After an eventful Friday, I figured I'd throw out a quick look at the standings...
BOWL W
GR 13
SS 13
TN 13
MR 12
CP 12
AW 11
MH 11
LW 11
MT 11
GT 11
JH 11
JG 10
RO 10
JR 9
MC 9
MO 9
Nobody went 4-0 or 0-4 yesterday, so not a lot of change on the leaderboard.
Today's slate, while not real exciting, could make for some good games. It's the final day of 1 point games before it really starts to get serious.
BTW - if any of you Aggie backers for this game on right now are shocked by this you shouldn't be. You could not script this game any better than this. Aggies open a huge lead (they've lead by double digits in 12 of their 13 games this year!) and blown about 1/2 of those. NW is not real good this year, but they have a quirky offense and always seem to find a way to sneak into games late...especially in bowl games. So if you're shocked that this went from 30-7 to 30-22 with A&M hoping just to hold on and win at this point, then you haven't been paying attention. The cover could still go either way, but that why you always have to take a look at NW getting +XX.
Good Luck - enjoy the next 3 days!!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Week 18 Preview & NYE Bowls
BAY just scored 3 more times while I turned my computer on. I hope you stayed up late and watched the Arena Bowl last night like I did. The lack of defense by those 2 teams was comical. Great offenses, yes...but seriously, anything less than 10 yards was like a loss for those teams last night. 17 TDs!! Ugly.
Alright. On to the important matters...$200 on the line in Week 18 + the total overall championship for the regular season. It could be a stressful Sunday.
PICKS
JR: MIA CAR HOU MIN BAL ATL KC OAK SEA NYG
JG: BAL SEA NYJ NO SF IND NE CHI DEN DAL
MR: BAL SEA NYJ SF NE CHI NYG PHI TEN PIT
AW: BAL NYJ CHI NYG DEN HOU DET JAC SD ARI
GR: BAL CHI NYG DEN NE PHI TEN NO ATL OAK
MH: BAL DEN HOU SD SEA IND DAL CAR MIN WAS
MC: HOU CAR WAS CHI JAC SF PIT MIA BUF TB
SS: JAC SF PIT BAL SD MIN NYG TEN NO DET
RO: JAC MIN NYG HOU CAR TB DEN SEA PHI NYJ
TN: MIN NYG CAR SF BAL TEN DET IND NE KC
MT: NYG CAR IND KC HOU TB WAS BUF ARI STL
GT: NYG IND BUF STL BAL DEN PHI NYJ NO GB
MS: BAL DEN NYJ NO GB HOU TB WAS ARI DAL
CP: HOU DAL IND KC NE SEA SD CHI MIA CIN
LW: IND NE DEN NYJ GB TB PHI CAR MIN SF
JH: NE GB PHI MIN SF HOU SD BAL NO NYG
MO: GB MIN HOU NYG IND NYJ TB CAR STL PIT
I have 42 as my number, still waiting on a number from a couple of guys - many of you sent in picks without a number this week, but I'll give a little leeway on that and let you get the number in by Sunday. I've received 15 numbers so far and NO DUPLICATES...how is that possible? We should have a clear cut winner this week.
Quick thoughts on NFL:
I think MIA beats NYJ. That team just feels like it's done to me. Rexy and his a-hole ways are starting to wear on that group. The defense is getting old and slow and San-Cheese is close to being on his way out. If they somehow sneak into the playoffs they could be dangerous, but I don't think they get there.
STL is +12 at home...DD dogs have not lost ATS at home this year. But I can't with a good conscience pick them to cover this one in a meaningful game for the 49ers. Although they don't score much, I don't think STL scores any.
IND-JAC might be the least watchable football game of the year. IND doesn't really want to win because they need Luck. JAC doesn't really want IND to lose because they don't want to play Luck for the next 12 years. A battle of 2 teams who don't want to win...should be fun.
I like HOU to show up and try to get the mojo going again before playoff time. They need to play a lot better than the last 2 weeks going into the playoffs. I also think they get a large emotional lift with Wade Phillips being back on the sideline. TEN has had all the chances to sneak in, but they just can't get over the hump. HOU ends their dream for sure this weekend.
I've been picking the Purple to win this week for about the last month. I thought it would be their only other win, until the miracle in DC last week. Bears are just done and have nothing to play for at all this week. Not that the Purple have a lot to play for, but I think they want to put up a good performance, win a division game, and win at home. That all counts for something.
BTW - the line we are using on the PIT-CLE line is PIT -7...most of us stayed away, but we have a few takers.
I'm one of the 2 on ATL this week to cover -14 on TB. I really think TB has just thrown the towel in on this season and ATL is looking to crush at home and get some momentum rolling into the playoffs. Especially if GB beats DET.
I took Orton in revenge mode over Tebow. I'm sure the NFL and Jesus will find a way to make Timmy TD win this thing, but DEN can't cover 3...at best they'll push it. Tebow wins by 1 as he kicks a 50 yard FG because their kicker is hurt.
I'm also only 1 of 2 on OAK. I think they got something rolling last week with the big OT win over KC. SD is eliminated, and we know how Norv's teams play without motivation...they don't.
Still riding the SEA train, they should have probably won last week, and they'll get it done this week. ARI is a smoke and mirrors squad.
Finally, you HAVE to like NYG on MNF. Home field, Romo banged up, rivalry game, crappy conditions...give me NYG all day in this one.
BOWL GAMES
GR and SS are our co-leaders at 11 points. JR, MC, RO, MO pulling up the rear at 7 points...which is still .500 and not bad at all. Everyone is doing pretty well so far. But it's time for some separation this weekend with 4 games today and 5 games tomorrow.
TULSA-BYU (-2.5)
4 on TULSA and 12 on Mormons. Tulsa backers include JR, LW, JH, MO. Why? Well, I don't know. Because I don't think BYU is very good I guess.
RUT-ISU (+1.5)
4 on RUT and 12 on ISU. RUT backers include JR, MR, MH, MC...I'm in the minority again. Really like RUT chances in this one, and it's a chance to pick again an Iowa school...no brainer.
WF-MISST (-7)
ZZZZZZ....zzzzzz....zzzzz. 8 guys on each, so it could be a big one, but really does anyone even care about either of these 2? No is the right answer.
IOWA-OK (-14)
6 guys blindly backing team Meth in this one. Their offense is one dimensional and that one dimension is now suspended...so they would be zero dimensional I guess. Honestly, if Stoops and OK give 2 shits about this one and show up at all after the OKST beatdown it should be over by halftime. OK 73 IOWA 5. Blacklisted Iowa backers include JG, AW, GR, MC, MT, GT....boooooo!!!! I'm going to be very excited to watch this one tonight after 20 cocktails. I hope their are some Hogeye fans to chat with at this wedding tonight.
Saturday Games
A&M-NW (+10)
5 on A&M and 11 on NW. Come on man, NW in a bowl game getting huge points...automatic for the people. Aggie fans include: AW, MH, RO, CP, MO.
UTAH-GT (-3.5)
6 on UTES and 10 on Tech. I went with UTAH simply for the "bet against the triple option with time to prepare for it" angle, which has worked the last few years. UTES fans include JR, MH, MC, RO, MT, GT.
UCLA-ILL (-2.5)
Probably the worst game of the entire bowl season. No interest from either side, 2 new coaches waiting to take over, 2 interims just putting in minimal time to close this thing out, 2 fan bases that don't care about this game at all. Fun. But it could be a big one for Bowl Pool impact as we have a good split with 9 on UCLA and 7 on ILL. I went with the fightin' Zookers one last time. JR, MR, AW, MC, SS, RO, LW are on Zook-less Zookers.
CIN-VAN (-2.5)
Early on this one seemed easy...VANDY no doubt. Excited to be there, CIN QB is hurt, SEC > everyone. But I actually think VAN is getting a little too much love in this one and decided to go with CIN. Collaros is going to play for CIN, which is huge. 7 guys in CIN and 9 on VAN. Bearcat backers include JR, MH, RO, GT, LW, JH, MO.
VIR-AUB (-1.5)
The grand finale of Saturday night. Only 4 on VIR and 12 on AUB. I am once again going against the mighty SEC in this one. I just think the whole AUB program has a funk to it right now...both coordinators are gone and their overall talent level is low this year. VIR is too pumped up to be in this game after a few too many down years in a row. I think they come out and play with AUB and win it in the end in a close one. VIR backers include: JR, GR, CP, MO.
Good Luck gentlemen! It should be a wild couple of days. My Sunday plan is couch, couch, and more couch...so I should be able to throw out updates after the early games and late games so you know where you are at all times. I'll probably provide too many updates as we go with a little running commentary because it's the biggest week of the year as far as weekly prize and overall title being decided on one day. Tons more Bowl Games coming on Monday, so we'll be previewing those as well.
Enjoy the NYE Holiday - Boomer....Sooner.....Boomer....Sooner!!!!!
Alright. On to the important matters...$200 on the line in Week 18 + the total overall championship for the regular season. It could be a stressful Sunday.
PICKS
JR: MIA CAR HOU MIN BAL ATL KC OAK SEA NYG
JG: BAL SEA NYJ NO SF IND NE CHI DEN DAL
MR: BAL SEA NYJ SF NE CHI NYG PHI TEN PIT
AW: BAL NYJ CHI NYG DEN HOU DET JAC SD ARI
GR: BAL CHI NYG DEN NE PHI TEN NO ATL OAK
MH: BAL DEN HOU SD SEA IND DAL CAR MIN WAS
MC: HOU CAR WAS CHI JAC SF PIT MIA BUF TB
SS: JAC SF PIT BAL SD MIN NYG TEN NO DET
RO: JAC MIN NYG HOU CAR TB DEN SEA PHI NYJ
TN: MIN NYG CAR SF BAL TEN DET IND NE KC
MT: NYG CAR IND KC HOU TB WAS BUF ARI STL
GT: NYG IND BUF STL BAL DEN PHI NYJ NO GB
MS: BAL DEN NYJ NO GB HOU TB WAS ARI DAL
CP: HOU DAL IND KC NE SEA SD CHI MIA CIN
LW: IND NE DEN NYJ GB TB PHI CAR MIN SF
JH: NE GB PHI MIN SF HOU SD BAL NO NYG
MO: GB MIN HOU NYG IND NYJ TB CAR STL PIT
I have 42 as my number, still waiting on a number from a couple of guys - many of you sent in picks without a number this week, but I'll give a little leeway on that and let you get the number in by Sunday. I've received 15 numbers so far and NO DUPLICATES...how is that possible? We should have a clear cut winner this week.
Quick thoughts on NFL:
I think MIA beats NYJ. That team just feels like it's done to me. Rexy and his a-hole ways are starting to wear on that group. The defense is getting old and slow and San-Cheese is close to being on his way out. If they somehow sneak into the playoffs they could be dangerous, but I don't think they get there.
STL is +12 at home...DD dogs have not lost ATS at home this year. But I can't with a good conscience pick them to cover this one in a meaningful game for the 49ers. Although they don't score much, I don't think STL scores any.
IND-JAC might be the least watchable football game of the year. IND doesn't really want to win because they need Luck. JAC doesn't really want IND to lose because they don't want to play Luck for the next 12 years. A battle of 2 teams who don't want to win...should be fun.
I like HOU to show up and try to get the mojo going again before playoff time. They need to play a lot better than the last 2 weeks going into the playoffs. I also think they get a large emotional lift with Wade Phillips being back on the sideline. TEN has had all the chances to sneak in, but they just can't get over the hump. HOU ends their dream for sure this weekend.
I've been picking the Purple to win this week for about the last month. I thought it would be their only other win, until the miracle in DC last week. Bears are just done and have nothing to play for at all this week. Not that the Purple have a lot to play for, but I think they want to put up a good performance, win a division game, and win at home. That all counts for something.
BTW - the line we are using on the PIT-CLE line is PIT -7...most of us stayed away, but we have a few takers.
I'm one of the 2 on ATL this week to cover -14 on TB. I really think TB has just thrown the towel in on this season and ATL is looking to crush at home and get some momentum rolling into the playoffs. Especially if GB beats DET.
I took Orton in revenge mode over Tebow. I'm sure the NFL and Jesus will find a way to make Timmy TD win this thing, but DEN can't cover 3...at best they'll push it. Tebow wins by 1 as he kicks a 50 yard FG because their kicker is hurt.
I'm also only 1 of 2 on OAK. I think they got something rolling last week with the big OT win over KC. SD is eliminated, and we know how Norv's teams play without motivation...they don't.
Still riding the SEA train, they should have probably won last week, and they'll get it done this week. ARI is a smoke and mirrors squad.
Finally, you HAVE to like NYG on MNF. Home field, Romo banged up, rivalry game, crappy conditions...give me NYG all day in this one.
BOWL GAMES
GR and SS are our co-leaders at 11 points. JR, MC, RO, MO pulling up the rear at 7 points...which is still .500 and not bad at all. Everyone is doing pretty well so far. But it's time for some separation this weekend with 4 games today and 5 games tomorrow.
TULSA-BYU (-2.5)
4 on TULSA and 12 on Mormons. Tulsa backers include JR, LW, JH, MO. Why? Well, I don't know. Because I don't think BYU is very good I guess.
RUT-ISU (+1.5)
4 on RUT and 12 on ISU. RUT backers include JR, MR, MH, MC...I'm in the minority again. Really like RUT chances in this one, and it's a chance to pick again an Iowa school...no brainer.
WF-MISST (-7)
ZZZZZZ....zzzzzz....zzzzz. 8 guys on each, so it could be a big one, but really does anyone even care about either of these 2? No is the right answer.
IOWA-OK (-14)
6 guys blindly backing team Meth in this one. Their offense is one dimensional and that one dimension is now suspended...so they would be zero dimensional I guess. Honestly, if Stoops and OK give 2 shits about this one and show up at all after the OKST beatdown it should be over by halftime. OK 73 IOWA 5. Blacklisted Iowa backers include JG, AW, GR, MC, MT, GT....boooooo!!!! I'm going to be very excited to watch this one tonight after 20 cocktails. I hope their are some Hogeye fans to chat with at this wedding tonight.
Saturday Games
A&M-NW (+10)
5 on A&M and 11 on NW. Come on man, NW in a bowl game getting huge points...automatic for the people. Aggie fans include: AW, MH, RO, CP, MO.
UTAH-GT (-3.5)
6 on UTES and 10 on Tech. I went with UTAH simply for the "bet against the triple option with time to prepare for it" angle, which has worked the last few years. UTES fans include JR, MH, MC, RO, MT, GT.
UCLA-ILL (-2.5)
Probably the worst game of the entire bowl season. No interest from either side, 2 new coaches waiting to take over, 2 interims just putting in minimal time to close this thing out, 2 fan bases that don't care about this game at all. Fun. But it could be a big one for Bowl Pool impact as we have a good split with 9 on UCLA and 7 on ILL. I went with the fightin' Zookers one last time. JR, MR, AW, MC, SS, RO, LW are on Zook-less Zookers.
CIN-VAN (-2.5)
Early on this one seemed easy...VANDY no doubt. Excited to be there, CIN QB is hurt, SEC > everyone. But I actually think VAN is getting a little too much love in this one and decided to go with CIN. Collaros is going to play for CIN, which is huge. 7 guys in CIN and 9 on VAN. Bearcat backers include JR, MH, RO, GT, LW, JH, MO.
VIR-AUB (-1.5)
The grand finale of Saturday night. Only 4 on VIR and 12 on AUB. I am once again going against the mighty SEC in this one. I just think the whole AUB program has a funk to it right now...both coordinators are gone and their overall talent level is low this year. VIR is too pumped up to be in this game after a few too many down years in a row. I think they come out and play with AUB and win it in the end in a close one. VIR backers include: JR, GR, CP, MO.
Good Luck gentlemen! It should be a wild couple of days. My Sunday plan is couch, couch, and more couch...so I should be able to throw out updates after the early games and late games so you know where you are at all times. I'll probably provide too many updates as we go with a little running commentary because it's the biggest week of the year as far as weekly prize and overall title being decided on one day. Tons more Bowl Games coming on Monday, so we'll be previewing those as well.
Enjoy the NYE Holiday - Boomer....Sooner.....Boomer....Sooner!!!!!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Need Week 18 Picks from...
Lots of stragglers for this 18th and final week of the regular season...send them to me today please:
ROE
HEINERT
CORCORAN
STEVE
OLSON
NELSON
M.THOMAS
PEYTON
LUKE W.
Also - please don't forget to include your SNF Total Points pick with your 10 teams for a tie-breaker.
BOWL UPDATE
All 4 of our leaders went 1-1 yesterday to maintain their spot at the top with 9 points. JG, AW, RO, GT, JH all went 2-0 to gain some ground, and nobody went 0-2 yesterday.
Standings
BOWL W
GR 9
SS 9
MT 9
GT 9
TN 8
LW 8
JH 8
MR 7
AW 7
MH 7
MC 7
CP 7
JG 6
RO 6
JR 5
MO 5
MS 0
2 more games today...here's the breakdown:
ND-FSU (-3)
5 on ND, 11 on FSU. 3 of the 4 leaders are on FSU with 1 on ND. I also like FSU - I think their D will contain the Irish offense and ND's ability to turn the ball over will lead to their demise once again.
WASH-BAY (-9)
Only 2 guys on the Huskies tonight. (MC and MT) The rest of us like RG3 and the Bears. It's just really hard not to pick this team right now. They score so many points and have so much mometum going right now. Give me the Bears at -9.
Full NFL Preview and huge Bowl Weekend Preview will be coming either later tonight or tomorrow morning.
ROE
HEINERT
CORCORAN
STEVE
OLSON
NELSON
M.THOMAS
PEYTON
LUKE W.
Also - please don't forget to include your SNF Total Points pick with your 10 teams for a tie-breaker.
BOWL UPDATE
All 4 of our leaders went 1-1 yesterday to maintain their spot at the top with 9 points. JG, AW, RO, GT, JH all went 2-0 to gain some ground, and nobody went 0-2 yesterday.
Standings
BOWL W
GR 9
SS 9
MT 9
GT 9
TN 8
LW 8
JH 8
MR 7
AW 7
MH 7
MC 7
CP 7
JG 6
RO 6
JR 5
MO 5
MS 0
2 more games today...here's the breakdown:
ND-FSU (-3)
5 on ND, 11 on FSU. 3 of the 4 leaders are on FSU with 1 on ND. I also like FSU - I think their D will contain the Irish offense and ND's ability to turn the ball over will lead to their demise once again.
WASH-BAY (-9)
Only 2 guys on the Huskies tonight. (MC and MT) The rest of us like RG3 and the Bears. It's just really hard not to pick this team right now. They score so many points and have so much mometum going right now. Give me the Bears at -9.
Full NFL Preview and huge Bowl Weekend Preview will be coming either later tonight or tomorrow morning.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Bowl Update
Lots of 2-0's yesterday, and a couple of 0-2's...JR and RO.
But Bowl season gives you a chance for redemption every day of the week...so here we go again with 2 more games today.
STANDINGS
BOWL W
GR 8
SS 8
MT 8
TN 7
LW 7
GT 7
MR 6
MH 6
MC 6
CP 6
JH 6
AW 5
JR 4
JG 4
RO 4
MO 4
MS 0
TOLEDO vs. AF (+3)MILITARY BOWL
Pretty even split on this one with 9 on AF and 7 on TOL. Our 3 leaders favor TOLEDO 2-1. I'm also going with TOLEDO on this one, I think I pick against AF every year in the bowl games. I think the option game loses it's effectiveness when teams have a month to prepare...see GTECH. TOL has the turnover edge with a comparable defense. They also have an interim coach after their guy left for Illinois, I like the track record of interim 1 game coaches in Bowl Games.
CAL-TEX (-3) HOLIDAY BOWL
The nightcap is the always exciting Holiday Bowl. We have only 4 guys on CAL and 12 on TEX...CAL supporters include MR, GR, MH, MC...all with 6+ points right now. Texas has a far superior defense, which lead me toward them in this one. Offensively, they are challenged, but I think it could be a good game for them to build some optimism and momentum going into 2012 with a young QB and overall a very young offense. We all know CAL and the Pac-10 in general don't believe in defense, so I think TEX, with a big start, has a chance to run CAL out of the building.
STREAKERS
JG has won 3 in a row
JR has lost 3 in a row
MR has won 4 in a row
AW has won 3 in a row
GR has won 7 in a row
MT has won 8 in a row
JH has won 5 in a row
Some nice streaks, and 1 not so nice streak on this list. I've lost 3 straight with dogs, but I'm on 2 favs today! We're only 20% of the way through the Bowl Challenge, so there's still time for a rebound.
Good Luck!
But Bowl season gives you a chance for redemption every day of the week...so here we go again with 2 more games today.
STANDINGS
BOWL W
GR 8
SS 8
MT 8
TN 7
LW 7
GT 7
MR 6
MH 6
MC 6
CP 6
JH 6
AW 5
JR 4
JG 4
RO 4
MO 4
MS 0
TOLEDO vs. AF (+3)MILITARY BOWL
Pretty even split on this one with 9 on AF and 7 on TOL. Our 3 leaders favor TOLEDO 2-1. I'm also going with TOLEDO on this one, I think I pick against AF every year in the bowl games. I think the option game loses it's effectiveness when teams have a month to prepare...see GTECH. TOL has the turnover edge with a comparable defense. They also have an interim coach after their guy left for Illinois, I like the track record of interim 1 game coaches in Bowl Games.
CAL-TEX (-3) HOLIDAY BOWL
The nightcap is the always exciting Holiday Bowl. We have only 4 guys on CAL and 12 on TEX...CAL supporters include MR, GR, MH, MC...all with 6+ points right now. Texas has a far superior defense, which lead me toward them in this one. Offensively, they are challenged, but I think it could be a good game for them to build some optimism and momentum going into 2012 with a young QB and overall a very young offense. We all know CAL and the Pac-10 in general don't believe in defense, so I think TEX, with a big start, has a chance to run CAL out of the building.
