I hope to avoid being as "cold as ice" with my week 9 selections

And, by "cold as ice," I'm talking Antarctica cold.  What happened to global warming?  Has anybody seen Al Gore?  You know the Al Gore I'm talking about; the Al Gore who likes to take credit for being the founder of the Internet, along with his theory on global warming.  According to my pick'em record from last week's game, I haven't received the memo form ole Albert, concerning global warming.  More on that later.

 

 

 

A quick review on the week that was.  First, how about Steve Spurrier and that fine piece of coaching near the end of the Tennessee game.  He coached himself into a defeat by calling not one; but, two timeouts, trying to catch the Vols off guard, while he contemplated going for it on fourth down with three yards to go.  Note to Stevie Wonder Spurrier:  You might call time out once; but, to do it twice, and then not go for it in the end, was strictly asinine.  And, how about a shout out to those Vols for coming back the way that they did.  That was one heck of a catch to put them in scoring range.

 

 

 

 

While we are on the SEC, that was one strange situation that took place last Saturday, with Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, LSU, and Texas A&M, all losing while being prohibited favorites.  Did the Hale-Bopp comet make a pass by the Earth, last weekend?  Had to be, how else can you explain all of the nonsense that occurred in college football, last weekend.

 

 

 

 

Forward, march.  Now, it's time for the "idiot of the week award," or, as I like to call it, the moon pie of the week from the past seven days.  And the winner is:  Danny Kanell of ESPN.  This cat takes being a lunatic to a level that is higher than Mount Everest.  Mr. Einstein Danny Kanell stated that his BCS rankings were Oregon first, Florida State second, and Alabama third.  When pressed about his Alabama ranking, he stated that the ONLY reason that the Tide was first overall was because of their recent history, and that they hadn't played anybody of merit, this season.  Uh, Danny; by my count, that's two reasons; and as far as not playing anybody this season, Virginia Tech hasn't lost a game since they played Alabama.  Alabama shut out Ole Miss which beat LSU.  Alabama proved that they can score when they need to by out lasting Texas A&M, 49-42 (a game which was billed as the game of the year).  Alabama hasn't given up a touchdown at Bryant Denny Stadium, this season.  Danny Kanell is further proof that anybody can score a job at ESPN, right along with Lou Holtz and Desmond Howard.  Put them three Einsteins together and what do you have?  That's right, The Three Stooges are back in business, just different names.

 

 

 

 

Now, back to my issue of being "cold as ice."  Last week I was a stellar (cough, cough) 5-5, with 25 pieces of bacon.  By the looks of all of the scores in our pick'em group, I wasn't the only one that was caught in that blizzard of cold, from last week.  For the year, I'm 57-23 (that equates to just a little bit better than seven out of every ten picks as winners), with 327 total points, good for 96.4%.  Let's see if I can stoke the fire and crank up the heat on these selections for this week's slate of games.

 

 

 

 

Penn State @ Ohio State (10) - Since I have lost my last two "10" point selections in a row, I can just feel some of you putting the Nittany Lions as your "one" point to beat the Buckeyes.  It could happen; but, just remember this; the last time that Penn State played on the road, they were taking to the wood shed by Indiana.  That's all the proof that I need.  Hand me some Buckeyes to clown stomp Penn State, 38-20.

 

 

 

 

UCLA @ Oregon (9) - UCLA is on the road again, going a little further north than last week.  Now they travel to Eugene to take on some ticked off Ducks.  In case some of you have been in a drunken stuper for more than a week, Florida State jumped Oregon in the BCS (more like BS) standings.  That doesn't bode well for Jim Mora and his Bruins.  Put me on the Quack Wagon.  I like the Ducks to fly away from UCLA, 48-23.

 

 

 

 

Clemson (8) @ Maryland - Clemson's coach, Dabo Sweeny said that his team didn't give their best effort in that beat down by Florida State.  To him I say:  No crap (I would like to use another four letter word), Sherlock.  The only thing that Clemson did last week was pull a Clemson.  They do this at least once, or twice a season.  Look for the Tigers to be a little more motivated this week, say 38-17, over the Turtles, and those butt ugly uniforms that they wear.

 

 

 

 

Nebraska (7) @ Minnesota - Look, Nebraska is the better team here.  The Cornhuskers should steam roll the Gophers, according to stats.  Ah, but the game isn't played on paper.  Nevertheless, Nebraska can not afford to lose a game like this.  If that happens, Bo Pelini will need to have Two Men and a Truck on standby.  Look for Nebraska to out last Minneyhaha, 37-24.

