Bamaman37
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The Resident College Football Expert Week 4 - The Rise of the Intern
by The Resident College Football Expert In-Training
Hi folks, The Resident College Football Expert is on vacation this week, so I will be filling in for him. I have spent the last three weeks going through a vigorous training regimen at The Expert's home. The first day, I woke up at the crack of dawn, put on my jogging suit, and proceeded to start my training. I drank a cup full of raw eggs, and with "The Eye of the Tiger" playing in my head, I started my morning run. After 2 steps, I threw up all over Mrs. Expert's welcome rug. Finished with my morning run, I proceeded to the next step in The Expert's training program. I spent the next three weeks locked in The Expert's basement watching nothing but videos of Lee Corso making his picks. The Expert told me that I must watch the genius that is Corso, and learn all that I can from him. After studying Mr. Corso relentlessly these last three weeks, I feel like I am ready to make The Expert proud!
Talk about a great weekend to be a BAMA fan! Auburn and Tennessee lose, Alabama wins, and to top it all off, Notre Dame not only lost, but they got drilled 38-0! Let's take some time to reflect on some of last week's games before we start with the predictions.
After nearly suffering a heart attack Saturday, I watched as Alabama fought back to FINALLY win a game in which they were trailing in the fourth quarter. Twice Alabama built a 21 point lead on the Razorbacks, and twice the Razorbacks fought back to eventually take the lead over the Tide in the fourth quarter. After a field goal and a good defensive stand, Arkansas was looking at a 3rd and 12 play with a little more than 2 minutes to go. Alabama had no timeouts left, so you knew Arkansas would just run the ball, let 30-40 seconds run off the clock, and then punt the ball to BAMA with very little time to mount a game-winning drive. But wait...the Hogs threw the ball...and it was incomplete! The clock stopped, giving Alabama enough time to drive down the field and score the game winner. Thanks to to John Parker Wilson's accuracy, Matt Caddell's sure hands, and the offensive line giving JPW time, BAMA came from behind, and won the game on Matt Caddell's leaping catch in the endzone with 8 seconds left. It's games like that one that will make my hair go prematurely grey!
Think The Barn's loss to South Florida was a fluke? Well, that's what The Barn set out to prove Saturday against a Mississippi State team that yielded 45 points to LSU while throwing up a goose egg for themselves. Let's just say things didn't exactly go the way The Barn had intended. If Miss. St. had anything that closely resembled a football team, the score would not have been as close as it was. However, at the end of the day, Auburn took another loss, and is now 1-2 on the year.
There's an old saying that I'm all of you are familiar with, "defense wins championship." Well, someone forgot to tell that to Louisville, and they found out the hard way that the best offense in the world doesn't do you any good if your defense gives up more points than you can score. Kentucky pulled off a major upset Saturday, shocking Louisville 40-34. Honestly, is anyone surprised? Sure, Louisville was ranked in the top 10, but they were facing an SEC school. The best that the Big East had to offer couldn't hold off a lower-tier SEC school in Kentucky. I thought the Big East was a major conference now? That’s all I've been hearing from the great folks out there in media land. Maybe now they'll shut up...nah, they’ll just talk about the PAC-10's excellence...what's that? UCLA got beat? Who did you say beat them? Utah? The Mormon state??? Well, I'm sure Utah is a great team this year, I mean, to knock off UCLA, the number 11 team in the county...huh? Utah was 0-2 coming into the game? Well, it must have been a fluke because the PAC-10 is the best conference in the land. They don't get blown out by lower-tier teams from the Mountain West. I blame it on bad officiating...
Okay, I know what you're thinking. "When is going to shut up and make his picks?!?" Alright, it looks like it's about time to put this training to use. Here we go!
