Sunday, August 31, 2008

Rod's Rejects - Week #2 - College Football Picks

Well, week #1 was a success - sort of. I guess it depends on who you ask.

Skip Holtz and his Pirates pulled off a nice upset, Michigan was Michigan, and Clemson surprised me a lot with how they played.

Overall record for week #1, the picks were 27-7. Hopefully, we'll get a few more right this week.

On to this week's games.


In the SEC


Southern Mississippi at Auburn


The Battle of the War Birds. Both teams opened up their seasons with convincing victories last Saturday and both hope for another win come Saturday night. But Larry Fedora's Golden Eagles ain't quite got the claws on 'em like Tommy Tuberville's birds, and that will be evident early on in the game. Auburn's got their eyes on LSU in two weeks, but will take care of business until then.

Rod's Reject - Southern Mississippi


Central Michigan at Georgia


The Dawgs dominated at Sanford Stadium last Saturday, and Mark Richt's Hound Crew will look for a repeat performance this week. Butch Jones and the Chippewas hope to make big headlines between The Hedges - and they will - for all the wrong reasons. Georgia continues to tune up for next week's Bash at the Brice against the G-Cocks.

Rod's Reject - Central Michigan


Tulane at Alabama

The Green Wave blow into Tuscaloosa hopin' to bag a big pachyderm, but Nick Saban's Tide Crew will take the wind out of the sails before the storm even arrives. 'Bama shocked the country last weekend with a thrashing of #9 Clemson, and I don't think it was a fluke. The Tide battens down the hatches, but their really won't be much threat of a storm.

Rod's Reject - Tulane


Miami, Fla at Florida


The Canes and Head Coach Randy Shannon have a lot of redemption planned this year, and hope to show up on the Doppler Radar when they roll into Gainesville this Saturday. But Urban Meyer and the Toothy Crew have stored up lots of goodies for the storm and will hold up well when the Hurricane's blow in. The Gators short-circuit the wind, then make preparations for next week's game vs. Tennessee.

Rod's Reject - Miami, Fla.


In The ACC


Mississippi at Wake Forest


Houston Nutt and the Rebels bring the troops to Winston-Salem, ready to unload the muskets on Jim Grobe's bunch of Preachermen. And they will make it interesting for a while. But the Deac's won't let to many bullets hit the target, and the congregation will be happy once the final hymns are sung. But it ain't gonna be easy.

Rod's Reject - Mississippi


Northwestern at Duke

Don't look now, but the Dukies might have something going in football. The Blue Devils have not won their first two games of a season since 1998. Their second win that season? A 44-10 romp over Northwestern. David Cutcliffe will get their blue pitchforks bent a good bit this year, but will have enough sharp edges this week to get Duke another win. Don't look now, ACC, but here come the Devils.


Rod's Reject - Northwestern


Western Carolina at Florida State



Dennis Wagner and the Cats from Cullowee invade Tallahassee on Saturday, hopin' to make a furball out of the Seminoles. But Bobby Bowden and the hometown Tribe ain't gonna be such good hosts for the visitors. Florida State is ready to get back into the big picture in college football, and a de-clawing of the Cats is a good way to start.

Rod's Reject - Western Carolina


Furman at Virginia Tech

Frank Beamer and the Hokie's will try to put all their feathers back in place in Blacksburg Saturday, but the Purple Paladins from Greenville don't want to be front-n-center for the event. The Hokie O has a lot of work to do and should get some good reps in against Furman, but don't be surprised if this one is a lot closer than you think.

Rod's Reject - Furman


Georgia Tech at Boston College

The Yellow Bumbles rumbled for 349 rushing yards against the JSU Gamecocks, and now must take the Flight of the Bumblebee up to Chestnut Hill for a Saturday tilt with Boston College. Paul Johnson's Yellow Jackets didn't take too long to learn a new offense, but will have a tough test with it against the Eagles. Jeff Jagodzinski's Birds will look to defend the home nest, and many feathers will fly in accomplishing the task. This oughta be one of the best in the ACC this weekend.

Rod's Reject - in a great game - Georgia Tech


National Games

South Florida at Central Florida

A Sunshine State showdown in Orlando sees Jim Leavitt's Bulls hookin' up for a rodeo against George O'Leary's Knights, and the Bulls will show up will sharp horns, ready to ding up the armor. The Knights look like a pretty good bunch this year, but they won't be able to stay on the Bull for 8 seconds this Saturday.

Rod's Rejct - Central Florida


West Virginia at East Carolina

Skip Holtz and his Boat Bandits put the kebosh on Virginia Tech last week, playing it's own version of Beamer Ball to come away with the upset. It will be tough for the Pirates to hit the daily double, but they will put a scare into the Musket Toters from Morgantown on Saturday. New Head Coach Bill Stewart marches his Mountaineers into hostile territory in what will be a doozy of a game. When all is said and done, the Pirates will be conquered, but both will be wounded.

Rod's Reject - East Carolina


Cincinnati at Oklahoma

Bob Stoops and the Sooner Schooners lay out all the traps this weekend Brian Kelly's Bearcats, and there will be more traps than the Bearcats can miss. Fur will fly and all the Schooner wheels stay on the wagon and Oklahoma continues its march to the National Title.

Rod's Reject - Cincinnati


The Big Two


The Citadel at Clemson

Things didn't get off to such a good start for Tommy Bowden's Tigers last week, and some of the wounds will still be fresh come Saturday when Kevin Higgins Charleston Bulldogs roll into the Valley. However, there's a long way to go in this young season, and the Striped Cats will try to refocus on winning the ACC. The Citadel ain't just gonna roller over or go fetchin' for the Tigers, but they will run out of tricks before the final horn sounds. Redemption Week #1 for the Tigers is a success.

Rod's Reject - The Citadel





South Carolina at Vanderbilt (Thursday Night)

The Yard Birds fly into Nashville Thursday night to try to put a spur in the rear of Bobby Johnson's Ship Steerers, but Steve Spurrier and the Cocks will find that Vandy will have their swords ready and will be game for the fight. The Commodores sunk USC's ship last year, and hope for a repeat, and may have enough ammo in the guns to get the job done. But it's hard to win the water war when the ship won't move, and the Gamecock defense will be able to put the anchor down on Vandy - at least long enough to get the win.

Rod's Reject - Vanderbilt




Other Losers

Texas-El Paso will lose to Texas
Stanford will lose to Arizona State
Nevada will lose to Texas Tech
William and Mary will lose to NC State
Louisiana-Monroe will lose to Arkansas
Louisiana Tech will lose to Kansas
Middle Tennessee will lose to Maryland
Southeastern Louisiana will lose to Mississippi St.
SE Missouri St. will lose to Missouri
Houston will lose to Oklahoma St.
New Hampshire will lose to Army
Tennessee Tech will lose to Louisville
San Diego State will lose to Notre Dame
Utah State will lose to Oregon
Oregon State will lose to Penn St.
Richmond will lose to Virginia
UAB will lose to Florida Atlantic
Ball State will lose to Navy
Eastern Illinois will lose to Illinois
Florida International will lose to Iowa
Miami, Ohio will lose to Michigan
Eastern Michigan will lose to Michigan St.
Ohio will lose to Ohio St.
Northern Colorado will lose to Purdue
Marshall will lose to Wisconsin
San Jose St. will lose to Nebraska

Monday, August 25, 2008

Rod's Rejects Week #1 - College Football Picks

Welcome everybody to the 2008 version of Rod's Rejects. Here, we pick the losers of the week's best SEC, ACC, and national football games.

For lots of reasons, the reject crew didn't pick the games last year, but now we're back with a vengeance.

The Rejects are the losers - and there will be plenty of them this year.

In full disclosure, I've been a Gamecock fan since I was kneehigh to a cricket. However, I've always tried to predict all the games realistically. And so it will continue.

On to this week's games.

In the SEC

Georgia Southern at Georgia

Mark Richt's Dawgs are top notch this year and are looking to break in the season with a whoopin' of the Eagles and a first victory for the new UGA. Chris Hatcher's Bird Crew will be lookin' to pull a national shocker, but will only get de-feathered in the process. The Dawgs make early believers out of the college football nation with a good-ole Sanford Stadium woodsheddin'.

Rod's Reject - Georgia Southern


Kentucky at Louisville

The Wildcats have had a good run recently, but they're missing a lot of claws this year. And to have to start the season playing at Louisville is not doing them any favors. Steve Kragthorpe and his Red Birds are tryin' to get the UL program back in gear, and think a good spankin' of in-state rival UK will do the trick. Rich Brooks and the Cats put up a good fight, but will use up all of their nine lives in the process.

Rod's Reject - in a close one - Kentucky


Tennessee at UCLA


Phil Fulmer's musket-toters head west, hopin' to get out of Cali with a quick win. But they're gonna run into a feisty bunch of Bruins who ain't gonna want them to get it. Things were lookin' pretty good for Rick Neuheisel's Blue and Gold bears until some of the fur started comin' off with some key injuries. But Tennessee has a few issues to resolve, too, so this one will be a slobber-knocker til the end.

Rod's Reject - UCLA


Appalachian State at LSU

Well, Jerry Moore's Mountain Boys shocked the world last year with a season-opening win at Michigan, but it wasn't a shock to them. And this year, they go for the daily double - this time against LSU. Les Miles and the Batawn Rouge Felines ain't about to let the Mountaineers make headlines again (I don't think, anyway). A little closer than expected, but the home crowd will go home happy.

Rod's Reject - Appy State


Memphis at Mississippi

The Tiggers from Memphis rumble into Oxford, ready to give Houston Nutt his first Rebel loss. But this ole' nut will be tough to crack, and the Confederate Crew will be ready to make an early season statement to the hometown fans. Tommy West and the Cats will be in this one for a while, but will run out of fur by game's end.

Rod's Reject - Memphis


In The ACC


Southern California at Virginia

The Trojan's head east for an opening joust with the Cavaliers, and Al Groh's sword-toters are gonna be ready. But Pete Carroll and the Horse Riders have been down these roads before, and know that Virginia will bring the full load - but it ain't gonna be enough.

