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Beerman's Picks O' the Week
(Week 5 - Thursday, 9/24 through Saturday, 9/26)
by Beerman - posted 9/24/98

Each week this season, I will be posting a column previewing the upcoming weekend's Big East and Top-25 matchups. All rankings are from the ESPN/Coaches Poll. Picks are against the spread, and are for entertainment purposes only.

Last week: The picture's starting to clear up here, in only the 3rd full weekend of the season. Rising: Big East, Pac Ten ... Falling: ACC, Big Ten. Could Cinderella make an appearance in Boston this year?

Not in action: #1 Ohio State, #7 Penn State, #12 Georgia , #13 Syracuse, #24 Missouri


Thursday 9/24

Top-25 Games:

#16 Arizona (-14) at SAN DIEGO STATE

The Desert Swarm defense is back. Arizona's got a real good team folks, and this will be one of the few chances we Easterners will get to see them play. Worth a gander if you can pull away from "Must See TV".

Pick: Arizona


Saturday 9/26

Top-25 Games:

#2 NEBRASKA (-12) vs. #8 Washington

Washington was the last team to defeat the Huskers at home (back in 1991) ... Nebraska has not lost another game in Lincoln in more than 6 years. UDub is also the team that busted up Miami's Orange Bowl winning streak. The also play good run defense. They also have a good passing game. Do we get to see an upset here ? All signs point to yes ... but I don't think so.

Pick: Washington

#3 KANSAS STATE (-45) vs. NE Louisiana

Geez ... am I the only one getting tired of this ? Sooner or later the Wildcats are going too run into a good team ... they might be sorry.

Pick: Kansas State

#4 TENNESSEE (-25.5) vs. Houston

Free from the Florida curse, the Vols look to celebrate against a mediocre-at-best Houston Cougar squad.

Pick: Tennessee

#5 UCLA (-6.5) at MIAMI(FL)

UCLA has won each of it's games by 18 points. This could be a real interesting game, because Miami is the first team UCLA will face with a competant defense. If they can hold onto the ball this week, UM may pull this one off.

Pick: UCLA

#6 LSU (-37) vs. Idaho

The only reason that Idaho is even in Division I-A is because the NCAA granted them a special waiver in order that the Big West wouldn't collapse due to lack of membership. In order to earn full-time status, the Vandals are working on a deal to play their home games at Washington State's stadium when Wazzou doesn't need it. This is what's known as "small-time". LSU is what's known as "big-time". That is not the only difference between the two.

Pick: LSU

#9 FLORIDA (-21.5) vs. #25 Kentucky

When this one is over, the scoreboard will read like the end of a basketball game: UF-80 UK-50

Pick: Florida

#10 Virginia (-10) at DUKE

With loss here, Cavaliers likely headed for a 3-8 season.

Pick: Virginia

#11 FLORIDA STATE (-15.5) vs. #17 Southern Cal

Florida State will finish the season no better than 8-3. Mark my words.

Pick: USC

#14 WISCONSIN (-10.5) vs. Northwestern

Wisconsin is not a top-15 team ... they just have not run into a better team yet. They're still looking after this weekend.

Pick: Wisconsin

#15 COLORADO (-16) vs. Baylor

Baylor's hopes fade when FB Derek Lagway misses team flight while shopping for a new jersey

Pick: Buffs

#18 TEXAS A&M (-33) vs. North Texas

UNT's best hope is that Mean Joe Green petition the NCAA for another year of eligibility.

Pick: aTm

#19 VIRGINIA TECH (-15.5) vs. Pittsburgh

I don't like the spread here. Not one bit. Not without Clark, Redding, and Hawkins. We win, but in an ugly game. The line went from 15 up to 18 when we beat Miami, then back down to 15.5 when Clark's injury was announced. That's a fair amount of movement, and I expect it to drop further by kickoff.

Pick: UPitt

#20 WEST VIRGINIA (-14) vs. Tulsa

Tulsa is 2-0. Tulsa is also a fraud. Tulsa will be lucky to finish the season over .500.

Pick: West Virginia

#21 OREGON (-17.5) vs. Stanford

Oregon quite possibly has the best set of offensive skill players in the Pac-10. Stanford, on the other hand, lost to San Jose State.

Pick: Ducks

#22 Alabama (-2.5) at ARKANSAS

SEC West is wide open this year. LSU is the odds-on favorite, but pretty much anything could happen.

Pick: Alabama

#23 Air Force (-8.5) at TCU

During halftime of last week's AFA-CSU game, Lee Corso talked about what it would take for AFA to come back and win the game. He was exactly right ... 100% dead on, and the Falcons did it.

Scientists moved the Doomsday Clock one minute closer to midnight.

Pick: Air Force

Other Big East Games:

Boston College (-7) at Louiseville

Louiseville finally won a game. In a contest that set the game of football back about 10 years, the Cards rolled over Illinois (AKA Rutgers-West). Is Boston College _really_ a quality football team ? This game won't answer that question ...

Pick: BC

MARYLAND (-9) vs. Temple

Army (-9.5) at RUTGERS

Dual pick. These games sit about as well together as cheap Tequila and spoiled milk. In an all-out sprint now for the title of worst I-A team of the 90's, Temple and Rutgers lose by a combined 40 points.

Pick: Anyone but Temple and Rutgers


Things To Look For:

Game Of The Week To Watch: Nebraska vs. Washington

Upset Special: Southern Cal over Florida State

Last Week: 13-8 (I think I'm getting the hang of this!)

Season To Date: 34-26-1

Upset Special: 0-3 (If they were easy to pick, they wouldn't be upsets, would they?)



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