Beerman’s Picks
by Ben Shapiro, 9/20/01Each 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. All
picks are for entertainment purposes only. Note that ABC and CBS offer regional
coverage, and not all games are available in all areas.
Last Week: www.redcross.org
This Week: So last weekend I couldn't handle watching nonstop CNN, and there was no football on of course. I had no idea how productive I could be on a Saturday...I didn't know my house could get that clean!. This weekend we get back to basics. The "Three B's": Beer, Blimpie and Ballgames.
Woo-hoo!
Not in Action: #1 Miami, #3 Oklahoma, #8 Tennessee, #11 Georgia Tech, #14
LSU, #22 Oregon State, #25 BYU.
|
| Thursday 9/20 |
| #4 NEBRASKA (3-0)
vs. Rice (2-0) |
| Line: UN (-34) |
8:30 PM EST |
| Rice, it's what's for dinner! |
| Pick: Nebraska |
|
|
| #16 MISSISSIPPI
STATE (1-0) vs. #20 South Carolina (2-0) |
| Line: MSU (-3) |
7:30 PM EST (ESPN) |
| This one has "pitchers duel" written
all over it. These games can be fun though. Either it's a tough, hard-hitting,
QB-killing defensive clinic ... or it's one of those godawful slogfests where the
announcers run out of things to say halfway through the third quarter and start rambling
incoherently. Either way, we're talking quality entertainment! :O) |
| Pick: Miss. St. |
|
|
| Saturday 9/22 |
| #2 Florida (2-0) vs.
KENTUCKY(1-1) |
| Line: Florida (-31.5) |
12:30 PM EST (JP Sports, ESPN+) |
| Kentucky is proof that even in college football,
you can't just buy your way to the top. |
| Pick: Florida |
|
|
| #5 Florida State
(2-0) @ NORTH CAROLINA (0-3) |
| Line: FSU (-17) |
12:00 PM EST (ABC, ESPN+) |
| As the weeks go on Florida State just piles up
the injuries, and North Carolina just piles up the losses. |
| Pick: Seminoles |
|
|
| #6 Texas (2-0) @
HOUSTON (0-1) |
| Line: Texas (-31.5) |
9:00 PM EST (ESPN2) |
| Texas may be the poster children for high-talent
dysfunction, but Houston lost to Rice. I don't even have to consult the Magic 8-ball
to call this one. |
| Pick: Texas |
|
|
| #7 OREGON (2-0) vs.
Southern Cal (1-1) |
| Line: USC (-6.5) |
10:15 PM EST (FoxSportsNet) |
| 10:15 pm? For real? And this is
supposed to be a marquee matchup! Not to put to
fine a point on it, but if the left coasters are going to complain about "East Coast
Media Bias", then they've got to stop scheduling the big games at night. |
| Pick: Ducks |
|
|
#9
Virginia Tech (2-0) @ RUTGERS (1-1) |
Line: VT
(-27.5) |
12:00 PM EST
(ESPN+) |
| WOOF! If 61 is the bar which Miami has set, then 61 it shall be. |
| Pick: Tech |
|
|
| #10
KANSAS STATE (1-0) vs. New Mexico State (0-3) |
| Line: KSU (-25) |
2:10 PM |
| Southern Cal is not that good.
Strictly middle of the road Pac-10. And boy did Kansas State struggle
mightily against them. I wasn't even aware that
the entire state of New Mexico had enough able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 23 to
field two Division I-A football teams. Then again, perhaps that explains NMSU's
historical position as a dominant gridiron power in the American Southwest. |
| Pick: KSU |
|
|
| #12
UCLA (2-0) vs. #21 Ohio State (1-0) |
| Line: UCLA (-6.5) |
3:30 PM EST (ABC) |
| Another
almost-but-not-quite-but-maybe-as-close-as-we're-gonna-get Rose Bowlish kinda game. If Oregon stumbles, UCLA has positioned themselves as the first alternate in
the Pac-10 race. OK, so we've not really had much conference play yet ... but based
on the early returns UCLA looks to be #2. DeShaun Foster is the man. Plain and
simple.
And tOSU did not impress me with their lackluster win over
Akron to open the season. I know I know, first games and all that wot. But we are
talking about Akron here.
