The college football season is winding down, but many great games remain, including rivalry games, bowl games, etc.
The picks this year have been pretty good, but a few upsets gave me a few more losses than expected. Last week, the record was 34-6, bringing the overall record to 355-79 (82%).
Let's see what's in store for this week's games.
Games Around The ACC
N.C. State (4-6, 1-5 in the ACC) at Virginia Tech (7-3, 4-2 in the ACC)
Tom O'Brien and his Wild Dawgs head into Blacksburg Saturday for afternoon tilt against the seasonal Turkeys of Virginia Tech. The Wolfpack ain't had a whole lot to howl about this year, and they need to win the rest of their games to get to a bowl. But first, they have to win this one...but that's a tall order. Frank Beamer and his Hokies are a proud bunch of Gobblers, and will do what they have to do to defend the coop at home.
Rod's Reject - N.C. State
Maryland (2-8, 1-5 in the ACC) at Florida State (5-5, 3-4 in the ACC)
Ralph Friedgen and this bunch of turtle-soup Terps slowly crawl into Tallahassee hopin' to be able to dodge the arrows and spears being thrown at them from the Tribe, but turtles like these from Maryland won't be able to move fast enough to avoid the disaster. Bobby Bowden and his Seminoles ain't hit on all cylinders this year, and statistically have one of the worst defenses in the nation, but I don't think the Terps will have enough firepower to challenge that group. The Seminoles, at 5-5, will have better speed and athletes to get this one done.
Rod's Reject - Maryland
Duke (5-5, 3-3 in the ACC) at Miami, Florida (7-3, 4-3 in the ACC)
Believe it or not, Duke is still bowl-eligible, but they have to win their last two games in order to be a participant in bowl-land. Problem is, to get that done, they're gonna have to beat Miami this weekend...in Miami. David Cutcliffe and his bunch of Blue Devils have made some strides this year, and have a great QB in Thaddeus Lewis. Randy Shannon and his Big Wind have brought back "The U" to a place where they are playing competitive football, and the results from this year has shown that. The Blue Devils make this one interesting, and don't be surprised if this is closer than you think. But I believe Duke being very one-dimensional will be their downfall in this one.
Rod's Reject - Duke
North Carolina (7-3, 3-3 in the ACC) at Boston College (7-3, 4-2 in the ACC)
Frank Spaziani and the Eagles kick off a nooner with the Tar Heels, and hope that the keep on winning while Virginia pulls off an Upset over the Clemson Tigers - as that is the only way Boston College will win the ACC Atlantic. But first, they have to deal a spry bunch of Tar Heels. Butch Davis and his Blue Goats head into Chestnut Hill aimin' to do some bird-huntin', and may just be able to bag the limit. This will be a defensive struggle, and I like the Tar Heels in that scenario.
Rod's Reject - In An Upset - Boston College
Games Around The SEC
Chattanooga (6-4,4-4 in the FCS Southern Conference) at Alabama (10-0, 7-0 in the SEC)
For some reason, the FCS (formerly Division I-AA) Mocs make the last-season trip to Tuscaloosa to face the undefeated Crimson Tide. The Mocs have done pretty well, but are way out of their league in this one. Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide continue to roll toward the big showdown with Florida in the SEC Championship Game, and this game won't do much to deter them from that.
Rod's Reject - Chattanooga
Florida International (3-7, 3-4 in the Sun Belt) at Florida (10-0, 8-0 in the SEC)
Mario Cristobal and his Golden Panthers limp into the Swamp Saturday to try to dig their claws into a bunch of haughty Gators, but they ain't ever gonna get close enough to 'em to do it. Urban Meyer and his Toothy Crew should cruise in this one as they will look forward to next week's shin-dig with the Seminoles.
Rod's Reject - Florida International
Mississippi State (4-6, 2-4 in the SEC) at Arkansas (6-4, 2-4 in the SEC)
Dan Mullen and his Starkville Bullies head into Little Rock Saturday takin' aim at a bunch of Wild Pigs, but I ain't sure they got enough bark left in 'em to do much damage. The Bulldogs have gotten better this year, but they seem to be a year or two away from challenging the West a little more than they do now. Bobby Petrino and his Razorbacks ain't been much on the "D" side this year, but the offense has found a way to ding up the scoreboard...and that will be the difference Saturday.
Rod's Reject - Mississippi State
Kentucky (6-4, 2-4 in the SEC) at Georgia (6-4, 4-3 in the SEC)
Rich Brooks and his Blue Cats limp into Sanford Stadium Saturday with plenty of questions at the QB position as well as the possibility of not having Randall Cobb on the field. The Wildcat defense has been pretty good this year, and should be adequate against the Bulldogs, but the offense may really struggle to get on the board much. Mark Richt and his Bulldogs will be ready for the fight, but will really need to hunker down on defense to take care of the Cats. Plus they better get this win, because Georgia Tech is just around the corner.
