It’s that time of year again, and for the first time in a long time, I won’t be obessively tracking it.

If my old website was still up, I could show you my old tracking of the baseball playoffs, originally born out of a desire to have a readable schedule. I used to check MLB’s websites extensively for any hint of when the games would be, stuff like that.

But due to a combination of the Braves sucking, readable website designs, and trying to graduate this semester (hint: do not take more than 2 real classes your graduating semester) I simply do not have the time or desire to do it. So, yeah.

That said, I will still be doing bowl predictions. With this new commetary site thinger, the three of us could have a sort of competition to see who’s picks turn out the best. Or I could continue what I did last year, which is get a bunch of my friends together early Sunday morning after the games were over to decide the best bets for who goes where and trying to decide what the BCS would look like. In the end, I’ll probably compromise – use the comittee to predict who goes where, and then have a competition picking the actual games.

Anyway, I don’t do the predictions until the weekend the first BCS standings come out, which I believe is next weekend (which is also my fall break). So keep it here for two weeks for no to get my opinion on who will be in such illustrious new games like the Birmingham Bowl and the International Bowl.

Let’s do this.

Noon

• Virginia @ Duke (LF Sports): CRIPPLE FIGHT!!! Seriously, Duke stands a good chance of winning this one. Virginia can’t move the ball to save their lives.
• Toledo @ Pitt (ESPNU): I don’t really hae anything to say about this one. Go Rockets?
• Tennessee @ Memphis (ESPN): So, wait, a dominant state power agreed to actually play at a lesser school’s home stadium? Heck, they agreed to play them at all? Amazing, but call me when Alabama or Auburn go to UAB or Troy.
• Wisconsin @ Indiana (ESPN2): Go badgers, I guess.

12:30

• Mississippi State @ Louisiana State (LF Sports): MSU, no chance to survive, etc., etc.
• Colorado @ Missouri (FSN): 16 years ago, on October 6, 1990, an event happened that almost never happens in college football. Colorado was down 31-27 on their last chance drive at Misouri. Their national title hopes hung in the balance – at the time, they were 3-1-1. Someway, somehow, Colorado was granted a 5th down. Pay careful attention when CU gets to 1st and Goal – they spike on first down, but they don’t increment the downs, so they run again on first down, and then on 2nd. They spike again 3rd (really 4th) down, and score the winning touchdown (disputable) on 4th (really 5th) down. And people thought those Oklahoma-Oregon guys were incompenent.
  Why am I ranting about this? Well, another team went 11-0-1 that year. That was Bobby Ross’s Georgia Tech squad. Tech finished first in the UPI (now the AP) Poll, CU finished first in the coach’s poll. Yeah, that’s right – a team that a) lost a game and b) needed a 5th down to win another somehow got a share of a national title. Amazing. Because of the bowl situation back then, CU and GT never had a chance to play on the field.

2:30 – Purdue @ ND (NBC): ND probably wins. I’m really pissed off now after watching that video.
3:30

• Alabama @ Florida (CBS): UF should roll here. Alabama didn’t look good at all at Arkansas.
• Georgia Tech @ Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (ABC): Yes, that really is the full expansion of Virginia Tech’s name. This is pretty much the game of the day. The ACC Coastal title is probably at stake here, and it’s tough for me to say who will win. Regardless, it won’t be 51-7 again.
• Rice @ Army (ESPNU): Go Bobby Ross and USMA!

6:00 – Houston @ Miami(FL) (ESPN2): This reminds me of that joke on Family Guy about dumb reality TV shows on FOX: “Next on FOX, ‘Fast Animals, Slow Children'”
7:00

• Southern Cal @ Washington State (TBS): USC rolls
• Louisiana Tech @ Clemson (ESPNU): Clemson rolls, not much going on at 7:00 today
• Kansas @ Nebraska (FSN): Again! 7:00, you disappoint me

8:00

• Ohio State @ Iowa (ABC): Honestly, I’m glad we’re not down here. Lane Stadium is pretty crazy as-is, and it’s much worse at night. Again with the rolling, though, as that’s what OSU should do, but Iowa stands more of a chance than WSU, LaTech, and Kansas.
• Michigan @ Minnesota (ESPN): Michigan may be the first team from the Big Ten to actually be underrated. OSU-Michigan should be incredible this year.

9:00 Georgia @ Mississippi (ESPN2): Not quite “Fast Animals, Slow Children”, but should be a bloodpath again. Unless Stafford plays most of the game again. At any rate, Go Rebels!
10:15 Stanford @ UCLA (FSN): Go Trees, er, Cardinal!

