The Experts: Week 1

For the last couple of years I have selected a collection of games and asked some of my sporting expert friends to give me predictions on the winners. Last year JLB ended up being the wisest of my experts.

I thought I would open the game up and see if more people wanted to participate.

The rules are pretty simple. Whomever has the best record, wins the week. Win the most weeks. Win the year. You have to give a score for the tie-breaker game. The first tie breaker is point differential. The second tie-breaker is total points. The third tie-breaker (although almost certainly an impossibility that we would ever go to that) is who I have ranked highest on my rankings of loyalty to the Cyclones.

I usually release the games on Sunday nights. I have my own formula for picking games.

The deadline is the start of the earliest game of the week. For example, this week the deadline is in 2 hours. So you probably won’t get in this week, but I’ll try to do better next week.

Below are this week’s selections by The Experts. However, reading these prediction will ruin the games for you, as you will now know what is going to happen, before it happens.

I may even give a weekly prize to the weekly winner. I may not. I am after all, what the poets would describe as, destitute.

TIE-BREAKER
UNI at Iowa State – 7PM (Cyclones.TV)

CDB: CYCLONES 38 PANTHERS 3 (Iowa State’s new defensive line wreaks havoc on UNI’s quarterback du jour, leading to 5 UNI turnovers and an easy Cyclone victory.)
JLB – ISU 28 UNI 17
RMK – ISU 26 UNI 19
DRE – ISU 21 UNI 17

 

THURSDAY

NORTH CAROLINA AT SOUTH CAROLINA – 5 PM (ESPN)
CDB – SOUTH CAROLINA (South Carolina celebrates being a slightly less racist state with the big win.)
JLB – NORTH CAROLINA
RMK – SOUTH CAROLINA
DRE – SOUTH CAROLINA

OKLAHOMA STATE at CENTRAL MICHIGAN – 6 PM (ESPNU)
CDB – OKLAHOMA STATE (Cowboys. Big.)
JLB – OKLAHOMA STATE
RMK – OKLAHOMA STATE
DRE – OKLAHOMA STATE

MICHIGAN AT UTAH – 7:30 PM (FS1)
CDB – MICHIGAN (Jake Ruddock gives Iowa fans something to talk about.)
JLB – MICHIGAN
RMK – MICHIGAN
DRE – MICHIGAN

#2 TCU at MINNESOTA – 8 PM (ESPN)
CDB – TCU (Horny Frogs by 24. The difference between a Big 12 and a Big 10 team.)
JLB – TCU
RMK – TCU (Huge.)
DRE – TCU (This ain’t even a game.)

FRIDAY GAMES

#4 Baylor at SMU – 6 PM (ESPN)
CDB – Baylor (Baylor and their lack of integrity crushes the Mustangs.)
JLB – BAYLOR
RMK – BAYLOR
DRE – BAYLOR (Briles)

SIOUX CITY NORTH STARS (0-1) AT FORT DODGE DODGERS (1-0)
CDB – FORT DODGE (Dodgers.)
JLB – FORT DODGE
RMK – FORT DODE (Streets.)
DRE – FORT DODGE

BOONE TOREADORS (0-1) AT GILBERT TIGERS (0-1)
CDB – BOONE (Da ‘Dors!)
JLB – GILBERT
RMK – GILBERT
DRE – GILBERT

AUDUBON WHEELERS (1-0) AT IKM-MANNING WOLVES (1-0)
CDB: IKM-MANNING (Ag Bowl champs pay the price for going up a class. Hoooooooowwwwwwlllll!)
JLB – AUDUBON (Champions of the Ag Bowl [if you don’t know, look it up])
RMK – AUDUBON (Rockets)
DRE – IKM-MANNING (Wolves)

SATURDAY GAMES

ILLINOIS STATE AT IOWA – 11 AM (Big Ten)
CDB – ILLINOIS STATE (The #2 team in the country waltzes into a half empty Kinnick and walks out with a 3 point win.)
JLB – IOWA
RMK – IOWA (Iowa always wins the first week.)
DRE – IOWA (Yeah, Iowa)

