College Football 2013 Preview: Georgia Tech:

Starting off the season with a post here on my team.  Yes I can say "my" team here, I graduated and have proof.

Alright Jackets fans, something has got to give this year.  We're playing two FCS teams, so assuming we beat both we will need 7 wins to get to a bowl game.  There are seven winnable games on the schedule, but that may be it.  Most likely, we're going to have to break a trend this year to go to a bowl game.

Under Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech is:
* 1-4 vs Virginia Tech
* 1-4 vs Miami
* 1-4 vs Georgia

In fact, all three wins were from the 2008 and 2009 seasons.  It has been too long.

Also looming big this year is the trip to Charlottesville, Virginia.  While Paul Johnson's record there is only 1-1, that one win was the only one in 20+ years of trips there.

Due to a stupid scheduling quirk (thank you Dan Radakovich) we get to go to Clemson for the second straight year.  It fixes a few long-term scheduling issues, but it screws us in the process by an Athletic Director who then left to be the AD at Clemson.  DRad can kiss our butts for that move.  Clemson is expected to be real good this year, and while Tech has had their number in a lot of games, it doesn't look good.  Paul Johnson's record in Clemson is only 1-2.

That's five of twelve games that aren't looking good for the Jackets.  Unless we break a trend, we're staring at 7-5 at best.  There's no wiggle room for errors.  No upsets.

So we look at the other seven games.
* Elon and Alabama A&M are the two FCS teams visiting Atlanta.  Those should be easy wins.
* Duke and North Carolina visit in back-to-back weeks in September.  Duke will most likely take a step back this year.  North Carolina should be better than last year, but GT tore them a new one in Chapel Hill last year.  These two games should be wins for Tech.
* We get both conference newcomers in Atlanta this year, Syracuse visits in mid-October while Pitt visits in early November.  Pitt and GT should turn into a nice rivalry.  Syracuse will be rebuilding this year.  Pitt will be close.  Both could be GT victories.
* This leaves us with a trip to BYU in mid-October.  I could barely watch the game last year in Atlanta.  BYU absolutely shut down GT's offense.  157 yards total, 117 on the ground with 40 in the air.  GT scored 17 points, but neither touchdowns were on offense (interception return and a kickoff return).  This is where we see what this team is like.  This is game #6 on the schedule, Tech will have played three winnable games, and two most-likely losses (Miami and VT) by this point.  A loss on the road here and this might be it.

Keys:
* The offense has been fine the past couple of years.  A new starting QB in Vad Lee will have a few issues, but he's had enough playing time to get the bigger kinks out of the way already.  GT has averaged 34 ppg the past couple of seasons, expect that to continue.
* The defense absolutely has to get better this year.  This is it.  GT's defense has gotten worse every year under Paul Johnson.  That 2008 team gave up an average of 20.3 PPG.  The championship season of 2009 it was 24.8 PPG.  2010 saw a rise to 25.2 PPG.  2011 saw it get worse to 26.1 PPG.  2012 was a disaster at 28.3 PPG.  New defensive coordinator Ted Roof has his work cut out for him.  If the trends continue, nobody on the coaching staff may be employed at GT this time next year.

So what's my prediction?  7-5.  We lose a game we shouldn't (most likely @BYU) and win a game that breaks a trend (@UVA looks likely).

2012 College Football Bowl Season!

Ah yes, it is that time of the year again.  Christmas?  meh.  New Years?  Well there's one good reason for that day.  Mainly there are really good bowl games on that day.  But we have a lot to cover before then as well.

Yes, that time of the year where ESPN tells us the reason to watch all these games (except the Sun Bowl and Cotton Bowl since they are on "lesser" stations) but to remember that the SEC is superior in every way in college football.

The realignment scene won't go away during this time of the year though.  The seven basketball-only schools of the Big East are bailing and possibly taking the name with them.  It leaves us with a big gaping hole on the future for a bunch of schools.  But we can ignore it for now, its game time.

Given the situation the BCS title game is the right matchup.  With Ohio State ineligible that puts them out.  The other one loss teams are Kansas State (5 loss Baylor), Alabama (2 loss Texas A&M), Florida (2 loss Georgia), and Oregon (2 loss Stanford).  Kansas State is out for losing to a five-loss team.  Of the rest only Alabama won their conference.  Oregon and Florida didn't even win their divisions.

I'm still laughing at Ohio State though.  The school could have easily skipped the bowl game last year for their 6-6 squad but chose not to.

Anyway, on to the picks!

