What a college football weekend! We have three top 25 matchups and a lot of opportunities for underdogs to shock the world on national television this Saturday. I hope you enjoy Nick and I’s picks this week for Slant Sports! Let’s get to it…
Last Week Record: 3-1 / Overall Record: 28-13
#18 Iowa vs #17 Penn State
I’ll open this week’s picks with a big-boy football match-up between these two Big Ten rivals! The 5-2 Nittany Lions will host the 6-1 Hawkeyes. Trace McSorley has played lights out through seven games but he’s facing a big challenge as he gets ready to face Iowa’s tough defense. The game being in Happy Valley definitely helps the home team but this has “UPSET ALERT” written all over it.
This is not your usual Iowa team that shines on defense and is “tough to beat.” This time, they got a legit offense as well. I’m leaning towards the away dog on this one.
Winner: Iowa
#9 Florida vs #7 Georgia
After a painful loss against LSU, Georgia will seek to take advantage of a bye week to face a very top-10 opponent in the Florida Gators. The game will be played in Jacksonville and both teams have a lot to prove.
The Gators have really turned things around after losing their conference opener, sitting at a 6-1 record right now. Florida’s defense is fast and mean, and don’t be surprised if Florida controls the trenches as well. That’s right, gimme another away underdog!
Winner: Florida
#14 Washington State vs #24 Stanford
Last week went perfect for Washington State. College Gameday finally went to Wazzu and they beat the Oregon Ducks outright in a very fun, down-to-the-wire match. The football team cracked the top 15, things are perfect except… they’re on the road to visit a David Shaw coached Stanford team.
Stanford hasn’t looked very good this season. Not even with Bryce Love on the field. Their offense has struggled a ton but they’ve played hard on defense. It’s a tough position for the Cougars from an emotional perspective, so it’ll be interesting to see if Mike Leach keeps them in check.
I think Stanford’s team will be locked in coming from a longer rest (they played last Thursday) and will take the home-field advantage and win this game.
Winner: Stanford
#12 Kentucky vs Missouri
Not even a top 15 ranking will fool Las Vegas, man! Coming into this game versus an unranked Mizzou team, Kentucky is a SEVEN point underdog. Kentucky’s only loss came against Texas A&M in a similar situation and I expect history to repeat itself.
Missouri was clicking on all cylinders last week versus Memphis and Drew lock shined on the field as a great QB. I’m going with the home team and I also expect them to cover the betting line.
Winner: Missouri
Bonus picks!
#6 Texas vs Oklahoma State: Texas
#16 Texas A&M vs Mississippi State: Mississippi State
#3 Notre Dame VS Navy: Notre Dame
