Picks for Dec. 2-3

A hiatus last week, but the 2-3 record the previous week dropped the season record to 28-26-1.  With the close of the regular season, need a big finish to make it a mediocre picking season.

at Oregon -31.5 UCLA - The Ducks throttled the Bruins in Autzen last year in a regular season game.  This year, it's back in Autzen, with the first Pac-12 Championship Game title up for grabs.  The loss to USC took some of the luster off the Ducks recent mini-dynasty of the Pac-12 and this game will give them a chance to clear everyone's thoughts of the Trojans and remind them who has won the last three.  Oregon big over the Bruins.

at Arkansas State -17.5 Troy - The Red Wolves have been a surprise this season and their only two losses are to Illinois (when they were good this year) and Virginia Tech.  They are also 9-2 against the spread.  Troy on the other hand is 3-8 against the spread.  The Trojans won't have the talent to keep up with Arkansas State and the Red Wolves will get that 10th win.

at Houston -12.5 Southern Miss - The problem for Southern Miss is that Houston is playing pretty good defense.  Couple that with the top-scoring offense in the country and Case Keenum's final game at home and you can expect the Cougars to keep the scoreboard turning.  Keenum throws for at least four touchdowns and Houston finishes the season 13-0.

LSU -12.5 Georgia - The Tigers have done it all year long and there's no reason to think they won't finish it off.  Georgia had a nice season after losing the opening two games to Boise State and South Carolina.  But they avoided LSU, Alabama and Arkansas in the regular season.  Now they play a quality opponent set on continuing their perfect season.  LSU's defense will be too much for the Bulldogs as they roll to the championship.

Wisconsin -9.5 Michigan State - The Spartans beat the Badgers earlier this year.  Michigan State needed a safety, a blocked punt returned for a touchdown, a blocked field goal and two Russell Wilson interceptions AND a tipped Hail Mary at the end of the game that required replay review to overturn the call on the field to give Sparty the win.  That isn't all going to happen again.  Badgers roll and return to Pasadena.

UCLA Should Hire Pete Carroll

With the predictable firing of UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel today, the Bruins are once more searching for a head coach.  And it's time for them to make some waves.  Rumors of them talking to Boise State's Chris Petersen is a start, but while he's an excellent coach, he doesn't bring the buzz that the Bruins need.  Not after a decade of mediocrity to dismal play.  They need someone who can help close the gap between UCLA and USC (and that gap apparently is as big as the Grand Canyon after the 50-0 crosstown beat down).  The man to do it is the one who created that gap...Pete Carroll.

The new head coach of the Bruins?

Bruin fans, settle down.  I can already hear your cries of "That's the enemy" and "We don't want Pete the Cheat".  Be reasonable and hear me out.  The Bruins are a bad football team and worse, their fan base is becoming apathetic.  They can't get a quarterback to come play in southern California on a gorgeous campus.  They can't get a running back who can go for 1,300 yards and 18 touchdowns.  They haven't played defense in years.  Pete Carroll can get all of those things.  And...he can make the Bruins relevant.

Carroll is/was the ideal college coach.  He loved being the Big Man on Campus and had fun doing everything related to the game - interviews, talking with fans, promoting the team.  He's what UCLA needs.  Can you imagine the energy for UCLA football next year?  Dan Guerrero, think of the season ticket sales.  Sure, some fans will think you've brought the enemy in to camp, but you'll get a whole lot more who will be excited about him being there.  You're losing millions each weekend when you're not selling out the Rose Bowl.  Pete can put them in the seats.

Carroll would also bring innovation to the offense and ferocity to the defense.  Those Trojan title teams had both.  They had stars on both sides of the ball.  But what about Pete's baggage from his time at USC?  The NCAA spent five years investigating and they couldn't come up with anything to place on Carroll.  If there was something there, don't you think it would have shown up?  Wouldn't some closet Notre Dame or UCLA fan have blown the whistle on him to cause the empire to crumble?  No one did.

Finally, think of how hiring Pete Carroll would get under all of the USC fans' skin.  The coach who returned them to glory after years of futility is now patrolling the rivals sideline in powder blue and gold, returning the Bruins to glory and Rose Bowls (yes, the Bruins used to be regular participants in that game many years ago).  If you're going to pay $4 million for Chris Petersen, why not step it up a bit more and bring in Pete Carroll?  He could make national title dreams a reality.

The Regular Season Doesn't Matter

#1 Team in College Football

The people who run college football continually tell us that the reason we don't need a playoff is because every regular season game matters; every game is a playoff.  Not this year.  The BCS pundits are already saying that LSU vs Alabama for the national title is a done deal, even if LSU loses.  If every game matters, and LSU already beat Alabama in Alabama, shouldn't that have knocked the Crimson Tide out of the running, never mind the fact that 'Bama didn't even win their conference, let alone win their division.  Ahhh, but we have precedent, because if there's one thing the BCS is good at, it's stupid decisions.

In 2001, Nebraska was routed in their final regular season game by Colorado, 62-36.  Colorado won the division and won the Big-12 Championship.  But since every game matters, the embarrassed Cornhuskers were invited to play Miami for the championship, because apparently that last game didn't really matter and not winning your conference wasn't seen as being too important either.  Nebraska followed up that blowout loss to the Buffaloes with another stellar performance against the Hurricanes, falling behind 34-0 at halftime before showing a bit of a pulse and losing only 37-14.

But this year is worse.  LSU went into Alabama's home and beat them.  Granted, it was an ugly 9-6 overtime win, with four missed Crimson Tide field goals contributing to the loss.  But the Tigers won and didn't lose the rest of the year.  Game over, 'Bama.  So why should LSU play the SEC Championship game to get into the National Championship Game while Alabama sits at home, resting and nursing their injuries?  Why should LSU have to beat them again?  If Alabama wins, the season series is tied 1-1.  If LSU wins, well, they already did that. 

Alabama may be the second best team in the country but they already had their chance and they failed.  You don't get a do-over.  So who should be in the title game?  Well, LSU still has to take care of Georgia in the SEC Championship.  They should beat them soundly, since LSU isn't Oklahoma in conference championships.  The Tigers are in.  Their opponent should be one of the following:

Will the voters move a Big-12 Champion
to the tile game?

Oklahoma State, if they beat Oklahoma this Saturday (not a foregone conclusion).  The Cowboys have one loss, in double-overtime on the day they found out assistant coaches for their women's basketball team had died in a plane crash.  Granted, it was to Iowa State, but it was played at Iowa State and with heavy hearts.  If they beat the Sooners, they will be the champs of the best conference in college football this year.  If they lose...

Virginia Tech, if they can avenge their loss to Clemson.  The Hokies have rolled since that loss and unfortunately for the Tigers, they have been a mess the last few weeks.  Why is it fair that Virginia Tech gets a chance to beat Clemson after getting buried by them early in the season but I'm not willing to give Alabama that same opportunity?  Well, it's the ACC Championship game and that's how the schedule worked out this year.  If Alabama was in the SEC East and lost to LSU but still won their division, I'd have no problem with the rematch...in the conference championship game.  Championship games might make your conference some money, but you potentially screw your best team.  If Clemson some how gets their act together and plays like they did the first eight weeks and not the last three and beats the Hokies again, then it's...

Stanford.  No, same argument as Alabama.  The Cardinal didn't win their division and they didn't win their conference.  They had a great season, but the Oregon game mattered and they got destroyed.

