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
maybe, but if USC doesn't turn the ball over against UCLA, it should win by a couple TDs....
yeah....
Not good and that game against Western Carolina won't help Florida in the computers either.
Like I said earlier, the loser of Arkansas-Florida goes to Orlando. Auburn is headed back to the Outback(they seem to do it every other year). Peach and the Tigers won't want to do it again, leaving Dallas. CBSportsline is projecting it pretty much the same way. I don't see them rising up the totem poll unless they destroy Arkansas. Remember, the Tigers got blown out by Georgia in the title game last year and fell all the way to the Peach. It could happen, but I think this will be how it plays out.
True, but then again how many times does a team score more points than the total amount of yards given up on defense, like we did yesterday (62-53)? Whoever made this year's UF schedule needs to go. First they schedule LSU for Homecoming, and usually you get all your creampuff games out of the way early, instead of the next to last regular season game.
Date Opponent Time/Result
Sat, Sep 2 at Alabama L 17-25 --
Sun, Sep 17 UNLV W 42-13 --
Sat, Sep 23 at (25) Boise State L 34-41 --
Sun, Oct 1 Eastern Illinois W 44-9 --
Sun, Oct 8 Nevada W 41-34 --
Sat, Oct 14 at Fresno State W 68-37 --
Sat, Oct 21 at New Mexico State W 49-30 --
Sun, Oct 29 Idaho W 68-10 --
Sat, Nov 4 at Utah State W 63-10 --
Sat, Nov 11 Louisiana Tech W 61-17 --
Sat, Nov 18 San Jose State W 54-17 --
Sat, Nov 25 Purdue 11:05 pm --
Sat, Dec 2 Oregon State 11:05 pm --
Yeah....
But Florida isn't the only SEC school that has that problem.
If it were a 1A patsy, that would be better, because the BCS doesn't take D-1AA games into account.
Perhaps, but it's a road trip of about 12 miles. Frankly, the Rose Bowl stadium is closer to the USC campus than it is to UCLA's. It's going to be more of neutral site than one which really plays to UCLA's advantage.
At this point in the season, Ohio is playing much better than USC. And I really hate to admit that.
Congrats on the win. That was a classic game
Ohio State you mean?
The Bobcats aren't bad, but they aren't the Buckeyes :)
USC has shown some grit this year that seemed to be missing a bit last year. I don't know. Maybe that's because last year's version wasn't challenged that much.
I think it will be OSU v. USC for the Title. Unless USC loses that is.....
I don't know if UF intentionally scheduled such a patsy, or had a cancellation. It happened to LSU in 2003. Va Tech owed us a home game and they bailed, leaving us high and dry. We had to scramble to find somebody to fit in. Didn't matter. We still got the split title with USC. The Hokies are supposed to finally come back next year, or '08, but rumor around Baton Rouge is that they're trying to weasle out of it again.
LSU/Michigan ROSE BOWL SCENARIO
If you look at the top ten, it really does look like we could have a chance of going to The Rose Bowl by beating Arkansas.
If we beat Arkansas, Rutgers beats WVu, SC beats Notre Dame, and AR beats Florida in the SECCG, then we move up to No.4 in the rankings behind OSU, SC and Michigan.
There's nobody else really available.
I beleive I believe lol
Yeah, Ohio State. That's what I meant. Definitely not U of Ohio
It's feasible, but a Hail Mary...
If Cal is rated high enough, the Rose will take them in that scenario. LSU could conceivably end up in the Orange, but I honestly don't think we'll be seeing them in Pasadena. It would be one heckuva game, though.
Actually this is Arkansas' third SEC championship game. On the other hand, they got their butts kicked the first two times.
I can't imagine Cal going to the Rose Bowl with three losses under any scenario. They'll be lucky to hang onto a top 25 ranking this week, and they're not going to impress anyone if they beat Stanford in their final game.
I know :)
A lot of the Michigan fans were saying "Ohio" instead of "Ohio State" yesterday.
I kept telling them that Athens was about 80 miles the other way...
By only 21 points. Michigan doesn't play again. Smack Bobby and the Hogs, and you can pass that easy.
Yeah, but are you going to beat Arkansas at War Memorial?
Ohio State 37, Cincinnati 7
Cincinnati 30, Rutgers 11
Rutgers 28, Louisville 25
Louisville 44, West Virginia 34
It is doubtful Cal will make it, but it'll take some serious voodoo for LSU to end up in Pasadena. Like I said though, LSU-Michigan would be one helluva game.
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