Week 2 College Picks

13 Kansas @ 19 South Florida: Kansas
South Florida looked rough around the edges last week against Central Florida. I think Kansas can be just as good as last year, they just aren't deep. One major injury can derail their season. Lucky for the Jayhawks, it's only week two and the injury report is still clean. I'm taking Kansas in a shootout.

23 California @ Maryland: California
The ACC is awful this year. Even worse? Maryland is at the bottom of the ACC. Cal wins this one big.

16 Oregon @ Purdue: Oregon
I thought the loss of Nate Costa would really hurt the Ducks, but it looks like they've taken it in stride. I'm going with Oregon, with a lot of combined points on the board in this one.

UCLA @ 18 BYU: BYU
Can the Bruins pull off another upset? I don't think UCLA can bring the same fire to the field away from the Rose Bowl. Moreover, BYU has a lot to play for with the criticism of that gimme-15-yard penalty to help beat Washington. I'm picking the Cougars.

2 Georgia @ South Carolina: Georgia
I hate to go against my Gamecocks, but Georgia has too much on the line for this one. South Carolina-Georgia is always a great game, usually down to the wire, but the way South Carolina gave that Vanderbilt game away last week and with their terrible offensive line, I can't pick the upset here. Georgia is so fast everywhere on the field. Chris Smelley will have his hands full, especially if preseason All-SEC wide receiver Kenny McKinley is limited with a hamstring injury.

Michigan @ Notre Dame: Michigan
What a downer this one is going to be this year. Two usual institutes of college football are in the process of rebuilding. Home field means nothing here as the fans really won't stay in it if Notre Dame doesn't come out firing. I can see Michigan winning this one 10-6.

9 Auburn @ Mississippi State: Auburn
Upset watch for this one. Mississippi St. feeds off the cowbells and Sylvester Croom is finally getting this program together. Auburn's lack of a standout QB for the first time in years leaves question marks around the Tigers, but I don't think Mississippi St. has the offensive firepower to pull this one off. Be prepared for a defensive battle, turnovers and a lot of field goals. The Tigers barely escape.

Virginia @ Connecticut: UConn
Virginia is another weak link in the ACC this year with a lethal combination of talent lost to the NFL, academic and off-the-field issues. The Wahoos lost starting QB Jamell Sewell to academic ineligibility and his backup-turned-starter Peter Lalich can't travel to away games because of an underage drinking arrest. With UConn on the up and UVA on the downslide, I'm taking the Huskies at home.

3 Oklahoma @ Washington: Oklahoma
The Huskies are at a crossroads this week. Does last week's loss on a game-ending blocked extra point motivate them to come out stronger this week, or do they collapse in pity? Oklahoma isn't the team you want to find out against. Sam Bradford is too steady to let the crowd rattle him and the committee of tailbacks allows the Sooners to dictate the tempo of the game if things get hairy.

5 Ohio State @ 1 USC: USC
If Beanie Wells can't go, this one will be painful. Maybe the Buckeyes were caught looking ahead in their game against Ohio last week, or maybe they just can't play without Wells. Either way, the Coliseum will be rocking for this and Pete Carroll will have his team ready. Call me an Ohio State hater, but it's time to show something. The winner of this game should be ashamed of themselves if they don't make it to the national championship with their respective cake-walk schedules. I'm going with the Trojans in L.A..

10 Wisconsin @ 21 Fresno State: Wisconsin
This is one of the best teams Pat Hill has had at Fresno St. in his time there, but I'm going with Wisconsin for one reason. They have the advantage of not playing until 10:30 pm. Therefore, they will be able to watch Ohio St. fall to USC and see that the Big Ten is their's for the taking. The Badgers will be too motivated if the Buckeyes lose, knowing they can hop up the rankings.