Beerman’s Picks
by Ben Shapiro, 11/29/01
Each week this season, I will be posting a column previewing
the upcoming weekend's Big East and Top-25 match-ups. All rankings are from
the
Bowl Championship Series Poll. I don't pick winners (that's too easy),
I pick against
the spread.
All picks are for entertainment purposes only. If you actually bet
based on what I think...well...don't say you weren't warned!. For
the most current TV information, click on over to
TV Guide
Last Week: Nope, darts didn't work.
Maybe I'll just pick the opposite of everything I'd normally pick.
No, that probably won't work either.
This Week: The evil green and
orange scourge sweeps north seeking to continue their reign of terror
over the hapless masses of college football.
Not in Action: Lotsa folks.
I'm not even going to list them.
|
| Friday 11/30 |
MAC Championship Game
#23 Marshall (10-1) @ TOLEDO (8-2) |
| Line:
Marshall (-3) |
7:30
pm EST
(ESPN2
|
|
What can I say?
Marshall is the class of the MAC year in and year out. |
| Pick: Marshall |
|
|
| Saturday 12/1 |
| #1
Miami (FL) (10-0) @ #20 VIRGINIA TECH |
| Line: Miami (-13.5) |
1:00
pm EST
(ABC)
|
| You know, when you get old
in life, things get taken from you. That's part of life. But you only
learn that when you start losing stuff. You find out that life's a game
of inches. So is football. Because in either game, life or football,
the margin for error is so small. I mean, one half a step too late,
or too early, and you don't quite make it. One half-second too slow
or too fast, you don't quite catch it. The inches we need are everywhere
around us. They're in every break of the game, every minute, every second.
On this team, we fight for that inch.
On this team, we tear ourselves and everyone around us for that inch.
We claw with our fingernails for that inch. Because we know that
when we add up all those inches, we know that's gonna make the #$%#^@&
difference between winning and losing! Between living and dying!
I'll tell you this -- in any fight, it's
the guy who's willing to die who's gonna win that inch ... Now I can't
make you do it. You gotta look at the guy next to ya, look into his
eyes, and I think you're gonna see a guy who will go that inch with
you.
You're gonna see a guy who will sacrifice
himself for this team because he knows when it comes down to it, you're
gonna do the same for him. That's a team, gentleman. And either we heal,
now, as a team ... or we will die as individuals. That's football, guys.
That's all it is.
Now, what are you gonna do?
|
| Pick: Miami |
|
|
| #2 FLORIDA (9-1)
vs. #6 Tennessee (9-1) |
| Line: UF (-18) |
4:30 pm EST
(CBS)
|
| So Florida lost to #21
Auburn, and Tennessee lost to #15 Georgia. Also, Tennessee has
a higher schedule strength than does Florida. Yet Florida is
ranked #2 and Tennessee #6. Should
the Vols win here, and win the SEC Championship game next week, anyone
think they're going to vault past Oregon, Nebraska, and Texas
into the Rose Bowl?
Not me.
Why? Because Tennessee started
the season ranked lower in the opinion polls. The more things
change, the more they stay the same...
Bring on the playoff!
|
| Pick: Tennessee |
|
|
Big 12 Championship
Game @ Irving, TX
#3 TEXAS (10-1) vs. #7 Colorado (9-2) |
| Line: Texas (-8.5) |
8:00
pm EST
(ABC) |
| 41-7.
That's how badly Texas rolled over Colorado
when they met in Austin back in October. Colorado was killed by
penalties and turnovers, and couldn't mount much offense all game.