 

 

 

 

South Carolina @ Missouri (6) - This is one of two games that the peckerheads at ESPN have on upset alert, as well as one local writer for the Birmingham News, Charles Hollis; who can't pick his nose.  So give me a heavy dose of Tiger stew; or, rather Chicken Soup For The Soul.  Taking Mizzu over the Yardbirds, 31-23.

 

 

 

 

Michigan State (5) @ Illinois - Between these two teams, I've probably watched both of them for a combined five minutes, this season.  Going on stats only for this pick.  Look for Sparty to capture a few Indians, 28-17.

 

 

 

 

Texas (4) @ TCU - I bet Gary Patterson is longing for the good old days when his Horned Frogs were the front runners of the Mountain West Conference.  TCU is becoming an after thought as far as the Big 12 minus 2, is concerned.  Meanwhile, Mack Brown has Texas at the top of the Big 12 standings; if anybody can believe that situation.  Plus, as an added bonus, Texas has had a week off to prepare for this contest.  The Longhorns win the Dallas Metro Area daily double, by defeating the toad frogs, 27-23.

 

 

 

 

Texas Tech (3) @ Oklahoma - Stoops may burn me, AGAIN; however, it will not be as bad as that train wreck that occurred two weeks ago in Dallas.  This time I'm picking against him.  By the way, Stooper Duck hasn't been flapping those gums of his since that beat down from two weeks ago.  Losing a game like that tends to leave one speechless.  Don't get me wrong, I don't think that Texas Tech is the real deal; I just like them a little bit more than I like Bobby's Boomer Sooners.  Red Raiders over Oklahoma, 28-24.

 

 

 

 

Stanford @ Oregon State (2) - Okay, I'm drinking the kool-aid here; and, I tossed in a little extra Jack Daniel's, just to get the taste right.  I can't come up with another excuse as to why I'm on the Beaver Express, for this contest.  Let's face it, Stanford is the better team, right?  I can't say yes to any degree of certainty; so I'll take Oregon State over the Cardinal, 31-27.

 

 

 

 

Northwestern @ Iowa (1) - And now, to the "Who Cares" game of the week.  Since Game Day came to the shores of Lake Michigan, Northwestern has gone 0-3.  The Wildcats ship has managed to sink faster than the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.  On the other hand, Iowa has at least won a B1G conference game, which is ONE more than Northwestern has to its credit.  Hawkeyes over Northwestern for one point; and, by one point, 24-23.

 

 

 

 

Hopefully, that puts the wraps on a successful pick'em weekend.  Probably not, so you better tread at your own risk.  I'm just hoping to turn my ship in the opposite direction from these past two weeks.  If not, I'll be the one going down, right alongside with the Edmund Fitzgerald.  Until we meet again, everyone have a great and safe weekend.  Enjoy the games and Roll Tide.

 

Jljmbaker

hoping to avoid another "CHOKE" job with his week 8 selections

By "choke: job, I'm talking Chokelahoma and that golden egg laid by Bob Stooper Duck's Sooners.  This is the same Stoops that came out after his team beat up on the Irish proclaiming that his team could play defense as good as any of the SEC teams, if not better.  Come again, Bob.  Would you care to revise your BS statement?  Bob has become so infatuated with the SEC, that he forgot to prepare his team for Texas.  From the looks of it, Oklahoma took the entire week off leading up to the Texas game.  Got to hand it to ole Bob, he had me drinking the kool-aid.  I'm just thankful that he didn't follow Jim Jones' recipe, when he prepared his batch, because that crap that he put on the field, darn near killed me just watching it.  I can't remember when I lost a 10 point game in this contest.  I guarantee you that I will not forget this one anytime soon.  Heck, I called him out two weeks ago.  Looks like I didn't learn anything; however, you can bet the farm that I will take a different approach where Chokelahoma is concerned, in future endeavors.  Okay, enough about Bob for now.  Don't worry, he will say something stupid within the next three or four weeks; probably about the SEC, again.

