College Football Pick'Em Contest Week Four

[MountaineerDave]

Week 4


Saturday, September 18:
Cincinnati at Syracuse, 12:00 PM ET
Maryland at West Virginia, 12:00 PM ET
Nebraska at Pittsburgh, 12:00 PM ET
TCU at Texas Tech, 12:30 PM ET
Ohio State at N.C. State, 3:30 PM ET
LSU at Auburn, 3:30 PM ET
Clemson at Texas A&M, 7:00 PM ET
Iowa at Arizona State, 10:00 PM ET
Minnesota at Colorado State, 10:00 PM ET

Florida at Tennessee, 8:00 PM ET Total Points Scored

Replacement Games
Northern Illinois at Iowa State
Western Michiigan at Illinois
Kentucky vs. Indiana Total Points Scored


Standings: http://scmb.nathanspencer.com/NCAA2004.html

Administrivia: You’ll notice this week has eleven games listed. LSU-Auburn remains at least somewhat probable to be postponed to allow the LSU fans and team to recover from the effects of Hurricane Ivan before traveling for the game. Ivan is expected to make landfall on the Gulf Coast states Thursday. I’d hoped to actually make LSU-Auburn my tie-breaking game, but don’t want to have a repeat performance of Week Two, so…

For Everyone: Welcome to another year of SCMB’s College Football Pick ‘em game. Everyone is welcome to give their picks. Simply select the team from the 10 featured games above whom you think will win and list them in your post. For the specified game (the tiebreaker), you must post the total combined score of the game in addition to the winning team. Good luck!

Each week, I will do my level best to get the games for the following week posted no later than Tuesday, 9pm. I’m going to slide on that, I’m sure, at least once. If there’s nothing posted by Wednesday morning, start berating me all over the forum.

Be sure to send requests for next week’s games you’d like to see on the Pick’Em. Note these provisos:
1. PM me only THREE games you’d like to see in the list for the following week, preferably all at once.
2. Requests need to be sent by the end of the day on Monday.
3. I won’t honor all requests, obviously. But, if the same game is requested a number of times, it could unseat the obvious tie-breaker game. My intention right now is to only use one of those requested games in the selected games, but anything could happen.
4. Please, keep your requests in Division I. I will not do pick ‘ems for Division II and Division III. Sorry.
5. For the more obscure requests, give a reason. It could score points. I’m imminently swayable where this is concerned. It’s a game, and it’s for you guys and gal(s), so…

Be sure to try to get your picks in by the time the first game on the list starts. Late entries cannot be honored. If you’re not in the Eastern time zone, adjust your submission times accordingly.

Don’t forget to supply points for the tie-breaker!!

I will attempt, as the first post, to comment on each game, in case you’re wondering how it made the cut.

That’s it!

First game kicks off at 12.00p ET on Saturday !! Good luck.

Dave

[NickHammy]

Cincinnati
West Virginia
Pittsburgh
Northern Illinois
Texas Tech
Ohio State
LSU
Clemson
Iowa
Minnesota
Tennessee(66)

Indiana (40)
Illinois

[KevinBeane]

Hopefully Dave doesn't mind me doing this. I want to cover ALL the bases.

Everyone, please pick on Kentucky vs. Indiana in case Florida and Tennessee gets washed out. That's the ONLY circumstance in which this game will count. Designate total points.

Please pick on Western Michiigan at Illinois in case Texas Tech vs TCU gets washed out. That's the ONLY circumstance in which this game will count.

I will try to get in touch with Nick Hammy.

[Noon]

Syracuse
West Virginia
Nebraska
Iowa State
Texas Tech
Ohio State
LSU
Clemson
Iowa
Minnesota
Illinois
Indiana (50)
Tennessee (48)

[KevinBeane]

Cincinnati
West Virginia
Nebraska
TCU
Ohio State
Auburn
Clemson
Arizona State
Colorado State
Florida (58)

REPLACEMENT GAMES
Northern Illinois
Illinois
Kentucky (29)

[Marc]

Cincinnati
West Virginia
Nebraska
TCU
Ohio State
LSU
Clemson
Iowa
Minnesota
Florida (34)

Northern Illinois
Illinois
Kentucky (24)

[digital7]

Syracuse
West Virginia
Nebraska
TCU
N.C. State
LSU
Clemson
Iowa
Colorado State

Tennessee (60)

Replacement Games
Northern Illinois
Illinois
Kentucky (45)

[MountaineerDave]

Ummm... hmmm...

