Weak 12 totally bored everyone to death, which I am grateful for actually. It was the one day of the year that I was too busy to even catch scores during the day. I did manage to watch the first half of the Mizzou game, although I must admit it was out of hand early and I fell asleep before halftime after being up ALL night Friday.
Though the previous weekend had none of the upsets we are used to seeing, this weekend starts of with a lot of potential for upsets. But I don't see any happening. It would be too interesting.
Miami 28 Georgia Tech 24
Depending on which Georgia Tech team shows up tonight, we could see the trend of ranked teams going down on Thursday night continue. I am not so sure that will happen.
Ohio State 42 Michigan 0
These two teams always have decent games, but this year it will be a boring one-sided affair that gets out of hand early. Look for the Buckeyes to make a statement and rub some salt in the wounds inflicted by this horrible season.
Florida 68 Citadel 10
The only way the Citadel scores 10 points will be if the Gators put in the walk-ons in the 4th quarter. Seriously, Florida you ought to be ashamed of having this game on the schedule. I don't care if the SEC schedule is hard, this is a pathetic match-up this late in the season.
Penn State 28 Michigan State 21
Look for Penn State to spoil dellusions of grandeur the Spartan faithful have about heading to Pasadena.
Utah 31 BYU 28
Well, this one could be good or boring. I am going with a shootout and wouldn't be surprised by the last team with the ball winning. Utah is the better team and has proved it beating better competition this year and will prove it again remaining undefeated.
Texas Tech 42 Oklahoma 28
This one will be close for a while. But revenge is not on the menu Sooner fans. You'll have to wait until bext year to serve up that dish. Look for Tech to prove the experts wrong.
Pittsburgh 20 Cincinatti 17
Well Dave really pulled a rabbit out of his #### with mouse traps and a lot of spit this year. After blowing a head scratcher at the start of the season, I truly believed this would be his last as head coach. Now the Panthers are headed to the BCS as Big East Champs with a key win this week and then next week against West Virginia.
Oregon State 38 Arizona 28
Well, a few upsets here or there will not be enough for Arizona fans that expected more out of Stoops. This loss will not help the job security. Look for OSU to try and smell roses a few days more as they try and keep USC from the BCS. Which could happen with automatic bids being won by Utah and Boise State going undefeated and the Pac 10 just getting one BCS bid this year. However, the Beavers could keep Ohio State from getting in and the Big 10 would only get one BCS bid depending on BCS rankings at the end of the year.
Sorry I am late with this, but I spent Sunday driving home from Key West.
I didn't watch but one game over the weekend, and then only the first half of the Mizzou game. With that said, I guess I didn't miss much this weekend.
Look for that trend to change this weekend with BIG upsets brewing and yet another MAJOR Big 12 showdown with the National Championship in the balance. Without the Big 12, there would be little in the way of good games this season.
So, Alabama survived a game against a mediocre LSU team while Texas Tech ROLLED a solid Top 10 team. Guess who I have ranked #1?
Say it isn't so, for Joe... Iowa? Geez, a lot of folks called that one, but geez. Iowa???? What a horrible team to lose to. Almost as bad, well no... it's ten times worse than losing to Oregon State. At least Oregon State is a halfway decent team. But since Oregon State did beat USC and Utah beat Oregon State, Utah remains ranked higher than the Trojans. Say what you want Wilson, that USC team is not as good as they could be.
Boy how BAD is the SEC this year? The typical, 'oh the SEC in conference competition is tougher than everyone else's' argument just doesn't hold any water this year. The Big 10 is stronger this year, which is sad really. Aside from Florida and Alabama, the rest are OBVIOUSLY mediocre. I would say the SEC is just as strong as the Pac 10 this year.
Sorry, I'll try to keep the laughter down to a minimum.
Well, here's to hoping every other team in the Top 10 loses...
1. Texas Tech
2. Alabama
3. Texas
4. Oklahoma
5. Florida
6. Utah
7. USC
8. Boise State
9. Missouri
10. Ohio State
11. Penn State
12. Oklahoma State
13. Ball State
14. Michigan State
15. North Carolina
16. Florida State
17. Georgia
18. TCU
19. BYU
20. LSU
21. South Carolina
22. Oregon
23. Oregon State
24. Tulsa
25. Nebraska
Oh, and HOW THE HELL IS KERRY COLLINS THE QB AND THE TITANS UNDEFEATED IN MID-NOVEMBER???!!!
I still believe Vince Young is the better QB even if he is crazy.
