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My 2011 College Football Top 25, Week 9

If I had an AP vote, here is what my ballot would look like after week 9, with last week's picks in brackets:

1. LSU [1]
2. Alabama [2]
3. Stanford [3]
4. Oklahoma State [4]
5. Boise State [5]
6. Oregon [7]
7. Arkansas [8]
8. Nebraska [11]
9. Oklahoma [14]
10. Clemson [6]
11. Virginia Tech [12]
12. Michigan [18]
13. South Carolina [15]
14. Houston [17]
15. Michigan State [9]
16. Kansas State [13]
17. Arizona State [19]
18. USC [20]
19. Penn State [21]
20. Wisconsin [10]
21. Georgia [23]
22. Cincinnati [NR]
23. Texas [NR]
24. West Virginia [NR]
25. Auburn [NR]

Dropped out: Texas A&M [16], Texas Tech [22], Baylor [24], Syracuse [25]

I almost went with: Washington, Ohio State

I knew it! Stanford (and BYU amd Illinois in others receiving votes)

I blew it! Syracuse

I think the AP is overrating these: Southern Miss (in others receiving votes)

I can't believe anyone gave votes this week to: Notre Dame

Your New College Football Champions - the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Using the belt title system, we have yet another championship belt winner in college football - the unranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, who unseated unbeaten and fifth-ranked Clemson Tigers by a 31-17 score in Atlanta. Sice taking the Belt from Auburn, Clemson had defended it successfully five times, knocking off #11 Florida State, #11 Virginia Tech, Boston College, Maryland and North Carolina. Georgia Tech built a 24-3 first half lead and never looked back. Fans rushed the field after the win. They look happy, don't they?

Since I've been following this method of crowning my own national champion, I've only posted when there was a new champion. Here is the history of my belt, awarded in accordance with the belt method:

• Texas took it from undisputed champion USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl.
• On September 9, 2006, #1 Ohio State gained the belt by defeating the #2 Texas Longhorns 24-7.
• On January 8, 2007, #2 Florida won the belt and the BCS by defeating the #1 Buckeyes 41-14.
• On September 29, 2007, the Auburn Tigers took the belt with a 20-17 win at #4 Florida.
• On October 20, 2007, #5 LSU obtained the belt from #18 Auburn with a 30-24 victory.
• On November 23, 2007, Arkansas took the title from #1 LSU with a 50-48 victory.
• On January 1, 2008, #7 Missouri took the belt away with a 38-7 win in the Cotton Bowl.
• On October 11, 2008, #3 Missouri lost the title to #17 Oklahoma State 28-23.
• On October 25, 2008, #1 Texas won back the belt by defeating #6 Oklahoma State 28-24.
• On November 1, 2008, #7 Texas Tech won the belt by defeating #1 Texas 39-33.
• On November 22, 2008, #5 Oklahoma took the belt by defeating #2 Texas Tech 65-21.
• On January 8, 2009, #2 Florida took the belt, and the BCS title, by beating the #1 Sooners 24-14.
• On December 5, 2009, Alabama won the belt (and later the BCS) by beating the Gators 32-13.
• On October 9, 2010, #19 South Carolina took the belt from #1 BCS champ Alabama 35-21.
• On October 16, 2010, Kentucky took the belt by defeating #10 South Carolina 31-28.
• On October 23, 2010, Georgia took the belt by winning at Kentucky, 44-31.
• On October 30, 2010, Florida took the belt by beating Georgia 34-31 in OT.
• On November 13, 2010,#23 South Carolina reclaimed the belt from #22 Florida 36-14.
• On December 4, 2010, #1 Auburn won Belt and BCS from #19 usc 56-17 in the SEC title game.
• On September 17, 2011, Clemson took it from #21 Auburn 38-24.
• On October 29, 2011, Georgia Tech tore it away from #5 Clemson, 31-14.

Georgia Tech (7-2) has some tough defenses ahead of them. They're next games are against #12 Virginia Tech, then a road trip to Duke, followed by a home game against #18 Georgia.

My College Football Picks, 2011 Week 9

Again this week I've gone through the schedule of ranked teams and checked the odds. I am 22-12-1 on the season with my money picks and 66-63-4 on the season overall. Here are my picks for this weekend in the top 25 against the spread, as shown in bold. The five *bets I like are marked by an asterisk. See if your picks can beat mine:

Saturday, Oct 29:
# 9 Michigan St. @ #13 Nebraska -4
Purdue @ #17 Michigan -14
Missouri @ #16 Texas A&M -10
* #8 Arkansas @ Vanderbilt +9
* #15 Virginia Tech @ Duke +14½
Wash St. @ #7 Oregon -35
Illinois @ #21 Penn St. -5
#25 West Virginia @ Rutgers +6½
#11 Oklahoma @ #10 Kansas St. +13½
Baylor @ #3 Oklahoma St. -14½
#22 Georgia @ Florida +2½
Colorado @ #23 Arizona St. -31
Iowa St. @ #19 Texas Tech -14½
* #14 South Carolina @ Tennessee +3½
#4 Stanford @ #20 USC +7½
* #12 Wisconsin @ Ohio St. +7½
* #6 Clemson @ Georgia Tech +3½

Among USC's currently unranked opponents, I like:
Syracuse @ Louisville -3
Iowa @ Minnesota +16
Navy @ Notre Dame +21½
Cal @ UCLA +4½
Oregon St. @ Utah -5
Arizona @ Washington -4

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/odds

My 2011 Bottom 10 After Week 8

Here is my Bottom Ten after eight weeks of play. Two of the teams that lost to lower division schools have now beaten more than one FBS team, so I dropped them from my list. We now have just two perfect 0-7 teams. Lowly New Mexico holds onto the bottom spot because one of its losses were to a lower division school. Here's how I see 'em this week:

1. New Mexico (0-7)* [1] Outscored 118-7 in last two. Next loss: Air Force
2. Florida Atlantic (0-7) [2] Bye week delays the march to 0-8. Next loss: Arkansas St.
3. Minnesota (1-6)* [4] Worst BCS conference team. Next loss: Iowa
4. UNLV (1-5)* [6] All five losses by 25 or more. Next loss: Colorado State
5. Idaho (1-6) [7] Beat only North Dakota. Next loss: Hawaii
6. Akron (1-6) [8] Beat only VMI. Next loss: Central Michigan
7. Kent State (1-6) [9] Averaging 7 ppg against FBS teams. Next loss: Bowling Green
8. Indiana (1-7) [9] Beat only South Carolina State. Next loss: Northwestern
9. Boston College (1-6) [9] Beat only U.Mass. Next loss: @ Maryland
10. UAB (1-6) [3] Improves to 1-6 with win over UCF. Next loss: @ Marshall

Dropped up and out: #5 Oregon State won its second game. #9 Western Kentucky won its third game. #10 Arizona stomped UCLA, #10 Memphis beat Tulane.

Not far ahead: Middle Tennessee, UAB, Western Kentucky

Dishonorable Mention: Western Kentucky*, Oregon St.*

This week's crummy Game of the Weak: Arkansas St. @ Florida Atlantic

This week's Blowout of the Weak: Air Force @ New Mexico

* lost to FCS team(s)

My College Picks 2011: Week 8 Results

I had my first losing week of the season in my five money* picks this week, going 2-3 and taking me to 22-12-1 on the season with my money picks. Overall, I went 9-9 this week in the top 25, bringing me to 66-63-4 on the year. Here's how I did:

L #11 West Virginia @ Syracuse +14
W North Carolina @ #8 Clemson -10½
L * #23 Illinois @ Purdue -3½
L #12 Kansas St. @ Kansas +10½
W #6 Oklahoma St. @ Missouri +7
L #10 Arkansas @ Mississippi +15
L * Boston College @ #16 Virginia Tech -21
W #13 Nebraska @ Minnesota +24½
L #20 Georgia Tech @ Miami (FL) -2½
W * #9 Oregon @ Colorado +31
L #17 Texas A&M @ Iowa St. +20½
L * Air Force @ #5 Boise St. -29
L #19 Auburn @ #1 LSU -21
W Marshall @ #21 Houston -23½
W Tennessee @ #2 Alabama -20½
W #4 Wisconsin @ #15 Michigan St. +7½
W Texas Tech @ #3 Oklahoma -28½
W * #22 Washington @ #7 Stanford -20

In unranked Pac-12play, I went 2-1 (and I'd have bet against UCLA, too):
L Utah @ Cal -2
W USC @ Notre Dame -9½
W Oregon State @ Washington State -3

That ridiculous 9½ point spread in South Bend proved as foolish as I thought it was. The ridiculous spread between LSU and Auburn turned out to be understated. Teams I rooted for did well this weekend: USC, Stanford, Michigan State, Purdue, Miami and LSU won -  four of which were big upsets. I found myself rooting for Texas Tech at the end of the day, too, and was not disappointed.

The saddest part of the weekend for me was that UCLA's defeat at Arizona came on Thursday, denying Trojan fans a Perfect Day. It was, however, a Perfect Week of football. USC won, UCLA and Notre Dame wailed and rent their garments. Life is good.

2011's Perfection: And Then There Were 8

There are now just 8 unbeaten teams after eight weeks of college football:

1. LSU
2. Alabama
3. Boise State
4. Oklahoma State
5. Stanford
6. Clemson
7. Kansas State
8. Houston

Wisconsin and Oklahoma fell for the first time this week, bringing the total number of perfect teams down to the eight I guessed we would end up with this week.

Next week, Alabama and LSU have the week off, preparing to face each other in a #1 v #2 matchup on November 5. Stanford travels to USC and Clemson travels to Georgia Tech. Both should win, but anything can happen on the road against a decent team. Houston hosts Rice, Oklahoma State hosts Baylor and Kansas State hosts Oklahoma. My best guess is that we have seven unbeaten teams on Sunday morning. I hope Stanford isn't among them.

My 2011 College Football Top 25, Week 8

If I had an AP vote, here is what my ballot would look like after week 8, with last week's picks in brackets. With some surprising losses, it was harder to decide where to sort a few of these teams out:

1. LSU [1]
2. Alabama [2]
3. Stanford [4]
4. Oklahoma State [7]
5. Boise State [6]
6. Clemson [9]
7. Oregon [8]
8. Arkansas [10]
9. Michigan State [15]
10. Wisconsin [5]
11. Nebraska [12]
12. Virginia Tech [13]
13. Kansas State [14]
14. Oklahoma [3]
15. South Carolina [16]
16. Texas A&M [17]
17. Houston [18]
18. Michigan [19]
19. Arizona State [24]
20. USC [25]
21. Penn State [22]
22. Texas Tech [NR]
23. Georgia [NR]
24. Baylor [NR]
25. Syracuse [NR]

Dropped out: West Virginia [11], Georgia Tech [20], Washington [21], Illinois [23]

I almost went with: Cincinnati, Texas, West Virginia

I knew it! Auburn (and that Oklahoma was not #1)

I blew it! West Virginia

I think the AP is overrating these: Southern Miss (in others receiving votes)

