College Football Picks: Week 11
I’m going to be totally honest with you, I haven’t done much research into these picks. I’ve been, um, distracted since Tuesday night. My time has been taken up with running around getting newspapers to mark the occasion and just generally basking in the afterglow of this long, arduous election. This explains why I am getting the picks in just under the gun, too. I’ve always been a procrastinator, but when I have a good reason to procrastinate, I don’t really feel the need to apologize, so I won’t.
It’s going to be a good weekend of football, as usual. We’ve had our big, season-changing games and now it’s time to get back into the meat of the schedule. Mid-level teams gunning for bowl position and upper-level teams jostling for position for the biggest bowl games and conference championships. For conference partisans, this is the best time of the season. Being a Big 10 kid, there’s not much for me to be excited about, as everyone in the Big 10 seems to be middling at best, possibly even Penn State. But for you SEC, Big 12 and smaller-conference fans, this is going to be fun. Hold on. Until President-elect Obama can get to work on bringing a proper playoff to College Football:
Let’s go to the picks. A few more picks this week, a little less analysis.
Mountain West matchup of the week, and, if TCU can knock down Utah, of the year. Otherwise, Utah might just roll into the BYU game undefeated. You gotta think that TCU would relish the chance to knock another Mountain West team down a peg, just like they did to BYU. I think they’re going to do it, too.
Horned Frogs win, 31-27.
‘Bama’s on the rise, LSU is fading down the stretch. I think Saban and his troops are going to slip up at some point this year, they’re too young not to, but I don’t think that it will be here.
Roll Tide, 27-13.
No. 3 Penn State at Iowa
Penn State has very few challenges before their season is over. That’s a good thing, but it’s also a bad thing. Their strength of schedule could doom them to a Auburn in 2003-style season where they end up undefeated but stuck on the outside looking in. To keep the gap close, they’re going to have to destroy each and every one of their opponents. It starts here.
Nittany Lions win, 41-17.
No. 9 Oklahoma State at No. 2 Texas Tech
One week removed from the biggest game of Texas Tech’s history, they get no easy task in Oklahoma State. Mike Leach said it best right after the game when he said that the biggest game in Texas Tech history was now Oklahoma State. While the Cowboys are certainly game and very good at slowing down the game to limit their opposition’s possessions, that’s not going to be enough when the team that you’re playing has no trouble scoring in 1:30. I don’t see a letdown for the Red Raiders…yet. The Sooners loom.
Tech wins, 34-24.
No. 21 California at No. 7 USC
Pete Carroll is starting in on the whole “we’re getting screwed by this screwy BCS system” shit already, as USC seems stuck in the high single-digits for the past few weeks as they beat the shit out of patsies like Washington and barely escape the Arizona desert with their lives. That’s going to trickle down to the players and they’re going to fight to build up the Trojan resume. I have no idea how Cal is ranked. Honestly.
USC wins, 38-7.
Last week, the Irish found a new way to win a close game. They’re young, yes, but that doesn’t explain why they keep building halftime leads and then come out of the locker room playing tighter than a nun’s asshole. Charlie needs to stress to Mike Haywood that if you’re beating a team doing something, there is no reason to stop or let up once you reach the second half of the game. They’re not that good of a team yet. So, stop dicking around and start unloading on teams for the full 60 minutes, like a real football team, for chrissakes!
Sorry about the pent-up rage. But damn if that didn’t feel good to get off my chest.
In any case, this week, the Fighting Irish head out east to play their sorta-rival Boston College. The Eagles aren’t exactly flying high this season, but they have a tough defense and a capable, if young, offense. This is going to be a rough game for both teams. I think that it hinges on how well Notre Dame plays in the second half (like I alluded to in the first paragraph). I want to believe that they can turn it around this week, but I’m not entirely sold.
That said, I’d wouldn’t be happier if I got this one wrong.
Eagles win, 24-20.
