November 19, 2015
Week 12 in college football will not be a quiet one. There are three games this week that feature two playoff contending teams. Those three games are Michigan St. @ Ohio St., Baylor @ Oklahoma St. and TCU @ Oklahoma. Here is a short preview and predictions of those three games.
Michigan St. (9-1) @ Ohio St. (10-0)
Time/Network: 3:30 on ABC
Ohio St. rolls into Saturday’s game having not lost since September 6th of last season, to Virginia Tech. Quarterback JT Barrett has finally been re-installed as the starter, which has given the Buckeyes a spark that they did not have early in the season. Running back Ezekiel Elliott has been sensational for Ohio St., having rushed for at least 100 yards in every game this season, with his best performance being a 274 yard rushing performance against Indiana. On the other side, Michigan St. lost their only game of the season on a very controversial call to Nebraska on Nov. 7. Spartan Senior Quarterback Connor Cook was banged up last week in their win over Maryland, and the Spartans will need him to be available if they want to have a good chance of winning. Michigan St. will need a win to stay in fringe playoff contention, and even winning the rest of their games could leave them on the outside looking in. Ohio St, who is currently third in the rankings according to the college football committee, likely needs a win to maintain that position.
Prediction: Michigan St. 24 Ohio St. 34
Baylor (8-1) @ Oklahoma St. (10-0)
Time/Network: 7:30 on FOX
The Baylor Bears are coming off of a home loss to Oklahoma, and still don’t have an impressive win on their resume. Freshman Quarterback Jarrett Stidham has performed well since stepping in for injured star Seth Russell. Stidham has completed 71.6 % of his passes and has 11 touchdowns on the season. However, despite being undefeated, Oklahoma St. has yet to impress voters. The Cowboys have beaten four weaker Big 12 opponents by a touchdown or less. Their most recent win was by four points against lowly Iowa St., after trailing for most of the game. The Cowboys continue to use a two quarterback system, primarily using Mason Rudolph for passing situations and J.W. Walsh for power running and wildcat plays. Baylor especially needs a win in this game to stay in contention for the playoff, since they already have a loss to Oklahoma.
Prediction: Baylor 37 Oklahoma St. 34
TCU (9-1) @ Oklahoma (9-1)
Time/Network: 8:00 on ABC
Oklahoma has rebounded very well from a shocking loss to Texas on Oct. 10, having won their last five games by an average of 38.4 points. Quarterback Baker Mayfield has developed into a top Heisman contender after barely winning the job out of training camp. In their win against Baylor, Mayfield threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 76 yards and one touchdown. If Mayfield and the Sooners want to stay in playoff contention, they need to win this game against reeling TCU. TCU has been struggling recently, having lost to Oklahoma St. 49-29 and beating Kansas (0-10) 23-17 in their last two contests. QB Trevone Boykin has carried this team, but has an injured ankle and his status is uncertain. Boykin, a senior, must be active for TCU to have a chance to win and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Prediction: TCU 27 Oklahoma 41
Note: These are my personal rankings, not the committee’s or AP poll’s.
Rankings
Waiting List: Mississippi St. (7-3), UCLA (7-3), Memphis (8-2), Temple (8-2), Texas A&M (7-3), Arkansas (6-4), Toledo (8-1), Georgia (7-3), Pittsburgh (7-3).
Your donation will support the student journalists of Chantilly High School. Your contribution will allow us to cover our printing and annual website hosting costs.