If you found yourself a little bit bored last weekend, then you probably weren't alone. Ohio State enjoyed its second off week of the season and there weren't too many noteworthy contests across the country.
As for our picks, most everyone did quite well in week 10 as David and Jones were the only staff members to hit on less than 50 percent of their picks. Andy Vance had yet another superb showing going 8-2 and he's now tied with Ramzy for the top spot on the season.
Things got off to a rough start Thursday night as most of our pickers had the unbeaten Baylor Bears covering the 17.5 points against West Virginia. A fourth-quarter field gave the Bears a three-point home win and handed an "L" to most of our staff members.
The Wolverines gave us plenty of help, however, as everyone but Ramzy had Michigan covering the 19 points against Maryland. Zach Charbonnet and the Michigan ground game – along with a superb showing from the defense – helped lead the way to an easy 38-7 home victory.
The cocktails were flowing in Jacksonville as Georgia/Florida was the week's headliner. The Bulldogs were a 5.5-point favorite and managed to cover with a final tally of 24-17. Kirby Smart's crew checked in at No. 6 in the initial playoff rankings following the win over their rivals.
Willie Taggart has found himself on the unemployment line following last weekend's home loss to Miami. Florida State was favored by 3.5 points over the Canes, but our entire staff (outside of Jones and Andrew) were riding with Miami. The Taggart firing has got the coaching carousel spinning already and the Bob Stoops to Tallahassee rumors are at the epicenter.
We can all now rejoice for week 11 features a far more impressive slate that includes one of the biggest matchups of the entire season and a couple of good ones in the Midwest.
- 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: | 6-4 | 5-5 | 7-3 | 8-2 | 4-6 | 5-5 | 4-6 | 5-5 | 8-2 |
| OVERALL: | 46-52 | 50-48 | 62-36 | 52-46 | 54-44 | 54-44 | 51-47 | 56-42 | 62-36 |
| ACCURACY: | 47% | 51% | 63% | 53% | 55% | 55% | 52% | 57% | 63% |
| #1 Ohio State (-43.5) vs. Maryland | OSU | OSU | OSU | OSU | OSU | MARY | MARY | OSU | OSU |
| #4 Penn State (-7) @ #17 Minnesota | MINN | PSU | MINN | PSU | PSU | PSU | PSU | PSU | MINN |
| Northwestern (-1) vs. Purdue | NW | PUR | PUR | PUR | PUR | PUR | PUR | PUR | PUR |
| #12 Baylor (-2.5) @ TCU | BAY | TCU | BAY | BAY | BAY | BAY | BAY | TCU | BAY |
| #3 Alabama (-6.5) vs. #2 LSU | LSU | LSU | BAMA | LSU | BAMA | BAMA | BAMA | LSU | BAMA |
| Michigan State (-14.5) vs. Illinois | MSU | ILL | ILL | ILL | ILL | ILL | ILL | ILL | ILL |
| Texas (-6.5) vs. #16 Kansas State | KSU | KSU | KSU | KSU | TEX | TEX | TEX | KSU | KSU |
| #13 Wisconsin (-8.5) vs. #18 Iowa | IOWA | WISC | WISC | IOWA | WISC | WISC | WISC | IOWA | WISC |
| #15 Notre Dame (-8) @ Duke | DUKE | ND | ND | ND | DUKE | ND | ND | ND | ND |
| #9 Oklahoma (-14) vs. Iowa State | OKLA | ISU | OKLA | OKLA | OKLA | OKLA | OKLA | OKLA | ISU |
My biggest complaint about Saturday afternoon is that the Penn State/Minnesota game isn't later in the day. That's a game I really want to watch, but it will be difficult to do so since it kicks off at the same time as the Buckeyes and Terps.
Ohio State is favored by 43.5 points and that is quite the ridiculous line for a conference game. Even with the hefty spread, most of our staff members are liking the Buckeyes to cover. As for the Gophers, they get their first true test of the season when James Franklin hits the Twin Cities. Penn State is a touchdown favorite and we're mostly liking the Nittany Lions to cover.
So, have you heard about this LSU/Alabama game that's taking place this weekend? I listened to ESPNU Radio yesterday and they honestly were talking about this one for 45 minutes straight. It was a bit of overkill and the "SEC! SEC!" fest is always lame, but if you're not at least somewhat intrigued then I'm not sure what to tell you.
Joe Burrow has been out of his mind this season and he heads to Tuscaloosa as a 6.5-point underdog. The Tigers and Tide have two of the country's best offenses and their total defense ranks are also quite similar (No. 16 for Bama, No. 23 for LSU). Tua Tagovailoa seems to be questionable, but everyone expects him out there when things get underway at 3:30 p.m.
The other marquee matchup in the Big Ten kicks off at 4 p.m. when the Badgers host the Hawkeyes. We're mostly liking Wisconsin as a 9.5-point favorite as Paul Chryst tries to put an end to his two-game skid. Iowa's won two in a row after back-to-back losses to Michigan and Penn State.
Who are you liking this weekend? Do the Buckeyes cover against the Terps? Can Joe Burrow and the Tigers come away with a win in Tuscaloosa?
