I know I’m late on this again. I also know that I didn’t get a chance to pick the Pac-12 championship game. Oh well. UCLA made it a little more interesting than people thought it would be, but I chalk that up to Oregon completely overlooking them.

Let’s go to the conference title games as well as two Big 12 games that really matter; Bedlam- which has BCS title game implications and the Texas/Baylor game- which has Heisman implications.

Last week: 3-2 / All-time: 123-68

No. 24 Southern Miss at No. 6 Houston - I don’t think the Cougs trip up here. It would be fitting if they did, but Case Keenum is a veteran leader and he knows what’s at stake here. 

Houston wins, 45-31

No. 22 Texas at No. 17 Baylor - RGIII has been cleared to play in what could be an ugly game. Texas plays good defense and should be able to get pressure on Griffin and slow the game down to help their inept offense stay in it when they face Baylor’s awful defense. Still, I think Griffin has another “Heisman moment.”

Baylor wins, 27-21

No. 14 Georgia vs. No. 1 LSU - Can Georgia play David to LSU’s Goliath? It doesn’t seem likely, but I’d be damned if I don’t want to see it happen. So let’s go ahead and pick Georgia. They have a solid defense and an emerging offense.

Georgia wins (somehow), 24-22

No. 10 Oklahoma at No. 3 Oklahoma State - Bedlam. This one is simple. If Okie State wins convincingly, they will have a good shot at the BCS title game. If Oklahoma wins or keeps it close, well…

Okie State wins, 45-24

No. 5 Virginia Tech vs. No. 20 Clemson - Clemson won earlier in the year, 23-3. I don’t think that happens again. Frank Beamer’s teams always play better as the year goes on and Clemson has been sliding for the past few weeks. It’s awful tough to bounce back against that Hokie defense.

Virginia Tech wins, 31-13

No. 15 Wisconsin vs. No. 13 Michigan State - The first matchup between these two teams was a classic. I expect this one to be a classic, too. This time, Wisconsin finishes the job.

Wisconsin wins, 27-20

Gobble-gobble. It’s Thanksgiving and this year, we have so much to be thankful for-

• a BCS system that is in utter chaos
• Case Keenum putting up silly-ass numbers
• Lee Corso

…and that’s about it. College football is a mess, the SEC west is atop the BCS, whether we like it or not (NOTNOTNOT!!!) and every other conference in the country is a tire fire of varying dimensions. In fact, outside of LSU, Alabama, Arkansas, and possibly Georgia, you could make the case that the SEC is a tire fire in it’s own right. So if LSU wins on Friday, join me on the LSU vs. Houston in the BCS title game bandwagon. If the 2011 college football season is going to go up in flames, it might as well be spectacular, right?

The chaotic side of me wants Arkansas to win this game, Auburn to beat Alabama, Virginia to beat VaTech, and Notre Dame to beat Stanford, just to throw the whole BCS system one step further into the abyss. Sure, you might be thinking that there’s no way all those upsets could happen in a single week, but you were probably thinking that before last week’s Top 10 slaughter, too. I think if the same happened this week, Rece Davis’ head might pop off. 

Since there’s food to be eaten, friends and family to be thankful for, and food to be eaten, let’s get to the picks, shall we?

Last week: 2-3 / All-time: 120-66

No. 3 Arkansas at No. 1 LSU - Like I stated earlier, I really want to pick Arkansas in this game. Chaos at all costs! But in reality, I simply don’t see Tyler Wilson having enough time to find all of his talented receivers, as good as they are. And unless Knile Davis miraculously comes back, their run game isn’t going to factor for much.

LSU wins, 19-14

No. 2 Alabama at No. 24 Auburn - Auburn can’t stop the run and their offense is a sloppy mess at times. Trent Richardson coud very well eat them alive.

Alabama wins, 31-10

No. 19 Penn State at No. 16 Wisconsin - Nopenopenopenopenope. Penn State has a damn good defense, but not this good. And their offense is bad enough to be stopped consistently by Wisky’s average D. Plus, Camp Randall in November. Those cheese-fed kids never get cold and they can yell like the dickens.

