Week 6 Recap: The Top 25

Michigan State @ #1 Michigan
My Pick: Michigan
Final Score: Michigan 31, Michigan State 13
Shock. The final yardage stats came out pretty close, with Michigan up only 359-325. Of course, most of the Spartans' yards came after the outcome was completely certain. The Michigan offense continues to hum, with Mike Hart getting a bunch of yards (122) and Henne (11/17, 140, 3 TD) to Manningham (3 rec, 75, 2 TD) getting most of the touchdowns. The Spartans still have a bunch of talent, and there's hope, but Michigan is quite awesome.

Bowling Green @ #2 Ohio State
My Pick: Ohio State
Final Score: Ohio State 35, Bowling Green 7
Troy Smith had the expected great day against a not-great secondary, throwing for 191 and 3 TD on 17/20 passing. Yardage was close (396-358), and Ohio State once again cannot stop the run (179 BGSU yards), so...eh. One would think the UNDISPUTED NUMBER ONE TEAM IN THE COUNTRY!!!! would manhandle Bowling Green worse than Michigan took apart Notre Dame.

Washington @ #3 USC
My Pick: USC
Final Score: USC 26, Washington 20
Washington QB Isaiah Stanback continues to be a one-man team, responsible for 245 of the Huskies' 398 yards, and scoring both TDs. John David Booty went 23/40 passing and racked up 243 yards, but had a mediocre 1/1 TD/INT ratio. Washington could very well be a legit #4 in the Pac 10, and USC continues to not impress. However, I still like the Trojans in the Pac 10.

#7 LSU @ #4 Florida
My Pick: Florida
Final Score: Florida 23, LSU 10
An ugly game statistically, with Florida getting outgained 320-311, but LSU turning it over 5 times. Nobody on either team had more than 43 yards rushing, and both QBs failed to impress statistically: JaMarcus Russell threw for 228, but a 1/3 TD/INT, and while Leak went 17 for 26, he only had 155 and a pick. Anyway, Florida can stop the run (#2 in the country in rushing yds/game behind Michigan), so they'll be fine. Plus the whole Tim Tebow thing is working out wonderfully, even if I have no explanation. That pump fake was awesome.

Arkansas @ #5 Auburn
My Pick: Auburn
Final Score: Arkansas 27, Auburn 10
Okay, so Arkansas wasn't overrated. Well, at the time. But after the win, now they probably are. Mitch Mustain only had 87 yards, but was quite efficient, with one TD on 7/10 passing. But the Razorback running game more than made up for that, with 284 yards and 2 TD. Brandon Cox was finally somewhat impressive, with a TD and 153 on 17/29 through the air. However, the running game (Kenny Irons: 75 yards), and the defense (see the above about Arkansas) obviously let the Tigers down. So, yeah, Auburn's good but not great. Arkansas is...well, good but not great. So there.

#6 Texas @ #14 Oklahoma
My Pick: Texas
Final Score: Texas 28, Oklahoma 10
Hey, the OU defense showed up, only allowing 265 yards. But, whoops, the offense turned it over 5 times, including QB Paul Thompson's 2 picks. Colt McCoy had a Mitch Mustain special, with only 108 yards, but 2 TDs on 11/18 passing. Oh, and Adrian Peterson (109 yards, TD) is still very good.

#8 West Virginia @ Mississippi State
My Pick: West Virginia
Final Score: West Virginia 42, Mississippi State 14
Mississippi State QB Omarr Conner was doing fine (135, TD), but then got hurt, and well, Mike Henig (115, 2 INT) is no Omarr Conner. Which is pretty sad. On the WVU side, yeah, they ran all over the hapless Bulldogs. Slaton: 185, TD. White: 92 on 6/9 passing, 76 and 2 TD rushing. A nice rebound from the ECU game for the Mountaineers.

#9 Oregon @ #10 Cal
My Pick: Cal
Final Score: Cal 45, Oregon 24
Cal RB Marshawn Lynch got injured, but backup Justin Forsett (163, TD) was more than capable. And QB Nate Longshore had a good day as well, obviously with the score, gaining 189 yards and a 3/1 TD/INT on 14/26 passing. The Cal defense also had a good day, picking off Oregon's Dennis Dixon thrice and holding the Ducks to 86 rushing yards. Oregon's still the easy #3 in the Pac 10. They're just now #3.

#11 Clemson @ Wake Forest
My Pick: Clemson
Final Score: Clemson 27, Wake Forest 17
Clemson once again has a game closer than its yardage, as they outgained Wake 437-266. Will Proctor went 20/30 passing and had 214 yards, but an abysmal 1/3 TD/INT, which probably explains the above. But hey, the running game (223, TD) is the bread and butter. And DE Gaines Adams's fumble recovery for a TD also helped. Clemson's much better, but there may be some hope for Wake. Maybe. The ACC is bad. Oh, and Wake couldn't run the ball, only gaining 78 yards on the ground. Actually, maybe there's not much hope for Wake.

