Fresno Bounced From BCS Needs To Refocus

It is not meant to be easy. When the BCS expanded by a game to, in part, reward schools from less respected conferences for great seasons they did so to honor those who went the distance. So play great all season but miss late FGs and you go from BCS bowl to some game played the day after Christmas. Fresno is the latest team to fall to a rival late in a close, pressure-packed game that wiped out any hopes for a BCS bowl. But while that would have been a first for the program the main goal all year should have been the conference championship and that will be on the line next week. So shake it off Fresno and focus on the real prize. As for San Jose the outcome helps the team forget what has been an under-achieving season. They may now go bowling but yesterday's game proved that they should be better than 6-6.

Today's Picks

Yesterday I went 5-0 (both unders, Texas, Miss state and Miss State on ML) and did not tell you about it. So I am not telling you about today's picks either. Good luck and enjoy the action.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a great turkey day everyone.

Baylor Screwed Themselves

It will be interesting to see if Baylor can keep humming along this season with tonight's game in Stillwater. An impressive victory along with their already impressive season will prove that the Bears deserve a national title shot this season. But, being that we all know that only two teams can go, if Baylor finishes the regular season undefeated and still does not get a BCS championship game berth, then the only people to blame would be their coaching staff and athletic administration for the team's September out-of-conference schedule (Wofford, Buffalo, Louisiana Monroe). Lousy out of conference scheduling was a theme this season with fingers finally beginning to point at SEC programs and more emphatically at Louisville (do you remember when they were a national title contender?) and Ohio State. But Baylor was under the radar at the beginning of the season and only brought attention to themselves by scoring 69, 70 and 70 in the three games mentioned above. Now Baylor had not originally scheduled Wofford, currently 5-5 overall and fourth in the Southern Conference, but when SMU cancelled their meeting with Baylor earlier this year the Bears were left scrambling. That's understandable, but SMU, who themselves played Texas Tech, Texas A&M and TCU before beginning conference play, would have sounded a little better than Wofford but are currently 4-5 and would have done nothing to change the appearance of Baylor looking to avoid anyone who could challenge them prior to conference play. That's nothing against either program, or solid Buffalo and Louisiana Monroe programs, but Baylor's on-the-rise program needed a statement September victory. Actually, so too Louisville and that would have been a much-anticipated early-season contest. The Cardinals played Ohio, Eastern Kentucky, Kentucky and FIU instead and not one college football fan cared, even with Kentucky. Baylor probably would have won that game and would be sitting much better now. But at least Baylor crushed the lesser programs on their schedule, including conference lowlights West Virginia, Iowa State, KU and Oklahoma (just kidding Sooner fans!). Ohio State played a weak schedule and did not even look good against most of it, including teams like Cal and Illinois that just are not very good. If Baylor wins out then they should be ahead of Ohio State and ready to pounce if Alabama and Florida State falter.

Today's Picks

Ugh. 91-80. Ugh. Hawaii +6 CMU -13 MSU -7 Cincy over 59 Duke -7 Illini -7 KSU -5 ECU-6 Minny +17 Michigan +6 A&M +4.5 Notre Dame over 54 Marshall over 54 Kentucky +25.5 Vandy +3 USF +4.5 Okie State +8.5 Boise over 57 Good luck

MAC Football Update

Well here we are, mid-week, and the biggest game in the MAC schedule for the week takes place tonight in Toledo. Should Northern Illinois win tonight they would wrap up the conference's West division. With so much riding on their possible perfection this season--although it appears that may not be good enough for a BCS spot unless Fresno State loses--the Huskies need to not only beat Toledo but look good doing so--plus rout Western Michigan in their season finale and then beat the East winner in the MAC title game. Of course, there is a problem with that scenario. The Rockets. Toledo has not only won five straight games and seven of eight, they have gone down to the wire with Northern Illinois in each of the last two seasons. Two years ago Toledo lost this series clash 63-60 and last year the teams were tied in the final minute when Quarterback Jordan Lynch led Northern on a nine play, 66-yard drive for the winning score in a 31-24 BCS-preserving victory. So what about tonight? Toledo will attempt to keep the ball out of Lynch's hand by running behind frosh sensation Kareem Hunt, who has rushed for 127y, 114y, 168y and 186y since moving up the depth chart. With a top-notch offensive line they just might be able to pull that off. But...there really is no stopping Lynch, a player who topped 9,000 career yards last week. In the team's biggest out-of-conference match-up, against Iowa week one, Lynch enjoyed a 141.5 QB rating. In the team's biggest conference game to date, last week against Ball State, he passed for 345y and rushed for 123y. He is not only a superstar but one who plays his best when the pressure is the greatest. the pick is for more heartbreak for Toledo in a game that will not be deiced until the end of the fourth quarter if not OT.

Today's Picks

84-71. I can do better. Today: Central Michigan -3 Central Florida -17.5 Troy +28 Va Tech -16 UNC pick em SMU -15 Duke +3.5 Cuse +38 Georgia +4 Texas +3 MSU -6 Houston +16.5 South Carolina -14 USC +4 Oregon State +14.5 Hawaii-SD ST over 60 Good luck

Jordan Lynch is Unstoppable

You have to feel for Ball State. Despite the presence of Mr. Lynch on the opposing sideline, the Cardinals fought for the entire way in a huge MAC game only to somehow lose by 3 TDs. Lynch's play--and he completed 26-32 for 345y and 2 TDs and rushed for 123y and 2 more TDs--forced the visitors to be near perfect and for most of the game they were. But then Lynch threw a 36y TD pass to WR Da'Ron Brown with 5:49 left and soon after the Huskies defense had a 4th-and-one stop in their own territory and Ball State was going home unhappy. With the win Northern Illinois's BCS hopes remained. The Huskies are focused on not only defending their MAC crown but returning to a BCS bowl to remove the stinging memory of last year's blowout loss to Florida State in the Orange Bowl. With Lynch the Huskies are a threat to anyone. But with a game next Wednesday at Toledo the Huskies cannot look too far ahead. They would also have a MAC conference title game to play assuming they make it. And of course they are not just competing with their MAC brethren but against a Fresno State program that is neck and neck with them in a fight for one possible BCS bowl bid.

