“As a captain of a huge ship adrift…he worked wonders.”

“How strange would that be?Alabama playing LSU in the title game, while the SEC champion plays in the Sugar.”

“Compared to Death Valley, anything else is a neutral site.”

“UGA team: Woo hoo, we crushed LSU! National Championship here we come!! …. BCS computers: I am sorry, Dave, I can’t let you do that”

“There is a reason they call it a Strange Attractor in chaos theory. It took the utter disaster of the Neuheisel to attract action from the UCLA athletic director and administration”

“we have 30+ people coming over to witness the WGUGAE (Worlds Greatest UGA Upset Evah)”

“there’s not a snowballs chance in hell the dawgs win this one …”

“ … Game…Set….Match Point ..”

“The BCS computers will take over at that point like Hal in 2001: A Space Odyssey.”

“I didn’t know there were mulligans in college football.”

“It’s going to be CRAPTASTIC!”

“I must be in the Twilight Zone …. there is a michigan fan and a Gator fan saying nice things about the Buckeyes ….”

“Poppa Smurf might turn UCLA into a football dynasty …”

“I’m not sure that they’re a “sleeping giant,” but they’re at the very least a “sleeping really big person.”

“and I can’t with a straight face say that a team that has a defense ranked in the 100′s is a legitimate title contender”

“Keenum picked the wrong game to have his worst performance”

“Watching UCLA makes my eyes bleed.”

“Wisky vs Sparty is shaping up to be a good one”

“we are gonna treat this as our bowl game”

“Drink the Kool Aid!”

“Victory is sweetest when you’ve known defeat.”

The enormous power of words lies in the MEANING that the words have for you. The words trigger concepts, ideas, memories, situations, circumstances, actions, thoughts and feelings from your subconscious mind into corresponding emotional responses toward the subject at hand.

“Our hatred ofmichiganis genetically pre-deposed … it is imbibed with our mother’s milk …

“ I was almost prophetic. “

“ GO WARRIORS!!! “

“I think we can start calling him Coach Urban Legend. “

“Sometimes you roll Snake Eyes. “

“Are all Clemson fans impotent? “

“Minnesota should change their name to the Golden Possums because they play dead at home and get killed on the road “

“That’s one ugly ass win for Georgia“

“ Oh boy ! … this Georgia cheerleader can beat me , tie me up , and make me write bad checks … and I would  yodel while she was doing it …, “

“Crying ass shame Utah is going to be playing the inaugural PAC-12 CG !!! “

“Nothing screams I COACHED IN THE NFL like 110 rushing yards against the Purple Paladins “

“You just have such a short window to play NFL football, you should probably make hay while the sun shines. “

“ There is a fine line between SEC championship and total collapse.We call him Les. “

“In my Al Bundy Voice…..”Lets Rock”! lol “

“Martinez couldn’t pass gas after eating a bowl of beans “

“ The Big East actually has the audacity to think conference expansion decisions are theirs to control ! “

“”I know there is a game at noon on Saturday and my ass will be there,” Fickell said. “

“For the SEC championship game get really drunk and eat corn dogs. Bonus points if you get in a fist fight with your neighbors wife.”

“Wisconsin fans had early season visions of sugar plums and BCS championships dancing in their heads “

LSU

“Holy Hogs… that was so unbelievable  … that I had to watch it three times …”

“Must be the corn dog thing. LSU covers “

“These teams are the Frost Giants, and the rest of the top ten are the gods of Asgard, just waiting around for Göttedämerung and the Big Ass Kicking they will get.”

“Sorry Brother, but I believe Stanford is gonna spank your boys “

“I love it when an adopted UK fan is talking shit on a FSU/UF thread. “

“We have a wave comming to Hawaii tonight… “

“you went to Disney and lost to Kentucky in the same day. Brutal man.”

“Respectably Screw Blue ! “

So for those of you who don’t have to play in Conference Championship Games – heal baby, heal. And for those of you who are playing in your Conference Championship or Title Game, the College Football Voice wishes you the best of luck.

Other television listings for this week are (All times Eastern. Please check  your local listings):
Thursday, 12/1/2011
[ESPN] 8:00 p.m. West Virginia at South Florida

Friday, 12/2/2011
[ESPN2] 7:00 p.m. MAC Title Game (Ohio vs. Northern Illinois)
[FOX] 8:00 p.m. Pac-12 Championship Game (Oregon vs. UCLA)

