Beerman’s Picks By Ben Shapiro, 11/29/02
Each week this season, I will be posting a column previewing the upcoming
weekend's Big East and Top-25 match-ups. All rankings are from the
ESPN/USA
Today Coaches Poll . I don't pick winners (that's too easy), I pick against
the spread .
Television information comes from
here . All picks are for entertainment purposes only.
Last Week: I don't even want to talk about it.
This Week: It's Waterloo time, ladies and gentlemen.
Not in Action: #2 Ohio State, #3 Iowa, #8 Kansas State, #9 Washington
State, #12 Penn State, #14 Michigan, #16 Boise State, #20 N.C. State, #25 Auburn
Friday, November 29
12:00 pm EST
ABC
Texas
A&M 6-5
(Away: 3-1)
-13 Texas
(#10) 9-2
(Home: 5-0)
The
Aggies are a hard team to figure. An amazing home field advantage
has totally gone by the wayside this year, but they managed
to beat Oklahoma when they were #1 in the BCS. The offense
has shown itself capable of scoring mucho points, and the
defense has been stout at times, but they just can't seem
to get on the same page on the same day.
But this is Texas. This is bigger
than all of the eleven games preceding put together. This
may very well be the game that decides R.C. Slocum's future
at aTm. But Texas is good. No, they are not MNC caliber, but
they are (on paper) better than Texas A&M. I wish the
Aggies the best, but I don't think they've quite got what
it takes to win this one.
Pick:
Texas
3 :30
pm EST
ABC
-1.5 Colorado
(#15) 8-3
(Away: 3-1)
Nebraska 7-5
(Home: 6-1)
The Buffs have
the Big Twelve North sewn up nicely, but don't think for a second that
they're going to come into this game flat. No sir. They
don't like Nebraska, not one iota. It's ok though, the feeling's
mutual!
Pick:
Colorado
2:30 pm EST
CBS
LSU
(#17) 8-3
(Away: 2-2)
-5 Arkansas 8-3
(Home: 5-2)
And here we've
got an SEC title game semifinal. Put simply, the winner of this
game wins the SEC West. Well, they're second behind Alabama, but
let's not quibble about that ok?
Pick:
Arkansas
Saturday, November 30
1:00 pm EST
ABC, Gameplan
-20 Miami
(#1) 10-0
(Away: 5-0)
Syracuse 4-7
(Home: 3-2)
Yes, well I
think 3 TDs might be a bit of a high line to set in the Carrier Dome.
The Canes have to feel somewhat like they're just entitled to win at
this point. All this talk of Fiesta Bowls and MNCs has got to
be getting to them by now. I'm not calling upset, not by any means,
but I do think they will play down to Syracuse's level a bit.
Just enough to blow the spread.
Pick:
Cuse
1:00 pm EST
Fox Sports Net
-14.5 Oklahoma
(#4) 10-1
(Away: 3-1)
Oklahoma
State 6-5
(Home: 5-1)
REVENGE!
I'm still in shock that OSU won this game
last year. I think the Sooners will be using that as a rallying
cry for years to come.
Pick:
Oklahoma
3:30 pm EST
CBS
Georgia
Tech 7-4
(Away: 3-2)
-9.5 Georgia
(#5) 10-1
(Home: 6-1)
Alright kids,
watch this game. Georgia Tech is probably who we're playing in
TireBowl 2002.
Pick:
Wramblin Wreck
8:00 pm EST
ABC, Gameplan
Notre
Dame (#7) 10-1
(Away: 5-0)
-11 Southern
California (#6) 9-2
(Home: 5-0)
I don't know
that there's a team in the nation playing better than Southern Cal right
now. Not a one. They're killing everybody .
They're still alive for a Rose Bowl berth also, and possibly even an
MNC shot, though they'll need a lot of help for that one.
Interestingly enough, they could conceivably squeak up to #2 in the
BCS and still lose the Pac-10 tiebreaker to Washington State.
