Near the end of the first half in Oxford, Ole Miss led visiting Alabama, 17-7. However, the Rebels coughed up a fumble in their own end of the field, and the Tide scored a quick touchdown to go into the locker room down by just a field goal. That crack in the Rebels’ confidence widened in the second half as Alabama came back to win, 30-24. Bryce Young was 21 of 33 for 209 yards and three touchdowns without an interception in the win, and Jase McClellan ran for 84 yards on 19 carries in place of the injured Jahmyr Gibbs. The Alabama defense clamped down on Ole Miss in the second half, allowing just one touchdown after the intermission. Ole Miss was on the Alabama 14 in the game’s last minute, but Jaxson Dart threw an incompletion, ran for no gain and then took a sack as the Rebels folded. Let’s look ahead to Week 12 as you consider your NCAA Football betting for the weekend.
NCAA News: Sure Winners for Week 12
→ Thursday, November 17
SMU Mustangs (+2.5) at Tulane Green Wave (O/U 64.5)
(7:30 pm ET, ESPN)
SMU (6-4, 4-2 AAC) had its way with South Florida, winning 41-23 on the road on Saturday. The game was tied at 17 at the half, but SMU put up a 21-0 third quarter to pull away. Tyler Lavine and Camar Wheaton ran for a combined 224 yards and three scores in the win as the Mustangs earned bowl eligibility. This week, SMU is still on the road, this time playing in prime time before a national audience. This is the Mustangs’ next chance to show that new head coach Rhett Lashlee is building a culture that can win in tough circumstances.
Next up is a trip to the Crescent City to face Tulane (8-2, 5-1 AAC). The Green Wave were in the driver’s seat as far as representing the Group of Five in a New Year’s Six bowl game, but then they lost, 38-31, to UCF on Saturday. Tulane was down 17 in the third quarter before mounting a furious rally, but it fell just short. Quarterback Michael Pratt threw three touchdown passes, and tailback Tyjae Spears ran for 130 yards. Tulane may be a bit down this week after taking that tough loss against another AAC contender, while SMU has shown it can actually win on the road this year after knocking off Tulsa and South Florida away from Dallas. I’m going with the upset here. SMU to cover.
→Saturday, November 19
#4 TCU Horned Frogs (-3) at Baylor Bears
(12:00 pm ET)
TCU (10-0, 7-0 Big 12) is one of just four teams who are still undefeated, with a perfect 10-0 mark after a win at Texas last week. The Horned Frogs have clinched a spot in the Big 12 Championship. They visit the defending Big 12 champion Baylor Bears, although the Bears (6-4, 4-3 Big 12) are barely bowl eligible at this point and just got drilled at home by Kansas State last weekend.
TCU is riding a stellar season from Max Duggan, who started the season as the backup quarterback but has delivered since. Tailback Kendre Miller and wide receiver Quinton Johnson have been the top skill players on offense, but the real hero for TCU last week was the defense, clamping down on Texas and permitting just 10 points to a Longhorn offense that has Quinn Ewers and Bijan Robinson. TCU has made a living this season out of doing just enough to escape three- and four-loss teams week after week. Three of TCU’s wins have come against teams playing backup quarterbacks, but you can only play the opposition in front of you. It’s hard to expect Baylor to stop TCU after losing to Kansas State at home, though. TCU to win and cover.
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