Saturday, 12/3/2011
[ABC] 12:00 p.m. C-USA Title Game (Southern Miss at Houston)
[ESPN] 12:00 p.m. UConn at Cincinnati
[ESPN2] 12:00 p.m. Syracuse at Pittsburgh
[FSN] 12:30 p.m. Iowa State at Kansas State
[The Mtn.] 2:00 p.m. Wyoming at Colorado State
[Versus] 2:30 p.m. UNLV at TCU
[ABC] 3:30 p.m. Texas at Baylor
[CBS] 4:00 p.m. SEC Championship Game (LSU vs. Georgia)
[WAC] 4:00 p.m. Idaho at Nevada
[Sun Belt] 4:30 p.m. Troy at Arkansas State
[The Mtn.] 6:00 p.m. New Mexico at Boise State
[ESPN2] 7:30 p.m. BYU at Hawaii
[ABC] 8:00 p.m. Oklahoma at Oklahoma State
[CBSSN] 8:00 p.m. Fresno State at San Diego State
[ESPN] 8:00 p.m. ACC Title Game (Virginia Tech vs. Clemson)
[FOX] 8:00 p.m. Big Ten Championship Game (Michigan State vs. Wisconsin)

Why Negotiations between BYU and the Big East Collapsed

Negotiations with both the Big 12 and the Big East fell apart over BYUtv as well as BYU’s other TV deal with ESPN.  Both sides feel they have valid points.  BYU doesn’t trust conferences right now because of welched gentlemen’s agreements with the MWC over television.  The Big 12 and Big East don’t want any team in their conference (besides Texas) having an unfair advantage.  I can live with that.  All three sides have agreed to disagree.

BYU’s Point of View

From the Cougar perspective, I can see why they are leery in the negotiations with both leagues given the uncertainty of the future of the BCS and both the Big 12 and the Big East.  Both leagues have inner turmoil and are currently dysfunctional.

Just three months ago it didn’t appear that the Big 12 would be able to salvage itself.  That had been going on for a year and a half as the PAC was trying to steal what was the best half of the league in creating a superconference.  Most of the members of the Big 12 have a problem with Texas and their heavy handed bullying, but when it all came to a head, they decided that they needed their bully more than they’d like to be rid of him.

The Big East seems to need life support more than the Big 12 ever did with most of it’s football power being pirated away by other leagues.  The Big East seems poised to swallow a poison pill in order to salvage it’s coveted BCS status.  They have offered to legitimize Boise State, blue turf and all, as well as inviting some of the better non-AQ teams into the club, creating a true Conference USA that stretches nearly from coast to coast.  If the University of Alaska played Division I football with any amount of skill, it wouldn’t have surprised me if the Big East had offered them too.  When The Big East formally invites San Diego State University and they immediately join without reservation, the league will stretch over 2000 miles between the two most extreme geographic points.

BYU left a dysfunctional league for independence a year ago.  They don’t seem to want to go back into another dysfunctional league, AQ status or not.  The MWC had been poised for years to become the seventh AQ league or displace the Big East for their spot, but the leadership of that conference couldn’t bring itself to make the necessary moves to make that happen.  All Craig Thompson would have had to do to keep the MWC together and gain AQ status would have been to honor an agreement with BYU about rebroadcast rights and offer Boise State five years earlier, which incidentally BYU, TCU and Utah had all urged him to do repeatedly.

When it looked like the PAC was going to raid the MWC for Utah and BYU, Thompson tried to cover a ruptured artery with a band-aid by offering Boise State.  The Broncos immedieately accepted but it was too late and didn’t salvage the conference.  In retrospect, Boise State probably would have been better off staying in the WAC and urging Karl Benson to raid the MWC for some of it’s talent because the Broncos left a sweet deal with ESPN to banish themselves to television oblivion.  If I had been the president of Boise State, I’d have backed out of the MWC and stayed in the WAC after Utah and BYU left since the league the MWC was delivering wasn’t nearly the league they sold.  After the strength of the MWC had all vacated that league, the WAC had a stronger case for inclusion than the MWC did.

The PAC would have been a great home for BYU for many reasons:

*They would have made a home for one of the fiercest NCAA rivalries between Utah and BYU which is always big money

*BYU already has a good relationship with most of the programs in the PAC

*The majority of BYU graduates and LDS members live in the PAC footprint so there is already a strong fanbase there

*BYU is already competetive with the PAC schools in most sports including football

*BYU would have brought basketball class to the PAC which it currently doesn’t have much of

The PAC didn’t offer BYU on “cultural” grounds.

  Why BYU’s negotiations broke down with the Big 12

BYU was on the verge of an invite and were negotiating with the Big 12 but eventually the two sides reached an impasse and the invite was not offered.  The points of contention were (in no apparent order):

*BYU’s Olympic sports.  The Big 12 wasn’t interested in a football only BYU and the Cougars are very reluctant to leave the WCC after they had been very gracious and provided a home for their lesser sports when BYU left the MWC to become a football independent.  The WCC is a conference of primarily smaller religious schools and the BYU administration and LDS church leadership do not wish to appear ungracious for something as tenuous as BCS AQ status.

*No Sunday play.  While not an issue with football, other sports play games on Sunday.  The Big 12 did not want the headache of rescheduling games or the negative attention of having a BYU team occasionally forfeit a championship game because it fell on a Sunday.  BYU has walked away from championship games before in Olympic sports because of Sunday play.

