NCAA college football 2017 Week 12 predictions

Saturday, 8 p.m. ET

The battle for the Victory Bell has a little extra sauce this year. One team may not be ranked like the other, but this matchup features two quarterbacks who will be on NFL rosters. Josh Rosen and Sam Darnold are supposed to be top NFL quarterback prospects this spring, and pro scouts are going to get plenty of game tape from both in this one. USC may have wrapped up the Pac-12 South Division early, but the Bruins are always a threat to play spoiler if Rosen can solve the USC defense.

Pick: USC

Saturday, 4 p.m. ET

While their chances of making of the College Football Playoff are slim, the Penn State Nittany Lions still have an outside shot of making the Big Ten title game and redeeming themselves. They are not in control of their own destiny, but they will need to play with a sense of urgency to give themselves a chance at a Rose Bowl berth. Running back Saquon Barkley has 1,423 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns this season, and Penn State will need all of that to give itself a better bowl situation. The Cornhuskers have lost four of their last five games, and head coach Mike Riley’s seat might get warmer if he continues to lose. A win, however, will give him some job security.

Pick: Penn State

Saturday, 7 p.m. ET

Better late than never. The Tennessee Volunteers finally cut head coach Butch Jones loose after an atrocious season of embarrassing losses, naming former Michigan head man Brady Hoke interim coach. While they have relieved themselves of an unsuccessful coach, they still face a good LSU team that recovered from its loss against Alabama. The Volunteers have yet to win a conference game this season, and LSU presents a formidable challenge, winning four of its last five games. With Jones gone, the Volunteers may be able to shake their conference woes.

Pick: LSU

Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET

Oklahoma State recovered from its loss in Bedlam to hand Iowa State a 49-42 loss last week. Even though rival quarterback Baker Mayfield is getting Heisman consideration, Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph still has Heisman credentials with nearly 3,700 yards passing and 30 touchdowns with two games left in the regular season. Kansas State is a long shot to win the Big 12 title, but it has enough talent to spoil Oklahoma State’s chances of finishing strong.

Pick: Kansas State

Saturday, 8 p.m. ET

Simply known as "The Big Game," California and Stanford clash once again in this Northern California rivalry. Stanford is fighting desperately to win the Pac-12 North for a chance to play in the Pac-12 Championship Game, riding the strong legs of Heisman candidate Bryce Love. The Stanford running back as been nearly unstoppable all year, but California would love to score a win against its rival and send the Cardinal home without a chance to play for a conference championship.

Pick: Stanford

Saturday, 12 p.m. ET

Whatever Paul Chryst has for a good luck charm, he needs to spread that magic around. Week after week, the Badgers run into an unranked team to pad their record, but whom have they really played? They can make a real statement with a win against Michigan, a ranked team that was competing for a playoff spot at one point this season. The Wolverines may not be in the running for a national championship, but they have won their last three games, putting them within striking distance of Ohio State for the Big 10 East Division title. Can Michigan win and make the last game of the season even more intriguing?

Pick: Wisconsin

Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET

The Fighting Irish’s national championship aspirations were not meant to be. Notre Dame was destroyed by Miami in the rematch of “Catholics vs. Convicts,” making it very difficult to reach the playoff — unless it can recover with big wins the next couple weeks. First is Navy, who is coming off a win against SMU behind its top-rated rushing attack. This will hardly be a walk in the park for Notre Dame as it fights to get back in the playoff conversation.

Pick: Navy

Saturday, 12 p.m. ET

After falling to Oklahoma State, West Virginia has recovered to score some much needed wins against ranked Iowa State and Kansas State. Will Grier threw four touchdowns last week, and he can have a field day against the Texas defense. The Longhorns did get three interceptions against Kansas and can fluster Grier if he gets too cocky.

Pick: West Virginia

Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET

Washington had a chance to represent the Pac-12 Conference in the College Football Playoff, but a rough loss against Stanford on a short week knocked the Huskies out of contention. Their status in the Pac-12 North is also behind the eight ball, but they can ease fans’ minds with a win against the Utes. Utah played AP-ranked Washington State close last week. The Utes may be out of the running for the Pac-12 South Division, but they can ruin Washington’s season with a key road win.

Pick: Washington

Friday, 8 p.m. ET

There isn’t a lot on the line in this game, but when these two teams hook up, there is something magical in the air. Last year’s game went to double overtime, and many college football fans hope this year’s matchup will be much of the same. WKU quarterback Mike White is just 14 yards away from throwing for 3,000 yards, and MTSU quarterback Brent Stockstill has six touchdowns in two games after missing the previous six contests due to injury. This may shape up to be the game of the week.

Pick: Western Kentucky

Saturday, 12 p.m. ET

TCU was unable to capitalize on an opportunity to move up the playoff ladder, losing to Oklahoma last week. To add insult to injury, the Horned Frogs lost leading rusher Darius Anderson for the season, and quarterback Kenny Hill may be unavailable for the game against Texas Tech. The Red Raiders recovered from their four-game slide with a win against lowly Baylor. With all the injuries TCU has, Texas Tech quarterback Nic Shimonek could steal a win at home against the mighty Horned Frogs.

Pick: Texas Tech

Saturday, 2:30 p.m. ET

Success in college football is a fickle mistress, and Iowa State is in the doghouse. The Cyclones have dropped two consecutive games after shocking No. 4 TCU at home. Its usually solid defense gave up 49 points against Oklahoma State, and Iowa State goes on the road to Baylor, who can put up points despite the team's struggles. Iowa State has shown it can win on the road, but stopping this slide could be difficult.

