NCAA FB Picks for Week 5 by Kyle Butler

Well, it couldn’t last forever. Three straight solid 8-2 weeks gave way to a totally mediocre 6-4 week. Looked like it could be a total disaster after a 2-4 start, but rallied late to edge above .500. I’ll be honest with you though, I’m a bit scared to pick this week’s games…especially after watching Oregon State (OREGON STATE??!!) knock off the top ranked USC Trojans last night. OSU had given up 81 pts in its first two games, yet was shutting out USC at the half. Huh?! Oh well. On to the Week 5 picks…

WEEK 5- BUTLERS PICKS: USC JUST FELL FASTER THAN OUR ECONOMY EDITION

1- UNC @ Miami.  Last year, Butch Davis took a bad UNC team and still managed to beat his former school. This year, UNC is better, but so is the “U”. And with TJ Yates out, UNC’s offense may be in the hands of Mike Paulus…yep, Greg’s brother. Trusting in people named Paulus usually is a poor decision…the kind of decision you’d make if you didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
PICK: Miami 24  UNC 17 

2- Virginia @ Duke.  The Blue Devils are favored to win an ACC Football game. You might want to sit back and let that information sink in, because I’m pretty sure that hasn’t happened in the past…oh, I don’t know…decade?! And the incredible thing is…they’ll probably win it! Duke’s last “W” in the ACC came 11 days after America reelected “W” as president in 2004. UVA is pathetic. I can’t believe I’m predicting Duke to win an ACC game.
PICK: Duke 35  Virginia 27

3- Colorado @ Florida St.  It appears that Colorado has moved beyond the days of Gary Barnett, embarrassing parties, and “horrible” female kickers. Dan Hawkins has the Buffs 3-0, and taking on an FSU team that looked about as inept on offense against Wake as you can get. FSU QB’s Christian Ponder and D’Vontrey Richardson threw 5 picks. FSU might as well start wrestlers Christian Cage and D’Von Dudley. At least they’d bodyslam someone after throwing an INT.
PICK: Colorado 20  Florida St 17

4- Tennessee @ Auburn.  A rough week for these two teams. Auburn lost in the last minutes for a 2nd straight year against LSU. Tennessee lost about 1 minute into the game against Florida. And that’s the difference in this one. Auburn lost, but is a solid team. Tennessee isn’t. Incidentally, UT coach Phillip Fulmer looks a lot like Fred Thompson, and UT’s season is goin about as well as Thompson’s campaign did.
PICK: Auburn 17  Tennessee 0

5- Navy @ Wake.  Navy has a great offense. That’s the good news. Navy has a terrible defense. That’s the bad news. And frankly, a Navy without strong defense is no good in war, or on the football field. Wake can’t run the ball, which is odd for a Jim Grobe team, but Riley Skinner should find plenty of receivers. That will be plenty for the Deacs.
PICK: Wake 38  Navy 28

6- TCU @ Oklahoma.  You might be wondering why I’m bothering with this one, but TCU is ranked at #24. The Horned Frogs come in having beaten their first 4 opponents by a combined score of 172-31. Granted, the opponents probably couldn’t beat a high school team. OU is set to possibly shoot to #1 with USC’s loss. The Sooners won’t let that opportunity slip away. They’ll choke later in the season.
PICK: Oklahoma 42  TCU 24

7- S Florida @ NC State.  State surprised a lot of people (including me) by beating ECU last weekend. That may have had more to do with Skip Holtz’s questionable decision-making than anything else, but hey, a win’s a win. Good for State. Now they have to beat another ranked team in USF. Oh, and starting QB Russell Wilson is hurt for the Pack…again. USF is not as strong as last year, but should be able to handle the boys in Raleigh.
PICK: S Florida 27  NC State 13

8- Alabama @ Georgia.  The game of the week, and maybe the game of the season to this point. Much as I despise Nick Saban, you can’t help but be impressed with how his Bama team has played so far. Georgia has looked a bit vulnerable, but this game is between the hedges, and Georgia’s fans will be rockin! This one is tough…real tough, but in this case, I have to go with the Dawgs.
PICK: Georgia 24  Alabama 23

