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Fearless Rick & Coin Flip Week 12 College Picks

Week 11 Results: Rick: 6-11; Flip: 6-11
Cumulative: Rick: 69-96; Flip: 76-89

All Times Eastern

Friday, November 15

9:00 pm UCLA at Washington (-4.5, 46.5) (FOX) - Both teams are 3-4 in Big Ten play, and both teams need a win for bowl eligibility (UCLA, 4-5, needs two). Whether or not that matters, this former PAC-12 game is a pretty even match.

The Bruins, however, have won three straight after losing five in a row to Indiana, LSU, Oregon, Penn State and Minnesota, a pretty rough crowd. QB Ethan Garbers may have a future, demonstrated in his cool play against the solid Iowa defense last week in a 20-17 UCLA win. Washington hasn't played nearly as tough a schedule, last seen losing at Penn State, 35-6. Edge to UCLA.

Coin Flip: UCLA

Fearless Rick's Pick: Bruins 27 Huskies 17

Saturday, November 16

12:00 pm 2 Ohio State (-28, 45) at Northwestern (BTN) - Northwestern (2-4, 4-5) probably isn't going to present many problems for the Buckeyes, who have their sights set on bigger things. The Wildcats topped Purdue, 26-20 in OT on November 2, whereas Ohio State buried the Boilermakers, 45-0, last Saturday.

Looking like another huge win for the Buckeyes, who play Indiana next week and then close out the regular season with Michigan - both games at home - on the 30th.

Coin Flip: Ohio State

Fearless Rick's Pick: Buckeyes 42 Wildcats 6

12:00 pm 17 Clemson (-11.5, 52.5) at Pittsburgh (ESPN) - Doing themselves no favors by losing to Louisville (33-21) two weeks ago and then having a dull performance at Virginia Tech in a 24-14 win last week, the Clemson Tigers can now make the 12-team playoff only by capturing the ACC crown, which they are on track for, should they win their remaining three games.

Pitt, with two straight losses (SMU, Virginia) has lost their early season swagger and now have two conference losses, which makes this game very big for them. Having already lost to SMU, they have to hope Miami loses again, giving them a shot at the ACC title game. It's a long shot. Clemson will be ready for them.

Coin Flip: Clemson

Fearless Rick's Pick: Tigers 31 Panthers 17

12:00 pm 3 Texas (-12.5, 57.5) at Arkansas (ABC) - The Razorbacks were absolutely mauled by Ole Miss November 2, losing, 63-31, the last time they played. Getting a week off to prepare for Texas and being at home in a wild rivalry game may give the Arkansas boys some extra motivation. They were beaten pretty badly by LSU on Oct. 19, but held their own against other ranked teams, losing in OT to Oklahoma State, coming up short in a 21-17 loss at A&M, and actually handing the Volunteers their only loss, 19-14.

They may be more trouble than the Longhorns are expecting.

Texas was outclassed and outplayed by Georgia in an October surprise, 30-15, barely escaped from Vandy with a 27-24 win, but rebounded nicely to whip up Florida, 49-17, in a game that was over after three quarters. Texas has won most of their games by big margins, and this is only their third road game. Their lack of consistent defense will keep Arkansas in the game.

Coin Flip: Arkansas

Fearless Rick's Pick: Longhorns 31 Razorbacks 24

12:00 pm Utah at 17 Colorado (-11, 44.5) (FOX) - The Utes have lost five straight, but the last three have been close, losing 13-9 to TCU, 17-14 at Houston, and last week, 22-21 to BYU.

They are, however, on the road here and facing a very dangerous offense. The surprising Buffs are on track to meet BYU in the conference championship and possibly barge into the national playoff picture. Being at home, this game could be a crowning achievement for coach Prime and his no-nonsense approach to winning football. Look for the Buffaloes to stampede the Utes.

