Today's Picks

Now I sit at 43-36. It is time to make some hay. Today i like Purdue +7.5, NC State +10, Iowa -17, Auburn +7, CSU +3.5, Georgia +2, Cal +4.5, Temple +11, Texas Tech +2.5, Houston -12, Duke -13 and Minnesota +13. Good luck.

Jerry Kill Retires

There is more sad news to report as Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill, who has battled epilepsy for 10 years, has been forced to retire as his health has worsened. Although he has fought the good fight in trying to maintain his health and lead a major college football program, he can no longer do that and with a heavy heart has had to move on. Kill has don an excellent job at Minnesota and leaves with his head held high. The program is in excellent shape and interim had coach, Tracy Claeys, a long-time Kill assistant, is 4-3 in this role in replacing Kill before when his seizures got the best of him. This time Kill is not returning and the program has to decide whether to keep the current staff or go in a new direction. The second half of the season will go along way toward determining that and a quality game against the next opponent, Michigan, will help. More than the usual number of people will be rooting for them.

Tragedy at Oklahoma State Overshadows Football

There is a lot to talk about with Oklahoma State and Big 12 football. The Cowboys are undefeated and one of four conference teams ranked in the top 25 of the AP Poll. But none of that means much, today, for the families of those killed or injured Saturday at the homecoming parade. The focus is on them,as it should be, and we can all get back to football at a later date.

Today's Picks

Okay, now at 38-30. Time to do well despite a dull lineup. I'll take Utah +3.5, A&M +5, Northwestern +7, Wisconsin -6, Duke +3, UCF +22, PSU -6.5, BC +7.5, South Florida -13, FSU -7, W. Kentucky +15 Have fun

Situation at Louisville Basketball

I do not mean to belittle the hookers-for-recruit story coming out of Louisville, but I find it odd that this is such a big story. For decades recruits were wooed with women and everyone knew that it was going on but no one cared. For some reason the use of coeds to sleep with potential game changers for basketball and football is okay but when Louisville decides to use professionals they get caught. On the assumption that these women are more likely to be checked for STDs than a typical college student willing to sleep with players for the good of the program, it really is the proper way to go about this. And if anything, the use of actual students is worse because some players get the impression that if they commit then they will continue the relationship with that particular student (and sometimes they do). Anyway, Louisville is embarrassed and that to me is enough as this is a really tough broken law to investigate nationally.

Today's Picks

Okay, so now I am at 31-27 and ready to push that record back up. Louisiana Tech +12.5 at Miss State Florida +7 at LSU Nebraska +3 at Minny Kansas State +4 hosting OU Pitt +3.5 at GTech MSU +7 at Michigan Rutgers +5.5 at IU South Carolina -2 hosting Vandy FSU -7 hosting Louisville PSU +17.5 at OSU Good luck.

Epic Catch

It was on late last night here in the East but the catch made last night by Stanford WR Francis Owasu is worthy of the media overkill reserved for the best of individual plays. When I saw it live I could only make out that UCLA DB Jaleel Wadood ran over the receiver in the end zone. That Owasu somehow ended up possessing the ball for the TD, catching it with his arms around the Bruins' back and then holding on while they both tumbled to the ground, was amazing. Look we have all become jaded with a weekly barrage of exceptional catches. The combination of extreme athleticism and those gloves have made the seemingly impossible possible. But some catches should be elevated above the others and this is one. And by the way, Stanford won 56-35.

Tonight's Pick

Man i need a win bad. Now 30-27, having seemingly lost 27 in a row. Tonight I am confident that Stanford will cover laying 6.5 against UCLA. The Bruins will find it difficult to run the ball and are still trying to replace stars on defense.

