College Football Week 5 Picks

Many schools are beginning their conference schedules this week, meaning the games get tougher, and the picks get even tougher.

There seems to be a lot more parity across college football this year.  Look at last week’s wins by East Carolina (over North Carolina) and Indiana (over Missouri) as examples; or it could simply be luck.

In case you missed them, don’t forget to check out the bowl projections.  They will be updated after next week’s games.

Last Week:  19-5 (.792)

Overall:  105-17 (.861)

#11 UCLA vs. #15 Arizona State

Texas Tech vs. #24 Oklahoma State

#1 Florida State vs. North Carolina State (This is normally a tough game for the Seminoles, but they got their scare from Clemson.)

Louisiana Tech vs. #5 Auburn

Arkansas vs. #6 Texas A&M (Interesting game for both teams, because it’s an opportunity to see if both teams are for real.)

#7 Baylor vs. Iowa State

#8 Notre Dame vs. Syracuse

Wyoming vs. #9 Michigan State

Memphis vs. #10 Ole Miss

Tennessee vs. #12 Georgia

Missouri vs. #13 South Carolina (Is the home-field advantage for the Gamecocks a greater advantage than a team wanting to put an embarrassing loss behind them?)

#16 Stanford vs. Washington (Upset game of the week.)

New Mexico State vs. #17 LSU

Oregon State vs. #18 USC

South Florida vs. #19 Wisconsin

Illinois vs. #21 Nebraska

Cincinnati vs. #22 Ohio State

UTEP vs. #25 Kansas State

Colorado State vs. Boston College

Western Michigan vs. Virginia Tech

Akron vs. Pittsburgh

Wake Forest vs. Louisville

Kent State vs. Virginia

North Carolina vs. Clemson (Which team has more to play for: one who lost to East Carolina or one who choked away a win against the #1 team in the country?)

Duke vs. Miami (FL)

Vanderbilt vs. Kentucky (A month ago, I thought this would be all Vanderbilt, but it has swung the other way.)

College Football Picks Week 4

With a few minor exceptions, this season in providing all of the reasons why you love college football.  So far, many of the close games have been close, and even some of the predicted blow-outs, have been nail-biters.

Last Week:  23-6 (.793)

Overall:  86-12 (.878)

#5 Auburn vs. #20 Kansas State

#22 Clemson vs. #1 Florida State (The Seminoles should be able to weather any sort of storm that comes with QB Jameis Winston being suspended for the first half.)

#2 Oregon vs. Washington State

Florida vs. #3 Alabama

#4 Oklahoma vs. West Virginia

#6 Texas A&M vs. SMU

Mississippi State vs. #8 LSU

Eastern Michigan vs. #11 Michigan State

Troy vs. #13 Georgia

#14 South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt (Gamecock fans might wonder why they are not getting any respect in the polls.  A dominating win over the Commodores rather than a normal game against Vanderbilt would help greatly.)

Indiana vs. #18 Missouri

Bowling Green vs. #19 Wisconsin

Virginia vs. #21 BYU

Miami (FL) vs. #24 Nebraska

Georgia Tech vs. Virginia Tech

Iowa vs. Pittsburgh

Maryland vs. Syracuse

Tulane vs. Duke

Maine vs. Boston College

Louisville vs. FIU

Army vs. Wake Forest

North Carolina vs. East Carolina (It’s hard to believe that East Carolina is favored in this game.)

Presbyterian vs. North Carolina State

Northern Illinois vs. Arkansas (The Razorbacks should win, but if there is a team that needs to be on upset alert, it is Arkansas.)

College Football Week 2 Picks

Last week was a good one to start off the season.  My alma mater let me down, and no one could have expected Temple’s embarrassment of Vanderbilt.

Last Week:  32-3 (.914)

Pittsburgh vs. Boston College

Citadel vs. #1 Florida State

Florida Atlantic vs. #2 Alabama

#7 Michigan State vs. #3 Oregon (At one time, you would pick defense, but with this game being on the West Coast and how offense goes right now in college football, the edge goes to the Ducks.)

