Nothing Like a Supportive Partner

No, I'm not referring to Two Gun Pete.  I'm referring to my wife, who, as I lamented another subpar performance this weekend, offered up "It's OK, the season's almost over".  It's a good thing I was not reflecting on the meaning of my life.  Next time I'm laconic and lamenting, I'm calling Two Gun.

The video clip below features a campaign rally for the Penguin, who was running for mayor of Gotham city.  The band pretending to be the band is 60's rock act Paul Revere and the Raiders, dressed in full colorful Raider regalia. It is painful to watch and senseless, but very colorful, and in a macabre way, entertaining, if "too horrifying to look away" can be used interchangeably with "entertaining".  I have provided it here to recreate the sense of what it was like watching Memphis v. Tulsa. 


It was a big upset weekend, with a lot of ranked teams getting knocked off and a few others needing heroics to win (and failing to cover, as good as a loss in our world).

The Look Who's Talking  links on the right side of the page have been modified to point you to the impending conference championship games, the BCS site and the Champs and Outback bowl sites.  There's also a link to Northwestern's 2009 regular season highlight video, newly minted by NUBears, the master of purple video.


**** Northern Illinois @ Central Michigan -13 WINNER
FINAL: CMU 45, NIU 31

Dan LeFevour passed for 257 yards and 3 TD's, but it was not-so-famous Frank Zombo, a defensive end, who sealed the deal for us when he intercepted a pass and ran it 27 yards for the TD that put Central up 45-24.  NIU declined to go quietly, driving fast for a touchdown to bring it back to a 14 point difference, and made me very nervous when their onside kick rattled around on the ground before CMU dropped on and ran out the last two minutes of the game to secure the cover.  CMU meets Ohio in the MAC championship game at Ford Field in Foreclosure City next week.
*** Navy -9 @ Hawaii LOSE
FINAL: RAINBOWS 24, MIDDIES 17
I stayed awake until halftime, at which point Hawaii had just rammed a fast downfield drive to tie the game at the half, and the announcer was saying that the Rainbows were a lot better than they had frequently shown this season.  It would have been helpful to know that a few days earlier.  Woke up Sunday and went right to the score to find that he was right, we were wrong, and we lost another one.
** BC -6 1/2 @ Maryland LOSE
FINAL: BC 19, MD 17
No cover.  Didn't see it, went to Four Winds, did better than BC.  Might have to stop betting on any Catholic schools.


* Memphis @ Tulsa -16 LOSER
FINAL: Put a Fork in Me I'm  TULSA 33,  We Don't Really Play Football at MEMPHIS 30
Jeez, what a weird game.  Tulsa, attired in brilliant yellow/gold uniforms capped with royal blue helmets, and Memphis in their visiting whites with their own royal blue headgear, cavorting on an emerald green turf...it was a colorful display of really lousy football in front of a 2/3 empty stadium.  Tulsa dropped more passes than I could count.  With six minutes left and the game tied at 23--and the prospect of a cover blown 100% to hell, I watched successive displays of the Tulsa's ineptitude.  One, dropped pass, two, catch pass and circle backwards to shake one tackler and run instead into the five who were headed that way, three, throw interception.  The Golden Crapicanes defense rose to the occasion, allowing a 50 yard pass play on the ensuing Memphis snap.  Two plays later, Memphis runner Curtis Steele danced past the two Tulsa guys who weren't headed in the wrong direction and banged in his fourth TD du jour.   I was hoping that Tulsa would invoke the rarely used 18 point touchdown play, but it was not to be.  They drove downfield, moving ahead almost in spite of themselves, and sputtered into the end zone to tie the game with :30 on the clock, assuring overtime suckiness.  Memphis then showed its mettle on the first play of OT when the receiver tipped an easily catchable bubble pass into the hands of a Tulsa defender.  Tulsa pissed away three downs and kicked a field goal to bring the sucktivities to an eagerly awaited conclusion.  Craptacular.

It's championship weekend for the conferences, and time for us to get this effort headed back in the right direction.  No depression this weekend, we just got beat.  Penguin didn't get elected, either.

