8C

Friday, November 14, 2014

SportsDayDFW.com

College Football Playoff Watch

PRESENTED BY

DIFFERENCE MAKERS

Bill Nichols
SATURDAYS NOTABLE GAMES

1. B.J. Catalon, TCU, RB

No. 4 TCU at Kansas (+2712), 2 p.m., Fox
Sports 1: Catalon needs just 3
yards on kickoff returns to
become the fifth player in Big
12 history with 1,500 career
yards rushing and 1,000 in
kickoff returns. He also ranks
third nationally in fewest
rushes per TD (9.8). TCU 45, Kansas 17.

Sorting out Mississippi St., Big Ten

A Mississippi State victory over
Alabama will probably knock the
Tide out of the College Football
Playoff mix with two losses. There
are too many quality one-loss
teams in contention. More significant or chaotic for the commit-

tee is where Mississippi State

would land with one loss.
The Big Ten has five teams in
the Top 25 but only one No. 8
Ohio State in striking distance
of the playoff. After beating thenNo. 8 Michigan State, the Buck-

The Dallas Morning News

eyes rank sixth among power conference one-loss teams. Their

toughest remaining game is Saturday with Minnesota (7-2). They
close the regular season with Indiana (3-6) and Michigan (5-5).
Ohio States opponent in the

Big Ten title game will probably be

the winner of Saturdays game between No. 16 Nebraska and No. 20
Wisconsin.

2 Justin Thomas, Ga. Tech, QB

No. 19 Clemson at No. 22 Georgia Tech (+3), 11
a.m., ESPN: Thomas leads the Yellow Jackets
with 781 yards rushing and has thrown for 14
TDs. His play in the spread option will be vital
against a run defense that allows only 90.9
yards per game. Clemson 24, Georgia 20.

Follow Bill Nichols on

Twitter at @BillNicholsDMN.

No. 1 Mississippi St. (+712) at No. 5 Alabama

3. Shane Ray, Missouri, LB

2:30 p.m., Ch. 11: The Bulldogs (9-0) have been No. 1 in the AP poll for five
weeks, but that doesnt mean they cant be underdogs. Oddsmakers have
the Tide as a touchdown favorite playing at home where they have won 13
straight. Every article you read, everywhere you look, we're the big underdog, Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said.
Mississippi State 29, Alabama 27.

Missouri (+512) at No. 24 Texas A&M, 6:30 p.m.,

SECN: Missouri has relied on its defense, and
its defense relies heavily on Ray. His two sacks
against Kentucky gave him a school-record 12
for the season, tops in the SEC, one more than
Aggies freshman Myles Garrett.
Texas A&M 33, Missouri 31.

No. 3 Florida State at Miami (+112)

7 p.m., Ch. 8: The Seminoles havent lost in this rivalry since 2009, outscoring the Hurricanes, 142-70, in the four wins. The defending national
champion has 25 straight wins. Miami seems to have its franchise quarterback in Brad Kaaya. He needs 242 passing yards to match Bernie Kosar's
school record for yards as a freshman. Florida State 33, Miami 24.

UPSET SPECIAL
No. 23 Utah (+712) at Stanford

No. 16 Nebraska (+6) at No. 20 Wisconsin

2:30 p.m., Ch. 8: Nebraska is suffering from the Big Tens poor performance against Top 25 teams (4-18). The Huskers are virtually out of playoff contention despite only one loss to Michigan State, 27-22. Saturdays
winner will take the inside track toward the division title and a spot in the
conference title game. Wisconsin 27, Nebraska 20.

5 p.m., PACN: Stanford (5-4) has gone from

playoff hopeful to hoping to become bowl
eligible. The Utes (6-3) have dropped seven
poll spots with losses to No. 6 Arizona State
and No. 2 Oregon. Utah 22, Stanford 17.

TODD
GURLEY

No. 9 Auburn (+212) at No. 15 Georgia

STATEMENT GAME

6:15 p.m., ESPN: Georgias push for the SEC East title gets a boost with
Todd Gurleys return from suspension. Gurley, who had 773 yards and
eight TDs in the first five games, hasn't played since Oct. 4. Auburn
dropped from the top four with last weeks loss to Texas A&M. The Bulldogs have won three straight home games in the SEC's oldest rivalry.
Georgia 34, Auburn 30.

