Northwestern Wildcats vs. Michigan Wolverines

Final Score: Michigan-38 Northwestern-31

This will definitely be the most thrilling game of the day unless Alabama comes back from their 20-0 deficit against Texas A&M on a Hail Mary pass. If you didn't watch the game or haven't seen the replay, I highly suggest you take a look. 

Recap:

With 3 minutes remaining in the game the score was 31-28 Northwestern. They had the ball at the Michigan 41 on a 4th down and 1. Michigan had zero timeouts remaining and Northwestern was trying to put a nail in the coffin. A Colter, QB, run appeared short but after the chain measurement, Northwestern had gotten a first down by one half of an inch. Unable to stop the clock this game appeared over. 

After 3 running plays, Northwestern had to put with 25 seconds remaining. A poor punt was returned by Jeremy Gallon to the Michigan 37 still with only 18 seconds left. On first down replacement QB, Devin Gardner, could not find an open receiver so he looked to utilize his legs. After noticing the QB spy, Gardner back tracked and flung the ball 55 yards down the field. There he found Roy Roundtree who made a spectacular catch after the ball had been tipped up by the Northwestern defender. The clock stopped because of the first down and Michigan clocked the ball with 7 seconds remaining. Brady Hoke elected to kick the game tying 25 yard field goal and was correct. This sent the game to overtime. In overtime, Gardner had a 1 yard run counting as his 4th total TD of the game. On the ensuing possession, Michigan made an excellent play on 4th and 2 to seal the game. 

Implications:

Northwestern and Michigan both are now sitting at 7-3. The major difference though is that the Wolverines are 5-1 in the Big 10 while the Cats are only 3-3. This game kept alive Michigan's Rose Bowl hopes. Now up on Nebraska by half a game, a Cornhusker loss would push Michigan to the top of their division. Penn State and Nebraska are currently tied at 20 apiece. Northwestern is bowl eligible and should be in a pretty solid bowl. These last few games should be interesting. I think that Nebraska will lose a game but the game at the Horseshoe will be the deciding factor whether Michigan or Nebraska plays Wisconsin in the Big 10 championship.

College Football Upset Alert

Here is my Upset Pick for Week 11 of the College Football season.

Penn State Nittany Lions (6-3) vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-2)

Penn State, although ineligible, is #2 right now in the Big 10's Leaders Division. Penn State opened the season with two embarrassing losses but got back on track by reeling off 6 straight wins. After falling apart in the second half against Ohio State, the Lions sit at a solid 6-3. Nebraska is atop the Legends division and cannot afford to lose. The hungry Wolverines sit one game back because of the tiebreaker and a Nebraska loss paired with a Michigan win, catapults the Blue to the top. 

Penn State led by Senior QB Matt McGloin has been playing this entire season off passion. They don't have anything to play for except revitalizing the Penn State program. It took them two weeks to wake up and last week they were undermatched against an unbelievable Buckeye team, but they realize they can now play spoiler. If Penn State sticks to the game plan of running the ball and containing Taylor Martinez they have an excellent shot today.

Nebraska has a must-win today. They are at home against an unranked Nittany Lion squad. While Michigan does still have Ohio State on their schedule, a loss would let Michigan control their own destiny. Because of Ohio State and Penn State's ineligibility, a Big 10 championship win would put the Cornhuskers in the Rose Bow. When Nebraska loses, it is because Martinez doesn't hold onto the ball. I see him turning it over too much today in a shocking upset.

Prediction: Penn State-21 Nebraska-17

Sportacular Sport's College Football Recap

Saturday was yet another great day of College Football. A ton of top 25 matchups and a few upsets later we have a new landscape for the remaining 2012 season.

Alabama Crimson Tide-38-Mississippi State Bulldogs-7

Alabama proved on Saturday Night why they clearly deserved to be the #1 team in the nation. At home, the Tide schlacked Mississippi State behind 208 yards and 2 TD's from AJ McCarron and 84 yards and a TD from T.J. Yeldon. While teams like Oregon, Kansas State, and Notre Dame may be fighting for the 2nd spot, if the Tide get by LSU next weekend they seem almost an ultimate lock for the National Championship. Mississippi State was undefeated and are still a very good team who unfortunately are playing in the SEC where at 7-1 are somehow irrelevant. Look for them to be in a decent bowl game.

Oregon and Kansas State Take Care of Business

The flashy Oregon Ducks yet again crushed an undermined Colorado team 70-14. De'Anthony Thomas had an electrifying punt return and Kenjon Barner had 9 rushes for 104 yards and two scores himself. Oregon's real tests come in their next 4 games. On the road for USC, California, and Oregon State and than a home matchup against the Cardinals of Stanford. If Oregon gets through this tough stretch unscathed, look for the high-powered Ducks to take on Alabama in the title game. 

If the Ducks do slip up though, the surprising Kansas State Wildcats look like they have a legitimate shot after defeats over West Virginia, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma. Kansas State only led by 3 at the end of the First Half, but exploded in the 2nd and finished with a final of 55-24. Klein further embellished his Heisman Resume as well as their National Championship Resume. It should be a very exciting last few weeks.

Georgia and Notre Dame with Statement Wins

The Florida Gators traveled to Athens, Georgia and put themselves in a deep hole for the National Championship race. Florida turned the ball over a total of 6 times and Georgia pulled even in the SEC East. Florida turned the ball over way too much to win this game and Georgia held on 17-9 making it an interesting race to Atlanta. Both teams seem to have a cake-walk on the rest of their SEC schedule so a slip-up would be very interesting. 

On the other hand, Notre Dame is very relevant again. Notre Dame stormed into Norman, Oklahoma and won by the score of 30-13. The game was much closer than a 17 point victory but Notre Dame could easily be 11-0 heading into their matchup with USC. Manti Te'o had a game changing interception and may be the dark horse in the Heisman Race. Not having a conference schedule may hurt the Irish unless both the Ducks and Wildcats slip up. 

USC and Michigan Upset

Preseason favorite #1 USC and Heisman favorite Matt Barkley fell again to the Arizona Wildcats. Marqise Lee had an unbelievable 345 yards receiving and the Trojans still lost. Arizona held on for a 39-36 win eliminating all hope for a pac-12 championship. USC can still play spoiler with games remaining at home against Oregon and Notre Dame.

#22 Michigan lost 23-9 at Nebraska on Saturday Night. This creates an even tie at the top of the Legends division in the Big 10. Denard Robinson left the game late in the 2nd quarter and never returned with nerve damage in his elbow. Freshman Russel Bellomy couldn't get anything started and his three completions matched his three interceptions. Michigan is a little disappointing this season but with a little bit of help could reach the Big 10 Championship game in Indianapolis.