Week 6 Picks--Midseason rivalries aren't as appealing this year

Oklahoma vs. Texas
Draper: The Red River Shootout (yeah, I said it, big whoop, wanna fight about it) is actually semi-relevant this year after Texas disappearing. That being said, these aren't the polished McCoy to Shipley from 2006-2009. While the younger brothers are improving, they aren't good enough to take down the Sooners. Jones will have a field day with Broyles and Stills, and the Stoops defense will knock the Longhorns off their undefeated high horse with relative ease. OU: 48--UT: 20
Auer: Texas has seemingly returned to form after an abysmal 2010 season, and here they sit at 4-0. The problem is Texas really hasn't beaten anyone. The Sooners on the other hand have a key win at Florida State, and look to continue on their collision course for a date with the Crimson Tide. This one really shouldn't be close, as much as I want UT to make it so. OU: 35--UT: 10
Hoying: In so many other years, 4-0 Oklahoma vs. 4-0 Texas would serve as a mid-season determinant of the Big XII South champion. Not so this year; there are five (Five!) undefeated Big X(II) teams heading into this week, and all of them will play each other before the season is done. This is the first (second if you count KSU-Baylor of what should be an excellent set of Big X(II) showdowns. Look for Oklahoma's steadier offense, led by veteran QB Landry Jones, to have a big day and the better-than-advertised OU defense to cause confusion for the 2-headed Texas QB monster. OU: 34 -- UT: 16
Schweinfurth: Undefeated Texas and undefeated Oklahoma? One would think this game would be close but you have to go with McCoy and Shipley. Wait, it's not Colt and Jordan? In all seriousness, Oklahoma is the better team. The Sooner D is down right nasty and will just be too much for both Texas QBs. OU: 42 -- UT: 17

Florida @ LSU
Draper: Sucks for Florida that they get the 2 best teams in the country back-to-back. Also, they have lost their QB (Brantley) to dismemberment at the hands of the Saban defense. This could have been a good matchup, but the Gators haven't turned the corner yet. LSU is rolling and should make easy work of the Gators without a QB. Demps and Rainey are good, but no passing threat will be a killer. Death Valley will be insane and will send more Gators to the doctor. UF: 6--LSU: 24
Auer: Not much chance for Will Muschamp's Gators as they head to Death Valley without a QB. LSU is really good, but not quite as good as Alabama, but still won't have a problem with UF this week. UF: 10--LSU: 32
Hoying: I still think Florida is shaping up to make some noise in the weak SEC East (and get hammered by 'Bama again), but LSU in Baton Rouge is too tall an order for the Gators, especially without their starting QB (we've seen what effect losing your only good QB can have). The LSU defense is slightly more forgiving than the Crimson Brick Wall, but Florida will be in no position to challenge it. UF: 13 -- LSU: 20
Schweinfurth: Will Muschamp has the Gators turning the corner and Jabba the Weiss has figured has been putting Demps and Rainey in positions to succeed. Unfortunately for Florida, LSU has one of the best secondaries in the nation. This should be an exciting game but Baton Rouge will prove to be too much for Florida. UF: 14 -- LSU: 31