*BYUtv.  BYU left the MWC for two reasons.  First, their chief rival Utah left, second the MWC didn’t honor an agreement with BYU to allow the Cougars to rebroadcast BYU home games that were shown on the mtn.  They also wouldn’t allow BYU to televise home games not on the network.  The distribution and access that the mtn delivered was abysmally small and BYU fans across the country could not see their team play.  BYU spent hundreds of millions of dollars building the most high tech television studios and capabilities and widest distribution of any college in the country.  All the sports venues are hardwired into the broadcast building so it’s merely a matter of plug and play.  No real set-up required.  In addition they have the capability of broadcasting on the road as well because they built a mobile studio that is state of the art and the best of it’s kind at any level west of the Mississippi.  They didn’t spend that money to merely rebroadcast weekly religious devotional adresses.  They could already do that.

The Big 12 already had Texas that had bullied the other conference members with it’s television prowess and they weren’t willing to have another school with that kind of capability in their league.  BYU wouldn’t have wielded BYUtv like a blunt object the way Texas has, but the other members of the Big 12 didn’t want to take the chance.  Wherever BYU lands, BYUtv will be part of the deal.

Why negotiations with the Big East failed

Whereas no Sunday play and Olympic sports were issues with the BIg 12, neither one of these issues posed a problem with the Big East.  It actually made better sense for BYU’s Olympic sports to stay on the west coast.  Geographically it is better for both parties to play regionally.  It’s better for the fans and better for the teams.

The culture of the northeast is more tolerant of the no Sunday play than other parts of the country, probably stemming from the Puritan roots of the people of that area.  Several coaches and administrators of schools were quoted in local publications during the negotiations saying they’d rather not play on Sunday anyway because the players did better in their sports and academically if they took one day off.  No Sunday play wasn’t an issue for the Big East.

Really the negotiations stalled and finally ended when BYU was unwilling to give up their television rights.  During the first year of independence, BYU was on national television nearly every week of the season.  Most of this was brokered by ESPN.  Even some of the away games, BYU played on television.  Of the games ESPN didn’t carry, BYU produced and ran on BYUtv.  Even the Oregon State game which was played in Corvallis was produced and broadcast on BYUtv.  This came after a four year drought of BYU on national television.  When the MWC started the Mountain Network (mtn) they promised BYU that they could rebroadcast home games and have the rights to them.  They never honored that agreement which is one of the main reasons BYU left the conference.

It’s been a heady experience for the Cougars and their fans to play on national television every week and BYU isn’t willing to give that up.

It’s kind of perplexing to read what officials from the BIg East are saying about the negotiations.  They seemed genuinely surprised that BYU wouldn’t give up television to join their league.  Perplexing because BYU left the MWC over television distribution and negotiations broke down with the Big 12, a stronger and more solvent dysfunctional league, over television rights.  Why then did the Big East think it would be any different for them?  Why did the Big East believe that a league with less to offer could make BYU give up something they wouldn’t give up for the Big 12?

What BYUtv can do

BYU signed an eight year deal with ESPN when the network helped BYU broker the road to independence.  Not only did ESPN help BYU leave the MWC they also assisted BYU in scheduling the first couple of years.  ESPN has a profit motive, no doubt.  BYU has a national brand and ESPN was on the verge of losing it’s biggest cash cow in the Mountain Time Zone when Boise State joined the MWC.  ESPN needed a team from this region to fill a slot.  What better team than BYU?  A team with a history of excellence, a team with a nationwide following, a team that was hungry for television exposure.

When ESPN was brokering the deal with the Y, rebroadcasting games wasn’t even a blip on the negotiating table.  BYU asked for it and ESPN said, sure.  Once the game is played, as far as the network is concerned, it’s ancient history and they need to move on.  Why not allow a school to retain rebroadcast rights?  It’s a no brainer.

BYUtv has the widest distribution of any college or conference network, and that is by a wide margin.  It appears on cable and satellite systems nationwide and is available in 100 million homes, most of which are in this country.

This season, BYU produced and broadcast all of the home games that ESPN did not pick up.  When ESPN declined to show the BYU at Oregon State game, BYU negotiated with OSU at the last minute and brought their remote broadcasting truck to Corvallis and produced that game nationwide, allowing both fans of the Cougars and the Beavers nationwide to view the contest.

Broadcasting capability like BYU has and like Texas has will only increase and multiply from campus to campus.  Eventually all major universities will have similar facilities.  BYU and Texas find themselves at the front end of a trend that will become commonplace as years go by.  It’s too bad that the leaders of the Big 12 and the Big East cannot see that.

With the uncertainty of the BCS, and the instability of both the Big 12 and the Big East, maybe independence is a better choice for BYU.

With the general mediocrity of SEC football this year, there isn’t a lot to get excited about. The geeks hope there are some upsets so they can finagle Oklahoma State into the National Championship game and finally go off in their tube socks. The hypocrites hope for the same thing so they can look smug and say that they told us so. No such luck weasels. You could just be forced to watch the two best teams in college football play for the NC, as much as you hate it. They will at least earn the chance, the only question is what the voters decide to do about it.

