LTECH
BOISE -22
MEM
UAB 5
PITT
USF -13.5
OREST
UTAH -10.5
CIN
MARSH 3.5
BYU
UTST 28.5
DUKE
GT -14
BC
NCST 8
RUT
WV -13.5
AKR
KENT 4
PSU
PUR 12
IOWA
MSU -8
IND
MN -7.5
FLA
ARK 22
KAN
ISU 13
OK
BAY 27
WKY
VT -28
SC
OLE -2
UNLV
COLST -1
OHIO
WMU -4
STAN
ND -7.5
ARMY
TULANE -19
ASU
CAL -9.5
UK
ALA -16.5
TT
KST 6.5
FSU
MIA -3
ILL
MICH -2
TEM
MIAOH -7
SMU
UCF -14
EMU
BGU -21
NAVY
AF -6
NEV
IDAHO 24.5
ULL
ULM 1.5
AUB
VAN 3.5
SDST
TCU -24.5
UCONN
NC -7
A&M
OKST -24
MARY
VIR 14
NILL
TN -16
WASH
AZ -19
FIU
NTEX 6.5
UTEP
SOMISS -8
BALLST
TOLEDO 7
TEXAS
COL 14
ORE
USC -16.5
RICE
TULSA -14
OHIOST
WIS 2.5
MIZZ
NEB 10
WY
NM -11
HAW
FRESNO -21.5
WASU
UCLA -16.5
NFL LINES FOR THE WEEK
KC
CAR -9.5
TEN
BAL 3
SD
MIA 7
SEA
NYG -7
WAS
PHI -5
IND
HOU 3
ATL
GB
CHI
DET 3
TB
DEN -3
CIN
DAL
BUF
ARI -1.5
NE
SF 3
PIT
JAC -4
MIN
NO -3
NO LINE ON CINCY - DAL BECAUSE OF INJURY QUESTIONS W/C.PALMER
NO LINE ON ATL - GB BECAUSE OF INJURY QUESTIONS W/A.ROGERS
I will send out updates on these 2 games when lines are posted.
Get me your picks by the end of WED or early THUR.
Thanks.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Week 5 Results
Ok - that was rough. NCAA week 5 games...WTF!?!?
This was by far our worst performance of the season - here's how ugly it was:
Overall 21-39 (.350), NCAA 13-27 (.325), NFL 8-12 (.400)
JR and JG split the titel for the week at a putrid 6-9 mark. MR takes 3rd at 5-10, MK in the cellar at 4-11.
We also set a couple of low water marks for weekly lows, Congrats to MK for tying my NCAA low of 2 wins in week 2. And congrats to MR for setting a new low on NFL wins with a tough 1-4 performance yesterday.
Overall, Roe continues to have an 5 game lead over JG, 8 over MK, and 11 over JR.
JG continues to rock NFL picks at 13-7 overall...above .500 every week - NICE!
MK is only a game behind him in NFL picks at 12-8. MR and JR are both 9-11.
Roe is still +15 on NCAA picks at 35-20. Nobody else is over .500...JG 26-29, JR and MK both at 24-31.
Total we are +4 over .500 combined for the season on all picks...thanks MR!
Okay, so what the hell happened this week. College football was a bizarre watch, what little I saw this weekend. Shocking isn't enough to describe some of the upsets on Saturday and Thursday.
Once again, I rocked in the "pick every game" challenge going 30-17 (.638), but chose a lot of bad games for my 10 this week.
GOOD PICKS
JG - OREST. Wow. I never expected a straight up victory on this one. The Thursday night curse was defintely in play, but how about all the morons who were pissed that the season was "over" after USC pounded OSU? The Torjan run defense was brutal, and Sanchez looked like a bit of a train wreck. Also, how to you try to play 6 RB's and split the carries - ridiculous! OREST isn't bad, but this one was comletely unpredictable.
JG - GOPHERS! nice back door cover on this one. The game went pretty much as I anticipated. We couldn't do much against that defense, and they ran well with Pryor and Wells to dominate and win. It was nice to get a couple of late ones to make it respectable. Honestly, this and in Madison are the only unwinnable games on the schedule, not that we should go 10-2, but I wouldn't be shocked with 8 wins considering how bad a lot of the B10 has looked.
MR and MK - NW! who hates IOWA, we hate IOWA! How bad was this loss for Cap. Kirk and the overrated Hawkeyes. NW is playing nice right now, but you don't lose a B10 opener to them at home. I still like the Gophs to beat them, and Iowa. The offense continues to suck, and the Cats porous defense couldn't be exposed by a pathetic QB perfomance by the dual headed monster Ferentz continues to employ.
JG - OLE MISS? WTF...how did this happen. I thought 23 was a little high for a spread but to lose straight up at home to a 2nd tier SEC club? Gator defense had looked so good - what happened? Tebow and Co. should have been able to score at will, but the defense should not have given up 31 to Ole Miss. Bad loss but since they are in the SEC this does not eliminate them.
MR - OK SOONERS - this wasn't close. I had a tough time deciding on this game. How fun is that OK-TEX game shaping up to be on VEGAS weekend!!
MR - MISS.ST - another one I didn't see coming. They didn't straight up win, but I gave them no chance at even covering based on their performance this year, and what has happened before on their trips to Baton Rouge.
JR - Super Obscure easy wins (SDST, NM, NILL, BGSU) all of my winners this week were under the radar games, which I seem to have the best luck with. I think when the talent level isn't at an SEC level the games are much more predictable, I might play this strategy the rest of the year.
BAD PICKS
Where do we start on this one...
How about JG and UCF? - Going into a winless UTEP as a 5 point favorite and losing by 45...ouch. I liked UCF in this one as well, but being off by 50 points is probably one of the biggest misses of the year.
JR and MK - TOLEDO...so they housed EMU 41-17, nearly beat Fresno at home, then they welcome in a brutal 0-3 FIU club that gave up 42 to an offensively challenged IOWA team...-18.5, no problem - FIU wins easily 35-16. Fuck logic, time to start flipping coins I guess.
MR and MK - PURDUE - this is not a good team. I have moved this game to the winnable list for Brew's Crew this year. I liked ND in this game, but not because they are any good, it's because PUR is that bad. They looked like they had something against ORE, but struggling with CMU and not being close at ND has moved this team down quite a few nothces. At least they only have PSU and OSU up next, 2-4.
JR and JG - BECKY - we should know better, we really should. In a week in which the Gophs were expected to lose, we came out looking like the biggest winners of the area teams over BECKY and IOWA. Up 19-0 at half when I started watching, and losing this game to a still bad MICH club could be a season killer. OSU and PSU coming into Madison next 2 weeks - sounds like an 0-3 start in the B10 for Bulemia and BECKY!! ha, ha!
JR/MK/JG - AUBURN - how dare we go with a favorite of 6.5 in the SEC...come on guys we should know better! AUB offense is officially bad, I need to stop picking them. By the way, TEN is now 1-3...Fulmer, your ass is burning right now.
JR and MK - Loo-Ville - why. I continue to get on the wrong side of the rolelr coaster with this team. If I pick them, they lose, if I don't they win. I think I'll just avoid their games from now on. They do play at MEM the evening of our arrival in VEGAS...what should we do?
MK - INDIANA. Bad, bad team. this should be a must win for the Gophs next week, because the Hoosiers are very bad right now. No run defense, no pass defense, Lewis can't throw the ball. MSU looked impressive in coasting to their 4th straight win, but IND may be the doormat of the conference this year.
RANDOM THOUGHTS FROM THE WORLD OF NCAA FOOTBALL
- Quick, name the 4 undefeated teams in the SEC...BAMA, LSU, and umm..ah..yep, that's right KENTUCKY and VANDY - is the power shifting?
- Texas has won 3 games this year by a score of 52-10
- Duke is 3-1, no basketball season hasn't started yet
- Virgina is scoring 9 pts/game against stiff competition (USC, RICHMOND, UCONN, DUKE)
- A&M will not win another game this year
- ILL is 0-3 vs. the spread this year
- OHIOST is 0-4 vs. the spread
- UK is giving up 5.5 pts/game this year
UNDEFEATED TEAMS LEFT
OK, OKST, TEX, MIZZ, TXTECH, UCONN, USF, NW, PENNST, BAMA, UK, LSU, VANDY, TULSA, BALLST, BYU, UTAH, BOISE - that's it, only 18 teams left
WINLESS TEAMS
WASH, ARMY, N.TEXAS - only 3. WASH is in nice company!
NFL RECAP
Vikes continue to suck, not a shocker there. I honestly think, if the Maroon and Gold can roll through an 8-4 kind of season, the state will officially become a Gopher fan base instead of a Viking fan base. When you look at how things are trending for the Purple it's really hard to get excited about anything on Sunday's anymore. While the Gophs have a new stadium, and improving team, and an exciting product to watch. Maybe I'm dreaming, but you all know where my allegiance lies.
NFL THOUGHTS
- don't ever let me bet on AZ again...Kurt "the turnover machine" Warner looked nice, if you forget about the 7 turnovers he accounted for...yep, 7!
- CIN and CLE are both really bad. I know, this isn't breaking news.
- DEN might be a pretender. They literally can't stop anyone. When Damon Huard and the Chefs roll up 33 on you, the defense is an issue. They will not be going anywhere in the playoffs with a defense like this.
- 76 yard FG trys...awesome.
- Linehan = DEAD. it was a good run. Do you think he and Daunte want to come back?
- Cowboys...hmmm, NFC East might be tough this year. I have the Redskins as a distant 4th, but that might not be right.
- Bears. Can't believe they won this game - could they be the North favorite right now?
- The Pack goes down again...TB is the TEN of the NFC, they never look like they have a great squad coming into the season, but always find a way to be a playoff team. Coaching might be the common denomonator here...both Gruden and Fisher rock.
- JAX can't play a game with a spread larger than 3...remember this for future betting.
NFL continues to be very unpredictable, not a surprise. We have one more week to look at it before we need to come up with some solid opinions on VEGAS.
Vikes never had a chance yesterday. Defense was disappointing, but offense continued to not do any favors. Sadly, I think this will continue. If we can't score much next Monday at NO, then our offense might not score on anyone. A loss there might even put the VEGAS game against the Millen-less Lions in doubt in my mind.
All right - these seem to continue to get longer every week, but it's getting into crunch time where we start separating the contenders and the pretenders in the NFL and NCAA. Should be fun.
Later Guys - I'll post the Week 6 games when I have them, and I'll send out a VEGAS prep email this week as well so we can coordinate everything for next FRIDAY.
Have a good one.
This was by far our worst performance of the season - here's how ugly it was:
Overall 21-39 (.350), NCAA 13-27 (.325), NFL 8-12 (.400)
JR and JG split the titel for the week at a putrid 6-9 mark. MR takes 3rd at 5-10, MK in the cellar at 4-11.
We also set a couple of low water marks for weekly lows, Congrats to MK for tying my NCAA low of 2 wins in week 2. And congrats to MR for setting a new low on NFL wins with a tough 1-4 performance yesterday.
Overall, Roe continues to have an 5 game lead over JG, 8 over MK, and 11 over JR.
JG continues to rock NFL picks at 13-7 overall...above .500 every week - NICE!
MK is only a game behind him in NFL picks at 12-8. MR and JR are both 9-11.
Roe is still +15 on NCAA picks at 35-20. Nobody else is over .500...JG 26-29, JR and MK both at 24-31.
Total we are +4 over .500 combined for the season on all picks...thanks MR!
Okay, so what the hell happened this week. College football was a bizarre watch, what little I saw this weekend. Shocking isn't enough to describe some of the upsets on Saturday and Thursday.
Once again, I rocked in the "pick every game" challenge going 30-17 (.638), but chose a lot of bad games for my 10 this week.
GOOD PICKS
JG - OREST. Wow. I never expected a straight up victory on this one. The Thursday night curse was defintely in play, but how about all the morons who were pissed that the season was "over" after USC pounded OSU? The Torjan run defense was brutal, and Sanchez looked like a bit of a train wreck. Also, how to you try to play 6 RB's and split the carries - ridiculous! OREST isn't bad, but this one was comletely unpredictable.
JG - GOPHERS! nice back door cover on this one. The game went pretty much as I anticipated. We couldn't do much against that defense, and they ran well with Pryor and Wells to dominate and win. It was nice to get a couple of late ones to make it respectable. Honestly, this and in Madison are the only unwinnable games on the schedule, not that we should go 10-2, but I wouldn't be shocked with 8 wins considering how bad a lot of the B10 has looked.
MR and MK - NW! who hates IOWA, we hate IOWA! How bad was this loss for Cap. Kirk and the overrated Hawkeyes. NW is playing nice right now, but you don't lose a B10 opener to them at home. I still like the Gophs to beat them, and Iowa. The offense continues to suck, and the Cats porous defense couldn't be exposed by a pathetic QB perfomance by the dual headed monster Ferentz continues to employ.
JG - OLE MISS? WTF...how did this happen. I thought 23 was a little high for a spread but to lose straight up at home to a 2nd tier SEC club? Gator defense had looked so good - what happened? Tebow and Co. should have been able to score at will, but the defense should not have given up 31 to Ole Miss. Bad loss but since they are in the SEC this does not eliminate them.
MR - OK SOONERS - this wasn't close. I had a tough time deciding on this game. How fun is that OK-TEX game shaping up to be on VEGAS weekend!!
MR - MISS.ST - another one I didn't see coming. They didn't straight up win, but I gave them no chance at even covering based on their performance this year, and what has happened before on their trips to Baton Rouge.
JR - Super Obscure easy wins (SDST, NM, NILL, BGSU) all of my winners this week were under the radar games, which I seem to have the best luck with. I think when the talent level isn't at an SEC level the games are much more predictable, I might play this strategy the rest of the year.
BAD PICKS
Where do we start on this one...
How about JG and UCF? - Going into a winless UTEP as a 5 point favorite and losing by 45...ouch. I liked UCF in this one as well, but being off by 50 points is probably one of the biggest misses of the year.
JR and MK - TOLEDO...so they housed EMU 41-17, nearly beat Fresno at home, then they welcome in a brutal 0-3 FIU club that gave up 42 to an offensively challenged IOWA team...-18.5, no problem - FIU wins easily 35-16. Fuck logic, time to start flipping coins I guess.
MR and MK - PURDUE - this is not a good team. I have moved this game to the winnable list for Brew's Crew this year. I liked ND in this game, but not because they are any good, it's because PUR is that bad. They looked like they had something against ORE, but struggling with CMU and not being close at ND has moved this team down quite a few nothces. At least they only have PSU and OSU up next, 2-4.
JR and JG - BECKY - we should know better, we really should. In a week in which the Gophs were expected to lose, we came out looking like the biggest winners of the area teams over BECKY and IOWA. Up 19-0 at half when I started watching, and losing this game to a still bad MICH club could be a season killer. OSU and PSU coming into Madison next 2 weeks - sounds like an 0-3 start in the B10 for Bulemia and BECKY!! ha, ha!
