Fear the Dodgers, Not the Phillies

With only a few games remaining until postseason play, it seems we know all of the teams who will be playing in October.  The talk in mid-Missouri seems to be all about whether the Cardinals can knock off the Phillies and get to the World Series.  Well I have news for you, Cards fans.  Forget the Phillies.  You’ll likely get your toughest postseason test in the first round when you face the Dodgers.

The Dodgers are the team nobody is talking about.  They are also the team nobody should want tom play.

They have a lineup built for postseason baseball.  They can get for average (first in NL), steal bases (fourth in NL), and lay down bunts.  They have struck out 92 fewer times than the Phillies, are six points better with runners in scoring position, and are 14 points better with RISP and two outs.  Eight players are hitting .280 or better.  The Phillies have just two players accomplishing that feat.  So the Phillies can hit home runs.  Big deal.  Home runs don’t win in October.  Home runs won’t win in spacious Dodger Stadium, or in cold weather venues like Colorado, St. Louis and Philadelphia.

Can we talk about pitching?  Guess who leads all of baseball in ERA?  Yep, it’s the Dodgers – a sparkling 3.42.  The Phillies?  4.14.  Dodger pitchers has struck out over 100 more batters than Phillies pitchers.  Four of their five starters have ERAs under 4 (Chad Billingsley is 4.03).  Cole Hamels and Jamie Moyer both have ERAs over 4.25.

In the bullpen, Jonathan Broxton has blown just six saves in 42 chances and has a 2.68 ERA with 111 strikeouts in 74 innings.  Brad Lidge was 0-8 with 11 blown saves and a 7.38 ERA before losing the closer role to Ryan Madson.  Madson’s ERA is 3.18 – not bad  But he, like Broxton, has blown six saves, and he’s only had 16 opportunities.

If the Cardinals face the Dodgers in the first round, it would be a shame.  They are the two best teams in the NL, and I like the winner to win the league, maybe the World Series.

So Cards fan, and Rockies fans – fear the Dodgers, not the Phillies.

College football rankings – Sept. 28

In a weekend full of upsets, who made out the best?  That’s easy, it’s Boise State.  The Broncos are now one Texas slip away from controlling their own destiny to Pasadena, and I don’t mean for the Rose Bowl.  The Broncos are #5 in the county (higher than that in the poll that matters), and they are guaranteed to pass two of the three SEC teams ahead of them as long as they keep winning.  LSU has Georgia and Florida next.  ‘Bama is losing to Florida in the SEC championship if not sooner.  Texas still has the Red River Shootout, a trip to Stillwater and Kansas twice.  The Broncos could turn into the biggest Sooner fans in the country come Oct. 17.  Meanwhile, Chris Peterson is making everyone on the team write personalized thank you letters to the Penn State offense for leaving Happy Valley after the first play.  On to the rankings…

1)  Florida Gators (4-0) – What’s bigger, #4, 5 and 6 all losing in one weekend, or Tim Tebow getting hurt?  I’ll go with the first one.  Florida doesn’t need Tebow to run the table, although the bye week comes at a perfect time.

2)  Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0) – Saban’s boys look good.  Arkansas put up 41 on Georgia, then did squat against the Tide.  Greg McElroy had three more touchdown passes.  The Virginia Tech win looks huge now.

3)  Texas Longhorns (4-0) – For the first time this season, the ‘Horns put together two good halves of football.  Two really good halves.  The defense gave up just 53 yards and zero points.  No BCS nonconference opponents could hurt them.

4)  Boise State Broncos (4-0) – How good does that win over Oregon look now?  The Broncos have steamrolled everyone since then, and have put themselves in legitimate title contention.  Could this be the year a non-BCS school goes?

5)  Cincinnati Bearcats (4-0) – They aren’t the same ‘Cats we saw put up 115 points the first two weeks, but Cincinnati is winning, and winning against legit opponents.  Fresno is no joke, and they won at Rutgers and at Oregon State.

6)  Oklahoma Sooners (2-1) – I said I wouldn’t move any teams with bye weeks up or down the first four weeks.  Otherwise OU would be #5.  No word on whether Bradford will go against Miami, but it won’t matter.  OU will roll either way.

7)  Virginia Tech Hokies (3-1) – I picked Virginia Tech to beat Miami, but not by 24.  Defensively, the Hokies held Miami to 209 yards, while offensively, they ran it down Miami’s throats.  The rain played right into Va Tech’s style.

8)  Houston Cougars (3-0) – The Cougars have done it again.  For the second time in as many games, Houston knocked off a legitimate Big 12 opponent.  The offense racked up 579 yards against Texas Tech, and Case Keenum threw for 435.

9)  LSU Tigers (4-0) – This team is disgusting.  Another opponent blunder keeps LSU undefeated, but for how long.  They beat Mississippi State by four, Washington by eight and Vanderbilt by 14.  Georgia and Florida are next.

