College Football Challenge Picks-NCAA Football Week 8 Picks

Collin Klein (7) makes a good play this week as he looks to run wild against a vulnerable Mountaineer defense. Photo by Peter G. Aiken-US PRESSWIRE

Last week, someone finally slowed down the West Virginia offense. Many entries are jumping ship on the Mountaineers this week, and mine is one of them. Last week I actually had switched them out, but went back to them as a “safe” pick. As a result, I’ve decided to try and use my entry to highlight the picks that not everyone has and maybe give you some less well-known options if you’re looking to fill holes on your roster. Check out my Mountaineer-less lineup below…

Last week was another great week for several entries in our 21-entry Fantasy CPR group (click here for info on how to join). The winner of the week was QuirkMichael entry 1 who put up a solid 193 points with Johnny Manziell’s 63 leading the way. Overall it’s still “Zach has the best entry” who put up 181 to stay in first despite just 4 points from Cody Getz at RB due to injury. Zach is ranked 61st in the game right now and in the top 0.1% of all entries.

It’s going to be another exciting Saturday, and here’s who I’ve got starting for me:

Sep 22, 2012; DeKalb, IL, USA; Northern Illinois Huskies quarterback Jordan Lynch (6) rushes the ball against the Kansas Jayhawks during the second quarter at Huskie Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-US PRESSWIRE

Quarterback

Jordan Lynch-Northern Illinois: NIU is visiting Akron this week and Lynch is coming off of six straight games with 30+ challenge points including last week’s 41 against Buffalo. Akron ranks 114th in the country in points allowed and have lost six of their seven games allowing 30 points or more in all but one of those losses. Lynch should be able to produce both on the ground and through the air as the Huskies pile up points against the Zips.

Collin Klein-Kansas Sate: Another dual-threat QB who looks lined up for a big week is Klein as the #4 Wildcats head to Morgantown to take on West Virginia. While it should be a great high-scoring game, the Mountaineers defense hasn’t shown the ability to stop anyone yet. They allowed 49 points to Texas Tech last week in Lubbock, 45 to the Longhorns in Texas the week before, and 63 to Baylor in Morgantown three weeks ago. Klein has been on a nice run of his own with 30+ challenge points in four of his last five games including 35 last week and 36 against Kansas two weeks ago.

Running Back

Stefphon Jefferson-Nevada: Jefferson returned to the endzone after a two-week drought and scored three times against UNLV last week scoring 36 challenge points. This week he and the Wolf Pack host San Diego State as they try to stay unbeaten in the Mountain West. San Diego State has a solid rushing attack of their own so this should be a good game with two rush-based attack on full display.

Eddie Lacy-Alabama: Lacy had a breakout game last week with 177 yards and three touchdowns. The Crimson Tide will ride him and their defense to stay #1 as they head to Rocky Top to take on the offensively potent Volunteers. They’ll need to control the ball so expect Lacy to see plenty of action in this SEC showdown.

Oct 13, 2012; Shreveport, LA, USA; Louisiana Tech Bulldogs wide receiver Quinton Patton (4) catches a touchdown over Texas A

Wide Receiver

Quinton Patton-Louisiana Tech: Patton burst onto the national scene with a huge game against Texas A&M last week in which he caught 21 passes for 233 yards and four touchdowns. This week he and the Bulldogs host the Idaho Vandals who are 1-6 and allowing 38.0 points per game ranking them 115th in the nation in scoring defense. La Tech should hang a big number and hopefully Patton gets his share of work before things get out of hand.

DeAndre Hopkins-Clemson: Hopkins and the Tigers return from their open week as they host the Hokies of Virginia Tech. Hopkins is the fifth-ranked wide receiver coming into the game and is coming off of three weeks in a row with a touchdown. The Hokies defense has been solid this year, but Clemson has put up no fewer than 37 points since week one and should be able to move the ball and get into the endzone in this big ACC game.

Team Defense and Kickers

Notre Dame defense: They still haven’t allowed an offensive touchdown (barely) and host a similarly defensively minded BYU team. This game could be all field goal kicking. In each of their first six games the Irish defense have been able to reach double-digit challenge points.

Florida State Kickers: FSU’s top ranked kickers head to Miami after a 15 point performance against BC last week. Miami allows an average of 32.3 points per game so there should be plenty of points for the ‘Noles this week.