Beerman’s Picks
by Ben Shapiro, 10/24/01
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 Bowl
Championship Series Poll. I don't pick winners (that's too easy), I pick against the spread. All
picks are for entertainment purposes only. For the most current TV information,
click on over to TV
Guide
Last Week: Oregon? Dead. Fresno State? Dead. Niedermeyer...
This Week: Makes up for last week, and in
spades! Someone above Tech will lose. The Pac-Ten is about to sort itself out. We find out if two top-15's (Maryland, South Carolina) are for real. Good
times. Good times...
Not in Action: #18 Illinois, #22 North Carolina
|
| Thursday 10/25 |
| #4 MIAMI (FL) (5-0)
vs. West Virginia (2-4) |
| Line: Miami (-34) |
7:00 pm EST
(ESPN2) |
| Because if you're West Virginia, and struggling
through a season like they are, the thing you want more than anything else is to give
Miami an unopposed national stage on which to strut around looking for votes. *ouch* |
| Pick: WVU |
|
|
| Friday 10/26 |
| #21 Fresno State
(6-1) @ HAWAII (4-2) |
| Line: FSU(-4.5) |
10:00 pm EST
(ESPN) |
| Watch David Carr throw the football. Now
imagine him in a Redskins uniform. It's gonna happen. |
| Pick: Fresno |
|
|
| Saturday 10/27 |
| #1 Oklahoma (7-0) @
#2 NEBRASKA (8-0) |
| Line: UNL(-4) |
12:00 pm EST
(ABC) |
| Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand they're off! In this corner, in red and white, you've got Oklahoma. Great team,
sketchy on the quarterback.
In the other corner, in white and red, you've got Nebraska.
Great quarterback, sketchy on the rest of the offense. But they've got a
monster home field advantage. For the record, I think the Huskers were playing the possum
a bit against Texas Tech last week.
Boom baby boom! And then there were four... |
| Pick: Nebraska |
|
|
| #3 UCLA (6-0) @ #14
STANFORD (4-1) |
| Line: UCLA (-7) |
3:30 pm EST
(ABC, GamePlan) |
| I've got to hand it to the Pac Ten schedulers. They've either got a terrific sense of precognition, or they're darn lucky. I
don't know which it is, but they've managed to set up their quality matchups well. Stanford will test UCLA's much ballyhooed defense like no one to date.
Should be a fun game. Stanford QB Randy Fasini is out for a month, but he's not the
one who led the comeback last week.
But I do know UCLA's defense is miles ahead of Oregon's.
I'd pick this as my upset game, except that that I couldn't
be more wrong lately with those. And it's too important to us that
Stanford have a chance. If I pick them, UCLA will roll. I have that power.
Sometimes I frighten myself. |
| Pick: Stanford |
|
|
| #5 VIRGINIA TECH
(6-0) vs. Syracuse (6-2) |
| Line: VT (-18) |
12:00 PM EST
(GamePlan, ESPN+) |
| "The path of the righteous man is beset on
all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who
in the name of charity and goodwill shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for
he is truly his brother's keeper and a finder of lost children. And I will strike down
upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy
my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon
thee." Time to pulp an orange! |
| Pick: Hokies |
|
|
| #6
Texas (6-1) @ MISSOURI (3-3) |
| Line: Texas
(-21.5) |
2:00 pm EST |
| Apparently Mack Brown missed the
memo re:RUTS He is positioning his Horns nicely
for an at-large BCS bid, however. If the OU-Nebraska loser is swept in the B-12 Title
Game rematch, Texas may easily find themselves sitting in the top-4. Heck, there's even a
