Who Ya Got?!?

Yeah the games this week kind of suck. When you're grab bagging NU vs Duke, you know the quality is lacking.

Me 3-3
Waldini 4-2
Realist 4-2


The U vs The Crocs

Waldini: Tebow needs to graduate and the Canes need a few more good recruiting seasons before I say they beat Florida. Florida

Gangsta D: Here's a little nuggett for the massess. Miami has just as much speed as Florida. I know it seems hard to believe, but it's true. Shannon and Myer recruit the exact same high schools. It's not like Miami's skill players are from Idaho and Florida's have Jamaican genes. Miami has talent, it's just unproven. But there's something about college football, where the unexpected can happen in a flash. Miami will pound the rock harder than Jay-Z and they will punish every Florida ball carrier. Of course, you weren't expecting me to pick Tebow over my 'Canes were you? Saturday night, we get back on the good foot.

Realist: UF at home? AND they stole Miami's swag??? I hope it's competitive and I hope Miami wins, but it won't happen this year. UF

BC vs GTech

Waldini: Both teams are middle of the pack ACC. Boston College

Gangsta D: I don't know. For some reason, I want Paul Johnson's offense to work at Tech. It's been the source of much derision since he was hired. I think Tech gets it done.

Realist: GTech is a tease every year. BC

WVU vs ECU

Waldini: WVU aint Va Tech (I hope) West Virginia

Gangsta D: Pat White is throwing the ball? What in tarnation? ECU shut down Va Tech's offense last week, but the 'Eers are a bit more dynamic. We know Pat can run, but if he keeps slinging the ball around WVU is gonna be ruthless this year. 'Eers in a romp.

Realist: WVU

OSU vs PSU

Waldini: I know nothing about either team besides the game being in Happy Valley. Penn St

Gangsta D: Penn State just suspended like half their team, or something like that. Nevertheless, the Beavers aren't going to fly across country and beat the Nittany Lions at State College. USC, they are not.

Realist: Penn St

USF vs UCF

Waldini: Coin flip, USF wins

Gangsta D: Ummm....yeah...I got nothing. USF

Realist: USF

NU vs Duke

Waldini: Do I really have to pick this Gangsta? Ok, after a shot of sake, it's Mike Wilbon's alma mater in a stinkfest. Northwestern

Gangsta D: Oh it's gonna be awesome BABY!! Can you believe what Cutcliffe is doing at Duke? He is a star! An absolute flat out coaching star. They're gonna be rocking and rolling BABY! Watch out America, the Duke Blue Devils are PTP'ers BABY!! Dipsy doo dunkaroo!Dingle Dangle Dunkelrpwoyrpqwuryepwruyweprvcxvckvbfdrtretgvjdfnrfd! I'm so excited I can't even understand myself!!!

Realist: Northwestern Read more!

Who You Got?!?

Picks:

Yours Truly 13-5
Osceola 12-6
Smokey 10-8


GA vs Bama

Gangsta D: Is the Tide really this good? Are they using smoke and mirrors? Like Realist told me last week, where did this speed come from? They looked great for the first 40 mins and last 5. In between, not so much. GA looked real good against OK St. Against the Cocks, not so much. GA can match Bama's speed. They don't have a McFadden, but Moreno and Thomas Brown are pretty good. If Stafford gets protection, and the WRs catch the ball it will be a long day for the Tide. I'm going with the Dawgs.

Da Realist: Damnit D, this was supposed to be my upset special. The tide definitely has the tools to be a pretty good team, but I don't think they can put it together for a whole game yet. Everyone's talking about saban, but don't forget about Richt. he's a pretty good coach too. And the dawgs are road warriors. No one expects them to win this game. I'm banking on this being the one game the dawgs come out and play above their level. They'll need a score from their defense to help them out, but i'm going with GEORGIA

Waldini: John Parker Wilson is starting to look legit. Yea his team almost blew a 21 pt lead last week but he kept his boys steady. Gangsta's right about the Georgia comments. Alabama gets another ranked team at home and I think they beat out GAWGA this week. CRIMSON TIDE


Penn St vs Mich

Gangsta D: Michigan is back on track! Well, maybe not. Notre Dame sucks a fat one, so we really didn't learn much. Mike Hart is the truth but it's going to depend on the QB. If Ryan Mallet starts, it's probably going to be a long day. Dude's got a gun and I like his moxie but he's still a true freshman. Penn St hasn't really played anybody, and they were in a tussle with Buffalo last week. Morelli has yet to prove he can win a big game on the road. I think the Nittany Lions have the better team. They have playmakers on the outside to give Michigan problems. I'm torn about this one, cause I feel I'm going to give up my lead this week. I'm going with Penn St in a squeaker that goes down to the last second.

