Week 12 Staff Picks

Last week The Sports Messiah whooped up on Matt Lytle in our Staff Picks. Overall The Sports Messiah is sitting at 8-4, and Matt is at 5-7. Matt has said he was picking a few upsets last week to try to gain on his competition, but he didn't end up picking Texas A&M over Alabama, which he thought about doing.

Here are this week's picks.

Matt Lytle (@mattlytle) [overall: 5-7]

Cincinnati over Rutgers

USC over UCLA

Oklahoma State over Texas Tech

Western Kentucky over Louisiana-Lafayette

West Virginia over Oklahoma

Oregon over Stanford

The Sports Messiah (@thesportsmessia) [overall: 8-4]

Cincinnati over Rutgers

USC over UCLA

Oklahoma State over Texas Tech

Oklahoma over West Virginia

Louisiana-Lafayette over Western Kentucky

Oregon over Stanford

#13 Stanford Cardinal at #2 Oregon Ducks Preview

Saturday night at 8:00 PM ET on ABC, the #13 Stanford Cardinal travel to Eugene, Oregon to take on the #2 Oregon Ducks. Both teams are atop of the PAC-12 North, and although the Ducks look to have the division on lock, Stanford is still looking to pull the upset. Not only could Stanford shut down the Ducks' hope to play for a National Championship, but they could also shut down Kenjon Barner's campaign for the Heisman Trophy.

Kenjon Barner is looking to add to his Heisman Trophy
campaign tonight against the Stanford Cardinal.

Kenjon Barner has rushed for 1,360 yards this season, and scored 19 rushing touchdowns. He is definitely a Heisman hopeful, and looks to add on to his impressive stats tonight inside Autzen Stadium. Oregon's rushing game is ranked third in the nation, averaging 325.1 yards per game. Many of those yards are because of Kenjon.

Freshman quarterback Marcus Mariota will also look to be apart of the Ducks beating Stanford and improving their record to 11-0 this season. Mariota has been rather impressive this season with 2,164 yards thrown and 28 touchdowns. He has worked for these stats, but he has two key receivers that have made it a little bit easier for him. De'Anthony Thomas and Josh Huff are those two receivers. Thomas has 378 receiving yards and four touchdowns while Huff has 355 yards and seven touchdowns.

Freshman QB Kevin Hogan wants to lead Stanford to
an upset over #2 ranked Oregon.

Stanford is led by freshman quarterback who just worked his way up to starting QB (Kevin Hogan). Although he hasn't started that many games for Stanford, he has been rather impressive, throwing 447 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions. For a freshman, he isn't doing too bad. However, playing against another starting freshman QB in Marcus Mariota, is no small task.

Stanford's senior running back, Stepfan Taylor has a little over 1,000 yards rushing and nine rushing touchdowns. Taylor will look to have a dominant day in leading Stanford to pulling the upset in Eugene.

The key to this game for Stanford is going to be shutting down Oregon's running game. Definitely a tough task, if they can shut down Kenjon Barner, and maybe make freshman quarterback Marcus Mariota to make a couple of mistakes, the Stanford Cardinal could definitely pull this upset. However Oregon's offense has been insane, being able to score almost at will. Stanford is up for a tough task tonight at 8:00, but in college football you never say never.

- Matt Lytle

@mattlytle

#12 Oklahoma Sooners at West Virginia Mountaineers Preview

Oklahoma and West Virginia began the season with a lot of Heisman hype. Landry Jones, who is the Sooners' quarterback and Geno Smith, the Mountaineers' QB, both looked to take possession of the prestigious trophy. Now it seems, neither will end up with the honor.

Oklahoma has only lost two games this season (to current #1 team Kansas State and current #3 team Notre Dame). The Sooners still look strong, and look to travel to Morgantown and defeat the Mountaineers in front of their hometown crowd.

Landry Jones looks to defeat WVU on Saturday night.

