Locks and Shocks - October 9th and 10th

Last week I was listening to sports radio and on one of my favorite shows, the guys were discussing what the easy wins of that weekend were going to be, and what team's were going to shock the nation. I ended up talking with one of my roommates about this, which led to our own discussion of that weekend's slate of games. Turns out I got a couple of them right, which led me to the decision to have a weekly post on my own "locks and shocks" of the weekend. So without further ado...

College Football:
This weekend has some great rivalry match-ups on the slate. Michigan-Michigan State is always intense, and the rivalry between Florida State and Miami should reach a fever pitch tonight. Usually when you are only making a few picks, it's good to stay away from a rivalry, but I won't shy away here.

LOCK: #18 Michigan over #17 Michigan State...Forget the fact that the game is in The Big House. All you need to know are two words: Denard Robinson. The Spartans won't contain Robinson, heck, they may not even touch him.

SHOCK: Oregon State over #9 Arizona...They are traveling to the Wildcats house, but it won't matter. I like Arizona, they're a very likable team. But their ranking is inflated by wins over not-so-good schools, and Oregon State has been the victim of a tough opening schedule. Oregon State is better than you think, and they'll show it with a big upset in Arizona tonight.

NFL:
Talk about tough match-ups. Show me where there are any locks this week. There is such parity in the NFL this year that it's hard to know if anyone will definitely win each week.

LOCK: Cincinnati over Tampa Bay...The Bengals had a tough loss last week at lowly Cleveland. But T.O. had a huge day, and the team will be hungry for a quick rebound this week. This one may get ugly quick.

SHOCK: Washington over Green Bay...It's tough to pick, because it's been a mystery which Redskins defense will show up each week. That's really what it comes down to. The offense will do just enough, and the crowd at FedExField will be enough of a factor this week to complicate Aaron Rodgers life. The defense shows up big, and the Redskins put this one away in the fourth quarter.