#11 Michigan State over PENN STATE giving 1 ½: LOCK OF DA’ WEEK. The Nitwit Lions actually drew a pair of Top 25 votes this week after whacking Indiana. Sparty’s QB is banged up and MSU had to rally at home last week to beat Purdue, but Spartans need a victory to ensure at least a piece of the Big Ten championship. Lions building a little momentum with four wins in past five games (4-1ATS), but this is the kinda’ opponent against which the alma mater will look good in the first half, then fold after the break. Lions won big the past two years, but were #7 and #13 at the time...MSU 27 Penn State 17
Virginia over #13 VIRGINIA TECH taking 21 ½: Hokies used a strong 4th quarter to put away Miami and lock in a berth in the ACC title game. Not much would be gained with a rout over the Cavs, who have been an enigma all season. Virginia is a solid bet as a road dog (9-2 ATS the past four years) but a bet-against on the back end of consecutive road games. Cavs 1-1 SU vs. the two Top 25 teams they played, with a loss by only 3 at USC. Tech has four wins by at least this many and have been on a mission. Still, we like....Tech 33 Cavs 14
Kansas over #15 Missouri taking 24 ½ (@ Kansas City, MO): Jayhawks traded first quarter scores with Oklahoma State before putting up the “gone fishin’” signs. Tigers like the neutral sites to open the year, not so much to close them out. Kansas has played Mizzou tough...losing by 2, winning by 3 and losing by 8 the last three years, but had reason to play hard. KU has just three straight-up victories in 2010 and has nowhere to go except home after this. Tigers could throw a second straight shutout and are tied with Nebraska atop the Big 12 North, but lose in head-to-head competition...Mizzou 28 Kansas 6
#18 South Carolina over CLEMSON giving 2 ½: The Poultry is already set to play in Atlanta but we don’t see any let-up in Carolina. Tigers played Auburn, NC State and Florida State all very close and the Gamehens are just 2-2 SU/ATS on the road. Tigers defense is playing well, limiting last six foes to 16 or fewer points. Both squads are young at the skills positions, but have experienced offensive lines. South Carolina’s been getting better production from its youth... USC 24 Clemson 17
#21 NC State over MARYLAND giving 2 ½: Two of this year’s surprise teams in the ACC square off here. Wolfpack is 8-2 ATS to-date but gets just second chance to lay points. Terps have seven SU wins but have been up-and-down. The wins also came over no one significant. Turtles lost 38-31 in 2009 and State doesn’t fare well facing teams wanting revenge, but...NC State 28 Maryland 20
#22 FLORIDA STATE over Florida giving 2 ½: With 8 wins in the books, Jimbo Fischer, in his first year as head coach, has already led the ‘Noles to more victories in a season than in three of Bobby Bowden’s final four years in Tallahassee and could tie or beat the remaining win total with a victory here and/or in a bowl. Senior Christian Ponder has a chance to do something that hasn’t happened since he arrived...pick up a victory over the Gators... Injuns 24 Florida 19
Brigham Young over #23 UTAH taking 9 ½: Aztecs receivers ran amok on Utah but State turned the ball over three times and let Utes support Vindy’s proclamation that they weren’t quite finished. Coogs were left for dead in September, but have rebounded to win five of past six games (5-1 ATS). BYU took this match-up 26-23 last year but haven’t toppled Utah in consecutive seasons since 2000-2001...Utah 24 BYU 20
#24 Iowa over MINNESOTA giving 15: Hawkeyes have to be major-league frustrated after letting two victories slip away in the 4th quarter the past two weeks. First game for the Gophers since shocking Illinois two weeks ago as a three-score underdog. Iowa’s just 1-3 ATS on the road this season. Gophers have been outscored 67-0 the past years in this series, but haven’t scored less than 8 this year. Floyd of Rosedale goes to...Iowa 27 Minny 7
#25 Mississippi State over MISSISSIPPI giving 2 ½: Bulldogs played at Arkansas’ pace and were beaten in 2OT. Rebels dragged LSU into its trackmeet pace, but fell a little short. Collectively, these clubs have two spread wins between ‘em in their past 8 games combined. The home team has been the SU winner of the Iron Bowl each of the last six years and four of ‘em were by substantial margins. Rebels are 2-3 ATS in Oxford. State’s gone 2-2 ATS on the road, but against much better teams...Mississippi State 31 Ole Mist 21
BETWEEN THE HASHMARKS
Runs the forty in 4.2? Nice. Bench-presses 25 reps at 450 lbs.? Outstanding. Never been in a high-school production? NEXT!!!!!
Meet the new defensive coordinator....Inside the Actors Studio host James Lipton! Forget the nickel package...send in the Nicole Kidman package!
Here’s a conspiracy theory for ya...members of officiating crews faking injury to slow-down offenses or extend the game in exchange for a few extra dollars! How ‘bout networks intentionally taking more TV time-outs to do likewise!
BTW, our overall season record bumped up to 105-108-3 (.493) and gives us a chance to finish at or over .500 with some decent calls over the final couple of regular season weeks.
Gotta’ wonder how many baseball fans brought gloves to the Illinois-Northwestern game in hopes of catching a few personal-foul balls! Did either team strand runners at the cornerbacks???!!
Nebraska coach Bo Pelini drew a lotta’ negative attention for his “ref rage” during Huskers’ loss to A&M. Too bad Big Red wasn’t playing at the aforementioned Cubs venue. Bo coulda’ just thrown his hat, kicked dirt on home plate and been ejected like any self-respecting skipper!
After scoring vs. the Bengals Sunday, Buffalo receiver Steve Johnson pulled up his jersey to reveal Heath Ledger’s Joker quote, “Why so serious?” Coulda’ been worse for Cincinnati fans. The pass-catcher’s shirt coulda’ bore the words from Jack Nicholson’s Joker...”This town...needs an enema!”
Turkeys pardoned by the President are now being shipped off to George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate to spend their rest of their lives instead of the traditional destination of Disneyland. Brad Childress’ agents have been trying to get an audience with the Commander-in-Chief!
Black Shirt: Goes to Utah tight end Kendrick Moeai for a 47-yard TD reception as time expired in the first half to put the Utes back in the game vs. San Diego State.
“Locked in a Box?”: Badgers blasted Michigan, finally raising the record to 5-7 (.417).
Shoppe Talk: Buckeyes (3-7-1) still aren’t givin’ up the forecast dubya, but we’ll take last week’s push as progress! The Reno Wolfpack stays another fortnight with yet another loss (1-5).
Vindy’s Week 13 Best Bets: Last Week: 3-1 Season: 24-30-1 (.444)
Northern Illinois -23 ½ over EASTERN MICHIGAN (FRI), Louisville -3 over RUTGERS (FRI), VANDERBILT -6 over Wake Forest, Western Kentucky +13 over TROY, DUKE +9 ½ over North Carolina
BTW, Vindy joined forces with thousands of other disgruntled travelers this week and hopped outta’ the full-body scan at McCarron Airport. We came adorned with floppy ears and a cotton tail, but quickly stuffed them into our lone piece of carry-on luggage upon realizing nobody else has dressed for the occasion! (Oh wait...we were supposed to opt-out? No wonder security just gave the Weber Kid a funny look and waved him through!)
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Vindy's Picks Week 13-2010 Part I
COACHES COVETING DRAMA MAJORS
HOLLYWOOD, California (MSNBC)....Want to play? Be in one. While the “flop” and the “dive” have long been part of the athletic repertoire across all of the major sports, feigning pain has come to the forefront as a tactic used to slow down or break the rhythm of those opposing point-per-minute offenses. The no-huddle puts stress and fatigue on defenders to the point that schools now actively look for Thespian skills when recruiting football players out of high school. The concept has given new meaning to “film study”. Watching game film of opponents is fine. Viewing martial arts movies, horror flicks, even spaghetti westerns in which actors realistically portray being in agony can keep an overmatched defensive squad in the contest. Several coaching staffs are now implementing at least one practice session each week dedicated to “Punter for a Day”, in which defensive players take long snaps then twirl, fall and scream in an effort to draw “roughing the kicker” penalties.
In what has to be a career-best outing, your fab faker...um...we mean... forecaster....was dialed-in and went 12-3-1 in Week 12, as he was all over the chalk, who covered 11 of the 16 games!
Vindicator donned a neckbrace, leg cast and a box of Curad Ouchless Pads, then fell to the sportsbook floor grabbing his...uh..er..um...ankle... squealing like a schoolgirl as a pre-emptive strike ahead of...
THE WEBER KID’S 2010 WEEK 13 FORECAST
(Nominated for an Academy Award in the “scream queen” category!)