ACC Update

Roughly midway through the college football season and Clemson and Florida State appear to be, once again, the cream of the ACC. They do not meet until November 7 however but each host interesting opponents this Saturday. FSU hosts a Louisville team that has lost three games but that was against a tough schedule. The Cardinals can score points and it will be interesting to see them against a Noles defense that has generally bent but not broken this season. Louisville must find a way to contain back Dalvin Cook and force QB Everett Golson into obvious passing situations. That's easier said then done. On offense the visitors will rely on freshman QB Lamar Jackson and his rushing ability against an athletic defense. Good luck. Clemson must face a Boston College team that cannot score, but does not give up many points either. Much has been made of the team's 3-0 loss to Wake but they have now played consecutive games in which neither team reached 10 points (9-7 loss at Duke). They will do their best to frustrate a Tigers offense that is inconsistent. The big game in the Coastal division may be Pitt at Georgia Tech, a game that has taken on a much different meaning than it was expected to in preseason. Tech was the preseason pick in the division but sit at a shocking 0-3. They can turn things around although the offense still looks broken. A tough Panthers defense won't help, although it needs to play the run better than it did against UVA. And the Pitt offense has room for improvement too, but if it protects the ball (unlike last year versus Tech) than it should have a close win to remain unbeaten in ACC play. There are some interesting games among the other ACC teams but those are currently for positioning.

American Athletic Update

With three squads undefeated on the season and some historic wins over big-time programs, the re-done American Athletic Conference is quietly having a fine season. Those three unbeatens, Memphis, Temple and Houston are all ranked in one poll or another and there is a chance that the conference can still make a ripple or two. But for now the focus is on a competitive conference race, especially out West. Temple already has a 1-game lead in the East race and is the clear favorite. They face struggling UCF this Saturday before embarking on a competitive two-game stretch to close October. On Thursday the 22nd they travel to Greenville, NC to take on an ECU squad that beat Virginia Tech at home by a TD last month. Then on Halloween they host Notre Dame. If Temple is undefeated on November 1, they will have earned it. Houston is getting more mention for what Ohio State is not doing than for anything they are achieving. And that is because new head coach Tom Herman seems to be the missing piece in Columbus after winning the Frank Broyles Award last season there as the nation's top assistant. QB Greg Ward leads the way with 1,301y passing with an 8-1 TD-INT ratio and 554y rushing with 11 scores. On Halloween they get to tangle with a struggling Vandy squad before beginning a tough November conference slate. Memphis and Navy are tied with Houston atop the West with 2-0 records. They square off November 7 in a huge match-up that will feature Memphis's dynamic passing QB Paxton Lynch versus Navy's running star QB Keenan Reynolds. But the Tigers cannot look that far ahead with a game versus Mississippi this Saturday at the Liberty Bowl. That game should be a beauty. The other key game in conference this weekend is up at UConn, where the Huskies take on USF. The loser of that game would already have two losses in conference.

Changes for Both USCs

The University of Southern California and the University of South Carolina football programs rarely share the headlines unless the two are squabbling aver who exactly is the "Real USC." But since USC--err the one out West--won that battle via results on the field and in court (that one actually concerned just the SC logo trademark), their link today as football teams suddenly without head coaches is the strongest to date. The reasons behind Steve Sarkisian's ouster at Southern Cal and Steve Spurrier's as Head Ball Coach at South Carolina are as different as night and day, but it is still rare for major programs to lose head coaches in early October. As with most every coaching change at this time of the year, the circumstances were not good. Sarkisian is battling alcohol issues and certainly needs to regain his health. He was not the best fit, however, for a program that demands double figure wins and national championship runs on an annual basis. Thusly that USC, with or without AD Pat Haden (who should go too) needs to bring in a guy who can fully take advantage of the plethora of talent Southern Cal can pull annually. As for Spurrier, he retires as the all-time winningest coach at both Florida and South Carolina. He was one of the select few people in college football to excel at the highest level as both a player and a coach with both a Heisman Trophy and national championship to prove it. I do not agree with his mid-season departure but the team is currently broken and he did not have an answer. As for the squads they left behind the kids need to play hard and hope bright days are ahead. And good luck to the schools with their hires as it is not easy getting the perfect coach. Just look at the hiring histories of both USCs to see plenty of names that are forgotten or should be.

