Topic: NCAA Football '09

[that Baby guy]

No, not the game.  The actual sport.  This is your place to discuss everything college football for the 2009 season.

And if you're a Gator fan, like me, it's a place to gloat!  Who knows, if you're lucky, I'll make this thread fancy and stuff, like other ones.

As of today, games I'll be watching and/or picking:

Week 1

Thursday, Sept. 3
South Carolina @ NC State   Correctly picked South Carolina to win.
Oregon State @ Boise State  Correctly picked Boise State to win.

Friday, Sept. 4
Tulsa @ Tulane  Correctly picked Tulsa to win.

Saturday, Sept. 5
Navy at Ohio State  Picking Ohio State.  (This game should be surprisingly close. OSU won't be as prepared as they should be.)

Akron at Penn State   Picking Penn State.

Kentucky  at Miami (OH)  Kentucky.

Western Kentucky at Tennessee   Picking Tennessee. (I'll be watching this and the OSU game, if they're both available.)

Jacksonville State at Georgia Tech   Picking GT.  Might be close at the beginning, but 3rd Quarter, GT will take over.

San Jose State at USC   Picking USC.  Duh

Georgia at Oklahoma State   Picking Georgia.  Should be close, and I could easily get this pick wrong.  One of the week's biggest games.

Nevada at Notre Dame   Picking Nevada.  My first serious upset pick, just because I'm not a fan of Notre Dame.  Anyone watching this on
probably is for the laughs, over the above match

Jackson State at Mississippi State   Picking Miss. State.

Missouri  vs. Illinois  I'd say Missouri.  I have a foul taste in my mouth from Ron Zook.

Charleston Southern at Florida   Florida, of course.

Brigham Young vs. Oklahoma  Picking BYU.  Why?  OU has a few problems to work out, and BYU's biggest weak point is depth charts.  The game's at a neutral location, and depth doesn't matter so much in the season's first game.

Florida Atlantic at Nebraska   Picking Florida Atlantic.  Yup, another upset.  Every year FAU brings some good times pretty close to the wire.  This typically happens at the end of the season, though.  Should be a surprisingly close game, nonetheless.  Sorry, DrewMG.

Louisiana Tech at Auburn   Auburn

Missouri State at Arkansas   Arkansas

Wofford at South Florida   South Florida.  I'm a closet USF fan, just because I want USF and UF to start some sort of rivalry.

Western Carolina at Vanderbilt   Vanderbilt.  Vanderbilt, every year, plays with huge amounts of heart.  They play their hardest, game in and game out.  I was glad to see them win their bowl last year, and W. Carolina should be a good start to repeat this.

Alabama  vs. Virginia Tech  Alabama Two top-ten teams playing in a neutral site.  On paper, it should be a close, exciting game.  Then, when you look at VT's record in this type of game, this type of match-up, it's pitiful.  For the past few years, I've found VT to be appalling overrated.  If they win this game, perhaps even play it close, I'll concede I was wrong.

Maryland at California   California.  If this game had been in Maryland, my pick would be different.  California is supposed to be a challenger in the
Pac-10 this year.  Maryland is another school with a surprising amount of grit, similar to Vanderbilt.

LSU at Washington   LSU

Week 1's Game of the Week
Georgia at Oklahoma State.  If any game this week has a chance to be interesting, without my bias making it so, it's this one.  A lot of people are looking toward Alabama and VT, but this game is two good teams from two good conferences, playing with a lot of spirit.  Being at Oklahoma State, a lot of people would push towards them, but it should hopefully be a fight down to the end.  Keep an eye on this game, if you want to watch something entertaining.

