College Football Week 12 Picks Against the Spread

Season Records: Giuffra: 53- 44; Koster 56-50; McKeone 51-55; Phillips 48-60

Indiana (+14) at Penn State

McKeone: Minnesota ripped Penn State's defense apart, and Indiana has been fairly prolific on that side of the ball. Hard to see the Nittany Lions dropping this one at home, but the Hoosiers should have enough firepower to cover. Penn State 28, Indiana 21

Giuffra: Penn State got beat up pretty bad against Minnesota and haven't blown out a good team this season. Fourteen points is too much for me, even if they do try to run up the score ahead of its game against Ohio State. Penn State 30, Indiana 20

Koster: James Franklin will spend all week rightly pointing out that all the team's goals are still alive. This will be a worthwhile tune-up before Ohio State. The Nittany Lions made a ton of mental and physical mistakes at a frenzied road stadium against a very solid team ... and still had a chance to win. The sky is not falling. Penn State 34, Indiana 17

Phillips: My alma mater is ranked for the first time in decades and as a reward the Hoosiers get to travel to Penn State with the Lions coming off a loss. Can't you guys give that awful program a full week before you tear it down? Penn State 37, Indiana 21

Navy (+8.5) at Notre Dame

McKeone: Upset alert! Navy has been running roughshod over their opponents and Notre Dame's defense has allowed 157 yards per game this year with an average of 4.0 yards per carry. Navy pulls it out. Navy 21, Notre Dame 18

Giuffra: Notre Dame has been able to feast on lesser teams this year, but against good ones, they struggle to pull away. I think they win at home, but not by 8.5 points, especially in a game that should be shortened by a running team (and clock) like Navy. Notre Dame 24, Navy 21

Koster: Notre Dame got absolutely steamrolled in the trenches by Michigan, which was content to run the ball play after play. The Irish summoned some pride and provided much more resistence against Duke. Would it be fun of the Midshipemen pulled the upset in South Bend? Sure. Is it going to happen? Not even close. Notre Dame 31, Navy 16

Phillips: My grandfather went to the Naval Academy and was in the famous class that had to be graduated early due to the attack on Pearl Harbor. My other grandfather was in the Navy in WWII and my dad spent 24 years as a Navy man. My heart says Navy will win. Unfortunately, my head won't let me go there. Notre Dame 27, Navy 21

Georgia (-3) at Auburn

McKeone: Auburn knows they can vault themselves back into contention for a top bowl appearance with a win after two "quality" losses, and they're at home. Believe in Bo! Auburn 42, Georgia 37

Giuffra: Georgia's defense has been stout all season, while its offense has sputtered against SEC competition. The same can be said for Auburn. I like the under (45.5) in this one more than picking a team. Georgia 19, Auburn 15

Koster: If asked, for whatever reason, by Marie Kondo if watching the Bulldogs play football sparks joy, I'd have to say no. But they are winning on the back of a fierce defense. Jake Fromm will make enough plays to win in hostile territory. Georgia 21, Auburn 17

Phillips: Georgia's defense has carried it this season. That happens again this week despite being on the road. Will Jake Fromm finally show what he can do against a solid defense? I'm not sold, but the Bulldogs' defense will get it done. Georgia 28, Auburn 24

Texas (+7) at Iowa State

McKeone: Iowa State is raring for a big win after barely losing to Oklahoma, and Texas only just squeaked by Kansas State. There will be no upset in Ames this week. Iowa State 28, Texas 14

Giuffra: Texas is coming on strong after a few hiccups in the middle of the year. Iowa State, meanwhile, has been hot and cold at home. Ames is a tough place to win, but 7 points is too much to pass for a team that's more talented than its opponent. Texas 31, Iowa State 28

Koster: This feels like a prime time for an emotional letdown. The Cyclones had an insane upset slip out of their fingers in Norman. The Longhorns are still capable of putting up points in bunches. Bad recipe. Texas 38, Iowa State 35

Phillips: Iowa State is going to be in full-on letdown mode this week. Matt Campbell's squad just missed a huge upset over Oklahoma. That's the kind of loss that lingers. This will be close but don't expect the Cyclones to pull it out. Texas 35, Iowa State 31

Minnesota (+3) at Iowa

McKeone: Minnesota is coming off the biggest win in recent program history. Iowa lost to Wisconsin. Take the underdogs. Minnesota 24, Iowa 21

Giuffra: Looks like the Gophers still aren't getting any respect. Well, at least from the bookmakers. Minnesota 24, Iowa 17

