Here is your Crystal Ball Run Week 10 staff preview!!
Washington at Cal, 9 PM Friday, ESPN2
Tom Perry’s Take: The Huskies are fresh off a 20-17 upset win over previously unbeaten Oregon State and now are looking to become bowl eligible. That's the second time Washington knocked off a Top 10 team this year (Stanford). The Huskies are 4-4, but finishing with four straight wins is a very real possibility. It would start with Cal on Friday.
The Bears' season has become a disaster and it may end up costing Jeff Tedford his job in Berkeley. At 3-6, Tedford has gone 15-19 the past two seasons. Getting a win over Washington at home will help alleviate some of the pressure on the embattled coach.
The Pick: Washington 28, Cal 10
Everybody Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: Washington 35, Cal 10
Allen Kenney: Washington 24, Cal 20
Andy Coppens: Washington 31, Cal 27
Kevin McGuire: Washington 27, California 24
Missouri at No. 7 Florida: Saturday, 12 p.m. ESPN2
Aaron Torres’ Take: As brutal as last Saturday’s loss against Georgia was, Florida is still not out of the SEC East title chase. All they can do is win their Saturday game against Missouri, and hope that Georgia slips up somewhere along the way; most likely against Ole Miss this weekend.
Expect just that to happen on Saturday afternoon. I’m not saying it’ll be pretty, but at home, in their final SEC regular season game of the season, the Gators will find a way to win.
The Pick: Florida 20, Missouri 6
Everybody Else’s Take:
Allen Kenney: Florida 27, Missouri 6
Andy Coppens: Florida 24, Missouri 17
Kevin McGuire: Florida 30, Missouri 17
Tom Perry: Florida 27, Missouri 3
No. 16 Texas A&M at No. 15 Mississippi State: Saturday, 12 p.m. ESPN
Aaron Torres’ Take: Look, we love what Dan Mullen has done in his first four years at Mississippi State, but at the same time, his record speaks for itself: Mullen is just 1-7 against ranked teams, in large part because his Bulldogs are only built to beat a certain kind of team.
That “kind” of team unfortunately is not Texas A&M, a club which moves the ball up and down the field and puts up points in bunches. Mississippi State isn’t built to come from behind, and unfortunately that’s where they’ll be playing from all day Saturday.
Aggies win… big.
The Pick: Texas A&M 38, Mississippi State 20
Everybody Else’s Take:
Allen Kenney: Texas A&M 30, Mississippi State 24
Andy Coppens: Mississippi State 27, Texas A&M 24
Kevin McGuire: Texas A&M 33, Mississippi State 28
Tom Perry: Texas A&M 28, Mississippi State 24
TCU at No. 21 West Virginia: 3 PM, Saturday, FOX
Tom Perry’s Take: The two newest members of the Big 12 square off in Morgantown as both teams try to resurrect their seasons. The Mountaineers have a little more to play for, but TCU is a proud program that would love nothing more than to get a win over WVU.
The Mountaineers offense has been struggling after being one of the most efficient in the nation through its first five games. But the WVU defense remains one of the worst in the nation. The partisan crowd could turn on their team quickly Saturday if the defense comes up lame again.
The Pick: West Virginia 56, TCU 45
Everybody Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: TCU 24, West Virginia 14
Allen Kenney: West Virginia 42, TCU 30
Andy Coppens: West Virginia 41, TCU 31
Kevin McGuire: West Virginia 32, TCU 24
Pittsburgh at No. 3 Notre Dame: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. NBC
Kevin McGuire's Take: The Fighting Irish look to avoid a letdown after a huge road win at Oklahoma last week. With Notre Dame looking more and more as though they will be undefeated when they head to USC in the regular season finale, Notre Dame cannot afford to look past their next few opponents. Pittsburgh is coming off their best game of the year and have won two straight games, but the Panthers are just as likely to have a dud of a game as they are to have a quality game. The Panthers will need a flawless performance from quarterback Tino Sunseri and a strong day on the ground from Ray Graham if they are to give Notre Dame a run. The Fighting Irish must also find some offense at home, where they have not scored more than 20 points in a single game yet.
The Pick: Notre Dame 23, Pittsburgh 13
Everybody Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: Notre Dame 24, Pittsburgh 10
Allen Kenney: Notre Dame 21, Pittsburgh 9
Andy Coppens: Notre Dame 24, Pittsburgh 13
Tom Perry: Notre Dame 24, Pittsburgh 3
Ole Miss at No. 6 Georgia: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. CBS
Aaron Torres’ Take: For Georgia, the SEC East Championship is in their hands… all they have to do is make sure and not drop the ball against Ole Miss or Auburn. Do that, and they’re off to Atlanta for the second straight year.
Unfortunately for Mark Richt, I think this is a bad spot for his club. Georgia is a team that is already prone to letdowns, and coming back to Athens, in a game against Ole Miss (a club which plays hard against everyone) this one will be a lot trickier than it looks on paper.
Tricky enough as a matter of fact, that I’m picking Ole Miss to pull the upset.
I’m not saying the Rebels are the better team, but they are catching the Dawgs’ at the right time. Georgia will lose the SEC East because of it.
The Pick: Ole Miss 31, Georgia 28
Everybody Else’s Take:
Allen Kenney: Georgia 27, Ole Miss 21
Andy Coppens: Georgia 30, Ole Miss 17
Kevin McGuire: Georgia 38, Ole Miss 20
Tom Perry: Georgia 34, Ole Miss 17
No. 23 Texas at No. 18 Texas Tech: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ABC/ESPN2
Allen Kenney’s Take: Tough times for these two in the Sunflower State last week. Yet, Texas Tech got blown out by Kansas State and it was still more promising than Texas' underwhelming showing versus Kansas.