 

Meanwhile, did any of you catch the latest Les Miles rant?  All I can say is I'm thankful that God gave us Les Miles; he is truly cheap comedy relief. For those of you that may have missed it, here's what ole Les said to a reporter after LSU beat Florida and the reporter asked Les if his team was the "nail" and Florida was the "hammer," after last year's game in Gainesville:   

“I’ve got a question for you,” he said. “It was a 14-6 game. We played our bleeps off. How anybody could pick the hammer and the nail, when in fact, that hammer or nail, we catch a ball down there, we’re fixing to take the lead, and we turn it over. Explain to me how Kevin Minter, who set the damn near career tackle record in that game, how anybody could say hammer and nail?

 

“I can tell you right now, here’s what happens: Two very quality teams take the field an compete like a son of a bleep for victory. You know what? It’s not a hammer and a nail relationship. It’s an opportunity for an opponent to be equal and to raise their level of play in such a fashion that they win. That’s how this thing works. In fact, you respect the opponent. He’s not the hammer and he’s not the frickin’ nail, OK? He’s the opponent. You understand?

 

“I’m just letting you know, I resent that. I resent the fact that suddenly, we were nail, you got it? Honest to Pete. We were a pretty good team last year. I thought we played like a son of a bleep in that stadium. I’m just letting you know, I felt differently than the nail, so you know.” 

 

Keep in mind, I had to edit three words from his rant so it would post on this junior daycare center site.  Last, but certainly not least; how about the Pac-12 North division.  It's starting to look a lot like the SEC West.  At the top, Alabama and Oregon are pretty much the same.  Next, Stanford mirrors LSU, and Washington is probably close to Texas A&M.  Oregon State and Auburn are close to being the same, with a slight edge to the Beavers.  Ole Miss might be a little ahead of the curve over Washington State; and finally, Mississippi State holds an edge over California; but, not by much.  I left out Arkansas; nevertheless, the only people that care are the ones that live in "The Natural State."  BTW-Arkansas used to be called "The Land of Opportunity" state, if you can believe that.  I know that some of you are going to "dog me out," for comparing the two; but, just remember, it's my opinion, and as we all know, I'm not always correct.  If you would like to prove me wrong, I don't mind logical reasoning; however, don't make a blanket post about the SEC is this or that because it has won the last seven crystal balls.  This is a new year; treat it as such.

 

And now, from the "They said it Department, part two:"  Steve Spurrier is as bad, or probably worse, when it comes to running his yapper.  After his chickens placed that beat down on Arkansas, he stated:  “I do feel badly for Arkansas. That’s no fun getting your butt beat at home, homecoming and all that.”  And yesterday, at Spurrier's news conference, when he was asked about playing Tennessee, at Neyland Stadium, He said:  I've coached more games at Neyland Stadium (14), than some of their coaches have."  Keep in mind that this is the same coach that said back in the 90's that you couldn't spell Citrus without the letters "UT," being in it; making reference to Tennessee's second place finish six out of seven years, behind the Gators, placing them in the Citrus Bowl (which is now the Capital One Bowl).  Leave it to Spurrier, that is one coach who is truly full of himself, or full of something else that rhymes with "quit." 

 

As for last week, I went 7-3, with 36 sunflower seeds.  For the year, the record is 52-18, with 302 points, good for 96.7%, in this contest.  I need to step it up a tad; or, I'm going to be left hung out to dry.  On a positive note, there's no Chokelahoma on this week's list of games, so hopefully I will not make a 10 point mistake.  We will see, since the jury is still out on that situation.  Time to reveal what you really came here to read about; my stupidity on picking games. 

 

LSU (10) @ Ole Miss - What started out as a promising season, is quickly turning into an utter disaster for the Rebels.  With a loss to the Bengal Tigers on Saturday, it will mark the fourth straight for the Rebel faithful.  Look for Les Miles to break out the "hammer," and "nail" the "frickin" lid to the coffin on old Rebel Yell; LSU over Mississippi, 33-20.

 

Oregon State (9) @ California - This is my "be careful" game of the week.  Think about it, California hasn't done jack, all season.  Oregon State has reeled off five straight since they lost to EASTERN WASHINGTON, at the beginning of the season.  Every year, Mike Riley losses a game or two that he SHOULD win.  Could this be his second brain poot for the season?  Highly unlikely; nevertheless, you might want to be careful where you place this game in regards to confidence points.  I had to place them here since I've picked three under dogs to win (according to Vegas), which will be further down the list.  As for this game, if everything goes according to plan, the Beavers will have the Bears seeking a cave for their winter hibernation, OSU over Cal, 44-27.

