I've gotten picks from 2 of you - just waiting on Roe.
Quick update - MK 0-2 last night with MIA and NE, JG 1-0 with VT.
MK has CIN tonight.
I'll send out the full pick report and predictions as soon as I receive them...or by Saturday morning for sure.
Still working on figuring out that Gopher victory for the weekend...it's getting more optimistic by the day. We'll see how I feel when it's time to post.
Have a good weekend fellas. Drink your Gopher Kool-aid...or Vodka Waters, pretty much any and all flavors will work.
Later.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
GOPHERS - BADGERS 2003 - BTN NOW!
So I'm working from home today, and I stumbled over to the B10 Network...I'm watching Gophers - Badgers 2003 (we win at the dome before getting beat at IOWA and winning a Bowl game for a 10 win season). Sometimes I forget about the prime of the Mason era...so I thought I'd remind you what we used to be:
Mason Interview - "our plan, like it was every game, was to come out and run the football."
- lucky for Glen, it worked in this game. But how ridiculous is this comment when you think about it. obviously, every team wants to run the ball, but I think Mase was one of the few that had to come out and try to do it right away regardless of what the defense was showing or what you would assume they had prepared for. another reason I'm glad he's not here any more.
Our defense in 2003 is insanely slow. We have no-namers all over the field (except for Butkus watch list candidate Ben West...who?) I forgot about how we used to give every WR a cushion like they were Moss in 1 on 1 coverage. Very marginally talented Sconny WR's catching balls without anyone else even in the picture. If Mason could have ever combined that unreal offensive team with anything even resembling a defense...what if.
Great quote - "the strength of the MN defense is the secondary"..."yes, they don't have a lot of speed, but they play together." wow. i guess that pretty much says it all right there. we're slow everywhere, but we try hard!
Great point by the legendary Jimmy Dykes (awesome name BTW) "MN doesn't recruit lineman over 300lbs. they want them to be athletic and be able to move around."
- sadly, these are the same guys we still have playing on our roster today - which is why Brew is recruiting a bunch of road-graters for his style of offense. The athletic lineman will be gone - give me the giants that don't allow anyone by them.
There are a lot of NFL players on this Gopher team - Utecht, Spaeth, Maroney, Barber, Montgomery, Eslinger, Tapeh, Setterstrom...not a bad squad.
Question - who played QB in the 2nd half after Asad gets hurt?....I know you're thinking probably T-Mort...wrong. The corect answer is the great Benji Kamrath!!
2003 was the first 10 win season for MN since 1905, when the Gophers beat 2 HS teams...sadly, these 2 HS teams might have been better than some of teams Mason scheudled!
Asad is kind of slow. I always remeber him being a speed guy - but he's really not that fast. GOPHERS get a 24-6 lead, but have to hold on to win 42-35...typical.
How come WIS always plays close with us at home, but I can't remeber the last time we even played a decent game in Beckyville?
Wow - BOOKER STANLEY!! that guy played forever in Beckyland. Jim Sorgi, funny stuff.
I'm still trying to find a way for the Gophers to win on Saturday. No Decker is not a good thing - but Brew has never played in Madison either. We know how Mase did - so it can't be any worse. I'm hoping we can find a way, but i don't think i'll hold my breath.
I'll stop boring you - just thought some of you might enjoy reliving a Gophers win with me over the Sorgi Badgers. Good times.
Mason Interview - "our plan, like it was every game, was to come out and run the football."
- lucky for Glen, it worked in this game. But how ridiculous is this comment when you think about it. obviously, every team wants to run the ball, but I think Mase was one of the few that had to come out and try to do it right away regardless of what the defense was showing or what you would assume they had prepared for. another reason I'm glad he's not here any more.
Our defense in 2003 is insanely slow. We have no-namers all over the field (except for Butkus watch list candidate Ben West...who?) I forgot about how we used to give every WR a cushion like they were Moss in 1 on 1 coverage. Very marginally talented Sconny WR's catching balls without anyone else even in the picture. If Mason could have ever combined that unreal offensive team with anything even resembling a defense...what if.
Great quote - "the strength of the MN defense is the secondary"..."yes, they don't have a lot of speed, but they play together." wow. i guess that pretty much says it all right there. we're slow everywhere, but we try hard!
Great point by the legendary Jimmy Dykes (awesome name BTW) "MN doesn't recruit lineman over 300lbs. they want them to be athletic and be able to move around."
- sadly, these are the same guys we still have playing on our roster today - which is why Brew is recruiting a bunch of road-graters for his style of offense. The athletic lineman will be gone - give me the giants that don't allow anyone by them.
There are a lot of NFL players on this Gopher team - Utecht, Spaeth, Maroney, Barber, Montgomery, Eslinger, Tapeh, Setterstrom...not a bad squad.
Question - who played QB in the 2nd half after Asad gets hurt?....I know you're thinking probably T-Mort...wrong. The corect answer is the great Benji Kamrath!!
