Our staff has submitted their Week 9 picks, and there has never been more disagreement!
Which writers like Tennessee over South Carolina to shake-up the SEC East race? Who expects Illinois to lay a smack-down at Penn State? Which brave sole has Lane Kiffin and the USC Trojans pulling an upset for the second week in a row?
Read below, at this weekend’s “Dirty Dozen” picks!
BYU at TCU: Friday, 8:00 p.m. ESPN
Aaron Torres’s Take: Let’s do some simple math here: Two average teams + one bad time-slot + Game 7 of the World Series= someone text me a score. Unfortunately this isn’t 2009, and Andy Dalton, Max Hall and Dennis Pitta ain’t walking through that door.
In Jerry’s World, I give the slight edge to the Horned Frogs. Slight.
TCU 27, BYU 17
Everyone Else’s Take:
Allen Kenney: TCU 31, BYU 20
Kevin McGuire: TCU 43, BYU 20
Michael Felder: TCU 31 BYU 27
Regie Eller: TCU 35, BYU 17
Tom Perry: TCU 38, BYU 31
Missouri at No. 16 Texas A&M, 12:00 p.m. FX
Regie Eller’s Take: The Aggies welcome the Missouri Tigers to Kyle Field in hopes of win number four in a row, in a game that promises to be a high scoring affair. That, and Gus Johnson is calling the game. Win win.
Neither defense has been all that impressive overall this season, so for Missouri to win the game they will have to exploit the weakness of the Aggies secondary, thus going away from what they do best running the ball. Texas A&M only allows 80 yards on the ground a game, good for fifth best in the country. Missouri must get James Franklin into rhythm early versus A&M with the pass to pull off the upset. A&M is dead las in pass defense.
All the momentum though is currently on the side of the Aggies. A&M Quarterback Ryan Tannehill is 11 yards shy of the 4000-yard plateau in career total offense, and 289 yards passing shy of 4000-yards career passing in just his 13th game. Aggie running back Cyrus Gray is nearing a landmark as well; he is 68 all-purpose yards shy of 6000 all-purpose yards, a feat only reached by three other Big XII players. I see both Tannehill and Gray having success versus the Missouri defense.
Missouri may make this game interesting for a half or three quarters of the game, but at some point Texas A&M will pull away.
Texas A&M 34, Missouri 24
Everyone Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: Texas A&M 41, Missouri 20
Allen Kenney: Texas A&M 35, Missouri 17
Kevin McGuire: Texas A&M 42, Missouri 21
Michael Felder: Texas A&M 34 Mizzou 30
Tom Perry: Texas A&M 40, Missouri 24
No. 11 Michigan State at No. 14 Nebraska, 12:00 p.m. ESPN
Tom Perry’s Take: Michigan State has been on an impressive run since getting dominated by Notre Dame. The Spartans emotional victory on the last play of the game against Wisconsin was as exciting as football can be, but it also takes its toll on a team. Now add into the mix that Michigan State must travel to Lincoln, Neb., to play in front of one of the nation’s loudest fan bases. If Taylor Martinez plays like he did in the second half of the Ohio State game, then the Cornhuskers should sneak past the Spartans.
Nebraska 24, Michigan State 20
Everyone Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: Michigan State 24, Nebraska 21
Allen Kenney: Nebraska 21, Michigan State 14
Kevin McGuire: Nebraska 38, Michigan State 36
Michael Felder: Michigan State 27, Nebraska 17
Regie Eller: Nebraska 24, Michigan State 21
Navy at Notre Dame: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. NBC
Kevin McGuire’s Take: I think the biggest thing in this game is how does Notre Dame respond? After being called out as quitters last week and with the real possibility of a ten win season in front of them, I would expect a Brian Kelly team to come out flying this week against a Navy team that is giving up just over 30 points per game and is in the midst of a five-game losing streak. Other than the Southern Mississippi game though, Navy has lost four games by a combined eight points, which includes losses at South Carolina and an overtime decision against Air Force. We know Navy will pound the football and use that patented triple-option and the Irish are a middle-of-the-pack team against the run (ranked 59th, allowing 148.29 ypg) but they have only allowed three rushing touchdowns all season, which is tied for second fewest in the nation with TCU (Alabama has allowed two rushing touchdowns – they are pretty good too, check them out).
