NEAL'S PICKS PALATIAL HEADQUARTERS -- Teaching young people the importance of self-focus is critical.

After a 4-5 weekend of picks, I called another meeting of the interns and demanded answers for their poor performances. When we do well, it's because I picked the damn games myself. When we do poorly, I blame the interns. That's leadership.

"Everyone else had a bad weekend, too," the interns said, in unison.

When I was a young lad, if I failed a test, the very worst thing I could say to Mike and Judy McCready was, "Everyone else did badly also." I could point out that the smart kids made grades in the 50s or 60s, but that excuse fell on deaf ears. Mike and Judy didn't want to hear it.

I now know how they felt. The remainder of that meeting went quite poorly. The interns were punished. Let's just leave it at that and not ask for details. There were plenty of tears and cries about returning to Norway or Sweden or wherever they're from. I even canceled the vodka delivery. I expect better performances, no matter how poorly my competition fares. That message was delivered and it was delivered with clarity.

This is about our process, not anyone else's.

On to the damn picks...

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Last Week:

Neal McCready: 10-2 overall, 4-5 ATS

Chase Parham: 11-1 overall, 2-7 ATS

Jeffrey Wright: 11-1 overall, 4-5 ATS

Zach Berry: 11-1 overall, 3-6 ATS

For The Season:

Neal McCready: 36-8 overall, 19-15 ATS

Chase Parham: 36-8 overall, 14-20 ATS

Jeffrey Wright: 37-7 overall, 18-16 overall

Zach Berry: 34-10 overall, 13-21 ATS

No. 2 Georgia -34 at Vanderbilt, 11 a.m., SEC Network

Neal McCready: It's so many points, but I'm not losing a game on freaking Vanderbilt. There are rules against that. Neal's Pick: Georgia 49, Vanderbilt 10

Chase Parham: I mean... 34 is a lot, but Vanderbilt is a lot of awful and Georgia gets to play defense. Can you imagine the internal annoyance if you take Vandy and lose? Parham's Pick: Georgia 42, Vanderbilt 6

Jeffrey Wright: Vanderbilt is allowing 6.08 yards per rush this season. Additionally, Georgia is 8-2 against the SEC East on the road during the previous five seasons. WRIGHT’S PICK: GEORGIA 48, VANDERBILT 6

Zach Berry: Crack open a Natural Light and turn up the Corey Smith. Zach's Pick: Georgia 48, Vanderbilt 7

Missouri -2.5 at Boston College, 11 a.m., ESPN2

Neal McCready: It's a weird spot here for Mizzou, but Boston College is down a quarterback and the Tigers are just solid enough to make this happen. Missouri does give me weird vibes. Neal's Pick: Missouri 30, Boston College 24

Chase Parham: The quarterback situation at Boston College changed my pick. The boys from Chestnut Hill are pretty decent, but Mizzou can outscore an one-dimensional offense. The Tigers are fine. Keeping with our podcast parlance, Missouri is Chili's. Parham's Pick: Missouri 34, Boston College 24

Jeffrey Wright: Whoa! This line stinks. However, Missouri can score, and BC gave up 28 to UMASS last week. I’ll trust my eyes and believe that Missouri is good enough to beat the Golden Eagles with their backup quarterback. WRIGHT’S PICK: MISSOURI 31, BOSTON COLLEGE 24

Zach Berry: I was a real believer in the Drinkwitz Method. Now, not so much. Zach's Pick: Boston College 33, Missouri 24

No. 12 Notre Dame +5.5 vs. No. 18 Wisconsin, 11 a.m., Soldier Field, Chicago, FOX

Neal McCready: Wisconsin is built to win a slugfest, meaning they're going to slog their way through a low-scoring affair. Notre Dame is fine. That's all. It's fine. Neal's Pick: Wisconsin 20, Notre Dame 17

Chase Parham: The points are bothering me. I think Wisconsin is the better team. I can't get the opener out of my mind when we thought maybe FSU was decent but instead Notre Dame is remarkably average. I'm taking the points, but I'm terrified here. Parham's Pick: Wisconsin 24, Notre Dame 20

