Upsets, Trap Games, Bragging Rights
This week could have it all. Conference play is nearly in full swing and many teams are already facing some tough challenges. Last week it was Clemson at Florida State. This week its matchups like, Tennessee at Georgia, NC State at Miami, Ohio State at Michigan State, and Wisconsin at Nebraska. For others, it's a week where they are on upset watch. Florida State goes on the road for the first time this season and plays South Florida. Virginia Tech plays Cincinnati, and Baylor welcomes West Virginia to the Big 12. Lots of great action coming our way this weekend.
14-7 through week 4. Not too bad but I need a solid week to get back on track, and this may be the one of the toughest weeks to make some picks.
Tennessee at Georgia.
Derrick Dooley is still looking for that first major win, now in his third year at UT. And it doesn't get any easier this week. Georgia is getting better every week.....maybe even every quarter. Georgia's defense is getting much of the attention with comparisons to that of LSU or Alabama. What do the Vols have to do to stay in this game and possibly pull the upset? First, they need to make sure they play four quarters. That cost them a big win against Florida earlier this season. Then they need to some how figure out how to run the ball. They have to be able to run the ball to set up their passing game. Even if they do everything right, I don't see them coming out on top. The Vols will need some help from Georgia. The Bulldogs will have to make some mistakes if Tennessee hopes to be in this game come fourth quarter. I am taking Georgia, 35-20.
NC State at Miami.
At the start of the season, I didn't even have this game on the radar. Miami may have taken a beating from Kansas State, but they are 2-0 in conference play. They could make some noise in the ACC Coastal Division. NC State is 2-0 as well. Both will be fighting for position in the ACC. There may be a little more on the line for Miami, though, they still have to play Virginia Tech. NC State has to play Florida State next week, so both programs need this win to stay alive in their division race. As crazy as it may look, I am taking Miami in this one. Hurricanes win, 28-24.
Texas at Oklahoma State.
Big grudge match here. Texas has won 12 of 14 meetings, but the trouble is that the two losses have come in the last two years. Texas is another one of those teams that could crack into the top 5 by season's end. They boast to have the defense to do it, and now the offense appears to be on the right track. I think defense will be the major difference in this game. Texas has a good one and Oklahoma State has two freshman quarterbacks playing. As much as some think this game will be close to the end, I just don't see it that way. Texas has too much talent, and Oklahoma State lost a lot of their talent last year to the NFL Draft. I have Texas, 30-13
Ohio State at Michigan State.
Michigan State looks like they have the best defense in the Big 10. Ohio State has an offense that doesn't look like they are where they need to be yet. On the flip side, Michigan State doesn't have a great offense and the Buckeyes' defense may be just good enough to cause problems for a struggling offense. Tough call in this one. The edge may go to Michigan State since it is in Michigan, but don't count out Urban Meyer. Which team has been tested more up to this point? Is it the Buckeyes? They have had to win some close games, and winning those close games could really boost their confidence. Or is it Michigan State? The Spartans have had to face some tougher teams so far. I have to go with Ohio State. I said earlier this week that I thought Michigan State was a bad team just like Michigan. Ohio State wins, 21-17.
Wisconsin at Nebraska.
Now this could really be a good game. Nebraska wants to be more involved this season in the Big 10. By that I mean they really want to get to that conference championship. The Cornhuskers have the offense to do it, they just need the defense to step up. Wisconsin has an offense that is a mess right now and if their defense doesn't slow the Huskers down, then this could get ugly. Wisconsin has to find a way to run the ball. I just can't see the Badgers' offense being able to out score them, unless Nebraska comes out and just lays an egg. Nebraska has let me down before when I picked them, but I am going to go with them again this time. Nebraska wins, 31-17.
Florida State at South Florida.
FSU is coming off a huge win over Clemson last week. Are they focused going into this game? How will they deal with success? The Noles have to follow up a big win with what may be an even bigger win. The follow up game, the trap game, or whatever you want to call it, may be the biggest game in the first half of the season for the Noles. And for South Florida, how will they respond after losing two games they should've won? This is the game of the year for South Florida. They are going to come out fired up and ready to play. Much like last week, the Seminoles may have to weather the storm early but the second half will be the difference. I am sure Jimbo Fisher would love to have this game well in hand going into halftime, but anything could happen. South Florida has a mobile QB that could give them problems, but luckily for the Noles, they have already had a good test against a mobile QB in Tajh Boyd. Of course I have the Noles in this one. The offense will be focused and the defense will do its job against an overmatched offensive line. FSU wins, 42-13.
Virginia Tech vs Cincinnati.
The Hokies are on upset alert? Yes and they may be on the list every game from here on. Virginia Tech proved they are still vulnerable when they were owned by a terrible Pitt team a couple weeks ago. On paper, the Hokies are clearly better, but Cincinnati doesn't care about what it looks like on paper. Either way, this could be a game that comes down to the wire with the Hokies on the wrong end of it again. But it's Frank Beamer, right? So he takes a loss early in the season and then goes on a mad winning streak after that, right? At least that's been the case a few times the last five or six years. I don't think they lose this game. They may struggle but Logan Thomas has the ability to pull this game out. Hokies win, 27-20.
Baylor at West Virginia.
West Virginia gets conference play going at home against Baylor. The fans will be loud and the team will be pretty fired up for this game. Geno Smith is looking to continue his Heisman run with a strong win against Baylor. So far he has been brilliant, but as for the rest of the team, there are some pieces that don't look like they have found their place yet. Whether or not that shows in this game remains to be seen. There could be a lot of points scored in this contest. West Virginia doesn't have the strongest defense but it will be enough to keep Baylor in check. The Mountaineers should have no problem scoring. W. Virginia wins in dominant fashion, 41-17.
That's it for my picks for Week 5. I have an open segment tomorrow. You can send me your questions or predictions for this weekend's action. jeremy.cf2d@yahoo.com Don't forget to check us out on Facebook and give us a 'LIKE'. www.facebook.com/collegefootball2day
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