Picks of the Week: No. 13

Seriously, could I pick one upset this season? I'm telling you, 0-12 is humbling. Even my overall picks sucked last week. Thanks Rutgers. You couldn't handle Syracuse? Here's another attempt at perfection.

Connecticut (-13.5) over Syracuse
Both teams are coming off much-needed victories last week--UConn a 33-30 OT win at Notre Dame and Syracuse rolled Rutgers 31-13. The Huskies can still become bowl eligible and even close the season on a three game winning streak with a win Saturday and next week against South Florida. The Orange are playing for next season and if Doug Marrone can finish 5-7 and with two conference wins that will be a huge improvement over the Greg Robinson years. It's also the final game in Greg Paulus' one-year stint with the Cuse.
Pick: Connecticut 31, Syracuse 12

Arizona (-3.0) over Arizona State
The Sun Devils could really catch the Wildcats off guard in this one after that emotional 44-41 double OT loss at home to Oregon last week. Dennis Erickson's ASU team could erase some of the misery of the season with an upset, as well as end a five-game losing skid. A look at starting QBs is why I favor Zona. The Wildcats are going with veteran Nick Foles, while ASU is giving sophomore Samson Szakacsy his second start.
Pick: Arizona 27, Arizona State 17

Boston College (-6.0) over Maryland
Eagles RB Montel Harris will be tough to stop as he is averaging more than 110 yards a game, including an impressive 132 on 23 carries against a staunch North Carolina defense last week.
QB Dave Shinskie needs to rebound from a four INT game, though. The Terps are enduring their worst season under Ralph Friedgen and are fresh off a tough 29-26 loss to Florida State. Even a win here won't save Maryland's season, and possibly their coach's job.
Pick: Boston College 33, Maryland 19

Central Florida (-3.0) over Alabama-Birmingham
With a win UAB becomes bowl eligible. Both teams are still in the hunt for a title in Conference USA. UAB's best shot at winning is relying on versatile QB Joe Webb, who has rushed for 1,290 yards, and passed for 18 TDs. What scares me about UAB is its defense, which ranks as one of the worst in the nation. That opens the door for QB Brett Hodges and the running attack of Brynn Harvey and Jonathan Davis.
Pick: Central Florida 27, UAB 18

Upset of the Week
Ohio (+2.5) over Temple
The Bobcats are looking to reach its second Mid-American Conference championship game in school history, while it would be Temple's first. The Bobcats will pull off the upset at home in Peden Stadium because of a tough defense. Temple, which has won nine-straight, will need to find a way to replace starting RB Bernard Pierce, who was injured in last week's win over Kent State. This is arguably one of the biggest games played in Athens in a decade.
Pick: Ohio 30, Temple 28

Last Week: 1-4
Season Record: 30-30

Picks of the Week: No. 9

The 'Eer's run above .500 came to a quick halt after going 1-4 last week, and that didn't include any ACC games. Let's give it another shot this week and see if I can pull out a few wins.

Wisconsin (-7.0) over Purdue
The Badgers are looking to become bowl eligible, which is much more than many thought this team could do at the beginning of the season. Wisconsin has dropped two straight against Ohio State and Iowa after opening 5-0, but it should get back on track with the home game against the Boilermakers. Purdue had its big win this season over Ohio State. It won't happen again.
Pick: Wisconsin 34, Purdue 13

Cincinnati (-15.0) over Syracuse
Give Syracuse credit for being much more competitive under new coach Doug Marrone. But the Orange don't have the talent to compete against the Big East's premiere team. Even without Tony Pike, the Bearcats will be just fine with Zach Collaros at QB. Also Mardy Gilyard continues to be one of the most explosive and dependable receivers in the game.
Pick: Cincinnati 38, Syracuse 10

Michigan (-7.0) over Illinois
The Wolverines are banged up and their defensive has been struggling under coordinator Greg Robinson. But Michigan needs this win to also become bowl eligible and move up into the middle of the pack in the Big Ten. It shouldn't be a problem since the Fighting Illini are a mess under Ron Zook.
Pick: Michigan 27, Illinois 12

Boise State (-35.0) over San Jose State
This goes against everything I believe in when picking a game. To think Boise enters the game down 35-0 is tough for me to stomach, but the Broncos are trying to impress voters and computers so they'll score at will against the 1-5 Spartans. San Jose had an extra week to prepare, but it won't help against Kellen Moore and a Boise offense that is averaging more than 40 points a game.
Pick: Boise State 56, San Jose State 14

