Category: College Football (Page 80 of 296)

      2010 College Football Week 7 Picks

      October 15, 2010 /
      Dec 23, 2009, San Diego, CA, USA; Utah Utes players react after their 37-27 victory over the California Golden Bears in the 2009 Poinsettia Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium. Photo via Newscom

      I feel like Jerry Seinfield in that episode where things keep evening out for him. One week I go 3-1 and the next I go 1-3. The past two weeks, I haven’t even been that dramatic, going 4-4 combined.

      Last Saturday, Minnesota and Oregon State were winners, but Alabama and Toledo left me hanging. The 4-0 Saturday has eluded me so far this year, but so has his evil twin, the 0-4 Saturday, so things could be worse.

      No. 1 Ohio State @ No. 18 Wisconsin, 7:00PM ET
      The Buckeyes failed to cover in their only road game of the year so far, but that was against Illinois – whom they’ve never covered against…ever. (Don’t look that up – it’s fact.) Wisconsin hasn’t covered all year and I don’t think its fortune turns around this week either. Ohio State is allowing just 13.5 points per game this season and is fourth in the nation against the run. Thanks to John Clay and James White, Wisconsin has the 11th best rushing attack in college football, but the Badgers will meet their match this Saturday against a tough Buckeye front seven. Ohio State leads the all-time series 53-17-5 and will no doubt be jacked up a week after claiming the No. 1 spot in the top-25 polls.
      THE PICK: OHIO STATE –3.5

      No. 11 Utah @ Wyoming, 6:00PM ET
      The Utes should have no problem securing their second 6-0 start in the past three seasons when they travel to Laramie to take on a struggling but somewhat competitive Wyoming team. Utah is averaging 32 points per game this year, while the Cowboys are having trouble keeping opponents out of the end zone (they’re allowing 32 PPG). Utah has won nine of the last 10 matchups and holds a series edge of 50-31-1. That doesn’t mean much when you’re laying 20.5 points, but the Utes are 4-0-1 against the number this year and they look primed for another cover.
      THE PICK: UTAH –20.5

      No. 3 Boise State @ San Jose State, 8:00PM ET
      As I’ve written countless times before, I don’t make it a habit of laying 40.5 points but I’ll make an exception here. (There’s a joke in that first sentence if you can find it.) The Broncos have proven plenty of times in the past that they can handle big point spreads whether they’re playing on the road or not. Outside of a decent effort at Wisconsin earlier this year, the Spartans have struggled virtually every week. They don’t have the players to match up with Boise for four quarters and as long as the Broncos don’t let their foot off the gas in the second half, they should cover the 40.5.
      THE PICK: BOISE STATE –40.5

      No. 19 Nevada @ Hawaii, 11:30PM ET
      Even though Nevada is 6-0 and ranked, 6.5 points seems like a lot to be giving a 4-2 Hawaii program playing at home. The Warriors have covered in five of their first six games and are averaging 47.7 points per game at home thus far. On paper, the Wolf Pack match up well with Hawaii because the Warriors have had issues stopping the run and Nevada owns the fifth best rushing attack in the nation. However, Hawaii is a different animal at home and will no doubt love to upset a ranked team coming into its house looking to improve their top-25 standing. While I don’t have the stones to predict an outright win, I like the Warriors to cover.
      THE PICK: HAWAII +6.5

      Season Record (aka “the perfect example of mediocrity”): 8-8

      College Football, External Sports

      Ole Miss Rebel Black Bears are coming to a stadium near you

      October 14, 2010 /
      January 2, 2009: The Mississippi flag is run across the field before the team enters the stadium during the 73rd AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic NCAA Football game between the University of Mississippi Rebels and the Texas Tech Red Raiders at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX Mississippi defeated Texas Tech 47-34 Photo via Newscom

      Ole Miss’ search for a new mascot to replace “Colonel Reb” is one of the dumber stories I’ve chosen not to follow over the last couple of years. But if the story was big enough to make it into ESPN’s “Headlines” section then damn it, it’s big enough for TSR.

      The student body has spoken and they say: “Rebel Black Bear” is our new mascot. No joke. They’re still the Ole Miss Rebels, but their mascot is now a big black bear.