STREAKERS
JG has won 3 in a row
JR has lost 3 in a row
MR has won 4 in a row
AW has won 3 in a row
GR has won 7 in a row
MT has won 8 in a row
JH has won 5 in a row
Some nice streaks, and 1 not so nice streak on this list. I've lost 3 straight with dogs, but I'm on 2 favs today! We're only 20% of the way through the Bowl Challenge, so there's still time for a rebound.
Good Luck!
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Week 18 Lines - $200
Here are the lines for the final week of the regular season. Also, one note from the review I sent earlier...
there is no MNF this week, all games are on Sunday so please send me your 10 picks AND your total points selection for the SNF DAL-NYG game that will decide the NFC East.
We are missing one game, PIT at CLE has nothing listed, but I will send it when I have it.
Please get me your 10 picks and SNF Total Points pick by THURSDAY at NOON.
Thanks.
WAS
PHI -10
NYJ
MIA 0
CAR
NO -10.5
DET
GB 3.5
SF
STL 12
IND
JAC -5
BUF
NE -13.5
TEN
HOU 1
CHI
MIN 0
PIT
CLE
BAL
CIN 2.5
TB
ATL -14
KC
DEN -3
SD
OAK -3
SEA
ARI -3
DAL
NYG -2.5
there is no MNF this week, all games are on Sunday so please send me your 10 picks AND your total points selection for the SNF DAL-NYG game that will decide the NFC East.
We are missing one game, PIT at CLE has nothing listed, but I will send it when I have it.
Please get me your 10 picks and SNF Total Points pick by THURSDAY at NOON.
Thanks.
WAS
PHI -10
NYJ
MIA 0
CAR
NO -10.5
DET
GB 3.5
SF
STL 12
IND
JAC -5
BUF
NE -13.5
TEN
HOU 1
CHI
MIN 0
PIT
CLE
BAL
CIN 2.5
TB
ATL -14
KC
DEN -3
SD
OAK -3
SEA
ARI -3
DAL
NYG -2.5
Week 17 Review...yet another Push
We've been betting NFL exclusively for the last 3 weeks and all 3 have ended in a push, so we'll have one more week to decide this thing. Not only will Week 18 be worth $200, but it will also decide the overall champion. Here are a couple of things to consider for this week:
1) We will use MNF total points as a tiebreaker for the $200 portion of the pool for the weekly prize...so please send me a total points number with your picks for this week.
2) Any ties that happen for the overall crown will be split down the middle. There is a total of $450 for 1st and 2nd place, so a first place tie would just split that pot.
Here are the final results from this week:
Week 17 W L %
SS 8 2 80.0%
LW 8 2 80.0%
GR 7 3 70.0%
AW 6 4 60.0%
CP 6 4 60.0%
MT 6 4 60.0%
JR 5 5 50.0%
JG 5 5 50.0%
RO 5 5 50.0%
TN 5 5 50.0%
GT 5 5 50.0%
MR 4 6 40.0%
MH 4 6 40.0%
MO 4 6 40.0%
JH 4 6 40.0%
MC 3 7 30.0%
MS 0 10 0.0%
We hit an even 50% for the week with MS's 0-10 mark. 53.1% without MS.
YTD W L %
SS 132 108 55.0%
TN 132 108 55.0%
CP 129 111 53.8%
MR 128 112 53.3%
GR 127 113 52.9%
JH 127 113 52.9%
MT 125 115 52.1%
MO 122 118 50.8%
MH 121 119 50.4%
RO 120 120 50.0%
JG 119 121 49.6%
JR 117 123 48.8%
GT 117 123 48.8%
AW 117 123 48.8%
LW 115 125 47.9%
MC 113 127 47.1%
MS 60 180 25.0%
SS and TN are tied for the overall lead going into the final week. CP is 3 back, MR is 4 back, GR/JH are 5 back. While the odds aren't good that you will make up 4-5 games in one week, anything is possible. I'm thinking it's probably a 2 man race right now, but if one or both of them lay a 3-7 then the door could be open.
Final Week 18 lines will be coming today.
BOWL UPDATE
GR 6
SS 6
TN 6
LW 6
MT 6
GT 6
MH 5
MC 5
CP 5
JR 4
MR 4
RO 4
JH 4
AW 3
MO 3
JG 2
MS 0
6-way tie for 1st with 6 points. Here's the list for today:
WMU-PUR (-2.5)
Only 3 guys today on WMU (JR, RO, GT) and 13 on PUR. WMU has a better offense and a bad D, so I'm expecting a shootout.
LOU-NCST (-2.5)
8 on LOU and 8 on NCST...the 6 leaders favor NCST 4 to 2. It sounds like it could be a sloppy mess at this game tonight, so I think that favors a defense/running team like LOU. Plus I haven't been that impressed with NCST all year, so I picked against them.
Good Luck - Week 18 Lines coming soon.
1) We will use MNF total points as a tiebreaker for the $200 portion of the pool for the weekly prize...so please send me a total points number with your picks for this week.
2) Any ties that happen for the overall crown will be split down the middle. There is a total of $450 for 1st and 2nd place, so a first place tie would just split that pot.
Here are the final results from this week:
Week 17 W L %
SS 8 2 80.0%
LW 8 2 80.0%
GR 7 3 70.0%
AW 6 4 60.0%
CP 6 4 60.0%
MT 6 4 60.0%
JR 5 5 50.0%
JG 5 5 50.0%
RO 5 5 50.0%
TN 5 5 50.0%
GT 5 5 50.0%
MR 4 6 40.0%
MH 4 6 40.0%
MO 4 6 40.0%
JH 4 6 40.0%
MC 3 7 30.0%
MS 0 10 0.0%
We hit an even 50% for the week with MS's 0-10 mark. 53.1% without MS.
YTD W L %
SS 132 108 55.0%
TN 132 108 55.0%
CP 129 111 53.8%
MR 128 112 53.3%
GR 127 113 52.9%
JH 127 113 52.9%
MT 125 115 52.1%
MO 122 118 50.8%
MH 121 119 50.4%
RO 120 120 50.0%
JG 119 121 49.6%
JR 117 123 48.8%
GT 117 123 48.8%
AW 117 123 48.8%
LW 115 125 47.9%
MC 113 127 47.1%
MS 60 180 25.0%
SS and TN are tied for the overall lead going into the final week. CP is 3 back, MR is 4 back, GR/JH are 5 back. While the odds aren't good that you will make up 4-5 games in one week, anything is possible. I'm thinking it's probably a 2 man race right now, but if one or both of them lay a 3-7 then the door could be open.
Final Week 18 lines will be coming today.
BOWL UPDATE
GR 6
SS 6
TN 6
LW 6
MT 6
GT 6
MH 5
MC 5
CP 5
JR 4
MR 4
RO 4
JH 4
AW 3
MO 3
JG 2
MS 0
6-way tie for 1st with 6 points. Here's the list for today:
WMU-PUR (-2.5)
Only 3 guys today on WMU (JR, RO, GT) and 13 on PUR. WMU has a better offense and a bad D, so I'm expecting a shootout.
LOU-NCST (-2.5)
8 on LOU and 8 on NCST...the 6 leaders favor NCST 4 to 2. It sounds like it could be a sloppy mess at this game tonight, so I think that favors a defense/running team like LOU. Plus I haven't been that impressed with NCST all year, so I picked against them.
Good Luck - Week 18 Lines coming soon.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Week 17 MNF Update
Here's how we sit with one more game to go for the week:
Week 17 W L %
SS 8 1 88.9%
LW 7 2 77.8%
GR 6 3 66.7%
CP 6 3 66.7%
AW 6 4 60.0%
JG 5 4 55.6%
TN 5 4 55.6%
MT 5 4 55.6%
RO 5 5 50.0%
JR 4 5 44.4%
GT 4 5 44.4%
MO 4 6 40.0%
JH 4 6 40.0%
MR 3 6 33.3%
MH 3 6 33.3%
MC 3 6 33.3%
MS 0 10 0.0%
So the $150 is not yet decided because we have a shot at another tie after tonight. SS has posted a stellar 8-1 mark so far this week, but he went with the Dog Falcons on MNF at +7.5, while 2nd place LW is 7-2 and has NO -7.5. So this is the scenario, a Falcons cover, and SS takes the $150, a Saints cover and we move on to a $200 final week 18.
For the overall lead, SS and TN are tied with 132 wins right now, and both have ATL tonight...so these 2 will head into the final week as co-leaders.
In the Bowl Challenge, SS is also in the lead with 6 points - followed by GR/TN/MT/GT/LW with 5 points.
In the only game today JR, SS, MO have NC while the rest of you are on MIZZOU. After today we start really getting into Bowl Season with 2+ games every day this week.
Full standings update coming tomorrow. Good Luck!!
Week 17 W L %
SS 8 1 88.9%
LW 7 2 77.8%
GR 6 3 66.7%
CP 6 3 66.7%
AW 6 4 60.0%
JG 5 4 55.6%
TN 5 4 55.6%
MT 5 4 55.6%
RO 5 5 50.0%
JR 4 5 44.4%
GT 4 5 44.4%
MO 4 6 40.0%
JH 4 6 40.0%
MR 3 6 33.3%
MH 3 6 33.3%
MC 3 6 33.3%
MS 0 10 0.0%
So the $150 is not yet decided because we have a shot at another tie after tonight. SS has posted a stellar 8-1 mark so far this week, but he went with the Dog Falcons on MNF at +7.5, while 2nd place LW is 7-2 and has NO -7.5. So this is the scenario, a Falcons cover, and SS takes the $150, a Saints cover and we move on to a $200 final week 18.
For the overall lead, SS and TN are tied with 132 wins right now, and both have ATL tonight...so these 2 will head into the final week as co-leaders.
In the Bowl Challenge, SS is also in the lead with 6 points - followed by GR/TN/MT/GT/LW with 5 points.
In the only game today JR, SS, MO have NC while the rest of you are on MIZZOU. After today we start really getting into Bowl Season with 2+ games every day this week.
Full standings update coming tomorrow. Good Luck!!
Friday, December 23, 2011
Week 17 Preview
Picks are in, 8 of you are already 0-1, MT is already 1-0...$150 on the line...here we go:
JR: MIA CLE WAS NYJ CAR KC SD PHI SEA NO
JG: MIA CLE HOU CIN DEN STL NYG TB SF ATL
MR: HOU DEN SF WAS CAR SD PHI NO ARI TEN
AW: HOU DEN SF SD CIN NYG MIN JAC OAK DAL
GR: HOU DEN SF NYG OAK CAR PHI NO DET GB
MH: HOU NYG CAR NO SD MIN ARI TEN KC SEA
MC: HOU SD PHI GB CIN JAC WAS STL TB ATL
SS: PHI JAC ATL CAR SF MIA CLE NYJ BUF PIT
RO: CAR SF CLE NYJ HOU CIN STL KC DET NE
TN: CAR KC PHI ATL MIA SD NYG MIN SEA CHI
MT: KC PHI MIA SD SF CLE NYJ STL NO IND
GT: NO CAR NYG MIN SEA JAC ARI DEN DAL BAL
MS: x x x x x x x x x x
CP: NYG MIN JAC ARI PHI MIA SD STL ATL OAK
LW: NYG MIN PHI OAK NO CAR DEN CLE CIN NE
JH: OAK CIN NE JAC SD STL SF HOU GB TB
MO: OAK JAC SD STL GB MIN ARI MIA SEA BAL
Game Splits
HOU 8 IND 1
MIA 7 NE 3
CLE 6 BAL 2
ARI 5 CIN 6
MIN 7 WAS 3
DEN 6 BUF 1
STL 7 PIT 1
NYG 8 NYJ 4
TB 3 CAR 9
JAC 7 TEN 2
OAK 6 KC 5
SD 10 DET 2
PHI 9 DAL 2
SF 8 SEA 5
CHI 1 GB 4
ATL 5 NO 7
By the way, the GB line we are using is GB -14.
BOWL UPDATE
JR, GR, TN, AND MT have gone on a 2-0 run over the last couple of days in the Bowl Challenge so here are the current leaders:
SS-5
GR-4
TN-4
MT-4
GT-4
LW-4
No games tonight...WTF? But the weekend has us covered with a couple of Bowl Games:
HAWAII BOWL
NEV-SOMISS (-6)
2 on NEV, rest of us on SOMISS. JG and AW are the brave NEV backers. BTW, JG did have a BOISE cover go in his favor last night for the first Bowl win of the season...congrats.
INDEPENDENCE BOWL
NC-MIZZ (-4)
This is a Monday game, and it should be closer than than our X-mas eve battle. We have a large portion on MIZZ (13 guys) and only 3 of us on NC (JR, SS, MO). It's a coin flip, I figured NC would play some motivated ball in the last game for interim coach Everett Withers, who ironically enough is getting tons of praise as a defensive genius who was just hired as DC by Urban at The Ohio State. Many forget that he was brought into the college ranks by the legendary TE coach himself TE Timmy Brew as our DC in 2007...yeah, the year we had maybe the worst defense that college football has ever seen. But apparently that has been wiped clean from the record of one E.Withers, so he's a god now.
Enjoy the Holiday - I will likely send out an update on Saturday once things start to shake out. Good Luck!
JR: MIA CLE WAS NYJ CAR KC SD PHI SEA NO
JG: MIA CLE HOU CIN DEN STL NYG TB SF ATL
MR: HOU DEN SF WAS CAR SD PHI NO ARI TEN
AW: HOU DEN SF SD CIN NYG MIN JAC OAK DAL
GR: HOU DEN SF NYG OAK CAR PHI NO DET GB
MH: HOU NYG CAR NO SD MIN ARI TEN KC SEA
MC: HOU SD PHI GB CIN JAC WAS STL TB ATL
SS: PHI JAC ATL CAR SF MIA CLE NYJ BUF PIT
RO: CAR SF CLE NYJ HOU CIN STL KC DET NE
TN: CAR KC PHI ATL MIA SD NYG MIN SEA CHI
MT: KC PHI MIA SD SF CLE NYJ STL NO IND
GT: NO CAR NYG MIN SEA JAC ARI DEN DAL BAL
MS: x x x x x x x x x x
CP: NYG MIN JAC ARI PHI MIA SD STL ATL OAK
LW: NYG MIN PHI OAK NO CAR DEN CLE CIN NE
JH: OAK CIN NE JAC SD STL SF HOU GB TB
MO: OAK JAC SD STL GB MIN ARI MIA SEA BAL
Game Splits
HOU 8 IND 1
MIA 7 NE 3
CLE 6 BAL 2
ARI 5 CIN 6
MIN 7 WAS 3
DEN 6 BUF 1
STL 7 PIT 1
NYG 8 NYJ 4
TB 3 CAR 9
JAC 7 TEN 2
OAK 6 KC 5
SD 10 DET 2
PHI 9 DAL 2
SF 8 SEA 5
CHI 1 GB 4
ATL 5 NO 7
By the way, the GB line we are using is GB -14.
BOWL UPDATE
JR, GR, TN, AND MT have gone on a 2-0 run over the last couple of days in the Bowl Challenge so here are the current leaders:
SS-5
GR-4
TN-4
MT-4
GT-4
LW-4
No games tonight...WTF? But the weekend has us covered with a couple of Bowl Games:
HAWAII BOWL
NEV-SOMISS (-6)
2 on NEV, rest of us on SOMISS. JG and AW are the brave NEV backers. BTW, JG did have a BOISE cover go in his favor last night for the first Bowl win of the season...congrats.
INDEPENDENCE BOWL
NC-MIZZ (-4)
This is a Monday game, and it should be closer than than our X-mas eve battle. We have a large portion on MIZZ (13 guys) and only 3 of us on NC (JR, SS, MO). It's a coin flip, I figured NC would play some motivated ball in the last game for interim coach Everett Withers, who ironically enough is getting tons of praise as a defensive genius who was just hired as DC by Urban at The Ohio State. Many forget that he was brought into the college ranks by the legendary TE coach himself TE Timmy Brew as our DC in 2007...yeah, the year we had maybe the worst defense that college football has ever seen. But apparently that has been wiped clean from the record of one E.Withers, so he's a god now.
Enjoy the Holiday - I will likely send out an update on Saturday once things start to shake out. Good Luck!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Stuff & End of Year Gathering of the Masses
I've said it be
fore, but I'll say it again...if you don't read Everyday Should Be Saturday, you should. (edsbs.com) I'm stealing a couple things from them, because they are just too hilarious not to share.
#1 FIU's stank-ass QB Wesley Carroll
"Wesley Carroll doesn't have any plans. Maybe he'll try to get on in the UFL. Maybe he'll go roughneck out in Wyoming for a while. Money's good, and the sky and the women are free. Just stay away from Johnny Law and The Man, and things'll be just fine as French wine, cowboy. There's a sailing ship out there called Destiny's Codpiece. It sails tonight from St. Pete. Its destination? Wesley Carroll doesn't know, and doesn't care. Life's about the journey, brah. Now pass him that helmet. No, he doesn't need a scrunchy. Freedom starts with the hair, and ends with the horizon."
Yep. That's the kind of great stuff you get on this sight...put it on your "must read everyday" list right now.
And just for good measure, how about this Jim Mora Jr. mocking...
So let's talk about what this poster does well:
•It is a poster.
•Jim L. Mora is wearing an appropriate polo.
•The Rose Bowl logo adds an element of class as though to signify an impossible dream.
More importantly, let's get to what this poster doesn't do so great:
•The conviction with which Mora holds the football says "I really thought you'd like this officially licensed football for Christmas but I couldn't quite remember if you still liked football or not. Don't worry; there's a gift receipt taped to the ball underneath my hand."
•2012 Season Tickets sound more like judicial sentencing than an incentive to use disposable income.
•UCLA lost the two games pictures in the photo stills by a combined infinity points.
•The only believable character in the whole damn thing is Hailee Steinfeld as Jim L. Mora's quarterback.
•"uclaBruins.com" is a maddening mix of proper capitalization, improper capitalization, and pissing caution to the wind. Seriously: What. The. Hell.
•The complete lack of 'Deal With It' sunglasses.
Fun stuff.
I think it has been decided that the Football Challenge will have the 3rd Annual Gathering of the Masses this March - get this on your calendar now:
MARCH 17th - Saturday (opening weekend of NCAA Hoops Tourney)
Where: BWW in Chanhassen (because lamps at my house aren't safe for this party...BOMB)
What: Prize money will be distributed, and then you will have free reign to repeatedly bet again and again with other members to try and quadruple your winnings on the NCAA hoops games. I'm also working on some other distinguished honors for the gathering, so I really hope everyone can make it. We'll start when they open around 10 or 11am, and finish when they tell us we are finished. I'm going to work on kicking the family out of the house so I have a place to stay for those of you that are in for the long haul with me. Even if you can just swing by for an hour and a whiskey...please make it happen. It's a rare occurance when we can all get together, so I wanted to give you all a ton of notice in hopes that it will work out.
It will be ugly, it will get out of hand, we'll have 1000 wings and JG will probably do the Vodka tour, which is a BWW special...so you don't want to miss it.
MARCH 17 - Chanhassen - BWW - and my place later...that's all you need, so put it on your calendar NOW!
Later Gators.
fore, but I'll say it again...if you don't read Everyday Should Be Saturday, you should. (edsbs.com) I'm stealing a couple things from them, because they are just too hilarious not to share.
#1 FIU's stank-ass QB Wesley Carroll
"Wesley Carroll doesn't have any plans. Maybe he'll try to get on in the UFL. Maybe he'll go roughneck out in Wyoming for a while. Money's good, and the sky and the women are free. Just stay away from Johnny Law and The Man, and things'll be just fine as French wine, cowboy. There's a sailing ship out there called Destiny's Codpiece. It sails tonight from St. Pete. Its destination? Wesley Carroll doesn't know, and doesn't care. Life's about the journey, brah. Now pass him that helmet. No, he doesn't need a scrunchy. Freedom starts with the hair, and ends with the horizon."
Yep. That's the kind of great stuff you get on this sight...put it on your "must read everyday" list right now.
And just for good measure, how about this Jim Mora Jr. mocking...
Oh Jim L. Mora (not a junior; he does not enjoy the bold flavor privileges afforded to people who call-call-call him Junior), you so crazy. Dutiful comrades of the highest calling, Bruins Nation, bring us this gem of a marketing campaign. Imagine it in a dramatic movie trailer voice, if you may: "In a world where fear knows no bounds. Where darkness reigns unopposed and chianti floods the river thames, only one man spare us from the slings and arrows of outrageous boredom. *record scratch* [cue whacky voice] JIM L. MORA! From the people who brought you 'THE FOOTBALL MONOPOLY IN LOS ANGELES IS OFFICIALLY OVER', comes this year's feel good hit of the winter: 'MORE GRIT. MORA FOOTBALL.'"
So let's talk about what this poster does well:
•It is a poster.
•Jim L. Mora is wearing an appropriate polo.
•The Rose Bowl logo adds an element of class as though to signify an impossible dream.
More importantly, let's get to what this poster doesn't do so great:
•The conviction with which Mora holds the football says "I really thought you'd like this officially licensed football for Christmas but I couldn't quite remember if you still liked football or not. Don't worry; there's a gift receipt taped to the ball underneath my hand."
•2012 Season Tickets sound more like judicial sentencing than an incentive to use disposable income.
•UCLA lost the two games pictures in the photo stills by a combined infinity points.
•The only believable character in the whole damn thing is Hailee Steinfeld as Jim L. Mora's quarterback.
•"uclaBruins.com" is a maddening mix of proper capitalization, improper capitalization, and pissing caution to the wind. Seriously: What. The. Hell.
•The complete lack of 'Deal With It' sunglasses.
Fun stuff.
I think it has been decided that the Football Challenge will have the 3rd Annual Gathering of the Masses this March - get this on your calendar now:
MARCH 17th - Saturday (opening weekend of NCAA Hoops Tourney)
Where: BWW in Chanhassen (because lamps at my house aren't safe for this party...BOMB)
What: Prize money will be distributed, and then you will have free reign to repeatedly bet again and again with other members to try and quadruple your winnings on the NCAA hoops games. I'm also working on some other distinguished honors for the gathering, so I really hope everyone can make it. We'll start when they open around 10 or 11am, and finish when they tell us we are finished. I'm going to work on kicking the family out of the house so I have a place to stay for those of you that are in for the long haul with me. Even if you can just swing by for an hour and a whiskey...please make it happen. It's a rare occurance when we can all get together, so I wanted to give you all a ton of notice in hopes that it will work out.
