Basically, your favorite Pigskin Prognosticators took a page from the Spartans and tanked last weekend.
McSkinny (18-15) finished 2-3 and gained a game on Death Ro (20-13), whose 1-4 mark was his worst of the season.
Both let their Green-and-White blood cloud their thinking, but only McSkinny was able to quell his hatred for the Wolverines.
But as the conference schedules heat up and more top 25 teams face off, the race for No. 1 prognosticator will get even closer.
MSU vs. Minnesota
The Spartans (3-3 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) will attempt to rebound against the surprising Golden Gophers (6-1, 2-1).
MSU returns home for Homecoming after suffering a 44-16 loss to No. 15 Iowa (6-1, 3-0) on its first road trip.
McSkinny - A couple of floats, airheads in nice dresses and a few extra drunk alumni won’t help MSU.
In fact, as long as head coach Bobby Williams roams the sidelines nothing can help the Spartans.
The dark clouds looming over Bobby’s world will continue to rain down misery on Spartan fans. Minn. 27, MSU 23
Death Ro - Ah yes, the Homecoming game. The funny thing is not that many people actually care - including most of the people on the football team. It’s just another Saturday and another game.
This week, it’ll be interesting to see which Spartan football team shows up. Will it be a) The team that lacks discipline, motivation and preparation (California and Iowa games), b) The team that fights like valiant warriors (Notre Dame) or c) the team that everyone expected to contend for a Big Ten title (haven’t seen those guys)?
Well, I don’t have the answer - and I wrote the quiz.
There’s no telling with this group. But the Spartans might have a little revenge on their minds after getting run over, 28-19, in the H.H.H. Metrodome last year. MSU 28, Minn. 25
No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Iowa State
The Sooners look to knock off their second top-10 team in a row when quarterback Seneca Wallace, his Heisman hopes and the Cyclones visit Norman, Okla.
Death Ro -In a matchup of this magnitude, you pick the team that plays in the state with the best women.
Survey says... Iowa. I might not have traveled to Iowa last week but the stories were priceless.
Oh yeah, the Cyclones have a pretty good quarterback.
Wallace has performed well in every big game this year and this game will be no different. ISU 34, OU 27
McSkinny - I, too, believe Wallace is for real.
But he’s just one man and Oklahoma is loaded. The Sooners rocked the Longhorns 35-24 in their annual showdown.
The win improved Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops’ record against top 10 teams to 10-1. Yeah, 10-1. Nothing more needs to be said. OU 35, ISU 27
No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 18 Air Force
Tyrone Willingham will attempt to keep the Fighting Irish (6-0) perfect as the upstart Falcons (6-0) play host.
The game pins one of the nation’s most dangerous offenses in Air Force against arguably the most opportunistic defense in the nation.
McSkinny - Oh yes, a top-25 showdown involving the Irish has this prognosticator beaming with joy. The leprechaun still is drunk, and I’m still jealous.
Maybe it’s my Irish blood, but I’m all for a Notre Dame national championship, and I don’t see any reason why that dream will end in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Sure, Air Force has the best rushing attack in the nation, averaging 339.1 points per game. But that means nothing to the Irish. ND 24, AFA 17
Death Ro - The Falcons have been waiting to pull off this upset their entire lives. And can defense really prevail for a whole season?
I didn’t believe it when the Baltimore Ravens did it (OK, I was wrong), and I refuse to believe it now.
Of course I realize the Irish are an excellent football team, but the fans of Colorado won’t be receptive to the traveling honeymoon Tyrone Willingham has been enjoying this season. AFA 13, ND 10
No. 8 Texas vs. No. 17 Kansas State
The Longhorns (5-1) are coming off a disappointing loss to Oklahoma, while the Wildcats (5-1) are coming off a 44-9 victory against Oklahoma State.
Both are 1-1 in the Big 12 and can’t afford another loss as this conference showdown takes place in Manhattan, Kan.
McSkinny - Chris Simms is a pretty good quarterback. Well, only if the Longhorns aren’t taking the field against a top-10 foe.
So it’s a good thing Kansas State only is a top-20 team, which means Simms will go nuts.
Add into the equation that Texas is pissed off it lost to the Sooners and this could get ugly. Texas 44, KSU 27
Death Ro - My own pick surprises me more than anyone. I’ve never been a fan of the Wildcats, but Bill Snyder gets his boys fired up at home.
And they’re especially tough with the running attack - led by quarterback Ell Roberson.
Besides, anyone who can play poorly against top-10 teams can surely do the same against a top-20 opponent. KSU 29, Texas 24
No. 19 USC vs. No. 22 Washington
A pair of 4-2 squads match up in Southern California.
For the winner: a step closer to the Pac-10 championship. The loser: the exact opposite and a likely fall from the top 25.
Death Ro - As little respect as I have for Pac-10 teams, neither of these teams deserve to have three losses this early in the season.
But that doesn’t mean I have respect for the Pac-10’s defenses.
With quarterbacks Carson Palmer and Cody Pickett tossing the pigskin, this one could yield a ridiculously high score.
This is still a tough one. Survey says USC 44, UW 38
McSkinny - The Pac-10 might not be known for its defense, but the Trojans are looking to break that mold.
Pickett won’t know what hit him come Sunday morning, while Carson Palmer will be one step closer to returning USC to the Rose Bowl. USC 35, UW 24
Pigskin Prognosticators is a humorous look at college football by State News pigskin reporters. Reach Romando J. Dixson at dixsonro@msu.edu and Eric McKinney at mckinn54@msu.edu
