Bourbonstreet’s Championship Series TOP-10:
1. Texas
2. Ohio State
3. Southern Cal
4. wvu
5. Florida State
6. Auburn
7. LSU
8. Miami
9. Notre Dame
10. Oklahoma
My final-4: (every team has a good shot to play in Glendale Arizona)
#1 Texas
Last week: Beat North Texas 56-7
This week: vs. #2 Ohio State
McCoy was decent enough, but the Longhorn defense was great. Texas played a
ton of people (more so than usual for a blow-out I mean), and beat a serviceable
North Texas team worse than the scoreboard would suggest. I call that a fine
weekend of prepping for Ohio State. “The Brown acid is not particularly too
good.” Nor apparently is driving with dope and handguns in Travis County. What
a mess. But I guess if knuckleheadedness like this had to happen, earlier in the
big-game-week is better. Oh wait, this just in, since when is not smoking
pot no longer an option? (more on this game below:)
#2 Ohio State:
Last week: Beat Northern Illinois 35-12
This week: @ #1 Texas
Nearly 500 yards of offense on the likely MAC champ does not suck. However;
G.Wolfe ran for 171 on those 2 returning Ohio State defensive starters. That’s
a problem. I like TX all the more now, and the trippy part is that Justin Zwick
might start at QB this year for the ‘Horns, though he is only a caddy up in
Columbus. That typed, if Pittman can ante up 100+ every game on the ground, it
will take a good 30 points to put this offensive juggernaut down. I had penciled
Texas in as the minor favorite, via this game being played in the Lonestar
State. But I’m seeing a legitimate advantage in the Texas offensive line
taking on the Ohio State defense. Both teams turned it over a bit last week
against inferior opponents. That will kill one of these two this week, to the
tune of a one play game. My pick? That would be the 1995 VT Sugar Bowl opponent;
maybe that Texas DB is now eligible?
#3 Southern Cal:
Last week: Beat Arkansas 50-14
This week: Off (Next game vs. Nebraska on 9/16)
So.Cal beat Arkansas not just like the proverbial drum, but like the entire
drum solo of Rush’s YYZ! Booty was very strong on the road in a hostile enough
road environment that saw USC only favored by 9 points. Tailback by committee
worked well enough for 3 backs to top 50 yards, and roll up 209 total yards on
the ground. Any defense that can force five turnovers outta an SEC team in their
South-East house is a-ok by me. So.Cal now returns to the Left-Coast for an
intriguing match-up with Big-12 Nebraska. I like the Trojans here, though
protecting Booty is a must, as Nebraska lead all of D-1 in sacks last year.
So.Cal will benefit nicely from an overall field-position advantage from
punting. Should USC win, they could easily sprint out to 8-0.
#4 WVU:
Last week: Beat Marshall 42-10
This week: vs. Eastern Washington
I will not drink again until WVU is beaten. But I may not have as long to
wait as I had thought last week. This is not a MNC winning football team, and
the previous Sugar incarnation beats the 2006 version right now. If they do win
the MNC, I will eat one copy of this column for every point WVU wins by. WVU is
very very good, but not quite great. Slaton however is. Dude runs with some real
authority for only tipping the scale at a buck-85 pounds. Eastern Washington is
prolly worse than Northeastern was, and the WVU back-up QBs need reps, as does
the newbie WVU secondary. How bad is Eastern Washington you ask? How about -14
yards on the ground last week? Yikes! This one ends early and ugly.
B.C.S. quality teams:
#5 Florida State:
Last week: Beat #8 Miami 13-10
This week: vs. Troy
That was Brubaker Bowden’s best half-time job in a long, long time. I was
very impressed. When you are held to 1 yard on the ground, and comeback to win a
ball game for the first time in nine tries (trailing vs. Miami I mean), that is
highly impressive. This ‘Nole football team looks primed to run the table to
me. Clemson has already been bitten by the injury bug, and State does benefit
from catching both Clemson and Florida at home. Next up is Troy. Which makes for
some decreased playing-time to sit the FSU starters for next week’s Atlantic
Division showdown game with Clemson, while the Tigers must travel and likely
play their starters a lot vs. Boston College.
#6 Auburn:
Last week: Beat Washington State 40-14
This week: @ Mississippi State
About the only thing I can see that Auburn needs to work on is getting
Brandon Cox to round into a legit passer. This team looks very strong at the
point of attack to me folks. Very strong. Likewise the Tigers special-teams,
which might be the edge in at least one hard-fought SEC game this year. Irons is
on pace for over 2,500 yards rushing, if you need him. The Tigers and LSU will
both likely look ahead a bit this weekend (to each other on the 16th). But I
doubt Mississippi State has enough offense to beat Auburn, not even at home.
#7 LSU:
Last week: Beat LA-Lafayette 45-3
This week: vs. Arizona
I typed last week that this was the most talented SEC football team. Having
16 outta 17 statistical categories ranked above average appears to attest to
that. LSU is very good and very deep. If JaMarcus Russell has actually matured
on field, this team has a legit shot at tranquilizing the Tigers next week. ‘Zona
is only a so-so PAC-10 team, so LSU might gain the benefit of resting their
starters a bit more at home than Auburn will on the road this week. Though last
weeks 12 yellow-flags will not cut it vs. the upper-tier of the SEC.
