The Dirty Dozen and Bottom of the Barrel: Familiar Stranger (Conference Final Week)

A little obscure, but a fitting start when trying to (a) summarize possibly the craziest college football week ever (this year) and what we can only hope is the end to an endless debate.

By now, if you follow college football at all, you know what happened in the Auburn/Alabama game. It's never happened before and may never happen again...



That overshadowed such bizarre occurrences such as Brady Hoke going for the 2-point conversion and not getting it as Michigan loses to Ohio State, Georgia beating Georgia Tech in Overtime and Family Guy killing off Brian...



Ouch!

But that's enough depression.

This week is Championship Saturday--for the most part and our final picks and poll of the year. And really, because we are just not very modest, we must boast of our greatness.

Last week, we were 9-4. But we're okay with that because Southern Miss and Hawaii actually won and lifted themselves out of Bottom of the Barrel obscurity. The total for the year: 151-25.



But enough of that. As the great Casey Kasem once said, it's "On with the countdown"...

THE DIRTY DOZEN:

1) Florida State 12-0. So. We were right all along. This is your best team until proven otherwise. Or until Willie Meggs hands down an indictment. Ooooh...yeah, I said it. In all seriousness and Brother's Jon impending voice of doom taken into account, there's nobody better. They are deep, fast, physical and play defense. 'Nuff Said. This Week: ACC Championships vs. Duke. Our Pick: FSU 43, Duke 17

2) Ohio State 12-0. Yeah, I'm a little torn. But unlike most College Football fans in the south, I don't believe the SEC is the schizz this year. And as much as tOSU lucked out a few times, the fact is, they haven't lost. They'll face their toughest test to date this week. This Week: Big 10 Championship. Our Pick: tOSU 23, Mich. St. 21

3) Auburn 11-1. Ask any self-respecting Auburn fan if they thought they'd be here this season. The answer is no. But yet they are. The Tigers are young and will get better. Which should make you nervous. Luck is an awesome thing, but at some point that luck runs out. This Week: SEC Championship. Our Pick: Missouri 41, Auburn 37

4) Missouri 11-1. Bravo to Gary Pinkel and his charges. Possibly the most underrated team out there. Great job staying the course after James Franklin's injury. They've done everything asked of them this year and if not for Pinkel's brain fart vs. S.Carolina, this is your BCS title team. This Week: SEC Championships. Our Pick: see above

5) Alabama 11-1. Can't say the Tide didn't go out without a fight, but geez, the Great Saban made a couple of what in retrospect could be called "odd" decisions. We've said all along this is not his best or most talented team and turns out we were right. This Week: Bowl Game

6) Oklahoma State 11-1. Wait a minute, did someone ask if Mike Gundy was a Van Gundy brother. Oh...sorry, I heard that wrong. My bad. Though it would be funny if he were a short, overweight, balding guy with a Ron Jeremy mustache. Ha! This Week: vs. Oklahoma. Our Pick: Okie St. 31, Oklahoma 23.

7) Stanford 10-2. So, 10 wins and a spot in the Pac-12 title game. And the season was a bit of a disappointment. Wow! Talk about your expectations. But really, we bit too. We thought they were Alabama east. A bad loss to Utah and a loss to USC cost them dearly. This Week: PAC-12 Championships. Our Pick: Arizona St. 37, Stanford 27 UPSET!

8) Michigan St. 11-1. It didn't start pretty for Sparty, but low and behold, they have a say in the BCS title matchup. Something tells us every CFB fan south of Kentucky and east of Texas will be pulling for them to beat Ohio State. And they'll come close. This Week: Big 10 Championship. Our Pick: see #2

9) Arizona St. 10-2. Talk about flying under the radar. Nobody thought these guys were serious beginning the year. But the wayward traveller Todd Graham may actually know what he's doing. Go figure. This Week: Pac-12 Championship. Our Pick: see #7

10) Northern Illinois 12-0. Cinderella, meet the rest of the world. Those of us in the know, yeah, we've known how good you are. Yeah, we're talking about you Jordan Lynch. 321 yds rushing last week. For a QB. 22 passing TD's, 20 running. Your best player in america. Right here guys. This Week: MAC Championships. Our Pick: N.Illinois 47, Bowling Green 31

11) Oregon 10-2. Geez, talk about limping home. Losers 2 of the final three and barely escaping Oregon State. Guys, everyone thought you were better than that. But they may have been wrong. Still, too much talent to dismiss. But hey, there's always next year again. This Week; Bowl Game

12) Duke 10-2. They get the nod because really, who out there actually thought the Blue Devils would be in the ACC title game? Anyone? If this doesn't prove David Cutcliffe is a miracle worker, nothing will. And he's one of the nicest coaches we've ever met too. This Week: See #1

THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL:



And so winds up the last of our dreaded poll. The worst of the worst. The teams who everyone wants to play. Well, sort of.

Special shout out to Southern Miss and Hawaii for their big wins last week. We wish you nothing but success and hope you never end up here again....

5) Florida 4-8. This was just sad guys. Yeah, sure, we know you had injuries, but so did everyone else. Your biggest injury may have been coaching your offense. Though it may take years to recover from the poor recruiting on that side of the ball. Karma is a bit of a bitch...ain't she...

4) Florida International 1-11. It's over now. You can stop watching. This team was every bit as bad as you'd think they'd be and that in no way shape or form is a compliment. They averaged 9.8 points a game. Really. They did. We didn't know Ron Turner was the coach until later in the year, but that explains a lot of this. Good luck in 2018.

3) Idaho 1-11. No potatoes for you! It's hard to look past a game where you gave up 80. Sure, it was FSU, but still. Have some pride. Somehow you beat Temple, but never threatened anyone else. Pity poor Paul Petrino, the likeable Petrino brother. Maybe he's not cut out for this head coach thing. Or maybe he inherited some crappy talent. Only time will tell.

2) Georgia St. 0-12. So, Panther fan, how are you enjoying life in FCS level football? Yeah, thought so. Most teams wait until they have some lower level success before moving up to the big time, but not these guys. And, well, they paid the price. Trent Miles is a good coach and we expect respectability here, it just may take a couple years.

1) Miami (OH) 0-12. Congratulations Red Hawks fan. You win the 2013 B.O.B trophy. Your own toilet bowl. But hey, at least you found a new head coach, Chuck Martin, former O.C at Notre Dame. So what if the Irish offense hasn't been that great the past few years, at least the credentials sound good on paper. Let's see if you can defend your title in 2014.

So the season, as we know it, comes to an end. It was a good, if somewhat uneventful season and we say that knowing full well what happened last week.

This will be the final year of ours and your favorite College Football thing--the BCS, next year the playoff begins. We'll be back. And we'll be ready to roll. We hope you are too....

At Last: Southern Miss Wins! Southern Miss Wins!

Hooray!

Our worst team in College Football for the past 2 season has finally gotten off the schnide.

Southern Miss, 0-for the past two seasons (0-23) and Kings of our weekly "Bottom of the Barrel" poll, rode the back of QB Nick Mullens who threw for 5 TD passes and earned the 62-27 win over Alabama-Birmingham.

The Golden Eagles, who struggled with pretty much everything all season put it all together, outscoring UAB 28-0 in the second half.

We are searching for highlights, but in the meantime, enjoy the post-game celebrating Courtesy of the Sun-Herald:

The Dirty Dozen and Bottom of the Barrel: I Thought Turkey's Could Fly

If you have no idea about this or what it is....look up WKRP in Cincinnati, a TV show from the early 1980's. If you do that, the above video will be very funny.

Kinda like those of us who actually bought into the Baylor Bears...or the Oregon Ducks. By now you know Baylor blew their BCS opportunity after getting hammered by Oklahoma State last week. That overshadowed flashy media darlings Oregon, who coming off a loss to Stanford decided that it wasn't worth showing up to play Arizona.

But enough of that. It's Thanksgiving. Rivalry week. The week you get to talk trash and say mean things about other teams.

((Note--I said plenty about my Georgia Southern Eagles over the past few days. I stopped laughing on Tuesday))



And we aren't laughing about this week. The week where all of College Football will be focusing on the state of Alabama. (More in a minute)

Last Week: Okay, we struggled. A little. 13-2. That makes us 142-21 on the season.



Yeah....