10)  California Golden Bears (3-1) – The Bears were absolutely embarrassed by Oregon.  They were outgained 524-207 in total offense, and Jahvid Best had 16 carries for just 55 yards.  Impressive early season wins keeps them in the top 10.

11)  USC Trojans (3-1) – Matt Barkley’s first game back was pretty good.  He went 13 for 22 for 247 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.  But after a 20-0 first quarter, they didn’t do anything against a bad Wazzu team.

12)  Kansas Jayhawks (4-0) – The offense is really good and can score on anyone.  Southern Mississippi is a good team and played tough, but KU had enough to end SMU’s eight game win streak – the second longest in the nation.

13)  Ohio State Buckeyes (3-1) – The Buckeyes haven’t given up points since USC’s winning drive on Sept. 12.  The defense forced three Juice Williams interceptions Saturday in the shutout.  Final score against Penn State: 4-2.

14)  Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-1) – Their only loss was to a good Houston team, and they have a nice win over Georgia, but fans were expecting more from Zac Robinson.  He has just 791 yards and six touchdowns through four games.

15)  Georgia Bulldogs (3-1) – The ‘Dogs have had one of the toughest schedules in the country, and it doesn’t get any easier with LSU in town Saturday.  They’ve played four BCS schools already, and have seven more on the schedule.

16)  Iowa Hawkeyes (4-0) – I’ve been saying Iowa is overrated all year, but after the performance at Penn State, I may have to shut up.  If not for that one point win over Northern Iowa, they may be in my top 10.  They go to the Shoe Nov. 14.

17)  TCU Horned Frogs (3-0) – TCU stayed undefeated – barely – at Clemson this week.  That’s two wins at ACC schools.  The defense looked good again despite not recording a sack for the first time in 27 games.  Things get easier until BYU.

18)  Oregon Ducks (3-1) – The Ducks strung together a very impressive nonconference schedule with Boise State, Purdue and Utah.  Smacking Cal by 39 is a huge boost.  Jeremiah Masoli might be off the hook for now.

19)  Penn State Nittany Lions (3-1) – They are still the favorites to win the Big 10, but a national title is dim after a double digit home loss to Iowa.  The team went to sleep after scoring on the first play, had a punt blocked and gave up a safety.

20)  Miami Hurricanes (2-1) – The rain really hampered Miami’s ability to do anything offensively.  They are not a running team and became predictable when the rain started falling.  It doesn’t get any easier with the Sooners next week.

21)  BYU Cougars (3-1) – Harvey Unga had three rushing touchdowns from inside the five as BYU got back to business in a win over Colorado State.  The Cougars can still sneak into the BCS picture with some help and an 8-0 finish.

22)  Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-1) – This is a scary team, especially defensively.  That Virginia Tech team that put up 31 in the rain against Miami needed a miracle to down the Huskers.  They get a bye week before Big 12 play begins.

23)  Mississippi Rebels (2-1) – I’m not sure what all the fuss about Jevan Snead is.  He has completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes and has just six touchdowns against three unranked teams.  Alabama and LSU are both at home.

24)  Auburn Tigers (4-0) – Gene Chizik has Auburn playing well, though they havent left home yet.  They go to Tennessee and Arkansas thev next two weeks, and after that we’ll have a better idea of how good they are.

25)  Michigan Wolverines (4-0) – Rich Rodriguez has this team off to a 4-0 start – they were just 3-9 last year.  However, an embarrassing near-loss to Indiana should have Michigan fans worried.  The Wolverines travel to East Lansing next.

College football picks – Miami’s streak ends

Murderers’row continues for Miami this week with a road trip to Blacksburg, Va. to face the Hokies.  Lost with Miami’s schedule is the fact that Virginia Tech has had a tough road as well, hosting ranked Nebraska last week and opening the season in Atlanta against #3 Alabama.  Don’t think Miami is going to walk all over them.  But I must not give too much away… For the third straight week, I went 4-2 with my picks, so I really have no room to brag.  But I am 3-0 with my upset picks, so if you’re looking for good gambler’s odds, keep reading.