Kevin, unless something DRASTIC changes in the storm's course, TTU v TCU stands no chance of a washout.

Not particularly concerned about Fla-Tenn, either. Crappy weather, but I haven't read anything about that game being in danger.
And you could have picked a crummier matchup to be the tie-breaker-maybe.

Whatever.

Dave

[KevinBeane]

Okay, what had happened was....

I heard Louisiana was in danger, and Texas borders on Lousiana. Not knowing what part of Louisiana was endangered (I do know) and not knowing where in Texas Lubbock was, I thought I designate a backup game.

Kentucky/Indiana IS a crummy tiebreaker game, but I wanted to keep things simple: Replace the tiebreaker game with a tiebreaker game....rather than saying, Okay, in case of good weather, game a is tiebreaker, but if the Hurricane cancels it, refer higher to your list to the game between..."


This all may seem excessive but, well....
(Doing my best Florida Evans from "Good Times" impression) I'll be damned if we have less then ten games this week. I'll be DAMNED!!!!!!

[MountaineerDave]

Cincy @ 'Cuse-- Not really a game I'm excited about being on the list, but with hurricanes and even without hurricanes, there was sort of a paucity of interesting matchups between interesting teams. The only thing the Orange have going for them is being at home. Guidugli should have an opportunity to put up good numbers. I don't care for this game either, but since the pointspread was just 1, it seemed like a good game in terms of splitting up our picks - Kevin

Maryland @ WVU--Kevin wanted to leave this game off. How he should have known better! Anyway, the 'Eers are 0-4 v the Terps in Coach Rod's three year tenure. Are WVU significantly better than they've been in those three previous years? Hopefully (for me and my team), the coaching is, because that's where the breakdown has been. Nothing personal, but I did originally leave this game off. When Dave put it back on, whose game did he boot? Indiana/Kentucky (Marc's Team). Screw you, Marc! All hail Dave! - KB

Nebraska @ Pitt-- Pitt's offense is Weak. Capital W. Nebraska can't hang on to the ball. 11 TOs in 2 games? Their saving grace in game one was that they were playing a poor Division I-AA team. (-1 TO ratio in that game, -4 TO ratio v USM.) Will Pitt be able to take advantage? Should be a good one. Pittsburgh: Unproven. Nebraska: Possibly bad - or is Southern Miss great? - KB

TCU @ Texas Tech--TCU showed against Northwestern that they have some deficiences against the pass. Texas Tech has proved unable to find the end zone. Texas Tech at SMU: Win, 27-13. TCU (granted, at home) vs. SMU, Win, 44-0. TTU also couldn't handle New Mexico. I'm amazed they're favorites in this game. TCU is a lock. -KB

OSU @ NCSU-- 78's prediction of a blowout and shutout notwithstanding, this will likely be a pretty interesting game. The Buckeyes have won, but struggled to generate points on the road in the Tressel era. The Wolfpack come into the game with a bit of revenge factor in their favor, but really, by my reckoning, little else. Sorry to be boring, but I just don't have a strong inkling on this game either way. Of course, we know who I am rooting for....-KB

LSU @ Auburn-- May not be played. Auburn will decide and announce the decision on Thursday. Tuberville could really come out smelliing of... honeysuckle? if his Tigers win this. LSU is a defending national co-champ, with problems on offense (blowing out Arkansas St doesn't count). Of course, Auburn's yet to see a real defense, either, so... Thus far, we've seen LSU buckle a little. We haven't seen Auburn buckle at all. And they're at home. Should be a great game, though. -KB

