Weekly Picks

Early game this week, so my weekly picks are early. Deal with it.

Hawaii @ Louisiana Tech

Colorado @ West Virginia

Southern Miss @ UAB

Pittsburgh @ Louisville

Utah St. @ BYU

Virginia Tech @ Duke

Michigan @ Michigan St.

Clemson @ Maryland

Wisconsin @ Minnesota

Virginia @ North Carolina

South Florida @ Syracuse

East Carolina @ Marshall

Tulane @ Army

Toledo @ Ball St.

Northwestern @ Purdue

Arkansas St. @ Iowa

Alabama @ Kentucky

Cincinnati @ Miami (OH)

Temple @ Eastern Michigan

Kansas St. @ Iowa St.

LSU @ Georgia

Penn St. @ Illinois

UCLA @ Stanford

Washington @ Notre Dame

Florida St. @ Boston College

NC State @ Wake Forest

Central Michigan @ Buffalo

Memphis @ UCF

Air Force @ Navy

Western Michigan @ Northern Illinois

New Mexico @ Texas Tech

FIU @ UL-Monroe

Ohio @ Bowling Green

Wyoming @ Florida Atlantic

UNLV @ Nevada

Ohio St. @ Indiana

Ole Miss @ Vanderbilt

Oregon St. @ Arizona St.

Kent St. @ Baylor

SC State @ South Carolina

Georgia Tech @ Mississippi St.

Texas A&M @ Arkansas

Tulsa @ Rice

Auburn @ Tennessee

UC Davis @ Boise St.

USC @ California

Oklahoma @ Miami (FL)

SMU @ TCU

New Mexico St. @ San Diego St.

Houston @ UTEP

Washington St. @ Oregon

Colorado St. @ Idaho

Upset Picks

Michigan St. over Michigan - If I keep picking Michigan St., they're bound to win one. Aren't they?

Stanford over UCLA - I like Stanford to knock off the Bruins at home. The Cardinal may be one of the more balanced teams in the nation right now.

Washington over Notre Dame - The Willingham Bowl goes to the Huskies this year. Notre Dame hasn't faced a QB like Jake Locker yet.

Tennessee over Auburn - This game means a lot to both teams. I think whoever loses this may start to head South and even miss a bowl game. The game is in Knoxville so the edge goes to the Creamsicle Crusaders.

All Suspended/Dismissed team

If you're a college athlete these days, it seems to be all the rage to go out and make a complete jackass out of yourself. Unfortunately for these morons, a suspension, or in severe cases, a dismissal from the team is a result.

These instances of tomfoolery seem to be more prevalent this year than in the past.

In honor of these grade A dumbasses, I've decided to make a team compiled completely of players that have been suspended or dismissed from their respective teams this upcoming season.


Offense

QB - Ryan Perrilloux - LSU - Dismissed
HB - Lance Smith - Wisconsin - Dismissed
HB - Leon Patton - Kansas St. - Susp. Indefinitely
WR - Josh Jarboe - Oklahoma - Dismissed
WR - JaJaun Spillman - Louisville - Dismissed
WR - Jeremy Childs - Boise St. - Susp. 1 Game
WR - Marques Wade - Arkansas - Susp. 2 Games
OL- Clint Boling - Georgia Tech - Susp. 1 Game
OL - Andy Christensen - Nebraska - Susp. Indefinitely
OL- Tyler Gray - UCLA - Susp. 4 Games
OL - Brandon Davis - Florida St. - Susp. 3 Games


Defense

DL - Brady Smith - Boston College - Dismissed
DL - John Gill - Northwestern - Susp. 1 Game
DL - Kevin Dixon - Nebraska - Dismissed
DL - Phillip Taylor- Penn St. -Dismissed
LB - Darius Dewberry - Georgia - Susp. 2 Games
LB - Jimmy Johns - Alabama - Dismissed
LB - Daniel Brooks - Tennessee - Dismissed
LB - Freddy Burton - Arkansas - Susp. 2 Games
DB - Jamar Hornsby - Florida - Dismissed
DB - Donovan Baldwin - Georgia - Susp. 1 Game
DB - Antonio Wardlow - Tennessee - Dismissed

Special Teams

P - Britton Colquitt - Tennessee - Susp. 5 Games
K - John Barker - Syracuse - Susp. Indefinitely
RS - Preston Parker - Florida St. - Susp. 2 Games

If you give me the guys on the list I guarantee you I will win some games. Of course, my program will be in the shits for letting a bunch of douche bags run wild, but isn't that what football's all about anyway?

