College Football Week 12 and NFL Week 11 Preview: 11/16 - 11/20

Thursday, November 16th

What to Watch For

Game of the Day: Bengals at Ravens

The game of the weekend in the pro ranks is on Thursday night. Both teams lost in wild fashion this past week. Both teams have MVP frontrunners at quarterback and a plethora of weapons. The AFC North literally hits different, so this will be a fun one for Kirk and Al.

Most Entertaining Game: Boston College at Pittsburgh

BC ran into a buzzsaw against Virginia Tech but have a fun brand of football with a really athletic quarterback who can raise the ceiling of the team quite a bit. What is Narduzzi going to do against him? This is worth turning on for the Pitt uniforms alone, so turn it on when BC has the ball and not the other way around (yikes, that Pitt offense).

Picks of the Day

First Pick: u46 (-110) Bengals vs Ravens

Sticking with unders in prime time.

Friday, November 17th

What to Watch For

Game of the Day: Colorado at Washington State

Two teams that flew out of the gates are now trying to stay alive for a bowl game. Such is life in college football. Deion has already voiced his displeasure for the late night games, but he has to have the team ready if he wants to go bowling. Cam Ward will have a field day against the Buffs defense, let's see if we can hit a Friday night over.

A Game for the Football Crazies: South Florida at UTSA

Anyone tracking who will coach the Texas A&M Aggies next year has heard the talk about Deion. But another name coming up is UTSA Coach Jeff Traylor. He is a high school coaching legend in the state and has turned the Roadrunners into an awesome program to watch. Now, as UTSA keeps winning, they are likely pushing their coach right out of town. Let's see how they respond after all the rumors.

Picks of the Day

Pick: Washington State -4.5 (-110) vs Colorado

It is wild to think that these teams are now fighting to stay alive for a bowl game after the first four weeks. Wazzu has been in the grind of the PAC 12 schedule but now get a home night game and will have plenty of bulletin board materials with no conference next year and Deion on the other sideline.

Saturday, November 18th

Game of the Day: Washington at Oregon State

Washington is an underdog in Corvallis! The Huskies have been barely hanging on and now have a rough road game before the Apple Cup. Can DJ and the gang play spoilers?! These next two weeks will be huge for the CFP and there may not be a bigger game for the PAC 12's final season than this one.

Most Entertaining Game: Louisville at Miami

Jeff Brohm has the team on the cusp of the playoff conversation in his first year at his alma mater. They squeaked out a win last week, got a mini bye, and now head to Miami. The Hurricanes had success with a backup quarterback last week but have to switch again after an injury against the Seminoles. Can Cristobal right the ship at home?

A Game for the Football Crazies: Appalachian State at James Madison

JMU is close to a perfect season one year after becoming a D1 team, what a story. App State knows the spoiler well, but they will have to be on their game when they head up to Virginia. I can't wait for this one, probably will be a beautiful uniform matchup, and feature two explosive offenses. Reggie Brown is an amazing receiver for the Dukes, be sure to watch him when JMU is on offense.

Picks of the Day

First Pick: Big Ten Offensive Woes Parlay: u30.5 Illinois vs Iowa, u46.5 Northwestern vs Purdue, u47 Michigan State vs IU (+595)

The Big Ten may have two teams in the top four of the CFP, but they have a lot of really crappy teams that run the ball and punt like the Canton Bulldogs with Jim Thorpe. Let's see if we can capitalize (for greater winnings, bet individually because one likely won't hit).

Second Pick: Michigan First Half -10.5 (+102) vs Maryland

As we have discussed, the Wolverines have rallied around the scandal that has their head coach in a legal battle. I think they come out firing in this one, as they did last year against Maryland, and are up big early. 

Third Pick: UCLA +6.5 (-110) vs USC

First off, this is the best uniform matchup of the year. Both teams wear the home uniforms and it is electric. Second, USC is in a freefall. UCLA is having problems, but they have a run game that can punish the Trojans and Dante Moore will be pumped to be playing against this secondary.

Fourth Pick: Air Force -3 (-110) vs UNLV

The Falcons have lost two straight but they dominate this rivalry and I think they get back on track this week. The triple option can be hard to stop if you are not prepared for it. UNLV is no slouch, both come in at 8-2, but I think Air Force wins by more than a field goal.

Sunday, November 19th

What to Watch For

Game of the Day: Steelers at Browns

All the AFC North games. This slate has a ton of 10 point spreads, so we will take two teams scratching and clawing to overcome offensive deficiencies. This game may feature the two best pass rushers in the league in TJ Watt and Myles Garrett. I would keep an eye on where they are lining up on every third down and trust that sticking with watching them will take you to the ball.

Most Entertaining Game: Seahawks at Rams

The Seahawks are 6-3 but something feels... off. The Rams are never healthy, but have some firepower to expose them. People seem to forget that Aaron Donald is the best defensive tackle in the game, so if you flip this one on, be sure to take him in while he is still oh so good.

A Game for the Football Crazies: Vikings at Broncos

Sunday night features Josh Dobbs balling out for the Vikings in a weird situation and the Broncos having the most uncomfortable head coach - quarterback relationship. Can Russ cook a little bit or are the Walton's going to pay for a lot of dead cap as Payton moves on from him? It will get weird late on Sunday night.

Picks of the Day

First Pick: Buccaneers +11.5 (-110) vs 49ers

Why do I like the Bucs this year? They seem to always be around in games and mix things up. The 49ers will have gotten right after the bye, but enough rust is around to keep it within 10.

Second Pick: u44 (-110) Vikings vs Broncos

See note for Thursday night under.

Third Pick: Cardinals +4 (-110) vs Texans

I love CJ Stroud and I am glad he is getting his praise. We have had success betting against the team everyone loves and Kyler Murray is back, so I think they keep it close.

Monday, November 20th

What to Watch For

Game of the Day: Eagles at Chiefs

If Thursday is the game of the weekend, is this the game of the season? These teams gave us a great Super Bowl and have awesome records but look a lot different. How the Chiefs combat the pressure when only Travis Kelce can separate will be interesting to watch. On the flip side, the Chiefs now may have a strength on defense but can they contain the run game and AJ Brown? What a game to start off the holiday week meant for football.

Picks of the Day

Pick: u45.5 (-110) Eagles vs Chiefs

See note for the Sunday night under.

Season Totals

College Football Picks: 33-32-1 (-1.12 units)

NFL Picks: 20-16-3 (+2.46 units)

Overall: 53-48-5 (+1.34 units)