Top 25 picks
This will be an educational weekend in college football. With a host of big games on the slate, we’ll learn a lot about several teams, such as:
“Do LSU and Virginia Tech have enough offense to go with their stellar defenses? The Tigers and Hokies meet in Baton Rouge, La., in the week’s most compelling matchup. Both sputtered on offense last week and face much stiffer tests.
“How good is Oklahoma and what’s the early progress report on Miami under new coach Randy Shannon? The Sooners dropped 79 points on North Texas last week with new quarterback Sam Bradford and new tailback DeMarco Murray having huge games against a helpless opponent. The Hurricanes’ defense won’t be so soft. If the ‘Canes can win in Norman, there’s no reason they can’t win the Atlantic Coast Conference.
“How bad is Notre Dame? The Irish managed three points at home against Georgia Tech. It won’t get any easier in Happy Valley against a Penn State team looking for payback for last year’s 41-17 South Bend beat down.
“Should Texas be worried and can TCU contend for a national championship? The Longhorns were less than inspiring in a 21-13 victory over Arkansas State last week. Maybe they were just sleepwalking. The Horned Frogs have a chance to vault up the rankings with a road victory.
The picks:
| Matchup | Time | TV |
| No. 9 Va. Tech (plus 12 1/2 ) at No. 2 LSU | ||
| LSU 21-7 | 6:15 p.m. | ESPN |
| No. 3 W. Virginia (minus 24) at Marshall | ||
| WEST VIRGINIA 52-10 | 8:10 a.m. | ESPN2 |
| Troy (plus 26 1/2 ) at No. 4 Florida | ||
| FLORIDA 50-20 | 3 p.m. | |
| Miami (plus 10 1/2 ) at No. 5 Oklahoma | ||
| OKLAHOMA 24-16 | 9 a.m. | ABC |
| No. 5 Wisconsin (minus 25 1/2 ) at UNLV | ||
| WISCONSIN 44-17 | 7 p.m. | Versus |
| No. 22 TCU (plus 7) at No. 7 Texas | ||
| TEXAS 23-21 | 4 p.m. | FSN |
| No. 10 California (plus 14) at Colorado St. | ||
| CALIFORNIA 48-28 | 11 a.m. | |
| South Carolina (plus 5) at No. 11 Georgia | ||
| SOUTH CAROLINA 20-17 | 2:45 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Akron (plus 29) at No. 12 Ohio State | ||
| OHIO STATE 39-7 | 9 a.m. | |
| BYU (plus 7) at No. 13 UCLA | ||
| UCLA 24-20 | 3:30 p.m. | Versus |
| Notre Dame (plus 17 1/2 ) at No. 14 Penn St. | ||
| PENN STATE 28-14 | 3 p.m. | ESPN |
| No. 16 Nebraska (minus 8) at W. Forest | ||
| NEBRASKA 36-24 | 9 a.m. | ESPN |
| South Florida (plus 7) at No. 17 Auburn | ||
| SOUTH FLORIDA 23-17 | 6 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| No. 20 Hawaii (minus 28) at La. Tech | ||
| HAWAII 44-24 | 4 p.m. | |
| Samford (no line) at No. 21 Georgia Tech | ||
| GEORGIA TECH 48-10 | 10:30 a.m. | |
| No. 22 Boise St. (minus 3) at Washington | ||
| WASHINGTON 30-28 | 12:30 p.m. | FSN |
| Fresno St. (plus 17 1/2 ) at No. 23 Texas A&M | ||
| TEXAS A&M 35-20 | 12:30 p.m. | FSN 1 a.m. |
| S. Miss. (plus 10 1/2 ) at No. 24 Tennessee | ||
| TENNESSEE 29-14 | 4 p.m. | |
| La.-Monroe (plus 27) at No. 25 Clemson | ||
| CLEMSON 55-14 | 10 a.m. | |