I can’t wait until more teams are in conference play and more of these picks require thoughtful analysis on my part. Anyway…
#18 WVU @ Maryland: Maryland looked good but not great against Miami. West Virginia should handle them.
#21 Auburn @ Clemson: Auburn didn’t look like defending BCS champions against Utah State, and they barely held off Mississippi State. Then again, Clemson only beat Wofford by eight points. Regardless, I’m taking the Clemson Tigers over the Auburn Tigers.
LA-Monroe @ #23 TCU: Louisiana-Monroe has the best team name in college sports, but the Ragin’ Cajuns aren’t going to beat the Horned Frogs
#7 Wisconsin vs. Northern Illinois: Wisconsin’s backups will see some garbage time late in this game with a convincing lead.
Washington @ #11 Nebraska: Washington has improved from their 0-11 season, but they’re not going to beat the Huskers.
Missouri St. @ #12 Oregon: Oregon will continue to atone for the LSU debacle.
#15 Mich. St. @ ND: They couldn’t beat the Wolverines, they’re not gonna beat Sparty.
Tennessee @ #16 Florida: Haven’t seen the Gators or Vols yet this season, but something tells me to take the upset here. Vols win.
#23 Texas @ UCLA: Even with platooning quarterbacks, Texas should take this one.
Arkansas St. @ #13: Virginia Tech: Hokies (what exactly is a Hokie?), easily.
Navy @ #10 S. Carolina: Georgia came closer to stopping Alshon Jeffery and Marcus Lattimore than Navy will.
Idaho @ #9 Texas A&M: A&M has looked strong, and Idaho is a non-AQ team. Draw your own conclusion. (For the record, I’m picking the Aggies).
S.F. Austin @ #19 Baylor: Baylor should be coming back down to earth after their upset of TCU in Week 1, but I still don’t see them losing to Stephen F. Austin.
Florida A&M @ #20 S. Florida: The Big East is wide open and I expect South Florida to stay in the race by winning here.
#22 Arizona St. @ Illinois: For some reason, my gut is telling me to take the upset. (Either that, or to cut back on the Taco Bell). Either way, I’m picking the Illini.
North Texas @ #2 Alabama: Do I really need to pick this one? The Crimson Tide will be a tsunami to the Mean Green.
Troy @ #14 Arkansas: The alma mater of three current NY Giants- DE Osi Umenyiora, WR Jerrel Jernigan and K Lawrence Tynes- won‘t be able to hold off the Razorbacks.
#8 Oklahoma State @ Tulsa: No upset here, I’m taking the ‘Pokes.
#6 Stanford @ Arizona: This may not be the rout many are probably expecting, but Stanford will prevail.
#17 Ohio St. @ Miami: Also known as the Impermissible Benefits Bowl. Winner- which will be Ohio State- gets a trophy shaped like a yacht and a coupon for a free tattoo.
And now, what you’ve skimmed the rest of this entry to get to…
#1 Oklahoma @ #5 Florida State: Chief Osceola versus Boomer Sooner. I like both of these teams offensively, but I think Oklahoma’s defense is the stronger of the two. Oklahoma in a close one.