Week 2

Thursday, Sept. 10
Clemson at Georgia Tech  Clemson. Talk about a tough choice.  If you ignore the rankings, which, in most cases mean very little at this point, and you don't know much about either team this year, it's a difficult decision.  Clemson beat Middle Tennessee State by... a whopping 23 points.  GT beat Jacksonville State, the team of former LSU QB Ryan Perrilloux by 20.  One problem, though... this star QB was suspended for the opener.  Factor that in, and you're left wondering how JS put up 17 points on what should be a strong(ish) ACC BCS team.  I'm giving the edge to Clemson solely for this.  Clemson's defense, despite giving up 14 to a similar level of talent, played a complete team.  I didn't watch either game, and I'm not informed.  That score is pretty much all that I'm going on.  Should be fun!

Friday, Sept. 11
Colorado at Toledo  Colorado.

Saturday, Sept. 12

Syracuse at Penn State  Penn State, close game.

North Carolina at Connecticut  Connecticut, slight upset.

Stanford at Wake Forest  Stanford.  This is a game between two bad teams.  Wake Forest lost to Baylor last week, I believe.

Troy at Florida  Florida.

Notre Dame at Michigan  Michigan.  Dozens of ND fans across the nation will cry, Lou Holtz still believes they'll win the title this year.

UCLA at Tennessee  Tennessee, could grow to be an interesting game.  Might not.

Jacksonville State at Florida State   FSU  Watch this game if you can, or at least keep an eye on it.  Ryan Perrilloux is back, and JSU did pretty well against Georgia Tech in week one.  FSU had a tough game, a short week to prepare, and it could be an upset.

Florida International at Alabama  Alabama, no contest.

Vanderbilt at LSU  LSU.  Vanderbilt leads at the half, very close, until 4th Quarter.

South Carolina at Georgia  South Carolina.  Should be a funny game to watch, Georgia might not be very motivated.

Bowling Green at Missouri  Bowling Green.  Big upset pick.  No one expects this.  To me, blowing out Illinois means nothing.

Mississippi State at Auburn Auburn.  Should be close

USC at Ohio State  Ohio State.  Game is no contest.  Shocks the nation.  ESPN won't stop talking about it, etc, etc.

Utah at San Jose State  San Jose State.  Another big upset.

Thursday, Sept. 17
Georgia Tech @ Miami  Miami.  Could be close, probably not, Miami's excited, ready to win.  GT, despite upsetting me last week, won out of Clemson's helplessness, IMO.

Saturday, Sept. 19

Tennessee at Florida Florida

USC at Washington  Washington.  I think I just like to choose upsets, you know?  But Washington played LSU well, and LSU wasn't even the team they knew.  Could be interesting.  USC is probably also a little beat up after last week's tough game.

Tulsa at Oklahoma  Oklahoma.  They should win this one, but crazier things have happened.

Nebraska at Virginia Tech  ...Virginia Tech.  It's hard to say that, truthfully, I do because VT held it close for most of the Alabama game, and it's at home.  Could be close, if Nebraska does remotely well, even without winning, it could mean a lot for the program, and they need that.

Utah at Oregon  Oregon.  They got embarrassed by Boise, so what could lift their spirits by beating another BCS-quality mid-major?

Michigan State at Notre Dame  Michigan State.  Notre Dame started out this year with far too much credit.

Florida State at Brigham Young  FSU. This could be interesting.  It's hard to say who I want to lose more, just because it's lose/lose when a BCS team plays a mid-major in a BCS bowl, no matter what the mid-major is ranked.

Mississippi State at Vanderbilt  Vanderbilt.  Their first SEC win of the season.

Georgia at Arkansas  Georgia.  A tough one to call, but I think after last week, GA's been revitalized, in a sense.

West Virginia at Auburn Auburn.  Hard to imagine a season where neither of these teams are ranked.  Auburn pulls off the victory thanks to the home field.

Texas Tech at Texas  Texas Tech.  Why not?  I like to pick upsets, right?

Thursday, Sept. 24

Ole Miss at South Carolina  Ole Miss, they'll want to prove themselves in their first serious game, just enough.

Saturday, Sept. 26

Arkansas at Alabama Alabama

California at Oregon  Oregon

Miami (FL) at Virginia Tech  Miami.  VT's probably far too tired for this game, Miami should win handily.