So, in the immortal words of Casey Kasem, it's "On with the Countdown"

THE DIRTY DOZEN:

1) Florida State 11-0. As long as or until Jameis Winston is a free man, FSU is #1 in our book. They have crushed...everyone they've played. And young Mr. Winston, should he get in trouble, won't BE in trouble until after Thanksgiving. Or what's commonly known as AFTER the Florida game. This Week: at Florida. Our Pick: FSU 48, Florida 10

2) Alabama 11-0. Hmmmm....now we get to find out if they are REALLY the big dog or not. And yes, we know the past history. We just aren't convinced of this years version. Because much like Ohio State, the schedule, well, hasn't been impressive. This Week: at Auburn. Our Pick: Alabama 41, Auburn 37

3) Ohio St. 11-0. Yes, they talk lots of crazy talk about Michigan. Heck, Urbane Meyer even banned Sports Writers from wearing dark blue to practice. And yes, it's as childish as it sounded. Nothing seems to make the Buckeye's sphincters tighter than saying Michigan it appears. Lucky for them the Wolverines aren't very good. This Week: at Michigan. Our Pick: Ohio St 38, Michigan 23

4) Missouri 10-1 Well, they bounced back. The Tigers could easily be 11-0 and in the BCS title talk, but they gagged vs. South Carolina. They still may pay heavily for that. Still, this is a well balanced, strong team that we think will be good for many years to come. This Week: vs. Texas A&M. Our Pick: Mizzou 43, Johnny Football's 34

5) Auburn 10-1. Talk about being on a roll. The week off most certainly will help the Tigers, who are still catching their breath after the Georgia win 2 weeks ago. We do think they have a punchers chance this week since the Iron Bowl is at their place. Though we do think this is the week where luck runs out. This Week: See #2

6) Oklahoma St. 10-1. Yay for the Fighting Gundy's. He may be a man and he may be 46 now, but this also arguably may be his best, but not most talented team. They totally dominated Baylor last week. In every way. Gotta make it last another week. This Week: vs. Oklahoma. Our Pick: Okie St. 31, OU 23

7) Clemson 10-1. Say this for Clemson. They are resilient. They started oh, so well and aside from totally laying an egg vs. Florida State, they've won everything else. Though some of the games have been too close for comfort. This Week: at South Carolina. Our Pick: South Carolina 33, Clemson 27.

8) South Carolina 10-2. Again, they haven't been impressive, but they keep winning. If not for the narrow escape at Missouri and UCF, they'd be 8-4 and not even in this conversation. But instead, they still have a shot at the SEC title. We'll see if that actually happens. This Week: See #9

9) Northern Illinois 11-0. Undefeated. Yes, they are undefeated. So they get to be in OUR poll. And they have the guy who SHOULD win the Heisman, Jordan Lynch (he won't). They still may sneak into the BCS, which would be VERY interesting. This Week: vs. W.Michigan. Our Pick: N.Illinois 47, W.Michigan 23

10) Fresno St. 10-0. The Bulldogs have their own worthy Heisman contender in Derek Carr. 39 passing TD's this season. Yes please. However, they won't get a BCS shot unless Northern Illinois loses. Which is unfortunate. You really should watch them play. This Week: at San Jose St. Our Pick: Fresno St. 43, San Jose St. 27.

11) Stanford 9-2. So, they got beat by USC 2 weeks ago. Not a bad loss. At least not as bad as the Utah loss. Still, don't underestimate the Tree. They could beat a lot of teams ranked above or near them. But we'll never find out. At least not this season. This Week: vs. Notre Dame. Our Pick: Stanford 33, Notre Dame 21

12) Michigan St. 10-1. Finally another Big 10 team steps up to the plate. The Spartans got off to a rough start, though the defense never waned. If not for a hiccup with Notre Dame, they'd be in a different group too. And facing off with Ohio State in the conference title game, still gives them a shot. This Week: vs. Minnesota. Our Pick: Michigan St. 27, Minnesota 10

THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL



5) Florida 4-7. Yeah, we could have gone the easy route with some winless teams. But why? Bwahahahahahahahahahahahaha! You lost to my alma mater. You will never live this down. EVER! The Tebow seems like he graced you with his presence decades ago now, doesn't he? So sorry. This Week: see above #1

4) Hawaii 0-10. Give them credit, they didn't quit. Losing to Wyoming last week in OT is not embarrasing.



But poor Norm Chow, once the most respected offensive coach in all of College Football. Now he's overseeing this. Wah, wah, wah! This Week: vs. Army. Our Pick: Army 34, Hawaii 28

3) Georgia State 0-11. Again, nice effort. If not for a missed 2-pt conversion, the Panthers may have escaped our little list. But alas, Arkansas State escaped with the victory. This Week: vs South Alabama. Our Pick: Ga.State 31, S.Alabama 21 UPSET!!

2) Miami (OH). oh and 11. Thank god it ends on Friday. No, not the world silly, the Redhawks season. One that to them probably seems like it started in 2003. They did reach double figures 5 times this season. So there is that. This Week: at Ball St. Our Pick: Ball St. 44, Miami (OH) 7

1) Southern Miss. 0-11. Oh, wither the poor Golden Eagles. Another season, no wins. Maybe a win in 2014? The odds are in your favor. We think. Things certainly can't get much worse. Can they? This Week: vs. UAB. Our Pick: UAB 20, S.Miss 13

And so we come to the end of another season. Yes, there will be a final poll and conference title picks--but that will be it. And then there will be the bowl games.

Enjoy your turkey, enjoy your football and enjoy your holiday travel. We'll see you next week....

The Dirty Dozen and Bottom of the Barrel: Duck, Duck, Goose

Dear Oregon Fans,

Please stop comparing yourselves to SEC schools. While yes, you can beat a good majority of them, you still can't hang with the Alabama's...or apparently Stanford's of the world.

Signed,

The BCS

Yeah, so that happened. For the second year in a row, Stanford takes care of the Oregon national championship dream.

And in the process, narrowed down our field.

Tell 'em Naitch--



So last week wasn't one of our best. Still we went 8-3 picking games, making the grand total: 113-19. Think about it.

But enough self-promoting drivel, time as Casey Kasem always says to "Get on with the countdown"....

THE DIRTY DOZEN:

1) Florida St. 9-0. Yes, we know about Jameis Winston being tied to a 2012 sexual assault case. No, it doesn't change anything in 2013. This is your best team. We'd take 'em over Alabama. Really, we would.
This Week: vs. Syracuse. Haha! Our Pick: FSU 57, Syracuse 12

2) Alabama 9-0. Nicely done gentlemen. A good win vs. a game, but undermanned LSU team. You have done well to get here. Your only remaining test should be Auburn. Who oustide 'Bama will be happy to see them in the BCS title game again? Anyone?



This Week: at Mississippi St. Our Pick: Alabama 31, Miss St. 13

3) Ohio St. 9-0. Congratulations on your big promotion. Yes, Buckeye fan, you are now one slip away from BCS title land. Where you'll summarily get your ass handed to you by the best team you'll have played in two years. But that argument is for another day. This Week: at Illinois. Our Pick: tOSU 51, Illinois 10

4) Baylor 9-0. We aren't so sure this isn't your #3 team, but for the sake of argument right now, we'll keep the Bears here. Mighty Oklahoma and Bob Stoops hung with them. For about a quarter. Don't expect anyone else to keep up either. This Week: vs. Texas Tech. Our Pick: Baylor 49, T-Tech 20

5) Stanford 8-1. Well done gentlemen. A nice win over Oregon. Again. Now if we could only explain the Utah loss and, well, you'd be on top of the world.



But we digress. This Week: at USC. Our Pick: USC 37, Stanford 31 UPSET ALERT!!

6) Auburn 9-1. Oh boy. Where do we start? Okay, raise your hand if you thought the Tigers would be this good, this fast. Yeah....thought so. Believe it or not folks, though they may not make the BCS title game, this is the team will have a big say in who will. This Week: vs. Georgia. Our Pick: Auburn 27, Georgia 23

7) Oregon 8-1. So, is it now safe to say, much like pulling a Clemson, you can pull an "Oregon" and lose a game later in your season that cost you a title shot? Yes? We can? Alright, great, we'll keep that one in our vernacular. This Week: vs. Utah. Our Pick: Oregon 37, Utah 31

8) Missouri 9-1. So Tiger fan, how much is that South Carolina gag job hurting you? Answer: A Lot. Though to your credit, you've rebounded from that well. Win this week...it's Atlanta and the SEC title game for you. This Week: BYE

9) Clemson 9-1. Finally, you got your bye week. After 9 long weeks. A chance to catch your breath and watch the rest of the world zoom right on by. If FSU wins this week, it's Chick-Fil-A city for you at the end of the year Baby! This Week: vs. Ga.Tech. Our Pick: Clemson 38, Ga.Tech 33

10) Fresno State 9-0. Yes, that's right. We put an undefeated team in the World's GREATEST poll. Mostly because, well, it's our poll. And we don't have to answer to anyone else. This Week: BYE

11) Northern Illinois 9-0. World, meet Jordan Lynch. Jordan Lynch, meet world. This game is being played as we write this. Sorry, the delay couldn't be avoided. Really, I shouldn't be writing this tonight. But anyway, I owe it to you, all 10 of you who read this. Enough. This Week: vs. Ball St. Our Pick: NIU 37, Ball St. 33

12) UCF 7-1. No, we don't know how the Knights are two weeks behind everyone else. But it doesn't matter. This is one of the better teams, you've never seen play. Big Blake Bortles, another pretty darn good QB and one you've never heard of. This Week: at Temple. Our Pick: UCF 41, Temple 20

THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL:



5) UMass 1-8. They're back! The Minutemen got a reprieve earlier this season after beating Miami (OH), but 3 straight losses bring them back to the promised land. We don't think they'll escape this time.