Thanks

You're probably reading this after Thanksgiving, so please indulge me and rewind to Thursday.  This year, like last year, we are the guests of friends for dinner.  My wife decided to have our family dinner on Wednesday evening, and it worked out great.  At the Thanksgiving table each year, I ask each person at the table to share something for which he or she is thankful.  My daughter's boyfriend  (he and she are both ND alums) got a big laugh when he stated that he was thankful that the Charlie era is almost over.  A photo of his downfall is at the right.

Giggles aside, I always think about the things for which I am thankful, and here are a few.

My wife.  She promised me never a dull moment, and it has been so.
My family.  They are always a source of amazement to me.
My friends.  Good friends make life rich.
My career.  I could never have scripted it.

I started writing this with a plan to be clever and amuse.  Instead, reality came out. 
Kind of like life.

On to the wagers.  I would be thankful for a mittful of cash, too.

**** Northern Illinois @ Central Michigan -13
Noon Friday
Central Michigan QB Dan LeFevour's last home game is the bet here.  NIU has made us some money when we've called their number this year, but Dan LeFevour has demonstrated an ability to perform at a high level when he's on a big stage, and he has one here in his final home game.
*** Navy -9 @ Hawaii
9:30 p.m. Saturday
The Middies have put together a pretty nice season, sporting an 8-3 record.  The Rainbows are 5-6, and they're riding a 3 game win streak.  The late season trip to the Islands is often poison for visitors, but that's not likely to be the case with the disciplined Navy squad.  They should dismantle the Rainbows quite effectively, though you're going to have to stay up really late to watch this one.
** BC -6 1/2 @ Maryland
2:30 p.m. Saturday
BC is 7-4 coming in, Maryland is 2-9.  The Eagles are 1-3 on the road, but Maryland is only a 2-4 home team, so the location doesn't appear to be a big factor.  I'm counting on "the other Catholics" to pull us through, and with better bowl position on the line, they should easily handle the Terrapins.
* Memphis @ Tulsa -16
2:30 p.m. Friday
This is the marquee match up of a couple of Two Gun Pete's favorite squads.  "Breathe for Me Elvis" Memphis, 2-9 overall and 0-5 on the road, against the 4-7 Tulsa Golden Hurricane ( a glittering 1-4 record at home). 
Memphis: a five game losing streak. 
Tulsa: a six game losing streak.
Sometimes you just gotta go for it.

And Now, Little River Band

If it wasn't for a trip to Harrah's that worked out, this would have been a crushing Saturday.  As it was, it was merely debilitating, verging on humiliating. There was a lot of that going on with some of the football teams that we watched and wagered upon, too. From the "cheering, not betting" perspective, a big hoo-rah to Northwestern on the victory over #14 Wisconsin.  Another one that I didn't see coming. The only guy who had a worse weekend is the guy who worked up the new ad campaign for Dodge trucks and Jeep (Einstein for Dodge pickups, not showing the vehicle in the Jeep commercial, you've seen them but they suck so much they're like a repressed memory).
On with the 'fess up, while Little River Band serenades.


**** Connecticut @ Notre Dame -5 1/2 LOSER
FINAL: CT 33, University of South Bend 30
TwoGun said never.
My son said never.
Chuck the Truck said never.
My wife said never.
I went ahead and did it. I bet on Notre Dame.
For the last time.
Never again.
No more listening to the bulls&#t about their great recruiting classes, or their enormous talent, or their supposedly Heismann quality quarterback, or their faux fabulous receivers and defenders.  Notre Dame stinks.
*** Purdue @ Indiana +3 LOSER
FINAL: Purdue 38, Indiana 21
The only thing I can say about this game is that Charlie Weis has somebody to commiserate with, and it will be an in-state phone call to Bill Lynch.  What a horses&%t display of ineptitude.  Lynch's squad convinced me they've not been snakebit this season.  More turnovers than Pillsbury. They just stink.
** Rutgers -8 @ Syracuse LOSER
FINAL: Syracuse 31, Rutgers 13
Notre Dame sucks.  Indiana sucks.  Rutgers sucks. I suck.

* Iowa State +15 @ Missouri WINNER

FINAL: Missouri 34, Iowa State 24

Saved from total humiliation by the Cyclones.

Thanks to La Cubanina, who reached out to reel me in with an intervention before I was swallowed by the abyss that is the UofSB. 

