College Football: Week 11 Pick'em

Last Week's Win/Loss: 5-5

Total Win/Loss since Week 2: 60-30

#13 Iowa at Northwestern

Alex's pick: Iowa

Why: Dan Persa has been playing at an extremely high level this season, leading Northwestern to a 6-3 record; nevertheless a 2-3 conference record and an inability to win big games has stuck as a label. I think they give Iowa a strong performance, but the improved offense of the Hawkeyes will be the center point of attention. Iowa by 10

Kansas State at #20 Missouri

Alex's pick: Missouri

Why: Kansas State's inability to pass the football will make the game that much easier for the Mizzou D. Daniel Thomas lacks the burst to create running lanes for himself and benefits from tiring down a defensive front, gaining steam towards the latter portion of games. The probem this week is the rotational D-Line which Missouri implements and the stacked fronts the KSU Wildcats will face. Missouri starts out in a flurry, but behind Daniel Thomas they come close to taking the lead. Missouri by 6 

Penn State at #8 Ohio State

Alex's pick: Ohio State

Why: Defense wins this game for the Buckeyes, as they are set to "tee off" on the freshman quarterback carousel from Penn State. Jim Tressel has noticeably picked up on more aggressive playcalling and the offense is benefiting. TP throws for 350 and Ohio State wins. OSU by 21

#16 Virginia Tech at North Carolina

Alex's pick: North Carolina

Why: North Carolina's defense is really starting to gel, and I feel if they can pressure Tyrod Taylor into early mistakes, that the improved rushing attack can maintain an early lead. Matchup to watch is Va. Tech WR Jarrett Boykin vs. UNC CB Kendric Burney. Top end skill position players that will likely see the other all afternoon. Boykin has height advantage, however Burney has extremely good ball skills. UNC by 3

Georgia at #2 Auburn

Alex's pick: Auburn

Why: One of two upset alert picks I have this week; I will be in attendance for this game at Jordan Hare Stadium! Very excited to see 2 possible top 2011 NFL prospects on both teams; A.J. Green WR of Georgia, Nick Fairley DT of Auburn, and obviously Cam Newton QB of Auburn. Interested to see whether or not he plays, but Im positive that this team rallies the troops behind Cam, and Auburn fans witness a Georgia Bulldog beatdown. Yet with all the distractions, it is VERY possible for an upset. Auburn by 17

San Diego St. at #3 TCU

Alex's pick: TCU

Why: Another on upset alert, I am interested to see how TCU follows up their domination of formerly #5 ranked Utah. Primed for a letdown, head coach Gary Patterson won't let pride sink in and destroy TCU's national championship hopes...TCU by 21

#23 TAMU at Baylor

 Alex's pick: Baylor

Why: After letting me down in a BIG way last week, Im going to stay with the Bears. Coming off his worst start this season, I feel Robert Griffen III will light it up. His ability to stretch the pocket with his feet should limit the sack opportunities of TAMU, who are solely reliant upon stud OLB Von Miller. If Baylor tailors blitz pickups to cover up Miller, then I would not be surprised if Griffen carves up an Aggie defense. Baylor by 13

#17 Mississippi State at #11 Alabama

Alex's pick: Alabama 

Why: Coming off a painful loss to LSU, Alabama and Coach Nick Saban will show resiliency in this matchup of top 20 ranked SEC opponents. A lot depends on the health of RB Trent Richardson, as he has been heavily relied upon this season. Mark Ingram needs to up his game this week as well; Ingram has been somewhat ineffective the last couple of weeks and will need to open up the PA passing attack for Greg McElroy. Bama by 16

#12 Oklahoma State at Texas

Alex's pick: Oklahoma State

Why: Former MLB player Brandon Weeden's ability to step in and command this high flying offense, is the main reason to why OSU is set to be the Big 12's BCS Bowl bid. Justin Blackmon is as big for this offense as any other WR in the nation, and will be tested against a talented secondary. Kendall Hunter and the run game will be the X-Factor for the game. OSU by 19

USC at #18 Arizona

Alex's pick: USC

Why: Matt Barkley and the USC Trojans are starting to play up to their abilities, and have begun to win close games. If this one is within a TD heading into the 4th quarter, USC will win. The stable of running backs allow for fresh legs every series, and Arizona's D-Line is suspect against the run. USC by 7

NFL Power Rankings Through Week 6

1. Pittsburgh Steelers(4-1) - They have the best defense in the NFL, and with QB Ben Roethlisberger back, they now have to be the most well rounded team in the NFL.