But they are here. This Week: vs. Akron. Our Pick: Akron 37, UMass 13

4) FIU 1-8. Wha, wha, wha! But hey, at least Carl Pellini wasn't your coach. But you have Ron Turner? Wha? Really? Okay, maybe you do have it pretty bad. This Week: at UTEP. Our Pick: UTEP 23, FIU 21

3) Georgia State 0-9. It's been a tough year for Trent Miles and his boys. We hate to put them on the list, they've played hard all season. But they haven't always played well. And there's the whole Oh-fer thing. This Week: vs. La-Lafayette. Our Pick: LaLaf 40, Ga.State 17

2) Miami, OH 0-9. More MAC action on a Wednesday? Wha? Is there some sort of deadline conspiracy thing going here? Who plays college football on Wednesday night? Come on man! This Week: at Kent St. Our Pick: Kent St. 30, Miami (OH) 12

1) Southern Miss 0-9. We are giving lots of thought on just giving them the "All-Time" Barrel Champ belt. (need to make one--stat). They play Florida Atlantic this week and even without Carl Pellini, FAU is actually the favorite. That's just sad. This Week: FAU 3 Pellini's, Southern Miss 2

Ponder this: (No, not you Sam...or Christian)

Can A Flash Mob Save The Southern Miss Season...???

((HT: Southern Miss Sports/CFT))

It's no secret that the Golden Eagles are at the Bottom of the Barrel- as Brother Phil will attest on a weekly basis...

And prevailing wisdom is that the program may be in the dumper for a while- considering all the damage that was done by Ellis Johnson in his only season as boss man...

They have lost 18 in a row and had an issue even beating FIU earlier this season...

So, that brings us to this...

Head coach Todd Monken put out a call to the masses in Hattiesburg and this show of support happened...


Phil will also stipulate, the HQ is sure, that Monken could be the guy to turn the program around- given the long-term chance...

The Dirty Dozen and The Bottom of the Barrel: The Overrated Edition

Uh..yeah, so there's that.

Anyone else notice that the 1st week of the "BCS" poll and there's always a slew of upsets? Not that we are throwing conspiracy theories out or anything.

And really, you could apply this chant to pretty much anyone in the SEC this season (Yeah, I said it!--Prove I'm wrong)



Clemson, slaughtered, UCLA, barely a whimper, Texas A&M, bye-bye. Oh, and don't forget Louisville....sigh...

It was a tough week to pick games, but this is a marathon not just a one week thing. Keeping that in mind...here's the tally so far. 10-6 Yikes!!  But 80-14 on the season...



Ha!

As Casey Kasem always said, "Let's get on with the Countdown"

THE DIRTY DOZEN:

1) Oregon 7-0. Kinda would like to see Nick Aliotti (sp?) and Mike Leach square off after last weeks aerial circus in Oregon. But seriously now. And no, don't call me Shirley...



In all seriousness. Ha! The Ducks do face their toughest stretch of the season get through the next 2 weeks...This Week : vs. UCLA, Our Pick: Oregon 47, UCLA 31

2) Florida State 6-0. Yes, really. They embarrassed Clemson. Though admittedly, Clemson kinda made that a little easier. Is there any doubting Famous Jameis now? The ACC is there for the taking. And this time a BCS berth too. This Week: vs. NC State, Our Pick: FSU 41, NC State 20

3) Alabama 7-0. Oh how the mighty have fallen. And don't blame them, the other guys have accomplished more this year. Really. Look it up. Beating Arkie 52-0, not a great accomplishment these days. This Week: vs. Tennessee. Our Pick: Alabama 37, Tennessee 16

4) Mizzou! 7-0. Admit it. How many of you picked them to be here at this point of the season. Stop lying bitches! We aren't sure they'll stay, but for now Gary Pinkel and Maty Mauk, enjoy the ride. This Week: vs South Carolina. Our Pick: Mizzou 27, SC 23

5) Ohio St. 7-0.



No, sorry, you don't. It's not all your fault, your Big 10 brethren are killing you. Even the ones you don't play. But like all good things in CFB, run the table and you get an invite to the dance. The Bucks more than likely will do just that. This Week: vs. Penn St. Our Pick: tOSU 33, Penn St. 31

6) Baylor 6-0. My new favorite team...this year. Come on' man, 64 ppg this year, how can you not love that? And they only give up 16. But they haven't been tested either. That's about to change. This Week: vs. Kansas, Our Pick: Baylor 64, Oklahoma 16

7) Miami 7-0. Dodged a bullet last week 'Canes, didn't ya? It is such an ACC thing to do, almost lose a game you shouldn't. Squeaking by a weak North Carolina team isn't a Top 10 type thing. But anyway. This Week: vs. Wake Forest, Our Pick: Miami 37, Wake 10

8) Texas Tech 7-0. Oh you crazy Kliff Kingsbury, the Big Schools gonna come calling. Very, very soon. Will you stay at the alma mater? You've done a nice job in Lubbock so far. Even if Lubbock is the middle of nowhere. This Week: at Oklahoma. Our Pick: UPSET!! Oklahoma 27, Texas Tech 26

9) Clemson 6-1. Wah, wah, wah....we knew the Tigers would lay an egg at some point, we just didn't think it would be in their biggest game of the season. But there's time to make up for it. Sorta....This Week: at Maryland. Our Pick: Clemson 48, Maryland 13

10) Stanford 6-1. Nice recovery vs. UCLA. We had you way overrated it appears....---sigh---but once again, there is plenty of time to make up for it. But'cha gotta start now. This Week: at Oregon St., Our Pick: Stanford 37, Oregon St. 33

11) Auburn 6-1. Your welcome Mrs. Nelson. We now know the answer as to who was the "real" coach of this team when they won the 2010 title. And no, it wasn't the Chizik. Great start for the Tigers and Nick Marshall is proving to be the real deal. Of course he torched a crappy Aggie D, so take it with a grain of salt. This Week: vs. Florida Atlantic. Our Pick: Auburn 52, FAU 10

12) UCF 5-1. Yes, UCF! Bitches! So they really don't warrant this, but they proved Louisville a fraud and nearly beat South Carolina (should have). Plus we were raised nearby in Longwood, so we love the Orlando area. This Week: vs. UConn. Our Pick: UCF 31, UConn 10

THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL:



5) UConn 0-6. Oh, the horror. Oh and six and a new coach and little to no chance of pulling out of your tailspin. We feel so bad for you. Well, okay, maybe not. Expect the pain to continue. This Week: See #12

4) Western Michigan 0-8. Well, on the good side, only 4 more agonizing games. On the bad, you get to lose 4 more times. So you've got that to look forward to, which is nice. Hey, at least you are averagin 13 a game. Oh, yeah, you are giving up 37. So there's that too. This Week: at UMass (ew!), Our Pick: UMass 13, W.Michigan 12

3) Miami (OH) 0-7. Oh, you mighty Redhawk or Chicken Hawk or Chicken Pot Pie or whatever you call yourselves these days. You lost to Akron. And you average 10 points a game. Yeah, it's going to be a long year. But hey, basketball's around the corner! This Week: at Ohio, Our Pick: Ohio 47, Chicken Hawks 10

2) New Mexico St. 0-7. We still can't past you giving up 66 to New Mexico 3 weeks ago. How does that happen? Ever? Even if you lose? Well, anyway, now's your chance to escape, you play an FCS team just starting in FBS. Oh, wait, they've won 5 games. That's 5 more than you. This Week: vs. Abilene Christian. Our Pick: Abilene 41, NMSt 10

1) Southern Mississippi 0-6. 18 straight losses. Wah, way! Hey, maybe you can hire Brett Favre? Heck, anyone would be an improvement. It's just hard to believe this was a powerhouse program less than a decade ago. Never would have though it. This Week: vs. North Texas. Our Pick: N.Texas 43, S.Miss 21

Don't know why, but this just popped into my head. Enjoy your Football Weekend:

The Dirty Dozen and Bottom of The Barrel: Meet D-Day

So, this is sort of another "Big Week" in the College Football world and it doesn't involve Alabama or Oregon.

