I'm spreading frosting over my week 5 cupcake selections

Last week was a bad week for college football.  There was only one top 25 match up with Arizona State playing Stanford.  Talk about cupcake central.  Excluding the Notre Dame/Michigan State and Michigan/UConn games, the average margin of victory for the rest of the teams in the top 25 was 39 points.  Are you kidding me?  When you have four teams that score 70 plus points, makes for some boring games.  Thank goodness the schedule will be more competitive for this weekend.  But, don't worry cupcake lovers; there are more of those asinine games yet to come.  Alabama has two left on its schedule with Georgia State and the University of Tennessee (the Chattanooga high school branch).  By far, the SEC has the most cupcake games of any conference yet to be played.

 Last week, my main rant was on the great (cough, cough) job by the officials.  They continue to screw up calls, even with instant replay; just ask any Auburn fan.  By the way, that crew that called the Auburn/LSU game was the same crew that called the Alabama/Texas A&M game.  At least that crew is consistent, they screw up something every game.  The refs that called the Marshall/Virginia Tech game must have been water logged with two blown calls during the three overtimes.  They just wanted to get off the field because of the hard rain.  And, finally, how about the refs that called the Utah/BYU game.  I just love that bogus holding call that cost BYU a touchdown on a punt return.  I knew that I had seen those refs somewhere the week before.  Guess where that crew was the week before.  That same crew was responsible for the Wisconsin/Arizona State mishap, at the end of the game. 

Finally, some of these announcers for these college games are borderline ridiculous.  They forget down and distance, numbers don't match the names, being objective isn't part of their vocabulary, so forth and so on.  Take the goobers that called the Marshall/Va. Tech game (I only watched the last minute of regulation and the OT's); after the second OT was finished, the play-by-play analyst stated that at least the kickers would be taken out of the equation.  Are you serious?  Note to this genius:  The kickers could have kicked a field goal if it was needed.  It doesn't say that you have to go for touchdowns only, after the second overtime is finished.  It states that you must go for two points if a touchdown is scored; field goals are still allowed.

 Moving on.  Last week, I went 8-2, with 46 points.  For the season, the record stands at 29-11 with 173 points and 95.2% on the pick'em slate.  Time to spread the frosting on these easy cupcake (yea right) selections for this weekend.

 Stanford (10) vs Washington State @ Seattle - Seems like a lot of people are jumping on the Mike Leach bandwagon; unfortunately, I'm not one of them.  The difference in this game will be the defensive front seven for Stanford against an inexperienced offensive line of WSU.  The front seven for Stanford consist of six seniors or fifth year seniors and one junior.  Last year, they sacked the Cougar quarterback 10 times.  Look for more of the same in this game.  The Cardinal over the Cougars, 37-13.

 Ole Miss @ Alabama (9) - This series dates back to 1894.  Can anyone guess how many times Ole Miss has beaten Alabama in the state of Alabama?  Its only happened ONCE.  That lone loss came in 1988; it was Alabama's homecoming game which ended 22-10, in favor of the Rebels.  As if Alabama needed any further inspiration, Bo Wallace (QB for the Rebels), has been running his yapper comparing himself to Johnny Manziel.  He also stated that his receivers are better than A&M's.  We will see.  Under Saban, when Alabama rushes for more than 140 yards a game, they are undefeated.  I like Bama's chances of running past the 140 yard mark against this edition of the Rebels; Tide over Ole Miss, 33-17.

 Texas A&M (8) - @ Arkansas - How fast can Johnny run?  Arkansas will find out on Saturday.  Arkansas may keep it close for a quarter; but, after that, I think that A&M will put the foot on the gas pedal.  The Hogs defense gave up 21 points in the last 17 minutes of the Rutgers game.  That would probably equate to 35 points for the Aggies.  Look for A&M to bring home the bacon, some Boston butts, and a couple slabs of ribs with the ultimate BBQ of the Hogs, 41-24.

 Wisconsin @ Ohio State (7) - Badgers and the Buckeyes at the Shoe.  My only concern in this contest is that Urban Meyer is going to have Braxton Miller start at QB.  I thought that the other guy was doing pretty good; oh well.  That's why Urban gets paid the big bucks.  Defensively, this game is a draw; it's on the "O" where I think that the Bucknuts are a little ahead of Wisconsin, just enough for a 30-21 win.

