Yearly Archives: 2007

This Weekend in College Football: Week 13

A special Turkey Day edition for Week 13!

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Thursday
8:00: Southern California @ Arizona State (ESPN): Not sure I need state what’s at stake here. To sum it up, Arizona State controls its own destiny in the Pac-10. USC needs a win and an Oregon loss to clinch a Rose Bowl berth. Will they? I’m thinking no.

Friday
Noon: Nebraska @ Colorado (ABC): All that’s on the line here is a possible bowl berth, which the Big 12 will need because it likely won’t fill all its bids. The Buffs come in off a loss to Iowa State; their opponent comes off a bye week after shellacking Kansas. This game is basically a tossup, and I’m probably picking a minor upset by taking the Cornhuskers.

12:30: Mississippi @ Mississippi State (LF/Gameplan): Miss State will bring plenty of Cowbell as they try to guarantee themselves a bowl berth in a crowded SEC picture. Ole Miss is, of course, the only SEC team that has no shot at a bowl, and I don’t think they’ll suddenly start playing well in this contest. Miss State wins.

2:30: Arkansas @ Louisiana State (CBS): Houston Nutt is probably gone after the year and, oh yeah, LSU is really good. Tigers win the Battle for the Golden Boot.

3:30: Texas @ Texas Agricultural & Mechanical (ABC): Speaking of coaches likely to lose their jobs, Texas rolls into Kyle and should win. They desperately need help from the boys in Stillwater to play in Kansas City next week, though.

9:00: Boise State @ Hawaii (ESPN2): This is also a game worth watching, provided your turkey leftovers haven’t put you to sleep. This is Hawaii’s second real test all season, against by far their best opponent. A win here gets Hawaii ranked in all computer polls and will vault them into the top 14 of the BCS, which this year would just about guarantee them a bid. Boise is also right up there with Hawaii in the rankings, though, and is more well-liked by the computers. Neither team has beaten anyone from a BCS conference this year, and will play the same BCS team – Washington. I would say both teams would beat Washington handily at this point of the year – after their victory over Boise, the Huskies lost 6 straight and are 4-7 on the year. Honestly, I think Boise State could very easily pull the upset here, especially if Colt Brennan is still having issues related to the concussion he suffered during the Fresno State. That said, I’ll take the Warriors at home.

Saturday
Noon:

  • Miami (FL) @ Boston College (ESPN): BC has clinched a spot in Jacksonville next week, and their opponent will be playing at the same time over on ESPN2. If this were an NFL team, they’d probably rest their starters, but they’ll probably get a chance to anyway as they should beat Miami handily. Unless the Canes pull off the upset, this will the first time they have not made a bowl since 1997.
  • Virginia Tech @ Virginia (ESPN2): For the past few weeks, we knew this is what the ACC Coastal title would hinge on. I am still not sold on Virginia, unless you’re trying to sell me on the idea that they’re incredibly lucky. In other words, I’m going to say the Hokies win this one.
  • Maryland @ North Carolina State (Raycom/Gameplan): One again, a bowl berth is on the line, the destination Boise. Both these teams have shocked at some point this season. Maryland by upsetting Boston College and then losing to FSU last week. NCSU won 4 straight games, and then lost by 20 to Wake. Whoops. At any rate, I’m taking Maryland here.

1:30: Tennessee @ Kentucky (CBS): Kentucky hasn’t played all that well away from home, a fact that’s brought them down from the high of beating LSU there. Tennessee should’ve lost to Vandy last week, the Vols got all the calls. Can UK pull off the upset at this point? Probably not. I hope not.

3:30:

  • Oregon @ California-Los Angeles (ABC/Gameplan): Will Dixon-less Oregon be able to beat UCLA? Normally, this is kind of game Karl Dorrell would pull out, but without Dixon they have a realistic shot to win. Which is why they will lose.
  • Georgia @ Georgia Tech (Gameplan/ESPN2/ABC): To Hell With Georgia.
  • Connecticut @ West Virginia (Gameplan/ESPN2/ABC): Ladies and Gentlemen, your Big East Championship Game! Of course, I don’t think anyone planned it out that way, but hey, I guess those round-robin schedules produce some interesting late season matchups anyway. That said, I can’t really fathom any way WVU loses this game. This season hasn’t helped me believe that all, but I can’t in good conscience predict an upset here.
  • Kansas State @ Fresno State (ESPN2/Gameplan): Why is this taking up space on ESPN? The mind boggles. The mind also boggles at why K-State is going to Fresno. Anyway, the only reason I can think of to watch this is that one of my cousins is blocking TE for K-State. Fresno should win, though.
  • Notre Dame @ Stanford (ESPN): After subjecting us to Duke last week, ESPN for some reason opts to show us this contest. I cannot fathom why. Just for the hell of it, I’m going to say the Cardinal prevails and move on.
  • Oklahoma State @ Oklahoma (FSN): It’s Bedlam, baby! I’ve always liked watching this rivalry. And you don’t need to go too far back to find an upset by the Cowboys in a situation where Oklahoma desperately needed a win: a 12-1 Oklahoma team came into Stillwater in 2002 and lost 38-28. An 11-1 OU team lost by 3 a year before. The 2000 OU team that won the national title only beat a 3-8 OU squad by a 12-7 score. Last year, the Sooners only won by 6. However, these upsets will stay just that, upsets. Despite the loss next week, Oklahoma gets it done here.

5:00: Florida State @ Florida (CBS): Florida needs a win to stay in contention for a possible BCS bid. FSU needs a win to solidify their bowl position (though they’ll probably end up on this side of the country anyway, see below). Florida has been rolling since Tebow got a little healthier, and I see no reason for that trend to stop against a mediocre-to-terrible FSU squad.

7:00:

  • Clemson @ South Carolina (ESPN2): Definitely the more interesting of the state rivalries at this time slot. Clemson had better not screw this up, but South Carolina has to know they’re probably playing for a bowl berth here.
  • Washington State @ Washington (FSN): Yawn. U-Dub wins. Next.

8:00:

  • Missouri vs. Kansas (@Kansas City; ABC): Can you say “national title implications”? I thought so. Anyway, this is seriously the first real test for the Jawhawks all season long. I think Mizzou is slightly better, honestly. They’ve played an infinitely better OOC schedule and their only loss is to Oklahoma. Whatever the outcome, don’t expect a blowout, but probably a lot of points. I think this is a tossup to be completely honest, and I’ll take the safe but less ballsy pick of Kansas.
  • Alabama @ Auburn (ESPN): If I need cheering up at this point, the only thing that would do it would see Auburn beat the ever-living daylights of Alabama. Again. Both squads are mistake prone, but Auburn is simply a better football team right now in all respects. And I really just hate Alabama.

Anyway, enjoy your turkey and I’ll be back on Sunday to analyze the new bowl situation, whatever it is.

Bowl Predictions, Week 6

Not entirely lucid? Perhaps. But hey, they’re up and I’m ready to discuss them as proceed on Hate Week here at asimsports.

  • The BCS announced the other day that if there are not enough teams in the top 14 that can be selected, then the field can be expanded to the top 18. So, uh, hi there, Illinois? How are you doing?
  • We’ll see after this weekend how Hawaii fares, as their matchup against Boise State Friday night will at least get them into the top 14 with a victory. Either would probably qualify via “the Pitt rule” UConn upsets West Virginia. The likely destination for either would probably be the Sugar Bowl, which selects last this year.
  • As people who know me, well, know, I despise the so-called “University” of Alabama and everything it stands for. When they play Georgia I usually hope for the Earth to swallow them both whole or a local, but devastating, meteor impact. They did not do me any favors Saturday in their stupid loss to Louisiana-Monroe. The Music City Bowl wanted the loser of the Alabama-Auburn, and since FSU played ‘Bama this year this made Georgia Tech an attractive pick for the spot. Now at 6-6, Alabama can’t be picked ahead of any SEC team that finishes 7-5 or better, except in the off-chance they somehow beat Auburn Saturday. The ideal situation for me is that Auburn wins, we win, and end up there anyway. But FSU went to the Emerald last year and so it’s not looking good for the White and Gold. This week’s predictions “keep the faith”, as it were, but I’m not optimistic.
  • The SEC and Big Ten bowl picture is crowded. 10 of 11 Big Ten qualify, and 10 of 12 SEC teams already have and 5-6 Vandy meets Wake Forest Saturday. Because of NCAA rules, 6-6 won’t be good enough in these conferences, and even 7 wins may not be enough for some teams. I see Purdue, TCU, and Ball State getting 7 wins but being left out of their conference’s bowl picture. I see Iowa, Northwestern, and South Carolina finishing 6-6 and staying at home.
  • The predictions are a mixture of reality and attempts to see into the future. As you can see, I see USC and ASU getting at-large BCS bids, implying that USC beats Arizona State tomorrow and Oregon loses another game (which they have to, as they win any three-team tiebreaker with USC and ASU).

