Michigan's Trip to IU Headlines College Basketball Saturday

The superb play of Tim Hardaway Jr. is one of the major reasons why Michigan is currently the No. 1 team in the country. (Gregory Shamus)

5. #6 Syracuse (18-2, 6-1 Big East) @ Pittsburgh (17-5, 5-4 Big East) - 12:00 PM EST, ESPN

Syracuse enters this matchup following the team's second loss of the season. Poor perimeter defense and overconfidence were their demise. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has begun to find its groove. They had won four straight contests before coming up short at Louisville. The Panthers will look to use their significant home court advantage to pull the surprising upset.

4. Oklahoma State (14-5, 4-3 Big 12) @ #2 Kansas (19-1, 7-0 Big 12) - 4:00 PM EST, ESPN3

Oklahoma State has had its share of ups and downs so far this season. They are entering this game with some momentum as winners of three of their last four. Since a November 13 loss to Michigan State, Kansas has gone on to win 18 straight games. Their defense has been dominant throughout the season. Freshman Ben McLemore has emerged as one of the best players in college basketball.

3. #14 Miami (16-3, 7-0 ACC) @ #19 NC State (16-5, 5-3 ACC) - 4:00 PM EST, CBS

Miami has been one of the biggest surprise stories of the college basketball season thus far. They have stormed out to a 7-0 start in ACC play, including dominating wins over then-No. 1 Duke and Florida State. NC State has been up and down in conference play. They have a win over Duke on the record as well. The Wolfpack will be glad to return home after a loss at Virginia this past week dropped their road record to 1-4 on the season.

2. #16 Mississippi (17-3, 6-1 SEC) @ #4 Florida (17-2, 7-0 ACC) - 7:00 PM EST, ESPNU

Ole Miss has been another one of this season's surprisingly successful teams. For those who have not seen them play, they run a high octane offense and rebound the ball well. The Rebels do enter the game on a sour note after their nine-game winning streak was snapped by a home loss to Kentucky. They hope to prove that they belong among the best in the SEC. Beating Florida would be a step in the right direction. The Gators have won nine straight and have emerged as the cream of the conference's crop.

1. Michigan (20-1, 7-1 Big Ten) @ #3 Indiana (19-2, 7-1 Big Ten) - 9:00 PM EST, ESPN

The Big Ten is widely considered to be the best conference in college basketball right now. Matchups like this remind us of why that is. Michigan doesn't simply have a strong record. They have been winning convincingly as well. Since December 4, the Wolverines have won every game by double digits except for two. One was a narrow defeat at Ohio State and an eight point win over Minnesota. Indiana has been a strong team as well. They have been rock solid as well with the exception of their two close losses, one in overtime to Butler and the other to Wisconsin by five at home. This is a battle to determine who is the top dog in the Big Ten as of right now at least.

College Football Week 10 Preview and Predictions

Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron looks to guide his team through its toughest test yet in rival LSU. (Kevin C. Cox)

5. Mississippi (5-3) @ #6 Georgia (7-1) - 3:30 PM EST, CBS

Last week, Georgia came up with a huge win when they needed one. Their defense stepped up and led them to a 17-9 upset of previously unbeaten Florida. The win put them in the driver's seat to win the SEC East and advance to the SEC championship in Atlanta. All they need to do is win out and they are in. However, the problem is that same defense has been subject to letdown and cannot afford to against Ole Miss. The Rebels explosive offense is led by sophomore quarterback Bo Wallace. The unit has averaged 32.4 points per game and scored a combined 71 points the last two weeks in wins over Auburn and Arkansas. Wallace will have a difficult task against the Bulldogs defense. Junior linebacker Jarvis Jones was an absolute game changer against Florida with 13 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Prediction: Georgia 27 Mississippi 24

4. #20 Nebraska (6-2) @ Michigan State (5-4) - 3:30 PM EST, ABC/ESPN2

Nebraska got the huge win at home against Michigan last week. The win put them in control of the Big Ten Legends Division. Now, they have to win out to advance to the Big Ten championship. They will have to travel first to East Lansing to take on a rejuvenated Michigan State team. The Spartans are mired in a disappointing season, but came up with a big upset of Wisconsin on the road. They will now look to pull off another upset. This matchup features two opposing forces. The Cornhuskers lead the Big Ten in scoring, total offense and rushing yards. Conversely, the Spartans led the conference in points allowed, yards allowed and rushing defense. They will have to try and slow down Nebraska's dual-threat quarterback Taylor Martinez and sophomore tailback Ameer Abdullah.

