ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

A 4-2 record last week with some in-the-ballpark score predictions. As the coaches say, let's try to get one week better.

Minnesota 28, Purdue 24 -- The Gophers know what happens when they let emotions linger after dropping their last five games in 2008. The Big Ten's most experienced team bounces back and limits mistakes on its home turf. Eric Decker goes for 120 receiving yards and DeLeon Eskridge rushes for a pair of touchdowns against Purdue, which drops another close one.

Northwestern 31, Miami (Ohio) 17 -- After generating six takeaways last week, Northwestern faces a Miami team that leads the nation in giveaways with 18. RedHawks freshman quarterback Zac Dysert makes plays early on, but NU cornerback Sherrick McManis and safety Brad Phillips force some mistakes. The Wildcats also get their running game on track.

Penn State 41, Eastern Illinois 10 -- Last week's win at Illinois gave Penn State some much-needed confidence in the run game, and the Lions will continue their momentum against Eastern Illinois. Running back Stephfon Green turns in another big performance, and defensive tackle Jared Odrick steps up for the line. Former Iowa quarterback Jake Christensen connects on a touchdown pass, but Penn State rolls.

Michigan State 31, Illinois 23 -- Eddie McGee gives a desperate Illini team an early spark, but Illinois reverts to form in the second half. Kirk Cousins tosses two touchdown passes and Larry Caper adds two more on the ground as the Spartans continue their momentum and avoid a letdown in Champaign.

Ohio State 24, Wisconsin 17 -- John Clay and an opportunistic Badgers defense gives Wisconsin a chance at The Shoe. Clay starts to produce in the second half, but Ohio State gets a big game from its own running back, Brandon Saine, while safety Kurt Coleman forces at least one turnover in his return as the Buckeyes hold on.

Indiana 20, Virginia 17 -- Tough one to call, but I like Indiana's chances because defensive ends Jammie Kirlew and Greg Middleton face a Virginia team that ranks last nationally in sacks allowed. The Hoosiers rack up five sacks and Kirlew forces a key fourth-quarter fumble that leads to the game-winning field goal.

Iowa 26, Michigan 21 -- Something tells me Iowa's streak of 33 consecutive quarters without a rushing touchdown allowed ends against the Wolverines, but the Hawkeyes' defense still stands strong in the end. Tate Forcier makes some plays for Michigan, but his counterpart Ricky Stanzi turns in a big second half as Iowa stays unbeaten at home.

Week 5 record: 4-2

Season record: 31-13 (.705)

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

I went 4-0 last week to continue my hot start to the season. No cooling me off now. I'm shooting for another 4-for-4 performance.

Pittsburgh 24, UConn 20: Both teams' strengths line up almost perfectly (UConn's running game vs. Pitt's defensive front, Pitt's vertical passing game vs. UConn's secondary) and so do their weaknesses (UConn's passing game vs. Pitt's passing defense). The Huskies had an extra week to prepare and won the last time they came to Heinz Field. This should be a hard-hitting, physical game between two teams that like to run the ball and play defense. I just think Pitt has a few more playmakers on offense and will squeak by at home.

West Virginia 35, Syracuse 24: The Orange defense is much better, but it also gave up big plays in the passing game to South Florida last week. That's not a good sign with a much more explosive Mountaineers offense coming to sprint on the Carrier Dome turf. Greg Paulus and Mike Williams will hook up for some major gains against the leaky West Virginia back line, but Syracuse can't win a track meet against Jarrett Brown, Noel Devine and Co. -- proving that those guys hang on to the ball this time.

Louisville 23, Southern Miss 21: The Cardinals desperately need a victory, while Southern Miss just lost its starting quarterback for the year. Louisville has given much reason for optimism, but I think the team will rally around Steve Kragthorpe and get this win, because there might not be many more opportunities the rest of the season.

Rutgers 66, Texas Southern 3: The Tigers have lost their last two games against FBS opponents by a combined margin of 141-10. And those were Sun Belt teams (Arkansas State in '08, Louisiana-Monroe last month.) If Rutgers can't blast this one wide open in school-record fashion, something is wrong.

