Picks of the Week: No. 11

I’m 0-10 on upsets this season. I thought I had the Florida State game against Clemson last week and then C.J. Spiller and the Tigers went crazy in the fourth quarter and ended my hopes of ending the drought. Here I go again. Let’s see if I can finally get a 5-0 week.

Idaho (+32.0) over Boise State
You have to love Idaho coach Rob Akey. All week he’s been hyping this game. The Vandals have been a joke the past decade, but Akey has Idaho playing at a higher level and feeling like it can take down the WAC-power Broncos. Idaho isn’t going to go into Bronco Stadium and take take Chris Petersen’s team, which has the nation’s best home winning percentage this decade at .968 (60-2). Not to mention Boise has won 10 straight in this series. Also hurting the Vandals chances of pulling an upset is the possible loss of starting QB Nathan Enderle, who’ll be a game-time decision. Still, I think Idaho will be jacked and keep this closer than 32 points.
Pick: Boise State 44, Idaho 32

Wisconsin (-8.5) over Michigan
Badger fans were ready to ship coach Bret Bielema out of Madison at the beginning of the season and start making a run at Brian Kelly or Chris Petersen. Instead, Wisconsin has been one of the best surprises in the Big Ten and could easily finish this season 10-2. Michigan’s defense will have a tough time stopping QB Scott Tolzien, who completed 11-of-20 for 194 and a score in last week’s win over Indiana. The Wolverines have fallen apart since opening the season 4-0 and are in trouble of missing a bowl game for a second consecutive season under Rich Rodriguez.
Pick: Wisconsin 38, Michigan 17

Alabama (-12.5) over Mississippi State
The Bulldogs have been a competitive and spunky bunch under first-year coach Dan Mullen, but Mississippi State will struggle to score against Alabama’s staunch defense. RB Mark Ingram, who should be the favorite to win the Heisman this season, should pad his rushing stats in this one. He’s rushed for 1,148 yards and eight TDs this season. QB Greg McElroy could also work out of his midseason funk against the Mississippi State defense. It should be noted that McElroy did play well against LSU last week.
Pick: Alabama 27, Mississippi State 9

Oregon (-18.0) over Arizona State
After weeks of anticipation, this game marks the return of RB LeGarrette Blount. But when or will Chip Kelly put him on the field Saturday? The Ducks should bounce back from last week’s disappointing performance against Stanford as Oregon remains in a great position to win the Pac-10. The Sun Devils secondary is porous so QB Jeremiah Masoli should rack up some impressive stats. Arizona State QB Brock Osweiler has a bright future, but he’ll be stymied by Oregon’s defense.
Pick: Oregon 45, Arizona State 21

Upset of the Week
Arizona (+3.0) over California
Wildcats coach Mike Stoops is doing the best job of coaching in the conference, as well as in his family. Arizona has a tough close to the season starting with Cal and then Oregon, Arizona State and USC. The Wildcats get the stretch going in the right direction behind QB Nick Foles, who should feast of the Bears weak pass defense. Cal must also deal with the loss of RB Jahvid Best, who suffered a concussion for the second straight week.
Pick: Arizona 30, California 28

Last Week: 3-2
Season Record: 26-24

Not quite end of year: Moments of 2009

There's no rhyme or reason to posting this now. But the 'Eye and 'Eer we're chatting about big moments from this season and decided to share them with you.

So here are our Top 10 moments so far in 2009.

10. Tim Tebow scores his 50th career rushing touchdown. There is no way to compare Tebow with Herschel Walker, who held the record at 49. The former Georgia Bulldog did it in three years, while Tebow scored a lot of short TDs as an H-Back playing QB. But it's still a milestone that can't be overlooked.



9. Moment of silence before WVU-UConn game. In a real show of class, West Virginia's fans helped pay tribute to Connecticut defensive back Jasper Howard, who was murdered a week earlier. It was an emotional day for the Huskies, but both teams and fans displayed an amazing amount of class.



8. Central Michigan upsets Michigan State on last-second FG. In the second week of the season, the Chippewas hung tough with the Spartans. Senior QB Dan LeFevour threw for 328 yards and led two late scoring drives for the 29-27 win.



7. FSU-Miami goes down to final play. This once proud rivalry has been pretty boring in recent years, but not in 2009. The defenses didn't show up and QBs Christian Ponder and Jacory Harris put on a clinic. The Seminoles appeared to be going in for the game-winner, but Ponder's pass on the final play of the game bounced off the face mask of WR Jarmon Fortson. The rivalry is back.



6. SEC officiating. So where do I start with this one? The Florida-Arkansas game has way too many bad calls, missed calls, etc. There was the bogus excessive celebration flag against Georgia's A.J. Green for excessive celebration against LSU. Now Urban Meyer has been fined $30,000 by the SEC for criticizing the officiating in the Florida-Georgia game. It hasn't been a banner year for the SEC.



5. Iowa scores as time expires to beat Michigan State. The Hawkeyes seem to do this every week, but this finish was wild and kept Kirk Ferentz' team undefeated. Iowa may not be the most talented team, but it sure is lucky this season.



4.Terrence Cody blocks FG to hold off Tennessee. The Volunteers outplayed Bama and should have left Tuscaloosa with the upset and Lane Kiffin's first signature win. But the oversized Cody busted through, gut and all, and helped the Tide remain in the national title hunt. Of course, there were some who felt he should have been flagged for removing his helmet. Way to go SEC officials.



3. Tim Tebow suffers concussion. As Tebow's head slammed into the knee of one of his lineman Urban Meyer crapped himself and Gator Nation wept in unison. The Gators had a big lead already against Kentucky, so the outcome was never in question, but Tebow has not played well since. Of course, he'll probably win the Heisman again because there's no legitimate candidate and because of this.



2. Oregon's LeGarrette Blount punches Boise's Byron Hout. The Ducks opened the 2009 season with an abysmal performance, only to top it off with one of the more embarrassing post-game performances. Hout mouthed off to Blount, who went all gangsta on him. Blount also wanted to go into the stands an take on 35,000 Broncos fans. This was not the way the NCAA wanted to open the season, especially with all of the hype surrounding sportsmanship week or whatever the hell they called it.



1. Oklahoma's Sam Bradford bangs up his shoulder in season-opening loss to BYU. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner was lost in the first half and the Sooners never recovered. This injury put a crimp in OU's season, as he was back for the Red River Shootout but hurt the shoulder again. He has since had surgery and plans to bolt for the NFL next year.

Oregon fans show Blount support

While 'Eye and 'Eer understand the sentiments of these fans outside Auzten Stadium before Saturday's Oregon game against Purdue (the Ducks barely escaped with a 38-36 win), they definitely fit the ultra liberal stereotype that gets slapped on folks from Eugene. I guess they want to rehabilitate suspended RB LeGarrette Bount, like OSU fans would like to do with Maurice Clarett.

No. 9, No. 9, No. 9