College Football Picks: Arizona-Texas Tech, Florida-Georgia and Ohio State-USC

Not every week of college football will feature ranked matchups and upsets. Well, before the mess over the last two weeks, we might’ve been on track for some ranked matchups, but now we have only two. Of course, that doesn’t mean upsets won’t happen, so I’m here to navigate the unknown and find winners in my three favorite games of the weekend.

Let’s get into the picks.

#22 Arizona vs #13 Texas Tech (-3.5) Total: 54.5

Texas Tech has been the most consistent program in the Big 12 over the last two years, but a revenge win over Cincinnati last weekend exposed the team's weaknesses. Tech isn’t the same team that won the Big 12 last year. The pass rush is far less threatening, and Will Hammond has been far riskier, doubling his total turnovers from last season.

Hammond is better at pushing the ball downfield, but Tech thrived last season by not making mistakes. Arizona is the most underrated team in the country, and if Hammond has another poor performance, this game could get ugly. Noah Fifita and this Wildcat offense are third in the conference in points per game, and I think they could score all over Texas Tech. I love Arizona and the over in this one.

#17 Florida vs #3 Georgia (-11.5) Total: 56.5

Georgia looked like the best team in the nation after their big win over Alabama, but after a few weeks, is anyone convinced that Bama is very good? This same Bama team who lost 4 games back-to-back years had an underwhelming recruiting and transfer class and was immediately overrated by the polls? Color me surprised.

Georgia looked human against Auburn because they struggled to stop the run. Unfortunately for them, Jadan Baugh is one of the country's best running backs, and he could cause major issues. I think 11.5 points is too many for a neutral-site (in Atlanta) rivalry game, so Florida is in a great spot.

Pick: Florida +11.5

#2 Ohio State (-6.5) vs USC Total: 51.5

This game is pretty simple. Can Luke Fahey win his first collegiate start on the road, on the other side of the country, or is the moment too big and Lincoln Riley gets a job-saving win?

Well, I’m going to ignore my entire hypothetical and talk about Ohio State’s defense. After a poor performance against Texas, Matt Patricia has this defense clicking on all cylinders, and I think they’re good enough to carry Ohio State against the rest of their schedule. I can’t get USC’s last game out of my head, and how poor their offensive performance was against Wisconsin. I would lean Ohio State in this one, but for now I’m playing it safe and taking the under.

Pick: u51.5