Sports Editor Brad Carroll takes a look at the top college football games of the dayLAST WEEK: 4-3 (spread); 5-2 (overall); 1-0 (upset picks)
THIS SEASON: 38-30-2 (spread); 53-17 (overall); 4-3 (upset picks)
No. 1 Alabama at No. 15 LSU; 3:30 p.m., CBS
The Skinny: Everyone knows the storyline in this one — Nick Saban returns to the LSU campus today for the first time as Alabama head coach in what will be a raucous atmosphere. Saban left LSU after winning the 2003 BCS Championship and went to the Dolphins. That seemingly was ok, but the fact that he came back to college to coach the hated Tide, makes for a whole lot of hatred from Tiger fans. I’m going with LSU and the out-for-blood crowd. The Pick: LSU (+3.5) wins it 28-27.
No. 8 Oklahoma State at No. 2 Texas Tech; 8 p.m.; ABC
The Skinny: If you read ollege GameDay Rewind on my blog this week, you know how I feel about Texas Tech and their huge victory over No. 1 Texas last Saturday (something that I predicted right here). So, I’ll just move right into this next huge matchup for the Red Raiders. Quarterback Graham Harrell has jumped to the top of the Heisman race, and with the chemistry he has with Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech will not be stopped tonight. The Pick: Texas Tech (-3.5) wins it 31-17.
No. 4 Florida at Vanderbilt; 8 p.m.; ESPN2
The Skinny: Florida took care of business last week against Georgia and will look to avoid a letdown on the road against Vanderbilt. The fact that the Gators can clinch the SEC Eastern division, however, makes me believe that they’ll be ready to go tonight. Florida has won 18 straight games against Vandy, but the Commodores aren’t as bad as they were in many of those years. The last three games in Nashville were decided by an average of 9 points. The Pick: Florida (-24) wins it 40-20.
No. 6 Oklahoma at Texas A&M; 3:30 p.m.; ABC
The Skinny: This won’t be much of a contest as Oklahoma is coming off a 62-28 victory over Nebraska and is still hoping to work its way into the national championship picture, while Texas A&M is 4-5 on the season and is playing for a bowl berth. Oklahoma has won the last five meetings between the two, including two in a row at Kyle Field. Texas A&M has already lost to Texas Tech and Oklahoma State this season. The Aggies go down again. The Pick: Oklahoma (-27.5) wins it 56-21.
No. 12 Ohio State at Northwestern; 12 p.m.; ESPN
The Skinny: Ohio State could have worked itself back into the conversation (it wouldn’t be a long one, mind you) if it had held on to beat Penn State two weeks ago. The Buckeyes had the ball and the lead, but a fumble gave the Nittany Lions life and they ended up winning the game and eliminating Ohio State — finally — from playing in a big bowl game again. Northwestern defeated No. 20 Minnesota last week and is riding high, but ... The Pick: Ohio State (-11) wins it 28-14.
Cincinnati at No. 20 West Virginia; 7 p.m.; ESPNU
The Skinny: After a sluggish first half against UConn last week, West Virginia turned things on in the second half and blew out the Huskies, giving us the win and the Mountaineers a spot in the Top 20. Both teams here are 6-2, but there are two big differences. One, West Virginia has quarterback Pat White. And two, Cincinnati lost to UConn, 40-16, this season. The Pick: West Virginia (-6.5) wins it 34-14.
Clemson at No. 24 Florida State; 3:30 p.m.; ABC
The Pick: Florida State (-4) wins it 23-20.
Brad’s brother, Craig Carroll, is back to defend his championship from a year ago. He finished with a 4-3 record last week, and is 32-36-2 for the season. Here are his picks for the week: LSU, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, OSU, West Virginia, FSU.
The Skinny: Everyone knows the storyline in this one — Nick Saban returns to the LSU campus today for the first time as Alabama head coach in what will be a raucous atmosphere. Saban left LSU after winning the 2003 BCS Championship and went to the Dolphins. That seemingly was ok, but the fact that he came back to college to coach the hated Tide, makes for a whole lot of hatred from Tiger fans. I’m going with LSU and the out-for-blood crowd. The Pick: LSU (+3.5) wins it 28-27.
No. 8 Oklahoma State at No. 2 Texas Tech; 8 p.m.; ABC
The Skinny: If you read ollege GameDay Rewind on my blog this week, you know how I feel about Texas Tech and their huge victory over No. 1 Texas last Saturday (something that I predicted right here). So, I’ll just move right into this next huge matchup for the Red Raiders. Quarterback Graham Harrell has jumped to the top of the Heisman race, and with the chemistry he has with Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech will not be stopped tonight. The Pick: Texas Tech (-3.5) wins it 31-17.
No. 4 Florida at Vanderbilt; 8 p.m.; ESPN2
The Skinny: Florida took care of business last week against Georgia and will look to avoid a letdown on the road against Vanderbilt. The fact that the Gators can clinch the SEC Eastern division, however, makes me believe that they’ll be ready to go tonight. Florida has won 18 straight games against Vandy, but the Commodores aren’t as bad as they were in many of those years. The last three games in Nashville were decided by an average of 9 points. The Pick: Florida (-24) wins it 40-20.
No. 6 Oklahoma at Texas A&M; 3:30 p.m.; ABC
The Skinny: This won’t be much of a contest as Oklahoma is coming off a 62-28 victory over Nebraska and is still hoping to work its way into the national championship picture, while Texas A&M is 4-5 on the season and is playing for a bowl berth. Oklahoma has won the last five meetings between the two, including two in a row at Kyle Field. Texas A&M has already lost to Texas Tech and Oklahoma State this season. The Aggies go down again. The Pick: Oklahoma (-27.5) wins it 56-21.
No. 12 Ohio State at Northwestern; 12 p.m.; ESPN
The Skinny: Ohio State could have worked itself back into the conversation (it wouldn’t be a long one, mind you) if it had held on to beat Penn State two weeks ago. The Buckeyes had the ball and the lead, but a fumble gave the Nittany Lions life and they ended up winning the game and eliminating Ohio State — finally — from playing in a big bowl game again. Northwestern defeated No. 20 Minnesota last week and is riding high, but ... The Pick: Ohio State (-11) wins it 28-14.
Cincinnati at No. 20 West Virginia; 7 p.m.; ESPNU
The Skinny: After a sluggish first half against UConn last week, West Virginia turned things on in the second half and blew out the Huskies, giving us the win and the Mountaineers a spot in the Top 20. Both teams here are 6-2, but there are two big differences. One, West Virginia has quarterback Pat White. And two, Cincinnati lost to UConn, 40-16, this season. The Pick: West Virginia (-6.5) wins it 34-14.
Clemson at No. 24 Florida State; 3:30 p.m.; ABC
The Pick: Florida State (-4) wins it 23-20.
Brad’s brother, Craig Carroll, is back to defend his championship from a year ago. He finished with a 4-3 record last week, and is 32-36-2 for the season. Here are his picks for the week: LSU, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, OSU, West Virginia, FSU.
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