Week 2 preview & picks

What up my hommies? I'm coming at you with a little extra zing in my zang this week, coming fresh off of an MC Hammer concert Sunday night. That's right, MC Hammer, bitches. Basically the Hammer took the first 45 mins/hour of the show and made us listen to the "stuff he's been working on" before he finished hard with his 2 or 3 hits that anyone who had a radio in the early 90s remembers. Fortunately I had my camera with me so I was able to take a couple of short videos of "2 Legit 2 Quit" and, of course, "U Can't Touch This." In the words of Hammer himself, 'its been 20 years and you STILL can't touch this.'.....Yeah, it was that kind of show. Equal parts awesome, cheezy, and forgotten star all on 1 stage.

Hammer Time

Speaking of the Hammer, yours truly got hammered by the boys in Vegas this weekend. We turned in an embarrassing 17-23 record against the spread. The silver lining was in the totals bets, where we went 2-1 with our Over/Under guarantees. Hopefully the ATS record was just a week 1 thing and we'll snap out of it in the long haul.

Nut Kick Game

If you read last week's blog about where I was headed to see live football then you can probably guess which game I'm giving the Nut Kick award to...Syracuse/Minnesota. Not only did our beloved Orange let one slip through their hands, but they were on a ferocious pace to go over the 47 point total line for the week before both offenses went to sleep in the 2nd half and settled in for a 23-20 final in OT. Honorable mention includes the Northern Iowa near upset of Iowa, where one could taste a Panthers victory only to have it denied on 2 field goal attempts with seconds remaining. And I have to acknowledge the Boise State/Oregon game while we're at it, since both teams played a sloppy game and it ended in chaos. Fans looking to start the season with a bang were ready for an instant classic game but the Broncs & Ducks flopped, giving us a low scoring nightmare. Props to the Boise State Defense, however, for being the lone bright spot in a game filled with errors and miscues.

Live action recap

Although it earned the NKG of the week, Saturday's tilt between the Golden Gophers and Orange in the Carrier Dome was a fun affair to be a part of. The Dome was alive and well with enthusiasm and a renewed hope that better things are to come in the Salt City. Tailgating was a bit peculiar- perhaps the most awkward experience I've had at an SU tailgate ever. Combined with the dreaded noon kickoff time, the pregame vibe was tough to put a finger on. My interpretation was that there was a feeling of anxiety, nervousness, and uncertainty in the air, as fans were not their typical loud and boisterous selves in the tailgating lots. That said, all bets were off once we entered the stadium. At that point the crowd could no longer contain the nerves, excitement, or whatever it was that was keeping them hush-hush in the tailgating lots. From the opening kickoff to the final whistle the crowd was cranking baby. It was the most jacked up Carrier Dome crowd I've seen in at least 5 years.

Despite the heartbreaking loss, I was surprised to hear fans remaining relatively upbeat after the game. It was almost as if fans could exhale now that the first game of the Doug Marrone Era is in the bag and it was competitive and showed signs of improvement from the last several seasons of SU football.

As for Gophers fans, I did not see many, nor did their section make a lot of noise during the game. The few gentlemen I did speak to were polite, and had an expectation that was not arrogance, just confidence, that they would win the game. Turns out that they were right, though I'm sure the game wasn't what they had in mind.

Next up on the live circuit is most likely a trip to Worcester to see the Holy Cross Crusaders take on the Sacred Heart Pioneers. This is subject to change, as there are some other local MA & RI games that I could opt in for, but as it stands Holy Cross appears to be the Beav's destination on Saturday. Rest assured that wherever the weekend takes us you'll benefit from the live game coverage next week.

Week 2 Preview & Picks

Allright. We're moving on. Starting fresh. Its week 2 and last week is in the past. There is only 1 game this week that will pit two top 25 teams against each other, which is #3USC vs #8Ohio State. But before you get hard over this game try to remember that the preseason rankings we see are formulated before anyone sees a snap of football. So take them with a grain of salt, because there are some teams currently in the top 25 facing off against teams that are borderline top 25 material and some will make their way into the rankings as the season progresses.

Let's take a crack at some of this week's match ups. The action starts tonight when Clemson visits Georgia Tech. ACC backers are hoping for a good one here, as the always-hyped-rarely-delivering conference went just 4-6 in their non-conference games in week 1, including embarrassing losses by Maryland to Cal, Duke to FCS Defending champ Richmond, and Virginia to William & Mary. Georgia Tech is the favorite tonight but I am not sold as they looked unpolished in week 1 while Clemson had the look of a tightly-run operation.

Other games to keep an eye on are Syracuse @ Penn St (because I'll be talking about it on here so you might as well get used to it), Notre Dame @ Michigan (you'll be forced to hear about this one, like it or not), Vandy @ LSU (Vandy D gets tested in hostile environment), SCarolina @ Georgia (Spurrier's D vs a still-struggling UGA offense), ECU @ West Virginia (WVU seeking revenge from last year's loss), Richmond @ Delaware (Blue Hens look to return to glory but face defending champs), UNC @ UConn (UNC has lofty expectations, not the case for UConn but they could play spoiler), and Oregon State @ UNLV (Can the Rebs hang with the Beavs?).

Home team in CAPS; Beav's pick in Bold.

Thursday September 10
GEORGIA TECH 5.5 Clemson: Tigers looked better in week 1. Take the points.

