Weekend Picks - September 1
Oklahoma State at Georgia - I'm a homer Dawg fan, but I'm worried. Okie State's offense is potent with solid skill players, an All-American caliber receiver, and the best of everything Boone Pickens can buy. (I think each player was flown to Athens in his own gold G5 while wearing a top hat and lighting fat cigars with $10,000 bills, if media reports are true.) Bobby Reid leads a good/great offense against a bunch of Georgia defenders who are skilled and fast, but who are also young and inexperienced. The saving grace for the Dawgs will be State's defense, which couldn't stop anybody last year and had their entire defensive line depart in the off season. The key to the game is if Georgia's patchwork offensive line can open enough holes to make Okie State fear the run. If so, UGA can grind out some drives, keeping Reid off the field. Oklahoma State 27, Georgia 34.
Tennessee at Cal - S-E-C! S-E-C! I'm afraid that this entire off season, while everyone was talking about how great the conference was, people missed that the SEC doesn't really return a solid BCS caliber team on paper other than LSU. Everyone else has big question marks. UT is no exception. They return arguably the best SEC quarterback when healthy in Erik Ainge, but who will Ainge throw to? A collection of freshmen, unproven back-ups, and JUCOs. Tennessee will be solid this year, but not in this game. Eastern teams notoriously have trouble out west and I'm picking Cal to beat the coon dogs. The talent may be a push or even favor UT, but Cal has all the intangibles of playing at home with a Pac-10 size chip on their shoulder. Tennessee 20, Cal 28.
Georgia Tech at Notre Dame - I will freely admit that I have not scouted this game as I should, but I don't think I need to, plus a get sick after continued exposure to anything Tech related. I think Tech is a solid team, perhaps the second best team in the ACC. Notre Dame, however, has failed to really impress me recently outside of the USC game in 2005. The Domers don't look like they are going to be anything impressive this year either, with a QB derby in fall practice failing to definitively produce a starter. Georgia Tech 24, Notre Dame 17.
I'm going to Athens this weekend and I'll have full report next week.
Tennessee at Cal - S-E-C! S-E-C! I'm afraid that this entire off season, while everyone was talking about how great the conference was, people missed that the SEC doesn't really return a solid BCS caliber team on paper other than LSU. Everyone else has big question marks. UT is no exception. They return arguably the best SEC quarterback when healthy in Erik Ainge, but who will Ainge throw to? A collection of freshmen, unproven back-ups, and JUCOs. Tennessee will be solid this year, but not in this game. Eastern teams notoriously have trouble out west and I'm picking Cal to beat the coon dogs. The talent may be a push or even favor UT, but Cal has all the intangibles of playing at home with a Pac-10 size chip on their shoulder. Tennessee 20, Cal 28.
Georgia Tech at Notre Dame - I will freely admit that I have not scouted this game as I should, but I don't think I need to, plus a get sick after continued exposure to anything Tech related. I think Tech is a solid team, perhaps the second best team in the ACC. Notre Dame, however, has failed to really impress me recently outside of the USC game in 2005. The Domers don't look like they are going to be anything impressive this year either, with a QB derby in fall practice failing to definitively produce a starter. Georgia Tech 24, Notre Dame 17.
I'm going to Athens this weekend and I'll have full report next week.
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