I don't have the stats from last week, though I don't think they were too great. I'll have the complete stats in next week's picks.
On to this weekend's games - hope your team wins.
Games Around The ACC
Wake Forest (4-5, 2-3 in the ACC) at Georgia Tech (8-1, 5-1 in the ACC)
Jim Grobe and the Winston-Salem Preachermen hit the revival circuit this weekend, and Atlanta is on the list for this week's stop. But I ain't sure the Deacons will get much of a warm reception. Paul Johnson and his Humble Bumbles are stingin' everybody they come in contact with this year, and I don't look for Saturday to be much different.
Rod's Reject - Wake Forest
Virginia (3-5, 2-2 in the ACC) at Miami, Fla (6-2, 3-2 in the ACC)
Al Groh and the Cavaliers pay a polite visit to South Beach in hopes of pullin' off a win, but they will have to fight a Strong Wind in order to do it, and I don't think that'll happen successfully for the Cavs. Randy Shannon and the Hurricanes have shifted to a Category 2 storm lately, but still have enough power to knock out the Charlottesville Gentlemen. And so it will be on Saturday.
Rod's Reject - Virginia
Duke (5-3, 3-1 in the ACC) at North Carolina (5-3, 1-3 in the ACC)
David Cutcliffe had his Blue Devils one win away from being bowl-eligible, and hope to take care of the 6th win this weekend at Chapel Hill, but Butch Davis and the Tar Heels have other plans about that. The Blue Goats have had a year that hasn't matched expectations, and currently stand in last place in the ACC Coastal. But some of the wounds could be healed with a victory over Duke...and I think that will happen.
Rod's Reject - Duke
Maryland (2-6, 1-3 in the ACC) at N.C. State (3-5, 0-4 in the ACC)
Wow...turnout for this classic oughta be off the charts. Both of these teams have struggled, with no clear sign of any turnarounds in sight. Ralph Friedgen and the Terps have belly-crawled all season long and hope to hang on to dreams of going to a bowl, but Tom O'Brien and the Wolfpack will end those dreams at Carter-Findley on Saturday.
Rod's Reject - Maryland
Games Around The SEC
Vanderbilt (2-7, 0-5 in the SEC) at Florida (8-0, 6-0 in the SEC)
Bobby Johnson and his Commodores sail into Gainesville Saturday on a ship that has already taken on way too much water, and lobbing a few cannons at the Gators ain't gonna make the boat float any better. Urban Meyer and the Toothy Crew continue on their march toward a National Championship, and this week's opponent provides no resistance toward that goal. My only warning about this game...I hope the Commodores are all wearing face shields with their helmets.
Rod's Reject - Vanderbilt
Tennessee Tech (5-3, 4-2 in I-AA Ohio Valley) at Georgia (4-4, 3-3 in the SEC>
Mark Richt and the Red Clay Hounds take a break this weekend as they welcome the Golden Eagles of Tennessee Tech. Watson Brown and his Birds aren't doing too badly in D I-AA, but count their biggest victories of the year against Southeast Missouri State by 12 points and Austin Peay by 8 points. The Bulldogs roll as they get ready for Auburn next week.
Rod's Reject - Tennessee Tech
LSU (7-1, 4-1 in the SEC) at Alabama (8-0, 5-0 in the SEC)
This Battle of the SEC West should be well worth watching, and honestly could go either way. Les Miles and the Bengal Tigers prowl into Bear-Ville Saturday and look to knock the king off of the mountain, but Nick Saban and the Ephalumps will be more than ready to defend their turf from the invading felines. Both defenses are pretty stout, and the offenses don't light up the scoreboard, but I think the home field is the advantage in this one.
Rod's Reject - in a doozy - LSU
Games Around The Nation
Ohio State (7-2, 4-1 in the Big Ten) at Penn State (8-1, 4-1 in the Big Ten)
This one will have huge ramifications on who wins the Big Ten this year, and it's a home game for the Nittany Lions, and that will make the difference. Jim Tressel and the Buckeyes will storm Happy Valley and will make things tough for Penn State, and the Nittany Lions will find out that OSU will be a tough nut to crack. But Jo Pa's cats will be able to get the job done...but it will take a while.
Rod's Reject - Ohio State
The Big Two In South Carolina
Florida State (4-4, 2-3 in the ACC) at Clemson (5-3, 3-2 in the ACC)
Bobby Bowden and his Seminoles gallop into Death Valley Saturday lookin' to for a place to throw down the spear and claim victory, but it'll be hard to find a place to do that against this bunch of Tigers. Dabo Swinney and the Pickens County Pride have kicked their season into another gear and look to finish strong and win the ACC Atlantic, and a win over Florida State will greatly help those chances. The Seminoles = pretty good offense and very leaky defense. The Tigers = sufficient offense, stout defense, great specialty teams. This one won't be as close as some people think as the Tigers continue their march to Tampa.
Rod's Reject - Florida State
South Carolina (6-3, 3-3 in the SEC) at Arkansas (4-4, 1-4 in the SEC)
Getting serious about a game and a season, the Gamecocks really need to win this week. There's already been some talk about the "November Slide" again, and last week's disaster in Knoxville didn't help matters any. Also, it's funny to me that people still talk about the "audacious, awesome, tough schedule" that USC faces at the end of the season - leaving Florida out, two of the other three teams don't even have winning records or even winning conference records (and Clemson is only 5-3), so please don't whine and tell me about how tough the competition is...it's really no tougher than anybody else's schedule in the SEC. That being said, Saturday's adventure in Fayetteville is a MUST WIN for the Gamecocks and they have a good chance of getting the "W." Bobby Petrino's Razorbacks can put up some points...and can give them up, too. I believe USC has the better defense, but what I don't like is USC's starting safety being left back in Columbia and not playing, USC's best rush-defensive end not playing, USC's best tackle not playing, and USC relying on a walk-on offensive lineman to start this weekend. USC is capable of winning, but I think the Gamecocks won't be able to get enough pressure on Ryan Mallett, and the defensive backs will be chasing receivers around all day. Not a good situation for USC this weekend. Lose this one, and the Gamecocks are staring at 6-6 again this year.
Rod's Reject - South Carolina
Other Losers
Louisiana Tech will lose to Boise State
Western Michigan will lose to Michigan St.
UConn will lose to Cincinnati
Syracuse will lose to Pitt
Northwestern will lose to Iowa
Illinois will lose to Minnesota
Louisville will lose to West Virginia
Indiana will lose to Wisconsin
Iowa St. will lose to Oklahoma St.
Baylor will lose to Missouri
Wyoming will lose to BYU
Navy will lose to Notre Dame
Rice will lose to SMU
Central Florida will lose to Texas
Army will lose to Air Force
Kansas St. will lose to Kansas
Furman will lose to Auburn
Memphis will lose to Tennessee
Northern Arizona will lose to Mississippi
Nebraska will lose to Oklahoma
San Diego St. will lose to TCU
Idaho will lose to Fresno St.
New Mexico will lose to Utah
Washington St. will lose to Arizona
Oregon St. will lose to California
Washington will lose to UCLA
Colorado will lose to Texas A&M
Arizona St. will lose to USC
Purdue will lose to Michigan
Eastern Kentucky will lose to Kentucky
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