Oregon.  No, same argument as Alabama, in that they don't get a rematch.  LSU beat them in the first game of the year, but they knew that was a potential elimination game.  Credit to the Ducks for scheduling it and if they wouldn't have lost to USC two weeks ago, I'd almost say they could get in based on having the loss in that first game than winning twelve in a row and being the Pac-12 Champion.  But the Ducks have two losses and beating up on UCLA in the inaugural Pac-12 Championship isn't going to help.

Wisconsin/Michigan State winner.  No, though Wisconsin is close.  They blew out everyone they played except for the two losses.  Back-to-back heart breakers on back-to-back miracles by Michigan State and Ohio State.  If not for those few minutes, Wisconsin is in.  Michigan State got blown out by Notre Dame and Nebraska, so even with a win in the Big Ten Championship game, they can't go.

Why not us?

Houston.  If the Cougars beat Southern Mississippi in the Conference USA Championship game, they will be the only other unbeaten at 13-0.  And while they may play in a mid-major conference, they've beaten everyone they played and are crushing teams now and not just on offense behind Case Keenum.  The defense has stepped up as well and even in the fourth quarter when the backups are in, they're still shutting people down.  Why not give the non-automatic qualifier a shot this year?  Then if LSU beats them 45-7, the BCS conferences can laugh and say, "See, they're not really that good."  But if they win...well, what kind of ESPN 30 for 30 film will that be?

My prediction:  LSU handles Georgia.  Oklahoma State at home finally figures out a way to beat Oklahoma.  Virginia Tech takes care of Clemson.  Alabama sits on their couches watching all of this unfold.  And then on Sunday, LSU finds out they're playing Alabama again.  Well done, BCS.  Well done.

Picks for Nov. 19

Rolled on the MAC games but the others didn't go as well and finished up 2-3 last week to fall to 26-23-1 for the year.  This week's picks shine the light on teams who have a chance to make a statement after Oklahoma State's upset loss to Iowa State last night.

at Oregon -15 USC - Oregon has one blemish on their record, the opening game loss to LSU.  Since then, they've been rolling and with Oklahoma State's loss, they have the chance to jump up and try to set up a rematch with LSU in the Championship Game.  Autzen Stadium has been tough on the Trojans the last few years and their lack of depth will leave them gassed as the game goes on.  The Ducks will keep the pedal down and run it up on USC.

at Stanford -17.5 Cal - The Big Game.  Stanford suffered a huge blow to their national title hopes, but with Oklahoma State losing, they still have a shot if they can get some help.  And they can start off by helping themselves and throttling Cal.  Cal's wins have all come against inferior opponents and when they've played the good teams in the Pac-12, they've gotten torched.  Stanford is one of the best teams in the Pac-12, it's a rivalry game and it's at home.  The Cardinal big.

Oklahoma -16 at Baylor - Thanks to the Cowboys loss, the Sooners have a shot to play for the national title.  It would have been better for them if Oklahoma State went into Bedlam unbeaten, but now Oklahoma knows they have to roll Baylor and OSU.  Baylor can score some points, but they don't play any semblance of defense and they haven't faced a defense like the Sooners.  If Oklahoma is focused, they get up early and they pull away by the third quarter.

Kansas State +9.5 at Texas - I still don't see what people see in Texas this year.  They've been mediocre at best and against good teams, they've faded.  The Wildcats were a tad overrated when they were unbeaten, but they're still better than the Longhorns at this point.  I look for Kansas State to not only cover, but to win this game outright.

at Houston -19.5 SMU - Houston has the opportunity to bust the BCS this year and a big win over the Mustangs will help their cause.  SMU has struggled the last few weeks and Cougars' QB Case Keenum will continue to add to his NCAA records as Houston moves to 11-0.

Picks for Nov. 12

Missed by half a point on the Cincy vs Pitt game from having a 3-1 week last week.  After another 2-2 week, the season record goes to 24-20-1.  I spent last week touring the MAC and this week's picks reflect that, both in MAC teams and all road teams.

Kent State -5 at Akron - I watched Akron in the pouring rain last week against Miami, OH and saw their offense really do nothing as they lost 35-3.  Granted, some of that had to do with the weather, but the Redhawks were able to move the ball and put up points.  This is a rivalry game, but the Golden Flashes seem a little more together and should be able to withstand the initial energy of the Zips before wearing them out and winning by double digits.

Eastern Michigan -3.5 at Buffalo - The Eagles are one win away from being bowl eligible (though what kind of bowl, if any, they'll go to remains a mystery).  The Bulls put up a late fourth quarter rally to make their game against Northern Illinois close, but they have been giving up points in bunches the last five games and have been blown out in three of those.  Eastern Michigan takes the Bulls out by two touchdowns.

Auburn +13 at Georgia - Yes, Georgia is 7-2. Yes, they control their destiny in the SEC East.  But they aren't winning games by two touchdowns against teams with a pulse.  Auburn's offense has been erratic this year and against the good defenses, they have been held in check.  But the Bulldogs defense isn't LSU and the Tigers will put points on the scoreboard and keep it close.

Ohio State -8 at Purdue - The play of Ohio State's offense is starting to catch up to that of their defense.  Purdue appears to have packed it in for the season, quitting last week against Wisconsin and getting blown out by Michigan the week before.  The Bukeyes have a chance to get to the Big Ten Championship game and a win this weekend will set up a showdown with Penn State next week.  They'll be focused today and the Boilermakers will be lucky to get two scores.  This one will never be in doubt.

Baylor -20 at Kansas - Somehow, Kansas held an opponent to 13 points last week (and still lost).  Baylor has shown they can put points on the board in bunches.  And while the Bears are scoring lots of points, they also have the second worst scoring defense in the Big 12.  But I've got to believe the Jayhawks are going to revert back to the way they've played all season and Baylor will get 50-plus today and while Kansas may score, they won't stay within three touchdowns of the Bears.

Picks for Nov. 5

A bit of a disappointment last week, going 3-2, hurt by Central Michigan's failure to close with a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter. 22-18-1 on the year and time to press on.

Arizona State -9.5 at UCLA - This seems like a lead-pipe lock the way the two teams are going this year. The Bruins did handle Cal last week, but that seems like a fluke based on their body of work so far (and the fact that Cal maybe isn't very good either). The Sun Devils are closin in on the South division title and the Bruins will be a minor bump on their way to the PAC-12 championship game.

Oregon -16.5 at Washington - The Huskies have played one good team this year and were absolutely run over by Stanford. The Ducks run the ball pretty well, too, and they have been on atoll since the opening game loss to LSU. Look for Washington to experience some more growing pains as the Ducks keep winning heading into their showdown with Stanford.

Stanford -20.5 Oregon State - The Cardinal got a scare last week and were lucky to get the cover against USC last week. Look for them to return to their ways of beating teams by 25 or more points again this weekend as an unremarkable Beavers' squad plays out the string.

Cincinnati -3.5 Pittsburgh - The Bearcats have been very good this year while Pitt has been somewhat erratic. The loss of Ray Graham only hurts the Panthers chances at scoring the upset, but this is the Big East, where stranger things have happened. I think Cincinnati is better than people think and steamrolls Pitt this weekend.

