Picks of the Week

OK. My little experiment last week was a complete and utter failure. I took four huge favorites, and not a single one covered. I also went with Marshall at East Carolina, and despite the Herd's best effort they fell in OT (however, they did cover but I can't count it).

This week I'm going back to a more traditional selection method (flip a coin). If that doesn't work, I'm asking my 3-year-old next week to help. So here are this week's picks.

Connecticut (-9.5) over Syracuse
Syracuse's season has sort been up in smoke. Thank that's a stretch? Did you see where two Orange players opened a hookah bar and the grand opening was Friday night. UConn's players are a little more focused than this. The Huskies win big in the Carrier Dome.
Pick: Connecticut 32, Syracuse 9

UCLA (-7) over Washington
OK, maybe this isn't fair. Picking against another team with a coach who won't be back next year. You'd think the Huskies might get fired up to play against former coach Rick Neuheisel. Only problem, the current UW players have no idea who Slick Rick is. UCLA should execute better and pull out an easy win in Seattle.
Pick: UCLA 21, Washington 3

South Carolina (+22.5) over Florida
Not picking the straight up upset, but the Gamecocks have one of the nation's best defenses. If Steve Spurrier could learn to coach an offense again South Carolina could be a factor in the SEC. Tim Tebow will lead the Gators to a win, but it should be a slugfest in The Swamp.
Pick: Florida 28, South Carolina 10

Nebraska (-6) over Kansas State
If Bo Pelini thinks the defense deserves the Black Shirts again (despite giving up 35 last week) then I'll bite. If the Cornhuskers defense lives up to the Black Shirt tradition they should rolle past K-State in Manhattan.
Pick: Nebraska 32, Kansas State 14

Upset of the Week
Rutgers (+8) over South Florida
This is a match up of teams going in opposite directions. The Bulls know a Big East title is out of reach now, but they've been talking all week about finishing with 10 victories. But the numbers don't lie. USF has lost 3 of its last 4, while the Scarlet Knights have won three straight. Also, Matt Grothe is so overrated. Not only does Rutgers cover, but they upset the Bulls in Tampa.
Pick: Rutgers 18, South Florida 15

Last Week: 0-5
Season: 17-23

Where's my Black Shirt?

After giving up 422 total yards and 35 points, Nebraska's coaching staff decided this was the week to give out 11 blackshirts to the defense--the first time in the Bo Pelini era.

Is this really the week to reward them? Sure, the Cornhuskers won 45-35 and sacked Kansas QB Todd Reesing five times and picked one pass. But I remember when Nebraska defenses stifled opponents and earned the Blackshirts.

Blackshirts went to defensive linemen Pierre Allen, Zach Potter, Ty Steinkuhler, Clayton Sievers and Ndamukong Suh; linebackers Phillip Dillard and Tyler Wortman; cornerbacks Eric Hagg, Armando Murillo and Anthony West; and safety Larry Asante.

“We thought the physical nature of the play on Saturday, the great effort our guys made running sideline to sideline, we felt like that was a performance where they earned the Blackshirts,” said Nebraska defensive coordinator Carl Pelini in a story in the Lincoln Journal Star.

Guess if you look at the history of the Blackshirts, the coaches aren't out of line with tradition and it should serve as a good motivating factor. (Most of the rest of this is lifted from the ultimate source Wikipedia).

The Blackshirts is the name for the first-string defense of the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team. However, during the 2007 season the players decided to remove them because of their uninspired play.

The term originally dates back to the early 1960s and refers to the black practice jerseys that Nebraska's first-string defenders wear in practice. The first string defense came to wear black practice jerseys in 1964, when a defensive coach went to a local sporting goods store to get yellow practice jerseys, and black was the only color available. Long-time sports information director Don Bryant credits much of Blackshirt mystique to defensive line coach George Kelly, who served on Coach Bob Devaney's staff until 1968. Kelly was often heard yelling and exhorting the Blackshirts during practices and scrimmages. Eventually, the rest of the coaches began calling the top defensive units by the same name.

Now where do I get mine?