Rambling's Week 9 CFB Picks Review

Thursday, October 25th, 2012:

#18 Clemson at Wake Forest, 7:00 pm ESPN2, Clemson continues to roll but all of it will be for not if Florida State doesn't lose another and their fate is in the hands of the BCS bowl runners. Winner: 1-0 ATS: 1-0

Saturday, October 27th, 2012:

Tennessee at #13 South Carolina, 11:00 am ESPN, A fun back in forth game with Tennessee driving in the red zone but Clowney makes a huge strip of Bray to seal the 'Cocks victory. Biggest thing from this game is that Lattimore as taken to the hospital after being injured. All the best to him and a speedy recovery. It's spelt Jadeveon by the way. Winner: 2-0 ATS:  2-0

#23 Texas at Kansas, 11:00 am, Nothing to see here, just keep walking. Please sir stay behind the police tape and keep moving. Texas won, don't ask. Winner: 3-0 ATS: 2-1

Colorado at #4 Oregon, 2:00 pm Pac-12 Network, I'm writing this review at the 6:56 mark in the first quarter and this game is already over. Oregon is up 21 and more than likely has it's starters out of the game.  Winner: 4-0 ATS: 3-1

UCLA at Arizona State, 2:00 pm FX,  Winner: 5-0 ATS: 4-1

#2 Florida vs #10 Georgia (Jacksonville), 2:30 pm CBS,  Winner: 5-1 ATS: 4-2

#14 Texas Tech at #3 Kansas State, 2:30 pm FOX,  Winner: 6-1 ATS: 4-3

#9 USC at Arizona, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2,  Winner: 6-2 ATS: 4-4

Duke at #12 Florida State, 2:30 pm ESPNU,  Winner: 7-2 ATS: 4-5

Kent State at #15 Rutgers, 2:30 pm ESPN3,  Winner: 7-3 ATS: 4-6

#21 Boise State at Wyoming, 2:30 CBS Sports Net,  Winner: 8-3 ATS: 5-6

#24 Ohio at Miami (OH), 2:30 pm ESPN3,  Winner: 8-4 ATS: 5-7

Michigan State at #25 Wisconsin, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, Danny O'Brien is incompetant at QB and the Badgers offense looks completely different without Stave on the field. Credit Michigan State here as they never stopped competing and won this game. Winner: 8-5 ATS: 5-8

Ohio State at Penn State, 4:30 pm ESPN,  Winner: 8-6 ATS: 5-9

Washington State at #17 Stanford, 5:15 pm Pac-12 Network,  Winner: 9-6 ATS: 6-9

#20 Texas A&M at Auburn, 6:00 pm ESPNU,  Winner: 10-6 ATS: 7-9

#5 Notre Dame at #8 Oklahoma, 7:00 pm ABC,  Winner: 10-7 ATS: 8-9

#22 Michigan at Nebraska, 7:00 pm ESPN2,  Winner: 10-8 ATS: 8-10

#11 Mississippi State at #1 Alabama, 7:30 pm ESPN,  Winner: 11-8 ATS: 8-11

#7 Oregon State at Washington, 9:15 pm Pac-12 Network,  Winner: 11-9 ATS: 8-12

I was not immune to the craziness of the week that was in college football, but I will bounce back next week.

Rambling's Week 9 CFB Picks

Alright so a pick percentage update, I'm 79.5% straight up and 54.3% ATS which isn't too bad and I had a very good week of each last week so let's see if we can keep this going. (ESPN schedule using BCS Standings now)

Thursday, October 25th, 2012:
#18 Clemson at Wake Forest, 7:00 pm ESPN2, Clemson looks to continue it's roll this season and to keep the pressure on Florida State in the Atlantic division of the ACC. Wake should provide some resistance but as is often the case, resistance is futile. Winner: Clemson ATS: Clemson -12