Thursday Night – Texas A&M vs. Miami
The last time Miami faced a Big 12 team, they were stomped by Oklahoma 51-13. While Texas A&M is no Oklahoma, they are a pretty good team. Coach Fran brings his A&M team into this game 3-0 and sporting one of the nation's best offenses. However, the Aggies defense is absolutely horrible. A&M was out gained in total yards in their first 2 wins. They gave up 403 yards against Montana State, and 399 yards against Fresno State. Heck, even Louisiana-Monroe had an easy time moving the ball on the Aggies. They compiled 348 yards against the Texas A&M defense. Miami, despite getting blown out by Oklahoma, has a lot of talent on this year's team. Their defense is good enough to slow down the Aggies' offense, and the Hurricane's offense should have no trouble moving the ball against the Aggies' defense. I'm going with the mild upset on this one. Miami 35 Texas A&M 27
Alabama vs. Georgia
Well, this one is already over folks. Western Carolina players say Georgia is a better team than Alabama. That's right, after losing to the Dawgs 45-16, WCU players were quoted as saying that Georgia is more physical, faster, and just overall better than Alabama. I don't even need to pick this game because we all know that no one knows a good football team like Western Carolina...wait a minute...THEY SUCK! How can Western Carolina be taken seriously for anything they say about football?!? This is a team that only won two games last year, and are 0-3 this year...including a 45-21 loss to the power house Eastern Kentucky. I will say right now not to listen to a word the players from Western Carolina say. On paper, Alabama and Georgia are virtually the same team. Both teams have good quarterbacks, and they both have good backfields. Georgia is actually second in the SEC in total defense, but considering they haven't played against a good offense, this ranking is a little deceiving. It will be close, but in the end, BAMA has home-field advantage and Nick Saban. BAMA 27 Dawgs 24
Florida vs. Ole Miss
Are you kidding me? Did Florida really score 59 points on a SEC defense? If they can do that against Tennessee, what do you think they will do to Ed Oregon's pathetic Ole Miss Rebels? Ole Miss is dead last in the SEC in total defense, and they are 9th in total offense. Meanwhile, Florida is number 1 in total offense, 3rd in total defense, and 1st in scoring offense. The Gators are averaging a whopping 55.7 points a game! Unless Ed Oregon body slams Tim Tebow before the game, look for Florida to absolutely destroy Ole Miss. Florida 70 Ole Miss10
Michigan State vs. Notre Dumb
Okay, so I think it seems obvious that Charlie Weis is just not a good coach. He's good at many things: eating, cheating...eating. Armed with his own players, and not those which he inherited, Weis and Notre Dumb have soared to a 0-3 record. Even more amazing is the running game. The Irish have a staggering -14 yards rushing on the season. That's right, -14 yards in 3 games! Don't look for Weis and the Irish to right the ship this week. Michigan State 35 Notre Dumb 6
LSU vs. South Carolina
If this game was strictly between the coaches, I'd have to pick Steve Spurrier to wipe the field with Les Miles. However, this game isn't between just the coaches, the dang players have to get involved. LSU has so much talent on the field, that they don’t even need Les Miles. Heck, even Ron Zook could coach this year's Tigers to an undefeated season. I don't see any possible way for the Gamecocks to win this one. LSU wins, and they win big. LSU 38 South Carolina 9
UCLA vs. Washington
It's the battle of the mighty PAC-10 teams! After UCLA showed just how great the PAC-10 really is in last week's embarrassing 44-6 loss to Utah, they take on the Huskies of Washington. Washington, coming off a loss to Ohio St., will rebound this week as they hand PAC-10 powerhouse UCLA their 2nd loss. Washington 31 UCLA 20
The Viles vs. Arkansas State
The Viles are coming off a horrendous loss to Florida this past weekend. Phat Phil is taking a lot of heat from Tennessee fans, and he knows that his job is on the line. That's why Tennessee will come out strong against the weak Indians from the Sun Belt Conference. As much as I would love to see an upset, I know that it won't happen. The Viles 42 Arkansas State 17
Arkansas vs. Kentucky
Both teams are coming off games that had exciting finishes. Kentucky knocked off then #9 Louisville, while Arkansas lost in the final seconds to Alabama. *Insert Dick and Nutt jokes here* Kentucky can pass all day long on the Razorback's defense, but in the end the Hog's running game will be too strong for the Wildcats. Arkansas 38 Kentucky 27
North Texas Hating Pick of the Week: North Texas vs. Florida Atlantic
