Here are the Crystal Ball Run, Week 5 staff picks!
No. 5 Kansas State at No. 25 Iowa State: Saturday 12:00pm FX
Andy Coppens’ Take: It's been a few years since Farmeggedon has mattered, in fact it's been over half a decade since this game decided the Big 12 North representative believe it or not. So, this game matters.
Kansas State owns the Cyclones as of late, winning each of the last 4 games between these two rivals. However believe it or not the Cyclones own the series (49-42-5). This game has a lot on the line, but arguably more so for those occupying the home locker room at Jack Trice Stadium. Achieve a victory over there rivals – great, but beating a Top 5 team for the 2nd straight season and suddenly this is a Cyclones team that you have to respect.
If either team hopes to win the Big 12 they must have this game, plain and simple. The loser is likely out of the race. One other quirky fact: The last four games have been won by just an average of 5.25 points by K-State, so Farmageddon has really lived up to it's billing.
As for the battle on the field, well it comes down to Collin Klein vs. ISU's LB's – especially A.J. Klein and Jake Knott. If Knott and Klein can keep the other Klein in check or at least make him one dimensional this can be a Cyclone victory. As long as the offense stays away from turnovers this will be a Cyclone victory and that's exactly what I see happening with Jared Barnett behind center.
The Pick: Iowa State 31, Kansas State 24
Everyone Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: Kansas State 41, Iowa State 21
Allen Kenney: Kansas State 17, Iowa State 14
Kevin McGuire: Kansas State 32, Iowa State 17
Michael Felder: Kansas State 43, Iowa State 27
Tom Perry: Kansas State 34, Iowa State 20
No. 13 Oklahoma vs No. 15 Texas: Saturday, 12:00 p.m. ABC
Kevin McGuire’s Take: The Red River Rivalry usually has some sort of conference hierarchy on the line but right now Texas and Oklahoma are looking to stay in the mix trailing West Virginia and Kansas State. It is somewhat unfamiliar territory to see both teams enter this game already with a loss, but that may be what makes this year's match-up even more critical. Both teams bring potent offenses to the table, and this really could be a shootout with Oklahoma's Landry Jones and Longhorns quarterback David Ash coming in to his own. The two have combined for 18 touchdowns and three interceptions so far. We've seen what Texas and Oklahoma can do against the teams on top of the Big 12. Do the Longhorns have the upper hand?
The Pick: Texas 37, Oklahoma 34
Everyone Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: Oklahoma 35, Texas 31
Allen Kenney: Oklahoma 28, Texas 24
Andy Coppens: Oklahoma 33, Texas 27
Michael Felder: Texas 31, Oklahoma 24
Tom Perry: Oklahoma 38, Texas 31
Auburn at Ole Miss: Saturday, 12:21 p.m. SEC Network
Michael Felder’s Take: Ole Miss is 3-3 but they're a football team that has a pulse. They get after it offensively and when there are openings Hugh Freeze's team jumps on them. So, while the Ole Miss defense is still trying to figure things out, their offense is a pretty cohesive unit with a good plan of attack and that does not bode well for the Auburn Tigers; a team that is struggling on both sides of the ball.
Gene Chizik has had the week from hell with respect to getting blown out by Arkansas, having a quarterback controversy and then of course the wife-facebook fiasco. He is trying to get his team to win a football game and going into Oxford, in one of the few games Ole MIss truly believes they can win, isn't a good thing. There is too much inconsistency, too much uncertainty and too many unknowns for this Auburn team.
The Pick: Ole Miss 37, Auburn 20
Everyone Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: Ole Miss 31, Auburn 17
Allen Kenney: Ole Miss 30, Auburn 28
Andy Coppens: Ole Miss 27, Auburn 24
Kevin McGuire: Ole Miss 20, Auburn 17
Tom Perry: Ole Miss 24, Auburn 14
No. 10 Oregon State at BYU: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ABC
Tom Perry’s Take: Oregon State is looking to go 5-0 for the first time since 1939, but it won't be easy following the loss of quarterback Sean Mannion. OSU's replacement Cody Vaz hasn't started since high school and he'll be taking on a tough BYU defense. The Beavers' defense will do its thing to keep this one close and maybe create a score or two. BYU quarterback Riley Nelson is back after missing two games with a back injury.
