Pick 'em, Dan-O

We are nearly a month into the college football season and we have already had some amazing upsets, some teams emerge from nowhere, some show they aren't who we think they are (shout out to Denny Green on that one), and some who have just confused us.  A few weeks ago, I even attempted to pick a few games myself and managed a decent showing for the opening weekend with a 3-3 record.  Now that I have seen several of these teams, I have expanded by horizons for week 4 and have added 11 games to the pick 'em slate; and this time I am going to leave my heart out of the pick and try to give an honest assessment (which will be hard for one game in particular).

SEC GotW

Missouri vs. (7) South Carolina

Missouri is coming off a nice home win against Arizona St. but they are still looking for their first conference win as a member of the SEC.  This could be the one they have been waiting for since announcing they were switching conferences.  But dual-threat QB James Franklin (not to be confused with Vandy's head coach) will have his work cut out for him going into a hostile SEC environment for the first time.  South Carolina received good news today when it was announced that QB Connor Shaw, who has been nursing a shoulder injury, will start against the Tigers.  Look for workhorse, stud RB Marcus Lattimore to have a heavy workload.  South Carolina will be without safety D.J. Swearinger who is suspended by the SEC for an illegal hit in last week's game. Even so, I am afraid the Ol' Ball Coach will notch another win this week.

Score: South Carolina 31  Missouri 21

SEC GotW Runner-up

Vanderbilt vs. (5) Georgia

Vanderbilt is once again trying to prove they can matchup with the big dogs in the SEC.  Although they handed it to Presbyterian last week, James Franklin's (not to be confused with the Mizzou QB) Vandy is a hard team to get a read on so far this season.  Jordan Rodgers will have to be flawless against a swarming UGA defense.  Georgia, on the other hand, is looking to prove that they are worthy of a top five ranking.  Georgia's biggest problem so far this season has been with disciplinary issues.  They have had a multitude of players, mostly on defense, who have run amok off the field and had to pay the piper.  As they keep getting these guys back on the field, the defense should perform at a higher level taking the pressure off of the offense to carry the load.  Look for Vandy to still be looking for their first SEC win after the game.

Score: Georgia 34  Vanderbilt 17

Pac 12 GotW

(22) Arizona vs. (3) Oregon

When Rich Rodriguez was named the new Arizona Wildcat coach in the offseason, many wondered how quickly he would have them winning ballgames.  The answer seems to be rather quickly.  Rich Rod’s spread offense is perfectly suited for the Pac 12 conference.  Senior QB Matt Scott has winged the ball for nearly 1,000 yards with 7 TDs and only one INT thus far.  But can Rich Rod's spread out gun that of Chip Kelly’s Ducks.  Oregon finds itself in a familiar spot, ranked solidly in the top 5.  While the Ducks have not faced a BCS opponent, they have handled the teams they have played the way they should.  Oregon freshman QB Marcus Mariota has proven to be more than capable so far and they have a two-headed monster at RB with Kenjon Barner and De'Anthony Thomas.  Look for a few light bulbs to need replacing on the scoreboard after this one. 

Score: Oregon 48  Arizona 33

Pac 12 GotW Runner-up

Oregon St. vs. (19) UCLA

The Pac 12 has settled in nicely as the number two conference in the country after three weeks of play.  This matchup is huge for both teams.  The Beavers had a week off after their dominant defensive performance against Wisconsin and look to be challenged by Jim Mora, Jr.’s new look Bruins.  With a win in this game, UCLA would be sending a message that the Trojans don’t have the only game in town.  Freshman QB Brett Hundley has played like a veteran and RB Jonathan Franklin (not to be confused with either James in the SEC) has already rushed for over 500 yards in just three games.  Don't be surprised if this turns out to be the best game of the week.

Score: UCLA 27  Oregon St. 23

ACC GotW
(10) Clemson vs. (4) Florida St.

The ACC really needs this game to live up to the hype that a top ten matchup on primetime, national TV implies.  Clemson defeated Auburn in the first game of the season for a solid win against an SEC school.  The Tigers have many weapons (Tajh Boyd, Sammy Watkins, DeAndre Hopkins, Andre Ellington, etc.) and hope to utilize them all to gain an advantage in the Atlantic division.  Florida St. is looking to prove that they are back, even though coach Jimbo Fisher says he doesn't know what that means.  The Seminoles played Cream Puff U and Cupcake Community College to open the season before dominating Wake Forest last week.  FSU QB E.J. Manuel (who seems as if he has been there long enough to be tenured faculty) provides a steady hand at the helm of the Seminole offense.  Maybe Coach Fisher will have a better understanding of what it means to be back after the Noles take this one.

