Saturday Predictions: Week 12

Air Force can pick up their second-straight win over Boise
State with a win tonight. AP Photo/David Zalubowski

The season is nearing its end, but there's much still much to be determined. Tonight, South Florida and Cincinnati will determine who earns their seventh win of the season first. The Bulls have won five of their last six and have been playing well since early October. However, Cincinnati has a potent offense (particularly through the air) and has often got the better of USF in the past. The Bulls may need their home-field-advantage to pull a victory. While that game's going on, Air Force and Boise State will kick off on the blue turf. Boise State could be eliminated from the Mountain West title race with a loss, although neither team can yet clinch their division with a win.

Noon begins with a big game in the American Conference. Memphis and Temple both began the year 7-0, but each has lost two of their last three games. Temple can potentially clinch the AAC East if South Florida lost the night before. The winner will likely be rewarded with a spot in the Top 25 at the expense of the loser.

In Blacksburg, Virginia, the North Carolina Tar Heels can clinch their conference division with a win over Virginia Tech. UNC will be trying to avoid a letdown against a seemingly inferior conference opponent, though many expect the Hokies will be highly motivated in head coach Frank Beamer's last home game.

Two Sunshine State teams will do battle when Florida Atlantic faces Florida in the Swamp. The Owls have ended up on the short end of most games this year, winning just two of their first 10. Most upsetting have been narrow losses to Tulsa, Rice, UTEP, and Middle Tennessee. Despite being a few plays away from a 6-4 record, the Owls will be at a major disadvantage against the Gators. The Owl offense should find it difficult to move the ball much against the Gators. On the other side of the ball, anticipate Florida to hit a few big plays against the FAU defense. Although FAU has several talented players, overall, Florida should be too much in this game.

South Carolina will also be taking on an in-state team when they play The Citadel. One of the better teams in the FCS, the Bulldogs may surprise the Gamecocks if they keep the game close for a few quarters.

Heartbreak has been a recurring them in Minnesota's season.
The Gophers can still reach a bowl, but will have to beat
Illinois and Wisconsin to become eligible.
Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

In Minneapolis, two Big Ten teams will be desperate to reach bowl eligibility. Illinois, who have played their entire season with an interim head coach, can complete one of the year's biggest surprises with a sixth win. Minnesota, whose head coach retired mid-season due to health concerns, must beat the Illini and Wisconsin in their season finale to get to six wins. These two evenly-matched teams could go down to the wire.

Elsewhere in that conference, Penn State hosts the Michigan Wolverines. Both teams are longshots to reach the conference title game, but could gain momentum going into their last games with a win in Beaver Stadium. The Wolverines may have the better team, but the Nittany Lions are inclined to play inspired games from time to time. Penn State could have enough big plays to pull the upset.

A half past noon, Miami and Georgia Tech will get underway at Sun Life Stadium. The Hurricanes bounced back well after their last embarrassing loss. They'll have the ability to beat the Yellow Jackets, though it's likely to be a close game. Georgia Tech will want a strong end to a disappointing season.

The three o'clock slate begins with Florida State and Chattanooga. The Mocs may be one of the best teams in the FCS, but they shouldn't stand much of a chance against the Seminoles. The FSU defense and running game should be sufficient to down Chattanooga.

Ole Miss still has outside hopes for an SEC title appearance, but they'll need to beat LSU this Saturday (and have Alabama somehow lose to Auburn next week). The Tigers have lost much of their mystique in the last two weeks, after getting beat up by Alabama and beat down by Arkansas. The Tigers have struggled to pass efficiently in recent weeks, but the Rebels have their own issues running the ball. But Ole Miss has two significant intangible advantages over LSU: they're playing at home and playing off a bye week. These two factors could give the Rebels a winning edge.

We can hope for an excellent Pac-12 matchup when USC travels to Eugene. Oregon's won their last four games and have put themselves back in position to potentially win the Pac-12 North. To accomplish this, Ducks will need to defeat a USC team that equals them in talent. However, even if the Ducks win, Stanford can clinch the division with a win over Cal later on.

Even with just two weeks left, the Pac-12 South is wide open.
Nonetheless, contenders cannot afford to lose at this point.
Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

But there'll be even more going on out west because UCLA's playing Utah in Salt Lake City. Utah can eliminate the Bruins from the Pac-12 title race with a win. This may be one of the most difficult games to predict, as both teams have been inconsistent—usually playing well but also losing to inferior teams and losing in blowouts. This game could turn out to be another West Coast classic.

Two ranked Big Ten teams will kick off at Camp Randall Stadium in the afternoon. Northwestern and Wisconsin are both one loss away from being unranked, but have a chance to earn respect here. Wisconsin even has an outside shot at the Big Ten West title (though they need to win out and have Iowa lose out). Defense is the strength of both teams, so look for a low-scoring melee with Wisconsin probably winning.

