Week 10 College Football Picks and Results

Predictions
Thursday
Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech: With quarterback Tyrod Taylor's health still in question and the Hokies coming off a devastating last minute (almost second) loss to Boston College at home this past Thursday, I think Tech will suffer from a big hang over on the road against the Yellow Jackets, who are well rested coming off a bye. Jackets at home in this one.
Georgia Tech 20 Virginia Tech 13
Virginia Tech 27 Georgia Tech 3 (0-1)

Friday
Temple at Ohio: Coming off a bye week and three consecutive victories, Temple seems primed and ready to make that four against the Bobcats. But, not so fast! After a big road win over Bowling Green this past weekend, Ohio's offense is rolling merrily along and should boost their club to an even conference and overall record with a home win against the Owls.
Ohio 31 Temple 24
Ohio 23 Temple 7 (1-1)
Akron at Bowling Green: The Falcons seem to be an on and off type of team this year. Every other week, they put forth a solid effort in a convincing victory and the in-between weeks where they don't do such a thing, they fall flat on their noggins in a loss. Given that they lost 38-27 last Saturday at home to Ohio, they should bounce right back up in a victory over the Zips.
Bowling Green 28 Akron 17
Bowling Green 44 Akron 20 (2-1)

Nevada at New Mexico State: Nevada's very young and inexperienced team is showing signs of improvement throughout the season, as with their convincing victory over Idaho this past weekend, the Wolfpack reached the .500 mark (4-4) for the first time this year. I look for them to continue the solid football against the Aggies, who are coming off a very embarrassing 50-13 loss to Hawaii.
Nevada 38 New Mexico State 31
Nevada 40 New Mexico State 38 (3-1)

Saturday
Iowa at Northwestern: ::rubs my eyes:: Wait a minute, Iowa scored 34 points last weekend? Is that right? I don't care if it was in double overtime. Seventeen points would be a lot in a double overtime game for these Hawkeyes. With the big win on Saturday, Kirk Ferentz's team has won two of there last three (against Illinois and Michigan State) and are one win away this Saturday from reaching the .500 mark at 5-5 and having a great chance at bowl eligibility. I look for their defense to continue playing stingy and look for their usually inept offense to actually score some points against the Wildcats' defense, which looks worse than Nebraska's on a fairly regular basis!
Iowa 24 Northwestern 17
Iowa 28 Northwestern 17 (4-1)

Ball State at Indiana: The battle for Indiana. It's funny saying that, in knowing that Notre Dame resides there also. But, the 1-7 Irish have already been knocked out of potential bowl consideration, while 5-4 Ball State and 5-4 Indiana are both one win away from attaining bowl eligibility for themselves. With the game at home and led by stud quarterback Kellen Lewis, I look for the Hoosiers to finally earn bowl eligibility with a big win against the pesky Cardinals.
Indiana 34 Ball State 28
Indiana 38 Ball State 20 (5-1)

Clemson at Duke: Duke played well (for them) early in the season, but has sputtered as of late, while Clemson looked good last weekend against Maryland in their 30-17 win over the Terps. The Tigers should have no problems disposing of the Blue Devils in this one.
Clemson 42 Duke 14
Clemson 47 Duke 10 (6-1)

Wisconsin at Ohio State: Wisconsin fell to Penn State 38-7 not long ago and Ohio State just disposed of the Nittany Lions in Happy Valley by the score of 37-17. The transitive property of multiplication may not always be efficient in the world of college football, but I have a difficult time believing it won't be in this case. Buckeyes big at home.
Ohio State 31 Wisconsin 13
Ohio State 38 Wisconsin 17 (7-1)

Purdue at Penn State: The question I have is, how hung over will PSU be following their very disappointing loss at home to Ohio State last Saturday night? So long as it's only a slight hangover, I think they'll be able to defeat the Boilers in Happy Valley. Purdue's defense is anything but stellar and in the only two games this year where they played formidable opponents (Ohio State and Michigan), they were beaten by the combined score of 71-27.
Penn State 31 Purdue 21
Penn State 26 Purdue 19 (8-1)

