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College Pick 'Em is a pick-the-winner game with a twist: Players must rank their picks in order of confidence. It's not as easy as it looks, so I'll weigh in every week to help you make those tough decisions. Be sure to log in to the College Pick 'Em page on Tuesdays for the upcoming week's matchups and previews.

Like Ohio State last week, Kansas is by far the most heavily favored team on the ESPN Pick 'Em board, and it's difficult to see the Jayhawks losing at home to the 3-8 Cyclones. The ISU pass defense has not held up very well this year, allowing nearly 250 yards per game. However, the Hawks have few intangible advantages this week. It's an obvious look-ahead game for an undefeated KU team, given that the winner of next week's game with Missouri will capture the Big 12 North division. It's worth noting that the Tigers must win this week at Kansas State to remain in the hunt for the league title, but the Jayhawks don't have to win to remain in the hunt. Obviously, an upset loss to Iowa State would end all talk of Kansas being a national title contender, but I predict the Fightin' Manginos will clinch the division with a win over Missouri regardless of this Saturday's outcome. Anyway, the feeling surrounding the entire program is that attention is focused squarely on the showdown with the Tigers, and only the players and coaches are not taking Iowa State for granted. That's a dangerous attitude to take with a team like the Cyclones, who might be among the Big 12's worst overall but have a ton of momentum after winning two straight against Kansas State and Colorado. Quarterback Bret Meyer is a fourth-year starter who has plenty of experience against good teams on the road. His roommate and top target Todd Blythe is a first-team all-conference receiver, and he stands 6-foot-5, which should be a challenge for KU's diminutive defensive backs. Kansas probably has too much offense to lose this one, but all signs point to the sloppiest game of the year for a Jayhawks team that commits the fewest penalties in the nation. While the Hawks might be able to sleepwalk through this one and still log a win, look for them to get challenged a bit, especially in the first half. Kansas, 28-21

The speculation that began in the summer regarding Lloyd Carr's retirement seems to have come to fruition, and that adds yet another dimension to a game that's clearly the most important tilt for this program in some time. The 2004 Big Ten title has never been considered enough for this decorated senior class, and this Michigan group really needs to beat Ohio State and win a bowl game for the first time since 2003 to validate the Chad Henne/Mike Hart era. Those of you who have been reading all year know that I've been expecting a Michigan victory in this spot since the preseason, and now that the hour is upon us, the situation is even better than I expected. Michigan has everything to play for, and this team has been dreaming about this game since this time last year. That's not the case for the Buckeyes, for whom beating Michigan is old hat. Their 2007 aspiration was to exorcise the demons of the humiliating national championship game defeat to Florida. With those dreams freshly shattered by Illinois, it will be next to impossible for OSU to practice, prepare or play at their peak this week. Meanwhile, Michigan is pulling out all the stops, including Carr's announcement and the resting of Hart and Henne in last week's meaningless loss to Wisconsin. Expect both Wolverine stars to play and play well and Shawn Crable and the Michigan defense to come up big. The Buckeyes can't come anywhere close to matching the home team's desire this week, and in a rivalry game between two teams whose talent levels and resumes aren't much different, the team that wants it the most will win. Michigan, 31-14

