I was going to take a bye... I really was, and in no small part due to the whoopin' to my record and esteem after last week's first bad pick.  UGA is for real, and MSU- well, we still don't know a whole lot about them as things haven't crystallized even yet this season. 

This week's pick will be short and sweet. 

Lane Stadium in Blacksburg Va @ 8pm Saturday the 30th of Sept, those Clemson Tigers will be challenging the Hokies... or, maybe it's the Hokies that will be challenging the TigerPaw's... Maybe it'll be a contest, but I don't think so- it will technically be a game, for certain, but maybe not one that will be so tight.  I selected this one because it has the highest ranked teams meeting this weekend (mean rank of #7), and because I needed to improve my situation- that being recovering my record. 

VT is a solid team, and one I wish my own team resembled.  Fuente has done a great job there, and will continue to do great things.  Their D is legit, and their special teams still rate the right to be called 'Beamer Ballers'.  They are playing well and have some seriously good threats on both sides of the ball, but... I fear it won't be enough. 

Clemson lost a kicker in a freak accident @ practice... weird- a lineman fell on his leg snapping that thing.  Ouch.  They also lost a backup DE for the season.  I stress 'backup', but only because those starters have amassed 66 sacks in two seasons... think about that for a second... not even the immortal Bama D has managed that, playing against arguably lessor OLine's.  

And that is the tale of the tape this week... Short and sweet.  I respect VT tremendously, but I fear for them against the TigerPaw's, who are just plain hungry as much as they are stingy.  If I were to draft a tiered approach to this sport right now, there are only three teams at the top- that would be Bama/Clemson/UGA- a small split and a handful more- a larger split and the bus load of mascots follow to represent their schools.  

VT can't stop them, and they are straight up frustrated on O- that is my story and i'm sticking to it. 

VT          14~17
Clemson  35~49