2009 college bowl picks

bowl season again for us college football fans.  yeah, i know i told all of you guys last week not to watch any of the bowl games.  well, that’s pretty much like telling a 2 year old to stop being such a cry baby.  you are gonna watch regardless.  and to a certain extent i’m gonna watch a few of the games myself.  maybe.

the thing is the bowls come to long after the season is over.  most of the players are back to smoking crack and robbing liquor stores in their spare time.  that stuff would be happening on a good day.  a really bad day?  perhaps we shouldn’t even go there.

plus the fact most of the bowl games are useless other than the fact the teams get 15 more practice sessions before their respective games.  not a bad thing i guess.  plus all the money the schools get.  on and on and on.  just remember, if you really want to change the system–STOP WATCHING THESE USELESS BOWL GAMES!!!!  no sane amerikan wants the federal government sticking their nose into this mess.  we are the fans.  we should have some say.  not them.  screw them as a matter of fact but that’s for another time. 

i’m not going to run down the entire bowl line-up.  i’m just doing the games that i have some sort of interest in watching.  maybe.  there are point spreads for these games but i’m not using them.  i’ll mention the favorite and pick a winner.  betting on bowl games is even dumber than betting on the regular season games.

i shouldn’t tell you this but the last college football bet i made was on a 3 pick bowl game deal a number of years ago at a casino in nevada.  a friend and i split the bet.  we won and picked up a nice chunk of change to split after expenses.  you on the other hand should not try it.  taking what i deal out here and using to bet on the games is utter stupidity and insanity.  leave your wallet in your pocket and nobody gets hurt.  this is for fun only.

rock ‘n’ roll.

12/22  las vegas bowl.  oregon st and byu.  oregon st a slim favorite.  byu goes to this bowl every year.  their fans just have to cross the border and they are there and they come in droves.  to gamble and drink.  so much for religion.  yes, i know.  not all of em.  this should be a good game.  hopefully both teams show up and are ready to play.  i figure the beavs will be ready.  if you haven’t seen the brothers rodgers kick out the jams you should watch this one.  and take oregon st to win.

12/23  poinsettia bowl, san diego.  california and utah.  cal a slim favorite.  san diego in the winter is pretty cool.  a nice place to visit.  if you enjoy crowds.  can tedford get the boys up for this one?  because utah will be ready to play.  good game.  take utah to win.

12/24  hawaii bowl, hawaii.  nevada and smu.  nevada the favorite.  hmmm.  interesting that.  this is june jones coming back to the place where he had a number of great years coaching hawaii.  he has the mustangs back in the hunt once again.  take smu to win.

12/26  emerald bowl, san francisco.  usc and boston college.  usc the favorite.  a step down for the usual trojan bowl season.  however, the city is always a nice place to visit and hang out.  if pete brings the boys ready to play then it should be an easy win.  however, that hasn’t been the case the second half of the season for the trojans.  boston college can play.  good game and it will be fun watching coach pete try and stay warm at candlestick in december.  take the trojans to win.  FIGHT ON!!!

12/29  eagle bank bowl, washington.  ucla and temple.  i’m not sure just which washington they are talking about here.  doesn’t matter.  the interesting thing is temple and bowl being used in the same sentence.  welcome to college football, temple owls.  ucla is a slim favorite.  take temple to win.  come on it’s their first bowl ever.  probably.

12/30  holiday bowl, san diego.  arizona and nebraska.  arizona a slim favorite.  san diego is the center piece once again.  take arizona to win.

12/31  sun bowl, el paso.  oklahoma and stanford.  oklahoma favored.  the heisman runner-up may or may not play with his usual gusto due to wanting to turn pro.  i can’t blame him.  maybe a good game.  take oklahoma to win.

1/1    THE rose bowl, pasadena.  oregon and ohio st.  oregon a slim favorite.  run and gun vs a 1960’s offense.  however, ohio st has a damn fine defense.  a good game.  take oregon to win.  QUACK!!! QUACK!!!

1/2    alamo bowl, san antone.  texas tech and michigan st.  texas tech favored.  could be a good game.  as usual i have to go with my semi alma mater, texas tech to win.  and be sure to visit: http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/

1/4    fiesta bowl, arizona.  tcu and boise st.  tcu favored.  two pretty good undefeated teams going at each other once again in a bowl game.  a match-up i wanted to see but nobody else did.  until there is a play off it will always and as it should be in boise’s regard: yeah, but look who they played.  take tcu to win.

1/5    orange bowl, miami.  georgia tech and iowa.  georgia tech a slim favorite.  i seriously doubt i’ll even watch this one.  take iowa to win.

