Site: The Swamp (Cap. 88,548)
Kickoff: 7 p.m., Saturday
TV/Radio: ESPN2 / 95.3 FM
We’re one week into the 2015 college football season and we here at the alligatorSports Brand Picks Column are ready for the excitement to continue.
Florida actually showed it knows what the term "offense" means last week and is looking to continue that trend on Saturday against East Carolina.
The Swamp had more than 90,000 pack the stands and fans who left early did so with a smile on their face instead of out of frustration.
Whether or not Jim McElwain and Co. can continue to make dazzling plays is to be determined, but the energy is bound to be plentiful on Saturday.
Debating the first game of the week — tonight’s matchup between Utah State and No. 24 Utah, nicknamed the "Battle of the Brothers" — is alligatorSports assistant editor Luis Torres and alligatorSports staff writer Graham Hack.
Utah (-12.5) will beat the Aggies because..
Did you watch the Utes’ season opener against Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines? That defense crushed the hopes of Michigan fans before the first Saturday of the year even took place. This is clearly a team that will be a factor in the Pac 12 this season. Also, Utah owns Utah State. The Utes have beaten the Aggies in 13 of their last 14 meetings dating back to 1998. And for extra measure, it’s a home game for Utah, and Salt Lake City will be rocking after last week’s victory. There’s no way Utah doesn’t win this by fewer than two touchdowns.
-Graham Hack
Utah State (+12.5) will beat the Utes because…
First of all, this is a rivalry game, so everything that you just said goes out the window. Rivalry games tend to be unpredictable and this one should be no different. The two teams didn’t meet last year and while Utah has dominated the rivalry lately, I’m going to go out on a limb and say Utah State beats the Utes tonight, picking up its second win in the last 15 meetings between the two. Quarterback Chuckie Keeton is back for the Aggies and the rust is off of him. He’ll have a huge night in the upset of the week.
-Luis Torres
Now onto the picks!
In first place sitting at 6-1-1 is Gator Country’s Nick "Fashionista" de la Torre, who for some odd reason was deemed the most fashionable member of the UF media contingent at Monday’s McElwain media session. We don’t see it, Nick, but we’ll give credit where credit is due. Now if only your sock game was stronger...
In second with a 5-2-1 mark is alligatorSports editor Graham "Slacker" Hall, who decided to go to a concert and skip out on a night of work. We’re not all that surprised, though, given that you only show up to about half of the media availabilities during the week.
Also in second is Alligator managing/online editor Jordan "Can I have a ride?" McPherson, who seemingly hitchhikes everywhere — to class, media, you name it. C’mon dude, with enough Mario Kart practice, I’m sure you can pass that driving test.
Rounding out the three-way tie for second is the Orlando Sentinel’s Edgar "Scared Stiff" Thompson, who thought he was about to join Demarcus Robinson on the third team after Jim McElwain got fired up during Wednesday’s presser. Calm down Edgar, your second-string spot behind Mark Long is still safe.
In fifth with a 4-3-1 record is alligatorSports assistant editor Luis "Look at da flickada wrist" Torres, who while playing basketball yells Chedda Da Connect’s song with every shot he takes. Hey Luis, if you focused as much on your shot as you did on Golden Retrievers, your pickup basketball skills might actually be semi-decent.
Tied with Luis for fifth is the Palm Beach Post’s Anthony "Kendall’s finest" Chiang, who tweeted quotes from actual Miami native, Florida receiver C.J. Worton, in an attempt to relate and further muddy the lines between unincorporated Kendall and the city of Miami. Truth is Jim ‘Missoula’ McElwain’s sockless feet are more Miami than Chiang will ever be.
And now, we have a two-way tie for dead-ass-last, both sporting piss-poor records of 3-4-1.
First is alligatorSports staff writer Graham "Polo and basketball shorts" Hack, who decided to wear a yellow polo with black basketball shorts to Wednesday’s media session. Hey Graham, does your mom pick out your outfit for you when you wake up every morning? It’s time for you to grow up and start dressing like a normal 21-year-old.
Joining him at the bottom of the picks totem pole is 247sports.com’s Thomas "Is it in yet?" Goldkamp who is always asking us if our portion of transcribing coach Jim McElwain is in to him yet. Hey Thomas, some of us like Graham Hack need about two hours to transcribe two minutes worth of audio. So can you let him get just a bit more time?