Wisconsin wins, 23-10

No. 5 Virginia Tech at Virginia - I’m on the Mike London bandwagon. I just am. I can’t help it. 

Virginia wins, 24-21

No. 22 Notre Dame at No. 6 Stanford - Okay, so bear with me as I try to rationalize my dereliction of sanity. I think Notre Dame has a shot at winning this game in Palo Alto. I really do. They might have to play out of their minds to do so, but I think they could win Saturday night. They have a very solid offensive line and Stanford doesn’t have a great defense agains the pass - allowing 240 yards a game and only picking off 4 passes on the season - even if their rush defense is solid. If Notre Dame is going to win this game, they are going to need a few long runs from Cierre Wood to keep them honest. Otherwise, Stanford may just pin their ears back all game long. Wood is capable of giving them those runs and I wouldn’t be shocked if George Atkinson wouldn’t break one or two himself.

If the Irish can get enough pressure on Luck and continue to be solid against the run, they could slow Stanford down just enough to get an advantage for the offense.

Irish win, 35-31

Chaos is upon us. Just two undefeated teams remain and only one of them has a legit shot at the title game. Pundits are getting themselves all in a tizzy because there’s no clear Heisman front-runner (I’ll have more on that next week). In the meantime; Joe Paterno has lung cancer, Oklahoma State lost two of their women’s basketball coaches, and just as I type this, Chris Fowler announced that a woman was killed tailgating outside of the Yale Bowl before the Harvard/Yale game. Oof.

How about I just get to the picks?

Last week: 4-1 / All-time: 118-63

No. 16 Nebraska at No. 18 Michigan - Nebraska’s first trip to the Big House as a member of the Big 10(12). Michigan’s defense has been better this year, but I think after that really heavy game last week in Happy Valley, the Big House won’t look so big to the Huskers.

Nebraska wins, 21-17

Boston College at Notre Dame - Could be a complete trap game for the Irish, looking ahead to the Stanford game, but I sure as hell hope not. No excuse for losing to this down of a BC team.

Notre Dame wins, 38-14

USC at No. 4 Oregon - Another trap game, this one post-Stanford. But given USC’s recent losses at Autzen and the fact that this is a night game, if the Ducks come out focused, they’re going to win.

Oregon wins, 37-24

No. 5 Oklahoma at No. 22 Baylor - Nope nope nope for Baylor. Their defense gives swiss cheese a bad name, even if RGIII is amazing week in and week out. No way they stop Oklahoma. 

Oklahoma wins, 45-31

Virginia at No. 25 Florida State - Virginia has been outscored by a ridiculous amount in Tallahassee the past few trips, but Head Coach Mike London has the Cavaliers playing tough football. I think they pull the major upset.

Virginia wins, 28-24

So, yet another week where I’m under the gun, time-wise and will sadly have no further insight into this weekend of college football (or the ongoing Sandusky/Penn State mess, as if you need more of that…) for you this week. I’m sure you’re devastated. Please try to hold it together. I hate to see you this way. It’s okay, it’s okay, please don’t be so sad. I’ll make it up to you next week, baby…

Last week: 5-0 / All-time: 114-62

No. 19 Nebraska at No. 12 Penn State - Remember that this is just a football game. 

Nebraska wins, 23-13

No. 2 Oklahoma State at Texas Tech - As much as a Tech upset would make sense here, I just don’t see it happening. Weedon, Blackmon, and crew are locked in. 

Oklahoma State wins, 52-38

No. 20 Auburn at No. 15 Georgia - Since it further muddies the SEC’s second-class citizens (that is- every team that isn’t LSU or Alabama), I think Auburn takes down Georgia.

Auburn wins, 31-23

Maryland vs. Notre Dame -Maryland has been a mess at points this year. They’re ranked near the bottom of the nation in scoring offense and defense. They’ve stuck with a few better teams, like Clemson and West Virginia, but they have been less competitive lately. I don’t see that changing against the Irish.