1/7    bcs championship, pasadena.  alabama and texas.  bama a slim favorite.  the pasadena chamber of commerce is in a tizzy this year.  dreams of mucho dinero run all thru their heads.  cash and coin falling into city coffers.  tell you what, pasadena.  don’t count the money yet.  you can prolly count on the tools up in sacramento stealing that money so they can set fire to it and roast some marshmallows.  that you can count on.  at this point in the bowl season i’ve had enough long before this one trots out.  i’m not gonna watch it.  you shouldn’t either.  make a statement to the tools in the conferences and the deans of all the div1 schools.  we’ve had enough.  we want playoffs.  TURN OFF YOUR TV ON THE EVENING OF JAN THE 7TH.  pick who you want.  i don’t care.

that’s it kids.  the usual sad coda to the college football season.  so now we sit and stew until the first week of september when the sweet short season is here once again.  is it september yet?!?!?

jmh

what’s the point of the bowl games?

this was originally written 2 years ago.  it’s still a valid post.  jmh

yeah, exactly, what’s the point of so many useless bowl games with teams that only had a marginal season at best?  you go 6-6 and have some sort of fan base that is willing to truck on down the road to pretty much anywhere in the country to see ‘their’ school play.  well, then by golly, you get a useless bowl bid to some city where the chamber of commerce and the local pols are all salivating over the amount of coin you are going to drop into their pockets or local economy or more than likely both.

that scenario covers it along with all the tv money that’s doled out to god knows who.  not me, sadly.  i don’t see a dime.  espn and fox.  ok, so espn gets some props for all the games on saturday.  fox cable, as well, though not as many.  then there’s the week night games on espn.  fine, i’m all for them, you get to see teams you probably wouldn’t get to see other wise.  speaking of which, if it wasn’t for, fox cable, most of the pac 10 games wouldn’t even be on tv.  period.

yes, i know.  college football, the love of my life is all about the money anymore.  it probably always was or maybe not.  i’m old enough to remember pre-ncaa days.  yeah, the aau, amature ahtletic union.  god, what a bunch of blowhards they were.  so that flawed system begot, the ncaa, who are now the reigning blowhards on the block.   second only to the pac 10 commissioner and his, tutti di capo tutti, the big ten commissioner.  yeah, ok, and the sec, big 12, acc, wac, ad naseum.  plus the deans of all the div 1 schools, who are so stupid, they think that anything other than what goes down now will result in total chaos in every hall of higher learning from here to martha’s vineyard.  do they really think we are all that stupid?

see, it must be all that money.  why else would normal, or sorta normal, educated men be so backed up?  oh sure, one of my friends is fond of the, it all boils down to the sex or money theory.  he has a point.  a good one.  but somehow i don’t see any of those guys i’ve mentioned getting, well, getting all stupid behind sex anymore or maybe i’m missing something.

so see? it has to be the money.  there must be bales of the stuff passed around in board rooms and parking garages on every div 1 college campus on a daily basis.  oh, mr commissioner, your bag man, tommy, is here with your dump truck load of untraceable and perfectly clean money.  he’s in parking garage 4 on the upper level.  shall i call for your driver and your gold plated golf cart?  some canapes, and perhaps, a perfectly chilled bottle of 1939, eu di snooty, vino?

the mind roils at all the weird and seemingly just plain stupid stuff those folks deal out every year at this time.  the main culprits being, the pac 10 hack and his equal hack, the big ten hack.  the other hacks blame them for everything.  pure and simple.  well, sure, we could do that but ya know the pac 10 ain’t gonna go for it.  wink wink.  yes, of course, the rose bowl.  the grand pops of em all.  i love the damn game.  it’s the game where i fell in love with the ducks, way back when i was just a kid.  the love affair still flourishes to this day.  but if the rose bowl went away in favor of some sort of system that gave us college football fans a true national champion, i’d be all for it.

oh, i’m sure the hue and cry from the moneyed rose bowl committee would leave a trail of tears and crumpled old twenties right up to the pac 10’s front door.  so what?  times change and they needed to be changed in this regard long ago.  playoffs in some way, shape, or form.  it’s been said before and bears repeating, every major college sport has a playoff system except college football.  even women’s softball has a playoff and i’m right there glued to it on the tv.  they miss more school than i ever did when i was young and missing school.  i mean they play at least 60 games.  half of which are on the road.  then they end up in oklahoma for what could be a week or more depending on the weather.  same for the men’s baseball program.  not to mention both of the basketball programs.  those kids miss more school than anyone and no one says squat about it.  then there’s the soccer programs and golf and track, wrestling and volleyball and tiddly winks, for crying out loud. but those morons in charge say we can’t have a football play off because it will disrupt the schooling of all those fine young men.  my god, it’s just pure balderdash.  we are spoken to like we are unwanted red headed step children with an IQ of 30.

i’ve had enough.  i hope all of you have had enough as well.  in the immortal words of roberto duran, no mas.  pure and simple.  the time has come to not only boycott the crappy bowl games but every other stinking one of them.  until the boys with the power and the money realize their power and money is going the way of the dodo.  then and only then will things change.  i’m not saying let’s blow off college football.  even i’m not that crazy.  hmmm, well, not yet.  just stop watching the bowl games.  period.  all of them.  it’s easy.  play with your kids, dog, wife or girlfriend instead.  go out and eat or go to the mall or park or bowling alley or take a walk or nap or play scrabble.  see?  there’s lots of other stuff to do.  just do it.

jmh

2009 college football predictions week 14

this week’s predictions are a bit different than the usual bill of fare.  fear not, i get there eventually.  i hope you enjoy the ride.  jmh

eddie catalina had weathered worse weekends but nothing quite like the past one.  in some sort of semi delusional death wish he’d taken his car and rent money and bet it all on 10 of the worse college football picks imaginable.  sure, some of them looked good and even made sense in that death wish sort of way.  but he knew he was in big trouble by mid afternoon on saturday.

the odd thing was he really didn’t care.  the third floor walk up in the eastern part of downtown los angeles and his 10 year old car had lost whatever luster was left or ever had been there.  things had tumbled out of control and he was resigned to what would come soon enough. 

another strange thing was he didn’t even have the car or rent money anymore.  after losing the game that tilted the deal below what would mean busting out even he had taken the car and rent money and blown it all and then some.  that was even before the total disaster became, oh so apparent.  all the money he had was blown on a bizarre drunken whore mongering night in the illegal after hours mexican ‘nightclubs’ in his neighborhood.  a long night that found him drunk, alone and asleep at his kitchen table around noon sunday.

the pounding on the door woke him up.  it took a second or two to realize it was morning, the sun was up, and he was still drunk.  very drunk.  stumbling to the door he opened it.  two thugs pushed their way inside.  the larger of the two shut the door and stood by it.

the smaller one spoke.

