Rambling's Poll Recap (10/30/11)

The last poll recap of October was difficult but it's getting tougher to sort out anything outside of the top 10...


AP Top 5: LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Boise State

Coaches' Top 5: LSU, Alabama, Stanford, Oklahoma State, Boise State

Harris Top 5: LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Boise State

BCS Top 5: LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Boise State

My Top 5: LSU, Alabama, Boise State, Oklahoma State, Stanford

AP Top 6-10: Oregon, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Clemson, Virginia Tech

Coaches' Top 6-10: Oregon, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Virginia Tech, Clemson

Harris Top 6-10: Oregon, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Clemson, Virginia Tech

BCS Top 6-10: Oklahoma, Oregon, Arkansas, Clemson, Virginia Tech

My Top 6-10: Oregon, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Virginia Tech, Houston

AP Top 11-15: Houston, Penn State, Michigan State, Georgia, South Carolina

Coaches' Top 11-15: Houston, Penn State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, South Carolina

Harris Top 11-15: Houston, Penn State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Georgia

BCS Top 11-15: Houston, Penn State, South Carolina, Kansas State, Georgia

My Top 11-15: Clemson, Penn State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, South Carolina

AP Top 16-20: Wisconsin, Kansas State, USC, Nebraska, Georgia Tech

Coaches' Top 16-20: Georgia, Nebraska, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Texas

Harris Top 16-20: South Carolina, Nebraska, Kansas State, Georgia Tech, Texas

BCS Top 16-20: Texas, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Auburn

My Top 16-20: Southern Miss, Georgia, Nebraska, Kansas State, Texas

AP Top 21-25: Texas, Michigan, Cincinnati, Auburn, Southern Miss

Coaches' Top 21-25: Michigan, Kansas State, Southern Miss, TCU, Auburn

Harris Top 21-25: Michigan, Cincinnati, Southern Miss, Auburn, TCU

BCS Top 21-25: Georgia Tech, Southern Miss, Cincinnati, Michigan, Baylor

My Top 21-25: Cincinnati, Ohio State, Michigan, USC, TCU

Rambling's Week 9 CFB Recap

Another pleasant Saturday of couch surfing and college football, so without anymore than that let's look at the games and how the top 25 fared...

Thursday, October 27, 2011:

Rice at #17 Houston, 7:00 pm, After a sloppy start on a wet and slippery field Houston rolled Rice and had their way in this game. Keenum became the record holder for career touchdown passes. Winner: 1-0 ATS: 1-0

Saturday, October 30, 2011:

#11 Michigan State at #14 Nebraska, 11:00 am ESPN, Nebraska's defense showed up in a big way today as it held the Spartans to 3 points. The Blackshirts looked liked the defense we expected to start the season, with the cornerbacks being the most notable of the improvements. Michigan State looked flat and you could tell that there was some residual from the past couple weeks. Winner: 2-0 ATS: 1-1

Missouri at #16 Texas A&M, 11:00 am FX, A&M has decided to spit up again and like a small child the seem to be forgetting that they can play defense in the second half. Credit Missouri with a very good road win in conference play. Winner: 2-1 ATS: 1-2

Purdue at #18 Michigan, 11;00 am ESPN2, Michigan continues to show how much it has improved on defense under the guidance of Brady Hoke and Greg Mattison. Purdue is showing that even with Michigan down the talent still isn't available to win these games consistently. Winner: 3-1 ATS: 1-3

#10 Arkansas at Vanderbilt, 11:21 SEC Network, Arkansas got really lucky today in Nashville as they came back from a halftime deficit and then survived a late drive by Vandy to win by a missed FG. Winner: 4-1 ATS: 1-4

#12 Virginia Tech at Duke, 11:30 pm, And Just as you think Virginia Tech is starting to figure it out on offense they go and score 14 on Duke and you're right back to being worried about that side of the ball. David Cutcliffe has to be happy with the progress he's making at the toughest FBS coaching job. Winner: 5-1 ATS: 1-5

Washington State at #7 Oregon, 2:00 pm, Oregon beat Washington State convincingly but have yet to string together the type of wins that made them national title contenders a year ago. Winner: 6-1 ATS: 1-6

Baylor at #3 Oklahoma State, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, RG3 is talented and an NFL talent but Oklahoma State was clearly the more talented and polished team in Stillwater. Winner: 7-1 ATS: 1-7

#9 Oklahoma at #8 Kansas State, 2:30 pm ESPN, I thought Kansas State would put up more of a fight in this game, but Oklahoma looked like a team that was pissed off and looking for someone to beat on. Winner: 8-1 ATS: 1-8 

Illinois at #19 Penn State, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, I don't know why I continue to think that Penn State games will have scores above 20 but I do, however Penn State does continue to win and win in some surprising ways. This week they won on an 80 yard scoring drive win under two minutes to play. Winner: 9-1 ATS: 1-9

#22 Georgia vs Florida, 2:30 pm CBS, The SEC East just looks bad but the Bulldogs continue to set themselves up for a division title as they beat a Brantley led Gators team in a grind it out game in Jacksonville. Winner: 10-1 ATS: 2-9

#25 West Virginia at Rutgers, 2:30 pm ABC, This game was much closer than the final score would indicate as Rutgers was leading deep into the fourth quarter before two West Virginia scores wrapped up this contest and kept the Mountaineers alive in the Big East. Winner: 11-1 ATS: 2-10

Navy at Notre Dame, 2:30 pm NBC, ND finally exercised it's little brother demons by trouncing Navy at home on Saturday. Winner: 12-1 ATS: 3-10

Colorado at #21 Arizona State, 5:30 pm, Colorado is the Kansas/Ole Miss of the west and Arizona State reinforced that this week. Winner: 13-1 ATS: 3-11

Iowa State at #20 Texas Tech, 6:00 pm, Iowa State pulled it of in blowout fashion giving them 2 wins no one expected heading into the respective weeks. Winner: 14-1 ATS: 4-11

Ole Miss at #23 Auburn, 6:00 pm ESNPU, Ole Miss is a bad bad team in any conference. I had this game called perfectly til' a end of game score by Ole Miss. Winner: 15-1 ATS: 5-11

Kansas at #24 Texas, 6:00 pm Longhorn Network, Kansas continues to prove that futility can span coaching staffs, while also proving that all teams can look good. Winner: 16-1 ATS: 6-11

#13 South Carolina at Tennessee, 6:15 pm ESPN2, The ending left me as empty with the initial promise of this game. Winner: 17-1 ATS: 7-11

#5 Clemson at Georgia Tech, 7:00 pm ABC, Clemson finally Clemson'd and I should have known it with a bye week to come and Tech running the triple option. Georgia Tech finally looks like the team they were 3 weeks a go. Winner: 17-2 ATS: 8-11

#6 Stanford at USC, 7:00 pm ABC, A week after crushing Notre Dame, USC loses on a fumble by on e of the key contributors to their success up until that point. Stanford squeaks out a victory in 3 OT. Applause needs to be given to USC and the effort their showing. Winner: 18-2 ATS: 9-11

#15 Wisconsin at Ohio State, 7:00 pm ESPN, Wisconsin losses it's second heart breaker in a row on the road on a late touchdown by Ohio State making the race for the Leaders division completely in the much maligned hands of the Nitanny Lions of Penn State. Winner: 18-3 ATS: 9-12


Another Banner evening for college football as we saw a great finish in Columbus, Georgia Tech knocking of Clemson, Iowa State ripping through Texas Tech and Stanford and USC in 3 overtimes. That all came after a good finish to Ark-Vandy, A&M-Missouri and Penn State-Illinois.

