If you live in the midwest, then you know that Fall has been surpassed as we have entered straight into early Winter. Scraping the car off on the 1st of October is not fun for the Yoders here in Columbus. A picture of the epic 1950 Snow Bowl from the Shoe might be a bit dramatic, but it has been cold in Central Ohio, ok? But hey, it is a reminder that we are coming into the meat of the football calendar as Autumn rushes in. As we enter into Week 5, conference play begins to pick up along with some intriguing inter-region affairs. Time to go grillin'!
Big Kielbasa's Game Of the Week - #4 LSU (4-0) @ #18 Georgia (3-1)
Finally, we have a few Top 25 matchups to pick from this week. However, the one with the most significance takes us Between the Hedges for the showdown between LSU and Georgia. LSU hopes to not be found out as the "Overrated SEC Team of the Week" like Ole Miss was last week. But in all honesty, they should have lost last week at Miss State. Only a miraculous punt return and a goal line stand saved them in Starkville.
Georgia has come back from their loss at Ok St in Week 1 with 3 solid wins over South Carolina, Arkansas, and Arizona St. Joe Cox has settled in at QB replacing Matt Stafford, and AJ Green has stepped up as the SEC's leading receiver. On the other hand, LSU's offense is dead last in total yards in the SEC. The homefield advantage, and an LSU team lacking confidence will lead to another Top 5 team falling this week. PICK-UGA
Beer Brat's Spotlight Game Of the Week - #8 Oklahoma (2-1) @ #17 Miami (2-1)
Our spotlight game takes us back to Miami where the Canes try to recover from the clock striking midnight. Their effort against Va Tech left fans of The U's comeback wanting. Jacory Harris suddenly isn't a Heisman candidate anymore, and it doesn't get easier with OU coming to South Florida. Oklahoma has played well with Landry Jones (awesome stache) replacing Sam Bradford, but how would you do against the Murderer's Row that is Idaho State and Tulsa. Don't be fooled by that 109-0 score the past two weeks for the Sooners. This will be Jones' first real test since being unable to beat BYU. Most folks see this going OU's way, but being counter-cultural here at RSS, we think that The U bounces back and tells Bob Stoops that they ain't playin Idaho State anymore. PICK-The U
Chorizo's Upset Of the Week - #22 Michigan (4-0) @ Michigan State (1-3)
Our spicy friend's upset picks have come close... but our picks haven't been able to close the deal. Hopefully, that'll be different this week as we go to East Lansing and the Big 10 for our upset special. Michigan got helped by a dubious referee's call last week against the mighty Hoosiers. The Maize and Blue D looked very similar to the porous units of the past few seasons. The Spartans have been unlucky as they've lost 3 games by only 13 points including two tough road games at ND and Wisconsin. This game would save Sparty's season, and Michigan is due to come back down to earth. PICK-Michigan State
Andouille's Under the Radar Game - #7 USC (3-1) @ #24 Cal (3-1)
Our andouille underrated game of the week takes us out west in what could decide the Pac 10 race. Cal flew off the national radar screen after getting embarrassed by Oregon. That was one of the most pathetic performances by a Top 5 team in recent memory. USC faces another stiff test on the road with Matt Barkley coming back. You have to figure that Cal will be up for hosting the Trojans in an elimination game for both schools in the Pac 10 and BCS races. However, this is USC, and their road win at Ohio State showed us enough to think that they can beat Cal on the road as well. Would you pick a team coming off of a near 40 point loss? PICK-USC
Hot Dog Of The Week - Case Keenum QB-Houston
With top Heisman candidates Tebow and McCoy idol this week, and earlier favorites like Best and Harris dropping out, the spotlight falls to Houston QB Case Keenum. The Cougars are up to #12 in the country, and Keenum is coming off of a 435 yard effort and a game winning drive in a nationally televised game against Texas Tech. ALL of those factors are huge for a small school QB trying to elbow his way into the Heisman race. UTEP was outgained last week at Texas 639-53. They allowed 639 yards. They gained 53. That's half of a football field. Grab you're tailgating buddies and I bet you can get more than 53 yards in a game. While nobody is expecting Houston to be that dominant, Keenum will put up huge numbers.
Extra Toppings -
-Thoughts and prayers go out to USC's Stafon Johnson who had to go emergency surgery to repair his throat after a freak weightroom accident. That's a scary thing to have happen, but it sounds like Johnson will eventually recover fully.
-Also, spare a thought for Tim Tebow. Folks make fun of his superhuman status, but that was a scary-bad concussion last week in a freak play at Kentucky. Let's hope Urban Meyer holds him out until he is fully recovered regardless of the circumstances and implications for the BCS and Heisman.
-Oregon is evidently thinking about reinstating LeGarrette Blount. It's a nice move as enough time has passed to let the incident blow over, and it appears the young man has learned his lesson. Time to move on, and give Blount a second chance.
-Thanks to Darryl Clark for stepping up last week as our player to watch. A poor, poor loss at home to Iowa by the Fightin' Joe Pa's. Could Iowa possibly sneak up on everyone and win the Big 10 this season? They have to be the hardest team to figure out in the country year in and year out.
-Va Tech currently leads the one loss brigade, but if they win out along with teams like USC or an SEC school, who do you think has a better chance at making the title game?
-Don't listen to anyone who has Bowl Projections in the first week in October. We might as well predict the NCAA tournament field and tonight's Lotto numbers.
-I'm all for a Bowl Game in Yankee Stadium. College football in Yankee Stadium is an awesome idea. But.. between a #7 Big 12 team and a #4 Big East team? Do we really want to see Baylor and Pitt play a bowl game in Yankee Stadium? How about Kansas State vs Rutgers?? Don't we have enough bowl games already?
Randall's Got His Eye On You... BCS Voters
1/3 of the Top 12 are now non-BCS schools. I pray that they all go undefeated the rest of the way. Can you imagine what would happen with 3 mid-major unbeatens and Cincinnati from the Big East? That is the ultimate dream for the anti-BCS crowd. Perhaps a more realistic scenario is asking what happens if only the Bearcats remain undefeated? They're a BCS school right? But, everywhere I turned this week, I heard that Cincy wouldn't make the title game over a 1-loss SEC, Big 12, or USC team. This is unbelievable and totally offensive. As if the mid-major lockout to the title is bad enough, now we're hearing that you not only have to be a BCS school, but one that's approved by the media. Only schools that have the tradition and pedigree necessary "deserve" a NC title game appearance?
Screw it, why not just delegate everyone but about 14 teams down to the flippin' FCS if they'll never have a chance at a National Title. But hey, Cincy and Boise and Houston and TCU should just be content with making the BCS and getting the big paycheck, right? Puh-lease. If Cincinnati goes unbeaten and doesn't make the title game over a 1-loss school, it will be the biggest travesty in the BCS's history, mark it down. If you're a college football fan, root for not only Cincy, but Boise and TCU and Houston, I know I will.
Hot Off The Grill is back with our look ahead at Week 4 in the National. Football. League. We'll break down the biggest matchups and who to watch as we hit the quarter pole of the season. Also, look out for the Top 2 Athletes of the Decade. Bye for now!
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