Our favorite Canadian pigskin prognosticator was a respectable three for five last Saturday but could have run the table if not for a last-second field goal by the Kent State Golden Flashes and a fourth-quarter touchdown by the Tennessee Volunteers.
Let’s hope for four winning picks or better in what should be an action-packed weekend as a plethora of intriguing games dot the college football landscape.
Without any further adieu here are the picks of the week:
1. Iowa State Cyclones at Texas Christian Horned Frogs (-6.5)
I have a sneaking suspicion that Gary Patterson‘s men have yet to reach their peak this season and his vaunted defense should force the already error-prone Steele Jantz into making a number of mistakes. Iowa State has a better chance of catching the mythical Chupacabra than beating TCU in Fort Worth on Saturday.
2. Michigan Wolverines (-3) at Purdue Boilermakers
Michigan is my lock of the week for no other reason that there is a 12-pack of Becks currently in the fridge with my name on it. I drank the German beer during the Wolverines’ sensational comeback victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish last season and continued to sip the tasty brew every week thereafter, except for the game against the Michigan State Spartans because I thought that since the beer can is green and the Spartans’ uniforms are green it would be bad luck…
So I must ask all the Maize and Blue fans upset with Al Borges for the infamous 4th and 1 call to redirect their anger towards me. Michigan is also a lock because the boys from Big Ten and Beyond all picked Purdue as did SI.com’s Stewart Mandel. So there.
3. LSU Tigers (-2.5) at Florida Gators
The Tigers have looked far from convincing in their last two outings but have an embarrassment of riches on the defensive side of the ball and should harass and harangue Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel all afternoon long. The Gators are on the up and up but don’t have enough firepower to put enough points on the board against LSU.
4. Boise State Broncos at Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (+9.5)
Boise State is just 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games and did not exactly impress the masses with its slim win over the New Mexico Lobos last weekend. The Broncos have struggled on the road and even though Joe Southwick had a career day in Albuquerque it remains to be seen whether he has turned the corner. Southern Miss is still winless but should be able to give Boise State a run for its money.
5. UNLV Runnin’ Rebels at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (-27)
LA Tech has scored over 50 points in three out of its last four games and should reach that plateau once more against UNLV on Saturday. The only question is how many points will the Bulldogs concede but it won’t matter in the end if they score 60 and I think they will.
Upset Special
Virginia Tech Hokies (+6) at North Carolina Tarheels
The Hokies streak of 10+ wins is in serious jeopardy after their loss last weekend and with games against the Clemson Tigers and Florida State Seminoles looming Frank Beamer‘s men desperately need a victory and I think they will pull one out in Chapel Hill.
Follow Max De Luca on Twitter @Max_Power78
