Thanksgiving Weekend Picks

4-2-1 last week, 56-39-5 overall. I got aggressive this weekend and pick a ton of games (17) that if I lost would get me close to .500. I picked these games without a ton of thought, a buttload of home favorites. I spent most of my week trying to stop Michael Vick. Happy Thanksgiving….

Aggies to cover in Royal (giving 3.5, o/u 48) to the Longhorns

The QB change has Sherman’s boys playing aggressive and while I think Mac is getting way to much criticism….his boys are mentally weak and have a lot of quit in them

Blitzburg to cover in Heinz (giving 3, o/u 39) to the Mountaineers

I always lose when I go with Death Spiral Dave, but the Panther usually play well later in the season under him. And the Mountaineers are god awful. That number seems really low.

Cam Newton to cover in Bear (getting 4, o/u 59) against the Tide

I actually think the Tide will win. But give me 4 points with the best player in the nation east of Palo Alto against a weak secondary and I will take it.

Cornhuskers to cover in Lincoln (giving 16.5, o/u 50) against the Buffs

The Huskers will score and I really will be surprised if the Buffs O can get to double digits.

Phil Knight to cover in Autzen (giving 19, o/u 62.5) against Desert Swarm

At home, on national tv…..give me Chipper and happily give the points

Boise to cover in Reno (giving 14, o/u 68) against Kaepernick

If Auburn loses, double up on the Broncos

Senator Tressel to cover in the Shoe (giving 16.5, o/u 63.5) against RichRod

Buckeyes need to embarrass the boys from Ann Arbor by 30 to make up for the face that they are going to finish 3^rd in the tiebreaker (2^nd if you go to the BCS rankings). Also Michigan will have to use 3 QBs.

Miss State to cover the Egg Bowl in Oxford (giving 3, o/u 55) against the Rebs

I think Danny’s boys are pretty decent and the Rev’s effort against the Bengals was an aberration.

Gators to cover in Doak (getting 2, o/u 51) against the Noles

Urban always beats the Noles. The key to beating the Gators is a power running game and the Noles do not feature one. Lot of different formations from the Gators will turn into to big plays.

The Vols to cover in Chesney (giving 2.5, o/u 58) against the Wildcats

UT will have an answer for Randall Cobb and will give the nation a reason to go nuts in the home finale.

HBC to cover in Death Valley (giving 3, o/u 45) against the Tigers

This is a stupid pick for every reason except for Marcus Lattimore.

Badgers to cover in Camp Randall (giving 23, o/u 57.5) against the rudderless Wildcats

I love Pat Fitzgerald. He is Jim Harbaugh without the nation respect. But the Cats can not stop the run and the Badgers run with a trio of backs that hit holes like Cubans begging for political asylum.

Pack to cover in College Park (giving 2, o/u 51.5) against the Terps

This is similar to the Gamecock pick. I have no reason to pick to the Pack…they always lose when Greatness knock at the doorstop. But while Terp football was frisky this year, they have not been able to defend their home field when the opportunity arises (Miami) and I trust Westbrook to give Forky a chance.

Sparty to cover in Happy Valley (giving 1.5, o/u 51) against Joey P

Cousin and the boys find a way to win all the time. Figure they can pull off a miracle in HV.

Cowboys to cover in Stillwater (giving 2.5, o/u 67) against Bobby

The Sooners always win this game, but the Cowboys stroll in with a Weinke-style QB, a better ball club, and more emotion on a holiday weekend. Give me the home team

Cal to cover at Richie’s alma mater (giving 7, o/u 50) against Locker

Cal is an excellent home team this year and I believe Washington still sucks

Utes to cover in SLC (giving 9, o/u 50) against the Cougars

Wynn found his game last week and BYU is trash garbage

Luck/Jimmy to cover in Palo Alto (giving 13.5, o/u 57) against the Beavers

My prize sleeper against one of my key double digit cover teams…..Oregon State ran out of gas 2 weeks ago. The Tree is still trying to prove it deserves a BCS bid.