#8 Miami:
Last week: Lost to #4 FSU 13-10
This week: vs. FAMU
I did not drop Miami very far, because if any one has a better defense than
FSU does, that would be the ‘Canes. Miami held FSU to 2 yards rushing, and 34
less total yards on the game. Wright looked better to me, when he had the time
to set himself before attempting a pass. Miami’s offense will only improve now
that they get Moss back from suspension. Florida A&M is not much, and Miami
will blow them out in prepping for a major out of conference primetime game at
Louisville. On the whole I like Miami to improve more over the course of 2006
than I do FSU. This will not be the only time these two play in 2006, and I’m
already wondering if we/VT can score on this Hurricane defense come November
4th?
#9 Notre Dame:
Last week: Beat Georgia Tech 14-10
This week: vs. Penn State
The Fighting Irish did enough to win last week to win, but how much can they
improve from here? Looked to me like they’d read a few too many of their own
press-clippings. Coach Weiss will develop Norte Dame, to be sure, but I can name
you at least 7 D-1 football teams that can beat ND in South Bend today. Ranking
this team #2 is unfair to the remaining 8 single-digits, and shows the clout
that remains at the National Broadcasting Company. Don’t think JoePa will not
have his Nittany-Lions amped up to play this weekend. It’s just that
Penn.State looks a year away to me, just a little too young to beat Notre Dame
as the visitor this early in 2006.
#10 Oklahoma:
Last week: Beat UAB 24-17
This week: vs. Washington
I watched UAB give me quite a scare, and give OK a major fright for three
quarters of play. The Sooners need to improve TOP in a major way. That was an
ugly night for playing a UAB football team in Norman that no longer has one
Darrel Hackney around anymore. Peterson finally got wound up in the second half.
But Thompson was moved to WR for a reason. He is a solid athlete, but QB is not
his home address. The OK defense was good when it had to be. But not quite the
3-deep in all-conference caliber talented frontline I’d read so much about.
Washington may give OK some trouble, as the Sooners will struggle to score
consistently all year long.
On the B.C.S. bubble:
#11 Georgia, #11a Florida. I’m putting these two together because I’m
not real sure which one is better. Though I know the SEC is extremely top-heavy
with powerful teams. Neither team has much experience back, so they are both too
young, and therefore too close to call right now. Surprising Tennessee
will sort Florida out for me in two weeks, while UGA should sprint out to 5-0
with relative ease.
Darkhorses:
# 13 Louisville. It’s a shame that Michael Bush’s season is
over, as Brohm looked like he was healed up enough to give WVU a real run for
their money.
#14 T.C.U. Has one bad early season game every year. Some years
they pull it out (2003), some years they get upset (2005). This time they
rallied to Marlin Perkins the feisty Baylor bears.
#15 Iowa. There is not a whole lot I can tell you that is neo 411
on Iowa just yet. Their offense is great, but it will be unpossible to diagnose
the Hawkeye defense until they play Iowa State on September 16th. Iowa will roll
up the ‘Cuse this weekend. But the early returns on having all four defensive
line starters back are encouraging.
#19 Virginia Tech: 16-20, 276, 3 TD’s; more on that in a minute.
56, 43, 63, 45; more on that in a couple of minutes. I viewed what we did last
week as looking ahead a bit to UNC. I mean just how sky-high can you get to play
NorthLeastern? However; a 38-0 Lane effort vs. a D-1AA football team is just the
tonic that Frank Beamer needs to really crack this football team all week long
in practice. Ergo; I fully expect to see at least an A- quality effort down in
Chapel Hill.
I’m not in the sky is falling camp; not yet anyways. Why? Twofold: First
being because I already had my 8-4 2006 VT football rain gear packed before last
Saturday. Second being I’m not so much concerned about beating UNC, as I am
concerned about seeing the necessary volume of improvement in play this weekend.
My Saturday forecast is partly-sunny, but my extended forecast reads
partly-cloudy for September 30th. Though be aware that if UNC does not beat us
they are staring 1-4 right in the eyes. So we will be taking their very best
shot.
Now that stat line above is Glennon’s from NorthLeastern you say? No. But
it is Grant Noel’s from his first game vs. then lowly Connecticut. And that
four numeric sequence above? That is our opening margin of victory vs. the first
cupcake we’ve played in the pervious four seasons, and there is a measurable
difference here. Gladly we do have three full games ahead of us to get things
right. So yes, last week’s outcome needs to stay the same, but we need to
improve (i.e. change) to keep winning. “If you want things to stay as they
are, things will have to change.” — Giuseppe di Lampedusa —
Others receiving bourbon:
Michigan, Oregon, Nebraska, Tennessee, Clemson, Texas Tech, Arizona State,
Boise State, UTEP & Navy.
Peace out yo’:
California.
#70 Wyoming. 71# france. Not since the days of the 20th century has
Wyoming been this good. Or at least not since 2004. When asked, Jay Novacek,
(Wyoming’s all-time leading pass catching TE), claimed he’d never heard of
Zima.
Tech Sideline is Presented By: