebraska 23, No. 16 Iowa 21

Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, NE.

12:30 PM CT

Big Ten Network

Brandon Gaudin, James Laurinaitis, Rick Pizzo

Iowa by 1 1/2

Like Scott Frost and his Cornhuskers to win a big game this season after so many close calls. Still believe in Frost. Think he’s the man for Nebraska.

Friday

Boise State 28, No. 21 San Diego State 24

Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, CA.

11 AM CT

CBS

Rich Waltz, Aaron Taylor, Sheree Burruss

Boise State by 2 1/2

Like the Broncos to win on the road. They defeated BYU on the road, and they are 7-4. I’ll take them over the Aztecs.

No. 18 Pittsburgh 35, Syracuse 21

Carrier Dome, ‘Cuse

6:30 PM CT

ACC Network

Pitt by 13

The Panthers cruise into the ACC Championship Game as Coastal Division champions.

No. 22 UTSA 30, North Texas 24

Apogee Stadium, Denton, TX.

1 PM CT

ESPN+

UTSA by 10 1/2

The Roadrunners have a tougher time than expected against the Mean Green, but clear their final hurdle before matriculating to the C-USA Championship Game to play Western Kentucky-Marshall victor on Saturday.

Week 12 features some terrific matchups nationally alongside Alabama at home facing the Razorbacks and Auburn on the road at South Carolina as both teams gear up for the Iron Bowl next Saturday at 2:30 PM CT on CBS with games that aren’t kick-ins. Here’s a look at this week’s action.

Last week, 13-9, Overall, 178-83, 68%

ATS, 9-12, 138-121, 53%

Arkansas @ No.2 Alabama

Bryant-Denny Stadium

2:30 PM CT

CBS

Brad, Gary, Jamie

Crimson Tide by 20 1/2

Should be a physical contest. The Tide is getting their offensive line back in order though that group last Saturday played well albeit against New Mexico State. Still a nice effort by the team last Saturday. Arkansas features quarterback K.J. Jefferson, a 6”5”, 250 pounder, so he’s a load to bring down and he’s a pretty good thrower. This should be a pretty solid game for a while. Bryce Young certainly helped his Heisman candidacy last Saturday with an excellent performance. Though it was a weaker opponent, he looked super. He, Will Anderson, who had 2 more sacks against NMState, Kenneth Walker III of Michigan State, and C.J. Stroud of Ohio State appear to be the leaders going into this Saturday. This Saturday will help these guys’ causes if they can perform. You can throw in Matt Corral and Will Rogers as well.

Alabama 35, Arkansas 21

Auburn @ South Carolina

Williams-Brice Stadium

6 PM CT

ESPN

Mark Jones, RGIII, Quint Kessenich

Auburn by 7 1/2

Auburn has been disastrously bad the last 2 Saturdays and now Bo Nix is out for the season, and I don’t know if that’s a bad thing or a good thing. I would lean toward a bad thing. T.J. Finley takes over on the road. South Carolina hammered Florida at home two weeks ago, 40-17, and played a highly competitive game against Missouri on the road last Saturday, losing 31-28. The Gamecocks want to get back to a bowl game in Shane Beamer’s first season and build from there. I like them to pull off the upset at Williams-Brice.

South Carolina 28, Auburn 27

More SEC scores

No.1 Georgia 56, Charleston Southern 0

Sanford Stadium, Athens

11 AM

SEC Network+/ESPN+

Mike Morgan, Charles Arbuckle

Georgia by 54 1/2

Georgia can name its score. They are rolling into the postseason with a game @ Georgia Tech and this one, the only ones in their way. They should be 12-0 heading into the SEC Championship Game versus possibly Alabama if the Crimson Tide can win this Saturday and @Auburn next Saturday, which is looking more likely now, though it’s at Jordan-Hare where craziness happens.

No. 12 Ole Miss 48, Vanderbilt 10

Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford

6:30 PM CT

SEC Network

Tom, Jrodg, Cole

Rebels by 36 1/2

Ole Miss can also name their score in this game. Gigantic game ahead on Thanksgiving Night at Starkvegas. 6:30 CT on ESPN, Rebels versus Bullies.

No. 16 Texas A&M 49, Prairie View A&M 0

Kyle Field, College Station

11 AM CT

SEC Network+/ESPN+

Mike Corey, Dave Steckel

A&M by 44 1/2

Who scheduled this clown game? Glad Jimbo’s happy at College Station because he still has a lot of work ahead of him and he hasn’t proven he’s elite.

Florida 41, Missouri 38

Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field, Columbia, MO.

3 PM CT

SEC Network

Dave, Deuce, Andraya

Gators by 9

Dan Mullen survives another week and keeps his hopes of keeping his job alive. He needs to win this Saturday in a tough matchup and at home versus FSU, which has improved, at 11 AM CT Saturday, 11-27, on ESPN.