2003 was the first 10 win season for MN since 1905, when the Gophers beat 2 HS teams...sadly, these 2 HS teams might have been better than some of teams Mason scheudled!
Asad is kind of slow. I always remeber him being a speed guy - but he's really not that fast. GOPHERS get a 24-6 lead, but have to hold on to win 42-35...typical.
How come WIS always plays close with us at home, but I can't remeber the last time we even played a decent game in Beckyville?
Wow - BOOKER STANLEY!! that guy played forever in Beckyland. Jim Sorgi, funny stuff.
I'm still trying to find a way for the Gophers to win on Saturday. No Decker is not a good thing - but Brew has never played in Madison either. We know how Mase did - so it can't be any worse. I'm hoping we can find a way, but i don't think i'll hold my breath.
I'll stop boring you - just thought some of you might enjoy reliving a Gophers win with me over the Sorgi Badgers. Good times.
Guess who's coming back to Campus!!
Marquies is officially a Gopher again - he passed the test...again, and he will be enrolled for the Spring. AWEB's might have a challenge on his hands for next season. Let's hope this good news continues through the weekend.
Better dead than red.
Better dead than red.
WEEK 12 GAMES - Can we get the Axe?
BALLST
MIAOH 16 TUES - done.
TEM
KENT 2.5 WED
CMU
NILL -3 WED
BUF
AKR -2 THUR
VT
MIA -4 THUR
WY
UNLV -9 THUR
CIN
LOU 4 FRI
RUT
USF -7.5
NW
MICH -2.5
IND
PSU -34
DUKE
CLEM -11.5
OHIOST
ILL 9.5
PUR
IOWA -15
ND
NAVY 3
GEO
AUB 8
TEX
KAN 13.5
MDTN
WKY 3
NM
COLST 0
TOLEDO
WMU -15.5
ULM
OLE -21.5
UTST
LT -12.5
UAB
TULANE -5
ECU
SOMISS -1
SC
FLA -23
NC
MARY 2.5
WF
NCST 4
CAL
OREST -3
MN
WIS -13.5
NEB
KST 6.5
BYU
AF 4
A&M
BAY -8
ULL
FAU 2
SJST
NEV -14.5
UCF
MARSH -7.5
BOISE
IDAHO 34
NMST
FRESNO -15
WASU
AZST -36
MIZZ
ISU 26.5
AZ
ORE -3.5
USC
STAN 22
UCONN
SYR 10.5
MISST
ALA -20.5
OKST
COL 17.5
BC
FSU -7
VAN
UK -5
TULSA
HOU 5.5
UTAH
SDST 28
TROY
LSU -19
SMU
UTEP -9
UCLA
WASH 7.5
_______________________________________________________
NYJ
NE -3.5 THUR
DEN
ATL -5.5
OAK
MIA -10.5
BAL
NYG -6.5
MIN
TB -4
TEN
JAC 3
DET
CAR -14
CHI
GB
PHI
CIN 9
NO
KC 5
HOU
IND -9
ARI
SEA 3
STL
SF -6
SD
PIT -3.5
DAL
WAS
CLE
BUF -4.5
MIAOH 16 TUES - done.
TEM
KENT 2.5 WED
CMU
NILL -3 WED
BUF
AKR -2 THUR
VT
MIA -4 THUR
WY
UNLV -9 THUR
CIN
LOU 4 FRI
RUT
USF -7.5
NW
MICH -2.5
IND
PSU -34
DUKE
CLEM -11.5
OHIOST
ILL 9.5
PUR
IOWA -15
ND
NAVY 3
GEO
AUB 8
TEX
KAN 13.5
MDTN
WKY 3
NM
COLST 0
TOLEDO
WMU -15.5
ULM
OLE -21.5
UTST
LT -12.5
UAB
TULANE -5
ECU
SOMISS -1
SC
FLA -23
NC
MARY 2.5
WF
NCST 4
CAL
OREST -3
MN
WIS -13.5
NEB
KST 6.5
BYU
AF 4
A&M
BAY -8
ULL
FAU 2
SJST
NEV -14.5
UCF
MARSH -7.5
BOISE
IDAHO 34
NMST
FRESNO -15
WASU
AZST -36
MIZZ
ISU 26.5
AZ
ORE -3.5
USC
STAN 22
UCONN
SYR 10.5
MISST
ALA -20.5
OKST
COL 17.5
BC
FSU -7
VAN
UK -5
TULSA
HOU 5.5
UTAH
SDST 28
TROY
LSU -19
SMU
UTEP -9
UCLA
WASH 7.5
_______________________________________________________
NYJ
NE -3.5 THUR
DEN
ATL -5.5
OAK
MIA -10.5
BAL
NYG -6.5
MIN
TB -4
TEN
JAC 3
DET
CAR -14
CHI
GB
PHI
CIN 9
NO
KC 5
HOU
IND -9
ARI
SEA 3
STL
SF -6
SD
PIT -3.5
DAL
WAS
CLE
BUF -4.5
Monday, November 10, 2008
Week 11 Results
Another week in the books - overall, pretty successful for this group.