      At Ole Miss games from here on out, a “Rebel Black Bear” will now be running onto the field, pumping up the crowd the only way a black bear who is also a rebel knows how. (Yeah, I’m not sure how a rebel black bear pumps up a crowd. Use your imagination.)

      The school wanted to replace Colonel Reb, so it opened up voting for a new mascot back in March. The three choices were narrowed down to “Rebel Land Shark,” “Rebel Black Bear” and “Hotty Totty,” which was a goofy, muscular, human-like gray guy.

      “Rebel Black Bear” won by 62%, although it got strong push from Star Wars character Admiral Ackbar because a bunch of students started an internet campaign for it. In the end, Lucasfilms, which owns the Admiral Ackbar character, declined to give Ole Miss the rights to use the image for their mascot, proving how stupid all of this really was.

      Personally, I would have gone with the Rebel Land Shark. Why? I don’t f*cking know. Because sharks are cooler than bears.

      College Football, External Sports

      2010 College Football Week 7 Odds

      October 13, 2010 /
      MADISON, WI - SEPTEMBER 26: A general view of the field taken during the game between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Michigan State Spartans on September 26, 2009 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

      No. 1 Ohio State at. No. 18 Wisconsin, 7:00PM ET
      Thanks to Alabama’s collapse at South Carolina last Saturday, the Buckeyes have moved into the No. 1 spot in the top-25. But there’s no time to celebrate with a trip to Madison coming up this weekend and a clash with fellow Big Ten foe Wisconsin. The Badgers have been tough to beat at home, going 40-4 at Camp Randall Stadium since the start of the 2004 season. They’ve also won 25 of their last 28 night games and this contest takes on extra meaning because one more loss will likely knock them out of the Big Ten title race. (They suffered their first loss to weeks ago at Michigan State.)
      Current Point Spread: Ohio State –3.5

      No. 12 Arkansas at. No. 7 Auburn, 3:30PM ET
      The Tigers have won three games this year by only three points, so obviously they’re accustomed to winning close games. That’s good, because they may have another tight one on their hands this Saturday when they host No. 12 Arkansas, who has beaten Auburn in three of the last four meetings. In October of last year, the Hogs crushed the Tigers 44-23 and they’ll be looking for a similar effort this Saturday in order to leapfrog into the top-10.
      Current Point Spread: Auburn –4

      No. 15 Iowa at. Michigan, 3:30PM ET
      The Wolverines had a golden opportunity slip through their fingers last weekend when they lost to Michigan State at home. But they get another chance to prove that they’re legitimate Big Ten contenders if they can knock off a well-rested Iowa team with one of the best defenses in the nation. The Hawkeyes are allowing a nation’s best 10.2 points per game, although they’ll face a unique challenge this week in talented quarterback Denard Robinson. The Spartans limited Robinson to a season-low 86 yards on 21 carries and also intercepted him three times last Saturday. He was also only 6-of-14 passing in the second half and that’s not going to cut it against the Hawkeyes’ stingy defense.
      Current Point Spread: Iowa –3.5

      No. 10 South Carolina at. Kentucky, 6:00PM ET
      All eyes will be on the Gamecocks this week after they knocked off previously No. 1 Alabama last Saturday. The Wildcats enter this weekend with a 3-3 record, but there’s no doubt they have enough talent to pull off an upset at home. That said, running back Derrick Locke is doubtful after he suffered a shoulder stinger against Auburn last week, so an upset will be harder to come by for Kentucky. South Carolina has lost six consecutive conference road games since it last beat the Wildcats in Lexington on October 11, 2008. Yet another road loss this weekend will certainly erase what the Gamecocks did last week at home against the Tide in terms of the top-25.
      Current Posting Spread: South Carolina –4.5

      2010 College Football Week 7 Opening Point Spreads:

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      College Football, External Sports

      Spartans humanize Denard Robinson, make it three straight against “big brother”

      October 9, 2010 /
      MADISON, WI - SEPTEMBER 26: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Michigan State Spartans looks to pass the ball against the Wisconsin Badgers on September 26, 2009 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

      Michigan State might be changing the pecking order in Michigan. With its third straight win today against Michigan, the Spartans may be soon taking control of the moniker “big brother.”

