Week Twelve Recap - 7 on 7 Drills

Thanks to the ACC, both of us here at Pikes Picks had a mediocre week in 7 on 7 Drills. It seems like every week the top of the ACC chokes against the bottom half of the conference. So even though we're more than half way through November now, 9 of the 12 teams in that conference still have a chance to go to the ACC Championship Game. Ridiculous!

WEEK TWELVE

1. Georgia @ Auburn

Brent: Georgia

Jason: Georgia

2. Ohio State @ Illinois

Brent: Ohio State

Jason: Ohio State

3. BYU @ Air Force

Brent: Air Force

Jason: BYU

4. Boston College @ Florida State

Brent: Florida State

Jason: Florida State

5. North Carolina @ Maryland

Brent: North Carolina

Jason: North Carolina

6. California @ Oregon State

Brent: Oregon State

Jason: California

7. South Carolina @ Florida

Brent: Florida

Jason: Florida

WEEK TWELVE RESULTS

Jason	4-3 (57.1%)
Brent	4-3 (57.1%)

SEASON RESULTS

Jason	54-30 (64.3%)
Brent	53-31 (63.1%)

Tony Pike Update

Surprise surprise. Cincinnati finally got a Pike at quarterback and they won the Keg of Nails for the first time in six years.

It was a soggy Friday night, but that didn't stop junior quarterback Tony Pike from throwing for 250 yards and 2 touchdowns against rival Louisville. Despite trailing 17-14 at halftime, Pike and the Bearcats dominated the second half en route to a 28-20 win.

Unfortunately Pike was knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter with an undisclosed injury.

The Tony Pike Stat Line
Passing: 19/33 (57.6%) for 250 yards, 2 td, 1 int
Rushing: 3 attempts for 2 yards

See sidebar for season stats

Gameday Commentary - 2:30 games

Oregon State 34, California 21

Oregon State has some speed. Between Jacquizz Rodgers, James Rodgers, and Sammie Stroughter, the Beavers have enough speed to run circles around the rest of their schedule (Arizona and Oregon) and take home the Pac-10 title. The trio combined for 475 all purpose yards and 3 touchdowns. Wow. How did those speedy Rodgers brothers not get out of Texas?

Florida 56, South Carolina 6
Oh, I get it. Florida is so good because of their defense and special teams. I'm still not impressed with the offense, but the defense and special teams are indeed special. Both units picked up a touchdown in the first quarter, and that has become the norm in Gainesville lately.

The speed the Gators have on defense and special teams is matched only by the fire with which they play. If Florida goes on to run the table and beat Alabama in the SEC championship game, it won't be because of their inconsistent offense. It will be because of the play of the defense and special teams.

Can somebody please tell me why Charlie Strong doesn't have a head coaching job yet??

Wisconsin 35, Minnesota 32
The little mistakes are starting to add up for Minnesota. Despite an impressive 7-1 start, the Gophers are reverting to 2007 form during the now 3-game losing streak.

Minnesota took an easy 21-7 lead into the locker room at half time. They even took a 24-17 lead into the fourth quarter, but that's when they fell apart. Specifically, the special teams fell apart.

Early in the fourth quarter, right after Wisconsin tied up the game at 24 apiece, Troy Stoudermire fumbled the ensuing kickoff and it went out the back of the end zone for a safety. Then after forcing a Wisconsin punt on the next drive, the Minnesota punt returner made a bone headed decision to field the ball inside his own five yard line. That decision led to another safety for the Badgers.

Two safeties in 3 minutes of game time meant Wisconsin would have all the momentum for the rest of the game. But to make matters worse, quarterback Adam Weber fumbled at his own 11 yard line on the next Minnesota possession, which Wisconsin turned into a touchdown. Game over. Tim Brewster needs to get these mistakes ironed out.

As a side note, Wisconsin looks to have finally found a quarterback. Dustin Sherer has a good arm and played with excellent composure. The junior had a huge third quarter and made some clutch throws to get the Badgers back in the game.

Gameday Commentary - 11 o'clock games

Notre Dame 27, Navy 21

Navy nearly made their second remarkable fourth quarter comeback in as many weeks. Trailing 27-7 in the fourth quarter, sophomore quarterback Ricky Dobbs sparked a comeback that included two onside kick recoveries, but fell just short.

Notre Dame displayed an excellent running game. The three headed monster of James Aldridge, Armando Allen, and Robert Hughes combined to pound the undersized Navy defense to the tune of 230 rushing yards.

Yet again, Jimmy Clausen was inconsistent and threw two interceptions. If Notre Dame wants to get better, they'll rely more on their solid running game than on the unreliable arm of the overconfident Clausen.

Keep an eye on Navy's Dobbs. I have a feeling you'll be hearing a lot about him over the next two years. He's got great athleticism to run the triple option, but he has a stronger arm than any Navy quarterback in recent memory.

