Allen Bored
Check Sports on Your Television for the full national schedule.
Week 14 Featured Games
Thursday
Texas Tech at Texas, 7:30/4:30 PM, FOXS1
Spread: Texas -4
Announcers: GUS JOHNSON, Charles Davis
All-Time Series: Texas leads 46-15
Last Meeting: 11/3/12 Texas 31, Texas Tech 22
Reason to Watch: There’s no better thing to do after eating Thanksgiving dinner than to sit down and watch college football announced by GUS with your least favorite in laws. Besides you’ve seen enough Ravens/Steelers games to last you a lifetime. Texas Tech started the year 7-0 against weak competition but have followed that up with a 0-4 mark against the cream of the Big XII. Texas has rebounded after a disastrous start to the year to put together a decent season which will get them a decent bowl game. But decent isn’t good enough for the only football program to have its own network that no one watches.
Back Up Game: Mississippi at Mississippi State, 8:00/5:00 PM, ESPN
Early Friday
Iowa at Nebraska, Noon/9:00 AM, ABC
Spread: Nebraska -2
Announcers: Bob Wischusen, Rod Gilmore
All-Time Series: Nebraska leads 24-8-1
Last Meeting: 11/23/12 Nebraska 13, Iowa 7
Reason to Watch: Some may disagree but I’d much prefer to watch Iowa and Nebraska play rather than get trampled to death while trying to get a blender for 60% off on Black Friday. The biggest thing at stake in this game may be Bo Pelini’s job. He’ll need a win here and in their bowl game to avoid yet another four loss season which has occurred in every year he’s been the head coach at Nebraska. Some programs would kill for 8-4 seasons but it’s not acceptable in Lincoln. As for bowl games the winner probably goes to the Outback Bowl and the loser probably goes to the Gator or Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.
Back Up Game: East Carolina at Marshall, Noon/9:00 AM, CBSSN
Mid-day Friday
Washington State at Washington, 3:30/12:30 PM, FOX
Spread: Washington -16.5
Announcers: Craig Bolerjack, Joey Harrington
All-Time Series: Washington leads 59-30-4
Last Meeting: 11/23/12 Washington State 31, Washington 28
Reason to Watch: This marks the first time since 2002 where both schools in the Apple Cup will have a winning record. Wazzu needs to win this game to assure themselves their first winning season since 2003 and secure a bowl game. They are now bowl eligible but because of a logjam in the Pac-12, which has nine eligible teams but only seven bowl slots, they are not guaranteed a bowl game. Washington is coming off a thorough humiliation of Oregon State last week and is likely destined for either the Fight Hunger or New Mexico Bowl.
Back Up Game: Miami at Pittsburgh, 3:30/12:30 PM, ABC
Primetime Friday
Oregon State at #13 Oregon, 7:00/4:00 PM, FOXS1
Spread: Oregon -21.5
Announcers: Justin Kutcher, James Bates
All-Time Series: Oregon leads 47-43-6
Last Meeting: 11/24/12 Oregon 48, Oregon State 28
Reason to Watch: Both of these teams are reeling right now but in completely different ways. Similar to Texas Tech, Oregon State’s season started to fall apart once their schedule became tougher. Through the first seven games they were averaging 44 points per game but are averaging just 17 points per game over their last four games, all of them losses. If they don’t pull off an upset here they very well could be sitting at home this holiday season due to the before mentioned Pac-12 bowl logjam. Oregon has gone from BCS title contender to likely Alamo Bowl bound pretender in the span of three weeks. Stanford and Arizona both exposed their weak defensive line by running the ball down their throats. Good thing for them the Beavers have a non-existent running game.
Back Up Game: South Florida at #19 UCF, 8:00/5:00 PM, ESPN
Early Saturday
#3 Michigan at Ohio State, Noon/9:00 AM, ABC
Spread: Ohio State -15
Announcers: Brad Nessler, Tod Blackledge
All-Time Series: Michigan leads 47-45-4
Last Meeting: 11/24/12 Ohio State 26, Michigan 21
Reason to Watch: A rivalry game so big they just call it The Game but Triple H would bury both of them (wrestling reference!). This year almost feels like just a tune up game for Ohio State before they play Michigan State in the Big Ten title game. That reality has to hurt for Michigan fans. The Buckeyes have completely dominated this series in recent years, winning 10 of the 12 meetings. A loss here for Michigan would give them a 3-5 mark in conference which was the same conference record that they had in the final year under the much maligned Rich Rodriguez in 2010.
