College Football Saturday Preview

Been a busy week and didn't have the time for my regular in depth weekend sports preview, but in the interest of keeping it up and coming off a 11-4 record of predictions last week, I'll extend my hand on today and tomorrow's key games and give you something to watch this weekend, starting with today's college football matchups. Also take note, the College Basketball season is under way and there are literally thousands of games taking place in the upcoming week, so lets sit back and watch those games for now and see how the early season shakes out.

Quick note and thanks to Michael Rand from the Star Tribune for his article on my recent MN Sports Misery Rankings. Also a big thanks to Tom from the TheDailyGopher for their inclusion as well. I highly recommend you follow their blogs!

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

TOP 25 FACEOFFS
12 ALABAMA (7-2) vs 19 MISSISSIPPI STATE (7-2) 6:15p
The Crimson Tide are coming off a tough loss to LSU last week and the Bulldogs of MSU are flying high on a 6 game emotional win streak. It's tough to bet against Alabama at home, but Mississippi State has the energy and a stout defense to do it. That said, Alabama has the big game experience.
ALABAMA 24-21

17 MISSOURI (7-2) vs 24 KANSAS STATE (6-3) 11:30a
Missouri is reeling after 2 tough back to back losses against Nebraska and Texas Tech. Kansas State beat Texas last week in what normally would have been considered a big victory, but Texas is down this year and their recent losses to Nebraska, Baylor, and Oklahoma State suggest the Wildcats don't have enough to stay with the big boys this year.
MISSOURI 28-18

22 FLORIDA (6-3) vs 23 SOUTH CAROLINA (6-3) 6:15p
I thought this was the year of the Gamecock, but after last weeks trouncing at the hands of Arkansas, South Carolina has a little ways to go to be considered elite, and that was a home game. Now they travel to Florida and play at one of the toughest stadiums in college football. The Gators havent had the best year, but they're coming off 2 wins and momentum is in their favor.
FLORIDA 35-27

RIVALRY GAMES

2 AUBURN (10-0) vs GEORGIA (5-5) 2:30p Deep South's Oldest Rivalry
The Deep South's oldest rivalry takes place in Auburn on Saturday against 2 teams going in opposite directions. The game will be hard fought because of the rivalry, but the talent all lies with Auburn in this one that could turn into a laugher.
AUBURN 41-28

MARYLAND (6-3) at VIRGINIA (4-5) 2:30p Formerly for the Tydings Trophy
It's the 2nd oldest out of state rivalry for Virginia and the only a much bigger rivalry for Maryland, who doesn't possess a single arch rival. The series dates back to 1919, and the Terps lead 41-31-2 all time. Virginia lost to Duke last week, which negates any further discussion here.
MARYLAND 41-31

25 TEXAS A&M (6-3) at BAYLOR (7-3) 6p Battle of the Brazos
According to Wikipedia, in the early days of the rivalry, Texas A&M was an all-male college, and Baylor was the closest college that had female students. Many Aggies dated Baylor coeds causing some resentment among the male students at Baylor, who did not have a corresponding pool of young women from Texas A&M to date. So you can see why there might be some blood between the two. The Bears are a much better team this year but are coming off a bad loss to Oklahoma State, whereas the Aggies just defeated #8 Oklahoma.
TEXAS A&M 35-28

GOPHER WATCH
MINNESOTA (1-9) at ILLINOIS (5-4) 11a
One team is counting down the days till the end of the season, and the other is 1 win away from a bowl-eligible season. The Illini have the talent, motivation, and homefield advantage. The Gophers are one of the worst in college football this season. Easy pick.
ILLINOIS 38-24

That's it for today, happy watching and I'll try to get NFL previews/picks out later today.

until then, remember that when driving in snow, it's not a certainty that you'll stop when you hit the brakes...

bsv
the courtesy wave