Commentary:
-I am not amused at the whole LSU and Alabama rematch. Alabama may very well be the second best team in the country and I know the BCS is designed to put in #1 vs #2, but #2 already had its shot, at home no less, and lost. Members of the 2006 Michigan team should be raising hell right now over it.
-Oklahoma State: go blow out Stanford and make for a huge argument that will never be settled.
-Give me this matchup in a playoff and I'd be fine. Stanford, Oklahoma State deserve their shot too.
Cheering for:
-Yes, all seventy teams in the bowl games. There may be too many of these games but the players enjoy them.
Laughing at:
-the BCS: Might as well just drop the C. Remember when the BCS formula really meant that "every game counts?" Remember when they factored in Strength of Schedule and Margin of Victory? Remember when you got points for beating a highly ranked team? Knee-jerk reactions to perceived injustices in it gave us the formula we have now, which is 2/3 human polls. Humans are too easily influenced. ESPN says the SEC is the greatest thing ever and everyone else believes it. Congratulations guys, you've created the worst system possible.
Feeling sorry for:
-The schools in some of these games: the Bowl games have it setup where the teams invited have to purchase a block of tickets to the game, usually at inflated (and overvalued) prices. The schools generally have to eat these tickets as cheaper ones can be found elsewhere (stubhub for instance). Clemson and West Virginia will have to eat about a million dollars worth of tickets for the Orange Bowl, per a report that came out yesterday. The bowl games aren't losing money. Most would make money even if nobody showed up thanks to the TV deal. This is something that needs to stop.
Top 25: I know what it says here. My own formula is deceiving. Yes Oklahoma State's one loss was wretched and drops them down to 10th.
1) LSU
2) Alabama
3) Stanford
4) Boise State
5) Houston
6) Arkansas
7) Oregon
8) Kansas State
9) Georgia
10) Oklahoma State
11) Virginia Tech
12) South Carolina
13) Southern Cal
14) Penn State
15) Michigan
16) Arkansas State
17) TCU
18) Wisconsin
19) Baylor
20) Michigan State
21) Nebraska
22) Oklahoma
23) Clemson
24) West Virginia
25) BYU
The picks: I admit I've not had time to research most of these, so I'm going with gut feelings here more often than not. That and any kind of streaks going into it I'll factor in as well.
-New Mexico Bowl: Temple vs Wyoming in Albuquerque, NM: This will be a virtual home game for Wyoming. Temple isn't bad at all but isn't that good. Wyoming by 7.
-Idaho Potato Bowl: Ohio vs Utah State in Boise, ID: Ohio has never won a bowl game, Utah State hasn't been to one in a long time. Utah State shows up to win here, by 10.
-New Orleans Bowl: San Diego State vs Louisiana Lafayette in New Orleans, LA: This is Lafayette's first bowl game ever. San Diego State is a much better team here. SDSU by 10.
-Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl: FIU vs Marshall in St. Petersburg, FL: If you're looking for a head coach for your program, FIU's Cristobal is your man. Marshall has one good win all year (Southern Miss), FIU did have a nice win on the road at Louisville. I believe the team much closer to home wins here, FIU by 3.
-Poinsettia Bowl: TCU vs Louisiana Tech in San Diego, CA: TCU isn't quite the same as years past but is too strong for the Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech. TCU by 7.
-MAACO Bowl: Arizona State vs Boise State in Las Vegas, NV: If Boise State shows up this should be easy for them. With enough on the line, they will. Boise State by 20.
-Hawaii Bowl: Nevada vs Southern Miss in Honolulu, HI: This is a rare year where Hawaii isn't in this game. Nevada will be focused, Southern Miss won't be due to the coaching changes. Nevada by 10.
-Independence Bowl: North Carolina vs Missouri in Shreveport, LA: If this were an NCAA Tournament game we'd all watch. Sadly its a bowl game that almost nobody wants to be at. Missouri wins by 10.
-Little Caesar's Bowl: Western Michigan vs Purdue in Detroit, MI: Another Big Ten-MAC matchup? I see similar results too. Purdue by 14.
-Belk Bowl: Louisville vs NC State in Charlotte, NC: NC state has been much stronger in the past month despite underachieving earlier in the year. NC State by 10.
-Military Bowl: Toledo vs Air Force in Washington, DC: Neither team has a big win on the year, Toledo's best was a win at Temple and Air Force won at Navy. I'll give this one to Air Force, by only by 2.
-Holiday Bowl: Cal vs Texas in San Diego, CA: These two teams created a bunch of controversy in 2004 with the Rose Bowl at-large pick. Outside of that there isn't much history. The same head coaches are in place from that time, though neither have bright futures anymore. Texas is the stronger team here, should win by 3.
-Champs Sports Bowl: Florida State vs Notre Dame in Orlando, FL: How the mighty have fallen. Games between these two have decided national championships before. But this isn't the 90s anymore. Florida State has underachieved quite a bit this year, Notre Dame too against good competition. Florida State wins the virtual home game by 7.
-Alamo Bowl: Washington vs Baylor in San Antonio, TX: This should be a fun game to watch if the offenses are clicking. That doesn't happen too often in bowl games though. Washington pulls off the win here by 4.
-Armed Forces Bowl: BYU vs Tulsa in Dallas, TX: The four teams that Tulsa lost to all year have a combined six losses (Oklahoma - 3; Oklahoma State - 1; Houston - 1; Boise State - 1). BYU isn't a bad team either and wins it here. BYU by 3.
-Pinstripe Bowl: Iowa State vs Rutgers in New York City, NY: Last year's Pinstripe Bowl proved entertaining. This one I don't see it as so. Rutgers in a virtual home game will disappoint. Iowa State by 3.
-Music City Bowl: Mississippi State vs Wake Forest in Nashville, TN: Let's see... SEC vs ACC in a bowl game. Bet on the SEC team. To be fair, the ACC has held its own in this game the past two years. I don't see it becoming three though. Mississippi State by 3.
-Insight Bowl: Iowa vs Oklahoma in Tempe, AZ: Oklahoma will be well rested and healed up coming into this game. Iowa is never a pushover, but Oklahoma will be too much here. Sooners by 10.
-Meineke Car Care Bowl: Texas A&M vs Northwestern in Houston, TX: Northwestern is a team that never should be overlooked (ask Nebraska). Texas A&M is going through a coaching transition and that will burn them here. Northwestern by 7.
-Sun Bowl: Georgia Tech vs Utah in El Paso, TX: Lately Utah has been money in bowl games, GT's offense can't score more than once. Add in elevation differences (Salt Lake City: 4300ft, El Paso: 3000 ft, Atlanta: 1000 ft), a decent Utah run defense, and you get a low scoring Utah win. Utah by 4.
-Liberty Bowl: Cincinnati vs Vanderbilt in Memphis, TN: Vanderbilt is pumped to be here, Cincinnati isn't so much after losing out on the BCS due to rankings. Vandy by 7.
-Fight Hunger Bowl: Illinois vs UCLA in San Francisco CA: This bowl game won't be about fighting hunger, it'll be about coaching changes and avoiding losing records. Illinois is 6-6 on the year, UCLA 6-7. Illinois's running game is better and wins here. Illinois by 4.
-Chick-Fil-A Bowl: Virginia vs Auburn in Atlanta, GA: The old Peach Bowl deserves a more hyped up match, but this will do. This isn't last year's Auburn team but isn't a bad one. Virginia isn't too shabby either but isn't enough to beat Auburn here. Auburn by 10.
-TicketCity Bowl: Houston vs Penn State in Dallas, TX: Houston faced exactly one ranked team all year and lost. Penn State's defense will shred them. Penn State by 14.
-Outback Bowl: Michigan State vs Georgia in Tampa, FL: Given that I am a Georgia Tech graduate and my better half is a Michigan fan, we're cheering for the meteor here. Since that's extremely rare, the game will go on. Michigan State got embarrassed last year again Alabama in the bowl game, they won't get embarrassed here, but won't win. UGA by 10.
-Capital One Bowl: Nebraska vs South Carolina in Orlando, FL: This will all depend on how well Nebraska's defense does. If they do well the South Carolina won't get much done. If they do poorly South Carolina will run all over them. I'm betting on the former and say Nebraska wins a low scoring contest.
-Gator Bowl: Ohio State vs Florida in Jacksonville, FL: The Gator Bowl gave up entertaining contests between the upper ranks of the ACC and Big East for... two 6-6 teams from the SEC and Big Ten. Good luck there, this may be the worst bowl game of them all. Neither team has looked decent lately. I'll give the nod to Florida since it is a short bus ride home afterwards. Florida by 2.
-Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs Oregon in Pasadena, CA: Oregon won its first Rose Bowl game in 1916, has been four times since and lost all four. Wisconsin's record is a little better, especially lately (3-1 in last four). Wisconsin rolls over the Ducks here. Wisconsin by 7.
-Fiesta Bowl: Stanford vs Oklahoma State in Glendale, AZ: Both teams deserve a shot at the BCS Championship given the two teams that are playing in it. Sadly that won't happen. I get the feeling that Oklahoma State will be flat in this game. Stanford will take on anyone. Stanford by 14.
-Sugar Bowl: Michigan vs Virginia Tech in New Orleans, LA: an ACC team in a BCS game? Easy pickings. Michigan by 10.
-Orange Bowl: West Virginia vs Clemson in Miami Gardens, FL: another ACC team in a BCS game? Easy enough: West Virginia by 14.
-Cotton Bowl: Kansas State vs Arkansas in Arlington, TX: While the Cotton Bowl may not be a BCS game, and it should be given the history, it has two higher ranked teams than the Sugar and Orange bowls, and will probably be a better game overall! Kansas State has had a great year overall, winning with toughness and determination in a lot of games. They will need it against Arkansas! The SEC has done well here winning 7 of the last 8. Arkansas by 7.
-BBVA Compass Bowl: SMU vs Pittsburgh in Birmingham, AL: I don't see the Pitt team being focused here at all, and you need to be focused to beat SMU. SMU by 10.
-GoDaddy.com Bowl: Arkansas State vs Northern Illinois in Mobile, AL: Arkansas State has had a fine year, winning the Sun Belt and all with a tough defense. Due to the coaching change, I see Northern Illinois pulling off the win here. NIU by 4.
-BCS Championship Game: Alabama vs LSU in New Orleans, LA: In 2003 LSU played for the BCS title here against Oklahoma and won. In 2007 LSU played Ohio State for the BCS title here against Ohio State and won. In 2011 LSU plays Alabama in New Orleans for the BCS title. You do the math. LSU by 10.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
2011 College Football Week 14 (and 15) predictions!
Commentary:
-Alright folks, this is it for the regular season. Week 15 only has Army vs Navy in Washington, DC so I'm going to throw it in here. It's Championship Saturday, a few regular games thrown in, and then we are done.
-I'll do a post for the bowl games, no worries there.
Cheering for:
-FAU: The Owls manage to win last week. There are no winless teams this year!
-LSU: Getting through the regular season without a loss is quite impressive, especially given the schedule the Tigers had. Three teams in the top 5 when LSU played them, all three still in the top 10 at the end of the regular season! For the record I still don't like Les Miles, but it's hard to argue with the results he gets in Baton Rouge.
-Houston: I don't care if the strength of schedule sucks for Houston, going undefeated is still impressive even if 20 other teams claim they could do it against the same schedule.
Laughing at:
-USC: Congrats on finishing your season with a 10-2 record, a trashing of your cross-town rival, and a big win over Notre Dame thrown in. Why am I laughing? Because that's it. No championship game, no bowl game, NOTHING!
-Maryland: For throwing an exclaimation point onto a horrible season by blowing a 41-14 lead over NC State. The Terrapins gave up 42 straight points to close out the game, the last 7 on a pick-six with under a minute remaining. Protip to Randy Edsall, head coach of the Terrapins: Ralph Friedgen got fired after following up his 2-10 season in 2009 with a 9-4 record in 2010. Therefore you need to win ten to keep your job.
-Miami: 1) How the hell did you lose to that Maryland team? You should have been able to dress walk-ons and win, yet you lost with several suspensions. 2) Why did you just give your first year coach an extension? Usually this is done if the coach has done something big or you fear someone else will hire him away. A 6-6 record, 3-5 in conference isn't anything big (the last coach could do that) and nobody else is going to hire him right now.
-The Big East: who is your champion going to be? And will anybody care? West Virginia, Cincinnati, and Louisville all have two losses in conference play, and each team lost to one of the other two and beat the other.
-Illinois: first team ever to win the first six and lose the last six in the same season. Didn't think conference play was that tough in the Big Ten.
-Colorado: what a great hire Embree was. I know I've already documented it, but that's the reason you don't do a "knee-jerk, opposite of what you had before" hire without putting some serious work into it.
-Tennessee: Vandy is going to a bowl game, you aren't. Losing to Kentucky for the first time since the early 80s? Ouch. The SEC East is the weakest it has been in decades and you finished at the bottom of it.
Top 25:
1) LSU
2) Houston
3) Alabama
4) Stanford
5) Boise State
6) Arkansas
7) Virginia Tech
8) Oregon
9) Georgia
10) Kansas State
11) Oklahoma State
12) Tulsa
13) Arkansas State
14) Michigan
15) Michigan State
16) Penn State
17) Wisconsin
18) TCU
19) Oklahoma
20) Baylor
21) Nebraska
22) San Diego State
23) West Virginia
24) Clemson
25) BYU
The picks: Only nine games worth looking at this week plus the one for next week. It sorta makes up for the 21 from last week.
-West Virginia at South Florida: While I'm writing this, this game should be starting. I swear I'm not watching, though it won't matter. West Virginia is on a roll and South Florida doesn't have enough in the tank to win this and secure bowl eligibility. WVU by 14.
-Marathon MAC Championship: Ohio vs Northern Illinois in Detroit, MI: Looking at some of the numbers, Ohio has decent offense and defense, Northern Illinois has a good offense and poor defense. Defense wins championships, so Ohio wins this one. Ohio by 4.
-PAC 12 Championship: UCLA at Oregon: The spread on this game is 31.5 points in favor of Oregon. A UCLA win would be an all-time of an upset. It won't happen. Take Oregon and lay the points. Oregon by 35.
-Conference USA Championship: Southern Miss at Houston: Southern Miss only has two losses on the year, but they were horrible losses to Marshall and UAB (combined 15 losses between them). Houston is undefeated. Houston's offense is one of the best, and the defense of Houston is only slightly behind Southern Miss' defense. Houston wins this one easily.
-Texas at Baylor: Hard to believe that Baylor has the better ranking and record going into this game. Texas has a much better defense, Baylor is giving up massive points to everyone. Take out the 48-0 win over FCS Stephen F Austin and Baylor is giving up over 40 to everyone else. Texas wins by 7.
-SEC Championship: LSU vs Georgia in Atlanta, GA: I like to look at stats. I look at overall offense and defense numbers. I look at passing and rushing yards. The only thing UGA is ahead of LSU is in passing yards. Everything else is in LSU's favor. It explains the point spread (LSU -13.5). LSU by 14.
-Bedlam; Oklahoma at Oklahoma State: Oklahoma State will be playing for a possible spot in the BCS Championship game, the Big 12 Title, and state bragging rights. It won't matter. Oklahoma rules this series. Mike "I'm a man! I'm 40!" Gundy has not beaten the Sooners yet and this year won't be any different. OU by 10.
-Dr Pepper ACC Championship: Virginia Tech vs Clemson in Charlotte, NC: Clemson is in full-on late-season swoon mode. It showed badly last week in a loss to South Carolina. Virginia Tech is moving quite along. While the chance is long, VT could make the BCS Championship game and will play like it. VT by 21.
-Big Ten Championship: Wisconsin vs Michigan State in Indianapolis, IN: Sutbhub has over 3000 tickets for sale for this game. Ouch. Anyway, Michigan State beat Wisconsin earlier in the year on a Hail Mary play. To be fair, the game was tied going into the play, the fans on both sides will argue over the replay officials' decision to give the Spartans the touchdown. Still, it means this game should be quite entertaining! The numbers don't look good for Michigan State, the defenses are similarly ranked, but the offense rankings favor the Badgers by far. Wisconsin wins this by 10.
-Army-Navy Game;The Unites States Military Academy vs The United States Naval Academy in Washington DC: This is it for both teams this year. Just bragging rights on the line. Air Force won the Commander-In-Chief's trophy this year. Neither team is going to a bowl game. This might be a fun game to watch next weekend though! Both teams show off great option-based rushing attacks. Navy is stronger overall, and gets the nod from me. Navy by 7.
-Alright folks, this is it for the regular season. Week 15 only has Army vs Navy in Washington, DC so I'm going to throw it in here. It's Championship Saturday, a few regular games thrown in, and then we are done.
-I'll do a post for the bowl games, no worries there.
Cheering for:
-FAU: The Owls manage to win last week. There are no winless teams this year!
-LSU: Getting through the regular season without a loss is quite impressive, especially given the schedule the Tigers had. Three teams in the top 5 when LSU played them, all three still in the top 10 at the end of the regular season! For the record I still don't like Les Miles, but it's hard to argue with the results he gets in Baton Rouge.
-Houston: I don't care if the strength of schedule sucks for Houston, going undefeated is still impressive even if 20 other teams claim they could do it against the same schedule.
Laughing at:
-USC: Congrats on finishing your season with a 10-2 record, a trashing of your cross-town rival, and a big win over Notre Dame thrown in. Why am I laughing? Because that's it. No championship game, no bowl game, NOTHING!
-Maryland: For throwing an exclaimation point onto a horrible season by blowing a 41-14 lead over NC State. The Terrapins gave up 42 straight points to close out the game, the last 7 on a pick-six with under a minute remaining. Protip to Randy Edsall, head coach of the Terrapins: Ralph Friedgen got fired after following up his 2-10 season in 2009 with a 9-4 record in 2010. Therefore you need to win ten to keep your job.
-Miami: 1) How the hell did you lose to that Maryland team? You should have been able to dress walk-ons and win, yet you lost with several suspensions. 2) Why did you just give your first year coach an extension? Usually this is done if the coach has done something big or you fear someone else will hire him away. A 6-6 record, 3-5 in conference isn't anything big (the last coach could do that) and nobody else is going to hire him right now.
-The Big East: who is your champion going to be? And will anybody care? West Virginia, Cincinnati, and Louisville all have two losses in conference play, and each team lost to one of the other two and beat the other.
-Illinois: first team ever to win the first six and lose the last six in the same season. Didn't think conference play was that tough in the Big Ten.
-Colorado: what a great hire Embree was. I know I've already documented it, but that's the reason you don't do a "knee-jerk, opposite of what you had before" hire without putting some serious work into it.
-Tennessee: Vandy is going to a bowl game, you aren't. Losing to Kentucky for the first time since the early 80s? Ouch. The SEC East is the weakest it has been in decades and you finished at the bottom of it.
