#10 Oregon State
(4-0) @ BYU (4-2)
Vs. 
3:30 ET, ABC, Sat.
Oct. 13, LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, UT
It’s battle of
the backups in Provo this weekend. Both Oregon State and BYU lost their
respective starting quarterbacks last week. BYU may be down to their third
quarterback of the season, if previous starter Riley Nelson can’t go. The
Beavers lost starter Sean Mannion to a knee injury last week and will be forced
to go with junior Cody Vaz to continue their undefeated streak. There’s little
to expect from Vaz, who has not thrown a pass in a game since 2010 and has
never started a collegiate game. The strength of this OSU team, however, has
been its defense, which has allowed just eight offensive touchdowns all season.
Provo isn’t exactly a walk in the park to play in – BYU is 4-0 at home this
season – but the Beavers have taken down both UCLA and Arizona on the road. Vaz’
new job will be easy to handle with big play wideouts Marcus Wheaton and
Brandin Cooks on his side. Pick: Oregon State 21 – BYU 14
#17 Stanford (4-1)
@ 7 Notre Dame (5-0)
Vs. 
3:30 ET, NBC, Sat.
Oct. 13, Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, IN
There are still
few Irish supporters to come by this season. Even at 5-0 and with take downs of
Michigan, Michigan State and Miami (FL), believing in the Irish still feels a
bit like believing in an American golfer to sink a put. A win Saturday can
change that, though, and instill even more confidence in Kelly’s group.
Quarterback Everett Golson came off the bench last week playing far beyond
anything he’s shown this season. Stanford’s defense is far from the 118th
ranked unit Miami puts on the field, though. Keep a close eye on the tight ends
matched up against the linebackers. Both teams bring in who may be the best
tight ends and linebackers in the country in the Irish’s Tyler Eifert and Stanford’s
Zach Ertz. They’ll be matched up against Cardinal linebacker Chase Thomas and
Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o. In a defensive battle, led by Te’o, the Irish will be
too tough to beat at home. Pick: Notre Dame 18 – Stanford 9
#15 Texas (4-1) VS #13 Oklahoma (3-1)
Vs. 
12:00 ET, ABC, Sat.
Oct. 13, Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX
Finally, a big
game in the state of Texas that’s not at Cowboys Stadium. Turnovers killed the
Longhorns last season, as Texas turned the ball over five times, leading to 31 Oklahoma
points. The 55 points given up by the Longhorns was the second most ever in
this matchup. This isn’t last year’s Longhorn team, however. The Longhorns sit
ranked No. 13 in the country with a +1.4 turnover margin. Starting quarterback David
Ash has thrown just one interception all season, to 11 touchdowns. The Sooners
are once again sound defensively, but it’s surprisingly their offense that
looks to need work. Quarterback Landry Jones has few options apart from wideout
Kenny Stills. Like last season, big plays can be the difference maker in a
rivalry like the Red River Rivalry. I question if Oklahoma has enough in the
tank to hang with a Texas team averaging 46.8 points an outing. Pick:
Texas 38 – Oklahoma 23
(Game of the week…)
#3 South
Carolina (6-0) @ #9 LSU (5-1)
Vs. 
8:00 ET, ESPN, Sat.
Oct. 13, Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA
Heading in opposite
ends of the SEC spectrum, Carolina played one of their best games yet under Spurrier
last week, while LSU played one of the ugliest under Miles. Florida ran for 176
yards against what is suppose to be the best defensive front in football
employed by the Tigers. LSU turned the ball over three times and ran for just
42 total yards. Carolina heads in fresh off of a 35-7 beatdown of then No. 5
ranked Georgia. Carolina’s defense has been its biggest reason for success this
season, allowing just 10.5 points a game. Defensive end Jadaveon Clowney and
the Gamecocks defense have terrorized quarterbacks, bringing in 25 sacks
through their first six games. With Zach Mettenberger and the Tigers offense
struggling to find an identity, the Gamecocks steal one on the road in Baton
Rouge. Pick: South Carolina 17 – LSU 10 (OT)
#11 USC (4-1) @ Washington (3-2)
Vs. 
7:00 ET, FOX, Sat.