’so where were you last night?  it looks like getting drunk on your sorry ass.  and that’s no excuse.  there are no excuses.  you know the rules.  payment is due on bets at midnight sharp.  pay up now plus another $1,000 in vig for our trouble.  don’t fucking piss don vincenzo off any more than he already is.’

standing there in his under ware, head down looking at the floor he thought, ‘good thing i’m still drunk.  maybe the broken bones won’t hurt so bad.’

broken bones or maybe.  just maybe.  yes, a mad hangover haze grab for the rusty but loaded .357 under the three day old newspaper on the table.  for you see, as dawn had broke that sunday morning, lonely broke drunken dreams made him pull it out of the bottom of his old army duffel bag.  he’d passed out before he could use it.  now maybe.  just maybe.  he could make use of it for some other purpose.

the smaller man slapped him to the floor.  eddie used the table to help himself to his feet.  his hand slipped under the paper.  he gripped the pitted and splintered walnut pistol butt.  he spun around firing.  his finger pulling the trigger as fast as he could.  sound, smoke and the smell of cordite filled the small room.

the two mobsters lay on the floor bleeding their last seconds of life out onto the cracked yellowed linoleum floor.  eddie catalina’s troubles had only just begun.   

yep.  there ya go.  the sad almost coda to the story of eddie catalina.  eddie thought he was smart.  smart enough to beat the spread every saturday during the college football season.  eddie did ok but no one ever does more than ok.  because they usually end up just like eddie.  broke and hungover on a minor level.  on a higher level, staring at a murder one rap straight in the face.  worse yet were the two dead mob soldiers.  that fact wasn’t going away.  ever.  no matter what the state decided.

see, kids?  it ain’t easy.  vegas and others know the only thing that matters is their money.  it’s all they care about.  and they take very good care of their money.  vegas palaces aren’t built on winners dreams.  they’re built on the sad dreams of every eddie catalina out there.  yours and mine.

this past weekend i went 2 for 10 for the week. i took week 6 off.  which means i’m now, 62 for 120, over all.  not looking good.  but still a tad over .500.  however, be that as it may.  onward and forward.  don’t look back because something might be gaining on you.  like an angry wife packing a five iron at 2:30am and swinging it at your head.

ok.  so, it’s the last week of regular season college football.  a bitter sweet week for those among us who love the game.  bitter because the short sweet season is over almost as soon as it began.  or so it seems.   sweet because we can begin the count down to next year and the first week in september.  the sweetest week of the year.  don’t be eddie catalina.  leave your money in your wallet.  right where it belongs.

i’m early again and some of the odds weren’t up yet.  i’m going by what’s here.  as usual. 

rock ‘n’ roll.

12/3  oregon st at oregon.  oregon favored by 9.5 points.  civil war time and it’s take no prisoners.  the game of the week for sure.  now you folks back east get a taste of the fine football being played by the pac 10 this year.  two of the best go head to head at the loudest stadium in the country, autzen stadium.  the home of the ducks and a more rabid fan base would be harder to find than the duck home crowd.  this game might reach over a hundred total points.  powerhouse offenses from both schools.  the beavers run it pretty much like no one else can.  the beavers, jacuizz rodgers is something to watch and almost impossible to catch.  the ducks, jeremiah masoli is one of the best qb’s in the country.  tight game.  a bunch of points on the board.  last one in wins.  take the ducks to win but not by the 9.5 points.  QUACK QUACK!!!!

12/5  w. virginia at rutgers.  w. virginia favored by 2.5 points.  that might as well be even up.  home game for ozzie nelson’s alma mater.  take rutgers to win.

12/5  new mexico at boise st.  boise st favored by 46.5 points. boise st should win but not by 46 plus points.  take new mexico to get inside that huge spread.

12/5  arizona at usc.  usc favored by 7.  this is going to be a good one.  the trojans are having a hard time putting points on the board.  despite the last second td of last week.  bruins blew it.  arizona has a good defense.  take the trojans because they are at home to win and cover.  FIGHT ON!!!

12/5  california at washington.  california favored by 6.5 points.  if the bears are up for this one they will win.  if not the huskies will walk all over them.  it’s tedford’s call and coaching that will make the difference here.  good one to watch.  i’m taking the huskies to win or get inside the spread.

12/5  cincinnati at pittsburg.  a toss up.  i’m taking cincinnati to win.

i hope i have the last four games and teams right. 

12/5  conferance usa championship.  huston at e. carolina. toss up.  i really don’t care much about this one so i’m taking huston.

12/5  sec championship game.  florida at alabama.  florida favored by 4.5 points.  i thought this would be bama’s year for a national title.  i don’t think so anymore.  too much trouble trying to put points on the board.  florida wins and covers.

12/5  acc championship game.  georgia tech at clemson.  toss up.  i’m going with clemson here.

