Vindy's Picks Week 6-2007

REVISED CITIZENSHIP TEST INCLUDES FOOTBALL

WASHINGTON, District of Columbia (Reuters)....Want to be part of "We, the People...", then "know the pigskin" say administrators of the latest U.S. citizenship exam. Under fire for test questions that are reportedly "too easy" or "irrelevant", the Department of Homeland Security altered the exam to include facets of popular American sports culture. Citizen-wannabes now have to "tackle" such questions as "How many games make up the BCS Bowls?", "Name an SEC team." and "What actor led the inmates to a gridiron victory over the guards in the movie "The Longest Yard"? Applicants can also score extra points for correctly answering such trivia as , "In what city does Duke play its home games?"and "If you get thrown under ‘The Bus’, what former Steeler runs you over?" (Answers later in this forecast).

Vindicator’s still in the red, but crawling back toward the black after Week Five’s 11-9-1 (44-48-2, .478)...and let’s face it, test questions about United States political history just aren’t as exciting as the ones that will be asked about...

THE WEBER KID’S 2007 WEEK 6 FORECAST

THURS. OCT. 4
#8 Kentucky over #11 SOUTH CAROLINA taking 3 1/2: ‘Cats hot enough to generate steam on the polar cap. Though SC is the more battle-tested of the two, the Poultry didn’t put Mississippi State away until the 4th Quarter. Kentucky is 4-0 ATS thus far and covered 9 of last 10 back to ‘06 season. WARNING... our forecaster extra ordinaire has correctly picked the spread winner only once in five Thursday night chances this season. (And that one correct pick was back in Week One!)...KY 24 Carolina 23

SAT. OCT. 6
#1 Louisiana State over #9 FLORIDA giving 9: Bengals have allowed a total of 22 points in first five games. Gators allowing average of nearly 20 ppg. State did miss the cover at Tulane and are one of the few top teams to not stumble thus far. Figure the LSU defense to neutralize Tebow and force someone else from Florida to beat it...Tigers 31 Florida 20

#2 SOUTHERN CAL over Stanford giving 38 1/2: Cards’ one remaining SU win left on the schedule is...Notre Dame on November 24. Trojans marching band played the intro to this year’s College Jeopardy Championship...but didn’t play it in the form of a question and will be replaced next year by the UCLA marching band...Troy 51 Trees 6

#3 California: IDLE (next vs. Oregon State)

#4 Ohio State over #23 PURDUE giving 7: Big Ten has certainly been a bit outta’ whack, but Buckeyes seem to be the one constant. Boilers 2-8 ATS last 10 vs. ranked teams and we give the edge to State for decent road triumph at Washington....Buckeyes 33 Purdue 24

#5 Wisconsin over ILLINOIS taking 2: We thought about this choice for lock. Despite 4-1straight up run, Illini still 12-39 SU over last 4+ seasons. No question, Badgers are walkin’ on the edge of the razor blade, but all they have to do is win here. Wisky hasn’t lost in Champaign since 2001. Lions out-gained Illini by almost a C-note, but coughed it up four times...Cheese-heads 20 Illini 16

FLORIDA ATLANTIC over #6 South Florida taking 15 1/2: Hey look!..It’s those Owls again! FAU has failed to cover in the last 9 times it got double-digits outside the Sun Belt. Only one of those games was at home however and that was in early 2005. Not a look-ahead spot for the Bulls, but they did struggle badly to beat Florida International and Central Florida in 2006, plus they’re off the draining Big Least win against West Virginia...USF 27 Owls 13

Bowling Green over #7 BOSTON COLLEGE taking 20 1/2: Spidey-sense tingling... whispering "upset". Maybe Eagles are licking their chops for next week’s shot at redemption against fledgling Irish. Falcons have already toppled the Gophers away and lost respectably at Michigan State...BC 28 BGU 24

#10 Oklahoma over #19 Texas giving 11 (@Dallas): Sooners 5-2 SU/ATS, but 0-2 SU/ATS last two Red River Shootouts. Raise yer hand if ya saw the Bison upset comin’!!!!! Sooners have two redshirt freshmen and a sophomore starting in the backfield. For those who’ve seen the commercial..."A stain, Oklahoma?! A Buffalo stain?! How DARE you disrespect Vindy, your COUNtry and your MA-ma!!!"...Daggone Houdinis 34 Texas 17

#12 Georgia over #TENNESSEE taking 2: This one got "lock" consideration too. Vols 2-5 ATS last 7 vs. Joja’ and giving up about 37 points per game, so unless the strategy is to win a track meet with the Bulldogs, Rocky Top needs a new plan...UGA 34 Tennessee 20

#13 West Virginia over SYRACUSE giving 25: Pat White may not start at QB for the Mountaineers. Orange 10-4 ATS vs. ranked teams since 2004, including "Holy crap!" upset over Louisville. ‘Cuse lost this one last season by 24 ...Mounties 41 Syracuse 13

#14 Oregon: IDLE (next vs. Washington State)

#15 Virginia Tech over #22 CLEMSON taking 5 ½: LOCK OF DA’ WEEK. Hokies quietly regaining their composure (and their season) with three straight wins after disaster in Baton Rouge. Make it four...Tech 16 Clemson 9

#16 HAWAII over Utah State giving 40: ‘Bows are 15-8 ATS last 4 years on the Island. Aggies left whatever they had on the field last week, covering in the only game that really matters to them...Utah. Credit the Rainbow Warriors defense for last week’s cover, turning two of Idaho’s five interceptions into "pick six". Assuming Team Aloha doesn’t turn it over itself another six times (like it did last week), Hawaii should grab the spread win. Aggies are, however, 2-2-1 against the number. ‘Bows need the 60's again. They get it...HI 63 USU 20

#25 Nebraska over #17 MISSOURI taking 6 1/2: Hard to overlook Tigers’ 9-13-2 ATS record in the Big 12 last 3 years. Another test defensively for Nebraska. Children of the Corn on 0-4 ATS streak, but we like ‘em straight up here anyway ...Big Red 34 Mizzou 29

#18 Arizona State over WASHINGTON STATE giving 8 ½: For getting bashed at Arizona last week and wrecking one of Vin’s "best bet" wagers, we’ve asked that the Cougar defense be saddled with those "Hello Kitty" armbands currently being used as marks of shame in Thailand! Nothing to suggest Devils won’t light up Wazzou’s porous stoppers again...ASU 45 WSU 24

#20 Cincinnati over #21 RUTGERS taking 3 1/2: We liked it better when Cincy was gettin’ 6. Big Creased conference might come down to Cincinnati or South Florida this year! Bearkats were in the thick of Knights’ late-2006 collapse, knocking off the State Uni of New Jersey in Cincinnati. Stayin’ with hot Bearkats...WKRP 23 (unless you’re a Loni Anderson fan, look it up on the ‘Net!) Rutgers 20

#24 KANSAS STATE over Kansas giving 3: Collectively, these two are 6-0 against the line to-date. Fightin’ Manginos have the offense (and defense) in fine shape, appropriately smoking weaker opponents. State’s only blemish is 10-point defeat at Auburn. History tips this in favor of the host squad...’Cats 27 Birds 20

BETWEEN THE HASHMARKS
Ummmm...did anybody else watchin’ the Ducks-Bears game hear one of the ESPN-on-ABC announcers say the ball "stuck to his fingers like Teflon" following a nice catch with outstretched digits by an Oregon receiver early in the game?! Yep, Vindy always reaches for the Teflon spray when he wants something to stick!

Referencing that same game, until an announcer noted the little yellow bars under each team name on the ever-present scoreboard-and-down-counter TV inset actually represent the number of time-outs each team has available, Vindicator kept wondering if somebody’s cell phone needed to be charged. (Can you cheer me now?)

JoPa said this week he’s not interested in receiving a forfeited win from Michigan if the Wolverines used an ineligible player in State’s 14-9 loss at Ann Arbor. (You tell ‘em, Joe!...We don’t need no stinkin’ forfeit!) Officials at Notre Dame, however, said they’d be "more than happy" to take that victory off Coach Paterno’s hands, free-of-charge and have Charlie Weis standing by to drive from South Bend to Happy Valley and personally pick it up!

In a related story, reassuring his team, the Lions faithful and the media that there wouldn’t be a change under center in light of critical interceptions thrown in the last two games, JoPa kept saying "Rex...um..er...I mean...Anthony... Morelli ...is our quarterback!"

The NHL regular season opened in London this past Saturday. During a game last February, Southern Cal’s goalie mooned the crowd. How Terrell Owens. got between the pipes for the Trojans without detection is still a mystery!

Former net-minder and current coach of the Oklahoma City Blazers hockey team, Doug Sauter, recently thwarted a stampede by biting the ear of a horse. Given the hockey background and uh...special skill...he demonstrated, we’re thinkin’ Doogie’s got a career in boxing!

Responding to a question about whether she would root for her hometown Cubbies or the NY Yankees if they played vs. each other in this year’s World Series, Hillary Clinton said she "would probably have to alternate sides." Yeah okay, we’ve heard that about her, but we still wanna’ know which ballclub the former First Lady would actually cheer in the October Classic!

Evander Holyfield has put out a grill, a la the George Foreman version. We hear it’s great for cookin’ ears...of corn, that is!

Back in July, the NAACP officially buried the "N-word". Who woulda’ thought the word in question was really "Notre (Dame)!"

The folks at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati (home of the NFL’s Bengals) have elected to solve its pigeon problem by shooting the pesky fowl with air rifles. We heard they’re calling in VP Cheney and making some poor beer vendor stand near the flock of birds yelling, "Cooooooooo, coooooooooo!"

Exam answers: 1) Five 2) Pick one (in no particular order): Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Vandy 3) Burt Reynolds 4) Durham, NC 5) Jerome Bettis

Your ranking if you got...
5 correct: Head coach
4 correct: Starting QB
3 correct: Third-string defensive lineman
2 correct: Waterboy
0-1 correct: Special teams tackling dummy

"Locked in a Box?": Vindy’s now hit on 4 of 5 (.800) lock picks courtesy of the Cincinnati Bearkats!

Shoppe Talk: The previously-noted Week Five teams all posted forecast dubya’s (or at least a push in Ohio State’s case), so we welcome those Morganbillies of West Virginia and Vindy’s own Nitwit Lions to the Shoppe, both with a trio of consecutive forecast losses!

Vindy’s Week 6 Best Bets: Last Week: 2-4 (President Bush authorized Vin to invoke executive privilege to avoid explaining this) Season: 9-13 (.409)
UNR -3 1/2 over Fresno State, ARMY -6 1/2 over Tulane, WYOMING -3 over Texas Christian, Idaho +7 over SAN JOSE STATE

Vindy's Picks Week 5-2007

RUSSIANS UNCONTESTED OVER INDY AIRSPACE

QUANTICO, Virginia (AP)....Military officials here anxiously watched their radar screens as sorties from the former Soviet Union flew unescorted in the skies over Notre Dame during training exercises this past week. The Russians have fired up their air force lately in an effort to resurrect their international image as a global military power, setting off scrambles by British and other European interceptors in the past few months. In a bolder move, the Communist aircraft veered into U.S. territory this week and were quickly met by fighter pilots, but when the MiGs and bombers headed toward South Bend, U.S. pilots broke contact, saying, "Awwwww, let the comrades have some fun!" and did not pick the Russian planes up again until they resumed flight further south toward Louisville. Spectators say even the Touchdown Jesus statue headed for cover.

Displaying the kind of lateral mobility usually reserved only for NHL Playoff goalies, Vindicator diverted questions about Week Four’s disastrous forecast that saw him go 2-10 through the first dozen finals en route to a 7-12 week (33-39-1, .458) then offered only "Ummm....clean-up on Aisle Six" for the media before stealing off to his Man-Cave to produce...