Score: Florida St. 41  Clemson 34

Big 12 GotW

(15) Kansas St. vs. (6) Oklahoma

Very few coaches are as synonymous with their football programs as is Bill Snyder at Kansas State.  If Coach Snyder can lead his team to a tough road victory over Oklahoma this weekend, it may just catapult them all the way to the Big 12 Championship.  Leading the way for the Wildcats is Heisman hopeful QB Collin Klein, who can run and pass.  Sooners coach Bob Stoops knows better than to underestimate a Snyder coached team and will have his guys ready to play.  The Sooners are led by QB Landry Jones, who seems like he has been at Oklahoma since they became a state in 1907.  The winner will grab the driver's seat for the conference title.

Score: Kansas St. 31  Oklahoma 28

Validation GotW

(18) Michigan vs. (11) Notre Dame

This is a game that makes me wish that ties were still allowed in college football because at the end of the day I don't want to pick a winner.  In this classic rivalry, Michigan has gotten the best of Notre Dame the past three seasons, winning all three games by four points and scoring a touchdown in the last minute of the game.  Michigan is led by senior QB Denard "Shoelace" Robinson who should prove to be a more difficult match for the Notre Dame defense than Michigan State did last week.  Speaking of the Notre Dame D, how about last week?  They absolutely stymied Michigan State, led by gutsy senior LB Manti Te'o.  No matter how you feel about Notre Dame, and I think I have made clear my opinion, you have to be inspired by Te'o's performance a few days after the passing of both his grandmother and girlfriend.  Don't expect the same kind of performance this week from the Irish D but they will get the job done.

Score: Notre Dame 24 Michigan 17

 

Hmmm GotW

Rutgers vs. Arkansas

Rutgers has started the 2012 season by winning their first three games.  Arkansas's chance for a dream season was upended by an ill-fated motorcycle ride in the offseason and has only gotten worse the past two weeks after losing to Louisiana-Monroe in a shocker and being completely dismantled by Alabama.  If Arkansas has any hopes of regaining control of this tailspin, they must beat the Scarlet Knights.  There is no word yet about whether Arkansas QB has been cleared to play after suffering a concussion two weeks ago.

Score: Rutgers 27  Arkansas 24

Mid-major GotW
Southern Mississippi vs. Western Kentucky

Southern Mississippi has shown in years past that even though they play in Conference USA, they can play with the big boys from the big conferences.  That has not carried over so far this season, though, as the Golden Eagles are looking for their first win.  They are not likely to get it against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.  The Toppers and coach Willie Taggart are coming off the biggest win they've had since moving up to the FBS series against the University of Kentucky. 

Score: WKU 35  So Miss 17

 

Trap GotW

Baylor vs. Louisiana-Monroe

What a difference a year makes.  Baylor surely misses their Heisman trophy winning QB from a year ago.  Although they have won their first two games of the season, the Bears struggled mightily early on against Sam Houston State.  Their opponent, the Warhawks of Louisiana-Monroe, have huge momentum.  They defeated (8) Arkansas in overtime two weeks ago and took Auburn to OT last week.  And Baylor is making the trip to ULM.

Score: ULM 34 Baylor 31 OT

 

Redemption GotW

BYU vs. (24) Boise St.

As is often the case, both programs really need to win this game.  BYU is coming off one of the most bizarre endings in college football history when Utah fans had to storm the field three times before finally being able to claim victory over the Cougars.  (If you haven't seen it, You Tube it).  Boise State's run against BCS schools came to halt the first weekend of the season when they lost to Michigan State. 

 

Score: Boise St. 44  BYU 26

Hey, Fighting Irish, Listen Up!

Dear Notre Dame Fighting Irish,

I know that we have never had an amicable relationship so I most definitely do not write this letter to you as friend.  I realize that you don’t even know who I am but what I have to say to you is not made important by my status, rather by your university’s lack thereof.  Please keep in mind everything that I say to you is for your benefit and not to add any additional animosity to our nonexistent relationship.