#12 Louisville @ Middle Tennessee State
My Pick: Louisville
Final Score: Louisville 44, Middle Tennessee State 17
Yeah, MTSU got outclassed. Louisville QB Hunter Cantwell had 340 yards and a 3/1 TD/INT ratio. Yep.

#15 Tennessee @ #13 Georgia
My Pick: Georgia
Final Score: Tennessee 51, Georgia 33
Uh, yeah. The return of Tereshinski (12/20, 164, 1/2 TD/INT) was an improvement, but really not enough to matter. And two of Georgia's TDs came on a punt return and a kick return, so this could've been worse. And the UGA defense gave up almost 400 yards, led by UT QB Erik Ainge's 268 yards and 2 TD. So...yeah, this was a depantsing.

Purdue @ #16 Iowa
My Pick: Iowa
Final Score: Iowa 47, Purdue 17
A bit of an odd shootout, as Iowa outgained Purdue 551-472, but turnovers (3) and missed FGs (2) doomed the Boilermakers. Iowa RB Desmond Sims ran for 155 and 2 TD, and Drew Tate finally had an impressive game, going 17/23 for 253 and 2 TD. Of course, this was against an awful Purdue defense. Iowa no longer looks like a darkhorse Big Ten champ candidate (naw, really?), and I think the all-offensive, no-defense hierarchy goes Notre Dame > Texas Tech > Purdue.

Stanford @ #17 Notre Dame
My Pick: Notre Dame
Final Score: Notre Dame 31, Stanford 10
WHAT A GREAT GAME BY BRADY QUINN!!!!!! HEISMAN HEISMAN HEISMAN!!!!!! Against that fearsome Stanford defense. Sure.

Louisiana Tech @ #18 Boise State
My Pick: Boise State
Final Score: Boise State 55, Louisiana Tech 14
Ian Johnson was actually somewhat contained, only gaining 92 and a score on the ground. Boise didn't have any huge individual days, but gained 492 total yards. They gave up 338, but hey, no defense flies in the WAC. And it's probably still a lot better than the other conference's defenses.

#19 Nebraska @ Iowa State
My Pick: Nebraska
Final Score: Nebraska 28, Iowa State 14
Good performance by both teams, the Huskers were just better. Nebraska's running backs, Cody Glenn (148, 2 TD) and Brandon Jackson (116, TD), had big numbers, and Zac Taylor (17/21, 131, TD) had an impressively efficient day. ISU QB Bret Meyer threw for 262 and a 1/1 TD/INT ratio, but the fact that he led the team in rushing with 26 yards (and a TD) pretty much signals why the Cyclones lost the game.

Maryland @ #20 Georgia Tech
My Pick: Georgia Tech
Final Score: Georgia Tech 27, Maryland 23
GT had production from all three skill positions: QB (Reggie Ball: 13/25, 161, TD passing, 84 and a TD rushing), RB (Tashard Choice: 138, 2 TD), and WR (Calvin Johnson: 10 rec, 133, TD). However, the Terps hung in there, behind RB Lance Ball's 116 yards and QB Sam Hollenbach's 190 on 16/24 passing, with a TD, and, perhaps in the difference, an INT. There may be hope for UMD yet. And the fact that GT may still be the #2 team in the ACC really shows how weak the conference is.

#21 Florida State @ NC State
My Pick: Florida State
Final Score: NC State 24, Florida State 20
Florida State needs their defense to win. NC State QB Daniel Evans: 13/22, 190, 3 TD. NC State RB Andre Brown: 113 yards on 18 carries. Whoops. I have no idea if Evans is legit, and if he is, NC State has hope. FSU, very much not legit.

#22 Missouri @ Texas Tech
My Pick: Texas Tech
Final Score: Missouri 38, Texas Tech 21
TTU had 378 passing yards, so Mizzou couldn't really stop them, but the Red Raiders turned it over 5 times. Mizzou had a solid 333 total yards, but no real standout individual performances. The Tigers are a solidly above-average team, but the outcome of this game could've easily been different.

#24 Pittsburgh @ Syracuse
My Pick: Pittsburgh
Final Score: Pittsburgh 21, Syracuse 11
Both teams were more impressive offensively than defensively? Whaaaaa. Both QBs had good days, with Pitt's Tyler Palko (20/24, 177, TD - and a rushing TD!) being more efficient than Cuse's Perry Patterson (20/29, 225, TD). Pitt RB LaRod Stephens-Dowling had the most impressive game, however, running for 221 and a score. So, Cuse is probably good enough to finish around 6th in the Big East, while Pitt is a distant but clear #3 in the conference.