BTW, one of the ESPN bowl projections (click) places Northwestern in the Outback Bowl facing Auburn on New Year's Day, the other projection says the Champs Bowl in Orlando against...Los Huracanes de Miami! 
 R O A D   T R I P !

Happy Thanksgiving.

Less Than Johnny Depp but More Than Tennessee Football Players

It is with a measure of melancholy that I begin today's post.  I found out yesterday that I have once again been overlooked by the people who select The Sexiest Man in the World.  Johnny Depp was given the distinction (for the second time), and I am once again left waiting by the phone.

Balancing the melancholy is the knowledge that I am smarter than the two new former University of Tennessee football players (click to story) who stuck up some guys in a gas station over the weekend, thereby earning themselves a dismissal from the football team and likely an exit from their all expenses paid journey into the world of higher education.  There's a hundred grand apiece pissed away in a heartbeat.

 Onward to Week 12 and our selections.  It is mission critical to avoid a letdown in the aftermath of last week's performance.  Remember our mantra:  money is good, more money is better.

 **** Connecticut @ Notre Dame -5 1/2

All around the FourStarFootball world, there are eyebrow sprains occuring at an epidemic pace right now.  The "never bet on Notre Dame" rule is being violated in flagrant foul fashion, as I am convinced that the South Bend lads are going to come out as if their hair is on fire and slay the visitors from the east.  CT is coming off three straight losses, including a 47-45 loss to Cincinnatti last week that I believe will have sapped all their resolve, leaving them emotionally drained for this week's contest.  This selection is not without risk, as CT is 5-0 ATS on the road, and ND is 2-4 ATS at home. Numerology (click to site) be damned, the University of South Bend will win this game by 18 points. If you go to the numerology site and enter "Charlie Weis", the number comes up 4, as in "Four Stars". That is quasi-scientific assurance. The O/U on this one is 56 1/2, and I think this is an over.  Despite ND's impending victory this week, here's one of those ever-so-clever clues (click to story) that Charlie's number is up.
*** Purdue @ Indiana +3

Three points is the consensus give for home teams, so the oddsmakers apparently see these two teams as evenly matched.  I think this will be an offensive football showcase, to be clear, "lots of scoring" as opposed to "an offending display of ineptitude".  Both teams are 4-7 coming in.  Purdue is 2-2 ATS on the road, Indiana is 3-1 ATS at home.  Each of these teams has experienced myriad horrors this year, e.g. Purdue having ND all but beaten in SoBe before deciding to spend a last minute time-out that gave ND time to get organized and score the game winner, while Indiana earlier this season gained the distinction being the victim of the greatest comeback in Northwestern football history, followed by a second half collapse against Iowa, followed by a 3 point loss to Wisconsin, and culminating in a 31-20 loss to Penn State after leading 10-0.  The difference, in my guestimation, is that Indiana has a bit better talent and will be more motivated at home.  This is, by the way, The Old Oaken Bucket rivalry game...the bucket, above, looks like some of the crap my wife brought home from the garden center to "beautify" our world, just sayin'.  The O/U is 58 1/2, and I think this one will also be an over. 

** Rutgers -8 @ Syracuse

Nobody ever shed a tear for dear old Rutgers, so goes the song, so sings the venerable TwoGunPete.  Rutgers enters with a 7-2 record, Syracuse comes in 3-7.  Equally important is that the state university of New Jersey is 3-0 ATS on the road.  Rutgers is coming off a 31-0 thrashing of the South Florida Bulls (didn't see that one coming), while Syracuse was edged 10-9 at the wire by Louisville. I'm saying "conquering heroes" is a better frame of mind at this time than "heartbroken losers".  Rutgers enters with: 3 game winning streak.  Syracuse enters with: 3 game losing streak. If you go back to the numerology site and enter "Rutgers vs Syracuse", the number comes up "8", witness: 4 + 4, a four game win streak and a four game losing streak. This is almost as reliable as palm readers. Now that I've discovered this tool,  we can stop studying and let the numbers do all the work.  It will be the Scarlet Knights by 10.