David Ash has come back to earth since his hot start to the point that Texas Mack Brown is looking at a potential QB controversy (again). Ash will get the start this week, but what would it take for the Longhorns to call on Case McCoy?
We might find out with a quickness in Lubbock on Saturday. Seth Doege and the Tech offense will be looking to abuse a Texas D that has put up little resistance this season.
UT bombed the Red Raiders in Austin last year, 52-20. Tommy Tuberville will respond in kind.
The Pick: Texas Tech 52, Texas 20
Everybody Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: Texas 28, Texas Tech 20
Andy Coppens: Texas Tech 38. Texas 28
Kevin McGuire: Texas Tech 34, Texas 27
Tom Perry: Texas Tech 45, Texas 28
No. 21 Nebraska at Michigan State: Saturday, 3:30pm ABC
Andy Coppens' Take: If you’re a fan of Big Ten football hitching your Rose Bowl hopes to Nebraska, it isn't a bad bet after the events of last weekend, however nothing is a given as the Huskers travel to a nasty place to play these days in Spartan Stadium. MSU is coming off of a big OT win over Wisconsin at Camp Randall and Andrew Maxwell seems to be finding a grove once again.
This battle all boils down to whether or not Nebraska can run the football, control the clock and hang on to the football as well. If the Huskers can do that they will prevail. Turn the ball over and look for Sparty to knock off their 2nd straight ranked opponent.
The Pick: Nebraska 24, Michigan State 13
Everybody Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: Nebraska 24, Michigan State 13
Allen Kenney: Michigan State 17, Nebraska 16
Kevin McGuire: Michigan State 24, Nebraska 23
Tom Perry: Nebraska 21, Michigan State 9
No. 4 Oregon at No. 17 USC: Saturday, 7:00 p.m. FOX
Allen Kenney’s Take: The Trojans fooled around last week against Arizona and ended up getting beat in a look-ahead spot for USC. The second loss of the season effectively ended Southern Cal's hopes at a national championship, rightfully raising concerns about the Men of Troy's focus this week. Isn't that ironic?
Knee-jerk reaction here says Oregon big. Take a closer look at last week's stats for 'SC, though. The Trojans turned it over five times, including three lost fumbles, and damn near beat a peaking Arizona team. Marquise Lee and Robert Woods will test UO's secondary more than any other opponent this year, right?
In the end, though, USC just doesn't have it in the trenches. Ducks survive and advance.
Oregon 42, USC 36
Everybody Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: Oregon 42, USC 14
Andy Coppens: USC 31, Oregon 28
Kevin McGuire: Oregon 37, USC 31
Tom Perry: USC 38, Oregon 34
No. 1 Alabama at No. 5 LSU: Saturday, 8:00 p.m. CBS
Kevin McGuire’s Take: In a season that has been highlighted by high-scoring offenses and up-tempo styles, Alabama and LSU will once again remind us how important defense is. In fact, Alabama and LSU figure to show off some of the best defenses in the country, with the Crimson Tide allowing 8.1 points per game and LSU allowing just 14.6 points per game. Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron has quietly put together a season worthy of Heisman consideration with efficient and accurate passing and throwing 18 touchdowns and no interceptions. He may be the difference in the game, as LSU lacks a potent pass attack.
Pick: Alabama 13, LSU 10
Everybody Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: Alabama 24, LSU 6
Allen Kenney: Alabama 23, LSU 16
Andy Coppens: Alabama 33, LSU 27
Tom Perry: Alabama 28, LSU 10
No. 24 Oklahoma State vs. No. 2 Kansas State: Saturday, 8:00pm ABC
Andy Coppens’ Take: This is a clash of styles to say the least. The Cowboys of OSU love to score and Kansas State loves to play them some defense and use their offense to control the clock while also scoring a lot of points. Wes Lunt is back behind center and the Freshman has been a game changer for the Pokes so far this season. However, his defense will be going up against one of the most dynamic quarterbacks they'll face all season long in Collin Klein at his house.
As the saying goes: Offense wins games, but defense wins championships and the Wildcats have a damn good defense. They haven't given up more than 24 points to any opponent all season long.
K-State is in rare air for what was once the single worst program in major college football. Give me the defense in this one as K-State takes care of business at home in Manhattan on the national stage versus a freshman quarterback.
The Pick: Kansas State 41, Oklahoma State 20
Everybody Else’s Take:
Aaron Torres: Kansas State 41, Oklahoma State 21
Allen Kenney: Kansas State 38, Oklahoma State 31
Kevin McGuire: Kansas State 31, Oklahoma State 20
Tom Perry: Kansas State 48, Oklahoma State 35
No. 22 Arizona at UCLA: Saturday, 10:30 p.m. Pac-12 Network
Aaron Torres’ Take: Don’t look now UCLA fans, but against all odds, your Bruins control their own destiny in the Pac-12 South title chase. If they win out, they will play on the first weekend of December, likely at Autzen Stadium against Oregon.
And for UCLA, Saturday will be a step towards that goal. Arizona is a good team, but coming off last week’s win against USC they’re due for a letdown. Meanwhile, the Bruins return to the Rose Bowl for just the second time since September 22.
Jim Mora’s boys win… big!
The Pick: UCLA 45, Arizona 22
Everybody Else’s Take:
Allen Kenney: UCLA 42, Arizona 36
Andy Coppens: UCLA 30, Arizona 20
Kevin McGuire: Arizona 40, UCLA 37
Tom Perry: UCLA 35, Arizona 31