Big news? Florida fans, who were hit in the head by Urban Meyer’s 2X4 this year got a kick in the nuts when it became just paperwork and courtesy before old Ambo joins the team that Gators love to taunt the most about an ancient win. This is Houston Nutt’s and probably Joker Phillips’ last game week in the SEC. Nutt had plenty of opportunities and Kentucky can’t afford to give Joker any more. Will Ole Miss bring back Big O? Will Kentucky offer Bill Curry? No, but they might be contacting some of the same guys.

We went 6-2 last week, to bring the short regular season to a close at 23-10. Thanks Vandy and Bulldawgs, you screwed me again.

Arkansas @ LSU(-14)   There is a lot of wishful thinking going around the internets about Arkansas beating LSU. The Pigs are a good football team, but they are incapable of protecting Tyler Wilson against a good pass rush. LSU’s is relentless. The template is there . Against Alabama Wilson’s exit was reminiscent of Roberto Duran. Get all dressed up Razorbacks, you are going to Dallas.

Cotton Bowl Bound

LSU covers

Florida State(-2) @ Florida    Both of these teams failed on a very high level this year, but the Gators took crappy to new heights. i’m not sure this team has the guts to play 60 minutes of football against even a marginally decent team and that is what the Seminoles are – marginally decent. I keep hearing that EJ Manuel is now good, he really is. Too bad he is good on Wednesday, when nobody sees him and not on Saturdays. Facing ACC defenses can make any QB look good, but he still fails. Florida has no QB, no offensive line, no receivers, midgets at running back and no defense, but they do have that decided schematic advantage.

Guru Guy

Florida covers

Georgia(-5.5) @ Georgia Tech     This is harder to predict than it should be. Georgia has been playing pretty good football for about a month or two and have gotten decidedly better. Georgia Yech is still kind of schizophrenic. I don’t have much confidence in the Bees, but I don’t have much faith in betting against them either. Orson Charles has a draft position  enhancing day and the Dawgs outscore the Jackets. This should be a good college football game and I would not be shocked if it went either way.

Georgia covers

Tennessee(-7) @ Kentucky    Now this game is what we call LOLZ. Poor old Joker will soon be unemployed, but poor old Derek will still be wearing orange pants. Who has it worse? The fact that the Vols are only favored by 7 tells us how bad these teams are. I’m smelling an upset or is that just the stench of loser? But really, how can you not cheer for the Cats?

Daddy's little girl

Kentucky covers

Ole Miss @ Mississippi State(-17)     By now, we are seeing a theme – the SEC really sucks this year. I am so freaking weary of hearing how great Dan Mullen is. Win something worth bragging about and then call me.  This is also Houston Nutt’s last game as the head Rebel. It is really a sad occasion for anyone who loves the truly insane. The Ole Miss family is going to miss him nearly as much as they miss canker sores .

RIP Rev

Ole Miss covers

Vanderbilt(-1) @ Wake Forest    The Commodores have been getting some attention by winning more than three games, but except for losing to Florida, they have only won games they should win. They did play both Georgia and Arkansas to within 3 points, so there is something there. Wake Forest has done pretty much the same thing, though they are already bowl eligible and Vandy needs this win to get to Shreveport or Birmingham. What the fuck, why not go with the home team? They do have a bad ass mascot.

The Fighting Commodore

Vandy covers

Clemson @ South Carolina (-4)   Is this Steve Spurrier’s last year? Chances are no, but maybe that Kentucky job is looking good. If he can get the Gamecocks to 9 win seasons, he can do it anywhere. The Garcia Experiment failed and though they have good athletes, this is still the Cocks, eventually they will explode. Of course, Clemson did the Clemson. I don’t care what the reasons or excuses, they did what Clemson does. Dabo did provide some entertainment, with his manic depressive, Jr. High girl who just got felt up for the first time act. I’m not buying his greatness yet, sorry. I do think they are probably better than the Cocks though, if they can just pretend to have a defense for four quarters. There is nothing Tiger fans enjoy more than beating the Cocks.

Dabo gets his rock off

Clemson covers

Alabama(-21) @ Auburn   “The Arn Bowl Paawwwwwl. Ware gonna whup ‘um. Gunna tar ‘um a new un.” Nick Saban needs a big win to put a lock on that NCG chance. The Yankee voters and the mentally ill bloggers and message board/mama’s basement dwelling underworld do not want the #1 and 2 teams to play again. Auburn definitely doesn’t. They are not through milking last year, though they will be able to for 53 more years, until the next one. A big Bama win will temporarily stop some of the shrieking though. Of course, by Monday,  Paawwwwwl and the rest of us will get to hear the conspiracy theories. And don’t forget those damn trees and Texas’ favorite state trooper, Harvey Updyke. That is good for another 20 years of whining.

