Neal's Picks, presented by Service Specialists: Week 5

NEAL'S PICKS PALATIAL HEADQUARTERS -- I need to get this off my chest, so bear with me before we get to this weekend's slate of college football games.

This isn't personal.

Whew, I feel better already.

Three years ago, when I claimed my first Neal's Picks Championship Trophy, it was very personal. It was so personal that it couldn't have possibly been more personal.

The next season, when I defied all the naysayers and successfully defended my title, it was, again, extremely personal. I kept the receipts. That's how personal it was.

But last year, when I finished third, it wasn't personal. And this year, as I struggle to gain any traction, it's also just not personal. Not at all. I mean, we are all just doing our jobs -- except for Rippee, of course. It's becoming obvious that it's very personal to Rippee. Someone must have said something about Jackson Academy or the MAIS.

Maybe Jeffrey Wright said something about MUS and claimed private school supremacy or something. I just don't know. But that's the point. It's personal to Rippee. It's not personal to me.

But know this: At some point, it's going to get personal again. So get me now. Build your leads and talk your talk now. We at Neal's Picks will have our say again one day. You'll feel us.

It just won't be until we make it personal.

On to the picks...

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Last Week:

Neal McCready: 11-3 overall, 6-8 ATS

Chase Parham: 12-2 overall, 5-9 ATS

Jeffrey Wright: 12-2 overall, 5-9 ATS

Brian Rippee: 12-2 overall, 6-8 ATS

Michael Luker: 12-2 overall, 6-8 ATS

For The Season:

Neal McCready: 41-12 overall, 16-25 ATS

Chase Parham: 43-10 overall, 16-25 ATS

Jeffrey Wright: 44-9 overall, 19-22 ATS

Brian Rippee: 43-10 overall, 22-19 ATS

Michael Luker: 42-11 overall, 15-26 overall

No. 10 Utah +1 at No. 19 Oregon State, 8 p.m., FS1

Neal McCready: This should be a remarkably close game. Utah isn't quite the same team away from Salt Lake City. I'll go with the home team and lay the one. Neal's Pick: Oregon State 25, Utah 23

Chase Parham: We all really suck at this, outside of Brian. Maybe MC is doing his picks for him. He got engaged and suddenly isn't in last place. I'm just following the facts. Parham's Pick: Oregon State 23, Utah 20

Jeffrey Wright: I just like this spot for my Beavers. They’ve been too good to me over the years to walk away right now. For God’s sake, they almost pulled off a miracle in Pullman last week, so there’s no turning back now. WRIGHT’S PICK: OREGON STATE 24, UTAH 20

Brian Rippee: I like the Beavs in this spot. Humbled a bit last week and have to rebound in a massive home game. Boy, doesn't that storyline sound familiar. Rippee's Pick: Oregon State 27, Utah 24

Michael Luker: I’m going to continue my “never bet against Utah” strategy. They were good to me last weekend so I’ve got to keep riding with them. Luker's Pick: Utah 24 Oregon State 20

No. 22 Florida +3 at Kentucky, 11 a.m., ESPN

Neal McCready: I think Kentucky's better, but if I'm wrong, I'm wrong. I won't be intentionally wrong, misleading a country and shutting down businesses and whatnot. I'll just be wrong about a football game in Lexington. Neal's Pick: Kentucky 27, Florida 21

Chase Parham: Give me the quarterback and lay the three. Florida feels like it's going to muddy this game up and make it boring and low scoring. Kentucky is comfortable there, though. The issue is it wasn't comfortable against Eastern Kentucky. Parham's Pick: UK 27, UF 21

Jeffrey Wright: Well, this line stinks. Kentucky’s box scores look better than Kentucky actually looks. However, I still believe that Devin Leary is better than Graham Mertz, and the Wildcats are 5-0-1 ATS in their last six meetings with the Gators. WRIGHT’S PICK: KENTUCKY 20, FLORIDA 17

Brian Rippee: Maybe I am just becoming less dumb in this segment than I have been in year's past, but man, there have been some rotten lines early in this season. This one may take the cake. Rippee's Pick: Florida 17, Kentucky 14

Michael Luker: I have no idea what to do here. Absolutely none. Kentucky has looked meh to me and Florida is just confusing as hell. Luker's Pick: Florida 28 Kentucky 27

Texas A&M -6.5 vs. Arkansas, AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas, 11 a.m., SEC Network

Neal McCready: I don't know. Weigman is out. Sanders might be in. It's always an emotional game for both teams. It's usually really close. I'll just take the points. Neal's Pick: Texas A&M 27, Arkansas 24

Chase Parham: I like Arkansas straight up here. The Razorbacks expended a lot of energy in Baton Rouge last week, but TAMU is down to Max Johnson and I expect a close game and a bit of a panicked group of Razorbacks. Parham's Pick: Hogs 31, TAMU 27

Jeffrey Wright: Would you rather bet on Sam Pittman as an underdog, or Jimbo Fisher with a backup quarterback as a touchdown favorite? Sam Pittman is 14-7 ATS as an underdog. Woo Pig! WRIGHT’S PICK: TEXAS A&M 27, ARKANSAS 24