I can't believe anyone gave votes this week to: BYU, Illinois

My College Football Picks, 2011 Week 8

I am 20-9-1 on the season with my money picks, and 57-52-4 on the season overall. Here are my picks for this weekend in the top 25 against the spread, as shown in bold. The five bets I like are marked by an asterisk. See if your picks can beat mine:

Friday, Oct 21:
#11 West Virginia @ Syracuse +14

Saturday, Oct 22:
North Carolina @ #8 Clemson -10½
* #23 Illinois @ Purdue -3½
#12 Kansas St. @ Kansas +10½
#6 Oklahoma St. @ Missouri +7
#10 Arkansas @ Mississippi +15
* Boston College @ #16 Virginia Tech -21
#13 Nebraska @ Minnesota +24½
#20 Georgia Tech @ Miami (FL) -2½
* #9 Oregon @ Colorado +31
#17 Texas A&M @ Iowa St. +20½
* Air Force @ #5 Boise St. -29
#19 Auburn @ #1 LSU -21
Marshall @ #21 Houston -23½
Tennessee @ #2 Alabama -20½
#4 Wisconsin @ #15 Michigan St. +7½
Texas Tech @ #3 Oklahoma -28½
* #22 Washington @ #7 Stanford -20

In unranked Pac-12 and USC opponent play, I like:
Utah @ Cal -2
USC @ Notre Dame -9½
Oregon State @ Washington State -3

I'm surprised by the big 9½ point spread in South Bend. I'm also a little surprised by the huge spread between LSU and Auburn. Not surprised enough to bet, though. The North Carolina/Clemson game is for the College Football Belt, which Clemson took from Auburn a few weeks back. Ten teams I'm rooting for this weekend: USC, Stanford, Michigan State, Purdue, Boston College, Miami, Iowa State, LSU, Marshall and Missouri.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/odds

USC @ Notre Dame 2011: Visiting South Bend

The last Notre Dame game I missed was 8 years ago. I wanted to go to this year's game, but I have kids who can't miss school, and with such a late start in South Bend, it just wasn't going to work out. To stay in Chicago, I'd be looking at a drive back to the city that would last until about 2 a.m., leaving everyone exhausted. To stay in South Bend, we would need to take a very inconvenient set of flights, or fly into Chicago on Friday night and drive into town very, very late or else fly in on Saturday and risk a flight delay that could cause us to miss the game completely. So I'm going to watch it at home on TV. If you're going, here's the situation:

Weather: Today, the weather forecast for Saturday in South Bend is mostly clear with a high of 62° and an overnight low of 42°. There's rain expected today and on Sunday.

Webcams: USC has Tommy Trojan on a webcam. Notre Dame has the golden dome on a webcam, too. Actually, Notre Dame is full of webcams, including the Clark Memorial Fountain, the South Quad, and others.

Tickets: Ducats are more expensive this year. The cheapest seat on Stubhub is $319, and it's a bad seat. The cheapest lower level pair between the goal lines - $1,000.

USC Activities in Chicago and South Bend: The 2011 USC vs. Notre Dame Weekender is headquartered at The Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, 301 East North Water Street, Chicago, IL 60611, (877) 242-2558. The Weekender festivities include a Pep Rally on Friday night and a tailgater on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. on campus.

What to Do On Campus: I've now been to South Bend three times. I read a couple of lists of stuff to do at a Notre Dame home game, and, being a Trojan, I won't want to do them all, but here is a slightly modified list of 25 things visiting fans can do for fun at a Notre Dame game.

1. Go inside the administration building and check out the mural on the inside of the golden dome.
2. Light a candle and say a prayer at the Grotto for Notre Dame to get shut out. It worked last time.
3. Go to Mass in the Sacred Heart Basilica; or at least stop in and reiterate your prayer for a shutout.
4. Buy some stuff at the campus bookstore for your Irish friends and relatives back home.
5. Don a "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" button but expect nothing because you're wearin' the Cardinal & Gold.
6. Watch the team come out after the pregame Mass in the Basilica.
7. Follow the ND band at least part of the way to Notre Dame Stadium.
8. Greet USC coaches and players as their bus rolls in.
9. Take a photo with Touchdown Jesus. For bonus points, use forced perspective and post what you got,.
10. Jump up and give Fair-Catch Corby a high five.
11. Visit the Sports Heritage Hall at the Joyce Center.
12. Sit with Moose Krause outside the Joyce Center.
13. Flash a Victory sign at "No. 1 Moses".
14. Visit Rockne's grave in Highland Cemetery on Portage Avenue. Thank him for a great series.
15. Spend at least an hour at the College Football Hall of Fame. See Knute Rockne's statue. Next time USC comes to South Bend, the Hall will be in Atlanta.
16. Splash your hands in the Stonehenge Fountain (Clarke Memorial).
17. Pose for a photograph with somebody dressed like a leprechaun.
18. Purchase a bootleg t-shirt that has the date of the game printed on it.
19. Greet the statues of Leahy, Parseghian and Holtz outside the stadium.
20. Walk up to the anti-Catholic protesters and ask "You need a ticket? How much you got?"
21. Buy a game program and immediately wrap it in plastic in case it rains or someone dumps their cup on it.
22. Before going to your own seat, walk all the way to the top and take a picture of the stadium.
23. Smuggle in some hard liquor, but not whiskey. Let them Irish drink the whiskey.
24. Snag about 20 souvenir soda cups after the game. They'll clean up just fine.
25. Snap a photo of the final score on the scoreboard, win, lose or draw.

Where to Go, What to Do: If you are here from out of town, here's a little help, from Notre Dame Stadium's website (if you know of one more up-to-date than 2006, let me know):

TICKETS -- Safeguard your tickets, keep them in a secure location - and treat them like cash! Everyone needs a ticket for admission, regardless of age.

