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
New BCS, Michigan stays #2, USC #3, Florida #4, but USC (and maybe Florida) will almost surely jump Michigan if they win out, because Michigan can't gain any strength of schedule points, but USC and Florida can gain based on SOS of their remaining games.
Point spread is:
Mich .926
USC .919
Fla .884 (? I may be slightly off, but it is close to that #)
Let's see, I posted that there should be no excuses, my team (Michigan) lost to the better team (OSU), would probably lose and perform worse in a rematch, shouldn't be rematched but instead other teams deserve to play OSU, and how a rematch would be unfair to OSU. Also stated that Troy Smith has won the Heisman, and that no one else deserve it.
In response you claim I was being bitter.
Who is actually being an ass?
LOL
Whatever you say.
I;m going to post a new thread with that, or if you want too....
ND does not go. Head to head they lost by 4 TDs to Mich. Nice try.
Article just out on AJC.com, Spurrier to Miami. Rumor only and Spurrier denies it.
Well, I don't get that. USC has had the hardest out of conference schedule by far. They're #2 in both Coaches Poll and the Harris Poll, and somehow they're still behind Michigan who just lost and the final score was actually closer than the game??
So, why do the computers like Michigan more?
No use getting any panties in a wad about it, especially since USC still has two more games, but that makes no sense to me.
You can do it :o).
It's because of how good ND is doing and that ND Is rated ahead of Arkansas.
If USC wins this game this weekend, that will weaken Michigan enough that USC SHOULD take over as the #2 team in the BCS....
I haven't been watching McCoy's games or stats, but remember that Smith did most of his work in three quarters, and was then replaced by Zwick or Boeckman. He rarely played all four quarters, I think against just Texas and Michigan. He could have easily run his numbers up if he had remained in at quarterback for the full game those other times.
Be that as it may, the BCS national championship isn't best two out of three. Michigan doesn't go.
Yes, and comparisons based on some stats can penalize a QB of a team with a good run game. But look at their nearly identical completion percentage, yard per attempt, and QB rating (plus the same # of intereceptions.)
"Be that as it may, the BCS national championship isn't best two out of three. Michigan doesn't go."
It may be this year.
You generally have to go with the recruiting powerhouses: Michigan, Florida, USC, ND any of these would be reasonable. It is rare that a team like Arkansas, West Virginia or Rutgers can rise that high the first two because of their limited recruiting base and the third because its base goes elsewhere as a matter of course. Though the great improvement at Rutgers should vastly improve their recruiting and reduce the NJ kids going to the Big Ten and elsewhere.
OSU is so successful because it gets first choice of its kids AND the very best in the other Big Ten states with losing programs. What kid in Illinois is going to go with UoI if OSU offers him a scholarship? There are no programs which would be more appealing than that at OSU only a handful is its equal.
I looked at the state origin of the starters last night and there were several more out of state kids on UM (including from Ohio) than OSU.
Yeah but it didn't used to be that way.
Cooper was more focused on getting the big out of state recruits at the expense of a few in-state recruits.
That changed completely when Tressel took over.
In fact, had Cooper been the coach in 2002, chances are Troy Smith would NOT be a Buckeye right now.
"Athens was about 80 miles the other way..."
It's a lot more than "80 miles the other way" in the rankings
I know.
but it's kinda funny that BOTH may end up winning their conferences :)
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