Saturday picks, Week 7: Can Georgia survive without Todd Gurley?

Georgia RB Todd Gurley has been suspended by the NCAA for rules violations. He was a Heisman-trophy candidate.

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One of the true tests of a college football team is how well they can perform without a Heisman trophy-caliber player.  With the suspension for RB Todd Gurley – arguably the frontrunner for the award – the University of Georgia is in a tough spot as they play the #23 Missouri Tigers for what could ultimately be the tie-breaking game in the SEC East division title picture.

Gurley has been suspended for reportedly accepting money to sign autographs for fans – a big no-no by NCAA regulations. Regardless of whether Gurley becomes eligible again this season, the bottom line is the Bulldogs won’t have him for this game and that could be the different in this critical SEC matchup.

Here are the picks for Week 7 of college football:

#1 Florida State over Syracuse – FSU is less likely to make the same mistakes that Notre Dame did, and are even less likely to give the Orange any change of capitalizing on those mistakes.

#23 Missouri over #13 Georgia – The Tigers play at home and the Bulldogs will be without Todd Gurley. It’s not a hard upset to believe in.

#11 Oklahoma over Texas – Their quest for the national championship may have hit a major road bump, but a tune-up game against the struggling Longhorns will really take the edge off.

#22 Georgia Tech over Duke – Georgia Tech is where Duke was this time last year: Undefeated, waiting for the ACC Championship game so they can lose to FSU

#6 Notre Dame over North Carolina – This Notre Dame team is a virtual lock to finish the weekend in the top 5 for the first time since 2012

#8 Michigan State over Purdue – On any given week it’s hard to predict if Michigan State will barely eke out a win or blow out an opponent.  The one thing this game almost guarantees is a Spartans win.

#12 Oregon over #18 UCLA – In this battle of Class of 2015 QBs, Marcus Mariotta will lead the Ducks to victory – and put itself back on top in the Pac-12

#2 Auburn over #3 Mississippi State – The Bulldogs were able to take advantage of Kenny Hill’s inexperience on the road to beat Texas A&M.  The Auburn Tigers are not nearly as susceptible.

#5 Baylor over #9 TCU – TCU got their biggest win in since joining the Big XII by beating Oklahoma, but Baylor is much more offensive oriented and is playing at home this time

#16 Oklahoma State over Kansas – Much like the Dallas Cowboys, the Oklahoma State Cowboys have a 4-1 record and recorded their only loss in a turnover-ridden game against a top team.

#7 Alabama over Arkansas – The only thing more intimidating an a Nick Saban team is a Nick Saban team that just saw its national title hopes go up in smoke.

#19 East Carolina over South Florida – East Carolina is in the driver’s seat for the AAC Championship

#14 Texas A&M over #3 Ole Miss – The Aggies were unprepared for Miss. State on the road, but now they’re safe at College Station and can vent their frustrations on the other Mississippi team.