Week 12 Picks

Another 4-1 week last week that takes the season record to 32-16-1.  Last week went with four SEC games; this week we'll go with three Pac 12 games.  Starting the weekend early with a Friday night game.

UCLA Bruins Midnight Uniform

at UCLA -2.5 Washington - The Bruins have been fantastic at home and the Huskies have been less
than stellar on the road.  If UCLA can contain running back Bishop Sankey and make quarterback Keith Price have to beat them, I think the Bruins can force a couple of turnovers they can turn into points.  UCLA should be fired up for this game in their black Midnight uniforms and will win by a touchdown or more.

West Virginia -6.5 at Kansas - Granted, the Jayhawks might have a "decided schematic advantage" under coach Charlie Weis, but that still doesn't get around the fact that their players aren't very good.  Yes, the Mountaineers haven't been exactly world beaters either, but they did beat Oklahoma State, they played Texas tough last week and covering a touchdown against a bad Kansas team should be too hard.

Stanford -3.5 at USC - I'll grant that USC is playing better since they got rid of Lane Kiffin.  And the win at Oregon State was nice.  And last week the offense showed up in a rout of Cal.  But the other team from the Bay Area...they actually play defense.  This is one of those games that might be close for a half, maybe even in to the third quarter.  And then Stanford's pounding style will start to wear out the Trojans and the lack of depth due to the scholarship limitations will truly show.  Look for a double-digit victory for the Cardinal and keeping their slim national title hopes alive.

at Arizona -11 Washington State - The Cougars are improving under Mike Leach.  Unfortunately, they still don't have the talent they need to compete with the good to really good teams in the Pac 12.  They've lost four of their last five, and all of those by 24 points or more.  The Wildcats at home will get back on track after their close loss to UCLA last week and maul the Cougars.

at South Carolina -12.5 Florida - This one could get ugly.  The Gators have been decimated by injuries on both sides of the ball this year.  The Gamecocks still have a shot at winning the SEC East and playing for the SEC Championship.  Florida has no offense whatsoever and if they get down 10-0 or 14-3 early, this one will be done by halftime.  Look for Carolina and coach Steve Spurrier to kick them while their down and roll to an easy victory.

Michigan State -6 at Nebraska -  The Cornhuskers have been living lucky the last two weeks with a Hail Mary victory over Northwestern and a last minute win against Michigan.  Unfortunately, those two opponents aren't very good and are really reeling.  On the other hand, the Spartans are rolling and are somehow flying way under the radar at 8-1 with an absolutely nasty defense.  That defense will more than keep Nebraska in check and chalk up another easy win.

Week 11 Picks

After going 4-1 last week, the season record moved to 28-15-1.  Looking to keep it rolling this weekend with a number of games in the SEC.

Missouri -13.5 at Kentucky - With Oregon's loss on Thursday night, a potential window has opened for Missouri.  Win out (and win convincingly), beat Alabama in the SEC Title game and maybe look at a National Title shot.  It starts against Kentucky and the Tigers should be able to tame the Wildcats.

Auburn -7.5 at Tennessee - Auburn is another SEC team who was helped out by the Ducks loss.  If they can run the table and beat a one-loss Missouri in the SEC Title game, they might end up in the National Title game.  The Tigers top 10 rushing offense goes up against Tennessee's not very good rushing defense and their tempo should wear out the Volunteers in an easy win.

at Alabama -12 LSU - This has been a very close game the last few years, at least in the regular season.  LSU is one of the few teams who doesn't seem to fear playing the Crimson Tide...but this year, the Tigers defense isn't what it's been in the past and the big weakness is the run defense and Alabama's strength is the running game.  The Tide will wear out the LSU defense and Alabama's defense will force a couple turnovers as the Tide rolls.

at Mississippi -17 Arkansas - The Razorbacks are not very good and they are skidding out of control like Bobby Petrino on a motorcycle right now.  Ole Miss gets bowl eligible with a win against Arkansas.  The Rebels only losses this year are to Alabama, Auburn and Texas A&M.  The Razorbacks haven't been competitive at all against good teams this year, losing their last five games by double-digits.  Ole Miss wins easily and gets bowl eligible.

USC -16.5 at Cal - The Trojans have played very well since Lane Kiffin got fired, especially the defense.  Cal's defense hasn't played well all year and the offense has only been average.  USC won't need a lot of points to win this game and their defense should be able to hold the Bears down and cover the number.

Week 10 Pics

A good run last week, going 3-1-1 (thanks, Virginia Tech for showing no offense against Duke).  The season record moved to 24-14-1 and look to continue the winning ways this weekend.

Northern Illinois -25 at Massachusetts - The Huskies have a chance to go BCS bowling again this year.  They're undefeated, quarterback Jordan Lynch got the hat trick last weekend (4 passing TDs, 1 rushing TD and 1 receiving TD) and they need to continue to impress voters.  The Minutemen played Western Michigan close last week but Northern Illinois is in a completely different class and will hammer Massachusetts on their way to 9-0.