Upset of the Week
Iowa State (+7.0) over Texas A&M
The Aggies ended a three-game skid with a shocking 52-30 win over Texas Tech, but don't expect A&M to win two straight. Iowa State is playing outstanding under first-year coach Paul Rhoads, including a 9-7 win at Nebraska last week. Behind QB Austen Arnaud, the Cyclones will find a way to win again on the road.
Pick: Iowa State 29, Texas A&M 21

Last Week: 1-4
Season Record: 20-20

Marrone is God to Cuse fans

Just so no one confuses us of becoming a Rich Rodriguez blog, above is a hilarious video produced by the funny folks over at Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician. And if you watch the entire spot you'll see maybe there's a tiny bit of a knock on RichRod. Enjoy. The bloggers at Nunes Magician also had one of the funniest Tweets yesterday in reference to Practice Gate at Michigan.

"I refuse to believe that a coaching staff that includes Greg Robinson could be working its players too hard."

It's all about perspective and these guys had to deal with some rough times under Robinson. Hopefully it gets better with Marrone. The Big East needs Syracuse to be a player again.

Is it possible...

that Syracuse was even worse than we'd imagined? Today, the Orange named transfer Greg Paulus their starting quarterback. You know, the guy who hasn't played football in four years. The guy who new coach Doug Marrone has no reason to play knowing he'll be gone in a year and isn't really someone you're exactly going to build a program around.

But no, the other options at QB for the Orange were so bad, Marrone had no choice but to stick Paulus behind center.

I guess maybe Paulus could have quickly recovered his timing, throwing motion and mastered the 'Cuse offense. Maybe Paulus will lead the Orange to an upset over Minnesota and Penn State in the first two weeks. But probably not.

Retro football cards

Terry Bradshaw at Louisiana Tech. Jim Brown at Syracuse. Randy Moss at Marshall.

These are just three of the autograph cards that you'll be able to get in the 2009 Magic Set, which is sort of a remake of the 1951 Topps Magic set. It will include current players and former football legends. The basic set consists of 200 cards with 50 additional short-prints.

There are also mini parallels (one per pack) and mini black parallels as well. Also included are buyback cards and several insert sets. What makes this set almost irresistible for collectors or college football fans is all of the history contained in these packs. However, at a suggested $4 a pack (eight cards per pack) it won't be cheap.

Here are some of the players included in this set:

Jackie Robinson, UCLA
John Elway, Stanford
Eric Dickerson, SMU
Tony Dorsett, Pitt
Dan Marino, Pitt
Bo Jackson, Auburn
Ray Lewis, Miami

Happy collecting.

Preseason: Big East rankings

Ugh. The Big East: sucking the fun out of football for the past 10 years! Just kidding, just kidding. Mostly.
Okay, enough pestering. Prediction time. It should be a competitive race this year as I don’t see any team dominating.

1. Cincinnati
Key returners: QB Tony Pike, WR Marcus Gilyard, WR Dominic Goodman, DT John Hughes
Predicted record: 8-4
While I think UC ends up with a worse overall record than WVU, I think they take the conference, as long they can win the season finale at Pitt. Big losses on defense will hold the Bearcats down a bit early in the year, but Brian Kelly knows how to get his offenses to score points. Tony Pike is back at QB and Marcus Gilyard at WR. UC has a new defensive coordinator and is supposedly switching to a 3-4 look.

2. West Virginia
Key returners: QB Jarrett Brown, RB Noel Devine, RB Jock Sanders, OG Josh Jenkins, DT Scooter Berry, LB Pat Lazear
Predicted record: 9-3
While the ‘Eers wll miss Pat White, Jarrett Brown is a talented backup who might be a better fit in WVU’s post-Rodriguez offense. Noel Devine is a home run threat at running back, but should get a few more carries per game. Replacing four starters on the offensive line could hinder WVU’s offense. The defense has some experienced players back and should be solid. The book is still out on Bill Stewart, though.

3. Pitt
Key returners: QB Bill Stull, QB Pat Bostick, WR Jonathan Baldwin, OT Jason Pinkston, TE Nate Byham
Predicted record: 8-4
The Panthers could win the Big East, but not just yet. I know Pitt fans were celebrating the departure of OC Matt Cavanaugh back to the NFL, and for good reason, but the questions at quarterback are still there. With a good offensive line, good receivers and solid backs, there’s no reason Pitt’s offense shouldn’t excel regardless. But I’ve heard that before.

