The Sports Truth

[Cue The Pundit’s Patented Loud Booming Voice, Pulsing Intro Music & Pyrotechnics]

30-8 for the year… Calling the winner, and pretty much the total points in the WVU-Louisville game… Calling John L. Smith’s firing by Michigan State… Can anyone even hold the Pundit’s jock? Ha!

The only thing that is reining in the Pundit’s total obnoxiousness and basking in his own glory is the lack of oomph from the Buckeyes and Wolverines, who both almost got caught sleeping by vastly inferior teams. Lloyd Carr and Jim Tressel better get it back in gear this week or face some serious Pundit retribution.

[Cue the Drum Roll]

THE PUNDIT’S POWER FIVE

1. Ohio State. Illinois game them more of a game than most thought. The Pundit thinks they were looking ahead to the clash with Michigan and the national title implications therein.
Next week’s opponent: Northwestern
Prediction: This game could be a slip up for the Buckeyes. They have to be very careful, because once or twice a year, Northwestern could light it up. The Buckeyes will get slightly back on track before the big showdown in Ann Arbor with the Wolverines next week. OSU by 21.

2. Michigan. The Wolverines need to get Mario Manningham some work in this game to get ready for Ohio State. They will struggle a bit a first but should handle Indiana in the end.
Next week’s opponent: Indiana
Prediction: Like Ohio State, this could be land mine game for Michigan. They will get the win here but it won’t be easy at times. UM by 17.

3. Louisville. The Cards exposed the flaw in the Mountaineers with the money passing of Brian Brohm (right). However, this game also showed that the Cards are vulnerable to the run. With Rutgers up next, this could spell trouble.
Next week’s opponent: Rutgers
Prediction: The Pundit is going to take the upset here in a surprise move. Rutgers by 3 or 7 in a barn burner. With a healthy Steve Slaton, the Pundit thinks WVU might have pulled out a win. Ray Rice is like Slaton, but might even be better. He also has a great blocking fullback in Bryan Leonard, who is nasty out of the backfield and who rushed for over 2,000 yards the first three years of his career. The Cards can’t pass the ball if the Scarlet Knights control the clock with their nasty running game at home.

4. Texas. The Longhorns handled the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Colt McCoy is the best freshman QB out there (sorry Mitch Mustain of Arkansas… you’re good but not that good).
Next Week’s Opponent: Kansas State
Prediction: The Wildcats are playing better but the Pundit doesn’t think they have the juice to take this one on the road. Longhorns by 28.

5. Florida/Auburn. Both teams handled their business and got blue collar wins last week against Vanderbilt and Arkansas State, respectively.
Next Week’s Opponent: South Carolina and Georgia
Prediction: This weekend will tell the public, and the Pundit, who is the better team. Whoever wins bigger in what should be hard-fought games will break the tie and get the last Power Five slot.

Team Most Likely to Break Into the Top Five: USC (to get a BCS bid, the Trojans have to handle Cal and Notre Dame in back to back weeks, which is unlikely); All the one-loss SEC teams; California (which needs to finish strong, as any slip up or close game will kill them); Notre Dame (needs to crush Army and Navy and beat USC to have a chance).

TEAMS THAT PISSED INTO THE WIND THIS WEEKEND

West Virginia. Okay, they lost to a tornado named Louisville ,but this loss knocked them out of the BCS. That hurts no matter what.

Boston College. Wake Forest is like that cold fall breeze that chills you to the bone on a sunny day. The shivering got the Eagles all wet.

Tennessee. The Volunteers were making some noise in the SEC and then got dropped in the closing minutes by LSU. This one hurts so bad, the Vols might not have even gotten their pants open in time.

Texas A&M. Had the Aggies won last week they would be challenging the Longhorns for the Big 12 South title. Now, all they can say is the saved Franchione’s job. They got Katrina’d and have to change those pants for sure.

GAMES OF THE WEEK

Tennessee-Arkansas. A win keeps the Vols in the SEC race and exposes the Razorbacks for their week opening schedule. The Pundit likes the Vols in another SEC bloodbath by 7.

Nebraska-Texas A&M. A win gives Nebraska the Big 12 North title. Is any further explanation required? Cornhuskers by 10.

Oregon-USC. The winner keeps second place in the Pac 10. This will also keep the Trojans in the hunt with a “quality” but overrated BCS win. The Pundit secretly thinks the Ducks are a joke. Trojans by 7.

Wake Forest-FSU. If the Deacons come away with this game and then beat either Maryland or Virginia Tech, they will be in the ACC title game. The only problem is they’ve always struggled against the Seminoles. The Pundit is taking Florida State at home by 10.

AND THE WHAT THE F*#@?!?! AWARD GOES TO…

…Steve Slaton! The Pundit is not hating on you for getting injured in the Louisville game, Steve. He respects your efforts to come back in and try and salvage the game and your season’s worth of work thus far.

He is hating because your absence in the third quarter made the game much less interesting. The Pundit wanted to see an overtime shootout and was simply disappointed. The Pundit asks you, Steve Slaton, “what the f&%* did you have to go and get injured for?”

Posted in College Football