LOVE Labor Day Weekend and the REAL start to the College Football Season with a FULL slate of games over 5 straight days!!! ZT split last week with a spot-on pick on the Gators but missed the Rainbow Warriors taking out Kevin Sumlin and the AZ Wildcats. The Padre was 1-0 by sticking to logic vs. gut but remember he was over focused on his Gators and couldn’t muster any other prognostications.
One other note….had many questions about why ZT did not have any comments on our broadcasting friend Gary Danielson in the 1st post of the year. Here is the story.
1st: The Padre worked with ZT all off-season on forgiveness, tolerance and other virtues required to tolerate Gary D.
2nd: Gary didn’t work in Week 0 ( although it would have been the PERFECT week for him to work ( sorry Padre, will re-read my notes )
3rd: Ok, reality is ZT understands Gary attempted to get into the Magic Kingdom for GameDay but the staff grabbed him, popped him with a tranquilizer gun and took him to the Animal Kingdom and left him in an area where he would fit in better (See Below)
Sorry Padre….I will be happy to re-enter therapy in February!
Padre is in a 24 hour hot yoga/prayer vigil and will release his prognostications when he “receives the message”……
ZT has been taking a supplement derived from the silkworm to improve his cognitive powers! Convinced it has to be better than the Jelly Fish supplement since they just float around and sting people. Reality, it was 1/2 price at Walgreens. But did chase it with a pint of Haagen-Dazs Java Chip Ice Cream so counting on this being the right combo for Labor Day Prognostications!!!
Thursday Night
UCLA Bruins 24 Cincinnati Bearcats 31
Chip Kelly in his 2nd year must get a W after the 2018 debacle loss and a 3-9 campaign ( did beat USC which did give the Bruins some hope ) BUT has 19 returning starters…..QB Thompson-Robinson has a year under his belt, a good RB in 1,200 yarder Joshua “Chip ain’t my daddy” Kelly and a solid corps of WRs. Cincy, under HC Luke Fickell, has 7 returnees on defense and will need a great performance to handle a Chip Kelly offense. Bearcats O also has 7 returning including QB Desmond Ridder and RB Warren who combined for almost 3,800 yds. in 2018. Some believe Cincy will be distracted with Ohio State and rival Miami, OH in the next 2 weeks. ZT is not buying it and believes Bruins just not ready to win a challenging road game yet. Not to mention ZT LOVES Skyline Chili…..
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 14 Clemson Tigers 52
ESPN gives the Ramblin Wreck a 1.2% chance of winning this one. ZT is pretty sure that is if Tech is actually allowed to use a car on the field. Tech QB Johnson was just granted an additional year by the NCAA due to injuries in 2018. He likely will re-file for a 7th year after this one. GT will likely abandon the Option under new HC Collins & OC Patenaude. Tigers are #1 to start the season and 2 biggest questions tonight are 1) what Creme Rinse QB Trevor Lawrence uses to keep his hair shining and 2) how long does Dabo keep the A-Team in noting they have a date with Texas A & M next week………#2 doesn’t matter as the Tigers have so much depth even their cheerleaders could score with 8 Yellow Jackets in their box……….
Utah Utes 31 BYU Cougars 21
Corso said Utah plays Bama for the National Championship on the debut of College GameDay. He was quickly whisked away for an evaluation at the Jimmy the Greek Home for Sportscasters where Lee was heard to say ” not so fast my friend!” during his prostate exam……
NOW…..the UTES ( pronounced the same as Joe Pesci said it in “My Cousin Vinnie” ) are ranked #14, return the #1 RB in the nation with 222 lb. Zach Moss and hold a 9-game win streak coming into the 100th version of the Holy War. HC Whittingham has done a masterful job since taking over in 2004 when Urban “Crier” Meyer left to go to UF. Actually has the best bowl win % ( 84%) in NCAA history for coaches with at least 10 bowl appearances! BYU is at a pivotal point with 4th year HC Kalani Sitake who did get the Cougars back to 7-6 in 2018. He will be counting on QB Zach Wilson to make the Cougar offense purr but has to establish a running game it that is to happen. Utah just has too much talent so expect the BYU guys to mount their bikes early in the 4th quarter and head to the suburbs for the weekend.
