COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 14 RECAP

In a weekend that had more than its share of big games, I didn't do such a great job at picking the winners in some key match-ups, including the Miracle at Auburn. But I still got my share correct as I stagger to the end of the season. One more week to go, and hopefully I can improve somewhat with the conference championship games and the season ending tussles in the Big 12.

Last week:            15 - 8

Overall:                205 - 67

(1) Alabama (11 - 0) 30 @ (4) Auburn (10 - 1) 24: No. 28 - 34. What a game and what an ending?  Despite being wrong on the pick, it was easily the most exciting game of this stature I may have ever seen, and I've seen a lot of big games.

(2) Florida State (11 - 0) 37 @ Florida (4 - 7) 16: Correct. 37 - 7. It took a while, but the Seminoles finally turned on the jets to overwhelm Florida.

(3) Ohio State (11 - 0) 31 @ Michigan (7 - 4) 23: Correct. 42 - 41. I was a little surprised at Brady Hoke's decision to go for two in regulation, but the way the game was going, he would probably have to do it eventually.

(21) Texas A&M (8 - 3) 35 @ (5) Missouri (10 -1) 30: No. 21 - 28. Johnnie Football looked human in what will probably be his last two regular season games with the Aggies. I think he's a great college QB, but he looks too small to be successful at that position in the NFL. I would think if he put some weight on, he could be a Wes Welker type slot receiver.

(6) Clemson (10 - 1) 34 @ (10) South Carolina (9 - 2) 31: No. 17 - 31. I know South Carolina is a good team with a tough defense, but they shouldn't have been able to go 4 - 0 against Tajh Boyd.

(25) Notre Dame (8 - 3) 23  @ (8) Stanford (9 -2) 27: Correct. 20 -27. What can I say? This one went pretty much as expected. 

(9) Baylor (9 - 1) 31 @ TCU (4 -7) 20: Correct. 41 -- 38. The Bears stayed alive in the Big 12 race, but just barely. It sets up a big game with Texas that will matter only if Oklahoma takes out Oklahoma State in the Bedlam Game.

Minnesota (8 - 3) 13 @ (11) Michigan State (10 -1) 24: Correct. 3 - 14. Was Michigan State looking ahead a little bit to Ohio State? Perhaps, but their defense still showed up in a big way.  The Buckeyes better forget about Auburn, and focus instead on finding a way to penetrate the Spartans' defense.

Arizona (7 - 4) 26 @ (12) Arizona State (9 - 2) 35 : Correct. 21 - 58. The team playing the best offense in the country right now might be the Sun Devils, who get to test their explosiveness against Stanford this week. The win allows them to host the Pac-12 championship game in the desert.

Penn State (6 -5) 17 @ (15) Wisconsin (9 - 2) 27: No. 31 - 24. I have to give the Nittany Lions a lot of credit for not just competing , but winning despite the stringent NCAA sanctions stemming from the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

(22) UCLA (8 - 3) 24 @ (23) USC (9 - 3) 28: No. 35 - 14. Did this game keep Ed Orgeron from getting the nod as USC head coach? Probably not, but hopefully he'll land somewhere as a head coach. As for UCLA, they finished well despite a season that was little bit disappointing.

(24) Duke (9 - 2) 27 @ UNC (6 - 4) 30: No. 27 - 25. Duke found a way to pull this one out of the fire to get their first ten win season in program history and a spot opposite Florida State in the ACC championship game.

Virginia Tech (7 - 4) 27 @ Virginia (2 - 9) 14: Correct. 16 - 6. This one was ugly, as the Hokies still continue to struggle offensively. But 8 - 4 and a nice bowl game still isn't so bad for Frank Beamer's squad. A successor to Logan Thomas and an improved running game could put Tech back at the top of the ACC Coastal next year.

Georgia (7 - 4)  31 @ Georgia Tech (7 - 4) 26: Correct. 41 - 34 OT. The Bulldogs ended a tough regular season with a close win over their rivals to get their eighth win and possibly a Chic-Fil-A bowl berth in Atlanta.

Games Played Earlier in the Week:

Texas Tech (7 - 4) 27 @ Texas (7 - 3) 35: Correct. 16 - 41. Texas stayed alive in the Big 12 with this smack down win. An Oklahoma State loss would give the winner of the Texas - Baylor game the conference crown and a BCS bowl berth.

Western Michigan (1 - 10) 13 @ (14) Northern Illinois (11-0) 34: Correct. 14 - 33. I came pretty close to getting this one right on the money. Now the Huskies need to beat Bowling Green to advance to their second consecutive BCS bowl game.

Oregon State (6 - 4) 21@ (13) Oregon (9 - 2) 40: Correct. 35 - 36. Oregon didn't look like the same dominant team down the stretch. Is this the beginning of the end in Eugene?

(16) Fresno State (10 - 0) 37 @ San Diego State (5 - 6) 26: No. 52 - 62. Finally, Fresno State's FCS caliber defense was exposed by a sub-.500 FCS foe. They still managed to stay in the top 25 despite a ridiculously weak schedule.

Arkansas (3 - 8) 17 @ (17) LSU (8 - 3) 27: Correct. 27 - 31. The Hogs had this one for the taking, but couldn't keep the Tigers from going 99 yards on their last possession.  Bret Bielema better make some big changes in the offseason, including making sure he has a QB capable of leading a team in the SEC.

South Florida (2 - 8) 14 @ (19) UCF (9 - 1) 34: Correct. 20 -23. UCF escaped with a victory that ended up, because of Louisville's OT win at Cincinnati Thursday night, to win the American Athletic Conference crown and advance to a BCS bowl game for the first time.

Washington State (6 - 5)  27 @ Washington (7 - 4) 31: Correct. 17 - 27. The win by the Huskies will be the last at Washington for head coach Steve Sarkisian, who is headed to USC to replace Lane Kiffen. Washington will have long-time Boise State coach Chris Peterson as a replacement, a well deserved step for him.

Ole Miss (7 - 4) 30 @ Mississippi State (5 - 6) 21: No.  10 - 17. Ole Miss couldn't complete what would have been a terrific season, instead lost the Egg Bowl to their intra-state rival. I'll take mine poached over toast...

Miami (8 - 3) 24 @ Pittsburgh (6-5) 21:  Correct.  41 - 31. The Hurricanes had a high ranking and even higher aspirations for this season, but their defense seemed to let down late in the year.