Da Realist: I'm torn on this one. on one hand, the lions are just playing better and i think michigan will have problems defending the wideouts. BUT. This is a proud program and they've been beaten up more than any other team this year. I saw a fire in them last week that, if they bring it this week, may just match any other advantage penn state has. Remember, Michigan has beaten penn state 9 straight times, yet Penn State is favored. Why? Because they beat Notre Dame like a drum? Well, so did Michigan. And let's not forget that Michigan is playing at home. Do you really believe they'll lose 3 games at the big house this early? It's a question of motivation. Michigan cannot lose this game. With a loss, they have nothing to play for. The Wolverines ride mike hart and they find a way to beat Penn State. MICHIGAN

Waldini: Did either of you see Holtz's motivation speech for Penn St to beat Michigan? At least it wasnt the Irish. Ok back to the matchups. Morelli vs Mallet, the Penn St LB vs Mike Hart, Joey P vs Lloyd C. I'm going with Penn St only cuz Henne isnt playing and Michigan isnt facing an inept offense like last week. And can someone tell me why Michigan hasnt gone on the road yet in 4 games?!?! PENN ST


UK vs ARK

Gangsta D: Andre Woodson is America's best kept secret. Darren McFadden is the best player in the country, even though it didn't look that way in the first half. I don't think the 'Cats defense is all that great. They made some stops last week, but Louisville was moving the ball on the pretty well. McFadden knows this team won't win unless he runs for 150+
yards, so he's gonna be motivated. I think Woodson puts up numbers, but the Kentucky defense lets McFadden put up his own. Plus the Hogs have something to prove after letting the Tide come back on them. I gotta go with the 'Backs.

Da Realist: I had my doubts, but Arkansas showed a lot of heart last week in Yuscaloosa. They were down 3 touchdowns before you could make it to the refrigerator for a second helping of banana pudding. But then they rose up and almost came up with a huge victory. I saw bits of kentucky and was impressed but i'm not sure how good Louisville is. Arkansas' secondary will have problems all game long but kentucky will have bigger problems against that hog rush. ARKANSAS

Waldini: Woodson vs McFadden. The latter singlehandley brought his team back into the game against Alabama. And Kentucky's D is worse than Bama's. I think the game will be closer than most believe but I expect the RAZORBACKS to exact revenge for losing last week. ARKANSAS


Cocks vs LSU

Gangsta D: South Carolina appears to have a good defense. LSU has a lethal defense. Blake Mitchell won't complete a pass longer than 15 yards. Not a blowout, but not real close either. LSU 27-10

Da Realist: No doubt LSU is good, but can they consistently do it every single week? Every year under les miles they seem to have a hiccup game that ends up costing them a shot at the title. I think they'll be ready against the big boys (florida, alabama) but it's games like this that would make me nervous if i was a tiger fan. The Gamecocks have a pretty good defense. If the Tigers cough up the ball a couple of times this game could get real interesting. And you know Steve has a few wrinkles he'd love to unveil on the Tigers. Steve said before the season that he felt this team could compete for the sec title. They could go a long way toward backing him up with a victory here. But i don't have the nuts to call this upset. LSU has too much firepower on offense and is even more talented on defense. LSU

Waldini: The Gamecocks dont exactly echo Spurriers ole fun n gun Florida teams but shockingly they are at least winning games I didnt think they could win. But the buck stop here. Matt Flynn, those WRs, the 3 rbs, and that ferocious defense take it back to Rock via WWE style and layeth the smacketh down. LSU


UW vs UCLA

Gangsta D: Oh to be a black coach. UCLA looked to be a sleeper in the PAC-10 this year. Then they ran into the buzzsaw of previously winless Utah. Ouch. UW looked to be the other sleeper in the PAC-10. Then the Buckeyes slapped them around a bit. UCLA's Ben Olson may not play, but Pat Cowan is a capable backup. UCLA's defense is still pretty good. Last week was probably an anomaly. Jake Locker coming to Pasadena, is a big step in his evolution. But, he's probably not ready. UCLA rebounds with a big win. At least Ty will still have more wins than Weis:)

Da Realist: Unfortunately for UW, the Bruins lost last week. Badly. The huskies will have the Bruins full undivided attention this week. The Huskies are too green to go to LA and beat the Bruins in the Rose Bowl. Ben Olsen is inconsistent but if the bruins run the ball as Ohio State did, they'll win the game. UCLA

Waldini: I didnt know the Heritage Bowl had been restarted :-). Will the real UCLA please stand up? I thought Olson was supposed to be the truth but he got served up badly by the lowly Utah Utes last week. Ty didnt do me any favors by losing a game I thought they were gonna win last week too. Comes down to can a freshman QB win a conference game on the road. I dont see it. UCLA in the PAC's 10 version of the Heritage bowl


Maryland vs Wake

Gangsta D: As the coin flips....Maryland. Ray Lewis' brother plays for the 'Terps so I gotta go with them.