The Sooners are obviously led by their senior quarterback Landry Jones. Jones has thrown for 2,691 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has had an amazing career at Oklahoma, and looks to continue it Saturday night at 7:00 PM.

Jones has a very capable running back in his backfield in Damien Williams. Williams has carried the ball over 100 times for nearly 700 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Landry also has a reliable receiver in Kenny Stills, who has reeled in 54 catches for 682 yards and six touchdowns.

Oklahoma's passing game is ranked 15th in the country with an average of 309 passing yards per game. 15th in the country isn't too bad, however, West Virginia is ranked fifth! Yes, I said fifth.

WVU is led by Geno Smith, who is a senior just like Landry Jones. Smith has had an outstanding year with over 3,000 yards passing, 31 touchdowns thrown, and only three interceptions. How WVU hasn't won more games is beyond me. Currently they are sitting at 5-4. Their first five games, they won them all. So now they're riding a four game losing streak. They're hoping to snap that slump on Saturday.

Geno Smith has an amazing 31 TDs thrown this season.

Smith has two very nice targets at wide out. Stedman Bailey, a junior, who has 75 catches this season for 1,055 yards and 16 touchdowns. On the other side, he has senior receiver Tavon Austin. Austin has 96 receptions for nearly 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns.

WVU's biggest strength is their passing game, and obviously putting points on the board (they're ranked 10th in the country for points scored, with an average of 40 points. Oklahoma is ranked 12th with an average of 39 points scored). Oklahoma's defense is ranked higher than WVU, and that will be a big key in the game.

If Oklahoma can shut down Geno Smith and WVU's passing game, it's simple, they'll win the game. WVU isn't doing very well in the running game, while Oklahoma has done an okay job.

Both teams put points on the board and make it look easy. Whoever can shut down the others' offense is going to win the game. Turnovers can play a big part in this game, and more importantly scoring off of those turnovers.

I'm going to say that whoever has the most turnovers, is going to win this game. But I also believe this is going to be a shootout. Very exciting, and high scoring. If you like those types of games, I encourage you to tune in at 7:00 PM Saturday night on Fox. Get your popcorn and soda ready, it's going to be quite a game!

- Matt Lytle

@mattlytle

#22 Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Cincinnati Bearcats Preview

Gary Nova will look to lead #22 Rutgers past Cincinnati on Saturday.

Saturday at noon eastern, the #22 Rutgers Scarlet Knights travel to Nippert Stadium to take on the Cincinnati Bearcats in a Big East showdown that could see the Bearcats clawing their way back to the top of the Big East standings, although Louisville will need to lose another game or two as well.

The Scarlet Knights are led by sophomore quarterback Gary Nova, who is 162/264 for the year with 1,939 yards, 18 touchdowns thrown, and 10 interceptions. Nova has been a staple in the offense, and has stepped up saying he'll take a bigger role if junior running back Jawan Jamison can't go because of an ankle injury. Coach Kyle Flood has said Jamison has a 75% chance to go against the Bearcats on Saturday. Good sign for Rutgers, as Jamison has over 900 rushing yards, and punched it in the endzone for four touchdowns.

Junior wide receiver Brandon Coleman will also look to have a big game, adding on to his receiving total of an already impressive 503 yards and eight touchdowns.

Another big factor of this game with be the Scarlet Knights' defense, who has only given up an average of 13 points per game. That makes them ranked fifth in the nation.

New starting QB Brendon Kay looks to take down the Scarlet Knights.

Cincinnati looks like they have found a new starting quarterback in their senior QB Brendon Kay, who had his first career start last week against Temple. He led the Bearcats to a 34-10 victory, throwing for over 200 yards and two touchdowns through the air.

Munchie Legaux, who had a lot of hype coming into the season, hasn't been as effective as the Bearcats had hoped, so it looks like Kay may have earned himself the starter role for the rest of his senior year.

