A Week to Recover

Last weekend's slate of games proved that nothing can be taken for granted in college football. That's what makes the sport so great. We had a slew of upsets, and my record in picking games took a major hit. However, I was not alone in having an off-week and there is still plenty of time for me to finish with the best record even after missing the first week.
This weekend's games promise to be highly entertaining and I am greatly looking forward to them. What would make the weekend even better is if I didn't also have to move. That is going to be a real hassle, but I'll still find time to watch all the games. With that said, it's on to the picks of the week.

Kentucky 34 South Carolina 27

I feel that the Wildcats can overcome their lack of defense with one of the most explosive offenses in the country. I picked against Kentucky when they traveled to Fayetteville to take on Arkansas, and I am not going to make the same mistake again. Andre Woodson is the real deal at quarterback for the Wildcats, and this is starting to look like a magical year for the traditionally moribund program at Kentucky. The magic will not end in Columbia, and the Wildcats will pull out a close one over a South Carolina team missing their best defensive player in Jasper Brinkley.

LSU 24 Florida 21

LSU is playing a night game at home this weekend against a very solid Florida team. It was expected that both teams would be undefeated going into this game, but Auburn changed that with their win last week over Florida in the Swamp. LSU possesses the best defense in the country and will be able to hold Tim Tebow in check. The Tigers will dominate this game, but the Gators will punch in a late score to make the game like it was a very close contest.

Oklahoma 41 Texas 14

Oklahoma is coming off a huge letdown game in Boulder, while Texas is still recovering from the shellacking they took at the hands of Kansas State. Although both of these teams are coming off of losses, Oklahoma is clearly the better team. I thought Texas had turned the corner and was going to maintain the momentum created by the Vince Young-era, but they obviously are just not very good this year. This one should be a blowout, and Oklahoma will take clear control in the Little 12 South.

Georgia 30 Tennessee 17

I hate picking Georgia games. Even if I felt that Georgia would probably lose, I couldn''t in good conscience pick against the Dawgs. With that said, I don't have any problems picking the Dawgs to win this one rather comfortably. I feel that Phil Fulmer's time in Knoxville is almost up, and the Dawgs will hammer in one more nail in his coffin. Matthew Stafford will play mistake-free, and the Georgia defense will keep the high-powered Tennessee offense in check.

Ohio State 30 Purdue 20

The Boilermakers have a high-powered offense that looked like it was sleeping for much of the day against Notre Dame. I was looking for the Boilers to score at least 50 points, or at the very least cover the 22 point spread. As good as Purdue's offense is, their defense is still extremely shaky. They do possess some talented football players on that side of the ball, but I don't see any way that they will be able to stop the Ohio State offense. I think the home crowd keeps the Boilers close, but in the end Ohio State will just have too much talent for the Boilermakers.


Missouri 38 Nebraska 34

Clemson 17 Virginia Tech 10

Rutgers 24 Cincinnati 17