Saturday, August 31
7:00 pm EST
GamePlan
(no line)
Miami (#1)
0-0 (Away: 0-0)
Florida A&M (I-AA)
0-0 (Home: 0-0)
You see, it could be worse than opening
against Arkansas State.
Pick: Miami
8:00 pm EST
North
Texas 0-0
(Away: 0-0)
-35 Texas
(#2) 0-0
(Home: 0-0)
"My alma mater's
in more trouble than I am. And that's the bottom line, cause Stone
Cold says so!"
Pick:
Texas
5:30 pm EST
ESPN2
Wyoming 0-0
(Away: 0-0)
-31 Tennessee
(#4) 0-0
(Home: 0-0)
My kingdom
for a quality matchup!
Pick:
Tennessee
3:30 pm EST
ABC, GamePlan
Wahoo
State 0-1
(Away: 0-0)
-26 Florida
State (#5)
1-0 (Home: 0-0)
"Marcus attempted the bounce-pass into the end
zone at the end of the game," Groh said. "It wasn't so much a fumble as he was trying to fake
fumble the ball into the end zone thinking that maybe our team could recover it."
An intentional fumble ... On 3rd down with 21 seconds left and no timeouts remaining, why doesn't
Hagans leave the huddle with plays called for 3rd and 4th down? What team can't get off two plays in 21
seconds at the end of a game? An Algroh coached team, that's what team. He can recruit until the cows come
home, but if he can't handle game day, they ain't never gonna win nuthin.
Florida State is going to run over this team like a German Panzer column...
Beerman's Picks Contest: I want to
run this whole France bit right into the ground. I mean deep.
So send me your tasteless French jokes, with bonus points awarded if
you can tie them directly into UVA football. So if you've got
one, send it to BDShap00(at)hotmail(dot)com
If I use your joke in a column, I'll buy you a drink. If you sign
me up for spam, I'll send Freddyburg over to break your thumbs.
:O)
Pick:
The Sunshine Reich
1:00 pm EST
ESPN2
Colorado
State 1 -0
(Neutral: 0-0)
-7.5 Colorado
(#6) @ Denver, Co. 0-0
(Neutral: 0-0)
OK. Finally!
Here we've got an actual football game. Most of us saw Colorado
State squeak past France last week. This is what eight months
of withdrawal will cause one to do. Nonetheless we all know that
the Rams posses a solid running game, a gritty quarterback who won't
quit ... and a defense that would make Chuck Noll weep.
Lo, and I have seen the Hokies-West, and
they are the Buffs. Two 900-yard rushers return. That's
not even counting all-world prep former prep star RB Marcus Houston,
who's finally healthy after essentially wasting his first two years
in Boulder. Unless first game jitters get them, they are literally
going to steam roll Colorado State.
Pick:
Colorado
6:00 pm EST
UAB 0-0
(Away: 0-0)
-33 Florida
(#7) 0-0
(Home: 0-0)
Just as with
Miami last year, a monkey could coach the kind of talent Florida has
to 8 or 9 wins. Win number one comes today.To quote ESPN: "[UAB's]
defensive line last season was the talk of the 2002 NFL draft, which
means their defensive line this season will be awfully new."
Ouch.
Pick:
Florida
7:00 pm EST
Troy
State 0-0
(Away: 0-0)
-34 Nebraska
(#8) 1 -0
(Home: 1-0)
Fifth down.
The refs gave Arizona State a fifth down! Like that was going
to help...
Pick:
Nebraska
12:00 pm EST
ABC, GamePlan
Washington (#10) 0-0
(Away: 0-0)
-5.5
Michigan (#9) 0-0
(Home: 0-0)
Whoa Nellie!
It's an early season Keith Jackson special!
Both teams return a solid group of
starters from 8-win 2001 teams. But I like Michigan here.
They look to have the better defense, and Washington has questions
about their running game. UDub's Reggie Williams is a
baaaaaaaaaaad man, but I don't think he can beat the Wolverines by
himself.
Pick:
Michigan
7:45 pm EST
ESPN
Clemson 0-0
(Away: 0-0)
-9 Georgia
(#12) 0-0
(Home: 0-0)
The fact that
The Sporting News has selected this as their game of the week means
they truly HAVE sold their souls to the SEC.
Pick:
Georgia
3:00 pm EST
Nevada 0-0
(Away: 0-0)
-27 Washington
State (#13) 0-0
(Home: 0-0)
I'm struggling
to understand why Wazzou is so highly rated going in to this season.
They've got a good passing game, but no returning running game, and
I'm not sold on their defense. I guess the pundits look at the
complete lack of quality in the rest of the Pac-10, and figure by being
as among best of a bad bunch, Washington State deserves a top-15 ranking.