Notre Dame wins, 35-16

No. 7 Oregon at No. 4 Stanford - Stanford barely escaped USC a few weeks ago. Oregon is a faster, more dynamic offense than the Trojans by far and I think the Ducks defense can match up with and create havoc. At least enough to hold down Andrew Luck for a enough series to get the win.

Oregon wins, 38-30

I’m picking six games, because I refuse not to pick the Notre Dame/Wake Forest matchup, despite the fact that it’s going to be completely buried behind all of the other marquee night games on tap this weekend. So, strap yourselves in, it’s a backloaded schedule on Saturday. 

Seriously, there are very few games worth watching until the night games. It’s kind of ridiculous. Whoever does scheduling should be fired. There is no way people are going to be able to watch South Carolina/Arkansas, LSU/Alabama, Kansas State/Oklahoma, Notre Dame/Wake Forest (not that a ton of fans are going to be watching that, anyway) and still have the energy to tune into the Oregon/Washington game later that night. It’s madness! 

It probably doesn’t help my opinion that I have to work on Saturday nights, so it’s very difficult for me to watch more than one game at a time (via ESPN3 on my laptop).

My personal gripes aside, there are a plethora, yes a plethora, of great games this weekend. After a so-so week nine, we have a real feast staring us in the face this weekend. The LSU/’Bama game aside, it’s going to be a real shake-em-out weekend. Maybe the Top Ten going into week eleven might make a little more sense. 

Let’s get on to the picks!

Last week: 2-3 / All-time: 109-62

Texas A&M at No. 6 Oklahoma - I think the Aggies will come out hot and stay with the Sooners for the first half, but we all know what Texas A&M does in the second half…lose.

Oklahoma wins, 45-24

No. 9 South Carolina at No. 7 Arkansas - This should be one of the underrated matchups of the weekend, thought I think South Carolina simply doesn’t have the horses to keep up with Arkansas. Razorbacks pull away late.

Arkansas wins, 34-20

No. 14 Kansas State at No. 3 Oklahoma State - I love the scrappiness of Bill Snyder’s crew, but there is just no way they keep Justin Blackmon, Joseph Randle, Jeremy Smith and Brandon Weedon in check for a whole game. 

Oklahoma State wins, 54-17

Notre Dame at Wake Forest - This game scares me, but most Notre Dame games scare me this year. Brian Kelly has a very Jekyl and Hyde team on his hands. If the “count on me” mentality has truly taken hold and wasn’t just a flash in the pan against Navy, this game will be over quickly. 

Notre Dame wins, 34-24

No. 1 LSU at No. 2 Alabama - I’m not sure if you all were aware that this game was being played this weekend. There hasn’t been much press about it. Something tells me that LSU’s advantage at the skill positions (namely, wide receiver) will give them a slight edge.

LSU wins, 16-14

No. 8 Oregon at Washington - This intriguing nightcap could end up being the best game of the weekend, in my opinion. Washington has proven to be a tough out, but they also have a very lackluster defense that’s giving up massive yardage on the ground to good running teams. (309 to Nebraska and 446 to Stanford) That is not a good thing against a Ducks team that is averaging over 300 yards per game on the ground. 

Ducks win, 44-30

This weekend is a quiet one in college football. Very much a pu-pu platter of games that have potential to be interesting, but also wouldn’t surprise you if they were all blowouts. I actually had trouble even picking five games this week. I would pick five, stare at the screen for a few minutes, take one off and replace it with another, stare at the screen, take another off, walk away from the computer to clear my head, come back and finally say, “fuck it.”

So, these are the games I settled on. I’m still not completely sure of all of them, honestly. But, this is where we find ourselves nine weeks into the 2011 season. Each passing week feels more and more like games that don’t involve LSU and Alabama matter less and less. Wisconsin is out of the BCS hunt, Stanford still hasn’t really played anyone, Okie State is going to lose at some point, Boise State simply won’t be allowed to play and Clemson is bound to clemson themselves at some point this year. So far, it’s a bit of a down season. 