No. 8. Ohio State at

No. 25. Minnesota (+12)
11 a.m., Ch. 8: The Buckeyes are the Big Tens
top-ranked team. They are No. 8 after beating
then-No. 8 Michigan State, 49-37. Their playoff hopes can only improve with a blowout.
Ohio State 46, Minnesota 29.

Line through Tuesday. LAST WEEK: 5-4 straight, 4-5 vs. line. SEASON: 63-36 straight, 57-42 vs. line.

College
picks

TCU at Kansas (+2712)

Texas at Oklahoma State (+212)
Missouri (+512) at Texas A&M
Oklahoma (Off) at Texas Tech
South Florida at SMU (+11)
North Texas (+612) at UTEP
Mississippi State (+712) at Alabama
Auburn (+212) at Georgia
South Carolina (+612) at Florida
Kentucky (+8) at Tennessee
LSU (+2) at Arkansas
Florida State at Miami (+112)
Clemson at Georgia Tech (+3)
Michigan State at Maryland (+1212)
Nebraska (+6) at Wisconsin
Arizona State at Oregon State (+912)
Northwestern (+1712) at Notre Dame
Ohio State at Minnesota (+12)
Utah (+712) at Stanford
Rice (+21) at Marshall
Last week vs. line
Season vs. line
Last week straight
Season straight
Shaded box indicates leader

CHUCK
CARLTON
Colleges
vs. Line
Straight
TCU
TCU
Texas
Texas
Missouri
Texas A&M
Oklahoma
Oklahoma
S. Florida
S. Florida
UTEP
UTEP
Alabama
Alabama
Georgia
Georgia
Florida
Florida
Tennessee
Tennessee
Arkansas
Arkansas
Florida St.
Florida St.
Clemson
Clemson
Michigan St. Michigan St.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Arizona St.
Arizona St.
Notre Dame Notre Dame
Ohio St.
Ohio St.
Stanford
Stanford
Marshall
Marshall
8-10-2 (.444)
116-100-6 (.537)
15-5 (.750)
179-43 (.806)

TOMMY
CUMMINGS
Neighborsgo
vs. Line
Straight
TCU
TCU
Texas
Texas
Texas A&M Texas A&M
Oklahoma
Oklahoma
SMU
S. Florida
N. Texas
UTEP
Miss. St.
Miss. St.
Auburn
Auburn
S. Carolina
S.Carolina
Kentucky
Tennessee
LSU
LSU
Florida St.
Florida St.
Ga. Tech
Ga. Tech
Michigan St. Michigan St.
Nebraska
Nebraska
Arizona St.
Arizona St.
Notre Dame Notre Dame
Ohio St.
Ohio St.
Stanford
Stanford
Marshall
Marshall
11-7-2 (.611)
113-103-6 (.523)
14-6 (.700)
171-51 (.770)

CORBY
DAVIDSON
The Ticket
vs. Line
Straight
Kansas
TCU
Texas
Texas
Missouri
Missouri
Oklahoma
Oklahoma
S. Florida
S. Florida
UTEP
UTEP
Miss. St.
Alabama
Georgia
Georgia
Florida
Florida
Kentucky
Tennessee
Arkansas
Arkansas
Florida St.
Florida St.
Ga. Tech
Ga. Tech
Michigan St. Michigan St.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Oregon St.
Arizona St.
Notre Dame Notre Dame
Minnesota
Ohio St.
Utah
Stanford
Marshall
Marshall
6-12-2 (.333)
110-106-6 (.509)
13-7 (.650)
177-45 (.797)

KATE
HAIROPOULOS
Colleges
vs. Line
Straight
TCU
TCU
Texas
Texas
Missouri
Missouri
Oklahoma
Oklahoma
S. Florida
S. Florida
UTEP
UTEP
Miss. St.
Alabama
Auburn
Auburn
S. Carolina
S. Carolina
Tennessee
Tennessee
LSU
LSU
Florida St.
Florida St.
Clemson
Clemson
Michigan St. Michigan St.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Arizona St.
Arizona St.
Notre Dame Notre Dame
Ohio St.
Ohio St.
Utah
Utah
Marshall
Marshall
8-10-2 (.444)
104-112-6 (.481)
13-7 (.650)
166-56 (.748)