Rod' Reject - Kentucky
Vanderbilt (2-9, 0-7 in the SEC) at Tennessee (5-5, 2-4 in the SEC)
The Battle of Tennessee takes place in Knoxville Saturday night, and Bobby Johnson and his Ship Steerers will try their best to avoid an 0-fer SEC record, but Lane Kiffin and the Free Fighters will be more than happy to put the Commodores at 0-8. The big problem with Vandy this year has been the lack of offense, and things ain't gonna get any better for them against this stout UT defense. The Volunteers will start slow, but will eventually pull away to get to their 6th win.
Rod's Reject - Vanderbilt
LSU (8-2, 4-2 in the SEC) at Mississippi (7-3, 3-3 in the SEC)
Mississippi is finally playing like most folks thought they would, which means trouble for LSU. Les Miles and his Bengal Tigers hope to put a few claw marks on the Rebels Saturday afternoon, but I'm not sure they're gonna be able to. Houston Nutt and the Rebels have enough talent to take care of the Tigers...and I think they will do just that this weekend.
Rod's Reject - LSU
Key Games Around The Nation
Ohio State (9-2, 6-1 in the Big 10) at Michigan (5-6, 1-6 in the Big 10)
Jim Tressel and his Tree Nuts head into the Big House Saturday with plans on officially giving Michigan a losing season, but it ain't gonna be easy. Rich Rodriguez and the Wolverines have had some ups and downs this year, and the UM fans would love to get to 6-6 by handing it to the Buckeyes. But I think OSU is a little too strong this year and will end up on the right side of the scoreboard when all is said and done.
Rod's Reject - Michigan
Penn State (9-2, 5-2 in the Big 10) at Michigan State (6-5, 4-3 in the Big 10)
Joe Paterno and his Mountain Cats head into Big Sparty-Ville, right into an uh-oh game as Mark Dantonio and the Green Fighters will be more than ready to skin the cats. This will be a great game, but I think a few ill-timed Nittany Lion turnovers makes the difference.
Rod's Reject - In An Upset - Penn State
California 7-3, 4-3 in the PAC 10) at Stanford (7-3, 6-2 in the PAC 10)
A PAC 10 showdown happens at Stanford Saturday as Jeff Tedford and his wooly Bears look to have an all-out brawl with the Cardinal. The Bears have had a good year, but Stanford has come on stronger of late and the combination of Andrew Luck at QB and bruiser RB Toby Gerhart have fueled the late season surge. It contnues on Saturday.
Rod's Reject - in a doozy - California
The Big Two In South Carolina
Virginia (3-7, 2-4 in the ACC) at Clemson (7-3, 5-2 in the ACC)
The Big Day is here for Dabo Swinney and his Tigers...a chance to win the ACC Atlantic Division. No more hoping somebody else helps them out, no more wishing they shoulda beat somebody earlier in the season, etc. The Tigers hold in their own hands the ability to claim the prize...and they will not be disappointed. Al Groh and the Cavaliers head into Death Valley for a 3:30 scrap, but it won't take long for them to find out that they ain't gonna like the outcome. The Tigers are rolling, averaging 42 points per game during their 5-game winning streak since losing to Maryland. On the other hand, Virginia is last in the conference in both scoring offense and total offense, so don't look for UVA to do much damage to the scoreboard. Tiger fans will be celebrating after this one, and then will be looking forward to South Carolina and to the ACC Championship Game.
Rod's Reject - Virginia
Other Losers This Weekend
Utah State will lose to Boise State
Michigan will lose to Ohio State
Northwestern will lose to Wisconsin
Minnesota will lose to Iowa
Louisville will lose to South Florida
Syracuse will lose to Rutgers
Iowa State will lose to Missouri
Kent will lose to Temple
Wyoming will lose to TCU
Connecticut will lose to Notre Dame
Washington State will lose to Oregon State
Penn State will lose to Michigan State
Arizona State will lose to UCLA
California will lose to Stanford
Air Force will lose to BYU
UAB will lose to East Carolina
Kansas State will lose to Nebraska
Texas Tech will lose to Oklahoma
Baylor will lose to Texas A&M
Rice will lose to UTEP
San Diego State will lose to Utah
Louisiana Tech will lose to Fresno State
Arizona will lose to Oregon
Tulsa will lose to Southern Mississippi
Kansas will lose to Texas
Memphis will lose to Houston
Tulane will lose to Central Florida
New Mexico State will lose to Nevada
Friday, November 20, 2009
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