The battle between Big Ten powers will take place at the same time, in Columbus, Ohio. Michigan State is a reasonably large underdog due to the fact that the Spartans have won more than they have dominated. Ohio State, on the other hand, has crushed their conference opposition for the last six weeks. The Spartans may need a little luck, and some timely takeaways, to overthrow the Buckeyes in the Horseshoe.

Although most of the biggest action of the weekend takes place Saturday afternoon, there'll be plenty of entertaining night games to watch. Reeling off a loss to Alabama, Mississippi State plays an Arkansas team that has won four straight. The Bulldogs will need to execute better in scoring situations to keep up with the red-hot Razorbacks.

Gary Pinkel will coach his last home game with Mizzou when the Tigers take on the Tennessee Volunteers. Tennessee is one of the best four-loss teams in the country and Missouri will likely need their best performance of the year to down the Vols. Missouri will likely need to force three or four turnovers, and take advantage of them, to send Pinkel out a winner in Columbia.

The Sooners must win both of their remaining games to clinch
part of the Big 12 title. Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Vanderbilt only has four wins, but might pick up a fifth against Texas A&M in Nashville. The Aggies have been less than impressive in the weeks following their loss to Alabama. The Commodores have never been good offensively, but their defense could keep this game close. If the ball bounces their way, the Commodores could earn their first victory against A&M in program history.

Many have awaited the Top 10 clash between Baylor and Oklahoma State of the Big 12. This game will feature two of the most prolific passing attacks in college football, although their defenses are also better than the average Big 12 unit. Baylor is coming off their first, heartbreaking loss of the year and hasn't won in Stillwater since 1939. They'll also be without their starting quarterback. Yet, they can find a way to win if they can run a more balanced and efficient offense than their competitors (who may depend too much on the pass at times).

Just 81 miles to the south, in Norman, will be another battle between ranked Big 12 teams. Oklahoma is hosting a TCU team that may be crippled by injuries. The Horned Frogs may be missing too many key players to upend the Sooners at this point.

The Big Game between Stanford and Cal will start late at night on the East Coast. Cal suffered through four straight losses before ending their losing streak last week against Oregon State. Stanford's eight-game winning streak was snapped on the same day by Oregon. Cal might not be capable of duplicating the same success Oregon had on offense or defense. A win here clinches the Pac-12 North for Stanford.

State of Florida:

• East Carolina (5-6) over UCF (0-11), 38-17 44-7
• South Florida (6-4) over Cincinnati (6-4), 28-24
• 8 Florida (9-1) over Florida Atlantic (2-8), 35-6
• Georgia Tech (3-7) over Miami (6-4), 30-24
• Western Kentucky (8-2) over FIU (5-6), 45-24
• 14 Florida State (8-2) over Chattanooga (8-2), 45-14

Southeastern Conference:

• South Carolina (3-7) over The Citadel (7-3), 31-21
• 22 Mississippi (7-3) over 15 LSU (7-2), 24-21
• 2 Alabama (9-1) over Charleston Southern (9-1), 49-17
• Auburn (5-5) over Idaho (3-7), 42-10
• Arkansas (6-4) over Mississippi State (7-3), 35-28
• Georgia (7-3) over Georgia Southern (7-2), 38-21
• Tennessee (6-4) over Missouri (5-5), 21-16
• Vanderbilt (4-6) over Texas A&M (7-3), 20-17
• Kentucky (4-6) over Charlotte (2-8), 35-14

Top 25:

• 1 Clemson (10-0) over Wake Forest (3-7), 38-10
• 3 Ohio State (10-0) over 9 Michigan State (9-1), 38-31
• 4 Notre Dame (9-1) over Boston College (3-7), 24-7
• 5 Iowa (10-0) over Purdue (2-8), 42-21
• 10 Baylor (8-1) over 6 Oklahoma State (10-0), 35-31
• 7 Oklahoma (9-1) over 18 TCU (9-1), 49-21
• 11 Stanford (8-2) over California (6-4), 31-28
• 12 Michigan (8-2) over Penn State (7-3), 27-24
• 13 Utah (8-2) over UCLA (7-3), 30-27
• 16 Navy (8-1) over Tulsa (5-5), 41-28
• 17 North Carolina (9-1) over Virginia Tech (5-5), 31-17
• 19 Houston (10-0) over Connecticut (5-5), 38-20
• 25 Wisconsin (8-2) over 20 Northwestern (8-2), 28-21
• 21 Memphis (8-2) over Temple (8-2), 30-24
• 23 Oregon (7-3) over 24 USC (7-3), 37-31