shot they could make the Rose Bowl without winning the B-12. I guess the coaches would
have to vote BYU champ then, eh? |
| Pick: Texas |
|
|
| #7
Michigan (5-1) @ IOWA (4-2) |
| Line: Michigan
(-5) |
12:00 pm EST
(ABC, GamePlan) |
| I'm not convinced that Michigan is
really all that much better than anyone else in the Big Ten, they simply have not lost
yet. |
| Pick: Maize and Blue |
|
|
| #8
Maryland (7-0) @ #23 FLORIDA STATE (4-2) |
| Line: FSU (-8) |
3:30 pm EST
(ABC, GamePlan) |
| Tick ... tock ... tick ... tock ... Someone's season is about to change in a BIG way... |
| Pick: Maryland |
|
|
| #9
TENNESSEE (4-1) vs. #15 South Carolina (6-1) |
| Line:
Tennessee (-7.5) |
6:30 pm EST
(ESPN2) |
| In deference to Lou
Holtz' wishes, the Tennessee crowd promises to be extra quiet this Saturday. |
| Pick: USC-SE |
|
|
| #10
WASHINGTON STATE (7-0) vs. #13 Oregon (6-1) |
| Line: WSU(-2.5) |
7:00 pm EST
(ABC, GamePlan) |
| I think Joey Harrington just
intercepted himself right on out of the Heisman race. |
| Pick: Wazzou |
|
|
#11
Florida (5-1) @ #17 GEORGIA (5-1) |
Line:
U of F (-19) |
3:30 pm EST
(CBS) |
| Ah the Great Cocktail Party. One of
the finest traditions in college football. It's
a win-win really. The booze helps the Gator fans tolerate Steve Spurrier, and helps
the Georgia fans to think their team has a chance :O) |
| Pick: Florida |
|
|
| #12
Washington (5-1) @ ARIZONA STATE (4-2) |
| Line: ASU (-3) |
10:15 pm EST
(FoxSportsNet) |
| We'll go with the cop out on the
upset pick this week. Top-15 teams are not supposed to be underdogs to unranked
opposition...even on the road. |
| Pick: Washington |
|
|
| #16
Brigham Young (7-0) @ SAN DIEGO STATE (2-5) |
| Line: BYU (-14) |
9:00 pm EST
(FSW) |
| Over/under on number of comparisons
between BYU RB Luke Staley and (former Aztec) Marshall Faulk: 6 My money says the announcers drop the first one before kickoff. |
| Pick: BYU |
|
|
| #19
Auburn (6-1) @ ARKANSAS (3-3) |
| Line: Auburn
(-1.5) |
12:30 pm EST
(JP Sports, GamePlan) |
| Souieeeeeee! |
| Pick: Auburn |
|
|
| #20
PURDUE (4-1) vs. Northwestern (4-2) |
| Line: Purdue
(-6) |
12:00 pm EST
(ESPN2) |
| So if Northwestern wins, does that
mean Michigan would be the only Big Ten team in the top-25? Interesting... |
| Pick: Boilermakers |
|
|
| #24
Colorado (5-2) @ OKLAHOMA STATE (2-5) |
| Line: Buffs
(-9.5) |
7:00 pm EST
(FoxSportsNet) |
| With Kansas State's implosion,
Colorado is now the de facto #2 team in the B-12 North. I mean who else is there...Iowa
State? |
| Pick: Colorado |
|
|
| #25
TEXAS A&M (6-1) vs. Iowa State (5-1) |
| Line: aTm
(-6.5) |
2:00 pm EST |
| At Texas A&M, they live
football. In Ames, Iowa football is just something to tide the fans over until hoop
season. There really is only one logical outcome here. |
| Pick: aTm |
|
|
| BOSTON
COLLEGE (5-2) vs. Notre Dame (3-3) |
| Line: BC (-3.5) |
7:45 pm EST
(ESPN) |
| And the "BC for #25"
campaign rolls on. It's the annual Catholics vs. Catholics grudge match, and it
doesn't figure to be pretty. Especially when Notre Dame has the ball on offense. |
| Pick: Eagles |
|
|
| Pittsburgh
(1-5) @ TEMPLE (2-4) |
| Line:
Temple(-2.5) |
12:00 pm EST |
| This line opened at UPitt (-1).
That means the betting moved it 3.5 point in Temple's favor. It's a sad, sad
day in Pittsburgh... |
| Pick: Temple |
|
|
| Miscellania... |
Game of the Week to Watch: Like you need
me to tell you this?Last Week:
11-11
Season To Date: 83-75-1
Upset Special: Washington over Arizona
State (2-6)
|
