Pigskin Picking

I’m still waiting for the bruises to heal.
The crazy pattern of college football upsets continued with teams like Tennessee and Notre Dame swinging a pillow case full of soda cans and effectively beating the daylights out of my predictions.
I went 13-9, dropping me to 75-31 for the season.
Undaunted, I’m back to risk further punishment.
Let the picking commence ...

Southeastern Conference

Alabama (4-2) at Ole Miss (2-4)
Last week’s hold-your-breath 30-24 win over Houston demonstrates yet again that Alabama coach Nick Saban will need more time to get the Crimson Tide up to his standards. They’ll get pushed to the wall again this week.
Prediction: Alabama 27, Ole Miss 19

No. 24 Georgia (4-2) at Vanderbilt (3-2)
Let’s see: Georgia’s defense went AWOL at Tennessee last week, tailback Thomas Brown got injured and quarterback Matthew Stafford struggled mightily. As flawed as Georgia appears at this moment, head coach Mark Richt didn’t suddenly forget how to do his job.
Prediction: Georgia 21, Vanderbilt 10

No. 22 Auburn (4-2) at Arkansas (3-2)
Arkansas coach Houston Nutt will have some serious ’splain-in to do if the Hogs fall to 0-3 in the SEC despite having Darren McFadden and Felix Jones at their disposal. They have the motivation to pull an upset, but Auburn seems to have found its way.
Prediction: Auburn 27, Arkansas 17

No. 7 South Carolina (5-1) at North Carolina (2-4)
North Carolina coach Butch Davis sprang a huge surprise against Miami, his former team, last week. South Carolina hasn’t won in true Steve Spurrier fashion this season. They’ve relied on ball control and defense rather than big pass plays. Somehow, it works.
Prediction: South Carolina 31, North Carolina 13

No. 1 LSU (6-0) at No. 17 Kentucky (5-1)
LSU’s defense had some difficulty defending against mobile Florida quarterback Tim Tebow last week, but knuckled down in the second half. When push comes to shove, their defensive line gets the job done.
Prediction: LSU 34, Kentucky 20

No. 25 Tennessee (3-2) at Mississippi State (4-2)
Mississippi State’s defense has been respectable, allowing just 322 total yards per game, but the Bulldogs won’t be able to score enough to keep up against the Vols.
Prediction: Tennessee 24, Mississippi State 7

Atlantic Coast Conference

Georgia Tech (3-3) at Miami (4-2)
Miami offensive coordinator Patrick Nix goes up against his former employer. The Hurricanes were horrible against North Carolina last week, but Georgia Tech has been equally unpredictable.
Prediction: Miami 16, Georgia Tech 10

No. 12 Virginia Tech (5-1) at Duke (1-5)
Virginia Tech is much improved since its opening blowout loss against LSU. The Hokies’ special teams contributed kickoff and punt returns for touchdowns against Clemson.
Prediction: Virginia Tech 37, Duke 13

No. 4 Boston College (6-0) at Notre Dame (1-5)
Oddly enough, Boston College has won the last four games in the rivalry. Given the state of the respective programs today, No. 5 should be a mere formality.
Prediction: Boston College 34, Notre Dame 16

UConn (5-0) at Virginia (5-1)
Virginia actually could have been unbeaten heading into this weekend. A 23-3 loss to Wyoming represents the only blemish for a team that is surprisingly sitting atop the ACC Coastal Division. UConn is one of 11 unbeaten teams, but the Huskies’ most notable wins came against Duke and Pitt.
Prediction: Virginia 24, UConn 17

National games of interest

No. 6 Oklahoma (5-1) at No. 11 Missouri (5-0)
Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel has quietly put himself on Heisman Trophy watch lists. The Tigers thumped Nebraska last week, but will receive a much stronger test from Oklahoma's defense.
Prediction: Oklahoma 28, Missouri 27

Central Florida (3-2) at No. 5 South Florida (5-0)
Central Florida nearly toppled Texas earlier this season and features a darkhorse Heisman candidate in tailback Kevin Smith (860 yards, 11 TDs), but South Florida should be ready. The Bulls stuffed Auburn’s offense and shut down West Virginia scatback Steve Slaton earlier this season. South Florida’s magical ride continues.
Prediction: South Florida 26, UCF 17