Tucker’s Pick ‘Em: College football picks and previews for Week 4

Record last week: 11-3
Record this year:  24-5

No. 5 Auburn (2-0, 1-0 SEC) @ No. 20 Kansas State (2-0, 1-0 Big 12)
Thursday, September 18 at 7:30 p.m. ESPN
Auburn’s first real chance to impress voters comes Thursday night in Kansas against the 20th-ranked K-State Wildcats.

Expect a crazy atmosphere in the “Little Apple,” where a Top 5 non-conference opponent hasn’t played in 45 years.  The K-State athletic director said this week it could be the largest crowd to ever watch a game at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

Points will be plenty. Two mobile quarterbacks lead their teams in a close one until Auburn’s experience provides a boost in the fourth quarter:

Auburn 45, Kansas State 31

Actual Score: Auburn 20, Kansas State 14 (WIN)

Troy (0-3, 0-0 Sun Belt) @ No. 13 Georgia (1-1, 0-1 SEC)
Saturday, September 20 at 12 p.m. SEC NETWORK
Last week was bad for Georgia, but it was worse for Troy.

The team that won five straight Sun Belt Conference titles in this decade fell at home to Abilene Christian, 38-35.

The Trojans couldn’t be catching the Bulldogs at a worse time after they fell by the same score in Columbia:

Georgia 52, Troy 17

Actual Score: Georgia 66, Troy 0 (WIN)

Georgia Tech (3-0, 0-0 ACC) @ Virginia Tech (2-1, 0-0 ACC)
Saturday, September 20 at 12 p.m. ESPN
A much more entertaining game will be over on ESPN, as the Yellow Jackets try to steal a win on the road in Blacksburg.

After beating Ohio State on the road two weeks ago, Virginia Tech looked like the team to beat in the Coastal Division, but the Hokies followed it up with a home loss to East Carolina.

The Jackets are undefeated, but their three wins against Wofford, Tulane and Georgia Southern have all been much too close for comfort:

Virginia Tech 31, Georgia Tech 21

Actual Score: Georgia Tech 27, Virginia Tech 24 (LOSS)

Florida (2-0, 1-0 SEC) @ No. 3 Alabama (3-0, 0-0 SEC)
Saturday, September 20 at 3:30 p.m. CBS
Florida escaped major disappointment last week against Kentucky, but it needed triple overtime to do it.

The Gators have improved, but it’s obvious there’s still plenty of work to do. Speaking of work, kicker Francisco Velez should get plenty this week:

Alabama 31, Florida 12

Actual Score: Alabama 42, Florida 21 (WIN)

No. 6 Texas A&M (3-0, 1-0 SEC) @ SMU (0-2, 0-0 AAC)
Saturday, September 20 at 3:30 p.m. ABC/ESPN2
SMU defensive coordinator Tom Mason will serve as SMU’s coach the rest of the season. That’s because former head coach June Jones stepped down two weeks ago after the team fell to North Texas.

What a first game for Mason. The Mustangs, outscored 88-6 in their first two games, have no chance against Kenny Hill and the Aggies:

Texas A&M 56, SMU 7

Actual Score: Texas A&M 58, SMU 6 (WIN)

Ave Maria (0-2) @ Mercer (2-1, 0-1 Southern)
Saturday, September 20 at 6 p.m. ESPN3
Mercer took care of business on the road last week, beating non-conference foe Stetson 49-0.

The Bears welcome the NAIA’s Ave Maria Gyrenes to Macon Saturday:

Mercer 52, Ave Maria 17

Actual Score: Mercer 42, Ave Maria 21 (WIN)

Clark Atlanta (1-1, 0-0 SIAC) @ Fort Valley State (1-1, 0-0 SIAC)
Saturday, September 20 at 6 p.m.
The Wildcats return home for their conference opener after beating Savannah State 42-28 on the road last week.

The last time they played here was the season opener, a 56-13 loss to Delta State.

Saturday will be much better for fans in the Valley:

FVSU 28, Clark Atlanta 21

Actual Score: FVSU 19, Clark Atlanta 18 (WIN)

Mississippi State (3-0, 0-0 SEC) @ No. 8 LSU (3-0, 0-0 SEC)
Saturday, September 20 at 7 p.m. ESPN
Get ready for the Magnolia Bowl!  In the SEC opener for both teams, the Bulldogs meet the Tigers in Baton Rouge.

LSU led last year’s game 28-23 at the half before exploding in the second half for a 59-26 win.  What’s unfortunate for the Tigers is most of last year’s playmakers are gone now, which means new faces have to step up.

Mississippi State has a legitimate chance to beat LSU for the first time in 14 years:

LSU 31, Mississippi State 27

Actual Score: Mississippi State 34, LSU 29 (LOSS)

No. 4 Oklahoma (3-0, 0-0 Big 12) @ West Virginia (2-1, 0-0 Big 12)
Saturday, September 20 at 7:30 p.m. FOX
After a primetime home win over Tennessee, Oklahoma heads east to take on West Virginia.

The Mountaineers opened the season in Atlanta with a 33-23 loss to Alabama. They followed that up with a 54-0 home win over Towson before beating Maryland 40-37 on the road last week.

OU coach Bob Stoops picks up his 100th Big 12 Conference win:

Oklahoma 45, West Virginia 31

Actual Score: Oklahoma 45, West Virginia 33 (WIN)

No. 14 South Carolina (2-1, 1-1 SEC) @ Vanderbilt (1-2, 0-1 SEC)
Saturday, September 20 at 7:30 p.m. SEC NETWORK
If we’ve established anything so far, it’s Vanderbilt is the worst team in the SEC.

The Commodores opened the season with a lopsided loss to Temple before another lopsided loss to Ole Miss.

They did beat UMASS (by a field goal) last week:

South Carolina 42, Vanderbilt 14

Actual Score: South Carolina 48, Vanderbilt 34 (WIN)

Georgia Southern (1-2, 0-0 Sun Belt) @ South Alabama (1-1, 0-0 Sun Belt)
Saturday, September 20 at 7:30 p.m. ESPN3
Georgia Southern officially opens its Sun Belt Conference schedule with a road game at South Alabama.

The Eagles are just a few plays away from being 3-0.  They led late on the road at both NC State and Georgia Tech before late scores changed the outcomes.  Their only win so far was an 83-9 drubbing of Savannah State.

Stiff competition awaits in Mobile.  USA is one of the best teams in the conference:

Georgia Southern 28, South Alabama 23

Actual Score: Georgia Southern 28, South Alabama 6 (WIN)

No. 22 Clemson (1-1, 0-0 ACC) @ No. 1 Florida State (2-0, 0-0 ACC)
Saturday, September 20 at 8 p.m. ABC
Clemson hopes to avenge last year’s 51-14 loss when it visits top-ranked Florida State.

The Tigers opened the season with a 45-21 loss at Georgia, but many forget they led the game 21-14 before Todd Gurley’s 100-yard kickoff return gave Georgia the momentum for good.  In their last game, they hung 73 points on South Carolina State.

Even with quarterback Tajh Boyd and receiver Sammy Watkins gone, Clemson is still one of the ACC’s best teams.  I see this game being much closer than most predict:

Florida State 34, Clemson 24

Actual Scores: Florida State 23, Clemson 27 (WIN)

Who are YOU picking to win this week? Let Tucker know on Twitter.