A Week for the West

Welcome sports fans, sorry for the wait. There has been a lot of writing for me recently so the blog has suffered. Of course, I couldn't miss my weekly picks, so here we go!

TCU vs. #5 Boise State - The Horned Frogs defiantly started off on the season off on the wrong foot. They looked like a pre-season BCS bowl buster. Baylor and SMU had other plans. The Boise game is a chance for them to get back to that status. This is TCU's hardest game this year and I expect it to be a battle. Casey Pachall  has helped the TCU offense rank in the top ten in points scored, but most of the offensive production has been run through Waymon James and Matthew Tucker. Both running-backs have eclipsed  over 500 yard this season. Boise State also has it's weapons. Boise's Kellen Moore has been having a Heisman year and Doug Martin has carried the team. They have a better defense than TCU as well. This will be the deciding factor in today's game. I see the Broncos beating the Horned Frogs 40-21.

#2 Oklahoma State vs. Texas Tech - This is possibly OSU's biggest test until they meet up with Oklahoma for the Bedlam rivalry game. Tech will still be an easy win for the Pokes. State has one of the top offenses in the nation and the Red Raiders have one of the worst defenses. Brandon Weeden will have a hay day against a secondary that often looks like Swiss Cheese. The Pokes will score early and often as they cruse to a 51-14 win.

#7 Oregon vs. #4 Stanford - The Pac-12 game of the year has arrived! Andrew Luck and LaMichael James finally square off in Palo Alto. Oregon looks like a very complete team even with injuries to key players. They have a great rushing game and they are able to put up a ton of points on the board. The defense plays under a bend but don't break mentality and it really works them. The only thing they are missing are a consistent passing game. Once again, the game will hinge on the Ducks passing efficiency. Andrew Luck will have no problem passing. He will take full advantage of the bending in the Duck's secondary, but he must preform in the red zone to beat Oregon. I see the Ducks winning a close one because of their experience against LSU. They win 37-30.

Other Picks

#20 Auburn at #15 Georgia - The Tigers don't look the same as last year, but they still have enough to beat the Dawgs. Auburn wins 24-1.

#17 Michigan State at Iowa - MSU's Cousins will be too good for the Hawkeyes. He leads them to a comfortable 30-10 win.

#19 Nebraska at #12 Penn State - Too much has gone on at Penn Sate this week. On an emotional day, the Nittany Lions faultier as the Huskers win 24-7.

Thanks for reading everyone! I will be sure to give you more content in the coming weeks! Follow me on twitter @Neilandsports and be sure to use the hash tag #NeilKnowsSports!