4. Rutgers
Key returners: OT Anthony Davis, LB Ryan D’Imperio, LB Damaso Munoz, RB Kordell Young
Predicted record: 7-5
Mike Teel is gone, leaving a big hole at quarterback that could be difficult to fill. That’s the bad news. The good news is eight players are back on offense including four starters on a good offensive line and RB Young. Rutgers also has a cake non-conference schedule with the exception of Maryland. I just don’t quite see the talent there for the Knights who are a year away from being back at the top of the league.

5. Connecticut
Key returners: RB Jordan Todman, DE Marcus Campbell, DE Lindsey Witten, LB Greg Lloyd
Predicted record: 7-5
Notre Dame transfer Zach Fraser was anointed the No. 1 quarterback in the spring, which unfortunately doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence for one of the worst passing offenses in college football last year. Donald Brown is also gone. Questions abound on offense and defense, but it’s tough to question Randy Edsall’s ability to at least get this team back to a bowl game.

6. South Florida
Key returners: QB Matt Grothe, WR A.J. Love, DE George Selvie
Predicted record: 5-7
Offseason coaching turmoil is rarely a good thing and Jim Leavitt brought plenty of that on himself with dissension among the assistants and a couple firings. The Bulls will once again start the year hot, but there is a tough non-conference schedule with FSU and Miami and too many trips north late in the year.

7. Syracuse
Key returners: QB Ryan Nassib, CB Dorian Graham, S Kevyn Scott
Predicted record: 4-8
Don’t get me wrong, the ‘Cuse is still bad. Despite the record, the ‘Cuse will tie Louisville for the bottom. New coach Doug Marrone isn’t a miracle worker. Rob Spence’s spread, short-passing offense could help the Orange be more efficient on offense. But this is another rebuilding year for Syracuse. Marrone might want to skip the games to recruit.

8. Louisville
Key returners: DE Greg Scruggs, WR Josh Chichester, RB Victor Anderson, S Richard Raglin
Predicted recorded: 3-9
I like Steve Kragthorpe. I think he’s a good football coach. But this whole Louisville thing has been a nightmare scenario from the start. It won’t get better this season, mostly due to the brutal early schedule. After opening with Indiana State, Louisville faces Kentucky, Utah, Pitt, Southern Miss and Connecticut. That’s a potential 1-5 start, a lame duck Kragthorpe and a serious bottoming out in the pizza place.

Nice video, weak schedule

I guess if you have this weak of a home slate you have to put together a video to promote it. I guess Iowa and clearly Ohio State are good games. But some of these other ones are embarrassing.

Don't stretch yourself too much to start the season ... Akron (Sept. 5), Syracuse (Sept. 12) and Temple (Sept. 19) Really Penn State. You can't fit Pitt into the schedule Pitt? It would be a much better match up and rebuild the rivalry.

Paulus becomes BIG distraction for Cuse

Any PR is good PR? I'll give in to the old maxim. But ESPN's Brian Bennett says the buzz created by Duke point guard Greg Paulus choosing Syracuse to play one year of Division I football makes the Orange relevant again.

He's full of crap. I normally agree with Bennett, but he's off on this one. Paulus has been away from the game for four years and he may be lucky to beat out Ryan Nassib, who was named the starter for this season early in spring practice.

I understand Bennett's point. National media will follow this story all season. And if he finally plays or even starts it will lead ESPN's coverage. I'm sure they are already planning some big feature on Paulus for Game Day and Bennett will probably do daily or weekly updates on Paulus.

Also, Paulus may help draw more fans into the Carrier Dome, and give opposing fans plenty to get riled up about each week.

But this will be destracting for everyone else involved with Cuse football and won't have any long-lasting implications for future recruiting.

Now this could work out real well for first-year coach Doug Marrone. He gets a former top-rated prep prospect for one season as he tries to rebuild the Orange. But it's more likely to backfire and cause some dissension in the lockerroom.

I believe Nassib is a gutsy guy who'll relish the competition. But freshmen quarterbacks can also be a bit fragile. Openly courting Paulus may not sit well. Still, Syracuse was 3-9 last season and everything is free game.

Also, Paulus did say all the right things on ESPN radio and added that he couldn't pass up playing for Marrone and the academics of Syracuse as he works on a graduate degree in communications.

Old Italian man whines to media

Joe Paterno's talking about stuff again. That means it's time for the national media to get in a tizzy and everyone else to roll their eyes. He's kind of like the Marge Schott of college football. The more he talks, the crazier you know it's going to get.

So, old Joe says it's time for the Big 10 to add a 12th team.

