College Football Week 9 - Important Matchups

3 Texas @ 14 Oklahoma State
Favorite: Texas, -9
OSU may be undefeated in conference play, but that doesn't make them good. They lost to Houston in Week 2, and haven't really played against any tough competition. Meanwhile, Texas has been fully undefeated, and already beaten Oklahoma and Texas Tech. OSU will officially be without Dez Bryant, who was their best receiver at the time of his suspension. Their scoring has visibly fallen off since then. With the exception of the Oklahoma game, Texas's scoring has been high and fairly consistent.
Pick: Texas 38 - Oklahoma State 24

5 USC @ 10 Oregon
Favorite: USC, -3
Since their loss to Texas in the 2005 National Championship Game, USC has lost one game a year when headed north. The bad news for Oregon is that USC already lost that game, at Washington in Week 3. The good news is that USC has looked beatable at times this year, which is whats keeping the spread low. Oregon can also put big points on the board, which will keep the game close.
Pick: USC 45 - Oregon 38

22 South Carolina @ Tennessee
Favorite: Tennessee, -6
Tennessee may be unranked, with a 3-4 record, but they've played well against tought opponents. In comparing their games against Alabama, both teams struggled to put points up, as SC managed 6, but Tennessee almost pulled out the win with 10. This will be a defensive battle, and will probably come down to who wins the turnover battle. Right now, SC has the edge in that one.
Pick: South Carolina 20 - Tennessee 17

Washington State @ 23 Notre Dame
Favorite: Notre Dame, -28
This game is important for one reason and one reason only: Notre Dame, and Charlie Weis specifically, needs to prove themselves. They've been ranked before, and they should have an easy win this week. They need to put together a winning run, with a tough Navy team next week, followed by ranked Pitt. After destroying Nevada in Week 1, they've given up almost as many points as they've scored. Anything less than a blowout against a team thats scoring 15 ppg should be looked at as a disappointment.
Pick: Notre Dame 35 - Washington State 9