 South Carolina (6) @ Central Florida - Spurrier has a week off to get things ironed out for his roosters.  Combine that with the fact that UCF might still be on cloud nine after that win over Penn State, is the main reason why I like the yard birds to beat the Knights here.  Also, Spurrier is 21-0 against out of conference non BCS teams while at South Carolina.  Eventhough the Knights are officially in a BCS conference, does it really matter.  It might; however, I still like the Ole Ball Coach's chances in this game; chickens over the horses, 29-17.

 Oklahoma (5) @ Notre Dame - By now, everyone that hasn't been in a cave with Rip Van Winkle for the past 20 years, knows that Oklahoma is 1-9, against Notre Dame.  So what.  Before last year's NC game, Alabama was 1-4, against the stinking Irish; and, we all know what happened to that trend.  Same situation will occur here come Saturday.  I just hope that Stoops hasn't over prepared for this game.  I hope so; Sooners over the Irish, 31-21.

 USC @ Arizona State (4) - I'm picking the Sun Devils in this game for two reasons.  First they are the better overall team; and, second, they have played better competition.  Southern Cal has played nobody, and lost one of those games to Washington State at home.  USC's offense is very offensive, and will not be able to keep up with ASU's offense.  Sun Devils over the Trojans, 30-24.

 Iowa (3) @ Minnesota - The gophers may be 4-0; nevertheless, they haven't played anybody.  Come to think of it, neither has Iowa.  Iowa did manage to beat Iowa State which killed Tulsa, last night.  I can't come up with anything else.  Hawkeyes over Minnyhaha in an ugly game, 23-20.

 LSU @ Georgia (2) - Keeping it short and sweet on this one.  Eighty percent of the talking heads at ES(know it all)PN, are flapping their gums at how good this LSU team is, and how they are going to have too much defense for Georgia to overcome.  That's fine by me.  I just hope that Georgia only has to play LSU and not the officials, as well.  The last time they played between the hedges, Georgia was called for an unsportsman like penalty, after Green made a touchdown to tie the game.  As a result, LSU had a great return with little time left on the clock; and they scored to win the game.  Clearly, the refs blew that call, costing Georgia any chances of winning that game.  As for this game, I'll take the Dawg Pound to cage the Tigers, in a close one, 29-26.

 Northern Illinois (1) @ Purdue - And finally, to the "Who Cares" game of the week.  Purdue has been terrible with their only win over a FCS team, Indiana State.  Meanwhile, the Huskies have beaten Iowa, and would love to add another B1G feather to its cap.  They have a good chance of that occurring.  Huskies down a few Boilermakers, 35-31.

 Well, that does it again.  Sorry for the delay.  As usual, tread at your own risk; since there seems to be one particular Einstein that says that I don't know anything about college football.  Note to that idiot, unlike yourself, I never have claimed that I did.  As for the rest of you that matter, have a great and safe weekend and enjoy the games.  Roll Tide. Jljmbaker

I'm "officially" throwing the gauntlet down with my week 4 selections

As usual, I always try to work in a theme from week to week before trying to pick the games.  Last week, I listed five coaches who I believed were on the hot seat.  The only one that I will remove (as bad as I hate to do this), is Terry Bowden, the head coach at Akron.  His team took Michigan to the wire, and if the refs that were calling the game, had a backbone among them, they would have flagged Michigan for defensive holding on the last play.  Oh well. So it goes.  As far as the other four coaches on my list, they are staying put, especially Mack Brown.  I'm replacing one Pillsbury dough boy (Terry Bowden), with another Pillsbury dough boy, Charlie Weis of Kansas.  I've come to the conclusion that Weis isn't head cheese material, no matter where he coaches.

