College Football Pick-Em: Week 6

Once again, I hit all of my picks except for the upset special.  Hopefully this week will be different!  Here are the picks for Week 6:


Virginia at Georgia Tech- Both of these teams looked awful last week.  The Cavaliers got blown out at home versus Florida State.  Their offense looked terrible in the first half before finally getting a couple drives going in the second half.  The Yellow Jackets looked like they were going to lose to a depleted Wake Forest team before finally rallying late in the 4th quarter.  Even though the Jackets have been anything but crisp this year, eventually they have to get rolling.  The Cavs defense has played well so far this year but they don't have the talent on either side of the ball to upset Georgia Tech.  This game has the added dimension being Al Groh's first game against his former team.  Georgia Tech 27, Virginia 21


Florida State at Miami- For the first time in years, this game has real conference implications.  Both of these teams have emerged as the front-runners in their respective ACC divisions.  They both have losses against out-of-conference Top 10 teams on the road and have beaten all of their other opponents convincingly.  The Seminoles have been very well balanced this season and their defense seems to have recovered from the debacle that was their road trip to Norman.  The Hurricanes have won this year primarily behind their explosive receivera and special teams.  Jacory Harris has had another up-and-down year behind a suspect offensive line.  The Seminoles will prevail because they have the playmakers to stand toe-to-toe with the Hurricanes and because their defensive line and linebackers will overwhelm the U's offensive line and force Jacory Harris to make mistakes.  The Noles currently lead the nation is team sacks with 25.  The next best team has 17.  Florida State 34, Miami 29


LSU at Florida- Neither one of these teams looked strong last week.  Florida got beat very handily by Alabama.  And LSU won a game they deserved to lose against Tennessee.  The difference is Florida actually didn't look that bad in defeat.  They made stupid errors, particularly in the red zone, but they were able to move the ball on the #1 team in the nation.  Florida's offense hasn't found its identity yet, but it is still able to move the football.  LSU's offense, on the other hand, looked abysmal against Tennessee.  The last 30 seconds of that game showed just how poorly coached this team really is.  Both of these teams have good defenses, but the Gators will prevail because they have an excellent coach while the Tigers don't even have a competent one.  Florida 24, LSU 13


Tennessee at Georgia-  How the Vols play in this game will reveal a lot about what caliber of coach Derek Dooley is.  If he can use last week's final as a motivational tool, he will have a long, successful career as a coach.  If Tennessee melts because of last week, he is probably not ready for his position.  Mark Richt is another coach who is in crisis.  If the Bulldogs lose this game, he may actually lose his job at the end of the season.  Richt is a very good coach, but it seems that Georgia just isn't very talented this year.  Dooley will have his team excited for this game and they will kick the Bulldogs while they are down.  This game has the added dimension of being Derek Dooley's homecoming to Athens.  He is the son of legendary Georgia coach and athletic director Vince Dooley.  Tennessee 27, Georgia 25

Upset Special: Alabama at South Carolina- Well I am going to try this again.  I picked against the Tide last time they went on the road against a Top 25 team and almost came away looking like a genius.  Hopefully, the second time will be the charm.  This match up sets up as the perfect trap game for the Tide.  They played extremely well against an excellent opponent last weekend and are primed for a letdown this week.  They are going on the road against another team that is viewing this game as their Super Bowl.  They are facing one of the few coaches in the country who is as smart as Nick Saban.  Williams-Brice Stadium is well known as one of the toughest stadiums in the SEC and it will be absolutely rocking for the Gamecocks.  And most importantly, South Carolina has a running back who is as talented as anyone the Tide can throw at him.  Marcus Lattimore's performance will ultimately decide whether the Gamecocks can pull of the massive upset.   He has been compared favorably to Adrian Peterson even though he has only played five college football games.  I think Lattimore will play the game of his life and Spurrier will finally get his signature win at South Carolina.  South Carolina 24, Alabama 22

Week 4 Record: 4-1
Overall Record: 19-6