THE WEBER KID’S 2007 WEEK 5 FORECAST

FRI. SEPT. 28
#5 West Virginia over #18 SOUTH FLORIDA giving 7: Contrary to the Weber Kid’s Week Four thoughts, neither side looked ahead enough to this one to fail against the line. Mounties would sure like to avenge loss to Bulls that sent ‘Eers to the Gator instead of a potential second-straight BCS bowl. WVU was first team this year to reach 4-0 ATS and is 13-4 as road chalk over the past four-plus seasons. USFs 28-13 home final vs. Elon just keeps wandering to the forefront of Vindy’s consciousness...Mountaineers 27 Souffle 13

SAT. SEPT. 29
#1 Southern Cal over WASHINGTON giving 21: UDUB looked early on like it was gonna’ finally get off the schnide with a pair of outright wins, then tumbled in the face of a difficult schedule. It won’t get any better hosting the top-ranked Trojans and their 79 returning lettermen...USC 54 Huskies 19

#2 Louisiana State over TULANE giving 40: Oklahoma didn’t succumb at Tulsa. Tigers won’t tank a cover in New Orleans (at least not THIS week). Tulane’s 21-point loss to Mississippi State and mere 8-point win over I-AA Southeast Weeziana suggests it has no shot. Is the "Green Wave" environmentally-friendly?! ...LSU 45 Toodles 0

#3 Oklahoma over COLORADO giving 22 1/2: Homecoming for the Bison, who cost Vindy a best bet pick by trouncing Miami-Ohio last week. Sooners are on probation because players got paid for work they didn’t actually do at a local car dealership. Apparently, in Norman, FORD is really just an acronym for "Faking Our Responsibilities, Dude!"...OK 51 Buffaloes 17

Auburn over #4 FLORIDA taking 18 ½: Gators suffered 127 penalty yards on 14 flags vs. Mississippi. UF also out-gained the Rebels by better than 100 yards on offense, but Tigers haven’t been blasted by the Gators since 2000. Auburn defense keeps ‘em in it...Florida 23 Auburn 20

#11 OREGON over #6 California giving 5: Huge game for both teams. Ducks 17-6 SU on the Pond since beginning of 2003 season. Gang Green defense ain’t quite what it once was and Berkeley will put up some points without question. Mallards get the nod based on what it did in Ann Arbor...Quack Attack 42 Cal 35

Kansas State over #7 TEXAS taking 15: UPSET SPECIAL #1. Tough to really gauge this year’s ‘Cats at the moment, but last three games between these two have been decided by 3, 4 and 3 points, including last season’s 45-42 shootout won by State in Manhattan. Steers were #4 team at the time. Longhorns have had a half-dozen players arrested on various charges since June. One more and UT at Austin becomes the official "farm team" of the Cincinnati Bengals!... Kansas State 30 Horns 27

#8 Ohio State over MINNESOTA giving 23: Buckeyes continue to show the strength of their reserve depth and answered lackluster effort vs. Akron earlier in September with solid covers over Washington and Northwestern. Minny is probably the best offense State has faced. It’s also likely the worst defense it’s faced. The +18 turnover ratio from 2006 is catching up to the Gophers...Ohio State 43 Gerbils 16

Michigan State over #9 WISCONSIN taking 7 1/2: UPSET SPECIAL #2. Badgers look less-than-invincible and may be ripe for the upset here. State actually toppled Wisky in 2004. It also opened 2005 at 4-0 SU and 2006 at 3-0 SU before the wheels fell off. Could happen again here under first-year commander Mark Dantonio. Spartans are 1-4-1 ATS in games against ranked teams. Who believes in trends?...Michigan State 29 Badgers 27

Maryland over #10 RUTGERS taking 16: We thought about this one for "lock". Terps D folded like a beach umbrella with Wake Forest game seemingly well in-hand only to lose in extra frames. First real test for the Knights after warming up vs. Buffalo, Navy and Norfolk State. This time last year, Box Turtles went on a 6-1 straight-up run, all decided by 6 or less...Rutgers 24 Maryland 20

Massachusetts @ #12 BOSTON COLLEGE: No line.

#13 Clemson over GEORGIA TECH taking 3: Recent history favors Clemson. Bees were quickly exposed, while Tigers are off to 4-0 start, with two conference victories already under their belts. ‘Jackets haven’t forgotten last year’s 31-7 thrashing by the Tigers in Carolina...

Clemson 24 Wreck 17

#14 KENTUCKY over Florida Atlantic giving 23: After years of fearing any team nicknamed "Owls" (i.e. Temple and Rice), our forecaster finds himself smitten by Florida Atlantic. The only two tickets Vin has cashed on the season have both been covers by FAU.. Despite a couple of crummy overall weeks, we take solace in calling the back-to-back upsets by Kentucky. Going back to last season, ‘Cats have been the play in 8 of last 9, so we go to the bluegrass well again ... Wildcats 48 FAU 20

#15 GEORGIA over Mississippi giving 15: In May, pictures of Bulldog QB Matthew Stafford holding a beer keg over his head while allegedly attending a NASCAR race appeared on the ‘Net. School officials said the photos could’ve been altered (Uh...YEAH...that keg coulda’ been EMPTY!). Can’t see Rebels duplicating last week’s home effort in cover against the Gators. Joja’ needs to press that advantage to make another statement akin to nice opening triumph over Oklahoma State...Dawgs 27 Ole Mist 8

Mississippi State over #16 SOUTH CAROLINA taking 14: Freshman Chris Smelley steps in to replace Cocks’ 5th-year senior QB Blake. Bulldogs aren’t world-beaters, but are playing well enough to post 3-1 outright record and have sufficient defenders to keep it close. Caught between a Gamecock and a hard place, we call... South Carolina 17 MSU 6

North Carolina over #17 VIRGINIA TECH taking 17 ½: Tarheels handed South Florida four interceptions and held the Bulls to three FGs for a decent stretch spanning the second- and third quarters. It would just be too easy to lay the juice with Tech, so we won’t...VT 20 UNC 7

#19 Hawaii over IDAHO giving 26 1/2: For a fleeting moment, we contemplated taking the points. Potato-heads looked more like the Idaho team we expected this season, as extremely rare I-A chalk role, in loss to Northern Illinois than team that covered opener vs. Southern Cal. Vandals’ previous opponents rushed as part of the game plan. The only running Idaho’s gonna’ see the ‘Bows do is to and from the tunnel!...Hawaii 49 Idaho 20

#20 Missouri: IDLE (next vs. Nebraska)

#21 Penn State over ILLINOIS giving 3: Some folks during the pre-season said this one had upset written all over it. Had the Lions actually won in Ann Arbor, we might’ve agreed. State dodged an early bullet on reversal of what Vindicator thought was a Lion turnover in 1st Quarter of Michigan game, but the third-down pass D was nowhere to be found....Lions 24 Illinois 16

#22 Alabama over FLORIDA STATE taking 2 ½: Tide’s played the tougher schedule. Injuns have logged more travel miles. State’s offense is not significantly better now than it was this time last year despite massive major coaching changes. On a "neutral" site in Jacksonville, it’s...’Bama 17 ‘Noles 16

#23 Arizona State over STANFORD giving 14 ½: Another choice we considered for lock pick. What in the world is with all the r-e-s-p-e-c-t the Cardinal’s getting of late from the lines-makers? When Coach Harbaugh pulls the strap that tightens his headband does he go all ninja or gain super-human strength or what? OK, certain trends favor Stanford. It’s covered 7 times in last 9 tries here. Alas, the Trees have allowed 45 to UCLA and 55 to the Mallards. First road game for Devils and fact that ASU has held only 5 opponents to 13 or fewer and 11 foes under 20 since start of 2004 campaign are Vin’s only remote clues to this spread...Arizona State 42 Stanford 19

#24 Cincinnati over SAN DIEGO STATE giving 14: LOCK OF DA’ WEEK. In honor of the late-great Marcel Marceau, we’ll just act out our choice on this game. (Oh...ummm....for those not fluent in "mime"...that was a simulation of the ol’ "Aztecs-trapped-in-a-box").... Bearkats 31 SDSU 3

Iowa State over #25 NEBRASKA taking 22: A Nebraska soccer mom so upset with daughter’s game performance, left her on along the side of I-80. Big Red coach Bill Callahan had similar thoughts following Huskers’ 41-40 win over Ball State (in which the Cardinals blew an extra point and missed a 55-yard FG with 15 seconds left), but drove the Blackshirts somewhere near Des Moines, Iowa first!..Nebraska 24 ISU9

BETWEEN THE HASHMARKS
BTW, Vindicator was listening on the Russian radio frequency and thinks he heard one of the pilots quip, <<Talk to me, Goosekov!>>

This month’s ish of MAXIM delineates the "10 Worst 2007 BCS college football teams". In order from 10th-worst to worst: #10 Notre Dame, #9 Vandy, #8 Indiana, #7 Baylor, #6 Iowa State, #5 Mississippi State, #4 Washington, #3 Syracuse (who has toppled Louisville since that article was published!), #2 Stanford and the #1 team...are ya ready?...Raise yer hand if ya know this one...No surprise....Slap yerself if ya missed it...Duke!

In February, JoPa inked a deal with Pittsburgh-based R Super Foods to allow his likeness on boxes of Super Donuts and cinnamon Super Buns. Unknown to Coach Paterno, his Lions pass defense apparently signed on to make the cover of the brand’s package of donut holes!

Teams that are perfect or "perfect" in four lined opportunities thus far: Oklahoma, Oregon and West Virginia (4-0 ATS); Navy and Notre Dame (0-4 ATS); dishonorable mention to the Gilded Gerbils of Minnesota (0-3-1). Meanwhile, perennial doormats Duke and Temple are a combined 6-2 (.800)!

On a serious note for a moment, we tip our helmets to the New Mexico State University Aggies for being "tough enough" to don pink ribbons on their helmets and pink socks to promote breast cancer research during this week’s tilt against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Vindy walked 3 ½ miles last year in support of the same cause.

Britney Spears was seen chucking a baby bottle at paparazzi in August. After reviewing the video of that incident, Charlie Weis has been secretly allowing Spears to run the scout team during practice sessions and announced he will start the pop star under center this week at Purdue! (She might start under THE center as well, but that’s whole other story!)

The NY Jets trained with Mike Tyson’s first coach, Teddy Atlas, during the off-season. At 1-3, the Gliders ain’t tearing up the NFL, but they are proficient at biting ears and eating other people’s children!

George Clooney is recovering from injuries sustained recently during a motorcycle accident in Palisades, New Jersey. Not to worry, Ladies...Big George will be up and throwing touchdown passes for the Steelers in no time!

And finally....the National Champion men’s and women’s rifle teams from University of Alaska-Fairbanks recently were guests of President Bush in D.C. The shooters attributed at least part of their success to practices involving identification of targets as "friend or fowl"...a routine they refer to as the "Cheney Drill"!(BTW, shooting a teammate in the face is a mandatory two-tenths deduction during national competitions!)

"Wish I Had That One Back": The Florida-Mississippi game...just because Vindy is an idiot and typed the choice in wrong (we had Florida laying 21) despite favoring Ole Miss in the write-up and the score prediction.

"Locked in a Box?": The Mighty Ducks of Eugene boost the lock record to 3-1with an offense-filled, but defense-less cover against Stanford!

Shoppe Talk: Vindicator stocks the dental hygiene supplies at the Shoppe with anti-freeze-laden toothpaste from China for the Buckeyes, Huskers, Aggies and Gators...all with three forecast losses!

