Vindy's Picks Week 10-2006 Wednesday Nighter

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

Stay tuned to this spot for the rest of Week Ten's prognostications in it's entirety in it's usual Wednesday night spot!

Vindy's Picks Week 9-2006

DUCKS INSPIRE WAL-MART TO LOSE THE "BLUES"

EUGENE, Oregon (MSNBC)...Discount retail giant Wal-Mart announced this week it was putting its traditional blue vests in mothballs and its employees will now be sporting any of a number of combinations of green polo shirts and khaki pants. Consulting the local university sports uniform designer, Wal-Mart will retire its old look in favor of a more modern image that would reportedly meet with the approval of late Wal-Mart founder, Sam Walton. "Sam was a big fan." said one spokesperson. Combinations will include home-store colors, specific combinations for visiting other Wal-Mart outlets, even special designs for Super Wal-Marts and for visiting competitors’ retail shops! Company representatives noted the blue unis will be brought out periodically to commemorate anniversaries and other events with "Throw-Back Vest" Day. Options with or without the yellow Smiley Face add even more possible attire combinations to the arsenal. Higher-ups are also gradually replacing its familiar catch-phrase "How may I help you?" with "What up, Dawg?!" on the back of the shirts. CEO Lee Scott stated "Wally World is changing with the times" and is about to "get its Oregon on"!

Our fearless forecaster posted his second straight 12-7-1 outing for Week 8 to finally reach the Mendoza Line at 72-72-5 (.500) and tries to get back in black with....

THE WEBER KID’S 2006 WEEK 9 FORECAST

THURS. OCT. 26
#10 Clemson over VIRGINIA TECH giving 4: For most teams, Blacksburg,, especially this time of year, is an intimidating venue to play in. Tigers, however, seem to be right comfortable, winning 7 of last 10 here. Hokies are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 at home games...Clemson 17 Tech 10

SAT. OCT. 28
#1 OHIO STATE over Minnesota giving 27: Gophers won 10-9 over North Dakota State???????!!!! Gerbils had only 4 penalties, yielded only a pair of sacks and did not turn the ball over. They did miss two FGs and the game ended with NDSU driving deep into Minny territory. Only the Chippewas cover the number this year better than the Buckeyes ...OSU 45 Gophers 13

Northwestern over #2 MICHIGAN taking 34: The lines-makers just might be catching up to Big Blue again following a five-game ATS tear. Wolverines haven’t posted a spread loss since September 9th and are laying their biggest number of the season. Wildcats haven’t been shutout all year and it could happen in this spot. Then again... Michigan 35 NW 9

OREGON STATE over #3 Southern Cal taking 12 1/2: Troy’s last three victories have been by 6, 7 and 6 en route to a four-game ATS loss streak against PAC-10 foes. Did Matt Leinart’s dad finally stop paying for Dwayne Jarrett’s apartment or what?...USC 23 Beavers 16

#4 West Virginia: IDLE (next @ Louisville 11/2)

#5 Texas over TEXAS TECH giving 12: Maybe the long scoring passes of 63- and 49-yards by Nebraska last week give the Raiders hope. Tech has been crushed in three of the last five vs. the ‘Horns, including the ‘04 and ‘05 tilts... Steers 35 Tech 17

#6 Louisville: IDLE (next vs. West Virginia 11/2)

MISSISSIPPI over #7 Auburn taking 18: Since being derided by Vindicator for an ATS losing streak dating back to last season, Ol’ Missed has ripped off three straight covers while beating Vandy and nearly overturning Joja’ and ‘Bama. UM, however, looked like same old Rebels last week. Tigers are only .500 vs. the line. A not-real-comfortable vote to....Auburn 24 Mississippi 12

SOUTH CAROLINA over #8 Tennessee taking 5: If Spurrier’s Gamecocks are going to jump up and bite somebody important this season, this is the spot. Vols are short their leading rusher...South Carolina 23 Rocky Top 20

Georgia over #9 Florida (at Jacksonville) taking 14: Forget the ‘Dawgs’ loss to the Commodores. Joja’ can tie the Gators for top spot in the SEC East with a win. Florida should’ve lost at Tennessee and the remaining conference victories came at the Swamp...Florida 17 UGA 13

NAVY over #11 Notre Dame taking 14: LOCK OF DA’ WEEK. Vindicator ignores 34-0 whitewash of the Middies two weeks ago by Rutgers. Boat People cover about 75% against the Irish, including 4 of last 5. Here’s hopin’ Navy snares its first outright triumph in 43 tries against the Catholics...Ensigns 24 Golden Domers 23

#12 California: IDLE (next vs. UCLA)

#13 ARKANSAS over Louisiana-Monroe giving 37: Warhawks are playing respectably (albeit in losing efforts) against fellow Sun Belt competitors, but just find something else to watch if this one gets televised (maybe there’s even something better than this on ABC! [See Between the Hashmarks later in this forecast])...Razorbacks 48 UL-M 7

