No time this week, so let’s get this going. As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

• Notre Dame vs. Navy (@East Rutherford, NJ; CBS): For only the 2nd time since 1964, Navy has a chance to win consecutive games against Notre Dame. Will they do it? Probably not.
• Michigan State @ Northwestern (ESPN): This is a game that would be easy for the Spartans to overlook, but should otherwise be one where they should take care of business.
• Syracuse @ West Virginia (ESPN2): West Virginia is probably the best team in the Big East this year. Which, unfortunately for them, isn’t really saying much. But they should be able to beat Syracuse, even this rejuvenated edition. Key word there: “should”.
• Iowa State @ Texas (FSN): Iowa State has lost its last games (Utah and Oklahoma) by a combined 93 points. I don’t think it’s going to get any better against the Longhorns.
• Pennsylvania State @ Minnesota (ESPNU): Minnesota finally fired Tim Brewster, who definitely came into this season as, well, the most likely coach to get fired before the season ended. Note this was after the bizarre extension he got last winter. At any rate, even this astonishingly mediocre edition of Penn State should be able to beat them.
• Purdue @ Ohio State (BTN): Purdue is surprisingly 4-2 and 2-0 in the Big Ten. Well, surprising until you see that their 2-0 conference record is against the two worst teams in the conference. I think it’ll go to 2-1 in this game, unless Ohio State pulls a, well, “last year against Purdue” type game out of their hat after getting mauled by Wisconsin last weekend.
• Mississippi @ Arkansas (SEC): I’m going to guess that Houston Nutt probably checked into his hotel in Fayetteville under an assumed name. That aside, Arkansas should continue in its quest to stay relevant in the SEC West race with a win here.
• Duke @ Virginia Tech (ACC): Well, it looks like the Hokies are peaking just in time… to pound Duke in a pulp.

3:30:

• Louisiana State @ Auburn (CBS): The first of a trio of huge 3:30 games, none of which I’ll probably watch due to our game being at the same time. But no matter! Folks other than me are starting to notice this similarities of this year to 2007, and, well, you know who got into the title game and won it that year? LSU-led Les Miles. The crazy continues in Auburn this weekend, where by rights Auburn should win. But that this point, I can’t pick against LSU until this lose. Yes, I know Auburn scored 65 points last week. LSU actually kind of does play defense, so they probably won’t do that again. But if they don’t bury the Lovecraftian horror that is LSU’s offense early, it will come back to haunt them.
• Wisconsin @ Iowa (ABC/ESPN): Game number 2! Sure, both these Big Ten hopefuls have a loss but they’re still two of the best four teams in the conference. If Iowa wins, they control their own destiny in the conference as they play both Michigan State and Ohio State. Wisconsin also puts itself at the likely top of the 1-loss heap, but they don’t play Michigan State so that would start to get interesting at the end of the year. At any rate, the Wisconsin offense is pretty good (they’re probably the textbook definition of a team that “runs downhill”) but Iowa probably has a better and more experienced defensive line than Ohio State. I’ll take the Hawkeyes at hom.
• Nebraska @ Oklahoma State (ABC): Here’s the third game. Nebraska suffered a huge let down against Texas last weekend, to the say the last. Meanwhile, Oklahoma State hopes to keep pace with the conference frontrunners by staying undefeated. Can Nebraska make another team suffer the same grief they just went through? Earlier this week I was high on the Cowboys but now I’m not so sure, as they’ve definitely given up a lot of points this year. This may be the kind of team Nebraska can regroup and get the offense back on track for. I’ll change my mind here at the last minute and take the Huskers.
• Georgia Tech @ Clemson (ABC/ESPN): I quote this stat every year for this game, but here goes again. Starting in 2004, Tech is 6-1 against Clemson. That “1” was a 31-7 blowout that I still remember – I was at a Buffalo Wild Wings in Chattanooga and Clemson was wearing those awful all-purple unis. The other 6 have all been Tech wins, yes, but but an average of 4.5 points. In fact, you have to go all the way back to 1989 to find the last time Tech beat Clemson by more than a single score. It’s rumored Clemson will be clad in purple once again, so let’s hope we don’t get a 2006-ish effort.
  We played Clemson twice last year, so it’s tempting to compare this year to those efforts, especially the most epic conference championship no one watched. If I had to compare this year’s team to last year, it’s that a) we’re not scoring as much and b) we turn the ball over more. I think our turnovers are a direct result of poorer blocking along the line this year. While the offensive line doesn’t usually turn the ball over, if they’re not getting their blocks then you have a flood of defenders in your backfield too quickly to let anything develop. This leads to things like bad snaps (anxiety of the C to get his block) and missed pitches (timing is thrown off because the pitch man has to go around a defender). These are both mistakes we will have to continue to limit in order to be successful in this crucial stretch that starts up in up-state South Carolina.
• Arizona State @ California (FSN): Cal? Yeah. I have no clue what to think of them. Trying to figure this out would surely drive me mad, so I’ll take the easy way out and the Sun Devils.
• Connecticut @ Louisville (ESPNU): These are probably the two worst teams in the Big East. Louisville has somewhat better losses so I’ll pick them.
• Houston @ Southern Methodist (CBSCS): Houston just lost to Rice. Yeah. I’ll take the Mustangs.

