For anyone that reads, you already know I’ve got a major Man Crush on one Chris Lofton. Yesterday did nothing to help die it down. . .

I’ve seen this floating around some blogs now — Deadspin and With Leather — and though I like Tennessee, I feel inclined to post, anyway. It’s certainly clear from this that the man involved hates Tennessee, and he doesn’t like dogs. It’s also rather apparent that if the rest of Alabama’s population is this clear-speaking, then they’re getting cheated out of their tuition.

When I went to school at UT, I met Dustin Colquitt a time or two; he was wild, or at least as wild as a punter can be. His brother is currently there, and appears to be equally wild, if not more.

Tennessee punter Britton Colquitt has been suspended for the Vols’ first five games of the 2008 season following his weekend arrest on charges of driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident.

Colquitt, 22, also was stripped of his scholarship, Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said in a statement Sunday.

According to the Knox County Judicial Commissioner’s Office, Colquitt hit a parked car early Sunday morning and then fled the scene. According to police reports, when officers stopped Colquitt, he admitted to drinking and driving as well as to hitting the car and a tree stump.

The story later goes on to say that he caused over $400 in damages, which really isn’t much considering another vehicle was involved. That said, jeez: This is about his fifth alcohol citation, and I went to this school. Unless you walk down the street with a beer and funnel in hand, you’re not getting caught.

The scores of today’s games, minus the Georgia/Hawaii game, which will probably result in a UGA blowout. It’s just underway, but everything else is official. Tomorrow features VT and Kansas.

Wisconsin Badgers 17, Tennessee Vols 21: With it being the 11:00 a.m. game the day after New Year’s Eve, I was a little late to tune in, even being a UT fan. What I watched was a game where Tennessee tried at every possession to give the game away, only for Wisconsin to give it right back. Erik Ainge passed for 365 yards and two touchdowns, 229 of those yards coming in the first half. Tyler Donovan played courageously against the Vols, getting hit every time he seemed to drop back, but finished with only 150 yards passing and one touchdown. It was the Vols first 10-win season since 2004.

Missouri Tigers 38, Arkansas Razorbacks 7: This game was pretty much over before it started. Featuring Felix Jones and Darren McFadden, you’d think one of those guys would have the big day on the ground, but instead Mizzou’s Tony Temple ran all over Arkansas’ D for 281 yards, a Cotton Bowl record.

Michigan Wolverines 41, Florida Gators 35: There was trash talking back and forth, but in the end Mike Hart and Chad Henne made sure to send Lloyd Carr out a winner. Florida’s defense couldn’t do anything all game, and while Tebow and the offense were successful, they often looked out of sync. Percy Harvin finished up with 166 yards rushing to go with 77 yards receiving.

Texas Tech 31, Virginia 28: I watched very little of this game. It was taking place during the Tennessee/Wisconsin game and also during the Michigan/Florida game. Both games featured more high profile teams, but neither was probably as good as this one. Virginia had a ten point lead in the second half, but fell short in the fourth quarter when Texas Tech nailed a game-winning field goal with .02 left.

Illinois 17, USC 49: If you watched this game — or at least the first half, upon which you became as bored as I did — then you saw one team that was really good and one team that was really, really overmatched. Illinois probably shouldn’t have been there in the first place. Illinois will be an exciting team to watch next year, but they never stood a chance in this one.

I don’t pretend to know what bowls feature what conferences — outside of the Rose Bowl and the Peach, which are pretty obvious — so I won’t even attempt to claim some of these bowl projections as my bowl projections. These are the predictions that CBS Sportsline has put out, and I find that CBS is often more accurate than ESPN. To read all of their bowl projections, go here; I’m going to just highlight some of the good ones that I noticed.

-Emerald Bowl, Dec. 28: Georgia Tech vs. Cal

• Most across the nation won’t find this to be too spectacular a game to watch, but I’m a Tech fan, so I couldn’t leave it off the list. And if I’m lucky, Chan Gailey won’t be coaching it.

-Independence Bowl, Dec. 30: Colorado vs. Alabama

• If Saban loses this one, shit may officially hit the fan in Tuscaloosa. They were so snotty and snide about hiring Nick Saban, and were sure that he’s the best coach in the entire nation, but after three straight losses, the wheels appear to be falling off.

-Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, Dec. 31: Auburn vs. Clemson

• This one appears to be set in stone, but it’s not quite official yet. Auburn has a pretty good run defense, but had a hard time containing KnowShaun Moreno, which might make it very difficult on them trying to contain James Davis and CJ Spiller, who, to me, is arguably the fastest player in college football. ACC/SEC games are always fun to watch, though, as VT and UGA proved last year.