We’ve got at least two more weeks of predictions. We may see some bowls featuring smaller conferences start to announce their bids after this weekend, though. So stay tuned!

This Weekend in College Football: Week 12

Bowl predictions are up at the usual place.

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

  • Ohio State @ Michigan (ABC): This will be on the big screen at my apartment as a cadre of Big Ten alums invade. That said, with Hart having a high ankle sprain and Henne hurt, I like the Buckeyes here.
  • Northwestern @ Illinois (ESPN): Will Zook, well, Zook it up after pulling off the huge upset and having an outside show at a BCS bid? Probably not, Illini roll.
  • Syracuse @ Connecticut (ESPN2): Goodness Syracuse is a terrible. The Orange are ranked 114th nationally in total offense and 110th in defense. Does not bode well for them.
  • Tulsa @ Army (ESPN Classic): Tulsa’s a pretty decent team and controls their destiny in C-USA west. Army is not a very good football team, especially on defense. Tulsa rolls.
  • Maryland @ Florida State (Raycom/Gameplan): Part of one of the two ACC Raycom/Lincoln Financial Sports Games of the Week. Maryland is coming off their upset of Boston College while FSU just got rolled by VPI. Xavier Lee may be back for the Seminoles, but I really fail to see how that actually helps them. FSU also needs the win here to get to the 7-win mark going into Gainesville next week, which would increase their chances of staying in this part of the country for a bowl game. Maryland sits at 4 wins but this game and next week’s against NC State are both winnable. The line is FSU by 7.5, but to be honest I think that’s a little generous, and in fact I’m going to pick the upset here.
  • North Carolina @ Georgia Tech (Raycom/Gameplan): We need to play better than we did last week at Duke, that’s for damn sure. Even though we won I’m still not excited about this offense and Choice’s knee worries me greatly.

12:30:

  • Missouri @ Kansas State (FSN): Mizzou knows it has an oppurtunity to inject itself into the title game by winning out. Kansas State knows it lost to Iowa State two weeks ago and then got waxed by Nebraska last week. Tigers win.
  • Kentucky @ Georgia (LF/Gameplan): Alas, poor Kentucky! Ravaged by injuries, Kentucky sits at 7-3 with two games left against the SEC East’s top two teams. I hate to admit it, but Georgia is playing good football right now. The top two priorities for any team playing UGA right now has to be to pressure Matt Stafford and stop Moreno. Georgia wins here. And with typing that, I think I’m going to kill myself after this post. Ugh.

2:30: Duke @ Notre Dame (NBC): Ahahahahahahahahahaha. Okay, I’m in a good mood again. Seriously! Oh man. I will laugh so hard if Duke wins. And you know what? Why not? This is the year to beat ND folks. Line up and get your automatic W in South Bend! Woooo!

3:30:

  • Louisiana State @ Mississippi (CBS): I’m not really sure why the powers that be at CBS picked this over at a game that at least stands a chance of not being a blow out. I know it’s been close, but Ole Miss is terrible and LSU is really good. LSU rolls.
  • Pennsylvania State @ Michigan State (ESPN/ABC): It’s your irrelevant Big Ten game of the day! Man, at least the Big Ten season is over after this week. PSU should win.
  • Miami @ Virginia Tech (Gameplan/ABC/ESPN): Oh, Miami. On November 19, 2005, you were ranked 3 in the country when Georgia Tech beat you. Since then, you’re a decidedly un-“U”-like 13-12, including a blowout loss last week to Virginia in your last game ever in da “OB”. Yeah, folks, Miami sucks. Virginia Tech will hopefully not overlook them going into their division deciding showdown against Virginia next week.
  • Iowa State @ Kansas (Gameplan/ABC): Iowa State has won two straight Big 12 games. Let that sink in a minute. Can they make it three straight? Probably not, setting up the biggest Big 12 North showdown in a long, long time next week. That said, I do like ISU to cover 26.
  • California @ Washington (ABC/Gameplan): This season has fallen apart for Cal, but they’ll stop the bleeding against Washington this week and against Stanford in The Big Game in two weeks.

7:00: Oklahoma State @ Baylor (FSN): Why is Baylor on national television for the second week in a row? Who knows, and who cares? OSU rolls.

