Texas Tech (-21) at Texas A&M – This one should be a one-sided mess. What I want to see, though, is how the Red Raiders bounce back from barely scraping by Nebraska. I like this team, and I want to believe in them, but they run the gauntlet in their next four – Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma State, then Oklahoma – so they need to prove that they are up for that challenge. A dominating performance here would help. I especially want to watch their defense – they should be able to shut down the Aggies completely, but only if they tighten up on what they have done for the last few weeks.
Vanderbilt (+16.5) at Georgia – I don’t really believe in Georgia, so this one is a chance for them to prove me wrong. Vandy was a fun story early on, but they are coming off a game n which they had 107 total yards. How is that even possible? They need to bounce back in a big way, or the progress they have made this year will be discounted.
Colorado State (+21) at Utah – After BYU forgot to catch their flight to TCU on Thursday, Utah stands as the lone team in the MWC with a shot at busting the BCS. This game is no challenge for them, but I will be looking closely to see how they react to that extra pressure now and in the next few weeks.
Kansas (+20) at Oklahoma – What’s not to like about this one. Oklahoma was embarrassed in a terrible second half last week, and they need to rebound to prove that they are still legitimate contenders. Kansas has flown as much under the radar as a tough 5-1 team can because the Big 12 is so deep. The Jayhawks are getting absolutely no respect here from oddsmakers or bettors. This game will tell us if that is justified or not.
Ohio State (+3.5) at Michigan State – This is certainly not what this line was expected to be at the start of the season. The Spartans are better than most thought, and the Buckeyes are much worse. One of these teams, though, is the second best team in the conference behind Penn State. This is our chance to find out which one.
Missouri (+4) at Texas – Despite what they did last weekend I have a hard time believing that Texas is the best team in the country. I also have a hard time believing that Mizzou lost to Oklahoma State. This game will tell me a lot about both teams.