Clemson @ Texas A &M-- So, which is TAMU, really? The dominant power that crushed Wyoming the way a Big 12 team not from Waco, TX, or Lawrence, KS should, or the timid mockup of that Waco, TX, team they appeared to be against Utah. Being home should help. Clemson... all I can say is, Oh-VER-rate-ED. I don't think Clemson is overrated, and I find Texas A&M's result against Utah more compelling than their result against Wyoming, who lost a lot of people off a mediocre WAC team. -KB

Iowa @ Arizona State--Could be a make or break game for both teams. Neither look to really figure for their conference titles, but both could conceivably finish second. Who gets the better bowl game could be decided in the desert. I would be surprised if ASU challenged for second in the Pac 10. Iowa might in the Big Ten, but ASU has revenge on their minds, and is at home. Very tough game to call. -KB

Minnesota @ Colorado State--To suggest that the Rams' season could have started tougher would be an understatement. They had to deal with the Buffaloes taking out an offseason of frustration in game one, and then were taught a thing or two about the game of BCS conference and national title contending football by Southern Cal. The Golden Gophers have to prove they're the team that humiliated Toledo, or the team that was barely good enough to keep from being upset by the Illinois St Redbirds. I'm pretty sure Dave meant, to suggest that the Rams season COULDN'T have started tougher would be an understatement, but they don't pay him the big bucks for spelling and grammar -KB

Florida @ Tennessee -- Game one of the three game playoff for SEC East title. Does it get any bigger than this? Only in the SEC West. And only if you like the SEC. Still, a big game. Weather could be a factor. I'm just thinking, especially in bad weather, go with the experienced quarterback. -KB

Replacement Games
Northern Illinois @ Iowa State--The Cyclones hung tough with their in-state rivals last week. UNI barely escaped with a victory over the Div I-AA USI Salukis in the DogFight (nickname mine). ...or, is Northern Illinois more the team that lost to Maryland in College Park by just three? -KB

Western Michigan @ Illinois--WMU got torched by VT (you expected something different?) and Illinois reverted to (poor) form against UCLA. Hey, it was either this, or Navy-Tulsa. -KB

Kentucky @ Indiana -- Umm... uh... What to say? Well, after Indiana's win over Oregon last week and Illinois' loss to UCLA, the Hoosiers probably aren't considered to be the Big Ten's worst team anymore. That may or may not be a deserved un-designation. Kentucky showed little against Louisville. Maybe they were saving it up for this big border war. Or not. Indiana wasn't even the worst team in the Big Ten last year (that distinction went to Illinois), and now Indiana, who with a win would start out 3-0, would widen the gap between them and Illinois...but still tenth in the conference. -KB

Dave

[MountaineerDave]

Originally posted by KevinBeane


This all may seem excessive but, well....
(Doing my best Florida Evans from "Good Times" impression) I'll be damned if we have less then ten games this week. I'll be DAMNED!!!!!!

Well, that was the point of listing eleven games, intending them all to count in the event all eleven got played.

Mebbe you shoulda checked with me.

Wuddever. No blood, no foul. Woulda had this better put together yesterday if not for having to go to the playground, fix lunch, take a nap, returning to the playground, burning dinner and the couple times I was online yesterday having been a little preoccupied with that "other thing."

Dave

[Noon]

Originally posted by MountaineerDave
and the couple times I was online yesterday having been a little preoccupied with that "other thing."

Your rabid addicition to internet pornography?

[Alex]

Syracuse
West Virginia
Nebraska
TCU
Ohio State
LSU
Clemson
Iowa
Colorado State
Tennessee (44)

Replacement Games:
Northern Illinois
Illinois
Kentucky (37)

[MountaineerDave]

Originally posted by Noon
Your rabid addicition to internet pornography?

What do you know about that?!!!



Dave

[MountaineerDave]

Bearcats
Horned Frogs
Aggies
Sun Devils
Terrapins
Golden Gophers
Panthers
Wolfpack
Tigers.... uh, the Auburn ones
Volunteers (41)

Cyclones
Broncos
Hoosiers (56)

Dave