Friday Night
Wisconsin Badgers 38 South Florida Bulls 24
This may be a big year for the Badgers ( aka Jr. Cheeseheads ) but they have to get some solid QB play for Jack “game of” Coan’s arm to make a splash in 2019. No issue with the running game as Jonathon Taylor should be able to repeat his 2,000 yd. performance from last season. If Coan fails, Wiscy does have a hot shot Freshman named Mertz (not Fred) lurking in the wings. The Bulls have 12th year ( seems like it anyway ) Bama transfer Blake Barnett at QB but he must improve over a 12:11 TD:INT ratio if USF is to have any chance. Note he gets sacked more times than a Natty Light at a 7-11 on most Saturdays ( USF allowed 38 sacks in 2018 ). Add in a USF defense that allowed over 240 yards per game on the ground and the Bulls will likely be reduced to Steers by the end of this one!
ZT is taking a break to have a bowl of Captain Crunch ( straight up, no crunch berries ) before finishing the weekend’s prognostications.
Padre still in the Salabhasana yoga position channeling all his energy toward the Bleacher Report……but ZT is back to finish his Labor Day Picks….
SATURDAY
Ole Miss Rebels 35 Memphis Tigers 34 Upset Special
Ole Miss now has Rich Rod on staff ( as OC ) to help Matt Luke get some offense going in Oxford. Expect a spread offense that features the run and tempo control……Memphis will enjoy pounding the ball ( #5 rushing team in 2018 ) against a Rebel defense ranked 110 in 2018. ZT believes the key is how much progress Ole Miss QB Matt Corral has made. Believe it is enough to sneak out an upset in Week 1a!!!! ( Bama fans still thank God every morning that Rich Rod’s wife hated Tuscaloosa and they landed Saban instead…. ).
Duke Blue Devils 10 BAMA 49
Pretty simple…..everyone in T-Town is completely miffed after being blown out by Clemson just 8 months ago. Just doesn’t happen in the Land of Gumps! Tide has lost some talent to injuries this fall to include starting LB Moses to an ACL tear this week. Dukey HC Cutcliffe will be breaking in a new QB and is even starting a freshman or 2 on the O-Line. Tide will show the Dukeys just how dangerous trying to swim against a Crimson Red Rip Tide can be……. Even David Hasselhoff can’t save them!
Boise St. Broncos 28 FSU Seminoles 31
FSU HC Willie Taggart only thinks 98 degrees in the Florida Panhandle is hot. Lose to Boise State and he will find out just HOW HOT it can get in Tallahassee!! Key match up should be FSU Offense led by QB Blackman vs. a tough Bronco Defense that recorded 39 sacks in 2018. 1st meeting every between the 2 and just got real interesting with Hurricane Dorian causing the game to shift from JAX to Tallahassee for a surprise Seminole Home Game!! ZT thinks this is just enough to tip the scales in favor of FSU. Someone is smiling on you Willie T!!!
Georgia Bulldogs 45 Vandy 13
Vandy beat GA in 2016….Very nice Commodores!!! Since then, Bulldogs have outscored you 86-27. Vandy HC Derek Mason is a good man and has a nice stable of RB’s but will be breaking in a new QB. Bad timing when playing a talent-rich Georgia team that simply believes this is their year!!!! QB Jake “Hot Mom” Fromm ( yep, she is smokin! ) is ready to prove he can led the Bulldogs to a Championship. He will get the campaign started without much resistance this week.
Oregon Ducks 27 Auburn Tigers 30
Speaking of Hot Seats….. AU HC Malzhon lost his contract-extending buddy when AU President Leath departed in June. How does the Waffle House Wonderboy respond? Names a true freshman in Bo Nix as starting QB. ZT loves the moxie!! That said, the battle will be the Ducks Offense with QB Herbert and an experienced line vs. a Tiger Defense that can crack you faster than a windshield following a dump truck. Don’t think Oregon isn’t drooling for some 2011 payback after losing the BCS to Auburn on a last second FG ( ZT was there to insure the AUBs didn’t blow it! ). So Heisman Candidate QB vs. True Freshman QB? SEC vs. Pac-12?? Like the Tigers to have some Foie Gras in TX late Saturday Night in another close one!!
Monday Night
ND Fighting Irish 41 Louisville Cardinals 20
ND comes in with QB Book and a solid defense. Louisville comes in with new HC Scott Satterfield and an old ham sandwich in a fridge left by Bobby “I still love my Harley” Petrino but not much else in the cupboard. Irish will NOT need Jesus for TD’s this week!
ZT is headed back to the store under the guise of “need some Hurricane Dorian supplies” and hopes his bride believes him when he returns with 3 cases of Busch Light and 5 pounds of Jack Links Jerky…….. Enjoy Labor Day!!
Pigskin Prognostications by the Piedmont Padre and Zimmern's Twin 