      In a battle of unbeaten teams that had captured the undivided attention of most of the state, the Spartans put in a fairly dominant performance against Michigan at Big House, winning 34-17. It’s the first three-game winning streak in the series for Sparty since the 1960s, and this one was definitely the sweetest of the three.

      Michigan State’s ability to move the ball on Michigan — to the tune of 536 yards of total offense — wasn’t a surprise. What the Spartans defense did to Heisman Trophy front-runner Denard Robinson, however, was.

      Robinson had 84 yards rushing on 21 carries, which for him might as well have been negative yardage. It was his performance through the air, though, that put the biggest dent in his Heisman campaign, and — dare I say it — cost Michigan the game. Robinson not only threw three interceptions, but he also missed on a couple of would-be big plays in the passing game. Granted, his receivers didn’t really help him out a ton — Roy Roundtree dropped a perfectly thrown touchdown pass — but it was proven today that Robinson still struggles when he’s forced to make proper reads and deliver a pass in a tight spot.

      So how did the Spartans do it? They have great linebackers, but it was some great play up front at times that helped corral Robinson before he could get started — which is always the key with him. They also decided at times that even if they didn’t get him right away, they weren’t going to let him break a big run. This resulted in a few trips to the red zone for the Wolverines, which is apparently their kryptonite. Their offense is predicated on getting athletes in space, winning one-on-one speed battles and breaking the big one. When the defense can collapse on them in a confined space like we saw today, they aren’t nearly as effective.

      But back to the Michigan defense, which continues to be an absolute disgrace. It started out strong, but the Spartans ground attack eventually overwhelmed Michigan, gaining 261 yards, including 149 from Edwin Baker.

      Going forward, Michigan State has a very manageable schedule. Ohio State is absent, and the biggest hurdle remaining is a road game at Iowa. Granted, that’s a pretty big hurdle, but the Spartans going 12-0 is not at all out of the realm of possibility. How’s that for little brother?

      Michigan, meanwhile, has Iowa at home next week, a team that has the defensive front to stop Robinson, and enough offense to put up a lot of points against Michigan. Illinois no longer looks like a gimme for the Wolverines, and the finishing games with Wisconsin and Ohio State will be real tough. Eight wins is a definite possibility — maybe probability — but then again, so is seven. And does 7-5 keep Rich Rodriguez in Ann Arbor for another year?

      College Football, External Sports

      Will Alabama loss cost the the Tide (and the SEC) a shot at the national title?

      October 9, 2010 /
      AUBURN, AL - SEPTEMBER 25: Quarterback Stephen Garcia of the South Carolina Gamecocks looks to pass against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 25, 2010 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

      The Southeastern Conference may have lost its stranglehold on the national championship today.

      South Carolina shocked the world (OK, so it wasn’t exactly the biggest upset ever, but it was still pretty big) when it knocked off No. 1 Alabama 35-21 this afternoon. The win is huge for Steve Spurrier and the Gamecocks, who were showing signs of being a legitimate SEC title contender this season. It’s also vindication for Stephen Garcia, the much-maligned South Carolina quarterback who could only watch from the bench two weeks ago as his team lost to Auburn.

      But for the conference, it could be a big problem. In most years a one-loss SEC team makes the title game without hesitation, but this isn’t most years. This year is all about the Boise State argument, and don’t look now, but TCU is still undefeated, and Ohio State might not have anyone on its schedule that can beat it. And, oh yeah, that team in Eugene, Ore. is looking pretty good this year, too.

      Basically, the chances of there being two undefeated teams at the end of the season are pretty high right now, and while Alabama (or heck, South Carolina) would have played one heck of a schedule if it runs the table the rest of the way, keeping out one of the undefeated teams would start quite an uproar.

      I am personally of the belief that while the SEC is probably still the country’s toughest conference, you can’t keep an undefeated Boise State team out of the championship game. The Broncos have done enough over the past few years to show they’re not a fluke, and it would be high time they got their shot.

      What do you think? Should a one-loss Alabama (or SEC) team get a title shot over Boise?

      College Football, External Sports

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