Vindy’s Week 5 Best Bets: Last Week: 3-1 Season: 7-9 (.437)
Temple +6 over ARMY, Buffalo +16 1/2 over BALL STATE, MIAMI-OHIO +2 over Syracuse, OHIO +1 over Kent State, VIRGINIA -7 over Pittsburgh, Washington State +2 1/2 over ARIZONA

Hey...despite the overall carnage, Vindicator’s preferred plays (lock pick and best bets) hit on four outta’ five (80%)! Now if you’ll excuse him, our perplexed prognosticator needs to go wipe the Domino’s oreo dessert pizza mustache off his...forecast!

Vindy's Picks Week 4-2007

TEAMS BONING UP ON ANTI-SPY METHODS

FT. HUACHUCA, Arizona (CNN)...Teams, both pro and college, are lining up to schedule training here at the U.S. Army’s military intelligence school in the wake of the NFL’s latest scandal involving spying on the opposition. An anonymous "spook" talking from behind a curtain and electronically altering his or her voice let it be known that all participants attending classes here would learn basic and advanced techniques for not only detecting the presence of spies, such as the bogus equipment manager, the "art student" sketching "harmless pictures" of the game or even infiltrations known to former Get Smart actor Don Adams as "the old fake cheerleader with the bug hidden in the pom-poms trick" (often foiled by recognition of excess facial razor-stubble, Adam’s apple and...uh...Brazilian bikini sacks!), but also tried-and-true methods of defeating spies, such as reflecting sunlight off watches, bracelets, tongue-piercings and other shiny objects into the eyes of photographers; installing trapdoors under stadium seats likely to be holding spies; exploding candy-grams and the ever-popular "dropping bombs from paper airplanes on your opponents" (as detailed by the Spy Vs. Spy cartoon in monthly issues of Mad Magazine!).

Satisfied with just achieving a stable, kissing-your-sister-like 8-8-1 for Week Three (26-27-1, .490), we crank it up again with...

THE WEBER KID’S 2007 WEEK 4 FORECAST

THURS. SEPT. 20
#20 Texas A&M over MIAMI taking 3: Two teams trying to re-establish themselves as contenders (again!)... neither doing so impressively. Sooners racked up better than twice as many passing yards as rushing yards. Aggies’ tendency to stay on the ground gives ‘Canes a fighting chance. Miami sleep-walked past Florida International 23-9. No choice but to take the points...A&M 27 Coral Gables 24

FRI. SEPT. 21
#4 Oklahoma over TULSA giving 22: Sooners have yielded all of 26 points in three games to-date this year and have covered 2 of the last 3 vs. Golden Hurricane. Can’t see the Okies looking ahead to flailing Buffaloes in Big 12 opener since Tulsa is the more-dangerous foe. Despite what the home team did to BYU last week...OU 44 Tulsa 13

SAT. SEPT. 22
#1 USC over Washington State giving 25 ½: Trojans are less-than-exciting 10-14 ATS playing conference teams, but blew out Nebraska despite sloppy game (5 fumbles [1 lost] and 100+ penalty yards on 10 flags). Coogs lost by 21 at possibly-over-rated Wisky...Troy 48 Wazzou 17

#2 LSU over #12 South Carolina giving 16: These two squared off only twice previously in the last 10 years, with Bengals winning and covering both. First try for Steve Spurrier as a Gamecock. Tigers only 16-12-1 ATS over last 4+ seasons in Baton Rouge, but they’ve smoked the two teams they should have...and one they shouldn’t have! Even if Perrilloux makes only his second start in place of injured State QB Flynn, we still the D to keep the poultry far enough away... LSU 31 SC 13

#3 Florida over MISSISSIPPI giving 21: First meeting since 20-17 win by Florida over 12-point dog Ole Miss. At least one trend favors the Rebels in the revenge mode. Rebels seem to save their best games for ranked teams, going 13-4 against the line in last 17, and they return 15 starters from the 2006 squad that played LSU to a three-point decision in Baton Rouge. Crocs piled it on last week against the Vols, scoring 24 points in the 4th Quarter...Florida 38 Mississippi 20

East Carolina over #5 WEST VIRGINIA taking 24 1/2: Pirates have covered last five when getting double-digits, including last two years against West Virginia. WVU has squeaked by the last two lines by combined total of 1 ½ points. Big conference trip to South Florida on-deck for the Mountaineers. ECU played Virginia Tech tough...WVU 41 ECU 20

#6 CAL over Arizona giving 16 ½: We’ll take the potent Bears offense over an Arizona stop-squad that’s just not showing the experience of the 10 returning upperclassmen starters from last season. Cal also has revenge factor for last year’s 24-20 defeat...Berkeley 42 AZ 19

Rice over #7 TEXAS taking 39: Longhorns regain the services of three previously-suspended players. Owls have been horrible thus far, even losing to AA Nicholls State en route to three straight defeats and an 0-2 spread record. Well off its historical rushing yardage, Owls have also allowed 12 sacks in three games. Vindy just can’t bring himself to spot this much here...Steers 42 Rice 9

Northwestern over #8 OHIO STATE taking 22: Wildcats have been betting gold for 14 straight years prior to facing the Wolverines, with most of those spread wins coming against Penn State, Iowa and Wisconsin. ‘Cats owe it to themselves and their fans to show up this week after outright loss to (GASP!) Duke!...OSU 24 NW 13

Iowa over #9 WISCONSIN taking 8: From 2003 to 2006, Hawkeyes went from 10 spread wins to 10 spread losses in a season. Badgers aren’t really playing like a Top 10 squad of late. An upset here wouldn’t be a shocker given this season’s early results...Wisky 21 Iowa 19

#10 Penn State over MICHIGAN giving 3: The latest ish of ESPN: Da’ Mag says the Lions are using PS3 to train their quarterbacks. Buffalo musta’ had its own Madden ‘08 program going and got hold of a cheat-code book given the three 4th Quarter touchdowns it scored in Happy Valley last Saturday! Does blasting of Fight-less Irish mean Big Blew is back?! We think not. Lions did give up 10 more points to Notre Dame than Michigan did though...State 23 Michigan 16

#11 Rutgers: IDLE (next vs. Maryland 9/29)

#13 Oregon over STANFORD giving 16: LOCK OF DA’ WEEK. Ducks are only 20-13 ATS over the last four seasons against fellow PAC-10 teams, but have owned the Cardinal. Only one of the past three Stanford coaches posted a spread win over the Mallards. Jim Harbaugh fails in his first try as Ducks trek into the 50's again... Quack Attack 52 Trees 20

#14 BOSTON COLLEGE over Army giving 29: Which Hudson River U. platoon shows up? The one had to beat Rhode Island at home 14-7 in OT or the one that just dropped a heart-breaking 2-point decision at Wake Forest as a three-TD dog? President Bush said he would veto any legislation that included a time-frame for withdrawal of the Keydets from the playing field...BC 41 West Point 7

#15 Clemson over NC STATE giving 7 ½: Wolfpack still adjusting to new coach Tom O’Brien. Tigers would be 2-0 ATS if not for last minute trash-time TD by Weeziana-Monroe. Assuming the starters play all four quarters...Clemson 27 NCSU 14

#16 ALABAMA over #22 Georgia giving 3 ½: The Bulldogs are closing off this week’s practice sessions to the public. For a nominal fee, however, Tide players, coaches and alumni can view the video, up-linked via satellite by Bill Belichick...’Bama 20 Joja’ 13

William & Mary @ #17 VIRGINIA TECH: No line.

#18 LOUISVILLE over Syracuse giving 37: Orange catches Redbirds in Louisville at a bad, bad time. ‘Cuse, whose skill levels rank maybe a notch above Murray State, becomes first I-A squad to hit 0-4 against the number this year... Cards 56 Orange 10

Charleston Southern @ #19 HAWAII: No line.

#21 Kentucky over ARKANSAS taking 6 1/2: ‘Cats #11 rushing game faces ‘Hogs #4 rushing game. Arkansas only #105 in passing though and possibly drained by ‘Bama’s last minute win. Down 21 early, Arkansas got back in the game vs. ‘Bama when Tide missed a 37-yard FG and ‘Bama QB Wilson coughed up the football twice in the 4th Quarter. It would’ve been useful to know ahead of time that Tom Donaghy was a Razorbacks fan!...Kentucky 24 Arkansas 23

North Carolina over #23 SOUTH FLORIDA taking 14: Who’s hungry for a Bull sandwich? USF is caught between last week’s overtime victory against Auburn and looking forward to Big East opener vs. West Virginia ...South Florida 17 Tarheels 7

#24 NEBRASKA over Ball State giving 22 ½: State’s been a crap-shoot as a road dog last four-plus years (12-12 ATS). Third consecutive away game for the Cardinals. Huskers lost badly to Southern Cal last season and followed that up by crushing Troy 56-Zippo!...Big Red 45 Little Redbirds 13

Illinois State @ #25 MISSOURI: No line.

BETWEEN THE HASHMARKS
BTW, a former Chinese ambassador to North Korea has been accused of giving up secrets about the communist country to its Democratic neighbors to the South. Boy, that Patriots cameraman gets around, doesn’t he???!!!

Allegations have to come to light that Pats defensive linemen were wired to intercept Jets offensive signals during the opener on September 9th. A New England spokesperson has dismissed those rumors, saying the linemen were simply using the helmet transmitters to listen to the Red Sox-Orioles broadcast that day!

On the telly...starters, coaches and parents match wits on academic topics against reserves way down the depth chart on..."Are You Smarter than A Fifth-Stringer?!"

OJ Simpson was arrested for involvement in robbery of memorabilia here in Sin City. One recovered item of note was an 8x10 picture of Juice with J. Edgar Hoover. Items at the crime scene included a bloody 5x7 frame. Said Johnnie Cochran, "If the frame don’t fit, you must acquit!"

The February 26th ish of ESPN Da’ Mag reported a Brazilian soccer referee pulled red panties instead of a red card out of his pocket during a match. Hmmmm....can we get the NFL to issue red challenge panties and other lacy under-things to coaches starting next season and have something a la "the AT&T first call to the bullpen" like, "This first coaches’ challenge brought to you by....Victoria Secret!?"

Vindy noticed an AP article recently about a 17th Century diary in Switzerland that details weather "so cold, the communion wine froze". Funny...that exact same thing happened this past Sunday as the Irish football team filed past the altar at the Notre Dame chapel!

One of the reasons given for Britney Spears’ flop at the recent MTV Video Music Awards here in Vegas was that she showed up three hours late to rehearsal, holding frozen margaritas. A staffer close to the Michigan football team reassured media that the margaritas consumed by the Wolverines before playing Oregon were finished at least 12 hours prior to kickoff!

Well-known baseball card manufacturer, Topps Company, is in the business of selling out to an investment company controlled by former Disney head man Michael Eisner. Following the takeover, foil "chase"cards featuring players wearing Mickey Mouse ears will be inserted in random packs.

Is Vindicator the only one expecting some savvy guy in charge of stadium music to crank up Secret Agent Man or The Spy Who Loved Me over the loudspeaker the next time Bill Belichick steps foot onto an opponent’s home-field??!! As part of his punishment for the whole spy thing, Belichick must pay $500K, only refer to himself as "007" during all post-game interviews and must make a cameo appearance in the next "Austin Powers" movie!

"Wish I Had That One Back": The only tilt from Week Three that Weber had pegged as a possible "wish" pick was Nebraska and da’ points over USC after questioning Huskers’ ability to run on the Trojan D.

"Locked in a Box?": We rebound nicely to post a 2-1 lock record behind "upset-special" Boston College’s outright victory over the Bees!

Shoppe Talk: Several possible teams here following deluge of back-to-back forecast losses, but one of those teams has a history of haunting this column...those Florida Gators!