And preferably someone from the east, such as Rutgers, Syracuse or Pitt. Wow, Pitt fans must be scratching their heads since Paterno won't bother to schedule the Panthers at all, effectively destroying a once-great rivalry. Maybe Joe wants to run it up on poor ol Rutgers like the golden days.

But the best part of the story is this, as Paterno discusses the reaction of Big Ten higher-ups to his suggestions:

"You know, it's a conference that's dominated by a couple of people," Paterno said. "If I start talking, they're polite, but they snicker.

"They don't know I know they're snickering, but they're polite. ...I wish I were younger and going to be around [another] 20 years."

Nice paranoia there, Joe. This guy is treated like Jesus H. Christ incarnate and he thinks everyone is laughing at him. (Okay, well maybe I'm laughing.)

No, Joe, the Big 10 doesn't need a 12th team and it doesn't need a championship game. The only thing it needs is for you to retire and let Tom Bradley rightfully be the head coach at Penn State. You know, the job he's already doing.

Better fit for Paulus

I'm already tired of the Greg Paulus story. But I have to admit this seems like a much better fit. It appears Michigan has stopped courting the former Duke basketball player. Instead, it appears Syracuse is a real possibility for the former Gatorade High School Football Player of the Year.

Cute 'Cuse dance

Appears the Syracuse football players are enjoying themselves now that the Orange have a new coaching staff. Syracuse's Jonathan Meldrum, Bud Tribbey and Josh White are not the greatest dancers, but give them high marks for choreography in the mirror room to Souljaboy.

Let's hope more players (and maybe coaches ... come on Lane you got it in you) challenge the 'Cuse this offseason in our own Dancing With the Stars-type competition. Syracuse is leading the pack right now.

Hat tip to NunesMagician.com.

That didn't take long

Seems a group of Syracuse fans have already made up their mind about new football coach Doug Marrone. The group that started getgrossout.com, have now started a site to fire Marrone just days after he was hired.

That was quick, but not sure I blame them.

To answer the 'Eer's question...

looks like Syracuse alum and current Saints offensive coordinator Doug Marrone gets the 'Cuse job after Skip Holtz skips out. (Get it? Skipped!)

If you listened to the podcast, 'Eer and I agree this is pretty much the wrong hire. He's an alum and while it's sweet that he knows the words to the alma mater, he hasn't coached in college in eight years and he's never been a head coach. It's a stretch when it seems Turner Gill was out there.

As it is, the only memorable Syracuse play I can recall from the past decade is this (fast forward to the 6:17 mark):

Who's up for the 'Cuse?

Reports out of North Carolina this morning are saying that East Carolina's Skip Holtz has turned down the Syracuse job and the $12 million offer. If that's the case, who's up next?

Maybe now Syracuse AD Daryl Gross will get serious about the best candidate—Buffalo's Turner Gill. Rumors coming out of The Plains are that Gill isn't going to get the Auburn job to replace Tommy Tuberville. Gill just seems like a great fit for the Orange.

He's a proven winner, overall good person and better recruiter than Greg Robinson. Hey Daryl, don't mess this one up buddy. Go get Gill now.

For the latest on the Orange go to the blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician.

State of denial

Excerpt From Coach Greg Robinson's Last News Conference

From everything I have ever read, former Syracuse coach Greg Robinson is a great human being. But he's also a little delusional. This video clip from The Post Standard is all the proof you need.

'Fire Weis' should start in earnest now

What if this were Ty Willingham instead of Charlie Weis and Notre Dame had just lost to 20-point underdog Syracuse? Wait. We know how that ended. So why isn't Weis being run out of town as Notre Dame pursues Urban Meyer or whoever the Irish believe is their right to own as their next head coach?

After a little more searching I found this poignant column by Jeff Carroll at the South Bend Tribune.

Observations from Saturday's Games (Nov. 22)

This was a great day for 'Eer. West Virginia won, Michigan, Notre Dame and Marshall all lost. Now if Pitt and Oklahoma could win tonight it would be a near perfect day (damn Penn State). Here are some observations from Saturday:

1. Charlie Weis is a genius. This was his week. He was taking over the offensive play calling and he was going to show us his coaching brilliance. Wait. No one told Syracuse. Yeah, that Syracuse. The Big East dwelling Orange mounted a great comeback and won in South Bend 24-23. With this loss Notre Dame is 0-2 in Big East play (0-3 if you count old Big East member Boston College). Can we just revoke Notre Dame's bowl eligibility? May be time to rethink that lifetime contract with Weis.

