College Football Picks- Wolverine-Free Week 8

There are only ten undefeated teams left in Division I- Bowl Subdivision. After this weekend's games, there may be as many as eight, because there are two matchups of the undefeateds.

GAMES OF THE WEEK: # 6 LSU Tigers at # 4 Auburn Tigers (both 7-0, 4-0) (SEC Tiger Bowl)- 3:30PM ET at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, AL on CBS
Something has got to give down in Auburn, Alabama on Saturday afternoon. Both LSU and Auburn are 7-0 overall, and 4-0 in SEC play. This will be a great showdown of the unbeatens. Last week, Auburn poured 65 points down on Arkansas (who scored 43).
Pick: Watch on Saturday at 3:30 ET on CBS (Auburn 48-30)

# 3 Oklahoma Sooners at # 18 Missouri Tigers (both 6-0, 2-0)- 8:00PM ET at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium in Columbia, MO on ABC
Behind LSU and Auburn, this is the second-biggest game of the week. You have the Missouri Tigers at 6-0, it's homecoming for Mizzou, ESPN College Football GameDay is camping up in Columbia, and the game is sold out at Faurot Field. All the makings for a big showdown in the Big 12. The Tigers last beat the Sooners in 1998, winning the last seven meetings, including the two Big 12 Championship meetings. The Sooners lead the first BCS poll of the season, which has the Tigers ranked 11th. Missouri, on it's fifth 6-0 start in school history, is looking to go 7-0 for the first time in 50 years. The only thing getting in the way is the Sooners, of course, who have been in the BCS go-round on-and-off for the last ten years. And Oklahoma is good.
Pick: Watch at 8PM ET on ABC (Oklahoma 38-14)

THURSDAY NIGHT MATCHUP: UCLA Bruins (3-3, 1-2) at # 1 Oregon Ducks (6-0, 3-0)
Oregon assumes the top spot in the Associated Press Poll for the first time in school history, and it looks like they will be there another week as UCLA hasn't beaten a # 1 team in 35 years. Quack, quack, quack...
Pick: Oregon 58-0

OTHER BIG GAMES OF THE WEEK:
Purdue Boilermakers (4-2, 2-0) at # 11 Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1, 2-1)- Noon at Ohio Stadium in Columbus
The last time the Bucks played Purdue, Terrelle Pryor turned the ball over four times for the Buckeyes in a 26-18 Purdue win. The Bucks will be without three of their defensive starters against Purdue, and the Boilermakers could take advantage of that (Purdue is unbeaten in Big Ten Play), but the Buckeyes will not disappoint their alumni this Saturday after the Buckeyes crashed and burned early last Saturday night up at Camp Randall against Wisconsin.
Pick: Ohio State 27-13

# 13 Wisconsin Badgers (6-1, 2-1) at # 15 Iowa Hawkeyes (5-1, 2-0)- Noon at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, IA
Last week, Ricky Stanzi was on fire in Ann Arbor as he exposed the shortcomings of Michigan's defense. However, Wisconsin's two-headed running back of John Clay and James White brought down the # 1 team in the nation, by yanking the pants off of the Buckeyes under the lights of Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin is looking for respect, and a decent bowl. While Iowa is trying not to disintegrate.
Pick: Wisconsin 31-28

# 16 Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-1, 1-1) at # 14 Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-0, 2-0)
Last week, Nebraska fell to earth as Texas beat them 20-13. This could be the second week in a row that an OSU loses its first game of the season.
Pick: Nebraska 31-16

# 8 Alabama Crimson Tide (6-1, 3-1) at Tennessee Volunteers (2-4, 0-3)- "The Third/Fourth Saturday in ROCK-tober"
They have met on the third Saturday in October for years (hey, it's the fourth Saturday, but who's keeping count?), but Alabama will roll tide over Tennessee, who will volunteer themselves to lose this game, because there is no way that they'll be able to stop Alabama.
Pick: Alabama 31-3

Penn Quakers (4-1, 2-0) at Yale Bulldogs (4-1, 2-0)
This is going to be a great matchup against two more of the Ivy League's elite programs.
Pick: Penn 20-16

RIVALRY MATCHUPS OF THE WEEK:
Harvard Crimson (3-2, 1-1) at Princeton Tigers (1-4, 0-2)
Last week, Princeton blew a 13-0 lead, and lost their quarterback in the process in a 17-13 loss to Brown. This week, the Tigers welcome rival Harvard in a matchup of two of the most prestigious colleges in the nation (or at least the Ivy League). Harvard has won the last three meetings (and 12 out of the last 14), including a 37-3 Harvard romp last season in Cambridge, Mass. Like Princeton last week, Harvard also blew a big lead (17-0) in a loss to Lehigh (21-19). This will be a good old-fashioned Jersey showdown (ok, not really, see Notre Dame/Navy below), and a tradition continued 130-plus years in the making.
Pick: Harvard 23-12