Much Ado About Three to Nothing

Saturday's epic Wake Forest-Boston College contest have many people up in arms about how bad a game it was but do you hear such protest for Big 12 or West Coast shootout? Yes Wake won a game 3-0 in which they only earned 5 first downs but BC's stout defense did have something to do with that. In some of the shootout games there is no reasonable defense being played despite the said teams knowledge of the offense they are playing. Look I understand it. Folks want offense. But I would much rather have attended the Wake win than the Baylor obliteration of Kansas. Even the exciting Utah win over Cal featured a lot of bad football. Teams should not take 2-yard wide receiver screens 70y to the house. Remember in the game at Chestnut Hill, every possession was key and the game could have changed at any moment. Except, of course, BC's offense would have flubbed it so...

Today's Picks

Sitting at 30-24 and I need a good week to keep the ever=encroaching .500 from catching me. The problem is that i hate the card. Here are a few: OU-16.5 over Texas CSU +15.5 hosting Boise Utah -7.5 hosting Cal Good luck.

USC Loss Damages Others

The Trojans looked pretty bad last night. Washington was clearly the hungrier team and deserved the road win. USC will tumble out of the rankings and while they still have a lot to play for it remains to be seen if they can rally. But you know that already. The point of this post is that you may not like USC and are happy that they are tanking. But should you be? Fans of Stanford, Notre Dame and UCLA should be rooting for USC, not against. I know that goes against everything you believe in your heart about fandom, but a near great Trojans team is the best way for your team to make the final four. This year the three teams I mentioned all needed USC to win last night. Beating USC in Los Angeles helped restart Stanford's season and being that they are so far from the top four they needed to not only win out but for the USC win to look good. UCLA is in a different position as they needed the win over their rivals to look good as an end-of-the-year statement before, hopefully, they win the Pac 12. And of course without a conference title game Notre Dame needed the USC prime-time game to be a huge win for them. The Irish desperately need Stanford to run the table. The history of Notre Dame's football program points this out. The Irish last won a national title in 1988 just a few weeks after winning an unprecedented no. 1 versus no. 2 battle with the Trojans. The last title before that featured the wearing of the green beating of the Trojans in 1977--that USC team went on to win title the following two years. And in 1973 Notre Dame beat the defending champion Trojans, who one year later would win another title. So root loudly against USC while inside you secretly hope they win every game but the one they play against you.

Auburn Football on Side of the Road with Flat Tire

The dismissal of stud wide receiver D'haquille Williams from the Auburn football program caps a dreadful start to a 2015 season that began with such promise. Williams continued to break team rules--and these are SEC rules--and clearly had to go. And despite Williams's talent, the Tigers will be better without the headaches he provides. Teams can rally easier without a selfish player. But can they rally? The key would be to bury their national title aspirations, because those are over, and to focus on what they can accomplish. Get back to playing Auburn ball, which is tough in the trenches and, now under head coach Gus Malzahn, dynamic on offense. That has been missing this year with the team's QB problems but the talent is there for a quick rebuild. And quick it will have to be as they have a daunting schedule remaining. But screw that. Make the remaining opponents fear playing Auburn once again.

Wide Open Season Promises Excitement

The defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes were expected to dominate proceedings here in the 2015 regular season. After all they offered the tantalizing combination of an abundance of talent and a middling schedule. But much like FSU last season, the Buckeyes have underwhelmed so far with narrow wins over squads like Northern Illinois and Indiana. While OSU will have plenty of time to impress, others have stepped up in September to lay claim to the title of best in the land. But even that bunch has had some unimpressive wins themselves or actual losses as the top 10 continues to rewrite itself. This may be a season where a 16-team playoffs would be fun. after all, if the season ended yesterday and we used the most recent FWAA-NFF Super Poll to seed teams, number 16 Stanford would not be too much of an underdog against top-seeded OSU. We can look at this two ways. Either we are watching a rather dull season or the opposite. That the race to the top four is wide open so let's enjoy the competition. That is my take and I am sticking with it.

Saturday's Picks

I finished September with a 26-18 record, which is okay. Here are the picks for this wet opening weekend of October. Minnesota +4.5 at Northwestern, Iowa +6.5 at Wisconsin, Air Force +5.5 at Navy, Texas Tech +17.5 at Baylor, ECU -6 at SMU, KSU +7.5 at Okie State, Mississippi -7 at Florida, CSU +4 at Utah State, Notre Dame +2 at Clemson, Oregon =7.5 at Colorado, Arizona +13.5 at Stanford Goodluck