Meet our players

Okay, so actually the story of the week involves 2 ACC teams, Clemson and Florida St. The winner, well, they are in a prime position to make a BCS run...unless they do what ACC teams have often done in the past...

It will make sense at about the :24 mark

But enough of that. Last week was not kind to us as we appear to have gotten a bit too overconfident this season. That or the law of averages has caught up.

11-3 on the week, but some REALLY close calls. Makes yours/our total 70-8 on the season. Trust us, we know what we are doing.

So as Casey Kasem always says now it's, "On with the Countdown"

THE DIRTY DOZEN: (Time to Shock the World)

1) Oregon 6-0. Yes, we did it. We bumped them to the top of the pile. They passed the Washington test with Flying colors, take care of UCLA and Stanford and they'll run the table. And how can you not be a fan of Marcus Mariota anyway? (This Week: vs. Washington St. Our Pick: Oregon 57, Wash St. 14)

2) Alabama 6-0. Sorry Nick, we had to do it. The SEC is again kinda top heavy. And you don't play anyone until LSU. You might get your title back then, but not until. Sure you've made it look easy so far, but really, other than The Johnny Football's, you haven't played anyone. (This Week: at Arkansas. Our Pick: Alabama 38, Ark 13)

3) Clemson 6-0. So far you've passed every test. Thanks Tajh Boyd. But the big one is here. Now. In front of millions and millions world wide. Clemson. FSU. Gameday. Prime Time T.V. Tell 'em Ric

This Week: vs. FSU. Our Pick: Clemson 41, FSU 37

4) Florida St. 5-0. See above. Somebody is going home unhappy and out of the Top 5. 

5) Ohio St. 6-0. Again, another team that may run the table because their conference isn't that good. Though the SEC is MUCH stronger than the piss poor Big 10. (Yeah, we said it). Prove us wrong. (This Week: vs. Iowa. Our Pick: tOSU 37, Iowa 21)

6) UCLA 5-0. We're telling you. This is our surprise team of the year. They are much better than us on the East Coast think. West Coast too for that matter. Though there is the matter of the next two weeks. Win those, and you could be looking at another undefeated team. (This Week: at Stanford. Our Pick: UCLA 31, Stanford 28)

7) LSU 6-1. That's a good team you got there Les. And we're pulling for you if for no other reason than you are our favorite press conference head coach of all-time. And funniest. Nothing funny about pounding out a win vs. Florida last week though. Hammer and nail be damned. (This Week: at Ole Miss. Our Pick: LSU 28, Ole Miss 23)

8) Texas A&M 5-1. A good test ahead for the Johnny Football's. They've been racking up big numbers while giving up the same (32 ppg). That is going to have to stop. (This Week: vs. Auburn. Our Pick: Aggies 37, Auburn 17)

9) Miami 5-0. Return of the "U"!!! Something's gone right down in South Florida. The U is on a roll. Though admittedly, beating FAU, Savannah St., S.Florida and Ga. Tech isn't anything to write home about. Outside a date with FSU, the table is set for a strong finish too. (This Week: at N.Carolina. Our Pick: Miami 37, UNC 21)

10) South Carolina 5-1. Come on sportswriter turds. Back off Jadeveon Clowney. What did you expect? For him to jump out of a telephone book and destroy people single-handedly? He's a 21-year old kid with a world of athletic potential. Key phrase "Kid". (This Week: at Tennessee. Our Pick: S.Carolina 31, Tennessee 23)

11) Louisville 6-0. We almost dropped them out of this poll. Realistically, they wouldn't beat any of the teams ranked ahead of them. Arguably anyone in the Top 20, but that's another story for another day. (This Week: vs. UCF. Our Pick: Louisville 34, UCF 31)

12) Baylor 5-0. Yup, they were tested last week. Squeezed by K-State in Manhattan, a good win. We still like them to win the Big 12 too. Mark our words! (This Week: vs. Iowa St. Our Pick: Baylor 63, Iowa St. 18)

THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL:

5) UConn 0-5. Hey, basketball season is just around the corner. Oh, wait? This is the football team. Yikes! Good thing they are playing in the powerhouse AAC. Oh, wait. Everyone sucks in the AAC. Yeah...see that now too. Oh well. (This Week: at Cincinnati. Our Pick: Cincy 35, UConn 21)

4) W. Michigan 0-7. Wow. 0-7 to start the season? Zoinks...and you play in the MAC. Surely you can win a game there? Oh, well, maybe not. Though you still have 2 directional Michigan schools to play, so there's that. (This Week: vs. Ball St. Our Pick: Ball St. 41, W.Michigan 10)

3) New Mexico St. 0-7. Holy Crap! You gave up 66 points to New Mexico? How does that happen? Oh, wait, you are a perennial Bottom of the Barrel team. That's how. Two words. NEW COACH. That is all. (This Week: at Rice. Our Pick: Rice 66, NMST 14)

2) Miami (OH) 0-6. We were all set to drop NM State here until we realized you lost to UMass last week. And as bad as New Mexico is, they aren't UMass bad. No excuse for losing to them. None. Okay, maybe if you hold this position it's okay. (This Week: vs. Akron. Our Pick: Miami 9, Akron 8)

1) Southern Mississippi 0-6. Aw, geez guys. You've had to simmer with the though of losing to FIU for 2 weeks. How's that eating at ya? The good news, after this week, only 6 more games left. The bad news, you may not win any of those games. (This Week: at E.Carolina. Our Pick: ECU 41, S.Mississippi 21)

After writing the Bottom list here, for some reason this was the 1st thought that popped into our head. Goodnight everyone!

The Dirty Dozen and Bottom of the Barrel: The G Force Edition

Any of you geeks out there remember this?



Now imagine that you are the Alabama Crimson Tide...or Marcus Mariota and the Oregon Beavers...

Sportswriters across the land are hoping both can save the world and give them the game they drool over: Oregon vs. Alabama for the BCS Glass.

Will it happen?



Maybe it will....maybe it won't.

In the meantime, the field is beginning to settle, the undefeated teams are pulling away and separating themselves.

But is there REALLY a dominant team this year?

We don't think so.



Keeping that in mind, we will remind you of one constant. We are damn good at picking games...



Last week: So we leveled off 9-2 on the week, 59-5 on the season. Pretty good, isn't it...

But enough of that. As Casey Kasem always says, "On with the Countdown"

THE DIRTY DOZEN:

1) Alabama 5-0. Ha-Ha. Yeah, great, you beat Ga. State. Congratulations. But you have problems Slick Nick. Apparently you have/had an assistant paying players. Yeah...uh, that's not good. The NCAA generally frowns on it. But no fear, you have no near term challengers. This Week: vs. at Kentucky. Our Pick: Alabama 44, Kentucky 13

2) Oregon 5-0. Ha-Ha. Colorado had the lead on you...for about 30 seconds. We picked you to score 59, you scored 57....missed it by __that much. A bigger test this week on the road and Gameday in the house. This Week: at Washington. Our Pick: Oregon 37, Washington 31

3) Clemson 5-0. Barely broke a sweat against the 'Cuse...in New York no less. Well done. The meat of your schedule is ahead. Don't pull a Clemson on us. You could spoil the BCS party if you don't. This Week: vs. Boston College. Our Pick: Clemson 41, BC 23

4) Stanford 5-0. Congrats. You survived Washington. Though we'd love to see David Shaw and Coach Sark in the squared circle.



