College Football Saturday-Week 5

We both had good weeks again picking these games, going 5-1 last week.  No big upsets for the second week in a row, but Nebraska had a nice scare from Wisconsin at home. This week has 4 top 10 teams going on the road to play tough opponents.  Lots of possibilities for upsets and should be another great Saturday of football!


(23) Washington at (2) Oregon:

Greg:

Washington is coming off of the upset at home over previously #8 ranked Stanford.  They are playing well, but they won't go into Eugene and win. The Ducks are likely motivated , following their crushing beatdown of Arizona with a mediocre showing against Washington State. Will be close for a few minutes, then expect the Quackers to pull away quickly.

Oregon-55

Washington-24

Andrew:

Fresh off their upset of Stanford, Washington will be looking to really make a statement this week. Can it happen? Absolutely not! Oregon looks to be at another level when compared to other Pac-12 schools. There offense will be unstoppable as it always is this week. Washington will relinquish their top 25 ranking once more.

Oregon-51

Washington- 24

(4) LSU at (10) Florida:

Greg:

The Tigers have looked really terrible in their last two weeks of play, dropping from #2 to #4 in the rankings(hard to do when you stay undefeated). They're defense isn't the problem, but the offense(as usual), is struggling mightily.  Florida has been much more balanced and already has 3 SEC wins to LSU's 1. This would be much easier for me to pick if it were under the lights in Gainesville, but I see the Gators coming out on top in this one in a close game.

Florida-19

LSU-14

Andrew:

This is the first real big test for either school. I am excited to see how this plays out. I think LSU is the better team, but playing at “The Swamp” isn’t an easy thing to do. Florida has been a little inconsistent this year, but they have found ways to win. The key for me is how Mettenberger will play at QB for LSU. This is only his second road start, and he struggled at lowly Auburn in the last one. I don’t think this bodes well for a team that is sliding more and more each week. Florida pulls off the upset.

Florida-21

LSU- 20

5 Georgia at 6 South Carolina:

Greg:

Game of the week here. Great matchup. The perceived key matchup would be between Georgia's offense and SC's defense, however I think the opposite matchups will be the deciding factor. The home field advantage that South Carolina has will also play a big part.  Defensively SC is a bit better than UGA, but Georgia's offense overall is a bit better I think. Ultimately I think it'll be an Aaron Murray pick that decides this game, though he will play well.

USC-28

UGA-24

Andrew:

This is another SEC thriller, and it ultimately could decide who represents this half of the SEC in the Georgia Dome. Georgia has been so impressive defensively this season. They have some studs there, even outside of Jarvis Jones. But offensively they just lost their best wideout, Michael Bennett. For South Carolina, I think Spurrier gets his team ready to play. Lattimore has been somewhat quiet (as he has been bouncing back from knee troubles), but this will be a do or die game for him I think. He will rush well against a great defense and make a Heisman statement. 

South Carolina-24

Georgia-21

8 West Virginia at 11 Texas:

Greg:

What kind of performance will Geno Smith have this week after his record breaking performance last week?  Road games in college football are incredibly difficult to win, and Texas is more crazy than most. Imagine catching a touchdown and as you're running out the back of the end zone seeing that 2600 pound Longhorn steer staring you in the face with its 6 foot long horns and a crazy looking cowboy is standing there yelling at you in words you can't understand.... Not a pleasant picture.  West Virginia is good on offense, but I think they get tripped by their lack of defense in this game against the Longhorns.

Texas-48

WVU-42

Andrew:

What will Geno Smith do as an encore? And can he keep producing without throwing an interception (20 TD’s to 0 picks)? Texas has been playing some good offensive football themselves. Maybe they will get into a shootout like Baylor did. If that happens, I expect Geno to deliver, even though this is their first road game of the season. – Andrew

West Virginia-60

Texas-48

21 Nebraska at 12 Ohio State:

Greg:

Nebraska barely got by a poor Wisconsin team last weak at home in Lincoln.  However, Ohio State is not really GREAT at anything. The Buckeyes win ugly, and that could very well play into Nebraska's favor.  They have experience going up against a mobile QB, since they practice against Taylor Martinez every day. The Buckeyes won't win every game they play this year, and I see this as one that they lose at home.

Nebraska-24

Ohio State-17

Andrew:

While the last matchup was about offense, this one will be about defense. These teams are comfortable with close, low scoring games. I think that’s what we’ll get. On offense, both have duel threat QB’s. Braxton Miller keeps getting better and some believe he is in the Heisman race. I don’t think so, but he could prove me wrong with a big game Saturday. 

Ohio State-20

Nebraska-17

Wild Card Picks:

Greg:Miami at 9 Notre Dame

While this is not a 'true' road game since it is being played at Soldier Field in Chicago, the Irish fans will make the trip and make it a great atmosphere. This is one of the more traditional rivalries in college football and will be nice to see them start playing one another again.  If Brian Kelly can get the QB situation figured out and get the offense to help the defense more, this team could be really good. As for this game, Miami comes in as a hot offense.  I think the combination of the weather and the ND defense will cool them off.

ND-30

Miami-17

Andrew:(24) Northwestern at Penn State

Northwestern is one of the surprising teams in college football this year. They remain undefeated and have beaten more power conference schools than any other team in the Big Ten. But this is their biggest test yet, on the road in the place Joe Pa built… Penn State obviously is not the same this season as they normally are, but they are playing spirited and hard-nosed football. This will be tough. Ultimately though, the Wildcats will win an ugly one, and remain unblemished. – Andrew

Northwestern-28

Penn State-20

Enjoy the games!