Quick and dirty picks this week, since we’re running a little late.
LAST WEEK: 5-1
Miami (FL) (1-0, 0-0) at #22 Kansas State (1-0, 0-0)
There are no zero — count ’em, zero — games between two Top 25 teams this week. Which is disappointing. So we turn to intriguing-looking inter-conference matchups and this one fits the bill. Last year they played a nail-biter (which describes about 75% of K-State’s games last year, actually). Miami displayed some explosive talent in their Week 1 win over Boston College, while K-State waited ’til late to pull away in their Week 1 win. This smells like another pretty close game. Sooner or later, K-State has to start losing those games, right? Probably… but not this week.
THE PICK: Kansas State 28, Miami 20
#23 Florida (1-0, 0-0) at Texas A&M (1-0, 0-0)
Not only is this Texas A&M’s first game in the SEC, it’s their first game of the 2012 season and their first game under new coach Kevin Sumlin. That’s a lot of firsts. I’m guessing they probably would have preferred to work out the kinks against someone else before stepping up to play Florida. On the bright side, Florida struggled mightily with Bowling Green in the Swamp last week and this game is in Aggieland, where the fans figure to be going nuts. How far can emotion and atmosphere carry ’em? Maybe all the way to a close win.
THE PICK: Texas A&M 23, Florida 20
Purdue (1-0, 0-0) at Notre Dame (1-0)
Last week, Notre Dame smashed Navy all over Ireland, while Purdue roasted Eastern Kentucky. Notre Dame returns to South Bend for their home opener and the big issue in this game is… jet lag. Yes, jet lag. It seems a little overblown, frankly. If Notre Dame had to play in mid-week? Yeah, it might have been a factor. But they’ve had a full week to get over any jet lag from their Ireland sojourn. I can’t see a bunch of 18-22 year olds being that worn out at this point. Purdue will be a stiffer test than Navy, but Notre Dame should still come out on top.
THE PICK: Notre Dame 28, Purdue 17
#17 Nebraska (1-0, 0-0) at UCLA (1-0, 0-0)
Taylor Martinez was jaw-droppingly good as a passer last week against Southern Miss (26/34, 354 yards, 5 TD/0 INT) and Nebraska might need him to do a reasonable facsimile of that performance to prevail this week against UCLA, with Martinez’s usual partner-in-crime, RB Rex Burkhead, sidelined with an injury. UCLA, for their part, rolled to a 49-24 win over Rice on the back of a 15 carry, 214-yard, 3 TD performance from RB Johnathan Franklin. The Nebraska defense should pose a stiffer test, but this looks like it has definite shootout potential. And remember: Big Ten teams tend to struggle mightily on West Coast road trips. All that said, I can’t quite bring myself to pull the trigger on the upset here — it’s still UCLA, after all.
THE PICK: Nebraska 31, UCLA 24
#6 Georgia (1-0, 0-0) at Missouri (1-0, 0-0)
Welcome to the SEC, Missouri! In your first-ever SEC game you get… a top-10 opponent. At least the game’s at home, where the atmosphere should be absolutely electric. Georgia also will have multiple starters suspended (again), including some key components of their starting secondary. That should make it easier for the Mizzou offense to put some points on the board. Can Aaron Murray and the Dawgs offense match Mizzou? Maybe, but I’m betting on Missouri having just a little bit more in the tank than Georgia in this one.
THE PICK: Missouri 28, Georgia 24
#19 Oklahoma State (1-0, 0-0) at Arizona (1-0, 0-0)
Oklahoma State scored 84 points last week; Arizona amassed almost 700 yards of offense. Don’t expect that level of output here — both teams can play SOME defense, after all — but it seems safe to expect some fireworks all the same. These are two high-powered, fast-paced offenses and they should put together a fun late-night battle on Saturday night. Oklahoma State seems a bit sharper than Arizona right now.
THE PICK: Oklahoma State 35, Arizona 27
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