{mosimage} I took a couple weeks off from picking games, mainly because it's been so damn frustrating this year. But, with a couple weeks more of college football action under my belt, my confidence is restored. Plus, in last week's BetUS.com college football podcast, the "DeathRattle Posse" went a collective 4-1 in pick 'em games. Not too shabby fellas.

Be prepared for yet another great weekend of football everybody, beginning on Thursday Night.

Boston College (-3 1/2) at Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech is a tricky place to play. I've been hearing everybody pick VTech and in my mind underestimating Boston College. But now that I look at the numbers and apply the "if a gun was pointed to my head and I have to get it right"--theory--I'm going with the Hokies. Since getting an enormous slice of humble pie from LSU, VTech has shown steady improvement. Boston College missed the spread vs. Notre Dame, followed by a week off. The home team has won the last 4 meetings. Virginia Tech has steamrolled Duke and Clemson, both away games, scoring over 40 in their last 2 outings. Virginia Tech has the better defense and look for a confident Tech squad, who is 9-1 in their last 10 October ACC games, to win. Both squads are battling injuries. Attrition could play a roll.

VT- 27 BC- 24

West Virginia (-6) at Rutgers

WVU, with 6 points to cover, seems like a tough bet. Rutgers is coming off of an emotional win at home against USF and again will defend their home turf against the Mountaineers, a team they lost to 41-39 last year. Freshman phenom Noel Devine is listed as probable for personal reasons. Not sure what is up with that. I don't like Rutgers defense in this one enough to pick them but it is tempting. In the end, though, Rutgers runs out of gimmick plays and West Virginia rises to the top of the Big East.

West Virginia 38 Rutgers- 30

Mississippi State at Kentucky (-14)

Miss. State is once again sitting towards the bottom of the SEC but they've proven to be good enough to possibly pull out a win somewhere down the road; not this week. Kentucky is coming off of and emotional win against LSU and an emotional loss against UF. They win, but only by 10.

Miss. State- 21 Kentucky- 31

Iowa State at Missouri (-28)

I look at this game as the SURE FIRE MONEY MAKER. But then upon further review it deserves a "hmmmm." ISU beat Missouri last year and lost the two previous seasons by a combined 6 points. They gave Oklahoma a game last week and only lost by 10. Sounds like an easy pick until you consider they got beat by Texas by 53, TT by 25 and Nebraska by 18. Still, in my mind, this is a no brainer.

Iowa State- 13 Missouri- 31

USC at Oregon (-3)

USC beat the spread last week against Notre Dame, but big whoop. ND is a mess outside of recruiting circles. Their season is the equivalent of what Weis's shirt would look like at a BBQ. Hey, at least his shoes stay clean. Oregon needs to step it up on defense and give QB Mark Sanchez a taste of defeat. I think it happens, despite the pounding USC has handed Oregon the last couple of years. Oregon failed to defend their turf against Cal, don't look for a repeat. Whoever wins this will have a great shot at becoming Pac 10 champs and playing for a national title. Oregon is ready to seize the day, USC is ready to stumble again.

Oregon 28 USC-24

USF (-4 1/2) vs. UCONN

UCONN has taken care of business this season, even if they got a big break against Louisville (fair catch mishap) last week. Their only loss was to a solid Virginia squad by 1 point, the same team that just beat Maryland. USF just got knocked out of the #2 spot in the BCS standings, after a gut wrenching 3 point loss at Rutgers. If the game were is Tampa, I'd probably go with USF. But it's not and I like Connecticut to avenge their 22 point loss last year. As much pub as USF's defense has received, UCONN's could be better.

USF-17 UCONN- 20

Georgia VS. Florida (-9) (Jacksonville-neutral site)

Florida is the favorite in this one and for good reason; they're better. Still, this game has not been decided by more than a touchdown since 2001. There are a ton of injuries on both sides, with Tim Tebow now listed as "probable." He can do it all but this do it all thing leads to injuries. UF will need to find a ground game some day. I like UF but it's close. If Tebow gets hurt watch out!

Georgia- 24 UF- 31

Virginia (-3) at N.C. State

I like Virgina BIG. I would compare the Wolfpack to Pitt but worse. Virginia beat Pitt by 30. I would compare Virginia to FSU but better. FSU beat N.C. State by 17.

Virginia- 28 N.C. State 17

South Carolina at Tennessee (-3)

Attrition could kill USC this year. Tennessee just got smoked by 'Bama. Both teams have looked good but then bad. Both overrated. If they are not overrated, then we should just pay attention to top 15 teams, because 15-25 don't deserve to be listed in the polls. That's all I gotta say about that.

Tenn.- 24 South Carolina-20

Ohio State (-4) at Penn State

Many have OSU on upset alert, which makes sense. The Buckeyes lost, at night, the last time they played in Happy Valley. With an 8 p.m. kickoff, conditions will be similiar. The weather forecast calls for light rain, which helps Penn State. This game is always close, so expect no different this time around. If OSU wins it will be because of Chris Wells. If Penn State gets down early, this could be a 2 touchdown game. This probably won't happen.

Ohio State 20 Penn State 17

Cal at Arizona State (-3)

I like Arizona State in this game, amidst 90 degree heat. Cal has lost 2 in a row. We knew Cal had a bad defense and now their offense can't seem to keep pace. Arizona State has simply taken care of business. For Cal to win the must cut down on turnovers.