Illinois at Ohio State  OSU.  I want to pick Illinois because I don't like OSU, but Zook's just a terrible coach.

TCU at Clemson  Clemson.  Despite how inept Clemson's been, it's a home game for them, which should help.

Florida at Kentucky  Florida.  Should be a tough game, and a real test for Florida, for two reasons combined:  First road game + several sick players.  Sickness affected the game against Tennessee last week, and now Tebow and more players have come down with what might be a swine flu.

Arizona State at Georgia  Georgia, could be fun to watch

Ohio at Tennessee  Tennessee

Iowa at Penn State   Penn State.  People think Iowa can win this game.  I think Iowa's a let-down team that's favored too much.  I think Penn State's almost the same, though, so I made a tough choice here.  I'd like to see Iowa win it, though.

Vanderbilt at Rice  Vanderbilt

Washington at Stanford  Suddenly this game is interesting.  Washington wins here, but gets "drunk from the victories" and loses next week.

Texas Tech at Houston  Texas Tech.  Houston played well against a team that slept in the first half with Oklahoma State, but they won't be underestimated again.

Thursday, Oct. 1st
Colorado at West Virginia  WVU.  It's at home, and that's the main reason why I choose 'em.


Saturday, Oct. 3rd

Michigan at Michigan State  MSU.  Personally, I don't think either team is great, but Michigan will start to give me confidence in them if they win here.

Alabama at Kentucky  Alabama.  Not a hard choice.  Who knows, maybe Kentucky will fight back in this one?

LSU at Georgia   LSU.  One of the day's biggest games.  Personally, I think LSU has been holding back.  I saw some of their game against Mississippi State, and they honestly didn't look as bad as people made them out to be.  MSU is a tough team to play in their house, so I'll cut LSU some slack.  Georgia has just been playing far too inconsistent for me to pick them,  but they could easily upset and surprise.

Washington at Notre Dame  Notre Dame.  I'd love to be wrong on this one.

Florida State at Boston College  Florida State.  I believe this is ESPN's pick for gameday.  I also believe ESPN does some stupid things sometimes.  Florida State wins because Boston College doesn't utilize Florida State's Kryptonite this year: Playing on Bobby Bowden Field.

Mississippi at Vanderbilt  Vandy.  Just because I want to.

Georgia Tech at Mississippi State  MSU. Didn't Decoyman say something about not picking against your own conference?  Also, I still think GT is pathetic.

Texas A&M vs. Arkansas  Arkansas.  They've played pretty well this year, so I don't see why they'd lose here.

Auburn at Tennessee  Tennessee.  Just because Tennessee needs the win, and Auburn's biggest wins have been due to the other team's helplessness.

USC at California  USC.  I can't say Oregon?  How about UCLA?  Washington?  No?  USC should have an easy time here.  California won't perform up to par, still down from last week's game.

Oklahoma at Miami (FL)  Miami.  This is a tough pick.  I chose Miami last week, and regretted it.  I probably will again.  I pick Miami simply because they're at home and I think Oklahoma's been running on borrowed time without Bradford.  I'll be impressed with either team that wins, though, because they're two good teams (I think OU is normally better), that should play well.

Washington State at Oregon  WSU.  Oregon will some how look inept, for a laugh, I think.

Thursday, Oct. 8th

Nebraska at Missouri  Nebraska  I think Missouri's overrated, and at this point, Nebraska is underrated.  Which means I believe Nebraska should win handily.

Wednesday, Oct. 14th

Boise State at Tulsa  Tulsa.  Because I really really want Boise State to lose, due to their simple schedule.  This is pretty much the last "tough" game on their schedule.

Thursday, Oct. 15th

Cincinnati at South Florida  USF.  I think USF has been pretty good so far this year, and they've got spirit.  Yes they do.

Picking record: 51 of 79

[NWR_DrewMG]

I am very ready for this season.  As a Gator fan, I know you are too. 

