The Goat Pen

I liked indy's defense sunday night and even painter didn;'t look horrible on the td tying drive

that said

tampa 35 indy 14

new orleans over jacksonville also seems like the smary jones lock of the week

how did kstate get into hizzy's top 25?

it all comes crashing down against baylor although kstates offense has been pretty effective

robert griffin 63 brown brothers 35

Crash,

Be leery of picking a bad defensive team (Baylor) on the road.

Jonkey,

Go with NO @ Jax. Jax is going to need to score to stay in this one and you just don't put that off on a rookie with mediocre wideouts. As pissed as I am with Houston's D in the last ten minutes last Sunday, it's still a better, deeper unit than the Jags.

billy bob bocephus wrote:Wake Forest then Duke will convince hizzy the noles don't belong in the top 50 much less the top 20

Sandbagus unacceptus.

i'm all atwitter awaiting UK's debut in hizzy's bottom feeders list....shouldn't be long now

I think Memphis took offense to ESPN leaving them out of the bottom 10 last week...

Nc State is missing 9 players off the 2-deep plus another two that had missed the whole season. anybody else have this kind of attrition?

Tampa Rays.

Alright, let's get this week's picks out of the way.

South Florida at Pittsburgh, Thursday, September 29, 8:00 PM

The Big East opener for both schools, with Pitt coming off of its second straight close defeat. There are things in place in Pantherland that might make one feel optimistic about the future, but QB isn't really one of them. Tino Sunseri had his second mediocre fourth quarter, failing to help his team capitalize on Irish miscues. That's gotta change in order for the Yinzers to finally break through against good teams. And here's an even bigger potential problem for the Panthers: the Bulls defense may be the best of any team they've faced so far this season. Bolero! 23, Da Burgh 16

Texas A&M at Arkansas (Arlington, TX), Saturday, October 1, 12:00 PM

If aggy is truly on the come, they HAVE to start winning games like this more consistently. While they've beaten OU and Texas over the past year, they've also lost to Arkansas, Okie State (twice) and LSU. After last week's meltdown, a second consecutive defeat could start a nasty spiral in the wrong direction, especially with aggy having the scarlet letter marked on its chest as far as its soon-to-be former Big XII brethren are concerned. Meanwhile, Arkansas was given a cold lesson on how the world works last week in Tuscaloosa. Granted, A&M isn't quite Alabama but given how one-sided last week turned out for the swine, Saturday looks a bit bleak. Farmers Fight 34, Pork Skins 26

Mississippi State at Georgia, Saturday, October 1, 12:30 PM

Wins in Athens have been few and far between for State and although Buck Belue's alma matter has been sinking in the mud as of late, they have enough overall talent to make yet another Saturday for Dan Mullen rather dyspeptic. OTOH, other than a solid showing against Ole Miss' horrid offense, Georgia's defense looks like the stuff end-of-the-year firings are made of. Luckily for Mark Richt, State's supposed defensive prowess has proven to be a bit overwrought and inflated. Never a good thing for a road team. Hunker Down 27, Starke Raving Mad 23

Michigan State at Ohio State, Saturday, October 1, 3:30 PM

The Buckeyes bounced back from their catastrophe in Miami two weeks ago with a solid if not ho-hum dismantling of sucky Colorado last week. Meanwhile, Michigan State was, once again, feasting on the weak and the crippled on their way to a 45-7 win over Central Michigan (one of our Bottom Feeders, no less). The one decent opponent Sparty has faced so far this year (at Notre Dame) thumped them by 31-13. Given that Sparty's other three games (all wins) were against Youngstown State, Florida Atlantic and Central Michigan, it's hard to really see them being battle-tested enough to take advantage of what's obviously an unspectacular Buckeye team in 2011. Oh, Sparty: too bad, so sad. Legumes 25, Greeks 17

Auburn at South Carolina, Saturday, October 1, 3:30 PM

Auburn managed its most impressive defensive performance of the season in holding FAU to just 14 points. Of course, given that FAU had scored all of 3 points for the season prior to last week's tilt, maybe that performance isn't so impressive after all. Definitely unimpressive was Auburn's paltry 30-point production. Maybe it was just an off week for the offense but given that South Carolina's offense and defense are both significantly better than FAU's, we get the feeling that 30 on the road in Columbia just ain't gonna cut it, especially if Marcus Lattimore gets cranked up early. Hard & Stiff 38, Tight & Wet 24