Brian Rippee: This game is almost always weird and comes down to the final possession. The first iteration of SEC expansion saw the SEC try to force some pseudo-rivalries in our faces, this being the most prevalent one, and while I don't consider it a rivalry, it's a very entertaining series -- similar to the recent history of the Ole Miss-Arkansas series. Rippee's Pick: Arkansas 31, Texas A&M 27

Michael Luker: As of Monday morning, I have a feeling Connor Weigman will be out for at least this weekend, if not more. Is Sam Pittman coaching for his job here? Arkansas desperately needs this one. Luker's Pick: Arkansas 31 Texas A&M 30

No. 1 Georgia -14.5 at Auburn, 2:30 p.m., CBS

Neal McCready: Georgia is pretty beat up, but I question whether Auburn can score at all. Their fans are doing that emotional thing where you try to convince yourselves that the emotion of the rivalry and home field will carry the day. Georgia is at least three scores better. Neal's Pick: Georgia 34, Auburn 13

Chase Parham: This feels too easy. I wonder if Vegas just knows Georgia sucks on offense and is laughing at all of us for picking the Bulldogs to suddenly score points. UGA didn't cover this line against South Carolina. Parham's Pick:Georgia 30, Auburn 10

Jeffrey Wright: BREAKING NEWS: We’ve had an adjustment to “The System”. If you listened to the radio show last Friday, you learned that I’ve stopped emotionally hedging Auburn games. I found something more satisfying. Max betting against Hugh, and it’s just the best. I would make some sort of hooker reference here, but I’ll let Georgia do the heavy lifting. WRIGHT’S PICK: GEORGIA 31, AUBURN 10

Brian Rippee: I tried to back Auburn last week and the plucky, Hugh Freeze first year underdog narrative, but the Tigers offense is just too bad for me to do it again. Rippee's Pick: Georgia 35, Auburn 13

Michael Luker: Another weird Georgia line. This should be simple. Auburn can’t score. I know that Georgia can’t either, but that defense will force a couple crucial turnovers and the Georgia offense will have a couple short fields to work with. Luker's Pick: Georgia 24 Auburn 6

No. 24 Kansas +17.5 at no. 3 Texas, 2:30 p.m., ABC

Neal McCready: Pay attention to Texas. They're just taking care of business methodically. Neal's Pick: Texas 42, Kansas 20

Chase Parham: There's some weird mental block here. Texas is too damn talented to lose, but the Jayhawks make this complicated for three quarters. Parham's Pick: Texas 40, Kansas 24

Jeffrey Wright: I think Texas is legitimately good, and I don’t like Kansas against teams that have an extreme talent advantage. WRIGHT’S PICK: TEXAS 41, KANSAS 20

Brian Rippee: Texas is a really good team. Kansas is an average team, but is a great story. With that said, I think the Jayhawks weirdly have the Longhorns' lately. Kansas won't win, but this one will be weird. Rippee's Pick: Texas 35, Kansas 28

Michael Luker: Feels like Kansas has gone completely off the map after starting off strong last year, but they’re quietly 4-0. Texas has too much to play for and is too talented, though. Luker's Pick: Texas 38 Kansas 20

No. 23 Missouri -12 at Vanderbilt, 3 p.m., SEC Network

Neal McCready: This line is likely about right. But I'm done with Vandy. I'll just take the team that finds ways to win over the one that finds ways to lose and gamble they can win by 13. Neal's Pick: Missouri 34, Vanderbilt 21

Chase Parham: If I lose, I'm fine with it. Picking Vanderbilt is psycho stuff. Parham's Pick: Mizzou 34, Vandy 17

Jeffrey Wright: Is Vandy playing? WRIGHT’S PICK MISSOURI 35, VANDERBILT 17

Brian Rippee: I believe I was the last one with Vandy and Clark Lea stock, if you even want to call it that. No more. I am broke and the shares are selling at zero. Rippee's Pick: Missouri 38, Vandy 13

Michael Luker: Hammer Missouri. Luker's Pick: Missouri 38 Vanderbilt 13

No. 13 LSU -2.5 at No. 20 Ole Miss, 5 p.m., ESPN

Neal McCready: I'm all over the place on this. On one hand, I view this line as a sucker line. Vegas is begging us to lay the points. Also, I watched Arkansas-LSU last week and while the Tigers won, that was really tight. Ole Miss will benefit from home field and playing someone not named Alabama. I just question whether the Rebels' offensive line can hold up. Neal's Pick: LSU 31, Ole Miss 24

Chase Parham: I don't like the individual matchups in this game for Ole Miss. Covering the LSU wide receivers is a task if the Rebs don't get a lot of quarterback pressure. Ole Miss has to block in the run game and protect far better. I expect it to be a close game, and I've been telling Neal all week I think Ole Miss falls just short. I'm doing the weird cover but not win thing, but it's where my head has been. Parham's Pick: LSU 27, Ole Miss 24

