Week 8 Picks--D'oh

Oklahoma Sooners @ Missouri Tigers

Gomer: The question is which Oklahoma team will show up in Missouri. Will it be the surprisingly stagnant team that struggled with the Cincinnati Bearcats, or the juggernaut that annihilated my counterpart's Alma Mater? As nice as it would be to see Mizzou introduce a little more chaos to the fun that is college football, the Sooners are a superior team and shouldn't have a problem dispatching the Tigers. OU: 45--Mizzou: 13

Chief: The Missouri Tigers have quietly put together a very nice little season, but let's be honest, name a team they've beaten (same as played).....What? You don't know? That's right. The Tigers have played a BoiseStateesque schedule thus far and gotten fat off it. Oklahoma had a few close scares vs. Utah State and Cincinnati, but they blew FSU out of the water (and the Noles are pretty good) and defeated a better than believed Texas team. I like the Sooners to roll and take full control of the BCS. OU: 38--Mizzou: 20

Louisiana State Tigers @ Auburn Tigers

Gomer: No question that LSU goes down here, it will be great to see the Tigers (LSU) get exposed, FINALLY! Cam Newton is going to make Les Miles with that he had taken the job in Ann Arbor, where they really care about winning. Ohhhh waiiittt. This is Newton's time to claim the Heisman. LSU: 15--AUB: 34

Chief: Uh oh, Les...a real team. Miles and the Bayou Bengals have stayed undefeated by being more lucky than good against mediocre competition such as Tennessee and UF (called it last week--GO Miss St). Auburn is a different animal. The explosive offense under the watchful eye of Gene Chizik and suprisingly steady hand of Cam Newton will carry the Tigers (of the Auburn variety) to another big win. The Iron bowl looms... Tigers all the way, no doubt. LSU: 13--Aub: 27

Wisconsin Badgers @ Iowa Hawkeyes

Gomer: Well yeahhhhhh the Badgers sure looked good last week didn't they? Well in typical Wisconsin fashion, they will almost certainly lose after experiencing what had to be an awesome high. The Hawks are good when they want to be, but especially when they play at home. UW: 24--Iowa: 35

Chief: Stupid blind squirrel nut theory... The Badgers took a huge one from the number one team last week by feeding off pure emotion. The Buckeyes could have fought back, but instead, cowered in the face of adversity and let themself be pushed around. In Iowa City, the crowd will not be there to power Wisconsin. Expect a hard hitting, low scoring game with Ricky Stanzi scoring a game winning TD late. American flags will drop from the sky and Hulk Hogan will enter the stadium to proclaim Stanzi a "Real American" ans sent the Badgers home crying. UW: 10--Iowa: 17

Nebraska Cornhuskers @ Oklahoma State Cowboys

Gomer: Taylor Martinez may have taken a seat last week, and the entire Cornhusker team fell asleep and allowed a shocking loss to the Longhorns, but Bo Pellini won't allow that to happen twice in a row. The Cowboys have quietly risen to #17 in the nation, but their ranking won't save them to the over-powering attack of the 'Huskers. Neb: 31--OSU: 26

Chief: The Huskers failed their first test on the big stage by falling to their nemeses the Texas Longhorns. They couldn't stop a mediocre (at best) offense in their own house, how will they stop a Gundified offense in the confines of Stillwater. The Pokes and Huskers are similar teams in terms of talent, so I give the edge to the home team with momentum. The Orange Power will rise up and defeat Big Red in what will give the Huskers a fond farewell from the Big 12. Neb: 24--OkSt: 30

Purdue Boilermakers @ The Ohio State University Buckeyes

Gomer: Noon games after a night game have troubled the Buckeyes since the beginning of the decade, regardless of the outcome of the night game held previously. The Buckeyes will probably come out slow and piss off the Ohio Stadium faithful in the early going, it's almost a certainty. Purdue deserves a butt-kicking after last years upset of OSU, but I just don't see it happening, as great as it would be. The Buckeyes will win, but not by as much as everyone expects. PU: 19--OSU: 30

