This week's college football picks: Another big one in the Big 12

"Come after me! I'm a man! I'm 40!" -- Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy's, during his rant for the ages after a win, yes a win, over Texas Tech last September.

Fresh off its scintillating, edge-of-your-seat 39-33 win over then-No. 1 Texas, Tech Tech gets another huge Big 12 showdown when the No. 8-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys come to Lubbock.

Now sitting at No. 2, Texas Tech is in position to reach the national championship game. Of course, the Red Raiders will have to circumnavigate (great word, eh?) a remaining schedule that also includes games against Oklahoma (in Norman) and a potential spot in the Big 12 title game.

That is just one of a handful of big games to look forward to this college football weekend. So, let's go ahead and pick some of those games ...

No. 2 Texas Tech over No. 8 Oklahoma State
No. 3 Penn State over Iowa
No. 5 Wisconsin-Whitewater over Wisconsin-Stout
No. 7 USC over No. 21 Cal
No. 22 Georgia Tech over No. 19 North Carolina

Upset pick of the week: No. 15 LSU over No. 1 Alabama. The Tigers would love to stick it to their old coach, Nick Saban, and ruin the Crimson Tide's national title hopes. Nobody gets through the SEC season undefeated, so Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff thinks this is an easy pick to make.

And our totally random college football pick of the week: No. 1 Mount Union faces No. 12 Otterbein in a huge D-III showdown with first place in the Ohio Athletic Conference on the line. Otterbein hasn't beaten Mount Union since 1977, and Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff doesn't anticipate that run coming to an end this year.

(For the record, last week Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff correctly predicted that Millsaps would get some amount of vengeance for last year's "Lateralpalooza" play against Trinity. And, they did! Millsaps pasted Trinity 56-27.)

Last week's record: 1-6 (only hit on the "Totally random" pick)
Overall record: 43-28

This week's college football picks: Another big game for the Longhorns

"The label of No. 1 is hard to get and it's really harder to keep." -- Texas coach Mack Brown, ahead of his team's huge colossus of a clash with Texas Tech.

For the fourth consecutive week, the Longhorns are taking on a top-10 ranked team. First, Texas beat then-No. 1 Oklahoma. The next week, Texas worked No. 11 Missouri. Last week, the Longhorns edged No. 7 Oklahoma State. This week, the 'Horns face No. 6 Texas Tech in the land of Friday Night Lights in West Texas. Texas Tech folks are calling this showdown "the biggest game in school history." That seems to be a phrase thrown around quite a bit these days.

Last year, Texas beat Texas Tech 59-43 in a shootout. Expect much the same this time around, too, which should be great fun for TV viewers who just happen to be dialed into ABC at 5 p.m. Santa Monica standard time (SMST).

Let's pick some games that will be taking place on the collegiate gridirons this Saturday ...

No. 1 Texas over No. 6 Texas Tech
No. 8 Georgia over No. 5 Florida
No. 16 Florida State over Georgia Tech (really wanted to pick an upset here, FYI, FWIW)
No. 20 Minnesota over Northwestern (yes, the Golden Gophers are ranked)
Wisconsin over No. 22 Michigan State

Upset pick of the week: UNLV over No. 12 TCU ... Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff would hate to see a potential BCS buster fall in an upset, but the very good possibility exists that TCU could be looking past the Runnin' Rebs to a showdown with No. 10-ranked Utah next week that will likely determine the Mountain West winner and send said winner to a BCS bowl game to be decided (but, most likely not the national title game).

And our totally random college football pick of the week: 7-0 Millsaps and 7-0 Trinity, No. 5 and No. 14 respectively, in D3football.com top 25, meet in a rematch of last year's miracle finish on a 15-lateral play that has been dubbed "the Lateralpalooza" and the "Mississippi Miracle". Millsaps will put its nine-game, conference road winning streak on the line against Trinity, and we reckon the Majors will be prepared for anything this time around and get some small amount of revenge for last year's debacle.

Last week's record: 2-5 (ouchy!)
Overall record: 42-22

This week's college football picks: Big Ten showdown in 'The Horseshoe'

"The minute you think you've got it made, disaster is just around the corner." -- Joe Paterno.

The 81-year-old living legend has the Nittany Lions playing at an extremely high level and facing Ohio State in the game of the day.

The winner is in the driver's seat toward the Big Ten title and an automatic place in a Bowl Championship Series game.

The loser likely loses out on a BCS bowl bid.

The stakes are high, and so is the hype. As our friends at CollegeFootballNews.com write, "the world revolves around Penn State and Ohio State, and for the BCS and the national title chase, this will be a key piece of the puzzle."

