Welcome back to another week of the ACC/SEC Pick’Em League!

If you’re new here, this a league with some friends where we pick the straight up winner of any game with an ACC or SEC team playing. That’s the gist of it, but, like everything in life, there’s more to the story than that. If you missed the introduction to this wonderful and stupid world, click the link and get caught up:

And with that, let’s dive into the week that was, and look ahead to this upcoming weekend.

Week 12 Recap

Entering the week, I had 157 points. There were 20 points on the table in Week 12. As I now have 170 points that means I earned 13 points for correct picks last week. Everybody missed a few massive upsets, and that’s fine, cuz that didn’t cost me points. But there was one game that did cost me, and it cost me DEARLY as it basically eliminated me from championship contention.

Here are the games I missed:

1. Virginia Tech beating Liberty. The Hokies are TERRIBLE but found a way to beat Liberty. Good for them.
2. Georgia Tech beating North Carolina. This is a MASSIVE upset, and eliminated Caroilna from any chance at making the College Football Playoff. And GT did it with their 3rd and 4th string QBs rotating bc the first 2 are out injured. Nobody saw this coming. Wow to infinity!
3. Vanderbilt beating Florida. First off, GO DORES!!!! Secondly, woooooofffff that’s a bad loss for Florida.
4. South Carolina blowing Tennessee out. This was as big an upset as GT’s was, and it looked as though you flipped UT and South Carolina’s rosters. It was truly a freaky Friday mind and body swap type game. And that was before star Tennessee QB Hendon Hooked tore his ACL. South Carolina’s best game in forever.
5. Arkansas beating Ole Miss. A solid, physical performance from the Hogs, and a bad loss for Ole Miss, who basically ends up letting Alabama beat them twice. Ouch.
6. USC beating UCLA. This was the big one for me. I was the only person in the top 8 to pick the Bruins. And UCLA was up in this game. But Dorian Thompson-Robinson had 4 turnovers in the game, including a game-losing interception on UCLA’s final drive, and with it not only was the game lost, but the Pick’Em Championship for me as well. This was a 4pt swing, and there’s no realistic way for me to make those points lost back up this late in the season. This is about the toughest loss of the season for me. I sat up for about 2 hours after the game in silence. I’m legit upset and hurt. We had it!......and lost it. All in a moment. Damn.

League Standings

With 13 points last week, I now have a total of 170 points in the league. A great number, and near the top of the league. But, also, not enough to remain in the top 3 of the standings, which sucks. ESPECIALLY when I’d lapped the league on a 2pt game.....until I hadn’t.

That 4pt swing — everybody else in the top 8 would have 2 fewer points, and I’d have 2 more points had UCLA won that game LIKE THEY SHOULD HAVE — killed all the progress we’d made recently. And with only 2 more weeks left in the season, we dropped back when a big move forward was right on our fingertips. But sometimes that happens. Scared money don’t make none, and I had good reasons to pick UCLA. It just didn’t work out, but I’m not upset about taking a shot at the top in that moment.

Your new standings are as follows:

1. Haper’s Bazaar still in sole possession of 1st place with 175 points
2. Brent stays in 2nd with 174 points
3. Commissioner Tyler stays 3rd with 173 points
4. Since I dropped down, Layla is in sole possession of 4th with 172 points
5. Two competitors are tied for 5th with 171 points
6. I’ve dropped all the way down to a tie for 7th with 2 others holding 170 points.

Week 12 Games and Picks

The search for the perfect week continues. But, in the absence of that, let’s continue to be smart, make good picks, and continue our march back to the top. And a reminder: we’re picking straight up winners; no spreads. Narrative doesn’t matter. Results do.

This is a light week of games since it’s Rivalry Week and there’s a ton of intra and interconference games. 14 games for 15 points. And with many of these being lopsided matchups, there likely won’t be room to make a move forward. Damn. DAMN! It was all right there for me. ugh.

Picks are here, IN BOLD WITH AN ASTERISK (just for clarity since the editorial system attaches links and whatnot to some team names) for each game:

• NC State at NORTH CAROLINA*
• Florida at FLORIDA STATE*
• South Carolina at CLEMSON*
• WAKE FOREST* at Duke
• SYRACUSE* at Boston College
• PITTSBURGH* at Miami — no bowl eligibility for the Canes, I’m afraid
• Mississippi State at OLE MISS*
• ARKANSAS* at Mizzou
• LSU* at Texas A&M
• Georgia Tech at GEORGIA*
• LOUISVILLE* at Kentucky
• Auburn at ALABAMA*
• TENNESSEE* at Vanderbilt

2pt bonus game: Michigan at the school in the state south of michigan* — I will not capitalize the name of that school. I don’t even say the name of that state. Fuck the Acorns as a staff, a label, and a motherfucking crew. Fuck scarlet and grey. Fuck them, and anybody who loves them. Straight like that.

And there you have it. Time to finish strong and stay in the top 10, I guess. Because, after last week, the Pick’Em championship is likely out of my reach this season.

Hop in the comments and give your STRAIGHT UP WINNER picks for the week.

Go Canes