-Gildan New Mexico Bowl; Nevada vs Arizona: Nevada had one big win, the opener over Cal.  Arizona had two big wins against USC and Oklahoma State.  That's enough for me, Arizona by 7.
-Famous Idaho Potato Bowl; Toledo vs Utah State: Toledo had a nice big win against Cincinnati, Utah State had a big win against Utah and Louisiana Tech.  Flip a coin here and... Utah State wins by 3.
-San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl; BYU vs San Diego State: One common opponent, SDSU beat Boise State in a low scoring game while BYU lost to Boise State in a low scoring game.  SDSU by 7.
-Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg; Ball State vs UCF: Both teams had good years, the MAC was better than Conference USA though.  Ball State by 10.
-R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl; East Carolina vs Louisiana-Lafayette: East Carolina celebrates an invite to the defunct Big East by losing to the home-state team.  LA-Lafayette by 4.
-Maaco Bowl Las Vegas; Washington vs Boise State: In what might be described as an off year by Boise State standards (2 losses, wtf?), Washington has played horribly on the road this year and Vegas is a long way from Seattle.  Boise State by 10.
-Sheraton Hawaii Bowl; Fresno State vs SMU: SMU barely makes it in, Fresno is a much better program this year.  Fresno by 10.
-Little Caesars Bowl; Western Kentucky vs Central Michigan: Once again, MAC > Sun Belt, so Central Michigan by 7.
-Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grummand; San Jose State vs Bowling Green: Say goodbye to the WAC, Bowling Green by 10.
-Belk Bowl; Cincinnati vs Duke: Congratulations to Duke for finally getting to a bowl game for the first time since 1994.  Charlotte welcomes you!  Unfortunately this isn't basketball so against a good team not UNC you don't have a chance.  Cincinnati by 14.
-Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl; Baylor vs UCLA: Baylor is currently the Perpetual National Champion, but UCLA will be shortly.  UCLA by 10.
-Advocare V100 Independence Bowl; Ohio vs Lousiana-Monroe: In what may be the lowest bowl game on the scale, Ohio will revert to the form they had in the early season and win.  Ohio by 10.
-Russell Athletic Bowl; Rutgers vs Virginia Tech: Virginia Tech is bad this year, very bad.  Six losses?  Try seven.  Rutgers by 4.
-Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas; Minnesota vs Texas Tech: These two teams met once before, in the Insight Bowl six years ago.  Minnesota had a huge lead only to watch Texas Tech come back and win it.  This time there is no Mike Leach present, so the opposite will be true.  Minnesota by 4.
-Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl; Rice vs Air Force: One team will leave with seven losses on the year.  Given what I've seen of Conference USA this year, it'll be Rice.  Air Force by 4.
-New Era Pinstripe Bowl; West Virginia vs Syracuse: Two teams that determined the fate of the Big East by leaving it meet here.  These two teams Do Not Like Each Other so this should be fun to watch.  If West Virginia can find any form of a defense the Mountaineers will win.  WVU by 10.
-Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl; Navy vs Arizona State: Navy started the year off poorly but came back to win a lot of games.  Arizona State did the opposite.  This game will not end that way though.  Arizona State by 14.
-Valero Alamo Bowl; Texas vs Oregon State: Oregon State didn't quite finish how they wanted to, neither did Texas.  This could be one of the better matchups this bowl season between two heavyweights.  Texas will pull away at the end though.  Texas by 4.
-Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl; TCU vs Michigan State: Michigan State has been a bust this year while TCU struggled a bit in the Big 12 but managed to pull off some wins late.  TCU wins here by 6.
-Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl; NC State vs Vanderbilt: NC State was maddingly inconsistent all year and that led to a head coaching change.  Vanderbilt comes in riding high on a six game winning streak.  The Commodores are a tough bunch and NCSU won't know how to play that.  Vandy by 17.
-Hyundai Sun Bowl; USC vs Georgia Tech: Who needs defense?  Both teams struggled mightily on defense this year, but both have high-powered offenses capable of scoring on anyone.  USC should win this game though, in my opinion by a lot.  USC by 20.
