Week 12 Picks--The fight for Big Ten Supremacy?

Nebraska Cornhuskers @ Texas A&M Aggies

Gomer: Who knew that A&M was good this year? I sure didn't, especially with the typical attention given to OU, plus the slump of the Longhorns, little news has escaped the Big 12 so far this year. The Aggies have a chance to win the South, the Huskers the North, methinks that the Huskers take hold of the North even with the bum ankle of Taylor Martinez. Neb: 24--TAMU: 14

Chief: A big time rematch of the Cornhuskers vs. a team in Texas...wait, not the Longhorns? Well, this one might be better since the Longhorns are hapless this year. Johnson has played well for the Aggies and Kyle Field is always a tough place to go to, but the Huskers have a goal of a Big 12 Championship and I don't see any let up here. I don't think any team except the Oklahoma teams can stop them now. Neb: 31--TAMU: 20

Arkansas Razorbacks @ Mississippi State Bulldogs

Gomer: Ryan Mallet has been nothing been nothing but a disappointment when the spotlight has been on him this season. With MSU coming off a tough loss I look for the Bulldogs who have extra motivation to make the supposed super star look pedestrian again. Ark: 27--MSU: 30

Chief: I'm still not a buyer of Arkansas. Nice team but too much talk on the UM transfer Mallet. He's a nice QB, but I'm not a believer...especially on the road. The Bulldogs couldn't take care of the Crimson Tide after the tragic loss of their player Nick Bell, but I think they play with a fire under the thunderous cowbells in Starksville. I see Mullen's boys with another big win. Ark: 20--MSU: 24

Virginia Tech Hokies @ Miami Hurricanes

Gomer: The Hurricanes are struggling to live up to the seasons expectations and have a unique chance to make a statement against the Hokies. Freshman QB Morris has improved with each start and will help lead the Canes to a HUGE upset of the perennially strong Hokies. VT: 28--UM: 31

Chief: Talk about a game that looked to be the epic stinker after both teams limped out of the gate, but now it's a true ACC battle. Virginia Tech still has the ACC title and a BCS bowl in front of them after an ATROCIOUS start, but the Hurricanes have a sliver of hope. Problem is they're still riding a backup QB. Sun Life Stadium doesn't exactly inspire fear anymore so I see the Hokies rolling in and putting up a performance like their alum (or at least former player), Michael Vick. Hokies roll to the ACC title game. VT: 37--UM: 17

The Ohio State University Buckeyes @ Iowa Hawkeyes

Gomer: Had the 'Hawks done their job last week in Evanston, the Bucks may have had the chance at jumping the Badgers in the BCS rankings with a win this week in Iowa. Instead the Hawkeyes are going to be another 4 loss Big Ten team, and another failure by Kirk Ferentz to capitalize with a talented team. It's really to bad to think what might have been this season had the coaches realized how good a running game the Bucks could have if Boom was better utilized from the beginning. There's no question what will happen this Saturday, even in front of amped-Kinnick Stadium. OSU: 38--Iowa: 24

Chief: If the Bucks want to get to a BCS bowl, this is it. Going into the year, OSU had 3 major tests: Miami (passed), @ Wisconsin (fail), and @ Iowa. This is the last hurdle to at least finish above .500 in big games. I love the fire I saw in the 2nd half last week. If that team shows up, they will BLAST Iowa, but by the same token, if that 1st half team gets off the bus, it won't be pretty. Iowa has been pretty pathetic the last 2 weeks, but I expect the Bucks will get their absolute best shot. A fired up Silver Bullets defense take care of the Iowa offense like Ricky Stanzi takes care of the Taliban terrorists, TP will have enough escapability to avoid Clayborn and Sanzenbacher finally gets a pass actually throw to him. Bucks take it on the road. OSU: 24--Iowa:17

Other Games to pick

Wisc @ UM: Gomer: UM Chief: Wis

Pur @ MSU: Gomer: MSU Chief:MSU

PSU @ Ind: Gomer: PSU Chief: PSU

Ill @ NW: Gomer: NW Chief: Ill

Stan @ Cal: Gomer: Stan Chief: Stan

NCSt @ UNC: Gomer: NCSt Chief: NCSt

OU @ Baylor: Gomer: OU Chief: OU

FSU @ Mary: Gomer: FSU Chief: FSU

USC @ OrSt: Gomer: USC Chief: USC

Utah @ SDSU: Gomer: SDSU Chief: SDSU

Week 9 - Minnesota Sleeper Awaits

Oregon Ducks vs. Southern California Trojans

Gomer: If you've watched any part of a USC game this season, chances are you've seen Lane Kiffin try some stupid stuff, today's a day when I'm perfectly okay cheering for the classless Trojans to upset the classless Ducks. Chip Kelly is a great coach, and Lane Kiffin isn't, so this could come back to bite me in the butt, but I'll buy into the ESPN hype of #1 teams being upset every week. UO: 38--USC: 39

