Oh, if only I knew

I owe some picks, don't I?

---

College Football: Have analyzed Tech's win over Temple earlier (Sunday, I think). If you didn't catch it (and are too lazy to scroll down), the short version goes something like this: a win's a win.

Having said that, senior day is coming up on Saturday here in Blacksburg. Seniors such as center (and potential All-American) Jake Grove, wideout Ernest Wilford and defensive end (possibly injured, but he'll be honoured either way) Nathaniel Adibi will be honoured, as it is their last home game at Lane. Methinks that this makes for a emotional game, and I can't imagine the coaches let up on the team too much in practice this week; they only won by a lousy point at Temple. Virginia Tech buries Boston College.

Ohio State has kept games close over the last couple of years, whether they're losing or (as is far more often the case) when they're winning. Now, they travel to Ann Arbor, where Michigan will be looking to (a) get revenge for last year, when the Buckeyes won in Columbus, (b) get revenge for the last time the two teams played at Michigan Stadium (the Bucks won, but I don't remember the score offhand). The winner of the game wins the Big (11) Ten. Moreover, the winner of this game (especially if it's Ohio State, but Michigan is by no means eliminated) may well get a ticket down to New Orleans, for the Sugar Bowl. So there's really no shortage of motivation on either side. Add to that the fact that this is one of the best rivalries (I still think Army-Navy the absolute best) in all of college football, and, as Homer Simpson would say, "that'sa one spicy meatball!" Both teams have very good defenses, although I'd have to give the edge here to Ohio State. Ohio State's special teams are also better than Michigan's, this by a rather wider margin. But the widest margin of all involving these comparisons of units may be the fact that Michigan's offense is orders of magnitude better than Ohio State's. I think that Ohio State's defense keeps it close, but ultimately, Michigan beats Ohio State for the first time in three years and a probable trip to Pasadena.

More than likely, Saturday's game between LSU and Ole Miss will decide the Western division representative in the SEC championship in 2 weeks. LSU's defense is scary good, although they've only played the 72^nd toughest schedule. Both offenses are very good, with Ole Miss getting the slight nod here. Add the fact that it's in Oxford, and this may well be too close to call. However, I'll go with my heart (rather than my head) and say that Ole Miss beats LSU and wins the SEC West (Hotty Toddy!) And if you're gambling on my picks, especially when I note that I'm going against my head, then you're out of your mind.

West Virginia travels to Syracuse, where it's been killed the last four visits, by a total score of something like 116-30 (if I remember correctly, and I'm too lazy to check). That's bad. Personally I think that were this game played on a neutral field WVU would win, but among the top five teams in the Big East, any game involving two of them, thus far, has been won by the home team. Therefore, even though WVU is hot right now, I'll take Syracuse to bounce back from their loss at Miami and beat the Mountaineers.

Miami of Ohio (9-1) beats Ohio (2-8), and Southern Cal (9-1) beats UCLA (6-5). UCLA's offense is just too weak against this Southern Cal defense.

More later, R.