Week 13
Friday, November 25
Northern Illinois over Eastern Michigan 56-21
-One of my favorite guys, Chandler Harnish and his group of stud receivers will be too much.
-Northern Illinois clinches the MAC West with a win.
Result: NIU 18, EMU 12

South Florida over Louisville, 24-21
-South Florida has Louisville and West Virginia left on the schedule and needs one win to be bowl eligible.
-Charlie Strong's had some bad losses, but also some really good wins for Louisville.
-BJ Daniels' experience over Teddy Bridgewater will get the win.
Result: Lville 34, USF 24

No. 8 Houston over Tulsa, 47-40
-Can Houston stop Tulsa's offense?
-Tulsa has three losses this season - to Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Boise State
-I expect a shootout, but every time I do, it ends up being low-scoring.
-Either way, Houston's defense cannot slow down the nation's better offenses.
Result: Houston 48, Tulsa 16

No. 21 Nebraska over Iowa, 27-24
-Iowa's got the underrated offense that can put up points. Marcus Coker will have to be a big factor on the ground.
-Nebraska's just got blown out by Michigan and fell out of a lot of individual ballots in the polls. They have something to prove.
Result: Nebraska 20, Iowa 7

Temple over Kent State, 35-14
-Temple is 2-1 since sophomore Chris Coyer has taken over at QB, but he has yet to throw an interception.
-Kent State overcame its putrid offense to go on a 4-game win streak. The Golden Flashes become bowl eligible with a win, but likely won't make a bowl game anyway.
-Temple is trying to ensure it gets into a bowl game.
Result: Temple 34, Kent State 16

Bowling Green over Buffalo, 37-27
-Bowling Green led by QB Matt Schilz took Ohio to the brink last week.
-Buffalo has struggled offensively, needing Chazz Anderson's arm and legs to win three games.
Result: Bowling Green 42, Buffalo 28

Western Michigan over Akron, 34-10
-Akron's one win is against VMI so the Zips will again go winless against FBS teams.
-Western Michigan QB Alex Carder is one of the most underrated QBs in the nation. The bowl-eligible Broncos can pick up their 7th win of the season and fight for a spot in the postseason.
Result: Western Michigan 68, Akron 19

Toledo over Ball State, 38-13
-Ball State really surprised me last week almost beating Northern Illinois thanks to two Huskies fumbles.
-Toledo is the best offensive team in the MAC. No way they let up now against Ball State.
-With a win and a Northern Illinois loss, Toledo wins the MAC West.
Result: Toledo 45, Ball State 28

No. 1 LSU over No. 3 Arkansas, 26-21
-This game obviously has huge BCS implications. For Arkansas to get into a BCS Bowl game, it's national championship or nothing. With a win, Arkansas can possibly (but not likely?) move into the No. 2 spot of the BCS, which would send Alabama to SEC Championship Game, and then if Alabama loses to Georgia, Arkansas could move to No. 1 with LSU at No. 2 for the national championship. There is no scenario that I can think of where Arkansas makes a BCS Bowl other than the championship game because if Georgia wins the SEC, they go to the Sugar Bowl and gives the BCS limit of three teams.
-LSU struggled slightly with West Virginia and its passing game and receivers. So, Arkansas' offense with receivers Greg Childs, Jarius Wright, Cobi Hamilton, Joe Adams and tight end Chris Gragg is better than West Virginia's group of Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, Ivan McCartney and Tyler Urban. Arkansas also has the running game to complement.
-Last year Arkansas ran the ball 47 times with Knile Davis. This year, no Davis, but a complement of backs with Ronnie Wingo, Dennis Johnson and Broderick Green.
-Arkansas defense gives up a lot of rushing yards, and LSU can pound the rock with Spencer Ware and Michael Ford.
-Razorbacks also struggled on the road with Alabama, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss.
-Arkansas has had trouble all year protecting QB Tyler Wilson, with four new starting offensive linemen this year. LSU has the best pass rush in the SEC and will get to Wilson. Wilson does a very nice job of standing firm and delivering the ball though.
-Arkansas punt returner, Joe Adams, has three punts returned for touchdowns this season, including a 61-yarder last week where he evaded eight tackles against Mississippi State. LSU punter Brad Wing has allowed the fewest punt return yards in the nation.
Result: LSU 41, Arkansas 17

Utah over Colorado, 28-21
-Utah started the season off shaky and looked like they couldn't compete in the Pac-12 with the big boys, but now with a win here against 2-10 Colorado, the Utes will be in a three-way for the Pac-12 South Division if UCLA loses to USC.
Result: Colorado 17, Utah 14

Miami over Boston College, 24-17
-Miami announced they will forgo a bowl game this year due to the Nevin Shapiro scandal, which means this is Miami's bowl game against Boston College. For the seniors, it will be the last time they ever suit up.
Result: Boston College 24, Miami 17

West Virginia over Pittsburgh, 31-24
-Could this be the last Backyard Brawl in a few years? One of college football's greatest rivalries may be coming to an end as Pitt is scheduled to move to the ACC for the 2014 season and West Virginia is looking to move to the Big 12 next season.
-The game is in Morgantown and with this win, and the Big East tiebreaker rules, West Virginia likely clinches a BCS Bowl-berth.
-Pitt can put up points, but West Virginia will be too much. Pitt doesn't have the proper personnel to defend a spread, but it's a rivalry game so anything can happen and the Panthers will keep it close.
Result: West Virginia 21, Pittsburgh 20

Central Florida over UTEP, 30-17
-With the loss last week to East Carolina, UCF has nothing left to play for except pride as they won't be bowl eligible.
-UTEP must get this win to be bowl eligible.
-Central Florida can play the role of spoiler, which they did so well last year by beating East Carolina, Houston and SMU.
Result: Central Florida 31, UTEP 14

Arizona State over California, 28-7
-Arizona State isn't completely out of the Big 12 South picture yet and need to win to stay in it.
-ASU is one of the nation's most underachieving teams because I believe they have a Top-15 roster.
-The Sun Devils have lost three straight games to UCLA, Washington State and Arizona when it would have taken just one win to clinch the division.
-Cal is a talented team, but Arizona State's defense needs to come out dominant.
Result: California 47, Arizona State 38

Saturday, November 26
No. 9 Oklahoma over Iowa State, 52-17
-Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads has a knack for pulling off big wins, like last week against Oklahoma State, but can he do it two weeks in a row? The Cyclones are now bowl eligible and have nothing left to play for except bowl positioning.
-Oklahoma has Bedlam next week against Oklahoma State that will decide the Big 12…unless the Sooner get caught looking ahead and overlook Iowa State.
-Oklahoma's BCS hopes hinge on this game and its next game.
Result: Oklahoma 26, Iowa State 6

UPSET: No. 23 Georgia Tech over No. 13 Georgia, 35-33
-Listen, I've been one of the guys that's said how overrated Georgia is all year. The Bulldogs started the season 0-2 and have won nine straight since, but struggled with Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Florida and Kentucky last week. Seriously, Missouri could go undefeated in the SEC with Georgia's schedule, and notably, Georgia didn't play LSU…or Alabama…or Arkansas.
-Now, Georgia with the SEC Championship Game ahead of them head on the road to Georgia Tech, not an easy place to play.
-If Tech gets its offense going, and with its improved defense, it's game over Georgia.
Result: Georgia 31, Georgia Tech 17

No. 14 Michigan State over Northwestern, 28-27
-Michigan State is another team with the division already clinched so could take a week off the intensity meter. Northwestern is going to push them to the brink if the Spartans come out flat.
Result: Michigan State 31, Northwestern 17

No. 15 Michigan over Ohio State, 24-14
-Michigan has not won this rivalry game in seven years. Can first year head coach Brady Hoke do it in year one?
-Both QBs, Denard Robinson and Braxton Miller, lead their teams in rushing. Denard Robinson needs just seven rushing yards to get 1,000.
-Braxton Miller, the true freshman, has grown up the last three weeks making clutch play after clutch play.
-Both defenses are stingy, especially the improved Michigan D under Greg Mattison and there are two outstanding defensive tackles on display with Michigan's Mike Martin and Ohio State's John Simon.
-Ohio State has Boom Herron and DeVier Posey back. Michigan's gone to Fitzgerald Touissant as its featured back and he's been running well.
-The two teams look pretty even on paper except for their records. Will the Urban Meyer to Ohio State rumors be a distraction for the Buckeyes? Or a motivation factor to play harder for coach Luke Fickell?
-I believe Michigan gets to a BCS Bowl game with this win and Ohio State's offensive inefficiency will cost them, if Michigan can play like they did last week against Nebraska.
Result: Michigan 30, Ohio State 24

Rutgers over Connecticut, 24-10
-Rutgers played lights out defensively last week against Cincinnati. The offensive for Rutgers is there and the defense is coming along. Chas Dodd has taken the QB job back from true freshman Gary Nova and played well.
-Rutgers keeps itself in the hunt for the Big East title with this win against a horrible UConn offense.
Result: UConn 40, Rutgers 22

Cincinnati over Syracuse, 28-24
-I think Syracuse is going to surprise Cincinnati early on, but the Bearcats have too much firepower to be held down too long, with Syracuse not having safety Shamarko Thomas, Zach Collaros will have a big passing day.
Result: Cincinnati 30, Syracuse 13

SMU over Rice, 35-20
-SMU was shut down by Houston last week as Cougars' linebacker Sammy Brown had three sacks. Rice doesn't have a pass rush that will worry SMU.
-SMU's offense will get back on track.
Result: SMU 27, Rice 24

Tennessee over Kentucky, 27-20
-Tennessee is playing the Kentucky team that lost to Florida 48-10…that lost to LSU 35-7…that lost to South Carolina 54-3…that lost to Vanderbilt 38-8. Joker Phillips is a great guy, not a great coach. Tennessee wins and becomes bowl eligible.
Result: Kentucky 10, Tennessee 7

Troy over Western Kentucky, 31-23
-This is Western Kentucky's last chance to show why it should receive one of the Sun Belt Conference's two bowl bids.
-Bobby Rainey should carry Western Kentucky's offense again but the Hilltoppers have struggled against high-octane passing attacks like that of Troy, led by Corey Robinson.
Result: Western Kentucky 41, Troy 18

