In the state of Texas, football is a heck of a lot more than just a game, especially when two of the teams from in state are playing one another. A Big XII title could be on the line at the end of the season when the Texas A&M Aggies play host to the Texas Longhorns in what is clearly one of the best battles on the NCAA football odds of the season.

Texas Longhorns @ Texas A&M Aggies Picks & Info
Texas Longhorns @ Texas A&M Aggies Date: Thursday, November 24th, 2011
Texas Longhorns @ Texas A&M Aggies Location: Kyle Field, College Station, TX
Texas Longhorns @ Texas A&M Aggies Spread: Texas A&M Aggies -6

Texas was really a train wreck last season, finishing 5-7 and just 2-6 in conference play. Now, Head Coach Mack Brown also has to deal with the loss of his defensive coordinator, and his coach in waiting, Will Muschamp, who fled to the University of Florida in the offseason. This year though, the question is going to be whether QB Garrett Gilbert is going to be able to step up. He was an absolute disaster in 2010, throwing for just 2,744 yards and 10 TDs against 17 picks, numbers which just pale in comparison to those of his predecessors like Colt McCoy and Vince Young.

Texas Longhorns vs. Texas A&M Aggies Past Games (Since 1995)
2010: Texas A&M 24 – Texas 17
2009: Texas 49 – Texas A&M 39
2008: Texas 49 – Texas A&M 9
2007: Texas A&M 38 – Texas 30
2006: Texas A&M 12 – Texas 7
2005: Texas 40 – Texas A&M 29
2004: Texas 26 – Texas A&M 13
2003: Texas 46 – Texas A&M 15
2002: Texas 50 – Texas A&M 20
2001: Texas 21 – Texas A&M 7
2000: Texas 43 – Texas A&M 17
1999: Texas A&M 20 – Texas 16
1998: Texas 26 – Texas A&M 24
1997: Texas A&M 27 – Texas 16
1996: Texas 51 – Texas A&M 16
1995: Texas 16 – Texas A&M 6

For a change, the Aggies are really going to be the decided favorite in this game, something that they haven’t been in a number of years. And why not? Head Coach Mike Sherman saved his job last year by taking out his onetime Heisman Trophy contender, QB Jerrod Johnson and replacing him with QB Ryan Tannehill, who absolutely lit the world on fire. The Aggies have a great returning backfield and should have an offense that is tough to stop. The question is whether or not a defense which allowed 366 yards per game last season and had some absolutely brutal moments against teams like Oklahoma State and LSU can right the ship and keep A&M in the driver’s seat. This should be a game that Aggies fans are definitely looking forward to this season, as it could really be a romp. This might not be a bad number to invest in right now at -6.

Texas Longhorns @ Texas A&M Aggies @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 7/17/11):
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Texas Longhorns (+6) @ Texas A&M Aggies

The “World’s Largest Cocktail Party” is always one of the best games of the season, and after a fantastic game last year at Ever Bank Stadium, the Georgia Bulldogs and the Florida Gators are sure to have another great tussle this season.

Georgia Bulldogs @ Florida Gators Picks & Info
Georgia Bulldogs @ Florida Gators Date: Saturday, October 29th, 2011
Georgia Bulldogs @ Florida Gators Location: Ever Bank Stadium, Jacksonville, FL
Georgia Bulldogs @ Florida Gators Spread: Florida Gators pk

The Bulldogs really should have won this game last season after storming back from a 21-10 deficit in the third quarter to force overtime. QB Aaron Murray was just a very young freshman when he came into that game against the Gators, but he came out with some battle scars that made him a significantly better signal caller for the rest of the year. Murray is definitely the real deal and is going to probably have a career that rivals that of the departed Matt Stafford. WR AJ Green is no longer on the roster, but there is no doubt that Murray is going to be the key to a rebuilding bunch of Dawgs.