Ohio State has dominated this series of late -- winning five of the last six showdowns -- and with this game being played in the "old horseshoe," it's hard to imagine that trend changing, regardless of Penn State's start this season.

Let's get on with it and pick some college football winners ...

No. 1 Texas over No. 7 Oklahoma State
No. 2 Wisconsin-Whitewater over Wisconsin-Stevens Point
No. 9 Georgia over No. 11 LSU
No. 10 Ohio State over No. 3 Penn State
No. 19 Kansas over No. 8 Texas Tech

Upset pick of the week: Arizona over No. 6 USC. The Trojans opened at No. 5 in the first BCS standings, and could very easily be playing in the national title game as a one-loss team by default because the competition in the Pac-10 is so weak and teams from much stronger conferences -- Big 12, SEC -- face much tougher competition, thus opening those teams up more for defeat. Arizona poses as one of the most serious threats to that goal for Troy, and we're rooting for them to pull off that upset simply because a Pac-10 team doesn't deserve to be playing for the national title.

And our totally random college football pick of the week: When in doubt, go see who the Colorado School of Mines -- one of our favorite small-college teams -- has this weekend, and they have a doozy against Chadron State. We have the host -- Chadron State -- sitting at 6-0 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and the Orediggers sitting at 5-1 in the RMAC. Still, for sentimental reasons, we have to go with the Colorado School of Mines in a slight upset.

Last week's record: 5-2
Overall record: 40-17

This week's college football picks: Simply can't wait to watch this game!

Missouri hasn't won at the University of Texas since 1896.

That was before the advent of the forward pass ... and the huddle ... and Joe Paterno ... and Army-Navy games on black-and-white TV ... and quarterbacks with radios in their helmets ... and, well, you get it!

Missouri is 0-10 all-time against No. 1 teams.

Still, we just have a feeling about those Tigers coming off a painful loss to Oklahoma State.

With that in mind, let's pick some college football winners ...

No. 2 Wisconsin-Whitewater over Wisconsin-Oshkosh
No. 4 Oklahoma over No. 16 Kansas
No. 10 Georgia over No. 22 Vanderbilt
No. 20 Michigan State over No. 12 Ohio State
Arizona over No. 25 California

Upset pick of the week: We're picking a lot of upsets this week, but none will be more BCS-busting than No. 11 Missouri over No. 1 Texas. Simply cannot wait to watch this game.

And our totally random college football pick of the week: It's homecoming week for the Fighting Souix, so it's a no-brainer to pick North Dakota to beat the visitors from Western Washington.

Last week's record: 4-3

Overall record: 35-14

This week's college football picks: Gotta watch this OU-Texas game!

We're one hour and 10 minutes from kickoff at the Cotton Bowl for the biggest game of the year so far ... the annual renewal of the "Red River Rivalry," Oklahoma vs. Texas.

Can't wait to watch this showdown.

So, going to make this quick so we can make a good, hearty breakfast before this game kicks off.

Let's pick some college football winners ...

No. 1 Oklahoma over No. 5 Texas
No. 2 Wisconsin-Whitewater over Wisconsin-River Falls
No. 3 Missouri over No. 17 Oklahoma State
No. 11 Florida over No. 4 LSU
No. 22 North Carolina over Notre Dame

Upset pick of the week: Wisconsin over No. 6 Penn State. The Nittany Lions' roaring "Spread HD" offense could have a hard time against the Badgers' stingy defense at Camp Randall Stadium.

And our totally random college football pick of the week: Bridgewater State over Framingham State ... just dig the schools with "State" in the title which you can't figure out which state the school actually resides in. In the eight-team Northeast Football Conference Bogan Division, five have "State" in the title ... Bridgewater State, Fitchburg State, Framingham State, Westfield State, Worcester State. Can you name which state(s) these schools call home? Well, all five of these schools reside in the state of Massachusetts. Fascinating! We'll likely revisit this topic in the future.

Last week's record: 6-1

Overall record: 31-11 (doing a far better job picking college football games this season than NFL games)

This week's college football picks: First Annual Football Conference Rankings

Year in, and year out, sports fans like to debate.

This can happen at the local sports bar, or during dinner, or while around the ol' watercooler.

This debate will take place on an award-winning sports blog.

This one comes up every autumn, and can be debated weekly.

This week, as a public service to all, Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff^TM sets the record straight.

Here are the First Annual Football Conference Rankings:

1. National Football Conference
2. American Football Conference
3. SEC
4. Big 12
5. Big Ten
6. Mountain West
7. Pac-10
6. Big East
7. ACC
8. WAC
9. Conference USA
10. MAC
11. Sun Belt

You may notice that the Mountain West is ranked pretty high. Respect.