Baylor at Kansas State, Saturday, October 1, 3:30 PM

Let's get this said right away: Robert Griffin is damn good. He's thrown a mere 12 incompletions in 82 attempts and has led Baylor to nearly 600 yards per game on offense. OTOH, outside of TCU, Baylor's not really played anyone worth talking about, and in two of their three games, they've allowed 31 or more points, including 48 to TCU. Yep, those same questions about the defense abound. Meanwhile, Bill Snyder's undefeated Wildcats have flown under the radar, even with last week's solid win at Miami. If the Wildcats can take advantage of Baylor's lack of size in the front seven and control the clock, Robert Griffin's going to have to be something close to Superman in order to pull this one out. Fitting that the backdrop for this fight between good and, well, just as good takes place in good ol' Kansas. Aw shucks, pa! Smallville 37, Clark Kent 33

Clemson at Virginia Tech, Saturday, October 1, 6:00 PM

We're going to do something unfathomable (at least for us): we're going to actually pick Clemson to win a road game versus a ranked opponent. I know, I know... that's just crazy talk (or prose) but there it is. Tech allowed the red flags to be raised when they struggled mightily to shake loose from a mediocre East Carolina a few weeks ago, and did even less to lower those flags in a sloppy 26-7 win over Arkansas State. Meanwhile, Clemson's back-to-back showings (albeit at home) versus Auburn and FSU may be the charge that the Dancing Bear and his crew have needed for a couple of years now. The talent at Clemson has never been in doubt. Just the execution and consistency. No runaway, but a mild upset on the road. Pussy Power 26, Gobblers 24

Washington at Utah, Saturday, October 1, 7:00 PM

Kyle Whittingham's Utes are always dangerous and always unpredictable. They can beat a decent team (like BYU) on the road by 40-plus or they can get worked at home by 40-plus (such as last year's drubbing at the hands of TCU). Washington, meanwhile, has the offense to compete against just about anyone this side of Tuscaloosa or Baton Rouge, but on defense they leave more than something to be desired. That's too bad, because with even an average defense the Huskies could actually make a serious run at Oregon and Stanford for the PAC 12 title. We're not even talking close to average right now, though, and so as our prevailing edict on the subject states: never trust a bad defensive team on the road. Holy Injuns 35, Spade or Neutered 28

Nebraska at Wisconsin, Saturday, October 1, 8:00 PM

Nebraska's first official Big Ten conference game is a doozy, as they travel to Madison to duel with perhaps the nation's best OL. The obvious concern prior to the 2011 season for Bret Bielema was trying to find a replacement for QB Scott Tolzien, who, despite our constant criticism, put up excellent numbers in 2010 for the Badgers. As fate and luck and kismet (or what-the-hell-ever) would have it, former NC State QB Russell Wilson made the transfer, took to the offense and the rest is (becoming) history. The Badgers have outscored their (granted, mostly weak) opponents by a whopping 194-34 and are allowing less than 250 yards per game. Those aren't numbers that Bo Pelini is ignoring, especially since his undefeated Huskers, while never in any serious trouble so far this year, have looked a bit shaky at times on defense. If the Huskers can't compete against that brutal Badger offensive line, Taylor Martinez, like Robert Griffin, is going to have to emulate Superman in order to pull this one out--and Taylor ain't quite as good as Robert. America's F'n Dairlyand 31, Cornholio 21

Alabama at Florida, Saturday, October 1, 8:00 PM

There are two things that we feel will decide this one: Can Florida protect John Brantley enough to let him get the ball down field and can Florida stop Alabama's Trent Richardson from breaking off ten and fifteen yard runs for four quarters? If the answer is yes to both, then Florida's more than likely your winner. If even one of these is a no, well... The Gators look a lot better, particularly on offense, through four games than at this same time last year (even if the record is the same) but 'Bama's unit is a lot more rounded and experienced on both sides of the ball, giving them a major advantage. OTOH, the Swamp is a mystical place that can turn the world on its head. Lurk lightly, Mr. Saban. Those murky waters have twisted sensibilities. Washing Powder 19, Swamp Thing 17

Wisconsin 87 Nebraska 2

reasonable

Hard to believe the lack of chatter about the biggest game of the week......Kentucky vs. LSU.

I think Bama is going to beat Florida by more than that

Lay off the hooch.

Florida will deal us fits. They have two players on offense faster than anyone we have on defense. Make no mistake, Florida is stocked with talent.

Agree, but Alabama should win this. Florida is very young and will be better at the end of the year (in the SEC Championship game if they get there) than now.

I just hope that we don't get embarassed. Our young QB has never seen a night SEC game at a place like Florida. Hell, I hope none of the young and undersized Bama players get killed.

Need to get to St. Louis Cathedral and light a candle.

Bama wins this one big. Florida is just to young

Horseshit!

Sandbagging is fine for children, surfers and paranoid retirees facing a hurricane in Florida but it's damn embarrassing here. Cut it out.

That was a bit of hyperbole, but the general point is an honest one: I'm predicting a Florida win.

Hizzy, you forgot to breakdown the oldest rivalry game west of the Alleghenies.