NC State over Maryland, 34-21
-Could Maryland really finish 2-10 in Randy Edsall's first season? With wins over Miami and Towson?
-NC State played its best game in the win over Clemson last week and QB Mike Glennon is finally coming around.
Result: NC State 56, Maryland 41

No. 7 Boise State over Wyoming, 44-20
-Boise State still has an outside chance at a BCS game, even though I think Oklahoma State, Michigan, and the Big Ten Leaders Division winner (Penn State or Wisconsin) loses the title game, and preferably Houston would all have to lose.
-The Broncos need to continue to rack put the "style points"
Result: Boise State 36, Wyoming 14

Nevada over Utah State, 34-27
-Nevada just dismissed leading rusher Mike Ball from the team and lost last week to Louisiana Tech to all but lose sole possession of the WAC Title.
-Utah State's Chuckie Keeton has had a stellar freshman season, but now Nevada's freshman Cody Fajardo is doing what Colin Kaepernick used to do and leading a revamped Nevada team.
Result: Utah State 21, Nevada 17

No. 2 Alabama over No. 24 Auburn, 42-13
-Alabama needs to outdo Georgia's domination of Auburn last week. This is Alabama's last chance to show voters why they deserve to play for the BCS championship.
-Alabama has a sign in its locker room that has Cam Newton's face on it with the words "Never Again."
Result: Alabama 42, Auburn 14.

No. 5 Virginia Tech over Virginia, 27-17
-The Commonwealth Cup decides the ACC Coastal Division that Virginia Tech has owned for so long.
-Virginia Tech RB David Wilson should be the real Heisman favorite but no one outside of Blacksburg, VA is paying attention to him. VT QB Logan Thomas is playing his best football of the season at the perfect time.
-Virginia has fought valiantly in every game this season, losing only to NC State by two touchdown margins.
-Virginia's had a good season and Mike London has done a great job, but I'm not sure he can keep it going, although home field advantage could help the Cavs.
Result: Virginia Tech 38, Virginia 0

No. 10 Oregon over Oregon State, 42-21
-The Civil War should not be very exciting this year.
Result: Oregon 49, Oregon State 21

No. 16 Wisconsin over No. 19 Penn State, 24-13
-The winner of this game in Camp Randall wins the Big Ten Leaders Division and goes to face Michigan State in the Inaugural Big Ten Championship Game.
-The Big Ten has removed Joe Paterno's name amid the allegations at Penn State from the championship trophy. Penn State wants to win the trophy and put a post-it note with "Paterno" on the trophy. In order to have the opportunity to do that, the Nittany Lions have to beat Wisconsin.
-Wisconsin has committed just seven turnovers all season, second to only LSU, so Penn State's focus has to be at forcing Wisconsin to go the length of the field on multiple drives.
-So much is made of Penn State's defense but Wisconsin has a top ten defense of its own and its offense has averaged 52.3 points per game at home in Camp Randall.
-Penn State has been able to stop the run in some games but hasn't seen a power running game like Wisconsin since Alabama, but the absence of Wisconsin center Peter Konz could be something the Nittany Lions try to capitalize on.
Result: Wisconsin 45, Penn State 7

Florida International over Middle Tennessee, 34-17
-FIU trying to improve to 8-4, which puts them in a better position perhaps than Louisiana and Western Kentucky for the Sun Belt's second bowl spot.
Result: FIU 31, Middle Tennessee 18

Purdue over Indiana, 28-21
-Purdue needs a win on Indiana's Senior Day to become bowl eligible.
-Indiana needs a win to not go winless in conference play in Kevin Wilson's first season as coach.
-Indiana has scored more than 24 points just once in a loss to Northwestern.
Result: Purdue 33, Indiana 25

Illinois over Minnesota, 30-14
-Illinois started the season 6-0 and has lost five straight. Ron Zook is done at Illinois if his team loses a sixth straight to Minnesota.
Result: Minnesota 27, Illinois 7

North Carolina over Duke, 28-10
-This is a HUGE rivalry in rivalry week. Oh wait, it's football not basketball.
Result: UNC 37, Duke 21

UPSET: Vanderbilt over Wake Forest, 19-16
-Vanderbilt lost in overtime to Tennessee last week on a questionable call so the Commodores need this win to be bowl eligible. James Franklin has a done great job with Vanderbilt in year one. The Vanderbilt defense will keep this a low scoring game, which will help Vanderbilt.
Result: Vandy 41, Wake Forest 7

East Carolina over Marshall, 34-31
-The winner of this game gets a bowl bid. Neither team plays defense so I'll go with the East Carolina offense.
Result: Marshall 34, ECU 27 (OT)

Missouri over Kansas, 34-24
-This could be the Border War too as we see a lot of great rivalries come to an end this year with conference realignment. Jordan Webb and James Franklin are similar quarterbacks but Franklin has a lot more weapons and a better defense, but again anything can happen in a rivalry game.
Result: Missouri 24, Kansas 10

Arizona over Louisiana-Lafayette, 37-24
-Arizona just hired Rich Rodriguez to be its next coach and now wants to win on Senior Day. Good thing Senior Day is against Louisiana. Expect Nick Foles to have a great game in his last game as an Arizona Wildcat.
Result: Arizona 45, ULL 37

UAB over Florida Atlantic, 24-7
-Two games left for the 0-10 FAU Owls in Coach Howard Schnellenberger's last season as a head coach. He just hasn't had a quarterback to replace Jeff VanCamp.
Result: FAU 38, UAB 35

Louisiana Tech over New Mexico State, 34-13
-New Mexico State has pulled off some wins this year: Minnesota, Idaho, Fresno State. But not this time.
Result: La Tech 44, N. Mex State 0

Southern Miss over Memphis, 31-10
-Southern Miss lost last week with the Conference-USA East Division already clinched. If they're more motivated to play this week the Golden Eagles win easily.
Result: S.Miss 44, Memphis 7

Air Force over Colorado State, 34-27
-Colorado State gives up a lot of rushing yards including a season high 393 to Boise State.
Result: Air Force 45, CSU 21

No. 18 Baylor over Texas Tech, 48-41
-Time for a Big 12 Shootout? Texas Tech can become bowl eligible but Robert Griffin will be too much.
Result: Baylor 66, TTU 42

Florida State over Florida, 20-17
-This should be a great game in The Swamp.
-Florida is on the brink of a .500 season, mostly due to the fact that the offense doesn't have the players to fit the system yet but the Gators still have an outstanding defense…that didn't show up last week against Furman.
-Florida State has a great defense of its own that we forget held Oklahoma and has been playing its best football the last five weeks.
-Which coach, Will Muschamp or Jimbo Fisher, gets his team more motivated? Florida State won this game last year in Jimbo's first season and Coach Urban Meyer's last.
-Florida kicker Caleb Sturgis and Florida State kicker Dustin Hopkins are both Lou Groza Award finalists.
Result: FSU 21, Florida 7

Mississippi State over Ole Miss, 33-30
-The Egg Bowl was a classic last year as Mississippi State won for the first since 1988 in Oxford.
-This year, neither team is any good at all with Ole Miss winless in the SEC and Mississippi State needing a win to be bowl eligible.
-This will be Houston Nutt's last game as coach of Ole Miss so do they send him out a winner?
Result: Miss St 31, Ole Miss 3

Washington over Washington State, 31-27
-The Apple Cup should be a good one. Washington has struggled defensively while Washington State's offense is much improved.
Result: Washington 38, WSU 21

UPSET: No. 17 Clemson over No. 12 South Carolina, 21-17
-South Carolina is one of the nation's leaders with 29 takeaways and Clemson has turned the ball over six times in its last two games.
-Clemson has played the last two weeks without RB Andre Ellington and superstar freshman WR Sammy Watkins. Watkins is expected back this week alone with left tackle Phillip Price.
-South Carolina has won two in a row in this in-state rivalry but hasn't won three in a row since 1970.
Result: SCAR 34, CLEM 13

No. 6 Stanford over No. 22 Notre Dame, 34-28
-Stanford has allowed more than 350 yards to its last two opponents: Oregon and California.
-Andrew Luck has never lost to Notre Dame and needs to have an awesome showing to solidify his Heisman Trophy status.
-Stanford is still without top receiver (and really, only receiver) Chris Owusu and tight end Zach Ertz.
-Stanford is currently 6th in the BCS Standings and not guaranteed a BCS Bowl-berth unless it is ranked in the Top 4. The Cardinal would need to win and have Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech lose for that to happen.
Result: STAN 28, ND 14

Fresno State over San Jose State, 27-21
-San Jose State did a nice job of playing spoiler for Navy last week, being the Midshipmen 27-24 to keep them out of a bowl game.
-Fresno State beat Hawaii 24-21, but that could have been because of the allegations of point shaving against Hawaii.
-Fresno QB Derek Carr should provide problems for San Jose State.
Result: San Jose State 27, Fresno 24

USC over UCLA, 45-24
-Good stat: UCLA has only won three conference road games in the Rick Neuheisel era.
-USC is in the Top 10 of AP Poll and first place in the Pac-12 South but the postseason ban placed on the program because of Reggie Bush does not allow USC to play in the conference championship game.
-If UCLA wins, they play for the Pac-12 Championship (I'm not going to say, they win the Pac-12 South because USC has already won that).
-This could be the last game of Matt Barkley's USC career if he decides to enter the NFL Draft (You heard it here first, I personally think he doesn't and come backs to USC for his senior year).
-UCLA can score some points against USC but the Trojans have way too much firepower.
Result: USC 50, UCLA 0

San Diego State over UNLV, 47-20
-UNLV has two wins, one of them to Hawaii and that game is under scrutiny because of point shaving allegations at Hawaii.
-This is a really, really bad UNLV team.
Result: San Diego State 31, UNLV 14

Hawaii over Tulane, 34-22
-Hey, here's another game Hawaii should win easily…or will they not cover the spread and possibly lose? They would be dumb to do that now that an investigation has been launched amid allegations of point shaving directed at Hawaii.
-Hawaii needs to win this game and next week against BYU to become bowl eligible.
Ongoing: Hawaii leads 28-16 in 4th quarter

Another classic Friday Night Football game on ESPN where the No. 2 ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys went down in Ames, Iowa to the Iowa State Cyclones. That made the BCS picture a whole lot muddier but, you might disagree with me here, but I believe the right thing happened. Though it looks like chaos right now and I was anti-rematch three weeks ago, it’s clear that the BCS championship game has to, and I mean HAS TO be LSU vs. Alabama. Oklahoma State losing opens the door for that. LSU and Alabama are hands down the two best teams this year and the BCS is not to be involved in political choosing of teams (which it is anyway) but it is supposed to match up the two best teams.