No. 25 Mississippi State 45, Tennessee State 0

Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville

11 AM CT

SEC Network+/ESPN+

Mike Couzens, Dustin Fox

State by 44 1/2

Will Rogers is another guy along with Corral who are both playing at an elite level. Toss them both in the Heisman race though Bryce Young has won both head to head games as has Will Anderson. Thanksgiving Night in Starkville will be massive.

Kentucky 42, New Mexico State 3

Kroger Field, Lexington

11 AM CT

SEC Network

Taylor Zarzour, Stinch, Tera Talmadge

KY by 36

Feel sorry for the Aggies having to go through 2 Saturdays in a row of the SEC gauntlet. The Wildcats look to have righted the ship last Saturday against Vandy, though that’s not saying much in reality.

Tennessee 42, South Alabama 10

Neyland Stadium, Knoxville

6:30 PM CT

ESPNU

Clay Matvick, Rocky Boiman

Vols by 28 1/2

UT recovers from the Georgia shellacking. Having a good season despite that. Georgia does that to everybody. If you haven’t heard Kirby Smart’s rant at halftime of the Florida game, I would call it kind of disturbing. Football locker rooms are a rough place.

LSU 35, Louisiana Monroe 14

Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge

8 PM CT

ESPN2

Brian Custer, Kelly Stouffer, Lauren Sisler

LSU by 29

National slate

Oregon 30, Utah 27

Rice Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City

6:30 PM CT

ABC

Sean, Todd, Molly

Utah by 3

I like the resilient Ducks to pull it off on the road and keep their playoff hopes very much alive.

No. 4 Ohio State 49, Michigan State 38

Ohio Stadium, Columbus

11 AM CT

ABC

Chris, Kirk, Holly

Buckeyes by 19

Mel Tucker has reportedly been offered a 10 year/$95 million contract. They want to lock him in and that would really inspire the players if he committed. I know if I was him I sure would. He’s got a possible chance to win it all at Michigan State, definitely make the Playoff on a somewhat frequent basis with the way he recruits and get in New Year’s Six Bowl games almost yearly. What else do you want. The fans and boosters are passionate and they love the guy. They’ll do what it takes financially to get this program playing in the playoff in the future. He also recruits blue collar, hard working, humble kids and that’s what you want on your football team. He currently makes $5.56 million annually. Tucker said today on Draymond Green’s radio show, Green is an MSU basketball alumnus, that Michigan State is a ‘destination job.” He’s a native of Cleveland, he played at Wisconsin and started his coaching career as a graduate assistant under S at Michigan State. He was also a defensive assistant at Ohio State from 2001-2004 and has had many stops in the SEC at Bama, Georgia, then coached at Colorado one year and has multiple stops in the NFL. I believe him. Now if LSU were to offer him something in double figures millions per year, then all bets are off. So it’ll be interesting to see what happens. This Saturday, his secondary, which has struggled, will have their hands full covering the elite Ohio State wide receivers. Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njiba are superb players and C.J. Stroud will be slingingit all over the field to them. I like Michigan State to keep it closer than expected because I like their team’s toughness and humility, but gotta take the Buckeyes and that prolific passing game. Buckeyes freshman TraVeyon Henderson is an outstanding running back as well.

No.5 Cincinnati 38, SMU 35

Nippert Stadium, Cincy

2:30 PM CT

ESPN

Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky, Kris Budden

Cincy by 11 1/2

The Bearcats are going to have to be better on offense this Saturday to hold off the Ponies. Like an electrifying, tight game here.

No.8 Notre Dame 35, Georgia Tech 21

Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend

1:30 PM CT

Mike, Drew, Kathryn

Fighting Irish by 17 1/2

The Irish keep their playoff hopes alive. They proved a lot to me last Saturday in dismantling Virginia. They’re an excellent team.

No.6 Michigan 28, Maryland 24

Maryland Stadium, College Park, MD.

2:30 PM CT

Big Ten Network

Brendan Gaudin, James Laurinaitis, Rick Pizzo

Wolverines by 15

Michigan is firmly in the hunt for Big Ten Championship and a playoff berth if they can keep winning, which includes winning “The Game” next Saturday, 11-27, versus the Buckeyes at 11 AM CT on FOX. Blockbuster there. Harbaugh really needs to defeat Ohio State. He’s 0-5 against them. Ohio State has won 8 in row since 2012. The Wolverines may be looking ahead this Saturday and have a tougher game than expected.

No.9 Oklahoma State 31, Texas Tech 17

Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock, TX.

7 PM CT

FOX

Timmy B., Spencer

OK. State by 10

The Cowboys are playing terrific football and a Bedlam matchup with the Sooners @home in Stillwater is set for next Saturday, 11-27, at 6:30 PM CT on ABC. They’ve struggled with the Sooners, Oklahoma is 90-18-7 in the series in 115 meetings and have won 6 in a row, but the Cowboys look to have a good shot this time. Gotta get by the Red Raiders to keep their Big 12 titles and playoff hopes alive.

