Friday, November 14, 2008

College Football Preview and Picks

This week is about maintaining BCS position. Alabama will be trying not to get Croomed, like they did a year ago. Texas and Florida are competing on style points, but both playing teams good enough to pull an upset. Talk about revenge games, how about USC vs. Stanford? Meanwhile, the ACC is a complete mess -- unlikely to find clarity, but it'll help.

(1) Alabama over Mississippi St
(3) Texas over @Kansas -- Worth Watching
(4) Florida over (25) South Carolina -- Game of the Week
(6) USC over @Stanford -- Revenge much?
(7) Utah over @San Diego St
(8) Penn State over Indiana
(9) Boise St over Idaho
(10) Georgia over @Auburn
(11) Ohio State over @Illinois
(12) Missouri over Iowa St
(13) Oklahoma St over @Colorado
(14) Ball St over Miami (Locked Tuesday)
@Maryland over (16) UNC -- Upset Special
(17) BYU over @Air Force
(19) Florida St over BC
(20) LSU over Troy
(23) Tulsa over Houston
(24) Wake Forest over @NC St

Other Games of Note:
Navy over Notre Dame -- Ha ha ha
Northwestern over Michigan -- Remember '95!*
Oregon St over Cal -- OSU in P10 driver's seat

* - I flipped on ESPN Classic last night just in time to see the final 1:30 of Northwestern's 19-13 win over Michigan in the Big House in 1995.

Many CFB fans remember that epic NU-UM 54-51 shootout in 2000, but the '95 game was, for me, probably the greatest feeling I have ever had at a sporting event.

Beating Michigan -- let alone at Michigan -- affirmed everything my friends and I had been feeling that entire dream season: That this Northwestern team was for real.

Not just bowl-eligible for-real, but win-the-Big-Ten-no-you-must-be-kidding-me-holy-sh*t-you're-not for-real.

I was in the stands in Ann Arbor that day and watching the end of the game last night brought back a flood of memories of how I felt at the end of that game: Disbelief and utter joy.

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