 

Now back to the Michigan/Akron game and the officials.  Last week was not a good week for the Zebras in general.  They blew that holding call (what should have been a holding call), on the last play of the Michigan/Akron game.  How about the Wisconsin/Arizona State game, in the last few seconds.  The refs allowed the ASU players to delay the game by standing over the ball, which basically allowed the clock to run out.  Heck the Wisconsin quarterback's knee never touched the ground; ASU should have been awarded the football by a fumble recovery.  In the Texas A&M/Alabama game, the refs threw a flag on a Tide defender that was going for the ball, stating that the Tide defender was targeting the A&M receiver's head.  Thank goodness for instant replay because a flag should never have been thrown on that play.  Pretty soon, the players are going to replace their shoulder pads with maxi pads.  This game is starting to look like powder puff football instead of tackle football.  For all of the good teams that we have in the SEC, there are only two officiating crews that do a respectable job from week to week.  They are led by Hubert Owens' and Matt Austin's crew.  I cringe whenever I see Tom Ritter and his crew calling a game in which Alabama is playing in.  There are always questionable calls with that bunch.  Oh well, enough about the officials.  I'm sure all of you can name a few other calls that I have omitted.  Feel free to do so.   

 

As for last week, how about a big shout out for Celtic618 and his UCF Knights and their huge win in Happy Valley, over Penn State.  That's right iejoe951, they are the University of Central Florida Knights, and not FCU, as you posted earlier in the week.  By the way, how did that Texas A&M over Alabama prediction work out for you?

 

For those of you that might have missed it, iejoe951 had been crowing since Alabama played Virginia Tech, that Texas A&M and Johnny Football would WIPE THE FIELD (his words), against the Tide.  There were more than four occasions last week, where iejoe951 posted that Texas A&M would have too mush offense for Alabama to overcome; and, when push came to shove, who did this dipstick pick on his pick'em account; that's right, he chose Alabama with a confidence of four points.  You sir, have ZERO credibility (not that you care, mind you) on this board.  You have been exposed for the fraud that you are.  I may not agree with everything that Leehawk, Conwell, Celtic, Nottabugeater, Phillip and some of the other guys say; however, I applaud them for taking a stand and making their mark, and their allegiance to their respective teams.  Unlike you, who is all over the map, when it comes to your opinions about college football in general. 

 

Nough said, I can't believe I've wasted this much space on you.  Time to move on and pick some games.  Last week I went 8-2, with 48 style and profile points.  This week appears to be a tough one to navigate.  What the heck, let's jump right in; and, anchors away.  On to the comic relief portion of this report, also known as the selections.

 

Auburn @ LSU (10) - A lot of crazy things have happened when these two teams have met.  There was the earthquake game in LSU.  Tiger stadium was shaking so hard that the seismic instruments in the geology lab recorded tremors.  In Auburn, there was a barn that caught fire and burned while these two were playing each other.  Then there was the interception game back in the 90's, when LSU had Auburn dead to rights going into the fourth quarter, and, Auburn took multiple interceptions back for touchdowns to win a close game.  As far as this year's edition of Auburn/LSU, look for LSU to be more physical on both sides of the ball, especially on offense.  Meanwhile, Auburn is trying to find an identity for its offense.  After three games, it looks pretty vanilla.  Based on that situation, I'll take the Tigers (oops better be more specific), I'll take LSU over Auburn, 37-21.

 

Tennessee @ Florida (9) - Hanging nine points on this one; here's why.  After Florida takes Tennessee to the woodshed on Saturday, it will be the ninth straight win in a row for the Gators over the Vols.  Never mind that beat down that occurred in Eugene, last Saturday.  Right now, the Vols are on vapor after traveling to the left coast, and then having to travel again to the Swamp.  Butch Jones may eventually turn things around for the Vol faithful; however, Saturday it ain't happening.  BTW-I see where Tennessee returned 3500 tickets out of their alotment of 8000, for this game.  Seems like the people of Tennessee already know how this game is going to turn out.  Swamp people over Rocky Top, 27-10.

 

Arizona State @ Stanford (8) - If there is going to be an upset in my top three, this is where it will happen.  Stanford was a 35 point favorite to beat Army, last week.  Forget the line, they couldn't even score 35 points on the Cadets.  As for Arizona State, by now everyone knows, or should, about the crazy ending to their game with Wisconsin, last week.  Why do I feel so confident about Stanford over ASU?  Simple, the game is being played down on the farm, or in ASU's case, up on the farm.  Anyway you slice it, I like the Cardinal over Sun Devils, 34-24.

