These are based on the choices given for the football pool I'm in. They sometimes don't include the most obvious games, but the goal is so each entrant must do some research/guessing themselves rather than relying on “expert” picks.
MIDDLE TENN
STATE
VS UL LAFAYETTE
STANFORD VS
USC
WISCONSIN VS
OSU
SOUTH CAROLINA VS TENNESSEE
WASHINGTON VS ARIZONA
CALIFORNIA VS
UCLA
UTAH VS OREGON STATE
COLORADO STATE VS
UNLV
GEORGIA VS FLORIDA
TULSA VS SMU
BOWLING
GREEN VS KENT
MARYLAND VS BOSTON COLLEGE
LOUISVILLE VS SYRACUSE
WEST VIRGINIA VS RUTGERS
PENN STATE VS ILLINOIS
NEBRASKA VS MICHIGAN STATE
CLEMSON VS GEORGIA
TECH
AUBURN(-10 ½) VS MISSISSIPPI
I didn't do a post-game wrap-up last week due to time constraints (I like to pretend I have a life) but I had my worst week of the season. I can't remember what my record was but it was dismal and I slipped from #3 to #4. I need a good week so I looked over everything carefully for this week's picks. Part of the problem is that it's the middle of the season and we're starting to see some teams improve and others slip, which is expected, but it makes things a bit unpredictable. I also didn't go out on a limb with some of my picks when I wanted to, I was just too chicken. I'm hoping to get my mojo back this week so let's get to it...
MIDDLE TENN STATE VS UL LAFAYETTE: I can't quite articulate my reasoning for this pick, likely because I have none, but by simply looking at UL's record vs Middle Tennessee's I came to this conclusion.
WISCONSIN VS OSU: I wish I could pick Ohio State, especially since they'll be sporting the 2011 Nike Pro Combat Uni's, but I don't feel I should go out on a limb here. I actually think there's a chance the game could be closer than expected, but OSU just doesn't have a balanced offense and really can only run the ball. They couldn't beat Wisconsin last year with Terrell Pryor and the rest of the tattoo gang, so I don't see how it could happen this year even at home.
SOUTH CAROLINA VS TENNESSEE: With Tennessee's starting QB out with a broken thumb and a very shaky senior backup QB, they now have to resort to a redshirt freshman whose only experience was against Alabama in the fourth quarter...and that was basically to hand the ball off to someone else, he hasn't thrown a pass yet. But South Carolina isn't without their season-ending injuries either with their all-American RB out with a torn ACL and their senior left tackle done for the season with a back injury, but these aren't as detrimental as having to resort to an unproven freshman at QB. And with South Carolina's defense being 7th in the nation and 18th in scoring defense that's pretty strong.
CALIFORNIA VS UCLA: UCLA will have four wide receivers out due to suspensions for their involvement in a fight during the Arizona game. Their QB is good at the pass but isn't the best runner, while Cal is good at defending the run. I think with the suspensions and deficit's in UCLA's running department I have to go with Cal.
UTAH VS OREGON STATE: I struggled with this one, but I think Oregon State's defense will have trouble with Utah's running game, especially with their 334 lb defensive tackle Castro Masaniai out with a broken leg, and Utah is favored at home. It could go either way though because Utah's starting QB is injured and their backup QB is interception prone. Still, I'm going with the home team advantage.
TULSA VS SMU: I'm picking SMU because I've re-reviewed all of my picks looking for potential upsets and this was the only other one I could pick with any degree of confidence. Tulsa is only favored by 2 1/2 for their homecoming and they have a tough time defending against the pass, meanwhile the reason for SMU's loss last week to Southern Miss was because of an effective defense against the pass. With that difference I'm going out on a limb for the underdog.
GEORGIA VS FLORIDA: Oh I don't know, Georgia I guess. They're pretty good and Florida's starting QB John Brantley is returning after a high ankle sprain, which is supposed to be tough to recover from. But Florida is also due for a win...I'm still guessing Georgia though.
AUBURN(-10 ½) VS MISSISSIPPI: I don't have a lot of confidence in this pick, I never do when it comes to picking the spread...which is why I don't bet!
Games I’m Most Likely to Watch If I Don’t Have Anything Better to Do
This
section lists the games I’ll likely watch if I don’t get distracted by
something else. I have A.D.D., so it’s not that I don’t want to watch
these games but sometimes my brain has other ideas.
WISCONSIN VS
OSU: Maybe? Just maybe?
SOUTH CAROLINA VS TENNESSEE: Probably will be a good SEC game.
GEORGIA VS FLORIDA: Another good SEC game.
NEBRASKA VS MICHIGAN STATE: This will be one interesting game, at least for the first half if Nebraska's can hold up that long.
These are the games I have no interest in whatsoever and would find more torturous to watch than taking up stamp collecting.
WISCONSIN VS
OSU: If it gets ugly I won't be able to watch for long.
AUBURN(-10 ½) VS MISSISSIPPI: I always hate watching games where I have to pick the spread, if the make the spread it's a boring game, if they beat the spread and I picked against that it just ticks me off. I just don't need that hassle in my life!
*These are always subject to change because football can be as
unpredictable as a herd of cats and any game could become unexpectedly
interesting...also, I often do not have control of the remote.
This is the section where I talk about the stuff annoying me this week related to college football...or not.
Boise State joining the Big East: Okay, choosing a conference 2000 miles away. Seriously? Wouldn't it have made a lot more sense to join say, the Pac 12? Or the Big 12? Or maybe even making a stop at the SEC before you hit the Atlantic ocean? It would if you were serious about proving yourself rather than flying across the country because you know you can't sustain any kind of record against tough teams week in and week out. Let's see now, how many ranked teams are in the BCS from each major conference? The Big 12: 7. The SEC: 8. The Big Ten: 5. The Big East: A big fat ONE, basically an honorable mention...you know, the sticker you get for just showing up. And that team barely made the cut at #25. Sure, they'll beat plenty of these teams, it's their specialty to dominate sub-par conferences then whine that they should be playing with the big boys. But it will be interesting when they have an upset from the likes of Syracuse or Cincinnati, especially when they're flying all over the country every other week. But the worst part will be being subjected to Lake Boise on TV more frequently. I cannot watch anything on that field, my eyes would never forgive me.
Players blowing their big chance: A lot of that going on these days, a local high school player pulled a prank that could've endangered a teacher. He's the #2 recruit in the nation and in his senior year, he's suspended and may get expelled. I'm guessing it was a dumb teenage mistake but it involved putting something in a teacher's drink...and she's pregnant. This will not be an irrecoverable error but the older you get the bigger the consequences for mistakes, as we've seen with many college level players.
Luke Fickell's tough position: I still feel for this guy, here he's in a dream job and it just can't last, but God bless him for stepping up to the plate. I totally admire him and his heart.
The End
The End
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