Ahh, it's time to hate on North Texas once again. Every week, The Expert picks against the Mean Green. Well, guess what? I'm not The Expert! I think it's about time North Texas is shown a little love! That's right folks, for the first time in the history of The Residential College Football Expert, North Texas is being picked to win! North Texas 28 Florida Atlantic 27
Upset of the week #1: The Barn vs. New Mexico State
Is this really considered an upset? Let's face it, Aubarn has not played well in all of their 3 games this season. In their only win, The Barn was trailing for 58 minutes before finally taking the lead at the end. They have been embarrassed on their home field the last 2 weeks, and they have yet another game in Jordan-Hare stadium this week. The barn will face New Mexico State out of the mighty Western Athletic Conference. After watching the barn these last 2 weeks, I cannot pick them to win until I actually see that they are capable of actually beating someone. New Mexico St. 24 The Barn 20
Upset of the week #2: Penn State vs. Michigan
I know what you're thinking, "Michigan lost to Appalachian State, and now you think they will beat #12 and undefeated Penn St.?" The answer is yes. Michigan has way too much talent to keep on losing this season. The reason they lost their first 2 games was because of the speed of Appalachian State and Oregon. Michigan is a smash mouth football team. They won’t burn you with their speed, but if you are as slow as they are, they can overpower you. Michigan will take down Kirk Herbstreit's #5 team, forcing him to choose yet another Big-10/PAC-10 team to praise. Michigan 27 Penn State 23
Upset of the week #3: Wisconsin vs. Iowa
That's right, another top 10 team will fall this week. After struggling in the last 2 games against lesser opponents, Wisconsin has shown that they are very overrated. Iowa ranks third in the nation in scoring defense and 5th in the nation in total defense. In fact, Iowa is the only Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly 1-A...don't get me started on this crap) team not to allow a touchdown this season. Look for Iowa to knock off the Badgers as another top 10 team bites the dust. Iowa 24 Wisconsin 21
There you have it folks! I hope you enjoyed it. The Expert will be back next week to take over the reigns. Oh, and if you see The Expert, please don't tell him about the North Texas pick. I think it's best if we keep that one between us.
by The Resident College Football Expert In-Training
Hi folks, The Resident College Football Expert is on vacation this week, so I will be filling in for him. I have spent the last three weeks going through a vigorous training regimen at The Expert's home. The first day, I woke up at the crack of dawn, put on my jogging suit, and proceeded to start my training. I drank a cup full of raw eggs, and with "The Eye of the Tiger" playing in my head, I started my morning run. After 2 steps, I threw up all over Mrs. Expert's welcome rug. Finished with my morning run, I proceeded to the next step in The Expert's training program. I spent the next three weeks locked in The Expert's basement watching nothing but videos of Lee Corso making his picks. The Expert told me that I must watch the genius that is Corso, and learn all that I can from him. After studying Mr. Corso relentlessly these last three weeks, I feel like I am ready to make The Expert proud!
Talk about a great weekend to be a BAMA fan! Auburn and Tennessee lose, Alabama wins, and to top it all off, Notre Dame not only lost, but they got drilled 38-0! Let's take some time to reflect on some of last week's games before we start with the predictions.
After nearly suffering a heart attack Saturday, I watched as Alabama fought back to FINALLY win a game in which they were trailing in the fourth quarter. Twice Alabama built a 21 point lead on the Razorbacks, and twice the Razorbacks fought back to eventually take the lead over the Tide in the fourth quarter. After a field goal and a good defensive stand, Arkansas was looking at a 3rd and 12 play with a little more than 2 minutes to go. Alabama had no timeouts left, so you knew Arkansas would just run the ball, let 30-40 seconds run off the clock, and then punt the ball to BAMA with very little time to mount a game-winning drive. But wait...the Hogs threw the ball...and it was incomplete! The clock stopped, giving Alabama enough time to drive down the field and score the game winner. Thanks to to John Parker Wilson's accuracy, Matt Caddell's sure hands, and the offensive line giving JPW time, BAMA came from behind, and won the game on Matt Caddell's leaping catch in the endzone with 8 seconds left. It's games like that one that will make my hair go prematurely grey!
