NCAA Football Week 9 picks

Thurs Oct 24
#14 SMU Mustangs at Houston Cougars:  The Cougars are having a down year, so the Mustangs should remain in the ranks of the unbeaten.  SMU

Fri Oct 25
USC Trojans at Colorado Buffaloes:  Amazingly, the Trojans have advanced to second place in the Pac-12 South.  Colorado is at the bottom, so USC should continue to chase Utah for the division title.  USC

Sat Oct 26
Top 25:
#7 Wisconsin Badgers at #1 Ohio State Buckeyes:  Some national analysts are figuring that Ohio State is ripe for an upset, especially Wisconsin lost last week and are itching to erase that embarrassment.  Those analysts just want Ohio State to lose because they fear an unbeaten Ohio State in the playoffs will win the National Championship.  Ohio State has brutalized Wisconsin in their last four meetings, and one of those was a Big Ten Championship where Wisconsin came in unbeaten and Ohio State had a loss.  That was one of the WORST Badgers losses in school history.  This one won't be so bad, but the Buckeyes will be even better than Illinois in finding ways to overcome the Badgers vaulted defense.  OHIO STATE

Arkansas Razorbacks at #2 Alabama Crimson Tide:  Should be a pretty easy win for the Tide.  ALABAMA

#3 Penn State Nittany Lions at Michigan State Spartans:  Talk about easy victories, the Nittany Lions should overwhelm the spotty Spartans.  PENN STATE

#12 Auburn Tigers at #4 LSU Tigers:  This one could be closer than expected!  Usually a defensive arm-wrestle, LSU's offense should make it more interesting.  They like passing, while a ground game is the heart of Auburn's offense.  LSU should win, but I think Auburn will bridge the margin.  LSU

 Boston College Eagles at #5 Clemson Tigers:  Wake Forest may be the only team remaining on their schedule that Clemson needs to fear, including their opponent in the ACC Championship Game.  CLEMSON

#6 Oklahoma Sooners at Kansas State Wildcats:  After an easy non-conference run, the Wildcats are finding it hard to win in the conference.  This game will affirm that.  OKLAHOMA

#8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at #18 Michigan Wolverines:  Michigan likes to play Notre Dame tough, but their offense is still making too many mistakes to beat the Irish this year.  NOTRE DAME

Washington State Cougars at #9 Oregon Ducks:  Oregon is a tough opponent, while the Cougars have been slipping recently.  OREGON

Cal Golden Bears at #13 Utah Utes:  Cal has lost their punch, while Utah is unbeaten at home.  That streak will continue.  UTAH

Maryland Terrapins at #15 Minnesota Golden Gophers:  The Gophers lead the West division, and by the time this game starts they'll know if they can take a two-game lead in the division.  They'll hold that lead.  MINNESOTA

#16 Iowa Hawkeyes at Northwestern Wildcats: Iowa finds themselves two games back from Minnesota and need to keep winning to keep pace.  Fortunately they play division-trailer Northwestern for a nice win.  IOWA

#17 Missouri Tigers at Kentucky Wildcats:  The Tigers get back on the winning track with a strong win against Kentucky.  MISSOURI

#19 Texas Longhorns at TCU Horned Frogs:  Texas needs a strong win to keep pace with Baylor and Oklahoma.  They should get it, as TCU doesn't quite have the punch they usually have.  TEXAS

#23 UCF Golden Knights at Temple Owls:  Temple is a good team, and they could surprise UCF.  The Owls might even take a lead into halftime, but UCF will come out and pound out a win.  UCF

Tulane Green Wave at #24 Navy Midshipmen:  The best defense in the American Athletic Conference will hold back Tulane's offense to gain its sixth win.  NAVY

#25 Appalachian State Mountaineers at South Alabama Jaguars:  Let's see, the best team in the Sun Belt against the worst team in the Sun Belt.  Easy pick.  APPALACHIAN STATE

Big Ten:
Illinois Fighting Illini at Purdue Boilermakers:  Can Illinois make it two in a row?  If they aren't still tired from partying so much after their Homecoming upset, that improving offense should outscore the Boilermakers.  ILLINOIS

Liberty Flames at Rutgers Scarlet Knights:  Liberty is actually doing well, but they've played mostly lower tier Group of Five teams and FCS teams.  Rutgers should prevail, but watch for the upset.  RUTGERS

Indiana Hoosiers at Nebraska Cornhuskers:  If this game were played in Bloomington, or on a neutral field, I'd pick Indiana.  However, the Cornhuskers get an extra boost at home, which might just be enough to lift them past the Hoosiers.  NEBRASKA

Other Games of Interest:
Nevada Wolf Pack at Wyoming Cowboys:  It hasn't been a great season for Nevada, while the Cowboys are riding into contention for the Mountain division title.  WYOMING

Oklahoma State Cowboys at Iowa State Cyclones:  Unfortunately these Cowboys will have a tougher time as the Cyclones are chasing a conference title.  IOWA STATE

Virginia Cavaliers at Louisville Cardinals:  The Coastal division leading Cavs are looking to capture a division title, and they won't let the sporadically-upright Cardinals get in their way.  VIRGINIA

Memphis Tigers at Tulsa Golden Hurricanes:  The Hurricanes have blown themselves out.  MEMPHIS

Arizona State Sun Devils at UCLA Bruins:  UCLA has seen some recent success after being an early season flameout, but they aren't playing consistently well enough to beat this strong squad of Herm Edwards.  ARIZONA STATE

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at UTEP Miners:  The Miners are looking for their first conference win.  Keep looking!  LOUISIANA TECH

San Diego State Aztecs at UNLV Running Rebels:  The Rebels are also looking for their first conference win, and will also find only another loss.  SAN DIEGO STATE