Who Ya Got?!?

Yours Truly 19-17
Osceola 19-17
Smokey 18-18


G-Tech vs Miami

Gangsta D: Well...as long as Kyle doesn't throw 4 picks we should be fine. Tech's defense isn't as intimidating as usual. They've been giving up points lately. I loved out offense in the second half last week. Patrick Nix calling a bomb two plays in a row from the 3 yard line took BALLS. If Kyle takes care of the ball, then our offense will be fine. I'm actually more concerned about the defense. We miss too many tackles, and blow too many assignments in the secondary. Plus our LB depth is hurting. It will be close. I'm sure I'll be cussing up a storm at various times during the game. But I think we EEK this one out.

Da Realist: I think Miami will rebound after that drubbing in chapel hill last week. I've always thought Kyle was a better qb than people think. Maybe a little inconsistent at times, but he has a certain prescence back there. The Canes defense will be motivated and their playing at home. If the Canes has won last week, I would go with the Yellowjackets but I can't see them losing 2 in a row. MIAMI

Waldini: Miami


Auburn vs Arkansas

Gangsta D: What to make of Auburn? They seemed left for dead three weeks ago, now they're on a roll. McFadden is a little dinged up. I don't believe he'll miss the game, but the Hogs need him to go off to win. Alas, I don't think that happens.

Da Realist: I want to pick Arkansas. They are 0-2 and they desperately need a win here to stay alive out west. Auburn's a little banged up defensively and may just be a little full of themselves after knocking off Florida. Oh yeah, they go to LSU next week. Think they're not looking forward to that a little bit? You know what? I think I will pick Arkansas. This is the game McFadden puts the Hogs on his back and carries them to the W. ARKANSAS

Waldini: Arkansas


Mizzou vs OU

Gangsta D: Wow, Missouri appears to be pretty good. They hung 40 on Nebraska. OU still looks to be a talented team, even though they kind of struggled with an overrated Texas team. If this game was in Missouri I'd be tempted to take them. But I don't think they can pull off the upset in Norman.

Da Realist: Oklahoma might just be a little overrated. Their biggest win was against Miami at home and well...maybe that win wasn't as big as we all thought. The Sooners have been giving up tons of yardage in the passing game. Missouri will move the ball and put some points on the board. Will their defense find a way to stop the Sooner offense? I'm picking MISSOURI

Waldini: Sooners


LSU vs UK

Gangsta D: Hmm...upset special. Kentucky. Just got a gut feeling.
Da Realist: Uh Oh. LSU will finally play against a real like offense. On the road. Kentucky will be ready. The question is...will LSU? They just beat Florida in a very physical and emotional win. Next week they play Auburn. Will they have enough to go to Lexington and beat a fired-up Wildcat team looking for a signature win? I gotta think some more on this one. Maybe I'll read a few articles out of Lexington and Baton Rouge to get the player's mindset. 'The pick' viendra plus tard...

Waldini: Tigers

Da Realist: Many, many minutes later...

Ok.... the LSU/Kentucky pick. (As a sidenote...FSU can't hide anywhere.) The Wildcat fans don't even believe. Normally this wouldn't matter much, but they need as much help as they can get. The Tiger defense will just be too much for Woodson and as long as they don't give up cheap turnovers, I'm picking LSU


Nebraska vs Okie ST

Gangsta D: As the coin flips.......Okie St. Mike Gundy is my second favorite coach.

Da Realist: I'm just not that impressed with Nebraska. The Cowboys are going to run all over that Husker defense and walk out of there with a W. OKLAHOMA STATE

Waldini: Cornhuskers 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!

King Of These Streets!

Gangsta D:

Congratulations gents, we're all Kings. Even though Smokey JUST barely squeezed in:)

Kings

Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Tennessee*, Texas and USC.

* Tennessee is the lone school in the group that caused any hesitation. The Vols would have been a no-brainer 10 years ago, but they have fallen off the map a bit lately. In the end, I figured those 100 fans in Montana still know "Rocky Top," the checkered end zones and that Peyton Manning went there.

Da Realist:

yep. the kings bring the fans to the yard, although i'm not sure that UT isn't on the same level as geogia and lsu. i would push them down to baron. i would move clemson, colorado and texas a&m down from baron to knight. and i would think about moving georgia tech up from knight to baron. everybody knows about the rambling wreck, right?

Gangsta D:

I'd be inclined to agree with you about UT. Sorry Smokey. Clemson can probably stay as a baron. Colorado and Texas AM definitely should move down. I think Tech is fine where they are. They just got a 3 year boost due to Calvin Johnson. Other than that, no one really cares. People still forget that they split nat'l titles with Colorado in '90:)

Da Realist:

what has clemson done since 81?

Gangsta D:

Nothing, but it's the whole Bowden Bowl angle. Clemson is associated with FSU, like a little brother is associated with a big brother. Remember, it's national perception as much success on the field.

Da Realist:

You've got to be kidding. clemson has a hell of a local fan base, but most people couldn't tell you where clemson was if you handed them a map of south carolina. :-D

Gangsta D:

I think Bowden Bowl has more cache than you think.

Da Realist:

yeah, it's got cache cause of BOBBY bowden. tommy is just his son, not a well-recognized coach. you could replace tommy with terry and get the same thing. the only reason clemson would have a chance to stay in my book is because sometime right after we were all born, they won a title. and they were supposedly good before tv's had color. but then again, so was arkansas! what about those battles with texas for the championships in the swc?

Gangsta D:

Yeah, he's swinging from the coattails. I won't argue with that. But perception is reality.

Actually, due to the insanity of their offseason maybe Arkansas needs to move up to Baron:) I bet a whole bunch of folks, who normally wouldn't give a squirt of piss, are gonna be paying attention them this year:) Read more!