Weekend Picks, Week 12

I told you it was going to be an awful November. But it’s been pretty good for me as far as my picks go. Though I do think we’ll see a few upsets this week.

Last Week: 21-5
Overall: 213-55

And now, this week’s picks. As always, AP Top 25 and SEC games.

Tonight
Colorado at No. 12 Oklahoma State
The Cowboys might wind up being the worst 10-2 team in the history of the Big 12. Oklahoma State 34, Colorado 13

Friday
No. 6 Boise State at Utah State
The Broncos continue to demolish the dregs of the WAC. Boise State 48, Utah State 3

Saturday
Florida International at No. 1 Florida
Doubtful the Gators’ starters see much of the second quarter, even. Florida 38, Florida International 0

Chattanooga at No. 2 Alabama
Long day for the Mocs. Alabama 35, Chattanooga 7

Kansas at No. 3 Texas
Considering all the nasty news that’s come out about KU coach Mark Mangino, this could be a bad day for the Jayhawks. Texas 37, Kansas 13

No. 4 TCU at Wyoming
Final hurdle cleared. Coasting to the finish. Though Wyoming is generally a semi-tough trip. TCU 34, Wyoming 17

No. 9 Ohio State at Michigan
Under normal circumstances, you would think this game would be competitive despite Michigan not being very good. These are not normal circumstances for the Wolverines. Ohio State 31, Michigan 10

No. 10 LSU at Mississippi
LSU is past due to get beat in a game it probably shouldn’t. The Rebels are past due to beat someone good. Mississippi 24, LSU 17

No. 11 Oregon at Arizona
The Wildcats derailed the Ducks’ season two years ago, and could do it again. I doubt it, though. Oregon 34, Arizona 31

No. 13 Penn State at Michigan State
The Nittany Lions just haven’t looked good, and Michigan State may finally be finding itself. Michigan State 27, Penn State 24

California at No. 14 Stanford
Maybe the most intriguing game of the day. Which Cal shows up? Can Stanford sustain this run? I really don’t know, but I’m going with the Cardinal at home. But not by much. Stanford 34, California 27

Minnesota at No. 15 Iowa
The Floyd of Rosedale stays in Iowa City. Iowa 26, Minnesota 10

N.C. State at No. 16 Virginia Tech
These two seem to always beat each other up. Virginia Tech 20, N.C. State 14

No. 17 Wisconsin at Northwestern
Upset city! Northwestern 28, Wisconsin 21

Virginia at No. 18 Clemson
The Al Groh Countdown continues. Clemson 35, Virginia 10

Air Force at No. 19 BYU
Maybe some upset potential here, but probably not in Provo. BYU 33, Air Force 21

No. 20 Oregon State at Washington State
The Cougs are so bad. Oregon State 47, Washington State 21

Duke at No. 21 Miami
I could kinda see the upset here, but Miami is way too good and just lost, so they should be angry. Miami 31, Duke 13

San Diego State at No. 23 Utah
The Utes should roll here. Utah 36, San Diego State 14

Memphis at No. 24 Houston
This could be the single ugliest game of the day. Houston 73, Memphis 14

No. 25 Rutgers at Syracuse
I know I say this all the time in regards to Syracuse and Washington, but this dynamic in games like this continues to blow my mind. Rutgers 30, Syracuse 14

Mississippi State at Arkansas
I like the Bulldogs a lot, but they just don’t have the firepower to hang with Mallett and the Hogs. Arkansas 41, Mississippi State 24

Kentucky at Georgia
I know I’ve been saying Kentucky would win this one, but I’m going to give the Bulldogs the benefit of the doubt (considering past history, probably a mistake). Georgia 26, Kentucky 21

Vanderbilt at Tennessee
The Vols put the Commodores out of their misery this season. Tennessee 33, Vanderbilt 7

IIHAV, Week 12

Finally a week of upsets. Too bad most of them didn’t mean anything.

I hate this season.

Anyway, here are last week’s rankings:

1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. Texas
4. Cincinnati
5. Boise State
6. TCU
7. Georgia Tech
8. LSU
9. Ohio State
10. Utah
11. Miami
12. Oregon
13. Iowa
14. USC
15. Pittsburgh
16. Houston
17. Arizona
18. Penn State
19. Oregon State
20. Oklahoma State
21. BYU
22. Wisconsin
23. Stanford
24. Auburn
25. West Virginia

And now, without further ado, this week’s If I Had A Vote Poll.