Prediction: Michigan State 17 Nebraska 16

3. #24 Oklahoma State (5-2) @ #2 Kansas State (8-0) - 8:00 PM EST, ABC

Kansas State has taken care of business all season long. They have knocked off ranked opponents on the road in Oklahoma and West Virginia. Last week, they destroyed Texas Tech at home. They will look for their third straight win over a ranked opponent on Saturday against Oklahoma State. The Wildcats are led by Heisman favorite Collin Klein at quarterback. They can put up points on the scoreboard all day long, scoring a combined 110 points the last two weeks. The Cowboys will look to keep the Wildcats offense off the field as much as possible behind the strong running game of junior tailback Joseph Randle. He has rushed for a combined 277 yards and three touchdowns the last two weeks.

Prediction: Kansas State 34 Oklahoma State 24

2. #4 Oregon (8-0) @ #17 USC (6-2) - 7:00 PM EST, FOX

Oregon continues to blow out its opponents with its dominating offense. They have scored at least 42 points in all of their eight wins so far this season. The Ducks have yet to move up in the BCS standings because of their weak strength of schedule. They will get their chance to proved against three ranked opponents in their last four games. The first is a big matchup against rival USC in Los Angeles. The Trojans got caught looking ahead to the big matchup and were upset 39-36 by Arizona.

USC will need a huge game out of senior quarterback Matt Barkley and his favorite target, sophomore wide receiver Marquise Lee. Lee has emerged as one of the best receivers in college football. Last week, he had 16 catches for 345 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The Ducks offense is full of explosive playmakers as well. Last week against Colorado, sophomore quarterback Bryan Bennett rushed for three touchdowns, freshman quarterback Marcus Mariota threw for 136 yards and two scores and the rushing duo of Kenjon Barner and De'Anthony Thomas rushed for a combined 211 yards and three touchdowns. Thomas also had an amazing 73-yard punt return for a touchdown.

Prediction: Oregon 48 USC 38

1. #1 Alabama (8-0) @ #5 LSU (7-1) - 8:00 PM EST, CBS

Undefeated and top ranked Alabama has won every one of its games this season by at least 19 points. They will definitely get their toughest test of the season as the travel to Death Valley to take on LSU. The Tigers bounced back from a loss to Florida with wins over ranked opponents South Carolina and Texas A&M. They also got an extra week to prepare for the big rivalry game. LSU will definitely be looking to avenge their 21-0 loss to Alabama in the BCS National Championship game last season.

Both teams boast two of the best defenses in the nation. Alabama's offense is led by one the best game managers in college football. Junior quarterback A.J. McCarron has thrown 18 touchdowns this season without a single interceptions. In fact, dating back to last season, he has thrown 262 consecutive passes without a pick. The running back duo of junior Eddie Lacy and freshman T.J. Yeldon bring balance to the offense. LSU relies upon a deep stable of running backs, including Spencer Ware, Michael Ford, Jeremy Hill, Kenny Hilliard and fullback J.C. Copeland. At quarterback, junior Zach Mettenberger has had his ups-and-downs. He needs to limit his mistakes against the Crimson Tide.

Prediction: Alabama 23 LSU 13

BCS Bowls Burst on the Scene Among a Full Slate of Monday Matchups

There are six big bowl games being played on Monday, January 2, 2012. Here are some previews and predictions. Games are listed in order in which they will take place chronologically.

