COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 9 PICKS

Overall: 122 - 35

Tennessee (4-3)  17 @ (1) Alabama  31:  The Volunteers knocked off South Carolina last week, but Alabama is a different story, especially in Tuscaloosa. 

NC State (3-3) 14 @ (2) Florida State (6-0) 35: The Seminoles are coming off a huge win over Clemson and need to guard against a letdown versus the Wolfpack.  That might happen, but Florida State will still have enough to prevail.

(12) UCLA (5-1) 24 @ (3) Oregon (7-0) 38:  The Ducks are on a roll and I don't think the Bruins can stop Oregon, who should be motivated by getting passed in the BCS rankings by Florida State.

Penn State (4-2)  20 @ (4) Ohio State (7-0) 27:  The Buckeyes need to keep focused on winning in case one of the three teams ahead of them tumble. But Penn State can give them a fight. Ohio State should still be able to come out on top.

(21) South Carolina (5-2)  23 @ (5) Missouri (7-0) 21: I'm going against the grain here and jumping off the Missouri bandwagon. It's the SEC and running the gauntlet can be difficult.

(6) Stanford (6-1) 27 @ (25) Oregon St. (6-1) 30: The Beavers are traditionally tough at home and Stanford is still vulnerable.  The Pac-12 is becoming a tough conference to navigate and this game will demonstrate that.

Wake Forest (4-3)  17 @ (7) Miami (6-0) 27: The Deacs tripped up Maryland last week, but the Terps don't have a lot going on. Miami should be able to continue toward their

(8) Baylor (6-0)  41 @ Kansas (2-4) 20: Baylor is a lot more explosive at home, but they'll still overpower the Jayhawks.

(9) Clemson (6-1)  30 @ Maryland (5-2) 20: Clemson suffered a devastating loss last week to Florida State and we'll see what they're made of when they travel to College Park to take on Maryland. The Terrapins' national ranking is a distant memory and thing won't get any better against the Tigers.

(10) Texas Tech (7-0)  27 @ (15) Oklahoma (6-1) 24: Oklahoma's problem is on the offensive side of the football. Texas got out in front of them and the Sooners couldn't generate enough offense to battle back. I like Texas Tech, even in Norman.

Florida Atlantic (2-5) 13 @ (11) Auburn (6-1) 45: Why bother? Hopefully with the playoffs coming in 2014, these games go away.

Furman (3-4) 10 @ (13) LSU (6-2) 48: Repeat the prior pick. Come on LSU, can't you do better than to schedule an FCS team in week 9?

Duke (5-2) 17 @ (14) Virginia Tech (6-1) 26: The Hokies have ridden their defense and QB Logan Thomas to six consecutive wins and a nice BCS ranking. Eventually that lack of offensive firepower will come back to haunt them. I just hope it's not this week.

Vanderbilt (4-3) 30 @ (15) Texas A&M (5-2) 38: Johnny Football was banged up last week against Auburn, but it supposed to play. Vandy's coming off a big upset of Georgia where they scored the game's last seventeen points. I think the Aggies hold off the Commodores, but it'll be closer than people think.

(17) Fresno State (7-0) 40 @ San Diego State (3-3) 27: I was glad to see the Fresno State got virtually no respect from the BCS in its initial ranking. They won't play a team all season within fifty spots of the top 25 while giving up over 30 points a game.  I can't go against them here, but it would be nice to see them get beaten so I don't have to gripe for another few weeks.

E. Michigan (1-6) 14 @ (18) N. Illinois (7-0) 31:  N. Illinois will continue to cruise through the MAC this season, but after their performance in the Orange Bowl last year, it's questionable whether they'll get another BCS bid.

(19) Oklahoma St. (5-1) 27 @ Iowa St. (1-5) 19: The Cowboys have been a lot more inconsistent on offense than in the past and Iowa State, despite their poor record, play everyone tough at home. I would put Oklahoma State on upset alert this week, but they should squeak by the Cyclones.

(20) Louisville (6-1) 37 @ South Florida (2-4) 21: South Florida shouldn't offer Louisville nearly the test that their  brethren from 80 miles away did last week. The Bulls are improving, but the Cardinals will be looking to get back to form after the loss to UCF.

Connecticut (0-6) 17 @ (23) UCF (5-1) 28: Connecticut's a dismal 0 - 6 and probably won't give the Golden Knights a lot of resistance, unless UCF is still basking in beating Louisville and getting ranked. See Maryland as an example if they need to be reminded how fragile success can be in college football.

(24) Nebraska (5-1) 27 @ Minnesota (5-2) 24: Minnesota came off the mat after two lopsided losses to take out a reeling Northwestern squad last week. The Cornhuskers might be getting starting QB Taylor Martinez back for today's game as they gear up to make another run at the Big Ten title.

Boston College (3-3) 28 @ UNC (1-5) 27: The Tar Heels looked better last week against Miami, but couldn't hang on for the win. BC has played Clemson and Florida State tough. This is a toss-up for me, but I'm  taking Eagles in a slight upset road win.

Texas (4-2)  24 @ TCU (3-4) 20: This is a good test for the Longhorns as they make the trip up to Fort Worth to see if they can stay alive in the Big 12 race. TCU plays tough defense, but can't seem to generate enough points to stay with the big dogs.

Northwestern (4-3) 24 @ Iowa (4-3) 27: Northwestern was 4 - 0 and in a dog fight with Ohio State in the fourth quarter. They went on to lose that one and haven't recorded a win since. It doesn't get a lot easier against the Hawkeyes.

Utah (4-3)  23 @ USC (4-3) 27: Utah makes their second consecutive visit to the Southwest, this time to take on the Trojans in an early afternoon game. USC is playing better ball since Ed Orgeron took over for fired coach Lane Kiffen. I'll go with the home team here.