Ohio State Buckeyes

Ap Top Ten: Picking the Spread, Ohio State Covers?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Dec 30, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) celebrates after a 62-yard touchdown run during the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies in the 2015 Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Another attempt at picking the winners in games involving teams ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll.

We have another week of big games involving teams ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll. I will once again attempt to pick winners against the point spread which has been a challenge this year to say the least.

Currently I am 12-12 on the season. I didn’t pick last week’s games because I was late to the party.

These darn Thursday night games mess me up. I think if you have to play a game on Thursday or Friday night to gain exposure for your school, you probably shouldn’t be ranked in the top ten in the AP Poll.

Yes I’m old and cranky, but college football games should be played on Saturday. Now that I am finished with that rant, I’ll move on to my next one.

How does a team that should dominate a weak team win by less than a touchdown. Does the star quarterback get a D in English class during the week? Or maybe he hit on a pretty girl during class and that made his girlfriend mad? Either way, the guy goes out and lays an egg on Saturday.

Oh well, who can figure out young guys anyway? Now I’m finished ranting so let’s get to the games this week.

Alabama is still ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll and should be until they lose a game. I am using point spreads from Bovada and they don’t have a line on this game and I’m glad they don’t.

The defending National Champions appear to be sleepwalking through the season so far, just as Ohio State did last year. Other sports books have the Tide about a 35 point favorite over Kentucky.

But will they win by 45 like they did last week or by two touchdowns? Can’t figure out Nick Saban’s team just yet.

Well, let’s get on with my picks that are sure to be wrong.

This may not be a welcome home party for former Ohio State assistant Chris Ash who will be bringing his Rutgers football team to Columbus Saturday. The Buckeyes are on a roll and may not be in a very good mood.

With the victory over Oklahoma two weeks ago, Ohio State moved up to No. 2 in the AP Poll. But they also have enough things to clean up that I doubt the bye week was just Urban Meyer and his coaching staff patting the players on the back and telling them how great they are.

Ohio State is averaging nearly 10 penalties a game which is among the worst in the nation. Also, the kickoff team allowed a long return for a touchdown against Oklahoma.

Even though the TD wouldn’t have counted if the referees and replay booth had been paying attention, a 96 ½ yard return is unacceptable for Urban Meyer. Wanna guess who is in charge of the kickoff team? It’s Urban’s baby.

Much has been made about Chris Ash knowing everything concerning the Ohio State defense but the coaching staff for the Buckeyes know his defense as well. Rutgers doesn’t have the talent to take advantage of that knowledge but Ohio State certainly does. I have the Buckeyes covering the spread.

When Louisville played Florida State they were underdogs but I predicted an upset. It wasn’t just an upset, the Cardinals stomped the Seminoles. This week may be a different story.

Clemson started the season slow with two narrow victories. The Tigers are beginning to pick up steam and have something to prove this Saturday.

Clemson was supposed to be a national contender this year, but if the season were to end today, they could be left out of the playoffs.

Deshaun Watson was the leading quarterback in the Heisman Trophy race but has been left in the dust so far this season by Lamar Jackson of Louisville.

I am thinking that the players on Clemson’s defense, which is one of best in the nation, are tired of hearing how great the high powered Louisville offense is. Also, Watson may want to prove to the new guy who the best quarterback in the ACC really is.

The game will be played in “Death Valley” where the Tigers are hard to beat. I see an upset and at least Clemson will cover. If they get the young Louisville quarterback rattled, it could even be a decisive victory.

This will be a game with two power football teams going toe to toe. Here are the keys to the game as I see them.

Wisconsin’s defense has been playing at an extremely high level but can they slow down Michigan’s high powered offense? Also, can the Badgers somehow find a way to contain Jabrill Peppers? He could win the game by himself.

Can Alex Hornibrook, the young quarterback for Wisconsin, show the poise he displayed against Michigan State last week? Michigan now has a game tape and will attempt to exploit any weaknesses they found. I am sure that coach Harbaugh will want to ratchet up the pressure against the freshman QB.

I still think that it will be a close game regardless of which team wins. I’ll take the Badgers and the points.

These is an easy call, Houston will smoke Connecticut. They know they have to.

The Cougars know they have a chance to make into the playoffs. However, coach Tom Herman and the players know they have to be impressive every week to do so.

Houston has a chance to avenge their only loss last season as well. Connecticut may not get a very warm Texas welcome. The Cougars will win big and cover.

This point spread surprises me. Stanford is ranked higher in the AP Poll but not by much and Washington is the home team.

I think the Huskies may be the most underrated team in the country, They entered the season returning most of their starters from last year’s strong defense. They have answered questions about their offense and are averaging 47 points a game.

Stanford on the other hand, is struggling on offense averaging 25 a game. Issues at quarterback have allowed opposing teams to load up against Christian McCaffrey. The star running back is still having a fine season but he has been bottled up somewhat.

I pick Washington and give the points. I think the Huskies could win by a couple of touchdowns.