Taking a break from the rat race this afternoon, I better get my picks in now before my schedule explodes this week.
Make or break games again this week for many teams....
Utah 39 TCU 33
TCU is a pretender and Oklahoma already proved that point earlier this year, while the Utes have proved otherwise in previous big games. Utah gets a quality win on the way to an unlikely BCS bid.
Ohio State 17 Northwestern 14
Ohio State is a lot like the Dow Jones this year. Up and down and inconsistent.
Missouri 38 K-State 21
Yeah, yeah, yeah. A part of me wouldn't mind seeing Pinkel head to Washington, but the guy has put down roots in Mid-Missouri and his family is firmly planted. With Pinkel's recruiting classes and solid program in place, Mizzou would be able to snag an elite coach to take over. Which is another reason why he won't leave. Look for Mizzou to handle it's business this weekend.
Texas Tech 45 Oklahoma State 28
This one could be headed to overtime, but I think since the game is in Lubbock the Red Raiders will roll. I miss those games in Lubbock while growing up in West Texas and later after college. One of the most underrated stadiums and crowds in college football.
LSU 16 Alabama 13
LSU wakes up and smacks a team that should know better. Call it karma, call it luck, call it a BCS dream ender for the Crimson Tide.
Oklahoma 63 Texas A&M 24
Boy, that game with Texas Tech should be a real good one after the bye week.
Cal 31 USC 30
Heart. USC doesn't have any this year.
Penn State 14 Iowa 12
A close and unexpected battle for the Fighting Jo Pa's, but they gain momentum late in the 4th quarter to seal the deal.
Florida 55 Vandy 14
Could be closer than the experts think. Uh, nevermind. This isn't the same Gator squad that began the season.
Working hard these last couple of weeks has taken its toll on my blogging time, but I still found time to vote early. After two hours in a line that wrapped around the block, IT WAS WORTH IT. I must say though I haven't rang a cowbell in days now and I am jones'n a bit. Go Rays!
A few words on this weekend's debacle at the top of the polls. Alabama is NOT the #1 team in the country. They don't play like it and they haven't won as impressively as Texas Tech nor Penn State. Let's talk about Texas Tech. Any doubts about the defense was put to rest Saturday night and this team is playing on a whole new level this year. They didn't surprise Texas and this was no fluke game.
Texas was out played, out matched, and out coached plain and simple. What the game did prove is that the Big 12 is the strongest conference in the country and the top four teams in the South would be undefeated in any other conference.
I wish I could say the same about the North, but alas Mizzou is the only great team in the North. I still believe they would make mincemeat out of Alabama. With that said, Florida is playing the best out of the SEC schools despite Georgia revealing once again how overrated they really are this year.
Last week I spent every day away from the house, which meant no time for blogging or picks. Sorry guys and gals. Monday I took the kids to see Obama speak in Tampa at the Yankees spring training facilities across the street from Ray Jay. The field used to be called Legends Field, but I guess George just felt like naming it after himself.
Tuesday I took the wife to see Rise Against. Awesome.
Wednesday I arrived at the Trop at 2pm and unloaded the kids and set up camp in the parking lot for Game 1 of the World Series. Awesome.
Thursday, more baseball!
Friday, dinner out at Bubba Gump's with my family. Gotta love spot bonus gift cards when you least expect them!
Saturday... what a day! Great games. Though I thought LSU was better than Georgia, but geez was I wrong on that one. Or has Georgia just improved over the course of the season and LSU taken a few steps back???
Now I know how Marty felt after USC tossed the Buckeyes around like ragdolls.
But this... this was worse.
Missouri didn't even realize the game had started until halftime.
What makes it sting more is the fact that we'll have to sit through another debacle like this December 6th at Arrowhead in the Big 12 Title game.
There is NO doubt this week who the #1 team in the nation is.
Texas defensive end Brian Orakpo is the best in the nation and will be a future HOF'er in the NFL with that kind of brutal strength and speed.
To the haters go the spoils, but don't be quick to be one of those morons saying Mizzou is a four-loss team. There is not one team left on the schedule aside from Kansas that has a chance of stopping the Tigers. Of course, it helps when all those teams are from the North division that is floundering once again after looking great at the beginning of the season.
There is NO doubt this week which division is the best in the conference as well as the nation.
The Tigers, now 5-2 after their third straight 5-0 start in as many years have pretty favorable remaining schedule. Which will set up a 10-2 Mizzou squad with dellusions of grandeur and with each of the games being televised don't expect the Tigers to take it easy on any of them.
