Week 12 Preview

Here's a shot of the bowl game eligibility clinching TD run from Kirkwood last weekend at the Zook-less Zookers. It's great for the club to be 6-4, but 8-4 would be even more fun!! Well, I don't think it's going to happen...but it is a JG RV road trip game this weekend, and that usually means a win for the good guys...so never say never.

PREDICTIONS

Gophers roll into Lincoln and get eaten alive. I'm guessing we won't be able to move the ball at all against a good D playing at home. Hell, we can barely move it against bad defenses at TCF. NEB will likely have no problems running the ball on us, since most have torched us with the run all year long. The only glimmer of hope we have is JG's RV trip road record of 2-0 going for us, and the fact that NEB has yet to lay their annual egg playing an inferior opponent in Lincoln...this is their last chance with a trip up to Piggyland next Friday in what will be the grand finale for your 2012 Hogeyes. Anyway, not really expecting much this weekend, and predicting NEB 37-10.

Hogeye nation has to be pumped. I overheard 2 yahoo supporters talking about their excitement for rasslin' and hoops this year. Personally, I think Iowa hockey will be tough as well. I did see a few fun stats the last couple of week on America's team. Going into the PUR game the Iowa team had not thrown for 5 TD's all season...while their northern neighbors had 3 individual QB's with at least 5 TD passes at that point. Also, if the Cap'n gets canned after this embarassment of a season, his buyout alone will still put him in the Top 10 of all college coaching salaries next season!! Ha. His buyout makes Mason's look like the coins you find in your couch. Anyway, the bowl dream will officially die for Hogeye nation this week as they lose by 20 at MICH. I can't wait to watch this game, should be very non-competitive and one sided. Fun. MICH 34-14.

Buckeyes at 3rd place WIS. So as a 3rd place team with 2 probation schools in your division, I think WIS is ok. Not near the level of last year, but decent. They housed IU...wow. I'm not quite sure how they are favored at home against a 10-0 Buckeye nation that has nothing on their agenda but going 12-0 and rolling into next season. WIS is tougher at home, so they'll hang for a while in this one, but Urban off a bye with motivation to establish Leader division dominance for the next decade will be enough to house the Beckys. OHIOST wins 41-21.

I kind of like DUKE this week as a +13 at GT. Love GT as a dog, but hate them as a favorite.

KST-BAY has the potential to be a trap game and a shootout, but I don't think it will happen. Give me KST until they prove me wrong. I think they win by 30.

Clones need a win at KAN to be bowl eligible. I'm not sure they can handle WV next week, so I think Paul "I'm so damn proud of everything" Rhoads will have them motivated enough to clean up on ol' front-butt and his pathetic Jayhawks.

STAN will cover the number against ORE. I don't think there is any way they win the game, but they are fundamentally strong enough to keep it interesting for a while. I'll still take ORE to win by 2 scores, but I think it will be a bit of a trap with the Civil War on deck for the Ducks. ORE 48-36.

WF-ND, the other "big game" of the top 3 in the BCS should not be close...as the spread indicates. ND could overlook WF with the big USC game on deck, but even playing with 6 guys on defense and their 8th string QB I think they win this one. In typical ND fashion, it won't be impressive, but they will win...27-10.

NFL

After 3 great years in NFL picks I'm pretty awful this season. Sub 50% at this point...not sure why, but I'm just not with it this year. So my picks for the week are odd...I like nearly all favorites to win, but nearly all dogs to cover. That should turn out well. I'll give you some possible sneaky ones that most of you don't agree with:
CLE may beat DAL, love the cover, but they could win outright.
CAR could beat TB, too much TB love right now and CAR's numbers besides W-L look solid.
OAK could beat NO, everyone loves NO once again, but their D is still the worst in the league.
DET will give GB a very close game. The whole world likes GB off a bye, but I think a desperate DET team shows up to play on Sunday.
KC has a shot at a win. Not a good shot, but it wouldn't totally surprise me if they beat a CIN team off a huge win over NYG last week.

There you go. 5 doggies that nobody is giving a chance. I'm thinking maybe half will come through.

Good Luck! Enjoy these final couple of week of the NCAA regular season. Thankfully, it's not the end for most of us...sorry Herky.

Week 10 Weekend Preview

After a couple of weeks off and a couple of different illnesses...I'm back in preview mode.