TicketCity Bowl - #19 Houston (12-1) vs. #22 Penn State (9-3) - 12:00 PM EST, ESPNU

This bowl game isn't where either of these teams hoped they would end up. As a result, motivation might be a struggle for both teams. The Houston Cougars were 12-0 entering the Conference USA Championship Game. All they needed was to win the game, and they would get the berth to a BCS bowl. However, Southern Miss pulled the upset, so the Cougars have to settle for this bowl. Normally, a nine win season for a Big Ten team would earn them one of the conference's more desired bowl games. Unfortunately for Penn State, many bowl committees passed them up because of the scandal that devastated the program. Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse for the Nittany Lions, they did. The team has ruled out starting quarterback Matt McGloin, with a concussion from a fight with a teammate in their locker room. Houston is of course known by their record-setting quarterback Case Keenum. He will have a tough matchup against a Penn State defense that ranks #5 in the nation against the pass. Prediction: Houston 27 Penn State 16

TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl - Ohio State (6-6) vs. Florida (6-6) - 1:00 PM EST, ESPN2

In most seasons, this matchup would most likely be a regular season headliner or BCS bowl, but this year isn't a typical year for either team as both finished a disappointing 6-6. Ohio State lost their last three games of the season. In fact, the Buckeyes finished with a losing record in Big Ten play for the first time since 1999. Florida lost six of their last eight. The storyline of this game is that it pits coach Urban Meyer's former team against his future team. While he will have no actual role in the game, most of the talk surrounding the game will be about him, rather than the mediocre football being played on the field. Prediction: Florida 27 Ohio State 24

Outback Bowl - #17 Michigan State (10-3) vs. #16 Georgia (10-3) - 1:00 PM EST, ABC

Both of these teams look to bounce back from disappointing losses in their respective conference championship games. Michigan State lost a hard fought battle against Wisconsin 42-39. Georgia, which entered their game with #1 LSU on a ten game winning streak, saw their streak snapped as they were manhandled by a far superior Tigers team, 42-10. The quarterback matchup should be a good one. The Spartans' Kirk Cousins finished his senior season strong, throwing 13 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions during a five game span. The Bulldogs' sophomore quarterback, Aaron Murray, had a strong season as well, but struggled against LSU's stringent defense to end the season. While both of these offenses are capable of putting points on the scoreboard, I expect this game to be a lower scoring one because of the dominance of both of these defenses. Both finished in the top five in of the FBS in total defense. Prediction: Georgia 20 Michigan State 10

Capital One Bowl - #20 Nebraska (9-3) vs. #9 South Carolina (10-2) - 1:00 PM EST, ESPN

South Carolina is one win away from its winningest season in school history. In order to achieve that, they are going to have to overcome a few things. One would be their own history in bowl games, having lost their last three. They are also going to have to slow down Nebraska's challenging offense, led by dual-threat quarterback Taylor Martinez and running back Rex Burkhead. The Huskers' offense won't have an easy task themselves either as they match up against a Gamecocks defense that ranks #4 in the FBS in total defense and is led by first-team All-American defensive end Melvin Ingram. Nebraska has to be a little disappointed on not making it to a BCS bowl in their first year in the Big Ten, but overall it was a solid year for the team. They would love to cap it off with a bowl win. Prediction: South Carolina 20 Nebraska 17

Rose Bowl - #10 Wisconsin (11-2) vs. #5 Oregon (11-2) - 5:00 PM EST, ESPN

Both these teams are familiar to BCS games in recent years, but both are looking for their first win. Wisconsin was in the Rose Bowl last year, but lost to an undefeated TCU team. Oregon is making their third straight BCS bowl game appearance. The Ducks lost to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl two years ago and to Auburn in the BCS title game last season. This year's matchup might result in the highest scoring Rose Bowl ever. Both offenses rank in the top five in total offense in the nation and neither have scored less than 27 points in a game all season. Both offenses feature standout quarterbacks and running backs. Wisconsin's quarterback Russell Wilson is one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the country, completing 72.5% of his passes while throwing 31 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions. The Badgers' running back Montee Bell finished the season as a Heisman finalist with a total of 1759 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns. Oregon's quarterback Darron Thomas finished with 2493 passing yards and 30 passing touchdowns. The Ducks' explosive running back LaMichael James averaged 7.4 yards per carry, while rushing for 1646 yards and 17 touchdowns. This one seems set to be a shootout. Prediction: Wisconsin 38 Oregon 35

Tostitos Bowl - #4 Stanford (11-1) vs. #3 Oklahoma State (11-1) - 8:30 PM EST, ESPN