It will be ugly, it will get out of hand, we'll have 1000 wings and JG will probably do the Vodka tour, which is a BWW special...so you don't want to miss it.
MARCH 17 - Chanhassen - BWW - and my place later...that's all you need, so put it on your calendar NOW!
Later Gators.
Wednesday/Thursday Bowls - POINSETTIA & LAS VEGAS
That was a tough one to watch last night. I kind of had the feeling that I was wrong with FIU from early in the game. The QB combo they tried to roll with was horrendous. MARSH had the special teams edge, and that was a huge difference in my opinion. Oh well, 1-3 for me so far.
SS: 4
GT: 3
CP: 3
LW: 3
These are our leaders right now. JG...0-4...but it's early.
Tonight we have the POINSETTIA BOWL with a large spread.
LT
TCU -10.5
I'm all over LT on this one. This is a pretty even matchup in my mind, so taking the 10.5 was an easy choice for me. I love LT's defense, but their lack of an explosive offense scares me a little bit. I'm not sure that TCU's motivation level will be extremely high after being relegated to this bowl game after another strong season.
Only 4 guys on LT tonight...JR, GR, TN, MT
12 guys on TCU...including the winless JG and undeafted SS...something has to give tonight!
LAS VEGAS BOWL - FRIDAY
This one is a landslide, we have only 2 guys liking ASU at +14 and 14 of us on BOISE. The 2 guys on ASU are MR and CP. I always take BOISE in bowl games, especially in Moore's last game and against an ASU team that quit down the stretch.
Good Luck. Don't forget to send me your picks for this big NFL week. I need them tomorrow before the game starts, but I probably won't get the update out until Friday because we're hosting a big party tomorrow night and I'm off from work all day picking up gifts and food for the weekend. I'm not taking anyone in the THUR game this week.
SS: 4
GT: 3
CP: 3
LW: 3
These are our leaders right now. JG...0-4...but it's early.
Tonight we have the POINSETTIA BOWL with a large spread.
LT
TCU -10.5
I'm all over LT on this one. This is a pretty even matchup in my mind, so taking the 10.5 was an easy choice for me. I love LT's defense, but their lack of an explosive offense scares me a little bit. I'm not sure that TCU's motivation level will be extremely high after being relegated to this bowl game after another strong season.
Only 4 guys on LT tonight...JR, GR, TN, MT
12 guys on TCU...including the winless JG and undeafted SS...something has to give tonight!
LAS VEGAS BOWL - FRIDAY
This one is a landslide, we have only 2 guys liking ASU at +14 and 14 of us on BOISE. The 2 guys on ASU are MR and CP. I always take BOISE in bowl games, especially in Moore's last game and against an ASU team that quit down the stretch.
Good Luck. Don't forget to send me your picks for this big NFL week. I need them tomorrow before the game starts, but I probably won't get the update out until Friday because we're hosting a big party tomorrow night and I'm off from work all day picking up gifts and food for the weekend. I'm not taking anyone in the THUR game this week.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Week 17 Lines $150 on the Line
Here we go for literally the biggest week ever in FC history...$150 on the line...get me your picks by NOON Thursday - 10 games.
HOU
IND 7
MIA
NE -12.5
CLE
BAL -14.5
ARI
CIN -4.5
MIN
WAS -7
DEN
BUF 3.5
STL
PIT -16
NYG
NYJ -2.5
TB
CAR -7.5
JAC
TEN -9.5
OAK
KC 0
SD
DET -1.5
PHI
DAL -3.5
SF
SEA 1.5
CHI
GB no line yet
ATL
NO -7.5
HOU
IND 7
MIA
NE -12.5
CLE
BAL -14.5
ARI
CIN -4.5
MIN
WAS -7
DEN
BUF 3.5
STL
PIT -16
NYG
NYJ -2.5
TB
CAR -7.5
JAC
TEN -9.5
OAK
KC 0
SD
DET -1.5
PHI
DAL -3.5
SF
SEA 1.5
CHI
GB no line yet
ATL
NO -7.5
Week 16 Review
A SF win means we had a 4-way tie for 1st last week at 6-4...so we'll push on to Week 17 for $150!
Week 16 W L %
AW 6 4 60.0%
GR 6 4 60.0%
TN 6 4 60.0%
CP 6 4 60.0%
JG 5 5 50.0%
MR 5 5 50.0%
SS 5 5 50.0%
RO 5 5 50.0%
MO 5 5 50.0%
GT 5 5 50.0%
JR 4 6 40.0%
MC 4 6 40.0%
MS 4 6 40.0%
JH 4 6 40.0%
LW 3 7 30.0%
MT 3 7 30.0%
MH 2 8 20.0%
We hit 46% for the week, not great.
YTD W L %
TN 127 103 55.2%
MR 124 106 53.9%
SS 124 106 53.9%
CP 123 107 53.5%
JH 123 107 53.5%
GR 120 110 52.2%
MT 119 111 51.7%
MO 118 112 51.3%
MH 117 113 50.9%
RO 115 115 50.0%
JG 114 116 49.6%
JR 112 118 48.7%
GT 112 118 48.7%
AW 111 119 48.3%
MC 110 120 47.8%
LW 107 123 46.5%
MS 60 170 26.1%
With only 20 picks left over the next 2 weeks it is officially crunch time. TN now has a 3 game lead over MR and SS and a 4 game lead over CP and JH. GR is still hanging around at 7 games back, but it will take a couple of crazy good weeks for him to catch TN.
NFL YTD W L %
MT 64 51 55.7%
JG 64 52 55.2%
JR 57 47 54.8%
TN 47 39 54.7%
JH 52 44 54.2%
MC 53 47 53.0%
MH 47 42 52.8%
SS 50 48 51.0%
AW 55 55 50.0%
RO 51 54 48.6%
MR 41 46 47.1%
CP 41 46 47.1%
GT 57 64 47.1%
GR 45 54 45.5%
LW 61 75 44.9%
MO 40 54 42.6%
MS 28 116 19.4%
We're at 47.7% for the season in the NFL including MS's missed weeks. Without those we are 50.2% .
With a 3 game lead TN needs a couple of solid weeks like he has done for the first 2 NFL only weeks to wrap this thing up...barring a pair of 8 or 9 win weeks from one of the other contenders. It could be an exciting finish. Even if you're not in the running for the overall crown, a $150 week is a quick way to make a poor season look good and end up ahead in this whole deal.
BOWL GAMES fire back up tonight as well. FIU -4.5 against MARSHALL. We have 9 guys on FIU and 7 on Marshall, a very even split. I'm on FIU and this is one of my best bets of the whole bowl season. They have a better offense, a better defense, a better turnover ratio, and are playing in their home state...what's not to like. Our 2 leaders at 3 pts (SS & GT) are split on this one with SS on MARSH and GT on FIU, so one of you will be the overall leader at 4-0 after tonight.
Week 17 lines will be coming out today.
Week 16 W L %
AW 6 4 60.0%
GR 6 4 60.0%
TN 6 4 60.0%
CP 6 4 60.0%
JG 5 5 50.0%
MR 5 5 50.0%
SS 5 5 50.0%
RO 5 5 50.0%
MO 5 5 50.0%
GT 5 5 50.0%
JR 4 6 40.0%
MC 4 6 40.0%
MS 4 6 40.0%
JH 4 6 40.0%
LW 3 7 30.0%
MT 3 7 30.0%
MH 2 8 20.0%
We hit 46% for the week, not great.
YTD W L %
TN 127 103 55.2%
MR 124 106 53.9%
SS 124 106 53.9%
CP 123 107 53.5%
JH 123 107 53.5%
GR 120 110 52.2%
MT 119 111 51.7%
MO 118 112 51.3%
MH 117 113 50.9%
RO 115 115 50.0%
JG 114 116 49.6%
JR 112 118 48.7%
GT 112 118 48.7%
AW 111 119 48.3%
MC 110 120 47.8%
LW 107 123 46.5%
MS 60 170 26.1%
With only 20 picks left over the next 2 weeks it is officially crunch time. TN now has a 3 game lead over MR and SS and a 4 game lead over CP and JH. GR is still hanging around at 7 games back, but it will take a couple of crazy good weeks for him to catch TN.
NFL YTD W L %
MT 64 51 55.7%
JG 64 52 55.2%
JR 57 47 54.8%
TN 47 39 54.7%
JH 52 44 54.2%
MC 53 47 53.0%
MH 47 42 52.8%
SS 50 48 51.0%
AW 55 55 50.0%
RO 51 54 48.6%
MR 41 46 47.1%
CP 41 46 47.1%
GT 57 64 47.1%
GR 45 54 45.5%
LW 61 75 44.9%
MO 40 54 42.6%
MS 28 116 19.4%
We're at 47.7% for the season in the NFL including MS's missed weeks. Without those we are 50.2% .
With a 3 game lead TN needs a couple of solid weeks like he has done for the first 2 NFL only weeks to wrap this thing up...barring a pair of 8 or 9 win weeks from one of the other contenders. It could be an exciting finish. Even if you're not in the running for the overall crown, a $150 week is a quick way to make a poor season look good and end up ahead in this whole deal.
BOWL GAMES fire back up tonight as well. FIU -4.5 against MARSHALL. We have 9 guys on FIU and 7 on Marshall, a very even split. I'm on FIU and this is one of my best bets of the whole bowl season. They have a better offense, a better defense, a better turnover ratio, and are playing in their home state...what's not to like. Our 2 leaders at 3 pts (SS & GT) are split on this one with SS on MARSH and GT on FIU, so one of you will be the overall leader at 4-0 after tonight.
Week 17 lines will be coming out today.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Monday Update
Thanks for showing up Ravens...SD wins in a laugher, and with that the $$$ will push on to an unprecedented $150 week 17.
AW 6-4
TN 6-4
CP 6-4
So MNF is meaningless for this week but important in the final tally for MR and GR on SF and MO on PIT.
Full recap tomorrow. No Bowl Games tonight, those start up again on Tuesday as well.
AW 6-4
TN 6-4
CP 6-4
So MNF is meaningless for this week but important in the final tally for MR and GR on SF and MO on PIT.
Full recap tomorrow. No Bowl Games tonight, those start up again on Tuesday as well.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Late Update
TN is 6-3 with BAL left
GR is 5-3 with BAL SF
After that we have about 6 guys with 4 losses that will all be in the mix with a SD win.
So it looks like a SD win would likely move us toward another push, while a BAL win would either give TN a win, or create another push if SF covers -1 tomorrow night.
Good Luck.
GR is 5-3 with BAL SF
After that we have about 6 guys with 4 losses that will all be in the mix with a SD win.
So it looks like a SD win would likely move us toward another push, while a BAL win would either give TN a win, or create another push if SF covers -1 tomorrow night.
Good Luck.
2:00 Sunday Update
Quick update on a few different things...
First, the 2 missing lines are as follows:
MIA
BUF 0
PIT
SF -1
Next, here are the leaders coming into the action today for Week 16:
JG 2-0, GR 2-0, LW 1-0, MO 1-0, RO 1-0, MR 1-0
I'll send over some updates later before the SNF game or maybe before the end of the 3pm games.
BOWL UPDATE
3 down, 32 to go...here's how we did yesterday:
SS-3
GT-3
MC-2
TN-2
CP-2
LW-2
JR-1
MR-1
AW-1
GR-1
MH-1
RO-1
MT-1
JH-1
MO-1
JG-0
We're right around 50% through the first 3 games, and we still have 2 guys with a shot at the elusive 35-0 Bowl Season. Good Luck.
First, the 2 missing lines are as follows:
MIA
BUF 0
PIT
SF -1
Next, here are the leaders coming into the action today for Week 16:
JG 2-0, GR 2-0, LW 1-0, MO 1-0, RO 1-0, MR 1-0
I'll send over some updates later before the SNF game or maybe before the end of the 3pm games.
BOWL UPDATE
3 down, 32 to go...here's how we did yesterday:
SS-3
GT-3
MC-2
TN-2
CP-2
LW-2
JR-1
MR-1
AW-1
GR-1
MH-1
RO-1
MT-1
JH-1
MO-1
JG-0
We're right around 50% through the first 3 games, and we still have 2 guys with a shot at the elusive 35-0 Bowl Season. Good Luck.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Bowl Picks - 12/17 Games
The first taste of the Bowl Season is here on Saturday. Here's what we're looking at in the first 3 games:
TEM 5, WY 11
Lots of WY love with the points in this one. I'm on TEM (which seems to be my theme in these games...in the minority on most). I love their running game and D. Line has moved to 7 and then back to 6.5 at most places, so it should be pretty close.
UTST 3, OHIO 13
UTST is hot, and that's why I went with them. OHIO blew a big lead in the MAC title game which would have put them in a January bowl so I feel like they are not real excited about playing in this one. JG and MT are with me on the UTST vibe giving the points.
ULL 5, SDST 11
Finally a game where I'm with the majority on SDST. I really liked SDST early in this one, but since reading about their injury issues I've kind of softened my stance. With the game being in NO, I think ULL will have the better crowd, but the weird thing is that in recent history the team that has to travel farther actually has a better record in games like this. SDST has the talent edge by a long shot, so I'm going with that at -5.
We have 3 points on the line Saturday, let the playoff race begin. No matter how brutal your regular season was, the slate is wiped clean and we're all 0-0 again. Good Luck.
Here are all my picks for a reference to keep things legit:
TEM, UTST, SDST, FIU, LT,BOISE,SOMISS, NC, WMU, LOU, TOL, TEX, FSU, BAY, TULSA, RUT, MISST, OK, NW, UTAH, ILL, CIN, VIR, OKST, ORE, OHIOST, SC, MSU, PSU, MICH, WV, ARK, PITT, ARKST, ALABAMA!
TEM 5, WY 11
Lots of WY love with the points in this one. I'm on TEM (which seems to be my theme in these games...in the minority on most). I love their running game and D. Line has moved to 7 and then back to 6.5 at most places, so it should be pretty close.
UTST 3, OHIO 13
UTST is hot, and that's why I went with them. OHIO blew a big lead in the MAC title game which would have put them in a January bowl so I feel like they are not real excited about playing in this one. JG and MT are with me on the UTST vibe giving the points.
ULL 5, SDST 11
Finally a game where I'm with the majority on SDST. I really liked SDST early in this one, but since reading about their injury issues I've kind of softened my stance. With the game being in NO, I think ULL will have the better crowd, but the weird thing is that in recent history the team that has to travel farther actually has a better record in games like this. SDST has the talent edge by a long shot, so I'm going with that at -5.
We have 3 points on the line Saturday, let the playoff race begin. No matter how brutal your regular season was, the slate is wiped clean and we're all 0-0 again. Good Luck.
Here are all my picks for a reference to keep things legit:
TEM, UTST, SDST, FIU, LT,BOISE,SOMISS, NC, WMU, LOU, TOL, TEX, FSU, BAY, TULSA, RUT, MISST, OK, NW, UTAH, ILL, CIN, VIR, OKST, ORE, OHIOST, SC, MSU, PSU, MICH, WV, ARK, PITT, ARKST, ALABAMA!
Week 16 Preview
Here are the picks for this week, sorry I can't erase the JAC pick from last night for some of us (including myself). I had ATL marked all week and made the impulse change yesterday...I'm a sucker for points. Oh well, 9-1 will probably still take home the $100!! Here we go:
JR: JAC TB WAS SEA KC MIN OAK PHI DEN BAL
JG: SEA BAL ATL DAL CIN TEN HOU DET NYJ NE
MR: SEA BAL DAL NYJ OAK DEN GB CAR NO SF
AW: NYJ NO HOU DET NE TB KC IND CHI SD
GR: NO HOU NE SEA BAL DAL GB SF ATL NYG
MH: NO HOU SEA BAL NYG TB OAK CIN TEN ARI
MC: NO HOU BAL TB OAK NE CHI JAC WAS PHI
SS: NO HOU BAL NE CHI JAC WAS NYJ DET KC
RO: NO HOU NE NYJ DET NYG CIN GB ATL CLE
TN: NYJ DET BAL JAC WAS KC SEA IND CAR MIN
MT: NYJ DET BAL JAC KC IND MIN HOU CIN TB
GT: DET JAC HOU TB SEA NE PHI TEN ARI SF
MS: SEA TEN SF NYJ CIN WAS NO GB DEN BUF
CP: CIN WAS GB DET TB NE PHI ATL CHI SD
LW: GB SD SF NYJ DEN BUF MIN NYG OAK DAL
JH: WAS TB NE CHI TEN NO ARI BAL CAR STL
MO: WAS TEN NO GB SD NYJ DEN DAL SEA PIT
Here are the game splits for the week:
DAL 5, TB 8
CIN 6, STL 1
MIA O, BUF 2
WAS 8, NYG 4
TEN 6, IND 3
SEA 9, CHI 5
GB 7, KC 5
CAR 3, HOU 9
NO 10, MIN 4
DET 8, OAK 5
CLE 1, ARI 3
NYJ 10, PHI 4
NE 9, DEN 5
BAL 10, SD 4
PIT 1, SF 5
Still no lines on MIA-BUF or PIT-SF...I'll send those when they are available.
Quick thoughts...
DAL might lose tomorrow. They are TURRIBLE on the road, TB is coming off an embarassing performance, I think this is an easy one.
I like CIN and TEN at bad teams on the road giving 7. But I bet one or both doesn't cover. I don't think either is worthy of being a TD fav on the road against anyone, so I avoided both. IND and STL are soooo bad that it seems like it might work out...I'm torn so I stayed away.
WAS +8 looks like another easy one to me. They just continue to get a TD+ in every game and they've actually played well the last few weeks. NYG coming off the letdown from the big DAL win...division game...all seems to favor the Skins.
Da Bears are dead. The loss last week was the last straw. This team has no QB and no confidence right now. SEA is actually playing quite well in a last ditch playoff push. I love the way they run the ball and play D...they may lose by a FG, but that's why +4 is a great number.
Every single double digit home dog this year has covered, so I had to take KC even though I could see this not working out. Orton is starting, but guess who the backup is...the one and only Dick Stanzi...yikes. The guy threw more pick 6's than I can count against the likes of ISU, IND, and NW...he could struggle against a ball-hawking GB D. Also KC could be in dump mode after firing Haley this week. But I picked them because I bet against the Packers every week and I'm a sucker for big points, especially at home. Hoping for a 21-7 fluke cover after the Pack pulls the first team at halftime.
CAR-HOU...no opinion. Seriously no clue what to expect in this one.
Aints at Purple seems like an easy one right. The whole Purple Nation is expecting the worst...terrible secondary against a prolific passing offense. Well, here are my reasons for being on the Purple: AD is back and the Aints are vulnerable against a run game, Aints suck on the road, Purple has nothing to lose and are getting over a TD at home. The line opened at 7.5 but has moved past the magic number of 7 to 6.5 at most sharp books. That tells me that some smaaat guys have put some substantial cash down on Purple Pride, which is good enough for me to try. In games like this where it seems like the favorite could name their number, it usually ends up just the opposite. I'm always skeptical of taking what look like obvious road favorites, it seems to backfire more often than not.
DET is another dead team in my opinion. OAK has gotten destroyed the last couple of weeks, so they should be ready in this one. DET hasn't played well in over a month, so why would that change now. I think they come into OAK and get beat easily.
CLE-ARI...no clue, but I do know Seneca Wallace is playing QB for CLE, which would work if they were playing Iowa, but since they're not I don't like CLE's chances.
Lots of JETS love this week, and I get it...they've looked good the last couple of weeks. That's why I'm against them this week and taking PHI. Eagles with Vick are a lot better than Eagles without Vick. There's still a ton of talent on that club, so I'm expecting a strong finish. Give me Eagles in this one with a short line.
Brady vs. Jesus...I know it looks obvious, but I am going against the obvious and taking Jesus and points at home. How can you not pick this guy right now? Until this crazy streak ends he'll be on my list each week...especially getting points at home against a team without a D. I expect NE to try and score a lot early and build a lead, but I honestly think even Jesus can throw against this D, so I'm taking the points. I have to believe the winning streak will end, but 6 points seems too much to be giving a hot team like DEN right now at home.
Great pair of evening games this week, first BAL at SD. I'm kind of back and forth on this one, but I still think BAL is a much better team. The fact that they are still motivated to get that division title and 1st round bye makes me like them in this one. SD is on their last leg, one more loss knocks them out...but I like the BAL D with Lewis coming back against anything Norv can throw out there. It should be a close one, but I'll take BAL.
The MNF game is also a fun one with PIT at SF. I like PIT to win, but with no line posted yet I had to stay away. It also sounds like Big Ben may be out, which may alter my pick. Batch is capable, but in a 16-13 slug fest like this is destined to be I don't like PIT's chances without Ben. I'll pick PIT, but with an asterisk.
Good Luck this week Guys - first batch of Bowl games is coming next.