Georgia Bulldogs vs. Florida Gators Past Games (Since 1995)
2010: Florida 34 – Georgia 31
2009: Florida 41 – Georgia 17
2008: Florida 49 – Georgia 10
2007: Georgia 42 – Florida 30
2006: Florida 21 – Georgia 14
2005: Florida 14 – Georgia 10
2004: Georgia 31 – Florida 24
2003: Florida 16 – Georgia 13
2002: Florida 20 – Georgia 13
2001: Florida 24 – Georgia 10
2000: Florida 34 – Georgia 23
1999: Florida 30 – Georgia 14
1998: Florida 38 – Georgia 7
1997: Georgia 37 – Florida 17
1996: Florida 47 – Georgia 7
1995: Florida 52 – Georgia 17

The Gators are definitely in a rebuilding mode as well this year. Head Coach Will Muschamp is bringing in an entirely new offensive system by using former Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Coordinator Charlie Weis. This is great news for QB John Brantley, who was lost trying to run the Urban Meyer, Tim Tebow type of offense. The question is whether a very, very young defense is going to be able to stop these Dawgs. We’re not overly optimistic. The good news is that there are two months of the season before this game comes up on the slate, but we’re not so sure that this season is going to really end up going the way of the orange and blue, especially if this game against the Bulldogs is lost after dominating this series for so many years.

Georgia Bulldogs @ Florida Gators @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 7/16/11):
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Georgia Bulldogs (pk) @ Florida Gators

The “Backyard Brawl” is always one of the biggest games of the season, and this year, it really could be the difference between which one of these teams ends up moving on to the Orange Bowl to play in the BCS. There is a lot of different flavor in this game this year though, as both teams have new head coaches to break in that will be playing in this rivalry for the very first time.

Pittsburgh Panthers @ West Virginia Mountaineers Picks & Info
Pittsburgh Panthers @ West Virginia Mountaineers Date: Friday, November 25th, 2011
Pittsburgh Panthers @ West Virginia Mountaineers Location: Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, WV
Pittsburgh Panthers @ West Virginia Mountaineers Spread: West Virginia Mountaineers -4.5

The biggest question for the Panthers is the style of offense that they are going to be running under Head Coach Todd Graham. Graham brought over the majority of his staff from Tulsa in the offseason, but it is clear that QB Tino Sunseri isn’t running the same offense that any of these Tulsa QBs have run in years past. That being said, the pace could be picked up quite a bit, and a team that averaged just 367.1 yards per game could be significantly improved. Watch out for RB Dion Lewis, who could be poised for a huge junior season after a year full of injuries and setbacks as a sophomore.

Pittsburgh Panthers vs. West Virginia Mountaineers Past Games (Since 1995)
2010: West Virginia 35 – Pittsburgh 10
2009: West Virginia 19 – Pittsburgh 16
2008: Pittsburgh 19 – West Virginia 15
2007: Pittsburgh 13 – West Virginia 9
2006: West Virginia 45 – Pittsburgh 27
2005: West Virginia 45 – Pittsburgh 13
2004: Pittsburgh 16 – West Virginia 13
2003: West Virginia 52 – Pittsburgh 31
2002: West Virginia 24 – Pittsburgh 17
2001: Pittsburgh 23 – West Virginia 13
2000: Pittsburgh 38 – West Virginia 28
1999: West Virginia 52 – Pittsburgh 21
1998: West Virginia 52 – Pittsburgh 14
1997: Pittsburgh 41 – West Virginia 38
1996: West Virginia 34 – Pittsburgh 0
1995: West Virginia 21 – Pittsburgh 0

For WVU, it’s all about the defense. This squad knows that it has the goods to shut down any offense that comes its way; after all, this unit did rank No. 4 in the country last year in scoring (13.5 PPG) and total defense (263.5 YPG). Offensively, the big issue is whether QB Geno Smith is really going to be able to pick up the slack or not. He threw for 2,763 yards last season, which really isn’t good enough for a QB that isn’t all that mobile. However, he only threw seven picks against 24 TDs, three of those scores of which came against U-Pitt last year.

Pittsburgh Panthers @ West Virginia Mountaineers @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 7/11/11):
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Pittsburgh Panthers (+4.5) @ West Virginia Mountaineers

2011-12 Top 25 College Football Games of the Year
#25 San Diego State Aztecs @ Michigan Wolverines

The Michigan Wolverines and the San Diego State Aztecs aren’t going to be putting on the biggest show of the year, as neither of these two are going to be National Championship contenders this year, but they are still clearly going to a ton of storylines, as former SDSU Head Coach Brady Hoke tries to take down his former team in his new maize and blue.

