I’m not going to go back and do a ton of research on this but I’m fairly confident that lat week was the greatest in the history of our expert pick’em competition here at Cyclone Fanatic. Every one of our panelists went at least 4-2.
Kirk Haaland recoreded the only 6-0 week while Adam Carper, Brent Blum and Dave Zawilinski went 5-1. The rest of us were 4-2. "Shaggy" and me are now joined at the top of the leaderboard by Carper and it’s a crap shoot after that.
Here are this week’s picks!
Current Standings
Bret Culbertson, 23-13
Chris Williams, 23-13
Adam Carper, 23-13
Bret Meyer, 22-14
Adam Gray, 21-15
Brent Blum, 21-15
Dave Zawilinski, 21-15
Kirk Haaland, 21-15
Trevor Enerson, 19-17
Austen Arnaud, 17-19
Chris Hassel, 15-21
Former Iowa State Kicker Bret Culbertson
South Carolina @ LSU – I’ll be jumping on the South Carolina bandwagon after the Georgia game last week. I think they win out this year.
Texas vs. Oklahoma – The Texas program is on the rise again. They pull off the upset.
ATS
Iowa @ Michigan State (-10) – Spartans cover, but that won’t stop people from thinking it’s cute to rhyme Weisman with Heisman.
West Virginia (-4.5) @ Texas Tech – Weisman doesn’t rhyme with Heisman. Geno Smith does. Tech scores at home, but WV scores much more. As much as I want to see the Mountaineers get upset, I don’t want Tech to have the satisfaction. WV covers.
Stanford @ Notre Dame (-9.5) – For the weekly readers, you know that I’ve expressed my life-long love for Notre Dame. For you first time readers, that was a joke. Stanford covers.
TCU @ Baylor (-7) – This could be a good game. I’m pulling for Baylor to cover.
Kansas State (-7) @ Iowa State – I think the Clones scare the crap out of Vegas. I wonder how many points they account for when factoring in the Paul Rhoads Upset Special. A test against a full TCU roster would have been great last week, but a road win with an obnoxious frog horn in your ear may make up for it. Ed Wilson has already done his part by summoning the rains of equality. I call the Clones to cover with an upset, as K-state faces it’s toughest defense so far this year. Arceo HAS to go LIGHTS OUT in this one. PAT or an FG, it’ll be the difference in the game.
Cyclone Fanatic Publisher Chris Williams
South Carolina @ LSU – Two things here…There’s no way that South Carolina is as good as they showed last week. There’s no way that LSU is as bad. Night game? Give me the Tigers to bounce back.
Texas vs. Oklahoma – I’m a believer in this Texas team for some reason. Their defense hasn’t been impressive so far but it will get plenty of pressure on Landry Jones. Hook’Em.
Iowa @ Michigan State (-10) – Flip a coin. Give me Iowa to cover because both teams will bleed the clock. Gonna be hard for either team to beat the other by 10.
West Virginia (-4.5) @ Texas Tech – If you’re on that West Virginia Big 12 champs bandwagon, beware. You’re going to get screwed eventually. It just might be this weekend too in a classic trap game. Tech will be focused after last week’s debacle. WVU might lose this one. I like the Red Raiders to cover.
Stanford @ Notre Dame (-9.5) – In honor of the great Beano Cook, give me NOTRA-DAME.
TCU @ Baylor (-7) – Baylor’s offense is too good for TCU. Bears by 2 touchdowns.
Kansas State (-7) @ Iowa State – Iowa State 27, Kansas State 20.
Former Iowa State Linebacker Adam Carper
South Carolina @ LSU – Instant classic in Death Valley Saturday night. I think South Carolina is hitting on all cylinders right now and remain undefeated.
Texas vs. Oklahoma – Did Oklahoma finally wake up last week after a convincing win in Lubbock? OU defense still has many question marks but I like them to come out of Dallas with a W.
Iowa @ Michigan State (-10) – This Iowa team has no identity and no leadership. Not a good combination when playing on the road in a hostile environment. They lose but cover the spread.
Stanford @ Notre Dame (-9.5) – Anyone that thinks Notre Dame is going to win by more than a TD is crazy. Stanford covers.
West Virginia (-4.5) @ Texas Tech – Can Geno Smith and the Mountaineers go into the Lonestar State two weeks in a row and prevail? They do and they cover.
TCU @ Baylor (-7) – Gary Patterson will pull his young team together and play good football this weekend. TCU.
