Brandon Zimmerman
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What Would Woody Watch? Week 12 Recommendations
Brandon Zimmerman via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
This is the time of year when the college football fan has a mixed bag of emotions. The games are starting to get better and each game matters to those teams still in contention. On the other hand, it is a time to mentally prepare yourself for the regular season ending next weekend and really take time to enjoy the few games we have left. We know the huge match-up in Columbus tomorrow but what else is going on? You know that Woody will be watching that while checking out these big time match-ups.
United States Air Force Academy at Boise State, Friday, 9:30 pm
The Air Force Falcons swoop into Boise looking to steal a game on the blue turf of Boise State. The Falcons have won their last four straight games ,averaging almost 39 points per game over that stretch. As with the case with all FBS service academies, the Falcons run an option based offense in order to compensate for their lack of size up front. This has been extremely effective for Air Force as they average 333 yards a game on the ground, which leads the Mountain West Conference and is good for second in the nation. They face a Boise State defense that is very stout against the run only giving up a little over 94 yards a game on the ground. While the Boise State rush defense is great, the Air Force running attack is completely different than anything they have faced. Senior quarterback Karson Roberts leads the Falcons offense and he has combined for over 1,400 total yards on the year and 12 touchdowns.
Boise State comes into this game coming off of an upset loss at home to New Mexico which dropped them down below Air Force in the Mountain West East Division standings. Boise State was able to rack up 638 yards of total offense but turned the ball over four times and fumbled the ball four times, three of which they recovered. Freshman quarterback Brett Rypien (nephew of ex-NFL QB Mark Rypien) threw for 503 yards and two touchdowns in the loss but threw three interceptions. Boise State comes into this game averaging 321 yards a game through the air and the Air Force defense only gives up 190 a game through the air.
This is a battle of strengths. The Air Force running game vs the Broncos run defense. The Boise State pass offense vs the Falcons pass defense. It will be interesting to see who wins. I think Air Force pounds the ball on the ground and keeps Boise State off the field as much as possible.
Prediction: 28-24, USAFA
(17) North Carolina at Virginia Tech, Saturday, 12:00 pm
After dropping the first game of the season, the North Carolina Tar Heels come into this game riding an impressive nine game winning streak and in the driver’s seat to take on Clemson in the ACC championship game. The Tar Heel offense is running on full-cylinders as they have scored 66 and 59 points the last two weeks against Duke and Miami. North Carolina is averaging 42 points and shows balance by averaging 280 passing yards and 214 rushing yards per game. The Tar Heel attack is led by senior play caller Marquise Williams, who has combined for almost 2,900 yards of offense and 25 total touchdowns.
Virginia Tech comes into this matchup in the midst of another disappointing season in the last of Frank Beamer’s illustrious career. After entering the season with high expectations going into their matchup with the Buckeyes, the wheels began to fall off pretty quickly. The Hokies have limped their way to a 5-5 record but are finally starting to get healthy on both sides of the ball. They are coming off of two very nice wins against Boston College and Georgia Tech on the road. The Hokies will try to exploit the ACCs worst rush defense by trying to run the ball down the throats of North Carolina in an attempt to keep their potent offense off the field. Virginia Tech averages 163 yards a game on the ground and will expect a lot out of sophomore running back Travon McMillian who is averaging 127 yards a game over the past three games.
This is a monumental game for the Hokies as it is the last time they see Frank Beamer as their coach in Lane Stadium, since he has decided to retire after the season. Beamer has been the head coach at Virginia Tech since 1987 and has brought this team into the spotlight. I think this will be a game where the fans, players, and coaches push it to their limits and knock off the Tar Heel in an upset. I only wish this was a night game so Beamer was able to experience that one more time.
Prediction: 24-17, VT
(24) USC at (23) Oregon, Saturday, 3:30 pm
Don’t look now but the two preseason darlings have finally figured things out and are playing pretty good football right now. Both teams come into this game on a four game winning streak and a ranking in the CFB Selection Committee poll for the first time this season.
