College Football - Aaron Torres Sports
Let's quickly get to the Week 8 picks:
Oklahoma State (-7) over MISSOURI: Saturday, 12:00 p.m. FX
Let’s get one thing out of the way: Missouri is a good team. I’ve been saying it since the Arizona State game, and I’m standing by it. Put them in the ACC or Big East, they’d be in the conference title race. Put them in the Pac-12, and they’d be right there as the third or fourth best team in the league. The problem is of course that they’re in the Big XII. And it’s the wrong year to be average in the Big XII.
And honestly, who better exemplifies that than Oklahoma State? A team that is normally “pretty good,” is exceptionally good this year. And like most all exceptionally good teams, to their credit, Oklahoma State is taking care of the teams they’re supposed. They’re winning on the road and overcoming deficits. For lack of a better term, they’re doing what they need to do. And I just don't see a reason they won't do the same here.
Again, I like Missouri. I think they’re a good team. This year Oklahoma State just happens to be better.
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Hello, and welcome to the 3,257th column, article or blog post on “college football’s mid-season awards.” Please take a seat and grab a fresh beverage. We will get started momentarily…
Kidding of course, although I do find it ironic that every writer on the ‘net is doing some sort of mid-season awards column this week. How unoriginal. Who do these guys (and gals) think they are anyway?
Except of course, I’m doing one too. But instead of handing out the traditional, generic awards I’m going a little bit off-base, and in a bit of a different direction. You won’t see my “mid-season Heisman winner here,” or my National Championship pick; again, everybody is doing that. And I’m not everyone. Instead look for awards like “worst joke” (undoubtedly said by me), and “goofiest storyline.” Those are much more fun, aren’t they?
So sit back, relax and enjoy.
And remember, the college football season isn’t “half over.” It’s just halfway begun.
Well, we are officially here: College football’s halfway point. Seven weeks into a 14 weekend season (not including the separate Saturday for Army-Navy, as well as bowl games), every team in college football has now played at least six regular season games, some, much more memorable than others.
So what have we learned? Well, to me in particular, the one thing I’ve learned is that this college football season is more top-heavy than a Playboy model. Truthfully, beyond the first nine or so teams, there really isn’t all that much to get excited about. After you get past Oregon and maybe Arkansas, there is a fall so steep that I’m pretty sure Dana Holgorsen might try to sky-dive into it.
Still, despite it, the OnsideKick.com Top 25 must go on.
Here’s the ballot I submitted yesterday, with a “notes,” section at the bottom, explaining all of my rankings.
Enjoy!
It’s interesting, because after looking at yesterday’s college football slate late earlier in the week, I determined it, “Oh my God, maybe I’ll actually spend time with my family Saturday.” The nickname wasn’t quite as catchy as “Rivalry week,” but given the slate of games (which could be described at best as “weak,” and at worst as “a disgrace to the sport of college football”), it seemed appropriate. For the first time in a long time on a Friday before a game, I thought to myself, “Hmm, didn’t my mom ask me to help re-shingle her roof a few weeks ago? Maybe I’ll give her a buzz.”
Interestingly though, yesterday was maybe the most important Saturday of the football season, and a title of “Separation Saturday,” would’ve been more appropriate than the one I instead gave it. Even with less than stellar competition across the board, we learned a whole heck of a lot, about a whole bunch of teams. The teams we thought were good, like LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State proved it, while the ones who we’d pegged as frauds (I’m looking at you Michigan, Illinois and Georgia Tech), proved that too. A few such as Clemson defied our expectations, thanks to their wild, come from behind, Sammy Watkins-fueled victory over Buzz Cut Randy Edsall and Maryland. Kansas State also got a tough road win in Lubbock, and a few more like Auburn and Texas A&M appear to be going in the right direction too. Some like Florida, are definitely going the wrong direction.
So what exactly did we learn Saturday?
After a day of watching football (and not shingling the roof), I emptied my notebook.
Here’s what I've got:
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You know how ESPN comes up with goofy, gimmicky names for every weekend of the college football season? Stuff like “Showdown Saturday,” or “Rivalry Week”?