Top 25:
1) LSU
2) Houston
3) Alabama
4) Stanford
5) Boise State
6) Arkansas
7) Virginia Tech
8) Oregon
9) Georgia
10) Kansas State
11) Oklahoma State
12) Tulsa
13) Arkansas State
14) Michigan
15) Michigan State
16) Penn State
17) Wisconsin
18) TCU
19) Oklahoma
20) Baylor
21) Nebraska
22) San Diego State
23) West Virginia
24) Clemson
25) BYU
The picks: Only nine games worth looking at this week plus the one for next week. It sorta makes up for the 21 from last week.
-West Virginia at South Florida: While I'm writing this, this game should be starting. I swear I'm not watching, though it won't matter. West Virginia is on a roll and South Florida doesn't have enough in the tank to win this and secure bowl eligibility. WVU by 14.
-Marathon MAC Championship: Ohio vs Northern Illinois in Detroit, MI: Looking at some of the numbers, Ohio has decent offense and defense, Northern Illinois has a good offense and poor defense. Defense wins championships, so Ohio wins this one. Ohio by 4.
-PAC 12 Championship: UCLA at Oregon: The spread on this game is 31.5 points in favor of Oregon. A UCLA win would be an all-time of an upset. It won't happen. Take Oregon and lay the points. Oregon by 35.
-Conference USA Championship: Southern Miss at Houston: Southern Miss only has two losses on the year, but they were horrible losses to Marshall and UAB (combined 15 losses between them). Houston is undefeated. Houston's offense is one of the best, and the defense of Houston is only slightly behind Southern Miss' defense. Houston wins this one easily.
-Texas at Baylor: Hard to believe that Baylor has the better ranking and record going into this game. Texas has a much better defense, Baylor is giving up massive points to everyone. Take out the 48-0 win over FCS Stephen F Austin and Baylor is giving up over 40 to everyone else. Texas wins by 7.
-SEC Championship: LSU vs Georgia in Atlanta, GA: I like to look at stats. I look at overall offense and defense numbers. I look at passing and rushing yards. The only thing UGA is ahead of LSU is in passing yards. Everything else is in LSU's favor. It explains the point spread (LSU -13.5). LSU by 14.
-Bedlam; Oklahoma at Oklahoma State: Oklahoma State will be playing for a possible spot in the BCS Championship game, the Big 12 Title, and state bragging rights. It won't matter. Oklahoma rules this series. Mike "I'm a man! I'm 40!" Gundy has not beaten the Sooners yet and this year won't be any different. OU by 10.
-Dr Pepper ACC Championship: Virginia Tech vs Clemson in Charlotte, NC: Clemson is in full-on late-season swoon mode. It showed badly last week in a loss to South Carolina. Virginia Tech is moving quite along. While the chance is long, VT could make the BCS Championship game and will play like it. VT by 21.
-Big Ten Championship: Wisconsin vs Michigan State in Indianapolis, IN: Sutbhub has over 3000 tickets for sale for this game. Ouch. Anyway, Michigan State beat Wisconsin earlier in the year on a Hail Mary play. To be fair, the game was tied going into the play, the fans on both sides will argue over the replay officials' decision to give the Spartans the touchdown. Still, it means this game should be quite entertaining! The numbers don't look good for Michigan State, the defenses are similarly ranked, but the offense rankings favor the Badgers by far. Wisconsin wins this by 10.
-Army-Navy Game;The Unites States Military Academy vs The United States Naval Academy in Washington DC: This is it for both teams this year. Just bragging rights on the line. Air Force won the Commander-In-Chief's trophy this year. Neither team is going to a bowl game. This might be a fun game to watch next weekend though! Both teams show off great option-based rushing attacks. Navy is stronger overall, and gets the nod from me. Navy by 7.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
2011 College Football Week 13 predictions!
Commentary:
-It is the annual "To Hell With Georgia" week.
To Hell with Georgia, Every Day Every Week.
-Okay there are a bunch of rivalry games this week. This is it for a lot of teams. It all builds up here.
-BCS armageddon is nearly upon us. This is what happens when you let pollsters decide who plays. The hype from on big four-letter entity pushes matchups every week, and the masses fall for it. This isn't to say that LSU, Alabama, and Arkansas are bad teams, they could beat anyone in America. But I think there's a lot of hype from people that benefit from said hype, and the rest of us need to pay attention to it.
-To Hell with Georgia. The Cesspool of the South!
Cheering For:
-Everyone. Yes, a slight cop-out on this, but this week is the best reason to be a college football fan.
Feeling Sorry for:
-FAU: Still winless. Still hope though. UAB visits this week.
Laughing at:
-Penn State: They really don't have a clue do they? Post-it notes won't hide the shame.
-The Big East: still struggling to act like you matter. Take away the BCS Autobid and this conference is nothing. Five teams have a chance to win it still (two teams with 4-2 conference records, three with 3-2). Sadly some team will get a $13 million paycheck.
-Clemson: For pulling two clemsons in the season after starting 8-0.
Top 25: In my system, no matter how bad the strength of schedule is, an undefeated is going to be above a team with a loss, any loss.
1) LSU
2) Houston
3) Alabama
4) Arkansas
5) Stanford
6) Virginia Tech
7) Boise State
8) Oregon
9) Oklahoma State
10) Georgia
11) Kansas State
12) Penn State
13) South Carolina
14) Tulsa
15) Michigan State
16) USC
17) Michigan
18) Wisconsin
19) Arkansas State
20) TCU
21) Clemson
22) Oklahoma
23) Baylor
24) Louisiana-Lafayette
25) Notre Dame
Just left out: Nebraska, Georgia Tech
The picks: Yes, 21 picks this week. Can't let some of these rivalry games slip by, even if the outcome is pretty much known in advance.
-Lone Star Showdown; Texas at Texas A&M: This is it. The last time these two play for quite some time. Both teams come in limping a bit, Texas has lost two in a row and A&M has lost three of four (but won last week against Kansas). The Texas A&M offense is a beauty, the Texas defense is a bit better. Look for Texas to send the Aggies out of the conference with a loss. Texas by 7.
-Iowa at Nebraska: This might not get a rivalry link yet, but it will soon enough with the addition of Nebraska to the Big Ten. Nebraska got embarrassed last week at Michigan, Iowa got embarrassed by Michigan State two weeks ago. This could go either way really, and I think that Nebraska's defense will tighten up at home. Nebraska by 4.
-Houston at Tulsa: I rarely dream about college football. My subconcious usually tortures me with memories of past mistakes rather than future endeavors. I dreamed once about the BYU vs Oklahoma game in Dallas to start the 2009 season, in my dream BYU won late. In real life BYU pulled the upset with a late score. I dreamed that Tulsa upset Houston at home. Tulsa is a tough team here. They may be 8-3 but the losses were to Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Boise State. Those three teams have a combined four losses (and two of those came last weekend!). I'm going with it, Tulsa wins by 7.
-Golden Boot; Arkansas at LSU: Does Arkansas really control its destiny? It is hard for me to wrap my mind around it, but it is true! The hogs have won 3 of the past 4 with LSU, including LSU's BCS National Championship year in 2007. If anyone can beat LSU, it would be Arkansas. I don't see it happening this year. LSU's defense will simply stuff Arkansas and then the offense will outscore the hogs. LSU opened up the season by beating #3 Oregon. It'll finish the regular season by beating #3 Arkansas. LSU by 10.
-Backyard Brawl; Pittsburgh at West Virginia: With West Virginia off to the Big 12 next year (legal battle ensuing) this might be it for the two teams for awhile just like Texas and Texas A&M. West Virginia has had the stronger season here, and will win this game. It should be fun to watch though! WVU by 7.
-Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate; Georgia at Georgia Tech: I have so much invested emotionally in this game year in and year out that I'm to the point where I can't even watch it. I'll probably have it up on the radio but that may be it. I'd love to see the Jackets win this by a score of 52-7, but that won't happen. My biggest hope is that UGA is looking ahead to next week and plays like it. Mark Richt knows how important this game is. UGA's defense is playing well enough to slow down the Jackets' offense, not stop it, but slow it down. Tech's defense might as well not even be on the field. I expect a fair amount of offense in this game, with UGA pulling away late. UGA by 10.
-The Game; Ohio State at Michigan: Alright Michigan it's time to take this one. Ohio State is down, not for long, but down for now. The rumors are there that Urban Meyer will be the next head coach for the Buckeyes and he simply does not lose to his rivals (at Florida Meyer was undefeated against Tennessee, had one loss to UGA and FSU in six years). Brady Hoke should win some awards at the end of the year for the job he's done at Michigan in year one! This was a school that had a great offense and no defense last year. He's taken roughly the same players and made them good on both sides this year. That being said, Ohio State isn't bad this year. Luke Fickell has the team playing well despite a two-game losing streak. Ohio State's streak in the series is seven in a row, Michigan needs to end it here, end it now. I don't pick against streaks. Ohio State by 4.
-Battle for the Barrel; Tennessee at Kentucky: Most people forget that the series between Kentucky and Tennessee is just as lopsided as the series between Tennessee and Vanderbilt. 26 in a row for Tennessee, 28 of the past 29. Ouch. I guess it's time to go "kick the $#!^" out of Kentucky too, right Dooley? Tennessee needs the win to be bowl eligible, expect it to happen. Tennessee by 6.
-Iron Bowl; Alabama at Auburn: "War Amn Eagle!" Auburn has no D. Okay I lifted that from CollegeFootballNews.com, but it's still funny and true. Alabama should have no issues winning this one. Two years ago Auburn came in the big underdog and gave Alabama a run for their money. It could happen this year, but the result will be Alabama winning by 7.
-Old Oaken Bucket; Purdue at Indiana: Indiana is having a miserable year, they've not even sniffed a win against anyone in nearly two months. Their only win was against FCS South Carolina State. Purdue needs the win for bowl eligibility, expect it to happen. Purdue by 14.
-Victory Bell; Duke at North Carolina: Duke has fallen short of expectations, even some sane ones at the start of the year. Three wins matches last year's win total and for a team with that much experience returning, this was disappointing. North Carolina has had a season to forget, on the field play wasn't too bad but it was the off-field problems that doomed this team. Still, North Carolina has the talent to just roll over Duke here. UNC by 10.
-Commonwealth Cup; Virginia Tech at Virginia: This has actually turned into a play-in for the conference title game. Whoever wins will be in Charlotte next week. Virginia Tech is vulnerable but has won eight in a row and that will turn into nine. VT by 3.
-Penn State at Wisconsin: The winner here will represent the Leaders division in Indianapolis next week. Penn State pulled an impressive victory against Ohio State on the road last week, but it won't matter here. Wisconsin can lose on the road, but not at home. Wisconsin by 10.
-Border War; Missouri vs Kansas in Kansas City, MO: Another series that is being lost to conference realignment. Missouri is vulnerable but Kansas is just miserable. Missouri comes up with a win here by 20.
-Civil War; Oregon State at Oregon: If Oregon wins they play in the first PAC 12 Championship Game. A loss sends Stanford to it instead. Oregon State is not a good team at all. While Oregon isn't perfect they are much better and should win this one easily. Oregon by 17.
-Florida-Florida State rivalry; Florida State at Florida: Florida is having a season to forget, Florida State has fallen short of expectations. All of Florida's five losses have come against ranked teams, at least at the time that Florida played them. FSU is unranked after a loss to Virginia. While it would be easy to predict an FSU win, this is SEC vs ACC and we all know how that goes. Florida wins at home by 4.
-Egg Bowl; Ole Miss at Mississippi State: Ole Miss has really given up on this season. Head Coach Houston Nutt is gone after this, the Rebels have nine losses already. Mississippi State needs the win for bowl eligibility and nothing Ole Miss can do will stop that. Mississippi State by 10.
-Apple Cup; Washington State at Washington: Washington is turning into a pretty good team under head coach Steve Sarkisian. Paul Wulff at Washington State just can't seem to get it going. This is a game where that will show up. Washington by 17.
-Carolina-Clemson rivalry; Clemson at South Carolina: Both teams come into this game wounded. South Carolina has been decimated by injuries and suspensions. Clemson just can't seem to catch a break late in the season. South Carolina's defense is still strong and will control this game. Clemson will keep it interesting, but won't be able to pull ahead. South Carolina by 7.
-Legends Trophy; Notre Dame at Stanford: Notre Dame is a pretty good team despite some setbacks in three tough losses. Stanford will push Notre Dame into more setbacks this week. Notre Dame is bad on turnovers, Stanford will force three of them and make the Irish pay for each. Stanford by 14.
-Crosstown Showdown; UCLA at USC: If UCLA wins this game the Bruins will play in the first PAC 12 Championship Game. To be fair, one of the big reasons that is true is because USC is on probation and can't go. Otherwise the Trojans would be going with a win here. USC is much, much stronger than UCLA overall and will show you just how much in this game, the final of the season for the Trojans. USC by 21.
-It is the annual "To Hell With Georgia" week.
To Hell with Georgia, Every Day Every Week.
-Okay there are a bunch of rivalry games this week. This is it for a lot of teams. It all builds up here.
-BCS armageddon is nearly upon us. This is what happens when you let pollsters decide who plays. The hype from on big four-letter entity pushes matchups every week, and the masses fall for it. This isn't to say that LSU, Alabama, and Arkansas are bad teams, they could beat anyone in America. But I think there's a lot of hype from people that benefit from said hype, and the rest of us need to pay attention to it.
-To Hell with Georgia. The Cesspool of the South!
Cheering For:
-Everyone. Yes, a slight cop-out on this, but this week is the best reason to be a college football fan.
Feeling Sorry for:
-FAU: Still winless. Still hope though. UAB visits this week.
Laughing at:
-Penn State: They really don't have a clue do they? Post-it notes won't hide the shame.
-The Big East: still struggling to act like you matter. Take away the BCS Autobid and this conference is nothing. Five teams have a chance to win it still (two teams with 4-2 conference records, three with 3-2). Sadly some team will get a $13 million paycheck.
-Clemson: For pulling two clemsons in the season after starting 8-0.
Top 25: In my system, no matter how bad the strength of schedule is, an undefeated is going to be above a team with a loss, any loss.
1) LSU
2) Houston
3) Alabama
4) Arkansas
5) Stanford
6) Virginia Tech
7) Boise State
8) Oregon
9) Oklahoma State
10) Georgia
11) Kansas State
12) Penn State
13) South Carolina
14) Tulsa
15) Michigan State
16) USC
17) Michigan
18) Wisconsin
19) Arkansas State
20) TCU
21) Clemson
22) Oklahoma
23) Baylor
24) Louisiana-Lafayette
25) Notre Dame
Just left out: Nebraska, Georgia Tech
The picks: Yes, 21 picks this week. Can't let some of these rivalry games slip by, even if the outcome is pretty much known in advance.
-Lone Star Showdown; Texas at Texas A&M: This is it. The last time these two play for quite some time. Both teams come in limping a bit, Texas has lost two in a row and A&M has lost three of four (but won last week against Kansas). The Texas A&M offense is a beauty, the Texas defense is a bit better. Look for Texas to send the Aggies out of the conference with a loss. Texas by 7.
-Iowa at Nebraska: This might not get a rivalry link yet, but it will soon enough with the addition of Nebraska to the Big Ten. Nebraska got embarrassed last week at Michigan, Iowa got embarrassed by Michigan State two weeks ago. This could go either way really, and I think that Nebraska's defense will tighten up at home. Nebraska by 4.
-Houston at Tulsa: I rarely dream about college football. My subconcious usually tortures me with memories of past mistakes rather than future endeavors. I dreamed once about the BYU vs Oklahoma game in Dallas to start the 2009 season, in my dream BYU won late. In real life BYU pulled the upset with a late score. I dreamed that Tulsa upset Houston at home. Tulsa is a tough team here. They may be 8-3 but the losses were to Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Boise State. Those three teams have a combined four losses (and two of those came last weekend!). I'm going with it, Tulsa wins by 7.
-Golden Boot; Arkansas at LSU: Does Arkansas really control its destiny? It is hard for me to wrap my mind around it, but it is true! The hogs have won 3 of the past 4 with LSU, including LSU's BCS National Championship year in 2007. If anyone can beat LSU, it would be Arkansas. I don't see it happening this year. LSU's defense will simply stuff Arkansas and then the offense will outscore the hogs. LSU opened up the season by beating #3 Oregon. It'll finish the regular season by beating #3 Arkansas. LSU by 10.
-Backyard Brawl; Pittsburgh at West Virginia: With West Virginia off to the Big 12 next year (legal battle ensuing) this might be it for the two teams for awhile just like Texas and Texas A&M. West Virginia has had the stronger season here, and will win this game. It should be fun to watch though! WVU by 7.
-Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate; Georgia at Georgia Tech: I have so much invested emotionally in this game year in and year out that I'm to the point where I can't even watch it. I'll probably have it up on the radio but that may be it. I'd love to see the Jackets win this by a score of 52-7, but that won't happen. My biggest hope is that UGA is looking ahead to next week and plays like it. Mark Richt knows how important this game is. UGA's defense is playing well enough to slow down the Jackets' offense, not stop it, but slow it down. Tech's defense might as well not even be on the field. I expect a fair amount of offense in this game, with UGA pulling away late. UGA by 10.
-The Game; Ohio State at Michigan: Alright Michigan it's time to take this one. Ohio State is down, not for long, but down for now. The rumors are there that Urban Meyer will be the next head coach for the Buckeyes and he simply does not lose to his rivals (at Florida Meyer was undefeated against Tennessee, had one loss to UGA and FSU in six years). Brady Hoke should win some awards at the end of the year for the job he's done at Michigan in year one! This was a school that had a great offense and no defense last year. He's taken roughly the same players and made them good on both sides this year. That being said, Ohio State isn't bad this year. Luke Fickell has the team playing well despite a two-game losing streak. Ohio State's streak in the series is seven in a row, Michigan needs to end it here, end it now. I don't pick against streaks. Ohio State by 4.
-Battle for the Barrel; Tennessee at Kentucky: Most people forget that the series between Kentucky and Tennessee is just as lopsided as the series between Tennessee and Vanderbilt. 26 in a row for Tennessee, 28 of the past 29. Ouch. I guess it's time to go "kick the $#!^" out of Kentucky too, right Dooley? Tennessee needs the win to be bowl eligible, expect it to happen. Tennessee by 6.
-Iron Bowl; Alabama at Auburn: "War Amn Eagle!" Auburn has no D. Okay I lifted that from CollegeFootballNews.com, but it's still funny and true. Alabama should have no issues winning this one. Two years ago Auburn came in the big underdog and gave Alabama a run for their money. It could happen this year, but the result will be Alabama winning by 7.
-Old Oaken Bucket; Purdue at Indiana: Indiana is having a miserable year, they've not even sniffed a win against anyone in nearly two months. Their only win was against FCS South Carolina State. Purdue needs the win for bowl eligibility, expect it to happen. Purdue by 14.
