College football got flipped upside-down last week, and my picks followed suit.
I picked only one winner correctly…and that was the only spread I beat, too.
So I’d like to offer my thanks to you, Florida State. If it weren’t for you, I would have had to swallow two goose eggs.
My totals for the year dropped to 32-16 straight up and 18-30 against the Vegas lines.
Now we’ve got a clean slate, a new week to gain all that back.
And I can’t miss a Georgia pick this week, either!
1) #21 South Carolina @ #5 Missouri (SCAR -5): I’m not really a believer in either of these teams. Sure, Mizzou is 7-0, but I question their schedule. Their two biggest wins came against Georgia (just lost to Vandy) and Florida (just had their EIGHTH player sidelined with a season-sending injury). They’re playing with confidence, but I imagine the Ole Ball Coach has a plan. And Jadeveon Clowney could make Tiger quarterback Maty Mauk’s day miserable. South Carolina 38, Missouri 31
2) #6 Stanford @ #25 Oregon State (STAN -6.5): Once again we have a match-up of two ranked teams and the road team is favored (and by a considerable spread, no less). The Cardinal are far from flawless. Washington exposed that particular fact, but this isn’t the same set of Beavers that won nine games last season. Expect Stanford’s defense to shut Oregon State down. Take Stanford and lay the points! Stanford 31, Oregon State 13
3) #12 UCLA @ #3 Oregon (Ore. -17.5): It isn’t often that you see the College Gameday crew go to a game with a huge spread like this. Then again, Oregon usually wins by more than this, scoring about a thousand points in the first quarter for good measure. BUT NOT TODAY! No, I’m not picking an upset (fooled ya, didn’t I?), but I think the Bruins keep this game competitive because Jim Mora has UCLA playing with an edge we haven’t seen in awhile. Oregon 56, UCLA 45
4) #10 Texas Tech @ #15 Oklahoma (OU -7): Cliff Kingsbury has the excitement level through the roof in Lubbock. He’s guided the Red Raiders to a 7-0 record, and the only thing he’s missing is that signature win. Their rival Longhorns already showed exactly how to beat the Sooners, who have lost several key players to injuries. Keep the points because Texas Tech wins it straight up. UPSET ALERT: Texas Tech 34, Oklahoma 31
5) Tennessee @ #1 Alabama (BAMA -26.5): I watched a few of the local Knoxville post-game shows after Georgia beat Tennessee a few weeks ago, and one of their hosts said (paraphrasing) that there wasn’t a team left on the Vols’ schedule that they couldn’t beat. I’m guessing he may have gotten a misprinted schedule (maybe there was an “A&M” listed after the word “Alabama”?) or perhaps he forgot this isn’t women’s basketball season. Still, that’s a steep spread for the Tide to cover, and this is a confident Tennessee team that just beat South Carolina. I suspect it’ll be close for a half, but Saban and company will put the clamps down after the break. Tide win, but take the Vols and the points. Alabama 38, Tennessee 17
6) Georgia Tech @ Virginia (GT -8.5): We’ll close out the picks with an in-state school, just for funsies. After a three-game losing streak, Paul Johnson and his team seem to have righted the ship in Atlanta. The Cavaliers, who looked good with an opening win over BYU, have fallen apart. They are now 2-5, their only other victory coming over lowly VMI. They just lost to Duke, and they’re giving up over 28 points per game. Expect the Jackets to keep rolling. Georgia Tech 45, Virginia 24
That’s all we’ve got for this week.
Here in Athens, we’re just thrilled that we can’t lose.
Hopefully I start working my way back up with these picks.
Until next week, friends. Happy picking!