Saturday, February 11, 2012

Week 11 Predictions

It's with a very heavy heart I write the predictions for this week.  The scandal that has engulfed my beloved University is disturbing to say the least.  I'm as appalled by the acts of that deviant monster as all of you.  I too want to know who knew what & when, and why nothing was done earlier to stop him from preying on innocent children. The Penn State community wants a full investigation to find out what went wrong and to make sure nothing like this can ever happen again, anywhere.  This is not a football issue, it's an issue of humanity. 

There is allot of misinformation being reported as fact in the media right now.  The idiot students that rioted were protesting the firing of Joe, not supporting Jerry Sandusky in any way.  Jerry Sandusky has not been on PSU's staff for 12 years.  Why he was still allowed on campus or to run his charity is one of the questions I want to know just as much as you do. 


Joe & Jerry were not "pals" as has been reported.  They did not even like each other.  When they had their falling out is not entirely clear.  I have no idea what Joe knew or when, or any other coach for that matter.  The only facts I know are what is reported in the grand jury testimony that has been released.  I don't know what happened with the investigation in 1998.  I don't know what happened to the Attorney General Ray Gricar who was the AG when the allegations were alleged. He disappeared without a trace in 2005. 
I don't know why McQueary didn't do anything when he witnessed the sexual assault in the shower in 2002.  I don't know why nobody went to the police. I don't know why McQueary is still on staff.  My only thought is his side of the story has not been told and there is more information that we do not know yet.

I have no idea if the rumors surrounding the Second Mile are true or not.  I do know that the "reporter" that broke the story is a die hard anti-Penn Stater.  The other distortion circulating in the media is that it was Penn State donors that were involved with the scheme. That is not accurate.  The actual story involved Second Mile donors.  The Second Mile is not affiliated with PSU.  Unfortunately, it's headquarters are in State College and it was founded by that monster that is the cause of all of this.  Because of this, many prominent PSU alumni as well as many prominent college football coaches and players are on it's Board.  It's guilt by association, but it really doesn't matter.  The real tragedy is that there's a possibility of many innocent children being harmed by a charity that was supposed to help them.  Because of that, I pray to god that the rumors are not true.

As a PSU alum, I can assure you that those people do not represent our University.  Anyone that new about that sick monster & did nothing should be excommunicated from Penn State and  immediately  tried in a court of law if they broke the law. The University is having a candle light vigil tonight to pray for the victims. 

Keep in mind, our players have done nothing wrong.  The alumni, fans, & students will pack the stadium tomorrow and cheer for outr team.  Do not mistake our love of our University & support of our team as in any way supporting the despicable monster Sandusky or anyone that contributed to covering up his horrible crimes. 

As far as JoePa, We are very conflicted.  We can't help but wonder why he did not do more to stop Sandusky.  But we also realize how much good he's done for the University in his 60+ years in Happy Valley.  I don't expect anyone outside the Penn State family to understand our conflict. What many consider a black & white issue is a gray area for some Penn Staters.  I'm not saying that is right or wrong, I'm just saying there are some that are conflicted.  There will be many former players and alumni supporting Joe this weekend.  They are not supporting Joe's failure to stop Sandusky, they are supporting what Joe has meant to them and so many others in his 46 years as head coach.  The media will portray this in the worst possible light and sensationalize everything this weekend, so please keep in mind my statements above.  Also, I will be in Happy Valley this weekend, so if anyone has any questions about what is actually happening I'll be happy to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge.

All I ask that you not judge Penn State by the actions of a few, however morally reprehensible their actions.  And most importantly, my fellow Penn Stater's and I pray for the victims to get the justice they deserve. 

That said... there is some football to be played this week!

How about that snooze fest in 'Bama last week?  9-6 in OT!  Ugh.  Reminds me of that 13-6 borefest that PSU won in Columbus in 2008.  All defense?  No touchdowns?  I thought these teams had the best players in the nation!  You know what, my bad... I forgot this was an SEC game.  That changes everything.

How about that GAME OF THE CENTURY in 'Bama last week!  What an incredible show of defense.  Even with all those incredible playmakers and SEC speed, the D's stepped up HUGE and ddin't allow any TD's.  I look forward to this rematch in the BCS National Championship game.  

