College Football Viewing Guide Week 10 (Exposed Edition)

From BCO Pix2

I love this new logo, very creative

As I have mentioned a time or 6, College football is having a down year, it's not as exciting. Parity is not a good thing, sure anyone can beat anyone but where is greatness? I hope this isn't a trend but the '07 and now '09 seasons are going to crown a so-so team. Last year any of the top 5 teams would have wiped the turf with this year's Florida, Bammer or Tejas. Having said that, Oregon just scored on SouthernCal again. Holy shit, batman that was a beat down that I enjoyed thoroughly!

From BCO Pix2

For whom the bell tolls?

There is only 1 marquee game this week (no Big1+10 matchup will marquee for the forseeable future.) It's LSU making a trip to the always friendly Bryant-Denny Stadium in Alabama. Bammer started out like gang busters on the Hokies but have slowly lost steam as QB McElroy has been game filmed a bit. That said Les Miles won a national championship with largelY Nick Saban's recruited talent. Now it appears Les isn't recruiting or coaching as well as ole Nick. It's a $EC West division deciding game between 2 top 10 teams (though LSU is likely a bogus one.) It's easily the game of the week.

From BCO Pix2

WhatwastheOhio State University makes a trip to Beaver Stadium to play State Penn, which could make for interesting tv as well. Oregon at Stanford, intrigues me. Will the Ducks be a lil flat? Will Stanford a very physical Pac10 team punch Oregon in the mouth and make it a slugfest or do the Ducks keep trucking looking like the best team in the nation? Klempsum at f$u will eliminate 1 from the cripple fight which is the ACC Atlantic race, making it a 2 team race with the b.c. iggles (AGAIN!)

Now to my Hokies. It's official VT has been exposed. Not only are they are not a national championship caliber team but they aren't even a college football power this season. The offense shits the bed too often, the D is soft when it matters most (4th quarter.) Big plays and running up the middle have become standard practice against Bud's unit this year (and likely next.) The O for all it's talent, still can't pass block and can't game plan what to do when there is 7-8 defenders in the box and the defensive ends stay home, making Tyrod a pocket passer. That doesn't surprise me ... not one bit. However, I never expected in the beginning of the season for the Hokies to have taken a relatively large step back on defense. They aren't trash mind you ... just sorta slightly above average. Let me try to reason why ...

• 'o8 Orion Martin > '09 Nekos Brown... Martin was better at the pass rush and run stop, had to be accounted for. Brown is drop off, making Worilds doubled every time.
• '08 DT > '09 DT ... Graves injuries doesn't help, his lack of bulk hurts and no jump fwd, if anything a slight step back. Getting railroaded lately.
• '08 Warren/Sturdivant > '09 Rivers/Johnson/Gibson ... Bud is asking the linebackers to do less, so their heads aren't swimming, that means limiting his D calls. Also physically this group might be less than last year's group. Not shedding blocks or sensing the plays like the last 5 years
• '08 Martin/Grimm > '09 Grimm ... Grimm is getting worn down. Helluva a player but he isn't super big or super athletic. Last year Cam Martin split time, letting him recharge, this season it's all on my fave Hokie.
• '08 Kam = '09 Kam ... good and bad, from game to game, series to series or play to play. He is not a FS, the team doesn't really have one, but they got 3 very good Rovers. :(

Cornerback play is as good as ever and the Rover position is solid even if unspectacular.

This in my opinion is why the Hokies D has stepped back. Expect ECU to run the middle, making the linebackers react to the read option after getting thru the DL. Then once they get use to that, ECU will change up, roll the pocket. After some of that, how bout some straight drop back passing? I gotta feeling they are gonna keep changing it up on VT.

From BCO Pix2

On to the mini preview and picks ....

Last week's picks and to date tally
straight up 3-5 to date 45-27 --- 63%
against the spread 2-6 to date 35-37 --- 49%

Right as I climbed over the gamblers mendoza line, I stunk it up DickRod style and fell right back. It's not gonna be my year, I fear. Will have to redeem myself during the bowl season.

Thursday, November 5th
VT (5-3) at ECU (5-3) [+13] 7:30 pm espn
Ok, let's get down to it ...

Why ECU will win

• electric crowd, itching to prove they are better than the big boys.
• big hosses up front on D to shut down the run game.
• a gameplan to attack the middle of the defense with the qb and rb's & big play wide receiver to go to when VT pinches down.
• they smell blood in the water
  

Why VT will win

• desperate wounded animal, haven't lost 3 in a row since 2003
• Ryan Williams is the best player on the field and wants to prove last week was a fluke.
• Pirates have an awful pass defense
  
• Revenge/redemption from last season's loss and this season's mini implosion.