Arkansas to cover in Fayetteville (giving 3.5, o/u 54.5) against the Hatter

Six weeks ago I gave up betting against Les Miles…but they have no chance to get to the national title and are playing for a chance to see Tressel in the Sugar. I think a Razorback team with a phenomenal coach/QB and the chance to sneak into the Sugar is going to get them

College Picks Week 12

3-3 last week, 52-37-4 overall. Onto the picks

UCLA to cover in Seattle (giving 2, o/u 53) against the Huskies

Wisconsin to cover in Ann Arbor (giving 5, o/u 67) against the Wolverines

The Buckeyes to cover in Kinnick (giving 3, o/u 48) against the Hawkeyes

Illinois to cover in Wrigley (giving 7.5, o/u 49.5) against the Cats

NC State to cover in Chapel Hill (getting 2.5, o/u 52.5) against the Heels

Stanford to cover in Berkley (giving 6.5, o/u 51.5) against the Bears

KState to cover in Boulder (giving 2.5, o/u 55) against the Buffs

Week 11 Picks

5-2 last week, 49-34-4 overall. On to the picks.........

Northwestern to cover in Evanston (getting 10, o/u 50) against the Hawkeyes

Indiana to cover in Camp Randall (getting 21.5, o/u 57.5) against Bucky

Kansas to cover in Lincoln (getting 35, o/u 61) against the Huskers

South Carolina to cover in the Swamp (getting 6.5, o/u 51.5) against the Gators

Utah to cover in South Bend (giving 5.5, o/u 54) against the Irish

Stanford to cover in Tempe (giving 5.5, o/u 59) against the Sun Devils

Don’t the Utah and Stanford lines seem like gifts?

College Picks Week 10

5-3 last week, 42-32-4 overall. Onto the picks……

Air Force to cover in West Point (giving 6.5, o/u 49) against Army

Air Force has been the best team in the state of Colorado for the last handful of years. They beat Navy earlier this year (in Colorado Springs) and should have no trouble handling Army and their opportunistic D. Coming off a heartbreaking L to #5 Utah last week should have the Falcons looking to put some serious points on the board.

Maryland to cover in Miami (getting 7.5, o/u 46) against the Canes

Jacory Harris is doubtful causing the line to drop 3.5 since it opened. The Terps have been playing some solid football of late and since I think this game is probably a toss up so I will take the Terps and the points.

Fighting Illini to cover in the Big House (getting 3, o/u 57.5) against Meeeechigan

Zooker has quietly built himself a little bit of a football team in Champaign. They have always had the speed and strength on D that it takes to neutralize running QBs. And the next time RichRod beats a decent Big Ten team will be the first time.

Running Rebels to cover in Provo (getting 18, o/u 48.5) against The Cougars

Been going against BYU all year and it has been paying off. Also a huge fan of UNLV’s first year HBC, Bobby Houk. If Joel Maturi has a small piece of brain rumbling around in that dome piece of his, he would hire him to run the Golden Gopher program.

Iowa State to cover in Ames (getting 18, o/u 57.5) against the Cornhuskers

I think Martinez will play and should not be limited. But 18 is a big number against a Cyclone bunch that play hard, seemingly well coached and are at home.

Stanford to cover in Palo Alto (giving 9.5, o/u 56) against Arizona

Are we sure that the Cardinal aren’t the 2^nd best team in the nation?

The Tide to cover in the Bayou (giving 6.5, o/u 44) against Les Miles

I think it a big number, but Les Miles vs. Nick Saban…….Tide.

College Picks Week 9

5-5 last week, overall 37-29-4. Onto the picks……..

Sparty to cover in Kinnick (getting 6.5, o/u 50.5) against the Hawkeyes

I am a MSU believer and I think last weeks heartbreaker to the Badgers might have broken the Hawkeyes.

Clemson to cover in Boston (giving 7, o/u 41.5) against BC

 BC just isn’t all that good. I like their frosh QB (chase rettig) but the Tiger D line should give him fits and Clemson will be able to run all over the BC D.

Maryland to cover in College Park (giving 5.5, o/u 51.5) against the Deacons

The Terps are tough at home and Wake is bad

Auburn to cover in Oxford (giving 7, o/u 61) to the Rebels

Auburn only giving 7 is a gift. Nutt does tend to pull a couple upsets a year, but they aren’t good enough to get it done against the top team in the West.

Tulsa to cover in South Bend (getting 9, o/u 63) against the Irish

Hate picking against teams dealing with a tragedy, but this Irish team’s lack of depth makes 9 points too much. Tulsa plays good football.

