After eight weekends away from home, I just can’t get up to see the struggling Hokies host Cal this Friday night. That, combined with last week’s raucous two game run, demands some downtime. This weekend I will sleep in my own bed and watch the games on TV. Compared to last week, this week’s slate of games is a bit weak. Oddly enough though, a week of uninspiring matchups often ends up being top notch.
Ballin’ State
The full review won’t be out for awhile, but suffice it to say, the Ball State Homecoming rose to the occasion. On Friday night, the 9 O’ Clock club devolved into a full blown argument about what time to arrive at the tailgate lot in Muncie. Some hurt feelings from the evening’s Texas Hold’em game combined with the late hour (midnight) may have contributed to the emotional level. Ultimately we were swayed by the argument of the locals that it was Ball State and we could just roll in whenever we wanted.
It was the wrong call. We sat in line for a good 45 minutes waiting to get into the lot. Our frustration level got higher when they wouldn’t accept our prepaid passes for the Tailgate Town lot. Grudgingly, we forked over additional cash. (To Ball State’s credit – post the game, they agreed we were in the right lot and parking attendant had botched it – refund pending). Once we parked, all frustration evaporated when we discovered this lot was jumping more than a pack of Pentecostal snake handlers.
The lowlight / highlight of the tailgate were the drunken brawls that sprang to life in a vortex of students and townies. We were more amused than alarmed to see a guy get tossed into our tailgate, sending the grill, table and chairs airborne. Like most drunken fights, this was more aggressive stumbling rather than serious injury. We laughed it off as the police broke it up after the tykes had sufficiently tired themselves out.
We strolled over to stadium where we watched a decent game until the impending thunderstorms halted the game. My boys bailed at the first sign of light raindrops. I, at least, stayed until Ball State proved to be the better team. By the time we were back in Indianapolis, play had resumed and Ball State had thankfully salted away the win with no (missed) drama.
Observations from last week:
- Down goes Miami, Memphis, Texas Tech, UNLV and Ole Miss. It’s hard to go undefeated.
- Still undefeated? Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M, Navy, Georgia Tech and BYU
- They say there are no moral victories, but UMass has to feel good about a 28-21 loss to Buffalo
- Remember when Fla State beat Bama in the opener? With four straight ACC losses, the wheels have officially fallen off. Oddly enough, they could win out given remaining games against Wake, Clemson, Va Tech, NC State and Florida.
The Picks
Last Week’s Picks
My first 3 – 1 week. My parlay lasted all the way to the PSU – Iowa game.
- Georgia Tech had no problem with Duke. Rambling Wreck rolling.
- It was dicey for awhile, but Ball State started to roll in the second half and the Zips could not hang.
- Oregon over Rutgers was the 9 O’ Clock club lock of the week and it hit easily.
- Just when I need PSU to tank, they rise up and play Iowa tough.
This Week’s Picks
- Speaking TBD wheels falling off, UNC has lost three straight. Don’t look for that to change with UVA coming to town. Nerd on nerd violence coming to Chapel Hill.
- I know it is a rivalry game, but Kansas looked much better than K-State when we made our pilgrimage to the Sunflower State. Rock Chalk Jayhawk.
- I saw some talking heads previewing the Tenn-Kentucky game earlier this week. The one guy kept extolling the virtues of the Kentucky defense. Yes, the defense that gave up 30 or more points for three straight weekends before the very average Texas offense came to town. Take the Volunteers.
- I don’t love my BYU pick because Iowa State is so Jekyll and Hyde. I am counting on the maturity of the 26 year-old post mission Mormons at BYU to take care of business.
Other Observations for this week:
- Everyone says that UCLA is a team you do not want to play right now. The Hoosiers will end that cute narrative.
- This is the first weekend that I will actually be able to watch ESPN Game Day in full. They are in Nashville for Missouri – Vanderbilt. Vandy looks to be our final stadium so I will be taking notes on the Commodore experience.
- Texas A&M at LSU should be a dandy. Although a relatively young rivalry, it is one of the better ones. The easy drive for the Aggie faithful combined with a chance to party in the Bayou will generate an electric environment.
- The game that you’d like to see on TV but isn’t – Western Michigan is at Miami (O) in battle of MAC unbeatens. It wouldn’t make my main TV, but it would certainly qualify for one of the side ones. It is on ESPN+ and some times those games show up on my service. If it does, the MAC will get a coveted 3:30 spot in the So Many Stadiums nerve center.
Enjoy the games and the fall weather.
Tree