Pigskin Picks

Your college football oracle rebounded nicely this past week, going 13-4 to bring the season total to 49-15.
Here’s a look at the most compelling matchups of this week:

Southeastern Conference

Auburn (2-2) at No. 4 Florida (4-0)
Florida allowed 310 passing yards to Ole Miss last weekend, which should bode well for Auburn quarterback Brandon Cox. Cox looked sharp against New Mexico State last weekend, but, well, it was New Mexico State. Plus, the Tigers have to figure out a way to stop the one-man juggernaut known as Tim Tebow.
Prediction: Florida 31, Auburn 21

Ole Miss (1-3) at No. 15 Georgia (3-1)
Mikey Henderson picked a good time to collect the first touchdown reception of his Georgia career last week. Maybe he’s out to prove he can be more than a punt returner.
Prediction: Georgia 27, Ole Miss 16

No. 22 Alabama (3-1) vs. Florida State (2-1)
A compelling matchup between programs that should play far more often. It’s interesting to play the woulda-coulda-shoulda game and wonder about what might have been for both programs if Bobby Bowden had taken the Alabama job back in 1986.
Prediction: Alabama 21, Florida State 17

No. 2 LSU (4-0) at Tulane (1-2)
It will be interesting to see how LSU uses quarterbacks Matt Flynn and Ryan Perriloux from here on out. Flynn basically played on one foot in a win over South Carolina last week and Perriloux looked smooth running various option and QB draw plays when needed.
Prediction: LSU 49, Tulane 6

Mississippi State (3-1) at No. 16 South Carolina (3-1)
Bad news for South Carolina: Star linebacker Jasper Brinkley will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury. Good news for South Carolina: Mississippi State is playing a freshman quarterback.
Prediction: South Carolina 17, Mississippi State 13

Florida Atlantic (3-1) at No. 14 Kentucky (4-0)
Florida Atlantic coach Howard Schnellenberger is a former UK letterman and a member of the school’s hall of fame. He also helped resurrect Louisville into a respectable program. As sharp as the Kentucky offense has been, there’s little expectation that Schnellenberger will rain on the Wildcats’ first top-15 ranking since the 1970s. Plus, UK quarterback Andre Woodson has thrown 11 TDs and not a single INT.
Prediction: Kentucky 37, Florida Atlantic 24

North Texas (0-3) at Arkansas (1-2)
Darren McFadden and Felix Jones both rushed for more than 100 yards last weekend in a loss to Kentucky. They could both threaten the 200-yard mark against North Texas' awful defense.
Prediction: Arkansas 55, North Texas 14

Eastern Michigan (2-2) at Vanderbilt (2-1)
This is the part of the season where Vanderbilt teases all of us with the potential for a bowl season.
Prediction: Vanderbilt 28, Eastern Michigan 14

Atlantic Coast Conference

No. 13 Clemson (4-0) at Georgia Tech (2-2)
Georgia Tech continued the up-and-down tilt-a-whirl ride that has defined Chan Gailey’s tenure at the school. A loss to Boston College was excusable, but the Yellow Jackets were knocked flat by Virginia. But, true to Georgia Tech’s puzzling pattern, they’ll probably pick themselves up off the deck at just the right time.
Prediction: Georgia Tech 24, Clemson 22

North Carolina (1-3) at No. 14 Virginia Tech (3-1)
Pity new North Carolina coach Butch Davis, whose team has lost three in a row. It will likely get much, much worse with resurgent Virginia Tech starting a run that also includes Miami and South Carolina.
Prediction: Virginia Tech 23, North Carolina 9

Duke (1-3) at Miami (3-1)
Duke saw the potential for a second consecutive win slip out of its grip against Navy. Meanwhile, Miami's bruises have healed nicely since Oklahoma took a sledgehammer to its body.
Prediction: Miami 34, Duke 10

UMass (4-0) at No. 12 Boston College (4-0)
UMass is a credible I-AA program, but Boston College has been on cruise control this season.
Prediction: Boston College 38, UMass 17

Maryland (2-2) at No. 10 Rutgers (3-0)
Maryland coughed up a 24-3 lead against Wake Forest last week. The Terps will find themselves struggling to keep pace from the beginning against hard-charging Rutgers tailback Ray Rice.
Prediction: Rice 28, Maryland 20

Louisville (2-2) at N.C. State (1-3)
New Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe has some 'splaining to do after a horrible tank job against Syracuse. On a happier note, quarterback Brian Brohm has done nothing to threaten his status as a potential No. 1 NFL pick.
Prediction: Louisville 41, N.C. State 27

Pittsburgh (2-2) at Virginia (3-1)
Virginia coach Al Groh was up against the wall after the Cavaliers lost their opener to Wyoming. He's quieted the criticism with three straight wins.
Prediction: Virginia 19, Pittsburgh 10

Sun Belt Conference

Louisiana-Monroe (0-3) at Troy (2-2)
Troy’s rushing defense, already ranked last in Division I, didn’t improve its standing any after allowing 345 yards in a win over Louisiana-Lafayette. At the same time, Troy quarterback Omar Haugabook (297 passing yards, 89 rushing last week) has been explosive operating out of the spread offense.
Prediction: Troy 42, Louisiana-Monroe 28

National games of interest

No. 1 Southern Cal (3-0) at Washington (2-2)
USC has been frighteningly good running the ball so far this season. Worst of all for opposing defenses, it’s impossible to key in on one tailback. Between Chauncey Washington, C.J. Gable and Joe McKnight, the Trojans have an embarrassment of riches.
Prediction: USC 41, Washington 20

No. 3 Oklahoma (4-0) at Colorado (2-2)
Oklahoma’s lowest point total to date? Fifty-one points against Miami. A 3-1 Miami team at that. Quarterback Sam Bradford is slowly playing his way into Heisman consideration.
Prediction: Oklahoma 52, Colorado 13

No. 5 West Virginia (4-0) at No. 18 South Florida (3-0)
Could prove to be one of the more exciting games of the weekend. South Florida expects a rare home sellout. Both teams love to spread the field and use mobile quarterbacks to good effect. As good as South Florida quarterback Matt Grothe has been this season, West Virginia's Pat White has been a little better. White completed 18-of-20 attempts for 181 yards against East Carolina last week -- and he's supposed to be known as a runner.
Prediction: West Virginia 38, South Florida 35

No. 7 Cal (4-0) at No. 11 Oregon (4-0)
The Oregon Duck mascot returns to the sideline after serving a suspension for administering a beat-down of the Houston Cougar a couple weeks ago. The Duck performed beyond the normal mascot boundaries, delivering some kicks and punches and administering an atomic elbow drop. The way Oregon QB Dennis Dixon is throwing the deep ball, the Ducks should pile-drive Cal.
Prediction: Oregon 31, Cal 23