How do you get a University of Michigan graduate off your porch? Pay him for the pizza.

Tough games to pick this week:

• Michigan +17 at Ohio State (8). I don't know if I can even call this a tough game to pick. O-H!
• Florida +2.5 at Florida State (22). Another big rivalry game this weekend. The Gators just ain't the competitors they used to be, so this one will go to the Seminoles.
• Michigan State (11) at Penn State +1. I can't figure out why there is essentially no point spread on this game between a Top 25 team and one that has hardly been on the radar this year. But, I also see the Nittany Lions poised for a big upset over the Spartans.

-- Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com

After my post last week, a fan of mine reader asked that I include information about local D2 and D3 teams. For the past six weeks, I've been making predictions and giving commentary on D1 teams that are part of my college pick'em. I don't know enough about D2 and D3 football to make any sort of comment on how I believe they'll perform. Check out News-Herald.com/Sports for D2 and D3, but keep reading here for your D1 needs.

On with the picks!

Last week I was 3-1 with the games I highlighted in this blog, 9-11 for the week. I'm sitting one point out of first place. Let's see if I can move up with Week 7.

Tough games to pick:

• Iowa (15) at Michigan +3. Ricky Stanzi and the Hawkeyes rocked Penn State last week. After five weeks of great wins, Michigan suffered a big blow at Michigan State. Maybe the Wolverines will be ready for a comeback when they are back in the Big House. But I'm going to pull for the Lake Catholic grad and Iowa this week.
• BYU +29 at TCU (4). I picked BYU last week as usual, and the Cougars were good to me. This week, however, I can't do it. I think it's pretty safe to say that BYU won't knock off the undefeated Horned Frogs. The spread of 29 points is pretty big, but TCU has been pretty much crushing its opponents. Sorry, BYU, but I'm going to have to stop picking you sometime, and this week seems like the week to do it.
• Ohio State (1) at Wisconsin (18) +4. This will be a great Big Ten game. I love that the Buckeyes are favored, and even though they're favored only by 4 at a ranked conference opponent, I can't see them losing this game. Wisconsin will put up a good fight, but Ohio State will win by at least a touchdown.

-- Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com

Three weeks into the college football season, and I am tied for first, 24-14 in my college pick'em, dropping 10 points for my lowest week (which was Week 3). It's not as good as my lowest week of 12, but 10 still isn't too shabby.

Tough games to pick this week:

• Nevada at BYU (+4): I mentioned before that I like picking BYU because I always pick BYU. They were good to me the first week when they were favorites, but they let me down the past two weeks when they were underdogs. I almost picked Nevada, but I'm going to stick with the Cougars and hope that they can give me a win (or at least lose by a field goal or less).
• Eastern Michigan (+42.5) at Ohio State: I keep thinking Ohio State is not going to cover, and each week they cover. The point spread seems way too big for this game. But as co-worker Dom Anselmo just pointed out to me, even with Ohio State's second and third string playing, the Buckeyes are still using players that went to Ohio State to play football. The Ohio State football players who are not top tier are still Ohio State football players. I'm going with the scarlet and gray this week.
• Stanford at Notre Dame (+4.5): Stanford has been crushing their opponents, and Notre Dame is 1-2. But the Fighting Irish have lost incredibly close games that come down to the last play. So I'm picking them at home this week. If they don't win, they'll at least be within four points.

-- Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com

My name is Cheryl, and I am an Ohio State fan.

I've said this several times before and am proud to admit it. But lately I have felt that, as an alumna of Ohio University, that I need to justify my desire to cheer my heart out for the scarlet and gray.

A column Tuesday by the sports editor of my college paper (which also is my former employer) blasts the Bobcat-student/Buckeye-fan, whom he presumes will be cheering against the Green & White when they play Saturday in Ohio Stadium. He complains a lot because people attending school in Athens happen to cheer for a team for a college in Columbus. I suppose he expects all Ohio U students to have so much university pride that they couldn't imagine cheering for anyone else, and he's tired of it.

I'm tired of people making assumptions about why I cheer for my favorite football team.

