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)!

Vindy's '06-'07 Bowl Recap

MAG NAMES ENTIRE DIVISION NATIONAL CHAMPS; EAGLES, CROCS BRING VIN CAREER POST-SEASON BEST
Thousands Garner Coveted Hardware; Vindy Snags 19 Bowl Wins

NEW YORK, New York (CNN)...BCS, Schmee-C-S....It didn’t take long for Time Magazine to apply the same logic to collegiate pigskin that it did to its annual "Person of Da’ Year" as the prestigious periodical named "All of Division I-A" as its 2007 national champion in college football. "If pick one, ya gotta’ justify it. If ya pick ‘em all ... no muss, no fuss!"quipped managing editor Richard Stengel. In the wake of the controversial January 9th issue, Time also announced "a ton of average joes" walked away with such preferred trophies as the MVP, Heisman, Vezina and Gold Glove awards! In fact, an unidentified Time staffer let it be known the Vegas Vindicator made #27 on the published list of 26 "persons that mattered". Apparently, the venerable, traditional magazine was too busy covering the war, the NASA Discovery mission and of course, Vindy’s Picks, to identify a single winner, noting "Hey...we pressed the ‘Staples easy button’ and this was the result!". In fact, only the "second chance"given by Donald Trump to Miss USA Tara Conners prevented Time from making the whole country a "Tiara City"!

Vindy wants to thank all the folks at Time that voted for him (most of which were bookies who pocketed big dollars from bettors who relied on Vindy’s regular-season picks) and for the multitude of others! The Weber Kid can’t wait to see his name engraved on the trophies... alphabetically behind thousands of others...FINE! In the immortal words of South Park’s Eric Cartman..."Those bastards!"

Meanwhile, back in Sin City, the Weber Kid got off to an auspicious start, going 1-2 through the first trey, but rallied nicely to post a 6-2 record through the first eight and 8-4 through the first dozen games. A 1-4-1 stint crossing January 1st and 2nd left our prestigious prognosticator feelin’ like the red Rock ‘em Sock ‘Em robot in the latest Ford truck commercial and led Vindicator to quote Johnny Depp’s character in Pirates of the Carribean, uttering, "Oh, Bugger!" But The Vegas Vindicator went on to record a career-high 19 college bowl spread wins behind the SoMiss Golden Eagles and those National Champion Florida Gators! The Weber Kid finished with 4-0 flurry and (five of da’ last six) to show a final 19-12-1 tally, a whopping 61.29% against the number and his first winning bowl season record since ‘02 post-season’s 17-11.

BETWEEN THE HASHMARKS (brought to you by Cingular Wireless..."Stop the catbox...stop the catbox...")
In accordance with Macy’s desires to address safety concerns, Vindy’s Picks balloons flew at much lower altitudes during the Christmas Parade than in previous years!

The underdogs would go 16-14-1 (depending on whether or not ya had the Michigan/USC game as a pick ‘em at kickoff). Of the 16 covers, 9 were won outright by the doggie and the remaining seven covering ‘dogs lost by no more than three points each!

The Big Least took honors as the conference posting the most straight-up bowl victories at 5-0!

"A defense. Is there a defense in the house???!!" In a 24-hour span, the Gophers blew a 31-point 3rd quarter lead to Texas Tech, the Hokies tanked an 18-point halftime advantage to Joja’ and Vindy’s Nifty Lions escaped with a 129-111 hardwood victory over hoops juggernaut VMI!!!!!

Las Vegas Bowl concessionaires were disappointed with beer sales due to the influx of Mormon Cougars’ fans this year. Note to Pioneer and the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce reps....invite the Stanford mascot next year even if the Cardinal ain’t playing in the bowl! Meanwhile, the Ducks covered the number in at least one category...as 15-drink chalk in the caffeinated-soda contest, Oregon covered easily as the Cougars mailed it in, electing to consume nothing but cans of Sprite and A&W root beer!

George Bush was busy handing out presidential pardons last month. Among those were....the Rice Owls for their dismal performance in 41-17 loss to Troy in the New Orleans Bowl!

Weber tips his helmet to his alma mater for toppling Tennessee as a 4-point ‘dog. By the way, Vindy’s Nifty Lions excel in the classroom too, standing 3rd among public institutions (behind only Kent State and Nebraska), 1st in the conference and 7th in Division I-A in football player graduation rate!

Speaking of Lions, Detroit ‘s coaching assistant Joe Cullen missed a recent game due to an arrest for taking his vehicle thru a Wendy’s drive-up window....au natural. We’re guessin’ a finger wasn’t the body part he found in his chili!

Elsewhere in the sporting world of fast food, two employees of a Boise, Idaho ice rink got canned in November after taking a Zamboni thru the Burger King drive-up. Is it just a matter of time before we see the ad featuring the King skating circles around two opposing wings, hip-checking a defenseman into the boards and letting fly a twisted wrista’ to put a sausage, egg and cheese biscuit in da’ basket!????!!! By the way, Janet Gretsky already has money on the "Whoppers" laying a goal-and-a-half over the Taco Bell squad!

Vindicator recently learned the last college post-season game played outside America’s borders prior to this year’s International Bowl was the 1937 Bacardi Bowl, played in Cuba. Castro was still just a water-boy for the local military academy team back then!

Troy Smith was awarded the Heisman. The last Buckeye to hoist that trophy was Eddie George, who got the middle finger bent as it went thru airport security. So actually, Michael Vick was simply striking the Eddie George Heisman pose when he allegedly flipped off the crowd earlier this season!

Just another suggestion for UNLV’s out-of-conference scheduling for football...University of Cal-Santa Claus! Actually, the Rebels did, in fact, make the post-season twice....the 2000 Las Vegas Bowl and the 1994 Las Vegas Bowl.

The Donald nearly took away Miss USA’s crown for "scandalous behavior", but gave her a reprieve and stripped Texas Tech, who was behind by 31 in the 3rd quarter to the Gophers before rallying for an OT win, of its bowl trophy instead! Miss Nevada 2007 lost her crown for previous photos including kisses with other women. At least now she’s eligible to be a Carolina Panthers cheerleader! Woo-hoo!!!!

Stanford has hired former Bears QB Jim Harbaugh as head coach. The Cardinal may not win a PAC-10 title, but it will lead the NCAA in team rap songs, goofy headbands and aviator shades in the red zone!

Florida International hired Miami assistant Mario Cristobal, who immediately started talking trash and initiated a brawl with other Golden Panthers’ coaches!

Unidentified scientists working for America’s intelligence network got grants for "unspecified" research activities from Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte. In a related story, Vindicator enters the world of cloak-and-dagger himself and is establishing a covert scholarship to be awarded to unnamed athletes to go to undisclosed schools and play classified positions! (Hint: look for the players wearing "007" as a number and having no name sewn on the backs of their jerseys!). One more thing....Vindy likes his bookies "shaken, not stirred!"

In the first hundred hours of the 110th Congress, House Democrats hope to pass legislation....1) relegating the NFL’s Raiders and Lions to the WAC and MAC, respectively; 2) sending the Texans’ 2007 draft picks to teams that will actually use them wisely; 3) adding four more bowls so a whopping 60% of Division I-A squads can play in the post-season, including provisions to invite the I-AA champ, runner-up or other squads like North Dakota State, Montana State and UC-Davis, who beat bowl division teams in the regular season, 4) requiring Notre Dame to finish on Vindicator’s predicted side of the spread in any given week; and 5) requiring congressmen to spend time with the "Men of the Square Table" passing lotsa’ "Man Law!".

The NBA’s Jalen Rose hosted his second annual poetry contest. We’re told the winning submission included, "Jalen Roses are red, Jalen Roses are blue..."

NASA’s latest Discovery mission was successful and returned safely to Earth in December...well...almost safely. Astronaut and former Swedish national frisbee champ Christer Fuglesang brought one of the popular flying discs with him on the mission. Fellow American ‘naut Sunita Williams was last seen being swept into orbit around the moon after diving to catch an errant throw as the Discovery engaged in a game of Ultimate Frisbee against the International Space Station crew!

In a related story, scientists haven’t ruled out an off-target pass by Georgia Tech’s Reggie Ball or Chicago’s Rex Grossman as the cause of the "very low impact" detected on Discovery’s left wing! While neither player has copped to the damage, both admit to being outside the tackle box at the time of the incident! (However, Weber immediately exonerates Da’ Bears’ QB because Grossman’s throw would’ve been picked off by an astronaut from an opposing country before making contact with the vessel!) The NCAA also called upon the shuttle crew to conduct an unexpected space-walk around the outside of the Boise State team bus to herd the Broncos players back inside following their wild upset win over Oklahoma.

The Coast Guard recently dropped its Great Lakes firing-range plan. Damn...Vin was hopin’ for an "accidental" Tomahawk missile "sail-by" of South Bend!

In honor of one of Britney Spears’ post-divorce outings, Vin will sport a kilt and go "commando" during his next visit to the sportsbook!

According to the December 25th ish of Sports Illustrated, Steve Spurrier’s better half committed a secondary recruiting violation by sending personal, handwritten notes to families of players who signed up to play for him. Annnnd?!... We happen to know Mrs. Spurrier is the one throwin’ the visor behind closed doors!

Sports headline yer not gonna’ see anytime soon..."Art Shell To Take Over At Louisville; Hopes to Lure Moss, Harrington Back to College Ball"

This April, America will watch athletes dressed up as 50's "greasers" go through the rigors of the Combine and vote to decide which players go to which teams in the 2007 NFL Draft. NBC executives are calling it..."You’re the One That I Want"!!!

On Wednesday, January 9th, ESPN had the unmitigated gall to televise the 2006 U.S. Scrabble Open. Does a player get flagged if a tile falls off the board and is the first letter to be touched to create a new word? Does a tile in each hand moving simultaneously toward the board constitute "illegal motion"? Can a "blank" tile check in with the referee and line up on the rack as a "vowel-eligible"? (Does Vindicator need a serious increase in the dosage of his medication?!)

"Locked in A Box!": San Jose State secured a "lock" win early in the bowl season as the Spartans overcame horrible kick-coverage team play and a missed extra point in the first half to basically whack New Mexico, who got an intentional safety and a meaningless trash-time TD late in the game. Vindy’s lock picks go 10-5 (66.67%) on the year!

Vindy’s Season Best Bets: Bowls: 2-2 Season: 35-30-3 (.538) (but throw in Vin’s "lock" record and his preferred plays went 45-35-3 [.562])

Leftover Hash! Vindy empties the rest of the clip and presents items that didn’t find their way into this column earlier!

