NYE Picks

Don't have the list, but I have CLEM, GEO, ND, and SC today...lots of
Favs after a 3-1 day w/the dogs. Good Luck!!

Also love UK +3 at LOU
Gophs getting 8 at Sparty...I like Gophs but probably won't play it.

Sent from my iPhone

Of course

NEB rolls over and dies. It makes ms sick to cheer for these guys
anyway. Let the B10 hate begin!!

Sent from my iPhone

Nebraska

I said I would abstain on this one...but I just got NEB at -8 in 2H
and -5 for game total...this has to work out, right. I feel like WASH
can't do anything offensively so NEB just has to put together a couple
of drives and turn it over. The Bowl Gods owe me one after blowing my
perfect day with that Bizarro UNC-TEN finish...that was lame. I'll
post picks for tomorrow as well. Happy Bowl Season! Dare I say...GO
BIG RED for tonight only?!?

Sent from my iPhone

Bowl Updates

4 of the 3 point games will happen today starting in about 10 minutes.

Current Standings
RO - 16
GR  -15
MH - 14
MR - 12
JR - 11
SS - 10
AW - 10
JG - 7
MC - 6

Baylor sucks. God I make some terrible picks...so here's 4 more.

DOGS!!!! All day long.

ARMY-SMU
Was on SMU early, but I'm thinking ARMY today. Like underdog service academies in these games. SMU has been bad to me all year, so I'll cheer for ARMY again even after they failed against NAVY. Running power game vs. finesse passing attack...I've been on the wrong side of all of these type games so far. We're split on it with JR, GR, SS, and RO on Army.

KST-SYR
I love SYR here. It's in the BRONX in the cold and KST has to have absolutely no fans and no motivation for this game. They don't play in any cold environments all year long in the B12, so this look like a big SYR play for me. Split on this as well with JG, MR, MH, RO all on KST.

NC-TN
Another pseudo home game for a team in this one with TN playing in Nashville against the depleted NC Heels. I just haven't liked UNC all year long, and since TN went with the freshman Bray at QB they've won 4 in a row, which is why they are here. I like the Vols at home getting points. Split once again on this one...JR, JG, MH, MC liking the VOLS.

WASH-NEB
Huskies are a huge dog, and NEB housed them earlier this year in WASH. I just feel like they have a lot to prove even though I don't think WASH is the better team, I think the motivation will be there and they are actually playing much better at this point than they were earlier in the season. I'll take WASH, but I don't think I'll be betting this one at all. JR, MR, RO all like WASH.

I still need NFL Picks from most of you - please send those over before you forget with the Holiday weekend coming up.

Happy Bowl Watching!!

Week 18 Lines - Last week of regular season contest

Send me your best 10

TB
NO	-9.5
CIN
BAL	-10.5
CAR
ATL	-15.5
PIT
CLE	7
MIN
DET	-3
OAK
KC	-4
BUF
NYJ	-1
MIA
NE	-3
NYG
WAS	4
DAL
PHI
TEN
IND	-9.5
CHI
GB	-11
JAC
HOU	1
SD
DEN	3.5
ARI
SF	-7
STL
SEA	0

Standings Update, Bowl Updates & Picks

Well last night sucked. Gabbert makes a horrible pass and gives Iowa a bowl win and loses a bet all at the same time. Gophers hoops played 39 nice minutes and 1 bad one and lose by 8. SYR wins easily but not covering the large 13 pt line, and the MICH afternoon pick was just plain awful...my bad. I did save face with a little NBA and SA -3 over LAL...so only a -2 day for me...could have been better, could have been worse.

Anyway, it's all about today. First, here are the updated Regular Season Football Challenge standings:

MR	136	104	56.7%
MH	135	105	56.3%
RO	129	111	53.8%
SS	126	114	52.5%
JR	123	117	51.3%
GR	123	117	51.3%
MC	123	117	51.3%
JG	122	118	50.8%
AW	122	118	50.8%

Only 3 guys with a chance at winning this thing. As a reminder - payout is $360 for 1st, $40 for 2nd, and a participation ribbon for 3rd. In the same sense, we have quite a race to not finish last...Bomber looked like he had it locked in a few weeks back, but after a nice late season push we now have 5 guys within a game of last place...who will claim this dubious honor this season?

One other note - MH holds the tiebreaker over MR by having a better NCAA Record, so if they tie then MH will be declared the winner and get the lion's share of the pot.

Bowl Updates
GR housed us all with his NCST call from yesterday and it wasn't even close. These games seem so much more obvious after seeing what happens and justifying it in your head...oh well. 2 guys hit the Iowa game correctly as well - although I'm tempted not to count that one since it was such a weak win.

STANDINGS
GR-13
AW-10
MH-10
RO-10
JR-9
MR-8
SS-6
JG-5
MC-4

The last 3 2-point games will be played today...here's a quick preview:

ECU-MARY (-7.5)
MARY fired ACC coach of the year, so this is Ralph's last game...which I have to believe will be uber-inspiring for the Terps. ECU gives up 43.4 ppg...and they still made a Bowl?!? I watched them about 3 times this year, and they are a wreck while MARY was much better than I expected. Along with the coach/motivation factor I think this is a no brainer. AW, GR, MC disagree with me...the rest are on MARY.

ILL-BAY (-1.5)
Tough call in this one as both teams finished the season dreadfully. It's in Houston, and it's Baylor's 1st Bowl game in nearly forever...so I have to think they have a lot of the motivational edges. ILL has the better D, but I'll give coach and QB edge to BAY...and that's the pick for today. SS and RO are on ILL...rest on BAY.