Coin Flip: Utah

Fearless Rick's Pick: Buffaloes 31 Utes 17

3:30 pm 4 Penn State (-28, 51) at Purdue (CBS) - Purdue got blasted by Ohio State last weekend, 45-0, while Penn State was taking down Washington, 35-6. While the Nittany Lions are 8-1, they probably don't have a chance at playing in the Big Ten championship game, as Oregon is 7-0 in conference play and Ohio State - which owns a win over Penn State - is 5-1.

The Lions just need to continue winning the rest of the regular season and get into the playoffs as probably a 5-8 seed. On the road, they may not get the cover.

Coin Flip: Purdue

Fearless Rick's Pick: Nittany Lions 34 Purdue 10

3:30 pm Virginia at 8 Notre Dame (-22.5, 50.5) (NBC) - Virginia is 5-4 overall and needs one more win to get into a bowl game. They come off a 24-19 win at Pitt and are huge underdogs here, though they may have some fire in their bellies up against a national powerhouse like the Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame is virtually assured of making the playoffs and they've been pushing people of late. Their last four wins have been by a combined score of 183-37, no game closer than 18 points (Georgia Tech). The Irish should roll to another convincing win.

Coin Flip: Notre Dame

Fearless Rick's Pick: Fighting Irish 38 Cavaliers 10

3:30 pm Boston College at 14 SMU (-19.5, 54) (ESPN) - BC comes off a 37-31 victory over Syracuse at home, and travels to meet likely the best team in the ACC, the underrated Mustangs of SMU, who are 8-1 overall and 5-0 in conference.

The road gets tougher for SMU as the season winds along, and Boston College has some game, probably enough to keep this one relatively close but not enough to win.

Coin Flip: Boston College

Fearless Rick's Pick: Mustangs 37 Eagles 24

3:30 pm 22 LSU (-3, 55) at Florida (ABC) - Florida got absolutely hammered by Texas last week, having to start third string Aidan Warner in what turned into a 49-17 rout. D.J. Lagway returns at QB for the Gators this week, and will pose problems for the Tigers, who dropped a big one last week as Alabama ran all over them, 42-13.

Florida needs two wins to make it to any bowl game, so this will be hotly contested in the Swamp.

Coin Flip: Florida

Fearless Rick's Pick: Gators 30 Tigers 28

7:00 pm 1 Oregon (-13.5, 51.5) at Wisconsin (NBC) - The 5-4 Badgers need a win to become bowl eligible, but probably aren't going to get one hosting the #1 Ducks. The Wisconsin campus will be geared up for this game, sensing a possible storming of the field should the Badgers do the improbable.

The last four Oregon wins since their 32-31 victory over Ohio State have been by 35, 19, 21, and 21 points. Beating the Badgers by two TDs shouldn't be an obstacle.

Coin Flip: Oregon

Fearless Rick's Pick: Ducks 38 Badgers 17

7:00 pm 13 Boise State (-14, 61.5) at San Jose State (CBSSN) - The Broncos, 8-1 overall, and 5-0 in the Mountain West are on track to win the conference title and make their way into the national playoffs if they continue winning. Since their only loss was a 37-34 defeat at Oregon, they stand to move up in the rankings whenever a team ahead of them loses, which is highly probable given three weeks remain in the regular season.

The Spartans are 6-3 and no pushovers, especially on home turf, where they are 4-0. Boise often plays to the level of the competition, so, while an upset is not entirely out of the question, look for the Spartans to stay within striking distance.

Coin Flip: San Jose State

Fearless Rick's Pick: Broncos 31 Spartans 24

7:30 pm 7 Tennessee at 12 Georgia (-9.5, 47) (ABC) - Biggest game of the weekend will be between the hedges in Athens. While Georgia is favored by 9 1/2, the Vols have the kind of defense that may give QB Carson Beck more than he can handle.