JR/MK/JG - AUBURN - how dare we go with a favorite of 6.5 in the SEC...come on guys we should know better! AUB offense is officially bad, I need to stop picking them. By the way, TEN is now 1-3...Fulmer, your ass is burning right now.
JR and MK - Loo-Ville - why. I continue to get on the wrong side of the rolelr coaster with this team. If I pick them, they lose, if I don't they win. I think I'll just avoid their games from now on. They do play at MEM the evening of our arrival in VEGAS...what should we do?
MK - INDIANA. Bad, bad team. this should be a must win for the Gophs next week, because the Hoosiers are very bad right now. No run defense, no pass defense, Lewis can't throw the ball. MSU looked impressive in coasting to their 4th straight win, but IND may be the doormat of the conference this year.
RANDOM THOUGHTS FROM THE WORLD OF NCAA FOOTBALL
- Quick, name the 4 undefeated teams in the SEC...BAMA, LSU, and umm..ah..yep, that's right KENTUCKY and VANDY - is the power shifting?
- Texas has won 3 games this year by a score of 52-10
- Duke is 3-1, no basketball season hasn't started yet
- Virgina is scoring 9 pts/game against stiff competition (USC, RICHMOND, UCONN, DUKE)
- A&M will not win another game this year
- ILL is 0-3 vs. the spread this year
- OHIOST is 0-4 vs. the spread
- UK is giving up 5.5 pts/game this year
UNDEFEATED TEAMS LEFT
OK, OKST, TEX, MIZZ, TXTECH, UCONN, USF, NW, PENNST, BAMA, UK, LSU, VANDY, TULSA, BALLST, BYU, UTAH, BOISE - that's it, only 18 teams left
WINLESS TEAMS
WASH, ARMY, N.TEXAS - only 3. WASH is in nice company!
NFL RECAP
Vikes continue to suck, not a shocker there. I honestly think, if the Maroon and Gold can roll through an 8-4 kind of season, the state will officially become a Gopher fan base instead of a Viking fan base. When you look at how things are trending for the Purple it's really hard to get excited about anything on Sunday's anymore. While the Gophs have a new stadium, and improving team, and an exciting product to watch. Maybe I'm dreaming, but you all know where my allegiance lies.
NFL THOUGHTS
- don't ever let me bet on AZ again...Kurt "the turnover machine" Warner looked nice, if you forget about the 7 turnovers he accounted for...yep, 7!
- CIN and CLE are both really bad. I know, this isn't breaking news.
- DEN might be a pretender. They literally can't stop anyone. When Damon Huard and the Chefs roll up 33 on you, the defense is an issue. They will not be going anywhere in the playoffs with a defense like this.
- 76 yard FG trys...awesome.
- Linehan = DEAD. it was a good run. Do you think he and Daunte want to come back?
- Cowboys...hmmm, NFC East might be tough this year. I have the Redskins as a distant 4th, but that might not be right.
- Bears. Can't believe they won this game - could they be the North favorite right now?
- The Pack goes down again...TB is the TEN of the NFC, they never look like they have a great squad coming into the season, but always find a way to be a playoff team. Coaching might be the common denomonator here...both Gruden and Fisher rock.
- JAX can't play a game with a spread larger than 3...remember this for future betting.
NFL continues to be very unpredictable, not a surprise. We have one more week to look at it before we need to come up with some solid opinions on VEGAS.
Vikes never had a chance yesterday. Defense was disappointing, but offense continued to not do any favors. Sadly, I think this will continue. If we can't score much next Monday at NO, then our offense might not score on anyone. A loss there might even put the VEGAS game against the Millen-less Lions in doubt in my mind.
All right - these seem to continue to get longer every week, but it's getting into crunch time where we start separating the contenders and the pretenders in the NFL and NCAA. Should be fun.
Later Guys - I'll post the Week 6 games when I have them, and I'll send out a VEGAS prep email this week as well so we can coordinate everything for next FRIDAY.
Have a good one.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Week 5 Preview
The conference schedules are finally here - enough of the Tennessee Tech's and Florida A&M's...it's time to figure out who the good teams are.
We'll start this week's preview with a wonderful quote from the soon to be retired left-hander Kent Mercker (I think this would be a nice mantra for VEGAS 2008), "I'm starting my new profession...turning vodka into urine." Who knew Kent was such an alcoholic?!?
Alright fellas, let's keep the hot streak alive...here we go:
It starts tonight with USC at OREST (+24)...I hate this line and this game. On one hand, you think USC rules, OSU has sucked - this should be an easy one. But the old "home dog on Thursday night" rule will come into play, and you have to think OSU with 24-0 lead at home...that's a good pick. MR and MK love the Trojans, JG took OREST...I stayed away. The Beavers will not win, but I lean toward JG on this one and think that they cover...USC 31-10.
MK and JR also took Loo-Ville on Friday night...UCONN can't throw and UL looked impressive last week...I like them at home.
B10
*MSU at IND - MK took the Hoosiers, nobody else touched it. I think IND is not good, and Sparty will continue to play well and house them 34-17.
*NW at IOWA - MR and MK like NW on the road. I'm not sold on either of these teams yet, so I'll take the points for NW...IOWA wins 24-23.
*WIS at MICH - this is the first time WIS has been favored over MICH...ever, yes really. I've seen a couple experts picking MICH, but I can't buy it...BECKY rolls in this one (according to JR and JG) 27-10.
*PUR at ND - MR and MK took PUR. I don't like either of these teams. PUR has lost a close one and won a close won, both at home. ND hasn't been impressive, but they have been lucky. Sadly, I am picking the Irish in this one...23-20.
*ILL at PENNST - I really don't like what I've seen from the Zookers this year, PSU is playing insanely well right now - this could be bad bad bad...33-14 (MK likes ILL, MR likes PSU)
We'll wait on the final, biggest B10 game of the week.
Other big games:
*NC at MIA - NC lost their QB last week and lost, MIA will crush this week vs. a no-offense Tar Heel team...17-3.
*TEN at AUB - TEN is going the wrong way in a hurry, AUB will be looking to stay in the SEC hunt...I really like AUB in this one at home...21-9.
*COL at FSU - this is in JAX, not sure what to think about either of these teams...when in doubt take the better defense at home...Noles win 13-6.
*TCU at OK - could be close, could be a route. Hate this game to pick - TCU plays D, but OK is scoring 55/game...hmmm, I'll take OK 28-10.
*ALA at GEO - two GREAT defenses, one good offense and one okay offense. Give me the Dawgs in the black uni's at home...20-10.
*VT-NEB - VT has squeaked out a couple of nice ACC wins the last 2 weeks and Tyrod Taylor actually looks like he could be solid as a QB...Huskers are unproven, if they can move the ball they should win...but they won't I'm calling for the upset here...VT 20-17 (for the 3rd week in a row they win by this score...may continue all season)
UPSET PICKS!! - here's where I see potential for the Dog to straight up win:
MARY over CLEM - I like a cover for sure
TEM over WMU - Temple at home is great (not really, but I'm not imressed w/WMU)
UCLA over FRESNO - I think the Bruins continue their unpredictability and show up big at home to beat a run down Fresno club.
LOCKS OF THE CENTURY (2-2 now after a nice rebound last week)
NM -3 at NMST...shouldn't be close
Bowling Green -3.5 at WY...BG is not bad, but WY really is.
In preparation for VEGAS here are a couple of locks on Teasers / Reverse Teasers:
Teasers Locks:
AUB +.5, GEO +.5, VT +14
Reverse Teasers:
WIS -13.5, MIA -14.5, Ball St -24
GOPHERS at An Ohio State University
Well, after looking at this game from many different sides I have concluded that the Gopehrs will not win on Saturday. Isn't it bizarre how we have gone from, can we beat BG, NILL, FAU to can we not only cover but straight up beat Ohio State? I can't buy in that much just yet. Love our chances against everyone else on the slate (except Becky), so maybe 6-2 in the B10. But OSU still has an unreal defense, which has slowed us down every time we play them...we can't score more than 21 points tops on Saturday. The Buckeyes and T.Pryor will probably make some mistakes and could have issues in the running game if Beanie truly isn't 100% yet, but you have to believe they will score at least 21 on us. Pryor, if he runs a lot, could be an absolute nightmare to defend for this club. They have a great O-line that should be able to run the ball a little, even though we are better against the run this year. Our young, beat up O-line will really struggle to protect Weber and run the ball and we will have to look elsewhere, because they will focus on locking up Decker. I want to believe, and if I'm wrong and this happens I might poop my pants, but I just can't see it...not yet at least. I'm calling for a Gophers loss to go to 4-1...An Ohio State 31 Gophers 13 - very tough line on this one...too unpredictable.
It is my 5 year wedding anniversary on Friday, so the Mrs. and I will be out and about all day missing all the wonderful NCAA action. I am going to DVR the game - and attempt to watch it later, but if something insanely good happens feel free to let me know.
Tough slate of NFL game this week as well. 3/4 of us picked the Vikes (not me) so they'll probably win again. 3 of us have DEN, 2 have SD, 2 have DAL (1 has WASH), 2 have PHI. We are 9-7 when more than one of us picks the same team...3-2 when 3 of us pick the same team.
VIKES at TITANS
D-fence! both sides try to play the same kind of game...it will be ugly football, lots of punts and running plays for 2 yards...yawn...but I can see the Purple moving to 2-0 under Commander Gus...9-6 Vikes Win!
Vegas preparation email will be sent next week detailing times, plans, etc...we're very close, only 2 weeks to go. Start saving your money - and be ready to turn vodka into urine like it's your job! (or Ron Diaz, whatever you prefer)
Later Guys.
We'll start this week's preview with a wonderful quote from the soon to be retired left-hander Kent Mercker (I think this would be a nice mantra for VEGAS 2008), "I'm starting my new profession...turning vodka into urine." Who knew Kent was such an alcoholic?!?
Alright fellas, let's keep the hot streak alive...here we go:
It starts tonight with USC at OREST (+24)...I hate this line and this game. On one hand, you think USC rules, OSU has sucked - this should be an easy one. But the old "home dog on Thursday night" rule will come into play, and you have to think OSU with 24-0 lead at home...that's a good pick. MR and MK love the Trojans, JG took OREST...I stayed away. The Beavers will not win, but I lean toward JG on this one and think that they cover...USC 31-10.
MK and JR also took Loo-Ville on Friday night...UCONN can't throw and UL looked impressive last week...I like them at home.
B10
*MSU at IND - MK took the Hoosiers, nobody else touched it. I think IND is not good, and Sparty will continue to play well and house them 34-17.
*NW at IOWA - MR and MK like NW on the road. I'm not sold on either of these teams yet, so I'll take the points for NW...IOWA wins 24-23.
*WIS at MICH - this is the first time WIS has been favored over MICH...ever, yes really. I've seen a couple experts picking MICH, but I can't buy it...BECKY rolls in this one (according to JR and JG) 27-10.
*PUR at ND - MR and MK took PUR. I don't like either of these teams. PUR has lost a close one and won a close won, both at home. ND hasn't been impressive, but they have been lucky. Sadly, I am picking the Irish in this one...23-20.
*ILL at PENNST - I really don't like what I've seen from the Zookers this year, PSU is playing insanely well right now - this could be bad bad bad...33-14 (MK likes ILL, MR likes PSU)
We'll wait on the final, biggest B10 game of the week.
Other big games:
*NC at MIA - NC lost their QB last week and lost, MIA will crush this week vs. a no-offense Tar Heel team...17-3.
*TEN at AUB - TEN is going the wrong way in a hurry, AUB will be looking to stay in the SEC hunt...I really like AUB in this one at home...21-9.
*COL at FSU - this is in JAX, not sure what to think about either of these teams...when in doubt take the better defense at home...Noles win 13-6.
*TCU at OK - could be close, could be a route. Hate this game to pick - TCU plays D, but OK is scoring 55/game...hmmm, I'll take OK 28-10.
*ALA at GEO - two GREAT defenses, one good offense and one okay offense. Give me the Dawgs in the black uni's at home...20-10.
*VT-NEB - VT has squeaked out a couple of nice ACC wins the last 2 weeks and Tyrod Taylor actually looks like he could be solid as a QB...Huskers are unproven, if they can move the ball they should win...but they won't I'm calling for the upset here...VT 20-17 (for the 3rd week in a row they win by this score...may continue all season)
UPSET PICKS!! - here's where I see potential for the Dog to straight up win:
MARY over CLEM - I like a cover for sure
TEM over WMU - Temple at home is great (not really, but I'm not imressed w/WMU)
UCLA over FRESNO - I think the Bruins continue their unpredictability and show up big at home to beat a run down Fresno club.
LOCKS OF THE CENTURY (2-2 now after a nice rebound last week)
NM -3 at NMST...shouldn't be close
Bowling Green -3.5 at WY...BG is not bad, but WY really is.
In preparation for VEGAS here are a couple of locks on Teasers / Reverse Teasers:
Teasers Locks:
AUB +.5, GEO +.5, VT +14
Reverse Teasers:
WIS -13.5, MIA -14.5, Ball St -24
GOPHERS at An Ohio State University
Well, after looking at this game from many different sides I have concluded that the Gopehrs will not win on Saturday. Isn't it bizarre how we have gone from, can we beat BG, NILL, FAU to can we not only cover but straight up beat Ohio State? I can't buy in that much just yet. Love our chances against everyone else on the slate (except Becky), so maybe 6-2 in the B10. But OSU still has an unreal defense, which has slowed us down every time we play them...we can't score more than 21 points tops on Saturday. The Buckeyes and T.Pryor will probably make some mistakes and could have issues in the running game if Beanie truly isn't 100% yet, but you have to believe they will score at least 21 on us. Pryor, if he runs a lot, could be an absolute nightmare to defend for this club. They have a great O-line that should be able to run the ball a little, even though we are better against the run this year. Our young, beat up O-line will really struggle to protect Weber and run the ball and we will have to look elsewhere, because they will focus on locking up Decker. I want to believe, and if I'm wrong and this happens I might poop my pants, but I just can't see it...not yet at least. I'm calling for a Gophers loss to go to 4-1...An Ohio State 31 Gophers 13 - very tough line on this one...too unpredictable.
It is my 5 year wedding anniversary on Friday, so the Mrs. and I will be out and about all day missing all the wonderful NCAA action. I am going to DVR the game - and attempt to watch it later, but if something insanely good happens feel free to let me know.
Tough slate of NFL game this week as well. 3/4 of us picked the Vikes (not me) so they'll probably win again. 3 of us have DEN, 2 have SD, 2 have DAL (1 has WASH), 2 have PHI. We are 9-7 when more than one of us picks the same team...3-2 when 3 of us pick the same team.
