Friday, September 16, 2011

College Football Picks: Week 3*

I went 1-4-1 with my picks last week, dropping my total record to 5-7-1. But it's early in the season, and we're all trying to figure out who's good and who isn't. Here are my picks for this week:

Boise State -20 @ Toledo
I normally don't like big spreads, but this one seems small. And once Boise State gets ahead, they tend to pour it on.

West Virginia +1 @ Maryland
This is a close game to pick, but I have to go with West Virginia because they're slightly more talented.

Penn State -6.5 @ Temple
Ummmmmmmmmmmm, duh.

Auburn +3.5 @ Clemson
Auburn has won a pair of ugly games, but it's not like Clemson's wins over Troy and Wofford were meaningful.

Michigan State +5 @ Notre Dame
I had to double-check that this was the spread.

Ohio State +3 @ Miami
The only professional football game that's being played on Saturday.

Florida State +3 vs. Oklahoma
I'm picking against my heart here.


A Football Life... Wow


If you didn't see Part 1 of A Football Life: Bill Belichick last night, you either need to see it OnDemand. Or if you don't have NFL Network, you need to sleep with someone who does and/or break into their house and watch it. Or wait for the inevitable DVD. It was bloody brilliant.

You rarely get any sort of inside look into what goes on behind the doors at Gillette Stadium. Saying Bill Belichick is slightly guarded is like saying Rex Ryan is a little outgoing. So this was fun to watch, to see meetings between Belichick and Kraft, between Brady and Belichick. Seeing Belichick reminisce about his days with the Giants was my favorite part.

He always seems to be multi-tasking. Walking on a treadmill while studying notes on a future opponent. And we learned why he's so brief when answering the media, it's because he's eating a salad.

Speaking of Rex Ryan, it's kind of funny how Ryan's antics in one pre-season provided enough material for an entire mini-series. They followed Belichick for an entire year and only made two hours from it. But it seems like they have an amazing two hours of material.

I just wish they did this with Belichick every year, and could somehow do it going back in time when he was with the Giants.