Pick:
Nevada
6:00 pm EST
Fox Sports Net
Mississippi
State 0-0
(Away: 0-0)
-9 Oregon
(#15) 0-0
(Home: 0-0)
Jackie Sherrill's
win totals at Mississippi State over the past five years:
7, 8, 10, 8, 3
That, my friends, is the SEC definition
of a coach on the hot seat.
Pick:
Oregon
3:30 pm EST
ESPN+, GamePlan
Eastern
Michigan 0-0
(Away: 0-0)
-37 Michigan
State (#17) 0-0
(Home: 0-0)
Michigan State
is a popular sleeper pick for a Big Ten title. They went 7-5 a
year ago, and return a potent passing attack. T.J. Duckett is
gone to the NFL however, and MSU will need to work past a tendency for
injury and inconsistent play. Eastern
Michigan is model of consistency...but not the right kind.
Pick:
Michigan State
8:00 pm EST
ABC
Notre
Dame 0-0
(Neutral: 0-0)
-2 Maryland
(#20) @ East Rutherford, NY. 0-0
(Neutral: 0-0)
Overheard at
my fantasy football draft. "Clean up your beer spill. That
Maryland education has got to be good for something besides rioting."
But when you think about it, aren't these
really complementary talents?
Pick:
Notre Dame (outright)
7:00 pm EST
New
Mexico State 0-0
(Away: 0-0)
-23 South
Carolina (#21) 0-0
(Home: 0-0)
Year three
of the Lou Holtz regime will feature a majority of players he's actually
recruited. And you know what? They're going to be good this
year. You can tell because Holtz is already complaining.
Pick:
South Carolina
7:00 pm EST
THN
Appalachian
State (I-AA) 0-0
(Away: 0-0)
(no line) Marshall
(#22) 0-0
(Home: 0-0)
With a cannon
for an arm, the build of a linebacker, and the speed of a wide receiver,
Byron Leftwich is a man amongst boys in the MAC. He tears up inferior
competition from week to week, making highlight real plays a common
occurrence. In short, he's Steve
McNair. Take that for what it's worth.
Pick:
Marshall
12:10 pm EST
ESPN
UCF 0-0
(Away: 0-0)
-12.5 Penn
State (#23) 0-0
(Home: 0-0)
And here we've
got Penn State lurking around the nether regions of the top-25.
This should last all the way until a week two match-up with Nebraska.
Maybe.
UCF's Ryan Schneider is making many in
Golden Knight country forget about Daunte Culpepper. This game
has potential...
Pick:
UCF
7:00 pm EST
East
Tennessee State (I-AA) 0-0
(Away: 0-0)
(no line) N.C.
State (#24) 0-0
(Home: 0-0)
Playing a I-AA
opponent after your season opener? Come on ... that's not even sporting!
Pick:
N.C. State
8:45 pm EST
ESPN2
-4.5 Wisconsin
(#25) 1 -0
(Away: 0-0)
UNLV 0-0
(Home: 0-0)
Speaking of
UNLV, I saw Bruce Springstein at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center a week
and a half ago. It didn't sell out. This kind of blows my
mind.
Pick:
Wisconsin
12:00 pm EST
ESPN+, GamPlan
Connecticut 0-0
(Away: 0-0)
-33 Boston
College 0-0
(Home: 0-0)
It's a battle
royale for New England bragging rights!
Boston College is this year's designated
Big East also ran. They should beat up on most of this conference,
but I don't think they have the horses to place higher than 3rd.
Pick:
Boston College
6:00 pm EST
U.T.-Chattanooga
(I-AA) 0-0
(Away: 0-0)
(no line) West
Virginia 0-0
(Home: 0-0)
Tennessee fans
may have gone crying to ESPN to get that GameDay promo taken off the
air, but West Virginia fans were all thinking "#16 on a hospital gown?
What a GREAT idea!"
Pick:
West Virginia
7:00 pm EST
Villanova
(I-AA) 0-0
(Away: 0-0)
(no line) Rutgers 0-0
(Home: 0-0)
Winner gets
a catered party at the Bada-Bing.
Loser picks up trash on the side of the
Garden State Thruway.
Pick:
Rutgers
7:00 pm EST
Ohio
University 0-0
(Away: 0-0)
-21 Pittsburgh 0-0
(Home: 0-0)
And if Boston
College can't do, then this might be Pittsburgh's year to step up.
Wow. I feel like I've been saying that for the last three years.
But this time I mean it! Right?The best thing I can say about
Ohio U. is that...well...they're no South Florida!
Pick:
Pittsburgh
