Thor's Hammer gives you Blockbuster Saturday's Winners

Holding the slightest of leads over Great Odin's Raven, the pressure is palpable. I could really use a week in which all of the games were relatively easy to pick so as to build on said lead. But alas, it is not to be. This was the red letter week entering the season and, while many of the participants lost last week, (some worse than others) this is still the marquee weekend of the year. There are 6 games between top 25 teams and all of which will have an impact on the BCS bowls. Add to that the UGA-TENN and WISC-ILL games and you have one hell of a weekend. Without further ado, here are your week 6 locks.


South Carolina 27- Kentucky 24 (10/4)

The Wildcats are the talk of the SEC and are the only undefeated Eastern division team. Having already beaten Arkansas and Louisville they have has their fare share of big games making them battle tested. However, they now must go on the road and play the best defense that they have faced all year. The Gamecocks will not be at full strength as Jasper Brinkley, the defensive leader and LB, is out for the season but this team will still get after it on defense. With or without Brinkley, this is stil the best defense that Kentucky has faced. This game will be won or lost when South Carolina is on offense. If the Cocks can put up 25+, they should win this game. This is a night game in Columbia so the crowd will be in to it making it that much more difficult for Andre Woodson and Co. I expect that the Gamecocks will at least slow Woodson down and limit Kentucky as much as possible. The Evil Genius wins again, putting the Cocks into the top 10.

LSU 27 - FLA 21

This was going to be the game of the year until Florida tripped over their dick last week. While this is still going to be the marquee game amongst marquee games it has certainly lost some of its luster. The Fighting Tebow's had a rough game against Auburn in what was a very surprising loss and now find themselves in a must win situation should they want to repeat as national champions. The Gator's are weak on the corners when playing D which is where LSU should make their money on Saturday utilizing their advantage with Brandon LaFell and Early Ducet. Until Tebow can get a running back to take some pressure off of him I won't be completely sold on this team. Meanwhile, LSU is playing at home...again and at night. Look at the history of LSU when they play at night and you will see a team that is nearly impossible to beat. While I am not sold on Flynn at QB, I am sold on the best defense in the country (yes, better than USC) which is what will keep this game from being as close as the score would indicate.


Oklahoma 38 - Texas 20

This game reminds me of the Red River Shootouts...I mean rivalry that took place Pre-Vince Young. Before Mack Brown learned how to coach (read: got Vince Young) Bob Stoops and OU would embarrass him on national television. Get ready to see more of that. OU fell asleep at the wheel last week in boulder (smokin' dat weed, perhaps?) after leading by 17 at the half. Clearly looking ahead to Texas most likely cost OU a shot at the title which means they are going to be pissed come Saturday. This year's Texas team is simply not that good (refer to the ARK ST and UCF games) and Mack Brown is the most overrated coach in America. Unless Vince suits up for the 'Horns look for Allen Patrick, DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown to run all over Texas enabling Sam Bradford to kill the 'Horns with some play action.


Georgia 27 - Tennessee 24

Mark Richt is an astonishing 9-2 against ranked SEC teams on the road and has won the last 3 games in Neyland stadium. Fat Phil will be on the hot seat should the Vols finish anything less than 2nd in the SEC East (which they will) meaning that this game could determine how much longer he roams the sidelines for Tennessee. UGA has played well the last 2 weeks and are fast enough on D to keep up with the potent Vols attack. The weakness of Tennessee is clearly their defense which is where this game will be won or lost. If the Dawgs can run the ball effectively and not make Stafford throw the ball 30 times UGA should leave Knoxville a winner once more. Look for Brandon Coutou to hit a game winning FG with under 2 minutes to play setting up a late Asher Allen INT to seal the deal.


Ohio State 30 - Purdue 21

The Boilermakers are coming off of a less-than-impressive victory over lowly Notre Dame and have yet to play a team with a defense like Ohio State. The Buckeyes, on the other hand, have yet to face an offense as potent as the one Joe Tiller and Co. will bring to the field Saturday in West LaFayette. This looks like a classic Jim Tressel game where he comes in a runs the ball to set up some big plays and lets his D win the game for him. While Purdue will put up some points on the Buckeyes, they simply don't have the horses on offense or defense to pull this game out. Now, the last time Purdue hosted Ohio State when they were a top 5 team it took a 4th and 12 deep bomb to Michael Jenkins to beat the Boilers. Don't expect a repeat as Ohio State goes ahead in the 3rd quarter and puts Purdue away.


Nebraska 38 - Missouri 35

The Big 12 media writers chose Missouri as the favorite to win the North division. Yet somehow this game feels like Nebraska should be the team to beat even though they are a touchdown underdog. Both teams feature a stout offense. Missouri has the 12th best offense (scoring offense, the only one that matters) led by Chase Daniel (ranked #5 in offense by an individual player). Nebraska is not too far away from the Tigers as they are ranked #25 in soring offense. If offense was all that mattered when it came to winning football games, Gary Pinkel and Bill Callahan would be football savants. Therein lies the problem; winning football games requires a defense. Missouri is ranked smack dab in the middle in scoring defense coming in at #58 in the country while Nebraska is even worse coming in at #67. Neither team has been able to stop anyone all season. However, the Huskers have played a much tougher schedule (#33-#95) and took it to Missouri last year winning 34-20 in a game where the Huskers were up 27-3. Gary Pinkel's best record in the Big 12 is 4-4 in his 6 seasons as head coach. The next big win for the Tigers will be their first under Pinkel. Give me the Huskers in a shootout in an homage to the old Pac 10 where defense was optional.


Clemson 20 - Virginia Tech 17

This is a must win game for Clemson if they want any chance at an ACC title. After losing to Georgia Tech last week the Tigers can ill afford another conference loss. Virginia Tech virtually disappeared after they were dumped on by LSU and the Hokies are coming into this game having been nothing if not average in every game that they have played (not counting the ass whooping in Baton Rouge...where they were dreadful). I like Clemson to get healthy this week by using the best RB combination outside of the Arkansas. Virginia Tech's offense has sputtered under the direction of true Freshman QB Tyrod Tayler, but anything is better than Sean Glennon. The Hokie defense can only keep you in the game, you'd better have an offense that can put points on the board. The Tigers ride James Davis and CJ Spiller but they win the game on a Mark Bucholtz FG (that's redemption with an R-O-N for those of you who were wondering).


Rutgers 24 - Cincinnati 21

The Cincinnati Bearcats boast the most opportunistic defense in the country leading the nation if TO's gained and TO margin. This is not a one trick pony however. The Bearcats also bring the #6 scoring offense to the table averaging over 46 points per game. They have blasted Oregon State already and now look to take Rutgers down for a 2nd year in a row. The Scarlet Knights aren't that bad either, coming in at #13. Rutgers is coming off of a home loss to Maryland but have yet to lose to a Big East foe. The Scarlet Knights should be jacked up for a game that may determine who wins the Big East. I am not sold on either team as Rutgers has played no one and has a loss and Cincinnati has only beaten Oregon State. I like Rutgers to defend their home turf ending Cincinnati's undefeated season. Look for Ray Rice to get the ball 30 times and run for over 150 yards.