My only problem with the rematch is that if Alabama wins this time, the two teams will be 1-1 against each other and that proves nothing while LSU wins the SEC Championship but Alabama wins the national championship. That is dumb. But we’ll get into that when the time is right.

For now, I can’t believe it’s already Week 12. Where has this college football season gone? It’s almost time for bowl games. But before bowl games comes conference championships and there’s a lot of spots up for grabs and teams fighting for bowl position as well. Iowa State became bowl eligible with tonight’s win.

In the major conferences, Virginia Tech beat North Carolina on Thursday night and has it’s final game against Virginia. Virginia today will play Florida State and needs a win to stay alive in the ACC Coastal. That’s right, if Virginia wins out, they’re going to the ACC Championship Game. Mike London has done a great job in Charlottesville.

The Big East is a jumbled mess and Cincinnati controls its own destiny but I think Rutgers could put an end to that today in one of my upset picks. If that happens, there will be a 5-way tie for the Big East championship headed into the final week of the season and get this, all eight Big East teams could end up bowl eligible.
In the Big East, Pitt is the biggest longshot. The other four teams, Cincinnati, Rutgers, West Virginia and Louisville will have a shot if Cincinnati loses. Rutgers would be a longshot too since it lost to both Louisville and West Virginia but Louisville beat West Virginia who beat Cincinnati and Louisville could find its way into the Orange Bowl.

Both divisions in the Big Ten need to be decided. A Penn State win and a Wisconsin loss or vice versa is all it’ll take to decide the Leaders Division while Michigan State can clinch the Legends Division with a win.

In the SEC, Georgia clinches the East with a win OR a South Carolina loss. South Carolina clinches the East with a win AND a Georgia loss. The West Division is LSU’s to lose and if they lose a game, the tiebreaker will likely give it to Alabama.

The Pac-12 is really interesting. Oregon clinches the North with a win but plays USC which could be a tough test. In the South, no one wants to win. UCLA had a chance to clinch last week and lost and Arizona State had a chance to retake control after the UCLA loss and they lost, so UCLA and Arizona State are still tied but UCLA holds the tiebreaker. The worst part is, it should be USC winning this division but they’re still ineligible thanks to Reggie Bush, who’s enjoying paychecks in the NFL while those that came after him at USC pay consequences.

Then, there’s the Houston Cougars out of Conference-USA. The pressure is on them now with Boise State losing and the Cougars moving into No. 11 in the BCS Standings. They can make a BCS bowl game but have to win their conference. Southern Miss has already clinched the easy C-USA East but in the West, Houston and Tulsa sit tied both at 6-0 in conference play and Houston faces a good SMU team. What else? Houston plays Tulsa next, so they could get caught looking ahead.


No. 16 Nebraska over No. 18 Michigan, 27-24
Both teams need to figure things out offensively. Both run first offenses but Michigan is limiting Denard Robinson while Nebraska is trying to find ways to get Taylor Martinez more involved. I’ll take Nebraska’s defense over Michigan’s in the Big House, where Michigan already lost to Iowa this year.
Result: Michigan 45, Nebraska 17

No. 17 Wisconsin over Illinois, 36-14
Wisconsin needs a win to stay in the hunt for the Rose Bowl. Illinois could be losing it’s fifth straight game. Things aren’t looking good for Ron Zook.
Result: Wisconsin 28, Illinois 17

Louisville over Connecticut, 21-14
Louisville can actually still win the Big East, but UConn needs to win for a chance to be bowl eligible.
Result: Louisville 34, Connecticut 20

UPSET: Rutgers over Cincinnati, 23-21
For whatever reason, I always pick Rutgers. Don’t let me down, Scarlet Knights. Cincinnati was in full control of the Big East, and still is after losing to West Virginia last week but a loss here sends the Big East into a frenzy.
Result: Rutgers 20, Cincinnati 3

No. 11 Houston over SMU, 38-24
Houston faces Tulsa on Friday. This has trap game written all over it for the undefeated Houston Cougars. We’ll see how good that defense is against SMU’s offense. If Houston can’t keep SMU under 20 points, then there’s no way they can compete against an Alabama in a BCS Bowl.
Result: Houston 37, SMU 7

UPSET: No. 21 Penn State over Ohio State, 21-14
Penn State hits the road for the first time since the Jerry Sandusky Scandal and takes the field for the first time since the announcement that its former coach, Joe Paterno, is battling lung cancer. Can the Nittany Lions play an emotionally intense game again and win in the Horse Shoe? It’s two interim coaches in Luke Fickell and Tom Bradley going at it except Fickell’s had all year with his team and is still trying to figure things out. I give the advantage to Tom Bradley and Penn State’s defense.
Result: Penn State 21, Ohio State 14

UPSET: Texas Tech over Missouri, 34-33
Missouri is coming off an emotional high by beating Texas while Texas Tech is looking to go off on somebody after a 66-6 embarrassment against Oklahoma State last week. Missouri doesn’t have the depth in the secondary to hold off Tech.
Result: Missouri 31, Texas Tech 27

No. 4 Oregon over USC, 45-33
I would not be surprised if USC won this game. I know USC has some questions on defense but they are still very underrated. The big question is if Robert Woods plays for USC and if he’s healthy. If he’s not, that’s a huge blow for USC’s offense. We’ll find out how good Oregon’s defense is in this game.
Result: USC 38, Oregon 35

No. 5 Oklahoma over No. 22 Baylor, 52-24
Can Baylor do it? Not with that defense they’re not. Baylor’s best chance is if Oklahoma comes out flat, but the Sooners know now with the Oklahoma State loss that they are in a good position to get to the national championship game if they just keep winning.

No. 10 Boise State over San Diego State 37-28
This game might be overlooked because Boise falls off the radar now that it has a loss, from TCU last week. Ronnie Hillman may not play for the Aztecs, which means they won’t be at full strength. Doug Martin is a gametime decision for Boise State. San Diego State is no slouch though although they need some receivers to eventually step up for Ryan Lindley.
Result: Boise State 52, San Diego State 35

UPSET: No. 23 Texas over No. 13 Kansas State, 31-24
Can Texas finally beat Kansas State? Kansas State just has Texas’ number. Kansas State hasn’t faced a defense like this yet though and Bill Snyder has never seen a Manny Diaz type scheme. I really think the Texas defense wins this game while the offense also puts up more points than expected against Kansas State’s suspect defense.
Result: Kansas State 17, Texas 13



No. 12 South Carolina over The Citadel, 53-9
Result: South Carolina 41, Citadel 20

No. 15 Michigan State over Indiana, 35-16
Result: Michigan State 55, Indiana 3

Northwestern over Minnesota, 34-13
Result: Northwestern 28, Minnesota 13

Buffalo over Akron, 24-14
The two bottom dwellers in the MAC East Division! This game is for last place!
Result: Buffalo 51, Akron 10

Iowa over Purdue, 28-17
Result: Iowa 31, Purdue 21

No. 14 Georgia over Kentucky, 30-13
A win and Georgia clinches the SEC East.
Result: Georgia 19, Kentucky 10

Georgia Tech over Duke, 45-14
Result: Georgia Tech 38, Duke 31

No. 24 Auburn over Samford, 42-6
How is Auburn still ranked?? A win against Samford should definitely boost their resume….. yeah….
Result: Auburn 35, Samford 16

Florida over Furman, 37-10
Result: Florida 54, Furman 32

Temple over Army, 31-28
This might be another year that a MAC team gets left out of a bowl game. Temple needs to win, win and win to make sure it’s not the one left out.
Result: Temple 42, Army 14

Eastern Michigan over Kent State, 24-17
-Eastern Michigan becomes bowl eligible with this win while Kent State is eliminated from bowl contention.
Result: Kent State 28, Eastern Michigan 24

No. 3 Alabama over Georgia Southern, 45-10
-How prepared is Alabama for Georgia Southern’s triple-option attack? Alabama will outscore Georgia Southern anyway though.
Result: Alabama 45, Georgia Southern 21

Wyoming over New Mexico, 38-17
-New Mexico just hired Bob Davie to be its new head coach.
Result: Wyoming 31, New Mexico 10

Wake Forest over Maryland, 24-20
Result: Wake Forest 31, Maryland 10

Arkansas State over Middle Tennessee, 35-17
Result: Arkansas State 45, Middle Tennessee 19

Tulsa over UTEP, 45-21
Result: Tulsa 57, UTEP 28

No. 6 Arkansas over Mississippi State, 38-17
-Mississippi State has been a disappointment. Arkansas sets up a huge showdown with LSU if they get this win.
Result: Arkansas 44, Mississippi State 17

No. 7 Clemson over NC State, 42-10
-where have Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins been? They’ve been quiet recently. Here comes a big game for both.
Result: NC State 37, Clemson 13

No. 19 TCU over Colorado State, 34-17
Result: TCU 34, Colorado State 10

UPSET: Miami over South Florida, 24-21
-South Florida needs the win to be bowl eligible or drop to 5-5. I like the Miami defense against South Florida’s receivers.
Result: Miami 6, South Florida 3

