College picks: Ranked teams collide in best games

You are going to need extra snacks. Maybe some of your kid’s Halloween candy.

The college-football schedule on Saturday looks sublime. Seven games feature a matchup of ranked teams, and all of them have implications ranging from the College Football Playoff to conference races to the Heisman Trophy.

And it’s not just those seven games. College-football fans have come to learn that often the best weekends are the ones without a bunch of high-profile games because that’s when things get weird.

There is potential for some of that, too: No.

3 Ohio State is at Iowa, trying follow-up last week’s comeback victory over Penn State; No.

5 Notre Dame, coming off two huge victories, hosts feisty Wake Forest; No. 10 TCU faces Texas, which has been oh so close to getting Tom Herman a signature win in year one; and No. 15 UCF tries to stay unbeaten at upstart SMU in a matchup of two rising coaches.

Sit back, relax and enjoy. Check that. It’s probably going to be tough to sit back and relax. Just enjoy. And go easy on the candy corn. The picks:

* No. 22 Memphis (minus 11 ½) at Tulsa, Friday night: The Tigers are weekday warriors, now 13-0 in games not played on Saturday since

2014 … Memphis 35-27.

1) No. 8 Oklahoma (plus 3) at No. 11 Oklahoma State: For goodness sakes, it’s called Bedlam; the Cowboys are favored for only the sixth time since 1980, according to RJ Bell of Pregame.com … Oklahoma 42-38, upset special.

2) No. 6 Clemson (minus 7) at No. 20 North Carolina State: Tigers have won eight straight games against ranked teams, but if the defending champions don’t make it nine they are pretty much out of the playoff race … Clemson

23-20.

3) No. 23 Arizona (plus 7) at No. 17 Southern California: Have you seen spectacular Wildcats QB Khalil Tate? Here’s your chance, though you might have to stay up late #PAC12AfterDark … USC 42-30.

4) No. 13 Virginia Tech (minus 2 ½) at No.

9 Miami: First place in the ACC Coastal and a straight shot to the conference title game on the line. Also, the Hurricanes are somehow still unbeaten … Miami 24-20.

5) No. 18 Stanford (plus 2 ½) at No. 25 Washington State: Heisman contender Bryce Love will be a game-time decision after missing last week’s game. If he doesn’t play, this gets a lot less interesting … Stanford 31-27.

6) No. 7 Penn State (minus 7 ½) at No. 24 Michigan State: Saquon Barkley could use a big performance against a tough defense to bolster his Heisman case … Penn State 28-17.

7) No. 19 LSU (plus 21) at No. 1 Alabama: Maybe the Tigers can challenge the Tide. Maybe? … Alabama 31-14.a

* South Carolina (plus 24 ½) at No. 2 Georgia: Bulldogs’ closest SEC game so far is 25 points against Missouri … Georgia 42-17.

* No. 4 Wisconsin (minus 10 ½) at Indiana: Hoosiers are winless in the Big Ten, but the last three losses were by an average of six points … Wisconsin 28-20.

* No. 15 UCF (minus 13 ½) at SMU: In seven games this season, Knights coach Scott Frost has become the hottest commodity in coaching, but SMU’s Chad Morris is doing a really nice job, too … UCF 45-35.

* No. 3 Ohio State (minus 17) at Iowa: Buckeyes QB J.T. Barrett ended last week’s game with a school-record 16 straight completions; the Hawkeyes did not allow a TD pass in October … Ohio State 35-14.

* Wake Forest (minus 13) at No. 5 Notre

Dame: Notre Dame has started a website to promote RB Josh Adams as a Heisman contender … Notre Dame 38-17, best bet.

* Texas (plus 6 ½) at No. 10 TCU: Freshman QB Sam Ehlinger (concussion) returned to practice this week … TCU

28-23.

* Oregon (plus 21) at No.

12 Washington: Last time the Huskies won two straight against the Ducks was 2002 and ‘03 … Washington 42-14.

* No. 14 Iowa State (plus 2 ½) at West Virginia: Cyclones could hold sole possession of first in the Big 12, via tiebreakers, if Oklahoma wins Bedlam … Iowa State 28-24.

* No. 16 Auburn (minus 15) at Texas A&M: Road team has won every meeting since the Aggies joined the SEC in 2012 … Auburn 28-17.

* UMass (plus 28) at No.

21 Mississippi State: Bulldogs quarterback Nick Fitzgerald has three straight 100-yard rushing games … Mississippi State 45-14.

Other games: Toledo 31, Northern Illionis 24. Georgia Tech 24, Virginia 17. Baylor 31, Kansas 21. Florida 35, Missouri

31. Northwestern 24, Nebraska

21. Toledo 31, Northern Illinois

24.

The Associated Press BEDLAM: Pictured in December 2016 are Oklahoma State, left, playing Oklahoma in their annual game. For only the second time in 13 years, No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 11 Oklahoma State are meeting before the final game of the regular season.