College football picks: LSU defense will be difference against Ole Miss in weekend's showcase game
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3:23 PM on Wednesday, September 16
By ERIC OLSON
Even beyond the storyline about Lane Kiffin's much-anticipated return to Oxford, it's easy to see why No. 7 LSU's game at No. 8 Mississippi is overshadowing everything else going on in college football Saturday. There is a shortage of compelling games involving Associated Press Top 25 teams.
No. 22 Houston's visit to No. 13 Texas Tech gets the spotlight in the Big 12 on Friday night, and No. 16 SMU's game at No. 23 Louisville presumably will help clarify which is the second-best team in the ACC behind Miami.
The 17 other Top 25 teams playing Football Bowl Subdivision opponents this weekend are favored by an average of 28.5 points, and only four of those teams are favored by less than three touchdowns.
The picks for FBS vs. FBS games, with rankings and betting lines. All games Saturday unless noted:
Longhorns will take care of business in a game that comes between the huge win over Ohio State and the SEC opener at No. 15 Tennessee.
Pick: Texas 42-10.
Bulldogs have outscored their first two overmatched opponents by a combined 133-23. Arkansas, winless in the SEC last season and picked last this year, just lost by 33 points at Utah.
Pick: Georgia 49-17.
Notre Dame's defense hasn't given up a touchdown in six quarters. Michigan State has been riding RB Cam Edwards hard — 24 carries per game — and will again against the Fighting Irish.
Pick: Notre Dame 35-7.
Western Kentucky is getting paid a total of $3 million for its back-to-back games against top-five opponents. The Hilltoppers got hammered 70-20 at Georgia, and a similar fate awaits them in Bloomington.
Pick: Indiana 63-10.
Purdue's dink-and-dunk passing game and RB Fame Ijeboi caused Wake Forest fits last week. Now they face Darian Mensah, Malachi Toney and Mark Fletcher Jr. in the ACC opener Friday night.
Pick: Miami 48-21.
Buckeyes are going to be in a foul mood after their fourth-quarter collapse at Texas. Kent State trailed in the fourth quarter of its opener against Wofford of the FCS and got steamrolled at South Carolina.
Pick: Ohio State 56-3.
Mississippi's Trinidad Chambliss had his way with LSU last year and didn't get sacked even once. Look for the Tigers, who have an FBS-high 12 sacks, to turn up the pressure on him.
Pick: LSU 24-16.
Kentucky QB Kenny Minchey had a fumble and interception and got sacked four times at home against Alabama. That won’t do on the road against a ferocious Aggies defense.
Pick: Texas A&M 33-16.
Alabama is looking for payback after losing to the Seminoles by two touchdowns as a double-digit favorite last year. FSU's Mike Norvell is coaching for his job right now.
Pick: Alabama 27-17.
Cougars won a hard-fought game against Arizona last week and now step out of Big 12 play to play on the road against an improved Rams team under first-year coach Jim Mora.
Pick: BYU 36-24.
Trojans have to travel across the country to play a Friday night game. What could go wrong? Probably nothing against an opponent that has given up an average of 400 yards per game in losses to UMass and Boston College.
Pick: USC 52-19.
Nittany Lions fiddled around with Temple until the middle of the third quarter and will be looking for a more even performance. Rocco Becht will go against the nation's 132nd-ranked pass defense.
Pick: Penn State 56-14.
SMU QB Kevin Jennings had a huge game at home against Louisville last year and he's off to a great start. Let's see if Louisville QB Lincoln Kienholz can keep up.
Pick: Louisville 31-28.
Freshman QB Faizon Brandon has been all the Volunteers could have hoped for two games into his career. RB DeSean Bishop is well on his way to another 1,000-yard season.
Pick: Tennessee 51-13.
Utah State put a scare into Washington last week, and the Aggies have been competitive in the last five games in the “Battle of the Brothers” rivalry.
Pick: Utah 34-19.
There is lots of consternation in Ann Arbor over the performance of Bryce Underwood and the rest of the Michigan offense. Miners are just the tonic the Wolverines need the week before Iowa visits for the Big Ten opener.
Pick: Michigan 47-7.
Missouri QB Austin Simmons is making the most of his fresh start after transferring from Mississippi. He's completing 75% of his passes with seven TDs and no interceptions.
Pick: Missouri 46-17.
Red Raiders looking to raise their game to next level in Big 12 opener. Houston has allowed a total of 20 yards rushing through two games.
Pick: Houston 31-28.
Oklahoma ranks 105th in offense after its struggle at Michigan, and QB John Mateer looks to have taken a step back. Lobos are team to beat in the Mountain West with UNLV's rocky start.
Pick: Oklahoma 29-16.
Virginia QB Beau Pribula has picked up where Chandler Morris left off, but Mountaineers' Cam Cook and Michael Hawkins Jr. will test Cavaliers' stout run defense.
Pick: Virginia 27-21.
Last week: Straight-up — 14-4; Against spread — 7-11.
Season: Straight-up — 31-5; Against spread — 16-20.
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