2. New York Jets (5-1) - They have the ability to both run the ball and stop the run. There next big challenge may not be until week 13 at Gillette against the Patriots.

3. New England Patriots (4-1) - If their defense can play like they did in the 4th qua

rter and overtime, against the Ravens, they should be a very tough team to beat.

4. Indianapolis Colts (4-2) - They have had two tough losses on the road, but they still have

the best offense in the NFL.

5. Baltimore Ravens (4-2) - Offense has struggled at times, but their defense is still top 5 in almost every statistical category.

6. New Orleans Saints (4-2) - Struggled in some close games in the beginning of the year, but it looks

like things started clicking in there win against an underrated Buccaneers team.

7. Philadelphia Eagles (4-2)- It doesn't matter whether its Kolb or Vick under center the Eagles are hard to beat.

8. Atlanta Falcons (4-2) - Very talented team, but have been inconsistent at times.

9. Houston Texans (4-2) -Andre Johnson has

fought through injury this year, and shown why he is the best receiver in the NFL. He can take over a game at any time.

10. New York Giants (4-2) - Their defensive line is looking awfully similar to the 20

07 d-line that led them to a super bowl win, the Giants could be very dangerous this year.

11. Tennessee Titans (4-2) - The Titans may not have many big names on defense, but they put a lot of pressure on the QB and make it tough to score.

12. Kansas City Chiefs ( 3-2) - The Chiefs have lost 2 games in a row, but their offense has shown some sign of improvement and their defense is still very good.

13. Miami Dolphins (3-2) - Tough game coming up

against the Steelers, but they have a talented enough team to beat them.

14. Green Bay Packers (3-3) - Have been plagued with injuries. They really need Aaron Rodgers, and last years defensive player of the year Charles Woodson, to carry them through until they get some of their key guys back.

15. Chicago Bears (4-2) -The Bears are a little overrated in my mind, they have had one solid win against the Packers, other than they are pretty average.

16. Seattle Seahawks (3-2) - Great team to be a fan

of, they don't have a lot of stars on their roster but they are getting the most out of their players and have won against some talented teams.

17. Washington Redskins (3-3) - You never know what you are going to get with the Redskins. One week their defense is stifling offenses, the next their letting up 500 yards.

18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2) - I really like this team, I don't think they have enough talent this year, but they have a lot of potential and will be good in the future.

19. Minnesota Vikings (2-3) - The opposite of the Seahawks, tons of talent, underachieving, team full of big names.

20. Arizona Cardinals (3-2) - Not as good as there 3-2 record, they have been completely blown out in their two losses.

21. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3) - Their success depends on QB David Garrard (or whoever is under center), unfortunately he is extremely inconsistent.

22. Cincinnati

Bengals (2-3) -Carson Palmer and the Bengals have had a really disappointing year so far, hopefully a bye can re-energize their team.

23. San Diego Chargers (2-4) - Plenty of talent to make a push towards the playoff, they have shown they gave rip off 6 or 7 wins is a row.

24. St. Louis Rams (3-3) - Rookie QB Sam Bradford has really done a great job so far. What was really impressive was their ability to beat the Chargers after a blow out loss against the Lions.

25. Denver Broncos (2-4) - They are averaging 2.7 yards per carry on the ground. It d

oes not matter how good you are at passing or playing defense, you need to be able to run the ball to win games in the NFL.

26. Dallas Cowboys (1-4) - Poorly coached, overrated, and undisciplined is the best way to describe them.

27. San Fransisco 49ers (1-5) - With RB Frank Gore, WR Michael Crabtree, TE Vernon Davis, MLB Patrick Willis, and CB Nate Clements, you would think their team would be better than 1-5.

28. Detroit Lions (1-5) -Three of there losses have been by 5 points or less, this is definitely a

different Lions team than the last few years.

29. Oakland Raiders (2-4) - Solid defense at times, but another team that will be in line for a quarterback in the draft

this year.

30. Cleveland Browns (1-4) - They have kept most games close, but they are just not that talented.

31. Carolina Panthers (0-5) - More talented than their 0-5 record, but they need to stick with a QB and find him some legitimate receivers.

32. Buffalo Bills (0-5) - With the first overall pick should they go Andrew Luck, Ryan Mallet or Jake Locker?