College Football Week 12: Top 25 Predictions

With scandal swirling in the world of college football, I'd rather just talk about the actual games being played this week. There aren't many enticing matchups, but there should be enough to get you to turn on your set, at least to get a good read on the contenders before the big games next week.

Without further ado, here are your picks for all Top 25 teams in Week 12.

No. 25 Florida State vs. Virginia

Since dropping three in a row in late September/early October, the Seminoles have ripped off five straight wins and will take on the Virginia Cavaliers in Doak Campbell on Saturday in a battle for the Jefferson-Eppes Trophy.

The Cavalier offense is predicated on running the football, and unfortunately for them, the Seminoles are one of the best run defenses in the nation, allowing just 85 yards per game on the ground. 

As long as FSU can avoid a letdown game after beating in-state rival Miami and not look ahead to Florida next week, the Seminoles can move to 8-3 against a team they've beaten 14 times in 16 meetings. 

No. 24 Auburn vs. Samford

Just like Alabama, the Tigers have a cupcake on the schedule the week before the Iron Bowl—and just like the Tide, Auburn should romp over FCS Samford. 

This is their last chance to work out any kinks on offense and get quarterback Clint Moseley settled in before their regular season ends in Jordan-Hare against Alabama. 

No. 21 Penn State at Ohio State

With the national media lapping up this horrifying Sandusky story like a cat drinking out of a saucer, I'm sure everyone in Happy Valley will just be glad to be playing football again. This week, the Nittany Lions travel to the Horseshoe to take on Luke Fickle and the Ohio State Buckeyes. 

Ohio State is a perplexing team that beat some quality opponents (Illinois, Wisconsin) and then went out and dropped one to Purdue. Penn State is playing for the pride of a university right now, and I have to figure with the way their defense is playing and after they showed some fight at the end of last week's contest that they're going to take this one.

Ohio State is just too inconsistent and with the lack of a passing game, Penn State will be able to stack the line and stuff the run. Nittany Lions win on the road. 

No. 20 Southern Miss at UAB

The Golden Eagles got a bit of a scare last week, beating UCF by just one point after having to defend a two-point conversion with zeroes on the clock. They'll get a bit of a break this week when they square off with UAB, one of the worst teams in the already not-so-great Conference USA. 

Southern Miss will take care of the Blazers, and with one game left in conference against the even worse Memphis Tigers, look for the Golden Eagles to iron out any remaining problems before a date with Houston in the C-USA Championship Game. 

No. 19 TCU vs. Colorado State

TCU ended Boise State's BCS hopes last week, and besides a few hiccups against now-ranked Baylor and a decent SMU team, the Horned Frogs seem to have corrected their early-season woes. 

Don't look for Colorado State to give TCU any trouble, as the Rams haven't won since September, and their three wins are as follows: a four-point victory over an awful New Mexico team, a win over FCS Northern Colorado and a one-point overtime victory over Utah State.

With TCU peaking like they are, I don't expect the Rams will give them any trouble. Horned Frogs win big.

No. 17 Wisconsin at Illinois

After last week, I'm done with Illinois. They started strong, yes, but this is the fall we've all been waiting for, and they haven't won a game since October 8. 

Wisconsin, on the other hand, seems to be back with a vengeance after dropping two in October. With Russell Wilson, Montee Ball and the nation's fourth-most prolific offense, I don't see the Badgers dropping this one to a Fighting Illini team that has been a huge disappointment since starting 6-0.

Badgers win and keep their Big Ten Championship hopes alive. 

No. 16 Nebraska at No. 18 Michigan

Nebraska has been resurgent on defense in recent weeks, and I think if they can stop Denard Robinson on the ground then they'll take this one.

The fact of the matter is that I don't trust Denard Robinson in big games because everyone knows his Achilles' Heel is throwing the ball, and if you can make an offense one-dimensional, you've won half the battle.

It'll be tough in the Big House, but the Cornhuskers keep themselves at least in the conversation for the Big Ten title game with a win over the Wolverines. 