Friday September 11
Colorado 4 TOLEDO: Take the Buffs- more pressure on them to win. Toledo coming off a drubbing from a questionable Purdue outfit.

Saturday September 12
PENN ST 28.5 Syracuse: Orange have improved; Penn St is a juggernaut but held back in 2nd half against Akron.
NORTHWESTERN 20 EMich: Eagles lost at home to Army. 'Nuff said. Cats claw the Eagles.
Pittsburgh 10.5 BUFFALO: Pitt running attack is too strong for Bulls.
INDIANA 1.5 WMich: Take the Hoosiers. Looked sloppy in week 1 but they got the W. Broncs just looked sloppy.
ARMY 1 Duke: Duke looks to redeem themselves, but I'm riding the Cadets' winning streak!
WAKE FOREST 3 Stanford: Cardinal looked good in week 1, catch the Deac's sleeping at home.
NCarolina 4 UCONN: Huskies nip the Heels in a tightly contested defensive battle.
MICH ST 14.5 CMich: Lefevour breaks out, Chips cover against in-state rival.
Iowa 6.5 IOWA ST: Cy-Hawk series has been lopsided for too long. Look for the Clones to stir things up in '09.
FLORIDA 36.5 Troy: Florida can tool on anyone from the Sun Belt right now.
VA TECH 19 Marshall: Hokies rebound against the Herd with better defensive performance.
BOSTON COLL 20.5 Kent: Both teams playing their first FBS contest; Kent is not prepared.
NEBRASKA 22.5 Ark St: Look for the Huskers to pound on another Sun Belt team at home.
WVU 6.5 ECarolina: Pirates cover, but fail to upset WVU in Morgantown.
Texas 33.5 WYOMING: Take the Pokes at home with all those points. It will take time for UT to find a rhythm in the Laramie altitude.
NAVY 7.5 La Tech: Middies roll the Bulldogs after near upset at the Horseshoe.
WASHINGTON 21 Idaho: Even after strong performance vs LSU 21 is a lot for Huskies. Idaho coming off a rare road win.
Notre Dame 3 MICHIGAN: Wolverines surprise pollsters, send Irish home with a loss.
Tcu 11 VIRGINIA: Eleven points should not be a problem for the Horned Frogs. Esp after UVA's season debut.
OKLA ST 15 Houston: Beware the letdown game, Cowboy fans. Houston can score in a hurry. I'm sticking with OSU, but be very cautious.
Byu 17 TULANE: Cougs will be the trendy pick this week, but I still say they can cover 17 against Tulane if they can beat Oklahoma.
UAB 12 So Methodist: Stick with the Blazers at home- they impressed vs Rice.
TENN 10 ucla: This isn't Western Kentucky, Lane. Better be ready for the Bruins.
TEX TECH 27.5 Rice: Public loves the Raiders. Beav does not. At least by 27.5.
MINN 3.5 Air Force: Minny glad to be home, but Falcons flying high after 72-0 win.
Hawaii 2 WASH ST: Road Warriors top the bottom of the Pac 10.
MIZZOU 20 Bowling Green: Nice win for the Tigs, but Illinois was unprepared. This week is closer.
Ohio 3 NTEXAS: Did Todd Dodge figure it out last week vs Ball St? I think so. Go Green!
MTSU 1.5 Memphis: Both teams licking their wounds. Memphis prevails.
Kansas St 7 LA-LAFAYETTE: K-State had a scare. This time Snyder's gang takes care of business from the start.
SO MISS 15 CFlorida: Expect big things from the Eagles' offense. 40+ big things.
LSU 14.5 Vandy: Tigers have a chance to silence critics with big win.
AUBURN 14 Miss St: Hopefully this game is better than last year's 3-2 snoozefest.
GEORGIA 7 SCarolina: Look for improved performances from both squads, and more 'hate' as they open league play.
Kansas 13 UTEP: Jayhawks will have no problem getting the job done in the Sun Bowl.
SFlorida 24.5 WKENTUCKY: Not fair. The Bulls kick the 'Toppers while they're down.
BOISE ST 37 Miami OH: We'll see an improved performance from Boise, but miscues need to be eliminated before I lay 37.
Tulsa 17.5 NEW MEXICO: Its a bad time to be playing football in the state of NM.
Usc 7 OHIO ST: Tough to go against the Buckeyes getting 7 in the 'Shoe. Even after the Navy Scare.
OREGON 12 Purdue: Really tough call. Was Purdue's 52-pt effort against Toledo for real? Will the Ducks look like a football team? Be careful with this game.
Utah 13.5 SJSU: I'll stick with the Utes this week even though they cost us last week.
Oregon St 7 UNLV: Look for a surprise game from the Rebs. Beavers caught sleeping makes for a close game, possible upset.

As for the FCS spotlight, I'll give you guys a couple of predictions to whet your appetite. How does this sound? Holy Cross 38, Sacred Heart 14. One more for the road. Maine 27, Northeastern 17....Ahhh, what the hell. You West Coast readers want to know what happens in the Montana-UC Davis tilt? I'll tell you what happens. Montana kicks the shit out of them 41-13, that's what happens.

Allright ladies & gents, that's it for me. Enjoy the weekend of football that lies ahead. And remember, the NFL starts this week so don't forget that you'll have something to hold you over between Saturday and next Thursday's action.

Take care.

Beav