#5 Penn State Nittany Lions 35, Iowa Hawkeyes 0

Texas Tech Red Raiders 37, #17 Houston Cougars 30

#6 California Golden Bears 27, Oregon Ducks 18

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 27, #22 North Carolina Tar Heels 21

#11 Virginia Tech Hokies 21, #9 Miami Hurricanes 17

UPSET SPECIAL:  South Carolina Gamecocks 33, #4 Mississippi Rebels 31

Last week:  4-2
Overall:  12-6
Upsets:  3-0

SEC/Big 12 football challenge

My friend Kyle came up with what I think is a genius idea, though I’m sure it’s been talked about before.  College basketball has the ACC/Big 10 challenge and the Big 12/Pac 10 hardwood series.  Why can’t college football do that?  Kyle wants it to happen, and came up with a way that in can happen – all in one Saturday.  The SEC would play the Big 12, the Big 10 takes on the Pac 10, the Big East tangles with the ACC, and even the smaller conferences get in on the action.  Check out what he says…

I wanted to find out how conferences in major college football matched up with one another.  Big 12 vs. SEC, Big Ten vs. Pac 10, ACC vs. Big East, C-USA vs. MAC, MWC vs. WAC, Sun Belt vs. everyone else…top to bottom.  Basically, the best team from one conference plays the best team from another conference all the way to the worst playing the worst to see which conference gains bragging rights.  I alternated East vs. West, North vs. South and Coastal vs. Atlantic where needed so it wasn’t unfair to one particular division.

This project was much harder than I originally anticipated.  I think I worked on it for three hours, but it was very fun.  It would appear that all of the conference match ups were fair as, according to my predictions, no conference beat another conference by more than two games.  I need more of the season to occur to make some of these calls.  Some of these teams are undefeated with two FCS opponents while some of them are 0-2 against Division 1 Powers.  I randomized which teams got home games and which teams got road games.  Then I realized it wouldn’t be fair (you probably won’t play the same team next year so you may have two or three straight years with this day as a road game).  Some of these games were ridiculously close to call.  Penn St. over USC was tough because Penn St. has played no one, and you know Pete Carroll would have the Trojans ready at Penn St. Ohio St. going across the country to Oregon was tough too because both teams are worse than originally anticipated (I know OSU played well against USC, but a four point home win against Navy?)  In some of those games, I went with the home team by default.  If you have problems with any of my picks, I have reasoning behind all of them and I’d love to hear your opinion.  This format did produce some very intriguing games.

The teams without an opponent will inevitably play each other.  This gave me the perfect opportunity to set up the annual event of Navy losing to Notre Dame (except for 2007).  Everyone else gets a Sun Belt team.  Fun Stuff.

Both Kyle and I made our picks for every game, and we listed them below.  Here are a few points to remember:

- There is no room for subjectivity here.  All of these games are determined strictly by 2008 season results using the formula 1v1, 2v2, ect., and our picks are based on the 2009 season’s teams.

- You will notice that, for example, in the SEC/Big 12 series, the #1 Big 12 South team played the #1 SEC East team.  That means the #2 Big 12 South team plays the #2 SEC West team.  This way it’s not just divisions playing divisions.  That means next year the #1 Big 12 South team plays the #1 SEC West team and alternates from there.

- Home field is determined randomly, then alternates after that.  For example, in the SEC/Big 12 series, the SEC East #1 team (Florida) got the home draw, meaning the SEC East teams #3 and #5 also get home, while #2, #4 and #6 are away.  In the West, #2, #4 and #6 are home.

- This whole weekend would have to take place sometime in September as to not interrupt the conference season.

And now on to the games and picks!

