We've got some good news and some bad news as we head into week 10. The first bit of good news is that we had our first-ever perfect card from one of our pickers. That honor goes to Ramzy who will now officially be recognized as a knight of the seven kingdoms.
It took the full 2018 campaign and nine weeks of the current season, but someone has finally achieved perfection. I really can't think of a more noble accomplishment. Unfortunately for Andy Vance, his 9-1 showing is being totally overshadowed (but props to him as well).
We'll get to the bad news momentarily, but the other piece of good news is that Ohio State had no problems destroying a very good Wisconsin team. The spread was 14.5 points when we made our picks, and Dan and David were the only staffers who sided with the Badgers.
Just about everyone had Iowa covering the 10.5 points against Northwestern's horrendous offense. Chris and Kevin sided with the Cats, but he Hawkeyes won by a score of 20-0. We were split on the Rutgers/Liberty matchup that had the Knights as a home underdog. Congrats to New Jersey's finest for picking up the win in Piscataway.
LSU hosted Auburn in one of the weekend's biggest matchups. Joe Burrow and the Tigers were favored by 11.5 at home, but Auburn kept this one close and lost by only three points. Burrow remains the Heisman frontrunner despite putting up a fairly modest stat line. Our staff was pretty split on this one.
I'm a fan of seeing Texas lose, even when it comes at the expense of our staff picks. Most had the Horns covering the 1.5 points against the Horned Frogs, but tragically that did not happen. The 37-27 loss was Tom Herman's third of the season and the Longhorn fans are feeling a bit uneasy this week.
Kevin was our only picker to have the Spartans covering against Penn State. The Nittany Lions rolled to an easy 28-7 road victory. The Wolverines were favored by one against the Irish when we made our picks. Our staff was split on that one, but Jim Harbaugh and his crew were dominant in an easy 45-14 win in the rainy conditions.
Are you finally ready for the bad news? Ohio State is off yet again – though in reality that gives Justin Fields and some other players a chance to heel up a bit – and this weekend's lineup isn't the most captivating that we've seen.
- 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: | 5-5 | 3-7 | 10-0 | 4-6 | 7-3 | 5-5 | 3-7 | 7-3 | 9-1 |
| OVERALL: | 40-48 | 45-43 | 55-33 | 44-44 | 50-38 | 49-39 | 47-41 | 51-37 | 54-34 |
| ACCURACY: | 45% | 51% | 62% | 50% | 57% | 56% | 53% | 58% | 61% |
| #12 Baylor (-17.5) vs. West Virginia | WVU | BAY | BAY | WVU | BAY | BAY | BAY | BAY | BAY |
| #14 Michigan (-19) @ Maryland | MICH | MICH | MARY | MICH | MICH | MICH | MICH | MICH | MICH |
| Nebraska (-2) @ Purdue | PUR | NEB | PUR | NEB | PUR | NEB | NEB | NEB | NEB |
| #16 Notre Dame (-17.5) vs. Virginia Tech | ND | ND | VT | VT | ND | ND | ND | ND | VT |
| #8 Georgia (-5.5) vs. #6 Florida | FLOR | FLOR | UGA | UGA | FLOR | UGA | FLOR | UGA | UGA |
| Florida State (-3.5) vs. Miami | MIAMI | MIAMI | MIAMI | MIAMI | FSU | FSU | MIAMI | MIAMI | MIAMI |
| #9 Utah (-3.5) @ Washington | WASH | UTAH | WASH | UTAH | WASH | UTAH | UTAH | UTAH | UTAH |
| Indiana (-12.5) vs. Northwestern | INDY | INDY | INDY | INDY | INDY | INDY | INDY | INDY | INDY |
| #24 Memphis (-5.5) vs. #15 SMU | MEM | SMU | MEM | SMU | SMU | MEM | SMU | SMU | MEM |
| #7 Oregon (-5) @ USC | USC | OREG | USC | USC | OREG | USC | USC | OREG | OREG |
Things get kicked off tonight when one of the country's surprising unbeatens hosts West Virginia. Baylor is a 17.5-point favorite and I'm guessing this may be the first time most people even see them play this year (if anyone even chooses to watch). We're liking the Bears in this one.
Michigan heads to Maryland and I don't think it's anyone question that this one could be a blowout. It really just depends on which Wolverine team shows up in College Park. We're mostly liking the Wolverines to keep things rolling against a very bad Terrapin team.
If there are two Top-25 teams that no one knows anything about, they'd probably have to be SMU and Memphis. The Mustangs are unbeaten on the season but they head to Memphis as a 5.5-point underdog. I'm not sure I could tell you a player on either team, and our pickers are split.
Remember when Florida State and Miami used to be one of the coolest games on the block? Those were the days. This year's ACC showdown features a pair of disappointing teams that are both 4-4 on the season. Most are siding with the underdog Canes and the 3.5 points. Watching Cam Akers run with the football in his hands is fun, so at least there's that.
The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is the main event this weekend as both Georgia and Florida head to Jacksonville with one loss to their names. The Bulldogs are favored by 5.5, but Kirby Smart hasn't looked great in his last two games. Florida beat South Carolina in Columbia last week. The Gamecocks took down Georgia in Athens a few weeks back.
What's your card looking like for a lackluster week 10? Do you see any upsets brewing?
