NCAA 2013 Week 5 picks

Almost no surprises last week.  That doesn't mean my picks were perfect, but all but two of the losses were games that I figured could finish either way.  The only real surprise was the awakening of Toledo, who has been quiet and slow to start this season, but burst open against Central Michigan.

Thurs Sept 26
Virginia Tech Hokies at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets : The Hokies are having a tough year so far, while Georgia Tech is strong.  This could be a big year for the Yellow Jackets.  GEORGIA TECH by 13

Fri Sept 27
Utah State Aggies at San Jose State Spartans : Despite a 2-2 record, the Aggies are a strong team; their record is due to a strong slate of opponents.  That preparation makes them dangerous as Mountain West play starts.  UTAH STATE by 18

Top 25
#24 Ole Miss Rebels at #1 Alabama Crimson Tide : We had only one game matching Top 25 teams last week -- this week we have six.  This one won't be pretty, despite the Tide's closer games this season.  ALABAMA by 13

California Golden Bears at #2 Oregon Ducks : The Ducks open Pac-12 play after a bye week.  A well-rested Duck team moves even faster than normal (if that is humanly possible!); faster than Cal can match.  OREGON by 27

#20 Wisconsin Badgers at #3 Ohio State Buckeyes : Wisconsin played a great game last week, but they have to face the Buckeye defense.  Worse, the Buckeye offense has power, and has enough talent on the bench that they can keep fresh players on the field.  OHIO STATE by 16

#5 Florida State Seminoles at Boston College Eagles : BC has started well, but now they face the toughest ACC team this season (yes, Clemson fans, you read that correctly).  This game could begin a BC slide.  FLORIDA STATE by 30

#8 Oklahoma Sooners at #23 Notre Dame Fighting Irish : The Irish have squeezed out a couple of victories, but they won't do that this week.  Their defense isn't strong enough to slow the Sooners.  OKLAHOMA by 15

#9 Oklahoma State Cowboys at West Virginia Mountaineers : Did the Cowboys really need an extra week for the Mountaineers?  Oh yeah, this was scheduled back when West Virginia was a top team.  Lucky Cowboys.  OKLAHOMA STATE by 18

#10 Stanford Cardinal at Washington State Cougars : The Cougars have started well, but now they enter the stiffer part of their schedule.  Stanford has a better defense, and the offense can be tougher and faster.  STANFORD by 13

#12 Texas A&M Aggies at Arkansas Razorbacks : Arkansas slipped up this past week, which was not a good way to come into this challenge.  Manziel had an off week last week, so you know he's looking to reverse that.  A&M by 20

#14 Miami Hurricanes at South Florida Bulls : South Florida is struggling, while Miami has power on both sides of the ball.  This should be a pretty easy win for Miami.  MIAMI by 31

#22 Arizona Wildcats at #15 Washington Huskies : Most experts are picking a Huskies landslide, but I'm not sure.  Yes, Washington gets better every week, but Arizona had an extra week to prepare.  Moreover, the Wildcats are no pushovers, so the Huskies should watch out!  WASHINGTON by eight

#16 South Carolina Gamecocks at #21 UCF Golden Knights : UCF has blown away their previous opponents, but now they face the tough Gamecocks defense.  This team has had an extra week to work out the kinks from both the Georgia and Vandy games.  Give Steve Spurrier that much time and that much incentive, he will come up with a tough game plan.  SOUTH CAROLINA by ten

Wake Forest Demon Deacons at #18 Clemson Tigers : Wake isn't as strong as I thought they'd be this season, but they might be strong enough to upset Clemson.  The Tigers have not looked as good as when they beat Georgia; could that become the highlight of their season?  CLEMSON by nine

Big Ten
An unusual event happens this week, as most of the conference has bye weeks.  It is rare for so many teams to have their bye in the same week.

Miami Ohio Redhawks at Illinois Fighting Illini : The Illini offense is working, but their defense still needs work.  Fortunately, they face a team with practically no offense, so this should be an easy win.  ILLINOIS by 23

Northern Illinois Huskies at Purdue Boilermakers : The Huskies had an extra week to prepare, but I'm not sure they needed it.  Except for their battle against Notre Dame, the Boilermakers haven't really shown up well this season.  NORTHERN ILLINOIS by 17

Iowa Hawkeyes at Minnesota Golden Gophers : This could be a fun game!  Iowa has recovered from their near loss to Northern Illinois, but they've played close games until last week's blowout against Western Michigan.  Minnesota has a strong team this year, so they are the clear favorite, but Iowa could prove spoiler.  MINNESOTA by 18

Other Games of Interest
Wyoming Cowboys at Texas State Bobcats : The Cowboys are a strong team this year.  They don't need this "gimmee" game, but they have it.  WYOMING by 27

USC Trojans at Arizona State Sun Devils : People are crying for Lane Kiffin's job, but the Trojans aren't doing too badly.  In fact, I think they can win this game.  The Sun Devils are too streaky.  If the Trojans can prevent them from getting momentum, the Sun Devils won't win.  USC by six

Fresno State Bulldogs at Hawaii Warriors : Hawaii is really struggling this season.  Fresno State isn't doing great, but they should win this one.  FRESNO STATE by 16