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-3) vs. Navy Midshipmen (4-2) (at New Meadowlands Stadium- East Rutherford, NJ)- Saturday @ Noon This is one of the premier non-conference rivalries, year-in, year-out...NOT! It's more one of the one-sided (Notre Dame) rivalries of college football. However, the Midshipmen have won two of the last three meetings after the Irish won 43 straight meetings from 1964 to 2006. Despite a close-call from Wake Forest, Navy is starting to slowly sink back as Notre Dame will win their fourth straight game this season. Sidenote: the 2012 matchup between these two will take place in Dublin...Ireland, that is.
Pick: Notre Dame 31-17

OAC/CENTRAL OHIO NCAC & GLIAC GAMES THIS WEEKEND:
Capital Crusaders (3-3, 3-2) at Mount Union Purple Raiders (6-0, 5-0) - "OAC Purple People Eaters Bowl"
Last week, Capital got lucky by shutting down the Magical Otterbein Gridiron Tour that has been riding waves for the last two years. Kory Hartlinger will not have an encore performance up in Alliance in a "Battle of the OAC Purple".
Pick: Mount Union 59-0

Wilmington Quakers (0-6, 0-5) at Baldwin-Wallace Yellowjackets (5-1, 4-1)
Baldwin-Wallace got knocked from the ranks of the unbeatens by a physical and tough Ohio Northern team. B-W, which finished 3-7 last year, has now won more games than they did last year, and will easily double last year's win total by pounding up the winless Quakers.
Pick: Baldwin-Wallace 41-0

Marietta Pioneers (2-4, 1-4) at Heidelberg Student Princes (2-4, 1-4)
Eenie-meeny-miney-mo...catch a tiger by it's toe, if it hollers, let 'em go. Eenie-meenie-miney-mo
Pick: Heidelberg 23-17 (OT)

Muskingum Muskies (3-3, 2-3) at Otterbein Cardinals (3-3, 2-3)
Last week, Otterbein came down flat in Bexley, as their three-game win streak against their hated cross-town rivals Capital came crashing down. This weekend, it is Homecoming in Westerville, and the Cardinals host an improved Muskingum team, whom Otterbein has beaten six straight times. Things won't get easy for the Muskies, as they are in the hardest part of their schedule, while Otterbein, who knocked theirselves out of the playoffs with back-to-back losses to Baldwin-Wallace and Capital, needs to win one more game in front of their home crowd before their home finale next week against Mount Union. Expect Austin Schlosser and Colton Coy to have big days for the Tan and Cardinal, and everything will be coming up roses- or Tan and Cardinal- for Otterbein, and the alumni will go home happy and forever Tan and Cardinal.
Pick: Otterbein 41-21

Ohio Northern Polar Bears (5-1, 4-1) at John Carroll Blue Streaks (3-3, 3-2)
This is either a great matchup, or a blowout waiting to happen. More likely, the latter, as Ohio Northern froze Otterbein, Capital, and last week, knocked out Baldwin-Wallace from the ranks of the unbeatens. Ohio Northern is just too strong for these Blue Streaks.
Pick: Ohio Northern 47-17

Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops (0-6, 0-2) at Allegheny Gators (4-2, 3-2)
Pick: Allegheny 29-0

Chicago Maroons (4-2) at Kenyon Lords (0-6)
Pick: Chicago 33-6

Wittenberg Tigers (7-0) at Carnegie-Mellon Tartans (4-2)
Wittenberg takes their perfect record on the road to Pittsburgh to visit Carnegie-Mellon. The Tigers will stay perfect in a sea of Pittsburgh Scottish Tartan.
Pick: Wittenberg 28-25

Wabash Little Giants (5-0, 3-1) at Denison Big Red (3-4, 1-2)
The Big Red are on a four-game slide after their first 3-0 start in 20 years, following a close 17-16 loss last week to Allegheny. The Little Giants will attempt to make it five in a row.
Pick: Wabash 37-14

Wooster Fighting Scots (3-3) at Case Western Reserve Spartans (6-0)
Case Western has won 40 regular season games in a row. Make it 41.
Pick: Case 31-6

Oberlin Yeomen (2-4) at Washington (MO) Bears (4-2)
Pick: Washington 27-11

OTHER BIG DIVISION I-FBS GAMES:
Iowa State Cyclones (3-4, 1-2) at # 19 Texas Longhorns (4-2, 1-1)
Texas roared back into the Top 25, after two weeks out of the Top 25, by handing Nebraska their first loss of the year. Iowa State will provide nothing but a scrimmage for the Horns, after Missouri's cyclone blew away the Cyclones 52-0 last week.
Pick: Texas 45-6

