Both teams have had two weeks to prepare. Both teams had difficult road games. That’s about where the similarities end. Pitt is 3-1 coming off a bye week after beating Texas A&M. ND is 1-3 after a bye and an ugly loss to Purdue.

It will be interesting to see what Walt Harris has planned to do against ND on both sides of the ball. Defensively, Pitt has to worry more about the pass than the run, because ND has shown no ability to generate yardage on the ground. This may be a bit trickier than I would like because Pitt only has game tapes of the Domers’ new QB from his debut against Purdue. He’s now had two weeks to work more on his timing and running the 1st team offense for ND. It just makes me a little nervous because the Pitt secondary has been suspect, in part because the Defensive line hasn’t generated much pressure on the QB this season. (Will this be the game where Herriot comes out of his funk?)

I’m actually a little concerned about the offense for Pitt against ND. The way people bandy about the term “offensive genius” with Walt Harris, the title “defensive genius is applied to ND head coach, Tyrone Willingham. How he schemes against Pitt’s offense might be an unpleasant surprise.

Strangely enough, the thing that has most Irish fans talking is what will be happening off the field. This game will be on ESPN at 6pm on Saturday. In the booth, providing color will be their deposed head coach Bob Davie. Though, all sides claim there is no problem, you can bet the Domers will be scrutinizing his every utterance — a difficult and painful experience considering how bad a color commentator he is, I had to suffer through it while watching the Wisconsin-Penn State game last weekend (but I digress) — for the dreaded bias.

After watching the Purdue-ND game a couple weeks ago, I think the Irish will give Pitt more of a battle than the oddsmakers are giving. Twelve points is a lot considering how desperate the Irish are for a win; and Pitt’s last two games against ND where the offense just imploded. Notre Dame’s defense didn’t look that bad against Purdue. It was solid against the run, and seems like an athletic secondary. Purdue actually exploited the Irish underneath by using their Tight End a lot. Something I have been begging Pitt to do considering the talent at the position for Pitt.

I like Pitt to win, but I’m not sure about covering. A surprisingly low scoring affair for Pitt — Pitt 27 ND 19.

1st… A Blogwide congratulations to Lee.
2nd… Sorry I was out so long.
3rd… What Pitt looks like from the southeastern United States is nothing but good. It certainly would nice to have a high speed connection at home to add to the Blog while watching a game, but that is a Blog for another time. Right now to the SEC Pitt is a friend. To LSU, Arkansas, and Georgia, Pitt is the ticket to the National Championship. Don’t think that when Pitt plays both Miami and Virginia Tech that we won’t have a lot friends here cheering us on. It’s no longer what have you done for me lately, but what can you do for me now. So, living among alum of each of the three SEC schools mentioned, people cannot wait for the Pitt/VaTech or the Pitt/Miami game. They know that Pitt can play spoiler, and help their team get to the title event. What I continue to explain to them is that while that is true, they must get through the SEC unscathed as well. The SEC champion will get a berth into a BCS game, but it may not be for the national title. I ask what happens if their (and my) desires that Pitt play spoiler is realized, and then Pitt leap frogs those SEC teams. I am going to be like that lone fan cheering on his team in another teams bar- you know the commercial that I writing about. For now though, things are friendly with the folks from the SEC- they are on my side!

What about the folks from the ACC? Remember, there is GaTech right here in Atlanta. There are an abundance of fans from Clemson, Florida State, NC State here as well. With the additions of VaTech and Miami, they now see their conference as the premier power conference in the nation in both football and basketball. I am scoffed at and I am sure sneered about behind my back for ‘my’ conference losing its two premier football members. I explain that I of course had no control over the decision. All I can say is that we have to wait and see how the whole thing shakes out. Oh, and Wolfpack fans, don’t forget about the 2001 Tangerine Bowl.

That’s it from Atlanta.

Hail to Pitt living up to SEC fans desires!

I’m back with my stunning 9-9 record against the spread and ready to talk about this weekend’s games. And what a weekend it is — #2 Miami at #5 Florida State, #1 Oklahoma vs. #11 Texas. And most exciting of all — #16 Pitt vs. Notre Dame.

