Thursday, October 25, 2012

The Dirty Dozen and Bottom of the Barrel: Eastbound and Down

No, we aren't talking about the T.V Show starring Danny McBride. Though it is pretty damn funny.



We're actually talking about the  Burt Reynolds "Bandit" and Jerry Reed's "Snowman" version mostly because the College Football season is lining up for a sprint to the finish line.

And making it all the way to Atlanta, they'll win the prize.



Really, at this point the only serious question is; "Who is going to beat Alabama?" Anybody?



But we digress---

There were no incredible surprises last week as the field narrows and the contenders separate themselves from the pack. Florida makes their move but will be tested and Oregon keeps dominating--and falling in the stupid BCS.

But enough playing of videos and on to the business at hand. Last weeks picks were 14-1 (That's more like it!). Overall, it puts the slate at 79-18. And yes, you can say it, we're pretty damn good at this.

Even though I keep babbling, I need to stick with the script and to steal Casey Kasem's catch phrase: "Let's get on with the Countdown".

THE DIRTY DOZEN:

1) Alabama 7-0. Okay. This is starting to border on the unfair. And no, speculative football pundits, Mississippi State isn't going to beat them. LSU is the only team with a chance and that chance gets worse every week. (This Week: vs. Miss. St. Our Pick: Alabama 27, Miss St. 14)

2) Oregon 7-0. We see no reason to drop them right now. Yes, they still have a few tests left. But until they falter, they get to stay here. The offense is typical Oregon, but the story has been the "D", which has played better. Still don't know if they can knock heads with a top level SEC team, but the potential is at least there. (This Week: vs. Colorado. Our Pick: Oregon 57, Colorado 10)

3) Kansas State 7-0. They get to move up by virtue of overpowering the Big 12. Collin Klein is a beast and does what is needed to for the win. The defense, unlike the rest of the Big 12 is stout. But the next test is in front of them. (This Week: vs. Texas Tech. Our Pick: K-State 37, Texas Tech 31)

4) Florida 7-0. Props to Coach Boom for remaking this team in his image. But they do have flaws and we aren't totally sold. The offense...is not good. The defense though, outstanding. The message here is simple though. Win this week and you'll be in Atlanta in December. (This Week: vs. Georgia. Our Pick: Florida 24, Georgia 23)

5) Notre Dame 7-0. Another team we aren't totally sold on. The offense needs work, but when your "D" is this good, you can get by. This is going to be a good year for them no matter how the next 5-games play out. (This Week: at Oklahoma. Our Pick: Oklahoma 27, Notre Dame 21)

6) Oregon St. 6-0. Bravo to the Beavers for persevering without star QB Sean Mannion who has been hurt. He comes back this week. They've been stout on both sides, though they've struggled a bit running the ball. If they take care of business, it will make the Oregon game special this year. (This Week: at Washington. Our Pick: Oregon St. 31, Washington 23)

7) Oklahoma 5-1. It hasn't been an outstanding season for the Sooners, but the last 3-weeks, they've been pretty darn good. From Landry Jones to the "D", all seem to have picked it up during that time. Win this week, they are sitting pretty. (This Week: vs. Notre Dame. Our Pick: See #5)

8) LSU 7-1. Such a disappointment. Yet, they still have some control over their destiny. Zach Mettenberger hasn't been much better than Jordan Jefferson and that unfortunately has been this teams undoing. (This Week: BYE)

9) USC 6-1. Another team that is very hard to figure out. They sleep walked through the past few weeks, but still have a shot at affecting the BCS before it's over. They've been good, not great. (This Week: at Arizona. Our Pick: USC 34, Arizona 21)

10) Miss. St. 7-0. The best SEC team nobody has heard of. Though if you look at the schedule, they really haven't been tested. Tyler Russell has been very good as has LaDarius Perkins. The schedule gets much, much tougher from here. (This Week: at Alabama. Our Pick: See #1)

11) Texas Tech 6-1. Tommy Tuberville has done wonders with this team. We saw them in person last season and they were awful against Oklahoma State. But Seth Doege may be a Heisman contender. He's made them a threat in any game they play. The rest of the team is very balanced. (This Week: at Kansas State. Our Pick: See #3)

12) Georgia 6-1. Another VERY disappointing team that seems to lay down whenever they are pushed. But...they are talking the talk this week, we just wonder if they can walk it. What Shawn Williams said is true, they are soft, very soft. But with the talent here, if they ever decide to play hard, they can be scary. They have a SHOT against Florida this week. (This Week: vs. Florida. Our Pick: See #4--but we aren't real confident in it)

THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL:

5) Auburn 1-6. No, having a week off doesn't get you off the island here boys. Oh, wait....you lost to Vanderbilt. Never mind. Your stuck. This is just a REALLY bad offensive team and an average defensive team. And all the 5-star recruits in the world won't save you from bad coaching--which appears to be a big part of the problem. (This Week: vs. Texas A&M. Our Pick: Texas A&M 31, Auburn 13)

4) New Mexico St. 1-6. It's always good to see the state of New Mexico still representing in the competition for worst college football team. It just warms our hearts--mmmkay. And as an added bonus, they host the highest scoring team in the land this week. Enjoy! (This week: vs. Louisiana Tech. Our Pick: La.Tech 112, New Mexico St. 17)

3) Idaho 1-7. If it weren't for a win over NM State, they'd be winless. Which is also the only game they've played that's been close. If you are losing by an average of 42-16, you might have a problem. Which is why Jason Gesser is handed the keys after the Vandals fired Robb Akey. Good luck Jason, you'll need it. (This Week: vs. San Jose St. Our Pick: San Jose St. 42, Idaho 16)

2) Southern Miss. 0-7. You know you aren't good when your quarterbacks mom is arrested for picking a fight with fans who criticized her son. It's not all his fault. This is just a really bad team. We'll keep saying it: Ellis Johnson won't be here long. Brett Favre will move from High School coaching to this job. (This Week: at Rice. Our Pick: Rice 10, S.Miss 7)

1) UMass 0-7. All hail the king! This is a bad football team. Or at least an amazingly overmatched one. The don't do anything particularly well and with the exception of the Ohio game haven't really challenged anyone. We don't see anyone overtaking them. (This Week: at Vanderbilt. Our Pick: Really? Vanderbilt 43, UMass 10)


And so it goes. There are two really, really interesting games here (Florida/Georgia and Oklahoma/Notre Dame) that we were a bit hesitant to pick. So tune in on Saturday, we think you'll see some great football.

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