Villanova wins 2OT thriller on the road

Sandler’s too stale to be ‘Blended’ with anybody

First Posted: 11/19/2014 Boston College is in position to be this season&#8217;s Iowa State.
That doesn&#8217;t necessarily sound like a compliment, considering the shape the Cyclones (2-7, 0-6 Big 12) are in these days. But only a few years ago &#8212; 2011 to be exact &#8212; Iowa State shook up the national championship race with the upset of the year.
Oklahoma State was undefeated and a couple of victories away from playing in the BCS championship game when the Cowboys were shocked 37-31 in double overtime by a Cyclones team that was just trying to become bowl eligible. The Cowboys ended up getting the BCS snub and LSU and Alabama rematched for the national title.
This Saturday&#8217;s schedule has very little appeal outside of the Pac-12 South. Then again nobody expected a Friday night game in Ames, Iowa, to be the biggest game of the year in 2011, either; which brings us back to BC.
The Eagles (6-4, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) visit No. 1 Florida State already bowl eligible, with a victory against USC to its credit.
Still, they are 19 1/2-point underdogs. The Seminoles (10-0, 7-0) have mastered the art of the comeback, but continually flirting with disaster is a tough way to stay unbeaten.&#8221;
&#8220;I was a part of two national championship teams and there were some ugly wins along the way,&#8221; said BC coach Steve Addazio, who was an assistant at Florida under Urban Meyer. &#8220;These guys find a way to win and they play the best at their most competitive moments. That&#8217;s usually what great teams do.&#8221;
Looking for other possible upsets to playoff contenders? Colorado (2-8, 0-7 Pac-12) brings one of the worst defenses in the country to face Marcus Mariota and No. 3 Oregon. Indiana (3-7, 0-6 Big Ten) is at No. 7 Ohio State, where the hapless Hoosiers haven&#8217;t won since 1987. No. 4 Mississippi State hosts Vanderbilt (3-7, 0-6 SEC), which has reverted back to more traditional Vandy form this season. Should we even mention No. 2 Alabama plays Western Carolina?
Here&#8217;s one: Oklahoma State at No. 6 Baylor. The Cowboys (5-5) are scrambling to get bowl eligible in a down year against a Big 12 rival with championship hopes. Sounds familiar.
The picks:
THURSDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
&#8226; No. 12 Kansas State (plus 2) at West Virginia
Mountaineers trying to keep a promising turnaround season from fizzling at the finish &#8230; WEST VIRGINIA 31-28.
BEST BET
&#8226; North Carolina (plus 6 1/2) at No. 25 Duke
No basketball jokes anymore. Blue Devils are two wins away from second consecutive trip to the ACC championship game &#8230; DUKE 38-24.
PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS
&#8226; Boston College (plus 19 1/2) at No. 1 Florida State
QB Tyler Murphy (1,011 yards rushing) leads a BC offense that is run first &#8212; and second and sometimes third &#8230;. FLORIDA STATE 34-20.
&#8226; Colorado (off) at No. 3 Oregon
Sophomore QB Jordan Gehrke could get first start for Buffaloes if Sefo Liufau (concussion) can&#8217;t go &#8230; OREGON 52-21.
&#8226; Vanderbilt (plus 30) at No. 4 Mississippi State
Commodores and Bulldogs haven&#8217;t played since 2009 &#8230; MISSISSIPPI STATE 45-10.
&#8226; Oklahoma State (plus 27) at No. 6 Baylor
Cowboys offensive line has been leaky and injuries could leave OSU playing with a freshman quarterback coaches hoped to redshirt &#8230; BAYLOR 48-17.
&#8226; Indiana (plus 33 1/2) at No. 7 Ohio State
Underrated running back: Hoosiers star Tevin Coleman ran for 307 yards against Rutgers as Melvin Gordon was getting 408 against Nebraska. &#8230; OHIO STATE 56-17.
UPSET SPECIAL
&#8226; Minnesota (plus 10 1/2) at No. 21 Nebraska
Huskers return home humbled after being embarrassed at Wisconsin. How will they respond? &#8230; MINNESOTA 28-21.
CONFERENCE CALLS
&#8226; No. 8 Mississippi (minus 3) at Arkansas
Razorbacks try to make it two straight after breaking long SEC skid &#8230; MISSISSIPPI 24-14.
&#8226; Rutgers (plus 22) at No. 10 Michigan State
Underrated receiver: Scarlet Knights&#8217; Leonte Caroo averages 20.3 yards per catch with eight touchdowns &#8230; MICHIGAN STATE 42-14.
&#8226; No. 24 Southern California (plus 3) at No. 11 UCLA
Underrated quarterback: USC&#8217;s Cody Kessler has thrown 29 TD passes and three interceptions &#8230; UCLA 31-23.
&#8226; Washington State (plus 16 1/2) at No. 13 Arizona State
Cougars freshman Luke Falk has thrown for 817 yards and seven TDs in his first two career starts &#8230; ARIZONA STATE 48-14
&#8226; No. 14 Wisconsin (minus 9 1/2) at Iowa
Gordon is 719 yards behind Barry Sanders&#8217; FBS single-season rushing record of 2,628 and could have four more games to get it if Badgers play for Big Ten title game. NOTE: Sanders set the record in 11 games. Gordon could play 14 &#8230; WISCONSIN 31-14.
&#8226; No. 15 Arizona (plus 4) at No. 20 Utah
Utes lead nation in sacks at 4.7 per game. Wildcats rank 79th in sacks allowed at 2.2 per game &#8230; UTAH 27-21.
&#8226; No. 18 Marshall (minus 20) at UAB
It&#8217;s not just Rakeem Cato making that Thundering Herd offense go; Devon Johnson is fourth in the country at 155.8 yards per game &#8230; MARSHALL 42-21.
&#8226; No. 19 Missouri (plus 3 1/2) at Tennessee
Tigers are two wins away from clinching second consecutive SEC East title; Vols are trying to get bowl eligible &#8212; and Tennessee is favored? Hmmm &#8230; MISSOURI 24-21.
&#8226; New Mexico (plus 22) at No. 22 Colorado State
Early loss to Boise State is only blemish on Rams&#8217; record &#8230; COLORADO STATE 45-21.
&#8226; Kansas (plus 25) at No. 23 Oklahoma
Sooners will play again without QB Trevor Knight (concussion) &#8230; OKLAHOMA 35-14.
BONUS PICKS
&#8226; Yale at Harvard
Bulldogs can earn a share of the Ivy League title with Crimson &#8230; HARVARD 42-35.
&#8226; Lehigh vs. Lafayette at Yankee Stadium in New York
150th meeting of college football&#8217;s oldest rivalry &#8230; LEHIGH 23-21.

BC tries for Iowa State-type upset against FSU