Saturday, October 27th, 2012:
Tennessee at #13 South Carolina, 11:00 am ESPN, Coming off a home whooping at the hands of the Crimson Tide the Volunteers look to take advantage of a beaten and battered Gamecocks team that just went to hell and back (Death Valley and the Swamp). I think this game will keep close but South Carolina needs this to have even the slimmest hope of a conference championship and Tennessee looks like a team determined to get its coach fired. Winner: South Carolina. ATS:  Tennessee +14
#23 Texas at Kansas, 11:00 am, Yeah I don't like Texas this year but Kansas is terrible. Winner: Texas ATS: Texas -21
Colorado at #4 Oregon, 2:00 pm Pac-12 Network, See Texas at Kansas but remember that Oregon is better than Texas and Kansas is better than Colorado. Winner: Oregon ATS: Oregon -46
UCLA at Arizona State, 2:00 pm FX, UCLA visits Arizona State and neither of these teams will be the division champs but this game will help us set up next season in the Pac-12 South. UCLA comes in after cooling off significantly in conference play and Arizona State is coming off a crushing defeat to Oregon. I think UCLA is the more talented team here but this should be a tight one in Tempe. Winner: UCLA ATS: UCLA +6.5
#2 Florida vs #10 Georgia (Jacksonville), 2:30 pm CBS, The World's Largest Cocktail Party, and no I don't care what either school says about that nickname, returns for another installment but this one has more at stake than any one of the last couple editions. Georgia comes in after two lackluster performances, one of which was letting Kentucky hang around too long. Florida comes in off a 183 yard beat down of South Carolina, making this the de facto divisional championship game. Winner: Florida ATS: Florida -6.5 (I don't feel good bout this)
#14 Texas Tech at #3 Kansas State, 2:30 pm FOX, Kansas State heads home after a crushing of West Virginia last week in Morgantown, they should be in for a very stiff test against Texas Tech this week. Tech's defense has made a huge leap after the Swiss cheese that was the 2011 defense. This game should have a good amount of scoring but it will be the defense that makes the most stops that wins this game. Winner: Kansas State ATS: Texas Tech +7
#9 USC at Arizona, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, USC travels to meet a Wildcats team that has put up a fight in Rich Rods first season at the helm. USC comes in after clicking versus an admittedly bad Colorado team and I'm not sure that Arizona yet has the team to keep up with the Trojans. Winner: USC ATS: USC -6.5
Duke at #12 Florida State, 2:30 pm ESPNU, Duke travels to Florida State bowl eligible for the first time since 1994. Florida State looks to keep their season a float since their upset loss NC State earlier in the year. I think Florida State wins and going away in this one as Duke is better but not really close to the elite tier in the ACC. Winner: Florida State ATS: Duke +28
Kent State at #15 Rutgers, 2:30 pm ESPN3, Kent State travels to Piscataway looking to be the second MAC team in as many weeks to knock off an undefeated Big East team. Rutgers is better than Cincy and Kent State will cause some issues but much the same way Mosquitoes do. Winner: Rutgers ATS: Rutgers -13
#21 Boise State at Wyoming, 2:30 CBS Sports Net, All you need to know going into this game is that this happened last week after the Wyoming game. Winner: Boise State ATS: Boise State -16
#24 Ohio at Miami (OH), 2:30 pm ESPN3, Ohio comes into this game, undefeated and Miami (OH) just doesn't have the firepower to keep up with Bobcats. Winner: Ohio ATS: Ohio -7
Michigan State at #25 Wisconsin, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, Michigan State heads to Camp Randall and the Badgers look to get revenge after two disastorous results in East Lansing. Michigan State looks like a team that was overrated in the preseason and has had too many holes to fill off of last years squad. Winner: Wisconsin ATS: Wisconsin -6
Ohio State at Penn State, 4:30 pm ESPN, The battle of non-postseason teams plays in College Station Ohio State comes in off the back of multiple sloppy wins against inferior opponents. Yes a win is a win but when you have the talent and coaching advantage by that wide a margin you need to take care of business. Penn State on the other hand has rebounded from a disastorous start to a season that shouldn't have survived a disastrous start. Both these teams are yet to be defeated in the Big Ten and it's sad that it doesn't mean anything. Winner: Penn State ATS: Penn State +1
Washington State at #17 Stanford, 5:15 pm Pac-12 Network, We all hoped year one of Leach at Wazzou would be better but you know give it time and we will all be swooning some Cougs. Winner: Stanford ATS: Washington State +24.5
#20 Texas A&M at Auburn, 6:00 pm ESPNU, At the start of the season this would have been circled as a test for A&M in it's first SEC season, now it's just a W and don't get anyone hurt. Winner: Texas A&M ATS: Texas A&M -14.5
#5 Notre Dame at #8 Oklahoma, 7:00 pm ABC, Notre Dame heads to Norman, Oklahoma to face it's toughest test this side of USC. Will the Notre Dame secondary hold up, will the front seven be able to pressure Landry Jones into mistakes. This game is a focus on Notre Dame because of Oklahoma's home loss to Kansas State. Winner: Oklahoma ATS: Notre Dame +10.5
#22 Michigan at Nebraska, 7:00 pm ESPN2, Michigan visits Lincoln this weekend with the Legends division hanging in the balance. A Nebraska win makes it a wide open race with 4 teams vying for the division crown, a Michigan win gives them a lead that will be near impossible to overcome for any team in the division. On the field the battle will boil down to whether or not the Nebraska defense can slow down Denard Robinson and company enough to allow their offense to cut through the Michigan D. Winner: Michigan ATS: Michigan +2.5
#11 Mississippi State at #1 Alabama, 7:30 pm ESPN, Undefeated Mississippi State, yes you read that right, visits Alabama for it's first real test and biggest test of the season. Alabama comes into this game with LSU on the schedule next week but don't expect Nick to allow his team to look ahead. Mississippi State has some talent and a team that will give Alabama one of it's best test of the season but I don't think they have the talent to stretch the field on offense. Winner: Alabama ATS: Mississippi State +24.5
#7 Oregon State at Washington, 9:15 pm Pac-12 Network, After their upset of Stanford, Washington's season looked like it would finally be the coming out for Sark as a head coach and this game just another piece. Now this just looks like another notch on the Beavers pelt (get it, ah ah, get it... I'm sorry.). Oregon State get's Mannion back this week and that should give them one too many legs up to loose this game. Winner: Oregon State ATS: Oregon State -4.5

