Who Will Cover: Week 9 College Football Picks

Image via Complex Original

We took the week off last week (even writers need a bye) and now we're back to help you win some major loot.

Michigan State looks to continue their strong 6-1 start as they roll into Nebraska against Bo Pellini and his Cornhuskers at 12 p.m. At 3:30, Oklahoma visits Kansas State as the Wildcats get to prove they're for real, and Florida and Georgia set off the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail party. The night ends at 8 with Clemson taking on Georgia Tech in Atlanta and a West Coast matchup of highly touted quarterbacks between Stanford and USC. Let's go deep... 

Last week (idle)

Overall (20-10)

All spreads are from Covers and could change at any time leading up to kickoff. Follow me on Twitter (@nrestivo) to get my insight during all the action this weekend. Good luck to all.

Michigan State @ Nebraska (Saturday, 12:00 p.m., ESPN)

Spread: Nebraska (-4)

Michigan State had one of the best wins in school history last weekend scoring on an improbable Hail Mary to crush Wisconsin’s hopes of playing in the National Championship game. This weekend the Spartans head into Lincoln, to face off against the Cornhuskers in what should be a great Big 10 matchup. Both teams are 6-1, led by their quarterbacks Kirk Cousins for Michigan State and Taylor Martinez for Nebraska. Martinez proves to be more valuable to his team picking up yards with both his arm and his legs, while Cousins is more of a game manager – limiting his mistakes and getting the ball to the right people. As boring as the Spartans can be to watch, they execute their gameplan to perfection, like last weekend when they drew zero yellow flags. The aspect of this game that has me picking Michigan State is the defense only letting up 13 points per game. Many people think they'll have a hangover from last weekend, but the Spartans are too well coached and I like them here as the dog.

Oklahoma @ Kansas State (Saturday, 3:30 p.m., ESPN)

Spread: Kansas State (-13.5)

Oklahoma was stunned last week against Texas Tech, they were nearly a 30 point favorite and lost outright -- unfortunate for Kansas State. The Sooners will be looking to prove to the pollsters and BCS that they are still one of the best teams in all of college football, and if that means throwing the ball up twenty in the fourth quarter, then so be it. Kansas State has a potent rushing attack, with quarterback Collin Klein and running back John Hubert amassing over 1200 rushing yards combined. The Wildcats will look to control the pace of this game by using that rushing attack to keep the ball out of Landry Jones’ hands. Oklahoma hasn’t lost back to back conference games since 1998 and that streak will continue. Although two touchdowns is a lot to cover against the No. 10 team in the country, Oklahoma and their no huddle offense will take care of Kansas State.

Florida vs. Georgia (Saturday, 3:30 p.m., CBS)

Spread: Georgia (-3)

There is a ton riding on this game for both Florida and Georgia. If Georgia can pull this win off they can take control of the SEC East and put Florida on a four-game losing streak, its longest since 1988. You can throw all of Florida's offensive numbers out the window because they've tried everyone at quarterback since Jeff Brantley went down with an ankle injury. Now Brantley is back with hopes of ruining Georgia's season. Georgia's defense is one of the best in college football but they will be without Kwame Geathers and Shawn Williams for the first half due to disciplinary actions by the SEC. Since this game is in Jacksonville, no team has significant home field advantage and Florida will be able to keep this close -- take Florida as the dog.

Clemson @ Georgia Tech (Saturday, 8:00 p.m., ABC)

Spread: Georgia Tech (+3.5)

Everybody has been waiting for the epic Clemson letdown game but that won't happen against Georgia Tech. Teams have figured out that leaving the ball in the hands of Tech's quarterback Tevin Washington is how to win games. The Clemson defense is faster than most in the ACC and it's tough to run east and west on them like Georgia Tech likes to do in their triple option. Tajh Boyd and freshman sensation Sammy Watkins have become one of the nation's best quarterback to wide receiver combinations and Georgia Tech will not be able to stop them. The Yellow Jackets will continue to unravel and Clemson, with their fast paced tempo and physical offensive line will hand them another loss and cover with ease.

Stanford @ USC (Saturday, 8 p.m., ABC)

Spread: USC (+7.5)

Maybe the best thing that happened to Stanford last week in their 65-21 win over the Washington Huskies is that Andrew Luck threw for a season low 169 yards. Most people would think that the season low is a bad sign, however the rushing game for the Cardinals is beginning to pick up steam. If Stanford can rack up the points without Luck throwing every they'll be even more dangerous when they roll into Los Angeles this weekend. Monte Kiffin will have a solid gameplan against Luck, but the question is whether the Trojans can execute the plan on the field. Matt Barkley will also be looking to prove that he is one of the best quarterbacks in the country, but he'll get outshined by Andrew Luck, who will tear up the Trojans secondary. USC is turnover prone and with Lane Kiffin on the sidelines the team can unravel quickly. Expect this game to be a high scoring match up and take Stanford as the pick on the road.