Rambling's Week 9 CFB Picks

Welcome back for week 9 of my CFB Picks, as always I'll give my thoughts on the games, the spread and hopefully some insight into the conferences races as they continue to heat up and clear up. As always I would enjoy to hear form those who read and all times are central. So without further ado let's get to it...

Thursday, October 27, 2011:
Rice at #17 Houston, 7:00 pm, Houston comes in riding the wave of Case Keenum's final year on campus and an undefeated record which shouldn't stop this week as they take on the Rice Owls. Winner: Houston 59-14 ATS: Houston -28
Saturday, October 30, 2011:
#11 Michigan State at #14 Nebraska, 11:00 am ESPN, Michigan State is coming of a game ending Hail Mary touchdown against Wisconsin last week, as Nebraska comes off of a blow out of the Golden Gophers. Michigan State has the best defense in the Big Ten and an offense that can do enough as long as Kirk Cousins is on his game. Nebraska has disappointed on both sides of the ball but Lincoln is a tough place to play. Winner: Nebraska 31-28 ATS: Michigan State +4 
Missouri at #16 Texas A&M, 11:00 am FX, Missouri is a solid mid-tier team in the Big XII but Texas A&M is one of the four best teams in what is this year's deepest conference. Texas A&M doesn't pose much on the defensive side of the ball but Missouri's only hope is to contain the Aggie offense if they have a chance in this game. Winner: Texas A&M 45-20 ATS: Texas A&M -10
Purdue at #18 Michigan, 11;00 am ESPN2, Michigan has been a team that has looked very good against foes it should crush but against anybody with a pulse on defense has been a little bit shaky and the basics start to muddle within the offense leaving them in wholes they can't dig out of. Winner: Michigan 38-35 ATS: Purdue +13.5
#10 Arkansas at Vanderbilt, 11:21 SEC Network, Vanderbilt has shown some positive improvements in its first year under James Franklin. Arkansas continues to look like the 3rd best team in the West and would probably be the front runner in the SEC East. Winner: Arkansas 34-13 ATS: Arkansas -8 (sorry forgot to put this in during the week)
#12 Virginia Tech at Duke, 11:30 pm, Duke has been improving every year under David Cutcliffe but they still lag behind the majority of AQ schools in talent and facilities. Virginia Tech continues to gel even after an early season loss at the hands of Clemson. Logan Thomas continues to make strides in his game as he replaces Tyrod Taylor. Winner: Virginia Tech 35-14 ATS: Virginia Tech -14.5
Washington State at #7 Oregon, 2:00 pm, Washington State has improved this year and actually beat an FBS team, however Oregon is out of their league in both talent and coaching and it'll show this week in Autzen Stadium. Winner: Oregon 63-20 ATS: Oregon -35
Baylor at #3 Oklahoma State, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, With an undefeated Kansas State team on the schedule next week and a Baylor team that can put up points behind RG3, I think this is a major trap game for the Cowboys. Winner: Oklahoma State 45-38 ATS: Baylor +14
#9 Oklahoma at #8 Kansas State, 2:30 pm ESPN, In the line of week from talking heads, Oklahoma was the team you expected to be undefeated coming into this game. Bill Snyder has now resurrected this program multiple times and has his team set up to control their own destiny in the conference and national title race. Oklahoma is coming off a horrible loss to Texas Tech and considering Bob Stoops' .808 win percentage they don't lose two in a row too often. Winner: Oklahoma 31-28 ATS: Kansas State +13.5 
Illinois at #19 Penn State, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, Illinois is much much worse than their 6-0 record to start the year indicated. Penn State is better than anyone thought other than maybe Joe Paterno but has one of the countries best defenses. Winner Penn State 27-13 ATS: Penn State -5
#22 Georgia vs Florida, 2:30 pm CBS, the artist formerly known as The World's Largest Cocktail party comes to us from Jacksonville again this year and should be the launching pad for Georgia's SEC East title run. If the Bulldogs stumble however there are a myriad of possibilities that come into play for the division. Winner: Georgia 31-20 ATS: Georgia -3
#25 West Virginia at Rutgers, 2:30 pm ABC, to me a more who would have thought game is this weeks Big East game between the Mountaineers and the Scarlet Knights. WVU is a half game back in the standings to Rutgers which just doesn't seem right. Winner: WVU 31-28 ATS: Rutgers +7
Navy at Notre Dame, 2:30 pm NBC, Navy has pulled off the upset of ND multiple times in the last four years with senior laden teams and dysfunction in South Bend. I think Brian Kelly can pull this team together after the USC loss and invokes the pride of his team to show up for this game. Winner: Notre Dame 35-20 ATS : Notre Dame -21.5
Colorado at #21 Arizona State, 5:30 pm, Colorado is the Kansas/Ole Miss of the west. Winner: Arizona State 52-24 ATS: Colorado +31 
Iowa State at #20 Texas Tech, 6:00 pm, Trap game, coming off an upset of a top 3 team this Tech team has to play an Iowa state team that would appear to have taken a step back from last years progress. Winner: Iowa State 31-28 ATS: Iowa State +14.5
Ole Miss at #23 Auburn, 6:00 pm ESNPU, Ole Miss is a bad bad team in any conference. Winner: Auburn 41-17 ATS: Auburn -12.5
Kansas at #24 Texas, 6:00 pm Longhorn Network, Kansas comes in as one of the worst teams in the country and Texas comes in as the most overrated team in the country. Winner: Texas 38-10 ATS: Texas -28 (Push)
#13 South Carolina at Tennessee, 6:15 pm ESPN2, This is a game of what could have been, with Lattimore and Bray injured this game has lost much of what it had earlier in the season. South Carolina has the greater talent especially on defense and should walk away. Winner: South Carolina 31-17 ATS: South Carolina -3.5
#5 Clemson at Georgia Tech, 7:00 pm ABC, Georgia Tech's last two games have been disappointments and struggles that may signal that teams have figured out how to prepare for Paul Johnson's triple option. Clemson comes in with a ton of positive feelings behind it but I feel the pressure of a disappointing history beginning to build as it continues it's run. This feels like a Clemson team preparing to Clemson all over itself. Winner: Clemson 31-28 ATS: Georgia Tech +3.5
#6 Stanford at USC, 7:00 pm ABC, USC is coming off a big win in South Bend last week and the best win of the Kiffin era. Stanford is coming off a blowout of Washington at home and should be looking forward to it's chance to solidify it's standing before the Oregon game to come. I think this game comes down to how Monte Kiffin and the defense, a unit that has struggled throughout much of the season, does against Andrew Luck. Winner: Stanford 31-27 ATS: USC +7.5
#15 Wisconsin at Ohio State, 7:00 pm ESPN, Coming off a tough loss to Michigan State we will be able to tell a lot about this Wisconsin team and how they bounce back after a gut wrenching loss. Ohio State on the other hand has been solid since the return of three of their suspended players and should pose a good test on the heals of an emotional loss. Winner: Wisconsin 28-20 ATS: Wisconsin -7


Enjoy the week of college football and I'll be back to recap the games and the polls on Sunday. All times are central and all rankings are BCS. Please feel free to leave thoughts and comments.

Rambling's Poll Recap (10/23/11)

Week 8 is in the books and we have another Poll Recap with some shake ups this week as two top 5 teams went down this week and shook up the polls.

