Division III obviously doesn’t count when you are trying to get to all the FBS stadiums. However, I am an adjunct faculty member at Christopher Newport and I do like to support the school when I can. This week they play on a Friday night which is perfect for me. It is an added bonus that they are on a four game winning streak. I have even decided to tailgate although right now I have no one joining me. Hopefully that changes by week’s end. It is a six p.m. kickoff, but the lots open at 1pm!?! It will be interesting to see what kind of numbers they get when the Captains host the Lions of the College of New Jersey.
Last Week: An easy FBS transition
I stayed local (relatively), and was at James Madison last week. The review will come out later, but the Reader’s Digest version is clear. JMU, with a fervent fan base, solid tailgating, and nice stadium, made for an easy jump to the FBS. The Dukes experience is right up there with those of the well established Group of Five conferences like Conference USA and the MAC. It will get a strong review.
Observations from a crazy week.
- It was shaky, but Indiana gets to 10-0 for the first time in team history. Whew, Hoosier daddy?
- The Miami Hurricanes had been playing on borrowed time and it came back to bite them against Georgia Tech. The ACC is lucky to have an automatic playoff bid. I am not sure anyone other than the conference champ gets into the playoffs.
- The SEC is not in the same kind of trouble, but they may lose a bid if they keep knocking each other off. The Big Ten may gobble up one of the SEC spots which will cause most of the South to go off on an apoplectic rage.
- Don’t look now, but Colorado is in the driver’s seat to get the Big 12 playoff bid.
The Picks
Week 11 Results
Reverting to the mean with a disastrous 1 -3 weekend. It’s broke and I need to fix it.
- I felt so confident with Iowa State against Kansas, but the Cyclones were out of that game early.
- How in the world does Georgia get smacked around by Ole Miss? Apparently the Rebels are much better than I thought. It was not a guaranteed five star lock after all.
- JMU was the only game I won and it was actually disappointing because I was at the game. The Dukes were in charge from start to finish and there was not much worth watching after the first quarter.
- It was the line that killed me in the Oregon game. The Beavers were all over the Terps, but I still came up 3 points short.
Week 12 Picks
Oye, the lines this week are brutal. Given my terrible performance to date, I feel like I should find a dart throwing chimpanzee to make my picks. Surely, he can’t do worse. In any case, here’s my latest batch of losers.
- I don’t like betting a game where the starting QB is in question, that’s why I stayed away from Clemson – Pitt. However, I am betting on Tennessee’s QB, Nico Iamaleava will play and the 8.5 points will be enough.
- I know Jax State’s band will win Saturday. Hopefully the Gamecocks do the same against FIU.
- Washington State has quietly run up a nice record. New Mexico is improved, but they are still New Mexico.
- Another big spread, but I look for the Ducks to run it up against Wisconsin. Hopefully, the night game means the Badger faithful will have drunk themselves into a stupor from morning bloody mary’s to afternoon old-fashioned’s. Of course, no one rallies like a Wisconsin Mom.
Let’s be honest, this week is a lot like the Tyson-Paul last night. You want to be excited, but you know it is likely to be a big disappointment in the end. Some reasonably attractive games, but no one would blame you if spent the afternoon raking leaves.
- If Pitt’s QB plays, their game against Clemson might be interesting. If not, it may be like the actual Tyson-Paul fight.
- LSU vs Florida would normally be must see. Now, eh, those leaves won’t rake themselves.
- Penn State is favored by about a million against Purdue. That looks like one that will be relegated to over the bar viewing in my man cave as part of a 4 game multi-view.
- Last week I mentioned what a terrible game 1-7 Kennesaw State play 1-7 UTEP was. Well, that game went to OT last week. So, given this week’s slate, why not fire up the ESPN+ to see 2-7 FAU play 2-7 Temple. It may be the best game of the week.
That’s all I got. Enjoy the games or not…
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