Football Future-see 2015: Week Eleven

Alright, we’ve reached the home stretch for this season. The big games are starting to roll around for the Big XII, as evidenced by Oklahoma and Baylor being on our slate this week. Georgia makes their customary appearance, even though they fell from the ranks of the ranked long ago. A big match-up in the American Athletic Conference bring Memphis and Houston to our slate. Alabama has to travel to Starkville to face Dak Prescott and the Bulldogs of Mississippi State. Bama’s opponent last week, LSU, plays host to the Razorbacks of Arkansas. Should be a fun week.

Also, this week, we debut our bowl predictions.

RECORD

Week One	9-1
Week Two	4-1
Week Three	3-2
Week Four	2-3
Week Five	2-3
Week Six	3-2
Week Seven	5-0
Week Eight	3-2
Week Nine	4-1
Week Ten	4-1
Week Eleven	3-2
Week Twelve	0-0
Week Thirteen	0-0
Championships	0-0
Bowls	0-0
OVERALL	42-18	.700

The Games:

Georgia at Auburn (Saturday, Noon, CBS)

It was rather fitting that Georgia got off the schneid by beating Kentucky 27-3, especially after Florida made the Dawgs look awful in their own 27-3 win over Georgia the week before. The Dawgs employed a “wild-dog” offense that kept Kentucky guessing all day. Auburn has been disappointing all year, but they just handed Texas A&M an upset loss that shook up the SEC West. This game is always close. This series has always been close. Every now and then one team will blow out the other, but usually it’s close, usually the underdog sneaks out a win, and often the road team comes away victorious. Georgia really needs to win out in order to play “damage control” with the coaching staff and the fans. Auburn will put up a fight, but the Wild-Dog offense and an invigorated Nick Marshall and Sony Michel should bring Georgia a close win in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. Dawgs win.

Final Score: Georgia 27, Auburn 21
CORRECT: Georgia won 20-13

2 Alabama at 17 Mississippi State (Saturday, 3:30pm, CBS)

Alabama already has a loss, yet they’re #2 in the nation in the eyes of the playoff committee. And I think they may be right. I’m not sure there is anyone in the nation who would be favored over Alabama on a neutral field right now. Mississippi State still has QB Dak Prescott. That counts for a lot, but it doesn’t count for enough to win over Alabama. The Tide is on a roll, an RB Derrick Henry is making great strides toward winning the Heisman this year. I like Alabama in this one, and it won’t be as close as the score indicates.

Final Score: Alabama 28, Mississippi State 17
CORRECT: Alabama won 31-6

21 Memphis at 24 Houston (Saturday, 7:00pm, ESPN2)

Houston has won five straight games in this series, but Memphis has inched closer each time. The Tigers have a really good offense, as evidenced by their win over Ole Miss. But they just had a very-much down game against Navy. Houston has the better defense between these two, and will try to exercise that against the Tigers offense. This game could very well decide the winner of the American Athletic Conference West Division. Memphis has the better wins on the season, but I like Houston to win here in a close game.

Final Score: Houston 24, Memphis 20
CORRECT: Houston won 35-34

Arkansas at 9 LSU (Saturday, 7:15pm, ESPN)

LSU, and more specifically, LSU’s RB Leonard Fournette, were made to look mortal against Alabama last week. Fournette was regularly going for 150 or 200 yards per game. Alabama held him to 31. Meanwhile, the LSU defense gave up much to Tide’s offense. Arkansas, on the other hand, is coming off a thrilling overtime win over Ole Miss, in which the Razorbacks offense put up 53 on the proud Land Shark defense. LSU will have to shape up defensively, and they have to refocus on offense in order to stay in playoff contention. I like LSU to win here, but I think the Razorbacks keep it uncomfortable for LSU basically all day. Tigers win close.

Final Score: LSU 26, Arkansas 21
INCORRECT: Arkansas won 31-14

12 Oklahoma at 6 Baylor (Saturday, 8:00pm, ABC)

How insulted does Baylor have to feel now? Iowa just jumped them in the playoff poll. Iowa? Over Baylor? The biggest thing going for Baylor right now is that they are just entering the meat of their schedule. The Bears have several ranked opponents left. Oklahoma is gaining momentum after an off loss to Texas, but it may be too late for the Sooners. Baylor, even without QB Seth Russell, is still on fire. This game has shootout written all over it. The Big XII, unfortunately, is not known for its defenses. I like Baylor to outscore Oklahoma, but it’ll be close. Bears win.

Final Score: Baylor 38, Oklahoma 34
INCORRECT: Oklahoma won 44-34

Right Wing Top Ten

Week Five of the poll features all sorts of changes.

NR = Not Ranked the previous Week

NC = No Change from previous week

+ = Moved Up

-  = Moved Down

Dropped Out: None

15. Michigan Wolverines (NC)

14. Michigan State Spartans (-6)

13. TCU Horned Frogs (-8)

12. Florida Gators (+2)

11. LSU Tigers (-9)

10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+3)- The Irish may very well wind up crashing the playoff party, given their brutal schedule.

9. Utah Utes (+2)- Utah still has a chance to go to the PAC-12 Championship Game.

8. Oklahoma Sooners (+2)- Oklahoma is still very much alive in the Big XII.

7. Iowa Hawkeyes (+2)- Iowa is still undefeated. I will repeat that…Iowa is still undefeated.

6. Oklahoma State Cowboys (+6)- Oklahoma State put a very serious beating on TCU, making their presence known in the Big XII.

5. Ohio State Buckeyes (+2)- Ohio State is still not that high on my list, but they are getting better and better each week.

4. Stanford Cardinal (+2)- Stanford would be much higher were it not for that early loss to Northwestern.

3. Baylor Bears (NC)- Baylor was not impressive against Kansas State, but they’re still undefeated. TCU cannot say that anymore.

2. Alabama Crimson Tide (+2)- Alabama might have one loss, but they would probably be favored against almost anyone in the nation. They are that good.

1. Clemson Tigers (NC)- Clemson just proved that they can take a hit to the mouth and keep going. You need to be that tough to win a championship.

Right Wing Bowl Predictions

Playoffs

Cotton Bowl: Clemson vs Baylor

Orange Bowl: Alabama vs Ohio State

Top Tier Bowls

Peach Bowl: LSU vs Notre Dame

Sugar Bowl: Florida vs Oklahoma State

Rose Bowl: Iowa vs Utah

Fiesta Bowl: Temple vs Stanford

Second Tier Bowls

Outback Bowl: Michigan vs Mississippi State

TaxSlayer (Gator) Bowl: Georgia vs Penn State