The Dozen: Thanksgiving Leftovers
November 24, 2017
Normally, we crank out 12 games on ?the Dozen,? ranking the top matchups on the college stage each weekend. This isn?t your typical weekend.
Since the card is essentially split up with one-third of the games being played Friday due to the holiday, we?ve got to split things up too. Look for more breakdowns of Saturday?s top action, highlighted by the Iron Bowl, later. Hope you all enjoyed Thanksgiving and best wishes for a speedy recovery to Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald. Here is a breakdown of Friday?s top tilts:
1. USF at UCF, 3:30 p.m. ET: Tossing aside the records is normal in this rivalry game, except for this season. The uninitiated may roll their eyes at the thought of these two young programs having anything close to a legitimate ?rivalry,? but that?s because you just don?t know the history. This isn?t Florida Atlantic and Florida International playing the ?Shula Bowl? while most in South Florida chuckle or shrug. Although these schools are separated by roughly an hour?s drive between Orlando and Tampa, it?s not about proximity either. There?s genuine venom here.
To offer the Cliffs Notes-version of the history lesson, USF and UCF were essentially the same, a pair of fledgling programs looking to shed the directional school moniker so badly that game notes ask media to refer to the schools by their initials, not Central Florida, nor South Florida, which is actually in the middle of the state. The Bulls were a little further along and got into the Big East, while the Knights toiled in lesser conferences hoping for their shot. USF, for obvious reasons, didn?t want that to happen. After dominating the first four games of a series that began in 2005, USF decided it was too good for such a rivalry and stopped scheduling a series now known as the ?War on I-4.? It wasn?t until the schools ended up in the American following Big East restructuring that the controversy died down, but a rivalry between schools that already mocked one another picked up serious steam.
Fast forward to Friday afternoon, and you?ll see what both schools dreamed of once upon a time. Despite being the preseason favorite in the conference and the team most expected would be the one attempting to crash a New Year?s Day bowl, USF comes into Orlando?s Spectrum Stadium with a loss, looking to hang a defeat on unbeaten UCF, which is ranked 15th in the latest college football playoff rankings. While being placed so low is laughable and an indictment on the selection committee?s judgment, the Knights can still end up playing on Jan. 1 if they wrap up the East Division by defeating the Bulls, gaining entry into the American Athletic Conference title game against West champ Memphis.
This game is on ABC, a rare network appearance for both, and pits two prolific quarterbacks in UCF sophomore McKenzie Milton and USF senior Quinton Flowers. Milton is from Hawai?I and Flowers from Liberty City, but as far as productivity is concerned, they?re basically the same guy. Milton is more accurate, but both can tuck it and run, adding an extra dimension to two of college football?s most explosive offenses. The Knights are averaging 48 points per game while the Bulls come in a shade under 38. Although weather in Orlando is expected to be cloudy, rain should stay away from what is expected to be a shootout. Nearly a decade after attempting to keep the Knights from reaching a goal of joining a power conference, South Florida will look to deny them a division title and take whatever spoils winning an American Championship may yield. There are a couple of other rivalry games being played Friday that are far more established. None will come close to packing the emotion expected in this one.
2. Miami at Pittsburgh, 12 p.m. ET: The Hurricanes found out last week that not being ready to play could prove costly, so there?s no excuse for falling behind early as they hit the road to play the Panthers in a game that could have major national implications if there?s an upset. Although the ?Canes would still be able to play their way into a national playoff against Clemson in the ACC title game, they?re looking to go into that game undefeated if for no other reason than to give themselves an extra out if they lose a heartbreaker. Currently No. 2 ahead of the Tigers in the latest CFP rankings, the ?Canes will look to stay there with an impressive performance at Heinz Field.
The Panthers have already lost seven games and have no hope of making a bowl game, which means this opportunity to play spoiler will serve as the final chance to make something of this season. That alone makes Pitt dangerous. Pat Narduzzi?s team has suffered lopsided losses at Penn State and home against Oklahoma State and N.C. State, so they?ve tested themselves. Pitt had Virginia Tech on the ropes last week, losing just 20-14 in Blacksburg to see all hopes of reaching a bowl evaporate. Instead, they enter Senior Day looking to go out on a high note by pulling a shocker as a 12-point underdog. This Miami team becomes the highest-ranked to play at Pitt since a No. 1-ranked version of the ?Canes visited in 2001, leaving with a 43-21 win en route to their most recent national championship. Pitt will aim to control possession by running the ball with Darrin Hall, a junior who has three 100-yard games over his past four outings. Being effective on the ground would set up play-action and give the Panthers a realistic opportunity to pull off the upset. Freshman Kenny Pickett, who was inserted last week, might get the start over sophomore Ben DiNucci. Regardless of who starts, avoiding Miami?s gaudy turnover chain will be the goal.
3. Cal at UCLA, 10:30 p.m. ET: Do the Bruins want to continue playing this season? We?re going to find out here at the Rose Bowl in this winner-take-all showdown between teams looking to get to .500 to secure a bowl berth. Cal, led by first-year head coach Justin Wilcox, is looking for what would be only their second bid over the past five seasons, having gone 8-5 in 2015. Last year?s 5-7 record cost Sonny Dykes his job, and although Wilcox has upgraded the defense, the same fate awaits the Bears if they can?t secure this win.
