Football Friday – Kim Etheridge: hot or not edition

One of the strangest (and silliest) weeks in recent memory ends with very few really intriguing matchups on the field. Let’s see if we can find something to talk about, shall we?

Colleges

Ohio State @ Iowa – As mentioned in the DMN this morning, Iowa does not have a sterling record when playing the #1 team in the land (try 0-9-1). The game is in Iowa City, and the Hawkeyes have done pretty well there over the years. This sets up as a trap for OSU. I think the Buckeyes have too much, and if you’re going to force me to make a prediction, it’s OSU by 7 or less, but an upset here would not shock me.

Sam Houston State @ Texas – I guess some of the SH players will get to tell their grandchildren things like, “Back in 2006, I got knocked on my ass by Jamaal Charles.” This is pretty embarrassing. Can we get to the Big 12 schedule now?

Alabama @ Florida – Clearly, this is the Redneck Game of the Week. Florida should clean the Tide’s clock. I hear Alabama boosters have launched a desperate scheme to replace the Gators’ vaunted “Ade” with moonshine. Potentially a genius plan. The Swamp will, of course, be completely packed. I’d still take the under on real teeth, but probably the over on bad toupees.

SMU @ Tulane – My friend Bill attended both of these schools (Tulane undergrad and SMU grad) and is, therefore, the only person on the planet who has any interest in the outcome of this game. And I suspect he doesn’t have much himself.

Boston University vs the immortal soul of Dennis Gadbois – Perhaps the greatest wide receiver ever to come out of the state of Maine, Dennis lived in the shadow of fellow wideout Bill Brooks. If memory serves, Dennis did get a chance w/ the Patriots and may have even played a few games. I wonder where he is now…

Pros

Dallas @ Tennessee – The Titans are bad. The Cowboys are bad, but not as bad. Ergo, the Cowboys should win, right? Not so fast. How many questions do you think Bledsoe has fielded on the Titans’ secondary this week? How about in comparison to the number of questions he’s fielded on TO’s exploits? This game has trap written all over it. A good, well-coached team should rise to the occasion and beat the inferior opponent. I don’t think the Cowboys are good or well-coached. The Dark Side post on Monday will be much more entertaining if Dallas comes home 1-2. Here’s hoping…

New Orleans @ Carolina – We’ll find out a bit about the Saints in this one. They sure looked good on Monday night, but that may have been just pure emotion. Carolina isn’t what everyone expected, but they’re still pretty good.

New England @ Cincinnati – This is the kind of game the Pats win – on the road, against tough teams who wear bad uniforms.

Arizona @ Atlanta – I’m ready to see Leinart. I think he’s got the makings of a great pro QB, and the Cardinals sure have the receivers. Let’s get on with it, already.

Seattle @ Chicago – I guess Chicago is for real. I’m partial to Seattle, but this should be a good one.

Green Bay @ Eagles – This might turn into a good one. I think Philadelphia is lucky to get Green Bay on Monday night. On a random Sunday afternoon, Philadelphia could easily overlook the Packers. No one overlooks anything on Monday night.

Comedic Value Game of the Week – The NFL keeps giving us candidates galore: Minnesota @ Buffalo, Miami @ Houston, and Cleveland @ Oakland are all pretty silly, but the silliest has got to be Detroit @ St. Louis. Wow. Believe it or not, Fox is actually paying for the rights to televise this travesty. I’m just glad I’m not in a market which will be subjected to it.

Go (insert your team here)!