Picks for October 26

I've waited until after the BCS Rankings to make my first entry, for two reasons:

1) Unlike other sports, preseason and early season predictions are essentially useless.
2) Along that note, we now have a better idea of who's good, who's bad, and who will compete to play for the National Championship

Thoughts and predictions for games the week of October 25, 2013

1.  Boise St (+7.5) vs. BYU
Boise State has recovered quite well since getting demolished in Week 1 by Washington.  The Broncos will be without Senior QB Joe Southwick, who has thrown 11 TD's in 7 games.  That will force running back Jay Ajayi to take up more of the slack.  After getting a bit of a wake up call at Washington, BYU went on the road to Fresno and lost by 1 to a good Bulldog team.  They then went to Utah State and won.  Provo is a tough place to play, but the Broncos should at least be able to cover. I'll go with the Cougars to win, but this is a toss up to me.
BYU wins 27-23

2.  Kent State (+2) vs.  Buffalo
There is one main reason that I went with this pick: 95% of the country is going the other way.  The general rule of thumb is that when that is the case, and the line hasn't moved much, go the other way.  The Golden Flashes are just 2-6, a year after being one of the darlings of college football.  Buffalo, however, is 6-2 and coming off two wins in which the combined scores were 65-3.  If I blindly picked this game, I would surely pick the Bulls, but there is something fishy about this line.
Kent State wins 23-20

3. Texas A&M (-17) vs. Vandy
I usually don't like spreads that are this high.  But, there are three factors in picking this game.  1) Vandy's QB Austyn Carta-Samuels is out. A struggling Commodores offense will struggle even more, even against a pourous defense like the Aggies.  2) Vanderbilt is just simply not that good.  Yes, they beat Georgia, but it was a struggling UGA team without its top two running backs, top three wide receivers, and a very young defense.  3) In line with #2, nearly 60% of the betting public is picking Vanderbilt.  While that's not terribly high, it does tell me that the public is making Vanderbilt better than they actually are. The Commodores must keep up with Johnny Manziel, but they only rank 68th in total offense.  We will get to see what kind of coach Kevin Sumlin is.  His team is now out of the national hunt, and most likely out of the SEC Title race as well.  Can he salvage the season?  I believe in Sumlin, and I'm guessing he and the Aggies will play MAD.  Take the Aggies, BIG.
Texas A&M wins 48-23

4.  TCU (-2) vs. Texas
It's amazing to me that Texas is getting 77% of the betting action. Sure, TCU is struggling record-wise, but this is a good football team.  Keep in mind that many "experts" picked the Horned Frogs to win the Big 12. They have struggled to replace QB Casey Pachall, but their defense is still 19th in the country.  And that is AFTER they played solid offenses in LSU, SMU, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.  The best word that can be used to describe Texas over the past few years in fickle.  They beat Oklahoma a few weeks ago, but have struggled in true road games.  Texas signal caller David Ash is out, and expect the Horned Frogs to be fired up for this one.  Frogs roll.
TCU wins 28-20

5.  South Carolina (+3) vs Missouri
Just how good is Missouri?  That is the true unknown question in the SEC.  Missouri beat two solid teams in Georgia and Florida, but both teams have been decimated by injuries. Georgia had just lost 4 of its top playmakers, and still managed 26 points against the Tigers.  Missouri managed to move the ball on the 4th best defense in the country in Florida, and they will need to keep up versus Jadeveon Clowney and Co.  South Carolina is coming off a very disappointing loss against an improving Tennessee team.  Surprisingly, nearly 80% of the betting public thinks Missouri will cover.  It is a night game in Missouri, which certainly gives the Tigers an edge. But, emotion can only go so far.  The Tigers have yet to face a well-rounded team this year.  This game could possibly decide the SEC East, and Spurrier has undoubtedly told his guys that.  I think the Gamecocks win outright.
South Carolina wins 33-27


*Please note that these picks are for entertainment purposes only*