VIKES at TITANS
D-fence! both sides try to play the same kind of game...it will be ugly football, lots of punts and running plays for 2 yards...yawn...but I can see the Purple moving to 2-0 under Commander Gus...9-6 Vikes Win!
Vegas preparation email will be sent next week detailing times, plans, etc...we're very close, only 2 weeks to go. Start saving your money - and be ready to turn vodka into urine like it's your job! (or Ron Diaz, whatever you prefer)
Later Guys.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Final 2 NFL Lines for Week 5
Finally have a couple of lines on the Sunday night and Monday night games:
PHIL -3
CHI
BAL
PITT -7.5
Let me know if you'd like to include either of these games on your picks for the week.
Thanks Guys.
PHIL -3
CHI
BAL
PITT -7.5
Let me know if you'd like to include either of these games on your picks for the week.
Thanks Guys.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
NFL Games (not Sunday or Monday night)
Here are the NFL lines - I will post the Sunday and Monday nighters hopefully tomorrow:
GB
TB -3
HOU
JAC -7.5
ATL
CAR -7
ARI
NYJ -3
SF
NO -6.5
CLE
CIN -4
MIN
TEN -3.5
DEN
KC 9
SD
OAK 7
BUF
STL 8.5
WAS
DAL -11.5
PHI
CHI
BAL
PIT
GB
TB -3
HOU
JAC -7.5
ATL
CAR -7
ARI
NYJ -3
SF
NO -6.5
CLE
CIN -4
MIN
TEN -3.5
DEN
KC 9
SD
OAK 7
BUF
STL 8.5
WAS
DAL -11.5
PHI
CHI
BAL
PIT
Monday, September 22, 2008
Week 5 NCAA Game List
Here are the NCAA Games for the week - send me 10 winners - NFL posted tomorrow.
SMU
TULANE -17
USC
OREST 24
UCONN
LOU -3.5
MSU
IND 8.5
VIR
DUKE -7
PITT
SYR 15.5
MN
OHIOST -17.5
MARY
CLEM -11.5
KENT
BALLST -17
ULL
KST -21
NC
MIA -7.5
NILL
EMU 6.5
NW
IOWA -7.5
OLE
FLA -23
ARMY
A&M -28.5
WMU
TEM 4
ARKST
MEM -1
TN
AUB -6.5
COL
FSU -6
WIS
MICH 6.5
MARSH
WV -15.5
CIN
AKR 10.5
FRESNO
UCLA 7
PUR
ND -2
HOU
ECU -10.5
ARK
TEX -27.5
NAVY
WF -15.5
BUFF
CMU -6.5
BGU
WY 3.5
NTEX
RICE -18
COLST
CAL -25
ORE
WASU 19.5
WKY
UK -22
TCU
OK -17
UAB
SC -24.5
TROY
OKST -17
FIU
TOL -18.5
MISST
LSU -24
USF
NCST 8
ALA
GEO -6.5
VT
NEB -7
IDAHO
SDST -11.5
NM
NMST 3
ILL
PSU -13.5
UCF
UTEP 5
STAN
WASH -3.5
NEV
UNLV -4
SJST
HAW no line yet
SMU
TULANE -17
USC
OREST 24
UCONN
LOU -3.5
MSU
IND 8.5
VIR
DUKE -7
PITT
SYR 15.5
MN
OHIOST -17.5
MARY
CLEM -11.5
KENT
BALLST -17
ULL
KST -21
NC
MIA -7.5
NILL
EMU 6.5
NW
IOWA -7.5
OLE
FLA -23
ARMY
A&M -28.5
WMU
TEM 4
ARKST
MEM -1
TN
AUB -6.5
COL
FSU -6
WIS
MICH 6.5
MARSH
WV -15.5
CIN
AKR 10.5
FRESNO
UCLA 7
PUR
ND -2
HOU
ECU -10.5
ARK
TEX -27.5
NAVY
WF -15.5
BUFF
CMU -6.5
BGU
WY 3.5
NTEX
RICE -18
COLST
CAL -25
ORE
WASU 19.5
WKY
UK -22
TCU
OK -17
UAB
SC -24.5
TROY
OKST -17
FIU
TOL -18.5
MISST
LSU -24
USF
NCST 8
ALA
GEO -6.5
VT
NEB -7
IDAHO
SDST -11.5
NM
NMST 3
ILL
PSU -13.5
UCF
UTEP 5
STAN
WASH -3.5
NEV
UNLV -4
SJST
HAW no line yet
Week 4 Results - New Winner!
Congrats JG on an impressive 4-1 showing yesterday and an 11-4 overall record this week - you are the new champion of the world.
Our overall leader, Mr. Roe, did not disappoint with a 10-5 week. But he didn't win this time!
MK went 8-7 to improve to 4 games over .500, and even JR had a winning week at 9-6 to get within 6 games of .500 - woo-hoo!!
MR still has a 6 game lead over JG, 7 over MK, and 12 over JR...almost mathematically eliminated with 14 weeks to go!
MR is by far the leader for the NCAA picks with a 31-14 record (69%!!) Unbelievable.
MK and JG are each right around .500 with MK at 22-23, JG at 23-22.
JR is climbing back to respectability at 20-25.
NFL Picks have MK and JG as co-leaders at 10-5 overall (67%), while MR is 8-7 and JR is 7-8.
So I'm in last for the overall, the NCAA, and the NFL...f*ckin sweet.
OVERALL we went 38-22 last week for a 63% win - outstanding! Betting $50/game we would be up $800 overall!!
On to the games...
NCAA - I went 27-18 60% overall this week, finally a non .500 week for my "Pick Every Game with a line" NCAA game.
GOOD PICKS:
My 2 locks of the century both won, moving this record to 2-2. Tulane rolled easily, and Utah struggled but came back to do it for me.
GEO looked great, have to give all 3 of you credit on that one. ASU couldn't do a thing on offense, and the USC+9 (Pac-10) appears to be a 2nd rate conference this year that isn't even close to the SEC.
MR - Arizona, nice vision there. I was kind of believing in UCLA after the TN win, even after the route against BYU, I expected them to play well at home and win this game. Nope - UCLA is not a quality team, and AZ can score on anyone.
JG - nice call on VT, I picked the Heels to beat my ACC Pre-season champ, but I was wrong as usual. VT might win a lot of ugly ones this year and have already beaten 2 of the better ACC clubs in GT and NC. Wide open conference right now.
MR - Penn State and Texas, I love not being afraid of the giant spreads. These 2 continued to absolutely crush once again. Nice work.
JR - Akron over Army...this was an easy one for me, here's my secret (bet against ARMY every week...they suck)
MR & JG - Gators. Wow, Florida plays a little defense. TEN looks done. Too easy for the Gators in this one, very nice call here.
JR and MK - Canes! wow, quite a performance here by another Florida team. A&M is frggin' brtual, and the Canes didn't waste time beating the crap out of Sherman and the crew.
LSU - all 3 of you called this one. Jarrett Lee instantly put this team on the map for me. They went from, major questions at QB to wow, you just won in Auburn on a great comeback. Great call by all 3 of you on this one - I of course was thinking Auburn with the points at home.
BAD PICKS, a.k.a. (WTF were you thinking?)
JR - Houston. yep, I put 1/10 of my NCAA score this week on the shoulders of a now 1-3 Houston team as a 6 point road favorite. Don't ask, I'm retarded.
JR - Ball State will lose to Indiana, err, I mean Indiana is not good. This one wasn't even really that close. I'm marking Oct 4th at the dome as a W right now for the Maroon and Gold.
MR - FAU. Come on Mike! I'll send you a gallon of maroon and gold kool-aid asap. Then you can join the rest of us in picking the Gopehrs to straight up win over the Buckeyes this week...right Guys?
MK and JG - Pitt. Not really a bad pick, but it sucks to lose by the hook. Iowa sucks. As the guys on the video chant..."Who Hates IOWA?", "WE HATE IOWA!"
JR - Fresno. I kind of disregarded the let down factor after a big home loss to Bulemia and Becky last week, and I thought Toledo was worse than they actually were. Fun game to watch with 109 points scored, but Fresno should not be taken seriously the rest of the year after this performance.
GOPHERS RECAP
Very impressive. I think this might be the first time I've said this in my lifetime, but the Defense was very good and won us the game on Saturday. We completely shut down their attack - the game plan was spot on - and the execution and ball-hawking was something we haven't seen for quite some time. Offense rolled as expected, not overpowering, no major big plays, just a consistent point scoring machine. This was fun, and this is what I expect us to do from now on vs. teams like this. Brewtser is starting to get it, the team continues to gain confidence, and we are feeling good at 4-0. I'm going to have to rub the temples a bit before this week's prediction, the Buckeyes could be a tough one...but dare I say that we can have some confidence in Brew and Roof on coming up with a great plan to slow down this struggling Buckeyes squad. Early line is under 3 scores! Bottom line, 4-0 is great - a little unexpected, and definitely showing signs of progress.
NFL
Good Picks:
JR and JG - ATL! once again, how did we all not bet against Tyler Thigpen on the road. I think LeRoy-Ostrander would only be about a 3 point dog if they hosted the Thigpen lead Chiefs.
MK - TEN, this club just keeps winning. HOU isn't real good, but Collins and Co. look great right now.
VIKES - all 3 of you nailed this one. I wasn't a believer...more on this later.
JG - MIA! did you call for the cover or the straight up money line victory? Nice call dude - Pats appear to not be even close to what they were in 07.
MR - JAGS...nice call. Indy is another former AFC giant who appears to be down a great deal from years past.
JR, MR, MK - How about them Cowboys. Hands down best team in the NFL right now. To go into Lambeau and dominate was impressive. Too early for 16-0 talk?
MR - E-A-G-L-E-S, love this team and this defense. I'm also a Tomlin fan, but I loved this Philly pick off a loss at home vs. a rival. Injuries could be a concern at this point, but could this be the #2 team in the NFL?
BAD PICKS
JR and MK - Giants. who would have thunk that the lowly Bungals would play this well. Maybe betting against Cincy will not be a weekly must any more.
MR - BUFF, they trailed the whole game and didn't really look good until the end. Although, the are tops in the East and I don't think the Raiders are as bad as we all thought.
JR and JG - Denver. love that offense, but when they play someone who can score any line over 3 points is too much - the d looks very very weak this year.
VIKES RECAP
So I'm not going to say I was wrong because I don't think this was a Brad Childress offesne yesterday. Who would have thought that the change in QB would also change our playcalling, and if this was going to be the case how could Chilly actually think it's better to go with T-Jack from the start. Let's see, go with the youngster and have about 5 passing plays to choose from and run a 75-25 run/pass offense. Or go with Gus and use the entire playbook and look like the Eagles of back in the day and the current day by throwing it all over the field and mixing in a healthy dose of the run when they least expect it. Seriously, if you were not comfotable calling a game like this with TJACK how could you have put him in as the starter in the first place. A win is nice - the defense continues to rock - and Gus looked the part. If Gus stays healthy we should have a chance in the rest of the games - and we need #28 to stay healthy, which I really don't think can/will happen. But it was nice to see a better called game, and passes down the field and some unpredictability on the offense for a change. We'll see what happens, but definitely a step in the right direction for the Purple yesterday.
Okay - sorry for the longest update ever, I'll post next week's NCAA games today.
Thanks Guys.
Our overall leader, Mr. Roe, did not disappoint with a 10-5 week. But he didn't win this time!
MK went 8-7 to improve to 4 games over .500, and even JR had a winning week at 9-6 to get within 6 games of .500 - woo-hoo!!
MR still has a 6 game lead over JG, 7 over MK, and 12 over JR...almost mathematically eliminated with 14 weeks to go!
MR is by far the leader for the NCAA picks with a 31-14 record (69%!!) Unbelievable.
MK and JG are each right around .500 with MK at 22-23, JG at 23-22.
JR is climbing back to respectability at 20-25.
NFL Picks have MK and JG as co-leaders at 10-5 overall (67%), while MR is 8-7 and JR is 7-8.
So I'm in last for the overall, the NCAA, and the NFL...f*ckin sweet.
OVERALL we went 38-22 last week for a 63% win - outstanding! Betting $50/game we would be up $800 overall!!
On to the games...
NCAA - I went 27-18 60% overall this week, finally a non .500 week for my "Pick Every Game with a line" NCAA game.
GOOD PICKS:
My 2 locks of the century both won, moving this record to 2-2. Tulane rolled easily, and Utah struggled but came back to do it for me.
GEO looked great, have to give all 3 of you credit on that one. ASU couldn't do a thing on offense, and the USC+9 (Pac-10) appears to be a 2nd rate conference this year that isn't even close to the SEC.
MR - Arizona, nice vision there. I was kind of believing in UCLA after the TN win, even after the route against BYU, I expected them to play well at home and win this game. Nope - UCLA is not a quality team, and AZ can score on anyone.
JG - nice call on VT, I picked the Heels to beat my ACC Pre-season champ, but I was wrong as usual. VT might win a lot of ugly ones this year and have already beaten 2 of the better ACC clubs in GT and NC. Wide open conference right now.
MR - Penn State and Texas, I love not being afraid of the giant spreads. These 2 continued to absolutely crush once again. Nice work.
JR - Akron over Army...this was an easy one for me, here's my secret (bet against ARMY every week...they suck)
MR & JG - Gators. Wow, Florida plays a little defense. TEN looks done. Too easy for the Gators in this one, very nice call here.
JR and MK - Canes! wow, quite a performance here by another Florida team. A&M is frggin' brtual, and the Canes didn't waste time beating the crap out of Sherman and the crew.
LSU - all 3 of you called this one. Jarrett Lee instantly put this team on the map for me. They went from, major questions at QB to wow, you just won in Auburn on a great comeback. Great call by all 3 of you on this one - I of course was thinking Auburn with the points at home.
BAD PICKS, a.k.a. (WTF were you thinking?)
JR - Houston. yep, I put 1/10 of my NCAA score this week on the shoulders of a now 1-3 Houston team as a 6 point road favorite. Don't ask, I'm retarded.
JR - Ball State will lose to Indiana, err, I mean Indiana is not good. This one wasn't even really that close. I'm marking Oct 4th at the dome as a W right now for the Maroon and Gold.
MR - FAU. Come on Mike! I'll send you a gallon of maroon and gold kool-aid asap. Then you can join the rest of us in picking the Gopehrs to straight up win over the Buckeyes this week...right Guys?
MK and JG - Pitt. Not really a bad pick, but it sucks to lose by the hook. Iowa sucks. As the guys on the video chant..."Who Hates IOWA?", "WE HATE IOWA!"
JR - Fresno. I kind of disregarded the let down factor after a big home loss to Bulemia and Becky last week, and I thought Toledo was worse than they actually were. Fun game to watch with 109 points scored, but Fresno should not be taken seriously the rest of the year after this performance.
