It’s amazing what a little success can do for you.  Just a month ago, our man, Gil Lock of Ryno Rife Sports Handicappers, couldn’t pick his nose.  So bad was his performance that we here at Rife With Opinions turned to his wife, Jill, to steady the ship.  But, now, after posting a 6-2-1 record over the past three weeks, it seems that people can’t get enough of Gil.  Here’s a sampling of a few emails we received this week.

from sallypipes- …so thanks for the tip on Idaho.  It reminded me of a girl I once dated.  Is it possible we’ve met?  I think I went to school with a Gil Lock.  Did you go to San Giamino Junior College?

from 2dollarjd- …and used some of my winnings to buy coffee for the guys at work.  The dopey kid screwed up my order and dripped sweat all over the bag but everyone else enjoyed.  Thanks.

from harrychriscaray- … Holy Cow.  Me and Murphy gonna go out and get some women.

from northstar_CIT- … my boys at Hogs and Heifers got off you when you didn’t show early muscle but I stayed with you even though you failed to fire.  I don’t mind laying heavy wood against a bad streak.  I mean, you couldn’t be a dead piece forever.  That’d be like the Yankees losing three straight to the Royals.

Jill was no slouch, herself, last week as she posted her third straight 2-1 week.  Here are the lovely couple’s selections for Week 8.

Locks of the Week

Jill’s Picks

The BCS rankings were the criteria for all of my picks this week.  I selected teams that needed big, impressive wins to either move up or restore confidence after a poor performance.

Cincinnati -18   over Louisville
Florida -23 over Mississippi State
Boise State – 25 over Hawaii

Gil’s Picks

Alabama -14  over Tennessee- I just can’t see the Vols scoring more than six points against Bama’s defense, especially now that the Tide is protecting a BCS title bid.

Washington + 10 over Oregon- Classic trap game for the Ducks as they face USC next week.  Just ask USC if the Huskies can bite you.

Idaho +15 1/2 over Nevada- Yes, I’m going back to Idaho, Sally Pipes, because they have too good an offense to lose by this many to Nevada.

Season Record- 16-10-1

ACC Looks Like Three Team Race

Miami rebounded from a tough loss to Virginia Tech by staging a late comeback to beat Oklahoma 21-20. Virginia Tech did just enough to get by Duke while Georgia Tech impressed at Mississippi State.  Don’t know what’s become of Florida State who continued to flounder with a loss to BC.  The Eagles will identify themselves as contenders or pretenders this Saturday with a trip into Blacksburg to face the Hokies.

Big 12 Gets Down to Business

It seems to have taken awhile, but Big 12 action finally begins this weekend along with the first big matchup of the conference season which kicks off tonight as Nebraska travels to Missouri.  Look for the Huskers, who’ve faced a tougher schedule, to steal away with a win. Disappointing matchups dot the rest of the slate; which should feature blowout victories by Oklahoma, Texas, Oklahoma State, Kansas and Texas Tech.  Keep an eye on that Oklahoma-Baylor matchup, however, as defending Heisman winner Sam Bradford, may return to action.
 

Can Cincinnati play for the title?

Don’t know how many BCS geeks would like to see it happen but the Bearcats continue on their march to the top of the rankings. They’ll enjoy a weekend off before heading to South Florida for what may be their only obstacle to an undefeated season. The Big East continued its stellar, out-of-conference, performance as West Virginia dumped Colorado and Cincy topped Miami of Ohio.  In Western NY, Syracuse football fans are beginning to identify with the frustration felt by Duke basketball fans over the last four years.  Greg Paulus is as weak a QB as he was a PG.

SEC Elite Continues to Flex Muscles

Pity poor Georgia.  Absolutely the toughest 3-2 team in the nation, they blew a 4th quarter lead last week and a shot to knock off #4 LSU and vault itself into the league title picture. They’ll head to Tennessee this week to see if Lane Kiffin’s boys can back up their talk.  The biggest matchup of the week features Florida at LSU.  Gator QB Tim Tebow’s status for the game is still uncertain, (have to think he’ll play), as is his ability to rebound from a concussion. A loss here won’t be fatal to Florida’s hopes for an SEC Championship, (they’re in the East; LSU and Bama in the West), but may derail their chance to repeat as National Champs.
 