JR: JAC TB WAS SEA KC MIN OAK PHI DEN BAL
JG: SEA BAL ATL DAL CIN TEN HOU DET NYJ NE
MR: SEA BAL DAL NYJ OAK DEN GB CAR NO SF
AW: NYJ NO HOU DET NE TB KC IND CHI SD
GR: NO HOU NE SEA BAL DAL GB SF ATL NYG
MH: NO HOU SEA BAL NYG TB OAK CIN TEN ARI
MC: NO HOU BAL TB OAK NE CHI JAC WAS PHI
SS: NO HOU BAL NE CHI JAC WAS NYJ DET KC
RO: NO HOU NE NYJ DET NYG CIN GB ATL CLE
TN: NYJ DET BAL JAC WAS KC SEA IND CAR MIN
MT: NYJ DET BAL JAC KC IND MIN HOU CIN TB
GT: DET JAC HOU TB SEA NE PHI TEN ARI SF
MS: SEA TEN SF NYJ CIN WAS NO GB DEN BUF
CP: CIN WAS GB DET TB NE PHI ATL CHI SD
LW: GB SD SF NYJ DEN BUF MIN NYG OAK DAL
JH: WAS TB NE CHI TEN NO ARI BAL CAR STL
MO: WAS TEN NO GB SD NYJ DEN DAL SEA PIT
Here are the game splits for the week:
DAL 5, TB 8
CIN 6, STL 1
MIA O, BUF 2
WAS 8, NYG 4
TEN 6, IND 3
SEA 9, CHI 5
GB 7, KC 5
CAR 3, HOU 9
NO 10, MIN 4
DET 8, OAK 5
CLE 1, ARI 3
NYJ 10, PHI 4
NE 9, DEN 5
BAL 10, SD 4
PIT 1, SF 5
Still no lines on MIA-BUF or PIT-SF...I'll send those when they are available.
Quick thoughts...
DAL might lose tomorrow. They are TURRIBLE on the road, TB is coming off an embarassing performance, I think this is an easy one.
I like CIN and TEN at bad teams on the road giving 7. But I bet one or both doesn't cover. I don't think either is worthy of being a TD fav on the road against anyone, so I avoided both. IND and STL are soooo bad that it seems like it might work out...I'm torn so I stayed away.
WAS +8 looks like another easy one to me. They just continue to get a TD+ in every game and they've actually played well the last few weeks. NYG coming off the letdown from the big DAL win...division game...all seems to favor the Skins.
Da Bears are dead. The loss last week was the last straw. This team has no QB and no confidence right now. SEA is actually playing quite well in a last ditch playoff push. I love the way they run the ball and play D...they may lose by a FG, but that's why +4 is a great number.
Every single double digit home dog this year has covered, so I had to take KC even though I could see this not working out. Orton is starting, but guess who the backup is...the one and only Dick Stanzi...yikes. The guy threw more pick 6's than I can count against the likes of ISU, IND, and NW...he could struggle against a ball-hawking GB D. Also KC could be in dump mode after firing Haley this week. But I picked them because I bet against the Packers every week and I'm a sucker for big points, especially at home. Hoping for a 21-7 fluke cover after the Pack pulls the first team at halftime.
CAR-HOU...no opinion. Seriously no clue what to expect in this one.
Aints at Purple seems like an easy one right. The whole Purple Nation is expecting the worst...terrible secondary against a prolific passing offense. Well, here are my reasons for being on the Purple: AD is back and the Aints are vulnerable against a run game, Aints suck on the road, Purple has nothing to lose and are getting over a TD at home. The line opened at 7.5 but has moved past the magic number of 7 to 6.5 at most sharp books. That tells me that some smaaat guys have put some substantial cash down on Purple Pride, which is good enough for me to try. In games like this where it seems like the favorite could name their number, it usually ends up just the opposite. I'm always skeptical of taking what look like obvious road favorites, it seems to backfire more often than not.
DET is another dead team in my opinion. OAK has gotten destroyed the last couple of weeks, so they should be ready in this one. DET hasn't played well in over a month, so why would that change now. I think they come into OAK and get beat easily.
CLE-ARI...no clue, but I do know Seneca Wallace is playing QB for CLE, which would work if they were playing Iowa, but since they're not I don't like CLE's chances.
Lots of JETS love this week, and I get it...they've looked good the last couple of weeks. That's why I'm against them this week and taking PHI. Eagles with Vick are a lot better than Eagles without Vick. There's still a ton of talent on that club, so I'm expecting a strong finish. Give me Eagles in this one with a short line.
Brady vs. Jesus...I know it looks obvious, but I am going against the obvious and taking Jesus and points at home. How can you not pick this guy right now? Until this crazy streak ends he'll be on my list each week...especially getting points at home against a team without a D. I expect NE to try and score a lot early and build a lead, but I honestly think even Jesus can throw against this D, so I'm taking the points. I have to believe the winning streak will end, but 6 points seems too much to be giving a hot team like DEN right now at home.
Great pair of evening games this week, first BAL at SD. I'm kind of back and forth on this one, but I still think BAL is a much better team. The fact that they are still motivated to get that division title and 1st round bye makes me like them in this one. SD is on their last leg, one more loss knocks them out...but I like the BAL D with Lewis coming back against anything Norv can throw out there. It should be a close one, but I'll take BAL.
The MNF game is also a fun one with PIT at SF. I like PIT to win, but with no line posted yet I had to stay away. It also sounds like Big Ben may be out, which may alter my pick. Batch is capable, but in a 16-13 slug fest like this is destined to be I don't like PIT's chances without Ben. I'll pick PIT, but with an asterisk.
Good Luck this week Guys - first batch of Bowl games is coming next.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Thirsty Thursday Night Preview
6 guys on JAC tonight (including me) and 4 on ATL giving 12.5
I'll send out the full preview tonight.
Still waiting on 5 guys for Bowl Picks - I'll need those by early tomorrow for sure. If you've forgotten, I need picks in all 35 games.
I'll send out the picks for the first set of Bowl Games tomorrow or early Saturday as well.
Sorry for the large amount of work this week guys - I'll give you all raises for the extra effort...if you win of course.
I'll send out the full preview tonight.
Still waiting on 5 guys for Bowl Picks - I'll need those by early tomorrow for sure. If you've forgotten, I need picks in all 35 games.
I'll send out the picks for the first set of Bowl Games tomorrow or early Saturday as well.
Sorry for the large amount of work this week guys - I'll give you all raises for the extra effort...if you win of course.
Need Week 16 and Bowl Picks from...
WEEK 16 PICKS
HEINERT
G.THOMAS
SETNICKER
PEYTON
LUKE W.
BOWL PICKS (ALL 35 GAMES)
ROE
BOMB
HEINERT
CORCORAN
G.THOMAS
SETNICKER
PEYTON
LUKE W.
Send me all of this today so we're set for the week and the Bowl season.
Thanks.
HEINERT
G.THOMAS
SETNICKER
PEYTON
LUKE W.
BOWL PICKS (ALL 35 GAMES)
ROE
BOMB
HEINERT
CORCORAN
G.THOMAS
SETNICKER
PEYTON
LUKE W.
Send me all of this today so we're set for the week and the Bowl season.
Thanks.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Wednesday Stuff
So much crazy shiz going on right now, I figured I should get some thoughts out there on what impacts the Football Challenge.
1. IOWA ?'s
So Norm Parker, who has been the Iowa DC since Paterno was a baby, is retiring after this season. For an Iowa guy, he seems like a pretty good dude and it's a loss that will hurt the Squawks. I don't believe Ferentz has ever replaced a coordinator at Iowa, so this will be something new. The D was bad this year, but over the last 10 it's been the unit that has carried that team to a couple of nice seasons. The other question mark in Iowa City is around the Cap'n, Mr. Ferentz himself. He's always been good buds with Scott Pioli and the Belichick coaching tree, Mr. Pioli fired Todd Haley in KC, this seems like a nice fit. Although, if you're Ferentz, why the hell would you ever leave the Iowa job where he's the richest man in the state and seems to maintain his spot while performing well below expectations over the last few years. I hope it happens, but I HATE IOWA, but to me the Cap'n doesn't look like an NFL coach. We'll see, his name seems to come up with a lot of NFL openings but my question is why? The world may never know.
2. NCAA Coaching ?'s
Okay. So AUB OC and offensive guru Gus Malzahn decides he's had enough of being OC at AUB and takes the HC job at ARKST while also taking nearly a 50% pay cut to make the move? Something smells funny to me on this one. I get the urge to be a HC, but this is the same guy who basically turned down the job at VANDY last year and now he accepts ARKST? I'm wondering if there is something happening or something that did happen at AUB that caused a rift with Chizik. Former Gopher DC, Ted Roof, was also fired from the DC spot on AUB after this season. Chizik is cleaning house...or are these guys leaving voluntarily because Chizik is showing his inner Cyclone side and is a complete d-bag? This is the same staff that won the NC just last season, and now in an expected rebuilding year that went surprisingly well, they are all abandoning ship? Where there's smoke there's fire.
The other oddity just happened today. Coaching turnover at a school is tough and it usually takes a while to dig out of the hole your previous coach puts you in while the learning curve for the new coach takes a year or two as well. So with that in mind, how about the Pitt Panthers. Todd Graham, first year coach who replaced the Wann-Stache, just jumped ship to go to ASU after just one season. This Graham character is a class-act, he texted back to his boss to relay the message to the kids that he's off to Tempe so God Bless. Nice, that's a quality individual. This is the same guy that has now held 4 different HC jobs in the last 6 years. Stability...or not I guess. So Graham is a dbag, and it will be easy to root against the Sun Devils again next year. On the flip side you have the Pitt Panthers and their circus of a situation. First, they fire long time coach Wann-Stache last year and hire the guy who lead MIAOH to the MAC title. Well, then this guy (can't remember his name right now and too lazy to look it up) gets a domestic charge against him and a DUI I believe and he's fired in the matter of 2 weeks before he even does anything at PITT. So the search is on again, and they settle on Graham from Tulsa. I figured this would work for a while as it was Graham's first big-time BCS job. Now he bails, and PITT is searching for their 3rd coach in the last year! This is a train wreck. It's not like it's a bad job either, but apparently nobody can keep it for very long.
3. Senator Craig James
As a Thursday night football viewer, I can say I got an early x-mas present yesterday when Craig James revelaed his plans to run for Senate in TX and stop talking about games on ESPN. Thank you Santa Jesus. The 3 man booth of Rece Davis, James, and Jesse Palmer was like driving 8" nails into your ears for 4 hours at a time. I like Rece, he's fine...Jesse, not so much...but James was by far the worst. The way he got Leach fired, cheated at SMU, and says nothing of value on Thursdays for the last couple of years should make this a National Holiday for all of the College Football world. DEC 13th will forever be the day that Thursday Night football got their mojo back - you could hire anyone and it will be an upgrade. Thanks for the memories Craig, good luck on that Senate thing!
4. NFL Madness
11 of the 16 games from last week fell within 1 score of the line. The madness that is watching NFL games and betting ATS is insane. Of my 4 losses from last week, 3 could have easily and I might argue should have easily been wins. CIN loses on a last second TD from HOU even though they had a large lead the whole game. TEN decides to not throw the ball into the EZ at the end to beat NO and doesn't cover the 3.5 pt spread at the same time. Then DAL blows a 12 pt lead with 3 mins left in the game and loses outright! 3 heartbreakers that didn't go my way, but at the same time I had a last play TD from INDY to cover the BAL line, an extra late TD from SEA to cover the 10 on MNF, and PIT laying off the gas an not blowing out the pathetic Browns on TNF. So I guess I lose 3 and I win 3...you win the weeks where out of the 6 close ones you get 5. Seriously, sometimes it seems like you should just flip a coin and see what happens. I think I'm going to actually add that next year, we'll have a mythical player who flips a coin on 15 games a week and we'll see how bad he beats some of us!
5. NFL Fun Facts and Playoff Run Preview
3 games to go, here a division by division breakdown of what should happen and what is happening:
DAL-NYG-PHI-WAS
DAL can't win on the road and has 2 road games left...they miss the playoffs. NYG aren't elite, but I think they win the division. They have a chance to win out. PHI hasn't won back to back games all year, but I still think they are the team of the century! They have only 5 wins, only 1 of those was at home...wow. WAS sucks, but I seem to pick them and win with them every week. After that pesky 6 game losing streak, I think they figured some things out since the return of the Rex. They continue to get more than a TD against teams that shouldn't give more than a TD to anyone.
CHI-DET-GB-MIN
CHI is done. After the bad loss to Jesus last week I think their chips have been cashed. The might lose out...which would include a Metrodome L in the final week. DET is also not going anywhere. This team hasn't played really well since they killed Jesus almost 2 months ago...and they were the last ones to beat him. I think they lose out as well. GB, it's tough to not see 16-0 in their future, but let's let the WIS luck continue. Vagers miss out on their Nat'l Title dreams, Brew Crew sucks in the playoffs and now has everything fall apart, I think it's only a natural progression for the Pack to fall into this same trap. It's basically Super Bowl Champ or bust at this point, so you know what I think will happen and what I'll be rooting for. No D = No Ring. PURPLE - well, we're holding on strong to a top 3 pick, which is really the only goal at this point. I think they beat the Bears but lose the rest...3-13. We're allowing 28 ppg, maybe it's time to revamp the D? Just an idea.
ATL-CAR-NO-TB
ATL will make the playoffs. Easy end to the slate will get them in, but they are not impressive and have been a big disappointment this year. CAR will probably beat TB next Saturday, but lose the other 2 and continue to add more in the draft. NO is scoring a stupid 32 ppg and covered 5 in a row. They win out and go 13-3 for the #2 seed. TB has lost 7 straight, and scores less than the Purple! They've only broke 20 pts once during that streak (vs. the invincible Packers). No wins left, 4-12.
ARI-SF-SEA-STL
ARI has won 5/6, did anyone notice? And they have 3 winnable games left...9-7? They were 1-6, now covered 6 of 7. They only score 19 ppg, but they play D...so they have a chance. SF is a division champ, but I have no faith in this team. Great D, but it's still Alex Smith. Not a lot left to play for, because the Saints will get the #2 seed. SEA is playing really well. They only score 19 ppg too, but they also play great D. in 6 of their 13 games they've held opponents under 20...that's how you win. They have also won 4 of 5. STL is bad. 12 ppg, scored over 20 points 1 time this year...in 13 games!...only 1 time! They have CIN, PIT, SF left...damn it, they probably beat out the Purple for the #2 pick.
BUF-MIA-NE-NYJ
Remember when the Bills were good? Since they have lost the last 6 weeks they can pretty much start planning for next year. MIA, fired coach...start planning for next year. NE, I usually love this club, but their D is really not that good and I think they can't do anything in the playoffs. If it works out, they could/will give the Pack a run, but I don't think they get there. NYJ will cruise into their usual wildcard spot and be a dangerous play in the opening round. They have PHI, NYG, MIA left...not the easiest slate, but I'll pencil them in for now.
BAL-CIN-CLE-PIT
Ravens = division champs. They've handled PIT twice, I like this team. They have more offense than you realize and that D when healthy is the best. CIN still has a shot, but they've lost 4 of 5, 3 of which were in the division. Much better than I expected, but I think the dream is dead for this year. CLE needs to blow it up and start over. I just heard that they haven't scored in the 4th quarter this year...how is that even possible. Lost 6 of 7, only scoring 14 ppg, ugly. PIT just doesn't seem to have it this season. They keep winning, but nothing is impressive and they are banged up all over the place. SF, CLE, STL left...so they could win out, but I think they get a WC spot.
HOU-IND-JAC-TEN
HOU has clinched already, but they look like a scary bet for the playoffs. D improved = wins improve...weird, huh. 7 wins in a row, but missing their QB and now DC Wade Phillips is leaving for a while with health issues...not good omens. IND is 0-13 and contemplating trading their franchise QB and drafting a new one. Dan "I look for open receivers while I'm running on the back line of the end zone" Orlovsky was their QB last week. They shouldn't win all year, but probably will sneak out one. JAC, coach already fired here as well...season over. Another pathetic offense at 15 ppg, only better than the 14 ppg that INDY has put up. I still like TEN as a potential playoff contender if the Jets stumble. IND-JAC-HOU is a nice way to finish considering all 3 of them have nothing to play for. TEN could be a 10 win team and I think they have the tiebreaker over NYJ right now. Stay tuned.
DEN-KC-OAK-SD
Jesus is going to get this team in the playoffs as the division champ. Is there really any doubt? NE, BUF, KC left...but it doesn't matter. 6 in a row, and 7 out of 8...unreal. KC, coach fired, potentially playing Stanzi at QB this week...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! They haven't broke 10 points in a game in 6 weeks! Stanzi will make that streak last 3 more weeks. OAK looked good early and has really struggled lately. But they've played 4 of 5 on the road and have 2 of the last 3 at home. All 3 are winnable and I still think they are a good team...but the NFL and God will not allow them into the playoffs when Jesus is QB on the other side. SD still feels like a mirage to me. 2 wins in a row, but 3 tough games left and basically needing to win out to be considered is not a good bet. SD = dead.
So my official picks:
NFC: GB, NO, SF, NYG...ATL, SEA
AFC: NE, BAL, HOU, DEN...PIT, NYJ
If you're still reading, be sure to send in your picks for this week in the NFL and all 35 Bowl Picks are also due on Thursday.
1. IOWA ?'s
So Norm Parker, who has been the Iowa DC since Paterno was a baby, is retiring after this season. For an Iowa guy, he seems like a pretty good dude and it's a loss that will hurt the Squawks. I don't believe Ferentz has ever replaced a coordinator at Iowa, so this will be something new. The D was bad this year, but over the last 10 it's been the unit that has carried that team to a couple of nice seasons. The other question mark in Iowa City is around the Cap'n, Mr. Ferentz himself. He's always been good buds with Scott Pioli and the Belichick coaching tree, Mr. Pioli fired Todd Haley in KC, this seems like a nice fit. Although, if you're Ferentz, why the hell would you ever leave the Iowa job where he's the richest man in the state and seems to maintain his spot while performing well below expectations over the last few years. I hope it happens, but I HATE IOWA, but to me the Cap'n doesn't look like an NFL coach. We'll see, his name seems to come up with a lot of NFL openings but my question is why? The world may never know.
2. NCAA Coaching ?'s
Okay. So AUB OC and offensive guru Gus Malzahn decides he's had enough of being OC at AUB and takes the HC job at ARKST while also taking nearly a 50% pay cut to make the move? Something smells funny to me on this one. I get the urge to be a HC, but this is the same guy who basically turned down the job at VANDY last year and now he accepts ARKST? I'm wondering if there is something happening or something that did happen at AUB that caused a rift with Chizik. Former Gopher DC, Ted Roof, was also fired from the DC spot on AUB after this season. Chizik is cleaning house...or are these guys leaving voluntarily because Chizik is showing his inner Cyclone side and is a complete d-bag? This is the same staff that won the NC just last season, and now in an expected rebuilding year that went surprisingly well, they are all abandoning ship? Where there's smoke there's fire.
The other oddity just happened today. Coaching turnover at a school is tough and it usually takes a while to dig out of the hole your previous coach puts you in while the learning curve for the new coach takes a year or two as well. So with that in mind, how about the Pitt Panthers. Todd Graham, first year coach who replaced the Wann-Stache, just jumped ship to go to ASU after just one season. This Graham character is a class-act, he texted back to his boss to relay the message to the kids that he's off to Tempe so God Bless. Nice, that's a quality individual. This is the same guy that has now held 4 different HC jobs in the last 6 years. Stability...or not I guess. So Graham is a dbag, and it will be easy to root against the Sun Devils again next year. On the flip side you have the Pitt Panthers and their circus of a situation. First, they fire long time coach Wann-Stache last year and hire the guy who lead MIAOH to the MAC title. Well, then this guy (can't remember his name right now and too lazy to look it up) gets a domestic charge against him and a DUI I believe and he's fired in the matter of 2 weeks before he even does anything at PITT. So the search is on again, and they settle on Graham from Tulsa. I figured this would work for a while as it was Graham's first big-time BCS job. Now he bails, and PITT is searching for their 3rd coach in the last year! This is a train wreck. It's not like it's a bad job either, but apparently nobody can keep it for very long.
3. Senator Craig James
As a Thursday night football viewer, I can say I got an early x-mas present yesterday when Craig James revelaed his plans to run for Senate in TX and stop talking about games on ESPN. Thank you Santa Jesus. The 3 man booth of Rece Davis, James, and Jesse Palmer was like driving 8" nails into your ears for 4 hours at a time. I like Rece, he's fine...Jesse, not so much...but James was by far the worst. The way he got Leach fired, cheated at SMU, and says nothing of value on Thursdays for the last couple of years should make this a National Holiday for all of the College Football world. DEC 13th will forever be the day that Thursday Night football got their mojo back - you could hire anyone and it will be an upgrade. Thanks for the memories Craig, good luck on that Senate thing!
4. NFL Madness
11 of the 16 games from last week fell within 1 score of the line. The madness that is watching NFL games and betting ATS is insane. Of my 4 losses from last week, 3 could have easily and I might argue should have easily been wins. CIN loses on a last second TD from HOU even though they had a large lead the whole game. TEN decides to not throw the ball into the EZ at the end to beat NO and doesn't cover the 3.5 pt spread at the same time. Then DAL blows a 12 pt lead with 3 mins left in the game and loses outright! 3 heartbreakers that didn't go my way, but at the same time I had a last play TD from INDY to cover the BAL line, an extra late TD from SEA to cover the 10 on MNF, and PIT laying off the gas an not blowing out the pathetic Browns on TNF. So I guess I lose 3 and I win 3...you win the weeks where out of the 6 close ones you get 5. Seriously, sometimes it seems like you should just flip a coin and see what happens. I think I'm going to actually add that next year, we'll have a mythical player who flips a coin on 15 games a week and we'll see how bad he beats some of us!
5. NFL Fun Facts and Playoff Run Preview
3 games to go, here a division by division breakdown of what should happen and what is happening:
DAL-NYG-PHI-WAS
DAL can't win on the road and has 2 road games left...they miss the playoffs. NYG aren't elite, but I think they win the division. They have a chance to win out. PHI hasn't won back to back games all year, but I still think they are the team of the century! They have only 5 wins, only 1 of those was at home...wow. WAS sucks, but I seem to pick them and win with them every week. After that pesky 6 game losing streak, I think they figured some things out since the return of the Rex. They continue to get more than a TD against teams that shouldn't give more than a TD to anyone.