Legaux however still could be used as he can throw the ball as well as scramble with it. Not sure if Cincinnati would want to go that route, but with another QB like Munchie, it opens up the playbook to all sorts of trick plays.

The Bearcats rushing game has averaged 226 yards per game, which makes them ranked 16th in the country. Senior running back George Winn is leading the team with 173 carries for 980 yards and nine touchdowns. Winn will be looking to break 1,000 yards for the season this Saturday, and odds are, he will. Ralph Abernathy, who is a sophomore, has also seen some rushing attempts for 341 yards and three touchdowns.

Brendon Kay finds himself in a high pressure spot Saturday at Nippert Stadium, but he has two wide receivers that will make his job a little easier. Both seniors, Travis Kelce and Kenbrell Thompkins have about 50 receptions between the two of them for over 800 combined yards and six total touchdowns.

The key to this game will be Brendon Kay and the Bearcats offense. If they can wear down Rutgers defense, and be able to have a good showing from George Winn to open up some nice deep pass plays by QB Kay, the Bearcats could definitely win this game.

The Scarlet Knights will need to shut down the offensive weapons that the Bearcats possess to win this one. It should definitely be a good one Saturday at noon. It looks like it'll be airing on the Big East Network, or on ESPN3. You can also probably catch it on your WatchESPN app. I know I will be!

- Matt Lytle

@mattlytle

#18 USC Trojans at #17 UCLA Bruins Preview

Another marquee game this week features a PAC-12 showdown of the Southern California schools as #18 USC travels across town to #17 UCLA. Both teams have had strong seasons this year and both have different means of motivation. This game will feature lots of big time talent and a couple of high profile coaches as well. While UCLA has been playing really well as of late, USC will be a tough challenge for the Bruins to overcome.

Having won their last four games, UCLA is riding a nice wave at the moment. Coming off of a blowout win against a ranked Arizona team, UCLA nearly had a letdown against a less-than-mediocre, Washington State team before finding themselves and pulling out a victory. In addition to conference standings, UCLA has even more riding on this game as they have not beaten USC since 2006.

#18 USC looks to take down rival #17 UCLA this weekend.

USC on the other hand, has not played as well as of late, losing two of their last three contests, albeit in close affairs. That being said, the Trojans came on strong at the end of last week’s game and both QB Matt Barkley and star WR Marqise Lee will pose a difficult test for the Bruin defense. Additionally, whether you love him or hate him, Lane Kiffin never fails to get his team ready when the cameras are on. This week is no different as the crosstown rivalry draws a lot of media attention.

What I’ll be watching for is how will UCLA respond to last year’s embarrassment at the hands of the Trojans (55-0)? How will they defend against USC’s strong passing attack? If UCLA can keep this game close late, they will be victorious; however I just don’t see Lane Kiffin and the Trojans allowing this to happen. Vegas has the line favoring USC at -4 which I feel is a pretty accurate spread for this type of game. Although I believe that USC will win, I’m just not sure that it will be beyond the spread as USC is having a rough year (3-7) against the spread.

The Sports Messiah’s Picks: UCLA +4, USC gets the win

- The Sports Messiah

Ohio State Buckeyes at Wisconsin Badgers Preview

One of this week’s “must-see” games features the undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes traveling to meet the Wisconsin Badgers. Over the last several years this game has turned into a heated rivalry as both teams are usually competing for the B1G conference title. Although this year, the implications are slightly different with Ohio State not being in contention for any BCS spot (due to bans by the NCAA), it will more than likely place more pressure on the Badgers. Wisconsin comes into this game riding high after last week’s massacre of the Indiana Hoosiers and will hope for more of the same against the Buckeyes.

Ohio State travels to Madison, WI as the underdogs Saturday.