Cal Bears Can’t Bear Tough Schedule

Who was the idiot that had California ranked #2 as late as two weeks ago?  Oh yeah, me.  That the Bears lost two straight to Oregon and USC is not nearly as surprising as the fact that they managed just six points.  Two field goals.  Well, as the Bears go to sleep for the winter, we’ll turn our attention to Halloween night, when the Ducks and the Trojans lock up to determine which goes to the Rose Bowl. In other action, Steve Sarkisian’s Huskies are nobody’s patsy this year, as proven by their close call in South Bend.  There may be no moral victories in football but a 2-3 record coming off a winless season is pretty close.  Don’t be surprised to see Stanford hanging around the top of the standings for most of the season.  They’re a scrappy bunch heading to Corvallis for a tough matchup with Oregon state this weekend.
 

Big Ten Football, Whether You Want It or Not

Did every producer at ESPN go to a Big Ten school?  Last Saturday, (every Saturday actually), four conference games were broadcast almost simultaneously by ESPN and its family of networks. Can’t tell you how exciting it was to watch Iowa, regarded as the league’s second best, hold off  perennial power Arkansas State 24-21. Really, guys.  Arkansas State?   Both Penn State and Illinois looked as disinterested as I was until someone whispered into JoePa’s hearing aid that Illinois is really bad and the Lions ran away in the 4th QTR while viewers who sat through Michigan-Michigan State still can’t decide which team played worse.  Looks like a cakewalk for the only legitimate power in the conference, Ohio State.

Boise’s Road to BCS Title Game Gets Shorter

Assuming Boise State can run the table and finish its season undefeated, there is a distinct and viable possibility that the Broncos will find themselves playing for a National Championship.  Currently ranked at #5 in the Coaches’ poll, they’ll see two of the four ahead of them drop out.  Alabama, Florida and LSU must all play each other, which will eliminate at least two.  Boise’s chances then come down to two matchups: Oklahoma-Texas and USC-Oregon.  If Oklahoma can beat Texas next Saturday, they’ll likely knock the Longhorns out of the Big 12 picture; just as Texas Tech did last season.  Then, if Oregon can hold off USC on Halloween, Boise can point to its own victory over the Ducks as reason for consideration.  A longshot, yes, but one we’re pulling for.  Houston ended its BCS dream in getting crushed by UTEP while Notre Dame continued to struggle with less than elite teams.  Honestly, when was the last time any ND team was 4-1 and unranked?  Their defense is non-existent.

CollegeSportsView.com’s  Top 25

1) Florida (4-0)
2) Texas (4-0)
3) Alabama (5-0)
4) LSU (5-0)
5) Boise State (5-0)
6) Cincinnati(5-0)
7) TCU (4-0)
USC (4-1)
9) Virginia Tech (4-1)
10)Ohio State (4-1)
11)Kansas (4-0)
12)South Florida
13)Oregon (4-1)
14)Mississippi (3-1)
15)Iowa (5-0)
16)Oklahoma State (3-1)
17)Miami (3-1)
18)Oklahoma (2-2)
19)Auburn (5-0)
20)Georgia (3-2)
21)Wisconsin (5-0)
22)Penn State (4-1)
23)BYU (4-1)
24)Missouri (4-0)
25)Nebraska (3-1)

Five Teams to Watch
Utah (3-1)
Georgia Tech (4-1)
South Carolina (4-1)
Boston College (4-1)
Nichols (2-3)

By Eddie Mayrose

SEC Football Not For The Faint Of Heart

Three conference matchups this week gave a bit of a preview as to just how tough this season may be in the SEC.  While Alabama cruised past Arkansas, Mississippi State came up less than a yard short of knocking off #5 LSU in Baton Rouge.  The Bulldogs had a first and goal at the Tigers’ 2 yard line but couldn’t punch it in.  In Lexington, despite Florida’s thrashing of previously unbeaten Kentucky, All-World QB Tim Tebow was knocked from the game with a concussion.  After spending Saturday night in the hospital, Tebow’s availability to return in time for the Gators’ road trip to LSU this weekend had yet to be determined.