CHI-DET-GB-MIN
CHI is done. After the bad loss to Jesus last week I think their chips have been cashed. The might lose out...which would include a Metrodome L in the final week. DET is also not going anywhere. This team hasn't played really well since they killed Jesus almost 2 months ago...and they were the last ones to beat him. I think they lose out as well. GB, it's tough to not see 16-0 in their future, but let's let the WIS luck continue. Vagers miss out on their Nat'l Title dreams, Brew Crew sucks in the playoffs and now has everything fall apart, I think it's only a natural progression for the Pack to fall into this same trap. It's basically Super Bowl Champ or bust at this point, so you know what I think will happen and what I'll be rooting for. No D = No Ring. PURPLE - well, we're holding on strong to a top 3 pick, which is really the only goal at this point. I think they beat the Bears but lose the rest...3-13. We're allowing 28 ppg, maybe it's time to revamp the D? Just an idea.
ATL-CAR-NO-TB
ATL will make the playoffs. Easy end to the slate will get them in, but they are not impressive and have been a big disappointment this year. CAR will probably beat TB next Saturday, but lose the other 2 and continue to add more in the draft. NO is scoring a stupid 32 ppg and covered 5 in a row. They win out and go 13-3 for the #2 seed. TB has lost 7 straight, and scores less than the Purple! They've only broke 20 pts once during that streak (vs. the invincible Packers). No wins left, 4-12.
ARI-SF-SEA-STL
ARI has won 5/6, did anyone notice? And they have 3 winnable games left...9-7? They were 1-6, now covered 6 of 7. They only score 19 ppg, but they play D...so they have a chance. SF is a division champ, but I have no faith in this team. Great D, but it's still Alex Smith. Not a lot left to play for, because the Saints will get the #2 seed. SEA is playing really well. They only score 19 ppg too, but they also play great D. in 6 of their 13 games they've held opponents under 20...that's how you win. They have also won 4 of 5. STL is bad. 12 ppg, scored over 20 points 1 time this year...in 13 games!...only 1 time! They have CIN, PIT, SF left...damn it, they probably beat out the Purple for the #2 pick.
BUF-MIA-NE-NYJ
Remember when the Bills were good? Since they have lost the last 6 weeks they can pretty much start planning for next year. MIA, fired coach...start planning for next year. NE, I usually love this club, but their D is really not that good and I think they can't do anything in the playoffs. If it works out, they could/will give the Pack a run, but I don't think they get there. NYJ will cruise into their usual wildcard spot and be a dangerous play in the opening round. They have PHI, NYG, MIA left...not the easiest slate, but I'll pencil them in for now.
BAL-CIN-CLE-PIT
Ravens = division champs. They've handled PIT twice, I like this team. They have more offense than you realize and that D when healthy is the best. CIN still has a shot, but they've lost 4 of 5, 3 of which were in the division. Much better than I expected, but I think the dream is dead for this year. CLE needs to blow it up and start over. I just heard that they haven't scored in the 4th quarter this year...how is that even possible. Lost 6 of 7, only scoring 14 ppg, ugly. PIT just doesn't seem to have it this season. They keep winning, but nothing is impressive and they are banged up all over the place. SF, CLE, STL left...so they could win out, but I think they get a WC spot.
HOU-IND-JAC-TEN
HOU has clinched already, but they look like a scary bet for the playoffs. D improved = wins improve...weird, huh. 7 wins in a row, but missing their QB and now DC Wade Phillips is leaving for a while with health issues...not good omens. IND is 0-13 and contemplating trading their franchise QB and drafting a new one. Dan "I look for open receivers while I'm running on the back line of the end zone" Orlovsky was their QB last week. They shouldn't win all year, but probably will sneak out one. JAC, coach already fired here as well...season over. Another pathetic offense at 15 ppg, only better than the 14 ppg that INDY has put up. I still like TEN as a potential playoff contender if the Jets stumble. IND-JAC-HOU is a nice way to finish considering all 3 of them have nothing to play for. TEN could be a 10 win team and I think they have the tiebreaker over NYJ right now. Stay tuned.
DEN-KC-OAK-SD
Jesus is going to get this team in the playoffs as the division champ. Is there really any doubt? NE, BUF, KC left...but it doesn't matter. 6 in a row, and 7 out of 8...unreal. KC, coach fired, potentially playing Stanzi at QB this week...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! They haven't broke 10 points in a game in 6 weeks! Stanzi will make that streak last 3 more weeks. OAK looked good early and has really struggled lately. But they've played 4 of 5 on the road and have 2 of the last 3 at home. All 3 are winnable and I still think they are a good team...but the NFL and God will not allow them into the playoffs when Jesus is QB on the other side. SD still feels like a mirage to me. 2 wins in a row, but 3 tough games left and basically needing to win out to be considered is not a good bet. SD = dead.
So my official picks:
NFC: GB, NO, SF, NYG...ATL, SEA
AFC: NE, BAL, HOU, DEN...PIT, NYJ
If you're still reading, be sure to send in your picks for this week in the NFL and all 35 Bowl Picks are also due on Thursday.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Week 16 Lines
Missing 2 games right now, as always I'll send those when they are posted but feel free to pick them now if you want.
JAC
ATL -12.5
DAL
TB 7
CIN
STL 7
MIA
BUF
WAS
NYG -8
TEN
IND 7
SEA
CHI -4
GB
KC 15.5
CAR
HOU -6
NO
MIN 7.5
DET
OAK -1
CLE
ARI -7
NYJ
PHI -1.5
NE
DEN 6
BAL
SD 0
PIT
SF
JAC
ATL -12.5
DAL
TB 7
CIN
STL 7
MIA
BUF
WAS
NYG -8
TEN
IND 7
SEA
CHI -4
GB
KC 15.5
CAR
HOU -6
NO
MIN 7.5
DET
OAK -1
CLE
ARI -7
NYJ
PHI -1.5
NE
DEN 6
BAL
SD 0
PIT
SF
Week 15 Review
As I said yesterday, no winner this week so week 16 will be worth $100.
Week 15 W L %
MS 0 0 #DIV/0!
JG 7 3 70.0%
SS 7 3 70.0%
JR 6 4 60.0%
MH 6 4 60.0%
MC 6 4 60.0%
MT 6 4 60.0%
JH 6 4 60.0%
MR 5 5 50.0%
AW 5 5 50.0%
RO 5 5 50.0%
GT 5 5 50.0%
GR 4 6 40.0%
TN 4 6 40.0%
CP 4 6 40.0%
LW 3 7 30.0%
MO 3 7 30.0%
We hit 51.3% in total this week, 0% in the NCAA game and 53% in NFL.
YTD W L %
TN 121 99 55.0%
MR 119 101 54.1%
SS 119 101 54.1%
JH 119 101 54.1%
CP 117 103 53.2%
MT 116 104 52.7%
MH 115 105 52.3%
GR 114 106 51.8%
MO 113 107 51.4%
RO 110 110 50.0%
JG 109 111 49.5%
JR 108 112 49.1%
GT 107 113 48.6%
MC 106 114 48.2%
AW 105 115 47.7%
LW 104 116 47.3%
MS 56 164 25.5%
It's going to be quite a finish at the top. TN maintains his lead by 2 games over a trio of MR, SS, and JH. CP is only 4 back and MT is 5 back. We still have 30 NFL games to pick, so it's still wide open. We are at 51.2% on the year (without MS).
NFL W L %
MT 61 44 58.1%
MH 45 34 57.0%
JR 53 41 56.4%
JH 48 38 55.8%
JG 59 47 55.7%
MC 49 41 54.4%
TN 41 35 53.9%
SS 45 43 51.1%
AW 49 51 49.0%
RO 46 49 48.4%
GT 52 59 46.8%
MR 36 41 46.8%
LW 58 68 46.0%
CP 35 42 45.5%
GR 39 50 43.8%
MO 35 49 41.7%
MS 24 110 17.9%
MT has a 1.1% lead in NFL standings. We are at 50.6% in total (without MS).
3 more weeks of nothing but NFL picks to decide our champion. I think one brutal week will knock you out at this point with everyone being so close.
Don't forget to send me your BOWL PICKS...I need you pick for every game by Thursday so we can be all set for the season. I'll be sending out the Week 16 NFL lines shortly.
Week 15 W L %
MS 0 0 #DIV/0!
JG 7 3 70.0%
SS 7 3 70.0%
JR 6 4 60.0%
MH 6 4 60.0%
MC 6 4 60.0%
MT 6 4 60.0%
JH 6 4 60.0%
MR 5 5 50.0%
AW 5 5 50.0%
RO 5 5 50.0%
GT 5 5 50.0%
GR 4 6 40.0%
TN 4 6 40.0%
CP 4 6 40.0%
LW 3 7 30.0%
MO 3 7 30.0%
We hit 51.3% in total this week, 0% in the NCAA game and 53% in NFL.
YTD W L %
TN 121 99 55.0%
MR 119 101 54.1%
SS 119 101 54.1%
JH 119 101 54.1%
CP 117 103 53.2%
MT 116 104 52.7%
MH 115 105 52.3%
GR 114 106 51.8%
MO 113 107 51.4%
RO 110 110 50.0%
JG 109 111 49.5%
JR 108 112 49.1%
GT 107 113 48.6%
MC 106 114 48.2%
AW 105 115 47.7%
LW 104 116 47.3%
MS 56 164 25.5%
It's going to be quite a finish at the top. TN maintains his lead by 2 games over a trio of MR, SS, and JH. CP is only 4 back and MT is 5 back. We still have 30 NFL games to pick, so it's still wide open. We are at 51.2% on the year (without MS).
NFL W L %
MT 61 44 58.1%
MH 45 34 57.0%
JR 53 41 56.4%
JH 48 38 55.8%
JG 59 47 55.7%
MC 49 41 54.4%
TN 41 35 53.9%
SS 45 43 51.1%
AW 49 51 49.0%
RO 46 49 48.4%
GT 52 59 46.8%
MR 36 41 46.8%
LW 58 68 46.0%
CP 35 42 45.5%
GR 39 50 43.8%
MO 35 49 41.7%
MS 24 110 17.9%
MT has a 1.1% lead in NFL standings. We are at 50.6% in total (without MS).
3 more weeks of nothing but NFL picks to decide our champion. I think one brutal week will knock you out at this point with everyone being so close.
Don't forget to send me your BOWL PICKS...I need you pick for every game by Thursday so we can be all set for the season. I'll be sending out the Week 16 NFL lines shortly.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Week 15 Monday Update
Giants cover, and we have a push for the week. JG and SS both finish at 7-3 and nobody will catch them. $100 on the line next week. MNF is meaningless tonight, but I'm sure you won't miss the classic STL-SEA battle. Full recap coming tomorrow.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Week 15 SNF Update
Pack-OAK game not over yet, but I think we can mark it down as official. With that, here are the current standings:
Week 15 W L %
SS 7 3 70.0%
JG 6 3 66.7%
JH 6 3 66.7%
JR 5 3 62.5%
MC 6 4 60.0%
MT 5 4 55.6%
MR 5 5 50.0%
MH 4 4 50.0%
AW 4 5 44.4%
RO 4 5 44.4%
GT 4 5 44.4%
CP 3 6 33.3%
LW 3 6 33.3%
GR 2 6 25.0%
TN 2 6 25.0%
MO 2 6 25.0%
SS is done at 7-3, JH has DAL and JG has NYG so one of them should reach 7 wins and tie SS...unless it ends on exactly a 3 pt spread, then they'll both lose and SS will be $50 weekly winner.
Good Luck.
Week 15 W L %
SS 7 3 70.0%
JG 6 3 66.7%
JH 6 3 66.7%
JR 5 3 62.5%
MC 6 4 60.0%
MT 5 4 55.6%
MR 5 5 50.0%
MH 4 4 50.0%
AW 4 5 44.4%
RO 4 5 44.4%
GT 4 5 44.4%
CP 3 6 33.3%
LW 3 6 33.3%
GR 2 6 25.0%
TN 2 6 25.0%
MO 2 6 25.0%
SS is done at 7-3, JH has DAL and JG has NYG so one of them should reach 7 wins and tie SS...unless it ends on exactly a 3 pt spread, then they'll both lose and SS will be $50 weekly winner.
Good Luck.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
STL-SEA Line
Well, I said I liked it all the way up to about 10 not thinking it would ever be that high...but I guess it it.
Official line for this MNF Classic is:
STL
SEA -10
Good Luck!
Official line for this MNF Classic is:
STL
SEA -10
Good Luck!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Week 15 Preview
Almost all NFL picks this week besides ARMY-NAVY on Saturday...time to decide a winner for 2011.
Still no line on STL at SEA for MNF, but some of us still picked it...so I will still send out that line when necessary because odds are it will come into play.
PICKS
JR: CLE JAC CIN NYJ TEN IND OAK SD DAL SEA
JG: CLE NYJ IND OAK NE NO PHI ATL SF NYG
MR: NYJ IND NE NO SF CIN SD TB DEN GB
AW: NE NO SF TB OAK ATL NYG HOU MIN BUF
GR: NAVY NE NO SF NYG GB SEA PIT MIA CAR
MH: NAVY NE SF NYG GB SEA ATL CIN PHI JAC
MC: NE SF GB ATL CIN JAC NO IND CLE KC
SS: NE ATL CIN JAC NO NYJ SD BAL CHI ARI
RO: NAVY NE NO SF GB NYG PHI CAR HOU DET
TN: NYG DET ATL CIN NYJ SEA OAK BUF DEN TEN
MT: NAVY NYG OAK NO SF CAR IND CLE MIN WAS
GT: NYG NO SF DET ATL DEN NE PHI SD PIT
MS: x x x x x x x x x x
CP: NYG SF SD OAK CAR MIN TEN HOU KC TB
LW: SF SD MIN DEN NE PIT CIN NYJ BAL DAL
JH: SF SD MIN NE DAL KC NO ATL PHI CHI
MO: NAVY NE DAL NO PIT NYJ OAK CAR DET SEA
First, we have the ARMY-NAVY game on Saturday. This will be the first year that I didn't include this in my picks...but with my track record in NCAA for this year I figure I'm just saving myself a loss.
ARMY (+7.5) at NAVY
I'm going ARMY on this one, for the Challenge we have 5 on NAVY and none on ARMY. Why ARMY, well it obviously a rivalry game and if I can get more than a TD in a rivalry game where both teams are average to bad, then I'll take it. GO ARMY BEAT NAVY (or at least only lose by a TD or less). ARMY 21-20 WINNER!!
THIRSTY THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
CLE (+15.5) at PIT
We are split 4-4 on this one for tonight. I love points in the NFL, especially in a game like this with a couple of grind it out teams with a game who's outcome should really never be in doubt. Try and convince me that PIT won't be satisfied winning this one 10-6...you can't. In a division game with a team only playing for pride I like the points here although I think it will be close to that number. PIT 20-6.
TB at JAC (+1)
I would take TB here if I had a clue who their QB was going to be this week, but I don't and the JAGS just got blown away on MNF, so I'm taking a chance on them. We have 3 TB and 4 JAC for the Challenge. JAC in a struggle 23-20.
NE at WAS (+9.5)
Predictably the whole world loves NE in this one (12 vs. 1 on WAS). I didn't play it, but if I would have I would like WAS. I just don't see this NE team as great when they sport one of the worst D's in the league. WAS has broken back into respectability range since Rex came back and the Pats have only covered one big line all year. I'll take Skins to cover but NE wins 28-24.
HOU at CIN (-1)
3 on HOU and 7 on CIN...I underestimated the HOU D at home last week, but the young QB on the road in a hostile environment against a good defense will be a different story. Yates managed the game last week, but I think the Bungals, off of 4 straight division games, will be ready to play well. PIT housed them last week and they are still in the playoff hunt so a big home win is necessary this week. This is my best bet of the week...CIN 24-10.
KC at NYJ (-9.5)
3 on KC, 7 on NYJ...I'm on the Jets. KC had a moment on the road last week against a deflated CHI team and the Jets surprised me and played pretty well against WAS. I can't pick KC to score more than 10 at the very most against a good D with their current QB disaster, and the JETS need to keep taking care of business to stay in the jumbled playoff hunt in the AFC for that 6 spot. JETS win big 27-10.
MIN at DET (-7)
5 on Purple, 4 on DET...I stayed away, but I kind of wish I would have picked DET. I know they are kind of slopfest to watch right now, but have you seen the Purple lately. Ponder is very questionable, the D may as well take this one off, and AD could be back but no guarantees. If the Lions keep it together they should score in the 30's without a doubt. MIN, especially without Ponder and AD won't be able to get to the endzone more than twice. DET wins 35-16.
NO at TEN (+3.5)
11 on NO, 3 on TEN...Another classic game where the line looks low with a "great" team on the road. The Saints aren't nearly the same team away from the Katrina Dome, and this TEN club is really starting to find it right now. The motivation for NO is also not there at this point to get into a fist fight with a physical team like TEN because really all they have left to do is beat ATL at home on MNF in a couple of weeks and they'll win the division. They won't catch GB, they might catch SF, but after 2 big home night wins I think they'll be down a bit. Give me TEN in a playoff drive period against a still below average Saints D. TEN wins 24-21.
PHI at MIA (-3)
5 PHI, 1 MIA...I avoided this one altogether. Will PHI make a stand and show up the rest of the year? Can MIA keep the streak going? When it doubt take the hot team...so I'm picking Fins. 20-14.
IND (+16.5) at BAL
5 on IND, 2 on BAL...Big points for a team without a great offense. Colts cover this as long as they don't give up D/SPT TD's that make it ugly. BAL wins 27-17.
ATL at CAR (+2.5)
8 ATL, 5 CAR... I've kind of been anti-Falcon all year, so why stop now. I just haven't been impressed by anything they have done this year. Give me underdog Cam at home. 33-30 Panthers.
CHI at DEN (-3.5)
2 CHI, 4 DEN...Tebow giving more than a FG at home to a good D...and I'm going with it! How can you bet against this team right now, if this was 2.5 I'm all over it, but they could really win this one 3-0 and I wouldn't be surprised. How do the Bears do anything without a QB or RB at this point? Keep betting on Jesus until he proves he can't win every game! DEN 11-6.
SF at ARI (+3.5)
12 SF, 1 ARI...The 3rd exmaple of a "good" team giving a small number on the road that everyone jumps on board. SF just still doesn't seem like that strong of a club to me, and on the road against an ARI team that's actually won a lot lately I don't like giving 3.5. Give me Kolb at home in a nail biter...ARI 20-17.
OAK (+12.5) at GB
7 OAK, 5 GB...Once again I think it's just too many points to be giving a good team like OAK. The Pack continue to have close games week in and week out because they really are getting the best shot from everyone at this point. OAK can score, which is criticial when playing GB, so I think they hang in this enough to cover a number. GB wins 28-21.
BUF at SD (-6)
2 BUF, 7 SD...I think SD has a little mojo back and might be in line for a snoozer win this weekend. BUF is pretty much dundee after 5 straight losses, and the Super-Chargers still are clinging to life. The ugly BUF D could look a lot like JAC on MNF...SD wins 34-20.
NYG at DAL (-3)
9 NYG, 4 DAL...Predictable split on this one, NYG look good last week, DAL looks bad, everyone jumps on the G-men. That's exactly why I like the Cowboys in this one. Yeah, NYG played well with GB, but they've lost 4 in a row. DAL sucks on the road, this is proven, but they are tough at home. It will probably be close, because these games always seem to be, but I'll take DAL 31-24.
STL at SEA (-???)
0 STL, 5 SEA...STL and ARMY are in exclusive company this week...nobody likes them. Tough to do when there are only 34 teams and 160 picks thrown out there for the week! Seriously, I might take SEA -10 in this game if that was the line. Not because they are that good, but STL definitely is that bad. SEA 29-3.
There it is. Should be an interesting and unpredictable week where anything can happen.
G-Reg is possibly heading out to Lambeau this weekend, I got a glimpse of the outfits he and my mom plan on wearing, what do you think? I approve.
Still no line on STL at SEA for MNF, but some of us still picked it...so I will still send out that line when necessary because odds are it will come into play.
PICKS
JR: CLE JAC CIN NYJ TEN IND OAK SD DAL SEA
JG: CLE NYJ IND OAK NE NO PHI ATL SF NYG
MR: NYJ IND NE NO SF CIN SD TB DEN GB
AW: NE NO SF TB OAK ATL NYG HOU MIN BUF
GR: NAVY NE NO SF NYG GB SEA PIT MIA CAR
MH: NAVY NE SF NYG GB SEA ATL CIN PHI JAC
MC: NE SF GB ATL CIN JAC NO IND CLE KC
SS: NE ATL CIN JAC NO NYJ SD BAL CHI ARI
RO: NAVY NE NO SF GB NYG PHI CAR HOU DET
TN: NYG DET ATL CIN NYJ SEA OAK BUF DEN TEN
MT: NAVY NYG OAK NO SF CAR IND CLE MIN WAS
GT: NYG NO SF DET ATL DEN NE PHI SD PIT
MS: x x x x x x x x x x
CP: NYG SF SD OAK CAR MIN TEN HOU KC TB
LW: SF SD MIN DEN NE PIT CIN NYJ BAL DAL
JH: SF SD MIN NE DAL KC NO ATL PHI CHI
MO: NAVY NE DAL NO PIT NYJ OAK CAR DET SEA
First, we have the ARMY-NAVY game on Saturday. This will be the first year that I didn't include this in my picks...but with my track record in NCAA for this year I figure I'm just saving myself a loss.
ARMY (+7.5) at NAVY
I'm going ARMY on this one, for the Challenge we have 5 on NAVY and none on ARMY. Why ARMY, well it obviously a rivalry game and if I can get more than a TD in a rivalry game where both teams are average to bad, then I'll take it. GO ARMY BEAT NAVY (or at least only lose by a TD or less). ARMY 21-20 WINNER!!
THIRSTY THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
CLE (+15.5) at PIT
We are split 4-4 on this one for tonight. I love points in the NFL, especially in a game like this with a couple of grind it out teams with a game who's outcome should really never be in doubt. Try and convince me that PIT won't be satisfied winning this one 10-6...you can't. In a division game with a team only playing for pride I like the points here although I think it will be close to that number. PIT 20-6.
TB at JAC (+1)
I would take TB here if I had a clue who their QB was going to be this week, but I don't and the JAGS just got blown away on MNF, so I'm taking a chance on them. We have 3 TB and 4 JAC for the Challenge. JAC in a struggle 23-20.