No.11 Baylor 34, Kansas State 31

Bill Snyder Family Stadium

4:30 PM CT

Fox Sports 1

Aaron Goldsmith, Mark Helfrich

K State by 1

Like the Bears to keep their Big 12 title hopes alive as well. A victory over a tough K State team, a victory next Saturday at home vs Texas Tech, and a little help from the Cowboys at Bedlam and Baylor is playing in the Big 12 title game. OK. State is 6-1, OU is 6-1 and Baylor is 5-2 in the Big 12 standings, but Baylor would own the tiebreaker over Oklahoma if the Sooners lose this Saturday or next Saturday at Bedlam because the Bears were victorious over the Sooners last Saturday, 27-14. The Bears did lose to OK State earlier this season, 24-14, at Stillwater. They also lost to TCU in Fort Worth the week after TCU fired Gary Patterson. The Frogs won 30-28. And with chaos possibly erupting the next couple of weekends, you can’t count out a very good 2 loss team if they can win out and win the Big 12.

No. 10 Wake Forest 27, Clemson 24

Memorial Stadium Clemson

11 AM CT

ESPN

Roy Philpott, Gregory, Alyssa Lang

Clemson by 4 1/2

I like the Demon Deacons to pull off the slight upset and keep their New Year’s Six aspirations very much in play.

No. 13 Oklahoma 30, Iowa State 27

Memorial Stadium, Norman, OK.

11 AM CT

FOX

Gus, Joel, Jenny

OU by 3 1/2

The Sooners just sneak by and keep their Big 12 Championship hopes alive.

No.14 BYU 38, Georgia Southern 17

Allen G. Paulson Stadium, Statesboro “Blues” Georgia

3 PM CT

ESPN+

Danny Waugh, Amy Zimmer

BYU by 20

Love what Kalani Sitake has done and is doing in Provo.

No.22 UTSA 34, UAB 28

Alamodome, San Antonio

2:30 PM CT

ESPN+

Doug Anderson, LaDarrin McLane

UTSA by 4 1/2

Really like what Jeff Traylor is doing out in San Antonio. This is a really good football team. Blazers come up a little short.

No. 18 Pittsburgh 35, Virginia 20

Heinz Field, Steel City

2:30 PM CT

ESPN2

Beth Mowins, Kirk Morrison, Dawn Davenport

Pitt by 14 1/2

Pitt would win the Coastal with this victory. Pitt versus Atlantic champion Wake in the ACC Championship Game. That’s awesome.

Friday

No. 24 Houston 38, Memphis 28

TDECU Stadium, Rocket City

8 CT

ESPN2

Jason Benetti, Andre, Carc

Cougars by 8 1/2

Bullish on this Cougars team. Cincinnati versus Houston in the American Conference Championship Game will be a sensational game. Houston with a good shot in that game if they can win out.

Saturday

No. 15 Wisconsin 24, Nebraska 21

Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI.

2:30 PM CT

ABC

Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, Lugues

Whisky by 9 1/2

This is a tough one for the Badgers, but they do enough to get by a scrappy Cornhuskers team. They are in the drivers seat to be the Big West representative in the Big Ten Championship game. That’ll be tough for them, but their defense is pretty solid and can maybe keep them in that game. But that’s a big maybe.

The No.2 Crimson Tide had a tough time with a scrappy LSU squad last Saturday Night at Bryant-Denny. They’ll try to regroup this Saturday against New Mexico State, an Independent that is 1-8. Alabama just wants to play well and get back some momentum heading into the home stretch of their season.

The Crimson Tide has been an enigma many times this year, but not any moreso than No.17 Auburn. Many pundits, including me, had Auburn winning last Saturday at Texas A&M, but they never had a chance. Bo Nix was the “Bad Bo” against the Aggies. I’m not so sure Bryan Harsin won’t have T.J. Finley ready to go this Saturday if Nix doesn’t perform. I would think that would be the case. Auburn hosts a pretty strong Mississippi State team that was a defensive holding, missed illegal procedure call and 3 missed field goals away from upsetting Arkansas last Saturday on the road. They’ve had some good victories, including A&M on the road, so the Tigers have their hands full at Jordan-Hare on Saturday.

No.1 Georgia is at Tennessee in what should be a pretty competitive matchup. It’ll be interesting to see how Stetson Bennett keeps progressing at quarterback for the Dawgs. Everything else is really clicking. Bennett has been very solid and spectacular at times. He’ll be tested on Saturday and he’s shown a propensity to not be as good against better opponents, so it’ll be a challenging matchup for him. J.T, Daniels is waiting in the wings if Bennett is not effective.