-Capital One, Jan. 1: Illinois vs. Florida

• If there’s one team Florida doesn’t want to play, it’s Illionis. It’s not that they can’t beat Illinois — because they most certainly can — it’s that they don’t want to play a team that’s good who’s coached by Ron Zook. FireRonZook.com was a pretty big hit during his days as a Gator, and what more humiliating way to end a season than by losing to the guy that you ran out of town who took over a formerly cruddy program? Oh, and this game may also feature this year’s Heisman winner (Tim Tebow), and next year’s Heisman winner (Juice Williams)

-Outback, Jan 1: Tennessee vs. Wisconsin

• Last year’s game between these two was solid, and based on Tennessee’s inability to stop anybody on the road, you’d have to think it’d be a fun shoot-out to watch this year, as well.

-Rose Bowl, Jan. 1: Ohio State vs. USC

• USC hasn’t really been itself this year, and Ohio State, to me, has been vastly overrated. I guess this will give full closure. I hate the Trojans, but I’ll be rooting for them; Ohio State has been the most overrated team for the last two years.

-Orange Bowl, Jan. 3: VT vs. Georgia

• Last year’s Peach Bowl game was great to watch, and it was spiced up even more back in August when VT accused UGA of spying on them during practice. Georgia has a great running offense, and VT has a great running defense. Read earlier what I said about SEC/ACC games — they’re very fun to watch.

-National Championship Game, Jan. 7: Mizzou vs. West Virginia

• West Virginia was the team I called at the beginning of the year, and throughout the season I’ve thought they were the best team. Their defense isn’t the best thing since sliced bread, but that offense quite possibly is. Mizzou looked great against Kansas, but no one really knew how good or bad Kansas was. We all know how good West Virginia is. It’ll be fun, but Pat White and Steve Slaton will be holding the trophy up later on that night.

Just read the title, and you know how I feel. For the last few weeks now — ever since LSU lost to Kentucky, USF showed us they were a lie, and Cal shit the bed like no No. 1 team has shit the bed before — I’ve been suffering thinking about a possible match-up that involves Ohio State in the National Title game again.

It’s not that I didn’t want to see an LSU-Ohio State matchup; truth be told, I wanted to. I would’ve loved nothing more than to see the SEC representative walk all over the Big Ten patsy again. An LSU-Ohio State game would’ve made the Florida-Ohio State game look like a freaking classic.

I was listening to XM Radio today (Fox Sports, I think — I’m not a very big fan of listening to Colin Cowherd make love to the Pats all day or Mike and Mike talking about whatever it is Mike and Mike talk about), and someone called in bashing the Buckeyes. The hosts of the show were quick to defend Tressel’s bunch; when speaking on the Buckeyes’ behalf, they said people only hate Ohio State because they’re good every year.

And I started thinking: Do people hate Ohio State because they’re good every year. . . . or do they hate them because they’re a consistent contender who plays nobody for three months?

My answer was the latter. I’m not a fan of the Pats, but I at least respect them — they’re genuinely good. The Buckeyes, however, are a team that come in and play their patsy Big Ten schedule, then play one team — one team! — at the end of the year, and that team in blue and yellow isn’t that great anymore (they aren’t this year, they weren’t last year — it was proven when Florida kicked around Ohio State, and it was proved when USC kicked around Michigan).

All this was supposed to be an opening paragraph to what should be the BCS Top Ten. Enjoy.

1.) LSU: They’re the best team in the country. The’ve got tough games against Arkansas and presumably Tennessee or Georgia in the SEC Title game. Win those, they’re in — the BCS made a mistake once by not putting the SEC team in the title game before (see: Aurburn), and that same mistake won’t happen twice.

2.) Oregon: Everyone is going Jayhawk crazy, but I think this team offers the best chance of beating LSU. They’ve got a mobile quarterback who’s seemingly come out of nowhere, and their offense can score on anyone. Their problem? The schedule, which gets very, very easy, while Kansas’ only gets much, much harder.

3.) Kansas Jayhawks: Don’t be surprised to see them jump Oregon with a win against Missouri followed by a win against Oklahoma in the Big 12 Title game. It’s too early to assume they’ll win those games — I wouldn’t be surprised if they were ‘dogs in both — but we’re just playing the scenarios right now.