Tennessee's relentless pass rush will force errant throws and keep the Bulldogs out of the end zone consistently. When Tennessee has the ball, look for them to pound on the ground with elite running back Dylan Sampson, a touchdown machine with 20 scores this season. Sure, Georgia has reputation and are home, but 9 1/2 points to a Tennessee squad that continues to improve and is about to secure a spot in the national playoffs? Sucker bet.

Coin Flip: Tennessee

Fearless Rick's Pick: Volunteers 30 Bulldogs 20

11:15 pm Kansas at 6 BYU (-3, 57) (ESPN) - Despite their 3-6 record, Kansas has only lost once by more than six points (TCU, 38-27) and have come to play of late, coming within a whisker of beating Kansas State (29-27) and last week putting the screws to Iowa State, 45-36, which explains why this line is so short.

BYU has had some close scrapes, including three-point wins over SMU and Oklahoma State and last week's 22-21 win at Utah. This could go either way and Kansas may just give the Cougars more than they can handle in a high-scoring affair.

Coin Flip: BYU

Fearless Rick's Pick: Jayhawks 38 Cougars 35

Fearless Rick & Coin Flip Week 11 College Picks

Week 10 Results: Rick: 3-11; Flip: 5-9
Cumulative: Rick: 63-85; Flip: 70-78

All Times Eastern

Friday, November 8

9:00 pm Iowa (-6, 44.5) at UCLA (FOX) - The only reason idleguy.com is covering this game is because it's nationally broadcast. Otherwise, it should be a washout for the Hawkeyes. UCLA has the lowest-scoring offense in the Big Ten and is near the bottom in points allowed. Iowa has a superior defense. If they can get any scoring at all from their offense, a rout it will be.

Coin Flip: Iowa

Fearless Rick's Pick: Hawkeyes 30 Bruins 13

Saturday, November 9

12:00 pm Purdue at 2 Ohio State (-38, 53.5) (FOX) - There's no reason at all to make a wager on this game, but, if you must, be mindful of just one stat: Ohio State, at 7-1, has allowed just 96 points total. Purdue, 1-7, has allowed 295.

Coin Flip: Purdue

Fearless Rick's Pick: Buckeyes 49 Boilermakers 3

12:00 pm 4 Miami (-11, 63.5) at Georgia Tech (ESPN) - By now, it should be apparent to everybody that Cam Ward will be at the New York Marriott Marquis on December 14 as a Heisman Award finalist.

Prior to that, he and his 9-0 Hurricane teammates have to attend to some business, like dusting the Yellow Jackets. While Georgia Tech has an OK defense, their offense is lacking. Turning the ball over to Miami's offense, especially in the second half, can be crippling.

Coin Flip: Georgia Tech

Fearless Rick's Pick: Hurricanes 42 Yellow Jackets 24

12:00 pm Florida at 5 Texas (-21, 47.5) (ABC) - Despite their 2-3 conference record, the Gators have played well of late, taking Tennessee to overtime, whipping Kentucky, 48-20, and only losing late in the fourth quarter to Georgia last week, 34-20.

The Longhorns are still recovering from their 30-15 beatdown by Georgia on October 19, just squeaking by Vanderbilt on the 26th, 27-24.

Love the generous spread afforded the Gators in a game Texas cannot afford to lose.

Coin Flip: Florida

Fearless Rick's Pick: Longhorns 31 Gators 23

3:30 pm 3 Georgia (-2.5, 54.5) at 16 Ole Miss (ABC) - This appears to be one of a few "elimination" games this weekend, meaning the loser may find itself on the outside looking in at the final 12 teams heading into the new NCAA football playoff.

Georgia's only loss was at Alabama, 41-34, now a faded memory as the Bulldogs are now thinking SEC championship and playoffs in December. But, they have to win this game and have Tennessee XXX. Ole Miss has two losses, one a 29-26 OT defeat at LSU, the other a quirky 20-17 home loss to Kentucky. Their defense may be better than Georgia's and their offense most certainly is. Upset looming in a low-scoring affair.