AP Top 5: LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Boise State

Coaches' Top 5: LSU, Alabama, Stanford, Oklahoma State, Boise State

Harris Top 5: LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Boise State

BCS Top 5: LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma State, Boise State, Clemson

My Top 5: LSU, Alabama, Boise State, Stanford, Oklahoma State

The top 2 teams in the country have cemented themselves as the best teams of the year, while their match-up in two weeks is so big that CBS has made the late move to prime time slot. The rest of the top 5 seems to an agreement of Stanford, Oklahoma State, Boise State, except for the computers who still see the weak schedule of Stanford and is holding them out. Clemson sneaks into the BCS top 5 as they have a much stronger resume at this point of the season than Stanford.

AP 6-10: Clemson, Oregon, Arkansas, Michigan State, Kansas State

Coaches' 6-10: Clemson, Oregon, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Michigan State

Harris 6-10: Clemson, Oregon, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas State

BCS 6-10: Stanford, Oregon, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Arkansas

My 6-10: Clemson, Kansas State, Oregon, Michigan State, Arkansas

First let's get this out of the way, the Harris apparently feel that losing to a team that is unranked, a 29 point dog at home is cause to move down #3 to #9 but losing to the #16 team on a last second play on the road is subject to dropping #4 to #12. Now on to the rest Kansas State still rests below 3 1-loss teams in the AP, 5 1-loss teams in the Coaches', 3 1-loss teams in the Harris poll but only 1 in the BCS, I think the BCS has it as close to right.  Other than that I think Arkansas, Michigan State, Oklahoma and Wisconsin can all be lumped in any order.

AP 11-15: Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Nebraska, South Carolina, Virginia Tech

Coaches' 11-15: Wisconsin, Kansas State, Nebraska, South Carolina, Virginia Tech

Harris 11-15: Michigan State, Wisconsin, Nebraska, South Carolina, Virginia Tech

BCS 11-15: Michigan State, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Nebraska, Wisconsin

My 11-16: Wisconsin, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Nebraska

Positions 11-15 are pretty simple it's your left overs of  one loss teams from AQ conferences with good victories on their resumes.

AP 16-20: Texas A&M, Michigan, Houston, Texas Tech, USC

Coaches' 16-20: Texas A&M, Michigan, Houston, Penn State, Arizona State

Harris 16-20: Michigan, Texas A&M, Houston, Penn State, Arizona State

BCS 16-20: Texas A&M, Houston, Michigan, Penn State, Texas Tech

My 16-20: Texas A&M, Houston, Penn State, Michigan, Southern Miss

The only team in this tier that I have a problem with is Arizona State, I mean what has ASU accomplished this season that says top 20 team. They've been blown out by Oregon, and lost to Illinois who isn't as good as anyone thought two weeks ago and they did beat USC by 21 at home but that's really all they've done. Houston is a team that still doesn't get a lot of respect for being undefeated but their best win is your pick of UCLA, Marshall or East Carolina.

AP 21-25: USC, Penn State, Georgia, Arizona State, Cincinnati, West Virginia

Coaches' 21-25: Georgia, Texas Tech, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Southern Miss

Harris 21-25: Texas Tech, Georgia, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Texas

BCS 21-25: Arizona State, Georgia, Auburn, Texas, West Virginia

My 21-25: Georgia, Texas Tech, USC, Cincinnati, Texas

Every week I think the toughest to rank is the bottom five of the top 25. who deserves to work its way up and to you drop teams that had bad losses out. I don't think that Texas and West Virginia deserve to be in with West Virginia being blown out by Syracuse and Texas doesn't have a good win on it's resume. I stated my dislike for Arizona State and although they can't play in the post-season I think USC is a top 25 team which yes helps ASU but not enough to warrant inclusion in my top 25.

Join me in the middle of the week to take a look at week 9 and see who I see winning and losing. As always your comments are appreciated and thank you for reading.

Rambling's Week 8 CFB Recap

Friday, October 21st, 2011:

#15 West Virginia at Syracuse, 7:00 pm ESPN, I should have known better as WVU's wins have been over: Marshall, Norfolk State, Maryland, Bowling Green and Connecticut. Syracuse on the other hand hasn't looked good but is actually getting some crowd support in the Carrier Dome. Syracuse was the better team for the entire game on Friday. Winner: 0-1 ATS: 0-1

Saturday, October 2nd, 2011:

#4 Oklahoma State at Missouri, 11:00 am FX, This game was closer than the score indicates as Missouri made several pushes in the second half to keep this game within striking distance but they came up just short and ultimately were sunk by their inability to stop the running attack. Winner: 1-1 ATS: 1-1

North Carolina at #7 Clemson, 11:00 am ESPN, Alright I'll take my lumps on this one I thought that North Carolina would be more competitive and I think this match-up is much closer than the score indicated but with Clemson scoring multiple defensive touchdowns, the Tar Heels didn't stand much of a chance today. Winner: North Carolina 1-2 ATS: North Carolina 1-2

#11 Kansas State at Kansas, 11:00 am, Kansas is the worst AQ team in the country and Kansas State proved that once again. Winner: 2-2 ATS: 2-2

#23 Illinois at Purdue, 11:00 am ESPN2, Purdue tried to give this game back in the four quarter as Illinois scored two touchdowns to make this a one score final, however it just wasn't meant to be for the Fightin' Zookers who drop two in a row against division foes. Winner: 3-2 ATS: 3-2

Cincinnati at South Florida, 11:00 am, Well South Florida managed to throw this game away after taking a lead late in the fourth quarter and reminding us that USF is indeed who we thought they were. USF falls to 0-3 in the conference, while Cincinnati goes to 2-0 and puts USF in a giant holee in a conference with only 7 conference games. Winner: 3-3 ATS: 3-3

#9 Arkansas at Ole Miss, 11:21 am SEC Network, Arkansas played down to it's competition this week as it squeaked out a win at Ole Miss. Winner: 4-3 ATS: 3-4

Boston College at #12 Virginia Tech, 2:00 pm, Virginia Tech, like Arkansas, played down to its opponent this week. Winner: 5-3 ATS: 3-5

#20 Auburn at #1 LSU, 2:30 pm CBS, The intrigue in this match-up was lost by halftime as it was evident that LSU is way too good in the two deep to be beaten by this Auburn team. Winner: 6-3 ATS: 3-6

Air Force at #5 Boise State, 2:30 pm Versus, Boise hasn't been challenged this year and the triple option can be a bit tricky, but I don't think they have nearly the firepower to keep up. Winner: 7-3 ATS: 3-7

#10 Oregon at Colorado, 2:30 pm, In the ummmm... yeah game of the week pt. 2, Oregon runs roughshod all over the Buffs. Winner: 8-3 ATS: 4-7

#13 Nebraska at Minnesota, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, Nebraska visits the Golden Gophers which was just the remedy the Cornhusker need to reinvigorate a season that has been lackluster if not downright disappointing. Winner: 9-3 ATS: 5-7

#17 Texas A&M at Iowa State, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2,. Iowa State's season continues to be a let down of the early season promise but that's the issue for a low level team in the deepest conference in the country. Winner: 10-3 ATS: 5-8

#22 Georgia Tech at Miami (FL), 2:30 pm ESPN, Al Golden has his team playing its best ball of the season as we pass the midway point. Georgia Tech continues it's slide as we get deeper into conference play. Winner: 11-3 ATS: 6-8 

Marshall at #19 Houston, 3:30 pm, Houston's defense did a better job than I thought it would and came away with a very impressive conference win on the road. Stat of note Case Keenum became the FBS all-time total offense leader. Winner: 12-3 ATS: 6-9