I’d like to welcome my brother to the blog. He’s also a GT student but is co-op’ing back home right now.

I was almost completely wrong about CU @ UGA. But, hey, when you need a last minute TD to beat a team that lost to Montana State….

Also, I guess Matt Stafford is no longer the second coming of Christ.

I immensely enjoyed our game last night. I had not seen us beat UVA since I got here, so seeing us destroy them was great. Even better was seeing Calvin Johnson hit in-strike over the middle…wow. I also liked the 70’s unis. What a night. The only thing better would be a win at VPI next week, giving us our best win so far and putting us in the driver’s seat for the division.

Poor Virginia, though. I don’t think they’re the best oppenent we’ve beaten this year – I think Troy could probably take them by a touchdown or two. Did you see their “passing offense”? That guy made Reggie look positively awesome (Reggie’s never been as bad as that guy was). I think my brother summed it up best: “These guys couldn’t score against air.” The UVA QB threw everywhere but at his receivers, and in the off chance he actually got it to them, I think they were so surprised they just dropped it.

Our receivers are okay this year – we’re lining up playmaker Rashaun Grant in the slot and have shown depth behind Calvin. Our running game could use some work, though – I like that we’re trying to use the option, but Reggie pitches too soon and Choice seems to have trouble turning the corner and running upfield.

Our kickoff coverage still sucks, but it’s getting better.

I’ll now try to sum up all of Saturday’s games that will be on TV, since for the first time I’ll actually be able to watch them all. Onward!
Noon games:

• UNC @ Clemson (ACC regional): Watch one of the many trainwreck ACC teams this year get destroyed by Clemson.
• Colorado @ UGA (SEC regional): About the only way Colarado wins is if Ralphie gets loose and tramples the entire UGA team. Additionally, as a Tech fan, I’m conflicted by who to root for here, by which I mean, should I root against UGA (and for CU), or just not watch it all. The latter seems a better option.
• Cincinatti @ VPI&SU (ESPNU): Virginia Tech wins again. Over/under on unsportsman like penalties in this game is approximately 15 for both teams.
• Wisconsin @ UMich (ESPN): Michigan cruises again. Man, the games today suck, but I think I already elaborated on that.
• Minnesota @ Purdue (ESPN2): I always enjoy rooting for Purdue. They’re the Big Ten’s version of Georgia Tech: an engineering school focused on academics. Tech has a better football history, of course, but hey.
• Louisville @ Kansas St. (FSN): Petrino-ball continues.

3:30 games:

• Penn St. @ Ohio St. (ABC): Is this really the best game available at this time slot for ABC? Since the alternative is another likely blowout (ISU @ Texas), probably.
• Alabama @ Arkansas (CBS): Go Razorbacks!
• Rice @ FSU (ESNPU): Why? Maybe FSU’s offense will look good for the first time this year.
• Arizona St. @ Cal (FSN): The game isn’t at ASU, so there probably won’t be much to look at here. Cal probably wins.

Everything else:

• WVU @ Eastern Carolina (4:30, ESPN2): Yarr! ECU loses, though. At least WVU’s offense is fun to watch.
• UCLA @ Washington (7:00, TBS): UCLA dares to find out if it is indeed harder to “push across” U-Dub’s “line than to pass the Dardenelles.” And yes, I know where and what the Darndenelles are.
• Miami (OH) @ Syracuse (7:00, ESPNU): Everyone hates it, but I think Otto the Orange is an awesome mascot.
• USF @ Kansas (7:00, FSN): FSN continues on their parade of crappy Big 12 teams against Big East oppenents. Neither KSU or KU will win, likely.
• UK @ UF (7:45, ESPN): I’d be a lot more interested if this were a contest between each schools’ basketball team.
• ND @ Mich. St. (8:00, ABC): I’d prefer Notre Dame lose most of the time, and I still sorta do. But if they build up another winning streak, they’ll a) make us look better and b) build up some momentum heading into Los Angeles. I think they’re the ones with a chance of beating USC this year.
• NCSU @ BC (8:00, ESPN2): Watch Chuck Amato continue his quest to get fired!

That’s all, folks. Also, Tito, I hope the Harris Poll voters thing the same way the AP guys do. And if your schedule is better, then the computers will help you out. If those two things happen, then you’ll be ahead of USC in 2 of the 3 polls. Also, while USC may play more ranked teams than you guys, if you beat both UGA and UF you should gain ground in the coach’s poll, and you’re only down by 60 votes to begin with. (Hopefully, that will also be UF’s only loss – I’d, of course, like to see UGA lose at every oppruntunity.)