Regardless, fresh off of the euphoria that I sparked conversation in the comments section of my last post, it's time for us all to return to the status quo where I tell everybody who I think is going win various football games, pick incorrectly half the time, and have no viewer contribtion whatsoever. We'll start with what is obviously the most crucial of games this weekend, the clash of titans that is being referred to by experts everwhere as "Two Girls, One Apple Cup."
Washington at Washington State.
Let's be honest here, I probably know more about the Atlanta Braves batboys than I do about either of these teams. So, I'm going to base my prediction on the time-honored technique of "Which team does not have Tyrone Willingham leading it." Seriously, what does it say about a man's coaching ability when his most notable contribution to college football in the last ten years was that he got a coaching job by way of actually having a valid resumé? If I take the second highest offensive output of each team, it makes for a thrilling 28-27 game. For those of you keeping score, that's seven field goals where the team failed to progress after gaining possession on a fumble, three safeties where the quarterback tried to toss sweep on the one yard line but connected with the goalpost instead, and a fumbled extra point returned for a touchdown. Then again, that would require one of the teams to score a touchdown.
The Holy War is also being waged this weekend, and not just in the South where my faithful Baptist upbringing is convincing people that a terrorist is going into the White House. No, instead in the culturally irrelevant state of Utah, Brigham Young and Utah clash to determine which team can claim themselves the second best mid-major. I would love to predict Brigham Young to win this game, because it would likely keep a mid-major out of the BCS, put I would like to remind everyone what happened when Brigham Young played Washington. You may have heard ESPN's talking heads debate over it for three months, something about a unsportsmanlike conduct? If the Cougars can't beat the Huskies, then they don't stand a chance against the Utes. And this is the only year where that sentence will EVER be relevant. Utah 28, Brigham Young 17. Caste Football 1000.
Meanwhile, in games that you might actually care about, the SEC is lacking. Georgia is off. The only question about the Florida game is whether the backup quarterback will have more total yardage than Florida's margin of victory. (Now that would make a good Beat the Streak Question)
Aside - Did anybody else see the Yahoo! Sports headline Florida backup quarterback arrested? Poor guy, this is the only time he'll ever be mentioned in a sports headline.
There are two games in the SEC that have the potential for interest, however. Vanderbilt, bowl-eligible for the first time since I was born, looks to earn a spot in a bowl NOT in Nashville as they play their hated "rival" Tennessee. The best line I've heard all month was in the ajc comments section, where someone astutely predicted, "Look for the sneaky 'bye-week' to put at least one into the end zone as they beat the downtrodden Volunteers 7-0." Quite frankly, if the bye week can do it, then I have plenty of faith in the Commodores, who should do just enough not to lose. 14-6.
Also in the SEC, my upset pick of the week, look for Ole Miss to win over LSU. Don't look at the names of the programs, the rankings, or the hype. Rather, look at the wins and losses. Ole Miss has not played a poor game all year, is the only program that Florida didn't embarrass, and isn't expected to win this game by the entirety of uneducated America. That's a formula that spells upset, to a tune of 31-24, which is what Troy should have done last week were they remotely competent.
Finally, Texas Tech plays their third consecutive "biggest game ever" as they take Norman by storm. (I passed on the obvious Brigham Young joke I couldn't pass on that). I'm not going to predict a Texas Tech loss again this season until the MNC, because I've been wrong on every analysis that I've put forth to their detriment. Rather, a team that has the Heisman front-runner at quarterback coupled with the best receiver in college football should have little issue with Oklahoma's (or any Big 12 team for that matter) defense. Oklahoma has a pretty good pass offense of their own, but they actually attempt to rush the ball more frequently than the Denver Broncos, which will not mesh with the game on Saturday night. Look for Texas Tech to pull it out 41-37.
In closing, I'd just like to stress that OTRsports does not encourage the baiting of Georgia Tech fans, as they should be given much sympathy. The last time their program was so excited about a new direction, they started off their season with a win over a top-10 Auburn team and were rewarded with four years of Reggie Ball. I can't wait to read the Rivals posts this week after Thursday night's ravaging.
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