The Buffs played the perfect game against
Nebraska last week tho, as I'm sure we all saw. I don't know if
they can get "up" two weeks in a row, but boy what a wrench they'd throw
into the works if they can.
|
| Pick: U of C |
|
|
|
#5 OREGON (9-1) vs. Oregon State (5-5) |
| Line:
Oregon (-11) |
4:30 pm EST
(ABC)
|
|
Oregon still has an outside
shot at Pasadena. Way outside. We're talking Charlie Sheen
pitching in Major League before wearing glasses outside. I guess
what I'm trying to say, is that the Fiesta Bowl folks are already placing
orders for green and yellow bunting. |
| Pick: Ducks |
|
|
|
#12 Brigham Young (11-0) @ MISSISSIPPI STATE (3-7) |
| Line:
BYU (-4) |
8:00
pm EST
(ESPN2)
|
|
This is how lightly regarded
BYU is. They are a mere four point favorite over a Mississippi
squad regarded as ... disappointing ... only in the most polite of circles.
And the line's been going down since Monday.
Weak.
|
| Pick: BYU |
|
|
|
#19 FRESNO STATE (10-2) vs. Utah State (4-6) |
| Line:
Fresno (-22.5) |
3:00 pm EST
|
|
Fresno State is a good
team in a bad conference (but not good enough, evidently). Utah
State is a bad team without even a bad conference to call home.
Ouch. |
| Pick: Fresno |
|
|
|
#10 Stanford (-23.5)
@ SAN JOSE STATE (3-8) |
|
Line: Stanford (-20) |
5:00 pm EST
|
|
All signs point to a Stanford
walkover. SJSU has had the Cardinals number in recent years,
and if last week has taught us anything at all, it's that overmatched
rivals are often not quite so overmatched as we may think.
|
| Pick:
SJSU |
|
|
|
#15 GEORGIA (7-3) vs. Houston (0-10) |
| Line:
Georgia (-31.5) |
12:00 pm EST |
| Yet another
side effect of September 11th, is that quite a few of these sorts of
match-ups litter the collegiate landscape. What was supposed to
be an early season tune up for the Bulldogs is now just another oh-by-the-way
game tacked on at the end. If Houston wasn't such a sorry excuse
for a football team this year, I'd say they might could catch Georgia
napping. |
| Pick: Georgia |
|
|
|
#21 Auburn (7-3) @ #22 LSU (7-3) |
| Line:
LSU (-7) |
7:45 pm EST
(ESPN) |
|
Frankly, I can't
figure either team out. So I'm going to hedge my bets and call
the home team to win, but Auburn to cover the spread. |
| Pick: Auburn |
|
|
|
#24 FLORIDA STATE (6-4) vs. Georgia Tech (6-4) |
| Line:
FSU (-11) |
3:30
pm EST
(ESPN) |
|
Hey, wasn't this supposed
to be the ACC championship game? |
| Pick: Georgia Tech |
|
|
|
VIRGINIA (4-7) vs. Penn State (6-4) |
| Line:
PSU (-5) |
12:00
pm EST
(ESPN) |
|
The "most watched game
of the weekend" indeed!
PSU's going to roll
Wahoo State like a cheap cigar. Both teams have been playing
younger and younger players as the season has dragged on, but only
one of them is actually showing significant improvement. |
| Pick: Penn State |
|
|
|
ARMY (2-8) vs. Navy (0-9) @ Philadelphia, PA |
| Line:
Army (-1.5) |
11:45 pm EST
(CBS) |
|
Quite simply one of
the games that defines college football.
While Army's season
has been disappointing, Navy comes into this contest hoping to win
at least a share of the National Chumpionship. They blew it
last year, but with a new secret weapon this go around
(sportswriters call him an "interim coach") I think Navy just might
have what it takes to lose them all. |
| Pick: Army |
|
|
|
PITTSBURGH (5-5) vs. Alabama-Birmingham (6-4) |
| Line:
Pitt (-6.5) |
1:30
pm EST |
|
They're no South Florida,
but if a suddenly competent UPitt squad can knock of the Blazers of
UAB, then the Big East can actually fill all of our bowl slots.
Happy Day!
Don't laugh at the spread or my pick. UAB has some talent
on their roster, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
They're going bowling already, and they expect to win on Saturday. |
| Pick: UAB |
|
|
| Miscellanea... |
| Game of the Week to Watch: UF-UT Last Week: 8-9
Season To Date: 127-131-1
Upset Special: Dare I? Yes I
dare. VT over Miami (7-6)
|