Let's pick some college football winners ...

No. 2 Wisconsin-Whitewater over Wisconsin-La Crosse
No. 4 Missouri over Nebraska
No. 9 USC over No. 23 Oregon
No. 19 Vanderbilt over No. 13 Auburn
No. 14 Ohio State over No. 18 Wisconsin

Upset pick of the week: Well, Vandy over Auburn would count as an upset, but let's go with ... North Carolina over No. 24 Connecticut

And our totally random college football pick of the week: MIT over UMass-Dartmouth in a big one in the Northeast Football Conference Boyd Division. This would be an upset of sorts, since the Cosairs have won eight consecutive games in this series. Just a hunch here that the Engineers pull this one off. Just a hunch.

Last week's record: 5-2 (nailed both the upset and totally-random picks of the week! That's huge!)

Overall record: 25-10

This week's college football picks: Hurray for the underdog!

Oregon State got this week's slate of college gridiron action off to a rousing start with a 27-21 shocker over what will be previously No. 1 USC.

This is the same Oregon State team that lost by 31 to Penn State one week after a mild upset at the hands of Stanford.

America likes an underdog, especially one that can pull off a monumental, poll-shattering, seismatic upset. Hopefully, the fun will continue throughout the weekend (but, not so much in games involving teams we root for here).

Let's pick some college football winners ...

No. 2 Wisconsin-Whitewater over Puget Sound (in this week's "Bad Idea of the Week," the Loggers scheduled the defending Division III champions as their "Homecoming" game)
No. 9 Wisconsin over Michigan
No. 12 Penn State over No. 22 Illinois
No. 25 Fresno State over UCLA
Purdue over Notre Dame

Upset pick of the week: Oregon State over No. 1 USC (nailed it!). Just kidding ... LOL! LOLOLOL! Just got a hunch on this one ... No. 8 Alabama over No. 3 Georgia. It would be sweet to see another BCS favorite fall.

And our totally random college football pick of the week: Colorado School of Mines over Colorado State University-Pueblo. It's the Orediggers versus the ThunderWolves. Can you guess which school has what nickname?

Last week's record: 3-3 (missing on upset pick, and totally random pick, really hurts)

Overall record: 20-8

This week's college football picks: Do we really have to watch LSU-Auburn?

Thanks for nothing, Ohio State.

And, now this week's big matchup includes a team that managed to win its last game 3-2.

3-2!

In football!

That's Auburn's "War Eagle" defense at work. This week, Auburn hosts LSU, which hasn't beaten the Tigers in Jordan-Hare Stadium since 1998. That's an eternity in college football. Back in 1998, "Notre Dame football" and "national powerhouse" could be said without being following by laughter.

Let's pick some college football winners ...

No. 4 Florida over Tennessee
No. 6 LSU over No. 10 Auburn
No. 15 East Carolina over N.C. State
No. 18 Wake Forest over No. 24 Florida State

Upset pick of the week: Air Force over No. 20 Utah

And our totally random college football pick of the week: Lakeland College over Carthage College. Sure, the Muskies are 0-2 and Carthage may have administered a 70-46 whipping on Hope College last week, but it's hard to pick against the defending Illini-Badger Football Conference champions playing at home at venerable John Taylor Field in Howards Grove, Wis.

Last week's record: 5-2

Overall record: 17-5

UCLA is probably feeling some shame right now

"Adversity builds character." -- Message written on a board in UCLA's locker room after the school's worst loss in a game of football since 1929.

No. 18 BYU gave UCLA a 59-0 pants-down spanking on Saturday.

It was the Bruins' worst loss since a 76-0 defeat at the hands of hated rival USC in 1929, back when the forward pass was a new, revolutionary strategy in the game and players played both ways.

It's a shameful result for a Bruins team that upset then 18th-ranked Tennessee at the Rose Bowl just two weeks ago.

To make the Bruins feel better -- and a little less shame than they already must be feeling -- here are the top 10 other pants-down spankings administered in the college football world this weekend ...

1. Tennessee-Martin 87, Concordia College (Ala.) 21
2. Troy 65, Alcorn State 0
3. Fayetteville State 63, Lincoln (Pa.) 0
4. IUP 63, Millersville 3
5. Augustana 59, Minnesota-Crookston 0
6. Jacksonville 52, Campbell 0
7t. Utah 58, Utah State 10
7t. St. Norbert 55, Grinnell 7
9. Monmouth 47, Lawrence 2
10. Oklahoma State 57, Missouri State 13

So, there you have it UCLA, Minnesota-Crookston took just as bad a beating.