Vindy’s Week 4 Best Bets: Last Week: 2-2 Season: 4-8 (.333)
Miami-Ohio +14 over COLORADO, Uconn +9 over PITT, KANSAS -31 over Florida International, Florida Atlantic -6 over NORTH TEXAS

Vindy's Picks Week 3-2007

NASA BACK IN REPAIR BIZ?

HOUSTON, Texas (ITAR-Tass)...The Vegas Vindicator was in town this week at the Johnson Space Center to talk with NASA engineers about options for repairing a sizable gouge in his Week Two forecast. Scientists suspect the damage was first done during launch of Vindy’s Picks on Thursday night in Louisville by a piece of foam insulation that fell from the fearless forecaster’s beer cozy, creating a divot in the underbelly of the prognostication. Initially, just 3 1/2-by-2 inches, the gouge got larger as the picks orbited the rest of the country on Saturday, leading to Vindy’s 7-13 results (18-19, .486 season), a blown "lock of da’ week" pick and all four incorrect "best bet" selections! Possibilities for patching the hole include sending the forecast up on one of those zero-gravity jets, enabling astronauts to make a simulated spacewalk and bolt on a plastic sheet from a box of Shrinky-Dinks, simply painting the hole black or filling it full of Gummy Bears, which would set nicely under the heat of re-entry! No word was available on the final solution, though sources close to NASA say a deal may have been brokered offering the services of Lisa Nowak.

As Jewish football fans everywhere this week prepare to celebrate Rush Hashanah and your humble host heads off to watch illegally-shot videotape of bookies’ hand-signals, it’s...

THE WEBER KID’S 2007 WEEK 3 FORECAST

THURS. SEPT. 13
MARYLAND over #4 West Virginia taking 16: Vin watched this game last year and the final score was deceiving as Terps moved the ball at will on the Mounties D, but kept turning it over...’Eers 31 Box Turtles 21

SAT. SEPT. 15
#14 NEBRASKA over #1 Southern Cal taking 10: Nothing would tickle Vindicator more than seeing Trojans fall here. Not sure Huskers can run on USC defense, but former ASU gunslinger Sam Keller occupies the Nebraska backfield and has sufficient guys to throw to. Could be a "wish" pick as we can easily see a SoCal romp, but we like the defenses to dominate on both sides...USC 17 Nebraska 14

#2 LSU over Middle Tennessee State giving 40: Bengals haven’t faced covering a line this big since wrecking North Texas 56-3 in mid-season 2005 as 44-point chalk. Third straight away game for the Blue Raiders. We didn’t think Cal would let down after important victory over the Vols, but it did. We’ll stick with our initial instinct here though...Tigers 52 MTSU 3

#3 OKLAHOMA over Utah State giving 46: A missed extra point late in the UNLV game cost the Aggies (and Vindicator) the lead at the time and an ATS win. Maybe that shoulda’ been our first clue to taking State instead of Wyoming last week, costing our flabbergasted forecaster a "best bet" loss and the accompanying wager! Sooners seem to be rolling...OK Until Proven Otherwise 56 Aggies 5

#22 Tennessee over #5 FLORIDA taking 8: Other than back-to-back spread losses by Tennessee in ‘04 and ‘05, the ATS pattern for these two has been win-loss-win-loss. If the trend holds, the cover goes to the Gators. Florida’s pair of returning defensive starters fared well against provisional I-A newcomer Western Kentucky, but 31 points allowed by Sun Belt’s Troy can’t be comforting to Coach Meyer....Tennessee 23 Crocs 21.

CENTRAL FLORIDA over #6 Texas taking 19: Despite a 10-0 halftime edge, TCU played a sloppy, sloppy game against the Longhorns, yielding four turnovers and hitting the century mark in penalty yards on 13 flags. UCF bombed in Year Three under George O’Leary, but is off to a healthy start, winning outright at NC State as a 9-point doggie. Knights welcome former MIT dean of admissions Marilee Jones, who padded her credentials, as an assistant coach!... Steers 31 Central Sunshine State 14

Citadel @ #7 WISCONSIN: No line.

Louisiana Tech over #8 CAL taking 34: With Tennessee hangover done, Bears return to form and wallop Bulldog club off three-OT loss to the Aggies and traveling half-way across country. Bears defense is a concern though, giving up 14 points in last two minutes to the Rams to make the game interesting last week. Cal won win or cover many while allowing almost 30 ppg....Bears 37 LT 7

KENTUCKY over #9 Louisville taking 7: Cards have covered six of last eight in this series. ‘Cats face only four opponents this season who won less than 8 games last year and have covered 6 of last 7, going back to ‘06. KY was plus-4 in turnovers and out-rushed by about 60 yards in Kent State game. Wildcats got five rushing TDs against the Golden Flashes. Cardinals gave up 9.1 yards per carry to Middle Tennessee State. Hmmm...Redbirds 37 KY 34

WASHINGTON over #10 Ohio State taking 4 ½: Sled Dogs held mighty Boise O scoreless in the second half. Good sign for Huskies team that allowed 30.6 and 26 points-per-game-against in Coach Willingham’s first two years in Seattle. UDUB 24 Buckeyes 20

#11 Ucla over UTAH giving 13 ½: We considered this game for "lock". Utes came into 2007 having gone 32-16 ATS over the previous four seasons, but have already lost back-to-back games outright and against the line. Important match next week for Bruins versus the Huskies...UCLA 24 Utes 0

#12 PENN STATE over Buffalo giving 34: Weber’s alma mater is conducting its annual "Huddle with the Faculty" lecture series, in which Happy Valley professors present a topic before each home game. This week’s topic has something to do with race and ethnicity. If tied to the Lions’ weekly opponents, it coulda’ been a culinary discussion entitled, "The Ecology of the Perfectly-Grilled Spicy Wing!" JoPa showed little mercy against Florida International, allowing State to roll up a 59-0 lead before finally calling off the dogs with 14:05 left to play...Lions 48 Bulls 6

Norfolk State @ #13 RUTGERS: No line.

#21 Boston College over #15 GEORGIA TECH taking 7: LOCK OF DA’ WEEK. UPSET SPECIAL. Golden Eagles appear no worse for the wear in wake of losing longtime coach Tom O’Brien to NC State, having won and covered both games to date (and both against conference opponents)! Bees flattened youthful Irish club then hammered a double-A team, so they really haven’t been tested...until now...BC 24 ‘Jackets 20

ALABAMA over #16 Arkansas giving 3: Razorbacks let Weeziana-Monroe score a virtually-meaningless touchdown with about two minutes left to play and blew the cover (costing Vindy a forecast win). ‘Hogs have also beaten ‘Bama straight up in three of last four (and three of those four). New Tide coach Nick Saban beat Arkansas 5 of 7 seven times while coaching LSU, covering five of those seven as well. Alabama has held a Top 25 ranking only a total of 9 weeks in last 4+ seasons. They’ll do so again after this one ends...Tide 20 Arkansas 16

South Carolina State @ #17 SOUTH CAROLINA: No line.

Ohio over #18 VIRGINIA TECH taking 20: Tech posted three consecutive spread losses in 2006, but hasn’t opened a season with three ATS defeats in over a decade. Maybe thrashing in Baton Rouge will provide the fire to get Hokies on the right track. Maybe not. Too much doubt in this forecaster’s mind to lay three scores yet, even in Blacksburg...VT 23 Bobblecats 6

#19 OREGON over Fresno State giving 16 : Ducks successfully broke out the "Statue of Liberty" play not once, but twice against Michigan... once for real and once as a fake. One play lead to a first down, the other to a TD. Bulldogs covering better than 80% getting more than a FG. Ducks have broght home the money in 8 of last 10 on the Pond. Annoyed by players’ banter and celebration of the win over the Wolverines on the Ducks’ flight home, Samuel L. Jackson stood up and said, "I’ve had it with these !@#*@$#*!! Drakes on this !@#*@$#*!! plane!"... Mallards 41 Fresno 20

Furman @ #20 CLEMSON: No line.

Western Carolina @ #23 GEORGIA: No line.

#24 Hawaii over UNLV giving 17 1/2: ‘Bows now 6-14 ATS over last 4+ seasons in games on the continental United States. Hometown Rebels have managed to go 1-0-1 against the number thus far this year, but might be beaten up after playing physical Badgers squad. UH flew to-and-from Weeziana, and now flies Eastward again this week. Wisconsin didn’t put it up nearly as often as Hawaii will...UH 44 Ve-gassed 20

Louisiana-Monroe over #25 TEXAS A&M taking 24: After going up 19-0 at the half, Aggies allowed Fresno to hang around longer than Sanjaya on this season’s American Idol! Might be a few too many to lay with inconsistent A&M. Not that it’s gonna’ come down to a winning FG try by Monroe, but if it did, in a parallel universe or the Twilight Zone,...ULM’s kicker Cole Wilson hasn’t missed in his last 14 attempts! ...TAMU 24 ULM 6

BETWEEN THE HASHMARKS
BTW, if Bowser and his band-mates from their 1950's doo-wop musical group suited up and took the field, could we call the holiday...Rush Ha-Sha-Na-Na??!!!

Anybody else out there wonderin’ how the folks at NASA, who might show up maybe once a season in Vindy’s Picks, are feelin’ about their second appearance in a span of three weeks???!!!

Given the success of the woman selling Michael Vick doggie-chewed cards on E-Bay, Vin wants to take it step or two further and offered cards that have been chewed, swallowed, uh... "processed"...and collected by the folks at Pooper Scooper! (And let’s face it...there are folks out there that would pay good money for those, even if just for the purpose of putting them in a paper bag outside quarterbacks door, setting it aflame, ringing the doorbell and yelling, "Fire!")

"Big Tentative?"- Of the 10 Big Ten conference squads in action against other I-A teams, 7 did not cover the point-spread! Hats off to Penn State, Iowa and (GASP!) Indiana for preserving some dignity!

Glad we ain’t pickin’ this one: Notre Dame and Michigan play this week with a collective record of 0-4 SU and 0-3 ATS! The only real question in this match-up is which "can-da’-coach" website gets more hits following the game... "SendCarrAfar.Com" or "PutWeisOnIce.Com"!!!!

Insiders say Rebel-backing gamblers this week contemplated knocking out the lights themselves at Sam Boyd Stadium in the 4th Quarter a la the 2002 "Blackout Bowl" just to preserve their winning tickets! Vin has it on good authority however, that the power in 2002 was actually cut by a confused Phillies fan who was trying to slow his team’s march toward 10,000 losses! Come to think of it, the Temple Owls tried the same tactic early in the first quarter of their 42-7 loss to Buffalo!

It’s only the third week of the season and we’re already showcasing some of those big, traditionally-heated rivalries, such as Michigan-Notre Dame, Florida-Tennessee, ‘Bama-Arkansas, Kid Rock-Tommy Lee (Oh wait...that Vols-Gators match ain’t that heated!). Hey... Vindy wouldn’t mind having that Pamela Anderson trophy on his mantle either...know what we mean?!

"Wish I Had That One Back": The Weber Kid noted in last week’s write-up that he changed his initial pick on the Buckeyes-Zips tilt!

"Locked in a Box?": The lock record drops to 1-1 as the ‘Bows still seem to be bothered by that whole Mainland thing!

Shoppe Talk: Vindy rips up the linoleum floor of the Shoppe and lays down a couple of nice tiger-skin rugs as both Clemson and Auburn each posted a 2nd forecast "L". No worries this week though as Bowden Jr. takes on a AA team and Aubie ain’t ranked! Hopping in late...the Froggies of TCU, who also finished on the wrong side of Vindy’s Picks in back-to-weeks! Thankfully, the Toads don’t possess a "#" this week either!

Vindy’s Week 3 Best Bets: Last Week: 0-4 (OUCH!) Season: 2-6 (.250)
Ball State +7 over NAVY, WASHINGTON STATE -26 over Idaho, Utep +6 over MINNESOTA, ARIZONA STATE -28 over San Diego State

Vindy's Picks Week 2-2007

RETURN TO SENDER
Pro Team-Wear Flops On Dark Continent

SIERRA LEONE, Africa (BBC)....An annual act of kindness blew up in the collective face of the NFL recently when it received an unexpectedly returned shipment of preseason shirts and caps bearing the emblems of the Oakland Raiders and Detroit Lions following what embarrassed officials are calling "a grievous clerical error". The National Football League donates nearly 300 pieces of "Super Bowl champions" logo-wear from the Big Game’s runner-up each year to underprivileged areas in Africa, including local villages here and those in Uganda and Niger. Speaking through an interpreter, one tribal elder said "our people, offended by the gear this year, repackaged it, pooled their ‘forever stamps’....and sent it back!" Tribesmen did hang onto one jersey, however, long enough to burn Randy Moss in effigy!

After a nifty 11-6 (.653) for the opening week, we torch our own Moss doll (Yeah, we know he doesn’t play by the Bay anymore. Work with me here!) and offer...

THE WEBER KID’S 2007 WEEK 2 FORECAST
(sponsored by Pamela Martin & Associates...for about $300 an hour)

THURS. SEPT. 6
#8 LOUISVILLE over Middle Tennessee giving 39: The Weber Kid thanks the soon-to-be-black-and-Blue Raiders for bringing home one of Vin’s best bets of Week One by losing substantially at Florida Atlantic! It’s all about the money, Honey as MTSU follows up that visit to a Sun-of-a-beyotch Belt champion contender with road tilts here and again next week in Baton Rouge. Cards probably not gonna’ reach 70's again, but trek into high 50's or 60's is not outta’ the question...Louisville 58 Middle Earth State 13

FRI. SEPT. 7
#15 RUTGERS over Navy giving 15 1/2: Knights have won and covered 5 of last 6, though none of those spreads were double-digits. The failed cover vs. the Omnipotent Owls leads Vin to side with the State Uni of NJ. Since the Sopranos vacated the premises earlier this summer, Knights players and coaches have been studying game-film in a backroom at the Bada Bing!...
Garden State Parkway Paladins 31 Middies 13

SAT. SEPT. 8
#1 USC: IDLE (next @ Nebraska) (Yeah...you guys just sit in that corner and THINK about what you didn’t do last week!)

#9 Virginia Tech over #2 LSU taking 12: The only certainty here is defense, defense, defense. Vin has watched this line fluctuate from 13 to 8 to 12. Yikes! Hokies managed all of 33 net rushing yards vs. the Bucs of ECU. Brandon Ore grabbed 70 on 23 carries and eight other rushing plays yielded some serious negative yardage. Tech likely won’t turn it over three times again. Huge game for both sides...Bengals 19 Hokies 13

#3 West Virginia over MARSHALL giving 23 ½: Second choice for "lock" pick. See Vindicator’s Week One write-up on WVU/Western Michigan. Mighty Mounties continued to press by scoring 10 points in the last 5 minutes of the game when they already had 52 points and a comfortable lead on the board ...’Eers 48 Herd 13

Troy over #4 FLORIDA taking 26 ½: Trojans beat the number last week on a touchdown as time expired (and those of us here at Vindy’s Picks thank them for that effort!) against run-first, grind-it-out Arkansas squad. Hogs turned it over three times as well. Crocs might just let Tebow run 50 times too. Sun Belt gets the nod anyway... Florida 42 Troy 20

#5 (tie) Wisconsin over UNLV giving 23 1/2: Volunteer UNLV coach Shane Steichen is just 12 credit hours short of a journalism degree and battled current Rebels QB Rocky Hinds for the position last year. Can’t ya just imagine Burgess Meredith, in his former film role as "Mickey", encouraging Hinds on the practice field, yelling "Eye of typewriter, Rock! Eye of the typewriter!"...Badgers 34 UNLV6

#5 (tie) OKLAHOMA over Miami giving 10 1/2: Local Las Vegas product RB DeMarco Murray certainly had his way against North Texas, scoring five touchdowns for the Okies in the first half. We think we also noticed the Sooners’ water-boy toting the rock late in Oklahoma’s 79-10 win. It’s a new dawn in Coral Gables, but.....Still OK 30 Miami 16

#19 Texas Christian over #7 TEXAS taking 9 ½: Auspicious start for the Steers, who were out-first-downed, out-rushed, out-passed and out-time-of-possessioned (we’ll look for that word in next year’s Webster’s Dictionary!) by Arkansas State. Toads got lotsa’ preseason love as this year’s edition of Boise State. We’re not sold on that, but we’ll grab the points anyway...’Horns 21 TCU 17

#10 California over COLORADO STATE giving 14: Possible letdown spot for the Bears. Cal QB Longshore overthrew wide-open receivers in the end zone on three straight plays at the end of the first half vs. Tennessee. State let rival Colorado off the hook late and lost in the extra period. Rams actually beat Cal 23-21 at Berkeley in ‘03. With loss to Buffaloes outta’ the way, Rams will focus more on upcoming Mountain Jest season...Bears 35 CSU 12

South Carolina over #11 GEORGIA taking 6: OK, we missed badly on Week One’s Oklahoma State upset call. Gamecocks owe Georgia for 2006 shutout in Columbia. A second consecutive forecast loss here by the Bulldogs and they become the season’s first guest at Vindy’s Ye Olde Taxidermy Shop! Geez, we’re stubborn, aren’t we???!! South Carolina 19 Joja’ 17

#12 OHIO STATE over Akron giving 28 ½: Your flustered forecaster changed his initial pick (never a good sign!), but Akron has a bunch of new linemen on both sides of the ball and turned in its first losing SU record in four years last season with one of those third-year coaches at the helm and 16 returning starters...Buckeyes 42 Zips 8

Brigham Young over #13 UCLA taking 7 ½: One of two games for each team that stands between it and an undefeated season. Cougars will probably need the same strong defensive play they got against Arizona. Hopin’ for a classic... Bruins 28 Mormons 24

#14 PENN STATE over Notre Dame giving 17 ½: Irish offense is so young (On three ...one..two..three...altogether now..."Howwwww younnnnng issss ittt?").. Irish offense is so young...Britney Spears’ baby was seen driving a blocking sled at practice sessions earlier this week in South Bend! Lions avenge last year’s 24-point defeat... State 29 ND 7

#16 Nebraska over WAKE FOREST giving 7 ½: Great spot for Huskers to fall on their faces, but Deacons better hope the five new guys on D can slow down the rushing juggernaut that ran 70 plays on the ground for 400+ yards against Reno. If Big Red doesn’t look ahead to USC...Nebraska 34 Wake 14

#17 AUBURN over South Florida giving 7: Bulls’ lackluster 28-13 "victory" over I-AA Elon doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence. Given that final score, we could surmise South Florida a) was looking ahead to this one, b) was playing possum to not reveal too much for this week’s game-plan, c) was over-rated or d) believed there was a 10-point "mercy rule" in effect when playing Football Championship Division teams...Warhawks 21 USF 10

#18 Arkansas: IDLE (next @ Alabama)

#20 Hawaii over LOUISIANA TECH giving 28: LOCK OF DA’ WEEK. Vindicator apologizes for listing Hawaii as "idle" here last week when, in fact, the Islanders were actually beating the bejeezus outta’ Northern Colorado. With a weak schedule, ‘Bows know they have to garner votes with style points. Only two Bulldogs opponents scored less than 31 points last season.. Ten folks from that stench...er..um..we mean..."staunch" defense return...UH 61LT 24

Samford @ #21 GEORGIA TECH: No line.

WASHINGTON over #22 Boise State taking 3: We’ll just hope for a push here, but Huskies opened year with promise by taking care of business and whacking Syracuse. We heard UDUB has arranged for soon-to-be-former- Idaho Senator Larry Craig to meet the Broncos in the men’s room shortly after they debark at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport...Sled Dogs 28 Boise State 25

#23 TEXAS A&M over Fresno State giving 17: Gee, could the Aggies finally being playing up to the expectations we thought they’d play up to when Uncle Fran first took over as HC? Bulldogs first cover in ‘07 will equal its season total of spread wins from ‘06! In each of the past three seasons, A&M has had one lower opponent play it much closer than it should have. Might happen again this year, but not this week...Aggies 27 FSU 7

#24 TENNESSEE over Southern Miss giving 11: Erik Ainge played a mighty fine game in a gutsy effort vs. Cal considering he has a few broken digits! That’s a good sign for a nice Rocky Top comeback and victory over the Eagles...UT 27 USM 14

#25 CLEMSON over Louisiana-Monroe giving 24 1/2: No anticipated falter here for Clemson as the Tigers have won and covered three of last four tilts that followed the annual Bowden Bowl. ULM is still Vindy’s choice to take the Sun Belt conference, but it’s still just an appetizer for the Big Six squads...Clemson 41 Monroe 7

BETWEEN THE HASHMARKS
Revisiting last week’s lead story, we offer the following 12-hour rule possibilities for college hoopsters: "joint-to-point", "snort-to-court" and "merlot-to-freethrow" ("Paging Mr. O’Neil. Mr. Shaquille O’Neil..to the white courtesy phone, please."). BTW, drunken astronauts certainly gives new meaning to "I’ll buy, if you fly!"

During the Colorado State spring game, 4-year-old Caden Thomas wandered into the end zone, got tangled up with the receiver and broke up a potential TD pass. The referee ruled "incidental contact" on the play and the young man is probably headed for a future spot on the cover of a Madden video game!

Let’s hear it for the little guys! Sure, everybody’s heard about App State’s upset of Meeeechigan. How many of ya knew Rice fell to I-AA Nicholls State and I-A Bowlin’ Green toppled Minnesota as a 16-point doggie???!!!! The crowd chants, "E-lon, E-lon, E-lon, E-lon...!"

After the New Year, Michael Vick surrendered a water bottle with a compartment that contained a "small amount of dark particulate and pungent aroma closely associated with marijuana" to security at Miami International Airport We’re thinking he coulda’ got an endorsement deal for Evian bottled bong water!

In June, NIKE initially stood by its endorsement deal with Vick despite allegations of involvement in illegal canine activity. However, there’s no truth to the rumor the company was actually planning to change its motto to "just dog it".

Come to think of it, the NIKE swoosh does kinda’ look like a tail, doesn’t it???!!!

Also in June, Bjorn Borg withdrew from a tennis match after suffering injuries incurred while breaking up a fight between his golden retriever and a German shepherd. Big Mike reportedly had a couple of grand on the shepherd!

Later that month, shortly after reading Patriots QB Tom Brady’s quote likening receiver Wes Walker to a "Labrador", Michael invited the New England wideout to his home in Virginia!

When Mike gets incarcerated, the folks at Westminster can rest assured that his fellow inmates will vote him "Best of Show(er)"!

During a November interview, Meat Loaf told Rolling Stone that his performance style is "like a football team with music." Can’t wait for the singer/actor, known for his role in Rocky Horror Picture Show, to put out an album featuring such tunes as "Buckeyes By the Dashboard Light","Bat Outta’ Bucknell", "It’s All Come Running Back to Me Now" and the classic "I Would Do Anything for Lovey (Smith)"

In May, Texas Rangers 3B Hank Blalock agreed to undergo surgery to remove a rib. Uh oh...the last time some notable guy gave up a rib, we got...WOMAN!

On July 16, the Philadelphia Phillies recorded the 10, 000th loss in franchise history; the first pro team to do so. In addition to the dubious distinction, players, coaches and other team personnel received a set of steak knives and discount coupons for local businesses around the City of Brotherly Love!

"Locked in a Box?": The lock of da’ week record is off to a fine 1-0 start following LSU’s demolition of Mississippi State.

Vindy’s Week 2 Best Bets: Last Week: 2-2 Season: 2-2 (.500)
WYOMING -24 over Utah State, EAST CAROLINA -4 over North Carolina, VIRGINIA -16 over Duke, Toledo +3 ½ over CENTRAL MICHIGAN

Vindy's Picks Week 1-2007

NCAA ADOPTS NASA RULE

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (REUTERS)...Inebriated astronauts at lift-off?! Yep. NASA thought common sense would apply to pre-flight substance consumption, then had to explicitly bring that concept to the forefront. Why then couldn’t there feasibly be coked-up coordinators, looped linebackers or soused safeties come game time? The NCAA has considered the possibility and now implemented a minimum 12-hour pre-game, no-substance use policy similar to NASA’s "bottle-to-throttle" rule. College insiders are calling the new regulation "wine-to-sideline". Several new nicknames have since popped up on the Internet, including some tailored to specific positions or substances, such as "crack-to-sack", "grass-to-pass" and "weed-to-read".

Having spent this spring and summer squandering his drive-thru gym membership and fresh from completion of summer practices at Daddy Two-A-Day Camp with his pre-season forecasting strategy team of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Barack Obama, Ghost Rider, Sanjaya, deposed astronaut Lisa Nowak, "Scooter" Libby, voice-over guy Don LaFontaine; the Rutgers women’s hoops team, Hannah Montana, that guy who dumped Carmen Electra in the TV commercial, Borat, Daniellynn Stern, former Army Surgeon General Kevin Kiley, Fergie, Brett & Garrett Reid; former MIT dean-of-admissions Marilee Jones and NBA referee Tim Donaghy; our prestigious prognosticator is off-and-running with the bat on crack (somethin’ like that ) and presents...

THE WEBER KID’S 2007 WEEK 1 FORECAST
(now with 0% trans fat)

THURS. AUG. 30
#2 Louisiana State over MISSISSIPPI STATE giving 18: LOCK OF DA’ WEEK. Hmmm...scary line, but Bulldogs did beat ‘Bama away last year and nearly defeated Joja’ between the hedges. Still, the return of former starter Matt Flynn at quarterback for the Bayou Bengals should take the sting outta’ losing JaMarcus Russell to the pros...LSU 35 MSU 7

Murray State @ #10 LOUISVILLE: No line.

#16 RUTGERS over Buffalo giving 32: Bulls return 18 starters for the first time this century and should bolster the ATS record if not the actual straight-up win-loss record, but not here. Knights open the season ranked for the first time in their history. Buffalo actually toppled Rutgers in the not-so-distant past, but that was against the 2002 squad that went 1-11.... Paladins of Piscataway 44 Bulls 7

Weber State @ #24 BOISE STATE: No line.

SAT. SEPT. 1
#1 USC over Idaho giving 46: Trojans take on only three opponents that had losing records in ‘06. This is one of ‘em. "Citizens of Los Angeles...there is no cause for alarm. That ice floe appearing across the field from USC in the Coliseum is simply the five returning offensive starters for the Potato-Heads". USC has won last two openers by combined score of 113-31... Troy 55 Curly Fries 3

#3 WEST VIRGINIA over Western Michigan giving 23 1/2: It’s its 2006 opener, Vindy seriously underestimated WVU following the Marshall "Spy Gate" scandal. We won’t do that again here. Only concern might be the pass defense. Mounties are 7-1-1 ATS in last 9 matches in Morgantown. Half of our projected title game pairing wins going away...’Eers 42 WMU 13

Arkansas State over #4 TEXAS taking 40 ½: Indians are 3-1 ATS last four against ranked clubs. Excluding nifty 11-2 in 2005, Steers have covered only 30 of 63 since start of 2001 campaign. Assuming Arkie State can’t run effectively, they can put up enough through the air to stay within this line (even though 236 passing ypg allowed by UT last year was somewhat skewed by the 519 posted by Texas Tech) . Sophomore jinx for Mr. McCoy? ...’Horns 38 ASU 14
Appalachian State @ #5 MICHIGAN: No line.

Western Kentucky @ #6 FLORIDA: No line. (Tough spot for I-A’s newest entry against last season’s national champ.)

#7 WISCONSIN over Washington State giving 14: Badgers have lofty expectations to live up to this year. Rather smallish line suggests Wisky will rely on clock-eating running game and defense with a new man under center. Coogs have covered 8 of last 10 non-conference road tilts...Varmints 28 Wazzou 7

North Texas over #8 OKLAHOMA taking 40 1/2: Cue Kermit the Frog, who will entertain the visitors with a rousing version of "It Ain’t Easy Bein’ Mean Green"!...Sooners 44 UNT 10

East Carolina over #9 VIRGINIA TECH taking 24: Pirates are 18-6 against the number the last two years, though they only have 5 returning starters on offense (and 4 of ‘em are linemen). Taking the field should be cathartic for the Hokies, who will have a nationwide "12th Man" all season long. Huge game at LSU next for Tech...VT 27 ECU 6

Youngstown State @ #11 OHIO STATE: No line.

#12 CAL over #15 Tennessee giving 5 ½: Nice. A match-up of ranked teams right outta’ the gate. Bears were on wrong end of unexpected thrashing in Knoxville last year. There’ll be 13 Cal starters looking for some payback. Vols haven’t posted a winning ATS campaign since the ‘99 regular season...Cal 28 Rocky Top 16

Oklahoma State over #13 GEORGIA taking 6 ½: Like a lot of other folks out there apparently (this line opened at at 9), we’re thinking the Cowpokes offense will continue to be explosive under one of those third-year coaches, Mike Gundy, that Vin noted in an earlier post. State manages first upset on the season against Joja’s reasonably new defense...OKSU 31 UGA 30

#14 Ucla over STANFORD giving 17: Cardinal takes the field with its fourth coach in last seven seasons. Bruins traditionally have problems putting Stanford away, but did win by 21-0 and 31-0 in ‘04 and ‘06, respectively. UCLA is not-real-impressive 3-9 against the line in last dozen as road chalk...Bruins 24 Trees 0

#17 PENN STATE over Florida International giving 38: Good bet for the opening "wish I had it back" selection since multiple Lions suspensions for an off-season assault problem and JoPa’s tendency to not run it up on weak opponents makes this a risky pick. We’ll rely on the State defense to keep FIU off the board... THE ALMA MATER 42 Gilded Panthers 0

#18 AUBURN over Kansas State giving 13 ½: We prefer the Warhawks squad that belts teams it should traditionally over Wildcats team that typically debuts asleep at the wheel as evidenced by last season’s holy-crap-we-just-beat-I-AA-Illinois State 24-23. Some of KSU’s previous season opening victories weren’t real stellar either ... Tigers 41 K-State 20

#20 NEBRASKA over Nevada-Reno giving 21: Wolfpack’s a much better play at home than away. Nonetheless, we considered taking Reno and the points initially. UNR features sophomores at QB and RB and have covered only three of last dozen on the road. Big Red is 4-1 ATS in last 5 lined openers. A cover here would go a long way toward building respect and hopes for the Nebraska season many expect...Children of the Corn 38 Reno 14

Troy over #21 ARKANSAS taking 24: Trojans got an ugly September sked this year that includes two SEC teams on the road and a visit from Oklahoma State. We’ll ignore the whole "off-season issues distraction" thing, but we like the ‘Hogs to just handoff to Heisman-hopeful RB McFadden and thwart Troy on D...Arkansas 24 Troy 6

Baylor over #22 TCU taking 21: Bears have exactly zero bye weeks in ‘07, so they better take advantage of the energy they have for now. Only recent meeting of these two was last year’s 17-7 win by the Frogs. Toads are the chic pick to be this season’s BCS-buster. With trip to Austin on deck, we figure them to be conservative... Ribbit 21 Bares 7

#23 Hawaii: IDLE (next @ Louisiana Tech)

Montana State @ #25 TEXAS A&M: No line.

MON. SEPT. 3
#19 Florida State over CLEMSON giving 3: No faith in this pick and frankly...we’ll just take a push. Historical trends side with Tigers at home in general and as host vs. the ‘Noles. The elder Bowden broke out the broom and cleaned house of his assistants in the off-season. Can’t be any worse on offense. State has its highest number of returning starters (14, including the QB) since the ‘03 season. It’ll need the speed on defense to slow down Tigers running game. FSU goes in with revenge after Clemson took last two (and three of last four) outright. Combined, these clubs have been victorious in 34 of last 37 season premieres. Somethin’ has to give...so we’re givin’ the nod to the... Injuns 17 Clemson 12

BETWEEN THE HASHMARKS

By the way, NCAA officials are applying the 12-hour policy to practice days as well, leading at least one anonymous coach to dub the ruling, "swill-to-drill"!

As a result of the aforementioned off-season, off-campus incident, JoPa will ensure the entire Lions team will be cleaning Beaver Stadium every Sunday following each game in Happy Valley. Coulda’ been worse. They coulda’ been tasked to change JoPa’s Depends every Sunday!

According to the May 7th ish of ESPN: Da’ Mag, a Florida woman got de-cleated from her personal water-craft by a leaping sturgeon. Said fish has since been offered a scholarship to play defensive back at Florida International!

This Fall’s must-see TV...America Ferrera stars in a dual role as both pitcher and catcher (No...not that kinda’ pitcher and catcher) for the local minor league baseball team in... "Ugly Battery". Also on ABC, Ferrera brings her glasses and braces into the sportsbook to make a few wagers on..."Ugly Bettor"!!!

Shoppe Talk: Vindy hopes to stave off last season’s Grill-master Supreme Award-winner, Notre Dame, who thwarted Vindy’s Picks nine times in a dozen opportunities!

Vindy’s Week 1 Best Bets: Last Week: 0-0 Last Season: 35-30-3
BYU -5 ½ over Arizona, WEEZIANA-MONROE +5 ½ over Tulsa, Virginia -4 over WYOMING, FLORIDA ATLANTIC -2 ½ over Middle Tennessee State

Up next...Vindy’s Picks welcomes back the NFL, "salutes" Michael Vick and recaps more events of the off-season!

Third Year Coaches for 2007

Professional handicapper Phil Steele has often extolled the value of having a coach in his third year with a team as a positive. Among the rationale offered is that players have had a couple of seasons to play within the new coach’s system and the coach has more of his own recruits on the team. While there is certainly a multitude of factors that account for the success or not-so-success of a team during any given season, just for fun, we crunched a few numbers for coaches who were in their third year with the same team for the 2006 season. There were eleven Division I-A coaches who fit the criteria. On average, those coaches had 8 returning offensive starters (more often than not having a returning starting QB) and 8 returning defensive starters. Of the eleven teams from 2006, five had at least one more straight-up win than the previous season, six clubs improved their ATS records by at least one more win.