Stanford to cover in Seattle (giving 7, o/u 63) against the Huskies

I really have no idea why Washington keeps getting respect from the “experts”. They really struggle against good teams.

Florida to cover at the Cocktail Party (getting 2, o/u 47.5) against the Dawgs

Florida always beats Georgia. Since both teams are garbage (the Dawgs have been showing some life), I’ll take the Gators.

Navy to cover in Annapolis (giving 13.5, o/u 55) against the Dukies

Midshipmen and their Triple Option at home after whooping the Irish. Yes, please.

College Picks Week 8

32-24-4 overall. I have been horrendously mediocre the past handful of weeks, but have been able to avoid any under .500 weeks so far. Oh my god Chip Kelly's offense is terrifying. On to the picks............

The Golden Gophers to cover in Minny (getting 9.5, o/u 50) against the Nittany Lions

Penn State is terrible. The Gophers have an experienced QB, are dealing with a coaching changed, and are at home. They should come out jacked the F up. Bottom line when a terrible team is giving points, take them.

Wyoming to cover in Provo (getting 10.5, o/u 45) against BYU

Same principal as the above game. BYU is awful, taking the points and a tough Cowboy squad.

Washington to cover in Tuscon (getting 6.5, o/u 53) against Arizona

No Nick Foles against a Washington team that has turned their season around. Locker should be able to do some things and the Husky D will fluster the back up Cat QB.

Alabama in Knoxville to cover (giving 16.5, o/u 47.5) against the Vols

I would not want to be Derek Dooley on Saturday

The Vandals to cover in Moscow (giving 24, o/u 53.5) against New Mexico State

The Vandals are tough in the Dome, New Mexico’s colleges are brutal at football right now.

Kentucky to cover in Lexington (getting 4.5, o/u 58) against The Dawgs

The Dawgs might have turned a corner, but they have been awful on the road. Cobb should be able to score on the dawg D.

The Irish to cover in the Meadowlands (giving 6.5, o/u 49) against the Midshipmen

The result of the past couple years and the injuries to the Irish skill players made me think twice. But this is not the Midshipmen team of a couple of years ago.

Clemson to cover in Death Valley (giving 5, o/u 52) against the Jackets

Georgia Tech lost in Lawrence, KS early in the season. They just don’t have the horses to deal with the Tigers. On a side note……I have no idea why Clemson lets the ACC schedule home games before 7. Night games in the Valley are the closest thing we have to gladiator battles in the Roman Coliseum.* They need to get Swofford out of the commissioner’s chair as fast as possible.

* Night games in Baton Rouge are also fights to the death.

Wisconsin to cover in Kinnick (getting 6.5, o/u 47.5) against the Hawkeyes

I’m really not sure if top tier Big Ten teams can beat each other on the road. The Badgers were awful in East Lansing and Kinnick is a really tough place to play……….but I just have to go with my gut.

Allbarn to cover in Jordan-Hare (giving 5.5, o/u 52) against the Bayou Bengals

After last week I made the (self surviving) decision to stop betting against Cam Newton and Two Loss Les. Unfortunately, they play each other. Taking the Vince Young 2.0.

Week 7 picks

Got a little bit busy, so here are the picks. If you check back later, I will try to get explanations up there.

Michigan State to cover at home (giving 7, o/u 51) against the Illini

South Carolina to cover in Lexington (giving 5, o/u 54.5) against Kentucky

Nebraska to cover in Lincoln (giving 9.5, o/u 46.5) against Texas

Iowa to cover in the Big House (giving 3.5, o/u 53.5) against Meeeeechigan

Oregon State to cover in Seattle (giving 1.5, o/u 60) against Washington

Oklahoma State to cover in Lubbock (getting 3.5, o/u 69) against Texas Tech

The Buckeyes to cover in Camp Randall (giving 4, o/u 49) against the Badgers

The Razorbacks to cover in Jordan-Hare (getting 4, o/u 60.5) against ALLBarn

Week 6 Picks

4-3-1 last week (22-14-3 overall), I am getting aggressive and making picks on 13 games this week. I have a pretty good feeling about this slate of games. More importantly, Hockey starts today and the Blackhawks start their title defense (9 central on Versus). Heading to Boston this week for a monster Notre Dame wedding, hoping the Irish pull it out. Onto the picks…..

