The Happiest Time of the Year (Part 2)

Well, the regular season has ended and now the second "Happiest Time of the Year" has begun with the College Football Bowl Season underway (for those not sure of the first "Happiest Time of the Year", it's when the college season begins).

The first three bowl games gave very little for college football fans to cheer about (unless you are a fan of BYU, Troy or Northern Illinois) as all three were blowouts and never competitive.  Fortunately, the Beef 'O' Brady Bowl between Southern Miss and Louisville provided a much closer game and some hope that the rest of the bowl season is going to give us compelling games and exciting finishes all leading up to the climactic showdown between Auburn and Oregon in what will hopefully be a legendary game.

And speaking of legendary...the Big Ten's announcement of their new divisions, Legends and Leaders was met with the derision it properly deserved.  Who did the research on this and who was the committee that thought this was a good idea?  Legends and Leaders?  Why not just call them Douchebags and Tools, since that what the rest of the NCAA conferences think of those names.  North and South couldn't work?  East and Midwest?  How about Lakes and Plains?  No, the forward thinking Big Ten had to come up with something no one could have seen coming and then are surprised that they got slammed for how stupid the names are and are already considering changing them after the inaugural season.

But with the discussion about how stupid the division names are, people are missing the other inexplicable reveal from the announcement.  The new conference logo.  Okay, Big Ten.  When Penn State joined the conference, you kept the name and reworked the logo to have an 11 hidden in the words Big Ten.  But now that Nebraska has joined, and you have twelve teams, you can't keep calling yourselves the Big Ten.  Is counting not a requirement for entrance?  Does the word "ten" have some other meaning that only you're aware of?  And while I see the "1" being used as an "I" in the logo, where is the "2" for the twelfth team?  Is the "G" supposed to be a "0"?  I'm confused by what you're trying to do.  Rename those divisions as soon as possible, burn all the merchandise you made up with those names, fire the people responsible for them and get your conference name changed to something with a 12 in it or do it like the SEC, where the number of teams can change but your name stays the same.  If you need help with this, send me an e-mail...I'm happy to help.

The Top 10

A shake up in the Top 10 with the losses by Boise State and LSU.

1. Oregon - Still unbeaten, took Arizona behind the woodshed and the information coming out about Cal faking injuries to slow down the Ducks offense makes that close score in my eyes more of an aberration than a real solution to the Oregon offense.  The Civil War against Oregon State is always tricky, but the Ducks look like they're going to get their shot.
2. Auburn - Incredible comeback against Alabama (and 'Bama should have been up by almost 40) but the questions still linger about Cam Newton.  The NCAA's decision regarding his eligibility is going to open a Pandora's Box in the future.  Many others have written about what this means and the double standard that the NCAA has with SEC schools already.  I think USC has a legitimate beef to go after the NCAA with the sanctions they imposed on them for Reggie Bush's parents taking money if Auburn gets to still keep going when Cam's dad is whoring his son out to the highest bidder.  In a just world, South Carolina will destroy Auburn this weekend by 17 or more.
3. TCU - They're unbeaten, they're smoking people and they have an outside shot at the title.  Their move to the Big East is interesting and while it gets them into an automatic qualifier conference for football, how's that travel going to work out for swimming, track and field, baseball, volleyball, etc.?  If the Mountain West could have hung on to BYU and Utah as well as TCU, the MWC would be looking at taking the Big East's automatic berth away with Boise State, Nevada and Fresno State coming in next year.
4. Wisconsin - You put up 70+ points three times in a year, you're going to get noticed.  The Badgers are destroying everybody and hopefully with get the opportunity to play...
5. Stanford - The Cardinal are a hard-nosed team on offense and defense and a Rose Bowl against Wisconsin would make the Big Ten and Pac-10 extremely happy.  If Stanford gets hosed out of a BCS berth because they "dont' travel well", it will just further prove how corrupt the system is.  Don't we want to see the best teams play on the field?
6. Boise State - So close.  Less than probably three feet away from having the field goal that gives them the win after the spectacular Kellen Moore to Titus Young pass-reception.  And for those of us that despise the BCS system, they were our best hope.  Nevada played a hell of a game in the second half and the Broncos dropped passes that should have been caught that ended drives and their kicker is probably beating himself up daily.  The real tragedy is with the terrible bowl tie-ins, Boise is going to end up in some pre-New Year's Eve bowl and everyone will think they're not that good because they couldn't get to a New Year's Day bowl.  Yeah, that fourth place ACC vs fifth place SEC team will certainly have better teams than Boise State.
7. Michigan State - They beat Wisconsin and didn't get a shot at Ohio State.  Unfortunately, they had that absolute Justin Beiber suck job against Iowa.  On a neutral field, right now, the Badgers beat Sparty.
8. Arkansas - Big win against LSU, they play in the SEC and they're on a roll. 
9. Virginia Tech - Ten wins in a row and they have a shot for a 12-win season after dropping the first two games of the season.
10. Nebraska - You're here for this week, Cornhuskers, but it's tenuous and Oklahoma can take your place with a win in the Big-12 title game.

Picks for Nov. 27th Games

3-0-1 last week and the season record is up to 20-15-2.

Central Florida -26 at Memphis - Memphis is playing better, though that's a relative term based on how bad they were for most of the season.  Unfortunately for the Tigers, Central Florida comes in with a chance to have a 10-win season with a win here and a win in the Conference USA championship game.  The Knights put the Tigers out of their misery early.

at Ohio State -16.5 Michigan - The Buckeyes still have a shot at the Big Ten championship and now with Boise State's loss and with the help of some upsets, have a chance to move further up in the standings and could end up in the BCS Title game *shudder*.  Michigan will put up some points, but they still don't play defense and the Buckeyes will win again.

North Carolina State -2 at Maryland - The Wolfpack have the opportunity to get to the ACC Title game with a win against the Terrapins.  The experience of NC State quarterback Russell Wilson will be the difference in a close game.

Picks for Nov. 20th Games

Another 2-2 week, running the season record to 17-15-1.

Ohio State -3 at Iowa - I'm still not convinced the Buckeyes have beaten anyone with a steady pulse this year, but Coach Tressel owns Iowa and the Hawkeyes are reeling after seeing their potential dream season crumble over the last few weeks.

Tennessee -9 at Vanderbilt - Where did this Volunteer team come from?  They stuggle to score more than twice a game for weeks, then get 24 against South Carolina and break 50 against Memphis and Mississippi.  Don't know if they'll get to 50 against the Commodores, but they'll win by double digits.

Stanford -6.5 at Cal - Stanford has beaten Cal once in the last eight tries.  Those Cardinal teams weren't very good and the Bears were pretty good.  Now, Cal isn't very good and Stanford is really good.  After the close win against Arizona last week and the tough loss to Cal last year, look for Harbaugh to keep the hammer down against their rivals.

Wisconsin -4 at Michigan - The Wolverines have played three teams this year who play some defense - Michigan State, Iowa and Penn State.  They lost all three by 10 or more.  Take the Badgers to keep rolling towards a BCS game.  They won't get 83 this weekend, but they'll get over 40 against that porous Michigan defense.

Week 11 Top 10 and Thoughts

Everyone in my Top 10 won last week, but there's a little shake up near the top.

1. Boise State - The Broncos have done everything they've been asked to do this year.  They traveled all the way across the country to take on Virginia Tech in a virtual home game for the Hokies and beat them.  They beat Oregon State by more than TCU beat the Beavers.  They have destroyed every other team on their schedule, just like they were supposed to.  There have been no close games, no scares, no struggling to get by a lesser team.  They play offense, defense and special teams.  They're my number one.
2. Auburn - The Tigers jump from #4 to #2 with the big win over Georgia, with all the distractions surrounding the program and Cam Newton.  Auburn at this point is "all in" with Newton and hoping the NCAA drags their feet like they always do when it comes to these kind of things and that they get their shot at winning a National Title.  Who cares if they take it away in two years or 5 years?  On the field, they'll be considered the champions. 
3. Oregon - The Ducks take a tumble in the polls and while some might see it as a great way of getting by a team when they didn't have their "A-Game", Oregon was exposed by Cal.  And the Bears aren't that good.  Oregon never got things going and only scored one offensive touchdown after rolling everyone else.  The Ducks need to get back to business or Arizona or Oregon State will knock them off (and doesn't it happen every year that Oregon blows a game they shouldn't?).
4. TCU - San Diego State is better than people think (and are a bad call away in the last minute from beating Missouri and being 8-2).  But the Horned Frogs need to do what Boise State does and beat the teams they are supposed to beat by a lot. 
5. Stanford - Still the best one-loss team in the country but the gap narrowed a bit this past weekend with the close win over Arizona State.
6. Wisconsin - 83.  Let that sink in for a second.  83 points against a Big 10 team.  Admit it people, the Big 10 isn't that good, and I'm a Big 10 fan.  Still, the Badgers are a pretty good team and a Wisconsin vs Stanford Rose Bowl would be a great slobber-knocker of a game.
7. LSU - The Tigers beat another late SEC out of conference cream puff.  These games just hurt your cause, SEC fan.  Yeah, you have all these teams winning 7+ games and put 9 teams in bowl games, but when you play four cupcakes out of conference and don't travel more than 400 miles for any game and don't go above the Mason-Dixon line once the weather turns cold and all you have to do is win two conference games to be bowl eligible...well, really, how good is your conference?
8. Nebraska - Hold their ground, just barely over Oklahoma State, but they did beat the Cowboys head-to-head.
9. Oklahoma State - The victory over Texas would have meant a lot more if it was achieved in the last four or five years when the Longhorns were good, but OSU is still a dangerous team that will probably get matched up against a team in a bowl game that can actually play defense and get beaten.
10. Michigan State - Had a bye week last week.  Have another bye this week (though they do have to scrimmage against Purdue).