Have fun gloating this year.  You know, the last time you Gators had a whiz kid at QB, my Huskers schooled him 62-24 in the Fiesta Bowl... just sayin...

[that Baby guy]

I've decided to give this thread a "Pick 'em" vibe.  I'm going to be picking which team I think will win out of the games I'm watching or at least interested in.  I'll probably update the day after each gameday with the actual victorious team, and update my record as well.

And actually, the last time we had a whiz kid at QB, we won the title... After he had prior experience competing for a title :p

Despite our three National Championship wins, we've never won the title with an undefeated season, and while I'm not trying to assume that we'll automatically be in the championship game, I hope that if we do make it there, we won't have to do it with any losses, to finally have an undefeated season.

Anyways, feel free to offer your predictions on games, but don't just go after ones that look one-sided.  I'm not going to dictate the games everyone picks, because something I find interesting might not be so interesting to you, but hopefully I'll list all the big ones!

[NWR_DrewMG]

Well if you pick the SEC, I'll pick the Big 12.  Then we have the two best conferences covered.  (Sorry, tOSU fans).

Here's my picks for the Big 12 this weekend:

Baylor 10 at Wake Forest 21
Colorado 17 at Colorado State 10
Northern Colorado 10 at Kansas 49
Massachusetts 7 at Kansas State 34
Illinois 28 vs. Missouri 24
Florida Atlantic 21 at Nebraska 35
BYU 17 vs. Oklahoma 56
Georgia 42 at Oklahoma State 38
UL Monroe 0 at Texas 63
New Mexico 14 at Texas A&M 21
North Dakota 10 at Texas Tech 28

[that Baby guy]

Ah, someone's going for scores, too?  I was going to pick all the SEC, but also include anything I'd think interesting.  I'm not going to say scores I expect, though, since I'm not going for anything in Vegas.  You'll see some crossover picks, for example, BYU/Oklahoma is on my mental list, and maybe Illinios and Missouri.

I think Oklahoma's going to struggle with their opener, though.  BYU isn't as good as they are, but since it's opening week, they'll be starting fresh, and depth will mean less than it normally does.  I'd estimate a closer game than you have, and probably a 1/3 chance OU could lose, even.

[NWR_DrewMG]

Last year's OU Offense was really great (aside from the Bowl game, which it started to look average, THANKS A LOT) so I really don't think they'll have too many problems.  Sam Bradford is a real stud. 

[that Baby guy]

Sure, they've got a "great" offense, but didn't they lose a couple of their starting offensive line, and didn't another leading member of it just get injured?

[NWR_DrewMG]

Perhaps, but OU has been fantastic for going on 8 years now.  I have no reason to believe that this year they'll suddenly have depth problems on the O-Line.  OU will do what great programs do: reload.

[NWR_insanolord]

I like college football but don't follow it too closely outside of my teams. In that category, I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that the 9th ranked Penn State Nittany Lions are going to manage to squeak out a victory over the Akron Zips.

Also, with my luck the Mercyhurst Lakers are going to lose every game (or at least every home game) except when they play Gannon.

[that Baby guy]

For me, insanolord, it's funny how at the end of the season, things connect in an amazing way, so nearly every game with several schools matters more than you'd think.  That's part of why I love it.  I don't follow stats or starters, I like more to get a feeling of a team's vibe.  How they act and feel as a unit, so a lot of my predictions are based on how much heart, grit, spirit, or whatever you'd like to call it that the team has, while factoring injuries, sometimes.  First week predictions are tough, since I've got nothing to really go off of, but still, things should be close, in some ways, to last year.

It would be nice to see Nebraska step back to the level of importance they had in the 90's, or at least become a major player in the Big 12.  Most teams can practically walk through the North division with a stroke of luck, and the conference needs an exciting championship, IMO.  I could definitely see the game against FAU to be an eye-opener, if the team has some real spirit.  The way I see it, FAU could have the lead coming out of the half, so if Nebraska manages their way out of there, I'll be keeping my eyes open for them.

