A Slicks Picks Guest Blog By Fanspeak Contributing Writer Matt Cerimele:

OK – now that i have built some ‘street cred’ on correctly predicting the UNDER with WVU/UCONN game, and even suggested OT could decide the game, i figured another post was warranted, especially if you arent sure which BIG games to pull the trigger on tomorrow.  Listen UP!

First, time to get off of the SPARTY bandwagon.  IOWA finally ends the madness and not even a triple sow cow will save Mich State this week.  IOWA is in charge from start to finish.  Defense way too strong and Mich State is ultimately exposed, like we all knew they evetually would be.  Take the hawkeyes, lay the 6.5 pts.  IOWA 30, MICH ST 13.

Ok, lets move on.  MIZZOU.  oh, MIZZOU.  nice win last week – home game, at night, #1 oklahoma coming in…and miserable loss this week.  the old black shirts do the same thing to MIZZOU that iowa does to michst.  NEBRASKA is simply better.  and believe me, vegas knows it.  lay the 7.5 points, and take the huskers at home in a battle of two very good big 12 teams (or big ten, whatever).  NEBRASKA 36, MIZZOU 27.

You want more PRIMETIME games – fine.  SLICK SAYS, bet USC.  colin cowherd said USC will win outright.  i love the herd.  i also love HOME teams, and i really LOVE home teams named USC, getting points.  USCs defense has had plenty of time to get ready for this one, and although they arent going to stop oregon, they will contain them, and USC can flat out score, just like oregon.  chip kelly said it, they have more 4 and 5 star players than anyone, and tomorrow, they will prove it.  Take USC in a high scoring affair, take the points (i htink youre getting at least 6.5 so take it before it comes down further).  USC 38, OREGON 35.

And, why not, ive gone against every other undefeated team, so lets get the tigers too.  AUBURN comes in with the highest expectations this week.  After a huge win last week in which Cam Newton simply took over the college football world, it just doesnt get any easier, and OLE MISS is waiting to put an end to his media frenzy.  wait, but auburn is lights out a better team and didnt ole miss lose to jacksonville state, at home, and vandy, at home!?  call me crazy, but im taking the HOME team again.  OLE MISS and 7 points is enough for me.  AUBURN wins, but not by enough.  AUBURN 31, OLE MISS 27.

Let me close with a few more interesting lines, that drew my attention.

AIR FORCE +7 V UTAH. did i mention i LOVE home teams, especially in big games.  i also LOVE flyovers.  air force is tested, and coming off of a defeating loss to TCU, air force will have an easier time finding the end zone.  take AIR FORCE, take the points.  AIR FORCE 30, UTAH 28.

MICHIGAN -3 @ PENNT ST. What?!  how is michigan favored against anyone?  Ok SIN CITY, ill take the maize and blue.  MICHIGAN 30, PENN STATE 24, take that.

TEMPLE -29.5 V AKRON. ok, i know akron is awful, but when were the owls favored by almost 30 points against anyone, in football?  is john chaney coaching this owl team?  i dont care who is coaching, ill lay em all, give me TEMPLE.  TEMPLE 44, AKRON 10.

and finally, i also enjoy totals.  i noticed two…

TAKE the OVER in NOTRE DAME V TULSA. 63 points!  wow , thats a lot.  not so fast my friend, both teams will score at will, and ND runs away late.  i see at least 80 points in this one.

TAKE the UNDER in BOSTON COLLEGE V CLEMSON. only 41!?  really, you mean 24-21 still isnt good enough.  yes, thats what i mean.  SLICK says, follow your gut, and although clemson will probably win this game by a score or two, my gut says 23-13 is about all youll see.

SLICK SAYS: Can we PLEASE put BOISE in the CHAMPIONSHIP GAME already!!??

While I was a bit shocked when I read that Reggie Bush was returning his Heisman Trophy, I was glad to see him begin to take responsibility for his actions. Considering the NCAA had vacated USC’s wins that season, due to Bush’s ineligibility and the Heisman Trophy Trust was going to eventually discuss the situation, it was the right thing for Bush to do. More so since USC had already returned their copy of the Trophy after the NCAA ruling came down. While it is better late than never, it is good that the player is finally realizing what he did was wrong. So far the school has been the one to suffer (though I think deservedly so, because they completely ignored what was going on), now Bush must give up his prized possession.

