COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 4 PICKS

Last Week: 21 – 5

Overall: 66 - 13

(21) Stanford (2 – 1) 27 @ Oregon State (2 – 1) 23: Which Stanford is real? The one that scorched USC for 41 points last week, or the one that laid an egg at Northwestern to start the season? And how about the Beavers? An embarrassing opening loss to FCS Portland State, then a cross country win over Rutgers.  I’ll take Stanford, but wouldn’t be shocked by an upset by the home team.

(8) LSU (2 – 0) 31 @ Syracuse (3 – 0) 21: The Orange have  been below the radar for so long they might as well be called the Yellow Submarines. Once a perennial contender in the Big East, Syracuse hasn’t challenged for any titles in close to a decade. A fast start against a mediocre slate, however, has them looking for an upset in the Carrier Dome. LSU has been impressive in wins over SEC West foes Mississippi  State and Auburn. Is this a trap game for the Tigers?

(20) Ga. Tech (2 – 1) 30 @ Duke (2 – 1 24): Both of these teams were roughed up last week and need to regroup in a big ACC Coastal match-up. With Virginia Tech looking good after a road win at Purdue, the loser of this game will probably need to upend the Hokies to stay in the race. Unfortunately the Blue Devils don’t gain much of an advantage in their poor excuse for a Division I venue  at dilapidated Wallace Wade Stadium. I like Ga. Tech to bounce back.

Southern (2 – 1) 27 @ (7) Georgia (3 – 0) 51: The Bulldogs need to pay attention to this game. Southern put up 50 on the same team that took Auburn to overtime a couple of weeks ago. I don’t think they’ll lose, but peaking ahead to next week’s game against Alabama could be dangerous.

(22) BYU (2 -1) 27 @ Michigan (2 -1) 24:  I have to applaud BYU on a great non-conference schedule. They’ve taken on Nebraska in Lincoln, Boise State and then traveled to UCLA. Now they head to Ann Arbor and the Big House to face Jim Harbaugh’s squad. This is probably going to be a great game, and more importantly a gauge of where Michigan’s program is. I’ve watched all of BYU’s games and I think they ‘ll pull this one out.

Central Michigan (1 – 2) 20 @ (2) Michigan State (3 – 0) 30: The MAC  already has a couple of high profile performances this season. Despite a 1 – 2 record, the Chippewas’ losses are to undefeated Oklahoma State and Syracuse for Big Five conferences. I expect this game to be closer than some might think, but the Spartans’ defense should make it difficult on CMU.

Rice (2 – 1) 31 @ (5) Baylor (2 – 0) 51: The Owls couldn’t stay with Texas, so it’s probably impossible that they have a shot against the Bears.

(24) Oklahoma State (3 – 0) 27 @ Texas (1 – 2) 30: Now that Oklahoma State is through beating up on a lousy non-conference schedule, we’ll get to see if they’re worthy of their ranking. I don’t think so and Texas has been tested much more this season than the Cowboys. I’m going against the grain here and picking the Longhorns to expose Oklahoma State and restore some confidence in coach Charlie Strong.

Western Michigan (1 – 2) 17 @ (1) Ohio State (3 – 0) 37: Ohio State should win this one behind Cardale Jones at QB. The Broncos gave Michigan State a good game in week one, but won’t be able to keep up with the Buckeyes.

Massachusetts (0 – 2) 14 @ (6) Notre Dame (3 – 0) 34: Notre Dame gets a rare breather this week. They deserve it after starting 3 – 0 despite a rash of injuries.

La. Monroe (1 – 1) 13 @ (12) Alabama (2 – 1) 31: The Tide need a week to regroup after a wild loss to Ole Miss. This one shouldn’t pose much of a problem for Nick Saban’s team.

(3) TCU (3 – 0) 34 @ Texas Tech (3 – 0) 27: The Red Raiders stunned Arkansas last week and we’ll get a chance to see just how much they’ve improved from last year’s 4 – 8 team. Kliff Kinsgsbury’s guys might be a year away though.

Vanderbilt (1 – 2) 13 @ (3) Ole Miss (3 – 0) 37: Ole Miss has a little easier test than last week before continuing the SEC West gauntlet.

(14) Texas A&M (3 – 0) 27 vs. Arkansas (1 – 2) 28 (Arlington, TX): The Razorbacks were embarrassed the last couple of weeks and need to change their defensive scheme to stay with the Aggies. For some reason, I think they will.

(25) Missouri (3 – 0) 17 @ Kentucky (2 – 1) 27: I think Missouri is a total pretender and Kentucky is on the rise. I think the Tigers are in for a tough day in Lexington.

(9) UCLA (3 – 0) 34 @ (16) Arizona (3 – 0) 31: This is one of the more intriguing games of the week. UCLA will have to rely on freshman QB Josh Rosen to be able to produce enough points to beat a prolific Wildcat offense. However, Arizona is largely untested.  I’m tempted to go with the home team, but I’m looking for the Bruins to win a close one.

Hawaii (2 – 1) 20 @ (22) Wisconsin (2 – 1) 28: Wisconsin should prevail, but the Rainbows under Norm Chow are an improved team.

Ball State (2 – 1) 10 @ (17) Northwestern (3 – 0) 27: Can Northwestern stay focused and beat a team they’re supposed to defeat easily? Their defense is among the best in the nation so far.

(18) Utah (3 – 0) 30 @ (13) Oregon (2 – 1) 37:  One of the best games of the week. I haven’t been impressed with the Ducks’ defense so far this season, but they can still put up a ton of points.

(19) USC (2 – 1) 31 @ Arizona State (2 – 1) 27: Both teams have had a little bit of a disappointing start, especially USC after losing to Stanford last week. The Trojans were my pick to represent the Pac-12 in the playoffs, so I’ll stay with them for another week.

Virginia Tech (2 – 1) 34 @ East Carolina (1 – 2) 20: This has turned into a big rivalry game and last year the Pirates upset the Hokies after they had shocked Ohio State. But ECU isn’t nearly as good this year and Tech has a chance for a special year, particularly with Georgia Tech and Duke looking vulnerable in the ACC Coastal.

Don't forget to check out my new book, "Roughing the Passer - A PK Frazier Novel" and my first, "Illegal Procedure - A PK Frazier Novel", available in print and e-formats at Amazon.com, iBooks and Smashwords. The third installment, "Offsetting Penalties" is due out in the fall.