7:00:

• Alabama @ Tennessee (ESPN): Well, this October has 5 Saturdays so the 3rd Saturday in October… isn’t. Nonetheless, the Tide should, er, roll easily through Knoxville.
• Texas Agricultural and Mechanical @ Kansas (FSN): Don’t even get me started on Kansas. Ugh. TAMU rolls.
• Alabama-Birmingham @ Mississippi State (ESPNU): In days of yore, I probably would’ve been tempted to take UAB here but, well, Miss State is actually kind of good now. So not so much.

7:30: North Carolina @ Miami (ESPN2): Among other things, two teams have bedeviled Miami since their entry into the ACC: Georgia Tech and UNC. UNC has actually one three straight over the Canes, but even with their depleted defense back I think good Jacory makes a cameo and Miami wins.

8:00:

• Oklahoma @ Missouri (ABC): While there’s a trio of good 3:30 games, with apologies to AF-TCU, this is the game of prime time right here. We’ll find out in a matter of hours which of these teams is “for real” and which isn’t. Despite the less impressive resume, I picked Missouri in my bowl predictions and, well , it’s too late to turn back now. (Well, as demonstrated above, it actually isn’t, but I needed a reason to pick the Tigers so there you go.)
• Air Force @ Texas Christian (CBSCS): I think this has a chance to be an interesting game, by which I mean there’s a chance TCU will win by less than 4 touchdowns. I’ll take the Horned Frogs here.

10:15: Washington @ Arizona (ESPN): Here’s your Pac-10 Nightcap. While last week’s Washington-Oregon State tilt wasn’t all that thrilling regulation, overtime was great until the Beavers decided to go for two in the second overtime for reasons I haven’t quite figured out. (The way I figure, if you’re going to go for two early, do it in the first overtime. In the second why not just get back out there on defense for the 3rd OT where everyone has to go for two anyway?) Anyway, I’ll thumb my nose at the transitive property once again (Oregon State is responsible for Arizona’s single loss) and take Arizona.

Look for bowl predictions once again late Sunday. Hopefully things will make even just slightly more sense this weekend. (Though if this season has proven anything, it’ll probably be the opposite.)

Expect the first round of bowl predictions after the BCS is released on Sunday.
As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.
Noon:

• Boston College @ Florida State (ESPN): The only thing FSU has to worry about in this game is themselves. BC is still an offensive non-entity, which was certainly not a problem for FSU last weekend.
• Minnesota @ Purdue (ESPN2): My reaction upon seeing this: what the hell? These are the two worst teams in the Big Ten and they’re on national television? Meanwhile, the team people might actually want to see, Michigan State, is on the Big Ten network? How the heck did this happen? That said, you could well see Tim Brewster get fired live in national television, so it may be worth it for that. Purdue should win.
• Missouri @ Texas Agricultural & Mechanical (FSN): TAMU put up a good fight against Arkansas, but I don’t think they really have it in them to beat Mizzou. Then again, Missouri’s best win so far is either Illinois or Colorado, which isn’t really saying much.
• Arkansas State @ Indiana (ESPNU): Indiana.
• North Carolina State @ East Carolina (CBSCS): ECU is 3-0 against C-USA, but 0-2 against VPI and UNC and neither of those games was really close. Russell Wilson and Co. should roll.
• Illinois @ Michigan State (BTN): Illinois beating Penn State last weekend says a lot more about the latter than the former. Sparty rolls.
• Vanderbilt @ Georgia (SEC): Sure, they beat Tennessee (pretty handily, too) but there’s not a whole lot of satisfaction in Athens. Vandy is cagey, but UGA should win this one.
• Maryland @ Clemson (ACC): Since the overtime loss to Auburn, Clemson’s season has been spiraling downhill, with consecutive losses to Miami and a depleted UNC. Meanwhile, Maryland sits at 5-1, but the “1” comes to easily the best team they’ve played so far. I’m going to take Clemson here, but I don’t feel good about it at all.