Other than that, another big game is Ohio State and Navy:  Navy's a different team.  They don't play ball like the Big Ten, they run the triple option.  When I look at OSU, I see a team that likes it when other teams play on their level.  If you play OSU the way OSU plays football, they'll win.  Now, OSU is adapting, with the recruits they've picked up, with Terrelle Pryor, and other things, really, they could be an entirely different team, but if they haven't made some serious changes in attitude and preparation, this game could be closer than expected, or carried away by Navy.

[NWR_insanolord]

For me, insanolord, it's funny how at the end of the season, things connect in an amazing way, so nearly every game with several schools matters more than you'd think.  That's part of why I love it.  I don't follow stats or starters, I like more to get a feeling of a team's vibe.  How they act and feel as a unit, so a lot of my predictions are based on how much heart, grit, spirit, or whatever you'd like to call it that the team has, while factoring injuries, sometimes.  First week predictions are tough, since I've got nothing to really go off of, but still, things should be close, in some ways, to last year.

It would be nice to see Nebraska step back to the level of importance they had in the 90's, or at least become a major player in the Big 12.  Most teams can practically walk through the North division with a stroke of luck, and the conference needs an exciting championship, IMO.  I could definitely see the game against FAU to be an eye-opener, if the team has some real spirit.  The way I see it, FAU could have the lead coming out of the half, so if Nebraska manages their way out of there, I'll be keeping my eyes open for them.

Other than that, another big game is Ohio State and Navy:  Navy's a different team.  They don't play ball like the Big Ten, they run the triple option.  When I look at OSU, I see a team that likes it when other teams play on their level.  If you play OSU the way OSU plays football, they'll win.  Now, OSU is adapting, with the recruits they've picked up, with Terrelle Pryor, and other things, really, they could be an entirely different team, but if they haven't made some serious changes in attitude and preparation, this game could be closer than expected, or carried away by Navy.

I get all that, I've just never been able to analyze college football the way I can analyze pro football or baseball. I still love to watch it and all the drama that surrounds it, I just have to rely on the analysis of others.

Later today I'm going to my first college football game for the college I'm attending, which, even though it's just Division II, I'm thinking will have a special feeling to it.

[NWR_DrewMG]

It's GAMEDAY.

GO BIG RED.

[NWR_DrewMG]

I admit defeat on my BYU-OU pick, nice call thatlongnamedguy.

Nebraska ROLLED yesterday on Florida Atlantic 49-3, but there are bigger names coming up like (surprisingly) Baylor.  Also, V-Tech who looked mortal against Alabama.

[that Baby guy]

Oops, I really messed up with Notre Dame and Nebraska, talk about well underestimating what their performances would be.  Nebraska especially surprised me.  I didn't watch the game, so I can't say about how they appeared, but that's a dominating score, much stronger than I thought.

My game of the week was surprisingly one-sided, with Georgia unable to produce very much.  I really only got to watch most of the first quarter, though, because I left for the Gator's game, and missed the rest.  From their first possession, I thought Georgia would do a lot better.

Ohio State really pulled off a close game against Navy, something I predicted.  Navy almost brought the game into extra innings, too!

USC beat up on San Jose State... which was exactly what anyone with common sense should have expected.  But... after it, ESPN seemed like it proved USC would be a top-notch team this year, once more.  Doesn't it seem like beating a weak team by a lot is very little for perennial BCS conference champs to be excited about?  If you had been having a few bad years, sure, it's a big deal, but in the big picture, you know it just means your team knows how to play.

Virginia Tech held Alabama's offense for the bulk of the game, really.  I'm shocked.  As far as the ACC goes, VT is the real deal.

Speaking of the ACC, I didn't get the prediction up, but I was going to pick FSU over Miami on Monday night.  Miami's offense showed they could push through a long game, and looked a bit more experienced than I expected.  VT, Miami, and FSU are likely actually the ACC's teams to watch, if they can remain consistent.  Boston College or Nortch Carolina could wind up as players in the conference, but I even doubt that.

