For the first time this season, I'll say it: To hell with Georgia. I guess they're just used to losing to teams in orange and blue... but what a disappointing display for the SEC. Now we'll hear about Boise State all season unless Nevada comes through again or if TCU can pull off an upset. Both the Nevada and TCU games are on the smurf turf, so you can expect to see Boise State in a BCS bowl this year -- but not the national championship game. Not too many big surprises last week though. I expected a close game between Notre Dame and USF, but I figured with home advantage Notre Dame would come out on top. But wow. That was just embarrassing. I expect an awful season from the Irish this year - if even Lou Holtz picked against them, you know it's not looking good. (though to be fair, he admitted his wife made him pick his son, and he still said he thought Notre Dame was a better team than USF)
Wisconsin played well at home and won big. What I neglected to mention in my blog last week was that I picked UNLV +35 in that game. My brother (a Wisconsin alum) kept teasing me before and throughout the game about my "stupid" pick. Didn't look so stupid when the badgers won by 34. Auburn was a disgrace. I know they lost a lot from last year's national championship team, but no SEC team - not even Vanderbilt - should come close to losing to Utah State. And that's not to discredit Utah State. I just have that much respect for SEC football. Sidenote: What is Texas A&M thinking? They want to leave the Big 12 to get beat up by the SEC? Bring it on. Texas was up 13-6 at halftime over Rice. Someone explain to me how they entered this week's top 25? Once again, preseason/early season rankings mean nothing and are based on nothing. These rankings are based on general perceptions of schools based on the past at this point, and absolutely nothing more. There is no other information available to help formulate rankings, so at this point it is frustrating, but understandable.
The Gators looked fine against the Owls. Brantley looked a little more confident than last year. That's a plus. But he still threw two interceptions, and that's not cool. Nebraska looked good. Taylor Martinez looked fast. But it was a game against Chattanooga, so I'm not sure what I can deduce. Rutgers looked good against North Carolina Central, but we'll see how they do against a better school in North Carolina this week.
Picks for week 2....
Tonight I'll take Oklahoma State. Tomorrow I'll take Louisville and Missouri in close games. Both weren't great last week, but they should be able to handle FAU and Arizona State. AZ St is at home though...so we'll see. And I gotta pull for Charlie Strong - until he plays Rutgers, of course.
Saturday - Badgers over Beavers. Ohio State wins another easy game over Toledo. Michigan State will score under 30 again against FAU, but the Spartans will win. Iowa beats Iowa State in an in-state rivalry game no one cares about. Kentucky will hopefully put on a better show for the SEC against Central Michigan. Auburn will play better this week, but I have to side with Dan Mullen in this game - even if the Tigers are at home.
Call me crazy, but I'm taking the Scarlet Knights on the road at UNC. I just have to. West Virginia and Pittsburgh should have no problems - so the Big East should have a good afternoon. Alabama wins big in Happy Valley. Sorry, Joe Paterno! Stanford beats Duke - and no one will care. East Carolina will give Virginia Tech a fight, but the Hokies will come out on top. Nevada will come in confident, but they won't accomplish much. Oregon has too much offense - Ducks win big. Much higher score than last week. TCU will begin climbing back up the rankings with a win over Air Force. I think Hawaii is winning in Seattle. Another rough week for the Huskies ahead next week...
Cincinnati may have had a nice offensive showing last week, but I don't think they can handle the SEC. Spurrier is winning at Georgia. UNLV will lose its second in a row. FSU wins another cupcake game this week and all the unnecessary hype continues. Ole Miss beats the Salukis. Nebrakasa will crush Fresno State. Arkansas will destroy New Mexico. USF should beat Ball State - but don't tell David Letterman. My upset special of the week: BYU wins at Texas. Gotta pick June Jones over UTEP. Florida will beat UAB. Driskel will hopefully be in early and often and will gain confidence - no interceptions this week! I want to see more from Debose this week. And no turnovers for the team. ::Ahem, Brantley:: I'll pick USC over Utah even though I despise Kiffin. Houston will beat North Texas on the road - Case Keenum is too good. Michigan should beat Notre Dame - sorry Lou Holtz! And of course, to state the obvious, LSU will humiliate Northwestern State.
GO GATORS!!! R-U! Rah! Rah! Go Big Red! (Husk 'em corns?)
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