2010 Week 4 NCAA Picks

Hey there guys,

As of Saturday at 12:24 a.m. I am not done with my picks. I'm 15 short. But I am going to give you all of the BCS conference games, with some writing on the SEC Games and post them, and then post the others as I finish them. I am also working on shortening up the process, so that I can get these done faster, and out to you guys sooner.

They are now all up as of Noon Saturday

Anyway here goes. As always guys you know I love to hear what you think.

SEC

UAB @ Tennessee
The expectations were not high for Tennessee this season, and for the most part they have shown why. The talent was there to hang in with Oregon and Florida, but some inexperienced players made some key mistakes that have cost them. In his first season in big boy ball, Derek Dooley has also had his struggles, as I feel he has been thoroughly out-coached in their past two games as well. UAB however has also been rather disappointing, and their one win this season has come on a late fourth quarter come from behind touchdown to win by 1 over Troy. I expect for Tennessee to play well, and get the confidence back before a tough test @ LSU next week.

My Pick: Tennessee 35-17

#1 Alabama @ #10 Arkansas
Remember "Monster Saturday" and all of the overhyped games that were not even close to living up to the hype? Well you can chalk this down as another game in that category. Football is a game of matchups and Arkansas just does not match up well. I fully expect for Bama to pound the ball in this game, and throw short to mid range passes, so as to keep Ryan Mallett off the field. There is no doubt that Mallett is a solid QB and that he has some talented wideouts but they do no good when they are on the bench. I have never been a big fan of McElroy but he has looked much better this season, and the Bama offense has thus become more balanced, even with the emergence of Trent Richardson. Oh and there is Heisman winner Mark Ingram. Arkansas has not had an SEC quality defense during Bobby Petrino's time in Fayetteville, and I think that the Tide offense is going to be too much for them. Bama does have a young secondary, making for this to be an interesting Mallett does get on the field. That said look for Saban to dial up some pressure and keep the cement footed Mallett worrying more about what is going to hit him instead of where the ball is going. Mallett is known for making some rough decisions in the past and if the Tide can get some pressure on him I believe he will make some of those same costly decisions this weekend. Bama should control the ball and the game from the start.

My Pick: Alabama 38-14

Kentucky @ #9 Florida
Kentucky is 3-0. Florida is 3-0. Kentucky has looked good against 3 sub par opponents. Florida has looked iffy, facing two BCS opponents that went bowling last season. This is going to be a rather interesting game as Florida's defense has saved the day over the last 3 games forcing turnover after turnover, but Kentucky has yet to turn the ball over this season. Derrick Locke has ran the ball well for the 'Cats and Mike Hartline has looked like the QB that Kentucky fans thought he would be when he signed with them. Florida's secondary is far and away the best that they will have seen so far this season, and the Gator D-Line has been in opponents backfields all season long. If the 'Cats can get some decent blocking up front, and Hartline can stay calm and not get frustrated, which is when he starts to go downhill in a hurry, then they should be efficient enough to keep them in the ball game. The real key comes down to John Brantley. Kentucky knows that their first priority is to keep Demps contained. Brantley hasn't really taken over a game yet this season. In fact most of his throws are 5-10 yards downfield. Short, accurate crossing patterns that leave speedy, though not very elusive receivers, with not much room. If Kentucky can tackle well in space, and force Brantley to win they just might have a shot in this game. I like Joker has his 'Cats playing so I will call for this game to be closer than expected.

My Pick; Florida 31-21

Georgia @ Mississippi St
I struggled with this game for the longest time. MSU's offense has not looked very good through 2 conference games this season, but Georgia's defense appears to still be struggling. Georgia is going to be starting a true frosh QB in a desperate situation, But State, though they have come close, only have one upset in Starkville, over in state rival Ole Miss. Seriously though I give State the edge in this game because through 2 conference games I Georgia's defense still does not look that impressive. South Carolina ran the ball against them, and Arkansas threw the ball against them. If State can minimize the number of mistakes from the QB position and pound the ball, throwing enough to keep UGA off balance, they should be able to find some success. Through 2 Conference games UGA is averaging 15 points a game. Arkansas does not have a good defense. MSU has a better D than Arkansas, and I think that Richt is on his way out.

