Week Nine

My Weekly Picks
These are based on the choices given for the football pool I'm in. They sometimes don't include the most obvious games, but the goal is so each entrant must do some research/guessing themselves rather than relying on “expert” picks.

MIDDLE TENN STATE   VS   UL LAFAYETTE

STANFORD   VS   USC

WISCONSIN   VS   OSU

SOUTH CAROLINA   VS   TENNESSEE

WASHINGTON   VS   ARIZONA

CALIFORNIA   VS   UCLA

UTAH   VS   OREGON STATE

COLORADO STATE   VS   UNLV

GEORGIA   VS   FLORIDA

TULSA   VS    SMU

BOWLING GREEN   VS   KENT

MARYLAND   VS    BOSTON COLLEGE

LOUISVILLE    VS   SYRACUSE

WEST VIRGINIA    VS   RUTGERS

PENN STATE   VS   ILLINOIS

NEBRASKA   VS   MICHIGAN STATE

CLEMSON   VS   GEORGIA TECH

AUBURN(-10 ½)   VS   MISSISSIPPI

I didn't do a post-game wrap-up last week due to time constraints (I like to pretend I have a life) but I had my worst week of the season. I can't remember what my record was but it was dismal and I slipped from #3 to #4. I need a good week so I looked over everything carefully for this week's picks. Part of the problem is that it's the middle of the season and we're starting to see some teams improve and others slip, which is expected, but it makes things a bit unpredictable. I also didn't go out on a limb with some of my picks when I wanted to, I was just too chicken. I'm hoping to get my mojo back this week so let's get to it...

MIDDLE TENN STATE   VS   UL LAFAYETTE: I can't quite articulate my reasoning for this pick, likely because I have none, but by simply looking at UL's record vs Middle Tennessee's I came to this conclusion. 

WISCONSIN   VS   OSU: I wish I could pick Ohio State, especially since they'll be sporting the 2011 Nike Pro Combat Uni's, but I don't feel I should go out on a limb here. I actually think there's a chance the game could be closer than expected, but OSU just doesn't have a balanced offense and really can only run the ball. They couldn't beat Wisconsin last year with Terrell Pryor and the rest of the tattoo gang, so I don't see how it could happen this year even at home. 

SOUTH CAROLINA   VS   TENNESSEE: With Tennessee's starting QB out with a broken thumb and a very shaky senior backup QB, they now have to resort to a redshirt freshman whose only experience was against Alabama in the fourth quarter...and that was basically to hand the ball off to someone else, he hasn't thrown a pass yet. But South Carolina isn't without their season-ending injuries either with their all-American RB out with a torn ACL and their senior left tackle done for the season with a back injury, but these aren't as detrimental as having to resort to an unproven freshman at QB. And with South Carolina's defense being 7th in the nation and 18th in scoring defense that's pretty strong.

CALIFORNIA   VS   UCLA: UCLA will have four wide receivers out due to suspensions for their involvement in a fight during the Arizona game. Their QB is good at the pass but isn't the best runner, while Cal is good at defending the run. I think with the suspensions and deficit's in UCLA's running department I have to go with Cal. 

UTAH   VS   OREGON STATE: I struggled with this one, but I think Oregon State's defense will have trouble with Utah's running game, especially with their 334 lb defensive tackle Castro Masaniai out with a broken leg, and Utah is favored at home. It could go either way though because Utah's starting QB is injured and their backup QB is interception prone. Still, I'm going with the home team advantage. 

TULSA   VS    SMU: I'm picking SMU because I've re-reviewed all of my picks looking for potential upsets and this was the only other one I could pick with any degree of confidence. Tulsa is only favored by 2 1/2 for their homecoming and they have a tough time defending against the pass, meanwhile the reason for SMU's loss last week to Southern Miss was because of an effective defense against the pass. With that difference I'm going out on a limb for the underdog. 

GEORGIA   VS   FLORIDA: Oh I don't know, Georgia I guess. They're pretty good and Florida's starting QB John Brantley is returning after a high ankle sprain, which is supposed to be tough to recover from. But Florida is also due for a win...I'm still guessing Georgia though. 

AUBURN(-10 ½)   VS   MISSISSIPPI: I don't have a lot of confidence in this pick, I never do when it comes to picking the spread...which is why I don't bet! 

Games I’m Most Likely to Watch If I Don’t Have Anything Better to Do

This section lists the games I’ll likely watch if I don’t get distracted by something else. I have A.D.D., so it’s not that I don’t want to watch these games but sometimes my brain has other ideas.

WISCONSIN   VS   OSU: Maybe? Just maybe? 

SOUTH CAROLINA   VS   TENNESSEE: Probably will be a good SEC game. 

GEORGIA   VS   FLORIDA: Another good SEC game. 

NEBRASKA   VS   MICHIGAN STATE: This will be one interesting game, at least for the first half if Nebraska's can hold up that long. 

Games I Will Not Watch If I Have Anything To Say About It*
These are the games I have no interest in whatsoever and would find more torturous to watch than taking up stamp collecting.

WISCONSIN   VS   OSU: If it gets ugly I won't be able to watch for long. 

AUBURN(-10 ½)   VS   MISSISSIPPI: I always hate watching games where I have to pick the spread, if the make the spread it's a boring game, if they beat the spread and I picked against that it just ticks me off. I just don't need that hassle in my life!

