It was another below-par performance from me last week, but there's always redemption available in the month of November.
This week we have a pretty good collection of games, so buckle up for some swami-like predictions.
As always, a look back from week 10 before this week's picks.
Last Week: 5-7
Overall: 67-49
Wins
*Wisconsin got back on track after two straight losses with a 45-point demolishing of Purdue.
*Just another 20+ point win for Stanford---this time by 25 over Oregon State.
*Arkansas covered easily as 5-point favorites over South Carolina.
*LSU took the Game as 4.5 point underdogs.
*Oregon covered by half a point over Washington---thank goodness for this one.
Losses
*Notre Dame failed to cover against Wake Forest.
*Michigan went into Iowa as favorites and promptly lost their second game of the season.
*Nebraska lost to Northwestern as 17.5 point favorites. Is there a Nebraska NDN out there rioting over Pelini right now?
*Oklahoma thoroughly dominated Texas A&M and won by 16 points---and it didn't even seem that close.
*Cincinnati managed to beat Pitt by just 3 points---the spread was 3.5 points Bearcats!
*Baylor was favored by 2.5 over Missouri and won by 3 points. I took Missouri anyway.
*As heavy favorites, Oklahoma State hung for a touchdown victory over Kansas State in a wacky high scoring shootout.
Now on to this week's picks:
Maryland (+20.5) at Notre Dame
Pick: Maryland
See the post, Irish Barnstorm into FedEx for Tussle with Terps
Florida (+3.5) at #15 South Carolina
Pick: South Carolina
No way am I going to take the dead body that is the Florida offense, on the road, against this South Carolina defense. The Gators will likely finish this season 6-6 with wins over Florida Atlantic, UAB, Tennessee, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Furman.
Isn't that embarrassing?
#21 Texas (-1.5) at Missouri
Pick: Texas
I look at this game and I think Texas should be favored---that is why it should come as no surprise that I am taking the Longhorns. After all, is there a more improved team that isn't getting talked about than Texas?
EDIT: Texas is favored, still taking the Horns.
#13 Michigan State (-3) at Iowa
Pick: Michigan State
Iowa is a pretty curious team this year, sitting at 6-3 and coming off a win over Michigan. Still, they did lose to Iowa State and Minnesota too. On the other side, Michigan State really needs this big road win to stay atop their division. And I think Sparty gets the job done.
#19 Nebraska (-3.5) at #12 Penn State
Pick: Nebraska
What the heck is going to happen during this game? Does Penn State play with incredible passion and keep their Rose Bowl hopes alive? Or has this week taken too much of an emotional toll on the team?
I have to go with the latter, plus the fact that I don't think Penn State is a particularly strong football team. There should be a lot of eye balls on this game early on Saturday.
#2 Oklahoma State (-17) at Texas Tech
Pick: Oklahoma State
The Cowboys still don't have a good defense, but they continue to just outscore teams. Can they go into Lubbock and do more of the same?
It's a risky pick but I'll hitch my wagon here to the explosive Oklahoma State offense doing a lot of damage.
West Virginia (+3.5) at #23 Cincinnati
Pick: West Virginia
Cincinnati has a huge opportunity to put a strangle hold on the Big East, but don't forget how dangerous West Virginia can be. I don't think the Bearcats will win this one---the Big East champion has to go down to the wire.
Miami (+9) at Florida State
Pick: Miami
Wow, big spread no? Four straight wins over some meddling ACC opponents has Vegas believing in the Seminoles again, but I'll take the points and sit back and watch this game stay close right until the end.
Texas A&M (-4.5) at #17 Kansas State
Pick: Kansas State
This is me finally giving up on A&M. As solid favorites on the road I've turned my back and refuse to pick the Aggies. Does that mean Kansas State will stay ranked for another week? Yes, yes it does.
Auburn (+13) at #14 Georgia
Pick: Auburn
Now that Georgia has strung together a bunch of wins the experts may be overrating them a little bit. At least I'm of that mind. Auburn has struggled this year, as most expected them to, but I don't think Georgia is a good enough team to win by two touchdowns---the Tigers still have too much talent.
TCU (+15) at #5 Boise State
Pick: TCU
As we head towards the end of this week's picks you'll notice I'm staying away from the heavy favorites. At this point in the season this has to be the smart move.
Neither of these teams are what they were last year, yet since TCU lost early and Boise State remains undefeated there seems to be a majority opinion that the Broncos are much better in this matchup. Nope, not believing that---take the points.
#6 Oregon (+3.5) at #3 Stanford
Pick: Oregon
As much as I'd love Notre Dame to play an undefeated Stanford to close out the year, I don't think it's going to happen. The Cardinal don't have the horses on defense to keep up in this game---plain and simple.
There will be a lot of points on the board, but Quack Attack will prevail in the end.
Enjoy the weekend!