It's time for the first set of picks at the new site. This week's guest pickers are Steven Wiggins, little brother of BON author Andrew, and Eric, a longtime Texas fan who was in the press box at DKR for Rout 66. Eric promises to be in Pasasena on Jan. 4 to complete the circle.
(We apologize for the rather aesthetically challenged posting. Due to a technical problem, we aren't able to use HTML tags on our posts. Once that is fixed, we'll get back to fun things like tables and bold and italics!)
Fresno State +23 @ USC
PB--Does Fresno have the athletes to play with USC? Oregon didn't, and they beat Fresno. Pick: USC
AW--Fresno keeps it close enough to cover. Pick: Fresno State
TR--Unless Tark is coaching the football team now, there's no way Fresno can score enough. Pick: USC
SW--Fresno can't quite pull off the upset, but stays within the spread. Pick: Fresno
E--OMG, LOL, Matt Leinart is the hotness! I sense that the boys from Troy are playing kind of tight lately. Must be all that "pressure." USC rolls, but not by more than 3 TDs. Pick: Fresno
Consensus--Fresno State, 3 votes to 2
Ohio State -3 @ Michigan
PB--Game of the week, as far as I'm concerned. I fully expect an epic battle. Nugent proves the difference Pick: Ohio State
AW--Can't wait for this one either. Michigan has won four straight, but OSU is better. Pick: Ohio State
TR--Last year Ohio State took out a higher-ranked Michigan. This year the Maize and Blue return the favor. Pick: Michigan
SW--Not as much hyp on this game as in recent years. Pick: Ohio State
E--I don't care if it's a rivalry game, or in the Big House--OSU is playing too well right now for Michigan to handle them. A.J. Hawk locks up about 57 post-season awards in this game. Pick: Ohio State
Consensus--Ohio State, 4 votes to 1
Alabama +7 @ Alabama
PB--Auburn just keeps getting better. Bama's fall continues. Pick: Auburn
AW--I've been calling for a 9-2 Bama record all year. Auburn has too much offense. Pick: Auburn
TR--That whoosh sound is not OU sucking, but the wind coming out of Alabama's sails. Pick: Auburn
SW--Bama is still upset about last week's heartbreaker. Pick: Auburn
E--Alabama still hasn't figured out how to score offensive touchdowns. The SEC's best offense will put up some points. Auburn in a lock. Pick: Auburn
Consensus--Auburn, 5 votes to 0
Oklahoma +7.5 @ Texas Tech
PB--I like the Techies to win at home, but that's a big spread. I'm torn here. Won't be putting $$ on this one. Pick: OU
AW--The Red Raiders rebound in a big way. Hodges has a huge day against the OU secondary. Leach wins a close one. Pick: OU
TR--The game's in Lubbock, and the Red Raiders were embarrassed last week. If that wasn't enough, it's 1:25 p.m. as I write this, and you know what that means. Pick: OU Still Sucks
SW--Tech will play much better against the Sooners. Pick: Tech
E--Remember when everybody use to think Tech was good? Man, that was awesome. Healthy Adrian Peterson is going to run a mile but OU's defense, much like the university itself, still sucks. Leach will be looking to score lots and lots of points to get some revenge for the past five years. Tech big. Pick: Tech
Consensus--Texas Tech, 3 votes to 2
Penn State -7.5 @ Michigan State
PB--Penn State win earns them a trip to the BCS. Spartans are reeling. Pick: Penn State
AW--Joe Pa won't be denied $14 million, but I love the points. Pick: Michigan State
TR--The Spartans are 9-1 against Top 10 teams since 1997 and are bowl eligible with a win. Pick: Michigan State
SW--Who knows which Michigan State team will show up this week. Pick: Penn State
E--I hate Big 10 football. Is there a student trainer assigned to change Paterno's diapers after PSU wins the Big 10 on Sunday? Pick: Penn State
Consensus--Penn State, 3 votes to 2