SBCOutpost

We here at SBC Outpost come to you with hard-hitting sports journalism in this post. That is because we are hard-hitting journalists. If you don’t believe us, just ask us. If you still don’t believe us, get in line. Anyone who questions our sports-journalistic credentials will be mocked and ridiculed. You heard it here. Take it to the bank.

Now, on with the hard-hitting college football predictions that are most humbly, yet most accurately offered for your consideration this week.

This is championship week. Well, that is for those conferences that have championships. The Big 10 doesn’t have or need a conference championship since they don’t really play tackle football in colleges up north, as we all know. The Pac-10 began the season with much promise, but here in the last week of their regular season it is still undetermined who will sit atop their conference heap. We will know once UCLA plays USC in a cross-town rivalry at 3:30PM CST and once Arizona tries to slay the devils of the sun in their intra-state rivalry at 7:00PM CST. Our pick for the Pac-10 is USC who will have the head-to-head tie breaker with Arizona State meaning it’s likely we’ll know the conference champion before the late game kicks off.

If you want to watch a more interesting and entertaining game at 7:00PM, tune your television to ABC and watch the Big XII championship game between Oklahoma and Missouri. No. 9 Oklahoma is the favorite against No. 1 Missouri. Yes, the words “No. 1 Missouri” sound as odd to our football ears as it does yours. But this team is good. Are they the best team in the country? Tomorrow night we’ll find out if they are the best team in the Big XII. While we bleed Sooner crimson - as all red-blooded humans do - we believe this game is too close to call. But since we are journalists we are compelled to call it anyway: Oklahoma 34, Missouri 31.

Backing up to 3:00PM CST the SEC championship game gets under way as the pastel orange boys of Tennessee square off against the (distracted?) LSU Tigers. Being the journalists that we are we know how other journalists think. The over-under on broadcast references to Les Miles and Michigan is five. If Tennessee gets any kind of significant lead we will definitely take the “over.” The over-under on references to Bo Pelini and Nebraska is three. If the LSU players watch these gambling lines with more dedication than they do game film Tennessee will walk away with this one. However, we do not give Tennessee that much hope. The Cats will send the Vols back to them thar hills with their coon-skin caps tucked between their legs. [UPDATE] WARNING LSU FANS: Les Miles is sounding almost exactly like he did when he was telling Oklahoma State fans that he was not, under any terms, going to leave Oklahoma State.

In other action, West Virginia will win the Big Least and Central Florida will win the….what’s that conference they play in?…. oh yeah… Conference-USA. We would like to see our local boys from Tulsa win this one, but Tulsa’s defense has been slightly better than only eight other Divison 1 football teams so we will have to give this one to the Knights.

That’s right, boys and girls. You won’t find this quality, objective, untainted journalism at BP. Heck, BP probably thinks debating Calvinism is a sport.

Nostradamus has given us his predictions and we have given you ours. Now it’s your turn. Fill up the comments or we may well go on a nine day strike!

This holiday week is chock full of the good stuff: turducken, granny’s pumpkin pie and quality time with the in-laws. Oh, and college football. Last week injuries devastated two more top five teams. This week those that are alive and remain seek to avoid a similar fate.

Action begins on Thursday as #11 USC faces #6 Arizona State in another big Pac-10 showdown. Game time is set for 7PM CST.

Of course, this is a popular week for rivalry games and we see a few of those hitting the radar on Friday as Ol’ Miss and Mississippi State hit the turf at 11:30 AM CST. Then at 2:30 CST Bevo gets his weekly sedative as he travels to College Station for the Farewell Fran tour. And though it’s probably not much of a rivalry, Arkansas will have their hand at #1 LSU. Kick-off is at 1:30 CST.

In-state rivalry’s continue Saturday as Virginia and Virginia Tech meet up at 11:00AM CST. At 1:00PM CST the Utah fights BYU for Mormon bragging rights. At 2:30PM CST Georgia swats the Yellowjackets of Georgia Tech and Oklahoma tries to bounce back and win the Big XII South division against Oklahoma State.

In other action, Miami tries to topple Boston College from the top of the ACC, the hillbillies of Tennessee play king of the hill with the hillbillies of Kentucky, Connecticut faces #3 West Virginia, Oregon tries to bounce back from the season-ending loss of their QB against the powder blue boys of UCLA, the Florida State Seminoles try to stick a spear in the Gators of Florida, Clemson tries to finish strong against South Carolina, Washington State faces Washington and the once-mighty Sabanites of Alabama try to avoid a four-game skid and finish above .500 against hated rival Auburn. Someone please phone that score in to CB Scott. I hear he’s got a tennis match that evening.

