Each week, I will use this space to tell you what I think are a few of the best bets heading into the weekend. I will also throw in an upset of the week, which will feature a team that is at least a touchdown underdog that I am picking to win outright. I will also give you picks on other games involving potential College Football Playoff teams.
It was a split week last week, and I finally hit the upset special! I-L-L! I am 18-15 overall and feeling good now that we have broken the seal on the upset specials. Let's see if I can avoid jinxing an underdog two weeks in a row.
Week 12 picks
Wake Forest at No. 3 Clemson (-32.5): Clemson is in the business of sending messages to the selection committee. Specifically, "we are a lot better than our schedule". Wake Forest may be the second-best team in the league. Clemson is almost a five-touchdown favorite, and with the breaking news that Demon Deacons' start wide receiver Sage Surratt is out for the season, it may get bigger. Get on this before it does. Pick: Clemson (-32.5)
No. 11 Florida at Missouri (+7): Missouri's offense has gone south in the last three weeks. The Tigers have scored only 21 points, 14 of those in a loss to Vanderbilt. Don't expect much better against the Gators. Pick: Florida (-7)
No. 14 Wisconsin at Nebraska (+14): The Badgers will not be taking Nebraska lightly. With two losses, if they are to win the Big Ten West, they need to win out and get some help this weekend with Minnesota. Running back Jonathan Taylor ran for 250 yards last week against Iowa, and Nebraska has the third-worst run defense in the Big Ten ahead of Maryland and Rutgers. That sounds like a problem. Pick: Wisconsin (-14)
Upset of the week
No. 19 Texas at Iowa State (-7): Iowa State is gritty and tough, but has had two straight disappointing weeks. We should not be surprised. The Cyclones have yet to beat a team that currently has a winning record. Here comes 6-3 Texas, which has been inconsistent this season. The Longhorns got back on the right track last week with a win over Oklahoma's vanquisher, Kansas State. Pick: Texas (+7)
Other CFP candidates
- No.1 LSU at Ole Miss (-21) Pick: LSU
- No. 2 Ohio State at Rutgers (+51) Pick: Ohio State
- No. 4 Georgia at No. 12 Auburn (+3) Pick: Georgia
- No. 5 Alabama at Mississippi State (+21) Pick: Alabama
- Indiana at No. 9 Penn State (-14) Pick: Penn State
- No. 10 Oklahoma at Baylor (+10) Pick: Baylor
- Arizona at No. 6 Oregon (-27) Pick: Oregon
- No. 8 Minnesota at Iowa (-3) Pick: Iowa
- UCLA at No. 7 Utah (-21) Pick: Utah
So which picks can you make with confidence in Week 12? And which line is way off? Visit SportsLine to see which teams win and cover the spread, all from a proven computer model that has returned over $4,000 in profit over the past four seasons.
