Week 10 Predictions

Hurricane Sandy blew  through the east coast this week leaving New Jersey devastated and Manhattan under water. Here are some pics of the carnage:

So basically if you live in New York you're totally screwed.  With no power, no pizza delivery, no dry clothes and no tourists to take out  your anger on, here is Manhattan a few weeks from now...

While New York and New Jersey recover from the Frankenstorm, the rest of America is business as usual.

As we all know, football is by far America's most popular sport.  So much so that the blown call by the replacements refs in week 2 that handed the Seahawks a win over the Packers shifted millions of dollars from losers to winners and vice versa.

College football betting, with a plethora of games every weekend, is even more enticing.  The spreads are greater, the games more plentiful, and the betting action more intense.  Why else would anyone care about the score of the Tarleton State v. North Alabama game? (4 PM, ESPN Game Plan this Saturday! Get your popcorn ready!)

So really, can we be surprised that the betting has no trickled all the way down to pee wee football?

Florida Youth Football coaches face disturbing charges of betting on pee we football games. 

Yes, the same men that were betting on the games were also coaching the teams they were betting on.  And they bet AGAINST their teams!

Ya.  So that's where we're at in sports now.

And here we are with some week 10 predictions...

Top 25 Action

#1 Crimson Tide @ #5 LSU - A top 5 matchup in the mighty SEC? Clearly the game of the week!

While Notre Dame is the media darling and Oregon's offense gets the hype, the Tide keep on rollin' with a historically good defense and an underrated offense.  The Tide D has given up 65 points for the entire season!  Have you ever wondered what coaches see on the sidelines that we may not recognize as fans watching on TV?  If so, here's an insider's view of how the LSU coaching staff views the 'Bama D...

The Tide embarrassed Mississippi State 38-7 last week.  Tide QB AJ McCarron is starting to get some recognition he rightfully deserves and has entered the Heisman picture. It's almost as if 'Bama is so good, the media has decided to hype other teams just to keep us interested. Nick Saban may just be an evil genius...

Instead of asking who can challenge 'Bama for the national title, they are now asking if 'Bama could beat some NFL teams. Of course that is absurd, unless you have watched the Jaguars play. This is 'Bama toughest test thus far coming up at LSU.  The Tigers have a similar formula.  They play lights out D but don't have nearly the offense that Alabama does. You never what crazy shit the Mad Hatter might pull out on any given Saturday...

  And with a home field advantage, this is the best shot any team has of knocking off the Tide.  21-17 'Bama!

#24 Okie State @ #2 K State - K State is in the driver's seat for now, but of course if they get too close to the BCS Championship game, the polls will swing in favor of an undefeated Notre Dame squad without a doubt. K State does not have to play in a Big XII Championship game, and that works to their advantage.  They have four games left to prove they belong, but will the pressure and/or a lack of a passing game derail their title hopes?  Okie State is hitting their stride on offense at the right time.  Their D is not bad, and I'm not sure how much home field really matters for the Wildcats.  K State has passed every test thus far and I'm hesitant to go against them, but they should be on upset alert this week.  35-32 Cowboys!

Pitt @ #3 Notre Dame - Irish fans already have a reputation as being one of the most obnoxious fan bases in college football.  And this guy does nothing to disspell that notion...

Much like 'Bama, the Irish win with defense.  So much so that their Heisman hype is for LB Manti Te'o instead of anyone on offense.  The Irish have 3 cupcakes before ending the season at USC.  If you think the Notre Dame hype is bad now, just wait a few weeks.  The Notre Dame faithful will be as insufferable as....  wow... I  honestly cannot think of anything more insufferable than Notre Dame fans.

The latest out of Pitt, 3 starters have been charged with assault. The most interesting part of that story, "...including Mitchell, who recognized Street from a class they took together on vampires." Seriously? A class on this...

The Irish D shut down the Sooners last week en route to a 30-13 victory.  Pitt is on a 2 game winning streak!  They beat Buffalo and Temple... which is like bragging about getting straight A's when you only took 2 credits of elective classes. Then again, anytime Pitt wins a game it's a big deal for them.  This is one of those games where I wish both teams could lose, because let's face it, whatever teams wins, their fans will be so effing annoying.  37-10 Notre dame.

#4 Oregon @ #17 USC - The West Coast game of the week! As predicted, Kiffin blew a game that USC had no business losing.  Arizona HATES playing defense.  They allowed WR Marqise Lee to go off for 345 yards and 2 TD's. The Trojans decided to give RichRod ball a try, forgetting that in order to win, you need to stop the other team from scoring.  In their loss to Arizona, USC allowed 26 second half points, two 100 yard rushers, and WR Austin Hill to rack up 259 yards receiving.  Maybe Kiffin should've tried poaching some of PSU's linebackers?  