Chief: Revenge is a dish best served cold. The Buckeyes will most likely be serving up large piles of revenge and butt-whoopings on Sat (and they're fresh out of revenge) after teh embarrassment in Madison. The Bullets are horribly banged up, but Purdue just plain stinks. Pryor and the offense will come out firing on all cylinders. The Boilers may sneak a score or 2 on the banged up defense, but the score shouldn't remotely be close. Payback for the embarassment last year on top of the anger from last week spell disaster for Purdue. Pur: 6--OSU: 45

Other Games to Pick

IU @ Ill: Gomer: Ill Chief: Ill

MSU @ NW: Gomer: MSU Chief: MSU

AF @ TCU: Gomer: TCU Chief: AF

ND vs. Navy Gomer: ND Chief: ND

PSU @ Minn: Gomer: PSU Chief: PSU

KSU @ Baylor: Gomer: KSU Chief: Baylor

UNC @ Miami: Gomer: Miami Chief: Miami

Grading the Bucks Week 7--Wisconsin

Well, that certainly sucked. I have never seen an OSU defensive line get dominated like this past Saturday.

Offense: D
The offense was pedestrian the entire game. Terrelle had enough time to do the entire team's taxes in the pocket and still couldn't find an open receiver. The passes were off target, the play calling was horrid, and the execution was awful. The only positive in the game was Boom Herron's running which took a giant leap forward. I would have never imagined we would get back into the game through our runningbacks, but they proved me wrong. When the game was on the line, the unit didn't deliver. Sloppy and disinterested were the words of the day.

Defense: D-/F
Pathetic performance by the Bullets...if you can call them that. The defensive line showed no heart and was pushed all over the field. The first quarter, they couldn't hold Wisconsin (a pedestrian offense at best) to a single play which resulted in less than a 5 yard game. Chekwa was picked on all game and never rose to the challenge. I know Wisconsin has fat O-Linemen, but the Buckeyes let themselves be pushed away and run over. We knew Wisconsin was going to run with Clay and we couldn't stop it. It was strength on strength and we were dominated. The lack of intensity on the defensive side was also painful apparent. A leader must emerge and I don't see one. Cam Heyward has been a major disappointment and has most likely lost millions by not going pro last year. I'm hoping his lack of production is due to constant double-teaming...but I'm not convinced that's it. When the offense woke up and brought the team back into striking distance, the defense couldn't prevent the knockout blow on the final Badger drive...that's where championships are won.

Special Teams: F
Sorry boys...you suck. Many pundits continue to point to the final score and say "They didn't lose because of the kick return to start the game since they lost by 13." I'm here to say, that's BS. Momentum is HUGE in college sports, especially on the road. OSU came in looking to put the hammer down and prove their superiority. Wisconsin needed to prove to themselves that they had a shot...and the kick return gave them the hope and belief. You could see the energy rise and the drunken multitudes in the stands erupted into a frenzy when the Badgers showed they were here to win not to lose close as well as the deflation and skepticism introduced onto the Buckeye sideline. Let's not also forget the missed field goal in the first half. Had that been converted, the comeback ties the game and puts a whole new spin.

Coaching: C-
The Badgers clearly decided to roll the dice and go reverse of most defenses vs. OSU and stop the pass. They consistently dropped into coverage befuddling Pryor into indecision. I will admit that the coach's decision to move to the ground game in the second half surprised me and was a sound decision (even though I doubted at the time). My main problems were the lack of inspiration and hope the coaches were showing. Every time Wisconsin responded or scored, they looked deflated and defeated...and that was passed on to the team. Perhaps the most glaring coaching deficiency was on the Buckeye's FG drive in the 1st half. 1st and goal inside the 5 led to 3 straight runs (Pryor, Herron, Pryor) to no effect. This is unacceptable from a coach. Wisconsin was handed more momentum and a 4 point greater lead (FG instead of a TD) because Tressel went beyond uber-conservative. Listen, conservative is fine but that drive needed a touchdown. The playcalling wasn't as conservative as it was unimaginative. QB Blast, HB Blast, QB Blast....this isn't UF and Pryor isn't Tebow. The Badger coaches looked as surprised and elated as the Buckeye fans looked befuddled. A roll-out run pass option with one of the best dual threats in the game; a PA fade; a counter run by the halfback...SOMETHING DIFFERENT!! Victory goes to the bold, not the scared.