By John Millea
It's Week 1 and the pressure is already getting in the head of your friendly neighborhood one-man football prediction committee. I don't know if it was pregame jitters or the burrito I had for dinner last night, but I tossed and turned as the prospect of making these first-week picks rolled around in my head. I finally ended the drama by leaping – well, actually, stumbling is more accurate – out of bed at 5:30 a.m. and beginning the same methodical, clear-cut, scientific process that I have used for years. I guessed.
Let's face it, this is a crap shoot. Especially in Week 1, when we have yet to see trends and surprises, much less facts. Hey, if Vegas oddsmakers put down lines on these games this task would be a heck of a lot easier. So what do we do? We look at traditions, last year's records, dial up the interwebs and check local newspaper reports, toss in some eye of newt, lick a finger and check the wind, look at today's horoscope, cut the cards, roll the dice, throw some darts (but not jarts; they're dangerous), kick the can … and guess. There are no matchups between Metro Top 10 teams this week, but some great games are lined up nonetheless. Some of the most intriguing matchups come from the world-famous "Ten Other Games" category. What's better than Glencoe-Silver Lake vs. Hutchinson? Or Brainerd vs. St. Cloud Tech? Or St. Michael-Albertville vs. Becker? Or Mankato West vs. Northfield in a rematch of last year's Class 4A Prep Bowl? Enough stalling. Here are the picks. Have pity. Metro Top 10 1. Eden Prairie 31, Bloomington Kennedy 6 2. Cretin-Derham Hall 28, Forest Lake 12 3. Wayzata 21, Eastview 7 4. Rosemount 24, Apple Valley 13 5. Blaine 14, Osseo 13 6. Totino-Grace 27, Irondale 13 7. Lakeville South 20, Eagan 7 8. Minnetonka 17, Fargo North 14 9. Champlin Park 21, Coon Rapids 20 10. Mounds View 17, Roseville 13 Ten Other Games Hutchinson 22, Glencoe-Silver Lake 20 Holy Angels 18, Hill-Murray 7 Andover 24, Park Center 6 New Prague 24, Faribault 17 Hopkins 24, Rochester Mayo 21 Mankato West 23, Northfield 13 St. Cloud Tech 17, Brainerd 14 Fargo South 23, Edina 14 St. Michael-Albertville 27, Becker 23 Fairmont 27, Worthington 21 John Millea is on Twitter at www.twitter.com/stribjohn