Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

Does it seem odd to you, too, that they’re playing the national championship college football game during the first weekend of November?

Alabama-LSU isn’t the official national title game, of course, but it’s unlikely that anyone else in the nation can hang with the SEC’s top two bully boys.

There’s noise about Oklahoma State and Stanford, but the Cowboys seem to be one of those teams perennially on the come, and the Cardinal isn’t much for fist-in-the-mouth defense, like most teams from the left coast.

Look what Auburn last January and LSU in the season opener did to Pac-12 high-flyer Oregon, which couldn’t get its Ducks in a row. Sorry.

If the Crimson Tide and Tigers are the best, then today is the day that the national title will be decided. Barring an unlikely set of circumstances, there can be no rematch.

Since both squads are in the SEC West, the winner goes to the conference championship game and the loser will win out wait for a BCS bowl invitation. Hopefully, that that bowl game won’t be against the Big East representative. I fear the carnage.

College football remains locked into this laughable BCS format, which protects too many worthless bowls and cheats us all from enjoying a playoff.

Wouldn’t it be more fun if today’s loser still was eligible for a playoff spot, with an opportunity for a rematch?

Until then, we’ll just have to make due with the Mighty News-Gazette Divine Nine:

No. 1: The Pack. No. 2: Roll Tide. No. 3. Bayou Bengals. No. 4: The 49ers. No. 5: Playoffs. No. 6: The  Bills. No. 7: Steelers-Ravens games. No. 8: The never-say-die Cardinals of St. Louis. No. 9: The stick-a-fork-in-us Colts of Indianapolis.

To the picks:

Vanderbilt at Florida (-11): After LSU-Alabama, there aren’t many intriguing matchups today. This certainly isn’t one of them. Gators by 16.

LSU at Alabama (-4.5): The Tide, and only because the game is at Bama. Too bad we can’t bottle this and pour it out when we need it. Tide by 2.

South Carolina at Arkansas (-4.5): Hogs have to be wondering, ‘Why can’t we shift over to the SEC East?’ Sooey Pig by 6.

Michigan (-3.5) at Iowa: Big 10 seems a little sleepy this year, doesn’t it? Penn State is undefeated in the conference and the Tide ground it into blue powder a few weeks ago. Hawkeyes by 2 in a ‘What’s the Difference?’ Upset Special.

Cincinnati (-3) at Pitt: This would be a marginally interesting NFL matchup. Panthers by 1 in a Somebody’s Gotta Win It Upset Special.

The paid professionals:

Miami at Kansas City (-5.5): Not sure how Chiefs have won four in a row, or how the Fins have lost seven in a row. Something’s gotta give. Fins by 3 in the Give It Up Upset Special.

Tampa Bay at New Orleans (-8): There are better times to show up on Bourbon Street than after the Saints blew one to the Rams. Saints by 6.

N.Y. Jets at Buffalo (-1.5): Everyone asks if the Bills are for real. Sure. They even have uniforms. Bills by 2.

Green Bay (-5.5) at San Diego: The Pack’s in cruise mode, but the Chargers better pull out the defibrillator before their season vanishes. Bolts by 3 in a Shocking Upset Special.

Baltimore at Pittsburgh (-3.5): Steelers are low on linebackers. But, Big Ben is hardly limping, so Stillers by 1.

Brian “Big Man” McBride’s Super Sniffer Upset Special: Dolphins over Chiefs by 5.

Petey “The Gators are Going to Win” Covino says: Gators by 14.

Ken “Young” Jackson, who is blogging at http://phoulballs.blogspot.com, says: Wolverines by 3, Cincy by 6, Chiefs by 7 and, ‘Quoth the Ravens, win by 4.’

He knows I hate it when he does that.

Last week: Blog Boy (7-3, 62-28) leads Baffled Bumpkin (7-3, 58-32).