* Iowa State +15 @ Missouri
Ah, the Cyclones, the state of Iowa's other college football team.  They're good, then they're not.  It depends on which week you catch 'em.  Missouri, last year's Big 12 darling, this year's underachiever.  Not soooo bad, considering they lost a lot to graduation. 
Iowa State beat Nebraska 9-7, Nebraska beat Missouri 27-12. 
OK State beat 'em both. 
They both beat Colorado.
Mizzou beat K-State, Iowa State lost to K-State. 
I flip-flopped on this one as the spread grew to 15.  Ya pays yer money and takes yer chances.

Some big games this weekend not on our slate:

• it's Ohio State & Michigan (OSU is -12 and I can't make up my mind),
• TCU has to lay 31 @ Wyoming (O/U is 47 1/2, I'm going over again),
• Cal visits Stanford -7 1/2 (O/U is a whopping 65, too high), and
• Northwestern is a 7 point dog to visiting Wisconsin (I'll be cheering, not investing, sorry, 'CatNation, not this week).

4 for 4 , Extra Credit and Sartorial Splendor

I live for days like this, when I get to put the words in print and read them back: WE WERE PERFECT ON SATURDAY.  Not only hit all four, but nailed a bonus parlay as well.  Our winners included   two of the most nattily attired teams in college athletics, with Oregon dressed like a special ops squadron and TCU putting a unique spin on the color of royalty.

****Arizona State @ Oregon -17 1/2 WINNER
FINAL:  Oregon 44, ASU 21
When the feathers settled Saturday night, the Ducks were back on top.   By the way, Oregon appears to have more uniform combinations than any other two college teams combined.  Saturday, the color was black: shoes, socks, pants, jerseys with wings and helmets, all black.  The helmets were a matte finish, too.  The Ducks looked like ninja assassins.  They were flying high from the opening kick and found themselves building a comfy 31-7 halftime lead. ASU mounted a brief run in Q3, to bring the Ducks back within shouting distance, but it was all Ducks this night, and four stars for us.
***Georgia Tech -10 1/2 @ Duke WINNER
FINAL: GA Tech 49, Duke 10
Georgia Tech trailed 10-7 at the end of the first quarter. HA!
Six touchdowns later, the carnage ended. GA Tech has some of the biggest receivers I have ever seen, and they can run a little after they catch it, too.

Fast facts from ESPN.com:

• Georgia Tech clinched a berth in the ACC championship game. 
• The Yellow Jackets outgained the Blue Devils 519-281 in the win.
• Georgia Tech has won eight straight games.
• Duke has lost 39 consecutive games to nationally ranked opponents. 

**Clemson -8 @ NC State WINNER
Final: Clemson 43, NC State 23

"Clemson appears to be much stronger and I'm betting that they'll show it."

They were, They did. Period.  Heismann candidate C.J. Spiller ran for a TD and threw for one, too.

*Utah @ TCU -20 WINNER
FINAL: TCU 55, Utah 28
I think this was the most impressive performance of the day Saturday, as TCU dealt a beat down on a Utah team that was ranked #16.   TCU has the most impressive uniforms in maybe all the football world, Nike Pro Combat, new for this day (click here for a slide show that shows the gear up close).  The Frogs could have won this game clad in sweat pants and swim fins.  TCU is big, scary fast, and relentless.  In other words, a bettor's dream team, as we layed 20 and the Frogs covered it handily.

For extra credit, if you bet the parlay of TCU -20 with OVER 64, you are sitting on a plump wallet today. 

I love when that happens.

There were a few other games of grand note on Saturday. 

• USC crapped on the carpet in their own house this week, taking their worst at-home beating in 43 years at the hands of Stanford, 55-21 the final. 
• Over at Wannie's place, Pitt jerked Notre Dame around on Saturday evening, allowing them to come back just close enough to crush the spirits of the ND zealots a second time when they steamrolled the Notre Dame QB to seal the victory. Take a good look at the round man soon, 'cause he ain't gonna be 'round much longer (click for story).
• Ohio State beat a resilient Iowa team with a field goal in OT --after Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz ran out the clock (click for full story) in the final minute of regulation instead of taking a shot at the win. Ferentz chose to go straight to OT, with an inexperienced freshman QB- a kid making his first college start-- in the spotlight dance at the Horseshoe in Columbus. Yes, they would likely have ended up there anyway, but there was time to try. The OSU defense brought the thunder and then their offense plinked a 3 pointer to officially flatline Iowa.
• Finally, Northwestern's Wildcats thumped Illinois 21-16 despite 3 missed FG's, in a game that wasn't close until the end. Third consecutive bowl eligible season for NU and parole from a holiday season trip to Detroit.  This also is the first of my preseason future props to be decided.  It's NU's 7th win of the season, and I took OVER 6 1/2 for a *** WINNER.  BTW, Two Gun: did we place this, I hope?