Kansas State (-7) @ Iowa State – Game will come down to what team can minimize their mistakes and capitalize on good field position. I love watching Klein but I think he’ll have some difficulties late in the game. ISU.
Former Iowa State Quarterback Bret Meyer
South Carolina @ LSU – LSU has been an offensive disaster all year. South Carolina is riding high after a signature win a home. Can the Gamecocks handle success? I like LSU to respond at home.
Texas vs. Oklahoma – Remember when this game mattered? Me either. OU wins in Dallas.
Iowa @ Michigan State (-10) – Iowa
Stanford @ Notre Dame (-9.5) – Notre Dame’s defense has been the difference. Stanford has no defense. I like the Irish to cover here.
West Virginia (-4.5) @ Texas Tech – Geno keeps it going. WVU covers.
TCU @ Baylor (-7) – TCU is a mess. Baylor covers.
Kansas State (-7) @ Iowa State – I’m calling the upset. Jack Trice will be live. Clones improve to 5-1.
Cyclone Fanatic Director of Sales Adam Gray
South Carolina @ LSU – South Carolina looks great when at home. On the road? They barely escaped Vanderbilt to start the year and were down 10 to a bad Kentucky team at the half. I think LSU needs a statement win this season, and I think this is it. LSU 20-13
Texas vs. Oklahoma – I can’t remember a year where this game has been harder to predict. I was going to predict Texas but I trust Bob Stoops more than Mack Brown. I still think Texas is 1 year out from being back to what they were. Oklahoma 31-23
Iowa @ Michigan State (-10) – I think this is a really tough matchup for Iowa. Michigan State may have the best front four in the Big 10 (is that saying much?) and their defense will come out hungry after a horrible start to the Indiana game. I look for Weisman to struggle to find holes, for Vandenberg to once again struggle on the road and for Iowa to get beat 24-10
Stanford @ Notre Dame (-9.5) – The Irish defense is good, really good. Playing a rival at home I look for them to get a defensive score and really shut down the Cardinal offense. Notre Dame 27-13
West Virginia (-4.5) @Texas Tech – Brent Blum is going to call me crazy. He’s going to laugh that I would doubt his man crush Dana Holgerson. I don’t care. I think Texas Tech wins this game. Tech made a lot of mistakes against a really good Oklahoma defense, but after seeing ISU and OU’s defense in back to back weeks, Tech is going to think West Virginia’s defense is JV. I think Tech’s defense shows up at home and plays with a lot of emotion and the Red Raiders win 41-34
TCU@ Baylor (-7) – Despite the 5 TO’s, I was actually impressed by TCU’s Boykin. I think he has potential to be solid down the road. I think Baylor has a soft defense and he can put up some good numbers against them. I also think this is the last chance for TCU to get a win the rest of the year. I really think they struggle the rest of the way. I think they cover but lose 31-28
Kansas State (-7) @ Iowa State – All week I thought K-State would win by 10 but I went back and looked at my preseason predictions. I am 5-0 on my preseason picks of Iowa State and I picked us to win this week against KSU. I can’t go against myself now. Iowa State gets a HUGE win and plays mistake free football to get a 27-17 win. Now let’s all pray that Hassle predicts Iowa State to lose.
Cyclone Fanatic Columnist Brent Blum
South Carolina @ LSU – Trivia question: who is the 2nd oldest coach in college football? Bill Snyder is the oldest. Steve Spurrier is 2nd at 67! Since this is posted in the South Carolina write up, only people like Hassel could have gotten that wrong (his pick-em’ percentage is low). This game will be close, so give me the home team. All touchdowns are scored by the defenses. LSU 21 South Carolina 14.
Texas vs. Oklahoma – What is going on with the Texas defense? 74th in the nation in total defense? The Horns are giving up almost five yards per carry. Oklahoma has great offensive balance and nobody has been able to move the ball consistently on their defense. If I was hosting a gambling infomercial at 5am Saturday morning, this would be my "Triple Platinum, Chris Brown, Don’t Wake Me Up, Quadruple Star, Lock of the Week!!!" Oklahoma 38 Texas 20.
Iowa @ Michigan State (-10) – Iowa defensive back Micah Hyde’s, "Publix Intox and Interference with official acts," arrest this past weekend led to the easiest one-liner in the history of the Cy-Hawk series: "I always knew Hyde was great at interference." Iowa is average, but Michigan State isn’t much better. This Spartan team is putting up only 20 points per game and scored a whopping 23 points against doormat Eastern Michigan. Ten points is way too much. Michigan State 24 Iowa 17.