This Week: vs. Utah. Our Pick: Stanford 33, Utah 27

5) Ohio State 6-0. Congrats guys, you won the toughest game on your schedule last week. Unless you monumentally choke, you are going to run the table. But you may have the worst schedule in the entire BCS. Admit it. The Big 10 is awful this year. This Week: BYE

6) Florida St. 5-0 Wow! Two ACC teams in the top 6? How does that happen? Jameis Winston happened. That's how. We love watching him play. And the 'Noles next square off with Clemson. In 2 weeks. This Week: BYE

7) Georgia 4-1. Will the last healthy guy please turn out the lights? The best of the one loss teams has lost it's Top 4 WR's, Top 2 RB's and a handful of defensive starters. But they've held on. Allegedly the schedule gets easier, but Dawg fans are probably asking when? This Week: vs. Missouri, Our Pick: UGA 31, Mizzou 27

8) LSU 5-1  Okay, can someone please explain how a Les Miles team is scoring 45 a game? Cam? Zach? Answers please. It's time to find out if the Tigers will be running with the big boys at the end of the season. This Week: vs. Florida, Our Pick: LSU 31, UF 17

9) UCLA 4-0. Foks, this is your sleeper team. Though the schedule doesn't get easier. We really like what our pal Jimmy Mora Jr has done here. Brett Hundley is awesome. Need we say more. This Week: vs Cal. Our Pick: UCLA 33, Cal 23

10) Texas A&M 4-1. We continually profess our love for Johnny Football. He is the Tim Tebow of his era. Only the heel version.



No major challenges ahead. Until late November. This Week: at Ole Miss. Our Pick: Aggies 43, Ole Miss 30

11) Oklahoma 5-0. Okay Bob Stoops. Yes, you are underrated. But will you please stop whining about the SEC? You still have to win your own conference. Which is no guarantee. This Week: at Texas. Oklahoma 34, Texas 21

12) Baylor 4-0. Ok. University of Texas. You are delusional if you don't try to hire Art Briles from Baylor. He is a genius. Pure and simple. Put this team and Oregon on the field together and we might see someone score 100. And it would be fun to watch. This Week: at Kansas St. Our Pick: Baylor 70, K-State 16 (look it up)

THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL:



5) New Mexico State 0-6. Yikes. You lost to former Bottom member New Mexico 66-17? Really? How does that happen? Oh, wait, you are being outscored by 33 points a game on average. That explains it. This Week: vs. Rice. Our Pick: Rice 33, New Mexico St 0

4) Hawaii 0-5. Norm! Yes, Mr. Chow. We're talking to you. What happened? This used to be a proud team. And now this? How does that happen? Inquiring minds want to know. This Week: at UNLV. Our Pick: UNLV 40, Hawaii 20

3) UMass 0-5. So, yeah, that whole Fight Club thing from a couple weeks ago has served you guys well, hasn't it Charley Molnar? Dude. Either you can't coach, or...well. Where you stand right now tells everyone all they need to know. 7 points a game. ---sigh---This Week: vs. Miami (OH) Our Pick (do we have to?) Miami 8, UMass 7

2) Georgia St. 0-5. Yes, the mighty Saban is a kind and generous soul. 45-3. Consider yourselves lucky that you walked away relatively healthy Trent Miles and team. But your season isn't over. Don't forget. This Week: vs. Troy St. Our Pick: Troy St. 38, Ga. State 13

1) Southern Miss 0-5. Oh, Golden Eagles, how we pity you so. 17 straight losses, 4 turnovers as you go down vs. a horrible FIU team. If you could see us, we'd be shaking our collective heads. Where's Brett Favre when you need him? This Week: at East Carolina. Our Pick: ECU 47, S.Miss 13

The Dirty Dozen and Bottom of The Barrel: Rockin The Paradise

You oldies fans will get this:



Heh heh...yeah, they did cheesy stuff like this back around the late 70's and early 80's.

Anyway. The Georgia Bulldogs probably feel like Rocking something after playing 3 Top 10 teams in the month of September. The Dawgs/LSU game this past week, was one of the best we've seen in a long, long time.

Tell 'em Ric:



No marquee matchups this week, but plenty to talk about....so without much further ado:



Last Week: 12-0. Yeah, we're pretty good at this. And no, we don't be the Vegas lines. For the season, 50-3. DEAL WIT DAT!!!!

And as Casey Kasem said so very often, it's on...with the countdown:

THE DIRTY DOZEN:

1) Alabama 4-0. Who better than 'Bama? Nobody in this town. Or any other town. The defense made Old Miss look pretty bad last week, but we suspect they already were bad. The only hurdle left for the Crimson Tide, LSU on Nov. 9th. This Week: vs. Georgia St. (yes, really) Our Pick: Alabama 65, Ga.State 3

2) Oregon 4-0. So, the Ducks are averaging 59 points a game, giving up only 10, but they've yet to actually play anyone who can push them. Don't misunderstand, they're really good. Tell 'em Ric:



However, that won't happen this week. This Week: at Colorado Our Pick: Oregon 59, Colorado 10

3) Clemson 4-0. No worries, you got this, right Tigers? Destiny is in your lap. Win out, you have a shot to beat the Man. If Oregon loses that is. In the meantime, you're clicking on all cylinders. Just don't pull a Clemson anytime soon. This Week: at Syracuse. Our Pick: Clemson 38, Syracuse 27

4) Stanford 4-0. If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be? Oh, shit, stop with the Super Bowl media questions. The Cardinal trampled Mike Leach and his Wash. St Cougars in a deluge last week. Neither rain, nor sleet, nor Cougar shall bring them down. This Week: vs. Washington. Our Pick: Stanford 34, Washington 31(tempting, but not picking the upset)

5) Ohio State 5-0. Yay, Braxton Miller is back. Yay, you beat a ranked team. Yeah, sure it was a fellow crappy Big 10 team, but who's counting? A little tougher test is coming. Are you up to the challenge? This Week: at Northwestern. Our Pick Northwestern 37, Ohio St. 33

6) Georgia 3-1. Ok, sure, you've got a loss, but as we said earlier, 3 Top 10 games in 4 weeks makes a man out of ya. This is a good, deep team that if they stay healthy, might have enough to dethrone the Tide. Might. This Week: at Tennessee Our Pick: Georgia 41, Tennessee 23

7) Florida St. 4-0. Yeah, sure they struggled early with BC. But did you see Jameis Winston the last 3 quarters of the game. Nice. The gag is coming for this team. It always does. It's just when. This Week: vs. Maryland. Our Pick: FSU 43, Maryland 23

8) Louisville 4-0. Imagine if these guys played a real schedule. When your toughest game is vs. Kentucky, yeah, you are coasting. But as long as Teddy B is your QB, you'll be in the Top 10. But no, you aren't playing Big Boy football. This Week: at Temple (yikes) Our Pick: Louisville 57, Temple 10

9) LSU 4-1 Consider us fans of Zach Mettenberger. Quite the performance vs. UGA. His o-line gave in when he needed them most late. This is a VERY good and dangerous team though. This Week: at Mississippi St. Our Pick: LSU 37, Miss St. 21

10) Texas A&M 4-1. If we've told you once, we've told you a thousand times. Johnny Manziel is the best heel in the history of College Football. And he seems to be okay with that. But he needs help to win. You can't give up 33 to the Bielema's. Ever. This Week: BYE

11) UCLA 3-0. Rest up Little Jimmy Mora, it's time to come back on the field. You have officially won Los Angeles with the firing of Coach Kiffykins at USC. Take advantage of it. This Week: at Utah. Our Pick: UCLA 41, Utah 31

12) Oklahoma 4-0. Yeah, great, the pundits of College Football say you are awesome because you beat Notre Dame. We say that's a bit premature. Notre Dame's not that good. But you guys do appear to be the class of the Big 12. Revel in it. This Week: vs. TCU. Our Pick: Oklahoma 27, TCU 23



THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL:

5) UConn 0-4. 



Okay, well, so maybe not this time. Gone is Paul Pasqualoni, a guy who somehow got the coaching job for no readily apparent reason. However, he did a great job in killing whatever momentum this one-time BCS team had. And it ain't getting better this year. This Week: BYE

4) Temple 0-4 



Yeah, you couldn't beat Idaho. Nothing else needs to be said. This Week: vs. Louisville/See #8 on the other poll.

3) Florida International 0-4. Oops. Got them confused with Florida Atlantic last week. Who by the way are just as bad as the Golden Panthers. How did they end up hiring Ron Turner to coach this team? He's been one of CFB's worst coaches for over a decade. Hmmm....This Week: at Southern Miss Our Pick: Southern Miss 1, FIU 0



2) Georgia State 0-4. Poor Trent Miles. Did he see the Panthers schedule before taking the job? Who told these guys it was a good idea to go Division 1 this year? Good news, you almost beat Jacksonville St last week. Bad news. This Week: at Alabama. Our Pick: see #1 above

1) Southern Miss 0-4. Could it be? Could the Golden Eagles get off the schnide this week? Certainly 3 straight weeks of road abuse hasn't helped them. But FIU comes to town. So there's that. And this game, short of FIU vs. Florida Atlantic may be the worst game of the year. This Week: vs. FIU Our Pick: see above

The Dirty Dozen and Bottom of the Barrel: Who Are You?