 

Utah @ BYU (7) - Utah has had BYU's number, winning the last three in a row, and eight of the last eleven in this series.  Talk about two teams that hate each other; and, they call this game The Holy War.  How about that.  Mormons vs Mormons.  Utes vs Cougars.  As for this contest, BYU took last week off in preparation to end Utah's current win streak.  If BYU plays like they did against Texas, the Cougars will win easily.  If the Cougar team that played Virginia, shows up for this contest, the Utes will make it four in a row.  With that being said, I like BYU's chances of ending the streak of losses against Utah; especially after the Utes lost a heart breaker in overtime, to Oregon State, last week.  Cougars win a thriller, 34-27.

 

North Carolina @ Georgia Tech (6) - I probably have this game too high on the confidence total.  Georgia Tech is another one of those Iowa teams that I seem to lose, no matter which side that I'm on.  The only reason that I'm on them is that the Yellow Jackets have won seven in a row at home over the Tar Heels.  If you don't like that stat, then flip a coin; Tech over UNC, 35-28.

 

Michigan State @ Notre Dame (5) - Can anyone believe this, I'm picking the Irish over Sparty.  Translation, you might need to consider Michigan State since I'm on the Dome.  Realistically, neither one of these teams have impressed anybody this season.  Should be an ugly game, whoever wins.  I still can't believe that I drank the kool-aid, I just hope that Jim Jones didn't spike it.  Irish over the Spartans, 21-17.

 

Utah State @ USC - (4) - Earlier in the week, I had Utah State and two points.  I have no idea as to why I changed my mind; nevertheless, the Trojans are my final answer.  In reality, Lane Kiffin has to win this game to keep his job alive.  The Kiffin meister lives on for another week of college football coaching.  The men of Troy over the Aggies, 31-28.

 

Wyoming (3) @ Air Force - Tough call here.  The Fly Boys have been grounded to a halt in recent weeks.  Their starting QB is still out; and, I can't get that Wyoming/Nebraska game out of my mind.  You know the one where the Cowboys nearly caught the Cornhuskers before losing, 37-34.  Any who, I'll take a chance that Falcon attack will be marginal at best; Wyoming over Air Force, 35-24.

 

Kansas State (2) @ Texas - When picking these tight games, I look for a trend that stands out.  In this contest, Kansas State has won five in a row going back to 2003, over the Longhorns; and, from what I've seen of Texas in the past two weeks, isn't going to get fixed anytime soon.  After this game, Mack Brown will probably be changing the OC next week.  Wildcats over the Horns, in a close one, 30-24.

 

Pittsburgh (1) @ Duke - And now, to the "who cares" game of the week.  The only thing that I know about this game, other than where it is being played, is that Duke's starting quarterback is injured, and not expected to play on Saturday.  That's enough for me, Panthers over the Blue Devils, 28-24.

 

Alas, another one bites the dust.  Remember, tread at your own risk.  Also, if you study long, you study wrong; go with your first impression.  You are just as good as the next person, and certainly better than some of these jokers that get paid to spew their knowledge.  Well, that's it.  In the words of Jimmy Buffett, I'm off to see the lizard, and It's five o'clock somewhere.  Enjoy the games and have a safe weekend.  Until later, Roll Tide.

 

Jljmbaker

 

Week Three pick'em reviews

Two weeks into the season and talk is rampant of coaches on the hot seat.  I know you have your list of candidates, as do I.  My top five consist of Lane Kiffin, Mack Brown, Kirk Ferentz, Terry Bowden, and Bobby Hauck.

 

Lane Kiffin, where do I start.  How about with the late Al Davis.  Everyone, including myself, thought that Davis was off his rocker when he came out with his comments after he fired Lane Kiffin, saying he was a flat out liar.  Turns out that Al Davis was spot on with his assessment of Kiffin.  Take into account how he left Tennessee after just one season for the USC job, and it was easy to tell that Kiffin and controversy seemed to go hand-in-hand.  Now, in his fourth season at USC, the wheels seem to be falling off the wagon, especially with last week's loss to Washington State.  I'd day that what goes around comes back around; and, when Pat Hayden eventually fires Kiffin this year, the circle will be complete.  When fans start adding "Kiffin" to the right of the words "Fire Lane," you just know that the end is near.  Also, when the attendance was 15,000 short of a full house for the home opener last week, how many empty seats will there be for this week's contest with Boston College.  USC will be lucky to have the stadium at 50 to 60 percent full. 