 

South Carolina (8) @ Tennessee - Bad as I hate to do it, here is where Spurrier and his wet hens land for this week.  As of this moment, South Carolina is running on all cylinders; and, as an added bonus, their team is basically injury free.  Tennessee is starting to show signs of improvement; however, looking back on "Georgia Time," that close call doesn't look all that impressive, after all.  At least not where South Carolina is concerned.  The Roosters do a lot of crowing in scratching out a "W," over the Vols, 41-24.

 

Auburn @ Texas A&M (7) - Last season, A&M hung 60 something on Auburn, down on the plains.  By the time A&M rolled into Auburn, the Tigers had already mailed it in, last season.  I do think the Aggies have too much offense for Auburn to keep up with; but, I do look for this game to be a lot closer than what happened last season.  Nevertheless, in the end, the Aggies will prevail.  A&M over Auburn, 43-28.

 

UCLA @ Stanford (6) - So this is the game that the Einsteins at ESPN have on upset alert, for this week.  Two things working against UCLA here:  First, Stanford is home, at the Farm; a place where they have lost only twice in the last four plus seasons; and, second, Stanford hadn't lost back to back games in nearly five years.  And further, I'm not sold on UCLA; at least not yet.  Look for the Cardinal to bounce back from last week's loss at Utah, over the Bruins, 36-27.

 

USC @ Notre Dame (5) - I know that USC won a game; so what.  Look at who they beat.  Rich Rod's (man am I glad that he turned down Bama and went back to WVU; how's that worked out for ya Rich?) Arizona team.  As for the Irish, they took the week off; and guess what?  I still hate the stinking Irish.  Now, ole Uncle ED and his players are flying on cloud nine.  The USC players are all happy to have him running the sideline, all is well in the locker room, practice is great, yadda, yadda, yadda.  Come Saturday, it will be the Same Old Lang Syne, for the Trojans.  Notre Dame over USC, 28-24.

 

Washington (4) @ Arizona State - Okay Leehawk, I'm picking your puppies.  Here is one of those games in which I think that the wrong team is favored.  Washington is very close in style to Stanford, a team which hammered (there's that word again) Arizona State.  I realize that UW is coming off of two straight, tough losses; nevertheless, they are solid on both sides of the ball, something that the Sun Devils are not.  Look for the Huskies to out run Arizona State, 38-33.

 

Florida @ Missouri (3) - Here's Florida, you know, the team that got "nailed" by LSU, last week.  Now, in the words of Willie Nelson, they are "On The Road Again," in Missouri.  I can't remember when Florida has traveled for a regular season game, this far from the Sunshine State.  If the Tigers can keep the turnovers to a minimum, they will win this game.  Plus, I think that Florida is spent after that emotional game with LSU.  For the second week in a row, a Tiger team claws out a victory over the Gators; Missouri over Florida, 24-19.

 

TCU @ Oklahoma State (2) - Tough call, here.  The ONLY reason that I'm picking the Pokes is that TCU is on the road.  The Frogs can't seem to locate their "Jumping Gear," away from Fort Worth.  For all of the pre-season hoopla, OSU hasn't been as advertised, either.  Any who, I'll risk two points on the home team, here.  Ok. State over the Horned Frogs, 23-21.

 

Florida State @ Clemson (1) - After what I saw of Miami, last night, this is the game that will decide the ACC championship; unless Virginia Tech does something special.  As for this game, I like my chances with the veteran quarterback over the rookie QB.  Also, Clemson has played a tougher schedule.  Let's hope that the game lives up to all of the hype; I betting that it will.  Tigers over the Seminoles, 34-31.

 

Well, that puts the wraps on another week of fun.  Tread at your own risk because I'm not responsible if you follow this mess.  Everyone have a great and safe weekend.  Until we meet again, enjoy the games; and, Roll Tide.