Chief: I hate USC with every inch of my body, but I really want to call this one. Problem is, USC's defense is ungodly awful. They have been chugging on offense lately with pretty boy Matt Barkley, but Monte Kiffin hasn't gotten them to stop anyone. The Oregon offense has steamrolled everyone in their path, and USC won't put up much resistance. Only issue is, can the Trojans outscore the Ducks? I hope so, but I just can't do it. The Coliseum is just worthless. UO: 51--USC: 45

Michigan State Spartans vs. Iowa Hawkeyes
Gomer: MSU has shown they are a complete team. From head coach to the punter, they've got everything you need to win a championship. With the clutch, come-from-behind victory over the Wildcats, MSU definitely has the momentum to jump over their last hurdle en route to an outright Big Ten Championship. Go Green! MSU: 24--Iowa: 17

Chief: Ok, Iowa. This is your last chance. The was THE year for you to get over the hump. Veteran everything and every tough conference game (Wisconsin, MSU, and OSU) was at home. And...you failed. Make it up this week. MSU has been making a living on the edge (OSU 2002 anyone?) but no one really believes in them...including me. The Spartans have gone longer without the textbook collapse than usual, but here it comes. Ricky Stanzi won't screw up as horribly as last week and will lead the Hawkeyes to victory over Sparty. Overrated coach Kirk Ferentz defeats underrated coach Mark Dantonio because Adrian Clayborn will kill Cousins (not due to coaching). MSU: 13--Iowa: 23


Missouri Tigers vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers
Gomer: Nebraska is a much better team and with Taylor Martinez at the helm, the Tigers will struggle to stop the Huskers' attack. When Mizzou: 17--Neb: 28
Chief: Congrats to the Tigers and a nice little win over the Sooners. It's just like Boise--beat a good team on a single game and desire to be lumped in with the top. Here is where the comparisons stop because they now have to play a second good team (and this one on the road). The Huskers need to get rolling after being bumped by Texas. This will put them back in the talk when they leave the Tigers in Bo Pelini land. Mizzou: 17--Neb: 31


Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Minnesota Gophers
Gomer: OSU: 37--Minn: 10

Chief: That was more like it. Bullets returned to form. Now it's time to take their talents to Minneapolis. Let's make this clear: Minnesota is AWFUL. There is no excuse for a blowout win here. I expect the Gophers to come out firing, but it just won't matter. The Buckeye running game is getting better each week and Sanzenbacher is becoming the number one receiver (needs to happen!!). The Bucks need to come up with a good road game and Minnesota is the perfect team for this to happen. Convincing win is a must. No chance at a sleeper upset. OSU: 41--UM: 10

Other Games:


Georgia vs. Florida Gomer: UF Chief: UGA

Auburn vs. Mississippi Gomer: Aub Chief: Aub

Oklahoma vs. Colorado Gomer: OU Chief: OU

Arizona vs. UCLA Gomer: UCLA Chief: Zona

Stanford vs. Washington Gomer: Wash Chief: Stan

Florida State vs. NC State Gomer:NCSt Chief: FSU

Michigan @ Penn State Gomer: UM Chief: PSU (toughest game to pick but I want UM to lose)

Purdue vs. Illinois Gomer: Pur Chief: Ill

5 Things We've Learned--Week 4

1) The Big East is absolutely horrible and doesn't deserve a BCS bid

So much of the media focus is on the ACC and their struggles, but the real problem of the AQ (auto-qualifying conferences) is the Big East. Comparatively, the ACC is a powerhouse. In the ACC, FSU seems to have rebounded nicely from the shellacking received from OU in Norman, VT is bouncing back from the JMU fiasco, NC State is a surprising 4-0, UNC would be good if their whole team was on the field rather than in prison, Miami came out and wiped Pitt out on the road after losing to OSU, the stories go on and on.

Now, the Big East on the other hand is a total mess. UConn was destroyed in the Big House, WVU struggled to beat Marshall in OT, and Cincy fought OU but lost just the same (and they lost to Fresno as well). The marquee conference win up to this point is the stunner of WVU over Maryland.

Here are the numbers and they speak for themselves (and will get the non-AQ conferences in an absolute uproar).
Big East vs. teams from automatic qualifying conferences: 1-10
Big East vs. FBS (Div 1-A) teams: 6-13
And the one bright spot:
Big East vs. FCS (Div 1-AA) teams: 9-0 (Yay! They might win the lower division!)
It's unbelieveable how bad they are and no one says anything.

To get the blood boiling more, think about this, one of these teams (Syracuse, WVU, Rutgers, USF, UConn, Louisville, Pitt, or Cincy) will be in a BCS bowl while at least one (usually 2) from each group of 3 will be left out: OSU, Wisc, Iowa; Stanford, Oregon, Arizona; OU, Texas, Nebraska; Florida, Alabama, Auburn. A playoff isn't needed to 'fix' the BCS, but perhaps it's time to trim the fluff.

2) Alabama and OSU are really good

As a student at THE Ohio State University, I'm a little biased but you can see from my grades of OSU that I'm very critical. OSU absolutely demolished every team this year (Miami was close for about a half--and yes I realize the other opponents were terrible) and their only weaknesses readily apparent are special teams and a consistant running game (but our QB scramble game makes it tough for any defense).