SEC vs Big 12

Oklahoma at Florida
Kyle:  Florida
Jaryd:  Florida

Alabama at Missouri
Kyle:  Alabama
Jaryd:  Alabama

Texas at Mississippi
Kyle:  Texas
Jaryd:  Texas

Georgia at Nebraska
Kyle:  Nebraska
Jaryd:  Nebraska

Texas Tech at South Carolina
Kyle:  Texas Tech
Jaryd:  South Carolina

LSU at Kansas
Kyle:  LSU
Jaryd:  Kansas

Oklahoma State at Arkansas
Kyle:  Oklahoma State
Jaryd:  Oklahoma State

Vanderbilt at Colorado
Kyle:  Vanderbilt
Jaryd:  Vanderbilt

Baylor at Tennessee
Kyle:  Tennessee
Jaryd:  Tennessee

Auburn at Kansas State
Kyle:  Auburn
Jaryd:  Auburn

Texas A&M at Mississippi State
Kyle:  Texas A&M
Jaryd:  Texas A&M

Kentucky at Iowa State
Kyle:  Kentucky
Jaryd:  Kentucky

Results…
Kyle:  SEC wins 7-5
Jaryd:  SEC wins 7-5

Big Ten vs Pac 10

USC at Penn State
Kyle:  Penn State
Jaryd  Penn State

Ohio State at Oregon
Kyle:  Ohio State
Jaryd:  Ohio State

Oregon State at Michigan State
Kyle:  Oregon State
Jaryd:  Michigan State

Iowa at California
Kyle:  California
Jaryd:  California

Arizona at Northwestern
Kyle:  Arizona
Jaryd:  Arizona

Minnesota at Arizona State
Kyle:  Arizona State
Jaryd:  Minnesota

Stanford at Wisconsin
Kyle:  Wisconsin
Jaryd:  Wisconsin

Illinois at UCLA
Kyle:  UCLA
Jaryd:  UCLA

Washington State at Purdue
Kyle:  Purdue
Jaryd:  Purdue

Michigan at Washington
Kyle:  Washington
Jaryd:  Michigan

Results…
Kyle:  Pac 10 wins 6-4
Jaryd:  Big Ten wins 7-3

Big East vs ACC

Cincinnati at Virginia Tech
Kyle:  Virginia Tech
Jaryd:  Cincinnati

Florida State at Pittsburgh
Kyle:  Florida State
Jaryd:  Pittsburgh

West Virginia at Georgia Tech
Kyle:  West Virginia
Jaryd:  Georgia Tech

Boston College at Rutgers
Kyle:  Rutgers
Jaryd:  Rutgers

Connecticut at North Carolina
Kyle:  North Carolina
Jaryd:  North Carolina

Maryland at South Florida
Kyle:  South Florida
Jaryd:  South Florida

Louisville at Miami
Kyle:  Miami
Jaryd:  Miami

Wake Forest at Syracuse
Kyle:  Wake Forest
Jaryd:  Wake Forest

Results…
Kyle:  ACC wins 5-3
Jaryd:  Tied 4-4

Conference USA vs MAC

Ball State at Tulsa
Kyle:  Tulsa
Jaryd:  Tulsa

East Carolina at Buffalo
Kyle:  East Carolina
Jaryd:  East Carolina

Bowling Green at Rice
Kyle:  Bowling Green
Jaryd:  Rice

Southern Mississippi at Western Michigan
Kyle:  Western Michigan
Jaryd:  Western Michigan

Central Michigan at Houston
Kyle:  Houston
Jaryd:  Houston

Memphis at Temple
Kyle:  Memphis
Jaryd:  Memphis

Akron at UT-El Paso
Kyle:  UT-El Paso
Jaryd:  UT-El Paso

Marshall at Northern Illinois
Kyle:  Northern Illinois
Jaryd:  Northern Illinois

Eastern Michigan at Tulane
Kyle:  Tulane
Jaryd:  Tulane

UAB at Kent State
Kyle:  UAB
Jaryd:  UAB

Southern Methodist at Ohio
Kyle:  Ohio
Jaryd:  Ohio

Central Florida at Toledo
Kyle:  Toledo
Jaryd:  Toledo

Results…
Kyle:  Conference USA wins 7-5
Jaryd:  Conference USA wins 8-4

Mountain West vs WAC

Utah at Boise State
Kyle:  Boise State
Jaryd:  Boise State

Louisiana Tech at TCU
Kyle:  TCU
Jaryd:  TCU

BYU at Nevada
Kyle:  BYU
Jaryd:  BYU

Hawaii at Air Force
Kyle:  Air Force
Jaryd:  Air Force

Colorado State at Fresno State
Kyle:  Fresno State
Jaryd:  Fresno State

San Jose State at UNLV
Kyle:  UNLV
Jaryd:  UNLV

New Mexico at Utah State
Kyle:  Utah State
Jaryd:  Utah State

New Mexico State at Wyoming
Kyle:  Wyoming
Jaryd:  Wyoming

San Diego State at Idaho
Kyle:  Idaho
Jaryd:  Idaho

Results…
Kyle:  Mountain West wins 5-4
Jaryd:  Mountain West wins 5-4

Sun Belt, Independence and Leftovers

Navy at Notre Dame
Kyle:  Notre Dame
Jaryd:  Notre Dame

Troy at Indiana
Kyle:  Indiana
Jaryd:  Troy

Louisiana-Lafayette at Clemson
Kyle:  Clemson
Jaryd:  Clemson

Florida Atlantic at N.C. State
Kyle:  N.C. State
Jaryd:  N.C. State

Arkansas State at Virginia
Kyle:  Arkansas State
Jaryd:  Arkansas State

Florida International at Duke
Kyle:  Florida International
Jaryd:  Duke

Middle Tennessee State at Miami-Ohio
Kyle:  Middle Tennessee State
Jaryd:  Miami-Ohio

Louisiana-Monroe at Army
Kyle:  Army
Jaryd:  Army

Western Kentucky at North Texas
Kyle:  North Texas
Jaryd:  North Texas

Now what a weekend that would be!

College football rankings – Sept. 21

Washington should not be in the AP Top 25.  But if you’re still deciding between the AP and Coaches Poll, please choose AP.  The coaches still have USC in the top ten, Georgia as high as #17, North Carolina right behind them at #18, Missouri at #21 and Florida State at #25.  If you want a reason to complain about the BCS, look no further than these goons who somehow get to have a third of the influence in those rankings.  If you want an accurate poll, keep reading.

1)  Florida Gators (3-0) – Okay, so the Gators looked mortal on Saturday and now everyone is up in arms about their legitimacy.  So what if they only won by 10?  It’s the SEC, everyone comes to play.  Their first road game is this week.

