Ooooh-weeee! The BCS picture could get a bit muddled this week, or it could become crystal clear for a few teams. I am hoping for the latter given the controversy surrounding the BCS system. It would be nice to go through a bowl season without all the chatter about who should have been in which game. (Oh, and don't miss my little video tribute to the Red Raiders at the bottom of the page.)

Here are my picks, against the spread. Lines taken from MGM Mirage and quoted material from College Football News. (Lines last updated by 8:00 am (PT) on Saturday, 11/22.)

• WIN - Michigan 7 at #10 Ohio State 42 (-20.5) - "[T]his has gone from America’s greatest rivalry game, one of the few yearly appointment watches for even the most casual of football fan, to an afterthought. There’s no buzz, there’s no excitement, and there are no expectations for anything other than an Ohio State blowout." GO BUCKEYES!
• WIN - North Carolina State 41 (+11) at #22 North Carolina 10 - "North Carolina and Miami are going to find out in the next two weeks that NC State is for real. The Pack is a genuine nuisance that’s playing much better on defense...." GO WOLFPACK!
• LOSS - Washington 13 (-7) at Washington State 16 - The Apple Cup - Yawn. "You can throw out the records when Washington and Washington State meet each November for the Apple Cup. In fact, both schools are requesting that you literally throw out the records.... There’s bad and then there’s Wazzu-bad. It’s close, but Washington hasn’t quite reached that level of futility. For the first time all year, the Huskies will own the line of scrimmage...." GO HUSKIES!
• WIN - #15 Michigan State 18 at #8 Penn State 49 (-15.5) - "The offensive line will try to bury the MSU defensive front from the start, while the defensive line will load up to stop Ringer.... Michigan State will have a recurring flashback to Ohio State. Penn State hasn’t played at its best over the last few weeks, but it has been waiting to get to this point." GO NITTANY LIONS!
• WIN - Mississippi 31 (+4) at #18 LSU 13 - "Is it really possible that Ole Miss can finish second in the West? Partly because the SEC stinks this year, er, uh, is down, and partly because Ole Miss is playing well.... This isn’t the LSU defense of last year by a long shot." GO REBELS!
• LOSS - #14 BYU (+7) 24 at #7 Utah 48 - Which potential BCS Buster will survive? Hopefully not the one that is currently undefeated - that's Utah. Considering that 11 of the last 12 games between these two have been decided by less than a touchdown, I am taking the points. GO COUGARS!
• WIN - #20 Pittsburgh 21 at #19 Cincinnati 28 (-6) - "The Bearcats are home to the Big East’s top passing game. The Panthers have shown cracks in the secondary over the last three games. Cincy will try to exploit that situation with some of the league’s most dangerous receivers." GO BEARCATS!
• WIN - #21 Oregon State 19 (+3) at Arizona 17 - It's as if the writers are still trying to find a way to put USC (can't spell "sucks" without USC!) in a BCS game. One way to avoid that nonsense is for OSU to win out. "At some point in late September, Oregon State morphed into the Pac-10’s version of Alabama. It’s not the sexiest team in the country, but it doesn’t make mistakes, does all of the little things well, and just keeps finding ways to win." GO BEAVERS!
• LOSS - Florida State 37 at #25 Maryland 3 (-1) - "Maryland defies all logic. It has almost no star power, yet just keeps winning, especially at home and against quality opponents. The Terrapins will run their Byrd Stadium record to 7-0, seizing complete control of the division...." FEAR THE TURTLE!
• LOSS - #2 Texas Tech 21 (+7) at #5 Oklahoma 65 - I likely won't sleep again until Saturday night, so here goes nothing: "The Texas secondary is lousy, but OU’s has been almost as bad against the better passers on the slate. The cover-2 scheme will allow for big yards after the catch; Michael Crabtree could go ballistic. Even though he’ll be under the most intense pressure all season long, Harrell should be able to fire at will and get his receivers in a place to come up with big yards after the catch.... As good as Bradford has been, Harrell has been better." WRECK 'EM TECH!