You get the idea. I'm glad to see that this story is keeping pace with the magic leg of Joe Paterno. Will he walk? Will he coach from the sideline? Will he sit up in the press box? How will he manage to do that goofy half jog out of the tunnel with his players? Its a good thing a 6-4 Big 10 team has found a way to grab headlines - we wouldn't want people to focus on ranked teams outside of BCS conferences, now would we? I don't mean to come down too harsh on JoePa, but between he and Bobby Bowden (who is having a crappier year) can we start to focus on some teams with coaches who may not have been there forever but are still having great seasons? Jim Grobe at Wake Forest and Greg Schiano at Rutgers are two guys who should finally get some national attention for the seasons their respective teams are having. Anyway - I'll get off the soapbox.
Maurice Claret nominee of the week: University of North Texas. Mean Green booster Jim McIngvale told the school that they must rename their new athletic facility after the just-fired football coach Darrell Dickey or redirect McIngvale's $1 million gift to the music department. Dickey, who suffered a heart-attack three weeks before he was fired, started the season 2-7 with wins over FIU and Southern Methodist. McIngvale, known in Houston as "Mattress Mack," defended his ultimatum by saying, "I don't think firing a guy three weeks after he had a heart attack was the right thing to do. Even Wall Street is not that callous." That may be true, Jim, but Wall Street never had a football team start 2-7 either. On to the picks.
Last Week: 3-2
This Season: 26-28-1 (Just one good week away from being Bowl Eligible)
OHIO STATE -7 Michigan
We may as well start with the big one. As I mentioned earlier, I'm kind of sick of the hype
surrounding this game. Yes, I know these teams hate each other, and yes I know that they haven't ever been 1-2 going into this game, and yes, I know this is only the third time in history that the Buckeyes and the Wolverines have met undefeated this late in the season. But honestly - I'm not sold. I know Michigan did a number on Notre Dame this season (which was likely due to the fact that the Irish really aren't that good - shhhh, don't tell NBC), and that Michigan's defense is allowing just over 12.1 points per game this season, but who have they played? Okay, Notre Dame is a top 10 team, and Wisconsin is having a very good year as well, but seriously - do either of them stack up to Ohio State? Not even close. As fun as it would be to see Michigan win this one, screw up the BCS and set up a rematch in the national championship which would piss everyone off , it just won't happen. Troy Smith, Antonio Pittman, Anthony Gonzalez, and Ted "the Terminator" Ginn will combine to pick apart the vaunted Michigan defense. And even if they don't, Ohio State's defense (allowing 2 touchdowns in a game only once this season) will more than pick up the slack. Plain and simple, the Buckeyes are like Jimmy Woods in "The Wizard" this season - they're playing on a whole different level, and on their way undefeated to the championship. Ohio State covers the spread. Damn, they're good. And I didn't even have to work in a "the pressure of this game is so intense that its literally killing Michigan coaches" joke. That would have been tasteless and I'm above that. Sure I am.NC State -4 NORTH CAROLINA
ACC football! 3-7 NC State squares off against 1-9 North Carolina! Feel the excitement! I'm sure late-season matchups like this are exactly what commissioner John Swofford had in mind when he expanded the ACC into two divisions for football. Mercifully, student attention turns to UNC's basketball home opener this Sunday. At least the Tarheels end the season with a trip to 0-10 Duke. NC State covers the spread.
HAWAII -24 San Jose State
For those of you who haven't been paying attention this season, Colt Brennan of the Fighting Rainbow Warriors has thrown for 3753 yards and 43 TDs this season. This guy is firing more bullets than people trying to cut the line for a PS3. Since losing to undefeated Boise State, Brennan is averaging 5.14 TDs per game. Those are XBox-type numbers. San Jose State, on the other hand, is allowing less than 20 points per game - a far cry from Hawaii's 48+ points per game on offense. Even though the Spartans are 6-3 this season, and they almost upset 10-0 Boise State last week, I'm sensing a blowout in Honolulu. Aloha, SJSU. Hawaii covers the spread.
TEXAS TECH -6 Oklahoma State
OK State is taking one on the chin from Texas Tech. Think about it. The Red Raiders cover the spread.
USC -6 California
Trap game? I laugh in the face of trap games. Evidently Cal doesn't. After losing to Arizona last week, Cal pretty much ruined any hopes of a BCS championship bid. With a win over USC, they could at least grab an invite to a BCS bowl game, prove that they belong in a big bowl game, and throw a wrench into the rankings. Looking at this game on paper, John David Booty of USC and Nate Longshore of Cal match up pretty evenly. They each have thrown for about 20 TDs, they each have a 60% completion percentage and they each have pretty cool last names. The difference maker in this game will likely be the effectiveness of the running game. Cal has allowed only 13 more yards on average than USC over the last 5 games, however, the Bears have also given up 5 more rushing touchdowns in that span. As much as I'd love to see USC lose this game, I just can't see it happening. If Nate Longshore regains the form he showed against UCLA (20/24 - 266yards - 3 TDs) this should be the best game of the week. However, I don't see him rebounding against Pete Carroll and the Trojans. USC covers the spread. I really hope I'm wrong.
Check back next week for my Thanksgiving column from deep in Trojan territory for the USC-Notre Dame battle. Anyone with tickets, please forward them along to me.
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