College Football 2018: 3 reasons to be excited about Week 12
2. Hidden Gems
There are four hidden gem games that should be quite fun this week. West Virginia heads to Stillwater, OK to face the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Mike Gundy‘s OSU teams have always found a way to upset a heavy hitter and get to eight wins and this could be their chance. OSU might be 5-5 but they’re ranked 27th per the S&P+ as they’ve struggled to close late. Will Grier has been a joy to watch and is averaging 9.9 yards per passing attempt on the season while tossing 31 touchdowns.
Prediction: West Virginia by 5
Missouri at Tennessee could be quite fun as well. The Tigers are 6-4 and ranked 23rd per the S&P+ while the Vols are 5-5 and ranked 70th. Tennessee is on an uptick under Jeremy Pruitt and will be a good ball club by 2020. Missouri is in good hands with Barry Odom but this could be an upset alert.
Prediction: Tennessee by 1
Stanford at Cal might not be on too many radars but this will be a hard-nosed battle for people that love defensive football games. The Cardinal have struggled in 2018 but are 6-4 and ranked 25th by the S&P+ while Justin Wilcox‘s Golden Bears are 6-4 and ranked 63rd. This won’t be the typical Pac-12 high scoring affair as I can see a combined 25 points.
Prediction: Cal by 3
Duke at Clemson is at 7 p.m. on ESPN and could be more entertaining than expected. The Blue Devils are 7-3 and ranked 51st per the S&P+ while Clemson is 10-0 and ranked second. The Tigers have managed to lose to some underperforming squad even in their National Championship season. Duke’s David Cutcliffe has the experience and game plan to upset the Tigers.