AZ-OKST (-6)
The ALAMO BOWL should be a good one. I see OKST much in the same light as MIZZOU from last night - they we're thinking big things, finished the season on a sour note, and this lesser bowl game is kind of a let down for them. AZ finished the season horribly, but I think they may have enough firepower to keep up with the Cowboys. The lines has gone down to 4.5 at most places, so the $$$ is coming in on AZ. OKST also lost their star OC who moved along to WV as the coach in waiting for 2012. Lots of factors on AZ's side, so that's my pick. JG, AW, SS also like AZ while the rest of you are on OKST.

I'm also going to play the HEAT -5 tonight at a bad HOU Rockets team.

Most Week 18 lines are up, but I'll give it until this afternoon to hopefully be able to add a few more before posting it.

D-Fence??

So the Gophs run at will on the greatest D ever, and Mizzou has thrown
for nearly 400 in only 3 quarters...why exactly are they great again??

I'm thinking 3 more MIZZOU td's to bury these Squakeyes!! 7-6, does
that still give them a chance at the National Title??

Sent from my iPhone

Bowl Update - Picks for today

AF...$$$, UNDER...$$$, PITT...$$$

Yesterday was a good day.

Let's hope for more of the same today. We have a new leader in the very early stages of Bowl Game Hysteria:

GR: 11
AW: 10
MH: 10
JR: 9
RO: 8
MR: 6
SS: 6
JG: 5
MC: 4

Here's what we've got today:

NCST vs. WV (-2.5)
GR, the current leader, is the only one on NCST for today. This could either grow his lead or bring him back into 3rd place. I'm really torn with this one and won't be playing it either way. Gun to the head I pick WV because of their D...but I really don't know what will happen.

IOWA vs. MIZZ (-1)
MR and RO are on IOWA in this one but the rest of us have MIZZOU. I couldn't possibly like MIZZOU any more in this game - I think they win this one very easily. IOWA has lost 3 in a row, lost a ton of skill players for this game, and I think everyone is ready for next year...so I'm guessing they roll over and die tonight. I love the late night start of 9pm...going to be a late night at my house watching every last second of this beat down.
Go Tigers!!

Other plays for the day - no, I will not be picking either way in the Vikes game tonight...actually, I'm not really even expecting to watch much of it.

We have some afternoon B10 Hoops with PUR (-4) visiting MICH...home teams dominate in this series and I really don't think much of PUR without Hummel. I'm taking points and the Wolverines to give me something to follow during the workday...and I am using that term loosely this week!

Tonight we have the Gophers getting (+8) at WIS. Tubby has owned Bo by winning the last 3 games against the BADgers. Although I think 8 might be a lot, this Gopher team just hasn't done much to impress me the last month and unless they start making their FT's (62% on the year) I don't think I can pick them tonight. Although I think with Nolen playing they have a shot at an outright W, I really don't think I'll play this one either way - I hate betting against the Gophs, and that's probably the way I'd lean tonight.

One game I will be playing is SYR (-13) hosting PROVIDENCE. PROV likes to run and play a fast tempo but they don't shoot very well from the arc. Bad, bad, bad for playing the 'Cuse. SYR will slow it down with that nasty zone and if you can't hit 3's against it then you might be screwed. I usually don't like to give this many points in a conference game, but I think I'm taking the Orange tonight at -13.

Enjoy the sports filled day!!

Updates, Updates, Updates!!

Here's how we are sitting through most of the Week 17 picks:

JR: 3-5
JG: 4-5
MR: 5-3
AW: 8-1
GR: 5-3
MH: 5-3
MC: 7-3
SS: 4-5
RO: 6-2

Everyone with picks left has PHI over PURPLE on Tuesday.
Tonight MR, MH, RO have NO while JR, AW, GR have ATL.

Overall standings have ROE clinging to a 1 game lead over HEINERT still and that will hold into next week since they both have the same picks left.

RO is within 7 at the end of the week, so there is still a glimmer of hope.

SS is now 9 back...I think it's over for Steve.

The rest of us are officially eliminated from the Regular Season challenge.

But on to better and brighter things...the BOWL CHALLENGE!!

STANDINGS
AW - 10
MH - 10
GR- 9
RO - 8
JR - 7
MR - 6
JG - 5
SS - 4
MC - 2

Today we have GT and AF starting this afternoon. Pretty much a pick'em as far as our breakouts go with 4 guys on AF and 5 on GT. I like this AF club and have all year while GT has been disappointing and kind of a money drainer for me all year. GT is also missing their starting QB and had another handful of Iowa like suspensions come down last week so they will be shorthanded. GT is historically brutal in Bowl Games under Johnson and they basically run the same offense as AF, so both should be prepared.
PICKS: I love AF -2.5 and I also like the UNDER 56.

The rest of the week features multiple Bowl Games every day, with 3 pointers starting on Thursday. Great week to be glued to the TV if you like Bowl Games...and the start of Conference Games in NCAA Hoops.

Quick NCAA Hoops Pick for the night as well, just in case you didn't have enough to watch...I like PITT -6.5 at home over UCONN. UCONN is on the road for a true road game for the first time all year, PITT is unreal defensively and very physical while UCONN seems to be more of a finesse team at this point. Panther win by 10+.

Happy Bowl Week!!

NFL - Games that Matter

Here's a quick run down on the games that matter for our 2 man race for the title:

MR - PIT
MR - DAL
MR - STL
MH - NE
MR - WAS
MH - IND
MH - DEN
MH - SD

4 picks that are unique for each guy - if we get a sweep one way or the other that could be all she wrote.

Good luck gentlemen.

Need Picks from...

