OK, even before yesterday’s debacle in which #1 Missouri and #2 West Virginia both fell, a couple of things really baffled me:

  • How could the BCS computers possibly rank Kansas ahead of Georgia? Does strength of schedule mean absolutely nothing to these machines? I may be nitpicking — after all, they were just a hundredth of a point apart — but come on. Kansas had absolute cake games, easily in the bottom half of Division I as far as strength of schedule goes. Georgia, of course, plays in the SEC so every game is a bloody war, but if I’m not mistaken their schedule was the 9th toughest in the nation. Just how impressive is it to have that kind of schedule and end up 10-2? I did a little bit of research, and Georgia’s schedule wasn’t even the toughest in the SEC. Not even close, actually. Ahead of them? Mississippi (1st), Florida (3rd), South Carolina (4th) and Alabama (8th). The SEC really is the class of the nation at this point, and it’s completely ridiculous that these computers think Kansas and their 75th-toughest schedule is better than Georgia and their 9th-toughest.
  • What has Ohio State done to deserve any kind of shot at the title? They’re in now, sure, but let’s recap their season, shall we? They beat several rag doll teams early in the season, like Youngstown State, Akron, Northwestern, Minnesota and Kent State. This is no surprise, because it’s what OSU has done with their schedule for years. They’ve lined the first half of the year with creampuff opponents and climbed the BCS ladder based on name alone, while other teams played real schedules and suffered the occasional loss. Sure, OSU played four ranked teams, but none of them were even in the top 20. Honestly, Purdue and Penn State were never viewed as title threats, and Wisconsin and Michigan were both toast way before the Buckeyes got to them. Oh, and did I mention they lost at home to Illinois, a team that went 2-10 last year? And these are the same kids that will have a chance to call themselves “champions”? Pass me the barf bag.

OK, now that that’s out of the way, let’s go over the teams that have a legitimate case to play for the title, shall we?

  • #4 Georgia: They’re kind of in the same boat as OSU in that they took the week off and thus didn’t really solidify their case as much as they probably could have, but here’s the thing. A 10-2 record, including going 6-2 in the best conference in college football, is a tough task. They looked pretty rough against Tennessee a couple of months ago, but the South Carolina loss early in the year could have gone either way. Also like OSU, they played four ranked teams. The difference is three of those four were in the top 20, and one of them was the always dangerous Florida. But Georgia went on the road against those Gators and beat them. And even their non-ranked opponents were still quite formidable. Georgia Tech and Tennessee, or Northwestern and Minnesota? The Big Ten may be having a “down year” or whatever, but don’t kid yourselves, people. The ‘Dogs are a legitimately good team.
  • #6 Virginia Tech: It should be obvious by now that I love the SEC, but VT cannot be overlooked. Their schedule was just outside the top 10 in terms of strength, and in all honesty they should be 11-1 right now. LSU absolutely throttled the Hokies early in the year, but the Tigers were healthy and steamrolling everyone at that point so I can’t really hold that against them. Their offense may leave a little something to be desired, but Frank Beamer has put together a really, really good defense here, maybe one of the best in the country. Xavier Adibi and Vince Hall are freaking studs, and there’s no doubt in my mind that VT could give OSU a run for its money.
  • #7 LSU: Les Miles said it best — LSU is undefeated in regulation. It took Kentucky and Arkansas a total of six overtimes to beat the Tigers, even with injuries plaguing them. They haven’t been blowing the doors off their opponents like they were early in the year, but they’re still a solid team, and being the champion of the best conference in college football has to mean something.
  • #8 USC: I’m not a Trojan Man by ANY stretch of the imagination, but USC is playing really good football right now. They’re finally healthy, and in addition to soundly beating UCLA yesterday, they’re coming off of a huge statement game in which they went on the road against #6 Arizona State and basically smacked the Sun Devils around. They’re talented and very deep, so at the very least they deserve some consideration.
  • #9 Oklahoma: Jack-slapping the nation’s #1 team around at a neutral site has to mean something. Not only that, but they beat them earlier in the year too. The Sooners are playing some great football, and at this point I’d honestly be scared to face them. The only problem is that, other than the two Missouri games and the road game against Texas, the Sooners’ schedule was fairly weak and they didn’t have any real quality wins. But again, they just went to a neutral field and had their way with the, supposedly, best team in college football.