Washington over Oregon State, 35-13
Result: Oregon State 38, Washington 21

Rice over Tulane, 34-16
Result: Rice 19, Tulane 7

Texas A&M over Kansas, 45-20
Result: Texas A&M 61, Kansas 7

Troy over Florida Atlantic, 42-16
-Florida Atlantic is about to be 0-10. That’s a nice ceremonial exit for Howard Schnellenberger. He deserves better but he doesn’t have a quarterback.
Result: Troy 34, FAU 7

Navy over San Jose State, 35-21
Result: San Jose State 27, Navy 24

Notre Dame over Boston College, 30-17
Result: Notre Dame 16, Boston College 14

Nevada over Louisiana Tech, 37-27
-Louisiana Tech can win the WAC title with an upset here.
Result: Louisiana Tech 24, Nevada 20

Utah State over Idaho 37-34
-Utah State fighting to stay alive for a bowl bid.
Result: Utah State 49, Idaho 42 (OT)

Utah over Washington State, 28-27
Result: Utah 30, Washington State 27 (OT)

Florida International over La-Monroe, 34-17
Result: FIU 28, ULM 17

Air Force over UNLV, 35-24
Result: Air Force 45, UNLV 17

No. 1 LSU over Ole Miss, 38-7
Result: LSU 52, Ole Miss 3

Central Florida over East Carolina, 35-30
-The loser of this game is eliminated from the postseason. Plain and simple. Both teams sit at 4-6. Both teams had hoped to have better seasons before it started.
Result: East Carolina 38, Central Florida 31

Western Kentucky over North Texas, 36-24
Result: Western Kentucky 31, North Texas 21

UPSET: Vanderbilt over Tennessee, 24-21
-Tyler Bray may come back from his broken thumb for Tennessee. Tennessee is still looking for its first conference win of 2011 and needs this to remain in contention for a bowl at 4-6 right now. Vanderbilt’s defense is no joke though, especially that secondary with Casey Heyward and Sean Richardson that’s second in the nation in interceptions.
Result: Tennessee 27, Vanderbilt 21 (OT)

No. 25 Florida State over Virginia, 28-17
-Virginia needs the win to stay alive for the ACC Championship but Florida State has played its best football the last two weeks. The Seminoles want to finish strong.
Result: Virginia 14, FSU 13

UCLA over Colorado, 38-27
Result: UCLA 45, Colorado 6

Arizona State over Arizona, 49-31
-All I think about is last year’s overtime win for Arizona State where all Arizona had to do was make the extra point to win the game in regulation.

No. 9 Stanford over California, 34-18

BYU over New Mexico State, 24-10

Hawaii over Fresno State, 37-23

Week 11 Picks

As I try to return to normalcy after chasing every ounce of news at Penn State, I give you my college football picks. Obviously I did not have time to make my weekly previews. I was not around a computer, TV or a bed for 90% of the week.

And now comes the tough part as I will have to gather myself to broadcast the Penn State - Nebraska football game on ComRadio. Listen in at psucomradio.com starting at 11am ET for the ComRadio Football PreGame Show.

College Football Week 11 Picks
No. 2 Oklahoma State over Texas Tech, 59-34
Result: Oklahoma State 66, Texas Tech 6

No. 9 Clemson over Wake Forest, 34-17
Result: Clemson 31, Wake Forest 28 

No. 12 Penn State over No. 19 Nebraska, 19-13
Nebraska 17, Penn State 14 

UPSET: Florida over No. 13 South Carolina, 24-13
South Carolina 17, Florida 12

No. 16 Texas over Missouri, 38-27
Missouri 17, Texas 5 

UPSET: Iowa over No. 17 Michigan State, 24-21
Michigan State 37, Iowa 21 

UPSET: West Virginia over No. 23 Cincinnati 31-23
West Virginia 24, Cincinnati 21 

Northwestern over Rice, 45-14
Northwestern 28, Rice 6 

Pittsburgh over Louisville, 17-16
Pittsburgh 21, Louisville 24 

Tulsa over Marshall, 62-24
Tulsa 59, Marshall 17 

Ohio State over Purdue, 38-17
Purdue 26, Ohio State 23 (overtime) 

Vanderbilt over Kentucky 24-20
Vanderbilt 38, Kentucky 8 

NC State over Boston College, 28-21
Boston College 14, NC State 10 

Eastern Michigan over Buffalo, 34-31
Eastern Michigan 30, Buffalo 17 

Troy over North Texas, 48-24
North Texas 38, Troy 33 

No. 25 Baylor over Kansas, 49-20
Baylor 31, Kansas 30 (overtime) 

Air Force over Wyoming 37-24
Wyoming 25, Air Force 17 

Kent State over Akron 20-13
Kent State 35, Akron 3 

Arizona over Colorado 34-10
Colorado 48, Arizona 29 

Virginia over Duke, 14-10
Virginia 31, Duke 21 

Utah State over San Jose State, 28-21
Utah State 34, San Jose State 33 

UPSET: Arkansas State over Louisiana-Lafayette 27-21
Arkansas State 30, Louisiana 21 

No. 5 Boise State over TCU 35-21
TCU 36, Boise State 35 

UPSET: Texas A&M over No. 14 Kansas State, 38-31
Kansas State 53, Texas A&M 50 (four overtimes) 

UPSET: No. 20 Auburn over No. 15 Georgia, 23-20
Georgia 45, Auburn 7 

No. 18 Wisconsin over Minnesota, 59-14
Wisconsin 42, Minnesota 13 

No. 24 Michigan over Illinois 27-24
Michigan 31, Illinois 14 

Florida State over Miami, 24-19
Florida State 23, Miami 19 

Rutgers over Army, 31-28
Rutgers 27, Army 12 

Middle Tennessee over LA-Monroe, 17-10
La-Monroe 42, M. Tennessee 14 

SMU over Navy, 34-28
Navy 24, SMU 17 

USC over Washington, 45-34
USC 40, Washington 17 

UAB over Memphis, 38-14
UAB 41, Memphis 35

No. 8 Arkansas over Tennessee, 38-7
Arkansas 49, Tennessee 7 

San Diego State over Colorado State, 42-38
San Diego State 18, Colorado State 15 

Florida International over Florida Atlantic, 34-7
FIU 41, FAU 7 

UPSET: Oregon State over California, 27-17
California 23, Oregon State 6 

UPSET: Utah over UCLA, 30-28
Utah 31, UCLA 6 

No. 1 LSU over Western Kentucky 45-9
LSU 42, Western Kentucky 9 

Notre Dame over Maryland, 38-28
Notre Dame 45, Maryland 21 

Ole Miss over Louisiana Tech, 24-23
Louisiana Tech 27, Ole Miss 7

No. 3 Alabama over Mississippi State, 31-16
Alabama 24, Mississippi State 7 

UPSET: No. 7 Oregon over No. 4 Stanford, 38-35
Oregon 53, Stanford 30 

No. 22 Southern Miss over Central Florida, 24-17
Southern Miss 30, Central Florida 29 

Fresno State over New Mexico State, 34-10
New Mexico State 48, Fresno State 45 

East Carolina over UTEP, 56-45
UTEP 22, East Carolina 17 

BYU over Idaho, 27-20
BYU 42, Idaho 7

Hawaii over Nevada, 42-31
Nevada 42, Hawaii 28

Arizona State over Washington State, 37-13
Washington State 37, Arizona State 27

Week 10 Picks: LSU-Alabama time.

This highly anticipated week of college football has finally arrived. It all started with Toledo losing it’s first conference game in a 63-60 shootout loss to Northern Illinois. The Huskies now control the MAC West Division. Oh, you don’t care about the MAC? Well, there’s LSU-Alabama this week, too.

It’s pretty clear that LSU and Alabama are the two best teams in the country and the BCS tries to match up the two best teams to play for the national championship. So, there’s been a lot of talk already about a LSU-Alabama rematch in the national championship game. Could it happen? Absolutely. Should it? Absolutely not. If Alabama wins tomorrow and LSU wins the rematch, what does that prove? Nothing, except that LSU is the national champion and Alabama isn’t or vice versa. Saturday night, everything should be settled between these two teams. It will be like we crown the national champion tomorrow and from here on out, someone tries to beat the national champion for the national championship.

If you want LSU and Alabama to play again, then you might as well have them play each other as the SEC Championship Game and then again in the BCS Title game and say best 2-of-3 winner is your national champion.

For any kind of BCS controversy stemming from this game, first it has to live up to the hype. If one team dominates, all arguments go out the window.

Is it 8 p.m. Saturday night yet?

NO. 1 LSU AT NO. 2 ALABAMA

Okay, let’s take this slow and break it down.

Quarterback: Advantage LSU

Running backs: Advantage Alabama

Receivers: Advantage LSU

Tight End: Advantage LSU

Offensive Line: Advantage Alabama

Defensive Line: Advantage LSU

Linebackers: Advantage Alabama

Safeties: Advantage Alabama

Corners: Advantage LSU

Special Teams: Advantage LSU

LSU goes into Tuscaloosa as the number one team in the country but an underdog. No visiting team has more wins in Bryant-Denney Stadium than LSU. LSU won this game last year 24-21 on a late Josh Jasper field goal.

The experience of Jarrett Lee at quarterback is going to be vital and Lee has become more than just a game manager, the man can throw the ball deep down the field. For AJ McCarron, his development has progressed as planned and he’s very efficient with the ball and is an underrated passer. McCarron throws for 224 yards per game and he’s going to need a good performance to beat LSU.

All the talk is about these two defenses but the two defenses aren’t playing each other. Let’s look at the matchups they face. Alabama can really run the ball with Trent Richardson and company and LSU’s weakness (if they have one) on defense is at the linebacker position. It is tough to run against LSU but it seems Alabama’s offensive line can have an advantage in overpowering LSU physically.

For LSU offensively, they have a lot of targets in Reuben Randle, Russell Shepard, Odell Beckham and Deangelo Peterson. Alabama has a very good secondary with safeties Robert Lester and Mark Barron and corners Dre Kirkpatrick, DeQuan Menzie and Dee Milliner. Alabama’s corners have struggled at times without safety help and Kirkpatrick especially was burnt on double moves several times in the Florida game against Andre Debose.

