Neal's Picks, presented by Service Specialists: Week 10

NEAL'S PICKS PALATIAL HEADQUARTERS -- We always respected Jeffrey Wright.

As a young buck, he showed a penchant for picking winners. He had the work ethic, the lack of care for anything other than watching game after game after game, looking for tendencies and trends.

In return, we at Neal's Picks taught him everything we knew. Well, almost everything.

Then, as in life, the young protege left the cocoon and spread his own wings. Last year, he took a dagger and stuck it straight through our proverbial heart here at Neal's Picks, ending our two-year championship run and stealing the title away from its rightful home.

He got off to a slow start this season, but we never took our eyes off him. Interns doing opposition research warned me a move was coming. Last week, on a week when we at Neal's Picks were distracted by work and parenting and other minutiae, Wright had a big week and closed the gap.

He left little ole' MPW Digital, home of the potato log podcast, for a massive media conglomerate in Memphis. He married into a family allegedly known for its connections to organized gambling. I said allegedly, sort of like Deion Sanders is allegedly flying to Atlanta today to interview for a job because head coaches always fly to Atlanta on a Thursday to interview for jobs. Allegedly.

So we sense him making his move. We respect him, but there's no fear. We welcome the challenge. We -- me and my Swedish interns and their vodka -- prepared for this. We always figured Parham would get distracted and Rippee's Pittsburgh Pirates imitation buried him early.

The calendar has turned to November. You know what Houston Nutt always said. They remember November. We'll have results on Sunday. We'll accept them, one way or the other, as truth. We won't need extra days to count them or look for new results.

Not everyone can say that these days.

As Corn Pop always said, "That Jeffrey Wright is a bad dude."

On to the picks...

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Last Week:

Neal McCready: 5-2 overall, 3-4 ATS

Chase Parham: 5-2 overall, 2-5 ATS

Jeffrey Wright: 5-2 overall, 5-2 ATS

Brian Rippee: 6-1 overall, 4-3 ATS

For The Season:

Neal McCready: 80-18 overall, 46-39 ATS

Chase Parham: 79-19 overall, 45-40 ATS

Jeffrey Wright: 77-21 overall, 43-42 ATS

Brian Rippee: 81-17 overall, 31-54 ATS

Air Force -6.5 at Army, Choctaw Stadium, Arlington, Texas, 10:30 a.m., CBS

Neal McCready: I don't know anything. I just felt we should honor the service academies this week. We have free elections on Tuesday. No one believes in the results and there will likely be disturbances, but by God, we're having elections. Neal's Pick: Air Force 30, Army 20

Chase Parham: Neal is in the lead, so what the hell is this? I mean I'm all for patriotism, so whatever, let's go nuts. Parham's Pick: Air Force 31, Army 24

Jeffrey Wright: I don’t think Army is good, and Air Force is. WRIGHT’S PICK: AIR FORCE 24, ARMY 14.

Brian Rippee: I like planes. Rippee's Pick: Air Force 31, Army 13

Kentucky -2 at Missouri, 11 a.m., SEC Network

Neal McCready: Call me crazy, but I kind of think the wrong team is favored here. If I'm Will Levis and I'm not healthy, I'm getting off the field. He's killing his stock. Neal's Pick: Missouri 24, Kentucky 23

Chase Parham: I hate Missouri. I mean not really. In some ways, I like the Tigers. But they have messed me over all year because I have zero read on them except they play close games usually. That does no good here. Let's ride with the home team but it's a crapshoot. Parham's Pick: Mizzou 24, Kentucky 20

Jeffrey Wright: I’m thinking that this might be a decent spot for the Wildcats after they got embarrassed in Knoxville because they really always kinda suck against the Vols. WRIGHT’S PICK: KENTUCKY 24, MISSOURI 17

Brian Rippee: Is this a case of Mizzou being overvalued after a road win or a product of Kentucky simply not being that good of a football team? The Tigers are pretty good on defense and seemingly began to click on the offensive side last week against South Carolina. This feels like a sucker play, but I am really down on Kentucky. Rippee's Pick: Missouri 24, Kentucky 21

Florida +3 at Texas A&M, 11 a.m., ESPN

Neal McCready: These two teams are 2-8 in the SEC and one of those wins was a fluke. Let that sink in. Both are going through chaos right now. I just think the Aggies can score some. Yes, I'm watching. I love chaos. Neal's Pick: Texas A&M 27, Florida 23

Chase Parham: Give me the points. One team is falling so short of expectations and has suspensions while the other is bad but dealing with a first-year head coach so it's somewhat expected. Somehow, Florida is the more stable team here. Parham's Pick: Florida 27, Texas A&M 24