HEINERT
CORCORAN

JG and JR lost on UTAH last night...3 points really? My only blemish on a 3-1 evening of gambling that included an NBA win, a College Hoops win, and a NCAA Football total win...all rarities for me.

Tonight we have a split with 4 guys on NAVY and 5 of us on SDST. I like the Aztecs. I think NAVY is a little down vs. their past teams. SDST has a nice balanced attack on offense that can score on poor D's like NAVY, and they are playing at home in this bowl game, which doesn't hurt. Confidence has to be high as well since they just signed their coach to a new multi-year deal.

PREDICTION
SDST 34 NAVY 24

NFL starts tonight as well - Lots of love for PITT so far at -14...line has climbed up over 15+ at this point. I would have bet it at anything 14 or less, but once you get over that in the NFL it's not a real smart play. One guy has CAR tonight so far, with 2 guys left to turn in picks.

We have 2 more Bowl games throughout the Holiday weekend - here's a quick look at those.

TULSA-HAW
3 on Tulsa getting 12, the majority on HAW giving 12 in a home bowl game. Should be TONS of O-fence in this one, but I have to take HAW at home. RAINBOWS 47-31

FIU-TOL
Maybe the biggest snoozer of all the bowls, but I'll probably try to watch some of it. Me and the Bomber are on FIU while the rest of the world likes TOLEDO. Honestly, I based this pick on losing about 4 other Toledo bets this season and going 2-0 on FIU bets...good logic, right? FIU hasn't been to a bowl in forever so I'm playing the motivation card as well on picking FIU. We'll see...I'm sure you all be glued to your TV on X-mas eve for the former Motor City Bowl. What better place to spend the Holiday than Detroit?

Alright - send me your picks if you haven't - have a great Holiday weekend!!

Line Updates

NYG
GB -3

MIN
PHI -14.5

The USAToday line is showing MIN-PHI at a pick'em, but I think that's incorrect so we'll go with this.

Bowl Update

The majority was correct last night on to SOMISS +3.5 pick.

Updated Standings:
MR, AW, MH, RO - 4
JR, JG, GR - 3
SS - 2
MC - 0

Tonight's picks:

BOISE (-16) vs. UTAH

JR and JG are going out on a limb and taking UTAH with the points while the rest of the world is on BOISE. I'm thinking a lack of motivation for BOISE and UTAH is actually a pretty decent club. Plus it sounds like it could be flooding in Vegas where this game is played, so I'm leaning toward less points and I booked the under at 60.

PREDICTION
UTAH 20 BOISE 31

Week 17 Lines

A couple games still missing, but I'll post them now anyway. Send over your 10 picks for the week.

We have 1 Thursday game and 1 Saturday game this week.

CAR
PIT	-14
DAL
ARI	6
DET
MIA	-3.5
SF
STL	-1
NYJ
CHI	0
NE
BUF	8
WAS
JAC	-6.5
TEN
KC	-5
BAL
CLE	3
IND
OAK	3
HOU
DEN	3
SD
CIN	8.5
SEA
TB	-6
NYG
GB
MIN
PHI
NO
ATL	-2.5

2 WEEKS TO GO - UPDATED STANDINGS

Only 2 weeks left and it's close right now.

MR	130	100	56.5%
MH	129	101	56.1%
RO	122	108	53.0%
SS	122	108	53.0%
JR	120	110	52.2%
GR	118	112	51.3%
JG	118	112	51.3%
MC	116	114	50.4%
AW	114	116	49.6%

ROE has retaken the lead based on a 5-5 week while MH went 4-6. SS made the biggest jump this week with an 8 win week to climb up into a tie for 3rd but still 8 games back. Honestly, it's going to take an epic collapse and/or a ridiculous 2 week run for someone to catch the 2 leaders at this point.

I couldn't have been more wrong on the Purple last night - I couldn't even watch the whole thing.

Next week's lines will be posted today.

Weekend Update

Here's how we sit through the NFL games thus far:

JR: 6-4
JG: 4-6
MR: 5-5
AW: 3-6
GR: 3-6
MH: 4-6
MC: 4-5
SS: 7-2
RO: 5-5

4 of you guys have CHI tonight at TCF -9...I'm not so sure I like that. It could be a VERY ugly game, and I actually think our athletic QB might do some good things tonight. Either way, it should be a interesting watch...I'm still hoping for an L since all we have to pull for is draft picks at this point.

BOWL UPDATE

Wow, what a fascinating first weekend of Bowls...maybe the most boring ever. 3 blowouts have landed Mr. JG on top at 3-0 with 3 big points. MR and AW are 2-1 as are SS and RO. JR and GR come in at 1-2 and on the bottom is MC at 0-3. Bad karma for not turning in all the games at one time I guess!!

This week we're getting into the 2 point games...starting TUES with LOU vs. SOMISS (+3.5).

JG, MC, SS are all on LOU while the rest of us have SOMISS with the points. I'm just hoping for something interesting to watch unlike all 3 games on Saturday. One thing I did enjoy Saturday was seeing the NILL offense...that will be us next year. Looks pretty effective!!

Enjoy the Purple tonight!! Prediction...in a stunner...PURPLE 11 CHI 7. Grand Slam in the bottom of the 11th gets us a W!!

Packers and Vikings Lines

Finally we have some numbers...and they are big.

GB
NE -14.5

CHI
MIN 9

Let me know if you need to change a pick, just send an email to me and I'll make the switch.

Thanks.

Updates + Picks for NFL

Still nothing on the Vikes game or Pack game...has to be tonight or tomorrow.

JG took an L last night on SF and MR and SS both got W #1 for the week.