Right now here's how we sit:
JR 9-6
MR 8-6
MK 9-5
JG 8-7
MR and MK both have ARZ tonight -9.5, MK can win the week with a cover...otherwise it is a split between MK and JR.
NCAA:
MR and MK both went 6-4
JR 5-5
JG 4-6
21-19, +2 on the .500 scale - not bad.
NFL
JR 4-1
JG 4-1
MK 3-1
MR 2-2
13-5 overall on NFL...daddy nice.
A split for the home town clubs this weekend - here's my 2 cents:
GOPHERS - MICHIGAN
Ugly again. No offense leads to a brutal performance and another loss. A once very promising season is coming back to reality and going to finish right where we all expected around 7 wins. I'm not liking our odds in either of the remaining games. WIS is playing better and we never play even close to well in Madison. Iowa looks decent, should be a close one if we figure out how to play offense - but tough to call an outright Gopher win right now. Obviously, a very disappointing performance, but no matter what happens the season is a succes and we will end up being improved and have some optimism going into 2009 and TCF Bank Stadium. How hard is it to believe we never beat MICH at the dome...ever. Anyway, too early to start throwing my 2009 thoughts at you with 2 huge rivalry games left to play and a low-end Bowl game being the likely destination. It's BADGER WEEK, so I'm going to spend my week trying to figure out what the hell we can do to get this offense going and put up a respectable performance before welcoming in the Hawks for the dome finale. You all know i don't want to pick us to lose either of these games, but at this point it might take something drastic for me to pick the Gophers to win again this year.
On a positive note - 3 recruits already have committed that visited this weekend. Rashede Hagamen (sp?) might be the biggest. A 3 star TE with great size and hands turned down the Buckeyes and Bucky to play Brewster ball. Gotta love that! He will likely start immediately next year with Simmons graduating and not much else lurking behind him. We did sign Eric Lair, a 3 star TE, last year - but I think Haageman is more of a player. We also landed Matt Garin who had lots of interest from some western schools. Apparently this kid is a pass rusher and could help fill the hole that WVD will leave after this year. We also landed Joey Searcy, a 6-0 276lb DT from Texas. This kid will be another 300 lb'r in the middle sooner than later. McNeal and Carter are both announcing at the AA Game I believe. It sounds like the 5 star kid had a nice time, but it's tough to expect him to sign on at this point. Overall, the loss has very little impact on what these kids think - if anything it might help the cause and make them think they can play right away. Bottom line is that Brewster has landed 5 of the top6 MN kids already, with McNeal (#1) being the only holdout. I like what we're seeing...more talent = better results. It's college football and that's how you build a winner.
One other Gopher note - our star of last year's class, Marqueis Gray gets his ACT score back on WED this week. Gut feeling for me if he passes, is that he splits time with Weber next year. It is becoming more and more obvious that the QB run is a HUGE part of this offense, and when you have a guy who is a superior runner he will need to play. Not a "from day one he is #1" mentality, but I love the iodea of spicing up the offense by giving him some "Tebow as a Freshman" type action before possibly handing the keys to the car over to him as a Soph (although Weber will be a Sr...but next year could really prove who the better QB is). I'm not a Weber hater, but Gray is a better fit in this offense, and with the ineptitude we've seen this year, I think a change might be nice. But that's for another day - right now let's just hope he passes the test and is even an option next year.
Okay. next....
PURPLE OVER PACK
That was a fun one. Despite fighting off one of the worst hangovers I've had in quite some time, I thought this game was great. Should have been a blowout, probably could have lost, but in the end a win over the Pack is a great thing. Scary games coming the next 2 weeks at TB and at JAC, but this team seems to be putting it together right now. AD is a hall-of-famer...too fun to watch. Gus needs to play better obviously, but the offense is scoring points and that is what matters most. The defense was incredible. Jared Allen should get a raise...the guy is worth every penny. Overall, much more positivity than 2 weeks ago, we've actually won 4 of our last 5. Revised schedule predictions from 8-8...
at TB L
at JAC W
CHI W
at DET W
at ARI W
ATL W
NYG W
Wow. Did I just pick us to win 6 of our last 7? Definitely not better than the NYG...but it's week 17 and they will be playing zero people against us since home field will be locked up. So I've gone from 8-8 to 11-5. Wow, a little bigger swing than I expected...but that's what a big win will do for you I guess.
BTW - listening to COMMON right now...Ray Edwards sack tracker update...1.5!!! Well on his way to 23...only 21 to go. 3/game would do it!
If we lose the Williams crew for 4 games, this will change. I would add at least 2 more losses to the prediction, but haven;t heard much on that lately.
That's all for now - I'll post next week's games soon.
Later.
Right now here's how we sit:
JR 9-6
MR 8-6
MK 9-5
JG 8-7
MR and MK both have ARZ tonight -9.5, MK can win the week with a cover...otherwise it is a split between MK and JR.