GOPHERS RECAP
Very impressive. I think this might be the first time I've said this in my lifetime, but the Defense was very good and won us the game on Saturday. We completely shut down their attack - the game plan was spot on - and the execution and ball-hawking was something we haven't seen for quite some time. Offense rolled as expected, not overpowering, no major big plays, just a consistent point scoring machine. This was fun, and this is what I expect us to do from now on vs. teams like this. Brewtser is starting to get it, the team continues to gain confidence, and we are feeling good at 4-0. I'm going to have to rub the temples a bit before this week's prediction, the Buckeyes could be a tough one...but dare I say that we can have some confidence in Brew and Roof on coming up with a great plan to slow down this struggling Buckeyes squad. Early line is under 3 scores! Bottom line, 4-0 is great - a little unexpected, and definitely showing signs of progress.
NFL
Good Picks:
JR and JG - ATL! once again, how did we all not bet against Tyler Thigpen on the road. I think LeRoy-Ostrander would only be about a 3 point dog if they hosted the Thigpen lead Chiefs.
MK - TEN, this club just keeps winning. HOU isn't real good, but Collins and Co. look great right now.
VIKES - all 3 of you nailed this one. I wasn't a believer...more on this later.
JG - MIA! did you call for the cover or the straight up money line victory? Nice call dude - Pats appear to not be even close to what they were in 07.
MR - JAGS...nice call. Indy is another former AFC giant who appears to be down a great deal from years past.
JR, MR, MK - How about them Cowboys. Hands down best team in the NFL right now. To go into Lambeau and dominate was impressive. Too early for 16-0 talk?
MR - E-A-G-L-E-S, love this team and this defense. I'm also a Tomlin fan, but I loved this Philly pick off a loss at home vs. a rival. Injuries could be a concern at this point, but could this be the #2 team in the NFL?
BAD PICKS
JR and MK - Giants. who would have thunk that the lowly Bungals would play this well. Maybe betting against Cincy will not be a weekly must any more.
MR - BUFF, they trailed the whole game and didn't really look good until the end. Although, the are tops in the East and I don't think the Raiders are as bad as we all thought.
JR and JG - Denver. love that offense, but when they play someone who can score any line over 3 points is too much - the d looks very very weak this year.
VIKES RECAP
So I'm not going to say I was wrong because I don't think this was a Brad Childress offesne yesterday. Who would have thought that the change in QB would also change our playcalling, and if this was going to be the case how could Chilly actually think it's better to go with T-Jack from the start. Let's see, go with the youngster and have about 5 passing plays to choose from and run a 75-25 run/pass offense. Or go with Gus and use the entire playbook and look like the Eagles of back in the day and the current day by throwing it all over the field and mixing in a healthy dose of the run when they least expect it. Seriously, if you were not comfotable calling a game like this with TJACK how could you have put him in as the starter in the first place. A win is nice - the defense continues to rock - and Gus looked the part. If Gus stays healthy we should have a chance in the rest of the games - and we need #28 to stay healthy, which I really don't think can/will happen. But it was nice to see a better called game, and passes down the field and some unpredictability on the offense for a change. We'll see what happens, but definitely a step in the right direction for the Purple yesterday.
Okay - sorry for the longest update ever, I'll post next week's NCAA games today.
Thanks Guys.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
NCAA Week 4 Results
All right, that's more like it! Combined we went 25-15 in NCAA Picks this week...let's keep this going guys. 60% winners is about as good as this hobby gets so let's savor this one. JR and JG each hit 7/10, MR nailed 6/10, and MK went .500 at 5-5, we could have easily been 2 better but JG and MK missed the Pitt cover by 1/2 point...at least they beat the Hawks!
Lots of good picks going today as well - this is looking like our best week of the year, which means we're trending the right direction!
I do think all 3 of you are smoking crack by picking the Vikes today, but I'm pulling for you! Enjoy the day - I'll send out a complete recap tomorrow.
Have a good one Guys.
Lots of good picks going today as well - this is looking like our best week of the year, which means we're trending the right direction!
I do think all 3 of you are smoking crack by picking the Vikes today, but I'm pulling for you! Enjoy the day - I'll send out a complete recap tomorrow.
Have a good one Guys.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
All Set for Week 4
All the picks are in, so here we go for week 4.
MK actually started off the week already with an L by picking KST.
Other pick highlights:
You 3 all love WV tonight, I avoided it - but would have picked WV if forced to make a choice. I just don't like them very much this year, but they should be able to handle a "not quite ready for primetime" Colorado team tonight...should be a good watch.
You 3 also all loved GEO this week. I would have loved them if ASU would have handled UNLV last week, but the lost and the line got a little bigger and I think Erickson will have them ready to compete and make up for that embarassment last week. I'll still pick GEO to cover, but not in my Top 10 for the week.
JG picked the 2-0 Irish to stay hot and cover the 8.5...he just likes Chuck Weis.
We all love the Gophers...except for Roe - that's what happenedin week 1 and guess who was right (look at the standings). More on this game later.
MK took the insane offense of MIZZOU to cover 33.5 on BUFF...how can you bet against a team scoring 58/game!
JG was not impressed by UNC's crushing of RUT and picks VT over them in Chapel Hill at +1.
MK/JG - thanks for picking Pitt over IOWA. I actually like, no I actually pick IOWA in this one...but I'm pulling for myself to be very very wrong.
MR and JG went with the GATORS - JR and MK didn't touch it. I think TEN might keep it close.
I rode with MK's Cane's vs.the pathetic team from College Station. Canes are much better and should take care of business.
All 3 of you once again took LSU over AUB, I like AUB at home but didn't include it on my list of 10.
GAMES OF THE WEEK
LSU-AUB
I have to like the home team in this one. AUB offense has not been as effective as I expected, but LSU hasn't proven anything yet either. Should be a classic SEC struggle ending in something weird...I'll take AUB to cover (+2) and win 13-11.
FLA-TN
I love love love the Gators this year. The jury is still out on TEN after the UCLA loss and then the UCLA-BYU disaster. However, I think they have a great running game and maybe the #1 OL in the country. The defense will definitely be challenged against a healthy Gator offense, but I'm feeling a close one. In Gainesville it might be a route, but in Knoxville I think they cover...GATORS 23-17.
IOWA-PITT
Iowa plays great defense, but proved their offense to be dog-shit again last week. Pitt can't throw much, and doesn't play great defense but loves to run. This has u-g-l-y written all over it. However, I'm giving the nod to Iowa on a fulky defensive score or two...16-10
GEO-ASU
As I mentioned above, I think D.Erickson has the club ready to play and prove that last week was more of a fluke than it looked. GEO doesn't travel this far to play non-conference games ever...I really think they come out a little shell-shocked and ASU sticks it to them early. I like GEO to win, but in a dogfight 20-13.
GOPHERS-FAU
Last year we gave up nearly 500 yards passing, and turned it over 7 times while forcing zero turnovers...but we were still driving at the end to win the game. I'm going to go out on a limb and say we won't be -7 in TO +/- this year, and we're at home with a better defense. We should be able to run at will all day long, look for the freshman RB's to put up some nice stats, and Weber needs to take care of it like he has all year. Decker will have the usual 120/2 TD, and the Gophs win convincingly 44-21. Bring on the Buckeyes!!!
LOCKS OF THE CENTURY (why am I continuing to do this after 0-2 LW?)
UTAH -7 at AF - AF can not throw at all, 0 passing yards LW, UTAH is good.
TULANE -5.5 vs. ULM - Tulane is really frickin' good. ULM is not. Should be easy $$$
NFL PICKS
MR is a BUFF believer picking them to cover 9 vs. OAK...actually I really like this pick - nice work Mike.
Apparently, I'm the only one off the MN VIKING train, because all 3 of you like the Purple to notch that elusive 1st victory this weekend. I don't we're going to see anything different than we have the first 2 weeks. CAR 21-12 (4 FG's!).
JG doesn't believe the Matt Cassell experience can cover 13 at home vs. the mighty Fins and Moron Joey Porter. If you haven't seen his comments this week, check them out.
JR/MR/MK all love the 'Boys over the Pack. Dallas is really good, and there's no chance of me picking the Pack to win a big game like this.
JR and JG picked up in this one, but MR and MK - how do you not bet against Tyler Thigpen on the raod!! I know it's Atlanta, but come on!
I am believing in the Bears as well - not sold on TBY yet, 3 is an easy cover for CHI
JR and JG agree again on the DEN over NO game. NO has 4 or 5 starterd out on D, and DEN with Hall-of-Famer Jay Cutler at QB looks incredible thus far.
Our two leaders MR and MK split on JAC-IND this week...I lean toward MR and pick JAC. Indy is vulnerable right now, but JAC isn't healthy either. Jags are more desperate at this point.
One final note - 22 days I think until VEGAS...bring it.
I spoke with Greg, and he mentioned just picking up you 2 Rochester boys on FRI on his way up in the morning I'm thinking we'll park at BBY and catch a cab to and from the airport...should be cheaper than park n fly...hopefully no major vehicular breakdowns either!! I will prepare some cheat sheets for everything we'll be watching for the week, so don't worry about bringing any kinds of materials.
Have a good weekend fellas! Good Luck!
MK actually started off the week already with an L by picking KST.
Other pick highlights:
You 3 all love WV tonight, I avoided it - but would have picked WV if forced to make a choice. I just don't like them very much this year, but they should be able to handle a "not quite ready for primetime" Colorado team tonight...should be a good watch.
You 3 also all loved GEO this week. I would have loved them if ASU would have handled UNLV last week, but the lost and the line got a little bigger and I think Erickson will have them ready to compete and make up for that embarassment last week. I'll still pick GEO to cover, but not in my Top 10 for the week.
JG picked the 2-0 Irish to stay hot and cover the 8.5...he just likes Chuck Weis.
We all love the Gophers...except for Roe - that's what happenedin week 1 and guess who was right (look at the standings). More on this game later.
MK took the insane offense of MIZZOU to cover 33.5 on BUFF...how can you bet against a team scoring 58/game!
JG was not impressed by UNC's crushing of RUT and picks VT over them in Chapel Hill at +1.
MK/JG - thanks for picking Pitt over IOWA. I actually like, no I actually pick IOWA in this one...but I'm pulling for myself to be very very wrong.
MR and JG went with the GATORS - JR and MK didn't touch it. I think TEN might keep it close.
I rode with MK's Cane's vs.the pathetic team from College Station. Canes are much better and should take care of business.
All 3 of you once again took LSU over AUB, I like AUB at home but didn't include it on my list of 10.
GAMES OF THE WEEK
LSU-AUB
I have to like the home team in this one. AUB offense has not been as effective as I expected, but LSU hasn't proven anything yet either. Should be a classic SEC struggle ending in something weird...I'll take AUB to cover (+2) and win 13-11.
FLA-TN
I love love love the Gators this year. The jury is still out on TEN after the UCLA loss and then the UCLA-BYU disaster. However, I think they have a great running game and maybe the #1 OL in the country. The defense will definitely be challenged against a healthy Gator offense, but I'm feeling a close one. In Gainesville it might be a route, but in Knoxville I think they cover...GATORS 23-17.
IOWA-PITT
Iowa plays great defense, but proved their offense to be dog-shit again last week. Pitt can't throw much, and doesn't play great defense but loves to run. This has u-g-l-y written all over it. However, I'm giving the nod to Iowa on a fulky defensive score or two...16-10
GEO-ASU
As I mentioned above, I think D.Erickson has the club ready to play and prove that last week was more of a fluke than it looked. GEO doesn't travel this far to play non-conference games ever...I really think they come out a little shell-shocked and ASU sticks it to them early. I like GEO to win, but in a dogfight 20-13.
GOPHERS-FAU
Last year we gave up nearly 500 yards passing, and turned it over 7 times while forcing zero turnovers...but we were still driving at the end to win the game. I'm going to go out on a limb and say we won't be -7 in TO +/- this year, and we're at home with a better defense. We should be able to run at will all day long, look for the freshman RB's to put up some nice stats, and Weber needs to take care of it like he has all year. Decker will have the usual 120/2 TD, and the Gophs win convincingly 44-21. Bring on the Buckeyes!!!
LOCKS OF THE CENTURY (why am I continuing to do this after 0-2 LW?)
UTAH -7 at AF - AF can not throw at all, 0 passing yards LW, UTAH is good.
TULANE -5.5 vs. ULM - Tulane is really frickin' good. ULM is not. Should be easy $$$
NFL PICKS
MR is a BUFF believer picking them to cover 9 vs. OAK...actually I really like this pick - nice work Mike.
Apparently, I'm the only one off the MN VIKING train, because all 3 of you like the Purple to notch that elusive 1st victory this weekend. I don't we're going to see anything different than we have the first 2 weeks. CAR 21-12 (4 FG's!).
JG doesn't believe the Matt Cassell experience can cover 13 at home vs. the mighty Fins and Moron Joey Porter. If you haven't seen his comments this week, check them out.
JR/MR/MK all love the 'Boys over the Pack. Dallas is really good, and there's no chance of me picking the Pack to win a big game like this.
JR and JG picked up in this one, but MR and MK - how do you not bet against Tyler Thigpen on the raod!! I know it's Atlanta, but come on!
I am believing in the Bears as well - not sold on TBY yet, 3 is an easy cover for CHI
JR and JG agree again on the DEN over NO game. NO has 4 or 5 starterd out on D, and DEN with Hall-of-Famer Jay Cutler at QB looks incredible thus far.
Our two leaders MR and MK split on JAC-IND this week...I lean toward MR and pick JAC. Indy is vulnerable right now, but JAC isn't healthy either. Jags are more desperate at this point.
One final note - 22 days I think until VEGAS...bring it.
I spoke with Greg, and he mentioned just picking up you 2 Rochester boys on FRI on his way up in the morning I'm thinking we'll park at BBY and catch a cab to and from the airport...should be cheaper than park n fly...hopefully no major vehicular breakdowns either!! I will prepare some cheat sheets for everything we'll be watching for the week, so don't worry about bringing any kinds of materials.
Have a good weekend fellas! Good Luck!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Interesting Developments
I'm sure you've all heard the news about TJack and his career basically coming to a close this afternoon - here's what I think:
1. He was an incredible gamble in the first place, should we have reasonably expected anything more than what we actually got from him. How many big-time or even average QB's have come from a school that small.
2. The offense is as poorly designed as anything I've seen in the NFL in a long long time. How well have other QB's fared in this system (BJohnson, Holcomb, Bollinger) not exactly 3 hall-of-famers, but not once did we show any signs of being competant with the pass.
3. It will be a nice test run for Gus to see if anything changes, but I'm not expecting much. If he looks terrible, then what do you do? You can't go back to TJack and Booty clearly can't play yet, if ever. I honestly think the best option at that point is to go and get our roll on. Honestly, if DC would enter the competition right now, can you say he's not the best QB on the team? I would even take him over the supposedly available JGarcia.