#21 Penn State at Northwestern, 6:00 pm BTN, Penn State continues to win games by double digits and will more than likely continue to get no credit. The Nitanny Lions actually put up points Saturday and to be honest I don't care who the defense was. The Wildcats continue to struggle on defense and against a top 20 defense they struggled to score which is a nasty combination. Winner: 13-3 ATS: 6-10

Tennessee at #2 Alabama, 6:15 pm ESPN2, The first half was just weird, but Alabama's depth in the two deep showed up in the second half and won the game for the Tide. Winner: 14-3 ATS: 7-10

USC at Notre Dame, 6:30 pm NBC, Notre Dame's turnover woes showed up again this week against USC. The Trojans played well for four quarters in the best game of the Kiffin era. Winner: 15-3 ATS: 8-10

Texas Tech at #3 Oklahoma, 7:00 pm ABC, Texas Tech pulls the upset of the year so far with a win in Norman. The Sooners gave it their best shot but two botched field goal attempts and an offense that never really caught it stride and a defense that had troubles slowing down the Red Raiders. Winner: 15-4 ATS: 9-10

#6 Wisconsin at #16 Michigan State, 7:00 pm ESPN, Incredible game, with both teams coming back from 14 pt deficits, MSU in the first half and Wis in the second. Michigan State won the game on a twice tipped hail mary caught at the half yard line that replay determined broke the plane of the goal line. Winner: 15-5 ATS: 10-10

#25 Washington at #8 Stanford, 7:00 pm ABC, Luck and the Cardinals played a great game with the Huskies in town and showed us more than they have all season. I didn't think they would win by this much or put it away this early.  Winner: 16-5 ATS: 10-11

SMU at Southern Miss, 7:00 pm, Southern Miss shut down SMU at home allowing 3 points to a June Jones team that hasn't been held down often. This game could very well be a preview of the conference championship game but we'll have to wait until SMU plays Houston Nov. 19 to find out. Winner: 17-5 ATS: 10-12


Well a good slate of late games highlighted by Wisconsin at MSU and Texas Tech at Oklahoma brought the fans what they wanted, excitement. I went 17-5 to bring my record on winners to 140-31 on the season and 10-12 against the spread bringing my season total to 75-69-3. Please let me know what you think in the comments below and I will have a Poll recap out tomorrow night after the BCS rankings.

Rambling's Week 8 CFB Picks

We are now squarely in the middle of the season and the national and conference title pictures are starting to come into focus throughout most of the country. This weekend features intriguing match-ups in the SEC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and C-USA which should tell us more about their respective races and the team involved in the games. So without further ado let's get to this weeks games... (all times central)

Friday, October 21st, 2011:

#15 West Virginia at Syracuse, 7:00 pm ESPN, West Virginia has looked like the class of the Big East so far this season but have been sluggish at the start of games and on the road. Syracuse has played some close games but doesn't look like it has the team speed to keep up in this game. Winner: West Virginia 45-20 ATS: West Virginia -14

Saturday, October 2nd, 2011:

#4 Oklahoma State at Missouri, 11:00 am FX, Missouri is an interesting team this year because they have been relegated to spoiler status. With this game being played in Columbia I think Missouri has a chance to shock Oklahoma State who is coming off a win in Austin. Oklahoma State needs to put up points like it normally does if it doesn't wish to slip up at Missouri this week. Winner: Oklahoma State 38-31 ATS: Oklahoma State -6.5

North Carolina at #7 Clemson, 11:00 am ESPN, I keep awaiting the week when Clemson returns to the glorious ways of it's past. With North Carolina coming this week we have a team that can match-up with the Tigers' athletes. Clemson is on a roll right now and Dabo has them playing good football which is making decisions about this team extremely hard. Winner: North Carolina 31-28 ATS: North Carolina +10.5

#11 Kansas State at Kansas, 11:00 am, Kansas is right in the running for worst AQ team in the country right alongside Indiana, Minnesota and Boston College. Kansas State is the story of the year as long as they keep winning Big XII games. Winner: Kansas State 48-21 ATS: Kansas State -11

#23 Illinois at Purdue, 11:00 am ESPN2, A leaders division match-up in West Lafayette as the Illini visit the Boilermakers. I think Purdue has the talent to compete in this game and give the Illini fits especially with their defense. Illinois will be looking to bounce back after a terrible showing last week against the Buckeyes. Winner: Purdue 24-21 ATS: Purdue +4

Cincinnati at South Florida, 11:00 am, This one intrigues me because it will go a long way in sorting out the hierarchy behind West Virginia in the Big East. Aside from a loss at a healthy Tennessee, Cincy has won every game since since that as they were suppose to. South Florida on the other hand has been inconsistent in it's performance, combining unexpected wins with crippling defeats. Winner: USF 28-24 ATS: South Florida -3

#9 Arkansas at Ole Miss, 11:21 am SEC Network, Arkansas walks away victorious in our ummmmm... yeah game of the week. Winner: Arkansas 59-13 ATS: Arkansas -16

Boston College at #12 Virginia Tech, 2:00 pm, Virginia Tech walks away from really bad BC team. Winner: Virginia Tech 49-10 ATS: Virginia Tech -21

#20 Auburn at #1 LSU, 2:30 pm CBS, This game got a lot more intriguing with the suspensions of Ware, Mathieu and Simon. Both sides of the ball will obviously be effected, the question seems to be to what extent will the Tigers be limited on either side of the ball and will we get our first Mad Hatter moment of the year. Winner: LSU 27-13 ATS: Auburn +21

Air Force at #5 Boise State, 2:30 pm Versus, Boise hasn't been challenged this year and the triple option can be a bit tricky, but I don't think they have nearly the firepower to keep up. Winner: Boise State 56-17 ATS: Boise State -30

#10 Oregon at Colorado, 2:30 pm, In the ummmm... yeah game of the week pt. 2, Oregon runs roughshod all over the Buffs. Winner: Oregon 59-10 ATS: Oregon -30.5

#13 Nebraska at Minnesota, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, Nebraska visits the Golden Gophers which could be just the remedy the Cornhusker need to reinvigorate a season that has been lackluster if not disappointing 

#17 Texas A&M at Iowa State, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, Iowa State fans were taking big about moving on up in the Big XII to that deluxe apartment of mediocrity. Well they fallen short this year and with the Aggies coming to town things are gonna continue to look down. Winner: Texas A&M 38-17 ATS: Texas A&M -20.5

#22 Georgia Tech at Miami (FL), 2:30 pm ESPN, Coming off a loss to Virginia last week Tech goes on the road to Miami where the Hurricanes come in playing their best football of the Al Golden's first year. Tech needs to return being explosive out of the triple option. Winner: Miami (FL) 31-28 ATS: Miami (FL) -3 

Marshall at #19 Houston, 3:30 pm, Houston visits Marshall who currently sits atop the East division of Conference USA, although I don't think Marshall is really the best team in that division I do think that Houston could have more trouble than expected because of their complete lack of defense. Winner: Houston 52-45 ATS: Marshall +23

#21 Penn State at Northwestern, 6:00 pm BTN, Both these teams are enigmas on one side of the ball with Northwestern's D going up against the Lion's O whichever unit show's up should be a difference in the game. Winner: Penn State 20-17 ATS: Northwestern +4.5

Tennessee at #2 Alabama, 6:15 pm ESPN2, This game would have been interesting had Tyler Bray not been interested now it should be over by 7:00. Winner: Alabama 41-10 ATS: Alabama -30

USC at Notre Dame, 6:30 pm NBC, a game that hasn't had the same luster the past couple of seasons finally has it's glow back. USC comes in with sanctions looming over their program and depth hampering their growth. Brian Kelly has made strides in year 2 at Notre Dame which makes this a tale of two programs seemingly moving in opposite directions. Winner: USC 35-34 ATS: USC +9