2)  Alabama Crimson Tide (3-0) – The Tide rocked North Texas 53-7, but I’m a little concerned because they only rushed for 260 yards.  Were they playing with Swine Flu?  All jokes aside, this team looks good.  SEC play starts Saturday.

3)  Texas Longhorns (3-0) – Colt McCoy looked terrible for much of the game, but the bottom line is a win is a win, especially revenge against Texas Tech.  The offense made some halftime adjustments, and the defense was good enough.

4)  Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0) – The best defense in the nation strikes again.  For the third straight week, the D gave up single digits.  I hate their schedule though.  Four non-league games, all at home against weak teams.  Gross.

5)  California Golden Bears (3-0) – With USC’s loss, Cal takes a stranglehold on the Pac 10.  The offense wasn’t nearly as dominant in Minnesota, but they did enough to win.  Their first three Pac 10 games are against Oregon, USC and UCLA.

6)  Oklahoma Sooners (2-1) – This is the best 2-1 team in the history of college football.  It looks more and more like the Sooners will be fine with Landry Jones.  They’ve outscored their last two opponents 109-0, and have a bye before Miami.

7)  Boise State Broncos (3-0) – I think it’s safe to say they’ve found their offense is back, averaging 49.5 points per game since the ugly Oregon win.  But where was the defense in Fresno?  The Bulldogs put up 507 yards and 34 points.

8)  Mississippi Rebels (2-0) – They may have played well this week, but it was Southeastern Louisiana, so don’t think I’ve forgotten about the Memphis game.  We know they can score, but can the defense hold up against an SEC opponent?

9)  Virginia Tech Hokies (2-1) – Virginia Tech was outplayed by a better Nebraska team and got bailed out by blown coverage.  I don’t think they can hang with most top 25 teams, but for now they have to be here because of the schedule.

10)  LSU Tigers (3-0) - LSU jumps Oklahoma State simply because they’re undefeated, but there’s just something not right about them.  They aren’t explosive offensively, yet they’re winning.  They also beat the team that beat USC.

11)  Cincinnati Bearcats (3-0) – The offense didn’t look nearly as explosive, but they were able to win on the road in the Pac 10.  Tony Pike had another nice day, going 31-49 for 332 yards, and the defense had another strong showing.

12)  USC Trojans (2-1) – I really hate putting USC here because they should be lower after that inexcusable loss.  But they can’t be behind the Buckeyes yet because they won that game, and we all know they’re out for blood now.

13)  Houston Cougars (3-0) – Houston has to love the scheduling gods.  After winning at Oklahoma State, the Cougars got the benefit of a bye week while their opponent this week, Texas Tech, had to go to Austin.

14)  Ohio State Buckeyes (2-1) – The Bucks played their first complete game of the season in a 38-0 route at Toledo.  The USC loss looks worse now, but they should be safe until the Nov. 7 showdown in Happy Valley.

15)  Miami Hurricanes (2-0) – Miami impresses me more every week.  Two wins over two ranked opponents have Miami climbing fast.  Jacory Harris and company better be ready.  Virginia Tech is next in Blacksburg.

16)  Oklahoma State Cowboys (2-1) – If teams are supposed to get better every week, Mike Gundy should be furious.  His Cowboys looked good beating Georgia, then lost to Houston and sleepwalked through the Rice game.

17)  Kansas Jayhawks (3-0) – The Jayhawks keep rocking, this time overcoming a slow start to put away Duke.  Todd Reesing has 806 yards with six touchdowns, and Dezmon Briscoe is averaging 20 yards per catch.

18)  TCU Horned Frogs (2-0) – All of a sudden TCU has the Mountain West bullseye after Utah and BYU fell last week.  The Horned Frogs rushed for seven touchdowns against Texas State-San Macros.

19)  Georgia Bulldogs (2-1) – The Bulldogs looked terrible offensively against Oklahoma State, then decided to light off the fireworks en route to a 2-0 SEC start.  The latest victim was Arkansas, who gave up 530 yards to the ‘Dogs.

20)  North Carolina Tar Heels (3-0) – It took a late fourth quarter surge for North Carolina to pull away from East Carolina.  It gets tougher for the ‘Heels now, starting this week at Georgia Tech.

21)  BYU Cougars (2-1) – This team surprised me the most in week three.  As good as the defense has played all year, BYU let an inept FSU team walk into Provo and make them look like a joke.  Bye, bye, BCS.

22)  Pittsburgh Panthers (3-0) – The Pitt Panthers got their third win, but Navy didn’t make it easy.  Nevertheless, Pitt’s 3-0 and playing well.  Dion Lewis is sixth in the nation in rushing at 132 yards per game.

23)  Michigan Wolverines (3-0) – Rich Rod’s team is one win away from eclipsing last season’s win total.  The Wolverines have one more tuneup game this week before two tough road games in East Lansing and Iowa City.