"Dream" non-conference match-ups for the the SEC

So I saw something similar to this being done on ESPN for the Big XII. I thought since it worked for that ass fest of a conference it surely will work for the all powerful SEC.

Here is a dream non-conference match-up for each and every SEC team. I even included Vanderbilt, and they're never included. Some of these match-ups are just so awesome that just their mere presence on your TV screen would cause instantaneous retardation.

That's why some of them will never happen......









Florida vs. USC


I've already discussed how exciting of a game I think this will be. Both teams are VERY fast, and both have excellent offenses. I have to admit that USC's defense is in a whole other class when compared to Florida. The Gators secondary scares me against this passing game, but I think the Florida front 7 would be able to handle the Trojans' rushing attack. I think it would be poetic justice if Emmanuel Moody went for a buck and a few touchdowns against his former team. I would probably lose my mind if Tebow went up against Brian Cushing in the open-field. Who else would you think I'd pick in this one? Of course I'm going with the Gators.









Georgia vs. Oklahoma


Both of these teams are popular picks to make the title game this season. Both teams also have Heisman Trophy candidates in Knowshon Moreno of Georgia and Sam Bradford of Oklahoma. Another story I find interesting between these two teams is that Oklahoma is led by former Florida assistant Bob Stoops, while Georgia is led by former Florida St. assistant Mark Richt. It's kind of like a dumbed down version of Florida vs. Florida St. This year this game could almost be considered a toss up. Both teams have a lot of talent on offense, and both have extremely tough defenses. I would give the ultimate edge to the Bulldogs. Especially if this were a bowl game.









LSU vs. Texas


These two top-tier teams continuously battle for high school talent in Louisiana and Texas. This game would enable the two to move this off season battle to the field. Both teams have also won recent BCS championships. Mack Brown and Les Miles are two of the more recognizable coaches in the nation, and both will have their teams ready to play in the one. Almost any other year, I would have favored the Tigers in this one. However, LSU is still searching for a quarterback to distribute the ball to it's talented play-makers. Texas on the other hand, has Colt McCoy back, and he will have the benefit of an experienced line in front of him. I give the Longhorns the nod in this one.








Alabama vs. Notre Dame


This game could be hyped as the delusional bowl. Every year the fan bases for these two teams proclaim how they will once again repeat for a national title and bring their program back to glory. Every year, these same delusional fans are knocked back down to reality after their team struggles through another season. These two programs have both spent time at the top of college football. Recent recruiting classes suggests they might be able to get there once again. However, that year is not this year. Alabama will be more competitive than last year, but I still think the Irish are a year away from making it back to a bowl game. I give this one to the Tide. Tuscaloosa will fall under martial law as their ravenous fans litter the streets because there is absolutely nothing else to do but celebrate a meaningless win.







Tennessee vs. Michigan


This would be an interesting match-up between two proud programs that have fallen on tough times recently. Tennessee is sticking with Phil Fulmer despite growing unrest around the program. Michigan is still suffering embarrassment from last season's loss to Appalachian St. The Wolverines will most likely struggle this season. Their defense is not very good, and they lost nearly their entire offensive production to the NFL. Tennessee has a better defense than Michigan, but they too face a difficult challenge of finding new play-makers on offense. I give the edge to the Vols in this one. Arian Foster should find no difficulty in finding holes in the Wolverine defense. Tennessee's defense will also be tough to move the ball against for Michigan.








Auburn vs. Purdue


I picked these two schools for one particular reason. Both of these schools are better football teams than their more well admired in-state institutions. Auburn has been better than Alabama for a while now. Purdue is undoubtedly better than Notre Dame at this current moment. Yet, both Alabama and Notre Dame still get most of the pub. This game would be pretty exciting to watch. The Boilermakers have a ton of firepower on offense with QB Curtis Painter and RB Kory Sheets. Auburn will be installing the spread under Tony Franklin this season. Overall, I would give this match up to the Tigers. Their defense would eventually be able to stop Purdue's offense and take the victory.

South Carolina vs. Florida St.


It would be awesome to see Steve Spurrier and Bobby Bowden on the same field once again. With Bowden's career winding down, this year would probably be their last opportunity to do so. Of course, being a Gator fan, Spurrier is one of my favorite coaches. Even though I hate Florida St., I actually like Bobby Bowden too. I've said it before, CFB needs Bobby to stay around the game. One last chance to see some visor tosses and hear some daggumits would be a special treat for any college football fan. I actually might have to give the edge to the Noles in this game. It all would depend on which Gamecock team would show up.








