Hey now – don’t get too excited there playing that cowbell.  You’d think this was just another game against San Jose State.  This is a Fiesta Bowl with two undefeated teams, you need to step up your game here.  But then again, I guess Boise State  is tired of having undefeated seasons, winning a BCS bowl game, and finishing no better than 3rd.

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Mike Leach is awesome – not only is a huge pirate fan, but he apparently hates his players chunky girlfriends.  And I always thought being a football player meant pulling in attractive tail.  And you can tell how bad Mike Leach hates losing to A&M, when he blames his players’ overweigh girlfriends for the loss.

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The college football season has flown by – we’re already in week 6.  After another subpar performance last week leaves me at 16-18-2 on the season. This is a huge weekend in the SEC with some great matchups.  Lets turn it around and get some wins this weekend.  Pics are italicized.

1. UGA (+1) @ Tennessee.  I was really surprised with the maligned Bulldog defense last week against LSU.  The defense will look to improve on its ranking this week against a horrible Tennessee offense.  The Bulldog offense will need to step it up this game after a poor showing last week against a solid Volunteer defense.  This game will be ugly, but the Bulldogs win in a close one.

2.  Auburn (-3) @ Arkansas.  If you like offense – this is going to be a fun game.  Auburn is looking a lot better than most people expected this year and is playing very balanced on offense while playing their usual stout defense.  Arkansas can score a lot of points, but their defense has been shaky.  This is going to be a shootout with Auburn pulling off a close one.

3. Alabama (-5) @ Ole Miss.  Alabama has played really well this season on both sides of the ball and I feel like they should be ranked #1.   Jevan Snead has struggled so far this year throwing a a handful of interceptions.  That being said – this game is going to be a lot closer than people think.  Snead will throw a costly pick late in the game and Bama just barely covers.

4. Wisconsin (+15  1/2) @ Ohio State.  The spread is way too big in this game.  Ohio State  has done well against the middle of the road teams in the Big 10, but Wisconsin will be a big test for them.  They will be able to control the ball with the running game and move the chains, while limiting the Buckeye offense.  Look for this to be a close game with the Badgers potentially winning the game.

5. Ga. Tech (+3) @ Florida State.  I know Tech has never won a game in Tallahassee – but after all the stuff that has gone on this week with the boosters calling for Bowden to resign and the inconsisten play – you can’t pick the Seminoles.  Tech has been playing really well on offense the past few weeks and will be able to run the ball all over the Seminole defense while their tough D will keep Christian Ponder frustrated all game.  Look for Tech to win this game and keep FSU winless in conference and at home against FBS opponents.

6. Florida (-8) @ LSU.  The question everyone is asking is will Tebow play.  Regardless if he plays – this game is all about the Gator defense.  They will finally have their breakout game this season and whoever is under center for the Gators will be able to keep the pressure on the Tiger defense all game long.  Look for a close game for 3 quarters before Florida goes up by two scores late to seal it.

7. Michigan (+8) @ Iowa. Tate Forcier and Michigan have been a big surprise this season as have the Hawkeyes.  Iowa has played some bad games against their lesser opponents, but has stepped up in the big games.  This will be a close game coming down to the last play.  If Iowa wins it, they do not cover.

8. Oregon (-3 1/2) @ UCLA.  The Ducks have bounced back nicely from their opening night debacle against Boise State.  UCLA has been a nice surprise this season and has played solid defense while the offense has been doing just enough to get them some wins.  However – Oregon will have too much offense for the Bruins and cover.

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1. South Florida (-7) @ Syracuse.  USF surprised everybody by beating FSU in Tallahassee.  The more reps BJ Daniels gets, the better he will be – especially after his first career start against the Seminoles last week.  The Syracuse defense has played horrible all year, and their offense will not be able to do much against a stout Bulls’ defense.  I see USF winning this game handily.

2. Florida State (-4.5) @ Boston College.  The Noles burned me last week when they were a no brainer pick to cover the 14 against the USF and they ended up losing.  They’ll be hungry and ready to put up a lot of points against the Eagles.  Boston College’s offense is not much of a threat, and expect FSU to force some turnovers into easy scores.  FSU wins big.

3. LSU @ UGA (-3.5).  Despite gaudy records coming into this game, both these teams have a lot of issues on both sides of the ball – LSU has not been as dominant on offense as years past, and Georgia has been turning it over too often, and their defense has been atrocius all year long.   Georgia has been in close games all year long since the opener and this game will be no different – the defense will do a better job, and the offense will put together a late touchdown to cover.