But hey, it’s still college football.

Last week: 2-3 / All-time: 107-59

No. 11 Michigan State at No. 14 Nebraska - The day starts off with the first of only two matchups between ranked teams. Both sport solid defenses, but I think that Michigan State’s offense is more dynamic and consistent than Nebraska’s. The Huskers have looked like hot garbage on offense this year, even when things are going well. That doesn’t bode well for when they face a capable defense. 

Michigan State wins, 27-17

Missouri at No. 16 Texas A&M - This could very well be an upset waiting to happen. Missouri is competent on offense. Texas A&M is middling on defense. Teams have been able to throw on them, but running has been a different story. Missouri is a run-first team with a run-first QB. James Franklin has been very average passing the ball. Mizzou has played a tough slate of games, but I don’t think that they quite have the juice to beat the Aggies. 

Texas A&M wins, 38-28

Baylor at No. 3 Oklahoma State - This is one of those games that could end up being either really interesting or a complete blowout. I see no in-between. Either Baylor gets into a total shootout with the Cowboys or they hang for a half and then get blown away in the second half. Baylor’s defense will not stop Oklahoma State, so RGIII is going to have to score every time just to keep up. I think they hang for a half and fall away. Oklahoma State is going to lose some time this year, but this is not the week. 

Oklahoma State wins, 52-35

No. 9 Oklahoma at No. 8 Kansas State - Much like the Baylor/Okie State game, this one could be close or a blowout. If Oklahoma comes into Manhattan flat off their loss last week and lets the Wildcats jump up on them early, we could be in for a grind. But if the Sooners come out sharp, it could get ugly quick. At this point, I’m not willing to bet against Bill Snyder. I’m pretty sure he’s a warlock of some sort. 

Kansas State wins, 27-24

Navy at Notre Dame - Sigh…

I don’t want to pick this game. I really don’t. Given that Navy has had the Irish’s number for the past five years, winning the last two in Notre Dame Stadium and how flat the Irish came out against U$C last week, this game scares the hell out of me. This will be a real test of how good a motivator Brian Kelly is. The drumbeat to march him out of campus has already started, which is just stupid, but with boosters like ND has, it could hamper his tenure from here on out. 

A few quotes really stand out for me. 

“A lot of the guys that are here, we’re re-training.”

“You can see the players I recruited here, you know who they are.”

That’s a little more than just intoning that he’s still having trouble getting Charlie Weis’ players to buy into his system. There had been similar rumblings last year, as well. At every stop, Brian Kelly has imposed his will and style onto the team, not the other way around. He adapts, but slightly and within his guidelines.

I’ve been watching Brian Kelly coach since his days at DII Grand Valley State and have always been impressed with how his teams play. Most casual fans only remember him from the high-flying Cincinnati tenure, but his teams at Grand Valley State were juggernauts both running and passing the ball. They also played composed and with a purpose. I’m not seeing that consistently here at Notre Dame, at all. 

So I have no idea if we’ll see the Notre Dame team that beat down Michigan State 31-13 and Air Force 59-33, or if we’ll see the Notre Dame team that looked lost and flat against U$C. I’m hoping (and betting) that it’s the former. (pleasepleaseplease)

Irish win, 27-17

So I skipped last week’s picks and wrapup columns. I’m sure you noticed. I’m sure you cared. Part of my laziness could be attributed to Notre Dame having a bye week, but a bigger part could be attributed to sheer forgetfulness. 

Yup, I simply forgot. Must be that dementia setting in early. I really need to get that checked out. 

But until then, I’ll keep making picks. When I can remember to do so, that is. 

That’s not to imply that I didn’t watch college football last weekend. I certainly did. It was a big, messy Saturday where a bunch of questions were raised and very few of them were resolved. Hopefully this weekend will start to shed a little more light on how this season will shake out.