The Tide is just too good to consider the liklihood of one of those rivalry upsets. I think that they will really show up Saturday and we are looking at maybe the worst beating in many years. The Tigers have no answer for Richardson/Lacey/Fowler and no means to stop the Bama defense from battering their quarterbacks. Auburn students will be ble to wipe their ass Sunday, the few who do that will anyway, because there will be plenty of toilet paper left on the Plains.

Throw that at your damn trees

Bama kicks ass Paawwwwwl

Wisconsin fans had early season visions of sugar plums and BCS championships dancing in their heads. Eleven games and two Hail Mary’s later those dreams have become a distant memory.Wisconsin will try to save their season with a victory over Penn State. This game will decide who represents the Leaders Division in Indianapolis. Russell Wilson and Montee Ball lead an offense that averages 45 points per game. The Penn State defense only allows 13 points per game. Something will have to give. I think the Badgers running game will be too much forPenn State to handle. And after they get the running game established, look for Wilson to light up the score board with a couple of touchdown passes.Wisconsin wins easily – it is going to be a long bus ride back home to “UnhappyValley“for the Nittany Lions ….

Iowa  –  # 22 Nebraska

You never know which Hawkeye team is going to show up for the game – The Contenders or the Pretenders?Iowa will need a balanced attack if they expect to upset Nebraska. Coker rushing for a 100 yards and McNutt passing for a 100 yards will give Iowa a good chance to win. Nebraska needs Martinez to manage the game and minimize his mistakes. The Huskers will need to rush for over 200 yards as a team to beat Iowa. (because, lets face it, Martinez couldn’t pass gas after eating a bowl of beans). I don’t see Nebraska rushing for 200 yars. The “corn fed boys“ from Iowa will be poppin’ as they shuck the “corn fed boys“ from Nebraska…

# 11 Michigan State –  Northwestern

Northwestern seems to have put their early season struggles behind them. As they have won four straight games, including a win overNebraska. The Wildcats are capable of winning on “Any Given Saturday “.The Spartans have already earned the right to play in the Big Ten Championship Game. But this could be a trap game forMichigan State if they are looking ahead to the Big 10 CCG and not staying focused on Northwestern. But never fear, Sparty will concentrate on the task at hand. If the Michigan State offensive line gives Cousins time, he will do the rest. He will attack Northwestern’s biggest weakness – their secondary and will give Michigan State an edge that the Cats won’t be able to overcome. Call the taxidermist, Sparty is going to make a wildcat rug out of Northwestern.

Illinois – Minnesota

The Illini started the season 6-0 and were looking like “Kings of the Gridiron “, but 5 losses later they were wearing “”The Emperor’s New Clothes “and the naked truth was exposed –Illinois is just a mediocre team. But Minnesota is even worst. They have only won one conference game and that is not going to change this week. Which is good news for Ron Zook because a loss to the Gophers would put him in the ranks of the unemployed.Minnesota should change their name to the Golden Possums because they play dead at home and get killed on the road ….

Perdue  – Indiana

Purdue looking to become bowl-eligible for the first time in gawd knows when should have no problem doing that  Saturday, as they face a hapless Indiana team (1 – 10 and winless in the Big 10). Purdue will get their sixth win of the season. All they have to do is keep Indiana from establishing the run early, as it is one of the Hoosiers few strengths. If the masochist who tuned into this game can stay awake they will see the Boilmakers steam roll Indiana…

Ohio State –  # 17 Michigan

First, before I start to preview this game, let me say this: “My hatred of michigan is genetically pre-deposed … it was imbibed with my mother’s milk … “

But I will try not to let this cloud my opinions as I give my review of the game. This season was supposed to be a National Championship season for the Buckeyes but that was all before tattoo gate.Ohio State has struggled to a disappointing 6- 5 season. Their defense has played well at times, but their offense has been inconsistent and down right anemic at times.Michigan however, has been the surprise of the Big 10. They are looking at a potential 10-2 record and a BCS Bowl invite. It is sweet to be a Wolverine. Both teams need to get their quarterbacks going early if they want to win. Braxton Miller will have to complete more than 10 passes if the Buckeyes want to win. And Denard Robinson will have to have to have a good game on the ground if he wants to lead Michigan to a victory. I think Ohio State will struggle too much in the passing game.Michigan gets it first win against the Buckeyes since 2003…… SCREW BLUE!

Well, there you have it folks … my opinion of how it will shake out in the Big 10 this.. Let me know what you all think…

“If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.”

“…gave me a damn heart attack ”

“Oregon’s response: Be careful what you wish for.”

“I went to check my mail a few minutes ago and gained more yards than Kentucky did Saturday.”

“Hang onto that feeling , just cling baby cling”

“Mack’s Got Five On It: Grab Your Fozzy; Let’s Get Keyed”

“Who wouldn’t want to see the offensive and defensive wizards of this era match wits?”

“The Herschel Walker and Miami love isn’t his thing.”

“ To be honest I just believe Miles has a six pack of horse shoes shoved up his ass”

“Dooley is a young guy who has apparently, to put it in medical terms, gone bat shit.”