12/5  big 12 championship game.  texas at nebraska.  texas favored by 13.5 points.  take the horns to hook em. texas wins and covers.

that’s it for this year and the regular season.  there will be at least one more blog on the college bowl season coming from me.  i hope you come back around to read it or them as well.  you’ve made this a banner year for me here.  i hope you come back next year to take the college football trip again.  thanks for reading and your support.  ah, i’m not going anywhere.  i’ll be right here writing about other stuff while i wait for september 2010.

jmh
story and predictions copyrighted by john hauge 2009

2009 college football predictions week 13

it’s the beginning of rivalry weekends.  yeah, plural.  it sorta semi started last weekend and slops over into next week as well.  me?  i’m sitting here in one of my trojan t-shirts.  but i get ahead of myself.

it is interesting what one or two more points can do for your picks.  in my case last weekend for example, if a few teams had scored just a couple of more points i would have had a stellar 8 for 10 weekend.  but no, that wasn’t the case.  i went 5 for 10 instead.  my over all is now, 60 for 110 with week 6 as an off week.  still over .500 but that’s not what i’d call outstanding.

the thing about rivalry games is they can go sideways in a hurry.  odds don’t mean much.  it’s anybodies game.  taking what i deal out as something you can bank on is dumb and stupid and if you do you deserve whatever happens to you.  leave your wallet in your pocket and nobody gets hurt.

this is early again this week and no doubt the odds will change.  no matter.  what is here is what i go by.

rock ‘n’ roll.

11/27  rutgers at louisville.  rutgers favored by 4 points.  rutgers, ozzie nelson’s alma mater.  reason enough for me to take them to win and cover.

11/27  alabama at auburn.  bama favored by 12 points.  the game for all the marbles and stuff for alabama folk till next year.  once again, bama needs to put points on the board.  if they don’t auburn has a shot.  however, take bama to win and cover.  ROLL TIDE!!!

11/27  nevada at boise st.  boise st favored by 11 points.  the smurf turf boys of boise face one of their toughest opponents in their sorta schedule on friday night.  in keeping with an early theme here for this weeks picks.  take nevada to at least cover the spread.

11/28  new mexico at tcu.  tcu favored by 43 points.  a big bunch of points.  tons of em.  any sane person would take the points and the lobos.  not me.  i figure tcu is in make a statement mode.  despite having early trouble scoring against wyoming last week.  i think they’ll run it up against an even better team this week.  yeah, insanity runs deep.  take tcu to cover the spread and win.

11/28  tulane at smu.  smu favored by 17 points.  after years in the dark place of college football smu is on a comeback trail.  the ncaa recruiting violation, ‘death sentence’, is a thing of the past.  it’s taken some 40 odd years but smu will be a top 25 team once again in the next year or two.  count on it.  the main reason being, june jones.  a fine coach and recruiter.  unlike his old hawaii team where after the first string you had very little talent, he will have some at smu.  count on it.  take smu to cover and win.

11/28  oklahoma st at oklahoma.  no odds at the time of this writing.  i almost stuck another game in here instead but this one might be too good to pass on.  no odds = even, in my book.  take oklahoma st in this one, kids.  the cowboys win.

11/28  florida st at florida.  florida favored by 22 points.  florida st gets inside that number.  take florida st and the ppoints.

11/28  utah at byu.  byu favored by 7.5 points.  a good game and probably one to watch.  take byu to win and cover.

11/28  notre dame at stanford.  stanford favored by 7.5 points.  this will more than likely be charlie’s last regular season game with the golden domers.  he just can’t close the deal or so it seems.  his kids run out of gas at the end.  stanford had a tough loss last week with cal.  not this week.  take stanford to win and cover the points.

11/28  ucla at usc.  usc favored by 12 points.  so much for norm being a genius after last weeks nail biter game.  well, maybe he is but the kids were lackluster.  coach pete has had a week off and hopefully he’s found some sort of faith in his other coaches.  he can’t do it all or so it would seem.  if the men of troy come to play on defense and offense it should be no contest.  that being said, this is for bragging rights in the land of the lotus eaters and anything can happen.  the game of the weekend.  take usc to win and cover.  FIGHT ON!!!!

there you go, my picks for thanksgiving week.  have a great thanksgiving and enjoy the games.  be sane.  be safe.

jmh

2009 college football predictions week 12

only 3 weeks left in the regular college football season.  it’s become push come to shove time.  for me and for the teams.  a dark weekend last time around for me.  a sad dismal 5 for 10.  making me 55 for 100 having taken week 6 off.  still over .500 but i should be doing better. 

just remember that taking anything i say here and using to parlay the rent money into that fear and loathing trip of a lifetime to vegas would be stupid on the best of days.  i’m early again this week due to my schedule and life.  the odds are early stuff and will no doubt change.  however, what is here is what i will go by to determine my win loss for the weekend.  i’ll be early next week as well.  my schedule, life, and thanksgiving.

rock ‘n’ roll.

11/21  ohio st at michigan.  ohio st favored by 12 points.  the buckeyes are going rose bowling.  good for them.  though i have no idea what happens to that if michigan wins.  which a long shot due to the way they are playing this year.  12 points might be a lot here but since this is just for fun.  take ohio st to win and cover.