Tough, tough game to call. VT is more talented (but not a lot more.) The atmosphere in Dowdy-Ficklen will be crazy, like in 2000, where I robbed the Professor from seeing VT hang 17 on ECU before we even got in from the tailgate. Sorry. VT has to score early a couple times to take it out of them (last 2 games, VT could not get that done and that was very costly.) The DL are going to have to play like crazed dogs, because if relying on the linebackers is and will not get it done. Going against trend, I think the VT answers the bell, I think the D plays better but not lights out and VT wins but I wouldn't bet on them covering the spread with Financial bailout money. This game could go a hundred different ways. I will get to see VT in their white throwbacks, that's the only good thing, I know for certain.

From BCO Pix2

Saturday, November 7th
uva (3-5) [+13.5] at da U (6-2) noon raycom/espn-gp
Pretty much this on the guide cause I wanted a nooner and I enjoy the algroh watch. He's gone unless his team wins out, might as well watch him stand on the sideline befuddled and angry with that hoo look on his face while you can.

From BCO Pix2

Navy (6-3) at ND [-11] (6-2) 2:30 pm nbc
Navy beat Wake without passing but then lost to Temple. Wow, not making the ACC look good here. It's not a good game, like most on the list but it's possible Navy railroads the shitty Irish D and keeps it interesting. That said, ND is going to tune up that Navy D, Clausen to Tate is good for 200 yards and 2 TD's. I know ND always plays Navy, but look at this schedule and future ones ... scheduling for success. Almost 7 gimmees each year, all fat boy needs to do is get 3 wins to go to the BCS game. Cheesy.

LSU (7-1) at bammer (8-0) [-7.5] 3:30 pm cbs
Another hated $EC rivalry that has a lil extra with Nick Satan, architect of 2 LSU National championships now doing his best to ge a statue near Bear and Gene. The Tide play has been unimpressive of late but still ticking off W's. LSU has been winning unremarkably as well, but 1 loss to UF in a game where the Tiger O was shut completely down. Look for more of the same while bammer runs considerably better vs the Tigers than Florida did. The game is about talent, discipline and coaching, a push in the former and a clear advantage in the last 2. Roll Tide Roll.

dook (5-3) [+10] at UNC (5-3) 3:30 pm espnu
The winner is bowl eligible. Doook could be bowl eligible on their 9th game of the season. DAMN! Tied for first in the loss column w/GiT in the ACC Coastal. Wow. That is over VT, da U and UNC. WOW! Doook, wins this game and it sets up next week's game vs GiT as the Coastal champion. ummmm, Wow. Butch on the other hand, finally got his program's first big ACC win at the expense of my Hokies. Can he build on it or will he do what he usually does and find a way to choke on it? That UNC D is littered with NFL players, many will be starters. You'd think they'd win ... right?

From BCO Pix2

WhatwasThe Ohio State (7-2) at State Penn (8-1) [-4] 3:30 pm abc/espn
State Penn with their 2nd hard game of the year (sorry, MissAgain does not count) vs wwtOSU and their shitty, VT impersonating O, Occasionally big timing it vs bad teams but always shitty vs good ones. More of the same, State Penn will shut it down and do just enough of offense to win by a touchdown or so. wwtOSU is lucky this is not a night game or it could have get ugly.

Oregon (7-1) [-6.5] at Stanford (5-3) 3:30 pm fsn
Will the ducks let down? Can the Ducks keep playing fast? Will Stanford be more discipline vs the power/speed/downfield spread? Can stanford bludgeon UO and shorten the game? This could end up being a UO blowout or a great game going down the wire.

From BCO Pix2

f$u (4-4) [+8.5] at Klempsum (5-3) 7:45 pm espn
Down, Up, Down, Up ... that could be described as either team's season so far. So which is it? It's like a damn coin flip. Not the greatest game but one I am curious about. DE Bowers for the Tigers is out and that's a huge loss. QB Ponder is hurting but he'll play and light the world on fire ... again. If his backup, Va Beach's own E.J. Manuel comes in, it's a huge drop off and the game could become unviewable. f$u has an atrocious D, I wonder if the announcement of DC Mickey Andrews stepping down at season's end will fire em up? They better be or C.J. Spiller could very well tune 'em up.


You may ask, what about the ABC 8 o'clock game ... well that lil 3 headed monster is ..

• UConn at 'nati 8:00 pm abc/espn-gp - suck ass game
• OU at Nebraska 8:00 pm abc/espn-gp - decent game but hardly worthy of the time slot.
• SouthernCal at zona state 8:00 pm abc/espn-gp - same as above.

Trash games at 8, blame ABC/ESPN or the season? BCO has a date night and won't be missing not watching college ball Saturday night.

From BCO Pix2

Will see some of you in Greenville, as I do a half day, drive to the game and then drive back to work again on Friday. Lonnnng day, but tailgating and BBQ from a small but well thought of place near Sunbury will make it worth it.