Arkansas vs. Louisville


This is a dream match-up for obvious reasons. Bobby Petrino gets a shot at the team he left in the dust. Of course, no matter what happens in this game, there will be one unchanged truth: Bobby Petrino is a straight up douche nozzle. Petrino's bunch will struggle on offense because this team is not currently designed to run his offense. Steve Kragthorpe, on the other hand, will have the Cardinals fired up and ready. I would expect Louisville to win the Petrino bowl.

Kentucky vs. Kansas

Of course both of these schools are better known for their highly respected basketball programs. Both teams have also recently become a lot more competitive on the football field as well. Kansas is returning a ton of offensive firepower, while Kentucky lost a lot of it's weapons. I would expect this game to be very high scoring, even resembling some of their basketball contests. In the end, I would give the advantage to the Jayhawks.

Ole Miss vs. UCLA

I look at Ole Miss and UCLA as pretty much being the same team. Both squads have tons of talent, yet neither team ever produces like they should. Also, both teams are in the first season of a controversial coaching hire. The Rebels welcome in Arkansas outcast Houston Nutt, while the Bruins tagged NCAA bad boy Rick Neuheisel to lead the way for them. Like I said, both teams are loaded with talent, it's just a matter of which coach can get the most out of his team. I give the edge to Houston Nutt and the Rebels. Also, how good would the talent be in the stands at this game. The co-eds at Ole Miss and UCLA are both top-notch. That alone makes this a dream match-up.

Mississippi St. vs. Pittsburgh

This game may not seem like such a good match-p. Neither team is a national powerhouse that attracts a ton of attention. However, this game would feature two of my favorite running backs in Anthony Dixon of Mississippi St. and Pittsburgh's Le Sean McCoy. I would love to see these two go at it, as well as see how each defense stops them. Last year's bowl game between the Bulldogs and UCF was seen by many as being boring. I actually thought the game was extremely intense and fun to watch. I expect this one to be in that same mold. The Panthers might just have too much offensive firepower for Miss. St. to overcome.

Vanderbilt vs. Tulane

This could have easily been a conference match-up. These two schools almost became charter members for the Magnolia Conference. This was supposed to be the Ivy League of the South. Both teams eventually backed out at the last minute. Tulane has seen limited success in the C-USA. However, Vanderbilt has consistently gotten pissed on by the big boys of the SEC. The Dores are the only SEC team that hasn't grown ultra competitive within the conference. I think Vandy would be able to get the win over Tulane. Partly because Bob Toledo has no business coaching college football

National Championship odds

I'm not a gambler at all. I like money too much to gamble it away, so I don't really follow the odds or lines on games. However, there are a lot of people out there that take a lot of stock in the odds given by Vegas on certain things happening.

These are the odds of a few notable teams to win the NC this year:

USC - 3:1
Florida, Georgia, Ohio St. and Oklahoma- 6:1
LSU- 12:1
Auburn 20:1
Clemson-22:1
West Virginia- 25:1
Michigan, Tennessee, Texas- 30:1
Miami, UCLA- 35:1
Alabama, Virginia Tech- 40:1
Florida St., Illinois, Penn St., Rutgers- 50:1
Notre Dame- 55:1
Arkansas- 150:1


I don't really care about any of this, but some people put in a lot of work to get these numbers.

Expansion? It's the PAC-10's turn.

I recently did a blog referring to the possible expansion of the Big East and how awesome that would be. Now it's time for me to show you how smart I am by discussing the possible expansion of the PAC-10.

PAC-10 expansion is a bit more unlikely than Big East expansion. Most PAC-10 fans will argue that bringing in two more teams will go against the tradition that the conference has built up. I agree there is a certain air about PAC-10 schools that doesn't exist anywhere else in the West. Bringing in two more teams would somewhat dilute that.

Also, the main reason for expanding would be the implementation of a conference title game to generate more revenue for the conference itself. This argument might not hold up in the PAC-10 because a title game might not be all that more profitable. Unlike the SEC and Big XII, the PAC-10 fan base is not exactly obsessed about it's football. I compare the PAC-10 more to the ACC, and we have seen how much of a struggle that conference is having with it's title game.

Despite these drawbacks, expanding the PAC-10 to allow a conference title game could be beneficial to all of college football.

Here are six possible candidates that I believe would get some consideration if the PAC-10 were ever to expand.