Big East Conference Makes a Statement

Ask a college football fan which of the BCS conferences is the weakest and he’ll usually tell you it’s the Big East.  Seemingly bristling from that tag, the Big East made a Big Statement this weekend when South Florida, behind an untested freshman QB, went into Tallahassee and dominated Florida State.  Led by Tallahassee native B.J. Daniels, the Bulls led from start to finish in vanquishing Seminole squad coming off a huge win over Brigham Young.  Daniels, who decided to attend South Florida because Florida State wanted him to play defense, ran the ball well, made the passes he had to and gave his team reason to believe there might be life after Matt Grothe… Rutgers used a strong second half to put Maryland away while Pitt blew a fourth quarter lead in Raleigh and fell to N.C. State.

Miami Hurricanes Not All The Way Back Just Yet

Much was made last week of Miami’s 3-0 record that included victories over Florida State and Georgia Tech.  While their return to the Top Ten of the Coaches’ poll grabbed a lot of attention, it also seemed to make people forget just how good Virginia Tech is.  The pre season league favorite, none too happy at being listed as an underdog on their home field, sent “The U” back to the drawing board with a 31-7 thrashing in Blacksburg… Georgia Tech recovered from its loss to Miami and routed the offensively-challenged North Carolina Tar heels 24-7.

Big 12 Takes Weekend Off

Not a busy week in the Big 12, as early season cupcakes were still on the menu.  As league play commences this week, Texas has clearly established itself as the team to beat; at least until Sam Bradford returns to the Oklahoma lineup.

Parity Means Mediocrity Once Again In The Big Ten

One of these years, college football analysts will see the Big Ten for the Big Fraud that it is and stop ranking its teams so high in the pre season; especially Penn State.  Despite the fact that Paterno’s boys annually beat up on women’s colleges to start the year, pollsters taken with the ancient coach write the Nittany Lions onto their ballots.  Iowa made a mockery of PSU’s ranking this week and with it all talk of one last title for Paterno.  Indiana showed some chops by hanging with Michigan in the Big House, Wisconsin remained undefeated and Ohio State restablished itself as the cream of the crop.

Three BCS Party Crashers Still Left

Through the first month of the season, we’ve seen Boise State, TCU and Houston all establish solid resumes for a BCS bowl in spite of their residing in Non-BCS conferences.  Boise continues to roll; it’s decisive victory over Oregon to open 2009 now looking even better with the Ducks’ annihilation of California.  TCU traveled to Clemson and handled the Tigers; no easy task in Death Valley.  The Horned Frogs’ chances will come down to a matchup with BYU in the Mountain West.  As for Houston, if they weren’t in Conference USA,  they’d currently be sitting atop the standings of the Big 12 South off of their victories over Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.  As we always do here at CollegeSportsView.com, we hope all three finish the season with perfect records and cause the BCS computer to explode.

CollegeSportsView.com Top 25

1) Florida                4-0
2) Texas                   4-0
3) Alabama             4-0
4) LSU                       4-0
5) Boise State         4-0
6) Cincinnati           4-0
7) TCU                       3-0
USC                        3-1
9)Virginia Tech      3-1
10)Ohio State          3-1
11)Oklahoma           2-1
12)Kansas                 4-0
13)Houston              4-0
14)South Florida    4-0
15)Iowa                      4-0
16)Oklahoma State 3-1
17)Georgia                3-1
18)Mississippi          3-1
19)Michigan              4-0
20)Oregon                 3-1
21)California             3-1
22)Penn State           3-1
23)BYU                       3-1
24)Missouri              4-0
25)Auburn                4-0

Five Teams to Watch

Utah
South Carolina
Nebraska
Indiana
Miami