Rod's Reject - Virginia


James Madison at Duke

Why is this one on the board this week? Well, kind of a shortage of good ACC games - but, it is also the first game for David Cutcliffe coaching the Blue Devils. Mickey Mathews and the Harrisonburg Dukes will try to get into Durham and steal the Big Blue Poker from the Lucifers, but will end up being the one with a couple of holes poked in 'em.

Rod's Reject - James Madison


Wake Forest at Baylor (Thursday Night)

Jim Grobe's Preachermen take the tent revival to Waco, Texas, hopin' to make believers out of the Art Briles' Bear Den, but Deacons run fast in this part of the world, and the Bears won't be fast enough to catch 'em. But don't breathe too easy, Deac Fans...Art Briles will throw it around the yard a good bit, and will make this one pretty interesting.

Rod's Reject - Baylor


Virginia Tech at East Carolina

The Hokey Pokes from Blacksburg head south to take on a bunch of Pirates ready to pull an upset. Skip Holtz and the Sea Bandits will have the crowd believin' that it's gonna happen, too, but Beamer Ball rules in the end, and the VT defense comes up big.

Rod's Reject - East Carolina


Charleston Southern at Miami, Fla.

The Big Wind from Coral Gables is ready to get their storm straightened out this year, and the Buccaneers from Charleston will be just what the Canes need to get the year started. Jay Mills and the Bucs won't back down - and ain't gonna be skeered, but the Canes will have way too much punch and will end this one early.

Rod's Reject - Charleston Southern


National Games


Western Michigan at Nebraska

The day of hope has come for Cornhusker fans as the Bo Pellini era begins in Lincoln. The Broncos from Kalamazoo saddle up to do battle with the Corn Feds, but will end up getting branded faster than Bubba shuckin' an ear of midwest corn. Don't look for a super-great turnaround for Nebraska this year, but it ain't gonna be near as bad or ugly as it got last year.

Rod's Reject - Western Michigan


Illinois at Missouri

Illinois turned some heads last year with a 9-3 season, and the Zooksters from Champaign are ready for the encore. But the crowd ain't gonna be hollerin' Bravo at Mizzou this Saturday, and Gary Pinkel's Cats will be ready to put an end to the show. This one was close last year, and will be tight again this year - but the result will be the same.

Rod's Reject - Illinois


Washington at Oregon

Tyrone Willingham's Big Dogs stumbled to 4 wins last year, but lost a lot of close ones along the way. Saturday, they sled over to Eugene, lookin' to sink their teeth into some pond birds. But, Mark Bellotti's green and gold Ducks ain't aimin' to be on anybody's supper table anytime soon. The Ducks fly high in week one, and the Husky's are left to lick their wounds.

Rod's Reject - Washington



The Big Two


Alabama vs Clemson in Atlanta

The Crimson Tide faithful are ready to re-assert Alabama Dominance, and Nick Saban that the Herd are headin' to Atlanta to make the fans happy and make that happen. But when they get there, they're gonna get ripped in the mouth by a bunch of Tigers who are tired of hearing about how they don't finish the job. Tommy Bowden and his Picken's County Cats are ready for big things this year, and they ain't about to let some bunch of Tide Box, Tissue Rollers throw a kink in the plans. The Tigs have too much talent and prove it in Hotlanta Saturday night.

Rod's Reject - Alabama


NC State at South Carolina (Thursday Night)

Williams-Brice will be the scene for Kickoff 2008 as the college football gets underway in Columbia Thursday Night. Tom O'Brien and The Red Dawgs from Raleigh have sharpened up the claws and the fangs and will be ready to draw blood from Steve Spurrier's Yardbirds, but this ain't the same bunch of Chickens that left the field in late November last year. The Cock Crew will start slow on the o-side, and the defense will keep things going until they finally put a stake in the Wolfpack. The Garnet-n-Black go home happy - the Wolfpack go home black and blue.

Rod's Reject - NC State


Other Losers

Jacksonville State will lose to Georgia Tech
Vanderbilt will lose to Miami, Ohio
Youngstown State will lose to Ohio State
Akron will lose to Wisconsin
Coastal Carolina will lose to Penn State
Bowling Green will lose to Pittsburgh
Hawaii will lose to Florida
Villanova will lose to West Virginia
Delaware will lose to Maryland
Northern Iowa will lose to Brigham Young
Chattanooga will lose to Oklahoma
Louisiana-Monroe will lose to Auburn
Florida Atlantic will lose to Texas
Eastern Michigan will lose to Texas Tech
Florida International will lose to Kansas
Western Illinois will lose to Arkansas
Arkansas State will lose to Texas A&M
Tennessee-Martin will lose to South Florida
Northern Arizona will lose to Arizona State

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Rod's Rejects Preseason - College Football Picks 2008

Get ready for another season of Rod's Rejects - will be posted prior to August 28.

I'll pick the winners and losers - and some other good stuff - about each week's top games.

Stay tuned!