College Football Picks Week 12: Odds, Predictions, Schedule, Rankings for Top 25
Following a week in which more than half of the Top 25 teams weren't in action, either due to bye weeks or COVID-19 postponements, the Week 12 slate feels like Christmas morning.
All but one of the 25 teams are in action, including three ranked showdowns with serious implications on the College Football Playoff race and New Year's Six bowl games.
Week 12 College Football Top 25 Schedule
1 of 4
(Odds from DraftKings; predictions in bold; all times Eastern)
Thursday, Nov. 19
Tulane at No. 25 Tulsa (-4.5) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
Saturday, Nov. 21
Kentucky at No. 1 Alabama (-30.5) | 4 p.m. | SEC Network
No. 9 Indiana (+21.5) at No. 3 Ohio State | noon | Fox
No. 4 Clemson at Florida State (+34.5) | noon | ABC
Ole Miss (+13.5) at No. 5 Texas A&M | 3:30 p.m. | CBS
No. 6 Florida (-30.5) at Vanderbilt | noon | ESPN
No. 7 Cincinnati (-4.5) at UCF | 3:30 p.m. | TBD
North Alabama (+47.5) at No. 8 BYU | 3 p.m. | ESPN3
No. 10 Wisconsin (-7.5) at No. 19 Northwestern | 3:30 p.m. | ABC
UCLA at No. 11 Oregon (-14) | TBD
Georgia Tech (+17.5) at No. 12 Miami | 8 p.m. | ACC Network
Mississippi State (+24.5) at No. 13 Georgia | 7:30 p.m. | SEC Network
No. 14 Oklahoma State (+9.5) at No. 18 Oklahoma | 7:30 p.m. | ABC
Appalachian State at No. 15 Coastal Carolina (-3.5) | noon | ESPN2
Charlotte at No. 15 Marshall (-21.5) | 12:30 p.m. | Stadium
Kansas State at No. 17 Iowa State (-10.5) | 4 p.m. | Fox
No. 20 USC (-2.5) at Utah | 10:30 p.m. | ESPN
No. 21 Liberty (-2.5) at NC State | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN3
No. 22 Texas (-29.5) at Kansas | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Tennessee (+10.5) at No. 23 Auburn | 7 p.m. | ESPN
Central Arkansas at No. 24 Louisiana (-24.5) | 2 p.m. | ESPN+
Ole Miss (+13.5) vs. Texas A&M
2 of 4
The Lane Kiffin era at Ole Miss hasn't exactly gotten off to a rousing start with the Rebels sitting at 3-4. But to be fair, not much was expected from a team playing under a first-year coach in a pandemic-shortened offseason.
If there's something the Rebels have lived up to, it's the expectations surrounding a high-powered, high-scoring offense. They've scored at least 21 points in every game and have exceeded 40 points on four separate occasions, including a 63-48 loss to Alabama in Week 3.
None of their four losses have come by more than 16 points, and while Texas A&M comes in at 5-1, the Aggies have won just one game by more than two touchdowns this year. The Rebels are 3-2 against the spread this season, and this one—as the famous Lee Corso says—will be closer than the experts predict.
Oklahoma State (+9.5) vs. Oklahoma
3 of 4
As is typically the case, there's a whole lot on the line in this version of Bedlam.
After losing consecutive games to Iowa State and Kansas State earlier this season, Oklahoma has reeled off four straight wins and has its sights set on a rematch with the Cyclones in the Big 12 title game next month. The Sooners will need to get through their archrivals to do that, a Cowboys team coming off a nail-biting 20-18 win over Kansas State a week ago.
OU has owned this rivalry in recent years, winning 14 of the last 17 dating back to 2003. But the last three matchups have been decided an average of 9.6 points, which ironically enough, is basically the same line as this year's game. Visiting Oklahoma State is just 2-3-1 ATS this season, but rivalry games always have a way of bucking the trend you'd expect.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Texas (-29.5) vs. Kansas
4 of 4
Betting on a nearly 30-point line is a big risk, especially when it comes to an inconsistent team like Texas. That equation goes out the window when a lowly team like Kansas is involved, though. The Jayhawks haven't won a single game this season, and five of their losses have come by more than 30 points, including a 62-9 embarrassment at the hands of Oklahoma on Nov. 7.
These two do have an interesting recent history, with the Jayhawks upsetting the Longhorns in 2016 and nearly doing so again last season. But it'd be a shock to see a team this uncompetitive make a game out of this one.
Follow Keegan on Twitter @ByKeeganPope.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
