Week 12: Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun

Standings:

1.) Draper 30-13 (1-10 upset)
2.) Hoying 29-14 (3-8 upset)
3.) Seeberg 28-15 (3-8 upset)
3.) Schweinfurth 28-15 (1-10 upset)

For the last time this season, there's no top-5 victory, gold pants, conference championship, or Playoff advancement on the line when the Buckeyes play the Wildcats, but for a true championship contender, the sweet taste of victory is its own motivation. The taste is gonna move ya. And while the Buckeyes' Week 12 foe may lack the allure of the rest of Buckeyes' remaining opponents-to-be, the unique surroundings may give what would be an otherwise ho-hum week some more long lasting freshness. With essentially no room for error for the Buckeyes to extend their pre-Playoff season with a berth in the first division-less Big Ten Championship, here's to a Buckeye victory to make it last a little longer. 

Tennessee Volunteers @ Georgia Bulldogs

Draper: This is the only good game surrounded by stinkers (which means watch out everyone).  UGA is just wearing down as the season goes on with top team after top team, but the Vols keep winning against lackluster competition.  The win over Bama is certainly worth mentioning, but that game feels like an eternity ago (and they were lucky with some opportune turnovers).  The Dawgs continue to stumble under the "leadership" of mediocre Carson Beck, but they do return to Sanford this week.  There's a lot of love for the orange and a lot of doubt for the black and red, but I have a feeling this is a game for the Bulldogs to flex and act like they won another game against a real opponent (although....).  UGA has more talent and they cruise at home.  Let's just hope they get caught speeding and not 'being completely stupid' when seeing a friend from their youth. UT: 17--UGA: 30

Hoying: Soooo, maybe I put a little too much confidence in the Dawgs last week. Carson Beck continues to stink up the field on a weekly basis, and Georgia still has no running game to speak of, either. That's bad news as the Bulldogs prepare to face what may be the nation's top defense this Saturday. Tennessee's not exactly lighting the world on fire on offense, either, but when you can count on a few headscratching turnovers served up by UGA each week, a few short fields can do wonders for an anemic attack. That should be enough for 11th-hour reinstated QB Nico Iamaleava to put just enough points up on the board to take Georgia from a Playoff bubble team to out of the picture. It'll be a bitter pill to swallow, especially if the Texas team the Bulldogs trounced in Austin ends up riding a significantly easier schedule to an SEC Championship Game berth, but the great teams can overcome tough schedules. The Dawgs just don't have it this year. UT: 16--UGA: 10

Schweinfurth: In a normal year, I would jump up and say, "Georgia is gonna wreck the Vols." But this year has been wild down south. Part of the problem is that Carson Beck can't remember which team he is on and throwing picks left and right. If Beck can actually figure this out Georgia should win. I feel like I have picked all of Georgia's games wrong, so why stop now? My gut says Georgia close but who knows. UT: 24--UGA: 27
Seeberg:  Will the real Georgia please stand up? Are they the team that bludgeoned the Longhorns or the team with two losses, a narrow escape against Kentucky, and a QB with 8 picks the last 4 games? The jury is still out on arguably the most talented team in all the land. However, the jury is also out on whether Nico will play for the Vols. Word is he’s practiced all week but hasn’t yet cleared concussion protocol. Either way, I expect “good Georgia” this week with their backs against the wall. Vols’ defense keeps it close, but UGA rarely loses between the hedges. UT: 13—UGA: 24

Missouri Tigers @ South Carolina Gamecocks

Draper: I've said it before and I'll say it again...I don't believe this Mizzou team has it.  South Carolina has roared back into the conversation with a few big wins (taking down Vandy in Nashville is a big one), and I think that continues here in Williams Brice under the Sandstorm.  Eli Drinkowitz acted like they were "in the playoff conversation" after OU vomited all over the field in the final 2 minutes. Bad news....the dream stops here.  Mizzou: 10--SC: 23

Hoying: The thing about teams begging to get tagged is that eventually they find an opponent willing to oblige. Miami found that out the hard way against Georgia Tech last week. Missouri has been caught a couple of times already this season (with staggeringly lopsided results), but they got back to their skating ways last week, overcoming a late defensive score by OU to tie up the game and then add a defensive TD of their own. That's not going to cut it against a South Carolina team that beat the hell out of the Texas A&M squad that throttled Missouri a few weeks ago. The Tigers haven't beaten any of the good teams they've played this year, and they've looked consistently bad, win or lose. A third loss here will mercifully remove them from even the fringes of the Playoff discussion. Mizzou: 20--SC: 31

Schweinfurth: Mizzou has really fallen off this year. SCAR has actually looked pretty competent. Let's go with the Gamecocks. Mizzou: 13--SC: 35
Seeberg: Ah yes, the 2024 edition of “let’s rank second tier SEC teams so other teams get a quality win”. Both teams play close games with solid defense and this one should be no different. First to 20 wins! Look for the Gamecocks’ D-line to force a turnover or two to help their offense with short fields. Mizzou: 13—SC: 20