24)  Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-1) – Nebraska dominated Virginia Tech for 59 minutes, then forgot that they were supposed to actually cover Va Tech receivers.  Still, this team is dangerous.  Bo Pelini has them playing Husker football again.

25)  Auburn Tigers (3-0) – This spot is wide open in my rankings, but for now I’m giving it to the Tigers.  Auburn lit up West Virginia for 41 points, and they are one of four SEC West teams without a loss.

Dear Pete Carroll, stay quiet in January

Dear Pete Carroll,

When does this stop becoming shocking and start becoming comical?  No, I’m not talking about Brett Favre unretiring or another celebrity dying.  I’m talking about your team’s early season success (or lack thereof) against Pac 10 opponents.

Your all-mighty Trojans bit the dust before the month of November for the fourth straight season, this time losing 16-13 at Washington, a team that won exactly zero games last season.  Last year your meltdown came in Corvallis against Oregon State.  Two years ago Stanford won when they were 40 point underdogs.  And three years ago your inexcusable loss again came in Corvallis.  To make matters worse that year, your team still had an inside track to the national championship but dropped the final game of the season to inferior rival UCLA at the Rose Bowl.

In each of these seasons, it seems that people have forgotten about these letdowns by January and are set to rank you number one or two in the post-championship poll.  Meanwhile, you always seem to be complaining about why they have to be left out and get the Rose Bowl instead.

But please Pete, don’t complain this year.  Yes, you’ll probably win the rest of your games and go 11-1 again.  By I must say that any other one-loss team out there deserves to play in the national championship game more than you.  After all, you just got beat by Washington.

And before you write back to say that Aaron Corp was filling in for Matt Barkley, let me remind you that your “stout, NFL-style” defense let Washington pass all over you on that final drive.  They could have scored a touchdown if they wanted to, but a win is a win.  And for you, a loss is a loss.  And because you’ve choked again, you will not get a chance to play for a national championship.

Penn State loves you.  Texas loves you.  One of them will now get their shot at Florida when it should have been you.  I can already see you complaining about an unfair BCS system come January, when your one loss team is playing in the Rose Bowl while another one loss team is playing Florida.  Just remember this game before you do any griping.  Remember that your defense allowed 237 passing yards.  Remember that they allowed Washington to hold the ball for the final 3:58, yielding 63 yards in 10 plays.  Remember that you scored your only touchdown fewer than three minutes into the game, then never saw the endzone again.

And Pete, if you don’t want another reason to be peeved, you better root for Penn State not to make it to the title game.  Because with the new rules, if a Big 10 or Pac 10 team goes to the national championship game, the Rose Bowl is obligated to replace them with a non-BCS school if it qualifies.  So your high-profile team could end up facing those feisty Broncos from Boise.  And you don’t want that.  Not because you won’t win.  You’ll win.  But because playing a school like that does nothing for your recruiting, nothing for viewership and nothing for revenue.

Just look at it this way – it can’t get any worse.  If you lose to Washington State next weekend, at least you can say you lost to a team that went 1-11 last year.

Week 3 Picks – Huskers’time to shine

#17 Cincinnati 40, Oregon State 17

#9 BYU 23, Florida State 16

#2 Texas 38, Texas Tech 19

#20 Miami 31, #14 Georgia Tech 28

#19 Nebraska 35, #13 Virginia Tech 28

UPSET SPECIAL:  Oregon 20, #18 Utah 16

Last week:  4-2
Overall:  8-4
Upsets:  2-0

College Football Rankings – Sept. 15

Houston, I have a problem.  My problem is that I feel obligated to rank you after your dominating performance in Stillwater.  Yes I called it.  But now I have to back up my upset special by accurately ranking you among the big boys.  Welcome to the big show.  We’ll see how long you stay.

1)  Florida Gators – The Gators didn’t let a sluggish start keep them from their second straight 50+ point victory.  Tim Tebow threw four touchdowns and ran for another against Troy.  Tennessee is the next victim in the SEC opener.

2)  USC Trojans – The Trojans get the nod here after a gutty performance at the Horseshoe.  I picked Ohio State to win, but USC’s defense got the job done, and Matt Barkley’s last drive was mighty impressive.

3)  Texas Longhorns – I wanted to put Alabama here because they’ve had a more impressive resume to date.  Then Texas actually showed up, outscoring Wyoming 28-0 in the second half on the road.

4)  Alabama Crimson Tide – After the big win in Atlanta, the Tide had a major first half letdown before recovering in a 40-14 win over FIU.  For the second straight week, ‘Bama’s ground game racked up nearly 300 yards.

5)  Penn State Nittany Lions – The offense hasn’t been flashy, but when has that ever been the case?  Penn State shut down Greg Paulus and Syracuse, and four touchdowns was plenty.