Think The Barn's loss to South Florida was a fluke? Well, that's what The Barn set out to prove Saturday against a Mississippi State team that yielded 45 points to LSU while throwing up a goose egg for themselves. Let's just say things didn't exactly go the way The Barn had intended. If Miss. St. had anything that closely resembled a football team, the score would not have been as close as it was. However, at the end of the day, Auburn took another loss, and is now 1-2 on the year.
There's an old saying that I'm all of you are familiar with, "defense wins championship." Well, someone forgot to tell that to Louisville, and they found out the hard way that the best offense in the world doesn't do you any good if your defense gives up more points than you can score. Kentucky pulled off a major upset Saturday, shocking Louisville 40-34. Honestly, is anyone surprised? Sure, Louisville was ranked in the top 10, but they were facing an SEC school. The best that the Big East had to offer couldn't hold off a lower-tier SEC school in Kentucky. I thought the Big East was a major conference now? That’s all I've been hearing from the great folks out there in media land. Maybe now they'll shut up...nah, they’ll just talk about the PAC-10's excellence...what's that? UCLA got beat? Who did you say beat them? Utah? The Mormon state??? Well, I'm sure Utah is a great team this year, I mean, to knock off UCLA, the number 11 team in the county...huh? Utah was 0-2 coming into the game? Well, it must have been a fluke because the PAC-10 is the best conference in the land. They don't get blown out by lower-tier teams from the Mountain West. I blame it on bad officiating...
Okay, I know what you're thinking. "When is going to shut up and make his picks?!?" Alright, it looks like it's about time to put this training to use. Here we go!
Thursday Night – Texas A&M vs. Miami
The last time Miami faced a Big 12 team, they were stomped by Oklahoma 51-13. While Texas A&M is no Oklahoma, they are a pretty good team. Coach Fran brings his A&M team into this game 3-0 and sporting one of the nation's best offenses. However, the Aggies defense is absolutely horrible. A&M was out gained in total yards in their first 2 wins. They gave up 403 yards against Montana State, and 399 yards against Fresno State. Heck, even Louisiana-Monroe had an easy time moving the ball on the Aggies. They compiled 348 yards against the Texas A&M defense. Miami, despite getting blown out by Oklahoma, has a lot of talent on this year's team. Their defense is good enough to slow down the Aggies' offense, and the Hurricane's offense should have no trouble moving the ball against the Aggies' defense. I'm going with the mild upset on this one. Miami 35 Texas A&M 27
Alabama vs. Georgia
Well, this one is already over folks. Western Carolina players say Georgia is a better team than Alabama. That's right, after losing to the Dawgs 45-16, WCU players were quoted as saying that Georgia is more physical, faster, and just overall better than Alabama. I don't even need to pick this game because we all know that no one knows a good football team like Western Carolina...wait a minute...THEY SUCK! How can Western Carolina be taken seriously for anything they say about football?!? This is a team that only won two games last year, and are 0-3 this year...including a 45-21 loss to the power house Eastern Kentucky. I will say right now not to listen to a word the players from Western Carolina say. On paper, Alabama and Georgia are virtually the same team. Both teams have good quarterbacks, and they both have good backfields. Georgia is actually second in the SEC in total defense, but considering they haven't played against a good offense, this ranking is a little deceiving. It will be close, but in the end, BAMA has home-field advantage and Nick Saban. BAMA 27 Dawgs 24
Florida vs. Ole Miss
Are you kidding me? Did Florida really score 59 points on a SEC defense? If they can do that against Tennessee, what do you think they will do to Ed Oregon's pathetic Ole Miss Rebels? Ole Miss is dead last in the SEC in total defense, and they are 9th in total offense. Meanwhile, Florida is number 1 in total offense, 3rd in total defense, and 1st in scoring offense. The Gators are averaging a whopping 55.7 points a game! Unless Ed Oregon body slams Tim Tebow before the game, look for Florida to absolutely destroy Ole Miss. Florida 70 Ole Miss10
Michigan State vs. Notre Dumb