 

Jljmbake

Dreaming of "old school" with my week 7 selections

By "old school," I'm making reference to what in the world is happening to college football.  All offense, and basically no defense.  Need proof of that situation, here's some examples.  Last week, Baylor hung 56 points on West Virginia and gained 617 yards, by HALFTIME.  Thankfully, the Bears eased up on WVU, with 73 points and 872 total yards for the game.  Oregon has scored at least 55 points in all of their games, this season; that's a lot of duck paddling.  That Duck mascot must be in excellent shape having to do all of those push-ups, every time the Ducks score.  Then there is Florida State, which embarrassed Maryland, 63-0.  How many ES(know-it-alls)PN, were calling out the Seminoles for an upset alert concerning Maryland.  That worked out pretty good, didn't it.  Somebody must have pounded that memo into Jameis Winston's head; or, rather his arm.  He must have smoked a couple of cartons of Winston's because he lit up that Maryland defense, passing for nearly 400 yards with five touchdowns, all by the third quarter.  Yikes.  Also, LSU hung 59 points on Mississippi State.  How about Washington State/California game.  There were 179 total plays in that game in which 129 were passes.  What happened to running the football?  Goodness I wish for the old days, again.  Back when running the football and playing defense mattered.  Thankfully, there are a few teams around that still believe in that philosophy.  BTW-Remind me of how long it has been in which a team that runs the no huddle, hurry-up offense, has won a national championship?  Good luck with that question.




Next up, I was going to say something about the officials from various games, from last week; but, what's the use.  Even with instant replay, they still manage to screw up calls, just ask any Washington fan.  So instead, I'll bark about the most asinine call by a coach from last week.  The moon pie award for most idiotic call, goes to Charlie Weis, of Kansas.  With the score tied against Texas Tech, at 10, midway through the second quarter, and Kansas facing fourth down with 13 yards to go, from its own 16-yard line, Weis called for a fake punt.  They came up just a little bit shy, actually a lot.  Of course, the Red Raiders reeled off 44 straight points, after Weis's brilliant move.  Note to Charlie Brown Weis:  Better have "Two Men and a Truck" on speed dial; your dismissal is right around the corner.  You just know that Jayhawk fans are chomping at the bit because basketball season can't get here fast enough.




Did anyone detect a disturbance in the force, last Saturday?  The state of Florida was 7-0; even South Florida and Florida International, managed to scratch out their first victory of the season.  I'll go out on a limb and say that streak will end, come Saturday.  Also, from the department of the bizarre; I wonder how many people had a heart attack in the closing seconds of the Ohio State/Northwestern game.  Considering the line was Ohio State -7, and the Buckeyes were leading 34-30 and Northwestern was near its end zone, decided to play hot potato with the football, on the last play of the game, which resulted in a fumble in their end zone, which was recovered by Ohio State, sending the score to 40-30, and the Buckeyes covered the spread.  Rumor has it that nearly 100 million dollars was affected by that end result.  Further proof that the safest bet is not to bet.




Moving on.  After reaching the summit, two weeks ago, I managed to land on my rump after last week's brilliant selections.  Thanks again to Iowa, and Notre Dame (glad to see both of them with a bye week).  For those that are keeping tabs, I went 6-4, with 38 moon pies.  For the season, the record stands at 45-15, with 266 bread crumbs, good for 96.1%.  Considering what's on the menu in regards to this week, I wouldn't mind going 6-4, again.  Time to unveil the (chuckle, chuckle) "Master List."  




Oklahoma (10) vs Texas @ Dallas - The Red River shootout the last two seasons, has just been that; a shootout, courtesy of Oklahoma.  Texas may lead the all time series record; however, Stoops and company have owned this series over the last decade and a half.  Is there any way that Texas can win this game?  Yes, if Oklahoma fails to show up for the game; otherwise the only thing that Texas has a chance of winning is the coin toss; everything else will belong to the Sooners, including the final score.  Oklahoma over the Longhorns, 41-23.




Florida @ LSU (9) - The only thing that kept me from putting this game at 10 points is the fact that the game is being played in the afternoon.  Seriously, LSU seems to have found an offense.  The last two games they have scored 100 points; and Florida is not a team that can score a lot of points.  On the flip side, Florida doesn't give up a lot of points, so something has got to give.  It will; the Gators will give up a few more points than they usually do, giving the Tigers just enough for a victory.  LSU over Florida, 31-20.




Texas A&M (8) @ Mississippi - Ole Miss is coming off of the "Heart of Dixie Daily Double" with a loss on both ends.  Now, they catch an Aggie team which has had a bye week to get ready for the Rebels.  Plus, you have to factor in that Bo Wallace said that his receivers were better than A&M's the week before the Bama game.  Rut roh.  Ole Miss has a shot at keeping it close; but two things must occur for that situation to happen.  First, Hugh Freeze needs to ease up on his "Riverboat Gambler" status, in regards to play calling.  And, second, keep the turnovers to a minimum; I'm talking two or less.  In the end, the Rebel faithful will be saying:  "We may have lost the ball game; but, at least we have never lost a party; Aggies over the Rebels, 44-35.