1. Boise St.- The Broncos have been the class of the non-BCS schools of recent years. From 2002-2006, Boise St. won 5 straight WAC titles. Of course, Boise St. is remembered most for knocking off the Oklahoma Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl after a perfect 2006 season.

Boise St. would bring with them a fan base that would rival top PAC-10 programs. Other than USC, California and UCLA, Boise St. might have one of the better fan bases in the PAC-10.

The downside to Boise St. is that they play in a small market. Idaho doesn't exactly scream PAC-10. Also, the blue turf that the Broncos play on would have to go as it is seen as nothing more than a gimmick by the PAC-10 powers.

2.Colorado- A few years back it was reported that the Buffs would welcome a move to the PAC-10 from the Big 12. Colorado might not fit in with the rest of the PAC-10 geographically, but that's been done before (i.e. Penn State in the Big Ten, Arkansas in the SEC, Iowa St. in the Big XII.) Since the Big XII started playing title games back in 1996, Colorado has participated in 4 of them. Also, Colorado would bring a national championship to the PAC-10 with their title in 1990 (shared with Georgia Tech.) Colorado would be able to match the other PAC-10 schools in terms of tradition and name recognition, which would be a big seller.

A drawback for Colorado to join the PAC-10 would be the fact that the Buffaloes will undoubtedly have to pay some sort of fine to the Big XII. The move to the PAC-10 would have to be overwhelmingly positive for Colorado to even consider throwing away money like that.

As a side note, this would allow Colorado, Washington and UCLA to compete for the Neuheisel cup every year. Good stuff.

3.Utah- Utah is a respected state university that would fit the mold of a PAC-10 institution. Also, bringing in Utah would allow the PAC-10 to capture the Salt Lake City market. Since the Mountain West conference came into existence in 1999, the Utes have won 3 conference titles. Also, Utah defeated Pittsburgh after their perfect 2004 season to become the first non-BCS school to win a BCS bowl game.

Utah is always one of the more respected non-BCS schools in the country. However, the Utes have lost some of their luster after the departure of head coach Urban Meyer to Florida.

4.Fresno St.- The Bulldogs already play in a PAC-10 market in Fresno, CA. The ability to keep the geographical boundaries that currently exist would be a big draw for the PAC-10 in regards to Fresno St. The Bulldogs have won three WAC titles under Pat Hill and have always taken the role of fearless underdog when playing against BCS competition.

One thing the Bulldogs lack is a defining win. Fresno St. has had their share of upsets but they have never really captured the college football world like Boise St. and Utah have. Also, lately Fresno St. has been labeled an underachiever and last time I checked the PAC-10 already has a UCLA.

5. BYU- The Cougars have gradually become one of the better non-BCS teams in college football recently. This year BYU is expected to make a run at a BCS bid. If that were to happen, it would greatly improve their stock in this discussion. BYU has won 4 Mountain West conference titles including back to back championships the past two seasons.

The Cougars definitely have the goods on the field, but BYU is not a research institution, which is almost a mandatory requirement for the PAC-10. BYU's religious affiliation may be too much to overcome for them to be seriously considered for the PAC-10.

6. UNLV- The Rebels are easily the least credentialed football team on this list. One thing that UNLV does have that the other schools don't is a very solid basketball program. The b-ball program would help UNLV in the expansion discussion.

Also, UNLV would give the PAC-10 the Las Vegas market. This could either be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you want to look at it.

UNLV might have the smoothest transition of the 6 schools listed into the PAC-10 because the Rebels roster is loaded with USC transfers.

S.O.S. = SEC is Officially the Shit.

I came across a recent ranking of the ten most difficult schedules this coming season. The rankings were determined by the opponent's winning percentage.

Here were the results:

1.Georgia
2.Florida
3.Arkansas
4.UCLA
5.Alabama
6.Auburn
7.Ohio St.
8.Kentucky
9.Colorado
10.Baylor

Is is any surprise that 6 of the top 10 teams with the toughest schedule reside in the SEC. I hate when people say the SEC gets off by playing weak out of conference teams at home. My response: So what? We deserve the break from the rigorous in-conference schedule.

If SEC teams were in the Big Eleven, where we would have the luxury of playing Northwestern, Minnesota, Michigan St. or Iowa on any given week, then we would go out and find tougher out of conference teams to schedule. Instead we're stuck with the likes of LSU, Georgia, Florida, Auburn, Tennessee or Alabama on any given week.

The SEC is the toughest conference by far. I couldn't care less if they just played their 8 conference games and said to hell with the rest of the schedule.