College Football Picks - Week 5

Replacement refs had a rough week,  so I invited them
to make some picks with me this week.

Replacement refs, replacement refs, replacement refs! That's all we hear anywhere right now. Well, a quick break from that: I went 8-2 picking winners last week, but this spread thing is challenging. I was just 5-5 there.

But, since replacement refs get a lot of buzz, I let the replacement refs make picks this week along with my own. Maybe this will be a nice distraction for them... or at least maybe it will make me look good.

#9 Stanford -7 at Washington (Thursday)
Stanford opened some eyes by beating USC, mainly with defense. Washington managed just 3 points against LSU's defense. While I'm not sure Stanford's is quite that good, it will give Washington fits. Stanford wins with defense.
The pick: Stanford 24-14
Replacement refs pick: Andrew Luck has a big day: 75-2

#25 Baylor at #9 West Virginia -12.5
It's the first Big 12 game for the Mountaineers, and they're fortunate to have it at home. Going to Waco could have been a trap for them, but I think WFVU will do just fine at home. Geno Smith is the real deal, and he'll put on a show. Look for a lot of points in this one, though.
The pick: West Virginia 49-35
Replacement refs pick: RG3 dominates 50-0

Arkansas +13.5 at Texas A&M

SMILE! You're about to get fired!

Coaching matters. In the NFL, Exhibit A is the New Orleans Saints. In college football, Exhibit A is the Arkansas Razorbacks. This team has talent. I swear it does. I honestly thought the talent alone would get them to third in the SEC West behind powerful LSU and seemingly unstoppable Alabama. They were good enough to be a BCS team a year ago, but were locked out because the BCS could only take two SEC teams. Now? The Hogs are nearly a two touchdown underdog to the Aggies, and their coach doesn't even know what state he's in. I want to say that this team is going to wake up. I want to say that Tyler Wilson is going to lead this team to a season-saving win. I just see no reason to believe that. They lost at home to Rutgers AND UL-Monroe! I'll say it will be close just because of Texas A&M's propensity to collapse in the second half. Can't pick Arkansas to win, though.
The pick: Texas A&M 31-24
Replacement refs pick: Bobby Petrino is clutch: 65-50

Tennessee at #5 Georgia -13.5
Yes, it's an old SEC rivalry, but the game is in Athens. Georgia and South Carolina will battle it out in the SEC East to see who gets that shot at the LSU/Alabama winnner. Tennessee simply isn't there yet. After collapsing at home against Florida and struggling for three quarters against Akron, I'm not sure the Vols are close, either.
The pick: Georgia 45-28
Replacement refs pick: Titans 10-7

#14 Ohio State +3 at #20 Michigan State
In an overall weak slate of games, this is the most interesting... I guess. The Big Ten has been pitiful out of conference, but maybe the play improves when league play gets going. My concern with Michigan State is that the Spartans can't score at all. Ohio State has some firepower, and I think that's enough to win in East Lansing.
The pick: Ohio State 21-14
Replacement refs pick: Wolverines 44-42

#12 Texas -2.5 at Oklahoma State

Can Ash and the Texas offense put up points in Stillwater?

There are rumors of a wild new OSU uniform for this one. I'm skeptical, but I really don't care. I'm really interested to see if Oklahoma State can score on the Longhorns' defense, and that may depend on who is at quarterback. Wes Lunt's status is in doubt, but J.W. Walsh played really well in his absence. I'm also curious if the Texas offense and David Ash actually have it together or if it has just been beating up on lousy teams. I lean towards the Texas defense and running game grinding this one out.
The pick: Texas 31-28
Replacement refs pick: Sooners 15-12

Virginia Tech at Cincinnati +7
Everyone has written off Virginia Tech after a horrible loss to Pitt, a team that Cincinnati beat handily, by the way. I can't blame them, but I'm going to chalk that up as a fluke. While I do not think Virginia Tech is all that great, the Hokies will regroup before the year is over and still make a run at that ACC Coastal crown. VaTech will get it done on the road, but I think it will be ugly.
The pick: Virginia Tech 24-20
Replacement refs pick: Reds 3-1

Missouri +2.5 at Central Florida
I did a double take when I saw this line. Missouri is an underdog at Central Florida. Yeah, Missouri has gotten beat down by a pair of really good SEC teams, but that is surprising. Maybe Vegas knows something I don't (actually, that's highly likely). People who know me know that I take my shots at Mizzou from time to time... or often... but I think Missouri is a decent squad. The Tigers can handle a Conference USA team, even if it is a C-USA team playing at home that might win that conference.
The pick: Missouri 34-27
Replacement refs pick: MU-Rolla 17-7

Wisconsin at #22 Nebraska -13

Wisconsin and Nebraska will wear these on Saturday.

You might not want to watch this one, and it's not just because it's a Big Ten game. Wisconsin and Nebraska will be sporting some quite hideous jerseys for this one. Speaking of ugly, Wisconsin's offense has been pretty lousy, although it did get going a little last week against UTEP. The Badgers might be the most unimpressive 3-1 team in the country. Nebraska, though, has Rex Burkhead back, and Taylor Martinez has limited his mistakes (albeit against mostly poor competition). Wisconsin has simply been unimpressive for four weeks, and Nebraska is putting it together. I think Nebraska will not only win, but boat race Wisconsin at home.
The pick: Nebraska 49-24
Replacement refs pick: The ugly one 14-13

#18 Oregon State at Arizona -3
A tip of the cap to Oregon State for an impressive win over UCLA. Arizona got blasted by Oregon, although the Wildcats' five turnovers certainly didn't help. While Oregon State is much improved, I feel a letdown coming. Arizona will clean up the mistakes and get a nice home win over a solid team. This could actually be the second time this season that Arizona defeats an 18th-ranked OSU team at home (Oklahoma State being the other).
The pick: Arizona 31-27
Replacement refs pick: Cardinals 23-28

Of course, putting in these fake picks from my fake replacement refs leaves me wide open to be defeated by them. Even if I do, I still won't look as ridiculous as the NFL does right now.