The Buckeyes on the other hand will be well rested after the bye week and will have had plenty of time to review game tape of the Badgers. As history has shown us, Urban Meyer never fails to have his team ready to play…give him an extra week, and they will be even more ready to play. The Buckeyes are 10-0 this season and have lacked the motivation of the BCS or any other postseason accolades so it only causes my mind to wonder, just how good this team really could be with a little extra motivation.

What I’ll be looking for in this game, is how well the Badgers can run the football. The Ohio State defense is tough up front and will challenge the Badger offensive line to create holes for the tailbacks. If Wisconsin cannot find a way to effectively run the football, then this game will only be close for a few minutes. On the other hand, although the Buckeyes are 10-0, the road has not been as easy as it may look. Having escaped several contests with narrow victories, I don’t expect this game to be a blowout by any stretch of the imagination. With an extra week to prepare, I just don’t see the Buckeyes laying down against the Badgers unless they are simply looking forward to next week vs. Michigan which could be a possibility. Vegas currently has Wisconsin as the favorite at -3, which I think is a little generous. If Wisconsin is to win this game, it will be by a field goal or less so this game looks to be an easy bet for those interested.

The Sports Messiah’s Pick: Ohio State +3

- The Sports Messiah

Two MAC Matchups Tonight!

Tonight I encourage you to at least watch one of the two games that are lined up. I of course will be flipping channels between both. The Ohio Bobcats at Ball State Cardinals game kicks off at 8:00 PM ET on ESPNU, while the Toledo Rockets at Northern Illinois Huskies game begins at 9:00 PM ET and will air on ESPN2. Both games are MAC matchups featuring teams that have anywhere from only one to three losses on the season.

The Ohio Bobcats are sitting at 8-2 and are looking to take down the Ball State Cardinals who are 7-3. The Cardinals have the homefield advantage. The Bobcats have the higher rankings when it comes to rushing the ball, and allowing the least amount of points, meanwhile the Cardinals lead in passing yards. Both teams are scoring an average of about 33 points a game.

Beau Blankenship looks to lead the Bobcats past Ball State tonight.

The key here will be the Cardinals defense, who needs to be able to shut down the Bobcats rushing game, which is led by Beau Blankenship who has nearly 1,200 rushing yards, and eight touchdowns. They will also need to keep an eye on Ohio's dangerous junior quarterback Tyler Tettleton who has only thrown two interceptions in 171 completions, and 16 touchdowns. Tettleton's ability to throw the ball so accurately really opens up the running game for Blankenship, who is now in his junior year.

Ball State's offense is equip as well, with a junior quarterback by the name of Keith Wenning who has thrown for 2,705 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 10 picks. Also their running back Jahwan Edwards has over 1,000 rushing yards this season, and has punched it into the endzone 10 times.

Although neither team look to be able to be contenders for the MAC title, this game should definitely be a nice chess match of offense and defense. I'm looking forward to it.

At 9:00, the Toledo Rockets will travel to Huskie Stadium and look to beat the Northern Illinois Huskies. The Rockets are 8-2 overall this season while the Huskies are 9-1, only losing to Iowa in the beginning of the season. This is a big matchup as both teams are fighting for the top spot in the MAC West.

The Rockets are led by junior quarterback Terrance Owens who has thrown for 2,412 yards, 14 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. One of his favorite targets, junior wide out Bernard Reedy has over 900 yards receiving with six touchdowns. Also Rockets running back David Fluellen has surpassed the 1,000 yard mark and scored 12 rushing touchdowns.

Jordan Lynch is a dual-threat QB with over 3,000 total yards this season.

The Huskies will look to their 10th ranked rushing offense to wear the Rockets down and send the home fans happy. Although the Huskies rushing offense is ranked so high, most of the yardage is not coming from their junior running back who has recorded five touchdowns on the ground. Instead, the yards are coming from junior dual-threat quarterback Jordan Lynch, who has racked up 1,342 yards on the ground, and 16 touchdowns (that's not including his passing touchdowns)! Lynch also has 2,175 yards rushing, 19 touchdowns, and only three interceptions thrown.