Yeah, that's right, we really want to know:



And no, you aren't about to be transported to an episode of CSI, though admittedly it is an intriguing thought.

But anyway...

We are nearing the 1/4 pole and well, things have sort of settled out. At least a little bit.

Yes, mighty Alabama struggled with Colorado State, but consider it a hangover from Texas A&M week. At least one team, either LSU or Georgia, who are playing each other, will probably get voted off the island or have to pack up their knives and leave the BCS title hunt after this week--

For reference:



But enough of that. Did we mention we were 13-2 last week and 38-3 on the season?



And as the great Casey Kasem once said; "Let's get on with the Countdown"

THE DIRTY DOZEN:

1) Alabama 3-0. Right or wrong, they've earned the right to stay here until someone beats them. Tell 'em Ric:



The Tide hasn't really been that dominant this year, we'll see if they can put it together. ( This Week: vs. Ole Miss. Our Pick: Alabama 31, Ole Miss 28)

2) Oregon 3-0. Why is everyone anointing them a berth in the BCS game again? So what, they scored 59 vs. a crappy Tennessee team two weeks ago. They won't be the last. Still gotta play UCLA and Stanford, neither will be easy. (This Week: vs Cal, Our Pick: Oregon 59, Cal 21)

3) Clemson 3-0. Reality is quickly setting in and as much as we like Tajh Boyd, we still aren't convinced the Tigers will run the table. But they won't lose this week. (This Week: vs. Wake Forest. Our Pick: Clemson 33, Wake 20)

4) Stanford 3-0. Kicked it up a notch last week and coasted to a win over a decent Az. State team. Like this team, but the schedule after this week, gets a lot tougher. (This Week: at Wash. State. Our Pick: Stanford 31, Wash. St. 23)

5) Ohio St. 4-0. The Buckeyes may be for real, but we won't know til they actually play a tough team, something in limited supply in the Little 10. Let's see how the Urban-ator incorporates a 2 QB system against a team with a defense. (This Week: vs. Wisconsin. Our Pick: tOSU 31, Wisconsin 23)

6) LSU 4-0. Another team that hasn't been pushed hard yet. So far, they've done everything well, but haven't been challenged. Going Between the Hedges will change that. (This Week: at Georgia. Our Pick: UGA 37, LSU 31)

7) Florida St. 3-0. It's real easy to rack up tons of points and gaudy stats playing the Bethune Cookman's and Nevada's of the world. And really, outside Clemson, the schedule isn't tough for these guys. (This Week: at Boston College. Our Pick: FSU 41, Boston College 27)

8) Texas A&M 3-1. Keep doing what you are doing Johnny Football. You are the perfect WWE style heel. Tell 'em Ric:



You need to kick some defensive players ass though, you can't do this yourself. (This Week: at Arkansas. Our Pick: Aggies 38, Arkie 28)

9) Georgia 2-1. Time to put up or shut-up Dawgs. You've got LSU at your house and it looks like this will be the toughest game left on your schedule. Are you up to the task? Win and your path is clear, lose and we hope you like your Outback Steak. (This Week: vs. LSU. Our Pick See #6)

10) Louisville 3-0. Sorry Cardinals fans, no respect. You've done nothing that screams "National Title" contender. Look at the schedule. Take a long look at it. UCF and maybe Cincinnati will be your only tests. And yes, we still love Teddy B. (This Week: BYE)

11) UCLA 3-0. We honestly are happy for Jimmy Mora. We always maintained he'd be a great college coach and now he's proving it. Keep doing what you are doing sir. Of course having Brett Hundley run the show isn't hurting either. (This Week: BYE)

12) Miami, FL (3-0). Why not. The 'Canes are back. At least for now. No props for dropping a 77 spot on Savannah State. Our alma mater (Ga.Southern) did that too. If Stephen Morris stays healthy, you have a shot at the belt. The schedule gets easier from here too. (This Week: at S.Florida. Our Pick: Miami 37, USF 10)

THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL:



5) Massachusetts (0-4). Woe be the Minuteman. The good= Only giving up 32.5 ppt, the bad--only scoring 7 ppg. Yeah, that's probably not going to win very much--if ever. (This Week: BYE Our Pick: Bye 32.5, UMass 7)

4) Temple 0-3. It's not been a great year for football in the Philly area so far. Uh, yeah, Temple is 1 of 2 AAC teams in this part of the poll. And two more are hanging right on the fringe. Losing to Fordham...by 1? At home? With 4 seconds to go? Really? (This Week: at Idaho--oooof. Our Pick: Idaho 21, Temple 20)

3) New Mexico St. 0-4. Bad. Starting with 2 ranked teams on schedule. Less Bad, the other 2 aren't ranked. More bad, all 4 were losses and none were close. Oh...did we mention giving up 50 ppg? (This Week: vs. San Diego St. Our Pick: SDSU 21, NM St. 15)

2) Florida International 0-4. It's a bad year to be a Pelini. Bo has his issues in Nebraska and Carl coaches arguably the worst team in the NCAA. Did we mention the 72 spot they gave up last week? Or the loss to Bethune Cookman? Yeah...thought so. (This Week: at Southern Miss. Our Pick: Southern Miss 5, FIU 2 Pelini's)

1) Southern Miss 0-3. So yeah, the reigning title holder stays put. Much like Alabama



Somehow, the Golden Eagles aren't last in Conference USA, but they haven't played any conference games yet either. That changes this week. (This Week: vs FIU, Our Pick: see above)

Yes America, this may be the single worst game in the history of College Football, Florida International vs. Southern Miss. Someone has to win---don't they?

At the very least, someone gets off the island:

The Dirty Dozen and Bottom of the Barrel: Johnny B. Good Edition

So, did you watch the Alabama/Texas A&M game this past Saturday.

Anyone remember this?



Fun stuff, right?

Great game...if you were an offensive guy. And yeah, Johnny Football (Manziel), he was pretty good. Only problem...A.J McCarron was better.

But in all seriousness, as usual, we're nearly a week in and the season is quickly sorting itself out.

Unless you are Bo Pelini...



Interpret that as you will.

In the meantime...last week, not bad: 14-0, watch out '72 Dolphins...and a combined 25-1 on the season.

So with that in mind, it's "On with the Countdown"--

THE DIRTY DOZEN:

1) Alabama (2-0) Yup, they took care of business, but had to work...hard for it. If the champ plays defense like this, the SEC may get confused for the Big 12 before the season ends. Cupcake week this week for the Tide. (This Week: vs. Colorado St. Our Pick: 31, Colorado St. 17)

2) Oregon (3-0) So, the Ducks are already being talked about as being a title team. Haven't we heard this before? Though in all seriousness, Tennessee barely made them sweat. That won't change for awhile. Unless they choke like all Pac-12 teams do. (This Week: vs. Cal. Our Pick: Oregon 51, Cal 23)

3) Clemson (2-0) Conference play. Conference Play. If it's Thursday night, it must be ACC Football. Rest has been needed. It gets tougher from here. This won't be the week they lose an ACC Game. (This Week: Clemson 37, NC State 20)

4) Ohio St. (3-0) Ok, so this Kenny Guiton guy is pretty good. And he's the backup. The starter, Braxton Miller is supposedly ready to play again. And he's pretty good too. But how good is the rest of the team? Jury is still out. Cupcake alert. (This Week: vs. Florida A&M. Our Pick: tOSU 43, FAMU 10)

5) Stanford (2-0). So, the Cardinal haven't exactly lit things up this year, have they...Sure, they beat Army, but not without struggling, that will need to change if they want' to be successful. Quickly. (This Week: vs. Arizona St. Our Pick: Stanford 31, ASU 21)

6) Louisville (3-0). It's good to be Teddy Bridgewater right now, isn't it? He's really good, the team is decent, but geez, who do they play? All that's missing is a game with Western Kentucky and they can be the kings of the Bluegrass state, but in football, what does that get you? (This Week: vs. Florida Int. Our Pick: Teddy B's 35, FIU 10)

7) Florida St. (3-0) Hey, lookie here, they put up 62 vs. Nevada.......so. Jamies Winston, a freshman. Well, he's 40-45 throwing the ball. Pretty good. But much like Louisville, they haven't exactly played anyone yet. And won't til they see Clemson. (This Week: vs. Bethune Cookman. Our Pick: FSU 40-45, BCC 13)

8) LSU (3-0). 



