Week Five TV Guide
A much better slate of TV games this week. Meanwhile, the folks who run this site may be out of work come Monday.
Thu 4.30 ESPN Colorado v West Virginia (-17) - This game had more promise before the season started. Since the Mountaineers haven't beaten anyone yet normally a win over a Big 12 team would be considered progress. That probably isn't the case with this Colorado team. WVU is playing under the radar with everyone talking about Cincy and South Florida.
Fri 5.00 ESPN2 Pittsburgh v Louisville (+6.5) - That NC State loss looks brutal for Pitt. Now they start their conference schedule with few believing they can challenge for the conference.
9.00 ESPN Wisconsin v Minnesota (-2.5) - This is where Wisconsin either raises eyebrows by going on the road and winning in conference against a solid team or they confirm everyone's suspicions and lose showing they are not even Outback Bowl material. Minnesota doesn't have Michigan on the schedule but they go to Penn St, Ohio St and Iowa. The road to six wins and a bowl will get a little nervy if they can't beat the Badgers at home.
9.05 ESPN2 Arkansas St. v Iowa (-21) - Someone over at ESPN screwed up and thought Iowa was playing the Razorbacks. Michigan v Michigan St. on the Big 10 Network? For shame.
12.30 CBS LSU v Georgia (-3) - Joe Cox and Georgia have struggled in their last two wins, but win they have. Meanwhile LSU has struggled practically every game, yet have come away undefeated and quietly slid up to 4th in the nation. I just have a feeling that LSU gives us their performance of the season and wins. Joe Cox has thrown at least one pick a game, and he made it two against Arizona St. When good teams play Georgia I'm going to keep betting against Joe Cox until he proves me wrong.
12.30 NBC Washington v Notre Dame (-13) - Looking more and more like a fluke that Locker & Co beat the Trojans, but only crazy people would take the Irish -13 here. They are eeking out games against teams that haven't beaten USC, so I don't see how they win by two touchdowns.
12.30 ABC UCLA v Stanford (-5.5) - Imagine if Stanford hadn't given that game away to Wake. This would be the real Pac 10 battle in the Bay Area with a couple of undefeateds slugging it out. I'm only kind of joking. Let's see what Toby Gerhart and Andrew Luck can do against a strong Bruin defense. On the UCLA side of things Kevin Prince is still weeks away from a return after a fractured jaw and Craft will start again. While he did enough to win at home against Kansas St. his absence will probably be the difference here. Huge game for two programs trying to get back from the abyss, the kind of game both of these coaches would expect their young teams to be able to win if they are to be taken seriously again.
4.30 ESPN2 Texas A&M v Arkansas (0) - A dead even pick-em game between a couple of lower end teams in strong BCS conferences. A&M are undefeated and have put up huge offensive numbers against three nobodies. Arkansas has shown they can score and are battle tested. I'm taking the Hogs in this neutral site game.
4.45 ESPN Auburn v Tennessee (-2) - Hard to believe the Vols are the favorites here after Auburn's impressive start to the season. They've taken care of business in their easier games and beat a decent West Virginia team. Chris Todd has been the difference on the offensive side of the ball throwing for 1012 yards and 11 TDs in four games. With Tennessee struggling against Ohio last weekend, there's hardly reason to believe the Vols will pull it together against a very different 2009 Auburn squad. It's not quite time to give Chizik credit yet, but he had his detractors before a ball was snapped and so far so good.
5.00 ABC USC v Cal (+5) - Cal will be ready to play in this one. It's USC, it's homecoming, it's Gameday in Berkeley for the first time ever if memory serves and it's a week after a truly embarrassing showing in Eugene. I see this as one of those games where USC always has a comfortable 7-10 point advantage and the game is never really in doubt. I expect the Cal defense to improve and Kevin Riley to string together at least a couple of scoring drives, but it won't be enough. Jahvid Best will either be back in the Heisman discussion after this game or his name will never be uttered again by anyone outside the Pacific time zone.
5.00 ABC Oklahoma v Miami (+7) - Still eagerly anticipated even after the disaster in Blacksburg. Stoops is waiting to make the call on Bradford's return. It is harder for me to take Miami seriously after last week. My already low estimation of the ACC took a hit with Miami's weak performance. I give the Oklahoma defense credit for shutting out Tulsa and Landry Jones has held up fine, though I guess we could be worried about his three picks against the fearsome defenses of Idaho St. and Tulsa.