Syracuse at Pittsburgh: The battle for the bottom of Big East. But, while Syracuse has illustrated that their big upset win over Louisville earlier this year was the epitome of a fluke, Pitt has shown some signs of improvement of late, as they beat Cincinnati two weeks ago 24-17 and lost a heart-breaker to Louisville this past weekend by the same score. At home, I like Pitt to win convincingly in this one to improve to 4-5 on the season and knock Syracuse mathematically out of bowl contention.
Pittsburgh 34 Syracuse 14
Pittsburgh 20 Syracuse 17 (9-1)

Wake Forest at Virginia: Virginia actually lost a close game last week, falling by five to NC State. They led 24-23 fairly late and if they had won by that tally, would've won three consecutive games by one point each. But, fortunately, that didn't occur. Now they have to square off with a 6-2 Wake Forest club who has gone 6-0 since their rough start without Riley Skinner at quarterback. I look for Wake to continue their run in Charlottesville, notching their seventh consecutive victory of the season.
Wake Forest 27 Virginia 24
Virginia 17 Wake Forest 16 (9-2)

North Carolina State at Miami (Florida): Tom O'Brien finally has something to smile about on the Wolfpack sideline, as his 3-5 club are winners of two straight, including their first conference win a week ago against then 7-1 Virginia. Unfortunately for them, they take that slight win streak to Miami, where the rested 'Canes will be ready.
Miami (Florida) 28 North Carolina State 20
North Carolina State 19 Miami (Florida) 16 OT (9-3)

Vanderbilt at Florida: The Gators are ticked and in the swamp, should dismantle the pesky Commodores. Vandy is just one win away from becoming bowl eligible, but I highly doubt that win will occur at the swamp.
Florida 41 Vanderbilt 17
Florida 49 Vanderbilt 22 (10-3)

Kansas State at Iowa State: K-State better not go into this game just expecting ISU to lay down and allow the Wildcats to walk all over them. While the Suckclones are 1-8 on the season, they've shown some signs of improvement, especially in the past two weeks, where they've fallen to 7-1 Oklahoma and 7-1 Missouri by the combined score of 59-35 (average of 29.5 - 17.5). I do expect K-State to win this one, but if they don't stay focused, ISU could make things interesting.
Kansas State 31 Iowa State 13
Iowa State 31 Kansas State 20 (10-4)

Nebraska at Kansas: Kansas head coach, Mark Mangino, has had Bill Callahan's number the past couple years. The Jayhawks routed the Huskers in Lawrence two years ago and took NU to overtime in Lincoln last year. With the game in Lawrence, KU at 8-0, and NU at 4-5 and reeling, I look for Mangino to again outcoach Callahan in a Jayhawks' victory.
Kansas 45 Nebraska 10
Kansas 76 Nebraska 39 (11-4)

Troy at Georgia: This game tempts me. Why do I say that? Did anyone watch the Georgia/Florida game last weekend? That was intensity on the field if I ever saw it. With the 'Dawgs coming back home to supposedly "feast" on a Sun Belt opponent, I can easily see their club losing its intensity going into this game. Meanwhile, Troy is 6-2 and winners of six straight, including a blow-out win over 5-3 Oklahoma State. Their only two losses this year? A rather close loss to Arkansas and a loss to Florida, where they put up some points on the Gators' staunch defense. Georgia head coach, Mark Richt, may prove me wrong and may have his guys geared up just as much for this game as the one in Gainesville, but I'm guessing that's not going to happen and am picking the Trojans in a big upset.
Troy 31 Georgia 28
Georgia 44 Troy 34 (11-5)

South Carolina at Arkansas: With South Carolina's defense being as quick and aggressive as it is and Arkansas' offense being as one-dimensional as it is, I'm going with the Gamecocks' bunch on the road to end their two-game losing skid.
South Carolina 24 Arkansas 20
Arkansas 48 South Carolina 36 (11-6)

East Carolina at Memphis: Due to ECU actually being a decent I-A team at 5-4, I don't see Memphis beating the Pirates. Memphis may be 4-4, but those wins have come against the likes of I-AA Jacksonville State and a 28-27 win over 2-6 Tulane this past Saturday. I look for ECU to become bowl eligible with a road conference win over the Tigers.
East Carolina 38 Memphis 21
East Carolina 56 Memphis 40 (12-6)

Colorado State at BYU: Like I said last week, I'm giving up on CSU. They made me proud in their 27-3 loss to Utah. So, again, this week, I'm saying the exact same thing... I've officially given up on the Rams and am picking the Cougars to improve to 6-2 with the win.
BYU 34 Colorado State 17
BYU 35 Colorado State 16 (13-6)