No. 20 Auburn at No. 1 LSU - LSU will be without one of their best rushers (Spencer Ware) and without their vaunted “Honey Badger,” Tyrann Matheiu for this game and possibly more. But I don’t think those losses of personnel will matter much against new starter Clint Moseley and a very shaky defense. 

LSU wins (yawn), 33-14

No. 22 Georgia Tech at Miami (FL) - Miami is starting to get their shit together. Georgia Tech is starting to lose theirs. I smell upset, here.

Hurricanes win, 27-23

USC at Notre Dame - U$C is coming into South Bend for the first night game at Notre Dame Stadium in 21 years. The Trojans sit at 5-1 on the season and have beaten Arizona State and…not much else. Their defense and running game are middling at best and terrible at worst. 105th against the pass, 19th against the rush- but those numbers are skewed when you consider teams playing from behind and the terrible rushing offenses they’ve faced. The best is Minnesota, at 64th. Notre Dame is 30th. (not to mention 29th passing)

The Irish, on the other hand, aren’t stellar against the pass, ranking 67th, but they only allow 6.6 yards per completion to USC’s 8.7. Really, these two teams are pretty evenly matched, with USC having a disadvantage on defense. 

If the Irish can continue to play mistake-free football on offense, I don’t see how they lose this game. They beat USC in LA last year while serving up plus-side field position all game long due to untimely turnovers by a jittery Tommy Rees. After a rocky first couple of games this year, Rees has settled in over their win streak, throwing 9TDs to 2INTs and getting the ball to his playmakers.

Irish win, 42-24

No. 6 Wisconsin at No. 16 Michigan State - Our first case of “first real challenge for a highly ranked team” for the mighty Badgers. Sorry Husker fans, but your offense is a hot mess. Wisconsin hasn’t played much of anyone so far this year aside from Nebraska, but they’ve beaten them convincingly nonetheless. Michigan State’s defense is being touted as their biggest asset in this attempt to upset the Badgers in East Lansing, but I just don’t see it. This is the same Spartan defense that was beaten soundly by Notre Dame. Sure, they held the Irish to under 300 yards and forced three turnovers, but they still gave up points. 

Wisconsin is not Notre Dame, they’re much better.

Wisconsin wins, 27-13

No. 25 Washington at No. 8 Stanford - You’re going to hear over and over again how Stanford hasn’t played a quality opponent to this point in the season, and it’s true, they haven’t. UCLA gave them their closest game. The same UCLA that got their ass kicked by a 1-5 Arizona team last night. Stanford really hasn’t been challenged. The combined record of their first six opponents? 15-25. 

Washington has been playing inspired football, especially on offense, where it appears all that was needed was to get rid of Jake Locker to make this machine run more smoothly. The Huskies haven’t exactly played a murderer’s row themselves, but they at least have played a ranked team (and lost, 51-38, but still…).

I don’t think that Washington has played up to the level of giant-killer, but Stanford hasn’t exactly been a giant, either. 

Washington wins, 38-34

After a wild and wooly week five, we have the Red River Shootout to look forward to this weekend, where a highly overvalued Texas squad goes up against a juggernaut Oklahoma team. Plus, Florida heads to Death Valley with a true freshman at the helm. That should go well…

I think this is the week where we might start to see some separation and once the dust settles the Top 25 for the second half of the season might be close to set, give or take a team or five. I think Oregon will take a step up and Notre Dame will climb back into the Top 25 (probably at #25, which is the furthest they’d deserve to be until they prove otherwise). 

Let’s make some picks!

Last week: 4-1 / All-time: 105-56

California at No. 9 Oregon - Neither team has really beaten anyone of consequence to this point, putting up big numbers against nobodies and falling to actual decent teams. The difference is, Cal lost to unranked Washington and Oregon lost to the #1 team in the land, LSU. The only reason Cal is ranked at all highly on defense is due to their lackluster competition. Oregon, meanwhile, can and will run over anyone who doesn’t belong to the SEC. Goodnight, sweet Golden Bears.

