Gridiron Battles of the Weekend

It’s been a long road back, but The Twelve Pack finally got there last weekend, posting a 7-5 mark to even out this season’s record at 37-37.

Enough about that, though.

It’s time now to give massive props to Sir Steve. The Ole Ball Coach went into Knoxville and continued his complete dominance over Philip Fulmer and the Vols, running his record against Tennessee to 10-5.

More importantly, the victory left Spurrier just a win away from becoming bowl eligible with games at Arkansas and at home versus Florida and Clemson still remaining. (And had South Carolina been able to convert a two-point conversion in Athens, the Gamecocks contest against the Gators would be for the SEC East division title.)

With that, let’s get to this weekend’s action.

North Carolina State at Florida State (-13.5)

Beware of the powerhouse ACC.

Or at least that’s what the college football establishment was saying heading into the season. With just one month remaining in the season, only four ACC teams are ranked in the top 25, and none of those four squads have played more than two ranked opponents this year.

The Seminoles haven’t played a top 25 team since Sept. 17—a 28-17 win over Boston College. In the meantime, Florida State has gone 4-1, but struggled in two of its victories, before finally pulling away.

North Carolina State has been too up-and-down to gauge this season, and a two touchdown loss seems to be the most likely result.

Final Score: Florida State 38, North Carolina State 24

Miami at Virginia Tech (-6.5)

The Hurricanes are not the fifth-best team in the country.

Miami’s schedule has to be one of the easiest in major college football. In a 14-day span, the Hurricanes played South Florida, Duke and Temple.

On the other hand, the Hokies have looked very good all season against somewhat more difficult competition.

They’ll look even better on Saturday, when they crush Miami to make their final statement for that last BCS spot.

Final Score: Virginia Tech 27, Miami 14

Tennessee at Notre Dame (-8.5)

The Volunteers are 3-4. After losing to Notre Dame on Saturday, they will need to win their last three games—against relatively easy competition—to avoid missing out on a bowl.

This from a team that was ranked No. 3 heading into the season and a legitimate title contender.

The Fighting Irish need to win every game from here on out to secure a BCS appearance, and the road gets significantly easier after the meeting with Tennessee.

Notre Dame will be geared up in front of the home crowd and should win this one going away.

Final Score: Notre Dame 31, Tennessee 10

Arizona State (-2.5) at Washington State

The Sun Devils are badly underrated at this point.

This is a team that had USC on the ropes, had LSU within a down of victory, and crushed a pretty good Northwestern squad.

Arizona State went into a tailspin after the USC loss, dropping three straight.

But the Sun Devils are much better than the 4-4 record that they possess.

With their bowl hopes on the line, Arizona State will come through with the victory.

Final Score: Arizona State 35, Washington State 24

Wisconsin (+10.5) at Penn State

The Badgers are one shootout loss to Northwestern away from being undefeated and a top five team. The Nittany Lions, for their part, are one last-second Wolverines touchdown away from being in the same spot.

These two teams are so similar that it’s strange to see a double-digit spread. Take the points in this one.

Final Score: Penn State 24, Wisconsin 21

Michigan State (-5.5) at Purdue

This spread is completely screwed up.

The Spartans have the best offense in the nation, and the Boilermakers have one of the nation’s worst. Purdue has lost six-straight games and is 0-5 in the Big Ten.

Michigan State will move the ball at will, though the Boilermakers will do their fair share of scoring as well. But in the end the Spartans will be able to clear 5.5 pretty easily.



Final Score: Michigan State 42, Purdue 28



South Florida at Rutgers (-3.5)

The Scarlet Knights became bowl eligible last week with a win over Navy.

That victory put Rutgers within three spots of a top 25 berth. But more importantly, with the sixth win out of the way, the Scarlet Knights can focus on the next task at hand—claiming the Big East’s BCS bid.

With a win over the Bulls, Rutgers would move another step toward realizing both of those goals. The Scarlet Knights are the better team here, and they should be able to cover the field goal.



Final Score: Rutgers 26, South Florida 21



Nebraska (-1.5) at Kansas

The Jayhawks’ win over Missouri last weekend notwithstanding, Nebraska is the far more impressive team here.

The Huskers need the win to become bowl eligible and to keep its outside chance at a Big 12 North title alive. If they win out, they would finish with an 8-3 mark and a top 25 ranking. Here’s hoping that’s enough motivation to push them past Kansas.



Final Score: Nebraska 20, Kansas 12



South Carolina (+5.5) at Arkansas

The Gamecocks were 2-3 and winless in the SEC just one month ago.

But a three-game winning streak, including a season-defining victory at Tennessee, has put South Carolina on the cusp of a bowl bid. With Florida and Clemson remaining on the schedule, this would be the optimal week to pick up that final necessary victory.

The Ole Ball Coach will get it done. Spurrier has proven that he still owns the college game by taking a team with the talent of the JV Gators and turning it into a third-place squad in one of the toughest divisions in college football.

Come Saturday, you’ll be able to add bowl-eligible to the Gamecocks’ description.



Final Score: South Carolina 17, Arkansas 14



Vanderbilt (+19.5) at Florida

There are some serious things wrong with this Florida offense.

After jumping out to a 14-0 lead over Georgia, the Gators proceeded to score zero points the rest of the way, but held on for the 14-10 win.

Quarterback Chris Leak still looks uncomfortable, the offensive line is still getting manhandled, and the wide receivers haven’t been explosive enough to take any of the pressure off.

Florida will handle an overrated Commodore squad with ease, but a 20-point margin might be a bit much to expect.



Final Score: Florida 34, Vanderbilt 17



Illinois (+34.5) at Ohio State

There’s really little need for analysis here. Just one fact will do.

The Buckeyes have won zero games by 35 points or more this season. The closest they have come is 31, 25, 21 and 20. And the Fighting Illini are not the worst team on Ohio State’s schedule by any stretch of the imagination.

Take the 34.5 and rest pretty easy.



Final Score: Ohio State 31, Illinois 6



MIT at Endicott College (-13.5)

Despite falling just short of the Boyd Division title (and a berth in the New England Football Conference Championship Game) in a 21-16 loss to Curry, look for Endicott to come out hungry in its season finale against the Engineers.

MIT got stomped by Salve Regina 47-7 last Sunday, ending any hopes of a winning season for the Engineers. That could lead to another flat performance this weekend, meaning that it’s probably best to lay the points and go with Endicott.



Final Score: Endicott 28, MIT 2?

—Staff writer Michael R. James can be reached at mrjames@fas.harvard.edu.