Coin Flip: Georgia

Fearless Rick's Pick: Rebels 27 Bulldogs 20

3:30 pm Michigan at 8 Indiana (-14, 49) (CBS) - Do not take the Wolverines to register an upset, even with the two touchdown spread. Indiana has assembled a winning team that is breaking school records and plays at Ohio State in two weeks. They'll be 10-0 heading into that critical test.

Coin Flip: Indiana

Fearless Rick's Pick: Hoosiers 37 Wolverines 14

3:30 pm 17 Iowa State (-3, 50) at Kansas (FS1) - The Big 12 is only going to send two, possibly three teams to the 12-team playoffs. Iowa State could be one of them, but they have a tough road with Cincinnati, Utah, and Kansas State remaining.

The Cyclones were upended by Texas Tech last week, 23-22, while the Jayhawks pushed K-State to the limit in a 29-27 loss. Four of Kansas' six losses have been by four points or fewer, and they are a good match for the Cyclones, but their habit of falling just short is likely to show up again.

Coin Flip: Iowa State

Fearless Rick's Pick: Cyclones 27 Jayhawks 20

4:00 pm 20 Colorado (-4, 62.5) at Texas Tech (FOX) - Colorado actually has a shot at reaching the Big 12 championship game and possibly breaking into the top 12 teams nationally. They continue to evolve and improve, showing just two losses - Nebraska and K-State - against six wins.

This should turn into something of a track meet and the home crowd may keep the Red Raiders focused on outrunning the Buffaloes.

Coin Flip: Texas Tech

Fearless Rick's Pick: Red Raiders 42 Buffaloes 34

4:15 pm South Carolina (-4.5, 45.5) at 24 Vanderbilt (SECN) - Interesting match between two up-and-coming teams, the Gamecocks 3-3 in conference play, surprising Vanderbilt, 3-2. South Carolina needs a win to become bowl eligible, but they couldn't have picked a tougher place to get there. Vanderbilt is 4-1 at home, their only loss a 27-24 downturn to Texas October 19, and last week they went down to Alabama and roughed up Auburn, 17-7.

The Gamecocks have only had one really bad game, a 27-3 loss to Ole Miss. Last week's 44-20 slaughter of Texas A&M was epic. Points at home is our choice.

Coin Flip: South Carolina

Fearless Rick's Pick: Commodores 26 Gamecocks 23

7:00 pm Maryland at 1 Oregon (-24.5, 57.5) (BTN) - Here's Saturday's pop math quiz. 9-0 Oregon has outscored conference foes on average, 35-13. Maryland (1-4 in the Big Ten) has been outscored by an average score of 36-23. Who will win (hint: Oregon is at home) and what will be the final score?

Coin Flip: Maryland

Fearless Rick's Pick: Ducks 45 Terrapins 10

7:00 pm Mississippi State at 7 Tennessee (-24, 61) (ESPN) - The Volunteers have exhibited a nasty habit of playing down to their competition. It's going to be quite warm for November in Knoxville this weekend, and both sides could wear down. Tennessee hasn't beaten any SEC team by more than 10 points.

The Bulldogs have held their own against ranked SEC opponents, losing to Texas, 35-13, Georgia, 41-31, and Texas A&M, 34-24. Can't see the Vols burying them.

Coin Flip: Tennessee

Fearless Rick's Pick: Volunteers 31 Bulldogs 17

7:30 pm Florida State at 10 Notre Dame (-26, 42.5) (NBC) - 1-8 (yes, 1-8) Florida State has proven to be absolutely worthless. Notre Dame just keeps winning, making that early season loss to Northern Illinois look like a fluke.

Difficult to make any kind of a case for a close game unless there's a blizzard or tornado in South Bend. Even then, the Irish might win by even more.

