College Football Picks

Here are some picks for today's early games.

Toledo (-5) at Ball State - the game is a home game for Ball State and last year they beat Toledo 31-0 but that was last year. This year the Cardinals are 0-4 and in real danger of going to 0-5. I think Toledo should be able to pass on Ball State and win the game.

East Carolina at Marshall (+2.5) - last year's game at East Carolina was an overtime 19-16 victory for the Pirates only because Marshall's kicker had a meltdown. This year Marshall comes into the game at 3-1 while East Carolina is just 2-2 but is a road favorite?

South Florida (-6.5) at Syracuse - this could be a trap game for South Florida. They have the hangover from last week's monster win over Florida State and they also could be looking forward to next week's tilt against #10 Cincinnati which could decide the Big East championship. The Carrier Dome is a tough place to play but South Florida is just a better team. I would worry a bit if the line goes over 7 points because there is the danger of the Bulls overlooking this game.

Tulane at Army (-6) - I'm taking Army giving 6? Yup. Tulane has trouble stopping the run and the discipline of Army will prevent the turnovers Tulane will need for a road win.

Virginia at North Carolina (-13) - Virginia won last year 16-13 but that was last year. This year North Carolina is coming off a loss and will use last year's victory by Virginia as extra fuel to run rampant over the hapless Cavaliers.

Wisconsin (+3) at Minnesota - the experts view this as an even matchup with the Gophers giving 3 just for home-field advantage. I think Wisconsin is the superior team.

Michigan State (-4) at Michigan - I think talent wise the two teams are evenly matched but the Spartans are desperate at 1-3 while the Wolverines may be overconfident at 4-0.

Arkansas State at Iowa (-21) - this could be a trap game for Iowa. They are coming off the huge upset of Penn State and next week they play Michigan. I think the team will be too well coached for a letdown though and I think they win this one in a walk.

Virginia Tech (-17) at Duke - Virginia Tech has outscored Duke 138-17 in their last 4 meeting and this could be the best team the Hokies have put on the field in that time.

Alabama (-16.5) at Kentucky - Florida beat Kentucky 41-7 last week and you know Nick Saban will be looking to prove his team is better than Florida by winning by a bigger margin.

Edit Note: I'll keep adding my picks for the early games right up till the 12:00 kickoff.