The Four To Score: Week Six

Win or Lose, This is a Drool-Worthy Saturday

Oh yeah, Charlie….It's THAT good. 

Gals live for Pumpkin Spiced Lattes this time of year. Men, on the other hand, dream about Saturdays like the one we have this week. There are many superlatives you could probably use to discuss this week's card, but it probably wouldn't do it justice. It's so good that the majority of college football fans will probably be in a zombie-like state for extended periods of time on Saturday, becoming cognizant only to change the channel, grab another brewsky, or ingest more artery-clogging gameday treats. Hopefully our picks will do this week justice, as we look to improve on an average Week 5. Chad West, CPA finally got the better of me by the smallest of margins (3-2 to 2-2-1). Is this merely a case of a blind raccoon eventually finding a garbage can, or is the start of a Bill Snyder-esque wizardly comeback tour? Keep reading to find out, as we provide you with our far-less-than-scintillating thoughts on this week's incredible tilts.

First Down: Mississippi State -2 vs. Texas A&M, 12:00 PM EST (Garrett)

The Fightin' Aggies were lucky to escape JerryWorld with a win last week, needing a fourth quarter comeback to force overtime. Despite the win, Sumlin's crew still gave up just under 500 yards of offense to a very simple offense, 285 of which were on the ground. Obviously, the Aggies defense fooled me, and still leaves much to be desired. Now that same defense will have to take on a very dynamic offense featuring the best dual-threat QB in the SEC, Dak Prescott. Think back to two weeks ago, when the DAK ATTACK ran wild in Baton Rouge, racking up all kinds of points and yards. Yes, that offense had its way with the Tigers in Death Valley, at night. That game was merely a sign of things to come, as Dan Mullen's boys will get their second signature win in a three week span this Saturday. Back the DAK ATTACK in Starkville. 

Texas A&M +2 @ Mississippi State, 12:00 PM EST (Chad)

We got some insight this week on where all that Aggyland swag has been coming from the past few years. Kevin Sumlin parties with Rick Ross, and makes others feel the need to get turnt? #YESSIR. After last weeks near miracle comeback against a good Arkansas team, I'm not counting out the Aggies for the rest of the year. Sure, a road test against a much improved and en vogue Mississippi State team is cause for concern. Dak Prescott can flat out play, as evidenced my Garrett's newly acquired man crush. But, let's not go overboard here. This team beat a wobbly LSU team my Louisiana buddies predicted to win 8 games. Given A&M's wins against Sakerlina and Arky, they have the better resume, and wayyyy more swag. This one is probably close, but Aggy wins outright.

Second Down: Stanford -2.5 vs. Notre Dame, 3:30 PM EST (Garrett)

I must admit, I have loved what I have seen from the Everett Golson Comeback Tour. That being said, Notre Dame hasn't played anyone noteworthy so far, defeating a bunch of sub-optimal opponents including the dumpster-fire started by Brady Hoke. Perhaps the most damning evidence of Notre Dame's inflated value was it's unimpressive 16 point win over Purdue, one of the absolute worst teams in the land. Contrast that with a battle-tested Stanford Cardinal, who last week went into a very tough environment in Washington and left with a conference W. The Huskies are a far better unit than anything that Notre Dame has gone up against, and if not for some red zone hijinks against USC, this Stanford team would be undefeated with arguably the two best wins in the country to date. This game should be the low-scoring slugfest Vegas expects, but the more proven commodity will leave South Bend with a win on Saturday. 

Notre Dame +2.5 @ Stanford, 3:30 PM EST (Chad)

God, I hate this. I'm no fan of the Golden Domers, and I have been a huge fan of what Stanford has done the past six years or so. But, this is a different Stanford team. They struggle to run the ball at times, mostly because they don't have a front line back a la Toby Gerhart, Stephon Taylor, or Tyler Gaffney. Notre Dame, on the other hand is really catching on with Brian Kelly's system, as evidenced by Everett Golson teaching a masters class in dink and dunk last week. This is 2014, and offense is king. The defenses duel to a relative draw, but Notre Dame executes better on offense. Golson is the difference in a close game, in which the public will see Brian Kelly turn purple 3 times.

