College Football Picks: Week 9

It was Upset Saturday. And I was pretty upset. 3-7 on winners AND against the spread. Awful. I'm at the point where I feel like if I pick the Denver Broncos to cover 14 points against UConn, the Huskies would win in overtime. I guess the silver lining is that 3-7 against the spread was an improvement from the previous week.

So, take these picks, do the opposite in Vegas, and you'll have a great weekend.

Boise State at BYU (-7) (Friday)
I'm still not a buyer on the Broncos. In a Friday night road game, I'm even less inclined to believe. They're simply a decent team in the Mountain West. Not much more. I'll take BYU's rushing attack.
The pick: BYU 31-21

#9 Clemson (-13) at Maryland
Both of these teams know what it's like to be absolutely embarrassed by Florida State: a combined 104-14 destruction. Northwestern and Washington have shown me the last two weeks that teams don't play well after crushing losses. Will I learn my lesson with Clemson?
Nope. Come on, Clemson's too good to completely tank... right? Right??
The pick: Clemson 38-24

#21 South Carolina at #5 Missouri (-3)

Mizzou just keeps winning. A win over South Carolina
this weekend almost locks up the SEC East for them.

Alright, Mizzou. I give up. I'm out of reasons to doubt this team. Maty Mauk was impressive filling in for James Franklin, and now the Tigers have a home game against South Carolina, a team that may or may not be without QB Connor Shaw. Mizzou will stay interesting in the SEC. A win here wouldn't clinch the SEC East for the Tigers, but it would mean only a horrible collapse would keep them out of Atlanta.
The pick: Missouri 38-30

#12 UCLA at #3 Oregon (-21)
Back-to-back road games at Oregon and Stanford shouldn't be allowed, but that's what UCLA is faced with. The Bruins were humbled last week at UCLA, and now they have to somehow rally and slow down the nation's most exciting team. The line seems about right. Oregon should win easily, but maybe UCLA finds a way to stay within three touchdowns.
The pick: Oregon 42-23

Utah (+7) at USC
Can the team that upset Stanford go into L.A. and defeat the Trojans? Maybe. USC's offense looked pretty bad last week, and it's not getting any better this season. USC should still win, but I predict it will be ugly.
The pick: USC 20-17

#10 Texas Tech (+6.5) at #15 Oklahoma
Texas Tech has scored a lot of points against some mediocre opponents. The offense is impressive. No doubt about that. Can they take down the inconsistent Sooners in Norman? Oklahoma didn't look so great  last week. If OU can control the clock and run the ball, then the Tech offense won't be able to light up the scoreboard. The Red Raiders will stay close, though.
The pick: Oklahoma 30-28

Texas (+1.5) at TCU
Case McCoy had the line of the week. When asked why TCU is favored, he replied, "I guess because I'm playing quarterback, right?"
As much as people (myself included) rip on McCoy for mediocre and sometimes awful play, he has come through in some huge games, most notably this year's win over Oklahoma and the big finale against Texas A&M. This game isn't THAT big, but it would keep Texas tied for first in the Big 12.
While TCU's defense should continue to play well, I still have concerns about the Frogs' offense. I just don't think they can score with the personnel they have now. Texas may not light it up either, but they'll put enough points up to win.
The pick: Texas 28-24

#6 Stanford (-5) at #25 Oregon State

This man leads the nation in passing. Can he beat Stanford?

Everyone forgot about Oregon State after the season opening loss to Eastern Washington. All the Beavers have done since is win six straight and lead the nation in passing yardage. Sean Mannion is a dark horse Heisman candidate with 2,992 yards passing and 29 touchdowns so far. He won't get to New York, though, without winning some big games. This is his chance.
Stanford, though, redeemed itself last week with an impressive defensive showing against UCLA. They'll put the hurt on this high-powered Oregon State offense this week.
The pick: Stanford 35-28

Tulsa at Tulane (+3.5)
Did you know Tulane is tied for first in Conference USA? Can you even name every team in C-USA? Me neither. They're actually a home underdog against a Tulsa team that hasn't been quite as impressive on offense as the TU faithful had hoped before the season. Tulsa' win last week at UTEP gave them some hope. Maybe they'll take another step forward this week, but expect a close game.
The pick: Tulsa 34-31

Penn State at #4 Ohio State (-14.5)
Penn State got a nice win over a struggling Michigan team, but this week they take on a much stronger team on the road. Not only that, Ohio State is probably tiring of hearing how they need at least two teams ahead of them to lose to have any shot at the national title (which is probably true). The Buckeyes might try to run up the score if possible to win style points. I don't think Penn State will let it get that ugly, but I do expect a comfortable Buckeye win.
The pick: Ohio State 38-21

Finally, a game I'm not picking but curious how bad it gets: Baylor is at Kansas this week. That could be 84-0 if Art Briles wants it to be.