Notre Dame 32, Navy 24
Everyone Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: Notre Dame 35, Navy 21
Allen Kenney: Notre Dame 34, Navy 20
Michael Felder: Notre Dame 45 Navy 20
Regie Eller: Notre Dame 31, Navy 21
Tom Perry: Notre Dame 37, Navy 14
Baylor at No. 3 Oklahoma State: Saturday, 3:30 pm ABC/ESPN2
Allen Kenney’s Take: The Bears find themselves in the familiar situation of being a Big 12 conference mate’s homecoming opponent. This time, they’re walking into the hostile confines of T. Boone Pickens Stadium to stare down the Oklahoma State buzz saw.
The Pokes are hot, having knocked off Texas and Missouri back to back and climbed all the way up to No. 3 in the BCS standings. Baylor and talented Heisman candidate Robert Griffin III are dangerous, though. Coming off of a bye week, the Bears’ explosive offense will be ready to test OSU. Get your track shoes on.
Oklahoma State 45, Baylor 38
Everyone Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: Oklahoma State 41, Baylor 35
Kevin McGuire: Oklahoma State 52, Baylor 49
Michael Felder: Oklahoma State 48 Baylor 40
Regie Eller: Oklahoma State 49, Baylor 35
Tom Perry: Oklahoma State 48, Baylor 35
Illinois at No. 19 Penn State: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ABC/ESPN2
Kevin McGuire’s Take: Penn State’s defense has given up more yards and points than we have come to expect from them in the last two weeks, against Purdue and Northwestern, but when they have needed to make the big plays and adjustments they have done just that, allowing Penn State’s offense to pull away with a victory. Will we see a third straight game of sluggish defense from Penn State this week against Illinois? Not likely. The Nittany Lions will be extra motivated this week not just because they control their own fate in the Big Ten, but also because f what happened last year at Homecoming (Illinois embarrassed them at home in a 33-13 win). Penn State has not lost to a team two years in a row at home since Paterno took over as head coach (in fairness, it does not happen that often, but it has come up multiple times).
Penn State 23, Illinois 14
Everyone Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: Penn State 20, Illinois 10
Allen Kenney: Penn State 23, Illinois 16
Michael Felder: Illinois 31 Penn State 6
Regie Eller: Penn State 13, Illinois 9
Tom Perry: Penn State 21, Illinois 7
No. 9 Oklahoma at No. 8 Kansas State: Saturday, 3:30pm ESPN
Michael Felder’s Take: Folks in Norman are reeling after the loss to Texas Tech while the Wildcats just keep putting together wins. The victories aren’t always pretty for Bill Snyder’s team; 10-7 over Eastern Kentucky, 28-24 over Miami and shoot outs like the 36-35 win over Baylor and the 41-34 escape in Lubbock, but Kansas State is getting W’s.
Quarterback Collin Klein is going to have his hands full against a Sooner defense that got flat out embarrassed last weekend by Seth Doege and is looking for redemption. On offense Kansas State is set to again be in a shoot out and their running machine is going to have to show up big time to keep pace with the Sooners. In Manhattan I’ve got a feeling the dream dies for the Wildcats on the strength of OU’s elite talent and a renewed focus.
Oklahoma 52 Kansas State 34
Everyone Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: Oklahoma 28, Kansas State 24
Allen Kenney: Oklahoma 41, Kansas State 14
Kevin McGuire: Oklahoma 27, Kansas State 26
Regie Eller: Oklahoma 27, Kansas State 24
Tom Perry: Oklahoma 42, Kansas State 14
No. 22 Georgia versus Florida: Saturday, 3:30 p.m CBS
Regie Eller’s Take: If you like offense, well, this is not the game for you. Much is being made about this game being tied to the future of Georgia head coach Mark Richt, who has lost three straight games versus Florida and has only defeated the Gators twice while at Georgia. Under Richt Georgia is 12-4 following an open date, and on paper the Bulldogs are the better team. This is a must win for Georgia – and Richt.
As for Florida, they are entering the game following three straight losses, and have been physically battered. Since leading Alabama 10-3 the Gators have been outscored 93-17 and have only scored one touchdown. I do not see this improving much versus a talented Bulldog defense.
It appears John Brantley will start, but what will keep Florida in this game is their defense. Florida is the 11th ranked total defense, is 32nd against the rush and 6th against the pass. The Gators cannot afford any turnovers and must play more disciplined football. Florida leads the SEC in penalties with 61, for 461 total yards. Penalties have given the Gators opponent 17 first downs. That just cannot happen.
