Student Body Right... Student Body Wrong...  

I should stick to picking games on Saturdays, and avoid all other days. I was 0-2 on Thursday games, and 0-1 on Friday games, but a staggering 7-0 on Saturday. So I finally get to use this space to toot my own horn. It's hard to figure out exactly how games will unfold, and I was certainly surprised at some of the final scores. Many of the games were closer, or more of a blowout than expected, but overall I'm satisfied with this weeks prognostications.

I was right about:

The Michigan-Minnesota game. A virtual carbon copy (wow, what a dated reference) of the Michigan-Wisconsin game. Played exactly as I expected, with the Gophers grinding out 108 yards on the ground, which is great against the Wolverine defense, but not nearly enough to keep pace.

I was wrong about:

The final score. I had predicted a 27-14 Wolverine win, instead the final was 28-14. Damn.

I was right about:

Ohio St.'s balance allowing them to beat the Hawkeyes. The Buckeye's ran for 214 yards and passed for 186 more, while playing good defense and creating turnovers. The Buckeye's continue to rise to any challenge, and have won in two of the most hostile environments imaginable.

I was wrong about:

Iowa's poise. Drew Tate did not play the game he needed to, and the Iowa defense simply couldn't keep up with Ohio St. A mistake-free game would have kept things closer, and probably more in tune with how I expected things to play out, but Tate made several big mistakes which prevented his team from having a chance in this one. He needed to play a perfect game to keep them in it, and when he failed to do that, it was over.

I was right about:

The USC-Washington St. game. Once again the Trojans dominated the majority of the game, playing with a comfortable lead, and having balance on offense. They also failed to put a team away when they had the chance, and this lack of a killer instinct may end up costing them in the long run. It even happened in last year's Rose Bowl where a couple of plays could have turned it into a blowout.

I was wrong about:

The amount of scoring in the Rutgers-S. Florida game. I expected more points from both sides, but the result was in line with what I expected, just that S. Florida scored late to cover, and almost tie.

I was right about:

Alabama making fatal mistakes to give Florida the big victory. I think I had it called 31-13, and the final was actually 28-13, but it's more or less the same. The big mistakes did come later in the game than I expected, and Alabama hung tough for over three quarters before folding late.

I was wrong about:

Florida blowing anyone out. They just aren't built that way. They have a great defense, but will give up yards, and points, but will get the stops when they need them, and create turnovers to help their offense. On the other side of the ball they aren't particularly explosive, but Leak is still captaining his ship around potential icebergs. They are an excellent, balanced team, but they are going to play a lot of close games.

I was right about:

Georgia Tech being a tough game for Virginia Tech. The line on this one was ludicrous. I was also right that every year Virginia Tech does this to themselves, except sometimes they wait until later in the year.

I was wrong about:

The outcome of this game. The Yellow Jackets played an excellent all-around game, and got the huge win. I didn't think they had it in them to walk in Blacksburg and handle the Hokies.

I was wrong about:

Picking my surprise Big East team. I should have given Jersey the pass and selected Rutgers instead of the more regionally neutral UConn. I'm willing to give myself half credit on this one, but I'm still pissed.

I was right about:

Boise St. I love that team. They looked incredible again. Absolutely dominant in an annihilation of the Utes. Utah passed for only 52 yards against the suddenly formidable Bronco's defense. The rest of the nation may finally be paying attention to them, but loyal readers of the 323 have been in on it from day one.

I was wrong about:

Utah. Yuck. I thought that at home they'd give Boise St. a game. I was wrong. Embarassing for them.

I was right about:

Oregon's offense. Which looked phenomenal again. Dixon is an excellent balance for the totally underrated Jonathan Stewart, who looks better each time I see him play. Forget about the Oklahoma game, this team is legit.

I was wrong about:

Either Oregon's defense, or the Sun Devil's offense. It was hard to tell. Although Carpenter completing less than 50% of his passes leads me to believe that the Oregon defense, especially the secondary, deserve more credit than they have been getting.

I was right about:

Kenny Irons having a great game in Columbia. He was a stud, as usual. And Auburn was able to ride him to the close victory.

I was wrong about:

The Gamecocks resiliency. This game was playing out exactly as I expected when Auburn took the entire third quarter and early in the fourth expanded their lead to 24-10. I figured that would be it. They might even nail another field goal to give me the exact score I predicted. Then, all of a sudden, the Gamecocks kept coming. Syvelle Newton played an excellent game. A slower quarterback would have been trapped in the pocket, but he made plays with his feet and then with his arm, keeping his team in it until the final seconds.

I was right about:

The Rutgers running attack. I should have mentioned this earlier, but Rice was outstanding, going for over 200 yards again.

I was wrong about:

TCU. I figured that they shut down Texas Tech's incredible passing game, and so of course that would mean they could hold down an aerial attack like BYU's. Well, they didn't. And they got beat in pretty much every aspect of the game. They just got slaughtered, and seemed to melt under those bright lights. Enjoy anonymity fellows.