Last week: 4-0

Season results: 27-6 (81.8 percent).

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

As I survey the lineup of games this week in the SEC, there’s no doubt that it’s the toughest batch I’ve had to pick all season.

You knew back in the spring when you looked at the schedule that Oct. 10 was going to be one of those days that we SEC freaks live for. It all starts at noon ET in Fayetteville, Ark., and won’t end until sometime just before midnight in Baton Rouge, La.

Strap it on a little tighter, and make sure those ankles have plenty of tape.

It’s going to be a wild one.

I go into the weekend on a bit of a roll. I’m 35-7 for the season (.833) and was 6-1 last week. I’ve hit 13 of 15 the past two weeks.

The only one I missed last week was LSU’s 20-13 win over Georgia, and who knows how that one would have turned out had the officiating crew not been excessively throwing flags in the final minutes.

Here are my picks for Week 6 in the SEC:

Vanderbilt 19, Army 13: This is the first of two option offenses the Commodores will see this month. Georgia Tech pays a visit to Nashville on Oct. 31. Of course, defense hasn’t been the problem for the Commodores this season. They simply haven’t been able to score, totaling 19 points in their three SEC losses. Look for them to match that total at West Point, which should be enough to even their overall record at 3-3.

Mississippi State 35, Houston 31: The Bulldogs go from a run-happy offense in Georgia Tech last week to a pass-happy offense in Houston this week. The Cougars can score points with the best of them. They just can’t stop anybody. UTEP’s Donald Buckram ran for 262 yards and four touchdowns last week against a Houston defense that’s allowed 121 points in its last three games. Think Anthony Dixon is licking his chops?

South Carolina 31, Kentucky 13: Too bad South Carolina can’t play Kentucky every week. The Gamecocks haven’t had many teams’ number in the SEC, but they’ve pretty much owned the Wildcats. South Carolina has won nine straight and 11 of the last 13 games in the series. History’s not the only thing working against the Wildcats, either. Both of their starting cornerbacks, including All-American Trevard Lindley, are out for this game.

Tennessee 21, Georgia 17: The Vols have been close enough to be dangerous in their two SEC losses. Their defense has given them a chance against both Florida and Auburn. Now, if only the offense would cooperate. The Bulldogs haven’t been able to run it the past two weeks, which doesn’t bode well for them against Monte Kiffin’s defense. Meanwhile, the Vols’ running game seems to be hitting its stride. It all adds up to Lane Kiffin’s first SEC win.

Arkansas 38, Auburn 31: Gene Chizik has done a terrific job with the Tigers, who at 5-0 are the surprise team of the league. They’re extremely balanced on offense and playing with a purpose. The chinks have come on defense, which has given up more points and yards than anybody on the Plains would like. That will finally catch up with them in Fayetteville, where the Hogs will find themselves on the right end of a shootout this time.

Alabama 24, Ole Miss 17: These teams always seem to play close games, and Alabama always seems to win. The Crimson Tide have won five straight and six of the last seven in the series. If the Rebels (and Jevan Snead) were playing better, it would be tempting to pick them at home. But Alabama’s defense is just too good, and the guy playing quarterback for the Crimson Tide hasn’t been what you’d call shabby.

Florida 28, LSU 16: Will he, or won’t he? Picking this game without knowing the playing status of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow is like trying to hear the signals in Tiger Stadium on a Saturday night. The place will be rocking for sure, and LSU’s defense will be ready for whatever quarterback Florida trots out there. Ultimately, though, the difference will be the Gators’ defense, which has only given up two touchdowns all season. The Tigers have had a hard time scoring touchdowns in the red zone, and you’re not going to beat Florida kicking field goals.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Call me nuts!

Another mediocre week -- 3-2 -- makes me 25-11 on the season. So proceed with caution into this week's picks, which go with four road teams.

Which can't possibly be right.