“This is the kind of thing I would expect from Lou Holtz (who probably has a green ceramic leprechaun that he nurses twice a day)”

“Aw hell y’all, it’s only Monday and I’ve already got my geek on!”

“linebackers get called for excessive hits…………im tellin ya….this is gonna be a tea and crumpet game before long”

“Better sign Rich Rod before Ole Miss does.”

“I am crazy but I was in love with Stafford.”

“A Losing Season May Be Forgiven, Provided Thou Hath Beaten Your Traditional Rival And/Or Crushed The National Championship Hopes Of Another Team”

“it looks like the best team in the state of  Florida, will be Clemson when they play in the Orange Bowl ….”

“The defense has shown nothing today. They can’t stop the run or the pass, but they make up for it by not giving a fuck.”

“ISU Wins!–this is going to make a mess of the BCS.”

“Nat Moore says, “Furman is a really good team.” Is he drunk again?”

“I hope your dog was smart enough to hide from you today.”

“10-9 Kentucky, holy schnikey!”

“Though I do get the feeling Delaney and Slive are doin’ some ol school tag team wrasslin’.”

“How about that, a Tennessee fan ranking a Lane Kiffin team? I do believe Hell just got a little frosty.”

“UVA wins in spite of what looked to me like double home cooking.”

“ Thou shalt have no other sports before football”

This is Thanksgiving week, and that usually means rivalry week. The Battle for the Golden Boot will be played in Baton Rouge and the Iron Bowl will be played in Auburn. The winner of Stanford and Notre Dame will get the Legends Trophy, which is an Irish crystal trophy on a California redwood base. Evidently I haven’t been paying attention to that one, shame on my Notre Dame friends for not keeping me edumacated. Virginia and Virginia Tech will be playing for the Black Diamond Trophy, and though sweet tea automatically comes to my mind evidently the Virginians are talking about coal, or ‘black diamond’. Huh, go figure. USC and UCLA fight for the Victory Bell, Oregon and Oregon State fight what they call the Civil War and the winner will receive the Platypus Trophy. Hell baby, don’t tell those boys nothing was civil about what most people in this country call the War Between the States. But I digress, Boise State will be playing Wyoming and I can’t figure out if there’s a rivalry there or not. A quick look at Wikipedia (no, I don’t keep up with Boise State Rivalries) will tell you that Boise has had past “rivalry” games with Idaho, Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada and TCU. Houston and Tulsa will play what Bleacher Report refers to as a “Wild Rivalry” I can’t figure out if that’s an actually rivalry title, or just some sportswriter wanting to have something nice to say about Tulsa when all they really want to talk about is Case Keenum because he is “the nation’s leading passer, threw six touchdown passes in last season’s rout of Tulsa and is coming off of a career-best 559-yard performance last week.”

Yeah, I kind of like him too, but you’ve got to admit he’s still no Trent Richardson, bless his heart.

Others receiving votes this week: Georgia, Michigan State, Kansas State and Oklahoma.

Other listings for this week, Bon Apetit!

All times eastern, please check local listings

11/22/2011
[ESPN2] 8:00 p.m. Miami (Ohio) at Ohio

11/24/2011
[ESPNU] 4:00 p.m. Tuskegee at Alabama A&M
[ESPN] 8:00 p.m. Texas at Texas A&M

11/25/2011
[ESPN2] 11:00 a.m. Louisville at South Florida
[ESPNU] 11:00 a.m. Eastern Michigan at Northern Illinois
[ABC] 12:00 p.m. Iowa at Nebraska
[FSN] 12:00 p.m. Houston at Tulsa
[ESPN3.com] 2:00 p.m. Toledo at Ball State
[CBS] 2:30 p.m. Arkansas at LSU
[ABC] 3:30 p.m. Boston College at Miami (Fla.)
[FSN] 3:30 p.m. Colorado at Utah
[CBSSN] 7:00 p.m. UTEP at Central Florida
[ESPN] 7:00 p.m. Pittsburgh at West Virginia
[ESPN] 10:15 p.m. California at Arizona State