2:30: Western Michigan @ Notre Dame (NBC): Not a good sign when, while writing this, I had to remember that yes, in fact, all the directional Michigans are DI-A and in the MAC. Notre Dame rolls.
3:30:

• Arkansas @ Auburn (CBS): This may well be the most wide open game in the history of the SEC. Arkansas also desperately needs it to keep their slim SEC West chances alive. Arkansas actually seems to play some semblance of defense, though, so I’ll take them. But if I were betting on this (note that we endorse that sort of thing) I’d take the over.
• Iowa @ Michigan (ABC/ESPN/Gameplan): Speaking of defense – Iowa’s got one, and Michigan emphatically does not. Will we witness another Michigan implosion after a 5-0 start? I kind of doubt it – I’ll take the Wolverines.
• Texas @ Nebraska (ABC/ESPN/Gameplan): I just cannot see any way this year’s Texas team beats this year’s Nebraska team. One of the storylines I always found intriguing when it was rumored, and then announced, that Nebraska was bolting for the Big Ten after this season is sort of the idea that this whole Big 12 thing didn’t really go the way the ‘Huskers wanted it. In the old Big 8, Nebraska was king – and at the time, it was naturally assumed that this would continue to be the case. And sure, the old Big 8 schools held their own at first, with Nebraska and Kansas State vying for dominance and racking up the BCS appearances. But then a funny thing happened, and next thing they knew Oklahoma and Nebraska wasn’t a big rivalry anymore and Texas was getting all the headlines. Anyway, what I’m getting at here is that while Nebraska fans have had this one marked literally on the calendar since it was announced, they’ve probably been looking forward to it figuratively for a long time.
• California @ Southern California (FSN): I have no idea what to make of Cal this year. None. USC though doesn’t have much of a defense. I’ll take the Bears.
• Wake Forest @ Virginia Tech (ESPNU): Wake is… well, they’re just not very good this year. VPI rolls.
• Southern Methodist @ Navy (CBSCS): Other than the expected beatdown from TCU, SMU has been holding their own this year. Navy, though, just barely beat a terrible Wake Forest team and, well, with losses to Maryland and Air Force I don’t think this year is going quite as they (or at least I) expected. I’ll take the Mustangs.
• Middle Tennessee State @ Georgia Tech (espn3.com): It’s easy to point at Dwight Dasher’s first game back last Tuesday against Troy and say that he was horrible. Because he was. But that doesn’t really relate to anything that might happen in Atlanta. I don’t want to say this is a (sigh) trap game, but after showing decent progress last week we need to not regress going into the most important stretch on our schedule.

4:00: Brigham Young @ Texas Christian (Versus): At the beginning of the year, I probably saw this game somewhere and I probably said something like, “aw yeah, this is going to be a great one!” Yeah, not so much. TCU should roll
6:00: South Carolina @ Kentucky (ESPN2): The best part about South Carolina winning is, for me, the fact is gives Steve Spurrier ammo to start making fun of other coaches again – for instance, this week he made a remark about his team “at least being able to count to 11” or some such. At any rate, Kentucky gave Auburn all they wanted and more, but they’ve still lost three straight. I suspect that will go to four.
7:00:

• Ohio State @ Wisconsin (ESPN): Okay, so far Ohio State has done everything right. They thoroughly beat the one decent team they played and they’ve blown out everyone else (except Illinois). So now they go into Camp Randall Stadium the obvious favorites. Folks are giving Wisconsin a lot of credit, but really they’ve played one really good team (Michigan State) and lost, and been an okay Arizona State team. So we don’t really know much about them either. Personally, I’m taking the chalk and honestly I don’t think it’ll be that close.
• Iowa State @ Oklahoma (FSN): I think the only way Iowa State has a chance here is if Oklahoma turns the ball over 9 times a la Nebraska last year. Sooners should roll.
• Mississippi State @ Florida (ESPNU): Okay, Florida fans, your offense actually does suck. Fine, I believe you. There’s still no way you should lose to Miss State.

