Thursday Throwdown: Louisville at #7 West Virginia, Thu., 11/08, 7:30 pm, ESPN. … What happened here? This should have been a prime time game between the two best programs in the Big East in front of a national audience. Instead, that national audience will get to watch the Mountaineers roll over Louisville’s pathetic defense. Expect Slaton, White, Reynaud, and Schmitt to go nuclear. … Louisville 23, West Virginia 38
Wake Forest at #21 Clemson, Sat., 11/10, 12:00 pm, ESPN2. … This should be a close game between two mid-level ACC schools. Don’t expect a lot of fireworks, though. … Wake Forest 21, Clemson 28
#12 Michigan at Wisconsin, Sat., 11/10, 12:00 pm, ESPN. … Wisconsin’s coming off a bad beat last week, so they should be fired up here. Plus, they’re at home. And Michigan is Michigan. But I see the Wolverines running the table until the showdown with Ohio State. … Michigan 24, Wisconsin 21
#23 Penn State at Temple, Sat., 11/10, 12:00 pm, ESPNU. … How the hell is Penn State still ranked in the BCS? … Penn State 30, Temple 17
Texas A&M at #6 Missouri, Sat., 11/10, 12:30 pm, FSN. … I’m sure OSL will disagree with how many points I offer the Aggies here. Not that I expect it to be very close. … Texas A&M 24, Missouri 35
#22 Alabama at Mississippi State, Sat., 11/10, 12:30 pm, LFS/GamePlan. … The Bulldogs are a win away from bowl eligibility. But they won’t get it here. … Alabama 27, Mississippi State 20
Arkansas at #24 Tennessee, Sat., 11/10, 12:30 pm, LFS/GamePlan. … This is the second most interesting SEC game this week, and I see an upset in the works. However, I’m a little tired of the Heisman hype around McFadden. He may be the most explosive player in the game, but that hasn’t helped his team a whole lot this year. Get ranked, then we’ll talk. … Arkansas 33, Tennessee 27
#25 Kentucky at Vanderbilt, Sat., 11/10, 2:00 pm. … Let’s hope Kentucky’s football team learned something from their basketball team last night, and that they decide to actually show up. … Kentucky 31, Vanderbilt 26
#20 Boise State at Utah State, Sat., 11/10, 3:00 pm, GamePlan. … Boise State still isn’t getting much love, but that will change in a few weeks when they beat Hawaii. … Boise State 37, Utah State 21
#9 Arizona State at UCLA, Sat., 11/10, 3:30 pm, ABC/GamePlan. … Arizona State had their hearts broken last week, but they should rebound against a UCLA team that can’t decide who they are from one game to the next. … Arizona State 30, UCLA 20
Game of the Week: #18 Auburn at #10 Georgia, Sat., 11/10, 3:30 pm, CBS. … This one should be close down to the wire. I have a feeling it will be decided by less than a touchdown. The Dawgs are tough at home, but Auburn has the hunger here. … Auburn 23, Georgia 20
Upset Special: #13 Connecticut at Cincinnati, Sat., 11/10, 3:30 pm, ESPNU. … It’s a shame this game is stuck on ESPNU because it should be a fun one to watch. Connecticut, and not West Virginia, currently sit atop the Big East standings. But Cincinnati is the dark horse that no one seems to pay attention to. They should catch the Huskies unawares just like they caught South Florida napping last week. Their upcoming game against the Mountaineers should go a long way to deciding who comes out of this tight race. … Connecticut 18, Cincinnati 22
Florida State at #11 Virginia Tech, Sat., 11/10, 3:30 pm, ABC/GamePlan. … Florida State, the only team to beat Boston College, travels to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech, the last team to lose to Boston College. Don’t expect the Hokies to lose another home game. … Florida State 17, Virginia Tech 24
Illinois at #1 Ohio State, Sat., 11/10, 3:30 pm, ABC/ESPN. … The Buckeyes keep cruising along to their date against Michigan. Zook’s doing some good things at Illinois, but they don’t match up well in this one. … Illinois 16, Ohio State 28
Texas Tech at #14 Texas, Sat., 11/10, 3:30 pm, ABC/GamePlan. … Texas Tech is just waiting to catch one of the Big XII big boys napping, and Texas is poised for another upset. Should be an interesting day in Austin. … Texas Tech 28, Texas 26
