College football Week 14: Joe vs. the Pro
Rivalry week is here, but the rivalry between Joe and the Pro was over long ago. Like every year of this feature’s existence, Joe Goodman of the Miami Herald never really had a chance, but this season he was especially dreadful after carrying an initial lead into Week 2. The Pro, Lee Sterling of ParamountSports.com, quickly restored order in the force, and now he’s celebrating Thanksgiving a likely five-time champion of Joe vs. Pro. Both Joe and the Pro went 4-4 against the spread last week and 7-1 straight up, but the Pro is 58-45 against the spread for the season and 76-27 straight up. Joe is 45-58 against the spread and 72-31 straight up. On to the picks!
Arkansas at Missouri, Arkansas by 2
Joe | Dan Mullen recently called the SEC West the toughest division in the history of college football, and he might be right. Case in point, Arkansas is last in the division, but currently is playing better than most teams in the SEC East. Arkansas 35, Missouri 21. |
Pro | Both teams are playing at a high level but Tigers ability to get turnovers, 23 since the start of last season tilts the game to the home team. Missouri 26, Arkansas 20 |
Central Florida at South Florida, UCF by 12
Joe | Remember when USF refused to play UCF. Guess we know why now. UCF 28, USF 15 |
Pro | UCF looking for a share of the AAC title with a win here and next week. Bulls can’t decide on a QB, starting a different one in each of the last three games. Central Florida 31, South Florida |
Michigan at Ohio State, Ohio State by 20
Joe | Urban will run it up. Ohio State 48, Michigan 21 |
Pro | Don’t be deceived by the Buckeyes effort the last two weeks. They were on cruise control. They won’t let up as they need style points to move up in the polls. Ohio State 38, Michigan 7 |
Old Dominion at Florida Atlantic, FAU by 4
Joe | The Monarchs upset Louisiana Tech last week thanks to four interceptions, but less than three yards per carry won’t get the job done this week. |
Pro | Senior Monarch QB Taylor Heinicke was on target in his last two home games with 300-plus yards passing, both three-point wins over FIU and Louisiana Tech. Not sure he’ll be as focused this week. Florida Atlantic 37, Old Dominion 27 |
Auburn at Alabama, Alabama by 9.5
Joe | The Tigers will keep it close, but no miracles this season. Alabama 36, Auburn 30 |
Pro | This is the game Alabama has been waiting for all season. Auburn D not able to get enough key stops to stay in this huge rivalry game with National championship implications. Alabama 38, Auburn 17 |
Pittsburgh at Miami, Miami by 10
Joe | Canes bounce back, but maybe Al Golden should start dusting off his resume just in case. Miami 45, Pittsburgh 34 |
Pro | Pitt at 5-6 has more to play for than Miami at 6-5, but this could be Duke Johnson’s last home game, and I expect him to go out in style. Miami 41, Pittsburgh 21 |
Florida at Florida State, FSU by 7.5
Joe | In fantasyland, Gators fans would ruin FSU’s season and also get a new coach. Not happening. FSU 21, UF 10 |
Pro | Seminole OL starting to come together at the right time. Playing all out on the road for a fired coach usually lasts about a series or two. Florida State 30, Florida 14 |
Mississippi State at Ole Miss, Mississippi State by 2
Joe | Sounds like Mullen is already lobbying for a two-loss SEC team in the College Football Playoff. Not a good look. Ole Miss 14, Mississippi State 10 |
Pro | Bulldogs have the better QB and more to play for and come away with a double digit win in the biggest Egg Bowl game in over 50 years. Mississippi State 35, Ole Miss 20 |
This story was originally published November 27, 2014 at 3:53 PM with the headline "College football Week 14: Joe vs. the Pro."