This is a huge week, football fans. Not only for USF, but also for the Big East. Two days before USF hosts Pittsburgh, No. 3 West Virginia visits No. 5 Louisville on ESPN Thursday night. Entries are due before USF’s noon kickoff Saturday, but for those who get your entry in before Thursday at 7:30 p.m., you can pick the WVU-UL winner for an additional point.
The fine print: To enter respond to the “comments” link below and answer the questions. First and last names (no initials), hometown and a valid E-mail address are required. Your E-mail address will NOT be published and only will be used to contact the winners. The deadline for entries is Noon Saturday (Thursday at 7:30 p.m. to make your WVU-UL pick). Remember when posting your comment/picks it won’t post immediately and may take an hour or so, so be patient. Only one entry per person per week is allowed. The top three finishers at the end of the season will win gift certificates to Bulls Heaven worth $100, $50 and $25. For a 5-point bonus pick the winner and exact score. Good Luck.
1-Pick Pittsburgh-USF winner.
2-Will USF score more than 21½ points?
3-Who will rush for more yards: Pitt’s LaRod Stephens-Howling or USF’s Ricky Ponton?
4-Who will pass for more yards: Pitt’s Tyler Palko or USF’s Matt Grothe?
5-Which will be greater: Grothe’s rushing yards, Ean Randolph’s receiving yards, USF’s penalty yards or the total yards of all of USF’s made field goals.
6-Pick West Virginia at Louisville winner. (Due by 7:30 p.m. Thursday)
Bonus: Pick Pitt-USF winner and exact score (worth 5 points)
My picks:
1-Pitt defeats USF 17-14. I would have picked USF - I looked for any angle to pick USF - except I kept coming back to strength of schedule. USF and Pitt are almost identical statistically on offense and defense except for strength of schedule. In Jeff Sagarin’s USA Today computer rankings, Pitt has faced the nation’s 84th toughest schedule and USF the nation’s 114th toughest schedule, meaning only five I-A schools have played an easier schedule than USF up to this point. So I think that gives Pitt the advantage and the Panthers pull out the win.
2-USF scores less than 21½ points. Pitt has allowed an average of 9 points a game in its last five contests. Against its toughest competition based on win-loss records (Kansas, Rutgers and Cincinnati), the Bulls averaged only 11 points a contest. I’ll take under 21½.
3-Stephens-Howling has more rushing yards. Stephens-Howling is averaging 88 yards a contest in seven games, Ponton 69 in two games. Also the Panthers’ offensive line owns a 35-pound per man advantage, so I’ll take Stephens-Howling, but it will be close.
4-Palko has more passing yards. Grothe has had an exceptional year and I’d hate to think where the Bulls would be without him this season. However, Palko is a senior, is completing nearly 70 percent of his passes and is the nation’s No. 2 QB in passing efficiency.
5-USF’s penalty yards will be greater. I think the Panthers might have LB H.B. Blades shadow Grothe to limit his running game, Randolph is one of a handful of receivers for USF and Leavitt has no confidence in USF’s kicking game, so that leaves the penalty yards as a default pick. Still, I’m not real confident about this one.
6-Louisville beats West Virginia. Way back in August, I went out on a shaky limb and predicted Ohio State and Louisville would meet in Glendale, Ariz., for the BCS national title. Even though the Cardinals haven’t been that impressive the past two games in wins against Cincinnati (23-17) and Syracuse (28-13), I’ll stick with my Cards’ pick. WVU has faced exactly one passing attack that ranks among the nation’s top 50 this year (ECU No. 20), so I look for Louisville to use its passing game to keep the Mountaineers’ offense off the field. Oh yeah, it’s nearly impossible to beat the Cards in the ‘Ville. UL 31-28.
K.J. Choi won the 2006 Chrysler Championship at Westin Innisbrook on Sunday.
Choi finished at 13-under for the tournament, capping his final-round, 4-under 67 with a birdie at No. 18.
This is the second Chrysler Championship title for Choi. He also won the event in 2002.
Barring a major collapse on the final hole, K.J. Choi will be the 2006 Chrysler Championship winner.
Choi just made par at the par-3, 17th to stay at 12-under and carry a three-shot lead into the final hole.
Brett Wetterich and Paul Goydos both have completed their rounds and stand at 9-under for the tournament.
It will be Choi’s second Chrysler Championship title. He also won the event in 2002, when he finished the tournament 17-under.
Brett Wetterich shot a final-round 5-under 66, putting him to 9-under for the tournament, which currently puts him in second place behind leader K.J. Choi, who is 12-under through 13 holes.
Wetterich had a bogey-free round going until the final hole but made 5 at the par-4, 18th, missing a 7-foot par putt.
Paul Goydos is also at 9-under. Goydos is through 15 holes today.
K.J. Choi just made par at the 13th and will head to the par-5, 14th, a hole he’s birdied each of the last two days, with a two-shot lead over Brett Wetterich, who just made par at the 17th.
Jonathan Byrd and Paul Goydos each are at 9-under through 16 and 14 holes, respectively.
The difference on the day for Choi seems to be his quick start at No. 1, when he made eagle to move to 11-under. Choi is currently at 12-under.
Also, Ernie Els just made eagle at the par-5, 14th to move back to 8-under. Els is at even par in today’s round.
Joe Durant is also 8-under after birdieing the par-3, 15th.