On to the games.....

Top 25 action...

W Kentucky @ #1 LSU - Do the Tigers have a let down this week?  Is it even possible to have such a drastic let down that you go from winning at 'Bama to losing to the Hilltoppers at home?  The Tigers would win this game even if they forfeited it.  60-7 LSU.

#2 Okie State @ Tx Tech - Okie State is for real.  Their offense is dominating.  Weedon & Blackmon are one of the best QB/WR duos in the country.  The Cowboys have two more winnable game until their season ending matchup against the Sooners.  Tech is a schizophrenic team.  They already took down the Sooners when they were in the top 5, could they pull off another upset against the #2 team in the country?  This game will be interesting.  I'm calling this for my upset of the week.  Red Raiders 34 - Fightin' T. Boones 31.

#3 'Bama @ Miss State - the Tide did not roll at home last week.  They were held out of the end zone, and missed what seems liked a ton of FG's.  How much do the players hate putting in all that hard work, only to be done in by the damn kicker?  How much does Saban hate getting all those top recruits, and having his idiot kicker miss FG's?  The Bulldogs have fallen back this year after a pretty good last  year.  'Bama will take out their frustrations on the Bulldogs this week.  And may take it out on their Kicker if he misses more FG's.  34 - 13 Tide.

#7 Oregon @ #4 Stanford - The Ducks only loss is to #1 LSU.  Their offense has been rolling again despite LaMichael James missing some games.  Stanford has not lost a game yet, but came close at USC.  Luck has been Heismanesque all season.  This is going to be a huge test for him. If Stanford wins, they clinch a spot in the inaugural Pac 12 Championship.  The winner of this game will most likely also head to the Rose Bowl.  This will be a fun one game to watch in Palo Alto. Oregon gets their Ducks in a row and out guns the Cardinal.  37-34 Ducks.  

TCU @ #5 Boise State - Big XII member TCU heads north to the smurf turf for the Broncos toughest game since beating Georgia to start the season.  The Horned Frogs are not the same team as they were last year, but they are still solid.  Both teams are undefeated in the Mountain West, but only Boise can make it to a BCS game.  TCU has two losses.  If Boise wants to make it into the big time, they must go undefeated.  This is essentially a playoff game.  Win, and Boise is poised to get a huge payday and a BCS bowl.  Lose, and they may end up playing in a bowl that nobody knows exists on a weekday between Christmas and New Years. You think the Pac 12 wishes they took Boise instead of Colorado?  Broncos win at home 27-17 to keep their BCS hopes alive.

Volunteers @ #8 Arkansas - The Razorbacks keep on rolling along under the radar.  In a league where a regular season game is billed as "the game of the century", the 'Backs need to make some major noise to get noticed.  The Volunteers just can't seem to get it together this season.  42-13 Arkansas.

Wake Forest @ #9 Clemson - FINALLY Clemson restored my faith in them!  I knew they'd blow a game they were favored in, but losing to Ga Tech is a respectable loss.  Wake has lost 2 in a row has no rushing attack whatsoever.  The Tigers will get back on track against the Demon Deacons this week.  45-21 Clemson.

#10 Va Tech @ #21 Ga Tech - the battle of the Techs happened last night. I would've predicted this 41-31 Hokies. The Hokies won 37-26.

#11 Cougars @ Tulane - Keenum continued his assault on the NCAA passing record books.  I would've predicted this game 73-17.  Somehow, I was 100% correct, Houston won 73-17!

#19 Huskers @ #12 Penn State - PSU controls it's own destiny in the Big Ten, but this game begins a mine field of a 3 game stretch.  After this, it's @ Columbus and then @ Madison.  I want to believe, but I can't see this offense putting up enough points to win on the road.  This team has no margin of error. If PSU's D struggles, the Nittany Lions lose.  The Huskers looked lost against a plucky Northwestern team that spread them out and made them defend in space.  PSU does the exact opposite of that.  This will be another ugly, ugly game.  Tune in at your own risk.  13-10 Nittany Lions.

Florida @ #13 Gamecocks - Florida got back in the win column last week against a very tough Vandy team.  For now, Muschamp & Weiss are off the hot seat.  The Gamecocks produced 28 points without Marcus Lattimore against the Razorbacks last week, but their D gave up 41.  This will be a matchup of two struggling offenses.  25-17 Gamecocks.

