The Buckeyes' first weekend off is now behind us, and the week that was should prove to be a pivotal one in the college football playoff picture. The Red River Rivalry was another close matchup, Joe Burrow and the Tigers continued to take care of business, and there was an SEC shocker in Athens.
Last week it was Jones who led the way with an impressive 8-2 record. David Regimbal is still out in front for the season with a superb 59 percent hit rate. We're at the midway point and Kevin and Dan are the only pickers below the .500 mark.
Penn State and Wisconsin both brought good fortunes in week seven. The Nittany Lions were favored by 4.5 at Iowa and the Badgers were a 10-point home favorite against the Spartans. Everyone except for Kevin had Wisconsin covering and all nine of our selectors were riding with Penn State. Paul Chryst shut the Spartans down 38-0 and James Franklin went home with a 17-12 cover.
We fell short with our picks for the Minnesota/Nebraska game. The Gophs were a 7.5-point home favorite and most had the Huskers covering. This one wasn't even close with the Fighting Flecks cruising to a 34-7 victory to go to 6-0 on the season.
Our staff was split on the annual Red River contest that had the Sooners as an 11-point favorite in Dallas. Jalen Hurts may be the Heisman frontrunner as he scored four more touchdowns to lead Oklahoma to 34-27 win.
LSU and Florida was the game of the week on Saturday night and Joe Burrow may be the only player in America ahead of Hurts for the Heisman. He hit on 21 of 24 passes for 293 yards and three scores against a solid Gator defense.
Burrow now finds himself going No. 1 overall in some early mock drafts (to a different kind of tiger). It's slightly crazy to think about, but there's no one questioning what he's done thus far in 2019. The Tigers were able to cover the 13.5 points with a 42-28 victory in the Bayou. LSU may have the country's best resume with wins over Florida and Texas.
- Reminder: All of our submissions are against the spread rather than a straight pick'em. The lines are from www.sportsbook.ag and are collected on Mondays of each week. There's always a chance that the lines will move in the days leading up to kickoff.
| KEVIN | CHRIS | RAMZY | HOPE | JONES | ELLIS | WERTHEIM | REGIMBAL | VANCE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAST WEEK: | 3-7 | 6-4 | 6-4 | 4-6 | 8-2 | 5-5 | 5-5 | 6-4 | 6-4 |
| OVERALL: | 30-38 | 34-34 | 39-29 | 33-35 | 37-31 | 38-30 | 36-32 | 40-28 | 37-31 |
| ACCURACY: | 44% | 50% | 57% | 49% | 54% | 56% | 53% | 59% | 54% |
| #4 Ohio State (-28.5) @ Northwestern | OSU | OSU | OSU | OSU | NW | OSU | NW | OSU | OSU |
| #6 Wisconsin (-31) @ Illinois | WISC | ILL | ILL | WISC | ILL | ILL | ILL | WISC | ILL |
| #3 Clemson (-24) @ Louisville | LOU | CLEM | LOU | CLEM | CLEM | CLEM | CLEM | LOU | LOU |
| #9 Florida (-5.5) @ South Carolina | FLOR | FLOR | FLOR | FLOR | FLOR | FLOR | FLOR | FLOR | FLOR |
| #2 LSU (-19.5) @ Mississippi State | LSU | MISST | MISST | LSU | LSU | LSU | LSU | LSU | LSU |
| Indiana (-3.5) @ Maryland | INDY | INDY | INDY | INDY | MARY | MARY | INDY | MARY | INDY |
| #12 Oregon (-3) @ #25 Washington | WASH | OREG | OREG | OREG | OREG | OREG | OREG | OREG | OREG |
| Oklahoma State (-3.5) vs. #18 Baylor | BAY | BAY | BAY | BAY | BAY | OKST | BAY | OKST | BAY |
| #13 Utah (-13) vs. #17 Arizona State | AZST | UTAH | AZST | AZST | AZST | AZST | AZST | AZST | AZST |
| #7 Penn State (-9) vs. #16 Michigan | PSU | PSU | PSU | PSU | PSU | PSU | MICH | PSU | MICH |
Much like last week, you'll have the opportunity to dedicate your Saturday to something other than Ohio State football. The Buckeyes kick off Friday night in Evanston as a 28.5-point favorite against the Wildcats. Northwestern's offense has been putrid this season and is ranked 125th in America; three spots ahead of Rutgers and four spots ahead of Miami (Ohio).
Defensively, Pat Fitzgerald has assembled a better unit that ranks No. 26 overall. Can the Wildcat defense and some elongated grass slow down Justin Fields behind a depleted offensive line? Probably not, but we'll find out in just over 24 hours. David didn't have the chance to pick the opposition to cover last week, but he's back at it this weekend alongside Mr. Jones.
Wisconsin should annihilate Illinois, but 31 points is a hefty spread for a road game. We're mostly liking Lovie Smith to get the cover in Champaign. Indiana hits the road to Maryland as a 3.5-point favorite. The Terps have been as unpredictable as they come, but it's been bad lately for Mike Locksley. Maybe the offense finds its traction at home? Most are siding with the 4-2 Hoosiers.
The Gamecocks took down Georgia last week and now they're a 5.5-point home dog against the Gators. Some folks seem to think Will Muschamp can work his magic this week at home, but we are not some of those people. We're liking Florida to bounce back with a road cover.
I feel like no one is paying attention to the Pac 12 this year, and that's probably for a good reason. The conference seems likely to miss the playoff once again, but two of its top teams are doing battle this weekend in Seattle. Justin Herbert has Oregon as a three-point road favorite, and we feel good about the Ducks covering.
The Big Ten takes center stage Saturday night as Jim Harbaugh heads to the Happy Valley "White Out." Penn State's record hasn't been too amazing in these gimmicky games, but the Nitts are favored by nine against the No. 16 Wolverines. James Franklin sure seems to have a complete team now that true freshman Noah Cain has emerged as the top dog in the backfield.
Will Michigan's offense look like a competent bunch against the country's No. 4 defense? We saw how they played on the road against Wisconsin, and a repeat performance would be a disastrous blow for the reigning pre-season conference favorites. Most of our forecasters are liking the Nittany Lions to cover.
Do you see any upsets this weekend? Can the Wildcats keep it even remotely close in Evanston? Does Michigan have another horrendous showing in the national spotlight?