Oregon's high octane O keeps rolling along.  Nobody has been able to slow them down all season.  The LEAST amount of points they've scored in a game all year was 42 against Fresno State.  You don't have to have 'Bama's D when your offense consistently hangs 50 on your opponents.  I'm willing to bet USC got caught looking ahead to this game last week, and as such, they'll be playing much better this week.  But I don't think that will be enough to knock off the Ducks.  45-35 Oregon.


Ole Miss @ #6 Georgia -The Rebels squeaked by Arkansas last week 30-27, hitting the game winning FG as time expired.  Ole Miss has won two in a row in the SEC, but has yet to beat a team that's ranked this season.  Georgia pulled the upset of the week against Florida, forcing six turnovers in a 17-9 win at a neutral site game.

The Bulldogs are in the Driver's seat of the SEC East and can clinch a spot in the SEC championship with a win this week and next week against an Auburn squad that hasn't shown up this year.  33 - 13 Bulldogs.

Mizzou @ #7 Florida - Mizzou is having a typical Mizzou season, beating bad teams and losing to good ones.  Does it make the Mizzou fans feel better that they're doing so in the SEC rather than the Big XII?  I have no idea, I only know one person that went to Mizzou and she doesn't talk football.  The Tigers D isn't bad, but the offense is atrocious.  Rest assured the Gators will be pissed off after losing to Georgia last week.  Ball security will be the #1 issue with the Gators after they only 3 more points than turnovers last week.  The Gators play solid D, but much like Mizzou, their offense is shaky, especially the 118th ranked passing game.  If Mizzou can force some more turnovers this week, they have a shot, but I expect the Gators to shut down Mizzou's O.  27-10 Gators.

Temple @ #10 Louisville - Remember when HC Al Golden had Temple on track for bowl games and setting their sites on taking down their in state rival Penn State for the first time since WWII?  Not many people outside of Philly remember that.  The Owls are starting to revert to the same program they were before Golden turned them around.  Is this season just a hiccup or is Temple reverting to the norm under HC Steve Addazio?  What we do know is the Owls offense is atrocious.  They have no passing game to speak of.  Their D is ok, but nothing special.  Louisville barely remained undefeated, eking out a 34-31 win against Cincy in OT last week. The Cardinals are 4 games away from an undefeated season, which means HC Charlie Strong is 4 games away from taking a new job with an SEC school and a nice pay raise at that.  The question is, if a team goes undefeated in the Big East, does anyone notice?  34-7 Louisville.

Sun Devils @ #11 Beavers - The Beavers magical season was interrupted by the Huskies last week, as UW hit a FG with 1:20 left for a 20-17 upset.  The Beavers are clearly an aerial team, ranking 15th in passing yards per game and 114th in rushing. Oregon State takes on a Sun Devils team that lost in an even more heart breaking manner to UCLA last week, giving up the the game winning FG as time expired in a 45-43 loss.  It's hard to tell which ASU squad will show up, the team that started 5-1 or the team that has lost two straight and given up 88 points in those two games.  The Beavers rely on their D to shut down their opponents while scoring just enough to win.  Up until last week that was a successful formula, but did UW give ASU the blueprint for beating the Beavers?  30-24 Sun Devils in the upset.

#12 Sooners @ Cyclones - The Sooners got stomped at home by Notre Dame last week.  Their frustration was apparent in the waning seconds as WR Kenny Still had a melt down, shoving an Irish DB to the ground and getting called for offensive pass interference on what would've been a TD catch.  Will HC Bob Stoops rally his troops in time for a trap game against a solid Cyclones squad?  The Cyclones shut down Baylor's high flying offense last week in a 35-21 win.  The Cyclone passing game as QB Steele Jantz set career highs with 381 passing yards and 5 TD's.

Sidenote: How awesome of a name is "Steele" for a football player?  Although the kid should be playing LB or DT. It's almost as awesome as these three players...

That said, Baylor's D is really bad.  I'd expect the Cyclones to come back to earth a bit this week.  And I expect the Sooners offense to take out some of their frustrations on an overmatched ISU D.  45-24 Oklahoma.