Picks for Oct. 29

A lousy week last weekend going 2-4 and dropping the season record to 19-16-1.  Tulane...how can you lose to Memphis on your homecoming?  Oh, well.  A new week and new picks and they're all road favorites.

Stanford -7.5 at USC - The Trojans are playing well and had a very nice win last week against Notre Dame.  USC is quietly becoming a pretty good team, even with the sanctions against them.  Unfortunately, they're playing the Cardinal, who is loudly becoming a great team, a team that's winning like those USC teams in 2003-2005.  Much like Washington last week, this is a huge step up in opponent for USC and they are going to get torn apart by Andrew Luck, the running game and Stanford's physical-never-stop attitude.  The Cardinal won't quit like the Fighting Irish did last week.

Oklahoma -13.5 at Kansas State - Kansas State has had a very nice season, coming into the game 7-0, and doing it without the normal cupcake schedule Cocah Bill Snyder puts together.  Oklahoma laid an egg last week at home against Texas Tech, coming out flat and having to rally to make it close (and two missed field goals away from winning it).  The Sooners still control their destiny for the Big 12 title, but they need to win out.  They take the first step today, as the defense and offense come out on fire and blow out the Wildcats.

Wisconsin -7.5 at Ohio State - The Badgers were slightly exposed last week and I've been concerned with their run defense since the opening game where UNLV was able to run on them.  But the Buckeyes aren't very good this year and Wisconsin is going to want to get the bad taste of last week's Hail Mary loss to Michigan State out of their mouth.  Russell Wilson throws for three touchdowns and Wisconsin wins comfortably.

West Virginia -6.5 at Rutgers - The Mountaineers had the stage to themselves last Friday night and were embarassed by Syracuse.  They're on national television again and get a chance to show that last week's poor play was an aberration.  Rutgers will not be able to keep up with West Virginia if the Mountaineers play like they can.  This one gets ugly early.

Central Michigan -7 at Akron - The Chippewas should have no trouble with the Zips.  Akron is averaging 16 points per game and giving up almost 36.  The Chippewas are only 2-6, but they've been scoring points in their losses.  This time, the points will be more than enough as they get their third win.

The Top Ten - Week 9

 The Top Ten based on how they've done this year, not in the past or based on their reputation.

1. LSU - No one has a better resume than the Tigers with wins over Oregon, West Virginia and Auburn.  The win over Mississippi State at the star of the year has lost some of it's luster as the Bulldogs haven't been quite up to their pre-season ranking (and why I hate them).  No one has gotten closer than 13 points and the defense has been absolutely destructive, holding six opponents to 11 points or less.
2. Alabama - I'm a bit surprised how well the Crimson Tide has played this year...not on defense, but on offense.  Seven games with 34 or more points.  And the defense is doing even better than LSU's, holding seven opponents to 11 points or less, with Arkansas having the high mark at 14.  The showdown with LSU on November 5th should be a beast of a defensive battle...which of course means it will end up in a 37-35 shootout.
3. Oklahoma State - The Cowboys have been as good on offense as the top two have been on defense.  Oklahoma State is in the control of that second BCS spot; win out and you're in.
4. Boise State - The Broncos just keep doing what they do...win.  Kellen Moore is a surgeon on the field, regardless of who the receivers are and defense doesn't get nearly the credit they deserve.
   
5. Clemson - This has to be the surprise of the year.  The Tigers sitting at 8-0 with wins over Virginia Tech, Florida State and defending National Champ Auburn, a freshman in Sammy Watkins who's absolutely electric on the field and quarterback Tajh Boyd's emergence has been a pleasant surprise.  But I keep waiting for Clemson to pull a Clemson and blow a game they have no business losing.  It doesn't look like they should lose a game the rest of the way, but it's Clemson and I'm wary.
6. Stanford - The only reason they're 6th and not 3rd is because they've really played no one.  But everyone they've played, they have absolutely destroyed.  Andrew Luck has command of the offense like no other quarterback in the country and wins over USC, Oregon and Notre Dame will keep them moving up the rankings.
   
   
7. Oregon - If LSU is number 1, the Ducks might be number 2.  They made a number of mistakes in their opening loss to the Tigers, but they continue to run their system and blow people out, even with the loss of their star running back and quarterback.  Their showdown with Stanford in a few weeks will be the one that determines if they're back in a BCS game.
8. Michigan State - The win over Wisconsin was big and if they can win at Nebraska this weekend, that will solidify the ranking.  But the Big Ten is terrible.  Wisconsin had played nobody, and it showed against Michigan State.  It will be hard to move up much more with the erratic and awful play of the conference.
9. Arkansas - I'm conflicted on this one.  I don't think they've really played anyone other than Alabama, and the Tide completely stomped them.  When you get past LSU and 'Bama, the SEC isn't very good this year (like most of the conferences).  The Razorbacks shouldn't really be challenged until the season finale for the Golden Boot against LSU, but I'm not convinced that they could beat the top team in any other conference.
10. Kansas State - Another one I have some doubts about, but undefeated is undefeated. They also haven't really played anyone, but they've beat them all.  Their schedule picks up starting this weekend with Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M.  Win those three, and the Wildcats might be in the top 4 and looking at a BCS Championship berth.  Who would have thought that at the start of the season.  Unfortunately, they aren't going to beat the Sooners or the Cowboys and the Aggies probably take them behind the woodshed as well.

Picks for Oct. 22nd

A perfect week last week, going 5-0 (6-0 if you count the halftime pick on the Badgers) and the season record moves to a slightly respectable 17-12-1.  As the seocnd half of the season heats up, going to try to stay hot on the picks.

at Virginia Tech -21 Boston College - Coach Frank Beamer's teams always get better as the season goes on.  Virginia Tech is rolling and Boston College isn't.  The Hokies are going to put a stranglehold on the Eagles offense and BC will be lucky to get to 14.  Virginia Tech destroys Boston College.

Northern Illinois -14 at Buffalo - As I mentioned last week, the Huskies have put 40+ points on everyone except Wisconsin.  They did it again last week and they'll do it again this week.  Buffalo is not a good program and Northern Illinois is the cream of the MAC.  Huskies in a blowout.

Illinois -3.5 at Purdue - Illinois got off to a surprising 6-0 start this year and then lost to an Ohio State team that completed only one pass (they only tried four).  Purdue has struggled this year (losing to Rice, barely beating Middle Tennessee).  Illinois will score points on the Boilermakers and even if it takes another late rally to do it because of the Zooker's coaching style, the Illini get it done.

at Tulane -12 Memphis - Never mess with a streak.  Memphis is still terrible.  Tulane's coach Bob Toledo resigned earlier this week.  It's Homecoming for the Green Wave and you always try to schedule a patsy for Homecoming so the students and alumni go home happy (and not just from drinking).  May be a bit of a struggle in the first half, but Memphis will fold like they always do and Tulane will cover.

at Stanford -20.5 Washington - Stanford is destroying their opponents, with the last 9 wins coming by 25 points or more.  Washington has only played one real team, Nebraska, and were down by 27 in the fourth quarter before scoring some garbage time touchdowns to make the score a little closer.  The Huskies are getting better but this is a huge step up in class and the Cardinal are going to show them they still have a long way to go to challenge for the Pac-12 title.

at Alabama -29.5 Tennessee - In their ongoing battle with LSU of "whatever you can do, I can do better", the Crimson Tide will get to take on the Vols (who lost to LSU last week by 31) and put up a comparison score before this year's "Game of the Century" on November 5th.  Alabama's defense and special teams will score more than the Volunteer offense and the Crimson Tide get at least 40 and possibly keep Tennesse under 7.

