CU Independent Pick’em, Week 2

It was not a good first week for most of our staff in the CU Independent Pick‘em.

The Denver Post’s Troy Renck, last week’s guest picker, went a mediocre 3-5. But you can’t really blame him. Who would have thought our beloved Colorado Buffaloes would look so bad losing to Colorado State? Or how about the three toss-up games that he lost (North Carolina State, Virginia Tech and Florida State)? And, of course, could anyone predict that Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford would injure his right throwing shoulder in a surprise 14-13 loss to BYU?

Only two staff members, CU Independent co-sports editor Cheng Sio and writer David Starcer, were correct in more than half their picks. Hopefully, our new guest picker this week will fare better.

Guest picker this season — Overall: 3-5; Last week: 3-5

Corey Jones — senior news-editorial major and sports director at Radio 1190

Colorado 33, Toledo 27: Both programs are looking for their first win, and I’m giving the nod to the Buffaloes…but I think they will have to put up at least 30 points to seal the victory. Look for Toledo’s shaky run defense to finally allow CU to establish something on the ground. I imagine the Buffs learned their lesson in terms with their pass defense last week, and they know they must do whatever it takes to prohibit quarterback Aaron Opelt from succeeding with the long ball.

No. 15 Georgia Tech 30, Clemson 21: Thursday night games historically favor the home team, and I think this week is no different. This one’s all about the battle between the Georgia Tech run game and Clemson’s speedy defense. The return of Roddy Jones and not having to travel after the short week will give the Yellow Jackets the edge.

Wake Forest 26, Stanford 20: Traveling from coast to coast is no fun, and Stanford had a tough time on the road last season. Having to play at noon on the East Coast won’t make it any easier. Wake Forest should earn its first win (and last week’s opponent, Baylor, is no slouch) but for this to happen, QB Riley Skinner cannot keep tossing the ball to the other team.

Pittsburgh 35, Buffalo 23: If Pitt wants to contend for the Big East title, it must win games like this. The Panthers had no problem with Buffalo last season, and I expect that to be the case this time around. They have a knack for defeating Mid-American Conference teams. Look for Dion Lewis to continue to make a strong case as a capable replacement for LeSean McCoy in the backfield.

No. 18 Notre Dame 24, Michigan 17: A great match-up with plenty of “upset” potential, if you want to call it that. But I’m going with the ranked Fighting Irish on the road. Michigan allowed an alarming 263 passing yards against Western Michigan last week, which hints at a weakness that Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen can easily exploit.

Tennessee 27, UCLA 24: In what should be one of the top three games of the weekend, I see the home team winning it late. Some guy name Neuheisel is still rebuilding his team out in Los Angeles and Tennessee’s offensive game seems to be coming together quite nicely. The key for the Volunteers is the play of QB Jonathan Crompton, and I expect UCLA QB Kevin Prince to struggle in a hostile environment.

No. 21 Georgia 16, South Carolina 7: Georgia will have its top 25 ranking on the line, and I assure you, the idea of going 0-2 terrifies the Bulldogs — especially when you look ahead at the weeks that follow (at Arkansas, vs. Arizona State, vs. No. 11 LSU, at Tennessee). This alone will be enough to scare Georgia to a victory in what’s sure to be another low-scoring affair (translation: snooze-fest).

No. 3 USC 31, No. 8 Ohio State 20: In what will amount to be a big blow for the Big 10 Conference, my money’s on the Trojans. Recently, the Buckeyes have one of the most convincing records at home against non-conference opponents, but a storm is brewing in Columbus. All eyes will be on USC running back Joe McKnight, who trampled over Ohio State last year and should take some pressure off frosh QB Matt Barkley. And I still don’t trust the arm of Buckeyes QB Terrelle Pryor.

Cheng Sio — sports editor — Overall: 5-3, Last week: 5-3

Colorado 35, Toledo 30: After watching the Buffs lay an egg last week, many people are approaching CU cautiously. As of the publication of this article, Vegas odds-makers are favoring the Buffs by a measly four points. I agree — by five. Even in my predicted win, watch out for Opelt slinging footballs left and right. He threw 67 passes last week against Purdue.