Missouri @ Georgia (7) - Great; the talking heads at ESPN have put Georgia on upset alert.  Question; have these morons at ESPN correctly called for an upset which occurred?  Heck, you keep yelling "wolf," eventually one will show up, just to see what the thunder is going on.  Anybody with a pulse knows that Georgia lost a lot of key personnel in their last two ball games.  So it would be easy to pile on by saying that they need to be on upset alert; but, since the Einsteins at ESPN are the ones doing the piling, so much for Missouri's chances in pulling off an upset over Georgia.  One thing I have learned is that when a Bull dog is put in a corner, he doesn't lay down.  He finds a way to come out swinging; so will these Dawgs.  Georgia over Missouri, 33-24.




South Carolina (6) @ Arkansas - I see where Spurrier had a change of heart over the Clowney situation.  Clowney is the first player that has gone from Spurrier's outhouse to the penthouse, in less than a week.  Come on, we all know what Spurrier was doing in singing his love for Clowney; it's called damage control to keep the potential recruits for next year's class on board.  Meanwhile, there's a game that will occur in Fayetteville, against the Hogs.  Until Arkansas can find a way to make their passing attack equal their running attack, South Carolina will load up the box with eight or nine players to stop the hogs from running wild.  Look for the Roosters to spur the Hogs, 29-20.




Oregon (5) @ Washington - Finally, Oregon will play a respectable opponent.  The only problem I have with Washington is that they are coming off a tough loss to Stanford.  Sark, didn't help his cause by running his mouth by complaining that Stanford was faking injuries.  I would have rather him to complain about the officiating, from that game, because it sucked.  As for this game, the Ducks have scored at least 55 points in every game, this year.  Can they make it six in a row, at that pace.  No; but, they will come close.  The duck paddle will outlast the dog paddle; Oregon makes it 10 in a row over the Huskies, 45-33.




Northwestern @ Wisconsin (4) - In the last 20 or so years, this series is just about even.  If my math is correct, Whisky is 9-8 (they haven't played every year), during this timeframe.  A couple of times, Northwestern has gone into Madison, and managed to pull off an upset.  Had they beaten the Bucknuts last week, I could see them catching Bucky the Badger by surprise.  However, these Badgers have had a week off to lick their wounds after that stinging loss in Columbus.  Should be an entertaining game.  Look for Northwestern to keep it close; nevertheless, I'll take Wisconsin to claim a victory over the Wildcats, 30-27.




Oregon State (3) @ Washington State - Give ole Mike Leach credit; he can coach.  Now, give him some players to go along with his coaching ability, and teams are going to hate to go to Pullman, Washington.  As for Mike Riley; it's hard for me to figure him out.  Sometimes, he can call a flawless game; and, sometimes his play calling needs to be placed in a toxic waste landfill.  He has the players; let us see if he can coach then up to their potential.  I like the Beavers over the Cougars; but, not by much.  Oregon wins this battle over the States, 41-38.




Michigan (2) @ Penn State - Penn State laid a true egg against Indiana.  That's not the sad part.  The attendance for the game was announced at around 42,000; yet whenever the cameras spanned the crowd, it would be hard to make a case that there were 15,000 that actually showed up.  That crowd wouldn't be enough to fill up Assembly Hall, for an Indiana basketball game.  As for this contest, flip a coin.  I can't make a case for either team.  Michigan turns the ball over too much, and Penn State is too unpredictable.  I'm banking on the Wolverines to score a few more points than the Nittany Lions, 28-24.




Georgia Tech @ BYU (1) - Okay, time for this week's edition of the "Who Cares Game of the Week."  Why waste time trying to justify this nonsense.  I will not.  Cougars over the rambling wreck, 24-23.




Like I said at the beginning of this diatribe, if I want to see a 73-42 ball game, I'll tune in to see Kansas beat Baylor, in basketball.  This ain't football; at least not to me.  I don't mind seeing low scoring games; at least you get to see a little more strategy than when someone's up say 56-17, by HALFTIME.  Remember to tread at your own risk with these unprofessional picks.  Enjoy the games and everyone have a great and safe weekend.  Until later, Roll Tide.