 

Mack Brown - The year started out with so much promise; and after two weeks, and an utter embarrassing loss to BYU, Brown is feeling the heat.  So what does he do, he tries to deflect the heat by firing his defensive coordinator.  Note to Mack:  You had better beat Ole Miss this weekend, as well as everyone else coming into the Oklahoma game; and if you lose the OU game, it had better be a close one.  Otherwise, your time will be up as the Longhorn head cheese.

 

Kirk Ferentz - Can you name another coach who makes as much money as this joker does (3.65 million per year), and does less.  I didn't think so.  For Iowa, the dilemma is simple, Ferentz is signed to this contract through the 2020 season.  OUCH, that's a lot of cheese.  Still, I think that if this season continues to be a train wreck, Iowa will find a way to buy out his remaining contract.  For Ferentz to survive this season, he must win at least eight games.  As of now, I don't see eight wins with the schedule that is left for the Hawkeyes.

 

Terry Bowden - Bowden was supposed to be the savior for Akron and be able to breathe life into the Zips football program.  In his first season (last year), he went 1-11, and the year before that, Akron went 1-11.  In order for Bowden to to make it to another season, he will need to at least break even, this year.  He's currently 1-1; however, last week's squeaker over Dolly (James) Madison, an FCS school, 35-33, leaves him on shaky ground at best.

 

Bobby Hauck - This one I think is a done deal.  He will finish the season, and be fired at the end.  I don't care if it is UNLV, this is his fourth season and his record is 6-34.  End of story

 

Now, on to the fun part of this diatribe.  Last week, I went 6-4, with 34 points; however, I failed to change my pick on the sheet from Houston to Temple, so in reality, and by the grace of God, I officially went 7-3, with 37 profile points.  Even the gift didn't help that much; but at this point, I'll take anything positive.  Without further adieu; chuckle, chuckle.

 

Tennessee @ Oregon (10) - Two weeks into the football season and there are only two unbeaten teams left in the SEC East, and Tennessee is one of them; Missouri is the other.  After this week, there will be only one unbeaten left in the East because Missouri has an open date.  Let's face it, Tennessee isn't leaving Eugene with a win.  In my opinion, the Ducks are the best team on the planet, where college football is concerned.  Come Saturday, the Volunteer faithful will revert back and say :"wait till next year;" like they always do.  The Ducks swim away; and rather fast I might add, with a victory over Tennessee, 52-19.

 

Vandy @ South Carolina (9) - The ole ball coach isn't losing two in a row, count on it.  Plus, we are talking Vanderbilt here.  I do realize that Franklin has done more than a credible job for the Commodores; but, stroking out a victory over a bunch of angry gamecocks ain't happening, at least not this week.  Look for Spurrier's team to trounce Vandy, 38-21.

 

Louisville (8) @ Kentucky - Cardinals vs the Wildcats, or should I say the Mildcats.  If we were talking basketball, I'd say that Kentucky might be up to the occasion; but, since it's football, no way.  The Cardinals have too much fire power on both sides of the ball.  Look for Teddybear Bridgewater to add another notch in his belt as he marches towards New York to accept the Heisman trophy.  The Ville over Kentucky, 38-17.

 

Mississippi State @ Auburn (7) - What does 1 year/10 months/and 14 days, have in common with Auburn:  It's the last time that Auburn won an SEC game; which by the way was over the other school in the SEC from Mississippi, Ole Miss.  Time for the Tigers to step up to the plate and gain some respectability.  If they can keep the turnovers at two or less, they will win this game.  I just hope that the Eagle doesn't have a repeat performance of what happened the last time Mississippi State came a calling.  Ole Spirit crashed into the window of one of the sky boxes while circling the stadium during its pre-game ritual.  Tigers over the Dogs, 31-23.

 

Ole Miss @ Texas (6) - What the heck was that last week in Provo, Utah.  Now, that's what I call a train wreck.  This is the same Texas team that killed Ole Miss in Oxford, last year by a score of 66-31.  Mack better have that train back on the track, or he can start packing and working on his retiring address.  As for Ole Miss, I believe that the Rebels will keep the score a little closer than last year's; nevertheless, in the end, the Longhorns might just find a way to squeeze out a victory.  Mack sure hopes that they do.  Horns over Mississippi, 37-27.

