College Football Predictions Results - Week 5

This week some pretenders were exposed.  And of course, I had some of those pretenders picked.  The SEC West has some of the best teams in the nation, bar none.  And Boise State needs to be part of any more Pac-12 expansion.  Because they would give the PAC-12 teams a run for their money.

1) #3 Alabama (-5) at #12 Florida - Win.  Alabama 38, Florida 10.  Um, wouldn't you think that after seeing Arkansas destroyed by the Crimson Tide after talking trash, that others would learn?  Florida talked trash leading up to this game and got nailed.  Bama looks tough.  The measuring stick is the game vs. LSU.

2) #8 Nebraska at #7 Wisconsin (-8) - Win.  Nebraska 17, Wisconsin 48.  A not-so-great welcome into the Big 10 for the Cornhuskers.  The Badgers won big and are still getting disrespected by the talking heads out there.  One thing for Wisconsin to do, take the personality of Bret Bielema and pound their way to an undefeated season.  There is a possible rematch in the future for these two editions of their respective teams.

3) #14 Texas A&M (-3.5) vs. #18 Arkansas (at Arlington TX) - Loss.  Texas A&M 38, Arkansas 42.  The Aggies have blown two big leads in the second half the past two weeks.  That tells me that either the Aggies let up when they think they have the game sewn up, or they don't make the necessary adjustments during halftime.  The Aggies look like they might have problems in the SEC West come next year.

4) #13 Clemson at #11 Virginia Tech (-7.5) - Loss.  Clemson 23, Virginia Tech 3.  I admit, I was buffaloed by the Hokies.  Specifically their offense.  They were a pretender in a season full of them.  I'm still not completely sold on the Tigers, but being 5-0 does increase their chances at a nice payday for the bowl game they are going to.

5) Auburn (+11.5) at #10 South Carolina - Win.  Auburn 16, South Carolina 13.  The Gamecocks are another pretender for the BCS championship game and it was proven here.  The SEC East is a weak division and this proved it.  Steve Spurrier is winning games and the temperature on his seat has lessened, but it doesn't mean that South Carolina is relevant in the SEC.

6) #17 Texas (-9) at Iowa State - Win.  Texas 37, Iowa State 14.  When you are losing 34-0 at halftime, it is hard to argue that you have turned some kind of corner for the program.  Iowa State isn't ready for primetime yet.  Maybe in a couple of years, but not right now.

7) Kentucky at #1 LSU (-28) -  Push.  Kentucky 7, LSU 35.  LSU is still the best team in the nation.  I am happy that Les Miles didn't feel the need to rack up the points.  Kentucky doesn't have the horses to hang with the elite in the SEC (pun intended).

8) Nevada (+28) at #4 Boise State - Win.  Nevada 10, Boise State 30.  The Broncos were the dominant team in this game from the very start.  Chris Peterson called off the dogs when the score was 30-0.  If the Broncos can navigate the rest of their schedule without a loss, I nominate them to play in the BCS title game.

9) Notre Dame at Purdue (+13) - Loss.  Notre Dame 38, Purdue 10.  Now this is what we thought that Notre Dame would do since the 1st game of the season.  It looked like Brian Kelly finally figured out how to light a fire under the kids.  However, all the celebrating that the Irish did when they made a play against the Boilermakers makes me hesitate to look at the Irish as a team that will roll through the rest of their games.

10) Michigan State (+2.5) at Ohio State - Win.  Michigan State 10, Ohio State 7.  This wasn't one of those games you want as prime time viewing.  However, Sparty came out on top and it looks like the Buckeyes stranglehold on the Big 10 crown has been relinquished.  And now, there are more problems in the Buckeyes program for certain players.  How long does this need to go on until the NCAA comes in and cleans out the hornet's nest that has taken root in Columbus?

Additional Two

Air Force at Navy (-2.5) - Loss.  Air Force 35, Navy 34. (OT)  A great game.  Navy had a big comeback in the 4th and converted a 2 pt. conversion to force overtime.  Then the Falcons block the extra point in OT.  We love the service academies and they should get more national play from the media.

UCLA at #6 Stanford (-21) - Win.  UCLA 19, Stanford 45.  This just in:  Andrew Luck is a good quarterback.  Additional breaking news:  UCLA under Rick Neuheisel isn't a very good team.  UCLA might be looking for a new head coach after this season.

Week 5 Results:  7-4-1 Record.  3-1 Picking Underdogs.  4-3-1 Picking Favorites.  3-0 Road Underdog.  0-1 Home Underdog.  2-1 Road Favorites.  2-2-1 Home Favorites.

Season Results:  42-17-2 Record.  70.5 Win Percentage.  13-4 Picking Underdogs. 29-13-2 Picking Favorites. 10-2 Road Underdog.  3-2 Home Underdog.  11-7 Road Favorites.  18-6-2 Home Favorites.