Pick: Iowa State

Saturday, 12 p.m. ET

The Memphis Tigers continue their assault on the American Athletic Conference, winning five straight games after losing to UCF. Memphis quarterback Riley Ferguson put up another four-touchdown performance against Tulsa last week, giving him 18 touchdowns in his last five games. The Tigers are going to need that arm to keep pace with SMU, who is putting up 39.4 points per game. With the Mustangs' defense a little suspect, this could be a very high-scoring game.

Pick: Memphis

Saturday, 10:15 p.m. ET

Boise State looked like it wasn’t going to make much noise at the beginning of the season but has reeled off six straight wins to go undefeated in conference play so far. Broncos quarterback Brett Rypien has led the offense this year, throwing for four touchdowns last week, including two in the final 1:41 of the game to down Colorado State in a high-scoring affair. He may have a field day against the porous Air Force defense, which will need to lean on the Falcons' fifth most productive running game in the country to keep Rypien off the field.

Pick: Boise State

Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET

Georgia found out how long the drop is from the top. After losing to Auburn last week, the Bulldogs find themselves out of the playoff picture at No. 7 in the College Football Playoff Ranking. If they want to put themselves back into the top four, they will need to win out, and it starts with Kentucky. The Wildcats dropped 44 points on Vanderbilt last week and look like a team that is a tougher out than previously thought. Georgia can’t look past Kentucky if it hopes to make the playoff this year.

Pick: Georgia

Saturday, 4 p.m. ET

Michigan State couldn’t continue its undefeated run against ranked opponents, falling to Ohio State in spectacular fashion, 48-3. The Spartans return home and hope to change their fortunes for at least a chance to win the Big Ten East Division. First on the docket is Maryland, who is fresh off a 35-10 lashing from Michigan. The Terrapins are already in spoiler mode, and the Spartans may not recover from their defeat so quickly.

Pick: Michigan State

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET

Quick, name the only SEC team other than Alabama with a four-plus-game winning streak. It’s the Missouri Tigers. After dispatching two non-conference teams easily, the Tigers rolled through Florida and Tennessee, averaging 47.5 points in those two SEC matchups. Now they hope to translate that offense on the road against a Vanderbilt team that hasn’t won a conference game this year. Can the Tigers continue to roll through another conference opponent?

Pick: Missouri

Saturday, 4 p.m. ET

Florida was failing with Jim McElwain at the helm, and that didn’t change much with Randy Shannon taking over as interim head coach. The Gators got destroyed by Missouri and lost to South Carolina last week. Now they host UAB, who is on a three-game winning streak behind a strong rushing attack led by running back Spencer Brown. With Florida in disarray, UAB has a great chance to tack on another loss to Florida’s crumbling season.

Pick: UAB

Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET

The San Diego State Aztecs go as Rashaad Penny goes, and right now they are going well. After getting stuffed by Boise State and Fresno State, Penny has gained 487 yards in the last two games to get the Aztecs back to their winning ways. Next on the schedule is Nevada, who is coming off a record-setting performance from Dameon Barber. The junior defensive back scored three touchdowns off returns, and Nevada will need that kind of performance again if the Wolf Pack want to pull off the upset win against the Aztec.

Pick: San Diego State

Saturday, 2 p.m. ET

Fresno State has a firm hold on first place in the Mountain West’s West Division behind a balanced attack and a tough defense that has only given up 18.3 points per game. But now the Bulldogs head on the road to Wyoming, where a tough Cowboys team has won six of its last seven games. NFL quarterback prospect Josh Allen has had his ups and downs, but his defense has always given him a shot to win, allowing only 18.1 points per game. These two defenses should keep this a close, tense game.

Pick: Wyoming

Saturday, 12 p.m. ET

The battle to represent the Big Ten in the College Football Playoff is getting a lot of attention, but Northwestern winning five straight games is also pretty impressive. The Wildcats had impressive victories over Iowa and Michigan State and could finish the season strong by running the table to get to a decent bowl game. Minnesota hasn’t had the season it hoped it would, but it can salvage some positivity if it beats Northwestern on the road.

Pick: Northwestern

Saturday, 12 p.m. ET

UCF is in control of its own destiny at the top of the American Athletic East Division. The country’s highest-scoring offense shows no signs of stopping, and the Knights will take their show on the road to Philadelphia, where Temple is coming off two consecutive wins to keep its bowl-eligibility alive. Going against a desperate team on the road, UCF could be in for a dogfight against the Owls.

Pick: Temple

Saturday, 12 p.m. ET

Well, that is one way to let the country know you’re legitimate. After skating on thin ice to the AP top 10, the Miami Hurricanes have destroyed their last two opponents, routing Virginia Tech and demolishing playoff contender Notre Dame, 41-8. Miami is now firmly in playoff position. The team’s defense has been hot, forcing eight turnovers the last two games. Now the Hurricanes host Virginia, who is supposed to be an easy out. But if this year has taught fans anything, it’s that chaos reigns supreme.

Pick: Miami

Saturday, 12 p.m. ET

Auburn made a statement by rolling over Georgia 40-17 last week. The Tigers pounded the Bulldogs for 237 rushing yards. They now find themselves as one of the first two out of the College Football Playoff, and they will need to win the rest of their games to convince the voting committee to let them in. Louisiana Monroe appears to be an easy win, but Auburn could be looking forward to the Iron Bowl and get cocky. Can the Warhawks take advantage?

Pick: Auburn