Mr. CFB Pick Six: Week 13
Well, we bounced back a little last week with a smooth record of 4-2.
We took Arkansas and the 20 ½ points to beat Alabama. The Tide only won by seven, 42-35.
We took Missouri and the 8 ½ to beat Florida and the Tigers won straight up 24-23.
We took South Carolina and 7 ½ points to beat Auburn and the Gamecocks won straight up, 21-17.
And we picked Clemson to win at home against Wake Forest and cover the 4 ½. The Tigers won easily 48-27.
But we had a couple of bad misses. Ole Miss won by only 14 over Vanderbilt (31-17 and the line was 36 ½). I missed badly taking Michigan State and 19 ½ against Ohio State. The Buckeyes won 56-7.
So after 12 weeks we are 34-38 against the spread. I would love to get to .500 by the end of the regular season in two weeks.
Let’s see if we can make that happen.
The game: Missouri at Arkansas (-16 ½), Friday, 3:30 p.m., CBS.
The winner: Arkansas.
The score: Arkansas 45, Missouri 24.
The skinny: Arkansas is coming off an impressive performance in a loss, 42-35 to No. 3 Alabama. The Razorbacks (7-4) have a chance to win their eighth game of the season under second-year coach Sam Pittman. The Hogs have the better defense and will win and cover the 16 ½.
The game: Georgia (minus -34 ½) at Georgia Tech, Noon ABC.
The winner: Georgia
The score: Georgia 42, Georgia Tech 7.
The skinny: It was tempting to take Georgia Tech and the points because the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs play No. 3 Alabama next week in the SEC championship game. But Kirby Smart’s team has a knack for taking care of the business at hand and Georgia Tech lost 55-0 to Notre Dame last week. Dawgs cover the 34 ½.
The game: Florida State at Florida (-2 ½), Noon, ESPN.
The winner: Florida
The score: Florida 28, Florida State 24
The skinny: Florida Coach Dan Mullen was fired on Sunday and will not be on the field for Senior Day at The Swamp. This could go one of two ways. Either the pressure is off for the Gators and they play all out. Or they don’t care. I’m betting the Gators care and play hard against the state rival.
The game: Alabama (-21 1/2) at Auburn, 3:30 p.m., CBS.
The winner: Alabama.
The score: Alabama 45, Auburn 21.
The skinny: Earlier this season Auburn beat Arkansas and Ole Miss back-to-back to go 6-2. At that time I thought the Alabama-Auburn game might be something special. But now the Tigers (6-5) have lost three straight and are without their starting quarterback in Bo Nix. This one won’t be close. Why? Alabama Coach NIck Saban was annoyed earlier this week because some fans have been complaining that Alabama has not won impressivel enough. When Saban gets annoyed that is usually not good news for Alabama's next appointment.
The game: Texas A&M at LSU (plus 7 ½), 7 p.m., ESPN.
The winner: LSU.
The score: LSU 28, Texas A&M 27.
The skinny: This is just a hunch. It has been a rocky year for the players at LSU, who will want to send head coach Ed Orgeron out with a win in his final game. Texas A&M has the better team but let’s just say we’re going to see some Tiger Stadium magic.
The game: Clemson at South Carolina (plus 14 ½), 7:30 p.m., SEC Network.
The winner: South Carolina.
The score: Clemson 24, South Carolina 13.
The skinny: South Carolina (6-5) is on a roll with home wins over Florida (40-17) and Auburn (21-17) this month. The Gamecocks are going bowling in Shane Beamer’s first season and a win over the state rival would be the perfect finish. I think Clemson (8-3) is too talented to lose this game, but the Tigers won’t cover 14 ½ against the pesky Gamecocks.