Arizona State Sun Devils @ Kansas State Wildcats

Draper: Does anyone really care about the Big 12 this year? I honestly have no take on this game. KSU looked to be a front runner in the Big 12, but has quickly fell off the map.  The Sun Devils have sneakily hung around in the Big 12 conversation, but...I don't really care.  I'll lean on the preseason priors and the home team for now.  ASU: 17--KSU: 24

Hoying: You thought unbalanced schedules were a problem in the Big Ten and the SEC, with Ohio State and Georgia facing murderer's rows while other top teams just skate by? Try this one on for size: Kansas State and Arizona State are tied for third place in the Big 12. Kansas State has to face first place BYU, second place Colorado, and fellow third place teams Iowa State and West Virginia. The only one of these teams that appears on ASU's schedule is BYU. At least the Sun Devils have a win over a real live SEC team. Too bad it was Mississippi State. Despite the quality of opposition these two have faced, they have had very similar seasons. KSU has been a bit stiffer on defense but both are just OK on offense. Avery Johnson hasn't been the upgrade over Will Howard that the Wildcat faithful were hoping for at QB, but KSU isn't as bad as they looked in the fourth quarter against Houston in their last outing. They should be just good enough to outduel the Sun Devils at home. ASU: 24--KSU: 27

Schweinfurth: I saw this and forgot the Pac-12 wasn't a thing. Let me be honest, I know NOTHING about either team. I assume K-State is better, just because I haven't heard anyone mention the Sun Devils in a while. ASU: 17--KSU: 28
Seeberg: I confess: I had 0 idea the sun devils were 7-2. Five of their 7 wins are by one possession: they are the anti-Nebraska. One win was even over a then-ranked Utah before their free fall. Traveling to K-State may be a different experience. The Wildcats no longer control their destiny after an upset loss to Houston and I think they will take their frustrations out on ASU. The slightly-further-west purple Wildcats roll. ASU: 20—KSU: 38

THE Ohio State University Buckeyes @ Northwestern Wildcats
Draper: The Buckeyes enter the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field for a match with the vaunted Wildcats in a game that could easily be a trap....but Northwestern just isn't any good.  This whole experience is pretty dumb and gimmicky, but the Bucks need to just focus on taking care of business, stay healthy, and prepare for the final 2 weeks of the regular season.  Northwestern struggles in pass defense, but I expect a healthy dose of Smash and Dash.  Let's continue to see growth in the patchwork Oline as Howard has a pedestrian 250 and 2 through the air (and maybe 1 on the ground).  Expect to see Brown and Sayin in the closing quarter and we turn our eyes toward top 5 (?) Indiana and TTUN.  OSU: 42--NW: 10
Hoying: Last week was a great example of what happens when a title contender steps on the gas against a team with zero chance of beating them. This week the probability is more like 5%, but that's only because, unlike Purdue, Northwestern has something resembling a defense. So I guess the worst case scenario is something like the 2020 Big Ten Championship, when Ohio State kept banging their heads against the wall trying to pad Justin Fields's Heisman campaign stats one last time before finally acknowledging that the easy button to victory was running the damn ball. This year's Northwestern team is more vulnerable through the air, and thankfully there aren't any gale force winds in the forecast to force Ohio State's offense to become "CJ Stroud left, CJ Stroud right." Also, Northwestern's ostensible run defense may be a bit of a mirage, as they've played plenty of teams that just can't run the ball. Indiana, Wisconsin, and Iowa were all able to find some running room, so there's no reason the Buckeye rushing attack can't do the same barring the return of the Nebraska game plan (and offensive line execution). As long as the Buckeyes aren't dazzled by the shiny new rustbucket of a stadium venue, and their playmakers don't crash into any brick walls when stepping off the field of play, there's no reason this one has to be close. Go back and watch highlights of Dwayne Haskins. The table is set for Will Howard to feast if he's of a mind to. OSU: 42--NW: 3
Schweinfurth: The Silver Bullets are on a roll. Over 130 minutes of game time not allowing an offensive TD. Impressive. They even played with Knowles' 3-4 look last week. While it had mixed results, I'm pretty sure Sawyer/JTT and company weren't on the field when they ran it. Interesting wrinkle. Let's see if they run it back. I really can't see Northwestern doing much on offense. Northwestern is pretty good against the run this year, so let's see tons of Carnell, JJ, and Emeka. Get up big early and get the starters out. OSU: 52--NW: 6
Seeberg:  I am looking out my hotel window on Clark St at Wrigley Field as I type this. Tons of Buckeye fans were in the lobby. O-H-I-O chants have already been heard out in the street. Suffice it to say this Northwestern “home” game will be nothing of the sort. Certainly hope the turf holds up, because injuries should be the only thing slowing the Buckeyes down. NW does have a top 20 rush defense, yet somehow Purdue took them to OT while only running it for a whopping 47 yards on 23 carries. In short, I think the ground game will take awhile to get some traction but I’d love to see the big boys up front wear the Wildcats down in the second half. NW had two weeks to prep for this one so some new/tweaked things may keep it interesting for a bit, but the Bucks should pull away by the 4th. Spread is 28.5, late cover it is! OSU: 45–NW: 10

Upset Special
Draper: Boston College over SMU
Hoying: Utah over Colorado
Schweinfurth: Wisconsin over Orgeon
Seeberg: Arkansas over Texas