NCAA College Football 2008 Week 12 Picks late games

NCAA College Football 2008 Week 12 Picks - late games

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Fearless Rick's College Football Week 12 Picks - Late Games

Rick Gagliano | November 15, 2008

All times Eastern - Click here for early games.

3:30 PM North Carolina (-3, 45) at Maryland - The Tar Heels have withstood most ACC challenges this season, but they may get a little easier down the stretch. After this game, all that remains between the Tar Heels and at least a share of the ACC Coastal division are NC State and Duke, cellar-dwellers of the conference.

Of course, the Terrapins aren't just going to roll over, as they have just two losses in the Atlantic division. These two squads are fairly evenly matched on defense, but North Carolina has a big edge on offense, scoring at a 30.8 per game pace to Maryland's anemic 22.2. The Tar Heels are also a solid 2-1 on the road, with wins over Rutgers and Miami (FL) to their credit.

Prediction: Tar Heels 31 Terrapins 20

3:30 PM California at Oregon St. (-3, 52) - This is the first of two important PAC-10 games on the day. Cal comes off a hard-fought 17-3 loss at USC while the Beavers were across town thumping UCLA, 34-6. Now Cal has to travel again, this time to the North. The Beavers came out on top last season at Cal, as the Bears were heading downhill to a 3-9 season, so this game is all about evening up the score, though it's going to be a tough sell.

Oregon State is the only team to have beaten USC, and if they win out, they will capture the PAC-10 title over the Trojans, despite out-of-conference losses at Penn State and Utah. That's not a given, as the Beavers play at Arizona next week and finish up against arch-rival Oregon. But, they can keep the dream alive with a win here and they are capable, though this one figures to be close. Here's a case where home field matters.

Prediction: Beavers 37 Golden Bears 27

3:30 PM BYU (-4, 51) at Air Force - Last season, the Falcons were hammered 31-7 at BYU, so it's a testimony to the Air Force players and coaching staff that the line is so small this time around. The Falcons have been flying just under the radar in the ultra-competitive Mountain West, but they should not be underestimated. Their only losses are to Utah (30-23) and Navy (33-27) and they've won five straight.

The Cougars are 9-1, but their only real test - at TCU - resulted in a 32-7 drubbing by the Horned Frogs. Following that game, BYU narrowly escaped with a 42-35 win over UNLV and a 45-42 win at Colorado State before clobbering San Diego St. 41-12 last week. The Cougars are susceptible to giving up lots of yardage on the ground, while the Falcons can shut down passing attacks with some degree of success. This one has upset written all over it.

Prediction: Falcons 34 Cougars 29

3:30 PM South Carolina at Florida (-21, 51) - There are plenty of people who believe that the Gators are the best team in the country and that they will beat Alabama in the SEC championship game and win the national championship in January. They still have some unfinished business before their date with destiny, however, and that includes holding serve against the rough and ready Gamecocks. Last season was no problem as the Gators won a yawner, 51-31, at South Carolina, but both teams are arguably improved this season.

On defense, the Gamecocks allow fewer yards (256, to Florida's 286), but more points (15.6 vs. 11.9). The big difference is on offense, where the Gators are one of the most explosive teams in the country, scoring at a 42.8 per game clip. South Carolina is well down the line, at 24.0. The question is whether the Gamecocks can keep Florida in check, get a break or two and keep this close. Florida's won all of their games by a minimum of 23 points and their only loss was by a single point. The Gamecocks, however, are 7-3, ranked (24) and each of their losses has been by 7 points, and they were to Vanderbilt, Georgia and LSU, not exactly pushovers. Is Florida in another league, or can the Gamecocks keep them in the park? Probably a little of both, but taking the points in a game in which one coach (Spurrier) is facing his former school, seems to make a ton of sense. We'll see how it turns out.

Prediction: Gators 40 Gamecocks 28

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3:30 PM Georgia (-7 1/2, 46 1/2) at Auburn - Things haven't gone very well this season down in Auburn, Alabama. The lack of a serious passing game has hampered the Tigers all season and made them often underdogs, as they are here. Scoring at just 19.5 points per contest has put extreme pressure on the defense, which is good, but spends too much time on the field, and in the SEC, that leads to losses, of which the Tigers have suffered five, along with five wins. Georgia comes in with an 8-2 record and losses to only the very best in the conference, Florida and Alabama. All systems are go for the Bulldogs to gain a BCS berth, but winning this game is a must.

Prediction: Bulldogs 34 Tigers 16

6:30 PM Arizona at Oregon (-3, 59) - The second half of the PAC-10 double-header features two teams without title hopes, but bowl aspirations galore. The 6-3 Wildcats are surely the surprise of the conference, due primarily to their defense, which allows just 19.1 ppg. Arizona also holds a slight edge in scoring at 39.1, compared to the Ducks' 38.3.

7-3 Oregon has lost in conference to just USC and Cal, but they will be hard-pressed throughout this game by an aggressive Wildcat squad. This looks like the end of the line for the Quackers.

Prediction: Wildcats 27 Ducks 21

8:00 PM Boston College at Florida State (-7, 46 1/2) - There's quite a bit riding on this game, as BC is still in the hunt for a piece of the ACC Atlantic division while the Seminoles are in a three-way tie in the Coastal.

Boston College has a slight edge defensively, but the Seminoles hold a nearly 10-point scoring edge (35.9-26.8) and that's the real story here - the re-emergence of a balanced offense in the Sunshine state. BC has played most teams close, but their 45-24 loss at North Carolina was telling. The Eagles are 2-1 on the road, but those two wins were at Kent St. and NC State, not exactly ringing endorsements. The Seminoles have won 5 of 6 at home, including last week's 41-27 win over Clemson, a team that sports a win over BC. The comparisons are just not lining up for Boston College here.

Prediction: Seminoles 38 Eagles 20

All times Eastern - Click here for early games

Copyright 2008, 2009, Rick Gagliano, Downtown Magazine. All rights reserved. Downtown Magazine is located in the Uinted States of America and is not affiliated with the National Football League or the NCAA. For more information, contact us here. Use of this site is for entertainment purposes only.

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