Spread Pick'Em: Week 8

"Alright, alright, alright!"  After a 7-3 week I'm starting to reach respectable territory!  The 7-3 record puts me at 36-40 for the season, so let's keep this gravy train rolling!  This week we continue with conference play and only two games feature both teams in the Top 25.  Here are the most intriguing matchups of the picks:

1.  LSU goes on the road to A&M, a hostile environment, in a must win situation.  They were able to hold serve at home against South Carolina, but have already suffered a loss to Florida the week before, so a second loss here will put them out of the national championship picture.  How will LSU contain "Johnny Quarterback?"  I have no clue because no one else knows how...


2.  WVU was embarrassed on the road at Texas Tech after their great win at Texas, but this is the Big 12, no game will be easy, and sure enough, here comes #4 Kansas State.  Kansas State brings the nations top dual threat quarterback, Colin Klein, and he must be drooling at the number of ways he can slice through WVU's defense (can we call it that? A defense I mean.).  WVU is in full control of their destiny and can still win the Big 12 with a home win against Kansas State and a home game with Oklahoma still remaining, but WVU needs more consistency.  Their offense was exposed last week and Kansas State has showed they can go on the road and put together a full game after their upset in Norman, OK.

3.  Steve Spurrier leads his South Carolina team into the place he knows best - The Swamp.  Can the Gamecocks pull the upset?  It's going to be pretty damn tough, but it's not impossible.  The South Carolina offense is better than the LSU offense the Gators saw a few weeks ago, so expect the defense to be challenged.  The Swamp is a tough place to play, but if Connor Shaw can hold it together and Marcus Lattimore is able to find running room, this game will be as close as any this season with Florida's dominant run attack.

So here we are, time for the picks.  After my last few weeks I'd love to get cocky, but it's not the time with the matchups this week, so as always, follow at your own peril.

Note: Picks are in BOLD
#6 LSU (-3.5) at #20 Texas A&M (+3.5)

#19 Rutgers (-6.5) at Temple (+6.5)

Virginia Tech (+8.5) at #14 Clemson (-8.5)

#22 Stanford (-3.5) at Cal (+3.5)

Michigan State (+10.5) at #23 Michigan (-10.5)

#9 South Carolina (+3.5) at #3 Florida (-3.5)

South Florida (+7.5) at #16 Louisville (-7.5)

#18 Texas Tech (-2.5) at TCU (+2.5)

#21 Cincinnati (-7.5) at Toledo (+7.5)

#4 Kansas State (+3.5) at #17 West Virginia (-3.5)