Texas Tech at #3 Oklahoma, 7:00 pm ABC, Tech travels to Norman where the Sooners are very good. This game should be shootout for one half but I think Oklahoma's D makes all the difference as the game goes along. Winner: Oklahoma 63-35 ATS: Texas Tech +29

#6 Wisconsin at #16 Michigan State, 7:00 pm ESPN, Michigan State is coming off of a physical mauling of Michigan in East Lansing but also a game which cost them William Gholston. Wisconsin is coming off a thrashing of Indiana has had a year to stew over last years loss at the hands of the Spartans. This should be a wonderful game pitting a great front seven and a great offensive line. Winner: Wisconsin 28-24 ATS: Michigan State +7.5

#25 Washington at #8 Stanford, 7:00 pm ABC, Washington has been sneaky good year 1 sans-Locker and the Huskies pose the first real threat to Stanford this season. Stanford still has Andrew Luck at center, who this season has taken over much of the play calling duties as well. Winner: Stanford 35-24 ATS: Washington +20.5

SMU at Southern Miss, 7:00 pm, This is the sneaky good match-up of the week as it could be a preview of the conference championship game and the best two teams in the conference. SMU is coming off a dismantling of UCF and Southern Miss is the most talented team in the East. Winner: Southern Miss 28-27 ATS: SMU +3

Thank you for reading and comments and thoughts are always welcome. I'll be back again with a week recap and poll thoughts Sunday.

Rambling's Poll Recap (10/16/11)

Big week in the world of college football polls as the BCS standings came out today

AP Top 5: LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Boise State
Coaches' Top 5: Oklahoma, LSU, Alabama, Wisconsin, Stanford
Harris Top 5: LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Boise State
BCS Top 5: LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Boise State
My Top 5: LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma State, Boise State, Wisconsin
The team most discussed around the top 5 is Boise State, which despite winning and winning big has continued to slide in the eyes of the coaches. Stanford on the other hand has slid out of the top five everywhere except the coaches due to a very weak schedule with no marquee win. LSU, Alabama and Oklahoma still are the class of the top 5 and the BCS loves Oklahoma State most likely based on wins against A&M and Texas. Last top 5 thought can someone tell me why everyone loves Texas they've played two good teams and been beaten soundly in both.

AP 6-10: Oklahoma State, Stanford, Clemson, Oregon, Arkansas
Coaches' 6-10: Oklahoma State, Boise State, Clemson (Tied), Oregon (Tied), Arkansas
Harris 6-10: Oklahoma State, Stanford, Clemson, Oregon, Arkansas
BCS 6-10: Wisconsin, Clemson, Stanford, Arkansas, Oregon
My 6-10: Stanford, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Clemson, Kansas State
I switched Oregon and Clemson because I think Oregon is a better team both on offense and defense. I have Kansas State the highest because they've impressed me with their victories over the past 4-5 weeks and have proven to deserve a low end top 10 rank. I understand the argument for Arkansas with teams in front of them losing this week but I just thought the undefeated Kansas State team was more worthy of the last spot in the top 10.

AP 11-15: West Virginia, Kansas State, Nebraska, South Carolina, Michigan State
Coaches' 11-15: Nebraska, South Carolina, Michigan State, West Virginia (Tied), Virginia Tech (Tied)
Harris 11-15: Nebraska, Kansas State, South Carolina, West Virginia, Michigan State
BCS 11-15: Kansas State, Nebraska, South Carolina, West Virginia
My 11-16: Arkansas, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Nebraska, West Virginia
I think Nebraska & West Virginia are a little too high but I'm not sure where you can knock them down to right now seeing as they've both won the games they have been expected to win but none that you really say yeah that team has impressed me. South Carolina has impressed with a couple of victories but may be in some big trouble soon with the loss of their in offense in the form of Marcus Lattimore.


AP 16-20: Virginia Tech, Texas A&M, Michigan, Auburn
Coaches' 16-20: Kansas State, Michigan, Texas A&M, Georgia Tech, Houston
Harris 16-20: Virginia Tech, Michigan, Georgia Tech, Texas A&M, Illinios
BCS 16-20: Michigan State, Texas A&M, Michigan, Houston
My 16-20: Texas A&M, Michigan State, Houston, Penn State, Georgia Tech
Apparently if you weren't highly thought of 7 weeks ago by the coaches you're nothing, Kansas State has done everything right except be highly thought of in the preseason. I don't understand the love for Michigan, in their one good win they beat a non-top 25 team that out-played them for most of the game. Otherwise I think the 16-20 range is pretty standard.

AP 21-25: Houston, Washington, Illinois, Arizona State (Tied), Georgia (Tied)
Coaches' 21-25: Illinois, Penn State, Auburn, Washington, Arizona State
Harris 21-25: Auburn, Houston, Arizona State, Penn State, Washington
BCS 21-25: Penn State, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Texas, Washington
My 21-25: Michigan, Washington, SMU, Auburn, Illinois
This is the hardest tier each week to judge and rank because their is such similarity across the teams that you would put here. This week I gave the nods to Washington, SMU and Auburn to move into the top 25. Auburn moves back up because they have quality wins and their losses are games they were suppose to lose, Washington has been better than most expected especially on offense with Keith Price. SMU is the team that will surprise the most people so hear me out, their only loss is to a top 20 Texas A&M squad in the season opener, but their last two games have been a road victory over TCU and a home win over UCF the media non-AQ darling and a good team. SMU may make me look foolish in a tough road game at Southern Miss next week but I think this team has the opportunity to win Conference USA. Now for the teams I left out, what has Arizona State, Georgia or Texas shown us that warrants them to be in the top 25 this season. If I had to choose one I guess Georgia has made the biggest strides towards returning but I just don't think they have done enough to warrant an inclusion.

I'm thinking of adding a conference race column to keep up with teams resumes and the likes, plus my weekly picks column will be up Wednesday or Thursday. As always would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions in the comments section below.

Rambling's Week 7 Recap

Another week of college football under our belts and I think we learned something about a good amount of teams. Coming into this week I was 108-22 on winners and 52-51-3 against the spread so without further ado let's take a look back... (Please leave comments below and share your thoughts)

Saturday, October 14th, 2011:

#15 South Carolina at Mississippi State, 11:00 am, a late safety by conceded by the Gamecocks game me a loss ATS but the bigger news out of this game is the loss of Marcus Lattimore for the season. The loss hurts their chances of repeating as East champions and leaves college football without one of it's most dynamic players. Hope Marcus can get healthy and continue to play football after this injury. Mississippi State just continues to be a major bust in the eyes of just about everyone. Winner: 1-0 ATS: 0-1

#11 Michigan at #23 Michigan State, 11:00 am ESPN, Michigan is improved this year especially on the defensive side of the ball, however, their passing game is a joke and that finally caught up to them this week as the Spartans were able to put the clamps on Denard Robinson and slow the Wolverines to a crawl all day. Michigan State is very impressive on defense their front four is very good and physical but they get a bit overzealous and commit personal fouls. The offense got going this week but the running game hasn't been as explosive as many expected it to coming off a breakout year in 2010. Winner: 1-1 ATS: 0-2

#20 Baylor at #21 Texas A&M, 11:00 FX, Texas A&M looked like a different team this week as they expanded on a half time lead and finally played at a high level for 4 quarters, at least on offense. Baylor continues to put up good numbers and RG3 is an amazing talent but Baylor appears to be a couple good recruiting classes away. Winner: 2-1 ATS: 1-2