Jeffrey Wright: First things first, I’m obviously not taking the Irish on Ryder Cup weekend, especially on the shores of Lake Michigan. Secondly, Notre Dame cannot stop the run, and Wisconsin is built to stop a passing game that doesn’t have elite WRs. WRIGHT’S PICK: WISCONSIN 24, NOTRE DAME 16

Zach Berry: I am actually very excited for this one. Notre Dame is much better than they've shown so far and Wisconsin is perfectly fine with just beating you senseless and scoring five points. Low total? Neutral site? Give me the points. Zach's Pick: Notre Dame 26, Wisconsin 23

LSU -2.5 at Mississippi State, 11 a.m., ESPN

Neal McCready: Mississippi State is coming off a screwing and they're a dangerous home dog. LSU is typically awful as an 11 a.m. visitor. I could be way off here, as nothing would surprise me, but... Neal's Pick: Mississippi State 24, LSU 23

Chase Parham: I've picked Mississippi State two weeks in a row, and I looked like a genius and then a moron, though the officials played some role in the latter. LSU's trainwreck scenario is too perfect, and we can't have nice things. Parham's Pick: LSU 30, State 27

Jeffrey Wright: I honestly have no idea. My numbers show that Mississippi State should be about a 1-point favorite, so I’ll take the points. WRIGHT’S PICK: MISSISSIPPI STATE 28, LSU 24

Zach Berry: I literally have no clue with this one. LSU has the better athletes but MSU's defense ain't bad. The Tigers are 7-3 straight up in its last 10 games against the Bulldogs and something tells me LSU pulls away late. Take the under. Zach's Pick: LSU 27, Mississippi State 23

No. 7 Texas A&M -5.5 vs. No. 16 Arkansas, 2:30 p.m., AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas, CBS

Neal McCready: I don't trust Calzada at all, but I think the Aggies' defense will give Jefferson fits. The Hogs handled the line of scrimmage against Texas. They won't do the same against Texas A&M. Throw in a couple of OL injuries for the Razorbacks and I just don't see it. I hope I'm wrong, for yes, I will cheer for my girls to have a fun day at Jerry World, but I think Arkansas gets exposed a bit here. Neal's Pick: Texas A&M 24, Arkansas 17

Chase Parham: The concern here for Arkansas beyond the injuries is that A&M is pretty stiff against the run and if the Hogs can't do that, then it may have zero offense at all. I so want to take the points, but my hunch is the Aggies look a little better this week. Parham's Pick: TAMU 24, Arkansas 13

Jeffrey Wright: I would very much like to know the status of Dalton Wagner and Ricky Stromberg. This game just feels like a rock fight because I don’t think either team is going to trust its quarterback, so I’ll take the points. WRIGHT’S PICK: TEXAS A&M 17, ARKANSAS 14

Zach Berry: The Hogs have been lights out against the spread lately. I expect them to play keep away and run the football as long as possible. I also expect Texas A&M to do that. Not sure how much Jimbo Fisher trusts Zach Calzada at this point, but maybe one or two waggle routes to Jalen Wydermyer does Arkansas in. Zach's Pick: Texas A&M 31, Arkansas 26

Georgia State +27 at No. 23 Auburn, 3 p.m., SEC Network

Neal McCready: Whatever. Neal's Pick: Auburn 51, Georgia State 10

Chase Parham: Well we don't know if Auburn can beat bad teams, but they beat the hell out of not-so-good teams. Parham's Pick: Auburn 45, Georgia State 13

Jeffrey Wright: Auburn lights up bad defenses. Georgia State has a bad defense. WRIGHT’S PICK: AUBURN 45, GEORGIA STATE 14

Zach Berry: This is the first ever meeting between these two, how about that? Zach's Pick: Auburn 44, Georgia State 14

