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After a hiatus of a few weeks (blame the baseball postseason), the Crystal Ball is back as we finish off the college football season. There are some good Big 12 games on the schedule, but let's be honest: This weekend is dominated by Alabama vs. LSU in the SEC. So here are a few games to look:

LSU at Alabama, 7 p.m., CBS: The top-2 defenses in the country meet at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama is No. 1 in points against and LSU is No. 2. It won't be easy for either offense to score. But I like Alabama's ability to run the football and wear down -- maybe a little, at least -- the LSU defense. Behind a home crowd and junior RB Trent Richardson, I think it will be just enough to outlast the Tigers. This should be a fun one. Prediction: Alabama 17, LSU 14

Texas Tech at Texas, 11 a.m., FX: The Red Raiders are always dangerous and the Longhorns know they've got to be ready for anything on defense. Texas Tech is fifth in the nation in passing yards (359 per game) and 16th in points for. But there's probably no team more baffling to predict from week to week. They post a huge upset on the road against Oklahoma and then get crushed, 41-7, by Iowa State. Go figure. Texas is at home. That should certainly help. Tech will make it interesting, but the Longhorns get it done. Prediction: Texas 38, Texas Tech 24

TCU at Wyoming, 1 p.m.: TCU has become a much better team over the past few weeks. They beat up on New Mexico (yes, winless New Mexico), but also handled BYU at Cowboys Stadium. It's not easy to travel to War Memorial Stadium, but the Horned Frogs can run the ball and put up points. Prediction: TCU 45, Wyoming 28

Texas A&M at Oklahoma, 2:30 p.m., ABC: The Aggies are coming off a rough loss to Missouri, where they blew yet another second-half lead. Finishing games has clearly been an issue for the Aggies this season. Oklahoma, meanwhile, wants to keep its hopes of a Big 12 title and even an outside shot at the BCS Championsnhip game intact with a win at home over Texas A&M. The Sooners are fifth in the nation in points and have the second-most passing yards. It's difficult to believe OU could lose two straight games at home. Prediction: Oklahoma 45, Texas A&M 31

Tulane at SMU, 2 p.m.: Something tells me SMU is going to take out a few weeks of frustration on Tulane at home. The Mustangs had a five-game winning streak snapped with two straight losses on the road (Southern Miss and Tulsa and neither game was particularly close). It's bounce back time and Tulane will have trouble stopping SMU's passing attack. Prediction: SMU 35, Tulane 17

Kansas State at Oklahoma State, 7 p.m., ABC: The schedule has certainly stiffened for Kansas State. After getting beat handily at home by Oklahoma, the Wildcats must travel to Stillwater. OSU must guard against any hint of looking ahead to the big clash with OU in a few weeks. They first must take care of business for any of that to matter. I think the Cowboys will be ready. Prediction: OSU 48, Kansas State 24

Picking games now gets a lot tougher, folks. There are some good matchups and some close calls coming. Let's take a look:

SATURDAY:

Texas A&M vs. Arkansas, Cowboys Stadium, 11 a.m., ESPN: This is a SEC preview and should be a dandy. Both teams would like to bounce back from tough ones last week. Alabama was in control, though the Razorbacks held in for a while against a team that is a BCS Championship contender. The Aggies blew a big second-half lead in losing to the Cowboys. A&M has to find a way to run the ball on Arkansas and grind some possessions out. And the Aggie defense has to contain a multi-dimensional Arkansas offense. We'll find out just how far the Aggie program has come if they can bounce back. I'll stick with the Aggies this week. Texas A&M 28, Arkansas 24

SMU at TCU, 2:30 p.m.: The Horned Frogs are in for a big fight here. SMU is coming off the first shutout of the June Jones era and while Memphis won't be winning many games, a shutout on the road is a good shutout. Meanwhile, TCU overcame a slow start before dispatching of Portland State. The Frogs will need a more consistent effort from start to finish to beat the Mustangs. I think they'll get it, but it's going to be close. TCU 31, SMU 27

Texas Tech at Kansas, 11 a.m.: The Red Raiders come into this game at 3-0 after getting past Nevada, 35-34, last week. Tech is 9th in the NCAA in passing and 7th in scoring. That's not a big surprise. As always, the game is usually decided by whether they can stop the opponent enough times. Kansas was crushed by Georgia Tech, but the Jayhawks have a ground game and could shorten the possessions for Tech's offense. Still, the Red Raiders should win this one on the road: Texas Tech 45, Kansas 35