No. 15 Georgia Tech 31, Clemson 21: All I can say is good luck game-planning for Georgia Tech’s triple-option offense in five days unless Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney was smart enough to overlook Middle Tennessee State last week.

Wake Forest 26, Stanford 21: I have a confession. I’ve had a man-crush on Skinner and the utmost respect for head coach Jim Grobe since Wake Forest shocked everybody by winning the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2006. Even though Stanford is improving, I expect the Demon Deacons to rebound from last week’s loss to Baylor.

Buffalo 42, Pittsburgh 10: Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt is still around, but “Shady” McCoy is not. I trust Buffalo head coach Turner Gill getting his team ready to play a team from the big boy conferences than anything the “Wannstache” (which is what Wannstedt is known as in Miami) does.

No. 18 Notre Dame 34, Michigan 24: Wow!!! Clausen to Michael Floyd was unstoppable last week against Nevada. Four catches for 189 yards with three touchdowns is sick. You only see those kinds of numbers in video games. The Irish are coming back down to Earth this week, but not enough to lose in their annual rivalry game against the Wolverines.

Tennessee 34, UCLA 21: Truly, I really don’t care who wins because last year’s game was just plain U-G-L-Y. All I really want is a M-U-C-H better game. But if I have to choose, give me Lane Kiffin’s loud-mouth team over “Slick Rick” Neuheisel’s team.

No. 21 Georgia 16, South Carolina 13: Neither teams can score, evidenced by the 10 points Georgia had against a sketchy Oklahoma State defense and the seven points South Carolina earned against a so-so North Carolina State defense. Give me the team who makes its home at Between the Hedges.

No. 3 USC 37, No. 8 Ohio State 33: If Ohio State wasn’t so overrated, would the Big Ten Conference exist? The only reason why I’m predicting this to be a tight game is because USC freshman quarterback Matt Barkley will be making his first start in a hostile environment. Hanging 56 points on San Jose State doesn’t count as a test. That’s like the equivalent of asking me to add two plus two, which is five.

Ron Knabenbauer — sports editor — Overall: 4-4, Last week: 4-4

Colorado 36, Toledo 13: I would say you can put a “W” in the win column right now for the Buffs, but after last week’s loss to CSU, who knows what Colorado team will show up. However, the short week for the Buffs will be a blessing in disguise as they will pound the Rockets in primetime on Friday night.

No. 15 Georgia Tech 23, Clemson 20: My “Magic 8 Ball” tells me that this one is going to be close and that the home team (that’s GT) will win by a late field goal.

Wake Forest 33, Stanford 17: Stanford is rebuilding in the right direction, but ACC power Wake Forest will be too strong for the Cardinal to handle.

Buffalo 24, Pittsburgh 14: I smell an upset. Buffalo had a great season last year and they will continue that momentum with a win over Pitt.

No. 18 Notre Dame 42, Michigan 27: I’d like to think that head coach Rich Rodriguez has Michigan pointing in the right direction, but I just can’t see them beating a pretty good Fighting Irish team this season. All Notre Dame in this one.

UCLA 30, Tennessee 24: I have a West Coast bias in this match-up as the Bruins will show Lane Kiffin’s Vols team what Pac-10 Conference football is all about with a win in Knoxville, Tenn.

South Carolina 30, No. 21 Georgia 37: Watch for Georgia to be a sleeper in the Southeastern Conference this season as they will continue to fly under the radar (at least for the time being) with a win this weekend.

No. 3 USC 45, No. 8 Ohio State 34: This one is going to be a high scoring affair but the Trojans will overmatch the Buckeyes in the Horseshoe with a couple of late touchdown drives.