Rambling's Week 8 CFB Picks Review

Can't believe week 8 is already in the books and boy was it a doozy, upsets slugfests and a national title picture starting to narrow down it's subjects.

Thursday, October 18th, 2012:

#3 Oregon at Arizona State, 8:00 pm ESPN, Just impressive dominance  by Oregon on the road on a short week and the hype surrounding their team. I think the biggest takeaway was that their defense just shutdown the Sun Devils offense that was starting to show signs of life this season. Winner: 1-0 ATS: 0-1

Saturday, October 20th, 2012:

#6 LSU at #18 Texas A&M, 11:00 am ESPN, LSU plays the sloppiest games in the country, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Their defense will force you into mistakes and their offense will do just enough to outscore you while you cry out for a medic. Texas A&M is a very talented young team that has really shown up in their inaugural season as a part of the SEC. Winner: 2-0 ATS: 0-2

#15 Rutgers at Temple, 11:00 am Big East Network, Rutgers started off slow on the road in Philly but they pulled it together and won this one going away. Temple should be a tough out for the other Big East contenders but Rutgers will get their shot when they match up with Louisville later in the season. Winner: 3-0 ATS: 1-2

Virginia Tech at #19 Clemson, 11:00 am ABC/ESPN2, Virginia Tech continues to throw up on themselves more than an infant with a bladder infection. Clemson on the other hand continues to improve and play good football after their loss to Florida State. It's looking more and more like the two best teams in this conference are in the Atlantic division. Winner: 4-0 ATS: 2-2

#24 Iowa State at Oklahoma State, 11:00 am FX, I'm still not sure why Iowa State was ranked or why the win at TCU last week was given so much praise as Pachall was booted from TCU midweek. Oklahoma State continues to mature and some young players are starting to step up. This bodes well for the next couple years. Winner: 5-0 ATS: 3-2

#20 Stanford at California, 2:00 pm FOX, The Big Game was a big snooze because Jeff Tedford is still the coach of the Cal Bears. I'm still not sure exactly what kind of a team the Cardinal have. Winner: 6-0 ATS: 4-2

#7 South Carolina at #2 Florida, 2:30 pm CBS, South Carolina showed the signs of a team that was struggling to get through one of the toughest and most grueling three game stretches in the country. Having split the first two games with a home demolishing of Georgia and a tough slogfest in Death Valley against LSU they showed up to the swamp a bruised and battered team. Take nothing away from Florida however who took advantage of the 'Cocks mistakes and put a butt whipping on the OBC's team in his old houses. Winner: 7-0 ATS: 4-3

BYU at # 5 Notre Dame, 2:30 pm NBC, This game was exactly what we all suspected and Notre Dame almost gave it away. Two TDs to a BYU offense that shouldn't really be called an offense is a slight worry but this defense has been stellar all year. BYU is a good team but needs some talent and to mature on offense. Winner: 8-0 ATS: 5-3

USF at #16 Louisville, 2:30 pm ABC, Another game that came out like we thought it would, USF isn't very good and continued to underwhelm in this game. Winner: 9-0 ATS: 5-4

#17 Texas Tech at #23 TCU, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, A barn burner of a game that told us that the Big XII may just be the deepest conference in the country with quality teams 6-7 teams deep. TCU is rebounding from the loss of Casey Paschall and should continue to improve. Texas Tech stays at 1 loss heading into their match up this week with Kansas State. Winner: 10-0 ATS: 6-4

UNLV at #22 Boise State, 2:30 pm NBC Sports Net, Ha. UNLV is better but no not this week Runnin’ Rebs. Winner: 11-0 ATS: 7-4

Nebraska at Northwestern, 2:30 pm ESPN/ABC, This game took an impressive rally from the Cornhuskers to eek out a one point win over the Wildcats on the road. Northwestern will continue to figure into the Legends division race and Nebraska will give Michigan a run for their money. Winner: 11-0 ATS: 6-5