4. Penn St. (-7.5) @ Illinois.  The Nittany Lion offense looked bad last week against Iowa, and the defense will again be missing Sean Lee.  Illinois has played a lot more poorly than most people expected this year.  Penn State will be looking to fix a lot of things this week after a crushing lost last Saturday night, and will not see much competition against the Fighting Illini.  Expect a typical afternoon, boring, blowout game in the Big 10 where a top team defeats a middle of the road team.

5. UCLA (+5.5) @ Stanford.  Who expected UCLA to be the only undefeated team in the Pac-10 thus far.  Their quarterback play has been inconsistent all year, but their defense and special teams has kept them in all their games.  I like the job Jim Harbaugh has done at Stanford, and it looks like they will finally make it back to a bowl game this year.  This game will be a defensive struggle, and while Stanford may pull it off – UCLA keeps it close.

6. Oklahoma (-7.5) @ Miami.  Sam Bradford is not back, but Landry Jones has looked real good in the last two games – albeit against lesser opponents.  Miami surprisingly suffered its first loss last week against a Va Tech team that has no offense.  The difference in this game will be the Oklahoma defense – their front 4 will get pressure on Jacory Harris and plug the running lanes, and the extra week to prepare will give OU the edge to cover.

7. Arkansas @ Texas A&M OVER/Under 66.  Another college game at Jerry World showcases two explosive offenses and no defense.  There will probably be about 900 yards gained in this game and a ton of points put on the board.  This game will go well north of the 66 predicted – look for close to 80+ points in this one.

8. USC (-4.5) @ Cal. Both these teams expected to be undefeated and in the top 5 going in to this game – but have had major letdowns along the way.  Both teams boast explosive running games, but the Trojans actually have a defense that can stop their opponents.  Look for Joe McKnight to gain a lot of yards and open up the passing game for Matt Barkley.  USC beats Cal for the 6th straight year while covering.

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Already one quarter of the way through the season, and we have had some great games and a handful of upsets so far.  South Carolina put on a great show on Thursday night beating an overrated Ole Miss team. I’m batting .500 so far this year at 11-11, so lets get some wins this weekend.  Winners are in italics.

1. South Florida @ FSU (-14).  You have to feel bad for Matt Grothe and South Florida – they wait this long to get a shot at the Seminoles, and lose Grothe with a torn ACL.  FSU surprised me last week with a huge win against BYU in Provo – even with Grothe in the lineup, South Florida would have a tough time in this game.  The Seminoles win this game big.

2. UNC @ Ga. Tech (-3).   This is a tough game to call.  It will be a revenge game for Tech who got blown out 28-7 last year at Chapel Hill.  UNC has a great front 7 and plays very well against the run, but I don’t think they have the offense to put points on the board against a solid Tech D.  Tech had a long week to perpare after last Thursday night’s loss to the U – which is why they cover.

3. Miami (-3) @ Va Tech.   I am not going to say The U is back just yet – but they have looked really good so far in their two games.  The Hokies’ offense has looked horrible this year, and surprisingly the defense has given up a lot of yards on the ground.  There will be no last second comeback this week for the Hokies as Miami piles up a lot of yards and wins huge.

4. TCU (+3) @ Clemson.  This should be a fun game to watch if you like defense.  Clemson has had issues stopping  and TCU has played great defense so far.  CJ Spiller will need to have a big game if Clemson has a shot.  But in the end, the TCU defense steps up and they pull off the upset.

5. Arkansas @ Alabama(-17.5).  This game will either be 40-10 or 40-30.  The Razorback D played horribly last week against UGA, but were able to keep it close thanks to Ryan Mallett.  Greg McElroy has been better than advertised, and the Tide’s running game has been has been incredible.   I see the Tide defense forcing some turnovers and shutting down the Razorbacks, and the offense will be able to put up big numbers.

6.  Arizona St. @ UGA (-12.5).  The Bulldogs have looked impressive on offense the last two weeks.  But as good as the offense has been, the defense has looked just as bad.  The Sun Devils are 2-0 and had an extra weekend to prepare for this game, but being a night game in Athens and the defense needing to prove something, I see a the Bulldogs blowing out the visitors.

7. Washington (+8) @ Stanford.  The Huskies play their first road game of the year after the huge win against USC last week.  Stanford comes into this with a matching 2-1 record and could have been 3-0.  I think the Huskies get off to a slow start and have a bit of a hangover from last week.  If Stanford wins, it will be a close game coming down to the last possesion.

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That kid must have lost a lot of money on that game, because people don’t get this upset over Clemson football right?  And you have to appreciate Chris Fowler’s solid post game analysis.