Some other key conference matchups include No.11 Texas A&M at No. 15 Ole Miss in a hugely important game, particularly for A&M, No.25 Arkansas is at LSU, which played a heckuva game against the Crimson Tide last Saturday Night. Kentucky is at Vanderbilt. South Carolina is at Missouri. And Florida, reeling under Dan Mullen, host Samford.

Here’s a look at those games and the key national matchups.

Last Week, 15-11, Overall, 165-74, 69%

ATS, Last Week, 14-12, Overall, 129-109, 54%.

All Rankings are College Football Playoff Rankings

New Mexico Stare @ No.2 Alabama

Bryant-Denny Stadium, Ttown

11 AM CT

SEC Network

Taylor Zarzour, Stinch, Alyssa Lang

Bama by 51 1/2

The offensive line has been a real Achilles Heel lately for the Crimson Tide, and now center Darrian Dalcourt is questionable for the game this Saturday with a sprained ankle and most likely out. Chris Owens moved over from tackle last Saturday over to center, but Nick Saban says there may be some younger guys who get a shot this Saturday. Freshmen like Terrence Ferguson, who was a 97 4 star by 247 sports, or one of the Brockmeyer brothers, James, who is a natural center and a 92, 4 star, and this is a guesstimate, but also Tommy, who is a 99, 5 star, may get an opportunity. It’ll be an interesting decision for S and the coaching staff. Meanwhile, the defense played a very good game against LSU. Freshman Dallas Turner, a 99, 4 star outside linebacker/edge rusher, showed he’s going to be a force for the Crimson Tide defense. And Will Anderson is putting his name squarely in the Heisman race. He’s my leader right now. I know it rarely goes to a defensive player. Charles Woodson of Michigan, in the 1997 season, is the only one I can remember getting it as he was a cornerback. But Anderson leads the country in tackles for loss with 21, he leads the country in quarterback pressures with 40, S always talks about how important affecting the quarterback is, how it leads to turnovers, and his 10 sacks ranks third in the country, only one behind leader Felix Anudike of Kansas State. So Anderson has put together a spectacular season. The defense was really solid last Saturday Night. Cornerback Jaylin Armour-Davis is struggling with a rib injury, but S sees him a go on Saturday. Armour-Davis is an excellent player. Bryce Young just needs protection and BRob and his running back mates need holes to run through. If the offensive line can come together, this team’s got a shot to excel the rest of the season and into the postseason. Anderson was asked about the Heisman Trophy, and he responded, “I’m just focused on helping the team get to another natty. That’s all I’m worried about, getting to a natty.” Love it.

Alabama 63, New Mexico State 3

Mississippi State @ No. 17 Auburn

Jordan-Hare Stadium

11 AM CT

ESPN

Bob Wischusen, Jrodg, Kris Budden

Tigers by 5 1/2

Which Bo Nix will show up, and if he struggles, will Bryan Harsin go to T.J. Finley. Spike made a good point on the blog a couple of weeks ago when he said Finley throws a lot more catchable ball than Nix does. I agree with that. Nix throws it too hard, it’s hard for the receivers to catch. And he’s back to running backwards and turning the ball over. Some of it was the vaunted Texas A&M line that dominated the Tigers offensive line. I like Auburn to win here, but not by much. State has a solid defense and Will Rogers can sling it around the yard. The home field gets the Tigers over the top.

Auburn 21, Mississippi State 17

No. 1 Georgia @ Tennessee

Neyland Stadium, Knoxvegas

2:30 PM CT

CBS

Brad, Gary, Jamie

UGA by 20

I like this to be a closer game than anticipated. South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said before the Gamecocks game played Tennessee that Vols still had great players on their roster, that there had been some super recruiting done by Jeremy Pruitt. Tennessee went up to Lexington last Saturday Night and handled Kentucky. They’re a hot team. Georgia’s defense and enough offense get them over the top, but this will be a tougher game than expected.

Dawgs 28, Vols 14

No. 11 Texas A&M @ No. 15 Ole Miss

Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford

6 PM CT

ESPN

Fowler, Herbstreit, Rowe

A&M by 2 1/2

A&M is doing what they did last year, getting hot in November. They manhandled Auburn last Saturday in College Station. I like them to keep their momentum going in Oxford, though it’ll be close.

A&M 30, Ole Miss 27

No. 25 Arkansas @ LSU

Tiguh Stadium, Baaton Rouge

6:30 PM CT

SEC Network

Tom, Cole, Tera Talmadge

Ark by 2 1/2

LSU gained a lot of momentum by putting a scare into the Crimson Tide last Saturday. I like O’s farewell tour, which I don’t agree with in the first place, to go well on a Saturday Night in Baton Rouge.

