Hawaii Rainbow Warriors

2023 PIGSKIN PICKS OF PROFUNDITY…WEEK 1

A year ago I got off to an atrocious start with these picks of what the talking heads call Week Zero. I was behind the eight ball from the jump, but recovered enough to finish the season in a dead heat with Zach, both of us ending up a lowly 57-64. I went on to win an admittedly convoluted tiebreaker for the season victory, but I sincerely hope we don’t need to resort to that again. I just want us to be better at this, even though there is no money or anything else at stake. At any rate, it’s great to have football to enjoy every weekend again. I don’t know how much game action I’ll be able to actually watch these first couple of weeks, but I’m going to appreciate the hell out of whatever I’m able to see.

Navy at Notre Dame (-20.5)

It’s a rivalry that goes all the way back to 1927, with the Irish leading the series 81-13-1. The last time the Midshipmen were victorious was 2016. Having said that, it’s not always a blowout. Notre Dame won by only three points last November after Navy put up 16 points in the 4th quarter and the winners didn’t score at all in the second half. No one expects Navy to win this game, but will they lose by three TDs?? I’m willing to roll the dice and say they’ll keep things just a bit closer…maybe 15-18 points. Zach believes the underdogs will keep things close in the first half, but Notre Dame will roll to a huge win.

My Pick: Navy

Zach’s Pick: Notre Dame

Hawaii at Vanderbilt (-16.5)

If you need any more proof that collegiate athletics is all about money, just witness Vanderbilt in the SEC. They bring nothing to the table competitively, but it’s a university for wealthy folks, so it really doesn’t matter what happens on the field. The Commodores had back-to-back nine win seasons in 2012-13, their first (and last) since 1982. The Rainbow Warriors have been slightly more successful thru the years, but have suffered thru three straight losing seasons. Something about the points doesn’t make sense here. Logic dictates that there’s a reason other than simple home field advantage, but I don’t know what it could be. I believe it’ll be more competitive than the oddsmakers think. Conversely, Zach thinks Hawaii is a terrible team and Vandy will win easily.

My Pick: Hawaii

Zach’s Pick: Vanderbilt

Ohio at San Diego State (-3.5)

Hey, we finally have a (presumably) close contest!! Far be it from me to fall prey to preconceived notions, but MAC games are usually slow paced, old fashioned, smashmouth football, whereas the Mountain West is generally known to be high scoring & more exciting. Will this game stay true to form?? The Bobcats are coming off a 10-4 season topped off by an overtime bowl victory, while the Aztecs were a more pedestrian 7-6. SD St. has the home field and should be better defensively, so I think they win by a touchdown. Zach foresees the home team going against the grain and winning easily with a solid rushing attack.

My Pick: San Diego St.

Zach’s Pick: San Diego St.

Florida International at Louisiana Tech (-10.5)

When my Thundering Herd played in Conference USA I paid much more attention to these teams and always looked forward to watching them play. However, I lost track of them a year ago when Marshall moved to the Sun Belt. FIU was 4-8 last season under a new head coach, while Tech went 3-9 in the same circumstance. There’s nowhere to go but up for both programs, and I’m sure they’d love to get things started the right way. In a head-to-head matchup last year the Panthers won at home in two OTs, so I expect the Bulldogs to get their revenge…by less than ten points. Zach, on the other hand, likes Tech to throw the ball & achieve a big victory thru the air.

My Pick: FIU

Zach’s Pick: Louisiana Tech

San Jose State at Southern California (-30.5)

The Trojans are a Top 10 team in most preseason polls. The Spartans haven’t won more than seven games in a season since 2012. I’m a big fan of monumental upsets, but that isn’t happening. Can USC cover the points though?? They’re 5-0 all time against SJSt., but the margin of victory exceeded 30 points only twice. With bigger fish to fry in the future and a possible playoff run on the horizon I think the home team will play alot of young backups and not even approach full throttle. They’ll win, but by 20-25 points. Zach is a little hesitant about the points but thinks USC will cover.

My Pick: San Jose St.

