Life is a Rolling Ocean

1. Entertaining football this weekend, but no blood.  No profits, either. 

 The best contest of the weekend wasn't a football game.  We'll discuss, but first, the recap.

* Oklahoma State -27 @ Iowa State   LOSE
The Cyclones win straight up in 2 OT!
I said they were unpredictable, those Iowa State Cyclones.   I just wish I had shown a little more faith in being faithless...or something along those lines.  The #2 team in the polls got spanked, shake up the rankings again!
** Arkansas State -11 @ Middle Tennessee State     WIN
45-19 the final
Two Gun's Red Wolves pay off again, boo-yah!
*** The Zips @ Buffalo -11 1/22     WIN
Buffalo 51, Zips 10
Bad game, even for the Zips, getting pounded senseless by the Buffalo Bulls.  Good for us, though.
**** Tulane @ Rice -13 1/2   LOSE
Rice 19, Tulane 7
This was the closest thing to a moral victory that a heartless gambler can have.  Rice scored a touchdown with a minute and some to go in the game.  Rice coach David Bailiff, knowing just how much this meant to us here at FSF, chose to go for the 2 point conversion that would put his team ahead by 14.  To our collective chagrin, the attempt was unsuccessful.  Coaches who go for covers, gotta love 'em.

2. The parlay, alas, the agony of the parlay...

• - Minnesota vs. Northwestern - Minnesota+15 1/2   Final NU 28, MN 13 
• - New Mexico vs. Wyoming - Wyoming -24   Final WY 31, NM 10 
• - Miami Florida vs. South Florida - South Florida pick 'em   The U 6, USF 3
• - Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee - Tennessee +1 1/2  who cares
• - UNLV vs. Air Force - Air Force-23 1/2   who cares, part II

We see another example of great handicapping in MN v NU, we fortunately landed on the right side of the 1/2.  New Mexico, egad, they win a game last week and now they're playing like a team possessed...for one quarter. They led, 10-0 at the end of Q1, before getting smoked.  More great handicapping in Tampa as the U wins on a FG as time runs out. I didn't track the last two since the parlay was already a smoldering heap.

3. Hideous uniforms noted this week: First--USF sporting a bizarre shoulder pad/ pant strip/ shoes combo, hundreds of black and white rectangles colliding inside a black border, all inside their green uniforms, yuck!   Hideous uniforms II : USB with those absolutely freaky gold colored helmets, this week without the huge shamrock on the side, but still looking like a video game gone awry.  The glowing color gold they've used reminds one of ancient religious artwork, where the gilding is overemphasized to the verge of being cartoonish.  Most appropriate.

4. As for the best contest of the weekend, it was on the race track.  If you pay any attention whatsoever to the traveling circus that is NASCAR, you know that the final race of the year was yesterday in Homestead, Florida.  Carl Edwards in his #99 Ford began the day in first place, followed by Tony Stewart's #14 Chevrolet Impala.  Stewart had battled from way back in the points several weeks ago to put himself in a position to challenge.  There was only one outcome that would allow Stewart to become the champion : Tony had to win the race.

After numerous caution flags, an hour long rain delay, one after another poor performances under pressure from his pit crew, after all that, with the 400 mile finish line just laps away, Stewart was in first,  leading Edwards by a few car lengths, and that's how it ended, with Steward and Edwards 1 & 2.  By virtue of their 1-2 finish, they finished in a dead heat for season points, and Tony Stewart won the championship by virtue of the tie breaker : most races won during the season. Stewart and his team were elated, obviously.  If you had the opportunity to witness the interview that Carl Edwards gave immediately after the race, you witnessed the most gracious of competitors.  Smiling, composed, complimentary to the victor, Edwards was all this. 

Props to the #99.

5. Back to football: For the latest bowl match up projections, click here  and then come back and click here.

6. Finally, another bit of previously unidentified music that has been making me crazy, the song from the Citi credit card commercial.

6a-- listen to the first 10 seconds again.  It's the same as the start of Da Doo Ron Ron by the Crystals from a hundred years ago.  Click here after you listen to the Non-Coms to watch a reunion performance of the Crystals.  Big fun, lots of energy