Coin Flip: Notre Dame

Fearless Rick's Pick: Fighting Irish 38 Seminoles 10

7:30 pm 11 Alabama (-3, 58.5) at 15 LSU (ABC) - This is, for both teams, an elimination game. The loser will be out of the playoff picture with three losses, so it's big.

LSU admittedly has played better overall, though they were out hustled and overmatched in their 38-23 loss at Texas A&M. Both teams have had an extra week to prepare for this annual war. Could go either way, but the Tigers may have an edge defensively.

Coin Flip: LSU

Fearless Rick's Pick: Tigers 34 Crimson Tide 28

8:00 pm Washington at 6 Penn State (-13.5, 46.5) (Peacock) - The Nittany Lions are coming off a tough loss to Ohio State, 20-13. Multiple Penn State miscues cost them a win, but they remain on track for the post-season.

Washington hasn't beaten any team better than Michigan or USC and are 0-3 in Big Ten road games. Iowa blew them out 40-16, and Indiana knocked them down, 31-17. Penn State will redeem themselves with a solid performance.

Coin Flip: Washington

Fearless Rick's Pick: Nittany Lions 31 Huskies 10

8:00 pm Nevada at 12 Boise State (-24, 60.5) (FOX) - The Mountain West title runs through Boise State, as usual. The 7-1 Broncos are 4-0 in conference play, while Nevada is 0-4 and 3-7 overall. This appears to be a huge mismatch, especially on Boise's blue turf.

Coin Flip: Boise State

Fearless Rick's Pick: Broncos 49 Wolf Pack 20

8:00 pm Virginia at 18 Pittsburgh (-7, 58) (ACCN) - Pitt needs to gather its forces after hat humiliating, 48-25, loss at SMU. While still 7-1, their chances at reaching the top 12 or making the ACC championship appear slim, with Clemson and Louisville still ahead.

The Cavaliers will test them. They're an up-and-down team with a 4-4 record that needs two more wins to become bowl eligible, which still matters to some programs. Could be the beginning of the end for the Panthers.

Coin Flip: Virginia

Fearless Rick's Pick: Cavaliers 27 Panthers 26

11:15 pm 9 BYU (-3, 40.5) at Utah (ESPN) - Remember when Utah was considered a candidate to win the Big 12 and the Utes were ranked as high as #11? Well, that was before they lost four straight and QB Cameron Rising for the season. The Cougars are the choice to take down the Big 12, currently #8 in the CFP rankings and for good reason. They're 8-0, one of just five teams without a loss, and have been tearing up conference opponents with regularity.

A win here leaves them with Kansas, Arizona State and Houston to close out the season - all winnable games. Surprised the line wasn't more like 6.5-7 points. This is a pretty fierce rivalry, but BYU has most of the big guns.

Coin Flip: Utah

Fearless Rick's Pick: Cougars 30 Utes 9

Fearless Rick & Coin Flip Week 10 College Picks

Week 9 Results: Rick: 6-9; Flip: 7-8
Cumulative: Rick: 60-75; Flip: 65-69

All Times Eastern

Friday, November 1

8:00 pm San Diego State at 15 Boise State (-23.5, 57.5) (FS1) - The Aztecs ar e3-4, but they are 2-0 in Mountain West play, beating Hawaii and Wyoming by identical 27-24 scores. Last week they lost to Washington State, 29-26.

6-1 Boise, as usual, is cruising right along, their only loss a 37-34 nail-biter at Oregon back in September. Since then, five straight wins and a 3-0 conference record.

These two met last year, Boise State getting a 34-31 victory. Aztec defenders need to keep Ashton Jeanty contained. He's rushed for more than 100 yards every game this season. Advantage Boise, but 23.5 points? That's a bunch. Taking the Aztec underdogs to hang tough.