THURS. NOV. 25
#17 Texas A&M over TEXAS giving 3 ½: Steers finally met a foe they could overwhelm in Fun Belt’s Florida Atlantic, while the Aggies resurrected ghosts of the Wreckin’ Crew defense in a 9-6 win over Nebraska. A&M last beat the Longhorns outright in 2007, but have covered three straight years, mostly as heavy underdogs. TAMU doesn’t fare well in Thursday games, showing just one ATS win in last nine tries, but Texas won’t be able to keep it this close...A&M 24 Cattle 13
FRI. NOV. 26
#1 OREGON over #20 Arizona giving 20: After watching tape of Cal’s near-upset of the Mallards, Arizona spent this week practicing shuttling crutches and aircasts onto the field while on defense. Ducks cash tickets following bye weeks, covering 8 of last 9. Wildcats would like to payback last year’s 44-41 loss in Tucson. Drakes have covered all four games on the Pond in 2010 and unless Arizona successfully pulls off Cal’s Mayo Clinic act...Quack Attack 42 UA 20
#2 Auburn over #9 ALABAMA taking 4 ½: War Eagle has yielded past two Iron Bowls to the Tide after taking the three games from 2005-2007. Tigers blew a lead in last season’s 26-21 loss. Tide laying points in this series for just second time in eight years. A low-scoring game favors ‘Bama, who has held 8 opponents to 13 or less, winning all eight of ‘em and covering seven. Elephants haven’t lost at home since early 2007 (to Joja’ in OT), a span of 20 games. The younger Newton needs to keep his wits about him as evidence closes in around his daddy. If he does so, he can lead the Tigers past ‘Bama in Tuscaloosa, much like South Carolina finally upended Florida in the Swamp. He might wanna’ take that bumper-sticker that reads, “Payment expected at time services are rendered” off his car though...Auburn 23 Bama 20
#3 Boise State over #19 NEVADA giving 14: Last chance for the Broncos to “dress to impress” and belt a semi-relevant team. ‘Bama’s favored to win its game vs. Auburn. If you were coaching Boise State, would you be secure in a simple 10-14 point victory over the likely WAC runner-up, who was held to 7 at Hawaii???!!! We didn’t think so. UNR on just 2-5 ATS skid and playing on a short week. Boise got an extra day of rest/practice following Friday night bashing of Fresno. Like it needs yet-another edge. Wolfpack has two covers in last nine facing ranked opponents. One of those two wins came in 44-33 loss last year at Boise....BSU 49 UNR 20
Colorado over #16 NEBRASKA taking 23 ½: Bison playing with some spunk following dismissal of quarterback’s father, posting consecutive straight-up victories over K-State and Iowa State, who lost by 1 to the Huskers in OT. Big Red became Big Yellow in light of 16 flags for 145 yards in 9-6 defeat by A&M that cost us one of our three forecast L’s last weekend. Nebraska won just 28-20 in 2009. Buffs are 0-3 ATS on the road, but we see the funk continuing for Nebraska...Huskers 42 Colorado 24
SAT. NOV. 27
NEW MEXICO over #4 Texas Christian taking 44 ½: Bye week maybe came at a good time for the Toads following 35 by San Diego State in narrow Frogs win. Lobos have covered 2 of 5 in Albuquerque this season and 4 of last 6 overall. New Mexico lost 40-7 last week at BYU. Is TCU at least 10 points better than da’ Coogs, even on the road? We think so, but initial gut reaction was to take the generous points and Coach Patterson promised to not run it up...TCU 44 Lobos 7
Northwestern over #5 WISCONSIN taking 23 ½: After some goofy directional rules during last week’s tilt at Wrigley Field, at least the ‘Cats will know which way to drive the ball! Wildcats freshman Evan Watkins will make his second start in relief of QB Dan Persa, but N-Dub can play some D even if the offense struggles. Badgers simply need to win to grab part of the conference title and make the Rose Bowl, even if OSU and Michigan State obliterate their opponents. Badgers beat only one line this big to-date...Wisky 34 Northwestern 13
#12 ARKANSAS over #6 Louisiana State giving 3 ½: First thought here is to the “over”. The last five matches have been decided by a total of 13 points but have totaled 61 or better. Bengals escaped Ole Mist with a TD with 44 seconds left in 43-36 win, getting burned for scoring plays of 50- and 65-yards. Hogs have covered three straight in this series, including 33-30 loss in ‘09. State hasn’t been a dog in this SEC contest since 2002...Arkansas 41 LSU 34
Oregon State over #7 STANFORD taking 14: Beavers excel in road dog mode. Trees are not strong in November, though 2-1 ATS this year so far. Other receivers are finally emerging for State, taking some of the pressure off Jacques Rodgers to carry the load...Cardinal 30 Beavers 24
#8 OHIO STATE over Michigan giving 17: Buckeyes are still livin’ right, but could be sluggish in the first 30 minutes here. No matter, there should be plenty of separation in the second half. Are the linesmakers seein’ the same Michigan defense that Vindy is? As expected, Badgers RB Ball and White ran for collective 354 yards vs. Michigan. Boom Herron and Terrell Pryor, when he’s not throwing deep, should do likewise. Big Blew is on 0-7 ATS slide, all in conference play, where UM has now gone 7-22-2 the past 4 seasons. Somehow under the radar in all this are Michigan’s seven SU victories to-date. Buckeyes haven’t blown a cover at da’ Shoe in seven tries this year...OSU 42 Wolverines 18
#10 OKLAHOMA STATE over #14 Oklahoma giving 2 ½: Sooners registered just their second spread win away from Norman all season last week. DeMarco Murray has made himself useful as a receiver since the rushing yardage isn’t coming easy. Meanwhile State’s Justin Blackmon continues his torrid receiving run following return from suspension. Cowpokes haven’t won Bedlam since 2002 and just twice in last 10 years. It’s been a season of underdog teams finally breaking through. Chalk up (no, not that kinda’ chalk) another one for the “little guy”...State 38 Sooners 31
C'mon back tomorrow night for the exciting conclusion of our Week 13 forecast, including our lock of da' week and "best bets". And save room for a nice helping of "hash"!
HOLLYWOOD, California (MSNBC)....Want to play? Be in one. While the “flop” and the “dive” have long been part of the athletic repertoire across all of the major sports, feigning pain has come to the forefront as a tactic used to slow down or break the rhythm of those opposing point-per-minute offenses. The no-huddle puts stress and fatigue on defenders to the point that schools now actively look for Thespian skills when recruiting football players out of high school. The concept has given new meaning to “film study”. Watching game film of opponents is fine. Viewing martial arts movies, horror flicks, even spaghetti westerns in which actors realistically portray being in agony can keep an overmatched defensive squad in the contest. Several coaching staffs are now implementing at least one practice session each week dedicated to “Punter for a Day”, in which defensive players take long snaps then twirl, fall and scream in an effort to draw “roughing the kicker” penalties.
In what has to be a career-best outing, your fab faker...um...we mean... forecaster....was dialed-in and went 12-3-1 in Week 12, as he was all over the chalk, who covered 11 of the 16 games!
Vindicator donned a neckbrace, leg cast and a box of Curad Ouchless Pads, then fell to the sportsbook floor grabbing his...uh..er..um...ankle... squealing like a schoolgirl as a pre-emptive strike ahead of...
THE WEBER KID’S 2010 WEEK 13 FORECAST
(Nominated for an Academy Award in the “scream queen” category!)
