WEEK 7 COLLEGE PICKS RECAP

Not as much turmoil at the top as last week. With number 2 playing number 3, someone in the top five had to lose. I feel good about the Oregon, USC, Georgia and Baylor picks when it was fashionable this week to go the other direction. Mississippi State is certainly in the driver's seat, but games against Arkansas, Alabama and Ole Miss still loom large for the Bulldogs. We're barely at halfway in the season and there are only five Power 5 unbeatens, and two of those have to lose since in addition to the battle for Mississippi to close the regular season, Florida State hosts Notre Dame this weekend.

On another note, I have a hard time putting teams that give up over 50 points in contention for a playoff spot. They might want to make the case that their own tempo of play results in more opportunities for their opponents to possess the ball. I would argue that perhaps that isn't good football strategy and that maybe they should learn how to control the clock and keep their opponents offense off the field. Or perhaps an even more radical concept, play solid defense. Yes, Baylor and TCU, I'm talking about both of you.

Last Week: 15 - 5
Overall:      118- 50

Washington State (2 - 4) 27 @ (25) Stanford 31 (3 - 2): Correct. The Cardinal flexed their defensive muscle, staying in the playoff conversation, but just barely. Stanford 34 - 17.

(13) Georgia (4 - 1) 30 @ (23) Missouri (4 - 1) 28: Correct. The Bulldogs may be the a bigger roadblock in the SEC than anyone in the West wants to think. A close loss to South Carolina and a win over Clemson might just give them some credibility if they can pull an upset in the SEC Championship game. Georgia 34 - 0. 

(1) Florida State (5 - 0) 34 @ Syracuse (2 - 3) 23: Correct. No surprise in this one. FSU 38 - 20.

Texas (2 - 3)  17 @ (11) Oklahoma (4 - 1) 27 (in Dallas): Correct. This was a better game than we thought it would be, giving the 'Horns fans some hope. Oklahoma 31 - 26.

Duke (4 - 1) 21 @ (22) Ga. Tech (5 - 0) 27: No. ACC teams just can't seem to keep their momentum. Nothing against Duke, but the Yellow Jackets didn't show up. Duke 31 - 25.

(12) Oregon (4 - 1) 31 @ (18) UCLA (4 - 1) 28 : Correct. I really couldn't understand why everyone was discounting the Ducks after a close loss. The ESPN Game Day crew went with the Bruins. Bad pick. Oregon 42 - 30.

(2) Auburn (5 - 0) 27 @ (3) Mississippi State (5 - 0) 24: No. I whiffed on this one. It there's a real deal left standing, the Bulldogs are probably it. But we're less than halfway there. Mississippi State 38 - 23.

North Carolina (2 - 3) 16 @ (6) Notre Dame (5 - 0) 37: Correct. Not sure how UNC scored so many points, but the Irish clearly weren't prepared defensively. Notre Dame 50 - 43.

(9) TCU  (4 - 0) 27 @ (5) Baylor (5 - 0) 30: Correct. It's hard for me to think either one of these teams is elite when they give up so many points. Maybe I'm old school, but really? There were less points scored in basketball games last year.  Baylor 61 - 58.

(8) Michigan State  (4 - 1) 24  @ Purdue (3 - 3) 13:  Correct. The Spartans took care of business on the road, but gave up some points in the process. Michigan State 45 - 31.

(16) Oklahoma State  (4 - 1) 30 @ Kansas (2 - 3) 17: Correct. The Jayhawks made this closer than I thought it would be, but Oklahoma State still stayed in the playoff hunt. Oklahoma State 27 - 20.

(7) Alabama (4 - 1) 27  @ Arkansas (3 - 2) 24:  Correct. Eventually things will go the Razorbacks' way and they'll close out one of these games with a win. They've outplayed their opponents in eight  of twelve quarters in their three losses. For Alabama, they're fortunate to be alive in the playoff picture. Alabama 14 - 13.

(19) East Carolina  (4 - 1) 38 @ South Florida (2 - 3) 20: Correct. The Pirates needed most of the game to put the Bulls away, but a win on the road is still a good thing. East Carolina 28 - 17/

(3) Ole Miss (5 - 0) 31 @ (14) Texas A&M  (5 - 1) 30: Correct. A&M's defense let them down and the offense wasn't sharp. You have to give Ole Miss a lot of credit. They have quite a team. Mississippi 35 - 20.

USC  (3 - 2) 30 @ (10) Arizona (5 - 0) 28: Correct. "The gig's up for the home team." That's what I wrote in the picks blog. Couldn't have summed it up better. USC 28 - 26.

West Virginia (3 - 2) 35  @ Texas Tech (2 - 3) 31: Correct.  The Mountaineers prevailed on a last second field goal and made me look like I know what I'm talking about. West Virginia 37 - 34/

Louisville (5 - 1) 23 @ Clemson (3 - 2) 31: Correct. Maybe the Tigers can hang in there and take advantage if things go south for Florida State. Clemson 23 - 17.

LSU (4 - 2)  20 @ Florida (3 - 1) 23: No. This game did little to change my impression of either team. Both still have the meat of their schedules in front of them. LSU 30 - 27.

Washington (4 - 1) 40 @ California (4 - 1) 42: No. So I stayed with Cal a week too long. Makes me think of Sheryl Crow's "stayed in Mississippi a day too long..." Fortunately for teams outside of the SEC West no one will have to be in Mississippi at all. Washington 31 - 7.

Penn State (4 - 1) 27 @ Michigan (2 - 4) 24: No. Okay, in sticking with the musical theme, maybe Brady Hoke isn't as the Eagles sang,"Already Gone". But he definitely can't "see clearly now, the clouds are gone..." Michigan 18 - 13.