Bob's Picks - Can the Aggies tame the Vandals in Big Sky showdown?

Ducks, Falcons, Hornets airborne this weekend

As happens every year, it seems, picking college football games gets tougher each weekend as the season progresses.

No more cupcakes from the Bakery League to fatten up my win-loss percentage. Just cold, hard, brutal, coin-flip showdowns between long-standing traditional powers.

Like Misericordia vs. Delaware Valley. If I don't pick that one right I may have to move to the Delaware Valley and wallow in my Misericordia.

Or how about Catholic vs. Alfred? Is Alfred going to take on the entire Catholic Church all by himself? Will they play this game in Rome?

Another tough one is Anderson vs. Luther.

Maybe next week Catholic will play Luther, renewing a rivalry that's been going on for over 500 years.

This week's picks are as follows:

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

CLEMSON over STANFORD ... The Cardinal had a dramatic last-second win over Syracuse last week, but will be repeating their 6,000-mile round trip again this weekend as part of their new ACC gig. I'm sure they have "study hall" for all those "student-athletes" on the plane ride home.

ALABAMA over GEORGIA ... The Crimson Tide does not appear to have skipped a beat in the absence of the guy doing the AFLAC commercials whose name I can't remember.

USC over WISCONSIN ... Unable to pull out a win over a so-so Michigan team, the Men of Troy have another chance to get a win in the Big Ten.

OREGON over UCLA ... A great Pac-12 showdown. Wait, isn't one of these teams in the Mountain West? The Big Sky? The Delta League? I'm all mixed up.

NOTRE DAME over LOUISVILLE ... The Irish are good, not great.

UTAH over ARIZONA ... The Utes always play up to their potential.

MICHIGAN over MINNESOTA ... The Golden Gophers are slip-sliding away.

PENN STATE over ILLINOIS ... Poof goes the Illini's dream of a perfect season.

AIR FORCE over WYOMING ... A friend of mine pointed out that for some strange reason, I have failed to include the Air Force Academy in my weekly picks. Mea Culpa. The Falcons will soar this week over one of the worst teams in all of FBS football. Maybe even in all of football, period.

WASHINGTON over RUTGERS ... Believe it or not, the Huskies are actually underdogs in this one. My how the mighty have fallen. And aren't all the folks in Seattle just thrilled that this is a conference game where you get to play Rutgers instead of Cal or Stanford or Utah or Arizona State? Hey, even losing to the Cougars is a non-conference game these days.

UPSET OF THE WEEK: Washington State over Boise State ... I have no idea if this is a league game of some sort, but this should be a good one, with playoff possibilities on the line. (Upset record: 2-2).

ROUT OF THE WEEK: Syracuse over Holy Cross ... Mercy, mercy. (Rout record: 4-0).

DON'T BET ON IT, BUT: Sacramento State over Northern Arizona ... The Hornets are building momentum on the east side of the Causeway. (Don't bet record: 2-2).

FIVE EASY PICKS: This week's money-back guaranteed selections are Ohio State (over Michigan State), Texas (over Mississippi State), Memphis (over Middle Tennessee), LSU (over South Alabama) and James Madison (over Ball State). (FEP record: 20-0).

AGGIES over IDAHO ... An early-season barnburner with many marbles on the table. Take the Ags by 4.

OTHER GAMES: Ole Miss over Kentucky, Indiana over Maryland, Nebraska over Purdue, Miami (Fla.) over Virginia Tech, North Dakota State over Illinois State, Montana over Eastern Washington, Boston College over Western Kentucky, Oklahoma over Auburn, Arkansas over Texas A&M, Abilene Christian over Utah Tech, Wake Forest over Louisiana, UNLV over Fresno State, Iowa State over Houston, and Montana State over Idaho State.

Last week: 40-6, season: 204-20, percentage: .911.

Reach me at bobdunning@thewaryone.com