WHAT I NEED
BOWL PICKS FROM CORCORAN and SHUFT...send them over before game time tomorrow fellas, or you'll take an L in every game that starts before I see them...not a huge deal since they are all 1 pointers tomorrow, but every point counts!!

Here are some highlights for this week's NFL Picks:

- JR and JG are the only 2 on BUFF
- AW and MH are on CLE
- Split 5:4 on DET at TB...leaders both on TB
- JR and MC on JAC
- Only 3 takers on ARI at CAR: JR and AW on CAR, JG on ARI
- Split 5:4 on NO at BAL...ROE on BAL, HEINERT on NO
- JG is only one on NYG with 5 on PHI...I'm with you JG, but I didn't include it in my 10
- MH and SS on KC, 3 on STL
- 3 on DAL, and ZERO on WAS...heard Grossman was starting...anyone want to jump on board now?!?
- 7 on HOU with ZERO on TEN...I like the TITANS in this game.
- JG on SEA, 7 on ATL...once again JG, I'm with you on SEA but it didn't make my Top 10
- 2 on NYJ and 2 on PIT...lots of avoiding this one...I'll take pts.
- 1 on DEN and 1 on OAK...nobody likes this game either...I'll take pts.
- 7 on NE, ZERO on GB...Matt Flynn show isn't impressing anyone. Still no line, could be very high.
- 5 on BEARS, ZERO on Purple...Joe Webb...nope.

So for our purposes, assuming this is a 2 horse race and MR and MH will take the top spots (barring a miraculous 9-1 week from someone to sneak back into this thing) here are the important swing games:

MR: SD (W)
MR: CIN MH: CLE
MH: IND
MR: BAL MH: NO
MH: PHI
MH: KC
MR: DAL
MR: NYJ

Those are the big ones that could tilt the advantage one way or the other for these 2. Rob has 8 games to make up in 3 weeks, and 4 of us are tied at 11 games back, so that means making up about 4 games per week on the leaders, which is probably going to require about 8-2 or 9-1 records the rest of the way...who loves their chances? But you never know. Doing a quick glance, if everything falls my way I can make up 7 games on MR this week and 7 on MH...so we're never out of it.

Get your Bowl picks in - I'll have a giant recap once I have them all for this weekend and we'll go from there. Just to give you a little taste, here's my 3 team weekend parlay:

UTEP +11.5, NILL -2.5, OHIO +1.5...take it to the bank!!

We have a KC-STL Line!!

KC
STL 0

A pick'em at STL.

Still nothing on either of the night games.

Need Picks From...

Reminder I need 2 sets of picks this week from each of you

1. Regular 10 NFL Picks
2. All 36 Bowl Game Picks

Here's what I'm missing:

NFL
BOMB
CORCORAN

BOWLS
JG
BOMB
CORCORAN
SS
RO

Please send NFL over today if you want to include the game tonight (SF at SD) or sometime tomorrow if you aren't including tonight's game. THERE ARE 3 GAMES STILL WITHOUT A LINE - PLEASE PICK THESE IF YOU WANT, I EXPECT A LINE TO BE POSTED TOMORROW OR SATURDAY AT THE LATEST. I WILL SEND IT OUT WHEN I HAVE IT AND YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR PICK AT THAT TIME IF YOU WANT.

I also need all of the BOWL picks by EOD FRIDAY. Remember this is a totally different challenge and a chance to start anew for those of us who are out of the running in the Regular Season pool. Bowl Games start on Saturday, so I need all of your picks by the end of FRIDAY for all 36 games.

Thanks.

Week 16 Lines

Here's the lines for this week - once again we have a Thursday game, so try to get picks to me by then.

Some games don't have a line - pick them if you like. I will update these games when the lines are posted.

Send me 10 NFL Picks for this week.

SF
SD	-10
BUF
MIA	-5.5
CLE
CIN	0
DET
TB	-5.5
JAC
IND	-5
ARI
CAR	-1
NO
BAL	-1.5
PHI
NYG	-2.5
KC
STL
WAS
DAL	-5.5
HOU
TEN	0
ATL
SEA	7
NYJ
PIT	-7
DEN
OAK	-7
GB
NE
CHI
MIN

Standings through Week 15

3 weeks to play - 30 games left to pick...

MR	125	95	56.8%
MH	125	95	56.8%
RO	117	103	53.2%
GR	114	106	51.8%
JG	114	106	51.8%
JR	114	106	51.8%
SS	114	106	51.8%
MC	111	109	50.5%
AW	110	110	50.0%

BOWL GAME LINES

Here they are - all the Bowl Games, which start this Saturday. I have listed the game, the line, when it's played, and how many points it is worth (1-10) for a grand total of 100 NCAA Bowl Points being possible.

Please send me your picks for every one of these games by this Saturday.

Good Luck!!

