GAMES OF THURSDAY, NOVEMBER
6:
7:30 pm EST
ESPN
TCU
10-0 (7-0 CUSA)
-2.5
Southern Miss
7-3 (6-0 CUSA)
TCU gets all the pub,
but here we are in late November and Southern Miss is right there
in the thick of the Conference USA hunt. Am I surprised?
Nope. Then again, Cincinnati
obviously got the memo. They just plain rolled over and died
last week against the Froggies. Will USM do the same?
Just how much is the CUSA willing to do in order to get a team in
the BCS?
Pick: TCU
GAMES OF FRIDAY, NOVEMBER
7:
9:00 pm EST
ESPN 2
-8.5
#23 Boise State
9-1 (5-0 WAC)
Fresno State
7-4 (5-1 WAC)
Boise Boise Boise Boise
Boise Boise Boise Boise. I
have nothing constructive to say about either team here, and I really
don't care that much who wins the WAC. So I'll just amuse
myself by saying "Boise" over and over in my head.
Pick: Boise
GAMES OF SATURDAY, NOVEMBER
8:
3:30 pm EST
ABC, GamePlan
-19
#1 Oklahoma
11-0 (7-0 Big XII)
Texas Tech
7-4 (4-3 Big XII)
Texas Tech is about
to pull the Oklahoma Double. Yup, they're going to get blown
out by the entire state!
Pick: OU
12:00 pm EST
ABC
#2 Ohio State
10-1 (6-1 Big Ten)
-7
#9 Michigan
9-2 (6-1 Big Ten)
The Big Game indeed!
Michigan is firing on all cylinders right now, and has to be thinking
that an utter thrashing of their biggest rival might, just might,
be enough to propel them back into the MNC hunt. Of course,
that would really just be gravy. They'd be happy at 1-10 if
that victory was over Ohio State.
Pick: Michigan
3:30 pm EST
CBS
-6.5
#4 LSU
9-1 (5-1 SEC)
#15 Mississippi
8-2 (6-0 SEC)
And here's the SEC West.
It's winner take all, and the Rebels are looking to put an exclamation
point on a fabulous season. The defense has come around, and
Manning the younger is simply awesome. They've got the feeling
of fate surrounding them, and all that means is that I'm probably
100% wrong and LSU is gonna crush them. I hope not tho, because
I rather relish the though of a "nobody" SEC school crashing the
big party.
Pick: Ole Miss
12:00 pm EST
ESPN Regional, GamePlan
Rutgers
4-6 (1-4 Big East)
off
#12 Miami (FL)
8-2 (4-1 Big East)
So when a very mediocre
Miami team wins the Big East, and brings literally dozens
of fans to a far from sold out Orange Bowl, will they start calling
it the "ACC Rule" ?
Pick: Miami
3:30 pm EST
ESPN
Boston College
6-5 (2-4 Big East)
-15
#17 Virginia Tech
8-2 (4-2 Big East)
I agree with certain
esteemed web masters. I can not, in good conscience, pick
Boston College over Tech. BC victories belong to a past era
of Hokie football. A time when any bowl game was cause
for celebration. A time when we'd all tape SportsCenter because
we heard a rumor that they might mention VT in passing. In
short, a time when Boston College was our peer.
That's not even mentioning the whole
"Fredo" thing. No, I think my colleague Mr. Alderson summed
that one up quite nicely.
This is the last home game for a
fine group of Hokie seniors. Maybe the last home game for
a select few top-talent underclassmen. Show up for The Walk,
and show up on time for the game. Scream and shout like Boston
College matters (if you think they don't, imagine the gnashing of
teeth and rending of garments if we lose). Take in the scenery
on I-81 one last time for the year, and say goodbye to your Blacksburg
bartenders. 2003 Hokie Football is ending, and I for one am
going to miss it.
Pick:
HOKIES!
OTHER TOP 25 & BIG EAST
GAMES:
#3 USC (9-1, 5-1)
-22
vs. UCLA (6-5, 4-3)Georgia (8-2, 5-2)
-19
vs. Kentucky (4-6, 1-5)Tennessee (8-2, 4-2)
-21
vs. Vanderbilt (2-9, 1-6)Washington St . (9-2, 6-1)
off
@ Washington (5-6, 3-4)Miami (OH) (9-1, 6-0)
-24
@ Ohio (2-8, 1-5)Purdue (8-3, 5-2) -24.5
@ Indiana (2-9, 1-6) +2
@ Wisconsin (7-4, 4-3)Kansas State (9-3, 5-2)
-14.5
vs. Missouri (7-3, 3-3)Bowling Green (8-2, 5-1)
-14.5
@ Ball State (5-7, 3-4)Oklahoma State (8-3, 4-3)
-27
@ Baylor (3-8, 1-6)Utah (8-2, 5-1)
-8 @ BYU (4-7, 3-3)Pittsburgh (7-3, 4-1)
-15
@ Temple (1-9, 0-5) West Virginia
(6-4, 4-1)
-2
@ Syracuse (5-4, 2-3)
