College Football Picks Week 5

A very tough weekend for me last time out, only going 5-5, I've got a better feeling about this week though, and an Upset Special extra, so lets get right to it.

#1 USC at Washington- I like the Trojans by a lot, that said Ty Willingham will have the Huskies coached up and playing tough for the 1st half.
USC Wins: 38-12

Kansas State at #7 Texas- This game is very important for Texas; they need to put together two straight good showings before they go into the Red River Shootout. Kansas State will be pesky though, they beat the Longhorns last year and will give them a battle but Texas puts it away late.
Texas Wins: 34-20

Michigan State at #9 Wisconsin- The Badger eeked out a win against the Hawkeyes on Saturday night, who were about 1 yard too long on a 4th down toss to putting together a game winning drive. Michigan State has performed well so far this year but is inferior in all aspects of the game to Wisconsin; Badgers do it big in Madison.
Wisconsin Wins: 35-16

#22 Alabama at Florida State- FSU has had some off field troubles these past few weeks, two players were suspended stemming from an incident at a local bar and several players were indicated in a cheating scandal. Alabama looked a step slow against Georgia last week but I would put money on the fact that Nick Saban has prepared the hell out of his team for this tangle with the Seminoles. Crimson Tide...roll.
Alabama Wins: 30-19

Pittsburgh at Virginia- Kind of a Blah game, the Panthers are sitting at an apathetic 2-2, coming of a crushing loss from UConn and Virginia has kind of sleep walked through their season so far, losing to Wyoming and beating the likes of Duke and UNC, they had a nice win against G. Tech last weekend and that is proof enough they are better than Pittsburgh. Not by much though.
Virginia Wins: 24-17

Mississippi State at #16 South Carolina- Miss. St. might have saved Sylvester Croom's job by beating Auburn earlier this year, the Bulldogs have strung together 3 wins in a row after their opening day beat down by LSU. South Carolina is coming off a loss in Baton Rouge themselves and are looking to get back on the good foot, the ol' ball coach will have the Gamecocks ready to play.
South Carolina Wins: 33-13

#6 California at #11 Oregon-Easily the game of the week, Cal hasn’t been challenged yet by a good team, and Oregon seems to have one of the better offenses in the nation, Dennis Dixon has been surreal throwing and running the ball all over the field. The home field advantage will be huge in this game; Autzen is one of the hardest places to play in the entire country. Get out your popcorn ready and crack open a beer; this will be a good one.
Oregon Wins: 40-25

Air Force at Navy: Air vs. Water.... Air wins.... wow I totally mailed that one in
Air Force Wins: 20-6

#21 Penn State at Illinois- Penn State will attempt to put that Michigan loss behind them and get their 1st win of the Big Ten season. The defense will have to step up big in order for the Lions to do so, maybe more importantly the offense will have to let the defense get some rest by putting some points on the board by running the ball well and making smart decisions at the QB position (cough cough Morelli cough cough). Illinois is one of the teams in the Big Ten that has been a nice surprise, Juice Williams is the heart of their offense and he needs to play well in order for them to win. Their lone loss was to a good Missouri team when Williams was injured in the 1st half and couldn’t play the rest of the game. Lions pull it out with good D and a solid running game (cough cough Rodney Kinlaw, not Austin Fumble Scott cough cough)
Penn State Wins: 25-13


****UPSET SPECIAL****
Now I know some people won’t think this is a huge upset but it’s an upset nonetheless and I'm definitely going out on a limb. My pick is #18 Southern Florida to beat #5 West Virginia on Friday night, the game is in Florida and easily the biggest game this program has ever had (well the Auburn game was huge but this is bigger). They have some real athletes in that program and don’t be surprised if the D can hang with the WVU offense, the Bulls the nation leader in sacks and tackles for loss in George Selvie. It will be a tough road to hoe though, the WVU offense is STACKED: White, Slaton, Schmitt, Devine, Reynaud...etc but the Bulls can pull it off.
South Florida Wins: 30-27