Good luck this week.

Picks for Oct. 15th

A barely winning week at 3-2, brings the season record to 12-12-1. 

East Carolina -14 at Memphis - You generally can't go wrong picking against Memphis and this week should be no exception.  The Pirates were humiliated by Houston last weekend while Memphis kicked two field goals against Rice in a 28-6 loss.  East Carolina will find the Tigers to be the cure for last weekend and roll easily.

LSU -16.5 at Tennessee - The Tigers are playing absolutely nasty on defense and now the offense is starting to move the ball with some consistency.  The Volunteers are looking better, but they'll be no match for the speed and athleticism of LSU.

at Northern Illinois +1.5 Western Michigan - The Huskies have hung 40+ points on everyone they've played this season except Wisconsin.  Unfortunately, for them, they've also given up 40+ points to everyone they've played on the road. They're at home this week and I think that will be enough for them to pull the mild upset over the Broncos.

Oklahoma State -7 at Texas - Oklahoma has a very good offense and they torched the Longhorns for 55 last week.  Some of that was aided by Texas turnovers that led to easy points, but the Sooners exposed a young Texas team, that was highly overrated, and still is.  Oklahoma State comes calling and while Mack Brown has never lost a game the week after the Red River Shootout, this is the year that streak comes to an end. The Cowboys are loaded offensively and they will be looking to make a national statement and comparison to their instate neighbors.  Oklahoma State big over the Longhorns.

at Wisconsin -39.5 Indiana - The Badgers can call their score.  They put 83 on Indiana last year.  They need the beauty points to get the voters attention.  A number in the 70's will look pretty.  The only fear is that Bret Bielema will take his foot off the gas in the second half after the criticism he received last year for running it up on the Hoosiers.  I don't think it will matter and they'll be close to this number by halftime.  The first half line of 23.5 is a bonus pick on this game.

Picks for Oct. 8th Games

A terrible weekend last week going 1-3-1, with Georgia Tech giving up 14 points in the last minute to push and Boise State giving up a late touchdown to not cover as well.  The season record drops to 9-10-1.  Hitting the halfway point of the season and time to pull it together.

Iowa +4.5 at Penn State - I don't understand this line at all.  The Hawkeyes have given Penn State problems for years.  The Nittany Lions' offense is terrible.  The quarterback situation is still a mess.  Iowa had a bye week to get healthy.  What makes people think Penn State can win this game?  It will be ugly, but I think Iowa wins outright in Happy Valley.

TCU -4.5 at San Diego State - This has already happened this year.  TCU lost to an opponent that they were favored to beat and then came back the following week and laid it on the opponent.  Head Coach Gary Patterson is too good to let the Horned Frogs lose two in a row.  They'll clean it up this weekend and physically dominate the Aztecs.

at Virginia Tech -7.5 Miami - The turnover machine that is Jacory Harris comes into Blacksburg after the Hokies suffered an embarrassing loss last week.  Virginia Tech will pick off Harris at least 2 times and will pick up a defensive touchdown as they beat the Hurricanes.

at Stanford -29.5 Colorado - A showcase opportunity for Andrew Luck.  Colorado is terrible and has a very realistic chance of going 1-11.  Stanford needs to keep winning big and the Buffaloes get run over at Palo Alto.

at Clemson -21.5 Boston College - This is the type of game that in past years Clemson would go out and choke on.  Something feels different about this Tiger team and they just might be special.  Plus, it helps to play a team that is a complete mess in Boston College.  Clemson gets up early and the Eagles are lucky to hit double-digits.

Picks for Oct. 1st Games

The season record crawled above .500 with a 3-1 finish last week (way to be terrible on the field as well as in your uniforms, Maryland).  Try to keep it rolling this weekend and improve on the 8-7 overall mark.

Penn State -14.5 at Indiana - I've written about how inept Penn State's offense is and giving two touchdowns on the road may be a lot, but the Hoosiers have lost to Ball State, Virginia and North Texas (let that sink in).  No run defense or pass rush for Indiana and the Nittany Lions should be able to take advantage.  It won't be pretty, but JoePa's boys should cover the number.

at Boise State -26.5 Nevada - Payback time.  Nevada is not the team they were last year.  They struggled to beat San Jose State, got absolutely torched by Oregon and blew a game late against Texas Tech last week.  Boise State is going to be similar to Oregon as they pile up the points on the Wolfpack.  If you can get a first half line under 18, take Boise to cover that as well.  Kellen Moore will cut them up early and often.

Georgia Tech -10 at North Carolina State - Think NC State Coach Tom O'Brien would like to have Russell Wilson back?  The Wolfpack has done well Liberty and South Alabama; teams with a pulse, nothing.  The Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech rolls it up in Raleigh.

at Stanford -21.5 UCLA - UCLA beat San Jose State 27-17.  Stanford beat San Jose State 57-3.  UCLA hasn't beaten a good team in a long time.  Stanford hasn't been in a close game against a bad team in a long time.  And after a bye week, the Cardinal will want to get Andrew Luck's Heismann campaign back on track as they light up the over matched Bruins.

at Middle Tennessee State -22.5 Memphis - Bonus game this week.  The Memphis Tigers are incredibly bad.  Somehow, they managed to beat the Blue Raiders last year for their lone win of the year.  Another case of payback and the Tigers will lose.

Great primetime games this weekend with Alabama vs Florida and Nebraska vs Wisconsin (like the Gators to pull the upset and the Badgers to get by the Huskers).  Enjoy.

Picks for Sept. 24th Games

Record for the year moved to 5-6 after a 2-2 weekend.  Boise State started the weekend off well and Oklahoma closed it nicely, but Central Florida and Nevada were sloppy.  Four games for the weekend; enjoy a good day of games.

Oregon -15 at Arizona - The Ducks have shaken off that first game loss to LSU and Arizona is in trouble of letting their season get away from them if they fall to 1-3 after this one.  Oregon has too much speed, too much offense and the Wildcats have given up 37 to Oklahoma State and Stanford in the last two games.  Oregon by three touchdowns.

at Maryland -8.5 vs Temple - The Temple Owls have to be down after failing to close out Penn State for the first time since before Pearl Harbor.  Maryland has to feel pretty good about the rally they staged against West Virginia after falling behind 34-10 and almost pulling it out.  The Owls will be dazed by the ugly uniforms of the Terps and will fall behind early before they get their bearings.  It will be too late and Maryland will roll to victory.

Georgia -9.5 at Mississippi - The Hot Seat Bowl.  Mark Richt and Houston Nutt are both in danger of losing their jobs.  The Bulldogs have at least been somewhat competitive and shown a little life on offense.  The Rebles have been awful and it will continue on Saturday.  Houston may be gone before October ends.

SMU -22.5 Memphis - Memphis is bad.  Really, really bad.  Definitely in the discussion for the worst team in Div-I football.  SMU's offense isn't clicking the way head coach June Jones might like, but the Tigers porous defense should help rememdy that.

Thoughts after Week 3

LSU's defense is flat out nasty.  And if the offense is able to keep them off the field so they're rested when they get back out there...well, that's just not fair.  What they did to Mississippi State on Thursday night bordered on assault and their game this Saturday against West Virginia will solidify if this defense is ready to carry the Tigers to another National Title.