1. Florida
I’m pretty much back in the “This team’s not hungry” camp.

2. Alabama
Maybe that good performance at Mississippi State will put Greg McElroy back on track.

3. Texas
Call me when they’re in Pasadena.

4. TCU
They beat a very good team to death last night. Let’s not forget that.

5. Cincinnati
Only a couple hurdles left to clear.

6. Boise State
At this point they’re probably rooting for Oregon and Stanford. and whoever TCU has left.

7. Georgia Tech
I’m really not in a position to speak with any authority on this, but the Yellow Jackets might have a decent shot of getting in the title game if Texas somehow loses.

8. Ohio State
They were just lulling us into a false sense of complacency.

9. LSU
Weren’t looking great against La Tech.

10. Pittsburgh
They haven’t proved they deserve it yet, but they deserve it more than anybody else left.

11. Stanford
This is probably a bit too high, but I don’t care. I love me some Jim Harbaugh right now.

12. Oregon
The Ducks are still in the driver’s seat. They’ve just gotta make sure they don’t screw it up.

13. Oklahoma State
Not sure if they’re 13th best, but they’ve got as good a case as anyone else.

14. Oregon State
The Pac-10 is surprisingly strong this year.

15. Iowa
I’m not going to hate on the Hawkeyes as much as everyone else.

16. Penn State
Couldn’t put them ahead of Iowa.

17. Utah
Not gonna punish them too much. TCU is apparently even better than I though.

18. BYU
Maybe getting embarrassed by TCU at home wasn’t all that bad.

19. Wisconsin
They just keep winning.

20. Mississippi
Maybe if they’d played like that all year they wouldn’t be the laughingstock of college football right now.

21. USC
Would drop them lower but didn’t want to put a couple Pac-10 teams ahead of them.

22. California
I wonder if any team has ever moved in and out of the top 25 as much as the Golden Bears.

23. Arizona
Still a good team, just couldn’t get it done.

24. Miami
Kind of wanted to drop them out (and maybe should have), but I’m leaving them in another week at least.

25. Houston
Same as above. They have two awful losses. They also have three good wins. I don’t know what to make of them.

Dropped out: No. 24 Auburn, No. 25 West Virginia

On the radar: West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Rutgers, North Carolina

Weekend Picks, Week 11

Big week for yours truly last week, aided by a couple of prescient upset picks and a bevy of awful SEC games.

Last week: 26-3
Overall: 192-50

And now, this week’s picks. As always, AP Top 25 and SEC games.

Today
No. 23 South Florida at Rutgers
Not quite sure what to make of this one, but the Bulls seem to be the better team. South Florida 27, Rutgers 23

Friday
West Virginia at No. 5 Cincinnati
Biggest test thus far for the Bearcats, and I think they’ll pass. Cincinnati 31, West Virginia 26

Saturday
No. 1 Florida at South Carolina
I’ve got a feeling this one might drive the OBC to the golf course. Florida 33, South Carolina 10

No. 2 Texas at Baylor
Baylor is a lot better than it used to be (despite what you Oklahoma fans say) but they’re nowhere near good enough to compete with Texas yet. Texas 38, Baylor 10

No. 3 Alabama at Mississippi State
The Bulldogs do have a tiny bit of a shot here, but I’m not going there. Alabama 27, Mississippi State 13

No. 16 Utah at No. 4 TCU
A freshman QB going on the road against that Horned Frog defense? No thanks. TCU 21, Utah 7

Idaho at No. 6 Boise State
For the first time in forever, the Spud Bowl could be competitive. Boise State 34, Idaho 26

No. 7 Georgia Tech at Duke
This is for your ACC Coastal Division title. Yeah, sad isn’t it? Georgia Tech 31, Duke 14

Notre Dame at No. 8 Pittsburgh
I still don’t know how Pitt got here, but I do know they’ll be helping tape up Charlie Weis’ boxes. Pittsburgh 28, Notre Dame 16

Louisiana Tech at No. 9 LSU
The Bulldogs just aren’t as good as I thought they’d be this year. LSU 35, Louisiana Tech 6

No. 15 Iowa at No. 10 Ohio State
Despite last week’s loss I still like the Hawkeyes, but Jim Tressel is money in November. Ohio State 16, Iowa 10

No. 25 Stanford at No. 11 USC
Stanford beat a much-better Trojan squad than this with a much, much worse team two years ago in the Coliseum. I’m not sayin’, I’m just sayin’. USC 24, Stanford 21 (but don’t be surprised if the Cardinal win)

