Not to brag, but we were a measly half-point away from a perfect week last week, so, yeah.

By complete and utter accident, with riding with four road warriors this week. So, I mean, honestly, what could possibly go wrong?

Cincinnati (+3.5) at Temple

Saturday, Oct. 20 at 11 AM CT | Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pa.

I covered this one in the Very Good Dogs segment on Bootleg this week. If you missed, don’t fret, there are myriad options for consumption, including the one with moving pictures here on the site and the audio-only podcast on Apple Podcasts if you prefer to leave something to the imagination.

The short version is this: Cincinnati’s defense is really, really real. How real is really, really real, you ask? Luke Fickel’s Bearcats are fourth in the nation in scoring defense and lead the whole world in pass efficiency defense. In related news, they’re headed to Philly to face a young quarterback who has proven that he’ll make mistakes.

The line stinks. I don’t care. Sometimes you just have to accept gifts from the gambling gods.

The Pick: Cincinnati (+3.5)

Oklahoma (-8) at TCU

Saturday, Oct. 20 at 11 AM CT | Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas

My gut tells me that Oklahoma rolls on Saturday.

The Sooners are coming off of both a loss and a bye—to variables that, since Lincoln Riley arrived in Norman, almost always lead to devastating offensive performances immediately thereafter—and OU’s biggest weakness (defense, in case you missed it) should be aided by the fact that TCU is relatively bad offensively.

All of that being said, going with your gut will get you in trouble—particularly when its a team you’re decidedly biased towards. So here are some actual statistics:

• Oklahoma is 8-2 vs. TCU in its last 10 games, with an average margin of victory of 10.63.
• Oklahoma is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games immediately following a bye week, with an average margin of victory of 19.
• Oklahoma has never lost on the road with Riley as its head coach and, dating back to Bob Stoops, the Sooners have won 17 straight as visitors, with an average victory margin of 21.06.

The Pick: Oklahoma (-8)

Buffalo (-1) at Toledo

Saturday, Oct. 20 at 11 AM CT | Glass Bowl, Toledo, Ohio

The fact that Buffalo opened as a three-point underdog in this game was, um, a rather unique lapse in judgment by the boys out in the desert.

But, it provided the perfect opportunity for Bratke to pounce mid-week and get back into the winner’s circle with the Bulls as his Very Good Dog.

Simply put, this Toledo defense just doesn’t have what it takes to slow down Buffalo. The Bulls are the best team in the MAC, yet—somehow—they are still being slept on.

The Pick: Buffalo (-1)

Northwestern (-20) at Rutgers

Saturday, Oct. 20 at 11 AM CT | HighPoint.com Stadium, Piscataway, N.J.

Look, not to get ahead of ourselves, but Northwestern has managed to wade out of its September slump and right on into the driver’s seat in the Big Ten West.

Yes, Wisconsin is on the other side of Rutgers, and yes this could, in theory, be a look-ahead spot. But here’s expecting Pat Fitzgerald to use the above reality to get his Wildcats to lock in on what is, quite frankly, potentially the worst college football team in America this week.

Even an uninspired effort from Northwestern should be enough to cover the line in Piscataway. Just give us a couple of Clayton Thorson touchdown passes early and we’ll ride the Wildcats’ defense from there.

The Pick: Northwestern (-20)