LSU 28, Arkansas 27

Other SEC contests

Kentucky 38, Vanderbilt 14

Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville

6 PM CT

ESPN2

Anish Shroff, Mike Golic Jr., Taylor McGregor

UK by 21

South Carolina 27, Missouri 24

Faurot Field, Columbia MO.

3 PM CT

SEC Network

Dave, Deuce, Andraya

Even

Give me the Gamecocks, fresh off a 40-17 blasting of the Gators, to take another step toward building a consistent winner and being a challenger in the East in the future with a victory on the road.

Florida 42, Samford 14

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville

11 AM CT

SEC Network+

Mike Couzens, Dustin Fox

Gators by 31 1/2

Dan Mullen’s seat is definitely getting warmer. He did the typical fire his defensive coordinator and fire his offensive line coach, always a sign when a coach is in trouble, so he’s got to win out over Samford @Missouri and FSU at home or he could be out at Florida.

Penn State 17, No. 6 Michigan 14

Beaver Stadium, Happy Valley, PA.

11 AM CT

ABC

Sean McDonough, Dan Orlovsky, Molly McGrath

Michigan by 1 1/2

I like Jimmy Frank and his Nittany Lions to pull off the slight upset over Jim and company and ruin the Wolverines hopes of getting in the playoff. Franklin is still a major candidate at USC, so we’ll see how that soap opera shakes out.

No.8 Oklahoma 42, No. 13 Baylor 41

McLane Stadium, Waco, TX.

11 AM CT

FOX

Gus, Joel, Jenny

OU by 5 1/2

I expect an offensive juggernaut on both sides with the Sooners keeping their playoff hopes alive in a very hostile environment against an outstanding team.

No.3 Oregon 34, Washington State 21

Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR.

9:30 PM CT

ESPN

Dave, Rod, Stormy

Ducks by 14

Oregon keeps their playoff hopes alive, but in a tougher contest then expected. Mario Cristobal has done a superb job in Eugene and is another coach that could be of interest at Southern Cal and LSU unless he’s content where he is, and why shouldn’t he be. He’s doing extremely well in the Pacific Northwest with the way he’s recruited always being in the picture to win it all.California and Louisiana have a lot of great players for recruiting, and contract is a factor, so it’ll be pretty compelling to see what happens with Cristobal if this season ends successfully.

No. 4 Ohio State 45, No. 19 Purdue 21

Ohio Stadium, Columbus

2:30 PM CT

ABC

Tess, Gregory, Katie

Buckeyes by 21

The Boilermakers have been giant killers after going to then No.5 Iowa and upsetting the Hawkeyes in October and then upsetting last week’s No.3, Michigan State, at home. But I see quarterback C.J. Stroud and the Buckeyes putting it together this Saturday.

Friday

No.5 Cincinnati 31, South Florida 17

Raymond James Stadium, Tampa

5 PM CT

ESPN2

Jason Benetti, Andre, Carc

Cincy by 23

Cincy has been just skating by recently, and they are still hanging in there, but not as impressively. Still, they keep winning.

No.7 Michigan State 34, Maryland 31

Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI.

3 PM CT

FOX

Joe Davis, Brock Huard

MSU by 13

Taulia Tagovailoa and the Terps give Mich State everything they want.

Virginia 42, No. 9 Notre Dame 40

Scott Stadium, Cville

6:30 PM CT

ABC

Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, Lugues

Irish by 5 1/2

Give me the ‘Hoos in the upset knocking the Irish out of the Playoff picture.

No. 10 Oklahoma State 34, TCU 17

Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, OK.

7 PM CT

FOX

Timmy B., Spencer

Cowboys by 13

I’m not going against the Pokes anymore except when they get to Bedlam and I’m not sure about going against them in that one either as they will be at T. Boone Stadium. Excellent team with a stellar defense, surprising in the Big 12, but this defense is for real.

No. 16 N.C. State 41, No. 12 Wake Forest 40

Trust Field, Winston-Salem, N.C.

6:30 PM CT

ACC Network

Dave O’Brien, Tim Hasselbeck, Kelsey Riggs

Wake by 2

Will take the Wolfpack in a slight upset. Both teams have put together solid seasons, and Wake lost a heartbreaker at Chapel Hill last Saturday eliminating them from the playoff, but still with a shot at the New Year’s Six. But I like the Wolfpack a little better in this game.

No. 24 Utah 35, Arizona 7

Arizona Stadium, Tucson

1 PM CT

PAC12 Network

Roxy Bernstein, Lincoln Kennedy

Utah by 24

Still bullish on the Utes. Oregon game coming up is huge at Salt Lake a week from Saturday.

UAB 31, Marshall 28

Joan C. Edwards Stadium, Huntington, W. VA.

2:30 PM CT

CBS Sports Network

John Sadak, Randy Cross

Marshall by 4 1/2

Give me the Blazers in a slight upset. DeWayne McBride rushed for 210 yards and 4 TDs last Saturday in a 52-38 victory over LA Tech. I like McBride to have another big game.

