Wow. We were prepared to talk at length about this years game of the century otherwise known as LSU's victory over Alabama.
But we can't.
This weeks best and worst of college football has to be tempered by a mention of what is happening at Penn State. It has dominated both News and Sports coverage this week and will for the next several weeks. It's bound to have an effect on this weeks Penn St./Nebraska game and despite the Nittany Lions 8-1 record, it likely will impact them the rest of the season.
But, we have to move on because there truly is more to talk about this week.
In this week's clip, the unit has some hurdles to overcome...and they do:
Last week: 12-1, but we do that a lot. Overall: 98-18
So let's enjoy a little more from Casey Kasem as we move on to the countdown:
The Dirty Dozen:
1) LSU 9-0. Ladies and gentlemen your best team in the land. For now. Their path is almost all clear, though the tussle with Arkansas at the end of the year is not a gimme. And they'll need to be better on offense too. But there isn't much more you can say. This Week: vs. Western Kentucky. Our Pick: LSU 43, WKU 3
2) Stanford 9-0. We don't understand why they aren't getting love from the voters. But we think they are the 2nd best team in the country. For now. We'll find out if they are a contender or pretender this week. This Week: vs. Oregon. Our Pick: Stanford 37, Oregon 32
3) Oklahoma St. 9-0. They were lucky to escape vs. K-State. Very lucky. They are impressive on offense, we still think the defense will bite them in the ass before the season ends. But there is an increasingly good chance they run the table too. This Week: at Texas Tech (I will be here working). Our Pick: Okie St. 47, Texas Tech 23.
4) Boise St. 9-0. Ok. I know you SEC nuts are saying "How can you put these guys over Alabama?". Easy. Alabama lost their game last week. And that is a factor. We also think head-to-head, Boise would have a shot at beating the Tide. (Yes, I said it--and it is true). They are big, fast, physical and smart. This Week: vs. TCU. Our Pick: Boise St. 37, TCU 27.
5) Alabama 8-1. They were exposed last week. They don't have a lot of weakness's but they do have them. Sorry SEC nuts, they don't deserve a rematch unless the 3 teams ahead of them in this poll lose before seasons end. And that, we don't think, will happen. This Week: at. Mississippi St. Our Pick: Alabama 23, Miss.St. 16
6) Oklahoma 8-1. They get to stay, but man, the injuries are piling up. It will, we believe, keep them out of a BCS game because they won't beat Okie St. in the season ender. Without Dominique Whaley and Ryan Broyles, someone is going to have to step up to help QB Landry Jones. Who will it be? This Week: BYE
7) Oregon 8-1. We get to find out who the best team in the Pac-12 is this week. We don't think it is the Ducks. They are very good, but not as good as last year. Though they are getting healthy. So they've got that going for them. This Week: See #2.
8) Arkansas 8-1. They've struggled a bit, but keep winning. They also are the only team that could keep LSU from winning it all this year. It's only because the offense is scary and dangerous. This Week: vs. Tennessee. Our Pick: Arkansas 31, Tennessee 21.
9) Clemson 8-1. How did they lose to Ga.Tech? We don't get that either. It's hard to excuse that. Mostly because it wasn't very close. If they play 10 times, Clemson would win 8 of them. But...to quote legendary sportscaster Gil Tyree, "It is what it is". This Week: vs. Wake Forest. Our Pick: Clemson 31, Wake Forest 23.
10) Houston 9-0. Yes, we know this somewhat contradicts our "Undefeated team" rule. Though nobody seriously thinks they are one of the top 3 teams in the land. This is a good spot for them right now. Case Keenum just keeps lighting things up. The question is "Is he a system QB or that good?" And nobody really knows right now. This Week: at Tulane. Our Pick: Houston 56, Tulane 17.
11) Virginia Tech 8-1. This is a tough one. There aren't a lot of options to fill out this poll and we don't think Tech is a serious contender for anything other than a mid-level bowl. But...they are 8-1 so they get to be here right now. This Week: at Ga.Tech. Our Pick: Va.Tech 31, Ga.Tech 27.
12) Kansas St. 7-2. They get to be here by virtue of their valiant effort last week. They maybe should have won the game at Okie St. But they didn't. We just couldn't think of anyone else worthy of this spot. Penn State isn't. Georgia isn't. Michigan State isn't. So the Wildcats get it. This Week: vs. Texas A&M. Our Pick: K-State 38, Texas A&M 31
The Bottom of the Barrel:
5) Colorado 1-9. The good: The season is almost over. The bad: They've been giving up 40+ a game and the season isn't over. Needless to say, the move to the Pac-12, hasn't exactly gone over gangbusters or anything. This Week: vs. Arizona. Our Pick: Arizona 40, Colorado 23.
4) Indiana 1-9. Let's just say this hasn't been a banner year for football in the Hoosier state. There isn't much we can say here. They did score 20 vs. Ohio State...but they gave up 38 to a pretty bad offensive team. So they've got that going for them. This Week: BYE. Our Pick: Bye 43, Indiana 20.
3) Akron 1-8. Zippy says "What?". Zippy plays "What?". There is a restaurant in Cincinnati called "Zips". And we can tell you from our 2 years there that they make a pretty tasty hamburger. Akron's version of the Zips, would probably lose the burger. This Week: vs. Kent St. Our Pick: Kent St. 27, Akron 10.
2) Florida Atlantic 0-8. At least the season is almost over. We pity poor Howard Schnellenberger, though most thought he retired like 10-years ago. Everything that could go wrong this season....did. Unfortunately, it isn't over. Though the thought of the mercy rule has been discussed. This Week: at Florida International. Our Pick: FIU 41, FAU 13.
1) New Mexico 0-9. Oh...Mexico....Where is James Taylor when you need him? On the good side though, they scored last week, making it 2 TD's in the past 4 weeks. So they've got that going for them. This Week: vs. UNLV. Our Pick: UNLV 31, New Mexico 10.
So, we end another week. Enjoy your football:
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