No. 15 Michigan State vs. Indiana

Sparty is in the driver's seat in the Big Ten Legends division and will look to remain there after crushing an Indiana Hoosiers team that is 1-9 and still hasn't beaten a team in the FBS—and we're already well into November.

This one doesn't require much analysis. The Spartans stomp the Hoosiers on Senior Day in East Lansing. 

No. 14 Georgia vs. Kentucky

After the first two weeks of the season saw Georgia go winless, they were calling for Mark Richt's head down in Athens. Ten weeks later, the Bulldogs are one win away from a spot in the SEC Championship game, haven't lost since September and boast the conference's premier quarterback in sophomore Aaron Murray. 

Don't look for that trend to change against Kentucky as Bacarri Rambo and the Bulldog defense should have a field day against a terrible Wildcat offense that is in the bottom 10 in the nation in points scored per game.

Richt and the boys keep rolling and seem to be locked in for a date with LSU in the SEC Championship Game in December. 

No. 13 Kansas State at No. 23 Texas

For me, this game comes down to one thing and one thing only: Collin Klein. Klein willed his team to victory last week and is the heart and soul of this Wildcats football team, and if you measure the Heisman by who is most valuable to their team, there are few more critical to a team's success than Klein. He's a tad unconventional, yes, but he gets the job done, accounting for 34 total touchdowns this season. 

As for Texas, they play tough defense and run the ball well but have no passing attack to speak of, averaging just 188.6 yards per game through the air. This one is really tough to call, but I like the Wildcats and Klein to steal a victory on the road. 

No. 12 South Carolina vs. The Citadel

After taking care of business against Florida last week, South Carolina didn't get the help it needed from Auburn and can now only hope for an epic upset by Kentucky to sneak into the SEC Championship Game.

This week, they face off against FCS opponent The Citadel, and don't look for the Bulldogs to give them any trouble. Gamecocks win big and begin gearing up for Clemson next week.

No. 11 Houston vs. SMU

Expect plenty of fireworks in this one as the Cougars haven't scored less than 50 since September and no less than 35 all season. SMU likes to air it out as well, averaging just under 300 passing yards per game in that spread offense under June Jones. 

That said, Case Keenum and the Cougars want it more and will be looking to keep cruising to a conference championship with a win over the Mustangs. It just seems there's no stopping Houston (at least in the C-USA). Cougars outscore SMU. 

No. 10 Boise State at San Diego State

I hope you're happy, Boise detractors. You got your wish Saturday when the Broncos fell to the Horned Frogs. I'd like to point out that if the Broncos had a kicker, they would not have lost a game since Dec. 23, 2008, which was coincidentally the last time they lost to the Horned Frogs. 

That said, this weekend should be no problem for Kellen Moore and company, especially with the Aztecs' leading rusher Ronnie Hillman questionable for Saturday's game. The Broncos take down the Aztecs in sunny San Diego.

No. 9 Stanford vs. Cal

Stanford suffered a huge letdown last week as it couldn't get past Oregon. Their knight in shining armor threw two interceptions, and depending on how the remaining games shake out, perhaps threw himself out of the Heisman race. 

Like it or not, you're judged on how you perform in your biggest games, and Luck performed admirably against USC but came up a little short against the Ducks. 

Cal is good this year, but they're not great. Apart from the duo of Zach Maynard and Keenan Allen, there's not a whole lot to be afraid of on that Golden Bears sideline. No bands on the field in this one, Stanford rebounds and downs Cal. 

No. 8 Virginia Tech vs. North Carolina

Virginia Tech continues to roll teams not named Clemson, and I for one am very interested to see their rematch in the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte in December. 

But before that, the Hokies welcome a Tar Heels team that has lost every game they've played against quality competition and a even a few they haven't, getting shut out on the road two weeks ago against N.C. State. I just don't see North Carolina going into Lane Stadium and stealing a win, no matter how overrated I think the Hokies are. 

Va. Tech and David Wilson send the Tar Heels back to Chapel Hill with a loss. 

