2014 Week 12 Game Previews

Week 12 Game Previews

BRETT CIANCIA and MIKE NOWOSWIAT
November 12th, 2014

Simply put, this is what we do best. As evidenced by our "Most Accurate BCS Predictions" title, we take pride in our season previews and weekly game picks. As we have done each week since we launched the site, the two of us will analyze, preview, and predict the results of the best SIX games each week.
New this season: if your team's game didn't make the cut here, our conference experts have you covered. Find the links (on the RIGHT) for further analysis for every conference game not shown on this page, along with Heisman discussion and our weekly Deion Sanders Award for the Best Pick Six of the Week.

Enjoy your Football Weekend!

MISSISSIPPI STATE AT ALABAMA
A couple of weeks out of the spotlight and the Bulldogs have been somewhat forgotten. They struggled to win convincingly against Kentucky and Arkansas and now, all of a sudden, a team that is undefeated in the SEC West finds itself a 7 point underdog. The Crimson Tide's recent turnaround certainly is impressive, and playing a game in Bryant-Denney Stadium should give them about 4 points right away. Not to mention, two of Mississippi State's "big" wins were against LSU and Texas A&M when both teams were struggling. Another win aided by turnovers against Auburn has given Mississippi State the inside track to the top seed for the Playoff. Dak Prescott will get the spotlight once again and a chance to take control of the Heisman race. He has passed for over 2,200 yards and ran for nearly 800 more. If he gets to 1,000 rushing yards and wins against Alabama and Ole Miss, it will be nearly impossible to hand the trophy to someone else. However, the two best defenses in the SEC are Alabama and Ole Miss. Alabama has come on here later in the season to look like a vintage Alabama title defense. However, they have not seen a receiving corp like the Bulldogs all season. Kevin White of West Virginia gave the Tide troubles and I expect De'Runnya Wilson to give the DBs some trouble. This is a great matchup: Alabama hasn't seen an offense like this and Mississippi State hasn't seen a defense like this. In the end, Mississippi State has been too impressive in the spotlight this year. Mississippi State 24 Alabama 20

NEBRASKA AT WISCONSIN
Not only is the Big Ten West Division at stake, but Nebraska and Wisconsin will battle for the newly introduced “Freedom Trophy.” This is just the latest forced rivalry trophy in the league, but the series itself has potential to become something special (regardless of the piece of bronze up for grabs). Former legendary coach and current Athletic Director Barry Alvarez played under Bob Devaney at Nebraska. After taking over the Wisconsin program, he modeled it off of Nebraska’s success: the power running game, the walk-on program, even the uniforms and block letters on the helmets. UW and NU are clearly the two most dominant programs in the West Division, and will most likely face off annually for a trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship Game.
They have only played 8 times, 3 since Nebraska joined the league in 2011. For 10 of those 12 quarters, it has been sheer Wisconsin dominance. If not for a furious 2nd-half comeback in their first 2012 matchup, the series would be a Badger sweep. The word “sweep” might still cause nightmares for the Huskers, as UW ran jet sweeps all game long and simply couldn’t be stopped in their 70-31 BigTen Title game rout of NU the last time they met.
For these similar teams, the storyline is clearly in the backfield. Melvin Gordon and Ameer Abdullah are both among the Top 5 nationally in rushing, and both find themselves in the Heisman discussion. While Abdullah’s health (MCL sprain) is a question mark, the fact holds that Nebraska NEEDS him to carry the offense. In his departure last game against Purdue, the unit looked like a shell of itself, and mostly struggled to put away the Boilermakers. It is strength on strength for both squads; both teams run the ball and stop the run, a time-tested strategy for success. If it comes down to other areas of offense, the clear advantage goes towards the Huskers, with a core of playmaking receivers that UW cannot match. Tommy Armstrong needs to distribute the football effectively, and cut down on the forced throws and fumbled snaps (this is Division 1, not Little League). For Wisconsin, Stave’s lack of mobility at QB is a concern, because Pelini’s match-zone defenses tend to struggle more with a dual-threat. Nebraska’s defensive line will do enough to force Stave to make plays through the air – a task that I don’t see occurring enough for the Badgers to defend Camp Randall here. This is our "November Roadtrip Game" this season, and to use some Lee Corso logic: the last three Nebraska road games I have attended, the Huskers have won by 3 points each time...
Nebraska 27 Wisconsin 24