Back Up Game: #24 Duke at North Carolina, Noon/9:00 AM, ESPN2
Mid-day Saturday
#1 Alabama at #4 Auburn, 3:30/12:30 PM, CBS
Spread: Alabama -10.5
Announcers: Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson
All-Time Series: Alabama leads 41-29-1
Last Meeting: 11/24/12 Alabama 49, Auburn 0
Reason to Watch: It’s the only the biggest game ever in God’s greatest state, Alabama. No one outside of Auburn fans think they have much of a chance of winning this one. They’ve had five one score wins this year with the last one coming on fluke/miracle touchdown in the final minute against Georgia to keep their SEC title and possibly BCS title hopes alive. The only game this year that Alabama has been challenged in was against Texas A&M and Auburn does not have anywhere near the passing attack that A&M has that was able to take advantage of the Tide’s weak cornerbacks. But again if you are rooting for chaos in the final year of the BCS then you should be rooting for Auburn. Of course you may end up getting the kind of chaos you don’t want, like an Iron Bowl rematch if enough other weird things happen.
Back Up Game: Georgia at Georgia Tech, 3:30/12:30 PM, ABC
Primetime Saturday
#6 Clemson at #10 South Carolina, 7:00/4:00 PM, ESPN2
Spread: South Carolina -5.5
Announcers: Mark Jones, Brock Huard
All-Time Series: Clemson leads 61-39-4
Last Meeting: 11/24/12 South Carolina 27, Clemson 17
Reason to Watch: It’s hard to believe that a Top 10 game between two rivals could be as overlooked as this one. Part of the problem is neither team has a whole lot to play for, relatively speaking. Even if Clemson loses this game they probably are still destined for the Orange Bowl as a BCS at large team to replace Florida State, assuming they take care of business and make it to the BCS title game. South Carolina will be scoreboard watching as Missouri takes on Texas A&M around the same time. They need a Missouri to lose in order to advance to the SEC title game. Carolina has won the last four meetings against Clemson, all by double digits.
Back Up Game: #22 UCLA at #23 USC, 8:00/5:00 PM, ABC
Late Night Thursday
San Diego State at UNLV, 10:30/7:30 PM, ESPNU
Spread: San Diego State -3.5
Announcers: Joe Davis, Dan Hawkins
All-Time Series: San Diego State leads 13-8
Last Meeting: 10/27/12 San Diego State 24, UNLV 13
Reason to Watch: San Diego State has been the cardiac kids of college football this year. Their last seven games have been decided by seven points or less, winning six of them, and four of those games went to overtime which ties the all-time record for a single season. UNLV last week became bowl eligible for the first time since 2000 and will be looking to lock up their first winning season since that same year.
Back Up Game: New Mexico at Boise State, 10:15/7:15 PM, ESPN2
Week 14 Game Rankings
1. Alabama at Auburn
2. Clemson at South Carolina
3. UCLA at USC
4. Texas A&M at Missouri
5. Arizona at Arizona State
6. Georgia at Georgia Tech
7. Washington State at Washington (Fri.)
8. Iowa at Nebraska (Fri.)
9. Notre Dame at Stanford
10. Minnesota at Michigan State
11. Ohio State at Michigan
12. Texas Tech at Texas (Thur.)
13. Oregon State at Oregon (Fri.)
14. Duke at North Carolina
15. Miami at Pittsburgh (Fri.)
16. Mississippi at Mississippi State (Thur.)
17. Boston College at Syracuse
18. Florida State at Florida
19. Baylor at TCU
20. Penn State at Wisconsin
21. East Carolina at Marshall (Fri.)
22. Bowling Green at Buffalo (Fri.)
23. Northwestern at Illinois
24. Arkansas at LSU
25. Colorado at Utah
26. Wake Forest at Vanderbilt
27. Tennessee at Kentucky
28. Fresno State at San Jose State (Fri.)
29. Iowa State at West Virginia
30. Maryland at N.C. State
31. Virginia Tech at Virginia
32. Tulane at Rice
33. BYU at Nevada
34. SMU at Houston (Fri.)
35. San Diego State at UNLV
36. Kansas State at Kansas
37. Arkansas State at Western Kentucky
38. North Texas at Tulsa
39. Purdue at Indiana
40. Wyoming at Utah State
41. Texas State at Troy (Fri.)
42. Toledo at Akron (Fri.)
43. Louisiana-Monroe at Louisiana-Lafayette
44. South Florida at UCF (Fri.)
45. Rutgers at Connecticut
46. Temple at Memphis
47. Air Force at Colorado State
48. New Mexico at Boise State
49. Army at Hawaii
50. UTEP at Middle Tennessee
51. South Alabama at Georgia State
52. Louisiana Tech at UTSA
53. Idaho at New Mexico State
54. Eastern Michigan at Central Michigan (Fri.)
55. Massachusetts at Ohio (Fri.)
56. Miami (OH) at Ball State (Fri.)
57. Southern Miss at UAB
58. FIU at Florida Atlantic (Fri.)