Thoughts on Week 10:

Okay, Auburn.  You're obviously putting all your chips in on Cam Newton and either hoping there's just a bunch of smoke and no real fire or you're hoping that the NCAA moves as quickly as they usually do in these cases and you'll get the invite to the BCS Championship Game and get your National Championship.  In the event that the Tigers do go to the BCS title game and then are found guilty of paying Mr. Newton to come play for them, I think a great penalty for Auburn (and the SEC, because you're dirty in this too) would be to have to pay back all of the money that the school received from the BCS appearance...and all the money that was given to the other teams in the conference because of the appearance would also have to be paid back by those schools as well.  There is no reason they should be able to keep that money, since it was illegally attained.  Pay it back and give it to the team and conference that was next in line to go.

It gets cold on the plains.

Continuing on Auburn and Cam Newton...If Cam's father was shopping his son's services around to the highest bidder, and Auburn ended up paying for a player, the NCAA has no choice but to drop the guillotine and give the Tigers the "death penalty".  This isn't Reggie Bush's parents getting money, a car and a house for his parents for future earnings.  This is a university paying a player to come to their school to play football.  I'm in favor of the athletes getting paid; they generate millions of dollars for the school.  But it's currently against the rules, and an example needs to be made.  Auburn's program would need to be killed and everyone has to go...from the athletic director to the head coach to the assistants to the waterboys.  NCAA...either you're serious about these violations or you're not.

On a positive note, congratulations to Army, Air Force and Navy for all becoming bowl-eligible in the same year for the first time ever.  Also, congratulations to South Carolina for winning their first ever SEC East Championship; which really doesn't mean anything, unless you're a long-suffering Gamecocks fan.  And for that particular older gentleman that I met outside the stadium before that heartbreaking loss to Kentucky, who travels with his wife and another couple around the southeast to cheer on the Gamecocks, I hope you are able to get tickets to Atlanta and get to celebrate an SEC Championship.

That's all for now.  And at this time of year, be thankful for the MAC...allowing their to be college football from Tuesday through Saturday each week.

Picks for Nov. 13th Games

A nice week last ime out, going 3-1 and taking the season record to 15-13-1.

Stanford -5 at Arizona State - The Cardinal are the best one-loss team in the country and they'll show it Saturday against the erratic Sun Devils.  Stanford wins this one by 20.

Oregon -19.5 at Cal - Cal has won all four of their home games by at least 28 points.  Oregon has had trouble in the past when they go to Berkeley.  It doesn't matter.  Oregon gets up big early and with Bears starting quarterback Kevin Riley out for the season, the Ducks will have no problem covering the number.

at Kentucky -14 Vanderbilt - Kentucky becomes bowl eligible with a win today.  Vandy is just hoping to get through the rest of the season without any more season-ending injuries.  Wildcats roll, fans celebrate and then get ready for basketball season.

at Oklahoma -14.5 Texas Tech - Yes, the Sooners looked bad against Texas A&M last weekend. But now they're at home, where they are a completely different team over the last few years.  Texas Tech showed some signs of life against Missouri last week, but this week they roll over and play dead again.

Week 10 Top 10 and Thoughts

The season moves into it's final chapters with the opportunity for more 2007 deja vu, especially with LSU lurking around.

1. Boise State - The plastering of Hawaii this weekend was every bit as impressive as TCU's throttling of Utah.  Hawaii came in on a roll, their top ranked passing offense was completely shut down by the Broncos defense and Boise State's offense had their way with the Warriors.  Kellen Moore threw for over 500 yards in a little over three quarters.
2. Oregon - They fall back a spot after a lackluster first half against Washington.  But like they've done all year, they made the adjustments at halftime and got over 50 again.  The Ducks are the 1A team this week.
3. TCU - That was an absolute "red-headed stepchild taken out behind the woodshed" beating of Utah this past Saturday (ironically led by the red-headed QB Andy Dalton).  The defense has now allowed 23 points in the last 6 games and no one has scored mre than 7 against them in that stretch.  They move ahead of Auburn because...
4. Auburn - Played Chattanooga and gave up 24 points to them.  That's unacceptable.  If you hold Boise State and TCU to the "must destroy the lesser opponent" standards, when you drop down to take on a Div-IAA opponent, that means you have to do it on offense and defense.  And I have a sneaky feeling that Georgia is going to ruin Auburn's season before Alabama gets the chance.
5. Stanford - The Cardinal are the big mover this week, moving from 9th to 5th.  Stanford crushed a good Arizona team, but because the East Coast goes to sleep as soon as their 7pm EST games end, they don't get to see the best one-loss team in the country.  Other than the loss to Oregon and the last-second victory over USC, no one has been closer than ten points.
6. Wisconsin - A slow start against Purdue, but they got moving in the second half and beat the Boilermakers soundly.



Even I think I'm nuts!

7. LSU - And who is that lurking around, racking up win after win in scratch-your-head fashion?  It's the other Tigers in the SEC West.  LSU needs some help, but they have the chance to sneak into the SEC Title game and maybe even the BCS Championship.
8. Nebraska - Fortunate to escape with a win over Iowa State this past weekend, they'll demolish Kansas this weekend, and if QB Taylor Martinez is 100% healthy, look for them to win by 45 or more.
9. Oklahoma State - I wanted to put them in the 8th slot after their rout of a pretty good Baylor team, but I can't rank a team ahead of a team they lost to when they have identical records.  Cornhuskers 51, Cowboys 41. Nebraksa #8, Oklahoma State #9.
10. Michigan State - Took care of business against Minnesota and are still in position to finish 11-1 and go to the Rose Bowl, but will need some help from Wisconsin's opponents.

On the outside loooking in:

• Utah - You can't get run out of your own building in the first quarter like that.  The Utes weren't even competitive in the game against TCU and hopefully for them, this doesn't lead to a crash and burn finish to the season.  Utah! Don't feel sorry for yourself and go out there this weekend and crush Notre Dame.
• Ohio State - I still keep asking...who have they played?  There schedule is no better than TCU or Boise State's.
• Alabama - You're done.  Thankfully, I won't have to listen to Nick Saban pleading his case about his great one-loss defending National Champ should have the opportunity to defend it's title.  As they always say when they won't give the fans the playoff we want, "Every game in the regular season matters.  IT is the playoff."  With two losses, you're out.

Other thoughts on the games this weekend:

Wow.  Who would have guessed that after they're home loss to Baylor that Texas would be even worse at Kansas State? (Oh, yeah.  I did, picking the Wildcats to win outright as underdogs.) Kansas State beat the mighty Longhorns 39-14 with a grand total of 9 passing yards on four attempts.  They had no passing yards through the first 2 1/2 quarters. And a Mack Brown staff couldn't figure out what play K-State Coach Bill Snyder might be calling next and maybe load up for it?  This game was even uglier than it looked, with Texas being down 39-0 at one point and Longhorn QB Garrett Gilbert's five interceptions, including 3 straight passes.

Navy.  Where the hell did that come from? You take out Notre Dame easily then have a letdown the following week and let Duke beat you.  You then keep it close with East Carolina for the first 29 minutes of a 21-21 tie before going off like the 16-inch guns on the battleship USS Missouri and outscoring the Pirates 55-14 the rest of the way, setting a school scoring record with 76 points.  Who says the triple-option can't work in today's college football?

