Saturday, October 27, 2007

Tony's 5 College Picks


1. #11 Florida vs. #19 Georgia @Jacksonville.

This is a big SEC showdown at a neutral site? I'm sure Georgia would rather play in Jax, then in the swamp. Georgia is coming of a bye and extra time to prepare for the high octane Gators, however Florida has won 15 of the last 17 against the Bulldogs. PICK: Florida


2. #12 South Florida vs. UCONN

South Florida is coming off their first loss of the season to Rutgers, and this game is for a share of first place in the Big East. Both teams rely on their strong defenses and UCONN hasn't given up more than 17 points in a game. Pair that with the cold rainy weather in the northeast.
PICK: UCONN


3. #20 California vs. #7 Arizona State

Cal was ranked #2 just two weeks ago before losing two in a row, one of those games was played without QB Nate Longshore, who returned last week in the road loss to UCLA. Arizona State is coming off a bye week, and they begin the meat of their schedule this week, which also includes Pac 10 powers Oregon next week and USC on 11/22. Arizona State lost RB Ryan Torain for the season during the bye week. Cal will get back on track with athletic RB Justin Forsett and WR DeSean Jackson leading the way. PICK: California


4. #8 USC vs. #5 Oregon

Pac 10 showdown, winner stays in the race for the league title. USC will be without QB John David Booty for the third week in a row, redshirt soph Mark Sanchez will get the start again. USC has not been the super power of years past, they have squeaked out 2 close wins, a loss to Stanford and a blowout of Notre Dame in their last 4. Oregon has been on roll averaging 46.6 points per game with their only loss coming to California. Oregon beat the same Stanford team that upset USC 55-31 at Stanford. The Trojans have won 3 in a row against the Ducks including the last two at Oregon. Oregon and Dennis Dixon show they are for real. PICK: Oregon


5. #1 Ohio State vs. #22 Penn State

Ohio State's defense led by James "Little Animal" Laurinaitis has only allowed four TDs all season while only allowing 7.8 points per game. Penn State was the last team to beat Ohio State in the regular season back in 2005 also played in Happy Valley. QB Anthony Morelli will be overwhelmed by the Buckeye D, has anyone seen Vernon Gholston (above), he is a beast.
PICK: Ohio State
Check back later in the week to see how the picks turned out. Rankings used are from the USA Today Poll.