#13 Clemson @ Duke - Duke got absolutely stomped by the Seminoles last week 48-7, showing just how far the Dukies have to go to be considered a top ACC team.  Things don't get any easier this week against a Clemson team that's riding a 4 game winning streak.  QB Tajh Boyd and WR DeAndre Hopkins have proved to be a lethal combination this year, connecting for 58 receptions, 909 yards and 10 TD's thus far.  You also need to watch out for big play WR Sammy Watkins, who broke out for 202 yards and a TD in the Tigers 42-13 win against Wake Forest last week.  The Tigers have some fire power, and Duke's D just doesn't have the play makers to shut down better offenses.  45-17 Clemson.

#14 Stanford @ Colorado - How many QB's does it take to replace Andrew Luck? Apparently at least two, as Stanford is giving freshman QB Kevin Hogan more playing time this season. The Stanford offense has struggled all season, but when you lose the #1 pick in the NFL draft who many consider the best prospect since Peyton Manning, it's understandable that your offense is going to take a step back.  Fortunately for the Cardinal, their D has not fallen off much if at all this year and has kept them in every game. If not for a miraculous second half collapse by Wazzu earlier this year, the Buffaloes would be winless.  The Buffs D is ranked 126th in the nation and giving up 46 points per game this year!

49 - 10 Stanford.

#16 Aggies @ #15 Bulldogs - Mississippi State stumbled against Alabama last week. The problems started as the Bulldogs attempted to take the field...

Things didn't get any better from there as they Bulldogs were shut down in every aspect of the game in route to a 38-7 loss.  For a team that's won games with D all year, giving up 38 is not the way to prove you should get a BCS at large bid.  The Bulldogs are now in their second of 3 straight games against ranked opponents. They take on LSU next week.  If they can beat the Aggies and or LSU next week, the Bulldogs may have a shot to prove they are more than just a good team.  On the other side of the field, the Aggies are trying to prove they belong in the SEC.  They've already lost to Florida and LSU, showing they are not near the top of the conference right now, but losing to the Bulldogs would drop them to 6-3 overall and put them in the middle of the SEC pack.  And with a date with the Crimson Tide looming next week, the Aggies need this win to avoid a losing record in the SEC.  Both programs have a lot at stake in the next couple of weeks.  34-27 Aggies.

#23 Longhorns @ #18 Red Raiders - The Red Raiders were the latest victim of K State's fairy tale season, losing 55-24 to the undefeated Wildcats.  Losing to the Wildcats is nothing to be ashamed of, but giving up 55 points has to be a concern for a Red Raiders D that was considered one of the best in the nation earlier this season.  The Longhorns seem to play to the level of their competition this year, winning in a shootout against Baylor, then following that up with an ugly 21-17 win against a 1 win Kansas team last week. The 'Horns D has been shredded by even in some of their wins this year, and Red Raiders QB Seth Doege has to be licking his chops to face a Texas D giving up just under 33 points per game.  You know your coach is on the hot seat when even the cheerleaders are turning up the heat...

40 - 27 Red Raiders.

Aztecs @ #19 Broncos - The Aztecs are an underrated team riding a 4 game winning streak.  SDSU relies on it's 18th ranked running game to put points on the board.  Their passing O is not very good, and their D is average at best.  But what they do, they do well.  The Aztecs head to the smurf turf to take on the Broncos who are riding a 7 game win streak. The Broncos just keep on winning, sometimes in blowouts, sometimes in ugly close games.  Boise's D has been solid all season, and if they can keep the Aztecs run game in check, they'll have an 8 game win streak going! 32 - 21 Boise.

#20 Nebraska @ Mich State - The Huskers dominated a D-Rob-less Michigan team last week, 23-9.  It wasn't the Huskers best game of the season, but it was a win nonetheless. QB Taylor Martinez did not have his best game, but he didn't need to.  The Huskers face another toothless offense this week as they head to East Lansing to take on Sparty's 111th ranked offense.  The Huskers D sucks, and the Sparty offense sucks.  On the flip side, the Huskers offense is pretty good, and Sparty's D is damn good.  This game will come down to turnovers.  If QB Taylor Martinez can hold on to the ball and not give Sparty any breaks, the Huskers should be victorious.  24-13 Huskers.

TCU @ #21 WVU - It was a short two weeks ago that QB Geno Smith was the Heisman front runner, and we were talking about which offense was better, Oregon's or West Virgnia's.  We arrive at this week with the Mountaineers having scored a total of 28 points in their past two games and Geno's Heisman hype being silenced.  What happened? Maybe they need to separate these two players...