The Pick: Oregon State 24, BYU 3
Everyone Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: Oregon State 16, BYU 13
Allen Kenney: BYU 13, Oregon State 10
Andy Coppens: BYU 24, Oregon State 13
Kevin McGuire: BYU 20, Oregon State 17
Michael Felder: BYU 7, Oregon State 6
No. 1 Alabama at Missouri: Saturday 3:30pm CBS
Andy Coppens’ Take: Is there any stopping the Tide this season? Highly unlikely it's happening from the James Franklin-less Tigers of Missouri.
‘Bama is a complete team and Missouri, well they have had a rude awakening in their first go around so far in the SEC – starting 0 for 3. It's really hard to see a way Bama doesn't win this game. They've got the nations No. 1 defense going against a team starting a freshman in Corbin Berkstreeter. Oh, and the Tide's offense? Ya, they are No. 17 in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 40.2 points a game.
Nick Saban is worried about Bama's 1st trip to Columbia and Farout Field in 34 years and I'm saying: Dude, relax… Your team's gotcha!
The Pick: Alabama 34, Missouri 13
Everyone Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: Alabama 41, Missouri 6
Allen Kenney: Alabama 42, Missouri 7
Kevin McGuire: Alabama 38, Missouri 17
Michael Felder: Alabama 49, Missouri 7
Tom Perry: Alabama 48, Missouri 3
No. 17 Stanford at No. 7 Notre Dame: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. NBC
Allen Kenney's Take: Win one for Beano?
ESPN's dearly departed Notre Dame homer had to be loving the season that the Fighting Irish are putting together. Brian Kelly has assembled a surprisingly tough team that is being sustained by a strong defensive front seven. Fortunately for ND, it has yet to come upon a team that can punish its patchwork secondary.
And that team won't be the Cardinal. Stanford quarterback Josh Nunes has shown no ability to make plays consistently in the passing game, and he's missing his top wideout, Ty Montgomery.
Stanford can play ugly with the best of them, so look for a tight, low-scoring game that ultimately goes ND's way.
The Pick: Notre Dame 21, Stanford 17
Everyone Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: Notre Dame 21, Stanford 6
Andy Coppens: Notre Dame 33, Stanford 24
Kevin McGuire: Notre Dame 24, Stanford 17
Michael Felder: Notre Dame 21, Stanford 17
Tom Perry: Notre Dame 21, Stanford 17
No. 4 Florida at Vanderbilt: Saturday, 6:00 p.m. ESPNU
Aaron Torres’ Take: Fun fact: Regardless of whether they win, lose or draw (the latter of which seems highly unlikely) this will be the last time Florida leaves the state of Florida this regular season. Granted, they still have to go to Doak-Campbell Stadium, and play Georgia in Jacksonville, but for Will Muschamp’s boys, there will be no frequent flyer points to accumulate. Or something.
So what’s my point in all that?
Not much, only that after another big win, I do wonder how amped Florida will be to travel up to Nashville this weekend. Don’t get me wrong, the Gators will win; but it’ll be another sloppy game dictated and dominated by their defense and running game.
The Pick: Florida 20, Vanderbilt 10
Everyone Else’s Take:
Allen Kenney: Florida 20, Vanderbilt 14
Andy Coppens: Vanderbilt 24, Florida 17
Kevin McGuire: Florida 27, Vanderbilt 9
Michael Felder: Florida 20, Vanderbilt 14
Tom Perry: Florida 28, Vanderbilt 10
No. 11 USC at Washington: 7:00 p.m. FOX
Tom Perry's Take: Former USC assistant coaches Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian get to go head-to-head in this key Pac-12 game. The Trojans have come back to life after the loss to Stanford and is still a legitimate conference contender. Matt Barkley is obviously a key to the USC offense, but Washington will counter with a solid defensive backfield that is looking for the gunslinger to throw a few INTs. Washington's best chance to win is if QB Keith Price plays an error-free game.
The Pick: USC 34, Washington 17
Everyone Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: USC 31, Washington 20
Allen Kenney: USC 28, Washington 14
Andy Coppens: USC 33, Washington 17
Kevin McGuire: USC 30, Washington 24
Michael Felder: USC 24, Washington 16
TCU at Baylor: Saturday, 7:00 p.m.