No. 12 Miami at North Carolina
Might the Tar Heels have a little surprise up their sleeves for The U? I think so. North Carolina 27, Miami 24

No. 13 Houston at UCF
This game might help George O’Leary join Tommy West and David Elson’s lunch club. Houston 48, UCF 21

Arizona State at No. 14 Oregon
The Sun Devils just aren’t very good this year, and the Ducks will have LeGarrette Blount back and should be very, very angry. Oregon 42, Arizona State 17

Texas Tech at No. 17 Oklahoma State
The Red Raiders are capable of winning this one, but I’m not banking on it. Oklahoma State 48, Texas Tech 38

No. 18 Arizona at California
This seems like a good opportunity for the good Golden Bears to show up. California 35, Arizona 21

Indiana at No. 19 Penn State
Angry JoePa. Penn State 41, Indiana 17

No. 20 Virginia Tech at Maryland
The Terps are dead. Virginia Tech 24, Maryland 3

Michigan at No. 21 Wisconsin
As are the Wolverines. Wisconsin 27, Michigan 10

No. 22 BYU at New Mexico
The Lobos are really regretting that Mike Locksley hire. BYU 42, New Mexico 7

No. 24 Clemson at N.C. State
Never, ever trust Clemson. But I’m going to. Just barely. Clemson 28, N.C. State 21

Troy at Arkansas
Probably lots of points in this one, just a lot more by the Hogs. Arkansas 56, Troy 34

Auburn at Georgia
Big-time intriguing game. Do the Dawgs have any life? I don’t think they do. Auburn 31, Georgia 20

Kentucky at Vanderbilt
The Wildcats get to bowl eligibility. Kentucky 26, Vanderbilt 14

Tennessee at Mississippi
Another intriguing one. How will a seemingly on-the-right-track Tennessee team respond to its recent off-the-field distractions, and can Ole Miss salvage its season? Tennessee 21, Ole Miss 17

IIHAV, Week 11

Sorry for the late version again. Was attending the joyous wedding of my cousin over the weekend. Even got drafted by my lovely wife into doing some photography. You can imagine how well that went.

Anyway, I did manage to sneak in a bit of game-viewing, mostly the Alabama-LSU game, so here are my not entirely complete sample size If I Had A Vote rankings.

As an aside, it’s also struck me that once you get to late October and you have more information you pretty much just go back to the slotboard method, so here we are.

Last week:

1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. Texas
4. Boise State
5. Cincinnati
6. Iowa
7. Oregon
8. TCU
9. Georgia Tech
10. LSU
11. Penn State
12. USC
13. Miami
14. Utah
15. Pittsburgh
16. Houston
17. Oklahoma
18. Ohio State
19. Arizona
20. California
21. Notre Dame
22. BYU
23. Oklahoma State
24. Oregon State
25. Virginia Tech

This week:

1. Florida
Coasting until Dec. 5.

2. Alabama
It’s a testament to how good this team is that they can beat a team as good as LSU with a quarterback playing as poorly as McElroy did.

3. Texas
I feel comfortable saying they’re not as good as Florida or Bama. They might not even be as good as LSU, and I don’t even think LSU’s all that good.

4. Cincinnati
They have actually beaten some quality competition, but done it a bit under the radar.

5. Boise State
They have got to be cursing Oregon like crazy right now.

6. TCU
Still rolling. And for the second straight year their game against Utah is on CBS College Sports. Hulk angry. Hulk smash.

7. Georgia Tech
Class of the ACC, not that that means much.

8. LSU
Yes, they lost and I’m moving them up two spots. But tell me who I should put in front of them?

9. Ohio State
Tresselball is back.

10. Utah
That’s how bad this season is.

11. Miami
The Canes may have finally put Virginia fans out of their misery.

12. Oregon
Should probably drop them more, but I’m not.

13. Iowa
Ditto.

14. USC
Just not a good football team this year.

15. Pittsburgh
I refuse to move them past this point until they unequivocally prove they deserve it.

16. Houston
Someone should really put them on national TV every week. this season would seem 10 times better than it is.

17. Arizona
They’re good.

18. Penn State
They’re not particularly.

19. Oregon State
I told you!

20. Oklahoma State
Here for a while longer, at least.

21. BYU
Still don’t particularly like them.

22. Wisconsin
They haven’t really done anything, but I’m putting them here anyway.

23. Stanford
Fightin’ Harbaughs strike.

24. Auburn
Their win over Tennessee is looking pretty good, and they have a very good shot at a New Year’s Day bowl.

25. West Virginia
They deserve to be ranked more than Virginia Tech does at this point.

Dropped out: No. 17 Oklahoma, No. 20 California, No. 21 Notre Dame, No. 25 Virginia Tech

On the Radar: Virginia Tech, South Florida, Clemson

Weekend Picks, Week 10

Final big-time game before Dec. 5 this week. Enjoy it, because the rest of November is going to be a slog to the finish, unless Florida or Texas lose somehow.

