College Football: Texas talent may be too much

Slim pickings for Week 12's edition of Upset Alert Specials.

Mostly since it appears like a complete "go chalk" weekend when it comes to the favorites in college football. So, kudos to you, oddsmakers.

But ... you may have missed a few.

It may not be a Fab Five to bankroll, but there are a handful to consider going the other way.

The headliner would be tomorrow night's top 10 matchup in the SEC, when No. 10 Texas visits No. 5 Georgia (7:30, ESPN). The no-frills 8-1 Bulldogs enter the game as 6.5 favorites.

Not really sure why.

Yeah, they have a better record. Yeah, they're home.

Aside from that ...

Here's the deal: the 7-2 Longhorns seem to have figured things out.

They're not steady. They're not stable. But they're loaded with talent ... and they're relying on that talent heavily to win.

Frankly, push comes to shove, their talent across the board trumps every other team's in the country.

Just does.

Especially with QB Arch Manning starting to round into elite shape. The much-ballyhooed, often-ridiculed first-year starter hasn't thrown an INT in more than a month and he's now on pace for 32 total TDs this season. He has four -- count 'em, 4 -- quality WRs in Ryan Wingo, Deandre Moore Jr., Parker Livingstone and Emmett Mosley V.

Texas has even more going on skill-wise on defense, headlined by LBs Anthony Hill Jr. (team-best 64 tackles, 4 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT) and Colin Simmons (8 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery).

Georgia? It just doesn't have that level of talent across the board.

QB Gunner Stockton has been a nice replacement for Carson Beck, but he's an overachiever. He has little room for error.

Nor do the rest of his fellow 'Dawgs, especially with Texas having revenge on its side -- times two -- for what happened last season.

The remaining four this weekend:

FRIDAY NIGHT

Minnesota (6-3) at No. 8 Oregon (8-1) -25.5, 9, FOX. Yes, the Ducks likely will win. But by four TDs? Unlikely. Keep an eye out for Gophers S Koi Perich. Worth watching every week. If Minny actually won straight up, watch out for P.J. Fleck's name to start popping up with all these big-time HC openings.

SATURDAY

Maryland (4-5) at Illinois (6-3) -15.5, 3:30, FS1. Again, the spread is just too high. My Illini have a tendency to play down to the competition, especially when they cannot afford to do so. Strong-armed Terps freshman QB Malik Washington may have a field day against the depleted Illinois secondary.

UCLA (3-6) at No. 1 Ohio State (9-0) -31.5, 7:30, NBC. Broken record here ... the spread is just too high. Buckeyes may be considered the best in the land, but they're hardly "wow, look at them destroy teams" about it. Besides, UCLA has proven it can play after a brutal start to its season.

Mississippi State 5-5 at Missouri 6-3 -6.5, 7:45, SEC Network. The Bulldogs play nailbiters against every team that isn't elite. The Tigers, at this point, are no longer elite. Expect another nailbiter, perhaps even an outright upset at the most unsightly venue in sports currently due to refurbishing.