NCAA Week 9 picks

Some of the games are setting teams up for divisional titles, so things get exciting from this point on! We have plenty of Top 25 match-ups, too, just to add excitement.

Thurs Oct 26
#18 Stanford Cardinal at Oregon State Beavers:  This is the time of year for Pac-12 teams to be concerned about traveling to Corvallis.  The Beavers can be tough hombres at home late in the season, and picking off a ranked opponent is common.  I think Stanford will avoid the upset, but it'll be an uncomfortably close game.  STANFORD

Fri Oct 27
Florida State Seminoles at Boston College Eagles:  BC won their first conference game last week.  The Seminoles are still looking for theirs.  Florida State's offense still plays like they are confused, and the rushing Eagles defense won't help that.  BOSTON COLLEGE

Sat Oct 28
#2 Penn State Nittany Lions at #5 Ohio State Buckeyes:  This will be the best game of the day!  Penn State's Saquon Barkley is an offensive storm, who can hurt you running, catching, and even passing.  Aside from him, though, the Nittany Lions offense is limited to some decent tight ends as targets for QB Trace McSorley.  The Buckeyes have only improved since their loss to Oklahoma, and their defense is as stout as ever.  They will target Barkley, and force Penn State to beat them with other weapons.  I predict that the Buckeyes will hold Barkley to less than 100 yards rushing and less than 160 total yards.  Since the Buckeyes offense has really perked up since the Oklahoma loss, that should be enough to beat them.  OHIO STATE in the upset

#3 Georgia Bulldogs at Florida Gators:  The Gators often play Georgia tough in the Swamp, but this year their toolbox is a bit sparse.  Georgia is an offensive beast this year, and their defense isn't bad, either.  GEORGIA

#4 Wisconsin Badgers at Illinois Fighting Illini:  With Wisconsin's defense, I'm not sure Illinois will score in the double digits.  WISCONSIN

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at #6 Clemson Tigers:  This should be a defensive battle.  Clemson has the best defense in the conference, and the Yellow Jackets always put a high premium on strong defenses.  I'd be surprised if more than 55 total points are scored, but more of them will be scored by Clemson.  CLEMSON

Austin Peay (FCS) at #7 UCF Golden Knights:  Do I really need to announce a pick here?  UCF

#8 TCU Horned Frogs at #19 Iowa State Cyclones:  This might be one of the biggest challenges TCU faces, and they still have to face the Sooners.  Iowa State is usually near the bottom of the conference, so the idea of preparing for a Cyclone attack is strange.  Iowa State's strength is no longer a surprise, but how well will TCU prepare?  I think the Horned Frogs have the better team, but watch out for a home field upset.  TCU

#21 North Carolina State Wolfpack at #9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish:  NC State leads their division, which is an uncommon place for them.  It might be hard for them to handle the sudden high expectations.  Notre Dame is more used to this situation, and has a tough offense to make things difficult for the Wolfpack.  NOTRE DAME

#10 Oklahoma State Cowboys at #22 West Virginia Mountaineers:  This is another potential upset.  Oklahoma State has been an offensive juggernaut, but few people have noticed that West Virginia is only 3 points behind them!  The Cowboys defense is tough, but if the Cowboys get sloppy, nobody forces turnovers better in the Big XII than West Virginia!  OKLAHOMA STATE

UCLA Bruins at #11 Washington Huskies: Who owns the best defense in the Pac-12?  Washington, by far.  That defense will frustrate Josh Rosen and company, allowing for an easy Huskies victory.  WASHINGTON

Duke Blue Devils at #12 Virginia Tech Hokies: Duke was a force early in the season, but conference play has not been kind to them.  VIRGINIA TECH

Texas Tech Red Raiders at #13 Oklahoma Sooners:  The Raiders have a decent offense, but their defense is porous.  The Sooners should light up the scoreboard on this one!  OKLAHOMA

Houston Cougars at #14 South Florida Bulls: Houston's sporadic offense will have a hard time getting past the stingy Bulls defense.  It might take a little while for the Bulls offense to perk up, but they'll demolish Houston in the second half.  SOUTH FLORIDA

#16 Washington State Cougars at #25 Arizona Wildcats:  This pairs the weaker spot on each team.  Washington State has been a vicious 6-0 at home, but only 1-1 on the road (and they have mostly road games left on their schedule) while Arizona has been perfect on the road but only a mediocre 2-2 at home.  Which record will survive?  Arizona's offense has been stellar recently, but the Cougars have a fierce defense.  I think that defense will carry the team to victory.  WASHINGTON STATE

#17 Miami Hurricanes at North Carolina Tar Heels:  The Hurricanes might actually win a game that isn't close for a change.  MIAMI

#20 Mississippi State Bulldogs at Texas A&M Aggies:  The Aggies aren't ranked, but this could be a trap game for the Bulldogs.  The Bulldogs aren't great on the road, and the Aggies offense is improving.  The Bulldogs rely too heavily on big plays, and I think the Aggies can stop many of those.  TEXAS A&M in the upset

#23 Michigan State Spartans at Northwestern Wildcats:  Northwestern has played some close games this season, but come up short on too many of them.  The Spartans don't mind close games - their defense is built for that.  Their offense is good at chewing up clock if they have a lead in the fourth quarter.  MICHIGAN STATE

Rutgers Scarlet Knights at #24 Michigan Wolverines: Rutgers has won two straight, but that's where the streak ends.  Michigan's defense will stuff the Knights, and perhaps generate some turnovers.  Their offense might need it, as they need great field position in order to score.  They'll get it.  MICHIGAN

Big Ten
Indiana Hoosiers at Maryland Terrapins:  Despite the win over Texas, Big Ten conference play has been cruel to Maryland.  Indiana's high-powered offense will turn up the screws.  INDIANA

Minnesota Golden Gophers at Iowa Hawkeyes:  While each team is practically out of the divisional race, the loser is mathematically eliminated.  They will each battle hard, but Iowa's recent offensive struggles make them a less likely winning candidate.  MINNESOTA

Nebraska Cornhuskers at Purdue Boilermakers: This is an interesting game.  Nebraska has a lousy defense, which should help a struggling Boilermakers offense.  On the other hand, Purdue's defense is stout, which will give trouble to an equally-struggling Nebraska offense.  Purdue also wants to clear their throat from the embarrassing loss to Rutgers last week.  I see an upset brewing.  PURDUE

Other Games of Interest
Louisville Cardinals at Wake Forest Demon Deacons: Can Wake's defense slow Lamar Jackson?  Let's face it, he's most of Louisville's offense, so stopping him is priority.  I think Wake will command this game at halftime, but Louisville will come storming back.  LOUISVILLE

Virginia Cavaliers at Pittsburgh Panthers:  Pitt loves to play spoiler, but Boston College already did that last week to Virginia.  Now, the Cavs want to pick themselves up and dust themselves off, and a dusting of Pitt would be just the thing.  VIRGINIA