This coming Saturday marks the biggest college football weekend to date in 2012. With huge important games come difficult picks and hoards of exciting action. Below is my take on some of this weekends biggest contests, as I will be glued to the couch, basking in all the fall pageantry and hopefully my correct picks. The only site we trust for online is Top Bet which you can visit HERE to place some wagers.
No. 8 West Virginia @ No. 11 Texas
Despite all the hype around QB Geno Smith and the rest of the offense, the Mountaineers are overrated (Allowed 34 points to Marshall and 21 points to Maryland; both very average teams) and have been giving up an average of 32.5 points a game. Defensively, anytime a team surrenders 63 points there should be huge concern. My main issue however; is that the Longhorns’ offense is much better than WVU’s and as a result a huge problem could come to fruition on Saturday. If QB David Ash continues to be extremely efficient through in the passing attack the bottom line is that the WVU defense will struggle. On the other hand, expect the WVU offense to sputter for the first time this season as Texas’s defense will be among the most athletic group they face all year with players like DE Jackson Jeffcoat and LB Jordan Hicks.
Prediction: West Virginia 28 Texas 42
Line: Texas -6
Pick: Texas -6
No. 5 Georgia @ No. 6 South Carolina
The stage is set for QB Aaron Murray to elevate his status as a legitimate Heisman contender despite his best receiver being out. With defensive standouts that include Gamecocks DE Jadeveon Clowney (9.5 tackles for loss) and Georgia LB Jarvis Jones (8 tackles for loss) this game will be decided by which defense decides to step up and shut down the run game. When it comes down to throwing the rock, I trust QB Aaron Murray much more than run oriented QB Connor Shaw. As a result the Bulldogs have an edge but the game will come down to which team can run the ball effectively in crucial situations.
Prediction: Georgia 28 South Carolina 24
Line: South Carolina -2
Pick: Georgia +2
No. 4 LSU @ No. 10 Florida
Recently, LSU has begun to falter while stiffer competition has come their way. Saturday is the perfect shot for an athletic Gators team with a improved running attack (averaging 225 yards a game) to come away with a marquee victory and solve their woes from last season. The swamp will be rocking and QB Zach Mettenberger will have to find a rhythm in the passing game in order to have a chance. Overall, this will be a hard fought contest however; after watching the Tiger’s barely beat Auburn and struggle against a weak Townson team I know LSU is overrated.
Prediction: LSU: 21 Florida: 24
Line: LSU -2.5
Pick: Florida +2.5
