That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. Here's this week's outlook:
Syracuse +14 @ Rutgers
The Orangemen come in at 2-6, Rutgers is 3-5. Rutgers is fresh off a bye week that would have been their letdown game, that being the followup to a the 54-34 kick in the Wannie they gave to the Pitt Panthers (the same Panthers who then went out and beat the University of South Bend in an overtime futility battle in which they didn’t cover the spread). Syracuse beat Louisville 28-21 last week, so this should be their letdown game. My thought is that the Orange can stay inside the points.
Wisconsin -10 ½ @ Indiana
The Badgers are 4-5, having lost to MSU 25-24 on a last second field goal last week. The week before, Wisconsin pasted the Flighty Illini 27-17. Indiana is 3-6, with their only big win coming courtesy of Northwestern. Wisconsin seems to be improving week by week. Indiana is licking its wounds from last Saturday’s smackdown by Central Michigan, 37-34. I’ll take the Badgers and give up the points.
Purdue @ Michigan State -10
The Boilers won 48-42 last week against frustrated Michigan, using an exciting hook and ladder play to score the winning TD as the clock wound down. Sparty enters with an 8-2 record and visions of a major bowl game. Purdue is 3-6 and waiting to bring down the curtain on Joe Tiller’s reign. This is going to be a tune-up game for Michigan State and the Boilers are gonna get spanked.
Florida -24 @ Vanderbilt
Vandy started off the year hot-hot-hot. They are not-not-not in the same league with the Gators, though they will have their home crowd and fans to surround them this Saturday. The home town folk will witness a beatdown of grand proportion. FLA likes to humiliate people. Vandy is next in line.
The Orangemen come in at 2-6, Rutgers is 3-5. Rutgers is fresh off a bye week that would have been their letdown game, that being the followup to a the 54-34 kick in the Wannie they gave to the Pitt Panthers (the same Panthers who then went out and beat the University of South Bend in an overtime futility battle in which they didn’t cover the spread). Syracuse beat Louisville 28-21 last week, so this should be their letdown game. My thought is that the Orange can stay inside the points.
Wisconsin -10 ½ @ Indiana
The Badgers are 4-5, having lost to MSU 25-24 on a last second field goal last week. The week before, Wisconsin pasted the Flighty Illini 27-17. Indiana is 3-6, with their only big win coming courtesy of Northwestern. Wisconsin seems to be improving week by week. Indiana is licking its wounds from last Saturday’s smackdown by Central Michigan, 37-34. I’ll take the Badgers and give up the points.
Purdue @ Michigan State -10
The Boilers won 48-42 last week against frustrated Michigan, using an exciting hook and ladder play to score the winning TD as the clock wound down. Sparty enters with an 8-2 record and visions of a major bowl game. Purdue is 3-6 and waiting to bring down the curtain on Joe Tiller’s reign. This is going to be a tune-up game for Michigan State and the Boilers are gonna get spanked.
Florida -24 @ Vanderbilt
Vandy started off the year hot-hot-hot. They are not-not-not in the same league with the Gators, though they will have their home crowd and fans to surround them this Saturday. The home town folk will witness a beatdown of grand proportion. FLA likes to humiliate people. Vandy is next in line.
SanDiego State @ BYU -36 ½
BYU is the Cougars, not the Fighting Mormons as I would have had them. SanDiego State is the Aztecs. The Aztec is also the ugliest car ever produced by Pontiac, but I am digressing. Bright yellow is its most hideous rendering for the automotive Aztec, and now I have digressed further. BYU was an early season high flyer, getting derailed by the Horned Frogs of TCU a few weeks back. 36 ½ will make this a stretch, but I think the Fighting Mormons have it in them.
Utah State @ Boise State -32.5
Boise likes to score lots of points on the SmurfTurf. I think they will do just that this Saturday against the 2-7 Aggies of Utah State.
Penn State -7.5 @ Iowa
Yer kiddin’ me right? Joe’s boys are going to clobber the Hawks, book it.
Baylor @ Texas -26
The Longhorns are going to be very, very angry this weekend after TexTech gutted them last week. Give up the points, lock up the women and children and watch Baylor get destroyed.
Louisville @ Pittsburgh -6 ½
Oh why, oh why do I do these things???? Wannie’s rolling, Louisville isn’t very good and this is only their third road game of the year, everything’s ripe for another Wannie screw up…I’m taking Pitt and giving the points anyway. No guts, no glory. No Wannie, no nothin’.
Michigan @ Minnesota -7 ½
I see this as the Gophers’ rebound game. They are plentymuch p.o.’d after Northwestern’s Mike Kafka ran for over 200 yards against them last week. MN would love to trash the Wolverines in the Humpdome to assuage their Land of 10,000 Lakes depression. Another smack in the beezer for Rich Rodriguez.
BYU is the Cougars, not the Fighting Mormons as I would have had them. SanDiego State is the Aztecs. The Aztec is also the ugliest car ever produced by Pontiac, but I am digressing. Bright yellow is its most hideous rendering for the automotive Aztec, and now I have digressed further. BYU was an early season high flyer, getting derailed by the Horned Frogs of TCU a few weeks back. 36 ½ will make this a stretch, but I think the Fighting Mormons have it in them.
Utah State @ Boise State -32.5
Boise likes to score lots of points on the SmurfTurf. I think they will do just that this Saturday against the 2-7 Aggies of Utah State.
Penn State -7.5 @ Iowa
Yer kiddin’ me right? Joe’s boys are going to clobber the Hawks, book it.
Baylor @ Texas -26
The Longhorns are going to be very, very angry this weekend after TexTech gutted them last week. Give up the points, lock up the women and children and watch Baylor get destroyed.
Louisville @ Pittsburgh -6 ½
Oh why, oh why do I do these things???? Wannie’s rolling, Louisville isn’t very good and this is only their third road game of the year, everything’s ripe for another Wannie screw up…I’m taking Pitt and giving the points anyway. No guts, no glory. No Wannie, no nothin’.
Michigan @ Minnesota -7 ½
I see this as the Gophers’ rebound game. They are plentymuch p.o.’d after Northwestern’s Mike Kafka ran for over 200 yards against them last week. MN would love to trash the Wolverines in the Humpdome to assuage their Land of 10,000 Lakes depression. Another smack in the beezer for Rich Rodriguez.
As for the local lads, come Saturday afternoon the Lemont Indians will travel to the ersatz tundra of Gately Stadium, 103rd and Cottage Grove, in the heart of Chicago's scenic south side, to tangle with Morgan Park. My last trip to Gately was when I was a sophomore in high school, as my son is now.
There is no punchline to that bit of anecdotal information, sorry. That is all.
