fbpx
Skip to main content

Four potential trap games for college football Week 12

Every week in the Top-25 rankings, you see a team struggling in a game against a lesser opponent and sit there in wonder as to how that team is hanging with the far superior squad.

Week in and week out, team fall victim to trap games.

Nowhere was this more prevalent than last week’s slate of games in which chaos reigned supreme as N0. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Clemson, No. 4 Washington, No. 8 Auburn, and No. 10 Texas A&M all lost to unranked teams.

Trap games usually occur when a team underestimates its opponent or is facing a pivotal game a week away and overlook what should be an easy win.

In this list, we look at the official College Football Playoff rankings and attempt to predict potential trap game matchups within the Top 25.

In no means is this a predictor of losses by the higher-ranked team. Instead, fully expect each game to be tougher than given credit for on the surface and make for the ideal “trap game.”

No. 5 Louisville Cardinals vs Houston Cougars

Louisville football, Lamar Jackson

Let’s start with one of the more interesting matchups of the week. To begin the season, the Houston Cougars were a top-10 team and the darling of the college football world after taking the nation by storm in 2015, culminating with a huge bowl win over the Florida State Seminoles.

The Cougars now sit at a relatively disappointing 8-2 record while the Louisville Cardinals are a top-five team with the leading Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback Lamar Jackson.

With Louisville coming off a weird 44-12 win over Wake Forest in which the Deacons actually led entering the fortuh quarter, the Cougars are in a prime position to put themselves back on the national map with a statement game against the Cardinal.

While the Cardinal are averaging 49.6 points per game with 270 yards rushing and 313.2 yards passing, the Houston defense has held opponents to 21.3 points per game with averages of 92.8 on the ground and 210.5 through the air.

Something has to give. And with Clemson giving Houston the blueprint to beat the Cardinal, expect a much tougher game than one would initially expect for a top-five team playing an unranked opponent.

No. 11 Oklahoma State Cowboys vs TCU Horned Frogs

Oklahoma State enters the final stretch of the regular season holding an 8-2 record as a top-15 team, and face a 5-4 Horned Frogs team in Fort Worth at noon on Saturday.

With a huge Bedlam matchup looming to end the season against an explosive top-10 ranked Oklahoma Sooners team, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say there’s a possibility the Cowboys are overlooking an underrated Horned Frogs team that downed a previously-unbeaten Baylor Bears team in Fort Worth.

On top of that, the Horned Frogs also took the aforementioned Sooners down to the wire on the road in Norman in a thrilling 52-46 loss. The Horned Frogs may be mercurial opponents, but they rise to the occasion in big games and will definitely give opponent fits if they are overlooked.

While the TCU offense isn’t as explosive as in years past, it still boasts an impressive 37.4 points per game with averages of 196 yards on the ground and 314 through the air. Combine that with a beleaguered Oklahoma State defense that gives up an average of 29.3 points per game, and there’s reason to believe there could be an upset at hand here.

If TCU can slow down the Cowboys’ potent passing attack and Mason Rudolph in the same way they slowed an explosive Baylor offense, we could easily see one of the biggest upsets of the week.

No. 10 Colorado Buffaloes vs No. 22 Washington State Cougars

Colorado Buffaloes

In what is probably the most head-scratching pick so far in this article, Colorado facing Wazzu could be a trap game for both sides.

Neither team is in a “must-win” situation, both teams have that situation coming up next week with No. 12 Utah and No. 8 Washington respectively.

While this is a conference game, both teams are on opposite sides of the conference. Wazzu is in sole possession of the Pac-12 North while Colorado is in sole possession of the Pac-12 South.

Both teams could suffer a loss this week and still win their respective division.

While losing this week essentially puts them in a “must-win” situation, it isn’t imperative that their season hinge on this week.

While we fully expect both teams to play a fine game, it wouldn’t be surprising if one team came out flat, looking ahead to next week’s pivotal matchups. This game will feature two tough defenses and is sure to be energetic and hard hitting.

No. 17 Florida State Seminoles vs Syracuse Orange

This one is an odd one, if only for the fact that Syracuse is 4-5 and Florida State is 8-2. One would expect the Seminoles to mop the floor with Syracuse, and we are of that mind as well.

Regardless, there are two things that, in our eyes, make this a trap game.

First is that the annual in-state rivalry with the Florida Gators is next weekend.

Second is the Curse of the 17.

The Curse of the 17 started out as a fun little factoid on Reddit and has now extended to an eight-game losing streak for each team ranked  No. 17 in the polls, a streak which extends to all 11 weeks if you judge by the 17th-ranked team in the coaches poll.

With Syracuse bringing a potent passing attack into play in the Carrier Dome against a Florida State team that could be looking ahead to an important in-state matchup next week, Syracuse could be looking to put a scare into the hearts of the Seminole’ faithful.

Mentioned in this article:

More About: