Playoffs Greater Than Game Day

The plan was to chill out on the couch last weekend, and I was successful. It was a pretty good weekend of games but not awesome. Still a little flummoxed at times with YouTube TV’s multigame selections, but I am getting better at manipulating the system. This week we are back at it, skipping a way overpriced JMU game (ESPN Game Day – been there, done that), bypassing my local team, W&M, and going up the road to see the CNU play Randolph Macon in the first round of DIII playoffs.

Last Week’s Picks: Reverting to the Mean

A brutal week for me with my picks. This is just some of the carnage I suffered. It started badly and got worse. I was betting on underdogs showing up, but most were MIA. Franklin may be a great recruiter, but in big games, PSU just fades away. Georgia Tech kept turning the ball over and Clemson made them pay. Rice was too slow against UTSA. My only savior was the lowly Bearkats who grabbed a dominating outright win.

Other observations from Week 11

• The one thing I was right on was dropping my pick of Ok State. The Pokes have a habit of letting down after big wins. They were out of the UCF game halfway through the first quarter
• Mac Brown and UNC manage to recover from a terrible call. He did full blitz with forty seconds left and watched helpless as the Tarheel DB got smoked for a late TD. I like being aggressive, but that was a dumb call. A nice last minute field and great OT play saved the UNC win against Duke.
• Mizzou is pretty good. That is the kind of team I would like to see sneak into a 12 team playoff.
• Congrats to Marshall and my cousin for snapping their four game losing streak, upsetting Georgia Southern. And, I just don’t know about Virginia Tech. When the Hokies are on, whew boy, they look good. But when they are bad – yuck. I would have never picked them to blow out Boston College.

Week 12 Picks

When you fall off the horse, you have to get right back on. Last week I was chasing the spread. This week we are going to be a bit more conservative. I can’t legally bet on Va teams, and no one is offering up CNU versus Randolph Macon anyway so I won’t be betting the game I am at. I like Northwestern at home against Purdue. I think the Wildcats have enough heart to pull it out. It will probably bite me, but I can’t see Iowa losing at home against the Illini. Likewise, Texas should take care of business against Iowa State. In one of the bigger games this weekend, I like the Huskies against the Beavers of Oregon State. If I was in Corvallis, I’d probably be pulling for the Beavers, but since I will watch it from the couch, I will go with the Huskies.

Random Thoughts: Week 12

• If I could, I would have bet on N.C. State against Virginia Tech. It would be a nice emotional hedge game for me. I am pulling for the Hokies to get to a bowl game.
• New Mexico State was another attractive game with them getting 24 points against Auburn. As mentioned, that strategy didn’t work for me last week so I am holding off on that one.
• I saw where the NCAA say “no” to JMU’s request for an exception. The NCAA two-year post season ban is intended to ensure schools are properly evaluating their long-term sustainability in the subdivision. Not quite sure how having a team good enough to play in a bowl demonstrates an improper evaluation of their long-term sustainability. On the contrary, you’d think a program that has two wins like Sam Houston State are the ones that may not have properly evaluated their long-term sustainability. No one is considering the Bearkats for the post season with or without the ban. Once again, the NCAA shows the strategic bent of an academic institution rather than that of a for-profit business. Add it to the list of woeful initiatives: poor playoff structure, the NIL process, conference realignment and now this.
• The game I wouldn’t want to be at this weekend: 1-9 Kent State at 3-7 Ball State. That could ruin a perfectly nice autumn afternoon.

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.