NCAA 2011 Week 9 picks

Too many obvious picks - this smells of an upset week!

Tuesday Oct 25
Troy Trojans at Florida International Golden Panthers:  The Sun Belt begins the week again with two teams looking to even their conference record.  I think FIU has more talent, and the home crowd should help boost their confidence.  FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL

Wednesday Oct 26
UConn Huskies at Pittsburgh Panthers:  These two teams are fairly evenly matched, but I think Pitt has a bit more going for them.  PITT

Thursday Oct 27
Rice Owls at #7 Houston Cougars:  Houston will remain unbeaten and continue their title as one of the most surprising teams of 2011.  HOUSTON

Virginia Cavaliers at Miami Hurricanes:  Virginia is good, but Miami has talent.  Miami's problem has been inconsistency, but I think they'll get it together for this game.  MIAMI

Friday Oct 28
BYU Cougars at #25 TCU Horned Frogs:  The Horned Frogs will make the most of their return to the Top 25, and not allow the tricky Cougars to upset them.  TCU

Top 25
#1 Stanford Cardinal at #20 USC Trojans:  The Trojans seem to have a chip on their shoulder, upset that they were not granted a reversal of their postseason restriction.  They will give Stanford problems, but I still think the Cardinal are stronger than any team in the Pac-12, as they proved against Washington last week.  STANFORD

Baylor Bears at #4 Oklahoma State Cowboys:  The Cowboys saw what happened to their in-state rival, and know Robert Griffin III will make things difficult for them.  Baylor may take the early lead, but I think the Cowboys defense will figure out how Baylor works, make halftime adjustments, and take over the second half.  The Cowboys should remain unbeaten, but this game may be closer than anyone would like.  OKLAHOMA STATE

#6 Clemson Tigers at #22 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets:  Georgia Tech is usually a good "bounce back" team, but they have a tough opponent this week.  I think Tech will suffer a second consecutive loss as Clemson continues to establish their ACC dominance.  CLEMSON

#8 Wisconsin Badgers at Ohio State Buckeyes:  The Buckeyes had an extra week to prepare, but the Badgers are also looking to "bounce back". The Spartans forced some turnovers, but I think Wilson and the guys will be more careful this week, especially since they KNOW Ohio State's defense likes to force turnovers.  They beat the Buckeyes last year when Ohio State was a stronger team, so I have to favor Wisconsin, even in the Horseshoe.  WISCONSIN

Washington State Cougars at #9 Oregon Ducks:  The Cougars suffered a tough loss against Oregon State last week, and now they face the stronger of the two Oregon teams.  OREGON

#10 Michigan State Spartans at #19 Nebraska Cornhuskers:  As proven earlier this season, the Huskers aren't prepared for the tough defenses that can be found in the Big Ten.  The Spartans are the best defense in the league this season, and they'll pester Nebraska.  MICHIGAN STATE

Purdue Boilermakers at #11 Michigan Wolverines:  Purdue beat Illinois, but they surprised them with a revamped offense,  They should have waited until this game to shake up the offense, because now Michigan will be prepared.  MICHIGAN

#14 Arkansas Razorbacks at Vanderbilt Commodores:  Vandy's good season dried up as soon as they started conference play, while Arkansas continues to win.  ARKANSAS

#15 South Carolina Gamecocks at Tennessee Volunteers:  The Gamecocks have injuries and suspension problems, making them ripe for an upset.  If the Gamecocks played last week, I'd pick Tennessee.  However, Coach Spurrier had an extra week to adjust for the losses, which should give them an edge.  SOUTH CAROLINA

#16 Virgnia Tech Hokies at Duke Blue Devils:  Duke doesn't stink this season, but it's asking too much for them to beat Tech.  VIRGINIA TECH

Missouri Tigers at #17 Texas A&M Aggies:  The Aggies are playing hot right now, while the Tigers seem a bit confused and overwhelmed.  TEXAS A&M

Iowa State Cyclones at #21 Texas Tech Red Raiders:  I don't think the Raiders' offense will allow this team to let down after last week's amazing upset.  I think the Raiders actually expected to beat Oklahoma; they attacked the Sooners defense like they knew there were holes to exploit.  No emotional let down.  TEXAS TECH

Illinois Fighting Illini at #23 Penn State Nittany Lions:  Penn State didn't look too good against Dan Persa and the Northwestern Wildcats, a team the Illinois defense beat up earlier this season.  Penn State's defense will be tough, but their offense is still finding an identity.  Illni QB Nathan Scheelhaase has his targets and the running game is improving, so watch for the upset here.  ILLINOIS

#24 West Virginia Mountaineers at Rutgers Scarlet Knights:  Rutgers wants to bounce back from last week's upset, but I think the Mountaineers have too many tools.  WEST VIRGINIA

Big Ten
Northwestern Wildcats at Indiana Hoosiers:  The Hoosiers are the first team in the conference to be knocked out of bowl contention.  They really don't have many tools this season, while Northwestern stretched Penn State.  NORTHWESTERN

Iowa Hawkeyes at Minnesota Golden Gophers:  Iowa has bounced back well from their loss to Iowa State.  They can still compete in the Legends division.  IOWA

The rest
NC State Wolf Pack at Florida State Seminoles:  The Seminoles still have a shot at the Atlantic division, so they know every game is important.  A loss by the Wolf Pack basically removes them from a division title shot.  They'll battle to prevent the loss, but the Seminoles will prevail.  FLORIDA STATE

Navy Midshipmen at Notre Dame Fighting Irish:  Navy is struggling.  The Irish have been doing okay, especially considering the strength of their competition.  NOTRE DAME

Colorado Buffaloes at Arizona State Sun Devils:  Colorado is pathetic this season.  The Sun Devils win in a landslide.  ARIZONA STATE

Ole Miss Rebels at Auburn Tigers:  Auburn needs a strong victory to bounce back from the LSU game.  Fortunately, they get a chance to get one.  Ole Miss sits at the bottom of the SEC West, a position not unknown to them.  AUBURN

Kansas Jayhawks at Texas Longhorns:  Texas had a bye week, and they lost their Top 25 position due to good play by other teams.  They had a week to rest up and prepare, so they'll destroy Kansas and possibly return to the Top 25.  TEXAS

Southern Miss Golden Eagles at UTEP Miners:  Southern Miss is challenging for a spot in the Conference USA Championship Game, and they have the tools to reach it.  SOUTHERN MISS