"If Penn State makes it to Miami I'd be happy to drive.  I've got a hell of a good shortcut -- right through Savannah along the water." - W.T. SHERMAN

Systematic pirates of innovation that we are, The Rivalry, Esq. is borrowing a page from our Secsch friends at Team Speed Kills.  Each week we'll feature the best our team specific bloggers have to offer in neatly-packaged abstractions.

"It could have been worse."

That's what Around the Oval had to say about Ohio State's tight rope loss to Penn State.  ATO's coverage does a particularly nice job of excavating the controversial aspects of Buckeye play: why Boeckman sat, why Pryor is too hard on himself, if Offensive Coordinator Jim Bollman should take a hike, the defensive dexterity, Ray Small's thesbian tendencies, and the crowd pleasers.  If you're a Buckeye fan that still feels sour in the wake of Saturday's shortcomings, this is as good as Zantac.

"Those blowouts were compelling in ways words cannot describe, wins that were positively Wittgensteinian."

Black Heart, Gold Pants makes the most of a bye week by marinating and barbecuing Chris Dufresne of the Los Angeles Times for making "too many stupid statements for a generic response."  Admittedly, we're all sort of hung up on this whole stand-up-for-the-conference crusade.  But, as long as you're in the mood, this is killer fodder.

"Who are these douchebags?"

After an afternoon in an ice-bath, the boys from Black Shoe Diaries stage a pre-emptive attack on the Texas Longhorns in true if you can't beat 'em, join 'em fashion.  The Hate Manual is chack full of all sorts of nasty preconditions: like, if Penn State faces the Horn's for it all, should they abandon the Spread HD and go to the run to keep the ball out of Colt McCoy's greasy fingers?

"I don't think so."

Says Maize n Brew on the subject of a potential Cal/Michigan rivalry.  Don't get them wrong: the 6-packs like the Golden Bear uniforms, Jahvid Best, even Berkeley.  It's just Michigan Men don't have to travel west of the Mississippi to get action.  Scandalous?  Just wait until you read the kicker: California isn't "loss worthy."  Hey Elaine, how about a sponge? 

"I would have expected this incredible start to translate into more verbal commitments than we could handle."

The Daily Gopher, sneaks a peek at the future of Rodent Recruiting.  Although the committment floodgates haven't opened just yet, GopherNation remains cautiously optimistic.  Check out his Top 10 wish list.  And it's not even December.

I'm up a little later than expected, so I figured I'd take the initiative and get on the OPC with a cup of coffee.  For those of you who took the time to do the math last week's scoreboard looks a little like the first quarter of a Missouri game.  Check this out:

Week 6 Franz v. Filler winner FRANZ

After six glorious weeks we're tied 3-3.

Crystal Ball Call (pick of the week): Vandy by 1 (PATERNOSGRANDAUGHTER).  This could be the greatest pick of all time.  1 point for Vanderbilt, 2 points for the spread, 2 points for the upset, and 2 points for the exact margin for a total of 7.  VANDY 14, AUBURN 13.  Runner up: OSU by 3 (LAKEERIEMONSTAR).  OSU 20, WISC 17.

What were you thinking?: Michigan by anything (BAMA HAWKEYE, LAKEERIEMONSTAR, PATERNOSGRANDAUGHTER).  Yeah I know they beat Wisconsin.  Big frickin' deal.

Franz enjoys a victory cigar in the wake of another week of supreme dominance.

Here are our Week 7 Picks:

1. No. 5 TEXAS v. No. 1 OKLAHOMA 12:00 p.m. EST, ABC

FILLER predicts OKLAHOMA by 16

(All Time Record: 57-40-5, UT). The "First Test" game. The monster recruiting classes of 2005 and 2006 are paying off in a big way for Oklahoma, the nation's #1 team. Eight Rivals100 recruits will get significant playing time for the Sooners, while five seniors pace the offensive line. Meanwhile, ESPN claimed tonight that Colt McCoy is better than Sam Bradford. Do they know something we don't?

FRANZ predicts OKLAHOMA by 10

Upset?  It's tempting, but I think the Sooners are simply the better team here.  This game comes down to the units: Oklahoma's bomber offense versus Texas' prude defense.  Oklahoma is fifth in the NCAA averaging 548 total yards of offense a game.  Texas has allowed only five touchdowns in as many games.  Tune in early for the biggest Red River Rivalry since 2004, and to see the Longhorns up a creek without a paddle.

2. IOWA at INDIANA 12:00 p.m. EST, Big Ten Network

 

FILLER predicts IOWA by 11

The "O-fer" game. One of these teams has to win a game in the Big 10. Shonne Greene is the best offensive player on the field, plus Iowa's defense has been solid in each of it's last three games (PPG allowed: 21, 22, 16).

FRANZ predicts IOWA by 7

Iowa held Javon Ringer to 91 yards last week.  Indiana is 7 and 51 when scoring less than 30.  Although both teams are riding a three-game slide the Hawkeyes have simply showed more promise in defeat -- they've lost three by a combined nine points.  Compare Indiana's 44 point spread and you see why IU is simply the sounder pick here.

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