Jeffrey Wright: I think Texas A&M is starting to find something of a pulse offensively. Also, Florida’s defense really sucks. I also think people completely ignored the fact that Texas A&M spent six weeks away from home. WRIGHT’S PICK: TEXAS A&M 31, FLORIDA 24

Brian Rippee: Texas A&M, for all of its flaws that are easy to poke fun at, continues to play hard every week. The Aggies are talented defensively and I think sort of found a bit of an offensive identity last week against Ole Miss. Jimbo Fisher hinted at that in his bizarrely jovial postgame press conference in which he declared it was the "first time in the history of ball," that he's ever joked after a loss. I don't really know what that means. But I do know Florida's defense stinks. Rippee's Pick: Texas A&M 21, Florida 13

No. 2 Tennessee +8 at No. 1 Georgia, 2:30 p.m., CBS

Neal McCready: I guess I don't hate Tennessee the way so many of you do. I'm kind of cheering for them. That said, I think they run into a buzzsaw Saturday. It's close, but the Vols' defense finally bites them. Neal's Pick: Georgia 35, Tennessee 31

Chase Parham: I told Neal on Wednesday that this is an emotional hedge for me. I am cheering for the Bulldogs, so if I lose, I'll be completely happy. If Tennessee keeps it close or wins, I at least get this game. I'm hoping for a close UGA victory. Parham's Pick: Georgia 38, Tennessee 34

Jeffrey Wright: Maybe I’m falling for the trap because I think Tennessee will be another public dog all week. However, I think this game is pretty simple. If Tennessee can get this game into a shootout, they’ll be fine. If they can’t, Georgia will make the playoff for the second-straight year, a program first. Look at the Alabama-Georgia games from last year. Alabama turned the SEC Championship Game into a shootout during the second quarter, and Georgia couldn’t keep up. In the national title game, Bama was unable to turn the game into a track meet following the injury to Williams. I think Tennessee can turn this into a track meet, and I don’t want to bet on Stetson Bennett during a track meet. WRIGHT’S PICK: TENNESSEE 41, GEORGIA 34

Brian Rippee: If this game evolves into a track meet, Tennessee is going to win it and I am not sure it is particularly close. I get that no one understands this line, and though I haven't checked, I would imagine the public is heavily on the Vols. That's usually a bad sign as far as betting is concerned, but I don't really care in this instance. I think Tennessee is the better football team. Rippee's Pick: Tennessee 45, Georgia 31

No. 23 Liberty +14 at Arkansas, 3 p.m., SEC Network

Neal McCready: It's a lot of points, and with LSU and Ole Miss coming to Fayetteville in the next two weeks, the Hogs might get sloppy on Saturday as the sun drops. Still, I think Arkansas is in the process of getting well and that running attack is no joke. Neal's Pick: Arkansas 45, Liberty 27

Chase Parham: I know Liberty gave Wake four quarters of fits, but I just think Arkansas is too physical for the Flames. Arkansas' pass defense is horrendous, but Malik Willis isn't under center, and the Razorbacks can bludgeon Liberty on the ground. Parham's Pick: Arkansas 48, Liberty 30

Jeffrey Wright: I think I’m going to start fading teams the week after they enter the Top 25 for the first time. Call it the South Carolina Law. WRIGHT’S PICK: ARKANSAS 41, LIBERTY 21

Brian Rippee: After a huge win for Reverend Hugh and the Flames last week, I think it is going to be a tough week to be a Liberty assistant coach. They will have to squarely shoulder the blame of a defeat to an SEC school because the head coach has never made a mistake in his life. Rippee's Pick: Arkansas 42, Liberty 24

No. 6 Alabama -13.5 at No. 15 LSU, 6 p.m., ESPN

Neal McCready: It could be a wet track in Baton Rouge on Saturday night. I'm not sure that matters much, but it only favors Bryce Young. Something is off about Alabama, though, and while I think the Tide wins, something tells me this is closer than the line. Neal's Pick: Alabama 34, LSU 24

Chase Parham: I have no idea why, but I expect a relatively close game. LSU isn't great, but Alabama is fallible. Bryce Young is going to win it, but it might be shaky for a bit. Parham's Pick: Alabama 31, LSU 28

Jeffrey Wright: Maybe, I’m falling for the trap yet again because I’m pretty certain that LSU will again be a popular underdog this week, but I think they will have trouble blocking LSU, and I want the points. WRIGHT: ALABAMA 27, LSU 17

Brian Rippee: I still can't decide if LSU is any good, and people have been down on the Tide for a few weeks now. I think they remind the country that they are still firmly a viable playoff contender this week. Rippee's Pick: Alabama 35, LSU 17

