Thanksgiving Weekend Picks

The joyride ends this weekend.

On behalf of the entire staff of eViL G and Coach E's College Football Forum....all both of us....we hope you had a happy and safe Thanksgiving celebration with friends and family.  For the first time in 41 years I spent Thanksgiving in Orlando instead of Jacksonville.  mRs. eViL G made a feast fit for a king, and I am forever thankful she decided to marry me.  I'm truly blessed to have such a wonderful wife.

That's all I got...I'm tired from eating 5000 calories and I missed the deadline on Texas-Texas A&M.  For the record I had A&M winning by 7.

PICKS!!!

Michigan at Ohio State

Ohio State's president doesn't think TCU and Boise State are worthy of BCS title game consideration, and being the SEC snob I am, I totally agree.  You know who else doesn't deserve BCS title game consideration?  Ohio State.  El Presidente's comments would appear a little less self-serving if OSU wasn't one of several 1-loss teams jockeying for BCS position, and his comments wouldn't ring so hollow if the Buckeyes didn't get destroyed the last two times they played for college football's biggest prize.  Sure they'll dominate Michigan this weekend, but the Rose Bowl is as good as it gets this season, and Wisconsin has the inside track to Pasadena.

Buckeyes - 51

Meatchicken - 24

Georgia Tech at Georgia

UGA salvages a forgettable season by destroying one of the weaker Georgia Tech teams we've seen in several years.  I hope A.J. Green enjoys his last game between the hedges....I will not miss you A.J.

Dawgs - 38

Bees - 13

Notre Dame at Southern Cal

Memo to Coach Kelly:  When you coached at Cincinnati U, you could hide players who sexually assaulted women who later went on to commit suicide. Local sports media were too busy covering that 3-ring circus called the Cincinnati Bengals to give a damn.  In South Bend that's not the case.  Losing to the worst USC team in over a decade...not good either. Wrongful death lawsuits...even worse.

Trojans - 20

Irish - 13

LSU at Arkansas

LSU and Les Miles really need their own TV network...it's impossible to take your eyes away from these guys.  It's like watching a train wreck, but somehow the train manages to avoid danger at the last second by successfully jumping over a cliff and landing safely on the other side.  Someone much smarter than me recently said betting against LSU is like betting against fate.  Well, even fate is wrong every now and then.  For proof look no further than my first marriage.  Arkansas outscores LSU in the most entertaining game of the holiday weekend.

Hogs - 41

Cajuns - 38

Kentucky at Tennessee

Tennessee's record winning streak over Kentucky looked to be in serious jeopardy when the season started.  Now that Bray is locked in, look for the Vols to extend that streak for at least another 2 years.  Matt Simms should transfer to Blinn Junior College while he has some eligibility left.

Orange - 28

Blue - 17

South Carolina at Clemson

Back when the ole ball corch roamed the sidelines in Gainesville, he admitted to resting players against FSU so his Gators would be fresh for the SEC Championship Game.  This year you wonder if beating lowly Clemson registers on the radar in a season where South Carolina can make some real history.  Since forfeit isn't an option, expect South Carolina to look ahead, yet still squeak out a close road win before heading to the big game in Atlanta next week.

Cocks - 20

Tigers - 17

NC State at Maryland

Speaking of teams who've never been there before, NC State can win the ACC's Atlantic Division with a win over Maryland.  ACC Commissioner Josephus Billy Bob Swofford is giddy at the thought of NC State bringing 40,000 fans from nearby Raleigh to the ACC Championship Game....too bad he'll have to settle for 10,000 FSU fans instead.  NC State chokes away a golden opportunity that won't come their way again anytime soon.

Turtles - 33

Wolfpack - 14

Oklahoma at Oklahoma State

Ryan Broyles and Justin Blackmon duel it out for the Biletnikoff Award while both defenses take the day off.  Oklahoma State manages to win late on a long FG by their stud kicker.  Okie State and Nebraska play for the Big 12 title on ABC....75% of American households tune in to watch that armadillo special on Discovery Channel instead.

Cowboys - 45

Sooners - 42

Florida at Florida State

UF has no offense, no pass rush and spotty run support.  FSU leads the nation in sacks, and John Brantley involuntarily goes into the fetal position when an opposing defender gets within ten feet of him.  Florida's best all-around player Janoris Jenkins may not play due to a concussion, special teams demon Andre Debose is gimpy with an ankle injury and Jeff Demps will undergo surgery any day now to amputate his foot that got stepped on back in September.  Other than that UF is the best 4-loss team in America with a functioning retard as offensive coordinator.  Even though I don't think FSU is really all that good, UF really is that much worse.  All streaks come to an end, and it's about time the young offspring of my Nole friends got a chance to celebrate a Seminole victory for the first time in their lifetimes.

Noles - 24

Gators - 13

Arizona at Oregon

It doesn't seem right...Oregon is on their way to an undefeated season.  It's like Cleveland making the Super Bowl or Missouri winning the Big 12.  Even though Oregon looks like the best team in the country not named Auburn (for now), I'm not sold on them.  I'm not brave enough to pick against Oregon at home, but if the Ducks lose, just remember who almost called it.

Ducks - 21

Zona - 17

Boise State at Nevada

Ugh...this is Boise State's toughest game?  We're still supposed to take these guys seriously.  #19 Nevada? Really?  The last team from Nevada deserving to be ranked that high was coached by Jerry Tarkanian.

Broncos - 45

The Other Wolfpack - 20

And finally....

Auburn at Alabama

In 1992, by their count, Alabama won their 29th national championship.  The following year Auburn went undefeated, but wasn't eligible for the national title because they were on probation.  Before accepting the Alabama job, Nick Saban led LSU to a national title in 2003.  The following year Auburn went undefeated, but didn't play for the national title thanks to the BCS.  Auburn's only national title came in 1957, awarded by the Associated Press, in spite of the Tigers being on probation and ineligible for a bowl game that year.  

Given their history it's easy to understand Auburn's stance on this Cam Newton saga.  Win now, and take your chances later...who cares if the title gets vacated 3 years from now?  If Auburn loses, then it's just the football karma gods putting Auburn in their rightful place, looking up at Alabama.  It's college football's version of the Yankees and the Red Sox, only in this case the Red Sox haven't won anything meaningful since integration....and Auburn fans are nowhere near as obnoxious as Red Sox fans.

Alabama is an afterthought nationally, which suits Nick Saban just fine.  It's Senior Day in Tuscaloosa, which also applies to NFL-bound juniors Julio Jones and Mark Ingram.  Maybe I'm still shell-shocked from the last two Bama ass-whuppins, but I had Bama winning this game in September, and I still do now.  I expect another NFL-bound junior, Marquis Maze, to overshadow Ingram, Richardson, Jones and yes, even Cam Newton.  In fact, I expect Bama to win this game much easier than the experts think.

Roll Tide - 31

War Eagle - 20

Be good.

e