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
OUt of the teams that have one loss left?
Michigan (obviously), USC and Arkansas would give them the most trouble I think.
Pretty much yep :)
I agree: instant classic. I'm a Big Ten kinda guy, though not a fan of either of these teams specifically, and I can't remember when last I've enjoyed a football game so much.
I still think Arkansas would need a lot of things to break their way to make it to the Nat'l Title game. First, they've got LSU on Friday, and the Tigers will definitely want to prove that last night was a fluke. Then they have to get past Florida. Neither one is a gimme, they'll have to win both convincigly to get the style points. Then they have to hope the computers and pollsters forget about that blowout USC handed them at home in September. They're in the same situation Notre Dame is. The pollsters won't drop Michigan below number 4 this week, IMO.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/usatpoll.htm
FYI - (N.D. got jumped)
Michigan is ahead of UF, we're screwed.
Unless you annihilate Arkansas in two weeks, yep, Florida is screwed. That intramural scrimmage against W. Carolina yesterday definitely hurt more than it helped.
Wow....
Works for me believe me :)
One surprise for me is that Michigan is ahead of Florida....
If you're forced to schedule a patsy, do it early in the season, not on the same day everybody is watching the biggest game of the year.
Love the Hawaii pic too That reminds me when is Colt Brennan and Hawaii going to get some respect. If they dont breal the top 25 this week or next I think there is something seriously wrong
Best hope is for USC to beat Notre Dame, and UCLA to beat USC. I actually think UCLA has a better shot of knocking off USC than Notre Dame does. It's a rivalry game, where anything can happen, and it's in Pasadena.
Check #287. Hawaii broke into the rankings today at 25. What shocked me was that LSU actually moved up a notch.
I hatte to say it but its prob best for the conference if LSU loses against Ark on friday For the record , I am not hoping that happens and rooting for LSU to win big. However I think if a defeated ARK team goes into the SEC game that will be used against FLorida no matter how well they win the Championship game(if they do). So I am figuring the entire SEC will be rooting against my poor tigers this Friday lol
Hawaii is 25 in the coaches poll. What hurt them is that Bama pretty much shut them down. Hawaii is like Texas Tech, they can score at will on the weak sisters, but they don't stack up against the more athletic defensive teams.
As a Notre Dame fan, I have to say, sadly, I agree with you.
In a way, I wouldn't mind Arkansas jumping UF before the game in Atlanta, it would make beating Arkansas (not that it's a given by any stretch), more impressive for UF, and could make UF look better in the pollsters eyes. But they have to be convincing wins. And if UF's offense is going to get better results, Meyer needs to tweak the offense a bit, I think mixing in Tebow with Leak more could keep the defense off-balance.
I'm still rooting for LSU Friday, but it would be better for the conference as a whole if the Hogs won. LSU is pretty much set in stone for Dallas anyway, so it wouldn't really matter in the grand scheme, but I won't be drowning my sorrows in beer if we win.
As it is, with the schedule more favorable next season(all the toughest games will be in Baton Rouge and Tennessee will be off the schedule for Vandy or South Carolina), they'll be loaded for bear next year.
Do you think the Cotton is the bestwe can do. You might be right and I might be seeing this through Purple and Gold glasses. Of course I was a LSU board last night that had a perfectly reasonable sounding thread last night about how we get to the Rose Bowl and play USC lol
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