USC has won four straight games and is coming off of a dog fight with Colorado where they won 27-24. USC is averaging almost 300 yards a game through the air while scoring 36 points per game. The Oregon defense has been pretty horrific this year giving up 37 points per game and their pass defense will definitely be tested as they are giving up 318 yards a game. Both marks are good for last place in the PAC-12. Senior QB Cody Kessler has been great this year throwing for 2,715 yards and 23 touchdowns. His primary target is future first-round draft pick, sophomore JuJu Smith-Schuster, who has 1,160 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
Oregon is on a nice little winning streak themselves coming off of an upset victory at Stanford and winners of four straight. The Ducks are once again at the top of almost every offensive statistical category in the Pac-12 as they average 42 points and 533 yards per game. USC has one of the better defenses in the conference giving up on 23 points per game. Senior QB Vernon Adams Jr. is finally getting healthy for the Ducks which will help but their offense is centered around star RB Royce Freeman. The Ducks running back has combined for over 1,600 yards of offense and 14 touchdowns.
This should be a high-scoring affair as both offenses are very high-powered and the defenses have question marks. The Trojans should be able to score at will on the Ducks but will their long list on injuries slow them down?
Prediction: 48-45, USC
(10) Baylor at (6) Oklahoma State, Saturday, 7:30 pm
Make sure you have watched whatever defense you want earlier in the day because there won’t be much defense played in this match-up of explosive offenses. The Big-12 has been a complete yawn fest for the first three quarters of the season but these last few weeks will be fun to watch. Baylor is averaging 55 points and 346 passing yards a game. Oklahoma State is averaging 44 points and 353 passing yards per game. On the flip-side, both defenses are giving up over 25 points per game. Get ready for some fun!
Baylor has play-makers all over the field and none are more explosive than junior wide receiver Corey Coleman who has 1,229 receiving yards and 20 (!!!!) touchdowns on the season. Coleman has got to come out angry as he was completely shut down by the Oklahoma defense last week with only three catches for 51 yards. A lot of the Baylor offensive success will lie on the shoulders of freshman Jarrett Stidham who will be making his third start at quarterback.
Oklahoma State continues to baffle me as I am still not convinced they are that good. They came out two weeks ago and made a statement by beating TCU at home pretty convincingly but then came out last week and laid an egg vs Iowa State. They’ve had close calls against Central Michigan, Texas, Kansas State, West Virginia, and Iowa State which just does not help my confidence level in them. The Cowboy offense will go as sophomore QB Mason Rudolph goes. He has 3,161 passing yards and 18 touchdowns on the year.
Prediction: 53-35, Baylor
(18) TCU at (7) Oklahoma, Saturday, 8 pm
This is another one of those Big-12 match-ups we have been waiting for over the last few weeks but both teams seem to be trending in different direction. Two weeks ago, TCU was sitting pretty with an inside track to the College Football Playoff. They were ranked number eight and still had big time games against Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, and Baylor; all of whom were ranked in the Top-15. Oklahoma was ranked number 15 which was the lowest ranked Big-12 team.
Fast-forward two weeks later and the roles have been reversed. TCU took it to the chin at the hands of Oklahoma State losing 49-29 and then struggled to get by a winless Kansas team, 23-17. Oklahoma blew out Iowa State and then went into Waco and beat Baylor 44-34.
TCU has more worries right now than where they are in the rankings. Not only do they have to travel to Norman, they may have to do it without two of the best players in the nation. Senior wide receiver Josh Doctson has already been confirmed as out for the Horned Frogs as he will miss the rest of the season due to an injury he sustained versus Oklahoma State. Prior to his injury, Doctson had 1,327 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. In addition to Doctson, the Horned Frogs may be without their Heisman caliber quarterback, Trevone Boykin, who was injured running the ball versus Kansas on Saturday. Missing Boykin would be a major blow for the Horned Frogs as he has combined for over 4,000 yards of total offense and 37 touchdowns.
After the surprising loss to Texas in early October, the Sooners are on a roll as they have won five straight games and scored at least 44 points in each of those games. If Boykin is ready to play on Saturday, he will not be the only Heisman caliber quarterback on the field. Sooner junior quarterback Baker Mayfield has exploded on the scene this year as a big-time dual-threat quarterback. After sitting out last year after transferring from Texas Tech, Mayfield has combined for over 3,300 yards and 37 touchdowns.
In the end, I don’t see anyway Boykin sits this game out. This is TCU’s season on the line and even if he can’t scramble like normal, his ability to throw and decision making is needed on the field. Even with Boykin, Oklahoma will be too much to handle though at home.