NE at WAS (+9.5)
Predictably the whole world loves NE in this one (12 vs. 1 on WAS). I didn't play it, but if I would have I would like WAS. I just don't see this NE team as great when they sport one of the worst D's in the league. WAS has broken back into respectability range since Rex came back and the Pats have only covered one big line all year. I'll take Skins to cover but NE wins 28-24.
HOU at CIN (-1)
3 on HOU and 7 on CIN...I underestimated the HOU D at home last week, but the young QB on the road in a hostile environment against a good defense will be a different story. Yates managed the game last week, but I think the Bungals, off of 4 straight division games, will be ready to play well. PIT housed them last week and they are still in the playoff hunt so a big home win is necessary this week. This is my best bet of the week...CIN 24-10.
KC at NYJ (-9.5)
3 on KC, 7 on NYJ...I'm on the Jets. KC had a moment on the road last week against a deflated CHI team and the Jets surprised me and played pretty well against WAS. I can't pick KC to score more than 10 at the very most against a good D with their current QB disaster, and the JETS need to keep taking care of business to stay in the jumbled playoff hunt in the AFC for that 6 spot. JETS win big 27-10.
MIN at DET (-7)
5 on Purple, 4 on DET...I stayed away, but I kind of wish I would have picked DET. I know they are kind of slopfest to watch right now, but have you seen the Purple lately. Ponder is very questionable, the D may as well take this one off, and AD could be back but no guarantees. If the Lions keep it together they should score in the 30's without a doubt. MIN, especially without Ponder and AD won't be able to get to the endzone more than twice. DET wins 35-16.
NO at TEN (+3.5)
11 on NO, 3 on TEN...Another classic game where the line looks low with a "great" team on the road. The Saints aren't nearly the same team away from the Katrina Dome, and this TEN club is really starting to find it right now. The motivation for NO is also not there at this point to get into a fist fight with a physical team like TEN because really all they have left to do is beat ATL at home on MNF in a couple of weeks and they'll win the division. They won't catch GB, they might catch SF, but after 2 big home night wins I think they'll be down a bit. Give me TEN in a playoff drive period against a still below average Saints D. TEN wins 24-21.
PHI at MIA (-3)
5 PHI, 1 MIA...I avoided this one altogether. Will PHI make a stand and show up the rest of the year? Can MIA keep the streak going? When it doubt take the hot team...so I'm picking Fins. 20-14.
IND (+16.5) at BAL
5 on IND, 2 on BAL...Big points for a team without a great offense. Colts cover this as long as they don't give up D/SPT TD's that make it ugly. BAL wins 27-17.
ATL at CAR (+2.5)
8 ATL, 5 CAR... I've kind of been anti-Falcon all year, so why stop now. I just haven't been impressed by anything they have done this year. Give me underdog Cam at home. 33-30 Panthers.
CHI at DEN (-3.5)
2 CHI, 4 DEN...Tebow giving more than a FG at home to a good D...and I'm going with it! How can you bet against this team right now, if this was 2.5 I'm all over it, but they could really win this one 3-0 and I wouldn't be surprised. How do the Bears do anything without a QB or RB at this point? Keep betting on Jesus until he proves he can't win every game! DEN 11-6.
SF at ARI (+3.5)
12 SF, 1 ARI...The 3rd exmaple of a "good" team giving a small number on the road that everyone jumps on board. SF just still doesn't seem like that strong of a club to me, and on the road against an ARI team that's actually won a lot lately I don't like giving 3.5. Give me Kolb at home in a nail biter...ARI 20-17.
OAK (+12.5) at GB
7 OAK, 5 GB...Once again I think it's just too many points to be giving a good team like OAK. The Pack continue to have close games week in and week out because they really are getting the best shot from everyone at this point. OAK can score, which is criticial when playing GB, so I think they hang in this enough to cover a number. GB wins 28-21.
BUF at SD (-6)
2 BUF, 7 SD...I think SD has a little mojo back and might be in line for a snoozer win this weekend. BUF is pretty much dundee after 5 straight losses, and the Super-Chargers still are clinging to life. The ugly BUF D could look a lot like JAC on MNF...SD wins 34-20.
NYG at DAL (-3)
9 NYG, 4 DAL...Predictable split on this one, NYG look good last week, DAL looks bad, everyone jumps on the G-men. That's exactly why I like the Cowboys in this one. Yeah, NYG played well with GB, but they've lost 4 in a row. DAL sucks on the road, this is proven, but they are tough at home. It will probably be close, because these games always seem to be, but I'll take DAL 31-24.
STL at SEA (-???)
0 STL, 5 SEA...STL and ARMY are in exclusive company this week...nobody likes them. Tough to do when there are only 34 teams and 160 picks thrown out there for the week! Seriously, I might take SEA -10 in this game if that was the line. Not because they are that good, but STL definitely is that bad. SEA 29-3.
There it is. Should be an interesting and unpredictable week where anything can happen.
G-Reg is possibly heading out to Lambeau this weekend, I got a glimpse of the outfits he and my mom plan on wearing, what do you think? I approve.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Football Challenge SHARE SALE!
For the 1st time ever, we are having a share sale on the Football Challenge. For only $250 you can buy a share of Football Challenge Stock and be a part owner in the franchise. You will have the ability to attend annual shareholder meetings and have a say in the future of the Football Challenge. What better time to get in than now when the Football Challenge is successful and growing?!? Send your money to me...these shares will go fast!
Yeah, if the morons to the East can do it, why can't I? I think this is a great plan for anyone who needs to raise some funds in a hurry. Sell off legitimate but kind of fictional "shares" of your franchise and rake in the dollars. So you're giving them $250 to get a piece of paper with your name on it, and for that you get the right to go to a meeting? And how about his caveat to it all, as a "owner" you are no longer allowed to wager on sports any more...if the NFL catches you doing that you can be fined $5K-$10K! The Packer front office is obviously a lot smarter than the rest of that state because this is the best scam you can come up with. People are banging your door down to give you money to spend on your franchise for a piece of paper that gives them the right to attend a meeting. Brilliant. So, it's x-mas time and the kids need presents...send me your check for a share of the Football Challenge as soon as you can. They are avaialable now.
So obviously the BCS is the hot topic once again with the "controversy" surrounding the rematch between LSU and ALABAMA. I've got a lot of thoughts on this...
1. People point to the myth that "ALA already had their chance, give OKST a try." This logic is stupid. I understand the frustration for the 2011 NCAA Football Average Fan who wants to see a new game with points rather than another 9-6 defensive battle, but that's not what drives the BCS. The BCS is designed to put the 2 best teams in the country together to play for the title, and in this case it worked. Some may think OKST is actually better than ALA...
2. ALABAMA is better than OKST. Right now, ALA and LSU would be at least a 7 point favorite over any other team in the nation on a neutral field. That includes OKST. ALA lost to the best team in the country in a nail-biter. OKST lost to a average Iowa State club...see the difference? A team that plays in the BCS Title game can never have anything resmebling "lost to Iowa State" on their resume. If you are the best, you do not lose football games to teams like that, so anyone with a loss like that should be instantly eliminated from consideration. I almost think STAN, even though they were crushed by ORE, has more of a claim to a spot than OKST.
3. Some may argue that OKST needs a break because they lost the night after the women's basketball team had a plane crash. Tragic...yes. Excuse to lose a game...no. I'm sorry, it's just not a valid arguement that could catapault a team into the title game in a situation like this. You could make up excuses for a lot of the losses that every team has each year, but to excuse a loss in Ames for this is not going to work.
4. I do have some thoughts the other way, in OKST's favor, as well. Clearly, I have established that I agree with the ALA-LSU matchup and I think the right team was chosen, but I don't agree with how we got there. Case in point, the Coaches Poll. So this is a major component of the BCS formula but the AP Poll is not. I guess the logic was that the BCS viewed the Coaches poll as unbiased and more true as a ranking system than the AP. The truth is that most of these coaches don't even fill it out because they don't get a chance to watch any other football games besides their own. They can read boxscores, but you and I both know that scores can be very decieving. So the poll loses legitimacy there already. Couple that with the fact that in this final poll each coach basically only holds loyalty to their school and their conference because when their school and their conference do well then they are compensated. That brings us to this sketchy situation, where Nick Saban votes OKST 4th in his poll and Gary Pinkel of MIZZ (who is leaving the B12 for the SEC) votes OKST out of the top 3 as well. It's their right, but it's complete BS because they knew it would be close and come down to % points, so they tried to skew the system to favor their team or their conference and increase their payday. Hopefully, this will force the BCS to realize that this should be nowhere near the final formula for ranking these teams and it gets changed for next season.
The old playoff arguement will go on forever, and I'm not expecting to see it actually happen anytime soon. But for the hell of it, I'll tell you about the system I favor and what that would have produced. I like an 8 teamer that gives the 6 BCS conference champs a bid and then takes the highest non-BCS conference team and 1 wildcard (highest ranked team left based on a BCS formula). Once we have our 8 teams, we use the BCS formula to rank them, which would produce this:
1.LSU vs. 8.WV
4.ORE vs. 5.BOISE
2.ALA vs. 7.CLEM
3.OKST vs. 6.WIS
Who wouldn't want to watch these games next weekend? Start it with 4 crazy good games on the 23rd and 24th (FRI/SAT). Play round 2 on DEC 31, and make the BCS Title Game on Jan 9th like it is right now. Biggest TV deals ever.
Now it's my opinion that even through this process we'd probably get to the same result and have LSU-ALA on 1/9, but it would be fun to watch and we'd have a true OKST-ALA game to make sure we had the right team. How about an LSU-ORE rematch followed by OKST-ALA on New Year's Eve?!?!!? I guess this just makes too much sense. Everyone has a chance, you can play the games in the big Bowls just like now, but make them actually mean something instead of only 1 game mattering on 1/9.
Even a +1 system would be better. Matchup up LSU-ORE and ALA-OKST in the bowl games and a Final 4 type atmosphere, then have the winners play on Jan 9th.
Alright, next.
I'd like to congratulate the Innaugural B12 Title Game champs, The Sconny Vagers. If you missed Brew and his comedy throughout this game, you may not get another chance. I almost pissed myself when he was questioning the Vagers 2pt call and saying it was a "calculated mistake", what does that even mean? Brew mocking Bielema on a 2pt call...awesome. Then he brings out his "pound the rock" mantra that was used here in 2008 and showed up again in early 2010 before his departure. But his last quote just topped it all off...thanks for the memories TE Timmy, I'm sure this will be your last run on the sidelines because you've proven you can't even do that right.
One final point before we go...my miscalculated JAGS picks on MNF this week. So here's my logic, fired coach = team will get a short burst of energy and beat a poor trending Charger team that looks like it's all but finished. Where did I go wrong? Well, unlike NCAA Football, firing a coach during the season in the NFL is a rare thing and the impact appears to in fact be detrimental to the team. The Jags got their doors blown off and didn't have a pulse in the 2nd half. Firing a coach mid-season with a group of 20 year old's can provide motivation and they typically rise up and play better, at least for a week or 2, before their season ends. In the NFL, with 25-30 year old professionals, firing a coach at mid-season says..."we suck, we're throwing in the towel on this year, nobody will care about the rest of these games, you'll all still be getting paid." So while I believe the old mantra about NFL guys don't ever quit because they are professionals, they still have an emotional level that we need to consider. Canning the coach during the year signifies the end of the season and that has to drop the emotional level of the team.
My mistake, all the numbers pointed to SD, but I incorrectly evaluated the emotional state of Team Jaguar...and for that I am sorry.
Well, that's about 10,000 words so I should probably quit.
Yeah, if the morons to the East can do it, why can't I? I think this is a great plan for anyone who needs to raise some funds in a hurry. Sell off legitimate but kind of fictional "shares" of your franchise and rake in the dollars. So you're giving them $250 to get a piece of paper with your name on it, and for that you get the right to go to a meeting? And how about his caveat to it all, as a "owner" you are no longer allowed to wager on sports any more...if the NFL catches you doing that you can be fined $5K-$10K! The Packer front office is obviously a lot smarter than the rest of that state because this is the best scam you can come up with. People are banging your door down to give you money to spend on your franchise for a piece of paper that gives them the right to attend a meeting. Brilliant. So, it's x-mas time and the kids need presents...send me your check for a share of the Football Challenge as soon as you can. They are avaialable now.
So obviously the BCS is the hot topic once again with the "controversy" surrounding the rematch between LSU and ALABAMA. I've got a lot of thoughts on this...
1. People point to the myth that "ALA already had their chance, give OKST a try." This logic is stupid. I understand the frustration for the 2011 NCAA Football Average Fan who wants to see a new game with points rather than another 9-6 defensive battle, but that's not what drives the BCS. The BCS is designed to put the 2 best teams in the country together to play for the title, and in this case it worked. Some may think OKST is actually better than ALA...
2. ALABAMA is better than OKST. Right now, ALA and LSU would be at least a 7 point favorite over any other team in the nation on a neutral field. That includes OKST. ALA lost to the best team in the country in a nail-biter. OKST lost to a average Iowa State club...see the difference? A team that plays in the BCS Title game can never have anything resmebling "lost to Iowa State" on their resume. If you are the best, you do not lose football games to teams like that, so anyone with a loss like that should be instantly eliminated from consideration. I almost think STAN, even though they were crushed by ORE, has more of a claim to a spot than OKST.
3. Some may argue that OKST needs a break because they lost the night after the women's basketball team had a plane crash. Tragic...yes. Excuse to lose a game...no. I'm sorry, it's just not a valid arguement that could catapault a team into the title game in a situation like this. You could make up excuses for a lot of the losses that every team has each year, but to excuse a loss in Ames for this is not going to work.
4. I do have some thoughts the other way, in OKST's favor, as well. Clearly, I have established that I agree with the ALA-LSU matchup and I think the right team was chosen, but I don't agree with how we got there. Case in point, the Coaches Poll. So this is a major component of the BCS formula but the AP Poll is not. I guess the logic was that the BCS viewed the Coaches poll as unbiased and more true as a ranking system than the AP. The truth is that most of these coaches don't even fill it out because they don't get a chance to watch any other football games besides their own. They can read boxscores, but you and I both know that scores can be very decieving. So the poll loses legitimacy there already. Couple that with the fact that in this final poll each coach basically only holds loyalty to their school and their conference because when their school and their conference do well then they are compensated. That brings us to this sketchy situation, where Nick Saban votes OKST 4th in his poll and Gary Pinkel of MIZZ (who is leaving the B12 for the SEC) votes OKST out of the top 3 as well. It's their right, but it's complete BS because they knew it would be close and come down to % points, so they tried to skew the system to favor their team or their conference and increase their payday. Hopefully, this will force the BCS to realize that this should be nowhere near the final formula for ranking these teams and it gets changed for next season.
The old playoff arguement will go on forever, and I'm not expecting to see it actually happen anytime soon. But for the hell of it, I'll tell you about the system I favor and what that would have produced. I like an 8 teamer that gives the 6 BCS conference champs a bid and then takes the highest non-BCS conference team and 1 wildcard (highest ranked team left based on a BCS formula). Once we have our 8 teams, we use the BCS formula to rank them, which would produce this:
1.LSU vs. 8.WV
4.ORE vs. 5.BOISE
2.ALA vs. 7.CLEM
3.OKST vs. 6.WIS
Who wouldn't want to watch these games next weekend? Start it with 4 crazy good games on the 23rd and 24th (FRI/SAT). Play round 2 on DEC 31, and make the BCS Title Game on Jan 9th like it is right now. Biggest TV deals ever.
Now it's my opinion that even through this process we'd probably get to the same result and have LSU-ALA on 1/9, but it would be fun to watch and we'd have a true OKST-ALA game to make sure we had the right team. How about an LSU-ORE rematch followed by OKST-ALA on New Year's Eve?!?!!? I guess this just makes too much sense. Everyone has a chance, you can play the games in the big Bowls just like now, but make them actually mean something instead of only 1 game mattering on 1/9.
Even a +1 system would be better. Matchup up LSU-ORE and ALA-OKST in the bowl games and a Final 4 type atmosphere, then have the winners play on Jan 9th.
Alright, next.
I'd like to congratulate the Innaugural B12 Title Game champs, The Sconny Vagers. If you missed Brew and his comedy throughout this game, you may not get another chance. I almost pissed myself when he was questioning the Vagers 2pt call and saying it was a "calculated mistake", what does that even mean? Brew mocking Bielema on a 2pt call...awesome. Then he brings out his "pound the rock" mantra that was used here in 2008 and showed up again in early 2010 before his departure. But his last quote just topped it all off...thanks for the memories TE Timmy, I'm sure this will be your last run on the sidelines because you've proven you can't even do that right.
One final point before we go...my miscalculated JAGS picks on MNF this week. So here's my logic, fired coach = team will get a short burst of energy and beat a poor trending Charger team that looks like it's all but finished. Where did I go wrong? Well, unlike NCAA Football, firing a coach during the season in the NFL is a rare thing and the impact appears to in fact be detrimental to the team. The Jags got their doors blown off and didn't have a pulse in the 2nd half. Firing a coach mid-season with a group of 20 year old's can provide motivation and they typically rise up and play better, at least for a week or 2, before their season ends. In the NFL, with 25-30 year old professionals, firing a coach at mid-season says..."we suck, we're throwing in the towel on this year, nobody will care about the rest of these games, you'll all still be getting paid." So while I believe the old mantra about NFL guys don't ever quit because they are professionals, they still have an emotional level that we need to consider. Canning the coach during the year signifies the end of the season and that has to drop the emotional level of the team.
My mistake, all the numbers pointed to SD, but I incorrectly evaluated the emotional state of Team Jaguar...and for that I am sorry.
Well, that's about 10,000 words so I should probably quit.
BOWL GAME LINES
The wait is over, all Bowl Game lines have been posted. Here's the deal, send me back your pick against the spread in each of the bowl games by THURSDAY DEC 15th. Once again, I don't need them this week, but anytime between now and NEXT THURSDAY I will need your picks for all Bowl Games. I will compile the lists and release my full list of picks at that point. Then I'll send out updates almost daily as the games start to happen and results start coming in.
Each Bowl Game is worth 1,2,or 3 points - I determined these based on the importance of the bowl (BCS =3, New Year's =2, pre-New Year =1) for a total of 50 points. There will be a prize for the most accumulated points in the bowl games, but your bowl total will also be added to your NFL Playoff total to determine the overall Post-Season Champion and 2nd place.
Without further delay...here they are:
TEM
WY 6.5
UTST
OHIO 3
ULL
SDST -5
FIU
MARSH 4.5
LT
TCU -10.5
ASU
BOISE -14
NEV
SOMISS -6
NC
MIZZ -4
WMU
PUR -2.5
LOU
NCST -2.5
TOL
AF 3
CAL
TEX -3
ND
FSU -3
WASH
BAY -9
TULSA
BYU -2.5
RUT
ISU 1.5
WF
MISST -7
IOWA
OK -14
A&M
NW 10
UTAH
GT -3.5
UCLA
ILL -2.5
CIN
VAN -2.5
VIR
AUB -1.5
STAN
OKST -3.5
WIS
ORE -6.5
OHIOST
FLA -2
NEB
SC -1.5
MSU
GEO -4
PSU
HOU -5
MICH
VT 2.5
WV
CLEM -3.5
KST
ARK -7.5
SMU
PITT -5.5
ARKST
NILL 1
ALA
LSU -1
ALL BCS GAMES (5) ARE WORTH 3 POINTS EACH.
ALL OTHER BOWLS THAT HAPPEN JAN 2ND OR LATER (EXCEPT ARKST-NILL, AND SMU-PITT) ARE WORTH 2 POINTS.
ALL GAMES PRIOR TO JAN 2ND AND THE 2 GAMES MENTIONED ABOVE ARE WORTH 1 POINT EACH.
Good Luck!!
Each Bowl Game is worth 1,2,or 3 points - I determined these based on the importance of the bowl (BCS =3, New Year's =2, pre-New Year =1) for a total of 50 points. There will be a prize for the most accumulated points in the bowl games, but your bowl total will also be added to your NFL Playoff total to determine the overall Post-Season Champion and 2nd place.
Without further delay...here they are:
TEM
WY 6.5
UTST
OHIO 3
ULL
SDST -5
FIU
MARSH 4.5
LT
TCU -10.5
ASU
BOISE -14
NEV
SOMISS -6
NC
MIZZ -4
WMU
PUR -2.5
LOU
NCST -2.5
TOL
AF 3
CAL
TEX -3
ND
FSU -3
WASH
BAY -9
TULSA
BYU -2.5
RUT
ISU 1.5
WF
MISST -7
IOWA
OK -14
A&M
NW 10
UTAH
GT -3.5
UCLA
ILL -2.5
CIN
VAN -2.5
VIR
AUB -1.5
STAN
OKST -3.5
WIS
ORE -6.5
OHIOST
FLA -2
NEB
SC -1.5
MSU
GEO -4
PSU
HOU -5
MICH
VT 2.5
WV
CLEM -3.5
KST
ARK -7.5
SMU
PITT -5.5
ARKST
NILL 1
ALA
LSU -1
ALL BCS GAMES (5) ARE WORTH 3 POINTS EACH.
ALL OTHER BOWLS THAT HAPPEN JAN 2ND OR LATER (EXCEPT ARKST-NILL, AND SMU-PITT) ARE WORTH 2 POINTS.
ALL GAMES PRIOR TO JAN 2ND AND THE 2 GAMES MENTIONED ABOVE ARE WORTH 1 POINT EACH.
Good Luck!!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Week 15 Lines - Pick 10
We are missing one, the classic MNF, STL at SEA game. Feel free to gamble and bet it without a line if you want, otherwise I will send an update when something is posted. Once again, I only need 10 PICKS FROM YOU THIS WEEK. Feel free to pick the final NCAA game, ARMY-NAVY, if you want, but you do not have to. Get me the picks by NOON THURSDAY.