Nebraska to cover in Manhattan (giving 11, o/u 51.5) against KState

The Cornhuskers are awesome and KState just finished up their usual slate of noners and creampuffs. The Blackshirts might pitch a shutout, and their offense should rack up points after they get the feel of the Kstate D. Also feel good about the over.

Illinois to cover in Happy Valley (getting 7.5, o/u 42) against the Nittany Lions

Joe Pa and the Lions have been regressing all season, and while most people would expect a bounce back performance after the L in Kinnick, I don’t. Penn State is mediocre and Illini has the athletes to keep any game close.

Sparty to cover in the Big House (getting 4.5, o/u 63.5) against Michigan

Will be shocked if Denard makes it through 4 quarters. The Spartan LBs should slow him enough and the Spartan Offense should go nuts.

Georgia to cover between the Hedges (giving 10.5, o/u 48) against the Vols

Lot of anxiety in Athens these days, smacking the Volunteers around with 2 or 3 AJ Green touchdowns is the cure for at least a week.

Bama to cover in Columbia (giving 7, o/u 48) against the Gamecocks

Love the Gamecocks and Spurrier, just can’t see their offense scoring anywhere near enough to hang with the Tide.

Florida to cover in the Swamp (giving 6.5, o/u 42.5) against the Bayou Bengals

The Tigers’ luck runs out on Saturday in the Swamp. It should be a turnover fest and I would not be surprised to see a couple defensive touchdowns by the Gators.

The Irish to cover in South Bend (giving 6, o/u 49.5) against Pitt

Pitt is one dimensional and while they might be able to hit Baldwin for a couple of big plays down the field, I have a feeling that the Irish offense explodes. This might be a stay away game.

The Razorbacks to cover in Fayetteville (giving 5, o/u 62) against the Aggies

Can not trust Jerrod Johnson and Mike Sherman on the road against a good team. Mallet will pick them apart and they will not be able to make the adjustments the Tide did.

Miami to cover at home (giving 6.5) against the Noles

The Seminoles are awful on the road and the Miami D might be really good. Jacory and Leonard Hankerson will hook up for points and a victory.

Oregon State to cover in Tuscon (getting 8.5, o/u 50) against Desert Swarm

Been riding the Beaver s as roaddogs the entire season, going to stay on them in Tuscon. Their young QBs lack of turnovers has allowed them to cover against Boise and TCU, and hopefully it will continue.

Auburn to cover in Lexington (giving 6, o/u 57.5) against Kentucky

Kentucky is awful, 6 is too low

Northwestern to cover in Evanston (giving 9.5, 50.5) against the Boilermakers

Purdue is awful, 9.5 is too low

Stanford to cover in Palo Alto (giving 10, o/u 59) against USC

Harbaugh owns the Trojans.

Week 5 Picks

4-3 last week (18-11-2 overall), need to stop being mediocre. First big week of conference play, and we have two monster games (Stanford/Oregon and Tide/Gators). God Bless October, God Bless College Football, and God Bless America.

Texas A&M to cover in Stillwater (getting 3, o/u 67) against the Cowboys

Forgot to get this up. Thought Jerrod J would have a great game, the picks killed my chances of a W and ended up in a push.

Oklahoma to cover in the Cotton Bowl (giving 3.5, o/u 45) against the Longhorns

Texas can not run the ball and without a QB who is a threat to run, the sooner D will be able to shut down the Horns. Oklahoma’s vertical passing game should be able to use good field position and their talented to receivers to give the Muschamp led D fits.

Wisconsin to cover in East Lansing (giving 2, o/u53.5) against Sparty

The Badgers are getting healthy and will be able to run the ball against the Spartans, they will get their guards into the second level and onto Greg Jones and the MSU backers. We saw Sparty’s duel RBs gash the Irish for 60 minutes, but UW’s D brings the wood. Tolzien and his healthy receivers will covert the 3^rd and shorts that their running backs give them, and get a big road W.

NC State to cover in Carter-Finley (getting 4, o/u 54.5) against the Hokies

Russell Wilson and the Pack might have found something special. Va Tech’s lack of sophisticated offense and their inability to open holes for their RBs will make beating the Pack in Carter-Finley too tall of a task. The Pack LBs should be able to control Tyrod Taylor’s scrambling.