TICKET RESALE -- Adhere to the Athletic Ticket Resale Policy. The ticket office actively monitors secondary market sales and enforces this policy. So far this year more than 600 tickets have been revoked and privileges of the owners have been suspended. In fact, 400 of those tickets were caught prior to being sent to the customer. Those tickets were resold to alumni who lost in the lottery. A Ticket Office Resale Violator Tipline is available via email: seller1@nd.edu. Please send any suspected violators or information to this address.

TICKET FRAUD -- With high demand for this year's tickets, scams and ticket fraud are on the rise. Be very cautious when buying tickets from any entity other than the University. For more information, refer to the July Ticket Office Fraud and Scam Alert.

PRIDE -- Protect the Notre Dame home-field advantage! Wear Notre Dame colors and do not provide tickets to visiting team fans!

CAMPUS PARKING -- In the last few years there have been significant changes in the campus and surrounding roadway infrastructure due to campus improvements. Arrive early to be assured of a spot so you can gain entrance to the Stadium by kickoff. Many roadways that you may have been accustomed to utilizing are no longer available: Parking Map.

GAMEDAY PARKING - All gameday drive-up parking is located in the White Field (north of campus) which is accessed from Juniper Road via Cleveland road. Do not approach from the south. Do not approach from internal campus.

BUS PARKING -- Bus parking has also been relocated from directly south of Joyce Center to Old Edison Road due to road changes. ALL busses should approach from the south.

JUNIPER ROAD -- Juniper Road between Douglas Road and Angela Blvd./Edison Road is closed permanently to traffic.

RESERVED PARKING -- If you have a reserved parking pass please be sure to follow the directions on the reverse of the pass and follow the directions of parking attendants. Limited reserved parking is still on sale. Please contact the Ticket Office for more information by calling 574-631-7356 Monday through Friday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm EDT. Restrictions apply. You must have purchased tickets directly through the Notre Dame Ticket Office to be eligible to purchase parking. Please call for details. Lots and availability are subject to change.

Please review the links below for more information on football parking, directions and additional information:

Football Parking Information

Directions to Notre Dame

Other:

TIME ZONE -- As of April 2, 2006, the state of Indiana began observing daylight savings. As such, Notre Dame is in the Eastern Time Zone (EDT through last weekend in October, then EST) and will be aligned with the east coast year-round.

SMOKING -- In accordance with a new St. Joseph County ordinance, there will be no smoking in any part of Notre Dame Stadium. Passouts will not be permitted.

POLICIES -- For more information on gameday and stadium policies: click here.

ALCOHOL -- As a reminder, alcohol is prohibited in Notre Dame Stadium.

TAILGATING -- There is no tailgating permitted in parking lots during the football games.

There you have it, your Game Day Guide. Enjoy the festivities.

USC @ Notre Dame: The 411 on This Year's Game

It's USC v. Notre Dame week, the 83rd game in the greatest cross-sectional rivalry in college football. Last time USC came to South Bend, I was there and USC was still in the hunt for a national title. This time, I'm watching from home because the late start time and my kid's school schedules make it all but impossible to make the weekender, and neither team is ranked in the top 25 - both teams were among the top three "others getting votes" last week. Last time USC came to South Bend, Pat Haden was on the Irish broadcast team. This time, he comes to the press box as USC's athletic director. Here is the basic who, what, when, where of the game

Starting Time: Kickoff is officially scheduled for 7:40 p.m. EDT (4:40 p.m. PDT)

Broadcast: NBC will be broadcasting the game nationally at 7:30 p.m. with Tom Hammond, Mike Mayock, Alex Flanagan. 

Records: USC is 5-1 (3-1, tied for first in the Pac-12 South). Notre Dame is 4-2.

Rankings: Neither team is ranked. Among others receiving votes, Notre Dame is 2nd and USC 3rd in the AP Poll. Notre Dame is also second among the others receiving votes in the coaches poll, for which USC is ineligible.

Odds: Notre Dame is a 9½ point favorite.

Streaks: USC has won two straight since a loss at Arizona State. The Irish have won four straight since losing their first two. In the series, USC had won eight straight until Notre Dame beat the Trojans last season in the Coliseum.

Schedules: The Trojans have the nation's 59th most difficult schedule so far this season. Notre Dame has had the 26th toughest. Notre Dame has beaten Michigan State and lost to Michigan. USC lost to Arizona State

Coaches: USC's Lane Kiffin is 13-6 at USC, but has lost his only game against Notre Dame. Notre Dame's Brian Kelly is 12-7 at Notre Dame, and is 1-0 against USC.

The History: No other intersectional rivalry is as old, as intense or as meaningful as this one. This year marks 86 seasons of tradition between the two schools, broken only by a few seasons during World War II. In almost one-fourth of those years, the winner of this game has won the national championship. The series began in 1926, when Knute Rockne took his team to the West Coast, reportedly because his wife wanted a warm-weather holiday. Though they had just one national title between them then, USC and Notre Dame were becoming national football powerhouses, and in the first seven seasons of the rivalry, the winner of the game ended up as national champions five times! Notre Dame hosts the games in odd-numbered years, since 1931, those have all been played at Notre Dame Stadium. USC hosts games in even-numbered years, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The Prize: The winner of the game keeps the Shillelagh, a club made of Irish wood, for a year. This Shillelagh adds an emerald-studded shamrock for each Notre Dame win, and a ruby-studded Trojan head for each USC win, right next to the engraved score of each game. For tie games, a combined Trojan head/shamrock medallion was used. The original Shillelagh was filled up after the 1989 game and is on display at Notre Dame. This year's game is a battle for the current, second, Shillelagh.

