Week 13: The picks are in!

By Kyle Magin

We're here at the end of things, this woefully short regular season. League titles have been sewed up or are about to be culminated, berths to lucrative bowls are on the line, and for the first time in 24 seasons, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are standing on the precipice of a national title berth. Let's get to the day's slate, shall we?

Kyle says...

Last week: 1-3

This season: 23-16-1

Michigan @ Ohio State -4

The Buckeyes are playing angry this season, and I've every reason to expect that deadbeat father excellent motivator Urban Meyer is ready to test Michigan's line play on both sides of the ball. This will mean a lot of pressure on Devin Gardner/Denard Robinson in the pocket, and that hasn't worked so well for Michigan this year. The Buckeyes cover the spread.

Oregon @ Oregon State +10

The Beavers have been very solid on both sides of the ball this year and control time of possession very effectively. With Oregon's many injuries and limited possessions to work with, Oregon State beats the spread in a knock-down drag-out. (though maybe not the Ducks)

Florida @ Florida State -7

Word has it Jimbo Fisher is looking around for a new job, and when that happens, coaches tend to have their mind set on making a great impression and get their team ready accordingly. With Florida's Jeff Driskel hurting but playing, look for FSU's fearsome D-Line to bring down the hammer early and often in an attempt to knock him out. Florida State covers. 

Notre Dame -6 @ Southern Cal

I don't buy that USC will be even comparable offensively without Matt Barkley at the helm. Their defense will see way too much of the field in ND's coronation tonight. The Irish cover. 

Big Tex says...

Last week: 4-2

This season: 20-17

Illinois @ Northwestern -19. 

Wildcats cover. 

Florida +7 @ Florida State

Gators beat the spread. 

Air Force @ Fresno State -16.5

Fresno covers. 

Idaho @ Utah State -37

USU covers. 

Virginia @ Virginia Tech -9.5

Hokies cover. 

Oregon @ Oregon State +10
Beavers beat the spread. 

Week 12: The picks are in!

By Kyle Magin

Kyle says...

This season: 22-13-1

Last week: 2-1-1

Oklahoma -12 @ West Virginia

The Sooners get all over a WVU defense that hasn't been able to stop far inferior offenses all year. Sooners cover. 

USC -4 @ UCLA

As much as UCLA has come on this season, you're going to see one fully formed offense run by USC and one still at its early stages for the Bruins in the Rose Bowl today. U of Spoiled Children covers. 

Ohio State +2 @ Wisconsin

Braxton Miller can make things happen after plays break down, and I don't believe in the second and third levels of this Wisconsin defense enough to trust them when that happens. OSU beats the spread. 

Stanford @ Oregon -20

The Ducks can smell their berth to the title game now, and Stanford will be another in a long line of victims along the way. Oregon covers. 

Big Tex says...

This season: 16-15

Last week: Idle

Kent State +3 @ Bowling Green

Washington -20 @ Colorado

Clemson -16.5 @ NC State

Ole Miss +19 @ LSU

Kansas State -12.5 @ Baylor

Stanford +20 @ Oregon

Week 11: The picks are in!

By Kyle Magin

This season: 20-12
Last week: Idle

Northwestern +8.5 @ Michigan
Vegas wants you, badly, to bet on Michigan, tightening the line up by a full point in the last day. If they play mistake-free football, Michigan covers easily. But, when's the last time they played mistake-free football? Take Northwestern to beat the spread. 

Texas A&M @ Alabama -14
I believe in Johnny Manziel. I just believe in Nick Saban a whole lot more. The Tide D-line minimizes Manziel's scrambling ability and leave a doable job for an unusually shaky Tide defensive backfield. Alabama covers. 

Oregon State +4 @ Stanford 
The battle for the Pac 12 North is a slugfest, but Oregon State keeps any margin of victory razor-thin in Palo Alto tonight. The Beavers beat the spread. 

Kansas State -6.5 @ TCU
Colin Klein and the Cats cover. 

Week 11: We're baaaack

By Kyle Magin

Wow, been awhile. It's nice to see you again. I missed you. Let's reacquaint ourselves in a comfortable manner. 

There. We're back at it, so what say we dive into a few of this week's key matchups? Hopefully we'll get back to a regular posting schedule this weekend. 

Northwestern @ Michigan -9.5

On the surface this is a very attractive line. Northwestern struggles passing the ball and is really in no shape to get into a shooting match with the Wolverines, who have the superior defense and slightly, although only incrementally, superior passing game. Both rushing attacks are deadly effective. Northwestern's key to closing the gap and covering or potentially winning will be its ability to force turnovers—27 total this season—and Michigan's propensity for losing the ball. That said, if UM gets up early, NW just doesn't have the horses to come back. 

Oregon State @ Stanford -4

Stanford does very little well except stopping you from scoring. Oregon State does that, and QB Sean Mannion excels at finding his targets deep downfield to hurt you. He's a gunslinger, with 8 TDs and 8 INTs, but does as good a job as anyone in the country of moving his team into scoring position. 

Texas A&M vs. Alabama -14

Alabama, in due deference to Denard Robinson, has not seen a quarterback with the skill set and accuracy of A&M's Johnny Manziel. Manziel, though, has seen defenses slightly below Alabama's lofty stature—LSU and Florida—and fared pretty poorly. The key for Alabama will be containing the edges and making Manziel beat you with his arm. He can do that, but it limits his fantastic ability to create on the run, and I'd never bet against a bunch of defensive backs coached by Saban losing more than just a few battles downfield. Manziel goes for 12.4-plus yards per completion, but he can pretty much rule out his fantastic running game getting their usual 250-plus yards per game. If Manziel can find his targets downfield, Alabama's A.J. McCarron will need to find his stride again after stumbling against an arguably comparable defense last week in LSU. He's got a strong running game to keep some of the heat off, but two touchdowns might be outside the realm of possibility if the Aggies can take a shot and stay on their feet. 

Penn State @ Nebraska -4

Penn State is dangerous, and playing spoiler on Nebraska's march toward the B1G title game this weekend. The Lions have struggled against mobile quarterbacks this year, though.