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4-2, 1-0) at Pitt Panthers (3-3, 1-0)
Pick: Pitt 31-20

Duke Blue Devils (1-5, 0-3) at # 25 Virginia Tech Hokies (5-2, 3-0)
Dont worry, Duke. Basketball season is just around the bend.
Pick: Virginia Tech 56-0

Penn State Nittany Lions (3-3, 0-2) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (1-6, 0-3)
On Sunday, Gophers Athletic Director Joel Maturi fired Head Coach Tim Brewster. Offensive Coordinator Tim Horton will take over as interim coach for the remainder of the season. Joe Pa and the Nittany Lions will spoil Horton's debut as the interim head coach for the Gophers as the Nittany Lions pick up their first Big Ten win of 2010.
Pick: Penn State 26-14

Ole Miss Rebels (3-3, 1-2) at # 23 Arkansas Razorbacks (4-2, 1-2)
Last week, Arkansas scored 43 points, but gave up 65. This week, the Razorbacks get back on track against Ole Miss.
Pick: Arkansas 31-10

# 22 Kansas State Wildcats (5-1, 2-1) at Baylor Bears (5-2, 2-1)
Baylor bowl eligible? Are you kidding me? Kansas State is not fooling around either.
Pick: Kansas State 49-14

Georgia Tech Yellowjackets (5-2, 3-1) at Clemson Tigers (3-3, 1-2)
Pick: Georgia Tech 26-10

Washington State Cougars (1-6, 0-4) at # 12 Stanford Cardinal (5-1, 2-1)
Pick: Stanford 64-0

Colorado State Rams (2-5, 1-2) at # 9 Utah Utes (6-0, 3-0)
Pick: Utah 55-0

# 21 South Carolina Gamecocks (4-2, 2-2) at Vanderbilt Commodores (2-4, 1-2)
Last week, a week removed after knocking off the # 1 team in the country, South Carolina blew an 18-point halftime lead, to lose to Kentucky 31-28. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt laid an egg (or 43 of them) against Georgia in a 43-0 loss. This week, Gamecock fans won't be singing any blues after they leave Nashville, because they are on a mission in the Music City. That mission: Beat Vanderbilt.
Pick: South Carolina 38-7

Alabama-Birmingham (UAB) Blazers at # 24 Mississippi State Bulldogs (5-2)
Last week, Mississippi State's defense shut down Florida in a 10-7 trap win over the once-mighty Gators.

Air Force Falcons (5-2, 3-1) at # 5 TCU Horned Frogs (7-0, 3-0)
Pick: TCU 41-7

Washington Huskies (3-3, 2-1) at # 18 Arizona Wildcats (5-1, 2-1)
This has the makings of a trap game, because Jake Locker is trying to prove something to all of the doubters of the Huskies.
Pick: Washington 28-25

Georgia Bulldogs (3-4, 2-3) at Kentucky Wildcats (4-3, 1-3)
Many in Georgia have been calling for the head of Mark Richt. Last week, those talks subsided as Georgia pummeled Vandy 43-0. Last week, Kentucky snapped a three-game slide with a 31-28 comeback win over South Carolina, after trailing 28-10 at halftime. Will the Wildcats get it back together, or will Red Lobster come back to bite again?
Pick: Georgia 23-20

Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-3, 1-3) at Colorado Buffaloes (3-3, 0-2)
Pick: Texas Tech 28-7

Indiana Hoosiers (4-2, 0-2) at Illinois Fighting Illini (3-3, 1-2)
Indiana proved the critics right. They don't have what it takes to compete with the rest of the Big Ten. Illinois will also prove that right to Indiana.
Pick: Illinois 34-0

WEEK 7 Victory of the Week: Wisconsin (6-1, 2-1; Big Ten) defeating then-# 1 Ohio State 31-18. The last time Wisconsin knocked off a # 1 team, it was Michigan (21-14 on Sept. 12, 1981). The Badgers jumped out to a 21-0 lead, courtesy of their two-headed running game of John Clay and James White. Terrelle Pryor and Daniel/Boom Herron tried to spice things up for the Buckeyes by cutting the Badger lead to three in the beginning of the 4th Quarter, but Clay slammed the door shut for the Scarlet and Gray, as the Buckeyes downward spiral looms near with Purdue, Iowa, and Michigan coming near.

Headline of the Week: University of Minnesota (1-6, 0-3; Big Ten) firing Head Coach Tim Brewster on Sunday; Offensive Coordinator Tim Horton will take over as the interim Gopher Head Coach