One of these defenses have to give in as the game goes on. Alabama figures to have the advantage because they are more physical and can wear down LSU. LSU might not be able to pound away with Spencer Ware, but Alabama could with Trent Richardson and that offensive line. To stop Richardson, LSU likes to have eight or even nine in the box to stop the run and don’t be surprised if they go to that. The Tigers have to make Alabama’s passing game beat them, McCarron doesn’t exactly have an A+ group of receivers and his go-to man is Marquis Maze, the guy who was the third receiver two years ago and isn’t very big and physical.

Alabama is the more physical defense, LSU is much faster and they really trust Morris Claiborne and Tyrann Mathieu in one-on-one coverage outside.

Alabama should know where Tyrann Mathieu is at all times on the field, he’s LSU’s biggest playmaker and this game could be determined by a single turnover. I think Alabama has two turnovers and LSU ends up with one, and that difference could be the ballgame.

LSU’s punt unit is the best in the nation with Brad Wing and the coverage team allowing only seven yards in punt returns. On the flip side, Marquis Maze is a great returner.

I like Alabama’s advantage at home, but I like LSU’s chances of winning on the road. We’ll see the coaching duel between Les Miles and Nick Saban and which one has his team more focused. Miles has been loose while Saban strives for perfection.

LSU has committed just three turnovers all season, scored first in every game and has trailed for just six minutes and 33 seconds this season.

This is why Les Miles stayed to coach LSU and did not leave for the Michigan job.

Pick: LSU 19, Alabama 17

THE REST OF THE BCS TOP 25

UPSET: Iowa over No. 15 Michigan, 35-28

Last year, Michigan totaled 522 yards to Iowa’s 383 and still lost despite a 21-point fourth quarter. Keep in mind, Denard Robinson left the game with injury. Now it’s a completely different offense for Michigan with a healthy Denard Robinson. Iowa is coming off an ugly loss to Minnesota thanks to Marqueis Gray’s last second sprint to the endzone. Iowa struggled with Gray’s dual-threat ability and now here comes Robinson. Greg Matison has done a very nice job with Michigan’s defense but I don’t think they’re quite where they want to be yet and Iowa can exploit some things if James Vanderberg plays well and Marcus Coker establishes the ground game. Iowa won in the Big House last year and I like them to upset Michigan this time.

No. 17 Michigan State over Minnesota, 38-7

Minnesota is on an emotional high after picking up its first B1G win last week over Iowa only to get brought back down to earth this week against a Michigan State team that needs to make a statement after playing so poorly against Nebraska.

No. 21 Texas over Texas Tech, 38-35

Texas needs to be on Upset Alert in Austin. Texas Tech has given up a lot of rushing yards in its three losses and gives up 225.7 rushing yards per game which ranks 114th in the nation. Texas dominated Kansas last week with over 43 minutes of possession thanks to the running game that ranks 17th nationally with 218.9 yards per game. The Texas secondary which was a weakness coming into the season has improved every week and gives up 192.3 yards per game while Carrington Byndom has turned into maybe the best corner in the Big 12. Texas Tech has three go-to receivers with Alex Torres, Eric Ward and Darrin Moore. Texas Tech’s defense isn’t stopping anybody, this game will be hinged on what Texas’ defense is able to do and if they can get after the quarterback, Seth Doege.

No. 24 West Virginia over Louisville, 38-17

It’s finally time for 2010’s national sack leader, Bruce Irvin, to get going against a Louisville offensive line that has given 108 sacks this season. Irvin so far has only 2.5 sacks. Louisville is coming off back-to-back wins against Rutgers and Syracuse which are the last two teams West Virginia played as well but a trip to Morgantown won’t end well for the Cardinals while West Virginia tries to stay in the Big East title hunt. This could be a trap game if the Mountaineers are looking ahead to Cincinnati next week.

No. 18 Georgia over New Mexico State, 56-3

Richard Samuel is lost for the season with a knee injury for Georgia while star freshman running back Isaiah Crowell has been suspended for this game along with Carlton Thomas and Ken Malcolme. I don’t think there’s anything else to say about this game…it’s New Mexico State.

No. 4 Stanford over Oregon State, 38-16

What a game Stanford just played against USC in triple-overtime. Can the Cardinal keep the focus now against Oregon State with the showdown with Oregon looming next week? Oregon State got its first Pac-12 win last week despite three interceptions and three fumbles (one lost). Oregon State lacks playmakers around James Rodgers.

No. 6 Oklahoma over Texas A&M, 52-34

On the bright side, Texas A&M’s three losses are by a combined 12 points. On the downside, Texas A&M led by 17, 18 and 11 at halftime in those three losses. After dropping out of the BCS Standings, the Aggies head to Norman, Oklahoma where Oklahoma never loses, but already lost once this year (Texas Tech) so it won’t happen again. Oklahoma’s passing attack is going to have fun with Texas A&M’s nation’s worst passing defense. And on the bright side for A&M fans, their team won’t blow a halftime lead again…they won’t even have one.

No. 10 Nebraska over Northwestern, 34-24

Dan Persa had an outstanding day in Northwestern’s rout over Indiana last week, but it’s hard to see Northwestern beating Nebraska in Lincoln. Unfortunately for Northwestern, they can drop just one more game and still be bowl eligible, but on the schedule after Nebraska is also Michigan State. Northwestern will have to win one of those games to make the postseason. Looking back, the Wildcats know that Army loss is the difference between a 6-6 season and a 5-7 season.

No. 20 Wisconsin over Purdue, 48-13

Wisconsin was beat two weeks in a row by a prayer of a throw. They are tied with Purdue in the Big Ten Standings. That’ll change after this week.

No. 25 Southern Miss over East Carolina, 42-31

Southern Miss’ offense has tremendous balance this year between Austin Davis throwing the ball around and the Southern Miss running game with backs sharing carries. Imagine if the passing game still had DeAndre Brown who entered the 2011 NFL Draft and went undrafted. Davis doesn’t have a star group of receivers but is efficient and spreads the ball around. On the other side, East Carolina’s air-raid offense might pose problems for Southern Miss, but as always, ECU doesn’t play defense despite being coached by a defensive-minded guy.

No. 13 Houston over UAB, 59-20

One team is named Houston. One team is named UAB. One team has Case Keenum. One team doesn’t.

No. 7 Arkansas over No. 9 South Carolina, 31-13

Arkansas’ has two close wins in its last two games over Ole Miss and Vanderbilt and now face a more formidable opponent in South Carolina. Arkansas gives up a lot of rushing yards but South Carolina is without Marcus Lattimore.

Connor Shaw is struggling and the Gamecocks are struggling as a whole. Look at South Carolina’s schedule and its only win remaining this season could be against The Citadel.

South Carolina’s pass defense ranks third in the nation but Arkansas will be too much.

No. 19 Arizona State over UCLA, 48-13

UCLA needs Datone Jones and the pass rush to get going. Arizona State gives up a lot of sacks, but it’s still the end for Rick Neuheisel and Arizona State clinches the Pac-12 South Division.

No. 3 Oklahoma State over No. 14 Kansas State, 52-24

Kansas State was finally blasted by Oklahoma last week and they now get to be a part of “Getting Blasted Part 2”.

No. 5 Boise State over UNLV, 56-3

Boise State needs to start racking up the style points for the BCS so the wins will start to come at bigger and bigger margins.

Quarterback Kellen Moore goes for career win No. 46, which would make him the winningest player in NCAA history, passing former-Texas quarterback Colt McCoy.

No. 8 Oregon over Washington, 45-34

Washington is going to give Oregon’s defense a test but the Ducks will overcome. It won’t help their style points in the BCS, however.

GOOD MATCHUPS OF UNRANKED TEAMS

Florida over Vanderbilt, 31-28

It’s going to be a great, close game. Vanderbilt has a ball hawking secondary that picks up a lot of interceptions and the defense is so overlooked.

UPSET: Maryland over Virginia, 24-20

Maryland has to fight for something. The team hasn’t shown quit despite the struggles.

UPSET: North Carolina over NC State, 34-17

NC State has won five in a row in this series, it’s finally time for the TarHeels to break through, using its defense against a porous NC State offense.

Miami over Duke, 24-21

Upset Alert here so don’t be surprised if Duke wins this game. Duke is a few turnovers away from being bowl eligible.

FIU over Western Kentucky, 30-24

Five Sun Belt teams are fighting for two bowl spots in the postseason. Western Kentucky is making a case for a bowl game this year in Bobby Rainey’s senior season but FIU is the reigning champion just trying to make the postseason.

UPSET: Rutgers over South Florida, 34-31

What happened to USF? 0-3 in the Big East for a team that many liked to win the conference. Three of the Bulls’ four wins are against Ball State, Florida A&M and UTEP. That’s pretty sad. Rutgers blew a lead against West Virginia last week but I think more highly of this Rutgers team than a lot of other people do.

UPSET: Pittsburgh over Cincinnati

Cincinnati leads the Big East right now but Pittsburgh is going to change that. The Panthers are coming off a well played win and need to keep the intensity up for this game too. If they play well, they beat Cincinnati.

THE REST

UPSET: Syracuse over Connecticut, 31-20

Ohio State over Indiana, 38-7

UPSET: Eastern Michigan over Ball State, 31-28

Iowa State over Kansas, 42-17

TCU over Wyoming, 38-17

SMU over Tulane, 44-17

UPSET: Ole Miss over Kentucky, 28-24

UTEP over Rice, 34-31

Louisiana-Lafayette over Louisiana-Monroe, 34-10

Air Force over Army, 35-21

Navy over Troy, 35-30

Arizona over Utah, 41-28

Idaho over San Jose State, 34-13

Arkansas State over Florida Atlantic, 34-0

California over Washington State, 27-21

UPSET: Missouri over Baylor, 38-35

Tennessee over Middle Tennessee, 33-10

Mississippi State over UT-Martin, 52-9

Fresno State over Louisiana Tech, 28-20

San Diego State over New Mexico, 38-13

Notre Dame over Wake Forest, 31-27

Hawaii over Utah State, 41-31

Week 9 Picks

It's Halloween Weekend and Week 9 of the college football season. Week 9, already. Where has the season gone? The BCS picture is beginning to shape up but we are still a long, long way from determining the national champion. Okay, actually maybe the national champion will be determined next week, so we're not that far off. Yeah, everyone is looking ahead to next week's LSU-Alabama matchup, but don't forget we have games this week, too.