BILL
NICHOLS
Colleges
vs. Line
Straight
TCU
TCU
Okla. St.
Okla. St.
Missouri
Texas A&M
Oklahoma
Oklahoma
S. Florida
S. Florida
N. Texas
N. Texas
Miss. St.
Miss. St.
Georgia
Georgia
S. Carolina
Florida
Kentucky
Tennessee
Arkansas
Arkansas
Florida St.
Florida St.
Clemson
Clemson
Michigan St. Michigan St.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Arizona St.
Arizona St.
Nwestern
Notre Dame
Ohio St.
Ohio St.
Utah
Utah
Rice
Marshall
9-9-2 (.500)
118-98-6 (.546)
13-7 (.650)
160-62 (.721)

RIC
RENNER
FSSW
vs. Line
Straight
TCU
TCU
Texas
Texas
Texas A&M Texas A&M
Oklahoma
Oklahoma
SMU
S. Florida
N. Texas
N. Texas
Alabama
Alabama
Georgia
Georgia
S. Carolina
S. Carolina
Kentucky
Tennessee
Arkansas
Arkansas
Florida St.
Florida St.
Clemson
Clemson
Michigan St. Michigan St.
Nebraska
Nebraska
Arizona St.
Arizona St.
Nwestern
Notre Dame
Ohio St.
Ohio St.
Utah
Stanford
Rice
Marshall
6-12-2 (.333)
105-111-6 (.486)
12-8 (.600)
167-55 (.752)

NEWY
SCRUGGS
Ch. 5
vs. Line
Straight
Kansas
TCU
Texas
Texas
Texas A&M Texas A&M
Oklahoma
Oklahoma
SMU
S. Florida
N. Texas
UTEP
Miss. St.
Alabama
Auburn
Auburn
S. Carolina
Florida
Kentucky
Tennessee
LSU
LSU
Florida St.
Florida St.
Ga. Tech
Ga. Tech
Michigan St. Michigan St.
Nebraska
Wisconsin
Arizona St.
Arizona St.
Notre Dame Notre Dame
Ohio St.
Ohio St.
Stanford
Stanford
Rice
Marshall
7-11-2 (.389)
113-103-6 (.523)
12-8 (.600)
169-53 (.761)

KEVIN
SHERRINGTON
Columnist
vs. Line
Straight
TCU
TCU
Texas
Texas
Texas A&M Texas A&M
Oklahoma
Oklahoma
S. Florida
S. Florida
UTEP
UTEP
Miss. St.
Alabama
Auburn
Auburn
S. Carolina
Florida
Kentucky
Tennessee
Arkansas
Arkansas
Florida St.
Florida St.
Clemson
Clemson
Michigan St. Michigan St.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Arizona St.
Arizona St.
Notre Dame Notre Dame
Minnesota
Ohio St.
Stanford
Stanford
Rice
Marshall
7-11-2 (.389)
99-117-6 (.458)
12-8 (.600)
167-55 (.752)

BRETT
VITO
Denton Record-Chronicle
vs. Line
Straight
TCU
TCU
Okla. St.
Okla. St.
Texas A&M Texas A&M
Oklahoma
Oklahoma
SMU
S. Florida
N. Texas
N. Texas
Alabama
Alabama
Georgia
Georgia
Florida
Florida
Kentucky
Tennessee
LSU
LSU
Florida St.
Florida St.
Clemson
Clemson
Michigan St. Michigan St.
Nebraska
Wisconsin
Arizona St.
Arizona St.
Notre Dame Notre Dame
Ohio St.
Ohio St.
Stanford
Stanford
Rice
Marshall
11-7-2 (.611)
109-107-6 (.505)
14-6 (.700)
171-51 (.770)

Lines through Tuesday

Off Key: Oklahoma QB Trevor Knight is out for the game against Texas Tech.

DONT

fumble.

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C8 11-14-2014 Set: 19:19:48

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