Johnny Depp stars as the director of an offshore sportsbook that takes all its bettors to the cleaners in "Pirates of the Caribbean Casino: Spread Man’s Chest"

A May issue of Sports Illustrated reported Sooners coach Bob Stoops joined Kelly Clarkson in a ride on an FA-18 Hornet jet. Stoops said he wanted to hurl, but then the pilot asked the inaugural American Idol winner to stop singing ....and Coach was fine!

In April, the Las Vegas Sun asked the question: "Who was better and why: Willie (Mays), Mickey (Mantle) or The Duke? Hands-down, we give that one to John Wayne, who would’ve said..."I’m not gonna’ hit it...I’m not gonna’ hit it...The Hell I’m not!!!"

Albertson High School in Montana cancelled its football season following a hazing incident in which a player was taped to the ceiling of a school bus. What’s da’ big deal??!!...Ticket-writers in Vegas tape Vindy to the sportsbook ceiling every August while they stand around mocking his preseason bowl predictions!

Steven Spielberg will help design the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics...can’t wait to see how he works in the ‘droids and dinosaurs! No doubt, the American team flag-bearer will be an Imperial Stormtrooper!

Last March, local sportswriter Joe Hawk wrote about the NFL clamping down on end zone celebrations and asked "You’re a defense attorney and you’ve just won a big case. Do you grab the judge’s gavel and make like Tiger Woods putting on No. 18 to claim the Masters? You’re a parent whose child just captured first place at the school science fair. Do you jump onstage, grab the big blue ribbon and pretend you’re thrusting it into the ground, like the U.S. troops planting the flag on Iwo Jima...?" We’re thinkin’ if those actions made the daily highlight reel on SportsCenter...damn right!

The San Diego Chargers held an August walk-thru on the deck of the USS Ronald Reagan. No word as to whether George Bush showed up in pads and a helmet to declare "practice accomplished"!

The American Basketball Association fielded a new expansion team this season..the Vermont Frost Heaves...Vermont Frost Heaves???.... isn’t that what ya get after too many frozen margaritas?

The website Emerald Nuts.Com allows fans to spell out phrases using each letter of its brand name to spell out bizarre sentences. Vindicator submitted "Eagles Make End Runs Around Lunging Ducks Nibbling Umpires To Score". (Then our fearless forecaster dropped another tab of acid!)

Just FYI, to get driving directions to the sportsbook, it’s "Vin Vin" not "Tom Tom"!

Vindicator will spend the off-season hibernating in the Bud Light bunker and whacking Guinness Stout pinatas while rubber floors are installed in Vindy’s above-ground residence to prevent breakage of glass-fragile picks next season!

Not to worry, the Sin City Soothsayer will return in August to draw up X’s and "Oh, nos!" for next year’s campaign.

Until then...the Weber Kid leaves all his readers with a traditional Irish bookie blessing..."May the road dog rise up to beat you!" (Somethin’ like that!)

The V-Train has left the station....!!!!

Vindy's 2006-2007 Bowl Picks

SAPP ALLEGES INTENTIONAL FOOD POISONING
Lineman Reports Illicit Attempts to Keep Him Sidelined

OAKLAND, California (Reuters)...Raiders defensive tackle Warren Sapp told media he doesn’t eat out anymore when playing games away from home, citing deliberate efforts to keep him out of games by tampering with his meals. Sapp pointed to particular difficulty during pre-game culinary experiences in the City of Brotherly Love. "Come to think of it," reflected Sapp, "that last minute ‘team-mom’ substitute sure resembled McNabb’s mother. I never did like her and that whole ‘Chunky soup’ thing!" Shortly after Sapp’s meeting with reporters on the topic, a revised edition of "If I Did It" by O.J. Simpson hit the bookstore shelves and presented a hypothetical, detailed account of how the former Southern Cal Heisman-winning rusher would’ve poisoned Warren Sapp, had he actually done so. Investigators teased media with a little international intrigue, suggesting the alleged incidents may relate back to the Cold War and intimating the Russian government mistook Sapp for a KGB agent, with president Vladimir Putin ordering the tampering. The Kremlin has unconditionally refuted the charges as "Amerikan kapitalist horse-hockey!"

"Rocky Balboa" premieres on December 22nd. Insiders say a Cornish hen was hung on a hook in the famous meat-locker scene to protect Sly’s aging hands and it was made to look like a side of beef thru special effects (Can’t ya just hear Burgess Meredith yelling, "Eye of the lap cat, Rock! Eye of the lap cat!"??!!). In honor of the movie’s release, Vindy hung a parlay card on a hook as he trained for the bowl picks! Yeah...OK...so the card landed a couple of solid body shots! Vindy gets up off da’ mat before the ten-count expires, calls out "Adriannnnnnn (Peterson)" and offers...

THE WEBER KID’S 2006-07 BOWL PREDICTIONS
(Lines of December 14; over/under totals in parentheses)

DEC. 19
SAN DIEGO COUNTY CREDIT UNION POINSETTIA: Northern Illinois over Texas Christian taking 12 ½ (47): Toads got "lock of da’ bowls" honors last season and failed miserably. The latest college football all-star game is being played in El Paso and being nicknamed "Texas vs. the Nation". Didn’t we already see this one when Frogs played in C-USA??!! These teams are evenly matched on offense. Edge on run defense goes to TCU, but Huskies have aerial options if once-Heisman-candidate RB Garrett Wolfe is ineffective...Ribbit U. 27 NIU 20

DEC. 21
PIONEER PURE VISION LAS VEGAS: #19 BYU over Oregon giving 4 (59 1/2): Decoys are a controversial officiating call away from 6-6. Mormon fans are not known for dropping dollars in Sin City and the Coogs’ first flag will be "delay of spending"! What is the motivation for the Drakes, who had visions of much loftier bowls? Ducks lost (and failed to cover) last four games away from Autzen Stadium. The "over" looks good here too...BYU 38 Mallards 29

DEC. 22
NEW ORLEANS: Rice over Troy giving 6 ½ (51 1/2): "Break up the Owls!" was sarcastically uttered by an announcer earlier this year in reference to Temple’s team, but Vin steals the phrase and applies it to the Rice contingent that reeled off six straight victories and seven wins in its last eight. Trojans have had time to rest after playing 8 of their 12 regular season games on the road. First Rice bowl (rice bowl?) in 45 years!...Rice 24 Troy 11

DEC. 23
PAPAJOHNS.COM: South Florida over East Carolina giving 3 ½ (43 1/2): This was a tough call. Vindy has been a big fan of the Pirates this season (and is tickled to see ECU alum David Garrard directing the offense for the Jags on Sundays!). USF humiliated the Bucs 41-17 in ‘04 regular season game and fell flat on its face in a 14-0 loss to NC State in its first-ever bowl game last season. Common foe for these clubs was West Virginia. Pirates lost 27-17 at home, while Bulls won 24-19 in Morgantown. We’ll take the second-best I-A team in the Sunshine State (this season, in this forecaster’s humble opinion)...USF 24 Avast, Ye Landlubbers 17

NEW MEXICO: San Jose State over NEW MEXICO taking 4 ½ (49): LOCK OF DA’ BOWLS. Few teams get excited to play in their own backyard during the post-season. Lobos are no exception. Spartans continue nice turnaround from last three seasons of 3-8, 2-9 and 3-8 by adding another Mountain Jest squad to the list of victims... SJSU 31 New Mexico 17

ARMED FORCES: Utah over Tulsa giving 2 (49 1/2): Rumors have Donald Rumsfeld showing up to this one just before kickoff to urge "adjustment" in Tulsa’s bowl strategy and to recommend pulling Golden Hurricane safeties and corners outta’ "vulnerable positions"! Utes found their second wind in late October and just missed upset of MWC champ Cougars in finale...Utah 30 Tulsa 24

DEC. 24
HAWAII: Hawaii over Arizona State giving 8 (74 1/2): ASU yielded only 17 ppg in final three matches after allowing 26 ppg through first nine. Two of the last three were in Tempe however. Other than contest against San Jose State, ‘Bows’ opponents with a pulse scored 30 or better. Collectively, these two teams brought back a total of nine starters on defense in the preseason. A nod to the "over"...Hawaii 44 ASU 35

DEC. 26
MOTOR CITY: Central Michigan over Middle Tennessee State giving 10 (51): Interesting to see a second Sun Belt team bowling other than conference champ Troy (32 bowls will do that!). Chippies are a nifty 11-2 against the line, though only 1-1 laying double-digits. Blue Raiders just 1-3 ATS getting double-digits (against bowl teams on all four occasions)... Central Michigan 31 MTSU 17

DEC. 27
EMERALD: UCLA over Florida State giving 4 ½ (40 1/2): Bobby Bowden put Drew Weatherford under center at the beginning of the Florida game after indicating QB Xavier Lee is better coming off the bench. Does that mean FSU has two quarterbacks, neither of whom is good enough to start, so Weatherford handled the opening possessions as the lesser of two evils because Lee is the better relief pitcher????!! Bad times in Tallahassee. Bruins clearly have the motivation to beat a traditional powerhouse and will carry momentum of huge win over then-#2 Southern Cal into this one...UCLA 24 Injuns 16

DEC. 28
INDEPENDENCE: Oklahoma State over Alabama giving 2 ½ (50 1/2): Tide averaged just over 22 ppg on offense this season and posted more than 2 offensive TDs in regulation only twice (vs. Duke and Florida International). Former United Nations Weapons Inspector Hans Blix is off to join the International Ski Federation Ethics commission. Maybe he can make a stop in Tuscaloosa and try to find ‘Bama’s offense (Vindy’s intelligence network tells him they keep moving it around on trucks or other mobile platforms to prevent detection)...OKSU 27 Hans Tide Behind Their Backs 20

PACIFIC LIFE HOLIDAY: #21 Texas A&M over #20 Cal taking 5 (51 1/2): Bears are playing in a lower-tier bowl...again...following uninspired efforts vs. Southern Cal and Stanford. Aggies are total of two points against both Big 12 Title game contestants away from 11-1 record. A&M has already beaten Texas and win this one too for Coach Fran...Aggies 20 Cal 13

TEXAS: #16 Rutgers over Kansas State giving 7 ½ (45): Knights know they have the commitment of Coach Schiano to stay in the Garden State. In gratitude, Rutgers struts its best ground attack and best defense on national TV and flattens K-State squad that upended Texas and Oklahoma State at home...Knights 34 Wildcats 14