11/21  minnesota at iowa.  iowa favored by 9.5 points.  if minnesota had kept on playing like earlier in the year this one would have been a very interesting game indeed.  the same could be said for iowa as well.  iowa needs to win this one if only to show they can and still care.  it’s a matter of heart here.  plus,  we’ll see just what kind of coach they really have.  take iowa to win and cover.

11/12  connecticut at notre dame.  notre dame favored by 6 points.  the domers just can’t get it done this year.  neither can charlie.  though the deal is charlie probably won’t be going anywhere.  sadly.  if they fire charlie notre dame needs to cough up $18 million to buy him out.  a hefty price tag to get rid of a guy.  though regis philban could probably come up with that with what is stuck under his sofa cushions.  maybe.  just maybe some of the other schools will pay attention to this scenario and not get stupid with their money and a football coach who hasn’t proved himself.  one season is not proving yourself, golden domer money boys.  at any rate, connecticut has a shot at this one.  i figure they will have the lead at the half.  if they don’t get lazy and sloppy like pitt did last week the should cover the spread and maybe win.  take u conn.

11/21  penn st at michigan st.  penn st favored by 3.5 points.  a good game here kids.  maybe one of the best this weekend.  michigan st is playing some good football.  penn st is, well, penn st.  take michigan st to cover or even win.

11/21  arizona at ucla.  ucla favored by 5 points.  well well well.  amazing as it seems perhaps slick rick is turning around the moribund bruins.  fine by me.  it’s good for the pac 10 and college ball in general.  plus, maybe norm chow is a genius after all.  the bruins ran all over washington st last week.  this one is a tune up for the 11/28 trojan game.  (plenty on that next time around)  bruin faithful should rival duck faithful for insanity and noise.  it’s been a while for them.  tourist note.  stay a way from pasadena this saturday or allow for big time delays in getting anywhere near downtown.  take the bruins to win and cover.

11/21  california at stanford.  stanford favored by 7 points.  like i’ve been saying.  stanford is a good team.  stanford has a good coach.  and now, amazingly the defense has sprouted wings.  goood for them.  and it’s good for the pac 10.  though the 2 point conversion last week against the trojans was bush league.  however.  rank this one up there with a game of the week.  stanford is running on all cylinders.  no pings at all.  forget about it.  take stanford to win and cover.

11/21  lsu at mississippi.  ole miss favored by 3.  yep, at least.  take missisippi to win and cover.

11/21  air force at byu.  byu favored by 8 points.  two of the old run and gun schools of the late and sadly gone wac configuration.  i hope i get to see this one, kids.  air force should hold it’s own but take byu to win and cover.

11/21  oklahoma at texas tech.  oklahoma favored by 5 points.  not many points.  i like the red raiders at home.  take them to win and or cover the spread.  and as always be sure to visit my sorta alma mater:  http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/      

11/21  oregon at arizona.  oregon favored by 5 points.  not many points here as well.  sadly, blount has been reinstated for the ducks.  of course, they didn’t consult me before hand.  hopefully, he can avoid any major or minor felonies before and during the game.  if he does so the ducks will win and cover.  QUACK QUACK!!!

there ya go week 12 picks.  leave your money in your wallet and your wallet with the mrs and nobody gets hurt.  enjoy em while you can.  3 weeks left of the greatest game on the planet.  college football.

jmh

 

2009 college football predictions week 11

coming off another week of better than average predictions against the spread it’s that time again kids.  college football hits the tv with a vengeance this week.  last week i went 6 for 10.  nothing stellar but i’ll take it.  thus making my overall for the season, 50 for 90.  having taken week 6 off.  5 games over .500.  semi sorta iffy but much better than .500 or worse. 

once again, remember this is for fun only and taking what i dish out here to make yourself a nice bankroll for christmas would be stupid at best.  leave your wallet alone and you’ll be fine.  also, i go by the odds i have here.  they are what they are.  a compilation of several places.

pop a cold one.  light up the barbie.  sit back and enjoy what’s left of the greatest sport, college football.  enjoy the games.

rock ‘n’ roll.

11/14  boston college at virginia.  boston college favored by 4 points.  almost a toss up and just might be a good game.  i’m looking for boston college to win this one and cover the points.  take them.

11/14  iowa at ohio st.  ohio st favored by 16 points.  iowa coming off a dumb loss and ohio st coming off a big win.  the point being can iowa recover?  and does ohio st have a let down?  we’ll both find that out come saturday.  in lieu of knowing for sure, take iowa to cover the points and maybe win.

11/14  florida st at wake forest.  wake forest favored by 6 points.  wake forest is playing some ball.  take them to win and cover.  on a side note, has anyone else noticed that bobby bowden looks more and more like a food network’s star, paula deen?

11/14  notre dame at pittsburg.  pittsburg favored by 7.  he of the 5 super bowl rings fights for his job, as well he should, with this game.  golden domer faithful aren’t happy.  then they rarely are.  the man who replaced ty willingham is going down the same road to the unemployment office next week.  let’s see, i predicted the irish would lose this game back in january or february of this year.  nothing has changed.  take pittsburg to win and cover.

11/14  stanford at usc.  usc favored by 11 points.  it’s november.  it’s a home game for the trojans.  they don’t lose at home or in november for that matter.  the trouble being it hasn’t been a good year for coach pete.  it has been a semi good year for coach mike.  once again, stanford has a good team and riley can coach.  stanford doesn’t have a defense.  if the trojan defense shows up and the offense does as well the trojans should cover the spread.  a damn good game here folks.  take the trojans to cover and win.  those who live by the sword die by the sword.  FIGHT ON!!!!

