Bob's Picks - Mighty Oregon just keeps rolling merrily along

Will Cal be able to see the Forest for the trees?

A kind chap named "John," who obviously does not understand sports gambling, wrote to say "I'm afraid I'll lose my shirt if I rely on Bob's Picks when I go to Reno."

To which I replied, "John - You are absolutely correct. That's why I recommend not wearing a shirt when you're placing your bets."

This week's picks are as follows:

(All of last week’s picks are available here)

CAL over WAKE FOREST ... The Bears, who long for a return to the Pac-12, finally find an ACC team they can beat.

OREGON over MARYLAND ... The Ducks are loaded. The Terps aren't. Simple math. For some strange religious reason, I get "Mary" land mixed up with Notre Dame.

NOTRE DAME over FLORIDA STATE ... At the start of the year, all eyes were on this one as perhaps the Game of the Year in college football between two national championship hopefuls. The Seminoles are loaded with talent, but there is no "team" there. One of the saddest stories in college football this season.

IOWA over UCLA ... The Bruins are becoming weary of the every week grind in their rugged new conference. "Isn't there a cupcake in here from the Bakery League, coach?" they're asking.

ALABAMA over LSU ... Believe it or not, the loser of this one might just be out of playoff consideration.

GEORGIA over OLE MISS ... Potentially the best game on the schedule this weekend.

PENN STATE over WASHINGTON ... Someone told the Huskies they would excel in their new conference. They're trying to find that person and throw him in the slammer for false advertising.

BRIGHAM YOUNG over UTAH ... The Battle of the Beehive State goes to the never-say-die Boys from Provo.

INDIANA over MICHIGAN ... Every week the college football world waits for the Hoosiers' bubble to burst, and every week the Hoosiers keep rolling happily along, even though Indiana is a basketball school, for crying out loud.

IOWA STATE over KANSAS ... Another close loss for the tough-luck Jayhawks. Dorothy and Toto have left the stadium.

MIAMI (FLA.) over GEORGIA TECH ... It's still Hurricane season.

TEXAS over FLORIDA ... The Longhorns have a clear focus on the playoffs.

ARIZONA STATE over CENTRAL FLORIDA … The Sun Devils just very quietly keep on winning.

UPSET OF THE WEEK: South Florida over Navy ... If the Midshipmen can't beat Rice, they certainly can't beat USF. Enough said. (Upset record: 4-6).

ROUT OF THE WEEK: Ohio State over Purdue ... Lord have mercy. (Rout record: 10-0).

DON'T BET ON IT, BUT: Oregon State over San Jose State ... The meager Beavers desperately need a win to keep their bowl hopes alive. (Don't bet record: 5-5).

FIVE EASY PICKS: This week's money-makers are Boise State (over Nevada), Tulane (over Temple), Army (over North Texas), Tennessee (over Mississippi State) and Washington State (over Utah State). (FEP record 48-2).

AGGIES over MONTANA ... Oh boy, it's finally November and our hometown heroes will be putting their hopes and dreams on the line against a difficult opponent in one of the most challenging environments - Washington-Grizzly Stadium - in all of college football. Many marbles are on the table in this one. Take the Ags by 7.

OTHER GAMES: Colorado over Texas Tech, Clemson over Virginia Tech, Memphis over Rice, UNLV over Hawaii, Eastern Washington over Northern Colorado, South Dakota over Indiana State, South Dakota State over North Dakota, Northern Arizona over Cal Poly, Fresno State over Air Force, and Montana State over Sacramento State.

Last week: 27-10, season: 348-71, percentage: .836.

Reach me at bobdunning@thewaryone.com