College Football Week 5 Picks

Twice already this season, Jim Tressel’s team has faced a ranked opponent, and both times it progressed right along unscathed.

This Saturday night, Ohio State travels to No. 7 Iowa, ready to do battle with Drew Tate and Co., not to mention psychological warfare with that pink-painted visiting locker room at Kinnick Stadium.

Although only one other matchup this week pits a pair of ranked teams against one another, there should be some interesting storylines that play out. So, without further ado, here we go with the picks...

Week 5 Pick: No. 1 Ohio State at No. 7 Iowa (Ohio State -6.5, O/U 43.5): The last time these two met in Ames, Iowa, the Hawkeyes won a 33-7 laugher. Since then, the Buckeyes have made a steady climb to the top of the college football universe with Troy Smith leading the way. The Hawkeyes are a sexy pick here. Stay away. Week 5 Pick:—Ohio State.

Week 5 Pick:No. 2 Auburn at South Carolina (Auburn -14, O/U 37.5): Steve Spurrier swears his Gamecocks will be better prepared Thursday night than they were when the two teams met last year at Auburn. Another problem still remains. The Tigers have much better players, and more of them. Week 5 Pick:—Auburn.

Week 5 Pick:No. 3 Southern California at Washington State (USC -17, O/U 51.5): You’re kidding, right? Week 5 Pick:—Southern California.

Week 5 Pick:Alabama at No. 5 Florida (Florida -13.5, O/U 38.5): Likely the best matchup of the weekend, this screams “take the dog” much more so than Ohio State-Iowa. ’Bama blasted Florida last season, has been blessed at quarterback (John Parker Wilson) and is about as good as it gets at taking the ball away. Week 5 Pick:—Alabama.

Week 5 Pick:No. 6 Michigan at Minnesota (Michigan -10, O/U 51): Kudos to the oddsmakers for a difficult over/under line. When these two meet, it can get wild—even with the Golden Gophers running the ball so much. Expect more of the same in a close. Only three points has separated the two in each of their last three meetings. Week 5 Pick:—Minnesota.

Week 5 Pick:Mississippi State at No. 9 Louisiana State (LSU -32, O/U 41): Teams are going to continue to pay for Auburn beating the Bayou Bengals two weeks ago. Week 5 Pick:—LSU.

Week 5 Pick:No. 10 Georgia at Mississippi (Georgia -18, O/U 35): Embarrassed despite a 14-13 win last week against struggling Colorado, the Bulldogs will be looking to make a statement this week—regardless of who starts at quarterback, be it Joe Fox, Matt Stafford or Buck Belue. Week 5 Pick:—Georgia.

Week 5 Pick:No. 24 Georgia Tech at No. 11 Virginia Tech (Virginia Tech -9, O/U 37.5): The Hokies, even in blowout victories, have looked a little shaky this season. However, they have an opportunity here to show off against a respected team. Expect a big game from Branden Ore. Week 5 Pick:—Virginia Tech AND the over.

Week 5 Pick:Purdue at No. 12 Notre Dame (Notre Dame -14, O/U 61.5): The big question seems to be whether or not the Irish can avoid a drop-off following last week’s thrilling comeback victory at Michigan State. The bigger one should be if anyone realizes that the Boilermakers are unbeaten. Purdue QB Curtis Painter has been brilliant. Week 5 Pick:—Purdue.

Week 5 Pick:No. 14 Oregon at Arizona State (Oregon -1.5, O/U 64): These two played at the same site a year ago, and the Ducks, as nine-point dogs, pummeled their hosts. Little has changed, except for Oregon’s improvement—both in terms of performance and luck. Week 5 Pick:—Oregon.

Week 5 Pick:No. 15 Tennessee at Memphis (Tennessee -13.5, O/U 45.5): The Vols have to be the most boring, “oh yeah, forgot about them” team in the Top 25. There is no other way to describe that line, especially considering that the Tigers are 1-2 and coming off a 15-point loss to East Carolina. Week 5 Pick:—Tennessee AND the over.

Week 5 Pick:Brigham Young at No. 17 Texas Christian (TCU -6, O/U 47): Hope the Horned Frogs enjoyed having such a low points-per-game-allowed average because that will change Thursday night with John Beck and the boys coming to town. Last year, TCU won 51-50 at Provo. Week 5 Pick:—Over.

Week 5 Pick:Louisiana Tech at No. 18 Clemson (Clemson -33, O/U 54.5): The Tigers should be unbeaten, with their only blemish coming on an overtime loss at Boston College following some instant-replay chicanery. They are the best team—by far -- in the ACC and have one of the most underrated players in the country in senior QB Will Procter. Week 5 Pick:—Clemson AND the over.

Week 5 Pick:No. 20 California at Oregon State (Cal -1.5, O/U 57.5): The Bears apparently ruined any shot at a national title with that opening-night debacle at Tennessee. However, they have a special team, two special players in RB Marshawn Lynch (449 yards, 7.2 ypc, 3 TDs) and DB Daymeion Hughes (5 INTs) and a rapidly improving QB in Nathan Longshore. Week 5 Pick:—California AND the over.

Week 5 Pick:Kansas at No. 21 Nebraska (Nebraska -21.5, O/U 44.5): The Huskers got handled by No. 3 USC two weeks ago and have matchups against two other teams currently ranked in the top 25 this season. Every other game, just chalk up a one-sided win. Week 5 Pick:—Nebraska.

Week 5 Pick:No. 22 Boise State at Utah (Utah -4, O/U 51.5): Boise struggled the past two weeks against Mountain West competition. Now, the Broncos step up in class in regards to that conference. The Utes have put it all together after opening up with a loss to UCLA, with Brett Ratliff settling in at QB and the ground game featuring four runners capable of having a big game. Week 5 Pick:—Utah.

Week 5 Pick:No. 23 Rutgers at South Florida (Rutgers -4, O/U 41.5): Nice to see the Scarlet Knights back in the polls after a 30-year absence. Shame is seeing that they’ll probably leave after this one. Turnovers plagued Rutgers in a 45-31 home loss to the Bulls a year ago, and QB Mike Teel isn’t exactly Mr. Sure Hands at the moment with five picks in 76 passing attempts. Week 5 Pick:—South Florida.

Week 5 Pick:Colorado at No. 25 Missouri (Missouri -14.5, O/U 38.5): Sophomore QB Chase Daniel (1,020 yards, 9 TDs passing; 131 yards, 3 TDs rushing) deserves any acclaim he gets, but his multi-faceted skills will be put to the test here as the visiting Buffs, who possess tons of talent on defense, try to build on last week’s solid effort at Georgia. Week 5 Pick:—Colorado AND the under.

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