-Victory Bell; Duke at North Carolina: Duke has fallen short of expectations, even some sane ones at the start of the year. Three wins matches last year's win total and for a team with that much experience returning, this was disappointing. North Carolina has had a season to forget, on the field play wasn't too bad but it was the off-field problems that doomed this team. Still, North Carolina has the talent to just roll over Duke here. UNC by 10.
-Commonwealth Cup; Virginia Tech at Virginia: This has actually turned into a play-in for the conference title game. Whoever wins will be in Charlotte next week. Virginia Tech is vulnerable but has won eight in a row and that will turn into nine. VT by 3.
-Penn State at Wisconsin: The winner here will represent the Leaders division in Indianapolis next week. Penn State pulled an impressive victory against Ohio State on the road last week, but it won't matter here. Wisconsin can lose on the road, but not at home. Wisconsin by 10.
-Border War; Missouri vs Kansas in Kansas City, MO: Another series that is being lost to conference realignment. Missouri is vulnerable but Kansas is just miserable. Missouri comes up with a win here by 20.
-Civil War; Oregon State at Oregon: If Oregon wins they play in the first PAC 12 Championship Game. A loss sends Stanford to it instead. Oregon State is not a good team at all. While Oregon isn't perfect they are much better and should win this one easily. Oregon by 17.
-Florida-Florida State rivalry; Florida State at Florida: Florida is having a season to forget, Florida State has fallen short of expectations. All of Florida's five losses have come against ranked teams, at least at the time that Florida played them. FSU is unranked after a loss to Virginia. While it would be easy to predict an FSU win, this is SEC vs ACC and we all know how that goes. Florida wins at home by 4.
-Egg Bowl; Ole Miss at Mississippi State: Ole Miss has really given up on this season. Head Coach Houston Nutt is gone after this, the Rebels have nine losses already. Mississippi State needs the win for bowl eligibility and nothing Ole Miss can do will stop that. Mississippi State by 10.
-Apple Cup; Washington State at Washington: Washington is turning into a pretty good team under head coach Steve Sarkisian. Paul Wulff at Washington State just can't seem to get it going. This is a game where that will show up. Washington by 17.
-Carolina-Clemson rivalry; Clemson at South Carolina: Both teams come into this game wounded. South Carolina has been decimated by injuries and suspensions. Clemson just can't seem to catch a break late in the season. South Carolina's defense is still strong and will control this game. Clemson will keep it interesting, but won't be able to pull ahead. South Carolina by 7.
-Legends Trophy; Notre Dame at Stanford: Notre Dame is a pretty good team despite some setbacks in three tough losses. Stanford will push Notre Dame into more setbacks this week. Notre Dame is bad on turnovers, Stanford will force three of them and make the Irish pay for each. Stanford by 14.
-Crosstown Showdown; UCLA at USC: If UCLA wins this game the Bruins will play in the first PAC 12 Championship Game. To be fair, one of the big reasons that is true is because USC is on probation and can't go. Otherwise the Trojans would be going with a win here. USC is much, much stronger than UCLA overall and will show you just how much in this game, the final of the season for the Trojans. USC by 21.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
2011 College Football Week 12 predictions!
Commentary:
-Oregon up until last weekend had been quietly having a good year. Now its well known. The Ducks are in position to host the inaugural PAC12 Championship game in a few weeks. The Ducks just need to win one against either USC this week or Oregon State next week.
-A friend of mine and I were talking during the games last Saturday night. We were coming up with some doomsday BCS Scenarios. This could get real interesting in the next couple of weeks. We have two weeks worth of games in the regular season, and one championship weekend to look forward to. A couple of particular upsets (ones that have happened before) could really throw us for a loop on who ends up #1 and #2. I'm kinda looking forward to it!
-Its the first weekend full of rivalry games. Get ready, the records don't matter, the fire is fueled and ready to go!
Cheering for:
-New Mexico: Congrats on your first win! Took you long enough!
-Oregon: Losing to LSU isn't looking so bad at the moment.
-Kansas State: I have a soft spot for Kansas State. Not sure where it came from, but it's there. Bill Snyder has turned this team around, they're actually have a fine season overall. Losses to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State aren't bad. A four-overtime win over Texas A&M was fun to watch.
Laughing at:
-Maryland: Yep, firing Friedgen after a 9-4 year was a GREAT decision! 2-8 so far with two more to go.
Feeling sorry for:
-FAU: still winless. The only one left.
Top 25: Nobody is challenging LSU for the top spot. Houston's SoS sucks out loud.
1) LSU
2) Oklahoma State
3) Houston
4) Alabama
5) Oregon
6) Arkansas
7) Stanford
8) Virginia Tech
9) Boise State
10) Clemson
11) Kansas State
12) Georgia
13) Penn State
14) Tulsa
15) Oklahoma
16) Southern Mississippi
17) Michigan State
18) South Carolina
19) Arkansas State
20) Wisconsin
21) Michigan
22) Nebraska
23) TCU
24) Texas
25) Florida State
The picks:
-North Carolina at Virginia Tech: two years ago the Tar Heels pulled the upset in Blacksburg on a Thursday night. Can history repeat itself? Virginia Tech can afford a loss here, but shouldn't see one. The Hokies will roll and win by 10.
-Nebraska at Michigan: This week should be slightly easier for Nebraska. Last week they were merely "Penn State's opponent." Michigan is tough, but Nebraska's defense should be able to slow down Robinson enough, if he plays. Nebraska by 7.
-Georgia Tech at Duke: Okay I'm rather biased in putting this game in here. Sue me, I don't care. This shouldn't be close, except that GT is missing a couple of players for at least the first half. GT will still roll. GT by 14.
-Miami at South Florida: Last year Miami lost to South Florida at home and pretty much ended the career of Randy Shannon at Miami. Al Golden knows this, I bet. Both teams have underacheived this year a bit, but here Miami will win, even if its just by 3.
-Penn State at Ohio State: The shame of the Big Ten conference right now. Ohio State for all the stuff they went through in the offseason, and Penn State for the mess they're in right now. Oh yeah, this is a game too. With all the turmoil, Penn State isn't going to win in the horseshoe. It just isn't so. Ohio State by 4.
-Vanderbilt at Tennessee: Tennessee is 27-1 since 1983 against Vanderbilt. Yet Vandy is favored by a point going into this game. I'd LOVE to see Vandy win. I really would. I just cannot pick against a streak like that. Tennessee by 7.
-Jefferson-Eppes Trophy; Virginia at Florida State: I'm trying to figure out why FSU is favored by double digits here. I smell an upset. The Cavaliers can't afford a loss here (unless VT loses to UNC on Thursday). UVA wins by 3.
-Oklahoma at Baylor: I like Baylor, I really do. I just don't see them winning against Oklahoma for the first time in history. Oklahoma over Baylor by 20.
-Kansas State at Texas: Don't discount K-state here. The Wildcats have won three straight from the Longhorns. Two of those three came against Texas teams that finished 10-3. It will be tough to win on the road here though. Texas by 3.
-USC at Oregon: Oregon's one big test before the PAC-12 North title comes here (sorry Oregon State, it's true). If this were in LA, I'd give the Trojans a chance. It isn't. Oregon by 10.
-Territorial Cup; Arizona at Arizona State: Arizona State has lost two in a row to bad teams. Arizona can barely beat the bad ones. Arizona State wins here by 10.
-Big Game; Cal at Stanford: Can Stanford recover after losing last week to Oregon? Of course they can. No band is needed here. Stanford by 14.
-Oregon up until last weekend had been quietly having a good year. Now its well known. The Ducks are in position to host the inaugural PAC12 Championship game in a few weeks. The Ducks just need to win one against either USC this week or Oregon State next week.
-A friend of mine and I were talking during the games last Saturday night. We were coming up with some doomsday BCS Scenarios. This could get real interesting in the next couple of weeks. We have two weeks worth of games in the regular season, and one championship weekend to look forward to. A couple of particular upsets (ones that have happened before) could really throw us for a loop on who ends up #1 and #2. I'm kinda looking forward to it!
-Its the first weekend full of rivalry games. Get ready, the records don't matter, the fire is fueled and ready to go!
Cheering for:
-New Mexico: Congrats on your first win! Took you long enough!
-Oregon: Losing to LSU isn't looking so bad at the moment.
-Kansas State: I have a soft spot for Kansas State. Not sure where it came from, but it's there. Bill Snyder has turned this team around, they're actually have a fine season overall. Losses to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State aren't bad. A four-overtime win over Texas A&M was fun to watch.
Laughing at:
-Maryland: Yep, firing Friedgen after a 9-4 year was a GREAT decision! 2-8 so far with two more to go.
Feeling sorry for:
-FAU: still winless. The only one left.
Top 25: Nobody is challenging LSU for the top spot. Houston's SoS sucks out loud.
1) LSU
2) Oklahoma State
3) Houston
4) Alabama
5) Oregon
6) Arkansas
7) Stanford
8) Virginia Tech
9) Boise State
10) Clemson
11) Kansas State
12) Georgia
13) Penn State
14) Tulsa
15) Oklahoma
16) Southern Mississippi
17) Michigan State
18) South Carolina
19) Arkansas State
20) Wisconsin
21) Michigan
22) Nebraska
23) TCU
24) Texas
25) Florida State
The picks:
-North Carolina at Virginia Tech: two years ago the Tar Heels pulled the upset in Blacksburg on a Thursday night. Can history repeat itself? Virginia Tech can afford a loss here, but shouldn't see one. The Hokies will roll and win by 10.
-Nebraska at Michigan: This week should be slightly easier for Nebraska. Last week they were merely "Penn State's opponent." Michigan is tough, but Nebraska's defense should be able to slow down Robinson enough, if he plays. Nebraska by 7.
-Georgia Tech at Duke: Okay I'm rather biased in putting this game in here. Sue me, I don't care. This shouldn't be close, except that GT is missing a couple of players for at least the first half. GT will still roll. GT by 14.
-Miami at South Florida: Last year Miami lost to South Florida at home and pretty much ended the career of Randy Shannon at Miami. Al Golden knows this, I bet. Both teams have underacheived this year a bit, but here Miami will win, even if its just by 3.
-Penn State at Ohio State: The shame of the Big Ten conference right now. Ohio State for all the stuff they went through in the offseason, and Penn State for the mess they're in right now. Oh yeah, this is a game too. With all the turmoil, Penn State isn't going to win in the horseshoe. It just isn't so. Ohio State by 4.
-Vanderbilt at Tennessee: Tennessee is 27-1 since 1983 against Vanderbilt. Yet Vandy is favored by a point going into this game. I'd LOVE to see Vandy win. I really would. I just cannot pick against a streak like that. Tennessee by 7.
-Jefferson-Eppes Trophy; Virginia at Florida State: I'm trying to figure out why FSU is favored by double digits here. I smell an upset. The Cavaliers can't afford a loss here (unless VT loses to UNC on Thursday). UVA wins by 3.
-Oklahoma at Baylor: I like Baylor, I really do. I just don't see them winning against Oklahoma for the first time in history. Oklahoma over Baylor by 20.
-Kansas State at Texas: Don't discount K-state here. The Wildcats have won three straight from the Longhorns. Two of those three came against Texas teams that finished 10-3. It will be tough to win on the road here though. Texas by 3.
-USC at Oregon: Oregon's one big test before the PAC-12 North title comes here (sorry Oregon State, it's true). If this were in LA, I'd give the Trojans a chance. It isn't. Oregon by 10.
-Territorial Cup; Arizona at Arizona State: Arizona State has lost two in a row to bad teams. Arizona can barely beat the bad ones. Arizona State wins here by 10.
-Big Game; Cal at Stanford: Can Stanford recover after losing last week to Oregon? Of course they can. No band is needed here. Stanford by 14.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
2011 College Football Week 11 predictions!
Commentary:
-I don't even know where to start with the stuff going on at Penn State. It's incredibly messed up. As of writing this, Joe Paterno has been fired as well as the Penn State Athletic Director and a bunch of others. This whole thing is just messed up, I can't even begin to describe all my feelings on it.
-Quite a few good games on this week. Just about every time slot has something worth watching to an average fan (okay, the after 10pm games don't do much for me, but give it a rest!).
Cheering for:
-Wake Forest: for having the smallest enrollment in the FBS, the team is in a position to take control of the ACC Atlantic division with a win this week. It's against Clemson so it won't be easy, but still possible. Jim Grobe is a good coach who surprises me when he doesn't take a bigger job.
Laughing at:
-Indiana: I know the school hasn't been known for its success on the football field, but you fired the entire coaching staff at the end of the year last year (a 5-7 finish) for this? 1-9 with losses to MAC (Ball State) and Sun Belt (North Texas) teams?
Feeling sorry for:
-New Mexico: UNLV visits this week. If New Mexico doesn't win this one, the odds of finishing 0-12 are pretty close to 100%. Trips to Wyoming and Boise State are pretty close to guaranteed losses.
-Florida Atlantic: Florida International, this week's opponent, has five wins. The three opponents after that (Troy, UAB, Louisiana-Monroe) have a combined five wins. If FAU finishes 0-12 with that coming up, they may very well be the worst team in the country. I'll have to check.
Top 25:
-#1 is LSU and it isn't close. Oklahoma State jumped up by beating 7-2 Kansas State while Boise State dropped by beating 2-6 UNLV. Stanford's opponents are not helping them out at all, Stanford's SoS dropped like a rock this week.
1) LSU
2) Oklahoma State
3) Boise State
4) Houston
5) Stanford
6) Oregon
6) Alabama
8) Penn State
8) Arkansas
10) Virginia Tech
11) Clemson
12) Texas
12) Kansas State
14) Georgia
15) Tulsa
16) Oklahoma
17) USC
18) South Carolina
19) Louisiana-Lafayette
20) Arkansas State
21) Washington
22) Michigan State
23) Wisconsin
24) Michigan
25) TCU
Others Receiving Votes: Nevada, Georgia Tech, Nebraska,
The picks:
-Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech: Every year the winner of this game goes on to the ACC Championship game. Paul Johnson's offense gives Bud Foster's defense fits and this year will be no different. The biggest thing is that both teams were off the past weekend so both will be rested, ready, and prepared. I think Virginia Tech will put some points up on Georgia Tech, and the option offense won't be able to score enough. VT by 4.
-Nebraska at Penn State: This game has way too many variables to list right now. Nebraska got pantsed last week at home against Northwestern. Penn State has had a week from hell. I wonder if the coaches have even planned much at all. Then again its been said that Paterno barely coaches anymore, the assistants do most of the work. If so Penn State should be fine. This is the first of three really tough games for Penn State (@Ohio State and @Wisconsin to finish). This will be the last home game for Penn State, and it may be enough. Penn State by 3.
-Wake Forest at Clemson: Clemson can wrap up the Atlantic division with a win here, Wake Forest is still in it as well but has to win here. Clemson is too much for Wake to handle though. Clemson by 14.
-Michigan State at Iowa: Iowa has been easy to figure out. They're undefeated at home even playing good teams like Pitt and Michigan, winless on the road even playing bad teams like Iowa State and Minnesota. This game is at home, so Iowa wins by 3.
-Florida at South Carolina: Last year South Carolina went limping into this game a bit after getting blown out by Arkansas, and beat the living crap out of Florida to secure the SEC East. While this year the circumstances are a little different (the cocks need UGA to lose one) the results will be the same. South Carolina by 10.
-Oklahoma State at Texas Tech: Texas Tech is fading fast after winning at Oklahoma a few weeks ago. While Tommy Tubberville can get his team up for a big game like this, I think it will be too much to ask to contain Oklahoma State this week. Also Oklahoma State may be looking to prove a point by beating the team that the in-state rival couldn't! Oklahoma State will be too much here, wins by 14.
-Washington at USC: One of the things that steve Sarkisian has been able to do since leaving USC for Washington, is beat USC. Two years running so far. Look for three this time around. Washington by 3.
-Florida State-Miami Rivalry; Miami at Florida State: The road team has won the past four years. FSU has won four straight games overall, but only NC State out of that bunch has a winning record (5-4). The other two wins by FSU so far are against teams with a combined two wins. Miami has at least beaten a couple of decent opponents (GT, UNC, and Ohio State). Overall the teams are fairly even. I'll go with the trends and pick Miami by 3.
-Deep South's Oldest Rivalry; Auburn at Georgia: These two teams are having surprising good years given the preseason predictions. Auburn may have lost three games, but all three were on the road against top 10 teams. UGA has lost two games, one a home game and the other a virtual home game. Given that, I say Auburn wins this one on the road by 4.
-TCU at Boise State: Not to dismiss SDSU and Wyoming, but this is Boise State's last real good team to face. TCU has had some struggles this year compared to the past few but is still a very good team. With this game being in Boise, I don't see the upset occuring. Boise State by 10.
-Michigan at Illinois: Michigan's division hopes took a big hit last week with the loss at Iowa. Illinois is pretty much out of it with three conference losses but would love to get a win here to turn around a three game losing streak. Illinois was off last week, and I believe the rest will do them well. Illinois by 3.
-Oregon at Stanford: Stanford could clinch a division title here, Oregon could virtually do it (would have to lose against USC and Oregon State). This game was fun and exciting last year with Oregon winnning it with a big second half performance. I don't think Stanford will get shut out again in the second half, but won't have enough to keep up. Oregon by 7.
-I don't even know where to start with the stuff going on at Penn State. It's incredibly messed up. As of writing this, Joe Paterno has been fired as well as the Penn State Athletic Director and a bunch of others. This whole thing is just messed up, I can't even begin to describe all my feelings on it.
-Quite a few good games on this week. Just about every time slot has something worth watching to an average fan (okay, the after 10pm games don't do much for me, but give it a rest!).
Cheering for:
-Wake Forest: for having the smallest enrollment in the FBS, the team is in a position to take control of the ACC Atlantic division with a win this week. It's against Clemson so it won't be easy, but still possible. Jim Grobe is a good coach who surprises me when he doesn't take a bigger job.
Laughing at:
-Indiana: I know the school hasn't been known for its success on the football field, but you fired the entire coaching staff at the end of the year last year (a 5-7 finish) for this? 1-9 with losses to MAC (Ball State) and Sun Belt (North Texas) teams?
Feeling sorry for:
-New Mexico: UNLV visits this week. If New Mexico doesn't win this one, the odds of finishing 0-12 are pretty close to 100%. Trips to Wyoming and Boise State are pretty close to guaranteed losses.
-Florida Atlantic: Florida International, this week's opponent, has five wins. The three opponents after that (Troy, UAB, Louisiana-Monroe) have a combined five wins. If FAU finishes 0-12 with that coming up, they may very well be the worst team in the country. I'll have to check.
Top 25:
-#1 is LSU and it isn't close. Oklahoma State jumped up by beating 7-2 Kansas State while Boise State dropped by beating 2-6 UNLV. Stanford's opponents are not helping them out at all, Stanford's SoS dropped like a rock this week.