In the headliner of the day #2 Kansas hosts their next-door rivals #4 Missouri at 7PM CST. Yes, rub your eyes and read that again. We’re still talking about football.

The men are getting separated from the boys in this topsy-turvy year of college football. Will this week make the picture clearer, or will it cloud it still further? Make your predictions now.

I sit here watching Arizona hang on to a 24-31 lead against the Dennis Dixon-less Oregon Ducks in the fourth quarter. As a fan of the greatest football team in America - the Oklahoma Sooners - I watch with some mixed emotions. If OU were to make the national title game I would prefer two OUs to make it, Oklahoma and Oregon. It’s the revenge factor. That, and LSU has a home-field advantage in New Orleans which tilts the playing field unfairly in their favor. On the other hand, I’d really like to see Mike Stoops get this win.

Now, as for the upcoming games this weekend:

At 11 AM CST Ohio State, coming off their loss to Illinois, tries to bounce back against Michigan. How does a three-loss Michigan team, with two of those losses coming against unranked teams, manage to stay in the top 25? Better yet, how does that same three-loss Michigan team beat Ohio State? I look for it to happen. What think ye?

At 11:30 AM CST #5 Missouri takes on a bi-polar Kansas State team that beat Texas and Colorado yet lost to Iowa State and got hammered by Nebraska. Sorry, Mildcats. You’ve got no chance. Speaking of Mildcats Kentucky travels to the Peach State and will take a big bite in the ham hocks by that little Georgia Bulldog. , but you’ll have to watch it all unravel on Pay-Per-View.

Speaking of schizophrenia, at 1:00 PM CST Vanderbilt visits the emotionally unstable Tennessee Volunteers. Yes, the Tennessee that got the stuffing beat out of them by unranked Alabama one week and then turned around and beat ranked South Carolina the next. Pull up a chair and pass the Prozac. This could be anyone’s game.

At 2:30 PM CST #1 LSU is at 3-7 Mississippi to hand out a little discipline to the Rebellious. #3 Kansas will face a suddenly surging Iowa State at the same time and Virginia Tech will put the beat down on Miami.

At 6:45 PM CST West Virginia will play Cincinnati in a battle for supremacy in the Big Least and a suddenly reeling band of Jesuits play the headache-inducing orange clad Tigers of Clemson.

Then at 7:00 PM CST the Oklahoma Sooners buy tickets to the Texas aerial show set to take place in Lubbock. Mike Leach’s Red Raiders ran the ball a whopping total of seven times in last week’s loss to Texas. Leach must believe that seven truly is a number of perfection. Can the Sooners pull off the win?

Alrighty. It’s your turn now. If I left off your favorite team and you haven’t completely given up on them give us your predictions. We’ll try to act interested.

Posted at the 11th hour, no less.

Q: What’s louder than 85,000 screaming college football fans on a Saturday?

A: A Toby Mac concert. It’s just a good thing that hearing isn’t necessary to blogging. And due to the late hour I give you the abbreviated version.

Here’s what the ranked teams are up to this week:

At 11:00 AM CST Michigan faces Wisconsin, Clemson meets Wake Forest and Penn State is at Temple. What the heck is Penn State doing playing Temple in November and why would anyone care?

At 11:30 AM CST Texas A&M travels to Missouri for what has become their weekly black eye. Who will win doesn’t seem to be in questions. Which moving service will win the Franchione contract does. Alabama goes to Mississippi State and Arkansas visits Rocky Top. Unranked Arkansas is actually the favorite in this one. These last two games should give CB Scott a double-dose of Saturday joy.

At 1:00 PM CST Kentucky, which in the past month has surprisingly proven that not only is its football team a pretender, but so is its basketball team, faces Vanderbilt. This will be no gimme for the Mildcats.

At 2 CST Boise State plays Utah State. A half-hour later Ohio State faces Illinois. I’ve heard more than one this week predicting an Illini upset. The 2:30 spot is a busy one with Arizona State going to UCLA, Auburn visiting Georgia, Florida State at Virginia Tech and Texas Tech testing the Longhorns in Austin.

At 5:30 Baylor takes another step in solidifying their spot at the bottom of the Big XII as they travel to OU.

At 6:15 Virginia takes on Miami. At 6:45 Florida meets up with former fun-and-gun coach Spurrier at South Carolina.

At 7 CST LaTech meets in-state foe LSU, Kansas tries to remain unbeaten against an Oklahoma State team that proves again and again their stunning capabilities for fourth-quarter meltdowns, BC goes to Maryland and USC visits Cal.