Texas at Iowa State, 6 p.m., FX: Iowa State is one of the biggest surprises of the season so far, sitting at 3-0, including an overtime win over Iowa. But Texas is another story. The Longhorns have confidence, a quarterback improving each week and a run game that's averaging more than 225 yards a game, much better than last year. Add in that Texas is 16th in points against and you see why they are undefeated. They'll stay that way this week. Texas 35, Iowa State 20

Other games of interest:

UNT at Tulsa: The Mean Green got the first win of the Dan McCarney era over Indiana. Can they get a road win at Tulsa? I think they'll play Tulsa tough, but won't quite get it done. Tulsa 49, UNT 35

Clemson at Virginia Tech, 5 p.m., ESPN2: Since Clemson was our surprise pick to win the ACC, let's stick with them. Blackburg has been a house of horrors for the Tigers, but this is a different team. They can run the ball, they can throw it and they've shown an aggressive, attacking defense. If they can avoid special teams issues (a Virginia Tech specialty), they'll be fine. Clemson 27, Virginia Tech 24

Alabama at Florida, 7 p.m., CBS: The Swamp will be ready and fired up for Nick Saban and the Tide, but Alabama just has too much talent right now. The defense is second in the nation in points allowed. Florida will give Alabama all they want, but the Tide get this done on the road. LSU-Alabama next month will be a play-in game for the National Championship. Alabama 24, Florida 17

Nebraska at Wisconsin, 7 p.m., ABC: The first Big 10 game for the Huskers and it's a tough one. Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson has been impressive to start this season, but don't forget about the Wisconsin defense, third in points allowed. The balanced attack is too much for Nebraska. Wisconsin 35, Nebraska 21

We've arrived at Week 4 of the college football season and we've got a few interesting games this weekend. The headliner here and nationally, in my opinion, is the battle of top-10 teams in College Station as Texas A&M takes on Oklahoma State.

Here's a look at our crystal ball for this week:

SATURDAY
Portland State at TCU, 1 p.m.: The TCU defense had some issues in the first half against Louisiana-Monroe last week, but got things figured out in the second half to look more like the Frogs defense many expect. Portland State won't be afraid to air it out, so the TCU secondary needs to be ready. I'll bet Gary Patterson has reminded his defense of that first half last week. I don't think they'll have problems this week. TCU 48, Portland State 13

Oklahoma State at Texas A&M, ABC (Ch. 8), 2:30 p.m.: This should be a great one with two top-10 teams fighting it out in College Station. We know the Cowboys can score, but can they handle the Aggies' strong ground game? I think the Aggie defense will do enough to slow down Oklahoma State a bit, but expect a high-scoring game. Texas A&M 38, Oklahoma State 33

Rice at Baylor, 6 p.m.: The Bears are playing with a lot of confidence and they are at home. This shouldn't be a problem. Baylor 42, Rice 10

Indiana at North Texas, 6 p.m., ESPN3: In four key categories -- passing yards, rushing yards, points for, points against -- the Mean Green are 101st or worse. Despite that, something tells me they hang around with Indiana, who could be looking ahead to next week's game with Penn State. But the Hoosiers will get it done. Indiana 27, UNT 24

Nevada at Texas Tech, 6 p.m.: The Red Raiders are more than 2 touchdown favorites, but they better not look past Nevada. It will be about stopping the run for Texas Tech as the Wolf Pack are 7th in the country in rushing. Tech's offense, though, will be too much. Texas Tech 38, Nevada 28

LSU at West Virginia, 7 p.m., ABC (Ch. 8): The Mountaineers would love to make a statement against the Tigers at home in what should be a great atmosphere. But LSU will be the best defense West Virginia will see all season. LSU's offense isn't prolific, but it doesn't have to be with LSU's defense. LSU 24, WVU 17

Arkansas at Alabama, 2:30 p.m., CBS (Ch. 11): The top-2 teams in the SEC are Alabama and LSU. And both are terrific at home. Arkansas should make this interesting for a while, but Alabama is too dominant at the skill positions and they are too good at home. Alabama 34, Arkansas 20

Missouri at Oklahoma, 7 p.m., FX: Missouri can run the ball and if they can control the clock, they could stay in this game. But I can't figure out how they stop the Sooners. Oklahoma 42, Missouri 30