The world’s most famous Pack fan, Brian Fork, is smoking a whole hog for tailgate. Below is a highlight video of the tailgate of the win against Cincy on a Thursday night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNJql2O8Aas

The Irish to cover in Boston (giving 2.5, o/u 45) against the Eagles

Wake up the Echoes. The Boston College offense is worse than the Irish D, they are completely inept. Crist, Rudolph, and Floyd will have a big day and the Irish will win by double digits.

Florida to cover in Tuscaloosa (getting 8, o/u 48) against the Tide

Give me Urban Meyer and 8 points and I’ll take it every freaking time. I am worried about another midseason slump from Tide’s QB1. While Ingram will be run all over the Gators, Brantley and his weapons should be able to score with Bama.

Oregon to cover in Autzen (giving 7, o/u 65) against Stanford

The Stanford O did not look as good as they should have Saturday afternoon in South Bend, I think that going on the road to Autzen is going to be too much. I really love Jimmy H and the Cardinal, but I just think the Oregon speed is going win over the Stanford power. I don’t feel great about this game at all, but I am so jacked up to watch it.

Hurricanes to cover in Death Valley (giving 3.5, o/u 51) against Clemson

Don’t love Jacory on the road and I really think the Tiger D is underrated. The fact that the Canes had 9 days to prep after killing Wanny gives me a little bit of pause but I think its time for a signature win in the reign of Dabo.

Week 4 picks

Average week 3 (3-3-1, 14-8-2 overall) was to be expected. Not great match ups, hadn't seen many of the teams in the marquee match ups play more than a half. But I do feel pretty good about this week's games. As always these picks are for fun.

Pitt to cover at home (getting 3.5, o/u 50) against the Canes

Home underdog on the Thursday nighter is a greater power than the fact that Pittsburgh is coached by Death Spiral Dave. Jonathan Baldwin will account for enough big plays and 3^rd down conversions to give Pitt a much needed W.

NC State to cover in the ATL (getting 8, o/u 58) against Ga Tech

I have a sneaking suspicion that the Wolfpack might actually be okay. I don’t think that any team that loses to Kansas can beat anybody by 8 points. If Nate Irving can play the entire game, the Pack will have the linebackers to stifle PJ’s triple option.

The Tide to cover in Arkansas (giving 7, o/u 55.5) against the Razorbacks

The Tide’s Offense, Defense, SP teams, and coaches are better than the Razorbacks’. Mallet was a 33% passer last year in Tuscaloosa and with Marcel Dareus back in the line up the will be able to get pressure without blitzing. Finally, the Tide seems to feed off big game hype and all the talk this week about Mallet makes Saban and his team smell blood in the water.

Oregon State to cover on the blue turf (getting 17, o/u 57) against the Broncos

The Beavers played the Horn Frogs tough in Texas, and should do the same against Boise State. I was shocked to see the line this high. Mike Riley is an excellent coach and I love the gimmicky move of having their practice field painted blue. The Beavers play hard.

Stanford to cover in South Bend (giving 5, o/u 59) against the Irish

Andrew Luck is awesome, Harbaugh is awesome, and Stanford is awesome. The Cardinal offense is going to waterboard the Irish D in front of their fans for 3 and half hours. Since AJ Green is still suspended, Andrew Luck is the best player in the nation going against a defense that can’t get pressure and can’t cover his receivers. Touchdown Jesus is going to witness a massacre on Saturday. Crist and the All American Rudolph might be able to score with them for awhile but the game should be over by the start of the fourth.

Last week’s game East Lansing was symbolic of an undereported trend in college football, Notre Dame plays the most exciting games every week. Since they can’t stop anybody, their games turn into heavyweight fights with each boxer trading haymakers until the final bell.

South Carolina to cover in Auburn (getting 3, o/u 46) against the Tigers/War Eagles

I thought AllBarn was going to be good this year, they are not. I thought the GameCocks would be good this year, they are. Cam Newton is not as good as advertised and the Lattimore kid is unreal. Saturday night games usually favor the home team, but I think South Carolina can dominate time of possession and make enough important stops to run the clock out on the Tigers. Auburn has not looked impressive against far inferior teams.

USC to cover in Pullman (giving 22, o/u 56.5) against Wash State

The Cougars are terrible, USC needs an impressive win. They are going to explode the scoreboard.