Ohio State, did you watch the Friday night game between Boise State and Toledo?  See how a good team puts away lesser competition by three touchdowns?  Your school president needs to keep his Buckeye hole closed this year.

Penn State is brutal on offense.  Neither quarterback instills any kind of confidence that they can move the ball at all.  They better make the most of the opportunity against Eastern Michigan next week, because I don't think they can get over 25 against any team in the Big Ten.  Which is too bad, because the defense seems fairly good and is just getting wasted.  The only positive I took away from the squeaker of a win against Temple was that Penn State's cheerleaders have improved dramatically.  And Temple fans, you aren't looking too bad either.

UCLA...why does Kevin Prince continue to play quarterback for you?  He completed as many passes to Texas as he completed to Bruins (3).  Put the Bruins in a deep hole to start and no chance to rely on the running game to shorten the game down and beat the Longhorns.  Coach Neuheisel can't be liking his chances of returning next year, but that will give him lots of time to set up his NCAA Basketball Tourney pools.

Wisconsin isn't a dark horse for the BCS Championship anymore.  They have to be in the conversation.  Russell Wilson gives them a dimesion at quarterback they haven't had in Madison and they are going to be tough to beat with the balance they bring to offense.

Florida might be back.  It's only one game against a somewhat decent team, but the Gators looked very good against Tennessee.  Their defense isn't up to LSU's standard, but it's pretty good.  And most importantly, they seemed to have figured out how to get the ball from the center to the quarterback and QB John Brantley's decision making seems to have improved as well.  They still commit way too many penalties, especially pass interference calls, and if they don't get that fixed, they're going to have problems against the best of the SEC.

Mississippi...how are you 2-5 against Vanderbilt since 2005?

Duke...save a copy of The Herald Sun tomorrow as you are in first place in the Coastal Division of the ACC.  You'll get to sit there for two more weeks before you get back into conference play with a visit from Florida State.

Utah turned BYU into a bakery, creating seven turnovers and absolutley blitzing them 54-10 in the Holy War.  Where has BYU's prolific passing attack of yesteryear gone?

Oklahoma State vs. Tulsa had to be one of the strangest games ever played.  Not because the Cowboys routed Tulsa again, but because weather delays caused the game to start at almost midnight and it didn't end until after 3:30 in the morning.  Like I mentioned to some friends a few weeks ago, "In my day, when I watched college football, they played in the rain."  I understand the safety concerns and the liability issues but it sure seems like we're getting soft

Picks for Sept. 16-17 Games

Rebounded a little bit last week, going 2-1 (thanks Iowa for not being able to hold a lead, or to make a 4th down stop, or finish off the Cyclones) and bringing the overall record to 3-4 for the season.  Four games this week, starting with Friday night.

Boise State -20 at Toledo - Boise State loves these showcase games and tends to show the country what they can do against so called "Little Sisters of the Poor".  The Broncos will steamroll Toledo at Toledo, a team Ohio State barely got by at home, and will get no credit for doing so.  And we'll listen to the ESPN commentators comment about what a good college quarterback Kellen Moore is but that he doesn't have the size, speed or arm strength to make it in the NFL and that he's a system-quarterback.  Hmmm...reminds me of another quarterback from the 80's who was a little short, a little slow, couldn't throw the long ball, was part of an offensive system.  And like Moore, was deadly accurate, an assassin with the game on the line, and just kept winning until people finally had to take notice.  How do you think the talking heads would view Joe Montana if he was playing college today?

Central Florida -5.5 at Florida International -  Florida International got a nice win last week at Louisville.  Unfortunately, beating the Cardinals isn't something to get too excited about.  Central Florida went 11-3 last year with a bowl win over Georgia and has started off 2-0 this year.  They will be too physical for the Golden Panthers and put them away early.

Oklahoma -3 at Florida State - I'm a little hesitant with this one because the Sooners seem to have their problems on the road.  But with a veteran team led by quarterback Landry Jones and a solid defense going against EJ Manuel, I like the Oklahoma to buck the trend and take out the Seminoles.  Interesting stat on this one:  The ACC is 0 for their last 32 against Top 5 teams.

Nevada -6 at San Jose State - This number just seems too low, but then the people in the desert have made a lot of money off of people who think that the number seems too low.  I just don't see it on this one.  San Jose State is a really bad football team who made a decent showing against a not so good team last week (UCLA).  The Spartans won't be able to keep up with the Wolfpack and this one will get out of hand in the first half if Nevada doesn't turn it over.  Nevada will run wild and the sting of the ugly blowout loss to Oregon last week will be relieved some here.

Thoughts after week two

Some great games this past weekend, capped off by an instant ESPN Classic in Ann Arbor under the lights as Notre Dame and Michigan traded blows over the last two minutes before the Wovlerines won it at the end.  I thought for sure Irish coach Brian Kelly was going to turn purple with rage this week, but he kept it under control.

Arizona State...I'm still not sold on you.  Yes, you have a lot of returning starters.  Yes, your quarterback seems to know what he's doing and your offense seems legitimate.  But you still make the same stupid mistakes, still commit way too many penalties and still struggle to put teams away, as you proved again on Friday night with Missouri, needing overtime to finish a game that you were up 14 in the fourth quarter.  As for your fans in the stands, well, I've been sold on them for a long time.

Penn State has issues, first and foremost is that they're boring.  Alabama beating them was a surprise to maybe 14 people in the whole country, but it's the way they were beaten.  They did nothing on offense and there never appeared to be the threat of anything happening on that side of the ball.  One of the two quarterbacks needs to take charge and get the offense moving.

South Carolina is going to be fun to watch this year.  Marcus Lattimore is an NFL-caliber back, Alshon Jeffery is a pass catching machine and defensive players Jadeveon Clowney and Melvin Ingram are game changers.  If quarterback Stephen Garcia can keep it together for a full season and Coach Spurrier can figure out what happened to his secondary, and with no Alabama or LSU on the schedule, this could be a very special year in Columbia.

UCLA has problems.  Losing to Houston on the road is one thing.  Having San Jose State trailing only by 3 with under four minutes to play is quite another.  Yes, the Bruins won, and a win is a win, but Rosy Cheek Rick's job security sure seems in jeopardy.  I'd love for them to seriously look at Mike Leach.  First, it would bring offense back to UCLA.  Second, it would get Mike Leach out of the broadcast booth.  Win-win.


Garrett Gilbert is out as Texas' starting quarterback.  I'm a little surprised it took them this long to make the decision.  He seemed completely overmatched in his first real game experience (granted, it was in the BCS Championship against Alabama's nasty defense), but he didn't seem to improve much last year as the starter and the first two games this season weren't looking much better.  Another quarterback I'll put in that same category is Miami Hurricane Jacory Harris.  When he's good, he's pretty good.  But when he's bad, he is terrible and will lose the game for you.  Based on backup Stephen Morris' performance against Maryland in the rain, I won't be surprised to see Jacory on in the same spot Garrett is in right now.

Matt Millen is an idiot, was a terrible judge of collegiate talent when he worked for the Detroit Lions, and I'm still stunned that ESPN would hire him as an analyst since he's such an obvious failure at judging talent.  South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore is an absolute beast and helped take the Gamecocks to their first SEC East title last year.  Millen believes he has a chink in his armor because "He can't take it to the next gear."  Lattimore then proceeds to score a touchdown two plays later and Millen can't gush enough praise on how well he runs.  Please fire this idiot.