No.23 UTSA 45, Southern Miss 10

Alamodome, San Antonio

2:30 PM CT

ESPN+

Lincoln Rose, LaDarrin McLane

UTSA by 33

Texas-San Antonio has one of the most electric offenses in America. A really fun team to watch. I’m bullish on’em.

Tonight

No.21 Pittsburgh 42, UNC 38

Heinz Field, Pittsburgh

6:30

ESPN

Matt Barrie, Roddy Jones, Katie George

Panthers by 6 1/2

The Panthers survive a strong Tar Heels’ effort. Should be a heckuva game.

Nevada 30, No. 22 San Diego State 28

Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, CA.

9:30 PM CT

CBS Sports Network

Rich Waltz, Aaron Taylor, Jenny Dell

SDSU by 3

Give me the Wolf Pack in a slight upset. They’re an excellent team at 7-2 with victories over Boise State on the road and @ Cal. Their coach, Jay Norvell, is a hot name in the coaching circles right now.

No. 13 Auburn in a massive one in College Station Saturday afternoon versus the No.14 Texas A&M Aggies. I would say this game matters a lot not only in the SEC West Standings, but also nationally. I’m not counting either team out of making it into the playoff in this dynamic and unpredictable season. If Auburn can pull it out that would be a major statement for Bryan Harsin and his team.

The No.2 Crimson Tide (all these rankings are College Football Playoff Rankings) host a sunken LSU team and their regrettably lame duck coach, Ed Oregon. It’s been a rough time for O and the Tigers. The Crimson Tide looks to rebound this week and show the country that they’re still highly formidable and a force to be reckoned with nationally as they always have been under Nick Saban. Tragically, Henry Ruggs made a fatal mistake drinking and driving early Tuesday morning as he was going up to 156 MPH in his Corvette and ran into a woman’s car and killed her. Very sad for the victim and a guy who had it going in the NFL, but has ruined his life and the life of the young lady and her grieving family. Very, very tragic.

There are some other key SEC and national games I’ll predict as well in this week 10 of this spectacular college football season that promises to get even better in November and December and into January, 2022.

Last week, 16-4, Overall, 150-63, 70%

ATS, 13-7, Overall, 115-97, 54%

****All Rankings CFB Playoff Rankings****

No.,13 Auburn @ No.14 Texas A&M

Kyle Field, College Station, TX.

2:30 PM CT

CBS

Brad, Gary, Jamie

A&M by 4 1/2

Auburn has one of the best linebacking corps in the nation with Owen Pappoe back in the lineup from injury this Saturday along with the great Zakoby McClain, Chandler Wooten and Derrick Hall. I like this group as the best linebacker outfit in the country. Auburn is on a roll. Bo Nix and Tank BIgsby were terrific against Ole Miss. Auburn keeps it going and upsets the Aggies.

Auburn 31, A&M 27

LSU @ No.2 Alabama

Bryant-Denny Stadium

6 PM CT

ESPN

Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe

Bama by 28 1/2

I like the Crimson Tide to reassert themselves against a very much struggling LSU program. Bryce Young is battling for the Heisman Trophy with his major competition being Kenneth Walker III of Michigan State. I like Bryce to play well.

Alabama 52, LSU 14

Other SEC games

No.1 Georgia 42, Missouri 7

Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA.

11 AM CT

ESPN

Tess, Gregory, Katie

Dawgs by 38

Mississippi State 31, Arkansas 28

Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, AR.

3 PM CT

SEC Network

Tom, JRodg, Cole

Hogs by 5

Tennessee 28, Kentucky 24

Kroger Field, Lexington, KY.

6 PM CT

ESPN2

Beth Mowins, Kirk Morrison, Dawn Davenport

UT by 1

Liberty 42, No.16 Ole Miss 38

Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxvegas, MS.

11 AM CT

SEC Network

Dave, Deuce, Andraya

Ole Miss by 9 1/2

Florida 31, South Carolina 21

Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C,

6:30 PM CT

SEC Network

Taylor, Stinch, Alyssa

Gators by 18 1/2

Nationally

No.3 Michigan State 24, Purdue 20

Ross-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, IN.

2:30 PM CT

ABC

Dave, Dusty, Lugues

Spartans by 3

No.4 Oregon 28, Washington 20

Husky Stadium, Seattle

6:30 PM CT

ABC

Mark, RGIII, Quint

Ducks by 7

No.5 Ohio State 38, Nebraska 35

Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, NE.

11 AM CT

FOX

Gus, Joel, Jenny

Buckeyes by 15

No. 10 Notre Dame 37, Navy 28

Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend

2:30 PM CT

NBC

Tirico, Breesy, Kathryn

Irish by 21

West Virginia 44, No.11 Oklahoma State 41

Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, West VA.