*These are always subject to change because football can be as unpredictable as a herd of cats and any game could become unexpectedly interesting...also, I often do not have control of the remote.

Things That Annoy Me This Week 
This is the section where I talk about the stuff annoying me this week related to college football...or not.

Boise State joining the Big East: Okay, choosing a conference 2000 miles away. Seriously? Wouldn't it have made a lot more sense to join say, the Pac 12? Or the Big 12? Or maybe even making a stop at the SEC before you hit the Atlantic ocean? It would if you were serious about proving yourself rather than flying across the country because you know you can't sustain any kind of record against tough teams week in and week out. Let's see now, how many ranked teams are in the BCS from each major conference? The Big 12: 7. The SEC: 8. The Big Ten: 5. The Big East: A big fat ONE, basically an honorable mention...you know, the sticker you get for just showing up. And that team barely made the cut at #25. Sure, they'll beat plenty of these teams, it's their specialty to dominate sub-par conferences then whine that they should be playing with the big boys. But it will be interesting when they have an upset from the likes of Syracuse or Cincinnati, especially when they're flying all over the country every other week. But the worst part will be being subjected to Lake Boise on TV more frequently. I cannot watch anything on that field, my eyes would never forgive me. 

 
Players blowing their big chance: A lot of that going on these days, a local high school player pulled a prank that could've endangered a teacher. He's the #2 recruit in the nation and in his senior year, he's suspended and may get expelled. I'm guessing it was a dumb teenage mistake but it involved putting something in a teacher's drink...and she's pregnant. This will not be an irrecoverable error but the older you get the bigger the consequences for mistakes, as we've seen with many college level players.

Luke Fickell's tough position: I still feel for this guy, here he's in a dream job and it just can't last, but God bless him for stepping up to the plate. I totally admire him and his heart. 

The End

Week Eight

My Weekly Picks
These are based on the choices given for the football pool I'm in. They sometimes don't include the most obvious games, but the goal is so each entrant must do some research/guessing themselves rather than relying on “expert” picks. 

UL LAFAYETTE   VS   WESTERN KENTUCKY

UTEP   VS   COLORADO STATE

WISCONSIN   VS   MICHIGAN STATE

LSU (-22 ½)   VS   AUBURN

SO MISSISSIPPI   VS   SMU

NOTRE DAME   VS   USC

PENN STATE   VS   NORTHWESTERN

WASHINGTON STATE   VS   OREGON STATE

CALIFORNIA   VS   UTAH

OKLAHOMA STATE   VS   MISSOURI

UTAH STATE   VS   LOUISIANA TECH

BALL STATE   VS   CENTRAL MICHIGAN

SOUTH FLORIDA   VS   CINCINNATI

ARKANSAS (-16)   VS   MISSISSIPPI

WAKE FOREST   VS   DUKE

MIAMI FLA   VS   GEORGIA TECH 

ILLINOIS   VS   PURDUE

VIRGINIA   VS   NC STATE

UL LAFAYETTE   VS   WESTERN KENTUCKY: UL Lafayette is 4-0 in the Sun Belt conference and 6-1 overall, while Western Kentucky was my best choice last week in a who-sucks-less game with FIU who is dead last in anything ever...and Western Kentucky scored only two TDs and two whole field goals against them. With that they don't exactly get my vote of confidence despite the fact that they won against ULL last year on the road. Even WKU coach Whatever Taggart said of ULL: "They are a very, very, very, very, very, very good football team." I'm not saying an upset couldn't happen but when a competing coach prefixes six "very's" in front of a positive adjective in describing an opponent I'd say that's a man who knows his fate. 

UTEP   VS   COLORADO STATE: I really don't know what to do here since I'm unfamiliar with the conference and the teams, but it seems they are similarly matched...both are 3-3 overall and 1-1 and 1-2 respectively in the conference. But UTEP is favored by 8 1/2 at home and they lost to an undefeated Houston by one TD. Colorado State has so many injuries at the linebacker position that they are playing a freshman they wanted to redshirt while UTEP has a strong running game. Oh, and our totally useless stat for the week is that Colorado State leads the series with the Rams last beating them 20 -17...in 19-freaking-98. Regardless of that unconvincing win over a decade ago, I can't not pick UTEP.

WISCONSIN   VS   MICHIGAN STATE: My question for both of these teams is who have you beaten? Wisconsin has beaten the likes of UNLV, South Dakota, and Indiana, with their big win against Nebraska. Michigan State has beaten Youngstown State, Florida Atlantic, and Ohio State, with their big win against Michigan. The difference is that Wisconsin has beaten the lesser teams by a minimum of 31 points while Michigan State has only beaten the lesser teams by a minimum of 3 points (Thank you Ohio State.) With the Big Ten's penchant for playing a lame pre-conference schedule their teams are often as unproven as Boise State, but since Wisconsin seems to be way outplaying the competition the edge goes to them. 

SO MISSISSIPPI   VS   SMU: This is a tough one, but I think Southern Methodist is the tougher team even on the road...they beat TCU at TCU for crying out loud. Both teams have a balanced offense, meaning they are good at both running and passing. The thing that scares me about SMU though is their turnover average, if they lose it will likely  be due to that stat. Southern Miss is favored by only 3 1/2 but SMU has proven they can beat a good team on the road so I'm going with them. 