NCAA:
MR and MK both went 6-4
JR 5-5
JG 4-6
21-19, +2 on the .500 scale - not bad.
NFL
JR 4-1
JG 4-1
MK 3-1
MR 2-2
13-5 overall on NFL...daddy nice.
A split for the home town clubs this weekend - here's my 2 cents:
GOPHERS - MICHIGAN
Ugly again. No offense leads to a brutal performance and another loss. A once very promising season is coming back to reality and going to finish right where we all expected around 7 wins. I'm not liking our odds in either of the remaining games. WIS is playing better and we never play even close to well in Madison. Iowa looks decent, should be a close one if we figure out how to play offense - but tough to call an outright Gopher win right now. Obviously, a very disappointing performance, but no matter what happens the season is a succes and we will end up being improved and have some optimism going into 2009 and TCF Bank Stadium. How hard is it to believe we never beat MICH at the dome...ever. Anyway, too early to start throwing my 2009 thoughts at you with 2 huge rivalry games left to play and a low-end Bowl game being the likely destination. It's BADGER WEEK, so I'm going to spend my week trying to figure out what the hell we can do to get this offense going and put up a respectable performance before welcoming in the Hawks for the dome finale. You all know i don't want to pick us to lose either of these games, but at this point it might take something drastic for me to pick the Gophers to win again this year.
On a positive note - 3 recruits already have committed that visited this weekend. Rashede Hagamen (sp?) might be the biggest. A 3 star TE with great size and hands turned down the Buckeyes and Bucky to play Brewster ball. Gotta love that! He will likely start immediately next year with Simmons graduating and not much else lurking behind him. We did sign Eric Lair, a 3 star TE, last year - but I think Haageman is more of a player. We also landed Matt Garin who had lots of interest from some western schools. Apparently this kid is a pass rusher and could help fill the hole that WVD will leave after this year. We also landed Joey Searcy, a 6-0 276lb DT from Texas. This kid will be another 300 lb'r in the middle sooner than later. McNeal and Carter are both announcing at the AA Game I believe. It sounds like the 5 star kid had a nice time, but it's tough to expect him to sign on at this point. Overall, the loss has very little impact on what these kids think - if anything it might help the cause and make them think they can play right away. Bottom line is that Brewster has landed 5 of the top6 MN kids already, with McNeal (#1) being the only holdout. I like what we're seeing...more talent = better results. It's college football and that's how you build a winner.
One other Gopher note - our star of last year's class, Marqueis Gray gets his ACT score back on WED this week. Gut feeling for me if he passes, is that he splits time with Weber next year. It is becoming more and more obvious that the QB run is a HUGE part of this offense, and when you have a guy who is a superior runner he will need to play. Not a "from day one he is #1" mentality, but I love the iodea of spicing up the offense by giving him some "Tebow as a Freshman" type action before possibly handing the keys to the car over to him as a Soph (although Weber will be a Sr...but next year could really prove who the better QB is). I'm not a Weber hater, but Gray is a better fit in this offense, and with the ineptitude we've seen this year, I think a change might be nice. But that's for another day - right now let's just hope he passes the test and is even an option next year.
Okay. next....
PURPLE OVER PACK
That was a fun one. Despite fighting off one of the worst hangovers I've had in quite some time, I thought this game was great. Should have been a blowout, probably could have lost, but in the end a win over the Pack is a great thing. Scary games coming the next 2 weeks at TB and at JAC, but this team seems to be putting it together right now. AD is a hall-of-famer...too fun to watch. Gus needs to play better obviously, but the offense is scoring points and that is what matters most. The defense was incredible. Jared Allen should get a raise...the guy is worth every penny. Overall, much more positivity than 2 weeks ago, we've actually won 4 of our last 5. Revised schedule predictions from 8-8...
at TB L
at JAC W
CHI W
at DET W
at ARI W
ATL W
NYG W
Wow. Did I just pick us to win 6 of our last 7? Definitely not better than the NYG...but it's week 17 and they will be playing zero people against us since home field will be locked up. So I've gone from 8-8 to 11-5. Wow, a little bigger swing than I expected...but that's what a big win will do for you I guess.
BTW - listening to COMMON right now...Ray Edwards sack tracker update...1.5!!! Well on his way to 23...only 21 to go. 3/game would do it!
If we lose the Williams crew for 4 games, this will change. I would add at least 2 more losses to the prediction, but haven;t heard much on that lately.
That's all for now - I'll post next week's games soon.
Later.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
WEEK 11 Picks - JUG WEEK
Sorry for the short recap last week (or maybe a "you're welcome" is more appropriate) but I'll get back to my usual long rambling dissertations again with this post. Also, I apologize for the email difficulties this week - MK and JG apparently both sent in picks early, but BBY email was jacked so I never got them. As I begin writing, I'm still waiting on a call from JG with picks...bear with me here.