#14 LSU: IDLE (next @ Tennessee)

#15 Boise State: IDLE (next vs. Fresno State 11/1)

#17 WISCONSIN over Illinois giving 21: Voters in Panama just approved a widening of the canal locks to allow bigger ships to pass through by 2015. Maybe the Illini can pass a similar plan for its offensive line...Badgers 27 Illinois 0

Buffalo over #18 BOSTON COLLEGE taking 36: The Bulls caught Auburn in a sandwich spot too earlier this season and covered. We like ‘em to do that with the Eagles between last week’s FSU tilt and trip to Wake Forest on deck...BC 34 Buffalo 7

#19 Oklahoma over #23 MISSOURI taking 2 ½: If ya don’t count Red River "neutral site" game, this is only the second road trip of the year for the Sooners. The subs seem to be filling in adequately for lost OK stars. Mizzou gave up 10 more points to Colorado than Sooners did...Oklahoma 24 MU 23

#20 Nebraska over OKLAHOMA STATE giving 5 ½: Vindy was a big Cowpoke backer early in the season. State hasn’t shown a tendency to win the close ones of late though. Expect a flat Big Red squad to sleepwalk thru the first half, then put the Cowboys away in the final 30 minutes...Nebraska 23 OKSU 7

#21 GEORGIA TECH over Miami giving 6: A Pennsylvania high school student was mocked by a teacher who made him take his midterm exam on the classroom floor for wearing a John Elway jersey. Vindicator can think of a few jerseys truly worthy of humiliation, like Ron Artest, Lawrence Phillips, Maurice Clarett, John Rocker and... if Weber had his own jersey, well.....! Oh....and...uh...any shirt from this year’s The U....Bees 27 Hurri-Cons 16

BAYLOR over #22 Texas A&M taking 4 1/2: Oh!...did the Aggies finally decide to try to save Coach Fran’s job???!! A&M has been living on the edge and has burned Vindy in both of two chances in the picks. Turnovers forced the Bears to rally from 17-point halftime hole vs. Kansas...Bayluh 28 Aggies 24

#24 Wake Forest over NORTH CAROLINA giving 9: This pick got serious "lock" consideration. With Weeziana Tech, Fresno, Marshall and San Diego State finally picking up their first ATS wins last weekend, the only squad without a cover thus far is...North Carolina! Ain’t happenin’ this Saturday either!...Deacons 23 Tarheels 7

Portland State @ #25 OREGON: No line.

SUN. OCT. 29
#16 RUTGERS over Connecticut giving 18 ½: Huskies only two covers came via straight-up wins over Indiana and Army. Staying with hot New Brunswick Bombers...Rutgers 33 UConn 10

BETWEEN THE HASHMARKS

The North Dakota State Bison’s 6-1 record, by the way, is good for THIRD PLACE in the I-AA Great West Conference!

Charged with attempted murder, former Northern Colorado back-up punter Mitchell Cozad was released this week on $500,000 bail. Cozad initially thought he’d be unable to come up with that kinda’ moola and offered up his personal protector as collateral. He later told the judge he changed his mind and would "take a stab at raising the money!" His lawyer unsuccessfully argued Cozad was not a flight risk due to having mob ties to the community!

This summer, Randy Moss became VP of Marketing of a fruit juice/smoothies company. Vin has a few flavor suggestions for the menu..."Top Banana", "Sour Grapes", "Melon Head" and "Malcontent Mango". Just give this PSU alum a "Peachy Paterno" from the Penn State Creamery, okay????!!!!

A local Sin City writer recently lamented the essential wussification of ABC programming, noting such unmanly shows as Dancing With the Stars, Wife Swap (sorry...it ain’t about that!) and Alias. Vindy has six words to put the All Boys Channel back in ABC..."End Zone Dancing with the Stars!"

Just in time for the World Series....a new game show: "Steal or No Steal"- contestants decide whether or not to swipe bases, possibly containing lotsa’ cash, up to $1M!

"Locked in a Box?": The ‘Eers bring home Vindicator’s 5th lock win against 3 losses with a good cover over UConn.

Shoppe Talk: The Irish are back at 1-6. The Decoys make the Shoppe menu with 5 losses in last 6 appearances... and the Sooners better circle da’ wagons at 1-5-1!