Zach’s Pick: USC

2022 PIGSKIN PICKS OF PROFUNDITY…WEEK 1

They’re calling this Week 0 in college football circles, probably because it’s not a full schedule and none of the matchups are that appealing. However, we play by our own rules here, and I choose to believe that a few games might turn out to be more entertaining than anyone thought they’d be. Ultimately any football is better than no football at all, right?? We are glad to be back for another season, and in case y’all need your memory refreshed I scored the overall victory last year with a 57-69 mark, while Zach was 49-77. Obviously we’d both like to improve this season, but we’ll see how it goes. Enjoy.

Nebraska (-12) vs. Northwestern 

When I was a kid the Cornhuskers were a force to be reckoned with, winning three national titles as recently as the mid 1990’s. However, they haven’t had a ten win season in a decade and haven’t posted a winning record since 2016. Moving to the Big Ten in 2011 probably wasn’t the smartest decision. Head coach Scott Frost is 15-29 in four years at the helm, and I have to think he needs to do much better this season. Conversely, the Wildcats has had some solid years since Pat Fitgerald became the coach in 2006, although they’ve finished 3-9 two of the past three seasons. I’m intrigued  by the fact that the game is being played in Dublin. It’s a 12:30pm kickoff here, meaning that it’ll be 5:30pm in Ireland. The points scare me a bit, but I’m rolling with the favorites. Zach agrees that Frost is on the hot seat and thinks Nebraska will win, but foresees a close contest. 

My Pick: Nebraska 

Z’s Pick: Northwestern 

Charlotte at Florida Atlantic (-7.5)

It’s a battle of C-USA foes, which doesn’t matter to me anymore since my Thundering Herd has migrated to the Sun Belt Conference. I suppose I’ll still watch the game though if I’m not doing anything more exciting Saturday night. The 49ers have only had one winning season since resurrecting the football program in 2013, while the Owls had a couple of good years under Lane Kiffin until he bolted for greener pastures. Willie Taggart enters his third year with only a 10-14 overall record in Boca Raton. Atlantic has the home field, and I think they’ll win…by less than a touchdown. Conversely, Zach thinks the home team’s high powered offense will lead them to a decisive victory.

My Pick: Charlotte 

Z’s Pick: Florida Atlantic 

Wyoming at Illinois (-10)

Occasionally these two programs will have a successful campaign, but they’ve both been mediocre at best in recent years. The Cowboys have won ten games since 1996, while the Illini last achieved that mark in 2001. I foresee a close, hard fought game decided late in the 4th quarter by a turnover or fantastic special teams play. Zach thinks Wyoming will win easily. 

My Pick: Illinois

Z’s Pick: Wyoming 

North Texas (-1) at Texas-El Paso

Don’t be fooled…they may both be located in the state of Texas, but the two schools are about a nine hour drive apart. Does that matter?? Not really…I just thought it was interesting. The Mean Green had a couple of nine win seasons not long ago, but have had losing records three years in a row. The Miners have only won more than six games twice in the past decade. I will not be watching this game since it is only available on an obscure streaming platform I won’t bother downloading. It’s essentially a pick ‘em and in those situations I like the home team. Zach likes North’s passing game to rack up the points. 

My Pick: UTEP

Z’s Pick: North Texas

Vanderbilt (-6.5) at Hawaii 

A few years ago I would have been pumped for this game because it kicks off at 10:30pm on the CBS Sports Network. Sadly it seems that I am far less of a night owl than I once was, so whether or not I make it thru the entire contest is a real toss up. At any rate, the Commodores are the forgotten member of the SEC for a reason…they’ve only had a winning record twice in the past decade and won five games total in the previous three seasons. The Rainbow Warriors aren’t great either, but they did have a ten win season as recently as 2019. Perhaps the oddsmakers know something the rest of us don’t, but I’m going with the home underdogs. Conversely, Zach doesn’t like Hawaii’s terrible defense and sees Vandy getting the easy win. 

My Pick: Hawaii 

Z’s Pick: Vanderbilt