ARMY
NAVY -7.5
NFL
CLE
PIT -15.5
TB
JAC 1
NE
WAS 9.5
HOU
CIN -1
KC
NYJ -9.5
MIN
DET -7
NO
TEN 3.5
PHI
MIA -3
IND
BAL -16.5
ATL
CAR 2.5
CHI
DEN -3.5
SF
ARI 3.5
OAK
GB -12.5
BUF
SD -6
NYG
DAL -3
STL
SEA
ARMY
NAVY -7.5
NFL
CLE
PIT -15.5
TB
JAC 1
NE
WAS 9.5
HOU
CIN -1
KC
NYJ -9.5
MIN
DET -7
NO
TEN 3.5
PHI
MIA -3
IND
BAL -16.5
ATL
CAR 2.5
CHI
DEN -3.5
SF
ARI 3.5
OAK
GB -12.5
BUF
SD -6
NYG
DAL -3
STL
SEA
Week 14 Review
Damn you college football...it really feels like we just got started and now you're gone again for another 9 months. I know we have the Bowl Games, and they're fun, but it could be better. Anyway, congrats again to Mark Heinert who won the $100 this week at 10-5.
Week 14 W L %
MH 10 5 66.7%
RO 9 6 60.0%
JG 8 7 53.3%
SS 8 7 53.3%
TN 8 7 53.3%
CP 8 7 53.3%
MT 8 7 53.3%
GR 7 8 46.7%
MC 7 8 46.7%
LW 7 8 46.7%
GT 7 8 46.7%
JH 7 8 46.7%
MR 6 9 40.0%
JR 4 11 26.7%
AW 4 11 26.7%
MO 3 12 20.0%
MS 0 0 #DIV/0!
46.3% for the week, another tough one. Lots of unpredictable games this week, in my opinion. We hit 44% in the final week of NCAA football and 48% in NFL.
YTD W L %
TN 117 93 55.7%
MR 114 96 54.3%
CP 113 97 53.8%
JH 113 97 53.8%
SS 112 98 53.3%
MO 110 100 52.4%
MT 110 100 52.4%
GR 110 100 52.4%
MH 109 101 51.9%
RO 105 105 50.0%
JR 102 108 48.6%
GT 102 108 48.6%
JG 102 108 48.6%
LW 101 109 48.1%
MC 100 110 47.6%
AW 100 110 47.6%
MS 56 154 26.7%
The top 9 in the Overall YTD Standings are separated by 8 games or less with 40 picks left in the regular season. It's getting down to crunch time. Reminder - 1st Overall takes home $350, 2nd Overall takes $100.
NCAA W L %
MR 83 60 58.0%
MO 78 58 57.4%
CP 82 61 57.3%
GR 75 56 57.3%
SS 74 58 56.1%
TN 80 64 55.6%
JH 71 63 53.0%
RO 64 61 51.2%
GT 55 54 50.5%
MH 70 71 49.6%
LW 46 48 48.9%
MT 55 60 47.8%
AW 56 64 46.7%
JG 50 64 43.9%
MC 57 73 43.8%
JR 55 71 43.7%
MS 32 54 37.2%
NCAA we hit 51% for the year (1 game left this week, but it shouldn't swing the number too much). Also, MS #'s are skewing this since he only played 6 of the 14 weeks...I'll remove those later and get an actual final number for us. No prize for NCAA champion MR, but I think that's something we'll add next season.
NFL W L %
MT 55 40 57.9%
MH 39 30 56.5%
TN 37 29 56.1%
JR 47 37 56.0%
JH 42 34 55.3%
JG 52 44 54.2%
MC 43 37 53.8%
AW 44 46 48.9%
SS 38 40 48.7%
RO 41 44 48.2%
LW 55 61 47.4%
GT 47 54 46.5%
MR 31 36 46.3%
CP 31 36 46.3%
GR 35 44 44.3%
MO 32 42 43.2%
MS 24 100 19.4%
47.9% going into the stretch run of NFL games. Once again, no prize for the best NFL record, but we will change that next year if we have the numbers I'm expecting.
So what's next. Well, we have 4 weeks remaining in the regular season and we'll only be picking 10 games per week at this point. There is one NCAA game this week (Army-Navy) which you can pick if you want, but do not have to. So it becomes an NFL challenge at this point.
We will also be starting half 2 of the Football Challenge, which is the post-season. This is a little different than the regular season because we will all pick all the games. Bowl games will be sent out as soon as I have lines on all of them and I will need your picks on each game turned in before next weekend (DEC 17th) when the bowls begin. Each bowl game is valued at 1, 2, or 3 points based on level and there are 50 total points available. The BOWL Champ will get $100.
The other half is the NFL playoffs, which are also worth 50 points. There are 11 post-season games, each round the value of games increases and each player will pick all games. We also have 10 prop bets that are used in the Super Bowl to provide some extra emphasis on that game.
You bowl total (50 pts) is added to your NFL Playoff total (50 pts) for your total post-season score. The most points wins $250.
Simple, right? I'll send out the rules again with the games, but just wanted to get you all thinking about what is coming. We still have 4 weeks and $200 to give away during the rest of the regular season plus the overall prizes.
Week 15 lines coming out today.
Good Luck.
Week 14 W L %
MH 10 5 66.7%
RO 9 6 60.0%
JG 8 7 53.3%
SS 8 7 53.3%
TN 8 7 53.3%
CP 8 7 53.3%
MT 8 7 53.3%
GR 7 8 46.7%
MC 7 8 46.7%
LW 7 8 46.7%
GT 7 8 46.7%
JH 7 8 46.7%
MR 6 9 40.0%
JR 4 11 26.7%
AW 4 11 26.7%
MO 3 12 20.0%
MS 0 0 #DIV/0!
46.3% for the week, another tough one. Lots of unpredictable games this week, in my opinion. We hit 44% in the final week of NCAA football and 48% in NFL.
YTD W L %
TN 117 93 55.7%
MR 114 96 54.3%
CP 113 97 53.8%
JH 113 97 53.8%
SS 112 98 53.3%
MO 110 100 52.4%
MT 110 100 52.4%
GR 110 100 52.4%
MH 109 101 51.9%
RO 105 105 50.0%
JR 102 108 48.6%
GT 102 108 48.6%
JG 102 108 48.6%
LW 101 109 48.1%
MC 100 110 47.6%
AW 100 110 47.6%
MS 56 154 26.7%
The top 9 in the Overall YTD Standings are separated by 8 games or less with 40 picks left in the regular season. It's getting down to crunch time. Reminder - 1st Overall takes home $350, 2nd Overall takes $100.
NCAA W L %
MR 83 60 58.0%
MO 78 58 57.4%
CP 82 61 57.3%
GR 75 56 57.3%
SS 74 58 56.1%
TN 80 64 55.6%
JH 71 63 53.0%
RO 64 61 51.2%
GT 55 54 50.5%
MH 70 71 49.6%
LW 46 48 48.9%
MT 55 60 47.8%
AW 56 64 46.7%
JG 50 64 43.9%
MC 57 73 43.8%
JR 55 71 43.7%
MS 32 54 37.2%
NCAA we hit 51% for the year (1 game left this week, but it shouldn't swing the number too much). Also, MS #'s are skewing this since he only played 6 of the 14 weeks...I'll remove those later and get an actual final number for us. No prize for NCAA champion MR, but I think that's something we'll add next season.
NFL W L %
MT 55 40 57.9%
MH 39 30 56.5%
TN 37 29 56.1%
JR 47 37 56.0%
JH 42 34 55.3%
JG 52 44 54.2%
MC 43 37 53.8%
AW 44 46 48.9%
SS 38 40 48.7%
RO 41 44 48.2%
LW 55 61 47.4%
GT 47 54 46.5%
MR 31 36 46.3%
CP 31 36 46.3%
GR 35 44 44.3%
MO 32 42 43.2%
MS 24 100 19.4%
47.9% going into the stretch run of NFL games. Once again, no prize for the best NFL record, but we will change that next year if we have the numbers I'm expecting.
So what's next. Well, we have 4 weeks remaining in the regular season and we'll only be picking 10 games per week at this point. There is one NCAA game this week (Army-Navy) which you can pick if you want, but do not have to. So it becomes an NFL challenge at this point.
We will also be starting half 2 of the Football Challenge, which is the post-season. This is a little different than the regular season because we will all pick all the games. Bowl games will be sent out as soon as I have lines on all of them and I will need your picks on each game turned in before next weekend (DEC 17th) when the bowls begin. Each bowl game is valued at 1, 2, or 3 points based on level and there are 50 total points available. The BOWL Champ will get $100.
The other half is the NFL playoffs, which are also worth 50 points. There are 11 post-season games, each round the value of games increases and each player will pick all games. We also have 10 prop bets that are used in the Super Bowl to provide some extra emphasis on that game.
You bowl total (50 pts) is added to your NFL Playoff total (50 pts) for your total post-season score. The most points wins $250.
Simple, right? I'll send out the rules again with the games, but just wanted to get you all thinking about what is coming. We still have 4 weeks and $200 to give away during the rest of the regular season plus the overall prizes.
Week 15 lines coming out today.
Good Luck.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Week 14 Monday Update
Congrats to our weekly winner of $100...Mark Heinert. The Saints came through, or should I say that the Lions gave it away. It was hard to watch, but congrats Mark.
For what it's worth, I really like the Jags tonight.
Complete recap coming tomorrow, as well as info on the start of the post-season challenge. The Bowls are set and once the lines are all up I will be sending out the list.
Happy Monday.
For what it's worth, I really like the Jags tonight.
Complete recap coming tomorrow, as well as info on the start of the post-season challenge. The Bowls are set and once the lines are all up I will be sending out the list.
Happy Monday.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Week 14 Late Sunday Update
Looks like we could be heading for another push...
Week 14 W L %
MH 8 5 61.5%
RO 8 6 57.1%
JG 7 6 53.8%
SS 7 6 53.8%
CP 8 7 53.3%
TN 7 7 50.0%
MT 7 7 50.0%
GT 7 8 46.7%
GR 6 7 46.2%
MC 6 8 42.9%
LW 5 8 38.5%
JH 5 8 38.5%
MR 5 9 35.7%
JR 4 11 26.7%
AW 3 11 21.4%
MO 2 12 14.3%
MS 0 0 #DIV/0!
Only MH has a chance to win outright at this point. A NO cover tonight wins it for him.
NO cover = MH wins
JG and SS can tie MH if DET covers instead of NO
RO can tie as well at 9 wins with a SD cover.
It all comes down to tonight...NO cover = $100 for MH, DET cover = push to next week.
The Roar has been Restored!!!!
Good Luck.
Week 14 W L %
MH 8 5 61.5%
RO 8 6 57.1%
JG 7 6 53.8%
SS 7 6 53.8%
CP 8 7 53.3%
TN 7 7 50.0%
MT 7 7 50.0%
GT 7 8 46.7%
GR 6 7 46.2%
MC 6 8 42.9%
LW 5 8 38.5%
JH 5 8 38.5%
MR 5 9 35.7%
JR 4 11 26.7%
AW 3 11 21.4%
MO 2 12 14.3%
MS 0 0 #DIV/0!
Only MH has a chance to win outright at this point. A NO cover tonight wins it for him.
NO cover = MH wins
JG and SS can tie MH if DET covers instead of NO
RO can tie as well at 9 wins with a SD cover.
It all comes down to tonight...NO cover = $100 for MH, DET cover = push to next week.
The Roar has been Restored!!!!
Good Luck.
Week 14 Sunday Update
Here are the standings after Saturday...an ugly 44% was posted by the group.
Week 14 W L %
RO 5 2 71.4%
GR 5 3 62.5%
MC 3 2 60.0%
TN 6 4 60.0%
MH 4 3 57.1%
GT 4 3 57.1%
CP 5 4 55.6%
JG 3 3 50.0%
MR 4 5 44.4%
SS 3 4 42.9%
LW 3 4 42.9%
MT 3 5 37.5%
JR 2 6 25.0%
AW 2 6 25.0%
JH 2 6 25.0%
MO 1 8 11.1%
MS 0 0 #DIV/0!
Obviously a lot of action left for today. I'll try and get an update out again during the 3pm games or before the SNF game so we know what the winning scenarios are for everyone.
Good Luck.
QUACK! QUACK! QUACK! Go Ducks!
Week 14 W L %
RO 5 2 71.4%
GR 5 3 62.5%
MC 3 2 60.0%
TN 6 4 60.0%
MH 4 3 57.1%
GT 4 3 57.1%
CP 5 4 55.6%
JG 3 3 50.0%
MR 4 5 44.4%
SS 3 4 42.9%
LW 3 4 42.9%
MT 3 5 37.5%
JR 2 6 25.0%
AW 2 6 25.0%
JH 2 6 25.0%
MO 1 8 11.1%
MS 0 0 #DIV/0!
Obviously a lot of action left for today. I'll try and get an update out again during the 3pm games or before the SNF game so we know what the winning scenarios are for everyone.
Good Luck.
QUACK! QUACK! QUACK! Go Ducks!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Week 14 Preview
I'm home with the flu, so this will be short and sweet.
JR: VT KST OK CIN NILL SDST ARKST NTEX ATL BUF WAS CIN IND CLE ARI
JG: VT KST OK BAY BYU UCLA CIN IND OAK TEN NYJ MIN NYG DET SD
MR: CLEM WIS OKST TEX HOU TCU ORE GEO OAK SD ATL SEA DEN GB STL
AW: MSU OK WV HOU NILL WY GEO OAK SD GB MIN BUF PHI HOU TB
GR: WIS OKST BAY WV HOU UNLV UCLA LSU OAK GB ATL DEN DAL NO JAC
MH: x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
MC: WV PITT HOU ULM UTST DEN SD BUF STL CIN WAS CLE MIA KC NE
SS: TEX ISU HOU TCU BOISE ORE LSU DEN SD NE ATL TEN NYG DET ARI
RO: WIS OKST BAY KST UCLA NTEX LSU SD NE ATL MIN TB NYJ BAL SF
TN: VT WIS OKST BAY KST WV SOMISS OHIO WY LSU SD ATL DEN BUF GB
MT: VT WIS OKST WV HOU ORE LSU TEN ARI STL KC OAK NO PHI IND
GT: VT MSU OKST HOU ORE LSU ARI OAK ATL NE MIN SF SEA CHI CAR
MS: x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
CP: VT WIS OKST BAY USF HOU BYU LSU ARI ATL SEA TEN DEN GB WAS
LW: VT MSU BAY KST SYR HOU LSU DEN GB NE CHI NO SD TB MIA
JH: VT KST WV HOU WY ORE LSU NO SD TB ARI WAS PHI NYG HOU
MO: VT WIS OK HOU NILL WY BOISE LSU SD PHI ATL MIN BUF NYJ CIN
I like SEA and WV tonight...Good Luck.
JR: VT KST OK CIN NILL SDST ARKST NTEX ATL BUF WAS CIN IND CLE ARI
JG: VT KST OK BAY BYU UCLA CIN IND OAK TEN NYJ MIN NYG DET SD
MR: CLEM WIS OKST TEX HOU TCU ORE GEO OAK SD ATL SEA DEN GB STL
AW: MSU OK WV HOU NILL WY GEO OAK SD GB MIN BUF PHI HOU TB
GR: WIS OKST BAY WV HOU UNLV UCLA LSU OAK GB ATL DEN DAL NO JAC
MH: x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
MC: WV PITT HOU ULM UTST DEN SD BUF STL CIN WAS CLE MIA KC NE
SS: TEX ISU HOU TCU BOISE ORE LSU DEN SD NE ATL TEN NYG DET ARI
RO: WIS OKST BAY KST UCLA NTEX LSU SD NE ATL MIN TB NYJ BAL SF
TN: VT WIS OKST BAY KST WV SOMISS OHIO WY LSU SD ATL DEN BUF GB
MT: VT WIS OKST WV HOU ORE LSU TEN ARI STL KC OAK NO PHI IND
GT: VT MSU OKST HOU ORE LSU ARI OAK ATL NE MIN SF SEA CHI CAR
MS: x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
CP: VT WIS OKST BAY USF HOU BYU LSU ARI ATL SEA TEN DEN GB WAS
LW: VT MSU BAY KST SYR HOU LSU DEN GB NE CHI NO SD TB MIA
JH: VT KST WV HOU WY ORE LSU NO SD TB ARI WAS PHI NYG HOU
MO: VT WIS OK HOU NILL WY BOISE LSU SD PHI ATL MIN BUF NYJ CIN
I like SEA and WV tonight...Good Luck.
Need Week 14 Picks from...
Nearly everyone. It's a $100 week, so please don't forget.
MR
GR
MH
MC
SS
RO
TN
MT
GT
MS
CP
LW
Thanks.
MR
GR
MH
MC
SS
RO
TN
MT
GT
MS
CP
LW
Thanks.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Line Update
DEN at MIN (0)...it's a pick'em, so please add that to your list if you want it for this week.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Week 14 Lines
So I guess USA TODAY just isn't putting up NCAA lines today, so I had to go to another source to get these out this week. I used Pinnacle sports book, a pretty sharp online book, so these lines will probably be a little tougher to beat for the week versus the usual USA TODAY openers.
No line yet on the Purple-DEN, but everything else is good to go. NCAA and NFL play Thursday, so get me your picks by NOON THURSDAY.
WV
USF 1.5
NILL
OHIO 3.5
UCLA
ORE -31.5
UCONN
CIN -9
SYR
PITT -10.5
ISU
KST -10.5
WY
COLST 5.5
UNLV
TCU -38.5
OK
OKST -3.5
TEX
BAY -2.5
IDAHO
NEV -20
NM
BOISE -48.5
BYU
HAW 7.5
UTST
NMST 13.5
FRES
SDST -8
TROY
ARKST -17
MDTN
NTEX -5.5
ULM
FAU 7
SOMISS
HOU -12.5
GEO
LSU -13.5
VT
CLEM 7
MSU
WIS -9
NFL
PHI
SEA 2.5
OAK
MIA -3
ATL
HOU 0
TEN
BUF 0
KC
CHI -9
NYJ
WAS 3.5
CIN
PIT -8
CAR
TB -3.5
DEN
MIN
IND
NE -21
BAL
CLE 7.5
DAL
ARI 7.5
GB
NYG 8
STL
SF -14
DET
NO -9.5
SD
JAC 1.5
No line yet on the Purple-DEN, but everything else is good to go. NCAA and NFL play Thursday, so get me your picks by NOON THURSDAY.
WV
USF 1.5
NILL
OHIO 3.5
UCLA
ORE -31.5
UCONN
CIN -9
SYR
PITT -10.5
ISU
KST -10.5
WY
COLST 5.5
UNLV
TCU -38.5
OK
OKST -3.5
TEX
BAY -2.5
IDAHO
NEV -20
NM
BOISE -48.5
BYU
HAW 7.5
UTST
NMST 13.5
FRES
SDST -8
TROY
ARKST -17
MDTN
NTEX -5.5
ULM
FAU 7
SOMISS
HOU -12.5
GEO
LSU -13.5
VT
CLEM 7
MSU
WIS -9
NFL
PHI
SEA 2.5
OAK
MIA -3
ATL
HOU 0
TEN
BUF 0
KC
CHI -9
NYJ
WAS 3.5
CIN
PIT -8
CAR
TB -3.5
DEN
MIN
IND
NE -21
BAL
CLE 7.5
DAL
ARI 7.5
GB
NYG 8
STL
SF -14
DET
NO -9.5
SD
JAC 1.5
Week 13 Review
Saints crush, so JR and MT push at 11-4 for the weekly crown. $100 on the line for next week, the final week of NCAA Football.
Week 13 W L %
JR 11 4 73.3%
MT 11 4 73.3%
JG 10 5 66.7%
MR 10 5 66.7%
GR 10 5 66.7%
TN 10 5 66.7%
AW 9 6 60.0%
MC 9 6 60.0%
SS 9 6 60.0%
CP 9 6 60.0%
JH 9 6 60.0%
MH 8 7 53.3%
LW 8 7 53.3%
MO 8 7 53.3%
RO 6 9 40.0%
GT 6 9 40.0%
MS 0 0 #DIV/0!
59.6% for the week...wow, nice rebound. 55% in NCAA and a crazy high 65% in NFL this week. Hopefully that's a good omen going into the all NFL all the time portion of the schedule after this week.
YTD W L %
TN 109 86 55.9%
MR 108 87 55.4%
MO 107 88 54.9%
JH 106 89 54.4%
CP 105 90 53.8%
SS 104 91 53.3%
GR 103 92 52.8%
MT 102 93 52.3%
MH 99 96 50.8%
JR 98 97 50.3%
RO 96 99 49.2%
GT 95 100 48.7%
AW 95 100 48.7%
LW 94 101 48.2%
JG 94 101 48.2%
MC 93 102 47.7%
MS 56 139 28.7%
51.5% for the YTD records. TN has a 1 game lead right now over MR and 2 games over MO. The top 9 guys are separated by 10 games or less.
NCAA W L %
MO 77 51 60.2%
MR 80 55 59.3%
CP 78 57 57.8%
GR 70 53 56.9%
SS 71 54 56.8%
TN 74 60 55.2%
JH 69 58 54.3%
GT 52 51 50.5%
RO 59 59 50.0%
MH 67 68 49.6%
LW 43 44 49.4%
MT 52 56 48.1%
AW 53 60 46.9%
JR 53 65 44.9%
JG 47 61 43.5%
MC 54 71 43.2%
MS 32 54 37.2%
52% is the YTD mark in NCAA. MO leads the way at 60.2%.
NFL W L %
JR 45 32 58.4%
MT 50 37 57.5%
TN 35 26 57.4%
MC 39 31 55.7%
JH 37 31 54.4%
JG 47 40 54.0%
MH 32 28 53.3%
AW 42 40 51.2%
RO 37 40 48.1%
LW 51 57 47.2%
SS 33 37 47.1%
GT 43 49 46.7%
MR 28 32 46.7%
GR 33 39 45.8%
CP 27 33 45.0%
MO 30 37 44.8%
MS 24 85 22.0%
50.8% is our NFL mark. JR leads by percentage points over MT.