Homecoming is this Saturday (10/25) when Colorado comes to town. The Tigers should work out some of the frustration out on those poor Buffs. Say what you want about Mizzou, they still put up 31 on the Longhorns which in my opinion is the best defense in the nation. The Buffs are lucky to score at practice, much less in a real game.
Then to Waco for a game with an improved Baylor squad on 11/1, but despite some great athletes taking up residence on campus Baylor has a defense even worse than Mizzou's. A high scoring affair for Mizzou and another win.
Then the Blackout game against Kansas State in Columbia on 11/8. Kansas State showed signs of life at the beginning of the season, but they are still two years away from being able to beat Mizzou again.
Then to Ames on 11/15 and the new look Iowa State squad that decided ugly colors were better than a marketable logo. Mizzou has had games stoeln from them in Ames in recent years due to bad officiating, but this game won't be close enough for that to happen this year.
Then to Kansas City and Arrowhead Stadium for a showdown with our most hated rival and the most dangerous team left on the Mizzou schedule on 11/29. Well, even IF something crazy were to happen and the Jayhawks added to this debacle of a season and won, Mizzou would still go to the title game because before the two teams meet Kansas (5-2) will have lost to Texas and Texas Tech and possibly Nebraska. But it makes little difference what the records are when the Jayhawks and Tigers play each other, not matter what sport we are discussing at the moment. Still, I find it hard to imagine Tigers blowing a shot at the BCS again this year.
But then again, they are The Pretenders of the Big 12 we are talking about. They pretend to be in the same class as Texas and Oklahoma, but given the chance to prove it they fail and fail miserably. People that leave the state sometimes refer to the place as Misery, which is what Mizzou football fans have felt every year since 1969.
That was the last time Missouri won a conference championship.
Of course, there are four teams in the South that could stand in the way of Mizzou getting to the BCS at all. Texas Tech and Oklahoma State are both undefeated while Oklahoma only has one loss as of yet. All of those teams face each other or Texas, so the losses will come. I find it hard to believe they would all lose three, which is what it would take for Mizzou to still get in the BCS and not have to beat Texas for the Big 12 title. So if Mizzou wants to go to the BCS dance this year, they have to win the last game of the year December 6th at Arrowhead.
If I were a betting man, I wouldn't place any money on those odds. The Homer Poll to follow later this afternoon. I am actually at work right now, so get off my #### already.
Last night, I had two TV's in the living room with the Rays/Red Sox game on at the same time. By halftime, the Rays were on the big screen and the Tigers were on the 32 inch with the sound muted. By the end of the night, there was a movie on the big screen and the Rays on the muted screen. Man, my teams know how to make a fan miserable.
This close to gametime I don't expect discussion, but gotta put 'em on the record here in the blogosphere anyway.
With that said, I have to put and "I TOLD YOU SO" out there for all the BYU talk I heard every week I said they were pretenders all along. Also Boise State, contenders. Period.
The Texas bandwagon gets derailed Saturday in Austin. Put down those ugly #### burnt orange pom poms and get the black and gold back out of the closet.
As we have learned in the Big 12, there is no such thing as home field advantage. Sure it helps, but with the quarterback stockpile in the conference it is clear that it takes more than one good game to make a season.
Will it be a shootout? Absolutely, but more than likely the game will be decided on the last possession.
We could see 90 points scored in this game, but folks thought that about the OSU game as well.
On another note, is it just me, or is Chase Daniel the fastest chubby little ####ker in the world or what? Perhaps that is part of his success, the defense sees his beer belly and think that he's a slow lumbering fullback. Then he zooms by and has a 30 yard rush.
No offense to Chase intended, I had similar comments made about me as a player. (not at Mizzou in case you're wondering) I was to busy working my way through school. As you can see from my new avatar, my job had some perks.
Anyway.
As disappointed as I am by last week's debacle in Columbia, the Tigers never showed up on offense and didn't play even a third as well as we can. Ever see Varsity Blues? Remember when the gang went out and hung out at the strip club and pulled an all nighter the night before a game? Yeah, but the grumbling around town has other acquisations flying around as well.
Hell, I remember partying during the Brocky IV year at Mizzou with many a player in the VIP section of a few spots downtown. But that was after we carried the goalposts to Harpo's after beating Texas. Was it that year???? ####, things are fuzzy from the Larry Smith years nowadays.
The Big 12 North will be the champion division this year. It begins again this Saturday. Then when OSU beats Texas and sets up the Redemption Bowl II, this year Mizzou will finally live up to it's talent level.