It will be a fun watch on Sunday - it's getting to the point where I'm almost ready for them to suck ass and get a good pick...sad, I know, but I just don't think they have a chance of doing anything great this year - so I'd rather suck, draft a GOOD QB, get a new coach, and try to start something great while we have the supporting cast.
Who knows, a win on Sunday, and some resemblance of a passing game may change my mind - but through 2 years and 2 games of the same crap, I am highly doubting that anything will change.
Go Wildcats tonight - Louisville sucks...but I'm only hitting 40% this year, so if you're in Vegas the Cards are a sure bet.
More tomorrow with the weekly preview.
Later Guys.
1. He was an incredible gamble in the first place, should we have reasonably expected anything more than what we actually got from him. How many big-time or even average QB's have come from a school that small.
2. The offense is as poorly designed as anything I've seen in the NFL in a long long time. How well have other QB's fared in this system (BJohnson, Holcomb, Bollinger) not exactly 3 hall-of-famers, but not once did we show any signs of being competant with the pass.
3. It will be a nice test run for Gus to see if anything changes, but I'm not expecting much. If he looks terrible, then what do you do? You can't go back to TJack and Booty clearly can't play yet, if ever. I honestly think the best option at that point is to go and get our roll on. Honestly, if DC would enter the competition right now, can you say he's not the best QB on the team? I would even take him over the supposedly available JGarcia.
It will be a fun watch on Sunday - it's getting to the point where I'm almost ready for them to suck ass and get a good pick...sad, I know, but I just don't think they have a chance of doing anything great this year - so I'd rather suck, draft a GOOD QB, get a new coach, and try to start something great while we have the supporting cast.
Who knows, a win on Sunday, and some resemblance of a passing game may change my mind - but through 2 years and 2 games of the same crap, I am highly doubting that anything will change.
Go Wildcats tonight - Louisville sucks...but I'm only hitting 40% this year, so if you're in Vegas the Cards are a sure bet.
More tomorrow with the weekly preview.
Later Guys.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Standings Update, Week 3 Wrap Up
Hey Guys -
Quick note on the standings through 3 miserable weeks (at least for me):
MR and MK tied for the $ this week, overall right now that means MR has 2.5 wins, MK has .5 wins. Roe increased his overall lead to 5 over MK, 7 over JG, and an unreachable 11 over JR. I think I will be mathematically eliminated within about 3 weeks!
NCAA wins are a no contest - MR has 25, MK 17, JG 16, JR 13
NFL minds aren't as good, but hey - it's our first year:
MK 7, JG 6, JR 5, MR 4 - MK at 7-3 doesn't suck, nice work Kobs.
Week 4 is coming...let's hope it's a good one for all of us. I'm still waiting for that first 15-0 week, maybe we should save it for Vegas!
Please get me you 15 games by late WED or early THUR.
Thanks Guys.
Quick note on the standings through 3 miserable weeks (at least for me):
MR and MK tied for the $ this week, overall right now that means MR has 2.5 wins, MK has .5 wins. Roe increased his overall lead to 5 over MK, 7 over JG, and an unreachable 11 over JR. I think I will be mathematically eliminated within about 3 weeks!
NCAA wins are a no contest - MR has 25, MK 17, JG 16, JR 13
NFL minds aren't as good, but hey - it's our first year:
MK 7, JG 6, JR 5, MR 4 - MK at 7-3 doesn't suck, nice work Kobs.
Week 4 is coming...let's hope it's a good one for all of us. I'm still waiting for that first 15-0 week, maybe we should save it for Vegas!
Please get me you 15 games by late WED or early THUR.
Thanks Guys.
Week 4 NFL Games
Here's your list for this week's NFL games - also the KST-LOU game is WED night, so if you want to include that game I'll need it before it happens on WED Night. WV-COL is Thursday and BAY-UCONN is FRI night.
KC
ATL -4.5
OAK
BUF -9
TB
CHI -3
HOU
TEN -5
CIN
NYG -13
CAR
MIN -3
MIA
NE -13
ARI
WAS -3
STL
SEA -10
DET
SF -4
NO
DEN -5.5
JAC
IND -5.5
CLE
BAL -2.5
PIT
PHI -3.5
DAL
GB 3
NYJ
SD -9.5
KC
ATL -4.5
OAK
BUF -9
TB
CHI -3
HOU
TEN -5
CIN
NYG -13
CAR
MIN -3
MIA
NE -13
ARI
WAS -3
STL
SEA -10
DET
SF -4
NO
DEN -5.5
JAC
IND -5.5
CLE
BAL -2.5
PIT
PHI -3.5
DAL
GB 3
NYJ
SD -9.5
Monday, September 15, 2008
A season lost?
Yes...this is going to be a rant about the Vikings. I would have to say that yesterday's loss was the biggest disappointment that I have ever witnessed in person in Metrodome. It is one of the most frustrating Vikings games I have ever watched.
There are many to blame in the 0-2 start. We have too much talent to start 0-2, and I agree with Tree, things could get much worse before they get better. We could seriously be 0-5.
After watching T Jack's performance in game 1 of the preseason I honestly thought to myself that I understood what Childress was so infatuated with. He looked efficient. He looked accurate. He looked poised. That was the last time that T Jack looked good. On Sunday, he looked like a bad version of Wynn/Bouman/any other crappy Vikings quarterback. What in the f*ck was he seeing in some of those looks. Where was he throwing a few of those roll out passes where he overthrew the receiver by 10 yards, easily! For a quarterback that has been often praised and sometimes criticized for not going down when he runs, he looked like a frickin p*ssy on the one bootleg that ran. He curled up in a ball and layed there. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! Run the little D back over and try for the first down. I don't know how Childress could ever bench him, but I think he has to. We will go 7-9 if we are lucky with T Jack at QB this year.
Now, not all of the problems can fall on T Jack's shoulders. It may have been a different game if the 20 million dollar piece of sh*t wearing #81 could catch a ball. HOW IS THIS GUY STILL ON OUR TEAM??? He was terrible last year. He fumbled the first time he touched the ball in preseason. He can't block. He, as they said in the Star Trib today, is a slower version of Troy Williamson. He will not catch a touchdown this year in purple. It would have been hard for me as a coach to not go into the locker room at half time, look him right in the eyes, say take off your pads, pick up your sh*t and leave. He is horrible, and by dropping touchdown after touchdown, he gives T Jack no one to look for at tight end. We would be better letting Kleinsasser run fly routes all day and throwing it up to him (which by the way was hilarious yesterday).
Where are our wide receivers? Is Bernard Berrian going to get a $1 million a catch this season. I know Rice was hurt, but where was he early. We don't ever seem to get separation, and in the rare case that we do, TJack obviously couldn't hit an open receiver.
However, the WRs, Shiancoe and T Jack are not the biggest problems. I know that we cannot seriously fire Childress right now, but how can this guy keep a job. He calls the most boring game on the planet. We have the most exciting player in the game right now, and we are averaging 17 points a game. He is the most predictable play caller in history. We have nothing in our play book to spread the field. We never take chances. We run on 3rd and 4 or 3rd and 5. We have a great offensive line, a stellar run defense, an ok pass defense, and a frickin stud at both DE and RB. Chilly was so outcoached in that 2nd half yesterday. Dungy made adjustments. Chilly didn't do a thing. His kick-ass offense is horrible. If we do not make the playoffs and win a game in the playoffs, he will not be back. We have spent too much money to not be good. We have too much talent to not be good.
Firing Childress now throws in the towel on the whole season. It is too soon to do that, but if we are 0-4, it has to happen.
I am looking forward to going to the game next sunday to witness the season turning around. Either that or I will be able to say that i witnessed the last home game for Brad Childress and T Jack.
There are many to blame in the 0-2 start. We have too much talent to start 0-2, and I agree with Tree, things could get much worse before they get better. We could seriously be 0-5.
After watching T Jack's performance in game 1 of the preseason I honestly thought to myself that I understood what Childress was so infatuated with. He looked efficient. He looked accurate. He looked poised. That was the last time that T Jack looked good. On Sunday, he looked like a bad version of Wynn/Bouman/any other crappy Vikings quarterback. What in the f*ck was he seeing in some of those looks. Where was he throwing a few of those roll out passes where he overthrew the receiver by 10 yards, easily! For a quarterback that has been often praised and sometimes criticized for not going down when he runs, he looked like a frickin p*ssy on the one bootleg that ran. He curled up in a ball and layed there. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! Run the little D back over and try for the first down. I don't know how Childress could ever bench him, but I think he has to. We will go 7-9 if we are lucky with T Jack at QB this year.
Now, not all of the problems can fall on T Jack's shoulders. It may have been a different game if the 20 million dollar piece of sh*t wearing #81 could catch a ball. HOW IS THIS GUY STILL ON OUR TEAM??? He was terrible last year. He fumbled the first time he touched the ball in preseason. He can't block. He, as they said in the Star Trib today, is a slower version of Troy Williamson. He will not catch a touchdown this year in purple. It would have been hard for me as a coach to not go into the locker room at half time, look him right in the eyes, say take off your pads, pick up your sh*t and leave. He is horrible, and by dropping touchdown after touchdown, he gives T Jack no one to look for at tight end. We would be better letting Kleinsasser run fly routes all day and throwing it up to him (which by the way was hilarious yesterday).
Where are our wide receivers? Is Bernard Berrian going to get a $1 million a catch this season. I know Rice was hurt, but where was he early. We don't ever seem to get separation, and in the rare case that we do, TJack obviously couldn't hit an open receiver.
However, the WRs, Shiancoe and T Jack are not the biggest problems. I know that we cannot seriously fire Childress right now, but how can this guy keep a job. He calls the most boring game on the planet. We have the most exciting player in the game right now, and we are averaging 17 points a game. He is the most predictable play caller in history. We have nothing in our play book to spread the field. We never take chances. We run on 3rd and 4 or 3rd and 5. We have a great offensive line, a stellar run defense, an ok pass defense, and a frickin stud at both DE and RB. Chilly was so outcoached in that 2nd half yesterday. Dungy made adjustments. Chilly didn't do a thing. His kick-ass offense is horrible. If we do not make the playoffs and win a game in the playoffs, he will not be back. We have spent too much money to not be good. We have too much talent to not be good.
Firing Childress now throws in the towel on the whole season. It is too soon to do that, but if we are 0-4, it has to happen.
I am looking forward to going to the game next sunday to witness the season turning around. Either that or I will be able to say that i witnessed the last home game for Brad Childress and T Jack.
Week 4 NCAA Lines - NFL coming on TUES/WED
KST
LOU 3.5
WV
COL 3
BAY
UCONN -14
ALA
ARK 9
GEO
ASU 6.5
SJST
STAN -9.5
AZ
UCLA 1
HOU
COLST 6
WF
FSU -4.5
MISST
GT -8
OHIO
NW -11
BALLST
IND -3.5
UCF
BC -11
EMU
MARY -21.5
ND
MSU -8.5
FAU
MN -6.5
BUFF
MIZZ -33.5
VAN
OLE -5.5
ECU
NCST 7
VT
NC -1
TROY
OHIOST -20.5
TEM
PSU -27.5
IOWA
PITT -1.5
RICE
TEX -30.5
AKR
ARMY 7
MDTN
ARKST -5
MIAOH
CIN -12.5
USF
FIU 27.5
BOISE
ORE -12.5
CMU
PUR -10.5
MARSH
SOMISS -9.5
FLA
TN 7.5
NMST
UTEP -6
ULM
TULANE -5.5
WY
BYU -27
RUT
NAVY 4
UTAH
AF 7
NM
TULSA -9.5
MIA
A&M 2.5
KENT
ULL -2.5
FRES
TOL 6.5
LSU
AUB 2
IDAHO
UTST -4.5
TCU
SMU 24
ISU
UNLV -3
LOU 3.5
WV
COL 3
BAY
UCONN -14
ALA
ARK 9
GEO
ASU 6.5
SJST
STAN -9.5
AZ
UCLA 1
HOU
COLST 6
WF
FSU -4.5
MISST
GT -8
OHIO
NW -11
BALLST
IND -3.5
UCF
BC -11
EMU
MARY -21.5
ND
MSU -8.5
FAU
MN -6.5
BUFF
MIZZ -33.5
VAN
OLE -5.5
ECU
NCST 7
VT
NC -1
TROY
OHIOST -20.5
TEM
PSU -27.5
IOWA
PITT -1.5
RICE
TEX -30.5
AKR
ARMY 7
MDTN
ARKST -5
MIAOH
CIN -12.5
USF
FIU 27.5
BOISE
ORE -12.5
CMU
PUR -10.5
MARSH
SOMISS -9.5
FLA
TN 7.5
NMST
UTEP -6
ULM
TULANE -5.5
WY
BYU -27
RUT
NAVY 4
UTAH
AF 7
NM
TULSA -9.5
MIA
A&M 2.5
KENT
ULL -2.5
FRES
TOL 6.5
LSU
AUB 2
IDAHO
UTST -4.5
TCU
SMU 24
ISU
UNLV -3
Some initial Week 3 reactions
Hey Guys -
Another week, another last place finish for TREE. Wow, I'm rolling this year. On the complete other side of the spectrum, Mr. Roe. With a Dallas cover tonight he will have won all 3 of the FOOTBALL CHALLENGE weeks thus far. MK and MR are tied at 9 wins right now, but a Dallas cover tonight will put Roe into double digit wins for the 2nd time this year. Nice start Mike.
Some thoughts:
- KAN-USF was a fun game to watch, best of the year thus far.
- USC is good. Todd Boeckman is not, and T.Pryor will be/should be the Buckeye QB by the end of the year. Great line on ESPN today, "should the Buckeyes now be AN Ohio State University rather than THE Ohio State University?" Gotta kick them when they are down.
- which BCS team is worse? Virginia, Syracuse, or Washington State?
- Next time I have 2 LOCKS OF THE CENTURY, please talk me out of it. Arizona and Cal both pooped the bed and looked awful against bad teams this week.
- Speaking of the USC + 9, ASU, UCLA, CAL, AZ all looked bad this week and OREGON barely squeaked by the mighty Boilers...Pac-10 race is over already. Only 2 teams left without a loss, and we're only through 3 weeks!!
- Over/Under on AF passing yards last week...1..it was under. Zero passing yards in a game, is this 1942?
- Hawaii is really bad.
- If you ever see an SEC line over 7 points, take the Dog - ALWAYS!
- Ferentz had the Clones and the points, so he called to take a safety for the ultimate back door cover in the battle for the Cy-Hawk. I think we saw what the Iowa offense is all about in this game, and I like it.
- Michigan...fucking embarassing. The only highlight from this game invovles Chuck Weis and a knee brace.
So I went 22-22 overall on NCAA picks last week, but 3-7 on my picks. Not sure what needs to change, but I am re-assessing everything this week and 2nd guessing myself on every pick. I need to work the kinks out before Vegas, or I'm not making any of my own bets. I'll just flip a f*cking coin and try my luck that way.
