College Football Picks of the Week

After a horrendous 4-7 first week, we got back on track slightly to have a 6-4 week, and are now 10-11 overall. I wish we picked College Football like we do the NFL. (Little hint, alot of bragging on the NFL picks).

A couple of big games this week, as Nebraska clashes Virginia Tech, Florida St. tries to right the ship against darlings BYU, and Texas has a shot at their revenge from last year against Texas Tech. All are good matchups, but the most anticipated game of the week is Tennessee-Florida.

After all the hand grenades that were tossed between the sides in the offseason, now the Volunteers, and new Head Coach Lane Kiffin has to go into The Swamp, and mess with Urban Meyer's dynasty. I have a funny feeling that Coach Meyer is going to have the Gators foot on the Vols throat by the 2nd quarter... and he will not let it go until after the final whistle is blown. Gotta love potential video game football!

This might be the closest parody to The Karate Kid Part 2, when Daniel is supposedly fighting to the death with Sato's nephew, has him by the back and of the head, and gives him choice of living or dying. Only in this reality, Meyer would be Daniel, and he would not just honk Lane Kiffin's nose, it would more resemble a Mortal Kombat fatality move.

Now, on to the picks of the week:

Boise St. 45, Fresno St 17 - No, it is not on the blue grass, but no one in the WAC can really handle Boise this fall. An imporvement for Fresno St., after last season's ambush.

California 38, Minnesota 21 - After their cross-country loss last year at Maryland, Cal. came into Minnesota earlier in the week to adjust to the time zone. Shame Minnesota will not be able to adjust to RB Jahvid Best.

Oregon 28, Utah 17 - Yes, the winning streak ends in Eugene. If Utes RB Matt Asiata were playing, my pick might of been a bit different. I also just cannot see the Ducks getting slapped around by two BCS Busters in a month.

Texas 51, Texas Tech 34 - Think Colt Mccoy and company want this game? The Red Raiders essentially cost the Longhorns a shot at Florida last year. Mccoy and crew will get their revenge, and then some.

USC 27, Washington 9 - I read CNNSI.com's Stewart Mandel's picks and he has Washington pulling off the uber-upset. I usually like and respect Mandel's work, but he went Waco on this prediction. Keep up the good work though.

Nebraska 24, Virginia Tech 17- Here is my upset pick of the week. The Cornhuskers, and basically the entire Big 12 can score. They will play just enough defense to win this game. I just have no confidence in Va Tech's defense after Bama shredded it.

Cincinnati 38, Oregon St. 31 - Have you seen the Bearcats offense? It is no-huddle madness! QB Tony Pike and WR Marty Gilyard will hook up plenty of times in this game, and that will edge what OSU RB Jacquizz Rodgers will do. Big win for the Big East and Cincy.

Notre Dame 45, Michigan St. 20 - Poor Michigan St., they get smacked at home last week to little brother state school Central Michigan, now they get a pissed off Irish offense that can score on anyone. QB Jimmy Clausen is going to pad some Heisman stats in this game.

BYU 27, Florida St. 13 - I know the Seminoles most likely have more talent, and could easily win this game, but I just cannot see them scoring much on a defense that basically shut down Sam Bradford. BYU continues on the BCS march.

and, finally....

Florida 63, Tennessee 10 - Like I said earlier, foot to the throat for the entire game. I would not be shocked if Tim Tebow is doing play-action pass bombs in the 4th quarter of this game. Welcome to the SEC Lane Kiffin. Next time, keep your mouth shut.

Tomorrow, the NFL picks (cough, went 13-2 last week, cough).

Titans-Steelers game, College Football Picks, and more

The NFL is finally here! They had the perfect game to start the new season off with as well. The Pittsburgh Steelers, the defending Super Bowl champs, at home against the Tennessee Titans, who actually manhandled the Steelers in a big regular season game last year 31-13.

In that game, the Steelers took offense of some of the Titans players, including Lendale "Fats" White, stepping on the yellow Steeler towels that their fans wave at the stadium. They also took offense to, and most All-Universe S Troy Polamalu, when RB Chris Johnson waved the ball right at his grill last year scoring a touchdown. This game was going to be more physical than a San Francisco bathhouse (oops).

The anticipation did not disappoint. There was not much scoring in the game, but the battle in the trenches, and the hard hitting kept this game at a very high level of excitement for the casual person to keep watching. We all know the diehard junkie fans will always watch a game like this that is basically the equivalence of a pitcher's duel in baseball, but the intense hitting and physicality of the game was enough to keep the common putz at the bar to watch. The game went to overtime, where the Steelers prevailed 13-10.



Now, lets review some of the parts of the game.

