2009 College Football - Week 6

This is where the college football season gets fun. As of now, there are about 10-15 teams with a legit shot of getting to the BCS title game. This week's slate of games will go a long way into shrinking that number. That's because this week, a lot of ranked teams have some tough tests, including a few of them against fellow ranked teams. The most fun will be in the SEC but beyond that, there are other critical games that will go a long way in determining conference races.

It was another good week of picking games for me, going a respectable 10-5. I also predicted my second straight APPY pick, which I think may be a personal record. I'm gonna try to make 3 for 3 this week, but in my life, the third time has never really been the charm. My overall record for the season is up to 48-27. Here's hoping I can make it a perfect 15-0 in Week 6, but I doubt it with such amazing games on the schedule.

GAME OF THE WEEK
1. #1 Florida @#4 LSU - Doesn't get much better than this on a Saturday. Tons of storylines in this one. The first one obviously being the health of Tim Tebow. My gut tells me he will get medically cleared but will not play. Losing this game does not end the Gators title chances. In fact, it gives them a scapegoat. But losing Tebow long-term will ruin their chances. LSU's offense has not been great this season but they're scrappy and seem to just find ways to win when it matters. But this is a Florida that really doesn't like the Bayou Bengals and will do everything in their power to bring home a win for their injured captain. Having the game in Baton Rouge is a huge advantage, especially if back-up John Brantley makes his first career start. Should be a great game and my pick to win is LSU.

BEST OF THE REST
2. #3 Alabama @ #20 Ole Miss - Another great SEC showdown this Saturday with national title implications too. Bama hasn't really been challenged since their opening week win against VT but they should get one from Ole Miss. The Rebels are probably still steamed about their loss to South Carolina and you can bet Coach Nutt will have this team motivated and ready to pull the upset. Thing is, the Rebels are facing one of the best defenses in the nation. QB Jevan Snead has to stay away from turnovers to assure his team a chance. The Tide's offense has been playing well as of late and should be able to move the ball against the Rebels. Now, the game is in Oxford so the Rebel faithful will make things tough. I'm not gonna make it secret that I am rooting for Ole Miss but ALABAMA has looked too strong so far to fall in this one.

3. Michigan @ #12 Iowa - Great Big Ten battle here of two teams who are fighting for a Big Ten title just as much as favorites OSU and PSU are. Michigan did fall last week to MSU but barely. QB Tate Forcier did another great job of bringing his team back against MSU but in the end, also threw away the game with an INT in overtime. Meanwhile, Iowa was anything but impressive in their 24-21 win over Arkansas State. Both teams have a lot to prove in this one. While I think Iowa is a good team and played a great game against Penn State, they haven't showed me anything that tells me they are for real So in my APPY pick, I'll take MICHIGAN to win on the road in Iowa City.

4. #13 Oregon @ UCLA - The Ducks have come a long way since the Boise State opening week loss. They've now won 4 in a row and find themselves right in the thick of the Pac-10 race. But all is not rosy in Eugene. Their starting QB Jeremiah Masoli may not start after injuring his knee last week. Since the suspension of RB LaGarrette Blount, he's been the cog that makes the offense go so losing him is a big deal. UCLA is no joke either. They did lose last week to a good Stanford team but are more than capable of pulling off this upset, especially at home and against a backup QB. Still taking OREGON though to escape with the win.

5. #21 Nebraska @ #24 Missouri (THURS) - In case you missed it, Missouri is undefeated on the season and QB Chase Daniel has graduated. Now the question is, is this team for real? They'll find out this week against a Nebraska team that has its sights set on winning the Big 12 North. Bo Pelini's team only loss has come to VT, and that was by one point, so this is a team with plenty of talent and confidence. Meanwhile, Missouri's best win is at Nevada. Yikes. Mizzou may be ranked but NEBRASKA is the better team. Much better.

6. Wisconsin @ #9 Ohio State - There have been occasions when Wisconsin has upset the higher-ranked Buckeyes. Don't expect that this week. Yes, the Badgers come in undefeated and off a rivalry win on the road at Minnesota. But the Badgers defense is nothing special, having already given up 123 pts in 5 games. In contrast, the Buckeyes defense has given up just 59 pts in 5 games, including just 14 in the last 3. The Badgers will have to win this game on the ground but the Buckeyes defense is 10th against the run. The winner takes sole possession of first place in the conference at 3-0. I'll take OHIO STATE in a game that could be settles at halftime. OHIO STATE 34, WISCONSIN 14

7. #22 Georgia Tech @ Florida State - All the talk this week in Tallahassee has been all about Bobby Bowden and his job situation. For a football team, this is the last thing you want to hear as you try to turn your football season around. Or is it? GT head coach Paul Johnson believes all the talk about Bowden will only inspire the 'Noles to play for their beloved coach and prove that he still has "it". GT is the better team but if they don't get off to a good start, it won't be good. They are the kind of offense that jumps out of the gate and seizes control. Because of all the emotion and talk, I don't see them being able to do that. So I'll take FLORIDA STATE in an upset.