Clemson -18 at Virginia - I generally don't like double-digit road favorites in BCS conference games late in the season, but the Cavaliers have shown almost nothing this year and the Tigers still have a chance to get to the ACC Championship (especially if Miami helps them out later Saturday night against Florida State).  Look for Clemson to shake off the rust they showed against Maryland last week and shut down Virginia.

Arizona -16 at Cal - Another double-digit road favorite in a BCS conference game.  But Cal is absolutely terrible on defense and their offense seems to be regressing as the season goes along.  The Wildcats balanced offense will get them up early and their running game will close out the Bears.

Auburn -7.5 at Arkansas - Arkansas' season has not gone as they hoped under new coach Bret Bielema.  Auburn's has gone far better than expected under new coach Gus Malzahn.  The Tigers hurry-up offense will be destroy the Razorbacks this Saturday and the hog fan base will start to make things a little hot for Bielema.

Wisconsin -9.5 at Iowa - Wisconsin is in a good spot here.  Coming off a bye week and Iowa coming off a hard fought 17-10 overtime win against Northwestern.  The Badger running backs have been running wild and they should be able to continue that trend against the Hawkeyes.

Week 9 Picks

Had the first losing week last week, going 2-3, and dropping the season record to 21-13.

Ball State -10 at Akron - The Cardinals have been rolling pretty well the last month, including a blowout upset at Virginia.  Akron finally got their first win over a FBS opponent by beating hapless Miami (OH) by a single touchdown.  Ball State will continue to roll and bring the Zips back down to earth this weekend.

at Virginia Tech -13 Duke - Very quietly, the Hokies have put together a solid season after the opening loss to Alabama.  And their defense is back to being nasty.  The Blue Devils had an incredible rally last week to beat Virginia, but Tech won't let that happen this week and while most of the Hokies games have been close, they should get a bit of a breather this week.

Baylor -34.5 at Kansas - I've stayed away from Baylor the last couple of weeks because the spreads have been so big.  It hasn't mattered.  The Bears continue to just pile up video game numbers and their deadly passing, running, receiving, returning and even adding some defense.  The Jayhawks are terrible under Charlie Weis and Baylor will get to 60 again on Saturday.  The question is will Head Coach Art Briles let the Bears get to 100 one day.

Georgia Tech -10 at Virginia - How Virginia beat BYU the first week of the season remains one of the great mysteries this year.  This team has no heart and Head Coach Mike London is probably done after this year.  They put a cherry on top of their season by blowing a 22-0 lead over Duke last week and losing 35-22.  The Yellow Jackets are in trouble of not being bowl eligible and this is one of the few very winnable games left on their schedule if they hope to make it.  Tech should be able to run at will against the heartless Cavaliers and roll to victory.

Arizona -13 at Colorado - The Buffaloes haven't been within 26 points of any of their Pac-12 opponents this season.  Arizona comes in with Ka'Deem Carey going for over 200 yards on the ground last week.  The Wildcats should blast Colorado easily.

Week 8 Picks

Last week was successful, going 4-2 and taking the season record to 19-10. 


South Carolina -7.5 at Tennessee - The Gamecocks were helped last week by Missouri taking out Georgia and now may have the inside track to the SEC East title with Georgia's injuries, Florida's lack of offense and Missouri losing their starting quarterback.  Spurrier loves beating Tennessee and should put up points on an over-matched Volunteer squad.

Oregon State -10.5 at Cal - The Bears are playing absolutely no defense.  The Beavers quarterback Shawn Mannion is leading the nation in TD passes with 25 and has only 3 interceptions.  This number seems like a gift and the Beavers are going to be able to get their In-N-Out Burger reward.

Ball State -20 at Western Michigan - Ball State struggled last week against Kent State but still moved to 6-1.  Western Michigan had no such struggle in losing their seventh game in a row this year, 33-0, to Buffalo.  The Cardinal should have no problem giving the Broncos their eighth loss in a row.

Army -1 at Temple - The Owls might be the worst team in college football.  They're near the bottom in scoring and yards per game and Army is actually playing decent this year.  They should be able to rush for 350+ yards against Temple and win the game.

at Ohio State -18 Iowa - The Buckeyes and Urban Meyer understand that the perception is their schedule is weak and if they want to play in the BCS Championship game, they're going to have to take every Big Ten opponent to the woodshed.  Will it make a difference if Alabama, Oregon and/or Clemson/Florida State are undefeated at the end of the season?  Probably not, but the Buckeyes can only take care of what's in front of them.

Faking Injuries and Week 7 Picks

Something that's becoming a real problem in college football the last few years is the faking of injuries by defensive players to slow down an up-tempo offense.  Stanford is the latest team to be accused of it after some iffy looking injuries in the 4th quarter of their game with Washington last week.  The Huskies were moving the ball and moving quickly and then a Cardinal player would fall to the ground and lay there while the trainers came out to look at them while the rest of the defense caught their breath, drank some water, Gatorade, whiskey (does anyone know for sure what's in those bottles?).  And then, one play later, the player who was so injured and needed help off the field is back in the game, running at full speed.

