This week's games

We've got a Thursday night game this week, and it's your favorite kind -- an ACC match-up involving Clemson, which has a long history in the pool of being the most unpredictable team to pick, this time against rival Georgia Tech. Also debuting in the pool this week is Chris O'Brien's favorite thing about college football, the USC Song Girls, which he paid tribute to in the banner image he created for the Poolsville blog. The Trojans, not led by third-string quarterback Mitch Mustain, whose mom thought Little Johnny should have been getting more passing opportunities as a freshman instead of handing the ball off to future NFL stars McFadden, Jones, and Hillis, head to Ohio State to see if the Vest can figure out a way to keep it close this time. And, this week features the Notre Dame Factor, which is a theory some pool participants have that says you should always pick against Notre Dame because of the contingent of Irish fans in the pool who will always pick with them for fear of having to go to confession as a result.

So for $800 and the Ramon Escobar Trophy, which haiku master Doug Virden hopes will one day sit next to his 2000 Hardcore Champion Trophy, select your winners and e-mail them back to me by 6 p.m. Thursday. Remember, if for some reason you miss Thursday's game, you can still submit picks for the remaining Saturday games. (Note: All times Central.)

Clemson - Georgia Tech
6:30 p.m., Thursday, ESPN
Line: Georgia Tech by 5
* Underdog worth three points

Notre Dame - Michigan
2:30 p.m., Saturday, ABC
Line: Notre Dame by 3

UCLA - Tennessee
3 p.m., Saturday, ESPN
Line: Tennessee by 8
* Underdog worth three points

The Border Bash
South Carolina - Georgia
6 p.m., Saturday, ESPN2
Line: Georgia by 7
*Underdog worth three points

USC - Ohio State
7 p.m., Saturday, ESPN
Line: USC by 6
* Underdog worth three points

Good luck.
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