**Editor’s Note: Time to take the 6-0 Challenge and make your Week 12 picks against “Joe vs. the Pro and the Hero.” Joseph Goodman’s popular college football picks feature, “Joe vs. the Pro and the Hero,” is adding readers to the action this season. Pick your Week 12 games here, and sign up for Joe’s newsletter to see how your picks compare to the experts (and Joe) as well as other readers.

____________________________

Celebrated from coast to coast by sports fans, bag men, bartenders, mafia kings and mathematicians, Joe vs. the Pro and the Hero is the greatest resource for college football shenanigans on the internet. This is the 14th season for Joe vs. the Pro and the Hero in its various forms.

This season, for the first time ever, readers are getting in on the action. Sign up for Joe’s newsletter, “Joe Goodman’s Sports Happy Hour,” to submit your picks each week and compare your wits against the experts (and Joe). The newsletter comes out every Thursday afternoon during the football season, so don’t procrastinate with your prognostications.

Joe subscribes to ol’ Billy Shakespeare’s philosophy of picking football games. “Jesters do oft prove prophets,” mused the Great Bard. What is Joe vs. the Pro and the Hero? Consider it a gift to society.

THE GRAND EXPERIMENT

Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for AL.com. What happens when a sportswriter picks some of the toughest games of the week and goes head-to-head against a sharp and a football expert with a Harvard education? It’s a gift for college football fans every week in the state where college football is like a religion.

The Pro is Lee Sterling, a noted numbers man of national success. Sterling features his best picks on his website, ParamountSports.com, but The Pro fearlessly picks the most difficult college games of the week against Joe and the Hero. Joe is just a hack and a slacker who everyone loves to hate.

No one works harder than Hero Ben Abercrombie. Nobody. Ben played football at Hoover High School and Harvard, and he’s working every day to regain his ability to walk. He’s a student at Harvard, and an inspiration to all. To thank him, we want everyone to stand up for Ben and show him some love.

Show Joe no love at all. Besmirch his name at small dinner parties, and troll him on Twitter.

6-0 CHALLENGE

We had our first double winner of the 6-0 Challenge last week. Congrats to Danny Moye of Brewton, Alabama. Moye also had a perfect entry in Week 6. We’d replace Danny with Joe as a permanent fixture, but Danny vs. the Pro doesn’t rhyme and we’re pretty simple-minded when it comes to catchy names.

We asked Danny about the secret to his success.

“Luck and love football,” he said.

In addition to Moye, we had eight college football geniuses this week. The others were Jay Nelson, Dave Hall, Daniel G Titus, Tony “The Tiger,”** Josh Bean, Jimmy Parrish, Charlie Carter and Rocke Roy.

Our total number of winners of the 6-0 Challenge this season is up to 39.

This week’s quiz question asks readers to look into the future and pick Texas A&M’s new coach. We’ll feature the best answers in Thursday afternoon’s newsletter. Sign up for the newsletter here.

Click the link here to make your picks for Week 12 of the 6-0 Challenge.

**The editorial board reserves the right to create new last names for entries left incomplete.

LAST WEEK

Joe: 3-3 straight up, 2-4 against the spread

Pro: 4-2 straight up, 3-3 against the spread

Hero: 4-2 straight up, 3-3 against the spread

Notes: Joe picked Georgia to upset Ole Miss. Never forget. That pick wasn’t his worst this season, though. He also picked Mississippi State to upset Alabama. How does he have a job?

THIS SEASON

Joe: 41-24 straight up, 24-40-2 against the spread

Pro: 43-23 straight up, 29-35-2 against the spread

Hero: 51-15 straight up, 37-27-2 against the spread

Notes: About that time for Joe to get serious and double-down on all his bad decisions. On to the picks!

No.2 Georgia (10-0, 7-0 SEC) at No.13 Tennessee (7-3, 3-3 SEC)

When: 2:30 p.m., Sat.

Where: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tenn.

TV: CBS

Series: Georgia leads 27-23-2.

Spread: UGA by 10

Joe says: Superstar tight end Brock Bowers is back in action and the Bulldogs looked like the best team in the country against Ole Miss. Quarterback Carson Beck is only getting better and better. The three-peat bid has gone undercovered this season, but Georgia has to be considered the favorite to win the national championship at this point in the season. The Vols have come back to earth after last season’s flash of greatness with quarterback Hendon Hooker. Dawgs will pile on the points to prove a point.