(I'll never forget Halloween Weekend 2008. Michael Crabtree's catch with one second left to end the dream season for Texas. It's a terrble memory for me, but it is my most memorable Halloween weekend moment.)

Five teams control their own destiny in the Big Ten: Michigan State, Nebraska, Iowa, Penn State and Wisconsin.
Six teams control their own destiny in the ACC: Clemson, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Virginia and Duke.
Three teams control their own destiny in the Big 12: Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Kansas State.
In the Big East - well, in the Big East let's just say that six of the eight teams can still win the conference. It is wide open.

The Sun Belt Conference is even worth taking a look at because only two Sun Belt teams can go bowling and the most consistent, Troy, is all but eliminated from that this year because of the emergence of Western Kentucky and Louisiana-Lafayette. Then, there's Florida International and Arkansas State which were in the preseason discussion. Of the five Sun Belt teams mentioned, only two can make the postseason.

Undefeateds Oklahoma State, Stanford and Clemson will all be tested this week. Will all of them come away unscathed? Who has the bigger challenge: Stanford going into the Coliseum or Clemson facing Georgia Tech? The Pac-12 picture is far from complete as Stanford has USC this week and Oregon in two weeks.

But let's not look too far ahead, there's always week nine that can add a lot more memorable moments of the 2011 college football season.

(by the way, I'm against an LSU-Alabama rematch in the national championship game, so let's hope Stanford and Clemson keep winning).

My Rankings
MY WEEK 9 PICKS
(home team is underlined)
The BCS Top 25
UPSET: No. 11 Michigan State over No. 14 Nebraska, 27-24
Nebraska is a slight favorite at home in this game while Michigan State comes off the last-second win over Wisconsin. Michigan State has the nation’s 8th best rushing defense to go against Nebraska’s primarily rushing attack. Michigan State allowed 220 rushing yards to Wisconsin. Michigan State also gets William Gholston back on defense and can force Taylor Martinez into mistakes.

No. 16 Texas A&M over Missouri, 38-31
Put the Aggies on upset alert, but they should be able to come through. A lot of playmakers on both offenses but Missouri’s James Franklin has been committing a lot of turnovers lately. Missouri needs a win desperately sitting at 3-4 with Baylor, Texas and Texas Tech still left on the schedule.

No. 18 Michigan over Purdue, 38-24
Purdue upset Illinois last week while Michigan comes off the bye. Michigan still doesn’t play much defense but Denard Robinson will outscore Purdue.

No. 10 Arkansas over Vanderbilt, 30-17
Arkansas got a scare from Ole Miss last week in the 29-24 win. Vanderbilt has the ability to put a similar scare into Arkansas but the Razorbacks should be awake and better prepared. Vanderbilt is tops in the nation in interceptions going against Arkansas’ passing offense.

No. 12 Virginia Tech over Duke, 38-17
Duke can still win the ACC Atlantic if they run the table. The obvious favorite is Virginia Tech but the Hokies also need to run the table.

No. 7 Oregon over Washington State, 52-17
Oregon has scored an average of 52.3 points per game against Washington State the last four years. Oregon might be again without Darron Thomas and LaMichael James while Washington State will be without starting quarterback Jeff Tuel.

No. 3 Oklahoma State over Baylor, 52-38
Two really explosive offenses face off in Stillwater but Baylor doesn’t have enough depth on defense to keep Oklahoma State down.

No. 9 Oklahoma over No. 8 Kansas State, 31-21
Kansas State is STILL undefeated. How much longer will they stay that way? The Wildcats are a double-digit underdog at home against Oklahoma. Kansas State’s best defense is to keep the other team’s offense off the field. Kansas State leads the nation in time of possession with its methodical ball control rushing offense to wear down the opponent’s defense. If Oklahoma can get the ball, they’ll wear down Kansas State’s defense with the hurry-up no-huddle and have too much firepower to be outscored by Kansas State. Kansas State also not a big blitzing team, but that’s how Texas Tech was able to get to Landry Jones.

No. 19 Penn State over Illinois, 23-13
Penn State is seeking revenge for a 20-point loss at home to Illinois last season. This year, it’s a student whiteout and Illinois has lost two straight after starting the season 6-0. Penn State meanwhile is hot in the Big Ten with a 4-0 record and controls its own destiny in the Big Ten championship race.
Illinois is the most physical team Penn State faces since Alabama. The Penn State offensive and defensive lines will have to assert themselves. Silas Redd obviously is the key for Penn State.

UPSET: Florida over No. 22 Georgia, 27-24
Are we really not supposed to call this the world’s largest outdoor cocktail party anymore? Oh well, I just did.
Both teams are coming off a bye week but Georgia loses wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell who did not travel with the team. Florida gets quarterback John Brantley back from a high-ankle sprain he suffered two weeks ago. Brantley being back so quickly is something to watch as he might be one big hit away from exiting the game early.
I like Florida in the matchup if Brantley stays in and plays well and with Jeff Demps being back for Florida also. Florida has won 18 of the last 21 against Georgia. Both teams need this win to stay in the race for the SEC East.

No. 25 West Virginia over Rutgers, 37-24
West Virginia was exploited last week in the 49-23 loss to Syracuse and also put them behind in the Big East race. Rutgers hit a road bump too in Louisville. West Virginia has won 16 straight over Rutgers and this could be the last time the two teams play, with West Virginia headed to the Big 12 Conference.
Watch Rutgers true freshman quarterback Gary Nova, he is going to be a star.

No. 21 Arizona State over Colorado, 45-17
Too much talent for Arizona State and Colorado unsure if quarterback Tyler Hansen will play.

No. 20 Texas Tech over Iowa State, 45-17
Iowa State will continue its skid as Texas Tech continues its rise.

No. 23 Auburn over Ole Miss, 30-14
Auburn gets pounded by LSU and will take its frustrations out on the even more frustrated Ole Miss Rebels who were oh so close to beating Arkansas.

No. 24 Texas over Kansas, 34-24
Texas needs to figure the quarterback situation out between David Ash and Case McCoy and Kansas needs to figure its quarterback situation out between Jordan Webb and Quinn Mecham. Texas has too much defensive talent to let a game slip away to Kansas in Austin.

No. 13 South Carolina over Tennessee, 21-16
This might be the last game South Carolina wins this season, coming off the bye week. South Carolina will start true freshman running back Brandon Wilds and Tennessee will start true freshman quarterback Justin Worley. South Carolina will barely win this game and then begin their losing streak to finish the season.

No. 5 Clemson over Georgia Tech, 38-35
Clemson clearly needs to be on upset alert. Take it from Boise State last week getting by Air Force that triple-option offenses are difficult to handle when you don’t have that extra bye week to prepare, which Clemson doesn’t. Georgia Tech is improving defensively but the last two weeks, Clemson’s offense has looked almost unstoppable.

No. 6 Stanford over USC, 38-34
This going to be a Pac-12 clash against maybe the first two quarterbacks taken in the 2012 NFL Draft with Andrew Luck of Stanford and Matt Barkley of USC. This time, it’s USC trying to spoil Stanford’s undefeated season and national title run. Stanford has to be on a big upset alert with this game in the Coliseum. Robert Woods had 12 catches for 224 yards and three touchdowns last year against Stanford. For the Cardinal, Andrew Luck might throw the ball around more this game, despite the 446 rushing yards last week, because of USC’s injuries and lack of depth in the secondary. USC ranks 108th in the nation in pass defense.

No. 15 Wisconsin over Ohio State, 30-17
It’s tough to see Wisconsin losing two weeks in a row but the Badgers have to be on upset alert in the Horse Shoe in primetime.


Good Matchups
Syracuse over Louisville, 27-14
Both teams picked up big wins last week. Syracuse has to keep that momentum going to win on the road in Louisville. These teams are pretty even on paper on both offense and defense but the big difference is the experience of quarterbacks Ryan Nassib and Teddy Bridgewater.

North Carolina over Wake Forest, 28-27
Wake Forest got a one-point victory over Duke last week. This time North Carolina looks to hand them a one-point loss. North Carolina’s defense was absolutely torched by Clemson. Wake Forest’s run in the ACC has to end at some point. The Demon Deacons are two years away from really competing.

UPSET: Tulsa over SMU, 38-31
Every time you expect a shootout in Conference USA, you get a defensive battle so maybe expect a low scoring game here but Tulsa is riding momentum while SMU has lost some tough games the last couple weeks.

California over UCLA, 31-17
This is going to be it for the Rick Neuheisel era at UCLA. If his fate isn’t already sealed, this one will seal it. No way Neuheisel returns to coach UCLA next year.

UPSET: Arizona over Washington, 38-33
Washington gave up 446 rushing yards to Stanford and Arizona got its running game going for the firs time all season last week. Whether Arizona can keep it going will have a big impact in this game but I like the new Arizona under interim-head coach Tim Kish playing a lot better defense too. I’ll also take the Nick Foles-Juron Criner connection over Keith Price-Jermaine Kearse.

The Rest
Florida State over NC State, 37-17
Northwestern over Indiana, 38-14
Marshall over UAB, 38-14
Central Michigan over Akron, 27-10
Bowling Green over Kent State, 28-14
Air Force over New Mexico, 47-17
Western Michigan over Ball State, 34-31
Maryland over Boston College, 23-14
Notre Dame over Navy, 38-28
Iowa over Minnesota, 45-10
East Carolina over Tulane, 65-10
Miami (OH) over Buffalo, 38-17
Army over Fordham, 49-28
Western Kentucky over La-Monroe, 31-24
Central Florida over Memphis, 45-13
Louisiana Tech over San Jose State, 28-7
Hawaii over Idaho, 45-21
Colorado State over UNLV, 38-24
Mississippi State over Kentucky, 34-17
Arkansas State over North Texas, 34-7
UPSET: Oregon State over Utah, 31-28
La-Lafayette over Middle Tennessee, 35-27
Nevada over New Mexico State, 45-10
Southern Miss over UTEP, 65-21
San Diego State over Wyoming, 45-14

Week 7 Picks

THE TOP 25
No. 4 Wisconsin over Indiana, 48-10
Wisconsin beat Indiana 83-20 last year…without Russell Wilson. This could get ugly.