7:45:

  • West Virginia @ Cincinnati (ESPN): At first glance, you might think WVU is gonna roll here. Not so fast! This has huge Big East implications, though Cincy doesn’t quite control their own destiny (as they need UConn to lose again). That said, I still have to like the Mountaineers.
  • Boston College @ Clemson (ESPN2): Unthinkable a month ago, BC finds itself competing for the ACC Atlantic crown in Death Valley. At night. Not exactly a promising scenario for the Eagles. Clemson put up 44 on a pretty decent Wake team last week, continuing its roll on offense. Meanwhile, BC has lost two straight as their season falls apart around them. These are teams going in two different directions, folks, and I like the Tigers to continue putting up the points.

8:00: Oklahoma @ Texas Tech (ABC): Last game of the night. Texas Tech does not do the defense thing very well, as they tend to get blown out in their losses. If Oklahoma scores a couple touchdowns early, then this shouldn’t be a problem. TTU needs to keep the game in shootout mode. They probably won’t.

Week Twelve

I’m not going to apologize any more for posting this so late. You all have come to expect it by now. I could offer excuses like “I had too much to do” or “school is so demanding”, but that would be lame and a lie. The honest truth is that I am not as dedicated to my readers as I should be. Will you forgive me? I’m so sorry! (I really wasn’t going to apologize; sorry…doh!)

Enough. There have been better weeks of college football than week eleven, 2007. (You know something is wrong when NCState’s four-point win over UNC is news-worthy.) For some reason, Division I-A decided to forgo defense. Mississippi State was the only team to score less than 20 points and still win a game. Nebraska, still sore from a 76-39 spanking by Kansas, took it to the Jayhawks’ in-state rivals in a 73-31 decision. Navy and North Texas combined for 136 points in regulation, an NCAA record.

60 of the AP Poll’s 65 voters picked Ohio State as the best team in the nation before their collapse against Illinois. In my opinion, LSU is the real deal and now has the best chance of taking home the crystal ball in January. A few others could pull it off, though. The Big 12 has the best shot of securing BCS #2, since Kansas (12-0) or Missouri (11-1) will face Oklahoma (11-1) in the conference championship. Oregon, on the other hand, closes against Arizona, UCLA, and Oregon State. Not exactly the most impressive finish.

Matt Flynn does not care about the oncoming rushers behind him. He will dominate your defense anyway.

This week’s schedule looks a little more appealing than the last one. Here are the highlights (brought to you in Eastern Time and BCS rankings!):

#16!? Hawaii at Nevada (11 PM!?, ESPN2): Maybe undefeated Hawaii deserves a ranking, but not #16. The AP has them at #13. Above Florida. Ridiculous. I hope they drop one of their last three (at Nevada, at Boise State, Washington) so we don’t have to hear them whine when they don’t get a BCS bowl bid.

#7 Ohio State at #21 Michigan (12, ABC): Things at stake in this game: the Big Ten championship, Lloyd Carr’s job, and the patience of millions of fans outside the Big Ten who are not that impressed by this rivalry.

Off walks the “tough” Buckeye defense.

#23 Kentucky at #9 Georgia (12:30): Why isn’t this on television?

Duke at Notre Dame (2:30, NBC): Will the Fighting Irish make it to three wins? Maybe, but I doubt it. Duke almost beat Navy, Miami, and Wake Forest. Stanford beat USC, the greatest team of all time. Incidentally, the Cardinal hasn’t beaten Notre Dame in five straight meetings. Did you notice that Notre Dame lost to two service academies this year?

Raise your hands if you beat Notre Dame this season!

Take your pick from the following 3:30 massacres!
#1 LSU at 3-7 Ole Miss (CBS)
3-8 Iowa State at #3 Kansas (ABC)
5-5 Miami at #10 Virginia Tech (ABC)
#25 Wisconsin at 1-10 Minnesota (Big Ten Network)

Penn State at Michigan State (3:30, ABC): I’m going to have to ride the fence on this one. I probably know over fifty Penn State fans from my summers in Vermont, and my girlfriend Laura graduated from Michigan State. What’s my compromise? I’m going to cheer for the Nittany Lions during the first half and the Spartans during the second. Laura says the second half is the only one that matters, anyhow.

#17 Boston College at #15 Clemson (7:45, ESPN2): The only reason I care about this is that I picked Clemson to win their division. This game determines whether or not I was right. Go Tigers!