- Pittsburgh is in trouble. They cannot run the ball, and it seemed that Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall were almost afraid to hit the hole at full speed. They better fixed this because if Big Ben takes another beating like this, he will have Hawkeye and Pierce from M.A.S.H looking over him at a hospital bed.

- As good and dominant as the Titans defensive line was early, do you think they missed Albert Haynesworth late in that game? They got tired, and when it mattered most, they could not get in the same zip code of Big Ben.

- Polamalu is great, and if he is hurt for a long period of time, the Steelers need to weather that storm, but man did he take quite a few bad penalties in that first half. Fantasic interception though, one handed.

- Not a bad debut for Titans 1st Round draft pick, WR Kenny Britt. He had that huge catch before halftime that set up Tennessee's only TD.

- What a greedy bonehead Hines Ward was there. Less than 90 seconds left in the game, and you catch a pass around the 15 yard line in a tie game, JUST TAKE A KNEE! You are in Field Goal range to win the game. What did this scholar do? Tries to juke and run into the endzone and be a hero. Egg all over your face Ward.
I do not want to hear another clown tell me how Hines Ward is such a gritty, great player and leader for a long time. If that happened in the Super Bowl, it would be on the same level as Chris Webber trying to call a phantom timeout in the NCAA Finals.

- Big Ben Roethlisberger takes a beating, but he makes some serious plays as well. That pump-fake he has is almost as good as new Memphis Grizzles Foward Sam Young's pump fake on his jumpshot. Ben rang off how many straight completions late in the game? 11? 12?

Now, for the college football picks, lets recap my record from last week first. We went 4-7. OUCH! It was the first week, combined with the fact that I could not buy ice in the winter last weekend in picks.

Here are this weeks picks:

Penn St. 41, Syracuse 7- Come on. Can I have just one gimmie pick? The Orange played solid last week, but reality hits them in the face this week, with QB Daryl Clark and crew smacking them around.

North Carolina 20, UConn 13- This game will be closer than the Tar Heels would like it to be, but they just have too many athletes to contend with compared to the young Huskie program. UConn is also 1-13 against ranked opponents.

Oklahoma St. 48, Houston 27- The Cowboys were slowed down by Georgia's defense last week, but Houston does not bring in the same SEC level athletes. Okie St. should run and pass the pigskin up and down the field all day.

TCU 31, Virginia 0- Yes, that is right. I think The Horned Frogs put up a frosted donut on UVA. Virginia lost to William and Mary last week. No, that was not me joking as well. This game has bloodbath written all over it.

West Virginia 27, East Carolina 24- Revenge game from last year, as the Moutaineers will seek it after being upsetted at ECU. No Pat White this time around, and East Carolina is considered a sleeper non-BCS team, but I think RB Noel Devine will have a big game.

Notre Dame 28, Michigan 17- I gotta admit, this game is now intriguing me. Both came out like gangbusters last week, even against weak competition, and played like it was 1991 again. I hate to say it, but , Jimmy Claussen for Heismann? There is a big school-big name QB vacancy now with the other 2 standing Amigos.

Tennessee 23, UCLA 16- Lane Kiffin's debut could not have been any better. This was an Ugly Betty game last year, I expect some of the same, but with both programs needing to grind out a big non-conference win. I feel Vols DB Eric Berry taking one to the house.

Gerogia 13, South Carolina 9- This game was a low scoring game last year, and that was with both teams have inferior defenses to this season, and 2 of the top 12 NFL picks playing for the Bulldogs. Both have inept offense, very good defenses. Alot of punting in this game.

Purdue 42, Oregon 38- I just cannot justify taking the Ducks after last weeks national horror show. Even without future MMA star LeGarrette Blount, the Ducks will score on Purdue. This is my upset pick.

USC 24, Ohio St. 9- I really thought the Buckeyes had a shot at this game at home. That was until I saw Navy shread the OSU defense. I was literally laughing at my TV set watching that game. Even with QB Terrelle Pryor, I just cannot see the Buckeyes being able to deal with the speed of the Trojans, on both sides of the ball. Expect USC to stuff the running game right down Ohio St.'s gullet.


Last, a few other things going on in sports...

- Stop your crying Richard Seymour, and report to the Raiders. You are a professional athlete, that makes millions of dollars a year (4 million to season). Play your one season in hell, then hit the potentially uncapped 2010 offseason, and strike gold. You are acting on the same level as Michael Crabtree right now.

-Let me get this straight, you are a Hotel Manager at Marriot in Manhattan, and you have basically the toast of the town staying at your hotel for the time that she is playing in the US Open, and you kick her out of the hotel after her reservation was up? How was this good public relations for Marriot to make Melanie Oudin and her family leave the hotel after the reservation was up? Seriously, that scholar should get a clue, and be looking for a new job.

- It really does look like the World Series will have Albert Pujols in Yankee Stadium huh? I cannot wait for that potential series.