Michigan State at Michigan, 2:30 pm BTN, Michigan State looked to continue their winning streak on the road to Ann Arbor and came up just a bit short. Michigan used a last minute drive directed by Denard Robinson to win this game and remain unbeaten in conference play and any game not versus Alabama. Michigan clearly has a leg up in the Legends division and are almost certainly the class of the division. Winner: 12-0 ATS: 7-5

Colorado at #10 USC, 5:00 pm Pac-12 Network, Have I mentioned I hate these giant lines, they make you think about when and if the better team will let off the gas, as well as god damn it Colorado you are incompetent. Winner: 13-0 ATS: 7-6

#1 Alabama at Tennessee, 6:00 pm ESPN, How far the Vols have fallen this year after such a promising start against NC State Derek Dooley has confirmed all the worst fears from the very beginning of the Dooley era at Tennessee. Alabama continues to strut its stuff on the catwalk... yeah... on the catwalk. (sorry just popped up) Winner: 14-0 ATS: 8-6

#4 Kansas State at #13 West Virginia, 6:00 pm FOX, Wow Colin Klein, just wow. Didn't see this being such a lopsided affair in Morgantown but Kansas State made WVU look like, well, a Big East team. All fears were confirmed for WVU and almost all doubts were squashed for Kansas State. Winner: 15-0 ATS: 9-6

Kansas at #9 Oklahoma, 6:00 pm, Yeah Kansas is bad, Oklahoma is good. Fin. Winner: 16-0 ATS: 10-6

#11 Georgia at Kentucky, 6:00 pm ESPN3, I can only hope that Georgia was looking forward to Florida week while playing this game, otherwise this may be a scary omen for Bulldogs fans of what is to come. Winner: 17-0 ATS: 11-6

Middle Tennesseee at #12 Mississippi State, 6:00 pm ESPN2, A little sluggish out of the gate but Mississippi State stays undefeated going into their match up with the Tide of Alabama. Winner: 18-0 ATS: 11-7

#21 Cincinnati at Toledo, 6:00 pm ESPN3, Cincinnati got caught looking ahead and a solid Toledo team took advantage and pulled off the upset. Cincinnati now heads to Louisville looking to get some dignity back and rebound from a bad loss. Winner: 18-1 ATS: 11-8

#14 Florida State at Miami (FL), 7:00 pm ABC, This game had some excitement early with the Hurricane ready to play from the get go. Then there was a fan on the field which caused quite a stir and Florida State went on to roll. Winner: 19-1 ATS: 11-9

Baylor at #25 Texas, 7:00 pm ABC, Baylor put the fear of God into Texas this week and this game was pretty much what was expected. The Texas defense gave up big plays and the Baylor D reciprocated, the first team to blink; Lost. Winner: 20-1 ATS: 12-9

Utah at #8 Oregon State, 9:30 pm ESPN2, Oregon State continues a run that was improbably when the season began. Utah continues a precipitous fall from a dark house conference championship contender. Winner: 21-1 ATS: 13-9

Had a great week and I felt good, only one loss, took some chances and still game out with a very nice record against the spread. Hopefully I'll be able to get my picks out by the start of Tuesday's game whether I have a pick for it or not.

Rambling's Week 8 CFB Picks

First half of picks up now rest up this evening. 1:44 pm 10/18/12

Thursday, October 18th, 2012:

#3 Oregon at Arizona State, 8:00 pm ESPN, The Ducks head to Sun Devil Stadium to take on Arizona State in a game that will be a challenge if only because we’ve watched too many Thursday night games be paradoxical the past couple of seasons. Todd Graham has Arizona State much improved this season and that should treat them well in this game and going forward. Oregon will win, putting themselves in National Championship position heading into the meat of their conference schedule. Winner: Oregon ATS: Arizona State +8

Saturday, October 20th, 2012:

#6 LSU at #18 Texas A&M, 11:00 am ESPN, LSU heads to College Station on the heels of a big bounce back win against the Gamecocks of South Carolina. Texas A&M is coming off a quality win against Louisiana Tech that made the coming out of Johnny “Football” Manziel even more apparent to the nation. LSU should be able to hold this A&M offense in check, but the tipping point will be if there is any life in the Tigers offense. Winner: LSU ATS: Texas A&M +3.5

#15 Rutgers at Temple, 11:00 am Big East Network, Rutgers is the most surprising undefeated team this late in the season and brings an unusually consistent team to the Big East which hasn’t seen this type of Stability since the first time they lost half their conference to the ACC. Temple a newly added old member of the Big East has been a thorn in the old dogs sides all season and this game should be no difference. Will Kurt Flood’s team remain unbeaten and the favorite in the Big East or will the Owls cause a stumble from the Scarlet Knights? Winner: Rutgers ATS: Rutgers -5