For all you Johnny-come-lately peeps that try and say that Mizzou is a fluff team that just came on the scene last year haven't been watching the Big 12. Our last QB is playing on Sundays, though as a receiver I'll grant you. But catching passes from Brett Farve has got to be fun.
But Chase will be playing at the next level despite his size. Then again Chase and Chase will be there as well. And Jeremy Maclin, of course.
Well, I didn't get out the shotgun and blow my head off last night. Although, my head sure feels like it today.
I called for Okie State to make some noise in the south, even had some doubts going in to the game. Never though, did I worry. Not even as the 4th quarter began and we were still trailing. Then Chase decided he didn't want the Heisman and threw bonehead interceptions.
Our D-line never showed up, though our secondary did pretty well. Imagine that.
Pinkel was completely out coached inthe second half. Not as badly as in years past, but enough to make me want to kick him in the arse a few times this morning.
I called the Texas win over the Sooners, but I was not as impressed as everyone else. They were slow on offense, but stiff on defense when it came to the run. I still see a Mizzou win this coming weekend, though. Our boys are not going down two weeks in a row.
With that, all I can say is I never in a million year thought I would be ranking a Big 10 school at #1 at ANY point this season. Then again, this is Jo Pa we're talking about.
We may not have any undefeated school in the National Title game this year, though. If my Cowboys lose to the Cards today the suicide watch may be extended pending the outcome of the ALCS.
Well, conference play is in full swing and the games should be GREAT this weekend. The biggest game on the college football menu this weekend of course is the Red River Rivalry.
#1 vs. #5. By the end of the weekend there will no longer be three Big 12 teams in the Top 5, so all you haters will be happy for a couple of weeks anyway.
By Monday, I believe we will have a new #1 in the major polls.
Well, we learned some things this past weekend... or did we? After some matchups I still have questions. Let's discuss....
Is Vandy really for real or is Auburn just that lame? Well, if a backup QB can still lead the team to a win, I feel Vandy is for real. I have had them ranked for weeks now in the Homer Poll, but they are now the highest ranked team out of the SEC East.
Has Mizzou's defense really improved? The Homer in me wants to say yes, but the realist says... a little bit. Sure, they held Nebraska to just 10 points, (the last 7 as time expired was against our bench warmers), but Ganz is a good QB and exposed our secondary as he elluded defenders all day. Another mobile QB with better receivers later in the schedule... oh ####, we play in the Big 12. Still, we made the adjustments and improved as the game progressed. It looks like Pinkel has finally realized what halftime is for.
Is Penn State really a National Title contender? Yes.
Well, Oregon State just beat the #1 ranked USC Trojans and now head to #15 Utah. Should be a no brainer, but this year the Pac 10 isn't doing so well against the Mountain West. Of course, I think the beavers will win and the Utes will beat BYU later in the season and thus deny both teams BCS glory and/or embarrassment.
So with that.... This week I tried to pick most games honestly. I got cocky last week and picked with my heart and went 5-5, 5-6 with the bonus. My worst week of the year. 40-13 overall for the year... and holy bat #### it's Monday and I have my picks done.
Last week I conceded the fact that Mizzou had not played good enough for the #1 ranking I had given them from Week 1 through last week. They won by 21 points and I ranked USC at #1 after watching them dismantle Ohio State.
This week my earlier su####ions about the Pac 10's last great hope at credibility went down in flames. No matter how you slice that game, they were outplayed and dominated for every minute of the contest.
My su####ions about Florida's meeting with Ole Miss were fully realized, as were my barbs pointed at Georgia thus far in the season now justified. Illinois proved they are a good team, but Penn State proved they are truly the best in the Big 10.
The Big 12 had a bad week as Colorado and Nebraska lost to mediocre out of conference foes. Oklahoma shrugged off a Top 25 out of conference foe, launching OU to what I am assuming will be it's first #1 ranking in the AP and Coaches polls.
You can definitely tell Arkansas is missing Felix Jones now that he is with the Dallas Cowboys.
Well, if you saw my poll last week you know that my obvious choice for #1 is....
I have been blogging here for so long, I forgot my old password and had to set up a new blog this year. BOO!
Anyway, my old space was at community.fox sports.com/bl ogs/brianblac k in case you think you've heard the trash talk before... It's the same this year as it was last year... Mizzou is #1!!!!!!! Go Cowboys! Go Rays!
www.myspace.c om/revbrianbl ack
