College football picks: Football feast missing some dishes
Ralph D. Russo | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 11 months AGO
The Thanksgiving weekend football feast will be missing a few of the dishes that have become mainstays.
Schedules altered and seasons delayed by the pandemic have taken off the table a bunch of rivalry games that have become a staple of the last weekend in November, including Michigan-Ohio State and all those in-state matchups of ACC and SEC schools such as Clemson-South Carolina.
The Apple Cup between Washington and Washington State, canceled. Same with Minnesota and Wisconsin's long-running rivalry for Paul Bunyan's Axe; it's the first time since 1906 the Gophers and Badgers won't play.
The three-day college football weekend is still quite a spread with the Iron Bowl between No. 22 Auburn and No. 1 Alabama as the main event Saturday and two games matching ranked teams Friday with playoff and conference title ramifications.
No. 2 Notre Dame (CFP No. 2) plays at No. 25 North Carolina in a game that could mess up the Atlantic Coast Conference's hopes of putting two teams in the College Football Playoff.
In the Big 12, No. 15 Iowa State faces No. 20 Texas. The Cyclones clinch a spot in the conference title game with a victory. A victory by the Longhorns makes things complicated, leaving all the contenders with at least two league losses heading down the stretch and head-to-head tiebreakers all over the place.
The football feeding frenzy might not have everything you want but there is still plenty to choose from this weekend.
The picks:
FRIDAY
No. 2 Notre Dame (minus 4) at No. 25 North Carolina
A couple of bad losses have made the Tar Heels long shots to reach the ACC title game, but QB Sam Howell and crew have a formidable offense ... NORTH CAROLINA 35-31.
No. 15 Iowa State (plus 1 1/2) at No. 20 Texas
Cyclones are 3-17 against the Longhorns and will try to beat Texas in consecutive seasons for the first time ... IOWA STATE 27-23.
SATURDAY
No. 22 Auburn (plus 25) at No. 1 Alabama
Last six meetings when both teams are ranked, Tigers are 4-2, including last year. But the Tide hasn't lost consecutive Iron Bowls with Nick Saban as coach ... ALABAMA 42-21.
No. 3 Ohio State (minus 28) at Illinois
Illini are allowing quarterbacks to complete 71% of their passes. They've been better the last three weeks, but here comes Justin Fields ... OHIO STATE 52-21.
Pittsburgh (plus 24) at No. 4 Clemson
Will the Tigers take their FSU frustrations out on the Panthers? ... CLEMSON 45-17.
LSU (plus 14 1/2) at No. 5 Texas A&M
Tigers have won eight of nine since the Aggies joined the SEC, but seem ripe for some A&M payback ... TEXAS A&M 38-28.
Kentucky (plus 23) at No. 6 Florida
Wildcats go from 60-point loss with a shorthanded roster against Alabama to facing the nation's hottest quarterback in Kyle Trask ... FLORIDA 45-20.
No. 7 Cincinnati (minus 36) at Temple
Owls are on their way to their first losing season since 2013, which is pretty amazing considering the history of the program ... CINCINNATI 35-3.
No. 9 Oregon (minus 13 1/2) at Oregon State
Ducks have won 11 of 12 in the rivalry that's looking for a new name since the Civil War was dumped ... OREGON 31-21.
No. 11 Northwestern (minus 13 1/2) at Michigan State
Since gaining 537 yards in the opener against Maryand, the unbeaten Wildcats have been held under 300 yards in three of four games ... NORTHWESTERN 23-14.
Maryland (plus 11 1/2) at No. 12 Indiana
QB Taulia Tagovailoa and the Terps were rolling before a two-week COVID-19 pause ... INDIANA 35-27.
No. 13 Georgia (minus 21 1/2) at South Carolina
After a rousing debut, what can Bulldogs QB J.T. Daniels do for an encore against one of the SEC's worst pass defenses? ... GEORGIA 45-17.
No. 14 Oklahoma (minus 10 1/2) at West Virginia
Sooners have won all eight meetings since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12 ... OKLAHOMA 31-17.
No. 16 Coastal Carolina (minus 17) at Texas State
Let's hear it for the Texas State Bobcats, who are about play their 12th game of the season without a postponement ... COASTAL CAROLINA 42-21.
Colorado (plus 13 1/12) at No. 19 USC
Trojans will try to make it 15-0 all-time against the Buffs, if they can get past some COVID-19 issues ... USC 34-26.
Texas Tech (plus 11) at No. 21 Oklahoma State
Red Raiders come in with a two-game winning streak against the Cowboys ... OKLAHOMA STATE 35-20.
No. 23 Louisiana-Lafayette (minus 28 1/2) at Louisiana-Monroe
Six of the last seven meetings have been decided by seven points or fewer, with the Ragin' Cajuns winning four of those close games ... LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE 38-17.
TWITTER REQUESTS
Colorado State (plus 5) at Air Force, Thursday — @scott_callihan
Falcons have won four straight in the in-state rivalry ... AIR FORCE 27-20.
Kent State (plus 7) at Buffalo — @mattsarz
Maybe the MAC's game of the year: Golden Flashes have put up 131 points in their last two games and the Bulls have scored at least 42 in each game during a 3-0 start ... BUFFALO 45-41.
Memphis (minus 13 1/2) at Navy — @travelbyjohnm
Been a ragged season for both teams, but the winner is still alive for a spot in the AAC championship game ... MEMPHIS 35-18.
Penn State (plus 2) at Michigan — @flaveydavie
Winless Nittany Lions and the Wolverines coming off a big victory against Rutgers. Yeesh ... PENN STATE 26-24.
Stanford (plus 1 1/2) at California — @adam_evarts19
Big Game rivals have combined for four losses, two canceled games and no victories ... STANFORD 24-21.
Mississippi State (plus 9 1/2) at Mississippi — @Brett_Hudson
First Egg Bowl with Mike Leach coaching the Bulldogs and Lane Kiffin leading the Rebels. Let the fun begin ... OLE MISS 45-38.
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Record
Last week: 14-4 straight; 11-7 against the spread.
Season: 122-48 straight; 82-86-1 against the spread.
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Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at https://westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/
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More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25