My Pick: Miss St 27-24

Fresno St @ Ole Miss
Speaking of games that I struggled with here is another one. This is the last stand for the Rebels in '10. They need to win this game, and then next week against Kentucky if they are to keep any postseason dreams alive. They have looked absolutely miserable and uninspired through 3 weeks of the season, but I have to believe that this changes this week. Fresno State is 0-3 all time against the SEC, and they are certainly not used to the heat and humidity that they will face in Mississippi tomorrow. Ole Miss interior D-Line has still played well, and it will be interesting to see how a veteran group from fresno does against the Rebels. I will take the safe pick and call Ole Miss in a close contest, though I wouldn't be overly shocked to see Fresno come out of this game with the win.
My Pick: Ole Miss 30-27

#12 South Carolina @ #17 Auburn
This was a touch game to pick, but I have been leaning towards Auburn all week and here is why. Stephen Garcia. Yes he looks improved this season. But not that improved. Auburn has a solid set of underrated LBs and has had some fantastic play out of the DL. I think they will key on Marcus Lattimore, making Garcia beat them. On offense, Auburn is sporting the SECs top run game, behind QB Cam Newton. Newton showed some promise last week leading Auburn to a come from behind win over Clemson in overtime. While I am still not on the Cam Newton bandwagon I do believe that he will continue to improve as the season progresses. I see Auburn grabbing the lead late, and with the ball in his hands and chance to prove himself, Garcia falters again.
My Pick: Auburn 28-27

#22 West Virginia @ #15 LSU
What was I saying earlier about a game that is getting more hype than it deserves? This is going to be an ugly contest, especially for the Mountaineers. This team has struggled so far this season, after only being able to score 10 at half-time against Coastal Carolina, having to come from behind to beat Marshall on the road, and then after jumping out to a big lead they got into that coasting stage against Maryland and were not as impressive in the 2nd half. This week however they will face a defense that is way beyond what new starting QB Geno Smith has ever seen. Patrick Peterson, Drake Nevis, and Kelvin Shephard, and the rest of the Bayou Bengal defense should keep any Mountaineer attack in check. I'll take LSU, in Tiger Stadium at night, in a game that will not be anywhere as close as the final score indicates.
My Pick: LSU 24-13

The Rest

NORTHWESTERN 35 Central Michigan 24
MICHIGAN ST 38 Northern Colorado 7
MICHIGAN 42 Bowling Green 17
WISCONSIN 45 Austin Peay 7
IOWA 35 Ball St 7
PURDUE 31 Toledo 24
OHIO ST 56 Eastern Michigan 3
PENN ST 31 Temple 14
INDIAN 45 Akron 10
MINNESOTA 28 Northern Illinois 24

KANSAS ST 27 Central Florida 17
MISSOURI 34 Miami (OH) 17
TEXAS 28 Ucla 14
Oklahoma 38 CINCINNATI 17
IOWA ST 38 Northern Iowa 10
NEBRASKA 52 South Dakota 3
KANSAS 38 New Mexico St 14
Baylor 38 RICE 24

North Carolina St 30 GEORGIA TECH 28 <----- UPSET
Virginia Tech 24 BOSTON COLLEGE 23
MARYLAND 31 Florida International 17
VIRGINIA 38 Vmi 3
DUKE 35 army 21
FLORIDA ST 38 Wake Forest 24
North Carolina 24 RUTGERS 21

Usc 35 WASHINGTON ST 14
Stanford 30 NOTRE DAME 28
BOISE ST 38 Oregon ST 13
ARIZONA 35 California 24
Oregon 38 ARIZONA ST 17

CONNECTICUT 35 Buffalo 13
SYRACUSE 38 Colgate 3
SOUTH FLORIDA 49 Western Kentucky 14

Air Force 35 WYOMING 14
Idaho 31 COLORADO ST 21
BYU 38 Nevada 35 <----- UPSET
SAN DIEGO ST 38 Utah St 24
UTAH 45 San Jose St 14
UNLV 35 New Mexico 23
HOUSTON 38 Tulane 21
TULSA 45 Central Arkansas 28
MARSHALL 28 Ohio 21
Southern Miss 34 LOUISIANA TECH 27
UTEP 38 Memphis 27
HAWAII 49 Charleston Southern 14
TROY 42 Arkansas St 28
Middle Tennessee 28 LOUISIANA 23
FLORIDA ATLANTIC 31 North Texas 27
ULM 31 SE Louisiana 14

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Ok guys, those are my SEC Picks, as I finish the rest I will put them up

Thanks for reading.

Batteman