Indiana at #4 Wisconsin, 11:00 am ESPN2, last year the Badgers put up 80 on the Hoosiers, this year was much of the same in Madison. Winner: 3-1 ATS: 2-2

#12 Georgia Tech at Virginia, 2:30 pm ESPNU, I said this was a trap game but left my balls at home when I didn't follow through and take the Cavaliers to win the game. Georgia Tech looked like a team who thought they could sleep walk through Virginia and come away with a win. You can see the strides that Mike London's team has made on the field and it's those positives that foretell of good things to come for Virginia in the coming years. Winner: 3-2 ATS: 3-2

#6 Oklahoma State at #22 Texas, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN, The Longhorns aren't as good as everyone seems to think they are. All I heard this week was how this game would be a close one or how Mack Brown has never lost coming off a Red River Rivalry game but come on did anyone really think the defense was good enough to keep up with the Cowboys offense. Winner: 4-2 ATS: 4-2

#1 LSU at Tennessee, 2:30 pm CBS, without Tyler Bray and against LSU the Vols offense looked anemic. LSU continues to impress on offense with it's two-headed monster at QB with Jefferson and Lee. Winner: 5-2 ATS: 5-2

Ohio State at #16 Illinois, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN, Ohio State has no passing game but they didn't need it this week as the running game more than made up for the lack of production. Illinois, however could have used an aerial game as their run game has been anemic all year. Winner: 6-2 ATS: 6-2

UCF at SMU, 2:30 pm, SMU looks like a real threat to win Conference USA after it handled UCF yesterday. SMU looks good midway through June Jones' fourth year and even seem to be playing a good amount of defense which was not always something you could say in the past for Jones coached teams. Winner: 7-2 ATS: 7-2

#5 Boise State at Colorado State, 5:00 pm, Mountain West meet Boise State, this team should walk through most of their conference slate just like thy handled Colorado State this week. Winner: 8-2 ATS: 8-2

#2 Alabama at Mississippi, 5:00 pm ESPN2, the Rebels put up a bit of a fight early but Alabama is better in all facets of the game. Winner: 9-2 ATS: 9-2

#19 Virginia Tech at Wake Forest, 5:30 pm, Wake Forest put up a good fight against the visiting Hokies but the talent/coaching gap shown through as the game wore on. Virginia Tech seems to be getting it's act together after a loss at the hands of the Clemson Tigers. Winner: 10-2 ATS: 10-2

#17 Kansas State at Texas Tech, 6:00 pm, I'm still surprised that Kansas State was a 3 point dog at Tech which suggests that Vegas thinks that these two teams are equal. Kansas State continues to play really good ball under Bill Snyder and they keep winning games that many believed they wouldn't. Tech on the other hand still hasn't developed a defense under Tubberville which is a surprise because that has been a staple of his former teams. Winner: 11-2 ATS: 11-2

Florida at #24 Auburn, 6:00 pm ESPN, apparently a Florida team without it's top 2 quarterbacks and half of it's explosive running back tandem are 5 points better in the eyes of bettors. This one ended up being closer than I expected but still pretty much handled by Auburn all the way through. Winner: 12-2 ATS: 12-2

#8 Clemson at Maryland, 6:00 pm ESPNU, Maryland made me look pretty good for about 3 quarters but Clemson showed a very un-Clemson like poise to comeback from down 17 to win the game. Winner: 12-3 ATS: 12-3

Northwestern at Iowa, 6:00 pm BTN, Iowa bounced back nicely from a loss at Penn State last week and got the monkey off their backs as it relates to Northwestern. Northwestern continues to play well on offense but, once again Pat Fitzgerald's team doesn't seem to be able to put together the defense needed to win games with consistency in the Big Ten. Winner: 12-4 ATS: 12-4 P.S. if Iowa loses this game its chances of making the Big Ten Championship game go from slim to practically none.

#7 Stanford at Washington State, 6:30 pm Versus, Washington State is making strides toward being competitive in the Pac-12 but Stanford has Andrew Luck and a punishing defense. Winner: 13-4 ATS: 13-4

#3 Oklahoma at Kansas, 8:15 pm ESPN2, Kansas played a much better game this week than last week and managed to keep this game close later than many expected them to. Winner: 14-4 ATS: 13-5

#18 Arizona State at #9 Oregon, 9:15 pm ESPN, Arizona State played ok but not well enough to win versus a banged up Oregon team. It should be noted that ASU is also pretty beat up on the defensive side of the ball which limited it's ability to take advantage of the injuries on Oregon. Oregon continues it's reign over big time games in the Pac-12. Winner: 15-4 ATS: 13-6

Overall a fairly good week for me as the conference pictures continue to evolve and clear up as we get deeper into this season. Bringing my season total to 123-26 on winners and 65-57-3 ATS. I will have a poll recap coming up tomorrow and my Week 8 picks Wednesday or Thursday.

Rambling's Week 7 CFB Picks

For the first time this year I'm actually less than enthused for this weeks slate. That being said this week should go a long way in answering some questions in the SEC, Big Ten, Big XII, ACC and Pac-12 through some very good conference games. (All times Central Standard and let me know what you think)

Saturday, October 14th, 2011:

#15 South Carolina at Mississippi State, 11:00 am, with the dismissal of embattled QB Stephen Garcia, current  Gamecocks QB Connor Shaw no longer has to look over his shoulder while preparing and playing in games. Mississippi State has it's own quarterback controversy with as Chris Relf  has really struggled to find his stride at the helm of the Bulldogs offense. I think this comes down to the more stable QB situation which, and this is hard to believe, is the Steve Spurrier led team. Winner: South Carolina 24-20 ATS: South Carolina -2.5

#11 Michigan at #23 Michigan State, 11:00 am ESPN, the battle for Michigan football supremacy and the Paul Bunyan trophy is an intriguing match-up from all sides. Michigan's offense is averaging 491.4 yards a game with 270 coming on the ground good for 14th and 7th respectively in the nation. Michigan State's defense ranks 3rd nationally against the run allowing 64 yards a game and 1st in total defense at 173.4 yards a game. Something has to give, but the biggest match-up may be the abilities of the Wolverine D vs. the Spartans O and which unit has shown the most improvement so far this season. Winner: Michigan 27-20 ATS: Michigan +2

#20 Baylor at #21 Texas A&M, 11:00 FX, is RG3 talented enough to lead this team to a top five team in  a top heavy Big XII, is Texas A&M gonna finally fulfill the promise that we all saw in the preseason? This game will continue to clear the picture of these two teams and the season that await them. Winner: Texas A&M 38-27 ATS: Texas A&M -9

Indiana at #4 Wisconsin, 11:00 am ESPN2, last year the Badgers put up 80 on the Hoosiers, this year should be much of the same in Madison. Winner: 62-17 ATS: Wisconsin -40

#12 Georgia Tech at Virginia, 2:30 pm ESPNU, Virginia is a team climbing it's way back out of oblivion under the tutelage Mike London. Paul Johnson's Yellow Jacket team is one of the surprise teams out of the ACC this year. With Miami and Clemson coming up on the schedule I think this is a definite trap game for Georgia Tech on the road. Winner: Georgia Tech 27-24 ATS: Virginia +7.5

#6 Oklahoma State at #22 Texas, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN, the Longhorn's finish the Oklahoma portion of their schedule with a visit from the Cowboys of Oklahoma State. Unfortunately for Mack Brown's team the biggest weakness of his squad matches up with the greatest strength of the Cowboys which should make for a long day in Austin. Winner: Oklahoma State 55-31 ATS: Oklahoma State -7.5

