NCAA Football Week 12 Odds Overview & Top Picks

If we are being honest, Week 12 of the college football season is rather lame. Many teams are playing cupcakes – especially those in the SEC – ahead of huge rivalry games in Week 13 to close the regular season. But there are a few intriguing matchups. Here are two with college football odds.

NCAA Football Week 12 Odds Overview & Top Picks

Anthony DelPerico, Devan Wade and Barry Moreland have been named the Scout Team Players of the Week. pic.twitter.com/JTFbMm6Bzz

— WVU Football (@WVUfootball) 12 de noviembre de 2018

No. 9 West Virginia at Oklahoma State (+5)

• When: Saturday, 3:30 PM ET (ABC)

Two of the top passing offenses in the nation and this could well have the highest total of any game in Week 12. WVU could clinch a spot in the Big 12 title game with a win and depending on what happens elsewhere.

WVU is off a 47-10 rout of TCU. QB Will Grier had another Heisman-worthy performance by completing 25-of-39 passes for 343 yards and three touchdowns. Eight different players caught passes, including Trevon Wesco’s five grabs for 86 yards – the first time in 16 years a tight end has led the Mountaineers in receiving yardage when Josh Bailey did it against Miami.

Grier tied Geno Smith (2009-12) for the school record for career 300-yard passing games (17). He also passed Smith (2010) for No. 8 in single-season passing yards (2,961). West Virginia improved to 15-2 when Grier throws for 300 or more passing yards.

It was the 15th time Grier threw at least three TD passes in his WVU career. He now has 31 scores through the air on the season, tied with Marc Bulger (1998) and Smith (2011) for No. 3 in single-season program history. Grier completed 25 passes and now has 457 in his Mountaineer career. He passed Rasheed Marshall (2001-04) for No. 6 on WVU’s career completions list.

WVU finished with 535 yards of total offense, the 40th time it has recorded 500 or more yards of total offense under Holgorsen. The Mountaineers have now registered 500 or more yards of offense in three consecutive games and fourth of their last five. Under defensive coordinator Tony Gibson, WVU improved to 23-0 when holding opponents to 20 points or less. West Virginia has won 21 consecutive games when leading at halftime. The Mountaineers are 48-6 under Dana Holgorsen when holding a lead at the half.

Oklahoma State lost a thriller to Oklahoma on Saturday, 48-47. Taylor Cornelius connected with Tylan Wallace on a 24-yard touchdown pass to cut Oklahoma’s lead to one with 1:03 to play. Oklahoma State went for two, but Cornelius threw short and into coverage, and the pass fell incomplete.

Cornelius passed for 304 yards in the first half, marking the most for an OSU player in any half in Bedlam history. He also set an OSU Bedlam record with 501 passing yards. It was the third best passing game in OSU history overall. Cornelius ended the day with career-best in passing yards (501), completions (34) and attempts (53). Wallace finished with 220 receiving yards to mark the seventh 100-yard game of his career and season, as well as his third consecutive 100-yard game. Seven 100-yard receiving games ties as the seventh-most in an OSU career and the fifth-most in a single season.

OSU has won the past three vs. WVU. It was 50-39 last year. Mason Rudolph (now in NFL) threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score. Grier threw four interceptions. He finished 20 of 42 for 285 yards and two TDs. Oklahoma State scored four touchdowns following West Virginia turnovers.

No. 13 Syracuse vs. No. 3 Notre Dame (-9.5)

• When: Saturday, 2:30 PM ET (NBC)

This one is from Yankee Stadium, and the Irish (10-0) are two wins from a spot in the College Football Playoff. Notre Dame spanked Florida State on Saturday 42-13 despite not having starting QB Ian Book due to injury.

Book led the nation in completion percentage (74.5) and was sixth in passing efficiency (169.96) prior to Saturday’s game. For the season, he has completed 152 of 204 passes for 1,824 yards and 15 touchdowns with four interceptions while running for 218 yards and four scores. He is expected to play here, though, as long as no setbacks in practice this week.

Starting in the place of injured Book, senior Brandon Wimbush finished the FSU game with three touchdown passes, 130 passing yards and 68 yards rushing as the Irish jumped out to a quick lead and never relented. Running back Dexter Williams turned in a career performance in his final appearance at home, rushing for a career-high 202 yards to go with two touchdowns. Fellow senior tight end Alizé Mack also had a big night, snaring two of Wimbush’s touchdown passes to become the first Irish tight end to record a multi-touchdown game since Durham Smythe did it in 2016.

Syracuse was slotted at No. 12 in the USA Today coaches poll released early Sunday afternoon (13th in most recent CFP Top 25). After defeating Louisville 54-23 in the Carrier Dome on Friday night, the Orange (8-2, 5-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) jumped one spot in the weekly rankings — passing Kentucky, which lost to Tennessee this weekend. In a season filled with milestones big and small, the bump to No. 12 marks the first time the program has been ranked that highly by the coaches in 20 years, dating back to a No. 11 ranking in Week 4 (Sept. 28) of the 1998 season.

In the win over Louisville, Senior quarterback Eric Dungey completed 14-of-27 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown. He also ran 16 times for 62 yards and two scores. Overall, Syracuse ran for 326 yards and five touchdowns in the victory, snapping the Cardinals’ four-game winning streak in the series.

The Orange’s 37 first-half points were the most they’ve scored against an ACC opponent in a half this season. Syracuse’s 30 second-quarter points were the most the team’s ever scored in one-quarter of an ACC game. Syracuse scored 50 points in a game for the fifth time this season, the most 50+ point games in school history. Syracuse had four games of 50 or more points back in 1904.

The Orange scored five rushing touchdowns Friday to increase their season total to 32, two shy of the team record (34 in 1998). It’s the third time the Orange has scored five rushing TDs this season. Dungey now has 32 career rushing touchdowns, passing Duke’s Brandon Connette (31) for fifth on the ACC record list for most quarterback rushing touchdowns.

Expert NCAA Football Week 12 Picks

Go WVU and Notre Dame.