Vindy’s Week 9 Best Bets: Last Week: 3-3 Season: 18-19-1 (.486)
Arkansas State -8 over FLORIDA ATLANTIC, Idaho +25 over HAWAII, Washington State +1 over UCLA, Eastern Michigan +15 ½ over WESTERN MICHIGAN, Tulane -5 over ARMY

Vindy's Picks Week 8-2006

COLLEGE PIGSKIN GETS TEACHER TOSSED

FRISCO, Texas (ITAR-Tass)...A fifth-grade teacher was benched for the rest of the academic year here by the local school district recently over a art museum field trip gone awry. Sydney McGee got the boot because her students were exposed to nude portraits while visiting the Dallas Museum of Art. The curator said he told McGee during coordination of the excursion, there would be "nudes on display". The teacher said she heard the museum representative say there would be "Utes on display". McGee claimed she thought it was "a little odd that Picasso works featuring players from Provo would make their way into Horned Toads territory", but admitted she "fantasized about possibly winning a National Teachers Association award or even a Nobel Peace Prize in education for expanding her students’ cultural horizons" during the outing. The exiled educator audibly mused to herself before leaving the interview, "Gee, those football players sure look different without their clothes on."

After a couple sub-par efforts, Vindicator "manned up", got two Thursday night forecast wins and went on to post a 12-7-1 Week Seven, bringing the season numbers to 60-65-4 (.480).

THE WEBER KID’S 2006 WEEK 8 FORECAST

FRI. OCT. 20
#4 West Virginia over UCONN giving 22: LOCK OF DA’ WEEK. A slow start and an improving Syracuse defense cost the Mounties last week’s cover. In light of recent wins for Indiana, UConn’s early season triumph over the Hoosiers looks more impressive than it really is...’Eers 45 Huskies 16

SAT. OCT. 21
#1 OHIO STATE over Indiana giving 31 1/2: Yeah, OK...Indy’s strung together consecutive Big Ten victories. Just can’t get by that loss to I-AA Southern Illinois a couple weeks back though. Buckeyes haven’t broken into the 40's yet. They will here...OSU 47 Indiana 9

#2 MICHIGAN over Iowa giving 13: Wolverines continue to chug slowly-but-steadily toward showdown with Ohio State. Hawkeyes’ season is quickly coming apart, with two losses in last three games...Big Blue 30 Iowa 13

#3 USC: IDLE (next @ Oregon State)

#17 NEBRASKA over #5 Texas taking 6 ½: Yeah, yeah, yeah....the Longhorns-Sooners game was supposed to be close too! The defenses on both sides have been pushed around a bit in bigger games against the better foes on their respective schedules. We like that trend to continue...Nebraska 29 Texas 27

SYRACUSE over #6 Louisville taking 17: For a few fleeting moments, the Weber Kid contemplated an upset here. If Vindy was coaching Louisville, he probably wouldn’t have risked bringing starting QB Brohm back as early as last week from injury with his replacement playing well enough to keep the Redbirds undefeated. Maybe a couple tilts at game-speed before West Virginia will be beneficial (unless he re-injures the knee!)...Louisville 31 ‘Cuse 24

Alabama over #7 TENNESSEE taking 11 1/2: UPSET OF DA’ WEEK. Vin couldn’t pull the upset trigger just one pick prior, but does so here. Tide’s 2-0 ATS on the road and was a dog in both instances. Wonder if the trash-talk about illegal recruiting practices will start up again like it did this time last season...’Bama 19 UT 17

#8 AUBURN over Tulane giving 32: Last week’s 27-17 over Florida is deceiving as the game was not nearly close with the Tigers running roughshod over the Gators. Aubie just might be the Denver Broncos East, having scored no offensive touchdowns in its last eleven quarters....Auburn 48 Wave 10

#9 Florida: IDLE (next vs. Joja’)

#10 NOTRE DAME over Ucla giving 13 1/2: Vindy hasn’t been this excited since George Bush gave German Chancellor Angela Merkel a spur-of-da’-moment back-rub that found its way on video to the Internet! Bruins are 1-3 in last 4 ATS. Irish not much better at 3-3, but had a week off...Leprechauns 34 UCLA 17

#11 CAL over Washington giving 23: Huskies were plus-3 in turnover ratio and still lost by 10 to the Beavers...AT HOME!...Bears 44 UDumb 17

#13 Georgia Tech over #12 CLEMSON taking 8: Bees got an extra week to prepare while Clemson might get conservative with trip to Virginia Tech a mere five days following this game. Tigers only spread loss came in OT defeat by Boston College...Clemson 28 Joja’ Tech 24

#14 LSU over Fresno State giving 32: Despite a preseason vote from Vindy to take the WAC title again, this year’s version of the Bulldogs certainly hasn’t panned out any better than previous LSU victims Kentucky and Mississippi State...Bengals 45 Fresno 9

#15 ARKANSAS over Mississippi giving 17: Rebels have certainly awakened as of late. Sooey Pigs however have got an even-better rushing game than the one Wake Forest used to whack Ol’ Miss 27-3...’Backs 31 Mississippi 6

