I didn’t have a great week in week 10. Maybe I was too preoccupied with enjoying my vacation. Maybe I believed too much in some teams and not enough in others. Maybe it was a combination of both. Who knows. I should take the easy way out and not post the quick picks that I did on Twitter on Saturday morning, but if you wanted non-transparency and lack of accountability, you would follow the U.S. government instead of me.
@coachryanwells @MikeMarteny quick rundown in order from 10 to 1: Utah,ia,tcu,Marshall, mem,wazzu,ND, Clemson,LSU,unc
— FanSided Fantasy Sports (@fantasycpr) November 7, 2015
Well, at least I got the ten pointer right. It only netted me 31 points, which is one of the worst weeks I have ever had. This looks like another rough week. Let’s get into it a little more.
Here are my ESPN College Pick Em Picks for week 11. They are in order from most confident (10) to least (1) for those of you that play the confidence version of the game like I do.
(10): Stanford over Oregon:
The Ducks are a different, and better, team with a fully healthy Vernon Adams at quarterback. The problem is that Vernon Adams is no better at stopping the run than the defense is. Christian McCaffrey could have a huge game here. And if he gets tired, the Cardinal have three more suitable running backs to wear the Ducks out. This is the only game that I am really comfortable with this week.
(9): Temple over South Florida:
The Bulls have a pretty good defense, and Temple looked bored for lack of a better word last week against SMU. They still have plenty to play for though. Losing to a team like Notre Dame is not a bad loss. Only the Irish have a better loss than Temple among one loss teams. A New Year’s Six bowl is still within reach. The Owls just need to take care of business. That is what this game will look like: business. Unlike last week’s backyard footbrawl game.
(8) North Carolina over Miami:
The Hurricanes have been much better since Al Golden was shown the door, but they are running into a buzzsaw here. North Carolina has been sticking it to everyone, most recently arch-rival Duke, who was thought to have a pretty good defense. The Tarheels hung 66 on them. They are going to overpower Miami as well, though I do expect the Hurricanes to put up a fight. Something they might not have done a month ago.
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(7) Iowa over Minnesota:
Mitch Leidner has been great over his last three games. The problem here is that Iowa’s defense is very good. This will likely be a defensive battle which favors an Iowa team that likes to grind it out anyway. So does Minnesota, but they are going to have problems against a talented Iowa front. The thing that makes me nervous about this game is the fact that everyone thinks Iowa should win. It might get to their heads the same way it did against Northwestern the last time they were ranked this high in 2009.
(6) Washington State over UCLA:
There is method to my madness. I promise. First of all, UCLA struggled with an improving Cal team in their last home game two weeks ago. The Bruins have really only played one good game at home, and that was the opener against Virginia. The Cougar defense worries me some, but aside from the Oregon State game last week, the Bruins defense has underachieved as well. The signs are pointing towards Washington State, and honestly, they need this to announce their return to relevance. There is already some buzz. They need to capitalize on it.
(5) Baylor over Oklahoma:
I want to believe Oklahoma can win, but I know better. Baylor’s defensive line is going to push around our average offensive line. Baylor’s offensive line is good enough to keep our defensive line out of the backfield. Even all-world linebacker/defensive end Eric Striker was held in check by the Bears last year. I have some hope because the Wildcats were able to run the ball on Baylor last week, and the Bears losing Seth Russell opens the door for someone to knock them off. Unfortunately, it won’t be us. We don’t have strong enough play on either line to beat the Bears, but it will be a close game.
(4) Georgia over Auburn:
Two weeks ago, this might have been my number one game. Auburn has steadily improved since a disastrous September and early October. Their run defense is getting better, and they are getting solid quarterback play from Sean White. That said, Georgia is still a strong running team that can dominate Auburn’s defensive line. If Auburn can force the Bulldogs to throw, they could win. I just don’t see that happening though.
(3) Utah State over Air Force:
The Aggies have a good run defense, and all Air Force does is run. The Falcons have looked great the last two weeks against Hawaii and Army, but the Aggies are an entirely different animal. If you want to get literal, they aren’t really an animal at all, but that is for a different day. If Air Force gets into a position where they need to throw to win, they won’t be able to. I think that is ultimately what happens.
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(2) Houston over Memphis:
The pressure is off of Memphis. While I concede that it will be nearly impossible for a one loss group of five team to crash the New Year’s Six bowls, Memphis could pull it off. They have the big win over Mississippi. Temple, Houston, and Navy don’t have a win like that. Memphis still has something to play for, and their offense is going to give Houston fits. That said, Memphis’s defense, particularly their pass defense, has been atrocious. That will be their downfall here.
(1) Mississippi State over Alabama:
Am I just giving away points? Maybe. I really thought that Leonard Fournette would be able to get something against the Tide. Instead the Tide looked like a number one team in the dismantling of LSU. So why am I picking against them? Mississippi State has an underrated defense and can throw the ball. Dak Prescott is an underrated playmaker whose dual threat abilities could give Bama trouble. And honestly, they might be napping a bit after getting geeked out for LSU. This has the makings of an upset, so I am going to pick it. You know me, I have to be difficult.
Stay tuned for the rest of the college games picked against the spread and more FanDuel lineups!
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