7:30: Arizona @ Washington State (Versus): Arizona.
8:00: Air Force @ San Diego State (CBSCS): San Diego State’s good start was probably just an illusion. As long as Air Force isn’t too high on having the inside track for the Commadner in Chief’s trophy for the first in forever they should be able to take care of business.
9:15: Mississippi @ Alabama (ESPN2): South Carolina is a very good football team that played the game of their lives last weekend. Ole Miss is not very good. In fact, they’re probably not even good. This one might get ugly.
10:15: Oregon State @ Washington (ESPN): I still like Oregon State a whole bunch, so I’ll take them to beat U-Dub here.
10:30: New Mexico State @ Fresno State (ESPNU): And here’s the nightcap! Fresno may be having a down here, but New Mexico State just got its first win of the year last week, and only because they played also winless New Mexico. Fresno should have this one.
All right, that was a little short, but the night schedule is relatively spaced out this week with no 8:00 ABC game. Anyway, like I said, bowl predictions sometime Sunday night or Monday!

It’s week 6! Doesn’t feel like it, does it?

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

• Indiana @ Ohio State (ESPN): Here’s the thing about Indiana. They’re Indiana. With Ohio State’s newfound penchant for beating up on less opponents, they should win easily.
• Illinois @ Pennsylvania State (ESPN2): The Zook Era is probably over at Illinois anyway. But this game probably isn’t going to help things.
• Texas Tech vs. Baylor (@Dallas, TX; FSN): Texas Tech was on the receiving end of an upset beatdown, while Baylor was on the giving end. College football blogger types have been waiting for Baylor QB Robert Griffin, who finally had his breakout game against Kansas, where Baylor rolled 55-7. Also fun is the fact that this game is being held at and during the Texas State fair, though unlike last week’s Red River Shootout I’m not aware of any good nickname for this game between two other Big 12 South rivals. At any rate, I’m going against all my college football instincts and picking Baylor to win.
• Central Michigan @ Virginia Tech (ESPNU): VPI, unless they confuse CMU for JMU or something.
• Minnesota @ Wisconsin (BTN): Wisconsin.
• Tennessee @ Georgia (SEC): UGA is not running good right now, as they ended being trampled (ha-ha!) by a late Buffalo comeback last week. Tennessee, of course, lost as only a team can lose to LSU: in the most chaotic and crazy way possible. Presumably, the Vols have learned their lesson and probably will have no more than 11 folks on the field at any given time to secure the win.
• Boston College @ North Carolina State (ACC): BC is always a decent team, but this year they seem to lack any decent quarterbacks. Russell Wilson should be able to get back on track in this one.

3:30:

• Alabama @ South Carolina (CBS): I feel pretty good about saying this is Alabama’s last major challenge until Auburn. Yes, I know LSU and Auburn are both higher ranked than South Carolina, but the mere idea of a Nick Saban team losing to Les Miles is almost enough to make my head explode. While South Carolina is a legit threat, I suspect the Tide will dispose of them the same way they do all their threats. As EDSBS’s Orson Swindle put it last week, Alabama plays football like they hate it, as though they’re bored with it. That ruthless efficiency will allow them to win again in Columbia, most likely.
• Pittsburgh @ Notre Dame (NBC): The most recent image in my head for either of these teams is Pitt getting mercilessly pounded by Miami, so I’m going to take ND here.
• Michigan State @ Michigan (ABC/ESPN): Two undefeated teams will enter, but only one will leave! This is shaping up to be the best iteration of this rivalry in years, and is fully worth your support. As a Tech fan, it’s hard not to sympathize with Michigan State, which along with GT and teams like Texas A&M have an arch-nemesis who doesn’t really reciprocate. Both these teams appear good from the available data. Michigan has one of the most electric quarterbacks in the country, and Michigan State has a coach who is back only a few weeks after a heart attack. Of course, as Doc Saturday points out, this undefeated starts bears a resemblance to last year’s 4-0 start for Michigan, a streak which was broken by the Spartans. That said, being the home team and possessing the superior offense, I have to pick Michigan.
• Clemson @ North Carolina (ABC/ESPN/Gameplan): Clemson ended up losing by 9 to Miami last week, but there’s no real shame in that. UNC has rebounded from an 0-2 start to pull up to 2-2, with wins over moribund Rutgers and East Carolina. Against quality competition, I basically consider both these teams 0-2, and with all the drama surrounding Carolina right now I have to pick the Tigers.
• Arkansas vs. Texas Agricultural and Mechanical (@Arlington, TX; ABC/Gameplan): Dallas is basically the capital of the college football world for the day, with the early game up at the Cotton Bowl and this game down at Jerry Jones’s Intergalactic Space Palace. Do not be fooled by TAMU’s 3-1 record, for the “3” part of that comes against teams like Stephen F. Austin, Louisiana Tech, and Florida International (whom they only beat by a touchdown). Arkansas has also had a bye week to recover from their last minute collapse against Alabama, and should be on the right track here to beat the Aggies.
• California-Los Angeles @ California (FSN): Hey, remember that time Cal lost by three touchdowns to Nevada as the Wolfpack ran all over them for 316 yards? Hey, remember that time UCLA beat Texas by three touchdowns while rushing for 264 yards? Now recall that UCLA installed Nevada’s offense and, well, I’ll be taking the Bruins over the Bears.
• Virginia @ Georgia Tech (ESPNU): It’s homecoming. I’m generally against scheduling homecoming against conference foes (especially we play MTSU at home next week), but I’m not in charge of these things. As for the football game? Well, we basically played like crap again until sometime around the 8-minute mark in the 4th quarter the offensive collectively woke up and realized, “hey wait, we’re losing to Wake Forest”. From there, GT went on a tear as it methodically came back. Dropped passes and missed blocks – two of GT’s main problems – are mostly issues of execution, not talent. This team has the talent to succeed if it plays four quarters of football. They just need to play like it if they want to beat UVA two years in a row for the first time since 1990 and 1991.
• Wyoming @ Texas Christian (CBSCS): This is an away game for the Cowboys, so definite no brown tops. Boise beat these guys 51-6, so I figure that’s about where the bar is for TCU.