#16 Oregon over WASHINGTON STATE giving 4: Both sides will air out frequently. Decoys can defend the pass as well and have a decent edge on the ground...Ducks 34 Coogs 24

IDAHO over #18 Boise State taking 20 1/2: Dennis Erickson might just have enough up his sleeve to make this interesting at home as the Vandals march toward bowl-eligibility with two more wins and first possible post-season berth since 1998....Broncos 35 Idaho 24

#19 Rutgers over PITT taking 6: Knights won it last year and are a hot team right now. Rutgers sports the top pass D in the Big East and 4th best air defense nationally...The Garden State 23 The Keystone State 20

Colorado over #20 OKLAHOMA taking 12 ½: Sooners now down not only a starting quarterback, but also a Heisman Trophy-candidate starting running back. Loss of Adrian Peterson might force Okies to throw more than they’d like here. Bison are sluggish on offense, averaging less than 16 ppg, but the D grabbed three picks last week to smoke Texas Tech...OK 24 Buffaloes 13

#21 Wisconsin over PURDUE giving 4 ½: Badger band is on probation for hazing that involved alcohol and dancing in various states of undress during the bus ride from the Michigan game. If the band suspensions keep up at this pace, the halftime shows will consist of recorded music blaring from boom boxes atop remote-control cars doing choreographed moves up-and-down the field! Still ridin’ Wisky...Badgers 27 Boilers 13

#22 Boston College over FLORIDA STATE taking 5: The Injuns just seem unfocused. Even their 27-point win at Duke was sloppy at best, particularly on special teams. Eagles outright at Doak Campbell...BC 27 FSU 24

OKLAHOMA STATE over #23 Texas A&M giving 2: Cowpokes are 10th in the country in total offense (admittedly, the numbers were bolstered by a weak early schedule). Aggies beat Missouri with three Tigers fumbles...Okie State 34 A&M 27

#24 MISSOURI over Kansas State giving 16 ½: Wildcats will pay the price for aforementioned mistakes by Mizzou...Missouri 34 K-State 10

#25 Wake Forest: IDLE (next @ North Carolina)

BETWEEN THE HASHMARKS

Stanford’s getting so desperate for a win, it’s considering trading a missile that works to North Korea for the chance to play the University of Pyongpang! In a related story, coaches at Temple held a news conference recently to announce they’d tested an underground nuke beneath the Philadelphia Museum of Art to make someone in the NCAA take them seriously (or to at least get Sly Stallone to come attend a game!)

Vindicator went to a boxing match this week in Coral Gables....and a football game broke out!

Ugly stat of da’ week: Arizona held Stanford to minus -6 yards rushing on 19 carries....but Michigan held the Nitwit Lions to minus-14 yards on 25 carries!

!!@*%#@!!! Orange kicked a meaningless FG down by 27 with just over 3 minutes left to get the cover and go to 6-1 ATS (and post a forecast "L" for Vindicator!).

Owens’ books part II: More future drivel from T.O...."Broken Thumbelina", "Gulliver’s Road Games", "Alice Never Got Thrown Enough Passes in Wonderland’s Red Zone Either", "The Tarheel Baby", "Little T. and the Three Chicago Bears", "Booty & the Beast of the East" and "Winnie the Pooh & the Blustery Day That Cost Little T. Several Pass Receptions!" (By the way, gangster-rapper-turned-actor-entrepreneur Snoop Dogg will also see his children’s books hit the bookshelves this month. Can’t wait for "Little Huggy Bear Busts a Cap in Little T’s Ass.")

"Locked in a Box?": At 4-3, Vindicator swears off selecting the same "lock" team in consecutive weeks! The Weber Kid has done so twice this season (Nebraska and Mizzou) and paid the consequences both times!

Shoppe Talk: Those Florida Gators return after a loss to Auburn gives them 4 forecast losses in their last 5 tries!

Vindy’s Week 8 Best Bets: Last Week: 1–3-1 Season: 15-16-1 (.483)
BYU -28 ½ over Unlv, BAYLOR -3 ½ over Kansas, ARIZONA STATE -22 1/2 over Stanford, Texas El-Paso +6 over HOUSTON, Air Force -14 over SAN DIEGO STATE, ARKANSAS STATE -7 over North Texas

Vindy's Picks Week 7-2006

SCANDALS IMPACT RANKINGS
Buckeyes, Gators Title Game Hopes in Deep Kimchee

GAINESVILLE, Florida (UPI)...Recently-revealed political indiscretions seem to have bled over into the world of college football. A poll conducted this week by AP-Ipsos indicates BCS voters are allowing party issues to affect their ballots for the NCAA Top 25. Specifically, teams in states currently held by Republicans are feeling the backlash of such events as explicit e-mails by Republican representative Mark Foley and a coin-collection stealing snafu by a GOP fund-raiser in Ohio. Bowl Championship Series poll voters are deciding teams in the blue states are simply the lesser of two evils and supporting teams such as Rutgers at the expense of clubs from red states, such as Florida and Ohio State. When it’s all said and done, the BCS bowl match-ups could ultimately reflect political lines rather than win-loss records and power ratings! Coaches of red-state teams with clout and alumni support are asking for help digging up those dirty little Democrat secrets!