NOTRE DAME   VS   USC: I'm struggling with this one, I don't think USC deserves a 9 1/2 point underdog spread but they are not as great against the pass and Notre Dame's offense, led by QB Tommy Rees, is 29th in the nation in passing. BUT...USC is 21st in the nation in passing. Okay, I'm getting weary of all the stats. I honestly think this could go either way, USC's QB Something Barkley is good but he screwed up royally on the road against Arizona and totally choked. Notre Dame at home is tough so I'm just going to go with them. 

PENN STATE   VS   NORTHWESTERN: I keep wanting to believe in Northwestern but they keep disappointing me and we just can't have that. Penn State held #1 Alabama to 27 points, that may seem like a lot but to hold a team like Alabama to 3 TDs and 2 field goals is pretty decent. Penn State's two QBs struggle with accuracy and consistency in the Red Zone but Northwestern ranks dead last in the nation (120th) against the pass. What it comes down to is Penn State's players wear 3XL jerseys while Northwestern's players wear XL. I just think Northwestern is going to get super-sized by Penn State. 

CALIFORNIA   VS   UTAH: I wanted to pick the Utes but Cal should be able to put more pressure on their backup QB John White than Pitt could manage. With Cal at home I have to give the edge to them. 

UTAH STATE   VS   LOUISIANA TECH:  Another who-sucks-less game. Utah State can run, Louisiana Tech can stop the run but not the pass. Louisiana can pass, Utah State can stop the pass but not the run. Who knows? Flip a coin. 

BALL STATE   VS   CENTRAL MICHIGAN: Well, I went to Ohio University's homecoming parade last week and I generally hate parades, but Ohio's marching band is so fun to watch and the small town atmosphere was invigorating. I say all that useless trivia to emphasize that Ball State beat Ohio last week for their homecoming in a very small town rah-rah-go-team atmosphere so they have to be decent...and Ohio is no pushover team. Given that Ball State is at home this week in the great state of Ball -- wherever that is -- I have to go with them.

SOUTH FLORIDA   VS   CINCINNATI: I really don't know, I think Skip Holtz could pull this one off but I'm guessing on Cinci.  I would change this but I changed my pick from Ohio State last week to Illinois and that didn't turn out so well. It's just like my knack for picking the wrong line in the grocery store (which I did the other day) no matter who I choose it will be the wrong one. 

WAKE FOREST   VS   DUKE: Wake's QB Tanner Price is pretty good and I hear nothing about Duke's QB.  In the strange world of college mascots I think the half evil Demon Deacons will outplay the full evil Blue Devils.

MIAMI FLA   VS   GEORGIA TECH : I continue to be unimpressed by Miami and GA Tech has a great record. Miami could win with Jacory Harris being more picky in his passing and minimizing interceptions, but I'm just going to go with the Yellow Jackets. 

ILLINOIS   VS   PURDUE: Illinois is terribly overrated because they just havn't really played anyone. Last week I wanted to pick OSU but couldn't because they didn't give me quite enough to go on, but in the end they proved that with a good defense a poor offense can beat the Illini. Purdue isn't great by any means but I feel they're at least more honest in their record. Despite that I have to go with Illinois because Purdue isn't giving me enough to go on. I hate how the Big Ten teams are so unproven in the middle of the season due to lame pre-conference schedules. No wonder the conference is soft. 

Games I’m Most Likely to Watch If I Don’t Have Anything Better to Do

This section lists the games I’ll likely watch if I don’t get distracted by something else. I have A.D.D., so it’s not that I don’t want to watch these games but sometimes my brain has other ideas.  

WISCONSIN  VS  MICHIGAN STATE: Should be an interesting game since Michigan State beat Wisconsin last year.

ILLINOIS  VS  PURDUE: Wondering if there will be an upset that will neither surprise nor upset me.

Games I Will Not Watch If I Have Anything To Say About It*
These are the games I have no interest in whatsoever and would find more torturous to watch than taking up stamp collecting.

Lots of snoozers this week...too many to list.

*These are always subject to change because football can be as unpredictable as a herd of cats and any game could become unexpectedly interesting...also, I often do not have control of the remote.

Things That Annoy Me This Week

This is the section where I talk about the stuff annoying me this week related to college football...or not.

My Laptop: It's dying a slow death and will likely fail me when I need it most.

The MAC Conference: They are so freaking inconsistent that it's impossible to make good picks. Miami Ohio is the worst for that.

Time: It seems to be going faster and faster. I didn't have time to post my picks last week or do a follow up. I'd like to think that's because I have a life, but I could just be saying that. At least I'm still holding out at #3 in the football pool!

