The Smoking Musket College Pick 'Em Gauntlet Week 5 Results, Plus Staff Predictions For WVU vs Kansas

Our own JP Fanshawe has stormed into the overall lead with 16 of 20 right last week. But he's not eligible for the pri-ize. For those competing for the prize, DWalk1217 remains in the lead (2 points back from JP). Overall, it wasn't a very good week for most of the Musket pickers.

Because it's a cumulative score game, you can always jump in late and catch up. Here are the top eleven (with ties):

Here is the Week 5 breakdown:

Official Rules (PDF document link)

Our game, as in the past, will be hosted by Yahoo! Fantasy. GAME LINK

Group Name: The Smoking Musket

Group ID: 10575

Group password: westbygod

We have 22 games to pick this week, starting with Friday at 4 pm. Make sure you at least have your tie breakers in by then. Deadline for each game pick is 5 minutes before kickoff.

Also, as a way to change things up a bit this year, we will also be featuring staff predictions for the weekly WVU game (or game of interest on the off-weeks). Here are the staff predictions for the WVU/Kansas game (in Gauntlet ranking order with total score in parentheses):

JPFanshawe (70)

West Virginia 62 Kansas 9

Couple the firing of Weis with the burning memory of last year's debacle in Lawrence, and you have a recipe that Charlie's ex-school won't like. WVU hits on all cylinders and rolls. By the way, Weis is awesome. It is a real accomplishment to get two schools to pay you 19 million NOT to coach.

MKirchner12 (64)

West Virginia 52 Kansas 14

Kansas shows some grit early on in response to new head coach Clint Bowen, but the Mountaineer offense proves to be too much as Clint Trickett, Kevin White, and Mario Alford continue to roll. Freshman William Crest gets some more valuable reps in the fourth quarter and the Mountaineers go to 3-2 with a big revenge game coming up in Lubbock.

JohnRadcliff (63)

WVU 49 KU 3

Holgo Smash!

SmithFire13 (61)

Charlie will still travel to Morgantown to watch the game from Tudor's.

sbwvu1 (61)

WVU 49 KU 17

WVU rolls, the game is never in doubt, and Crest gets some valuable work.

whirsch_wvu2014 (60)

WVU 54 Kansas 7

It's a Gold Rush. Both the offense and the defense are fired up. Kansas new coach can't do much to figure out the Mountaineers. The offense runs wild and the defense plays really well.

D White (59)

WVU 52 KU 21

Teams who have just fired their head coach almost always give a spirited effort for the interim guy. The Jayhawks will battle, but talent takes over as the Mountaineers get revenge for last year's debacle.

WVUfanMG (57)

WVU 63 Kansas 10

After firing Charlie Weis, Kansas enters free-fall mode and packs it in for the season. WVU, on the other hand, rights the ship after a hard fought loss to Oklahoma. The week off to polish the offense and defense was used well, and West Virginia cruised past the Jayhawks.

WVUIE97 (57)

WVU 44 Kansas 10

Texas tried to make a statement against Kansas and scored 23 (scoring drives all starting on a short field, no less). WVU will try to make a statement and will do so much better than Texas. It won't be a shutout, but it will be close to one.

_CBH_ (53)

Abpriddy (43)

West Virginia 45 Kansas 16

Mountaineers pick right up where they left off and the demons from last season's embarrassment are exorcised. Clint Trickett & Kevin White get off to a fast 28-0 start before boredom sets in & Kansas tacks on meaningless points.

Caleb Wygal (16)

zcameron (16)

WVU 51, Kansas 20

All reports out of Kansas are that the Jayhawks are happy with the firing of Charlie Weis. Clint Bowen is near and dear to the Jayhawk community, being a coach on the staff for over a decade. I think the Jayhawks come out this weekend looking to prove something, but with their lack of talent, this game is over by halftime. WVU seeks revenge of last year's loss, and rolls.

UpToMyEERS

West Virginia 49 Kansas 10

Kansas comes out energetic and physical to start the game in the first quarter, keeping it closer than expected with an improved defense and forcing WVU to tighten up their bootstraps. The Mountaineers do and the offense begins to pour it on from the second quarter through the final seconds.