In the Shadow of Perfection
My third winning week in as many tries wasn’t as flashy as the last two, but I’ll take 5-4 in an off week. Central Florida wen’t down, and Virginia Tech and LSU found themselves at the short end of the BCS whooping stick after losses to FSU and Gerogia. Texas and USC prevailed in a huge way on way to one of the greatest championship games of all time, Rose Bowl. Georgia and West Virginia won their way to a Sugar Bowl Match-up, as Notre Dame and Ohio State sat anxiously watching if they’d both get in, they did, they’ll play eachother in the Fiesta Bowl. FSU snuck in to the BCS by taking Virginia Tech out of the whole picture. They’ll play Penn state in the Orange Bowl. As for week 14 of the regular season. I was 5-4, this is how I did it. (5-4 isn’t bad, but if you want to see something spectacular, check out my NFL week 13 Review.)
LOSERS
Florida State Seminoles @ Virginia Tech (-14) – The Hokies let FSU steal their rightful spot in a BCS Bowl game. Tech knows they should be playing Penn State in the Orange Bowl. FSU knows it. Fortunately the BCS and the ACC made a deal, the ACC champ gets an automatic bid. FSU crumbled Tech’s hopes of a single loss season while simultaniously removing the Hokies from a big bowl pay day. That sneaky Bobby Bowden.
Louisville Cardinals (-15) @ Connecticut Huskies – (Louisville 30 – Connecticut 20)The Huskies managed 6 4th quarter points while the Cardinals sat on the pg skin, attempting to speed up a victory that was already theirs. Schucks Auto Supply. Those Cards have suckered me over and over this year.
Colorado Buffaloes (+28) @ Texas Longhorns – (Colorado 3 – Texas 70) I was wrong. The Texas Longhorns came out to prove a point. And they did exactly that. This Rose Bowl will be one of the greatest match-ups of all time. Neither team played a trying schedule, though both squads won their way into a perfect regular season. The Buffs were no challege for the Longhorns, and Texas didn’t seem to be looking ahead, they didn’t need to, they already knew where they were going with a victory.
Tulsa Golden Hurricanes @ Central Florida Golden Nights (-1) – (Tulsa 44 – CF 27) Tulsa upset Central Florida, ending George O’Leary’s great comeback season. After an 0-11 season a year ago, O’Leary really coached the Nights well. Tulas didn’t care much about that though. They absolutely destroyed CF in the second half.
WINNERS
LSU @ Georgia (+1.5) – (LSU 14 – Georgia 34) In a game that was more of a blowout than a thriller, the Bulldogs still found themselves on top when the 4th quarter was over. DJ Shockely carried his Bulldogs, but the Gerogia defense was a force as well. A BCS Bowl for the Bulldogs is a nice reward for giving the LSU Tigers their second loss of the season.
UCLA Bruins @ USC Trojans (-20) – (UCLA 19 – USC 66) “Something tells me that UCLA starting linebackers wonÕt be telling everyone that Maurice Drew is a better running back than Reggie Bush after the game on Saturday. Do you really need to?” (Me) Wasn’t this destined to happen? Bush had over 200 yards in the first half. He’s amazing. The Trojans walked to an undefeated regular season.
West Virginia (-10) @ South Florida – (WVU 28 – SF 13) West Virignia won easily on Saturday, assuring the Moutaineers’ spot in the Sugar Bowl. The WVU defense allowed only one touchdown, and it came in a meaningless 4th quarter.
San Diego State Aztecs @ Hawaii Warriors (-3) – Hawaii took down the Aztecs in a shootout where the teams combined to score 87 points. As it seems, you don’t go into a shootout against the Warriors in Hawaii. The Warriors took their last game by 11, bringing me to 4-4 on the day.
Navy Midshipmen (-6) @ Army Cadets – “I usually always take the underdogs in these rivalry battles, but the Midshipmen are that much better than Army. Close losses to Stanford, Maryland, Rutgers, and Notre Dame have taken the Midshipmen to 6-4, but theyÕre a much better team because of their tough schedule. Navy should blow the Cadets out of the water in this military mismatch.” (Me) I was right on the Ca-Dot with this one, Navy was clearly the stronger team in this years rivalry, and it showed.