Stanford @ Notre Dame (-9.5) – We are one more Irish win from the Notre Dame hype reaching DEFCON: Ron Powlus. The domers have been impressive, but I believe the Pac 12 is extremely undervalued. Stanford is scrappy, this thing goes down to the horn. Notre Dame 27 Stanford 24.
West Virginia (-4.5) @ Texas Tech – Two words: Mullet Express. Hop on. West Virginia 45 Texas Tech 34.
TCU @ Baylor (-7) – TCU has a very nice campus and some very friendly folks down there. But some of them are soft. Keep in mind, it was about 50 degrees the entire day for the Iowa State game, yet the gentleman that let me into the stadium parking lot had five layers of clothes, a stocking cap, a scarf and multiple gloves. I thought I was transported to the Ice Age. But the TCU "Show Girls" managed to perform on the field in cowboy boots and not much else; they were the toughest group of Horned Frogs on the field Saturday. Baylor 35 TCU 27.
Kansas State (-7) @ Iowa State – The Cyclones watched the movie Battleship on the team plane to TCU. Who could’ve guessed Brooklyn Decker, Rihanna and Riggins from Friday Night Lights could collaborate to make a decent movie? Although Riggins was out-acted by the computer generated alien-machines. I couldn’t help but think that K-State is like the alien-machines in Battleship. They look indestructible at first, with seemingly no weaknesses. Plus Bill Snyder has as much emotion as a piece of aluminum. But I bet once you get under their exterior, the Wildcats may be vulnerable. K-State is due for an imperfect game against somebody; Iowa State has enough Riggins in them to force their hand. Cyclones save the planet and defeat the machines. Iowa State 24 K-State 20.
ABC 5 Sports Director Dave Zawilinski
South Carolina @ LSU – If the Gamecocks didn’t impress you last week, they will this week when they win in Baton Rouge.
Texas vs. Oklahoma – Texas’ offense impressed me vs. West Virginia. I think the horns are a better team than OU… Hook’em.
Iowa @ Michigan State (-10) – The Hawks rarely get blown out. Indiana gave Michigan State all they could handle last week. I have no idea how this game will play out. NONE. Give me the points.
Stanford @ Notre Dame (-9.5) – I think Stanford is all smoke and mirrors. Making the trip half way across the country will be tough for this young team. ND covers.
West Virginia (-4.5) @ Texas Tech – This is a sneaky sandwich game. WVU gets KSU next week. WVU just made the trip to Texas and back. This has all the makings of an upset. That being said, I think the Mountaineers still get it done in Lubbock.
TCU @ Baylor (-7) – I think TCU is better than advertised. Boykin impressed me last week. He kept many plays alive with his legs. Those will turn into big plays vs. Baylor’s week defense. Give me the Cyclone Jerry Frog Horns.
Kansas State (-7) @ Iowa State – I think the weather will play a HUGE role in this game and I think it’ll hurt the Cyclones more than KSU. I’m not sure Barnett can play mistake free in the rain. Give me the Wildcats.
enCYCLONEpedia’s Kirk Haaland
South Carolina @ LSU — The Gamecocks just thumped Georgia in a SEC showdown of top ranked teams but I think LSU will rebound at home after last week’s loss at the Swamp.
Texas vs Oklahoma — This is a tough one to call. Oklahoma has looked mostly good except for their home loss to Kansas State while Texas has been surprised by their offense and a little let down by their defense. The young Longhorns aren’t yet ready for the Red River Rivalry and Oklahoma takes it.
Iowa @ Michigan State (-10.5) — I watched a good chunk of Sparty’s game at Indiana last week and even with this game being in East Lansing I just can’t erase those memories. I think MSU likely wins but Iowa covers.
Stanford @ Notre Dame (-9.5) — Stanford pulled out a shootout in overtime last week at home to Arizona and Notre Dame has been impressive all year. Golden Domers cover.
West Virginia (-4.5) @ Texas Tech — Back to back long road trips for West Virginia to the state of Texas where the first game was an emotional win that set off couch fires all across Morgantown. The crazy side of me wants to take the Red Raiders following the pummeling they took from the Sooners last week…but I just can’t do it. Geno Smith and company find a way to get it done, again.
TCU @ Baylor (-7) — The Bears can’t play much defense but they sure can score. Boykin was impressive on short notice last week as the game wore on but TCU can’t score at a high enough clip to keep pace. Bears win and cover.