UTEP		18-Dec	1
BYU	-11.5	SAT
NILL		18-Dec	1
FRES	2.5	SAT
OHIO		18-Dec	1
TROY	-1.5	SAT
LOU		21-Dec	2
SOMISS	3.5	TUES
UTAH		22-Dec	2
BOISE	-16	WED
NAVY		23-Dec	2
SDST	-5	THUR
TULSA		24-Dec	2
HAW	-12	FRI
FIU		26-Dec	2
TOL	-2	SUN
GT		27-Dec	2
AF	-2.5	MON
NCST		28-Dec	2
WV	-2.5	TUES
MIZZ		28-Dec	2
IOWA	1	TUES
ECU		29-Dec	2
MARY	-7.5	WED
ILL		29-Dec	2
BAY	-1.5	WED
AZ		29-Dec	2
OKST	-6	WED
ARMY		30-Dec	3
SMU	-8	THUR
KST		30-Dec	3
SYR	3	THUR
NC		30-Dec	3
TN	2	THUR
WASH		30-Dec	3
NEB	-13	THUR
USF		31-Dec	3
CLEM	-4	FRI
ND		31-Dec	3
MIA	-3	FRI
UCF		31-Dec	3
GEO	-7	FRI
FSU		31-Dec	3
SC	-3	FRI
NW		1-Jan	3
TT	-9.5	SAT
PSU		1-Jan	3
FLA	-7	SAT
MSU		1-Jan	3
ALA	-10.5	SAT
MICH		1-Jan	3
MISST	-6	SAT
TCU		1-Jan	5
WIS	3	SAT
UCONN		1-Jan	5
OK	-18	SAT
VT		3-Jan	5
STAN	-3	MON
ARK		4-Jan	5
OHIOST	-3	TUES
MDTN		6-Jan	2
MIAOH	-2	THUR
A&M		7-Jan	3
LSU	-1	FRI
UK		8-Jan	2
PITT	-2.5	SAT
BC		9-Jan	2
NEV	-9.5	SUN
ORE		10-Jan	10
AUB	-2.5	MON

Ruh-roh Hogeyes

Hot rumors all around that the DJK arrest might only be the tip of the iceberg for the Hogeyes this offseason.

They've already lost the great Jewel Hampton to a transfer and another RB Brandon Wegher to a transfer both last week - the new rumors are around why these guys are leaving and some possibly serious allegations around wide spread drug use (no doubt supplied by DJK) on the squad.

I checked out a popular Iowa board this morning, and people are freaking out because it sounds like a TON of players might be involved in this thing. One guy said that DJK had a list of clients, they randomly tested all the guys on the list...and they ALL failed. Apparently, Iowa has a 3 strike policy so you can fail 2 drug tests but just not a 3rd.

Anyway, twitter is starting to buzz with these rumors now as well, so I'm expecting something to happen this week.

My advice...bet MIZZOU at -1 on your own before this climbs to -7 when Iowa has to suspend 1/2 of their team!!

Sit back and enjoy...I already am and nothing has really become official yet!

Weekend Update

Here's the standings through the weekend:

JR: 5-4 +BAL
JG: 4-4 +BAL, MIN
MR: 4-4 +BAL, NYG
AW: 7-2 +MIN
GR: 4-5 +BAL
MH: 6-3 +BAL
MC: 5-4 +BAL
SS: 5-3 +BAL, NYG
RO: 4-5 +HOU

Looks like we'll have a new leader after this week. Full standings update coming tomorrow.

Go Vikes!!

Picks

ROE and HEINERT...still waiting on picks from you two. Must be something about turning in picks late that helps...or maybe you 2 are just starting to sweat a little and are putting in too much time over-analyzing this week.

Or maybe HEINERT just had a baby this week and is a little preoccupied and ROE...well, I'm not sure what other excuse I have for you buddy.

Please send them over as soon as you have a minute.

Tonight

I have Indy tonight - I'll send out the full recap tomorrow once I receive the picks from everyone.

Why does this guy look so familiar?

Oh yeah...

He's destined for great things here!! Put some glasses on this fuzzy little guy and they are separated at birth!

Need Picks

ROE and CORCORAN and HEINERT

Send them over please.

Line Updates & offseason Hogeyes start it off right

Couple of line updates for the NFL this week

NYG
MIN 0 - yep, a pick'em for the Purple...love it.

DEN
ARI 5 - Cards getting 5 at home...2 teams already eliminated from the playoffs


The funniest news of the night was the arrest of the Great DJK on possession of weed, coke, numerous prescription drugs, and a lot of cash. The way it sounds, he had a little drug house set up and was earning a nice chunk of change as well as using himself.

Let's see if the Captain will find a way to let him still play in their Bowl game.

I didn't think it would start already, but those Dirty Hogeyes are off to a running start on their off-season...keep it up fellas!

Week 15 Lines

One NCAA game left...so please make your pick on Army-Navy and then pick 9 NFL games this week to put us at a total of 10 for the week.

A couple games have injury questions so no line is posted...you can still bet these if you want and I will fill in the lines when they are available.

Here's the list:

NAVY
ARMY 8.5
---------------
IND
TEN 1

ATL
CAR 8

CIN
PIT -9.5

NYG
MIN

GB
DET 7.5

OAK
JAC -4.5

TB
WAS 2.5

CLE
BUF 0

STL
NO -10

SEA
SF -4.5

NE
CHI 3

MIA
NYJ -6

DEN
ARI

KC
SD -7.5

PHI
DAL 3

BAL
HOU 3

Updated Standings - end of NCAA Season

Another week complete - that one was fun last night - I love seeing Gomer and his gang get destroyed by Brady and Belichick.

TOTAL

MR 119 91 56.7%
MH 118 92 56.2%
RO 113 97 53.8%
GR 109 101 51.9%
JG 109 101 51.9%
JR 108 102 51.4%
SS 107 103 51.0%
MC 105 105 50.0%
AW 103 107 49.0%


NFL

MR 40 25 61.5%
MH 39 26 60.0%
JR 38 27 58.5%
JG 36 29 55.4%
AW 36 29 55.4%
GR 35 30 53.8%
RO 35 30 53.8%
MC 34 31 52.3%
SS 34 31 52.3%


NCAA

MH 79 66 54.5%
MR 79 66 54.5%
RO 78 67 53.8%
GR 74 71 51.0%
JG 73 72 50.3%
SS 73 72 50.3%
MC 71 74 49.0%
JR 70 75 48.3%
AW 67 78 46.2%


Looks like maybe a 3 horse race at the top - MR and MH are only separated by 1 game, same as last week. While RO is pulling up in 3rd at 6 games back.