Navy at Notre Dame: I can't believe I'm doing this. I can't believe I'm going to say this. But, this week, Mr. Lou Holtz, I'm picking your Irish. Navy lost 59-52 (in regulation) to I-AA Delaware this past Saturday. With that kind of defense, an offense even as porous as Notre Dame's should be able to score a few points.
Notre Dame 31 Navy 17
Navy 46 Notre Dame 44 3OT (13-7)

San Jose State at Boise State: Ian Johnson looks to be healthy and ready to go for Saturday's game and on the Blue Field, that's all BSU will need to trounce the Spartans.
Boise State 45 San Jose State 17
Boise State 42 San Jose State 7 (14-7)

Buffalo at Miami (Ohio): Going into this one, both MAC schools are 4-5 with the winner evening their record at 5-5 and only needing to win one of two games to become bowl eligible. With Buffalo at 4-1 in conference going into this game and coming off an impressive sixteen point victory over Akron, I look for the Bulls to improve to 5-1 in the MAC and 5-5 overall.
Buffalo 31 Miami (Ohio) 24
Miami (Ohio) 31 Buffalo 28 (14-8)

Texas Tech at Baylor: Red Raiders' quarterback, Graham Harrell, has struggled in his past two games (both losses), tossing eight interceptions. He had thrown just three in Tech's first seven games of the season. But, Baylor is just what the young lad needed to get back on track. Look for a lot of offense in this one (from Mike Leach's squad). Tech wins big.
Texas Tech 52 Baylor 20
Texas Tech 38 Baylor 7 (15-8)

UTEP at Rice: Mike Price and his gang should have enough potency on offense to counter Rice's option attack. UTEP improves to 5-4 with the win.
UTEP 38 Rice 24
Rice 56 UTEP 48 (15-9)

Florida International at Arkansas State: How could anyone pick a team that has gone 0-20 in the past couple seasons? On that note, I'm taking Arkansas State, who hasn't played well of late, but that's not even of relevance with their opponent being who it is.
Arkansas State 35 Florida International 7
Arkansas State 27 Florida International 24 (16-9)

UCLA at Arizona: UCLA is one team I cannot figure out. They can beat the big boys (USC, Cal, etc.), but not the less than stellar teams (Utah, Notre Dame, Washington State). They've gone 3-1 against teams with .500 or better records and 2-2 against teams with below .500 marks. With injury problems on the offensive side of the ball and taking on a Wildcats' club, 3-6 and in desperate need of another win, in Tucson, I am going with Mike Stoops' club to win their second straight.
Arizona 27 UCLA 20
Arizona 34 UCLA 27 (17-9)

Cincinnati at South Florida: These two clubs started the year at 12-0, but are 0-4 since that electric start. Cincy fell to Louisville by 4 and Pittsburgh by 7 before a bye week allowed them to recover some this past Saturday. USF fell to Rutgers by 3 and then UConn by 7 this past Saturday. With the game at home and thinking they finally got over their week long hangover, I'm picking the Bulls in a close one.
South Florida 24 Cincinnati 17
Cincinnati 38 South Florida 33 (17-10)

Michigan at Michigan State: MSU has another Spartan collapse on their hands, as they fell to 5-4 last Saturday with a 34-27 loss to Iowa in double overtime. The Wolverines are going the direct opposite route, as they've won seven straight since starting the year 0-2. Unless Mr. Dantonio of MSU has some magic up his sleeve for Saturday, I expect his club to fall to 5-5 on the season.
Michigan 38 Michigan State 24
Michigan 28 Michigan State 24 (18-10)

Texas at Oklahoma State: The key to stopping Texas is to limit the running game of Jamaal Charles and force Colt McCoy to throw under duress. The 'Horns' line is weak and if OSU can pressure the Texas QB, they will force some critical mistakes. While I don't think OSU is anything special, I do think they are a different club in Stillwater than they are regularly, think they have an explosive offense, and believe Texas to not be as good as their record indicates. Keeping all those things in mind, I'm going with the Cowboys in the upset.
Oklahoma State 31 Texas 27
Texas 38 Oklahoma State 35 (18-11)