As another week rolls by, another team decides to mess with their uniform.  Michigan State unveiled their new Nike Pro Combat uniforms, which leads me to add another rule to the uniform guidelines:

6. You cannot add a color to your uniform that is not part of your normal color scheme (black and white being the occasional exception).  Adding bronze to the traditional green and white of the Spartans makes no sense.  They even have a cheer, "Go Green, Go White".  After a hard day of tailgating, consuming adult beverages and years of practice chanting those four words, you expect fans to be able to now add "Go Bronze" on the end of it?  What makes it worse is when I first saw them I thought it was a uniform for South Florida.

Some big games this weekend with Oklahoma taking on Florida State (can the Seminoles avenge last year's beatdown and make a case for really belonging in the Top 5?), Michigan State vs Notre Dame (will the Irish start off 0-3? Will Brian Kelly blow a gasket if Sparty starts running them out of the building?), and Ohio State vs Miami (how many turnovers for Jacory Harris before he's pulled in favor of Stephen Morris?  I'll put it at 2 first half turnovers and he's out.).  And hopefully, we'll see the revival of what used to be a great game every year, Florida vs Tennessee.  The Volunteers seem to have found a bit of offense and the Gators seem to have rediscovered their defense.  Granted, both teams haven't really played anyone, but I have a feeling this one might bring back memories of yesteryear, when Spurrier was beating the Vols regularly and alluding to where Tennessee would be playing their bowl game after failing to beat the Gators again, delivered one of his classic quotes: "You can't spell Citrus Bowl without UT."

Picks for Sept. 10th Games

A bad start to the season last week, going 1-3.  Will try to pick it up this week with three road teams who should all take their opponent to the woodshed.

Stanford -20.5 at Duke - Stanford has was too much talent to allow Duke to even be in this game.  If the Cardinal stay focused, they'll have this number covered by the half as they cruise to a 30+ point win.

TCU +1 at Air Force - Think the Horned Frogs are a little ticked at how their defense was shredded by Baylor on opening weekend?  Air Force can't throw it like Baylor did, TCU wants to show they're still an elite team, and the Horned Frogs are going to be nasty this weekend.

Iowa -6.5 at Iowa State - Hawkeyes have beaten the Cyclones convincingly the last few years and this year should be no different.  Iowa may not be as good as they've been in the past couple of years, but they should have more than enough to win tomorrow.

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the the universe.” - Albert Einstein

A lot of dumb things happened between the end of last season and the opening weekend of this season.  And no, I'm not talking about all the off the field shenanigans that schools like Ohio State, Oregon, LSU, Georgia Tech, Miami, etc. were involved with.  For starters, the conferences.

Big 12...you have ten teams (at least this week) and are still calling yourself the Big 12.  Big Ten...you have twelve teams and are still calling yourself the Big Ten.  And you have without a doubt the dumbest division names in football; Legends and Leaders.  The reaction to your announcement of the division names probably stunned people so much that they forgot to question you about still calling yourself the Big Ten.  Both of these conferences need to figure out how to count or just rename themselves something like the Big East or SEC so you don't have to worry about the number of teams you have (or don't have).

Next, uniforms.  Okay, just because some sports apparel manufacturer can make you a new uniform, doesn't mean you have to say yes.  Oregon, you've been hideous for a few years now, but you're in the Pacific Northwest, so we let you slide being a little quirky and Nike head Phil Knight is a big supporter and he gets press for the goofy looks he puts on you.  But now you're spreading your plague to other teams and they're ruining classic uniforms.


Butt Ugly Bulldogs



Georgia - What the hell was that atrocity you put on opening night against Boise State? I'm talking about the uniforms right now, not your terrible play against the Broncos in what was essentially a home game for the Bulldogs.  I like Head Coach Mark Richt, but he probably needs to be fired if he doesn't have the power to stop whoever had the idea to put those awful things on a tradition-rich program like Georgia. 

Oklahoma State - Your new uniform combinations aren't edgy.  Having 48 different combinations of colors and logos isn't cool; it's confusing.  Your program has been good and nearing very good for the last few years.  You have an exciting offense.  You should be trying to establish your brand, not making people try to figure out what exactly it is.  For help on this, check out Coca-Cola.  That logo hasn't changed in nearly 100 years and they're known worldwide.  Or just try looking across the state at how Oklahoma does things.  I bet I can count their uniform combinations on one hand and still have a finger or two left over.



Turtle Shell Helmet



Maryland - I don't even know where to begin with these things.  First, you have the warm-up helmets with the turtle shell design.  All right, kind of quaint, but also sort of stealing the TCU Horned Frogs scaled helmet style, so not real original.  Oh, but for game time, you decide to bring an explosion of color to the helmet, taking part of the Maryland flag and putting it on the helmet, then letting some of it run down to the shoulders, a little more going down to those players who wanted to wear sleeves and then capping it off with shoes only a pimp would be caught dead wearing.  These things are a mess and I can't believe that impressionable 17-18 year-olds who are looking to play collegiate football are lining up to go to Maryland after seeing those outfits on Monday night.  I took away from the game that the University of Maryland has opened a new clown college and free costumes are available for those on the football team. 



My eyes..it burns...it burns!!!

Apparently, there is no one overseeing the creation of uniforms anymore, so I'm electing myself to the post.  And I'll start with some rules:

1. If you are one of the classic teams of college football, you don't get to run through the tunnel onto the field wearing something that looks like it was created by a kid with a 64-count box of Crayons after he just finished off a pound of Snickers and washed it down with a 44oz Mountain Dew Slurpee.  I'm looking at you specifically here, Georgia.  Follow the lead of Oklahoma, Penn State, USC, Nebraska, UCLA, etc.  You're better than that and you don't need to be gimmicky.
2. If you are one of the classic teams of college football, and you get a wild hair up your ass that you want to be like everyone else with another jersey to sell, at least do it right.  That means it has a reason for existing and you don't get to trot it out every other week.  LSU's all white helmet and uniform with the pelicans (state bird) on the shoulder after Katrina is acceptable.  Notre Dame breaking out the green jerseys for a big rivalry game every now and then is okay as well, though it seems like they've come out a lot more lately.  Ohio State's throwback uniforms with the even bigger numbers on them are fine.  Even South Carolina's semi-camouflage uniform with names on the back replaced by "Duty", "Courage", "Honor", etc. is okay, since the basic color style of the uniform remains the same.
3. If you're a team who is relatively new to the college football hierarchy, get a logo and color scheme down and stick with it.  I'm looking at you now, Boise State and TCU.  Quit changing up your helmet color scheme, quit changing the logo on the side of the helmet.  You have a logo...embrace it, identify with it, love it.



Helmet modification done corrrectly

4. Exception to the helmet/logo rule above is for classic bowl games and if you're able to do something unique using the bowl logo and your own.  TCU, you did an incredible job with your helmet last year in the Rose Bowl with the Horned Frog holding a rose in his teeth.  Without a doubt, my favorite helmet of all time.  Other schools, you're allowed to do something like this as well, provided the bowl logo and your logo work together.  Examples of acceptable combinations:
   
   Any school in the Rose Bowl with initials on the side of their helmet can use the rose through it (Nebraska, Washington, UCLA).
   