Auburn @ Arkansas
Draper: Auburn has been living on borrowed time with 3 of their 4 wins coming in heart-stopping fashion. The little known secret is that they're not that good and have been super lucky. Give them credit for hanging around long enough to steal a win, but not happening in Fayetteville. Tyler Wilson and the Hogs dug a HUGE hole last week (thankfully it was against the choke artists at TAMU) but looked great and under poise coming back. Expect another huge passing day from Wilson to lead the Hogs to victory and send the Tigers back to reality. Aub: 17--Ark: 38
Auer: Auburn is officially about to become the schizophrenic team of 2011. They'll upset highly ranked USC one week, then turn around and lose to Clemson, and then struggle against the likes of Utah State. The Tigers will surely come back to earth after last week's upset of the Gamecocks. Aub: 21--Ark: 45
Hoying: In the last two weeks, Arkansas got hammered by the best team in the country and looked beatable against Texas A&M before a well-played comeback. This team is itching to make a statement and dismantle an opponent, and look who's coming to Fayetteville. The Auburn Tigers have derailed two trendy SEC picks (South Carolina and Mississippi State) and their only loss is to a quality Clemson team, but anyone who's been watching this team has to be scratching their head wondering how long Gene Chizik's brain farts can power this team to victory. Here's a fun stat to close with: the SEC-worst Auburn defense gives up 233 passing yards per game. Arkansas's QB Tyler Wilson led the SEC's best offense to 510 passing yards last week against Texas A&M. Uh-oh. Aub: 20 -- Ark: 56
Schweinfurth: Auburn continues to live on the edge and keeps gutting out close wins. The last time the Tigers faced a top offense (in Clemson), the Tiger defense was exposed. Auburn can score and I don't buy into the Razorback defense. Auburn's magic touch has to run out sometime and, even though I say it every week, it runs out this week in a not so close shootout. Aub: 28 -- Ark: 42

Ohio State @ Nebraska
Draper: We just can't catch a break (mostly due to stupid players). No Boom and No Posey most likely means no help on offense. The return of Mike Adams (and possibly even Solomon Thomas) will help but the biggest boon to the offense will be Nebraska. Their defense is well behind MSU at the line of scrimmage. This bodes well for the OSU running game. Hall will run for a solid 100 yards, but the flip side is Nebraska's O is better than MSU. One aspect that has given the Bullets fits is a running QB...uh oh. The Bullets play tough and the offense looks more competent, but on the road is gonna be trouble for the young QB. I think it will be much closer than the experts think. I have to do it (for the first real time), but I don't have to like it. OSU: 20--Neb: 27
Auer: Struggling to find the positives in this one. The Buckeyes have to click eventually, don't they? The defense has to score eventually, right? I have literally no rhyme or reason to do this, but I have a feeling that Nebraska *might* be the type of team that chokes under pressure. The Buckeyes are going to be lucky to have anything to play for by the time November rolls around, so they might as well throw whatever they've got out Saturday night in Lincoln and maybe Lady Luck will be on the side of Fickell's team. OSU: 13--Neb: 10
Hoying: The Buckeyes are bad, m'kay? The team has no quarterback, its best running back and wide receiver have slipped through its grasp indefinitely, and key players are being lost left and right to serious injuries (Verlon Reed, Philly Brown, Nate Williams). The Bucks are teetering on the edge of collapse as evidenced by RB Carlos Hyde's comments about the coaching staff. Now for the good news. Aside from a few problems with the secondary (looking at you, #7), the defense still works, which is remarkable considering how long they've had to stay on the field. Also, Nebraska's defense isn't going to be anywhere near as tough as MSU's to crack. However, nighttime in Lincoln is going to be very unforgiving to this young team. Even though this one is winnable, the young Bucks don't quite have the poise to get it done. OSU: 16 -- Neb: 17
Schweinfurth: This game is will be all about defense. Ohio State has a walrus calling plays and Taylor Martinez makes my throwing motion look good. If one offense has an advantage, it has to be the 'Husker's pseudo-option attack. One gets the feeling that, if Nebraska scores early, the Silver Bullets may revolt against the offense. The Buckeyes are on tilt and Bo Pelini is looking to make a statement. This one is close but Nebraska moves the ball thanks to a few missed tackles. Martinez throws a few picks (including a pick 6) but the Bucks can't take advantage of the field position. OSU: 10 -- Neb: 17

Upset Specials
Draper: Mizzou over Kansas State
Auer: Ohio State over Nebraska
Hoying: Northwestern over Michigan (I don't know, I don't see a lot of upsets this week)
Schweinfurth: Maryland over Georgia Tech (I'm with Hoying on this one. Not many upset chances)