Well, if I were naming this college football weekend, it’d be “Oh my God, maybe I’ll actually hang out with my family, Saturday.” I know it’s not as catchy as some of the other titles, but I think it’s applicable. Quite frankly, I can’t ever remember a worse college football slate than this one. Hell, I’ve seen funeral precessions more entertaining than what we’re about to get Saturday.
But just because this Saturday is a bit…ahem, slow, doesn’t mean that the college football preview won’t go on. After missing last Saturday’s games because of travel, I’m back, and ready to pick this weekend’s biggest games. And of course I use the term “biggest,” loosely.
As always, the home team is in CAPS, the point spreads are provided by BETUS.com, and I am picking against the spread, not straight up. Also, at the bottom you'll see the weekly "Fan's Take," submission. As always, if you want to get involved, feel free to send in a quick write-up on any game you please, and I'll be sure to add it along with my picks in the weekly preview. For more information on the Fan's Take, please click here.
Also, one more note: Please remember that Amazon.com is an official sponsor of this site, if you plan at all to use Amazon, just do me a favor and click on the ad to the right. A percentage of your purchase goes to your buddy Aaron, and helps keep this website up and running.
Anyway, let’s get to the picks!
You know the old saying “They say if you love something let it go?” Well that was me this past weekend.
Stuck at a wedding, and stuck without football for the first time on a fall Saturday in years, I honestly had no idea what to do with myself. Checking my phone wasn’t enough. Texting with friends didn’t get the job done. Even trying to drink my sorrows away didn’t do the trick. Nope, none of it would do. To say I was “frazzled,” without football would be an understatement. I was more confused, upset and anxious than Texas A&M in the fourth quarter against a ranked team.
But still, I’d never let that stop me from doing my OnsideKick.com Top 25 poll.
Now granted, I’ll be the first to admit that it was tough to fill out my ballot, and a bit strange trying to rank these teams without having watched them play. But given that I’ve seen all these teams for five weeks beforehand, and given that a lot of the bigger games went as expected, I am going to continue on.
Here is my Top 25 below. As always, I encourage commenting and disagreements, especially this week. If I missed something, or misrepresented someone, I need to know. Put me in my place if I deserve it.
And also, as always, if you’re looking for some type of explanation as to why I ranked some of the teams where I did, check the comments section below.
Enjoy.
No time for fun and games, as I give you my Saturday selections from a hotel room here in Virginia.
As always, let me know what I did right, what I did wrong and why I’m an idiot, in the comments section below, or by e-mailing me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Oklahoma (-10) over Texas: Saturday, 12:00 p.m. ABC
As most of you know, I’ve now adopted Texas as one of my 2011 college football crushes. It didn’t happen overnight, and didn’t happen by accident. But there’s just something about this team I can’t get enough of. Watching the Longhorns is like watching a baby take its first steps; they’re just young enough, just dumb enough and just naïve enough that you can’t help but pull for them. They actually remind me a lot of my beloved 2011 UConn Huskies basketball team the more I think about it.
The problem is of course, that they haven’t played anyone with close to the talent level that they’ll see from Oklahoma this weekend. I mean seriously, look at the Longhorns schedule. Rice and UCLA are absolutely awful. BYU’s offense is so impotent I half expect to see Jake Heaps in a Cialis commercial one of these days. And Iowa State? Well, I actually like them more than most people do. Paul Rhodes is especially dreamy. But that still doesn’t mean that the Cyclones are going to be anywhere near the top of the Big XII standings at the end of the year.
Before we get to the Fan’s Take, I want to start with an apology: Things have been pretty light around here lately. I know that. You know that. Your wife, who has no idea who I am, and couldn’t care less about what I do, even knows that.
So with that, I apologize. Between Crystal Ball Run, and a project I’m working on behind the scenes (again, as soon as I have details I’ll share), things have been crazy. It doesn’t help that this weekend I’m traveling for a wedding, meaning that I’ve basically got to cram five days of work into three.
So again, I apologize.
But regardless, what you need to know is this: Starting next week, I want to get back to my regular schedule, which means my college football preview on Friday, recap on Sunday, with another article and a few podcasts mixed in during the week.