Alex K.W. Schultz — CU:I’s football beat reporter — Overall: 3-5, Last week: 3-5

Colorado 34, Toledo 24: Rockets senior quarterback Aaron Opelt tossed for over 400 yards in a loss to Purdue while the Buffs showed their vulnerability against the pass to Colorado State. Head coach Dan Hawkins better have something figured out.

No. 15 Georgia Tech 20, Clemson 16: Both the Yellow Jackets and the Tigers each scored 37 points against much inferior squads last weekend. This should be a low-scoring affair but Georgia Tech will get the job done.

Wake Forest 24, Stanford 21: Although the Demon Deacons lost to Baylor last Saturday, the Cardinal’s win over Washington State didn’t say much as the Cougars were 2-11 in 2008. I like Wake Forest at home.

Pittsburgh 23, Buffalo 13: The Panthers have always prided themselves on defense, and defense wins games. In its first contest, Pittsburgh allowed just three points to Youngstown State. The Bulls will have trouble putting points on the board against Wannstedt’s stingy unit.

No. 18 Notre Dame 27, Michigan 18: As much as I don’t want the Irish to win, they will. Notre Dame junior quarterback Jimmy Clausen threw for 315 yards and four touchdowns against Nevada and the Irish’s defense held the Wolf Pack’s potent pistol offense to zero points. Good offense. Good defense. Notre Dame wins.

Tennessee 31, UCLA 21: OK, Western Kentucky isn’t the best team in the world, but the Volunteers hung 63 points on the Hilltoppers. Tennessee won’t score as many points against the Bruins but first-year head coach Lane Kiffin obviously has his offense working better than it has in years past.

No. 21 Georgia 17, South Carolina 10: If you’re a fan of offensive fireworks, don’t tune in to this one. The Bulldogs and Gamecocks combined to score 17 points last weekend. Georgia garnered 257 yards of total offense, and South Carolina 256. That one yard may be the difference here.

No. 3 USC 38, No. 8 Ohio State 9: Um, the Buckeyes defeated the Naval Academy last Saturday by four points. Enough said. The Men of Troy will turn this one into a laugher.

Chris King — staff writer — Overall: 2-6, Last week 2-6

Colorado 34, Toledo 31: Still reeling from an upset from in-state rival CSU, the Buffs need to rebound and Toledo might be the perfect team for them to do it against. The Rockets gave up over 300 rushing yards against Purdue. While that’s good news for the Buffs, what’s bad news is that Toledo hung 31 points on the Boilermakers. Expect lots of offense in this one.

No. 15 Georgia Tech 24, Clemson 17: The Yellow Jackets opened their season about as well as one could hope. On their first play from scrimmage RB Jonathan Dwyer ripped off a 74-yard TD run. But that was against a lesser Jacksonville State team. Clemson also managed an opening weekend win against inferior Middle Tennessee State. Expect this one to be fought out on the ground, with GT’s triple-option outdoing Clemson RB C.J. Spiller and Co.

Stanford 28, Wake Forest 24: After a heartbreaking loss to Baylor, the Demon Deacons are hoping to rebound against the Cardinal. Unfortunately, Stanford has two of the more underrated offensive players in the Pac-10 in QB Andrew Luck and RB Toby Gerhart. Riley Skinner will do his best to rally his team but in the end, it won’t be enough.

Pittsburgh 31, Buffalo 27: Panther RB Dion Lewis made the Pitt faithful say “LeSean who?” after his performance against Youngstown State.  Meanwhile, Buffalo WR Naaman Roosevelt picked up where he left off last season, with a near 100 yard game receiving. Although Buffalo shockingly won the MAC last year, they don’t have what it takes to go against a talented Pittsburgh team.

No. 18 Notre Dame 38, Michigan 10: Michigan’s beat-down of Western Michigan had many Wolverines’ faithful proclaiming a return to prominence. Not so fast. While Michigan is VASTLY improved from last year’s pathetic campaign, they still are no match for the Fighting Irish’s explosive offense. While ND is still overrated (and plays a cupcake schedule) expect them to hand Michigan a pounding.

