Take the Bucks, the Bison, the Bobcats, the Ags and the Wabbits
Saturday night's UCD-URI showdown at UC Davis Health Stadium may be the best game of all
Well, we made it all the way through the regular season and are now confronted with a variety of conference championship games, plus playoff showdowns at the FCS level.
The 12-team College Football Playoff is such a mess that the luckiest teams are the ones who don’t have to play in their conference’s title game.
It’s an extra game when coaches and players alike would rather be taking a much-needed rest and not risking a loss.
The best thing that happened to eventual national champion Ohio State last year is that the Buckeyes lost to Michigan and allowed Oregon and Penn State to battle it out for the Big Ten championship.
The well-rested Buckeyes then tore through the playoff field and no one cares that they didn’t win the Big Ten title.
The final picks of the season are as follows:
OHIO STATE over INDIANA ... According to the CFP brain trust, this one should be for the national championship, not just the Big Ten title that absolutely no one cares about.
TEXAS TECH over BRIGHAM YOUNG ... A repeat of when these two met earlier in the season - a 29-7 win for the Techsters. No reason to believe we won’t see the same result once again.
GEORGIA over ALABAMA ... This game is a lot more important to the Tide than to the Dawgs.
UNLV over BOISE STATE ... This is not the Boise powerhouse we’ve come to know and love over the years.
NORTH TEXAS over TULANE ... No one wants to play the Mean Green.
JAMES MADISON over TROY ... Won’t be close.
NORTH DAKOTA STATE over ILLINOIS STATE ... The Mighty Bison open defense of their umpteenth national title.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE over MONTANA ... A most intriguing matchup between two traditional FCS powers.
MONTANA STATE over YALE ... The Bobcats have their eyes squarely on the prize.
UPSET OF THE WEEK: There will be no upsets this week. (Upset season record: 5-9).
ROUT OF THE WEEK: All routes lead to your favorite stadium. (Rout season record: 13-1).
DON’T BET ON IT, BUT: By now, you should know better than to bet on any advice offered here. (Don’t bet season record: 10-4).
FIVE EASY PICKS: There’s no such thing as an easy pick. (FEP season record: 65-5).
CALIFORNIA AGGIES over RHODE ISLAND ... The weekend’s best game. Lucky for us, it’s in our own backyard. FCS football at its best. Grab your mittens and a blanket and head to UC Davis Health Stadium. The Rhode Island Rams are a worthy opponent, but UC Davis has too much firepower, especially at home. Take the Ags by 10.
OTHER GAMES: There are no other games.
Last week: 32-2, season: 511-89, percentage: .852.