THURS. NOV. 25
#17 Texas A&M over TEXAS giving 3 ½: Steers finally met a foe they could overwhelm in Fun Belt’s Florida Atlantic, while the Aggies resurrected ghosts of the Wreckin’ Crew defense in a 9-6 win over Nebraska. A&M last beat the Longhorns outright in 2007, but have covered three straight years, mostly as heavy underdogs. TAMU doesn’t fare well in Thursday games, showing just one ATS win in last nine tries, but Texas won’t be able to keep it this close...A&M 24 Cattle 13
FRI. NOV. 26
#1 OREGON over #20 Arizona giving 20: After watching tape of Cal’s near-upset of the Mallards, Arizona spent this week practicing shuttling crutches and aircasts onto the field while on defense. Ducks cash tickets following bye weeks, covering 8 of last 9. Wildcats would like to payback last year’s 44-41 loss in Tucson. Drakes have covered all four games on the Pond in 2010 and unless Arizona successfully pulls off Cal’s Mayo Clinic act...Quack Attack 42 UA 20
#2 Auburn over #9 ALABAMA taking 4 ½: War Eagle has yielded past two Iron Bowls to the Tide after taking the three games from 2005-2007. Tigers blew a lead in last season’s 26-21 loss. Tide laying points in this series for just second time in eight years. A low-scoring game favors ‘Bama, who has held 8 opponents to 13 or less, winning all eight of ‘em and covering seven. Elephants haven’t lost at home since early 2007 (to Joja’ in OT), a span of 20 games. The younger Newton needs to keep his wits about him as evidence closes in around his daddy. If he does so, he can lead the Tigers past ‘Bama in Tuscaloosa, much like South Carolina finally upended Florida in the Swamp. He might wanna’ take that bumper-sticker that reads, “Payment expected at time services are rendered” off his car though...Auburn 23 Bama 20
#3 Boise State over #19 NEVADA giving 14: Last chance for the Broncos to “dress to impress” and belt a semi-relevant team. ‘Bama’s favored to win its game vs. Auburn. If you were coaching Boise State, would you be secure in a simple 10-14 point victory over the likely WAC runner-up, who was held to 7 at Hawaii???!!! We didn’t think so. UNR on just 2-5 ATS skid and playing on a short week. Boise got an extra day of rest/practice following Friday night bashing of Fresno. Like it needs yet-another edge. Wolfpack has two covers in last nine facing ranked opponents. One of those two wins came in 44-33 loss last year at Boise....BSU 49 UNR 20
Colorado over #16 NEBRASKA taking 23 ½: Bison playing with some spunk following dismissal of quarterback’s father, posting consecutive straight-up victories over K-State and Iowa State, who lost by 1 to the Huskers in OT. Big Red became Big Yellow in light of 16 flags for 145 yards in 9-6 defeat by A&M that cost us one of our three forecast L’s last weekend. Nebraska won just 28-20 in 2009. Buffs are 0-3 ATS on the road, but we see the funk continuing for Nebraska...Huskers 42 Colorado 24
SAT. NOV. 27
NEW MEXICO over #4 Texas Christian taking 44 ½: Bye week maybe came at a good time for the Toads following 35 by San Diego State in narrow Frogs win. Lobos have covered 2 of 5 in Albuquerque this season and 4 of last 6 overall. New Mexico lost 40-7 last week at BYU. Is TCU at least 10 points better than da’ Coogs, even on the road? We think so, but initial gut reaction was to take the generous points and Coach Patterson promised to not run it up...TCU 44 Lobos 7
Northwestern over #5 WISCONSIN taking 23 ½: After some goofy directional rules during last week’s tilt at Wrigley Field, at least the ‘Cats will know which way to drive the ball! Wildcats freshman Evan Watkins will make his second start in relief of QB Dan Persa, but N-Dub can play some D even if the offense struggles. Badgers simply need to win to grab part of the conference title and make the Rose Bowl, even if OSU and Michigan State obliterate their opponents. Badgers beat only one line this big to-date...Wisky 34 Northwestern 13
#12 ARKANSAS over #6 Louisiana State giving 3 ½: First thought here is to the “over”. The last five matches have been decided by a total of 13 points but have totaled 61 or better. Bengals escaped Ole Mist with a TD with 44 seconds left in 43-36 win, getting burned for scoring plays of 50- and 65-yards. Hogs have covered three straight in this series, including 33-30 loss in ‘09. State hasn’t been a dog in this SEC contest since 2002...Arkansas 41 LSU 34
Oregon State over #7 STANFORD taking 14: Beavers excel in road dog mode. Trees are not strong in November, though 2-1 ATS this year so far. Other receivers are finally emerging for State, taking some of the pressure off Jacques Rodgers to carry the load...Cardinal 30 Beavers 24
#8 OHIO STATE over Michigan giving 17: Buckeyes are still livin’ right, but could be sluggish in the first 30 minutes here. No matter, there should be plenty of separation in the second half. Are the linesmakers seein’ the same Michigan defense that Vindy is? As expected, Badgers RB Ball and White ran for collective 354 yards vs. Michigan. Boom Herron and Terrell Pryor, when he’s not throwing deep, should do likewise. Big Blew is on 0-7 ATS slide, all in conference play, where UM has now gone 7-22-2 the past 4 seasons. Somehow under the radar in all this are Michigan’s seven SU victories to-date. Buckeyes haven’t blown a cover at da’ Shoe in seven tries this year...OSU 42 Wolverines 18
#10 OKLAHOMA STATE over #14 Oklahoma giving 2 ½: Sooners registered just their second spread win away from Norman all season last week. DeMarco Murray has made himself useful as a receiver since the rushing yardage isn’t coming easy. Meanwhile State’s Justin Blackmon continues his torrid receiving run following return from suspension. Cowpokes haven’t won Bedlam since 2002 and just twice in last 10 years. It’s been a season of underdog teams finally breaking through. Chalk up (no, not that kinda’ chalk) another one for the “little guy”...State 38 Sooners 31
C'mon back tomorrow night for the exciting conclusion of our Week 13 forecast, including our lock of da' week and "best bets". And save room for a nice helping of "hash"!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Vindy's Picks Week 12-2010
BCS, BBB JOIN FORCES
ARLINGTON, Virginia (Reuters)....Tired of watching your favorite team run the table, then get snubbed for a national title shot based on strength-of-schedule, yada-yada as determined by some machine-generated ranking and end up in the Podunk Second-Class Citizen Bowl??! Well due to a merger between the controversial Better Business Bureau and the Bowl Championship Series, fans; alumni and bettors alike can pool their “resources” and improve weekly standings by simply offering up “contributions” to the powers-that-be (to ease operating costs, of course). Campaigns are currently underway in Ft. Worth and Boise, as well Baton Rouge and South Bend to gather enough funding to better their respective teams post-season positioning. Already among the media-created monikers for the scandal are...”Guilders for Grades”, “Rankings for Rubles”, “Standings for Six-Pence!” and “Bowling for Benjamins!”
Even with a Friday night dubya to kick it off, the tired tea leaves still couldn’t make any headway, going just 11-11 (93-105-2, .469) for Week Eleven.
If you trigger extra searches while going through airport security this holiday season, you can either receive a full-body pat-down by some TSA bruiser named Hildegarde or accept exposure to...
THE WEBER KID’S 2010 WEEK 12 FORECAST
(Free with the purchase of any Carnival cruise!)
FRI. NOV. 19
#3 BOISE STATE over Fresno State giving 30 ½: Like there’s any doubt? Broncos caught a huge break when Toads scraped by San Diego State and the Utes never came outta’ the locker room in bad loss to the Leprechauns. Boise will hope one of the two teams above them in the BCS standings slips up and will rain down the usual firestorm in the meantime. Bulldogs on a short week following 1-point defeat to Reno...Blue Shag University 54 FSU 13
SAT. NOV. 20
#1 Oregon: IDLE (next @ Stanford)
#2 Auburn: IDLE (next @ Alabama 11/26)
#4 TCU: IDLE (next @ New Mexico State)
Mississippi over #5 LSU taking 16 ½: If there’s such a thing as winning ugly in a 51-0 blowout, Bengals managed to do so vs. UL-Monroe, with the defense and special teams doing the heavy lifting and the offense doing little more than mopping up. Tigers can lock in their first winning spread season since 2004 with a cover and seek revenge for last year’s 25-23 loss in Oxford...LSU 26 Ole Miscellaneous 12
#6 Wisconsin over MICHIGAN giving 5: LOCK OF DA’ WEEK. Nowhere to go for Wisky except down after slapping a four-score on the Hoosiers, but Badgers have beaten Ohio State and Iowa. Wolverines D finally made an appearance last week, holding Purdue to 16, but Wisky’s backs will run for days. Big Blew lost home games to MSU by 17 and by 10 to the Hawkeyes...Cheese Dip 34 Michigan 10
#7 Stanford over CAL giving 7 ½: Cards were in a defensive struggle, winning just 17-14 vs. the Sun Devils, despite 420 yards of offense, but we don’t think Bares can get up defensively themselves again, even in “The Big Game” after smothering the Mallards but losing 15-13 following a missed chip-shot FG that woulda’ put them ahead. Cal’s lost both previous games to ranked opponents this year by total of 3 points. Trees are just 3-2 ATS on the road... Stanford 27 Berkeley 14
#21 IOWA over #8 Ohio State taking 3: We flip-flopped on this choice a couple times. Not usually a good sign. Hawkeyes gave up a 10-point lead in the final stanza to lose at Northwestern. State ripped off 35 unanswered points after spotting the Nitwit Lions an 11-point halftime edge. Iowa lost at da’ Shoe in OT in 2009, off a similar loss to NW, for just one of its two SU losses. Buckeyes are unreliable as road faves. Can Hawkeyes rush defense stand-up to Boom Herron?... OSU 17 Iowa 16
#9 Nebraska over #18 TEXAS A&M giving 2 ½: Taylor Martinez played thru the pain, leading Big Dread to a sleepy 20-3 win over Kansas. Aggies recovered from 16-point deficit, and yielded a half-K of land along the way before beating Baylor. Huskers, who have back-to-back unimpressive wins, slowed down a bit this time last season too, but it’s a small number to cover and Aggies RB Gray won’t find nearly as much room to run here...Corn Cobs 27 A&M 20
Georgia State @ #10 ALABAMA: No line.