No. 5 Clemson -3.5 at Notre Dame, 6:30 p.m., NBC

Neal McCready: I want Notre Dame to win so badly. I also want a head full of hair. Neal's Pick: Clemson 27, Notre Dame 21

Chase Parham: I know it feels like a trap game. I get it. I also get that Notre Dame is bad at football. Marcus Freeman looking good in a pullover doesn't fix that fact. Parham's Pick: Clemson 20, Notre Dame 13

Jeffrey Wright: I don’t know how Notre Dame scores against Clemson. They were able to run on Syracuse, and that’s the only way they can consistently move the ball. If you’re going to catch Clemson, you have to throw it on the secondary that has been shaky throughout the year. Notre Dame can’t throw it on air. WRIGHT’S PICK: CLEMSON 21, NOTRE DAME 13

Brian Rippee: Clemson's defense is the difference in an otherwise even game here. I don't buy the idea that Notre Dame will score enough to win this game. Rippee's Pick: Clemson 21, Notre Dame 10

Auburn +10.5 at Mississippi State, 6:30 p.m., ESPN2

Neal McCready: A part of me wants to be cute just to cheer for the chaos. You know -- legendary former player ascends to the top job, wins bunch of games, gets sentimental fans pushing for him to land full-time gig, etc. The Tigers might play inspired, but I sort of doubt it. Auburn is 2-6 ATS this year. Neal's Pick: Mississippi State 35, Auburn 17

Chase Parham: If this were in Auburn, I'd probably take the Tigers to just sort of hang around. You know what, screw it. Just because I think this would be kind of funny. It's not like I have to go to Boise if I suck at this. Parham's Pick: Auburn 28, MSU 27

Jeffrey Wright: I will not be betting on the team that not only fired its coach but also let several assistants go with him because they were considered Harsin guys.

WRIGHT’S PICK: MISSISSIPPI STATE 31, AUBURN 17

Brian Rippee: John Cohen made an otherwise boring game at least a little bit interesting. I just cannot in good faith wager on a team that is averaging two hand counts worth of transfers per week and fired its embattled coach. Rippee's Pick: Mississippi State 38, Auburn 20

South Carolina -7 at Vanderbilt, 6:30 p.m., SEC Network

Neal McCready: My guy Clark has been beating at the door. He went to Mizzou and came up just short. Well, that's the only time he's really been at the door. Still, this feels like a big opportunity and Spencer Rattler is just bad enough to lose here. Neal's Very Hopeful But Probably Not Rational And Likely Just Supporting A Fellow Bald Guy Who Is Bald Not Of His Own Choosing But Because Life Isn't Fair Pick: Vanderbilt 24, South Carolina 23

Chase Parham: I've spent the year telling Neal that Vanderbilt won't win an SEC game. I'm stick to that, even if it's out of stubbornness. Parham's Pick: Carolina 34, Vandy 24

Jeffrey Wright: I just don’t think South Carolina’s offense is good enough to cover touchdown spreads. If the Gamecocks can get two touchdowns from special teams and defense, then sure. However, their offense cannot be trusted. WRIGHT’S PICK: SOUTH CAROLINA 21, VANDERBILT 17

Brian Rippee: I cannot believe I am doing this, but if Vanderbilt is going to win an SEC game this year, this is its best and probably last shot. This feels like a house of horrors spot for Spencer Rattler and a Gamecocks team that lacks talent. Rippee's Pick Vanderbilt 28, South Carolina 23

No. 20 Wake Forest -3.5 at No. 21 North Carolina State, 7 p.m., ACC Network

Neal McCready: Wake was good to me last week, losing at Louisville and making my money line pick in the Road To Boise come to fruition. They'll be better in Raleigh. Neal's Pick: Wake Forest 27, North Carolina State 20

Chase Parham: Wake Forest had seven turnovers in the second half on Saturday. North Carolina State is banged up beyond belief. Oh, goody, we have to pick one of these dumpster fires. Parham's Pick: Wake 24, NC State 20

Jeffrey Wright: NC State cannot score without Leary. Wake Forest got routed by Louisville, but that was largely predicated by the eight second-half turnovers. Wake led at the half. They won’t play that poorly again. WRIGHT’S PICK: WAKE FOREST 34, NC STATE 24

Brian Rippee: N.C. State is pretty injured and is missing its quarterback. Wake Forest had quite possibly the worst third quarter in the history of football last week. I think the Deacs rebound here. Give me the better quarterback and weird scheme versus an injured team without much of an identity. Rippee's Pick: Wake Forest 31, N.C. State 24