-Autozone Liberty Bowl; Iowa State vs Tulsa: Conference USA had a crappy year, but Tulsa did win it and won it well.  That being said, the three losses by Tulsa?  SMU, Arkansas and oh... Iowa State.  Rematches don't usually go well, Tulsa better remember how the season opened.  Tulsa by 3.
-Chick-fil-a Bowl; LSU vs Clemson: Clemson's high powered offense returns to the Georgia Dome to take on a tough-as-nails defense in LSU.  My prediction on this game comes to one of their two common opponents: South Carolina.  The Gamecocks played both on the road, lost to LSU in a game that could have gone either way, but beat up Clemson with the backup QB and RB in.  See where this is going?  LSU by 10.
-Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl; Mississippi State vs Northwestern: Two seasons ago Mississippi State came to Jacksonville and blew out Michigan.  Northwestern hasn't won a bowl game in decades now.  The trends continue.  Mississippi State by 5.
-Heart of Dallas Bowl; Purdue vs Oklahoma State: With a coaching change, a mediocre Purdue team won't have enough preparation for Oklahoma State.  Oklahoma State by 10.
-Outback Bowl; South Carolina vs Michigan: Both schools had good years but had bigger aspirations.  Both want a good jump on the next season.  South Carolina is the better team here, look for a big win by the GameCocks.  SC by 14.
-Capital One Bowl; Georgia vs Nebraska: If the same Nebraska team that showed up against Wisconsin arrives here, this will be over quickly.  I don't think it will be that bad, but it won't be that good for Nebraska either.  UGA by 10.
-Rose Bowl Game Presented by Vizio; Wisconsin vs Stanford: Stanford will be fired up for this.  They have to be.  First Rose Bowl since the 1999 Season.  Wisconsin is making the trip for the third straight year.  Barry Alvarez returns to lead the Badgers for this game as well.  The last time he coached here? January 1, 2000 against Stanford.  Alvarez never lost a game here, and will continue the trend.  Wisconsin by 8.
-Discover Orange Bowl; Northern Illinois vs Florida State: I don't care what Kirk Herbstreit says.  Northern Illinois earned this game.  Florida State gets an easy draw here, but lets face it, the ACC in BCS games is usually the easy victory for the opposing team.  Northern Illinois pulls the upset and wins by 3.
-Allstate Sugar Bowl; Lousiville vs Florida: Depending on how things go this year, this may be the last Big East team in the BCS.  Florida had a great year but that loss to Georgia threw off all title plans.  The Sugar Bowl isn't a bad consolation prize though.  Charlie Strong of Louisville returns to play the team he was a defensive co-ordinator for in New Orleans.  Florida wins by 14.
-Tostitos Fiesta Bowl; Oregon vs Kansas State: Kansas State was one of the few teams to play defense in the Big 12 this year, and it was enough to win the conference.  Oregon got stonewalled by the one good defense they played all year.  Kansas State wins by 4.
-AT&T Cotton Bowl; Texas A&M vs Oklahoma: I thought two Big 12 schools couldn't play each other in a bowl game.  Oh wait... that's right, A&M left.  It's still strange to me.  Oklahoma will have a plan for the Heisman winner Manziel.  Oklahoma by 6.
-BBVA compass Bowl; Pittsburgh vs Ole Miss: For the third straight year Pitt travels to Birmingham.  This will be the first time of those three trips that their head coach makes it with them.  Ole Miss had a nice year under first year coach Hugh Freeze.  Pitt had a tough start but pulled it out with first year coach Paul Chryst.  Ole Miss wins here by 9.
-Godaddy.com Bowl; Kent State vs Arkansas State: The biggest difference between these two schools is that Arkansas State actually won their conference, Kent State lost the MAC Championship game.  Despite that, the MAC was a better conference this year, Kent State wins by 3.
-Discover BCS National Championship; Notre Dame vs Alabama: Oh right, SEC team in the title game, easy pickings, right?  A repeat national title for Bama?  Not so fast my friend.  Notre Dame is one damn fine team and can win this game.  Will it happen?  Well okay, no, but this should be a fun game to watch.  Alabama will pull away with a touchdown late and win by 10.