DEC. 29
GAYLORD HOTELS MUSIC CITY: Clemson over Kentucky giving 10 (57 1/2): Wildcats are making nice strides and lighting up the scoreboard, but there are still too many issues on defense. Tigers’ average margin of victory, even disregarding 63-9 blowout of Temple, was still 40-9. The Clemson also rises...Tigers 44 KY 24

BRUT SUN: #24 Oregon State over Missouri giving 3 ½ (52): Tigers are Top 20 in pass D. Beavers will showcase WR Sammie Stroughter, who pulls in better than 5 catches for almost 100 yards per game. Mizzou lost of four of their final six-pack coming in but miraculously overcame an early three touchdown hole in last year’s Independence Bowl vs. South Carolina off a similarly slow regular-season finish. Beavers beat USC, Oregon and Hawaii en route to this game. Maybe Brut pitchman Broadway Joe will make an appearance... sober!...Oregon State 24 Missouri 20

AUTOZONE LIBERTY: South Carolina over Houston giving 7 (55 1/2): This will be determined by the play of the Cougars defense. A narrow regular season road loss and subsequent home win over Southern Miss support Houston’s chances here. Still, we have to take the stronger defensive team from the SEC...Gamecocks 31 Houston 20

INSIGHT: Minnesota over Texas Tech taking 6 ½ (66): If ya like the big "O", particularly lotsa’ passing, this game’s got your name written all over it! Together, Gophers and Raiders average nearly 60 ppg per game and better than 800 yards of offense, much of that through the air. In what figures to be a shootout, Weber gladly takes the points... Gophers 35 Tech 32

CHAMPS SPORTS: Maryland over Purdue giving 1 (52): In order to personally frustrate Kim Jong Il, the U.S. has imposed a trade ban on high tech toys, cigars and other luxury items the North Korean president has taken a shine to. In a related move, the Boilermakers have asked the NCAA to establish an embargo on Krispy Kremes to Terps coach Ralph Friedgen. Turtles beat five consecutive ACC foes, while Purdue’s conference wins were over the Big Ten bottom tier. Here, Coach...donut’s on the Weber Kid!...Maryland 28 Purdue 20

DEC. 30
MEINEKE CAR CARE: Navy over #23 Boston College taking 6 ½ (47): Middies have won and covered back-to-back bowls , garnering "lock" honors from the Weber Kid in ‘04 and lock consideration last season. As one would expect from a highly-disciplined group of Uncle Sam’s servicemen, the Boat People average only just over four penalties per game. Army did everything it could to hand Navy the cover of 20 ½ points, but the Midshipmen just weren’t havin’ any of it. Navy’s first completed pass in that game came on the last play of the third quarter. Something has to give here as BC has won and covered five straight bowls, including a defeat of Boise on its home blue turf last year. Middies lost starting FB on first play vs. Army and lost starting QB during Rutgers game...BC 23 Admirals 20

MASTERCARD ALAMO: #18 Texas over Iowa giving 11 (53): Hawkeyes quarterback Drew Tate was not permitted to accept a new car as a prize after completing a hole-in-one at a charity golf tourney this summer. Geez, do ya know how hard it is to throw a football 275 yards into a tin cup???!!! Vindicator obviously badly overestimated Iowa’s capabilities in the preseason...’Horns 38 Iowa 14

CHICK-FIL-A: #14 Virginia Tech over Georgia giving 3 (38): Dawgs finished with a small flurry, hammering Auburn on the road and beating rival Joja’ Tech after floundering earlier with outright losses to Vandy and Kentucky. VT allowed double-digits to only one of last six opponents, averaging only four points-against during that span...Hokies 24 Georgia Not On My Mind 9

DEC. 31
MPC COMPUTERS: Nevada-Reno over Miami taking 3 (43): ‘Canes, more or less, backed into this when Virginia lost in the finale to Virginia Tech. Have to figure less-than-"U"-standards season and pending loss of head coach Larry Coker will be distracting, even with former DC taking over as the new head guy. Not unlike Florida State, Miami may simply mail it in and look to next season. A Florida man recently repelled an attacker by pummeling his would-be assailant with a football helmet. Miami coaches immediately offered the man a scholarship. Winner gets a PlayStation 3 in place of an actual bowl trophy!... Miami 20 UNR 19

JAN. 1
OUTBACK: Penn State over #17 Tennessee taking 4 (41): Researchers from Montana State found dinosaur fossils this summer in the northeast part of the Las Vegas Valley. Reports note found items at the two-and-a-half mile site included elongated femurs, triceratops horns.....and a raptor-skin-bound high school yearbook signed by Joe Paterno! Rematch of 1992 Fiesta Bowl and 1993 Citrus, both won big by State...Nifty Lions 21 Vols 17

AT&T COTTON: #10 Auburn over #22 Nebraska giving 3 (44 1/2): Reportedly, the recently-auctioned junior-high book report by Britney Spears was acquired by an Auburn player who plagiarized it as his own project for one of those "directed reading" independent study classes (editor’s note: Vindy’s Hollywood spies tell him Spears is purportedly hopping on the publishing bandwagon and putting out (?) ..."If I Did It Again"!)...Tigers 30 Big Red 21

GATOR: #13 West Virginia over Georgia Tech giving 7 (49): Will Reggie Ball go out in a blaze of glory...or just go down in flames?!’Eers recovered well from untimely loss to South Florida by keeping Rutgers from the Big Least crown. Rich Rodriguez showed his loyalty to the team and the conference, turning down head coaching job at ‘Bama, and Vindy thinks we’ll the see the Mounties that were headed for the BCS Championship...WVU 29 ‘Jackets 14

CAPITAL ONE: #12 Arkansas over #6 Wisconsin giving 1 ½ (45): Special teams’ play killed the Pigs in SEC Championship match. Hard to go against beef of the Wisky lines, but we’ll favor the strength of schedule for the Razorbacks over that of the Badgers. Should be quick-moving, defensive battle with lotsa’ three-and-outs...Pigs 17 Wisconsin 13

ROSE: #3 Michigan over #8 Southern Cal giving 1 (47): Prompted by BCS snub to play rematch against the Buckeyes, Wolverines will come out loaded for bear and beat down a vulnerable USC team that squandered a chance to play yet again for the Grail. We like the "under" here too...Michigan 24 Trojans 13

TOSTITOS FIESTA: #9 Boise State over #7 Oklahoma taking 8 (51): Sooners get Adrian Peterson back for this one! Ian Johnson’s ribs should be better too for the Broncos attack. "Then Stoops said, with his playbook nervously spinning, ‘I must find a way to keep Boise from winning!’"...OK 30 BSU 27

JAN. 2
FED-EX ORANGE: #15 Wake Forest over #5 Louisville taking 9 ½ (52): Deacons ran for 19 TDs in 13 games, while allowing only 9 rushing scores (20 total, many opponents had to throw early being down big). Cards allowed 12 rushing TDs in 12 games and ran for 33 rushing TDs alone. No question...Louisville is an offensive juggernaut. It’ll be up to Wake’s defense to control the pace...Cards 24 Wake 20

JAN. 3
ALLSTATE SUGAR: #4 Louisiana State over #11 Notre Dame giving 8 ½ (55): Curt Schilling’s image was being used by online role-playing game EverQuest II to raise $$ to cure Lou Gehrig’s disease. Sony donated $5 for every player who beat Schilling during a three-day stretch in June. Curt would continue to make appearances in the game thereafter. Had it been Charlie Weis’ likeness, Vin would’ve gotten addicted and never left the computer...Bengals 42 Irish 20

JAN. 6
INTERNATIONAL: Western Michigan over Cincinnati taking 8 (41 1/2): Bearkats beat both the other MAC teams they faced this year (and covered both at home). Broncos lost by 8 at Tallahassee and have enough on offense to keep Cincy defenders busy. Played in Toronto, the McKensie brothers will perform their version of "12 Days of Christmas" (yes, well-after the fact!) And teams must adhere to CFL rules. Take off, you hoser!...Cincinnati 23 WMU 17

JAN. 7
GMAC: Southern Miss over Ohio giving 6 ½ (42): Eagles defense struggled against Houston’s powerful attack but have fewer concerns with Bobblecats ground game. Ohio probably needs to force a couple turnovers to stay close. USM owes Vindicator for posting Weber’s 100th bowl loss last season...Birds 31 Cats 16

JAN. 8
BCS TITLE: #2 Florida over #1 Ohio State taking 8 (48): During Spring practice, Coach Meyer threatened to go without a running back on offense if no one stepped up. Gators did manage to improve on ‘05 average of 144.7 rushing ypg to 160.3 and took the overall offensive yardage up another notch from 366.7 to 398.1. UF has chance to bring home national crowns in men’s hoops and football in less than 10 months. Maybe Joaquim Noah could suit up! He’d be a great target at wide-out for Chris Leak! Florida claims wins over 9 of this year’s bowl squads (combined record 71-39), while State has victories over 7 (54-30). Buckeyes boast more recent national title game experience with controversial 2OT triumph against Miami in 2002, as well as three Fiesta Bowls, including that one. State’s won and covered 4 straight post-season appearances. Obviously, Tressel has been here before. If any coach can keep pace with the X’s and O’s, it’s Meyer. Here’s hopin’ for another thriller. Scrooge said, "Ohio State is what it is. Florida is what it is. And the BCS...is a humbug!"...OSU 27 Florida 24

BETWEEN THE WHO-HASHMARKS ("Why...that coach even took the last can of Who-hash!")

Weber registered Championship Week totals of 10-7 and has been on a 20-12-2 "tear" last two forecast weeks (127-125-8, .504 season [or roughly equivalent picking winners by coin toss!])

"The games, Spirit...are they real or are they shadows?"
"The bowls are real. We are the shadows."

Prince is slated to do this year’s halftime show at the Super Bowl. The Purple One will warm up at halftime of the Texas Bowl in the K-State locker room!

Vindy caught the following headline in this week’s edition of Gaming Today..."Seminoles to Buy Hard Rock Chain". If ya can’t beat the spread, buy the rights to set the spread!

Last month, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb released his own clothes line, called Super Five. Former teammate Terrell Owens has had his own line out for several years. We believe it’s called ...Pampers (Maybe we can get T.O. adopted by Madonna or Angelina Jolie!)

To ensure safety, Olympic athletes’ food will first be fed to mice during the 2008 Games in Beijing. Maybe Mr. Sapp oughta’ play in the CFL (uh...that’s Chinese Football League!). Or get himself a road mouse!

In recent weeks, Art Shell accused a Raiders’ organization member of trying to undermine the team, saying the unidentified person made calls to media across the country and criticized coaches. Shhhhhhh....don’t tell Coach Shell, but that unidentified person is actually...Vindy!