NCAA PICKS
Once again we have some THUR action. JR likes the Hokies, regardless of who or what is playing QB for them tonight. MK jumped on the Turtle.
MK goes with MR on the other big game...both picking UTAH as a home dog. I had a huge TCU opinion earlier in the week, then I checked the "Official TREE Betting Rulebook" and rule 1A states you ALWAYS take a home dog on a weeknight national TV game...so I like the UTAH pick.
MK tried to bet every week night game this week because he probably won't remember anything after about 2:00pm on Saturday when we're drinking from the jug! So he likes FRESNO at home, as does Roe.
JR and MR agree on Becky housing the Hoosiers this weekend...get their hopes up for a rebound before we come in and win next weekend.
I also like Sparty at home - seriously, PUR is F'ing terrible. You might be saying to yourself..."didn't they beat MICH last week?" More on that later.
MR has to be a downer and pick MICH to cover over the GOPHS. 7.5 is a tough line, I'll give you my official pick below.
Roe likes RUTGERS. Beware of the mighty Orange, they are hot right now.
MK took UK to cover as a home dog on a down GEO team. I like it.
Roe likes TT, MK likes OKST...should be a tight one. I'll side with the home team.
I like ARK to cover 10 at SC...Spurrier hasn't beaten anyone by a large margin since he was playing in the Swamp.
Roe and I agree on TEN over a bunk WY team. Fulmer is going away, and did I mention WY is AWFUL. I may have picked more TN games this year than any other team (except BGSU) and I think I pick them to rebound every week...can it really happen!?! I'm betting on it again.
Of course I like BGSU this week. Only a 2.5 point FAV at a bad OHIO team...can you say free $?
BOISE on the smurf turf...I'll take it. 31.5, no big deal - they win by 40+.
MK makes an intersting call on taking OK to cover 25 at an always improving A&M sqaud. I like it because OK score 55/game, but I really think A&M is turning the corner a bit, especially at home, and keeps it close.
Roe - I didn't pick it, but go against Army this week. Rice will destroy them - I know you like to keep tabs on your little money maker from Vegas.
MK also like LSU in the Saban Bowl. I started the week thinking LSU, but have converted over to ALA. LSU's strength was supposed to be their lines, well, they've been terrible. ALA does have great lines and a ground game and a better coach - yep, sorry Les. I like the tide to win a close one, but cover the 3.
MR took PSU, and MK took the anti-christ. Come on Kobs - if you think the game is going to go that way you can't bet it! Do what JG does and just bet against IOWA, ISU, and BECKY every week...it's actually worked pretty well for him this year!
I'm 100% biased on this one because I can smell the hawkeye stench creeping their way toward the dome for the big battle in 2 weeks. PSU has it all, and they are rested and prepared for a Hawkeye team that really doesn't do much. The D is solid, but seriously, how creative can you be when you only have one guy on offense. Stanzi can't throw well enough to be a threat so Greene will face 7-8 in the box all day. No rushing yards and a guaranteed 2-3 mistakes out of Stanzi coupled with at least 2-3 offensive scores for PSU make this one a route...PSU 28-7.
I LOVE ECU at home this week over Marshall. Don't ask why, but I'm labeling it the LOCK OF THE WEEK (which has surprisingly gotten much more successful lately)
Somebody had to jump on this trend eventually, so please join me if you like. WASU is bad - they are GIGANTIC dogs every week, but still neevr cover. AZ scores a lot of points, so actually -39 doesn't look that intimidating. AZ money line would probably be something like -10,000...bet a fortune to win a nickel!
MR likes the Beavers at UCLA. Based on history, I like the Bruins to keep it close. The Beavers are starting a tough stretch of games and will be overlooking Neuheisel's crew...Bruins pull off the upset.
I love WV this weekend. CIN looked nice at home, but not in Hick-ville. Easy win for Pat White and Co.
MK took BC over ND...now you're starting to get it, bet against the teams we hate...good work. This should be really close, I've gone both ways on this one during the week but settled on...sigh...ND.
MR likes points - this has been established over many seasons. So he took VAN over FLA at +25. I like it - they haven't gievn up more than 24 in a game all year, so it's a lock right? Well, they probably won't score a point, and FLA has yet to score less than 26 in a game. My head hurts.
Finally, MK's hatred of USC continues with his prediction of Cal to cover 17 this week. This line has climbed to 21, so the "wise guys" think USC houses the Bears this week. I tend to agree with them. This defense gives up no points ever - they would probably be a Top 10 NFL defense right now!