7:00:

• Colorado @ Missouri (FSN): We’ve talked plenty about 5th down. These Tigers are undefeated, but against, well, terrible teams. Fortunately for them, this edition of Colorado is pretty bad. I’ll take Mizzou.
• Oregon State @ Arizona (Versus): I think Oregon State’s got what it takes to take down Arizona. Arizona is 4-0, which is all well and good, but I just can’t figure out what they’ve done to deserved to be ranked 9th in the country. Which is a major part of why I’m taking the Beavers.
• Eastern Michigan @ Vanderbilt (ESPNU): I’m pretty sure Vandy can win this one against one of, if not the worst, Division I-A football team in the country.

7:30:

• Louisiana State @ Florida (ESPN): Don’t let Florida fans fool you, they’re still pretty good and undefeated against teams that aren’t Alabama over the past two seasons. I think they’ll beat LSU.
• Auburn @ Kentucky (ESPN2): The Cam Newton Experience is back in action in Lexington, where Auburn should be able to beat Kentucky pretty thoroughly.
• Purdue @ Northwestern (BTN): Purdue just lost to Toledo by 11. Toledo. I’ll take Northwestern to run it to a not really that improbable 6-0, considering the schedule they’ve played.

8:00:

• Southern California @ Stanford (ABC/Gameplan): If you’d told me even two years ago that Stanford would ever be a double-digit favorite over USC I’d have thought you were crazy. And yet, here we are. Andrew Luck and Co. should be ready to exploit USC’s entirely too forgiving defense while avenging their loss to Oregon.
• Florida State @ Miami (ABC/Gameplan): FSU and Miami are ranked again! It’s everything the ACC ever wanted! Well, except that each of these teams lost to superior teams from other conferences already, so not so much. Also, FSU’s pass defense still seems to be somewhat terribly, giving nice, soft and juicy coverages for Jacory Harris to exploit mercilessly. Miami should win pretty easily, unless Harris has one of his “bad days”.
• Mississippi State @ Houston (CBSCS): With their all-everything QB, Houston would have a very good chance to win this game, but since he isn’t have to take Miss State.

10:30: San Jose State @ Nevada (ESPNU): Last year’s edition of this game is what led to one of the quotes down at the bottom of this page. Oh, and last weekend SJSU let DI-AA UC-Davis score two unanswered touchdowns to rally and win 14-13. (I was eating dinner with some friends when I overheard someone else in the restaurant ask someone how SJSU did. They just said, “well, we lost” and left out the part about losing to Davis.) I would expect something similar to last year’s 62-7 route, but hey there’s nothing else on this late and watching Nevada run their offense can be pretty entertaining.

That’s all for now. Bowl predictions are almost here! They’ll debut after the BCS comes out next week (as in, after Week 7).