Following an 8-10 Week Six (48-58-3, .453 season), our putrid prophet belts down one of those "protein shakes" that reportedly helped 76-year-old televangelist Pat Robertson leg-press 2000 pounds and displays....

THE WEBER KID’S 2006 WEEK 7 FORECAST
("Submitted for your approval...Just a first down away from... the Twilight Zone")

THURS. OCT. 12
#12 CLEMSON over Temple giving 44: Vindicator initially thought the Las Vegas Review Journal had printed the over/under without a spread when he saw the original 46-point line. The North Koreans claim to have tested a bomb equal to nearly 550 tons of dynamite...or approximately the amount of force the Tigers will rain down upon the Owls this week...Tigers 51 Owls 3

BOSTON COLLEGE over #22 Virginia Tech taking 2 1/2: Eagles lost a spot in the rankings and didn’t even play last week! They can’t be happy about that (but then, mere 22-0 win over Maine doesn’t inspire voters to say "Wow! We gotta’ rank these guys!"). Hokies have no quality wins. Eagles, who could easily be 2-3, found a way to topple Clemson and BYU in extra innings...BC 27 VT 24

SAT. OCT. 14
#1 Ohio State over MICHIGAN STATE giving 15: Vindy thanks Jim Tressel for calling off the dogs with over 12 minutes to play last week against Bowling Green, allowing the Falcons to cover. Are Spartans in traditional mid-season swoon? A couple of quick Buckeye scores and MSU will likely quit..Ohio State 38 MSU 16

#2 Florida over #11 AUBURN taking 2: As part of their "directed reading" independent study course, Tigers’ players must read and do a 10-page report on ..."Little T Learns to Share"...Gators 21 Auburn 17

Arizona State over #3 USC taking 19: Line seems to reflect margins of loss by the Devils rather than margins of win by Troy. SoCal has yet to cover the number in three conference tilts this season. Here’s hopin’ the off-week helps State regroup and runs Trojans’ ATS loss-streak to 4...USC 31 ASU 17

PENN STATE over #4 Michigan taking 7 : Anybody remember Coach Carr’s vehement complaining that put an extra 2 seconds on the clock in Ann Arbor that ultimately cost the Lions a perfect record last year?!!! The Lions sure as hell do! (So does this alum, who watched in horror with many of his fellow Nifty Lion alumni companions! ).... PSU 23 Michigan 21

#5 WEST VIRGINIA over Syracuse giving 25: Mounties are 3-1 against the line, but are also a 50-yard punt return for TD with just over a minute remaining at Mississippi State away from 2-2 ATS. However, Vindy notes WVU was sloppy, suffering 11 flags for 132 yards. Orange 5-1 ATS, but we’ll call it...’Eers 38 Orange 7

#6 TEXAS over Baylor giving 29: Investigation into the Mark Foley scandal has led to the public release of an e-mail from the former Florida representative to a teenage former page in Austin that states "Do I make you a little Longhorny, baby?!" Bears have been in most games to the end, covering 3 of 5...Texas 41 Bayluh 7

Cincinnati over #7 LOUISVILLE taking 26 ½: Cards still undefeated, but appear to have lost a little steam since losing the starting backfield in early September. Redbirds posted their first spread loss last week...Louisville 41 Cincinnati 22

#8 Tennessee: IDLE (next vs. Alabama)

#9 Notre Dame: IDLE (next vs. UCLA)

#10 California over WASHINGTON STATE giving 7 ½: No disrespect to improving Cougars, but 2 ½-point line move in favor of Wazzou looks like an overreaction to 6-point loss to USC. Vin reverts to statement from a couple weeks ago that Cal is still the second-best club in the PAC-10. With Auburn’s fall last Saturday, maybe nobody’s "safe", however...Bears 27 WSU 17

#13 Georgia Tech: IDLE (next @ Clemson)

#14 LSU over Kentucky giving 26 ½: Vindicator changed his mind from his initial selection here (rarely a good sign). Upon further review, Bengals only yielding 10 points per game, including matches against Auburn and Florida. They should break into the 40's here against traditionally-porous Wildcats’ defense...Tigers 48 KY 16

#15 Iowa over INDIANA giving 17 1/2: Vindy hopes Hawkeyes carry over some of that fury they unleashed on the Boilermakers...Iowa 44 Indy 16.