Not unlike most Americans, I hate Notre Dame. It’s not that I’m anti-Catholic or anti-Irish (although I do enjoy getting into it with Pat). It’s just that I’m jealous of Notre Dame’s exclusive television contract with NBC, and since when is jealousy a bad reason for hating someone? Besides, the Irish get far more money than at least a dozen programs who regularly put a better product on the field. And this leads to the second reason why I hate Notre Dame: they’re the biggest underachievers in sports (even bigger than Penn State or the Braves). With the money, television exposure, and recruits that they get, Notre Dame should either win or strongly contend for the national championship every year. Yet they rarely, rarely do. There’s no excuse for that.

So let’s get down to business. Here’s what I’ll be watching this Saturday…

NOTRE DAME (+12) AT #16 PITTSBURGH (see how that works, Chas?): So what happens when Notre Dame’s pathetic offense comes up against Pitt’s equally pathetic defense? Will the world end in a matter/antimatter-like explosion? Possibly. I’m guessing that at the very least, the Irish will run the ball against us better than they ran it against Purdue (49 yards on 25 carries). Irish Quarterbacks Quinn and Holliday (whichever it is this week) will probably pass a whole lot better too.

According to an AP story on page B3 of today’s Altoona Mirror, Pitt’s Head Coach Walt Harris and Defensive Coordinator Paul Rhoades have spent most of the past two weeks re-tooling our pass defense. Will their efforts bear fruit? For some reason, I’m going to guess yes. I’ll guess that our pass defense will slightly improve, and that we will be able to get slightly more pressure on the opposing quarterback than we have been getting. The end result? Notre Dame will score two or three touchdowns on us.

Larry Fitzgerald will score at least that many touchdowns by himself. Pitt’s newly discovered home field advantage will be worth a touchdown, and our resurgent running game will be worth yet another. So I’ll take the Panthers to barely cover this 12 point spread.

#2 MIAMI (+6) AT #5 FLORIDA STATE: Of course, regardless of who I pick here, I’ll be rooting for a terrible natural disaster or an act of a vengeful God to wipe both of these programs off of the face of the Earth and plunge them all into eternal torment.

OK, maybe I got a little carried away there (hey, I’m Protestant, I’m allowed)… Still, I’ll take the more fundamentally sound team with the significantly better defense over the flashier team with the suddenly depleted running back corps (if I have to hear who Jarrett Peyton’s dad is one more time…) anyday, especially when the former has home field advantage. Moreover, I think that Michael Bouleware will limit Kellen Winslow Jr.’s effectiveness to the point that Florida State will beat Miami by more than six. Bobby Bowden knows that needs to make a statement here, and I think he will. Give me the Noles, and I’ll give you the points.

#3 OHIO STATE (-3) AT #22 WISCONSIN: When Ohio State first lost Maurice Clarett, I said that they wouldn’t really miss him except for three games: N.C. State (which the Buckeyes barely won), the season-ending battle with Michigan (of course), and Wisconsin. So will the magical, luck-laden winning streak finally come to an end for Ohio State this Saturday in Madison?

I’m guessing no, mostly because the anchor of OSU’s offensive line — Center Alex Stepanovich — will finally be back from his injury. OSU’s offensive line has been the team’s achilles heel without Stepanovich, but was one of the strong suits with him in there. Plus, Coach Tressel has had two weeks to re-tool the offensive line in general. Finally, Quarterback Craig Krenzel (easily the Buckeyes’s greatest weapon) will be back, healthy, and rested after the bye week.

On the other side of the field, the Wisconsin team that had to hold on to eek one out over pitiful Penn State is dinged up. Both tailback Anthony Davis and receiver Lee Evans allegedly have ankle problems.

A three point spread is usually a pick ’em in the Big Ten (not all that many games are decided by field goals). So I’ll take the Buckeyes to cover here.

#1 OKLAHOMA (-6) VS. (neutral site) #11 TEXAS: Oklahoma has the better coach, the better defense, and the better quarterback. I hope Mack Brown enjoyed his one-week reprieve from the hot seat after beating perennially-overrated Kansas State in Austin. Welcome back to the coals, boys. Gimme the Sooners to cover a measly six point spread.

PENN STATE (+12) AT #20 PURDUE: Do I really have to explain why I’ll take the Boilermakers to cover here? Does anybody remember the last time Penn State actually beat a spread? Besides, the Boilermakers really are all that.

So I got the Panthers, the Noles, the Buckeyes, the Sooners and the Boilermakers. I guess I’m just not much for the underdogs this week.

Hail to a Loud House Saturday Night