The College Football Czar
Ground Rules
* This is not a gambling-related publication. The College Football Czar is only concerned with the results of the games, and does not even look up the betting lines, let alone incorporate them into his analyses. If the Czar ever writes that a team is favored or underdogged, he is only using common sense to determine which team is expected to win, and is not referencing the betting line. If you want "the skinny" on which team has the best record against the spread, in road night games on turf, there are plenty of completely boring football previews out there that will give you exactly what you're looking for. In short, the Czar is only trying to make the games more enjoyable to watch. He is not responsible if you've gambled your way into the gutter based on his predictions.
* Barring unforeseen circumstances, the College Football Czar's picks will be posted sometime before midnight on Thursday, except for the first and last installments, and the one on the week of Thanksgiving, when they will appear earlier.
* The College Football Czar will try to select the most interesting and competitive games to include among his picks every week, but you'll notice that he always starts with his home team, the Pitt Panthers, followed by other games of local interest to the Czar, namely those involving Penn State and West Virginia. The Czar realizes that you will not necessarily regard these games to be among the week's most important ones, but so be it.
* Whether the NCAA likes it or not, the College Football Czar persists in using the distinctions "Division I-A" and "Division I-AA." He will not become an accomplice to the assault on the game's competitiveness that is characterized by the initials "FBS" and "FCS," which are designed to smudge the boundaries between them by removing any indication of stratification.
* Like the game they cover, the College Football Czar's weekly previews are meant to be family-friendly. While the coaches, players and media often make for great Czar fodder, this publication does not descend into rumor-mongering and defamation, nor will it include such things as "smack talk," or anatomical comparisons of sideline reporters. This is a PG-rated site.
* Having said that, the College Football Czar is also extremely politically incorrect. So if you're among the chronically offended, you're certainly welcome to commence reading the Czar's picks, but you've been fairly warned. If you do not like what you see here, your only recourse is to stop reading. There is no Dean's office or HR department to which you may report the College Football Czar.
* There is no Forum section to any of the pages on this site. The College Football Czar is not about to take his own web space, and redistribute it among those who would make far less productive use of it. Unlike many of his namesakes in Washington, the Czar does not espouse mushy-headed collectivism. Sorry, Comrades.