The End

Week 6 Post Game Wrap Up

Post Game Wrap Up Week 6
16-3

NORTH TEXAS   VS   FLORIDA ATLANTIC :-)

ARKANSAS STATE   VS   UL MONROE :-)

TCU   VS   San Diego STATE  :-)

UCLA   VS   WASHINGTON STATE  :-)

NEBRASKA   VS   OSU  :-)  :-/

LSU   VS   FLORIDA  :-)

MISSOURI   VS   KANSAS STATE  :-)

TEXAS A&M   VS   TEXAS TECH  :-)

MICHIGAN   VS   NORTHWESTERN  :-)

ARIZONA   VS   OREGON STATE  :-( 

LOUISIANA TECH   VS   IDAHO  :-)

NAVY   VS   SO MISSISSIPPI  :-)

VIRGINIA TECH   VS   MIAMI FLA  :-)

GEORGIA   VS   TENNESSEE  :-)

ARKANSAS   VS   AUBURN  :-)

ARIZONA STATE   VS   UTAH  :-)

ARMY   VS   MIAMI OH   :-(

PENN STATE   VS   IOWA  :-)

OKLAHOMA(-9 ½)   VS   TEXAS  :-(

I am very happy with my record this week but I suspect others in the pool will have done as well because there were few upsets. That's okay, I'll take it anyway. Here are a few thoughts on outcomes. 

TCU   VS   San Diego State: TCU held SDSU in the first half then allowed two touchdowns, but four turnovers didn't help SDSU.

UCLA   VS   WASHINGTON STATE: It was a close game as expected, but the stats were strange...UCLA had 371 total yards while Washington State had 389. UCLA didn't even get a first down until early in the second quarter when starting QB Richard Someone broke his leg after a hard hit, then backup QB Kevin Prince staged a comeback in the fourth quarter and made the game winning TD pass with 3:26 left. And to think Prince was booed when he took the field...

TEXAS A&M   VS   TEXAS TECH: I went looking for a recap only to find an article informing me that the four Texas A&M team buses that were"vandalized" had fish bait spread inside...not manure. Whew, I sure feel better, now how do I get back the 2 minutes of my life that was wasted? At any rate, I wrote last week that Texas A&M ranked last nationally against the run, but I think it's Texas Tech since they're 117th out of 120 FBS teams and they gave up 205 rushing yards to Texas A&M. Penalties cost Texas Tech as did not converting third downs at key points in the game. This is another case where the losing team had more yards than the winning team, but the difference is turning those yards into points. 

MICHIGAN   VS   NORTHWESTERN: Northwestern came out very strong in the first half and had a 10 point lead going into the half. Michigan's Denard Robinson threw 3 interceptions the first half, two of which led to scoring drives for Northwestern. The second half was completely different, Northwestern didn't score at all while Robinson threw two TDs and ran in two more. I don't think Michigan could stand up to some of the better teams around the nation, but unless Ohio State can get some offense going by the end of the season it will not be a pretty come November 26th.

ARMY   VS   MIAMI (OH): Miami never does what I expect them to do. Army was favored by only 1 point but I swear if I had picked Miami to win they would've lost. Miami couldn't stop Army's triple-option offense the first half, but they somehow managed to stop them in the fourth quarter AND a costly Army turnover led to a nine-yard TD by Miami. I wish Miami would get with the program...my program. 

OKLAHOMA(-9 ½)   VS   TEXAS: What do you even say? It was a massacre.

Ohio State Segment 

What do you even say Nebraska made their biggest comeback in Cornhusker history. Yippee. Braxton Miller had led the Buckeyes to a 21 point lead, it seemed to me that he did it by scrambling to make up for the Buckeye "Dancing Bear" offensive line. The defense held Nebraska to only two field goals in the first half, but when Braxton went down with a sprained ankle in the third quarter there would be no more points for the Buckeyes. Poor Joe Bauserman only completed one of this ten passes, Posey is suspended another five games, and this season is sadly going as I expected. (Good for my picks though.) I was really surprised that the Bucks did so well, Braxton Miller has a very promising future but with the cards handed to him this year it will just have to wait. 

Fashion Segment

With so many new, throwback, and limited edition uniforms in college football these days it deserves its own section. This section will also include commentary on fashion statements made by anyone involved in college football: coaches, officials, fans, and announcers. No one is safe. In some instances links must be used instead of images due to copyright restrictions.

Oregon Nike Pro Combat Fighting Duck Jersey (AKA: Donald Duck Tribute): 

Oregon unveiled a retro jersey last week featuring what looks like Uncle Donald on the shoulders. 

Courtesy of Nikeblog.com

The End

10-7-11 Week 6

My Weekly Picks
These are based on the choices given for the football pool I'm in. They sometimes don't include the most obvious games, but the goal is so each entrant must do some research/guessing themselves rather than relying on “expert” picks.

NORTH TEXAS   VS   FLORIDA ATLANTIC

ARKANSAS STATE   VS   UL MONROE

TCU   VS   San Diego STATE

UCLA   VS   WASHINGTON STATE

NEBRASKA   VS   OSU

LSU   VS   FLORIDA

MISSOURI   VS   KANSAS STATE

TEXAS A&M   VS   TEXAS TECH

MICHIGAN   VS   NORTHWESTERN

ARIZONA   VS   OREGON STATE

LOUISIANA TECH   VS   IDAHO

NAVY   VS   SO MISSISSIPPI

VIRGINIA TECH   VS   MIAMI FLA

GEORGIA   VS   TENNESSEE

ARKANSAS   VS   AUBURN

ARIZONA STATE   VS   UTAH

ARMY   VS   MIAMI OH

PENN STATE   VS   IOWA

OKLAHOMA(-9 ½)   VS   TEXAS

NORTH TEXAS   VS   FLORIDA ATLANTIC: Florida Atlantic has one of the worst offensives in the nation and is dead last in the Sun Belt conference, but North Texas gives up 498 yards per game. With North Texas’ Brandon Akpunku being second in the conference for tackles for loss and QB Derek Thompson coming back from an injury I’m going with North Texas.