Anyways, enough of last week, time to talk this coming one!
There's an underwhelming game today of which I wrote up my thoughts in the OP.  Should be a close game, though, since both teams are likely of similar skill.

Then, we've got a few "big ones" with OSU hosting USC.  This game should shock some people.  Overwhelmingly, you'll see the serious picks go for USC, and why shouldn't they?  The school offers a complete package year in and out, and never truly has to rebuild, since the soak up virtually all of the West Coast's talent.  Then, you'll see people who have been forced to counter-pick OSU, and grudgingly say things like "It's a home game for OSU, and The Shoe is a tough place to play in."  That'll be how you pick out those people who's employer has forced them to support the other school to foster discussion and take up network time...

...Then, you'll catch a few observant folks who'll notice something:  OSU rarely ever faces a scary game like that Navy one, where they have to fight all four quarters against an opponent supposedly not fit to beat them.  My question:  Could this be a wake-up call, one they haven't had in years?  We've seen OSU lose games before by big margins.  We've seen them defeat a mediocre Big Ten team time after time, struggling through the game, but running off at the end.  We've seen it all, and we've seen them get sloppy and lazy, like they did in the middle of the Navy game, which allowed Navy to lunge back and provide a late-game thrill.  But for once, they survived a close game without losing.  It's at the front of their minds.  They don't want to play sloppy and let the other team have anything, I wouldn't think.  Maybe, just maybe, they've realized that to win football, to do well, it doesn't depend on your name, it depends on your talent, heart, and energy.  So, I'll be predicting a surprisingly dominant OSU win for this game, by about two touchdowns or so.

I'll write some later about Michigan and Notre Dame.  It's a pity this game is turning out so much media attention, both teams have to earn a little more for me to really pay attention any further than a write-up and pick.

Edit:  Sheesh... This Clemson/GT game is getting ridiculous.  I wouldn't say I was way off with my assessment of GT, but Clemson is just doing everything wrong, and letting Georgia Tech run all over them.  21-0 in the first quarter?!  And every touchdown was earned via a huge Clemson mistake, really.

2x Edit:  Not very many picks this time, I didn't see too many games I was interested in.

[that Baby guy]

Well, I'm double posting, so screw you whomever would care.

This time I was 7 of 14 on Saturday.  Not good, not bad.  Most of my big upset picks were pretty good though.  Even if I was wrong, it would be a very close game.  OSU showed up to win, but their play calling seriously lost them the game.  FSU struggled seriously against JSU, something I think few others would have guessed.  Vanderbilt gave LSU a hard time, etc, etc.  I'm not doing too bad by my personal measuring stick.

This marks the beginning of Florida's SEC season, with a grudge against Tennessee's head coach for a few remarks he's made about Florida and Urban Meyer, so it should be fun to watch just for that.

Nebraska's season is about to heat up, isn't it, Drew_MG/Andy?

[NWR_DrewMG]

There's a pretty common sentiment floating around Huskerland that this game will be a measuring stick for Nebraska, but I'm not so sure I agree.  I unfortunately see little chance that NU walks away from Blacksburg with a win, but to me the real measuring stick isn't in these high profile games - yet.  Before Nebraska can beat a team like VT or Oklahoma, it has to first win all of the games it's supposed to win.  Namely, the Big XII North.  Until Nebraska can consistently beat teams in it's division, it's going to be hard to take these "measuring stick" games seriously.

But that said, if NU beats VT, I'm going to lose my mind and run through the streets screaming.  Especially since I'll be back in Lincoln for a wedding this Saturday. (yes, DURING THE GAME.  ugh.)

[NWR_DrewMG]

If anyone asks, I'm about to drive off a bridge.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Woohoo for the Huskies.

[decoyman]

I swear I searched for this before I made a new topic.

I'm in a bit of a withdrawal this week because of the bye for my Huskers. Will be checking in periodically on Colorado, though, to see if the implosion will continue. That's been kind of a let-down, honestly. I want the teams in the conference to be strong... it makes us look better when we beat them.

