Gimme Maalox: Bub Looks at Week 8

Writing after Chris Mason is like being on the Tonight Show after Robin Williams. You could be Mariah Carey naked and no one will notice. BTW my favorite side dish, Robbie Bosco says hi. Anyway, six games the boys talked about on the podcast. Nothing earth shattering on paper, but after last week, every game shows some intrigue. Before we start, I want to go on record and say Tigers in six. Although Endy Chavez's incredible robbery last night was one of the best defensive plays I've ever seen. Oh, yeah, football, sorry Brian. Texas at Nebraska- On paper, Texas is the better team. But, as Florida-Auburn showed last week, paper don't mean much. Nebraska is happy that this game is in Lincoln, because there is no way they win in Austin. Nebraska is the team on the rise, kinda hard to say about a powerhouse like the Cornhuskers. But, they don't match the speed and intensity of the Longhorns on defense. Zac Taylor is the better quarterback. He has more experience than Colt McCoy and has been on this stage before. For Texas, this looks like the preview of the Big 12 title game. It will be real interesting how McCoy adjusts to tomorrow and what he sees in December. He's not easily flappable, but is the wild card in this game. These are the games legends are made, and if he plays well, you can hear Brent Musburger starting to wax poetic. Basically, if he doesn't play like a freshman, they win. He doesn't, and Texas wins by 7. Georgia Tech at Clemson- ACC Football, I love this game. If Reggie Ball could win you games on his arm, I'd go with the Yellow Jackets, but he hasn't so far. On paper, Clemson is the best team in the ACC. My gut says Clemson by double digits, but if Tech controls the tempo, they aren't a bad team by any stretch and can win here. Like Texas, Clemson's speed is too much, plus they are at home. Clemson by 5. Alabama at Tennessee- Somehow Keith Jackson's voice is ringing through my ears at the mention of this game. Alabama is the Penn State of the SEC. They are incredibly scrappy, play with more heart then most teams, but are a bit short on talent. Plus, they don't kick well. Tennessee has talent. They play defense. They play offense. They have beaten teams better than 'Bama, Cal and Georgia come to mind, and they are in Knoxville. This game will give Vol fans fits, they win, they may even dominate, but only by 3, the Tide do not go away. Rutgers at Pitt- Barring any circus that needs to be at PNC Park Saturday, this game will start on time. This is your classical statement game. Rutgers is the season's biggest surprise. They are thinking BCS, even if we aren't. Pittsburgh bottomed out last year, and look better as Palko continues to mature. Rutgers needs this game more than Pitt. They now have a chip on their shoulder as the country yawned over their shutout of Navy. I think Rutgers is for real, not BCS real, but a top 15 school. Ray Rice is the best player nobody knows about and he can beat you. Rutgers by 8. UCLA at Notre Dame I think the Tigers pitching, especially their bullpen is the stronger of the two. They may not have the sluggers the Cardinals have, but with four potential games at pitching happy Coamerica, they win in six. Oh, you want me to talk about the football game. Well if you were bored reading my little preview, that's how the rest of us feel for the UCLA/ND game. Brady goes off, ND by 17. Charlie Weis is the best coach in the country. Iowa at Michigan- I'm not buying the Michigan is better than Ohio State routine. I grew up in New England, I live for masochism, something is amiss with this Wolverine team. They soundly beat Penn State last week, but made three huge mistakes that lead Penn State to 10 points. They nearly beat themselves. If, and when, they beat Ohio State, then I'll relax. However, this is Iowa. The team that just lost to Indiana. If you thought Drew Tate struggled against the Buckeyes, he'l be crying for mommy against the Wolverines. Ann Arbor isn't Iowa City and Tate will be forced into mistakes. Chad Henne, as long as he doesn't beat himself, is looking more and more poised out there. Despite playing in an atmosphere that will top Columbus in it's dislike for him, he did his job last week. That should calm the nerves of the faithful at the big house. I don't see Iowa hanging close here at all. They looked horrible against Indiana. Okay in February, not in October. Michigan by 17. With the World Series starting Saturday, the Saturday final podcast will go up Sunday morning, but the blogging will be there.