Purdue over #11 MICHIGAN STATE taking 20: Boilers, Michigan’s second-lowest-scoring opponent, is 3-3 ATS in conference play, including nearly-inexplicable SU victory over Northwestern. Rested Sparty probably won’t catch Wisconsin for the automatic Big Tenuous BCS bid and has been a go-against in November games in 8 of the last 9 years....MSU 27 Purdue 13
#12 Oklahoma State over KANSAS giving 24: Okie State’s stop-squad has held four of last five opponents to an average of less than 19 ppg (51 to Nebraska notwithstanding). The pain continues for KU, but hey...it’s hoops season in Lawrence!...OKSU 47 Jayhawks 20
#13 Arkansas over #22 MISSISSIPPI STATE giving 3 ½: Soeeeey Pigs whacked UTEP by merely outscoring their own mistakes on defense and special teams. Bulldoggies have won 5 of 6 games in Starkville (3-2 ATS), losing only by 3 to possible national title finalist Auburn. Hogs bashed SEC East champ South Carolina by three touchdowns. MSU is 8th in the SEC in pass defense at 227 yards/game... Arkansas 34 Mississippi State 27
#14 Virginia Tech over #24 MIAMI giving 2 ½: ‘Canes have won four of their last five games outright this year, with odd loss at Virginia. Can’t go against streaking Hokies with Miami having been clocked by the other pair of ranked teams they’ve faced (Ohio State and Florida State) and going with back-up QB this week...VT 17 Pelicans 7
IOWA STATE over #15 Missouri taking 11: We contemplated an upset call here until learning Dust Devils will go with back-up quarterback. But given Tigers’ 0-3 spread slide and inconsistency of both teams (Mizzou escaped San Diego State; ‘Clones took Nebraska to OT then got smoked by poor Buffaloes squad). State needs a victory to play in December...Missouri 19 ISU 12
#16 Oklahoma over BAYLOR giving 7 ½: Sooners won 33-7 in 2009, but that was a couple weeks following the Bears loss of Griffin for the season. Baylor could be feeling snake-bitten following loss to the Aggies after taking an early 16-point lead. OK is 0-2 ATS in true road games on the year, 1-3 away from Norman and 5-5 against the line overall. We asked “Peggy” from that Discover Card commercial if she liked the Sooners or the Bears. She replied, “Yeeeessss??”...Sooners 29 Baylor 17
#17 SOUTH CAROLINA over Troy giving 23: Troy not quite the Sun Belt elite of yore, though just a single game from the conference lead. That one-game difference however is the result of 17-point home loss to Florida International, who sits atop the Fun Belt. To their credit, Trojans did lose just 41-38 in September at then-unranked Oklahoma State. Troy just 2-7 ATS overall. Gamehens are celebrating their first-ever SEC title match berth and have rival Clemson looming. Will SC exhale?...Poultry 45 Troy 19
New Mexico State over #19 UNR taking 37 ½: Wolfpack barely dodged a bullet vs. Fresno and has Boise on-deck. Aggies posted their first spread loss in 5 games last week, losing by 21 to Weeziana Tech. NMSU 3-2 ATS getting points away from home and have been decent 10-6-1 in that role the past three seasons. This one could end up 49-3 or maybe something to...Reno 41 NMSU 20
OREGON STATE over #20 Southern Cal taking 3: Trojans continue to play hard despite having nada to play for because of the post-season ban. USC has won four of its last five games. Scoring just 24 total points over last two after averaging almost 30 ppg over previous seven, the loss of James Rodgers is really starting to show for the Beavers, who fell into last week’s “WTF???!!!” category with an outright loss to Wazzou, who was getting 23 points! State still needs to take two of its final thee matches to reach bowl-eligibility...and have Stanford and Oregon left on the schedule!...OSU 20 USC 19
#23 Arizona: IDLE (next @ Oregon 11/26)
#25 Utah over SAN DIEGO STATE giving 3: The wheels have not yet come completely off the Utah wagon despite 1-2 SU/0-3 ATS sputter. Aztecs are certainly improved under Brady Hoke and maybe little more than a berth in the Las Vegas Bowl awaits Utah, but surely there’s still a talent gap and SDSU may have left all they had on the gridiron in Ft. Worth...Utes 27 Aztecs 23
BETWEEN THE HASHMARKS
BTW, the BBB has chalked up the current scandal accusing the organization of taking cash in exchange for bolstering grades for businesses to a “clerical error”. Vindy is no stranger to clerical mistakes and has, himself, committed more than his own share of typos, but let’s face it...a simple case of happy fingers and the Ragin’ Cajuns of Louisiana (formerly UL-Lafayette) garner a Top 25 slot while the Bengals of LSU find themselves in the cold with their lips pressed up against the window...on the outside lookin’ in! Maybe the collaboration will lead to the acronym “BBBCS”!
Almost a Twilight Zone moment: Vindicator went 11-11 in Week 11, which started with a Friday-nighter just one day later than 11-11! Would’ve only been eerier had Boise played Thursday night during next season!
The “Cam” in Cam Newton was lookin’ like somethin’ short for Camelot. Now it’s the diminutive of camouflage!
Nitwit Lions might as well have inserted freshman QB Rob Bolden if they wanted someone to hurl interceptions for touchdowns in second-half of the Ohio State game (or sent in the Weber Kid if they simply wanted somebody to just hurl!)
En route to a game last January at Clemson, the North Carolina basketball team bus was hit by another vehicle. No injuries were reported. Thank goodness for side-deploying airballs!
The NCAA unveiled plans for its First Four, expanding the tourney to 68 teams. The four lowest seeds square-off to eventually face #1 seeds and the four last at-large qualifiers face each other and end up in originally-seeded spots. Great...a couple more of those Northeast Potato Grove State vs. University of Puerto Rico-A&M tilts to start things off! Somebody queue-up Sweet Georgia Brown!
Black Shirt: The terrific Tee goes to Super Steve Spurrier for finally game-planning the Gamecocks past Florida in the Swamp and making Vin look like a genius with his Upset Pick of Da’ Week call!
“Locked in a Box?”: Reno couldn’t get it done vs. Fresno, leaving the record at 4-7 (.364).
Shoppe Talk: No surprise here....Ohio State at 3-7 and the Red Raiders at 0-4 (3-17-1 last 21 appearances). The Badgers join in on an 0-4 skid , along with UNR at 1-4.
Vindy’s Week 12 Best Bets: Last Week: 2-2-1 Season: 21-29-1 (.420)
East Carolina -9 ½ over RICE, Eastern Michigan +7 over BUFFALO, NC State +2 ½ over NORTH CAROLINA, SOUTHERN MISS -4 over Houston
Struggling badly with college football, Vindy notes he did hit his inaugural college hoops wager, getting a nice parlay win behind UMass and Cal-Santa Barbara (BTW, keep an eye on Pepperdine! Ya heard it here first!).
ARLINGTON, Virginia (Reuters)....Tired of watching your favorite team run the table, then get snubbed for a national title shot based on strength-of-schedule, yada-yada as determined by some machine-generated ranking and end up in the Podunk Second-Class Citizen Bowl??! Well due to a merger between the controversial Better Business Bureau and the Bowl Championship Series, fans; alumni and bettors alike can pool their “resources” and improve weekly standings by simply offering up “contributions” to the powers-that-be (to ease operating costs, of course). Campaigns are currently underway in Ft. Worth and Boise, as well Baton Rouge and South Bend to gather enough funding to better their respective teams post-season positioning. Already among the media-created monikers for the scandal are...”Guilders for Grades”, “Rankings for Rubles”, “Standings for Six-Pence!” and “Bowling for Benjamins!”
Even with a Friday night dubya to kick it off, the tired tea leaves still couldn’t make any headway, going just 11-11 (93-105-2, .469) for Week Eleven.
If you trigger extra searches while going through airport security this holiday season, you can either receive a full-body pat-down by some TSA bruiser named Hildegarde or accept exposure to...
THE WEBER KID’S 2010 WEEK 12 FORECAST
(Free with the purchase of any Carnival cruise!)
