It was a typical week in our FootballScoop picks - Scott and Doug missed and Zach hit his pick. Scott had Washington State plus nine over USC (they lost 44-17) and Doug had Old Dominion getting a touchdown at Vanderbilt (they lost by 14), while Zach survived by the skin of his teeth with Auburn minus-2.5 surviving Ole Miss, 35-31.
Scott: over
Perhaps the two most stark turnarounds that no one is talking about are Air Force having six wins after only winning two games last season and UNLV, who won seven last year, only having two wins (1 over an FBS opponent...in overtime). The direction these programs are headed isn't changing this week. Take Air Force laying the 5.5 at UNLV.
Doug: over
David Cutcliffe has Duke sitting as one of quietest 1-loss teams in the country, while Syracuse's 3 wins are against Villanova, Central Michigan (missing their star running back) and Wake Forest. All but one of 'Cuse's six losses have come by double digits, and their latest one (a 7 point loss) was to NC State and Dave Doeren, which marked his first ACC win. See what I'm saying? I'll take Duke and their -3.5 in this one.
Zach: over
This is a pick 'em game that I don't see as a pick 'em game. The Hawkeyes have won four out of five, winning three of those four by double digits. Even in the loss, Iowa put up 31 points. Minnesota, meanwhile, lost to Illinois last week, and beat Purdue by one the week before that. Not exactly firing on all cylinders, these Gophers.
This season: Scott (3-6-1), Doug (3-7), Zach (6-3-1)