Last week: 19-3
Overall: 166-47

And now, this week’s picks. As always, AP Top 25 and SEC games.

Tonight
No. 22 Virginia Tech at East Carolina
The Hokies seem to have thrown in the towel, but I think they’ll win here, in spite of their poor performances in the previous two meetings. Virginia Tech 19, East Carolina 10

Friday
No. 5 Boise State at Louisiana Tech
There’s been a lot of hype that Boise could lose this one, and there may be some reason to think so. But the Bulldogs don’t seem to have it this year. Boise State 34, Louisiana Tech 24

Saturday
Vanderbilt at No. 1 Florida
Now that Brandon Spikes has “voluntarily” extended his suspension, the Gators are in trouble! Pssh. Florida 45, Vanderbilt 7

UCF at No. 2 Texas
The Knights will say “Please no more”. Texas 49, UCF 0

No. 9 LSU at No. 3 Alabama
Fans of defense will love this one. Alabama 16, LSU 7

Connecticut at No. 4 Cincinnati
The Bearcats contribute to the continued terribleness of UConn’s season. Cincinnati 28, UConn 18

No. 6 TCU at San Diego State
A tune-up before the big date with Utah. TCU 35, San Diego State 16

No. 7 Oregon at Stanford
Some serious letdown potential here. Oregon 24, Stanford 17

Northwestern at No. 8 Iowa
If this were in Evanston I might go with the Wildcats. Since it’s not, and since Iowa has the football gods on its side somehow, I won’t. Iowa 20, Northwestern 13

Wake Forest at No. 10 Georgia Tech
The Deacs seem to be well on their way back to the pack. Georgia Tech 38, Wake Forest 21

No. 15 Ohio State at No. 11 Penn State
There is absolutely no reason to pick the Buckeyes here, but for some reason I am. Ohio State 19, Penn State 14

No. 12 USC at Arizona State
Can the Trojans recover from the humiliation last week? At least here they can. USC 30, Arizona State 17

No. 13 Houston at Tulsa
The scoreboard might break. Houston 66, Tulsa 45
Syracuse at No. 14 Pittsburgh
The Stache keeps winning. Pittsburgh 27, Syracuse 10

Virginia at No. 16 Miami
I don’t think we’re in line for a Grohvember this time around. Miami 31, Virginia 13

New Mexico at No. 17 Utah
The Lobos won’t be too much of a problem. Utah 31, New Mexico 14

No. 18 Oklahoma State at Iowa State
Iowa State’s battle for bowl eligibility continues. Probably not happening here. Oklahoma State 37, Iowa State 21

Navy at No. 19 Notre Dame
I’m feeling upset here. Navy 31, Notre Dame 28

No. 20 Oklahoma at Nebraska
The Sooners continue the Huskers’ freefall. Oklahoma 34, Nebraska 14

Washington State at No. 21 Arizona
The Cougs are so bad. Arizona 52, Washington State 14

Oregon State at No. 23 California
Upset city. Oregon State 34, California 31

No. 24 Wisconsin at Indiana
Do the Hoosiers have another near-upset in them? Maybe. Wisconsin 21, Indiana 16

No. 25 BYU at Wyoming
Boring. BYU 38, Wyoming 13

South Carolina at Arkansas
The Hogs roll. Arkansas 34, South Carolina 17

Furman at Auburn
Horrible SEC Game 1. Auburn 63, Furman 14

Tennessee Tech at Georgia
Horrible SEC Game 2 (but with a decent excuse). Georgia 38, Tennessee Tech 16

Eastern Kentucky at Kentucky
Horrible SEC Game 3. Kentucky 37, Eastern Kentucky 0

Northern Arizona at Mississippi
Horrible SEC Game 4. Ole Miss 51, Northern Arizona 13

Memphis at Tennessee
Horrible SEC Game 4.5. Though it will probably be close because it seemingly always is with these two. Tennessee 23, Memphis 16