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Another .500 week last week in the college ranks – leaves me at 7-7-1 for the season.  Need to step up my game and not make as many risky gambles – picks are in italics

1.  Ga Tech @ Miami (-4).  Seriously, Miami is favored in this game after they got run all over on last year?   I was expecting Tech to be a touchdown favorite, but this will be a tough call.  Since I can’t stand Ga. Tech – I’m picking the U.

2.  USC @ Washington (+19.5).  USC is going to have a bit of a hangover  in this game after the game in Columbus last week.  They are also a little banged up, so we’ll see how they followup last week’s big win.  The Trojans are also know to randomly lose a game when everyone least expects them.  Washington is much improved and expect Steve Sarkisian have the team ready to play.

3.  Tennessee @ Florida (-30).  Did you ever expect to see the Vols as a 30 point underdog in conference???  Florida has had this game circled during the off-season after Lane Kiffin started opening his mouth in Knoxville.   Remember the last time they played in the swamp, Florida won by 39 – and that was a UT team that went the the SEC championship game.  Florida wins this one huge.

4. Nebraska @ Va Tech (-5.5).  Nebraska finally plays some real competition and will realize that they are not quite back to their level of before.  The Hokie D stops the Cornhuskers, and Tyrod Taylor has a big game running and throwing.  Va Tech wins this game comfortably.

5. UGA (+2.5) @ Arkansas.  Again, another game that I was surprised who the favorite was.  Arkansas is going to be a really good team this year, and they had 2 weeks to prepare for this game.  But I think having the layoff  after playing Missouri State is going to have the Razorbacks rusty – and it will take some time for them to get things flowing on both sides of the ball.  Georgia wins this one, but it will be close.

6. Mississippi State @ Vanderbilt (-8.5).  The Bulldogs ended Vanderbilt’s undefeated start last year, so the Commodores are looking for some payback.  Vandy has been notorious about playing to their competition level in the past, so if they want to prove that they are ready to take the next step – they need to elevate their game, and this is the perfect game to prove it.  The MSU defense is horrible, they will be shuffling two quarterbacks in and out, and they have a first year coach – which are all remedies to get them back on the winning track.  The loss of Hamilton and Williams are huge, but there can’t be a hangover after the LSU game if they want to win this game.  A televised night game at home – Vandy will be ready for this one and win big.

7. Florida St. @ BYU (-8).  The Seminoles looked bad last week in an ugly win over Jacksonville State.  This game is in Utah and BYU has gotten off to a fast start this year and looks real good.  BYU wins this big.

8. California (-13.5) @ Minnesota.  This game is going to be a shootout if the Golden Bears can wake up for it – note: remember the last time they had to play a game at 12:00 EST last year at Maryland.  I don’t think Minnesota’s offense can keep up with Cal’s – the Golden Bears win this one by atleast 2 touchdowns.

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After losing the home opener to William& Mary, it looks like nothing is going right for the UVA football.  On the bright side, he didn’t impale himself with his sword.

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After a quick 2-0-1 start last Thursday, the weekend ended with a shaky 4-4-1 result. Time to get things back on track – winners are in italics.

1. South Carolina(+7) @ UGA.  Both teams’ offenses looked bad last week.  This will be a classic SEC defensive battle – UGA will win, but it will be a close game.

2. Notre Dame @ Michigan(+3).  The Wolverines looked real good last week, and I am not ready to jump on the Notre Dame band wagon like everyone else after they’ve won two in a row dating back to last season against Hawaii and Nevada.

3. UCLA @ Tennessee (-10). As much as it pains me to pick UT – I just don’t see UCLA’s offense being capable of doing much scoring on the Volunteer’s defense.

4. Syracuse @ Penn St (-28.5). Syracuse looked decent last week with Greg Paulus at quarterback – but he is going to get a wakeup call this week.  This game is at Happy Valley, and Penn St. will put up a lot of points and play smothering D.  The Nittany Lions win this game huge.

5. USC(-7) @ Ohio State.  Ohio State looked bad against Navy last week and will continue its trend of losing to BCS non conference opponents.  USC is 5 or 6 deep at running back – Even with a freshman starter at quarterback, UCS wins this one big.

6.  Vanderbilt (+14.5)  @ LSU.  I know this game is in Baton Rouge at night, where LSU has won a ridiculous 30 consecutive Saturday night games.  But Vandy looked really good last week and are 3-4 deep at running back even without Jared Hawkins.  I think the defense steps up and Larry Smith keeps the defense guessing all night.  This will be a closer game than most people think, with the Commodores hanging tough late with a chance to win.

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As much as I can’t stand the University of Tennessee,  their stupid new head coach, and that horrible shade of orange, Eric Berry is one heck of football player.  Tennessee has created a pretty fantastic viral marketing video for his Heisman campaign.  I just hope he decides to forgo his senior year and go to the pros.

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