Okay, so I think it seems obvious that Charlie Weis is just not a good coach. He's good at many things: eating, cheating...eating. Armed with his own players, and not those which he inherited, Weis and Notre Dumb have soared to a 0-3 record. Even more amazing is the running game. The Irish have a staggering -14 yards rushing on the season. That's right, -14 yards in 3 games! Don't look for Weis and the Irish to right the ship this week. Michigan State 35 Notre Dumb 6
LSU vs. South Carolina
If this game was strictly between the coaches, I'd have to pick Steve Spurrier to wipe the field with Les Miles. However, this game isn't between just the coaches, the dang players have to get involved. LSU has so much talent on the field, that they don’t even need Les Miles. Heck, even Ron Zook could coach this year's Tigers to an undefeated season. I don't see any possible way for the Gamecocks to win this one. LSU wins, and they win big. LSU 38 South Carolina 9
UCLA vs. Washington
It's the battle of the mighty PAC-10 teams! After UCLA showed just how great the PAC-10 really is in last week's embarrassing 44-6 loss to Utah, they take on the Huskies of Washington. Washington, coming off a loss to Ohio St., will rebound this week as they hand PAC-10 powerhouse UCLA their 2nd loss. Washington 31 UCLA 20
The Viles vs. Arkansas State
The Viles are coming off a horrendous loss to Florida this past weekend. Phat Phil is taking a lot of heat from Tennessee fans, and he knows that his job is on the line. That's why Tennessee will come out strong against the weak Indians from the Sun Belt Conference. As much as I would love to see an upset, I know that it won't happen. The Viles 42 Arkansas State 17
Arkansas vs. Kentucky
Both teams are coming off games that had exciting finishes. Kentucky knocked off then #9 Louisville, while Arkansas lost in the final seconds to Alabama. *Insert Dick and Nutt jokes here* Kentucky can pass all day long on the Razorback's defense, but in the end the Hog's running game will be too strong for the Wildcats. Arkansas 38 Kentucky 27
North Texas Hating Pick of the Week: North Texas vs. Florida Atlantic
Ahh, it's time to hate on North Texas once again. Every week, The Expert picks against the Mean Green. Well, guess what? I'm not The Expert! I think it's about time North Texas is shown a little love! That's right folks, for the first time in the history of The Residential College Football Expert, North Texas is being picked to win! North Texas 28 Florida Atlantic 27
Upset of the week #1: The Barn vs. New Mexico State
Is this really considered an upset? Let's face it, Aubarn has not played well in all of their 3 games this season. In their only win, The Barn was trailing for 58 minutes before finally taking the lead at the end. They have been embarrassed on their home field the last 2 weeks, and they have yet another game in Jordan-Hare stadium this week. The barn will face New Mexico State out of the mighty Western Athletic Conference. After watching the barn these last 2 weeks, I cannot pick them to win until I actually see that they are capable of actually beating someone. New Mexico St. 24 The Barn 20
Upset of the week #2: Penn State vs. Michigan
I know what you're thinking, "Michigan lost to Appalachian State, and now you think they will beat #12 and undefeated Penn St.?" The answer is yes. Michigan has way too much talent to keep on losing this season. The reason they lost their first 2 games was because of the speed of Appalachian State and Oregon. Michigan is a smash mouth football team. They won’t burn you with their speed, but if you are as slow as they are, they can overpower you. Michigan will take down Kirk Herbstreit's #5 team, forcing him to choose yet another Big-10/PAC-10 team to praise. Michigan 27 Penn State 23
Upset of the week #3: Wisconsin vs. Iowa
That's right, another top 10 team will fall this week. After struggling in the last 2 games against lesser opponents, Wisconsin has shown that they are very overrated. Iowa ranks third in the nation in scoring defense and 5th in the nation in total defense. In fact, Iowa is the only Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly 1-A...don't get me started on this crap) team not to allow a touchdown this season. Look for Iowa to knock off the Badgers as another top 10 team bites the dust. Iowa 24 Wisconsin 21
There you have it folks! I hope you enjoyed it. The Expert will be back next week to take over the reigns. Oh, and if you see The Expert, please don't tell him about the North Texas pick. I think it's best if we keep that one between us.