San Diego State Aztecs @ Michigan Wolverines Picks & Info
San Diego State Aztecs @ Michigan Wolverines Date: Saturday, September 24th, 2011
San Diego State Aztecs @ Michigan Wolverines Location: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI
NCAA Football Lines: Michigan Wolverines -7

This is a year in which Michigan is expected to do a lot better now that the Big 10 has expanded to 12 teams. QB Denard Robinson is going to end up as a Heisman Trophy contender again this season, as he is going to end up putting up some gaudy statistics. He threw for 2,570 yards and rushed for 1,702 yards last year, and he really came out on nowhere to do so. Scoring isn’t an issue for Big Blue. It accounted for 489.1 yards per game a season ago and put up 32.8 points per game.

San Diego State Aztecs vs. Michigan Wolverines Past Games
2004: Michigan 24 – San Diego State 21

The issue is going to be whether there is going to be any defense to stop the San Diego State offense. Michigan really struggled last season, allowing a ton of points to a ton of teams. The Wolverines will be up against it going against an offense that averaged 458.1 yards per game last year. RB Ronnie Hillman is going to have his work cut out for him picking up the slack for an offense that must replace a number of departed players… not to mention its head coach from a year ago.

San Diego State Aztecs @ Michigan Wolverines Game Odds @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 7/10/11):
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San Diego State Aztecs (+7) @ Michigan Wolverines

Week 10 college football betting is here! Bankroll Sports is back with more NCAA football picks for Week 10 of the year, but before we do that, we need to take a look at the important trends and history that the teams that are facing against each other in games involving Top 25 teams this week.

Saturday, November 6th: Washington Huskies @ #1 Oregon Ducks
NCAA Football Trends of Note
The Huskies are 3-10 ATS in their L/13 road games
Washington is 2-6 ATS in its L/8 played in the month of November
Oregon is 20-6 ATS in its L/26 against teams with a losing record

Series History
And we can only imagine just how good that record is against teams with a losing record playing their first game without their starting quarterback! The Huskies are up against in this year once again, and they have had absolutely no luck stopping the Ducks when they are at 100%. The Quack Attack are 6-0 SU and ATS in this series dating back to 2004, winning all six games by at least 20 points. This year should be no exception, as the U of O has a National Championship to go play for and is the biggest favorite on the board by a country mile in Week 10.

Saturday, November 6th: Hawaii Warriors @ #3 Boise State Broncos
NCAA Football Trends of Note
The Warriors are tied for the longest winning streak ATS in the country at six games
Hawaii is the only team in the country to have eight covers this season
The Broncos are 6-2 ATS in their L/8 overall

Series History
The Warriors have taken their licks on the Smurf Turf, losing 69-3 in 2004, but they also have some awfully competitive moments there as well. They nearly pulled off a shocking upset in 2006, losing 41-34 as two TD underdogs, and competed again in 2008 here, losing just 27-7. However, last season, BSU romped 54-9 and never really looked like it was getting touched even though it was out on the Big Island. The Broncos are 5-5 ATS all-time in this series, but they just snapped Hawaii’s four game cover streak in spite of the fact that there has only been one SU win for the Warriors since the 2000s started.

Saturday, November 6th: #4 TCU Horned Frogs @ #6 Utah Utes
NCAA Football Trends of Note
TCU is 23-9-1 ATS in its L/33 conference games
The Utes are 9-1-1 ATS in their L/11 overall
Utah is 5-0-1 ATS in its L/6 at home

Series History
Needless to say, this is about as big as it gets by mid-major standards. Both of these teams are in the Top 5 in the nation, and the winner thinks that it will be able to stake a claim to the BCS Championship Game should it win out. The Horned Frogs absolutely rolled last year to a 55-28 win over the Utes, but this was a series that historically belonged to Utah. The L/3 meetings prior to last year resulted in three wins both SU and ATS for the Utes.

Saturday, November 6th: #5 Alabama Crimson Tide @ #11 LSU Tigers
NCAA Football Trends of Note
Alabama is 6-2 ATS in its L/8 played on grass
The Tide are 6-2 ATS in their L/8 played in November
LSU is just 7-18-1 ATS in its L/26 home games

Series History
That last fact doesn’t make the Bayou any less scary of a place for a team to be that is coming in as a highly touted favorite to win the National Championship. The road team is 11-2-1 ATS in the L/14 meetings of these rivals though, and the favorite is 6-1-1 ATS in the L/8 overall. Needless to say, these are both great signs for the Tide. Alabama has won the L/2 meetings as short favorites, winning 24-15 last year in Tuscaloosa and 27-21 in overtime two years ago here in the Bayou. The L/4 have all gone past ‘totals’ in the 30s and 40s, but only one of the four, a 41-34 win for LSU in Tuscaloosa, came by a substantial margin.