Tennessee +20 at No. 11 Florida, 6 p.m., ESPN

Neal McCready: I actually think Florida "won" last weekend against Alabama. I think the Gators are about to become super interesting. Tennessee, meanwhile, just isn't very good. It's a lot of points, but I'm feeling the Gators. Neal's Picks: Florida 38, Tennessee 17

Chase Parham: Florida has a letdown of sorts following last week, and Tennessee is far from good, but it'll be a bit of a Super Bowl. The Gators aren't going to be truly tested, but it's too many points. I'm good with the Vols this week. Parham's Pick: Florida 38, Tennessee 20

Jeffrey Wright: Tennessee has been pretty good against the run so far this year. However, the Vols have yet to play a rushing attack that ranks above No. 96 nationally in yards per carry. The more interesting aspect of this game is whether Tennessee will be able to score. Currently, the Gators are nearly bottom half of the country in every defensive metric I consider. I’ll take the points. WRIGHT’S PICK: FLORIDA 38, TENNESSEE 21

Zach Berry: Will Anthony Richardson play? Is Emory Jones good? One thing is for sure, we know Tennessee isn't. But, there should be a bit of a hangover here. I'd take Tennessee and the points in the first half (+10.5). Zach's Pick: Florida 36, Tennessee 20

Kentucky -5.5 at South Carolina, 6 p.m., ESPN

Neal McCready: Look, I'm bullish on the Wildcats. Simple as that. I'm prepared to be burned. Neal's Pick: Kentucky 31, South Carolina 23

Chase Parham: Kentucky isn't good, but South Carolina is bad. Kentucky is above average. That's enough in this one. The little bit of added offense will be the difference. Parham's Pick: Kentucky 31, South Carolina 20

Jeffrey Wright: I’m not scared by last week’s clunker. I’m trusting my eyes. Kentucky is good, and South Carolina is not. WRIGHT’S PICK: KENTUCKY 28, SOUTH CAROLINA 20

Zach Berry: Luke Doty is starting. And thank god, because I was about to start questioning Mike Bobo's intelligence. But, it won't matter. Kentucky is good? Zach's Pick: Kentucky 33, South Carolina 23

Southern Mississippi +45 at No. 1 Alabama, 6:30 p.m., SEC Network

Neal McCready: I can't lay 45 points. I just can't. Neal's Pick: Alabama 51, Southern Miss 7

Chase Parham: It's too many points out of principle. Will Hall has a hell of a rebuilding job in front of him, but Alabama has Ole Miss next week, and Nick will want to yell a little bit. Parham's Pick: Alabama 49, USM 6

Jeffrey Wright: In the previous five years, Alabama is 1-5 ATS when favored by 38 points or more. Additionally, Alabama is just 4-13 ATS when favored by 42.5 or more. WRIGHT’S PICK: ALABAMA 51, SOUTHERN MISS 10

Zach Berry: Alabama first half is undefeated as far as I'm concerned. Do that one (-28). This should be a snoozer. Zach's Pick: Alabama 40, Southern Miss 13

West Virginia +16.5 at No. 4 Oklahoma, 6:30 p.m., ABC

Neal McCready: West Virginia is one team at home. It's another team away from Morgantown. Neal's Pick: Oklahoma 45, West Virginia 21

Chase Parham: This is a definition week for Oklahoma. The Sooners had the weird game versus Tulane and have been whatever since then. West Virginia on the road isn't a juggernaut, and Spencer Rattler needs a good game. I think he gets it here. Parham's Pick: Oklahoma 44, West Virginia 27

Jeffrey Wright: Oklahoma has not been explosive this year. In fact Maryland has been more explosive this year than the Sooners. I’ll take the points. WRIGHT’S PICK: OKLAHOMA 34, WEST VIRGINIA 20

Zach Berry: This feels like bait but, man, Spencer Rattler looked terrible last week and I don't think Lincoln Riley fully trusts him right now. West BY GOD Virginia (to cover). Zach's Pick: Oklahoma 34, West Virginia 29