The Sooners defense was torched for 450 yards by Baylor on Saturday, and after a four-week stretch that included a bye, two unimpressive victories against Big 12 bottom-feeders and a yawner of a win over Texas A&M, many analysts have written off this Oklahoma team. The Sooners haven't gotten any positive national press since the win over Missouri way back on Oct. 13, but at No. 4 in the BCS standings, this team can write its own ticket to the championship game if LSU or Oregon loses the rest of the way. Part of the reason for the Oklahoma's sluggishness is that both sides of the ball have consistency issues. The offense looked terrible against Iowa State, and the defense was abysmal against Baylor. I'll agree that OU doesn't look like a national championship team yet, but the same could be said of LSU, Oregon and all the other top contenders. Even if the Sooners can't claw their way past the Kansas-Missouri winner and into a key BCS bowl game, this is certainly a club with enough weapons to get past a Texas Tech team that still has its mind on last week's loss to Texas. Raiders coach Mike Leach had some choice words about the officiating after Saturday's game in Austin and was still talking on Wednesday about appealing his record-setting $10,000 fine. If Tech is lacking focus during their preparation for this game, the host could be in real trouble; the Stoops-era Sooners have built a reputation for slowing high-powered offenses. Much of that reputation was crafted at the expense of the Red Raiders, who have not fared well against OU over the years. Part of the defensive equation is a withering pass rush, led by Big 12 sack leader Auston English. The sophomore defensive end missed last week's game with a hairline fracture in his foot and likely will be a game-time decision Saturday. With or without English, the Sooners are the better team. Oklahoma clinches the Big 12 South with a win, and with stakes like that, it's unlikely that a team that Stoops has owned since his arrival will be able to interfere. Oklahoma, 45-24

Louisville is a potentially dangerous team with lots of offensive firepower, but the Cardinals are formidable only on the rare occasions when they are motivated to do more than go through the motions. This team quit on the season after the Kentucky loss burst its bubble, and since then it has bothered to show up only for a statement game against upstart-rival Cincinnati and a nationally televised Thursday nighter in Morgantown. The latter game was just last week, and the Cards thought they were headed to overtime with the heavily favored Mountaineers after a fantastic comeback effort before Pat White worked his magic and broke their collective hearts in the final minute. It wouldn't surprise me to see a great effort in the season-ending grudge match against a Rutgers squad that destroyed their national title hopes last year, but otherwise this bunch has nothing left to play for. As for the theory that the 5-5 team needs a win or two to make a bowl ... this team has displayed very little character this year, and minor bowls usually fail to motivate teams with Louisville's profile. The Bulls have been down in the dumps for the past month, too, but the team got back on track last week with an impressive rout of outmanned Syracuse. The USF pass rush and ground game have been located again, and both are valuable commodities against a pass-happy Louisville team that doesn't bother to play run defense. The Cardinals' brand name still stirs feelings in Tampa, and the host probably will be the more motivated team in the latest installment of a series that has been dominated by the home team. South Florida, 45-28

The Bulldogs are on a big-time roll, but they're not through yet. I see Tennessee losing again, maybe twice, so a win over Kentucky could clinch the SEC East for the Dawgs. Kentucky is having a great year and is now looking to move up in the bowl pecking order, but it is hated Tennessee next week that will bring out the Cats' best game. This week, it's all about revenge and closing out the SEC season in strong fashion for the Bulldogs, who are looking to avenge last year's defeat in Lexington. The Kentucky offense is the real thing, and quarterback Andre' Woodson fully deserves the Heisman consideration he has been getting, but the host matches up pretty well here, especially since UK likely will be without oft-injured triple-threat running back Rafael Little once again. Offensively, the Bulldogs should have a field day on the ground. Knowshon Moreno is a superstar in the making, and Thomas Brown is finally healthy. That combination will be more than a soft Kentucky run defense that allows nearly 200 yards per game will be able to contain, and the Bulldogs will get their revenge. Georgia, 34-21

This ESPN2 affair offers viewers nothing less than the championship of the ACC Atlantic Division. It's win-and-you're-in for both teams regarding a berth in the ACC title game to play the Coastal Division champ, and both sides will undoubtedly be ready to play their best game. In Clemson's case, it's beginning to look like that standard might be pretty high; no team has gained more momentum recently. Since the loss to Virginia Tech back on Oct. 6, the Tigers are 4-0 with an average scoring margin of 48-13. The Eagles are headed in the opposite direction, losing two straight after rising as high as No. 2 in the rankings. The school's first ACC title is still well within reach, however, and it's reasonable to expect a big day from road warrior and Heisman candidate Matt Ryan after all the love Clemson's Cullen Harper has been getting lately. Harper is sure to dent a suspect B.C. secondary for plenty of yardage, but no team on the Tigers' schedule is better equipped to slow the potent rushing duo of James Davis and C.J. Spiller. The Eagles run defense will keep the team in the game, and Ryan will give them a shot to win at the end. Year-long readers know that I was never sold on this B.C. group as a legitimate top 10 team, but now that the Tigers are the ones with the full bandwagon, I think the Eagles might be a bit undersold in this matchup. Clemson is fundamentally the better team, almost beyond question, and the Tigers probably have too many horses for B.C. to win in Death Valley. Those confident in the Tigers' momentum should be cautious, however. This team has never performed well in the face of high expectations, and might have already played its best game last week. Good analysts know that Clemson has been the true favorite in this matchup all year, but the gap isn't that wide, and this one won't be as much of a runaway as it looks on paper. Clemson, 28-21