2012 College Football Week 13!

Commentary: Alright, its rivalry week.  Throw out the records, forget what's happened before, and get ready for heartache from one side and joy from the other.  Bragging rights are on the line.

Cheering for:
-The underdogs: Its great when the little school comes up with the victory against the bigger ones during rivalry week.  We've already seen Vanderbilt smash Tennessee this season and it has sent shockwaves through Knoxville.

Laughing at:
-Miami: All that work just to give it away.  Oh well, I'll take the trip to Charlotte, thanks Miami!

Feeling sorry for:
-Southern Miss: a one point loss to UTEP last week keeps them winless.  There is one chance left: this week at 3-8 Memphis.

Top 25:
1 Notre Dame
2 Ohio State
3 Florida
4 Clemson
5 Rutgers
6 Alabama
7 Georgia
8 Oregon
9 Oklahoma
10 LSU
11 Nebraska
12 South Carolina
13 Texas A&M
14 Florida State
15 Kansas State
16 Louisville
17 Stanford
18 Louisiana Tech
19 San Jose State
20 Michigan
21 Ball State
22 Northern Illinois
23 Oregon State
24 Mississippi State
25 Cincinnati

The picks:
-TCU at Texas: Now that A&M is gone off to the SEC, this will have to do for Thanksgiving night.  Both teams have had disappointing seasons.  Both are bowl eligible but that's about it.  Texas is the better team here, should win at home tonight.  Texas by 10.
-LSU at Arkansas: Both teams had great expectations this season.  LSU fell slightly short after losing to Florida and Alabama.  Arkansas came nowhere close.  A big "what if" can be asked about Petrino if he hadn't been sent packing and stayed for the entire year, but we'll never know.  LSU finishes off the season with a big win, wins by 14.
-Washington at Washington State: Mike Leach's first year at Washington State definitely hasn't gone as planned.  There have been a few highlights but quite a few disppointing Saturday's in Pullman.  Washington comes in needing to finish off a good year, not a great year as had hoped.  Washington wins by 15.
-Arizona State at Arizona: A four game losing streak brough Arizona State's season to a resounding thud.  Thankfully for them the streak ended with a win over Washington State last week.  Arizona has been more consistent throughout the year however.  I think that makes the difference here in a battle between first year coaches.  Arizona by 4.
-Georgia Tech at Georgia: I'd love to see it happen.  I'd love to have bragging rights for the year.  I'd love to see all hopes for the DWAGS slim national championship chance vanish this Saturday in Athens.  I just don't see how it could happen.  GT's best hope is to outscore the DWAGS in a shootout, but UGA's defense will probably prevent that.  GT has never beaten a top 10 UGA team when coming into the game unranked.  For the most part, GT has not done well against a ranked UGA team at all when unranked themselves (2-22 all time).  Tech's defense relies on the other team making mistakes, instead of forcing them to make mistakes.  That won't happen much this Saturday.  UGA by 10.
-Michigan at Ohio State: It is sad that Ohio State isn't eligible for the postseason this year, but it is their own fault for it.  Last season could have been handled much better than it was.  Urban Meyer has the team rolling and rolling well.  Urban Meyer simply does not lose to rivals often.  At Florida he never lost to Tennessee, lost to UGA once in six years, and lost to Florida State only once as well.  It doesn't get any bigger than this on a national stage either.  Michigan comes in playing well, not a pushover at all.  Ohio State seems to have it together more than Michigan though.  Ohio State by 7.
-Virginia at Virginia Tech: Virginia Tech owns the series as of late, and needs the win to be bowl eligible.  UVA is done after this.  I get the feeling that VT will be playing this tougher than usual out of necessity.  VT by 10.
-Indiana at Purdue: Indiana had a better season that most expected, Purdue did not.  That being said Indiana is done after this game, Purdue needs the win for bowl eligibility. Purdue should win this game out of necessity, Indiana just wants the bragging rights for once.  Purdue by 3.
-Baylor at Texas Tech: How does Baylor follow up after last week?  Texas Tech has been on a free fall losing three of the last four, with the victory being an overtime win against Kansas.  Baylor is in line for a letdown, and this is not a team to do that against.  Texas Tech by 10.
-Oregon at Oregon State: And it all came crashing down for Oregon last week.  The Ducks were in line for the national championship game, the offense was humming along with little issue, they just had two tough games left before the PAC 12 Championship.  Stanford stuffed them, quite literally stuffed Oregon's offense.  Now the Ducks aren't even in control of their PAC 12 destiny.  And now we have the Civil War coming.  Oregon State has had quite a nice year, for awhile I had them ranked #1!  Two losses have left them with little to fight for, but this is one of them.  Bragging rights are on the line and Oregon comes into Corvalis limping a bit.  Oregon State will take advantage of that.  Oregon State by 6.
-Florida at Florida State: This might be the best game of the weekend.  Both teams come in with one loss each.  This almost reminds me of the 90s when these teams were always near the top of the rankings.  Due to the bad loss on FSU's resume I don't have them ranked as high as the BCS does, but I think that tells me something as well.  There was no reason for FSU to lose at NC State.  Florida's loss was to a much better team in UGA.  That will be the difference.  Florida by 4.
-Oklahoma State at Oklahoma: Both teams have had good years, both wanted great years.  There will be a lot on the line in Norman when this game kicks off.  Oklahoma owns the series as of late.  The Cowboys' win last year was nice, but only once.  Oklahoma by 10.
-Auburn at Alabama: I have to put the Iron Bowl on this list just due to the intensity of the rivalry.  Auburn flat out stinks this year.  Alabama is still in control of its own destiny.  Alabama by 25.
-Stanford at UCLA: Stanford can win the PAC 12 by winning this game and winning the 2nd PAC 12 Championship.  UCLA can win the PAC 12 by winning next week.  That's right, if Stanford wins this week the Cardinal will play UCLA again next week for the PAC 12 title.  I'm guessing the conference heads didn't see this coming.  Stanford is playing well, but is due for a letdown after last week.  UCLA by 3.
-Mississippi State at Ole Miss: This should be quite a good game.  Ole Miss can win this and go to a bowl game, a loss ends the Rebels season.  Mississippi State has had no issues beating Ole Miss lately, and that streak should continue this year.  Mississippi State by 10.
-South Carolina at Clemson: Both schools have had wonderful years.  A combined three losses coming in between the two teams makes this game bigger than it has ever been.  Clemson's offense against South Carolina's defense should be fun to watch.  The other side of that won't be too shabby either.  South Carolina is a bit tougher here and has three wins in a row against the Tigers.  South Carolina by 7.
-Notre Dame at USC: USC has been disappointing lately with little to cheer for. Notre Dame just needs this win to play in the BCS Championship Game.  Notre Dame has faced tougher challenges this season and won, so I doubt there will be too much to worry about for the Irish here.  Notre Dame by 14.

