NCAA 2011 Week 7 picks

This week's doesn't have many matchups of Top 25 teams, but we do have some crucial conference games.

Thursday, Oct 13
USC Trojans at Cal Golden Bears:  USC hasn't been dominating, but they have been winning.  Cal might give them some trouble, but I think the Trojans will emerge victorious.  USC

Friday, Oct 14
Hawaii Warriors at San Jose State Spartans:  Hawaii often struggles away from home, but San Jose has been struggling all season.  HAWAII

Top 25
#1 Stanford Cardinal at Washington State Cougars:  The Cougars are having a good season, but Stanford's offense is simply too much for them.  STANFORD

#2 Alabama Crimson Tide at Ole Miss Rebels:  The Rebels aren't doing well this season.  This will be very one-sided.  ALABAMA

Indiana Hoosiers at #3 Wisconsin Badgers:  Indiana is another team who will be smothered by an overwhelming offense.  WISCONSIN

#4 Oklahoma Sooners at Kansas Jayhawks:  Kansas may score a bit more than Ole Miss or Indiana will score against their opponents, but the Sooners offense will roll.  OKLAHOMA

#5 Oklahoma State Cowboys at #17 Texas Longhorns:  The Longhorns got slaughtered by one high-powered offense from Oklahoma, and now they host another one.  This one might be worse, as the Cowboys defense has some bite, too.  OKLAHOMA STATE

#6 LSU Tigers at Tennessee Volunteers:  The Vols are tough enough to give the Tigers some trouble, but come the fourth quarter LSU will take command.  LSU

#7 Boise State Broncos at Colorado State Rams:  The Broncos will run over the Rams.  BOISE STATE

#8 Michigan Wolverines at Michigan State Spartans:  Now THIS is interesting!  An in-state rivalry, the home team coming off a bye week, and a fierce history between these teams will make for an interesting game.  The Spartans might pull off the upset, but their play has been too inconsistent for me to pick it.  MICHIGAN

#9 Clemson Tigers at Maryland Terrapins:  Using a rotating wardrobe of uniforms hasn't been as helpful for the Terrapins as it was for the Ducks.  Clemson has quietly become the team to beat in the ACC, but Maryland won't be the ones to beat them.  CLEMSON

#10 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Virginia Cavaliers:  Don't be fooled by Virginia's 3-2 record.  They haven't been able to slow down opponents, which gives Georgia Tech a real chance to take control of this game.  GEORGIA TECH

#13 Kansas State Wildcats at Texas Tech Red Raiders:  Oh, my, I'm really tempted to pick the upset.  I think the Raiders can do it,but I can't be positive if my feelings are partly influenced by my belief that Kansas State's record is over-inflated.  I'll go with the ranked team, but watch for the upset.  KANSAS STATE

#14 South Carolina Gamecocks at Mississippi State Bulldogs:  The Gamecocks won't have another record-setting point differential, but they will dominate the 'Dogs.  SOUTH CAROLINA

Arizona State Sun Devils at #15 Oregon Ducks:  I almost hope the Sun Devils win here, because that further boosts Illinois' stock.  I think the Ducks will win, though, although this might be a very close game.  OREGON

Ohio State Buckeyes at #20 Illinois Fighting Illini:  The Buckeyes took an early lead against Nebraska last week, but when QB Bryant Miller went out with a knee injury, the defense fell apart.  Miller will likely be back, but he's shown himself to be fragile and susceptible to a rushing defense.  Illinois showed how successful they are at a rushing defense when they pestered Arizona State.  In the early days of the Jim Tressell era, Illinois was a major thorn in the side of the Buckeyes.  Somehow I think the Luke Fickell era will start in a similar fashion.  ILLINOIS

#23 Virginia Tech Hokies at Wake Forest Demon Deacons:  This game has upset potential written all over it!  In the past, Wake Forest does better when I don't pick them, so I won't.  Don't be surprised if they win, though.  VIRGINIA TECH

#24 Florida Gators at Auburn Tigers:  Florida suffered an embarrassing loss last week, so they may want to redeem themselves.  Auburn lost big last week, too, but their offense is more off-track than that of Florida.  The defense hasn't been quite cutting it, either.  FLORIDA

#25 South Florida Bulls at UConn Huskies:  This is defintely not UConn's year.  South Florida is struggling to remain in the Top 25, but the extra week of preparation will help them here.  SOUTH FLORIDA

Big Ten
Purdue Boilermakers at Penn State Nittany Lions:  Penn State is ranked nationally on some of the polls.  They aren't quite there on mine, but a strong victory here, plus a stumble from a current Top 25 team, might propel them there next week.  PENN STATE

Northwestern Wildcats at Iowa Hawkeyes:  With Persa out again, the Wildcats are vulnerable.  The Hawkeyes have bounced back well from their loss to Iowa State.  IOWA

GAME OF THE WEEK:  #18 Baylor Bears at #22 Texas A&M Aggies:  Baylor, led by dynamo Robert Griffin III, would seem to be the favorite, but the Aggies know their season is on the line here.  Dropping three conference games would pretty much eliminate them from title contention, so they will fight hard here.  I'll give the nod to the Bears, but the Aggies will keep this close and interesting.  BAYLOR

The rest
Louisville Cardinals at Cincinnati Bearcats:  The Big East seems to be coming down to a contest between West Virginia and Cincy.  If Cincy can avoid stumbling in this "trap" game, they will be in good shape to challenge the Mountaineers for the title.  CINCINNATI

Miami Hurricanes at North Carolina Tar Heels:  Aside from their victory over Ohio State, the Hurricanes haven't been too impressive this season.  With the fall of the Buckeyes, that victory is looking weaker.  North Carolina, meanwhile, seems poised to compete with Clemson and Georgia Tech for ACC dominance.  NORTH CAROLINA

Buffalo Bulls at Temple Owls:  Temple is clearly the tops of the MAC this season.  A couple of impressive wins could put them in position to snatch a Top 25 slot if other teams falter.  TEMPLE

Iowa State Cyclones at Missouri Tigers:  Iowa State has a tendency to crumble in conference games.  If they can stay tough and defeat the struggling Tigers, they will still keep pace with the conference leaders.  IOWA STATE

Navy Midshipmen at Rutgers Scarlet Knights:  Rutgers wants to prove that they are a force in the Big East, too.  Navy is struggling, but could give the Knights some problems.  RUTGERS

Colorado Buffaloes at Washington Huskies:  The Huskies should be able to trounce the struggling Buffaloes.  WASHINGTON

Central Florida Golden Knights at SMU Mustangs:  These two are fairly evenly matched.  I offer pick the home team in those situations, and I will again.  SMU