1) LSU
2) Oklahoma State
3) Boise State
4) Houston
5) Stanford
6) Oregon
6) Alabama
8) Penn State
8) Arkansas
10) Virginia Tech
11) Clemson
12) Texas
12) Kansas State
14) Georgia
15) Tulsa
16) Oklahoma
17) USC
18) South Carolina
19) Louisiana-Lafayette
20) Arkansas State
21) Washington
22) Michigan State
23) Wisconsin
24) Michigan
25) TCU
Others Receiving Votes: Nevada, Georgia Tech, Nebraska,
The picks:
-Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech: Every year the winner of this game goes on to the ACC Championship game. Paul Johnson's offense gives Bud Foster's defense fits and this year will be no different. The biggest thing is that both teams were off the past weekend so both will be rested, ready, and prepared. I think Virginia Tech will put some points up on Georgia Tech, and the option offense won't be able to score enough. VT by 4.
-Nebraska at Penn State: This game has way too many variables to list right now. Nebraska got pantsed last week at home against Northwestern. Penn State has had a week from hell. I wonder if the coaches have even planned much at all. Then again its been said that Paterno barely coaches anymore, the assistants do most of the work. If so Penn State should be fine. This is the first of three really tough games for Penn State (@Ohio State and @Wisconsin to finish). This will be the last home game for Penn State, and it may be enough. Penn State by 3.
-Wake Forest at Clemson: Clemson can wrap up the Atlantic division with a win here, Wake Forest is still in it as well but has to win here. Clemson is too much for Wake to handle though. Clemson by 14.
-Michigan State at Iowa: Iowa has been easy to figure out. They're undefeated at home even playing good teams like Pitt and Michigan, winless on the road even playing bad teams like Iowa State and Minnesota. This game is at home, so Iowa wins by 3.
-Florida at South Carolina: Last year South Carolina went limping into this game a bit after getting blown out by Arkansas, and beat the living crap out of Florida to secure the SEC East. While this year the circumstances are a little different (the cocks need UGA to lose one) the results will be the same. South Carolina by 10.
-Oklahoma State at Texas Tech: Texas Tech is fading fast after winning at Oklahoma a few weeks ago. While Tommy Tubberville can get his team up for a big game like this, I think it will be too much to ask to contain Oklahoma State this week. Also Oklahoma State may be looking to prove a point by beating the team that the in-state rival couldn't! Oklahoma State will be too much here, wins by 14.
-Washington at USC: One of the things that steve Sarkisian has been able to do since leaving USC for Washington, is beat USC. Two years running so far. Look for three this time around. Washington by 3.
-Florida State-Miami Rivalry; Miami at Florida State: The road team has won the past four years. FSU has won four straight games overall, but only NC State out of that bunch has a winning record (5-4). The other two wins by FSU so far are against teams with a combined two wins. Miami has at least beaten a couple of decent opponents (GT, UNC, and Ohio State). Overall the teams are fairly even. I'll go with the trends and pick Miami by 3.
-Deep South's Oldest Rivalry; Auburn at Georgia: These two teams are having surprising good years given the preseason predictions. Auburn may have lost three games, but all three were on the road against top 10 teams. UGA has lost two games, one a home game and the other a virtual home game. Given that, I say Auburn wins this one on the road by 4.
-TCU at Boise State: Not to dismiss SDSU and Wyoming, but this is Boise State's last real good team to face. TCU has had some struggles this year compared to the past few but is still a very good team. With this game being in Boise, I don't see the upset occuring. Boise State by 10.
-Michigan at Illinois: Michigan's division hopes took a big hit last week with the loss at Iowa. Illinois is pretty much out of it with three conference losses but would love to get a win here to turn around a three game losing streak. Illinois was off last week, and I believe the rest will do them well. Illinois by 3.
-Oregon at Stanford: Stanford could clinch a division title here, Oregon could virtually do it (would have to lose against USC and Oregon State). This game was fun and exciting last year with Oregon winnning it with a big second half performance. I don't think Stanford will get shut out again in the second half, but won't have enough to keep up. Oregon by 7.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
2011 College Football Week 10 predictions!
Commentary: We saw two unbeatens go down last week, Clemson and Kansas State. The wildcats losing wasn't a huge shocker, but how bad they lost by was. Clemson falling in Atlanta shouldn't have been as much of a shock to me but it was. Vegas kept the line on the game close and I guess there is a reason why those guys live in big houses and I don't. The spread on Bama/LSU this week is higher (and favoring Bama by 5). Makes you wonder what they know.
Cheering for:
-Georgia Tech: I know it's my school and all, but damn that win last week was sweet! I know I had little faith in the team going into last week. Clemson was good, well still is good but the Jackets made them look overmatched last week. The defense has gotten a lot better, the offense looked like it was in early-season form and special teams held their own. Also, one of the more interesting parts of the win is an unofficial title now sits with the Jackets. If you do college football like you do boxing, where you become the champ when you beat the reigning champ, currently Georgia Tech is the champ! I've seen a few sites that follow this, one does it from the first game between Princeton and Rutgers, another with the first AP champ in 1936 (Minnesota for the record), and a third that started it with the 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers. All three "merged" at different points and Clemson had it until last weekend! Rest up Jackets and get ready for a title defense against the Hokies next Thursday!
Laughing at:
-Maryland: I think Ralph Friedgen is still available... well no he isn't for you. Nevermind. Nice 2-6 record there.
-Colorado: I don't blame Colorado for letting Dan Hawkins go. It didn't work out well despite the accolades he came in with. He was an experienced coach from outside the program coming in and didn't do well with a lot of things. It happens. However the Colorado administration went the exact opposite in their hire of Jon Embree. He played at Colorado but had little coaching experience (mostly just a positional coach wherever he was). Hawkins' tenure at Colorado started with a loss to 1-AA Montana State and rarely got any better. The first season they finished 2-10. Despite one bowl season, Colorado never finshed above .500. So far with Embree the Buffalos are 1-8, the one win against state rival Colorado State. The move to the PAC-12 hasn't helped like it should yet. Embree has a long way to go and the administration deserves this spot for the knee-jerk, short-sighted hire of Embree.
Feeling sorry for:
-New Mexico: one of two winless teams. The prospects aren't looking good this week either. 4-3 San Diego State hosts the Lobos this week. 2-5 UNLV visits next week though!
-Florida Atlantic: the other winless team. FAU was off last week so little suffering occured. This week the Owls host conference leader Arkansas State. The next two weeks have road trips to Florida International and Troy. Its not until the 26th when the Owls host lowly UAB and then host Louisiana-Monroe the following week that there are any real hopes for ending the streak.
Top 25: Boise State's SoS keeps rising, enough to push it higher than Oklahoma State. This weekend's LSU/Alabama winner will probably be at the top next week, can't say for sure yet. Tulsa makes an appearance despite three losses overall due to the fact that the three teams that Tulsa lost to have a combined one loss on the season (Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Boise State).
1) LSU
2) Boise State
3) Oklahoma State
4) Alabama
5) Stanford
6) Houston
7) Oregon
8) Penn State
8) Arkansas
10) Virginia Tech
11) Kansas State
12) Michigan
13) Nebraska
14) Clemson
15) Washington
16) Texas
16) Georgia
18) South Carolina
19) Oklahoma
20) USC
21) Tulsa
22) West Virginia
23) Auburn
24) Michigan State
25) Cincinnati
The picks:
-Florida State at Boston College: Thursday evening games are interesting to me due the psyche of the teams. The home teams get a national spotlight for an evening with little competition, a short walk from class straight to the game, and the chance to win now and relax over the weekend. The visiting team has a kink in the usual schedule, a trip to make (and a long one in this case) and a night game on an unusual day to travel to. If this were a Saturday game FSU would have no issues at all. Boston College has been terrible this season and a long bowl-streak may end. BC would have to win out just to extend that another year. It is motivation for sure, but it still won't be enough. FSU wins with a solid second half. FSU by 10.
-Chancellor's Spurs; Texas Tech at Texas: One thing that Tommy Tubberville is good at is playing the top teams. Two weeks ago Texas Tech pulled off a stunning upset of Oklahoma at Oklahoma. Tubberville has also been known for playing poorly against lesser teams. Last week the Red Raiders basically forgot to show up against lowly Iowa State. Tech was averaging 43 points a game going into that one and scored seven. This week is a little bigger than that one. After dropping two games against Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, Texas got things back on track beating up Kansas last week. I don't see Texas dropping this one at home. Texas by 7.
-Louisville at West Virginia: This series initially was thought of as a fight for the Big East title, though in the past couple of years that hasn't been the case. WVU has owned this series since Louisville joined the Big East in 2005. While Louisville is the "lover scorned" here since WVU got the Big 12 invite and Louisville didn't, it won't make enough of a difference here. WVU by 10.
-Michigan at Iowa: Michigan hasn't done well in the series the past couple of years, but then again Rich Rodriguez's tenure was filled with failure. Iowa lost an all time of a clunker last week to Minnesota, for the second year in a row. I think the Michigan offense takes advantage and wins a close one here. Michigan by 3.
-North Carolina at NC State: UNC has lost four in a row to the in-state rivals, and the (interim) head coach for UNC calls out NC State on its academics. Adding fuel to the fire? Now the game itself is another story. NC State had a horrible, ugly loss last week to FSU. UNC beat up a good Wake Forest team. Momentum would be with UNC now, but I think the motivation shifts to NC State right now. NCSU by 4.
-Texas A&M at Oklahoma: Look out everybody. Oklahoma is in "impress the voters" mode and A&M is in the path. Last time this occured OU routinely hung 60 on everyone to reach the Big 12 Championship/BCS National Championship game in 2008. A&M doesn't have a good passing defense, but has been able to hang with anyone. Oklahoma isn't Baylor or Texas Tech. OU rolls here, wins by 20.
-Louisiana Monroe at Lousiana Lafayette: Without knowing much about these teams, it appears that Lafayette is having the much stronger season, is still looking for the Sun Belt title. Monroe isn't doing so well. Lafayette by 10.
-Commander-in-Chief's Trophy; Army at Air Force: If Air Force wins here, the trophy is theirs! Army isn't have much of a year right now, doesn't appear to have the horses to keep up. Air Force by 14.
-South Carolina at Arkansas: The only times that South Carolina has managed to win this game lately is when Arkansas finishes with a losing record. That isn't happening this year, so South Carolina drops an important one. Arkansas by 10.
-Kansas State at Oklahoma State: The resounding thud you heard last week was Kansas State being brought down several levels by Oklahoma last week. It was close at halftime but wasn't close by the end. Oklahoma State will want to flex its muscle to show it can beat up a good team too and win big. Oklahoma State by 14.
-Oregon at Washington: Since the opening week loss at LSU, Oregon has quietly been having a fine season. They're not out of the title picture at all. Washington isn't bad, but isn't that good. Oregon wins by 14.
-Saban Bowl; LSU at Alabama: I'm having difficulty writing about this game. Well, I'm having a difficulty finding a difference between these two teams, other than the names on the jerseys and the coaching staffs. The only thing that seems to truly separate these two teams this weekend will be the fact that the game is at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. That's about it. Alabama by a touchdown.
Cheering for:
-Georgia Tech: I know it's my school and all, but damn that win last week was sweet! I know I had little faith in the team going into last week. Clemson was good, well still is good but the Jackets made them look overmatched last week. The defense has gotten a lot better, the offense looked like it was in early-season form and special teams held their own. Also, one of the more interesting parts of the win is an unofficial title now sits with the Jackets. If you do college football like you do boxing, where you become the champ when you beat the reigning champ, currently Georgia Tech is the champ! I've seen a few sites that follow this, one does it from the first game between Princeton and Rutgers, another with the first AP champ in 1936 (Minnesota for the record), and a third that started it with the 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers. All three "merged" at different points and Clemson had it until last weekend! Rest up Jackets and get ready for a title defense against the Hokies next Thursday!
Laughing at:
-Maryland: I think Ralph Friedgen is still available... well no he isn't for you. Nevermind. Nice 2-6 record there.
-Colorado: I don't blame Colorado for letting Dan Hawkins go. It didn't work out well despite the accolades he came in with. He was an experienced coach from outside the program coming in and didn't do well with a lot of things. It happens. However the Colorado administration went the exact opposite in their hire of Jon Embree. He played at Colorado but had little coaching experience (mostly just a positional coach wherever he was). Hawkins' tenure at Colorado started with a loss to 1-AA Montana State and rarely got any better. The first season they finished 2-10. Despite one bowl season, Colorado never finshed above .500. So far with Embree the Buffalos are 1-8, the one win against state rival Colorado State. The move to the PAC-12 hasn't helped like it should yet. Embree has a long way to go and the administration deserves this spot for the knee-jerk, short-sighted hire of Embree.
Feeling sorry for:
-New Mexico: one of two winless teams. The prospects aren't looking good this week either. 4-3 San Diego State hosts the Lobos this week. 2-5 UNLV visits next week though!
-Florida Atlantic: the other winless team. FAU was off last week so little suffering occured. This week the Owls host conference leader Arkansas State. The next two weeks have road trips to Florida International and Troy. Its not until the 26th when the Owls host lowly UAB and then host Louisiana-Monroe the following week that there are any real hopes for ending the streak.
Top 25: Boise State's SoS keeps rising, enough to push it higher than Oklahoma State. This weekend's LSU/Alabama winner will probably be at the top next week, can't say for sure yet. Tulsa makes an appearance despite three losses overall due to the fact that the three teams that Tulsa lost to have a combined one loss on the season (Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Boise State).
1) LSU
2) Boise State
3) Oklahoma State
4) Alabama
5) Stanford
6) Houston
7) Oregon
8) Penn State
8) Arkansas
10) Virginia Tech
11) Kansas State
12) Michigan
13) Nebraska
14) Clemson
15) Washington
16) Texas
16) Georgia
18) South Carolina
19) Oklahoma
20) USC
21) Tulsa
22) West Virginia
23) Auburn
24) Michigan State
25) Cincinnati
The picks:
-Florida State at Boston College: Thursday evening games are interesting to me due the psyche of the teams. The home teams get a national spotlight for an evening with little competition, a short walk from class straight to the game, and the chance to win now and relax over the weekend. The visiting team has a kink in the usual schedule, a trip to make (and a long one in this case) and a night game on an unusual day to travel to. If this were a Saturday game FSU would have no issues at all. Boston College has been terrible this season and a long bowl-streak may end. BC would have to win out just to extend that another year. It is motivation for sure, but it still won't be enough. FSU wins with a solid second half. FSU by 10.
-Chancellor's Spurs; Texas Tech at Texas: One thing that Tommy Tubberville is good at is playing the top teams. Two weeks ago Texas Tech pulled off a stunning upset of Oklahoma at Oklahoma. Tubberville has also been known for playing poorly against lesser teams. Last week the Red Raiders basically forgot to show up against lowly Iowa State. Tech was averaging 43 points a game going into that one and scored seven. This week is a little bigger than that one. After dropping two games against Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, Texas got things back on track beating up Kansas last week. I don't see Texas dropping this one at home. Texas by 7.
-Louisville at West Virginia: This series initially was thought of as a fight for the Big East title, though in the past couple of years that hasn't been the case. WVU has owned this series since Louisville joined the Big East in 2005. While Louisville is the "lover scorned" here since WVU got the Big 12 invite and Louisville didn't, it won't make enough of a difference here. WVU by 10.
-Michigan at Iowa: Michigan hasn't done well in the series the past couple of years, but then again Rich Rodriguez's tenure was filled with failure. Iowa lost an all time of a clunker last week to Minnesota, for the second year in a row. I think the Michigan offense takes advantage and wins a close one here. Michigan by 3.
-North Carolina at NC State: UNC has lost four in a row to the in-state rivals, and the (interim) head coach for UNC calls out NC State on its academics. Adding fuel to the fire? Now the game itself is another story. NC State had a horrible, ugly loss last week to FSU. UNC beat up a good Wake Forest team. Momentum would be with UNC now, but I think the motivation shifts to NC State right now. NCSU by 4.
-Texas A&M at Oklahoma: Look out everybody. Oklahoma is in "impress the voters" mode and A&M is in the path. Last time this occured OU routinely hung 60 on everyone to reach the Big 12 Championship/BCS National Championship game in 2008. A&M doesn't have a good passing defense, but has been able to hang with anyone. Oklahoma isn't Baylor or Texas Tech. OU rolls here, wins by 20.
-Louisiana Monroe at Lousiana Lafayette: Without knowing much about these teams, it appears that Lafayette is having the much stronger season, is still looking for the Sun Belt title. Monroe isn't doing so well. Lafayette by 10.
-Commander-in-Chief's Trophy; Army at Air Force: If Air Force wins here, the trophy is theirs! Army isn't have much of a year right now, doesn't appear to have the horses to keep up. Air Force by 14.
-South Carolina at Arkansas: The only times that South Carolina has managed to win this game lately is when Arkansas finishes with a losing record. That isn't happening this year, so South Carolina drops an important one. Arkansas by 10.
-Kansas State at Oklahoma State: The resounding thud you heard last week was Kansas State being brought down several levels by Oklahoma last week. It was close at halftime but wasn't close by the end. Oklahoma State will want to flex its muscle to show it can beat up a good team too and win big. Oklahoma State by 14.
-Oregon at Washington: Since the opening week loss at LSU, Oregon has quietly been having a fine season. They're not out of the title picture at all. Washington isn't bad, but isn't that good. Oregon wins by 14.
-Saban Bowl; LSU at Alabama: I'm having difficulty writing about this game. Well, I'm having a difficulty finding a difference between these two teams, other than the names on the jerseys and the coaching staffs. The only thing that seems to truly separate these two teams this weekend will be the fact that the game is at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. That's about it. Alabama by a touchdown.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
2011 College Football Week 9 predictions!
Commentary: In the real world, they say only two things are certain: Death and Taxes. In the college football world we can add a few things. Notre Dame over Navy. Georgia Tech loses in Charlottesville, VA. Florida over Georgia in Jacksonville. And Clemson will lose one game they had no business losing every year. I'm sure we could come up with others, but these are relevant this week, well most of them.
During Richt's tenure as head coach he has a 2-8 record against the Gators. Georgia has had way too much talent on the field for that record.
2001: This one was excusable. Florida was good, UGA was rebuilding. It was still a fairly close game. Florida won it.
2002: This one was completely inexcusable. Florida sucked that year (8-5 finish) and UGA finished 13-1. This was the one. UGA *should* have won this one.
2003: This was one a pretty even game overall. Florida won late on a field goal. UGA finished with a better record, but all of Florida's five losses were to teams that finished with ten or more wins! UGA *could* have won this one though.
2004: UGA did win this one. Florida gifted them this one by announcing that head coach Ron Zook would not be retained for the next season during the week before this game. It was still close!
2005: Florida won a low-scoring contest against the eventual SEC Champion Georgia Bulldogs. UGA was without starting QB DJ Shockley for this game, injured the previous week against Arkansas. Still no excuses for me, UGA *should* have won this one.