9- VA Tech @ Nebraska.  The Hokies were fortunate to escape Chapel Hill last week, and had UNC not self-destructed faster than John Edwards’ political career, VA Tech would have been toast. I haven’t seen Nebraska play yet, but coach Bo Pelini seems to have his team playing defense, which was a foreign concept to former coach Bill Callahan. Another tough one to call, but I think Tech’s luck goes “Field of Dreams” style, and disappears in the cornfield.
PICK: Nebraska 27  VA Tech 17

10- Illinois @ Penn State.  All indications are that Penn State will win this game. The Nittany Lions will have 105,000 fans wearing all-white for the game. Illinois is coached by Ron Zook. Penn State dominates the run. Illinois is coached by Ron Zook. Penn State has scored 211 pts in its first 4 games. Illinois is coached by Ron Zook. Why am I picking Illinois? I have no idea…probably because I’m a moron.
PICK: Illinois 34  Penn State 28

Last week: 6-4 60%
Season to date: 30-10 75%

NCAA FB Picks for Week 4 by Kyle Butler

“Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago.” -Bernard Berenson

Three weeks in the books. Three weeks of 8-2 records on these football predictions. That’s consistency, and that doesn’t sound ignorant. I don’t know about you, but I think this Berenson guy is full of it. I was especially glad to see Ohio State get clobbered in a big game, which seems to happen on a yearly basis. Anyway, let’s see what happens in Week 4.

WEEK 4: BUTLERS PICKS- BETTER THAN THE BUCKEYES EDITION

1- ECU @ NC State.  The Pirates had a letdown against Tulane after a pair of big upsets, but held on to win. NC State has been a letdown since the end of last season. More bad news for the Pack…Toney Baker is out for the year. The news won’t be any better after Saturday. ECU will lose at some point, but it won’t be to NC State.
PICK: ECU 27  NC State 7 

2- Alabama @ Arkansas.  This one is a battle of coaches with enormous egos, who left successful college programs for the NFL, only to struggle, lie to their owners and the media, quit, and bolt back to college. That’s right, it’s Nick Saban and Bobby Petrino…losers as human beings, but someone has to win. This week, it’s Saban.
PICK: Alabama 31  Arkansas 10

3- Northeastern @ Syracuse.  I know you’re wonderin…what’s Butler doing picking this one? Well, I wanna talk about Syracuse. 7 of the last 8 opponents have scored over 40 pts at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse is allowing over 500 yds per game, and has no offense. Shoot, even a statue recently unveiled of Heisman great Ernie Davis depicted the RB wearing Nike apparel. Davis played before Nike existed. Wow. Where have you gone Donovan McNabb? I think the Orange sneak one out, but if they lose, they’re goin winless in 08.
PICK: Syracuse 24  Northeastern 23

4- VA Tech @ N. Carolina.  A huge early season matchup in the ACC. The Hokies won the “Techmo Bowl” over GA Tech, but still look vulnerable. UNC is riding high after destroying Rutgers on national TV. The Hokies are known for special teams, but the best special teams player in this one is on the UNC sideline. Brandon Tate’s been fantastic…can the Hokies stop him? I don’t think so.
PICK: N Carolina 24  VA Tech 20

5- Notre Dame @ Michigan St.  The Irish put a hurtin on Michigan, and now they get Sparty. Notre Dame comes in relatively healthy, with the exception of coach Charlie Weis, who tore all sorts of ligaments in his leg when he got bowled over on the sidelines. The injury means it will take Weis a good 15 minutes to walk from the locker room to the sidelines? Excuse me? It already takes him that long? Oh, sorry. Irish in a close one.
PICK: Notre Dame 27  Michigan St 23

6- Miami @ Texas A&M.  A matchup of former powers, now reduced to the middle of the pack in their respective conferences. Miami’s starting RB is out. A&M’s starting QB may be out. The difference is that a number of A&M fans wanted the QB out anyway. Based on that, I’ll pick the Aggies.
PICK: Texas A&M 20  Miami 13