Your guess is as good as mine regarding who’s going to make the trip to Louisiana, but any of those teams will make for an entertaining rout of the freaking Buckeyes.

OK, onto this week’s NFL picks. I’ll keep things brief after that little rant, I promise. Oh, and just so you know, in all honesty I had the Packers against the spread but the Cowboys straight up on Thursday night.

Falcons (+3) at Rams - Sure, it’s Gus Frerotte, but he’s at home against Atlanta and he has Steven Jackson and Torry Holt. Rams 27, Falcons 14.

Bills (+6) at Redskins - The ‘Skins aren’t just going to win this for Sean. They’re going to slap a bad team around like it’s nobody’s business for Sean. Redskins 34, Bills 10.

Lions (+4.5) at Vikings - Minnesota’s been coming out of the gate strong. Expect that to continue with Adrian freaking Peterson back in action. Vikings 31, Lions 21.

Texans (+3.5) at Flaming Thumbtacks - Albert Haynesworth is listed as questionable. If he was doubtful, I’d take the Texans and the points. Maybe even straight up. But now I’m just not sure. OK, I’ll just assume he’s playing. Flaming Thumbtacks 20, Texans 13.

Jaguars (+6.5) at Colts - Indy’s beat up, and Jacksonville is playing good football. Including David Garrard. Re-read that sentence if you must. I wouldn’t blame you. Jaguars 34, Colts 30.

Jets (+1.5) at Dolphins - DEAR 1976 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS, PLEASE GET READY TO UNCORK ANOTHER BOTTLE OF RC COLA. SINCERELY, THE ESTABLISHMENT. Dolphins 17, Jets 14.

Chargers (-6) at Chiefs - I don’t like Philip Rivers or — more importantly — Norv Turner on the road against a good defense here. I don’t like Uncle Herm either, regardless of the stadium, but I’m just going to take the home team here. Chiefs 23, Chargers 21.

Seahawks (+3) at Eagles - This is a vast overestimation of Seattle’s competence. They’re going on the road against a non-division opponent. They usually get smacked around in these games. This won’t be any different. Eagles 31, Seahawks 13 in the A.J. Feeley Orchestrated LOCK OF THE WEEK.

49ers (+3) at Panthers - Both teams suck, but come on — are you honestly going to take Alex Smith over VINNY? Panthers 28, 49ers 13.

Buccaneers (+3) at Saints - This line tells me that Jeff Garcia ain’t gonna be ready to play. With that said, give me the home team, even if it is a bunch of clowns like N’Awlins. Saints 24, Buccaneers 10.

Browns (+1) at Cardinals - … What? A team that’s legitimately fighting for the AFC North crown… is an underdog against an NFC West team? I know strange things happen in Arizona, but… WHAT?! Browns 37, Cardinals 24.

Broncos (-3.5) at Raiders - Take Devin Hester away and Denver had a win all but wrapped up in Chicago last week. Oakland ain’t got anyone that can compete with Devin Hester. Hell, they can’t compete with Devin Hester’s shadow. Broncos 31, Raiders 16.

Giants (-1.5) at Bears - Eli! Rex! It’s the NFL on FOX!!! I’ll take the home team here, because I just don’t trust Eli anymore. Yeah, I know, trusting Rex doesn’t make much sense either, but… Bears 20, Giants 14.

Bengals (+7) at Steelers - The Bungles don’t have the kind of team that can take advantage of the Steelers’ weaknesses, so this is just going to be your average ugly one-sided game. Steelers 41, Bengals 13.

Patriots (-20) at Ravens - The march to 19-0 will obviously continue, but Baltimore can keep this within three touchdowns. Their offense is clueless, but defensively they’re a physical team with a really solid secondary that will force Tom Brady to work for the win. Patriots 31, Ravens 14.