If you haven't made your picks, you can do so here. The deadline is tonight at 11.59 PM PT.
After the first two games, we finally have some debate over who we think will win. FYI, Dave submitted his picks without comment this week.
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Auburn at Arkansas |
Florida at LSU |
Arizona at Washington |
Georgia Tech at Florida State |
Stanford at Oregon State |
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| Jared | Arkansas | Florida | Arizona | Georgia Tech | Stanford |
| Nick | Auburn | Florida | Arizona | Georgia Tech | Stanford |
| Dave | Auburn | Florida | Washington | Georgia Tech | Stanford |
| Dominic | Auburn | Florida | Washington | Florida State | Oregon State |
| Jeremy | Auburn | Florida | Washington | Florida State | Stanford |
| Paul | Auburn | Florida | Arizona | Georgia Tech | Oregon State |
Auburn at Arkansas:
Jared: Auburn has looked good early, but haven't really beaten anyone of consequence. As Bill Connelly of RockMNation said this week, they are exactly where they should be, considering who they've played. Arkansas has had a couple tough losses, but thumped a bad Texas A&M team last week. This should be a shootout, but Arkansas pulls it out in the end at home. Pick: Arkansas
Nick: Auburn is one of the top teams in the country in terms total offense behind a balanced passing and rushing attack. Arkansas, on the other hand, has given up a lot of points in their two games against ranked opponents (Georgia and Alabama), both of which were losses. I think that trend continues as Arkansas will be unable to stop Auburn on the ground. Pick: Auburn
Dominic: This isn't going to sound logical but I'm picking this game based on a co-workers friend that used to work as a sports reporter covering Arkansas. She says to take Auburn. Good enough for me. Pick: Auburn
Jeremy: It's easier to believe in Auburn at this point than Arkansas. Probably a close game, but I think Auburn's offense will do enough damage to get them a decent road win. Pick: Auburn
Paul: The Razorbacks are going to have to slow Auburn's ground game, which ranks 5th nationally averaging 254 rushing yards per game. For a team that's giving up a mediocre 121 rushing yards per game, I just don't see Arkansas pulling it off. The Tigers will crack the top 10 and improves to 6-0 under first-year head coach Gene Chizik. Pick: Auburn
Florida at LSU:
Jared: I still think that LSU is overrated. I think that the Florida D should handle LSU easily, and that Florida will score more than enough points even without Tebow. Pick: Florida
Nick: This is finally the week where LSU gets exposed, as they host Florida who is coming off of a bye week. Even with the questions regarding Tebow's health, Florida will just be too much for LSU to handle, particularly when the Gators are on defense. Pick: Florida
Dominic:
With Tebow still suffering effects from his concussion 2 weeks ago, the easy way is to pick LSU especially since the game is in Death Valley. Tebow is good but you've got to figure that Tebow's backup isn't a slouch. I don't like how LSU has played this year, especially in the passing game. I think they get exposed by Florida, even without Tim Tebow. Pick: Florida
Jeremy: Florida's defense will be challenged to shoulder the weight of what would be a huge road win. I'm not sure there is another defense in the country that I believe could beat LSU without help of an all-world starting QB. I believe Florida is that good and will prove it with the help of motivation by adversity. Pick: Florida
Paul: These SEC match-ups are always so hard to pick. Not because the competition is stiff, but because I hate every school, coach, player and, well, just about everything about the SEC. But Tebow or no Tebow, it won't matter. Backup John Brantley isn't exactly chopped liver, completing nearly 75% of his passes and throwing for four TDs in spot duty so far this season. Les Miles and the Tigers will prove they're more of a pretender when they turn into Gator Bait on Saturday. Pick: Florida
Arizona at Washington:
Jared: I originally thought this would be a tough game to pick, and then I started looking at the stats. Arizona has played one of the hardest schedules in the country, and is averaging over 6 yards per play on offense (UW is 5.5 ypp). Defensively, they are holding opponents to 4.6 ypp while UW is giving up 7.0 yards per play. But it's Stoops on the road, so this game will be much closer than it should be. Pick: Arizona