[that Baby guy]

Well well well... Someone joins the party late, and tries to make another thread about it.  I don't even know who's playing tonight, so I better hurry up and make my prediction!

Edit:  Wow, that was a rough week last week, for me.  Had I chosen even more games I was interested in, I would have done worse than my 6-of-12 record for it.  Things of note:

I identified that Oregon would take down California, but missed Washington's loss to Stanford.

In the ACC, FSU lost a game I thought they couldn't lose, at home, to boot.  USF's quarterback, Matt Grothe, considered to be the chief reason of the team's notoriety in the past three years, was injured and couldn't play.  Somehow, FSU allowed 17, and only managed 7, despite a great, quality win the week before.

Also, Virginia Tech, a team that's been pretty solid against top competition this year really let loose on Miami.  Despite opening against Alabama and playing a solid, tough Nebraska, the team headed into the game without a bye week.  I thought they'd be too worn down to handle Miami, but I was mistaken.  Instead, Virginia Tech woke up, even though they weren't napping, and looked the best they had all season long.  In comparison, a decent Miami team looked sloppy and unprepared, like they were already worn out.  Perhaps they are a bit too young to play at a high level week in and week out, but even had Miami brought their A-game, I'm pretty sure VT would have won.

Beyond that, Tebow's hurt!  A concussion!  Just like Conan O'Brien, too.  The hope is that he'll finish healing up quickly, that Brantley gets great experience with the 1st string, and that no matter what, we beat LSU next week.  It'll be a tough game, there's no doubt that LSU isn't going to be gunning for us.

Also:  Iowa beat Penn State!  One of my roommates is a closet Iowa fan, because there's a ton of his family up there.  We laughed a bit about how Iowa is probably the only team out of all 120 that could start the season ranked, win their first three games, and then wind up unranked.  Alas, that's what happened, and then the Hawkeyes went into Penn State for a win!  I was surprised, it wasn't an upset I picked, but I know Penn State likes to drop a game or two when they face the other top competition in the Big Ten, so it was bound to happen at some point.

Also, Houston surprised me, but I've got to see 'em win more.  When I watched Texas Tech at Texas, I didn't know that players had the flu at Texas, so I was surprised at how well TT matched up.  Now that I know that's part of the reason, well, I still would have picked Texas Tech to win, but I wouldn't have been so certain of it.

[decoyman]

Well, Colorado vs. West Virginia just started... I honestly don't know who to pick on this one.

[NWR_DrewMG]

Never pick against your own conference.

Unless Missouri or Colorado are playing.

[decoyman]

Nebraska @ Mizzou tonight, on ESPN. Huskers are favored by 3 or 4 points.

Gonna be a sloppy, relatively low-scoring game, thanks to some bad weather that's scheduled to hit tonight... That in mind, I'm going to predict a score:

Huskers 24
Tigers 13

knock on wood

[that Baby guy]

Wow, that was something else there.  27 points in the fourth quarter, and none before that.  A lot of people forget this game has four quarters, good thing Nebraska didn't

My idiot, non-gamer roommate was laughing at Nebraska for scoring that last touchdown with a minute left.  You know, when Nebraska was up by eight points, exactly one score w/ a two-point conversion, while Missouri had three time-outs.  I'm not clear on why.  I don't see how any intelligent fan could say running in the football when you're preventing a tie is running up the score at all, and I personally don't have any issue in running up the score in college football, where there isn't a play-off.

Really, though, it was a good game.  Nebraska did well to hold Missouri's offense as well as they did, and Missouri never quite let up.

[NWR_DrewMG]

Okay, some 12 hours after the final whistle I'm finally coming down off of this football high.

This is the most fun I've had as a Husker fan in a long time - dare I say since Frank Solich was coach.  Congrats to the Huskers on a tough, tough win.  The Nebraska defense is probably the best it's been since the mid 90s, and that's an insane thought. 

SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH
for HEISMAN