Jags coach Jack Del Rio recently dispelled rumors he was leaving the team, saying "I love working for (owner) Wayne Weaver and I’m not interested (in leaving)". We think Wayne’s dry-cleaning Jack’s suits!

Also last month, Michael Vick had to shell out $20K for flashing the international sign for uh..um..."we’re Number 1" with both hands following heckling from a fan in the stands in the aftermath of the loss to the Saints. Upon further review, the fan was actually Italian soccer star Marco Materazzi, who was on the wrong end of a headbutt during the World Cup final. Too bad, it wasn’t the Super Bowl. Vick could’ve head-butted his antagonist in the chest and received nothing more than a red card! (We heard Materazzi told Vick his "mother bets with Vindy’s Picks!")

At the start of the December 4th Monday Night Football game, the Eagles and the Panthers took the wrong sides of the field following the opening coin toss. Just more evidence that the tools of ignorance are not sole-domain of catchers!

Weber showed his forecast to Paris Hilton, who responded, "Vindy’s Picks? That’s hot!" Then he showed them to those two old-time scientists in the Guinness beer commercials. They responded, "Vindy’s Picks...brilliant! ... Brilliant!"

Weber has also printed his own version of "If I Did It" with a detailed account of how he would pick Iowa and West Virginia to play for this season’s national title. Oh, wait....!

"Locked in a Box?": Now 9-5 following Troy’s cover over Florida International.

Shoppe Talk: The Joja’ Tech Bees were the only "flame-thrower" in action during the championship week and they posted a forecast win! (But the bowls cometh!)

Vindy’s Best Bowl Bets: Last Week: 2-0 Season: 33-28-3 (.541)
Michigan -1over USC, Navy +6 ½ over Boston College, Texas A&M +5 over Cal, Arkansas/Wisconsin under 45

Vindy extends his annual holiday greetings to all of his readers..."Pass on Earth. Goodwill toward linemen."

Vindy's Picks 2006 Conference Championships

GIBSON ARRESTED AGAIN, REMARKS INSULT COLLEGE PIGSKIN VOTERS

MALIBU, California (AP)...Mad Max was at it again following an alcohol-fueled Thanksgiving dinner that saw the actor-producer shouting obscenities at a TV during the Boston College-Miami game and led to a second arrest for DUI. Mel Gibson became verbally aggressive with arresting officers, screaming the “F*cking BCS...the BCS is responsible for all the wars in the world. Are you a Bowl Championship Series voter, officer?!” Pollsters were up in arms following release of Gibson’s insensitive comments. Gibson offered a public apology the following day, but NCAA officials weren’t satisfied. The Reverend Jesse Jackson has invited the beleaguered actor to appear on a live airing of College Game Day, which Jackson himself will host in order to discuss “conference isolation in the sports industry”. In addition, the Braveheart star will conduct 400 hours of community service, delivering speeches about the hazards of drinking and driving while acting as a tackling dummy for several teams, BCS and non-BCS, headed into the bowl season!

Vindy was definitely in the holiday spirit and thankful as his Week 13 picks finished at a mighty fine 10-5-2 (117-118-8, .498 season). Once more into da’ breach before Da’ Bowls with....

THE WEBER KID’S 2006 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP PICKS

THURS. NOV. 30
MAC Championship (@ Detroit, MI)
Central Michigan over Ohio giving 3: Tough pick. Bobcats have run off seven straight victories (covering 6 of ‘em). Chippies have won 6 of last 7 and lost respectably to Boston College and Kentucky. Bobblecats beat the Illini on the road. CMU was plus-3 in turnovers while routing Ohio last year 31-10. A little closer now...Central Michigan 31 Ohio 24

FRI. DEC. 1
C-USA Championship (@ Houston, TX)
Southern Miss over HOUSTON taking 4 1/2: While Vindicator elects to stay with his preseason choice to win Conference USA, he points out the Cougars squeaked past Rice in its opener and lost earlier this year at USM 31-27. The Eagles have rediscovered their offense of late after struggling in mid-season. Houston did nearly beat Miami on the road... Houston 31 Southern Miss 30

SAT. DEC. 2
#1 Ohio State: IDLE (next: da’ BCS Title game)

#2 Southern Cal over UCLA giving 13 ½: Other than 5-point loss by UCLA in the 2004 version, Trojans have dominated this series in recent years by 20-30 points. Bruins come in off a bye and back-to-back wins before that (following a 4-game slide before THAT). UCLA’s only loss in six home games on the season was to Wazzou. Trojans could possibly afford a ho-hum win, but won’t settle for one...USC 38 Bruins 16

#3 Michigan: IDLE (next: da’ Bowls)

SEC Championship (@ Atlanta, GA)#8 Arkansas over #4 Florida taking 3: Gators still have a “snowball’s chance” at National Title game berth, but kickoff is around halftime of the USC-UCLA match and Florida might be busy watching the scoreboard. Gators don’t have the kind of D that LSU put on the field to beat Arkansas. Pigs bounce back. In Little Rock, First Lady Huckabee smiles and changes the Piggly-Wiggly brand batteries in her new clock...Oink Oink 19 Crocs 17

#5 LSU: IDLE (next: da’ Bowls)

#6 LOUISVILLE over Connecticut giving 27: Don’t know how the Huskies covered a mere 3 ½ point spread vs. Cincinnati. Scarlet Knight hangover by the ‘Kats maybe. UConn’s best weapon is the run. We saw what Louisville did to West Virginia’s much-ballyhooed ground game. Cards’ worst enemy will be the new clock rules...Louisville 48 Dogs 13

#7 Wisconsin: IDLE (next: da’ Capital One Bowl)

Big 12 Championship (@ Kansas City, MO)
#19 Nebraska over #9 Oklahoma taking 4: Finally, a game that won’t result in body bags for one side or the other! In past years, that “one side” has been the representative from the North Division. Sooners are 6-1 ATS in the last 7. Big Red has gone 5-2 vs. the number. Vindy’s a slow learner. The North shall rise again...Nebraska 31 OK 29

#10 Boise State: IDLE (next: da’ Bowls)

#11 Auburn: IDLE (next: da’ Bowls)

#12 Notre Dame: IDLE (next: da’ Bowls)

#13 Rutgers over #15 WEST VIRGINIA taking 8: Mounties got whacked...at home...by an ever-improving South Florida Bulls team courtesy of four turnovers, while the Knights posted a basically-flawless victory over Syracuse. Five years ago, WVU hung 80 (count ‘em, 80!) on Rutgers. We’ll take the team with more to play for...holy crap!...a Big Least title for...Rutgers 31 ‘Eers 28

#14 Virginia Tech: IDLE (next: da’ Bowls)

ACC Championship (@ Jacksonville, FL)
#16 Wake Forest over #23 Georgia Tech taking 3: Bees have won 3 of last 4 (2-2 ATS). Deacons continue amazing run without preseason-projected starting backfield. Jackets QB Reggie Ball had a bad game vs. Joja’, which means he’ll probably rock the house this week. Or not...Wake 14 Insects 10

#17 Texas: IDLE (next: da’ Bowls)

#18 Tennessee: IDLE (next: da’ Bowls)

#20 BYU: IDLE (next: da’ Las Vegas Bowl)

#21 CAL over Stanford giving 29: The Trees have dented the scoreboard for more than 10 points only twice all year, both times on the road. Off consecutive defeats, Bears get well for the post-season. Traditionally, the away team in this series has owned the spread. Not this time...Cal 41 Cardinal 3

#22 Texas A&M: IDLE (next: da’ Bowls)

Oregon State over #24 HAWAII taking 8: UPSET SPECIAL. ‘Bows Colt Brennan’s passing has been slicker than the NBA’s new micro-fiber ball and he should get the three touchdowns he needs to reach the NCAA single-season TD record. Hawaii has only two spread losses, both at home. This will be the best defense the Rainbow Warriors have faced since opening seven-point loss at ‘Bama...Oregon State 28 Aloha 24

#25 Boston College: IDLE (next da’ Bowls)

The rest of the field...

NEW MEXICO STATE over Louisiana Tech giving 10 ½: Aggies have the second-best passing attack behind only Hawaii. Not good news for a Weeziana Tech team that got outscored by aforementioned ‘Bows and Nevada-Reno 103-17 before beating Fresno last week...NMSU 31 La Tech 13

Air Force over TEXAS CHRISTIAN taking 16 1/2: The Best Little Horned-Toad House in Texas is already headed for the Poinsettia Bowl. Pilots should be ashamed of themselves for losing outright at UNLV. And as punishment, Vindicator will supervise early morning strafing runs on elementary schools in Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey on Saturday until Vindy gets tired! Nation’s third-best rushing offense meets the nation’s third-best rushing defense. Toads can also run the ball...Frogs 34 USAF 31

Army over Navy taking 20 ½: Middies are still good, but are shadows of teams past. Weber watched the Cadets march easily down the field on its opening possession against Air Force, then fold up like origami when they fumbled at the Pilots 2-yard line and yielded a 98-yard return for TD. Also in the back of Vindy’s mind is the Black Knights’ stalwart effort in 4-point loss to Texas A&M. Neither side throws the ball except for token plays. Should be a quick scrimmage that allows Army to stay within three touchdowns...Navy 24 Army 13

Louisiana-Monroe over LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE taking 3: Nothing at stake here except braggin’ rights among the former directional-Weezianas. Lafayette has the better conference win-loss record, but has been actually been outscored by 6 total points against Sun Belt opponents. Cajuns finally won outright in ‘05 following three straight defeats at the hands of UL-Cornrow...Louisiana-French Guy 17 UL-Monroe 16

SAN JOSE STATE over Fresno State giving 4 ½: Nice to see perennial-WAC doormat-poster team San Jose State posting a 7-4 record....with only a pair of defensive starters returning from last year! Hats off to coach Dick Tomey, who should be nominated for Coach-of-da’-Year honors in this prognosticator’s humble opinion. Spartans have won 9 of last 13, going back to last year, and nearly dropped probably-Fiesta-bound Boise. The Bulldogs ...who might’ve beaten Oregon in previous years...and certainly would’ve defeated UDUB...continue to disappoint, bottoming out with earlier 13-12 loss to (GASP!) Utah State!...SJSU 30 Fres-not-no, but HELL-no! 20

Troy over FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL giving 12 1/2: LOCK OF DA’ WEEK. Panthers are winless...and will stay that way. With a victory, Troy ties Middle Tennessee for Sun Belt title, but goes to the New Orleans Bowl on basis of defeating MTSU just a week ago. Troy is only 2-3 ATS as chalk and has only one conference outright loss. FIU is 3-8 against the line and probably should’ve established one of those “exploratory committees” to determine if there was any interest in actually supporting it as a I-A football team...Trojans 31 FIU 10

Colorado State over SAN DIEGO STATE giving 3: Two NASA attempts from Pasadena to contact the Mars Global Surveyor failed this past week. Funny, coaches at San Diego State and Colorado State must be using the same equipment to reach their respective teams’ offenses. Rams are averaging 11 ppg over last five. Aztecs are lightin’ it up for 7 ppg over last pair...Rams 17 SDSU 10

BETWEEN THE HASHMARKS
Shortly before the Longhorns were eliminated from the conference championship race, President Bush blasted Oklahoma, noting , “the Sooners should not be trusted to play well in a BCS bowl because they have no idea how to win in the Big 12 Title game!”