2006: Florida lost one game all year, and it wasn't this one. Mostly excusable. It was a close game too.
2007: Ah dancing in the end zone. We all remember this well. If not, watch it here on youtube, its worth it. It worked too, UGA *could* have won this game, and did!
2008: I remember the score. I remember watching GT-FSU at the time and watching the ticker go by. It seemed like every few minutes that it flashed up during the second half, Florida scored another touchdown. This was inexcusable for UGA. I know Florida won a national title that year, UGA had just as much talent on the sidelines as Florida did and got blown out. UGA *could* have won this game but lost 49-10.
2009: Florida was the much better team that year. All UGA could do was bring out black helmets.
2010: Both teams were evenly matched up. One miscue in overtime sealed it. UGA *could* have won this game but didn't.
This year, UGA *should* win the game. That's not helped. Twice in the last ten they should have won it, and didn't.
Clemson is another story. This is a team that consistenly finds a way to lose a game, snatch defeat from the jaws of victory every single year. Clemson isn't unique here, but it happens a lot.
2010: Miami and Boston College. Both teams finished 7-6 and weren't that good.
2009: 2-10 Maryland
2008: 8-5 Wake Forest (and that was the last game Tommy Bowden coached there)
2007: 7-6 Georgia Tech (completely shut down on offense, 1/5 on FG attempts)
2006: 8-5 South Carolina (end of season swoon)
2005: 4-7 Wake Forest
2004: 2-9 Duke (one week after upsetting Miami in Coral Gables), 7-5 Georgia Tech (could not have lost this game in worse fashion)
2003: 5-7 Wake Forest
2002: 9-5 Virginia (probably the most excusable on the list)
2001: 5-7 Virginia (lost late to a UVA team that wasn't that good)
So far, Clemson hasn't lost a game this year. Despite that, Vegas only has them as a 3.0 to 4.0 point favorite in this game. That line has actually moved TOWARDS Georgia Tech (opened as 3.5 to 4.5) during the week. I like to think of myself as informed here, but I cannot see what Vegas sees, and what the other people betting see. Is this the one game Clemson lets get away from them? I know Clemson hasn't won at GT since 2003 but still...
Cheering for:
-I want to see Navy beat Notre Dame for the fourth time in five years today.
-Tommy Tubberville: In his career, he is something like 5-5 against top 5 teams. Last week's win over Oklahoma just shows how well he can handle the mental part of the game. Texas Tech went in and just blew by Oklahoma, in Norman mind you. I didn't think this hire made much sense in Lubbock when it was done, but it looks like I may have to eat some words here!
Laughing at:
-Kansas' defense: Geez they are horrible! The unit gives up an average of over 50 points a game right now. Hard to win a conference game when the opposing team knows your plays well and you still give up that many points.
-ESPN College Gameday: For skipping over Manhattan Kansas for LA. Bad idea.
-The Big East: When you've been lapped by the leadership of the ACC and Big 12, you're going to get laughed at. Who is this guy running the conference? It sounds like their expansion plan, to get back to relevancy, is hurried and poorly planned out. Boise State, Air Force, BYU to a conference primarily associated with the New England area? I can't blame any team for bailing as they have.
Feeling sorry for:
-New Mexico: They've not even sniffed a victory over a FBS opponent since their first game against Colorado State. The last two games have been blowouts, losing by a combined 118-7.
-Florida Atlantic: Also winless, the team hasn't even held a lead since Oct 1 against Louisiana-Lafayette, which was lost on the last play.
Top 25: Alabama so low? Well when you're undefeated I go completely by Strength of Schedule. FCS opponents are only counted in the games they play against FBS opponents. Alabama's SoS record is 30-20. LSU's is 29-15. Stanford's record is 20-23.
1) LSU
2) Oklahoma State
3) Boise State
4) Alabama
5) Clemson
6) Kansas State
7) Houston
8) Stanford
9) Oregon
10) Penn State
10) Arkansas
12) Virginia Tech
13) Nebraska
14) Michigan
14) Wisconsin
16) Oklahoma
17) USC
18) Michigan State
19) Texas A&M
20) Texas
21) Washington
22) Georgia
23) South Carolina
24) Texas Tech
25) Baylor
Others receiving votes: West Virginia, Tulsa
The picks: This week's schedule is weak early (only one noon game) and very interesting late!
-Michigan State at Nebraska: As far as I can find, Michigan State has never beaten Nebraska in five meetings. Michigan State has never scored more than 14 against Nebraska either. Go figure. After last week's last second win, I think we're going to see a letdown here. Nebraska by 10.
-The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party; Georgia vs Florida in Jacksonville, FL: See above: Florida by 4.
-Navy at Notre Dame: The Irish were embarrassed last week at home against Southern Cal. Navy isn't USC though. Notre Dame by 7.
-Wake Forest at North Carolina: Strange to think that UNC sits at the bottom of the Coastal Division, while Wake is near the top of the Atlantic. While that says something to me, as I'm picking Wake by 7.
-West Virginia at Rutgers: Now we start WVU's farewell tour. Rutgers hasn't won against WVU since 1994. Yes, 16 straight victories. WVU by 14.
-Baylor at Oklahoma State: This should be fun to watch. Both teams have great offenses. Baylor won't be able to keep up all the way though. Oklahoma State by 14.
-Illinois at Penn State: Penn State may be the quietest 7-1 team in the country. The loss was to Alabama as well! The offense is pitiful but the defense is magnificent. Illinois looked good starting 6-0 but the two losses have been ugly. Expect more of that today. Penn State by 7.
-Oklahoma at Kansas State: At the start of the year I would not have guessed that Kansas State would have the better record coming into this game. That being said, OU was upset last week, not this week. OU by 3.
-South Carolina at Tennessee: Without Marcus Lattimore most people are bailing on South Carolina. Most haven't seen how bad Tennessee is this year. The Volunteers are missing several play makers as well. South Carolina by 3.
-Stanford at Southern Cal: Southern Cal doesn't get any postseason stuff this year due to probation. Last week was one "bowl game" for them and they won well. This week is another. Expect a big fight, with Stanford winning late. Stanford by 3.
-Clemson at Georgia Tech: See above, Clemson by 4.
-Wisconsin at Ohio State: This game really all depends on how Wisconsin responds. Last week was a heart breaker. The Badgers didn't complain, didn't say much even though they could have. If Wisconsin truly puts it behind them, this game isn't close. If they haven't, Ohio State wins. I say they have though, Wisconsin by 14.
*edit* - forgot to pick OU/KSU. Oops!
During Richt's tenure as head coach he has a 2-8 record against the Gators. Georgia has had way too much talent on the field for that record.
2001: This one was excusable. Florida was good, UGA was rebuilding. It was still a fairly close game. Florida won it.
2002: This one was completely inexcusable. Florida sucked that year (8-5 finish) and UGA finished 13-1. This was the one. UGA *should* have won this one.
2003: This was one a pretty even game overall. Florida won late on a field goal. UGA finished with a better record, but all of Florida's five losses were to teams that finished with ten or more wins! UGA *could* have won this one though.
2004: UGA did win this one. Florida gifted them this one by announcing that head coach Ron Zook would not be retained for the next season during the week before this game. It was still close!
2005: Florida won a low-scoring contest against the eventual SEC Champion Georgia Bulldogs. UGA was without starting QB DJ Shockley for this game, injured the previous week against Arkansas. Still no excuses for me, UGA *should* have won this one.
2006: Florida lost one game all year, and it wasn't this one. Mostly excusable. It was a close game too.
2007: Ah dancing in the end zone. We all remember this well. If not, watch it here on youtube, its worth it. It worked too, UGA *could* have won this game, and did!
2008: I remember the score. I remember watching GT-FSU at the time and watching the ticker go by. It seemed like every few minutes that it flashed up during the second half, Florida scored another touchdown. This was inexcusable for UGA. I know Florida won a national title that year, UGA had just as much talent on the sidelines as Florida did and got blown out. UGA *could* have won this game but lost 49-10.
2009: Florida was the much better team that year. All UGA could do was bring out black helmets.
2010: Both teams were evenly matched up. One miscue in overtime sealed it. UGA *could* have won this game but didn't.
This year, UGA *should* win the game. That's not helped. Twice in the last ten they should have won it, and didn't.
Clemson is another story. This is a team that consistenly finds a way to lose a game, snatch defeat from the jaws of victory every single year. Clemson isn't unique here, but it happens a lot.
2010: Miami and Boston College. Both teams finished 7-6 and weren't that good.
2009: 2-10 Maryland
2008: 8-5 Wake Forest (and that was the last game Tommy Bowden coached there)
2007: 7-6 Georgia Tech (completely shut down on offense, 1/5 on FG attempts)
2006: 8-5 South Carolina (end of season swoon)
2005: 4-7 Wake Forest
2004: 2-9 Duke (one week after upsetting Miami in Coral Gables), 7-5 Georgia Tech (could not have lost this game in worse fashion)
2003: 5-7 Wake Forest
2002: 9-5 Virginia (probably the most excusable on the list)
2001: 5-7 Virginia (lost late to a UVA team that wasn't that good)
So far, Clemson hasn't lost a game this year. Despite that, Vegas only has them as a 3.0 to 4.0 point favorite in this game. That line has actually moved TOWARDS Georgia Tech (opened as 3.5 to 4.5) during the week. I like to think of myself as informed here, but I cannot see what Vegas sees, and what the other people betting see. Is this the one game Clemson lets get away from them? I know Clemson hasn't won at GT since 2003 but still...
Cheering for:
-I want to see Navy beat Notre Dame for the fourth time in five years today.
-Tommy Tubberville: In his career, he is something like 5-5 against top 5 teams. Last week's win over Oklahoma just shows how well he can handle the mental part of the game. Texas Tech went in and just blew by Oklahoma, in Norman mind you. I didn't think this hire made much sense in Lubbock when it was done, but it looks like I may have to eat some words here!
Laughing at:
-Kansas' defense: Geez they are horrible! The unit gives up an average of over 50 points a game right now. Hard to win a conference game when the opposing team knows your plays well and you still give up that many points.
-ESPN College Gameday: For skipping over Manhattan Kansas for LA. Bad idea.
-The Big East: When you've been lapped by the leadership of the ACC and Big 12, you're going to get laughed at. Who is this guy running the conference? It sounds like their expansion plan, to get back to relevancy, is hurried and poorly planned out. Boise State, Air Force, BYU to a conference primarily associated with the New England area? I can't blame any team for bailing as they have.
Feeling sorry for:
-New Mexico: They've not even sniffed a victory over a FBS opponent since their first game against Colorado State. The last two games have been blowouts, losing by a combined 118-7.
-Florida Atlantic: Also winless, the team hasn't even held a lead since Oct 1 against Louisiana-Lafayette, which was lost on the last play.
Top 25: Alabama so low? Well when you're undefeated I go completely by Strength of Schedule. FCS opponents are only counted in the games they play against FBS opponents. Alabama's SoS record is 30-20. LSU's is 29-15. Stanford's record is 20-23.
1) LSU
2) Oklahoma State
3) Boise State
4) Alabama
5) Clemson
6) Kansas State
7) Houston
8) Stanford
9) Oregon
10) Penn State
10) Arkansas
12) Virginia Tech
13) Nebraska
14) Michigan
14) Wisconsin
16) Oklahoma
17) USC
18) Michigan State
19) Texas A&M
20) Texas
21) Washington
22) Georgia
23) South Carolina
24) Texas Tech
25) Baylor
Others receiving votes: West Virginia, Tulsa
The picks: This week's schedule is weak early (only one noon game) and very interesting late!
-Michigan State at Nebraska: As far as I can find, Michigan State has never beaten Nebraska in five meetings. Michigan State has never scored more than 14 against Nebraska either. Go figure. After last week's last second win, I think we're going to see a letdown here. Nebraska by 10.
-The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party; Georgia vs Florida in Jacksonville, FL: See above: Florida by 4.
-Navy at Notre Dame: The Irish were embarrassed last week at home against Southern Cal. Navy isn't USC though. Notre Dame by 7.
-Wake Forest at North Carolina: Strange to think that UNC sits at the bottom of the Coastal Division, while Wake is near the top of the Atlantic. While that says something to me, as I'm picking Wake by 7.
-West Virginia at Rutgers: Now we start WVU's farewell tour. Rutgers hasn't won against WVU since 1994. Yes, 16 straight victories. WVU by 14.
-Baylor at Oklahoma State: This should be fun to watch. Both teams have great offenses. Baylor won't be able to keep up all the way though. Oklahoma State by 14.
-Illinois at Penn State: Penn State may be the quietest 7-1 team in the country. The loss was to Alabama as well! The offense is pitiful but the defense is magnificent. Illinois looked good starting 6-0 but the two losses have been ugly. Expect more of that today. Penn State by 7.
-Oklahoma at Kansas State: At the start of the year I would not have guessed that Kansas State would have the better record coming into this game. That being said, OU was upset last week, not this week. OU by 3.
-South Carolina at Tennessee: Without Marcus Lattimore most people are bailing on South Carolina. Most haven't seen how bad Tennessee is this year. The Volunteers are missing several play makers as well. South Carolina by 3.
-Stanford at Southern Cal: Southern Cal doesn't get any postseason stuff this year due to probation. Last week was one "bowl game" for them and they won well. This week is another. Expect a big fight, with Stanford winning late. Stanford by 3.
-Clemson at Georgia Tech: See above, Clemson by 4.
-Wisconsin at Ohio State: This game really all depends on how Wisconsin responds. Last week was a heart breaker. The Badgers didn't complain, didn't say much even though they could have. If Wisconsin truly puts it behind them, this game isn't close. If they haven't, Ohio State wins. I say they have though, Wisconsin by 14.
*edit* - forgot to pick OU/KSU. Oops!
Saturday, October 22, 2011
2011 College Football Week 8 predictions!
Commentary: Oh did last week just suck for me. I don't think a single team that I wanted to win (personally, not my picks) won. When I take over the world, I'm nuking Charlottesville, VA. I'm so done with that town.
This week is going to be a little rushed. Thankfully the only thing I have to sacrifice is the top 25.
Cheering for: Well, since this is a little late (posting on Saturday morning) we see one less winless team now! UAB won Thursday evening against UCF for their first win of the year. We are left with just two teams without a win so far.
Laughing at: The streaker in Thursday night's game between Arizona and UCLA. Go find highlights. It started a brawl on the field between the players too.
Feeling sorry for: well, we do still have those two teams without a win: New Mexico and FAU. Both have one game on the schedule left that may produce a win. New Mexico has UNLV on the schedule, who managed to beat Hawaii one week and get blown out by Southern Utah the next. FAU has UAB on the schedule still, a team that finally picked up a win this week.
Top 25: check back next week. Last week's poll is still probably mostly accurate minus GT.
The picks:
-Cincinnati at South Florida: Cincinnati is having a rather nice second season under coach Butch Jones with a 5-1 record. South Florida started with four wins, but the past two games, both on the road, have ended in losses. Can the Bulls turn this around? I don't think so. Cincinnati by 7.
-Oklahoma State at Missouri: Welcome to the #4 BCS ranking Oklahoma State. The path to the BCS Championship game has been laid out for the Cowboys. Given that #1 and 2 play each other, and Oklahoma is #3 all Oklahoma State has to do is win out and they're in. Missouri is a challenge, but not a big one. Oklahoma State will roll here. OSU by 14.
-North Carolina at Clemson: If Maryland wasn't stupid they may have upset the Tigers last week. North Carolina isn't stupid, but isn't that good either. The loss to Miami showed that UNC isn't quite all there. Look for Clemson to roll here and put on a show. Clemson by 10.
-Sunflower Showdown; Kansas State at Kansas: Kansas State has returned this year. Kansas can't find a defense. Kansas State doesn't light anyone up, but finds ways to win every game. This game will be no different. Kansas State by 10.
-Wake Forest at Duke: Neither team has a losing record at the moment. Wake Forest is 4-2, Duke is 3-3. Sadly Duke will have a losing record at the end of this one. Wake is playing very well this season. Wake Forest by 14.
-Tiger Bowl; Auburn at LSU: LSU has a couple of starters suspended for the game, though with Auburn that will only mean that LSU doesn't cover the spread. LSU by 10.
-Georgia Tech at Miami: Last week was incredibly frustrating for me. GT almost never wins in Charlottesville and last week was no exception to that. It hurt to watch UVA line up and run the ball straight as us and we were unable to stop it. I think the only reason the game was close was that UVA kept trying to pass and failed miserably. What does that have to do with this week? Well Miami has a better line and can pass. This spells trouble. Miami by 14.
-Third Saturday in October; Tennessee at Alabama: The history of this one is interesting. Alabama currently holds a nine-game lead in the series. Alabama has only had a losing record in the series once, for one year (1960). Alabama has also won the past four. I don't see anything in Tennessee that shows it won't be five. Alabama by 17.
-Jeweled Shillelagh; USC at Notre Dame: Has there ever been less hype for this game in the past couple of decades? I see little national buzz for it, and it feels odd. Notre Dame broke an eight game losing streak last year in LA. This year I see USC getting revenge. USC by 3.
-Washington at Stanford: Washington is having a good year so far, the one loss was to Nebraska. Unfortunately Stanford is better than Nebraska and will show it. Washington isn't quite up to the big time yet. Stanford by 14.
-Wisconsin at Michigan State: GameDay is here, which means a lot of hype. Last year Michigan State was Wisconsin's one regular season loss. This year could be the same. Wisconsin rolls in with a better offense than last year though. I see a close one with Wisconsin winning by one.
-Texas Tech at Oklahoma: Texas Tech feasted on the weak to get a 4-0 record, but lost two conference games to A&M and Kansas State. Oklahoma is another deal altogether. OU will feast on Texas Tech this time. OU by 20.
This week is going to be a little rushed. Thankfully the only thing I have to sacrifice is the top 25.
Cheering for: Well, since this is a little late (posting on Saturday morning) we see one less winless team now! UAB won Thursday evening against UCF for their first win of the year. We are left with just two teams without a win so far.
Laughing at: The streaker in Thursday night's game between Arizona and UCLA. Go find highlights. It started a brawl on the field between the players too.
Feeling sorry for: well, we do still have those two teams without a win: New Mexico and FAU. Both have one game on the schedule left that may produce a win. New Mexico has UNLV on the schedule, who managed to beat Hawaii one week and get blown out by Southern Utah the next. FAU has UAB on the schedule still, a team that finally picked up a win this week.
Top 25: check back next week. Last week's poll is still probably mostly accurate minus GT.
The picks:
-Cincinnati at South Florida: Cincinnati is having a rather nice second season under coach Butch Jones with a 5-1 record. South Florida started with four wins, but the past two games, both on the road, have ended in losses. Can the Bulls turn this around? I don't think so. Cincinnati by 7.
-Oklahoma State at Missouri: Welcome to the #4 BCS ranking Oklahoma State. The path to the BCS Championship game has been laid out for the Cowboys. Given that #1 and 2 play each other, and Oklahoma is #3 all Oklahoma State has to do is win out and they're in. Missouri is a challenge, but not a big one. Oklahoma State will roll here. OSU by 14.