Third Down: USC -12 vs. Arizona State, 7:30 PM EST (Garrett)

Remember earlier this season, when we said the Sun Devils were the most likely team in the country to take a big step back from last season? Last week validated that thought process, as the ASU defense showed its true colors to the country, giving up 580 yards of offense in an absolute shellacking. Keep in mind that was against a UCLA team that had been very underwhelming in its early season performances. On the other side of the ball, USC bounced back in pretty impressive fashion last Saturday, getting a 25 point win and a cover against Oregon State at home. Don't forget that this is a massive revenge spot of the Trojans, as USC was blown out last year in Tempe in a performance so bad that it saw Lane Kiffin lose his job upon hitting the runway in Los Angeles. For those worried about how USC's rush defense (Trojans were absolutely mauled on the ground in Boston) will fare against the 17th ranked rushing attack in the country, keep in mind that ASU's rushing statistics are a bit inflated after games against Weber State and New Mexico (they came back down to earth against UCLA, rushing for only 138 yards). Finally, the home team has covered the spread in four of the last five in this series, and the home team has also won outright seven of the last ten times. Sark's squad gets their vengeance in Los Angeles, as the Trojans win by more than two touchdowns. 

Those thighs, doe.

Oklahoma -5 @ TCU, 3:30 PM EST (Chad)

This is a trap game, right? TCU has a new shiny offense, complete with track stars on the outside (Colby Listenbee) and former five star recruits (running back Aaron Green), Pair that up with Gary Patterson's infamously stingy defense, and the Sooners aren't gonna escape Fort Worth without suffering a loss. Right? Right? Not happening. Boykin doesn't throw a pretty enough deep ball to get it to the TCU speedsters and take advantage of the relative weakness in the OU secondary. Boykin is mobile enough to cause some teams fits, but Erik Striker and his gang of SEC-sized brutes will make things tough for the Frogs up front.  OU is fairly talented and balanced on offense, especially with the emergence of Freshman Phenom Samaje Perine. That will be enough to tame the Frogs. TCU is about to play their first game of the season, and they're gonna lose it handily. OU in a rout. 

Fourth Down: Nebraska +7 at Michigan State, 8 PM EST (Garrett)

But if you don't cover….

I can't believe it's happening, but I'm putting my faith in Bo Pelini. The man who cursed his own fans is 7-11 ATS as a road dog in his tenure at Nebraska, but I think Nebraska can do just enough to keep this one tight in East Lansing. In their one game against formidable opposition, Michigan State's stout defense yielded 4.3 yards per carry to the Oregon Ducks offense. If there is one thing you can bank on the Cornhuskers doing, it's running the ball. Nebraska has the third best rushing attack in the country, led by the country's #1 RB Ameer Abdullah. Despite losing this contest last year, Nebraska was able to move the ball with some success against the Spartans, putting up 392 yards against arguably the best defense in the country last season. In fact, if it wasn't for the five turnovers, Nebraska probably would've gotten the win. As hard as it may be….BELIEVE IN PELINI! 

East Carolina -41 vs. SMU, 12:00 PM EST (Chad)

45-0
43-6
58-6
56-0

Extra Point: Oklahoma vs. TCU UNDER 57.5, 3:30 PM EST (Garrett)

Both games between these teams the past two years have come nowhere near going over the total, and I think that trend will continue in Fort Worth on Saturday. Though OU has looked to be one of the best teams in the country, Gary Patterson is one of the best defensive minds in the game, and he finally has some depth this year. Oklahoma also has a phenomenal defense, and you have to think they'll have the edge against TCU QB Trevone Boykin. With both squads being run-first teams, this should probably be a tight affair dominated by the defenses. 

Alabama @ Ole Miss OVER 52.5, 3:30 PM EST  (Chad)

I see this game going an awful lot like the Alabama opener against West Virginia, when the Tide won a close game 33-23. Both these teams can score, and Lord Saban has been seeing a psychologist about his relationship with points ( I would to if I had Amari Cooper). Dr. Bo will score enough for both Ole Miss and Alabama to get this one over 50 total points, plus some change.

Garrett's Record: 14-8-3

Chad's Record: 10-14-1

Overall Record: 24-22-4