NCAA 2011 Week 10 picks

Illness prevented me from completing this in time for Tuesday's game, but let's continue from there...

Wed Nov 2
Temple Owls at Ohio Bobcats:  Temple battles Ohio for the lead in the MAC East.  I like the Owls, although they have faded slightly in the past couple of weeks, while Ohio has shown strength.  The Bobcats have the momentum and the home crowd, but I'll give a slight nod to the Owls.  Either team stands a good chance to win this game.  TEMPLE

Thurs Nov 3
Florida State Seminoles at Boston College Eagles:  Clemson's loss opens a window for the Seminoles, and they will try to exploit that.  The Seminoles are helped by a struggling BC team.  FLORIDA STATE

Fri Nov 4
#20 USC Trojans at Colorado Buffaloes:  Colorado is the worst team in the Pac-12, while USC just finished a near-upset over Stanford.  USC

Top 25
#1 Stanford Cardinal at Oregon State Beavers:  The Cardinal just finish a tough battle against USC, and now they have to travel to Oregon to face the Beavers.  Oregon State has a habit of upsetting a team at home each year.  Is it Stanford's turn?  Perhaps, but I'll stick with my top team.  STANFORD

#22 Kansas State Wildcats at #4 Oklahoma State Cowboys:  After looking pathetic against the Sooners, the Wildcats get another chance to be embarrased by an Oklahoma team, as the high-powered Cowboys offense should overwhelm the Wildcats defense.  OKLAHOMA STATE

#5 Boise State Broncos at UNLV Rebels:  UNLV is not much of a threat to Boise State, or practically any team in the Mountain West.  BOISE STATE

#25 Texas A&M Aggies at #6 Oklahoma Sooners:  A&M can be tough, but I think the Sooners offense will prevail, knocking the Aggies out of the Top 25.  OKLAHOMA

#7 Houston Cougars at UAB Blazers:  The Blazers are the worst team in Conference USA, so this will be a breeze for the Cougars.  HOUSTON

#8 Oregon Ducks at Washington Huskies:  These are the two teams competing with Stanford for the Pac-12 North division title.  That means both teams will be fighting hard to win this game.  I think Oregon has an edge in hard-fighting battles, but don't count out the Huskies.  OREGON

#9 Michigan Wolverines at Iowa Hawkeyes:  If Michigan can prevent the same stumbles experienced by Michigan State and Wisconsin, they should win this game.  However, Iowa is good enough to take advantage of any Wolverine miscues.  MICHIGAN

#10 South Carolina Gamecocks at #14 Arkansas Razorbacks:  This game could literally go either way.  Arkansas is very consistent, but the Gamecocks can be unbeatable when things are going their way.  For this game, I think they'll be up.  SOUTH CAROLINA

Northwestern Wildcats at #13 Nebraska Cornhuskers:  Northwestern doesn't have much of a defense, so no matter how many points they score against Nebraska, the Cornhuskers will score more.  NEBRASKA

Purdue Boilermakers at #15 Wisconsin Badgers:  After facing the two toughest defenses in the conference, Wisconsin is happy for a chance to let their offense explode.  WISCONSIN

#16 Cincinnati Bearcats at Pittsburgh Panthers:  The Bearcats begin a tough conference stretch, with three of their next four on the road.  If they can survive the challenge of Pitt, they host West Virginia for what may be the battle for the Big East title.  CINCY

#17 TCU Horned Frogs at Wyoming Cowboys:  The Cowboys will be a good warmup for TCU's showdown with Boise State.  It will also show that the 5-2 Cowboys aren't quite at the same level as TCU and Boise.  TCU

Minnesota Golden Gophers at #19 Michigan State Spartans:  Sparty will bounce back from last week's upset, as the Gophers' heads are still spinning over their upset victory over Iowa.  MICHIGAN STATE

Louisville Cardinals at #21 West Virginia Mountaineers:  The Cardinals are a true threat in the Big East, but their toughest games still remain.  This is probably the worst of them, made more difficult because it is on the road.  WEST VIRGINIA

#24 Arizona State Sun Devils at UCLA Bruins:  A win here clinches the Pac-12 South division for the Sun Devils.  I'll have to start my division and conference races next week.  ARIZONA STATE

Big Ten
Indiana Hoosiers at Ohio State Buckeyes:  Ohio State continues their reversal of fortunes, this time for the better.  Their defense will overwhelm the offensively challenged Hoosiers.  OHIO STATE

GAME OF THE WEEK:  #3 LSU Tigers at #2 Alabama Crimson Tide:  Of course, this HAD to be the Game of the Week!  These two tough teams face each other for establishing the likely opponent for Stanford in the National Championship Game (I'm still betting on Oklahoma State to lose to the Sooners).  Alabama has the better defense and the more consistent offense.  They also have the running game to control the clock, so I have to favor them.  ALABAMA

Best of the Rest
Texas Tech Red Raiders at Texas Longhorns:  Both teams have strong offenses; Tech's is a little better.  However, Tech doesn't have a strong defense, which gives the edge to the Longhorns.  TEXAS

Syracuse Orange at UConn Huskies:  Syracuse needs to win to maintain at least a chance for the Big East title.  UConn would love to play spoiler.  I think Syracuse has the power and talent to win this game, but UConn may not make it easy.  SYRACUSE

New Mexico State Aggies at Georgia Bulldogs:  The SEC East runner-up plays an easy non-conference opponent.  GEORGIA

Southern Miss Golden Eagles at East Carolina Pirates:  A Southern Miss victory here basically assures them a slot in the Conference USA title game.  SOUTHERN MISS

Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Wake Forest Demon Deacons:  Wake has played some tough games, but their losses have been monumental.  The Irish have the power to cause another massive loss to the Deacons.  NOTRE DAME