Joe’s pick: Georgia 35, Tennessee 18

Pro says: Georgia has won the last three games in the series by 13, 24 and 23 points and last year’s game wasn’t even close. The Bulldogs pass the eye test and their run defense will probably make Vols quarterback Joe Milton throw early and often as they’ve held opponents to just 3.7 yards per carry rushing. On the other side, Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck seems to be settling in, throwing for 300 plus yards in five of the last seven games. It’s not time to buck the two-time defending national champion.

Pro’s pick: Georgia 37, Tennessee 20

Hero says: Earlier in the season, I thought the Vols may have a good chance to beat the Bulldogs on Rocky Top. After last week’s games, my confidence in an upset win by UT went way down. I still think the Vols offense can move the ball against UGA with their running game and quarterback Joe Milton may be able to complete a few deep passes. The biggest issue for Tennessee is stopping a Bulldog offense that has all its weapons back including Tight End Brock Bowers and a quarterback in Carson Beck that can make all the throws.

Hero’s pick: Georgia 34, Tennessee 20

No.5 Washington (10-0, 7-0 Pac-12) at No.12 Oregon State (8-2, 5-2 Pac-12)

When: 6:30 p.m., Sat.

Where: Reser Stadium, Corvallis Stadium, Ore.

TV: ABC

Series: Washington leads 68-35-4.

Spread: Pick’em

Joe says: Oregon State is one of my favorite teams this season and I think they can make some noise here if quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei gets hot. I don’t care who’s behind center for the Huskies. It’s hard to win a night game at Reser Stadium. The Beavers will be featured this week and the next in Joe vs. the Pro. That’s gotta be some kind of record. Oregon State gets rival Oregon on Black Friday, but first they’ll give Washington a scare.

Joe’s pick: Washington 31, Oregon State 28

Pro says: Looks to be a duel between Husky quarterback Michael Penix with 28 touchdown passes & the No.1 passing attack in the country matched up vs Beaver running back Damien Martinez who has 1,024 rushing yards and seven TDs. The extended forecast is calling for rain, rain and more rain all Saturday night in Corvallis. Looks like the team that runs the ball best should take this contest where each of the last four games have been decided by eight points or less. Throw in revenge for the Beavers after losing by three points last year and not being invited to join the Big 10 and you have a motivated Beavers squad playing their last Pac 12 home game ever.

Pro’s pick: Oregon State 42, Washington 38

Hero says: Washington has the toughest schedule of all the undefeated teams, and I think it may finally catch up to them this week in Corvallis against the Beavers. Oregon State has a balanced offense led by Clemson transfer quarterback DJ Uiagalelei that may be able to control the clock and keep dynamic Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr on the sideline enough to give them a chance to win. Oregon State was left behind in the conference realignment chaos this summer, but they may create a little playoff chaos this Saturday night!

Hero’s pick: Oregon State 37, Washington 34

Harvard (8-1, 5-1 Ivy) vs. Yale (6-3, 4-2 Ivy)

When: 11 a.m., Sat.

Where: Yale Bowl, New Haven, Conn.

TV: ESPNU

Series: Yale leads 69-61-8.

Spread: Pick’em

Trendy: The last three rivalry games between Harvard and Yale have been decided by seven points or less.

Joe says: I don’t feel smart enough to even pick this game between teams representing two of the best universities in the world. There’s no way I’m going against Harvard, though. I’m Team Hero all the way. Jaden Craig and Co. get it done and Harvard doesn’t even have to rely on a trick play to win it. Roll OG Crimson!

Joe’s pick: Harvard 34, Yale 24

Pro says: I haven’t watched either team play this season but I did get a letter during my senior year in high school from Yale stating they were following my senior year and had placed me on their watch list. They didn’t offer me a scholarship or financial aid but being on their radar is good enough for me. I hope they make it two wins in a row in the series.

Pro’s pick: Yale 27, Harvard 23

Hero says: Harvard defeated Penn last week in triple overtime to clinch at least a share of the Ivy League championship this season. It is Harvard head coach Tim Murphy’s 10th Ivy League championship as leader of the 10,000 Men of Harvard! Yale defeated Princeton in double overtime last Saturday to give the Bulldogs a chance to earn a share of the Ivy League title with a win over the Crimson. The last three times “The Game” has been played the winning team has won on a last-minute drive. Maybe Harvard starting cornerback Gavin Shipman from Thompson High School in Alabama will make the play on defense that breaks this trend and seals the victory for the Crimson!