Illinois' triple-overtime 67-65 loss to Michigan was entertaining, but Wolverine fans have to wonder if their team can stop anybody. 

Impressive hurdling by Arizona State running back Cameron Marshall in the Sun Devils loss to USC.

Florida starts to come to life just when Steve Spurrier needs them to be playing like they were in week two.  South Carolina, in the Swamp, with the winner capturing the SEC East and the tripto the SEC Championship.  It would be nice to see the Gamecocks not flame out for once in the home stretch of the season and give those long-suffering fans a reason to put on their best cocktail dresses and head to Atlanta.

There was no way Colorado Coach Dan Hawkins was going to keep his job at the end of this year, but blowing a 45-17 lead with 11 minutes left, to Kansas, one of the worst teams in football this year, just brought the end about that much faster.  Think he wishes he was still coaching Boise State?

Fortunately for co-Big 12 North member Missouri, Colorado got the headlines as the biggest meltdown in the conference.  Missouri had a 17-3 lead on Texas Tech with under a minute to play in the first half.  The Tigers decided that was enough points for the day and ended up losing 24-17

Finally, congratulations to Joe Paterno on his 400th victory.  He's the one who hooked me on the Nittany Lions and college football so many years ago, and for that, I'm eternally grateful.

Picks for Nov. 5th Games

Season record moved to 12-12-1 after another 2-2 showing last week.  This week's picks:

Florida -14 at Vanderbilt - Florida finally found a little offense last week against Georgia.  Urban and the Gators have a little confidense on that side of the ball and Vandy's offense is no match for the Gator defense.  Florida has some fun in this one and Urban may even smile on the sidelines.

Missouri -4.5 at Texas Tech - Missouri was in a bad spot last week going to Nebraska after their big win against Oklahoma.  This week, they get the cure in a Texas Tech team who isn't very good on defense and not mediocre on offense.  Amazing how fast the Red Raiders have slipped into mediocrity.  The Tigers win big.

at Kansas State +3.5 Texas - Texas has struggled when they travel to Kansas State and with their overall problems this year, I like the Wildcats to win this game outright.

Tennessee -20 at Memphis - Tennessee isn't a good football team right now but they get a chance to show what might be possible in the future with a trip to the awful Memphis Tigers.  Memphis has given up more than 40 points in 6 of their 7 losses and have lost those six games by at least 22 points. Average score in those losses is 49-12.  Vols get a feel good weekend.

Week 9 Top 10 and Thoughts

A few more undefeated teams go down to shake up the Top 10.

1. Oregon - Boise State and Oregon are running 1 and 1A for me and for this week, the Ducks get the nod.  Their victory over USC was utterly devastating and they have now put up 100 points in the last two meetings with the Trojans.
2. Boise State - You must be a pretty decent team when you win a game by 29 points, score 49 points and have the opponent down 49-13 late in the game and people say your win wasn't impressive enough.  I continue to lobby for the Broncos to leave he starters in and keep the throttle wide open and put a 70 or an 80 on someone.  The voters will notice.
3. Auburn - A nice road win against Ole Miss.  I thought the Rebels would make it a game and they did for about a quarter, than they went back to their old ways of playing defense like a sieve and the Tigers rolled.
4. TCU - Another dominating defensive performance by the Horned Frogs as they get ready for the showdown against the Utes next week.  The offense picked the right time to start working against as they head to the de facto Mountain West Championship at Utah.
5. Utah - A close win over Air Force and they may have been looking ahead to their showdown next week with TCU, but undefeated is undefeated, and if was so easy, there would be more than five teams without a loss at this point in the season.
6. Wisconsin - Sorting out the Big Ten at the end of the year is going to be a mess, but they beat Ohio State and Iowa, so I'm putting them on top.
7. Alabama - Got their week of rest to prepare for LSU.
8. Nebraska - Took Missouri out of the game in the first quarter and right when it looked like the Tigers might get back in it, Roy Helu Jr. broke off another long touchdown run to put them out of their misery.
9. Stanford - That was a mauling of Washington on Saturday and may have set the Huskies back a couple years in their plans to return to prominence.
10. Oklahoma - Who have they really beaten?  Texas apparently isn't any good, they struggled to beat Utah State, Cincinnati and Air Force and lost to Missouri.  I'm putting them here because when they show up, they can dominate, but Texas A&M may give them problems next weekend.

On the outside looking in:

• Arizona - Their second week here.  Rolling up almost 600 yards against UCLA and their backup quarterback should result in more than a 6-point win.  Now they get the gauntlet of Stanford, USC and Oregon.  Run that and they may be going to the Rose Bowl.
• Ohio State - Who have they really played?  They beat an apparently overrated Miami team and their next best win is over 5-3 Illinois?  Their challenge is in three weeks when they travel to Iowa.
• Michigan State and Missouri - I'm leaving them both here for now, but both look shaky.

Thoughts on games this past weekend:

• Notre Dame Coach Brian Kelly needs to be taking far more heat than he has for the terrible call at the end of the game with Tulsa.  On second and eight, with 46 seconds left, on the Tulsa 19-yard line, trailing 28-27, the correct call is to run it up the middle and bleed the clock down to almost nothing before sending out your field goal kicker (who hasn't missed a kick) for the almost-gimme of a kick inside 36 yards.  The wrong call, and the one Coach Kelly made, was to get greedy and throw for the end zone, which resulted in an interception and the Golden Hurricanes winning the game.  Why would he do that?  More importantly, why isn't the same media that hammered Ty Willingham and Charlie Weis for their play calling not all over this terrible decision?  Is it because Kelly is Catholic and has an Irish name?  One of the dumbest calls outside of Baton Rouge I've seen.
• Maybe the question people should be asking is "Can the SEC keep up with the speed of Oregon?"  I'd have to say that right now, no one in the SEC could keep up with the Ducks tempo and speed.
• Miami losing to Virginia, North Carolina barely getting by William & Mary, Boston College beating Clemson and Florida State losing to North Carolina State...once again, the ACC doesn't have those standout teams and once again, the Orange Bowl is going to have empty seats and low viewership.
• Can the Big East just dissolve away?  Let the Big Ten, ACC and Conference USA pick up the pieces.
• That Heisman trophy might not be Cam Newton's just yet.  LaMichael James made a prime time statement against USC on Saturday night.




Washington State Cheerleaders
(A perfect distraction from the product on the field)


• You know your team is not very good when your coach points to the fact you lost by 20 points or less to Oregon, Arizona and Stanford...before getting crushed by Arizona State 42-0.  Can the Pac-10 trade Washington State for Boise State?
• How does a team with so many 5-star recruits and the pick of any talent out of the football hotbed of Texas have losses at home to UCLA, Iowa State and Baylor?  The Longhorns aren't very good right now and we get to see if Mack Brown really can coach or he won because his players were so talented.  This cute Texas fan from the UCLA debacle sums up their season perfectly and also shows what is right with Texas football.
• Very poor showing by the USC Trojans' fan for Gameday on Saturday morning.  Lots of empty space.  Yes, it's early in the morning out here on the west coast, but Boise State showed up and Oregon showed up and I'll bet Utah will show up next week.
• The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party delivered an entertaining game even if the participants are a little down this year.  And the Gators continue to just own Georgia in this series.
• Texas Tech is now 4-4.  I wonder where they'd be if Mike Leach was still the coach?  And I wonder if those rumors about him going to Minnesota are true.  That would make for some very interesting football in the Big Ten.
• Is Rich Rodriguez back on the hot seat after losing to Penn State?

Picks for October 30th Games

Went 2-2 last week (Ohio State and Utah big spread winners, Fresno State let in the backdoor cover and Louisiana-Lafayette just flat out didn't show up against Western Kentucky and got absoloutley torched) to move to 10-10-1 on the year.  Four more picks for this week:

at Pitt -9.5 Louisville - The Cardinals had a nice win last week against a struggling UConn.  Pitt's Dion Lewis is finally starting to rumble, Pitt has rolled the last two games and they're at home.  Take the Panthers and the points.

Houston -14 at Memphis - Houston doesn't have Case Keenum.  Won't matter against the Tigers.  The Cougars found some confidence last week taking out SMU and now get an in-conference cupcake.

Miami -14.5 at Virginia - Virginia's wins are against Richmond, VMI and Eastern Michigan.  Miami's losses are to Ohio State and Florida State.  This has Cane blowout written all over it. 