Jeffrey Wright: Everything that my eyes have seen tells me that LSU is the correct side here. Ole Miss can’t block right now. However, 30+ years of watching college football tell me that this is a no-apparent-reason win for Ole Miss. I don’t think the Rebels are as bad as they looked in Tuscaloosa, and I think that game lives inside of Kiffin’s head. I’ll say the West starts fishing around in the liquor cabinet this week. WRIGHT’S PICK: OLE MISS 31, LSU 27

Brian Rippee: LSU looks better than Ole Miss on paper. For as much flack as my Sunday co-host gets about him and our podcast being LSU-friendly, I struggle to see the Rebels' path toward a win, absent a monster game from Jaxson Dart. I'll fly blindly with the young man with a history of slaying large cats. Rippee's Pick: Ole Miss 31, LSU 24

Michael Luker: If Ole Miss continues to struggle in the run game I think it could be a long night. LSU has a glaring weakness in their secondary, but will Jaxson Dart have enough time to take advantage of it, and more importantly, will he have the receivers to be able to do so? My gut tells me no. LSU has a ton of talent, but which version of LSU will we get? Luker's Pick: LSU 31 Ole Miss 27

South Carolina +11.5 at No. 21 Tennessee, 6:30 p.m., SEC Network

Neal McCready: This line is big, but I'm not falling for that. The Gamecocks are going to have a difficult time holding up at the lines of scrimmage, in my opinion. Neal's Pick: Tennessee 37, South Carolina 23

Chase Parham: South Carolina has the better quarterback. I wish it were in Columbia, but I'm going to grab the Gamecocks to keep it close. Maybe my favorite reporter has some nervous moments for most of the evening. Parham's Pick: UT 40, Carolina 30

Jeffrey Wright: I know that he has been insufferable for years, but if you haven’t been watching Spencer Rattler is playing really good football. He’s completing over 74-percent of his passes behind a horrible offensive line with limited weapons. I know this is a revenge spot for Tennessee, but I don’t think their passing game is good enough to exploit South Carolina’s biggest weakness of defense. WRIGHT’S PICK: TENNESSEE 35, SOUTH CAROLINA 27

Brian Rippee: I admired South Carolina's effort against Georgia and I also think Spencer Rattler is now a legitimately decent SEC quarterback. But the Gamecocks' defensive performance against Mississippi State left me thinking that both teams are not very good. Rippee's Pick: Tennessee 38, South Carolina 20.

Michael Luker: Interesting line here. South Carolina's defense had a poor outing against Mississippi State last weekend, but I still don't know how good Tennessee's offense is. Tennessee is doing this whole "Revenge for Hendon" game, as if South Carolina meant to get him hurt. The thing about revenge games is that often times a team can come out with too much juice and make mistakes because of it (2015 Alabama/Ole Miss). Luker's Pick: Tennessee 35 South Carolina 27

No. 11 Notre Dame -5 at No. 17 Duke, 6:30 p.m., ABC

Neal McCready: This should be a superb game. I think Notre Dame probably bounces back and does just enough to spoil the party in Durham, but I think I'll take the five points as a parting gift. Neal's Pick: Notre Dame 27, Duke 24

Chase Parham: This week has been a supreme gut check for Notre Dame. I think they respond well and get it done. I'm pulling for the Blue Devils as that's the better story, but I think Sam Hartman rights the situation. Parham's Pick: ND 37, Duke 24

Jeffrey Wright: Sometimes you have to go back to your roots, and this house was built on laying points on the road with teams that had a soul-crushing loss the week before. WRIGHT’S PICK: NOTRE DAME 31, DUKE 20

Brian Rippee: Notre Dame should rebound in this spot. But apparently I am a sucker for the nerds. Rippee's Pick: Duke 24, Notre Dame 21

Michael Luker: Really underrated game. I still like Notre Dame a lot, despite their lack of counting skills. Luker's Pick: Notre Dame 27 Duke 20

No. 12 Alabama -14.5 at Mississippi State, 8 p.m., ESPN

Neal McCready: The league has to worry that Alabama is figuring this football thing out. That second half against Ole Miss was pretty impressive. Dear ESPN, thank you for putting this -- and not LSU-Ole Miss -- at 8:15. Gross. Neal's Pick: Alabama 31, Mississippi State 13

Chase Parham: I'm not using a close loss to South Carolina as evidence that MSU has figured things out. Sorry. Roll Tide and stuff. Parham's Pick: Bama 34, MSU 13

Jeffrey Wright: We have to trust #TheSystem. I don’t really love this spot for Alabama, but Mississippi State is playing, so I have to play the other side. WRIGHT’S PICK: ALABAMA 35, MISSISSIPPI STATE 17

Brian Rippee: Mississippi State's offense was better last week, and there is an argument to be made the Bulldogs gave that game away. But isn't that what bad teams do? Rippee's Pick: Alabama 35, Mississippi State 7

Michael Luker: I'll keep this simple. I don't see how Mississippi State will score this weekend. That Alabama defense is elite, probably the best they've had since 2016. As long as they play within their constraints on offense and run the ball effectively, they won't have any issues this weekend. Luker's Pick: Alabama 34 Mississippi State 6