I'm 52-28 on the year in college picks. Today's big game is of course LSU-Alabama, being played on the bayou this season.
No. 16 Texas A&M at No. 15 Mississippi State, Noon ESPN
The previously unbeaten Bulldogs were brought back to earth last week, getting shellacked 38-7 at Alabama. MSU has had a very easy schedule up to this point except for that game against the Tide. After this week's contest against the Aggies, MSU faces LSU in another tough matchup. I think the Bulldogs endure a three-game losing streak here midseason, but should still go 8-4 or 9-3 on the season. The Aggies clobbered hapless Auburn 63-21 last week. Too much offense from A&M in this one.
Texas A&M 34, Mississippi State 24
Georgia Tech at Maryland, 12:30 p.m. ESPN3.com
I can't even keep track of what number quarterback Maryland is down to. The Terps have lost an incredible four quarterbacks this season. I think the one starting this week is actually a linebacker and is different from the one starting last week. Devin Burns, last week's quarterback, hurt his foot and is out for the year so Shawn Petty is under center this week. Maryland's a mess, but Georgia Tech, at 3-5, isn't a ton better. The Yellow Jackets have been terrible on defense (Al Groh was fired after a 47-31 loss to Clemson on Oct. 6) and coach Paul Johnson's triple-option offense has not been clicking or has been figured out by opposing coaches. Last week, Georgia Tech was trucked by BYU, 41-17. Except for a 37-17 victory over Boston College two weeks ago, the Yellow Jackets have given up at least 40 points in four straight losses. Maryland's situation should help out the Tech defense immensely.
Georgia Tech 24, Maryland 17
TCU at No. 21 West Virginia, 3 p.m. FOX
I'm just curious to see if WVU gets its offense back on track after a bye week. After looking unstoppable for weeks, the Mountaineers were held to 14 points two games in a row by Texas Tech and then Kansas State. At home, I think they will against a TCU team that started the year strong but has recently found the going tough in its new conference with three losses in four games.
West Virginia 38, TCU 24
No. 23 Texas at No. 18 Texas Tech, 3:30 p.m. ABC or ESPN2
The Red Raiders have been one of the pleasant surprises in college football this year. Former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville -- and look at 1-7 Auburn, bet it wishes it had Tommy back -- has Texas Tech at 6-2 and 3-2 in the Big 12. The Raiders took one on the chin from Kansas State in Manhattan last week 55-24, but they do have wins this year over West Virginia (49-14) and TCU (56-53 in 3OT). The Longhorns are a bit of a conundrum, but it looks like their undefeated start was the product of an easy schedule. Texas is now 6-2 and coming off a come from behind victory over one-win Kansas.
Texas Tech 33, Texas 21
No. 4 Oregon at No. 17 USC, 7 p.m. FOX
The Trojans went into Eugene and beat the Ducks last year so I expect Oregon to come out and be ready to get revenge in L.A. Oregon also needs to keep impressing pollsters with blowout victories as the computers views the Ducks as weak, the main reason they are the fourth-ranked undefeated team in the country. USC, which was supposed to be a title contender, has two losses, albeit by a combined 10 points (21-14 to Stanford and 39-36 last week to Arizona).
Oregon 42, USC 31
No. 13 Clemson at Duke, 7 p.m. ESPN2
What's that you say? A primetime FOOTBALL game in Durham? Yes, that's correct, as the Blue Devils find themselves in the thick of the ACC Coastal race. They need a win to keep up with Miami, which plastered Virginia Tech on Thursday night. It won't be easy against a Tiger team that has been mostly destroying teams since losing 49-37 to Florida State on Sept. 22. Duke's only hope is to probably win a shootout.
Clemson 44, Duke 28
No. 1 Alabama at No. 5 LSU
The big one. Not as sparkling as last year's No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups, but terrific nevertheless. LSU beat Alabama 9-6 in overtime last year in Tuscaloosa during the regular season but Alabama got the last laugh with a 21-0 victory in the national championship. This year's Crimson Tide team is looking just as dominant as last year's while the Tigers have taken a step back. LSU's last four games: 12-10 over Auburn, 38-22 over Towson, 14-6 loss to Florida, 23-21 over South Carolina, and 24-19 over Texas A&M. Nothing too impressive. Should be one of the toughest games of the season for the Tide, but I expect it to roll.
Alabama 24, LSU 14
No. 24 Oklahoma State at No. 2 Kansas State
The Wildcats face a third-consecutive ranked team in the Cowboys after putting up 55 points apiece in wins over West Virginia and Texas Tech the last two weeks. Oklahoma State finds itself back in the top 25 again and with a great offense which ranks sixth in the country in both passing yards per game and points per game. I think the Pokes' stay among the ranked won't last long as the Wildcats will show them the door in the Little Apple.