Week 3 (aka Ricky Proctor Week) Picks

After a monster week 2, we have a week devoid of marquee match ups. I don’t have a great feel for most of these games, and expect to come down after a monster week 2 (6-1, 11-5-1 overall). Ricky Proctor has to be the only person superjacked for this week because the Gators and Clemson are involved in the biggest games. I will be in Clearwater Beach for a wedding so I won’t be putting up my notes from Saturday. On to the picks…..

NC State to Cover (getting 1, o/u 55.5) at home against Cincy
Home underdog on Thursday night. Carter Finley will be rocking and the Bearcats have not enjoyed a smooth transition to Butch from BK. More importantly, Forky is doing a seafood tailgate with salmon, shrimp, bacon wrapped scallops, steamed oysters, and catfish.

Arkansas to Cover (getting 2.5, o/u 54) between the Hedges against Georgia
AJ Green’s ridiculous suspension continues…..Dawgs lose. I would feel better about this pick if I could name a Razorback RB, but Mallet should be able to engineer enough scoring drives.

BYU to Cover (getting 10, o/u 60) in Tallahassee against the Noles
I love the Mountain West and hate the ACC. BYU, even without an experienced QB, should be able to throw down the field. Landry Jones showed the nation that is how to beat the Noles.

Florida to Cover (giving 14, o/u 46) in Knoxville against the Vols
The Vols are very bad and have a lot of quit in them. Even without notorious stalker Chris Rainey the Gators should be able to break enough big plays to make this one a laugher by the middle of the 3rd quarter.

ALLBarn to Cover (giving 7.5, o/u 55) at home against Clemson
The ACC is terrible and the crowd in Auburn should be insane. I think the line is a little high, but Cam Newton should give the Tiger D fits and Gus Malzahn and the ALLBarn O will want to improve on their 17 point output against Miss State.

Sparty to Cover (giving 3.5, o/u 51.5) at home against the Irish
Sparty always beats the Irish and Dayne Crist’s blurry vision isn’t instilling much confidence in the Irish’s chances.

Arizona to Cover (getting 1.5, o/u 42.5) at home against Iowa
Iowa always blows an early season game and in Tuscon against Nick Foles is a good of an opportunity as any.

Weekend Bull Riding

Bull Riding is back on Versus this fall.

There was an event this weekend in Greenville, SC and Moorseville, NC native JB Mauney won the bonus round. JB is my favorite bull rider, my support for him is equal to Phil, Roddick and Smoke.

Do yourself a favor and set aside 30 minutes to watch the event next weekend in Springfield, MO (starts Saturday at 8/7c after the Baylor TCU game in FT Worth). Bull Riding is the best produced sport on TV, they have riders ready every minute and there exists an inherent rivarly between the American riders and the Brazilians. Let yourself fall in love with a tremendous sport and a phenomenal TV experience.

An added bonus is that Versus is the home of Mountain West Football and the NHL.

Quick TV thought

I am super pumped for the Gossip Girl season 4 premiere on Monday night, but right now I am watching Sunday night's Mad Men episode.

Matthew Weiner has an unbelievable gift for displaying the human condition in 42 minutes every week. Mad Men's excellence shocks me, that dude needs to write philosophy books after he finishes with this show

Week 2 Notes

I watched 12 hours of college football yesterday and made some notes about the things that I saw. By the end of the day I was flipping to reruns of the League on FX (second season premieres on Thursday) whenever UCLA was on offense.

Week 1 record against the spread 5-4-1

Week 2 record against the spread 6-1-0

Overall 11-5-1

Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina’s Frosh RB, is the real deal. His balance and strength overwhelmed the Georgia Defense. If the Ole Ball Coach can continue to feed him the ball and then use play action to get Jefferies one on one down the field they are going to be a nightmare to deal with.

Without AJ Green, Georgia lacks an explosive playmaker. I told Big Game that the 4 game Green suspension will cost them two Ls. South Carolina was the first, Arkansas will be the second.

Wisconsin’s ability to run the football will give their opponents fits. But I wonder when they come up against Iowa and Wisconsin if their QB and WRs will be able to convert enough of the handful of 3^rd and longs that they will face. Wisconsin is a ten win team but if they can handle the talented back 7s of the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes, they might be talking a national championship run in Madison.

