[NU Sports] PIGSKIN PICKS - Week 13

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

PIGSKIN PICKS - WEEK 13
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Week 13 and while we're lucky to have a great regular season in college football, we're still unlucky in that you can feel another crummy finish coming, with a third straight questionable championship. PLAYOFFS NOW!!! There are a couple dandies on the slate this week and surprisingly THE game in Columbus is not one of them. Quite a quick fall from two years ago, when it was #1 vs. #2 and the biggest question wasn’t whether the Big Ten champ deserved a spot in the title game, but whether the runner up also did.

Now we should be talking about whether a team who didn’t make their own league title game but has one loss to a top five team deserves to be in over a one loss team that lost on its home field to Mississippi. But once again the answer will be no and it will be the Florida Gators who benefit … and like LSU last year, they’ll get to play essentially a home game for the title. Yeah, nice system. To the picks, and remember the THURSDAY deadline …

COLLEGE PICKS
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BIG TEN
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Game  1: Indiana @ Purdue
My pick: BOILERMAKERS … still can’t believe NU lost to IU, but it’s going to be their only league win of the season as the Boilers send Tiller off to retirement with one more bucket win.

Game  2: Iowa @ Minnesota
My Pick: HAWKEYES … the Gophers showed some spunk last week in Madison, but really haven’t been the same since Northwestern shattered their dream season up in the dome. The Hog-eyes win the PIG and finish the season on a strong note, making a good case for Tampa.

Game  3: Michigan @ Ohio State
My Pick: BUCKEYES … this one could get ugly as Michigan just doesn’t have the talent or explosiveness to stay with the Buckeyes. Ouch!

Game  4: Michigan State @ Penn State
My Pick: NITTANY LIONS … PSU moped around for a half last week, but this week they come out all business and wrap up the Rose Bowl berth (Pasadena is NEVER a consolation prize!) – plus it’s senior day and JoePa never loses on senior day.

Game  5: Cal-Poly @ Wisconsin
My Pick: BADGERS … really, how big of a snoozer is this game? The Badgers should have just ended with the bye and closed on the big Axe win.

NATIONAL
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Game  6: Texas Tech @ Oklahoma
My Pick: SOONERS … I’d love to see the Red Raiders win, but after flubbing up the Texas game, it looks like the Sooners are going to get another shot at the title this year (at least their loss was away from home to a good foe, ahem, Florida).

Game  7: Brigham Young @ Utah
My Pick: UTES … break out those BCS buster T-shirts and party like it’s 2004 Utah fans, because you’re heading to the BCS, even though I’m not fully convinced you’re a better team than Boise State.

Game  8: Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati
My Pick: BEARCATS … yes, it looks like the Big East’s BCS bid will be filled by a team than was crushed by Uconn – yes, Uconn.

Game  9: Florida State @ Maryland
My Pick: TERRAPINS … As usual, it’s a tossup with any ACC game, but the Turtles should come alive under the lights at home. Right?

Game 10: Miami (FL) @ Georgia Tech
My Pick: YELLOW JACKETS … another ACC guessing game. The Jackets are better coached and should win at home, but that’s too predictable in this league. Right? Well, the Canes are ranked and that is also a kiss of death. I just don’t know. The coin flip says Tech.

And off the board …

NORTHWESTERN 31, Illinois 27 – The Cats are going to have to open up the offense this week to beat the Illini because say what you want about Juice Williams and company, they can score. Fortunately, they also have a porous defense, so if Kafka can play, Bacher can cut the turnovers and Hankwitz makes the usual halftime adjustments, NU outlasts their in-state rivals and assures themselves of only getting mildly screwed over in the Big Ten bowl selection process.

Remember, picks in by THURSDAY!!!
THURSDAY!!!

GO CATS!!!
GEAUX SAINTS!!!
- SjT


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STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog at yahoo.com
GO CATS!!!