Prediction: 54-42, Oklahoma
The post What Would Woody Watch? Week 12 Recommendations appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
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Brandon Zimmerman via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
This is the time of year when the college football fan has a mixed bag of emotions. The games are starting to get better and each game matters to those teams still in contention. On the other hand, it is a time to mentally prepare yourself for the regular season ending next weekend and really take time to enjoy the few games we have left. We know the huge match-up in Columbus tomorrow but what else is going on? You know that Woody will be watching that while checking out these big time match-ups.
United States Air Force Academy at Boise State, Friday, 9:30 pm
The Air Force Falcons swoop into Boise looking to steal a game on the blue turf of Boise State. The Falcons have won their last four straight games ,averaging almost 39 points per game over that stretch. As with the case with all FBS service academies, the Falcons run an option based offense in order to compensate for their lack of size up front. This has been extremely effective for Air Force as they average 333 yards a game on the ground, which leads the Mountain West Conference and is good for second in the nation. They face a Boise State defense that is very stout against the run only giving up a little over 94 yards a game on the ground. While the Boise State rush defense is great, the Air Force running attack is completely different than anything they have faced. Senior quarterback Karson Roberts leads the Falcons offense and he has combined for over 1,400 total yards on the year and 12 touchdowns.
Boise State comes into this game coming off of an upset loss at home to New Mexico which dropped them down below Air Force in the Mountain West East Division standings. Boise State was able to rack up 638 yards of total offense but turned the ball over four times and fumbled the ball four times, three of which they recovered. Freshman quarterback Brett Rypien (nephew of ex-NFL QB Mark Rypien) threw for 503 yards and two touchdowns in the loss but threw three interceptions. Boise State comes into this game averaging 321 yards a game through the air and the Air Force defense only gives up 190 a game through the air.
This is a battle of strengths. The Air Force running game vs the Broncos run defense. The Boise State pass offense vs the Falcons pass defense. It will be interesting to see who wins. I think Air Force pounds the ball on the ground and keeps Boise State off the field as much as possible.
Prediction: 28-24, USAFA
(17) North Carolina at Virginia Tech, Saturday, 12:00 pm
After dropping the first game of the season, the North Carolina Tar Heels come into this game riding an impressive nine game winning streak and in the driver’s seat to take on Clemson in the ACC championship game. The Tar Heel offense is running on full-cylinders as they have scored 66 and 59 points the last two weeks against Duke and Miami. North Carolina is averaging 42 points and shows balance by averaging 280 passing yards and 214 rushing yards per game. The Tar Heel attack is led by senior play caller Marquise Williams, who has combined for almost 2,900 yards of offense and 25 total touchdowns.
Virginia Tech comes into this matchup in the midst of another disappointing season in the last of Frank Beamer’s illustrious career. After entering the season with high expectations going into their matchup with the Buckeyes, the wheels began to fall off pretty quickly. The Hokies have limped their way to a 5-5 record but are finally starting to get healthy on both sides of the ball. They are coming off of two very nice wins against Boston College and Georgia Tech on the road. The Hokies will try to exploit the ACCs worst rush defense by trying to run the ball down the throats of North Carolina in an attempt to keep their potent offense off the field. Virginia Tech averages 163 yards a game on the ground and will expect a lot out of sophomore running back Travon McMillian who is averaging 127 yards a game over the past three games.
This is a monumental game for the Hokies as it is the last time they see Frank Beamer as their coach in Lane Stadium, since he has decided to retire after the season. Beamer has been the head coach at Virginia Tech since 1987 and has brought this team into the spotlight. I think this will be a game where the fans, players, and coaches push it to their limits and knock off the Tar Heel in an upset. I only wish this was a night game so Beamer was able to experience that one more time.
Prediction: 24-17, VT
(24) USC at (23) Oregon, Saturday, 3:30 pm
Don’t look now but the two preseason darlings have finally figured things out and are playing pretty good football right now. Both teams come into this game on a four game winning streak and a ranking in the CFB Selection Committee poll for the first time this season.