4.) Oklahoma: They’re unlikely to get in, but it’s not impossible. It’ll require beating Kansas in the Title game, and probably an Oregon loss.

5.) Missouri: The most overrated team in the Top 10. You’ll see what I mean when the bowl season comes around.

6.) West Virginia: The team I liked in the preseason to win it all. They better not look past Cincinnati, though, who’s looked awful good these last few weeks.

7.) Ohio State: Still overrated, even at number 7. Who has this team beaten? Penn State? We’re this many games through, and your biggest win is Penn State?

8.) Arizona State: Dennis Erickson did a good job. This team will continue to build in the future.

9.) Georgia: Watch out for my Yellow Jackets. We’re quick to crown this team the best 2-loss team in the nation, but I’m not sold yet — my second favorite team is Tennessee, who has been handled quite a bit this year, and the only memory I have of the Dawgs is being down 28-0 to the Vols. That’s just not the best 2-loss team in the nation to me.

10.)Virginia Tech: Could we see another bowl matchup featuring VT and Georgia? I hope so; after the tabloids that UGA was spying on them at practice, it adds some juice to the otherwise meaningless bowl games before the National Championship.

Here’s how I’m doing:

Last week: 2-2
On the season: Still got a ways to go
What I would’ve been had BC just scored two more points: 3-1

This week’s locks:

-South Florida @ Rutgers (+2): Based on how this season has gone thus far, Rutgers upsetting and someone else being thrust into the BCS Title game picture would only be fitting. Next up: Boston College. Rutgers win in an upset.

-Louisville (-3) @ Connecticut: I don’t have to look at who Connecticut has played to know their record is a bit inflated. I said last week Louisville as a ten point underdog was ridiculous. This week is no different. A three point favorite? Not with that offense. Connecticut is still a basketball school. And to be honest, I’d take Louisville there, too. Brian and the Boys cover the three, win by two touchdowns.

-Vanderbilt @ South Carolina (-13): I’m a real sucker for a team that’s ranked in the top ten and is favored by less than two touchdowns against a team that. . . well, stinks. They played Georgia close, sure; but Georgia hasn’t exactly been a beacon of brilliance the last few weeks. Take SC in a blowout.

-Tennessee (PICK) @ Alabama: I’m a Vols fan. They’ve got an offense. I know it’s a rivalry game, I know it’s in Tuscaloosa. All that said, the Tide sucks. UT rolls.

I promised to take some time off betting the college ranks. I was cold. I couldn’t get anything right. Every game I bet, it went the other way. It was like someone flipping a coin in the air and me calling heads every time, for it only to land on tails ten in a row. What are the odds, ya know? Betting’s supposed to have some skill, and here I was, watching and analyzing games, and unable to win anything that was, in short, a 50/50 shot.

I’m back. I’ve watched this unpredictable college season — USC losing to Stanford, Cal ranked No. 2, BC No. 4 — and I think I have a grip on this whole thing.

So I’m going to bet four or five games this weekend. I’ve looked into it, and I feel confident again. Being confident in betting is important; it’s like baseball, kind of: Get on a streak, and it seems to stretch game after game. Hit a slump, and there’s nothing you can do to break it.

Here we go.

-Louisville(+10.5) @ Cincinnati: I know the Cardinal have struggled, but at the beginning of the season could you ever imagine Louisville being a ten point ‘dog, period, let alone to Cincinnati? Me neither. I know they’ve sucked. And they probably won’t win. But Louisville covers the ten-and-a-half.

-Georgia (-7) @ Vanderbilt: Take that UT game for what it’s worth, but remember this: Last year, the Bulldogs gave up 51 points at home to the Vols, and they weren’t that bad of a team. Past that, Vandy beat UGA on Homecoming last year, and that taste is still very fresh in every Georgia players’ mouths. 7 points? Try 21. I hate ‘em, but the Dawgs cover.

-Tennessee (-6) @ Mississippi State: I’m thinking the Vols’ mojo may be back. And even if it isn’t, last time I checked it doesn’t take a lot of mojo to beat The Rebels.

-Boston College (-14) @ Notre Dame: Being that they’re stepped on annually by Notre Dame, BC isn’t over-looking this game. Matt Ryan will toss 4 TD’s, which is 4 more than the ND offense will score. Eagles cover, win in a blowout.

Last Week: 1-3
On the season: 3-5
How I’ll do this week: Hopefully better

Last week was tough. This week will be better. Here’s my picks.