Da Realist: I'm going to go with Maryland on this one. I don't know much about the teams but Maryland held things together with West Virginia for a half and they seem to have a pretty good defense. Wake...just hasn't looked at good. That Nebraska game was there for the taking and they decided against it. I'm basically flipping a coin too. MARYLAND

Waldini: So that explains why Ray Lewis was on the sideline last week. I dont know anyone on either team. I'll take WF since I have to catch D b4 he runs away.... Read more!

Who Ya Got?!?

The U vs OK

Gangsta D:

A week ago I said to myself, "We could beat Oklahoma." Around Tuesday I was saying, "If we win, it'll be close." Now I'm saying, "We'll win by two TDs." I just have this feeling that we're gonna blow into Norman and put a critical beatdown on the Sooners. Why? Well, what has Oklahoma done to be considered so good? Preseason ranking don't mean anything. They have a REDSHIRT FRESHMAN starting at QB. Mr. Bradford, please meet the best D-line you'll see all season. Whenever Oklahoma is faced with equal or better speed, they fold. The Canes have speed. Boy do they have speed. Plus I feel the offense will be much more dynamic. More 3-WR sets. Graig Cooper motioning into the slot. Coop and Baby J in the backfield at the same time. And a TON of play action. I'm getting a Virginia Tech 2005 feeling for this one. Canes by two TDs.

Da Realist:

Missed most of last week's games so I don't have much of anything to go on. this is what happens when one travels during football season. i haven't seen ANY OF THESE TEAMS play yet. well i did see LSU.

Miami has speed but are their playmakers ready? this is just the 2nd game of the season and they're going to norman? it would help if i had seen a little of both of these teams, but alas... i'll go with the home team. OKLAHOMA

Waldini:

I didnt see OU but I have seen Miami. Their defense is legit but that offense worries me. Sorry Gangsta, I'm going with OU in a nailbiteer


VT vs LSU

Gangsta D:

I didn't see much of the VT game last week, but what I saw of their offense wasn't encouraging. They probably should've lost that game. Maybe they were flat emotionally. Maybe, like most VT teams, they're just not as good as everyone thinks they are. LSU didn't exactly look like world beaters either. I'm still not sold on Matt Flynn or that offense. The defense looks pretty stout. Sean Glennon and Glen Dorsey will probably be doing the tango all game. If both defenses are about even, then LSU has the edge on offense. Plus it's a night game at LSU. The Hokies don't really have a chance.

Da Realist:

i will never predict a virginia tech victory in a big game again until they prove themselves. LSU

Waldini:

Ditto Realist's comments. LSU


Mich vs Oregon

Gangsta D:

I saw the Mich-App St game last week and was going apeshit throughout the contest. I actually like Michigan, but it was something about a 1-AA team beating them AT the Big House that got me giddy. So how do the Wolverines respond to adversity? Well since Lloyd Carr is the coach, I'm gonna say not very well. Traveling cross country is never a great thing. But traveling cross country, to play in Autzen Stadium, a week after you've been humiliated, may be too much to overcome. I don't know much about Oregon's team this year, but they usually have speed on the outside. And that's what killed Michigan last week. I don't think they recover, and start the season 0-2. Goodbye Lloyd. We hardly knew ye.

Da Realist:

I can't see Michigan coming out 0-2. I can't see them losing 2 straight games at the big house. MICHIGAN

Waldini:

Gimme Michigan.


PSU vs ND

Gangsta D:

Ahh, this is the game I've been waiting three years for. All you need to know about this game is that Jimmy "Emu" Clausen is getting the start...at Happy Valley. I'm not sure if he knows what playing in front of 100,000 people is like. He's gonna find out real quickly. There is no way this game doesn't end in a blowout. Notre Dame could do NOTHING against Tech last week. The defense looked good in spots, but still gave up over 200 yards on the ground. Think JoePa is gonna air it out after that display last week? I doubt it. Lord Weis thought it a good idea that his true freshman QB's first start should be on the road in front of 100,000 people. So I don't expect the offense to do much again this week. It's gonna get ugly and fast. My only regret is that I will probably miss the quarter. I really want to see Clausen's first INT live.

Da Realist:

Penn State will put a hurting on Notre Dame.

Waldini:

Puhlease, Happy Valley is going to remain happy. PSU


Boise St. vs UW

Gangsta D:

Umm...coin flip...and...I'll go with the black coach.

Da Realist:

Watching D flip his coin....i'll take the opposite. BOISE STATE

Waldini:

I just saw the Boise St video on their perfect season, I'm taking Boise. BSU

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