NCAA Week Six, Irish and Badgers are the Pix

Two picks for you today in the college footballs:

We liked Notre Dame over Stanford enough earlier in the week, and Stanford offensive tackle and inveterate a$$hole Chris Marinelli has given us reason to like the Irish even more.

In an interview with a publication called Cardinalreport.com, Marinelli said that Stanford would "gash" the Notre Dame defense, and would generally "mash [the Irish] up." Worse, he ripped Notre Dame as an institution, including their stadium, and the city of South Bend. He even insulted Irish Catholic fans of Notre Dame who are from his hometown near Boston. 'I grew up with a bunch of Irish and Italian Catholic people back home. And all the Irish Catholic people, all they talk about is Notre Dame this, Notre Dame that . . . And they've never even been there, ya know. So I hate those guys, I hate that school.'"

Criticizing Irish Catholics for identifying with Notre Dame is as dumb and mean-spirited as it gets. Ohioans who root for the Buckeyes yet did not attend Ohio State are often criticized in the same manner, so this hits close to home for us. Of course, anyone who does not trade in the combination of stupidity and hate easily understands why an Irish Catholic would admire an Irish Catholic institution that has been a standard-bearer of American collegiate athletics, just as Ohioans admire the Buckeyes for the same. We see Charlie Weis's troops starting to come together as a football team, and expect this to continue today at home against Stanford. That this line opened at 7.5 indicates that experts might agree. We also like that Akron native and Notre Dame coaching great Ara Parseghian will be honored at today's game. But our desire to stand in solidarity against idiots like Stanford's Marinelli provides our primary motivation to play the Irish today.

The Pick: Notre Dame Fighting Irish -6.5 over the Stanford Cardinal

We wish we could feel as good about picking the Buckeyes today, but we smell a Badgers victory tonight in Wisconsin. The Buckeye pick just looks too easy; a classic trap for the Bad Action Bros. Terrelle Pryor is hot, Beanie Wells is back, the Badgers don't appear to have a passing game required to beat the Buckeyes. All of the media "experts" are picking the Buckeyes, as are 90% of the players at Sportsbook.com. Lee Corso just said on Gameday that "the Buckeyes dynamic duo is ready to explode." So why have the Buckeyes been downgraded from 2.5 point favorites, to being favored by only one point? Of course, this indicates that the real experts are accounting for something else. For example, Pryor's two starts have come against Troy and Minnesota. Wisconsin on the road at night will be his first real test. The Badgers have not lost at Camp-Randall Stadium since 1995. Buckeye receivers Hartline and Robiskie represent the weakest pair that the Buckeyes have had at the position in recent memory, which makes it easier for defenses to game plan against Pryor and Wells. The Badgers have the advantage in the trenches, which might allow them to keep the ball out of Pryor's hands with a ball-control offense. We won't be upset to see a Pryor coming-out party, but the movement of this line gives us reason to expect something else.

The Pick: Wisconsin Badgers +1 over The Ohio State Buckeyes

Update -- 12:59 PM: Scratch that. The line has moved up to Badgers +1.5. We love this. Buckeyes win 17-16!

Note that if the Badgers do end up losing tonight, it will surely be due to the University's heavy-handed decision to suspend their band for tonight's game because certain of its members have been accused of "hazing, alcohol abuse, and sexual misconduct." We can't imagine activities more appropriate to the American undergraduate experience than hazing, alcohol abuse, and sexual misconduct, so we find this decision puzzling. Kudos to ESPN's Chris Fowler for making a "one time, in band camp" joke about this on Gameday this morning.