#1 LSU at Tennessee, 2:30 pm CBS, if Tyler Bray were playing this game would be a "so you're saying there's a chance?" games for the Vols, unfortunately that won't be the case Saturday. LSU's defense will eat a young Vols offense alive. Winner: LSU 31-13 ATS: LSU -15.5

Ohio State at #16 Illinois, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN, this game will decide which team will battle PSU for the right to be #1 contender to Wisconsin in the Leaders division. If Braxton Miller plays in this game, which looks likely as of today then Ohio State has a shot to leave Champagne with a victory on Saturday. If he isn't I have little faith in Bauserman or the freshman that are below Miller on the depth chart to win this game. Winner: Ohio State 24-21 ATS: Ohio State +4

UCF at SMU, 2:30 pm, a game that has lost a little bit of it's luster from the start of the season but is a still a very enlightening non-AQ match-up this week in Texas. SMU looks to be a legit contender in C-USA after beating, an admittedly down, TCU and improving under June Jones every year. UCF was a preseason darling for fans and media alike and has been underwhelming to say the least so far this season, but can also make a difference in how Conference USA shakes out. Winner: SMU 41-31 ATS: SMU -3

#5 Boise State at Colorado State, 5:00 pm, after back to back contests against former and future conference foes Boise starts it's seven week run through it's Mountain West schedule. I think this is the first of at least four cakewalks in conference for Boise. Winner: Boise State 55-10 ATS: Boise -32

#2 Alabama at Mississippi, 5:00 pm ESPN2, the Mississippi Rebels are really bad and will battle Kentucky for title of worst in the SEC. Winner: Alabama 48-9 ATS: Alabama -25.5

#19 Virginia Tech at Wake Forest, 5:30 pm, both teams come in with one loss on the resume, but Virginia Tech's is in conference if it wants to avoid a similar fate to the Seminoles it would be advised to not take the Deacons too lightly this week. Winner: Virginia Tech 31-17 ATS: Virginia Tech -7

#17 Kansas State at Texas Tech, 6:00 pm, Kansas State is the surprise of the Big XII season so far with wins over Miami (FL), Baylor and Missouri the past three weeks but still don't seem to be getting any respect from most college football fans and analysts. Texas Tech is coming off a back door cover against the  A&M last week and welcomes the Wildcats to Lubbock. I think Kansas State has some trouble with the high flying Tech offense but I have my doubts about the Red Raiders D. Winner: Kansas State 41-38 ATS: Kansas State +3

Florida at #24 Auburn, 6:00 pm ESPN, Florida is a young team on it's 3rd quarterback of the season, Auburn is young with it's original starter and have won big games this season. Florida will be able to get pressure on Auburn with their defense as they have had success with talented group to this point in the season but I think it all comes down to the effectiveness of the Gators offense on the road. Winner: Auburn 31-14 ATS: Auburn +2

#8 Clemson at Maryland, 6:00 pm ESPNU, Clemson takes a trip to a Maryland team that has had it's fair share of issues this season in the transition under Randy Edsall and no one embodies that more than Danny O'Brien. Clemson is having the most Clemson season in recent memory led by Tajh Boyd and an explosive group of talent surrounding him. Winner: Maryland 28-27 ATS: Maryland +8.5

Northwestern at Iowa, 6:00 pm BTN, Northwestern has dominated this match-up in recent years both at Iowa and at home. Iowa is coming off of a disappointing loss in a series in which it has been the more successful team recently, does the trend busting continue this week in Iowa City or do Dan Persa and company get back on track. Winner: Northwestern 31-28 ATS: Northwestern +6 P.S. if Iowa loses this game its chances of making the Big Ten Championship game go from slim to practically none.

#7 Stanford at Washington State, 6:30 pm Versus, Washington State is making strides toward being competitive in the Pac-12 but Stanford has Andrew Luck and a punishing defense. Winner: Stanford 52-17 ATS: Stanford -21

#3 Oklahoma at Kansas, 8:15 pm ESPN2, Kansas gave up 56 in the first half of the against Oklahoma State, Landry Jones and company should give that mark a run for it's money. Winner: Oklahoma 76-13 ATS: Oklahoma -34.5

#18 Arizona State at #9 Oregon, 9:15 pm ESPN, This match-up is intriguing because it should tell us something about both teams, however Arizona State hasn't won a big game in what feels like a decade and Oregon has been pretty much unstoppable in conference play the last couple years. Winner: Oregon 45-24 ATS: Oregon -16

Enjoy week 7 of the College football season and I'll see you soon to think fondly on this weekend's games.

Rambling's Poll Recap (10/9/11)

First off let me establish what you're gonna see here, I'm going to compare my top 25 to the AP, USA Today and BCS top 25's in the coming weeks on and share my ideas on the teams in each 5 team tier. To make this clear if I say a team is overrated or underrated I mean in relation to the polls and not necessarily in real life...

AP Top 5: LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Boise State
USA Today Top 5: Oklahoma, LSU, Alabama, Wisconsin, Stanford
My Top 5: LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma, Boise State, Wisconsin
Reaction: One could make an argument for any arrangement of the top 3 but I believe that LSU has the best resume of the 3 and deserves it's place at the top. I have Boise at 4 because it has the next best win and resume. Wisconsin rounds out the top five on the strength of it's Nebraska win and it's demolishing of the teams it should beat in it's non-con just edging out Stanford.

AP 6-10: Oklahoma State, Stanford, Clemson, Oregon, Arkansas
USA Today 6-10: Boise State, Oklahoma State, Clemson, Oregon, Michigan
My 6-10: Stanford, Clemson, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Arkansas
Reaction: Stanford is still a top 5 team with Luck at QB but it falls due to no marquee wins on it's resume. I have Clemson so high because they won three straight against ranked opponents including one at Lane Stadium  and have looked impressive all year. Oklahoma State's only such win is Texas A&M otherwise the resume is a little flat. Oregon and Arkansas round out the top ten having top 5 losses but nothing spectacular to fill out their respective resumes so far.

AP 11-15: Michigan, Georgia Tech, West Virginia, Nebraska, South Carolina
USA Today 11-15: Arkansas, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Nebraska, Illinois
My 11-15: Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Michigan, Nebraska, Illinois
Reaction: Georgia Tech, Michigan and Illinois are gained their spots through going undefeated and are ranked according to strength of opponents and wins. South Carolina lost a "meh" game to Auburn but also has a good win over Georgia, Nebraska had a nice bounce back against Ohio State and has a good win over a top 30-35 Washington team. The AP has WVU up here but until they show that they can play a complete game I think 13 is a bit overrated for the Mountaineers.

AP 16-20: Illinois, Kansas State, Arizona State, Virginia Tech, Baylor
USA Today 16-20: West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Kansas State, Michigan State, Arizona State
My 16-20: Kansas State, Arizona State, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Texas A&M
Reaction: First off let me just say that Kansas State is getting no respect coming off wins over Miami (FL), Baylor and Mizzou. I know Miami is down but on winning on the road there is still tough and Baylor and Mizzou have better talent than they do. I also think A&M has fallen a bit too far, they blew leads to two very good offenses in back to back weeks but have shown they have the team to compete with both of them for an entire game.