Northwestern 21, Michigan 14
Michigan lost their school record 8th game of the season in snow flurries against Northwestern. I know this is going to prompt even more criticism from Michigan fans and the national media, but everyone needs to hit the breaks a little bit.

Sure, and 8-loss season is something Michigan should never have to experience, but when you consider the magnitude of the overhaul taking place to the offense, you have to expect some setbacks. Watching the game, I didn't get the feeling that Michigan was a terrible team. Defensively they are actually quite good.

The 2008 Wolverines are simply a team in transition, and hasn't been able to catch any breaks this season. So lay off Rich Rodriguez (at least for the time being), because he needs at least a couple more years to get his players in place before it's fair to make a judgment on the job he is doing in Ann Arbor.

Georgia 17, Auburn, 13
As expected this was an ugly, low scoring game. Auburn proved to me they haven't quit on this season. Despite all the coaching turmoil and the mounting losses, the Auburn players were still giving a solid effort on the field, and almost pulled the upset.

The main question I had watching the game is: what in the world was Tony Franklin thinking? For some reason, Franklin had it in his head that Chris Todd was a better quarterback than Kodi Burns. Well, he couldn't have been more wrong - and maybe that had something to do with his firing at mid-season.

Burns played a solid game against Georgia. His athleticism is obviously far superior to Todd's, but Burns proved to me today that he is a much better pocket passer as well. Burns has a stronger arm, and more importantly, doesn't panic in the pocket and make stupid throws the way Todd did. In the SEC, you can't have a quarterback that can't handle a pass rush.

BP-Picks against the Spread 11/15

This is where the rubber meets the road and with just 4 weeks left(I can't believe the season is almost over),it's time to prove that Pikes Picks is consistently better then the competition.

The Sledge 267-252-5
The "Experts" 258-261-5

And to the picks:

Ball St -18.5 at Miami(oh), LOSS
Temple -2.5 at Kent St, LOSS
Central Michigan +3 at N. Illinois, WIN
Buffalo +2.5 at Akron, WIN
Miami -4 vs Virginia Tech, LOSS
UNLV -8.5 vs Wyoming, LOSS
Cincinnati -3 at Louisville, WIN
Alabama -19.5 vs Miss St.
Indiana +34 at Penn St.
Florida -21 vs S Carolina
Ohio St -10 at Illinois
Georgia -8 at Auburn
Northwestern +3.5 at Michigan
Rutgers +7.5 at USF
Clemson -11.5 vs Duke
Notre Dame -3 at Navy
Iowa -14 vs Purdue
Texas -13 at Kansas
Middle Tennessee St at W Kentucky
Colorado St -1 vs New Mexico
Ole Miss -21 vs ULM
W Michigan -16 vs Toledo
Louisiana Tech -13 vs Utah St.
S Mississippi -2.5 vs E Carolina
Tulane -4.5 vs UAB
Air Force +4 vs BYU
Maryland +3 vs N Carolina
Oregon St -3 vs California
NC St +4 vs Wake Forest
Wisconsin -13.5 vs Minnesota
Arizona +3.5 at Oregon
Nebraska -6.5 at Kansas St.
Florida Atlantic +2.5 vs UL-Lafayette
Texas A&M +7.5 at Baylor
Nevada -14.5 vs San Jose St.
Marshall -7.5 vs UCF
Boise St. -34.5 at Idaho
N Mexico St +15 at Fresno St.
Washington St. +36.5 at Arizona St.
Missouri -26.5 at Iowa St.
USC -22.5 at Stanford
Connecticut -10 at Syracuse
Utah -28.5 at San Diego State
Oklahoma St -17.5 at Colorado
LSU -19.5 vs Troy
Boston College +7 at Florida St.
Kentucky -4.5 vs Vanderbuilt
Tulsa -5 at Houston
UTEP -10 vs SMU
UCLA -7.5 at Washington

WEEK TWELVE - Top 25 Preview (Part II: Top 10)

#1 Texas Tech is IDLE

Mississippi State @ #2 Alabama
(Saturday, 6:45 pm, ESPN)
This game comes down to whether or not Alabama shows up. The fact that the Crimson Tide have lost two in a row to the Croomdawgs means Nick Saban didn’t have to work too hard to get his team’s attention. It will probably still be a hard fought, low scoring game, but I don’t expect Bama to have too much trouble dismissing Mississippi State.
J.Pike’s Pick: Alabama 22, Mississippi State 10

#3 Texas @ Kansas
(Saturday, 11:30 am, FSN)
Simply put, this isn’t the same Kansas team that won a BCS bowl game last year. The Jayhawks definitely miss defensive coordinator Bill Young, who took over the DC job at Miami in the offseason. Kansas is giving up a Big XII worst 276.3 passing yards per game, which means Texas quarterback Colt McCoy should be in for yet another big day. The Longhorns will put this one away early and erase all the recent memories of photo finishes in Lawrence.
J.Pike’s Pick: Texas 42, Kansas 24

