If you haven't made your picks, you can do so here. The deadline is tonight at 11.59 PM PT.
And, it looks like another boring set of blogger picks. Though, I blame it on the schedule this time around.
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Mississippi at Auburn |
Missouri at Colorado |
Texas at Oklahoma State |
Michigan State at Minnesota |
UCLA at Oregon State (-8.5) |
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| Jared | Mississippi | Missouri | Texas | Michigan State | Oregon State |
| Nick | Mississippi | Missouri | Texas | Michigan State | UCLA |
| Dave | Mississippi | Missouri | Texas | Michigan State | Oregon State |
| Dominic | Mississippi | Missouri | Texas | Michigan State | Oregon State |
| Jeremy | Mississippi | Missouri | Texas | Michigan State | Oregon State |
| Paul | Auburn | Missouri | Oklahoma State | Michigan State | Oregon State |
Mississippi at Auburn:
Jared: Auburn started out strong, but has begun to unravel as their offense grinds to a halt. Mississippi hasn't been great, but they are a better team than Auburn. Pick: Mississippi
Nick: After a 5-0 start, Auburn has come crashing back to Earth with consecutive losses at Arkansas, Kentucky and at LSU. Ole Miss QB Jevan Snead has been heating up of late, and I like him and the Rebels to take advantage of what has turned out to be a very suspect Auburn defense. Pick: Mississippi
Dave: Man, how overrated was Mississippi coming into the season? That said, Auburn is simply a putrid defensive team, and that they have lost three in a row to mostly mediocre competition is no accident. Not only will Auburn lose this game, but they'll lose to Georiga and Alabama as well, setting up a 1-6 finish to the season. Pick: Mississippi
Dominic: Auburn comes into this game losers of their last 3 games and seem to be having all sorts of trouble. We got lulled into thinking that they were for real until they hit the Arkansas game. Then the wheels fell off the cart. They do share a common opponent in Arkansas and the Rebels handled them. Pick: Mississippi
Jeremy: The bloom is off the rose at Auburn. What once was 5-0 is now 5-3. This isn't the physical lock-down defense we've see from Auburn in the past, either. Even in their wins Auburn gave up a lot of points. Mississippi, on the other can play a little D and puts up plenty of points. Pick: Mississippi
Paul: Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead has been slightly better at home than on the road, so I'm going with Auburn. Although, I think this will be a great game and more of less a toss-up. Pick: Auburn
Missouri at Colorado:
Jared: The Big 12 north is a soul killing division. Both of these teams are very bad. Missouri is more talented, I think. So I'll go with them. Pick: Missouri
Nick: I could waste your time with a justification, but I'd rather just refer you to Dave's comment below. Pick: Missouri
Dave: Colorado sucks. Next. Pick: Missouri
Dominic: Both teams aren't very good offensively, especially Colorado who ranks 107th in the country in total yards. I like Missouri's coaching staff and even though they've lost some tough games, they should be able to beat up on a Colorado team in complete disarray. Pick: Missouri
Jeremy: This game should be cancelled for lack of potential for quality football. Colorado has played better of late, Missouri keeps getting worse. It's college football, though, and nothing ever makes sense. Pick: Missouri
Paul: The "Fire Dan Hawkins" movement will gain more steam when the Tigers from Columbia visit Boulder and run up the score. Pick: Missouri
Texas at Oklahoma State:
Jared: I want to go with the upset on this one, but Oklahoma State hasn't accomplished much this season. I think that Texas will be able to move the ball consistently, and shut down the Dez Bryant-less Cowboys. Pick: Texas
Nick: Both teams boast high-scoring offenses, with Texas coming out slightly ahead. The real difference is on defense, where Texas has a sizeable margin in points allowed and yards allowed. And, most importantly, Texas currently leads the country in rushing yards allowed, with only 299 yards on 197 carries in seven games (1.5 ypc). I just don't think Oklahoma State will be able to move the ball consistently enough to keep up with Texas. Pick: Texas
Dave: I just think that, especially without Dez Bryant, that Texas has more talent than Oklahoma State. I'd like to see Texas lose, but if that happens, its going to be about what Texas didn't do, as opposed to what Oklahoma State did. Pick: Texas
