COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 9 PICKS
Welcome back College Football, I missed you. I am so excited for this season to start. Last year I took on Phil Steele’s College Football Picks challenge, and defeated arguably the greatest mind of College Football Analysts with a 116-34 record compared to Steele’s 111-39. This year I will take on the challenge again. Last week recap: THREE WORDS: Closing The Gap.
Me: 63-17 (79%)
Phil Steele: 65-15 (81%)
North Carolina Tar Heels at No. 23
Pittsburgh Panthers
Thursday 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Both of these teams come into this one with one loss. North Carolina lost to South Carolina in the season opener, while Pitt fell to current #10 unbeaten Iowa. North Carolina has also faced a much weaker schedule, the best win for the Tar Heels is Illinois. In technically an upset ( UNC is favored by 3) I’ve got Pittsburgh taking control of a wild ACC Coastal
The Pick: Pitt
No. 9
Notre Dame Fighting Irish at No. 21 
Temple Owls
8 p.m. ET ABC
Temple. 7-0. Not a typo. Just 10 years ago in 2005 Temple was 0-11 and being relegated to the FCS, funny how quickly things change. Now College Gameday is in Philadelphia for the only ranked vs ranked matchup this week. Temple holds a 27-10 win over Penn State and a very good defense. When it all comes down to it though, Notre Dame should be unbeaten. They have outplayed every team they’ve faced this year (maybe not counting Virginia) including the loss to Clemson. Sorry, Temple. This glass slipper doesn’t fit.
The Pick: Notre Dame
Maryland Terrapins at No. 10 
Iowa Hawkeyes
3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN2
This one could get ugly. Iowa is coming off of a BIG (in terms of quality) win over Northwestern and still control their own destiny for a College Football Playoff spot. Maryland on the other hand is one of the worst teams in the Big Ten. Hawkeyes with a BIG (in terms of points) win over the Terrapins.
The Pick: Iowa
South Carolina Gamecocks at 
Texas A&M Aggies
Noon ET, SECN
Two weeks ago Texas A&M got a vote for First Place in the nation. Now they aren’t even in the Top 25. That’s what happens when you lose back to back games by 18 and 20 points respectively. On the other hand South Carolina has been quietly getting better and better. Texas A&M picks up the win, but a lot closer than you may think.
The Pick: Texas A&M
No. 12
Oklahoma State Cowboys at
Texas Tech Red Raiders
3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Texas Tech has an amazing offense, no one can argue that, but they have no defense. Oklahoma State has the best defense in the Big 12 but they actually have a good offense. Oklahoma State is undefeated and flying under the radar. The Cowboys win this one by double digits.
The Pick: Oklahoma State
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at 
Virginia Cavaliers
3 p.m. ET, ESPN3
Phil Steele found my weakness. Prior to the Florida State blocked kick fiasco Georgia Tech’s only wins had been over Alcorn State and Tulane. Virginia’s wins are over Syracuse and William & Mary. This is the definition of a trap game, coming off a big win, on the road against a lesser-known opponent. Phil Steele says Virginia + the points? I say the Wahoo’s win outright.
Quick Disclaimer: I’m a huge Virginia fan and will be in attendance so the bias is strong.
The Pick: Virginia
No. 15
Michigan Wolverines at
Minnesota Golden Gophers
7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Before we start this I want to wish Jerry Kill, who stepped down as Minnesota head coach due to medical reasons, a safe recovery. Get Better Jerry, sometimes things are bigger than the game. Michigan is coming off of a bye week and Minnesota is still trying to deal with the shock of losing their head coach, Michigan wins by 10.
The Pick: Michigan
No. 14 
Oklahoma Sooners at
Kansas Jayhawks
3:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1
Don’t expect to see many highlights of this game, they probably don’t show murders on ESPN.
The Pick: Oklahoma (And a dead Jayhawk)
Georgia Bulldogs vs. No. 11 
Florida Gators (in Jacksonville)
3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
Now we get into the meat and potatoes, the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party will be a good one. With Florida being the Top 15 team and Georgia being unranked as well as Florida starting QB suspended and former Virginia quarterback Greyson Lambert benched in favor of Junior Faton Bauta a lot has changed since the preseason, the winner of this game will take control of the SEC East 3 days before the first College Football Playoff rankings.
The Pick: Florida
Oregon State Beavers at No. 13 
Utah Utes
7 p.m. ET, Pac 12 Network
Don’t expect to see many highlights of this game, they probably don’t show murders on ESPN.
The Pick: Oklahoma Utah (And a dead Jayhawk Beaver)