Picks Machine Has Massive Meltdown

     Pride cometh before the fall. Sometimes you have to relearn a little life lesson. Get a little bit cocky and you get punched in the face.
     Last week's record was the worst in the history of this blog -- 1-9. The only thing between me and a doughnut was Virginia's pounding of a hapless Louisville squad.
     From this point, the only thing to do is get up off the turf and try again. So that's what we're going to do. The season record is now 16-22-1. The immediate goal is to get back to .500.
     As always, picks are against the spread and for entertainment purposes only. Here are this week's selections.
     Syracuse at Clemson -25.5 -- Interesting tidbit on this game. When Kelly Bryant decided to pick up his ball and go home, the line went up three points. Trevor Lawrence has demonstrated he can run the offense and distribute the ball. Syracuse dominated a listless Clemson team last year on a Friday night. The memory of that game still stings. Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungy runs an incredibly fast offense and is excellent on RPO plays. The Orange know they can beat Clemson because they did it last year. After an emotional week in Clemson, I think the Tigers will win, but I also think the line is too high. Pick -- Clemson
     South Carolina at Kentucky -1.5 -- The Wildcats have won four in a row against the Gamecocks. Make it five. Pick -- Kentucky
     Tennessee at Georgia -31.5 -- The Bulldogs will add several barrels of fuel to the Vol dumpster fire. Pick -- Georgia
     West Virginia at Texas Tech +3.5 -- After dominating Oklahoma State in Stillwater last week, the Red Raiders return home face Heisman Trophy candidate Will Grier and the high-flying Mountaineers. Any game involving Texas Tech means a lot of points. I smell an upset. Pick -- Texas Tech
     Virginia at N.C. State -5.5 -- Improving Virginia gets a dose of reality in Raleigh. Pick -- N.C. State
     Florida State at Louisville +6.5 -- Remember when this matchup was highly anticipated? It wasn't that long ago. Both of these programs are searching for something, anything, to give them a spark. Both offenses are a mess. It is difficult to pick the Seminoles and give the points, but the Cardinals are that bad. Pick -- Florida State
     Michigan at Northwestern +14 -- Jeremy Larkin, Northwestern's leading rusher, had to retire this week because of a neck condition. Northwestern's offense was struggling with Larkin. It will really struggle now. The Wolverines should roll. Pick -- Michigan
     Florida at Mississippi State -8.0 -- Interesting line considering Florida rolled Tennessee in Knoxville, while Mississippi State took a beating in Bluegrass Country. Florida head coach Dan Mullen returns to Stark-Vegas. They will be waiting on him. Pick -- Mississippi State
     Virginia Tech at Duke -5.0 -- Coming off a shocking loss to Old Dominion, the Hokies travel to undefeated Duke. Both teams have had to adjust to losing their starting quarterbacks to injury. Duke has had more time to adjust. Pick -- Duke
     Ohio State at Penn State +3.5 -- Winner of this game becomes the Big Ten favorite to make the College Football Playoff. White out conditions in Happy Valley, so the environment will be tough on the Buckeyes. Take the points. Pick -- Penn State

Last Week -- 1-9
Season To Date -- 16-22-1