The Locksmith's Pick 6: Week 5

A Low-Key Saturday Upcoming After Last Week's Epic Schedule

One last rant about Notre Dame's loss to Ohio State. I think Marcus Freeman is a good fit for the Irish. But his assistants did him a disservice with some poor coaching decisions on both the offensive and defensive sides that cost Notre Dame a win. Glaringly poor coaching decisions, too.

That one will sting for a while in South Bend.

As for the Locksmith, a hint of normalcy last week after going 4-1-1 vs. the spread. Starting to heat up.

A yawning weekend of games deserves a list of mediocre games to pick from. The Locksmith zeroed in on a few of them.

On to the games:

 IOWA over Michigan State giving 12

A risk here, given that it's up for debate whether the Hawkeyes can even score 12 points. But the perfect cure for Brian Ferentz' hard-to-watch offense comes in the form of a visit by the Spartans, who look to have packed it in since the Mel Tucker scandal broke. Michigan State has lost its last two games by a combined 72-16 and it sure seems as if a few players are headed out of the program soon.

OKLAHOMA over Iowa State, giving 20

Hate laying this many points to a Matt Campbell-coached team, but he is relying on a freshman QB (Rocco Becht), who will be making his first visit to Norman. Sooners haven't dazzled in their wins but they have the nation's No. 2 scoring defense and QB Dillon Gabriel has been solid. Iowa State's lack of a consistent ground game will put too much pressure on Becht here.

BOSTON COLLEGE over Virginia, giving 3 1/2

Why this game? Why not? Winless Cavs have shown themselves to be a train wreck and are last in the ACC in both scoring offense and scoring defense. Now they're expected to try Monmouth transfer Tony Muskett at quarterback. Reeks of desperation. Eagles stink, but they showed spunk in a close lose to Florida State before unraveling at Louisville last week. QB Thomas Castellanos has been a rare bright spot for hot seat occupant Jeff Hafley this year.

Clemson over SYRACUSE, giving 6 1/2

Flip the schedules and ask yourself: Wouldn't Clemson be 4-0 against the likes of Colgate Western Michigan, Purdue and Army? Orange QB Garrett Schrader is having a nice season but it's hard to tell what it means given the level of competition faced. Big bounce back here for the Tigers, who are capable of dynamic things on offense with QB Cade Klubrik and a dependable, two-headed running game.

Arkansas over Texas A&M, taking 6 1/2 (at Arlington, Texas)

Aggies will turn back to Max Johnson at QB following the season-ending injury to Connor Weigman, and what that usually means based on Johnson's track record is some mediocre production from the position. Razorbacks' two losses have been by a combined 10 points. They have one of the SEC's most dangerous dual threats in QB KJ Jefferson. A&M continues to slog along with more talent than results.

WYOMING over New Mexico, giving 14

Cowboys need to get better play at QB and need to get more production from their running game, but their only loss so far has been to Texas and they're facing a New Mexico team that allows 400 yards per game. Lobos lost to New Mexico State and needed OT to beat UMass. Hardly ringing endorsements.

Home team in CAPS

 Last week vs. spread: 4-1-1

 Season to date vs. spread: 10-12-2