College Football: Week 5

The College Football Season moves into its second month of action this weekend with a lot of great games to rock in the month of ROCKtober.

GAMES OF THE WEEK:
The Red River Shootout- # 21 Texas Longhorns (3-1) vs. # 8 Oklahoma Sooners (4-0)- Cowboys Stadium, Arlington Texas
Last week, UCLA hooked those Horns on their own field. Now, they have to play Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout? Not good.
Pick: Oklahoma 41-24

# 7 Florida Gators (4-0) at # 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0)
The Crimson Tide are a marquee SEC matchup for the second week in a row. Last week, they came from 13 down to roll past Arkansas. This week, Florida comes to town looking for revenge after last year's game which sent Alabama to the BCS National Championship. CBS hasn't had an appointment-type program on Saturday night since the days of All in the Family, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, and The Carol Burnett Show.
Pick: Florida 30-27

# 22 Penn State Nittany Lions (3-1) at # 18 Iowa Hawkeyes (3-1)
Remember when Penn State knocked Iowa from the ranks of the unbeatens and vice versa? Just one of those nights, right? Can Rob Bolden knock off the Hawks in his second test? At Kinnick Stadium, it's just not gonna happen.
Pick: Iowa 28-12

# 9 Stanford Cardinal (4-0) at # 4 Oregon Ducks (4-0)
This is must-see TV for the Pac-10. Stanford, for the first time in almost a quarter of a century, is 4-0. Now, they have to play an Oregon team that is quacking over it's opponents. This will be either a blowout, or a shootout. Hopefully, the latter.
Pick: Oregon 44-40

# 11 Wisconsin Badgers (4-0) at # 24 Michigan State Spartans (4-0)
Last week, Wisconsin nailed and impeached the Governors from FCS school Austin Peay, while Michigan State (minus Head Coach Mark Dantonio) sent the Bears of Northern Colorado back into hibernation. This will be a great war of the unbeatens in East Lansing.
Pick: Wisconsin 42-35

Ohio Northern Polar Bears (3-0, 2-0) at Mount Union Purple Raiders (3-0, 2-0)
Ohio Northern sent Otterbein back into hibernation two weeks ago, and sent Muskingum there last week. Now, the Polar Bears want to go to Alliance and send the rulers of Division III football into hibernation? At Mount Union, Larry Kehres's boys live and breathe football. Mount Union has won 10 Division III National Championships in the last 16 years for one reason- the coaching system. Two years ago, Otterbein at 8-0 had a chance to dethrone the kings in Westerville, and they failed, and Ohio Northern, too will fail on Saturday.
Pick: Mount Union 64-6


UPSET PICK OF THE WEEK:
# 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0) at Illinois Fighting Illini (?-?)- The IlliBuck Bowl
Last week, the Buckeyes set football back 60 years by scoring 73 points against Eastern Michigan. The Big Ten season begins on Saturday for the # 2 team in the nation at they travel to Champaign. Three years ago, the Buckeyes were 10-0 and looking to go win the National Championship. However, the Buckeyes defense ran out of juice in trying to stop Juice Williams. The Buckeyes could be bitten by the upset bug yet again, against the Illini. It might happen, but it probably won't, but a boy can dream, can't I?
Pick: Ohio State 33-28

# 19 Michigan Wolverines (4-0) at Indiana Hoosiers (3-0)
At press time, Michigan QB Denard Robinson's status is unknown. But he sat out for most of last week's win against Bowling Green, in which Tate Forcier and Devin Gardner helped Michigan score it's biggest point total in 24 years. This week, they go to Bloomington and play an Indiana team they almost lost to last year, with Quarterback Ben Chappell as their field general.
Pick: Michigan 34-30

OTHER BIG FBS DIVISION I GAMES THIS WEEKEND:
# 16 Miami Hurricanes (3-1) at Clemson Tigers (2-1)
Clemson, lost to Auburn in a heartbreaking overtime thriller two weeks ago. After a bye week, the Tigers play a gracious Homecoming host to the Boys from the U. The Tigers might get swept away by this hurricane in what is a sold out game at Clemson Memorial Stadium.
Pick: Miami 41-20

Northwestern Wildcats (4-0) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (0-4)
Pick: Northwestern 48-6

Florida State Seminoles (3-1) at Virginia Cavaliers (2-1)
Pick: Florida State 52-7

# 5 TCU Horned Frogs (4-0) at Colorado State Rams (1-3)
Last week, Southern Methodist gave TCU a scare in Dallas last Friday night. Colorado State, off it's first win of the year, should prove to be an easier test for TCU.
Pick: TCU 44-7

Navy Midshipmen (2-1) at Air Force Falcons (3-1)
Pick: Navy 28-20

Tennessee Volunteers (2-2) at # 12 LSU Tigers (4-0)
Pick: LSU 31-13

Virginia Tech Hokies (2-2) at # 23 North Carolina State Wolfpack (4-0)
The last time that NC State was this good, some guy named Philip Rivers was their starting quarterback. Virginia Tech is still smarting from losses to Boise State and FCS team James Madison, and is looking to knock the Wolfpack from the pack of the unbeatens.
Pick: NC State 38-33

Arizona State Sun Devils (2-2) at Oregon State Beavers (2-2)
Pick: Arizona State 31-24

Washington State Cougars (1-3) at UCLA Bruins (2-2)
Two weeks ago, we were all thinking that UCLA was dead and gone. But after a Texas two-step, knocking off Houston (knocking out Heisman hopeful QB Case Keenum for the year) and Texas, the Bruins are even Steven at .500, looking to keep in going as the Bruins head into more Pac-10 play hosting Washington State in Westwood. The Bruins will make it three in a row.
Pick: UCLA 42-14