South Carolina @ #4 Florida
(Saturday, 2:30 pm, CBS)
I’ll be honest with you, I have no idea what to expect from this Florida team on a week to week basis. Urban Meyer’s squad has as much athleticism as any team in the nation, but they seem to rely on their speed more than on Xs and Os. That leaves the door open for any opponent they face to sneak out of town with a win (see Ole Miss earlier this season). South Carolina brings a solid defense to The Swamp, highlighted by speedy defensive end Eric Norwood and tackling machine Emanuel Cook (if Cook ever misses a tackle, let me know). But the Gamecock offense is anything but consistent. Steve Spurrier keeps going back and forth between freshman Stephen Garcia and error prone (but eligible) Chris Smelley, and that leads to drastic ebbs in the cohesiveness of the offense. I would say Garcia should be the guy, but I have a feeling Smelley might come up big in this game. South Carolina will keep it close, but I’ll give Florida the nod.
J.Pike’s Pick: Florida 24, South Carolina 18

Indiana @ #5 Penn State
(Saturday, 11 am, Big Ten Network)
After getting knocked out of the national title picture with a loss to Iowa last week, you might think the Nittany Lions would pack it in for the season. But the senior leadership on this team won’t let that happen. Quarterback Darryl Clark has been inconsistent of late, but facing the Big Ten’s worst pass defense should allow him and his three senior receivers to get back on track.
J.Pike’s Pick: Penn State 37, Indiana 13

#6 Utah @ San Diego State
(Saturday, 7 pm, The Mtn.)
The clutch comeback win at home over TCU last Thursday night was huge. Now the Utes get to stretch their legs a little bit and get some backups some valuable game experience because San Diego State doesn’t have a chance to compete in this one. Utah was held to 13 points against the stingy Frog defense, but Brian Johnson and company should have no problem putting points on an Aztec defense that has given up at least 35 points in each of the last six games.
J.Pike’s Pick: Utah 44, San Diego State 7

#7 Oklahoma is IDLE

#8 USC @ Stanford
(Saturday, 6 pm, Versus)
I’ve been calling for it for weeks, so here it is: Stanford will upset USC. Again. I know nobody has forgotten about last season when Jim Harbaugh’s troops marched into the Coleseum and emerged victorious, despite being 42 point underdogs. How did they do it? They played scrappy defense, collecting four sacks and forcing five turnovers. Well, fast forward a year and Stanford is now leading the Pac-10 in sacks. They’ll get to Mark Sanchez and force him to make decisions on the run, which means USC will struggle to score. That opens the door for the surprisingly physical Stanford offense to ride Toby Gerhart and the Pac-10’s second ranked rushing attack to victory. USC has been playing outstanding defense of late, but they haven’t really faced a real challenge during that stretch. Oregon State proved that if you aren’t scared of USC, and you come out and punch them in the mouth, the Trojans will back down. Because there’s no use risking an NFL career for a meaningless college game …
J.Pike’s Pick: Stanford 20, USC 18

#9 Georgia @ Auburn
(Saturday, 11:30 am, Raycom/ESPN360.com)
My, how the mighty have fallen. Before the season started I circled this game as one of the top five games to watch this year. Auburn was a preseason top 10 team and Georgia started the year at the very top of the polls. Now Georgia is struggling to maintain legitimacy at 8-2 while Auburn wallows in the pit of the SEC at 5-5. This game could be ugly. Auburn is only averaging 13.3 points per game in SEC play, but they can play a little defense when their hearts are in it. Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno’s heart is always in it, and I expect him to carry the Bulldogs this afternoon.
J.Pike’s Pick: Georgia 24, Auburn 12

#10 Boise State @ Idaho
(Saturday, 4 pm)
It’s a Potato State showdown! Is Boise State ever going to play anybody again? Idaho is one of the worst teams in Division 1A, and there will probably be more Boise fans at the game than Vandals. Boise makes French fries out of Idaho and rolls to 10-0.
J.Pike’s Pick: Boise State 38, Idaho 6

WEEK TWELVE - Top 25 Preview (Part I: 11-25)

#11 Ohio State @ Illinois

(Saturday, 11 am, ESPN)
Illinois became the first blemish on the Ohio State’s Big Ten record late last season, breaking their 20 game conference winning streak. Don’t think the Illini can’t do it again either. Why? Because they possess Buckeye kryptonite – speed. Juice Williams ran circles around James Laurinaitis and company a year ago, and he and Benn will team up to give the Buckeyes problems again on Saturday. The difference between last year and this year though is quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Pryor will be the main ingredient in holding off a motivated Ron Zook squad as the Buckeyes escape Champaigne with a win.
J.Pike’s Pick: Ohio State 25, Illinois 22

