" and you will all hate me. I didn't make picks last week, and probably for good reason, as I would have had a spectacularly incorrect day again. I think I'm going to keep picking Missouri to win every week, and
eventually I'm going to get it right. Or maybe I should just keep picking USC to win, as my favor links in with the death touch. Regardless, I should at least be able to match the record put forth by Lou Holtz and Mark May last week on ESPN, where Holtz went 0-5 and May went 2-3.
Georgia at LSU
I want to be trendy and pick against my hometown team. Really, I do. We could have a column about questionable decision making, about the lack of a statement game, and the rash of injuries. We could talk about preseason expectations being shattered by that devastating loss against the first true opponent we've faced all year. And if I kept my terms concise enough...You would have no idea which of the two teams I was talking about. LSU is a mirror image of Georgia this year, only where Georgia excels in the players at skill positions, LSU excels at getting big bayou boys to beef up the offensive line. Because of that, I'm not counting on a whole lot of production from the hopefully-healthy Knowshon Moreno, but am cautiously optimistic about an improving offensive line. If anybody read my weekend notes (Probably Not), very few people realize that Vanderbilt led the SEC in sacks coming into Athens. With Francois still probably not at 100%, hopefully Clint Boling and the rag-tag group we call an offensive line can at least hold their own for those fade routes to the returning Kris Durham, and hopefully LSU's shaky quarterback situation won't take advantage of the 15 yard cushion allowed to all of his wide receivers.
(PS, for those of you who refuse to hold coaching accountable for mistakes, you're insinuating that we have a lack of talent in our players, so shut up, you know nothing about football. See, I can play that game too)
Petty squabbling aside, the line for this game is set to favor LSU by 2.5, meaning that they anticipate that Georgia has better players, but the home field advantage of LSU is just enough to overcome. However, my faith in Mark Richt's ability to prepare his team on the road inclines me to reverse that spread, giving Georgia a 28-24 victory.
Penn State at Ohio State
Meanwhile, in Bizarro America, I find myself forced to cheer for Ohio State. The team whose rankings I have bemoaned for years upon years, the only team who rivals Oklahoma for choking in big games is the team that is going to have to pull one out for the BCS to fall into place. Ohio State looked strong to start off the season, then lost Beanie Wells. They looked awful w
ithout him, but only managed to lose one game. Now he's back, and Tressel actually looks relatively smart for not getting an itchy trigger finger on his return, because now they're one of seemingly sixteen one loss teams with a decent shot at the championship.
ithout him, but only managed to lose one game. Now he's back, and Tressel actually looks relatively smart for not getting an itchy trigger finger on his return, because now they're one of seemingly sixteen one loss teams with a decent shot at the championship.Penn State, on the other hand, has done nothing but blow out every single opponent they played, looking invincible...Until last week against Michigan, of all teams. Fortunately, the hole they dug out of was shallower than Georgia's against Alabama, and they were able to take a sizable lead by the end of the game. That first half performance, however, proved that they're not the dominant team I imagined them to be. In a game too close to call, I'm going to give it to the home team at 35 - 30, because Ohio State was ranked high preseason for some reason.
Virginia at Georgia Tech
Virginia, despite singlehandedly establishing USC's claim to dominance in week one, and allowing the Blue Devils to look like a coherent football team in week four, has a record that could qualify as "piddling." Fortunately for the Cavaliers, the entire ACC could be considered "piddling." Unfortuantely, Al Groh is their head coach, and really has very little idea what he is doing. If you haven't visited http://www.dontfirealgroh.com/ then you're missing out on a real treat. Jason Butt of the Red and Black seems to think Georgia Tech is legitimate competition and should be a game that Georgia fans have reason to be concerned about. Based on my opinion of the Red and Black, the score of this game should be Georgia Tech -13, Virginia -24. I'm not sure what it corresponds to on the scoreboard, but statistically it matches up with the ratings they'll get, as well as the number of fans they drew for the last two ACC Championship games.
God, I used two image macros in this post. I feel too dirty to continue with paragraphs. Look for the Michael Turner to have an effective game against Philadelphia, but for the first time it won't be enough for the Falcons, who should go down 28-14 to the high-powered Eagles Offense. On paper, Matt Garza and Jamie Moyer is a mismatch, for good reason. Rays win game three by at least three runs, and go on to win the series 4-2. Tampa Bay should pull off the quasi-upset of the Dallas Cowboys, as their staunch run defense should be all they need with Tony Romo either out or ineffective without his pinky. And finally, look for the Hawks to open up this Wednesday with a win at Orlando, even though Dwight Howard should have been a Hawks. And I cry myself to sleep thinking about a team with Chris Paul, Josh Smith, and Dwight Howard.
And they lived happily ever after.
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