College Football Pick-Em: Week 5

Oh what could have been.  Had Arkansas held on versus Alabama, my week would have looked SO much better.  Still 15-5 through four weeks is a good record.  Hopefully, it will turn into 20-5 this week!


Florida at Alabama-The Gators finally found their offensive after looking flat for their first three games.  Freshman back-up quarterback Trey Burton has proven to be a fantastic red zone weapon.  He is very similar of a young freshman back-up quarterback the Gators had around four years ago.  Still, Tuscaloosa is never an easy place to win and the Crimson Tide looked extremely strong against Arkansas, especially in the second half.  There probably isn't a defense in the nation that can shut down the tandem of Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson and Florida doesn't have the explosive offensive necessary to match them blow for blow.  The game will be close but the Tide will keep on rolling.  Alabama 27, Florida 21

Georgia Tech at Wake Forest-The Yellow Jackets have been very disappointing this season, but there is no way they lose this game, especially on the road.  There were times in last week's game that Georgia Tech's offense looked very good.  However, there were other times it looked utterly hopeless.  Wake Forest's offense is almost non-existent.  Their starting quarterback is completing less than half of his passes and struggles with throwing the ball down the field.  The Jackets' struggles will probably continue in some capacity, but hopefully they take this week to right the ship.  Regardless, they will win this game.  Georgia Tech 31, Wake Forest 6

Florida State at Virginia- The Seminoles finally seem to be back on track after the Oklahoma debacle.  The offense has been good but has yet to truly reach its potential.  The defense has been great over the past two games.  They've allowed less than 200 yards of offense to BYU and Wake Forest and had their first shutout in 28 games last weekend.  The loss at Norman will provide Jimbo Fisher with enough fire to keep this team motivated on the road.  Virginia has been one of the hardest teams in the nation to understand.  They have looked good but not great in wins against FCS teams Richmond and VMI.  But they also went to the Coliseum and played USC very closely.  This Cavaliers' team is better than they have been in year's past, but it won't be enough to hold off the balanced attack of the Seminoles.  Florida State 33, Virginia 14

Texas vs Oklahoma (at JerryWorld)-Before last weekend, this game seemed to be a national showdown between two title contenders.  Now, the only impact Texas can have on the national title race is as a spoiler.  The Longhorns would love nothing more than knock their arch-rivals out of the race.  The problem is that Texas may not actually be very good.  It is common knowledge that their offense is in shambles.  They can't run the ball effectively and their "dominate" defense had some gaping holes exposed last weekend by UCLA.  Oklahoma has had a very up-and-down season so far, playing well against big-time programs and struggling against inferior opponents.  The Longhorns are the biggest game on the Sooners' schedule and they will be ready.  The Texas defense will show up to prove last weekend was an aberration, but it won't be enough.  Oklahoma 28, Texas 17

Upset Special: Stanford at Oregon-The Pac-10 has looked fantastic thus far this season and this game is the first in a series that will determine who wins this very deep conference.  Oregon is the front runner for the conference crown and Stanford is the primary contender.  The Ducks offense has been lighting fast and totally unstoppable this year.  They seem to start slowly and then explode for 35 points in the third quarter of every game they play.  However, their defense, particularly their pass defense, was exposed last weekend.  They allowed 597 yards to an average Arizona State team.  Stanford's offense has been balanced and potent thus far.  They have blown out all of their opponents and their star quarterback Andrew Luck hasn't even played his best game yet.  Winning in Corvallis is going to be tough, but this Cardinal team is fundamentally sound and up to the challenge.  Stanford 39, Oregon 36

Week 4 Record: 3-2
Overall Record: 15-5