11/14  arizona at california.  the game is a toss up.  sadly i haven’t seen arizona play this year.  probably due to the lame tv schedule the pac 10 has with the networks.  be that as it may, i have seen cal play just about every week.  they didn’t do well against the beavers last week but nobody else in the pac 10 is either.  the game is in berserkeley.  take cal to win.

11/14  arizona st at oregon.  oregon favored by 16.5 points.  a bunch of points.  however, the game is in duckland, home of the true 12th man.  insanity reigns.  probably rain as well.  cold weather too.  take the ducks to win and cover.  QUACK QUACK!!!!       

11/14  washington at oregon st.  oregon st favored by 11.  the sleeper game of the week.  this one will be a good one folks.  if you can watch this one don’t miss it.  the brothers rodgers(i spelled it right this time) are amazing at best.  oregon st is proof that the pac 10 is THE CONFERENCE THIS YEAR.  count on it.  take oregon st to more than likely win and cover the spread.  though i don’t think that’s an option in places like nevada.  oregon st wins and covers.

11/14  alabama at mississippi st.  bama favored by 13.  tell you what, i don’t think they can score 13 points in 4 quarters two weeks in a row.  the question being, can they hold the lads of state to no points or say, 3?  i love bama but i ain’t feeling them here.  take mississippi st to cover the spread.

11/14  texas tech at oklahoma st.  oklahoma st favored by 3.5 points.  my semi alma mater wins or covers the spread.  take texas tech and be sure to visit: the vietnam center and archive at http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/  happy veterans day!!

there you go, kids another week of picks coming to you on a wing and a prayer.  leave your money where it belongs, in your wife’s purse.  and nobody gets hurt.  enjoy the games.

jmh

2009 college football predictions week 10

an interesting week of college ball last weekend.  interesting to say the least.  i started out very well in the morning games but by the time the afternoon and evening rolled around i was semi tanking it.  bottom line i went 5 for 10 last week.  my overall is 44 for 80 having taken week 6 off.  still somewhat over 50% but nothing to send up any fireworks about.

just remember this is for fun and taking anything i deal out here to any of the boys who will take your money would be insane to say the least.  leave your wallet alone and nobody gets hurt.

i’m a day or two early this week due to stuff i have to take care of the next couple of days.  due to my being early, some of the odds haven’t been posted so i’m just dealing with what i have now.  i picked these games before i went looking for the odds.  be that as it may.

rock ‘n’ roll.

11/7  connecticut at cincinnati.  a toss up.  should be a good game and it’s an early one.  take cincinnati to win this one.

11/7  wake forest at georgia tech.  georgia tech favored by 15 points.  wake forest is playing well but not well enough to win or get inside the 15 points on tech’s turf.  take georgia tech to win or cover the spread.

11/7  navy at notre dame.  a toss up.  one of the better teams the golden domers play this year.  the irish are playing somewhat better but i still don’t like them.  take navy to win.

11/7 lsu at alabama.  alabama favored by 9 points.  hopefully, with bamas week off they went out and found some offense because they are probably going to need some to win this game.  the same could be said for lsu as well.  a low scoring defensive yawn fest?  i hope i’m wrong.  take bama to win and cover.  ROLL TIDE!!!

11/7  oklahoma at nebraska.  oklahoma favored by 6.  perhaps a good game.  take the sooners to win or cover the spread.

11/7  ohio st at penn st.  penn st favored by 3.5 points.  almost a toss up here but i suspect the buckeyes will roll over joe pa and his boys.  take ohio st to win.

11/7  oregon st at california.  california favored by 7 points.  i don’t see the bears defense doing any better than usc’s defense at stopping the beaver’s running game.  a very solid running game.  take oregon st to cover the spread and maybe win.

11/7  washington at ucla.  ucla favored by 4 points.  the bruins are lucky to be favored here.  though they did play fairly well against oregon st last week.  i’m feeling the huskies this week.  take them to cover or win.

11/7  oregon at stanford.  oregon favored by 5 points.  coming off the waxing of the trojans the ducks should be on a pretty nice high.  though stanford can win and might.  though i don’t see it.  on a side note, i was a duck fan before i was a trojan fan.  i’ve bled duck yellow and green since 1958.  they’ve made a fine comeback since the first game of the season and that disappointing loss to boise st.  they looked terrible.  not unlike the trojans last week.  they should stay on track and maybe run the rest of the table this year.  only to be messed with at the end of the year by the bcs and given some lame bowl game.  time will tell.  there is talk that blount will be allowed to play again this year.  oofa.  dumb idea and and stupid at best.  there is no excuse for what he did at the end of the boise game.  thug behavior does not belong in sports.  period.  allowing him to return this year is a mistake and sends a message to other lame brains that they can get away with stuff and be allowed back if they say the right things to the right people.  and that further reinforces the big money angle of college ball.  off the soapbox and my pick.  the ducks cover and win.  QUACK QUACK!!!!

