Football Handicapping

College Gridiron Picks - Stephen Raine

Consarn it. Things simply didn't go according to plan last week in college football. Kansas lost for the first time, Hawaii came back to beat Boise State for the WAC title, and USC broke an eight-game under streak. Our only winning pick from Week 13 was Cincinnati (-20) over Syracuse, which the 'Cats managed by a single point. We're down to 25-27 here in the Raine Multipurpose Room; there's one week left before bowl season, so we'd better get to it.

No. 8 Oklahoma (-3) vs. No. 2 Missouri

The Big 12 title game takes place in San Antonio, and although the Tigers are No. 2 on the coaches' poll (behind West Virginia) and No. 1 on the BCS rankings, they're getting three points against the Sooners. This Oklahoma team is being touted as one of the best in the nation, but the difference in performance between the two has been very small, which is why OU is 6-6 against the spread and Missouri is 9-2 ATS. Still, we'll take the Sooners' offense to mash the Tigers.

No. 6 Virginia Tech vs. No. 12 Boston College (+5)

Another title game, this time in Jacksonville for the ACC. The basic stats for these two clubs are nearly identical, including 10-2 SU and 6-5 ATS, but the Hokies are the hotter team after winning and covering four straight. The Eagles hit a speed bump earlier this month, but are back on track with a relatively healthy secondary, and have a 14-10 win at Va. Tech under their belts.

No. 15 Tennessee (+7.5) vs. No. 7 Louisiana State

Moving over to the SEC, the Vols march into the Georgia Dome having won nine of 10 at 8-2 ATS. LSU, on the other hand, has been coughing up cash at 2-7 ATS over the past two months. Tennessee RB Arian Foster has the chance to romp for big yards against a Tigers' run defense that has been less than sufficient in two straight games. And you know we love that extra half-point.

Washington (+14) at No. 10 Hawaii

Again, love the undefeated Warriors, but Washington is arguably the better team despite going 4-8 SU and 5-7 ATS. Coming out of the mid-major WAC, Hawaii was ranked No. 62 on the Fremeau Efficiency Index after Week 12, while the Pac-10 Huskies were No. 37. The gap between those rankings will shrink following last week's results, but let's not forget the Huskies beat Boise State 24-10 in Week 2 and also have a win over Cal.