Headed up the road to catch the opening round of NCAA Division III playoffs last week. Despite being heavy underdogs, the CNU Captains kept it close against the Randolph Macon Yellow Jackets. It came down to an outstanding onside kick by the Captains kicker that just barely went past a CNU defender. With the Randolph Macon recovery, the Captains fate was sealed.

The atmosphere was great with a capacity crowd inside a small, but very nicely designed field. You could do a lot worse when it comes to seeing a game at Randolph Macon. I had the added benefit of connecting with one of my old college coaches, Tripp Billingsley. It is always good to refresh the Hurst connection. Not sure if I will be going anywhere this weekend. After being on the road for most of autumn, I defer to the boss on if and where I can go.

Last Week’s Picks: Bounce Back

If only Iowa could have scored two more points against Illinois and I would have hit all four games and my parlay. It is my fault to think the tepid Iowa offense could score more than fifteen points. Everything else fell into place, although both Texas and Washington came down to the wire. I was feeling bad about my picks this year, but then I saw ESPN’s expert prognosticator Stanford Steve on Game Day. Their picker is a woeful 18-28-2. I, on the other hand, am one game above 0.500 with one week to go. But like Ted Williams, I like the pressure and wouldn’t dream of not making picks this week, average be damned.

Other observations from Week 12

• It appears I was wrong on both counts when it came to the JMU game. First, the ESPN Game Day broadcast was nuts with one of the largest crowds ever. Way to represent JMU fans. They were also rewarded with a great game, although I am sure they would have preferred the Dukes had beaten App State.
• I did, however, get the New Mexico State upset of Auburn right. The Tigers paid the Aggies $1.85 million for the privilege of getting smacked around for 60 minutes. How’d that cupcake taste?
• Arizona is the real deal. They beat a good Utah team like a red-headed stepchild last weekend.
• I believe this year’s playoff selection is going to be more controversial than ever. It will be an exclamation point on why the 12 team playoff bracket is a much better option.

Week 13 Picks

Got my picks in late this week. I decided to ride mostly favorites, despite the perils of Rivalry Week. I know it is a risk to take an ACC team over an SEC team, but I think Louisville can handle Kentucky. Kansas should not have any problems with Cincinnati. And while ASU vs Arizona is a rivalry game, I think these are two teams going in different directions. The Wildcats should exact some measure of revenge against the Sun Devils. In the big game of the weekend, I think the Wolverines will finally miss having their head coach on the sidelines. I like the Buckeyes in an upset.

Other thoughts on Week 13

• I am pulling for New Mexico State in their game against Jacksonville State. It would be ironic though for them to lose to a first year FBS team in the Gamecocks.
• Regardless of how they do against Illinois, it is impressive that Northwestern is bowl eligible considering the way their season started with the hazing incident, coach firings, etc.
• The Washington Huskies may be in trouble. They have WSU this weekend and then most likely Oregon in the PAC 12 championship game. That will be a couple of tough games.
• Some bad games this weekend unfortunately. One hopes that the 2-9 UConn versus 3-8 UMass game gets some rivalry spice to make that game interesting. Otherwise, it will be a tough game to watch.

A reminder that rivalry week is coming right up. Get yourself ready by picking up some of our Insult gear. We are adding new mugs and shirts daily so swing on over to the store and start your Christmas shopping early. And, if you don’t see your team represented, drop us a line and we will get right on it.