7- Florida @ Tennessee.  I don’t miss much about the 90’s, but I do long for the days when Steve Spurrier coached UF and ridiculed the Vols. Quotes like “You can’t spell Citrus without U-T” and ”At least the Vols will be champs of Knox County” used to make my day. Fast forward to the present. UF is still beating down Tennessee, but now, it’s just not entertaining. Sigh.
PICK: Florida 28  Tennessee 16

8- Wake @ Florida St.  Speaking of the 90’s, those were the days when the idea of Wake beating FSU was about as likely as OJ Simpson looking for the ”real murderer.” Not any more. The Deacs have 2 straight wins over Bowden’s boys. FSU is ranked for the first time after a 2-0 start. That impressed the voters, who evidently regard Chattanooga and W. Carolina as powerhouses. A huge game, and I think it goes to WF.
PICK: Wake 34  Florida St 27

9- LSU @ Auburn.  Auburn beat Miss St 3-2 last week. I’m still laughing about that one. If Auburn can’t score more than that this week, they’re in for a heap of trouble against LSU. The battle of the Tigers is always a good one, but in the 08 edition, I like the Tigers from LSU.
PICK: LSU 13  Auburn 10

10- Georgia @ Arizona St.  Some people are calling for an upset, but I just don’t see it. Sure, I think Georgia’s overrated. I don’t even think they’re the best team in the SEC. But Arizona St is coming off of a home loss to UNLV. It’d be one thing to lose to UNLV in basketball, but football? That’s a bad sign for ASU.
PICK: Georgia 38  Arizona St 23

Last week: 8-2 80% 
Overall: 24-6 80%

NCAA FB Picks for Week 3 by Kyle Butler

NOTE: Apparently these did not get published yesterday. Sorry about that. The good news is that I’m already 1-0 this week…whoopee! Anyway, here are the picks as they were supposed to be published originally. -KB

Alright, another 8-2 week! This year’s off to a good start. Let’s try and keep it up.

WEEK 3: BUTLERS PICKS- AT LEAST ACC IS BETTER THAN NL WEST IN MLB EDITION

1- UNC @ Rutgers. UNC hasn’t won a game outside of the state of NC in over 5 years. It was 2002 against Arizona State if I remember correctly. Well, that streak has a good chance of ending tonight. Rutgers is not as good as in years past, and while they’ll likely give the Tarheels a battle, I think Butch’s boys win one in Piscataway.
PICK: UNC 24  Rutgers 21

2- Kansas @ S Florida. Wow…this one is a big game. If you had told me even last year at this time that those words would ever cross my lips, I’d have called you nuttier than Chad Johnson…er, Chad Ocho Cinco that is. Both of these teams were the surprises of college football last season, and both remain solid in 2008. South Florida plays pretty well on the national stage, and I think they’ll do it again Friday night.
PICK: S Florida 31  Kansas 20

3- Navy @ Duke. These teams combined for about a billion yards in offense last year, with Navy winning 44-41. Well, Navy’s not as good as last year and Duke’s a little bit better. But this concept of Duke actually being competitive is still so weird to me, that I’m not ready to start picking them yet.
PICK: Navy 35  Duke 30

4- NC State @ Clemson.  State scored some points against Bill n Mary last week. That’s the good news. Now they have to go to Death Valley. That’s the bad news. Russell Wilson will be back under center for the Pack, but Cullen Harper is under center for the Tigers. Advantage: Clemson.
PICK: Clemson 27  NC State 6

5- Georgia @ S Carolina.  Steve Spurrier announced that two of his QB’s will play against the Dawgs. The Ol’ Ball Coach might want to play two quarters, and take the rest of the game off. But Spurrier doesn’t get blown out much, and the Gamecocks have a decent shot of keeping this one close. An upset is unlikely though.
PICK: Georgia 24  S Carolina 17

