The Andrew Extravaganza

Before I can get to the games for this weekend I need to tie up the loose ends from last weekend's action. Apparently Vince Young and the UT offense are completely healed. At least according to the TBS crew that called the game and writers for the Houston Chronicle (bad paper). However, I'm not quite ready to drink Mack Brown's cool-aid just yet. True, Young's stats were very impressive: 158 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns on 25 carries to go with 10 of 15 for 142 passing. I don't see a reason to congratulate Vince on his ground performance, it's not like he's ever had trouble running. Hell, I could have put up 100 yards rushing against Tech last Saturday. 10 of 15 passing is nice (it was great to see that piece of crap Greg Davis let Vince throw deep to Tony Jeffrey - the deep ball is the one throw Vince can do well), but the way the Horns ran the ball, the Tech defense hardly created many passing downs. If Texas can pass against a good defense that will create 3rd and long situations then I'll start to buy in. The game provided a nice boost in confidence for the offense, but let's see them dominate somebody that plays defense before we declare the offense to be cured. My one unwavering loyalty is to the Longhorns defense; they continue to make big plays and shutdown opponents.

One last thought on the UT vs Tech game. My favorite play in the entire game was when Red Raiders WR Trey Haverty scored on an 11 yard pass late in the 4th quarter. You could tell he was running his mouth at SS Phillip Geiggar, probably giving him the business about beating Geiggar on his route. At that point Geiggar pointed to the scoreboard and put that jackass in his place. Is there a more ridiculous thing in sports than running your mouth after a meaningless score? Props to Haverty for being a douche bag.

Here is a list of results for the games I made picks on last weekend:

Straight up I went 7-3, bringing my season record to 29-11. Against the spread I went 4-6, bringing my season record to 20-20. It has become clear to me that I am doomed to mediocrity when it comes to picking against the spread.

I'm going to change format from here on out: 1) I will only make picks straight up, 2) To avoid padding my won-loss record I will only pick on games that have a spread of 8 or less (tentative - I might go up to 10 points), 3) I will pick on larger spreads if I like the underdog to win, and 4) I will always pick on UT games regardless of the spread. I think I'll start guessing at the final scores, but I'm not going to place much emphasis on my ability in that area.

Now for this week's picks. Like last week, this week doesn't have that many compelling matchups, so I've gone with another group of bad teams from the little conferences.

AT
#9 Texas 6-1 (3-1) vs Colorado 4-3 (1-3)
Line: Texas by 14
The Big XII North is 0-11 against the South this year (if you count Baylor they are 3-11). Texas should roll in this one on the strength of Cedric Benson's rushing (1156-10). It would be nice to see Vince Young continue to improve in the passing game, but I don't think a win will depend on his arm. Colorado RB Bobby Purify (660-6) will probably put up a decent amount of yards against the UT defense that bends, but doesn't break, but I think QB Joel Klatt (1312-5-7) will provide enough turnovers to sabotage any momentum the Buffaloes might achieve. UT should win 42-17.
Pick: Texas

VS
Florida 4-3 (2-3) vs #7 Georgia 6-1 (4-1)
Line: Georgia by 7
The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is probably the most intriguing game of the weekend. The Gators are coming off a pathetic loss to Mississippi State (the same Bulldog team that lost to Maine earlier in the year) and coach Ron Zook got canned on Monday. The players shouted down the AD in a meeting earlier this week, so I'm thinking they will play hard to show that their coach was wrongfully fired (he wasn't, 13 losses in 2.5 years at Florida is inexcusable). Florida has dominated this series, winning 13 of the last 14 and the last 6 in a row. The bright spot for the Gators has been the efficient play of So QB Chris Leak (1831-17-6) and the hard running of Ciatrick Fason (741-8), but the defense hasn't stopped a good team all year. Georgia (along with Florida St) might be the shakiest top 5 team in recent memory. Outside of the revenge blowout of LSU, the Bulldogs have allowed lesser team to hang around way too long. On paper Georgia should coast in this one. QB David Greene (1491-12-1) can be very accurate and the running game has flashes of brilliance with the freshmen tandem of Danny Ware and Thomas Brown. The defense is one the best in the country and is led by future first round NFL pick Sr DT David Pollack (6 sacks). Georgia needs to and should win, but the Gators have their number and have something to prove. Florida wins in a low scoring affair, 17-14.
Pick: Florida

AT
#12 Tennessee 6-1 (4-1) vs South Carolina 5-2 (3-2)
Line: Even
If Tennesse can win this one on the road in Columbia then they will effectively lock up the SEC East title. In the last 4 years the Vols have beaten the Gamecocks by an average of 5.25 points and this year should be close as well. The teams are eerily similar on offense: UT and USC average 172 yards rushing per game, UT puts up 207 yards through the air compared to 206 by USC. The big difference is the defenses of the two teams. The Gamecocks are only allowing 278 yards of total offense and 11 points per game. The Vols have talent, but they have allowed some big plays. This one should be close, but I'll give the edge to the home team; South Carolina wins 20-17.
Pick: South Carolina