Virginia Tech at #19 Clemson, 11:00 am ABC/ESPN2, On the flip side of Rutgers we have Va Tech which despite past success in avoiding their more than one loss to a less talented team they have 3 losses on the season and seem to be in the midst of a down season in Blacksburg. Clemson has a loss to Florida State in conference but still holds hope that Florida State will Seminole all up in their pants once again this season. Winner: Clemson ATS: Clemson -8

#24 Iowa State at Oklahoma State, 11:00 am FX, Iowa State heads to Stillwater to take on a young but talented Cowboys team that has shown flashes against good competition without the Ws to show for it. These teams are actually very similar in this regard, both will be pains for the elite in the conference but neither is going to be a serious threat for the conference championship. Winner: Oklahoma State ATS: Iowa State +14

#20 Stanford at California, 2:00 pm FOX, with the 30^th anniversary of the play Stanford and Cal meet for the last time of the Jeff Tedford era. We hope. It should happen. Go Cal? Stanford should roll here without too much trouble. Winner: Stanford ATS: Stanford -2.5

#7 South Carolina at #2 Florida, 2:30 pm CBS, South Carolina’s last of their hella-tough schedule brings them to the Swamp in Gainesville where the SEC East picture will clear up considerably. A ‘Cocks win will give them a head to head edge over both Georgia and Florida as well as a 2 game cushion. A Florida win means that the World’s Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville will serve as the last part of the deciding triumvirate of games in this division. Injury News: Lattimore and Clowney are on the injury report. Winner: Florida ATS: South Carolina -3.5

BYU at # 5 Notre Dame, 2:30 pm NBC, Notre Dame wins another slugfest over a very good defense and a horrible BYU offense. Winner: Notre Dame ATS: BYU +13.5

USF at #16 Louisville, 2:30 pm ABC, The only way that USF wins this football game is if Louisville looks ahead to their game with Cincinnati next week in a matchup for a share of Big East supremacy. Winner: Louisville ATS: Louisville -6.5

#17 Texas Tech at #23 TCU, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, A defensive Big XII battle comes to Fort Wayne this weekend as a much improved Tech defense faces off with the stout TCU defense. As such this game comes down to offenses and I have more faith in Tech who’s QB isn’t playing in his third game of the season because of a suspension to the starter. Winner: Texas Tech ATS: Texas Tech -1.5

UNLV at #22 Boise State, 2:30 pm NBC Sports Net, Ha. UNLV is better but no not this week Runnin’ Rebs. Winner: Boise State ATS: UNLV +28

Nebraska at Northwestern, 2:30 pm ESPN/ABC, I don’t think many would have thought this game would hold such importance in the Legends division of the Big Ten when the season began. With Northwestern’s hot start to the season and showing an improvement on defense they may create the most havoc in the Big Ten this year. Nebraska is the main competition for Michigan but a loss hear all but hands Michigan the reigns and the Legends division title. Winner: Nebraska ATS: Nebraska -5

Michigan State at Michigan, 2:30 pm BTN, Michigan State travels to Ann Arbor off a really bad and disappointing loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes last week at home. They should be in rare form on Saturday to start and should have even more as Seniors this year have never lost to Michigan. Michigan looks to be clicking on all cylinders since a bumpy start to the season and looks to be the class of the legends division. Winner: Michigan ATS: Michigan State +10

Colorado at #10 USC, 5:00 pm Pac-12 Network, USC wins unless you’ve watched no college football since the nineties and still remember Colorado’s success, in which case how did you get to my blog. Winner: USC ATS: Colorado +40.5

#1 Alabama at Tennessee, 6:00 pm ESPN, This game had so much promise when the season started as a rivalry renewed by Tennessee’s resurgence but the Vols have since fallen flat. Alabama hits the road in the SEC which always has it’s challenges, but the tide defense should pick apart Tyler Bray’s poor decision making and win this one walking away. Winner: Alabama ATS: Alabama -20

#4 Kansas State at #13 West Virginia, 6:00 pm FOX, Kansa State visits Morgantown this week on the heels of the Mountaineers beat down at the hands of Texas Tech. Kansas State should be able to follow the Tech defensive blueprint and will be able to find some points in a porous West Virginia defense. Winner: Kansas State ATS: Kansas State +2.5

Kansas at #9 Oklahoma, 6:00 pm, Charlie Weis brings his decisive schematic disadvantage to Norman to get his butt woopin’ for another time this season. Winner: Oklahoma ATS: Oklahoma -35