Notre Dame tight end, Kyle Rudolph, is the best player at his position in the nation. Unfortunately with Brian Kelly’s offense we are rarely going to see him go twenty yards down the field against a safety. Rudolph will forgo his senior year and will be a first round pick in next years draft. That 95 yarder was awesome. Send him down the f’ing fiels instead of these stupid 5 yard crossing routes.

Time to put Frank Beamer out to pasture. Poor special teams play against Boise, unacceptable loss to James Madison.

Has throwing down the field been outlawed in college football? All of these 7 yard passes to the sidelines makes me puke. The Buckeyes went downfield on their first touchdown drive and Oklahoma has been doing it the entire first half against FSU. Getting the ball to WRs going towards the endzone is not rocket science.

Colorado’s Athletic Department needs to be gutted. This Dan Hawkins experience has murdered their football program and because the AD department is too stupid to generate revenue and their university is full of worthless stoners, they can’t eat his salary. Can him and bring back Barnett.

I would be shocked if Denard Robinson can continue dominate against Big Ten defenses. Gardner and Forcier will see time this year, but he has been unbelievable to watch. But it will be even more fun to watch them struggle against varsity defenses.

If an NFL GM picks Jake Locker over Andrew Luck, he will be fired and burned in effigy within 3 years. Andrew Luck is a legit #1 pick.

What is happening in Pasadena? I love Ricky, but God Almighty.

NCAA Week 2

Auburn at Mississippi State (+1.5, 56.5)
Shocked to see that line was so low, I love taking a home underdog in the Thursday nighter but can’t do it in this case. It is too early in the season for the Thursday night home team to get the normal ten point bump. AllBarn will be able to cover the spread against the “more balanced” (code word for “lacking playmakers”) bulldog offense.

Georgia at South Carolina (-3, 49) Again confused that the Dawgs are getting a field goal, but I love the Gamecocks early in the season. The ridiculous and absurd AJ Green suspension might cost Richt and the Dawgs two Ls (this game and the Razorbacks). The Gamecock D will shut down the Dawg offense and score enough to cover the spread.

Florida State at Oklahoma (-7.5, 58.5)
I hate taking Florida teams when the travel out of the state for non-conference match ups. But that spread combined with the terrible effort on week 1 from the Sooners, gives me some pause. I think Ponder can take advantage of the Sooner D and the FSU D will make enough stops to pull a significant upset. The Big 12 looks crappy so far this year.

Michigan at Notre Dame (-3.5, 52)
Weis/Clausen were much more fun to watch then Kelly/Christ after week 1. I would rather chew glass then watch a team throw 40 short passes a game. Makes my eyes bleed. The Michigan Oline is going to dominate the Irish D and the Wolverines will run wild. The Irish offense doesn’t not have the ability to play strong North/South football, which is required to beat the Wolverine D. Michigan to win outright and the under.

Miami FL at Ohio State (-8, 46)
Got to take the Bucks. They look like a team possessed. Pryor is getting handcuffs taken off like Troy Smith in his senior year. The defense is getting pressure with four and Jacory Harris doesn’t handle pressure as well as most people think. The Bucks are versatile and can play any way they need to get a W. They are running the table and will be in Glendale in January. They will handle the Canes by double digits.

Penn State at Alabama (-12, 44)
The Nicktator against a freshmen QB. Bolden will have nightmares about his trip into Bryant-Denny for the rest of his life.

Stanford at UCLA (+6, 52)
Love Jimmy Harbaugh and Ricky Neuheisel. Like Jimmy’s players, don’t like Ricky’s players.

College Football Week 1

Back for the 2010 season. As always these picks are just for fun and always will suck.

Southern Miss at South Carolina (-14, 45.5)

The Gamecocks are one of my sleepers this year and they have played well early in the season under the OBC. Garcia should be able to throw for a few touchdowns and the SC D will hold Fedora’s bunch under 17. Tempted to go with the Under but I will take the Cocks and the over

Pittsburgh at Utah (-3, 49)

Death Spiral Dave loses this type of game all the time. Whittingham will scheme up Dion Lewis and the Pitt O, and Ute QB Jordan Wynn will build off a monster bowl performance. Taking the Utes and the under, giving the points

USC at Hawaii (+21, 54)

My boy Lane Kiffin got sexually assaulted by the NCAA with this absurd Reggie Bush probation. Now Barkley and the Trojan Dline is going to do the same to the Rainbow Warriors. Look for 60 from SoCal covering the over by themselves.

