EDITOR'S
PICKS OF THE WEEK
Last week
was my first venture onto the lines of 2003 college football.
My 2-3 beginning was only seven-and-a-half points from being
4-1. Kansas, missing by one against A&M's Aggies, was
the one I really thought would make me, oh well. This week
brings another set of insights that are clear to me, but maybe
not for the 18-22 year olds who carry out my predictions.
Colorado State (-1.5) at New Mexico
Sonny
Lubick's away record in the conference is ridiculous. And
with only one scoring differential making it so CSU wins but
doesn't cover, look for the Rams to do both against the 5-4
Lobos. The 11th-ranked offense of the Rams will be too balanced
and too much for the respectable 39th-ranked defense of New
Mexico.
Virginia
Tech (-5) at Pittsburgh
Not
sure why anyone would want to bet on VT in November, but here
I go. Pitt's defense has shown up against Syracuse and BC
the past two weeks, but taking on the 60th- and 50th-ranked
offenses (respectively) won't convince anyone of anything.
And this pick isn't based on the Hokie's big win against Miami
- Tech should control this one from the second half kickoff
until the end. The Panthers will show up at home, but Tech's
20th-ranked defense (27th versus the pass) should ground Pitt
enough to make the Panther's damaged running game (93rd ranking)
this game's deciding dimension.
Northern
Illinois (-23) at Buffalo
The
Bulls ended their 2003 losing skid against Ohio, a team Northern
Illinois barely beat in OT. This is the only good news Buffalo
can hang onto as they take their 1-9 record home against their
upstart MAC-ster opponent. Northern Illinois has beaten most
they should by large margins, while Buffalo has not been within
10 at the end of any losses except two (Marshall and UCF games).
23 points seem like either way too little or way too much,
whatever that might mean (escape clause for when it all goes
wrong for this call). Like Kansas-A&M last week, probably
just enough points to somehow make me look bad through accurate
assessments.
Arizona
State (-2.5) at Stanford
The
Sun Devils started out ranked 21st (NC.net), but have disappointed
as their 4-5 campaign has faltered in hot-and-cold streaks.
Currently, they have lost two of their last four, and five
of their last seven. With Stanford's big upset against UCLA
ending their four-game skid, the Cardinals mimic ASU with
streaky play. But all things being equal this way, Arizona
State has the wares to easily take down Stanford. Look for
ASU to bounce back as Stanford realizes its talent levels
and plays to them. But smarties like those at this "West
Coast's Ivy Leaguer" Stanford make overcoming these odds
a winnable mental battle. This is the pick I use to prove
this is all just for fun - no farms should be bet, a hunch
at best.
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