Brett Wetterich chipped in from the rough, 37-feet out, for birdie at the par-3, 15th to move him to 10-under overall. Wetterich is two strokes off the leader K.J. Choi, who just made par at the par-5, 11th.
Wetterich has four birdies in his last five holes and is 6-under today on this round, which is bogey free.
K.J. Choi birdied the par-4, 10th moments ago to move to 12-under, three shots ahead of Paul Goydos, who just moved to 9-under after a birdie at the par-5, 11th.
Brett Wetterich is third at 8-under, through 13 holes, and five players are tied at 7-under, including Jonathan Byrd (through 12), Joe Durant (through 12) and first-round leader Brian Gay (through 10).
K.J.Choi maintains a two-stroke lead over Paul Goydos heading into the ninth hole in the final round of the Chrysler Championship at Westin Innisbrook.
Choi has two birdies, two bogeys and an eagle through eight holes.
Rod Pampling capped a successful 6-under 65 with a 5-under back nine. Pampling made birdie at Nos. 10, 11, 13, 16 and 18 to move to 7-under overall, which currently places him in a tie for fourth with five others.
Brett Wetterich just joined Goydos at 8-under with a birdie at the par-4, 12th, his second consecutive birdie. Wetterich is 4-under today.
Jesper Parnevik just moved to 7-under with a birdie at the par-5, 14th, pushing him into a tie with Jonathan Byrd and Joe Durant, who just joined the group at 7-under with a birdie at No. 7.
Parnevik is 5-under on the day, while Durant is 2-under heading into his eighth hole.
Meanwhile, Kent Jones has joined the leader board after making his third consecutive birdie at the par-4, 12th, a shot that moved him into a tie for seventh at 6-under, four strokes off the leader K.J. Choi, who just made par at the sixth,
Both players in the final group, K.J. Choi and Brian Gay, bogeyed the par-5 fifth.
Choi now stands at 10-under, two strokes ahead of Gay and Paul Goydos, who just made par at the sixth.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Byrd (7-under) dropped another stroke with a bogey at No. 8, while Ernie Els (6-under overall) dropped a pair with a double-bogey at No. 6.
Jesper Parnevik has moved onto the leader board. Parnevik is 4-under on the day, using birdies at Nos. 3, 5, 11 and 12 to move to 6-under for the tournament and into a tie for fifth with Rod Pampling, who moved to 5-under on the day with a birdie at No. 16.
Vijay Singh, who started with consecutive birdies at Nos. 1 and 2, suffered three bogeys in a four-hole span (Nos. 5, 7 and 8) but just made birdie at the ninth to move back to 4-under.
K.J. Choi stuck his tee shot at the par-3 fourth to within 13-feet and made the birdie to move back to 11-under.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Byrd bogeyed the par-4 sixth to fall to 7-under.
Brian Gay moved to 9-under with a birdie at No. 4, while Ernie Els and Paul Goydos each are at 8-under through five holes after making par at the par-5 fifht moments ago.
Also, Tampa’s Ryuji Imada is 2-under through eight holes today, 5-under for the tournament, which currently puts him in a tie for ninth. Imada has made birdies at Nos. 5 and 7 today.
Here’s an updated version as of 4 p.m. Sunday
GAINESVILLE - The lingering effects of a hard hit quarterback Chris Leak took in the first half of Saturday’s win against Georgia may have factored into the Gators’ offensive struggles in the second half, Gators coach Urban Meyer and Leak’s father, Curtis, said Sunday. Meyer also ripped his offensive line, citing poor blocking as the reason Leak had to absorb several vicious hits.
Jonathan Byrd has reappeared on the leader board, moving into a four-way tie at 8-under, while leader K.J. Choi just dropped a stroke with a bogey at the par-4, 10th, dropping him to 10-under.
Byrd was in the mix with the leaders until struggling late in the third round. He was at 9-under through 11 holes but, starting at No. 12, went bogey-double bogey-bogey, to fall to 5-under overall. However, he’s reeled off three birdies in his first five holes today, including an 8-foot birdie putt at the par-5 fifth moments ago.
Meanwhile, Paul Goydos is also 8-under. Goydos started the day with a birdie but gave it back with a bogey at No. 3. He is through four holes.
K.J Choi wasted little time in Sunday’s final round to get things going, making eagle at the par-5 first to extend his lead to two strokes over Paul Goydos, who entered the day at 8-under but birdied his first hole.
Choi stuck his approach at the par-5 to 20 feet and dropped the eagle putt to move to 11-under.
Ernie Els and Brian gay are tied for third at 8-under after both made par at No. 1. Jonathan Byrd and Troy Matteson, who yesterday shot 7-under to get into contention, are tied for fifth at 7-under.
Meanwhile, Paul Azinger and Jeff Sluman completed 4-under 67s, the low rounds of the day so far. Azinger’s round included an eagle at the par-5, 11th.
The leaders are still about 10 minutes away from approaching the first tee, but a very familiar names has popped up on the leader board after a blistering start.
Vijay Singh, who entered the day at 4-under, birdied his first two holes to move into a tie for sixth, three shots off the lead. Brett Wetterich had the same succes as Singh and is also at 6-under.
Steve Elkington is 3-under today through eight holes and is 5-under for the tournament.
Meanwhile, Stephen Leaney had a pretty good back nine to help him turn things around after a 1-over front. Leaney birdied four consecutive holes (Nos. 11-14) on the back nine to finish his round 3-under today, moving him to 1-under for the tournament and into a tie for 29th at the moment.
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