It's the 13th week of the season, and today is Friday. Pretty freakin' clever, no? The title is also less daunting than "Black Friday", today's more common name. Were I a person of color, I might spin something more encouraging from Black Friday. Given the shade of my dermis and the general slant of my politics, it is in everyone's best interest that I redirect at this point. I can only hope that this display of discretion (and incredible comedic talent) can be channeled into selecting winners for the weekend, as we attempt to put some money in our pockets instead of the coffers of the offshore establishments that have reaped the bounty that we have sowed thus far this year.
By the way, there are so many great match ups on TV today and tomorrow that you should plan to leave your home only in extreme situations, like going to the Chinese restaurant to pick up dinner, or going to the store if you're out of chips or Stoli. Shopping can be done by computer, and I would like to point out by way of example that http://www.allenedmonds.com/ has a very nice sale on dress shoes for men right now.
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| Quiz time again! The person pictured is A. a hockey goalie on his day off B. PFOS trying not to be reconginzed by angry bettors C. the iconic star of Friday the 13th D. Coach Hannibal Lechter giving a halftime pep talk |
Saturday 3:00 p.m. on Versus
I'm taking this giant point differential game for the same reason I'm picking the Oregon Ducks in another game. When I worked on these games, I originally had this one as a one star. The more I poked, the better this looked, so I decided to go right to the top. TCU is a good bet because of the Ducks. Huh? It was Oregon that opened its season with a 72-0 beatdown of New Mexico. TCU is ranked #4. In order for this game to mean anything in the ranking process, the Frogs are going to have beat New Mexico pretty nearly to death, thanks to the 72-0 benchmark that was set at the open. New Mexico has been a pretty amenable partner to pretty much everyone this year (except the week they screwed us up), so the stage is set. If there's odds on TCU's defense pitching a shutout, take a good look, and we should consider the single team over for TCU.
*** Arizona @ Oregon -19 1/2
Friday 6:00 p.m. on ESPN
Arizona is 7-3, 3-1 on the road. They're also 0-3 ATS on the road in the second half of the season. The Ducks, the high flying, high scoring, addicted to Quack Ducks, are 10-0, 6-0 at home, 1-1 ATS in the second half at home. It's been a crazy year for us with point spreads, and I flinched a little at this spread, but it's the Ducks, and it's the point in the year where coaches make a point by scoring points, lots and lots of points. The Ducks pinched out a sweaty 2 point win in their last game, two weeks ago against Cal, when they were favored by 19, so my thought process is that they have a lot to prove and they will do so.
**Northwestern @ Wisconsin -23
Saturday 2:30 ABC or ESPN
We have a few policies that govern our world. Stay away from betting on USB (thanks, Doc, we're doing much better) is one of those policies. Don't bet against our favorite team (NU) is another. The overriding policy is never, ever bet with your heart. In rock/paper/scissors, "never bet with your heart" is the paper that covers the scissors of "don't bet against NU". We see too much to lay off this game. The 'Cats are going into a really tough match up: Wisconsin is ranked #5, their coach is ruthless, and they have an outside shot to be considered for the BCS championship. On the other side, the 'Cats have lost their best player to injury, they're QB'd by a couple of guys who are green as can be, they have shown a propensity to be absent in the second half of games this year...it all signals "rout". Wisconsin 48, Northwestern 16 is where this one ends.
* Kentucky @ Tennessee -3
Saturday 11:21 a.m. on SEC Network Affiliates
Kentucky (6-5) has won its last 2, Tennessee (5-6) has won its last 3. In the second half of the season, the Volunteers are 3-0 ATS on the road. KY's win streak of 2 is against Charlestown Southern and Vandy, the first of which is a class mismatch that shouldn't be happening at this point in the season and the second of which is an OK win. Tennessee's streak of 3 came at the expense of Memphis, Mississippi and Vandy, a bit better cumulative competition than KY. Tennessee started the year under duress and performed poorly and has been struggling uphill since. I think the season ending home game to even their year's ledger is going to have the orange fans hollering Rocky Top at full volume.
Counting today, 28 shopping days until Xmas. I'm telling you, shop by computer.
1 comment:
Already been an exciting week 13- Auburn, Oregon remain undefeated, and Boise St falls. (I hope Brotzman is on suicide watch). I'll guess the Horned frog finds a way to evade or poison the Lobos.
PFOS I'm impressed with the wager against your team and the Rationale that lead you to the decision. It seems the therapy is working.
As exciting as week 13 is, it often saddens me. College football season nears to an end and only less desirable sports remain. I guess that's when wintering in Florida comes in handy. I'm off for an ocean dip before game time.
Bocanita for the weekend (visiting my better half's family)
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