The Tostitos Bowl this year is all about teams trying to prove a point. Stanford wants to showcase quarterback Andrew Luck and let everyone know that they have a complete football team. Luck is being hailed as the greatest quarterback prospect since John Elway. Oklahoma State wants the NCAA and viewers to realize that the BCS is a screwed up system and that they should be playing in the national championship game. This game obviously features two prolific, high scoring offenses. The Cardinal offense revolves around Luck, who threw for 35 touchdown passes during the season, and tight end Coby Fleener, who is the most productive tight end in the nation. The Cowboys offense features quarterback Brandon Weeden, who threw for 34 touchdown passes, and wide receiver Justin Blackmon, who caught 113 passes for 1336 yards and 15 touchdowns. If you thought that wasn't enough offense, Cowboys running back Joseph Randle also ran for 1193 yards and 23 touchdowns. You thought the Rose Bowl was going to be high scoring, but this one might be even higher scoring. It might me a shootout between the bowls to see who can score the most combined points. Prediction: Oklahoma State 48 Stanford 31

The Real Big 12 Bowl Snub

Oklahoma State and their head coach Mike Gundy might feel like they got snubbed, but they didn't. Yes, they had more Top 25 wins than Alabama, but that has more to do with the mediocrity of the Big 12. The SEC was dominated by a handful of teams, which meant that Alabama was unable to face as many Top 25 teams. The bottom line here is you have to look at their losses. Alabama lost by 3 in overtime to the consensus #1 LSU Tigers. Oklahoma State lost to Iowa State, who finished 8th in the Big 12. I mean let's be honest. This is obvious.

What isn't obvious is how the Sugar Bowl committee overlooked the real Big 12 snub, the Kansas State Wildcats. The Sugar Bowl instead chose the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Michigan Wolverines. Let's compare the three teams (rankings reflect the final BCS poll):

#8 Kansas State Wildcats:

Final Record: 10-2 (7-2), 2nd place in the Big 12

Record vs. Top 25: 2-2; (Wins: Baylor & Texas), (Losses: Oklahoma & Oklahoma State)

Analysis: The Wildcats finished in 2nd place in the Big 12, by avoiding all the lower-tier minefield games. Their only losses were to Oklahoma State (BCS team) and Oklahoma, when Landry Jones and the Sooners were playing much better football. Overall, they turned in a great season.

#11 Virginia Tech Hokies:

Final Record: 11-2 (7-2), Won ACC Coastal Division, Lost ACC Championship 38-10 to Clemson

Record vs. Top 25: 1-2; (Win: Georgia Tech), (Losses: Both to Clemson)

Analysis: Who has Virginia Tech beaten that has any real talent? This depends on how good the ACC is. The Hokies best non-conference win was over Arkansas State. Not saying much to say the least. The one ranked team they beat, Georgia Tech, finished outside the rankings with a decent, but unimpressive 8-4 record. The Hokies had two big shots at Clemson and were blown out twice. How do you think they will fare when they play another really good opponent. Based on what I've seen, they are going to get blown out.

#13 Michigan Wolverines

Final Record: 10-2 (6-2), 2nd place in the Big 10 Legends division

Record vs. Top 25: 1-1; (Win: Nebraska), (Loss: Michigan State)

Analysis: The Wolverines responded well to new head coach Brady Hoke. They got a big non-conference win against Notre Dame. Then, they played well in Big Ten play. They might have lost to Michigan State and Iowa, but when they needed the two big wins at the end of the season they got the job done, blowing out Nebraska and holding on against archrival Ohio State.

In my opinion, Kansas State should have clearly gotten into this game over Virginia Tech. The Wildcats' body of work throughout the season is much more complete than that of the Hokies. Unfortunately, the Sugar Bowl we will have to settle for his Virginia Tech and Michigan. At this point, I would pick the Wolverines by two touchdowns. Kansas State has to instead play Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl, which should be a great game.

