Your free pick winner for Saturday is on Nebraska -3 at Washington.
Laying chalk on the road is not the overall key to success and losing Ndamukong Suh definitely hurts but Bo Pelini has done a great job with this Cornhusker program and his boys should be too physical today in the end.
I love Jake Locker as the quarterback may be the best player in the entire country and has the potential to be the first draft pick next season but with that said the finesse Huskies, even at home, really should not be able to physically compete well enough today to win this game. I really do like what Steve Sarkisian has done with this program in a short amount of time. We saw UDub upset USC a season ago and these guys do have talent. But it’s just asking too much for them to man up with the likes of Eric Martin and Baker Steinkuhler and the physicality of the boys from the Big 12. Some say this Black Shirt defense may be even better than last season with Suh. I’m not fully buying that as losing a superstar defender like that is too much to overcome and actually be better but this unit is very good and creates a tough matchup for the Huskies.
Taylor Martinez is a red shirt freshman who will be tested playing in his first road game but the kid is certainly talented enough to play over Zach Lee and even if not close to the level of Locker should be just fine. Martinez leads an offense that has been moving the ball and putting up points. I’ve even read the words electric and Oregon Ducks-like being used for this offense which is not bad at all as UN has been fairly slow and plodding over the past 10 or so years.
This game should be competitive but after 60 minutes I do think Pelini’s crew will wear down their Pac-10 opponent and win and cover this thing.
The pick: Nebraska
For more information: I’ve had 7 of 11 winning days now after the rock solid Friday led by Nevada outright and the Brewers plus 135ish. I am absolutely going ballistic today with a capital B! This slate is so prime for the picking that I am giddy like a kid in a candy store. Five winners, yes five.
The big play comes late night so tuck the kids in bed, get out the juice and watch my 400,000* between Wake Forest and Stanford cash with ease. A pair of bonus 300,000* including East Carolina-Virginia Tech and Kent State-Penn State. 200,000* Notre Dame-Michigan State and 100,000* Texas-Texas Tech finishes out the day. If there is ever one day you need to listen to me this is that day! Get today’s college football picks