Head-to-Head Record: No team has beaten USC more times than Notre Dame. No team has beaten Notre Dame more times than USC. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 43-34-5. The series is streaky. Before Notre Dame's win last season, USC had won 8 straight games. The Irish won the 3 before that. USC won the 3 before that. Notre Dame won 12 of the 13 before that. USC won 11 of 13 before that. In the past 10 games, USC holds a 8-2 lead. Since 1967, USC leads 23-18-3. At the Coliseum, USC leads 21-18-4, but in South Bend, where this year's game is played, Notre Dame holds a 25-13-1 advantage

Great Players: USC has had 156 All-Americans, 28 College Football Hall of Famers, 10 Pro Football Hall of Famers, 5 NFL #1 overall draft picks and 6 Heisman Trophy winners (plus the vacated one given to Reggie Bush) Notre Dame has 181 All-Americans, 41 College Football Hall of Famers, 10 Pro Football Hall of Famers, 5 NFL #1 overall draft picks and 7 Heisman Trophy winners, most recently, Tim Brown, 1987.

Bowls: USC has won 32 of the 48 bowls in which it played. Notre Dame has won 15 of the 30 it played. Both teams won their last bowl games. USC is not eligible for a bowl in 2011.

Catholics v. Protestants: Notre Dame was founded as a Roman Catholic university. USC was founded as a Methodist university. When Notre Dame first came to Southern California, the Trojans were a Methodist campus. In fact, the Trojans were once known as the USC Wesleyans or the USC Methodists. Despite a reference on wikipedia, rumors that USC athletes were once referred to as the "Fighting Methodists" are unsubstantiated.

And with a series this great, that has lasted this long, ever year there is an anniversary to remember. Consider these:

Memorable Anniversaries - 15 years (1996, USC 27, Notre Dame 20): Ten years ago, the unranked Trojans beat 10th-ranked Notre Dame 27-20 in the first and only overtime game in the series. The victory ended Notre Dame's unprecedented 13 year unbeaten streak. I was at that game with my brother. Nursing a two point lead, Notre Dame scored a late TD and lined up for an extra point that would have made it a nine-point, 2 possession lead. Jim Sanson's kick was wide left, and USC went on to score a game-tying touchdown and 2-point conversion to send the game into overtime. In the extra period, played on the peristyle end, right in front of my section three seats, Brad Otton connected with Rodney Sermon for a touchdown. For the Irish, Ron Powlus had his fourth-and-nine pass swatted down by Trojan linebacker Mark Cusano, and we all rushed the field. The win improved USC to 6-6, while the loss kept Notre Dame from a Bowl Coalition bid, making this Lou Holtz's final game for the Irish. announced that he was retiring before bringing the Fighting Irish to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for one final game.

Memorable Anniversaries - 25 years (1986, Notre Dame 38, USC 37) This was my first ever USC home game. It was also Lou Holtz's first trip to the Coliseum. We had nearly the worst seats in the house, up high, dead center of the goalposts. We were wearing shorts and t-shirts, because it was clear and warm when we left for the game. By halftime, USC was up 20-9, and the weather was cold and rainy. When USC took at 30-12 lead early in the third quarter, we left, cold and wet, but happy. As warmed up on our drive home, Steve Beuerlein (a Servite grad I had hated from my days at St. Paul) warmed up on the field. After three TD passes, Notre Dame cut the lead to 37-35, and John Carney kicked the game-winning 19-yard field goal with two seconds left.

Memorable Anniversaries - 40 years (1971, USC 28, Notre Dame 14): The brawl bowl. The game was interrupted twenty minutes by an on-field fight. After the fight, USC went on to upset the 6th ranked Irish Onceby USC his  USC 28, No. 6 Notre Dame 14 Notre Dame Stadium The game was interrupted for 20 minutes as everyone on the field got involved in an on-field fight. When the game resumed, the Trojans proceeded to upset the sixth-ranked Irish 28-14.

Memorable Anniversaries - 80 years (1931, USC 16, Notre Dame 14): USC won in South Bend for the first time ever. USC scored all 16 of its points in the fourth quarter, capped by Johnny Baker's 33-yard field goal with one minute left. The win ended defending national champion Notre Dame's 26-game unbeaten streak. Afterwards, USC coach Howard Jones took his team to the grave of Knute Rockne, who was killed the previous spring in a plane crash. USC went on to win the 1931 national championship.

Notre Dame has a USC Game Week page with lots of information. I'll have more tomorrow.

2011's Perfection: And Then There Were 10

There are now just 10 unbeaten teams after seven weeks of college football:

1. LSU
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma
4. Wisconsin
5. Boise State
6. Oklahoma State
7. Stanford
8. Clemson
9. Kansas State
10. Houston

Michigan, Georgia Tech and Illinois fell from the list this week. Next week, K. State visits rival Kansas, Oklahoma State goes to Missouri, Wisconsin heads to Michigan State, LSU hosts Auburn, Oklahoma hosts Texas Tech and Stanford hosts Washington. Any of those games could end with someone taking their first loss. I'd be quite surprised to see Clemson, Boise State, Alabama or Houston lose their home games. My best guess: we'll be down to 8 next week.