#12 Oklahoma State @ Colorado
(Saturday, 7 pm, ABC)
Colorado is struggling right now. Thanks in large part to the growing number of injured starters, the Buffaloes have lost two of their last three ball games. Oklahoma State is coming off a beat-down suffered at the hands of Texas Tech, but the Cowboys have more than enough offensive weapons to put this game away early.
J.Pike’s Pick: Oklahoma State 41, Colorado 17

#13 North Carolina @ Maryland
(Saturday, 2:30 pm, ABC/ESPN)
Sure, Maryland is a perfect 5-0 at home this year and has defeated all three ranked opponents they have played, but the Terps haven’t played a team like North Carolina yet. Butch Davis has his young team playing the best football of his tenure. Quan Sturdivant (77 tackles) and Trimane Goddard (6 interceptions) lead an improving defense that ranks fourth in the ACC in points allowed. Maryland on the other hand is a poor tackling team with nobody to match up with receiver Hakeem Nicks. North Carolina keeps pace with Miami in the Coastal Division by picking up a clutch road win over Maryland.
J.Pike’s Pick: North Carolina 27, Maryland 17

#14 Missouri @ Iowa State
(Saturday, 5:30 pm, FSN)
Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin are finally getting Missouri back on track. After losing two in a row to Big XII South powers Oklahoma State and Texas, the Tigers have struggled to find their rhythm. Considering Iowa State has the worst pass defense in the conference, it’s safe to assume Maclin will see a fair share of passes. If Iowa State has one advantage it’s in the return game where true freshman Leonard Johnson has shown some flash this year. He might be able to take advantage of Mizzou’s often-lackadaisical special teams to provide a spark and keep the Cyclones in this game. At least for a little bit.
J.Pike’s Pick: Missouri 44, Iowa State 20

#15 Michigan State is IDLE

#16 TCU is IDLE

#17 Pittsburgh is IDLE

Boston College @ #18 Florida State
(Saturday, 7 pm, ABC)
Florida State is quietly putting together a solid season. After more seasons of mediocrity than ‘Nole fans care to remember, Jimbo Fisher (he’s the head coach now, right?) has paced his team to a 7-2 start. With Boston College coming to town, the Seminoles face their toughest test to date. BC linebacker Mark Herzlich is a menace who will continue making plays all over the field (even on special teams!), and he’ll make sure nothing is easy for FSU quarterback Christian Ponder. Bobby Bowden announced that five wide receivers will be suspended from this game, but none of them are Greg Carr or Preston Parker, so it won’t matter. Everette Brown (9 sacks), Derek Nicholson (10 tackles for loss) and the Florida State defense hold a significant advantage over the BC offense in nearly every category. That’s where the game will be won. The ‘Noles avoid the upset.
J.Pike’s Pick: Florida State 22, Boston College 16

Troy @ #22 LSU
(Saturday, 7 pm, Tiger Vision PPV)
LSU is on the verge of dropping out of the top 25 entirely. After losing big to Florida and Georgia, the Tigers needed a win over Alabama to maintain legitimacy. Well, the game went into overtime, but nobody watching came out of the game with any confidence at all in quarterback Jarrett Lee. Will Lee be able to find a rhythm against a respectable Sun Belt opponent? It probably won’t matter because Charles Scott and Keiland Williams should have a field day running on the nation’s 55th ranked rush defense.
J.Pike’s Pick: LSU 33, Troy 16

#23 California @ Oregon State
(Saturday, 2:30 pm, ABC)
If for no other reason, you should tune into this game for the exciting running backs. Neither Jahvid Best or Quizz Rodgers stand much taller than an Ewok, but the pair has enough speed and athleticism to light up scoreboards and pad highlight reels. Both teams also field solid defenses, so the two mighty mite backs will have to earn their yards today. The difference in this game will actually come down to quarterback play. Cal will be going with Kevin Riley (a huge upgrade over Nate Longshore), who isn’t flashy, but just knows how to win. Lyle Moevao is inconsistent, and facing a Cal defense that leads the Pac-10 with 17 interceptions, I think he’ll make a key mistake down the stretch, probably involving a forced pass that gets picked off by Cal’s stud corner Syd’Quan Thompson.
J.Pike’s Pick: California 23, Oregon State 22

#24 Georgia Tech is IDLE

#25 BYU @ Air Force
(Saturday, 2:30 pm, CBS College Sports)
I love Troy Calhoun and the Falcons. Unfortunately this is a game where BYU’s skill will be too much for Air Force to handle. Harvey Unga, not Max Hall, will be the reason for victory. The bruising sophomore will be able to gain tough yards against the undersized Air Force front which will keep the chains moving.
J.Pike’s Pick: BYU 28, Air Force 24