Saturday, November 6th: #7 Wisconsin Badgers @ Purdue Boilermakers
NCAA Football Trends of Note
The Badgers are just 2-10 ATS in their L/12 road games as double digit favorites
Wisky is just 1-5 ATS in its L/6 games as a favorite
The Boilermakers are 7-2-1 ATS in its L/10 as double digit underdogs

Series History
The Boilermakers haven’t done a heck of a lot of scoring of late in this series, getting blanked 37-0 last year in Camp Randall and being blitzed 24-3 the last time these teams met in Lafayette. With QB Robert Marve out of the lineup, there’s a good chance that there won’t be a lot of points this year from the Boilers either. Wisky has covered four straight and has gone 6-1-1 ATS in the L/6 dating back to 1998 in this series. The Boilermakers haven’t won a game at home since 1997. The L/4 have all stayed ‘under’ the total.

Saturday, November 6th: #9 Oklahoma Sooners @ Texas A&M Aggies
NCAA Football Trends of Note
The Sooners are 4-1 ATS in their L/5 played in the Big XII
Oklahoma is a winless 0-6-1 ATS in its L/7 after an SU win of at least 20 points
The Aggies are just 6-13 ATS in their L/19 following an SU victory

Series History
Playing in front of the 12th Man is never something that is fun, but at least in the 2000s, it really hasn’t fazed Oklahoma one bit. The Aggies only have one win in this series since 2000, a 30-26 win in 2002 as ten point dogs. They haven’t been favored in this series during this stretch. The Sooners have dropped some big time numbers on the board in their day in this rivalry, winning 65-10 in 2009, 66-28 in 2008, and by a whopping margin of 77-0 in 2003.

Saturday, November 6th: #13 Arizona Wildcats @ #12 Stanford Cardinal
NCAA Football Trends of Note
The U of A is 8-3-1 ATS in its L/12 as dogs of more than a field goal but less than double digits
Stanford is 5-2 ATS in its L/7 following an SU win
The Cardinal are 16-5 ATS in their L/21 after scoring at least 40 in their previous game

Series History
This has traditionally been a low scoring series dating back to 2002, but that was bucked last year with a 43-38 win for Arizona in the desert. Stanford had also covered five of the previous six before last year as well. While playing on “The Farm,” Arizona does know what victory tastes like, having won here in 2007, 2000, and 1998 in recent memory, but the Cardinal have two of the L/3 laughs with wins in both 2008 as short underdogs and 2002 as short favorites.

Saturday, November 6th: #14 Missouri Tigers @ Texas Tech Red Raiders
NCAA Football Trends of Note
Mizzou is 7-1 ATS in its L/8 as road favorites of less than double digits
The Tigers are 14-6 ATS in their L/20 overall
Texas Tech is 42-17-1 ATS in its L/60 following an SU defeat

Series History
These two teams surprisingly don’t meet all that often, but they are probably going to have to get used to each other a lot more starting next year when the Big XII shrinks to just ten teams. The Tigers have won the L/3 both SU and ATS and have scored an average of 47.0 points per game in doing so. From 1995 to 2002, the teams split four games both SU and ATS. It’s a good thing that the Techsters are playing in Lubbock this weekend, because they have never covered a spread or won a game outright in Columbia.

Saturday, November 6th: Minnesota Golden Gophers @ #15 Michigan State Spartans
NCAA Football Trends of Note
The Gophers are 6-2 ATS in their L/8 games as road underdogs of at least ten points
Michigan State is 2-8 ATS in its L/10 home games against teams with a losing road record
The Spartans are just 7-15-1 ATS in their L/23 played in the month of November

Series History
The dogs have covered eight of the L/9 in this series, and that means that there has been a ton of success for the Golden Gophers as well! Minnesota has been dominating in this series over the L/3 games, winning 42-34 last year at home, 31-18 in 2006, and 41-18 in 2005. You have to go back to 2004 to find the last win for Sparty at home in this series, and all the way back to 1997 before that. Minnesota knows how to win games here in East Lansing, but unless there is going to be a major miracle happening between now and then, it probably doesn’t stand a chance on Saturday.

