Okay, so an article every Tuesday has posed to be a little bit more of a commitment than I anticipated. Working a full time job, trying to finish a manuscript, trying to find an agent, blah, blah, blah has gotten in the way. I will try to do a better job in the future but no promises.
As for the Pick 'Em League, it was a good start for yours truly. I got my first victory and finished second overall for the week in points. Among my highlights, I picked USF to upset Notre Dame, correctly picked LSU over Oregon and picked Northwestern to top Boston College.
This week is going to be a bit harder. I am facing Commissioner Dan in a battle of undefeateds. Honestly, these are some tough picks this week.
Game 1: Mississippi State at Auburn - I'm going with State on this one. This was one of the easier games for me to pick. It's not just based on Auburn's scare against Utah State last week. I think we all knew that Auburn was in for a tough year. Auburn is in that weird gap period between two great teams. They were great last year and I expect that they are going to be challenging for the SEC West title next year but this year is going to be more about making a bowl game. Counter that with State. This is a team that gets a little better each year under Dan Mullins and year three tends to be a pivotal year for a new coach. I expect that State is going to have a breakout year and be a surprise in the West, (yes I know I picked them for a SEC West 5th place finish but I'm already regretting that one). State has a powerful offense and from what I can see, Auburn's defense is weak at best. It will be a close one but Auburn's comeback luck ends this Saturday.
Game 2: Boston College at U.C.F. - I really debated this one but I am going to go with UCF. Vegas has them favored by six and I can see why. Last year was UCF's best season and this year they may be more talented. Boston College, on the otherhand, looks like a team that may be heading towards the bottom of the ACC pack this year. All apologies to Northwestern but Boston College's loss last week had more to do with Boston College being bad than it did Northwestern being good. I think UCF could be have another Top 25 finish this year. If they do, this will be a key game that could get them there. Of course, in typical UCF fashion, they could feasibly snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Still though, they are finally learning how to win games against big name schools and not just settle for the ocassional moral victory.
Game 3: Notre Dame at Michigan - Once again, Notre Dame is favored and I have to scratch my head as to why. It's not like the guys in Vegas are swayed by media love of the Irish. I saw both Notre Dame and Michigan play last week. Both of them looked like shadows of their former selves but with Notre Dame, I saw a team that had potential but found ways to give a game away. With Michigan, I saw a team that could face adversity and rally. I saw a team that could beat an opponent by twenty + points and not be satisfied with the result. When games are too close to call, I like to go with the ones that find ways to win and not find ways to lose.
Game 4: Cincinatti at Tennessee - I really debated this game. Because of weather, Cincinatti has yet to take the field. Tennessee has the luxury of a game under their belt. Tennessee is favored by a touchdown. They are the S.E.C. team facing a Big East opponent that lacks the scoring power that they had under Brian Kelly. Everything would make me pick Tennessee but I am picking Cincinatti. I will be rooting for Tennessee but I just think Cincinatti is going to be a little more put together. I expect Tennessee to get out to a better start and they may even have the lead at halftime but I think that by the middle of the third, the game is going to start to slip away from the Vols and Cincinatti is going to be able to pull this one out in the end.
Game 5: Alabama at Penn State: Alabama is the number three team in the nation. They are many peoples pick to get to the Championship game this year. Last year, Penn State couldn't even make a game of it. Alabama was floating in their second string and then their third string. It was an anomoly in what has otherwise been a great series. I think Alabama will get the victory in Happy Valley but this is going to be another close one. Penn State is greatly improved. Alabama has a serious issue with their offensive line's ability to protect their young quarterbacks. This will not be a blow out. This is a game that will be decided in the fourth quarter and if it turns out that my Alabama pick is wrong and Penn State gets the victory, I won't be surprised, (how's that for pure equivication?).
Game 6: California at Colorado - I didn't put much thought into this one. I don't think I have to. Colorado has been a disaster since the Hawkins era began. Their coaching hire in last year's offseason is one of those that makes sense from a loyalty standpoint but sends a message to everyone who doesn't root for the Buffs that Colorado is not serious about returning to the national stage. I don't think there are many teams that Colorado will beat this year and probably not next year or the year after that.
Game 7: South Carolina at Georgia - Since the Spurrier era began at South Carolina, this game has typically been close but it has also typically been a game that Georgia has managed to win more often than not. I don't see it this year. This is not a slap against Boise State. I really am starting to come to the opinion that if Boise State can run the tables this year, then they deserve their shot to play for a Championship. How many times can we dismiss them? However, even though Georgia is chocked full of talent, I just think the Richt era is coming to an end. Richt beat Spurrier more often than not with superior talent. Spurrier now has real talent to compete against the Bulldogs and now that Stephen "Badboy" Garcia is back under center, I think Georgia is about to get off to an 0-2 start.
Game 8: BYU at Texas. I think I stared at this game longer than any other trying to make a pick. For most of that time, I went with the Longhorns but at the last minute I have switched to BYU. Week 2 is always a danger week. It has a tendency to flip flop everything we thought we knew in Week 1. What did Week 1 tell us? Texas struggled against Rice but managed to put the pieces together and get a decent win out of the deal. BYU faced Ole Miss, a team generally believed to be headed for the SEC West cellar and was barely able to pull out a win with some fourth quarter luck. Sounds to me like Texas should win this game by at least a touchdown. No surprise, it is what Vegas has them favored by. However, I am picking the Mormans in this game. Games like the Ole Miss game can help a team mature quickly. Both Texas and BYU learned that they could face adversity and overcome it but BYU did it on a national stage against the big bad Southeastern Conference. Last Saturday, boys became men. Sometimes merely the belief that you can win is more important than the talent that it takes to get it done. I think Texas' psyche is fragile. It will only take a couple of bad breaks for the Texas players to get it in their head that it is 2010 all over again. BYU might just be a little too good and a little too confident a little too early in Texas' schedule.
Of course the elephant in the room is conference realignment. I promise to write something soon.
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