I don't know that I've ever seen a team as emotionally strong as this Michigan State crew. One of the hardest things to do in college sports is to play well the game after a particularly crushing defeat, and the Spartans have done it three times in one year. Ironically, that very failing is what sunk the 2004, 2005 and 2006 seasons in East Lansing, and ultimately the John L. Smith era. In 2004, after a promising start, the statement game for this team was a battle at 12th-ranked Michigan. After losing a heartbreaker in three overtimes, the Spartans collapsed down the stretch, losing three of four and missing the postseason. In 2005, the team started 4-0, including a big win over 10th-ranked Notre Dame. The team then lost another overtime battle with Michigan, but having learned the lesson of 2004, the Spartans circled the wagons this time and played their best half of football in years the following week at 15th-ranked Ohio State. Leading 20-7, the Spartans lined up for a very makeable field goal with time for only one play remaining in the first half. The Buckeyes blocked the kick and returned it for a touchdown as time expired, then blew out MSU in the second half. The Spartans went on to lose four of their last five games. Last year, the Spartans again started strong, but this time the culprit was blowing a huge fourth-quarter lead against Notre Dame. Sparty again went in the tank, losing seven of eight to close a third straight losing season. The defining characteristic of Mark Dantonio's first MSU team is this group's burning desire to shed the image acquired during the late-season quitfests of the past three years. A near miss against Wisconsin led to a lackluster performance the following week in an overtime loss to Northwestern, and this team summoned the strength to move right past that heartbreaker and blow out a decent Indiana squad the next week, whereas previous Spartan editions would have folded. A gut-wrenching overtime loss to Iowa after blowing a two-touchdown lead followed a solid showing against a superior Ohio State team, but the Spartans defied their recent history once again by rebounding to play a whale of a game against Michigan. Unfortunately, that game also ended with a blown fourth-quarter lead, and it looked like the Spartans' ship was finally sunk. A road trip to Purdue seemed like a terrible spot for a team that had invested so much the previous three weeks only to see it fall apart in the final minute, as it had so many times before. But somehow, Dantonio's team again mustered the strength to respond, and this time a well-played game was finally rewarded with a big win, a 48-31 shellacking of the Boilers. Color me impressed with a don't-give-up display of emotional fortitude rarely seen in the sport. If the team had only overcome its tendency of choking as well as it kicked the habit of quitting, it could be 10-1. As it is, the Spartans are only 6-5, but there hasn't been an ounce of surrender in a team that was notorious for it the past three years. These players know that only a seventh win gives them a shot at the postseason, and that means that Saturday's game represents the final opportunity to achieve the very thing that's been driving this team all season. That's not only a return to the bowl scene, but also a validation that, unlike Smith's teams, these kids are not quitters. That was a lengthy history lesson, but it's impossible to truly understand the 2007 Spartans outside of this context. Penn State will get this team's absolute best game this Saturday. The Lions are a strong squad, but quarterback Anthony Morelli has been a train wreck on the road, and with a bowl berth sewn up, there's nothing more for which to play. Much like in the game being played down the road in Ann Arbor, the visitor simply will not be able to approach the desire of the home underdog. Michigan State, 27-17