First, let me congratulate you on the announcement this week that you are joining the ACC as a full conference member.  Oh, wait.  That implies that you will be playing football in the conference but, of course, you are not.  You will just be playing five teams a year (probably Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, Wake Forest, and Boston College) and you will get to participate in their bowl games, except for the Orange Bowl which is reserved for the conference champion.  Oh, what’s that you say?  You can play in the Orange Bowl?  Funny, but the ACC says you can play opposite the ACC champ in that bowl game, which is basically run by the ACC anyway.  Interesting.

Second, let me say you have done a masterful job of keeping your name in the headlines for the past 23 years without really doing much on the field.  In the years since your last national championship (1988), you have become like the NCAA version of the British monarchy.  Your success is decades in the past yet people tend to keep you elevated on your laurels rather than on what you have done lately.  I understand that, just like the Royal Family, you have lots of money and you believe that is enough to keep you relevant, but haven’t we moved on from that line of thinking?  I mean, aren’t we in the 21^st century?  Does “Old Money” really make you relevant these days?  I do not begrudge you your fantastic history.  The monarchs had a great run as well, but at some point you have to let go of your arrogance and humble yourselves before your brethren. 

I know what you are saying, and you are right, to an extent.  It is not all your fault.  There are those who have colluded with you and kept you prominent well beyond your years.  It is not your fault that you accepted a mega-million dollar deal with NBC to have your home games broadcast exclusively by one of the big three networks.  It is not your vault that in 1998, when the NCAA decided to go with the BCS format, they granted you a free pass as long as you won just nine games instead of forcing you to join a conference.  (When was the last time a nine-win SEC team played in a BCS game?)  But, at some point, you have to realize who and what you are and sometimes you are not what you really think you are.

Third, this move to join the ACC in most sports may just be to secure your future for when the NBC deal is up in 2015 and then you will join the conference as a true full member.  If so, that’s great but just be up front about it.  Why all the secrecy if this is your intent?  People prefer honesty as opposed to scheming.  As I said earlier, we are in the 21^st century.  Come and join the rest of us.  It really isn’t a bad place.  Doing things in this manner only makes you look like a politician making campaign promises.

Fourth, I know this is hard for you to fathom but you really aren’t a significant player in college football anymore.  I know, I know.  You have 13 national championships and a bevy of Heisman Trophy winners.  You have Rudy, the Gipper, Touchdown Jesus and Lou Holtz.  Cherish your history and honor it.  You will not find a person who respects history more than me.  But you can’t live in the past.  You have to move forward.  I have been on your campus and it is beautiful.  (As a matter of fact, one of the greatest sports viewing-moments of my life came in 2008 when I was in South Bend to watch the Pittsburgh Panthers make an astonishing comeback win in a four OT thriller against the Irish.) You also have a passionate, devoted fan base and they deserve better.  Lately, you have been for like the Farting Irish than ones that Fight.

I don’t say this to offend you, but if you are honest with yourself, you will admit that it’s true.  Yes, you have made three BCS bowls but you have been housed in all three, one of those by the mighty Beavers of Oregon State.  Besides Oregon State, there have been many other schools who have secured a BCS bowl win while you have not.  Boise State (2), Utah (2), TCU, Louisville, Stanford and Kansas have all won bigger games than you have.  And if you want to look at recent bowl history in the BCS era, your record is only 2-10, with one of those wins coming in the Hawaii Bowl against the University of Hawaii.  In that time, powerhouse programs such as Kentucky, Maryland, South Florida and Rutgers all have as many as or more bowl wins than you.

I know this is difficult for you to read and it’s a blow to your mighty ego, but point out something that I have said that is not true.   You must realize that your independence in the sport is an antiquated philosophy and you must let go.  You have never had to buy the milk because you have always gotten the cow for free, but those days are coming to an end.  That is why I hope this deal with the ACC is more like dating a girl before marrying her than it is like an arranged marriage where both sides get something out of it but the motives for the relationship are not genuine. 

I know that my opinion means nothing to you, and that’s fine.  I also know that our relationship will always be as it is now, and that, also, is fine.  And in the end, this letter is no more relevant in the grand scheme than you are relevant in the grand scheme of NCAA football.  But know this one thing.  This letter is sincere and this is how my four eyes see it. 

Your biggest anti-fan,

Brian Ray Gross

P.S. I know that the college football Hall of Fame is in South Bend, Indiana and you like to flaunt that.  But it really makes sense to have it there.  I mean, where else would you put a dinosaur other than a museum?