Arizona at Toledo (+15.5, 60)

Special teams will make the difference. Taking the Rockets to cover the spread in a high scoring game

Missouri against Illinois in St. Louis (Illini favored by 11.5, 54)

Illinois never wins this game in football or basketball. I have no freaking idea how the Illini could be favored. Take the Tigers and the over.

Northwestern at Vanderbilt (+5, 44)

Vandy lost their HBC a couple of months before the season, and they are going to have to deal with a wildcat team with the best coach in the nation. There has been a lot of positive chatter in Evanston about their new QB (Persa). The Cats play hard and will send the Dores back to their dorms in a music city funk. Cats cover the 5 and the over.

Purdue at Notre Dame (-11, 54.5)

New QB, new HBC, a D that has stopped anybody in years…..11 seems extremely high. But the Boilermakers are awful. Taking the Irish to cover and the over.

UCONN at Michigan (-3, 54)

Randy Edsall’s team is good. RichRod’s team is bad. UConn and the under.

Washington at BYU (-2, 56.5)

Excited to see Locker in his second year under Sark and the Trufant kid playing CB will be a 2012 first round pick, but BYU in Provo and with an experience D will be too much for the Huskies. A new BYU QB will keep the score low and so I am taking the Cougars and the under.

Oregon State at TCU in Arlington, TX(-13.5, 50.5)

I think the Beavers will ultimately be fighting it out with Stanford for the PAC10 championship, but I don’t think they have enough to win in Texas Stadium against the Frogs. But the Rodgers brothers will have some highlight plays that will help the Beavers cover the spread. Take the over.

LSU against UNC in the Georgia Dome (Game OFF the BOARD)

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Boise State against Va Tech in DC (Hokies getting 2, 50)

So excited for this Monday Nighter. Love the Hokies backfield but don’t trust them to keep the ball out of tyrod taylor’s hands against a Bronco D that returns 10 starters. Basically, I can’t go against Chris Petersen with 9 months to prepare for a team. Can’t do it. Taking the over and buying low on Kellen Moore’s Heisman campaign.

fixing baseball

Baseball is dying, it needs to be fixed before it goes the way of boxing. It is way too slow and is un-fan friendly to the point that it has turned into a beer garden with a $25 buck cover and $7 beers. I have tried to come up with a few common sense changes that will make America’s pastime more fan friendly.

1. Pitch clock
With no runners on base, once the pitcher receives the ball from the catcher he has 10 seconds to deliver the ball.

2. Batters’ box is sacred
No more leaving the box to adjust your gloves or adjust your cup.

3. Get rid of interleague play
As a cubs fan, playing once in San Fran and New York is not good enough. You should be in each of the cities in your league twice. A four game series at home and away is a freaking joke. 19 games against your division and only 8 against the other teams in league skews the standings.

4. Promote the mlb network
It is the best channel on tv, give it the marketing effort it deserves.

5. Dugout reporters
The players, coaches and managers need to be more accessible. Station reporters in each dugout and give them free reign to interrupt the booth. I want to scouting reports on every reliever that comes in and I want to know what the bench players and pitchers are talking about.

6. Mike the coaches
We need to be involved in pitching changes, pinch hitting, and other strategic decisions. Postgame interviews are not enough.

Vancouver 2010

This February we are going to be treated to the most underrated sporting event, outside of match play golf. The winter Olympics are fucking awesome. Hockey, speedskating, luge, bobsledding, snowboarding, ski jumps, moguls, and all that other x games nonsense, is so engrossing.

Hockey games are only an hour and fifteen mintues long with a wider ice. The pace is furious and blood is left on the ice. The American team is young but we have Buffalo’s Ryan Miller and the reigning Venza winner, Boston’s Tim Thomas, as our goaltenders. No matter the match up, Olympic hockey is unbelievable.

There are so many awesome people to root for….

Lindsey Vonn, Skier (smokeshow)

Shaun White and the rest of the American Snowboarder

We are the favorites in the four man bobsled

Wrapping yourself in the flag and patriotism is the best way to stay warm through this crappy winner