ARKANSAS STATE   VS   UL MONROE: I think this could go either way but ASU hasn’t allowed 100 yards rushing yet this season and they played (but lost) against big schools such as Virginia Tech and Ilinois. They performed well in these games on the road. ULM played tough opponents too, such as Florida State , TCU and Iowa but their defense didn’t hold these teams like ASU did. Even though they’re on the road I’m picking Arkansas State.

TCU  VS  SAN DIEGO STATE: It looks likely that TCU will be joining the Big 12, which is great because they’ll be playing a lot of good Texas teams, and of course Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. It will be a tougher schedule than the Mountain West conference and will go a long way in proving and improving their game and the Big 12 is happy to have them. ( See Boise State , it’s not so hard.)  I would love to pick San Diego State , but while TCU’s defense isn’t as strong this year the problem is defending against the pass, not the run. San Diego State ’s strength in running back Ron Hillman and TCU held him to 54 yards last season. If SDSU’s QB Ryan Something can connect with his receivers consistently through the game they  may make it happen, but TCU will be tough to beat so I’ll go with them.

UCLA   VS   WASHINGTON STATE: This one could be an upset, UCLA is stopping the run but not stopping the pass so well. They beat Oregon State but also allowed 287 passing yards and passing is Washington State ’s strength. Washington isn’t great at defending against the run and that’s UCLA’s strength. In looking at the games Washington State lost they just can’t stop the run effectively. With that I pick UCLA. I struggled with this one but am trying not to succumb to subconsciously rooting for the underdog.

NEBRASKA  VS  OSU: Uh, Nebraska.

LSU  VS  FLORIDA: I don’t know of anyone not picking LSU, so I might as well join the bandwagon. But seriously, Florida got killed last week by #3 Alabama . Florida is good but LSU is ranked #1 for a reason.

MISSOURI   VS KANSAS STATE: Missouri has a balanced attack which means they can run the ball or pass it effectively. They also are ranked 17th in the nation in defending against rushing. Their passing defensive sucks but Kansas State does a lot more rushing than passing. I don’t like that Missouri has lost their only two road games, but they only lost by 10 against then 1# Oklahoma . I think I’ll go with the underdog, what the heck.

TEXAS A&M  VS  TEXAS TECH: Another tough one, since Texas A&M rank LAST nationally against the run I’m guessing Texas Tech will pass the ball a lot. I think Texas Tech could pull it off but I unconfidently pick Texas A&M.

MICHIGAN  VS  NORTHWESTERN: This is a tough call, but from what I’m reading it will be very difficult for Northwestern’s defense to shut down Michigan’s offense led by Denard Robinson. This will be an offensive shootout but Michigan is on a roll, I go with Michigan .

ARKANSAS   VS   AUBURN: It will be interesting but Arkansas is at home and heavily favored and they’ve beaten ranked teams. Arkansas .

ARIZONA STATE  VS  UTAH: ASU is tough and I don’t see an upset here.

ARMY  VS   MIAMI OH: Army, I guess.

PENN STATE  VS  IOWA: This is a toss up, with the Big Ten’s penchant for playing lower ranked teams early in the year it’s hard to tell. But since Penn State played Alabama and didn’t embarrass themselves I will go with them.

OKLAHOMA (-9 ½)   VS   TEXAS: I’m going with Texas to beat the spread. Not sure why!

Games I’m Most Likely to Watch If I Don’t Have Anything Better to Do

This section lists the games I’ll likely watch if I don’t get distracted by something else. I have A.D.D., so it’s not that I don’t want to watch these games but sometimes my brain has other ideas.  

NEBRASKA  VS   OSU:  I just have to. 

MICHIGAN   VS   NORTHWESTERN: I want to see how Northwestern Dan Persa does. Should be a good game.

Games I Will Not Watch If I Have Anything To Say About It*
These are the games I have no interest in whatsoever and would find more torturous to watch than taking up stamp collecting.


ARMY VS MIAMI (OH): Miami just never does anything I expect. Win when they shouldn't, lose when they shouldn't...who knows?

*These are always subject to change because football can be as unpredictable as a herd of cats and any game could become unexpectedly interesting...also, I often do not have control of the remote.

This That Annoy Me This Week

This is the section where I talk about the stuff annoying me this week related to college football...or not.

Ohio State Drama: While the Ohio State players and coaches who played by the rules struggle, Tressel and Pryor collect NFL checks. Oh, I know they're "suspended" but whatever.

Irrelevant History: When an article mentions how one team has dominated the series against another team…in the 1950’s. (Or the 90’s or 80’s…ancient history.) This is meaningless chatter that can throw you off if you’re just skimming a story to glean information. Annoying.