Arizona -9.5 at UCLA - The Bruins' offense is in Richard Brehaut's hands.  While Kevin Prince didn't instill much confidence, Brehaut puts fear there.  Arizona is still rolling along and as long as they're not looking ahead to Stanford next week, this should be a rout.  UCLA may not get to 12 points.

Week 8 Top 10

This week's Top 10 includes more teams getting picked off and some new ones moving in.

1. Boise State - They get a national showcase game this Tuesday night against Louisiana Tech.  As for why they're #1, see last week's rankings.
2. Oregon - Predicted last week that they would take out their frustration at being #2 in the BCS on UCLA and did they ever.  The Ducks had the Bruins' defense on their heels all game.  Oregon's offense is so fast paced and so explosive, it would be fun to see them play Boise State.
3. Auburn - I'm putting them here, but I have some reservations.  I know everyone jumps on the SEC band wagon because it's "the best conference in college football" and they have the last four National Champions.  But the Tigers have played some very sketchy games, much like Oklahoma who I didn't buy last week and had at #8, predicting they would lose to Missouri.  Auburn has beaten Mississippi State by 3, Clemson by 3, South Carolina by 8 (when the Gamecock quarterbacks couldn't keep the ball), Kentucky by 3 and LSU by 7.  I have questions about their defense and think Ole Miss has the opportunity to knock them out next week and think either Georgia or Alabama will give them another loss before the season is over.  Cam Newton is still the Heisman front runner.
4. TCU - The defense of the Horned Frogs is just nasty right now.  They've allowed 10 total points in their last four games and Air Force is the only team in that stretch who got over 200 yards of total offense.
5. Utah - Moves up a spot after ringing up a 59-6 win over Colorado State.  The Utes offense might be as deadly as Oregon's but nobody gets to see it.
6. Missouri - Big win for Missouri and they pushed the Sooners around on the offensive and defensive lines.  Now they get to go to Lincoln and try and survive the "Big Win Hangover".
7. Michigan State - A nice comeback for the Spartans against Northwestern, but a top team should have put away the less talented Wildcats much earlier and shouldn't have had to rally from 17 down.  One last test next week against Iowa.
8. Wisconsin - Followed up their home win against Ohio State with an impressive win at Iowa.  They're schedule has nothing of note on it the rest of the way, but the Badgers seem to always find a way to drop one of those kind of games.
9. Alabama - They again were sluggish in the first half against Tennessee but still beat them by 31.  They get a week off and then go to LSU for a night game.  Think Death Valley will be fueled up for that one?
10. Vacant

On the outside looking in:

• Stanford - Had their chance and then let Washington State stay within 10.  Andrew Luck was efficient but not stellar against a bad Cougar team.
• Arizona - With their backup quarterback, hey destroyed Washington on Saturday night with their backup quarterback and they do have the win against Iowa. The schedule sets them up to move up the ladder or crash and burn, with Stanford, USC and Oregon all in a row.
• Nebraska - The offense returned but where'd the defense go?  They'll be back in if they can handle Missouri this weekend.

Other thoughts on this past weekend:
Armon Binns' touchdown catch against South Florida on Friday night might be the catch of the year.

Congratulations on becoming bowl eligible, Baylor.  And you may want to save a copy of those current Big 12 standings.  I'll bet no one predicted that with four weeks to go.

As mentioned above, Oregon looked incredible against UCLA last Thursday night.  Now they get to travel to Southern California and take on the bowl-ineligble USC Trojans.  If USC plays like it did against Cal, this will be the best game of the day.  If USC plays like they did against Washington, Oregon is going to obliterate them again.  Do you realize that USC is 7 seconds away from being undefeated (last second field goals to Stanford and Washington)?

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz pulled a Les Miles against Wisconsin this weekend and may have cost the Hawkeyes a BCS bid.  They need to pull it together this weekend when Michigan State comes to town.

Can Notre Dame fans finally admit that their team is not very good?  Navy has now beaten you three of the last four years and this time they did it by throwing a grand total of TWO times.  And Coach Kelly, don't tell me going in at halftime that "Navy is running the veer offense and they haven't shown that this year.  We'll have to adjust to that in the second half."  Ummm, Coach?  You do know that Navy tends to run the ball a lot?  You really shouldn't be surprised by a wishbone, a veer, a T-formation or any other formation they run with no wide receivers.  And awesome job making those second half adjustments and only losing the second half 14-7 after losing the first half 21-10.

Is the Big East going to do the right thing and forfeit their automatic BCS berth?  Is there anyone who honestly thinks the Big East's best is better than Boise State, TCU or Utah?  Pitt at 4-3 and Syracuse at 5-2.  I'm sure the Orange Bowl is jumping up and down hoping for one of those quality teams to be in it's game and have another non-sellout.  One of the problems with America right now is no one has a sense of shame and they're all too happy to take the money even though they don't deserve it.  Looking right at you, Big East.

Congratulations to Western Kentucky on snapping their 26 game losing streak.  Louisiana Lafayette came in as 6-point favorites (and one of my picks of the week) and got knocked around 54-21.


ESPN Analyst, Craig James

 Craig James is a douche bag.  His unabashed disdain for non-automatic qualifier teams, laughing like a mental patient when Boise, TCU or Utah are even mentioned as possible title contenders, and his reasoning for why they shouldn't be included is weak.  Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler seem to be the only ones at ESPN who are willing to look at the team and not just what they have done in the past or what conference they're in and try to judge them fairly.  And James was a douche bag last year with the whole Texas Tech/Mike Leach fiasco.

Kansas has problems.  How did this team beat Georgia Tech in week two?  What's the over/under on their last three games of the season against Nebraksa, Oklahoma State and Missouri?  I'll go conservative and say Cornhuskers put up 47, Oklahoma State goes over 60 and Missouri does a 45.  152.

If the SEC is so tough, how come UAB has now taken two SEC schools (Tennessee and Mississippi State) to the wire?  That would be the 2-5 Blazers from Conference USA giving SEC schools all they can handle.

Early game prediction:  Boise State covers the 37.5 vs. Louisiana Tech on Tuesday night.  The Broncos have no choice at this point; they need to continue running up the score on these teams and numbers like 50, 60 and 70 aren't supposed to influence the voters, but we all know they do.

One last tribute to the Baylor Bears, who probably won't have a season like this anytime soon.  Good luck against Texas this weekend.  Hope you get the Longhorn team that showed up against UCLA and Iowa State and not the one against Nebraska.  I love to see Mack Brown cry.

Picks for Oct. 23rd Games

Last week went 2-1 with wins by Southern Miss and Iowa last week and a loss by Air Force put me at 8-8-1 for the season.  Time to get over the .500 mark.

at Ohio State -23.5 Purdue - Take the Sweater Vest to extract some revenge for last year's sloppy loss to the Boilermakers and also to get back on track after the loss last Saturday to Wisconsin.  Buckeyes will have this covered by halftime.

at Louisiana-Lafayette -6 Western Kentucky - This isn't so much a pick for the Rajin' Cajuns as it's a pick against the Hilltoppers.  Never mess with a streak and when you have a team that has loss 26 in a row including blowing a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter last week giving up 28 straight points in the quarter.

at Utah -30.5 Colorado State - Utah is maybe the best team in the country that nobody knows about.  Their offense is averaging almost 46 a game, the defense is in the top 10 in scoring defense.  The Rams are down near the bottom in scoring defense and scoring offense.  Look for the rout at Rice-Eccles on Saturday.

Fresno State -19.5 at San Jose State - Bulldogs tend to beat the Spartans like a red-headed stepchild in this series and this year shouldn't be any different.  Fresno State wins this one by four touchdowns.

Week 7 Top 10

Week 7 saw some big teams go down and a shuffling in the Top 10.  If we get a season even half as crazy as 2007, it's going to be an entertaining next few weeks.