Fri 5.00 ESPN2 Pittsburgh v Louisville (+6.5) - That NC State loss looks brutal for Pitt. Now they start their conference schedule with few believing they can challenge for the conference.
9.00 ESPN Wisconsin v Minnesota (-2.5) - This is where Wisconsin either raises eyebrows by going on the road and winning in conference against a solid team or they confirm everyone's suspicions and lose showing they are not even Outback Bowl material. Minnesota doesn't have Michigan on the schedule but they go to Penn St, Ohio St and Iowa. The road to six wins and a bowl will get a little nervy if they can't beat the Badgers at home.
9.05 ESPN2 Arkansas St. v Iowa (-21) - Someone over at ESPN screwed up and thought Iowa was playing the Razorbacks. Michigan v Michigan St. on the Big 10 Network? For shame.
12.30 CBS LSU v Georgia (-3) - Joe Cox and Georgia have struggled in their last two wins, but win they have. Meanwhile LSU has struggled practically every game, yet have come away undefeated and quietly slid up to 4th in the nation. I just have a feeling that LSU gives us their performance of the season and wins. Joe Cox has thrown at least one pick a game, and he made it two against Arizona St. When good teams play Georgia I'm going to keep betting against Joe Cox until he proves me wrong.
12.30 NBC Washington v Notre Dame (-13) - Looking more and more like a fluke that Locker & Co beat the Trojans, but only crazy people would take the Irish -13 here. They are eeking out games against teams that haven't beaten USC, so I don't see how they win by two touchdowns.
12.30 ABC UCLA v Stanford (-5.5) - Imagine if Stanford hadn't given that game away to Wake. This would be the real Pac 10 battle in the Bay Area with a couple of undefeateds slugging it out. I'm only kind of joking. Let's see what Toby Gerhart and Andrew Luck can do against a strong Bruin defense. On the UCLA side of things Kevin Prince is still weeks away from a return after a fractured jaw and Craft will start again. While he did enough to win at home against Kansas St. his absence will probably be the difference here. Huge game for two programs trying to get back from the abyss, the kind of game both of these coaches would expect their young teams to be able to win if they are to be taken seriously again.
4.30 ESPN2 Texas A&M v Arkansas (0) - A dead even pick-em game between a couple of lower end teams in strong BCS conferences. A&M are undefeated and have put up huge offensive numbers against three nobodies. Arkansas has shown they can score and are battle tested. I'm taking the Hogs in this neutral site game.
4.45 ESPN Auburn v Tennessee (-2) - Hard to believe the Vols are the favorites here after Auburn's impressive start to the season. They've taken care of business in their easier games and beat a decent West Virginia team. Chris Todd has been the difference on the offensive side of the ball throwing for 1012 yards and 11 TDs in four games. With Tennessee struggling against Ohio last weekend, there's hardly reason to believe the Vols will pull it together against a very different 2009 Auburn squad. It's not quite time to give Chizik credit yet, but he had his detractors before a ball was snapped and so far so good.
5.00 ABC USC v Cal (+5) - Cal will be ready to play in this one. It's USC, it's homecoming, it's Gameday in Berkeley for the first time ever if memory serves and it's a week after a truly embarrassing showing in Eugene. I see this as one of those games where USC always has a comfortable 7-10 point advantage and the game is never really in doubt. I expect the Cal defense to improve and Kevin Riley to string together at least a couple of scoring drives, but it won't be enough. Jahvid Best will either be back in the Heisman discussion after this game or his name will never be uttered again by anyone outside the Pacific time zone.
5.00 ABC Oklahoma v Miami (+7) - Still eagerly anticipated even after the disaster in Blacksburg. Stoops is waiting to make the call on Bradford's return. It is harder for me to take Miami seriously after last week. My already low estimation of the ACC took a hit with Miami's weak performance. I give the Oklahoma defense credit for shutting out Tulsa and Landry Jones has held up fine, though I guess we could be worried about his three picks against the fearsome defenses of Idaho St. and Tulsa.
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Week Five TV Guide.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.blogsbyfans.com/cgi-bin/blog-mt/mt-tb.cgi/17337.
Looks like we disagree on the Georgia game, but I am sure I am thinking with my heart and not my head. I hate LSU worse than Georgia, and they should have a loss by now.
I think Oklahoma should be favored my more and USC should be favored by less. The sooners will win by at least two touchdowns and SC will be lucky to get out of town with a w in. I am calling it right now.
Oh ya and LSU rolls past Georgia no contest.