Oregon wins, 48-24

No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 11 Texas - As much as I like the feel-good storyline of Case McCoy and David Ash resurrecting the Texas offense, this Texas team is just too young to be ranked #11 in the country. They have talent, but it’s going to take a year or two for it to grow into something substantial. In the meantime, Oklahoma is going to pass all over the Longhorns. 

Oklahoma wins, 38-20

Air Force at Notre Dame - On paper, this is another game that the Irish should not lose. They outweigh Air Force at every position. They’re arguably more athletic at every position, too. But service academies are tough wins for just about everyone for a reason; they’re tough S.O.B.s who do not give up. (plus, a lot of them cut-block like a motherfucker) Air Force will be a tough out, but I think the Irish run game will wear down their injury-plagued defense, as long as the offense doesn’t hand the ball over.

Notre Dame wins, 27-13

No. 17 Florida at No. 1 LSU - This is going to boring. Florida will not be able to score against the Tigers’ defense and LSU will just grind the Gators until they give up. 

LSU wins, 17-6

No. 15 Auburn at No. 10 Arkansas - ..and this should be the exact opposite of the Florida/LSU game. No defenses to speak of and tons of offensive fireworks. Enjoy the WAC-ish elements of the SEC while they’re ranked! Seriously, this is a complete toss up. Just for shits and giggles, I’m going to go with the upset.

Auburn wins, 45-43

I’ve shortened up the title for my weekly picks column. “My Best Guesses” is now “MBG.” Deal with it. 

Conference play is fully upon us and the undefeated teams started falling last week. There are a bunch of interesting matchups this week, too. It’s going to be a fun Saturday full of football, with good games in the early slate, afternoon slate and evening. 

I’ve had another busy week and am once again short on time. I wasn’t able to post my weekend wrap-up for Week 4 and it hasn’t gotten any better as the week went on. I’ll endeavor to get my wrap-up for Week 5 up this coming Sunday. I promise. 

On to the picks!

2011 Record - 13-7 (3-2 wk4) / Overall - 101-55

No. 14 Texas A&M vs. No. 18 Arkansas - Two teams with high-powered offenses, questionable defenses and a habit of not coming up big in big games. This could very well be a see-saw game from start to finish, with each team falling behind by two scores and then going ahead by two scores a quarter later. In the end, I think Arkansas’ defense is a shade more questionable than the Aggies’ and one stop is going to make the difference in this one. 

Texas A&M wins, 41-37

No. 13 Clemson at No. 11 Virginia Tech - I have not seen a single live minute of a VaTech game this year, but I’ve seen all of two Clemson games. That shows you the level of competition that the Hokies have faced versus Clemson, who has played two ranked teams in the past two weeks. As long as Clemson doesn’t “Clemson” themselves, they have every reason to win this game. Their offense is humming, the defense is tough enough and super-frosh Sammy Watkins is a gamebreaker.

Clemson wins, 27-17

No. 3 Alabama at No. 12 Florida - Speed meets speed and power here. Florida has looked good in the early season, but they haven’t really been tested. Now they get Alabama and LSU in consecutive weeks. We’re going to find out if the Gators are the real deal very soon. I think they might have a shot against LSU, if they play their cards right, but the Tide are going to hit them like a bucket of cold water.

Alabama wins, 31-16

No. 8 Nebraska at No. 7 Wisconsin - Nebraska shook up their defensive backfield in preparation for the Badgers, putting at least one player completely out of position, just to get some size to match up with the larger Wisconsin receivers. That’s not a good sign. Another bad sign is the sputtering offense. Taylor Martinez hasn’t matured at all as a passer and an offense full of speedy, talented guys is really going to waste, in my opinion. 

Wisconsin on the other hand, is humming. The defense is tough, the running game is stellar and Russell Wilson is getting well-deserved Heisman hype already. Throw in the fact that this is a night game in Camp Randall and there’s no way I can pick the Huskers in this one. (sorry, in-laws from Omaha!)