6)  Boise State Broncos – Defense!  Defense!  Defense!  That seems to be the new motto this season in Boise following a shutout of Miami-Ohio.  The offense didn’t look too shabby either, putting up 48.

7)  BYU Cougars – In their second straight game played in an NFL stadium, the Cougars carried their momentum over from the OU game and whipped Tulane 54-3.  Florida State comes to Provo next for the home opener.

8)  Oklahoma Sooners – Yea, they’ll be okay.  Idaho State came at the right time on the schedule as Landry Jones got a good tuneup, throwing for 286 yards and three touchdowns in a 64-0 route.

9)  California Golden Bears – Cal looks good.  Jahvid Best ran for 144 more this week as the Bears put up 59 against Eastern Washington.  The USC game could be a battle of unbeatens.

10)  Mississippi Rebels – I have a policy not to move any teams up or down in the rankings this early in the season if they don’t play.  This week should be a breeze before opening the SEC schedule with two raod games.

11)  Virginia Tech Hokies – Va Tech rebounded from a tough loss to ‘Bama with a thrashing of Marshall in the home opener.  Ryan Williams racked up three more rushing touchdowns, giving him five on the year.

12)  Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets – It wasn’t pretty.  At times, it was ugly.  But Georgia Tech sure made it a dramatic finish after blowing a 24 point lead by coming from behind to start the ACC season 1-0.

13)  Houston Cougars – Go ahead, call me ridiculous for putting the Cougars here.  But they did put up five more touchdowns in Stillwater than Georgia did, highlighted by a 21 point fourth quarter.

14)  Oklahoma State Cowboys – I’m honestly not shocked.  The defense looked good against Georgia, but I knew they had holes, and it showed Saturday.  They play in the best division in the NCAA, so there are opportunities to right the ship.

15)  LSU Tigers – For the second straight week, the Tigers scored a lackluster win over a low-level power conference school.  But in a rebuilding year winning is all that matters.  Going to Georgia, Alabama and Ole Miss won’t be easy though.

16)  Cincinnati Bearcats – Forget that it was Southeast Missouri.  The Bearcats put up 70 and are absolutely on fire.  New quarterback Tony Pike has thrown three touchdowns in each of his first two games.

17)  Ohio State Buckeyes – No need to move these guys down too far.  They put up a gutsy fight against USC when many thought they’d get wiped out.  The schedule gets very easy for a while, so they’ll be creeping back up.

18)  TCU Horned Frogs – William and Mary beat Virginia in the opener, so given that, I was expecting more from TCU.  Nevertheless, winning in an ACC stadium is another step in the right direction for the Mountain West.

19)  Kansas Jayhawks – Kansas may be the best team never to crack the top 10 this season.  I’m in love with their offense, and the D showed up in El Paso too.  Winning a Big 12 South game would be a huge step.

20)  Nebraska Cornhuskers – Wherever Kansas is, you can be sure that Nebraska is right behind.  As I said last week, the teams are almost identical.  It could all change next week though when the Cornhuskers go to Virginia Tech.

21)  North Carolina Tar Heels – As impressed as I was with the Heels in week one, I was equally unimpressed with their effort at UConn.  A holding penalty by the Huskies bailed UNC out, but where was the offense?

22)  Georgia Bulldogs – I gave them the benefit of the doubt after losing to Oklahoma State on the road, but they came home and nearly lost to South Carolina.  The Bulldogs showed they can score, but the defense looked terrible.

23)  Pittsburgh Panthers – I’m still trying to figure out how Pitt beat Buffalo by 27.  Buffalo had over 100 more yards, more third down conversions, and more time of possession.  Ah, must have been turnovers.  The Panthers’defense needs work.

24)  Michigan Wolverines – Freshman Tate Forcier completed 70 percent of his passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns as Michigan downed ranked Notre Dame.  The schedule is pillow soft for a while, so expect this team to rise more.

25)  Miami Hurricanes – They get a bye week after the big win in Tallahassee.  Next up is the home opener against Georgia Tech on Thursday night.  We’ll see if Jacory Harris can repeat the magic against another ACC opponent.

Week 2 picks – Buckeyes will rebound

All eyes are zeroed in on Columbus, where Ohio State has a lot to prove against USC.  Otherwise it’s a very vanilla week in college football, so I’m not at all upset about being at Faurot Field watching Mizzou’s home opener.

#21 Georgia 31, South Carolina 13

#19 North Carolina 38, Connecticut 24

Michigan 31, #19 Notre Dame 27

#8 Ohio State 26, #3 USC 21

Stanford 34, Wake Forest 24

UPSET SPECIAL:  Houston 31, #5 Oklahoma State 30

College Football Rankings – Sept. 8

A pathetic week of picks in which I only won four of my six games was saved by Miami coming through with three fourth quarter touchdowns to upset Florida State in Tallahassee.  It also earned them a spot in my top 25, which should at least count for something when you thinking about some of the rankings out there (see Coaches Poll).  On to my first rankings:

1)  Florida Gators – They are #1 if they keep winning.  Especially if they keep winning like that.  Next up – Troy.  Remind me to start my week two rankings at halftime.