Kansas State 46, Oklahoma State 24
Virginia at N.C. State, 12:30 p.m. ACC Network
At this point in the season, I'm just hoping I see improvement from the Cavaliers. It has been all downhill since season-opening wins over Richmond and Penn State. Penalties, turnovers, coaching snafus -- we've seen it all every week for six losses in a row. One more loss and Virginia matches a seven-game losing streak from 1981, when the Cavaliers went 1-10. Now that the Cavaliers have had a bye week, hopefully we will start to see the team getting better. Unfortunately, the easy part of the schedule is over and now the 'Hoos have to go on the road to face a Wolfpack team that beat Florida State 17-16 on Oct. 6. Last week, N.C. State lost to North Carolina when running back Giovani Bernard returned a punt 74 yards for the winning score. N.C. State also lost to Tennessee in the season opener 35-21 in Atlanta. N.C. State is known for playing down to its opponent a little bit, but I don't think that will be enough. The Wolfpack have a great offense, led by fifth-year senior quarterback Mike Glennon, who is first in the ACC in passing yards per game with 306. The Wolfpack is fourth in scoring defense and are second in the ACC in interceptions with 10. Interestingly, however, N.C. State gives up the most pass yards per game in the conference (278.1 per game). Like I said, I just want to see the team put forth a great effort and play better than it has in recent weeks. We've barely seen a spark from the team since the first half against Duke, and maybe the final few minutes against Maryland. Does the O-line get better push at the line of scrimmage? Are there fewer missed tackles? Are the receivers catching the balls they should? Does the offense make the most of its redzone opportunities? Are there less turnovers and penalties? Do the coaches manage the clock and timeouts better? These are all things that can improve. I'm not expecting a victory, but marked improvement in these areas would be nice. It is coming down the home stretch of the season and while wins would be nice, they will be hard to come by with a challenging schedule. Hopefully the Wahoos can just pull it together and be competitive the rest of the season and carry a little bit of momentum and hope into next season. I'm actually expecting a decent game from the Cavaliers. I think they put the bye week to good use. It was probably good for the players to get away from the game for awhile and take a breather. A refreshed team that got back to the fundamentals and looked back on what was going right at the beginning of the season is what I expect to see. Hopefully the coaches try some new things, too. Play more players. Let's not burn redshirts needlessly, but play the younger players more who have already played. Run some new plays on offense. Get more aggressive on defense. Something to hopefully shake up the team. I think this score could be either way of two touchdowns, and hopefully it goes Virginia's favor and they get within 10 points. That would be a win in my book in Raleigh facing a tough State team.
N.C. State 31, Virginia 17
No. 16 Texas A&M at No. 15 Mississippi State, Noon ESPN
The previously unbeaten Bulldogs were brought back to earth last week, getting shellacked 38-7 at Alabama. MSU has had a very easy schedule up to this point except for that game against the Tide. After this week's contest against the Aggies, MSU faces LSU in another tough matchup. I think the Bulldogs endure a three-game losing streak here midseason, but should still go 8-4 or 9-3 on the season. The Aggies clobbered hapless Auburn 63-21 last week. Too much offense from A&M in this one.
Texas A&M 34, Mississippi State 24
Georgia Tech at Maryland, 12:30 p.m. ESPN3.com
I can't even keep track of what number quarterback Maryland is down to. The Terps have lost an incredible four quarterbacks this season. I think the one starting this week is actually a linebacker and is different from the one starting last week. Devin Burns, last week's quarterback, hurt his foot and is out for the year so Shawn Petty is under center this week. Maryland's a mess, but Georgia Tech, at 3-5, isn't a ton better. The Yellow Jackets have been terrible on defense (Al Groh was fired after a 47-31 loss to Clemson on Oct. 6) and coach Paul Johnson's triple-option offense has not been clicking or has been figured out by opposing coaches. Last week, Georgia Tech was trucked by BYU, 41-17. Except for a 37-17 victory over Boston College two weeks ago, the Yellow Jackets have given up at least 40 points in four straight losses. Maryland's situation should help out the Tech defense immensely.
Georgia Tech 24, Maryland 17
TCU at No. 21 West Virginia, 3 p.m. FOX
I'm just curious to see if WVU gets its offense back on track after a bye week. After looking unstoppable for weeks, the Mountaineers were held to 14 points two games in a row by Texas Tech and then Kansas State. At home, I think they will against a TCU team that started the year strong but has recently found the going tough in its new conference with three losses in four games.
West Virginia 38, TCU 24
No. 23 Texas at No. 18 Texas Tech, 3:30 p.m. ABC or ESPN2
The Red Raiders have been one of the pleasant surprises in college football this year. Former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville -- and look at 1-7 Auburn, bet it wishes it had Tommy back -- has Texas Tech at 6-2 and 3-2 in the Big 12. The Raiders took one on the chin from Kansas State in Manhattan last week 55-24, but they do have wins this year over West Virginia (49-14) and TCU (56-53 in 3OT). The Longhorns are a bit of a conundrum, but it looks like their undefeated start was the product of an easy schedule. Texas is now 6-2 and coming off a come from behind victory over one-win Kansas.
