Don’t look at the fact that I allegedly went 3/7 last week – instead focus on the fact that if you’ve followed the Moose in pick ‘ems, you’ve made money (or pride, if you’re spouse doesn’t know you’re betting). To quote the great philosopher Aristotle, you have to go 3/7 every now and then so we enjoy the 5/7’s – that may have just been me, but if you can’t prove he didn’t say that, we’ll roll with it.
Last week’s results:
• 3/7 correct
• 44/70 for the year
• Surprise: Georgia Tech pulled another big win out of the hat. Fun fact, 3 of Georgia Tech’s 4 wins have come against ranked opponents – all of which were ranked 17th when facing the Yellow Jackets.
• Best game: USC vs Cal came down to a failed 2pt conversion for the future ACC Golden Bears. USC’s season is seemingly falling apart, but don’t let that take away from how fun this game really was.
• Disappointment: I could put Clemson here again, but I don’t want to repeat myself. Misery loves company so I’m going to point the finger at Oklahoma. The Sooners fell flat against the Jayhawks and backup QB Jason Bean. Although they only have (1) loss, the last couple of weeks have been disappointing for the Sooners.
Now to this week’s slate.
(23) Kansas St. at (7) Texas
Kansas St. just Chuck Norris round house kicked Houston back into the dark ages, beating them 41-0 while Texas, struggled statistically to beat BYU 35-6…I know that doesn’t make sense, I’m still trying to figure it out. Maalik Murphy completed 64% of his passes for 170 yards against a pretty soft BYU defense. However, they don’t ask how, they ask how many. This week, however, is tough to pick as its strength on strength – Texas’s brings the 14th ranked rush defense to combat Kansas St.’s 4thranked rushing attack. This game will come down to the wire and I think Texas eeks this one out in close one.
Texas 27 Kansas St. 24
(15) Notre Dame at Clemson
If you live under a rock (that doesn’t go by the name of Howard) I’ll fill you in on what happened this week. On Dabo’s radio show, a fan called in and proceeded to give Dabo an earful – questioning his faith, his paycheck, and his decision making. What happened next, could go down in Clemson lore as Dabo proceeded to release all of his frustrations on this angry fan, Tyler. Well, this will be the fuel Clemson needed to turn their season around. With Notre Dame struggling on the offensive side of the ball, and Clemson boasting a top 10 defense, I think the maddeningly inconsistent offense for the Tigers does just enough. I’m back on the Kool-Aid, Tigers by 99 (minus 98).
Clemson 21 Notre Dame 20
(1) Ohio St. at Rutgers
Yes, Rutgers is bowl eligible already. Yes, Rutgers is having a magical season. Yes, Rutgers is hosting their opponent in Piscataway New Jersey this week. No, Rutgers does not win this one as there is way too much talent on the Buckeyes side of the ball. If there are any elderly alumni of the Scarlet Knights, watch out, Ryan Day may call you out after this game.
Ohio St. 31 Rutgers 14
(12) Missouri at (2) Georgia
This game was going to be a good one in my opinion…until the College Football Playoff Committee decided to rank Georgia 2ndin the nation. The 2-time defending champs didn’t need any help getting up for this game and now they’ve been gifted a massive boost. The Tigers come in with the 54th ranked defense and that couldn’t be a worse situation to be in against a Georgia offense that’s getting into rhythm. Missouri should hang around in the first half, but the Bulldogs offense lead by Beck, will not be losers (anyone get that reference?).
Georgia 45 Missouri 20
(5) Washington at (20) USC
This game could go in a multitude of ways. USC has looked awful in the last couple of weeks (lost to Notre Dame and Utah and snuck out of Cal) while Washington has not been the same dominate team we were used to since the Oregon game. I trust the Huskies to right the ship against an abysmal USC defense. I have a feeling we get a 400-yard Penix game as the Huskies win the duel in LA.
Washington 52 USC 42
(14) LSU at (8) Alabama
The media wants you to believe that LSU is dead. Not so fast my friend – the Tigers boast a top 3 offense, scoring 44 pts per game. Alabama does not have a potent offense nor the immovable defense that we’re used to – granted they’re still a top 15 defense. This feels like a game where Alabama takes advantage of LSU’s weak defense and wins, but I think LSU’s arsenal is too much for the Tide. With this victory LSU makes a clear path to meet up with Georgia in Atlanta.
LSU 35 Alabama 27
(19) UCLA at Arizona
Arizona has lost 3 games by a combined 16 pts – taking USC and Washington to the wire and losing Mississippi St. UCLA is a good team, large in part due to their 10th ranked defense, but their 59th ranked offense is not enough to beat the Wildcats at home.
Arizona 26 UCLA 22