Wisconsin wins, 38-14

Notre Dame at Purdue - Purdue. Ugh. I’ve never liked the Purdue game, as an Irish fan. Even when Lou Holtz was routinely stomping them during his 11 year reign, the game made me uneasy. They’re not a total pushover and are often a surprisingly tough game. This feels like one of those “surprisingly tough game” years. On paper, there’s no way that they should be close to Notre Dame, but on paper, Notre Dame should be 4-0 or at least 3-1. I don’t think Purdue wins this game for two reasons; the Irish defense is one of the best in the nation and Tommy Rees has late-game guts. I’m hoping the latter doesn’t come into play.

Notre Dame wins, 34-20

I have laundry piling up, a cover letter to write and plans to make for my Friday night, so of course I’m sitting down to write my college football picks column, because that’s the most prudent way to spend my time. 

It’s not procrastinating if you plan on doing the other things eventually, right?

Anyway, this is about college football. We’re already on the precipice of week four. It always seems to rush by so fast, but I guess that’s what happens when you’re having fun, right?

There are some interesting matchups this week as we dip our toes into conference play. Time to figure out who’s real and who’s a paper tiger, essentially. Alabama faces it’s first real challenge (sorry, Penn State). Oklahoma and A&M are going to find out where they really stand. LSU faces their third Top 25 team of the season. And Oregon returns to land of the major conferences as they travel to Arizona, a team on the ropes. 

Let’s see what happens.

Notre Dame at Pittsburgh - Pitt has had trouble with the pass. They’re ranked 119th in the country and the only team of consequence they’ve played was Iowa. Iowa passed for 399 on Pitt. FCS team Maine went for 334 and nearly beat the Panthers at home. Granted, they have some weapons on offense, especially with Ray Graham, but they have not shown that they can slow down mediocre teams through the air and now Notre Dame is rolling in with one of the top WRs in the country in Michael Floyd, a talented TE in Tyler Eifert and an offense that has put up 500+ yards in two of their games. 

I think if Notre Dame can continue to cut down on the turnovers and keep playing solid defense, Pitt is cooked. 

Irish win, 34-17

No. 14 Arkansas at No. 3 Alabama - ‘Bama has an insane defense and a muddled offense. Arkansas is 3-0, but on the backs of wins against questionable foes. If the Tide can figure out their QB quandry and continue to get good production out of Richardson and Lacy, they’ll be in good shape. The Hogs might give them a scare, but I think they survive.

Alabama wins, 21-16

No. 7 Oklahoma State at No. 8 Texas A&M - This game could really go either way. Both teams have explosive offenses, but A&M, to this point in the season, has the more dominant defense. Okie State hasn’t needed a dominant defense in any of their three wins and it shows, as they’re ranked 75th in scoring defense. I think A&M’s balance and better defense, not to mention home field advantage, leaves them with the win.

A&M wins, 38-33

No. 11 Florida State at No. 21 Clemson - The Seminoles are limping into this game, with three of their biggest playmakers questionable at this point. If EJ Manuel is a no-go, Florida State is going to have a tough time keeping up with Tajh Boyd and this emerging Clemson offense. Granted, Clemson had a near-run thing with Wofford a few weeks back, but I think they’re energized by their win over Auburn last week and will come out swinging agains the wounded Seminoles.

Clemson wins, 27-13

No. 2 LSU at No. 16 West Virginia - I honestly have no idea what to think about this game. Oregon was able to pass against LSU, but Mississippi State was not. Neither had much success running the ball. Which is fine for West Virginia, because they’ve struggled running all year. LSU puts teams away in the 3rd and 4th quarter, but so has WVU. I think that if the Mountaineers can keep Geno Smith upright, they have a chance against LSU. He’s a calm, cool passer with a lot of guts. And if West Virginia can stay close or get ahead in the second half, it might force LSU out of their comfort zone offensively. Plus, Les Miles has to lose a non-conference game eventually, right? Why not in Morgantown?

