Tightwad Hill: OTHER GAMES OF NOTE

Friday, October 20, 2006

OTHER GAMES OF NOTE

Ah, the traditional first week of college football after the BCS rankings come out. When I think of autumn, the first thing that comes to mind is huddling around my PC studying the difference between Jeff Sagarin and the Colley Matrix, or determining the school affiliations of each of the 114 Harris Poll voters.

With this in mind, here are some picks. Rooting for the Bruins, Ducks, UConn, Syracuse, Iowa and Nebraska (I think).

Pac-10

UCLA (+13) at Notre Dame: I think Notre Dame's in for a bit of a surprise from UCLA's defense, particularly the pass rush. I see a relatively low-scoring game, 'cause I don't trust Pat Cowan to move the ball much either. Thirteen points looks generous to me, so I'll take the Bruins. Notre Dame 27 UCLA 17

Stanford (+23) at Arizona State: Two teams on the verge of a nervous breakdown. They should cancel this one and head off to group therapy. Hi, I'm Dirk, and I'm a failure at the D-1 level...Hi, Dirk! State covers, Stanford marches on toward immortality. ASU 42 Stanford 17

Oregon (-4) at Washington State: The most interesting game this week. Doba is worth seven points in bad game decisions to the Ducks. He'll probably go for every fourth down and onside kick to start the game. And Brink looked shaky last week. My heart tells me Wazzu will get over here because they're better than 4-4 , but my head sees a comfortable Duck cover. Oregon 34 Washington State 21

Oregon State (-2.5) at Arizona: You can run on Oregon State, which is a good thing if you're Mike Stoops and starting your #3 quarterback. OSU mistakes will keep it close, but they'll find a way to eke it out (without covering!) Oregon State 16 Arizona 14

AROUND THE NATION

West Virginia (-24) at UConn: Love to see them lose, but we'll have to settle for them not covering an outrageous line. Rich Rodriguez has an enormous head. WVU 38 UConn 20

Louisville (-17.5) at Syracuse: Greg Robinson's signature win? Maybe...I see trouble for the Cards in this one. This one should be fun to watch. Louisville 28 Syracuse 24

Indiana (+31) at Ohio State: Q: What about enjoying the moment? A: Moment's over. Ohio State 41 Indiana 7

Texas (-6) at Nebraska: The Horns stake their claim that #9's a might low. Texas 28 Nebraska 14

Tulane (+32) at Auburn: More fearless scheduling from the Greatest Conference on Earth. But wait, this was scheduled back when Tulane was pretty...oh, wait, they've always sucked. Auburn 48 Tulane 10

Iowa (+13.5) at Michigan: Iowa's loss to Indiana was an effort loss - no pass rush, poor tackling, general lethargy. Won't see that this week. Take the points and maybe see a shocking upset on your way to the bank. Iowa 24 Michigan 23

Alabama (-11.5) at Tennessee: Big rivalry game, right? Always take the points in a rivalry game, right? Not when your coach is Mike Shula and only a handful of your guys could start for the opposition. Should be a fun week in Tuscaloosa. Tennessee 35 Alabama 13

Rutgers (-6.5) at Pitt: Pitt will get over on at least one of the three teams above them. Might as well be this week. Pitt 34 Rutgers 31

Georgia Tech (+7) at Clemson: The Tigers have too many weapons, and Georgia Tech at last glance was still coached by Chan Gailey. I smell a cover. Clemson 26 Georgia Tech 14

So, there you have it - too many upsets, I know, but they have to happen sometime.