No. 7 Clemson at N.C. State

A note to Clemson Tigers fans: Act like you've been there before. I know, I know, it's been an exhilarating year and clinching a division title at home last week against Wake Forest was exciting, but beating a 5-5 unranked team at home with a last-second field goal does not warrant rushing the field. 

That said, they'll face another 5-5 team this week when they take on the Wolfpack of N.C. State. The Wolfpack are absolutely horrendous on the ground, and they're certainly not potent enough on offense to hang with the Tigers, no matter how mortal Tajh Boyd and the gang have looked since that late-October loss to Georgia Tech.

Clemson wins, setting up a huge game with South Carolina for in-state bragging rights next week in Columbia. 

No. 6 Arkansas vs. Mississippi State

Mississippi State has won just one SEC game this season and that was against the lowly Kentucky Wildcats. Arkansas on the other hand could make a strong case for third-best, if not second-best, team in the conference and are fully deserving of their No. 6 ranking. 

Tyler Wilson and the Hawgs are just too multiple on offense to drop this one, and as long as they're not looking ahead to LSU next week, the Razorbacks should win this one in convincing fashion. Woo Pig Sooie, Arkansas downs the Bulldogs. 

No. 5 Oklahoma at No. 22 Baylor

This game feels like a trap for the Sooners: away from home, without your best offensive player and against a feisty Baylor team no less. This one could easily turn into an offensive shootout as the Bears are second to only Houston in total offense per game, averaging 567.9 yards per game. 

Baylor is coming off a flat performance against the worst team in the conference in Kansas and will be looking to come out strong against a Sooners team that's had a whole week off to prepare for this one.

I hate picking against Robert Griffin III, but the deck is stacked against him in this one. Sooners down the Bears in Waco. 

No. 4 Oregon vs. USC

After putting a hurting on a good Washington team last week 40-17 and giving Stanford all they could handle the week before that, I'm convinced USC is quietly one of the better teams in the nation. 

This week, they'll be tested against a volatile Oregon offense that is averaging 291.8 yards a game on the ground. The matchup to watch in this one, much like last week, will be the speed of Oregon against the stout Trojans defense, who are giving up only 100.4 rushing yards per game. 

Last week, I picked against the speed of the Ducks, thinking that the Stanford defense would be able to slow them down and the Cardinal would be able to hang with them on the scoreboard. I'm not going to make the same mistake twice; I'll take the Quack Attack in this one.

LaMichael James and Darron Thomas keep cruising toward a conference title and a possible rematch with LSU. 

No. 3 Alabama vs. Georgia Southern

This game features a pair of 9-1 teams, and if Georgia Southern were in the FBS, this would be a marquee matchup—but as it stands, this is just a tune-up for the Tide before the Iron Bowl next week. 

Look for Trent Richardson to tear up some turf and that Alabama defense to assert its dominance against an overmatched Georgia Southern team. The Tide rolls over the Eagles. 

No. 2 Oklahoma State at Iowa State

The Cowboys haven't scored less than 50 points in a game since mid-October and are second in the nation in points scored, averaging 51.7 points per game. The Pokes are in control of their own destiny, and if they can keep lighting up the scoreboard, they'll likely find themselves in the BCS National Championship Game in January. 

The Cyclones should stand as no obstacle to that goal for Mike Gundy and the boys as Iowa State is 86th in points scored and 81st in points allowed. They will not be able to keep up with the Cowboys on the scoreboard or stop them to keep it close.

With Bedlam fast approaching, OK State remains on track for a national title run with a win over the Cyclones. 

No. 1 LSU at Ole Miss

Make no mistake, Ole Miss is terrible this year, last week getting housed at home 27-7 by (gulp) Louisiana Tech. The Rebels rank 104th in the nation in passing yards, 85th in rushing yards and 109th in points scored per game.

Don't look for it to get any easier for Ole Miss against the best team in the country who, after a slow start against Western Kentucky last week, showed why they were the AP's first unanimous No. 1 pick since 2008.

The Tigers may not be prolific on offense, but it won't matter in this one. Tigers tear up the Rebels.