Vanderbilt over #16 GEORGIA taking 13: This match features two of the Weber Kid’s biggest Week Six disappointments. ‘Dawgs were up 27-24 over the Vols going into the 4th quarter, when they gave up two turnovers and 27 points! Joja’ needs to get angry...Bill Clinton angry...but won’t! This forecaster pooh-poohed the ‘Dores early when they lost Cutler to the draft. They’re hanging tough though...UGA 24 Admirals 17

SE Missouri State @ #17 ARKANSAS: No line.

#18 OREGON over Ucla giving 11: Due to malfunctions of the home PC, Vindicator was unable to view all of the available angles on this play and simply let the original call in the sportsbook stand after two minutes... Drakes 34 Bruins 21

#19 Missouri over TEXAS A&M giving 2 1/2: LOCK OF DA’ WEEK. OK, Tigers have proven themselves worthy as contenders. Vindy ain’t impressed with Aggies four wins, that came over Citadel, UL-Laugh-At-Us, a horrible Weeziana Tech club and Army,,,Mizzou 34 A&M 17

#21 Nebraska over KANSAS STATE giving 10 ½: Nice job by the Purple Kitties to rebound from two-touchdown beating by Bayluh to overcome Oklahoma State. Big Red effectively kept Iowa State off the board after the first quarter, allowing only a meaningless score with :06 left in the game...Nebraska 31 K-State 14

Iowa State over #23 OKLAHOMA taking 19 ½: Other than vengeful mood leftover from sound thrashing by Texas, can’t believe Sooners will keep this many points between themselves and the Cyclones. (And because we said that, we like this as the best chance for "wish I had it back"!)...Okie-Doke 35 Dust Devils 19

NAVY over #24 Rutgers giving 1 1/2: Middies haven’t generally been spread-friendly on Homecoming. Tough pick though, with both sides playing well. This is probably the best rushing offense Knights have encountered this year...Navy 21 State Uni of NJ 17

#25 WISCONSIN over Minnesota giving 10: We’re putting a lot on the shoulders of the Badgers’ defense here to shut down Minny’s offense. Wisky is still sporting some of that emotion from Barry Alvarez’ retirement. Gophers went to OT before succumbing to Weber’s Lions... Cheese-heads 27 Gerbils 14

SUN. OCT. 15
NEW MEXICO STATE over #20 Boise State taking 25: Aggies have made for some entertaining football this year, scoring nearly 33 ppg and losing to both UTEP and New Mexico by only 6. Broncos posting 40 ppg. If NMSU can hold the Potato-Heads below half-a-century, they can cover...BSU 44 NMSU 27

BETWEEN THE HASHMARKS

Vin takes a bow for calling back-to-back upsets by NC State, the exact Nebraska 28-14 over ISU score and a near exacta on Ohio State-Bowling Green with a 34-7 prediction (35-7 actual).
As previously noted, Terrell Owens has authored the children’s book, "Little T Learns to Share". Watch for these future classic publications from our wacky wideout: "Little T.O.D." (Thanks to college buddy and longtime friend, Andy Marchetto for that one.), Dr. Seuss-like "I Am Sham,; Sham, I Am". "Little T Takes the Training Wheels Off His Stationery Bike", "Little T. Gets a Big Owwie",and "Little T. and the Magic Bottle of Supplements". In related news, Owens pitched yet another fit that he ain’t the Cowboys go-to guy on "downer and distance"!

Last Spring, UNLV coach Mike Sanford took the names off the backs of his team’s jerseys. Given this season’s performance, he may consider removing the school name off the front of da’ jerseys too!

Celeb-reality star Flava’ Flav often wears a helmet with horns. Maybe he wants to be the Vikes’ mascot???!! He also sports an over-sized tick-tock around his neck. Inquiring minds wanna’ know...does his clock start on the kick, on the ready to flay from the referee or when the women vying for his affections actually touch his balls!

A pair of North Korean soldiers wandered last Saturday into the South Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone, touching off an international incident. However, through an interpreter, the soldiers said they were "just a couple of sports fans" and were reacting to rumors that border guards on the south side were "watching the Georgia-Tennessee game on CBS." The pair were later disappointed to learn "CBS" didn’t stand for the "Communist Broadcasting System".

"Locked in a Box?": The lock record jumps up to 4-2 behind Mizzou’s very nice road win as a doggie over Texas Tech! Weber will cheer the Tigers again this week in the "lock" role!

Shoppe Talk: Those Frightenin’ Irish (1-5) and Texas Wrong Horns (0-5) re-inhabit the Shoppe after showing up on the wrong side of the spread again!

Vindy’s Week 7 Best Bets: Last Week: 2-3 Season: 14-13 (.519)
Maryland -2 over VIRGINIA, WYOMING +4 ½ over Utah, SAN JOSE STATE -14 over Utah State, EAST CAROLINA +2 ½ over Tulsa, Army +5 ½ over UCONN

Vindy's Picks Week 6-2006

In light of looming mid-term elections and being creatively uninspired by recent news events, Vindicator elects to reach into the archives to reprint one of his favorite lead stories from the 2003 season......

