It's time to stop second-guessing my gut instincts with these football picks.

I took one look, saw there were some no-brainers on the list this week, then I went with my first reaction with the close games.  (I'll let the readers decide which games were the easy ones to pick.)

1. No. 1 Edison (5-1) vs. No. 3 Los Alamitos (6-0) – There must be a jinx on the No. 1 spot in the county because it doesn’t seem like anyone wants to stay there for more than a couple of weeks. Don’t expect the injury-plagued Chargers to hold the slot for very long, either, after the Griffins beat them this week. LOS ALAMITOS, 24-14.

2. Cypress (3-3) vs. No. 20 Valencia (5-1) – Consistency and revenge are on the Tigers' side in this game. VALENCIA, 21-17.

3. No. 2 Tesoro (6-0) vs. No. 8 San Clamente (6-0) – Someone has to lose this game, and after last week’s dominating victory over Mission Viejo it doesn’t look like the Titans are ready to do that just yet. TESORO, 31-21.

4. No. 15 Tustin (3-3) vs. No. 21 Canyon (3-3) – This showdown will likely determine who will win the Century League title. The Tillers have morphed into a defensively strong team that can do enough on offense to win. The Comanches have been inconsistent this season. TUSTIN, 28-21.

5. No. 16 Santa Margarita (2-4) vs. No. 7 Servite (3-3) – The Friars were on the verge of being the No. 1 team in the county, but their game plan misfired against Mater Dei. Now the Friars have to win out in order to have another shot at the top spot.  That ascencion will begin with a win over the Eagles. SERVITE, 28-14.

6. St. John Bosco (6-0) vs. No. 5 Orange Lutheran (5-1) – The Lancers don’t have the offense to keep up with upper-echelon team, but their defense is good enough to make this a close game. ST. JOHN BOSCO, 24-17.

7. Anaheim (4-2) vs. Santa Ana Valley (3-3) – The Colonists' defense can be stingy, but the offense will need to step up to keep up with the Falcons.  ANAHEIM, 28-24.

8. Corona del Mar (5-2) vs. Irvine (6-1) – Neither team seems to be able to put up a ton of points against a quality defense. But the Sea King's tougher nonleague schedule should be the difference in this one.  CORONA DEL MAR, 14-7.

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