Oregon 28, UCLA 20: UCLA gets its starting quarterback, Kevin Prince, back. Oregon likely will go with its backup quarterback, Nate Costa. The Ducks are back on the road for the first time since Boise State. UCLA is pretty stout on defense. Lots of reasons suggest a potential upset. But the Ducks have so much momentum, it's hard to jump off the bandwagon.

Arizona State 35, Washington State 10: The game presents a great opportunity for Sun Devils quarterback Danny Sullivan to make some plays and build his confidence. The biggest problem for Washington State is it won't be able to handle the Sun Devils' defense.

Stanford 28, Oregon State 24: Stanford is rolling, but the Beavers won't go quietly here, particularly with the Rodgers brothers doing their thing. In the end, it seems like the Cardinal are better on both lines. And Toby Gerhart will lure the Beavers in, so quarterback Andrew Luck can make a few plays downfield.

Arizona 30, Washington 27: This feels like the "could go either way" game of the week. Arizona is coming off a bye. Washington is angry and desperate. Not sure which has the advantage there. Ultimately, it's about defense. The Wildcats have enough to stop the Huskies when the game is on the line.

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

Here are my picks for this week. It’s a bounce-back weekend for yours truly after an embarrassing 3-3 performance last week.

I bought into Texas A&M’s offensive hype and also believed that Iowa State would persevere against Kansas State. Little did I know that Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett and KSU kick-blocking specialist Emmanuel Lamur would have something to say about both games. And Oklahoma did me no favors against Miami -- particularly after Ryan Broyles went down early in the game.

Here are my picks for this week:

Nebraska 38, Missouri 31: The Cornhuskers have been waiting for their shot at the Tigers for a long time, particularly after losing the last two games to the Tigers by a combined margin of 93-23. That hasn’t gone down smoothly for the Cornhuskers and particularly Bo Pelini, who has never beaten Missouri after also losing to them as Nebraska's defensive coordinator in 2003. I think that trend changes Thursday night in the slop in Columbia, Mo., where I look for the Cornhuskers to dominate in the trenches. If the weather is nasty, as expected, I think the running of Roy Helu Jr. becomes even more effective. Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert will have his moments with his talented crew of athletic receivers. But I just don’t think the Missouri offensive line can keep Ndamukong Suh, Barry Turner, Pierre Allen and Jared Crick away for the whole game.

Texas A&M 27, Oklahoma State 24: The wheels come off the Cowboys’ bandwagon Saturday afternoon, playing without Dez Bryant. With many of their primary offensive weapons questionable with injuries, Oklahoma State won’t be able to afford to get into a shootout with the Aggies. A&M is still smarting from last week’s offensive effort when they piled up 28 first downs and outgained Arkansas, 458-434, and still lost 47-19. But if the Aggies can take control early and get the large crowd at Kyle Field involved, they have a great chance of upsetting the Cowboys.

Oklahoma 38, Baylor 14: Even without Sam Bradford, I would like the Sooners' chances with Landry Jones starting his fourth game. But with Bradford’s intention to play, I think it makes Oklahoma that much more inspired -- particularly after last week’s disappointing loss at Miami. The Sooners have to develop more offensive rhythm and find some receiving threats who can fill in for Broyles. Look for Blake Szymanski to start for the Bears. He’s not a novice after starting 13 games for the Bears in 2007. But the Sooners’ pass rush should feast against a young, inexperienced Baylor offensive front that will keep the Bears' quarterback harried throughout the game. Without Robert Griffin, the Bears have little hope of making this game competitive.

Texas Tech 42, Kansas State 28: The Red Raiders could make history Saturday night as Steven Sheffield is poised to become the first backup quarterback to start a game for a Mike Leach-coached team. Taylor Potts is recovering from a concussion and likely won’t be ready to play. But it shouldn’t matter against the Wildcats, who haven’t faced an offense nearly as potent as Tech will provide. Kansas State’s best hope will be to try to dictate the tempo with quarterback Grant Gregory and rely on underrated running back Daniel Thomas. But the Red Raiders are allowing only 3.0 yards per carry and that will be pivotal in trying to keep Gregory in long down-and-distance situations. Tech has too many offensive weapons for Kansas State and should be able to win handily.