2012 College Football Week 12!

2012 College Football Week 12!

Sorry just picks today, don't have time to make an actual post:

-UCF at Tulsa: Quick, name the leaders of Conference USA's two divisions?  Yeah, these two.  I have no idea who will win this one, so the coin flip says UCF.  UCF by 3.
-Rutgers at Cincinnati: Rutgers is the last undefeated team in conference play in the Big East, but Cincinnati and Louisville only have one loss themselves.  Rutgers is the stronger team here, but Cincinnati won't lose at home.  Cincy by 4.
-South Florida at Miami: The Big East would love nothing more than to beat the ACC Coastal leader, but South Florida isn't the team to do it.  Miami will score a lot and USF can't quite keep up.  Miami by 10.
-USC at UCLA: USC turned the ship around last week with a big win against Arizona State.  UCLA is riding a four game winning streak.  Don't be fooled, USC is much better here.  USC by 10.
-Duke at Georgia Tech: Alright Jackets, beat Duke and continue to bowl streak.  You may want to find a defense first though.  Giving up 50 to UNC sucked, thank goodness the offense was unstoppable.  Duke will slow down GT enough to keep it under 50, but Duke's offense won't score that much either.  Jackets win a wild one by 2.
-Minnesota at Nebraska: in 1983 Nebraska played Minnesota and won 84-13, scoring 21 in each quarter.  Minnesota hasn't beaten Nebraska since 1960, losing 15 in a row.  That goes to 16 today.  Nebraska by 14.
-Texas Tech at Oklahoma State: Oklahoma State is playing well, Texas Tech has had issues lately, on the field and on the sideline.  That spells trouble against the Cowboys.  Oklahoma State by 14.
-NC State at Clemson: The Textile Bowl is here, and NC State is struggling after a great start.  A Big win over Wake Forest last week helps, but Clemson won't let NC State surprise them this year.  Clemson by 10.
-Ohio State at Wisconsin: Ohio State is down to two games left for a perfect season, damn shame there will be no postseason for the Buckeyes.  They'd be in the BCS Championship discussion if it wasn't for that.  Madison, Wisconsin is usually not pleasant for visitors.  Wisconsin is good, but not that good.  I see a tough game here but Ohio State wins it late.  Ohio State by 2.
-Utah State at Louisiana Tech: Both teams are undefeated in conference play and it comes down to this for Utah State.  A win here gives them the last WAC title.  Louisiana Tech plays San Jose State next week for the title if they win here (SJSU lost to Utah State earlier, but that's it).  From what I've seen Louisiana Tech is the better team here plus the fact it is a home game gives the edge to the Bulldogs.  La Tech by 10.
-Tennessee at Vanderbilt: How bad are things at Tennessee?  They've won 28 of the past 29 games with Vanderbilt, but they're not favored today.  How messed up is that?  Vandy is playing well, Tennessee poorly.  We've heard this before and the results are always the same.  Tennessee by 3.
-Stanford at Oregon: The Ducks are in position to play for the BCS Championship, but three tough games remain.  Today against Stanford, next week against Oregon State, and either USC or UCLA in the PAC 12 Championship game.  Stanford is built to beat the big teams, but not Oregon.  Oregon will put up the points and Stanford won't be able to keep up.  Oregon by 14.

2012 College Football Week 11!

Commentary:
-As we get into November most of the conference races are over, or are at least down to two teams.  Means there's a lot of games that almost nobody cares about going on, but still plenty of interesting matchups.
-The SEC is nearly wrapped up, at least for who's playing in the championship game in Atlanta.  Barring upsets from Texas A&M and Auburn, Alabama will represent the West.  If Georgia beats Auburn today the dwags will represent the East.  If UGA loses, Florida goes in the game instead.
-Kansas State nearly has the Big 12 set, but there are still three conference games to go and the status of Quarterback Colin Klein is questionable for today's game.  Oklahoma has the outside shot to get in.
-The ACC is nearly set.  With Florida State's win on Thursday against Virginia Tech, it would take an upset by Maryland to keep them out of Charlotte.  Clemson needs that upset plus a win today and next week.  The dumpster fire that we call the Coastal Division is led by Miami with Duke still having a chance to go to the game.  UNC is up in the standings but is ineligible.
-The Big East still has a lot to play for, there is no championship game here though.  Louisville and Rutgers are undefeated in conference play, Cincinnati has one loss (to Louisville).
-Nebraska's win over Michigan gives the Huskers a leg up in the Legends division of the Big Ten, but it is far from over.  Ohio State is cruising right along in the Leaders division but is ineligible for the championship game, as well is Penn State at #2.  The winner of today's Indiana at Wisconsin game is likely to go to the Big Ten Championship game, yes Indiana.
-The PAC12 north will be decided among Oregon, Oregon State and Stanford.  The three teams have yet to play one-another.  The PAC12 south will be decided among USC, UCLA and Arizona State.  UCLA has already beaten Arizona State and USC plays them today.  UCLA and USC meet at the end of the year as usual.

Laughing at:
-Colorado: Never seen a team more pitiful than this, and I saw Georgia Tech in 1994.

Cheering for:
-Army: The Black Knights broke a six year losing streak to Air Force last week!  The Army-Navy game at the end of the year will decide the Commander-in-Chief's trophy.

Feeling sorry for:
-Southern Miss: Still winless, lost a tough one at home to UAB last week.  None of the Golden Eagles' remaining games are against teams with winning records so there is still a chance for at least one victory.
-UMass: A blowout loss to Northern Illinois wasn't terribly surprising last week.  The remaining games against Akron, Buffalo, and central Michigan may provide a win with a good game on the field.