In local news, there is talk about scuttling the UNLV football program. Vindy and one of his co-workers decided the answer was not dissolution, but rather better scheduling. A few proposals for the non-conference slate...Duke, Florida International, Stanford, Temple, Utah State and after last Sunday’s 4th quarter collapse...the New York Giants! (Thanks for the idea, Ken!)

Around the horn...Philadelphia Mayor John Street called National League MVP Ryan Howard “Ron” several times in a speech commending the ballplayer last week. Ryan has likely never uttered the phrase “Sit on it, Potsie!”, but it would’ve perhaps been an appropriate response from the Phillies player after the third or fourth reference from His Honor to the wrong moniker!

SEASON RECAP:

Best Weekly Effort: The Sin City Soothsayer saved his best for last, logging a decent 10-5-2 record in Week 13!

Worst Weekly “Effort”: Weber’s Week 1 picks (5-14) were such a crime, Michigan high school cheerleaders turned them into a cheer so they could remember them long enough to report them to police!

WEBER-FRIENDLIES (Best percentage on the predicted side of the spread; minimum 7 at-bats in the forecast): This season’s “You’re in Good Hands” Award goes to...drum roll, please...the Boise State Broncos at 8-1(.889). Second place to Nebraska (8-2, .800) and a surprise Honorable Mention to the Injuns of Florida State (6-2, .750)! Combined, the aforementioned trio posted 22 forecast wins in 26 tries!

FLAME-THROWERS (Worst percentage on the predicted side of da’ spread): This year’s “Grillmaster Supreme” Award (the scorch marks are still on Weber’s wallet!) goes to those !!@&*$#! Frightenin’ Irish (3-9, .250...ironically, the pesky Leprechauns got “Honorable Mention” honors last season at 7-3!!!). “Suckin’ Place” to the Steers of Texas (3-8, .273) and “Dishonorable Mention” to (Holy Crap...a tie!) the Oregon Decoys and the Joja’ Tech Bees, both at 3-6 (.333).

“Locked in a Box?”: The Mormons went flat in mere two-point win over rival Utes to send the lock record down to 8-5!

Shoppe Talk: Wow! Da’ Irish and Da’ Longhorns both registered forecast dubyas (as opposed to Dubyas) in Week 13!

Vindy’s Championship Week Best Bets: Last Week: 1-3-1 Season: 31-28-3 (.525)
Last week’s bragging obviously caught up to our flustered forecaster. Army +20 ½ over Navy, NEW MEXICO STATE -10 ½ over Louisiana Tech

Vindicator takes his annual hiatus to change the points and plugs on the tea leaves, but fear not, loyal readers...the Weber Kid promises to return circa December 16 with his infamous bowl picks! Don’t touch that dial!

Vindy's Picks Week 13-2006

TEAM TIMEPIECE TOPS FIRST LADY’S WISH LIST

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (UPI)... Friends close to Janet Huckabee, wife of the outbound Republican state governor, revealed to reporters that she wants the highly-coveted Razorbacks wall-clock that sounds the soooooeeeey-pig call on the hour as part of a "housewarming" gift upon moving into her new residence! The first lady has come under fire of late for the gift registry at Target and Dillard’s. No stranger to controversy as Governor Huckabee himself has been called to the carpet for previous ethics issues, an irritated First Lady shot back, saying "Question my morals, but don’t question my support for our team!" A spokesperson for the Governor’s office said, "Mrs. Huckabee has the right to know the time in any manner she chooses." An anonymous Target employee leaked information suggesting the registry also includes a monogrammed trough bearing the school logo!

Boy! Was that Vonage comparison last week timely or what????!!!! Our stupefied seer staggered to 6-11 (107-113-6, .486 season), taking four bad beats...two by a half-point, two by a single point each! Vindicator blames the faux pas on lack of concentration due to his invitation to the Tom Cruise-Katie Holmes wedding! (By the way, Suri Cruise had the Hokies layin’ the points over Wake! Oh wait...that was Britney Spears’ baby!). Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio is 2-0 since sporting a suit on the sidelines. Hoping for similar results, the Weber Kid dusts off an old three-piece and publishes...

THE WEBER KID’S 2006 WEEK 13 FORECAST

THURS. NOV. 23
MIAMI over #18 Boston College taking 4: Everything Thanksgiving, a big turkey receives a presidential pardon. Maybe Team Coral Gables should make a quick stop at the White House before hosting the Eagles...’Canes 18 BC 17

FRI. NOV. 24
#5 ARKANSAS over #9 Louisiana State (PK): Two of the country’s best stop-squads face-off. Can’t see Houston Nutt letting the Razorbacks slack-off now they’re locked into the conference championship game. Bengals were Vindy’s preseason pick to take the SEC. Only two conference teams are allowed in the BCS bowls. A Tiger win would help, but they’ll need two losses from Florida or an Arkansas loss in the SEC title game. Looks like a punt-fest a la LSU-Auburn earlier this season....Pigs 10 LSU 6

Texas A&M over #11 TEXAS taking 13: Steers get their starting freshman-phenom trigger-man back, but it’s tough to argue with Aggies’ 6-0 spread-win run...Longhorns 27 A&M 21

#23 NEBRASKA over Colorado giving 15: Remember when both teams would be highly-ranked for this one and it meant something?! Maybe the Buffs need another controversy or scandal or something to instigate better play. "Paging Ms. Hnida...Ms. Katie Hnida to the white courtesy phone, please."...Big Red 31Bison 10

SAT. NOV. 25
#1 Ohio State: IDLE (next Da’ National Championship Game!)

#2 Michigan: IDLE (next Da’ Bowls!)

#3 USC over #6 Notre Dame giving 7 1/2: Collective win-loss record of Trojans’ victims to-date: 57-44 (.564). Ditto for Irish victims: 53-59 (.473). Leprechauns’ one loss came at home to current-#2 Michigan. Troy’s only loss came by two at unranked Oregon State. USC ends the Buckeyes-Wolverines BCS rematch talk... USC 27 Irish 17

FLORIDA STATE over #4 Florida taking 9 1/2: Injuns have suffered very disappointing year that has cost OC Jeff Bowden his job and no doubt led to calls for his daddy’s resignation as head coach. Money’s coming in on the Gators, but we like the ‘Noles to give this game anything they have left...including a season’s worth of frustration .... because unlike previous tilts this season (after Miami opener), this match means something to State...Gators 16 Squaws 13

South Florida over #7 WEST VIRGINIA taking 20 ½: Bulls loss to Louisville gives Vin reason to pause on this pick..and it might well be a "wish I had it back" for that reason, but we like the Mounties to play conservatively with no chance at the BCS Championship and simply win out to get the Big Least crown and its accompanying BCS bowl ...’Eers 38 USF 17

#8 Louisville over PITT giving 12: Number’s somewhat lower than expected by this prophet. Mounties averaged nearly 10 yards per carry at Pitt. Things are all knotted up atop the Big East and Cards can take care of business by simply winning here, having already beaten West Virginia then hoping the Mounties can beat Rutgers next week... Red Birds 35 Panthers 13

#10 Wisconsin: IDLE (next: da’ Capital One Bowl)

NEVADA-RENO over #12 Boise State taking 2 1/2: Wolfpack can end Broncos undefeated season. BCS officials hope they will. Boise’s do-everything RB Ian Johnson will play while wearing a flak jacket over his ribs. A Fiesta bid is hanging in the balance for a non-Big Six conference team. Maybe next year...Reno 38 Boise 35

#13 Oklahoma over OKLAHOMA STATE giving 6: Adrian Peterson will not play. Taking a few liberties with a quote from "Flash Gordon"..." Professor Weber says the absence of the Sooners starting backfield ‘is no cause..for alarm’." Watch out for improving Cowpokes next season...OK 24 Cowboys 12

#14 Auburn: IDLE (next vs. Florida, SEC Championship)

Syracuse @ #15 RUTGERS: OFF

#16 Georgia Tech over GEORGIA taking 1 ½: At least the Bees know which quarterback will start (though they still don’t know what they’ll get from him!). Dawgs came out of the ashes to smash Auburn last week, but nothing else among their results on the season screams "Go with Joja’!"...Wreck 13 UGA 10

#17 VIRGINIA TECH over Virginia giving 17: Both teams have covered four of their last five coming in. Edge to the home team off the huge road victory at Wake Forest and having the much-better D...Tech 24 Cavs 3

#19 TENNESSEE over Kentucky giving 18 ½: Vindy has been off the Vols most of the season , but we think they can pound porous Wildcats’ defense that gave up 40 in near-loss to Weeziana-Monroe...Tennessee 41 Mildcats 17

#20 Wake Forest over MARYLAND taking 1: Terps have won 5 of last 6 games decided by less than a touchdown. Call Vindicator crazy, but we still prefer Wake’s rushing game and stout defense and we’re staying on the Demon Deacons despite meltdown at home against the Hokies...Deacons 17 Box Turtles 13

#21 Brigham Young over UTAH giving 11: LOCK OF DA’ WEEK. Coogs have 11 turnovers in 11 games. For the past few seasons, the Utes have been in the BCS chase, while the Mormons have been home in the post-season. This season, Utah’s still bowling, but revenge is sweet for...Cougars 35 Utes 16

#22 California: IDLE (next vs. Stanford 12/2)

South Carolina over #24 CLEMSON taking 5 1/2: UPSET SPECIAL OF DA’ WEEK. Brawl (won by Clemson 13-9) kept both sides from the post-season last year. Vindicator was wrong when he wrote off Gamecocks’ chances of an upset a few weeks ago. Promising season for the Tigers fizzled with back-to-losses earlier and the return to the rankings will be short-lived...SC 23 Clemson 20

Purdue over #25 HAWAII taking 17: The Islanders have trounced opponents by an average of 36 ppg, but Boilers have sufficient offensive weapons to make a track-meet outta’ this ...’Bows 48 Purdue 41

BETWEEN THE HASHMARKS

As the final scores rolled in during Week 12's bust, Vin did his best Charlie Brown impersonation, quipping, "Aaaaaagghhh! Every pick I touch gets ruined!"