6- GA Tech @ VA Tech.  A friend of mine said that this game should be called the Techmo Bowl. I like it. And I like this matchup. GA Tech has played much better than expected, while highly touted VA Tech hasn’t exactly lived up to some inflated standards. This game looks about even on paper, which should be a treat for the folks in Blacksburg. It will be an even bigger treat for the home fans when the Hokies hold on.
PICK: VA Tech 19  GA Tech 13

7- Michigan @ Notre Dame.  Even more stunning than the fact that Kansas v. S Florida is a huge game is the fact that Michigan-ND isn’t. How the mighty have fallen. Michigan has no clue as of yet how to run Rich Rodriguez’s spread offense, and Notre Dame barely beat San Diego St, a team that lost to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The fight songs are still awesome…yet I wonder how often these offenses will give their fans a chance to hear them?
PICK: Notre Dame 17  Michigan 13

8- UVA @ UConn.  Through 2 games, UVA’s offense looks about as good as Courtney Love these days. The Cavs take on a UConn team that also had issues on offense against Temple. At least UConn has the excuse that they were playing in the remnants of Hurricane Gustav. What’s UVA’s excuse?
PICK: UConn 20  UVA  7

9- Ohio State @ USC. This is the big one, the one being promoted as the Clash or Combat or Cacaphony in the Coliseum. Whatever they’re calling it, one thing I won’t call it is close. Frankly, I’d be stunned if USC didn’t dominate the Buckeyes. I’d have said it before Chris Wells got hurt, and with OSU’s star RB unlikely to play, I’ll say it even more. OSU looked pathetic against Ohio, and if they play like that against USC, we’ll need some sort of mercy rule.
PICK: USC 28  Ohio State 10

10- Wisconsin @ Fresno State.  As you’ve noticed, I don’t think much of the Big Ten. Well, in this game, I still don’t. Actually, Wisconsin isn’t all that bad, but I really like Fresno State this year. Along with ECU, they may be the most likely team to burst into the BCS. If they can get past the Badgers, they’ll have gone a long way towards doing just that.
PICK: Fresno State 27  Wisconsin 13

STANDINGS:
Last Week 8-2  80%  Season: 16-4 80%

Welcome Back Delhomme by Kyle Butler

“Daylight come, and you gotta Delhomme.”  -Chris Berman

Carolina 26
San Diego 24

It’s only been one game, and as any coach will tell you, one game does not make or break a season in the NFL. But for the Carolina Panthers, Sunday’s thrilling last-second victory was as important a win as the Cats have obtained in a long time.

Did you hear the talk before this game? Hardly anyone gave the Panthers a shot to win it. The Chargers were the stronger team…the Super Bowl contender. The Panthers were just there for the scenery. Nobody seemed to notice that Carolina looked great in the preseason. In fact, it seems like the only thing anyone did all preseason was talk about Steve Smith goin’ Kimbo Slice on Ken Lucas’ face. The general impression was that the Panthers were already in turmoil, and that the season was already a lost cause. Yet, something important came from that fight. The way the Panthers responded was outstanding. Everyone was adamant that if anything, the fight had brought the team closer together, and the way Carolina played for the rest of the preseason backed that up.

The other factor that the television bigwigs apparently “misremembered” was that Jake Delhomme was back for Carolina, and by golly, the good ole boy’s a pretty darn good QB too. Everyone forgets that Delhomme was off to a sensational start before injuring his throwing shoulder last season. They forget that, with Delhomme, the Panthers actually move the ball on offense. They seemed to forget that David Carr is not running the Carolina offense in 2008.

Well, they all remember now. Down by 5, Delhomme engineered a terrific drive down the field, and despite the coaching staff’s lousy efforts at clock management, the Panthers got down inside the San Diego 15 yd line with 2 seconds left. In a similar situation last year, what would the various Panthers QB’s have done? Well, 63 year old Vinny Testaverde would have probably gotten sacked. Matt Moore would have eluded the rush, but probably thrown a pick. David Carr would have decided it was too risky, taken a knee, then explained that the team hadn’t played badly, and that’s all that matters.

Not Jake Delhomme. He threw a perfect strike to tight end Dante Rosario in the back of the end zone to silence the Charger crowd. It was the kind of victory Panthers fans got accustomed to in Delhomme’s first season, when the Panthers QB engineered comeback after comeback, leading Carolina to a Super Bowl appearance.