2. Rich Rodriguez is a bigger genius. If Rich-Rod could have just kept his ego in check a little he'd still be in Morgantown and considered a coaching guru who drew coaches from around the nation to see if his magic rubs off. Instead, he's now the worst coach in Michigan football history following a 42-7 loss at Ohio State and finishing 3-9. Great move Rich.

3. Showing some respect. It's obvious Urban Meyer wants Tim Tebow to win the Heisman again this year. He keeps him in games late when the outcome is decided. But even the arrogant Meyer showed a little class in Saturday's 70-19 victory over The Citadel. He pulled Tebow for the second half, instead of padding his stats for a run at another Heisman.

4. Poor State of football. Washington and Ty Willingham are probably going to go winless this year. The best shot came Saturday against what many thought was the worst BCS team in the country -- Washington State. However, the Cougars upset the rival Huskies (if you can upset a winless team) thanks to a last-second FG and another kick on double OT. Willingham would have liked the one win before leaving Seattle. Wazzu's Paul Wulff needed this win in his first season.

5. SEC bashing. During this past week's podcast I defended the SEC as still being the best conference in college football. After watching LSU get pushed around by Ole Miss and bowl-bound Vanderbilt's collapse against Tennessee. The SEC is two-deep this year. No Georgia, you aren't in the mix either. It's just Florida and Alabama (arguably the two best teams in the nation). But the SEC usually stakes claim to best conference because of depth. There's more depth in the Big East and Big 10 this year.

6. Sigh of relief. So how nervous must the folks have been at Camp Randall with Cal Poly almost pulling off the huge upset over Wisconsin? If not for three missed PATs, the Badgers would have lost. I would have loved to have been in those stands to hear what was being said about Bret Bielema.

7. Fighting words. It seems teams didn't want to get along today. There were at least three reported pre-game scuffles with Ohio State-Michigan, West Virginia-Louisville and BYU-Utah. Can't we all just get along.

8. BCS shakeup. It's still the second quarter (as I write this), but it looks like Oklahoma is going to cruise past No. 2 Texas Tech. So who's the best in the Big 12 now?

9. One smart Nutt. Ole Miss' Houston Nutt can coach football. His two stops in the SEC (Arkansas and Ole Miss) are not juggernaut programs. But Nutt always seems to put good teams on the field and they are always well prepared. His Rebels proved it again today by whipping LSU 31-13 at Tiger Stadium. According to ESPN, Ole Miss may get a Cotton Bowl invite.

10. Tip of the cap. To Florida State safety Myron Rolle for arriving in College Park, Md., as a Rhodes Scholar. What an impressive accomplishment for someone who faces many obstacles as a Division I athlete.

Thanks Pat

Watching the final minutes of West Virginia's 35-21 victory at Louisville something became very apparent ... Pat White's days as the electrifying quarterback of the Mountaineers is almost over.

Enjoy each snap WVU fans. White, who had a record-setting day against the Cardinals, has just two regular season games remaining and a bowl game to be named. With a little luck, White could be playing for his third BCS bowl victory and a fourth consecutive postseason win.

It has been a pleasure to watch Pat the past four seasons. The memories are special and I hope there are a few more.

Saturday was just another chapter as White ran for 200 yards and three touchdowns to give him 4,292 yards for his career, breaking the record of 4,289 set by former Missouri quarterback Brad Smith between 2002-05.

He also eclipsed another record Saturday as he added two passing touchdowns to bring his career total for TD accounted for to 98, surpassing the Big East record of 96 held by former Syracuse quarterback Donovan McNabb of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Thanks Pat. Let's hope there's a little more magic left over the next three games.

Let the healing begin

Syracuse finally admitted something today--firing Paul Pasqualoni in 2005 was a mistake. How did they do so? By firing Greg Robinson today.

Robinson, who took over a proud and tradition rich Syracuse program, will coach the final two games of 2008. What looked like a promising hire has resulted in shocking numbers. Robinson is 9-36 and 3-24 in the Big East.

Robinson will never be mentioned with Orange coaching greats Ben Schwartzwalder, Frank Maloney, Dick McPherson and Pasqualoni.

UConn's Randy Edsall is the popular name being thrown around as a replacement. But Syracuse isn't as attractive an option as it was four years ago. The 'Cuse have been passed by newer Big East additions Louisville, Cincinnati and South Florida, as well as Rutgers and UConn in the east.

The Big East needs Syracuse to be competitive again.

But today is about letting the 'Cuse heal. Tomorrow the fans can set the unrealistic expectations of who should be the next coach.

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