You know what else is downright scary? My ability to make decent college football picks! Going into this past weekend, I had a 5-7 record, and eagerly devoured and dissected the smorgasbord of big games on the schedule in anticipation of leap-frogging over the .500 mark and then some. The final result of my efforts resulted in 2 wins and 5 losses, bringing my "expert" pick tally to a deplorable 7-12 (.368). A few of the teams I picked did cover the spread (Tennessee nearly pulled it off over Bama, but got beat by the SEC refs, and Mississippi State got a little of the same against Florida...SEC officiating worse than my picks this year!), but I've been basing the record on straight up W's & L's, and must take my medicine and hope the Halloween Gods will be in my corner this Saturday. DON'T FORGET TO ENTER CODE HWEEN AT CHECKOUT AND RECEIVE 25% OFF ORIGINAL RETRO BRAND GEAR FOR OUR FEATURED TEAMS (Florida, Georgia, USC, Oregon) FOR GAMES/PICKS OF THE WEEK!!
NICE GUY WILL FINISH LAST VS. FLORIDA
GAME # 1: Surely an easy way to improve my record will be to forget betting with my heart, and pick the Florida Gators to rout my beloved Georgia Bulldogs in the world's largest outdoor cocktail party. Let's face facts: The Dawgs just ain't SEC great this year. The running game does not have the usual breakaway threat, and Joe Cox at QB is likeable enough, but he's just not Matthew Stafford, David Greene, Eric Zeier, Mike Bobo, or Fran Tarkenton! They did step up and open the season out of conference on the road, but lost a tough battle against a very strong # 10 ranked, Big 12 Oklahoma State Cowboy squad. Certainly they got ripped off against LSU (reference SEC refs in first paragraph), but still should have taken care of business between the hedges. The Gators are ranked # 1 for a reason: They find a way to win no matter what. They are favored by 17, and why not? They own the Dawgs in Jacksonville, having taken 16 out of the last 20 meetings. I love coach Mark Richt, but his mellow persona seems to have rubbed off on his team, and being mellow does not cut it in the SEC: Florida 42, Georgia 21. That was painful....and so will the trip home from Oregon for the USC Trojans......
BOBBING FOR TROJANS
GAME # 2: Certainly this is the Pac-10 marquis game of the year (since USC clobbered CAL). The # 10 Oregon Ducks are flat out rolling, outscoring their last 5 opponents 192 -62. They crushed the same Washington Husky team that gave USC their only loss of the season handily on the road in Washington, 43-19. At the same time, the # 5 Trojans were not able to cover the spread in their last two victories over Notre Dame and Oregon State. Both teams are basically neck & neck in all statistical team categories in the Pac-10, but I think the home field advantage will lift Oregon to victory. USC QB Matt Barkley does lead the conference in passing, but Oregon QB Jeremiah Mesoli is not far behind and has 7 touchdown on the ground. Can't wait to see what quacky uniform the Ducks will wear as they continue to roll in big upset: Oregon 28, USC 21.
Tricks and Treats: I thought # 3 Texas would have a tougher time against Mizzou last week, but they routed them, and will do the same against # 14 Oklahoma State in Stillwater: Longhorns 38, Cowboys 17.....# 25 Ole Miss has to travel to Auburn who has dropped 3 straight after opening 5-0. The Tigers will rise to the occasion: Auburn 28, Mississippi 24.....Both # 13 Virginia Tech and North Carolina lost brutally hard fought games to ACC rivals Georgia Tech and Florida State respectively last week. The Hoakies must win out to have any shot at the ACC Championship game and the Tarheels are looking for their first conference win: VTech 35, North Carolina 14.....Purdue has proven they are much better than their 3-5 record after shocking Ohio State, and Wisconsin has lost 2 straight after busting out 5-0. Wisconsin nearly ended # 11 Iowa's dream season and will not drop another at home: Badgers 24, Boilermakers 14.
One last prediction for this week: The Yankees will beat the Phillies.....in Game # 1. Have a safe and Happy Halloween!