#4 Oklahoma vs. Tulsa

San Jose State vs. #5 Auburn

Virginia Tech vs. #8 Ohio State (Not Navy for Ohio State, but this will be the Buckeyes true measuring stick for how their season will go without Braxton Miller.)

Lamar vs. #9 Texas A&M

Northwestern State vs. #10 Baylor

Memphis vs. #11 UCLA

Sam Houston vs. #12 LSU

#14 USC vs. #13 Stanford

#15 Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt (Based on last week’s game, this one might get ugly.)

Michigan vs. #16 Notre Dame

#17 Arizona State vs. New Mexico

Western Illinois vs. #18 Wisconsin

McNeese State vs. #19 Nebraska

#20 Kansas State vs. Iowa State

East Carolina vs. #21 South Carolina

San Diego State vs. #21 North Carolina

South Carolina State vs. #23 Clemson

#24 Missouri vs. Toledo

Murray State vs. #25 Louisville

Richmond vs. Virginia

Georgia Tech vs. Tulane

Old Dominion vs. North Carolina State

Gardner-Webb vs. Wake Forest

Florida A&M vs. Miami (FL)

Duke vs. Troy

Arkansas State vs. Tennessee

UAB vs. Mississippi State

Ohio vs. Kentucky

Eastern Michigan vs. Florida

Nicholls State vs. Arkansas

College Football Picks for Week 13

The season is winding down, and the college football schedule makers are loving the mess they have created.  Several games have a huge impact on conference championships, and ultimately bowl placement.

Last Week:  19-5 (.792)

Overall:  261-55 (.826)

#16 Northern Illinois vs. Toledo

Rutgers vs. #18 UCF (Big BCS implications in this game.)

Chattanooga vs. #1 Alabama

Idaho vs. #2 Florida State

Indiana vs. #3 Ohio State

#4 Baylor vs. #10 Oklahoma State (For the second straight week, Oklahoma State is in a game to determine the Big 12 Champion.)

#5 Oregon vs. Arizona

Citadel vs. #7 Clemson

#8 Missouri vs. #24 Ole Miss (Mississippi is too hot and cold to figure out, plus Missouri has one more week before its big battle against Texas A&M.)

California vs. #9 Stanford

Coastal Carolina vs. #11 South Carolina

#12 Texas A&M vs. #22 LSU (It is hard to go against LSU at home.)

#13 Michigan State vs. Northwestern

#17 Arizona State vs. #14 UCLA (UCLA starts a stretch of games to determine the winner of the Pac-12 South.)

New Mexico vs. #15 Fresno State

#19 Wisconsin vs. #25 Minnesota (Another game with big BCS implications.)

#20 Oklahoma vs. Kansas State

Memphis vs. #21 Louisville

#23 USC vs. Colorado

Old Dominion vs. North Carolina

Duke vs. Wake Forest

Virginia vs. Miami (FL)

East Carolina vs. North Carolina State (North Carolina State is in complete disarray.)

Pittsburgh vs. Syracuse

Alabama A&M vs. Georgia Tech

Boston College vs. Maryland

Mississippi State vs. Arkansas

Georgia Southern vs. Florida

Kentucky vs. Georgia

Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee (The Commodores are on a hot streak.)

College Football Week 11 Picks

Here are this week’s picks.  A new batch of bowl projections will come out next week.  With several key games this week, it’s best to let it play out.

Last Week:  16-4 (.800)

Overall:  224-44 (.836)

#3 Oregon vs. #5 Stanford (I’ve had a hunch on this game since the start of the season.)

#10 Oklahoma vs. #6 Baylor (Could be an unofficial Big 12 Championship game.)

#20 Louisville vs. Connecticut

#13 LSU vs. #1 Alabama

#2 Florida State vs. Wake Forest

#8 Missouri vs. Kentucky

#9 Auburn vs. Tennessee

Virginia Tech vs. #11 Miami (FL)

Kansas vs. #14 Oklahoma State

Mississippi State vs. #15 Texas A&M

#16 Fresno State vs. Wyoming

#19 UCLA vs. Arizona

Houston vs. #21 UCF (Key game in the American.)