And you know what? 3:30 is about perfect. Late
enough that the home crowd should have no trouble getting there, and early enough that all
the tired old sportswriters in New York can stay up to catch the game. All
big Pac-10 games should be played at 3:30 in the PM. |
| Pick: UCLA |
|
|
| #13
WASHINGTON (1-0) vs. Idaho (0-2) |
| Line: UDub (-24) |
3:30 PM EST |
| Idaho is to Washington as JMU is to us. Except without the fan contingent. |
| Pick: Washington |
|
|
| #15
Fresno State (3-0) @ TULSA (1-0) |
| Line: FSU (-13) |
2:30 PM EST (FoxSportsNet, ESPN+) |
| It's pretty much all downhill from
here. Colorado State is the only team left on FSU's schedule that looks (on paper)
up to the task on challenging the Bulldogs...and I don't think even that's going to
happen. After that, it's pretty much up to the computers. Grease up them slide rules gentlemen, we're gonna have ourselves an
old-fashioned BCS computer controversy hoedown! |
| Pick: Fresno |
|
|
| #17
MICHIGAN (1-1) vs. Western Michigan (1-1) |
| Line: U of M
(-15.5) |
12:00 PM EST (Empire, ESPN+) |
| Those Krazy Kats
from Kalamazoo bring their fantabulous spectacular crowd pleasing road show to Ann Arbor
this weekend, to take on the cross-state wish-they-were-a-rival Michigan Wolverines. Me, I REALLY want to see WMU give Michigan a good game
here. I think the Michigan defense could be a bit suspect, but I don't know that the
Bronco "O" has the talent to expoit it. Pity... |
| Pick: WMU |
|
|
| #18
CLEMSON (2-0) vs. Virginia (1-1) |
| Line: Clemson (-11.5) |
12:00 PM EST (ESPN2) |
| White meat. Nuff... |
| Pick: Tigers |
|
|
| #19
Northwestern (1-0) @ DOOK (0-2) |
| Line: Northwestern (-16) |
6:00 PM EST |
| It's round two of the All-SAT
football tourney. Dook has already fallen to Rice, and I don't expect them to have
much success against the Wildcats. |
| Pick: |
|
|
| #23
NOTRE DAME (0-1) vs. Michigan State (1-0) |
| Line: Notre Dame (-9) |
2:30 PM EST (NBC) |
| I'm assuming that Michigan State isn't going to allow four blocked punts this weekend.
I'm also assuming Notre Dame is their typical overrated selves. In a weekend starved for quality upset candidates, I'll enjoy picking UNBC to lose straight up. |
| Pick: Michigan State |
|
|
| #24
PURDUE (1-0) vs. Akron (1-1) |
| Line: Purdue (-18) |
12:10 PM EST |
| Your computer is infected with the
following virus: W.32 Nimda.A@mm (dll)
This has been the sum total of my existance for the past
couple of days. The nasty bugger just won't die. This is why I can't think of
things to write about games as meaningless as Purdue vs. Akron. |
| Pick: Purdue. |
|
|
| SYRACUSE
(1-2) vs. Auburn (2-0) |
| Line: Syracuse (-2.5) |
7:45 PM EST (ESPN) |
| Another must have game for Syracuse
and for the Big East. Why is it only Syracuse that has these games? Auburn should be a good test. They don't have the speed or the talent
that Tennessee does, but they could end up in the top-25 by season's end.
I think Syracuse should win this one. The defense and
the noise in the JiffyPop Dome should keep the game in control, long enough at least for
the offense to get lucky.
But if there's one thing that Syracuse does well and does
consistantly, it's disappoint me. So I have to pick Auburn. |
| Pick: Auburn |
|
|
| Boston
College (1-1) @ NAVY (0-2) |
| Line: BC (-21) |
12:00 PM EST |
| Sure rooting for the service
academies is the feel-good thing to do these days. But let's be realistic here,
shall we? |
| Pick: Eagles |
|
|
| WEST
VIRGINIA (1-1) vs. Kent State (1-1) |
| Line: WVU (-26.5) |
1:00 PM EST |
| West Virginia has only scored 30
points all year, and yet they are favored by almost that much today. I'll just go ahead and say it. I'm glad Temple
is staying in the Big East a little while longer. I do not want to
play Kent next year. |
| Pick: Kent |
|
|
| Temple
(1-1) @ Bowling Green (2-0) |
| Line: Temple (-2) |
6:00 PM EST |
| Temple went and laid a big fat egg
against Toledo. Not entirely their fault, I mean by all accounts Toledo is somewhat
of a mid-major force right now. Still, a better showing would have been nice. This one's on the road, and Bowling Green already managed a bit of an upset
over Missouri to start their season. I don't have a great feeling here... |
| Pick: Bowling Green |
|
|
| Miscellania... |
| Game of the Week to Watch: UCLA - Ohio
State...it's a bit of a slow week. Last Week:
11-14
Season To Date: 23-29-1
Upset Special: Michigan State over Notre Dame (0-3)
|