PIGSKIN PART OF ARNOLD’S 100-DAY PLAN

SACRAMENTO, California (CNN)...With the final tallies in and his transition team of Vin Diesel, Angelina Jolie, Lee Corso and Danny DeVito surrounding him, the Terminator spelled out his expected accomplishments in the first 100 days of his administration in the Golden State. Said Schwarzenegger, "As guvanah of dis great state, I will repeal da’ state cah tax, balance da’ buhget and most impawtently...I will return Suddern Cahleeforneeya footbahl to national prahminence. Schools like UC-Santah Cruz, Cal-State Foolaton and Sahn Hosaaaayy State will compete again for da’ National Title. I will puhsonally take dem to da’ gym and pump...dem up!" Arnold also repented for past indiscretions, noting "In my yute, I did a lot of tings that I taught were playful at da’ time, like making fun of Veeendy’s fawcast. But I know now dat it was jus disrespecful, and faw dat, I apologice."

But back to the future....Well-ahead of the bookies at 8-3 thru the first 11 of his Week Five calls, Vindicator started hotdogging like Olympic snowboard-cross racing shoulda’-been-gold medalist, Lindsey Jacobellis, leading the bookies to send in that German guy from the Volkswagen commercials to "un-pimp Vindy’s auto!". Weber finished the week at a still-decent 11-7 and stands at 8 games below the Mendoza Line with a season tally of 40-48-3 (.454).

THE WEBER KID’S 2006 WEEK 6 FORECAST
(So easy, a caveman could pick ‘em!)

THURS. OCT. 5
NC STATE over #17 Florida State taking 11: Wolfpack defense is stout...11th in the nation against the pass and yielding a reasonable 20 points per game. ‘Noles are passing for 315 yards per game, but could be one-dimensional since only 24 I-A teams rush for fewer yards per game. Does Chuck Amato and the boys have another upset in ‘em?...NC State 21 Injuns 19

FRI. OCT. 6
#9 Louisville over MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE giving 33: Best chance for the Blue Raiders is to borrow the Titans’ mascot, T-Rac, and have him back his golf cart over whomever lines up at QB for the Cardinals this week... Cards 38 MTSU 0

SAT. OCT. 7
Bowling Green over #1 OHIO STATE taking 34: State is perfect 5-0 ATS. Buckeyes got four turnovers to get past Iowa. Hope we see the Falcons that won on the road over Ohio instead the ones that got smoked by Kent State 38-3 two weeks ago...Buckeyes 34 BGSU 7

Arkansas over #2 AUBURN taking 16: Teams should be starting to catch up to Auburn right about now and maybe consecutive spread losses by the Tigers support that. Hogs are 0-4 ATS. Might be a good spot for them to get their first spread win against Auburn club that hosts Florida next week...Tigers 24 Soooeeey Pigs 14

Washington over #3 USC taking 20 ½: UDUB is finally prospering under Ty Willingham. Troy has posted back-to-back spread losses, both vs. conference competition...USC 32 Sled Dogs 14

#4 West Virginia over MISSISSIPPI STATE giving 26: Bulldogs aren’t playing badly on defense but can’t move the ball consistently. Croom’s club is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 going back to last season. Together with sister Magnolia State school Ol’ Miss, the two squads are 3-17 ATS in their last 20...WVU 38 MSU 3

#8 Louisiana State over #5 FLORIDA taking 2: Homecoming for the Gators, who should really only be 2-3 ATS, but got a very late INT for TD vs. ‘Bama to cover that one. Bengals have won 3 of last 4 outright. Tigers have also only covered 2 of last 10 against Top 25 teams...Tigers 23 Florida 19

Michigan State over #6 MICHIGAN taking 16: Much to the chagrin of local fishermen, the Coast Guard is establishing live-fire zones on the Great Lakes. Maybe the Spartans can have the Coasties launch a few missiles and small-arms fire far enough inland to soften the Wolverines defense. State took last week to fall flat after heartbreaker vs. the Irish. The season for them comes down to this one though and an outright win by Sparty wouldn’t be a shocker...Michigan 24 MSU 23

#14 Oklahoma over #7 Texas taking 5: Bob Stoops will throw the whole defensive playbook at Longhorns’ freshman QB Colt McCoy...Sooners 20 Texas 17

#10 GEORGIA over #13 Tennessee taking 2 ½: We might’ve backed a shaky Vols team as a road dog going up against Bulldog squad that excels at home inside the conference, but not as chalk...Joja’ 19 UT 16