Saturday, November 6th: #16 Iowa Hawkeyes @ Indiana Hoosiers
NCAA Football Trends of Note
The Hawkeyes are 16-5 ATS in their L/21 road games
Iowa is 7-3 ATS in its L/10 in the Big Ten
The Hoosiers are just 2-6 ATS in their L/8 against the Hawkeyes

Series History
Last season’s 42-24 loss for the Hoosiers at Kinnick Stadium was a lot closer than the final score suggests. It was the second straight cover for the Hawkeyes in this series after winning 45-9 here in Bloomington two years ago. Before that though, it was Upset City for IU. The Hoosiers won 38-20 in the cornfields of Iowa as 9.5 point favorites in 2007 and 31-28 as whopping 19 point dogs in ’06. You can bet that the Indiana faithful are going to try to conjure up those moments from ’06 once again, as this is a very similar situation against a very, very good Iowa team.

Saturday, November 6th: #19 Arkansas Razorbacks @ #17 South Carolina Gamecocks
NCAA Football Trends of Note
The Razorbacks are 7-1 ATS in their L/8 played in the SEC
Arkansas is 8-3 ATS in its L/11 against teams with a winning record
The Gamecocks are 6-2 ATS in their L/8 against teams with a winning record

Series History
This is a remarkably close series between two very good programs that absolutely mirror each other this year. Arkansas does hold a 7-2 ATS edge since 2001 in this rivalry game, but it hasn’t always been easy. South Carolina has a 34-21 win here in Columbia in the last encounter here, but the Hogs won 33-16 last year as 7.5 point favorites. Both teams know what it’s like to win on the other’s home field, but the Razorbacks have done more winning as guests. They did so in both 2006 and 2002, both times as short favorites.

Saturday, November 6th: #22 Baylor Bears @ #18 Oklahoma State Cowboys
NCAA Football Trends of Note
The Bears are 6-2 ATS in their L/8 played in November
Baylor is 10-4 ATS in its L/14 against teams with a winning record
The favorite is 10-1 ATS in the L/11 in this series

Series History
It still seems weird to us to think that the Bears are a Top 25 team and in control of the Big XII South at this point. They haven’t won in this series since 2005 either SU or ATS, as the Pokes have rolled off four straight ‘W’s, all of which have come by at least 27 points. The Bears only have 13 points to show for their L/2 seasons worth of work against Okie State, a number which absolutely has to improve if they think they have any shot of pulling the upset in Stillwater. But hey, Baylor has been doing this sort of thing all season long, so why not again on Saturday?

Saturday, November 6th: #7 Wisconsin Badgers @ Purdue Boilermakers
NCAA Football Trends of Note
The Badgers are just 2-10 ATS in their L/12 road games as double digit favorites
Wisky is just 1-5 ATS in its L/6 games as a favorite
The Boilermakers are 7-2-1 ATS in its L/10 as double digit underdogs

Series History
The Boilermakers haven’t done a heck of a lot of scoring of late in this series, getting blanked 37-0 last year in Camp Randall and being blitzed 24-3 the last time these teams met in Lafayette. With QB Robert Marve out of the lineup, there’s a good chance that there won’t be a lot of points this year from the Boilers either. Wisky has covered four straight and has gone 6-1-1 ATS in the L/6 dating back to 1998 in this series. The Boilermakers haven’t won a game at home since 1997. The L/4 have all stayed ‘under’ the total.

Thursday, November 4th: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets @ Virginia Tech Hokies
NCAA Football Trends of Note
The Jackets are 2-6 ATS in their L/8 played on Thursday night
G-Tech is 13-5 ATS in its L/18 road games
The Hokies have the longest ATS winning streak in the country at six games

Series History
There have been six meeting of these teams since the Hokies joined the ACC, and it seems as though each and every season, this is a crucial duel in deciding who wins the ACC Coastal Division. This year really isn’t that much of an exception, as VT can really put it away with a win on Thursday night. The Jackets have covered two straight in this series, winning 28-23 as short underdogs last year and just missing in a 20-17 loss here in Blacksburg in their last visit. The last three meetings have all resulted in ‘under’ games, so don’t be surprised if this is yet another low scoring affair.

