It’s hard to believe that in a week in which 73 percent of Challenge the Guru participants (myself included) finished with a 6-4 record or below, there was a winner.
But there wasn’t just one winner.
Both Andrew Dailer and Bill Updyke finished 9-1 last week to pick up the extra five bonus points.
The pair also split the tiebreaker as both picked Oregon to win by seven points.
The win gives Updyke the tiebreaker advantage with three this season, but his big week was more noticeable in the standings.
Updyke moved up five spots into third place, just six points back of leader Ryan Ruben who continues to hold a three-point lead over Daniel Cassis.
Dailer, meanwhile, also moved up five spots to fifth.
It was Updyke’s second consecutive win.
Another big mover this week includes Casey Collins who jumped two spots into 14th.
Georgia failed to upset Florida, and the gamble continued to not pay off.
However, if you pick Louisville to beat West Virginia this week and they pull off the upset, you’ll get an extra four points.
Speaking of which...
LOUISVILLE vs. WEST VIRGINIA
It’s pretty safe to say that Louisville isn’t on the same level as West Virginia, despite the Mountaineers’ tough loss at South Florida last week.
The main reason WVU was unsuccessful last week was because its playmakers – Noel Devine and Jarrett Brown – were completely shut down. Louisville has no one to do that this week.
Pick: West Virginia
OKLAHOMA vs. NEBRASKA
I, for one, am sad to see Sam Bradford go. Bradford was the best out the main three high-profile quarterbacks, but was still underrated.
Want an example of an overrated player? Nebraska’s Nodamukong Suh. He may have his way with Oklahoma quarterback) Landry Jones this week, however.
Pick: Nebraska
VIRGINIA vs. MIAMI
It’s hard to believe that just three weeks ago the Cavaliers were among the leaders in the ACC.
Last week, they lost to Duke. The embarrassing loss was the second consecutive loss for Virginia. The Blue Devils were able to score 28 points on the Virginia defense. It’s hard telling what Miami will do with them this week.
Pick: Miami
SOUTH CAROLINA vs. ARKANSAS
Although the Razorbacks are just 4-3 this season, they’re likely one of the more underrated teams in the country. After all, three of their four losses have come from ranked opponents while the other was a tough loss against a good Mississippi team on the road.
South Carolina, meanwhile, suffered a major letdown by its defense last week when it surrendered 31 points to an average Tennessee offense. Arkansas’s Ryan Mallett is a much better quarterback than Jonathan Crompton.
Pick: Arkansas
FLORIDA STATE vs. CLEMSON
Because this is almost certainly Bobby Bowden’s last season as a head coach, I’d love to see him go out strong, or at least, decent.
A longtime coach who built Florida State into a historic program shouldn’t have to be chased out of his job, he should be able to leave on his own terms.
Saturday, Bowden and the Seminoles will go at it again against one of the nation’s top running backs. C.J. Spiller probably doesn’t care how Bowden ends his career.
Pick: Clemson
NAVY vs. NOTRE DAME
Charlie Weis and the Notre Dame Faithful surely remember the last time Navy visited South Bend, Ind. - the Midshipmen left winners in a triple-overtime thriller, 46-44.
It ended Navy’s 43 year losing streak against ND. Think the Irish have forgotten about that game?
Pick: Notre Dame
OHIO STATE vs. PENN STATE
The Penn State defense may have a better reputation that Ohio State’s, but the Buckeyes have the stats to back it up.
OSU captured its third shutout of the season last week, even though it was against New Mexico State.
Penn State has multiple offensive weapons in quarterback Darryl Clark, running back Evan Royster and Derek Moye. Plus, the Nittany Lions are playing at home with a BCS bid still in the works.
Pick: Penn State
OREGON STATE vs. CALIFORNIA
This game should be a thriller as the Pacific 10 Conference’s top two offensive teams square off. Oregon State has the better playmakers on the offensive side in Jacquizz Rodgers and Sean Canfield, but the Beavers have been rather inconsistent all season not having beat a quality opponent.
California, meanwhile, is winner of three straight including a 23-21 win over Arizona State, a team that beat Oregon State by 11 earlier this season.
Pick: California
CINCINNATI vs. CONNECTICUT
All four of Connecticut’s losses have been by a combined 13 points including a rough four-point loss to Rutgers Saturday. The Huskies are close and soon, those close games will undoubtedly start going the other way.
Having a top 5 team at home is definitely a perfect opportunity for UConn, but it’s going to take a perfect game to beat the Bearcats.
Pick: Cincinnati
LSU vs. ALABAMA
LSU head coach Les Miles has begun to try anything he can to jump-start the drastically unproductive Tiger offense and against Auburn and Tulane, it worked thanks to the speed of freshman Russell Shepherd.
While LSU may be able to hang with the Crimson Tide defensively, offensively is certainly another story. Mark Ingram is almost certain to break loose at least for one possession.
Pick: Alabama 10, LSU 3
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