Top 25:
1 Notre Dame
2 Kansas State
3 Alabama
4 Oregon
5 Ohio State
6 Louisville
7 Clemson
7 Rutgers
7 Florida
7 Oklahoma
11 Georgia
11 Louisiana Tech
11 LSU
14 Cincinnati
14 Nebraska
14 Mississippi State
17 Florida State
17 South Carolina
17 Texas A&M
17 Michigan
17 Oregon State
22 Northern Illinois
22 Stanford
22 San Jose State
22 Ball State

The picks:
-Wisconsin at Indiana: The winner here gets the big upper hand in the division race.  Indiana has been a nice story, but Wisconsin isn't going down here.  Wisconsin by 14.
-Northwestern at Michigan: Denard Robinson won't start for Michigan and that will be a problem.  Michigan's defense is good enough to slow down Northwestern, but the offense won't be able to score enough.  Northwestern by 4.
-Arkansas at South Carolina: In this series, if Arkansas finishes the season with a winning record then the Razorbacks win this game.  Arkansas is 4-5 going into the game, so it very well may decide the fact.  I think South Carolina is much better this year.  South Carolina by 10.
-Georgia Tech at North Carolina: Well Jackets, it is time to decide the post-season fate.  If you want to stay at home, lose this game.  If you want to continue the bowl streak, go out and win this game on the road.  Unfortunately for the Jackets UNC took a bye-week last week, and that spells doom for this offense.  UNC by 10.
-Oregon State at Stanford: Both teams are chasing Oregon but the loser is pretty much eliminated here.  Stanford is the tougher team, especially at home.  Stanford wins by 7.
-Arizona State at USC: USC is facing controversy at the moment and it very well may derail the team.  Arizona State comes in needing a win after three straight defeats.  I don't think the Sun Devils have enough here to win on the road.  USC by 10.
-Penn State at Nebraska: After the first two weeks of the season, I wouldn't have thought this game would have mattered.  Penn State was 0-2 losing to Ohio and Virginia, Nebraska was 1-1 after losing on the road to UCLA.  Since then both teams are 6-1, both losing to Ohio State.  Nebraska has been unstoppable at home and the trend will continue.  Nebraska by 14.
-West Virginia at Oklahoma State: This one should be fun to watch, the offenses here are magnificent.  West Virginia was looking great to start the season but three straight losses have derailed the Mountaineers.  Oklahoma State has enough defense to win this.  Oklahoma State by 7.
-Texas A&M at Alabama: After last week's big win by Alabama at LSU (at night too) you would expect a bit of a letdown.  I could understand a little bit of one at least, but Nick Saban won't.  Texas A&M has been a big surprise in their inaugural year in the SEC, but they don't have enough to win here.  Alabama by 10.
-Georgia at Auburn: The Oldest Rivalry in the South continues, but that's about the only reason to watch this game.  We've seen a few upsets here before, but I don't see Auburn coming anywhere close.  UGA by 20.
-Mississippi State at LSU: LSU has to rebound and rebound in a hurry.  Mississippi State has two losses in row.  LSU is much stronger up front and that will be the difference.  LSU by 10.
-Kansas State at TCU: Collin Klein's status in the game is questionable, TCU hasn't been up to their usual defensive standards this season.  After the overtime win last week, TCU won't have enough in the tank to keep up with Kansas State.  KSU by 7.

2012 College Football Week 10!

Commentary:
-It has been more and more difficult for me to get up for football season this year as the year goes along.  I know most of that stems from the fact that my own team isn't playing well at all.  The situation on the flats just gets worse and worse every week, Athletic Director Dan Radakovich bailed for Clemson this week.  I don't know what to think at this point.  Three years removed from an ACC championship and it feels like it will never happen again.

-The Colorado Curse: Every team (except one) that has played Colorado has lost the following week.  The only one who didn't was FCS Sacramento State.  Oregon played Colorado last week and plays USC this week.  Keep an eye on the game.

Cheering For:
-Air Force and Army: Good luck guys, have a good one on the field today.

Laughing at:
-Will Muschamp, head coach at Florida: You aren't wearing red and black anymore, you're allowed to win the game in Jacksonville.  That makes TWO foul-ups there.

Feeling sorry for:
-Southern Miss: It is time to get off this winless list.  1-7 UAB comes to town.  UAB's lone win was against SE Louisiana.
-UMass: In their first year as an FBS member UMass has six blowout losses, one close loss and one 11-point loss.  Today the Minutemen face off against 8-1 Northern Illinois.  This would be one really large upset for UMass to win, not seeing it happen.