Saturday, November 6th: #23 Nevada Wolf Pack @ Idaho Vandals
NCAA Football Trends of Note
The Wolf Pack are 7-3 ATS in their L/10 following an SU victory
Nevada is 0-4 ATS in its L/4 home field turf
Idaho has gone 5-1 ATS in its L/6 games as dogs at the Kibbie Dome

Series History
There certainly has been no shortage of points in this series, at least from Nevada’s end of things in this series. Dating back to 1997, the Wolf Pack are averaging 49.5 points per game, and they are coming off of a ridiculous 70 put on the board last year at home. The last time these teams met in Moscow was back in 2008, a 49-14 win for the visitors as 23.5 point favorites. Idaho has gone just 1-4 ATS and 0-5 SU since 2005, and its last victory in this series was back in 1999. The last win at home came in 1996, a 24-15 win.

Saturday, November 6th: North Carolina Tar Heels vs. #24 Florida State Seminoles
NCAA Football Trends of Note
The Tar Heels are 6-2 ATS in their L/10 against teams with a winning record
FSU is 3-7 ATS in its L/10 games played at Doak Campbell Stadium
The road team has covered four straight in this series dating back to 2001

Series History
It wasn’t all that many years ago that these two teams were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the country. The Noles were seven point favorites that day in Chapel Hill, and they triumphed 20-3. The Noles have only lost to UNC one time in their history in the ACC, a brutal 41-9 defeat in 2001 as 17 point favorites. It marked one of the first times that FSU had been beaten in ACC play since moving into the conference. Since ’03 though, this series has been all one way traffic for Florida State. Sure, the Seminoles didn’t cover the 28.5 point spread in 2004, but it really has cruised past Carolina without any incident.

Saturday, November 6th: #25 NC State Wolfpack @ Clemson Tigers
NCAA Football Trends of Note
The Wolfpack are 7-2 ATS in their L/9 overall
NC State is 6-2 ATS in its L/8 played in November
Clemson is just 3-5 ATS in its L/8 overall

Series History
The Tigers and Wolfpack have met a ton in conference play, but you have to go all the way back to 2003 to find the last win for NCSU, a 17-15 victory. The last time it won both SU and ATS in the same season against the Tigers was actually its last win here in Death Valley as well. The Wolfpack won 38-6 that day in the most lopsided final in their favor in the history of this series in the ACC. Clemson hasn’t won a game by less than 18 since 2006.

The 2009 College Football Season has been filled with many unexpected outcomes. It seems like just when you think you got a team figured out they disappoint those expectations. Until this past weekend a top 5 team had been beaten every week of the season and there has been many more upsets as well. We have seen highly rank teams drop and new faces emerge in the rankings. However, if anything is clear for the 2009 season it is that the rankings have not had any type of significant importance. Perhaps it is hard to rank teams when there are so many others that are equally talented. Every week new rankings are releases and more questions arise. Do not get caught up with some team’s polls perceptions as rankings can be very misleading especially at this point in the season. California was ranked as high as 6th just two weeks ago and find themselves outside the top 25. Then you look at the Miami Hurricanes who were barely receiving preseason votes to be ranked, and Hurricanes have been ranked as high as 9th this season. Our goal is to breakdown a few teams in the Top 25 to see who exactly are contenders and those that are pretenders.

Pretenders

No. 4 LSU Tigers (4-0)

The LSU Tigers got their biggest win of the season in dramatic fashion last weekend 20-13 over the previously ranked no. 18 Georgia Bulldogs. However, LSU has not been very impressive in their 4-0 start. The Tigers barely escaped an opener at Washington and had to overcome 3 straight defensive stands from the 1 yard line to beat Mississippi State. It seems like LSU keeps finding ways to win. Running back Charles Scott broke open a 33 yard touchdown run with 46 seconds to go to take down the Bulldogs in another exciting finish. However, the Tigers luck is going to run out especially when they take on top ranked Florida this week. LSU has bigger concerns than the Gators as how they will finish the season. The offense ranks 99th overall producing just 321 yards per game. Those offensive numbers have to improve against the SEC defenses which are among the best in the country. The Tigers top 5 ranked Florida and Alabama in the next 4 weeks and also a meeting with no. 17 Auburn in that stretch as well. If they continue under performing, they could easily go 1-3 in their next 4 games.

Oklahoma Sooners (2-2)

Surely, Sooners fans still have beliefs they can still win the Big 12 considering both of their losses were to out of conference teams and sure both of their losses have been to ranked teams. However, they are still in considerable trouble through the remainder of the year. The team has multiple problems and not necessarily referring to Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford. Backup QB Landry Jones has thrown the ball well completing 60% with 10 touchdowns. However, the Sooners offense is nowhere near the dominant form they were in 2008. Outside of Ryan Broyles, the young receivers are struggling to make plays. Running backs DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown do not have huge holes as they did last season. With those misfires, the Sooners have scored just 33 points in their two biggest games of the season against Miami and BYU. The Sooners main big offensive games were against inferior teams like Idaho State and Tulsa. They will have to work out a lot of kinks quickly as Baylor, Texas, and Kansas and next up on the schedule.

