Last week's games were brutal. Just awful to pick and tough to watch. For a weekend that had such promise, the most memorable event ended up being the replay firestorm in Eugene, Ore.
All that is a long way of saying that I fared poorly, although a 1-2-2 week won't force anyone to put up their tuition check this week to get back even. So while I'm sure some people were a little miffed at my picks, I've got a crystal ball this week.
Oklahoma -28.5 vs. MTSU
Yeah, they're a little ticked off in Norman. Sooner fans have also launched themselves into the elite league of fans that are rabid enough to send death threats when bad things happen to their team. Steelers fans, in their post-Roethlisberger-crash frenzy, also pumped out the threats. At the risk of sounding like Peter King, it's just sports, folks.
Bob Stoops also joined a club himself this week; it's the "coaches who can't let go of games they lost on bad officiating" club. Mike Holmgren's post-Super Bowl complaints set the bar pretty high -- it will be interesting to see if Stoops can milk this all season.
Anyway, a ticked off OU stomps on MTSU in Norman.
And of course the best part is that this is such a non-game for the Sooners that Stoops can continue to complain in the post-game press conference.
N.C. State +7 vs. Boston College
If Wolfpack coach Chuck Amato isn't already out the door in Raleigh, this game may be his last chance to save his job.
N.C. State is at home, it's their ACC opener and they're playing a high-profile but beatable team in BC. This is how coaches begin righting the ship.
There's really nothing to like about N.C. State at this point, but you have to think Amato's coaching career has one last gasp in it to hang in there against the Eagles.
Houston pick'em vs. Oklahoma State
This could be the most fun game this year that nobody's going to care about. Against admittedly weak competition, the Cowboys have piled up 35, 35 and 48 points. The Cougars have been equally proficient against equally lousy teams, pouring on 31, 45 and 42 points.
This will be an actual test for Houston before they head to Miami (FL) next week for a game they suddenly may have a chance to win.
Houston's got a 10,000-yard passer at the helm, and the OSU offense has been a pleasant surprise so far. No over/under has been posted on this game yet, but high-60s seems like a good number.
I'll take Houston at home with the experience factor against a middle-of-the-pack Big 12 team. And about 800 yards of total offense.
Clemson -16.5 vs. North Carolina
I'm still not sold on this Clemson team, but I think this is a good-looking pick. After a bad loss to BC, the Tigers came back and beat a clueless Florida State in Tallahassee.
It's realistic that the Eagles will drop at least one ACC game, meaning that Clemson has a real shot at the ACC Championship game.
For now, though, it's time to pad the schedule and have some fun with UNC, Louisiana Tech, Wake Forest and Temple.
Clemson's defense has been a little shaky the last two weeks -- a unit with this many stars could have performed better -- which is not good news for the Heels' questionable offense.
Carolina's been going between quarterbacks, and their defense looks too porous. Add in the fact that this is Clemson's first ACC game in Death Valley and a 34-6 Tigers shellacking sounds about right.
Tennessee -22 vs. Marshall
I think that everything we saw from this Tennessee team in the first two weeks was all a big deception. They're not actually good enough to pillage Cal so thoroughly, and they also aren't lousy enough to come within a failed two-point conversion of losing to Air Force.
Weeks three and four are going to be the weeks that show us what kind of a team the Vols have. We just saw what happened in week three -- they're not going to win the big games. QB Erik Ainge just isn't good enough to direct them to the next level.
Ainge and the offense are good enough, however, to throttle lousy teams. Marshall will be victim number one. The Thundering Herd have had the thunder brought on them this year, with the defense being below average and the offense unable to move against Division I-A teams.
So, that will be Tennessee's story of 2006 -- beat the teams they should, lose to the teams they shouldn't. Remember when Virginia was that good?
Last week: 1-2-2
Season: 3-4-3
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