While I realize Bush supporters will say that taking money didn’t affect what he did on the field, which is what he won his Heisman for. And I agree with that, this isn’t a case where Bush took performance enhancers or had a serious legal issue. But he did take that money, which makes him ineligible, and that is one of the few provisions in the voting standard. And while we are at it, let’s remember it is not like Bush just took lunch money from these agents, or received a small benefit or two. While the exact figure isn’t known, it is thought to be in the high six figures. One of the two agents Bush is reported of taking money from sued Bush for over $300,000 in money and gifts that he gave the Bush family. I mean that kinda money is going to be well more than the NFL league minimum, so it is pretty hard to keep a straight face and say Bush should have retained his “Amateur” status.

What Bush did was wrong, and it took away wins and a National Title from his school and now has taken away his Heisman Trophy. Hopefully this is a lesson to both college football teams and players that the NCAA will be coming down hard on those who take money from agents. While usually it is just the school that gets punished if it isn’t found out until after a player left, but this just shows that the pressure can get to the player as well.

By Fanspeak Contributing Writer Geoff Nelowet:

This past week, major recruiting infractions were found within two premier sports programs on opposite coasts: The University of Connecticut basketball program and the University of Southern California basketball and football programs. With both schools, there are numerous allegations filed against them by the NCAA – all of which deal with breaking the rules in recruiting through making improper contact with players or by giving gifts or monetary benefits.

For USC, this is nothing new. The Trojans have a substantial line of recruiting infractions, and they already vacated the entirety of the 2007-08 basketball season after it was released that former basketball player OJ Mayo was given numerous gifts – and $1,000 cash from former head coach Tim Floyd. USC is now facing charges against the recruiting of former USC superstar Reggie Bush, and the Trojans may face vacating wins within the 2003-05 seasons, which includes a national championship.

The University of Connecticut scandal comes as a slightly bigger surprise only because they do not have a storied tradition of NCAA rules violations. According to ESPN, “Members of the men’s basketball staff exchanged at least 160 impermissible telephone calls and at least 191 impermissible text messages with recruits.” If those numbers are correct, the Connecticut staff clearly has no regard for NCAA rules. We are not talking about one or two mistakes – we are talking about continual disregard for NCAA policy. This, of course, is not to say that the U-Conn men’s basketball program is any worse than any other major Division I program – because they’re simply the ones that got caught.

It is safe to say that a vast number of Division I athletic programs break NCAA rules. I would not be surprised if substantially more do than don’t. It seems that the NCAA is not taking an active role in regulating the recruiting processes, and they should share a large part of the blame. Of course it is not feasible for the NCAA to monitor every phone call or text message, but they could at least work with the NFL and NBA so that players are required to stay in school for four years so that, at the very least, Joe McKnight might not be driving around in an SUV that was gifted to his girlfriend by a local businessman for a couple more years.

It seems that if athletes were required to stay in school for four years, it would put an inherent emphasis on collegiate sports as short career – not a stopgap between the pros. College sports is quickly becoming the minor leagues for the NFL and the NBA. Referring to a Division I athlete as a “student-athlete” is for the most part, laughable. If Division I athletes were forced to commit to college for four years – or at least be banned from the pros until they are four years removed from high school – than maybe the mindset would change, and maybe college athletes would be less of a commodity and more closely associated with the “student-athlete” moniker. Maybe Brandon Jennings would find Europe less enticing if he knew he would have to stay overseas for four years instead of one.

In any regard, these recruiting infractions need to be prevented because the integrity of college sports is rapidly collapsing. Not to mention, the NCAA basketball talent pool has been severely depleted over the last two decades by the lucrative NBA contract. It is in everyone’s best interest to minimize these recruiting infractions and a good firs step would be to force athletes to wait four years before going pro.

