GAME PICKS: WEEK 8
MY 2024 RECORD: 171-64 overall (27-8 last week)
46-14 MAC (3-3 LW)
101-29 Top 25 (13-4 LW)
33-23 in additional picks (7-1 LW)
MAC GAMES
EASTERN MICHIGAN OVER CENTRAL MICHIGAN. I don’t honestly want to pick EMU after last week. But it’s Central Week, and I can’t go against Eastern during Central Week.
MIAMI OVER OHIO. Battle for the Bricks is a classic MAC rivalry. I love Parker Navarro’s ability to work Ohio’s option run game, but I think Miami's defense should be well-prepared for it.
BOWLING GREEN OVER KENT STATE. If any team has a future NFL draft pick on its roster (cough cough Harold Fannin cough cough), I hope that becomes a deciding factor here.
BUFFALO OVER WESTERN MICHIGAN. Winner goes home 3-0 in MAC play. As a noted Pete Lembo enthusiast, I like Buffalo to stay on-script better than WMU.
TOLEDO OVER NORTHERN ILLINOIS. If the Mountain West announces the addition of Toledo and/or NIU this weekend, I’m going to be very mad for a long time about the timing of it all.
VANDERBILT OVER BALL STATE. Wrong year to schedule Vanderbilt in the middle of the year, huh?
TOP 25
#25 NAVY OVER CHARLOTTE.
#23 ARMY OVER EAST CAROLINA.
#22 ILLINOIS OVER #24 MICHIGAN. Sometimes it’s tough for me to know how I’m actually picking. Am I picking games based on what I think will happen, or am I leaning towards what I hope happens? There’s no mystery here. I want Illinois to win this one.
#21 SMU OVER STANFORD.
#19 MISSOURI OVER AUBURN. Yawn.
#17 KANSAS STATE OVER WEST VIRGINIA.
UNDEFEATED #16 INDIANA OVER NEBRASKA.
#14 TEXAS A&M OVER MISSISSIPPI STATE. Yawn.
#13 BYU OVER OKLAHOMA STATE.
#12 NOTRE DAME OVER GEORGIA TECH.
#11 TENNESSEE OVER #7 ALABAMA.
#10 CLEMSON OVER VIRGINIA. Yawn.
#9 IOWA STATE OVER UCF.
#8 LSU OVER ARKANSAS.
LOUISVILLE OVER #6 MIAMI. It’s too boring of a game picks post if I don’t call my shot here.
#2 OREGON OVER PURDUE. Talk about a Friday night game I have negative amounts of interest in.
#1 TEXAS OVER #5 GEORGIA. Do you realize that at this point last year we had zero Top-5 matchups, and this will be our third of the season? There was Texas-Alabama two weeks ago and Ohio State-Oregon last week.
EIGHT ADDITIONAL PICKS
My personal rule here: No boring picks. I’ll define that however I wish.
FLORIDA STATE OVER DUKE.
COLORADO OVER ARIZONA.
ARIZONA STATE OVER CINCINNATI.
TEXAS TECH OVER BAYLOR.
SOUTH CAROLINA OVER OKLAHOMA.
WISCONSIN OVER NORTHWESTERN.
UNLV OVER OREGON STATE.
NORTH TEXAS OVER MEMPHIS.