Cal - 31 ASU- 41

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wpeery said:

Lloyds-- I bet alot of people out there are probably thinking you are smoking a crack rock after you picked Uconn to take down USF, and I admit it is a ballsy pick, but certainly not out of the question. Uconn's quarterback, Tyler Lorenzen is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the country and their defense is very good, I agree. They did a tremendous job of bottling up Virginia's running game and likely would've beaten the Cavs if not for that botched snap late in that game. They are one of the most underrated teams in college football and their defense did a great job against Brian Brohm and the Louisville Cardinals last Friday night. I think Kentucky will cover against Mississippi State, simply because Andre Woodson and his corps of receivers are among the most unstoppable aerial assault in the nation. If Mississippi State thought covering Early Doucet was a struggle against LSU, then they are going to have a fun time with Keenan Burton and company. The same goes for Rutgers and stopping Matt Grothe of USF. While Rutgers may have pulled out that game(with alot of help of a terrible PI call on the USF receiver, mind you) they still had trouble stopping Matt Grothe in the open field when he broke free on pass plays that turned into scrambles. I can't see the Rutgers defense stopping Pat White and I look for the Mountaineers to cover in this one. South Florida's QB Matt Grothe has the "heart of a warrior" and is a true competitor and I can't see him letting his team lose two games in a row. He's tough as nails and is remarkably good at throwing the ball from every awkard position imaginable. His balance is very impressive. I can see why you would Virginia pick against N.C. State, because the Wolfpack have been flat out atrocious this season, let's be honest. Their offense is ranked 103th in the country. The Cavaliers should not worry, you say? Wrong. N.C. State is coming off its best offensive perfomance by their quarterback since the days of Philip Rivers in the Mazda Tangerine Bowl. Daniel Evans shredded the ECU Pirates secondary for over 300 yards and will be the starter this weekend against Virginia. Virginia's secondary has been very suspect this season and allowed UNC quarterback T.J. Yates to go wild on them, throwing for over 300 yards in Chapel Hill. Since he's the only decent quarterback the 'Hoos have gone up against this season, I would look for Evans and the Wolfpack offense to have a decent day and play this one much closer than people are expecting. The Cavaliers are going to have to play their best football to come out of N.C. State with a victory in my opinion, because Virginia has been a familiar victim to the "trap game" all too much. Like in 2005, after they upset Florida State and played one of the best football games I have ever seen in my life, they strolled into Chapel Hill and layed an egg in Keenan Memorial against a UNC team that only won 5 games that season. I think Tim Tebow is going to have a cocktail of his own on the field Saturday as he runs laps around the Georgia defense in the "world's largest outdoor cocktail party". I like running back Knowshon Moreno alot for the Georgia Bulldogs and he runs with incredible passion and energy. He has a non-stop motor and it is easy to see why he is such a fan favorite, because of his unwavering enthusiasm for the game. I think Georgia will be able to put up some points against the Gators, but I see Tim Tebow and company lighting up the scoreboard in a big way in that one. UGA quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno will have to have the games of their lives if they want to pull that one out. The VT pick is an interesting one and I think they are the trendy pick in this game. I like BC to pull it out under the lights in Blacksburg, because Matt Ryan is alot better than many people are willing to give him credit for. The BC win over GT was very impressive, with Ryan taking several punishing hits in the pocket, but still connecting with his receivers downfield, time and time again. I think it will be close, but BC pulls it out. I like Missouri and quarterback Chase Daniels to rout Iowa State and cover in that one. I know Iowa State played extremely well against Oklahoma last week, but I think it was a fluke. Missouri is a legit contender for the Big 12 title and I think they are going to show everybody why: Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin. I like Oregon and Dennis Dixon alot and they are one of the most exciting teams in college football to watch because of their high powered offensive attack and their offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly, has got Oregon's offense running like a well oiled machine. The fake statue of liberty play-call in the Michigan game was one of the most beautiful in college football this season. I'm sure Nick Meyer agrees. Look for Dixon to announce that his Heisman candidacy is for real this weekend against the Trojans in Eugene. With the win, he'll likely launch himself into the top 3 of the Heisman race, with Tebow and Woodson leading the charge.

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October 23, 2007
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Lloyds Apple said:

Tebow's health is still in question. Florida seems very dependent upon him, obviously. UCONN over USF, hell, flip a coin. To me the Big East is primed for another wild finish and UCONN is solid. If it were not for the Cardiac Cavaliers, UCONN could be top 15, maybe top 10 right now, which is crazy. USF is a very tough test, probably their toughest all year. We'll see. I'm afraid B.C. will make me look stupid but I'm used to that. We'll see, should be a good one. If they beat VTech, they'd get my vote at #2. I can't wait for the Oregon-USC game.

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October 25, 2007
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Lloyds Apple said:

	Damn Virginia Tech got me off on the wrong foot.... Rumor has is that Penn State starting FS Tony Davis will not play tomorrow due to injury. I'm starting to think Ohio State wins by a couple of touchdowns. We'll see...
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October 27, 2007
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Lloyds Apple said:

	8-3 vs. the spread this week!!!
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October 29, 2007
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