NCAA College Football Picks Week 5

No big surprises yet in the land of College Football but there are a few overhyped teams. Chief among them of course is Oklahoma State, a team I have no doubt will do very well... until it comes time for Bedlam at which they will, as always get slapped around by the Sooners like... well, there's no politically correct analogy, but you get the point. The other is Clemson who despite back to back wins as home favorites over theoretically superior teams, I still don't trust. How can one when their history is so littered with disaster?

Picks after the jump.

Week Five
Home Team listed second in CAPS
vs = Neutral Site game
(*) = Line Differential
[*] = National Ranking

[16] South Florida (-2) at Pittsburgh
[14] Texas A&M (-3) vs [18] Arkansas
Air Force (+3) at Navy
Michigan State (+3) at Ohio State
[15] Baylor (-3.5) at Kansas State
Auburn (+10.5) at [10] South Carolina
[13] Clemson (+7) at [11] Virginia Tech
Washington (+7) at Utah
[3] Alabama (-3.5) at [12] Florida
[8] Nebraska (+10) at [7] Wisconsin

Chris picks: South Florida, Texas A&M, Air Force, Michigan State, Baylor, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Utah, Florida, Nebraska

I pick: Pittsburgh, Arkansas, Navy, Ohio State, Baylor, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Utah, Alabama, Wisconsin

After last week's horrifying game in Cincinnati, I liked the home teams in the Thursday nighter more than ever. Pitt had a tough time early in the season but I don't know how a team of kids that have to deal with classes and various other distractions can go 1,000 miles north in the middle of the week and expect to play well. The Bulls of South Florida duly got taken apart at the joints and I'm left wondering just how bottomless the NCAA's appetite for cash really is.

Texas A&M suffered a heart breaking loss last week and if they can't hold their own at home against OK State, I don't know what they expect to do against an SEC team. Arkansas got killed last week themselves, but Alabama is team #1b in the nation and so far ahead of everyone else it's not even funny. I like the Tide to go into the Swamp, even under the lights and that crowd and show Florida what for. There is too much talent on that defense and just a little bit more know-how all around from the players to the coaching staff.

I probably said it before, but I hold Michigan State and South Carolina in that same category with Clemson - I'll never trust them until they can sustain any success they may have. None of the teams they're playing this week have performed well this season, but two are at home and one is still the defending national champions. 7 is high for VA Tech but I'd feel ill picking the Tigers.

Washington and Nebraska faced off a few weeks ago and it's abundantly clear that both of their defenses are total crap. I fear they will both get mauled going on the road and fall too far behind for their decent offenses to keep up. Everyone knows that Robert Griffin III stat by now (If you haven't heard it, that means it's probably meaningless to you, but he has more TD's than incompletions) and while Kansas State is an ok team, they're not Oklahoma or A&M so how can you go against him?

Last Week:
Chris: 2-8
Me: 5-5

Season:
Chris: 11-28-1
Me: 20-19-1