College Football Week 14 Preview & Predictions

This is conference championship weekend. These games will help decide who plays in the BCS bowls. Here are my previews and predictions for my Top Five:

5. #24 Southern Miss @ #6 Houston - 12:00 PM EST, ABC

The University of Houston's football team has convincingly kept doing one thing all season. That is winning football games. The Cougars are looking for their thirteenth win and a perfect regular season. They get to play Southern Miss at home in the Conference USA Championship. After finishing a disappointing 5-7 last season, Houston is one win away from their first ever BCS bowl game bid and would become the first ever Conference USA team to play in the Bowl Championship Series. The Cougars' potent offense is led at quarterback by Heisman candidate Case Keenum. The Cougars' defense has also steadily improved throughout the season. The Southern Miss offense is led by quarterback Austin Davis and running back Jamal Woodyard. The Golden Eagles are going to need to get these two guys to play stellar games in order to have a shot at the upset win. Prediction: Houston 52 Southern Miss 31

4. #15 Wisconsin vs. #13 Michigan State - 8:17 PM EST, FOX

If the inaugural Big Ten Championship is anything like the first matchup of these two teams, this game is going to be stellar. On October 22, Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins completed a 44-yard Hail Mary pass to Keith Nichol as time expired. Both teams come into tomorrow's game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on a four-game winning streak. Michigan State's offense will center around Cousins once again. You should keep an eye on his favorite target, wide receiver B.J. Cunningham, as well. Wisconsin's dual-threat offense hasn't scored less than 28 points in any game this season. Quarterback Russell Wilson has been extremely efficient on the season, but two of his three interceptions on the season came against the Spartans earlier this season. Running back Montee Ball is playing like a beast. He had four rushing touchdowns against Penn State last week. We also can't forget about these two defenses. The Spartans and Badgers have two of the top six scoring defenses in the country. The winner of this game gets the automatic bid to the Rose Bowl. Prediction: Wisconsin 31 Michigan State 20

3. #5 Virginia Tech vs. #20 Clemson - 8:00 PM EST, ESPN/ESPN3

Way back on October 1, Clemson did what few teams do to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. They beat them handily, 23-3. Since that game, these have been two completely different teams. Clemson was in the top ten in the polls with a record of 8-0. Then, they dropped three out of their last four and should have lost the one game they won. Conversely, Virginia Tech has been on a mission. Sophomore quarterback Logan Thomas has improved greatly since the loss. As for the Hokies defense and special teams, they just look like another great version of head coach Frank Beamer's staple crop. Virginia Tech is hungry for revenge. The winner of this game, played in Charlotte, goes to the Orange Bowl. Prediction: Virginia Tech 41 Clemson 6

2. #14 Georgia vs. #1 LSU - 4:00 PM EST, CBS

Many experts say this game is just one more hump for LSU to get over before going to the BCS National Championship game. However, I would caution the Tigers to not take this game lightly. The game is being played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. While this is not officially a home game for the University of Georgia, the Bulldogs well definitely feel comfortable playing there and should have the edge in the crowd. Additionally, the Dawgs come in on a ten game winning streak of their own. After being down 14-0, LSU went on to dismantle then #3 Arkansas 41-17 last week. Everyone talks about the Tigers outstanding defense, but it is also important to consider the improved play of quarterback Jordan Jefferson. For Georgia to have a chance to win this game, the Bulldogs need quarterback Aaron Murray to play effectively and efficiently. Prediction: LSU 31 Georgia 21

1. #10 Oklahoma @ #3 Oklahoma State - 8:00 PM EST, ABC

Oklahoma State needs this win to win their first ever Big 12 Championship and try and prove that they deserve to play in the BCS National Championship Game. Their in-state rival and nemesis, the University of Oklahoma, stands in their way. The Sooners have won the last eight Bedlam matchups against the Cowboys. Oklahoma bounced back from their second loss of the season to Baylor with a win 26-6 over Iowa State. Iowa State is the team that ended Oklahoma State's perfect season 37-31 in 2OT. The Cowboys are coming off a bye last week. Oklahoma State is of course known by their potent offense, featuring their Heisman candidate quarterback Brandon Weeden and explosive wide receiver Justin Blackmon. Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones has struggled the past two weeks, failing to throw a passing touchdown in both games. He had thrown at least one in 24 straight games before that. He is expected to get back one of his favorite targets, wide receiver Jaz Reynolds, from injury. The winner will most likely head to the Fiesta Bowl. Prediction: Oklahoma State 45 Oklahoma 41

College Football Week 10 Preview & Predictions

I know that this is the first one, but starting today, I will spend Thursdays blogging about the Top 5 college football games for each week. My previews will include some pregame analysis and my predictions.

