Bob's Picks - Can Cal pull the ACC Upset of the Year over SMU?

Yes, Mighty Stanford is actually an underdog to San Jose State

After poaching the 108-year-old Pac-12 for Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado, the Big 12 thought it had saved itself from irrelevancy.

This move left Washington State and Oregon State high and dry and completely alone, but no one cared about their programs or the welfare of their "student-athletes."

But, in what may be the ultimate irony, the Big 12 is now in danger of being left out of the new 12-team College Football Playoff altogether.

This weekend will be critical for the six or seven teams nationwide who are on the CFP bubble.

This week's picks are as follows:

(All of last week’s picks are available here)

SOUTHERN METHODIST over CAL ... In a conference that now stretches from sea to shining sea, I guess it's fitting that perhaps the best team of all is located smack in the middle of the country. NIL has made SMU a player again. They've always had big money support, but now it's legal.

OREGON over WASHINGTON ... The Huskies were in the national championship game last season, and that's when the playoff took only four teams. Now they'll end up as just another .500 team. Ask their fans what they think about the move to the Big Ten.

NOTRE DAME over USC ... There was a time when this was the Game of the Year in college football. The Trojans, too, have found the move to the Big Ten to be much less productive than they thought it would be. The boosters are not happy.

ARIZONA STATE over ARIZONA ... The Sun Devils are the last best hope for the Big 12 being represented in the CFP.

OHIO STATE over MICHIGAN ... Count the Wolverines among the former powers who fell off the cliff this year.

MISSISSIPPI over MISSISSIPPI STATE ... With the price of eggs these days, it's surprising they still call this one the Egg Bowl. They should change it to the Inflation Bowl.

WASHINGTON STATE over WYOMING ... The Cougars are still reeling from back-to-back losses to New Mexico and Oregon State, teams they were expected to be able to beat in their sleep.

INDIANA over PURDUE ... The Hoosiers are playoff bound.

COLORADO over OKLAHOMA STATE ... The Cowboys go winless in the Big 12 for the first time since the Civil War.

ALABAMA over AUBURN ... What, an expanded CFP and no Crimson Tide in the brackets? Further proof that The End is near.

FLORIDA over FLORIDA STATE ... From first to worst, the Seminoles' story is a sad one indeed.

GEORGIA over GEORGIA TECH ... This may not be the best Georgia team, but expect the Bulldogs to make some noise in the CFP.

TEXAS over TEXAS A&M ... Nice to see these two playing each other again.

CONNECTICUT over MASSACHUSETTS ... The Minutemen haven't been a football power since they defeated UC Davis, 35-14, in the 1972 Boardwalk Bowl in Atlantic City.

UNLV over NEVADA ... The winner of this one gets a cannon. The loser gets three days and two nights in Winnemucca.

UPSET OF THE WEEK: Stanford over San Jose State ... Yes, the Cardinal has fallen so far so fast that the upstart Spartans are actually favored in this one. Can Troy Taylor rally the troops after blowing the Big Game? (Upset record: 4-9).

ROUT OF THE WEEK: Boise State over Oregon State ... The once-meager Beavers are riding high after stunning Washington State last weekend, but the Blue Turf favors Boise. (Rout record: 13-0).

DON'T BET ON IT, BUT: Brigham Young over Houston ... The Boys from Provo try to right their suddenly sinking ship. (Don't bet record: 6-7).

FIVE EASY PICKS: This week's easy money is on Penn State (over Maryland), Tennessee (over Vanderbilt), Troy (over Southern Mississippi), Illinois (over Northwestern) and Miami, Fla. (over Syracuse). (FEP record: 62-3).

OTHER GAMES: Iowa over Nebraska, Clemson over South Carolina, Louisiana Tech over Kennesaw, Army over Texas-San Antonio, Ohio U. over Ball State, and UCLA over Fresno State.

Last week: 33-9, season: 433-97, percentage: .817

Reach me at bobdunning@thewaryone.com