Every week should be like this.

Nothing to do With Football: Rant & Rave

I have tried to keep the faith that the Obama administration knows what they're doing.  The Cash for Clunkers thing missed the mark (if We the People put up big money to save GM, why did the Clunkers program spend 22% of the total on Toyota?). I'm hoping that they get frustrated and quit before they fu&# up health care more than it already is. They haven't done a goddamn thing about the hordes of illegal immigrants or the ongoing squander of lives and wealth in Afghanistan and related toilet countries. Despite all those non-achievements, I have still tried to have faith.  I have tried based on the mess that W and friends created before they slithered away, and based on our country needing to succeed with the current group at the helm.

Sadly, the latest brainstorm from DC has overwhelmed my ability to believe. I am referring to the proposal to give every newborn child a $500 savings account.  Despite all the bulls#&t propaganda that has accompanied the idea (the money will go to the child's education, to buy a first house, blah-blah-blah mom & apple pie), there are some enormous holes in this boat. 

For starters, we don't have the money, $3.25 BILLION per year.  We still owe the $3 billion they put into the Clunkers for Toyotas program.  Next, what is the stimulus value of handing out cash from the empty government cash drawer?  This money is supposed to be tied up for 18 years minimum.  The Fed hands out $3 billion a year that gets invested with the financial institutions that we've already paid billions to bail out...uh-huh,  sounds like giving the fox a suite in the henhouse.  Finally, I have a problem with the notion that this is a modern Robin Hood play, when most of recipients would be the offspring of people who are already costing us a shitload of cash,including all the kids born to the millions of illegal aliens. I'll give my family's newborns $500 apiece, the rest of the country is on their own.

What do you think? 

End of rant and on to football. 
****Arizona State @ Oregon -17 1/2
I admit that I was shaken by Oregon's performance last week, more specifically by my inability to foresee how they would perform (a 52-41 loss to Stanford). Some  behaviors are clearly aberrent, and that's what we had last week. The Ducks are 7-2 and a really good team whose bowl game expectations are in jeopardy. Arizona State is the visitor here, and they extended themselves to the limit last Saturday night at home in a 14-9 loss to USC. I think it's a bounce-back performance for Oregon against a spent SunDevils squad.
***Georgia Tech -10 1/2 @ Duke
The Wreck has shown some big talent this year. Duke, the opponent and home team,  is better than they used to be (they were headed for a new major college consecutive loss record a couple autumns ago until Northwestern handed them a victory on a night in Evanston when yours truly sat in the stands in angry witness ) but they still have a ways to go. I'll confess, follow the leader put me over the top: 90% of the bettors were headed this way, and that was enough to bring me in.
**Clemson -8 @ NC State
Clemson comes in 6-3, NC State is 4-5, with all 4 wins at home. Clemson has beaten Miami and FSU in the last three weeks (with a blowout against Coastal Carolina in the middle). NC State beat Maryland last week, but had a string of losses against average opponents prior to that.  Clemson appears to be much stronger and I'm betting that they'll show it.
*Utah @ TCU -20
It's a bit risky to lay 20 at this point in the season when pairing up an 8-1 team with a 9-0 team. Here's my reasoning: Utah is 3-6 ATS while TCU  is a nifty 7-2 ATS, including their last four in a row, 3 of those by double digits. TCU has the opportunity for a great bowl invitation, and beating the snot out of your late in the season opponents is a great way to put your best foot forward.

I'll offer up the over (47) on this game as my suggestion for a Parley Pete Play, that is TCU-20 linked with over 47.  Two Gun has instructed me that this type of wager typically pays as well as the government.

We shall play the role of Toyota.

Some Days Chicken, Some Days Feathers

No chicken for us this past Saturday, just a mouthful of feathers, as we put up a losing weekend.  I hate to lose.  It just eats away at me, losing, especially when a couple or three games that I passed on turned out to be candy. 