GOPHERS - RICH ROD (JUG 2008)
Wow. 7.5 point favorites against the mighty Wolverines. I was all over the "MICH will be down this year" state of mind, but I didn't see this one coming. How far have they fallen - they are out of Bowl contention already...joining some prestigious company: IOWA ST, UAB, SMU, WKY, MIAOH, OHIO, KENT, TOLEDO, EMU, SDST, WASHST, WASH, N.TEX, UTST, and IDAHO. Wow, MICH really doesn't come to mind when I think of that pathetic groups of teams, but that is who they are this year. History obviously tells us a very different story - we have beat this team ZERO times in the history of the metrodome, that's tough to overcome. We have only beat them 2 times in the last like 30 years! I think that is why I am having such a hard time betting this one how I want to and how it SHOULD turn out. I could go with the Gophers and they house and then I can tell myself, "they are who we thought they were!" Or they struggle and MICH keeps it close or even wins and the line will be, "never bet against tradition and trends." But after carefully considering all of this, here's what my super-computer said will happen:
GOPHERS score early to fire up the 58K! Woo-hoo, bring home the jug! Then we hit a stalemate and things get tough on both sides of the ball. MICH runs well, and we go into half at 7-3. 2nd half opens with a GOPHERS score and confidence is high, repeat confidence is high. Then suddenly, we go into flashback mode...John Navarre, Chris Perry, nooooo!!! ahhh!!! MICH comes back and takes the lead 17-14 on a couple of fluky plays and GOPHER mistakes. But this is not your father's GOPHER team anymore, A WEB comes back and leads the team on a nice drive and a JACK SIMMONS TD - then the defense holds and Monroe actually makes a FG. THE JUG IS COMING HOME AND STAYING FOR AT LEAST 3 YEARS!! GOPHERS WIN A NAIL BITER 24-17...not a cover, but a win over MICH at the dome is worth more than anything else this weekend! Then we'll go outside and make snow angels and fall on the ice!
HUGE RECRUITING WEEKEND
We have a ton of recruits in town for the game...highlights:
Michael Carter - stud DB from FLA (Tyrone's cousin)
Rashede Hagemann - Bigtime TE from MN
Bryce McNeal - 4 star WR from MN
Seantrel Henderson - #1 OL recruit in the country for next year - maybe top recruit in the nation...and from MN
Plus a few other DE's and DB's as well as a RB commit to take the place of our recent decommit from Stephens.
Overall - GIGANTIC weekend for recruiting, let's hope to land a couple more big wins and give them a taste of the jug!!
NFL PICKS
JR: CLE, TEN, BAL, ATL, CAR
JG: TBD
MR: BAL, STL, MIN, CAR, ARI
MK: JAC, TEN, BAL, MIN, ARI
VIKES-PACK
Sad to say it, but I can't pick the Purple this week. The Pack is healthy and let's face it, they are better than us this year. We lose a close one...23-20.
I WILL TALK TO MK AND JG SOON TO MAKE PLANS FOR THE WEEKEND - CAN'T WAIT GUYS, LET'S HOPE WE GO 2-0 AGAINST OUR HUGE RIVALS THIS WEEKEND!
LATER.
NCAA PICKS
Once again we have some THUR action. JR likes the Hokies, regardless of who or what is playing QB for them tonight. MK jumped on the Turtle.
MK goes with MR on the other big game...both picking UTAH as a home dog. I had a huge TCU opinion earlier in the week, then I checked the "Official TREE Betting Rulebook" and rule 1A states you ALWAYS take a home dog on a weeknight national TV game...so I like the UTAH pick.
MK tried to bet every week night game this week because he probably won't remember anything after about 2:00pm on Saturday when we're drinking from the jug! So he likes FRESNO at home, as does Roe.
JR and MR agree on Becky housing the Hoosiers this weekend...get their hopes up for a rebound before we come in and win next weekend.
I also like Sparty at home - seriously, PUR is F'ing terrible. You might be saying to yourself..."didn't they beat MICH last week?" More on that later.
MR has to be a downer and pick MICH to cover over the GOPHS. 7.5 is a tough line, I'll give you my official pick below.
Roe likes RUTGERS. Beware of the mighty Orange, they are hot right now.
MK took UK to cover as a home dog on a down GEO team. I like it.
Roe likes TT, MK likes OKST...should be a tight one. I'll side with the home team.
I like ARK to cover 10 at SC...Spurrier hasn't beaten anyone by a large margin since he was playing in the Swamp.
Roe and I agree on TEN over a bunk WY team. Fulmer is going away, and did I mention WY is AWFUL. I may have picked more TN games this year than any other team (except BGSU) and I think I pick them to rebound every week...can it really happen!?! I'm betting on it again.
Of course I like BGSU this week. Only a 2.5 point FAV at a bad OHIO team...can you say free $?
BOISE on the smurf turf...I'll take it. 31.5, no big deal - they win by 40+.
MK makes an intersting call on taking OK to cover 25 at an always improving A&M sqaud. I like it because OK score 55/game, but I really think A&M is turning the corner a bit, especially at home, and keeps it close.
Roe - I didn't pick it, but go against Army this week. Rice will destroy them - I know you like to keep tabs on your little money maker from Vegas.
MK also like LSU in the Saban Bowl. I started the week thinking LSU, but have converted over to ALA. LSU's strength was supposed to be their lines, well, they've been terrible. ALA does have great lines and a ground game and a better coach - yep, sorry Les. I like the tide to win a close one, but cover the 3.