UPSET: No. 23 Michigan State over No. 11 Michigan, 35-30
I like the Michigan State defense enough to give the offense a chance to expose Michigan’s defense. Plus, the Spartans are at home.

No. 21 Texas A&M over No. 20 Baylor, 42-38
Texas A&M is last in the nation in pass defense but Baylor’s defense is worse…more
weapons on the A&M offense.

No. 15 South Carolina over Mississippi State, 24-17
Put Carolina on upset alert, but I think they’ll make it through Mississippi State in Connor Shaw’s second career start. The Bulldogs have been a 2011 disappointment.

No. 1 LSU over Tennessee, 38-13
LSU Defensive Coordinator John Chavis returns to Neyland Stadium with the nation’s best defense that will certainly dominate Tennessee without quarterback Tyler Bray who broke his thumb last week.

No. 6 Oklahoma State over No. 22 Texas, 42-24
Texas is 13-0, yes, undefeated in the Mack Brown era the week after the Oklahoma game. Last week, Texas was dominated by Oklahoma 55-17 and now here comes the Oklahoma State offense with Brandon Weeden, Justin Blackmon, Hubert Anyiam, Josh Cooper and Joseph Randle. Texas gave up 305 passing yards to Oklahoma in the first half. Oklahoma State hypothetically could double that. Texas lost a lot of games at home last year and this will be their first home loss of 2011.

No. 12 Georgia Tech over Virginia, 42-17
Georgia Tech’s offense hit a bump in the road last week against Maryland only scoring 21 points and struggling in the second half. To slow down a triple-option you really need a bye week to prepare and Maryland used Towson as its bye week, but Virginia had a legitimate bye week. The Wahoos have some talent coming through soon in the Mike London era but not enough right now to knock off Tech.

No. 16 Illinois over Ohio State, 23-16
A high-rising Illinois team that is 6-0 for the first time in the Ron Zook era gets a struggling Buckeyes team at home.

No. 2 Alabama over Ole Miss, 45-3
Alabama…Ole Miss…take your pick…yeah I’ll take Alabama.

No. 5 Boise State over Colorado State, 38-10
This is the last time Boise State will wear the all-blue uniforms in 2011. Yes, Boise State is wearing all blue for this game despite being the road team. Colorado State has opted to wear all-white.

No. 19 Virginia Tech over Wake Forest, 33-30
Wake Forest is fresh off of upsetting Florida State and the Demon Deacons are on a hot streak right now. Virginia Tech heads into Wake Forest and better be careful.

No. 8 Clemson over Maryland, 38-21
Maryland has been a huge disappointment at 2-3. I thought the Terps would be 4-1 at this point. Meanwhile, Clemson has been a pleasant surprise and now they’ll ruin Maryland’s homecoming.

UPSET: Texas Tech over No. 17 Kansas State, 35-28
Kansas State has to lose eventually right? I thought it would be last week to Missouri but boy is that Kansas State defense pretty good. However, not enough depth to hold off Texas Tech’s firepower in Lubbock.

UPSET: Florida over No. 24 Auburn, 30-24
True freshman Jacoby Brissett will start again for Florida and despite the stat book and end result, he played well last week at LSU. Now he gets another road test in Auburn but I really like Brissett and Florida is expected to finally open up the playbook which will demoralize Auburn’s defense.

No. 7 Stanford over Washington State, 56-10
Jeff Tuel could be back at quarterback for Washington State even though Marshall Lobbaestael has played great, but still…Tuel/Lobbaestael or Andrew Luck?

No. 3 Oklahoma over Kansas, 65-13
Kansas has the nation’s worst statistical defense but the nation’s 119th ranked pass defense, just ahead of Texas A&M for dead last. Why? Because Kansas gave up 66 points to Georgia Tech, but Tech did nothing but run for over 500 yards of total offense, not much passing there. Then came Oklahoma State which dropped 70 on Kansas last week through the passing game and Oklahoma should do about the same.

No. 9 Oregon over No. 18 Arizona State, 31-28
This game is going to be great. Arizona State came a few turnovers away from beating the Ducks last year in Phoenix, but now they’re going to get a taste of Autzen Stadium, perhaps college football’s toughest atmosphere. I like Oregon at home in a really really close game, because I am very high on this Arizona State team. A rematch of this game will happen in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Dec. 3. Just wait.

Good Matchups
North Carolina over Miami, 27-24
The UNC offense needs to get going soon and it better be Saturday to pick up a win. Miami and North Carolina are equally talented on offense but I give the defensive edge to North Carolina at home.

Penn State over Purdue, 24-10
Penn State defense will be too good for Purdue although Penn State will hurt with the loss of Derek Moye.

UPSET: Pittsburgh over Utah, 30-17
The game is in Pittsburgh this year and like Kyle Whittingham said, the BCS opponents have been bigger and more physical. Ray Graham will slice through Jordan Wynn-less Utah.

Missouri over Iowa State, 17-14
Two pretty good dual-threat quarterbacks in this one with James Franklin and Steele Jantz. The Missouri defense should be able to hold the Cyclones to under 20 points.

Rutgers over Navy, 35-28
Rutgers is doing well as my sleeper team so far but it’s always tough to face a triple-option team without a bye week to prepare for it. Rutgers did it last year against Army and won 23-20 in overtime and of course Navy does it better than Army. It’ll be interesting but I want to go with Rutgers.

SMU over Central Florida, 23-20
Central Florida has been another disappointment in 2011 after a stellar 2010 and a lot of the roster coming back. The offense has failed to score 20 points in its last three games. SMU isn’t the greatest defense but it is the much better offense and UCF’s defense isn’t what it used to be. I’ll take SMU by four, 28-24.

BYU over Oregon State, 20-13
Oregon State upset Arizona last week, can they score another one against BYU? Oregon State has lacked physicality this year and that’s what BYU will bring to the table.

Georgia over Vanderbilt, 27-17
Vanderbilt’s defense is pretty good, don’t count them out. They held Alabama in the first half last week and lead the nation in interceptions but Aaron Murray isn’t the type of quarterback to throw a lot of picks.

Iowa over Northwestern, 23-14
Iowa got humbled at Penn State last week after the offense was really shut down when they thought they were pretty good. The Iowa defense held its own and will again, however against Dan Persa.


The Rest
Cincinnati over Louisville, 34-17
Toledo over Bowling Green, 30-3
Temple over Buffalo, 48-14
Wyoming over UNLV, 34-14
Florida State over Duke, 33-17
Marshall over Rice, 24-16
Central Michigan over Eastern Michigan, 23-20
South Florida over Connecticut, 24-20
Ohio over Ball State, 27-10
Washington over Colorado, 34-17
Miami (OH) over Kent State, 24-3
Northern Illinois over Western Michigan, 35-10
UPSET: Tulane over UTEP, 17-13
UPSET: Western Kentucky over Florida Atlantic, 23-21
Nevada over New Mexico, 69-9
Louisiana-Lafayette over North Texas, 56-20
East Carolina over Memphis, 42-24
Troy over Louisiana-Monroe, 35-16
Idaho over New Mexico State, 24-6
Tulsa over UAB, 45-17
Utah State over Fresno State, 27-24

Week 6 Picks

The Big Games
No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 11 Texas
The 106th edition of the Red River Rivalry is here and both teams are undefeated again for the first time since 2008 when Texas won 45-35.
This game has decided the winner of the Big 12 Championship the last six years.
Oklahoma has it’s high-powered passing attack while Texas currently leads the nation in pass defense.
Oklahoma came into the season as preseason No. 1 and Texas was unranked after a 5-7 2010 season but the Longhorns have proved that they’re back.
Last year, Oklahoma won 28-20 after Texas’ Aaron Williams (now with the Buffalo Bills) muffed a punt in the final two minutes and there’s no guarantee that Texas wouldn’t have tied the game in that possession and won in overtime. Texas has all of the second half momentum. This year, it’s fairly the same Oklahoma team with more experience and it’s a brand new, new everything Texas team.
New Texas Offensive Coordinator Bryan Harsin gets his first chance at Oklahoma since the Fiesta Bowl when his Boise State team beat the Sooners in overtime. Now Harsin brings the Boise offense to Texas and we haven’t seen a hook-and-ladder or a statue of liberty yet. It would only be fitting for Harsin to break those out against Oklahoma.
It’s surprising that Texas leads the nation in pass defense because the secondary is the biggest concern for the 2011 defense. True freshman Quandre Diggs is making a big impact but lacks experience and Carrington Byndom and Adrian Phillips are both first-year starters. Texas also lost safeties Nolan Brewster and Christian Scott to injury and lacks depth (Brewster retired from football after recurring concussions this season).
Earlier this week, Texas announced Garrett Gilbert will transfer after Case McCoy and David Ash took the quarterback job. Oklahoma has had to spend all week to prepare for both, but Ash – known as the running quarterback – was used on passing plays last week to keep Oklahoma on their heels. The Sooners now had to waste time preparing for Ash to both pass and run the ball. The key will be experience – McCoy is a true sophomore and Ash is a true freshman and they can’t make mistakes against Oklahoma, the best defense they’ve seen to date.
For Oklahoma, Ryan Broyles – now a senior – has yet to have a big game against Texas, but hasn’t been completely healthy in the Red River game until this season. Texas says they’ll use the physical Kenny Vaccaro against Broyles in slot situations and Broyles does not like to be physical.
Texas hasn’t had a lot of sacks this season but Manny Diaz’s exotic blitzes have led to a lot of mistakes and now they’re facing the perfect quarterback to keep that trend going. Landry Jones is nothing but a pocket passer and if Alex Okafor and Jackson Jeffcoat can get to him and make him throw interceptions, Texas will win.
Let’s also remember games like these come down to special teams. Last year it was special teams on the Williams’ muffed punt. In 2008, it was Jordan Shipley’s kick return for a touchdown that sparked Texas. This year, it could be field goals as Oklahoma is turning to Michael Hunnicutt to kick with Jimmy Stevens recovering from injury. Hunnicutt missed a 30-yarder and got really lucky on a 44-yarder last week against Ball State.
Early on, this game looks like an easy win for Oklahoma and I’m not sure Texas is a top ten team right now, but the more you think about it and look at it, it’s very possible for Texas to surprise Oklahoma but they are going to have score.
Pick: Texas 28, Oklahoma 27