The End

10-04-11 Post Game Wrap Up Week 4

Outcome of My Picks With a Few Comments
12-9

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL   VS   DUKE  :-(

FRESNO STATE   VS   MISSISSIPPI  :-(

WISCONSIN   VS   NEBRASKA  :-)

NORTH CAROLINA   VS   EAST CAROLINA  :-)

NEW MEXICO STATE   VS   NEW MEXICO :-)

VIRGINIA TECH   VS   CLEMSON  :-)

SOUTH CAROLINA   VS   AUBURN  :-(

GEORGIA   VS   MISSISSIPPI ST  :-)

LOUISIANA TECH   VS   HAWAII  :-(

BAYLOR   VS   KANSAS STATE  :-)

COLORADO STATE   VS   SAN JOSE STATE  :-(

TEXAS A&M   VS   ARKANSAS  :-)

ALABAMA   VS   FLORIDA :-)

OSU   VS   MICHIGAN STATE  :-)  :-/

COLORADO   VS   WASHINGTON STATE  :-(

TEXAS TECH   VS   KANSAS  :-)

U CONN   VS   WESTERN MICHIGAN  :-(

SYRACUSE   VS   RUTGERS  :-)

WAKE FOREST   VS   BOSTON COLLEGE  :-(

ILLINOIS   VS   NORTHWESTERN  :-)

NAVY   VS   AIR FORCE  :-(

This week was better for my NCAA picks, I was afraid I had peaked too early because I had a steady decline after week 2 and only my NFL picks were saving me. I'm still waiting for the results so I don't know where I rank yet for the week. I did notice that I picked Wake Forest but underlined Boston College, that's what I get for doing my picks at 1am. Many of the games this week were close and there were a few surprises, so here are my post-game comments:

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL  VS  DUKE: I didn't see the win by Duke coming and they even came back in the fourth quarter from a 10 point deficit. FIU won on the road against Louisville and at home against UCF so they're a decent team, but a sack in the fourth quarter caused a fumble that was recovered by Duke and setup a touchdown on the next play. Then Duke marched down the field for a second TD with 7:30 left that remained unanswered. Turnovers are so costly. 

FRESNO STATE  VS  MISSISSIPPI: This was a good game until the last quarter when Ole Miss scored 11 unanswered points. It looks like a couple of turn overs and missed field goals were what did Fresno State in.

WISCONSIN  VS  NEBRASKA: Wisconsin and Nebraska looked very evenly matched early on and with both teams wearing red and white it was hard to tell them apart, but after Nebraska got a second TD in the second quarter it would be their last and that was where any similarity ended. Nebraska's defense rushed Wisconsin's QB, Russel Wilson, frequently in the first quarter and even sacked him, but Wilson was cool and collected and the pressure didn't rattle him one bit as evidenced by his 255 passing yards and 14 for 20 completions. Watching him was fun.

NEW MEXICO STATE   VS   NEW MEXICO: New Mexico State got three TDs the first quarter and New Mexico managed to do something a few times, but it's not even worth looking up what that was. It's my understanding NMSU is the worst team in the Football Bowl Series (FBS) so to get beat 42 to 28 by them at home is pretty bad. There's some drama going on with New Mexico and they fired their head coach last week. I don't know what he did but to be fired mid-season must mean someone really doesn't like you.

COLORADO  VS  WASHINGTON STATE: Well, Colorado was doing well against Washington State until they allowed TWO touchdowns in the last 3 minutes of the game! This was Colorado's big debut in the Pac-12 and they were leading until late in the fourth quarter when the Cougars scored a TD with 3:03 left.  Washington State decided to forego an onside kick and got the ball back with 1:50 left and made a final TD with 1:34 left. The Buffaloes got the ball back one more time but promptly fumbled it and the Cougars recovered it for the win. Colorado's coach was not happy that the team snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

WAKE FOREST  VS   BOSTON COLLEGE: I had picked Wake Forest but mistakenly underlined Boston College and naturally Wake won. Too bad it couldn't have been one of those situations where Boston College won to the amazement of the world and I looked like a genius. 

ILLINOIS  VS  NORTHWESTERN: With Northwestern QB Dan Persa returning after recovering from a torn Achilles tendon it made a big difference for the Wildcats. They had the lead for most of the game until the last 8 minutes when Illinois got a TD to pull ahead by 3. Northwestern answered back with another TD to take the lead back then Illinois kicked a field goal with 18 seconds left. The Illini did have 8 penalties that cost them 70 yards, there also seemed to be little defense.

 ACCUWEATHER.COM VS WEATHER.COM: I was trying to decide if I should go down to campus and tailgate last Saturday because I heard it would be rainy and nasty, so I went to Weather.com and it confirmed what the local Mighty Ben Gelber predicted. Then I went to Accuweather.com and they predicted it would be mostly sunny and 50 with some rain at 11am that would clear out. Let's just say Weather.com won BIGTIME over Accuweather.com and I picked the wrong team. It was rainy and cold and there was even some serious wind that kicked up for awhile, it was the kind of cold that goes right through you and I couldn't feel certain body parts at times. It's strange how despite all that you can still have fun. 

 Ohio State Segment (AKA “Punting Exhibition”)
You have to hand it to the Ohio State defense for holding Michigan State to one TD and a field goal considering they had 321 total yards and averaged 5.1 yards per play. That’s quite an accomplishment after being on the field most of the game. Compare that to Ohio State with only 178 total yards and an average of 2.8 yards per play. Ohio State’s only TD came in the last quarter with a pass by Joe Bauserman who was filling in for the aching Braxton Miller after being sacked more than an Idaho potato. Braxton was sacked NINE times!! ABC’s play-by-play announcer, Sean McDonough, commented that if this were a fight it would be stopped. Kudos to Miller for only one fumble that he recovered and for throwing only one interception despite all the pressure. (He rarely had time enough to throw the ball, however.) If I were Braxton I would have serious words with one offensive line coach, Jim Bollman, whose “Dancing Bear” O line were thrown around like rag dolls. Ohio State’s line has the same size as Wisconsin’s but our line doesn’t surge or do what other lines seem to do.

