COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 13 RECAP

Three of the most potent offenses in the nation, those of Baylor, Oregon and Texas A&M, were unexpectedly shut down last week as their defenses were lit up. It just goes to show how vulnerable teams are that rely on one side of the ball to win games. The top two teams, Alabama and Florida State, can score and keep their opponents from scoring. Meanwhile, Ohio State needs to take care of Michigan, then hope Alabama stumbles against Auburn. Of course, the Buckeyes face a stern test next week against Michigan State before they can put an undefeated season to bed.

Last week:            17 - 7

Overall:                190 - 59

(16) Northern Illinois (10 - 0) 31 @ Toledo (7 - 3) 28: Not much of a surprise in this one, except Toledo led at the half. The Huskies wore them down in the second half, keeping their BCS bowl hopes alive. Correct. 35 - 17.

Rutgers (5 -4) 20  @ (18) UCF (8 - 1) 29: The Knights' only blemish on their record is a three point loss to South Carolina.  This is one tough team that plays more like an SEC squad than one from the American Athletic Conference. Correct. 17 - 41.

Chattanooga (8 - 3) 13 @ (1) Alabama (10 - 0) 38: The Tide just keeps on rolling, setting up a huge showdown at Auburn this weekend. Correct. 0 - 49.

Idaho (1 - 9) 6 @ (2) Florida State (10 - 0) 72:  I picked the spread in this one, a predictable 66 points. but the fate of QB Jameis Winston is still in doubt. Correct.  14 - 80.

Indiana (4 - 6) 17 @ (3) Ohio State (10 - 0) 58: Ohio State's next game is against Michigan, but it won't matter in the Big Ten race, only in the race to Pasadena and the BCS title game. Correct. 14 - 42.

(4) Baylor (9 - 0) 38 @ (10) Oklahoma State (9 - 1) 31: I should have gone with history here.  Still no Baylor wins at Stillwater since 1939. No. 17 - 49.

(5) Oregon (9 - 1) 37 @ Arizona (6 - 4) 23: Who could have seen this one coming? Apparently not me! No. 16 - 42.

The Citadel (5 - 6) 20 @ (7) Clemson (9 -1) 35: No surprise in this one, setting up a top ten showdown with South Carolina this week. Correct. 6 - 52.

(8) Missouri (9 - 1) 23 @ (24) Ole Miss (7 - 3) 24: The Tigers played some tough defense, shutting down the Rebel attack to stay alive for the SEC East title. No. 24 - 10.

California (1 - 10) 10 @ (9) Stanford (8 - 2) 31:  Stanford took out some frustration on an over-matched Cal team and in the process clinched the Pac-12 North. Correct. 13 - 63.

Coastal Carolina (9 - 1) 17 @ (11) South Carolina (8 - 2) 38:  Steve Spurrier has the Gamecocks ready to host Clemson this Saturday night. It could be a dandy. Correct. 10 - 70.

(12) Texas A&M (8 - 2) 37 @ (22) LSU (7 - 3) 31: LSU seems to have matured throughout the season, its defense shutting down Johnny Football in the process. No. 10 - 34.

(13) Michigan State (9 - 1) 27 @ Northwestern (4 - 6) 24: Michigan State will give Ohio State fits in the Big Ten championship game, regardless of the outcome of their game with Minnesota this week. Correct. 30 - 6.

(17) Arizona State (8 - 2) 30 @ (14) UCLA (8 - 2) 31: I knew this one would be a close call, but Arizona State ended up clinching the Pac-12 South. No. 38 - 33.

New Mexico (3 - 7) 14 @ (15) Fresno State (9 - 0) 34: Fresno has another sub-.500 team to beat before the Mountain West championship game. If they win out, we'll have to see if they can stay stay in contention for a BCS bowl berth.  Correct. 28 - 69.

(19) Wisconsin (8 - 2) 27 @ (25) Minnesota (8 - 2) 24: The Badgers exerted their physical superiority, but they can't get the Big Ten championship game. Correct. 20 - 7.

(20) Oklahoma (8 - 2) 28 @ Kansas State (6 - 4) 27: The Sooners will have a week off to prepare for Oklahoma State for the Bedlam game in Stillwater. They can still be a factor in the Big 12. Correct. 41 - 31.

Memphis (3 - 6) 20 @ (20) Louisville (9 - 1) 31: Memphis made this game close in the fourth quarter, but still fell short. Louisville needs to win their final game against Cincinnati next Thursday and hope UCF loses its final two games in order to win the conference. Not a great chance of that. Correct. 17 - 24.

(23) USC (8 - 3) 38 @ Colorado (4 - 6) 20: USC has made a great comeback this season, but got eliminated in the Pac-12 South with Arizona State's win over UCLA. Correct. 47 - 29.

Duke (8 - 2) 34 @ Wake Forest (4 - 6) 23: The Blue Devils are one win away from their first ACC Coastal title. But a loss Saturday to a hot UNC team, coupled with a Virginia Tech win, send the Hokies to the slaughter to face Florida State. Correct. 28 - 21.

Mississippi State (4 - 6) 27 vs. Arkansas (3 - 7) 30 (at Little Rock): No. The Hogs snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Now they get to travel to Death Valley to face LSU on Friday. No. 24 - 17 OT.

Nebraska (7 - 3) 27 @ Penn State (6 - 4) 21: This one was a little tougher for the Cornhuskers than I thought it would be. Correct. 23 - 20 OT.

BYU (7 - 3) 26 @ Notre Dame (7 - 3) 28: The Irish took care of business as expected, bringing on a good matchup at Stanford to end the season. Correct. 13 - 23.

Washington (6 - 4) 30  Oregon State (6 - 4) 34: This one wasn't even as close as the score indicated, with the Beavers scoring all of their points in the fourth quarter after falling behind 48 - 0. No. 69 - 27.