GOPHERS RECAP
Snoozer of a game. Gophers came out flat and played very vanilla offense. Lots of looks for the young guys, which was good, but at least one other WR needs to become an option besides Heisman Decker. Running game will be okay, I think there's enough depth there to stay strong. My bet is that they come out this week, with a huge batch of Recruits in town, and open the offense up and try to get some style points and major confidence going into Columbus the following week. Early line on that one...BUCKS -20. FAU is 1-2, with their only win coming over a horrible UAB squad. We turned the ball over 7 times last year on the road and almost beat this squad. Our defense has improved, we'll be at home, we won't have 7 turnovers, we'll win handily. Only -6.5 right now...I'm jumping all over it - but I'm batting about .200 this year, so don't take my word for it! Somebody loves the Gophers though, we actually received 4 Votes for the Top25 this week! I'm a diehard, but I'm not on crack...this is not a Top25 football team. Polls are a joke.
NFL RECAP
NFL might be a little too broad, this will be a Vikings bitch session...are you ready. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think this team has some major issues at the top that need to change before they can go anywhere. I know we're only 0-2 against 2 teams that are likely going to be pretty good, but I am almost ready to throw in the towel on the season if something drastic doesn't happen. Right now, I have us as a 5 win team...1-6 into the bye. I've thought a lot about this after watching the meltdown on Sunday, so here's my solution. Chilly is not the guy. I believed when he came to town, I thought he was organized and had a plan and things were going to work out. I have officially gotten on the Fire Brad Childress bandwagon. Most are blaming TJack, and he's been bad, but the "kick-ass offense" system is garbage. If Adrian doesn't break a big TD run, we don't score points. Dominating the game on defense and kicking 5 FG's is not how to win in the NFL...especially against good teams like INDY. The offense needs to open up, throw in running situations, run in passing situations, take a chance with the guy under center rather than protecting him to the point that he can't even make a play at all without thinking about it and looking lost. He's a mechanical nightmare, and his play reeks of over-thinking. Even 3 years in, he still doesn't get it...but that's on Chilly. Chilly put his entire Vikes career on the line with this guy, and he clearly can't do the job. But if they can figure out the playcalling, and not try to win every game 9-6, they might be okay. You have to take chances to win in the NFL, this isn't high school football - you can't just run the ball and dominate everyone every week. In the NFL, the separation between the god-awful Rams and the undefeated Packers isn't that big. It is not possible to dominate week in and week out with a plan like this - you must take chances and stop being predictable. Go into the game thinking you need to score on every possession...score TD's, not FG's! When we got the ball back on our 1 and just needed a 1st down to send it to OT, I pretty much called the entire series before it happened. Run AD twice for nothing and then a roll out attempt and a 3 yard pass. If you can't trust your QB to throw the ball to give you a chance to win the game, then you are not going to win many game. The schedule actually doesn't get much easier, Carolina is better than us, TEN is better, at NO on Monday = underdog, DET is bad and we own them, then at CHI before the bye. Find a win in this list besides DET...= 1-6. If we go in 1-6 at the bye, Somebody else is coaching in Week 9 when we host HOUSTON.
There, I feel better now. It's going to take a lot to get me off of this statement, I'm thoroughly convinced that this team is going nowhere fast, and Chilly needs to go.
College lines are out - I will post all College lines tomorrow and NFL lines on WED.
Let me know your thoughts guys - shaping up to be a slow week at work, so I need some good banter and discussion to get me through.
Later.
Another week, another last place finish for TREE. Wow, I'm rolling this year. On the complete other side of the spectrum, Mr. Roe. With a Dallas cover tonight he will have won all 3 of the FOOTBALL CHALLENGE weeks thus far. MK and MR are tied at 9 wins right now, but a Dallas cover tonight will put Roe into double digit wins for the 2nd time this year. Nice start Mike.
Some thoughts:
- KAN-USF was a fun game to watch, best of the year thus far.
- USC is good. Todd Boeckman is not, and T.Pryor will be/should be the Buckeye QB by the end of the year. Great line on ESPN today, "should the Buckeyes now be AN Ohio State University rather than THE Ohio State University?" Gotta kick them when they are down.
- which BCS team is worse? Virginia, Syracuse, or Washington State?
- Next time I have 2 LOCKS OF THE CENTURY, please talk me out of it. Arizona and Cal both pooped the bed and looked awful against bad teams this week.
- Speaking of the USC + 9, ASU, UCLA, CAL, AZ all looked bad this week and OREGON barely squeaked by the mighty Boilers...Pac-10 race is over already. Only 2 teams left without a loss, and we're only through 3 weeks!!
- Over/Under on AF passing yards last week...1..it was under. Zero passing yards in a game, is this 1942?
- Hawaii is really bad.
- If you ever see an SEC line over 7 points, take the Dog - ALWAYS!
- Ferentz had the Clones and the points, so he called to take a safety for the ultimate back door cover in the battle for the Cy-Hawk. I think we saw what the Iowa offense is all about in this game, and I like it.
- Michigan...fucking embarassing. The only highlight from this game invovles Chuck Weis and a knee brace.
So I went 22-22 overall on NCAA picks last week, but 3-7 on my picks. Not sure what needs to change, but I am re-assessing everything this week and 2nd guessing myself on every pick. I need to work the kinks out before Vegas, or I'm not making any of my own bets. I'll just flip a f*cking coin and try my luck that way.
GOPHERS RECAP
Snoozer of a game. Gophers came out flat and played very vanilla offense. Lots of looks for the young guys, which was good, but at least one other WR needs to become an option besides Heisman Decker. Running game will be okay, I think there's enough depth there to stay strong. My bet is that they come out this week, with a huge batch of Recruits in town, and open the offense up and try to get some style points and major confidence going into Columbus the following week. Early line on that one...BUCKS -20. FAU is 1-2, with their only win coming over a horrible UAB squad. We turned the ball over 7 times last year on the road and almost beat this squad. Our defense has improved, we'll be at home, we won't have 7 turnovers, we'll win handily. Only -6.5 right now...I'm jumping all over it - but I'm batting about .200 this year, so don't take my word for it! Somebody loves the Gophers though, we actually received 4 Votes for the Top25 this week! I'm a diehard, but I'm not on crack...this is not a Top25 football team. Polls are a joke.
NFL RECAP
NFL might be a little too broad, this will be a Vikings bitch session...are you ready. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think this team has some major issues at the top that need to change before they can go anywhere. I know we're only 0-2 against 2 teams that are likely going to be pretty good, but I am almost ready to throw in the towel on the season if something drastic doesn't happen. Right now, I have us as a 5 win team...1-6 into the bye. I've thought a lot about this after watching the meltdown on Sunday, so here's my solution. Chilly is not the guy. I believed when he came to town, I thought he was organized and had a plan and things were going to work out. I have officially gotten on the Fire Brad Childress bandwagon. Most are blaming TJack, and he's been bad, but the "kick-ass offense" system is garbage. If Adrian doesn't break a big TD run, we don't score points. Dominating the game on defense and kicking 5 FG's is not how to win in the NFL...especially against good teams like INDY. The offense needs to open up, throw in running situations, run in passing situations, take a chance with the guy under center rather than protecting him to the point that he can't even make a play at all without thinking about it and looking lost. He's a mechanical nightmare, and his play reeks of over-thinking. Even 3 years in, he still doesn't get it...but that's on Chilly. Chilly put his entire Vikes career on the line with this guy, and he clearly can't do the job. But if they can figure out the playcalling, and not try to win every game 9-6, they might be okay. You have to take chances to win in the NFL, this isn't high school football - you can't just run the ball and dominate everyone every week. In the NFL, the separation between the god-awful Rams and the undefeated Packers isn't that big. It is not possible to dominate week in and week out with a plan like this - you must take chances and stop being predictable. Go into the game thinking you need to score on every possession...score TD's, not FG's! When we got the ball back on our 1 and just needed a 1st down to send it to OT, I pretty much called the entire series before it happened. Run AD twice for nothing and then a roll out attempt and a 3 yard pass. If you can't trust your QB to throw the ball to give you a chance to win the game, then you are not going to win many game. The schedule actually doesn't get much easier, Carolina is better than us, TEN is better, at NO on Monday = underdog, DET is bad and we own them, then at CHI before the bye. Find a win in this list besides DET...= 1-6. If we go in 1-6 at the bye, Somebody else is coaching in Week 9 when we host HOUSTON.
There, I feel better now. It's going to take a lot to get me off of this statement, I'm thoroughly convinced that this team is going nowhere fast, and Chilly needs to go.
College lines are out - I will post all College lines tomorrow and NFL lines on WED.
Let me know your thoughts guys - shaping up to be a slow week at work, so I need some good banter and discussion to get me through.
Later.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Week 3 is here - finally some real games!
Another week of bad picks and painful losses is upon us starting tonight with an intriguing UNC-RUT battle on ESPN. Tough call on this one, I like NC better than RUT, but I think I'm going back to my "never bet against the home team on Thursday night" mantra. I'll take RUT -4.5, but it's not one of my picks for the week.
The totally under the radar game for the week is the battle between KAN and USF. Two teams w/ BCS aspirations on Nat'l TV Friday night. I've been touting USF all year as the real deal and a Big East champ, so I think they prove it tonight vs. KAN. The Jayhawks are crushing thus far, just like '07 - and USF had a giant struggle last week at UCF. But I'm rolling with my original pick of USF to cover the 3.5 (27-20).
In my LOCK of the CENTURY for this week...I LOVE Cal at Maryland -13...check this season out for MD and big Ralph - 14-7 over Delaware in Week1, scary but maybe just opening night jitters right...week2 lose 14-24 at Mid TN - hmmm, I guess Maryland just really sucks. Cal, notorious for their quick starts, will crush. I like 45-10 beat down.
In lock of the century #2 ARIZONA -10 at NM...okay, NM is 0-2 losing twice at home to TCU and a brutal A&M team, AZ has scored a ton of points and will roll again 38-14
Other thoughts:
GT impressed me LW, and should easily cover at a ZERO offense team like VT
Sadly, I have to pick Becky to win at Fresno - running game will be too much
Still love my AUB squad...think they roll at MISSST this week.
ECU trap game alert - Tulane outplayed ALA LW, and they may stun an ECU team due for a major letdown after two giant home wins to start the season.
Mich-ND, totally irrelevant game that's off the radar of most everyone this week, but I see it like this...MICH = no OFF, nice DEF; ND = no OFF, no DEF...MICH wins.
GAME OF THE WEEK
OHIOST-USC
I think you have to take the points and go with the Buckeyes this week. They have a better defense, and if Wells is healthy they can move the ball. USC was VERY impressive in the opener, is coming off of a bye week, and is loaded at every position once again. But looking at past "game of the year" non-conference matchups i.e. OHIOST at TEXAS, and TEXAS at OHIOST - the road team comes out and plays better than expected and usually wins. I am picking USC to win 24-17, but hopefully it will be a fun one to watch and live up to the hype.
GOPHERS PREVEIW vs. Montana State
Well, coming off a giant victory for the program, you'd think a let down would be in order. The Bennett injury sucks, but I do like our depth at the position - but we're young. That's why this game fits in to the schedule at such a great time for this team. I expect Brew's Crew to roll out at least 3 different backs (lookout for freshman Kevin Whaley who, after recovering from a gunshot wound, appears to finally be healthy and might be the #1 back come B10 time). I'm really hoping to see some of the young WR's this week - we need a route game to develop some of this depth before the real games start. I think some of them will impress and prove to Brew that they deserve time with the 1st team. Defense will hopefully continue to show signs of improvement by limiting MtST and playing well with a lead. Bottom line, I think they are confident and relaxed and finally figured out how to win some games...Gopehrs in a laugher 55-17.
NFL quick thoughts - Vikes win this week, maybe. GB -3 at DET...are you kidding me? TEN at CIN in the 1st Annual Dysfunctional Bowl - team with least suicide attempts will win. CHI is not for real, CAR will show that this weekend. I like NYJ over NE this week. Cassell - not sold, Favre - lives for games like this. He might move ahead of Joe Willie for NYJ fans with a win this week and a win at SD next week. Also like DAL to easily cover the 7 at home vs. Eagles - MK jumped off the Cowboy train too early, they are the real deal and definitely the favorite to win the super bowl right now.
Later Guys - enjoy the weekend.
One last thing...VEGAS COUNTDOWN...29 days and counting...only 4 more weeks of games to analyze before we're doing it for real!
The totally under the radar game for the week is the battle between KAN and USF. Two teams w/ BCS aspirations on Nat'l TV Friday night. I've been touting USF all year as the real deal and a Big East champ, so I think they prove it tonight vs. KAN. The Jayhawks are crushing thus far, just like '07 - and USF had a giant struggle last week at UCF. But I'm rolling with my original pick of USF to cover the 3.5 (27-20).
In my LOCK of the CENTURY for this week...I LOVE Cal at Maryland -13...check this season out for MD and big Ralph - 14-7 over Delaware in Week1, scary but maybe just opening night jitters right...week2 lose 14-24 at Mid TN - hmmm, I guess Maryland just really sucks. Cal, notorious for their quick starts, will crush. I like 45-10 beat down.
In lock of the century #2 ARIZONA -10 at NM...okay, NM is 0-2 losing twice at home to TCU and a brutal A&M team, AZ has scored a ton of points and will roll again 38-14
Other thoughts:
GT impressed me LW, and should easily cover at a ZERO offense team like VT
Sadly, I have to pick Becky to win at Fresno - running game will be too much
Still love my AUB squad...think they roll at MISSST this week.
ECU trap game alert - Tulane outplayed ALA LW, and they may stun an ECU team due for a major letdown after two giant home wins to start the season.
Mich-ND, totally irrelevant game that's off the radar of most everyone this week, but I see it like this...MICH = no OFF, nice DEF; ND = no OFF, no DEF...MICH wins.
GAME OF THE WEEK
OHIOST-USC
I think you have to take the points and go with the Buckeyes this week. They have a better defense, and if Wells is healthy they can move the ball. USC was VERY impressive in the opener, is coming off of a bye week, and is loaded at every position once again. But looking at past "game of the year" non-conference matchups i.e. OHIOST at TEXAS, and TEXAS at OHIOST - the road team comes out and plays better than expected and usually wins. I am picking USC to win 24-17, but hopefully it will be a fun one to watch and live up to the hype.
GOPHERS PREVEIW vs. Montana State
Well, coming off a giant victory for the program, you'd think a let down would be in order. The Bennett injury sucks, but I do like our depth at the position - but we're young. That's why this game fits in to the schedule at such a great time for this team. I expect Brew's Crew to roll out at least 3 different backs (lookout for freshman Kevin Whaley who, after recovering from a gunshot wound, appears to finally be healthy and might be the #1 back come B10 time). I'm really hoping to see some of the young WR's this week - we need a route game to develop some of this depth before the real games start. I think some of them will impress and prove to Brew that they deserve time with the 1st team. Defense will hopefully continue to show signs of improvement by limiting MtST and playing well with a lead. Bottom line, I think they are confident and relaxed and finally figured out how to win some games...Gopehrs in a laugher 55-17.