   Schools without a logo on the side of their helmet can have a small bowl logo on the back of their helmet (Penn State, Notre Dame, Michigan).  You cannot put one on the side.
   
   Schools in a bowl game that has not been around at least 25 years may not use the bowls logo in any way on their helmet.  No Arkansas Razorback eating at the Beef O'Brady logo; no Iowa Hawkeye munching on a piece of Little Caesar's Pizza.
5. No shoes that give people a headache to look at or cause them to try and adjust the brightness/contrast of their television.  I didn't get HD to have my eyes seared out by the neon yellow oregon shoes.  This also includes: Fire Engine Red, Nuclear Orange, anything with the state flag on it.  You get to wear black, white, your primary color or your secondary color.

EcoKat and Willie the Wildcat

Finally, the last little piece of idiocy comes from Kansas State and their mascot EcoKat.  The idea may have been nice (a "Green" competition against in-state rival Kansas), the execution was terrible and justifiably ridiculed.  Anyone who knows me, knows I love the 80's, and while EcoKat has that 80's hair down and that "Wonder Twins powers, activate!" design, and she might actually be kind of hot under that costume, she has no place being in the same location as Willie the Wildcat. 

So, now that we've gotten the first week jitters out of the way and realize that drinking a bottle of Jager with a chaser of Boone's Farm Watermelon wasn't such a good idea, let's stop the stupidity and get back to the game on the field.

Picks for Opening Weekend of 2011

Every week I'll pick 3 to 4 games for recreational purposes only.  There's a lot of ugly games on the schedule this week with a lot of the major teams playing some sort of directional school that you won't hear about again until the opening weekend of next year (or week 2 in the SEC).  So, let's get it started with some of the better games on the slate this weekend.

TCU -4 at Baylor - The Horned Frogs lost quarterback Andy Dalton to the NFL, but they still have head coach Gary Patterson and running back Ed Wesley and a ferocious defense led by Rose Bowl hero Tank Carder.  They might not be perfect this year, but they'll extend the winning streak against the Bears.

Oregon -3.5 LSU - The Ducks got a look at an SEC defense in the BCS Championship last year and that will pay off this year.  If this was at Death Valley at night, I'd lean towards the Tigers, but at a neutral site the edge is with the Ducks.  LSU's defense should be exceptional this year, but the quarterback position will be spotty and the Ducks will roll.  Bonus in this game will be the cheerleaders on both sidelines as both teams have top 10 talent patrolling the sidelines.

Boise State -3 at Georgia - The idea that this is a neutral site game is a bit of a joke and it's the second straight year that the Broncos have gone east to a neutral site game that is really a home game for their opponent.  They came out smoking last year against Virgina Tech before cooling off and having to rally against the Hokies for the win.  With Kellen Moore back at quarterback and Doug Martin at running back, the offense will put up the points and the defense, which is overlooked every year, will be nasty again.  The grumbling to get rid of Bulldog coach Mark Richt will heat up after this game and a loss to South Carolina next week will really make it tough on Georgia.

at USC -23.5 Minnesota - You might hate him, especially if you're a Volunteer fan, but Lane Kiffin has done an amazing job of recruiting with the sanctions imposed on them.  The Golden Gophers are not very good and like most Big Ten teams who travel west to take on the Trojans, they won't fare well.  USC only won by 11 last year at Minnesota, but that was a little misleading as the Gophers scored a meaningless touchdown with 11 seconds left.  In Southern California, the Trojans roll.

UCLA 2011

I started this blog last year with the first post being a forecast of the UCLA Bruins' upcoming season.  And since College Football basks in tradition, I'll start this year off the same way.  The Bruins always intrigue me as to why they can't seem to get the talent that other Pac-12 schools get or when they do get it, why they can't do anything with it.  Last year, I picked them to go 3-9 with a seven-game losing streak to end the season.  They finished 4-8, losing 6 of their last 7...I finished 9-3 picking their games.  So, once again, if you're just looking to play the money line, here's my picks for UCLA in 2011:

at Houston - Win - A tough one, with the return of Case Keenum for the Cougars, but the Bruins generally don't lose out of conference games (though Neuheisel is changing that perception: see Kansas State, Fresno State the last couple of years).

San Jose State - Win - Bruins get a win that has a score that's misleading.  Spartans will hang in there for awhile but will eventually wear out and UCLA will pull away. 

Texas - Loss - I don't know what to expect from the Longhorns.  They have now lost the last two games against the Bruins by a combined score of 100-15 (yeah, there were a few years between meetings).  I'm picking Texas to finally figure out a team that is less talented than them and get some payback for the pain they caused this poor girl.

at Oregon State - Loss - Bruins struggle in Oregon and this year will be no exception.  Fortunately for them, they get the Oregon team that didn't hang 60 on them last year.

at Stanford - Loss - Andrew Luck is too good to get beat by a Bruin defense that will be breaking in a number of new players and the Cardinal will look to pound it on the ground.  Stanford by two touchdowns.

Washington State - Win - By a quirk of the new Pac-12, Washington State gets to come to sunny California two years in a row.  Bruins win to get their record even at 3-3.  Like last year, this game will be the high-water mark for UCLA.  Enjoy .500, it's about to get ugly again.

at Arizona - Loss - The Wildcats look fairly solid this year.  I'll take the solid team over the team Neuheisel referred to in spring practice as "a bunch of guys".

Cal - Loss - I don't have a feel one way or another on how Cal will do this year but can't see them losing to their little brother in this one.

Arizona State - Loss - The Sun Devils appear ready to make a run at the Pac-12 title.  Of course, they've looked ready before and then spun out of control like a freshman girl at her first Halloween kegger.

at Utah - Loss - Depending on how Utah does in their first conference game against USC, I can see them winning the South and meeting Oregon in the first Pac-12 Championship game.  Think new Utah Offensive Coordinator Norm Chow will enjoy some payback at the expense of the Bruins?

Colorado - Win - The Buffaloes are bad and are the only reason the Bruins aren't picked to finish last in the Pac-12 South.  This could be the type of game where you're hoping the station is going to interrupt it with Cheerleader Championships.  If people are grumbling about Neuheisel at this point in the season, the distractions may prove too much and they'll lose this game.

at USC - Loss - When Neuheisel arrived at UCLA he made the bold statement that "The football monopoly in Los Angeles is officially over".  I think they misquoted him and he meant to say "The football monopoly in Los Angeles is officially over there" as he pointed toward USC.  Another loss to their rivals and this will be the one that signals the end of Rick Neuheisel's career at UCLA.

A repeat of last year's 4-8 finish.  I'm not sure how Coach Rick Neuheisel can keep his job with another year like this.  He's currently 15-27 in three seasons and has never finished higher than 8th in the Pac-10.  His predecessor, Karl Dorrell, while not a great coach at least went 35-27 and never finished lower than 5th.

At least we can take some joy from the top-tier talent that the Bruins are still able to get to cheer their team on.  "Every man, woman and child...I want an 8-Clap..."

What We Learned From The Bowls

Another college football season has come to an end, another SEC team has been crowned the National Champion, another undefeated team didn't get a chance to play for the title.  So what did we learn from the 35-bowl game orgy over the past few weeks?

