College Picks, Week 10

This is one of several Showdown Saturdays on the calendar which will affect the national championship race. There appear to be more teams jockeying for #2 than for #1. Several schools are just waiting for Ohio State and/or Boston College to fall.

Last Week: 12-8
Season: 117-63

Texas A&M at Oklahoma: The Fightin’ Texas Aggies face an uphill struggle as they try to save Dennis Franchione’s job. They visit Norman, where the Sooners have lost two home games in the eight years of the Bob Stoops era. The Sooners are 20 point favorites. OU takes no prisoners Saturday night. Pick: OU

Texas at Oklahoma State: Believe it or not, the Longhorns are now 7-2. They could easily finish 7-5 or 10-2. They are throwing QB Colt McCoy out there with a record of concussions and a suspect offensive line. OSU has their offense in high gear, and will be jacked up in Stillwater. However, an Aggie is an Aggie. The Pokes will find a way to choke this one away. Texas is still Texas. Pick: Horns

Nebraska at Kansas: The Big Red Nation once had an 80-game winning streak over KU. OK, it wasn’t 80 games, but it was around 40 in a row until the Huskers’ last trip to Lawrence in 2005. There is an undefeated team in this game. There is also a dead coach walking in this game. The undefeated team is Kansas. The dead coach walking is NU coach Bill Callahan. Nebraska gave Texas all they wanted last year. This is the year of the Jayhawk, though. Pick: KU

Missouri at Colorado: The Buffs are coming off yet another win over a South Division opponent after wrecking Mike Leach’s pirate ship. Mizzou is due to lose a game that they should not lose. The trip to the mountains is not easy. Pick: CU

Texas Tech at Baylor: Puhleeze. Tech is nothing special, but they should be able to name their score against the hapless Bears. Pick: Tech

Kansas State at Iowa State: K-State is a pretty good team. Iowa State has played hard but come up short the last two weeks against Top 10 teams. Mild upset alert this weekend in Ames. I’m not going to bite, though. Pick: KSU

Arizona State at Oregon: This week’s Game of the Week. Both teams are in the top 5 in the BCS. This is ASU’s toughest task to date. The Ducks benefit by having this one at home. Pick: Ducks

LSU at Alabama: This week’s SEC spectacular is in Tuscaloosa. Nick Saban and the Tide take on his former team. LSU is currently the best team in the SEC. But, the best team doesn’t always win. If this comes down to coaching, Bama has the advantage. Could it be….Saban? Pick: Bama

Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech (Thursday): Two well-respected engineering schools battle for the Golden Slide Rule. Not really, but it might be a good idea. VT blew a big one last week at home against Boston College. GT is the most inconsistent team in college football. Tech wins this game no matter what. Pick: VT

Florida State at Boston College: This is a shadow of past FSU teams. In the past, FSU would have pounded BC, even in Boston. This time, it’s different. It could be ugly. It could be New England Patriots-style ugly. BC may lose before the end of the season, but it won’t be this week. Pick: Boston College

Michigan at Michigan State: Meechigan is running roughshod through the Big Ten thus far. It’s hard to tell if it’s due to the strength of Michigan or to the weakness of the Big Ten. The truth is somewhere in the middle. No one hates the Wolverines more than the people in East Lansing (not even the Buckeyes). Sparty will give the Wolverines all they can handle. But, at the end of the day, Michigan is still Michigan. Pick: Meatchicken

Wisconsin at Ohio State: Wiscy is back in the pack of the Big Ten, while TOSU is #1 in the nation. This won’t be a blowout, but Ohio State should be able to handle the Badgers. Pick: Ohio State

Navy at Notre Dame: The Midshipmen visit South Bend as the two schools meet for the 79th consecutive time. The hard part: Notre Dame has defeated Navy 43 times in a row. The last Navy quarterback to beat Notre Dame was Roger Staubach. This is the worst Notre Dame team in my lifetime. Problem is, Navy appears to have taken a half-step back. And, the game is in South Bend this year. Irish eyes smile for once this week. Pick: ND

Oregon State at USC: The Trojans are mortal. They return home to face the up-and-down Beavers. The Trojans are slipping and sliding. This is not the same USC team we have become accustomed to. Nonetheless, they should find a way to beat OSU of the West. Pick: USC

Cincinnati at South Florida: Two of the Big East’s rising stars meet in Tampa. Both teams are slipping of late, with both losing two conference games. USF will be looking for vengeance. Pick: USF

South Carolina at Arkansas: The Gamecocks come off of a heartbreaking overtime loss at Tennessee. The Hogs are in turmoil. Tough pick. Houston Nutt gets one last big win as coach of the Razorbacks. Pick: Arkansas

Rutgers at UConn: Huge Big East game. Who would have thought any football game between these two schools would ever be big? UConn finds themselves in sole possession of first place in the Big East. Rutgers finds themselves being merely above average this season. The Scarlet Knights got torched last week by West Virginia, 31-3. The Runway will be rocking this week in East Hartford. Pick: Connecticut

New Mexico at TCU: Lobos are a strong second in the Mountain West. Frogs are in the midst of a disappointing season. TCU bounces back after the bye week. Pick: TCU

Wake Forest at Virginia: Cavaliers’ good fortune ran out last week in Raleigh against the Wolfpack. Wake Forest won’t repeat as ACC champions this season, but they’re still a pretty good team. As all of UVa’s games have been this season, this will be close. Pick: Virginia

Henderson State at Ouachita Baptist (Thursday): Battle of Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Officially, this is the Coleman Dairy Battle of the Ravine. This is the fifth oldest rivalry in college football, beginning in 1895. The series stands at 37-37-6. It should be standing room only Thursday night in Arkadelphia. I hate to pick against OBU of the East, but I’m going to. Pick: Henderson State