Texas 49, Colorado 10: The surging Longhorns will be looking to build momentum for next week’s game against Oklahoma. Standing in their path this week is Colorado, which has struggled in two previous road losses to Toledo and West Virginia and been embarrassed three times on national television this season. The Longhorns will make it four. Texas has the best talent the Buffaloes have faced and should be able to score easily against Dan Hawkins’ team. Look for Texas’ athleticism to allow it to jump ahead early as Colt McCoy and his receivers should have another huge game.

Kansas 38, Iowa State 17: This game was competitive last season in Ames, as Kansas was lucky to escape with a 35-33 victory. The margin won’t be nearly that close this time around for the rested Jayhawks, who are coming off last week’s bye in good physical shape. Iowa State can’t match Kansas’ deep collection of tall, talented receivers, providing another chance for Todd Reesing to torment the Cyclones. Reesing has thrown eight touchdown passes and produced a quarterback rating of 202.44 in helping beat ISU in three previous games. The Jayhawks will be tested by Iowa State’s emerging offense. But I expect Kansas to build on a strong fourth-quarter defensive effort against Southern Mississippi to help it beat the Cyclones.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich

First, before I get into my record and winning percentage, let me remind you that I picked Virginia to beat North Carolina last weekend. That’s right, y’all laughed at me, and I heard it, but hear this: Virginia beat UNC last weekend. In Chapel Hill. And I called it.

Now, onto the fact that I didn’t pick one game in the Atlantic Division right and my season winning percentage dropped to an embarrassing 67.4 percent (31 of 46).

I’ll try to redeem myself this week.

Virginia Tech 24, Boston College 21 (OT) -- It’s supposed to rain, and we all know what happens when it rains in Lane Stadium -- the Hokies win. Virginia Tech’s defense will show up for this one and force Dave Shinskie into 25-year-old freshman mistakes.

Georgia Tech 28, Florida State 17 -- Remember that FSU fumble in the end zone last year? Yeah, it won’t be that close, but a similar fumble wouldn’t be surprising. If the Noles’ defense has struggled against more traditional offenses, how is it going to stop what Paul Johnson is bringing to Tallahassee?

Wake Forest 21, Maryland 14 -- The Terps’ defense has shown improvement lately, but veteran quarterback Riley Skinner won’t be rattled. Maryland will be without leading rusher Da'Rel Scott, but the Deacs are also looking for more from their ground game. Home-field advantage and the pressure the defensive line will put on Chris Turner will be the difference.

NC State 28, Duke 21 -- The Blue Devils will keep this interesting, and it should be another episode of dueling quarterbacks, but the Pack have more athletes to counter with and made changes in the secondary that could help against Thaddeus Lewis.

Miami 42, Florida A&M 10 -- There’s no reason for this to resemble a trap game, even though FAMU finished September unbeaten for the first time in 12 years. Miami is 6-0 against the Rattlers at home, and has outscored them 307-33 during that span.

North Carolina 42, Georgia Southern 7 -- UNC’s offense should show up this weekend. After all, it’s the second Southern Conference opponent the Heels have faced this year, and last time, UNC scored 40 points on The Citadel. There’s no excuse for UNC not to head into its bye week with a win.

Virginia 21, Indiana 17 -- I’m going with the home team on this one. The Cavaliers should be more confident after their win over UNC. (Did I mention I picked that?) And, yes, I’m picking against my alma mater and I’ve got no shame in it.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Graham Watson

I was 6-4 last week after a couple tough losses, so that puts my overall record at 35-15 heading into the fifth week of the season. We’re getting into conference play, which means a little more parity in the matchups. There are a lot of good games this week, including a couple of nice tilts in the snow of Colorado.