How good is Florida’s class?:

The Florida Gators may have lost the SEC and National Championship to their rival Alabama, but they won yesterday on National Signing day, inking the best class of any school (Texas is close though). The best part about this class is how they built it, with an intense focus on defense including the top 6 players in their class. The Gators have set themselves up to have one of the best defensive units ever on the gridiron. They covered every position on defense and now have tremendous depth in their secondary. On offense the Gators focused on their their offensive line, running backs and receivers. UF also added a couple of athletes, who could develop into spread quarterbacks or switch to another position. Overall from top to bottom the Gators had the best class, not only in terms of top end talent, but also depth and positional need.

How good is the rest of the SEC?:

ESPN and Rivals both rated the SEC with having 8 top 25 classes (Scout only had 7), by far the best of any conference. All three publications have at least 4 teams ranked in the top 10, with ESPN and Rivals each adding Tennessee to the top 10 as well. Even the teams that didn’t make the top 25 rankings had great recruiting days yesterday, and had they been in other conferences, their classes would be considered among the top 4 or 5 in the league. From the top to the bottom the SEC were the big winners yesterday.

Is USC’s class a bit overrated?:

ESPN has the Trojans 7th overall, with Scout having them 5th and Rivals placing them as the top recruiting class in the country. As a side note, USC has a verbal commitment from Seantrel Henderson the top ranked OT in the nation, but he won’t sign until after the NCAA investigation of past recruiting issues, so if the NCAA comes down on the Trojans, they could lose one of their top recruits. Outside of Henderson, the Trojans had a good, albeit small class.

Of their 18 signed recruits, 14 were 4 or 5 star recruits according to ESPN.  While that is impressive, of that group of talent they added 3 wide receivers and 3 tight ends among that group. Having a third of your class as pass catchers is dangerous. While they should almost certainly find some good starters from that group, they spent too many scholarships on a group that is notorious for failed prospects. Yes, other schools like Florida, Alabama and others added just as many pass catchers, but with 8-12 additional scholarships they were able to address other needs as well. The minimal focus on defense and the offensive line (which are other positions that are in need of new starters) could come back to haunt the Trojans down the line. In fairness they were in on some players, but just couldn’t close on them. With the way the Trojans class went (even with Henderson) I don’t know if they are deserving of anything in the top 15 much less the top 10, given their lack of depth, positional value and filling of need.

Overall I think USC made a great move by bringing in Lane Kiffin as their next head coach (especially since its a package deal with his dad). It just completely shocks me that this move was made under the radar. Of all the names that had been mentioned by USC (or rumored), Kiffin’s name never came up. While I think the Trojans might have had some bigger targets earlier, I think they ended up getting the right man for the job.

Now I know Lane Kiffin can come off a bit arrogant and had some rule violations early on at Tennessee. Which was a bit surprising since he was the recruiting coordinator at USC under Carroll, but that could be chalked up to the brainwashing he received in Oakland by Al Davis. But I think this is the right move since it gives you credibility on offense (Lane’s specialty) and defense (which is his dad’s area of expertise). This should stop the exodus of recruits that had been reopening their recruitment to USC and the current players who were transferring/entering the draft. Another advantage with bringing in Kiffin is his age (34). If he finds success and stays at USC (which could be a big ‘if’) he’s young enough to create a college dynasty there. He could coach there for the next 30 years and give the Trojans the stability they need.

It is a bit surprising that Kiffin is leaving the Volunteers after one season, especially given the state of the SEC right now. Yes the Pac-10 is gaining in prominence (though they had a pretty bad bowl season), the SEC is still the best conference in college football. And right now there is an opening to potentially bring Tennessee back to prominence in the SEC. Florida is in a state of transition right now, and Alabama is losing some of their top defensive players. Ole Miss and Georgia will have brand new starting QB’s and have lost a lot of talent over the past few seasons. LSU could be rebuilding as well. Only Arkansas and Auburn really seemed like teams on the rise in the SEC (though you never fully count anyone out), and Tennessee seemed like one or two years away from being one of the top programs again in their conference. USC on the other hand, is on the way down, as the rest of the Pac-10 rises (which could be why Carroll finally left). Cal and UCLA always can build pretty good teams, and the resurgence of Washington, Oregon State and Stanford makes the Pac-10 a very deep conference. As good as all those teams are, they are all second fiddle to the Oregon Ducks, who are the team to beat out west right now. Kiffin might have the money and prestige of USC to work with, but he will have his work cut out for him in the Pac-10.