11/26/2011
[ABC] 12:00 p.m. Ohio State at Michigan
[Big East] 12:00 p.m. Cincinnati at Syracuse
[Big Ten] 12:00 p.m. Michigan State at Northwestern
[ESPN] 12:00 p.m. Georgia at Georgia Tech
[ESPN2] 12:00 p.m. Rutgers at UConn
[FSN] 12:00 p.m. Missouri at Kansas
[FSN] 12:00 p.m. Rice at SMU
[FX] 12:00 p.m. Iowa State at Oklahoma
[SEC] 12:21 p.m. Tennessee at Kentucky
[ACC] 12:30 p.m. Maryland at N.C. State
[Sun Belt] 12:30 p.m. Troy at Western Kentucky
[The Mtn.] 2:00 p.m. Wyoming at Boise State
[WAC] 3:00 p.m. Nevada at Utah State
[ABC] 3:30 p.m. Oregon State at Oregon
[ABC] 3:30 p.m. Virginia Tech at Virginia
[Big Ten] 3:30 p.m. Illinois at Minnesota
[Big Ten] 3:30 p.m. Purdue at Indiana
[CBS] 3:30 p.m. Alabama at Auburn
[CBSSN] 3:30 p.m. East Carolina at Marshall
[ESPN] 3:30 p.m. Penn State at Wisconsin
[ESPNU] 3:30 p.m. Vanderbilt at Wake Forest
[FSN] 3:30 p.m. Kansas vs. Missouri
[RSN] 3:30 p.m. Duke at North Carolina
[CSS] 4:00 p.m. Memphis at Southern Miss
[ERT] 4:00 p.m. New Mexico State at Louisiana Tech
[The Mtn.] 6:00 p.m. Air Force at Colorado State
[ESPN2] 7:00 p.m. Florida State at Florida
[ESPNU] 7:00 p.m. Ole Miss at Mississippi State
[FSN] 7:00 p.m. Baylor at Texas Tech
[Versus] 7:30 p.m. Washington State at Washington
[ESPN] 7:45 p.m. Clemson at South Carolina
[ABC] 8:00 p.m. Notre Dame at Stanford
[FX] 8:00 p.m. Iowa State at Oklahoma
[FSN] 10:00 p.m. UCLA at USC
[The Mtn.] 10:00 p.m. San Diego State at UNLV

A lot of folks picked Nebraska to win the  Big 10 Conference title in their very first year.Michigan has a chance to win a Big 10 Conference title for the first time since 2004.This game is important to both teams, because the loser of this game, for all intents and purposes, can kiss winning the Legends Division race good-bye. So,pucker up Michigan , the Huskers are going to win this game. Nebraska will use a solid running game and a stout defense to control the flow of the game. And like always, when the Wolverines face a defense with a pulse, their offense becomes as useless as rubber lips on a woodpecker. Go Huskers!

 # 21 Penn State – Ohio State

Penn State has won only once in Columbus since joining the Big Ten. I don’t expect that to change this week. Penn State’s defense will not be enough to win this game and their offense is anemic. I think the Buckeyes have the edge on offense and that “Edge “ is Braxton Miller. I know that he is young, inconsistent, and mistake prone, but he is always just one way step from breaking an explosive run. And that might be all it will take to win a low scoring game like this one is going to be. The Buckeyes tame the Lions.

# 17 Wisconsin – Illinois

Wisconsin is still in the hunt for the Leaders Division title and can’t afford to stumble in the home stretch.So, look for the Badger’s to make it two in a row over Illinois, who  have reverted to their usual role – the victim of another lost season. There will be no scalping of the Badger’s this week, the “Fighting Illini” couldn’t lift someone’s hair if they were in a barber shop.

The Zookster prepares for Wisky

 Iowa –  Purdue

Iowa hasn’t won a road game all year and Purdue needs one more win to be eligible for a bowl game. Purdue fans should thank God and Greyhound that the Boilermakers play Indiana next week, because the Hawkeyes are going to break their road jinx and open up a can of “ whoop ass “ on Purdue.

Indiana –  # 15 Michigan State

Sparty is two wins away from the league championship game and the Hoosiers are going to be one of those wins. The best performance that Indiana has had all year was last week ( their Bye week ).Michigan State is going to wreck more havoc on the Hoosiers than a tornado in a trailer park.

Minnesota –  Northwestern

The Wildcats started out the season slow (they were 2-5) at one time. But they have come on like gang busters (they are now 5-5) and just one win away from being bowl eligible. On the other hand, Jerry Kill and the Golden Gophers season is so bad, that they wont even be eligible for a toilet bowl.Minnesota will end up being road kill on Saturday. And Northwestern will be as happy as a tick on a fat dog …

Well there you have it … the way I see things shaking out in the Big 10 this week  … so, let me know what you all think …. give me a piece of your mind … but remember to keep some for yourself …

We won’t go as far as saying there is any must see TV this weekend in a conference that, as a whole, lacks a real football identity, but there are some intriguing match ups that should be better than watching that round ball horse crap they call basketball.

I mean, the ACC is at least playing BCS Conference games to get primed and ready for rivalry week unlike a certain other conference who has decided to take the week off to hold 7 on 7′s against a couple high school teams.

Lets take a look at what we have…

UNC @ #8 Virginia Tech (-10.5)

Virginia Tech needs to send a thank you card to the ACC league office after this season. Not sure any team in the top 10 has had an easier schedule to manage in route to their conference title game. This week strolls in a beat up UNC team that has seemingly given up on the season. Virginia Tech tries to continue their win streak as it hosts the Heels in a Thursday night primer in Lane Stadium. The ACC is crossing it’s fingers that the Hokies dont trip down the stretch! They could use a Top 10 match up in Charlotte in a few weeks. Logan Thomas needs to continue his good play against a very good UNC front 7  and the Hokies need to feed David Wilson early and often. The Tarheels did have 2 weeks to prepare for the Hokies but i am not sure an injured Renner can be too effective against a stellar VT secondary.