1. Boise State - Kellen Moore and Co. continue to put up impressive numbers, continue to play sound football on both sides of the ball and since regular pollsters and computers seem to like looking at the history and pedigree of the teams they vote for, I will too (they beat Oregon last year and they took out Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl in 2007).  Yes, I see the flawed logic in that argument, but you should also see the flawed logic of looking at what a team did one year, five years or 20 years ago when you're supposed to be ranking them based on this year.
2. Oregon - They had a bye week and drop a slot.  I get the feeling the Ducks aren't real pleased with being ranked #1 in both polls, pounding everyone they play and yet get leapfrogged in the BCS by an Oklahoma team that struggled with Utah State (huh...a WAC team that Boise will probably beat by 30+), Air Force (hmmm...a MWC team that TCU and Utah will beat by double-digits) and Cincinnati (a Big East team.  A conference that probably half of college football fans think shouldn't even have an automatic BCS berth).  Oregon gets to be the showcase game on Thursday night, hosting UCLA (with a starting QB who is questionable at this point...and even when he's playing he's somewhat questionable).  Think they'll want to show those coaches and media members who don't have time to watch all the games on Saturday who might be the real #1?  Oregon by four touchdowns.
3. Auburn - The Tigers look like they might be for real.  They are finishing games and winning the fourth quarter.  Big one this weekend hosting LSU.  With Les Miles roaming the LSU sideline, this is a must watch game.
4. TCU - Horned Frogs again a little slow putting a bad team (BYU) away, but the defense again holds an offense under 200 yards (147 for the Cougars) and the final score is a 28-point victory.  When the offense finally starts to click, the games are going to get really ugly.
5. Michigan State - After the big rivalry game win against Michigan, they took out Illinois.  A slow start, but dominated the second half.
6. Utah - Another easy win for the Utes and they keep rolling towards that showdown with TCU for the Mountain West title.
7. LSU - McNeese State?  This is why people on the west coast think the SEC isn't as good as they think they are.  Don't give me the line about "the SEC is a grind every week with tough team after tough team.  They deserve a breather."  The SEC may not have the complete bottom feeders that some of the other conferences have (Vandy excluded) but there is a whole lot of mediocrity there (hello, SEC East).  And how about traveling outside of a 300 mile radius once in awhile.  McNeese State needs to be down 35 by the half.  282 yards of total offense, at home.
8. Oklahoma - I'm not buying the Sooners.  The BCS might say they're the top team in the country, but they don't pass the eyeball test.  Too many close wins against supposedly inferior talent (if Utah State and Air Force are garbage for Boise State and TCU, they're garbage for Oklahoma as well).  Take out Missouri this Saturday night and we'll see.  I like the Tigers with the upset (Stoops and the Sooners don't do well out of the state of Oklahoma).
9. Oklahoma State - This might be the best team in Oklahoma.  They are hanging points on everyone and if they can play just a little bit of defense, they might win the Big-12.  Let's see if they can stay in the Top 10 after the showdown with Nebraska this weekend.
10. Vacant

On the outside looking in:

• Alabama - A somewhat lackluster effort against Mississippi, especially coming off the loss to South Carolina.
• Missouri - You get your chance this week against Oklahoma.  Win that one and the Tigers might be in the Top 5.
• Wisconsin - The Badgers did a number on the Buckeyes.  Can they follow it up with a win against the last tough team on their schedule.  Take a look at that Murder's Row the Badgers play and tell yourself that that schedule is so much tougher than Boise State or TCU's.
• Stanford - The USC win looks a little more impressive after the way the Trojans absolutely rolled Cal.  This week's win against Washington State isn't going to move them up much, but they're within striking distance of the Top 10.
• Arizona - If QB Nick Foles is out for an extended period of time, that's going to make it extremely tough for the Wildcats to beat Stanford and Oregon in the coming weeks.

Oct. 16th Games

Picking early this week as flying to Lousiville tomorrow for Friday's "Battle for the Keg of Nails" game against Cinicinnati and then down to Lexington to watch South Carolina try and follow up a big win with a victory over Kentucky.

6-7-1 on the season after the poor 1-2 showing last weekend (NC State was a big winner, Stanford didn't cover and Florida couldn't even win, let alone cover).

Iowa -3 at Michigan - Iowa, like Michigan State, plays a very physical defense and has a great defensive line.  Denard Robinson may be a special player, but this isn't a creampuff like the Wolverines first five opponents.  Iowa will have similar results as the Spartans did last weekend.

Air Force -1 at San Diego State - Maybe this is why I'm sub .500, but I don't see how the Aztecs are nearly a pick 'em against the Falcons.  This seems like easy money , but when you're right 46% of the time, you're wrong 54% of the time.  Bet accordingly.

Southern Miss -14.5 Memphis - Memphis lost 56-0 last week to Lousiville, who isn't nearly good enough to be putting 50-plus on an opponent.  The Tigers have lost by more than 40 three times already.  The Golden Eagles have enough offense to put this one away early and the only way they don't cover is with a backdoor cover down the stretch.  Like NC State last week, I'm going with the good team who lost to an unpredictable team (East Carolina) over a bad team who lost to a bad team.

Week 6 - Top 10 and Thoughts on This Weekend's Games

Week 6 Top 10





#1 Team and #1 Cheerleaders


1. Oregon - Lose one of their running backs, lose their starting quarterback, no problem, still win by 20.  Yes, they let Washington State stay in the game a little too long (the first quarter), but the team seemed very shaken by the loss of Kenjon Barner and still managed to easily put away the Cougars.
2. Boise State - The Broncos led by 50 in the third quarter before giving up a garbage touchdown in the fourth to Toledo.  This is what very good teams do to inferior competition...jump up early and keep the pressure on until the opponent is blown away.  500 yards of offense and forcing 5 turnovers helps.
3. Ohio State - They drop a spot this week and it's mainly because I keep asking, "Who have they beaten?"  If you're going to rip on Boise State for their schedule, you need to take a better look at who Ohio State is playing this year.  They have Wisconsin this weekend and Iowa in late November.  Two big games, just like Boise State.  Miami was at home, and after what Florida State just did to them, that win looks less impressive.
4. TCU - If defense wins championships, the Horned Frogs have a shot.  Second shutout in a row and this time the offense decided to get involved, beating Wyoming 45-0.  Total yards: TCU 578, Wyoming 191.  The Cowboys also managed 8 first downs and were 0-10 on third down.  Back-to-back weeks of holding an opponent to 8 first downs and less than 200 yards of offense.
5. Nebraska - The Cornhuskers are nearly there.  Against Kansas State, you could almost see that swagger, that dominance, that "forcing our will on you and there is nothing you can do about it" attitude.  They have the opportunity this weekend to get payback for a questionable call at the end of the Big 12 title game last year and do bad things to Texas.  Bad, bad things.
6. Auburn - Cam Newton is a freak.  The pass he completed falling down and out of bounds should have gotten more play on SportsCenter.  The way he runs, he looks like he's just gliding.  The way he's led the Tigers back against Clemson, South Carolina and Kentucky is impressive.  Alabama...you better watch out.
7. Michigan State - Big win at the Big House and this has the makings of a special season in East Lansing.  Again though, who have they played?  Iowa is the lone ranked team left on their schedule and they should be favored against everyone else.
8. Utah -  After that opening three-point win over Pitt, the Utes have quietly beat their last four opponents by 28 or more.  The original BCS buster, that game against TCU the first Saturday in November is shaping up to be a war.  Gameday?  You have to be looking at Rice-Eccles Stadium as a destination that week, right?
9. LSU - Undefeated is undefeated and a win in the Swamp is a win in the Swamp.  I don't know how the Tigers keeps doing it, and this style of play has to come back to bite them in the ass at some point, but so far, so good.
10. South Carolina - I said last week if the Gamecocks beat Alabama they'd be in the Top 10.  Dominating performance against the defending National Champs.  Not sure why the AP and Coaches' polls have Alabama ahead of South Carolina...maybe they didn't watch the game or maybe they're just not registering the fact that the Head Ball Coach took Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide to the woodshed.  Both teams have one loss; South Carolina beat Alabama; South Carolina gets ranked ahead of Alabama.

Thoughts on games played this week:

Taylor Martinez is really, really fast.  Kansas State may not have the fastest defense in the country, but Martinez looked like a bolt of lightning out there, zig-zagging his way through the defensive line and then into the open field.  If the Cornhuskers don't make it to the BCS Title Game, can we get them matched up against Michigan and Denard Robinson for a showdown of the blazing fast quarterbacks?

Oklahoma State took a little while to get rolling against Lousisiana Lafayette, but when they did, they were unstoppable.  I'm looking forward more to Nebraska at Oklahoma State in two weeks more than Texas vs Nebraska next week.

Can Penn State's offense get a shot at Tennessee?  Seems to have done wonders for Georgia today.  Nittany Lions offense is on life support and there might be a DNR on it.

Why is Coors Light making a big deal in their commercial about a resealable bottle?  Do a lot of people have problems finishing a beer?  I can't ever think of a time that I thought, "Oh, I can't finish this beer.  Where's my cap so I can put this back in the cooler and have it later?"  I'm loving their new commercials for their budget Keystone brand with Keith Stone.  Both have been funny and looking forward to more.

Baylor vs. Texas Tech was the most entertaining game to watch Saturday morning.  Bears QB Robert Griffin III is a dynamic player and I wonder what he could do on a Top 25 team.