The real winner of this deal might not be the football program at USC, but rather the players. Despite Pete Carroll and all his great assistants at USC, the Trojans have done a pretty bad job of developing their recruits into players. Now I know that sounds like sacrilege, since USC is widely considered the “NFL team in Los Angeles” and their record has been so good. But I’m not taking away their accomplishments on the college football field (though I’m quelling the myth that they could compete in the NFL), I’m just commenting on the lack of development of their prospects. Now there are a few notable exceptions, Carson Palmer and Troy Polamalu early on, and Clay Mathews Jr. and Brian Cushing this past season. But all in all, USC players have been major disappointments when it comes to the NFL. Running backs who can’t read blocks, receivers who can’t run routes and defensive players who are just completely lost. I think that will all change with the addition of the Kiffins. Monte Kiffin will bring with him an NFL style defense, and Lane I think will do a better job at developing his recruits into players.

USC saw their BCS Title hopes vanish last night in Oregon with a 47-20 beating by the Ducks. Now the Trojans have two Pac-10 losses on their resume and will likely not be making a return trip to a BCS bowl. The Trojans just got flat out beat by the 10th ranked Ducks. Now to be fair it shouldn’t come as a complete shock that the Ducks won, they are a top-10 team and they were at home. But we have become so accustomed to USC, dominating and winning regardless of the situation that it is a bit of a surprise to see them lose like this. Even those who did predict Oregon would win last night, couldn’t have thought they would have made the Trojans look so helpless.

On paper it looked as if the Ducks would be susceptible to the pass, and might struggle running the ball. For starters they were without their best defensive player CB Walter Thurmond III, who is out the rest of the season with an injury. The Ducks defensive backs were young and inexperienced to begin with and were facing a Trojans team with a number of quality receivers. That matchup looked to distinctly favor USC, but when the dust settled the Trojans had just 187 yards passing, and averaged just 4.9 yards per attempt. To put that number in comparison the Trojans running backs averaged 4.8 yards per carry, and the Ducks passing attack (which isn’t their strength) averaged 7.2 yards per attempt. The Ducks defense did a great job of taking away anything deep, and holding the Trojans top four receivers to under 10 yards per catch.

The Ducks offense faced a similar challenge since it looked like they didn’t matchup with the Trojans defense. USC’s defense hasn’t been as dominate as it has been in the past, but the majority of their failures have come against the pass. Their rush defense is much better than their pass defense. Their front seven is extremely quick and strong, and both of their safeties excel against the run. Oregon’s offense lives and dies by the run, while their quarterback Jeremiah Masoli is a very good dual threat QB, the Ducks lack the big play receivers to really challenge teams vertically. Though Oregon hasn’t had any problems running the ball this year, they are still without their big back LeGarrette Blount, who was suspended after getting into a fight after Oregon’s week 1 loss at Boise State. Blount would have given the Ducks a big weapon against the size and strength of that USC line. In the end though it didn’t matter, because the Ducks rushed their way to 391 yards on the ground, and put up a total of 613 total yards. Both the yardage and points allowed were the most allowed by a USC defense while Pete Carroll has been the head coach.

Oregon’s rout of USC should be a wake-up call for the rest of the college football nation, the Ducks are not to be taken lightly this year. They have beaten USC 47-20 and Cal 42-3, the two teams who were originally considered the best in the Pac-10. The Ducks have outscored their Pac-10 opponents 208-58 so far this season. As long as the Ducks don’t get too overconfident they should easily win out the rest of the season, and will be in the mix to play for a BCS Championship.

Week four of the college football season will go down as the week where National Championship dreams, and hopes for BCS Bowl bids were shattered. Seven of the Top 25 teams lost this week, and four others (Michigan, Houston, Georgia, and LSU) barely escaped with a victory. Of the seven teams that lost, four were top 10 teams that lost crucial conference games. Only one of the seven teams lost to another top 25 team (Miami to Virginia Tech). Now the Top 25 is a complete mess and no one has any answers as to why.