Jim Mora, Jr. was already relieved of his duties following last week?s tight loss to USC, coming up short of an upset bid to close out a tenure that started promisingly but ended with a thud. Offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch will take over on an interim basis in a situation where he?ll call plays and let Tom Bradley run the defense. Speculation over whether Chip Kelly will surface in L.A. instead of the University of Florida will hang over this one, but as far as the players are concerned, we?re about to find out how engaged they are to keep playing. Junior Josh Rosen isn?t likely to return, having cemented his status as one of the top passers set to be available in the upcoming NFL draft with last week?s impressive performance against the Trojans, outplaying Sam Darnold in the process.
The Bears were a lot sharper on the defensive end before standout linebacker Devante Downs was lost to a season-ending leg injury in October. Fellow linebacker Cameron Goode and DE Zeandae Johnson and are questionable, while key pass rusher Cameron Saffle was lost earlier this season. Despite the attrition, the Bears lost only 17-14 at Stanford last week, dropping a game for the sixth time in eight outings. Cal beat UCLA at home last season 36-10, but the visitor is on a 2-15 in this series.
4. Texas Tech at Texas, 8 p.m. ET: The Longhorns have qualified for a bowl in Tom Herman?s first season, snapping a two-year drought. After going 5-7 last year and missing out, the Red Raiders will be looking to pull off a home upset and secure an opportunity to go bowling for the first time since ?15 and the third time in five years under Kliff Kingsbury.
Say what you will about this year?s Longhorns, but they?re looking for their first three-game winning streak under Herman. After losing the season opener in incredibly disappointing fashion by losing to Maryland at home, the argument can be made that outside of last week?s win in Morgantown over West Virginia, Texas has found a way to lose every ?big? game they?ve played despite giving itself opportunities. Texas lost by 3 at USC. They dropped the ?Red River Rivalry? game against Oklahoma 29-24. They lost at home to Oklahoma State the next week by a field goal. They were handled at TCU to open the month. This is an opportunity to demonstrate that they?ve turned the page under Herman, who was viewed as a savior upon coming over from Houston.
Kingsbury?s Red Raiders opened 4-1 (4-0-1 ATS), which included an upset win at Houston. They?re 1-5 since and registered their last home win on Sept. 16, suggesting they?ll be quite comfortable on the road since the advantage of playing in Lubbock has done little for them. Nic Shimonek has done a solid job taking over for NFL first-round pick Pat Mahomes II, but his stint comes down to this. He?s got a shot to finish in the top-five nationally in passing yards per game and has been among the country?s top passers on deep balls, so the expectation is that the Red Raiders will take their shots here. Tech won in its last trip to Austin, 48-45, prevailing in a similar situation where it needed a win to gain bowl eligibility.
5. Virginia Tech at Virginia, 8 p.m. ET: The Cavaliers have already secured their first bowl berth since 2011, only their second since 2007, so they?re playing with house money as they continue a run through some of the ACC?s top teams, having come up short at Louisville and Miami following a 40-36 home upset of Georgia Tech to start the month. Bronco Mendenhall went just 2-10 in his first season, but has gotten the most out of a veteran secondary to key the defense and seen senior QB Kurt Benkert turn the corner to put himself on the NFL?s radar. It?s for all these reasons that there?s optimism in Charlottesville that this will finally be the year that a 13-season run of Hokies wins in this series might finally come to an end.
Justin Fuente fit right in last season, capturing 10 victories after a Belk Bowl win over Arkansas and rolling over the Cavs 52-10 in Blacksburg. He?s gotten the most out of freshman Josh Jackson, but barely got past Pitt last week on Senior Day and carries major injury concerns into this one since key defensive lineman Vinny Mihota has been lost to a knee injury and safety Terrell Edmunds Is out with a shoulder issue. Left tackle Yosuah Nijman is battling a leg issue that has sidelined him for most of the month, kicker Joey Slye has a hamstring injury and corners Adonis Alexander and Mook Reynolds are also questionable. Despite both teams coming in bowl eligible, the rivalry implications ensure that both teams will be engaged.
6. Iowa at Nebraska, 4 p.m. ET: This one is about piling on. The Huskers are set to finish under .500 for the first time since 2007 and are moving on from Mike Riley, having already been spurned by Chip Kelly. The annual rivalry game against the Hawkeyes has produced losses in three of the last four years, including a 40-10 result last season that served as an ominous preview of the struggles that lay ahead. Nebraska is 22-7 in season finales but are in danger of dropping three straight as a home underdog at Memorial Stadium.
The Huskers covered at Penn State last week despite never really having a realistic chance to win, falling 56-44 after Tulane transfer QB Tanner Lee got rolling. He?ll test a Hawkeyes secondary that has surrendered big plays in back-to-back losses to Wisconsin and Purdue following a 55-24 win over Ohio State to open the month that secured bowl eligibility. DB Amani Hooker, whose pick-six against Buckeyes QB J.T. Barrett kicked off that surprising rout, is questionable here with a knee injury.
Others: Western Michigan at Toledo, Navy at Houston, Baylor at TCU, NIU at Central Michigan, Missouri at Arkansas, Ohio U. at Buffalo, Western Kentucky at FIU, New Mexico at San Diego State.
