Write On Sports LLC - "Week 13 Predictions" by Tom Zuck

Week 13 Predictions

2006-11-23 00:32:41 | By: Tom Zuck

Even though some would like you to believe that football "as we know it" was decided by the OSU-Michigan game, there are still some terrific games this week.

First, a word about last week. Pitt was not too bad against WVU - for the first half. I really can't understand why it took so long for the Mountaineers to attack the Pitt offense. Tyler Palko was carving the defense with ease in that first half. The second half was a different story. Unfortunately it was the same story for the Pitt defense. They couldn't stop them. End of story, end of game.

The fact that Pitt is eligible for a bowl game is a joke. It just goes to show that there are WAY too many bowl games. There are a lot of teams out there who should not be going to a bowl.

Back to the present. Things are still a little bit cloudy when deciding what team gets to play Ohio State for the National Championship. No way Michigan deserves a rematch.

#20 Boston College (5-2, 9-2) at Miami (2-5, 5-6)
7:30 p.m., Thanksgiving

Miami is finished, just like the turkey in the oven. The team does not want to play. Nor do they have anything to play for. A bowl game, you say? How attractive is a bowl game to a 6-6 Miami team? I'd say not very much. Boston College just keeps on plugging away though. This is not a bad trip for the Eagles - sun, sand, surf and the 10th win of the season; B.C. wins.

Texas A&M (4-3, 8-3) at #13 Texas (6-1, 9-2)
Noon, Friday

A couple weeks ago A&M was in a must-win situation. They didn't. Now things are in even more dire straights. Texas is getting much better as the season progresses. Colt McCoy is turning into a nice quarterback. A&M is still terrific in some areas. But this one will go to the Longhorns. The Aggies have had two weeks to prepare and can't afford to end the season with three straight losses. The same can be said for the Longhorns, though. Texas has had two weeks to come to grips with the ugly loss to K. State. Look for Texas to get back on track with McCoy back in the lineup. Hook 'em Horns!

#10 LSU (5-2, 9-2) at #6 Arkansas (7-0, 10-1)
2:30 p.m., Friday

No, Mich-OSU does not have a monopoly - this is serious football. All year I have talked about how good I think the LSU defensive front is. I still feel that way and this week it will be tested in a BIG way. Barring some mistakes we'd be talking about LSU plying for the BCS title, but they are not. Darren McFadden is a beast and I love to watch him play. Can LSU stop him? Can the Arkansas defense stop LSU? I don't think so, at least not the entire game. I still love JaMarcus Russell at QB. LSU wins and take s a bit of the drama away from the SEC championship game.

#4 Florida (7-1, 10-1) at Florida State (3-5, 6-5)
Noon, Saturday

Florida State is terrible on offense. Florida is terrific on defense. The Gators are looking for the shot at Ohio State. That alone will be enough. At least Bobby Bowden finally got rid of his offensive coordinator. But he still has to see him over the holidays. That could be awkward. It is almost at the point now where people will start talking about why he and Paterno are still hanging on. It is blowing up the perception that people have of these guys, great as they were in their prime. Anyway, Florida wins.

South Carolina (3-5, 6-5) at #24 Clemson (5-3, 8-3)
Noon

The battle for South Carolina. Who wants it? Now there are rumors of Steve Spurrier heading to Coral Gables to take over at Miami. That seems a stretch to me. I still say he can win at USC because they will do whatever it takes to help. The Gamecocks have lost five games to ranked teams this season; Clemson will be the sixth ranked team on the schedule. Tommy Bowden's season started off well but the Tigers have stumbled of late. Only the victory over a bad N.C. State team stopped a two game slide. I think the home field will not be enough, Spurrier comes up with something, Gamecocks win.

South Florida (3-3, 7-4) at #7 West Virginia (4-1, 9-1)
Noon

I saw up close and personal the speed that WVU possesses. It is wicked. The Red Sea parted, and parted and parted and WVU ran through the Pitt defense. South Florida is athletic, but not enough to stop the 'Eers. WVU runs, literally, to victory.

Syracuse (1-5, 4-7) at #14 Rutgers (4-1, 9-1)
Noon

Rutgers really blew it last week. But a few weeks back I said I was glad Pitt already played Cincy. Syracuse is better than at the start of September. But it won't be enough to trip up the Scarlet Knights, at home, in a big game to save the season. Ray Rice gets back on track and Rutgers wins.

Virginia (4-3, 5-6) at #17 Virginia Tech (5-2, 9-2)
Noon

UVA got a big win last week over a bad Miami team. This week the Cavaliers get a team that can punch back. Tech is saving its season. The Cavaliers have not faced a defense like Tech's this season. This could get ugly. Tech wins "The Battle for the Commonwealth".

#16 Georgia Tech (7-1, 9-2) at Georgia (4-4, 7-4)
3:30 p.m.

I think Georgia has been the most disappointing team of the season. Tech has also been one of the top surprises. The Bulldogs have won the past five games in this series. This game will not be easy. Georgia has had a week off after clobbering Auburn and now Tech has already clinched its spot in the ACC title game. It's a good thing this is a rivalry game so the "letdown" excuse can't be used. It would be easy to pick Georgia Tech but I am going for some Bulldog redemption. Georgia wins in Athens. The B-52s celebrate.

#9 Louisville (4-1, 9-1) at Pitt (2-4, 6-5)
3:30 p.m.

Do I have to pick this one? Really? I don't want to. Pitt can't stop anyone right now. We can move the ball on most teams but I'm sure Bobby Petrino and his staff looked at the WVU tape from last week and they are salivating at the thoughts of coming at Palko. This could get ugly. The weather report is for rain. That could help. But it rained last week too and it didn't help. Louisville romps. But Pitt is ranked #3 in hoops!

#22 Wake Forest (5-2, 9-2) at Maryland (5-2, 8-3)
7:45 p.m.

This one is interesting. How will Wake respond after its first drubbing of the season? Boston College ended Maryland's five-game winning streak. The highlight of this game is the two gutsy quarterbacks, Riley Skinner from Wake and Sam Hollenbach from Maryland. They are both fun to watch. Even though this game is at Maryland I am going to stick with Wake, which better not let me down again.

#5 Notre Dame (10-1) at #3 Southern California (7-1, 9-1)
8 p.m.

The Trojans can smell it. After losing a terrible game at Oregon State the Trojans are back in the national title hunt, something that makes Dave Paddock very happy. Notre Dame still has its own ideas about this too. But could you see the firestorm that will occur if Notre Dame jumps over Michigan? THAT would be worth the price of admission.

I think USC beat a pretty good Cal team last week. They beat Notre Dame and UCLA next week and USC is back in the championship game. That alone will be enough. Brady Quinn has put up some great numbers the past few weeks against some rather pedestrian teams; the combined record for Notre Dame's past eight opponents is 36-53. That's not ND's fault, just a fact. USC's last eight are a combined 46-44, not great either. Stanford is the team dragging them both down. Anyway, I think USC's defense makes more stops. Go Trojans.

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