Jljmbake

Goodbye to Hollywood

Actually, it's Lane Kiffin that said "Goodbye to Hollywood," or rather Pat Hayden, the AD for USC, who told Lane Kiffin to say "Goodbye to Hollywood," after that beat down at the hands of Arizona State.  Kiffin's firing was not a shock; it's the timing of it that was.  If you are a USC fan, you have to ask this question:  Is your team better off by firing Kiffin and replacing him with Ed Oglethorpe, Oregon, Orgeron; or, however his last name is spelled?  I think not.  Down here in SEC country, we know what a train wreck Uncle Ed is capable of.  Just ask any Ole Miss fan.  During ESPN‘s College GameDay show, veteran pot-stirrer  Paul Finebaum stated that former Tennessee and current USC head coach Lane Kiffin “is the Miley Cyrus of college football.”  In response to a tweet to that effect, one of CFT’s followers on Twitter, well, posted this:
https://twitter.com/CFTalk/status/383975311160791040



Also, we found out that no head coach from sea to shining sea, is immune to being replaced at any time of the season.  Just ask Paul Pasq_______ (there's no way I'm going to attempt to spell his last name), the head coach of UConn, or rather the ex head coach of UConn, now that he has been fired.  The next question is:  Who's next?  Had the officials from the Texas/Iowa State game made the correct call last night, Mack Brown would be handed the pink slip, today; probably with a side note letting him know that he would be leaving after the season.  But alas, those refs from last night's game made a lot of asinine calls.  Speaking of officials, that PAC-12 crew at the UCLA/Utah game, didn't do a very good job, either.  Let's face it, overall the refs on a nationwide scale, are smelling pretty ripe.  Enough about the Zebras, I could spend all day on them and accomplish nothing. 



On a positive note, at least the games from last week were a little more exciting than the previous week.  Speaking of last week, it seems that Bo don't know Diddly.  And, the Bo that I'm speaking of is Bo Wallace, the quarterback from Ole Miss, who stated before last week's game with Alabama, that his Rebels could put up points on anybody.  Wrong.  Bama's defense out scored the Rebels offense 2-0.  Also, what the Heel is going on at North Carolina.  The Tar Heels look like they have thrown in the towel after that melt down against East Carolina.  Who knows, the Pirates may be a pretty good team.  Which begs the question:  How good (or maybe how bad) is Michigan?  After narrow escapes to Akron and UConn, which are a combined 1-8, with UConn losing to low-life Buffalo, the Wolverine faithful need to be worried.



Moving on.  Well, last week, I finally reached the summit, with my FIRST EVER perfect week.  That's right, I have never been 10-0, until last week.  Turns out, there were about a bizillion or so perfect scores, from last week, making my feat look rather vanilla.  Oh well, it's better to be 10-0 than 0-10.  For the season, the record stands at 39-11, with 228 beggin strips, good for 97.1%.  Now let's break out the "Jack-in-the-box' and  the ole trusty "eight ball," and see if I can make a little more magic before the night is over.  Don't laugh too hard, I might just catch lighting in a bottle; or, rather get struck by it.



LSU (10) @ Mississippi State - For the trend lovers out there, and I'm one of them; LSU has beaten Mississippi Lite 20 out of the last 21 times.  Now, I realize that all winning streaks do come to an end; just ask Navy, who finally beat the stinking Irish after 40 plus years of losing; or Kentucky finally beating Tennessee after 26 straight losses.  The only question that I have here, can the Tigers rebound after that heartbreaking loss to the other Dog pound from the SEC, last week.  At 10 points, I'm banking on it; Tigers over the Dawgs in Starkvegas, 37-17.



Washington @ Stanford (9) - Time for some payback with this contest.  Last year, UW beat Stanford 17-13.  I'll probably catch some flack from a few people because I have Stanford at nine points; but, I can't help it, I'm that impressed with what I have seen from the Cardinal, for this season.  Come Saturday, down on the farm, the Huskies are going to find out, as well.  Stanford over Washington, 34-23.



TCU @ Oklahoma (8) - I see where Stooper Duck (Bob Stoops), has been running his yapper about how his team plays better defense than most of the teams in the SEC.  Bob, what the hell is your obsession with the SEC?  You need to take care of the dirt on your own front porch before worrying about someone else's.  Speaking of front porch, hey Stoops, if you wanna run with the big dogs, you have to get off of the porch to do it.  As for this contest, the Horned Toads might surprise the Sooners; then again, I might be Santa Claus.  Oklahoma over TCU, 29-21.