Florida State at Clemson, 2:30 p.m., ESPN: Auburn is not the same team that won the BCS Championship, but it's still a huge win for Clemson and one they can build off of heading into this week. FSU lost a tough game at home to Oklahoma. Clemson remains one of the toughest places to play in college football and the momentum gained from last week will carry over. Clemson 28, FSU 24

The best game of the week involves Oklahoma, picked by most to win the Big 12 and compete for a national title. They'll head to FSU to face a Seminoles team that is hungry to show it's working its way back to a power program. So let's take a look at this week's picks, starting with OU-FSU:

SATURDAY

Oklahoma at FSU, 7 p.m., ABC: FSU wasn't very competitive last year in Norman, but they are a better team this season. So I don't expect any 30-point blowouts. At the same time, I don't think the 'Noles are a top-10 team yet. They could prove me wrong on Saturday, but I'm going with the Sooners. They've got plenty at the skill positions and this is really their only test before conference play. Look for Landry Jones and Dominique Whaley, the surprise at RB, to lead this team to a win. Oklahoma 30, FSU 21

Louisiana-Monroe at TCU, 1 p.m.: The Horned Frogs bounced back last week against an opponent that couldn't throw vertically on them like Baylor did. Still, TCU's defense was much more solid and it's clear with each week that Casey Pachall has plenty of talent at the QB position. The Frogs will play amid the construction at Amon G. Carter Stadium and won't have any issues. TCU 45, Louisiana Monroe 10

Texas at UCLA, 2:30 p.m., ABC, ESPN3: It's tempting for some to take UCLA at home against a Texas team that we still don't know a whole lot about. But after pulling out a win against a gritty BYU team, this is a good time for Texas to get a road test. They'll pass that test. Texas 27, UCLA 24

Texas Tech at New Mexico, 2:30 p.m., Versus: For those of you with Versus, you can see Tommy Tuberville's team on display on Saturday. What I'm interesting in is the defense and how much they've improved from last year. Tech is favored by 24 on the road. I think they'll cover. Texas Tech 45, New Mexico 14

Idaho at Texas A&M, 6 p.m.: This is no problem for the Aggies coming off an impressive effort against SMU and before they face Oklahoma State. They'll need to avoid the temptation to look ahead. Texas A&M QB Ryan Tannehill was 21-of-26 for 246 yards and 2 TDs against the Mustangs last week. Those numbers should get even better this week. Texas A&M 52, Idaho 13

Stephen F. Austin at Baylor, 6 p.m.: The Bears are ranked 19th in the AP poll and get a breather at home. They face Rice next weekend before getting into conference play. This is the team's first game since beating TCU in Waco to start the season. It's just another chance for Robert Griffin III to build on his Heisman resume. Baylor 48, SFA 20

North Texas at Alabama, 6:30 p.m.: Things don't get any easier for the Mean Green, who face an Alabama team some consider the best in the nation. UNT hung around for a while against Houston last week as they opened their new stadium. It's tough to believe they will hang around for a while in this one. Alabama 54, UNT 16

Oklahoma State at Tulsa, 9 p.m.: The Cowboys can't afford to overlook this one before facing the Aggies next week. Tulsa can still score points and scare people, despite what OU did to them last week. Still, the fact that this game is on the road helps OSU stay focused, in my opinion. OSU 42, Tulsa 24

Your turn. Who do you like in these games?

We missed one game in week one, incorrectly picking against the Baylor Bears (that was a big home win over TCU), but we were right that Boise State would beat Georgia and LSU would take care of Oregon, though neither game was as close as predicted.

Let's try again this week with a look at some Big 12 games and other big ones around the country:

FRIDAY:
Missouri at Arizona State, 9:30 p.m., ESPN: It's a road game for the Tigers and should be entertaining, but I think Missouri finds a way to get this done. Keep an eye on sophomore QB James Franklin from Corinth, Texas. He'll lead Missouri on some key second-half drives. Missouri 24, Arizona State 16

SATURDAY:
TCU at Air Force, 2:30 p.m., Versus: The Frogs have two main missions this week: Put the Baylor loss behind them and fix a secondary that was lit up by Robert Griffin III. It's never easy to beat Air Force at their place, but you can bet Gary Patterson and his staff had the attention of the players this week. TCU must avoid a letdown and learn to live with a loss, something that has rarely happened the past few years. TCU squeaks one out. TCU 27, Air Force 24

BYU at Texas, 6 p.m., ESPN2: We'll get a much better idea of what the Longhorns have after this game. Something tells me the run game will be key for Texas in this one as will the ability to force turnovers. Seems like lots of folks taking BYU, but I'll go with the Longhorns in a close one. Texas 31, BYU 28

