Alabama Football: Best and worst games to watch in CFB week 12

Every Alabama football game is a good one to watch. There are other games too good to miss in week 12.

Before and after the Alabama football game against Kentucky, college football, week 12 has interesting games. There are unbeatens matched up against each other in the Big Ten. Another B1G team and an SEC team desperately need wins to turnaround disappointing seasons. A couple of what some Alabama football fans label as ‘whatever’ teams try to remain undefeated. One more game matters, because it always does, though less so, this season. Lastly, out west is a contest so one-sided, it qualifies as the worst game of the weekend.

Saving the worst for last, let’s look at the ‘best’ games in the order they will be played on Saturday.

Saturday 11:00 AM CST Games

• No. 9 Indiana Hoosiers at No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes

The Hoosiers are 4-0 against what has turned out to be a weak schedule. IU edged Penn State in its opener, 36-35, followed by easy wins over Rutgers, Michigan and Michigan State.

Ohio State is 3-0 and like the Hoosiers, the wins have not come against impressive foes. The Bucks have beaten Nebraska, Penn State and Rutgers.

The Action Network has the Buckeyes as nearly a three-touchdown favorite.

• Appalachian State at No. 15 Coastal Carolina

The Chanticleers are 7-0 with their best win over Billy Napier’s Louisana team. App State is 6-1, with the single loss to Marshall. Maybe, though it would be a stretch, an 8-0 Coastal Carolina team deserves to be ranked.

• LSU at Arkansas

While Clemson and Florida are beating up on FSU and Vandy, LSU will be trying to stop the bleeding from a painful season. Sam Pittman has a good chance to be the SEC Coach of the Year.

The Razorbacks should be 4-3. Thanks to referee mistakes in Auburn, the Hawgs are 3-4. LSU certainly has the most talent. The Tigers 2-3 record, with wins over Vandy and South Carolina, along with other troubles in Baton Rouge might mean LSU has checked out for this season. Arkansas is a slight favorite.

Saturday 2:30 PM CST

• No. 10 Wisconsin at No. 19 Northwestern

The 2-0 Badgers are favored by 7.5 points against the 4-0 Wildcats.

• Iowa at Penn State

The only reason this game makes our ‘best’ list is Penn State being winless at 0-4. Against the 2-2 Hawkeyes, the game is pretty much a tossup. Are the Nittany Lions truly bad enough to slip to 0-5?

Alabama football owns the 3:00 PM CST start time, just as the Crimson Tide will own the game. The Crimson Tide is a 30-point favorite. Nick Saban’s team might be rusty after the long layoff but should beat the Wildcats safely enough for backups to see plenty of action.

Early Evening Saturday Games

• At 6:00 PM, CST in Auburn, the Tigers host Tennessee. We wrote earlier, the losing coach in this contest will definitely be in hot seat status.
• At 6:30 PM, CST in Norman, No. 14, Oklahoma State takes on the No. 18 Oklahoma Sooners. ‘Bedlam’ is always a big deal, though this season neither team has much chance to reach the CFB Playoff.

Worst Game of Week 12

The University of North Alabama (UNA), fondly known as TUNA in Florence, AL goes west to play the BYU Cougars. The UNA Lions are 0-3, with respectable losses to Liberty, Jacksonville State and Southern Mississippi.

UNA and the Campbell Fighting Camels are the only Big South teams to play this season. UNA can’t be faulted for taking the game and hopefully gaining a decent payday. BYU is 8-0 and ranked No. 8. The Cougars can name the score Saturday afternoon in Provo.

CFB football, week 13 will be highlighted by the Iron Bowl. Also, if LSU loses to Arkansas, the Aggies could knock them around easily in College Station.