Give us your predictions, if you dare.  And remember to scream for your team like a pre-teen listening to Diverse City live.

There are but five weeks that remain in the regular college football season.  Conference standings are beginning to shape up, but there’s still time for those in the hunt to make a move - and for those at the top to take a fall.  This week:

11:00 AM CST will tell us more about the state of numero uno as Ohio State hosts #21 Wisconsin.  A month ago the Badgers were whalloped by Penn State who got bludgeoned by Ohio State last week, but in this crazy year anything can happen.  At that same time slot the North Carolina Baptists will engage in a sword fight with the Virginia Cavaliers in a battle among the bottom tier of the top 25.

30 minutes later #8 Kansas will get a chance to beat Nebraska down even further than they already have been.  Or will they?  You be the judge.  Also in that time slot #20 Florida will face Vanderbilt.  Who would have ever thought that eight games into the season these two teams would face each other having the same 5-3 record?

At 2:30 PM CST in-state rivals Michigan and Michigan State face off as the Wolverines try to continue to prove that Appy State was a gross aberration.  At that same time slot #15 Texas takes their dog and pony show to Stoolwater, Oklahoma as they try to vanquish the Halloween-colored Cowboys of Oklahoma State.  This one could be a shoot-out.

At 4 PM CST Les Miles invades the Sabanation as LSU faces their former coach, St. Nick.  CB Scott had better stop talking about the puke yellow boys of Tennessee and their tattle-tale coach Phil Fulmer long enough to focus all necessary attention on the #3 team in college football land.  There’s a lot on the line in this one.  Who will be going home with their heads hung low in this one?

Then at 5:45 PM CST #3 meets #4 for supremacy in the PAC 10 and a chance to improve their standing in the BCS.  Who will win the battle of the Sun Devils and the Ducks?

And then at 7 PM CST Pope Reveille VII will get chased around Owen Field by the Sooner Schooner as Dennis Franchione continues his Texas A&M farewell tour in Norman against the University of Oklahoma.  The men of Troy will also face Oregon State.  The Beavers beat Cal.  Can they beat the Trojans?

Get your predictions in now!

We’re a little early this week only because on this Sabbath eve eve we get one of the most intriguing games of the week as #2 Boston College rides in to Blacksburg, Virginia to face the Hokies.  The last several weeks the Jesuits have been brushing up on the likes of Army, UMass, Bowling Green and that other Catholic school in Indiana that used to have a football team and has been rumored to have renamed “Touchdown Jesus” to “First Down Jesus.”  Will the Jesuits purge the doctrinally corrupt Hokies or will VTech send the Catholics to football Purgatory?  The road for BC gets rougher from here on out.  Game time is 6:30PM CST.

Tomorrow night the upset boys of Boise travel to Fresno State to admire Pat Hill’s moustache to see who gets the lead in the WAC.

Saturday at 11:00AM CST the West Virginia Mountaineers will try to avoid being the second top 10 team to get bumped by the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers.

At 2PM CST #12 USC travels to #5 Oregon.  Can the Trojans unseat the Ducks from the top of the PAC 10?  Keep your remote handy, because thirty minutes later #23 Connecticut takes on the Bulls of South Florida.  Will the Bulls lose two in a row?  At that same time slot the Florida Gators will take on the Georgia Bulldogs in another match-up between ranked teams and Texas will take on an increasingly rank Nebraska team.  Four words for Bill Callahan: MENE, MENE, TEKEL and PARSIN.

In action Saturday evening you’ll be treated to:  #9 and undefeated Kansas at Texas A&M (6PM CST), #16 South Carolina vs. the pastel orange of Tennessee (6:45PM CST), #1 Ohio State in happy valley playing 25th ranked and surging Penn State (7PM CST), and the reeling #21 Cal Bears against the undefeated spawn of Satan, #4 Arizona State.

Get your picks in early this week and if there’s a game we didn’t highlight it’s because it was a real dud, but if you want to make a prediction for one of those games anyway then by all means, have at it!

Number one and number two go down in flames last week.  Oh, the humanity!!

As I write this on Tuesday I wonder if Boston College and South Florida will lose in the next games they play?  BC is off until an October 25th match-up with Virginia Tech.  Last night (Thursday) South Florida played Rutgers.  Someone call me at the lake and tell me who won that one, will you?