As for this week? Well, I’m trying to nail down a podcast before I leave Thursday, but if not, all I can promise from now until next Monday is my Friday college football weekend preview. I don’t know exactly how I’ll manage it with the travel, but it will get posted Friday morning. I wouldn’t leave you all high and dry as far as that’s concerned.
Anyway, enough rambling, and let’s get to this week’s Fan’s Take. As always, I encourage you do a write-up on any of the games listed below, and if you get them to me by Friday morning, I will list them along with my picks. If you have any questions on what ‘The Fan’s Take’ is all about, click here or e-mail me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Here are this weekend’s games, with the home team (if applicable) in CAPS and point spreads provided by VegasInsider.com:
Oklahoma (-10) over Texas (in Dallas): Saturday, 12:00 p.m. ABC
Missouri (-3) over KANSAS STATE: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ESPN
VIRGINIA TECH (-7) over Miami: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ABC
PENN STATE (-4) over Iowa: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ABC/ESPN2
LSU (-13.5) over Florida: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. CBS
Michigan (-6) over NORTHWESTERN: Saturday, 7:00 p.m. Big Ten Network
Texas A&M (-8) over TEXAS TECH: Saturday, 7:00 p.m. FX
ARKANSAS (-10) over Auburn: Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ESPN
Georgia (-2) over TENNESSEE: Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ESPN2
NEBRASKA (-11) over Ohio State: Saturday, 8:00 p.m. ABC
Now, as always…get writing!
It's ok, I already know what you're thinking: "Umm Aaron? What does Johnny Drama have to do with a college football, and why is his ugly mug on the front of your website?"
Good question. I'm glad you asked.
Actually, Johnny Drama really has nothing to do with this week's Top 25. However, I also couldn't get his indelible, goofy image out of my head, as I put together what is undoubtedly my goofiest Top 25 poll of the season.
Honestly, looking at my Top 25 this week, I was shocked at how highly ranked I had a handful of teams that I don't think are actually that good. Take for example, ohh I don't know, Michigan? Go ahead, and raise your hand if you had them in your preseason Top 25. Anyone? Yeh, me neither. I still don’t think they are a Top 25 team, but at 5-0, how can you not rank them there? Speaking of which, if I told you that I had three teams in my Top 15 which had all lost by at least 25 points in the last two weeks, you’d call me crazy, right? Only how can you justify not having Florida, Arkansas and West Virginia somewhere in the mix? Even if they're not deserving, who has been better?
So by now I’m guessing you know what I mean when I say it’s a goofy year. At the very least, this poll certainly had more conjecture and opinion to it than any other this season. After all, trying to rank all these one loss teams, is like trying to figure out which girls at the bar are the cutest after you’d have 10 beers. Quite frankly, it’s impossible to tell.
Anyway, below is the Top 25 ballot that I submitted to OnsideKick.com’s poll this week. As always, there is a notes segment on the bottom to further explain some of my picks, and as always you’re also encouraged to share your thoughts, opinions and disagreements in the comments section as well.
And finally, one more announcement. Please remember that if you plan on making any purchases on Amazon.com over the coming days or weeks, click the link on the right-hand side of this website, and a small percentage of the purchase goes to this site. I know that I’m being a shill, and it’s probably getting annoying, but it really does help. To the many of you who’ve been nice enough to help already, thank you.
Anyway, here’s the Top 25:
Some randomly scattered thoughts on this weekend’s games…
Alabama: So I’ve got a few quick points on Alabama.
The first, is that they’re really, really good. Obviously. I’m guessing you didn’t need me to tell you that, but I wanted to get it out of the way right up front.
Honestly, they’re not even just good at this point, but a straight freight train. Every single week I continue to look for flaws in this team, look for something, anything that might be a kink going forward, and I just don’t see it. Their defense is as good as any in college football, Trent Richardson is the single scariest offensive weapon in the sport that isn't a quarterback, and A.J. McCarron is getting better by the game. The fact that they’ve beaten two legitimate Top 15 teams in the last two weeks tells me everything I need to know. This team isn’t going away, and isn’t going to beat themselves. To get the better of the Tide, you’re going to have to take their best shot, and simply be better than them on that given day. Obviously from what we’ve seen so far, that won’t be easy.