Here are the 22 coaches starting this season in their third year with their respective clubs, last season’s SU and spread records and returning offensive-defensive starters (* indicates a returning QB) then and now:

‘07 3rd Year Coach ‘06 SU/ATS record (‘06 returning starters) ‘07 returning starters

Les Miles, LSU 11-2/6-7 (6*-5) (6-8)

Ed Orgeron, Ol Miss 4-8/5-4-2 (5-5) 9*-6

Urban Meyer, Florida 13-1/5-7-1 (6*-6) 6-2

Steve Spurrier, SC 8-5/9-3 (7*-5) 7*-10

Ron Zook, Illinois 2-10/5-6 (9*-10) 8*-9

Mike Gundy, OKSU 7-6/7-4-1 (9*-5) 8*-7

Ty Willingham, Wash 5-7/6-5-1 (6*-8) 6-6

Walt Harris, Stanford 1-11/3-9 (10*-6) 8-8

Dave Wannstedt, Pitt 6-6/5-6 (6*-6) 8-6

Greg Robinson, Syracuse 4-8/8-4 (6*-4) 7-5

Kyle Whittingham, Utah 8-5/7-4-1 (6*-7) 10*-6

Bronco Mendenhall, BYU 11-2/10-2-1 (8*-4) 6-7

Mike Sanford, UNLV 2-10/4-6-1 (7*-5) 8*-6

Mark Snyder, Marshall 5-7/4-7 (9*-6) 7*-7

Skip Holtz, ECU 7-6/10-3 (7*-6) 6-8

Brent Guy, Utah State 1-11/3-9 (7*-6) 8*-11

Hal Mumme, NMSU 4-8/7-3 (6-6) 10*-7

Dick Tomey, San Jose State 9-4/9-3 (7*-2) 7*-8

Charlie Weis, ND 10-3/4-8-1 (7*-9) 4-5

Bill Cubit, W. Michigan 8-5/8-5 (6*-8) 8-8

Frank Solich, Ohio U. 9-5/7-6 (9*-9) 5-6

Shane Montgomery, MI-OH 2-10/4-8 (5-2) 8*-6

Periodically, we’ll keep our readership notified of the progress (or regression) made (if any) of these squads. Stay tuned....

Comparison of 2007-08 Preseason Bowl Projections

A COMPARISON OF PRESEASON PROJECTED 2007-08 BOWL MATCH-UPS

Vindy offers a comparison of projected bowl selections from a multitude of sites/forecasters, including our humble host Vegas Vindicator, College Football News, Phil Steele, CBS Sportsline, College Sports Television, a couple of writers from ESPN (Ivan Maisel and Paul Schlabach) and The Sporting News, fellow forecaster DpD and the folks at Sports Illustrated. One or two sources only gave up their BCS game predictions (those girly men!). FYI...Vindy’s 2006-07 projections yielded a few correct individual post-season team placements, but exactly zero correct bowl pairings...

DEC. 20
SAN DIEGO CREDIT UNION POINSETTIA: MWC vs. Navy/At-Large
Vindy’s Picks: Colorado State vs. Navy
CFN: BYU vs. Navy
Steele: BYU vs. Navy
Sportsline: Utah vs. Navy
CSTV: Kent State vs. Navy
ESPN (Maisel): Utah vs. Navy
ESPN (Schlabach): Utah vs. Navy
Sporting News: Utah vs. Navy

DpD: Utah vs. Navy

SI: BYU vs. Navy

DEC. 21
R&L CARRIERS NEW ORLEANS BOWL: Sun Belt Champ vs. C-USA
Vindy’s Picks: Louisiana-Monroe vs. Memphis
CFN: Troy vs. SMU
Steele: Troy vs. Tulsa
Sportsline: Louisiana-Lafayette vs. SMU
CSTV: Troy vs. SMU
ESPN (Maisel): Troy vs. Central Florida
ESPN (Schlabach): Troy vs. East Carolina
Sporting News: Troy vs. Central Florida

DpD: Middle Tennessee State vs. Marshall

SI: Troy vs. Houston

DEC. 22
PAPAJOHNS.COM: BE (or MAC) vs. C-USA
Vindy’s Picks: East Carolina vs. South Florida
CFN: South Florida vs. Southern Miss
Steele: Central Florida vs. Pitt
Sportsline: South Florida vs. Houston
CSTV: Central Florida vs. South Florida
ESPN (Maisel): South Florida vs. Memphis
ESPN (Schlabach): Cincinnati vs. Marshall
Sporting News: Tulsa vs. Pitt

DpD: South Florida vs. Southern Miss

SI: Cincinnati vs. Memphis

NEW MEXICO: MWC vs. WAC
Vindy’s Picks: Wyoming vs. San Jose State
CFN: Air Force vs. Nevada-Reno
Steele: New Mexico vs. Fresno State
Sportsline: Colorado State vs. San Jose State
CSTV: Utah vs. San Jose State
ESPN (Maisel): New Mexico vs. Fresno State
ESPN (Schlabach): Wyoming vs. Nevada-Reno
Sporting News: BYU vs. Nevada

DpD: Wyoming vs. Nevada-Reno

SI: Utah vs. Fresno State

PIONEER PUREVISION LAS VEGAS: MWC Champ vs. PAC-10 #4
Vindy’s Picks: TCU vs. Arizona State
CFN: TCU vs. Arizona State
Steele: TCU vs. Arizona
Sportsline: TCU vs. Arizona State
CSTV: TCU vs. Oregon
ESPN (Maisel): BYU vs. UCLA
ESPN (Schlabach): TCU vs. UCLA
Sporting News: New Mexico vs. Arizona

DpD: BYU vs. Oregon State

SI: TCU vs. Arizona State

DEC. 23
SHERATON HAWAII: C-USA vs. WAC
Vindy’s Picks: SMU vs. Hawaii
CFN: Marshall vs. Fresno State
Steele: UTEP vs. New Mexico State
Sportsline: Rice vs. Hawaii
CSTV: Houston vs. Hawaii
ESPN (Maisel): UTEP vs. Hawaii
ESPN (Schlabach): Houston vs. Hawaii
Sporting News: Hawaii vs. Oregon

DpD: Hawaii vs. Tulsa

SI: Hawaii vs. Marshall

DEC. 26
MOTOR CITY: B10 #7 vs. MAC
Vindy’s Picks: Troy vs. Ohio
CFN: Northwestern vs. Central Michigan
Steele: Northwestern vs. Toledo
Sportsline: Cincinnati vs. Central Michigan
CSTV: Notre Dame vs. Central Michigan
ESPN (Maisel): Michigan State vs. Miami-Ohio
ESPN (Schlabach): Minnesota vs. Central Michigan
Sporting News: Minnesota vs. Miami-Ohio

DpD: Cincinnati vs. Central Michigan

SI: Northwestern vs. Western Michigan

DEC. 27
PACIFIC LIFE HOLIDAY: B12 #3 vs. Pac-10 #2
Vindy’s Picks: Oklahoma State vs. California
CFN: Missouri vs. California
Steele: Nebraska vs. Oregon
Sportsline: Nebraska vs. California
CSTV: Missouri vs. UCLA
ESPN (Maisel): Nebraska vs. Oregon
ESPN (Schlabach): Nebraska vs. California
Sporting News: Nebraska vs. California

DpD: Kansas State vs. UCLA

SI: Missouri vs. UCLA

TEXAS: B12 vs. C-USA
Vindy’s Picks: Kansas vs. Tulsa
CFN: Texas Tech vs. Houston
Steele: Auburn vs. Houston
Sportsline: Texas Tech vs. Central Florida
CSTV: Kansas vs. Tulsa
ESPN (Maisel): Kansas State vs. Houston
ESPN (Schlabach): Texas Tech vs. Central Florida
Sporting News: Texas A&M vs. UTEP

DpD: Texas A&M vs. Western Michigan

SI: Kansas vs. UTEP

DEC. 28:
CHAMPS SPORTS: ACC #4 vs. B10 #4 or #5
Vindy’s Picks: Virginia Tech vs. Purdue
CFN: Boston College vs. Purdue
Steele: Clemson vs. Wisconsin
Sportsline: Miami vs. Iowa
CSTV: Georgia Tech vs. Iowa
ESPN (Maisel): Miami vs. Iowa
ESPN (Schlabach): Boston College vs. Iowa
Sporting News: Georgia Tech vs. Iowa

DpD: Kansas vs. Northwestern

SI: Miami vs. Iowa

EMERALD: ACC #7 vs. PAC-10 #5
Vindy’s Picks: Georgia Tech vs. Oregon
CFN: Clemson vs. Oregon State
Steele: Virginia vs. California
Sportsline: Clemson vs. Oregon
CSTV: Maryland vs. Arizona State
ESPN (Maisel): NC State vs. Arizona State
ESPN (Schlabach): Maryland vs. Oregon
Sporting News: Wake Forest vs. Arizona State

DpD: Florida State vs. Arizona

SI: Virginia vs. Oregon State

DEC. 29
MEINEKE CAR CARE: ACC #6 vs. BE
Vindy’s Picks: Boston College vs. Rutgers
CFN: Miami vs. Pittsburgh
Steele: NC State vs. South Florida
Sportsline: Wake Forest vs. Rutgers
CSTV: Miami vs. Rutgers
ESPN (Maisel): Clemson vs. West Virginia
ESPN (Schlabach): Clemson vs. South Florida
Sporting News: Miami vs. South Florida

DpD: Miami vs. Pitt

SI: Wake Forest vs. South Florida

AUTOZONE LIBERTY: C-USA Champ vs. SEC #6
Vindy’s Picks: Southern Miss vs. Arkansas
CFN: Tulsa vs. Alabama
Steele: Southern Miss vs. Tennessee
Sportsline: Southern Miss vs. Alabama
CSTV: Southern Miss vs. Kentucky
ESPN (Maisel): Southern Miss vs. Alabama
ESPN (Schlabach): Southern Miss vs. Alabama
Sporting News: Southern Miss vs. Arkansas

DpD: Houston vs. Tennessee

SI: Southern Miss vs. Alabama

VALERO ALAMO: B10 #4 or #5 vs. B12 #4
Vindy’s Picks: Ohio State vs. Missouri
CFN: Iowa vs. Nebraska
Steele: Purdue vs. Texas A&M
Sportsline: Purdue vs. Missouri
CSTV: Illinois vs. Kansas State
ESPN (Maisel): Purdue vs. Missouri
ESPN (Schlabach): Purdue vs. Missouri
Sporting News: Purdue vs. Missouri

DpD: Minnesota vs. Texas Tech

SI: Purdue vs. Texas A&M

DEC. 30
PETROSUN INDEPENDENCE: B12 #7 vs. SEC #8
Vindy’s Picks: Kansas State vs. Vanderbilt
CFN: Kansas State vs. Arkansas
Steele: Texas Tech vs. Arkansas
Sportsline: Kansas State vs. Kentucky
CSTV: Oklahoma State vs. Alabama
ESPN (Maisel): Texas Tech vs. South Carolina
ESPN (Schlabach): Kansas State vs. Kentucky
Sporting News: Oklahoma State vs. Kentucky

DpD: Oklahoma State vs. Washington State

SI: Texas Tech vs. Notre Dame

DEC. 31
BELL HELICOPTER ARMED FORCES: MWC vs. PAC-10
Vindy’s Picks: Nevada-Reno vs. Arizona
CFN: Utah vs. Washington State
Steele: Utah vs. Oregon State
Sportsline: BYU vs. Washington State
CSTV: BYU vs. Arizona
ESPN (Maisel): Wyoming vs. Washington
ESPN (Schlabach): BYU vs. Oregon State
Sporting News: TCU vs. Houston

DpD: TCU vs. Oregon

SI: Wyoming vs. Oregon

SUN: B12/BE/Notre Dame vs. PAC-10 #3
Vindy’s Picks: Auburn vs. USC
CFN: Oklahoma State vs. Oregon
Steele: Oklahoma State vs. UCLA
Sportsline: Notre Dame vs. Oregon State
CSTV: Texas A&M vs. Oregon State
ESPN (Maisel): Notre Dame vs. California

ESPN (Schlabah): Notre Dame vs. Washington State
Sporting News: Notre Dame vs. Oregon State

