One last home game on the season
Week 12 was a tough one for most pickers, with an average of 4 correct picks per person. 3 people bucked the trend to tie for top pickers this week with 8 correct picks. Congrats to pain, YankeeJacket and Shipwreck for having the top scores on the week. Perhaps due to the low number of correct picks we final saw a shift for the top spot on the year. mrbuzz1885 is still in the lead, but he now shares that lead with wsecor and Anuj Bhyravabhotla who all have 77 correct picks on the year. 3 weeks of picks along the with Army v Navy game before the end of the regular season, so there’s still time for someone to take a firm lead. We’ll see what happens.
We have a Thursday game this week so be ready to make early picks as the polls will close Thursday night.
Rob Gray-Imagn Images
We didn’t play last week so there isn’t much for me to analyze when it comes to GT. I hope you all had a relaxing weekend without worrying about football.
BYU lost to Kansas which leaves only 3 undefeated teams at the FBS level. Army, Oregon, and Indiana are the last 3 teams, although Indiana and Army face tough challenges this week so there is no guarantee those teams will remain undefeated by next week.
Tennessee got off to a good start, but their offense couldn’t keep moving the ball and uga’s offense finally managed to score. uga looks different at home than on the road, and that helped them dodge a big bullet last week.
Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Speaking of dodging bullets, if you missed the end of the Clemson game you missed the second best game ending run of the year (with the top spot going to Jamal Haynes). The ACC championship is still in play for Clemson, but they need to hope Miami stumbles in their last few games. Miami losing unexpected games to miss the ACC championship, that has never ever happened before (note sarcastic tone).
Brett Davis-Imagn Images
This week GT gets their last game on a Thursday night (what is up with these Thursday night games ACC?). We come into this game undefeated at home on the year, something GT hasn’t been able to say in a long time. Fair to say the fanbase is feeling pretty good with the Miami upset fresh in our minds. I think people feel if the season ended today it would be a successful one.
Some people would say this game does not matter as we are already in a bowl game so winning or losing won’t change anything. Those people are wrong, this is college football and every game matters. I want to end this season undefeated at home, in fact I just want to win against NC State and prove we are as good as we think we are. I want recruits to see we are getting better each year, I want fans to see we are worth cheering for, I want the team to believe they can consistently get these wins regardless of injury, I want a lot of things but I mostly want us to win. This is the last big chance for the fanbase to enjoy a home game and for the players to listen to the cheering crowds. If you’re in Atlanta, get out there and enjoy the last home game of the season, and show the players how much we appreciate what they’ve done this season. Go Jackets!!!
picks:
NC State Wolfpack @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (-8.0)
Logan: This week I will be doing some general analysis, but due to the sheer success of coin flipping to get accurate picks I’m just going to flip coins for everything. This game will depend on if our team has recovered from most of their injuries. NC State has struggled on defense but their offense has been figuring out things lately, so this could turn into a shootout. Alright let’s see which way the coin flip goes. Heads GT, Tails NC State Flips coin… its heads, GT has this one.
Logan’s pick: Georgia Tech
#14 SMU Mustangs (-9.0) @ Virginia Cavaliers
Logan: SMU didn’t look great last week against BC, but they still won by 10 points. UVA got stomped by Notre Dame, but that’s not unusual when anyone plays against Notre Dame. My brain leans towards SMU winning this one but UVA covering at home. Let’s see how the coin flip goes. Heads SMU, Tails Virginia Flips coin… Tails, so UVA will cover.
Logan’s pick: Virginia
Vanderbilt Commodores @ #22 LSU Tigers (-9.0)
Logan: LSU lost to Florida last week, which is not a good sign for LSU. It just felt like the tigers lost their mojo against Bama 2 weeks ago. I think Vandy is set up for one more upset before the year ends in this one. Heads Vandy, Tails LSU Flips coin… its heads, Vandy gets it done on the road.
Logan’s pick: Vandy
North Carolina Tar Heels (-2.5) @ Boston College Eagles
Logan: UNC is being carried (hah, pun) by Omarion Hampton. The defense has looked good, but they’ve looked good while playing teams like FSU, UVA, and Wake Forest. I think BC has a good chance to stomp the heels at home if they can stop the UNC run game. Heads UNC, Tails BC Flips coin… technically it hit the floor, but it was tails so I count it as a pick for Boston College.
Logan’s pick: Boston College
The Crosstown Rivalry:
USC Trojans (-4.0) @ UCLA Bruins
Logan: This is a rivalry game that I could see going either way. USC is probably the more talented team, but they haven’t played like it this year. UCLA needs to win their last two games to make a bowl game, so that might give them the edge at home compared to USC. I’m not sure which way this one will go. Heads USC, Tails UCLA Flips coin… its heads, so USC is my pick.
Logan’s pick: USC
#6 BYU Cougars @ Arizona State Sun Devils (-4.0)
Logan: Despite the current ranking I think BYU lost their chance at the playoff last week. I genuinely believe there is no way the Cougars get in the playoff at this point as they needed to remain undefeated with all the close losses in order to keep their high ranking. I expect the playoff committee to drop BYU pretty far. I might be wrong, but that’s usually how things go for less prestigious programs outside of the SEC. Arizona State has been on a heater, and they have a good chance at winning the BIG 12 this year. My brain says Sundevils, we’ll see what the coin says. Heads BYU, Tails Arizona State Flips coin… it came up heads, so BYU is the pick.
Logan’s pick: BYU
NorthWestern Wildcats @ Michigan Wolverines (-13.5)
Logan: The next two games are both games where the spread just seems to large. Is Michigan really that much better than NorthWestern? Normally I would say yes, but Michigan just seems lost this year. NortWestern has a real shot in this one. Heads NorthWestern, Tails Michigan Flips coin… its heads, NorthWestern it is.
Logan’s pick: NorthWestern
#4 Penn State Nittany Lions (-13.0) @ Minnesota Golden Gophers
Logan: Penn State has actually looked good so I do understand the spread on this one. I’m not convince Minnesota can’t cover, but it seems very unlikely given how Minnesota has played on offense. Heads Penn State, Tails Minnesota Flips coin… the coin likes heads right now, Penn State is the pick.
Logan’s pick: Penn State
Pittsburgh Panthers @ #19 Louisville Cardinals (-7.5)
Logan: Both of these teams lost in embarrassing fashion last week. Pitt didn’t look bad, but they had plenty of embarrassing penalties that left room for Clemson come back in the end. Louisville had a similar end to their game with poorly timed penalties, some of the most unnecessary penalties I’ve ever seen in a game really. I’m not sure what headspace either of these teams will be in. Pitt should be able to cover with this spread if both teams play like they did last week. Heads Pitt, Tails Louisville Flips coin… its heads again, Pitt it is.
Logan’s pick: Pitt
#24 Army Black Knights @ #8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-16.0)
Logan: Army has had quite a run haven’t they… I think this is where it ends. Notre Dame is just too good. If Army wins this they are one step away from being in the Playoff, but I doubt that happens, the talent gap is too large. Heads Army, Tails Notre Dame Flips coin… Tails finally came up. Notre Dame will cover.
Logan’s pick: Notre Dame
#5 Indiana Hoosiers @ #2 Ohio State Buckeyes (-11.0)
Logan: I don’t feel the same as I feel about Army here. Indiana is a good team, and even against Ohio State I think they have the chance to win. Its a small chance, but its still a chance. Ohio State better be ready for this one. Heads Indiana, Tails Ohio State Flips coin… the coin went back to heads on the last pick, so Indiana will at least cover.
Logan’s pick: Indiana