Week 9 College Football Picks: Stanford and 5 Teams Wary of Upset

Week 9 of the 2011-2012 college football season presents itself as somewhat of a quiet week. In lieu of the Nov. 5 Alabama-LSU game, there is still plenty of good football to watch on Saturday.

Week 8 looks like it could be called "Redemption Week."  Plenty of top teams lost last week, including national title contenders Wisconsin and Oklahoma. Michigan State, riding a huge high after defeating the Badgers on a Hail Mary, heads to rowdy Memorial Stadium to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

As several teams prepare in hopes of a bounce-back game, teams like Stanford and Kansas State are looking to continue their magical seasons.

Stanford faces off against a very tough USC team at USC's Memorial Coliseum. Can Andrew Luck and the Cardinal hold off a surging Matt Barkley, whose passing offense is one of the top in the nation?

Underdog Kansas State looks to remain undefeated, hosting the recently upset Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners are favorites; can Kansas State shock Landry Jones and the Sooners for the second week in a row?

Stanford Cardinal vs. USC Trojans

It's a long-shot, but hey, it could happen.

The Trojans are surging of late, having won their previous three games, including a 31-17 blowout of Notre Dame. Led by Matt Barkley, the Trojans are ranked 21st in the country in passing offense, averaging well over 280 yards per game through the air.

The intangibles factor also has to be put into perspective for Stanford. Lane Kiffin has his team playing awfully strong currently, and the game is being played in California. The crowd will be absolutely wild, reaching deafening levels.

This game is probably Andrew Luck's biggest test thus far of the season. Stanford has only played one ranked team so far, defeating the Washington Huskies by 30. Although USC isn't ranked, I expect Stanford to be on upset alert this week—just in case.

My prediction for Saturday's matchup? It'll be close, it'll be good, it'll be high scoring. The USC Trojans will knock Andrew Luck off his quarterback throne.

USC 33, Stanford 30

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Kansas State Wildcats

Oklahoma was absolutely shocked last week in its 41-38 loss to conference rival Texas Tech. Kansas State has somehow remained undefeated, winning a handful of close games along the way.

Although it's clear Kansas State doesn't have the amount of talent that Oklahoma possesses, I expect the Wildcats to put up an admirable fighting chance, if not win the game itself.

Kansas State will want to control the flow of the game and create a strategic approach for it around its running game. This game plan could frustrate Sooners quarterback Landry Jones and his high-flying offense. Kansas State should effectively run the ball against a defense that has allowed back-to-back 100-plus rushing yards to mediocre backs.

The game is also being played in Kansas—not the ideal location for Bob Stoops and his Sooners. The crowd will be screaming and chanting in hopes of a second monumental upset, an upset that would surely all but ruin Oklahoma's season.

Kansas State will put up a fight and, if all goes well, could upset the Sooners.

My prediction? Oklahoma bounces back in a tough game.

Oklahoma 17, Kansas State 10

Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Michigan State Spartans

Coming off one of the greatest finishes and upsets this season, the Michigan State Spartans head to Lincoln, Neb. to face off against Big Ten division rival Nebraska Cornhuskers. Surprisingly, the Spartans are underdogs.

This puts Nebraska on immediate and "Code Red" upset alert.

Coming in Saturday, the Spartans will line up with arguably the best defense in the Big Ten. They rank first in all of the major defensive categories and will have sophomore DE William Gholston back in the starting lineup. He was suspended for one game for punching a Michigan Wolverine player two weeks ago.

Michigan State should be able to both pass and run effectively against the Cornhuskers. A strong duo of Spartans running backs, Edwin Baker and LeVeon Bell, should be solid on the ground. Nebraska's pass defense has been average at best. It allows more than 375 yards per game, something MSU quarterback Kirk Cousins will hope to exploit.

Can Nebraska hold off a second straight upset by Sparty? Nope.

MSU 31, Nebraska 27

Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Illinois Illini

A formerly ranked Illinois Fighting Illini team has faded of late. Following an impressive 6-0 start to their season, the Illini have lost two straight games. They will try to keep a successful season afloat against a surging, young Penn State team.

Not to mention, Nittany Lions head coach Joe Paterno has a lot on his plate for this Saturday. With a win against Illinois, he will become the all-time Division I wins leader. His 408 wins currently tie Eddie Robinson of Grambling State. For added measure, Illinois does not want to be the team to give Paterno that milestone. All more the reason why Ron Zook's team puts the Nittany Lions on upset alert this week.

In order to be successful, Illinois will have to efficiently run the ball. The talented duo of Nathan Scheelhaase and Jason Ford will take pressure off an average passing game.

This could get interesting in this game at Beaver Stadium, but Joe Pa will make history.

Penn State 21, Illinois 17

Clemson Tigers vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Georgia Tech is hurting and falling in the standings. It has lost its previous two games and needs to puzzle its season back together. Georgia Tech will be playing at home, and with the support of the home crowd, the Yellow Jackets could provide the Tigers offense and defense with some fits.

The undefeated Clemson Tigers head into Bobby Dodd stadium in hopes of keeping their national championship hopes alive.

Even if the score indicates a close game, I expect Clemson to have a stranglehold on the Yellow Jackets all game and rough their way to a victory.

Clemson 31, Georgia Tech 14