#22 Arizona State vs. Utah

#23 Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh

BYU vs. #24 Wisconsin

Kansas State vs. #25 Texas Tech

Virginia vs. North Carolina

Syracuse vs. Maryland

Boston College vs. New Mexico State

NC State vs. Duke

Vanderbilt vs. Florida (Loser probably doesn’t go to a bowl game.)

Arkansas vs. Ole Miss

Appalachian State vs. Georgia

College Football Week 8 Picks

Last week was clearly upset Saturday across college football.  It will be a rebound week for several teams, but could also become upset Saturday part two.

Last Week:  17-6 (.739)

Overall:  173-26 (.869)

#10 Miami (FL) vs. North Carolina

UCF vs. #8 Louisville

Arkansas vs. #1 Alabama

Washington State vs. #2 Oregon

#5 Florida State vs. #3 Clemson (This is the game of the week, no question about it.)

Iowa vs. #4 Ohio State

#6 LSU vs. Ole Miss (LSU might need to be careful not to overlook Ole Miss.)

#24 Auburn vs. #7 Texas A&M (Could be a trap game for the Aggies.)

#9 UCLA vs. #13 Stanford (If Stanford wasn’t upset last week by Utah, I’d give UCLA a better shot.)

#11 South Carolina vs. Tennessee (Could be a trap game for South Carolina.)

Iowa State vs. #12 Baylor

#22 Florida vs. #14 Missouri (Battle of the back-up quarterbacks.  I’ll take the one that has played.)

#15 Georgia vs. Vanderbilt (If Georgia wasn’t upset last week, this could have been a trap game.)

#16 Texas Tech vs. West Virginia

UNLV vs. #17 Fresno State

#18 Oklahoma vs. Kansas

#20 Washington vs. Arizona State

TCU vs. #21 Oklahoma State

#23 Northern Illinois vs. Central Michigan

#25 Wisconsin vs. Illinois

Syracuse vs. Georgia Tech

Maryland vs. Wake Forest

Duke vs. Virginia

Old Dominion vs. Pittsburgh

College Football Week 3 Picks

A solid week in week three of the college football season.  As some schools are finishing up the part of their schedules to pad stats, some better match-ups are starting to occur.

This week is all about the re-match between Alabama and Texas A&M.  The other game to watch will be UCLA against Nebraska.  Past those two games, this week again lacks multiple marquee match-ups.

Last Week:  30-3 (.909)

Overall:  61-9 (.871)

#24 TCU vs. Texas Tech

#1 Alabama vs. #6 Texas A&M (Alabama gets its revenge.)

Tennessee vs. #2 Oregon

#4 Ohio State vs. California

#5 Stanford vs. Army

#7 Louisville vs. Kentucky

Kent State vs. #8 LSU

Nevada vs. #10 Florida State

Akron vs. #11 Michigan

Lamar vs. #12 Oklahoma State

Vanderbilt vs. #13 South Carolina (One would think that South Carolina recovers from last week’s game against Georgia, but Vanderbilt always gives the Gamecocks problems.)

Tulsa vs. #14 Oklahoma

#16 UCLA vs. #23 Nebraska

Western Michigan vs. #17 Northwestern

#19 Washington vs. Illinois

#20 Wisconsin vs. Arizona State

#21 Notre Dame vs. Purdue

#25 Ole Miss vs. Texas (Ole Miss is a team on the rise.  Texas is definitely on the decline.)

Virginia Tech vs. East Carolina

Louisiana-Monroe vs. Wake Forest

New Mexico vs. Pittsburgh

Boston College vs. USC (If Lane Kiffin loses, things could get bad.)

Georgia Tech vs. Duke

Wagner vs. Syracuse

Maryland vs. Connecticut

Southern Miss vs. Arkansas

Mississippi State vs. Auburn (No comment on trying to pick this game.)