Some might say that the quality of college football is down this season compared to years past, but I’m not buying that. This is probably the deepest that college football has been in talented quarterbacks in quite some time. Not only do you have the big name returners (Tebow, McCoy, and Bradford) and the future first rounders like Jevan Snead, Jimmy Claussen, Terrell Pryor, and Matt Barkley (last two based on hype and potential), but there are plenty of other quality quarterbacks. Guys like Max Hall (BYU), Zac Robinson (OKST), Jake Locker (Wash), Kevin Riley (Cal), Tony Pike (Cinn) also are great college quarterbacks with some pro prospects. That doesn’t even include the dozen or so other quality college quarterbacks, capable of leading their team to victory any given week. That’s just the talent at the quarterback position. The talent level at running back and receiver, is just as good. On the defensive side of the ball the talent level might even be better. While their is plenty of talent at every position around the country, the talent along the defensive line is particularly exceptional. The the 2010 NFL Draft should have at least 10 defensive linemen taken in the first round.

With all this talent across college football the logical answer for why seven ranked teams lost this week would be that there is so much parity between the teams. Parity would make sense if it was just the Top-25 upsetting each other, but with the exception of Miami parity isn’t a good excuse as to why these teams lost this weekend. Parity or even bad luck could explain if these Top 25 teams were losing close games on last second field goals or fluke plays.  Only Ole Miss lost by less than seven points, and they were lucky it was that close considering how bad they played. Every other team simply got beat, no chance for a last second comeback or a miracle, they just got outplayed. Now I realize teams like Oregon, South Florida, and Iowa are quality college teams, but they had no business winning on Saturday. Cal went into Oregon ranked 6th in the nation, and had a firm control of the Pac-10 with USC’s loss the week before. The Golden Bears have a very good team, with the best running back in the nation in Jahvid Best leading the offense. Oregon held their “high-powered” offense to just 3 points, and a 42-3 shellacking. The Ducks embarrassed Cal despite having their best boxer running back, LeGarrete Blount, suspended for the season. There is no reason why Cal’s team but up as many points as the Ducks second stringers yesterday. South Florida is a good program, but their senior quarterback Matt Grothe is out for the season. Grothe was a very good college quarterback, and always made the Bulls a tough team to play, without him in the game Florida State should have been able to walk all over USF. In the end though it was Florida State who looked unprepared for the game, and now leaves them with two losses on the year. Iowa is a spoiler, they upset a top ranked Penn State team last year at home with a last second field goal to win 24-23. Yesterday in Happy Valley, they trounced the Nittany Lions 21-10. Penn State was a team that was supposed to compete for the Big Ten title and even the National Championship coming into this season. You can’t do either if you lose to inferior opponents at home. There is no reason why Penn State should have lost that game last night. Parity can’t be the answer as to why any of these teams lost yesterday, there was nothing equal in any of these matchups.

The real reason I think why we are seeing more and more upsets like this comes down to the coaching and systems. I think the level of coaching has gone down in college football, and we are seeing more of a utilization of special systems and athletes over fundamentals and football players. Every year teams like USC, Florida State, Penn State (and plenty more) recruit the best players in the country, and are loaded with talent. But that “talent” isn’t showing up on the field this season. I think there has been a new ‘fad’ to recruit 40 times, and size, instead of actual football skills. Instead of showing these prospects how to run perfect routes, or find the hole, these teams just game plan on getting these athletes the ball in space. Now that works against inferior opponents, but when you go up against smarter coaches who play fundamental football, they can find a way to stop it. Its also a reason why these storied football programs, have produced a dearth of NFL talent in recent years. USC is the best example, of all the 4 and 5 star recruits they have on their offense, there best player is actually a transfer from Arkansas, WR Damian Williams. I think until teams start going back to basics in college football, we will continue to see a higher number of major upsets.

With today’s news that Aaron Corp will likely start on Saturday for the ailing freshman Matt Barkley when the Trojans take on the Washington Huskies, it brings to mind a question. Just how secure is the Matt Barkley starting job in Southern California? I know most USC fans and the coaches will tell you that Barkley has done a wonderful job and he’s the greatest since Matt Leinart. So far USC is 2-0 so its been hard to find much to complain about, but if you take a look in side Barkley’s numbers you’ll see that he’s hasn’t been as effective as the USC hype machine would lead you to believe.