Nick: I really just don't know about this game. UW is suspect on defense and I still have my doubts about Locker. Arizona is coming off a big (for them) road win in Corvallis followed by a bye. I'll go with the road team in a close game. Pick: Arizona
Dominic: Washington has a questionable defense but seems to have found their groove on offense. Arizona looked good against Oregon State a couple weeks ago and it should be enough against the weak Husky defense. If this game was in Arizona, I would be going the other way. Pick: Washington
Jeremy: The Dawgs are now well beyond having to focus solely on fundamentals each week. They've played very well at times. I expect the UW crowd to give Arizona's inexperienced QB all he can handle. Jake Locker appears to be a QB after all. Who knew. Pick: Washington
Paul: After the Dawgs dumped the Trojans in Seattle, seemingly everyone started predicting the Huskies to right the ship much sooner than expected. But now that they've returned from Cloud 9, I think we're seeing the real Washington Huskies: Inexperienced, prone to error, and mostly just average. Arizona, on the other hand, has a stout defense that should have no trouble shutting the Huskies down. I just don't see UW coming away with this one. Pick: Arizona
Georgia Tech at Florida State:
Jared: Florida State is in disarray, and I honestly have no idea what team will show up. Will it be the team that stomped BYU, or the team that could only manage a touchdown against USF. I'm picking Georgia Tech because they've been more consistent. I'm hoping they'll be more dependable. Pick: Georgia Tech
Nick: Florida State has had some consistency issues this season and are coming off two straight losses. Look for that to be three straight as Georgia Tech comes into Tallahassee and wins behind their strong ground attack. Pick: Georgia Tech
Dominic: There is a lot of pressure surrounding Bobby Bowden and you can bet he wants this game to take the pressure off. Georgia Tech has a great offense but I don't think it's enough to take out Florida State. The Seminoles rebound in this one. Pick: Florida State
Jeremy: Saint Bowden is under fire. I expect the 'Noles to respond with great emotion and effort against a Georgia Tech team that is good, but not great. The FSU Mystery Tour continues this week in Tallahassee. Pick: Florida State
Paul: The Seminoles are 6-0 all-time at home against the Yellow Jackets. But that streak won't make it to seven. Behind junior running back Jonathan Dwyer and dual-threat quarterback Josh Nesbitt, Georgia Tech should run all over Florida State, which is giving up an average of 129 yards per game on the ground. Pick: Georgia Tech
Stanford at Oregon State:
Jared: I really hate picking OSU games. I have no idea what to expect from this team. However, I think that Luck and his receivers will be able to hit the OSU defense where it is weakest, and will then be able to move the ball with Gerhart. On the opposite side of the ball, though the ASU game was definitely a good turnaround, OSU didn't get to 300 total yards, but scored due to a short field. I doubt that Stanford will hand them the same opportunities. Pick: Stanford
Nick: I just know I am going to get burned by Oregon State again, but here goes nothing. Stanford should be able to score enough points on the OSU defense to overcome whatever the Beaver offense can put up -- short of the Rodgers brothers both breaking out for huge days. I think if this game were played mulitple times, Stanford wins more often than not. Pick: Stanford
Dominic: Time for Oregon State to start making their annual run. It isn't September anymore which means that Beavers are dangerous. I'm not convinced they've beat anyone but I'm not completely sold on Stanford either, even though they're the sexy pick right now to win the Pac-10. I think Mike Riley found something against Arizona State. Pick: Oregon State
Jeremy: The Beavers need to keep rolling to stay in contention for a quality season. At the same time, the Wheaties seem to be kickin' in for Stanford. I think a balanced, ball-control attack from the Trees will allow them to play keep-away from the Rodgers family. This probably comes down to a final possession and someone making a big play or a critical mistake. Pick: Stanford
Paul: This is a great matchup between the country's No. 12 rushing offense against the No. 12 rushing defense. Although Stanford has been on a roll, I think the Beavers are doing it again. And by "it," I mean starting to build momentum after an average-at-best start. I think Oregon State wins in a barn-burner at Salsa Stadium. Pick: Oregon State