Central Michigan 38, Eastern Michigan 10: For some reason Eastern Michigan has had Central Michigan’s number. The Eagles have won the last two and four of the last five against their in-state brethren. But all that stops this week. This is a confident Central Michigan team that is on a nice roll and could further distance itself in the MAC West race. It also helps that EMU quarterback Andy Schmitt, who broke all sorts of records against the Chippewas, including the NCAA record (all divisions) for completions, won’t be playing in the game.

Houston 48, Mississippi State 32: Houston is going to be motivated in the game to prove that it’s a better team than the one that lost to UTEP last week. The problem for Mississippi State is going to be keeping up with the Cougars scoring. Yes, the Houston defense has struggled this season, but Mississippi State hasn’t shown much on offense all year. If Houston quarterback Case Keenum can get into a rhythm, he should be able to do enough to keep a comfortable distance from the Bulldogs.

Utah 31, Colorado State 24: Utah has had two weeks to correct its issues, find running back depth and embrace the team that defeated Louisville before the break. Coach Kyle Whittingham said that was the best his team had played in all facets and he’s looking forward to seeing it again. But it won’t be easy. Colorado State is in a bit of a skid right now, but that doesn’t mean the Rams aren’t still a formidable contender. It's just a matter of whether the Rams defense can stop the Utes.

TCU 21, Air Force 6: This could be a hangover game for an Air Force team that suffered a rough loss to Navy last week. Although TCU has had some slow starts, it’s handled most of the opponents it’s faced with ease. The key here will by TCU’s rushing defense, which is tops in the country once again. The Horned Frogs are allowing 47 yards per game on the ground and the Air Force offense hasn’t shown a lot of diversity this season.

Louisville 30, Southern Miss 17: Southern Miss coach Larry Fedora has a lot of confidence in new starting quarterback Martevious Young, but starting his first game at Louisville is not an ideal situation. It will help that receiver DeAndre Brown and running back Damion Fletcher will be back in the lineup, but Young’s lack of passing experience in an actual game likely will hamper the offense.

Idaho 41, San Jose State 17: Anyone who’s watched Idaho this season should be pretty convinced that the Vandals offense is for real. The defense, on the other hand, is still a work in progress. However, against a San Jose State team that ranks last in the country in total offense with just 256.75 yards per game that might not be a problem. Idaho already has proven that it can win on the road and this game gets the Vandals one game away from bowl eligibility.

Fresno State 34, Hawaii 21: Hawaii’s rushing defense was severely exposed last week after allowing 352 rushing yards to Louisiana Tech, which should have Fresno State feeling pretty confident about notching its second win of the season. Running back Ryan Mathews is the nation’s second leading rusher with nearly 150 yards per game. And Hawaii will be breaking in a new quarterback, which might put the Warriors’ normally stout offense back on its heels.

UTEP 38, Memphis 17: The Miners are a bit of a mystery so far especially after putting up 58 points on a previously undefeated Houston team. But the team that beat the Cougars more closely resembles the one many expected the Miners to be this year. They should continue the winning trend against a Memphis team that at 1-4 (only win over Tennessee-Martin) has been a major disappointment so far this season.

Nevada 32, Louisiana Tech 27: Has Nevada finally shaken out of its funk? It’s hard to say, but the Nevada team that decimated UNLV last week sure looked like the one many were waiting for in South Bend in the season opener. However, Louisiana Tech comes in high off its win against Hawaii and now that it has its running game working, this could be an interesting ground matchup.

Toledo 34, Western Michigan 31: Honestly, it was between picking this game or UNLV-BYU and I went with the game I thought would be more competitive. Western Michigan was challenged this week to change the path its 2-3 season is currently on. The Broncos should give Toledo a game, but I’m not sure they can stay with the Rockets.

Wyoming 28, New Mexico 27: Although New Mexico is 0-5, the Lobos are actually getting better. Each week, they’ve scored more points than they did the previous week, and while I have them scoring fewer points this week, I think they give Wyoming a game. However, the Cowboys are playing really well behind freshman starting quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels and are going to be tough to beat, especially at home.