 

UCLA (5) @ Nebraska - The Bruins have had a bye week coming into this contest with the Cornhuskers.  Let's face it, Nebraska's "D" isn't scaring anybody.  I saw where Notabugeater referred to the infamous Black shirts as the Pink shirts (Nebraska's defense).  Last year, I picked Nebraska to win at UCLA and lost, so this year, I'll take UCLA to win at Nebraska; which means I'll lose again.  Anyway, if the same defense for Nebraska shows up that played in the Wyoming game, it will be a long day for the Cornhuskers.  Bruins over Nebraska, 38-33.

 

Alabama (4) @ Texas A&M - Here's another example of a team with a porous defense; the Aggies.  A&M's defense is giving up more than 270 yards per game on the ground.  Guess what, Alabama loves to run the football.  If you can manage a few long sustaining drives, Johnny Manziel doesn't have the opportunity to score very many points.  Speaking of points, A&M's defense is allowing 30 points per game, and that's against Rice and Sam Houston State.  Look for the Tide to gig the Aggies, 33-20.

 

Wisconsin @ Arizona State (3) - Neither of these teams have given up a point this season.  That situation has to change come Saturday night.  Neither of these teams have played anyone of merit, this season.  That too will change come Saturday night.  The biggest concern will be the heat; Arizona State is used to it, and Wisconsin isn't.  Look for the Sun Devils to stick a fork in the Badgers, 39-31.

 

Central Florida (2) @ Penn State - The knights have looked good on both sides of the ball, this season.  Now, if they can overcome the fear of playing on the road at a huge venue, it might go a long way for them in terms of respectability.  George O'Leary will have his team ready.  If they stay out of trouble early (turnovers), I like their chances of taking this one from the Nittany Lions, in Happy Valley, 23-21.

 

Iowa @ Iowa State (1) - Now, to the "it doesn't matter game of the week," or "who cares game of the week."  Unless you are from the state of Iowa, no one else cares.  As for Iowa, they did manage to hang on for their dear lives against Missouri State (FCS school), last week, 28-14.  Meanwhile, the boys from Ames were taking a week off trying to figure out how they lost to Northern Iowa (another FCS school).  I'm taking the home team on this thriller; cough, cough, Cyclones over the Hawkeyes, and Ferentz's seat continues to boil, 19-16.

 

Well that puts the wraps on another attempt at the ole college pick'em game.  Remember, as you can tell from my previous two weeks, I'm average at best, so please tread at your own risk.  Hope everyone has a great and safe weekend.  Enjoy the games, and may your favorite team win, as long as it's not Texas A&M.  Until next week, Roll Tide

week 2 selections and review

First off, congrats to Leehawk's Huskies.  That was a huge win for Washington; and shame on me for having any doubt that either of those Husky teams' would lose, last week (Northern Illinois).  Speaking of that Northern Illinois win, I think that Kirk Ferentz (Iowa coach), can start cleaning out his office.  I usually wait till the end of September to say anything about coaches on the hot seat; however, I think that Ferentz's seat has reached the boiling point.  Stay tuned.

 

Here are some observations from last week.  First, the Georgia/Clemson game lived up to all the pre-game hype.  That was a great game; too bad one of them had to lose.  Second, how about eight FCS teams winning over FBS schools.  Third, the state of Iowa is in Dire Straits (best guitarist on the planet, Mark Knopfler) when it comes to football.  In addition to Iowa's loss, Iowa State lost to FCS Northern Iowa.  Fourth, what goes around comes around; just ask California.  Remember a few years ago, the Cal players were faking injuries against Oregon, in an attempt to slow the Ducks down.  This time it was Northwestern doing the faking in order to slow the Bears down.  And finally, Johnny Manziel; nough said, I'm tired of wasting space on that spoiled brat.

 

As for last week's predictions, I went 6-4, with 42 tater chips; very average to say the least.  And, if you think that last week's games were tough to pick, this week doesn't look any easier.  Any who, let's get to it so the laughter can begin.

 

Oregon (10) @ Virginia - I don't usually like to place 10 points on a visiting team; nevertheless, I wish that I could put all 55 on the Quack Attack.  These Ducks are the real deal.  The only way that Virginia will be able to slow down Oregon is to fake a few injuries (which they probably will), or Mother Nature sends another lightning storm for the Cavs to catch their breath.  In the end, it still will not matter; Oregon over Virginia, 48-17.

