Here's what the bloggers of ATQ thought about this week's games. If you have not submitted your picks yet, can do so via this form before the deadline (tonight at 11:59:59 PM PT). Here's a list of all the users that have successfully submitted picks this week, as of 8:30 AM PT today.
Dave | Nick | Jared | Dominic | Jeremy | Paul | Takimoto | Matt Daddy | |
Pittsburgh at Syracuse |
Syracuse |
Syracuse |
Pittsburgh |
Pittsburgh |
Pittsburgh |
Pittsburgh |
Pittsburgh |
Pittsburgh |
Arkansas at Auburn |
Arkansas |
Auburn |
Auburn |
Arkansas |
Auburn |
Auburn |
Auburn |
Auburn |
Baylor at Colorado |
Baylor |
Colorado |
Baylor |
Colorado |
Baylor |
Colorado |
Colorado |
Colorado |
California at USC |
Cal | USC |
USC |
Cal |
USC |
Cal |
USC |
USC |
Ohio State (-6.5) at Wisconsin |
Wisconsin |
Wisconsin |
Wisconsin |
OSU |
OSU |
Wisconsin |
Wisconsin |
OSU |
Pittsburgh at Syracuse [Nick]:
This was one of those games that seemed like a fun game with two bad teams when I picked it on Monday, but now that I have to actually pick it -- ugh. Vegas isn't much help, as most sports books have this game as a straight pick'em (a few have Pittsburgh as a 1-point favorite). Pittsburgh's two wins have been blowouts against New Hampshire and a Florida Internal team whose sole victory was a close win against Western Kentucky. Syracuse, on the other hand, has four wins, but the only one that is even remotely worth mentioning is their 13-9 victory last weekend against South Florida. Ultimately, I'll let myself be guided by bradll99's recap of the Pittsburgh at Utah game that he saw in person during week 1: "It was a game between two bad teams, with Utah's QB fighting inconsistency and Pittsburgh's QB being just plain awful. Inconsistency ended up beating awful." Here's hoping "awful" loses again.
Arkansas at Auburn [Jared]:
Baylor at Colorado [Jeremy]:
Apparently I won the when mediocrity sees its twin in the mirror sweepstakes. Vegas likes this to be a close game, which makes sense when comparing records and statistics. Baylor's offense has rolled in every game this season with the exception of their 45-10 loss at TCU. With a second half schedule that includes Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas A&M, this is a must win for the Bears if they intend to go bowling. CU won't be a pushover at home, but I think Baylor QB Robert Griffin (69% completion rate, 9/1 TDs to INTs, 6 rushing TDs) will do just enough to leave Boulder 5-2.
California at USC [Dominic]:
I hate Cal games because every time I put my faith in them, they let me down. I just can't see USC losing three in a row in a normal year but this is anything but normal for the Trojans. Losing the last two games on field goals has to be brutal, even to the most optimistic USC fan. I think both coaches need this win but Cal is trending up and should get their first win at USC in a decade. Besides, Lane Kiffen won't be thinking about this game when he's coaching the 49ers next year.
Ohio State (-6.5) at Wisconsin [Paul]:
This one’s more of a no-brainer than it might seem on first glance: Wisconsin should cover the spread. That is, if history’s any indication. Although Ohio State has had surprisingly great success the past two decades at Camp Randall (they’re 5-2-1 in Madison since 1990), they haven’t been winning by much. And since Jim Tressel took over in 2001, the Buckeyes lead by a combined one point, winning by 3 in 2008, losing by 7 in 2003, and winning by 5 in 2002 (the year the Buckeyes won the national title). We also don’t know a whole lot about how good either of these teams are. According to Jeff Sagarin’s computer, they’ve played the 117th and 116th rated schedules, respectively. Do I think Ohio State will lose? No. But I think it will be close, and history suggests the safe bet is to take Wisconsin to cover.