Top 25
1 Notre Dame
2 Alabama
3 Kansas State
4 Oregon
5 Ohio State
6 Louisville
7 Mississippi State
8 Clemson
8 Rutgers
8 Florida
8 LSU
8 Oklahoma
13 Georgia
13 Louisiana Tech
13 Cincinnati
16 Florida State
16 Tulsa
16 Toledo
16 Texas Tech
16 West Virginia
16 Nebraska
16 South Carolina
16 Texas A&M
24 Ohio
24 Northern Illinois
24 Boise State
24 Oregon State
24 Michigan

Once again I don't feel like calculating tie-breakers.  Either way, Strength of Schedule matters at the top.  With the win at Oklahoma, Notre Dame SoS went up rather well.  Alabama gets a boost tonight if they win.  Kansas State will keep moving up with the strength of the Big 12.  Oregon has a tough game against USC.

The picks:
-Michigan at Minnesota: The Little Brown Jug is up for grabs again.  Michigan is 20-1 in the past 21 games against Minnesota.  Nothing changes today.  Michigan by 10.
-Texas A&M at Mississippi State: Of the two newcomers to the SEC I had bigger expectations for Missouri than Texas A&M.  I've been proven wrong.  Mississippi State has been strong against a weak schedule.  The SEC West hasn't been as good as everyone thought with Auburn and Arkansas having collapses.  This will be for third place in the division behind LSU and Alabama and will be a fine game to watch.  I think Mississippi State pulls this off at home though.  MSU by 3.
-Air Force at Army: Army is having a miserable year.
-Georgia Tech at Maryland: Maryland is out of quarterbacks.  The Terrapins are starting a linebacker at the QB spot this week.  Last year Maryland nearly pulled the upset in Atlanta.  Maryland does have a good run defense and GT's defense has been non-existent in most games.  Look for Maryland to win in a low scoring affair.  Maryland by 3.
-TCU at West Virginia: TCU has taken a couple of hits in their inaugural Big 12 season.  West Virginia has as well.  TCU's defense has been exposed a bit this year, West Virginia never had one.  TCU will score a bit this week but it won't be enough to overcome WVU after a bye week.  WVU by 7.
-Ole Miss at Georgia: The Dawgs generally play to their opponent's level which is a bad thing.  Ole Miss has had a good season compared to the last two but doesn't quite have it in them to win in Athens yet unless UGA forgets to show up after the big win in Jacksonville last week.  I don't think that will happen.  UGA by 10.
-Nebraska at Michigan State: Michigan State has the defense to win this while Nebraska doesn't play well on the road.  It should be time to turn that around for the Cornhuskers, but I don't see it happening.  Michigan State by 4.
-Texas at Texas Tech: In looking at these two teams this is a pretty even matchup.  The biggest difference between them is that Tech has beaten ranked teams, 2 wins in four tries.  Texas is 0-2.  Both are ranked of course.  With the game being in Lubbock, that will be enough.  Texas Tech wins by 7.
-Oregon at USC: The loss the Ducks had last year at home to USC had to hurt.  The Ducks had been building up from an opening loss to LSU and had sights on a rematch but USC stopped them cold.  It happens, and that was last year.  USC comes in reeling after a loss on the road to Arizona, Oregon just keeps moving right along.  Unless the Colorado curse comes in, Oregon wins this well.  Oregon by 10.
-Clemson at Duke: Historically Clemson has had issues winning at Duke.  Despite the Blue Devils not being that good it can be difficult due to the lack of atmosphere at the stadium.  Duke is much better this year than previous years, but so is Clemson.  Clemson by 10.
-Alabama at LSU: For the third time in a year these two teams meet.  Last year both teams were undefeated at this point, this year LSU has the loss to Florida to add in.  That's it.  Outside of that these two teams have not lost to anyone else.  A night game at LSU usually spells defeat for the visitor but I don't see it.  This will be a good one on the field, but low scoring.  Alabama by 4.
-Oklahoma State at Kansas State: Quick question: How many players on the Kansas State team have beaten Oklahoma State?  The answer is ZERO.  Kansas State is playing well out of this world.  Oklahoma State isn't bad though!  Most people are looking at Kansas State's pass defense as a weakness.  I don't see this as such given how that team went into Morgantown, West Virginia and kept the Mountaineers to 155 yards passing.  Kansas State will be fine at that.  Oklahoma State will score a bit but won't be enough.  Kansas State by 14.

2012 College Football Week 9!

2012 College Football Week 9

Commentary: This weekend will separate the pretenders from the contenders.  With four matchups between top fifteen teams we will see who the true contenders for the BCS National Championship are.

For Oklahoma its time to get back in the national spotlight.  Kansas State may be undefeated but we saw how quickly that died down the last time they were unbeated this late in the season (1998).
For Notre Dame its time to show that the Irish really are back.  Brian Kelly has them winning in his third season and doing it well.
For Florida its time to build swagger.
For Georgia its time to shake the demons that haunt the team in Jacksonville every year.
For Alabama its time to merely maintain the top status.
For Mississippi State its time to show how far the program has come under Dan Mullen.

Cheering for:
-Florida: It is revenge time.  Please get revenge on UGA from last year.

Laughing at:
-Cincinnati: Going on the road to play a team with only one loss means you shouldn't be overlooking that team.  Cincinnati did and lost on the road to Toledo with the game this week against undefeated Louisville.

