// Before we get to the picks, I'd like to share one of the many beefs I have with ESPN: that gosh damn ticker. In theory, the ticker they fire at the bottom of the telly is a nice feature. When they came up with the idea, the thought probably was, "Yeah, we'll just go through scores and the significant stats rapid-fire. That way, people will get the information on their team without having to sit through the whole show." That line of thought might've been met with some initial hesitation. After all, don't the ESPN honchos want you to watch more and more? It doesn't matter, I guess. Here's my problem with the ticker: it's like a salesman at a place like Home Depot. By that I mean there's never one around when you actually need assistance with something, but if you're just browsing (my father can do this for hours and I've unfortunately been in tow for a couple rounds), their are salesman on you like starving men on a Christmas ham. Such is the case with the ticker. If the only score I wanna see is the Tigers-Indians, I feel like it never comes up in less than 20 minutes. Vice-versa: if I'm watching SportsCenter in a casual manner - just peeping the day in sports - I feel like the ticker ruins my enjoyment. This happened this morning: I was watching SC and they led with last night's Mets-Cubs game. I'd watched the game up until the middle of the tenth inning, but I chose to switch off to see the movie Talk to Me on HBO. By the way, that was one of the best movies I've seen in a while. Dynamite acting, funny, moving, good message; the movie had a lot. Getting back to the story, the point is this: I didn't see the end of the game, nor did I pursue a box score when I woke up this morning. ESPN was breaking it to me for the first time. Much to my chagrin, the ending of the game - and the idea of the highlights telling me the story - was ruined because the effing ticker showed the final score of the game well before they'd even gotten to the extra-innings highlights. In the four-bedroom brownstone I like to call "Why I Despise ESPN", the ticker is like a breakfast nook. It makes me want to rip the hair out of my head.
// How about some picks? Hit it! Week of 9/27/08. Home teams in ALL CAPS.
+ Northwestern (+8.5) over IOWA -- My thinking on this one comes down to two basic ideas. 1) This figures to be a VERY low-scoring game. Iowa has displayed a fine defense thus far and is likely to at least slow down 'Stream favorite Tyrell Sutton and his 6.1 YPC. On the flip side of the ball, I don't think it matters if NW's defense is good or bad; Iowa's offense has been anemic at best (93rd nationally), and they're currently considering three different QBs. This is not a recipe for a scoreboard bonanza. 2) If I was picking this game straight up, I'd still have to give it some thought. I would eventually go with Iowa, but it'd take some time to reach that conclusion. Given that, I think 8.5 points is too much for the Hawkeyes to lay. One day I'll break down how Kirk Ferentz slowly became a victim of his own success.
+ FLORIDA (-22.5) over Ole Miss -- I almost made this my lock of the week (below) until I saw a more tantalizing line. Still, this seems pretty close to a lock. Ole Miss has been giving up almost 22 points a game, and to foes not nearly of the same caliber as Tebow and the Gators. Meanwhile, Florida's defense - much maligned a year ago - has been murdering opposing offenses. Statistically it's the best defense in the SEC and top 10 nationally. Urban Meyer is also a smart guy. He knows that the more he gets the reputation of highlighting his marquee individuals (Tebow), the better it will serve his recruiting in the long run. That's why he feeds Tebow so often, especially in-conference. This has the makings of a blowout. It's best not to make the equation too complicated, so here's what I got: Florida will score at least somewhere in the 35-38 range, and I don't think they give up more than a touchdown to the Rebels. Math.
+ OHIO STATE (-18) over Minnesota -- Terrelle Pryor had some really deft touch on some of those passes last week, didn't he? If all the surrounding hype about him turns out to be warranted, Ohio State's domination of the Big Ten will continue unabated. I hope this isn't the case, but he's yet to do anything that raises doubt. In the case of this fracas, I think the backfield combination the country's been waiting to see (him with Chris Wells) will do what's expected. Namely, score and score and score. Minnesota's getting better, but they're still a long way from staying close with the Buckeyes. At home. In the Big Ten opener. Looking to quell all who doubt their superiority in the Midwest. Eighteen is a pretty big line, but don't let the USC game fool you. USC is a different class of team than pretty much everybody right now. The Buckeyes are still a good team. Way too good for the Gophers.
+ Southern Cal (-26.5) over OREGON STATE -- In my preseason preview, I said USC wouldn't win a conference game by less than 14 points. I meant they'd win that much over the decent Pac-10 teams like Arizone State or Cal. The Beavers from Corvallis are not on the same tier as ASU or Cal, and I think the margin of victory in this game will reflect that. The Trojans are clicking on all cylinders right now, and there are a couple other things working in their favor. They're playing with an extra week of rest while Oregon State is playing with a short week. It's a nationally televised night game, and Pete Carroll's squads do the best when the light is brightest. Lastly, they have a psych edge: their last trip to Corvallis went awry, as the Trojans were ranked #3 and riding a 38-game regular season win streak. The Beavers upset them. Don't underestimate the vengeance factor. Fight on.
+ Lock of the Week: Wisconsin (-6.5) over MICHIGAN -- True story: I actually did a Looney Tunes-esque double take when I saw this line at 6.5. Wisconsin has a very fine football team; don't sleep on that win over Fresno State out in Cali. That was an outstanding win. Against a quality opponent. Far away from home. At night. Not many squads have the moxie for that. Michigan, on the other hand, has been disappointing so far, and that's saying something when you consider the expectations weren't very high to begin with. The one thing the Wolverines could always seem to count on - as long as I can even remember - was quality play from the offensive line. It seems the graduations and defections have taken their toll. Dig this as well: Wisconsin has a very good defense, and Michigan's personnel is a terrible fit for the offense they're running. I'll be flummoxed, nay, flabbergasted if the Maize & Blue can keep this within 10. (Side note: I've made it a policy to never ever ever pick against UofM, because I've always thought as soon as I do I'll end up eating my words. Finally picking against them after all these years feels strange, but I guess I'm taking that as a sign of how confident I am that the Badgers will cover.)
+ Just For My Personal Edification: Michigan State (-8.5) over INDIANA -- I'm not super-serious about this one. State looked very good last week, especially the D-line. Them being able to get pressure from just the front 4 was - to me - the biggest factor in the game. Kellen Lewis, the Hoosier QB, is definitely more mobile than Jimmy Clausen. However, this might make him more susceptible to blitzes from corners and safeties as he tries to scramble away from pressure, especially when IU's leading receiver has 14 catches on the year. Peep this as well: last week, IU gave up 166 yards on 29 carries and 4 touchdowns to MiQuale Lewis (glorious name, btw) of Ball State. I feel like Dantonio will feed Javon Ringer around 30 times; much less than his per-game average so far this year but still allowing him 170 yards and 3 scores. Given all that, I'd be remiss if I failed to mention that Michigan State is THE #1 BEST TEAM IN THE COUNTRY at crapping out huge let-down games after wins over rivals. Still, I'm taking the Spartans. I might be biased. Go Green!
// MAINSTREAM
No comments :
Post a Comment