Phil Nelson is going to have to channel his inner-Foggie if the squad is going to beat MICH tomorrow in Big Blue's first ever trip to the Bank. After the big win last week, I think the season's outlook has changed quite a bit for average fan guy. Interest is kind of back, and another positive performance this week would really turn some heads. Do they have a chance? Sure. MICH is not a great team this year and the Gophs D has had moments of brilliance this season. Offensively it looks like MN has some signs of life for the first time in about a month, so I won't say it's out of the question. However, what is likely to happen is a thrashing of our run defense, a lockdown on the young QB, and an unfortunate snoozer at the Bank on Saturday. That's what I'm expecting with a small hope of being pleasantly surprised. MICH WINS 34-10.

A nice 8-0 start in NCAA games last night by the group - that's impressive. I'm hoping the good vibes continue tonight with CAL (2 of us on CAL...including me...and 1 on WASH).

I'm not going to devote 2 hours to this and preview the top 10 games this week in depth, but instead we'll give a quick view of lots of games with a quick thought or 2:

VAN -7.5 AT UK: Vandy is for real and UK is ready for basketball...I think it's ugly.
OK -11 at ISU: Boomer Sooner has to put the smack down on the Clones this week, right? I'll give ISU credit, they've played really well this year but I have to think OK is looking for a good performance after the sad effort last week.
TULSA +7 at ARK: Maybe a team ARK can beat? I'm not so sure. I think Tulsa could win this one straight up, but it's a stay away for me.
KAN at BAY -17: I think BAY houses this one by about 40+. Chuck's schematic advantage will not be viable this week.
TEX-TT -6.5: Loving the Raiders this week...I think they are actually straight up a better team than Texas. Wow...fire Mack Brown now Texas.
OLE-GEO -14: Georgia off a huge win as a big favorite against a nice looking Ole Miss team...I'll take points and the Rebs.
NEB at MSU +1.5: I love the Sparty in this one. I think NEB is a terrible road team, and Maxwell might finally be finding a groove with the Sparty offense. Give me MSU by a TD.
PSU at PUR +3.5: I'm back on the Lions again this week. PUR...looks like they'll be changing the guard after the season so I'm not sure there's much motivation left in the tank.
IOWA at IND -1.5: Wow. Iowa is a dog at the mighty Hoosiers, who funny enough can control their own destiny and still represent the Leaders in the B1G Title Game!! How amazing would that be!! I think they play a bad Iowa team very close and win a close one...GO IU!!
HAW at FRES -33.5: They could not make this line high enough for me not to take FRESNO. HAW in back to back mainland road games...not an easy task for the 'Bows. I'll say Bulldogs by 50-60.
ORE at USC +7.5: I think I'm in the minority (11-1 ORE) but I'm on the Trojans this weekend. 7.5 is too much in my opinion. I think they keep it very close and it's a FG game. ORE 34-31.
ALA at LSU +9.5: Everything in this one says LSU to me except for my actual numbers which say ALA -13. So I'm going with Saban even though it's Death Valley at night and the Hatter off a BYE...should be fun to watch, but ALA will win and cover I think.

Comedy?
- MARY is starting a converted LB at QB this week...not even on the depth chart coming into the year. They have lost 3 or 4 QB's for the season. GT is a safe bet at -7.5 on the road.
- SOMISS is 0-8...and a 3 point favorite this week! Wow. UAB is 1-7, but how can a win-less team at this point in the season be favored?!?
- USF was 2-0...now Skipper has them at 2-6. Yet they are -8.5 this week at home against UCONN?!? I know UCONN runs a stone age offense and looks terrible...but -8.5!?!?
- NILL has been a cover machine, UMASS has been god awful. My number came up at NILL -63!. The spread is -35...I like it.

NFL
I had a misread on KC last night. Their turnovers are just unbearable. Never take a team, no matter how many points you can get, that sits at an average -3 turnover margin every game. Unreal.

UPSETS
CIN beats DEN and TEN beats CHI. I also LOVE LOVE LOVE Philly to beat NO on MNF.

There are going to be some crazy close games this weekend in my opinion. I have about 7-8 of the games coming down to a FG margin. I'll take MIA, JAC, CLE, TEN, CAR, TB, MIN, DAL in close ones ATS.

I like the Purple to cover, but I give them a 5% chance at winning the game. SEA at home is a very tough spot. SEA wins 21-20.

NYG will house PIT, I don't think it will be close. Now with the news that PIT will fly in on Sunday morning I think it could be even uglier...20 point win.

I took HOU -10 this week and this they win easily by 2+TD's, however, GB will not cover the 11 this week.

Another good looking weekend of football - lots of things could be figured out in the BCS race this weekend. I will likely be sending updates Saturday night with the fam out of town.

Good Luck!!