Kansas State (-7) @ Iowa State — This one could be a slug fest in swampy conditions. Can the Cyclone defense stop Klein and Hubert? Can the Iowa State offense generate yardage on the ground? Will the kicking game come up big for the Cyclones? Kansas State turns it over next to never while scoring almost as efficiently as any team in the country. Nevertheless, the Cyclones are ready for a statement game and knock off Bill Snyder’s Wildcats.
The Voice of the Fan, Trevor Enerson
South Carolina @ LSU – LSU isn’t all that good. Zach Mettenberger is Jarrett Lee. The defense is good, don’t get me wrong. Lattimer gets himself into the Heisman talk and the Ol’ Bawl Caoch continues to roll. USC 21-10
Texas vs. Oklahoma – I don’t know what to make of Texas. Their defense was shredded but their offense looks dangerous now. I will take Texas here because Landry Jones isn’t the same as he was last year. Texas 31-28.
Iowa @ Michigan State (-10) – Iowa covers the 10. MSU just doesn’t have the offense to pull away that far. MSU 17-14
Stanford @ Notre Dame (-9.5) – Is Notre Dame for real? I think they are pretty good. Standford covers but loses 31-24.
West Virginia (-4.5) @ Texas Tech – Is this line right? Please. Geno Smith shreds yet again and WVU runs away 48-24.
TCU @ Baylor (-7) – This is the toughest pick for me. The Baylor offense can do some things but their defense is awful. I think the TCU ends give FLorence enough pressure to allow them to stay close. Baylor wins a tight one 35-31
Kansas State (-7) @ Iowa State – Vegas gave us a respectable line here. This will be a game similar to the last few. Can ISU come up with the upset? I think so but they will need some breaks. ISU finally beats KSU 31-27
Former Iowa State Quarterback Austen Arnaud
South Carolina @ LSU – LSU has a few problems and a grueling schedule ahead… However, I am not sold on the Ol Ball coach’s team. Don’t know why but I like the Death Valley Tigers 19-14.
Texas vs. Oklahoma – Texas wins here. The difference in past years is that Texas couldn’t score enough to hang with the Sooners. This Texas offense is much improved, I like the Longhorns 37-28.
Iowa @ Michigan State (-10) – I like Sparty to cover in this low scoring affair. I think the Mich St defense embraces the run first challenge that Iowa will bring to the table.
Stanford @ Notre Dame (-9.5) – This is an interesting match-up and now ever more so with the news Stanford’s big play WR Montogomery is out. Notre Dame wins by a touchdown but doesn’t cover.
West Virginia (-4.5) @ Texas Tech – Another test on the road for WVU, this one will bring a lot of points and I think the Mountaineers stay hot and win by 10.
TCU @ Baylor (-7) – I like Baylor at home after having a bye to prepare for TCU, the bears cover and light up the scoreboard.
Kansas State (-7) @ Iowa State – Very tough call here these two teams match up well. I remember last time there was tornados forecast in 2005 at home against Colorado. In the words of former Coach, Dan McCarney it will be "cyclone weather." Clones cover.
WHO-TV 13’s Chris Hassel
South Carolina @ LSU – LSU rarely loses at home, and NEVER loses home games at night. Tigers stomp the ‘Cocks on the bayou.
Texas vs. Oklahoma – Not so sure Texas bounces back after losing at home to West Virginia. Oklahoma is refocused after loss to Kansas State. Sooners.
Iowa @ Michigan State (-10) – Iowa went 4 years without losing a game by double digits. Then MSU beat the Hawks by 16, last season, and Iowa lost 3 of its last 4 by 10+. This year Iowa’s two losses are by a combined 4 points. The Hawks lose but not by 10. I smell a backdoor cover.
Stanford @ Notre Dame (-9.5) – Notre Dame is due for a tight one. Stanford has the toughness to upset the Irish. This one will be close.
West Virginia (-4.5) @ Texas Tech – How can anyone justify this line? Vegas is daring everyone to take West Virginia. I should go the other way and take TTU but I can’t convince myself to do it. WVU rolls.
TCU @ Baylor (-7) – It’s going to be a long year for TCU. Baylor should easily be able to cover the 7.
Kansas State (-7) @ Iowa State – The number 6 team in the nation is only a one touchdown favorite at ISU. This line proves that the Cyclones are gaining some national respect. I wouldn’t be stunned if ISU wins, but the smart money us on #6 to win by more than one score. I’ll take K-State.