DpD: Notre Dame vs. California

SI: Louisville vs. California

ROADY’S HUMANITARIAN: ACC #8 vs. WAC
Vindy’s Picks: Clemson vs. Boise State
CFN: Virginia vs. Boise State
Steele: Maryland vs. Boise State
Sportsline: Maryland vs. Boise State
CSTV: Clemson vs. Boise State
ESPN (Maisel): Wake Forest vs. Boise State
ESPN (Schlabach): ESPN (Schlabach): Wake Forest vs. Boise State
Sporting News: Clemson vs. Boise State

DpD: Boston College vs. San Jose State

SI: Clemson vs. Boise State

GAYLORD HOTELS MUSIC CITY: ACC vs. SEC #5
Vindy’s Picks: Miami vs. Florida
CFN: Florida State vs. South Carolina
Steele: Georgia Tech vs. Vanderbilt
Sportsline: Boston College vs. South Carolina
CSTV: Wake Forest vs. South Carolina
ESPN (Maisel): Georgia Tech vs. Tennessee
ESPN (Schlabach): Miami vs. Auburn
Sporting News: Virginia vs. South Carolina

DpD: Georgia Tech vs. Alabama

SI: Boston College vs. South Carolina

CHICK-FIL-A: ACC #2 vs. SEC
Vindy’s Picks: Florida State vs. Georgia
CFN: Maryland vs. Tennessee
Steele: Virginia Tech vs. Florida
Sportsline: Georgia Tech vs. Tennessee
CSTV: Boston College vs. Tennessee
ESPN (Maisel): Maryland vs. Kentucky
ESPN (Schlabach): Georgia Tech vs. South Carolina
Sporting News: Boston College vs. Alabama

DpD: Wake Forest vs. South Carolina

SI: Georgia Tech vs. Auburn

INSIGHT: B10 #6 vs. B12 #6
Vindy’s Picks: Michigan State vs. Texas A&M
CFN: Minnesota vs. Texas A&M
Steele: Illinois vs. Kansas State
Sportsline: Minnesota vs. Oklahoma State
CSTV: Purdue vs. Texas Tech
ESPN (Maisel): Northwestern vs. Texas A&M
ESPN (Schlabach): Oklahoma State vs. Indiana
Sporting News: Illinois vs. Texas Tech

DpD: Penn State vs. Nebraska

SI: Illinois vs. Kansas State

JAN. 1
OUTBACK: B10 #3 vs. SEC
Vindy’s Picks: Penn State vs. Alabama
CFN: Ohio State vs. Florida
Steele: Iowa vs. South Carolina
Sportsline: Penn State vs. Georgia
CSTV: Ohio State vs. Auburn
ESPN (Maisel): Ohio State vs. Auburn
ESPN (Schlabach): Penn State vs. Georgia
Sporting News: Ohio State vs. Auburn

DpD: Iowa vs. Georgia

SI: Penn State vs. Georgia

COTTON: B12 #2 vs. SEC
Vindy’s Picks: Nebraska vs. South Carolina
CFN: Oklahoma vs. Auburn
Steele: Missouri vs. Alabama
Sportsline: Texas A&M vs. Arkansas
CSTV: Nebraska vs. Arkansas
ESPN (Maisel): Oklahoma State vs. Arkansas
ESPN (Schlabach): Texas A&M vs. Arkansas
Sporting News: Oklahoma vs. Tennessee

DpD: Missouri vs. Arkansas

SI: Oklahoma State vs. Arkansas

GATOR: ACC #3 vs. B12/BE/Notre Dame
Vindy’s Picks: Maryland vs. Colorado
CFN: Georgia Tech vs. Rutgers
Steele: Miami vs. Notre Dame
Sportsline: Florida State vs. Oklahoma
CSTV: Florida State vs. Oklahoma
ESPN (Maisel): Florida State vs. Rutgers
ESPN (Schlabach): Florida State vs. Rutgers
Sporting News: Florida State vs. Rutgers

DpD: Clemson vs. West Virginia

SI: Florida State vs. Nebraska

CAPITAL ONE: B10 #2 vs. SEC #2
Vindy’s Picks: Michigan vs. Tennessee
CFN: Penn State vs. Georgia
Steele: Ohio State vs. Georgia
Sportsline: Ohio State vs. Auburn
CSTV: Penn State vs. Georgia
ESPN (Maisel): Penn State vs. Georgia
ESPN (Schlabach): Ohio State vs. Tennessee
Sporting News: Penn State vs. Georgia

DpD: Wisconsin vs. Auburn

SI: Ohio State vs. Tennessee

ROSE PRESENTED BY CITI: B10 Champ vs. PAC-10 Champ
Vindy’s Picks: Wisconsin vs. UCLA
CFN: Wisconsin vs. UCLA
Steele: Michigan vs. Texas
Sportsline: Michigan vs. UCLA
CSTV: Wisconsin vs. California
ESPN (Maisel): Michigan vs. Texas
ESPN (Schlabach): Michigan vs. Oklahoma
Sporting News: Michigan vs. UCLA
Lindy’s: Michigan vs. California

DpD: Michigan vs. LSU

SI: Michigan vs. Rutgers

ALL-STATE SUGAR: SEC Champ vs. at-large
Vindy’s Picks: Oklahoma vs. Louisville
CFN: Michigan vs. Hawaii
Steele: West Virginia vs. Hawaii
Sportsline: Florida vs. Louisville
CSTV: Michigan vs. LSU
ESPN (Maisel): LSU vs. Louisville
ESPN (Schlabach): Florida vs. West Virginia
Sporting News: Florida vs. Wisconsin

Lindy’s: Tennessee vs. West Virginia

DpD: Florida vs. Ohio State

SI: Florida vs. Oklahoma

JAN. 2
TOSTITOS FIESTA: B12 Champ vs. at-large
Vindy’s Picks: Texas vs. BYU
CFN: Texas vs. Louisville
Steele: Oklahoma vs. Louisville
Sportsline: Texas vs. Wisconsin
CSTV: Texas vs. Louisville
ESPN (Maisel): Texas Christian vs. Wisconsin

ESPN (Schlabach): Texas vs. Louisville
Sporting News: Texas vs. Louisville
Lindy’s: Texas vs. Wisconsin

DpD: Boise State vs. Louisville

SI: Texas vs. Wisconsin

JAN. 3
FED-EX ORANGE: ACC Champ vs. at-large
Vindy’s Picks: Virginia vs. Iowa
CFN: Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia
Steele: Florida State vs. Penn State
Sportsline: Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia
CSTV: Florida vs. West Virginia
ESPN (Maisel): Virginia Tech vs. Florida
ESPN (Schlabach): Virginia Tech vs. Florida
Sporting News: Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia
Lindy’s: Virginia Tech vs. Oklahoma

DpD: Virginia Tech vs. Texas

SI: Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia

JAN. 6
INTERNATIONAL: BE/Notre Dame vs. MAC #4 or #5
Vindy’s Picks: Notre Dame vs. Western Michigan
CFN: Notre Dame vs. Miami-Ohio
Steele: Rutgers vs. Kent State
Sportsline: Pittsburgh vs. Ohio
CSTV: no pick
ESPN (Maisel): Pittsburgh vs. Toledo
ESPN (Schlabach): Pittsburgh vs. Ohio
Sporting News: Ball State vs. Maryland

DpD: Rutgers vs. Ohio

SI: Middle Tennessee vs. Ohio

GMAC: C-USA #2 vs. MAC
Vindy’s Picks: Houston vs. Toledo
CFN: East Carolina vs. Toledo
Steele: Memphis vs. Western Michigan
Sportsline: Tulsa vs. Western Michigan
CSTV: no pick
ESPN (Maisel): Tulsa vs. Western Michigan
ESPN (Schlabach): Tulsa vs. Ball State
Sporting News: SMU vs. Western Michigan

DpD: East Carolina vs. Akron

SI: Tulsa vs. Toledo

JAN. 7
BCS CHAMPIONSHIP: BCS #1 vs. BCS #2
Vindy’s Picks: West Virginia vs. LSU
CFN: USC vs. LSU
Steele: USC vs. LSU
Sportsline: USC vs. LSU
CSTV: USC vs. Virginia Tech
ESPN (Maisel): USC vs. Oklahoma
ESPN (Schlabach): USC vs. LSU
Sporting News: USC vs. LSU
Lindy’s: USC vs. LSU

DpD: USC vs. Oklahoma

SI: USC vs. LSU

Preseason Projected 2007-08 Bowl Match-Ups

Yeah, yeah...we’ve read all the blog comments about the absurdity of forecasting bowl match-ups out this far. Let’s face it..."expert" projections are made based on number of returning starters, coaching turnovers, expected decline/improvement of teams based on experience or lack thereof, players coming back from prior season injuries, increase/decrease in strength of schedule, yada yada yada. But you all know as well as Vindy does that there will be turnovers, upsets, blown officiating calls, injuries, off-the-field "issues"and possibly random acts of nature that will impact the anticipated progression of the season.

THE WEBER KID’S 2007-08 PRESEASON BOWL MATCH-UPS

(Selected via taping school names to the bottom of 119 rubber ducks and pulling them outta’ the bubbling jacuzzi at random until all 64 bowl slots were filled...OK, maybe we put a little more into it than that.)

DEC. 20
SAN DIEGO CREDIT UNION POINSETTIA:
Colorado State vs. Navy

DEC. 21
R&L CARRIERS NEW ORLEANS BOWL:
Louisiana-Monroe vs. Memphis

DEC. 22
PAPAJOHNS.COM:
South Florida vs. East Carolina

NEW MEXICO:
Wyoming vs. San Jose State

PIONEER PUREVISION LAS VEGAS:
TCU vs. Arizona State

DEC. 23
SHERATON HAWAII:
SMU vs. Hawaii

DEC. 26
MOTOR CITY:
Troy vs. Ohio U.

DEC. 27
PACIFIC LIFE HOLIDAY:
Oklahoma State vs. California

TEXAS:
Kansas vs. Tulsa

DEC. 28
CHAMPS SPORTS:
Virginia Tech vs. Purdue

EMERALD:
Georgia Tech vs. Oregon

DEC. 29
MEINEKE CAR CARE:
Boston College vs. Rutgers

AUTOZONE LIBERTY:
Southern Miss vs. Arkansas

ALAMO:
Ohio State vs. Missouri

DEC. 30
PETROSUN INDEPENDENCE:
Kansas State vs. Vanderbilt

DEC. 31
BELL HELICOPTER ARMED FORCES:
Nevada-Reno vs. Arizona

SUN:
Auburn vs. USC

HUMANITARIAN:
Clemson vs. Boise State

GAYLORD HOTELS MUSIC CITY:
Miami vs. Florida

CHICK-FIL-A:
Florida State vs. Georgia

INSIGHT:
Michigan State vs. Texas A&M

JAN. 1
OUTBACK:
Penn State vs. Alabama

COTTON:
Nebraska vs. South Carolina

GATOR:
Maryland vs. Colorado

CAPITAL ONE:
Michigan vs. Tennessee

ROSE PRESENTED BY CITI:
Wisconsin vs. UCLA

ALL-STATE SUGAR:
Oklahoma vs. Louisville

JAN. 2
TOSTITOS FIESTA:
Texas vs. BYU

JAN. 3
FED-EX ORANGE:
Virginia vs. Iowa

JAN. 6
INTERNATIONAL:
Notre Dame vs. Western Michigan

GMAC:
Houston vs. Toledo

JAN. 7
BCS CHAMPIONSHIP:
LSU vs. West Virginia

Tune in this December to see how we fared.....

Tune in later this month as we post a comparison of several sites’ post-season prognostications and even later when we put up thoughts on this season’s third-year coaches...and, of course, Week One’s Top 25 regular-season ATS picks (somewhere around August 28)!