#11 Georgia at Kentucky, 6:00 pm ESPN3, Georgia goes to Kentucky to get another win and tune up for their rivalry game with Florida in Jacksonville. Winner: Georgia ATS: Kentucky +28

Middle Tennesseee at #12 Mississippi State, 6:00 pm ESPN2, This is a trap game of sorts as Middle Tennessee will hang around a longer than many expect because there is no doubt that Mississippi State will be looking towards the Alabama game next week. Winner: Mississippi State ATS: Middle Tennessee +20

#21 Cincinnati at Toledo, 6:00 pm ESPN3, Cincinnati is in a very similar spot to Mississippi State as they look ahead to a matchup with Louisville next week that will help to clarify the Big East race. Winner: Cincinnati ATS: Cincinnati -7

#14 Florida State at Miami (FL), 7:00 pm ABC, Florida State visits Miami in a conference rivalry that should be just as lopsided as it has been the past couple years. Al Golden’s team is talented but young and just doesn’t have the legs to keep up with a veteran Seminoles team. Winner: Florida State ATS: Florida State -20

Baylor at #25 Texas, 7:00 pm ABC, Baylor visits Texas who will give up a bunch of points to the Bears and make this a shootout that is much closer than any Longhorn fan will want to watch. Get out the antacids in Austin but not for the overeating but for a porous D. Winner: Texas ATS: Baylor +11

Utah at #8 Oregon State, 9:30 pm ESPN2, Oregon State is having the season many of us thought the Utes could have had. The Beaver defense is much improved and the offense even without Mannion should be able to put up enough points on a struggling Utah team. Winner: Oregon State ATS: Oregon State -10.5

That's a wrap on the week 8 picks, sorry about missing last week but was out of town and had some file issues should be another exciting week and the championship pictures keep getting clearer. Enjoy you some football.

Rambling's Week 6 CFB Picks Review

Thursday, October 4th, 2012:

Arkansas State at Florida International, 6:30 pm ESPNU, Winner: 0-1 ATS: 0-1

#13 USC at Utah, 8:00 pm ESPN, Winner: 1-1 ATS: 1-1

Saturday, October 6th, 2012:

Kansas at #7 Kansas State, 11:00 am FX, Winner: 2-1 ATS: 2-1

Connecticut at #22 Rutgers, 11:00 am ESPNU, Winner: 3-1 ATS: 3-1

#24 Northwestern at Penn State, 11:00 am ESPN, Winner: 4-1 ATS: 3-2

#20 Mississippi State at Kentucky, 11:21 am SEC Network, Winner: 5-1 ATS: 4-2

Arizona at #18 Stanford, 2:00 pm FOX, Winner: 6-1 ATS: 4-3

#4 LSU at #10 Florida, 2:30 pm CBS, Winner: 6-2 ATS: 4-4

Georgia Tech at #15 Clemson, 2:30 pm ESPN, Winner: 7-2 ATS: 5-4

Iowa State at #15 TCU, 2:30 pm, Winner: 8-2 ATS: 6-4

#17 Oklahoma at Texas Tech, 2:30 pm ESPN2/ABC, Winner: 9-2 ATS: 7-4

Washington State at #14 Oregon State, 5:00 pm Pac-12 Network, Winner: 10-2 ATS: 7-5

#5 Georgia at #6 South Carolina, 6:00 pm ESPN, Winner: 10-3 ATS: 7-6

#8 West Virginia at #11 Texas, 6:00 pm FOX, Winner: 11-3 ATS: 8-6

Miami (FL) at #9 Notre Dame, 6:30 pm NBC, Winner: 12-3 ATS: 9-6

#3 Florida State at North Carolina State, 7:00 pm ESPN2, Winner: 12-4 ATS: 10-6

#21 Nebraska at #12 Ohio State, 7:00 pm ABC, Winner: 13-4 ATS: 11-6

#25 UCLA at California, 9:00 pm Pac-12 Network, Winner: 13-5 ATS: 11-7

#23 Washington at #2 Oregon, 9:30 pm ESPN, Winner: 14-5 ATS: 11-8

Rambling's Week 6 CFB Picks

Alright we're back for week 6 and we're diving full into the heart of conference season. Author's note: first 11 games posted 6:14 pm 10/4/12

Thursday, October 4th, 2012:

Arkansas State at Florida International, 6:30 pm ESPNU, I include this game because it will give us some insight into two teams that could be influential in the conference championship in the Sun Belt. The favorites currently are WKU and ULM for good reasons; both have beaten BCS foes and shown up big in the non-conference season. Arkansas State is in the first season of the Gus Malzahn era and is feeling some growing pains of a ne regime. Florida International is led by the steady Mario Cristoball and has a program that has figured prominently into the past couple conference races. Winner: FIU ATS: FIU +1.5