Hero’s pick: Harvard 31, Penn 27

Louisiana (5-5, 2-4 Sun Belt) at Troy (8-2, 5-1 Sun Belt)

When: 2:30 p.m., Sat.

Where: Veterans Memorial Stadium, Troy, Ala.

TV: NFL Network

Series: Troy leads 10-9.

Spread: Troy by 15.5

Joe says: Troy can lock up the Sun Belt East with a victory. The Trojans have had another great season and coach Jon Sumrall is going to be a rumored candidate for plenty of jobs this month. I don’t think it will be much of a distraction, though. Troy quarterback Gunnar Watson has developed into one of the best quarterbacks in the conference. No way he allows this team to look past the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Joe’s pick: Troy 28, Louisiana 21

Pro says: The Trojans offense is up and down but the defense is rock solid allowing just 15.9 points per game ranking No.8 in scoring defense. The Ragin’ Cajuns have won only one of their last four games even losing to lowly Arkansas State and might pack it in early if they fall behind with rival and bottom-dweller Louisiana Monroe left and a win away from bowl eligibility.

Pro’s pick: Troy 34, Louisiana Lafayette 13

Hero says: Troy is looking to continue their march to the Sun Belt championship game with a strong performance at home versus the Ragin Cajuns of Louisiana. Troy coach Jon Sumrall should be attracting interest from some SEC teams looking for a coaching upgrade so hopefully this will not become a distraction for the Trojans as they try to finish a championship season. Led by a strong defense and experienced offense the Trojans should easily continue their winning ways at home.

Hero’s pick: Troy 34, Louisiana 13

Temple (3-7, 1-5 AAC) at UAB (3-7, 2-4 AAC)

When: 2 p.m., Sat.

Where: Protective Stadium, Birmingham, Ala.

TV: ESPN+

Series: First meeting.

Spread: UAB by 7

Joe says: No postseason for either team this season, so maybe we’ll just call this one the Mark Ingram Bowl. UAB has been inconsistent from one week to the next and that’s a classic sign of an inexperienced coaching staff. The Blazers have enough offensive talent to blowout the Owls, but the Blazers are trending in the wrong direction.

Joe’s pick: Temple 38, UAB 25

Pro says: The Owls played hard last week and fell just a little short of beating South Florida. Looking deep into the game last week they were lucky just to be close as South Florida missed two easy field goals, numerous wide open receivers and South Florida was penalized 10 times for 70 yards. Throw in Temple is dead last in college football with 18 turnovers and I’ll back UAB to win and cover their second-straight home game.

Pro’s pick: UAB 45, Temple 30

Hero says: The Blazers played Navy close last week in Annapolis until the bottom fell out in the 4th quarter of a 31-6 loss. Quarterback Jacob Zeno and the UAB offense should perform better this week at home against a Temple defense that has given up over 40 points five times this season. I expect the Blazers to bounce back this week at home and outscore the Owls.

Hero’s pick: UAB 38, Temple

New Mexico State (8-3) at Auburn (6-4)

When: 3 p.m., Sat.

Where: Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Ala.

TV: SEC Network

Series: Auburn leads 3-0.

Spread: Auburn by 22

Joe says: The calm before the storm at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Don’t look past New Mexico State, though, the Aggies play with the heart and have won six in a row. Auburn isn’t good enough to take anything for granted at this point, so I don’t think this one will be a trap game. New Mexico State is just good enough to give Auburn one more opportunity to make meaningful improvements before the Iron Bowl.

Joe’s pick: Auburn 40, New Mexico State 20

Pro says: Two hot teams as the Tigers have 3 straight covers and the Aggies even hotter covering eight straight games. Who would have thought New Mexico State would have an 8-3 record? Vast majority of New Mexico State’s No.12-ranked rush offense was gained vs unranked opposition but they got 177 rushing yards vs the No.2 run defense of No.24-ranked Liberty. Classic look ahead game.

Pro’s pick: Auburn 35, New Mexico State 17

Hero says: New Mexico State brings a five game winning streak into Jordan-Hare on Saturday to face an Auburn team with a three game SEC winning streak. I don’t think the Aggies offense will have much success against the Tiger defense that is controlling the line of scrimmage. The Auburn offense has found a winning formula by using quarterback Payton Thorne as a dual threat to open up the middle for running back Jarquez Hunter. If Auburn is not too distracted by next week’s Iron Bowl, they should be able to control the game against an improving New Mexico State team and cover the 22 points at home.

Hero’s pick: Auburn 38, New Mexico State 13