Coin Flip: San Diego State

Fearless Rick's Pick: Broncos31 Aztecs 20

Saturday, November 2

12:00 pm 4 Ohio State (-3, 45.5) at 3 Penn State (FOX) - Great way to start off a Saturday with a Big Ten heavyweight tussle. Penn State is 7-0, but underdogs at home, while 6-1 Ohio State needs to win this to secure a spot in the national playoffs after their 32-31 loss at Oregon on 10/12. Last week's performance against Nebraska wasn't pretty, but they managed to pull out a 21-17 victory when they were favored by more than three TDs.

Penn State QB Drew Allar was injured in the Nittany Lions' 28-13 win at Wisconsin last week, but the defense and backup QB Beau Pribula stepped up and put away the Badgers.

Penn St. has lost seven straight to the Buckeyes, but at home, with a steadily improving defense, they can prevail.

Coin Flip: Ohio State

Fearless Rick's Pick: Nittany Lions 27 Buckeyes 21

12:00 pm Duke at 5 Miami (-20.5, 54.5) (ABC) - Miami continues to impress, with Cam Ward a leading Heisman candidate. At 8-0, the Hurricanes are a dangerous team that will likely meet up with Clemson in the ACC championship. With Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Syracuse remaining after this game, they appear to be a lock for the 12-team playoffs post season.

6-2 Duke lost by a point, 28-27, to SMU last week and plays very disciplined defense, so, if their offense can manage to sustain a few drives against Miami's suspect defense, they may keep this closer than the Hurricanes might like.

Coin Flip: Duke

Fearless Rick's Pick: Hurricanes 34 Blue Devils 24

12:00 pm 19 Ole Miss (-7, 53.5) at Arkansas (ESPN) - The Rebels need to keep winning to have any hope of making the playoff field of 12, as they have two losses already. They have not been overly impressive in conference play, with a 2-2 mark, and Arkansas is actually above them in the standings, at 3-2.

The Razorbacks are capable of going toe-to-toe with the best in the SEC, having already beaten Tennessee (19-14), and losing a close call to Texas A&M, 21-17. Hard to see the Rebels winning by a touchdown or more if even winning at all.

Coin Flip: Arkansas

Fearless Rick's Pick: Razorbacks 34 Rebels 27

12:00 pm Air Force at 21 Army (-21.5, 41.5) (CBS) - The Black Knights aren't 7-0 for nothing. They've scored 283 points and allowed just 87 this season.

Their match-up with Air Force could turn into Air Farce. The Falcons are 1-6, have scored only 107 points while allowing 192. This looks like a sure blowout.

Coin Flip: Army

Fearless Rick's Pick: Black Knights 42 Falcons 6

3:30 pm 1 Oregon (-14.5, 45.5) at Michigan (CBS) - The Wolverines are 5-3 and were mauled by Texas, 31-12, and Illinois, 21-7. Their win over Michigan State last week, 24-17, was no big deal. Oregon simply looks unstoppable, but, if Michigan's defense can hold up at least some of the time, Oregon's defense may just prove to be truly a shut-down unit.

Either way, Oregon is a clear winner.

Coin Flip: Oregon

Fearless Rick's Pick: Ducks 44 Wolverines 17

3:30 pm Florida vs. 2 Georgia (-16.5, 52.5) (ABC) - The Bulldogs got all of their swagger back after whipping Texas, 30-15, two weeks ago and are now possibly the most dangerous team in the country. The only blemish on there record is a 41-34 loss at Alabama, which is now a fading memory.

Florida's three losses have all been to ranked teams - Miami, Texas A&M, and Tennessee, but they appear to be improving steadily. Senior QB Graham Mertz was lost in the Tennessee game, suffering a season-ending torn ACL. His replacement, DJ Lagway, has some experience, but faces a brutal defense in a huge game. Could get ugly.

