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.
It doesnt 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 Im having issues picking this game? Really Im 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
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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 hasnt disappointed yet this year. I pick them, they lose. I pick against them, they win. I paper this one doesnt look like it will be very close. Lets see how this prediction goes
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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 hes still there the rest of this season.
FSU 41 Western Michigan 12
Assuming you're a Terp fan, Fridge stories are welcome.
Nah, sorry. That's an E, not an A. I get that a lot... wonder if I can get the mods to change my name...
A Lloyd Carr of course :)
TD WVU
38-27
What does this say about being ranked #8? Where was Pitt ranked?
This has been a wacky football season, not that most of them aren't....
hell Pitt is 6-5 and on a 4 game losing streak....
Deal, but I've never been to ABQ so you'll have to pick the lucky drinking establishment. :) And one can hope Yuma and ABQ will be at least warmer than it is here in Boise.
I guess I don't follow all the teams closely enough to figure this out. USC demolished Arkansas, for Arkansas's only loss, yet look where Arkansas is ranked and where they could go.
And that's not taking anything away from Arkansas. They're playing great football since then, or so it appears.
I'm not sure anything appears what it seems in the SEC anymore. They've got a great reputation, but it looks like a conference in temporary decline, at best.
But who the heck knows? If they have an undefeated team next year that wins the BCS, somebody will plaster this post in my face. ;-)
Nah I don't think the SEC is in a decline per se, it's just that instead of one or two dominant teams, like we are used to seeing, they have 5 or 6 programs that could win the conference at any given time.
That and I think that with the way Arkansas is playing now, they are clearly ahead of ND and West Virginia, but behind only USC, OSU, Michigan and maybe Florida....
Darren McFadden is a beast.
Keep on singing. You have 29 hours to sing and enjoy yourself before the fraud known as Ohio State gets dismantled in OSU's own stadium.
Dear Board Members,So now, everybody has to root for Rutgers.
I dont know how many of you are Rutgers Football fans or whether any of you found interest in the game last Thursday night, but I wanted to share with all of you a human interest story which has touched us beyond words.
As many of you are aware, my nephew Jason Schaible , who is 20, has been battling Hodgkins lymphoma for the past year requiring frequent visits and stays at Robert Wood Johnson hospital and at the New Jersey Cancer Institute in New Brunswick.
During one of his chemo treatments back in September one of Jasons oncology nurses, Karen, mentioned that she would get him tickets to any Rutgers football game he wanted to attend. He chose the Louisville game. Of course at that time neither team was ranked and there was not nearly the level of interest.
Jason entered the hospital to undergo a stem cell transplant on November 1st and, because of the prolonged treatment, realized he would not be able to use the tickets to the biggest football game in State history. Jason returned the tickets to Karen, his nurse, who then posted a notice on the Rutgers Alumni web-site telling everyone Jasons story. The story was brought to the attention of Mr. Mulcahy, the Rutgers Athletic Director, who then called coach Schiano to see if they could get a jersey for Jason.
After learning that Jason had returned the tickets and was hospitalized with cancer, coach Schiano, on Thursday the busiest day in the history of the football program and when everyone wants a piece of the coach, personally went to visit Jason in the hospital. He brought a football signed by all the Rutgers players, a jersey and a hat to give to Jason. More importantly he told Jason that he was more concerned about his health than some football game.
They spoke for a half hour about life, its ups and downs, and how fighting for something was just as important as winning. He left Jason with his personal phone number and told him to call him when he was out of the hospital and feeling better. He said he wanted to see Jason when he was healthy so that he could give him a new set of tickets.
The impact that this simple gesture of compassion has had on Jason has been astounding. Coach Schiano will forever have a whole new set of fans The Schaibles
Thanks for listening .
Tom
It's been cool watching ESPN Classics OSU-UM games...I taped 1974, 1979, 1969 & 1987.
I was funny on the 1974 game Joe Paterno was doing the color commentary during the game.
I almost went to Western Michigan.
That was Paterno?
Damn :)
Theres an article about Laurenitis (sp?) in Sports Illistrated this week.
That was an amazing play and wow what a block.
Lloyd Carr is a complete jackass!
If you get ESPN Classics they usually show the best espn/abc game of the day on sunday mornings from 9am to noon (est). I'm sure they'll probably just reshow the OSU-UM game then.
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