Georgia receiver A.J. Green is really, really good.  While it's nice that he feels he owes the fans for missing the first four games this year for selling his bowl game jersey and is thinking about coming back for his senior year, he'd be making a big mistake if he doesn't go pro after this year.

Gamecocks absolutely dominated Alabama.  Great win for South Carolina and Steve Spurrier.  The excuses made by ESPN analysts for Alabama playing three tough games in a row is making me want to throw up.  Crimson Tide, you lost.  Suck it up, that's the way the schedule goes sometimes.  As for Alabama being ranked ahead of South Carolina in the latest polls, when the Gamecocks just beat the Crimson Tide...

After two dominating wins against Houston and Texas, a come from behind victory against lowly Washington State (which raised red flags), UCLA looked completely less-than-ordinary against Cal.  This is my fear with the Bruins running the Pistol offense...QB Kevin Prince can't run and he's not much of a passer either (13 for 31 for 99 yards).  They have this week off and then travel to Autzen to take on the Ducks on a Thursday night.  Bring body bags, it's going to be ugly.  It doesn't get any easier with Arizona the following week and then Oregon State.

Arkansas vs Texas A&M was supposed to be more like Baylor vs Texas Tech and ended up being like Pitt vs Notre Dame.  I suppose it was exciting if you had a rooting interest in either team, otherwise, what other game is on?

Apparently, The U is not quite back after getting run out of the building by Florida State.  I'm still not sold that the Seminoles are back yet (remember the Oklahoma game a few weeks ago), but they might be closer than Miami.

Is Utah the quietest team in the country averaging almost 50 points a game?  Third straight week they've gone over 55, poleaxing an Iowa State team that the previous week laid 52 on Texas Tech.  The Big 12 is good from top to bottom and only behind the SEC?

Auburn Coeds

Cam Newton of Auburn is just a beast.  When he's running he looks like he's just taking a leisurely stroll, but his stride is so long, defenders just keep falling behind him.  Tigers, you may be able to beat 'Bama this year and really ruin their season.

USC vs Stanford was surprisingly entertaining.  I thought the Cardinal would blow the Trojans out by the second quarter, but USC traded blows and then literally threw a blow that helped lead to the game-winning field goal.  What does USC play for now?  The undefeated season is gone.  The Pac-10 title is all but gone with two losses in conference now.  How confident are you that Lane Kiffin can keep the team together and rally for a nine or ten win season?

Hawaii might make things interesting.  They take on Nevada this weekend and Boise State the first weekend in November.  Their offense, while not running at Colt Brennan efficiency levels, appears to be rolling again behind Bryant Moniz and they might take out one of the ranked WAC teams.

LSU vs Florida...how does Les Miles keep doing it?  Watching LSU in the last few minutes of a game is like watching a Chinese fire drill or a Keystone Cops movie.  Unfortunately for Florida, watching their offense this year is like watching an 80-year old grandma driving for the first time in a vintage Ferrari and grinding the gears every 50 feet.  Each play seems to take so much effort, is so painful and makes you wince with every stagger, stutter and 2 yard gain.  I hope Gator fans realize how fortunate they were to have an engineer like TimTebow the past four years (and Chris Leak before that).  Another loss by the Gators and Urban Meyer may want to think about letting Trey Burton start a game or two.  Meyer seems uncomfortable running a conventional style offense and needs a spread quarterback to get his mojo back.

The Ole Miss Mascot Search & Week 6 Picks

Ole Miss revealed the three finalists for the mascot to replace Colonel Reb, who was removed from sporting events in 2003.  I didn't grow up in the South, so I'll admit I may be missing something on why the Colonel was so offensive, but really, these three to me are even worse.

• Land Shark.  A land shark?  A land shark???  And the reasoning for this brainstorm of an idea is because some player made shark fins with his hands?  Does Saturday Night Live know you're stealing their creative property?  I know when I think of Mississippi wildlife, the first animal that always comes to mind is a shark.  Oh, but you've made it walk on land.  I wonder if Southern Miss is considering changing the name of their mascot to Land Golden Eagles?  See how stupid that is?
• Black bear.  Wow, that's a hell of a stretch to use that as a mascot just because Teddy Roosevelt didn't shoot a bear back in 1902 in Mississippi.  Hmmm....Teddy looks a bit like the old mascot.  Can TR be the mascot?  People would be okay with him, wouldn't they?  Oh, yeah, he liked to hunt and kill animals, so that's a no.  But, there are Gators, Tigers, Wildcats, Razorbacks and Gamecocks that could be hunted...



           Colonel Reb                     Col.Theodore Roosevelt

• Hotty Toddy.  This is the worst idea of them all.  You're jumping on the bandwagon of the colored full body suit that fans are wearing the last couple years.  Yeah, that's a trend that's going to last like avocado shag carpet, bell bottom jeans and Billy Ray Cyrus.  The artist's rendition of him makes him look like someone who would be breaking into my house to steal stuff...or worse.

Good job Mississippi.  Glad to see this is an issue that's taken you seven years, countless dollars and endless hours that could be used to improve the literacy rate of your state, and all you can come up with is a land shark, a bear and some sort of gray man who at the very least looks like he should be in a medium security prison and should never be allowed near children (which is apparently a big concern for the Ole Miss Mascot committee.  In my experience going to college football games, children make up somewhere less than 2% of the total crowd.  Ahhh, America.  Where the vocal minority makes the rules for the apathetic majority.).

Whichever one of these spawns of Satan you end up with, you lose.  I can't see how any of those are going to inspire anything but thoughts of depression and journeys to the porch to take a long draw on that jug with the "XXX" on the front of it.  Fortunately, you have the Grove and those lovely southern belles in their sun dresses to take your mind off that atrocity of a mascot.  You know, southern belles are certainly associated with the South and what it represents...I hope no one gets the idea that they're offensive and represent a way of life that is outdated and backwards in it's thinking.

Picks for October 9th

Last week was a disaster, as Iowa was the only team that covered in a 1-3 week.  The season record falls to 5-5-1.  So, time to get our head above water.

at Florida -6.5 LSU - Les Miles might have a deal with the devil, but that isn't going to save him from himself or the Gators defense this week.  The LSU offense is inept (and that's being kind), so unless they score a couple of defensive touchdowns and have a punt return or kickoff return for a score, this one won't be close.

at North Carolina State -9.5 Boston College - The Wolfpack imploded at the end of last week's game against Virginia Tech while Boston College barely went through the motions in their loss to Notre Dame.  I'll take the good team who lost to a good team over the bad team who got blown out by a bad team.  Pack wins by 14+.

at Stanford -10 USC - The Cardinal hung double nickles on the Trojans last year at the Coliseum.  Coming off a bad loss to Oregon, I look for Harbaugh and Company to get physical, smash the Trojans right in the mouth and not take their foot off the gas until they're back near 50 again...and maybe they'll still keep the pedal down.

Week 5 - Top 10

Week 5 and  a couple of newcomers leave the Top 10 after only a week.

1. Alabama - Dominating performance against Florida.  At the start of the season, I thought someone would take the Crimson Tide down, just because it's so hard to repeat.  They seem determined to keep their focus, kick ass and take names on their way to another shot at the crystal football.
2. Ohio State - I'm leaving you here...for now.  Shoddy performance against Illinois, but you still got the win.
3. Oregon - Impressive showing after falling behind early 21-3, before absolutely catching up to and then blowing right by Stanford.  There isn't an offense in the country that's as scary as the Quack Attack right now, except for...



Washington State Cougar Fan -
The team's not in the Top 10 but
their fans get an honorable mention

4. Boise State - This is what elite teams do to mediocre to bad teams.  Never a doubt as the Broncos carved up New Mexico for 608 yards and 59 points in the shutout.
5. TCU - Once again, took a little longer than it should have to put away Colorado State, but even when the offense struggles, the defense is a beast.
6. Nebraska - A bye week, but they move up a couple of spots due to LSU being coached by Les Miles and winning in spite of his horrible clock management skills and Stanford getting lit up like a Christmas tree (or like the Stanford tree before a game).
7. Auburn - They get a breather after three close games against Mississippi State, Clemson and South Carolina and lay into Louisiana-Monroe like a hobo into a 40 oz. of Olde English 800...it's neither pretty nor something you want your children to see, but it gets the job done.
8. Oklahoma - Sooners, you're in here because you keep winning and you show signs of being very good and then revert back to being the team that is a brain fart away from a clunker of a game.
9. Michigan State - Very nice win against Wisconsin this past weekend.  Now that you're in the Top 10, you need to step up and beat Michigan convincingly this weekend.
10. Utah - Takes advantage of the bye week to slide into the Top 10.  Travels to Ames, Iowa to take on an Iowa State team that just laid 52 on Texas Tech (think Mike Leach would have lost to Iowa State? No, I didn't think so).