Not likely, but it could happen.
11 games into the season and Notre Dame
finally developed an offense. Terrific. Go Rutgers. Viva la Big East!
Pick:
USC
8:00 pm EST
ABC, Gameplan
Florida
(#11) 8-3
(Away: 3-1)
-4 Florida
State (#22) 8-4
(Home: 4-1)
So who's the
mental midget responsible for putting this game directly along side
of Notre Dame - USC? Network programming executive must be a lateral
move from tree sloth on the evolutionary scale.
Pick:
Zook
3:00 pm EST
Fox Sports West
UNLV 4 -7
(Away: 1-4)
-17 Colorado
State (#13) 10-2
(Home: 4-0)
For the record,
MWC champ Colorado State will, without a doubt, be ranked well above
ACC "champion" Florida State at season's end. Their reward?
The Liberty Bowl, December 31st, in Memphis.
Oh boy!
Pick:
CSU
1:00 pm EST
ABC, Gameplan
West
Virginia (#21) 8-3
(Away: 4-1)
-2 Pittsburgh
(#18) 8-3
(Home: 5-1)
So now THIS
is the game for Big East #2? Tis
a sad state of affairs. I'm going to go cry in my beer now...
Pick:
Pitt
3:30 pm EST
ESPN
France 8-4
(Away: 2-3)
-7 Virginia
Tech (#19) 8-3
(Home: 5-2)
Big shout out
to TD Lee and all our other seniors. You guys have been part of
some great teams here at VT, and have made every one of us proud to
be fans. Thanks and good luck to you guys wherever you land!
Now, on to France. This sorry no-account
bunch of cheese eating surrender monkeys may roll over what amounts
to competition in the ACC, but big freakin deal. The ACC is without
a doubt the weakest BCS conference around this year. FSU is about
to go to the Sugar Bowl with an 8-5 record.
Pathetic!
France is a popular pick here. I understand completely. We're
folding something fierce, and they're coming on strong. It's
only natural. But you know what? I don't accept that. Nope.
We are not about to just give up the mantle of Virginia supremacy
to a bunch of upstart Wahoos. We have the tools, and we have
the talent. It's about time we get everything sorted out, and
I think that this is the week we do it. Today we remind folks
who really rules the roost in the Commonwealth.
Go Hokies!
Pick:
HOKIES!
12:00 pm EST
ESPN
Wake
Forest 6-5
(Away: 2-3)
-13.5 Maryland
(#23) 9-3
(Home: 5-2)
"NC State and
West Virginia are in, we beat both of them. Maybe we're too good
to play in the Gator Bowl" - King Ralph
Classic!
Pick:
UMuD
7:45 pm EST
ESPN
-12.5 Alabama 9-3
(Away: 4-1)
Hawaii 9-2
(Home: 6-0)
Probation Bowl
2002! I've been waiting all year
for this :O) Now Alabama has had a heck of a season. In
a normal year they'd be in the SEC title game next week. This
is, of course, their last game of the year.
Could be entertaining, as Hawaii is not
exactly a nice place to play. Last week's game against Cincinnati
ended with police escorting the Bearcats off the field amidst a rain
of fan-thrown debris. The fight wasn't pretty, and there is much
talk around the WAC of "island rules" that poor Cinci only just learned
about (14 penalties for 117 yards).
Bammer is the last team that I would
expect to get intimidated in any environment, but they'd best come heavy.
Pick:
[Rainbow] Warriors
12:00 pm EST
NESN
Rutgers 1-10
(Away: 0-5)
-28 Boston
College 7-4
(Home: 5-1)
How exactly
did BC get the short end of the scheduling stick? Are they considered
to be such a non-factor that they get to close out their season with
Temple and Rutgers? If I were an Eagle, I'd be pissed.
Pick:
Boston College
TV Game of the Week: WVU - Pitt actually, interests me the most.
Upset Special: Florida over FSU (YTD: 6-9)