FRI. NOV. 19
#3 BOISE STATE over Fresno State giving 30 ½: Like there’s any doubt? Broncos caught a huge break when Toads scraped by San Diego State and the Utes never came outta’ the locker room in bad loss to the Leprechauns. Boise will hope one of the two teams above them in the BCS standings slips up and will rain down the usual firestorm in the meantime. Bulldogs on a short week following 1-point defeat to Reno...Blue Shag University 54 FSU 13
SAT. NOV. 20
#1 Oregon: IDLE (next @ Stanford)
#2 Auburn: IDLE (next @ Alabama 11/26)
#4 TCU: IDLE (next @ New Mexico State)
Mississippi over #5 LSU taking 16 ½: If there’s such a thing as winning ugly in a 51-0 blowout, Bengals managed to do so vs. UL-Monroe, with the defense and special teams doing the heavy lifting and the offense doing little more than mopping up. Tigers can lock in their first winning spread season since 2004 with a cover and seek revenge for last year’s 25-23 loss in Oxford...LSU 26 Ole Miscellaneous 12
#6 Wisconsin over MICHIGAN giving 5: LOCK OF DA’ WEEK. Nowhere to go for Wisky except down after slapping a four-score on the Hoosiers, but Badgers have beaten Ohio State and Iowa. Wolverines D finally made an appearance last week, holding Purdue to 16, but Wisky’s backs will run for days. Big Blew lost home games to MSU by 17 and by 10 to the Hawkeyes...Cheese Dip 34 Michigan 10
#7 Stanford over CAL giving 7 ½: Cards were in a defensive struggle, winning just 17-14 vs. the Sun Devils, despite 420 yards of offense, but we don’t think Bares can get up defensively themselves again, even in “The Big Game” after smothering the Mallards but losing 15-13 following a missed chip-shot FG that woulda’ put them ahead. Cal’s lost both previous games to ranked opponents this year by total of 3 points. Trees are just 3-2 ATS on the road... Stanford 27 Berkeley 14
#21 IOWA over #8 Ohio State taking 3: We flip-flopped on this choice a couple times. Not usually a good sign. Hawkeyes gave up a 10-point lead in the final stanza to lose at Northwestern. State ripped off 35 unanswered points after spotting the Nitwit Lions an 11-point halftime edge. Iowa lost at da’ Shoe in OT in 2009, off a similar loss to NW, for just one of its two SU losses. Buckeyes are unreliable as road faves. Can Hawkeyes rush defense stand-up to Boom Herron?... OSU 17 Iowa 16
#9 Nebraska over #18 TEXAS A&M giving 2 ½: Taylor Martinez played thru the pain, leading Big Dread to a sleepy 20-3 win over Kansas. Aggies recovered from 16-point deficit, and yielded a half-K of land along the way before beating Baylor. Huskers, who have back-to-back unimpressive wins, slowed down a bit this time last season too, but it’s a small number to cover and Aggies RB Gray won’t find nearly as much room to run here...Corn Cobs 27 A&M 20
Georgia State @ #10 ALABAMA: No line.
Purdue over #11 MICHIGAN STATE taking 20: Boilers, Michigan’s second-lowest-scoring opponent, is 3-3 ATS in conference play, including nearly-inexplicable SU victory over Northwestern. Rested Sparty probably won’t catch Wisconsin for the automatic Big Tenuous BCS bid and has been a go-against in November games in 8 of the last 9 years....MSU 27 Purdue 13
#12 Oklahoma State over KANSAS giving 24: Okie State’s stop-squad has held four of last five opponents to an average of less than 19 ppg (51 to Nebraska notwithstanding). The pain continues for KU, but hey...it’s hoops season in Lawrence!...OKSU 47 Jayhawks 20
#13 Arkansas over #22 MISSISSIPPI STATE giving 3 ½: Soeeeey Pigs whacked UTEP by merely outscoring their own mistakes on defense and special teams. Bulldoggies have won 5 of 6 games in Starkville (3-2 ATS), losing only by 3 to possible national title finalist Auburn. Hogs bashed SEC East champ South Carolina by three touchdowns. MSU is 8th in the SEC in pass defense at 227 yards/game... Arkansas 34 Mississippi State 27
#14 Virginia Tech over #24 MIAMI giving 2 ½: ‘Canes have won four of their last five games outright this year, with odd loss at Virginia. Can’t go against streaking Hokies with Miami having been clocked by the other pair of ranked teams they’ve faced (Ohio State and Florida State) and going with back-up QB this week...VT 17 Pelicans 7
IOWA STATE over #15 Missouri taking 11: We contemplated an upset call here until learning Dust Devils will go with back-up quarterback. But given Tigers’ 0-3 spread slide and inconsistency of both teams (Mizzou escaped San Diego State; ‘Clones took Nebraska to OT then got smoked by poor Buffaloes squad). State needs a victory to play in December...Missouri 19 ISU 12
#16 Oklahoma over BAYLOR giving 7 ½: Sooners won 33-7 in 2009, but that was a couple weeks following the Bears loss of Griffin for the season. Baylor could be feeling snake-bitten following loss to the Aggies after taking an early 16-point lead. OK is 0-2 ATS in true road games on the year, 1-3 away from Norman and 5-5 against the line overall. We asked “Peggy” from that Discover Card commercial if she liked the Sooners or the Bears. She replied, “Yeeeessss??”...Sooners 29 Baylor 17
#17 SOUTH CAROLINA over Troy giving 23: Troy not quite the Sun Belt elite of yore, though just a single game from the conference lead. That one-game difference however is the result of 17-point home loss to Florida International, who sits atop the Fun Belt. To their credit, Trojans did lose just 41-38 in September at then-unranked Oklahoma State. Troy just 2-7 ATS overall. Gamehens are celebrating their first-ever SEC title match berth and have rival Clemson looming. Will SC exhale?...Poultry 45 Troy 19
New Mexico State over #19 UNR taking 37 ½: Wolfpack barely dodged a bullet vs. Fresno and has Boise on-deck. Aggies posted their first spread loss in 5 games last week, losing by 21 to Weeziana Tech. NMSU 3-2 ATS getting points away from home and have been decent 10-6-1 in that role the past three seasons. This one could end up 49-3 or maybe something to...Reno 41 NMSU 20
OREGON STATE over #20 Southern Cal taking 3: Trojans continue to play hard despite having nada to play for because of the post-season ban. USC has won four of its last five games. Scoring just 24 total points over last two after averaging almost 30 ppg over previous seven, the loss of James Rodgers is really starting to show for the Beavers, who fell into last week’s “WTF???!!!” category with an outright loss to Wazzou, who was getting 23 points! State still needs to take two of its final thee matches to reach bowl-eligibility...and have Stanford and Oregon left on the schedule!...OSU 20 USC 19
#23 Arizona: IDLE (next @ Oregon 11/26)
#25 Utah over SAN DIEGO STATE giving 3: The wheels have not yet come completely off the Utah wagon despite 1-2 SU/0-3 ATS sputter. Aztecs are certainly improved under Brady Hoke and maybe little more than a berth in the Las Vegas Bowl awaits Utah, but surely there’s still a talent gap and SDSU may have left all they had on the gridiron in Ft. Worth...Utes 27 Aztecs 23
BETWEEN THE HASHMARKS
BTW, the BBB has chalked up the current scandal accusing the organization of taking cash in exchange for bolstering grades for businesses to a “clerical error”. Vindy is no stranger to clerical mistakes and has, himself, committed more than his own share of typos, but let’s face it...a simple case of happy fingers and the Ragin’ Cajuns of Louisiana (formerly UL-Lafayette) garner a Top 25 slot while the Bengals of LSU find themselves in the cold with their lips pressed up against the window...on the outside lookin’ in! Maybe the collaboration will lead to the acronym “BBBCS”!
Almost a Twilight Zone moment: Vindicator went 11-11 in Week 11, which started with a Friday-nighter just one day later than 11-11! Would’ve only been eerier had Boise played Thursday night during next season!
The “Cam” in Cam Newton was lookin’ like somethin’ short for Camelot. Now it’s the diminutive of camouflage!
Nitwit Lions might as well have inserted freshman QB Rob Bolden if they wanted someone to hurl interceptions for touchdowns in second-half of the Ohio State game (or sent in the Weber Kid if they simply wanted somebody to just hurl!)
En route to a game last January at Clemson, the North Carolina basketball team bus was hit by another vehicle. No injuries were reported. Thank goodness for side-deploying airballs!
The NCAA unveiled plans for its First Four, expanding the tourney to 68 teams. The four lowest seeds square-off to eventually face #1 seeds and the four last at-large qualifiers face each other and end up in originally-seeded spots. Great...a couple more of those Northeast Potato Grove State vs. University of Puerto Rico-A&M tilts to start things off! Somebody queue-up Sweet Georgia Brown!
Black Shirt: The terrific Tee goes to Super Steve Spurrier for finally game-planning the Gamecocks past Florida in the Swamp and making Vin look like a genius with his Upset Pick of Da’ Week call!
“Locked in a Box?”: Reno couldn’t get it done vs. Fresno, leaving the record at 4-7 (.364).
Shoppe Talk: No surprise here....Ohio State at 3-7 and the Red Raiders at 0-4 (3-17-1 last 21 appearances). The Badgers join in on an 0-4 skid , along with UNR at 1-4.
Vindy’s Week 12 Best Bets: Last Week: 2-2-1 Season: 21-29-1 (.420)
East Carolina -9 ½ over RICE, Eastern Michigan +7 over BUFFALO, NC State +2 ½ over NORTH CAROLINA, SOUTHERN MISS -4 over Houston
Struggling badly with college football, Vindy notes he did hit his inaugural college hoops wager, getting a nice parlay win behind UMass and Cal-Santa Barbara (BTW, keep an eye on Pepperdine! Ya heard it here first!).