Baylor at #5 Oklahoma, Sat., 11/10, 6:30 pm, FSN. … Oklahoma is a solid team, but I don’t think they are as powerful as some of the other one-loss teams, like LSU, Oregon, and maybe even West Virginia. That doesn’t mean Baylor stands a chance in this one. I’m just looking forward to an eventual championship against Kansas. … Baylor 17, Oklahoma 40
#19 Virginia at Miami (FL)., Sat., 11/10, 7:15 pm, ESPN2. … This is Miami’s last game against in the Orange Bowl. Too bad it’ll be a loss. … Virginia 22, Miami 21
#15 Florida at South Carolina, Sat., 11/10, 7:45 pm, ESPN. … Spurrier vs. Meyers. Both teams have been rather disappointing this season. But Florida must have the home addresses of all the poll voters to still be ranked so high. … Florida 35, South Carolina 31
#8 Boston College at Maryland, Sat., 11/10, 8:00 pm, ABC/GamePlan. … Boston College should rebound after losing to Florida State, and Maryland is a good team to do it against. … Boston College 27, Maryland 20
#17 USC at California, Sat., 11/10, 8:00 pm, ABC/GamePlan. … This is one of those moments I hate living on the East Coast. I would much rather watch this game than BC vs. Maryland. I’m taking USC here, but I will not be the least bit surprised if Cal pulls it off, especially in Berkley. … USC 28, California 21
#4 Kansas at Oklahoma State, Sat., 11/10, 8:00 pm, ABC/GamePlan. … Kansas keeps rolling, though they might not roll up 76 points again. … Kansas 34, Oklahoma State 20
Fresno State at #16 Hawaii, Sat., 11/10, 11:00 pm, ESPN2. … Hawaii is going to lose. They won’t end up busting the BCS. However, while Fresno is going to play them close, I don’t think this will be the week the Warriors go down. Fresno has to make the long flight to the islands. … Fresno State 25, Hawaii 37
jd, good picks, in my humble view. I just have a couple of thoughts (or maybe more).
I think Michigan will win by more than 3, Mizzou will win by more than 11, Georgia will WIN, OU will beat Baylor by more than 30, and LSU will win by more than 23.
Nitpicking? Yes, but since you have the stones to post this many picks, I think you are ready to hear the opinions of others on them, no?
I agree. This is why Notre Dame could go 8-4 and still make a BCS bowl game. This is why Florida is still ranked so high (although I would not be surprised if something weird happens in the SEC East race and they somehow win it and go on to beat LSU in the title game rematch). Well, that and plus Urban Crier is a good politician. Speaking of which, watch out for Michigan. If they can keep Henne and Hart healthy, I think they are capable of pulling off the upset against Ohio St. They are long overdue.
halmay,
Thanks. And please, share your thoughts whenever you have them. I welcome other views.
Predicting scores is a tricky process. I take into consideration each team's average points per game in both offense and defense to get the numbers. Sometimes they're screwy, but it works. This process often yields very close scores, and sometimes I fudge the numbers. For instance, LSU. I think my system had the final score 19-33, so I dropped Tech a little.
kellyscott,
On Penn State: True, to some extent. But another part of it is that the BCS is just wacky. The Harris Poll and the computers have some interesting views on these things.
On Arizona State: I don't think I ever said anything to the contrary. All I said is that it was a heartbreaker. To be ranked that high and then to get demolished is a heartbreaking loss.
It was definitely a wacky week, or should we say typical for this crazy year. It's a good thing you weren't picking against the spread. These next 3 weeks should be very exciting. We will get our first automatic BCS bid next week (Michigan vs. Ohio St.), and conferences such as the Big East and Pac-10 could be determined in the next two weeks. Meanwhile, the ACC has turned into a final four situation, w/ the winner of Clemson/BC and Virginia/VT playing for the ACC title. Not to mention the Big 12 and SEC championships should be great matchups. Anxious to see how it all plays out. Keep up the good work.