-Virginia @ North Carolina (-3): Virginia got waxed by Wyoming and then played a close game against Duke. I know nothing about either of these teams. But I know plenty about Duke. UNC covers, wins by 10.

-Notre Dame @ Michigan (-7): One team can’t score, the other team can’t stop anyone from scoring. This is a game people used to have marked on their calendar, now it’s a game to see which coach is closer to being fired. That coach is Lloyd Carr. But it’ll be at the end of the season. As long as Michigan has Mike Hart and Notre Dame has, uh, who they’ve got, Michigan covers.

-Tennessee @ Florida (-8): I hate picking against the Vols — I went to school there a couple years, ya know? — but they couldn’t stop Cal on the road, which leads me to believe they won’t stop Florida, either. I’d love to be wrong about this one. But I think I’m right. Gators cover, do the Tebow-Chomp.

-Texas (-19) @ Central Florida: It was a close game, but the scoreboard in the TCU/Texas game wouldn’t indicate so. Even when they’re sloppy, they still cover. Central Florida? Gimme a break. Horns cover, win a blowout.

-Boston College (+6.5) @ Georgia Tech: My Yellow Jackets are looking as good as they’ve ever looked, but unfortunately so is Boston College. This is the first year in a long time I can remember being 2-0 and thinking we’ve got a chance — I mean, I’m just saying a chance — of playing for a National Title. Problem is, Matt Ryan’s pretty good, and averaging 400 yards, regardless of who you’ve played, is pretty solid in a two-game span. My National Title dream won’t come to an end this week; that said, BC covers, loses by a field goal.

I’m not a compulsive gambler, first off. But the title’s an attention grabber, and at times I feel like one.

This weekend went well. I take that back; maybe not well, but it didn’t go bad, and any time you gamble things not going bad can often be considered very good. I was 2-2. My first two games of the weekend I was 2-0, thinking 3-0 all the way, but Tennessee fell way short to Cal and I splurged on Labor Day at a game I wasn’t really sure about (I find I do this when only one game’s on; I won’t know much about either team, but still feel this pressing need to make a bet on it).

All in all, I broke even. Even’s not bad. It’s better than down. It’s not what I shoot for — last year I finished better than 60% — but it’s certainly something I’ll settle for, especially on the first weekend. Because on the first weekend things happen that don’t happen on the last weekend. This is what I learned, good and bad.

-Georgia Tech isn’t as good as the 33-3 score would indicate. I mean that. I’m a Tech fan, and I wish they were that good, but they aren’t. Their defense looked fast and Tashard Choice looked as if he could run around anybody. But Taylor Bennett, who was supposed to end our four years of quarterback disasters, looked more like a high school quarterback than a college QB. We played against a QB who’s got about two snaps of gameday experience, against an offensive line that had three new starters. I wish every game would be as easy as this first one, but it won’t be; partly because there’ll be better teams than Notre Dame, and partly because Georgia Tech isn’t as good as a first week’s score would indicate.

-Tennessee doesn’t know how to tackle. I was half-coherent watching this game (I boozed through the GT game, then drank a bottle of cham-pag-ne after the win), and I think my drunk, stumbling, unathletic body could’ve made better tackles than some of the UT players did. Who would’ve thought a defense that gave up nothing to Cal last year would give up so much this year? Tennessee’s got Army, then Florida, then the rest of the SEC. It’s going to be up hill from here.

-LSU vs. VT is going to be an all-out defensive war. I know LSU had 45 points, which initially makes you think Matt Flynn is awesome and that ground game’s got nothing to worry about, but think again: If it wasn’t for five picks, that game wouldn’t have been the blowout the final scoreboard exhibited. VT struggled with Eastern Carolina, but the defense looked fine. The early nod’s got to be to LSU, but I think this game’s going to come down to the wire.

-FSU isn’t that good anymore. I bet on FSU because I grew up in an age where FSU, even if they didn’t have the greatest scheme or coaching, always had the best athletes. That simply isn’t the case anymore. I watched last night’s game the way through. All along, all I could ask myself was this: “Did these guys really work all month long, and in that time are these really the best offensive linemen they could put on the field?” Going into the game, I was worried about Drew Weatherford; he’s very erratic, and often inaccurate. He didn’t look great in this game, but Peyton Manning would’ve looked less than superhuman if his offensive line blocked as poorly as these guys did.

-I didn’t bet on the game, but I can’t believe Michigan’s really that bad. They better get used to going on the road and seeing a lot of App. State hats and t-shirts.