-North Carolina at Clemson: If Maryland wasn't stupid they may have upset the Tigers last week. North Carolina isn't stupid, but isn't that good either. The loss to Miami showed that UNC isn't quite all there. Look for Clemson to roll here and put on a show. Clemson by 10.
-Sunflower Showdown; Kansas State at Kansas: Kansas State has returned this year. Kansas can't find a defense. Kansas State doesn't light anyone up, but finds ways to win every game. This game will be no different. Kansas State by 10.
-Wake Forest at Duke: Neither team has a losing record at the moment. Wake Forest is 4-2, Duke is 3-3. Sadly Duke will have a losing record at the end of this one. Wake is playing very well this season. Wake Forest by 14.
-Tiger Bowl; Auburn at LSU: LSU has a couple of starters suspended for the game, though with Auburn that will only mean that LSU doesn't cover the spread. LSU by 10.
-Georgia Tech at Miami: Last week was incredibly frustrating for me. GT almost never wins in Charlottesville and last week was no exception to that. It hurt to watch UVA line up and run the ball straight as us and we were unable to stop it. I think the only reason the game was close was that UVA kept trying to pass and failed miserably. What does that have to do with this week? Well Miami has a better line and can pass. This spells trouble. Miami by 14.
-Third Saturday in October; Tennessee at Alabama: The history of this one is interesting. Alabama currently holds a nine-game lead in the series. Alabama has only had a losing record in the series once, for one year (1960). Alabama has also won the past four. I don't see anything in Tennessee that shows it won't be five. Alabama by 17.
-Jeweled Shillelagh; USC at Notre Dame: Has there ever been less hype for this game in the past couple of decades? I see little national buzz for it, and it feels odd. Notre Dame broke an eight game losing streak last year in LA. This year I see USC getting revenge. USC by 3.
-Washington at Stanford: Washington is having a good year so far, the one loss was to Nebraska. Unfortunately Stanford is better than Nebraska and will show it. Washington isn't quite up to the big time yet. Stanford by 14.
-Wisconsin at Michigan State: GameDay is here, which means a lot of hype. Last year Michigan State was Wisconsin's one regular season loss. This year could be the same. Wisconsin rolls in with a better offense than last year though. I see a close one with Wisconsin winning by one.
-Texas Tech at Oklahoma: Texas Tech feasted on the weak to get a 4-0 record, but lost two conference games to A&M and Kansas State. Oklahoma is another deal altogether. OU will feast on Texas Tech this time. OU by 20.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
2011 College Football Week 7 predictions!
Commentary: I didn't get to see much of last week, was out in the mountains taking a weekend off for an anniversary. It was worth it. It doesn't seem like I missed much though! This week has a few interesting matchups. Conference play is in full swing now. Almost nobody escapes unscathed through conference play these days. Let's get ready for a fun weekend!
Cheering For:
-Oregon State: you won a game! Congrats!
Laughing at:
-Arizona: For losing to Oregon State. That team flat out sucks wind and you lost to them. Cost the coach his job too.
Feeling Sorry for:
-We are down to three winless teams: UAB, Florida Atlantic and New Mexico. UAB and FAU play at the end of the season, so we can look forward to that pillow fight. New Mexico looks hopeless right now.
Top 25: Illinois may be winning every game by a close score, but they are winning. Ohio State in 2002 did the same and won all fourteen games! Speaking of which, the Illini host Ohio State this weekend.
1) LSU
2) Alabama
3) Illinois
4) Oklahoma
5) Clemson
6) Michigan
7) Oklahoma State
7) Georgia Tech
9) Boise State
10) Kansas State
11) Wisconsin
12) Houston
13) Stanford
14) West Virginia
14) Oregon
16) Penn State
16) Arkansas
18) Arizona State
19) Texas
20) Virginia Tech
21) Louisiana-Lafayette
21) North Carolina
23) Baylor
24) Nebraska
25) Florida
The picks:
-Paul Bunyan Trophy; Michigan at Michigan State: This is one of those where I'd love to pick Michigan, the Wolverines are on a tear right now. Michigan State is still a tough team overall and won't be easy to beat at home. Michigan State by 3.
-Battle of the Brazos; Baylor at Texas A&M: Texas A&M finally figured out the second half of a game exists for a reason last week against Texas Tech. One problem this week. A&M's pass defense is putrid, and Baylor will exploit that in a big way. Baylor by 7.
-South Carolina at Mississippi State: South Carolina got a big performance out of the second (now first) string QB Conner Shaw last week. They'll need it again. Mississippi State has been disappointing this season so far but could get back into the swing of things with a victory here. I don't see it. South Carolina wins a tough one by 3.
-Florida State at Duke: Raise your hand if you thought that Duke would have a better record than FSU five games into both's schedules. Yeah my hand isn't raised either. Duke even has an inexcusable loss to FCS Richmond thrown in there, but still has a better record than FSU (3-2 vs 2-3). Now, can FSU get back on track? Yes. Duke needs a perfect game to win and won't get it. FSU by 10.
-Oklahoma State at Texas: So what happened last week Texas? The Oklahoma train knocked little Texas clear off the tracks. Now the next problem, Oklahoma State may be even better. Since the game is in Austin it'll be closer than last week, but Oklahoma State should win easily. OSU by 14.
-Georgia Tech at Virginia: I've seen better Georgia Tech teams go to Charlottesville and lose. Paul Johnson, however, hasn't coached any of those teams. He's 1-0 there. I see a tough game, UVA is gunning hard for this one but it won't be enough. GT by 4.
-Illibuck; Ohio State at Illinois: Ohio State has won eight straight in Champaign. Illinois needed fourth quarter scores to beat Arizona State, Western Michigan and Northwestern. Ohio State isn't the same as they have been in the past decade, but this is still a big test for the Illini. Ohio State pulls the upset here, wins by 3.
-LSU at Tennessee: My pick to win the SEC East is fading fast. The Volunteers haven't won a conference game yet, and may not for awhile. After losing to Florida and Georgia, Tennessee gets LSU, Alabama, South Carolina, and Arkansas on the conference schedule (there's a game against MTSU in between there somewhere). This won't be pretty. LSU wins this one by a ton.
-Florida at Auburn: I still have Florida ranked for one reason: The teams that the Gators have lost to are both undefeated. Auburn isn't there at the moment. Auburn's two losses have one loss between them (Arkansas lost to Bama). Due to the injury situations, I believe Auburn pulls this out at home. Tigers by 7.
-Georgia at Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt's secondary is enough to give any passing game fits. Georgia has a good enough running game to not worry about it. The only way Vandy wins this one is if the Commodores manage to get up a couple of scores early and UGA panics. Sadly that won't happen. UGA by 14.
-Kansas State at Texas Tech: Kansas State keeps on winning, Texas Tech is in the middle of a rough stretch. Kansas State has been tested (at Miami, Baylor and Missouri). Texas Tech failed their test last week (Texas A&M). It's only going to get tougher for the Red Raiders (Oklahoma next week). Kansas State by 14.
-Arizona State at Oregon: Its amusing to see ESPN Gameday out for this game. It was still dark there when they started. It will be dark on the east coast by the time the game starts. Oregon has failed their one test this year (LSU) while Arizona State passed two (Missouri, USC) and failed one (at Illinois). We really don't know what Oregon has in it, we do know more about the Sun Devils. I still say Oregon wins this one at home in a wild one. Oregon by 7.
Cheering For:
-Oregon State: you won a game! Congrats!
Laughing at:
-Arizona: For losing to Oregon State. That team flat out sucks wind and you lost to them. Cost the coach his job too.
Feeling Sorry for:
-We are down to three winless teams: UAB, Florida Atlantic and New Mexico. UAB and FAU play at the end of the season, so we can look forward to that pillow fight. New Mexico looks hopeless right now.
Top 25: Illinois may be winning every game by a close score, but they are winning. Ohio State in 2002 did the same and won all fourteen games! Speaking of which, the Illini host Ohio State this weekend.
1) LSU
2) Alabama
3) Illinois
4) Oklahoma
5) Clemson
6) Michigan
7) Oklahoma State
7) Georgia Tech
9) Boise State
10) Kansas State
11) Wisconsin
12) Houston
13) Stanford
14) West Virginia
14) Oregon
16) Penn State
16) Arkansas
18) Arizona State
19) Texas
20) Virginia Tech
21) Louisiana-Lafayette
21) North Carolina
23) Baylor
24) Nebraska
25) Florida
The picks:
-Paul Bunyan Trophy; Michigan at Michigan State: This is one of those where I'd love to pick Michigan, the Wolverines are on a tear right now. Michigan State is still a tough team overall and won't be easy to beat at home. Michigan State by 3.
-Battle of the Brazos; Baylor at Texas A&M: Texas A&M finally figured out the second half of a game exists for a reason last week against Texas Tech. One problem this week. A&M's pass defense is putrid, and Baylor will exploit that in a big way. Baylor by 7.
-South Carolina at Mississippi State: South Carolina got a big performance out of the second (now first) string QB Conner Shaw last week. They'll need it again. Mississippi State has been disappointing this season so far but could get back into the swing of things with a victory here. I don't see it. South Carolina wins a tough one by 3.
-Florida State at Duke: Raise your hand if you thought that Duke would have a better record than FSU five games into both's schedules. Yeah my hand isn't raised either. Duke even has an inexcusable loss to FCS Richmond thrown in there, but still has a better record than FSU (3-2 vs 2-3). Now, can FSU get back on track? Yes. Duke needs a perfect game to win and won't get it. FSU by 10.
-Oklahoma State at Texas: So what happened last week Texas? The Oklahoma train knocked little Texas clear off the tracks. Now the next problem, Oklahoma State may be even better. Since the game is in Austin it'll be closer than last week, but Oklahoma State should win easily. OSU by 14.
-Georgia Tech at Virginia: I've seen better Georgia Tech teams go to Charlottesville and lose. Paul Johnson, however, hasn't coached any of those teams. He's 1-0 there. I see a tough game, UVA is gunning hard for this one but it won't be enough. GT by 4.
-Illibuck; Ohio State at Illinois: Ohio State has won eight straight in Champaign. Illinois needed fourth quarter scores to beat Arizona State, Western Michigan and Northwestern. Ohio State isn't the same as they have been in the past decade, but this is still a big test for the Illini. Ohio State pulls the upset here, wins by 3.
-LSU at Tennessee: My pick to win the SEC East is fading fast. The Volunteers haven't won a conference game yet, and may not for awhile. After losing to Florida and Georgia, Tennessee gets LSU, Alabama, South Carolina, and Arkansas on the conference schedule (there's a game against MTSU in between there somewhere). This won't be pretty. LSU wins this one by a ton.
-Florida at Auburn: I still have Florida ranked for one reason: The teams that the Gators have lost to are both undefeated. Auburn isn't there at the moment. Auburn's two losses have one loss between them (Arkansas lost to Bama). Due to the injury situations, I believe Auburn pulls this out at home. Tigers by 7.
-Georgia at Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt's secondary is enough to give any passing game fits. Georgia has a good enough running game to not worry about it. The only way Vandy wins this one is if the Commodores manage to get up a couple of scores early and UGA panics. Sadly that won't happen. UGA by 14.
-Kansas State at Texas Tech: Kansas State keeps on winning, Texas Tech is in the middle of a rough stretch. Kansas State has been tested (at Miami, Baylor and Missouri). Texas Tech failed their test last week (Texas A&M). It's only going to get tougher for the Red Raiders (Oklahoma next week). Kansas State by 14.
-Arizona State at Oregon: Its amusing to see ESPN Gameday out for this game. It was still dark there when they started. It will be dark on the east coast by the time the game starts. Oregon has failed their one test this year (LSU) while Arizona State passed two (Missouri, USC) and failed one (at Illinois). We really don't know what Oregon has in it, we do know more about the Sun Devils. I still say Oregon wins this one at home in a wild one. Oregon by 7.
Friday, October 7, 2011
2011 College Football Week 6 predictions!
Commentary: This is one of those weeks where there aren't a lot of good games on, no big upsets are predicted, etc. That means the exact opposite will happen of course.
Also since I'm running a little late on this post this week, this may be a bit rushed.
Cheering for:
-The undefeateds! My team is one of them, so I can't say I'm biased.
Laughing at:
-Nobody this week.
Feeling sorry for:
-The winless teams. There's still plenty of time to fix that though.
Top 25: Clemson's strength-of-schedule is ungodly right now. Outside of playing Clemson themselves, the opponents record is a combined 15-2. I do need to go back and make it count for FBS games only though at some point. Maybe next week.
1) Clemson
2) Alabama
3) Michigan
3) Illinois
3) LSU
6) Oklahoma
6) Texas
8) Oklahoma State
9) Georgia Tech
9) Wisconsin
11) Kansas State
12) Boise State
13) Stanford
14) Texas Tech
15) Houston
16) Virginia Tech
16) Auburn
18) Penn State
18) Florida
18) Arkansas
21) West Virginia
21) San Diego State
21) Oregon
21) Arizona State
25) Iowa State
Others Receiving Votes: Louisiana-Lafayette, North Carolina, Nebraska, Baylor
The Picks:
-Maryland at Georgia Tech: The last time Maryland came to Atlanta it took 59 minutes to determine the outcome, and the last few involved a massive goal-line stand by GT to win it. I don't see it being that close this time, but I wouldn't put money on GT in Vegas. GT by 7.
-Red River Rivalry; Oklahoma vs Texas in Dallas, TX: It is amusing to me that in my rankings these two teams come out the same. Realistically they aren't. Texas has managed to win all of its games, but it won't be close here. OU by 14.
-Florida State at Wake Forest: Before Florida State's decline this game was an easy one for them. After the decline Wake Forest won three in a row, including a 30-0 win in Tallahassee. EJ Manuel is supposed to be back for this game, so this should be a Seminole victory. FSU by 7.
-Air Force at Notre Dame: Air Force managed to pull a win out of the hat at Navy despite blowing a big lead late. Notre Dame has improved well since the first two games (both losses). On the road, I don't see Air Force winning this one. Notre Dame by 7.
-Florida at LSU: Florida took a major hit last week from Alabama at home, and now a trip to LSU follows. It isn't at night, but it won't matter. Florida without their starting QB won't have much of a chance. LSU by 21.
-Iowa at Penn State: This game is a bit under the radar but could be very good. Penn State isn't going to blow anyone out on offense, but has a fine defense capable of winning any game. Iowa is good enough on offense to score enough to win here. Iowa by 7.
-Miami at Virginia Tech: The loser is pretty much out of the Coastal Division race here. Miami hasn't really looked that good this year (lets face it, Ohio State isn't that good at all either). VT in desperation mode won't lose at home. VT by 10.
-Missouri at Kansas State: Kansas State has managed to compile a 4-0 record by beating decent to good teams. Missouri can be another. With the game in Manhattan, I believe Kansas State wins by 7.
-Auburn at Arkansas: Auburn is having a rather nice season given the expectations. Arkansas slipped against Alabama but came back to beat Texas A&M last week. This game should be a fun one to watch. Arkansas is stronger right now and at home, so Arkansas wins by 3.
-Georgia at Tennessee: Georgia's last two trips to Knoxville have ended in a lot of pain. The team in 2007 had no business losing this game but did. The 2009 team got blown out badly. This team is not as good as either. Tennessee has its issues, but I believe they win at home. Tennessee by 10.
-Texas A&M at Texas Tech: A&M is great in the first half, terrible after halftime. Texas Tech should exploit enough weakness here to win at home. Texas Tech by 4.
-Ohio State at Nebraska: Early in the season, this looked like a good game. Ohio State gets some suspended players back here, but it won't be enough. Nebraska rolls at home. Nebraska by 10.
Also since I'm running a little late on this post this week, this may be a bit rushed.
Cheering for:
-The undefeateds! My team is one of them, so I can't say I'm biased.
Laughing at:
-Nobody this week.
Feeling sorry for:
-The winless teams. There's still plenty of time to fix that though.
Top 25: Clemson's strength-of-schedule is ungodly right now. Outside of playing Clemson themselves, the opponents record is a combined 15-2. I do need to go back and make it count for FBS games only though at some point. Maybe next week.
1) Clemson
2) Alabama
3) Michigan
3) Illinois
3) LSU
6) Oklahoma
6) Texas
8) Oklahoma State
9) Georgia Tech
9) Wisconsin
11) Kansas State
12) Boise State
13) Stanford
14) Texas Tech
15) Houston
16) Virginia Tech
16) Auburn
18) Penn State
18) Florida
18) Arkansas
21) West Virginia
21) San Diego State
21) Oregon
21) Arizona State
25) Iowa State
Others Receiving Votes: Louisiana-Lafayette, North Carolina, Nebraska, Baylor
The Picks:
-Maryland at Georgia Tech: The last time Maryland came to Atlanta it took 59 minutes to determine the outcome, and the last few involved a massive goal-line stand by GT to win it. I don't see it being that close this time, but I wouldn't put money on GT in Vegas. GT by 7.
-Red River Rivalry; Oklahoma vs Texas in Dallas, TX: It is amusing to me that in my rankings these two teams come out the same. Realistically they aren't. Texas has managed to win all of its games, but it won't be close here. OU by 14.
-Florida State at Wake Forest: Before Florida State's decline this game was an easy one for them. After the decline Wake Forest won three in a row, including a 30-0 win in Tallahassee. EJ Manuel is supposed to be back for this game, so this should be a Seminole victory. FSU by 7.
-Air Force at Notre Dame: Air Force managed to pull a win out of the hat at Navy despite blowing a big lead late. Notre Dame has improved well since the first two games (both losses). On the road, I don't see Air Force winning this one. Notre Dame by 7.
-Florida at LSU: Florida took a major hit last week from Alabama at home, and now a trip to LSU follows. It isn't at night, but it won't matter. Florida without their starting QB won't have much of a chance. LSU by 21.
-Iowa at Penn State: This game is a bit under the radar but could be very good. Penn State isn't going to blow anyone out on offense, but has a fine defense capable of winning any game. Iowa is good enough on offense to score enough to win here. Iowa by 7.
-Miami at Virginia Tech: The loser is pretty much out of the Coastal Division race here. Miami hasn't really looked that good this year (lets face it, Ohio State isn't that good at all either). VT in desperation mode won't lose at home. VT by 10.
-Missouri at Kansas State: Kansas State has managed to compile a 4-0 record by beating decent to good teams. Missouri can be another. With the game in Manhattan, I believe Kansas State wins by 7.
-Auburn at Arkansas: Auburn is having a rather nice season given the expectations. Arkansas slipped against Alabama but came back to beat Texas A&M last week. This game should be a fun one to watch. Arkansas is stronger right now and at home, so Arkansas wins by 3.