MR took PSU, and MK took the anti-christ. Come on Kobs - if you think the game is going to go that way you can't bet it! Do what JG does and just bet against IOWA, ISU, and BECKY every week...it's actually worked pretty well for him this year!
I'm 100% biased on this one because I can smell the hawkeye stench creeping their way toward the dome for the big battle in 2 weeks. PSU has it all, and they are rested and prepared for a Hawkeye team that really doesn't do much. The D is solid, but seriously, how creative can you be when you only have one guy on offense. Stanzi can't throw well enough to be a threat so Greene will face 7-8 in the box all day. No rushing yards and a guaranteed 2-3 mistakes out of Stanzi coupled with at least 2-3 offensive scores for PSU make this one a route...PSU 28-7.
I LOVE ECU at home this week over Marshall. Don't ask why, but I'm labeling it the LOCK OF THE WEEK (which has surprisingly gotten much more successful lately)
Somebody had to jump on this trend eventually, so please join me if you like. WASU is bad - they are GIGANTIC dogs every week, but still neevr cover. AZ scores a lot of points, so actually -39 doesn't look that intimidating. AZ money line would probably be something like -10,000...bet a fortune to win a nickel!
MR likes the Beavers at UCLA. Based on history, I like the Bruins to keep it close. The Beavers are starting a tough stretch of games and will be overlooking Neuheisel's crew...Bruins pull off the upset.
I love WV this weekend. CIN looked nice at home, but not in Hick-ville. Easy win for Pat White and Co.
MK took BC over ND...now you're starting to get it, bet against the teams we hate...good work. This should be really close, I've gone both ways on this one during the week but settled on...sigh...ND.
MR likes points - this has been established over many seasons. So he took VAN over FLA at +25. I like it - they haven't gievn up more than 24 in a game all year, so it's a lock right? Well, they probably won't score a point, and FLA has yet to score less than 26 in a game. My head hurts.
Finally, MK's hatred of USC continues with his prediction of Cal to cover 17 this week. This line has climbed to 21, so the "wise guys" think USC houses the Bears this week. I tend to agree with them. This defense gives up no points ever - they would probably be a Top 10 NFL defense right now!
GOPHERS - RICH ROD (JUG 2008)
Wow. 7.5 point favorites against the mighty Wolverines. I was all over the "MICH will be down this year" state of mind, but I didn't see this one coming. How far have they fallen - they are out of Bowl contention already...joining some prestigious company: IOWA ST, UAB, SMU, WKY, MIAOH, OHIO, KENT, TOLEDO, EMU, SDST, WASHST, WASH, N.TEX, UTST, and IDAHO. Wow, MICH really doesn't come to mind when I think of that pathetic groups of teams, but that is who they are this year. History obviously tells us a very different story - we have beat this team ZERO times in the history of the metrodome, that's tough to overcome. We have only beat them 2 times in the last like 30 years! I think that is why I am having such a hard time betting this one how I want to and how it SHOULD turn out. I could go with the Gophers and they house and then I can tell myself, "they are who we thought they were!" Or they struggle and MICH keeps it close or even wins and the line will be, "never bet against tradition and trends." But after carefully considering all of this, here's what my super-computer said will happen:
GOPHERS score early to fire up the 58K! Woo-hoo, bring home the jug! Then we hit a stalemate and things get tough on both sides of the ball. MICH runs well, and we go into half at 7-3. 2nd half opens with a GOPHERS score and confidence is high, repeat confidence is high. Then suddenly, we go into flashback mode...John Navarre, Chris Perry, nooooo!!! ahhh!!! MICH comes back and takes the lead 17-14 on a couple of fluky plays and GOPHER mistakes. But this is not your father's GOPHER team anymore, A WEB comes back and leads the team on a nice drive and a JACK SIMMONS TD - then the defense holds and Monroe actually makes a FG. THE JUG IS COMING HOME AND STAYING FOR AT LEAST 3 YEARS!! GOPHERS WIN A NAIL BITER 24-17...not a cover, but a win over MICH at the dome is worth more than anything else this weekend! Then we'll go outside and make snow angels and fall on the ice!
HUGE RECRUITING WEEKEND
We have a ton of recruits in town for the game...highlights:
Michael Carter - stud DB from FLA (Tyrone's cousin)
Rashede Hagemann - Bigtime TE from MN
Bryce McNeal - 4 star WR from MN
Seantrel Henderson - #1 OL recruit in the country for next year - maybe top recruit in the nation...and from MN
Plus a few other DE's and DB's as well as a RB commit to take the place of our recent decommit from Stephens.
Overall - GIGANTIC weekend for recruiting, let's hope to land a couple more big wins and give them a taste of the jug!!
NFL PICKS
JR: CLE, TEN, BAL, ATL, CAR
JG: TBD
MR: BAL, STL, MIN, CAR, ARI
MK: JAC, TEN, BAL, MIN, ARI
VIKES-PACK
Sad to say it, but I can't pick the Purple this week. The Pack is healthy and let's face it, they are better than us this year. We lose a close one...23-20.