In early Saturday action a few ranked teams will take on some patsies: #5 Oklahoma vs. Iowa State, #6 South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt, #21 Tennessee vs. Alabama (oooooh am I gonna hear it from CB on that one!).  Okay.  So Alabama isn’t a patsy.  But they’re still looking up at the top 25.  That one should be interesting as the Vols look to paint Tuscaloosa a girly shade of orange. [That’s right, Tennessee fans…your orange is pastel and it makes you look like a bunch of sissies.  Sorry.  Don’t shoot the messenger.]  And #22 Texas puts the beat down on the Waco Baptists.  All kick-off at 11:30 AM CST.

At 1:05PM CST Texas A&M visits Nebraska.  Twenty years ago this would have been a good match-up.  As it is Nebraska will try to keep the Aggies from becoming the fifth team this season to score 40+ on them.  The athletic director who thought Bill Callahan was a great hire is now standing in the unemployment line.  He should probably save a spot for Callahan there as well.

At 2:30 CST Michigan State looks to keep Ohio State from getting too comfortable in the number one spot.  The Buckeyes also have Penn State, Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan lying in wait.  I’m predicting they’ll lose at least one of those games.  Also at 2:30 #15 Florida takes on #7 Kentucky in one of the best games of the day.  Cal will try to bounce back against UCLA and #24 Texas Tech and #16 Missouri will duke it out in the battle of the wide-open offense.  And for all the Floridians, Miami will face Florida State in a game that’s big in name.

In a 4:30 CST kickoff #13 Kansas will take on Colorado.  At 7:00 #25 Michigan takes on Illinois and at 8:00 #17 Auburn will visit Baton Rouge to face the fourth-and-go-for-it Tigers of #4 ranked LSU.

Who do you like?  Who would you like to see go down this week?  Has Nebraska really become….a volleyball school??  Be sure to make your predictions.  Then come back Saturday night to rub it in!

The upsets continued in week six as the mighty Trojans of Southern California fell to that football powerhouse at Stanford. I suspect the Stanford engineering department has developed some new kind of football pads that contain high levels of kryptonite as they felled the Supermen of Troy. It was also a week where we saw Illinois bounce Wisconsin out of the top 10. What surprises will week seven hold? Give us your best prognostications.

Since it appears that at least one person around here considers what they play in the Big Ten to be football I suppose it will be interesting (for at least one person around here) to see if Purdue can get back on track against Michigan. Kickoff is at 11:00 AM CST. Georgia Tech will play Miami at the same time. I suppose a month ago this would have been an interesting game. Now it only seems to be interesting in name.

Texas will visit Iowa State in an 11:30 CST kickoff. The only thing that makes this interesting is that Texas has lost four conference games in a row and the Iowa State coach was formerly one of Mack Brown’s assistants at Texas. The Austin American Statesman was giddy over the fact that Texas played hard against OU. Sadly Texas is now reduced to counting moral victories. Will they get a real one on Saturday?  I’ll wait for Texas in Africa to come to the defense of her Longhorns.  This week, I’ll join her.  [My prediction: Texas 35, ISU 14]

At the same hour the Sabanation will invade Mississippi. Hapless Mississippi. Dead last in the SEC Mississippi. We lost to Vanderbilt Mississippi. If the Rebels win the coin toss it may be the only thing they win all day. Oklahoma State will also play Nebraska at 11:30 CST to determine who has the absolute worst defense in the Big XII. The startling fact is that, through six games, so far the winner of that booby prize is…..Nebraska. Bill Callahan is turning into Bill Callacan’t.  [My picks: Alabama 42, Rebs 21;  Okie State 35, Huskers34]

2:30 PM CST gives us the first matchup between two ranked teams as Kentucky tries to prove that last week’s loss was a fluke. But they’ll have to knock off the number one team in the land to do it. Could another top ten team fall this week? Could the Mildcats Wildcats be for real? Wisconsin will play Penn State at the same time. Also at 2:30 Texas A&M tries to stay on top of the Big XII south when they face Texas Tech in Lubbock.  I say this doesn’t look like a good matchup for the Aggies.  Will Dorcas, or Greg, or Jim set me straight?  [My picks: LSU 35, Kentucky 24;  A&M 34, Texas Tech 42]

At 5:30 PM CST the we have the only other matchup between ranked teams as the #11 Missouri Tigers face the #5 Oklahoma Sooners in Norman, OK. The Tigers come off of a severe spanking of Nebraska while the Sooners took care of Texas in Dallas. Will either suffer a hangover? Can Missouri continue their climb in the polls?  I’m counting on Marc to give us his prediction.  Will there be any others?  [My pick: OU 34, Mizzou 20]

At 6:45 PM CST Auburn visits Arkansas. Will the hogs be shouting “Pig Sooooeeee!” or will the Tigers leave shouting “Pig peewwweeee!?” Auburn seems to be headed up while the hogs seem to be headed in the other direction. Which team will go home with three losses?  [My pick: Arkansas 28, Auburn 23]

Now it’s your turn. Who do you like? Who will be upset this week?

