College Football: ESPN College Pick Em Picks Week 5

Sep 24, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; South Florida Bulls quarterback Quinton Flowers (9) drops back to pass in the first quarter against the Florida State Seminoles at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports /

ESPN College Pick Em Picks Week 5

I had my best week since week 1 in ESPN College Pick Em last week. Of course, that really isn’t saying much. 37 points is nothing to write home about. I am still in the middle of the pack in the Fantasy CPR readers group, which is not a good place to be.

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The leader of our little group has 170 points through the first month. I sit at 136. With conference play beginning in earnest this week, history says that it should get a little easier here. This week’s slate sure doesn’t look like it!

I was still able to get my eight, nine, and ten point games right. I had trouble in the middle this week. Of course, that should happen all year.

Here are my ESPN College Pick Em Picks for week 5. They are in order from least confident (1) to most (10) for those of you that play the confidence game.

(1) Wisconsin over Michigan:

Wisconsin took a solid Michigan State team out behind the woodshed last weekend…..in East Lansing! This is another rough trip to the state of Michigan for the Badgers. Wisconsin seems to have a quarterback for the first time since Russell Wilson. They have a stable of running backs and play really good defense. I’m not sure Michigan has the big play ability to get behind them enough. Is this where the Big Ten West starts getting some respect from the East?

(2) Louisville over Clemson:

The Tigers have looked lethargic for most of the season. Louisville owns perhaps the most electric player in the country. The Cardinals remind me of last year’s version of Clemson. They are strong, hungry, and are led by a charismatic quarterback who just happens to be a freak of an athlete. This should be a great game here!

(3) Air Force over Navy:

The Middies struggled with UConn and Tulane. Air Force has run over Georgia State (a team that almost beat Wisconsin, mind you) and struggled against Utah State. This is one of those games that is easier to pick against the spread. I’m quite sure Air Force wont cover, but I don’t know if Navy can win outright either. Air Force has the better track record thus far, so the Falcons seem to be the safe pick.

(4) Utah over California:

Cal’s high powered offense is fun to watch, but we haven’t seen them tangle with a good defense yet. Their opportunity comes here. With skill players like Cal has, they are always in a game, but their inability to stop the run will hurt them against Utah. They did better against Arizona State, but can they do it two weeks in a row? I have my doubts.

(5) South Florida over Cincinnati:

The Bulls hung with Florida State for most of that game. Granted, the Seminole defense is not where it was last year, but it is still better than this Cincinnati unit. Quinton Flowers is an experienced quarterback, so going on the road wont bother him much. My only concern is the USF defense. However, I think the offense makes enough big plays to take this home.

Sep 10, 2016; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers running back Kennedy McKoy (4) celebrates with West Virginia Mountaineers wide receiver Shelton Gibson (1) after catching a touchdown pass during the fourth quarter against the Youngstown State Penguins at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /

(6) Texas over Oklahoma State:

Mason Rudolph and James Washington can take the top off of the Texas defense, but they don’t have the running game to keep defenses honest. Until that happens, you will see the Cowboys put up points, but they will also fail at critical times. Then again, Texas lost to a similar team in Cal a couple of weeks ago…..

(7) Tennessee over Georgia:

This looks like a letdown game for Tennessee, but with Nick Chubb maybe missing the game, that is a huge blow for Georgia. Even if Chubb does play, he likely wont be at 100%. I’m still not sure Georgia has the quarterback play to hang with Tennessee, and they definitely don’t have the defense to do so.

(8) Oklahoma over TCU:

Kenny Hill will give us problems. I don’t doubt that. I do doubt TCU’s ability to stop a good offense. They have given up 105 points in four games. There is no shame in giving up points to Arkansas, but they gave up 41 to SDSU. No, not that SDSU. I’m talking about South Dakota State. The only saving grace for this maligned defense was stifling SMU. They wont be able to do that against Oklahoma. The first one to 50 wins!

(9) West Virginia over Kansas State:

Skyler Howard is an experienced quarterback with a lot of offensive weapons around him. The Wildcats have a solid defense, but they are going to have problems moving the ball. West Virginia has quietly gone to 3-0, and they can start to open some eyes here with a statement win over the Wildcats.

(10) Florida State over North Carolina:

The Tarheels have good offensive players, but the defense struggled with a Georgia team that has no passing threat. Florida State has one of the best backs in the country in Dalvin Cook, and Deandre Francois has proven that he can run that offense. There is too much explosiveness for the Tarheels to deal with here.

Next: Who Looks Good At QB In FanDuel This Week?

We have a full weekend on tap for you at Fantasy CPR. I still have 55 more games to pick against the spread. We will have DFS picks for the last week of the MLB regular season, and for NFL week 4. We will also have start/sit advice, and picks for your NFL survivor pool!