NFL quick thoughts - Vikes win this week, maybe. GB -3 at DET...are you kidding me? TEN at CIN in the 1st Annual Dysfunctional Bowl - team with least suicide attempts will win. CHI is not for real, CAR will show that this weekend. I like NYJ over NE this week. Cassell - not sold, Favre - lives for games like this. He might move ahead of Joe Willie for NYJ fans with a win this week and a win at SD next week. Also like DAL to easily cover the 7 at home vs. Eagles - MK jumped off the Cowboy train too early, they are the real deal and definitely the favorite to win the super bowl right now.
Later Guys - enjoy the weekend.
One last thing...VEGAS COUNTDOWN...29 days and counting...only 4 more weeks of games to analyze before we're doing it for real!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Week 3 NFL Line Updates
Here are the 4 games that didn't have lines yesterday - JG, I know you already sent in your picks, but feel free to replace any NFL games with one of these if you'd like. PICKS ARE DUE BY THE END OF THE DAY TODAY, OR EARLY TOMORROW MORNING IF NECESSARY.
OAK
KC -4
GB
DET 3
IND
MN 2
SD
DEN 2
Thanks Guys.
OAK
KC -4
GB
DET 3
IND
MN 2
SD
DEN 2
Thanks Guys.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Week 3 Games
note - 4 NFL games without lines will be updated on WED - check blog, and/or I will send an email.
NC
RUT -4.5
KAN
USF -3.5
SDST
SJST -6
VIR
UCONN -12.5
MDTN
UK -16
CAL
MARY 13.5
FAU
MSU -16.5
NEV
MIZZ -26.5
NAVY
DUKE -1.5
NMST
NEB -25.5
PSU
SYR 26
CMU
OHIO 3.5
HAW
OREST -11
NCST
CLEM -18.5
RICE
VAN -7
WASU
BAY 2.5
ARK
TEX -23.5
GT
VT -7
OK
WASH 20
MEM
MARSH -4
WIS
FRES 1.5
WKY
ALA -27.5
AUB
MISST 10.5
ULL
ILL -24.5
BALLST
AKR 7
SOMISS
ARKST -1.5
TEM
BUFF -6
TOL
EMU -1
ISU
IOWA -12.5
ORE
PUR 7
UAB
TN -29.5
ECU
TULANE 13
MICH
ND 0
UCLA
BYU -9
GEO
SC 7.5
AF
HOU -5
WMU
IDAHO 8
STAN
TCU -12
SMU
TT -37
OHIOST
USC -10.5
BGU
BOISE -15
NTEX
LSU off
AZ
NM 10
UTAH
UTST 23.5
UNLV
ASU -22
OAK
KC off
GB
DET off
TEN
CIN -1
CHI
CAR -3.5
BUF
JAC -6
NO
WAS 0
IND
MIN off
NYG
STL 9
SF
SEA -9
ATL
TB -8.5
MIA
ARI -7
NE
NYJ -2.5
BAL
HOU -4.5
SD
DEN off
PIT
CLE 5.5
PHI
DAL -7
NC
RUT -4.5
KAN
USF -3.5
SDST
SJST -6
VIR
UCONN -12.5
MDTN
UK -16
CAL
MARY 13.5
FAU
MSU -16.5
NEV
MIZZ -26.5
NAVY
DUKE -1.5
NMST
NEB -25.5
PSU
SYR 26
CMU
OHIO 3.5
HAW
OREST -11
NCST
CLEM -18.5
RICE
VAN -7
WASU
BAY 2.5
ARK
TEX -23.5
GT
VT -7
OK
WASH 20
MEM
MARSH -4
WIS
FRES 1.5
WKY
ALA -27.5
AUB
MISST 10.5
ULL
ILL -24.5
BALLST
AKR 7
SOMISS
ARKST -1.5
TEM
BUFF -6
TOL
EMU -1
ISU
IOWA -12.5
ORE
PUR 7
UAB
TN -29.5
ECU
TULANE 13
MICH
ND 0
UCLA
BYU -9
GEO
SC 7.5
AF
HOU -5
WMU
IDAHO 8
STAN
TCU -12
SMU
TT -37
OHIOST
USC -10.5
BGU
BOISE -15
NTEX
LSU off
AZ
NM 10
UTAH
UTST 23.5
UNLV
ASU -22
OAK
KC off
GB
DET off
TEN
CIN -1
CHI
CAR -3.5
BUF
JAC -6
NO
WAS 0
IND
MIN off
NYG
STL 9
SF
SEA -9
ATL
TB -8.5
MIA
ARI -7
NE
NYJ -2.5
BAL
HOU -4.5
SD
DEN off
PIT
CLE 5.5
PHI
DAL -7
Week 2 Results
Tough week, but it's over so I'm moving on. Big win for the Gophers outweighs a bad loss for the Purple, so I'm calling it a successful week.
Our results:
MR - wins again at 9-6
MK - 8-7
JG - 6-9
JR - 5-10, 1st double digit loss week - I'll try not to make it a habit!
Overall MR has a 5 game lead over JG for the overall title. Looks like we'll be chasing Roe all year.
I will be sending out the lines for this week right after this. All of the Monday Night teams that played last night do not have lines yet...I will send those out tomorrow. Please get me your picks by Wednesday EOD if possible.
Thanks.
Our results:
MR - wins again at 9-6
MK - 8-7
JG - 6-9
JR - 5-10, 1st double digit loss week - I'll try not to make it a habit!
Overall MR has a 5 game lead over JG for the overall title. Looks like we'll be chasing Roe all year.
I will be sending out the lines for this week right after this. All of the Monday Night teams that played last night do not have lines yet...I will send those out tomorrow. Please get me your picks by Wednesday EOD if possible.
Thanks.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Quick Week 2 Update
Morning Guys -
Quick update on the ugliness of yestedray...for most of us at least.
ROE continue to ask for tougher games to compete with us, as he went 7-3 in NCAA.
Unfortunately, the rest of us sucked. JR lead the way at a solid 2-8...nice. JG went one better at 3-7, and MK really lit the world on fire at 4-6.
Everyone, except me of course, still has a shot at .500 for the week.
One quick note, last night I read that Duane Bennett's injury sounds like it might be an ACL and he could be done for the year. This would really suck, but he should still be able to get a medical redshirt, and we have 2 games to get the guys up and running before B10's start. I think the MRI is today, so we should know for sure sometime today or Monday.
Enjoy Week 1 of the NFL, sans Vikes.
Later.
Quick update on the ugliness of yestedray...for most of us at least.
ROE continue to ask for tougher games to compete with us, as he went 7-3 in NCAA.
Unfortunately, the rest of us sucked. JR lead the way at a solid 2-8...nice. JG went one better at 3-7, and MK really lit the world on fire at 4-6.
Everyone, except me of course, still has a shot at .500 for the week.
One quick note, last night I read that Duane Bennett's injury sounds like it might be an ACL and he could be done for the year. This would really suck, but he should still be able to get a medical redshirt, and we have 2 games to get the guys up and running before B10's start. I think the MRI is today, so we should know for sure sometime today or Monday.
Enjoy Week 1 of the NFL, sans Vikes.
Later.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
2-0, ain't it sweet?!?!?
Hey Guys - still on high from the Gophers' beatdown of BGSU tonight. I figured I'd start looking through my picks to see how bad those ended up. Right now, assuming Texas Tech holds on to cover, I went 2-8 in the college game. That might be a record, I'll have to check that this week. But who cares - here's a few off the cuff thoughts on the big Gopher win tonight:
1) How f'n good is Eric Decker!! Unreal. JG and I talked briefly about this, but the guy literally catches EVERYTHING. He should start getting a little more national attention as we roll to 4-0 before flying down to Columbus. All-American potential this year if he keeps it up.
2) Turnovers!! who are these guys that keep forcing turnovers on our defense? The commentators kept saying BGSU was shooting themselves in the foot, but we really had a lot to do with it by ripping the football away from them all night long - how long has it been since we've been on the right side of a 5-0 turnover margin.
3) Bennett looks like the real deal, hope he's okay. Salamon looked great as a #2, but Bennett really showed some flash tonight. I think he ran tougher and looked quicker and not as tentative this evening. It's great to have some depth at that position, but I hope he's good to go for the B10 games.
4) Special Teams - outstanding! we haven't had kick coverage issues on kicks or punts this year. Who are these guys, and what have you done with the yearly circus that is Gopher special teams! How good does Stoudemire look returning kicks...he's already turning into a guy that you might have to kick away from. I like our chances with Sherals or Thomas on the other side as well.
5) OL still looks very shakey to me. Weber was under pressure all night, they better sure things up before the trip to Columbus or we'll be looking for a new QB for B10 game #2.
6) I'm actually really excited for next week's "cupcake" (are we allowed to say that again in Gopher country after tonight?) for a chance to see us beat somebody down and get the young guys some time. I'm hoping to see a lot of the young WR's and backs play quite a bit against Montana St.
7) Hopefully a nice, big win like this will get the whole state off of Brew's back for a while. Things are coming around and it's time to give the guy a break. Why does every guy on KFAN have to go out of there way to continue to make Gopher cracks, give the guy a chance and then they'll all come around. Clearly the talent has improved, and he's figuring out how to be the guy - let it continue and it could be fun in 2010! I'm booking my room in Pasedena if we beat the Buckeyes in 3 weeks.
Sorry for the ramble, just too jacked to go to bed right now - god damn it's fun to be winning again!
Have a good night fellas - enjoy the NFL tomorrow, maybe I can get 2 more wins to not completely kill my win % for the week! (might be a record for ! in this post)!
1) How f'n good is Eric Decker!! Unreal. JG and I talked briefly about this, but the guy literally catches EVERYTHING. He should start getting a little more national attention as we roll to 4-0 before flying down to Columbus. All-American potential this year if he keeps it up.
2) Turnovers!! who are these guys that keep forcing turnovers on our defense? The commentators kept saying BGSU was shooting themselves in the foot, but we really had a lot to do with it by ripping the football away from them all night long - how long has it been since we've been on the right side of a 5-0 turnover margin.
3) Bennett looks like the real deal, hope he's okay. Salamon looked great as a #2, but Bennett really showed some flash tonight. I think he ran tougher and looked quicker and not as tentative this evening. It's great to have some depth at that position, but I hope he's good to go for the B10 games.
4) Special Teams - outstanding! we haven't had kick coverage issues on kicks or punts this year. Who are these guys, and what have you done with the yearly circus that is Gopher special teams! How good does Stoudemire look returning kicks...he's already turning into a guy that you might have to kick away from. I like our chances with Sherals or Thomas on the other side as well.
5) OL still looks very shakey to me. Weber was under pressure all night, they better sure things up before the trip to Columbus or we'll be looking for a new QB for B10 game #2.
6) I'm actually really excited for next week's "cupcake" (are we allowed to say that again in Gopher country after tonight?) for a chance to see us beat somebody down and get the young guys some time. I'm hoping to see a lot of the young WR's and backs play quite a bit against Montana St.
7) Hopefully a nice, big win like this will get the whole state off of Brew's back for a while. Things are coming around and it's time to give the guy a break. Why does every guy on KFAN have to go out of there way to continue to make Gopher cracks, give the guy a chance and then they'll all come around. Clearly the talent has improved, and he's figuring out how to be the guy - let it continue and it could be fun in 2010! I'm booking my room in Pasedena if we beat the Buckeyes in 3 weeks.
Sorry for the ramble, just too jacked to go to bed right now - god damn it's fun to be winning again!
Have a good night fellas - enjoy the NFL tomorrow, maybe I can get 2 more wins to not completely kill my win % for the week! (might be a record for ! in this post)!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
A few week two thoughts
I am not much of a talker, but here are some week 2 thoughts...
I like the Vikes at +3 this Monday night. I think the Vikes win in a close one 21-20. Philly is a mortal lock vs. St Louis. The Jets make Chad Pennington cry on the way to a huge win at Miami, 31-10.
Althought I hate to pick it, I think the U keeps it close, but they will still lose by 15-18 points to Florida. Penn State will not put up 66 again this week....in fact, i don't know if they will put up 30 this week against Oregon State. Penn State wins, but in a close one.
Notre Dame gets win one of the season, and Michael Floyd gets into the end zone, but they do not cover.
Thats all I got for now. The Giants are rolling, as expected.
Skol, and Go Gophs
I like the Vikes at +3 this Monday night. I think the Vikes win in a close one 21-20. Philly is a mortal lock vs. St Louis. The Jets make Chad Pennington cry on the way to a huge win at Miami, 31-10.
Althought I hate to pick it, I think the U keeps it close, but they will still lose by 15-18 points to Florida. Penn State will not put up 66 again this week....in fact, i don't know if they will put up 30 this week against Oregon State. Penn State wins, but in a close one.
Notre Dame gets win one of the season, and Michael Floyd gets into the end zone, but they do not cover.
Thats all I got for now. The Giants are rolling, as expected.
Skol, and Go Gophs
Week 2 Picks & Preview
Time for week 2 of our illustrious challenge, MR took the title in Week 1, let's see who's the smartest or luckiest for week 2.
I won't go over all the picks, but I'll send them out in an email right after this post.
Here's my preview w/predictions for the week:
SC-VANDY
this will be a brutally ugly game, but Vandy will not score more than 10 points...I think SC scores at least 20 and covers...24-7.
MIA-FLA
line is too big on this one, possible weather issues make me like this pick even more...Canes improve, but don't win - GATORS 24-10
GT-BC
this is one of the most interesting games of the week. GT triple option vs. the grinder "do enough to win" style of BC...I will beileve in the triple option if it goes well this week against a great run defense - I like BC 24-14 (every winning team will score 24 this week!)
NW only -6.5 at DUKE...call me crazy, but I think Duke still sucks..Cats 41-21.
WV-ECU
the 2nd tough test for ECU, I still don't like WV, and think this will be close...WV still wins 27-20.
WF-OLE MISS
love WF in this one, OLE was outplayed last week and still beat Memphis, won't be as lucky against a nice Deacon Defense...WF 34-17
BYU at WASH - hmmm, washington is terrible, the mormons are pretty good...this could be very ugly...44-20
TTECH at NEV - only an 8 1/2 pt favorite...should see LOTS of points from these two, but I'll take the TT offense (and defense) over NEV's...55-35
OREST-PSU
I think OreST stays with PSU and makes this one closer than expected...PSU wins 24-20
and finally the Gophers...