Does that mean Carolina is Super Bowl-bound again in 2008? Too soon to say. Again, one game doesn’t make or break a season. But without question, Sunday’s game does make the Carolina Panthers relevant again, and after last year, that’s a nice thing to see.

NCAA FB Picks for Week 2 by Kyle Butler

Hello boys and girls,

Well, it wasn’t a bad start to the year prediction-wise. Can’t complain about an 8-2 start. I obviously overestimated the so-called “elite teams” in the ACC. VA Tech and Clemson looked worse than Keith Richards. Seems pretty clear that the ACC is totally up for grabs in 2008. Now, on to the Week 2 picks.

WEEK 2: BUTLERS PICKS- BETTER THAN THE REDSKINS OFFENSE EDITION

1- GA Tech @ Boston College.  The Jackets are trying to adjust to the new option offense. The Eagles are trying to adjust to no Matt Ryan. However, with 2 of their linebackers out, Tech is missing a huge part of their defense, and that’s good news for BC’s quarterback…ole what’s his name.
PICK: BC 17  GA Tech 13

2- Southern Miss @ Auburn.  The guy who picks games for ESPN.com thinks that Southern Miss will win this game. I mean, they did put up over 600 yards of offense last week. Of course, that was against Louisiana-Lafayette. This is Auburn. Forget it.
PICK: Auburn 34  Southern Miss 20

3- San Diego St @ Notre Dame.  Ah yes, the Irish. After last year’s debacle, Charlie Weis is hoping one of his QB’s learned the art of throwing a pass in the offseason. Even if they can’t, they’ll blast the Aztecs, who lost their opener to some school named Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Que?
PICK: Notre Dame 31  San Diego St 10

4- Ole Miss @ Wake.  The only ranked school in the ACC is Wake Forest. Let me say that again. The only ranked school in the ACC is Wake Forest! I’ll check that off the list of things I never expected to hear. WF should still be ranked after this game.
PICK: Wake 30  Ole Miss 24

5- Cincinnati @ Oklahoma.  The Sooners prepare for Cincy, who will be without QB Ben Mauk. Mauk recently lost his 769th, and final appeal for another year of eligibility. OU led by 50 at the half last week. This won’t be that bad, but it won’t be close either.
PICK: Oklahoma 48  Cincinnati 28

6- W. Virginia @ ECU.  Pirates coach Skip Holtz said his team would have to play a perfect game to beat VA Tech. They didn’t, but still won. However, ECU would have to be perfect to knock off Pat White and WVU’s high powered offense, which beat the Pirates by 41 last year.
PICK: W Virginia 35  ECU 23

7- William & Mary @ NC State.  I gotta hand it to the Wolfpack. They’re clearly improving. State lost their final game of 2007 by the score of 37-0. They lost the 2008 opener to S Carolina 34-0. Now that’s what I call progress. Expect the Pack to finally get on the board against Bill n Mary…well, maybe.
PICK: NC State 9  Bill n Mary 7

8- Northwestern @ Duke. Good lord! Both teams are 1-0?! True, Duke’s win was against 1-AA James Madison, and Northwestern’s win was against Syracuse, which has played like a 1-AA team the past few years (Sorry Johnny O). It’s a tough call, but Duke can’t start 2-0 in football, right? I mean, I think there’s a law prohibiting that somewhere.
PICK: Northwestern 31  Duke 21

9- Miami @ Florida. The Gators haven’t beaten the “U” since Michael J Fox was headin back to the future in 1985. You can throw the past out. Florida is stacked, and Miami can’t stop Tim Tebow. This could get ugly in the Swamp.
PICK: Florida 41 Miami 21

10- Texas Tech @ Nevada. Texas Tech put up 639 total yards in Week 1. Nevada put up 629 yards in Week 1. Neither team is noted for their defensive skills. Now, they could prove us wrong and end up in a 10-7 struggle, but that’s about as likely as Barack Obama and John McCain exchanging Christmas cards this year. Hold on to your hats in this one.
PICK: Texas Tech 56  Nevada 43

Enjoy week 2, everybody!