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Vindy's Picks Week 11-2010 The Sequel
#16 Virginia Tech over NORTH CAROLINA giving 3 ½: Illness and injury to both sidelines make this an interesting game. Carolina’s missing its leading rusher, who was hurt in the Florida State game. Hokies will go without RB David Wilson, who also ran back a kickoff for a 90-yard score that gave Tech a victory (and another Thursday night “L” to the Weber Kid). ‘Heels managed nifty upset of the Injuns last week, won 20-17 last year and have won 17 of last 24 home games outright (3-1 in 2010)...VT 20 UNC 13
#18 ARIZONA over Southern Cal giving 5 ½: Trojans eased past Arizona State 34-33 last week to beat just their second conference opponent all season. ‘Cats, who ran into a vengeful Stanford buzz-saw, have made the money in four of last five vs. USC, but were getting at least seven points in each of those. Nick Foles should be healthier and more mobile this Saturday. Good enuff for us.... AZ 21 USC 13
Texas Tech (GASP!) over #19 OKLAHOMA taking 16: We just have no faith in the Sooners to exceed a line of this size against Raiders squad that spotted Mizzou a 17-3 advantage then went to work for a seven-point triumph. For this putrid prophet, Texas Tech has become the NCAA football equivalent of the Kobayashi Maru, the unwinnable Starfleet Academy training scenario from Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan, which was beaten just once...by James T. Kirk, who cheated by re-programming the computer. Maybe we could re-program the scoreboard... OK 31 “Guns Up” 23
Kansas State over #20 MISSOURI taking 12 ½: This got a long, hard look for lock. Tigers got better than half their 260 rushing yards on a pair of real long totes for touchdowns in the first quarter, then seemingly went to sleep on Texas Tech in 24-17 loss. K-State’s rather-convincing win over Texas gives us confidence it can hang around within two scores long enough here. Wildcats appear to be returning to scoring-production levels of ‘07 and ‘08 at current 32 ppg following 2009's mere 23 ppg average. Meanwhile, usually-stout Mizzou has yielded average of 27ppg to last three opponents...Tigers 28 KSU 24
#21 Nevada over FRESNO STATE giving 9: LOCK OF DA’ WEEK. Reno lost at Hawaii, but has blown away most of its other competition and had not one, not two, but three players over 100 rushing yards last week. Don’t be fooled by Bulldogs three-game SU win streak as those victories came vs. New Mexico State, San Josie State and Weeziana Tech, who have a combined record of 4-21 vs. FCS foes (and one of NMSU’s wins came vs. San Josie!). Wolfpack won big the past two years and Fresno continues to be plagued by turnovers...minus-30 from 2007-2009 and minus-4 thus far this season...UNR 41 Fresno State 20
#22 South Carolina over #24 FLORIDA taking 7: UPSET PICK OF DA’ WEEK. The Swamp has held no pleasant memories for the Gamecocks, but SEC East title on the line here and this is the best chance the Poultry will have in a few years to unseat Florida as East champ. Gators’ home victims in 2010 have been Miami-Ohio, South Florida and Kentucky. Tim Tebow signed on with Jockey to be an underwear spokesman. Rumor has it the waistbands will contain references to Bible passages ...KFC 27 Gators 24
#23 Texas A&M over BAYLOR giving 3: We expect nothing worse than a push here. Bears got some mileage outta’ win over Kansas State, then beat fading Longhorns in Austin, but were exposed in bad loss at Oklahoma State. Congrats to Baylor on seven SU victories and what will likely be its first post-season appearance since 1994, but Robert Griffin clearly can’t carry the load all by himself. Aggies lead the conference in rushing defense. That should be enough of an edge to cover the small number on the road...Aggies 37 Bears 31
#25 CENTRAL FLORIDA over Southern Miss giving 7: Knights provided the only ticket we cashed in Week 10 and get their first-ever spot in the rankings. UCF has compiled 7 straight spread wins since dropping one to a pretty good NC State Wolfpack in early September and now show 21-8-1 ATS in C-USA the last three-plus seasons. Both these teams have scored an average in the 40's over their last five games this year. Knights get the nod on defense... UCF 44 SoMiss 34
BETWEEN THE HASHMARKS
Given the pre-requisites, we guess San Fran ain’t seein’ McDonald’s Happy Meal toys faves, such as Beanie Babies, Hello Kitty and My Little Pony anytime soon (though My Little Parlay is a distinct possibility!).
On a serious note, we wish all our servicemen and servicewomen past, present and soon-to-be...a very Happy Veterans Day! We acknowledge the Utes wearing camouflage-style unis vs. TCU to benefit the Wounded Warriors program was a nice tribute. Unfortunately in the end, Utah looked more “wounded” than “warrior”.
The Madden NFL 11 video game incorporates real-life stats into game-play as the actual season moves along. We’re wonderin’ why Dungeons & Dragons or World of Warcraft hasn’t done that!!!
WVU hoops coach Bob Huggins took a tumble in his undisclosed Sin City hotel room during a “recruiting trip” last June and busted seven ribs. Seven??!!! What did he fall on....a Madonna-impersonator sporting the infamous conical bra at the Imperial Palace???!!!
A May ish of ESPN: Da’ Mag noted three Butler seniors played for the Washington Generals against the Harlem Globetrotters. With the three-team expansion approved, the Generals could make one of the play-in games for 2011 NCAA Tournament!
Queen Elizabeth II recently got herself a Facebook account and declined Vindy’s “friend request”. Oh sure...see if we help Her Majesty with her fish, farm or mafia! In fact, we’ve convinced the Royal Bookie to entice the Queen Mum into a nice expensive parlay involving our picks on Ohio State and Texas Tech!
A rare Honus Wagner baseball card belonging to a nun recently brought in $262,000 at a charity auction. For that kinda’ dough, the sisters can have their holy water delivered in five-gallon jugs by Sparkletts!!!
Have ya seen photos of 14-year-old, 7-foot-somethin’ Indian hoops phenom Satman Singh Bhamara???!!! Slap some metal on the kid’s teeth and he’s an instant remake of Richard Kiel’s “Jaws” character from the James Bond Moonraker flick!
Black Shirt: The ebony undergarment will look just fine this week on Sue Paterno, who stood by JoePa through 400 victories (and almost as many years of coaching!).
“Locked in a Box?”: For the first time all season, Vindicator tanks back-to-back lock picks with some help from Texas Tech (GASP!) to fall to 4-6 (.400).
Shoppe Talk: The aforementioned Red Raiders continue their residence at Ye Olde Taxidermy Shoppe at 0-3 on season, but 3-16-1 in last 20. Joining Tech are the Pork Chops of Arkansas (2-5).
Vindy’s Week 11 Best Bets: Last Week: 2-3 Season: 19-27-1 (.413)
Wyoming -5 over UNLV, Rice +4½ over TULANE, Utah State -4 over SAN JOSE STATE, NC STATE -19 over Wake Forest, Army -1 over KENT STATE
And now back to...”$#*! My Bookie Says!”...already in progress.
#18 ARIZONA over Southern Cal giving 5 ½: Trojans eased past Arizona State 34-33 last week to beat just their second conference opponent all season. ‘Cats, who ran into a vengeful Stanford buzz-saw, have made the money in four of last five vs. USC, but were getting at least seven points in each of those. Nick Foles should be healthier and more mobile this Saturday. Good enuff for us.... AZ 21 USC 13
Texas Tech (GASP!) over #19 OKLAHOMA taking 16: We just have no faith in the Sooners to exceed a line of this size against Raiders squad that spotted Mizzou a 17-3 advantage then went to work for a seven-point triumph. For this putrid prophet, Texas Tech has become the NCAA football equivalent of the Kobayashi Maru, the unwinnable Starfleet Academy training scenario from Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan, which was beaten just once...by James T. Kirk, who cheated by re-programming the computer. Maybe we could re-program the scoreboard... OK 31 “Guns Up” 23
Kansas State over #20 MISSOURI taking 12 ½: This got a long, hard look for lock. Tigers got better than half their 260 rushing yards on a pair of real long totes for touchdowns in the first quarter, then seemingly went to sleep on Texas Tech in 24-17 loss. K-State’s rather-convincing win over Texas gives us confidence it can hang around within two scores long enough here. Wildcats appear to be returning to scoring-production levels of ‘07 and ‘08 at current 32 ppg following 2009's mere 23 ppg average. Meanwhile, usually-stout Mizzou has yielded average of 27ppg to last three opponents...Tigers 28 KSU 24
#21 Nevada over FRESNO STATE giving 9: LOCK OF DA’ WEEK. Reno lost at Hawaii, but has blown away most of its other competition and had not one, not two, but three players over 100 rushing yards last week. Don’t be fooled by Bulldogs three-game SU win streak as those victories came vs. New Mexico State, San Josie State and Weeziana Tech, who have a combined record of 4-21 vs. FCS foes (and one of NMSU’s wins came vs. San Josie!). Wolfpack won big the past two years and Fresno continues to be plagued by turnovers...minus-30 from 2007-2009 and minus-4 thus far this season...UNR 41 Fresno State 20
#22 South Carolina over #24 FLORIDA taking 7: UPSET PICK OF DA’ WEEK. The Swamp has held no pleasant memories for the Gamecocks, but SEC East title on the line here and this is the best chance the Poultry will have in a few years to unseat Florida as East champ. Gators’ home victims in 2010 have been Miami-Ohio, South Florida and Kentucky. Tim Tebow signed on with Jockey to be an underwear spokesman. Rumor has it the waistbands will contain references to Bible passages ...KFC 27 Gators 24
#23 Texas A&M over BAYLOR giving 3: We expect nothing worse than a push here. Bears got some mileage outta’ win over Kansas State, then beat fading Longhorns in Austin, but were exposed in bad loss at Oklahoma State. Congrats to Baylor on seven SU victories and what will likely be its first post-season appearance since 1994, but Robert Griffin clearly can’t carry the load all by himself. Aggies lead the conference in rushing defense. That should be enough of an edge to cover the small number on the road...Aggies 37 Bears 31
#25 CENTRAL FLORIDA over Southern Miss giving 7: Knights provided the only ticket we cashed in Week 10 and get their first-ever spot in the rankings. UCF has compiled 7 straight spread wins since dropping one to a pretty good NC State Wolfpack in early September and now show 21-8-1 ATS in C-USA the last three-plus seasons. Both these teams have scored an average in the 40's over their last five games this year. Knights get the nod on defense... UCF 44 SoMiss 34
BETWEEN THE HASHMARKS
Given the pre-requisites, we guess San Fran ain’t seein’ McDonald’s Happy Meal toys faves, such as Beanie Babies, Hello Kitty and My Little Pony anytime soon (though My Little Parlay is a distinct possibility!).