Coin Flip: Florida

Fearless Rick's Pick: Bulldogs 38 Gators 13

3:30 pm Texas Tech at 11 Iowa State (-13.5, 56.5) (ESPN) - The Red Raiders were 5-1 before being blown out by Baylor, 59-35, and then losing at TCU last week, 35-34. Their defense has allowed more points (179) than any of the other 15 teams in the Big 12 conference. Iowa State has allowed the least, 72, and they are still one of just eight teams in Division 1 that are undefeated (7-0).

The Cyclones may lose a game somewhere along the way, but this doesn't appear to be that spot.

Coin Flip: Iowa State

Fearless Rick's Pick: Cyclones 42 Red Raiders 20

3:30 pm 13 Indiana (-7.5, 51.5) at Michigan State (Peacock) - The Spartans lost a major rivalry game last week to Michigan, 24-17, but Indiana is a different story. At 8-0, it's surprising that the line is under two touchdowns. Could be a walkover for the Hoosiers.

The Spartans were blown out by both Ohio State and Oregon. A 32-20 upset win over Iowa is their only quality win.

Coin Flip: Michigan State

Fearless Rick's Pick: Hoosiers 34 Spartans 20

3:30 pm 17 Kansas State (-13, 46) at Houston (FOX) - The Wildcats of Kansas State have only one loss in eight games, that one a 38-9 thumping at BYU. Since then, lessons learned, they've won four straight and have a legitimate shot at the Big 12 title.

3-5 Houston doesn't pose much of a threat. In their five losses, they were shut out twice (Cincinnati, Iowa State) and scored a total of just 33 points in the other three games. Kansas State survived their rivalry game with Kansas last week and should be quite motivated to keep moving forward.

Coin Flip: Kansas State

Fearless Rick's Pick: Wildcats 31 Cougars 10

7:30 pm 10 Texas A&M (-2.5, 44) at South Carolina - This might just be a trap game for the Aggies, after their resounding, 38-23 win over LSU last week. Expect freshman Marcel Reed to start. He's the reason the Aggies ran all over the Tigers in the second half last Saturday night.

South Carolina is a tricky call. They usually play everybody tough, and despite their 4-3 record, they are very dangerous, nearly beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa in a 27-25 heart-breaker, and also losing earlier in the season to LSU, 36-33. Their only big loss was a 27-3 beatdown by Ole Miss a month ago. They may just prove too good for the Aggies. Could be a track meet.

Coin Flip: Texas A&M

Fearless Rick's Pick: Gamecocks 30 Aggies 27

7:30 pm Louisville at 11 Clemson (-10.5, 63) (ESPN) - Usually keeping within striking distance of their opponents, Louisville's three losses have each been by seven points, to Notre Dame, SMU, and Miami.

Clemson, winners of six straight after their blown out opener vs. Georgia, is probably a notch or two better than the teams that have topped the Cardinals, plus, they're at home and should win this one handily.

Coin Flip: Louisville

Fearless Rick's Pick: Tigers 42 Cardinals 24

7:45 pm Kentucky at 7 Tennessee (-16.5, 45.5) (SECN) - Kentucky got blown out by Florida two weeks ago, at Florida, 48-20, and have now lost three straight and are 1-5 in SEC play.

The Volunteers have had an extra week to savor their 24-17 win over Alabama, and appear to have found their mojo. Unless the Vols turn the ball over - which they seldom do - they should be able to establish a lead and pull away in the second half. Their defense, possibly the best in the SEC, will take care of the rest.

Coin Flip: Tennessee

Fearless Rick's Pick: Volunteers 41 Wildcats 14

8:00 pm 18 Pittsburgh at 20 SMU (-7, 58) (ACCN) - As much as everybody likes the 7-1 Mustangs, there's no knocks against the 7-0 Panthers, who have managed to stay perfect, knocking off Syracuse last Thursday, 41-13, thanks to multiple Orange turnovers.

They won't find the Mustangs to be as easy, but they are good enough to win this key conference showdown with heady defense and an offense that can keep drives alive.

Coin Flip: SMU

Fearless Rick's Pick: Panthers 27 Mustangs 24