Feeling sorry for:
-Southern Miss and UMass: both are still winless.  Southern Miss plays at 2-6 Rice, UMass plays at 3-4 Vanderbilt.  Both are chances to win but not much of them.

Top 25
1 Florida
2 Notre Dame
3 Oregon
4 Oregon State
5 Kansas State
6 Alabama
7 Ohio State
8 Rutgers
9 Mississippi State
10 Louisville
11 Ohio
12 LSU
13 Oklahoma
14 Texas Tech
15 Cincinnati
16 Clemson
17 Michigan
18 Louisiana Tech
18 Georgia
18 USC
18 Florida State
18 West Virginia
18 South Carolina
18 Texas A&M
25 Northern Illinois
25 Toledo
25 Tulsa
25 Nebraska
25 Wisconsin
25 Western Kentucky

Yeah, using my points system there was a massive jam at #18 and #25.  I didn't feel like overloading my brain to figure out who was really ranked the highest in that.  Keep winning and it will settle itself out.


The picks:
-Clemson at Wake Forest: Wake Forest has been a thorn in Clemson's side for some time.  Between 2003 and 2008 the teams split six games.  Clemson has won the past three, last year the Tigers won it on a late field goal to clench the Atlantic Division of the ACC.  Overall the teams are in similar positions like last year, Clemson should come out on top tonight.  Clemson by 7.
-Tennessee at South Carolina: Tennessee desperately needs this win.  Derek Dooley has not faired well against top 25 teams during his tenure with the Vols.  South Carolina is coming off two straight losses and won't overlook anyone the rest of the way.  South Carolina by 10.
-NC State at North Carolina: Usually this game would indicate who controls the state of North Carolina but UNC has already lost to Wake Forest and Duke this year.  NC State has won 5 in a row over the Tar Heels and that won't stop this year either.  NC State by 10.
-USC at Arizona: USC may be a one loss team but they've not played that well over the course of the season.  Blowing out Colorado isn't an accomplishment this year.  This is also a big trap game for the Trojans with Oregon coming to LA next week.  With all that said, Arizona isn't a bad team at all but doesn't have the horses to keep up yet.  Maybe next year.  USC by 4.
-Duke at Florida State: It is week 9 and the two leaders of the ACC divisions are FSU and DUKE?  I certainly didn't see this coming at the start of the season.  FSU will bring Duke down a level or three.  This may be the best Blue Devils team in a long time, but not good enough to win in Tallahassee.  FSU by 20.
-Florida vs Georgia in Jacksonville, FL: The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is on.  Florida comes into this game ranked #2 in the BCS, Georgia comes in #10.  The last time both teams came in this highly  ranked (or close enough) was 2008.  Dawg fans don't want to remember that game.  UGA hasn't beaten Florida enough lately to count statistics, and that won't change here.  Florida by 10.
-Kent State at Rutgers: You may wonder why this game is here.  Between the two teams there is one loss (Kent State lost earlier in the season to Kentucky).  Rutgers hasn't done anything flashy except win seven games.  Kent State had one big name opponent and lost.  That will be the difference here too, Rutgers wins by 20.
-TCU at Oklahoma State: With Texas faltering a bit Oklahoma State is still alive for the Big 12 title.  TCU comes in after an overtime loss to Texas Tech that may be tough to recover from.  Oklahoma State hasn't lit up teams like they did last year, but they're still winning.  If this game were in Fort Worth I might give TCU a chance, but it isn't.  Oklahoma State wins by 3.
-Texas Tech at Kansas State: Texas Tech has been quite the surprise this year, shutting down West Virginia two weeks ago and winning on the road against TCU last week. Kansas State did the same against West Virginia, but did it in Morgantown.  Tech's one loss was to Oklahoma at home, Kansas State won in Norman.  This should be a fun game to watch, but Kansas State will win.  KSU by 7.
-Ohio State at Penn State: Currently these two teams sit on top of the Big Ten's Leader's division, and neither are eligible for the postseason.  Penn State shook off the horrible start to win five straight, Ohio State simply wins.  Urban Meyer's teams rarely lose to rivals, and this is a good one.  Ohio State by 10.
-Michigan at Nebraska: Last year Michigan beat up Nebraska in Ann Arbor.  Nebraska would certainly like to return the favor.  Michigan doesn't always win pretty, but wins are wins.  So far you have to be undefeated to beat the Wolverines and Nebraska isn't.  Michigan by 3.
-Notre Dame at Oklahoma: Defense wins championships.  Both teams have a pretty good defense.  Oklahoma's offense is a little better, so this game goes to the Sooners.  Oklahoma by 4.
-Mississippi State at Alabama: I have to hand it to Mississippi State.  They've overcome a few obstacles this year to reach this point in the season undefeated.  Prior to this year, under Dan Mullen, Mississippi State hadn't beaten any team in the SEC West that wasn't Ole Miss.  Beating Auburn convincingly changed that.  This isn't Auburn they're playing this week.  This is Alabama.  This won't be pretty.  Alabama comes in playing much better football.  Alabama wins this by 17.