2:30 PM CT

ESPN

Bob Wischten, Dan Orlovsky, Kris Budden

Cowboys by 3 1/2

No. 12 Baylor 35, TCU 24

Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX

2:30 PM CT

FOX

Timmy B., Spencer

Baylor by 7

No. 9 Wake Forest 38, North Carolina 35

Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill, N.C.

11 AM CT

ABC

Sean, Todd, Molly

UNC by 2 1/2

No.7 Michigan 34, Indiana 10

Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI.

6:30 PM CT

FOX

Joe Davis, Brock Huard

Wolverines by 20

No. 15 BYU 42, Idaho State 7

LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, UT

2:30 PM CT

ESPN3

Dave McCann, Blaine Fowler, Jarom Jordan

BYU by 33 1/2

No.23 Fresno State 38, Boise State 31

Bulldog Stadium, Fresno, CA.

6 PM CT

CBS Sports Network

John Sadak, Aaron Murray, Lindsay Rhodes

Fresno St. by 5

No. 21 Wisconsin 24, Rutgers 10

SHI Stadium, Piscataway, N.J.

2:30 PM CT

Big Ten Network

Brandon Gaudin, James Laurinaitis, Rick Pizzo

Whisky by 13

No. 19 N.C. State 33, Florida State 30

Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, FL.

3 PM CT

ACC Network

Chris Cotter, Mark Herzlich, Jalyn Johnson

Wolfpack by 2 1/2

Friday

Utah 31, Stanford 21

Stanford Stadium, Palo Alto, CA.

9:30 PM CT

Fox Sports 1

Alex Faust, Petros Papadakis

Utah by 9

Saturday

Army 41, Air Force 38

Choctaw Stadium, Arlington, TX.

11 AM CT

CBS

Rich Waltz, Aaron Taylor, Sherree Burress

Air Force by 2 1/2

Minnesota 34, Illinois 17

Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis

11 AM CT

ESPN2

Roy Philpott, Kelly Stouffer, Lauren Sisler

Golden Gophers by 14 1/2

SMU 34, Memphis 31

Liberty Bowl, Memphis

11 AM CT

ESPNU

John Shriffen, Rene Ingoglia

SMU by 4 1/2

UAB 30, LA Tech 27

Protective Stadium, B’ham

11 AM CT

CBS Sports Network

Chick Hernandez, Randy Cross

UAB by 13 1/2

Houston 42, South Florida 28

Raymond James Stadium, Tampa

6:30 PM CT

ESPNU

Mike Couzens, Dustin Fox

Cougars by 13 1/2

UTSA 38, UTEP 24

Sun Bowl, El Paso

9:15 PM CT

ESPN2

Clay Matvick, Rocky Boiman, Tiffany Blackmon

UTSA by 11 1/2

Kirk Herbstreit put out his top 6 Saturday Night on the ABC broadcast of the Ohio State-Penn State game and he challenged viewers to do the same before the Committee releases its first top 25 Playoff rankings tonight at 6 on ESPN.

He had 1. Georgia, 2. Bama, 3. Ohio State? 4. Cincy, 5. Michigan State, 6. Oklahoma.

I’m going to do a little better than that. I’ll give you my top 10 according to White’s World’s statistical, Analytical and Eye Test system. Herbstreit has nothing on this. By the way, WT with an awesome prediction of Mississippi State over Kentucky last Saturday Night in Starkvegas, and Brownie wanted Michigan to lose to Michigan State and he got that. So, WT gets a point and Brownie gets a half point. Brownie will take the half point and an Auburn 31-20 victory over Ole Miss all day.

Here’s DW’s Top Ten.

1. Georgia, No doubter here. That defense is as good as LSU’s in 2011 and Bama’s through the earlier Saban years. The interesting thing with Georgia is their quarterback situation. Will Kirby stick with Stetson Bennett or go back to J.T. Daniels going forward. Bennett has done a really good job though he threw a couple of interceptions last Saturday against Florida though it didn’t matter as much because of huge defensive tackler Jordan Davis, and linebacker Jacobi Dean anchoring the lockdown Junkyard defense. Dean had a pick six off the Gators. It was a beautiful catch and run to the house. The Dawgs are so good on defense that a game manager will work, though I know Smart wants more than that out of his quarterback. Will be interesting what he does going forward. While Daniels may be the better passer, Bennett gives Georgia a very good run element at the quarterback position. Daniels HAS to have pass pro or he’s sunk. He can’t run at all. So while there are mixed results from Bennett at times, overall he’s been terrific this season in place of Daniels. Kirby is a loyal guy. He likes the guy who puts on the hard hat and goes to work every day and Bennett has been doing that while Daniels has been sitting on the bench. He can’t go wrong either way, but I’d stick with Bennett until proven that Bennett is not the man. I like him to be the guy right now. The Dawgs can win with him.

