College Football's Most Overrated and Underrated Top 25 Clashes of Week 12

After another eventful week of college football, complete with some huge upsets, we head into Week 12 of the 2012-2013 campaign with yet another slate of eye-popping matchups.

In Week 11, I correctly predicted Michigan would oust then-No. 24 Northwestern as my underrated matchup of the week, as well as correctly stating Mississippi State didn't stand a chance against LSU.

On the other hand, claiming Texas A&M freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel's inexperience would show again against Alabama, like it did against LSU, was probably not one of the greatest decisions of my life.

But that's what makes college football should great, isn't it? The unpredictable nature of the game? Stars rising to the occasion to become program legends?

Fortunately for us, we still have a good deal of college football left.

Here are the most overrated and underrated matchups involving Top 25 teams in Week 12.

Overrated: No. 13 Stanford at No. 2 Oregon

Those who will feel this will be a close game (or biased Stanford fans) point to the fact that Oregon's greatest strength is its running game and Stanford leads the country in yards per carry allowed (2.02, via CFBStats.com).

But there are four things in particular that give me pause.

One, Stanford allowed Oregon State's Storm Woods to rush for 94 yards on 15 carries last week.

Two, freshman quarterback Kevin Hogan threw two interceptions against Oregon State and Oregon has notched 18 interceptions this season, tied for second in the country.

Three, while Oregon's greatest strength is its running game, this is not a one-dimensional offense. Freshman dual-threat quarterback Marcus Mariota has averaged 8.6 yards per pass attempt (13th in the nation) while tossing 28 touchdowns to five interceptions this season. That includes throwing 13 touchdowns to zero interceptions his past four games.

And last but not least, Oregon's offense is simply unstoppable this season, no matter who you are. The Ducks are averaging 54.8 points per game—the best mark in the nation—and, when their defense slips (like it did against USC), they simply drop 62 points on their opponent.

You can point to the fact that Stanford held USC to 14 points on Sept. 15, but the fact of the matter is, the USC offense can't touch Oregon's offense. In fact, no team in the country can.

Underrated: No. 22 Rutgers at Cincinnati

You can knock the Big East all you want, but, the fact of the matter is, this conference has given us some nail-biters this season.

That should continue in Week 12 as Cincinnati (7-2, 3-1 Big East) hosts No. 22 Rutgers (8-1, 4-0 Big East).

Cincinnati, after a heart-breaking 34-31 overtime loss to Louisville in Week 9, has the opportunity to knock off the Big East leader this week (ironically, that would place Louisville in first with a win over Connecticut).

Cincinnati has won two straight games over Syracuse and Temple since the loss to Louisville. The Bearcats also face a Rutgers team averaging 26.2 points per game, 77th in the nation.

The challenge for Cincy will be scoring on the Scarlet Knights, who have allowed 13.4 points per game this season (fifth in the nation).

But while Rutgers is allowing 3.07 yards per carry this season (tied for 10th in the country), part of that has been the competition it has played against. When the Scarlet Knights faced Kent State (which ranks ninth in yards per carry this season), they lost, 35-23, while giving up 224 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Guess what?

Cincinnati ranks eighth in yards per carry this season.

Overrated: No. 23 Texas Tech at No. 24 Oklahoma State

Both Texas Tech and Oklahoma State have explosive offenses.

The difference is, the Cowboys not only have a better offense, they have also played better than the Red Raiders on defense the past few weeks (key word: "better").

While Oklahoma State just gave up 34 points to West Virginia, it also just scored 55 points against West Virginia. The Cowboys also limited a strong TCU offense to 14 points in Week 9.

Then you add the fact that Texas Tech almost lost to Kansas last week and the Red Raiders have a problem on their hands, especially heading into Stillwater.

Underrated: Utah State at No. 20 Louisiana Tech

Louisiana Tech may be 9-1, but Utah State is 8-2 and, more importantly, holds an identical 4-0 record in the WAC.

A win here pushes the Aggies over the Bulldogs in the conference with just one regular season game to go.

Also, Utah State has the defense to combat Louisiana Tech's offense, allowing 13.5 points per game this season (sixth in the country). 

More importantly, the Aggies have a balanced defense, limiting opponents through the air and on the ground, which is important against a balanced offense like Louisiana Tech's. 

Utah State has allowed 6.0 yards per pass attempt this season (tied for 20th in the country), while holding opponents to 2.61 yards per carry (fourth) and three rushing touchdowns (second).

And, before you huff and puff about the Aggies playing against easy opponents in the WAC, know they held Montee Ball to 3.8 yards per carry while losing by only two points to Wisconsin on Sept. 15.

Final Thoughts

Call it a hunch, but I see Cincinnati uprooting Rutgers on Saturday at Nippert Stadium.

Not only do I see Cincinnati's running game paralleling Kent State's performance, I also think the switch to senior quarterback Brendon Kay over Munchie Legaux will help the Bearcats.

Kay went 13-of-21 for 244 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start last week against Temple. More importantly, he threw zero picks (and, yes, that's a reference to Legaux).

Also, Kay exemplified his dual-threat ability with 71 rushing yards on seven carries.

As for Utah State and Louisiana Tech, while I do think it will be a close game based on Utah State's defense, I still think the Bulldogs will come out on top primarily because their offense is so explosive that I see them ultimately putting enough points on the board to stay atop the WAC.

I mean, Louisiana Tech scored 57 points against Texas A&M in regulation on Oct. 13. That's pretty impressive.