On a serious note, we wish all our servicemen and servicewomen past, present and soon-to-be...a very Happy Veterans Day! We acknowledge the Utes wearing camouflage-style unis vs. TCU to benefit the Wounded Warriors program was a nice tribute. Unfortunately in the end, Utah looked more “wounded” than “warrior”.
The Madden NFL 11 video game incorporates real-life stats into game-play as the actual season moves along. We’re wonderin’ why Dungeons & Dragons or World of Warcraft hasn’t done that!!!
WVU hoops coach Bob Huggins took a tumble in his undisclosed Sin City hotel room during a “recruiting trip” last June and busted seven ribs. Seven??!!! What did he fall on....a Madonna-impersonator sporting the infamous conical bra at the Imperial Palace???!!!
A May ish of ESPN: Da’ Mag noted three Butler seniors played for the Washington Generals against the Harlem Globetrotters. With the three-team expansion approved, the Generals could make one of the play-in games for 2011 NCAA Tournament!
Queen Elizabeth II recently got herself a Facebook account and declined Vindy’s “friend request”. Oh sure...see if we help Her Majesty with her fish, farm or mafia! In fact, we’ve convinced the Royal Bookie to entice the Queen Mum into a nice expensive parlay involving our picks on Ohio State and Texas Tech!
A rare Honus Wagner baseball card belonging to a nun recently brought in $262,000 at a charity auction. For that kinda’ dough, the sisters can have their holy water delivered in five-gallon jugs by Sparkletts!!!
Have ya seen photos of 14-year-old, 7-foot-somethin’ Indian hoops phenom Satman Singh Bhamara???!!! Slap some metal on the kid’s teeth and he’s an instant remake of Richard Kiel’s “Jaws” character from the James Bond Moonraker flick!
Black Shirt: The ebony undergarment will look just fine this week on Sue Paterno, who stood by JoePa through 400 victories (and almost as many years of coaching!).
“Locked in a Box?”: For the first time all season, Vindicator tanks back-to-back lock picks with some help from Texas Tech (GASP!) to fall to 4-6 (.400).
Shoppe Talk: The aforementioned Red Raiders continue their residence at Ye Olde Taxidermy Shoppe at 0-3 on season, but 3-16-1 in last 20. Joining Tech are the Pork Chops of Arkansas (2-5).
Vindy’s Week 11 Best Bets: Last Week: 2-3 Season: 19-27-1 (.413)
Wyoming -5 over UNLV, Rice +4½ over TULANE, Utah State -4 over SAN JOSE STATE, NC STATE -19 over Wake Forest, Army -1 over KENT STATE
And now back to...”$#*! My Bookie Says!”...already in progress.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Vindy's Picks Week 11-2010 (Part I)
FORECASTER’S NAMESAKE JOINS GOLDEN GATE FAST-FOOD
SAN FRANCISCO, California (MSNBC)....Fed up with the ongoing luring of America’s youth to indulge in unhealthy eating habits with the promise of toys, local officials have put the kibosh on the cultural icon known as the Happy Meal. When the new regulation takes effect in December 2011, replacing the forbidden fare on McDonald’s menu will be the Vindy Meal, a cheesy burger containing little meat or substance and sides of apple fries, beer and industrial-strength heartburn as consumers’ wallets get thinner. No toys will accompany the combo in the City By The Bay ...at least until a 53% correct prediction rate is achieved. The media is already dubbing the new menu item as the “McVee”, not to be confused with former Fleetwood Mac member Christine McVie!
A final tally of 8-9 for Week 10 (82-94-2, .466) made Vindy’s climb toward achieving at least a .500 season just a bit steeper, and the undesirable goal of breaking 100 losses before reaching the century mark in wins is a virtual certainty this coming week.
No need to panic, Sports Fans....that unexplained missile launch this week off the California coast was simply Vindicator misfiring with....
THE WEBER KID’S 2010 WEEK 11 FORECAST(Giving you the break you deserve today!)
FRI. NOV. 12
#4 Boise State over IDAHO giving 34 ½: Looks easy after Boise dismantled Hawaii. State kept the Warriors passing game off the board for three quarters. Vandals lost 63-25 last year and 45-10 in ‘08 and haven’t covered in four of last five games this season. Idaho’s mostly-new offensive unit simply hasn’t progressed enough to hang in here...Boise 54 Idaho 10
SAT. NOV. 13
#1 Oregon over CALIFORNIA giving 19 ½: Mallards were beaten three years in a row (holding a Top 25 spot each time) by Cal until pounding the Bears 42-3 last season (without a ranking at the time). We could see the Decoys putting on trademark first-half inertia before putting plenty of distance between themselves and the Cubbies, who may have to wait until last regular-season tilt vs. UDUB to get a shot at a minor bowl bid...Drakes 54 Bares 24
Georgia over #2 AUBURN taking 9: Tigers simply have to keep defeating its SEC rivals to keep TCU at bay and play for the national title. Dawgs have been on 4-1 SU tear, with only loss coming in OT vs. the Gators on a neutral field. Joja’ has knocked off Auburn four years running, but are 1-4 SU/ATS away from Athens on the season and didn’t covered either opportunity vs. ranked opponents (2-9 ATS skid). Gotta’ take the points...Auburn 23 Joja’ 19
#3 TCU over San Diego State giving 26 ½: Froggies gained little in the BCS race despite making it look very easy in Salt Lake City. Aztecs already have seven victories and will pick up an eighth when they host UNLV, but are just 1-3-1 ATS in their last five games. Toads have limited last 6 opponents to less than 4 points per game. One of the CBS announcers said QB Andy Dalton, facing the Utah pass rush, was “eating sandwiches back there (in the pocket)”. By the end of three quarters, he was also building a house of cards and crochetin’ a sweater!...TCU 38 SDSU 10
#5 LSU over Louisiana-Monroe giving 31: We don’t have a warm-and-fuzzy about this one. Bengals haven’t faced Weeziana-Monroe since belting them 49-7 in 2003, but have beaten the line in seven of last ten against teams from the Fun Belt. Having upset ‘Bama, the real question is whether or not Tigers feel like putting 31on the board. Warhawks lost last week in double-OT at Florida International, scored just 7 in spread win over Arkansas and rolled over in 52-3 loss at Auburn...LSU 41 UL-Monroe 6
Indiana over #6 WISCONSIN taking 21 ½: What do the Hoosiers have left in the tank following heartbreaking home losses to Northwestern and Iowa? Badgers actually trailed Purdue 10-6 at the half, but made the Boilers pay dearly for throwing three picks thereafter. However, Purdue’s QB was a true freshman in his first start. Indy held its own in 31-28 loss last year...Wisconsin 29 Indiana 17
ARIZONA STATE over #7 Stanford taking 5: In working off some serious aggression, Trees bent but didn’t break, yielding 428 yards of offense but just 17 points to Arizona. Cardinal lost three straight seasons to the Sun Devils before last year’s 33-14 victory, have covered all three road chalk opportunities (vs. UCLA, Notre Dame and UDUB) and still have a puncher’s chance to walk away with the conference crown. State is 6-1 ATS, including 3 spread wins with lines smaller than this one. Devils lost by 11 to Oregon and are 20-0 ATS facing the Top 25 this year...Stanford 27 ASU 24
Penn State over #8 OHIO STATE taking 17 ½: A big, tip of the helmet to JoePa for snaring his 400th victory... even if it came via a rally from three touchdowns down to Northwestern. Nice to see the Lions on a three-game win streak (and 3-0 ATS) behind Matt McGloin and some better execution by the O-line. The Nits are still giving up 24 ppg over that span though, to lesser offenses than the Buckeyes have. PSU has been victorious just three times in last 10 years vs. Ohio State, but only once has it lost by more than 17...OSU 27 Penn State 17
Kansas over #9 NEBRASKA taking 35: Even before losing starting QB Martinez, Huskers were gettin’ all they could handle from Iowa State club that took them to extra frames. Either Kansas busted out some major smoke-and-mirrors action or the Bison conspired to giveaway a 28-point, 4th quarter lead to send now-former coach Dan Hawkins to the unemployment line. Big Dread travels to A&M next week and shows a blase 11-11 ATS record in the Big 12 the past few seasons...Children of the Corn 38 Kansas 10