I usually give keys to the game in the previews that I write. In this game, I really can't imagine saying there is any other key to the game than Jordan Lynch. Lynch has been amazing this year, with over 3,000 total yards and 25 total touchdowns. The Rockets need to shut this guy down to win this game. Putting pressure on him, causing him to make mistakes, and keeping him in the pocket is the way to win this game. If you let him run on you, or throw on you, it's all over.

The Rockets don't have the greatest defensive rankings, allowing about 27 points a game. Meanwhile the Huskies are only allowing an average of 17 points a game. NIU also averages scoring about 40 points a game, which makes them ranked 9th in the country for points scored. Most of those points are coming from Jordan Lynch. Again, stopping him is the key.

I think it's going to be rough for the Rockets to stop Lynch, but if they can, like I said before, they can win this ball game. This is another game that although it comes under the radar, it could be a really good game.

I hope you guys tune in to at least one of the two of these games. Like I said, I'll be watching both!

- Matt Lytle

@mattlytle

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns Preview

Saturday night at 7:00 the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns play host to the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Both teams are in the middle of the Sun Belt conference standings. The Hilltoppers have already became bowl eligible with an overall record of 6-4, while the Ragin' Cajuns need one more win to gain their sixth of the season.

ULL dual-threat QB Terrance Broadway has 12 pass & 5 rushing TDs.

Although these teams don't have the "big names" that some fans maybe looking for, they are two decent teams, and will play hard against each other on Saturday night. They match up pretty well. ULL is ranked higher in passing yards and points scored, but WKU is higher in rushing yards and points scored against.

Basically we are going to be looking for ULL to try to air it out on WKU with their sophomore quarterback Terrance Broadway, who has thrown for nearly 1,800 yards, and rushed for another 328. Meanwhile, the Hilltoppers will be looking to give the ball to their junior running back Antonio Andrews, who has rushed for 1,141 yards and hit pay dirt eight times this season.

WKU will look to Senior Kawaun Jakes to lead them past ULL Saturday.

WKU also has a very capable senior quarterback by the name of Kawaun Jakes. Jakes is 162/241 for 1,967 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only 9 interceptions. Jakes has been a staple in the WKU offense for many years. Two of his favorite targets are fellow senior Jack Doyle, who is a tight end. Doyle has reeled in 41 catches for 438 yards and three touchdowns. And sophomore wide receiver Willie McNeal, who has 34 receptions, 448 yards and six touchdowns.

Although ULL is atop WKU in passing yard standings, the Hilltoppers seem to be able to score touchdowns through the air as well as on the ground. As far as the Ragin' Cajuns' running game, aside from Broadway who has rushed for quite a few touchdowns, they have sophomore running back Alonzo Harris, who has carried the ball 118 times for over 500 yards. He has also punched the ball into the endzone five times this season, just as many as Terrance Broadway.

Louisiana-Lafayette is coming off of a very close loss to the #6 Florida Gators. If you didn't catch it, the Ragin' Cajuns went into The Swamp and almost pulled an amazing upset, but with 0:02 left on the clock, the Gators blocked a ULL punt attempt and returned it for a touchdown to win the game 27-20. ULL will definitely have that on their mind this weekend when they attempt to gain bowl eligibility against the Hilltoppers.

Using the loss to Florida as motivation may not be a bad idea, but they need to remember not to let Florida beat them twice by keeping that in their minds instead of keeping their mind at the task at hand.

I think Saturday night at Cajun Field, we will be treated to a very well balance game. Both teams seem almost dead even on paper. It could wind up being a high scoring affair, or it could be a highly defensive game (although I'm going with the offensive type). The Hilltoppers are allowing an average of 25 points this season while the Ragin' Cajuns are allowing an average of 28. Seems pretty close. This looks to be an unbelievable matchup. Should be an exciting game!

- Matt Lytle

@mattlytle