Dominic: Oklahoma State just isn't the same team without Dez Bryant. Colt McCoy just continues to find ways to win. It should be a great matchup but I have they ultimate key to picking this game. Texas has a less offensive "orange", therefore they win the game. Pick: Texas
Jeremy: No Dez, no dice for Okie State. They'll give the horns all they want, and UT will have to play better than they showed against Oklahoma. Colt McCoy can step forward in the Heisman race with a good performance on the road. Pick: Texas
Paul: Even without Dez Bryant, the Cowboys and Zac Robinson are going to expose the Longhorns in Stillwater. I wasn't impressed with Texas when I saw them live at the Cotton Bowl against Oklahoma, and they aren't battle tested on the road, despite the big win at Missouri last weekend. But, I'm sticking to my guns: Down goes No. 3. Pick: Oklahoma State
Michigan State at Minnesota:
Jared: Minnesota's season is getting really tough, with the injury of their best player, Eric Decker. Without that offensive threat, MSU gets a victory on the road. Pick: Michigan State
Nick: The Spartans have had some tough, close losses this year, losing to Central Michigan, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, and Iowa by a combined fifteen points. Michigan State will also be without Eric Decker for the remainder of the season after he went down last week against the Buckeyes. Honestly, if I had realized that Decker was out on Monday, I wouldn't have chosen this game. Pick: Michigan State
Dave: Neither of these teams are terribly great, but did you hear that Eric Decker is out for the season? When your only playmaker is done for the season, your team is probably done for the season too. Minnesota just has nobody to score points. Pick: Michigan State
Dominic: I like Michigan State, primarily because they've looked good in the games they've played, even in the losses. Minnesota is coming off disasters in the Penn State and Ohio State games. I think Michigan State has finally figured some things out and will play well against the Gophers. Pick: Michigan State
Jeremy: Sparty is this year's hard luck case. So close against Central Michigan, Notre Dame, and Iowa. I suppose MSU could come out with a post-final-second-loss hangover and lay an egg, but in the end I think they're a little better than Minnesota. Pick: Michigan State
Paul: Coming off a heartbreaking loss to Iowa on the final play, the Spartans have still won three out of their last four and are gaining momentum. Minnesota, on the other hand, has lost three out of their last four, including their last two. Momentum is the name of the game in the Big Ten. Pick: Michigan State
UCLA at Oregon State (-8.5):
Jared: Oregon State is improving, while UCLA is falling apart. I think that Oregon State wins this one easily. Pick: Oregon State
Nick: Everyone seems to be giving the points and taking Oregon State. And, I see all the reasoning: UCLA has no offense, their defense is suddenly nearly as bad, the Beavers are at home and have two of the conferences top playmakers on offense. But, I haven't picked an OSU game correctly yet, so I'll go against the grain on this one. Pick: UCLA
Dave: UCLA is not a good football team, and they are getting worse as the season goes on. OSU is getting stronger. I expect a steady dose of Quizz to lead the Beavers to a two score win. Pick: Oregon State
Dominic: Oregon State is going to KILL UCLA. Seriously, it won't even be close. UCLA is not a good team and they are looking to play 2 quarterbacks in Corvallis. I can't even fathom OSU losing this game. The way Canfield, and the Rodgers Brothers are playing, it won't matter how good the Bruin defense is and as bad as the Oregon State defense has been this year... UCLA still won't be able to move the ball. Beavers in a landslide. Stone Cold Lock! Pick: Oregon State
Jeremy: The Beavers are doing what they do - getting all revved up for a strong second half finish. Are we past all this "UCLA has a great defense" stuff? Probably. The Bruins have to score some points...and they just don't have the tools to get it done. Beavers do. Curious though, is this the game were OSU suffers that one big injury that makes everything look shaky? Pick: Oregon State
Paul: Despite coming up short against the Trojans on Saturday, the Beavers are doing what they always do, and that's picking up steam as the season progresses. UCLA, as far as I'm concerned, is the second worst team in the Pac-10, and OSU shouldn't have any trouble covering this spread. Unless UCLA's rumored two-headed quarterback ends up solving all their problems. Pick: Oregon State