The final week of College Football is upon us - the lines for all the games will be coming out shortly.
Week 13 W L %
JR 11 4 73.3%
MT 11 4 73.3%
JG 10 5 66.7%
MR 10 5 66.7%
GR 10 5 66.7%
TN 10 5 66.7%
AW 9 6 60.0%
MC 9 6 60.0%
SS 9 6 60.0%
CP 9 6 60.0%
JH 9 6 60.0%
MH 8 7 53.3%
LW 8 7 53.3%
MO 8 7 53.3%
RO 6 9 40.0%
GT 6 9 40.0%
MS 0 0 #DIV/0!
59.6% for the week...wow, nice rebound. 55% in NCAA and a crazy high 65% in NFL this week. Hopefully that's a good omen going into the all NFL all the time portion of the schedule after this week.
YTD W L %
TN 109 86 55.9%
MR 108 87 55.4%
MO 107 88 54.9%
JH 106 89 54.4%
CP 105 90 53.8%
SS 104 91 53.3%
GR 103 92 52.8%
MT 102 93 52.3%
MH 99 96 50.8%
JR 98 97 50.3%
RO 96 99 49.2%
GT 95 100 48.7%
AW 95 100 48.7%
LW 94 101 48.2%
JG 94 101 48.2%
MC 93 102 47.7%
MS 56 139 28.7%
51.5% for the YTD records. TN has a 1 game lead right now over MR and 2 games over MO. The top 9 guys are separated by 10 games or less.
NCAA W L %
MO 77 51 60.2%
MR 80 55 59.3%
CP 78 57 57.8%
GR 70 53 56.9%
SS 71 54 56.8%
TN 74 60 55.2%
JH 69 58 54.3%
GT 52 51 50.5%
RO 59 59 50.0%
MH 67 68 49.6%
LW 43 44 49.4%
MT 52 56 48.1%
AW 53 60 46.9%
JR 53 65 44.9%
JG 47 61 43.5%
MC 54 71 43.2%
MS 32 54 37.2%
52% is the YTD mark in NCAA. MO leads the way at 60.2%.
NFL W L %
JR 45 32 58.4%
MT 50 37 57.5%
TN 35 26 57.4%
MC 39 31 55.7%
JH 37 31 54.4%
JG 47 40 54.0%
MH 32 28 53.3%
AW 42 40 51.2%
RO 37 40 48.1%
LW 51 57 47.2%
SS 33 37 47.1%
GT 43 49 46.7%
MR 28 32 46.7%
GR 33 39 45.8%
CP 27 33 45.0%
MO 30 37 44.8%
MS 24 85 22.0%
50.8% is our NFL mark. JR leads by percentage points over MT.
The final week of College Football is upon us - the lines for all the games will be coming out shortly.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Week 13 Update
Great week by most everyone, unfortunatley no one will profit off of it.
MT is our leader in the clubhouse at 11-4, but JR and JG are both 10-4 and I have NO and JG has NYG tonight. Since the line is 6.5, one of us will win and tie MT at 11-4.
$100 on the line for Championship Week.
Full recap tomorrow after MNF.
MT is our leader in the clubhouse at 11-4, but JR and JG are both 10-4 and I have NO and JG has NYG tonight. Since the line is 6.5, one of us will win and tie MT at 11-4.
$100 on the line for Championship Week.
Full recap tomorrow after MNF.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
All Picks and Current Records
Hey Guys -
Sorry - didn't get a chance to send these out yesterday...here are all the picks for the week:
JR: KENT PITT WKY IND MN PSU UCLA DET MIA BAL MIN TEN OAK KC NO
JG: FSU PSU MSU OHIOST TEX ISU ARK AUB MIA MIN CLE BUF CAR CHI NYG
MR: PSU MSU OHIOST MN ISU A&M PITT ARK ALA SC MIA OAK GB SF CIN
AW: PSU MSU MN HOU TROY LSU FLA NEV GB SF MIN BUF CAR DAL HOU
GR: BC PSU MN ISU HOU STAN USC ARK SC GB BAL NO TB SEA PIT
MH: CLEM MN NEB NW MICH PUR WIS LSU FLA ALA GB BAL SEA HOU ATL
MC: ND KENT OHIO EMU ARK GB BAL SEA NO TB BUF CAR MIA OAK DEN
SS: MN OHIOST TEX OK BUFF BOISE USC WASH AUB VAN NO OAK DAL CIN WAS
RO: NEB PSU A&M TROY LSU FLA HAW NO BAL SEA CAR HOU ATL CHI DET
TN: VIR PSU MN OHIOST NW A&M ISU PITT KENT WY CAR HOU OAK GB MIA
MT: PSU OHIOST MSU IOWA ORE ARK GEO CAR OAK GB BAL MIN CLE TEN KC
GT: VT OHIOST MSU NEB OK BOISE ORE ALA BAL SEA ATL DET DAL TB JAC
MS: X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
CP: PSU IOWA PUR BAY HOU TOL COLST WASH STAN ASU BAL GB MIN CHI WAS
LW: VT PUR BAY SYR HOU BOISE USC CAL LSU TN GB DAL HOU PIT PHI
JH: WF PSU BAY TEX HOU WY STAN UCLA ARK SC HOU BAL CHI KC CIN
MO: PSU PUR OHIOST MN LOU RUT HOU UAB WMU WY HOU PIT DET CAR SF
Here are the records for the week so far: (2:45pm on Saturday)
JR 3 2
JG 4 1
MR 5 3
AW 4 2
GR 4 1
MH 4 2
MC 4 3
SS 2 2
RO 3 2
TN 4 3
CP 4 2
LW 4 3
MO 4 3
MT 5 2
GT 4 2
MS 0 0
JH 3 1
Good Luck!
Sorry - didn't get a chance to send these out yesterday...here are all the picks for the week:
JR: KENT PITT WKY IND MN PSU UCLA DET MIA BAL MIN TEN OAK KC NO
JG: FSU PSU MSU OHIOST TEX ISU ARK AUB MIA MIN CLE BUF CAR CHI NYG
MR: PSU MSU OHIOST MN ISU A&M PITT ARK ALA SC MIA OAK GB SF CIN
AW: PSU MSU MN HOU TROY LSU FLA NEV GB SF MIN BUF CAR DAL HOU
GR: BC PSU MN ISU HOU STAN USC ARK SC GB BAL NO TB SEA PIT
MH: CLEM MN NEB NW MICH PUR WIS LSU FLA ALA GB BAL SEA HOU ATL
MC: ND KENT OHIO EMU ARK GB BAL SEA NO TB BUF CAR MIA OAK DEN
SS: MN OHIOST TEX OK BUFF BOISE USC WASH AUB VAN NO OAK DAL CIN WAS
RO: NEB PSU A&M TROY LSU FLA HAW NO BAL SEA CAR HOU ATL CHI DET
TN: VIR PSU MN OHIOST NW A&M ISU PITT KENT WY CAR HOU OAK GB MIA
MT: PSU OHIOST MSU IOWA ORE ARK GEO CAR OAK GB BAL MIN CLE TEN KC
GT: VT OHIOST MSU NEB OK BOISE ORE ALA BAL SEA ATL DET DAL TB JAC
MS: X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
CP: PSU IOWA PUR BAY HOU TOL COLST WASH STAN ASU BAL GB MIN CHI WAS
LW: VT PUR BAY SYR HOU BOISE USC CAL LSU TN GB DAL HOU PIT PHI
JH: WF PSU BAY TEX HOU WY STAN UCLA ARK SC HOU BAL CHI KC CIN
MO: PSU PUR OHIOST MN LOU RUT HOU UAB WMU WY HOU PIT DET CAR SF
Here are the records for the week so far: (2:45pm on Saturday)
JR 3 2
JG 4 1
MR 5 3
AW 4 2
GR 4 1
MH 4 2
MC 4 3
SS 2 2
RO 3 2
TN 4 3
CP 4 2
LW 4 3
MO 4 3
MT 5 2
GT 4 2
MS 0 0
JH 3 1
Good Luck!
Friday, November 25, 2011
Friday Morning Update
I had a tough time deciding between LIONS or TEX yesterday...I chose poorly, so I'm not leading at this point...but here's who is:
JG 2-0
GR 2-0
MH 2-0
CP 2-0
JH 2-0
MT 2-0
MC 3-1
Lots of football today - I'll send out the full preview later today. First, I've got Xmas card pictures at 11am, so I'm going to miss the first 35 points from the Big Red today. WHO HATES IOWA!!?!?!
I'm counting on Uncle Rico to run for 3 scores and throw for 2 more...in the 1st half.
I also still like LSU today, no matter how large the line. And in a totally off the board pick, give me Wayzata over EP tonight, can't seem to find a line on this one...yet.
Happy Football!
JG 2-0
GR 2-0
MH 2-0
CP 2-0
JH 2-0
MT 2-0
MC 3-1
Lots of football today - I'll send out the full preview later today. First, I've got Xmas card pictures at 11am, so I'm going to miss the first 35 points from the Big Red today. WHO HATES IOWA!!?!?!
I'm counting on Uncle Rico to run for 3 scores and throw for 2 more...in the 1st half.
I also still like LSU today, no matter how large the line. And in a totally off the board pick, give me Wayzata over EP tonight, can't seem to find a line on this one...yet.
Happy Football!
Thursday, November 24, 2011
My Picks
Just want to get these out there so noone calls shenanigans...
DET
MIA
BAL
MIN
TEN
OAK
KC
NO
KENT
PITT
WKY
IND
GOPHERS
PSU
UCLA
Still waiting on a couple more guys to get me their picks - I'll send out the total recap tomorrow morning for the weekend.
DET
MIA
BAL
MIN
TEN
OAK
KC
NO
KENT
PITT
WKY
IND
GOPHERS
PSU
UCLA
Still waiting on a couple more guys to get me their picks - I'll send out the total recap tomorrow morning for the weekend.
NEED PICKS FROM...
Happy Turkey Day fellas!
I'm still missing picks from a few of you - I know it's a tough week, so here's the deal.
1) Get me your picks by NOON TODAY before the NFL kicks off
or
2) Exclude all THUR/FRI games and get me your picks tomorrow for only the weekend games.
You won't want to miss a week if you are in the running for the overall title because no picks submitted gets you a record of 1 less win than the last place guy for the week...which equated to 1-14 LW.
NEED PICKS FROM:
ROE
BOMB
TAIT
M.THOMAS
SETNICKER
LUKE W.
I'm still missing picks from a few of you - I know it's a tough week, so here's the deal.
1) Get me your picks by NOON TODAY before the NFL kicks off
or
2) Exclude all THUR/FRI games and get me your picks tomorrow for only the weekend games.
You won't want to miss a week if you are in the running for the overall title because no picks submitted gets you a record of 1 less win than the last place guy for the week...which equated to 1-14 LW.
NEED PICKS FROM:
ROE
BOMB
TAIT
M.THOMAS
SETNICKER
LUKE W.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
T-Day Weekend Stuff
So I have another hour or so to burn, why not throw something out on the old Football Challenge site. Also, can you believe there are no games tonight? WTF!?!?! This is the first day in the last 3+ weeks without a football game of some kind...I think that's a record.
It's going to be random...here we go:
1. DickRod is back! It's been a tough year without him, so he's back at Arizona for next season. I actually think this might be a good hire for the Cats. He failed in MICH because he tried to change a team that was successful at playing regular B10 football, and his defenses were some of the worst in recent memory. He won at WV because his offense was unique and dominated against slower, poorer defenses in the Big East. He also put out a bunch of very good defenses while at WV. For me, AZ is much more similar to the WV spot than the MICH spot. They are not a national power and they don't have a great legacy. I think there's plenty of speed and talent there, but obviously what they've been doing is not working. In a league like the Pac-12 where defense is optional in most every game, I like how his offense fits in. If he can find a competant DC to bring all that speed back to the D like it had in the mid-90's, then they could be in business. I still don't really care for the guy, but I think it's the right fit this time around. They'll win more games next year, even in a transition year, than the 3 or 4 they've won this year.
2. Another deal that is basically done is Urban Meyer to OHIOST and Luke Fickell back to UFC. I love this and hate this for different reasons. First, I love it because Meyer rocks as a coach and will bring OHIOST back in a hurry and put the Vadgers back into their spot in the Leaders division (not winning). Not that I'm an OHIOST fan by any means, but having them as a good team every year brings credibility to the B10 and keeps the Vadgers down, so it's a good thing. I hate this move because Urban basically just lied to everyone when he quit for the 2nd time at FLA last year. He just wanted to be done with that job and wanted to be a big-time free agent that would be brought up for every major opening in the country. It's easy to tell that he has a huge ego if you listen/watch him on ESPN on Saturdays. The old excuse of "taking time to watch my daughter's college games and hanging out with the fam" are such BS. Maybe he really felt that way for about 2 days, then he got it out of his system and realized he doesn't want to do anything but coach. That's the way all these guys are - once they get out of it they want back in. I'm sure he didn't see the Tressel scandal coming, but it's a perfect fit for him to get back in at a power school and dominate once again, and he will.
3. Another coach topic, and this one is great. Tulane is looking for a coach, and there is mutual interest with them and the legendary TE coach himself, current sideline reporter extraordinaire...TE Timmy Brew. How any school could look at the mess he left in MN and think, "yeah, this is the guy we want to turn our program around," is beyond me. I don't get what the draw to TE Timmy could be. Clearly Tulane didn't see that nobody even sniffed at him this offseason while he was unemployed, so why would you do that? It would be great to follow, I know I'd enjoy it. I tried and wanted to believe in his BS for about 4 years, but there comes a point where you realize it just isn't going to happen like he preaches. I'm not going to go on another Brew rant, god knows we've all had enough of those, but with all the other possibilities out there why would this guy even come close to being on the list? Good luck Tulane - for comedy I hope it happens, but for the fate of your program I hope it doesn't.
4. One final coaching note, I promise it's the last one. Ole Miss has an opening since they fired the Rev. Houston Nutt. Names I'm seeing linked to that job include SOMISS's Larry Fedora (also once rumored to be a candidate here) and HOU Kevin Sumlin (also a candidate here). It's crazy, but OLE MISS is actually a very similar situation to my beloved Gophers. They are in the SEC West and deal with ALA, LSU, ARK, and AUB every single year. This is by far the toughest division in the toughest conference in football. So it's not likely that you'll be seeing any SEC titles any time soon. But there is the rich football tradition at OLE MISS that has everyone believing that they will one day be able to compete again with the big dogs and should be able to but they just have to find the right guy to do it. Does this sound familiar? Their coaching hires and fires have been bizarre to say the least. They had David Cutcliffe, current DUKE HC, who did nothing but win 8-9 games per year and take them to bowl after bowl. Well, that wasn't good enough so they canned him after another bowl season...(MASE?). Then they decided they could only win be bringing in the best players, so they hired recruiting guru Ed Orgeron. He couldn't coach at all, but recruiting was better...and the team sucked for his entire tenure. They had a few close calls and minor upsets, but overall it was a disaster and the program was in worse shape when he left...(BREW?). After Cajun Ed they went to the Reverend Houston Nutt. He had a nice run at ARK, and is all in all a good football coach. But he's as slimy as they come - even for College Football in the South he's considered a slimeball...and that's saying something. He over-recruits like nobody, accepting 30-45 players each class and then deciding on signing day which ones will actually be accepted and get the scholarships. Anyway, he came in and won with the big-time recruits that Orgeron had left him, but since then has failed in a big way. So where does this program go from here? For Fedora and Sumlin, my question is why would you want this job? With the uncertain alignment and bowl/playoff system that will be here once all the super-conferences are formed, does it make sense to leave your current cake job where you'll win 9-11 games per year and be considered a genius and the next big thing? What happens when you go to OLE MISS and go 2-10 next year, then 4-8 and everyone is calling for your head. This thing will not be turned around fast when you have 5-6 automatic L's on your slate every year. I think the best they can do is to try and take a chance on a big-time coordinator that can spark the club...a la James Franklin at VANDY. Wow, didn't plan on 500 words about OLE MISS, but whatever.
5. Hawaii - ruh-roh Raggy. Point shaving scandal in full effect in the tropical paradise of Hawaii. It's still very foggy at this point, but there is an investigation going on, the Tulane game this week has been pulled off the board, and people sound very nervous. From what I've read, it goes back to the Colt Brennan days and may have continued up through this current season. Players shaving points, coaches?, administration? Too early to tell, but this looks bad right now. Anybody all of a sudden like Brew's future Tulane team this week at +20 - no games get pulled off of our board!!
5 topics - I think that's my limit. Enjoy the games - don't forget to send me your picks.
It's going to be random...here we go:
1. DickRod is back! It's been a tough year without him, so he's back at Arizona for next season. I actually think this might be a good hire for the Cats. He failed in MICH because he tried to change a team that was successful at playing regular B10 football, and his defenses were some of the worst in recent memory. He won at WV because his offense was unique and dominated against slower, poorer defenses in the Big East. He also put out a bunch of very good defenses while at WV. For me, AZ is much more similar to the WV spot than the MICH spot. They are not a national power and they don't have a great legacy. I think there's plenty of speed and talent there, but obviously what they've been doing is not working. In a league like the Pac-12 where defense is optional in most every game, I like how his offense fits in. If he can find a competant DC to bring all that speed back to the D like it had in the mid-90's, then they could be in business. I still don't really care for the guy, but I think it's the right fit this time around. They'll win more games next year, even in a transition year, than the 3 or 4 they've won this year.
2. Another deal that is basically done is Urban Meyer to OHIOST and Luke Fickell back to UFC. I love this and hate this for different reasons. First, I love it because Meyer rocks as a coach and will bring OHIOST back in a hurry and put the Vadgers back into their spot in the Leaders division (not winning). Not that I'm an OHIOST fan by any means, but having them as a good team every year brings credibility to the B10 and keeps the Vadgers down, so it's a good thing. I hate this move because Urban basically just lied to everyone when he quit for the 2nd time at FLA last year. He just wanted to be done with that job and wanted to be a big-time free agent that would be brought up for every major opening in the country. It's easy to tell that he has a huge ego if you listen/watch him on ESPN on Saturdays. The old excuse of "taking time to watch my daughter's college games and hanging out with the fam" are such BS. Maybe he really felt that way for about 2 days, then he got it out of his system and realized he doesn't want to do anything but coach. That's the way all these guys are - once they get out of it they want back in. I'm sure he didn't see the Tressel scandal coming, but it's a perfect fit for him to get back in at a power school and dominate once again, and he will.
3. Another coach topic, and this one is great. Tulane is looking for a coach, and there is mutual interest with them and the legendary TE coach himself, current sideline reporter extraordinaire...TE Timmy Brew. How any school could look at the mess he left in MN and think, "yeah, this is the guy we want to turn our program around," is beyond me. I don't get what the draw to TE Timmy could be. Clearly Tulane didn't see that nobody even sniffed at him this offseason while he was unemployed, so why would you do that? It would be great to follow, I know I'd enjoy it. I tried and wanted to believe in his BS for about 4 years, but there comes a point where you realize it just isn't going to happen like he preaches. I'm not going to go on another Brew rant, god knows we've all had enough of those, but with all the other possibilities out there why would this guy even come close to being on the list? Good luck Tulane - for comedy I hope it happens, but for the fate of your program I hope it doesn't.
4. One final coaching note, I promise it's the last one. Ole Miss has an opening since they fired the Rev. Houston Nutt. Names I'm seeing linked to that job include SOMISS's Larry Fedora (also once rumored to be a candidate here) and HOU Kevin Sumlin (also a candidate here). It's crazy, but OLE MISS is actually a very similar situation to my beloved Gophers. They are in the SEC West and deal with ALA, LSU, ARK, and AUB every single year. This is by far the toughest division in the toughest conference in football. So it's not likely that you'll be seeing any SEC titles any time soon. But there is the rich football tradition at OLE MISS that has everyone believing that they will one day be able to compete again with the big dogs and should be able to but they just have to find the right guy to do it. Does this sound familiar? Their coaching hires and fires have been bizarre to say the least. They had David Cutcliffe, current DUKE HC, who did nothing but win 8-9 games per year and take them to bowl after bowl. Well, that wasn't good enough so they canned him after another bowl season...(MASE?). Then they decided they could only win be bringing in the best players, so they hired recruiting guru Ed Orgeron. He couldn't coach at all, but recruiting was better...and the team sucked for his entire tenure. They had a few close calls and minor upsets, but overall it was a disaster and the program was in worse shape when he left...(BREW?). After Cajun Ed they went to the Reverend Houston Nutt. He had a nice run at ARK, and is all in all a good football coach. But he's as slimy as they come - even for College Football in the South he's considered a slimeball...and that's saying something. He over-recruits like nobody, accepting 30-45 players each class and then deciding on signing day which ones will actually be accepted and get the scholarships. Anyway, he came in and won with the big-time recruits that Orgeron had left him, but since then has failed in a big way. So where does this program go from here? For Fedora and Sumlin, my question is why would you want this job? With the uncertain alignment and bowl/playoff system that will be here once all the super-conferences are formed, does it make sense to leave your current cake job where you'll win 9-11 games per year and be considered a genius and the next big thing? What happens when you go to OLE MISS and go 2-10 next year, then 4-8 and everyone is calling for your head. This thing will not be turned around fast when you have 5-6 automatic L's on your slate every year. I think the best they can do is to try and take a chance on a big-time coordinator that can spark the club...a la James Franklin at VANDY. Wow, didn't plan on 500 words about OLE MISS, but whatever.
5. Hawaii - ruh-roh Raggy. Point shaving scandal in full effect in the tropical paradise of Hawaii. It's still very foggy at this point, but there is an investigation going on, the Tulane game this week has been pulled off the board, and people sound very nervous. From what I've read, it goes back to the Colt Brennan days and may have continued up through this current season. Players shaving points, coaches?, administration? Too early to tell, but this looks bad right now. Anybody all of a sudden like Brew's future Tulane team this week at +20 - no games get pulled off of our board!!
5 topics - I think that's my limit. Enjoy the games - don't forget to send me your picks.
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