#13 USC at Utah, 8:00 pm ESPN, This game was billed as one of USC’s toughest tests at the start of the year as the Utes had a talented veteran team that figured to compete in the Pac-12 South. With a loss to Utah State and lackluster performances in the non-con many doubts have crept in about the success of the Utes season. USC on the other hand got manhandled by Stanford and has fallen from grace in many eyes around the country but this is still one of the two most talented teams in the Pac-12 and very near the top in the country. Winner: USC ATS: Utah +14

Saturday, October 6th, 2012:

Kansas at #7 Kansas State, 11:00 am FX, Remember when we all thought Charlie Weis was a genius and would revolutionize college football… Pepperidge Farms remembers. Winner: Kansas State ATS: Kansas State -24

Connecticut at #22 Rutgers, 11:00 am ESPNU, Rutgers got shelled by Rutgers last season and it really set the Scarlet Knights back… this year the gap between these two squads still exist and we get to see if Rutgers is ready to play and challenge Louisville in the Big East. Winner: Rutgers ATS: Rutgers -7

#24 Northwestern at Penn State, 11:00 am ESPN, Who would have thought we would be in this predicament, a solid above average Northwestern team coming to Happy Valley to face a Penn State team that hasn’t looked as god awful as many of us thought they would in year 1 after the Sandusky incident. Northwestern has been innovative with their use of Colter and should be able to challenge a still pretty good Penn State defense. Winner: Penn State ATS: Northwestern +3

#20 Mississippi State at Kentucky, 11:21 am SEC Network, With the end of baseball season I wanted to get this joke in once. Kentucky has a clown football team bro. Winner: Mississippi State ATS: Mississippi State -10

Arizona at #18 Stanford, 2:00 pm FOX, Arizona has played a couple of quality opponents tough but with Stanford coming off a rough loss to Washington on the road this week the Cardinal should be ready to prove the critics wrong and stomp the Wildcats. Winner: Stanford ATS: Stanford -9

#4 LSU at #10 Florida, 2:30 pm CBS, A matchup of two teams that should be dead center of the discussion about conference and divisional champs in the SEC this season. LSU is coming off back to back sloppy outings against Towson and Auburn, should still be firmly in the National Chapmionship discussion, however a big win against Florida would go a long way toward easing the fears surrounding this Tiger team. Florida on the other hand is a surprise contender after a couple of down years for the program, Will Muschamp has this team moving in a positive direction after a slow start against Bowling Green. The defenses will come ready to play, but who’s offense will provide enough to give themselves an advantage in the Southeastern Conference. Winner: LSU ATS: LSU -2.5

Georgia Tech at #15 Clemson, 2:30 pm ESPN, Oh my how our opinion on Georgia Tech has come crashing down since the season opener versus Virginia Tech, with a loss to an FCS team to boot Georgia Tech has a tough climb to weather before any trust can be placed. Clemson on the other hand comes off a hard fought game versus Florida State in which they held a double digit third quarter lead. Let’s see how Dabo’s team reacts after a tough loss. Winner: Clemson ATS: Clemson -10

Iowa State at #15 TCU, 2:30 pm, With today’s suspension of Casey Pachall this game takes on a new face. TCU hasn’t been a model of consistency this season and the loss of the staring QB 5 weeks in can only hurt that problem. The good news for TCU is that Iowa State hasn’t been all that good itself this season and Steele Jantz hasn’t captured our imaginations like last season. Winner: Iowa State ATS: Iowa State +10

#17 Oklahoma at Texas Tech, 2:30 pm ESPN2/ABC, A rematch of one of the biggest upsets of the 2011 season happens in Lubbock this weekend as Bob Stoops and Co. visit Tommy Tubberville’s Red Raiders. This game should feature points on both ends in the first half and the Oklahoma’s defense slowing down Tech in the second. (also the believed plot of last year’s game.) Winner: Oklahoma ATS: Oklahoma -5

Washington State at #14 Oregon State, 5:00 pm Pac-12 Network, I want to like Washington State because of Mike Leach but this team isn’t good yet. Oregon State may be the surprise of the year in any conference not just the Pac-12. Winner: Oregon State ATS: Oregon State -15

#5 Georgia at #6 South Carolina, 6:00 pm ESPN, Another marquee SEC game in week 6 and this one will go a long way in deciding the east. Georgia comes in playing the best football outside of Alabama. The defense had a few bumps against an average Tennessee team but they were shuffling players around with the return of two starters from suspension. South Carolina has gotten past the Connor Shaw injury and is running as smoothly as any team in the Old Ball Coaches tenure at the school. Winner: Georgia ATS: Georgia +1

