Picks Trying Not to Suck: Week 5
The downward spiral continued last week, and there’s no guarantee it will end this week.
Let’s see this week’s picks…
BLATANT HOMERISM--Week 5
(Last week: 2-3; Overall: 8-11-1)
Ohio State (-3) at Penn State
I know that the Nittany Lions have the revenge angle working in their favor, but I still don’t believe they’re that good. Even without Nick Bosa, the Buckeyes are the clearly better side in my eyes.
The pick: Lay the three.
Florida at Mississippi State (-7)
I suspect the Bulldogs were looking ahead to this game when they got waylaid last week by Kentucky. This is a bigger game for Dan Mullen’s former team than his current one.
The pick: MSU easily.
Army at Buffalo (-7.5)
I’d normally set aside the letdown factor for a service academy, but Army has to feel at least a little deflated after playing an almost perfect game last week and still taking the L. Buffalo is playing well at the moment and has some familiarity with the Black Knights’ option attack.
The pick: Bulls, 24-14.
Oregon at California (+1.5)
How about another deflator? The Ducks lost in awful fashion last week, and now they’re playing their first road game of the year. I like Cal’s defense, and with an extra week to prepare, I think the Bears can make this into a lower-scoring game that suits them.
The pick: I liked this better at 3.5, but I’ll take Cal outright.
Stanford at Notre Dame (-5.5)
The Fighting Irish made the move to Ian Book at quarterback last week, leading to last week’s offensive explosion versus Wake Forest. Stanford needed a miracle to pull of last week’s win and now has to play its second consecutive road game.
This line looks a little thick, no?
The pick: ND by double digits.
THE SKINNY--Week 5
(Last week: 2-3; Overall: 8-12)
Pittsburgh at Central Florida (-13)
Ohio State at Penn State (+3)
Oklahoma State (-17) at Kansas
Ole Miss (+10) at LSU
Michigan (-14.5) at Northwestern