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE at KANSAS – 11 AM
CDB – SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (Go Jack Rabbits!)
JLB – KANSAS
RMK – SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
DRE – SOUTH DAKOTA STATE

#21 STANFORD AT NORTHWESTERN – 11 AM (ESPN)
CDB – STANFORD (Stanford is a trendy pick to win the Pac 12. Has the Pac 12 ever lost a game to a Big 10 team? They don’t start today.)
JLB – STANFORD
RMK – STANFORD
DRE – NORTHWESTERN

SAM HOUSTON STATE at TEXAS TECH – 2:30 PM
CDB – TEXAS TECH (Pretty Boy McGee barely gets by Sam Houston State.)
JLB – TEXAS TECH
RMK – TEXAS TECH (GQ)
DRE – TEXAS TECH

VIRGINIA AT #13 UCLA – 2:30 PM (FOX)
CDB – UCLA (The ACC is so cute. Steve Alford wins big!)
JLB – UCLA
RMK – UCLA
DRE – UCLA

LOUISVILLE AT #6 AUBURN – 2:30 (CST)
CDB – AUBURN (War friggin’ Eagle.)
JLB – LOUISVILLE
RMK – AUBURN
DRE – AUBURN

BYU AT NEBRASKA – 2:30 PM (ABC)
CDB – BYU
JLB – NEBRASKA
RMK – NEBRASKA (Cooter)
DRE – BYU

Akron at #19 Oklahoma – 6 PM
CDB – OKLAHOMA (Oklahoma by 35)
JLB – OKLAHOMA
RMK – OKLAHOMA
DRE – OKLAHOMA (OK OK)

South Dakota at Kansas State – 6PM
CDB – KANAS STATE (Kansas State wins by 17.)
JLB – KANSAS STATE
RMK – KANSAS STATE
DRE – KANSAS STATE

 #15 ARIZONA STATE AT TEXAS A&M – 6 PM (ESPN)
CDB – ARIZONA STATE (Didn’t Texas A&M get the memo! In the SEC you schedule Sun Belt schools exclusively! Sun Devils give them the message.)
JLB – ARIZONA STATE
RMK – TEXAS A&M
DRE – ARIZONA STATE

TEXAS at #11 NOTRE DAME – 6:30 PM (NBC)
CDB – TEXAS (Texas give longtime Longhorn fans like JLB and RMK false hope by getting over the Irish.)
JLB – TEXAS
RMK – TEXAS (Man. I guess TX.)
DRE – TEXAS

GEORGIA SOUTHERN at WEST VIRGINIA – 6:30 PM
CDB – WEST VIRGINIA (Georgia Southern nearly pulls the upset, but can’t get it done.)
JLB – WEST VIRGINIA
RMK – WEST VIRGINIA (Dana)
DRE – WEST VIRGINIA

#20 WISCONSIN vs. #3 ALABAMA – 7 PM (ABC)
CDB – ALABAMA (It ain’t close… son.)
JLB – ALABAMA
RMK – ALABAMA
DRE – ALABAMA (Sweet home.)

#1 OHIO STATE AT VIRGINIA TECH – 7 PM (ESPN)
CDB – OHIO STATE (Disappointed in JLB’s lack of faith in his Hokies. Buckeyes roll big. Fines for the entire VT squad.)
JLB – OHIO STATE (VTech; just kidding. Ohio State.)
RMK – OHIO STATE (Big.)
DRE – OHIO STATE

WASHINGTON AT #23 BOISE STATE ESPN – 9:15 PM (ESPN)
CDB – BOISE STATE (Broncos stomp Huskies.)
JLB – WASHINGTON (Washington easily over Boise State; in the Chris Petersen Bowl.)
RMK – BOISE STATE (Boring.)
DRE – BOISE STATE

Stay tuned for another exciting PHOTOGRAPHY 139 participatory announcement on the morrow!