Your NCAA Football Week 5 Primer (With Picks!)

Jarbill Peppers and No. 4 Michigan will host No. 8 Wisconsin in The Big House Saturday.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Holy cow, do we have a great week on tap.

Six of the Top-10 teams in the country are playing each other, with a Top-10 match up taking place in the Pac 12, Big Ten and ACC.

Catch up, SEC, you're slacking! Don't worry Big 12, we know it just isn't your year. Maybe if you had invited Houston last year...

But it isn't just about those three massive games, as almost every other ranked team is in action against a league opponent or major conference foe (Arkansas, of the SEC, and San Diego State being the only exceptions).

So, let's not waste any more time, let's get into this week's picks.

Your NCAA Football Week 4 Primer (With Picks!)

Louisville sophomore quarterback Lamar Jackson introduced himself to the country with a massive game against Florida State last week.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

After three weeks, it seems like we have three teams that have separated themselves from the pack a bit.

All due respect to Clemson for getting back on track last night against a pretty good Georgia Tech team, but Louisville showed it was the team to be feared in the ACC. The Cardinals put 63 points on then-No. 2 Florida State, and quarterback Lamar Jackson asserted himself as the early Heisman Trophy favorite.


With a cannon arm and ridiculous athleticism, the sophomore from Boynton Beach, Florida looks like the second-coming of Mike Vick (or was he still Michael Vick back then?).

The Cardinals' defense was equally impressive, holding FSU's Deondre Francois to 7/18 passing for just 101 yards, and negative 34 yards on the ground. Yeah, it was utter domination on both sides of the ball by Louisville.

Alabama had to come back to beat an Ole Miss team they always seem to struggle with, but the Tide are still undefeated, and as long as they are, it's hard not to call them a national title favorite. In the Big Ten, Ohio State looks great again, and the Buckeyes' domination of Oklahoma gives them a slight edge (in my mind) over hated rival Michigan… At this point in the year.

Your NCAA Football Week 3 Primer (With Picks!)

Florida State running back Dalvin Cook is a tough man to get a hold of.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Man, last week was weird.

We didn't even have one match up of ranked teams, but there were still plenty of wild games, including Central Michigan knocking off Oklahoma State, proving that you should stop betting on teams from Oklahoma this year. Meanwhile, both Clemson and Georgia nearly lost to schools you couldn't find on a map, causing many to re-think their preseason expectations in the ACC Atlantic and SEC East.

Bascially, last week kicked my butt. After starting 10-5 against the spread in Week 1, I went an abysmal 5-13 last week, as I pressed pretty much all the wrong buttons (Texas is due for a down game… Clemson is about to explode… Alabama always covers against weak teams… Iowa State always plays Iowa tough…).

Yeah, I feel a little silly about all those, but onward we go with our Week 3 preview and picks.

This week's slate is a little better, as we get four different meetings of ranked teams, and a few other games featuring ranked teams battling major conference competition.

Here are my (potentially awful) picks for every game featuring a ranked team.

Your NCAA Football Week 2 Primer (With Picks!)

Pitt running back James Conner's return from Hodgkin Lymphoma has been one of the feel-good stories of the early season. His Panthers will host Penn State Saturday, renewing the in-state rivalry for the first time since 2000.

By Joe Parello (@HerewegoJoe)

Have you caught your breath from last week yet?

I'm just getting there, what with the Houston domination, Florida State comeback and Texas looking (sorta) like Texas again. Or maybe Notre Dame is bad again, who knows?

Oh yeah, and Alabama is still Alabama. That's why I told you last week to hedge all your national title bets with a decent sized wager on the Crimson Tide. It's boring, but my Oklahoma bet ain't looking so great right now, and my Florida State pick was on life support at halftime, so sometimes boring is good.

Anyways, you're gonna have a little more time to catch your breath, because we don't have even one battle of ranked teams this week. Yeah, it's a pretty bare slate, but at least we get a pair of in-state rivalries renewed.

Let's get to the picks against the spread for all games featuring ranked teams, and a few select other games.