This week's college football picks: The other big game

"When you go on the road, it's an opportunity for you to define yourself, what you are when no one else is around." -- Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema, on Saturday's showdown with Fresno State.

All week, the sporting public has been very interested in that "Collision in the Coliseum" Ohio State-Southern California matchup on Saturday, but the more compelling game may be taking place more than 200 miles north in Fresno, where the 10th-ranked Badgers visit 21st-ranked Fresno State.

Getting a Big Ten to come to the Bulldog Stadium is a big deal for Fresno State, which could use a win Saturday as a springboard to a BCS bowl game. You have to give Fresno State all kinds of credit for its we'll-play-anybody-anywhere philosophy, and it appears the Badgers are adopting that same sort of mantra walking into this potential pitfall. Still, it's hard to pick against the Badgers.

Check out this week's picks ...

No. 1 USC over No. 5 Ohio State
No. 2 Wisconsin-Whitewater over Wisconsin-Eau Claire
No. 10 Wisconsin over No. 21 Fresno State
No. 18 Brigham Young over UCLA
Michigan over Notre Dame

Upset pick of the week: Purdue over No. 16 Oregon

And our totally random college football pick of the week: North Dakota over Wisconsin-La Crosse in the annual Potato Bowl, which includes a French Fry Feed on Friday night.

Last week's record: 5-2

Overall record: 12-3

College football season kicks off soon ... and then some totally random thoughts

It's such a great time of year to be a fan of the sports stuff. Baseball pennant races are heating up, the kickoff of Week 1 of the NFL season is just a week away, and college football starts its season this weekend. With that fun in mind ...

You didn't ask for 'em, but here are our college football picks for this weekend:

No. 13 Wisconsin over Akron
No. 3 Southern California over Virginia
No. 5 Florida over Hawai'i
No. 6 Missouri over No. 20 Illinois
No. 18 Tennessee over UCLA
No. 7 LSU over Appalachian State

FYI, there will be no Appalachian State-type upset of a major college football powerhouse this year. That was a once-in-a-lifetime, lightning-doesn't-strike-the-same-place-twice type of occurrence. With that in mind, let's go out on a limb ...

Upset pick of the week: Utah over Michigan

And our totally random college football pick of the week: Sacred Heart over Assumption College

Some other random thoughts on sports ...

Who is FOX going to put on prime-time TV in October when the New York Yankees fail to make the playoffs?

Was watching the Best Damn Sports Show Period (yes, it's still on the air) last night at one of our favorite local watering holes and Petros Papadakis was on talking college football. Seeing Papadakis (Photo, he's the dude on the left) makes me realize just how far Southern California football had come in just a very short period of time. Just a few years ago, Papadakis was a running back for the Trojans. Here he's looking more like LenDale White after a trip to the Ponderosa buffet than Reggie Bush.

Apparently, Brett Favre isn't on God's fantasy football team ...

Thursday's hot stove report

"I can take apart the remote control
And I can almost put it back together." -- from Flobots' Handlebars.

The Cubs were defeated 4-3 by the Brewers in the rubber match of a three-game series on Thursday afternoon at Wrigley Field. This came a day after the Brewers were on the wrong end of a 19-5 debacle.

Somewhere in Chicago, there's a Cubs fan at a local sports bar downing his Budweiser and lamenting to anyone who will listen, "Why couldn't the Cubs have saved a couple of those runs last night for today?"

Do people seriously think teams can just simply hold on to some runs one day, and score those the next? A 19-run game is the happy confluence of bad pitching, timely hitting and likely some phsychological intangibles for both sides. Usually a 19-run game one day means pitching duel the next. That's just the way baseball works.

A college football playoff ... coming in 2015? At the earliest. :-(

But, there is some good news, two new bowls were approved for the 2008 season -- the St. Petersburg Bowl and the Congressional Bowl. Awesome! Somehow, the NCAA managed to regect something called the Rocky Mountain Bowl. Bummer ... if there's one thing college football needs more of, it's bowl games. Every team should get to go to a bowl game. Why not? Right? Right ...?

Once I hear the Flobots' song Handlebars, I can't get it out of my head. I'm really in trouble if I hear it in the morning.

Apparently, Handlebars has some sort of social/political message. All I can think about is the lyric "Me and my friend saw a platypus." Oh, and the Gobots, which were totally lame.

Call me crazy, but I'm legitimately excited for tonight's Red Bull New York-Toronto FC game (airing on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. PT). This will be my first glimpse of the crowd at Toronto's BMO Field, which is being touted as the closest to an European atmosphere as there is in Major League Soccer.

Also, I have Toronto's Laurent Robert on my MLS fantasy team, so I have that going for me.