MLB Power Poll 9/2/08 by Kyle Butler

Here’s the latest MLB Power Poll with games played through September 2, 2008.

AL EAST:

Tampa Bay: (1)  For a team who’d never had a winning season, 84-51 must look insane to the Rays.
Boston: (4)  Will Boston fans be happier about Sox making playoffs or Yankees missing them?
NY Yankees: (11)  A-Rod hit into 11 double plays in August alone. The worst clutch player in baseball. Period.
Toronto: (14)  This team is about as interesting as CSPAN…and only on a good night.
Baltimore: (21)  O’s could potentially have 3 players with over 50 doubles this season.

AL CENTRAL:

Minnesota: (7)  Power? Nope. Speed? Nope. Dominant Pitching? Nope. Stunningly, Twins keep winning.
Chicago WS: (8)  Who is Gavin Floyd and how does he have 15 wins?!
Cleveland: (18)  Cliff Lee wins 20th game, one year to the day in which he was recalled from the minor leagues.
Detroit: (19)  For whatever reason, the Tigers “misremembered” how to play good, solid baseball this year.
Kansas City: (26)  After a number of solid months, the Royals remembered they were the Royals and tanked.

AL WEST:

LA Angels: (3)  K-Rod has more saves (54) than the Angels have losses (53).
Texas: (17)  A good indication your team is going nowhere is when your closer has an ERA above 6.00.
Oakland: (22)  Well, the Big Hurt (Frank Thomas) is just that, and back on the DL.
Seattle: (29)  Need Halloween costume? Try uniforms of Carlos Silva and Miguel Batista. Combined Record: 8-26. Combined Salary: 17.7 million. Now that’s scary.

NL EAST:

NY Mets: (6)  Pedro Martinez is giving up a home run about every 5 innings. Not good.
Philadelphia: (9)  Ryan Howard poised to shatter his own strikeout record, on pace for 210 K’s.
Florida: (13)  Marlins infield may all hit over 30 HR’s, and all make $500,000 or less. Now that’s value!
Atlanta: (27)  Folks won’t like this, but it’s time for Bobby Cox to sail into the sunset.
Washington: (28)  When your home run leader is Lastings Milledge, you know it’s been a bad year.

NL CENTRAL:

Chi Cubs: (2)  Rich Harden since being traded to the Cubs: 4-1 1.50 ERA, 75 K’s in 54 innings.
Milwaukee: (5)  CC Sabathia since being traded to the Brewers: 9-0 1.43 ERA, 85 K’s in 88 innings.
St Louis: (10)  Albert Pujols may be the greatest hitter of the last half century.
Houston: (12)  The Astros would actually be in first place in the NL West.
Cincinnati: (23)  Ok, if you don’t want to dress as those Mariners pitchers, there’s always Aaron Harang. He’s making over 6 million and is 4-15 this year.
Pittsburgh: (25)  Are there any capable pitchers on the Pirates? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

NL WEST:

Arizona: (15)  Randy Johnson turns 45 next week. The Big Unit still needs 6 wins for 300.
Los Angeles: (16)  Jeff Kent recently said famed announcer Vin Scully talks too much. Jeff Kent is an idiot.
Colorado: (20)  They’ve been awful all year, but the Rockies, at 66-74, are just 5 games out of first.
San Francisco: (24)  I may vote Tim Lincecum for Cy Young. The fact that he’s 15-3 on this joke of a team is phenomenal.
San Diego: (30)  Well, at least the weather’s nice, cause the baseball sure isn’t.

Finally, if awards were handed out today:

AL Manager: Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay
NL Manager: Lou Piniella, Chi Cubs
AL Rookie: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay
NL Rookie: Geovany Soto, Chi Cubs
AL Cy Young: Cliff Lee, Cleveland
NL Cy Young: Tim Lincecum, San Francisco
AL MVP: Dustin Pedroia, Boston
NL MVP: Albert Pujols, St Louis