USC has won four straight games and is coming off of a dog fight with Colorado where they won 27-24. USC is averaging almost 300 yards a game through the air while scoring 36 points per game. The Oregon defense has been pretty horrific this year giving up 37 points per game and their pass defense will definitely be tested as they are giving up 318 yards a game. Both marks are good for last place in the PAC-12. Senior QB Cody Kessler has been great this year throwing for 2,715 yards and 23 touchdowns. His primary target is future first-round draft pick, sophomore JuJu Smith-Schuster, who has 1,160 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
Oregon is on a nice little winning streak themselves coming off of an upset victory at Stanford and winners of four straight. The Ducks are once again at the top of almost every offensive statistical category in the Pac-12 as they average 42 points and 533 yards per game. USC has one of the better defenses in the conference giving up on 23 points per game. Senior QB Vernon Adams Jr. is finally getting healthy for the Ducks which will help but their offense is centered around star RB Royce Freeman. The Ducks running back has combined for over 1,600 yards of offense and 14 touchdowns.
This should be a high-scoring affair as both offenses are very high-powered and the defenses have question marks. The Trojans should be able to score at will on the Ducks but will their long list on injuries slow them down?
Prediction: 48-45, USC
(10) Baylor at (6) Oklahoma State, Saturday, 7:30 pm
Make sure you have watched whatever defense you want earlier in the day because there won’t be much defense played in this match-up of explosive offenses. The Big-12 has been a complete yawn fest for the first three quarters of the season but these last few weeks will be fun to watch. Baylor is averaging 55 points and 346 passing yards a game. Oklahoma State is averaging 44 points and 353 passing yards per game. On the flip-side, both defenses are giving up over 25 points per game. Get ready for some fun!
Baylor has play-makers all over the field and none are more explosive than junior wide receiver Corey Coleman who has 1,229 receiving yards and 20 (!!!!) touchdowns on the season. Coleman has got to come out angry as he was completely shut down by the Oklahoma defense last week with only three catches for 51 yards. A lot of the Baylor offensive success will lie on the shoulders of freshman Jarrett Stidham who will be making his third start at quarterback.
Oklahoma State continues to baffle me as I am still not convinced they are that good. They came out two weeks ago and made a statement by beating TCU at home pretty convincingly but then came out last week and laid an egg vs Iowa State. They’ve had close calls against Central Michigan, Texas, Kansas State, West Virginia, and Iowa State which just does not help my confidence level in them. The Cowboy offense will go as sophomore QB Mason Rudolph goes. He has 3,161 passing yards and 18 touchdowns on the year.
Prediction: 53-35, Baylor
(18) TCU at (7) Oklahoma, Saturday, 8 pm
This is another one of those Big-12 match-ups we have been waiting for over the last few weeks but both teams seem to be trending in different direction. Two weeks ago, TCU was sitting pretty with an inside track to the College Football Playoff. They were ranked number eight and still had big time games against Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, and Baylor; all of whom were ranked in the Top-15. Oklahoma was ranked number 15 which was the lowest ranked Big-12 team.
Fast-forward two weeks later and the roles have been reversed. TCU took it to the chin at the hands of Oklahoma State losing 49-29 and then struggled to get by a winless Kansas team, 23-17. Oklahoma blew out Iowa State and then went into Waco and beat Baylor 44-34.
TCU has more worries right now than where they are in the rankings. Not only do they have to travel to Norman, they may have to do it without two of the best players in the nation. Senior wide receiver Josh Doctson has already been confirmed as out for the Horned Frogs as he will miss the rest of the season due to an injury he sustained versus Oklahoma State. Prior to his injury, Doctson had 1,327 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. In addition to Doctson, the Horned Frogs may be without their Heisman caliber quarterback, Trevone Boykin, who was injured running the ball versus Kansas on Saturday. Missing Boykin would be a major blow for the Horned Frogs as he has combined for over 4,000 yards of total offense and 37 touchdowns.
After the surprising loss to Texas in early October, the Sooners are on a roll as they have won five straight games and scored at least 44 points in each of those games. If Boykin is ready to play on Saturday, he will not be the only Heisman caliber quarterback on the field. Sooner junior quarterback Baker Mayfield has exploded on the scene this year as a big-time dual-threat quarterback. After sitting out last year after transferring from Texas Tech, Mayfield has combined for over 3,300 yards and 37 touchdowns.
In the end, I don’t see anyway Boykin sits this game out. This is TCU’s season on the line and even if he can’t scramble like normal, his ability to throw and decision making is needed on the field. Even with Boykin, Oklahoma will be too much to handle though at home.
Prediction: 54-42, Oklahoma
The post What Would Woody Watch? Week 12 Recommendations appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
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