When this game featured Robert Griffin III and Casey Pachall last year, it turned into one of the true classics of the 2012 year. This year without either of them it won’t be nearly as pretty.
Speaking of “not pretty” that’s probably the best way to describe TCU’s first Pachall-less effort last weekend. Without him again (and for the foreseeable future), and Baylor’s offense still capable of putting up points, look for the Bears to pick up the win at home.
The Pick: Baylor 38, TCU 24
Everyone Else’s Take:
Allen Kenney: Baylor 38, TCU 23
Andy Coppens: Baylor 44, TCU 28
Kevin McGuire: Baylor 34, TCU 24
Michael Felder: Baylor 37, TCU 31
Tom Perry: Baylor 34, TCU 24
No. 3 South Carolina at No. 9 LSU: Saturday, 8:00 p.m. ESPN
Michael Felder’s Take: The Gamecocks are coming off one of their biggest wins in program history, a 35-7 beating of Georgia. LSU enters the game off a loss to Florida that came in brutal fashion; a physical beating by the Gators. Now, Spurrier's team is the highly ranked squad and LSU is clutching a Top Ten spot, just barely. For LSU a win here would help push them back into a possible BCS picture, while a win for South Carolina could land them in the top two spots of the BCS standings.
On the field LSU has legitimate problems protecting Zach Mettenberger and while they're a team that should go power football, odds are their offensive gameplan is going to include far too much passing. That means opportunity for Devin Taylor and Jadeveon Clowney to attack the statue that is Mettenberger and that's going to be a problem. On defense an LSU squad that complained about Florida's heat and the Gators' team speed will again have their hands full against South Carolina. The game is at night, which helps with their heat issues, but South Carolina, with Marcus Lattimore and Connor Shaw, is going to run them ragged if they aren't in decent enough condition.
The Pick: South Carolina, 20 LSU 13
Everyone Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: South Carolina 20, LSU 6
Allen Kenney: LSU 21, South Carolina 14
Andy Coppens: LSU 27, South Carolina 24
Kevin McGuire: South Carolina 13, LSU 9
Tom Perry: LSU 17, South Carolina 14
Tennessee at No. 19 Mississippi State: Saturday, 9:00 p.m. ESPN2
Allen Kenney’s Take: Yet again, Dan Mullen's team has started the season looking strong in the process of pounding a bunch of punks. Even Miss. St.'s best win, a 28-10 pasting of Auburn, really isn't that impressive now.
Tennessee presents a match-up nightmare for the Bulldogs. State plays a style that is about as ground it out as it gets, making them susceptible to offenses as potent as the one UT sports.
The Bulldogs have to hope that their imposing defensive line can cause enough chaos in the Volunteers backfield to keep Tyler Bray from rocking and firing in the pocket. Coming off a bye, however, Derek Dooley should have his team primed to get a needed W.
The Pick: Tennessee 27, Mississippi State 20
Everyone Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: Mississippi State 24, Tennessee 17
Andy Coppens: Mississippi State 27, Tennessee 19
Kevin McGuire: Mississippi State 24, Tennessee 21
Michael Felder: Mississippi State 24, Tennessee 20
Tom Perry: Tennessee 21, Mississippi State 17
No. 22 Texas A&M at No. 23 Louisiana Tech: Saturday, 9:00 p.m. ESPNU
Kevin McGuire's Take: Louisiana Tech's wild BCS dreams start and end with this one game this weekend at home against Texas A&M. The Aggies will be the only top 25 team the Bulldogs face this season, and a win would keep alive those BCS aspirations shared by former WAC members Boise State and Hawaii.
These two teams are about as even as any two teams playing each other this weekend. The total offenses are separated by an average of seven yards, the passing games are within a yard and the running games are separated by just six yards per game. Does Louisiana Tech get an edge playing at home, or do the Aggies have an advantage with a better work load behind them?
Texas A&M 33, Louisiana Tech 27
Everyone Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: Texas A&M 31, Louisiana Tech 13
Allen Kenney: Texas A&M 45, Louisiana Tech 28
Andy Coppens: Louisiana Tech 49, Texas A&M 47
Michael Felder: Texas A&M 38, Louisiana Tech 35
Tom Perry: Texas A&M 32, Louisiana Tech 20