On the outside looking in:

• LSU - Ahh, Les Miles.  Does your brain just go into a complete vapor lock when there is less than a minute to go in the game?  And how do you keep getting away with it?  You're undefeated, but it's far too ugly to let you stay in the Top 10.
• Iowa - The Arizona loss might have been an aberration and this team is really good.
• South Carolina - Gamecocks...you have your shot this weekend.  Alabama and Gameday are rolling into Columbia for the prime time game of the week.  Try not to repeat the appearances of Gameday like 2001 (54-17 loss to Florida), 2004 (20-16 loss to Georgia) and 2006 (31-24 loss to Tennessee) and you'll rocket up the Top 10. 

Oct. 2nd Games

A late touchdown by Connecticut helped save a .500 weekend last week.  After a 2-2 week, 4-2-1 on the year.  Four more games for tomorrow.

Georgia Tech -10 at Wake Forest - The Yellow Jackets have to play better than they did against North Carolina State last week.  The Demon Deacons are just the team to help them out.  NC State may be better than people think, but Wake gives up points in bunches and the Ramblin' Wreck will take them.

Northwestern -5.5 at Minnesota - Northwestern has been solid, if unspectacular.  Minnesota has been horrible.  Unless someone is throwing the game on the Wildcats side, I don't see this one being close.

at Iowa -7.5 Penn State - Hate to pick against the Nittany Lions, but the reality is they're not very good and their freshman quarterback Robert Bolden is making too many mistakes right now.  An experienced defense like Iowa's is going to eat him up.  And Penn State has had trouble beating the Hawkeyes for the past decade, even when PSU is good.

TCU -33.5 at Colorado State - It's a lot of points to give, but the Horned Frogs are on a mission.  It took them too long to separated from SMU last week.  They won't make that mistake against the Rams.  Look for the Frogs to hang half a hundred on Colorado State.

Week 4 - Top 10

Week 4 and some newcomers to the Top 10.  And teams that have been kept out all season justify their exclusion (Texas and Oklahoma)

1. Alabama - A big rally, on the road, against a good Arkansas team.  The Tide keeps on rolling.
2. Ohio State - Hung 73 on Eastern Michigan, but gave up 20.  Holds on to the second spot, but Buckeyes are on notice.  And your schedule isn't that much better than Boise State's.
3. Boise State - Another game against a ranked opponent in front of a national audience and once again, the Broncos come through.  You can say their schedule is terrible, you can say their blue field is a joke.  You can't say they aren't a good football team.
4. Oregon - Drops a spot after beating Arizona State.  If the Sun Devils don't turn the ball over seven times, the Ducks lose this one.
5. TCU - Took longer than expected to get going against SMU, but the Horned Frogs beat them like they should have.
6. Stanford - Took out Notre Dame easily and sets up the big showdown with Oregon this weekend.

7. LSU - Another good win for the Tigers, defeating West Virginia.  The offense still seems a little suspect and there is always the Les Miles factor that can rise up at any time to cost a ball game, but the defense is looking great.
8. Nebraska - Struggled way too much with South Dakota State.  If they have those kind of problems in their Big-12 games, they'll lose a couple, but I think this was an abberration and they'll be fine.
9. Florida - Welcome, Gators!  Took you a while to get here but you finally stepped up and put a team away early instead of waiting until the fourth quarter.
10. Auburn - Impressive wins against Clemson and South Carolina gets the Tigers into the last spot in the list.  And with Alabama looming on their schedule, they have the chance to move way up.

On the outside looking in:

• South Carolina - Falls out of the top 10.  Same issues for the Gamecocks as their quarterbacks can't hold on to the ball in key situations.
• Oklahoma - Another win by the Sooners and another game of playing down to the competition.  With Texas' outstanding play so far this year, the Red River Shootout looks to be a snooze-fest (yes, Shootout, not Rivalry.  You don't get to change the name just because you want to be politically correct, especially in two states that like their guns).
• North Carolina State - Almost there, but want to see a little more defense from them and for them to close teams out.  Allowing too many fourth quarter points to make it interesting.  Quarterback Russell Wilson is going to start getting some national notice...he's been good for three years now.
• Utah - A win over Pitt and then three straight blowout victories.

An ugly weekend for the Big-10 as their Big-10 vs MAC Showdown weekend produced too many close games (Penn State, Illinois, Northwestern), two losses (Purdue and Minnesota) and a lot of non-competitive football.  The Big-10 commissioner needs to step in and stop this crap from continuing.

Texas' loss to UCLA couldn't happen to a nicer head coach.  Mack Brown's team is not very good this year and he got absolutely poleaxed by a Bruin team that threw for 27 yards.  I liked Mack when he was at North Carolina, but living in Austin seems to have made him a little bitch (which seems surprising since I've only heard good things about Austin).  His continual whining makes him seem like a porr loser and extremely non-likable (see how he got into the 2005 Rose Bowl game over Cal, see his current crusade to get Vince Young the Heisman Reggie Bush vacated, see him every year Texas has a loss or two and how his kids deserve a BCS game, see the way he votes for his team and Big-12 teams in the polls). 

And a correction to my Top 5 BBQ items to enjoy while watching college football:  #5 should have been Beef Brisket instead of chicken.  I must have had a beer or two too many when i started typing.  Fork-tender brisket with a good smoke ring and a beautiful BBQ bark is a slice of ecstasy for your mouth.

Sept. 25th Games

Three more picks for this week after going 2-0-1 last week, and if not for USC's Lane Kiffin's obsession with going for two after each touchdown, would have been 3-0.

The picks for this week:

at Connecticut -20 Buffalo - Going into this season, I though the Huskies had a shot at winning the Big East.  An ugly opener against Michigan and a fourth quarter collapse against Temple and they're sitting at 1-2.  Buffalo is just what Connecticut needs to get things on track before conference play starts.

Georgia +1 at Mississippi State - Georgia is 0-2 in the SEC and a loss here will just about end any hopes of getting to the SEC title game.  Georgia's defense should be good enough to bottle up Mississippi State and quarterback Aaron Murray should do just enough to lead Georgia to their first SEC win.  If not, we're going to need a suicide watch in Athens.  Of course, the safe pick here is to take the Bulldogs to win.

Oregon -11.5 at Arizona State - Oregon leads the nation in scoring offense, total offense, scoring defense and total defense.  The last five times they've played the Sun Devils, they've beaten them by 23, 34, 12, 35 and 14.  Ducks cover the number by halftime and win by 20+, but if you're watching it on Fox Sports Net, stick around for a battle of hot chicks as both Oregon Cheerleaders and Arizona State coeds will be on display.

Bonus Game:

USC -21.5 at Washington State - Always a glutton for punishment, I'm taking the Trojans again this weekend.  The Cougars are terrible and have been for the past three years.  Horrible on offense, atrocious on defense, and seem like they don't have a clue what they're doing when you watch them.  USC struggles a little early but wears out the Cougars by the second half and pulls away for an easy victory.

Top 5 BBQ items to eat while enjoying a Saturday watching football:

5. Barbecued Chicken - Covered in sauce, chicken is a solid satisfier.  Goes well with any side and even good on a sandwich.

4. Pork Tenderloin - Pork absorbs seasonings like no other and a spicy/sweet dry rub makes this a solid entrant.  The way it melts in your mouth, the way each of the spices dances on your tongue, the way it make your stomach jump with joy...you can't go wrong.

3. Tri-Tip -  The subtle smell as it comes off the grill and the pleasure it gives your taste buds as it passes over your lips before it's journey to your stomach justifies the reason you're a carnivore.  On it's own or in a sandwich, this cut of meat delivers.

2. Pulled Pork - Surprisingly, it took a trip to Kentucky in 2001 for me to finally try this for the first time, and the memory of the taste of that sandwich still causes me to salivate.  The tenderness of the pork, the sweetness of the sauce with an undercurrent of heat that rose to a crescendo with each savory bite, causing me to reach for my ice cold beer to cool the fire so I could take another bite and start the cycle of pure heaven again. 

1. Baby Back Ribs - Dry rubbed or slathered in sauce, nothing can beat the satisfaction of pulling off a strip of pork from a fall-off-the-bone baby back rib, so tender even your toothless grandmother can enjoy it.  The ultimate finger food and the perfect complement to a hard-hitting prime time game and the opportunity to get in touch with your inner caveman.