Oct. 13, CenturyLink Field, Seattle, WA
Another trap
game for Pac-12 supremacy? The Huskies are tough at home in their CenturyLink
Field bubble, having taken down Stanford already this season. USC, although
having lost to Stanford, heads to Seattle with far more firepower offensively
than the Cardinal. Scoring hasn’t been an issue for the Trojans this season,
with quarterback Matt Barkley having thrown 15 touchdowns already. For the
Huskies, scoring has been their kryptonite. Averaging just 22.8 points a game –
good for No. 97 in the country – quarterback Keith Price has had little time to
set his feet, let alone get a pass off. To be fair, the Huskies have played
LSU, Stanford and Oregon this season. The Trojans can’t afford another
conference loss, though. Washington will make it closer than it should be, but
Barkley will find a way. Pick: USC 27 – Washington 21
(Give me a ticket to see…)
#6 Kansas State
(5-0) @ Iowa State (4-1)
Vs. 
12:00 ET, FX, Sat.
Oct. 13, Jack Trice Stadium, Ames, IA
Pick a Klein on either
side; they’ll most likely be the game changer. Iowa State linebacker A.J. Klein
gives Kansas State’s Collin Klein (no relation) a run for his big play money. In
his career, A.J. Klein has returned interceptions for touchdowns of 78, 69, 25
and this season, 87 yards, making him Iowa State’s all-time leader in defensive
return touchdowns. Collin Klein has been as advertised this season, if not
better than last year’s Heisman worthy season. The quarterback has led an
offense that averages 43.6 points a game, with 15 total touchdowns to his
credit. The two Klein’s will certainly clash heads Saturday, but I’d expect
Collin, to get the best of A.J. Of all the games KSU has played so far, however,
this one ends up as the closest. Pick: Kansas State 31 – Iowa State 28
North Carolina (4-2)
@ Miami (FL) (4-2)
Vs. 
2:30 ET, ESPNU,
Sat. Oct. 13, Sun Life Stadium, Miami, FL
Notre Dame threw
a FEMA blanket over the Hurricanes last week. Just when everything started heading
in the ‘Canes direction. Miami says goodbye to their non conference BCS
schedule, which left them 0-2 this season and hello to an ACC schedule in which
they already sit at 3-0. UNC has pulled off three straight wins, including a
48-34 thrashing of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg last week. Averaging 44 points a
game, the Heels are led by Gio Bernard and their ground attack. Miami has
played at a high school level defensively this season, placing big pressure on
their offense and quarterback Stephen Morris. Morris, however, has responded
quite nice, particularly against the ACC. The ‘Canes have played UNC tough over
the last few seasons, leaving me to expect they’ll rebound in the warmth of their
ACC schedule. Pick: Miami 43 – North Carolina 37 (2OT)
(Upset pick…)
#22 Texas A&M
(4-1) @ #23 Louisiana Tech (5-0)
Vs. 
9:00
ET, ESPNU, Sat. Oct. 13, Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA
Originally
scheduled for the first week of the season, Hurricane Isaac pushed the meeting
back to this weekend. Dating back to last season, there have been few teams on
a hotter streak than the Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech. Tech has won 12 of their
last 13 with their lone loss coming in the Poinsettia Bowl to TCU by one score.
The Aggies have been led by the big play ability of freshman quarterback Johnny
Manziel, who’s leading A&M in both passing and rushing through their first
five. He’ll go up against a defense ranked No. 109 in the country, giving up
35.8 points an outing. The Bulldogs can score, however, bringing in nearly 54
points a game. Quarterback Cody Cameron spreads the ball to multiple weapons
and has yet to turn the ball over. In an upset that feels bigger than it looks
on paper, Tech pulls off the nighttime thriller at home. Pick: Louisiana Tech 41 – Texas A&M
36
Iowa (3-2) @ Michigan State (4-2)
Vs. 
12:00 ET, ESPN,
Sat. Oct. 13, Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI
What happened to
the Spartans? Preseason Big Ten favorites, MSU has been lucky to get by Eastern
Michigan and Indiana this season. Just last week the Spartans were down 17-0 by
the end of the first quarter to the Hoosiers and 27-14 at halftime. It won’t
get any easier for them this week with a visit from Iowa. Le’Veon Bell remains
questionable to play with an ankle injury and quarterback Andrew Maxwell’s
favorite target, tight end Dion Sims, is doubtful. Luckily for the Spartans,
this isn’t the same Iowa team of recent years. They’ll need to stop bruising
tailback Mark Weisman, who’s brought in 515 yards and seven scores on the
ground this season, to have a chance. They took a relapse last week, but the
defense has been solid overall for MSU. If they stop the run, they’ll sneak by
a frustrated Iowa team. Pick: Michigan State 23 – Iowa 16
Last Week: 7-1 –
Overall: 16-9 – Upset Pick: 1-2
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