A half point. A stinkin’ half point!! That’s all that separated your humble Potentate of Profundity from perfection. Alas, the Michigan St. Spartans won by only 3 points…not the required 3.5. That’s just how it goes sometimes. Anyway, what that means is that I went 4-1 last week, while Zach was hot on my heels at 3-2. The lesson: don’t go against BYU. They’ve got God on their side. And Donny & Marie. We can’t forget them.

Overall Records:   Me = 8-2      Z= 4-6

The college schedule is mostly unappealing this week as supposedly good teams continue to play what amounts to pre-season games against foes like Troy, Georgia St., & SMU. Some teams, like my WV Mountaineers, have an early bye, which has got to drive coaches crazy. If I were in charge all byes would be concentrated within a three week period no earlier than Week 6 of the season. Unfortunately I am not in charge of anything outside of The Manoverse, to the general detriment of mankind. At any rate, we’re leaning a bit more on the NFL than I’d prefer to at this point, but we do what we gotta do. Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

Georgia Tech (-2.5) at Notre Dame
The Ramblin’ Wreck, aka the Yellowjackets, are often overlooked during the season, until, all the sudden, they’ve won 10 or 11 games and are playing in a major bowl game. However, after just obliterating their first two opponents and scoring over 130 points in the process, they are actually favored against the Irish…in South Bend. Trust me, I checked that three times. I can only assume that this is an overreaction to Notre Dame losing starting QB Malik Zaire to a season ending broken ankle. Well okay…I suppose the fact that they needed a last second TD to defeat lightly regarded Virginia last week has a lot to do with it as well. If this game was being played in Atlanta I’d be inclined to go with the boys in Vegas, but regardless of the injury situation I just can’t imagine the Irish not defending their house. Zach, on the other hand, likes Tech’s triple option offense and thinks it’ll confuse Notre Dame.

My Pick – Notre Dame
Z’s Pick – Georgia Tech

 

 
Auburn at LSU (-7.5)
Auburn looked absolutely awful last week, needing overtime to beat 1-AA Jacksonville St. Meanwhile, LSU was just happy to get out on the field after Mother Nature scratched their first game. The Tigers never trailed but definitely let their foot off the gas in the 4th quarter in a narrow victory over Mississippi St. To be honest I don’t think anything we’ve seen thus far presents a particularly accurate picture of these two teams, so I’m relying on my pre-season vibes, which means that I like LSU more. Zach concurs, opining that LSU will dominate and win by 17.

My Pick – LSU
Z’s Pick – LSU

 

 
New England (-1) at Buffalo
I don’t even know what to say about the Patriots. I think maybe the safest thing…in an effort to keep my blood pressure in check…is to say as little as possible. The Bills, on the other hand, pulled off maybe the biggest upset in the opening weekend of the NFL by easily defeating the Indianapolis Colts. I, along with what I would have to think is a huge portion of the general NFL fanbase, would love to see Buffalo or anyone else challenge New England for the AFC East division crown, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It is interesting that the Bills aren’t getting the usual home field bump and are actually underdogs in Orchard Park. I suppose the Patriots have theoretically earned that respect, although I’m not sure how anyone can respect an organization full of filthy cheaters. At any rate, I’ve got to go with my heart in this one. This is your shot Rex Ryan. Is your team for real?? This is a huge opportunity for Buffalo to prove their legitimacy and for QB Tyrod Taylor to validate himself as a worthy NFL starter. Zach isn’t a big Rex fan, but also thinks that the Steelers beat themselves last week more than anything against the Patriots. He likes Buffalo’s defense to make the difference.

My Pick – Buffalo
Z’s Pick – Buffalo

 

 
Dallas at Philadelphia (-4)
Dallas scored a narrow victory in Week 1, while Philly’s comeback fell short in a loss that wasn’t as close as it looks on paper. The Eagles get the requisite home field advantage, but I’m not sure any of that matters when these two teams meet. Cowboys’ WR Dez Bryant is out for atleast a month after suffering a broken foot last weekend, and that’s a huge difference maker. Add to that the fact that Eagles’ RB DeMarco Murray, who ran for only 9 yards on 8 carries (and one of those was for 8 yards), will be motivated to come out strong against his old team. Philadelphia surely won’t throw the ball as much as they did against Atlanta. I think this will be a fantastic game, and I have to go with the home team. Zach concurs.

My Pick – Philadelphia
Z’s Pick – Philadelphia

 

 

Seattle at Green Bay (-3.5)
The Sunday night game on NBC features two of the NFC’s top teams and Super Bowl favorites. Green Bay had no problem conquering the Chicago Bears in Week 1. Conversely, the Seahawks suffered a surprising overtime loss to the St. Louis Rams. It’d be really interesting if Seattle went 0-2. Will that happen?? If this game were being played in the Pacific Northwest I’d say no way. However, the Packers win over 80% of their games at Lambeau Field during the Aaron Rodgers era and Seattle hasn’t won there since 1999. I have to go with Green Bay. Zach likes the Packers as well…in an overtime thriller.

My Pick – Green Bay
Z’s Pick – Green Bay