Tonight's Pick

I enter the evening 23-14 and am contemplating two tough games tonight. I do not know how anyone can be excited about their pick for the Boise at Virginia game. Boise is one of the better teams to travel east over the past few years, including a win down the road from Virginia in Blacksburg in 2010. This Boise team is solid but not exemplary, however. UVA, on the other hand, is playing for a salvaging of the season after the heartbreaking loss to ND. they have been so good at home recently that I cannot pick against them on a Friday night. so i will pass. I am going out on a limb by picking Oregon State tonight, at home against Stanford, to hang close before losing. The Beavers are young and rebuilding under new coach Gary Andersen, who knows how to slow an offense down enough to hang with a better foe. True Michigan did blow them out two weeks ago, but that game was close until a disastrous punt snap allowed the wolverines to begin pulling away. Stanford had a huge win late Saturday night on the road and now has to go on the road again on a short week to play a team they blew out last year with a ranked Arizona on deck. Pick: Oregon State +16

Look Back at a Classic Upset

What's great about an upset is that it sits there, forever, in black and white. As long as college football matters--and there is no sign of that abating any time soon--the fact that the University of Louisiana-Monroe beat Alabama 21-14 on November 17, 2007 will always be recorded in the books. And since those two teams meet up this Saturday for the first time since that game, the upset is back in the news. And as someone who does not like Nick Saban, that is a welcome discussion any and every time. What is great about that result was that La-Monroe had a mediocre season. They went to Tuscaloosa with a 4-6 record with one of the team's losses coming to a North Texas team that finished the season 2-10. The Redhawks themselves finished the season 6-6. Despite the big win head coach Charlie Weatherbie only lasted two more before being fired. Of course, that was not a great Alabama squad by any stretch of the imagination, finishing the season 7-6 including a four-game losing streak in November. John Parker Wilson was the embattled QB and Terry Grant was the leading rusher with only 891y. Still Nick Saban was not happy that day and probably is not happy any time someone brings up that game. Knowing that makes me happy. I love a good upset.

Today's Picks

With the season mark at 18-7 I am feeling good. I like a lot today so here's hoping the luck continues. Temple -11 at UMass. Michigan -35 hosting unlv South Carolina +16.5 at Georgia LSU -6.5 hosting Auburn Va Tech -6.5 at Purdue Nebraska +3 at Miami Utah State +7 at Washington Texas Tech +11 at Arkansas Colorado State +3 versus Colorado Kentucky +3.5 hosting Florida Western Kentucky +1 at IU Iowa -5.5 hosting Pitt BYU +14 at UCLA Utah -14 at Fresno Good luck.

Tonight's Pick

I am red hot this September as I have opened the season 17-7. But that is in the past so let's remain focused. Tonight I am going with Louisville, although I will be rooting hard for head coach Bobby Petrino to open the season 0-3 with the Cardinals. Still, they are a desperate team and playing at home on a Thursday. clemson is not as good as their ranking. Pick: Louisville +6.5

How Much Lower Can Rutgers Sink?

With multiple players being suspended for accused criminal activity the Rutgers football program will soon be holding open tryouts. Well, maybe not. But the ability of the squad to compete with the upper echelon of the Big Ten, already pretty shaky before the suspensions, is now looking near impossible. Truthfully wins and losses matter little at the moment. The program needs to get a hold of the situation before anyone else gets hurt and then go about earning respect as a team that plays hard and does the right thing off the field. The situation is so dire now that changes have to happen. The coach and athletic director are obvious choices to go while the president himself needs to argue for his job. Someone beyond reproach needs to be hired, but current guys who both win and in the right manner are few and far between. Coaches are usually given a free pass if they win and athletic directors are fired if their hires do not win, so there is little reason to expect the good guys to get hired. Hopefully Rutgers will get the shipped straightened out although there is little reason for optimism.

Today's Picks

Sitting at 12-6 on the season I am ready for a few games today. Buffalo +17.5 at PSU Army +7 at UConn Miss State +4 hosting lsu CSU +5 hosting Minny Iowa -3 versus ISU MSU -4 hosting

Tonight's Pick

Once again the Beehive State is loaded with quality football players and tonight's Utah State-Utah game is a fine showcase. Utah looked like the Pac 12 contender it is last week in handling Michigan and they will try to control the game tonight. But tonight's opponent will have emotion on its side and better QB playing. That QB Chuckie Keeton has spent so much time injured over the years that he should view tonight's televised match-up as a chance to make up for lost time. The Aggies will stay close in this one, a game that is the last scheduled between these two rivals for the time being. Pick: Utah State +12