Texas A&M @ #14 K State - Well, K State has gone from 7-0 to 7-2 in a matter of 2 weeks. They are now the worst 2 loss team in the country.  A&M is not much better.  If this game was in College Station, I'd give it to A&M, but in Manhattan, KS, I think the Wildcats Offense will be too much for the Aggies.  35-24 K-State.

#20 Auburn @ #15 Bulldogs - Mark Richt's seat has cooled a bit since opening 0-2.  The Tigers are still happy to have their national title last year and are sitting at 6-3 this year.  If the Bulldogs can win this one, they have the inside track to winning the SEC East and playing in the SEC Championship.  How pissed would the media be if the Bulldogs knocked off LSU and they ended up having to put a one team not in the SEC in the BCS Championship?  I'd wager they would still vote LSU #2 and 'Bama #1 even if there is another undefeated team in another conference.  And as far as Boise, going undefeated is probably not even enough to get them into the BCS championship.  Bulldogs 27-24. 

#16 Longhorns @ Mizzou - Finally Mizzou has made it official they are heading to the SEC.  Mizzou's offense is underrated, but they seem to have problems stringing together wins.  The Horns are one dimensional.  Their passing game is non existent, their rushing game is solid.  Since Mizzou seems to flip flop between wins and losses, and they lost to Baylor last week, I'm predicting the Tigers pull off the upset at home against the Horns this week.  31-24 Mizzou.

#17 Sparty @ Iowa - Sparty got back on track against a somehow much improved Minnesota squad last week.  They are still leading the Legends division.  Iowa pulled off minor miracle last week against Michigan.  After losing to the Golden Gophers the previous week, they shut down Denard Robinson and beat the Wolverines last week.  I have to admit, I did not see that one coming.  I do see this one coming though and am predicting Iowa owns the state of Michigan this year.  24-21 Hawkeyes.

#18 Badgers @ Golden Gophers - the Gophers are playing much better football right now.  Which is like saying a homeless guy found a really nice refrigerator box.  A few weeks ago I would've said the Badgers put up 70, but since the Gophers are playing better, I'm saying they only give up 45.  Badgers roll 45-17.

UCF @ #22 Southern Miss - There was a huge scandal in Central Florida this week!  No really, there was.  Their AD resigned.  I know, nobody cares.  I don't blame you.  Southern Miss keeps creeping up in the rankings.  Brett Favre U 35-14. 

Mountaineers @ #23 Cincy - I have to admit I had no idea the Bearcats were ranked until I looked at this week's schedule today.  Has WVU already checked out of the Big East?  They have not played well the past few weeks.  WVU gets back to burning some couches this week 38-28.

#24 Michigan @ Illinois - the Illini offense is struggling mightily right now.  The Wolverines laid an egg against the Hawkeyes last week.  This is a bounce back game for both squads.  I don't see Denard getting shut down two weeks in a row.  The Wolverines hold off the Fightin' Zookers 24-21.

#25 Baylor @ Kansas - RGIII has his team back in the rankings!  The Jayhawks are only days away from basketball season!!  48-13 Bears.

Big Ten action -

Buckeyes @ Purdue - the Buckeyes got their slap on a wrist this week.  Did anyone think the game in Columbus next week would pit Luke Fickell against Tom Bradley?  Wow.  PSU wishes it had the Buckeyes problems right now.  How quickly things change.  Buckeyes shut down the Boilers 29-3.

Rice @ Northwestern - Rice already beat one big ten team this year, can they make it two?  If Persa is healthy, I don't see it happening.  The Wildcats get back to .500 this week.  34-14.

One last thing - On this Veteran's day let's not forget the men & women of our armed forces that sacrifice for us and the good of the country to make us safe! There are some that will read this email, and to them, I want to personally thank you for your service. I would especially like to thank my brother-in-law U.S. Navy Lt. T.J. Browning, who is currently on deployment on an aircraft carrier somewhere in the middle east.  TJ had to leave his now 6 month old daughter Claire and wonderful wife Kara at home to go serve his duty to our country.  Thankfully he will be back home soon. We all miss you and will see you soon! Stay safe brother and thank you for your service! 




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