In his first game against San Jose State, Barkley was 15-19 for 233 yards and one touchdown. On paper that looks impressive, but watching the game you would see that a number of his completions were thrown high or low, that limited the receiver’s ability to get yards after the catch. A lot of those completions wouldn’t have been made against a better defense. Barkley’s inability to hit receivers on the numbers was somewhat exploited in week two against Ohio State. Barkley’s completion percentage dropped 30 points, with a 15-31 for 195 yards and an interception performance against the Buckeyes. Barkley did lead the game winning drive in the 4th quarter, but that was the only real touchdown drive he led. USC’s first touchdown came after the interception return and four straight running plays to punch it in. Barkley has also shown an inability to throw an accurate deep ball, which has always been a big part of USC’s game plan (especially with WR Damian Williams). Barkley lacks the mobility to make plays with his feet, and keep plays alive by moving outside the pocket. Already he’s been sacked three times and hit plenty of others (which led to this shoulder injury).

So what happens when redshirted sophomore Aaron Corp takes the field this Sunday and lights the Huskies up for 300 yards and four touchdowns? Pete Carroll will say that Barkley is still his guy, but the numbers  and the facts don’t lie. Corp has a better grasp of the offense, better mobility and is a more accurate passer. He knows how to hit a receiver in stride to turn moderate gains into game breakers. The biggest knock on Corp has been his lack of arm strength in throwing the deep ball, but since Barkley doesn’t have the accuracy to throw it that’s a wash now. Barkley is the best quarterback of the future and the better pro prospect, but Corp gives the Trojans a better on the field general right now and a better chance to win. I think if Corp sees the field this Saturday his performance will make it tough to take him off of it the following week, and could just possibly start a real quarterback controversy in Southern California.

By contributing Fanspeak writer Geoff Nelowet

Ohio State has not had its way with top-tier nationally prominent opponents. Take last season’s match up against Southern Cal in which the Buckeyes lost 35-3, or consider OSU’s last national title bids – two embarrassing losses: a 41-14 thumping by Florida and a 38-24 loss to LSU. The Buckeyes have been teetering on elite, top-five status as a program, but they haven’t won the big validation games. In fact, they haven’t won a bowl game, albeit BCS bowl game, in three years. For such an esteemed football program, OSU has a lot to prove, and this all comes to focus this weekend at home against USC.

The Trojans, as no surprise, are stocked with talent. Starting quarterback, Matt Barkley, is a freshman, but he’s also a sure-fire NFL prospect that ESPN’s Mel Kiper has already dubbed a number one overall draft pick in the next two to three years. With that being said, expect Barkley to play at a high level, and expect him to be a very consistent freshman quarterback. Barkley won’t be the only offensive factor in the game – Joe McKnight and Allen Bradford are two very talented backs, and they can run on any defense. Ohio State boasts an experienced and talented front four, but the USC offense can find success playing any defense in the country. Remember, USC blew out the Buckeyes last season, and this USC squad brings back nine offensive starters from a year ago.

Expect this to be a closer game, though, as OSU will be at home, and they are still a talented football team. They struggled last week against Navy, but it was week one, and Navy can be a difficult match up. The key element, and most likely the deciding factor of this game, though, will be the play of quarterback Terelle Pryor. Pryor is a huge talent, and he can kill a team with his feet and his arm, but the major question is this: can Pryor play mistake-free football, but still make the big, electrifying plays that win games? Pryor has to play without flaw to beat a team as talented and focused as USC, and this point the answer is no. Pryor is on the right track, and he could be a Vince Young-esque Heisman trophy candidate in the near future, but he’s not ready to play at that level. Pryor will be the most talented player on the field on Saturday, but expect an interception or a fumble or maybe a few of both. Pryor hasn’t shown that he has truly honed his skills yet, and it may only be a matter of time, but that time has yet to come.

In short, the Buckeyes won’t be able to keep pace with Trojans. USC operates at a different pace than everyone else, and they have more talent than their opponent week in and week out. They will be able to find the holes in the OSU defense, and they will be able to get the big stops. USC will be a major national title contender after this game, and Ohio State won’t. The bigger topic at the end of the day, though, will be the state of the OSU football program. Are they a top-five program or a top-fifteen program? Let the  final score tell you: USC 27- OSU 17.