Army at Air Force: The worst of the three academies against the best of the three...at home, nonetheless. Hmmm... Decisions. Decisions.
Air Force 27 Army 13
Air Force 30 Army 10 (19-11)

Marshall at Central Florida: Outside of a 3-point loss at home to Texas, UCF has dominated their opposition at home this year and I see this game as being no different with the 1-7 Thundering Herd coming to town.
Central Florida 48 Marshall 17
Central Florida 47 Marshall 13 (20-11)

Maryland at North Carolina: This is a dangerous game for Ralph Friedgen's club, but at 4-4 and with his club in jeopardy of not going bowling, I look for the Terps to be extra focused on the road in this one. Maryland improves to 5-4 with a rather tough road win (against a decent 2-6 club, if there is such a thing).
Maryland 27 North Carolina 21
Noth Carolina 16 Maryland 13 (20-12)

Louisiana-Lafayette at Tennessee: While I look for one Sun Belt team (Troy) to upset an SEC club (Georgia) on the road (Athens) this weekend, I'm not seeing this Sun Belt over SEC upset develop at all. Tennessee rolls.
Tennessee 55 Louisiana-Lafayette 10
Tennessee 59 Louisiana-Lafayette 7 (21-12)

Louisiana Tech at Idaho: The Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech improved to 3-5 after their road win against Utah State this past weekend and they're one two-point conversion away from being 4-4 on the year. They took unbeaten Hawaii to overtime and in the first overtime session, after giving up a touchdown and extra point to the Warriors, Tech decided to go for two after their score and failed. They're better than that record indicates. On the other side, Idaho may be better than their 1-8 record indicates, but what's that saying? Bulldogs improve to 4-5 on the season.
Louisiana Tech 34 Idaho 24
Louisiana Tech 28 Idaho 16 (22-12)

Utah State at Fresno State: Fresno better not sleep on this game as they did last year. Utah State may be 0-8 this season, but who did they last beat in conference? These same Fresno State Bulldogs. Fresno may be slightly vulnerable following their disappointing home loss to Boise State this past Friday night, but even then, I'm thinking they're too talented for Utah State to upset again. Fresno becomes bowl eligible with the win.
Fresno State 38 Utah State 17
Fresno State 38 Utah State 27 (23-12)

LSU at Alabama: I've already picked Georgia and Texas to go down this week. Well, guess what? I'm picking more of the same here. That's right, I'm taking the Crimson Tide over LSU. Both clubs are coming off bye weeks and should be well rested for Nick Saban's first game as Tide head coach against his former club. Prior to the bye, 'Bama annihilated Tennessee 41-17 and LSU has been anything but top five like in recent weeks. They're fortunate not to have three losses at this juncture. With the game in Tuscaloosa, I see them getting to be one step closer to that feat as they lose their second of the season.
Alabama 27 LSU 24
LSU 41 Alabama 34 (23-13)

New Mexico at TCU: The Horned Frogs received a lot of hype pre-season and were predicted by some to be this year's Boise State - a mid-major school who runs the table and earns a BCS bowl bid. Through eight games, the Horned Frogs are 4-4 and in need of winning two of their final four games just become bowl eligible. After this loss, they'll need to win two of three, as I see the streaking 6-2 Lobos winning on the road.
New Mexico 24 TCU 17
TCU 37 New Mexico 0 (23-14)

Washington at Stanford: The Huskies have officially forgotten how to win. After starting the year 2-0, including an upset win over Boise State, Washington has lost six straight, with their 48-41 loss to Arizona this past weekend. Given that they're young and talented on the offensive side of the ball and given that they've played the second toughest schedule of any college team thus far, I'm going to pick UW to win on the road and earn their third victory of the season.Washington 31 Stanford 24
Washington 27 Stanford 9 (24-14)

Missouri at Colorado: While Colorado is a tough opponent this season, especially in Boulder, I have a hard time believing they'll beat the 7-1 Missouri Tigers. If CU's offense plays inspired football, then they have a great chance to make this one interesting and to perhaps even pull off the upset, but their offense has been too inconsistent for me to believe that'll happen on Saturday.
Missouri 31 Colorado 20
Missouri 55 Colorado 10 (25-14)

Arizona State at Oregon: Whomever was at home in this one, I'd go with that team. With the game being played in Eugene, Oregon, I have to go with the Ducks in one of the biggest games of the season thus far.
Oregon 31 Arizona State 24
Oregon 35 Arizona State 23 (26-14)