This week's lines will be posted sometime today.

Day 1

Jerry Kill vs. Tim Brewster

+1. The entire Minnesota media doesn't hate this guy after his 1st press conference!
+2. He has been a head coach.
+3. No Pasadena talk on Day 1 with a 3-9 team...thank you.
+4. He understands actual football, not just recruiting and has a plan that he'll stick with.
+5. I don't want to kick his teeth in every time I see him talk.
+6. I believe him - not selling me used car BS
+7. His last name is Kill...tough.
+8. Has a staff in place - no nation wide searches to find the next Jedd Fisch.

That's just off the top of my head....Day 1 of the Kill Era has gone 1000% better than the last regime. Let's hope it continues.

U-G-L-Y

Here's the weekend update:

JR: 5-9 +NE
JG: 7-8
MR: 7-8
AW: 8-7
GR: 4-10 +NE
MH: 6-8 +NE
MC: 5-10
SS: 7-8
RO: 6-8 +NE

Bomber saved us from having nobody over .500 for the week.

I'll send out BOWL lines as soon as they are all available.

Jerry Kill

Not exactly the super star I think we were all hoping for, but after a bit of a cool down period this might be okay. So I've been refreshing twitter and gopherhole kind of a lot for the last 7 days...how much, we'll I've had to recharge my phone like 3 times during the day because it's basically on non-stop. I just kept believing that we would make a splash and snag a great big name coach to jump start this program. Jerry Kill is not exactly the name I was hoping for. My initial reaction was disbelief, rage, and sadness...but after simmering a little, I think I have come to grips with reality on this one.

The problem appears to be the major questions at the top with an outgoing president and outgoing AD - who the hell is in charge and running the show at this place? If you are Chris Petersen or Dan Mullen do you leave a decent gig that you have right now for this rebuilding job with questionable leadership? Exactly. I don't dislike Kill, I actually think he's a good coach, but I have a real problem with the moron who hired him and should have been fired 4 years ago after his last "major hire". His "Tubby-type" comment is completely asinine...hiring a guy from NIU is not quite like taking the UK Hoops coach. Maturi made this a ridiculous secret filled search with more concern about a leak than about getting the right guy. Interest, even with the Iowa win, is at a low point for the football team and he needed a jolt to the fanbase. Jerry Kill doesn't quite satisfy that need. Most don't know who the hell he even is - this includes the players, who can not be thrilled with this hire. Joel is done - very soon - so we'll see if this things sticks or not. If the new President hits a HR on the next AD hire, then that guy might want to get his own guy in place for the football team and we should have a more stable, defined, and trusted leadership group in place at that time. But that's in the future - for now, we've got Jerry Kill for a 5 year deal...let's give him a shot.

So who is Jerry Kill, well...he's the anti-Brewster, which can't be a bad thing. Hard working, no frills, no nonsense hardcore football coach. He has been a head coach for a long time and he's only 49...I would have guessed much older by looking at him. He fits the IOWA/WIS mold of a coach...not much of a recruiter but a great fundamentals kind of guy. He has a staff, which is rumored to all be coming along (we'll find out tomorrow), that has been with him for 9+ years...all of them. They rank very high in total D and total O this season and really run the ball well. Their defense has been the best in the MAC the last 3 season (all of his time at NIU). Offensively, they want to run it but they also open it up at times and run kind of a spread type thing with heavy reliance on the run by the QB and RB's. I think this offense makes the most sense for this team and this league. Defensively, I'm all for bringing in a successful system and successful coordinator - let's hope those results translate into the B10 like they did in the MAC. Kill and staff had the NIU football banquet tonight, and the media wanted a word from him after the banquet about the new job...his answer, "I'm not talking to those people." Interesting - I think he truly is the anti-Brewster.

I'm talking myself into this one - he's a nice coach that I wouldn't mind having in most scenarios...but with the hype surrounding this search and the shallow promises of Maturi I just can't help be be a little disappointed. However, once we see what the club looks like in APR at the Spring game and give the guy a chance we could all be very happy.

Think about this - without knowing about all of the other garbage that was going on out there during this search, the bottom line is that our coach was Tim Brewster and now it's Jerry Kill...overall, that is an upgrade. We know the guy can coach and has won everywhere he's gone. We know he's a fundamentalist, much like Mase, and we know he has a solid staff that should come with him and be here to avoid the yearly changes we saw under Brew...much like Ferentz and the Iowa model. I think he values D, he was a LB in college, and his D's have been strong at every level...so this is an encouraging sign. I've said all along, we need to play D to win in this league so maybe this guy will do it.

My major concern is the recruiting which is a big unknown with this staff and the current players reaction. Kill straight up says he not going to be your best friend, he's brutally honest with his players and recruits...which can hurt him with some of these fragile egos. He sees his role as a parent for all of these guys and he teaches discipline and work ethic. Hard to not like a guy like this, isn't it? Maybe it's the best we could do, maybe it's a disappointment, maybe it's a major coup...only time will tell.

Either way - Go Gophs!!! Beat Iowa again next year and maybe throw in a NEB victory or WIS, USC, OHIOST, or really anything that Brew didn't do and we could all be singing a very different tune when we're going bowling next year. I'm not going to be negative toward Kill at all - he deserves a chance, and then we can figure out a verdict. I'm going to go ahead and guarantee he won't go 1-11 next year!!