Penn State (7) @ Indiana - Okay, trend lovers, here's part two.  Penn State has never lost to Indiana in 16 tries.  What else can I say.  Neither of these teams are that impressive, I just think that the Nittany Lions have the Hoosiers number; at least in football they do.  As for the score, hard to say considering that all of these games in this series have either been a blowout or very close.  Oh, what the heck, I'm going for medium-well on this one.  Time to at least buck one of these trends; Penn State over Indiana, 31-17.



Arizona State (6) vs Notre Dame @ Arlington, Texas - Be careful with this one.  I probably have it too high.  That's because of my love (cough, cough) for Notre Dame.  If Todd Graham can keep his players heads out of the clouds, me thinks that the Irish might be in a little trouble, on Saturday.  In reality, I would love to see that Sun Devil mascot stick his pitch-fork in the rear end of that Lucky Charms mascot.  Arizona State over Notre Duck, 33-24.



Ohio State (5) @ Northwestern - Here's another contest where neither team has played anyone of merit (with the exception of Ohio State over Wisconsin).  Had the refs not let the Northwestern players fake a lot of injuries (basically, they just laid down) trying to slow down California, at the beginning of the season, the Wildcats would already have one loss.  You just know that Uncle Urban is going to speed up the tempo against the Wildcats, on Saturday.  Make it 18 in a row for the nation's longest winning streak with the Bucknuts over the Kittens, 34-27.



Air Force @ Navy (4) - Boy, our fine (chuckle, chuckle) government did all it could do to force this contest to be canceled.  As I stated earlier in the week concerning our government shut-down:  Welcome to BarackToberfest.  It's starting to look more like Disney World has migrated north to DC.  But, I know you didn't come here to listen to me crow about what is, or is not, going on in Washington.  The two times that I have watched Air Force, they have looked really bad.  Bad enough for me to pick the Midshipmen over the Falcons, 27-20.



Missouri @ Vanderbilt (3) - Yes, I know, Missouri is 4-0, so what.  They should be 4-0, with the schedule that they have played.  Meanwhile, Vanderbilt has a little more credibility on their side at 3-2, with the two losses coming to Ole Miss by four, and a 10 point loss in South Carolina.  Look for the Commodores to sail on, and the SEC woes to continue on, for the Tigers.  Vandy over Missouri, 34-31.



Ole Miss @ Auburn (2) - A lot of problems have occurred over in Oxford, well, make that two HUGE problems.  First, the goose-egg that they laid against the Tide; and, second, some of their players made some rather stupid remarks in a theater, concerning the gay community.  Shame on them.  I hope that Auburn went to school and took notice of that blue-print that Alabama put on display, against the Rebels.  Plus, as an added bonus, Auburn had a bye last week.  As an additional bonus, Ole Miss is 2-13, in games played at Auburn.  Good enough for me, Tigers over Rebel Yell, 28-24.



Michigan State @ Iowa (1) -  Welcome to this week's version of the "Who Cares" game of the week.  Until Sparty shows us that they can play on offense, I'll take the other side, especially on the road.  Heck, I finally won a game where Iowa is in the mix.  Let's make it two in a row; Hawkeyes over the Spartans, in an U-G-L-Y game, 21-17.



That puts the wraps on another edition of the pick'em diatribe.  Remember, tread at your own risk; and, I don't condone gambling.  If you are prone to lay down a little or, a lot of cheese, on a game, go with your own feelings.  Don't pay ANY attention to these circus clowns (or as I call them, Touts) that claim to have won 18 out of their last 20 (just an example) picks against the spread.  Just ask yourself this ONE question:  If they were that good at picking games, then why aren't they in Vegas, betting on their own information.  They always claim to have "late breaking" information.  No they don't.  They are counting on you buy into their BS.  Don't fall for it, especially you first timers.  Plus, Vegas isn't out there out of the goodness of their heart.  It's all about making money; and, they make a ton of it, every year.  Anyway, I make no apologies for the gambling rant.  Basically, I don't want to see anyone lose their hard-earned money.  Have a great weekend and enjoy the games.  Roll Tide.

Jljmbaker