WVU wins, 33-31

Bonus Pick: No. 10 Oregon at Arizona - Arizona is reeling after two straight blowouts against Top 10 teams. Oregon has regained it’s swagger after losing to LSU in the opening weekend. The Wildcats just don’t have the horses to keep up with the Ducks. 

Ducks win, 48-24

I’m still feeling the Notre Dame collapse against Michigan (UNDER THE LIGHTS!!!) and so my heart is not fully into the picks on week three. This is going to be succinct. I’m going through the motions at this point. Hopefully, the Irish can pick up the pieces, stop turning the ball over every other play, and turn their season around against a tough Michigan State team. But I’m not going to venture a pick on that game. My heart can’t take the strain at this point. 

Here are the picks:

Overall record (2009 to 2010) - 88-48 / 2011 record - 6-4

No. 3 LSU at No. 25 Mississippi State - 23-20, LSU

No. 4 Boise State at Toledo - 45-24, Boise State

No. 18 West Virginia at Maryland - 38-30, WVU

Tennessee at No. 16 Florida - 31-30, Tennessee

No. 1 Oklahoma at No. 5 Florida State - 38-20, Oklahoma

A shortened week and a very hectic Thursday have left me with little time to scramble and make some picks for the paltry matchups on tap this weekend. There are very few meaningful, genuinely interesting games and most of them are upset alert-type of games, like the Arizona/OkSt game tonight and the Mizzu/ASU game tomorrow night. Saturday is pretty barren, but we’ll make do. It is college football, after all, and at least we can have some action on the field to take away from the burgeoning Big 12 kerfuffle.

Let’s get to the picks!

Arizona at No. 9 Oklahoma State - Okie State had no trouble moving the ball last week against psuedo-cupcake Louisiana-Lafayette, but Brandon Weeden did toss two pick-sixes and the defense was less than stellar. Even without star wideout Juron Criner, Arizona should be able to move the ball. But the question is; can they keep up? I don’t think so.

Oklahoma State wins, 51-34

No. 21 Missouri at Arizona State - The other Arizona team that has a shot at an upset over a ranked opponent, I think that the Sun Devils have a better shot than the Wildcats. For one, the game will be in Sun Devil Stadium, where the temperature at kickoff is expected to be hovering around 100 degrees. It gets warm in Missouri, but not that kind of heat. Expect the stadium to be rocking and the Sun Devil’s offense to be rolling.

ASU wins, 42-33

No. 16 Mississippi State at Auburn - Look for Auburn to bounce back a bit from their opening weekend scare against a very game Utah State team. I think they will come out more focused and prepared against the Bulldogs. With as much as the Aggies took advantage against Auburn in week one, the Bulldogs will look to duplicate that success. They’re more than capable with Vic Ballard and Chris Relf in the backfield. 

Mississippi State wins, 27-17

No. 3 Alabama at No. 23 Penn State - Two teams that have question marks at QB, but one of them has that luxury. Alabama’s defense could probably shut down half of the NFL at this point. That’s going to prove to be the difference in what promises to be an ugly but well-played game.

Alabama wins, 17-9

Notre Dame at Michigan - Let me start off by stating that I’m dreading this game. I have to work Saturday night and won’t be able to watch it in it’s entirety, so I’ll just spend my whole evening on the edge of my seat. Not looking forward to that at all. 

But, there is good news for Irish fans, Tommy Rees is now the starting QB and aside from a few hiccups in the second half of the USF game, he looked very calm, collected and in control of the Notre Dame offense. I’m excited to see what he can do with a solid running game led by Cierre Wood. Michigan fell victim to the same ill weather that the Irish suffered through last Saturday, but opted to call their game in the 3rd quarter, up 34-10 on Western Michigan. They ran the ball well, but the explosiveness came from the defense, with two returns for touchdowns. Western Michigan was able to move the ball against the Wolverines, so expect the Irish to do the same, as they put up over 500 yards in the loss to USF, who returned a good chunk of their stout defense from a year ago. I think the Irish win this one. (but I am biased)

Notre Dame wins, 38-27