Today's the day...I think

I'd say 95% chance we hear Petersen or Edsall leaked today with a
presser on Monday. Both good hires, with Petersen being the longshot
swing for the fences.

Thank god NCAA betting season is done...after a quick glance it looks
like a pretty rough week for most of us.

Sent from my iPhone

Ladies and gentlemen... We got him

Who exactly remains to be seen, but multiple sources reporting the new
coach will fly into town tomorrow. I'd say it will come from this
list...Edsall, Hoke, Calhoun, Petersen....gut says still Hoke but
hoping for Petersen. Stay tuned, or get tuned into Twitter if u want
to know immediately.

Sent from my iPhone

Week 14 Picks

The final Saturday of the NCAA Season...that's the bad news.

The Good News - Bowl Game Challenge is right around the corner!!

Today's fun Gopher coaching rumors -
1) Maturi on a private plane to Philly...presumably for Al Golden
2) Maturi on a private plane to Arizona...to pick up Mike Stoops for intro after tonight's game
3) Chris Petersen of BOISE is our guy...no mention of him, the secret guy behind the smokescreens

I like #3 the best. Golden....I wouldn't be down on that hire, but Petersen would rock! I really don't want anything to do with Mike Stoops, way too angry for me, and not really a great coach.

Anyway, on to the picks...doesn't it kind of feel like we just started this thing and now the NCAA is wrapping it up already? Kind of sad.

JR: AZ, NILL, SMU, LT, AUB, WASU, FSU, OK, UCLA, HAW
JG: AZ, WV, UTST, ORE, AUB, IDAHO, WASH, FSU, OK, USC
MR: ASU, NILL, FRES, CIN, LT, ORE, AUB, MDTN, UCONN, OK
AW: AZ, WV, PITT, FAU, AUB, SJST, FIU, VT, USF, OK
GR: AZ, ILL, RUT, CIN, BOISE, ORE, AUB, FSU, OK, USC
MH: AZ, ILL, PITT, LT, ORE, SC, WASH, VT, OK, UCLA
MC: NILL, WV, FAU, BOISE, LT, ORE, SC, FIU, VT, HAW
SS: AZ, ILL, WV, BOISE, NEV, AUB, VT, OK, UCLA, HAW
RO: AZ, RUT, PITT, OREST, AUB, IDAHO, WASH, VT, OK, USC

NFL
JR: PHI, WAS, BUF, OAK, NE
JG: HOU, WAS, DEN, SF, OAK
MR: WAS, KC, SF, BUF, CIN
AW: HOU, CLE, KC, GB, ATL
GR: DET, KC, ATL, BAL, NE
MH: CLE, GB, ATL, IND, NE
MC: BUF, OAK, TB, IND, BAL
SS: BUF, SD, ATL, SEA, BAL
RO: DET, ATL, STL, BAL, NE

Last full week of games for the regular season Football Challenge in 2010. I think I've got a quick predictions segment in me...

NCAA
ASU-AZ
Really not a good feeling either way on this one, but had to include it because ASU is dumb. They are 5-6, presumably playing for a Bowl Game tonight...but wait, they scheduled 2 1AA opponents this year, so unless there aren't enough "bowl eligible" teams, they will not be bowling regardless what happens tonight. How brutal is that? Why I like Zona? Well, ASU is coming off a route over UCLA, and they aren't very good, and it's a rivalry game on the road. Zona got routed by ORE and I think Mike Stoops is still angry (hopefully not angry enough to take the Gophs job) but I have to believe they cover less than a TD at home against an inferior rival.

SMU-UCF
I like SMU to cover the 9.5. They are a crazy June Jones offense that tries to score 50/game and UCF is a grinder that hopes to win 24-21 every week by playing D and running the ball. I just think UCF has had it too easy all year and SMU might catch them here with a sneaky W and very likely a cover. I'm kind of shocked that I'm the only one on this game on Saturday.

UTST-BOISE
I would go Aggies on this one. Why? Well, Boise is totally deflated and Chris Petersen will inform the team of his intentions to go to MN instead of the always interesting Humanitarian Bowl starting on Sunday. Sorry Boise, you had your chance and you blew it badly. How about this tweet from Marqueis..."where is Chris at?" he wasn't talking about Petersen, or so he says, but I think it's good karma.

NEV-LT
NEV giving 12.5 on the road with a chance to clinch the WAC after winning the "biggest game in the history of the program". Wow...no chance. They may find a way to win, but this will be anything but a route. I like LATech.

ORE-OREST
Probably the greatest rivalry name ever...The Civil War...how f*cking awesome is that?!? Sadly, I don't think OREST has near enough firepower to match the 70 that ORE will likely put up...so this one, even at 16.5, has to go the way of the Green to set up a Nat'l Title Showdown with....

AUB-SC
Nope, I won't do it. I will never bet against Cam Newton until he is ruled ineligible and not playing anymore. The guy is too good and just will not lose. I'm telling you right now, I'll take AUB over ORE in the NC game, and I'll probably be getting points as well. Let's just hope the QB is still around to play at that point. Oh yeah, they need to beat SC...I think that will be an afterthought. Imagine this, it will be close early, Spurrier will have the Cocks flying around stopping the run on D for the 1st quarter or even the 1st half....but they play 2 halves. And H2 belong to AUB and Cam Newton...AUB wins and covers 28-17.

WASH-WASU
2 bad teams. I know WASH is playing for bowl eligibility, but really would you pick them to win on the road? I'm not even talking about a cover...do you think they can win? WASU is not the horrible mess that is had been the past 2 years, they even won a conference game this year! Woo-hoo! I think this is extremely close and I'll even call for a WASU W on a last second FG. Apple Cup winner and even more importantly, keeping Locker out of a bowl for the 4th straight year. Heisman...whatever.