Folks. We give you Les Miles. Nothing else to say. (This Week: vs. Auburn. Our Pick: LSU 23, Auburn 18)

9) Texas A&M (2-1) Ok. Admit it. Even though they lost, Texas A&M was pretty impressive. And as good as Johnny Football is, if he keeps running like he is, he's gonna get hurt. Yeah, I said it. Schedule sets up well for the Aggies though from here. (This Week: vs. SMU. Our Pick: Aggies 37, SMU 20)

10) Georgia (1-1) If any college team needed the week off last week, it was these guys. And you can argue they are getting 2 weeks even though they play on Saturday. UGA and Bama look eeerily similar this early in the season. We'll see if that holds. (This Week: vs. N.Texas. Really? Our Pick: UGA 43, N.Texas 13)

11) UCLA (2-0) Props to the Bruins and Jimmy Mora for the big win at Nebraska. This is arguably our darkhorse team of the season. Love us some Brett Hundley. How well did he adjust in the second half of the Nebraska game? Wow. (This Week: vs. New Mexico St. Our Pick: UCLA 33, NMSt. 21)

12) Miami (2-0) Flying under the radar. This makes 3. Yes...3, ACC teams in our top 12. Though we don't see any scenario where that will hold. But it's all good...for now. (This Week: vs. Savannah St. Our Pick: Miami 90, Savannah St. 3) 

THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL:



5) Memphis (0-2) All we can think of is this...



Being bad and being good at it. Say no more. (This Week: vs. Arkansas St. Our Pick: Ark St. 41, Memphis 20)

4) Texas (1-2). Just because we've looked forward to putting them on this list for a long, long time. haha! How does it feel now! It's not going to get any easier. (This Week: vs. Kansas St. Our Pick: K-State 27, Texas 26)

3) UMass (0-3)



3 Games, 3 TD's. Keep it up boys! (This Week: vs. Vanderbilt. Our Pick: Vandy 37, UMass 7)

2) Georgia St. (0-3) Sorry guys. You are outclassed. Buy a large, large margin. Though we are impressed you only gave up 41 to W.Virginia. Way to keep it close! (This Week: vs. Jacksonville St. Our Pick: J-State 31, Ga State 13)

1) Southern Miss (0-3) So, Arkansas didn't dismember you. You've got that going for you. 2-years here, you are the defending champs. Do something about it! Please. (This Week: BYE. Our Pick: BYE 34, Southern Miss 10)

The Dirty Dozen and Bottom of the Barrel: How Do You Like Me Now?

Oh, it's good to be back in the College Football swing of things. We enter week #3, 2nd of our poll and really, there hasn't been much decided.

Other than we are really good at picking games--



And yeah, we can say that.

11-1. That's right, 11-1, bank on it. No, we don't pick the spread, because quite honestly, we've never been very good with the whole Vegas Betting line thing...



But we digress....



Time to find out what at least some of us are made of--

THE DIRTY DOZEN:

1) Alabama (1-0). Still on top. Still kings of the hill. Still the man....or men. Nobody better. At least for the moment. Though we give you the Kings first test of the year. A road trip to College Station, Texas...and Johnny Football. (This Week: at Texas A-n-M Our Pick: Alabama 27, TAMU 21)

2) Clemson (2-0). Enjoy this you Clemson Tiger you. Still living la-vida-loca off the Georgia win. No, last week doesn't count. At least not in the Miss America contest. But now you get to go conference, can you take that piano off your backs? (This Week: @NCState Our Pick: Clemson 41, NC State 21)

3) Oregon (2-0). New coach, same Ducks. Run by day, run by night. They broke a sweat vs. Virginia, but not a big one. They might this week...but they might not. (This Week: vs. Tennessee Our Pick: Oregon 47, Tennessee 14)

4) Stanford (1-0). Finally, after pretty much the whole FBS played 1 or 2 games, the Cardinal kick off their season. And grind up the San Jose St. Spartans. We still like this team, very well rounded and not a traditional Pac 12 all-flash, no substance school. (This Week: @Army Our Pick: Stanford 41, Army 13)

5) Ohio St. (1-0). Stop Ohio State fans. Yeah, sure Kenny Guiton did great vs. SDSU, but it was SDSU. Don't go delusional on us, call back when you play a "Big Boy" school. Oh wait...It won't matter too much who's at QB this week...but it will eventually. (This Week: at Cal Our Pick: tOSU 23, Cal 17)

6) Texas A&M (2-0). Alrighty Aggie fans, time to put up or shut-up. You've talked a ton of smack this off-season and now the King of the Hill comes to pay a visit. You surprised them last yr, but how many people surprise the Saban twice? Yeah...think about it. (This Week: vs. Alabama Our Pick--see #1)

7) Louisville (2-0). Teddy B. Teddy B. Teddy B. The Cards take flight. Though they haven't exactly played a power schedule, which they may regret. But that's another story. In the meantime, Teddy has 9 TD passes in 2 games and you are 2-0. (This Week: at Kentucky. Our Pick: Teddy 37, Kentucky 13)

8) LSU (2-0). God we hate agreeing with other polls. But so far, so good. Don't read too much into the 56 spot they put up vs. UAB, everyone does that. That being said, Mettenberger has improved, but the D has given up some points. (This Week: vs. Kent St. --really? Our Pick: LSU 576, Kent State 12)

9) Florida St. (1-0) Another team still licking on cupcakes (ewww...gross). By October, the writers will be slobbering for Jameis Winston, but Winston will not have been tested. By anyone. (This Week: vs. Bethune-Cookman. Yes...yes they are. Our Pick: FSU 57, BCC 10)

10) UCLA (1-0). Good thing they were off this past weekend. The death of walk-on WR Nick Pasquale seems to have impacted the whole program and may have motivated them. We'll find out pretty soon. (This Week: at Nebraska Our Pick: UCLA 37, Nebraska 35)

11) Michigan (2-0). We aren't sold on these guys. But the national writers are convinced since they beat a perennially overrated Notre Dame. The schedule is easy, the potential to run the table good. But we're not convinced. (This Week: vs. Akron. Our Pick: Michigan 31, Akron Zip)

12) Georgia (1-1). They are here only because they've lost. This is a scary good team. Good luck stopping Todd Gurley. 3 Ranked teams in their 1st 4 games. If they can survive this, look out. (This Week: BYE)

Where there is good, there is bad and always, there is this--

THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL:

5) USC (1-1). Ooof. The call for Coach Kiffykins head grows by the day. The list of replacement candidates is out. And 10 more games remain. Yay, Cody Kessler is your starter. Good luck with that. Why?



(This Week: vs. Boston College. Our Pick: USC 13, BC 7)

4) Texas (1-1). Yeah, so what. You fired Manny Diaz. You really believe Greg Robinson is an improvement?



Ha! Good luck with that. It doesn't get any easier here and nobody is shedding a tear for them, nor should they. (This Week: vs. Ole Miss. Our Pick: Ole Miss 31, Texas 23)

3) Miami (Ohio) (0-2). It's gonna be a long, long year for this team. They aren't off to a good start. Worst in points for, worst in points against. Outscored on avg 46-10. Enjoy the fall. (This Week: BYE 46, Miami (OH) 10)

2) Georgia St. (0-2). This is why FCS (former 1-AA) teams should not move up to D-1. Not anymore. Maybe 10-years ago, not now. This is a waaaayyyy...overmatched team. Against everyone. They weren't good in FCS last yr. (This Week: @West Virginia. Our Pick: WVU 112, GaState 3)

1) Southern Miss (0-2). What was it we said last week about Alabama?



Oh, yeah. That. It's been a long time, been a long time, been a lonely, lonely, lonely time. OMG, I just quoted Led Zepplin! But...I digress. Don't expect things to get better, though these guys play FIU and UAB this season, so there's a chance. (This Week: at Arkansas. Our Pick: Ark. 43, S. Miss 10)

The Dirty Dozen and Bottom of the Barrel: Game On!

Yes, we're back!!!



You missed us. We know you missed us...



Since of course, we are all College Football fans, but some are new to our site, please allow us to catch you up.

This is what we at OSG Sports call our "College Football Poll". It's not just any poll, it's only what we feel are the 12 Best teams in all the land. And no, we don't believe in Preseason polls. They are complete and utter bullshit.

And by the way, we aren't biased towards teams that are allegedly good because everyone says they are.