Texas Tech 33, Texas 21
No. 4 Oregon at No. 17 USC, 7 p.m. FOX
The Trojans went into Eugene and beat the Ducks last year so I expect Oregon to come out and be ready to get revenge in L.A. Oregon also needs to keep impressing pollsters with blowout victories as the computers views the Ducks as weak, the main reason they are the fourth-ranked undefeated team in the country. USC, which was supposed to be a title contender, has two losses, albeit by a combined 10 points (21-14 to Stanford and 39-36 last week to Arizona).
Oregon 42, USC 31
No. 13 Clemson at Duke, 7 p.m. ESPN2
What's that you say? A primetime FOOTBALL game in Durham? Yes, that's correct, as the Blue Devils find themselves in the thick of the ACC Coastal race. They need a win to keep up with Miami, which plastered Virginia Tech on Thursday night. It won't be easy against a Tiger team that has been mostly destroying teams since losing 49-37 to Florida State on Sept. 22. Duke's only hope is to probably win a shootout.
Clemson 44, Duke 28
No. 1 Alabama at No. 5 LSU
The big one. Not as sparkling as last year's No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups, but terrific nevertheless. LSU beat Alabama 9-6 in overtime last year in Tuscaloosa during the regular season but Alabama got the last laugh with a 21-0 victory in the national championship. This year's Crimson Tide team is looking just as dominant as last year's while the Tigers have taken a step back. LSU's last four games: 12-10 over Auburn, 38-22 over Towson, 14-6 loss to Florida, 23-21 over South Carolina, and 24-19 over Texas A&M. Nothing too impressive. Should be one of the toughest games of the season for the Tide, but I expect it to roll.
Alabama 24, LSU 14
No. 24 Oklahoma State at No. 2 Kansas State
The Wildcats face a third-consecutive ranked team in the Cowboys after putting up 55 points apiece in wins over West Virginia and Texas Tech the last two weeks. Oklahoma State finds itself back in the top 25 again and with a great offense which ranks sixth in the country in both passing yards per game and points per game. I think the Pokes' stay among the ranked won't last long as the Wildcats will show them the door in the Little Apple.
Kansas State 46, Oklahoma State 24
Virginia at N.C. State, 12:30 p.m. ACC Network
At this point in the season, I'm just hoping I see improvement from the Cavaliers. It has been all downhill since season-opening wins over Richmond and Penn State. Penalties, turnovers, coaching snafus -- we've seen it all every week for six losses in a row. One more loss and Virginia matches a seven-game losing streak from 1981, when the Cavaliers went 1-10. Now that the Cavaliers have had a bye week, hopefully we will start to see the team getting better. Unfortunately, the easy part of the schedule is over and now the 'Hoos have to go on the road to face a Wolfpack team that beat Florida State 17-16 on Oct. 6. Last week, N.C. State lost to North Carolina when running back Giovani Bernard returned a punt 74 yards for the winning score. N.C. State also lost to Tennessee in the season opener 35-21 in Atlanta. N.C. State is known for playing down to its opponent a little bit, but I don't think that will be enough. The Wolfpack have a great offense, led by fifth-year senior quarterback Mike Glennon, who is first in the ACC in passing yards per game with 306. The Wolfpack is fourth in scoring defense and are second in the ACC in interceptions with 10. Interestingly, however, N.C. State gives up the most pass yards per game in the conference (278.1 per game). Like I said, I just want to see the team put forth a great effort and play better than it has in recent weeks. We've barely seen a spark from the team since the first half against Duke, and maybe the final few minutes against Maryland. Does the O-line get better push at the line of scrimmage? Are there fewer missed tackles? Are the receivers catching the balls they should? Does the offense make the most of its redzone opportunities? Are there less turnovers and penalties? Do the coaches manage the clock and timeouts better? These are all things that can improve. I'm not expecting a victory, but marked improvement in these areas would be nice. It is coming down the home stretch of the season and while wins would be nice, they will be hard to come by with a challenging schedule. Hopefully the Wahoos can just pull it together and be competitive the rest of the season and carry a little bit of momentum and hope into next season. I'm actually expecting a decent game from the Cavaliers. I think they put the bye week to good use. It was probably good for the players to get away from the game for awhile and take a breather. A refreshed team that got back to the fundamentals and looked back on what was going right at the beginning of the season is what I expect to see. Hopefully the coaches try some new things, too. Play more players. Let's not burn redshirts needlessly, but play the younger players more who have already played. Run some new plays on offense. Get more aggressive on defense. Something to hopefully shake up the team. I think this score could be either way of two touchdowns, and hopefully it goes Virginia's favor and they get within 10 points. That would be a win in my book in Raleigh facing a tough State team.N.C. State 31, Virginia 17
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