The sweet spot for Saturday night came courtesy of PBS, which put up a John Fogerty Live Request show from 8 to 10.  While I watched USC put on a great display of "watch how we suck" on ESPN 360 (perhaps the greatest innovation of the 21st century), we all sat around and watched JF belt out song after song that had my 17 year old son wide eyed, repeatedly looking at me and saying "He did THAT one, too?"  John Fogerty is 64 years old, he's been recording since he was 14, and his list of hits is pretty astounding.  Here's one to soothe the pain that my lousy prognosticating has inflicted.

****USC -11 @ Arizona State LOSE
Final: USC 14, Arizona State 9
The analogy that I drew in handicapping this game was to liken USC to a junkyard dog with a bad attitude.  On Saturday night, the USC offense was more like a toothless lap dog.  They took only 3 offensive snaps in the AZ State side of the field all game.  Three plays on offense beyond the 50 yard line!  AZ State isn't a defensive juggernaut, USC is just a shitty offensive team all of a sudden.  USC held a 14-3 lead into the 4th quarter, gave up a TD pass and then blocked the PAT.  I'm sitting there thinking that USC scores and we're up by 12, get a nice little cover and take our money, but nooooooo, these guys looked like an old Mack Sennet comedy on offense, including an interception that had 4 or 5 different players put hands (and feet) on the ball before AZ State finally ended up with the ball at the USC 30.  So USC wins the game straight up, blows the cover, and we get stiffed on the 4 star bet.  Damn!  Double damn! AZ State had a shot to win at the end but they couldn't put anything together. 
***TCU -24 1/2 @ SanDiego State WINNER
Final: 55-12 for the Mean Looking Guys...and us!
Mean looking amphibian, the Horned Frog, and moving up in the BCS rankings.  We got on board at the right time with these guys as they pounded the home team.  Thank heaven we got one right.
**Oregon -5 1/2 @ Stanford  LOSE
Final: 51-42
"They make their living at Stanford by doing things people don't expect." The Cardinal did this in a most convincing fashion, kickin' Duck-butt at the line of scrimmage.  Stanford's O-line just pounded the snot out of Oregon all day long, doing it so well that Stanford's halfback, Toby Gerhart, passed the 200 yard rushing mark just after the start of the 4th quarter.  Oregon charged back hard in the 4th quarter, but they'd given up much too great a lead.  If I had guaranteed they'd score 93 points in this game, who'd have thought Stanford would put up 51 of 'em?  This will cost Oregon in the rankings, and it serves 'em right for costing us money.
*Wake Forest @ Georgia Tech -15 LOSE
Final: GT 30-27 in OT
La Cubanina sent us a caution about this one.  Alas, it was too late.  We stayed with GT too long, and the oddsmakers reeled us in.  15 was too much. This was another game where I wished that my pick would get beaten straight up when they blew the cover.  I am quite vindictive when wagering is concerned.

The football happiness of the day came when my Northwestern Wildcats knocked off Iowa, 17-10, in Iowa City.  The win made NU bowl eligible, and knocked  Iowa out of the ranks of the unbeaten.  Unfortunately, Iowa's QB sustained a severe ankle sprain that's apparently going to sideline him for the last two games of the season.  There was another smiler Saturday, as Navy made some really big plays and beat Notre Dame again, probably a KO for the Charlie Weis regime.  Anchors aweigh, Week 11 coming up on Thursday and we'll get back on track.

Digressions are Destinations, Too

The games will be played, the wagers won and lost, but it is the digressions, the sidetrips, that make this place enjoyable.  Here's a few of the digressions that I encountered on the way to here this week.

• Serrano, from the movie Major League, is now the Allstate spokesman.  You're in good hands...
• My wagering associate has been making up stories about Tulsa for years. There are no wheat fields there.  There are a million people there.
• I don't know anybody who likes Joe Buck or Tom Brenneman. 
• Speaking of Tom, are there still Thom McAn stores?
• Friday Night Lights, the TV show, is already on its 3rd episode of the year, but only if you have DirectTV.
• The cell phone commercial where the two pigs are in a restaurant eating ham, that is one creepy commercial.
• There was an announcement this week that there are newly discovered, previously unreleased Frank Sinatra recordings.  Does anybody really care?
• The new Buick Lacrosse is a very cool looking car.  I was informed of that by a 17 year old.  That suggests that there is reason for optimism at Buick, which last produced a cool car in the 80's, and has since been producing cars for people in their 80's.
• I used to enjoy hockey. 
• The most interesting man in the world is the hockey of beer commercials.
• I think I'm going to buy a Teeter Hang Ups.  Look it up.