I do feel badly for Luke Fickell and the rest of the team. They weren’t supposed to be in this position: Fickell wasn’t supposed to be thrown into a head coaching position prematurely, Braxton Miller wasn’t supposed to be quarterbacking prematurely, the team was supposed to have a seasoned star quarterback to get the ball to the receivers…or scramble when the offensive line sucked. Fickell won’t be there beyond this year, but I have to give him props for stepping up to the plate when he was setup to fail. He worked with what was handed to him and you can’t say a word against him. None of this is his doing and he’s a victim of someone else’s mistakes right along with all the fans. And now with the three suspended players who were scheduled to return for the Nebraska game being suspended again…I don’t believe it would’ve mattered, there are too many problems with the team. God bless Fickell for doing the best he can with what he has and I hope he has great success in his future, what a great spirit.

While tailgating in unseasonably cold and rainy weather I had several offers for tickets that I turned down, including a guy who offered tickets in A Deck for $20. I replied to his offer saying, “You give ME $20 and I’ll think about it.” I’ve been saying for the past couple of years that a price correction has been needed, they've raised ticket prices, parking prices, and even tailgate space prices have gone through the roof. I realize that when the team is winning it's a supply and demand thing but it's supposedly non-profit (ha) and amateur (unless you’re talking about Pete Caroll's USC), but last Saturday they couldn't give tickets away and my husband heard someone in the press box say you can't charge people $70 (face value) for this, and he’s right. But season ticket holders won't give that up their right for a couple of bad years, they'll sell their tickets at a loss to keep their slot. It's the secondary market that won't support it, including tailgate space and fan gear. Who wants to buy a replica of a 2011 Nike Pro Combat jersey when it’s a reminder of one of OSU’s worst seasons?

Bad Call of the Week (AKA: The Emperor Has No Clothes)

Blatantly bad calls are made by officials on a regular basis, but it's their strange penchant of persisting in unreality despite replay technology that makes me think they're a secret cult out to get us all.

Florida looked very strong against Alabama the first quarter but they started to slip in the second quarter and got behind two TDs. They needed to score before the half when their QB was sacked resulting in a clear fumble and a live ball. The ref didn't blow his whistle and an Alabama player scooped up the ball and half-heartedly ran towards the end zone because a different clueless official blew his whistle, meanwhile the ref was carefully watching because he knew the ball was live. What followed was interesting and scary, the ref who knew the ball was live went over to the clueless official and sort of talked to him. I say "sort of" because he never really faced him and didn't seem to say a lot. Not only did the ref know the ball was live he knew his cohort was wrong. I couldn't wait to see how the Brotherhood would handle this one, how would the ref correct his obviously mistaken brother while not breaking rank? Here's how he handled it...he didn't. The Brotherhood continued the game and acted like it never happened. I don't know how they did it, it was like they pulled a Jedi mind trick because everyone -- coaches and all -- went along with it!

In watching coverage about Amanda Knox this week CNN reporter Drew Griffin, who has covered many prosecutions gone awry, said they all have the same theme: police or a prosecutor who has a theory they formulate very early on and stick with it despite what the evidence shows. Now I know where they get NCAA football officials.

Fashion Segment

With so many new, throwback, and limited edition uniforms in college football these days it deserves its own section. This section will also include commentary on fashion statements made by anyone involved in college football: coaches, officials, fans, and announcers. No one is safe. In some instances links must be used instead of images due to copyright restrictions.

There weren't any new uni's again this week and Brent Mussburger hasn't worn any strange colors lately so it's a bit difficult to find good material. And with everyone at the Ohio State game wearing rain gear it was hard to find fashion faux pas. Instead, I'll post a few pics I snapped whilst tailgating. 

Brutus Having Fun

Columbus' Finest

An appropriately attired Mini Cooper

Drum line!

Columbus Fire Department with some goofy fan

The latest in parking fashion

$20 Seats

The End

9-29-11 Week 5

My Weekly Picks

These are based on the choices given for the football pool I'm in. They sometimes don't include the most obvious games, but the goal is so each entrant must do some research/guessing themselves rather than relying on “expert” picks. 

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL   VS   DUKE

FRESNO STATE   VS   MISSISSIPPI

WISCONSIN   VS   NEBRASKA

NORTH CAROLINA   VS   EAST CAROLINA

NEW MEXICO STATE   VS   NEW MEXICO

VIRGINIA TECH   VS   CLEMSON

SOUTH CAROLINA   VS   AUBURN

GEORGIA   VS   MISSISSIPPI ST

LOUISIANA TECH   VS   HAWAII

BAYLOR   VS   KANSAS STATE

COLORADO STATE   VS   SAN JOSE STATE

TEXAS A&M   VS   ARKANSAS

ALABAMA   VS   FLORIDA

OSU   VS   MICHIGAN STATE

COLORADO   VS   WASHINGTON STATE

TEXAS TECH   VS   KANSAS

U CONN   VS   WESTERN MICHIGAN

SYRACUSE   VS   RUTGERS

WAKE FOREST   VS   BOSTON COLLEGE

ILLINOIS   VS   NORTHWESTERN

NAVY   VS   AIR FORCE

I apologize for my brief explanations but it has been a very hectic week and I'm finishing up my picks at 1am Saturday morning. I will be short and not-so-sweet this week in my explanations, but I enjoy not being sweet so I'll make a great cantakerous 80 year old woman someday. 

