After the previous week's round of miscues and upsets, Mikey C was due for a nice little comeback. And come back I did.
It didn't start off well, though -- my pick for BCS Cinderella, South Florida, was upset by Pittsburgh and have fallen permanently out of favor with the BCS gods for 2008. But things went well after that, with Ohio State's come-from-behind win over Wisconsin the only fly in the ointment on an otherwise outstanding week of picks.
Before we get into this week's agenda, here's a look at last week (my picks in parenthesis):
Pittsburgh 26, South Florida 21 (USF 41-28): Brutal letdown by the Bulls. My hopes of seeing them play Oklahoma for all the marbles go down in flames.
Michigan State 16, Iowa 13 (MSU 30-20): Seriously, Squawkeye fans -- if this fraud of a coaching job were going down in Lincoln, the coach would be run out of town. Oh wait . . . they already DID run him out of town in Lincoln.
Florida State 41, Miami 39 (FSU 27-24): Wow, seems the Seminoles have rediscovered their offensive groove. A great rivalry adds another exciting chapter.
Vanderbilt 14, Auburn 13 (Vandy 21-17): The last time Vandy beat Auburn? The 1955 Gator Bowl. The last time Vandy started the season 5-0? All the way back to 1943. If you haven't made peace with your maker yet, now is a good time.
USC 41, Oregon 10 (USC 42-31): For those of you who thought Oregon State was the beginning of the end for the Men of Troy, I hate to disappoint you . . .
Ohio State 20, Wisconsin 17 (Wisconsin 31-24): Doesn't ANYBODY want to knock Ohio State off the Little 10 (plus IoWHAT???) perch?
Louisiana-Lafayette 44, Louisiana-Monroe 35 (Lafayette 38-35): This pick is proof that even a blind dog can find a bone every once in a while.
Texas Tech 58, Kansas State 28 (Tech 63-17): After watching this game AND the Missouri-Nebraska game Saturday, I've come to one conclusion -- the NU-KSU game could very well determine who finishes last in the North this year.
Kansas 35, Iowa State 33 (Kansas 52-17): Iowa State was up 20-0 at the HALF and choked off what would have been a major upset. Hope that carries over when Nebraska comes to town next week.
Missouri 52, Nebraska 17 (Mizzou 45-24): If I could describe Missouri is one word, that word would be -- wow.
This week: 8-2 (.800). Season record: 41-19 (.683).
A REAL Top 10
The media and the coaches think they know who the top 10 teams in the country are. If you want to know who they REALLY are, here's my opinion:
1. Oklahoma (Texas game Saturday may determine which Big 12 team plays for the national title)
2. Missouri (This team has players with flaws, but Gary Pinkel doesn't play them)
3. LSU (Big test this week for the Tigers as they head to the Swamp to play Florida)
4. Alabama (The Crimson Tide are back, giving Husker fans hope that a turnaround can be done)
5. Penn State (Joe Paterno is reliving his glory days of the 80's -- back when he was in his 60's)
6. Texas (Red River showdown with Oklahoma is going to be a monster of a game)
7. Texas Tech (Red Raiders are looking unstoppable on offense, still a little shaky on defense)
8. Georgia (Bulldogs are still a player in the SEC race, but conference is really tough)
9. USC (If Trojans can get Oregon State out of the Pac 10, they could go undefeated)
10. BYU (My new favorite to crash the BCS party and make an even stronger case for a playoff)
The Picks
This will be a fun week for picks, as there are a lot of great matchups. Here are my 10 shots in the dark for the week:
Clemson at Wake Forest (Thursday) -- Tigers have been a huge letdown this year, but they can make some hay in the ACC with an upset on the road. I've learned my lesson, though . . . never pick the Tigers in a high-profile game: Deacon Dudes 34, Orange Kittens 24
Texas vs. Oklahoma (at Dallas) -- To say these two teams don't like each other would be like saying Democrats and Republicans have a small difference of opinion. This will be a HUGE game and it has tremendous implications, with the winner stepping to the lead of the Big 12 South and the race for the national title. This is a coin flip, and when it comes up heads I always go with the higher-ranked team: Boomer Sooners 27, Texas T-Bones 24
Minnesota at Illinois -- News flash: the Golden Gophers are actually a contender for a bowl this year. Minnesota AND Vanderbilt both bowl-eligible? The end of the world is upon us. And so is another upset in the making: Golden Varmints 28, Midwestern War Chiefs 24
Arizona State at USC -- Now that the Trojans have that upset bug out of their system, they should be able to handle a solid Sun Devils squad. Have faith, USC fans, your team may still find its way to the championship game: Men of Troy 41, Blazing Orb of Satan 24
Notre Dame at North Carolina -- Oh sure, the Irish are racking up a decent record this year. But seriously folks, who have they played? Stanford? The team formerly known as Michigan? San Diego State? They haven't beaten a ranked team on the road in so long, even Lou Holtz can't remember: Home Boys in Blue 31, Grappling Leprechauns 21
Oklahoma State at Missouri -- Hey, don't be hating on Cowboys coach Mike Gundy. After all, he's forty-ONE now. Hopefully he's still man enough to accept this preidction: Roaring Tigers 56, Crying Cowboys 24
LSU at Florida -- There's no such thing as an easy game in the Southeastern Conference anymore. Not that playing in Florida has EVER been easy for opposing teams, but LSU is the better team here and if they play to their capability they should win easy. Seriously: Purple Tigers 24, Swamp Creatures 17
Penn State at Wisconsin -- Badgers need to bounce back against another rated conference foe if they don't want this season to start circling the drain. Unfortunately, the Nittany Lions are solid on defense and should come away with a win here: Visiting Cats 30, Bleeding Badgers 21
Vanderbilt at Mississippi State -- If ever a team were ripe for a letdown, it's got to be Vanderbilt. The Commodores are 5-0 for the first time in 65 years, and after beating Auburn for the first time in over a half-century, they could easily come up on the wrong end on the road against 1-4 Mississippi State. I'm going to have faith in the better team, though: Vandy Dandys 45, Toothless Bulldogs 21
Nebraska at Texas Tech -- Yeesh . . . after getting absolutely pummeled by Missouri's high-flying offense, the Huskers face another high-speed attack, and this time have to go on the road to do it. The only saving grace for our boys is the fact that Tech's defense is not nearly as solid as Missouri's, which could lead to a high-scoring game. If that's the case, though, it's still hard to fathom Nebraska coming out of Lubbock with a win. Watch Michael Crabtree do his magic at receiver for the Red Raiders, as this guy is going to be a huge star in the NFL in the near future. Before the season I figured we'd be 3-3 after this one, and I'm afraid I'm going to be right on that preseason assessment: Red Raiders 56, Huskers 38
That's the story for this week, folks. And whatever you do, make sure you follow the advice of Bobby McFerrin -- don't worry, be happy.
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