Many people grow up cheering for the hometown team -- as did I. I loved going to Columbus Clippers, Columbus Chill and Columbus Crew games, and quickly became a fan of baseball, hockey and soccer. (And because I grew up watching the AAA affiliate of the Yankees, I don't hate that New York team as much as I probably should as an Indians fan.) My love for football came later. And when I started to pay attention to football, I watched my hometown Buckeyes. The state capital, after all, had just one major league sport before the Blue Jackets -- and I don't think most people consider soccer to be one of the big leagues anyway (N-H Sports Writer Chris Lillstrung excluded).

The Northeast Ohioans I have met seems to be split between loving and loathing the Buckeyes, and personally I could care less if anyone else cheers for the team I want to cheer for. But you can't blame people for latching on to a good team when they don't have a professional team in their own hometown. So maybe people cheer for Ohio State because it's state pride or state unity or whatever. Or maybe they just found a team to watch in the fall.

So this Saturday I'll be watching my alma mater vs. my hometown team. I'll be wearing an OU T-shirt and hoodie, and cheering for the Green & White to score enough to prevent the Scarlet & Gray from covering. That's right, I'm picking the Bobcats this week -- even though I really hope the Buckeyes go undefeated so they can return to the National Championship game.

Speaking of my picks this week ...

I went 12-8 again in Week 2. I should have gone with my instinct to pick Virginia in their game against USC because the Trojans only won by 3, when they were giving 19.5. I said last week that it was going to be a tough game to pick. But two weeks in a row with 12 wins? Not too shabby of a start.

Tough games for this week include BYU getting 9 at Florida State, and Air Force getting 17 at Oklahoma. I love picking BYU. I pretty much always pick BYU. But lately the Cougars have been letting me down, and I might have to go with the Seminoles this week. The point spread in Air Force-Oklahoma seems far too big, after the great two weeks Air Force has had. And TCU giving 21.5 to Baylor? That's more than three touchdowns, but the Horned Frogs have been smashing their opponents. Here's hoping to keeping my 12-point weeks going ...


-- Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com

The most wonderful time of the year is upon us: college football season.

Ohio State wide receiver Brian Hartline, left, celebrates
his touchdown with Brian Robiskie as Michigan safety
Stevie Brown (3) walks off the end zone during the
second quarter of an NCAA college football game
Nov. 22, 2008, in Columbus. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

Having grown up outside Columbus, I love me some Ohio State football (something many of my fellow Ohio University alumni hate about me). In the last 10 years or so, I have gotten really into college football in general. I like it much more than pro. I'm not sure why -- something about the equal possession overtime and the fact that almost anything can stop the clock and draw out as much playing time as possible. And, of course, watching such a great team could help anyone like a sport (especially when that football team around here doesn't play so well).

For the past couple of years, I have been in a college football pick'em with my friends on Yahoo. Last year I finished 3/14 in the regular season. The year before I finished 5/14 in the regular season and 1/16 in the bowl pick'em (and in the 96th percentile on Yahoo). I'm looking forward to competing against 10 of my friends this year to see if I can hold my own, picking weekly against the spread. I often take an early lead and hold on for a few weeks, before either forgetting to make picks before early games or totally underestimating a team I don't have much interest in.

Last season, I also did a pick'em with some co-workers, including Sports Editor Mark Podolski (who, I think, thought I was full of you-know-what when I was talking up my college football knowledge). I ended up third of four in a close competition, so I'm really looking forward to exacting my revenge this year. I might have started drooling this evening when he asked if I was ready to do pick'em again.

So for the next few days, I will mull over the 20 games I need to pick for my Yahoo group and prep for the Ohio State's first game of the season against Marshall at 7:30 Thursday. Yes, I'm going to be watching the Buckeyes instead of the Browns (though some logistics need to be worked out with the boyfriend, who can't imagine not seeing a Browns game even though it is preseason).

I'll keep you updated every week here on the progress in my pick'em groups, and you'll be sure to know if the Buckeyes break my heart.

O-H!


-- Cheryl Sadler
CSadler@News-Herald.com