Virginia Tech Covers

Georgia Tech (-10) @ Duke

I will give it to David Cutcliffe at Duke, if there was an award for a team that plays hard every week but still sucks, they would get it slightly over Vanderbilt. Go ahead and jump on this game as a lock of the week. Georgia Tech is going to be one pissed off football team after that arse whippin’ that the Hokies handed them in Bobby Dodd last week. Cutcliffe says the defense takes days in spring to work on defending Paul Johnson’s triple option offense, but that makes me care why? Tevin Washington will have a field day against this defense and will make the Dookies home crowd once again exit stage left early!

Georgia Tech Covers

#7 Clemson (-8) @ NC State

The Cardiac Cats, as they are calling them, once again made a fourth quarter rally to clinch the division for the second time in three weeks but the Tigers aren’t satisfied. For the second game in a row the offense sputtered and wasn’t the dominant force it was early in the season. They still managed 520 yards of offense but the turnovers are definitely a concern in Tiger Town. Maybe a horrid NC State defense is just what the doctor ordered before they head to Columbia for what could be a huge game against South Carolina. Tajh Boyd had 2 interceptions for the second game ina row but it very easily could have been 6 if not for the drops by wake defenders. The one time Heisman hopeful needs to pull it together this week and possibly without Freshman phenom Sammy Watkins who could be sidelined with a shoulder ailment. That being said, with or without Sammy, NC State’s Sean Glennon and crew won’t be able to score with this Clemson team. Forget the score last week, it was actually Clemson’s defense that stepped up  holding a good Wake offense to 317 yards. Clemson looks to get back rolling and they should. Look to see a lot of playing time from the young guys in this one.

Clemson Covers

Maryland @ Wake Forest (-11)

What is going on with Maryland! Their play is just about as ugly and inconsistent as their uniforms. They come out week 1 and their offense looks unstoppable, then they go into hiding until the Clemson game, and now back into hiding. What’s going on in College Park. Do I hear whispers that they miss the Fridge? Sure as hell should! Wake Forest is coming off a disasterous loss in Death Valley but I don;t think that will be enough to keep them from curb stomping a bad Maryland team. Look for QB Taylor Price and WR Chris Givens to get back on track against a Maryland defense that is looking for a pulse. Wake can still finish this season off on a high note and exceed everyone’s preseason expectations for the Deacs. Maryland on the other hand is looking forward to round ball season.

Wake Wins, doesn’t cover

Miami (-1.5) @ South Florida

A game of two middle of the road Florida Teams fighting to see who is the least irrelevant in the scope of college football. Both teams look to become bowl eligible. Miami is coming off a loss to Florida State in which the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind provided celebrity officials and South Florida stopped a 4 game skid against Syracuse. It is hard to know what to expect from either of these teams. Both have looked like contenders and pretenders at times this season. The Bulls have made my preseason prediction of them representing the Big East in the Orange Bowl a bad one, and Miami is…well…Miami. The Hurricane hope to win out for yet another disappointing season while South Florida hopes to catch magic in a bottle and finish the year on an upward trend. The key to this game will be Jacory Harris and BJ Daniels. Which QB executes better and which protects the ball. Both have been known to make bone headed decisions and both are turnover prone. So far this season, Harris has been the more consistent and Miami has been the more solid of the two on a regular basis. So I am taking the Hurricanes in this match up of Florida irrelevants.

Miami Covers

BC @ #24Notre Dame (-24.5)

Once upon a time boys and girls, there was arivalry between the Irish and Eagles that was on the national radar. Now it is just another scrimmage for the Irish. The Irish appear to be priming themelves for their entry into the ACC with their third straight game against the conference. Playing these middle fo the road ACC teams has to have them feeling good about the possibility of becoming a member in the future right? Look for Cierre Wood and Jomas Gray to have a big day for the Irish as they both have their eyes set on the 1000 yard rushing mark. I don;t see Rees and Floyd having to do too much in this one. Boston College is beyond bad and this rivalry is just a speed bump as Notre Dame races to the finish line and tried to make it’s case for a BCS bowl game.

Notre Dame Covers

Virginia @ #23 Florida State

Who in the world would think in week 12 we would be able to say “Virginia controls their own destiny in the ACC Atlantic!” Virginia goes into Doak and wins and then upsets rival Virginia Tech next weeka nd their are some pissed off Hokie fans with ACCCG tickets in their hands. But as I shake my magic 8 ball it says “Not Likely” Virginia’s little dream comes to an end this week when a, now healthy, Florida State teams knocks them back down to reality. EJ Manuel and crew teamed up with their athletic, hard hitting defense will make it a long day for the Cavaliers. Virginia is moving in the right direction but they are not quite there yet. Nigel Bradham returns after what may be the worst ejection in college football history, to make Michael Rocco and Perry Jones life hell. Now that the pressure is off Florida State, they have played the football everyone expected them to preseason.

Florida State Covers