FTRS Picks Week 7: BYE BYE BYE

results from last week

Week 6 was kind to many pickers. “Tricks Picks” (cute name), “pain” (painful name), and Swgawrych89 (is that a name?) were our top scorers on the week with 9 correct picks each. Second place was a 9 way tie with 8 correct picks each. People are getting good at this, or I need to find some tougher games to predict.

AHolt is now tied at the tops as aknartrebna has caught up to him. Both AHolt and aknartrebna have 40 correct picks. Philip Kaltman is in 2nd place with 37 correct picks and there is a 3 way tie for 3rd between @LeeNobody, Paul K, and Professor with 36 correct picks on the year.

Bye week this week so we can enjoy a reprieve and watch other teams stress over whether their team will blow a big lead right at the end of the game.

This is going to be one of the biggest weeks of the season in terms of impact. There are 6 games where top 25 ranked teams face off against each other and 3 of those matchups are between undefeated teams. The playoff picture is going to become much clearer after this weekend. Time to put your picking skills to the test guys.

picks for this week:

BYE Week @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Logan: This is our annual freebie pick. Pick the Yellow Jackets and you get a free point. I’m sure there is a way to lose a bye week, but hopefully with Brent Key we can avoid that. If you want a point take it, if you don’t want a point... I don’t really understand that but more power to you.

Logan’s pick: GT... I hope this doesn’t screw up my anti-jinx streak

North Carolina Tarheels (-6) @ Duke Blue Devils

Logan: So there’s a few things riding on this game. Obviously there is the fact that this is a rivalry between nearby schools, but Georgia Tech fans will probably also be aware of the impact this game has on the Jackets. If Duke wins this matchup GT becomes the leader in the ACC Coastal and controls their own destiny going the rest of the way. I bet you didn’t see that coming 2 weeks ago. We’ve talked about this on the blog a few times, but the key for UNC is can you control their offense. UNCs defense has looked better the past few games, but that was assisted by playing some questionable opponents in Miami and Virginia Tech. Going off what we saw last week Duke can have a talented offense if they are allowed to get fired up, and have a decent defense with good special teams support. As much as I want to see Wake win this game, I just don’t know if they have what it takes to get it done. I do think Duke will keep it within a field goal so look for Duke to cover.

Logan’s pick: Duke covers

LSU Tigers @ Florida Gators (-3)

Logan: What happened to Anthony Richardson? The Florida QB now has 7 interceptions on the year and is struggling to maintain a 56% completion rate. If you’re LSU’s defense you’re probably glad to leave Tennessee and see if you can keep Anthony Richardson at the bottom of the hill. LSU better not get too excited though; Florida plays hard in the swamp and they have plenty of other weapons like Montrell Johnson Jr. on Offense. I think Florida should be able to win this one.

Logan’s pick: Gators

#4 Clemson Tigers (-4.5) @ Florida State Seminoles

Logan: The trauma conga line is going to continue for Florida State this week. I’m actually surprised that FSU kept things so close against NC State last week. That is not going to happen against a Clemson team which is coming off destroying Boston College on their red bandanna night. I don’t expect much from Florida State unless they have been hiding something from us the past few weeks.

Logan’s pick: Clemson

Minnesota Golden Gophers (-6.5) @ Illinois Fighting Illini

Logan: Back to talking about Illinois. They look good, they really do currently sitting at 5-1 overall and tied for the lead in the BIG 10 West. Minnesota being 4-1 is more expected given their schedule. Minnesota’s 3 toughest games have probably been Colorado, Michigan State, and Purdue; Minnesota lost to Purdue but have otherwise looked fantastic by allowing less that 9 points a game. Jokes on the Gophers though, Illinois has allowed 8 points per game on defense against opponents like Iowa, Wisconsin, and Indiana. It’s fair to say the game will be a defensive showdown, so who do we expect to get going on offense in this one? I’m gonna go with my gut and say the Illini will win and become bowl eligible this week.

Logan’s pick: Illinois

#15 NC State Wolfpack @ #18 Syracuse Orange (-3.5)

Logan: It is a shame that NC State had their Cinderella season ruined by Clemson. People in Raleigh seemed to genuinely believe this would be their year to win the conference and go to the CFB playoff. Syracuse still has that goal but the bulk of their remaining starts this week leading into games against Clemson and Notre Dame following the Wolfpack. I suppose there is a chance for Syracuse... but I’ve never been one for fairy tales. The Wolfpack are gonna crush Syracuse this week.

Logan’s pick: NC State

#16 Mississippi State Bulldogs (-7) @ #22 Kentucky Wildcats

Logan: I think Kentucky is suffering from a serious hangover after their loss to Ole Miss. Kentucky was so close and yet so far away from an undefeated season, and then they make things worse by losing to South Carolina. Mississippi State has been looking great following their only loss to LSU. I guess Mike Leach has figured something out over there. I’m not going to over think this game. Give me Mississippi State.

Logan’s pick: Mississippi State

#7 USC Trojans @ #20 Utah Utes (-3.5)

Logan: I feel like I might be missing something. Why is Utah favored in this game? I guess you card argue that they have slightly better stats on defense and that they played a better game against Oregon State. That’s the only thing I can think of because I looked for injuries and USC doesn’t seem to have any key ones. USC has looked so much better than Utah in their games and their offensive and defensive talent is overwhelming. I don’t really get it, going with the Trojans.

Logan’s pick: USC

#8 Oklahoma State Cowboys @ #13 TCU Horned Frogs (-3.5)

Logan: Undefeated teams make things a lot more exciting. Both these teams got things to prove and both these teams have looked great in their games. This is probably the hardest game for me to pick this week because the team identities are so similar and both teams have a chance to be a dark horse in the playoff. I don’t want to root against either of these teams, and I can’t really find key stats to separate them from each other. I guess I’m gonna take TCU since their at home, but I don’t feel great about it.

Logan’s pick: TCU

#10 Penn State Nittany Lions @ #5 Michigan Wolverines (-6.5)

Logan: Michigan is gonna win this one. They have a great run game that opens up things for a talented QB and they have a fantastic defense as well that has done almost better than anyone in protecting against the pass. I usually ride harder for Penn State, but other than the one game where they destroyed Auburn (who probably isn’t even that great) the Nittany Lions haven’t shown much. This should be a one sided game.

Logan’s pick: Michigan

#3 Alabama Crimson Tide (-7.5) @ #6 Tennessee Volunteers

Logan: Do I need to break my cardinal rule here? Tennessee looks so good. Tennessee should have everything going for them in this matchup, especially since they get the game at home this year. If Bryce Young was a guaranteed thing at the point of writing this article I would be more confident picking Bama, but right now to win this pick Tennessee just has to keep things within a Touchdown. In this case, I got to take Tennessee. This is not the Bama team we have seen in previous years, and I think this will be where Bama’s season starts to fall apart.

Logan’s pick: Tennessee