-Georgia at Tennessee: Georgia's last two trips to Knoxville have ended in a lot of pain. The team in 2007 had no business losing this game but did. The 2009 team got blown out badly. This team is not as good as either. Tennessee has its issues, but I believe they win at home. Tennessee by 10.
-Texas A&M at Texas Tech: A&M is great in the first half, terrible after halftime. Texas Tech should exploit enough weakness here to win at home. Texas Tech by 4.
-Ohio State at Nebraska: Early in the season, this looked like a good game. Ohio State gets some suspended players back here, but it won't be enough. Nebraska rolls at home. Nebraska by 10.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
2011 College Football Week 5 predictions!
Commentary: Week 4 didn't produce any massive upsets near the top. We are left with 22 undefeated teams going into week 5 and October. We are guaranteed that 5 of these will leave the week with one loss.
Cheering for:
-The first part of the Commander-in-Chief's trophy is played for this week. Air Force travels to Navy in a game that should be quite fun!
Feeling sorry for:
-Well we have our first coaching change in the season. I hate it for the players who are in disarray and the coaches who are unemployed. Well, the one coach has a buyout and is getting part of it so he won't be hurting much.
Laughing at:
-Mike Locksley: We have a candidate for "Dumbass of the Year" award. He was hired for the 2009 season at New Mexico. Before he even coached a game he had a Sexual Harassment charge. He received an assault charge against a co-ordinator. I think both were dropped, but it earned him a one game suspension. So what happens now? Well a recruit was arrested for aggravated DWI, failure to show a driver's license, and probably a host of other charges. Normally this would merely be reasons to just stop recruiting the kid. In this case though, the recruit was driving Mike Locksley's vehicle. Yeah there is only a few dozen NCAA rules broken there. Sometimes you make the decision easy for your boss, in this the athletic director. Locksley is now without a job.
-Maryland: Congratulations for letting West Virginia beat you twice. Not showing up against Temple was a bad thing.
-New Mexico: You don't quite get a pass from me just because your coach is a dumbass. You still lost to Sam Houston State in week four of the season.
-Minnesota: Ya know, I don't think Glenn Mason ever lost to a FCS school. Jerry Kill, do you realize what you signed up for yet? You've got a looooong way to go for just "respectable."
-UNLV: not only did you lose to a FCS school... you got blown out by a FCS school. Wow you really have to be bad for that.
Top 25: I know what you're thinking. "Iowa State at #1? Are you crazy?" Well, yeah I am. I didn't think I would do this before week 5 or 6, but I went ahead and put my formula in place for this week. That formula is sorta simple. I rank the undefeated teams first with respect to Strength of Schedule. Iowa State's three opponents have one loss between them that isn't Iowa State. LSU and Nebraska are technically tied at #2 with their opponents have two losses that aren't the two teams. One loss teams are ranked by who they lost two. There are 19 teams with one loss where the one loss is an undefeated team. Iowa gets put at the top since they lost to #1 Iowa State. West Virginia and Oregon are next as they lost to LSU. Washington and Wyoming can complain as they lost to Co-#2 Nebraska. This is where the opinion comes in.
1) Iowa State
2) LSU
2) Nebraska
4) Clemson
4) South Carolina
6) South Florida
6) Michigan
8) Alabama
8) Georgia Tech
8) Illinois
11) Oklahoma State
11) Virginia Tech
13) Texas
13) Baylor
15) Oklahoma
16) Wisconsin
17) Florida
17) Boise State
17) Stanford
20) Houston
21) Texas Tech
21) Kansas State
23) Iowa
24) Oregon
25) West Virginia
Others Receiving "votes": Washington, Wyoming
Weekly picks:
-South Florida at Pitt: South Florida is 4-0, Pitt is 2-2. Usually USF starts out strong and then melts down toward the end of the year. To be fair, they usually get to 5-0 or 6-0 before that occurs. Why mess with a streak? USF by 7.
-Southwest Classic; Texas A&M vs Arkansas in Arlington, TX: Starting next year this will actually be a conference game! Texas A&M has not fared well against Arkansas and other SEC schools lately, and I don't see a change here. A&M is good, Arkansas is too. Arkansas by 10.
-Mississippi State at Georgia: Bet your mortgage on the Bulldogs winning this game. Oh wait that won't work. Last year UGA's season went downhill badly after losing at Mississippi State. This year could be the same. You would think that UGA wouldn't let it happen two years in a row, but it very well might. MSU looked fortunate to win against Louisiana Tech last week, but that can be excused as a "LSU hangover." UGA's defense will have to play well to contain this offense, and I believe it will. UGA by 3.
-The Little Brown Jug; Minnesota at Michigan: This game couldn't be at a worse time for Minnesota. That team is falling apart quickly, the coach is having medical issues, and Minnesota has beaten Michigan exactly once out of the past twenty tries. I'm not messing with a streak here either. Michigan by 20.
-Commander-in-Chief's Trophy; The United States Air Force Academy at The United States Naval Academy: Last year Air Force broke Navy's stranglehold on the trophy. Both teams are playing well this year, so I'm going with home-field advantage for Navy. Navy by 6.
-Baylor at Kansas State: So why is this game here? Because in week five, both teams are undefeated. Both have even had a test of their skill and passed it. I believe the difference here is that Kansas State went on the road to win their test, Baylor hasn't left home yet. Kansas State wins at home by 7.
-Auburn at South Carolina: South Carolina appears to be struggling on offense quite a bit. I think a good part of that has been the competition, and the other part may just be bad offense. However the team has managed to win every game so far. The defense has been decent, or maybe just good enough. Auburn had that last year, but not this year. USC-east by 3.
-Clemson at Virginia Tech: Clemson has been one of the bigger surprises so far this season. A win against Auburn and Florida State in back-to-back weeks has thrust them up in the ACC and national spotlight. Lets be fair here, both of those teams had plenty of baggage going into the games and both games were in Clemson. Clemson had two ugly showings against patsies early. Clemson hasn't been on the road yet with all of those freshmen and other first year starters making plays. Clemson hasn't beaten Virginia Tech since 1989 (0-5 since then). Clemson is in for a rude awakening in Blacksburg. VT by 20.
-Texas at Iowa State: Last year Iowa State managed to get a big monkey off its back by winning at Texas. I see revenge here. Lots of revenge. Texas won't let that happen again. Texas by 10.
-Alabama at Florida: Florida has been a nice surprise so far, they've been tougher on the field than most expected them to be. The team has played well under the new head coach and coordinators. That being said Alabama is just too strong here. I see Florida keeping it close, but not close enough to win. Alabama by 4.
-Nebraska at Wisconsin: Welcome to the Big Ten Nebraska! Your first conference game will be against mighty Wisconsin in Camp Randall Stadium. Both teams are playing well, both are run-first offenses, both could be near the tops of the polls towards the end of the season. I see Russell Wilson being the difference here at home. Wisconsin by 7.
-The Shillelagh Trophy; Notre Dame at Purdue: Notre Dame has turned it around nicely since the 0-2 start beating Michigan State and Pitt. Purdue hasn't been pretty on the field at all. Notre Dame should win this game easily after Purdue has a fast start. Notre Dame by 14.
Cheering for:
-The first part of the Commander-in-Chief's trophy is played for this week. Air Force travels to Navy in a game that should be quite fun!
Feeling sorry for:
-Well we have our first coaching change in the season. I hate it for the players who are in disarray and the coaches who are unemployed. Well, the one coach has a buyout and is getting part of it so he won't be hurting much.
Laughing at:
-Mike Locksley: We have a candidate for "Dumbass of the Year" award. He was hired for the 2009 season at New Mexico. Before he even coached a game he had a Sexual Harassment charge. He received an assault charge against a co-ordinator. I think both were dropped, but it earned him a one game suspension. So what happens now? Well a recruit was arrested for aggravated DWI, failure to show a driver's license, and probably a host of other charges. Normally this would merely be reasons to just stop recruiting the kid. In this case though, the recruit was driving Mike Locksley's vehicle. Yeah there is only a few dozen NCAA rules broken there. Sometimes you make the decision easy for your boss, in this the athletic director. Locksley is now without a job.
-Maryland: Congratulations for letting West Virginia beat you twice. Not showing up against Temple was a bad thing.
-New Mexico: You don't quite get a pass from me just because your coach is a dumbass. You still lost to Sam Houston State in week four of the season.
-Minnesota: Ya know, I don't think Glenn Mason ever lost to a FCS school. Jerry Kill, do you realize what you signed up for yet? You've got a looooong way to go for just "respectable."
-UNLV: not only did you lose to a FCS school... you got blown out by a FCS school. Wow you really have to be bad for that.
Top 25: I know what you're thinking. "Iowa State at #1? Are you crazy?" Well, yeah I am. I didn't think I would do this before week 5 or 6, but I went ahead and put my formula in place for this week. That formula is sorta simple. I rank the undefeated teams first with respect to Strength of Schedule. Iowa State's three opponents have one loss between them that isn't Iowa State. LSU and Nebraska are technically tied at #2 with their opponents have two losses that aren't the two teams. One loss teams are ranked by who they lost two. There are 19 teams with one loss where the one loss is an undefeated team. Iowa gets put at the top since they lost to #1 Iowa State. West Virginia and Oregon are next as they lost to LSU. Washington and Wyoming can complain as they lost to Co-#2 Nebraska. This is where the opinion comes in.
1) Iowa State
2) LSU
2) Nebraska
4) Clemson
4) South Carolina
6) South Florida
6) Michigan
8) Alabama
8) Georgia Tech
8) Illinois
11) Oklahoma State
11) Virginia Tech
13) Texas
13) Baylor
15) Oklahoma
16) Wisconsin
17) Florida
17) Boise State
17) Stanford
20) Houston
21) Texas Tech
21) Kansas State
23) Iowa
24) Oregon
25) West Virginia
Others Receiving "votes": Washington, Wyoming
Weekly picks:
-South Florida at Pitt: South Florida is 4-0, Pitt is 2-2. Usually USF starts out strong and then melts down toward the end of the year. To be fair, they usually get to 5-0 or 6-0 before that occurs. Why mess with a streak? USF by 7.
-Southwest Classic; Texas A&M vs Arkansas in Arlington, TX: Starting next year this will actually be a conference game! Texas A&M has not fared well against Arkansas and other SEC schools lately, and I don't see a change here. A&M is good, Arkansas is too. Arkansas by 10.
-Mississippi State at Georgia: Bet your mortgage on the Bulldogs winning this game. Oh wait that won't work. Last year UGA's season went downhill badly after losing at Mississippi State. This year could be the same. You would think that UGA wouldn't let it happen two years in a row, but it very well might. MSU looked fortunate to win against Louisiana Tech last week, but that can be excused as a "LSU hangover." UGA's defense will have to play well to contain this offense, and I believe it will. UGA by 3.
-The Little Brown Jug; Minnesota at Michigan: This game couldn't be at a worse time for Minnesota. That team is falling apart quickly, the coach is having medical issues, and Minnesota has beaten Michigan exactly once out of the past twenty tries. I'm not messing with a streak here either. Michigan by 20.
-Commander-in-Chief's Trophy; The United States Air Force Academy at The United States Naval Academy: Last year Air Force broke Navy's stranglehold on the trophy. Both teams are playing well this year, so I'm going with home-field advantage for Navy. Navy by 6.
-Baylor at Kansas State: So why is this game here? Because in week five, both teams are undefeated. Both have even had a test of their skill and passed it. I believe the difference here is that Kansas State went on the road to win their test, Baylor hasn't left home yet. Kansas State wins at home by 7.
-Auburn at South Carolina: South Carolina appears to be struggling on offense quite a bit. I think a good part of that has been the competition, and the other part may just be bad offense. However the team has managed to win every game so far. The defense has been decent, or maybe just good enough. Auburn had that last year, but not this year. USC-east by 3.
-Clemson at Virginia Tech: Clemson has been one of the bigger surprises so far this season. A win against Auburn and Florida State in back-to-back weeks has thrust them up in the ACC and national spotlight. Lets be fair here, both of those teams had plenty of baggage going into the games and both games were in Clemson. Clemson had two ugly showings against patsies early. Clemson hasn't been on the road yet with all of those freshmen and other first year starters making plays. Clemson hasn't beaten Virginia Tech since 1989 (0-5 since then). Clemson is in for a rude awakening in Blacksburg. VT by 20.
-Texas at Iowa State: Last year Iowa State managed to get a big monkey off its back by winning at Texas. I see revenge here. Lots of revenge. Texas won't let that happen again. Texas by 10.
-Alabama at Florida: Florida has been a nice surprise so far, they've been tougher on the field than most expected them to be. The team has played well under the new head coach and coordinators. That being said Alabama is just too strong here. I see Florida keeping it close, but not close enough to win. Alabama by 4.
-Nebraska at Wisconsin: Welcome to the Big Ten Nebraska! Your first conference game will be against mighty Wisconsin in Camp Randall Stadium. Both teams are playing well, both are run-first offenses, both could be near the tops of the polls towards the end of the season. I see Russell Wilson being the difference here at home. Wisconsin by 7.
-The Shillelagh Trophy; Notre Dame at Purdue: Notre Dame has turned it around nicely since the 0-2 start beating Michigan State and Pitt. Purdue hasn't been pretty on the field at all. Notre Dame should win this game easily after Purdue has a fast start. Notre Dame by 14.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
2011 College Football Week 4 predictions!
Commentary: We didn't see any real surprising upsets last week, only a few ranked teams lost and while they were to unranked opponents the upsets weren't that surprising really. It was still a good week of college football for us all though! Auburn's seventeen game winning streak came to an end in Clemson, SC last week. Notre Dame bounced back to upset Michigan State. Arizona State lost at Illinois. Miami bounced back from an opening week loss to beat Ohio State at home.
Cheering for: Conference play! While there are some good non-conference games in store for this week, conference play starts for a lot of schools in week 4.
Laughing at:
-Boston College: wow, what a face plant. A field-goal attempt hits the upright in the final minute and a loss to Duke ensues. Ouch.
-Oregon State: still winless, despite opening against an FCS opponent. To be fair, week 2 was against Wisconsin and week 3 was a bye-week.
Feeling sorry for:
-No one really, not yet.
Top 25: We are down to 33 undefeated teams, maybe I can do a real poll next week if we drop to 25 or less.
1) Oklahoma
2) LSU
3) Alabama
4) Boise State
5) Stanford
6) South Carolina
7) Oklahoma State
8) Texas A&M
9) Virginia Tech
10) Wisconsin
11) Nebraska
12) Arkansas
13) Michigan
14) South Florida
15) Florida
16) Texas
17) Georgia Tech
18) North Carolina
19) West Virginia
20) Clemson
21) Houston
22) Illinois
23) Texas Tech
24) Baylor
25) Vanderbilt
Others receiving votes: Iowa State, Kansas State, Ohio, San Diego State, Wyoming, Cal, USC, FIU
Predictions:
-NC State at Cincinnati: Both teams are fighting for respect in their conferences, NCSU has struggled a bit out of the gate, Cincinnati has lost to a good team and beaten up two bad ones. I give the nod here to Cincinnati since it is at home. Cincy by 10.
-North Carolina at Georgia Tech: UNC is in the "others receiving votes" categories of the polls while GT hit both the AP and Coaches poll this week. GT's offense has been on fire lately, UNC has a pretty good defense to counter it. I don't see GT scoring a point a minute like they have been, but still walking away with the victory here. GT by 14.
-San Diego State at Michigan: A good game here between student and master. Brady Hoke left SDSU at the end of last season to coach Michigan. While Michigan's defense has been rather porous this year so far, I don't see SDSU pulling the upset like some predict. Michigan by 10.
-Notre Dame at Pittsburgh: Notre Dame pulled itself off the mat last week by beating ranked Michigan State at home, while Pitt blew a big lead in a game at Iowa. I see more of the same here. ND by 10.
-Georgia at Ole Miss: The seats here will be warm, maybe scorching under each coaches' butt. Really UGA shouldn't lose this game, but it all depends on the psyche of both teams. Ole Miss is wounded beyond belief after getting blown out by Vanderbilt last week. UGA at least blew up on an overmatched opponent. I'll predict UGA by 3.
-Florida State at Clemson: FSU comes into this game reeling a bit after the home loss to Oklahoma. Also they'll be playing the backup quarterback. This may not matter though. Clemson has almost always followed a big win with a loss, and I'm not one to pick against a trend. FSU by 10.
-Oklahoma State at Texas A&M: Both are top ten teams, both undefeated, etc. This would be fun without the backstory. A&M is trying to leave the Big 12 as fast as it can, the rest of the conference members are trying to prevent it. I've doubted A&M before and looked bad because of it, but I'm going with Mike "I'm a man! I'm 40!" Gundy here. OSU by 7.
-Arkansas at Alabama: Welcome to reality Arkansas. Reality says wins over Troy and New Mexico mean nothing to Alabama. Alabama by 14.
-Vanderbilt at South Carolina: Vanderbilt has been a thorn in South Carolina's side for quite a while. There has even been a couple of wins for Vandy thrown in the mix. South Carolina has had to work for all three wins it has, and this week won't be any different. South Carolina by 3.
-Missouri at Oklahoma: All the Sooners need to do is remember last year. #1 in the nation, flying high at 6-0, and oops! A loss at Missouri derailed any national title hopes. OU gets revenge big time. OU by 20.
-LSU at West Virginia: Offense sells tickets. Defense wins championships. LSU's defense has been absolutely stifling so far, and I don't see West Virginia changing that. LSU by 10.
-USC at Arizona State: This could be a huge step-up game for Arizona State. The only problem is they've played USC every year for a long time and not won since 1999. I don't pick against streaks. USC by 14.
Cheering for: Conference play! While there are some good non-conference games in store for this week, conference play starts for a lot of schools in week 4.
Laughing at:
-Boston College: wow, what a face plant. A field-goal attempt hits the upright in the final minute and a loss to Duke ensues. Ouch.
-Oregon State: still winless, despite opening against an FCS opponent. To be fair, week 2 was against Wisconsin and week 3 was a bye-week.
Feeling sorry for:
-No one really, not yet.
Top 25: We are down to 33 undefeated teams, maybe I can do a real poll next week if we drop to 25 or less.
1) Oklahoma
2) LSU
3) Alabama
4) Boise State
5) Stanford
6) South Carolina
7) Oklahoma State
8) Texas A&M
9) Virginia Tech
10) Wisconsin
11) Nebraska
12) Arkansas
13) Michigan
14) South Florida
15) Florida
16) Texas
17) Georgia Tech
18) North Carolina
19) West Virginia
20) Clemson
21) Houston
22) Illinois
23) Texas Tech
24) Baylor
25) Vanderbilt
Others receiving votes: Iowa State, Kansas State, Ohio, San Diego State, Wyoming, Cal, USC, FIU
Predictions:
-NC State at Cincinnati: Both teams are fighting for respect in their conferences, NCSU has struggled a bit out of the gate, Cincinnati has lost to a good team and beaten up two bad ones. I give the nod here to Cincinnati since it is at home. Cincy by 10.