Maybe This Would Work

I don't have much use for football.  Sure, the fans are passionate (some would say borderline insane); the games draw huge television audiences; people live and die with their teams on-the-field success; and the female fans are incredibly hot.  But the games are downright boring.  No, not College Football.  I'm talking about that other football, soccer.  The sport that seems to revel in low scoring ties, limited action and world-class "athletes" rolling on the ground after a casual bump like they were hit by an M82 Barrett Rifle.  I've tried watching the World Cup but it just can't hold my interest.  They don't ever appear to be really trying to score a goal.  And if they're not really trying to win, why should I really try to get interested?

Now, playing soccer on the Xbox and beating your brother is a different story.  And while playing FIFA 10, I noticed they do one thing in soccer that would be extremely interesting if applied to college football.  Depending on how you fared the previous season, you can get relegated to a higher or lower league.  The way it seems to work is the top two teams in the lower league get moved up to the higher league and the bottom two teams in the top league get moved down to the lower league.  Yes, I realize the NCAA and their forward thinking conference commissioners, who know the public doesn't know what they want by continuing to deny us a playoff, would never go for this, but imagine the possibilities and opportunities.

Let's take last year as a sample.  To start, we need to rank the conferences.  Okay SEC, with your four straight national titles, and five in seven years, you're on top.  I'll go with the Big-10 next (four 10+ win teams and 2 BCS bowl game wins plus Penn State beating an SEC team in LSU and Wisconsin tuning Miami in Florida), followed by Big-12, Pac-10, MWC, ACC, Big East, WAC and Conference USA.  Based on last year's results, the SEC's favorite whipping boy, Ohio State, moves into the SEC along with Iowa.  Vanderbilt and Mississippi State...thanks for playing, you're now in the Big-10.  Ahh, but the Big-10 isn't done.  Since they aren't the top league, their bottom two teams are moving out to the Big-12.  Goodbye Indiana and...holy crap!  Michigan!  Well, you've sucked for a couple of years now and are dragging the Big-10 down.  You're getting replaced by Texas and Nebraska (hmmm, that particular move is happening soon anyway).

To carry it on further, the Big-12 gains Oregon and Arizona from the Pac-10 in exchange for Baylor and Colorado (overall record moves them out...eerie...this also is happening soon).  The Pac-10 loses Arizona State and Washington State to the Mountain West and gets TCU and BYU (with Utah just missing...again, scary how this is actually already happening).  The MWC jettisons New Mexico and Colorado State to the ACC and gains Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech (again, overall record decided who moves).  The ACC sends Virginia and Maryland on a short trip to the Big East and gets Cincinnati and Pitt;  the Big East gives Syracuse and Louisville their parting gifts and receives Boise State and Nevada; the WAC lets New Mexico State and Colorado State head to Conference USA and snags East Carolina and Houston.

Now the fun begins.  South Carolina and Kentucky...you are now bubble teams in the SEC and if you finish in the bottom two, you're moving down to the Big-10.  Texas and Nebraska...prove yourself as the best of the Big-10 and you'll be moving up to the SEC.  Best of all, TCU and Boise State, you get your shot to play with the big boys and prove you belong (and you too, Utah...I'm predicting in 2010 that they're going to do some damage in the Pac-10 very quickly).  If the Horned Frogs and the Broncos keep winning and keep finishing first or second in their conferences they'll move up, perhaps eventually getting to the SEC.  Sustained excellence is rewarded; sustained crappiness (looking at you Syracuse, Washington State, Iowa State, etc.) is punished.

Yes, there are a ton of problems with this proposal.  First and foremost are the traditional rivalries.  What happens to Alabama vs. Auburn if the Tigers have a bad year and end up in the Big-10?  Well, this isn't really a problem, as I see it.  Instead of scheduling Chattanooga as an out of conference game, Auburn can choose Alabama.  So, now the decision is Auburn's.  Do you want to play a cupcake or do you want to play your most hated rival?  And what if, and it's a big if right now, your win over Alabama lifts you into the SEC and knocks them down to the Big-10?  How sweet would that be?  To have 365 days of not just gloating about a win over the Crimson Tide, but that they suck so much that they're now in the Big-10?  This goes for all rivalry games.  Not only is it bragging rights for a year that you beat them, but also that you potentially sent them to a lower conference. 

The next problem is that eventually the SEC will become top heavy with all the best teams.  Well, if you listen to Lee Corso and ESPN, the SEC already has all the best teams, so it's status quo.  Every year though, the two bottom feeders are moving out and two new teams are coming in.  One solution is to go to mega-conferences, maybe a Premier Eastern Conference, a Premier Midwestern Conference and a Premier Western Conference, each with 20 teams and then Secondary Conferences in each region with 20 or more teams.  Then movement would be between the Premier and Secondary conferences in each region, possibly three teams each year moving up and down.

Which leads to the next problem.  Who plays for the National Title?  With three premiere conferences, one team is getting left out.  That's not much different than the current situation where one or more teams gets left out of a shot to win it on the field.  But it's still not satisfying.  How about a Plus One game?  Each Premier Conference winner gets into the four-team field and then the highest ranked second place team also is in.  Number one plays number four, number two plays number three and then the winners of those games play the following Saturday to see who hoists the crystal football.

Could this ever happen?  No.  We're not even any closer to a playoff to determine a National Champion, let alone a plus one game.  But it's an interesting option to think about while the various SportsCenter personalities talk about the merits of this team's strength of schedule or conference and quality of their team.  At least this option would let teams soar as high as they can, even if it took them a couple of years to get there.

Week 3 - Top 10

Week 3 and there is some movement in the top 10 due to some impressive performances and some clunkers this past weekend. 

1. Alabama (3-0) - It didn't take long for Heisman winner Mark Ingram to get into rhythm with the Crimson Tide's offense, going over 100 yards in the first quarter against Duke.  Big showdown in Fayetteville next week against the unbeaten Arkansas Razorbacks.
2. Ohio State (3-0) - It's always about the defense at Ohio State, but the offense behind Terrelle Pryor is efficiently putting teams away early.
3. Oregon (3-0) - There was a chance they were going to drop a bit this week, with a potential let-up game in Portland State.  Nope...69-0 by the third quarter.  That Duck mascot is getting a workout doing those push-ups after each score.  I'm taking him in the Capitol One Mascot Challenge.



TCU Cheerleaders

4. TCU (3-0) - Systematically destroyed Baylor this weekend, scoring touchdowns the first five times they had the ball.
5. Boise State (3-0) - The two week layoff didn't seem to have any impact on the Broncos as they blasted Wyoming.
6. Stanford (3-0) - I almost expect to see police tape around Stanford Stadium after the assassination that the Cardinal carried out against Wake Forest on Saturday night.  One-upping TCU by scoring touchdowns on their first eight drives, they don't seem to be missing Toby Gerhart at all so far.
7. Nebraska (3-0) - A great win on the road for the 'Huskers and they are starting to get that swagger that they had in the 90's.
8. LSU (3-0) - I believe that Coach Les Miles will pull a mental gaffe somewhere down the road, but for now, the defense (other than the sloppy second half against North Carolina in the opener) is doing the job. 
9. South Carolina (3-0) - Probably a case of a letdown after the big win over Georgia, but they drop a couple places as it took them too long to put away Furman. 
10. Vacant - A number of teams who haven't distinguished themselves to be in the top 10 at this point of the season, and each has a bit of ugliness.

On the outside looking in:

• Oklahoma - Falls out of the top 10 this week.  They have struggled way too much with Utah State and Air Force, especially for playing their first three games at home.
• Florida - New week, same story. Another double-digit win but still with the struggles in the first half, leading a down Tennessee team only 7-3 at halftime.
• Texas - A very sloppy game by the Longhorns and a Mike Leach-led Texas Tech probably takes advantage and beats them.
• Wisconsin - Still waiting for them to put that game together that says they are going to challenge Ohio State for the Big-10 title.
• Utah - Did what was expected and blew out New Mexico

And a bad Saturday for the state of North Carolina.  Alabama went to Duke and beat them 62-13.  East Carolina had a 27-21 third quarter lead on Virginia Tech and then gave up 28 unanswered points to lose 49-27. And North Carolina, still missing thirteen players due to an NCAA investigation, lost to Georgia Tech, 30-24.  With the way the ACC is playing this year, the Tar Heels are going to look back on this season and wonder what could have been. At least North Carolina State beat Cincinnati on Thursday night.