Okay, the talking is finished.
Thank goodness.
The whining from Tuscaloosa and national media's attempts to disrupt Clemson got tiresome. The "Kelly Bryant not getting a ring story" was just stupid. Then there was the annual complaint from sports business reporter Darren Rovell about Clemson players taking themselves off of social media during the season. Stupid story No. 2. Let's move on.
Even though it feels as if the off-season took forever, here is an interesting note -- This was Clemson shortest off-season ever. Won the national championship on Jan. 7. Open the 2019 season on Aug. 29.
Let's get it on.
I am not going to waste a lot of time getting to the picks because it's Wednesday morning and Clemson opens Thursday night.
Here are this week's selections.
All picks are against the spread and for entertainment purposes
Thursday
Georgia Tech at Clemson -37 -- Forget finding tickets. Clemson fans have been losing their minds trying to figure out how to get the new ACC Network. This is the first live game on ACCN, which went on the air last week. The Tigers will celebrate a historic 2018 and then kickoff 2019. This should be the most dynamic offense in Clemson history. Questions remain about the defense, but defensive coordinator Brent Venables has been relatively calm in the preseason. He has proven before he can build a defense with whatever parts are provided. Georgia Tech has ditched the triple option. New Tech head coach Jeff Collins does not have a depth chart. He just lists the players who might play. Tech calls it ATL -- Above The Line. The Tigers will have to adjust to the new-look Jackets on the fly. I think the Tigers will roll, but 37 points is too much for an opener. Pick -- Georgia Tech
Utah at Brigham Young +5.5 -- This is a huge rivalry for an opener. ESPN's Lee Corso has picked Utah as a playoff team. That's enough for me to pick the Cougars. Pick -- Brigham Young
Friday
Oklahoma State at Oregon State +14.5 -- The Pokes travel West to take on one of the worst teams in the Pac 12. Pistols firing. Pick -- Oklahoma State
Utah State at Wake Forest -3.5 -- Utah State is touting quarterback Jordan Love as a Heisman Trophy candidate. One of their promo items is a package of candy hearts. Get it? Wake has two quarterbacks who can play -- Sam Hartman and Jamie Newman. The Deacons go fast. Real fast. This game could provide a lot of fireworks. Pick -- Wake Forest
Colorado State at Colorado -13.5 -- Colorado owns this rivalry. Pick -- Colorado
Saturday
South Carolina vs. North Carolina +10.0 -- On paper, this looks like Will Muschamp's best team in Columbia. But the Gamecock schedule is brutal. Mack Brown surprised most of the free world by coming out of the ESPN broadcast booth to dive on a massive hand grenade in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels blew several games in the fourth quarter last season. Brown will make them better, but the Heels just don't have enough talent to hang with the Gamecocks. Pick -- South Carolina
Georgia at Vanderbilt -21.5 -- The Dawgs are a playoff caliber team and a national championship contender. Their quest to get another shot at SEC kingpin Alabama begins in Music City. Openers are tricky and Vandy has a history of giving Georgia problems in Nashville. But I believe the Dawgs will roll. Pick -- Georgia
Virginia Tech at Boston College +2 -- I double checked and triple checked this spread. I think this is a gift. Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster is starting his final season. The Hokies were not good on defense in 2018. The Eagles have one of the best running backs in the country in AJ Dillon. BC head coach Steve Addazio also likes his passing game. Dare I say stone cold lock? Pick -- Boston College
Northwestern at Stanford -6.5 -- Clemson transfer Hunter Johnson joins Kelly Bryant (Missouri) as former Clemson quarterbacks who are now starting somewhere else. The Wildcats won the Big 10 West last season. You can count on Stanford being big and physical. Home field is the difference. Pick -- Stanford
Virginia at Pittsburgh +2.5 -- This is a massive game in the ACC Coastal Division. Pitt is the defending Coastal champ. The Cavaliers, led by dual threat quarterback Bryce Perkins, is on the rise. Pitt rallied in the second half to Virginia in Charlottesville last season. The winner of this game takes the inside track to the Coastal Division title. Pick -- Virginia