FSU-VT
Really tough time with this one. Both teams have played very well all year long. Each with a couple of very close losses, and some weird wins the last few weeks in which they haven't played great. I'm taking points and the Noles, even though I HATE picking against VT. Don't trust me on this one? Flip a coin and decide for yourself.

NEB-OK
I love OK and I love them BIG. As does everyone else except MC, who has no opinion. This could spell doom and gloom for the Sooners, but I just can't see NEB making a stand. OK will score on the feared "black-shirt" defense who are actually not that frightening. NEB has QB issues, Martinez is apparently a friendless prima donna that nobody likes, but he's the only guy on the offense that can make it work. He's also fighting injuries so I really can't see him being that effective. But the over-arching rule of thumb and ultimate decision maker in this game is this: NEB is leaving the B12 after this game, so how in the hell could the B12 let them win? The answer is that they can't. NEB will get hosed in every possible situation and OK will carry on the good name of the B12. OK 33-17.

USC-UCLA
USC's bowl game! Kind of like the Gophs bowl game last week. Only problem is, this is on the road against a rival who has been trying to catch you for about 10 years. I think USC is the IOWA in this scenario and UCLA is the fightin' Gophs. UCLA also lost by 900 points last week, which can only help to motivate them. I'll take Bruins + points, but I would consider the $ line on this one as well.

UNLV-HAW
Like always, the final full week of NCAA football ends in HAW with an ugly route. Last season is was Becky housing HAW 953-2, this year the Vegas kids fly to HAW for their "bowl game" and they will totally mail it in just like they have done every week on the road this year. I guess if I went to Vegas for school then I would be pissed to play on the road as well. HAW might score 80...and they cover. HAW 79-31.

That's it for the NCAA...except of course for the ARMY-NAVY game, which we'll all be forced to bet on next week...it's tradition. And it should actually be close this year!

NFL
PHI-HOU
Love, love, love PHI tonight. HOU is shitty, and the whole world is off the PHI bandwagon with the CHI loss...which is why it's the perfect time to pick them! A nice cool night in PHI on a short week is not exactly what HOU was looking for and this one will be over quickly. PHI 34-13

Still no JAC-TEN line, but I'm going with the crappy TEN club and that old drunk Kerry Collins.

WAS-NYG
8.5 in a rivalry game with 2 teams not playing well? Have to take points here.

CLE-MIA
Had CLE marked all week, just read that Del Homme is probably starting and I switched it for about 10 minutes then went back. Yep, I'm trusting JDH to win this mofo. These 2 teams are pretty much identical so I'm taking points and 2 JDH TD's!!

CHI-DET
Drew Stanton. I want to pick DET soooo bad, but Drew Stanton? I can't do it. BEARS it is.

DEN-KC
Torn on this one. DEN looked so bad at times last week but it's another rivalry game with a large line of 8. KC played well last week, but this one ended in controversy last time which left a sour taste in Haley's mouth and I think he might be in for some retaliation. KC with a small cover - terrible game to bet.

SF-GB
11 points is quite a bit against a club like SF who has been playing better. I've been on both sides of this one throughout the week but I think I'll settle on the 49ers being too good to get blown out.

NO-CIN
CIN is done. I said it 3 weeks ago, and they've shown me nothing to change my mind. NO rolls.

OAK-SD
Now this is the ultimate over-reaction line from Vegas...13.5!! This is one of the largest lines of the year and SD is not the best team in the league and OAK is not the worst team in the league! It's a rivalry game, 13.5 is ridiculous!! I HAVE to take OAK here and expect something closer than a 2 TD spread.

ATL-TB
I like the BUCS. They are a good team and ATL has too much love right now. They are looking at that slate and putting it into coast mode for the playoff run so I think TB wins this one straight up.

CAR-SEA
God, what a horrible game. If anyone actually watches this one, wow...you have to find a hobby. Tony Pike leads the mighty Panthers, who fired their last bullet last week, into SEA against a pathetic SEA team that's only 1 game out of 1st!! SEA should be able to handle this at home and cover.

DAL-IND
INDY getting embarassed makes me love them this week. DAL is about ready to realize that the season is kind of over and should start quitting again soon...but even if they come to play I think Peyton reminds us not to count out the Colts and wins by 14 points.

STL-ARI
I'm just waiting for the Derek Anderson blow-up, I hope that's a weekly occurance because it was kind of fun. ARI is worse than bad and STL needs a W. Easy pick here.

PIT-BAL
GREAT Game. It will be a FG either way and I would suspect a split in the season series so I'll go PIT. It seems like people are forgetting about them. Both overlooked their games last week, PIT a little worse than BAL...which means they are more prepared this week, right?!? I like PIT by 3: 20-17.

NYJ-NE
Belichick is great. When asked how his coaches were preparing for the Jets he replied, "hiking, fishing, badminton...the usual." That's awesome. His club will rebound and house the JETS. Brady at home, Belichick vs. REX, that greatest D in the world that actually isn't the greatest D in the world...yep, Pats are the pick...NE 27-13.

Finally....

FRAZIER vs. Who the hell is coaching BUF?
Should be an epic at the dome this weekend. I LOVE the Bills getting 7.5, might be the easiest money of the weekend. Leslie should probably get us the win, but this will be close. I think the Bills do something dumb in the 2nd half and lose this one, but cover.

PURPLE 20 BILLS 17

Yep, every losing team this week will score 17...

Until next week...aaaaarrrrrrrrggggghhhh!