Whew, first break of the season. Since going to the NDSU game, I have been home for four full days out of twenty-six. Oof, it feels like audit season (CPA’s will get that). It’s not that I am complaining. As my wife says: “You make the schedule.”
The travel has been interesting. It has been north (NDSU), west (UW), southwest (New Mexico) and Great Lakes (Mercyhurst). No major travel snafu’s so far. The closest game I saw was the Apple Cup, where the Huskies let the Coogs hang around. But even with that game, a Washington win never seemed to be at risk.
From that perspective, I hope the games get a bit better. I can’t complain about the locales though. One of the nice things about this journey is seeing much of the U.S. Ocean, deserts and mountains have all been checked off in less than a month. From the world’s largest Buffalo statue, a pit of woolly mammoth bones, and some cool butter sculptures, it has been an eclectic mix.
The rest, however, is much appreciated. I need to refuel for the next five stadiums.
The Mercyhurst Centennial
The Sisters of Mercy founded Mercyhurst in 1926. Created to provide higher education and empowerment for the young women of Erie, Pennsylvania, it sits on a hill overlooking the lake. It was a beautifully bucolic campus, until forty years later when the sisters admitted the first men on campus. It all went to hell after that according to Sister Damien. I made that up, but if that was the case, Sister D. would not have sugar-coated it.
The Hurst added football in 1981. I still have a cheer towel from that initial season. The Lakers started as DIII and by last year had progressed to D1 FCS. Back in the day, they played off campus in Erie’s Veteran Stadium until they were forced, err, moved to campus, quickly building Saxon Stadium. (Fact only interesting to me, benefactor John Saxon was my roommate for my freshman year of football camp.)
Overall, we had a great time at the Hurst. The review will get added later, but here are some brief thoughts.
- The Hurst campus truly is a gem. A leafy enclave with a cohesive design, it is a joy to walk. That is, until November, when it gets covered with a foot of snow for at least four months.
- Tailgating is allowed in all three parking lots and it is free. I, however, scored a parking pass to the Gridiron Club right in front of the stadium. It is a fantastic spot to tailgate, but is only available to members of the club. The club costs $200 so most visitors are going to pass on that.
- Saxon Stadium is small, but well done. Framed by buildings and some small hills (which didn’t feel that small when we ran them at practice), it’s an attractively cozy stadium with very good sight lines.
- The Lakers won 49-20, with the game pretty much over at halftime. Full credit to the Glenville State Pioneers as they played hard the entire game.
Who do I like?
This Week
It is getting harder to blame my poor results on a lack of game data, but with so many cupcake games it hasn’t been easy. However, I think I am starting to get a bead on a few teams.
- Northwestern hanging 41 on Colorado was a nice win, but it probably woke Indiana up. The Hoosiers won’t be treating the Wildcats lightly now. Cignetti will have them ready to make a point
- I am drinking the UMass Kool-Aid. Admittedly, the Minutemen schedule has been softer then Syracuse’s admission policy, but I think they will handle FBS newbie, Sacarmento State.
- Penn State and Wisconsin appear to be programs moving in different directions. I like Penn State to win big against the Badgers.
- Shane Beamer always seems to have the Gamecocks ready to go, especially for big SEC foes. They might not win, but I like South Carolina to cover against Alabama.
Other thoughts for this week:
- ESPN’s Game Day broadcast is at Tennessee this week, as the Volunteers host the Longhorns. The vibe is great, but do we really need to see Texas fans two weeks in a row? A better environment would have been to go from Oxford to Starkville to see Mississippi State host Missouri. For my money, Starkvegas is more fun than the Grove.
- There’s really not a big marquee game this weekend, but a lot of interesting top 25 matchups. Iowa vs Michigan, Texas A&M at LSU are attractive games. I also like Oregon at USC. Lots of pressure on the Ducks.
- I really wanted to bet on University of New Mexico covering (-11.5) against New Mexico State but rivalry games always make me nervous.
- Tickets for Howard vs Rutgers are going for $8 right now. However, Tulane hosts Southern Mississippi at 7pm for the same price. I’d head to the Big Easy if I had a choice. It’s sill a bit warm but Tulane is an easy spot to tailgate and watch a game.
Last Week
Another consistently average performance from me at 2 -2. I am still waiting for a breakout week. For now, I will settle for not having a major breakdown.
- Pitt looks good. Maybe not great, but they look good enough that they can contend in the ACC.
- The Houston game was one where I found myself in the odd position of hoping the Cougars could get the game to OT. Then, push the game to a second OT where Texas Tech has the ball first, gets eight points and hold Houston scoreless. This way the Red Raiders cover the 7.5 spread and I win. Ahh, the wild speculation and “what-if’s” of gambling.
- I classify Virginia Tech the same as Pitt. They may not be playoff bound, but they could make it interesting.
- So much for New Mexico getting their come-uppeance against Oklahoma. The Lobos acquitted themselves well, on the road, against a bigger and richer program. Not that it helped me with my wagering.
Some other random thoughts on last week.
- Still too much Pat McAfee on Game Day. A little of him goes a long way. Meanwhile, College Football Final is growing on me. It might be a fungus though. Only time will tell.
- Who in their right mind thought Kent State vs Ohio State was the game to play in London? The Brits already have enough to be mad about. Why give them this dreck to watch?
- It was very satisfying to see LSU lose to Ole Miss. Sometimes the football universe does get it right.
- Spare some sympathy for the NC State QB that fumbled away the win against Vanderbilt. They may get NIL money, but they are still basically kids.
Tree