2009 College Football Pick'em Week 5

The college football season is in full swing, and the upsets are coming fast and quick. If you love football there is no doubt that the 2009 college football season is what you've been waiting for. Lucky for me and those of you who follow my advice my picks have been on point thus far this season. Now, let's see if I can keep the magic rolling in this latest edition of the Walker-Sports College Football Pick'em.

LSU vs. Georgia: Georgia has been one of the strangest teams for me to watch all season. On paper they should not have found this level of success, yet every week they manage to sneak out a win. It's especially impressive what the Bulldogs have done considering their carelessness with the ball, the offense is responsible for turning the ball over 12 times thus far this season.

LSU is entering the worse part of their schedule. Saturday they are on the at Georgia, next week they have the Florida Gators. This two week stretch can make or break their season. Les Miles' team has looked very strong thus far this season. Once again the Tigers have a great defense and they appear to have found some stability at quarterback which is something that has escaped them the past few seasons.

Georgia has been sloppy at times this season, but they always find a way to manage. Going between the hedges in Athens is never easy. That homefield advantage as much as anything is what is responsible for Georgia being favored by three and a half points.

Winner:Georgia wins the game, but LSU keeps it interesting and covers the 3.5 points.

USC vs. Cal:This game looked a lot better on paper last week. That was before the Cal Bears fell flat on their face against Oregon last week. Jahvid Best is an amazing talent, there is no question about that, but Cal needs to find other options on offense if they want to be success.

USC always blows a game to a PAC 10 opponent, they have already done that this season, which means by past logic the Trojans should be good to go for the rest of the season. Matt Barkley is back under center and that will stablize the Trojan offense. On defense USC simply needs to contain the edges and insure that Best does not go crazy.

Winner:The spread favors USC by 4.5 points. I'm all over this one. USC wins straight up and covers the spread with ease. Last week's performance against Oregon soured me on Cal for a while to come.

Oklahoma vs. Miami:Perhaps the most intriguing storyline coming out of this game is will Oklahoma's Sam Bradford take the field. As of right now the answer appears to be no. That being said, Oklahoma still has plenty of options. The key to this game will be the play of the Sooners defense. They have an extremly talented front seven on defense, arguably the best in the country. If they can generate pressure they will be able to rattle Harris in the pocket.

Miami took a thumping last week when they traveled up to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech. The problem was the Hurricanes were unable to protect their quarterback. As a result, they turned the ball over and fell behind. On Saturday the Canes will be in more comfertable confines when they return to Miami. This will help them a lot as the Canes look to close out one of the most difficult stretches in football. Miami has had a brutal month and the home crowd will have to help lift them as they look to close out yet another game against a top ranked opponent.

The spread on this game has grown to favor the Sooners by 7.5 points. A lot of people are hoping that Bradford will make a return this week, but Oklahoma does not need him if they want win, they need defense.

Winner: Oklahoma wins the game straight out, but Miami covers the 7.5 points.

Michigan vs. Michigan State:Rich Rod is on a tear, with his Wolverines and he is having fun. This week's Michigan press conference sounded like a comedy sketch from the way Rodriguez was cracking jokes as he spoke with the media. And why not? The Wolverines look better than they have in years. Freshman quarterback Tate Forcier appears to be the man to lead the Wolverines into the future. Currently he is second in the Big 10 in passing efficiency, but more importantly Forcier appears to be adapting to the Rich Rodriguez spread. The Wolverines are averaging 37.5 points per game.

Michigan State is off to a rocky start this season. Coming into the season many thought the Spartans had a chance to make a run at a Big 10 championship. Unfortunitly poor decisions at the quarterback position have caused Michigan State to lose their last three games. That being said, this is an instate rivalry, and it has been a close one over the years.

The spread favors the Spartans by three and a half points which seems a bit odd considering the roll the Wolverines have been on as of late. This has been a close rivalry, and Michigan has held on to a slight edge. That could all come to an end on Saturday. This will be a gritty game but the Spartans hold on and pull out the win.

Winner: Michigan State wins straight up and covers the spread.