Southern Mississippi at UAB: How do I put this after seeing the Blazers fall 41-6 to East Carolina this past Saturday? UAB - they're, they're not good. Southern Miss should be able to bounce back from a disappointing Sunday night showing to upend the two-win club from Birmingham, Alabama.
Southern Mississippi 31 UAB 10
Southern Mississippi 37 UAB 7 (27-14)

Middle Tennessee at Louisiana-Monroe: No Sun Belt team (outside of perhaps Troy) wants a piece of the Blue Raiders right now. The 4-5 club has won four of their past five, after starting the year 0-4. Monroe could make it somewhat interesting for a half or so, but I look for MTSU to pull away in the 3rd and 4th quarters.
Middle Tennessee 35 Louisiana-Monroe 21
Middle Tennessee 43 Louisiana-Monroe 40 (28-14)

Eastern Michigan at Toledo: Toledo looked awful early in the season, but at 4-5 and coming off their most impressive outing to date, a 70-21 shellacking of Northern Illinois, I look for the Rockets to pull even with a home win against the pesky Eagles.
Toledo 35 Eastern Michigan 24
Toledo 52 Eastern Michigan 28 (29-14)

Rutgers at Connecticut: That's it. I'm done (for now) picking against UConn. Ray Rice will probably prove me wrong, but for now, I'm going to give the Huskies some credit and am taking them to win another nail-biter at home (without "Official" aid this time).
Connecticut 24 Rutgers 20
Connecticut 38 Rutgers 19 (30-14)

Tulsa at Tulane: Tulsa has not played too well in recent weeks, but still has a 5-3 record to show for it. Tulane, on the other hand, hasn't played well at all and has a 2-6 record to show for their efforts (or lack there of). I'll go with the 5-3 over the 2-6.
Tulsa 38 Tulane 24
Tulsa 49 Tulane 25 (31-14)

Oregon State at USC: The Beavers upset USC just a season ago and in winning three straight and playing their best ball of the season, have a golden opportunity to do so again this year. But, with the game at the Coliseum and Pete Carroll losing his vocal cords by week's end due to their 24-17 loss to Oregon on Saturday, I look for the Trojans to bounce back and win another tightly-knit Pac-10 battle.
USC 27 Oregon State 20
USC 24 Oregon State 3 (32-14)

Florida State at Boston College: I'd be tempted to go with the 'Noles if the game were in Tallahassee, but with it being a home game for BC, I have a difficult time in picking the very inconsistent Seminoles over the 8-0 Eagles.
Boston College 24 Florida State 17
Florida State 27 Boston College 17 (32-15)

Illinois at Minnesota: Minnesota played Michigan tough for a half last weekend, before falling apart in the second half. Look for more of the same this weekend, as the GO-phers play the Illini tough for a quarter or two, before Juice Williams and Rashad Mendenhall trample the GO-phers defense.
Illinois 31 Minnesota 17
Illinois 44 Minnesota 17 (33-15)

Texas A&M at Oklahoma: With the week off last Saturday to rest and with the game in Norman, I have a difficult time seeing A&M upset the Sooners. OU wins fairly comfortable in this one.
Oklahoma 27 Texas A&M 13
Oklahoma 42 Texas A&M 14 (34-15)

Wyoming at San Diego State: The 5-3 Cowboys are one win away from becoming bowl eligible. They won't have to wait long as they should win this one on the road to improve to 6-3 on the season.
Wyoming 28 San Diego State 17
San Diego State 27 Wyoming 24 (34-16)

Washington State at California: After starting the year 5-0, Cal has lost three straight by a combined 21 points to clubs with 18-6 record. Lucky for them, this game is at home and against a 3-5 opponent. The Bears should have no problem winning this one to end their woes and become bowl eligible.
California 31 Washington State 14
California 20 Washington State 17 (35-16)

Sunday
SMU at Houston: Houston will score and score a lot at home in their big win over SMU to push them to six wins on the year.
Houston 41 SMU 24
Houston 38 SMU 28 (36-16)

Ineligible Games
Northwestern State at Mississippi
Western Kentucky at Chattanooga
Tennessee Tech at Auburn

Week 10 Record: 36-16 (.692)
Overall Record: 323-146 (.689)