Not only does college football week 10 bring the drama of heavyweight title fights in the form of football games, but it also gives us the first view of the playoff picture as drawn by the playoff committee members as they released their first poll, and yes there was a surprise team listed at number 4. Yep, things are getting serious.
Well, it wasn’t pretty, but last week I was able to best the computer and hand it the “L” that it deserved. I mean, how dare the machine think it can predict better than a human? (Actually, check out this article from ESPN as it describes gambling as just a math problem or something like that.)
My record from last week was 3-3, and the computer turned in a 2-4 mark. One thing I’d like to point out is that Vegas did indeed “know something” regarding the Texas – Baylor game, and of course, I got that one wrong. Next point, Tennessee has let me down in more ways than one this year. Not only did they lose last week to South Carolina, a team that has trouble scoring points, but they will not win the SEC East as I predicted before the season. It’s my fault, because I bought into the Big Orange hype.
Onward to week 10.
Like Han Solo and crew stuck in the trash compactor, I have a bad feeling about this week. Some of the lines seem too high, while others are doing their job too well, which is making it tough to predict the winner. So, here it goes…
Nebraska at Ohio St. (-17.5)
Ohio State has the better team and coach, but are they 17.5 points better than Nebraska? This line scares me. Did Wisconsin’s win over Nebraska skew the line to double-digits? Sure, Ohio State is coming off their loss against Penn State and will need this win to keep their playoff hopes alive, but which ranked team has Ohio State beaten lately by this large of a margin? They trounced Oklahoma, but that was a while ago. Oh, and Penn State was an unranked team when they played. Yeah, Nebraska and points is the way to go here.
Winner: Nebraska plus 17.5
Computer prediction: Ohio State
Wisconsin (-6.5) at Northwestern
I really like Wisconsin’s defense and running game. Their passing game is improving – their quarterback made some quality throws against Nebraska last week. As long as that trend continues, they’ll make enough plays to beat Northwestern and cover the spread.
Winner: Wisconsin plus 6.5
Computer prediction: Wisconsin
Alabama (-7.5) at LSU
Alabama is the machine that keeps covering the insane double-digit point spreads. This has to stop at some point, right? LSU is talented enough up front on both sides of the ball to give the Tide some problems. Perhaps, LSU will try to stretch the defense a bit with a few deep passes to give Leonard Fournette some room to run. Alabama by 7.
Winner: LSU plus 7.5
Computer prediction: LSU
Florida (-4.5) at Arkansas
Just when I thought Arkansas was a tough, disciplined team that would keep games close, they go out and get crushed by Auburn. They have a tough matchup against the Florida defense, but it’s not like the Florida offense keeps opposing defensive coordinators up at night. Odds are that Florida will shutdown the running game and force Arkansas to throw, and this is where the Arkansas mistakes are likely to occur.
Winner: Florida
Iowa at Penn St. (-7.5)
Classic letdown game alert for the Penn State Nittany Lions. Iowa may not have a ton of offensive firepower, but they’ll keep the game close. Congratulations to Penn State for knocking off Ohio State, but let’s see if they can keep things rolling against Iowa. They’ll win the game but won’t cover the spread.
Winner: Iowa plus 7.5
Computer prediction: Iowa
Missouri at South Carolina (-7)
South Carolina put together a nice game against a reeling Tennessee team, but hey, take nothing away from that victory in reference to this game, because they get to play a reeling Missouri team. Never mind that the Gamecocks don’t really score many points, because it won’t matter much this week. Sorry, Missouri fans.
Winner: South Carolina
Computer prediction: South Carolina
Well, there you have it – this week’s “Six Pack”. I hope you enjoy the games.
Categories: College football
Sportschasers 
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