Double the Games in Double Time

It isn’t easy to pick up two games in one day. I have done it before – three times. The first was a USC and UCLA double with 12:30 and 7:30 starts. That’s a big window that allowed me to catch the game day experience at both sites. Other times, either distance (Tennessee and Clemson) or game times (La Tech and La Monroe) made me hustle to catch both games. This weekend will definitely short change the experience at one or both of the schools. Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan are about two hours apart with a start time of noon and 3:30 is not ideal. What it means that I will likely leave Eastern Michigan around half time. My rule is that I must see at least a half of each game. EMU is a 10 point favorite so hopefully they are far ahead by then. Barring any traffic issues, I should make it to Western Michigan right after kickoff. I won’t get to see the tailgating, but I should be able to get most, if not all of the game, in.

I don’t like short changing any school, but neither of these programs are marquee. I have also been following these three Michigan schools for years, looking for an ideal time frame to pick up two games. Since they are in the MAC, Thursday and Friday games are highly unlikely. I did not want to make three more trips to Michigan nor did I want to spend nearly a week hanging out there. With that, I am making the grand compromise and sacrificing a bit on EMU and WMU. On the other hand, I am still going to have to come back to pick up Central Michigan. So, there’s that.

Last Week: A new way to watch, same results

After spending a summer without local affiliates thanks to Directv, I switched to You Tube TV. It appears I am getting mostly the same games as before and they have a nice four game viewing feature. They select the four games, but they put together three or four different options. Obviously, it would be better if the viewer could make the selections. I am guessing that will come some time down the road. The one thing I definitely didn’t like was that the ESPN version of OU – Texas they showed was the McAfee Show Broadcast. Ugh.

My picks this week were not great. The Red River Shootout was great to watch. However, with OU getting 6.5 points, when it was clear the game was coming down to the wire, I had that sinking realization that there’s no way Texas would cover. Iowa, on the other hand, seemed destined to beat Purdue and thankfully they did. Akron did me no favors and they certainly weren’t the best 1-4 team in the country. Oregon State scored in bunches against Cal and that win put me at 500 for the weekend. It wasn’t great, but at least it wasn’t negative.

Other observations from Week 6

• I got to watch most of ESPN’s Game Day this weekend. Still the best show kickoff show but it can feel a bit long. I do like the field goal contest they have started this year. Watching the kid from OU just miss the 30 yard field goal was heartbreaking.
• Louisville seized the opportunity with the big win over Notre Dame. Kentucky, Mizzou and Maryland – not so much.
• Alabama is sloppy, that’s the only way to describe their play.
• Miami’s black “Lite Brite” uniforms are pretty awful, but not taking a knee to pick up the win was far worse.

Week 6 Picks later this week.

As I mentioned, I really need Eastern Michigan to take care of business against Kent State. I hate to leave a close game. I could have gone with an emotional hedge. Instead, it is ride or die with the Eagles. I haven’t watched much (read any) of Rutgers’ games, but I have seen some of Sparty. Scarlet Knights should cover. Picking Troy over Army is all about the Sun Belt conference. That conference generally holds its own against other smaller conferences and independents. I am counting on the Black Knights getting tired late in that one. The Western Michigan pick is really wishful thinking. After all the driving we are going to have to do on Saturday, it would be nice if the Broncos gave the Red Hawks a game.