In May, the maternal parents of the NBA’s LeBron James and Amare Stoudemire were sentenced the same day for previous DUI arrests. Apparently, they’re looking to start a new chapter of MADD...Mothers Advocating Drunk Driving (Alright, alright! Save the hate-mail for somebody who cares!)

The Buckeyes were called for a rare "roughing the center" on an early Michigan 4th-and-13 last week. Vindy hates those big, gaudy flower arrangements in the middle of the table and plans to get flagged for "roughing the centerpiece" during his Thanksgiving Day dinner!

Some donor nicknamed "Mattress Mack" is forcing University of North Texas to rename its stadium after recently-deposed HC Darrell Dickey to maintain the rather-sizable monetary gift he’s given the school. Can ya hear the broadcasters saying "Welcome to a perfect Fall afternoon as the Mean Green hosts Louisiana-Lafayette at the Dick"???!!!

"Locked in a Box?": Vindy posts his 3rd straight lock win on the strength of Broncos’ cover over Utah State to go to 8-4 (.667) on the year!

Shoppe Talk: Those !@&^$@!!* Leprechauns let Vindy down again, missing by a half-point over Army to go 2-9 for the forecast!

Vindy’s Week 13 Best Bets: Last Week: 2-1-1 Season: 30-25-2 (.545)
Air Force -10 1/2 over UNLV, New Mexico State -6 1/2 over UTAH STATE, Mississippi State +3 over OL’ MISS, BUFFALO +16 over Central Michigan, Cincinnati -3 ½ over UCONN

(If you’re keeping score at home, over the last three weeks, Vindicator’s "lock" picks and "best bets" have gone a combined 12-4-1 for a blazing 75% win rate!)

Vindy's Picks Week 12-2006

FORECASTER’S FIGURE “WAXED” AT MUSEUM

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (CNN)...A wax figure of Sin City’s own college football forecaster, the Vegas Vindicator, was attacked and damaged by an unidentified patron at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum yesterday. Video cameras captured the surprising assault on the figure and show the man charging the figure, knocking it to the ground and pummeling it with his fists before bolting out a fire exit. A facility spokesperson said most of the damage to the figure was sustained by the coins, dice, darts, Tarot cards and magic-ball that the real-life soothsayer uses to predict the weekly games. The aggression comes on the heels of a similar pre-Election Day defilement of the likeness of President Bush. Authorities have postulated theories that the incident is the work of a copycat, a jealous bookie seeking symbolic revenge for Weber’s 7-3 “best bet” record the past two weeks or a bettor fed up with losing money on Vindy’s regular Top 25 selections! Originally located in the museum among Gary Coleman, “Mini-Me”, Michael J. Fox and Richard Simmons, a rattled Weber Kid asked that his repaired wax statue be placed behind likenesses of the Wisconsin Badgers offensive line!

Vindy’s 13-8-1 tally for Week Eleven (101-102-6, .497) gives him hope and has our fearless forecaster hangin’ on to the prospect of finishing over .500 on the season tighter than former BoSox 1B Doug Mientkiewicz to the final out of the 2004 World Series as he presents...

THE WEBER KID’S 2006 WEEK 12 FORECAST
(Sponsored by Vonage...a couple of smart picks...among many, many stupid ones!)

THURS. NOV. 16
#8 West Virginia over PITT giving 10 1/2: Panthers allowed UConn to run for 317 yards in double-overtime loss last week. Not a good omen when hosting one of the top ground games in the country this week. Vindy thanks the Mounties for allowing two fourth quarter TDs to Cincy, salvaging a push from the jaws of a forecast loss for Weber. In the Backyard Brawl, it’s...West Virginia 28 Pitt 14

SAT. NOV. 18
#2 Michigan over #1 OHIO STATE taking 6 1/2: A story by the Associated Press recently revealed the Big Blue defensive backs bond by playing chess. Ironically, the Buckeyes do a little bonding themselves by playing “Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em Robots!” (If you’re a reader under 40-years-old, look it up on the ‘Net!). Potentially a great game. Not sure Big Blue can stop Troy Smith and the Bucks’ air game...OSU 20 Michigan 17

West Carolina @ #3 FLORIDA: No line.

#17 California over #4 USC taking 5 ½: Both teams have recently suffered shocking losses. Minus the ugly season-opening defeat to Tennessee, Bears had been on a mission and looked like the team to beat in thePAC-10. We still believe that’s the case...Cal 19 Trojans 16

#5 Arkansas over MISSISSIPPI STATE giving 14 1/2: Average margin in Bulldogs’ games this season is 9 and less-than-5 over last 3. State comes in off the bye week. Vindy senses no letdown in charging Hogs though and expects this final to be closer to State’s 42-18 loss to West Virginia than its 34-31 loss to Kentucky...Arkansas 27 Mississippi State 3

#6 NOTRE DAME over Army giving 32 1/2: How in the world Army beat Kent State at home and Baylor on the road is still a mystery. Brady Quinn has reportedly been asked to star in a remake of “Win One for the Gipper”. Given Weber’s inability to correctly pick the Irish ATS, we’d simply ask him to “Win One (ATS) for the Vinder!” Catholics have covered against the other two academies, why not here?...Irish 48 Cadets 7

#7 Rutgers over CINCINNATI giving 7: Depending upon whose stats ya look at, Bearkats are either 6-1-2 or 7-1-1 ATS. Cincinnati turned it over four times in Morgantown and were down big early. Knights’ defense is certainly capable of forcing Bearkats into similar situation this week...Piscataway Paladins 27 Cincy 13

Mississippi over #9 LSU taking 27 1/2: Despite 3-7 SU record (including recent “W” over I-AA Northwestern State), Rebels are 3-1 ATS in their last 4 (maybe they didn’t like being embarrassed in an earlier publication of Vindy’s Picks!). Bengals are playing extremely well on defense and stuffed Kentucky’s offense altogether. We like the rested Rebels...Tigers 28 Ol’ Miss 7

South Florida over #10 LOUISVILLE taking 16 1/2: Oh sure. Allow the Knights to rally from early 18-point deficit. Where was that defense when Vindy was calling an outright West Virginia victory, hmmmmm?????!!! USF should’ve beaten Rutgers, but that was at home. Bulls did lose by 17 at Cincinnati...Birds 29 USF 22

#11 Texas: IDLE (next vs. Texas A&M 11/24)

#12 WISCONSIN over Buffalo giving 38: Vindicator watched the Badgers-Iowa game on the telly. The NCAA Cheese-Heads were fortunate to get by Iowa in the wake of un-Badger-like poor tackling and a blown officiating call that allowed Hawkeyes 1st TD drive to continue. Wisky breaks half-a-century here...Badgers 54 Buffalo 10

#13 BOISE STATE over Utah State giving 37: LOCK OF DA’ WEEK. The latest issue of ESPN: Da’ Mag notes Broncos running back Ian Johnson crochets (shades of former Rams defensive star Rosie Greer!), plays trombone and wields a nifty pipe-wrench. And that’s just in the huddle! Finally, a team that Boise can clobber ATS...BSU51 USU 6

#14 WAKE FOREST over #19 Virginia Tech taking 1 1/2: With blowout (and shutout!) over the Injuns, Deacons posted their first-ever 9-win season. Weber is hard-pressed to go against streaking Wake squad, especially at home. Unless there’s a breakdown on Wake’s special teams...The Forest 24 Hokies 16

#15 Auburn over ALABAMA giving 3: Four picks and hobbling Kenny Irons helped create Auburn’s disaster vs. Joja’. Tide sporting a nice defense but miss Brody Croyle’s leadership on offense and Tigers are still far-and-away better on that side of the ball...Auburn 19 ‘Bama 10

#16 Oklahoma over BAYLOR giving 20: Vindy oscillated badly on this pick. Bears have dropped five straight against the line and are 3-7 ATS overall. Sooners haven’t had to spot this many since late September vs. Middle Tennessee. Baylor has allowed 152 points in its last three games, all outright losses...OK 38 Bears 14

Duke over #18 GEORGIA TECH taking 27: Nope. Vin just can’t bring himself to lay nearly 30 with Bees off very physical 7-0 win over the Tarheels and a Duke squad that’s 4-5 ATS. ‘Jackets only beat Samford 38-6...GT 38 Duke 12

#21 Maryland over #20 BOSTON COLLEGE taking 7: Eagles are perfect SU and ATS in four games at Chestnut Hill. Last seven matches for the Terps have been decided by an average of 3 points, with Box Turtles winnin’ six of ‘em outright...MD 17 BC 15

VANDERBILT over #22 Tennessee taking 8: Volunteers are in revenge mode for 2005 loss to Commodores that cost ‘em a bowl berth. Vandy’s record of very close conference games this year gets it Vindy’s nod... Tennessee 22 Admirals 17

#23 BYU over New Mexico giving 26: The only question here is how motivated the Coogs will be given a likely less-than-deserved berth in the Las Vegas Bowl, where they will probably get points vs. whatever PAC-10 also-ran they face. We’d maybe consider the Lobos in Albuquerque. We like the Mormons to name the score in final home appearance for seniors that have suffered mightily the previous three seasons...Cougars 44 New Mexico 13

#24 Nebraska: IDLE (next vs. Colorado 11/24)

#25 Clemson: IDLE (next vs. South Carolina)

BETWEEN THE HASHMARKS

In news related to the lead story, witnesses noted the museum assailant bore a “striking resemblance” to Texas Tech hoops coach Bobby Knight! Eye-witness accounts have the unknown attacker jamming a finger under the figure’s chin in an effort to get the wax figure to look at him, yelling at the figure then getting frustrated and shoving it to the floor!

BTW, the Hurricanes player bond by challenging each other to ...Grand Theft Auto! (...they sometimes play the video game version too!!)

Columbus officials have asked three near-campus convenience stores to stop selling bottled domestic brews for the rest of the year so inebriated fans don’t hurl empties at one another. One official said something akin to “Our fans drink cheap beer so foreign ones aren’t an issue.” Well by golly, sounds like an opportunity to expand the fans’ cultural horizons by lowering prices on imports!