AT
Missouri 4-3 (2-2) vs Nebraska 4-3 (2-2)
Line: Missouri by 2
In their loss to Oklahoma State last week, the Tigers were completely shut down in the second half. RB Damien Nash got off the following blast afterwards, "I wish I could call the offense. I didn't understand a lot of the plays." He's right, the playcalling sucked, but you can't light up your coach like that. Gary Pinkel, who is already upset about the media questioning his use of QB Brad Smith, has suspended Nash (610-7) indefinitely. They'll miss him on the road at Nebraska, but Brad Smith is main weapon and should be able to pick up the slack. Nebraska QB Joe Dailey (1490-14-13) and the entire offense has had trouble moving from the option to the West Coast offense so the Cornhuskers will need a big game out of the Blackshirts to win this one. Mizzou wins 28-24.
Pick: Missouri

AT
North Carolina State 4-3 (3-2) vs Clemson 3-4 (2-3)
Line: North Carolina State by 1
NC State plays great defense and the offense, led by RB T.A. McClendon (597-5), has started to show signs of life. Clemson QB Charlie Whitehurst (1358-6-13) might be the biggest disappointment in college football. This one is being played in "Death Valley" (the ironic nickname for Clemson Memorial Stadium...leave the "Death Valley" name to LSU until your team doesn't suck), but I don't think it will help Clemson much. I like NC State to win 35-10.
Pick: NC State

AT
Penn State 2-5 (0-4) vs Ohio State 4-3 (1-3)
Line: Ohio State by 6
This game could be the most unwatchable game in football history since the epic and thrilling 6-4 game between Iowa and Penn State last weekend. As bad as Ohio State has become (enjoy that national title the refs gave you in '02), they can't help but win this one at home versus a terrible offensive team that might be without their QB Zach Mills (concussion). Penn State fans are secretly praying for Joe Pa to go quietly into the good night (drop dead) because nobody has the stones to ask the living legend to call it a career. Ohio State will win 24-3.
Pick: Ohio State

AT
Connecticut 5-2 (2-2) vs Syracuse 3-4 (1-1)
Line: Syracuse by 2.5
The Huskies have a potent offense, but might be without leading rusher Cornell Brockington (771-6), although I can't verify that he is injured (I swear I saw a story about that somewhere). With or without Brockington, UConn still has the arm of QB Dan Orlovsky (1918-14-10). The Orangemen (they dropped the "men" part, but I like the old name better) have a balanced offense, but that has only meant that they have failed to run and pass equally. Syracuse needs a big game out of their two RBs Walter Reyes and Damien Rhodes. Don't expect much hard hitting defense, UConn wins 38-28.
Pick: UConn

AT
Air Force 3-4 (2-2) vs Wyoming 4-3 (1-2)
Line: Wyoming by 2.5
Wyoming was the team I decided to use when EA Sports' NCAA Football 2005 came out this last summer. That doesn't have any effect on the game, but I do have a soft spot in my heart for that program now. The Cowboys accomplished something that I couldn't, they beat Ole Miss at home earlier in the year to give Wyoming its first win over an SEC team. Their playmaker is WR Jovon Bouknight. Air Force has one of the most respected coaches in football in Fisher DeBerry. The option attack is averaging 250 yards a game on the ground and should not have much trouble against Wyoming's defense. I think Wyoming wins a close one, 35-31
Pick: Wyoming

AT
Rice 3-4 (2-2) vs Tulsa 1-6 (0-3)
Line: Rice by 1
Rice is one of the few teams running the triple option and they have done it well enough to lead the nation in rushing (328 yds/gm). Tulsa is pretty awful, but came close to beating undefeated Boise St in a 42-45 loss at home. Rice will win 35-21.
Pick: Rice

AT
Western Michigan 1-6 (0-4) vs Central Michigan 2-5 (1-3)
Line: Central Michigan by 7
This is second best in-state rivalry game being played in Michigan this weekend, so I couldn't resist breaking it down. The Broncos only hope is to have a big game from WR Greg Jennings (637-7), he will need to do some damage as a punt returner as well (232 yards and 2 TDs on the year in PR). The Chippewas are coming off a close road loss to MAC West co-leader Toledo. The strength of C.Michigan is the running game, which features So Jerry Seymour (809-1). Central Michigan will win 28-24.
Pick: Central Michigan

All this football talk makes my head spin. Have you run across any good recipes lately?

I might find the time to post a recipe this week.