11/7  usc at arizona st.  usc favord by 11.5 points.  a very poorly played game last week by the men of troy.  special teams set the tone for the defense on the opening kickoff.  in other words, what defense?  losing your defensive coordinator and half of the remaining guys to washington turns out not to have been a very good decision on usc’s part.  vanity?  insanity?  i don’t know.  i do know that coach pete didn’t have the deer in the headlights look he usually has when they lose.  it was like he was seeing the writing on the wall.  the writing that says he might come back next year and try to run the table once more with a bunch of seniors and a qb with a year under his belt.  or he may not.  my money is on one more year for pete.  then it’s back to the pros and another shot there.  bottom line is there are only so many good coaches in college football.  losing a bunch of them from one team means a ticking time bomb.  one that  finally went off last weekend.  i hope they recover from the blast but i don’t know.  a thumping of the sun devils is in order this week, coach pete.  let’s see if you can make it happen.  yeah, take usc to win and they bloody well better cover the spread.  FIGHT ON!!!

there you go.  some interesting games with one more month of college football left.  enjoy it while it lasts. 

jmh

2009 college football predictions week 9

another disappointing week last time around.  a semi dismal 4 for 10.  although i’m still over 50% overall with, 39 for 70, having missed week 6.  what does all this mean?  it means don’t listen to me and if you do you’re pretty stupid and deserve to lose your rent and or car payment money.  enough said.  it also means i can’t get the spell check to work anywhere so it is what it is.

rock ‘n’ roll.

10/30  w. virgina at s. florida.  w. virgina favored by 3.5 points.  i haven’t picked a wek day game in a few weeks so i figure i may as well go for this one as it is more or less toss up.  and it’s friday night.  what could be better?  take s. florida to win or get inside the spread.

10/31  cincinnati at syracuse.  cincinnati favored by 15 points.  a good way to start off the weenie day festivities.  take cincinnati to cover and win.

10/31  new mexico st at ohio st.  ohio st favored by 40 points.  just what new mexico st is doing at ohio st this time of year is perplexing at best.  but then it’s the brave new world order of college football.  oofa.  regardless, i think 40 points is too many.  take new mexico st to get inside that 40 point spread.   

10/31  indiana at iowa.  iowa favored by 17 points.  iowa continues it’s roll.  take the hawkeyes to win and cover.

10/31  mississippi at auburn.  ole miss favored by 4 points.  interesting, what?  i’m taking auburn to win or at least cover the spread.

10/31  calfornia at arizona st.  california favored by 7 points.  the pac 10 down the home stretch.  the bears seasonal ‘el foldo’ looms large.  take the sun devils to win or cover. 

10/31  georgia at florida.  florida favored by 16 points.  take georgia to win or get inside the points.

10/31  utah st at fresno st.  fresno st favored by 17 points.  my wac game of the week.  fresno st wins and or covers.

10/31  kansas st at oklahoma.  oklahoma favored by 26 points.  take the sooners and take them to win and cover.

10/31  usc at oregon.  usc favored by 4 points.  my two all time favorite teams in the match up of the weekend and maybe the year.  the rose bowl looms large in this one kids.  the usual duck home crowd craziness will be for sure ramped up to insane levels.  over the top and in your face.  and there lies the rub in my opinion.  i noticed some of the crappy play and penalties of the boise st game game from the ducks last week.  yes, the won but it looked sloppy and unorganized.  and if they can’t control the jazz at home against the trojans then they are in trouble.  sure, the trojans didn’t play all that well against the beavers last week.  the beavers got game.  this one is for the ages and a nailbiter.  the trojans are on a mission.  take them to win and cover.

there ya go.  halloween weekend picks.  leave your wallet in your pocket and nobody gets hurt.  enjoy the games and the parties.  be safe and don’t get stupid.

jmh     

the strange case of the bcs

i’ve been messing with this one for a few days now.  i’m angry.  not at what i’ve written, even though it might be hard to follow.  but then what else is new as far as my stuff goes?  no, i’m angry at college football, tv networks, congress and just about everyone else as well.    

the years first bcs computerized nonsense poll came out last weekend after the games.  we get another one after the games this week and after every other one until the season is over.  those of you that follow and love college football have many reasons to dislike the bcs poll on numerous levels.  me too.  especially after seeing boise st and cincinnati crouching just under the radar for a shot at the national championship game.  a shot i’m not real happy about.  but then i’m old and old school.

however, with my frazzled synapses and mis-firing neurons i’d forgotten all about what went down after last season or maybe even earlier.  i haven’t a clue as to an exact date.  a very sad state of affairs in both cases.  several schools, most notably utah and boise st, got the hairballs in washington dc to hold hearings on the seemingly unfair deal that is the bcs and their big money games at the end of the year.  sen orrin hatch, was the most visible and he yammered about fairness and other such dumbness.

dumbness, like giving a third tier school, such as boise st, a shot at the national title game if they went 12 and oh.  our wonderful government has nothing better to do than stick it’s collective nose into places it has no business.  college football being one of those premiere areas.  though our esteemed leader has said he’d like to see a playoff in college football.  hopefully, he will keep his and congresses nose out of the deal.  the bcs is bad enough right now without further meddling by those lame bozos.

their meddling, so far, has turned the best sport in the nation into a coed t-ball league for cry baby 5 year olds.  a league where even if you play the likes of say, u c davis or southeastern st university of chicken pluckers, and beat them.  why, by golly, you can play in the national championship game.  you went 12 and oh with your patsy schedule of third and fourth tier cupcake schools.  well done.  oofa.  

i’m sorry.  i don’t want to see it.  at all.  you can have your t-ball for whinny third tier school athletic directors and their ilk.  i don’t want to see watered down college football games.  games where everybody must play.  games where nobody really wins.  games where there are no winners. just losers like us.  