Now, let's make money.

****USC -11 @ Arizona State
On a football field, there are few things more dangerous than a really good football team that has very recently been given a thorough beating. Like a junkyard dog that has been mistreated, there's very little upside to being the one that next encounters this creature that is channeling great ability and a rather dour outlook.  No upside at all, unless you're channeling a combination of Chuck Norris,Steven Seagal, Charles Bronson and Michael Corleone.  Pete Carroll's Trojans suffered not just a loss last week, they were humiliated.  Arizona State will pay dearly for that this Saturday. Vendetta.

***TCU -24 1/2 @ SanDiego State
TCU...mean looking guys. Mean looking amphibian, the Horned Frog. Number 6 ranking. 8-0 record.  SanDiego State, the Aztecs, is 4-4.  They have beaten New Mexico and New Mexico State.  Boo Yah.  Crush 'em, Frogs.
**Oregon -5 1/2 @ Stanford
The Ducks are flying high this week, having pounded PAC10 glamour boys USC.  Nothing says danger like heading down to Palo Alto to tee it up with Jim Harbaugh and the Cardinal.  They make their living at Stanford by doing things people don't expect. I think this one is going to be close, but Oregon should prevail by a touchdown.
*Wake Forest @ Georgia Tech -15
Never fall in love with a team.  The Wreck is being given a pretty high hurdle this week with the 15 point spread, and Wake is no slouch.  GT's at home, they're on a roll, and they have greater aspirations in their eyes.Wake just lost to Florida last week, by one point.  So why do we think that GT is 15 1/2 better? 

Why not?

The Blind Side

If you haven't seen the commercial yet, you're sure to soon see an ad for an upcoming feature film entitled The Blind Side.  This is the very remarkable story of Michael Oher, who plays left tackle for the Baltimore Ravens.  Michael Oher was a kid left to fend for himself on the streets, a kid headed absolutely nowhere, until some concerned people got involved in his life.  An excerpt from the NY Times article about Oher sums up his young life thusly: Michael’s father had been shot and killed and tossed off a bridge, ...his mother was addicted to crack cocaine and...his life experience was so narrow that he might as well have spent his first 16 years inside a closet.

Here's the website and trailer for the movie The Blind Side, starring Sandra Bullock.  If you have the time, or if you can make the time, here's a link to the New York Times condensed presentation of the book, The Ballad of Big Mike.  It's a very, very moving story, well worth your effort.  Don't wanna make the effort, fine, this is still America. The movie comes out in a couple of weeks. 

Here's the summary of our weekend efforts. Not good.

****Cincinnatti -14 ½ @ Syracuse
WINNER

Final Cincinnatti 28, Syracuse 7
The backup Bearcat 'QB had enough game (and a great team around him) to gitterdone.  Syracuse held it close into the fourth quarter, but the Bearcats were just too good, they were money!
*** Akron @ Northern Illinois -11
WINNER
Final Northern Illinois 27, Akron 10
Jerry Kill is my favorite coach this past weekend.  With 0:45 left to go in the game and the possession in the red zone, NIU's Huskies could have gone to the victory formation to run out the clock and walked away with a win.  Nay, nay: on third down and goal from the seven yard line, the Huskies pulled right for the touchdown that sent them over the spread.  While Coach Kill isn't exactly the Pete Carroll of DeKalb just yet, he showed the cold heart that gamblers love, and that, too, is money!
** Marshall @ Central Florida -4 1/2
LOSE
 Final UCF 21, Marshall 20
To think we waited all weekend for this. It was on opposite Desperate Housewives, and that wasn't very good either, except for Carlos' one liner that we'd already seen in last week's preview.
* Hawaii @ Nevada -24
LOSE
Final Nevada 31, Hawaii 21
Somebody's pineapples got crushed in Nevada.  Ours.

The biggest game we didn't play here (but did play on a side bet) was the Ducks decimating USC.  Worst beat down at USC in something like 300 years. 

Week 10 coming up.