Billie Joe Armstrong is happy

By Mike Roarty

September is over and done with and it went by real quick. O well, I don’t October will be as bad as Caddyshack 2. (I hope.) October is for the big boys and people. It all starts with a bang this week with an absurd slate of games. I pick all the other games here.

For the game of the week we look west to Eugene. The Oregon Ducks will face off against the Stanford Cardinal for the early lead in the Pac 10. While there are other big games this one catches my eye for the simple reason of the two head coaches Chip Kelly and Jim Harbaugh. (For a more professional write up check out this.) Each has caught my eye, Kelly mainly because he has taken the Rich Rod spread offense into hyper speed. The other is a Michigan graduate who almost beat our beloved Steelers as a pro and has taken his borderline insane personality into the coaching ranks.

On Saturday the two opposite styles will face off. Last year’s 51-42 win by the Cardinal on the farm was exciting as hell and expect more of the same on Saturday night. Stanford was the surprise team of September as they have looked dominant. Their offense is smash mouth and their defense is your typical we will beat you until you hate smiling, dancing and breathing type of defense. This is exactly the type of team Jim Harbaugh wants because he is insane. Did I mention he is insane?

Kelly has made Oregon into a fun team to watch for everyone except for their mascot. His offense runs like clockwork no matter who seems to be running it. In their first Pac 10 game last week however their defense gave up an absurd 597 yards but forced 7 turnovers. To me the turnovers, particularly those by Andrew Luck, will be the key to the game. Last year a young Matt Barkley went into the hostile environment at Eugene and got swallowed whole. If Luck can help Stanford sustain long drives and punch it in when they get the chance then I expect the Cardinal to get it done. Stanford 45-35. Wooooooo

James Taylor- October Road