No. 20 Mississippi Rebels (3-1)

The Rebels received a ton of high expectations entering the season behind coach Houston Nutt and quarterback Jevan Snead. Nutt turned the program around last season capturing 9 wins nearly more than the Rebels have accumulated in the 3 previous seasons. QB Jevan Snead sparked an offense at the end of 2008 that became one of the most feared in the SEC. A lot of attention was drawn to Snead this season as NFL and Heisman talk buzzed around Oxford. Wide receivers Shay Hodge and Dexter McCluster gave even more reason to expect big things on offense. However, the offense has yet to be explosive as they were a season ago averaging just 19 points per game in their first two SEC contest. The Rebels lost the SEC opener to South Carolina after reaching their highest ranking in 40 years at number 4 in the country. However not only has the offense been questionable, but so has quarterback Jevan Snead. Snead has completing just 51% this season while throwing 5 interceptions in 4 games. The letdown behind center has many wondering if the Rebels quarterback may have been high over rated or will he bounce back? The Rebels slow start is not going to get any better if they don’t pick up the pace with their brutal SEC schedule that will face no. 3 Alabama this weekend.

Contenders

No. 23 South Florida Bulls (5-0)

The Bulls lost their senior quarterback and leader in Matt Grothe to a knee injury for the season in their 3rd game of the season. The huge loss appeared to have dampened South Florida’s chances at having a successful season. However, nobody told backup quarterback B.J Daniels. The freshman quarterback has matured quickly throwing for 180 yards per game in 3 starts and rushing for another 263 yards in those 3 games as well. The Bulls have not lost a step beating the likes of Florida State and Syracuse convincingly. The Bulls defense has held opponents to an impressive 9.4 points per game and may be the best defense in the Big East. The Bulls face their biggest game of the season when they host Cincinnati this weekend. If somehow they can capture a win this young team confidence may never come down. However even with a loss, South Florida is still going to be a force in the Big East this season.

No. 17 Auburn Tigers (5-0)

The Auburn Tigers have not received a lot of attention this season, but the media is starting to catch on to the fact that Alabama is not the only team in the state that has a chance at an SEC Championship. The Tigers offensive has exploded averaging over 500 yards per game and ranking 5th overall in the nation. The impressive thing about the offense is they are very balanced. Running backs Ben Tate and Onterio McCalebb have combined for well over 900 yards in just 5 games along with 5 touchdowns. Todd has posted over 1,230 yards in just 5 games with 12 touchdowns and only 1 interception. The balanced threat has also given Auburn the number 5 ranked scoring offense posting 41 points per game. The Tigers just received a top 25 ranking after last week’s win over Tennessee and their offense is going to keep them in the rankings for some time. Auburn is an impressive 4-1 ATS this season as a profitable money maker which could likely continue. The Tigers are going to have a chance to really make some more noise this season as well. Auburn gets manageable meetings with Kentucky and Arkansas next on the schedule which should place them nicely at 7-0 before their trip to LSU. However, there is not a game left on the schedule that they can not win.

No. 13 Oregon Ducks (4-1)

The Oregon Ducks were embarrassed by Boise State in a sloppy opener to the college football season. The 19-8 loss seen by millions critically wounded the Ducks perceptions as most had written off the team for the rest of the year. However, the Ducks have been consistently improving each week since their loss and now they are firing as an explosive offensive team. The Ducks completely crushed California who was at the time ranked 6th 42-3, then backed that up with a blowout over Washington State this past week 52-6. Freshman LaMichael James has played well stepping in for LaGarrette Blount who was suspended for the punch thrown in the opener. James has rushed for 429 yards in 4 games carrying an impressive 6 yards per carry average. Jeremiah Masoli remains a dual threat behind center and is also playing well. The Ducks re-emergence has taken the books by surprise as they are 3-0 ATS in their last 3 games. The Ducks now appear to be on track to contend for Pac-10 Title. Considering how well the defense has played over the last few games along with their improving offense, a championship may not be out of the question.