AUBURN AT GEORGIA
While it was great to witness the exciting finishes Auburn had over Georgia and Alabama last year, you just knew that both teams were going to give Auburn their best games in 2014. Not to mention, Georgia just lost shamefully to their rival Florida in Jacksonville and should be extra focused. To make matters even worse for Auburn, it will be down a star player on Saturday and Georgia will get its star back. Duke Williams is doubtful with a leg injury while Todd Gurley will be back in the lineup after serving his suspension. Oh yeah, and the game is at Georgia. Should I just stop the analysis here? I am obviously very high on Georgia in this game and the Bulldogs have been quite impressive this season. Mark Richt seems to give up a game he shouldn't every single season so I'm basically going to ignore the Florida game. And if he gives up two games, he already lost to South Carolina. I expect Georgia to be at their best. When they are, they are very good on both sides of the ball. Auburn has given up 136 rushing yards per game against ranked foes, and I expect Todd Gurley to have a huge game in his return. In a resounding 'revenge' game, Georgia rolls. Georgia 41 Auburn 27

FLORIDA STATE AT MIAMI
Is Miami favored in this game? Well, no, FSU is favored by 2 points. But the Hurricanes have been such a popular upset pick and Florida State's undefeated record and talented players seem to have been forgotten. Duke Johnson has Heisman talent and with a very strong end of the season...you never know. He should have a big game as FSU has struggled to contain running games this year. Mario Edwards seems to finally be healthy along the defensive line so his impact will be huge. Miami has played much better as of late culminating in a very impressive victory of North Carolina 47-20. North Carolina has an impressive offense and a poor defense, so it was Miami's defense that showed me a lot, limiting UNC to only 258 yards. I expect Miami to give Florida State a game, but most teams have this season. I don't think freshman Brad Kaaya will be able to do enough to finish Jameis Winston and the Seminoles off. Miami's defense can hold FSU in check all game, but if the Hurricanes don't have a multiple-touchdown lead heading into the fourth, Winston is simply the best in crunch time. He has never lost a game! Factor that in with the fact that Florida State dropped a spot in the new Playoff rankings, and I think we will see a talented, hungry Seminole team leave with yet another victory. Florida State 41 Miami 35

MISSOURI AT TEXAS A&M
The SEC game of former Big XII teams has serious SEC East ramifications and will give us another look at the future for Texas A&M. The Aggies were lucky to get off to a sizzling hot start last week against Auburn as they did just enough to get a season-defining win. Kyle Allen looks like a freshman, but he certainly did not act like a freshman last week at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Allen completed 65% of his passes for 277 yards and 4 touchdowns. He had all four touchdowns in the first half and got the home team down right away. Missouri has made a living off of turnovers and team efforts. The defense hasn't allowed 300 yards in three straight weeks. With edge rushers like Shane Ray and Markus Golden, Missouri makes a living rushing the passer. If they can get pressure, Kyle Allen is still a freshman; he will make mistakes. However, the Aggie offensive line is a strength and I anticipate solid protection. The Aggie offense is very talented and at the end of the season, these freshman are starting to play more like sophomores. With a monumental victory last week, I expect Texas A&M to get back on track and pick up another impressive victory. Texas A&M 31 Missouri 24

CLEMSON AT GEORGIA TECH
Clemson has elevated the overall talent on its roster over the last few seasons, which has helped it overcome its struggles to Georgia Tech. Clemson has sort of out-athleted the Yellow Jackets over the past few years in Death Valley. However, now that GT has Clemson back in Atlanta for the first time in three years, Clemson will have to win one on the road to prove it has changed the dynamic of this series. Deshaun Watson returns just in time as the Tigers have proved to be much better with him under center. Watson should have plenty of time to throw as Georgia Tech's defensive front leaves a lot to be desired. DC Ted Roof has done a masterful job this season with limited defensive talent by playing a great 'bend-but-don't-break' style. His back seven features some playmakers, but he needs to send to many people in order to dial up pressure. Fortunately, the Yellow Jackets should have Pat Gamble and Shawn Greene back along the line. Clemson's wide receivers will still pose problems for the secondary because of how talented they are and how much time Watson may have to throw. The opportunities will be there for Clemson to score, will they execute? Georgia Tech has its best offense since its 2009 season led by Josh Nesbitt, Jonathan Dwyer, and Demaryius Thomas. Justin Thomas and the offensive line are the main reasons why. Not to mention, they have their best WR group ever under Johnson. Thomas was the best receiver, but DeAndre Smelter and Darren Waller are good, big targets on the outside and Thomas knows how to deliver it to them. Clemson's defense is supremely talented, but Georgia Tech poses a different challenge. I think the Jackets will be able to score. However, Watson's return will probably prove to be too much. Clemson 37 Georgia Tech 27

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HEISMAN RIVALRY TROPHIES DEION SANDERS AWARD

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