NCAA Week 6 Picks and Preview

How many yards and touchdowns is LaMichael James going to run for... in the first half?

National Picks Record All Year: 40-26

National Picks Record Last Week: 9-5

Boston College at North Carolina State (-10)

This is an easy pick if you just look at the results for each team.

Boston College: Eighteen point win over Weber State, thirteen point win over Kent State, nineteen point loss to Virginia Tech, and an eighteen point loss to Notre Dame.

North Carolina State:  Forty-one point win over Western Carolina, seven point win over UCF, eleven point win over Cincinnati, and an eleven-point loss to Virginia Tech (A game which they led for over fifty-eight minutes).

North Carolina flings the ball everywhere over the field and Boston College has troubles scoring, and stopping others from scoring.

Tennessee at Georgia (-11)

Which team is worse right now?  Tennessee, which can’t lose a game even when Les Miles hands it to him?  Or Georgia, who lost to Colorado last week and has a coach who’s already looking for a job next year.  Both teams have been atrocious.  This game is like seeing two trains crashing, and seeing which one is just a little better.

Tennessee is unable to shower correctly, unable to count, and unable to win.  I can see Dean Wormer already, “Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life.”

The difference in this game is A.J. Greene who is now back after profiting off his game-worn jersey.  He had a top ten play against Colorado, reeling in an inaccurate pass with only one hand.

While we are talking about Tennessee, how awful was the ending at LSU?  The game was over, until the refs called a penalty on the Volunteers for having thirteen players on the field.  Derek Dooley out Miles’d Les Miles.  Dooley’s team botched an ending to a game like no other team in college football history.  Seriously, it’s worse than Cameron Colvin fumbling the ball in to the end zone against Cal in 2007.

Michigan State (+4.5) at Michigan

A lot of people are high on Michigan, and with good reason.  Shoelace is the hottest player in college football, and currently on pace for over two thousand passing yards and a thousand rushing yards.  Michigan is a really sexy team right now.  All their games have been entertaining, even the ones that shouldn’t be, such as UMass.

Michigan’s defense was exposed to the passing game last week against Indiana.  Michigan State plays a lot like the Big Ten teams of old, running the football between the tackles, and with only a few receivers.  The Spartans will plod down the field, kill the clock, and will try to contain Denard Robinson.  Good Luck.  I like Michigan State to cover, and Michigan to win.

Alabama at South Carolina (+7.5)

What can you knock Alabama on right now?  Run defense?  Check.  Pass defense?  Check.  Passing?  Check.  Rushing?  Is that even a question?  Mark Ingram has reasserted himself in to the Heisman race, and Trent Richardson is still making defenses look stupid.  Alabama is playing on another level than anybody else.  On the road, after two big wins, and against a team that can run the football really well smells like a potential trap game.

South Carolina’s Marcus Lattimore is one of the best true freshman running backs in the SEC and is a true workhorse.  He carried the ball thirty-seven times in the game against Georgia. However, the biggest problem with the Gamecocks is the quarterback position.  Stephen Garcia was pulled in their last game after fumbling twice, and you have to wonder how much Alabama is going to force Garcia to win the game for South Carolina.

Arkansas had a huge passing game, and South Carolina has a huge rushing game.  I like Alabama to win but South Carolina to cover.  Or I could be wrong completely and the Crimson Tide wins by over twenty-one.

UCLA at Cal (-7.5)

UCLA was dangling on a thread against Washington State.  If the Cougars don’t turn the ball over next to the goal line, they could have tied the game, and maybe, just maybe, pull out the win.  Instead, UCLA takes possession and ices the game with a touchdown, making the score, 42-28.

I have a good feeling about Cal.  First, they’ve already seen the pistol before, run at a much higher level than UCLA runs it, when they were ripped to shreds by Nevada.  Second, they have had an extra week to prepare for UCLA.  Third, Cal is a good team, as shown by their one point loss at Arizona off of a last minute touchdown pass by Arizona quarterback Nick Foles.

