Wild finish in Champaign

I doubt many of you watched the Fresno State-Illinois game this afternoon (you thought the Monk re-run would be more exciting, huh?). Well, this game had all kinds of scoring and one unbelievable ending.

Fresno State's Jamel Hamler caught a 19-yard touchdown pass with two seconds left against the Fighting Illini. The Bulldogs decided to go for two, instead of kicking the PAT to force OT. That's when 350-pound offensive lineman Devan Cunningham catches a deflected pass and stumbles across the goal line, giving Fresno the 53-52 victory.

Are we sure Illinois is going to stick with Ron Zook?

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

The Zooker's one man implosion to continue another year

Illinois athletic director Ron Guenther says Ron Zook is keeping his job for another year.

The Illini are 1-6 and have shown few signs from week 1 that they felt like showing up this year. Florida fans everywhere giggle themselves to sleep at night.

Of course, Guenther then added that the Zooker's coaching staff was going to get a big shake-up in the offseason.

"Let's put one thing to rest," Guenther said. "There's going to be some changes, but there won't be a change at the top. There's a great deal of frustration, obviously, with the program at the moment and that's all I have to say."

Five years in and your highest-paid university employee can't hire his own direct reports? Ouch, Zooker. I would put this last year's salary in a savings account.

And, if anyone still cares, the Illini have evolved an interesting quarterback situation. Juice Williams is still there, barely, but he was benched for Eddie McGee. Except McGee is now playing wide receiver. And redshirt freshman Jacob Charest got to play in last week's loss to Purdue.

And Arrelious Benn spends his days running out routes and considering permanently spraining his ankle until December.

Picks of the Week: No. 6

Mixing it up a little again this week. In hopes of improving his record the ’Eer is adding a mid-major game and getting away from all of the ranked teams. He believes this is the week he turns the corner and proves his supernatural abilities at picking games against the spread.

Michigan State (-4.0) over Illinois
It just seems like the Spartans should be much bigger favorites in this one. The Spartans have won five consecutive games at Illinois' Memorial Stadium (Illinois' last home win in the series came in 1992) and they could easily be 4-1 instead of 2-3. Despite the early missteps, Mark Dantonio will have MSU ready for the Illini and keep the Spartans in the Big Ten race.
Pick: Michigan State 33, Illinois 20

Alabama (-5.0) over Mississippi
This game scares me a bit because Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt always does his best work when his team is overlooked or counted out. But Alabama’s coaches, players and fans just seethed during the offseason when everyone was picking the Rebs to win the SEC West (of couse we didn’t). QB Greg McElroy is 5-0 as the ‘Bama starter and he won’t be nearly as harassed as his counterpart Jevan Snead.
Pick: Alabama 28, Mississippi 17

Wisconsin (+16.0) over Ohio State
Can you believe Wisconsin has the best red zone offense in the nation? It’s true. The Badgers have converted 20-of-20 attempts in the red zone. Wisky hasn’t faced a defense quite as good as the Buckeyes so getting into the red zone may be tough. However, 16 points is too much to give UW and not take it. Plus, the Badgers defense isn’t too bad and they might keep Terrelle Pryor in check enough to keep this much closer than the odds makers think.
Pick: Ohio State 27, Wisconsin 17

Ohio (-3.0) over Akron
The Bobcats are the surprise of the Mid-American Conference and at 3-2 overall and 1-0 in the conference they are primed to win the East Division. An easy four-week run begins at Akron this weekend. Ohio QB Theo Scott has been efficient this season, including a 11-of-19 for 203-yard performance in a win against Bowling Green. The Bobcats also have a solid running game led by Chris Garrett.
Pick: Ohio 29, Akron 17

Upset of the Week
Connecticut (+7.0) over Pittsburgh
This is a nice Big East match up that’s receiving regional ABC coverage. UConn is one stupid penalty away from being undefeated, but instead the Huskies are 3-1 and boast the conference’s best defense. Pitt gets the home-field advantage (if there is such a thing at Heinz Field for Pitt) and a stronger offense. But UConn has something to prove and the Huskies don’t want another mid-season meltdown. That starts with a win on the road at Pitt.
Pick: Connecticut 24, Pittsburgh 14

Last Week: 3-2
Season Record: 13-12

2009's best non-conference matchups

With all of the talk about teams trying to make their non-conference schedules as easy as possible I decided it was time to look at the 2009 schedule and give you the 10 best non-conference match ups.

Here are my picks.

1. USC at Ohio State (8 p.m. EST, Sept. 12, ESPN): Buckeyes hope to end their big-game struggles at the Horseshoe against the Trojans. USC crushed OSU last year 35-3, but the Buckeyes are 23-1 under Jim Tressel in non-conference home games.

2. Alabama vs. Virginia Tech (8 p.m. EST, Sept. 5, ABC): Alabama is back in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. Last year the Tide shocked Clemson en route to a perfect regular season. The Hokies hope to represent the ACC in a much better light than Clemson. This game features two of the nation's best defenses and the crowd will be electric.

3. Oregon at Boise State (10:15 p.m. EST, Sept. 3, ESPN): I almost picked this as the top game because the Ducks are traveling to a non-BCS school putting their whole season on the line. The Ducks will also have a new coach and uniforms that will undoubtedly clash with the blue turf. Great game, though, with two Top 15 teams getting the season started on a Thursday night. This is a must watch. If the Broncos win they're probably 12-0 in 2009.