2)  Alabama Crimson Tide – Greg McElroy sat behind Chase Daniel in high school, then won a state title as a starter.  Last year he sat behind John Parker Wilson.  Is there a trend here?

3)  Texas Longhorns – Alabama’s huge win combined with a nonchalant fourth quarter from the Longhorns puts them #3.  You would think after last year Mack Brown would know not to put it on cruise control.

4)  USC Trojans – 347 yards and six touchdowns on the ground sure is a good way to break in a true freshman quarterback.  I wonder what San Jose State was thinking leading 3-0 in the second quarter…

5)  Oklahoma State Cowboys – All the talk about offense, but the story here was defense in the new stadium.  The Bulldogs managed just three points after the first quarter.

6)  Penn State Nittany Lions – Joe Pa gains a game on Bobby despite losing the second half 7-0.  I’m convinced that the team leading 31-0 and giving up just eight yards at halftime is the team we’ll see a lot of.

7)  Boise State Broncos – Much like Oklahoma State, the Broncos put their offensive toys on hiatus and broke out the big D, holding Oregon without a first down until midway through the third quarter.

8)  BYU Cougars – You aren’t going to like two non-power schools in my top eight, but a win is a win, even without the Heisman winner in the game.  What a boost for the Mountain West.

9)  Oklahoma Sooners – Sam Bradford is expected to miss only 2-4 weeks.  With two easy home games and a bye, the Sooners have time to right the ship before the showdown in Miami.

10)  Mississippi Rebels – For three quarters I wasn’t convinced.  But the offense cranked up the jets in the fourth as Jevan Snead threw two touchdown passes in less than two minutes as Ole Miss ran away from Memphis late.

11)  California Golden Bears – Bradford’s injury could shine light on Jahvid Best, who ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 carries as Cal ripped Maryland by 39.

12)  Virginia Tech Hokies – Alabama’s offense should not be rushing for 300 yards against anybody, but Virginia Tech’s defense looked surprisingly soft.  At least this loss is better than last season’s week one fiasco.

13)  Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets – This is where the list of teams I was impressed with ends.  Georgia Tech is the best of the second tier teams after doing nothing impressive in a 20 point win over a FCS team.

14)  North Carolina Tar Heels – I’m giving Carolina the benefit of a high ranking after seeing how well The Citadel plays against other power conference teams early in the year in the past.

15)  Ohio State Buckeyes – It’s very unusual to see a Buckeye team lay an egg so early like they nearly did.  Next week’s showdown with USC will tell us a lot about what kind of Ohio State team this is.

16)  LSU Tigers – Nearly losing to Washington is inexcusable, even on the road.  That team went 0-12 last season.  Let’s hope SEC nation isn’t banking on this team to knock of Florida.

17)  Georgia Bulldogs – They weren’t supposed to beat Oklahoma State, but you have to be a bit concerned with the lack of offense against a Cowboy defense that isn’t very good.  No Stafford.  No Moreno.  Big problems?

18)  Notre Dame Fighting Irish – I don’t think anyone saw 35-0 coming.  Jimmy Clausen could be the way-too-early favorite for Heisman after throwing for 315 yards and four touchdowns against Nevada.

19)  TCU Horned Frogs – TCU is ready to jump into the Mountain West party.  BYU and Colorado State picked up wins over Big 12 schools, and TCU will visit two ACC schools over three weeks starting with the opener at Virginia Saturday.

20)  Kansas Jayhawks – This team is going to be better than where they’re ranked now, and we saw a glimpse of it Saturday.  We know about Reesing and the receivers, but how about five rushing TDs?

21)  Nebraska Cornhuskers – Nebraska and Kansas won by identical 49-3 scores.  Each starting QB threw two TDs and each team had five rushing TDs.  Can we fast forward to Nov. 14?

22)  Utah Utes – I want to give this team respect after last season, but a 35-17 win over Utah State isn’t doing it for me.  They could go undefeated again, but winning them all like that is ugly.

23)  Cincinnati Bearcats – The Bearcats surprised me by winning at Rutgers…by 32.  That’s right.  The defending Big East champs picked up right where they left off and then some.  They get West Virginia and Louisville at home.

24)  Pittsburgh Panthers – Right behind Cincinnati is Pittsburgh, which opened with an impressive week one win as well.  The Big East is wide open, but I think it comes down to Bearcats at Panthers on the season’s final day.

25)  Miami Hurricanes – A nice win at Florida State gives this team a shot in the arm to start the season.  Things don’t get any easier with Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma on the schedule next.