-North Carolina at Georgia Tech: UNC is in the "others receiving votes" categories of the polls while GT hit both the AP and Coaches poll this week. GT's offense has been on fire lately, UNC has a pretty good defense to counter it. I don't see GT scoring a point a minute like they have been, but still walking away with the victory here. GT by 14.
-San Diego State at Michigan: A good game here between student and master. Brady Hoke left SDSU at the end of last season to coach Michigan. While Michigan's defense has been rather porous this year so far, I don't see SDSU pulling the upset like some predict. Michigan by 10.
-Notre Dame at Pittsburgh: Notre Dame pulled itself off the mat last week by beating ranked Michigan State at home, while Pitt blew a big lead in a game at Iowa. I see more of the same here. ND by 10.
-Georgia at Ole Miss: The seats here will be warm, maybe scorching under each coaches' butt. Really UGA shouldn't lose this game, but it all depends on the psyche of both teams. Ole Miss is wounded beyond belief after getting blown out by Vanderbilt last week. UGA at least blew up on an overmatched opponent. I'll predict UGA by 3.
-Florida State at Clemson: FSU comes into this game reeling a bit after the home loss to Oklahoma. Also they'll be playing the backup quarterback. This may not matter though. Clemson has almost always followed a big win with a loss, and I'm not one to pick against a trend. FSU by 10.
-Oklahoma State at Texas A&M: Both are top ten teams, both undefeated, etc. This would be fun without the backstory. A&M is trying to leave the Big 12 as fast as it can, the rest of the conference members are trying to prevent it. I've doubted A&M before and looked bad because of it, but I'm going with Mike "I'm a man! I'm 40!" Gundy here. OSU by 7.
-Arkansas at Alabama: Welcome to reality Arkansas. Reality says wins over Troy and New Mexico mean nothing to Alabama. Alabama by 14.
-Vanderbilt at South Carolina: Vanderbilt has been a thorn in South Carolina's side for quite a while. There has even been a couple of wins for Vandy thrown in the mix. South Carolina has had to work for all three wins it has, and this week won't be any different. South Carolina by 3.
-Missouri at Oklahoma: All the Sooners need to do is remember last year. #1 in the nation, flying high at 6-0, and oops! A loss at Missouri derailed any national title hopes. OU gets revenge big time. OU by 20.
-LSU at West Virginia: Offense sells tickets. Defense wins championships. LSU's defense has been absolutely stifling so far, and I don't see West Virginia changing that. LSU by 10.
-USC at Arizona State: This could be a huge step-up game for Arizona State. The only problem is they've played USC every year for a long time and not won since 1999. I don't pick against streaks. USC by 14.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
2011 College Football Week 3 predictions!
Commentary: Last week we saw that Michigan and Notre Dame both don't know what a prevent defense is supposed to do (it is supposed to give up yards in return for eating the clock up), UGA's defense give up 17 points to South Carolina and lose since the offense and special teams gave up 28, and Mississippi State doesn't quite know what to do with 30 seconds on the clock. It was a good weekend. This week looks to have a lot of good games coming up too.
Cheering For: Revenge. Its time for revenge.
Laughing at: There were no upsets between FCS and FBS members last week, though there were numerous close calls. So no real teams to laugh at yet.
Feeling sorry for: Minnesota. Sucks to hire a coach, a good up and coming coach, only to have him have a stroke during game two. That and losing to New Mexico State is a bitch.
Top 25: Okay, so Oregon was overrated.
1) Oklahoma
2) LSU
3) Boise State
4) Arkansas
5) Alabama
6) Stanford
7) Nebraska
8) Wisconsin
9) Texas A&M
10) Oklahoma State
11) Florida State
12) Virginia Tech
13) Michigan State
14) Michigan
15) Arizona State
16) Southern Cal
17) South Carolina
18) Florida
19) West Virginia
20) Clemson
21) Maryland
22) Penn State
23) Auburn
24) Ohio State
25) Tennessee
Week 3 Predictions:
-LSU at Mississippi State: The Thursday night opening game should actually be quite interesting! Mississippi State is coming off a last second loss to Auburn. LSU is just LSU and keeps on winning. The trend should keep going here: LSU by 7.
-West Virginia at Maryland: West Virginia got a little bit of a scare last week before turning it on in the second half against Norfolk State. Maryland is good, not great, but good. I see a good game here with WVU winning late.
-Auburn at Clemson: Last year this game turned into a damn good one. Clemson blew it late against Auburn in overtime and all. Clemson was merely mediocre, Auburn was national champs when all was said and done. Auburn seems to just win, no matter what. Auburn by 10.
-Kansas at Georgia Tech: Last year GT waltzed into Lawrence and left with the tail between the legs. It was a bad day all around for the program. I see revenge coming this time around. KU is better than they were last year, but it won't matter. GT is flying high and wins by 10 here.
-Rocky Mountain Showdown; Colorado State at Colorado: Colorado has looked bad in two losses so far, lets see how bad they are in loss #3. CSU by 3.
-The Third Saturday in September; Tennessee at Florida: Both teams are climbing up after tough seasons last year. Both have played well so far. My only thought is to give a slight advantage to the home team. Florida by 3.
-The Megaphone Trophy; Michigan State at Notre Dame: Notre Dame has looked sloppy in two losses. Sloppiness can be fixed, but this is a bad time in which to fix things. Michigan State has looked dominant on defense lately, and that spells trouble for the Irish. Michigan State by 10.
-Navy at South Carolina: The last time South Carolina was ranked and played Navy the Gamecocks lost. To be fair that was in the 1980s. South Carolina looked a little lost on offense last week, but did enough to win in Athens. This week shouldn't be an issue. South Carolina by 17.
-The Governor's Cup; Louisville at Kentucky: Louisville looked wretched last week losing to FIU of the Sun Belt conference. Charlie Strong's program took a major hit there. Kentucky might be 2-0, but the team has not looked good either. This game might set a record for futility. UK wins by 3. It may be a 3-0 final score.
-Ohio State at Miami: I don't have a link for this game, though maybe I should go create one. "The battle of two teams who barely have 22 players to suit up" or "The battle of teams going to get drilled by the NCAA" or maybe just "The battle of who's had the two worst offseasons." Miami looked decent in the opening night loss to Maryland, but hasn't played since. Interception-Machine Jacory Harris will start. Ohio State has beaten two lesser teams so far but it doesn't say much. Since this has an ACC team in it, I'll pick against it. Ohio State by 3.
-Oklahoma at Florida State: Oh my, a battle of two top-five teams? Well, I'm of the personal opinion that Florida State is overrated at #5. I am not saying that FSU is a bad team, just overrated at that position. I personally think that ESPN did this just for this game. They're the ones that started the "FSU is really good!" chant early in the pre-season. Ah well, screw the conspiracy theory. Oklahoma is more talented, has more experience and the ambiance of Doak Campbell Stadium just isn't enough. OU by 10.
-The Holy War; Utah at BYU: Its good to see the continuation of this series. Both teams were in the Mountain West conference last year, both have since left that conference. BYU has looked better so far (much better win that Utah's), so I'll go with the home team here. BYU by 7.
Cheering For: Revenge. Its time for revenge.
Laughing at: There were no upsets between FCS and FBS members last week, though there were numerous close calls. So no real teams to laugh at yet.
Feeling sorry for: Minnesota. Sucks to hire a coach, a good up and coming coach, only to have him have a stroke during game two. That and losing to New Mexico State is a bitch.
Top 25: Okay, so Oregon was overrated.
1) Oklahoma
2) LSU
3) Boise State
4) Arkansas
5) Alabama
6) Stanford
7) Nebraska
8) Wisconsin
9) Texas A&M
10) Oklahoma State
11) Florida State
12) Virginia Tech
13) Michigan State
14) Michigan
15) Arizona State
16) Southern Cal
17) South Carolina
18) Florida
19) West Virginia
20) Clemson
21) Maryland
22) Penn State
23) Auburn
24) Ohio State
25) Tennessee
Week 3 Predictions:
-LSU at Mississippi State: The Thursday night opening game should actually be quite interesting! Mississippi State is coming off a last second loss to Auburn. LSU is just LSU and keeps on winning. The trend should keep going here: LSU by 7.
-West Virginia at Maryland: West Virginia got a little bit of a scare last week before turning it on in the second half against Norfolk State. Maryland is good, not great, but good. I see a good game here with WVU winning late.
-Auburn at Clemson: Last year this game turned into a damn good one. Clemson blew it late against Auburn in overtime and all. Clemson was merely mediocre, Auburn was national champs when all was said and done. Auburn seems to just win, no matter what. Auburn by 10.
-Kansas at Georgia Tech: Last year GT waltzed into Lawrence and left with the tail between the legs. It was a bad day all around for the program. I see revenge coming this time around. KU is better than they were last year, but it won't matter. GT is flying high and wins by 10 here.
-Rocky Mountain Showdown; Colorado State at Colorado: Colorado has looked bad in two losses so far, lets see how bad they are in loss #3. CSU by 3.
-The Third Saturday in September; Tennessee at Florida: Both teams are climbing up after tough seasons last year. Both have played well so far. My only thought is to give a slight advantage to the home team. Florida by 3.
-The Megaphone Trophy; Michigan State at Notre Dame: Notre Dame has looked sloppy in two losses. Sloppiness can be fixed, but this is a bad time in which to fix things. Michigan State has looked dominant on defense lately, and that spells trouble for the Irish. Michigan State by 10.
-Navy at South Carolina: The last time South Carolina was ranked and played Navy the Gamecocks lost. To be fair that was in the 1980s. South Carolina looked a little lost on offense last week, but did enough to win in Athens. This week shouldn't be an issue. South Carolina by 17.
-The Governor's Cup; Louisville at Kentucky: Louisville looked wretched last week losing to FIU of the Sun Belt conference. Charlie Strong's program took a major hit there. Kentucky might be 2-0, but the team has not looked good either. This game might set a record for futility. UK wins by 3. It may be a 3-0 final score.
-Ohio State at Miami: I don't have a link for this game, though maybe I should go create one. "The battle of two teams who barely have 22 players to suit up" or "The battle of teams going to get drilled by the NCAA" or maybe just "The battle of who's had the two worst offseasons." Miami looked decent in the opening night loss to Maryland, but hasn't played since. Interception-Machine Jacory Harris will start. Ohio State has beaten two lesser teams so far but it doesn't say much. Since this has an ACC team in it, I'll pick against it. Ohio State by 3.
-Oklahoma at Florida State: Oh my, a battle of two top-five teams? Well, I'm of the personal opinion that Florida State is overrated at #5. I am not saying that FSU is a bad team, just overrated at that position. I personally think that ESPN did this just for this game. They're the ones that started the "FSU is really good!" chant early in the pre-season. Ah well, screw the conspiracy theory. Oklahoma is more talented, has more experience and the ambiance of Doak Campbell Stadium just isn't enough. OU by 10.
-The Holy War; Utah at BYU: Its good to see the continuation of this series. Both teams were in the Mountain West conference last year, both have since left that conference. BYU has looked better so far (much better win that Utah's), so I'll go with the home team here. BYU by 7.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
2011 College Football Week 2 predictions!
Commentary: Week one had some interesting matchups, some weird results, and a lot of bad games. Its expected though. I can't blame teams for scheduling a cupcake right off the starting line. College football teams don't get preseason games like the NFL does.
Cheering For: Teams that aren't afraid to go on the road to face a non-conference opponent, and one that isn't a pushover. Alabama, Arizona, Missouri, Oregon State, etc.
Laughing at: Unfortunately for the Beavers of Oregon State you get to be laughed at as well. Losing to a FCS opponent lands you here. That means the same for the Duke Blue Devils.
Feeling sorry for: Noone this week. Its too early for that.
Top 25: Okay, so Oregon was overrated.
1) Oklahoma
2) LSU
3) Boise State
4) Arkansas
5) Alabama
6) Stanford
7) Nebraska
8) Wisconsin
9) Texas A&M
10) Oklahoma State
11) Florida State
12) Virginia Tech
13) Michigan State
14) Michigan
15) Missouri
16) Iowa
17) Arizona State
18) Southern Cal
19) Penn State
20) South Carolina
21) Mississippi State
22) Florida
23) West Virginia
24) Clemson
25) Maryland
Completely Random. It'll all sort itself out in a few weeks.
Week 1 Predictions: I'm writing this a little late, Arizona at Oklahoma State should have kicked off by now, but I'm not watching or looking at a scoreboard, so there.
-Arizona at Oklahoma State: Oklahoma State has a lot going for it right now, and they need to keep it up and not let a game like this get out of hand. OSU by 20.
-Missouri at Arizona State: An interesting Friday night matchup here (and I still hate Friday night games). Arizona State has more to prove here, wins at home in a fun game. ASU by 3.
-The Cy-Hawk_Trophy; Iowa at Iowa State: Alright Iowa State. I called out Baylor last week saying they needed to prove their relevance in a possible dying conference, and they did! Its your turn. Iowa isn't invincible but State has a long way to go. Iowa wins by 10.
-Alabama at Penn State: Last week Penn State looked a little soft against the run versus an overmatched opponent. Alabama loves to run and isn't overmatched. Alabama wins by 14.
-Virginia Tech at East Carolina: Don't laugh too much, the last time VT played ECU on the road the Hokies lost. I don't see that happening this time though, VT has too much on the line to play down. VT by 10.
-South Carolina at Georgia: I said UGA starts out 0-2, and I'm not backing down on that now! Spurrier at USC-east loves nothing more than beating UGA, and doing it in Athens is even sweeter for him. His Florida team in 1995 set the record for most points scored on UGA in Athens (52), and while I don't think this team scores quite that much, it'll try, and win easily. South Carolina by 20.
-Mississippi State at Auburn: With all the talent Auburn had last year, they beat Mississippi State by 3 on the road. It's time for revenge. The Bulldogs by 14.
-Georgia Tech at Middle Tennessee State: An interesting road game for the Yellow Jackets. Last season's early non-conference road trip was a disaster for the Ramblin' Wreck. This year's will be much better. GT by 10.
-BYU at Texas: Depending on the rumors you hear, this is either a battle of two future independents, or two future Big 12 members. BYU is good, but not Texas good. Texas wins this one easily.
-TCU at Air Force: Was it an off week, a bad week, or are there a lot of issues on TCU this year? Giving up 50 to Baylor had to hurt! We will find out if that was a fluke, Baylor's offense just that good, or is TCU's defense mysteriously dissappearing? Air Force can win this game, but I think TCU shuts the down proving last week was a fluke. TCU by 14.
-Utah at USC: Welcome to the PAC12 Utah! Your first conference opponent is the one that pretty much has ruled it for decades! Good luck! USC is coming off an ugly win against Minnesota, but look for it to be much cleaner here. USC wins by 10.
-The Michigan-Notre Dame Rivalry; Notre Dame at Michigan: A night game in Ann Arbor! While Notre Dame is coming off of an ugly loss, its problems can be fixed. Michigan looked good in a tune-up game against Western Michigan in week one, but don't let it fool you. This game will be tough, fought hard, and well into the fourth quarter. That said, Michigan wins at home.
Cheering For: Teams that aren't afraid to go on the road to face a non-conference opponent, and one that isn't a pushover. Alabama, Arizona, Missouri, Oregon State, etc.
Laughing at: Unfortunately for the Beavers of Oregon State you get to be laughed at as well. Losing to a FCS opponent lands you here. That means the same for the Duke Blue Devils.
Feeling sorry for: Noone this week. Its too early for that.
Top 25: Okay, so Oregon was overrated.
1) Oklahoma
2) LSU
3) Boise State
4) Arkansas
5) Alabama
6) Stanford
7) Nebraska
8) Wisconsin
9) Texas A&M
10) Oklahoma State
11) Florida State
12) Virginia Tech
13) Michigan State
14) Michigan
15) Missouri
16) Iowa
17) Arizona State
18) Southern Cal
19) Penn State
20) South Carolina
21) Mississippi State
22) Florida
23) West Virginia
24) Clemson
25) Maryland
Completely Random. It'll all sort itself out in a few weeks.
Week 1 Predictions: I'm writing this a little late, Arizona at Oklahoma State should have kicked off by now, but I'm not watching or looking at a scoreboard, so there.
-Arizona at Oklahoma State: Oklahoma State has a lot going for it right now, and they need to keep it up and not let a game like this get out of hand. OSU by 20.
-Missouri at Arizona State: An interesting Friday night matchup here (and I still hate Friday night games). Arizona State has more to prove here, wins at home in a fun game. ASU by 3.
-The Cy-Hawk_Trophy; Iowa at Iowa State: Alright Iowa State. I called out Baylor last week saying they needed to prove their relevance in a possible dying conference, and they did! Its your turn. Iowa isn't invincible but State has a long way to go. Iowa wins by 10.
-Alabama at Penn State: Last week Penn State looked a little soft against the run versus an overmatched opponent. Alabama loves to run and isn't overmatched. Alabama wins by 14.
-Virginia Tech at East Carolina: Don't laugh too much, the last time VT played ECU on the road the Hokies lost. I don't see that happening this time though, VT has too much on the line to play down. VT by 10.
-South Carolina at Georgia: I said UGA starts out 0-2, and I'm not backing down on that now! Spurrier at USC-east loves nothing more than beating UGA, and doing it in Athens is even sweeter for him. His Florida team in 1995 set the record for most points scored on UGA in Athens (52), and while I don't think this team scores quite that much, it'll try, and win easily. South Carolina by 20.
-Mississippi State at Auburn: With all the talent Auburn had last year, they beat Mississippi State by 3 on the road. It's time for revenge. The Bulldogs by 14.
-Georgia Tech at Middle Tennessee State: An interesting road game for the Yellow Jackets. Last season's early non-conference road trip was a disaster for the Ramblin' Wreck. This year's will be much better. GT by 10.
-BYU at Texas: Depending on the rumors you hear, this is either a battle of two future independents, or two future Big 12 members. BYU is good, but not Texas good. Texas wins this one easily.
-TCU at Air Force: Was it an off week, a bad week, or are there a lot of issues on TCU this year? Giving up 50 to Baylor had to hurt! We will find out if that was a fluke, Baylor's offense just that good, or is TCU's defense mysteriously dissappearing? Air Force can win this game, but I think TCU shuts the down proving last week was a fluke. TCU by 14.
-Utah at USC: Welcome to the PAC12 Utah! Your first conference opponent is the one that pretty much has ruled it for decades! Good luck! USC is coming off an ugly win against Minnesota, but look for it to be much cleaner here. USC wins by 10.
-The Michigan-Notre Dame Rivalry; Notre Dame at Michigan: A night game in Ann Arbor! While Notre Dame is coming off of an ugly loss, its problems can be fixed. Michigan looked good in a tune-up game against Western Michigan in week one, but don't let it fool you. This game will be tough, fought hard, and well into the fourth quarter. That said, Michigan wins at home.
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