Paul’s Picks: Week 14

It’s officially Rivalry Week in College Football and we have a great set of games ahead of us over the next few days. A 3-2 week has put my record back over .500 to 12-11. Let’s try and keep things rolling and take a peak of what we have to look forward to.
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Thursday Nov. 28
Ole Miss +3 @ Mississippi State
The Egg Bowl will take place on Thanksgiving night in Starkville. Ole Miss leads the SEC in rushing yards per game and Freshman QB John Rhys Plumlee is at the forefront of that. Plumlee has ran for 989 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season. On the other sideline Mississippi State has one of the most underrated players in the conference and arguably the country. Junior RB Kylin Hill leads the SEC in individual rushing yards and has also crossed the goal line 10 times. When you break it down we have two very similar teams and this is going to come down to a late fourth quarter drive. Pick: Take Ole Miss and the points.

Friday Nov. 29
No. 19 Cincinnati @ No. 18 Memphis -11
Memphis ranks tenth in the country in yards per game and eighth in points per game with 41. Running Back Kenny Gainwell is ninth in the nation in rushing yards and QB Brady White has thrown for over 3,000 yards on the year. This Offense is quite simply loaded. Cincinnati RB Michael Warren has had a great season for the Bearcats. He has ran for 939 yards with 11 touchdowns and has been a cornerstone for a Cincy team that’s lone loss is to Ohio State. Ultimately, I think the firepower of the Tigers offense will be too much for Luke Fickell and Cincinnati to handle. Pick: Memphis covers.

Saturday Nov. 30
No. 2 Ohio State @ No. 13 Michigan +9
Ohio State has just dominated the 2019 College Football season. They have manhandled every team in their path and and have a roster overflowing with talent, strength, speed, and athleticism. Star D-Lineman Chase Young embodies all four of those characteristics. After a brief two game suspension from the NCAA, Young came like a bat out of hell last week racking up three sacks against Penn State. Young has SEVEN sacks in his last two games, both contests against top 25 teams (PSU and WISC). JK Dobbins is quietly having a tremendous season as he is fourth in the country in rushing yards and teammate Justin Fields has done a good job all season under center. But Fields and Co. haven’t faced a team like the Michigan Wolverines yet. After a dreadful start to the season- narrowly escaping Army, getting dismantled by Wisconsin and losing to Penn State, The Wolverines are red hot and have looked like one of the better teams in all of college football. Since that loss in Happy Valley, Michigan has outscored opponents 166-45 in four games. Michigan has a chip on their shoulder after an embarrassing effort last year in this game. Call me crazy, but I think the Wolverines keep this around a one possession game all day and may even have a shot to grab a W. Pick: Michigan covers.

No. 12 Wisconsin @ No. 10 Minnesota +2.5
The Big Ten West will be decided at Minnesota on Saturday. Wisconsin will need to ride Jonathan Taylor like they have all year. Taylor is second in the nation in rushing yards and fourth in rushing touchdowns with 18 TDs on the season. PJ Fleck and the Golden Gophers are in uncharted waters. Minnesota has not notched 10 or more wins since 2003. They’ve already accomplished that goal and have a legit shot to play in the Big Ten championship, and presumably for a spot in the playoff. Tanner Morgan has a TD-INT ratio of 26-5 on the year and the receiver tandem of Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman has over 1,000 receiving yards and 10 TDs each. I think were in store for a classic but at the end of the day I’ll take Minnesota at home and the points. Pick: Minnesota covers.

No. 5 Alabama -3.5 @ No. 15 Auburn
Alabama is playing for a shot at the playoffs in this years Iron Bowl. With Oregon going down, The Tide’s playoff chances increased a bit and with a good win against a solid team, ‘Bama will have a case for the committee. But they’re going to have to get a past a tough Auburn team on the road. The Tiger’s front seven is elite and did a very good job against a loaded Georgia offensive line a couple weeks ago. The biggest X-factor in this one will be the battle at QB. Bo Nix has continued to struggle in big games this season for Auburn and Tua’s replacement Mac Jones has yet to prove himself against a good defense. The bottom line is even with the loss of Tua, Alabama still has studs across the board on offense that are going to help out Jones A LOT and are simply better than the Auburn secondary. Bo Nix will not be able to overcome his demons against tough opponents. Pick: Bama covers.

Photo: (Thomas Graning – AP Photo)