Posted on 11/16/2006 2:36:27 PM PST by MikefromOhio
Weekend Eleven threw the entire BCS mess into an even bigger mess if that is possible. No fewer than 3 one loss teams lost (Texas, Auburn, Cal) while another one (Florida) needed to block 3 kicks to win their game 17-16 against South Carolina. This week is the week that just about everyone in the national media has been waiting for. The greatest rivalry in college football renews and that game finds that Ohio State is #1 and Michigan is #2 for the first time in the 102 game history of this game.
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It doesn’t get any better than this. For the FIRST time ever, an 11-0 Ohio State team will play an 11-0 Michigan team. For the FIRST time ever, the teams are ranked 1 and 2 in every major poll. For the FIRST time ever, the loser of this game will end up in the Rose Bowl. This is the best rivalry in college football, and this one clearly has the best setup of any of those previous 102 games.
Ohio State and Michigan have both played dominant defense and very well on offense. Ohio State has a Heisman candidate in Troy Smith and Michigan has a Heisman candidate in Mike Hart. Ohio State has a coach that has brought a new focus to this rivalry whereas Michigan has the coach who was so dominant in this rivalry that Ohio State was forced to make a change. Does it sound like I’m having issues picking this game? Really I’m not. Every comparison for these teams shows that Ohio State is better on offense while Michigan is better on defense except for scoring defense. In the end, this game will come down to who makes the bigger plays. I think Troy Smith, who has burned Michigan each of the previous two years, will make enough plays to allow Ohio State to win this game.
Western Carolina at (3) Florida (NL)
Florida 53 – Western Carolina 3
(17) Cal at (4) USC (-5.5) ****UPSET WATCH****
USC 38 – Cal 31
(5) Arkansas (-15) at Mississippi St.
Arkansas 39 – Mississippi St. 12
Army at (6) Notre Dame (-28.5)
Army 70 – ND 6
Just kidding….
ND 42 – Army 10
(7) Rutgers (-6.5) at Cincinnati ****UPSET ALERT****
Cincinnati 23 – Rutgers 20
Mississippi at (9) LSU (-27)
LSU 38 – Mississippi 13
South Florida at (10) Louisville (-16.5)
Louisville 44 – South Florida 20
(11) TEXAS BYE
Buffalo at (12) Wisconsin (-38)
Wisconsin 53 – Buffalo 0
Utah St. at (13) Boise State (-37.5)
Boise St. 34 – Utah State 10
(19) Virginia Tech at (14) Wake Forest (PICK) ****UPSET WATCH****
Wake 22 – VT 18
(15) Auburn (-3) at Alabama
Auburn 23 – Alabama 17
(16) Oklahoma (-20.5) at Baylor
Oklahoma 38 – Baylor 14
Duke at (18) Georgia Tech (-26.5) ****UPSET WATCH****
Georgia Tech 21 – Duke 3
(21) Maryland at (20) Boston College (-7)
BC 24 – Maryland 21
(22) Tennessee (-8.5) at Vanderbilt
Tennessee 31 – Vandy 17
New Mexico at (23) BYU (-26.5)
BYU 42 – New Mexico 20
(24) Nebraska BYE
(25) Clemson BYE
New Mexico hasn’t disappointed yet this year. I pick them, they lose. I pick against them, they win. I paper this one doesn’t look like it will be very close. Let’s see how this prediction goes….
BYU 42 – New Mexico 20
Texas A&M BYE
Western Michigan at Florida State (-16)
I never thought I would see the day that Florida State would be ONLY a 16 point favorite against a directional school. Now the good news for FSU fans is that Jeff Bowden has been canned resigned, but the bad news is that he’s still there the rest of this season.
FSU 41 – Western Michigan 12
That is an understatement akin to "disembowelment is inconvenient."
I put Mussberger right up there with Joe Theismann. I always end up wanting to punch the screen of the TV by the end of the game.
As much as I dislike Theisman, he's The Angelic Very Messenger of God compared to Mushmouth [spit].
Play of the game:
Dumbass Crable taking a cheapshot helmet to helmet on Troy Smith when the rest of the defense had stopped OSU. Way to piss all over Bo's not yet buried body, his teams didn't play dirty and respected their opponent.
Hey Crable, you effing idiot, you just replaced Chris Webber as the biggest screwup in Wolverine history.
All I care about is based on what we saw today, we are set for the next three seasons with Tebow at QB. We may not quite be ready for the NC this year, but next year we definately should be a threat.
Stop watching football. You dont have any clue what you just witnessed.
RU Rah Rah!!!
LOL! The only announcer more annoying than Musberger is Tony Kornheiser, I couldn't care less about his fantasy team.
USC still has two tough games to play. If they should lose tonight or next week, Florida will be sitting pretty if they can beat Arkansas, because I don't think anybody really wants to see a rematch of OSU-Michigan. The only way I see it happening is if Arkansas wins out, but that horrible loss to USC won't be forgotten by the polls or the computers, same thing for Notre Dame.
For UF to have a shot, we are going to have to beat F$U by at least 20, and beat Arkansas pretty convincingly. The fact that Wake was able to go into Bobby Bowden Stadium and win 30-0 is going to put a lot of pressure on UF to win just as big there.
The most I see Michigan falling is to 4 in the polls, but you're right, Florida needs style points against "Saint" Bobby, and Arkansas.
It's USC's if they can do it. They have three tough games ahead of them, none of them gimmes.
Thankfully Auburn beat Bama, if Auburn would have lost that game, UF would have been dead.
I saw Bo coach twice in person. The 1982 & 1984 Ohio State - Michigan games. In 1984 I ran onto the field. Of course it was OK then because they had astroturf and they let people leave the stadium thru the open end of the stadium.
Yeah, if USC wins out, they're in, though I don't think either they or Florida will be able to handle the Buckeyes for four quarters.
Another bad sign for UF. Kentucky, who has a chance to finish 2nd in the SEC East, only beat Louisiana-Monroe 42-40 at home. This does not bode well for the SEC as a whole.
I used to go out to the two Ohio State bars near me (in Atlanta) to watch this game in the 90's and we always lost. I'm convinced now that watching the game at home while drinking diet mountain dew is the magic potion to insure a buckeye victory. Also, we're 5-1 in this game since I bought my condo. LOL!
You got that right and now I hear they're thinking of making us do it again.
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