DTH Picks of the Week for November 8

After five grueling weeks, the combatants have decided virtually nothing, as everyone is within a mere three games of the current leader, SportSaturday Assistant Louie Horvath.

Everyone, except Sports Editor Rachel Ullrich, of course. She would be within three as well, if she had picked the opposite team in each of her picks throughout the year. Her 35 percent correct picking record might be an all-time low, and SportSaturday historians are combing through the archives to see if this performance in fact has any peers.

Smart money is betting that it does not.

This week, the crew is picking a full slate of crucial, in-conference battles, as the ACC, SEC, Pac-10, Big Ten, and Big-12 are all represented.

The ACC is the most represented conference, as the ex-Bowden Bowl (Clemson-Florida St.) is the biggest draw.Virginia-Wake Forest, N.C. State-Duke and UNC-GT are also on the slate.

All four of these games have major ACC Championship implications, as all the teams are jockeying for one of the two invitations to Tampa. Duke, Wake Forest, Virginia, Florida State, Georgia Tech and UNC all have aspirations of a championship.

Around the country, new No. 1 Alabama is playing LSU in the Bayou in a big SEC showdown.

USC will look to continue to scrap its way back into the national championship hunt by beating Cal in a rivalry game.

Ohio State wants to keep the train rolling against Northwestern in the battle of 7-2 Big Ten contenders.

This week’s celebrity picker is Derek Belcher of the UNC College Republicans.

A representative from the Young Democrats went 6-2 last issue, and Barack Obama came out on top in the election. Belcher has a chance to redeem his party this week.The celebrities are holding their own this year, only two games behind the leader, and Belcher will try to keep up this tradition.