Pick results summary here. The top picker from last week was YankeeJacket who correctly picked 8 games out of 11. With those winning picks YankeeJacket is now at 58 correct picks on the year putting him
only 1 spot behind the leading picker of the year donkeygoatrunner. Congrats YankeeJacket! The race for top picker of the year is heating up. Lets see what happens this week.
Say whatever you want about the first three quarters, Georgia Tech continues to chug along. Winning is easier said than done, but so far, it’s all Georgia Tech has done this season. The defense has gotten a lot of criticism this year, but they stepped up when needed against a great Duke offense. Tech has some work before they get taken seriously, despite their ranking, but they just need to keep winning and eventually people will recognize that this team is better than the pundits think (except for Josh Pate apparently, he knew before the season started).
I did say that this was an ideal choke situation for Miami. I should have taken my own advice and picked Louisville last week. Miami’s defense did everything they could but when your offense gives up 4 turnovers in a game it makes it hard for your team to come out on top. With Miami’s loss suddenly things are much more open for the ACC title. Virginia and SMU look like the top contenders next to GT if they can all keep winning. No guarantees down the line, but the race for the ACC title is heating up.
In other news Texas Tech lost. There were actually a few teams in the top 10 that lost last week but Texas Tech is the most impactful as it makes things murky for the playoff situation in the BIG 12. BYU is now in the driver seat for the BIG 12 Championship, but there is a lot of chaos that can still happen as the season goes on.
GT is now 7-0, ranked #7, and I am honestly shocked. I am now going to be paranoid about when the other shoe will drop the rest of the season even though we should be favored in all our remaining ACC matchups. 7 wins is a triumph, but it is also a ceiling in a way. The #7 ranking is apropos for Brent Key and the Jackets. The past 2 years Brent Key’s wins have capped out at 7, and while he has only coached for 3 years that is barrier he has yet to break through. 8-0 would be a huge achievement for the Jackets and for Brent Key’s legacy here. I’m sure this is on Brent Key’s mind and the rest of the player’s minds, but I expect they all plan to break through the ceiling and launch into space like many of our past graduates who went to NASA. If they do then expect the Jackets to get a higher ranking than #7 before the season is over.
We go into homecoming a -17.5 favorite against Syracuse. Just because the spread is big, we can’t assume it will be an easy game, as GT has had very few easy games this season. I expect a sell out and want to see our fans and our team show up in a big way. Let’s do what we can to get this team beyond their perceived limits! GO JACKETS!!!
Next week I will be coming back from a vacation so the picks article will post later in the week. Be ready to make picks on Wednesday or Thursday.
picks:
Syracuse Orange @ #7 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (-17.5)
Logan: Despite how Syracuse looks and this game being homecoming, I’m still scared of the Orange. Fran Brown hates our guts, or I guess he hates Brent Key’s guts and by extension Georgia Tech’s guts. When teams are angry, they can surprise some people. The spread doesn’t matter, all that matters is who is more motivated to play and win. I think Syracuse has a good chance of catching Georgia Tech off guard, it sounds weird but I do believe that. I hope Georgia Tech is ready because I expect this game to be a dog fight. Still taking Tech, because that’s what I do, but that doesn’t mean you should. If you are in Atlanta, please show up and make that stadium loud next week.
Logan’s pick: Georgia Tech
#16 Virginia Cavaliers (-9.5) @ UNC Tarheels
Logan: Tarheels seemed to find some life last week. They still lost but they were a fumble in the endzone away from winning against Cal. Cavaliers seemed to be going in the opposite direction after barely surviving against Washington State last week. I think I will make the dumb decision and expect UNC to at least cover at home against a UVA team that seems to be struggling to maintain motivation down the stretch. I genuinely don’t know why I’m making this pick, I guess I’m just going off the vibes of last week.
Logan’s pick: UNC
SMU Mustangs (-4.5) @ Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Logan: I don’t need to tell Georgia Tech fans that Wake Forest is a bunch of fighters, especially on offense. SMU has really struggled this year against teams that can match them on offense so I think this will be a tough game for the Mustangs on the road. I will take Wake Forest to win this game straight up.
Logan’s pick: Wake Forest
#11 BYU Cougars @ Iowa State Cyclones (-2.5)
Logan: I agree with Vegas on this one. BYU is coming off a highly emotional game against Utah that was very close and go on the road to Iowa State. Iowa State has shown to be an impressive team on both offense and defense; I think BYU will struggle here against a Cyclones team that is well rested and looking to bounce back after a tough loss to Colorado.
Logan’s pick: Iowa State
NC State Wolfpack @ Pittsburgh Panthers (-6.5)
Logan: Alot of big time implications for the ACC title this week. Georgia Tech fans should watch this game to get a good idea of their biggest remaining opponents in the ACC. I think Pitt at home has a good enough defense to contain NC State. That combined with NC State not having a great defense would indicate to me that Pitt should win this game by at least a touchdown.
Logan’s pick: Pitt
#18 USF Bulls (-3.5) @ Memphis Tigers
Logan: Memphis lost last week to UAB, which was a shock to be sure. I would have picked USF regardless, but the showing from Memphis really took the air out of this matchup. Right now USF is my top pick to be the playoff team from the G5. Good luck Bulls.
Logan’s pick: USF
Minnesota Golden Gophers @ Iowa Hawkeyes (-7.5)
Logan: I think Ohio State and Indiana are locks at this point to make the BIG 10 championship, but these 1 loss teams are still holding out hope for potentially sneaking in. Iowa was the only team to really challenge Indiana this year and their defense continues to look like one of the top ones in the country. Minnesota has been a bit up and down in their offensive performance and may struggle with emotions coming off the big win last week against Nebraska. I think Iowa will win this game handily.
Logan’s pick: Iowa
Cal Bears @ Virginia Tech Hokies (-3.5)
Logan: Cal has looked really good this year so it is weird to me that Virginia Tech is favored in this game. I guess they’re considering the rest for Virginia Tech. I don’t agree with the spread, I’ll take Cal.
Logan’s pick: Cal
#8 Ole Miss Rebels @ #13 Oklahoma Sooners (-3.5)
Logan: Ole Miss looked good last week until they didn’t, at least on offense. The Rebel’s defense was garbage. Oklahoma is still struggling a bit on offense but their QB is back and they are starting to find a groove. With a stellar defense I think Oklahoma takes this game at home.
Logan’s pick: Oklahoma
#3 Texas A&M Aggies (-2.5) @ #20 LSU Tigers
Logan: This is technically a rivalry game, and we all know that anything can happen in a rivalry game. That said, LSU looks like hot garbage on offense despite having a very impressive defense. I can’t seriously expect LSU to beat this Aggie team, even though LSU is playing a home game at night.
Logan’s pick: TAMU
#15 Mizzou Tigers @ #10 Vanderbilt Commodores (-2.5)
Logan: Game recognize game and Vanderbilt is playing like a contender for both the SEC championship and to make the college football playoff. Mizzou has looked good but I just can’t pick against Vandy right now with how they have been performing. Commodores all the way.
Logan’s pick: Vandy
