| OTS 96-29 |
Nico 92-33 |
Todd 85-40 |
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Florida vs Florida Atlantic 11:00am - PPV |
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Georgia vs Kentucky 11:30am - Lincoln Financial |
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Arkansas vs Mississippi State 1:00pm |
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Alabama vs La.-Monroe 1:30pm |
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Tennessee vs Vanderbilt 1:00pm - PPV |
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LSU at Ole Miss 2:30pm - CBS |
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Michigan vs Ohio State 11:00am - ABC |
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Notre Dame vs Duke 1:30pm - NBC |
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Cincinnati vs West Virginia 6:45pm - ESPN |
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Clemson vs Boston College 6:45pm - ESPN2 |
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Oklahoma at Texas Tech 7:00pm - ABC |
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OTS Thinks:
Alabama over Louisiana-Monroe: See the extended preview for more. The Tide will win in this one, though it probably isn't going to be a blowout due to the high probability that the offense's incompetence continues for another week.
Florida over Florida Atlantic: Florida was looking for an easy win before having the Seminoles come to the Swamp, and it looks like they've found it. I figure Lakeland High would give the Gators just as tough of a time as FAU. UF rolls by several touchdowns.
Arkansas over Mississippi State: Despite wins over Auburn, Kentucky, and Alabama, the Dawgs get no love. The Hogs are a ten point favorite, and rightfully so. Mississippi State wins games when opposing teams make dumbass turnovers -- see John Parker Wilson and the 103 yard interception return for a touchdown -- and the Hogs won't do that as they'll control the game on the ground with McFadden. I've said it before and I'll say it again: MSU can only win when other teams beat themselves, and Arkansas won't do that. I give Arkansas the nod and say they'll beat Mississippi State in Fayetteville.
Tennessee over Vanderbilt: The 'Dores are a pretty solid team, but realistically you just cannot pick them. Tennessee has more talent and depth than the 'Dores will get in the next twenty years combined, and the Vols desperately want to get to Atlanta. I'd love nothing more than to see Vandy knock the Vols out of Atlanta, but I highly doubt it happens. I say the Vols win and then need to just beat Kentucky to play in the SEC Championship Game.
LSU over Ole Miss: The Rebels are a team that reeks of piss-poor coaching. They can play very competitive football, but all of the struggles against the Northwestern States of the world is just so Shula-esque. Greg Hardy is returning for this game, and the Rebs may play pretty well and keep it fairly close. If you recall, they led LSU with six seconds to play last year and forced overtime in Tiger Stadium, and they get an off week. That said, it's hard to even imagine a scenario where Ole Miss actually pulls out the win, so you can't go against LSU. The real question is going to be the margin of victory for the Bayou Bengals.
Georgia over Kentucky: There is nothing special about the Wildcats, and that's very obvious at this point. Their entire resume is essentially predicated on one win, and they've really fallen apart as of late. Georgia, on the other hand, is playing as good of football as anyone in the conference, and they could very well win in Atlanta if they could just get the Vols to lose and open the door. I say that Georgia wins at home in a game they've likely had marked on their schedule since the upset last year. The Dawgs will move to 9-2, and will suddenly turn into huge Kentucky fans the second the game ends.
Ohio State over Michigan: After blowing a return trip to the national championship game, don't expect the Buckeyes to drop two in a row. Ohio State has dominated this rivalry since the arrival of Tressel, and the health of Henne and Hart remain questionable. The Ohio State defense really struggled against the spread offense that Illinois brought, but Michigan has much more of a "three yards and a cloud of dust" style that the Buckeyes are more designed to stop. My prediction: Ohio State wins in a relatively close game, and Lloyd Carr retires sometime between the end of the game and the announcement of bowl selections.
Boston College at Clemson: The winner is headed to the ACC Championship Game, but neither is particularly good. I really don't know who to pick, but I'll go with Clemson because BC has played terrible as of late, and because Bowden could be getting fired with a loss here and against South Carolina, and he is generally unbeatable when his job is on the line. Clemson wins it and seals up a spot in the ACC Championship Game.
Oklahoma at Texas Tech: The Sooners have the Big 12 South essentially clinched, but they are still in the national title race and cannot afford a loss. You have to love the Red Raiders, but the truth is that they never stack up well against the big boys, and that won't change this week. Oklahoma won't have the easiest time going into Lubbock against a solid team, but the Sooners will get the win.
West Virginia over Cincinnati: I make this pick with a great deal of hesitance, but nevertheless I'm going with the Mountaineers. Cincinnati has played very well as of late, and they may very well pull off the upset, particularly considering that West Virginia seemingly has a propensity to choke when everything is on the line. That said, though, I'm going with WVU.
Notre Dame over Duke: Make no mistake about it, this could quite possibly be the worst football game ever played. If you want to see some real quality football, you're probably going to see more of it at South Alabama than in South Bend. So who wins it? I'll go with Notre Dame. Yes the Irish are terrible, but if anyone in the country is worse than them it is Duke. The Dukies only have one win in the past three seasons against Division 1-A opponents, so don't expect that to hit two this weekend. As bad as Notre Dame is, they aren't that bad. I say the Golden Domers win it on their way to being pre-season number one for 2009.