College Picks-Week of October 15

Long time, no blog…

Last Week: 10-10 Overall: 87-33

Bad week on the picks, as I picked 1 out of 6 winners in the Big XII. This will be a better week.

Iowa State at Oklahoma: The Cyclones appear to have slipped a notch, but are also in the middle of a brutal stretch of schedule. They have suffered losses to Iowa, Texas, and Nebraska, and visit Oklahoma next. The Sooners laid a big egg in the second half last Saturday at the Cotton Bowl. They get enough fixed to get a win this Saturday. Pick: OU
Baylor at Texas: The last time these teams met, Texas won 62-0 in Waco. It’ll be closer this time, but the better team will still win. Pick: Texas
Missouri at Texas A&M: Mizzou is still unbeaten, and coming off of a big win last week in Lubbock. A&M saved their season with a comeback win at Kansas. I’m still not impressed with A&M, though. Pick: Missouri
Nebraska at Kansas State: K-State has 4 wins, and is coming off of a comeback win over Oklahoma State. Nebraska looks like the best team in the North. Pick: Nebraska
Oklahoma State at Kansas: The Fighting Manginos could very well be 6-0. Instead, they’re 3-3. OSU is having problems on defense, and blew a big lead in their last trip to the Sunflower State. When in doubt, pick the home team. Pick: KU
Texas Tech at Colorado: The Buffs have still not won a game, losing in overtime to Baylor last week. The Red Raiders are smarting from last week’s loss to Missouri. Tech has more talent, and will bounce back. However, it won’t be a blowout. Pick: Tech
Florida at Auburn: Did Auburn fall apart last week, or what? Arkansas owned them. Meanwhile, Florida put a beating on LSU last week in the Swamp. ESPN is all over this one, as they are putting this one on most of their networks as ESPN Full Circle. ESPN2 will have a different camera view, there will be something on ESPN360 and ESPNU, and the original game will be on the Mother Ship. The game will not be on ESPN8, The Ocho, however. I look for War Eagle to bounce back here. Pick: Auburn
Michigan at Penn State: Star WR Mario Manningham is out for the Wolverines. The whole world is waiting for a showdown between undefeated Michigan and undefeated Ohio State. Not going to happen. It’s Saturday night in Happy Valley, and the Lions are up for the upset. Pick: Penn State
Virginia Tech at Boston College: Old Big East matchup, transported to the ACC. The Hokies are still stinging from that loss to the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech. BC turned into powder at N.C. State, before handling the Maine Black Bears. This is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you’re going to get. Pick: Virginia Tech
California at Washington State: When we last left the Palouse, USC barely escaped with a win. Now, it’s the Bears’ turn. Cal has been on a roll since losing their first game at Tennessee. This will be a good game. However, Cal is just a little better. Pick: Cal
Ole Miss at Alabama: Bama is struggling, having lost two conference games. Mike Shula is under fire, but the Auburn folks want him to stay, and even have a website to prove it: www.keepmikeshula.com. Ole Miss is not one of the better teams in the SEC. Pick: Alabama
Rutgers at Navy: Rutgers is undefeated at this point in the season for the first time in 30 years. Florida State and Miami are unranked, and Rutgers is ranked-go figure. Great turnaround. The Midshipmen aren’t so bad, themselves. The game is in Annapolis, and Navy is good enough to win on their home field. Pick: Navy
Syracuse at West Virginia: The Mountaineers march on. Pick: West Virginia
Wake Forest at N.C. State: The Deacons were undefeated, and had a 14 point lead in the 4th quarter last week against Clemson. They lost. N.C. State has bounced back since losing to Akron. Winner remains in contention for a trip to the ACC championship game. Pick: N.C. State
Tulsa at East Carolina: Staying in the Tar Heel State, the Pirates are improving, and host defending conference champion Tulsa. ECU stayed on the field earlier in the year against West Virginia. Tulsa is getting stronger every year. Pick: ECU
Arizona State at USC: The Trojans just keep rolling along. They’re young, but still plenty good enough to win. This might not be close. Pick: USC
Minnesota at Wisconsin: This is for Paul Bunyan’s Axe. Wisky currently has the axe, and looks to hold on to it at home. I look for that to happen. Pick: Wisconsin
UCLA at Oregon: Oregon got spanked last week at Cal. They’re back home this week for some home cooking. Bruins are for dinner this week. Pick: Oregon
Maryland at Virginia: Both teams are slipping fast. I better draw straws on this one. Pick: Maryland
Bryant at Stonehill: It’s homecoming for the Skyhawks. Bryant is 4-2, and Stonehill is 1-5. Pick: Bryant