Last week Racy Lacy had the first perfect week going 5-0, putting him at 19-12. But he’s still behind Vanilla Rice, who is 21-10. Both prognosticators will embark on a lengthy road trip this weekend to Minneapolis and hope for more positive MSU results.
Last time Racy Lacy was there, he drowned his sorrows in beer and wings at Hooters after the men’s basketball team lost to Arizona in the Final Four. Hopefully this visit will only spark tears of joy.
MSU (3-1) at Minnesota (1-4)
This marks MSU’s first game in a domed stadium this season. The Spartans dodged Iowa 31-28 last week, and the Gophers lost to Northwestern 23-17.
Vanilla Rice: This one is all about pride since Minnesota hasn’t won a game in the Big Ten. In the past, MSU has been known to give weak Big Ten opponents their first win.
MSU 28, Minnesota 24
Racy Lacy: There’s no telling what might happen here. It has been a pretty wild season for MSU, and Minnesota always plays tough at home.
The thing I do know is that I don’t want to visit the Mall of America’s Hooters cranky. C’mon now, it’s a festive place! Let’s go boys, make Lacy happy!
So for the sake of my well-being, I’m going with the Spartans, who repeatedly have shown that they can deal with anything thrown their way.
MSU 21, Minnesota 14
No. 14 Colorado (5-1) at No. 9 Texas (5-1)
Colorado beat Texas A&M 31-21 a week ago, and Texas thwarted Oklahoma State 45-17 on Saturday. This should be one of the best games this weekend. (It’s the only matchup with two top 15 teams.)
Vanilla Rice: Texas is going to be dropped in this western showdown. Colorado started the season with a loss to Fresno State, but hasn’t looked back since.
Led by quarterback Craig Ochs, who has already passed for six touchdowns, the Buffalos will stampede the Longhorns.
Colorado 24, Texas 23
Racy Lacy: This is going to be redemption time for Texas quarterback Chris Simms. He struggled against Oklahoma a couple of weeks ago but still anchors a better pass offense. It’s a going to be a battle between two even teams and the Longhorns tandem of super-freak athletes - receivers Roy Williams and BJ Johnson - should make the difference.
Texas 31, Colorado 21
USC (2-4) at Notre Dame (2-3)
The Irish beat West Virginia 34-24 last week, and USC crushed Arizona State 48-17. Irish head coach Bob Davie can’t afford to lose any more if he wants to keep his job.
Vanilla Rice: Even though both of these teams are struggling, this series is still a classic and always turns out to be a good game.
This game is perfect timing for USC. A win here could be just what USC needs to catapult it to six wins and bowl game contention.
USC 34, Notre Dame 27
Racy Lacy: Irish quarterback Carlyle Holiday might get hit in his lucky charms a couple of times if he plans to run the option, but it won’t matter. I’m only giving the nod to the Irish because they’re at home and have a greater sense of urgency to get the job done. If Davie doesn’t get a winning record this year, he may find himself stuck with the Detroit Lions job next year.
Notre Dame 20, USC 17
Princeton (1-3) at Harvard (4-0)
Princeton lost to Brown last week 35-24, and Harvard kept its unbeaten streak alive with a win over Cornell 26-6.
Vanilla Rice: Get your pocket protectors and your TI-500 graphing calculators out, because this one is going to be a real chess match. Harvard (pronounced Hah-vaad) is on a roll this season and shouldn’t have any problems with the Tigers.
Harvard 20, Princeton 17
Racy Lacy: By no means am I Ivy League material. Never was, never will be. So I’ll keep this analysis strictly to football. Both teams play weak football schools and until that changes, nobody is going to care if they win or lose. Simply because Princeton hasn’t won a road game this season, I’ll go with Harvard.
Harvard 31, Princeton 10
Wisconsin (4-3) at Illinois (5-1)
Wisconsin beat Ohio State 20-17, and Illinois beat Indiana 35-14. The Fighting Illini are one of six Big Ten teams with one conference loss.
Vanilla Rice: Wisconsin started its turnaround with a win over Ohio State last week and could really have a chance to make a run at a good bowl game - if they can beat Illinois this week.
It won’t be easy, since the Illini have been on fire this year with their only lapse coming against Michigan.
Wisconsin 34, Illinois 23
Racy Lacy: I-L-L, I-N-I! Stud quarterback Kurt Kittner leads the Big Ten in passing and should be able to shred Wisconsin’s defense. Expect another disaster on the defensive end for the Badgers, who gave up 63 points at home to a lowly Indiana squad two weeks ago. Does anyone know how that happened?
Illinois 31, Wisconsin 10
Stanford (3-1) at No. 5 Oregon (6-0)
Stanford lost to Washington State 45-39 and Oregon beat California handily 48-7. Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington, an All-America candidate, has 1,407 yards passing, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions on the year.
Vanilla Rice: With the backing of an unbeaten record, Harrington has a great shot at the Heisman Trophy. He’s already on his way in the statistics department too, as he has looked quite impressive.
Oregon’s best defensive player, free safety Keith Lewis, is out with an ankle injury, but the Ducks should be OK against Stanford’s offense, which is in the middle of the pack in the Pac-10.
Oregon 28, Stanford 7
Racy Lacy: Oregon’s mascot is a duck, and Stanford’s mascot is a tree - enough said.
Oregon 41, Stanford 17
