Week 13 Predictions: Part II

Wake Forest @ Duke (+4.5)

_-The Blue Devils best season in a long time
+ the Demon Deacons losing five in a row
+ it's awesome baby!
x the fact that it's Duke

= Wake Forest by 6
The Result: Wake Forest 45-34

Sorry, Dookies. Wake finishes with a disappointing season, part of an overall really bad day for the ACC.
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North Carolina @ NC State (+5.5)

_-The Tar Heel D
÷ the Wolfpack's better-than-expected O

= North Carolina by 7
The Result: NC State 28-27

And the O wins that one. Interesting. The Tar Heels finish 8-4, which is solid, but not as good as they were expecting in Chapel Hill (especially after losing to Virginia & NC State). State finishes at 5-7, which certainly isn't as good as they were hoping this far into O'Brien's tenure.
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Clemson (-3) @ South Carolina

_-CJ Spiller
+ the Tigers finally living up to some expectations
– the visor

= Clemson by 4
The Result: South Carolina 34-17

Ouch. That'll take some air out of the ACC championship next week.
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Mississippi (-8) @ Mississippi State

_-The Rebels still hanging on
+ the Bulldogs just needing the season to be over

= Mississippi by 14
The Result: Mississippi State 41-27

Well, I guess if you're going to end your season you might as well go out with a bang.
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Oklahoma State @ Oklahoma (-9.5)

_-The Sooners collapse last week
+ their Jeckyll & Hyde offensive output
x the Cowboys not being scared of this one

= Oklahoma State by 7
The Result: Oklahoma 27-0

The Cowboys just can't get over the hump, can they? This year was their best chance for something special, but instead it's just more of the same. The Sooners show once again that a down season doesn't have to mean the wheels fall off.
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Arizona (-3) @ Arizona State

_-The Wildcat heartache at missing out on the Rose Bowl again
+ the Sun Devils falling off the map in the last five games and missing a bowl

= Arizona by 10
The Result: Arizona 20-17

And the heartbreak switches sides - rough ending for the Sun Devils.
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Florida State @ Florida (-24.5)

_-The Tebow-child's last game in the Swamp
÷ the amount of tears Urban Meyer will shed
+ Bobby Bowden's death-grip on the job
x the Seminoles winning 4 of their last 5

= Florida wins, but Florida State covers the spread
The Result: Florida 37-10

Huh, the death-grip might be letting up. That threw my equation off.
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Miami (even) @ South Florida

_-The Bulls struggling in BigEast play
+ the Hurricanes struggling in ACC play
÷ the BigEast is way better than the ACC this year
x composure

= Miami by 3
The Result: Miami 31-10

Right now, the Gators are dominating the state. It'll be interesting to see which of these two (yeah, I don't think it'll be the Seminoles) can come closest to knocking them off their perch next year. I know they'll find some disappointment with the season, but 9-3 is a good year for the Hurricanes.
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Virginia Tech @ Virginia (+16)

_-The Hokies rage at not going to the ACC Championship game
÷ the Cavaliers losing 5 in a row

= Virginia Tech by 17
The Result: Virginia Tech 42-13

It was close for a while, but then the Hokies seemed to wake up. Looks like there might be some changes at Virginia this off-season...
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Missouri @ Kansas (+3)

_-The temperature of Mangino's hot seat
+ the Tigers getting a very respectable 8-4

= Missouri by 7
The Result: Missouri 41-39

Yeah, I don't think covering the spread is going to help Mangino any.
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Utah @ BYU (-7.5)

_-A couple of 9-2 teams
+ a Poinsettia Bowl bid against (probably) Arizona or UCLA
x state bragging rights

= Utah by 3
The Result: BYU 26-23

The Cougars versus Arizona should be a good game.
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Washington State @ Washington (-24.5)

_-The fact that people can't bring themselves to watch the trainwreck that is the Cougars
+ the Huskies needing to salvage what started out to be a promising season

= Washington by 28
The Result: Washington 30-0

Something has to change at Washington State. There's bad, and there's consistently finishing as the worst of the worst. U-Dub seems to be on the right track, though they seemed to lose momentum in the middle part of the season. Next year they should be more seasoned, but only if they can find a way to live without Locker.
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Arkansas @ LSU (-3.5)

_-The Mad Hatter's craziness/high-risk style
x the Tigers' offensive woes
÷ the Razorbacks' four-game winning streak

= Arkansas by 7
The Result: LSU 33-30

That final drive pretty well erased all of Miles' bad mojo from the week before. It was poised, steady, and methodical - they'll need more of that if they're going to get back to the top of the SEC.
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Georgia (+7.5) @ Georgia Tech

_-The Bulldogs season hanging in the balance
– the Yellow Jackets' running attack

= Georgia Tech by 14
The Result: Georgia 30-24

Damn, that's something. It took a stellar night and some luck, and that's just what the Bulldogs got. This doesn't change the fact that they still need to make some big adjustments, and I hope this doesn't dissuade them from them. On the other side, even though you hate to lose a rivalry game, Georgia Tech is still solid and on the right track. They'll just have to find a way to refocus and finish the season strong.
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Notre Dame (+10) @ Stanford

_-Toby Gerhart's ability to put the ball in the endzone
÷ the Irish's inability to put the ball in the endzone
x Charlie Weis' second-to-last game
– Jimmy Clausen's black eyes

= Stanford by 17
The Result: Stanford 45-38

So all of the Irish's losses have been by seven or less. I don't know if that says they are able to compete or just can't get it done. Probably both. Despite the loss to Cal last week, the Cardinal are going to be a tough bowl foe.
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UCLA @ USC (-13)

_-The Trojans' down year
÷ the Bruins' three-game winning streak
– the Trojans' inability to cover spreads that are too high
x L.A. bragging rights

= USC wins, but UCLA covers the spread
The Result: USC 28-7

The Trojans continue to underwhelm this season, as do the Bruins the last few seasons.