 

Cincinnati (9) @ Illinois - If the Nati pulls off this win in Champaign, they will be 2-0 against the B1G conference.  Granted, Illinois doesn't pose much of a threat to anybody, these days.  They had to hang on for their dear lives last week against Southern Illinois.  Now, here come the cats to Memorial Stadium looking to scalp the Illini; which they probably will.  Cincy over the Tribe, 38-21.

 

Syracuse @ Northwestern (8) - Northwestern is a tough team to beat at home.  They are 6-1 in their last seven games at the house.  On the other hand, Syracuse is pretty bad when leaving the comfort zone of the Carrier Dome, going 3-7, in their last 10 games.  Now, I don't usually take into account any particular trend when I'm picking games; however, this one seems to stand pretty tall.  I don't expect the Wildcats will be faking any injuries this week, since Syracuse doesn't have much of an offense.  The Cats win this one running away from the Orange, 34-21.

 

Texas (7) at BYU - I'm thinking the fans in Mormanville are wishing that their team was in a conference and had not declared their independence from the Mountain West and all of the rest of the conferences; because Notre Dame West, they are not.  On the heels of losing to Virginia, the Longhorns come a calling to Provo.  Don't look now, the Cougars will probably be 0-2, after Saturday.  I'm counting on it; Horns over the Kitty Kats, 33-17.

 

Utah State (6) @ Air Force - This week, Utah State travels to the other side of the Rockies to play Air Force.  Last week, they lost a close one at Utah, while Air Force brushed their teeth with Colgate.  Speaking of Air Force, they lost their starting quarterback to a knee injury, in that game.  If Utah State can adapt to the high altitude, they have got a shot to beat a disciplined Falcon team.  Look for the Aggies to ease by the Fly Boys in a close one, 28-23.

 

Duke (5) @ Memphis - If the Duke faithful want respect, they need to win this type of road game.  You cant lose to a below average opponent and expect to garner any respect, regardless of where the game is played.  This is the opener for Memphis which went 4-8, in conference USA, last year.  Now, they have moved to the American Athletic, which used to be the Big Least (East).  No matter where the Tigers have moved to, they are still a very bad team.  I think that the Blue Devils have a good shot at being 2-0.  Now, how many times has that been said of Duke, unless we were talking about basketball.  Any who, Duke over Memphis, 34-20.

 

Notre Dame @ Michigan (4) - Brian Kelly is an idiot.  When he stated that the game with Michigan did not mean that much to the Irish and their fans, he was way out of touch, and come Saturday Night, he's going to find out just how much he is out of touch with reality.  Add that to the fact that I hate the stinking Irish, and I'm riding on the Michigan bandwagon.  I just hope that the wheels don't fall off of the wagon, or the horse throws a shoe.  Here's to the Wolverines finding a pot of golden Irish Stew at the end of the rainbow, 28-24.

 

Houston @ Temple (3) - Here's a game that I know nothing about.  I want waste your time here.  When in doubt, take the home team.  In this case, the Owls over the puddie cats, 35-33.

 

Florida (2) @ Miami - Considering all of the crap that the NCAA has made out of the Miami case, Al Golden has done a great job holding things in place for the Hurricane faithful.  My only reason for picking Florida is due to their defense.  I think that they will have just a little bit more in the tank come the fourth quarter; but, not by much.  Gators over the Canes, 30-27.

 

South Carolina @ Georgia (1) - Steve Spurrier is coaching at the right place, because he is one cocky individual.  I have to give him his due, he is a great college coach, I just can't stand that mouth of his.  The biggest question for Georgia is can the Dawgs rebound from that heart breaker loss to Clemson.  If they are going to challenge for the SEC East, they can't afford to lose this game because LSU is right around the corner.  Taking the Dawgs to knock the spurs off of the ole rooster, 31-30.

 

At last, another week is in the books.  I hope that everyone had a great Labor Day weekend.  Remember, I'm no expert, so please tread at your own risk.  Until next week, everyone have a great weekend and enjoy the games.  Roll Tide.

 

Jljmbaker