A good bit of college football got turned on its ear last week as seven of the top thirteen teams in the rankings lost their games. That ought to make more than one team madder than Charleton Heston at an NRA rally.

This week there are quite a few match-ups between ranked teams along with some notable rivalries.

Last night South Carolina reminded Kentucky why they are a basketball school. Who will be next? Kicking off at 11 CST Saturday are Kansas and Kansas State. This will be the first time the Jayhawkers have played a football team this season. They aren’t picked to win against the Wildcats who stomped Texas into Texas’s own turf last week. Will the Jayhawks be longing for the hardcourt after this weekend? Georgia Tech will also play Maryland at 11 CST.

At 2:30 CST the Red River rivalry will kick off in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Both teams stumbled last week - OU losing by three in Boulder and Texas getting kicked in their Daryl Royal stadium by 20. Few north of the Red River give the Longhorns a chance. Let us hear from you sissies south of the Red. That is, if you haven’t already made your one free phone call.

At 2:45 CST ranked Georgia takes on a rank Tennessee team in an SEC matchup. I don’t care what shade of orange it is, I agree with Brian Bosworth - orange makes me want to puke! Can Tennessee pull off the upset, and if they don’t, how hot will Phil Fulmer’s seat be?

At 5 PM CST Virginia Tech will face Clemson. Beamer or Bowden? Make the call. Then, in a 6:40 PM CST kickoff Outpost guest columnist Mike Gundy and his Cowboys will take on Dennis “I’ve got your insider information for the low, low price of $1200″ Franchione’s Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle field and as unbelievable as it seems, this will be for the outright lead in the Big XII south. Will the Cowboys bust a tirade all over the Aggies? Tell us what you think.

At 7 PM CST Ohio State will take on Purdue (yawn). Does anyone really care? If you do, let us know. Cincinnati and Rutgers will play at the same time (double yawn). And then 30 minutes later Florida, coming off their loss last week to Auburn, looks to take out a little revenge on LSU. Will there be a new #1 by Monday? The Gators get their chance to flex a little BCS muscle in this one.

Finally, at 8:15 PM CST Nebraska gets one more chance to prove they’re not as horrible as they’ve looked on occasion this season when they face the Tigers of Mizzou. Since it doesn’t appear that either of these teams play defense this one could end up being somewhere in the neighborhood of 132-97. But who will score the 132??

If you like a team that wasn’t mentioned, give us your pick. We’ll try to act like we care. [That’s a joke, for all you sensitive types.]

Alrighty, then.  For the most part Division I teams have dispensed with padding the budgets of really bad football programs and move into conference play.  This should make for more interesting match-ups, not that Arkansas-Alabama or Georgia-Alabama haven’t already been entertaining games (would someone hand C B Scott a hanky right about now?).

We’ll begin with match-ups between top 25 teams.  Tonight, the West Virginia Mountaineers will face the Bulls of South Florida.  Could South Florida really be the second-best team in that state?  I heard one prognosticator on the radio today guarantee a South Florida win.  What think ye?  The only other ranked teams to meet are Cal and Oregon.  Which one is for real?

Other match-ups between at least two decent teams are: Oklahoma at Colorado.  The Sooners should roll, but they have to go to where the air is thin and Colorado has one of the better defenses in what is appearing to be a largely defenseless Big XII.  In other Big XII action  Kansas State visits Texas.  Did Texas finally turn a corner at halftime of the TCU game or will they struggle against a team that will be much better than last week’s Rice game?

Moving to the east, Clemson will face a suddenly struggling Georgia Tech in ACC action.  Later in the afternoon 3-1 Alabama will take on 2-1 Florida State.  Will the Seminoles, who’ve only lost to ranked Clemson, be drowned in the Rolling Tide, or will they prove Nick Saban, who’s only lost to a ranked Georgia team, to be a mere mortal?  In other action, USC is at Washington and a struggling Auburn is at Florida.  And while the game will not be at all interesting, Rhett Bomar will return to the state of Oklahoma as Sam Houston State faces the Oklahoma State Cowboys.  Will Mike Gundy have another post-game meltdown?  Will Jenni Carlson be writing about an OSU player in Saturday’s Oklahoman?

Get your predictions in now or forever be considered a stodgy, boring contrarian who is only interested in denominational controversy!