you say, ‘but, john, that isn’t happening and won’t happen.’  yeah, right.  just give them a little more time.  a little more whining.  then just wait and see.  because you can soon count on some women’s college field hockey team playing boise st, in the beloved rose bowl, for the national championship of college football.

ridiculous you say?  why he’s been at the absolut trough again.  no kids, not yet, any the ways.  i just don’t appreciate diluted college football games.  diluted to the point of political correct parity.  diluted so even, the university of middle state teachers and boys choir affiliates, gets a shot at a bowl game at the end of the college football money rainbow.  god, the horror.

sadly, i’m beginning to lose interest in college football.  oh, i’ll stick around for awhile.  but in the not so distant future i see myself voting with my feet and walking away from the game.  politicians making changes they have no business making.  there’s just too much excess money out there.  and that money along with dumb ass politicians and stupid college officials is ruining the game i used to love so very much.  it’s a part of brave new world?  no thanks.  you can have it.

so just what have the hairballs in dc done?  they got just who the hell ever of the bcs hairballs to adjust their computers to look favorably upon third tier schools ala boise st.  in all fairness, cincinnati is probably a second tier school as they have a very good medical school on the campus.  they just ain’t harvard or yale and just as well as those guys can’t compete either.

the point being, boise st, a third tier school has diddly for academics and can recruit kids that can play but then said kids are morons who could never get into an sec, big 10 or pac 10 school.  which doesn’t matter much in the academic sense.  not that the kids from michigan or usc go to class all that much.  it’s a fine line to be sure.  a line that for the sake of decent college football games that shouldn’t be crossed.  at least not while i’m still alive.  thank you.  point?  computers tweaked to nullify strength of schedule.

so just why are boise st and the bear cats sitting above usc in the bcs poll?  the sad reply from the masses is: usc lost a game and the other two haven’t.  they are undefeated.  fine.  ok, pilgrim, riddle me this: if usc were to play boise st this saturday, at boise, who would be the vegas favorite?  vegas cares only about the money.  their money.  the simple answer would be, usc.  probably by at least 14 points.  trust me, i’m sure that would be the case.  so why then is boise st and cincinnati ranked higher than usc?

yeah, i’m a usc homer and a pac 10 honk.  doesn’t matter in this regard.  he political correct crowd bought off by somebody or another to water down the game into a 5 year old coed t-ball league.  jesus.

this has been like all over the place and i suppose, maybe and hopefully, you can see my passion here.  and my point.  we are destroying a game, the only game left, that used to have some sort of meaning and purpose.  a meaning and purpose that is being watered down into nothingness.

count on this as well, a playoff mandated or brokered by the hairballs in washington, dc would be just as bad.  you would have to be certifiably insane to think otherwise.

jmh

2009 college football predictions week 8

back at it again for another round of college football insanity.  last week i went 7 for 10 and just missed doing considerably better by a point or two in a few games.  we are at way past the half way point in the season and i’m 35 for 60.  not too shabby.  remember i missed week six as i was on a road trip. 

these picks are for fun only and using any info here to actually bet on any of these games would be very very stupid on your part.  leave your wallet in your pocket and things will be just fine.

rock ‘n’ roll.

10/24  arkansas at mississippi.  mississippi favored by 5.5 points.  i’m thinking the only reason the razorbacks aren’t favored is it’s a home game for ole miss and the boys can’t believe their eyes as far as arkansas goes the past few games.  the game is not a gift like last week’s game but arkansas will win or cover the spread. 

10/24  oregon at washington.  oregon favored by 8 points.  the road back continues for the ducks.  putting on my pac 10 homer hat and predicting the ducks win and cover.  GO DUCKS!!  QUACK QUACK!! 

10/24  penn st at michigan.  penn st favored by 4.5 points.  i just can’t buy in to joe pa and the boys this year.  they lose again.  take michigan to win or cover.

10/24  iowa at michigan st.  a toss up at this point in the week.  iowa is another school that just can’t get any respect this year from the mainstream folks.  however, they have been here.  take iowa to win.    

10/24  tcu at byu.  byu favored by 2 points.  as good as tcu looked last week against boise st i’m still taking byu to win and cover.

10/24  florida at mississippi st.  florida favored by 22 points.  florida didn’t cover last week and i don’t think they will again this week.  take mississippi st to cover the spread.

10/24  texas at missouri.  texas favored by 14 points.  take missouri because they will get inside those 14 points.

10/24  oregon st at usc.  usc favored by 20.5 points.  usc didn’t cover last week against the hapless golden domers.  usc lost to oregon st last year.  oregon st still has the brothers rogers running wild.  a very hard pair to deal with.  hopefully, coach pete has figured them out.  a tough call, take usc to win and cover.  FIGHT ON!!!

10/24  boston college at notre dame.  notre dame favored by 8 points.  the two biggest catholic schools in the country duke it out.  the golden domers gave it their all last week and came up short against usc.  though they did amazingly enough cover the spread.  that not with standing take boston college to cover the spread and probably win.

10/24  boise st at hawaii.  boise st favored by 25 points.  boise st did not cover the spread last week against tcu.  they won’t cover again this week as well.  take hawaii to get inside the 25.

there you have my picks for week number 8.  the season will be over before you know it.  and the jones for college football will be back by february at the latest.  enjoy the games and don’t get stupid. 

if you like reading my take on college football stay tuned to this spot as i will have another college football blog up at the end of the week.  one you won’t want to miss. 

jmh