#11 Oregon over #16 CAL taking 5 ½: Two fine offenses go toe-to-toe here and the Weber Kid changed his mind several times on this pick. Decoys have actually been a few games better against the number away from the Pond than they have been at home. Mallards get the nod in a wild one...Cal 34 Ducks 31

#12 NOTRE DAME over Stanford giving 32: Stanford has been a horrible team to-date and brings to mind last season’s loss to Cal-Davis. The obnoxious Cardinal band was suspended from travel for trashing a hotel room. Did the band geeks have illusions of being members of the Who and start smashing their woodwinds and snare drums following a rousing version of Baba O’Reilly?...Catholics 48 Stanford 10

#15 Clemson over WAKE FOREST giving 16: As a sign of respect, Vin tips his helmet to Jim Grobe’s Demon Deacons for the job they’ve done since losing the starting quarterback. Wake won this straight up 31-27 in ‘05, but that was over Tiger team coming off consecutive defeats, in which they played a total of four OT periods...Clemson 35 Deacons 14

#18 GEORGIA TECH over Maryland giving 13 ½: There’s still the "Bell factor" but ‘Jackets’ defense alone could account for the covering scores. Terps’ three wins this year aren’t over anyone of substance...Bees 30 Box Turtles 7

Purdue over #19 IOWA taking 11: Expect the Boilers’ receivers to keep Hawkeye defensive backfield busy all day. Iowa rebounds from Ohio State defeat, but Purdue beats the line...Iowa 28 Purdue 27

#20 BOISE STATE over Louisiana Tech giving 35: Fourth road trip already this year for Tech and third against a ranked foe. Bulldogs will be as effective as North Korean Taepaedong II missile. Lack of returning defensive starters for LT has been painfully evident...BSU 54 Weeziana Tech 10

#21 Virginia Tech : IDLE (next @ Boston College 10/12)

#22 Nebraska over IOWA STATE giving 7: Cyclones still playing below expectations with 6-point win over UNLV and 1-point squeaker over Northern Iowa. The Church of Scientology supports the concept that "quiet birth", the absence of talk and other noise, is more healthful for the birth..Vindy follows suit and won’t say a word about last week’s Huskers "lock" pick...Big Red 28 ISU 14

#23 Missouri over TEXAS TECH taking 4: LOCK OF DA’ WEEK. Red Raiders second-half defense (or lack thereof) nearly cost ‘em game at A&M. Tigers show if they’re real (with a nice road victory) or just Memorex ... Mizzou 33 Texas Tech 27

#24 Rutgers: IDLE (next @ Navy)

#25 Boston College: IDLE (next vs. Virginia Tech 10/12)

BETWEEN THE HASHMARKS

This past Spring, a Cornell University horticulturist suggested giving plants some hard liquor keeps them from tipping over. In early February, the Stanford Tree mascot was busted consuming alcohol under her costume. Vin thinks she was simply ahead of her time! (Hmmm...quick thinking band members might’ve been able to propose a scapegoat for that whole ‘trashed hotel room’ thing!)

Pro footballers Braylon Edwards, Steven Jackson and Sinorice Moss are vying for the same role on "General Hospital". Personally, Vindy’s always been a "Days of Our Lives" fan (or was it "All My Children"?), lusting after Kelly Ripa in her pre-"Regis & Kelly" days.

A July issue of Sports Illustrated reported Jose Canseco wanted to be deputized as a member of Senator George Mitchell’s steroid scandal investigators and labeled him the" Sherlock Holmes of Human Growth Hormone, the Columbo of the Clear". Vin continues the analogy and anoints the former Bash Brother as Da’ Quincy of Cream, Da’ Barretta of da’ BALCO, Da’ Joe Friday of da’ Flaxseed, Da’ Kojak of Da’ Juice, Da’ Starsky of the Steroids and Da’ Tubbs of da’ Testosterone!

A barrage of legal difficulties befell members of the Cincinnati Bengals this summer, including the arrest and Tasering of tackle Matthias Askew. Officers on-site called Askew "an electric player". Cincinnati coaches, upon hearing the news of yet another brush with the law, expressed "shock-and- awwwwwww, not again!". Opposing teams planned to re-implement the "zap-back block". Teammates say his favorite band is now AC/DC! (OK, we’ll stop now.)

"Locked in a Box?": The Weber Kid is 3-2 after going to the well with Nebraska one too many times!

Shoppe Talk: The Shoppe is vacant this week with Texas playing a I-AA opponent last week and the Irish failing to cover against Purdue as predicted. (Don’t wander too far away fellas!)

Vindy’s Week 6 Best Bets: Last Week: 4-1 Season: 12-10 (.545)
Vandy -1 ½ over OL’ MISS, Florida International -3 over NORTH TEXAS, Washington State -3 over OREGON STATE, Oklahoma State -3 ½ over KANSAS STATE, Navy +3 over USAF