This article is part of our College Football Picks series.
It's been just one week since the release of the Bowl Committee's initial rankings and I have to say, I'm on board! I mean, fully on board.
Unfortunately, there are already some detractors spouting off about how there should be eight or 16 teams and so on. To be honest, I've become quite adept at tuning those people out because if for no other reason, this format is locked in for some time, so who really cares about the naysayers at this point?
Back to the matter at hand, the new format - how awesome was it that the Ole Miss game, at the end of October, held so much significance? A year ago there was an outside chance that a game like that would have mattered if everything fell a certain way at the end of the year, but even in that scenario, we wouldn't have been aware of the significance at the time.
As it was, the LSU vs. Ole Mississippi game was touted as an elimination game, and that's exactly what it was, and it was great ... because of that fact. Ole Miss fans probably don't feel that way, but guess what? Ole Miss had its chance, in fact, it had two, and the Rebels blew it - end of story.
The beauty of the new format is that each and every week there will be multiple teams playing for their lives, and we'll know which ones going into the week. That's just one reason why
It's been just one week since the release of the Bowl Committee's initial rankings and I have to say, I'm on board! I mean, fully on board.
Unfortunately, there are already some detractors spouting off about how there should be eight or 16 teams and so on. To be honest, I've become quite adept at tuning those people out because if for no other reason, this format is locked in for some time, so who really cares about the naysayers at this point?
Back to the matter at hand, the new format - how awesome was it that the Ole Miss game, at the end of October, held so much significance? A year ago there was an outside chance that a game like that would have mattered if everything fell a certain way at the end of the year, but even in that scenario, we wouldn't have been aware of the significance at the time.
As it was, the LSU vs. Ole Mississippi game was touted as an elimination game, and that's exactly what it was, and it was great ... because of that fact. Ole Miss fans probably don't feel that way, but guess what? Ole Miss had its chance, in fact, it had two, and the Rebels blew it - end of story.
The beauty of the new format is that each and every week there will be multiple teams playing for their lives, and we'll know which ones going into the week. That's just one reason why I'm on board. I'm sure more reasons will crop up over the coming weeks, and I cannot wait to discover them.
Slightly under par last week and as is the case when you end up under .500, there were plenty of tough losses, from Notre Dame blowing and Louisville blowing big leads, to missing out on overs in the North Carolina and USC games because only one side showed up. Those are the breaks, though. They go both ways, they just seem to stick out more when you end up on the wrong side.
As always, I'll tweet any insights I come up with post-article each week. You can follow me at @gregvara
Cream of the Crop (Week: 1-2/Season: 10-19)
Saturday
Michigan at Northwestern: I think the oddsmakers are playing us for fools here. So Michigan, which has been awful all season -- I mean, awful -- gets a win ... at home ... against Indiana, and suddenly it's favored on the road? Yes, I am fully aware that Northwestern has gone in the tank, but the Cats, just like every other team in the Big Ten, want desperately to beat Michigan. That desire is enough to beat this version of the Wolverines. Well, that and just a little bit of talent.
Side: Northwestern +1
Texas A&M at Auburn: Does this line seem abnormally large? It sure does, it's called a trap. Most folks will take one look at this line and think it's way too much to lay against a solid Texas A&M team, but those people have either forgotten how bad the Aggies looked on offense last week without their starting QB or simply aren't aware of how bad they were. Whatever the case, A&M is not the same team without Kenny Hill, and Auburn is about to make a run to the final four.
Side: Auburn -21
Baylor at Oklahoma: Oklahoma is a solid team, but it doesn't carry a top-notch defense and that's the only type of defense that can slow the Bears. Conversely, Baylor has a lights-out offense, but the defense has cracks that have been exposed by quality competition this year. Do you see where I'm going here?
Total: Over 73
Oregon at Utah: Utah is going to do everything possible to grind this game out, and I think the Utes have a chance to win if they can control the clock. I'm not siding with Utah here, though. I'm taking the under as Oregon's offense isn't quite as potent on the road, but I don't quite trust the Utes in this spot. I do trust in Utah's desire and ability to shorten this game, however.
Total: Under 60
Best of the Rest (Week: 3-1; Season: 15-12-1)
Saturday
Penn State at Indiana: It's disappointing vs. more disappointing this week in Bloomington as two teams that looked to be on the way up meet to see which team has fallen further the last two months. Indiana can point to losing its QB, which gives it a better excuse, but it doesn't help in this game. Did I mention the Hoosiers lost by 24 to Michigan last week? Michigan.
Side: Penn State -6.5
Iowa at Minnesota: After a strong start to the season, Minnesota is suddenly headed the wrong way, but I don't think the Gophers deserve to be underdogs in this spot. Granted, it's just a point, but still, Iowa shouldn't be favored to win this game. Although there's plenty of turnover on college teams each year, Minnesota has had Iowa's number the past few years and I think the Gophers get 'em again this year.
Side: Minnesota +1
Wisconsin at Purdue: Did I mention that this Purdue team was scrappy last week? The Boilermakers didn't even play all that well last week, but still managed to stay within the number. Sooner or later Wisconsin's inability to throw will catch up with it, and while I don't see the Badgers struggling to win this game, they'll certainly struggle to cover this number.
Side: Purdue +17
Ohio State at Michigan State: I'm in the camp that thinks MSU is the class of the Big Ten and it's not really that close. Sure, OSU looks to have improved the last few weeks, but look at the competition it's faced. This same OSU team lost at home to Virginia Tech, a team that has proven to be absolutely lousy the last month. MSU is at home, and this number is more than fair. Take the Spartans here.
Side: MSU -3.5
PASSing Thoughts (Week: 1-4; Season: 25-22)
Thursday
Clemson at Wake Forest: Remember when Wake Forest was a scrappy squad? Well, it isn't anymore, at least not this year. As for Clemson, well the Tigers haven't exactly been lighting up their opponents this season, but they are coming off a bye and likely ready to open up a can this week.
Side: Clemson -21
Saturday
Duke at Syracuse: Duke is back! Remember all the momentum Duke had at the end of last season? Yeah, me neither, because it seemed like the Blue Devils were under the radar again this season, but after last week's win at Pittsburgh, suddenly they are ranked once again. Would you believe they have only one loss this year? It's true, and if they get past this tricky spot, they can start thinking about taking down their division of the ACC again.
Side: Duke -3
Alabama at LSU: Nice win for LSU last week, but it's the type of win that might have taken a lot out of the Tigers and it's no time to be at less than 100 percent with Bama coming into town. Baton Rouge is a tough place to pull out a win, but Bama is starting to hit its stride and this number is just low enough.
Side: Alabama -6.5
Virginia at Florida State: I hate this pick, and I haven't even made it yet. I'm siding with Virginia for one reason only. I'm not comfortable with it, but that's why it's listed down here. Anyhow, the reason: FSU is still sleepwalking. The Seminoles had to know that Louisville was going to be a tough spot last week and they still came out flat. I get the impression that they think they can wait until the playoff to turn on the switch and maybe they can, but for the present, they are going to make every game interesting.
Side: Virginia +20