No. 15 Auburn at No. 10 Arkansas
Auburn has found itself at No. 15 in the AP Poll with an offense that’s been able to outscore Utah State and Mississippi State at the end. Auburn has suddenly found some defense too holding South Carolina to 289 total yards last week in a 16-13 win. This was an Auburn team that was supposed to be 7-5 at best but the Tigers have already won two games they were not favored in, and here comes their second straight SEC road challenge against Arkansas, who they beat 65-43 last year.
This year, it’s Barrett Trotter at the helm for Auburn, no Cam Newton. For Arkansas, it’s Tyler Wilson, who replaced Ryan Mallett vs. Auburn last year and threw for four touchdowns.
Wilson has elevated to maybe the SEC’s best quarterback, but his offensive line has had trouble keeping him off the turf. When Wilson has time to throw, he’s more accurate than Mallett was and last week threw for 510 yards, 289 of them going to Jarius Wright. Wright is only one part of the best receiving corps in the nation that Arkansas has against a weak Auburn secondary.
Arkansas also gets its best pass rusher, Jake Bequette, back from injury.
Pick: Arkansas 45, Auburn 24

Ohio State at No. 14 Nebraska
Ohio State was dismal at home against Michigan State last week. The Buckeyes were almost shutout and only scored in the final seconds of the game.
Ohio State was so bad it’s hard to say that Nebraska was equally as bad last week, but the Cornhuskers were pretty bad too against Wisconsin and Taylor Martinez threw three interceptions.
On paper, this Nebraska defense is outstanding. Jared Crick and Baker Steinkuhler are huge forces inside, Lavonte David is a linebacker that’s all over the field involved in every play, Austin Cassidy is a solid replacement for Eric Hagg and Ciante Evans, Alfonzo Dennard and Andrew Green are three outstanding corners. But where has the defense been for Nebraska? They have battled some injuries but it still hasn’t been the Blackshirt Defense. Going against Ohio State’s 108th nationally ranked total offense should help the Huskers gain some confidence on defense.
Ohio State will have left tackle Mike Adams back from suspension for this game, but learned they still won’t have tailback Boom Herron and top receiver DeVier Posey. Herron was suspended an additional game while Posey is suspended an additional five games and starting receiver Verlon Reed is also out for the season after a knee injury last week.
Ohio State’s offense lacks playmakers and Herron and Posey are two guys that would fill that role. Braxton Miller was benched at quarterback last year and relieved by Joe Bauserman but neither man has gotten the job done. Is it time to see Kenny Guiton take snaps for Ohio State?
Quarterback play for Nebraska has been unimpressive as well with the vastly overrated Taylor Martinez. Much talk was made of his improved passing but I haven’t seen it and to his defense, Nebraska’s group of receivers isn’t exactly the best group to throw to. Tight end Kyler Reed is a good target but the next two top targets are Brandon Kinnie and true freshman Ameer Abdullah out of the backfield.
While the offense may not be there, Ohio State’s defense is only allowing 14.6 points per game and only allowing 93.6 rushing yards per game while Nebraska rushes for more than 249 yards per game.
Luke Fickell needs a big win to help his image as the guy for the Ohio State head coaching job. There seems to be some turmoil right now and it looks certain Fickell won’t have this job next year.
The loser of this game will have it’s second conference loss and be eliminated from contention.
Pick: Nebraska 30, Ohio State 17


Lock in these Upset:
Missouri over No. 20 Kansas State – Kansas State has to lose eventually right? They’ve been a good story so far but Missouri is clearly the better team.
Prediction: Missouri 33, Kansas State 20

Rutgers over Pittsburgh – Ray Graham is one of the best in the nation at running back that not many know about and Mohamed Sanu is one of the best receivers in the nation that not many know about. Pitt is coming off the big victory over South Florida so are due for that emotional letdown on the road against a sleeper Rutgers team.
Prediction: Rutgers 20, Pittsburgh 13

Texas Tech over No. 24 Texas A&M – Texas Tech is 4-0 and Texas A&M is 2-2. Texas A&M’s pass defense is the worst in the nation statistically and Texas Tech has that load of receivers with Seth Doege whipping the ball around. It sounds like A&M is in trouble.
Prediction: Texas Tech 45, Texas A&M 41

San Diego State over TCU – San Diego State almost ruined the dream season for TCU last year in Fort Worth. They get another  shot at doing it in San Diego this time. I can see it happening with Ryan Lindley back at quarterback and a struggling TCU defense.
Prediction: San Diego State 34, TCU 30

Washington State over UCLA – Washington State is sitting at 3-1 even without Jeff Tuel at quarterback. Marshal Lobbaestal received the Manning Award for Quarterback of the Week in place of the injured Tuel. UCLA is again underachieving and is going to be shocked by the Cougars.
Prediction: Washington State 27, UCLA 21

Additional Upset Alerts to…
No. 13 Georgia Tech vs. Maryland – Maryland is struggling but could it be that the Terps struggled against Towson because they were looking ahead to this game? It’s always nice to have a bye week before you face the triple-option and Maryland treated Towson like a bye week.
Prediction: Georgia Tech 31, Maryland 28

No. 21 Virginia Tech vs. Miami – Both teams are trying to avoid an 0-2 start in conference play. Virginia Tech was embarrassed at home by Clemson last week. I don’t think they’ll allow being embarrassed two weeks in a row in Lane Stadium.
Prediction: Virginia Tech 27, Miami 24

Notre Dame vs. Air Force – Notre Dame needs to win the rest of the season to make a BCS Bowl. The triple-option offenses are never any fun but Notre Dame finally has athletes on defense.
Prediction: Notre Dame 33, Air Force 27

No. 12 Michigan at Northwestern – Michigan has four of its next five games on the road after getting comfortable in the Big House. Don’t count out Dan Persa but Northwestern will have to be able to stop the run.
Prediction: Michigan 35, Northwestern 28

No. 25 Baylor vs. Iowa State – Baylor got knocked off by Kansas State last week and now they go against a better defense in Iowa State that makes play. Baylor could find itself in trouble late, but should win.
Prediction: Baylor 45, Iowa State 34

Top 25 Picks
No. 1 LSU…the defense will be too good for Florida. LSU wins 27-10
No. 2 Alabama…Vanderbilt leads the nation interceptions but Alabama’s run game will be too much. Alabama wins 33-7
No. 3 Oklahoma…See above
No. 4 Wisconsin… bye week
No. 5 Boise State… Derek Carr’s ability to run might pose some problems for Boise early on but they’ll adjust and have a better performance than last week. Boise wins 42-17
No. 6 Oklahoma State… Kansas gave up 66 points to Georgia Tech. Oklahoma State won’t take it easy either. Oklahoma State wins 59-24
No. 7 Stanford… Stanford is a complete mismatch over the less-talented Colorado that is a long way from competing in the Pac-12. Stanford wins 45-14
No. 8 Clemson… Clemson heads back home to take on a faltering Boston College team. It could be a trap game if the Tigers are looking ahead to College Park. Clemson wins 33-10
No. 9 Oregon… Oregon gets Cal who held it to its lowest offensive total last season. This year will be a lot better for Oregon against Cal. Oregon wins 42-17
No. 10 Arkansas… see above.
No. 11 Texas… see above
No. 12 Michigan… see above
No. 13 Georgia Tech… see above
No. 14 Nebraska… see above
No. 15 Auburn… see above
No. 16 West Virginia… The Mountaineers lost on a last second field goal last year. The offense will put up points to prevent that this year. West Virginia wins 34-13
No. 17 Florida…Florida will start the true freshman Jeff Driskel at quarterback in Death Valley. The Gators won’t be able to get enough offense against LSU’s defense. Florida loses 27-10.
No. 18 South Carolina … Connor Shaw will start at quarterback over Stephen Garcia. Shaw needs to be the game manager and take care of the football. South Carolina wins 33-20
No. 19 Illinois… Indiana is struggling at 1-4. Illinois wins 24-16
No. 20 Kansas State… see above 
No. 21 Virginia Tech… see above
No. 22 Arizona State… Arizona State gets a Jordan Wynn-less Utah team. It’s going to be tough for John Hays to see Arizona State’s defense in his first start. Arizona State wins 37-14
No. 23 Florida State…Florida State faces a hot Wake Forest team with Tanner Price playing well at quarterback. FSU gets EJ Manuel back at quarterback. Florida State wins 34-24
No. 24 Texas A&M…see above
No. 25 Baylor... see above


Pick ‘Em:
Louisville at North Carolina
---Pick: North Carolina 33-24
Arizona at Oregon State
---Pick: Arizona 38-35
Iowa at Penn State
---Pick: Iowa 24-17
East Carolina at Houston
---Pick: Houston 56-45
Georgia at Tennessee
---Pick: Tennessee 27-24
Southern Miss at Navy
---Pick: Navy 35-28

The rest of the picks…
Mississippi State over UAB
Purdue over Minnesota
Rice over Memphis
Miami (OH) over Army
FIU over Akron
Temple over Ball State
Bowling Green over Western Michigan
Toledo over Eastern Michigan
NC State over Central Michigan
Ohio over Buffalo
Northern Illinois over Kent State
Louisiana Tech over Idaho
Troy over La-Lafayette
UCF over Marshall
Arkansas State over La-Monroe
Nevada over UNLV
FAU over North Texas
Utah State over Wyoming
Syracuse over Tulane
BYU over San Jose State