Saturday's Big NCAAF Games: Week 13

Nov. 26, 2009 / By Danny Sheridan

Week 13 of the NCAA Football season features just one Top 25 matchup, but it should be a good one.

The Utah Utes face state rival BYU Cougars on Saturday, with the Cougars 7.5-point favorites at Bodog.

It may not be the biggest-name game, and that's probably why there is no national TV coverage. But both teams can really play.

Both are 9-2, but both have struggled ATS, Utah is 4-7 while the Cougars are 6-5. Utah is ranked 19th in the country while BYU is 15th. Utah has failed against top-level opponents but played well against Oregon. BYU got killed by TCU and FSU, but beat Oklahoma in Week 1.

Another good in-state matchup, which also has no national TV coverage, features a pair of Pac-10 rivals with the Washington Huskies huge, 25-point favorites against the Washington State Cougars on Saturday.

Say what you want about these two schools having a 4-17 combined record, or how WSU is one of the worst teams in college football history, or how the Huskies are good at finding ways to lose. But the Apple Cup is here!

And rivalry games are what college sports are all about. This is the largest spread between these two in the last 10 years, by nearly double. It's the largest I can remember. Half the Cougars' starting team is questionable. Washington State has won 4 of the last 5, including upset wins in each of the last two. 59% of the public likes the Huskies as the line has moved 2 points in almost every book. 

The final matchup I'll preview is the Arkansas Razorbacks at the LSU Tigers (Saturday, 7 pm ET, ESPN), with the Tigers 3.5-point favorites.

Arkansas has lost 2 of their last 3 including last week's heavily criticized loss to Mississippi where the Tigers spiked the ball at the 4 yard line, effectively running out the clock and sealing their fate. The Razorbacks have won 2 of the last 3 against LSU, covering in 3 of the last 4.

The road team has won 3 of the last 5, but just 3 of the last 10 overall. Arkansas has won 4 straight coming in, outscoring opponents greater than 2 to 1. An upset may be on the horizon.