8. Boston College @ #5 Virginia Tech - Without a doubt, VT is the better team and if all goes right, should win by 14 or more. But this is the kind of game that VT loves to lose, or at least lately. Last year, they inexplicably lost to BC in Chestnut Hill 28-23. Of course, this game is in Blacksburg, a place VT rarely loses. But don't count out BC, who is coming off an emotional win against FSU. VIRGINIA TECH is my choice to win, even though this could be a bit of a trap game with GT next week.

9. Connecticut @ Pittsburgh - A critical game in the Big East race. The Cincy/USF battle next Thursday will give one of those teams a loss. The same goes for this game as both hope to stay perfect in conference play. UConn is off to a good start at 3-1, giving up just 60 pts in their 4 games. Pitt should be perfect if not for a bad loss to NC State. They bounced back nicely against Louisville though and should be more than ready to take on that stout UConn D. PITTSBURGH is my pick.

10. Georgia @ Tennessee - This is a big game for the Vols but an even bigger game for the Dawgs. UGA had LSU right where they wanted them, losing with less than a minute left. But the Dawgs couldn't finish the job and now, they're 3-2, unranked and wondering what could have been. But this is the kind of game they need badly. They lose this game and their season goes for a tailspin. But the Vols need this game too, especially if they have sights set on making a bowl game. Their defense will have their work cut out for them to stop the Dawgs though. I'll go with GEORGIA.

11. Stanford @ Oregon State - The Cardinal are 4-1 and 3-0 in the conference. Is it a joke? Not at all but it is a bit misleading. You see, Stanford finishes the year with Oregon, USC, Cal and Notre Dame, so the best is yet to come. But with every game, this team gains confidence and with a win this week, could find themselves ranked for the first time all year. To win, they'll have to stop an Oregon State team that hasn't played great in the early part of the season but at any time, could break out of that funk. STANFORD is my pick to win but I expect this one to be close.

12. #17 Auburn @ Arkansas - The secret is out about Auburn: they're good. Their offense has put points up in every game and their start has many thinking they could be the comeback team of the season. But let's not get too crazy. They're in SEC play now and things will only get tougher. They beat Tennessee 26-22 and now must take on an Arkansas team that can pass with the best of them but doesn't have the defense to match. This game could be an offensive shootout and in the end, AUBURN should come out on top.

13. Baylor @ #19 Oklahoma - This game would be much higher if both teams had their quarterbacks healthy. Baylor lost super sophomore Robert Griffin for the year due to injury and Oklahoma is still without their Heisman Trophy-winning QB Sam Bradford. Now, Bradford could be back for this game, which would be big so he can get some playing time before the big showdown against Texas. With Griffin, the Sooners would be on upset alert but since the Bears are sans Griffin, OKLAHOMA wins by a ton.

14. #10 TCU @ Air Force - This is an important one for the team hoping to bust the BCS. actually, all of them are important now. TCU still has BYU and Utah on the schedule but it would be a bad idea not to bring their best for the Air Force. TCU has been great so far this season, controlling games with their offense and with their defense. Meanwhile, Air Force is 3-2 but both losses by 7 or less. They have one heck of a rush offense, #2 in the nation. The Falcons are definitely a worthy opponents but the Horned Frogs of TCU should come away with the victory.

15. Colorado @ #2 Texas - As far as the game, it's not the most attractive matchup. Colorado is not a good road team and one of the more inconsistent teams in the Big 12. They are also turnover-prone and tend to become exactly that against good competition. All eyes on this game should be on Texas, as they prepare for Oklahoma. Getting out of this game injury-free will be very important. Yes, you could call this a trap game but Colorado doesn't have enough to pull off the upset even if Texas overlooks them a bit. TEXAS wins by a healthy margin.

OTHER GAMES
Ohio @ Akron - It's the final game of a three-game road swing for the Cats. So far, it's gone fairly well. A hard-fought loss to Tennessee and then an offensive shootout win at Bowling Green. But now they travel to an Akron squad that has had it rough this year. The Zips are 1-3 but the losses are quality losses to Penn State, Indiana and Central Michigan. This will the Zips first real chance of winning and you can bet they know that too, especially with 2 weeks to prepare for the Cats. In order for OU to win this game, the defense has to play like they did against UConn, not BG. OU will put points on the board but it's that defense that worries me. Starting 2-0 in the MAC East would be a great start. Since Akron hasn't proven themselves, I'm going with OHIO to move to 4-2. OHIO 38, AKRON 28

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