To reduce the incidence of rabies, the Chinese have implemented a “one dog policy”. Fine. Let’s offer the folks in Beijing...Duke, Temple or UNLV!!!

“Locked in a Box?”: Vindicator bumps up the record to 7-4 behind Wake Forest’s 30-0 trouncing of the Injuns.

Shoppe Talk: Steers and Irish both dig in at 2-8!

Vindy’s Week 12 Best Bets: Last Week: 3-2 Season: 28-24-1 (.538)
Nevada-Reno -20 over LA. TECH, Oklahoma State +6 over TEXAS TECH, East Carolina -2 ½ over RICE, SOUTH CAROLINA -15 1/2 over Middle Tennessee State

Vindy's Picks Week 11-2006

FOUL MOUTH SENDS LEPRECHAUNS COACH INTO "ORBIT"

SOUTH BEND, Indiana (BBC)...A recently-aired "60 Minutes" interview that included reference to the vocabulary of Charlie Weis during profanity-laden sideline tirades has landed the Frightenin’ Irish coach a spot in a 30-second ad for Orbit gum. The coach’s language has not only embarrassed officials at Notre Dame, but has reportedly caused the Touchdown Jesus statue on campus to cover its ears and has become fodder for an episode of Comedy Central’s "South Park". Weis, a Garden State native who ironically got his degree in communications from the local Catholic university and taught English back home in New Jersey, appears in the spot alongside the British bombshell who asks the question, "Dirty mouth?!". He has also been rumored to have accepted a bit part in a future showing of the "Sopranos" on HBO! Reporters were unable to reach the coach for comment, but attempts to contact Weis by phone were met with an answering machine message that can’t printed!

Fresh off a 9-11 Week Ten (88-94-5, .483 season) and fired up after being called a "prognostication imbecile for not recognizing the University of Pyongpang as a Top 25 team" by the North Korean Foreign Ministry, Vindicator hopes to not post 100 losses before hitting the century mark in forecast wins this year and submits...

THE WEBER KID’S 2006 WEEK 11 FORECAST
(Caution: High Explosive Picks. This Side Toward Sportsbook!)

THURS. NOV. 9
#3 Louisville over #15 RUTGERS giving 6: Cards made Miami’s vaunted defense (the one on the field, not the one in the court room) look terrible. Knights are #2 nationally in total D and 4th in passing D. They’ll need every inch and the strength of their own rushing attack to win. Louisville’s putting up 10 more ppg in conference play and allowing 7 more ppg in Big Least competition than Rutgers. Weber wants nothing more than a Knights victory, but apologizes to the all the fans at Exit 9B of the Jersey Turnpike and calls...Redbirds 34 NJ Paladins 24

Wyoming over #25 BYU taking 19 ½: Tough to go against a blazing Mormons team on a 5-0 ATS run playing at home. The Mountain Jest’s top total defense and top pass stoppers wander into Provo to face the conference’s #1 total offense and #1 passing game. Coogs will have to run effectively. They will...but not enough to beat the number ...BYU 24 Wyoming 17

SAT. NOV. 11
#1 Ohio State over NORTHWESTERN giving 23: After scare from the Illini, Jim Tressel won’t mess around here and will put this outta’ reach early as State charges into Michigan game...Buckeyes 48 NW 10

#2 Michigan over INDIANA giving 19: Wolverines’ last match before probable BCS semi-final at Columbus on 11/18. Hoosiers were brought back to reality by shellacking at Minnesota last week. Lloyd Carr can’t afford to pull the A-team defense out early in this one. Out on a limb with Big Blue sucking as a double-digit fave...Michigan 38 Indy 13

#4 Texas over KANSAS STATE giving 17 1/2: With Louisville still having another opportunity or three to be upset, ‘Horns can still look for return to the BCS title game. Rocking the Wildcats would weigh in their favor. Texas would’ve beaten Oklahoma State by about 30 had the Cowpokes not managed an 89-yard kickoff return for TD... Steers 44 KSU 16

#5 AUBURN over Georgia giving 13: Collectively, the Tigers and Dawgs have a single spread win between ‘em in their last 13 tries! We’ll take Aubie, who at least has momentum over Joja’, who has lost four of five outright and appears to have quit on the season...Auburn 30 UGA 10

South Carolina over #6 FLORIDA taking 13 1/2: Arkansas staved off South Carolina behind a 200+ yards-rushing effort by RB Darren McFadden. Gators have no such ground weapon and are 1-5 in their last 6 ATS...Crocs 20 SC 17

#7 USC over #21 Oregon giving 7 ½: The straight up triumph by the Beavers has to provide the Mallards with some confidence, but bad defeats at Washington State and Cal suggest the Decoys aren’t quite ready...Troy 30 Quack Attack 21

ARIZONA over #8 California taking 13 ½: This is more of a nod to Arizona’s defense, which, minus trip to Baton Rouge in early September, has been pretty good all season. Bears have USC up next...Cal 21 AZ 10

AIR FORCE over #9 Notre Dame taking 11 ½: Including the 2006 win and cover over Navy, ND is only 3-4 ATS vs. the service academies (mostly the Middies and Flyboys) over the last few seasons. The Pilots are 1-2 ATS at home in the last 3. Catholics’ only spread win in the last six games was over Navy. Expect Bono, Ozzy Osbourne, Eric Cartman, Pitt QB Tyler Palko and fellow-Orbit alum Snoop Dogg to become assistant coaches under Mr. Weis in 2007!... Leprechauns 28 USAF 24

Cincinnati over #10 WEST VIRGINIA taking 18: Before the loss to Louisville, WVU coach Rodriguez said something akin to "there might be some fans who wanna’ toss me off the Westover Bridge (in Morgantown), but I’m not jumpin’ off." Upon further review of game-film, looks like Coach was sporting a bungee cord under his clothes when he got off the bus in West Virginia...Mounties 27 Bearkats 13

#11 ARKANSAS over #13 Tennessee giving 5 1/2: Razorbacks didn’t lose any steam behind back-up QB Casey Dick last week. He’ll start this one too as freshman QB Mustain grabs a little pine, at least at kickoff. Vols might be flat now that they’re outta’ the race for the SEC East...Hogs 27 Tennessee 20

#12 LSU over Alabama giving 17: Two great defenses go toe-to-toe down on the Bayou. This could easily be a 12-9 affair, but Bengals offense will far exceed that of ‘Bama. Alabammy hasn’t been limited to single-digits yet. Of Tide’s 16 points last week, 7 came via an interception returned for touchdown. In light of a Bronx Zoo research study showing elephants recognize themselves in mirrors and use the mirrors to explore hidden parts of themselves, State plans to stock the visitors’ sidelines with reflective glass...LSU 27 ‘Bama 6

SAN JOSE STATE over #14 Boise State taking 13 ½: Broncos have covered only one of four away from the azure home-field. If Spartans can grab the straight up win here, their only likely remaining loss would be at Hawaii. Boise spreads have been droppin’ like Olympic coverage TV ratings. The outright SJSU victory wouldn’t shock this prophet...Potato-Mashers 41 No Longer San Josie State & Da’ Pussycats 33

#16 Wisconsin over IOWA (PK): Badgers starting QB Stocco is out. UW intentionally ran offside on consecutive kickoffs to run out the 1st half clock vs. Penn State and JoPa took a helmet in the knee from a Wisky defender that did Jeff Golooly proud! Maybe the Badgers have a similar plan for Hayden Frye and his boys! We’ll still side with huge Wisconsin linemen over disappointing Hawkeyes...Badgers 17 Iowa 9

#17 OKLAHOMA over Texas Tech giving 9: Red Raiders’ 5-4 spread record reflects the inconsistency of this Tech squad. Will it be the one that scored 31 in road win at College Station over A&M or the one that posted all of two FGs in 30-6 loss at now 1-9 Colorado?...Sooners 31 Tech 20

#18 Wake Forest over FLORIDA STATE taking 7 ½: LOCK OF DA’ WEEK. Hmmm... destruction of Virginia squad that wasn’t expected to do much anyway notwithstanding, why do the Injuns continue to lay points. Deacons looking like class of the ACC...Wake 24 ‘Noles 21

North Carolina over #19 GEORGIA TECH taking 13 ½: ‘Heels on 2-0 ATS run following 0-5-1 start. If Vin backs da’ Bees, he knows Reggie Ball will have one those four-interception games. Gotta’ take the points...GT 20 UNC 9

Kent State over #20 VIRGINIA TECH taking 28 1/2: Surprising Flashes were averaging 32 ppg during a five-game win streak before backsliding to 6.5 ppg in two straight defeats to Ohio and Buffalo! Weather in Blacksburg might force Hokies to throw a shutout to cover...Tech 27 Kent State 3

#22 BOSTON COLLEGE over Duke giving 28: In July, Duke QB Zack Asack was suspended for plagiarism. Wouldn’t have been a problem if he’d been copying Vince Young or Matt Leinart! Devils get confused and break the offensive huddle with five guys and a round, orange ball right about this time of the year...BC 38 Blue Devils 0

#23 MARYLAND over Miami giving 3: Vindicator originally asked John Kerry to tell a joke about the Hurricanes in this spot, but eventually backed out, fearing the political figure would botch the punch-line...Terps 23 ‘Canes 16

Nebraska over #24 TEXAS A&M (PK): Huskers have made too much progress this year to falter against improving Aggies...Nebraska 19 A&M 16

BETWEEN THE HASHMARKS

The headline of an April 12 AP story read..."Bush knew trailers weren’t WMD proof". The Bush administration claimed trailers captured soon after the fall of Baghdad proved Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, even though US intelligence officials had strong evidence that was not the case. (And boy, was John Madden pissed! He STILL hasn’t gotten his Player of the Game pictures back!)

Bengals WR Chad Johnson was fined $5K for placing a "Ocho Cinco" tag on his jersey and having Carson Palmer yank it off in front of cameras just before kickoff of Cincy’s loss to Atlanta. Not to be outdone, the Weber Kid will have former Lions QB Todd Blackledge rip off "Mas Tequila" from his own jersey to reveal "Vindicator!" at whatever post-season venue Penn State lands in!

In January 2007, former NFL Commish Paul Tagliabue will receive college sports’ top award, the "Teddy". Now...while Vindicator is all for Title IX and stuff, he really doesn’t want to know what the 65-year-old Tags is gonna’ do with a piece of racy lingerie! Kind of an odd choice in this forecaster’s humble opinion for the NCAA to use to bestow an honor, but...hey...what’s the Weber Kid know???!!! (Can’t wait to see that puppy hangin’ in Tagliabue’s trophy case!!!)