Koster: Hate to do this to the long-suffering Gopher fans who are starting to believe, but there's a big difference in winning a big game at home and winning one on the road. Iowa is pesky and physical and just the type of side to spoil fun with a sleepy, ugly victory. Iowa 18, Minnesota 13

Phillips: Somehow Minnesota is still undefeated after facing Penn State over the weekend, but there's a reason Iowa is favored in this one. I think this is where the train goes off the tracks for the Gophers. Iowa 24, Minnesota 20

Oklahoma (-9.5) at Baylor

McKeone: Oklahoma didn't look great last week, but neither did Baylor. Oklahoma's offensive firepower will prove to be too much, but Baylor has enough in their bag to cover at home. Oklahoma 49, Baylor 45

Giuffra: Baylor is undefeated, but it hasn't impressed me. Oklahoma was clearly still reeling from its loss to Kansas State last week. On the national stage with a last-gasp effort to establish credibility with the CFP committee, Oklahoma puts it all together. Oklahoma 45, Baylor 35

Koster: The Bears are fraudiest frauds in the fraud yard. Better call Chip and Joanna because Waco's going to need some fixing up after this blood bath. Oklahoma 51, Baylor 20

Phillips: Matt Rhule has done a great job at Baylor and the Bears are 9-0, but it might be the weakest 9-0 in college football history. Give me the Sooners. Oklahoma 49, Baylor 38

Wake Forest (+31.5) at Clemson

McKeone: Clemson is playing with an edge after getting left out of the initial CFP rankings, while Wake lost to Virginia Tech this past weekend. This will be a beatdown. Clemson 54, Wake Forest 21

Giuffra: Clemson has won its last five games by 31 points or more. It's faced teams like Wake Forest and wiped the floor with them. Wake has earned some good wins this year and was briefly in the Top 25. Clemson is just worlds better. My biggest concern is Wake scoring a late TD to cover. Clemson 48, Wake Forest 20

Koster: Dave Clawson's team has been steady and explosive offensively. Last week against Virginia Tech was pretty, pretty bad. Can't believe I'm saying this but, sure, I'll lay those points. Clemson 55, Wake Forest 22

Phillips: Good for Wake Forest to be relevant this deep in a season. Seriously, bravo to Dave Clawson and his staff. But, yeah, that ends this week. Clemson 56, Wake Forest 21

Michigan State (+14) at Michigan

McKeone: Michigan hasn't looked all that good, but the sky is falling in Sparty land. Michigan 35, Michigan State 20

Giuffra: Michigan hasn't beat Michigan State by more than 14 points since 2006. While I know things don't look great in East Lansing right now, this is a rivalry, and kids tend to get up for it. Run the rock and shorten the game. That's gotta be MSU's game plan. Michigan 20, Michigan State 7

Koster: Don't even care anymore. Probably won't even watch. They'll screw up and win outright. Michigan State 20, Michigan 17

Phillips: Michigan State is just playing out the string at this point but, as Brian points out, it's been 13 years since the Wolverines beat Sparty by more than 14. This one will be closer than it should be. Michigan 24, Michigan State 14

Ohio State (-53) at Rutgers

McKeone: Hahahahaha. Ohio State 63, Rutgers 0

Giuffra: I legit think OSU could score 100 on Rutgers. That would be something the CFP committee would have to notice. Ohio State 77, Rutgers 3

Koster: This game should come with a warning label. The Buckeyes aren't really incentivized to run up the score, and weird things happen with sure things. The school that invented college football won't allow itself to be embarrassed. Ohio State 53, Rutgers 7

Phillips: Don't bet on this game. I implore you to avoid that spread. Obviously Ohio State is going to blow this out, but the starters may not play after the half which will anger a ton of gamblers. Ohio State 52, Rutgers 3

LSU (-21) at Ole Miss

McKeone: LSU is flying high, but Ole Miss is at home and has put up solid offensive numbers this season. The Tigers won't have much trouble, but Ole Miss will cover the spread. LSU 37, Ole Miss 24

Giuffra: LSU earned its biggest win in a long time last week against Alabama. Hard to get up for a game against Ole Miss after that. But then again, their defense has something to prove, and I think they do that here. LSU 44, Ole Miss 20

Koster: It would be natural for Joe Burrow and company to let down. Coach O ain't about to let that happen though. LSU 45, Ole Miss 10

Phillips: LSU is rolling and that won't get derailed this week. Coach O, Joe Burrow and the Bayou Bengals will have this one wrapped early. LSU 49, Ole Miss 17