UTEP at SMU, 6 p.m., FSSW: The Mustangs did not put up the type of fight that coach June Jones had in mind against the Aggies and he felt like his defense wasn't physical enough. Two turnovers early by QB Kyle Padron also put him on the bench and SMU will start J.J. McDermott behind center this week. But SMU is at home and UTEP needed OT to beat Stony Brook. SMU gets it done. SMU 34, UTEP 24

Houston at North Texas: The Mean Green open their new stadium against a tough Cougar team. It's going to take time for Dan McCarney to get his system and culture in place. But he's going to be able to recruit to a new stadium and better facilities and that won't hurt. As for this Saturday, Houston has too much firepower for the Mean Green. Houston 38, UNT 24

Other notable games:

Mississippi State at Auburn, 11:21 a.m., Ch. 21: The Tigers needed a minor miracle -- two TDs in the final four minutes or so -- to beat Utah State at home last week. They are an extremely young team and it showed. Barrett Trotter will likely grow into a solid quarterback, but it's going to take time. MSU has a balanced offense and too many playmakers for the Tigers, who keep it close at Jordan-Hare Stadium. MSU 27, Auburn 24

Alabama at Penn State, 2:30 p.m., ABC: The Nitnany Lions are ranked in the top-25, but that's likely a short stint. Alabama has the talent to win the BCS Championship if they can get through the SEC. This game won't be an easy one for them at Happy Valley, but Nick Saban and company will get it done. They'll wear down Penn State in the final quarter. Alabama 34, Penn State 21

OK, folks. College football is finally here and that means our weekly crystal ball series. We'll pick some key games here on ESPNDallas.com and then we want you to pick the games in the comment section and we'll be sure to note those who picked the most games right each Friday. So let's get going:

TCU at Baylor, 7 p.m. Friday, ESPN: TCU has a new quarterback, a revamped offensive line and even some questions on defense. That's what happens when so many players are seniors on an undefeated team. Baylor has had this game circled since losing last year and they've got the Frogs at home. I think this will be a fantastic game, but the TCU defense will find a way to make a big stop late and Casey Pachall will do enough for the Frogs to slip out of Waco with a 7-point win. Prediction: TCU 24, Baylor 17

Louisiana-Lafayette at OSU, 6 p.m., Saturday: The Cowboys come into the season with a top-10 preseason ranking and will look to continue to put up points in their high-octane offense. That shouldn't be a problem against the Ragin' Cajuns. The Cowboys have Arizona coming to Stillwater less than a week later, too. Prediction: OSU 45, Louisiana-Lafayette 20

Oklahoma vs. Tulsa, 7 p.m., FX, Saturday: The top-ranked Sooners should score a bunch of points against Tulsa, but may give up some too. I'll be interested to see Landry Jones, who should be a Heisman Trophy contender this season. He'll have a good game. Prediction: OU 52, Tulsa 21

Texas vs. Rice, 6 p.m., Longhorn Network, Saturday: The Longhorns want to start to put last year behind them and will do so debuting on their new network. Texas takes care of business. Prediction: Texas 38, Rice 14

Texas A&M vs. SMU, 6:30 p.m., Sunday: Warning to the Aggies: Don't overlook June Jones and the Mustangs. SMU continues to improve as Jones gets more recruiting classes and his players get more experience within in his system. Kyle Padron is maturing as a quarterback and will be a challenge for the Aggie defense. SMU isn't quite ready to beat A&M in College Station, but they'll keep this close. Prediction: Texas A&M 31, SMU 24

Other big games:

LSU vs. Oregon, Cowboys Stadium, 7 p.m., ABC, Saturday: What a matchup in Arlington. Oregon returns most of the starters that appeared in the BCS Championship Game in January and LSU, while dealing with the distractions of the past week, still has plenty of talent. The winner sends a signal for inclusion in the national championship picture. The LSU defense will face a challenge in stopping Oregon, but I think they'll be able to get it done in crunch time. Prediction: LSU 24, Oregon 20

Boise State at Georgia, 7 p.m., ESPN, Saturday: There's lots of talk about Kellen Moore, and not much about the receivers that he no longer has at his disposal. Georgia is motivated and will have their passionate fan base ready. But Boise State has had a lot of time to get ready for this game and Chris Petersen knows how to prepare a team for a game like this. I'll take the Broncos...barely. Prediction: Boise State 31, Georgia 28