Back to even

Once again, I'm at .500 (10-10) after going 3-2 last week. Since I missed a week, I'm picking a whopping 10 games this week. I'll give 5 the regular treatment, and try to fit in a witty one-liner for the rest. Let's hope this goes better for me than Chien-Ming Wang's start went for the Yankees in Game 1 of the ALDS. Yeah, I said it - get over it.


Mo' Clarett nominee of the week:

Dennis Franchione of Texas A&M was a close runner-up this week after announcing that he has stopped selling inside information on the Aggies to boosters in a newsletter (which by the way is $1200 per subscription). I'm not sure who these people are that would pay $1200 a year to learn whether or not a packup punter has a broken pinky finger or not, but then again, I went to a school without a football team. This week's nominee is Steve Budin, a Miami sports handicapper, who published a book claiming that the 1954 Oklahoma-Oklahoma State game was fixed by mobsters who "allegedly used a horse laxative to poison some of the Sooners' players." Riiiiiight. and the next thing you're gonna tell me is that there are NBA refs who blow their whistle more often in order to affect the outcome of games. I wasn't born yesterday you know. On to the games.

Home team in BOLD

Rutgers -4 Cincinnati

The Scarlet Knights' loss to Maryland last week shouldn't have been so surprising. Rutgers' three wins came against Navy, Buffalo, and Norfolk State - we're not exactly talking BCS teams here. Still, Maryland (and I hate to say this) is vastly underrated (we'll get to that later) at 3-2. Unfortunately for Rutgers, it doesn't get easier this week. Undefeated Cincy rolls into NJ looking to be the team in the Big East this year. Good luck to them. As laughable as the teams Rutgers beat may be, the five teams that have lost to the Bearcats are a combined 7-17 on the year. I fully expect Mike Teel and Ray Rice to have 2 TDs each and I really don't think that Cincy's QB Ben Mauk, a transfer from Wake Forest, will step it up against the Sacrlet Knight defense. Look for Rutgers to cover the spread and reclaim their spot atop the Big Easy . . . er . . . Big East.

Oklahoma -11.5 Texas (neutral site)

Oy vey. Who would have thought that after this game, one of these teams would be winless in the Big XII? Both teams are coming off of upset losses and are looking to exact a little revenge. Big questions for this game: Can Sam Bradford play well enough for Cheeques to justify his man-crush? Will Texas be able to get their special teams in order after giving up 2 punt returns for TDs? Has Colt McCoy fully recovered after throwing four picks and getting his bell rung last week? What kind of goodies will we see deep-fried at this year's Texas State Fair? The answers to all of this and more will be shown to us via the magic of television this Saturday! As for me, I think Sam Bradford and the Longhorns special teams will regain their form, I think Colt McCoy, despite having the best name for a QB, will have a shaky first half, and I'm looking forward to deep-fried cheeseburgers and pizza to clog my arteries. Screw you, Weight Watchers! I'm also going to say that unless Vince Young steps in for the slightly-concussed McCoy, Oklahoma will cover the spread.

UCLA -22 Notre Dame

I'm speechless. Seriously? 21 points here? My how the mighty have fallen. I have a buddy who loves the Irish and has no desire toeven watch this game. In fact, ABC may want to show Nancy Kerrigan's Haloween Skating Special instead. I'm not even sure Charlie Weis knows how to handle a 5 game losing streak. Even Michigan's ineligible player can't help the Irish win a game. Notre Dame has 2 rushing TDs, their QBs have more interceptions (5) than passing touchdowns (3), and they've only attempted four field goals this season (making just 2 of them). UCLA is 4-1, 3-0 in the PAC-10 (yes, they're in first place in USC's PAC-10) , and dismantled a Washington team that picked apart a Boise State team that has only lost one game out of their last 18. The key to this game will be quarterbacks. UCLA's are banged up, and Notre Dame's are just plain awful. On the other hand, Notre Dame can't go 0-6, can they? Unfortunately, yes, they can. And looking ahead on the schedule, they take on BC next week and then USC after that. Hey Charlie, maybe you guys should schedule Temple or Marshall next season - just a thought. UCLA covers the spread, and I might just buy the rights to www.fireweis.com myself.

GA Tech -3 Maryland

Maryland is coming off a big win at Rutgers, and is finally looking to show everyone that they are a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately for them, they get the team that (in my opinion) is even more of a sleeper than they are - Georgia Tech. Here are the facts - the Yellowjackets have lost twice, to a VERY good BC Team (we'll see them in the Orange Bowl) and a surprising Virginia team. Yes, GA Tech has only one passing TD this season, but they have 15 on the ground (and Maryland has given up an average of 204 yards rushing and 2.3 TDs per game over their last three). Sorry, Terps, but Tashard Choice and Jonathan Dwyer are going to have a field day with you guys. I'm taking GA Tech to cover the spread.

Illinois -2 Wisconsin

As overrated as everyone thinks the Big Ten is, I'm not sure I agree with this line. Badger QB Tyler Donovan and RB P.J. Hill each have 9TDs on the year. Yes, those combined 18 scores came against the likes of Washington State and the Citadel, but you still have to be impressed. On the other side of the field, the Illini are looking to finish off Wisconsin, something they couldn't do last year as the Badger rallied for 18 points to win in Madison. This time, the games moves to Champaign, and every week, the Badgers look like they're on the brink of losing their first game. However, I think Wisconsin's defense will regroup and have enough to handle Illinois QB Juice Williams (who may have the second best name for a QB in college football). I'll take Wisconsin with the points.

The other five games . . .

Ohio State -7 Purdue - Welcome back to earth, Purdue. Congrats, you beat Notre Dame (who hasn't?) but you've never faced a team like OSU that features not one, but two running backs named Wells! I'll take the Buckeyes to cover.

Texas A&M -5.5 Oklahoma State

How cool is this? The second tier teams from each state are playing against each other too! Somehow, I don't think this one gets the same attention as the Red River Shootout. I'll go with the Aggies to cover.

USF -16 FAU

Wait, when did Florida Atlantic get good? This is the same team that went 2-9 in 2005, right? They're 3-2? Why wasn't I aware of this? This changes everything. Well, not really. FAU lost to ranked Kentucky last week, and I don't see them beating a ranked team this week. South Florida is creeping up the rankings, and should be the Big East BCS representative in January. I'll take the Bulls over the Owls.

Northern Illinois -4 Temple

This could be the week for the Owls. I'm taking Temple with the points. Seriously. Stop laughing.

Virginia -10.5 Middle Tenn

There is no way Virginia wins by less than 11 points. 1-4 MTSU has beaten Florida International this season. I guess they have one more win than Notre Dame . . . which is nice. Unfortunately, Virginia is 4-1 and boasts a big win over GA Tech. Their other three wins, not so impressive. However, I still like their chances over the Blue Raiders. I'll take Virginia giving the points.

That's it for this week - until then . . .