Today's Picks

Well I sit at a mediocre 76-64. But for good luck I am going with the family to the Fordham game and since the Rams are undefeated their magical season should rub of on me. Here goes: Cincy -8 Wake Forest +35 Penn State +3 Missouri over 57 Florida under 42 Tennessee +8 UNC -13 Syracuse +5BYU +8.5 Michigan -7 Duke -10 La Tech -17 Houston +12 Wash -12 Bama -13 Good luck

Tonight's Slate of Games

Now I understand the need of the smaller conferences to play some games during the week to be able to get television coverage not available on Saturday or barring that even get some local excitement. But who is going to show some love for tonight's Troy at Louisiana-Lafayette game, kicking off at the same time (7:30) as Oklahoma-Baylor and ending during the first half or so of the Oregon-Stanford game? That will be a tough one to watch for even the biggest fan of either team. But I digress (and admit that I'll probably watch some of that game). If Baylor routs Oklahoma, a team they have not been favored over since 1998, then they have to be mentioned as a BCS title hopeful. That won't do them any good mind you as the big three have a stranglehold on those spots but it will begin to legitimize a season for the Waco bunch that has been characterized by points scored over mediocre, at best, opponents. And so I took OU, to lose by 5-7. And in the Pac 12 the Oregon Ducks are a few years ahead of Baylor in the respect game but must answer Stanford's game plan from last season to remain in the before mentioned big three. Stanford will attempt to smack Oregon in the mouth again this season and unless Oregon either takes it better or even fights back, their season will be derailed again. They have been thinking about this for a long time but they are who they are and so I picked Stanford, to lose by 3. And I also took Troy, to lose by 10. Dogs all around.

College Football Recap

Week one of November has passed without too much drama. The big guys held serve and the only ranked teams to lose (Miami, Texas Tech and Michigan) did so to other ranked teams. Miami was the highest ranked team to fall but they didn't embarrass themselves too much and really need to be happy with a 7-1 mark at this point in the season with all the nonsense swirling around the program. The key for the Canes is shaking off this loss and refocusing immediately as they play a now desperate Virginia Tech and a sky high Duke the next two weeks. The Coastal Division of the ACC still needs to be secured and Miami is still the leader. Texas Tech is also a program that needs to look at this season as a quality one as long as they refocus and compete against a grueling finish of Kansas State, Baylor and Texas. The conference title hopes are gone but finishing 9-3 or even 10-2 will stamp this season as a very good one. Continuing their now two-game losing streak with one, two or god forbid three more losses will take away a lot of the good work done by this team. Michigan is in a different situation as they had high hopes for this season and now have to focus on ruining someone else's great season (we all know who that is). National title and Big Ten championship hopes are gone. Beating the Buckeyes is still available. What else? Florida State made a key statement in its quest for a spot in the BCS title game. They will now have to see what Oregon does Thursday night against Stanford. With the rest of the top teams blowing out lesser competition, the most impressive statements were made by Oklahoma State, who is still alive for the Big 12 title, and Michigan State, who is now Ohio State's biggest stumbling block to a second straight perfect regular season.

Paul Finebaum Wrong Again

He is not the only one. The Heisman Trophy Mission Statement--which took me three seconds to find--clearly states that "The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity." It does not go to the most outstanding player in the country but the most outstanding who combines the pursuit of excellence most great players have with--and here is the key word these bozos miss--INTEGRITY. So the player must have integrity in addition to stats. Actually there is no mention of statistical excellence but folks can make that assumption. The word valuable does not come up. There is no mention of wins and losses. Just "outstanding", "pursuit of excellence", "integrity". I would think Finebaum and others know what "outstanding" and "pursuit of excellence" mean. Integrity is the word that confuses him. My big, fat dictionary (and yes I still use it in book form)defines integrity as "uprightness of character; probity; honesty." Therefore, Johnny Manziel, Finebaum's pick at the moment, is not eligible. Okay, that is harsh. But considering that we only know the public persona of anyone and that we cannot know if the outstanding players in any given season cheated on their girlfriends or took benefits to commit to their school or will one day be accused of double murder, we can only judge on what we do know. And based on our knowledge of Manziel he should not make a ballot let alone with the thing. Of course a problem with Heisman voting is that we would need 900+ voters with integrity to make the right choice. Good luck with that.

Today's Picks

I sit at 68-52 and had a great week through last night...without telling you about it. Sorry although I do netter without spreading the word. Until today. No Ill-25 Va tech -4 PSU -11 and under 55 Iowa +10 So Carolina -12 Wake +5 Tulsa -4 Georgia -3 Arizona -16 Michigan +6 Minny +9 ND -16 Tex -28 Hawaii +24 Auburn -8 ECU -25 Ga Tech -10 UCLA -28 CSU +7 Miami +21 Good luck

Strange Happenings

No this is not a post Halloween thread. I just find it strange that in such a violent sport that the only two programs to suffer injuries this year are Georgia and Florida. Wait that's not quite true. South Carolina has dealt with some injuries too we have been told. Odd.