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Record: 8-2, Points: 52 (Out of 55)
I actually did pretty good in week one, despite losing two games. Luckily, I put the confidence on those at one and two so I didn’t lose too much ground. This week I’m picking a couple of upsets to get to the top of the leaderboard. Check them out:
Oregon State @ Wisconsin, 9:00 AM, ESPN
Pick: Wisconsin (10)
This pick is in the Beavers’ best interests. Last week I had Auburn beating Utah State with 10 points and the Aggies took them down to the final seconds. Hopefully that happens this week.
Iowa @ Iowa State, 9:00 AM, ROOT
Pick: Iowa (9)
The Cyclones almost pulled an Oregon State last week, barely surving their meeting with Northern Iowa. So even though ISU is at home and this is a rivalry game, I’m still taking the Hawkeyes with nine confidence points.
Alabama @ Penn State, 12:30 PM, ABC
Pick: Alabama (8)
This may be a battle of two Top 25 teams, but the difference between #3 and #23 is huge. Expect the Nittany Lions to hang around, but in the end their defensewon’t be good enough to stop Trent Richardson and AJ McCarron.
Pick: Michigan (7)
This pick may surprise some people, but I love the Wolverines in this one. After Notre Dame’s awful performance last weekend against South Florida, I can’t see them going into the Big House, under the lights, and stopping Denard Robinson and Company.
The confidence may be a little high, but I’d be very surprised if Michigan lost this one.
Mississippi State @ Auburn, 9:20 AM
Pick: Mississippi State (6)
The Bulldogs should be able to defeat Auburn after their embarrasing 42-38 winover Utah State last week. Right? While the Tigers looked awful, MSU marchedinto Memphis and killed the Memphis Tigers, 59-14. But because this one is in Auburn, it scares me a little. Not enough to change my pick though.
South Carolina @ Georgia, 1:00 PM, ESPN
Pick: South Carolina (5)
Some of the "experts" around the nation have been picking the Bulldogs for an upset in this one, but I don’t see it happening. The UGA defense will have to face an offense that’s similar in explosiveness to Boise State, and I can’t see them stopping the likes of Stephen Garcia and Marcus Lattimore.
Utah @ USC, 4:30 PM, Versus
Pick: Utah (4)
UPSET ALERT! I love the Utes in this one. Both teams didn't look incredibly impressive last week against Minnesota and Montana State, but it appeared that Utah wasn't opening up their playbook as much as SC was. I love Jordan Wynn and John White IV and I think the duo will be impossible to stop, so I'm taking Utah with four points.
BYU @ Texas, 4:00 PM, ESPN2
Pick: Texas (3)
This should be one of the more exciting games of the day. Like Utah and USC, both teams didn't look very impressive in their openers, but both teams are pretty even on paper. It will also be interesting to see how the Cougars play in front of a huge crowd for the second week in a row.
Rutgers @ North Carolina, 9:30 AM
Pick: North Carolina (2)
When I first saw this game I figured the Tar Heels would roll, but then I thought back to last year and all of the stupid ACC games that I put high confidence points on and lost. This year I've learned my lesson, so I'm only putting two on them.
Cincinnati @ Tennessee, 12:30 PM, ESPN2
Pick: Cincinnati (1)
Here's my second upset pick of the week. Obviously, I don't have much confidence in it, but I do think the Bearcats will win. Cincy put up 72 on Austin Peay last Saturday. I know it's just Austin Peay, but that is still very impressive. I think that the mixture of quarterback Zach Collaros and running back Isaiah Pead will be too much for the Volunteers, and the Cats escape with an overtime victory when it's all over.
So, there you have it. Tell us who you're picking in the comments section.
Go Beavers!