Kyle was too intensely disinterested to pick any national games of interest last week, so his non-SEC ledger still stands at 25-13. He's too much of a hater to give you any forecasts this week, so you're stuck with me. You may have already seen my SEC selections. If so, you know I have no idea what I'm talking about. And I actually watch most of the SEC games. With national games you're getting abject conjecture and enough last-minute, internet-based research to make a high school senior blush. You've been fairly warned, but my legal training won't let me continue without removing any and all doubt about what you should(n't) do with each of these pigskin prognostications: Don't Bet On It!
Virginia Tech Hokies at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (-1) - Note: This game will be played at 8:00 p.m. (EST) on Thursday, November 20th. You have every right to ask why you should care about a Thursday night ACC game. It's a fair question. Fortunately, there's also a fair answer: watching Georgia Tech lose is fun. Virginia Tech's rushing defense is sturdy enough to rank fifth nationally, and, despite a deceptive start to the season, North Avenue Trade's passing attack is predictably bad. And, hey, if Georgia Tech somehow manages to win, they'll probably play in the ACC championship game, which would give us another opportunity to claim a transitive ACC championship after we beat them at the end of the month.
Michigan St. Spartans (-2.5) at Iowa Hawkeyes - The winner of this game will have the inside track to represent the Leaders Atlantic Coastal Legends division in the inaugural Big Integer championship game. OK, so, I really only picked this game to make that joke, and I really don't know anything about either of these two teams. But since the Hawkeyes are undefeated at home, and both of the Spartans' losses have come on the road, I guess I'll take Iowa plus the points.
Texas A&M Aggies (-4.5) at Kansas State Wildcats - Kansas State is ranked. Let that sink in for a moment. Kansas State. Is. Ranked. This team has been playing since 1896, and they can't manufacture a single national championship for their media guide. This team's last Big XII title came courtesy of the most over-hyped and overrated team of all time, the 2003 Oklahoma Sooners. This team is most well-known for having a logo that looks like the Thundercats'. Yes, the Wildcats are ranked, and they're going to beat A&M when the Aggies inevitably collapse in the second half.
TCU Horned Frogs at Boise State Broncos (-15) - This is the mid-major equivalent of the Alabama-LSU Game of the Century (of the week). With BCS-busting dreams on the line, these two undefeated titans... wait, TCU already lost? Twice? To Baylor and SMU?!? OK, then. Look for the Broncos to ride roughshod over the Horned Frogs and try to score some style points for the voters.
Oregon Ducks at Stanford Cardinal (-3.5) - This game decided the PAC-10 last year, and it will probably decide the PAC-12 this year given the weakness of the South division. Since losing to consensus #1 LSU to open the season, Oregon has won eight in a row by double digit margins. The Ducks rank in the top 10 nationally in total offense, rushing offense, and scoring offense. However, the defense has taken a big step back this year. While future #1 overall pick and Heisman front-runner Andrew Luck gets all of the media attention, the Cardinal are quietly racking up nearly 225 yards per game on the ground, and their defense is giving up just 16.56 points per game. Stanford builds up a comfortable lead in the first half and then holds off a second half rally to win by a TD or more.
Go Dawgs! Auburna delenda est!