NCAAF Week 12 Parlay Picks

There’s another head coach opening at Power 5 school as the University of Washington has fired Jimmy Lake. His firing was on the heels of his serving a one-game suspension without pay on Saturday following a sideline incident on Nov. 6 in which he appeared to strike linebacker Ruperake Fuavai during a 26-16 loss to Oregon. Defensive coordinator Bob Gregory will serve as interim coach. Here’s a look at two intriguing matchups this week and parlay picks.

NCAAF 2021 Matches To Must Wager Week 12

#7 Michigan State at #5 Ohio State (-19.5)

It’s a noon kickoff on ABC and absolutely massive game in the Big Ten. The winner is in great shape to claim the East Division while the loser can forget about the College Football Playoff.

The Spartans (9-1) bounced back from their first loss with a 40-21 win over Maryland on Saturday. QB Payton Thorne threw for 287 yards and four touchdowns and Heisman candidate Kenneth Walker III ran for 143 yards and two TDs.

Walker collected a total of 172 all-purpose yards as he also had two catches for 29 yards. It marked Walker’s seventh 100-yard rushing game of the season and it was his sixth game of 150-plus all-purpose yards. Thorne completed 22-of-31 passes and tied his career high with four TDs as the Spartans (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) had 481 yards of total offense. Walker has 1,473 rushing yards through 10 games, which is already eighth most in an MSU season. Jayden Reed led all players in the game with 210 all-purpose yards, including eight catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns. He also had four returns for 96 yards.

Ohio State (9-1) trounced No. 19 Purdue 59-31 on Saturday. Garrett Wilson returned from missing a game with an injury and had four TDs. Wilson, who caught three TD passes and ran for another 51-yard score, finished the game with 10 receptions for 126 yards. He led a receiving corps that included Jaxon Smith-Njigba (9-139-TD) and Chris Olave (9-85-TD).

Heisman candidate and quarterback C.J. Stroud completed 31-of-38 attempts for 361 yards for five touchdowns. Running back TreVeyon Henderson rushed for 98 yards on 13 carries, including a 57-yard scoring run. Miyan Williams, another freshman running back, rushed for 117 yards on 14 attempts with an 8.4 yards per rush average.

It was the ninth time in program history that Ohio State scored 50 or more points against a ranked opponent. It was Ohio State’s seventh game this season with 500 or more yards of total offense and its third game of 600 or more. In five of the 10 games this season, the Buckeyes have scored 50 or more points.

#21 Arkansas at #2 Alabama (-20.5)

SEC game at 3:30 PM ET on CBS. The Hogs (7-3) won their third in a row Saturday, 16-13 in OT at LSU. Arkansas‘ Cam Little kicked a 37-yard field goal in overtime after LSU freshman quarterback Garrett Nussmeier was intercepted by Montaric Brown earlier in the extra period.

Arkansas held LSU to 13 points or fewer at Tiger Stadium for the first time since Florida held the Tigers to 10 points in 2016. It was the first time Arkansas held LSU to 13 or fewer points in Baton Rouge since a 6-6 tie on Nov. 29, 1906. Arkansas snapped a five-game losing streak to LSU and won in Baton Rouge for the first time since Nov. 23, 2007.

The Hogs played their first overtime game since 2017 against Texas A&M, and first against LSU since 2009. The Razorbacks improved to 13-7 all-time in overtime games. Arkansas won a game on the game’s final offensive play for the first time since 2017 at Ole Miss with a 34-yard field goal.

Alabama (9-1) beat up on New Mexico State 59-3 on Saturday. Quarterback and Heisman candidate Bryce Young completed 21-of-23 passes for 270 yards and five touchdowns in just over two quarters of work. He tied his own record from earlier this season for the second-most touchdown passes in a game with five against the Aggies, recording all five of those scores in the first half.

Wide receiver Jameson Williams hauled in three touchdowns and 158 yards on six catches. Brian Robinson Jr. moved up the all-time career rushing yards list to No. 17, after recording 99 yards on nine carries, including two that went for touchdowns.

The Crimson Tide held the Aggies to under 10 points, marking the second time this season the Tide has held an opponent to 10-points-or-less and the 40th time in the last 94 contests. Will Anderson Jr. had two sacks in the game, giving him 12.5 sacks this season. He also made two tackles for loss, bringing his season total to 23. His 12.5 sacks this season ranks third in Alabama history, behind Derrick Thomas (18 in 1987, 27 in 1988). His 23 tackles for loss this season ranks third in Alabama history, behind Derrick Thomas (39 in 1988) and Wallace Gilberry (27 in 2007).

Young set the school record for best completion percentage in a single game (with a minimum of 20 completions), completing 91.3 percent. It is the second time he has broken that record this season, completing 20-of-22 (.909) passes against Southern Miss on Sept. 25. He began the game completing 13-of-13 passes (183 yards). Those 13-straight completions are tied for sixth all-time in consecutive completions in Alabama history.