College Football Picks: Notre Dame Needs a Resumé Win over Stanford
By Kyle Koster
Some real talk here. There’s no way to sugarcoat a 40 percent figure. Simply put, you’ve lost some money by listening to these weekly picks. Sorry about that. So here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to go full George Costanza by doing the opposite. of what our instincts tell us. Things can’t get worse, can they?
KENTUCKY (-1) over South Carolina: Kentucky destroyed Mississippi State. They edged Florida. The Wildcats are 4-0 and flirting with making a run at the SEC East. Benny Snell Jr. is a wrecking ball and the defense ranks in the top 10 nationally in many categories. The Lexington campus is becoming a basketball school. All of this is a setup. Kentucky will be reading its own press clippings and overlook a game South Carolina team. So that likely means: UK 24, South Carolina 20.
WASHINGTON STATE (-1.5) over Utah: The Cougars are coming off a road loss to USC. They made freshman quarterback JT Daniels look spectacular. They must rebound against a very physical, ground-control offense. They must be sharp in all three phases of the game. The Utes are allowing only 12.3 points/game and should contain Wazzu’s horizontal passing attack and bully them in the trenches. So that means: Washington State 31, Utah 28.
STANFORD (+6) over Notre Dame: The Irish have already won one major home contest. They did it against Michigan, which understandably shares some DNA with run-heavy Stanford. Ian Book stepped into the starting quarterback job and provided a dual-threat spark. Notre Dame needs this feather for its playoff resume and will be sharp for 60 minutes. So, you know: Stanford 22, Notre Dame 21.
SYRACUSE (+26) over Clemson: Trevor Lawrence is the new starter. Kelly Bryant is headed out of town. There is friction with Dabo Swinney. There could be friction in the locker room. It’s been a week. Nothing will feel better than getting on the field and beating up a Syracuse team that’s flying high. It will be cathartic and Lawrence will be brilliant. Wait for it: Clemson 45, Syracuse 20.
West Virginia vs. Texas Tech (UNDER 73): This one is too easy. Texas Tech is averaging 52 points/game and threw up a 63-burger last week. West Virginia has the best quarterback-wideout combo in the country with Will Grier and David Sills. It will be a miracle if these teams don’t break 100. Lock of the century: West Virginia 31, Texas Tech 30.
2018 Record: 8-12. Horrible, terrible, no good.