Game #7 : Mele Kalikimaka

Just who decided not to play any games yesterday?  I need  games on TV at this time of the year, football, and a Friday night without it was awful. 

Looking forward to this evening, we travel, thanks to the magic of television,  from the desert landscape (and fake ta-ta's and hordes of homeless wandering the streets) of Las Vegas to the warm Pacific breezes of our 50th state, Hawaii.  So let's take a moment to refresh, say Pepsi, please, and enjoy a rendition of a perennial native favorite of the season:

OK, back to the real world now, Clark.  The Christmas Eve special tonight features the Nevada Wolfpack (7-5) squaring off with the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (11-2).  SoMiss's claim to fame this year is derailing the undefeated Houston Cougars to claim the Conference USA championship back on December 3.  If we didn't have three weeks intermission here I would be looking for SoMiss to have a bit of a hangover, and they still just might.  Not likely, though.

Southern Miss is coached by Larry Fedora, who has put up a string of winning seasons and has been enticed to go run the show at North Carolina.  Unlike some of his less responsible brethren in the coaching profession (sing with me, has anybody here seen Kelly...), Coach Fedora has chosen to stick around to take his team to the bowl berth they earned together.  I expect an emotional lift to translate to their performance. 

Talent on talent, So Miss should prevail.  They do a lot of things well.  Nevada, despite a less glittery record, is no tomtato can. I lingered long pondering picking them as a big pay upset, but I don't think it's going to work for them.  They lost the two stars of last year's team to graduation (well, to the NFL anyway) and then had to launch their star running back in the preseason because he was naughty.  Three big dogs gone and still a good season.  The achilles for them here is that they'll be starting a freshman QB.  They're going to be the only game of the day, and the lad who was in high school six months ago will be at the helm. It could be the birth of a star, but these things usually turn out to be more of a tutoring session wherein one touts the moral victory aspect.  In other words, he'll likely make some mistakes.

The spread openend at SoMiss -5 1/2, rose to 8 1/2 before I got on.  I still got on. 

Jelly of the month club...the gift that keeps on givin', Clark.

UPDATE
That sucked.  24-17, missed a field goal and so no cover.  5 1/2 would have worked...or I could have switched sides.  Live and learn...ha!