If the NCAA is really concerned about player safety - and I'm sure if they're not now, they will be once they have to settle a lawsuit like the NFL recently did - why not make it mandatory for the player to sit out the current drive?  Why not let the team doctors check the player out for more than the ninety seconds that an injury timeout and one play takes?  That doesn't seem unreasonable, especially when it's the player's health.  Plus, it makes you seem like you care about your student-athletes and their future well-being instead of quickly rushing them back into the game if they are truly injured.

The secondary benefit of having the player sit out the current drive is so that our football doesn't get compared to the rest of the world's football, as former Oregon Ducks Coach Chip Kelly pointed out a few years ago when they played Arizona State and the Sun Devils engaged in some of these shenanigans.  Some of these players are starting to look like soccer players who, when they get lightly bumped, fall to the ground like they were hit by a sniper round, roll around clutching their appendages with a look on their face like they just ate a two-month old tuna fish and ranch dressing sandwich, but then pop right back up once the other player has been given a yellow card.  Let's not have football become like soccer and basketball with their flopping.

And speaking of Cal faking injuries to slow down an up-tempo team, it was interesting to hear their new coach Sonny Dykes complaining about Northwestern pulling the same stunt to slow down his new offense in the first game of the season.  Probably should have looked at your own team's recent actions before making that statement, Coach.  True, you weren't the coach then, but it does seem a little hypocritical coming from the one school who actually suspended a coach for telling his players to fake injury.

Last week's picks went 3-2, bringing the season record to 15-8.

at LSU -7 Florida - The Gators are playing some pretty good defense and their offense came to life a bit last week.  Unfortunately for them, LSU's offense is rolling right now and Florida's offense won't be able to keep up.  A late afternoon start will allow the Death Valley faithful to be well-lubricated and loud as evening falls, helping the Tigers to remain in the chase for the SEC Championship.

Boise State -7 at Utah State - If Chuckie Keeton was playing for the Aggies, this line might be more in Utah State's favor.  But he is done for the year and the Broncos only having to cover a touchdown against one of the preseason Mountain West favorites seems like a gift.  Of course, the guys in the desert have given apparent gifts before only to have them never materialize.

Stanford -8 at Utah - Picking against another Utah team this week as Stanford got pressed a bit by Washington in their last game and need to make a statement this week to keep their BCS Championship hopes alive.  The Utes had some bad luck last week against UCLA with a number of tipped balls resulting in interceptions and Stanford's physical play will demoralize them by halftime.  The only fear on this number is that the Cardinal don't seem to purposely embarrass their opponents.

Oregon State +3 at Washington State - The Beavers had a bad loss to a Div-I AA school earlier this year and the Cougars are much improved in Mike Leach's second year.  But Oregon State will be too much for Washington State and won't only cover but win outright.

Oregon -12 at Washington - In another battle of Oregon school vs. Washington school, I'm taking the Oregon school.  This is the first time the Ducks have been under a two-touchdown favorite this year and I'm not buying it.  The Ducks have pounded the Huskies the last nine years and they'll make it an even ten on Saturday as they look to keep their BCS Championship hopes and Marcus Mariota's Heisman drive alive.

Oklahoma -11.5 Texas - Mack Brown isn't going to have an answer for the Sooners running game and the officials aren't going to be able to bail him out like they did last week against Iowa State.  Oklahoma rolls and the heat gets turned up a little more on the Texas head coach.

Week 6 Picks

Got the first three games right last week and then missed the last two taking the season record to 12-6.

at Baylor -29 West Virginia - This is Baylor's first real test of the season, though calling the Mountaineers a test is maybe a bit of an exaggeration.  Still, West Virginia beat Oklahoma State last week.  But the Bears have been playing at another speed this year and piling up points in scary fashion.  This one ended 70-63 last year, but only one of these teams is going to get near that number on Saturday.  This one will be more like the Maryland shutout a couple weeks ago of West Virginia and Baylor starts to get a little more national recognition.

Central Florida -9.5 at Memphis - Memphis has been bad for the last couple of years yet somehow rose up and won 31-7 last week against Arkansas State.  Central Florida has been tested this year and has a win at Penn State and a close loss to South Carolina.  The Golden Knights subdue the Tigers handily.

Texas Tech -16.5 at Kansas - Coach Kingsbury has the Red Raiders rolling right now and the Jayhawks won't have an answer for his attack.  Texas Tech will have this number covered by halftime as they move to 5-0.

at Miami -6.5 Georgia Tech -The Hurricanes are starting to look a little bit like some of their championship-run teams.  The Yellow Jackets struggled last week against Virginia Tech and those struggles will continue in front of a half-filled stadium against Miami.

at Bowling Green -27 Massachusetts - This is going to be rough year for the Minutemen and the Falcons aren't going to make it any easier today.  This is Bowling Green's homecoming game and they're going to send the alumni home happy with a big win.