This is probably the Big East team against whom West Virginia matches up the worst. The Bearcats' downfall has been poor pass defense, but they're as strong up front as any team West Virginia has faced. Cincinnati is still very much alive in the Big East race, needing only a win here and then a Mountaineer victory over Connecticut to clinch the crown. West Virginia simply needs to win out, but this will be a stern test. Both teams have tons of momentum, and both have played very solid football in the trenches this year. Cincinnati has made its living off turnovers this year, a warning sign for a West Virginia team that hasn't seemed too concerned with emphasizing ball security in recent years. The Bearcats' Ben Mauk is also the most mobile quarterback on the Mountaineer schedule outside of South Florida's Matt Grothe, who helped saddle the 'Neers with their only loss of the year. But while certain matchups say that the Bearcats have a better shot at beating Pat White and Steve Slaton's juggernaut than most teams, it still won't be enough. The Bearcats have a solid front seven and some big hitters in the back, but the secondary lacks the speed necessary to prevent short runs from becoming big gains. The Mountaineers defense is the school's best in years, and the Bearcat running backs should have their least productive game this season. It likely will be a game of punts and big plays more than sustained drives, but the visitors have too much firepower to falter here. It also doesn't hurt that WVU sports one of the league's best kickers, while the Bearcats' field-goal efforts have been a disaster this season. West Virginia, 31-23

Plagued by locker-room dissension at midseason, Washington State has quietly rebounded from a 53-7 humbling at the hands of Oregon to play some pretty good football the past three weeks. The Cougars absolutely took apart UCLA and Stanford, and the 20-17 loss in Berkeley was a better showing than many expected from a team that normally plays much better at home than on the road. A bowl bid may or may not be in the offing for the Cougs if they win the final two to finish 6-6, but last week's result shows that the team hasn't abandoned hope just yet. The Beavers also might have some work to do to round out their postseason resume. Beating Washington last week left this team with six wins, but with a trip to Autzen up next, WSU represents the best chance to earn that bowl-clinching seventh win. Both teams have been banged up in recent weeks. Beaver tailback Yvenson Bernard is back, but quarterback Sean Canfield is still out. Oregon State also has suspended half its starting secondary for the first half of Saturday's game. That's bad news against proficient Cougar quarterback Alex Brink. The senior has already topped 3,000 yards this season, and the Cougars passing game will be the key against an OSU team with a super rush defense. Look for Brink to have plenty of success but for the Beavers to counter by relying on workhorse Bernard. WSU plays much better at home and is also a little healthier and more desperate. Washington State, 30-21

After losing to North Carolina to open November, the Terrapins probably need to win out to make a bowl. That's a tall order, but last week's upset of Boston College shows that there's still plenty of fight left in this bunch. New quarterback Chris Turner has made steady improvement since replacing injured starter Jordan Steffy a few weeks ago, and Maryland will have to be able to throw to make a dent in the tough Seminoles defense. As for the beleaguered FSU offense, Drew Weatherford likely will play despite leaving last week's game with a concussion, but he'll return to looking over his shoulder at former co-quarterback Xavier Lee, who is back after a two-game suspension. The Noles are by no means guaranteed to make the postseason, either. This game probably will come down to whether Bobby Bowden can motivate his troops to care about a minor bowl berth, or whether the loss to Virginia Tech officially marked this as a lost season, leaving players to look ahead to the year's final big carrot next week in Gainesville. Florida State has really been hit hard by injuries this year, and several starters left last week's game, but perhaps no team in the nation is more banged up than Maryland. The Terps have suffered multiple injuries at nearly every position, but the most important of the walking wounded is heart-and-soul linebacker Erin Henderson, whose status won't be known until later in the week. Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen hasn't snapped UM's 0-9 all-time record in Tallahassee yet, but the recent history of this series is filled with tight games. With neither team having the weapons to run away with the game, this one is likely to provide more of the same. Florida State, 20-16.

Check out our full preview of the weekend ahead! College Football Pick 'Em: Week 12

Will Harris is a fantasy baseball and college football analyst for ESPN.com.