Alabama has cruised until the scare this week against Arkansas but was there really any doubt? As the scores flashed on the video board in Columbus and a cheer went up, I was very stoic, urging caution. I fully expected a team with Bama's weapons would come back. Arkansas is a very good team, but they just don't match up enough on defense to stop the Tide. As the game progressed, my caution appeared warranted (don't get me wrong, I'd like them to lose...but I really don't want Boise to get a shot because it's not right). I expect the problems of the Tide were fixed at halftime with Nick Saban threatening to kill puppies if his defense didn't wake up and hit someone. It obviously worked and now they sit undefeated with another big one this week.

3) The difference between the mid-majors and the BCS conferences (in general) is depth

My crazy, off-the-wall upset pick last week had Bernard Pierce and the Temple Owls defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions in Happy Valley. As the first half progressed, I was feeling pretty darn good about it as the scores kept flashing up in Ohio Stadium with Temple TDs vs. PSU FGs. After halftime, I noticed the Temple points completely dried up which left me wondering how a promising pick went awry.

While watching College Gameday Final (and their absolutely horrid Few Good Men parody), I discovered the flaw in my pick: it hinged on Pierce playing the whole game. It appeared Al Golden's Owl defense stifled the Lions and continually held them to FGs while Pierce run wild, but the injury bug bit around halftime and the dreams of upset died there. Without Pierce, Temple couldn't move the ball and were forced into a subpar passing game which flip field and led to turnovers.

In most BCS conferences, when 'the guy' goes down, there's someone ready in the wings to take the reins and give it a shot, but at Temple (and most other little schools) there's just a huge drop between the starters and the backups. Don't get me wrong, if OSU lost Pryor, we'd pretty much be screwed, but if Herron or Saine twisted an ankle, there are always Hall and Berry capable of moving the ball. Look at Bama. They lost a Heisman winning RB to injury and Trent Richardson smoked the competition in his absence. One guy makes a HUGE difference in the upset bids and midmajor conference races.

4) Just playing a BCS conference opponent doesn't make the game tougher

Many people jumped all over the Boise/Oregon State game as the big hurdle for Boise. Gameday was there and praise was heaped on the Beavers as a worthy opponent. If Boise could clear this evil BCS foe, they'd be ready. Here's a secret, Oregon State is really overrated. The Rodgers brothers are nice, but the quarterback is trash and the defense is a sieve. Boise's win over VT was a quality win and it will be shown as the season progresses and VT remembers they don't suck, but the Oregon State win will mean less and less as time goes on. The Pac 10 is full of midlevel talent teams and a few who have looked excellent so far (Stanford, Oregon, Arizona to a lesser extent). I wouldn't be surprised is Oregon State finishes in the lower half of the conference.

Another example is jumping on OSU for playing Ohio and EMU. Editor's note: These teams don't just suck, they're black holes of suck. I realize this. What everyone is forgetting is that every team has these garbage opponents. A lot of praise was heaped on Bama and Mark Ingram for destroying a BCS opponent in week 3. It was Duke. The Blue Devils would struggle with these crap MAC teams. Look at the team, not the conference. Realize that there are quality non-AQ teams (Boise, TCU, Utah, AF, Nevada) and suck BCS teams (Purdue, Minn, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Duke, Wake, Kansas, Baylor, Washington State, UCLA--oops sorry Texas, the whole Big East) .

5) Oklahoma is the most confusing team ever

Look at the results:
Week 1: Squeak by Utah State (bad)
Week 2: Slaughter FSU
Week 3: Defeat AF by a score and get destroyed on the ground
Week 4: Survive a bad Cincinnati team on the road

Which team will we see this week? The destruction of my Noles is a quality win and beating AF no matter the score is a good thing, but Cincinnati and Utah State should have been demolished by this same team. Consistency is usually needed to win the title and Oklahoma is certainly not showing it now. Granted, it matters not how the games are won, but I would certainly not be stunned if OU drops a game that it shouldn't later this year. I expect them to blow out the Longhorns in Dallas, but watch for a let down game shortly thereafter. Remember Arizona's handling of Iowa to be follwed by a last sec TD to beat Cal (bad) 10-9?

Bonus---aka I forgot this last week
Big Ten (and in fact most of NCAA) has awful special teams

Ohio State, the marquee, thus far has had 1 punt returned, 2 kicks returned (1 called back), a blocked FG returned for TD, and a blocked punt along with mediocre to bad return/coverage teams. Wisconsin had 2.9999 kicks returned for TDs against them against ASU which would have cost them the game had the returner gotten 1 more yard before halftime. Iowa lost to Arizona following myriad special teams blunders including a blocked punt. Michigan survived the UMass scare following a blocked punt. Leaving the conference, Cincy might have pulled a monster upset had they not fumbled a punt inside the 20. This is a serious issue on which many coaches need to focus more effort. Very surprising that Tressel's mantra of field position and special teams appears to be falling on deaf ears.