5. #15 Michigan @ Iowa (or any Big Ten game for that matter) - 12 PM EST, ESPN

With the exception of Penn State (bye this week), all of the Big Ten contenders are heavy favorites this Saturday. Nebraska hosts Northwestern, Michigan State hosts Minnesota, Wisconsin hosts Purdue, and Ohio State hosts Indiana. The Big Ten game that intrigues me the most is Michigan against Iowa. Michigan has looked solid this season behind the play of quarterback Denard Robinson and runningback Fitz Toussaint. However, the Wolverines have lost two times in a row to Iowa. Additionally, they should face an angry Hawkeyes team that lost 22-21 to lowly Minnesota last week. What will happen in this game (or any of these games), who knows? It is the Big Ten after all. Prediction: Michigan 24 Iowa 17

4. Texas A&M @ #6 Oklahoma - 3:30 PM EST, ABC/ESPN 2

Last year, Texas A&M pulled a stunning upset of Oklahoma 33-19. Many people think that they will do it again this year, but I am not one of those people. Last week, Texas A&M blew a second-half lead for the third time this season. If that wasn't bad enough, the Aggies' pass defense ranks dead last among FBS teams, allowing 318.3 yards per game. Oklahoma will be without leading rusher Dominique Whaley, but should focus on airing it out with quartback Landry Jones, who only threw for a school-record 505 yards and five touchdowns last week against a then undefeated Kansas State team. Prediction: Oklahoma 48 Texas A&M 24

3. #9 South Carolina @ #7 Arkansas - 7:15 PM EST, ESPN

Wait a second. There is another SEC Top 10 matchup this Saturday. I know that all of the media is focusing on the other big SEC game (don't worry I am getting there), but it's true. While South Carolina hasn't looked pretty in many wins this season (14-12 & 14-3 the past two weeks), on thing they've done a lot of this season is winning (only loss was by 3 to Auburn). Arkansas' only loss was a manhandling at Alabama. The Razorbacks have some solid wins (Texas A&M & Auburn), but haven't looked to strong the past two weeks having to come up with come-from- behind victories, after facing double-digits deficits. The storyline of the game might be the Hogs ability to protect quarterback Tyler Wilson, who has been sacked 15 times in eight games so far. Wilson is the SEC's leader in passing yards, but will need time to throw. South Carolina is No. 14 in the country in scoring defense (17.1 points per game).The Gamecocks' d-line will look to get after Wilson. Prediction: South Carolina 17 Arkansas 16

2. #14 Kansas State @ #3 Oklahoma State - 8PM EST, ABC/ESPN 2

Kansas State (who was then undefeated) was exposed in a 58-17 loss to Oklahoma last week. The Sooners exploded for 690 total yards of offense, including 505 passing yards and five touchdowns by quarterback Landry Jones. It won't get any easier for the Wildcats who head to Stillwater to take on Oklahoma State. The Cowboys have the #2 scoring (49.9 ppg) and #4 passing (373.3 ypg) offense. Quarterback Brandon Weeden and wide receiver Justin Blackmon have been been one of the best dynamic duos in all of college football. Additionally, running back Joseph Randle has ran for 290 yards in the past two games combined. Unless the Wildcats took some miracle drug this week, this game should look like a repeat of their last game. Prediction: Oklahoma State 48 Kansas State 28

1. #1 LSU @ #2 Alabama - 8PM EST, CBS

Could this game be any bigger? #1 against #2. The two SEC West rivals are nose-to-nose in almost every way. Both teams crushed their first eight opponents in double-digit wins. They both annihilated East Division foes Florida and Tennessee by a combined 61 (LSU) and 59 (Alabama) points. LSU has the #13 scoring offense and #2 scoring defense. Alabama has the #12 scoring offense and #1 scoring defense. The winner clearly has inside track to play for both the SEC Championship and National Title. If this kind of matchup doesn't make you want to watch college football, I don't know what kind will. Prediction: Alabama 45 LSU 43 (3OT)