#8 West Virginia at #11 Texas, 6:00 pm FOX, Texas gave up plenty of yards to a pretty good Oklahoma State team that will only get better this season, but still isn’t completely kicking. West Virginia is coming off a 70 point performance against air… I mean Baylor and should have a stiffer test versus a much better Texas D. I think they can put up enough to stress David Ash but will there be enough defense from the ‘Neers. Winner: West Virginia ATS: West Virginia +7

Miami (FL) at #9 Notre Dame, 6:30 pm NBC, Miami is better than they looked against Kansas State but Notre Dame is having a rejuvenation behind talent like Man’ti Teo and an elite defense. Winner: Notre Dame ATS: Notre Dame -14

#3 Florida State at North Carolina State, 7:00 pm ESPN2, Remember when we thought this would be a great test for the ‘Noles. A stout NC State defense has looked porous especially on the back end where they were supposed to be most talented. Florida State got through the USF game and can take another nice step in making believers in this year’s team with back to back road wins. Winner: Florida State ATS: NC State +17

#21 Nebraska at #12 Ohio State, 7:00 pm ABC, Let’s start out by saying these are the two best teams in the Big Ten (take a moment to be depressed it’s alright). Nebraska comes off a scrappy home win over Wisconsin last week in which they looked dominant on both lines in the second half. Ohio State won on the road in East Lansing and was just the latest team to take advantage of a MSU team that lacks for any real offensive substance. Winner: Ohio State ATS: Ohio State -3.5

#25 UCLA at California, 9:00 pm Pac-12 Network, Two teams headed in different directions as Mora has really turned around a down trending UCLA program, while Tedford continues to fail to live up to the promise of his early career. Winner: UCLA ATS: UCLA -2.5

#23 Washington at #2 Oregon, 9:30 pm ESPN, Which Washington team are we going to see in Autzen this week? Will it be the Huskies team that was outmanned in the Bayou or the Huskies team that was more physical than Stanford last week? The Washington team that shows up will dictate this game. Winner: Oregon ATS: Washington  +25

Rambling's Week 5 CFB Picks Recap

I still haven't gotten too much better against the spread this season but I've been stellar at picking winners.

Thursday, September 27^th, 2012

#8 Stanford at Washington, 8:00 pm ESPN,  Winner: 0-1 ATS: 0-1

Saturday, September 28^th, 2012,

#25 Baylor at #9 West Virginia, 11:00 am FX,  Winner: 0-2 ATS: 0-2

Arkansas at Texas A&M, 11:00 am SEC Network, Winner: 0-3 ATS: 0-3

Tennessee at #5 Georgia, 2:30 pm CBS,  Winner: 1-3 ATS: 0-4

#14 Ohio State at #20 Michigan State, 2:30 pm ABC,  Winner: 1-4 ATS: 0-5

#17 Clemson at Boston College, 2:30 pm ESPN2, Winner: 2-5 ATS: 0-6

#4 Florida State at USF, 5:00 pm ESPN,  Winner: 3-5 ATS: 0-7

#24 Boise State at New Mexico, 5:00 pm,  Winner: 4-5 ATS: 1-7

#6 South Carolina at Kentucky, 6:00 pm ESPN2,  Winner: 5-5 ATS: 1-7-1

#15 TCU at SMU, 6:00 pm,  Winner: 6-5 ATS: 2-7-1

#12 Texas at Oklahoma State, 6:50 pm FOX,  Winner: 7-5 ATS: 3-7-1

#19 Louisville at Southern Miss, 7:00 pm CBS Sports Net,  Winner: 8-5 ATS: 4-7-1

Ole Miss at #1 Alabama, 8:15 pm ESPN, Low tide to start the game, then the Tide rolled. Winner: 9-5 ATS: 4-8-1

#18 Oregon State at Arizona, 9:00 pm Pac-12 Network, Still not sure why Oregon State was the underdog in this game, aside from just seeing two games of Oregon State there was no denying this team was much better than most of us thought. Arizona came in off a thrashing from Oregon and having beat Oklahoma State, a team that may or may not be good. Oregon State squeaked it out late and continues to make a good impression to start the season. Winner: 10-5 ATS: 5-8-1 

#2 Oregon at Washington State, 9:30 pm ESPN2, The first half of this game remained much closer than many expected it too, but Oregon made key halftime adjustments and rolled in the 3rd quarter like you'd expect Oregon to do. Washington State is showing flashes but Lech and co. don't have the talent just yet to be too big of a thorn in the top of the Pac-12's sides. Winner: 11-5 ATS: 5-9-1

Week 5 brought my overall record to 68-23 overall and 43-45-1 against the spread. Sorry for the incomplete, still trying to work out a schedule for writing. I've been a bit too inconsistent this season.