Two Teams Enter, One Teams Leave (without a win)

Ok, I've racked my brain for a joke about the once mighty Notre Dame taking on the once mighty Michigan and frankly, I can't think of one. Let's just take a look at their season stats:





Notre Dame - Average rushing yards per game, -4; Total points allowed, 64; Offensive TDs, 0.


Michigan - Home Record, 0-2; Total points allowed, 73; QB rating of this week's starter, 47.7.





I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry . . . wait, who am I kidding, this is hilarious! Syracuse has more rushing yards per game (6) than the Irish. Temple has allowed fewer points (72) than Michigan. I'm sure ABC loves the fact that they scored the TV rights to this game. On second thought, with the nation's eyes turned to see if Big Blue can go 0-3 at the Big House, this might be their highest rated game of the season.





Maurice Clarett nominee:





I was sent a story this week about a Texas fan that wore a Longhorns shirt into a Sooners bar and nearly lost his testicles. I'd make a joke about having the balls to wear a Texas shirt in OU territory, but that's too easy. Instead I'll site this as proof that Texas fans actually do have testicles. Who knew?





This week's actual nominee is tough to pick. It was a relatively quiet one for college football players, so we're going to nominate Dean Bresciani, vice president for student affairs at Texas A & M. The Aggies, who have a six-year old collie named Reveille as their highest-ranking member of the school's Corps of Cadets, quarantined the mascot after she snapped at her handler when he stepped on the collie's tail while running. Imagine that, a dog snapped at someone when he stepped on her tail! Next thing you know the Aggies are going to penalize Reveille for not scooping her own poop.





On to the picks . . .





Home team in bold





Wake Forest -21.5 Army





Yes, I know the Deacons are the home team, and Army is a service academy, but a 21 1/2 point spread? Let's take a look at the facts:


Fact 1 - Brett Hodges (last week's starter) and Riley Skinner (week 1 starter) have similar numbers. Each has 1 TD, 3 INT, and 28 (Hodges) or 29 (Skinner) completions. Not fantastic stats for either guy.


Fact 2 - Skinner did not play last week due to a separated shoulder, and Hodges has started exactly one career game (last week against Nebraska).


Fact 3 - Army is allowing a modest 149.5 yards passing per game.


Fact 4 - Army has played Akron and URI and is 1-1.





Hmmm, maybe a 21.5 point spread is justified after all. Something about this game doesn't sit right with me. Maybe its because both teams have the same colors. Yeah, that must be it. Either way, I don't see this one being close. Wake Forest is a lot better than their 0-2 record suggests, and Army's win came against URI in overtime last week, so they are still 0-7 in their last 7 games against FBS opponents. Sorry, Black Knights, it's back to your losing ways this week. Look for Wake Forest to take out some frustration after that 4th quarter INT in the end zone last week. I'll take Wake Forest to cover the spread against Army.





GA Tech -7 Boston College





Both teams are 2-0 and come into this game off big wins last week. The Jackets whupped Samford [and son] 69-14, and BC held NC State to 56 yards rushing and forced 5 INTs. GA Tech prides themselves on their running game, racking up an astounding 327 yards per game. Is it a case of the unstoppable force meets the immovable object? Not really. However, I think that GA Tech finally will have their hands full with a quality opponent this week (no offense to Samford, but we know Notre Dame isn't going to a bowl game this year). If Eagles QB Matt Ryan (275 passing yards per game, 6 passing TDs) is on his game this week, coupled with another solid game from RB Andre Callender (6.5 yards per carry, 2 TDs) GA Tech could finally be tested. Frankly, I like BC's chances even if they are on the road. I'll take the Eagles with the points.





TCU -8 Air Force





There is something to be said when your leading passer (Shaun Carney, 232 yards) is also your leading rusher (163 yards). On the other side of the field, over-hyped TCU dropped a big one to Texas last week (43-13) after manhandling Baylor in week 1 (27-0). Just how bad were the Horned Frogs last week? After being ranked No. 2 in the country in rush defense in 2006 (61 yards per game) and holding Baylor to 51 yards on the ground, they gave up 176 to Texas while being held to 43. Consider that a free lesson from Mack Brown on how to stop the run. Air Force, historically a passing team, has more than twice as many total yards passing (613) as they do rushing (232). While this bodes well for the Falcons, TCU also features a secondary that has 6 INTs this year. As difficult as it is for me to overlook the Texas game, I think TCU is better than their record shows, and will likely end the season in the top 20. I'll take the Horned Frogs to cover the spread.





Michigan -7 Notre Dame





Can Michigan really lose three straight games at the Big House? Can Charlie Weis really open the season at 0-3? The answer to one of these questions is yes.





The story lines to this game are fantastic. Mike Hart guaranteeing a win for Big Blue. Chad Henne seemingly out for the game. Charlie Weis threatening to go on an eating binge if the Irish lose again. The entire city of Ann Arbor on suicide watch. Seriously, after watching Michigan's loss to Oregon, I don't think I've seen a group of more forlorn looking fans in my life (and coming from a Red Sox fan, that says a lot). I really don't know how to break this game down. Notre Dame clearly needs help on offense. I'm not sold on either Evan Sharpley (sacked 7 times v. GA Tech) or Jimmy Clausen (sacked 7 times v. Penn State). The good news for Notre Dame is that Brady Quinn might start this weekend. The bad news is that it's for the Browns. Michigan looks to Freshman Ryan Mallet who completed a whopping 35% of his passes after coming in for the injured Henne last week.

I know someone has to win this game, and with Michigan favored at home by 7, I can't imagine that they'll lose. However, Mike Hart has been their offensive source, and after being scoring 3 TD's against App. State, he was blanked by Oregon. I don't know what he'll do against a rush defense that has given up an average of 215 yards per game. Whatever it is, I think it will be enough for Michigan to win and cover the spread. At 0-3, maybe it will enough for Irish fans to register www.fireweis.com. I think Bob Davie is available.

USC -9.5 Nebraska

AP voters are looking for a reason to drop USC to number 2 and boost LSU to number 1. This week, the Trojans take on the red-hot Huskers in Nebraska, where they are 13-3 since 2005. USC has only lost 4 regular season games since 2002, and you guessed it, all four games were on the road. Now I'm not one to make my picks based on trends (I took Oklahoma over Miami last week based on the strength of their Redneck Tea), but Lincoln is a tough place for any team to play, let alone one coming off a shaky win in week 1 and a bye in week 2. USC just isn't the same powerhouse that they used to be, and in case you missed it, Nebraska has gone 17-9 over the last two seasons under Coach Bill Callahan. However, Callahan has never beaten a team ranked higher than 23, and USC is a far cry from the Texas A&M squad Nebraska eeked out a win against last year, or the Iowa State team they beat in 2005. Bottom line, USC is going to have to prove their number 1 ranking this week, or risk losing it - even if they win. At #14, Nebraska hasn't been ranked this high since starting the season 6-1 in 2003. I have a feeling that this year's Nebraska team is more than just Lucky. In fact, I think Nebraska will win this game outright. I'm picking the upset here, and taking the Huskers to beat USC (with or without the points).

Until next week . . .