I WILL TALK TO MK AND JG SOON TO MAKE PLANS FOR THE WEEKEND - CAN'T WAIT GUYS, LET'S HOPE WE GO 2-0 AGAINST OUR HUGE RIVALS THIS WEEKEND!
LATER.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Week 11 Games
MIAOH
BUF -8 TUESDAY
TOL
AKR -5 WEDNESDAY
NILL
BALLST -9 WEDNESDAY
MARY
VT -3.5 THURSDAY
TCU
UTAH 1 THURSDAY
NEV
FRESNO -2 FRIDAY
OHIOST
NW 11
WIS
IND 10.5
PUR
MSU -9.5
MICH
MN -7.5
GT
NC -4
VIR
WF -3.5
SYR
RUT -14
LOU
PITT -7
ILL
WMU 7
GEO
UK 11.5
OKST
TXTECH -3.5
ARK
SC -10
WY
TN -25
ISU
COL -10
BGSU
OHIO 2.5
UTST
BOISE -31.5
OK
A&M 25
SDST
BYU -36.5
ARMY
RICE -9.5
MEM
SMU 1
CLEM
FSU -6.5
ALA
LSU 3
KST
MIZZ -25
NCST
DUKE -4.5
KAN
NEB 2.5
SOMISS
UCF 1
PENNST
IOWA 7
ULM
MDTN -4.5
STAN
ORE -13
MARSH
ECU -9.5
WKY
TROY -18
NTEX
FAU -21
HAW
NMST 3.5
AZ
WASU 39
OREST
UCLA 7
COLST
AF -10
BAY
TEX -26
AZST
WASH 14
CIN
WV -8
ARKST
FIU 3
LT
SJST -8.5
ND
BC -3.5
FLA
VAN 25
UTEP
ULL -9
TULANE
HOU -14
CAL
USC -17
NM
UNLV 3.5
________________________________________________
DEN
CLE -3 THURSDAY
JAC
DET 6
TEN
CHI 3
BAL
HOU -2
NO
ATL 0
STL
NYJ -7.5
BUF
NE -4
SEA
MIA -9
GB
MIN -1.5
CAR
OAK 8.5
KC
SD -14
IND
PIT
NYG
PHI -3
SF
ARI -9.5
BUF -8 TUESDAY
TOL
AKR -5 WEDNESDAY
NILL
BALLST -9 WEDNESDAY
MARY
VT -3.5 THURSDAY
TCU
UTAH 1 THURSDAY
NEV
FRESNO -2 FRIDAY
OHIOST
NW 11
WIS
IND 10.5
PUR
MSU -9.5
MICH
MN -7.5
GT
NC -4
VIR
WF -3.5
SYR
RUT -14
LOU
PITT -7
ILL
WMU 7
GEO
UK 11.5
OKST
TXTECH -3.5
ARK
SC -10
WY
TN -25
ISU
COL -10
BGSU
OHIO 2.5
UTST
BOISE -31.5
OK
A&M 25
SDST
BYU -36.5
ARMY
RICE -9.5
MEM
SMU 1
CLEM
FSU -6.5
ALA
LSU 3
KST
MIZZ -25
NCST
DUKE -4.5
KAN
NEB 2.5
SOMISS
UCF 1
PENNST
IOWA 7
ULM
MDTN -4.5
STAN
ORE -13
MARSH
ECU -9.5
WKY
TROY -18
NTEX
FAU -21
HAW
NMST 3.5
AZ
WASU 39
OREST
UCLA 7
COLST
AF -10
BAY
TEX -26
AZST
WASH 14
CIN
WV -8
ARKST
FIU 3
LT
SJST -8.5
ND
BC -3.5
FLA
VAN 25
UTEP
ULL -9
TULANE
HOU -14
CAL
USC -17
NM
UNLV 3.5
________________________________________________
DEN
CLE -3 THURSDAY
JAC
DET 6
TEN
CHI 3
BAL
HOU -2
NO
ATL 0
STL
NYJ -7.5
BUF
NE -4
SEA
MIA -9
GB
MIN -1.5
CAR
OAK 8.5
KC
SD -14
IND
PIT
NYG
PHI -3
SF
ARI -9.5
WEEK 10 RECAP Do Over.
I typed up a long recap, it got deleted when my computer went sfkjhfdklsjfkls! so fuck it, here's the short version.
MK 9-6
JR 6-9
JG 6-9
MR 5-10
Congrats MK on your 1st weekly victory.
see updated standings on the website. I'll ramble off something later, but I'm kind of pissed right now.
I'll post this week's games right now.
MK 9-6
JR 6-9
JG 6-9
MR 5-10
Congrats MK on your 1st weekly victory.
see updated standings on the website. I'll ramble off something later, but I'm kind of pissed right now.
I'll post this week's games right now.
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