With that in mind we will also tell you the 5 Worst teams. Why? Because where there is good, there is bad, where there is happy, there is sad (oops, sorry, went a music riff)

Anyway, without much fanfare...or further ado, we give you Week #1's Dirty Dozen and Bottom of the Barrel along with what we think will happen to each team along the way--



The Dirty Dozen:

1) Alabama (1-0) Until proven otherwise, they get to hold this perch. Maybe someone will knock them off it. Maybe they won't. But as the great Ric Flair says:



With that in mind. It ain't happening this week...the Tide have a bye

2) Clemson (1-0) Yes, Clemson. Sorry. Winning week #1 vs. Georgia and the SEC is huge for these guys. Will they choke later--probably. But for now, enjoy the spoils. (This Week: vs. South Carolina St. Our Pick: Clemson 51, SC State 13)

3) Oregon (1-0) Best team Nike can buy--bar none. And they play in the soft Pac-12. Always a good team and we love Marcus Mariota. Good luck keeping up with these guys. (This Week: at Virginia. Our Pick: Oregon 41, Virginia 23)

4) Ohio St. (1-0) Rule #1. Never count on a Big 10 team to start with a tough game. And tOSU lived up to that reputation and struggled a bit with Buffalo. They won't struggle as much this time. (This Week: vs. San Diego St. Our Pick: tOSU 37, SDSU 13)

5) South Carolina (1-0) So Jadeveon Clowney wasn't god-like in his 1st game. Big deal. Even winded, none of the fat-writers want any part of the kid. They'd rather throw stones. He'll be fine and counting his money this time next yr. (This Week: at Georgia. Our Pick: UGA 20, USC 17)

6) Stanford (0-0). Here only because they haven't played yet. They will. And they are a mirror image of Alabama. Almost. We really like coach David Shaw too. (This Week: vs. San Jose St. Our Pick: Stanford 41, SJSU 10)

7) Texas A&M (1-0) Ok, really, do you care what Johnny Football does when he's not playing football? Us either. Well, unless it's fun enough to drive traffic to our website. Yeah, we admit it. He will play again this week. And will look ahead to Alabama. (This Week: vs. Sam Houston St. Our Pick: Johnny Football 43, Sam Houston 17)

8) Lousiville (1-0) Oh, you Teddy Bridgewater. 5 TD's to start the year? And the pro scouts have commenced the drooling. Even if the writers don't pay attention. Expect the roll to continue. (This Week: vs. Eastern KY. Our Pick: Teddy Bridgewater 49, EKU 10)

9) Florida St. (1-0) Has there been anyone this year who's burst on the scene better the Jameis Winston? He's already won the Miss Congeniality award as a freshman. Just kidding. Seriously, if he's consistent at all, watch out. (This Week: BYE)

10) LSU (1-0) Alrighty, so Les hires Cam to coach Zach and the O. And they score points on opening night vs. TCU. Good sign. Right? We'll reserve judgement until the Tigers visit Athens. In the meantime. (This Week: vs. UAB. Our Pick: LSU 47, UAB 3)

11) Washington (1-0) Woo Hoo! Huskiemania rules! Well...maybe. But pounding a probably overrated Boise State in Seattle isn't a bad start either. They have a punchers chance this year with Oregon and Stanford coming to them. (This Week: BYE)

12) UCLA (1-0). So, it appears our pal Jim Mora may have found his calling in College. Good for him we say, as an NFL head coach, he was a great college coach. We always like to see people find their true calling. (This Week: BYE)


THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL:




5) Oregon St. (0-1) Sorry guys, you deserve this. You lost to Eastern Washington, an FCS team. It doesn't matter whether they were good or not. You were supposed to be a Top 25 team...and you obviously are not. And that's the Bottom Line--Cause Stone Cold said so~(This Week: vs. Hawaii. Our Pick: Oregon St. 37, Hawaii 35)

4) San Diego St. (0-1) You too, SDSU shall join the FCS loser bandwagon after getting drubbed by Eastern Illinois. Yes, Eastern Illionis. 4 INT returns for TD's will do that to ya. Cause after all--that's the Bottom Line, cause Stone Cold says so. (This Week: see Ohio State)

3) Akron (0-1). So, you didn't lose to an FCS team, though you appear to play like one after getting drubbed by UCF. Tiny Terry Bowden hasn't exactly recaptured his Auburn success...or any other success as the Zips are Zip for their last 10 games. Again...after all--that's the bottom line--Cause Stone Cold says so...(This Week: vs. James Madison. Our Pick: James Madison 31, Dolly Madison...uh..Akron 21)

2) Florida International (0-1). No, you didn't lose to an FCS team either, but your coach, Carl "The Bear" Pellini called for a stop the clock downing of the ball on a 4th down play. Early candidate for bonehead of the year. Say it with me everyone--That's the bottom line--cause Stone Cold says so. (This Week: vs. UCF. Our Pick: UCF 41, FIU 7)

1) Southern Miss (0-1) Last years champ returns. Uh...yeah. About Texas State. Well, yeah...um...weren't you supposed to beat them? Nah...you didn't. Ah...sorry, our bad. You get to keep your throne for another week.



(This Week: Ha! at Nebraska. Our Pick: Nebraska 127, Southern Miss 12)

Reports: Ellis Johnson out at Southern Miss.

This report isn't really much of surprise. Several Hattiesburg area media outlets are reporting that the University of Southern Mississippi and head coach Ellis Johnson have parted ways.

Southern Miss went from playing for the Conference USA title in 2011 to an 0-12 season in 2012 (and the title of "Bottom of the Barrel" winner here at OSG Sports).

Johnson came to USM from South Carolina where he was defensive coordinator. Before that he was successful as a D-Coordinator at several SEC schools. And while considered a failure as a head coach, he will be in high demand as a coordinator.

We've floated a few times here on OSG Sports who we think should be the next coach. Brett Favre. But think about it. He's perfect. He's an alum. He's an assistant coach in high school. Come on, what college kid wouldn't get excited if Favre showed up in his living room to recruit him.

Admittedly, that's a bit of a pipe dream. But if it happens, EVERYONE who reads this should give US the credit for being the first ones to say.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. hahahahaha!

Wacky Rain Delay Antics At Southern Miss

((HT: Jeff Taylor's twitvid))

We all know that rain delays are good for some things and not good for others...

Some try to be funny, some fail, and some succeed while being quite coordinated in the process...

FOSG Heather Kirksey gave us the heads-up on the coordination of the USM Golden Eagles at Trustmark Park...


See...??? Told you they were coordinated...

Southern Miss Pep Band Fails To Be Funny...

((HT: WDAM-TV Hattiesburg))

A lot of pep bands try to act like they're funny...
A lot of them aren't...

And the Southern Miss band tried to heckle a Kansas State player during their opening rounder...

Fail, fail, fail... and it had nothing to do with the Gerard Depardieu movie...

The report on the band is at the 3:00 mark...


"We deeply regret the remarks made by a few students at today’s game,” USM president Martha Saunders said today in a press release released by the Hattiesburg American's Patrick Magee. “The words of these individuals do not represent the sentiments of our pep band, athletic department or university. We apologize to Mr. Rodriguez and will take quick and appropriate disciplinary action against the students involved in this isolated incident.”

Just play your instruments, don't talk...

OSG Buzzer Beater: Dodson's 3 Shoots Down Arizona State

A crazy game in Tempe, Arizona Monday night between Southern Miss and Arizona State.

First there was a fight between Torye Pelham of Southern Mississippi and Arizona State's Rusian Pateev, both were ejected.

Then the game ended on a buzzer beater by Southern Miss' Darnell Dodson, who was coming off suspension.

Here's the highlights, Thanks Fox Sports Arizona



Darnell Dodson, a Kentucky transfer, was kicked off the Southern Miss men's basketball team back in April after he was arrested on auto and residential burglary charges at a fraternity house. He pleaded guilty but the conviction could be lifted if he serves 500 hours of community service.

Southern Miss officials and head coach Larry Eustachy reinstated Dodson last Friday after making amends.

A buzzer beater is not a bad way to be welcomed back to the team.

"It was great to see (Dodson) out there tonight have the game that he had," Southern Mississippi coach Larry Eustachy said. "He had only practiced with our team once prior today and I just hope he can continue to keep it going like that the rest of the way."

Coaching Carousel: Ellis Johnson to Southern Miss

Ellis Johnson

((ht: saturdaydownsouth.com))

It looks like the 'ol Ball Coach will need to find a new defensive coordinator and assistant Head Coach at the University of South Carolina.

Thats because Ellis Johnson will apparently be the new head coach at Southern Mississippi.

Johnson's work with the Gamecock defense has been widely praised as they've grown into a national "Top 10" group.

According to a reports, Johnson will stick around and coach the Gamecock "D" in the Capital One Bowl versus Nebraska.

Johnson takes over for the departing Larry Fedora, who led this years Golden Eagle squad to 11-wins. Fedora is moving on to take the reins and North Carolina.