November 20th Picks

FCS powerhouse Appalachian State (in red) takes on Liberty Bowl-bound UF (in white) tomorrow.

Happy Friday everyone.

This week's matchups are about as stale as that Halloween candy you still have sitting around the house.  It's the week before Hate Week, when most teams mix in a second homecoming opponent before ending the season against their most bitter rival.  Sure there might be a couple games worth our time, but for the most part tomorrow's slate of games are straight up booty.

PICKS!!

Appalachian State at Florida

See what I mean?  It's Senior Day in Gainesville, and as you might imagine plenty of tickets are available following last week's "effort" against South Carolina.  I'll be there, because this senior class deserves my support after bringing home two crystal trophies....and there's a good chance the Gators might actually win this game.

UF - 38

App - 10

Virginia Tech at Miami

Tech can wrap up the ACC Coastal Division title this weekend.  Since dropping their first two games, the Hokies are playing some of the best football outside of Eugene.  Miami's stuck in neutral, and will be until Randy Shannon moves on...here's hoping he doesn't move on.

Hokies - 24

Canes - 13

Florida State at Maryland

The only drama or intrigue this game produced recently was whether or not Myron Rolle would make it back to College Park in time from his Rhodes Scholar interview.  Other than Oklahoma, you could argue FSU is playing great football and they've given away games they easily should have won.  You could also argue the ACC sucks, and FSU should never need field goals to beat lowly Clemson and North Carolina at home.  I think both arguments are true.

Noles - 30

Turtles - 14

Arkansas at Mississippi State

This is the SEC's best matchup tomorrow....again, booty.  This game could decide who gets the Cotton Bowl bid, but other than that it's about as meaningless as an Arkansas-Mississippi State game gets.  The Hogs have too much firepower, and they've proven to be pretty damn good on the road.

Hogs - 34

MSU - 20

Ohio State at Iowa

Perhaps the best game of the day on paper, but I think the Buckeyes have too many weapons offensively and too many athletes defensively for Iowa to defend its house.  Iowa's defensive front keeps the score low, but Ohio State takes this one.

Buckeyes - 19

Hawkeyes - 16

Tennessee at Vanderbilt

As if this is ever a home game for Vandy.  Tennessee found its mojo just in time to keep that winning streak alive against Kentucky next week.  I can't recall a worse Vandy team in my lifetime, so this game will prove to be nothing more than a tune-up.

Vols - 35

Dores - 6

Wisconsin at Michigan

The Badgers put up EIGHTY-THREE POINTS against Indiana last week. Wisconsin's basketball team rarely scores 83 points.  I slept though their boring 1st round NCAA tournament game against Wofford in Jacksonville back in March.  It's easy for an SEC homer like me to bash Wisconsin for being a bunch of slow, one-dimensional corn fed kids who can't hang with the big boys.  But it appears this year's team is for real.  Michigan's defense is downright horrific...and Wisconsin's offense is licking its chops.  If Rich Rod wasn't already on notice, this game will have fans screaming for Jim Harbaugh more than ever.

Badgers - 48

Meatchicken - 24

And finally....

Bethune-Cookman vs. Florida A&M - The Florida Classic

The only guaranteed sellout at the dilapidated Citrus Bowl, other than the recent Wrestlemania where Ric Flair officially retired (woo?), is THIS game....EVERY year.  The records don't matter, the SWAC or MEAC or whatever conference these teams play in don't matter.

As a young child my parents, both FAMU alums, would take me and my sister to this game when it was played in Tallahassee, in a devious attempt to brainwash us into becoming an FSU fans.  And it almost worked.  Usually this game conflicts with a UF home game, so I haven't been in years.

The marching bands are a bigger draw than the football, and the party got started here in Orlando around Tuesday afternoon.  I usually have to turn down family members who want a place to crash over the weekend, because like many of you, I have some family members who really don't need to know where I live.

All in all, while many of you could care less about this game, there's a nostalgia about this matchup that brings back some great childhood memories of spending time with family, while watching mediocre football and exceptional marching bands.

GO RATTLERS!!

FAMU - 964
BCC - 7

Be good.
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