4. Georgia at Oklahoma State (3:30 p.m. EST, Sept. 5, ABC): Georgia didn't play well in big games last season, and Mark Richt could use a win in this game in a serious way. However, when the Bulldogs agreed to this road game Oklahoma State was a middle of the pack Big 12 program. Things are different now and I won't be suprised a bit to see the Cowboys win this game easily.

5. West Virginia at Auburn (7:45 p.m. EST, Sept. 19, ESPN): This was a great game last year in Morgantown. But this year WVU is without Pat White, doesn't have the homefield edge and the Tigers will want to exact a bit of revenge. Think Morgantown is crazy on a Thursday night? Wait until the Mountaineers see Jordan-Hare Stadium. Crazy.

6. Oklahoma at Miami (TBA, Oct. 3, TBA): This matchup brings back memories of Brian Bosworth and Barry Switzer vs. Vinny Testaverde and Jimmy Johnson. Unfortunately for the Hurricanes they aren't quite talented enough to hang with the Sooners. Sam Bradford and the Sooners should have a better outcome this time in Miami.

7. Florida State at Florida (TBA, Nov. 28, TBA): Great rivalry that has been dominated by the Gators of late. The Seminoles are getting better, but Tim Tebow and UF will get another win in 2009.

8. Nebraska at Virginia Tech (3:30 p.m., Sept. 19, ABC): Big 12 vs. ACC. This is another opportunity for the ACC to gain a bit of respect nationally. The Cornhuskers could do the same with a win in front of a hostile crowd at Lane Stadium. Winner of this one gains a lot of traction.

9. Notre Dame at Pittsburgh (TBA, Nov. 14, TBA): Do you remember last year's overtime thriller? I do. I was sitting in a bar in Columbus waiting for a Blue Jackets game to get underway. This game always seems to have a number of twists and turns to keep it exciting. I expect more of the same this year as Pitt believes it can win the Big East and the Irish try to remain relevant. Now if we could just get Penn State to play Pitt or WVU again.

10. Illinois at Cincinnati (TBA, Nov. 27, TBA): The timing isn't the best for Cincinnati as this game is sandwiched between West Virginia and at Pitt. The Bearcats are good enough to repeat as Big East champs, and Illinois is experienced. The winner here could position itself for a solid bowl game.

The next Tebow

What happened to arrogant, full-of-shit stud quarterbacks? Give me Jeff George, Ryan Leaf or even Dan Marino. But now we get guys like Matt Barkley. He loves God. He loves his family. Hell, he even spent his Christmas holiday at an orphanage. That's so Tim Tebow.

Luckily, Oklahoma still recruits dirtbags. Even if it's not at quarterback.

Picks of the Week

Colorado (+5 1/2) over Florida State
This game is technically at a neutral site (Alltell Stadium in Jacksonville), but FSU will have the clear home-field advantage. However, the Noles offense is sputtering with its two-QB system (Christian Ponder and D'Vontrey Richardson). Let's also note that Jimbo Fisher is the most overrated offensive coordinator/future head coach in the country. Colorado is 4-0 and very confident following the upset win over West Virginia last week. I like Buffs QB Cody Hawkins to find a way to beat FSU. He's not the most consistent thrower, but he's gutsy.
Pick: Colorado 27, FSU 17

Georgia (-7) over Alabama
The Bulldogs don't need a "Black Out" to lower the Tide on Saturday night. Georgia is simply better than Nick Saban's boys. Alabama is better and will continue to improve under sad-sack Saban, but the Tide won't roll this week. Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno will shine inside the hedges in Athens.
Pick: Georgia 28, Alabama 20

Purdue (+1) over Notre Dame
Both teams are 2-1 and this match up has had some memorable games. This game could very easily come down to which quarterback plays better--Purdue's Curtis Painter or Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen. Clausen has improved from last year and he's getting a little more protection, but Painter will win this battle. I hate to take Purdue on the road, but the Boilermakers will make fewer mistakes and pull out the mini-upset.
Pick: Purdue 22, Notre Dame 14

Nebraska (-7) over Virginia Tech
This is a gut pick. I haven't seen enough of the Cornhuskers to pick this one on facts. Here's what I know. Nebraska is more disciplined under Bo Pelini and the Huskers are playing at home. Virginia Tech is young and have struggled each week. Beamer Ball is highly overrated. Frank's a good coach, but his team will cave in Lincoln.
Pick: Nebraska 34, Virginia Tech 17

Upset special

Illinois (+15 1/2) over Penn State
Ask anyone who knows me and they'll tell you I think Penn State is the most overrated team coming into every season. Despite Jo-Pa enjoying a 4-0 start, the Nittany Lions victories are against weak teams. Ron Zook, on the other hand, is developing something with the Fighting Illini. Following a wild 52-42 loss in the season opener against Missouri, Illinois has righted itself against weaker competition. QB Juice Williams has been tough to stop the past two weeks running and throwing. He humbles the PSU defense, which the heads at ESPN are giving way too much credit.
Pick: Illinois 30, Penn State 27

Last week: 4-1
Season: 4-1