Week 13 College Football Picks: Rivalry Week

IT'S RIVALRY WEEK!!!!!!!!!! For many fans (and players/coaches), this is the biggest week of the season. Not only are their bragging rights and rivalry trophies at stake this weekend, there are also conference championships (and Playoff spots) on the line. Here is what's up for grabs on Saturday:

• The winner of Alabama-Auburn will play Georgia in the SEC Championship
• If Washington State beats Washington, the Huskies will go to the Pac-12 Championship Game to play USC. If Washington wins, Stanford will go to the Pac-12 Championship Game.
• Multiple teams need to win to keep any hopes of getting into the Playoff alive.

Let's get to the Rivalry Week picks. But first...

Picks

#9 Ohio State 28, Michigan 14 (Noon, FOX)
Line: OHIOST -12   O/U: 50

This year's installment of the best rivalry in college football features an Ohio State team looking to keep its Playoff hopes alive against an offensively-challenged Michigan team. The Wolverines could keep it real close in the Big House, but I just don't see John O'Korn and the Michigan offense being able to keep up with J.T. Barrett and company.

#7 Georgia 24, Georgia Tech 17 (Noon, ABC)
Line: UGA -11   O/U: 51.5

Georgia will try to keep its Playoff hopes alive when it battles in-state rival Georgia Tech in Atlanta. I think the host Yellow Jackets will hang in their in a game that will likely be highlighted by the running backs, but I think Georgia's lethal tandem of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel will propel the Bulldogs past Georgia Tech.

Kansas 10, #19 Oklahoma State 48 (Noon, FS1)
Line: OKLAST -41   O/U: 70

Oklahoma State will look to close out the season with a win over lowly Kansas. The Cowboys are coming off a disappointing loss to Kansas State, while the Jayhawks are coming off 10 straight disappointing losses to various teams. Mason Rudolph and the 'Boys shouldn't have any problem at home against Kansas, but may have trouble covering the 41-point spread.

East Carolina 21, #20 Memphis 52 (Noon, ESPNU)
Line: MEMP -28.5   O/U: 79

The 9-1 Memphis Tigers will look to keep their hopes of a New Year's Six Bowl alive against East Carolina this weekend. The 3-8 Pirates are coming off an impressive win over Cincinnati, but ECU is no match for the high-powered Tigers. Memphis should be able to cruise into its monumental conference championship meeting with UCF.

#1 Alabama 31, #10 Auburn 28 (3:30 PM, CBS)
Line: BAMA -4.5   O/U: 47

The weekend's most highly-anticipated matchup is an Iron Bowl meeting between two top ten teams with Playoff hopes. The winner of this rivalry game will go to the SEC Championship Game. The Crimson Tide have dominated the Iron Bowl in recent years, but the Tigers have played very well at home. I think it'll come down to the wire, but I'll go with the unbeaten Crimson Tide.

#5 Wisconsin 35, Minnesota 17 (3:30 PM, ABC)
Line: WISC -17   O/U: 43.5

The unbeaten Badgers have a big matchup with Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship coming up, but first, Wisky will look to hold on to Paul Bunyan's Axe when it travels to Minnesota this weekend. Wisconsin has beaten two ranked teams in a row, while the Golden Gophers just lost, 39-0, to Northwestern. The Badgers should run through Minnesota.

#10 Penn State 48, Maryland 24 (3:30 PM, BTN)
Line: PSU -22   O/U: 58

After close losses to Ohio State and Michigan State, Penn State has bounced back with home wins over Rutgers and Nebraska. Meanwhile, Maryland has lost three in a row. The weak Terrapin rushing defense (ranked 83rd nationally) will have a tough time containing Saquon Barkley, who rushed for 158 yards and three touchdowns last week.

#23 Boise State 35, Fresno State 27 (3:30 PM, CBSSN)
Line: BOISE -7   O/U: 48.5

The two best teams in the Mountain West face off for the first of two meetings in a row, as they have both clinched berths in the conference championship game. Although there isn't as much at stake this week, it should still be a competitive game in Fresno. The Broncos have looked pretty good recently, and I think they take Round 1 over the the Bulldogs.

West Virginia 14, #4 Oklahoma 35 (3:45 PM, ESPN)
Line: OKLA -22.5   O/U: 68

Neither of these teams' talented starting quarterbacks will start this game. West Virginia's Will Grier mangled his finger in a loss to Texas last week, and he won't return this season. Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield won't start as punishment for his actions last week in a win over Kansas. However, Mayfield will probably play at some point, so the Sooners should cruise past the Grier-less Mountaineers.

#16 Michigan State 32, Rutgers 10 (4:00 PM, FOX)
Line: MICHST -13.5   O/U: 41

The Spartans followed up a blowout loss to Ohio State with a 10-point win over Maryland last week, while Rutgers followed up a blowout loss to Penn State with... a blowout loss to Indiana. The 4-7 Scarlet Knights are a lot better than they were a year ago, but they still aren't a good team, and Michigan State shouldn't have too much trouble with them.

#22 Northwestern 38, Illinois 14 (4:00 PM, FS1)
Line: NWEST -16.5   O/U: 46

In what looks to be the least exciting game of the day, the Wildcats, who have won six games in a row, travel to Champaign to play the Fighting Illini, who have lost nine games in a row. Illinois is clearly overmatched here, so this game shouldn't be close. Northwestern should have absolutely no problem winning its seventh game in a row.

#3 Clemson 30, #24 South Carolina 17 (7:30 PM, ESPN)
Line: CLEM -13.5   O/U: 46.5

Before their ACC Championship meeting with Miami, the Tigers travel to Columbia for a meeting with in-state rival South Carolina. The 8-3 Gamecocks haven't been "blown out" this season (their worst loss was a 24-10 loss to Georgia), and I don't think Clemson will blow them out this weekend. I do, however, think Clemson's defense will lead the Tigers to a victory.

Texas A&M 24, #18 LSU 35 (7:30 PM, SECN)
Line: LSU -10   O/U: 50.5

Since losing to Troy, LSU has righted the ship in a big way, winning five of six. The Tigers must be weary of a Texas A&M team that almost beat Alabama earlier this season, but Ed Orgeron's team is in a better place than Kevin Sumlin's team (which might not be Kevin Sumlin's team for long), and I think LSU takes this battle in Baton Rouge.

#8 Notre Dame 21, #21 Stanford 24 (8:00 PM, ABC)
Line: ND -2.5   O/U: 56.5

The road has been a little shaky for the Fighting Irish recently, as they followed up a blowout loss to Miami with a nail-biting win over Navy. Stanford has won seven of its last eight games (including an upset win over Washington), and the Cardinal are never an easy challenge. With momentum and home-field advantage on their its side, I'm taking Stanford in a nail-biter.

#13 Washington State 27, #17 Washington 42 (8:00 PM, FOX)
Line: WASH -10.5   O/U: 48

This year's Apple Cup features a Washington State team trying to clinch a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game against a Washington team trying to bounce back after a loss to Stanford and a near-loss to Utah. Most signs point to a Washington State victory, but I think the host Huskies will pull away from the Cougars to secure the Apple Cup.

Stats and Information via ESPN.com
Lines and Over/Unders via SportsLine.com
Lines and Over/Unders are as of Friday Afternoon


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