Piping hot college picks!

I'm picking the lower rated team as a favorite in each of these games. I have #13 Tennessee over #10 Georgia, along with #16 California over #11 Oregon. Tennessee and California will vault ahead of their rivals this weekend, who are both due for a loss.

I may pick the Michigan-Michigan State game later today, but it starts at 3:30 (I believe). If I make this pick, I'll post it before kickoff.


1. TENNESSEE (-2) at Georgia

Georgia won this matchup in Knoxville 27-14 last year. But what a difference a year makes.

The lost to the Bulldogs started a spiral that left the Vols 5-6 and out of the bowl picture last year. Their offense was simply putrid.

The Bulldogs were an outside BCS contender until D.J. Shockley went down to injury.

Now, Tennessee's offense is back to respectability this year. The Vols actually had a negative turnover ratio last year, which is a hallmark of bad football teams. You tend to think of the big schools, playing several games against outmatched opponents, would always have a positive turnover ratio. But last year was a complete disaster for Tennessee.

That's not the case this year. Erik Ainge already has one more touchdown than the Vols offense had all last year. That's in a year they lost six games, and therefore were behind a great deal of the time.

Meanwhile, Shockley is gone at Georgia, and the Bulldogs are struggling. They aren't the same team they were early last year. Even at home, I think Tennessee gets revenge this week. They must, if they want to compete for the SEC East title. That's may be a long shot, but Tennessee tradition demands nothing less.

2. CALIFORNIA (-5) at Oregon

California was getting talked up in the preseason. If they could find a quarterback, they could challenge USC in the Pac 10 and make a run at a BCS bowl game. Then they got whacked by Tennessee in the opener.

Since then, California has been one of the sideplots of NCAA football.

Oregon has been on the front page, due to their controversial win over Oklahoma.

In the meantime, California has begun to gel, showing the potential some preseason experts saw in them.

Oregon has a good offense, but their defense is suspect. California is a little bit more of a complete football team right now. Their defense is a little bit better than Oregon's, while Nathan Longshore is beginning to round into form as a passer.

Both offenses are talented in this game. It should be an exciting one to watch. But with California at home and boasting a better defense, I'll give the points and pull for a Cal win.