My 2011 College Football Top 25, Week 7

If I had an AP vote, here is what my ballot would look like after week 7, with last week's picks in brackets. It was wasn't very hard to decide where to place everyone the top ten this week, with nobody losing:

1. LSU [1]
2. Alabama [2]
3. Oklahoma [3]
4. Stanford [4]
5. Wisconsin [5]
6. Boise State [6]
7. Oklahoma State [7]
8. Oregon [8]
9. Clemson [9]
10. Arkansas [10]
11. West Virginia [13]
12. Nebraska [14]
13. Virginia Tech [15]
14. Kansas State [18]
15. Michigan State [20]
16. South Carolina [19]
17. Texas A&M [22]
18. Houston [21]
19. Michigan [11]
20. Georgia Tech [12]
21. Washington [25]
22. Penn State [NR]
23. Illinois [16]
24. Arizona State [17]
25. USC [NR]

Dropped out: Texas [23], Baylor [24]

I almost went with: Georgia, Auburn

I knew it! Baylor

I blew it! Georgia Tech

I think the AP is overrating these: Auburn, Kansas State

I can't believe anyone gave votes this week to: SMU, Cincinnati, Rutgers

My 2011 Bottom 10 After Week 7

Here is my Bottom "Ten" after seven weeks of play. I've moved the three teams that went a perfect 0-6 in their first half of the season. Lowly New Mexico holds onto the bottom spot because one of its losses were to a lower division school. Western Kentucky won a second time, but against another weaksauce opponent - Florida Atlantic. Still not enough to make up for losing to Indiana State. Here's how I see 'em this week:

1. New Mexico (0-6)* [1] Three losses by more than 40 points. Next loss: @ TCU
2. Florida Atlantic (0-6) [7] Shut out by Western Kentucky? Next loss: Middle Tennessee
3. UAB (0-6) [6] At least all their losses were to FBS teams. Next loss: UCF
4. Minnesota (1-5)* [2] Bye week won't help against Nebraska. Next loss: Nebraska
5. Oregon State (1-5)* [4] Only win was Arizona. Next loss:@ Washington St.
6. UNLV (1-5)* [5] All five losses by 25 or more. Next loss: Colorado State
7. Idaho (1-6) [9] Beat North Dakota Next loss: Hawaii
8. Akron (1-5) [9] Beat VMI. Next loss: Ohio
9. W. Kentucky (2-4)* [3] Beat MTSU and Florida Atlantic. Next loss: La-Lafayette
10. Five other teams tied with one win against the FCS and none against the FBS:

• Kent State (1-6) [9] Beat S. Alabama. Next loss: Bowling Green
• Memphis (1-6) [9] Beat Austin Peay. Next loss: @ Tulane
• Boston College (1-5) [9] Beat U.Mass. Next loss: @ VA Tech
• Indiana (1-6) [9] Beat South Carolina State. Next loss: @ Iowa
• Arizona (1-5) [9] Beat Northern Arizona. Next loss: UCLA

Dropped up and out: #9 Louisiana Monroe scored its first against a Division I, FBS team.

Not far ahead: Middle Tennessee

This week's crummy Game of the Weak: Middle Tennessee @ Florida Atlantic

This week's Blowout of the Weak: Nebraska @ Minnesota

* lost to FCS team(s)

My College Picks 2011: Week 7 Results

Again, I won three of my five money* picks this week, and I'm still in positive territory every week so far this year. On the two games I missed, one was a huge upset (Georgia Tech) and the other was a ration of crap. South Carolina gave up a late safety on purpose, turning a spread-beating 4 point victory into a spread-failing 2 point win. Still, I am now 20-9-1 on the season with my money picks. Overall, I went 9-7-1 for the second time in a row in the top 25, bringing me to 57-52-4 on the season. Here's how I did:

W * Indiana @ #4 Wisconsin -39
L #11 Michigan @ #23 Michigan St. -3
W #20 Baylor @ #21 Texas A&M -9
L * #15 South Carolina @ Miss St. +3 (Give the safety? Bastards)
W Ohio St. @ #16 Illinois -3½
L * #12 Georgia Tech @ Virginia +8
W #6 Oklahoma St. @ #22 Texas +8
L #1 LSU @ Tennessee +18½
L #2 Alabama @ Mississippi +28
W * #5 Boise St. @ Colorado St. +33
W #19 Virginia Tech @ Wake Forest +7
L #8 Clemson @ Maryland +9
W Florida @ #24 Auburn +2½
L #17 Kansas St. @ Texas Tech +3½
W * #7 Stanford @ Wash St. +21
W #3 Oklahoma @ Kansas +37
P #18 Arizona St @ #9 Oregon -14

In unranked Pac-12 and USC opponent play, I was 3 for 3:
W Utah @ Pitt -6
W Colorado @ Washington -17
W BYU @ Oregon St. -3

The easiest picks this season have been Boise State and Stanford minus the points. Those bets seem destined to win. I'll probably be going with them again next week.

The Grossest Revelation of the Year

Check this out: 1 in 6 British iPhones have fecal matter on them, apparently because people do not wash their hands after taking care of business.

In related news, at least 16.6% of the British cannot drop a deuce without soiling their hands. WTF? Do y'all use BOTH sides of the toiler paper?

My 2011 Bottom 10 After Week 6

Here is my Bottom "Ten" after six weeks of play. Lowly New Mexico holds onto the bottom spot with a bye. Western Kentucky and Oregon State won for the first time, but against weaksauce opponents. Beating Arizona or Middle Tennessee State does not make up for losses to Sacramento State or Indiana State. There are now just three winless teams left, plus another 8 that can only beat FCS teams. Here's how I see 'em this week:

1. New Mexico (0-5)* [1] Bye was its best week of the season. Next loss: @ Nevada
2. Minnesota (1-5)* [4] Caught looking ahead to the bye. Next loss: Nebraska
3. W. Kentucky (1-4)* [2] Finally met its match in MTSU. Next loss: @ Florida Atlantic
4. Oregon State (1-4)* [3] Finally picked on someone their own size. Next loss: BYU
5. UNLV (1-4)* [5] Shut out by Nevada. Next loss: @ Wyoming
6. UAB (0-5) [7] At least all their losses were to FBS teams. Next loss: @ Tulsa
7. Florida Atlantic (0-5) [8] At least all their losses were to FBS teams. Next loss: Western Kentucky
8. Eight teams tied with one win against the FCS and none against the FBS:

• Akron (1-5) [9] Beat VMI. Next loss: Ohio
• Kent State (1-5) [9] Beat S. Alabama. Next loss: Miami (OH)
• Memphis (1-5) [9] Beat Austin Peay. Next loss: ECU
• Boston College (1-5) [9] Beat U.Mass. Next loss: @ VA Tech
• Indiana (1-5) [9] Beat South Carolina State. Next loss: @ Wisconsin
• Arizona (1-5) [9] Beat Northern Arizona. Next loss: UCLA
• Louisiana Monroe (1-4) [9] Beat Grambling. Next loss: @ Troy
• Idaho (1-5) [9] Beat North Dakota Next loss: @ New Mexico State

Dropped up and out: #6 Miami (Ohio), beat Army. Weak sister #9s Buffalo, Utah State and Louisiana Tech all notched their first wins against Division I, FBS teams.

Not far ahead: Middle Tennessee

This week's crummy Game of the Weak: Western Kentucky @ Florida Atlantic

This week's Blowout of the Weak: Boston College @ Virginia Tech, Indiana @ Wisconsin

* lost to FCS team(s)

My College Football Picks, 2011 Week 7

I am still 17-7-1 on the season with my money picks, having taken last weekend off. USC had a bye, and I had a cabin in Yosemite, so no picks for me last week. Overall, in the top 25, I remain 48-45-3 on the season. Here are my picks for this weekend in the top 25 against the spread, as shown in bold. The five bets I like are marked by an asterisk. See if your picks can beat mine:

Saturday, Oct 15:
* Indiana @ #4 Wisconsin -39
#11 Michigan @ #23 Michigan St. -3
#20 Baylor @ #21 Texas A&M -9
* #15 South Carolina @ Miss St. +3
Ohio St. @ #16 Illinois -3½
* #12 Georgia Tech @ Virginia +8
#6 Oklahoma St. @ #22 Texas +8
#1 LSU @ Tennessee +18½
#2 Alabama @ Mississippi +28
* #5 Boise St. @ Colorado St. +33
#19 Virginia Tech @ Wake Forest +7
#8 Clemson @ Maryland +9
Florida @ #24 Auburn +2½
#17 Kansas St. @ Texas Tech +3½
* #7 Stanford @ Wash St. +21
#3 Oklahoma @ Kansas +37
#18 Arizona St @ #9 Oregon -14

In unranked Pac-12 and USC opponent play, I like:
Utah @ Pitt -6
Colorado @ Washington -17
BYU @ Oregon St. -3

After beating Cal on Thursday, USC has a semi-bye and Notre Dame has a bye, so I'm a little less interested this week, but it actually looks like an interesting week because 14 ranked teams are on the road this week, and 8 of those have decent opponents. There could be some big shake-ups in the rankings by this time Sunday. The Maryland/Clemson game is for the College Football Belt, which Clemson took from Auburn a few weeks back. Ten teams I'm rooting for this weekend: Michigan, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Colorado State, Maryland, Florida, Texas Tech, Oregon.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/odds

My 2011 College Football Top 25, Week 6

If I had an AP vote, here is what my ballot would look like after week 6 [last week's picks are in brackets]:

1. LSU [1]
2. Alabama [2]
3. Oklahoma [3]
4. Stanford [4]
5. Wisconsin [5]
6. Boise State [6]
7. Oklahoma State [7]
8. Oregon [8]
9. Clemson [9]
10. Arkansas [10]
11. Michigan [11]
12. Georgia Tech [13]
13. West Virginia [14]
14. Nebraska [16]
15. Virginia Tech [15]
16. Illinois [17]
17. Arizona State [19]
18. Kansas State [21]
19. South Carolina [22]
20. Michigan State [23]
21. Houston [24]
22. Texas A&M [25]
23. Texas [12]
24. Baylor [NR]
25. Washington [NR]

Dropped out: Florida [18], Auburn [20], 

I almost went with:USC, Penn State

I knew it!  Florida State, Auburn

I blew it!  None.

I think the AP is overrating these: Baylor

I can't believe anyone gave votes this week to:SMU, Cincinnati

2011's Perfection: And Then There Were 13

There are now just 13 unbeaten teams after six weeks of college football:

1. LSU
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma
4. Wisconsin
5. Boise State
6. Oklahoma State
7. Stanford
8. Clemson
9. Michigan
10. Georgia Tech
11. Illinois
12. Kansas State
13. Houston

Texas and Texas Tech got their first losses on Saturday. Next week, we could still have 13, but there are a lot of teams going on the road: Michigan, Oklahoma State and Kansas State have particularly strong tests.

iSad

My 2011 Bottom 10 After Week 5

Here is my Bottom "Ten" after five weeks of play. With conference play in full swing, there were no humiliating losses to lower division foes this week. Lowly New Mexico holds onto the bottom spot with a loss to lowly New Mexico State. I was right about this week's Blowout of the Weak. Minnesota lost to Michigan 58-0.