I expect a low scoring affair – and in the end, Richt cools of his seat.
Georgia 20, Florida 13
Everyone Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: Georgia 27, Florida 17
Allen Kenney: Georgia 20, Florida 15
Kevin McGuire: Georgia 31, Florida 29
Michael Felder: Georgia 28 Florida 17
Tom Perry: Georgia 28, Florida 20
No. 14 South Carolina at Tennessee: Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ESPN2
Aaron Torres’s Take: For all the talk about this being Justin Worley’s first career start, what people seem to be forgetting is that this is also, umm, Connor Shaw’s fourth career start. And with the exception of a win against the I-AA Kentucky Wildcats (sorry UK fans, it’s true), he hasn’t looked all that good.
Back at home, after a couple tough weeks, Derek Dooley gets his boys to play hard and steals a win. This team has too much fight, and this is the right opponent to spring the upset against.
Tennessee 17, South Carolina 13
Everyone Else’s Take:
Allen Kenney: Tennessee 19, South Carolina 14
Kevin McGuire: Tennessee 20, South Carolina 13
Michael Felder: South Carolina 20 Tennessee 13
Regie Eller: South Carolina 24, Tennessee 9
Tom Perry: South Carolina 27, Tennessee 17
No. 15 Wisconsin at Ohio State, 8:00 p.m. ESPN
Tom Perry’s Take: It would be easy to assume that Wisconsin is down in the dumps following its first loss at Michigan State. But the Badgers know they have plenty to play for and could still earn a trip to the Rose Bowl. Ohio State is not the Ohio State we grew to love (or hate) during the Jim Tressel era. The offense is anemic, but the defense is still top notch. The Buckeyes could have revenge on their minds, and a feisty home crowd is an advantage. But would anyone be shocked if Wisconsin shut out Ohio State?
Wisconsin 20, Ohio State 10
Everyone Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: Wisconsin 27, Ohio State 17
Allen Kenney: Wisconsin 17, Ohio State 13
Kevin McGuire: Wisconsin 20, Ohio State 17
Michael Felder: Wisconsin 24 Ohio State 13
Regie Eller: Ohio State 20, Wisconsin 17
No. 5 Clemson at Georgia Tech: Saturday, 8:00pm ABC
Michael Felder’s Take: Clemson comes into this game off of an offensive high as they put up 59 points against the Tar Heels a week ago. On the other side we have a Georgia Tech team that is in dire need of a win after back to back losses that dropped the once 12th ranked Yellow Jackets out of the polls. The Clemson defense is the question mark in this game as they have given up 38 and 45 in recent weeks.
Georgia Tech seems to always play Clemson tight and with the Tigers’ issues on defense there does appear to be some openings for the Tech offense to exploit. The problem is this Yellow Jacket offense is not geared up for playing from behind and that is exactly what this explosive Clemson offense will do Saturday.
Clemson 37 Georgia Tech 17
Everyone Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: Clemson 41, Georgia Tech 38
Allen Kenney: Clemson 35, Georgia Tech 34
Kevin McGuire: Georgia Tech 38, Clemson 35
Regie Eller: Georgia Tech 35, Clemson 31
Tom Perry: Clemson 48, Georgia Tech 28
No. 6 Stanford at USC: Saturday, 8 p.m. ABC/ESPN GamePlan
Allen Kenney’s Take: Given Stanford’s recent run of dominance, it’s easy to forget that the Trojans damn near beat Stanford last season in Palo Alto. If not for a field goal at the gun, this would be a big-time revenge game for the Cardinal.
Look for Matt Barkley, Robert Woods and the rest of USC’s talented offensive skill players to test Stanford’s secondary like it has yet to be tested this season and put a scare into the Cardinal. In the end, Andrew Luck and Co. stay on the path towards New Orleans.
Stanford 28, USC 24
Everyone Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: Stanford 41, USC 21
Kevin McGuire: Stanford 33, USC 28
Michael Felder: Stanford 55 USC 38
Regie Eller: Stanford 42, USC 14
Tom Perry: USC 28, Stanford 24
Follow our writers on Twitter: @Aaron_Torres; @BlatantHomerism; @KevinonCFB; @InTheBleachers; @CFBRocker; @EyeAndEer.