FRESNO STATE   VS   MISSISSIPPI: I am not being fooled by Fresno State's injuries this week and am picking them whether they like it or not!

WISCONSIN   VS   NEBRASKA: Tough call, but everyone is going with Wisconsin so I'll join the bandwagon. Oh, and Dick Tressel is the running back coach at Ohio State, while his son Mike is the assistant coach at MSU. (Dick is Jim Tressel's brother.) The only Big Ten team MSU's coach Mark Dantonio hasn't beaten is Ohio State...like Michigan, it could be his year.  

NEW MEXICO STATE   VS   NEW MEXICO: I just don't even know what to do here, either New Mexico State or New Mexico is supposed to be the worst team in the NCAA but I can't remember which. New Mexico State actually beat Minnesota yet lost to Ohio…or maybe it was New Mexico State who beat them. Who can keep such things straight? New Mexico hasn't beaten anyone so maybe they're due, but who knows? New Mexico also is in the WAC, which is the same conference as Boise State. (See why I don't believe Boise State belongs in any major bowl game, let alone the National Championship?) This is a total toss up and I'm just going to go with New Mexico because they have to get at least one win this year, why not against the worst or almost worst team in the nation, which.we know is at least one of these two. On second thought, the coach at New Mexico left or was fired or something and all of these "kids" are loyal to him. I think I'd better go with New Mexico State because of the lack of problems the state version of New Mexico has. What a mess. 

OSU   VS   MICHIGAN STATE: If I could pick them both I would, but I can't. MSU head coach Mark Dantonio grew up in Ohio and is the former OSU defensive coordinator. He has beaten every other big ten team except Ohio State, mayhaps this is his year? Everybody thinks Michigan State's defense is the bomb even though they couldn't stop Notre Dame when Pittisburgh held them to 15 last week, but their QB, somebody's Cousin, will supposedly outscore OSU in passing. This will be a tough one for Michigan State because they'll be playing in the 'Shoe. Although, OSU tickets can be had for less than half face value...but I believe that much like the stock market a price correction was overdue, so don't ask me. I'm picking Michigan State because Lou Holtz has possessed my soul tonight. 

COLORADO   VS   WASHINGTON STATE: I'm going with my new Buffalo friends on this one, and I'm not voting with my heart. Colorado has performed admirably against some okay teams, while Washington State has scored a lot of points against teams few of us know anything about, namely me

SYRACUSE   VS   RUTGERS: After reading more I understand why Toledo wanted the Syracuse win to be vacated, had the bad call on Syracuse's extra point not occurred Toledo would've beat them in regulationt time...assuming Syracuse's subsequent field goal not been kicked and tied the score sending them into OT. Anyway, Syracuse players cannot talk do the media this week, I don't know if that's good coaching psychologically or a "don't anybody talk about that missed field goal or they just might take away that win away from us" trick. There are some injuries plaguing Syracuse. I'm going with Rutgers. 

WAKE FOREST   VS   BOSTON COLLEGE: Wake's QB, Tanner Price is awesome and may cure baldness according to the "experts", so what the heck? Root for the devil/angel Demon Deacons and be as confused as I am about their mascot!

ILLINOIS   VS   NORTHWESTERN:  Illinois should win this one but it wouldn't surprise me at all if Northwestern pulls an upset. I'm tempted to pick Northwestern but I won't. 

NAVY   VS   AIR FORCE: Sorry, Dad, everyone is picking Navy and I must comply!

Games I’m Most Likely to Watch If I Don’t Have Anything Better to Do

This section lists the games I’ll likely watch if I don’t get distracted by something else. I have A.D.D., so it’s not that I don’t want to watch these games but sometimes my brain has other ideas.  

OSU   VS   MICHIGAN STATE:  I just know I've picked the wrong team!!

WISCONSIN   VS   NEBRASKA: How do you not? 

ALABAMA   VS   FLORIDA: Should be a good game! 

ILLINOIS   VS   NORTHWESTERN: Could be close or possibly an upset...or nothing even close.

Games I Will Not Watch If I Have Anything to Say About It*

These are the games I have no interest in whatsoever and would find more torturous to watch than taking up stamp collecting.
NEW MEXICO STATE   VS   NEW MEXICO: I won't be able to keep them straight.

*These are always subject to change because football can be as unpredictable as a herd of cats and any game could become unexpectedly interesting...also, I often do not have control of the remote.

Things That Annoy Me This Week

This is the section where I talk about the stuff annoying me this week related to college football...or not.

Unpredictability: I get that there are many games that really can't be predicted, but if you seriously almost beat an upper level team then you should turn around and kick some "A" against a lower level team. Have some respect for my picks!

Blogger's "Updated" Blogging Interface: Somehow it created its own crazy HTML tag in my earlier post this week using / that also served as a line break.

 Time: Not having enough of it to research my picks this week, which means I should do pretty good.