Middle Tennessee won its first game of the season, dropping it from the Bottom Ten and polishing the tarnish from next week's potential matchup of winless teams as it hosts Western Kentucky. There are now six winless teams left, plus another 11 that can only beat FCS teams. Here's how I see 'em this week:

1. New Mexico (0-5)* [1] New era begins like Locksley era ended. Next loss: @ Nevada
2. W. Kentucky (0-4)* [2] Lost to lowly Arkansas State. Next loss: @ Mid. Tenn St.
3. Oregon State (0-4)* [3] Mike Riley's lifetime contract yields this? Next loss: Arizona
4. Minnesota (1-4)* [4] Absolutely destroyed by Michigan. Next loss: @ Purdue
5. UNLV (1-3) [5] Idle. Next loss: @ Nevada
6. Miami (OH) (0-4) [8] Didn't even score this week. Next loss: Army
7. UAB (0-4) [6] 2 losses were to teams with losing records. Next loss: Miss. St.
8. Florida Atlantic (0-4) [9] All four losses were to 4-1 teams. Next loss: @ North Texas
9. Eleven teams tied with one win against the FCS and none against the FBS:

• Akron (1-4) [10] Beat VMI. Next loss: @ FIU
• Kent State (1-4) [10] Beat S. Alabama. Next loss: @ N. Ill.
• Buffalo (1-4) [10] Beat Stony Brook. Next loss: Ohio
• Memphis (1-4) [10] Beat Autin Peay. Next loss: @ Rice
• Boston College (1-4) [10] Beat U.Mass. Next loss: @ Clemson
• Indiana (1-4) [10] Beat South Carolina State. Next loss: Illinois
• Arizona (1-4) [10] Beat Northern Arizona. Next loss: @ Oregon State
• Louisiana Monroe (1-3) [10] Beat Grambling. Next loss: Arkansas State
• Utah State (1-4) [10] Beat Weber St. Next loss: @ BYU
• Louisiana Tech (1-4) [10] Beat Central Arkansas. Next loss: @ Idaho
• Idaho (1-4) [10] Beat North Dakota Next loss: Louisiana Tech

Dropped up and out: #7 Middle Tennessee beat weak sister Memphis; #10s Toledo, Central Michigan, Ole Miss and Northern Illinois all notched their first wins against Division I, FBS teams.

Not far ahead: Middle Tennessee

This week's crummy Game of the Weak: Western Kentucky @ Middle Tennessee

This week's Blowout of the Weak: Boston College @ Clemson

* lost to FCS team(s)

2011's Perfection: And Then There Were 15

There are now just 15 unbeaten teams after five weeks of college football:

1. LSU
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma
4. Wisconsin
5. Boise State
6. Oklahoma State
7. Stanford
8. Clemson
9. Texas 
10. Michigan
11. Georgia Tech
12. Illinois
13. Kansas State
14. Houston
15. Texas Tech

Only Texas Tech and Houston have failed to crack the AP Poll so far.

Next week, we will be down to 14 or less, since unbeaten Oklahoma plays unbeaten Texas. In addition, reasonably difficult home games await LSU and Texas Tech.

The other 11 have easier weeks. Oregon, West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State, Clemson, Stanford and Houston are home against unranked teams with losing or even records. Michigan, Illinois and Boise State go on the road against very beatable teams. Wisconsin has the week off.

My 2011 College Football Top 25, Week 5

If I had an AP vote, here is what my ballot would look like after week 5, with last week's picks in brackets. It was very hard to decide wherer to place everyone this week, with so many teams losing, some losing big:

1. LSU [1]
2. Alabama [3]
3. Oklahoma [2]
4. Stanford [4]
5. Wisconsin [6]
6. Boise State [5]
7. Oklahoma State [7]
8. Oregon [9]
9. Clemson [16]
10. Arkansas [19]
11. Michigan [14]
12. Texas [13]
13. Georgia Tech [20]
14. West Virginia [22]
15. Virginia Tech [10]
16. Nebraska [11]
17. Illinois [23]
18. Florida [12]
19. Arizona State [24]
20. Auburn [NR]
21. Kansas State [NR]
22. South Carolina [8]
23. Michigan State [NR]
24. Houston [NR]
25. Texas A&M [15]

Dropped out: South Florida [17], Baylor [18], TCU [21], Utah [25]

I almost went with: Texas Tech, Washington

I knew it!  Baylor

I blew it!  South Carolina

I think the AP is overrating these: Nebraska, Auburn, Florida State,

I can't believe anyone gave votes this week to: Notre Dame, Pitt

My College Picks 2011: Week 5 Results

I won three of my five money* picks this week, so I'm still in positive territory every week so far this year. On the two games I missed, I missed badly. I gave the points and my team lost straight up. But I am now 17-7-1 on the season with my money picks. Overall, I went just 9-7-1 in the top 25, bringing me to 48-45-3 on the season. Here's how I did:

L Northwestern @ #24 Illinois -10
W * Minnesota @ #19 Michigan -20
W #14 Texas A&M @ #18 Arkansas +2½
W Kentucky @ #1 LSU -30½
W Nevada @ #4 Boise St. -27½
W #15 Baylor @ Kansas St. +3½
P #21 Georgia Tech @ North Carolina St. +10
W Bowling Green @ #22 West Virginia -18
L * Auburn @ #10 South Carolina -10½
L * SMU @ #20 TCU -12½
L #13 Clemson @ #11 VA Tech -7
W * Ball St @ #2 Oklahoma -40
L #17 Texas @ Iowa St. +9
L #8 Nebraska @ #7 Wisconsin -10
L #3 Alabama @ #12 Florida +4
W Oregon St. @ #25 Arizona St. -18
W * UCLA @ #6 Stanford -21½

In unranked Pac-12 and USC opponent play, I almost couldn' t have done worse:
L Arizona @ USC -12½
L Washington State @ Colorado -3
L Washington @ Utah -10
W Rutgers @ Syracuse -1½
L Notre Dame @ Purdue +12

The ten teams I rooted for this weekend struggled. Only USC, Stanford, Michigan State and Texas won. But USC won and I finished in the money it was a good weekend.