College Football Pick'em Week 6

It’s Thursday and you know what that means. It’s time for another edition of Walker-Sports College Football Pick’em. Okay, so last week we kind of got back on the right track, but not enough to make anyone really happy. However, what we did learn was the University of Virginia is now on the same don’t bet list as WVU.

Now that we have that out of the way, and we know the rules for betting, let’s move forward and make some picks in the latest edition of the Walker-Sports College Football Pick’em.

Perhaps the most interesting game on the weekend is between Ohio State and Wisconsin. These two Big 10 powers will do battle at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison Wisconsin on Saturday night, and there is no question that the winner will have a leg up on the Big 10 title hunt.

The Wisconsin Badgers got shocked last week in the Big House against Michigan, and they have no one to blame except for themselves. A penalty late in the game cost them the game, and you can be sure that every player on the Wisconsin roster will be on their best behavior come game time Saturday night. Wisconsin will have their hands full on defense as they try to contain this new OSU attack that features duel threats running the ball out of the backfield. Keeping OSU off the field and then controlling the ball on offense will be the key to this game for the Badgers. They will also need to feed off the energy of the home crowd.

The Ohio State Buckeyes appear to be rejuvenated. And why wouldn’t they be, Beanie Wells is back in the lineup and seems to be running the ball well. Add to that Terrelle Pryor running the ball from the quarterback position and you have an OSU offense that can be very dangerous. OSU has made a habit out of this in recent years, not fully embracing the spread offense, but running a hybrid of power and speed. The Buckeyes had a similar game plan when Troy Smith was running the show just a few years back.

This is a tight game, and the fact that OSU is only a 2 point favorite shows that Vegas also agree with me on this one. In the past Ohio State has struggled against Wisconsin. Remember the Badgers were the first team to beat the Buckeyes coming off a national title back in 2003. However, I just don’t believe the Badgers have enough in the tank to pull off the win.

Ohio State wins and covers the spread.

Now onto some of the other big match ups coming up this weekend.

Oregon vs. USC: Perhaps the only team in the Pac 10 not happy with Oregon State upsetting USC was there Oregon Ducks. Now all the Ducks have to due is knock off what is still perhaps the best team in football and give them their second lost in as many weeks. Oh yeah, and now USC is awake and ready to destroy anything in their path. There is a 16 point spread in this, and typically I would say that is a bit large for a conference game, but I expect USC to come out with a vengeance and wanting to prove a point to the nation. USC wins and covers the spread.

Auburn vs. Vanderbilt: Who would have thought that Vandy would be in a game to watch? Well they have made it to the big show now. Ranked in the Top 25 for two weeks and who is there to welcome them but Auburn and a defense that would make any offense coordinator cry. Auburn is a 4 point favorite in this game. And I know a lot of people are thinking Vandy pulls the upset here, but I don’t think they can score enough points to knock off the Tigers. I’m not saying that Auburn is about to catch fire but they have enough to get it done. Auburn wins and covers the -4 and you may want to bet the under in this one, I can see this game staying under 30 points very easily.

Michigan vs. Illinois: Two teams both more than likely out of the Big 10 title hunt, but both very capable of having respectable seasons, and more importantly making life miserable for opponents in the Big 10. Michigan proved they could do exactly that last week when they knocked off Wisconsin. And because of this I like Michigan as the 3 point favorite. Rich Rodriguez may have finally broken through to his players sometime in the third quarter last week, and I think he can keep the momentum rolling. Michigan wins and covers.

Oklahoma vs. Baylor: I know what everyone is thinking, has Walker lost his mind? Well not completely. Oklahoma was just crowned the number 1 team in the country. They just came off a solid game against a good TCU team. The Red River shootout is next week. Saturday is the perfect opportunity for a trapdoor game against lowly Baylor. Now granted I highly doubt Baylor will beat the Sooners. However, the 27 point could prove to be a bit much for Bob Stoops and company to cover, especially if they trip out the gates a little bit. Look for the Sooners to win the game but Baylor to cover.

Florida St. vs. Miami: Remember when this game used to determine the national title? Well that certainly won’t be the case this season. Hell, this game won’t determine who wins the ACC. Nonetheless it an important game on each teams schedule respectively and it is still considered a rivalry game in some circles. The Canes blew a game last weekend against UNC, and you can best believe they will not allow that to happen again. On the other hand FSU still looks lost. I know they beat Colorado last weekend (told you WVU sucked), but this FSU has no direction no leaders and no promise. Miami wins the game and covers the 2 point spread.