Wyoming Cowboys (1-3) at Toledo Rockets (3-1)
Last week, Toledo blasted over Purdue, for it's second Big Ten upset in three years. This week, the Wyoming Cowboys, out of the Mountain West Conference come to Toledo. Toledo will be ready for liftoff as they lasso Wyoming.
Pick: Toledo 27-16

Washington Huskies (1-2) at # 18 USC Trojans (4-0)
Really? Why pick this game- we all know the end result. However, after USC knocked off Ohio State in Columbus, Washington knocked the Trojan men off on a late field goal in Seattle last year. This game is not even going to be close at the Colisseum.
Pick: USC 55-0

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-3) at Boston College Eagles (2-1)- The Catholic/Jesuit Bowl
Last week, Wake Forest blanked BC, while Stanford sent Notre Dame to a third straight loss. This has been one of the great rivalries in recent history, too bad nobody wants to see it end. (Notre Dame will lose its fourth in a row)
Pick: BC 28-20

Georgia Tech Yellowjackets (2-2) at Wake Forest Demon Deacons (3-1)
Pick: Wake Forest 41-31


CENTRAL OHIO SMALLER COLLEGES:
(Ohio Athletic Conference)
John Carroll Blue Streaks (1-2, 1-1) at Otterbein Cardinals (2-1, 1-1)
The Blue Streaks, had dominated the rivalry, winning all but two games in the series, up until 2007. The last three games have been nailbiters between the two schools, including two of those games going into overtime (2007- John Carroll winning 35-33 in triple overtime; 2008- Otterbein winning 20-17 in overtime in rainy University Heights, sending Otterbein to its first, and so far, only playoff appearance), and last year's game almost went into overtime for the third year in a row, but didn't (Otterbein knocked down a game tying two-point conversion pass and recovered the ensuing onside kick to hold on for a 24-22 win in the season finale for both schools last year). John Carroll got its first win of the year, over a lowly Muskingum team, while Otterbein came from behind to beat Heidelberg in the Rhine River Cup for the seventh straight year. The forecast calls for rain Saturday afternoon in Westerville, and the last time these two teams met in the rain (in 2008), Otterbein went to the playoffs the following week. Will the same fate align for the 2010 Cards?
Pick: John Carroll 21-17

Heidelberg Student Princes (1-2, 0-2) at Capital Crusaders (1-2, 1-1)
Rumor has it that it's Homecoming for the Crusaders. The Student Princes are on a crusade to spoil that homecoming, after losing the Rhine River Cup to Otterbein for the seventh consecutive year last week. Capital is on the rebound after a loss to the Wolverines (Wesley College from Delaware, not the Boys from Ann Arbor). Capital has the talent, and I think that the Crusaders will not disappoint their alumni.
Pick: Capital 24-13

Wilmington Quakers (0-3, 0-2) at Muskingum Muskies (2-1, 1-1)
Muskingum at 3-1? Nobody saw this coming, but it's possible, considering Wilmington is struggling this year.
Pick: Muskingum 32-20

Marietta Pioneers (1-2, 0-2) at Baldwin-Wallace Yellow Jackets (3-0, 2-0)
The Pioneers are going to get stung really hard in Berea.
Pick: Baldwin-Wallace 27-0

(Division II)
Ohio Dominican Panthers (0-3, 0-3) at Michigan Tech Huskies (3-0, 3-0)
Ohio Dominican travels up to Michigan to play unbeaten Michigan Tech. The real problem for the Panthers is getting their offense in check, because their offense is falling apart, as they might go to 0-4, because I don't think that ODU will spoil Michigan Tech's homecoming.
Pick: Michigan Tech 31-10

(North Coast Athletic Conference)- select games
Wittenberg Tigers (4-0, 2-0) at Oberlin Yeomen (2-1, 1-1)
Wittenberg, after escaping a nail-biter at Allegheny, travels up to Oberlin to visit the house that Heisman built. The Tigers will be back on the winning edge by spoiling Oberlin's homecoming, by drowning the Yeomen in a sea of Wittenberg red.
Pick: Wittenberg 38-14

Wooster Fighting Scots (2-2, 1-1) at Denison Big Red (3-1, 1-0)
Denison got off to the great start, but Wooster has the history and prestige in Division III.
Pick: Wooster 28-23

Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops (0-4) at Chicago Maroons (2-2)
The Maroons are on a two-game losing streak after a 2-0 start, and no time would be better than the present, because Ohio Wesleyan might be the elixir that Chicago needs.
Pick: Chicago 30-14

Wabash Little Giants (3-0, 2-0) at Kenyon Lords (0-3, 0-2)
These Little Giants will stomp over Kenyon in the tiny little village of Gambier.
Pick: Wabash 37-16

THURSDAY NIGHT FINAL SCORE:
Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-0) 38, Texas A&M Aggies (3-1) 35

Looking ahead to Next Week...
Sports Corner Games of the Week:
Michigan State Spartans at Michigan Wolverines- 3:30PM in the Big House (Ann Arbor)
LSU Tigers at Florida Gators- Time TBA in Gainesville
Alabama Crimson Tide at South Carolina Gamecocks- Time TBA in Columbia, SC
Florida State Seminoles at Miami Hurricanes- 8:00PM in Miami
USC Trojans at Stanford Cardinal- 8:00PM in Palo Alto