Tennessee 21, UCLA 20: While the Volunteers ran up the score against Western Kentucky, their QB still threw two interceptions and they were held scoreless throughout the first quarter. UCLA frosh QB Kevin Prince also tossed a pair of INTs, his coming against San Diego State. Expect this one to be sloppy and expect Tennessee safety Eric Berry to grab at least one pick.

No. 21 Georgia 13, South Carolina 10: The Bulldogs were defeated at the hands of the Oklahoma State Cowboys, but the real shock was how poor their offense looked. Don’t expect things to get better against the Gamecocks, who hounded NC State QB Russell Wilson in their 7-3 victory. This one will be a defensive struggle with the Dawgs just barely pulling out a win.

No. 3 USC 37, No. 8 Ohio State 17: Last year the Trojans handed the Buckeyes a beating, 35-3. While USC may have lost quite a few starters to the National Football League, it’s business as usual for head coach Pete Carroll. On the other side, the Bucks put up a terrible performance against the Navy Midshipmen and had it not been for a terrible call on a two-point conversion, they could have been upset. The final score will make this one look closer than it will be.

David Starcer — staff writer — Overall: 6-2, Last week 6-2

Colorado 30, Toledo 24: I know many Buff fans have already thrown in the towel after Sunday’s performance, but this sports guy is not one of them. Toledo’s defense gave up 52 points to Purdue in their first game, Darrell Scott is getting more touches this game (or so we are told) and if our defense plays like they did in the second half versus CSU, we should have no problem notching our first win of the year.

Clemson 24, No. 15 Georgia Tech 17: Everything points to Georgia Tech winning this game. It’s in Atlanta, the Yellow Jackets are a top 25 team, and they have Jonathan Dwyer, the reigning ACC Player of the Year, in their backfield. But I love C.J. Spiller, Clemson’s senior tailback, who passed up the NFL Draft to come back this year, and I have a gut feeling that the Tigers will pull off the upset. Watch out for Clemson to be a dark horse contender for the ACC title this season.

Wake Forest 17, Stanford 14: I almost went with Stanford on this one, if for no other reason than I’ve always liked the Cardinal (and John Elway happened to play football there). Wake Forest got beat by Baylor last week, but I think that Riley Skinner will bounce back, have a good game this week and get enough help from his defense to give the Demon Deacons the victory.

Pittsburgh 20, Buffalo 13: Buffalo is an up-and-coming program and I really like their young head coach Turner Gill. But I don’t think they will have enough on offense to get past a feisty Pitt team.

No. 23 Notre Dame 30, Michigan 10: I think the outcome of this game is going to be a lot more lopsided than people think. The Michigan program is in disarray right now, and Notre Dame is a very balanced team. Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen is finally ready to be the player everyone thought he’d be, and I like his team big in this contest.

UCLA 35, Tennessee 30: Former CU coach Rick Neuheisel is running the show in Pasadena, Calif. now, and I like his Bruins team to make some noise in the Pac-10 this season. Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin has his offense playing well, but I think the Vols come up short in this one.

No. 13 Georgia 21, South Carolina 7: Both teams struggled on offense last week (surprising considering they’re coached by Mark Richt and Steve Spurrier, respectively), and I think that trend continues in this game. I give Georgia the slight edge playing at home and think a defensive touchdown by the Dawgs is what shifts the momentum in this game.

No. 6 Ohio State 37, No. 4 USC 34: First of all, the Trojans are an overrated team this season with a true freshman at quarterback. Secondly, Navy gave Ohio State fits last week because of their wishbone/option attack, which next to nobody runs anymore. Finally, I love Terrelle Pryor’s game and think he has a shot at the Heisman Trophy this year. Despite USC’s undisputed talent top to bottom, the combination of playing in the Horseshoe, Barkley’s inexperience, and Pryor’s all-around game (yes, he can throw the ball too) will be enough to lift the Buckeyes over the Trojans on Saturday night.

Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Cheng Sio at Cheng.sio@colorado.edu.