Texas A&M at Arkansas (-6)

If Jerrod Johnson wouldn’t throw so many picks the Aggies would have beat Oklahoma State.  Instead, he confused the color of the jerseys he’s supposed to throw to and has a fourth quarter collapse that allows Oklahoma State to kick the game-winning field goal.

Arkansas’ quarterback doesn’t make the same mistakes.  Wait, yes he does.  He threw two picks on two consecutive drives to the Alabama secondary, essentially giving the game away.  The difference though, is that Ryan Mallett won’t be under pressure.  The Razorbacks should be able to handle the Aggies.

This game is at a neutral site, Dallas, Texas.

Oregon State (+8) at Arizona

The question that plagues me every year is “when are the Beavers going to turn it on?”  They are chronic slow starters and hard finishers, and if you can jump on them on the spread when they are heating up, you can cash in.  Problem is, they aren’t there yet. I still like them to cover though.

LSU at Florida (-7)

There is no way that Florida doesn’t cover this spread.  They are at home, have better players, and better coaches.  Sure the pieces on offense don’t fit together, but Trey Burton will shred every defense if he’s not paid close attention to.

It’s only a matter of time until the entire coaching staff at LSU is fired.  LSU has almost blown two games so far this season.  Last week they were saved by Tennessee’s inability to count.  Words cannot describe how inept both teams were in the game last Saturday.  The biggest mysteries currently facing fans are why isn’t there a college football playoff, and why is Gary Crowton considered such a good offensive coordinator.  The offense hasn’t looked productive since the national championship game, and Crowton still gets credit for being one of the great offensive minds.  LSU hired him away from Oregon, and I don’t think you could pay Oregon take him back right now.

Auburn (-7) at Kentucky

Cam Newton aka Superman 2.0 aka would’ve been a demigod in the Oregon offense, is now a dark horse Heisman candidate.  He travels to Kentucky to play a team that lost to Ole Miss by seven, and lost to Florida by thirty-four, not great scores in SEC play.  Cam Newton will have the game that will put him further in to the Heisman race by rushing for over a hundred yards and throwing for over two hundred.

Florida State at Miami (-7)

Remember when this game actually meant something?  This game used to be the Monday night game during week 1 before the NFL season started.  Everyone wanted to watch the two best teams in Florida play.  It was the equivalent of watching two NFL teams play.  This game has had Deion Sanders, Warren Sapp, Ray Lewis, and Ed Reed.  The 1988 game alone featured 57 future NFL football players.  This game has lost a lot of star power, but it still matters in the ACC race.

The last play?  Someone misses a field goal wide right.

USC at Stanford (-10)

Many people may be thinking that Stanford may have a let down after the loss at Oregon.  Some people may say that Stanford wasn’t that good heading in to the game and was overrated.  Both of these ideas are false.  Oregon’s just that good, Stanford is dominant, and the Cardinal will not have a let down game.

Stanford beat USC worse than any other team under the Pete Carroll era last year at the Coliseum.  This USC team coached by Lane Kiffin has looked like an average team that lost to Washington last week.  Stanford is better than a year ago, and USC is worse than a year ago.  The line originally came out at Stanford minus-7, and quickly jumped up to ten.

Arizona State at Washington (-1.5)

I’m buying Washington this game.  Arizona State has turned the ball over a lot.  That will probably be the case this whole year, and will probably have a turnover disadvantage around twenty.  Look for the Sun Devils next year to be a surprise team.

This year though, it looks like Washington finally turned the corner beating USC at USC.  Locker finally looked like the Heisman candidate he was made out to be (Don’t’ worry, he’s still not in the race).  Husky Stadium is one of the few places in the PAC-10 that still has a home-field advantage.

(Side note:  I fan-hate the Huskies so much, yet I keep picking them to cover almost every week.  I don’t understand why.  Maybe Larry Scott’s marketing and ESPN shoving Jake Locker in my face every day before the season has something to do with it.

PAC-10 Picks Record All Year: 32-6

PAC-10 Picks Record Last Week: 2-2

Cal beats UCLA

Oregon beats Washington State (No Shit Sherlock pick of the Week)

Arizona beats Oregon State

Stanford beats USC

Washington beats Arizona State

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