   2. Alabama, The Bryce Young factor puts the Tide barely ahead in 2nd. Young is 187 of 267, 70%, for 2,453 yards 26 TDs against 3 ints. He’s been phenomenal. The defense is still a question mark and the O Line has been having some issues. The talent is there as always, it’s just a matter of DC Pete Golding and offensive line Coach Doug Marrone getting it out of them. I have the Tide barely ahead of this next team which has been superbly impressive especially this past Saturday.

   3. Michigan State, Mel Tucker said he didn’t like Michigan before the game, but it looked like Michigan was going to get the better of him and his team leading 30-14 in the third quarter. But as Tucker said, his team never quits. Kenneth Walker III put his team on his back rushing for 197 yards and 5 TDs to lead the Spartans to the 37-33 victory in one heckuva football game and in an incredible comeback by the Spartans. They are right there with the Crimson Tide. That was the most impressive victory of the year in college football. Walker III leads in the Heisman after last Saturday as far as I’m concerned. You couldn’t play a better game than he did with everything on the line. He’s rushed for 1,194 yards and 14 TDs and caught another. He’s second in the country in rushing behind Syracuse’s Sean Tucker, who’s rushed for 1,267 yards. But he’s the heartbeat of one of the top 3 teams in the country. He’s also got an excellent offensive line. This is just a high quality team. Tucker may have an opportunity at LSU after the season, but Michigan State is a really good place too. He’s got it going there. The sky’s the limit for this football team.

   4. Cincinnati, Not as impressive the past two Saturdays just getting by Navy, 20-13, and playing OK against Tulane in a 31-12 victory. They need to play better and they have to go 13-0 to make it in, so there’s a lot of pressure on the Bearcats.

   5. Oregon, How could you not put them in front of Ohio State? They defeated them head to head in Columbus. That was the second most impressive victory of the season. Still bullish on this team.

   6. Oklahoma, Freshman quarterback Caleb Williams has put the Sooners on his back. Their defense is a lot better, but it’s not elite yet. Still, a very explosive football team that is right in the thick of things. Defense is improved for sure, but still gives up plenty of yards and points.

   7. Ohio State, Penn State played them tough at Columbus. C.J. Stroud is playing well at quarterback for the most part, but they have games against Michigan State at home and Michigan on the road awaiting them and what could possibly be a tricky one at Nebraska this Saturday.

   8. Baylor, Now this is another outstanding team. They can really run it, throw it and play aggressive defense. Impressive victories over BYU and Texas in their last two games. With their schedule left, they’ve got a shot to win the Big 12 and get in if they can get some help. They’d have to defeat Oklahoma, and they’ve got them a week from Saturday in Waco, November 13th. That’ll be a blockbustuh.

   9. Texas A&M, this spot is really a hard one to pick between the Aggies and my next team. I’ll take the Aggies with their victory over the Crimson Tide for now. But that could very well change this Saturday at 2:30 PM on CBS.

   10,. Auburn, Love what Bryan Harsin and his staff are doing. Bo Nix has found a rebirth at quarterback under Harsin and Mike Bobo and Tank Bigsby is a beast. This is a really good football team. At College Station Saturday at 2:30 PM on CBS. The game of the week and one of the games of the year.

   World Series Game 6 Braves @ Astros

   Minute Maid Park, Houston, it’ll be rockin with the roof closed up

   7:08 PM CT

   FOX

   Joe, Smoltzie, Tom, Ken, Alex, Papi, Big Hurt, Kevin Burkhardt

   Astros -130, that just means the Astros are favored

   It’ll be Max Fried of the Braves going against Louis Garcia of the Astros. Fried has been rocked his last 2 times out, but has been terrific most of the season and Brian Snitker trusts him. Garcia is 0-1 with a 2.45 ERA in the World Series. He’s pitched a lot, so it’ll be interesting to see if the wear and tear of the postseason finally gets to him. Fried is fully rested. The bats will be critical with these 2 times colliding. Can Eddie Rosario, Freddie Freeman, Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies and Adam Duvall outhit the formidable Astros lineup of Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, Michael Brantley and company. The Braves defense will have to do well, particularly my man, shortstop Dansby Swanson. Can’t make errors tonight. The Braves pitching is in better shape and the bats are a wash between the two teams.

   ESPN MLB savvy analyst and commentator Buster Only from? Vanderbilt University, had the Braves winning the Fall Classic in 6. I like that. Give me the Bravos to take home the World Series Trophy to the ATL for the first time in 26 years, that would be 1995, the last and only other World Championship for the team. This is a special group of players and Snitker is a special manager and guy. I know Walter will be a happy guy when this happens.

   Braves 5, Astros 4

   MVP

   Eddie, Eddie, Eddie, Rosario