"Locked in a Box?": Vin goes to 6-4 (.600) behind Razorbacks cover over South Carolina (barely!)

Shoppe Talk: Texas is just beggin’ to be the main course for a BBQ at 2-7. The Irish get a week off, but hang around at 2-6. The Sooners are back in the Shoppe at 2-6-1and the Ducks are quickly lining up in the shooting gallery at 2-6.

Vindy’s Week 11 Best Bets: Last Week: 4-1 Season: 25-22-1 (.531)
SAN DIEGO STATE -7 ½ over unlv, Rice +14 over TULSA, Iowa State +8 ½ over COLORADO, New Mexico State +11 ½ over FRESNO STATE, Washington State -1 ½ over ARIZONA STATE

Vindy's Picks Week 10-2006

COACHES TRADING "ELMO" FOR VOTES

NEW YORK, New York (Reuters)..."Sold out" signs confront average consumers across the nation as coaches, from Berkeley to Boston and Ann Arbor to Austin, vying desperately to get their teams to the big money bowls have raided toy stores and bought up dozens of TMX Elmos to use as leverage with other coaches and pollsters casting BCS votes. Even those seeking to exploit buyers and scalp the highly-coveted dolls that once simply vibrated and laughed ,but now roll on the floor slamming its fists on the ground and beg the ticklers to stop, on E-Bay are finding limited quantities and are crying "personal foul" and "unsportsmanlike conduct". While not exactly "capitalism at its best", it does suggest a disturbing trend that some schools are willing to pull out all the stops to get bids to high-dollar bowls. Made by Fischer-Price and Mattel at an approximate MSRP of $40 per doll, even the athletic budgets of Sun Belt institutions will support such practices!

Holy crap! Can ya believe we’re already into Week 10!!!! The dogs finally had their breakout ATS week, covering 12 of the 18, sending Weber to 7-11 and 79-83-5 (.487) on the year...

THE WEBER KID’S 2006 WEEK 10 FORECAST

WED. NOV. 1
Fresno State over #14 BOISE STATE taking 26 1/2: Broncos are 3-1 ATS in their last 4 and have revenge factor for ‘05 27-7 loss to the Bulldogs. Don’t know what happened this season to "anybody, anywhere, anytime", but they’re lookin’ more like Team "Henny Youngman". If defending WAC champ Fresno has any pride and any motivation left at all, it shows up now... BSU 45 Fresno 23

THURS. NOV. 2
#3 West Virginia over #5 LOUISVILLE taking 1 1/2: Cards lost two wide-outs for this, but those "pass-catchers" were insignificant in the big scheme to the team effort anyhow. Can’t contest the chalk status for Louisville at home, particularly in light of how bad it made Miami look. Mounties come in with their starting backfield intact. Redbirds don’t. Dogs have covered 9 of the 13 non-Saturday games thus far this season, including 8 of the last 10 (pending the Broncos-Bulldogs result)...’Eers 20 Sluggers 17

SAT. NOV. 4
#1 Ohio State over ILLINOIS giving 26 ½: No question, freshman QB "Juice" Williams has given UI a much-need lift, leading them to consecutive conference road ATS wins over Penn State and Wisconsin. Still...we can’t go against Buckeyes laying four touchdowns against lower-tier Big Ten club...OSU 45 Illini 12

#2 MICHIGAN over Ball State giving 34: Wolverines haven’t beaten anybody this season by this many. Cardinals 5-3 ATS but haven’t faced a defense like this...Big Blue 45 BSU 6

Oklahoma State taking #4 TEXAS taking 17: ‘Horns are 4th in the AP but still have ground to make up at #7 in the BCS. They’ll need a decisive win this week to stay close. Have to wonder how long Cowpokes can hold the pace that got ‘em near win in OT over A&M and upset win over Nebraska...Texas 34 Oklahoma State 20

#6 AUBURN over Arkansas State giving 31: Indians are a better team than they showed in 29-0 loss at Florida Atlantic and want to prove that. Unfortunately, Auburn fought for its life at Ol’ Miss last week and will flex a little muscle this weekend...Tigers 47 ASU 7

VANDERBILT over #7 Florida taking 15 ½: Major money’s coming in on the ‘Dores, who are 1-2 ATS at home this year and that speaks to not a lot of confidence in the Gators, who’ve gone 1-5 against the number in their last 6. Florida sports a top-flight defense. Van-Dee ain’t bad either...Crocs 20 Admirals 10

#13 Louisiana State over #8 TENNESSEE giving 3: Bengals want a chance to make up for letting Auburn off the hook in a great defensive battle a few weeks back. Edge on D definitely goes to LSU (allowing 8.3 ppg, second behind only the Buckeyes) as opposed to the Vols (allowing decent, but not great 19.1 ppg). Vols QB Ainge nursing a bad ankle...Tigers 24 Tennessee 13

#9 Southern Cal over STANFORD giving 29: This pick is worthy of "lock" status. After last week’s outright defeat at Oregon State, do ya really think Troy won’t be motivated to absolutely decimate a Stanford team that quit weeks ago??!! It was USC 51-21 last year. Cardinal is 1-7 ATS...Trojans 48 Stanford 9

#10 CAL over Ucla giving 17: Bears have already avenged two of its four losses from ‘05, whacking the Ducks by three touchdowns and holding a solid Wazzou offense to a FG at Pullman. Cal puts away the Bruins big then zeroes in on the remaining offender, USC...Bears 31 Bruins 7

North Carolina over #11 NOTRE DAME taking 28: Leprechauns are 1-4 against the number in South Bend. Tarheels became the final I-A team to snag a spread win last week and gave Wake Forest fits while doing it... Irish 31 UNC 10

#12 Arkansas over SOUTH CAROLINA giving 3: "LOCK OF DA’ WEEK. At worst, this is a push. Gamecocks had their one chance to pull a major upset...and failed. Hogs’ 5th-ranked rushing offense should grind out the adequate victory. More visor-throwin’ for the Ol’ Ball Coach...Pigs 21 SC 10

#15 Rutgers: IDLE (next vs. Louisville 11/9)

#16 Boston College over #22 WAKE FOREST giving 4: BC has been in five games decided by a touchdown or les, including three by five points or fewer. Eagles have beaten better teams than Wake has en route to their identical 7-1 SU records. Deacons were +3 in turnovers and still failed to score on North Carolina over the final 12 minutes of a tight ball game. BC is #11 in the nation vs. the run, Wake’s first choice on offense...BC 24 Wake 17

#17 WISCONSIN over Penn State giving 6 1/2: Oh the shame! Both sides own wins against the same four lower-tier conference squads and both lost to Michigan. State’s miscues cost ‘em against Wolverines and Buckeyes. Badgers boast the better margin of victory over the common foes. Vindy’s heart says "Lions". Vindy’s head says "Wake up and smell the Joe... Paterno!"...Wisky 20 PSU 10

#18 Oklahoma over #21 TEXAS A&M giving 3: Sooners can tie the Aggies for lead in the Big 12 South with the victory. Again, we point out quality-of-opponent discrepancies between A&M’s wins and Oklahoma’s wins. Sooners are recovering nicely since defeat by Texas...OK 27 A&M 20

Maryland over #19 CLEMSON taking 16: Terps carry three-game straight-up win-streak (2-1 ATS) into Death Valley, where the Tigers routinely crush the opposition. U.S. and Russian scientists recently discovered the heaviest known element. They’re calling it... Friedgenium?...Clemson 28 Box Turtles 14

NC STATE over #20 Georgia Tech taking 6: Wolfpack needs to take three of its final four to be post-season eligible. Bees are already there and are jockeying for position now. State’s already pulled off a couple big upsets in Raleigh...Wreck 17 NCSU 14

#23 Virginia Tech over MIAMI giving 2: For that special Hurricanes fan on your Christmas list..."Shackle Me, Elmo". Just squeeze his hand and he’s swings his helmet while talking smack about Florida International!...Hokies 17 ‘Canes 13

Washington over #24 OREGON taking 13 ½: Back-to-back OT losses might just cause Huskies to close up shop. Ducks’ last visit from an Apple State team was a pleasant one, ending in 34-23 loss to the Cougars. Mallards are #5 in total offense, but don’t make the top 10 in rushing or passing, suggesting solid balance... Decoys 35 Dogs 24

#25 WASHINGTON STATE over Arizona giving 16 ½: Can Wildcats’ D cover up for its anemic partners on offense and keep AZ close enough to cover on the road. Arizona’s best output was 28 points against mighty Stephen F. Austin...WSU 27 UA 7

BETWEEN THE HASHMARKS

Soon to hit the holiday shelves..."Tackle Me, Elmo"- comes with pads and helmet. Hit him outta’ bounds, hit him late, drive him into the turf, spear him helmet-to-helmet...and not get flagged!

The BBC revealed last week the name of the offspring of Britney Spears and Kevin Federline to be Jayden James Federline. Damn...Vin was hopin’ for "Nittany Spears"!

Charles Barkley is running for governor of his home state, Alabama, under the slogan, "Everyone’s chicken in my pot." Funny... Ricky Williams, born in San Diego, is running for governor of California...on the platform of "A little pot with every chicken!"

Virtually winless on NFL bets this season, Vindy has converted to the Church of Latter Day New Orleans Saints!

In August, the 70-year-old father of Republican Senator Norm Coleman was arrested in Minnesota for having sex with a 38-year-old woman in a public place. Jay Leno called dad a Democrat. Vindy just calls him...a Viking!

Danny "Little Tark" Tarkanian, son of former Rebels coach Jerry, is running for State Secretary of State in Nevada (insert your own vote-shaving scandal joke here).

Fidel Castro appeared on CSPN (The Communist World Leader in Sports!) this week to announce he’s off the DL and has returned to the practice field, participating in no-contact drills and noting he will continue to provide input on government matters from the sidelines!

"Locked in a Box?": The Middies went down with the ship to sink the lock tally to 5-4 off the coast of Baltimore, where it’ll make a lovely artificial reef!

Shoppe Talk: Irish look ready to accept "Grill-Master Supreme" honors this post-season at 1-7. The Steers return at 2-6. The Sooners are OK after the forecast win this past weekend.

Vindy’s Week 10 Best Bets: Last Week: 3-2 Season: 21-21-1 (.500)
Kansas (PK) over IOWA STATE, TEMPLE +18 1/2 over Central Michigan, Hawaii -28 over UTAH STATE, WESTERN MICHIGAN -10 ½ over Miami-Ohio, East Carolina -6 over CENTRAL FLORIDA