Over the summer, I made a ‘friendly’ wager with a former USC QB acquaintance of mine that the Wildcats would absolutely win the game. In fact, I was so confident that I kept upping the wager until the two of us settled on a fair prize for the winner. Now I wish I could take it back… Not that USC is anything special in 2018 but I can assure you that despite their big win last week over a pathetic Oregon State team, nor is Arizona.
While I’m enjoying my team’s lead at the top of the Pac-12 South standings, I have a feeling ASU gets the ‘train’ back on the tracks this weekend and both teams will be tied after this weekend. For all this week’s predictions, see below:
On to the picks where last week’s Fanatic guest picker, Jeff Hoodzow set the bar with a 9-1 record straight up and 6-4 against the spread. Expert picker Shane Dale was the big winner though, going 9-1 / 8-2 to rise dramatically up the standings. In fact he’s now tied with the guest pickers ATS at a 60% clip. Which one of our ‘experts’ will make the big move this week? Morning Fanatics co-host Mike Bauer will try and equal the success of his teammate, Chris Schubert from Week 1.
Fanatic Guest Picker Standings:
Week 1 – Chris Schubert: 8-2 SU, 7-3 ATS
Week 2 – Wesley Franco: 7-3 SU, 6-4 ATS
Week 3 – Shawn Crespin: 5-5 SU, 5-5 ATS
Week 4 – Jeff Hoodzow: 9-1 SU, 6-4 ATS
| Eric Cohen | Jon Bell | Shane Dale | Steve Malina | (Fanatic Staff Guest Picker) Mike Bauer |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| @eacohen83 | @koshercoach | @shanedaleabc15 | @beardownsteven | @mikejackbauer | |
| Last Week (SU) | 7-3 | 7-3 | 9-1 | 7-3 | 9-1 |
| Last Week (ATS) | 7-3 | 3-7 | 8-2 | 3-7 | 6-4 |
| Season (SU) | 23-17 | 25-15 | 26-14 | 28-12 | 29-11 |
| Season (ATS) | 19-21 | 19-21 | 24-16 | 20-20 | 24-16 |
| USC (-3.5) at Arizona | USC 34-24 | USC 38-36 | USC 37-28 | USC 38-31 | USC 36-27 |
| Oregon State at ASU (-21.5) | ASU 45-20 | ASU 24-13 | ASU 48-20 | ASU 48-21 | ASU 45-13 |
| UCLA at Colorado (-10.5) | COL 31-17 | COL 31-17 | COL 24-21 | COL 38-28 | COL 30-17 |
| West Virginia (-3.5) at Texas Tech | WV 38-31 | WV 34-27 | TT 27-26 | WV 42-35 | WV 34-30 |
| Syracuse at Clemson (-21.5) | CLEM 38-20 | CLEM 48-14 | CLEM 42-10 | CLEM 48-20 | CLEM 47-13 |
| Utah at Washington State (Pick’em) | UTAH 27-24 | WSU 24-16 | UTAH 33-28 | UTAH 28-24 | UTAH 33-27 |
| Ohio State (-3.5) at Penn State | OSU 38-30 | OSU 51-40 | OSU 30-20 | OSU 38-31 | OSU 42-33 |
| BYU at Washington (-17.5) | WASH 27-13 | BYU 23-20 | WASH 24-17 | WASH 28-17 | WASH 40-10 |
| Stanford at Notre Dame (-5.5) | STAN 28-23 | ND 31-20 | STAN 35-31 | STAN 28-27 | STAN 30-17 |
| Oregon (-2.5) at Cal | Cal 30-27 | CAL 28-17 | ORE 38-31 | ORE 35-27 | ORE 30-21 |
This Week’s Bold Prediction:
EC: I have a bad feeling that this is the week Khalil Tate is knocked out of the football game and is forced to miss time for my Wildcats. He’s been gimpy on a sprained ankle most of the season and unfortunately sooner than later it’s due to give out. Expect to see Rhett Rodriguez once again if you’re an Arizona fan like me.
JB: Heisman hopefuls take note: after Saturday, there might as well be only two finalists, both sophomore quarterbacks. Dwayne Haskins helps the Buckeyes dominant offense survive an offensive explosion during a white out in Happy Valley, and he and Tua Tagovailoa are neck and neck, miles away from the rest of the pack for inclusion in college football’s most exclusive club.
SD: Alabama will NOT cover the 48.5-point spread vs. Louisiana-Lafayette.
SM: Virginia Tech comes off an incredibly embarrassing loss by giving a beatdown to Duke on the road! Virginia Tech 35 Duke 17.
MB: Kelly Bryant is the next QB on the train at ASU. Herm Edwards brings the Clemson QB to Tempe for one season.
Cohen’s Weekly College Football Playoff Bowl Forecast:
(Changes from last week in blue)
Peach: West Virginia vs. Penn State
Fiesta: Stanford vs. Central Florida
Rose: Michigan vs. Washington
Sugar: LSU vs. Oklahoma
Cotton (semifinal): Alabama vs. Ohio State
Orange (semifinal): Clemson vs. Georgia
National Championship Game Prediction: Clemson over Alabama
For more college football analysis and thoughts, listen to The Daily Blender, weekdays from 1-3pm on 1580TheFanatic. You can tune in here.
Cohen's Corner 