AP 21-25: Texas A&M, Texas, Michigan State, Auburn, Houston
USA Today 21-25: Texas, Houston, Texas A&M, Baylor, Penn State
My 21-25: Houston, Michigan State, Baylor, Notre Dame, Penn State
Reaction: First off, let me just say that this was the toughest 5 to figure out as I made my top 25. Houston Baylor and Michigan State were all right there in the conversation around 20 so lets focus on the last two teams I put in and the two that appear in the polls that I didn't. Notre Dame has two blown lead losses to teams that are much better than we expected them to be and have gone on to win convincingly in 3 out of the next four games. Penn State on the other hand keeps winning and their only loss is to the #2 team in the country. I left Auburn out of my top 25 because I just don't believe they are a top 25 team, yes they find ways to win but you could see how much the youth hurts this team this week against Arkansas and that was enough for me to drop them. Similarly, Texas' youth is a detriment to them and they seem to be partially back to being Texas but not quite, which makes them a top 35 or so team instead of a top 25 team.

Feel free to leave comments below and I'll have my week 7 picks blog posted Tuesday or Wednesday.

Rambling's Week 6 Recap

The Chalk was pretty good this week which no doubt aided my picks...

Thursday, October 6th, 2011:

California at #9 Oregon, 8:00 pm ESPN, Oregon looked like a team with a mission to prove that last year was a fluke game against the Bears. Scary looking injury to LaMichael James is something to watch for this week and will be a harbinger for the rest of the Ducks' season. Winner: 1-0 ATS: 1-0

Friday, October 7th, 2011:

#5 Boise State at Fresno State, 8:00 pm ESPN, Boise State steamrolled this game, and the starters were out by the 3rd quarter. Winner: 2-0 ATS: 2-0

Saturday, October 8th, 2011:

#3 Oklahoma vs #11 Texas (Dallas), 11:00 am ABC, Oklahoma came out swinging in this game and it was never really in question. Some positives for the Texas defense early as they stopped the Sooners multiple times in the red zone but ultimately Landry Jones and company were just too much for the Longhorns. Winner: 3-0 ATS: 3-0

Maryland at #13 Georgia Tech, 11:00 am ESPNU, Maryland did a nice job of containing Georgia Tech's triple option today even bouncing back from a 21-3 deficit at the end of the 3rd quarter. Ultimately Maryland came up short losing by 5 but at least there are signs of life from Randy Edsall's squad. Winner: Georgia Tech 4-0 ATS: 4-0

Connecticut at #16 West Virginia, 11:00 am, another sluggish start for the Mountaineers, down 6-3 at half time but yet again a huge second half. WVU pulled away from UCONN in this game, finally exerting it's talent advantage over the Huskies. Winner: 5-0 ATS:5-0

Kentucky at #18 South Carolina, 11:21 am SEC Network, Connor Shaw was better than expected even against Kentucky and the Gamecocks easily walk away with a victory. Kentucky is in for a long season  of bad bad games in the SEC. Winner: 6-0 ATS: 5-1

#23 Florida State at Wake Forest, 11:30 am, Think this says it all, FSU's two wins are over Charleston Southern and Louisiana-Monroe. That is all. P.S. Congrats Wake Forest on a well played game and on the win. Winner: 6-1 ATS: 6-1

#19 Illinois at Indiana, 1:30 pm BTN, I had Illinois as being 18 points better and they won by 19. Not much to say other than Illinois will put up a fight for Wisconsin and Indiana won't worry just about anyone. Winner: 7-1 ATS: 7-1

Boston College at #8 Clemson, 2:00 pm, for a while it looked like Clemson might have something to worry about but they won going away. The bigger news out of this game is the injury of Tahj Boyd for the Tigers, that should be the Clemson faithfuls biggest concern. Winner: 8-1 ATS: 7-2

#17 Florida at #1 LSU, 2:30 pm CBS, Florida never really had a chance with it's two best quarterbacks injured on the road against the best defense in the country. Winner: 9-1 ATS: 8-2

Kansas at #6 Oklahoma State, 2:30 pm, as said in the picks column... ummmmmm, yeah. Stat of note in this game however, Oklahoma State had 56 points at halftime. Winner: 10-1 ATS: 9-2

Missouri at #20 Kansas State, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN, Kansas State won held on to win a tough Big XII game at home further cementing them as the best of the second tier of teams in the conference behind Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M and maybe tied if not better than Texas. Winner: 11-1 ATS: 10-2

Miami (FL) at #21 Virginia Tech, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN, the Fightin' Beamers pulled out the late victory at home over the Hurricanes. A late ground based drive was the Hokies response to the Canes touchdown with around 2 minutes left. Winner: Virginia Tech 12-1 ATS: 10-3

#22 Arizona Sate at Utah, 2:30 pm, Utah didn't have much of a chance in this game with Jordan Wynn out and that showed in the final score against Arizona State. Osweiller and company were just too much for a team that had trouble scoring when healthy. Winner: 13-1 ATS: 11-3

Iowa at Penn State, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN, another ugly game and another win for the Nittany Lions. The defense is top 15-20 in the country but the offense is but 10% which isn't helped by the inability of Joe Pa and staff to pick a QB. Iowa continues to have growing pains with a young team including a myriad of drops by wide receivers in this game. Winner: 14-1 ATS: 11-4

Vanderbilt at #2 Alabama, 6:00 pm ESPNU, Alabama pitched a shutout at home against the commodores in what was another less than satisfying game leading up to the LSU game in 2 weeks. Winner: 15-1 ATS: 11-5

#15 Auburn at #10 Arkansas, 6:00 pm ESPN, Finally an Auburn outcome that makes sense, their weak defense especially a young secondary were taken advantage of by the Razorbacks in Fayetteville. Auburn put up a good fight through halftime but then the cracks started to show and the team with superior talent emerged. Winner: 16-1 ATS: 11-6

#12 Michigan at Northwestern, 6:00 pm BTN, Dan Persa makes a difference for the Wildcats but the Michigan defense continued it's opportunistic ways and forced a couple turnovers on the road to get the victory. Northwestern once again doesn't have much defense to speak of under Pat Fitzgerald in a quest that continues to perplex. Winner: 17-1 ATS: 11-7

#24 Texas A&M at Texas Tech, 6:00 pm FX, better game than I thought it would be as Tech drove late to bring it within 5 but A&M finally won a game after a solid first half lead. Texas Tech's offense is still rolling but the defense hasn't taken that step forward that was expected under Tuberville. Winner: 18-1 ATS: 11-8

Iowa State at #25 Baylor, 6:00 pm, RG3 and Baylor have cemented themselves behind Kansas State in the middle tier of the Big XII whilst Iowa State seems to have taken a step back from last year. Winner: 19-1 ATS: 11-9

Georgia at Tennessee, 6:00 pm ESPN2, Georgia pretty much dominated  Winner: 20-1 ATS: 12-9

Colorado at #7 Stanford, 6:30 pm Versus, ummmmmm... yeah Winner: 21-1 ATS: 12-10

Ohio State at #14 Nebraska, 7:00 pm ABC, Ohio State played well well into the 3rd quarter until Braxton Miller went out with a right ankle injury. Nebraska showed good heart to come back after another tough game a lagging defensive showing to start the game. Burkhead and Martinez both showed up to propel the Cornhuskers to the victory. Winner: 22-1 ATS: 12-11

TCU at San Diego State, 9:30 pm, TCU got a big bounce back conference win on the road late Saturday night in San Diego. San Diego shows that they still haven't quite made it to the point in which they will be a constant headaches for the top of the conference. Winner: 23-1 ATS: 12-12


Had a really good weed this week going 23-1 on winners, I'll grant you that it was a pretty weak week but still I didn't get greedy and try for too many upsets after a rough week 5. Keep an eye out on later today or early tomorrow for a poll recap, with a week until the BCS rankings come out I wanted to start adding my two cents to how teams are ranked.