At +4 I don't think I can confidently pick the club to win this game or cover this line. I love them at +7.5, because I think this will be very close and decided by one score. BG was outplayed by Pitt and won because of turnovers, so if the Gophers can take care of the ball they have a chance. BG doesn't run well, so they will spread it out and throw all day - not with the ease that they did last year, but they'll still rack up around 300 yards. It will be up to Adam Weber and that offense to keep pace. The running game needs to be better, and they need to get some of the young playmakers involved at WR...if the offense plays well we can win, the official prediction of the TREE is GOPHERS in a stunner 35-34. 2-0, wouldn't it be sweet?
NFL picks also started this week...some thoughts:
NYG should have no problem tonight, still not a WASH believer.
Love NYJ at MIA -3, hate to say it, but Favre will make this a much improved team.
I'll take CIN over BAL and DET over ATL, never bet on a rookie QB in their first ever game.
Like BUFF as a sneaky "upset" over SEA this week. I think the Bills will be much better this year.
I think TEN is going to suck every year, but somehow they win 8-10 games every year. Well, I'm sticking with it for 2008...JAGS should roll and cover at TEN this week.
ARI only -2.5 at SF, seriously, JT O'Sullivan? this is free money, right?
INDY at only -9 hosting the lowly Bears? once again, free money.
DEN -3 at OAK (see ARI at SF)
VIKES +3 at GB
defense should come out and dominate from the start. i still don't believe in A-Rodge (worst nickname ever?). Running game should be nil for GB, and pressure should be there all night long. Over/under on Jared Allen sack 2.5 for Monday. The Pack still has a defense, so that could be dicey. Don't think Adrian will have a huge night, but I like TJACK coming out and throwing for 200+ and a couple of score for the W. Vikes win 24-20...if you score 24 you will win this week.
That's all I got - talk to you guys later.
Go Gophers!!
I won't go over all the picks, but I'll send them out in an email right after this post.
Here's my preview w/predictions for the week:
SC-VANDY
this will be a brutally ugly game, but Vandy will not score more than 10 points...I think SC scores at least 20 and covers...24-7.
MIA-FLA
line is too big on this one, possible weather issues make me like this pick even more...Canes improve, but don't win - GATORS 24-10
GT-BC
this is one of the most interesting games of the week. GT triple option vs. the grinder "do enough to win" style of BC...I will beileve in the triple option if it goes well this week against a great run defense - I like BC 24-14 (every winning team will score 24 this week!)
NW only -6.5 at DUKE...call me crazy, but I think Duke still sucks..Cats 41-21.
WV-ECU
the 2nd tough test for ECU, I still don't like WV, and think this will be close...WV still wins 27-20.
WF-OLE MISS
love WF in this one, OLE was outplayed last week and still beat Memphis, won't be as lucky against a nice Deacon Defense...WF 34-17
BYU at WASH - hmmm, washington is terrible, the mormons are pretty good...this could be very ugly...44-20
TTECH at NEV - only an 8 1/2 pt favorite...should see LOTS of points from these two, but I'll take the TT offense (and defense) over NEV's...55-35
OREST-PSU
I think OreST stays with PSU and makes this one closer than expected...PSU wins 24-20
and finally the Gophers...
At +4 I don't think I can confidently pick the club to win this game or cover this line. I love them at +7.5, because I think this will be very close and decided by one score. BG was outplayed by Pitt and won because of turnovers, so if the Gophers can take care of the ball they have a chance. BG doesn't run well, so they will spread it out and throw all day - not with the ease that they did last year, but they'll still rack up around 300 yards. It will be up to Adam Weber and that offense to keep pace. The running game needs to be better, and they need to get some of the young playmakers involved at WR...if the offense plays well we can win, the official prediction of the TREE is GOPHERS in a stunner 35-34. 2-0, wouldn't it be sweet?
NFL picks also started this week...some thoughts:
NYG should have no problem tonight, still not a WASH believer.
Love NYJ at MIA -3, hate to say it, but Favre will make this a much improved team.
I'll take CIN over BAL and DET over ATL, never bet on a rookie QB in their first ever game.
Like BUFF as a sneaky "upset" over SEA this week. I think the Bills will be much better this year.
I think TEN is going to suck every year, but somehow they win 8-10 games every year. Well, I'm sticking with it for 2008...JAGS should roll and cover at TEN this week.
ARI only -2.5 at SF, seriously, JT O'Sullivan? this is free money, right?
INDY at only -9 hosting the lowly Bears? once again, free money.
DEN -3 at OAK (see ARI at SF)
VIKES +3 at GB
defense should come out and dominate from the start. i still don't believe in A-Rodge (worst nickname ever?). Running game should be nil for GB, and pressure should be there all night long. Over/under on Jared Allen sack 2.5 for Monday. The Pack still has a defense, so that could be dicey. Don't think Adrian will have a huge night, but I like TJACK coming out and throwing for 200+ and a couple of score for the W. Vikes win 24-20...if you score 24 you will win this week.
That's all I got - talk to you guys later.
Go Gophers!!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Week 2 Games
Please get 10 NCAA picks and 5 NFL picks to me by EOD TOMORROW (Wednesday)...NFL and NCAA open play on Thursday this week.
SC
VAN 9
NAVY
BALLST -7
SOMISS
AUB -17
ULM
ARK -14.5
TOL
AZ -22.5
MIA
FLA -21
CMU
GEO -23.5
KENT
ISU -7.5
GT
BC -7
EMU
MSU -23.5
MIAOH
MICH -14.5
NW
DUKE 6.5
WV
ECU 8.5
OLE
WF -8.5
SJST
NEB -26.5
AKR
SYR -6
MN
BGU -4
OHIO
OHIOST -34.5
HOU
OKST -13
CIN
OK -20
UCONN
TEM 7
BUFF
PITT -11.5
TULSA
NTEX 20
BYU
WASH
CAL
WASU 13
MARSH
WIS -22
TULANE
ALA -28
UAB
FAU -14
FIU
IOWA -27
LT
KAN -20.5
MARY
MDTN 13.5
TT
NEV 8.5
UTST
ORE -34.5
SDST
ND -20
OREST
PSU -15.5
AF
WY -3
A&M
NM 3
USF
UCF 13
NILL
WMU -6
TROY
LSU -24
UNLV
UTAH -22.5
RICE
MEM -3
STAN
ASU -14.5
TEX
UTEP 25.5
WAS
NYG -3.5
TB
NO -3.5
STL
PHI -7
NYJ
MIA 3
KC
NE -16.5
HOU
PIT -7
CIN
BAL 0
DET
ATL 3
SEA
BUF 0
JAC
TEN 3
DAL
CLE 4
CAR
SD -10
ARI
SF 2.5
CHI
IND -9
MIN
GB -3
DEN
OAK 3
SC
VAN 9
NAVY
BALLST -7
SOMISS
AUB -17
ULM
ARK -14.5
TOL
AZ -22.5
MIA
FLA -21
CMU
GEO -23.5
KENT
ISU -7.5
GT
BC -7
EMU
MSU -23.5
MIAOH
MICH -14.5
NW
DUKE 6.5
WV
ECU 8.5
OLE
WF -8.5
SJST
NEB -26.5
AKR
SYR -6
MN
BGU -4
OHIO
OHIOST -34.5
HOU
OKST -13
CIN
OK -20
UCONN
TEM 7
BUFF
PITT -11.5
TULSA
NTEX 20
BYU
WASH
CAL
WASU 13
MARSH
WIS -22
TULANE
ALA -28
UAB
FAU -14
FIU
IOWA -27
LT
KAN -20.5
MARY
MDTN 13.5
TT
NEV 8.5
UTST
ORE -34.5
SDST
ND -20
OREST
PSU -15.5
AF
WY -3
A&M
NM 3
USF
UCF 13
NILL
WMU -6
TROY
LSU -24
UNLV
UTAH -22.5
RICE
MEM -3
STAN
ASU -14.5
TEX
UTEP 25.5
WAS
NYG -3.5
TB
NO -3.5
STL
PHI -7
NYJ
MIA 3
KC
NE -16.5
HOU
PIT -7
CIN
BAL 0
DET
ATL 3
SEA
BUF 0
JAC
TEN 3
DAL
CLE 4
CAR
SD -10
ARI
SF 2.5
CHI
IND -9
MIN
GB -3
DEN
OAK 3
Week 1 Results/Thoughts
Quite a 1st week for the Football Challenge. Here were the week 1 results:
MR: 11-4
JG: 9-6
JR: 8-7
MK: 7-8
TOTAL 35-25 (.583)
Not too bad for week 1. MR storms off to an early 2 game lead with the NFL coming into play this week. Nobody turned in a 5-10 or 4-11 clunker, so maybe we really have improved. Only time will tell.
GOPHERS
Interesting start Saturday night for our favorite club. I think they played much better than the whole world is giving them credit for this week. If they stop the 2 huge pass plays, which were both very preventable, they win in a rout. Offense sputtered at times when it shouldn't have, but I think that will change as Brew works in the more athletic, young WR's and benches Kuznia/Spry. The OL was also made up of a bunch of youngsters making their first starts, and they were without Burris who is probably their best overall OL. Weber looked sharp, for the most part. No turnovers is a huge improvement over last year. I was very impressed with the new defense. They totally shut down the high powered NILL running game, and only allowed the 2 long pass plays (without those we only would have given up about 150 yards passing). Both came on 3rd down, and those sturggles will have to improve to be a better defense. What I don't get is the sentiment that we have zero chance next week and are going to get crushed?!? People need to remember that we are playing Bowling Green, not Ohio State. We nearly beat them last year after playing one of the ugliest halfs of football you'll ever see with zero defense and breaking in a brand new offensive system. The offense is better, I think the defense is much improved, and Bowling Green is really still the same team. The win over Pitt last week is getting over-hyped as well. BGSU only had 250 total yards against Pitt, and took advantage of 4 turnovers. They gave up 400 yards of offense to Pitt, but the turnovers didn't allow them to score. Overall, Pitt isn't as good as the "experts" thought, and BGSU didn't do too much to impress in this victory. I just don't understand how so many people are counting us out already for next week...makes no sense to me.
OTHER NOTES
CLEMSON - I didn't believe the hype of National Title hopes, but I didn't think Saban and his group of 19 year olds would blow their doors off like that. They can still win the ACC, but that was just one in a long list of brutal ACC performances this week.
MICHIGAN - painful. It is going to suck watching Michigan be terrible this year, I feel really bad. Zero QB play, zero running game...yikes. This will not be a bowl team, in my opinion.
USC - how did we not all see this coming? don't bet against Carroll on the road in an opener. I love this squad to dismantle the Buckeyes in 2 weeks...but that could change.
SPARTY/ILLINI - nice road efforts on Nat'l TV, but neither team has enough to challenge in the B10 race this year. How about Juice for 458!! WTF?
SHERMANATOR and AGGIES - nice start Mike. Lose at how to ARKST...too early to start looking for that next job?
AUBURN - scary good, under the radar, new and improved offense...I see a sneaky Nat'l Title sleeper right here. All big games at home...I have a new SEC favorite.
TENNESSEE - how do you lose that game. while watching most of the 2nd half it was obvious to me that TN clearly has the better team and athletes, but they were unable to make a stop when necessary...and they have a shitty kicker.
UCLA - this is Neuheisel at his finest, he rolls in year one and gets the program on the national scene, then he causes problems, plays guitar, and start a gambling ring before he leaves. exactly the same start as he had in COL and WASH.
FRESNO - finally turned on the O in the 2nd half...Rutgers is not going to be very good. Look out Becky!! Fresno is hyping that thing up as the biggest game in the history of the program.
We have a decent slate for week 2 - I will post the games (NCAA and NFL) and send out an email.
Later guys.
MR: 11-4
JG: 9-6
JR: 8-7
MK: 7-8
TOTAL 35-25 (.583)
Not too bad for week 1. MR storms off to an early 2 game lead with the NFL coming into play this week. Nobody turned in a 5-10 or 4-11 clunker, so maybe we really have improved. Only time will tell.
GOPHERS
Interesting start Saturday night for our favorite club. I think they played much better than the whole world is giving them credit for this week. If they stop the 2 huge pass plays, which were both very preventable, they win in a rout. Offense sputtered at times when it shouldn't have, but I think that will change as Brew works in the more athletic, young WR's and benches Kuznia/Spry. The OL was also made up of a bunch of youngsters making their first starts, and they were without Burris who is probably their best overall OL. Weber looked sharp, for the most part. No turnovers is a huge improvement over last year. I was very impressed with the new defense. They totally shut down the high powered NILL running game, and only allowed the 2 long pass plays (without those we only would have given up about 150 yards passing). Both came on 3rd down, and those sturggles will have to improve to be a better defense. What I don't get is the sentiment that we have zero chance next week and are going to get crushed?!? People need to remember that we are playing Bowling Green, not Ohio State. We nearly beat them last year after playing one of the ugliest halfs of football you'll ever see with zero defense and breaking in a brand new offensive system. The offense is better, I think the defense is much improved, and Bowling Green is really still the same team. The win over Pitt last week is getting over-hyped as well. BGSU only had 250 total yards against Pitt, and took advantage of 4 turnovers. They gave up 400 yards of offense to Pitt, but the turnovers didn't allow them to score. Overall, Pitt isn't as good as the "experts" thought, and BGSU didn't do too much to impress in this victory. I just don't understand how so many people are counting us out already for next week...makes no sense to me.
OTHER NOTES
CLEMSON - I didn't believe the hype of National Title hopes, but I didn't think Saban and his group of 19 year olds would blow their doors off like that. They can still win the ACC, but that was just one in a long list of brutal ACC performances this week.
MICHIGAN - painful. It is going to suck watching Michigan be terrible this year, I feel really bad. Zero QB play, zero running game...yikes. This will not be a bowl team, in my opinion.
USC - how did we not all see this coming? don't bet against Carroll on the road in an opener. I love this squad to dismantle the Buckeyes in 2 weeks...but that could change.
SPARTY/ILLINI - nice road efforts on Nat'l TV, but neither team has enough to challenge in the B10 race this year. How about Juice for 458!! WTF?
SHERMANATOR and AGGIES - nice start Mike. Lose at how to ARKST...too early to start looking for that next job?
AUBURN - scary good, under the radar, new and improved offense...I see a sneaky Nat'l Title sleeper right here. All big games at home...I have a new SEC favorite.
TENNESSEE - how do you lose that game. while watching most of the 2nd half it was obvious to me that TN clearly has the better team and athletes, but they were unable to make a stop when necessary...and they have a shitty kicker.
UCLA - this is Neuheisel at his finest, he rolls in year one and gets the program on the national scene, then he causes problems, plays guitar, and start a gambling ring before he leaves. exactly the same start as he had in COL and WASH.
FRESNO - finally turned on the O in the 2nd half...Rutgers is not going to be very good. Look out Becky!! Fresno is hyping that thing up as the biggest game in the history of the program.
We have a decent slate for week 2 - I will post the games (NCAA and NFL) and send out an email.
Later guys.
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