And more importantly, can WVU right their ship and start scoring again.  TCU lost their starting QB a few weeks ago, but it's not the offense that's the problem as freshman QB Trevone Boykin has more than held his own as the starter.  No, it's the Horned Frogs D that has completely fallen apart, giving up 56 to TX Tech and then 36 to Okie State last week, both losses. TCU has only 5 wins and will face a ranked team in every game left this season.  If they hope to go bowling this year, they'll have to pull off an upset.  34-24 Mountaineers.  Light! 'Em! Up!

#22 Arizona @ UCLA - Arizona pulled off the upset of the week knocking off USC 39-36 in a thriller last week.  The Wildcats offense was unstoppable in the second half, at one point reeling off 4 unanswered TD's in a row turning a 28-13 deficit into a 39-28 lead.  The Wildcats D then held on for the huge upset. The Bruins have a better record than the Wildcats... and also better uniforms thanks to their latest "Hollywood Nights" threads...

The Bruins won on a FG as time expired last week and will look to carry that momentum over to this game.  Freshman QB Brett Hundley has played well this year, but the real star of the Bruins offense is RB Johnathan Franklin, who is already over 1,000 yards for the season and averaging 6.7 yards per carry.  We already know playing D is optional for RichRod's squad, so look for another shootout.  44 - 35 Arizona.

UTSA @ #25 LA Tech - The Roadrunners are slowly but surely building a program as they only their 9th game as a FBS member.  UTSA has a balanced offense, but neither their passing nor running game is very good.  On D, it's what you'd expect from a first year FBS squad.  LA Tech has been lighting up the scoreboard all season.  Their 52.6 point per game average is behind only Oregon, but they play even less defense than Arizona.  Look for the Bulldogs to hang 50+ on an overmatched Roadrunners team this week.  59-13 LA Tech.

Games of Note 

GA Tech @ Maryland - The Terrapins are hoping these distract you from  how terrible they are...

Ugh.  Have you ever wondered what would happen if a team lost it's first 4 QB's?  Well, that's what Maryland is about to answer, as they start their FIFTH string QB who was a backup LB two weeks ago.  And his backup?  A backup TE that played a little QB in high school. It's not pretty in College Park this fall. GA Tech is not impressed, as their QB's are just RB's taking the snap anyway.  If Maryland can manage to put any points on the board at all it will be a minor miracle.  28 - 6 Yellowjackets.

Penn State @ Purdue - After getting hit with Hurricane Sandy last week, the outlook is not much better in State College this week...

That meteorologist must be a Purdue fan.

The Nittany Lions lost to QB Braxton Miller 35-23 last week, as they were unable to contain him in the second half.  QB Matt McGloin has done better this year than anyone could have predicted, but showed his limitations last week throwing a pick six and looking out of sync all night.  Purdue is on a 4 game skid, but still dangerous.  They're playing for pride now, which is a dangerous thing.  After a huge night game at home last week, the Nits are bound for a let down this week on the road for a 3:30 start.  I expect Purdue to come out fired up and take a half time lead while PSU sleep walks through the first half.  It will be a game well into the 4th quarter, but the Lions should be able to take advantage of a porous Boilermakers secondary.  35-27 PSU.

Illinois @ Ohio State - QB Braxton Miller is a one man wrecking crew.  He literally beat the Nittany Lions on his own last week, running for 134 yards and 2 TD's and collecting half of his total passing yards on one play, a 72 yard TD strike to his TE.  As goes Braxton, so goes the OSU offense, and as of now, nobody has been able to stop him enough to beat the undefeated Buckeyes.  Illinois is just awful.  49 - 6 Buckeyes.

Michigan @ Minnesota - Well we got to see what Michigan's O looks like without their star QB Denard Robinson last week, and much like Tebow's #1 fan...

It was not pretty. D Rob should be good to go against the Golden Gophers this week, and he better be, because the Wolverines Freshman QB Russell Bellomy looked awful against the Huskers.  Minnesota ended their 3 game losing streak last week and will look to carry that momentum over to this game.  Unfortunately, the Gophers are not very good on offense or defense.  If D Rob isn't himself or gets hurt again, the Gophers have a chance, but even then, Michigan's D is solid. 31 - 16 Michigan.

Upset of the Week

New Mexico State @ Auburn - This will be Auburn's 9th game of the season and they STILL have only 1 win, and that was a lucky OT victory over Sun Belt member UL Monroe! The Tigers are bad in every aspect of the game, especially on offense.  They're ranked in the 100's in every major offensive category.  Their D is not much better, ranking 81st.  What do you expect from a school who's students can't even spell it's own name right?

New Mexico State has only 1 win as well, but their passing offense is actually pretty good.  Can the Aggies add insult to the Tigers injury this year? Probably not.  Congrats Tigers... you just got ...

29 - 26 Aggies!