Welcome to The Addison Recorder’s football Pick ‘Em column. Each week Alex and a guest writer will predict the outcome of the most intriguing games on the slate. He will try to be as expert as possible, but we make no guarantees for his guests.
Appalachian State at Michigan
WHY THE FUCK ARE WE BRINGING THIS UP AGAIN?! (Image via.)
Bean: Fuck this game. I hate Michigan’s AD, Dave Brandon, for scheduling it. I’m sure he did it because it will draw interest in a cheap way (his reason to exist, apparently) and could exorcise the ghost of The Horror. But it won’t. All it does is bring up memories of that fiasco and even if Michigan wins in 2014 they cannot erase the loss from 2007. Not ever. Playing this game is so stupid I want to explode. Michigan will win, because ASU isn’t as good as they were in ’07. But neither is Michigan. <sighs angrily all day> Wolverines by at least 20 points.
Travis: This game is the best thing since sliced bread. This game invented the wheel. This game painted the Mona Lisa, with enough time left over to make creme brulees for the entire coaching staff and roster of App State. This game is a thing of beauty, a tribute to all that is good and right with the world. Also, Michigan is going to dominate. Wolverines by 21.
#21 Texas A&M at #9 South Carolina
Steve Spurrier remains the most entertaining coach this side of the Palouse. (Image via.)
Bean: A conference match-up between two Top 25 teams on the very first night of the season? That’s awesome. It’s only available on ESPN’s new SEC Network? Much less awesome. The game itself should be pretty entertaining. These two teams should both be great on offense, so I’m hoping for a shootout. That sort of game favors the home team, especially since A&M will be starting a true Freshman at QB. Gamecocks by 7.
Travis:I mean, who wouldn’t want to watch the SEC beat up on each other right out of the gate? My only regret is that Jadaveon Clowney can’t knock Johnny Football into next Thursday’s game…oh wait, that can happen over in the NFL. Whee! Gamecocks by 10.
#14 LSU vs. #13 Wisconsin
This is Les Miles. He makes $4.3 million a year to coach the LSU football team. He eats stadium grass when facing tough decisions. (Image via.)
Bean: It’s not far-fetched to imagine this being the 2011 National Championship Game if the world was more fair. As it is, both of these schools will be looking to start a run to national prominence with this game in Houston. LSU is the more talented team on paper and will be debuting their phenom Freshman RB Leonard Fournette. Wisconsin will be the same team it’s been since the 90’s: relying on their awesome running game and playing stout defense. I think I lean towards LSU, but if the Badgers can get Melvin Gordon going then watch out. LSU by 4.
Travis: Um, I just want to see Les Miles lose? Also, Bean and I can’t pick the same teams over and over again. That’s just weird. Badgers by 3.
#16 Clemson at #12 Georgia
Last year’s game was a classic shootout. Let’s go for another. (Image via.)
Bean: A rematch of last year’s opening week barn-burner that launched victorious Clemson to their Orange Bowl victory 4 months later. The Tigers have lost both longtime QB Tajh Boyd and All-Everything WR Sammy Watkins. Georgia lost their own longtime QB starter, but return a ton of other talent on offense. Considering that and the fact that the Bulldogs are hosting, I think they’ll take this one. But it should be another back-and-forth scoring fest. Which is just fine by me. Georgia by 3.
Travis: I can, on a good day, tell you where Clemson is on a map. This is not a good day. Georgia by 4.5.
#1 Florida State vs. Oklahoma State
Expect a lot of images like this when Florida State plays this year. (Image via.)
Bean: The Seminoles start their National Title defense with an intersectional game against the Okie State Cowboys in Jerry Jones’ future cenotaph. OSU was a pretty great team last year, but they lost a lot of starters to graduation. They’ve been so consistently good for the past few years that it’s hard to doubt another run at the Big 12 title. But they’re starting against a Florida State team that absolutely steamrolled its schedule last year. Tough to say if they can be that good again, but the Seminoles still have Jameis Winston at the helm and blue-chippers at every position on the field. They should win this handily, though the Cowboys will keep it closer than most other teams could. Florida State by 14.
Travis: Ka-pow! FSU by 28.
Alex Bean
A life-long Midwesterner, currently living and working in Chicago. Primarily writes here about television and film (which is what he accrued crushing debt to study in school), but will write about books, sports, video games, or whatever else strikes his fancy. He's the one who thinks baseball is really boring.
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