New Mexico Bowl, BYU vs UTEP - We learned that UTEP showed why 6-6 teams don't deserve a bowl berth over an 8-4 Temple team who would have made a better showing than the disinterested Miners.

Humanitarian, Northern Illinois vs Fresno St - We watched the Huskies make a statement for the MAC in routing the Bulldogs and Fresno Coach Pat Hill has to wonder why he can't beat non-automatic qualifiers in bowl games...

New Orleans, Troy vs Ohio - ...and then Ohio turned around and handed all that good feeling for the MAC that Northern Illinois got earlier in the day by getting blown out by a Sun Belt team.

Beef 'O' Brady, Louisville vs So Miss - We saw that Coach Charlie Strong might be able to do good things with Louisville...until a bigger program lures him away.  And for those on the west coast, we found out what a Beef 'O' Brady was (a family-friendly Irish Pub-themed restaurant that doesn't serve hard alcohol.  Not very Irish-authentic in my book if you don't have whiskey).

Las Vegas, Boise St vs Utah - We reaffirmed that Boise State was a pretty damn good team this year and got the shaft from the BCS by being relegated to the Las Vegas Bowl.

Poinsettia, San Diego St vs Navy - We learned that San Diego State was very good under Coach Brady Hoke.  So good, in fact, that Michigan decided he was the person to turn their program around.  Aztecs...say, "Hello" to obscurity again.

Hawaii, Hawaii vs Tulsa - We saw a team from Tulsa apparently avoid the $1 Mai-Tai's and come to play football, destroying a 10-win Hawaii team.

Little Caesars Pizza, Toledo vs Florida Int'l - We saw that two schools most people don't care about can still play one hell of an entertaining game.

Independence, Air Force vs Georgia Tech - We watched two option teams cause televisions across the country to turn off as they played a snoozer of a game.

Champs Sports, West Virginia vs NC State - We learned that Tom O'Brien still knows how to win bowl games, whether it's at Boston College or at North Carolina State.

Insight, Missouri vs Iowa - We learned Iowa wasn't as bad as they appeared this year and Missouri wasn't as good as they seemed this year. 

Military, Maryland vs East Carolina - We learned that Maryland thinks they can get a better coach than Ralph Friedgen (who won 9 games this year).  Ummm, Maryland?  You're not National Championship caliber and haven't been for a long, long time.  Enjoy the 8-to-9 win seasons and a coach who loves your school.

Texas, Baylor vs Illinois - We watched Ron Zook win a bowl game.  Let that sink in.

Alamo, Oklahoma St vs Arizona - We learned that Oklahoma State was pretty good and that the Pac-10 was extremely top heavy.

Armed Forces, SMU vs Army - We watched a bunch of players who won't ever play beyond the collegiate level beat an offensive guru.

New Era Pinstripe, Kansas St vs Syracuse - We learned that a crew of officials can take all the joy out of an incredible comeback and cost a team a chance for a miracle ending.

Music City, North Carolina vs Tennessee - We watched the Volunteers again lose a game at the end on a crazy play with far too many people on the field (was that a Stanford trombone player down at the 5-yard line?).  The second best bowl game of the year, in my opinion.

Holiday, Nebraska vs Washington - We learned that a team who wants to be there (Washington) can beat a team who doesn't care about being there (Nebraska).  The biggest embarrassment of the bowl season.

Meinke Car Care, Clemson vs South Florida - Too little, too late for Clemson as the late game scores only made it appear close.  The Bulls completely dominated the Tigers.

Sun, Miami vs Notre Dame - If this was the mid-80's, this would have been a great game.  In 2010, not so much.  And how far has Miami QB Jacory Harris regressed?

Liberty, Georgia vs UCF - The second biggest embarrassment of the bowl season.  Two field goals for an SEC team?  UCF deserved this game and Georgia was awful.

Chick-fil-A, South Carolina vs Florida St - Stephen Garcia went back to being Stephen Garcia and the Seminoles took advantage of all those turnovers.  Of course, losing Marcus Lattimore on the first series of the game didn't help things for the Gamecocks.

Ticket City, Texas Tech vs Northwestern - Ahhh, the high point of the Big Ten's New Year's Day.  Northwestern came storming back from a huge deficit to make it close.  And that's the highlight for the Big Ten on Black Saturday.

Outback, Florida vs Penn St - Five interceptions by your starting quarterback will make anyone older and Joe Paterno doesn't need that. Big Ten 0-2.

Capital One, Alabama vs Michigan St - You thought you deserved the Rose Bowl bid, Sparty?  How about Alabama pulling their starters with TEN MINUTES left in the third quarter?  Big Ten 0-3.

Gator, Mississippi St vs Michigan - Big Ten hits rock bottom as the second Michigan school of the day is absolutely trounced by a mediocre offense.  Coach Rich Rodriguez maybe had a chance for one more year with a win or a close loss.  This blowout assured him of getting fired.

Rose, TCU vs Wisconsin - The best bowl game of the year, in my opinion.  TCU rose up and completed the Big Ten's perfect day by knocking off the big, powerful Badgers from Wisconsin.  TCU and their fans were gracious and joyous at the Rose Bowl experience and were the class of the bowl season.  Also, the helmets with the Horned Frog holding a rose in his teeth was the best of the year.  And those TCU cheerleaders...definitely Top 5.  And Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee....who is it that plays the Little Sisters of the Poor?  After your conference's outstanding New Year's Day showing, you may want to keep your cake hole shut and maybe schedule some non-cupcakes out of conference so that when you play real teams, you might put up a fight.

Fiesta, Oklahoma vs Connecticut - Yay! The Sooners won a BCS Bowl game!  And no one cared.

Orange, Stanford vs Virginia Tech - We saw that a blowout can still be entertaining when a team is performing as well as Stanford did at the Orange Bowl.

Sugar, Ohio St vs Arkansas - We learned, as if we didn't already know, that the almighty dollar drives the NCAA, as the "Tattoo Five" are allowed to play in the bowl game but are suspended for the first five games of next season.  Coach Tressel lost a lot of respect in my book for not standing up to the Sugar Bowl, Ohio State and the Big Ten and suspending those players for the game.

GoDaddy.com, Miami (OH) vs Middle Tennessee State - Danica Patrick on the sidelines isn't a bad thing.

Cotton, LSU vs Texas A&M - An entertaining game absolutely ruined by the terrible Fox announcers.  These guys have no clue how to call a college football game and just need to go away.  And the Cotton Bowl needs to be back on New Year's Day and part of the BCS.

BBVA Compass, Pitt vs Kentucky - We learned that a team who loses it's coach, but still wants to play for him, can still get it done.  Here's hoping Pitt wises up and realizes the problem wasn't Coach Wanstache, but that it's AD Petersen (contact Nebraska for references).

Kraft Fight Hunger, Nevada vs Boston College - We learned that Kraft's most important food product for fighting hunger, at least in order of mention, is Oreos.  And then Macaroni and Cheese.

BCS Championship, Auburn vs Oregon - We reaffirmed that when tempo teams have almost 40 days off between games they play a sluggish, stop-and-start game that while close and exciting lacked the pop and sizzle these two teams displayed throughout the regular season.  And we'll learn in the coming years, if Auburn has to vacate this title and all their wins from this year, will they give the title to Oregon since they only lost on a last second field goal (not like Oklahoma's historic blowout loss to USC where you couldn't give the trophy to the Sooners without everyone laughing hysterically).