#10 Michigan State: IDLE (next vs. Purdue)
#17 Mississippi State over #11 ALABAMA taking 13 ½: Despite touchdowns from all three of its stars, Tide lost at LSU. ‘Bama followed up its previous defeat (at South Carolina) with ho-hum 23-10 home win over Ole Mist. Mississippi State has covered 5 of last 6 games this year and has limited 6 of 9 opponents to 17 or less. Bulldoggies need to take a pair of final three to go bowling...Alabama 22 MSU 17
#12 Oklahoma State over TEXAS giving 5 ½: Cowpokes were up 34-0 in the third quarter before Baylor hit the board. Maybe Mack Brown hasn’t given up on the season, but we think the Longhorns, 1-5 straight-up in last 6...including losses to UCLA and Iowa State, neither of whom have the scoring weapons that OKSU does, have... Cowboys 34 Texas 21
NORTHWESTERN over #13 Iowa taking 10: Hawkeyes went to the wire with Indiana. How well will the Wildcats, who own a single spread victory in 2010, respond in the wake of a defeat after being up on Vindicator’s alma mater by 21 (their first ATS loss as road dogs in last 10 chances). Iowa’s gone just 1-2 against the number outside Iowa City. N-Dub lost to Michigan State by 8. Will the Birds be motivated...or weary? ...Iowa 17 NW 9
#14 ARKANSAS over Texas-El Paso giving 28 ½: First BCS conference foe, much less first ranked opponent for the Miners, who upset Southern Methadone University two weeks after giving Tulane its only I-A victory on the season. Hogs whacked South Carolina, but are now 2-8 ATS giving double-digits off consecutive SU/spread victories. Arkie beat UL-Monroe 31-7 in September at Little Rock and boasts a 13-3 ATS record vs. non-SEC teams...Arkansas 48 UTEP 14
#15 Utah over NOTRE DAME giving 5 ½: We thought about this for lock, but are gun-shy following mishap at Air Force. Utes didn’t show up in the biggest game of their season....dropping passes, missing tackles and turning it over vs. TCU. Back in the news is a six-story statue of Jesus (in Monroe, Ohio) that was struck by lightning . Said Chad Ochocinco of the incident that damaged the Touchdown Jesus-wannabe, “Why didn’t I think of that???!!!”. (Ya think that bolt was a vote from on high against expansion of the Big Ten or Big Least to include the Catholics ???!!)...Utah 27 Irish 13
We'll back tomorrow night with the remainder of this week's 22-game minefield, our choice for lock of da' week, best bets and the ever-popular..."hashmarks"! Stay tuned!
SAN FRANCISCO, California (MSNBC)....Fed up with the ongoing luring of America’s youth to indulge in unhealthy eating habits with the promise of toys, local officials have put the kibosh on the cultural icon known as the Happy Meal. When the new regulation takes effect in December 2011, replacing the forbidden fare on McDonald’s menu will be the Vindy Meal, a cheesy burger containing little meat or substance and sides of apple fries, beer and industrial-strength heartburn as consumers’ wallets get thinner. No toys will accompany the combo in the City By The Bay ...at least until a 53% correct prediction rate is achieved. The media is already dubbing the new menu item as the “McVee”, not to be confused with former Fleetwood Mac member Christine McVie!
A final tally of 8-9 for Week 10 (82-94-2, .466) made Vindy’s climb toward achieving at least a .500 season just a bit steeper, and the undesirable goal of breaking 100 losses before reaching the century mark in wins is a virtual certainty this coming week.
No need to panic, Sports Fans....that unexplained missile launch this week off the California coast was simply Vindicator misfiring with....
THE WEBER KID’S 2010 WEEK 11 FORECAST(Giving you the break you deserve today!)
FRI. NOV. 12
#4 Boise State over IDAHO giving 34 ½: Looks easy after Boise dismantled Hawaii. State kept the Warriors passing game off the board for three quarters. Vandals lost 63-25 last year and 45-10 in ‘08 and haven’t covered in four of last five games this season. Idaho’s mostly-new offensive unit simply hasn’t progressed enough to hang in here...Boise 54 Idaho 10
SAT. NOV. 13
#1 Oregon over CALIFORNIA giving 19 ½: Mallards were beaten three years in a row (holding a Top 25 spot each time) by Cal until pounding the Bears 42-3 last season (without a ranking at the time). We could see the Decoys putting on trademark first-half inertia before putting plenty of distance between themselves and the Cubbies, who may have to wait until last regular-season tilt vs. UDUB to get a shot at a minor bowl bid...Drakes 54 Bares 24
Georgia over #2 AUBURN taking 9: Tigers simply have to keep defeating its SEC rivals to keep TCU at bay and play for the national title. Dawgs have been on 4-1 SU tear, with only loss coming in OT vs. the Gators on a neutral field. Joja’ has knocked off Auburn four years running, but are 1-4 SU/ATS away from Athens on the season and didn’t covered either opportunity vs. ranked opponents (2-9 ATS skid). Gotta’ take the points...Auburn 23 Joja’ 19
#3 TCU over San Diego State giving 26 ½: Froggies gained little in the BCS race despite making it look very easy in Salt Lake City. Aztecs already have seven victories and will pick up an eighth when they host UNLV, but are just 1-3-1 ATS in their last five games. Toads have limited last 6 opponents to less than 4 points per game. One of the CBS announcers said QB Andy Dalton, facing the Utah pass rush, was “eating sandwiches back there (in the pocket)”. By the end of three quarters, he was also building a house of cards and crochetin’ a sweater!...TCU 38 SDSU 10
#5 LSU over Louisiana-Monroe giving 31: We don’t have a warm-and-fuzzy about this one. Bengals haven’t faced Weeziana-Monroe since belting them 49-7 in 2003, but have beaten the line in seven of last ten against teams from the Fun Belt. Having upset ‘Bama, the real question is whether or not Tigers feel like putting 31on the board. Warhawks lost last week in double-OT at Florida International, scored just 7 in spread win over Arkansas and rolled over in 52-3 loss at Auburn...LSU 41 UL-Monroe 6
Indiana over #6 WISCONSIN taking 21 ½: What do the Hoosiers have left in the tank following heartbreaking home losses to Northwestern and Iowa? Badgers actually trailed Purdue 10-6 at the half, but made the Boilers pay dearly for throwing three picks thereafter. However, Purdue’s QB was a true freshman in his first start. Indy held its own in 31-28 loss last year...Wisconsin 29 Indiana 17
ARIZONA STATE over #7 Stanford taking 5: In working off some serious aggression, Trees bent but didn’t break, yielding 428 yards of offense but just 17 points to Arizona. Cardinal lost three straight seasons to the Sun Devils before last year’s 33-14 victory, have covered all three road chalk opportunities (vs. UCLA, Notre Dame and UDUB) and still have a puncher’s chance to walk away with the conference crown. State is 6-1 ATS, including 3 spread wins with lines smaller than this one. Devils lost by 11 to Oregon and are 20-0 ATS facing the Top 25 this year...Stanford 27 ASU 24
Penn State over #8 OHIO STATE taking 17 ½: A big, tip of the helmet to JoePa for snaring his 400th victory... even if it came via a rally from three touchdowns down to Northwestern. Nice to see the Lions on a three-game win streak (and 3-0 ATS) behind Matt McGloin and some better execution by the O-line. The Nits are still giving up 24 ppg over that span though, to lesser offenses than the Buckeyes have. PSU has been victorious just three times in last 10 years vs. Ohio State, but only once has it lost by more than 17...OSU 27 Penn State 17
Kansas over #9 NEBRASKA taking 35: Even before losing starting QB Martinez, Huskers were gettin’ all they could handle from Iowa State club that took them to extra frames. Either Kansas busted out some major smoke-and-mirrors action or the Bison conspired to giveaway a 28-point, 4th quarter lead to send now-former coach Dan Hawkins to the unemployment line. Big Dread travels to A&M next week and shows a blase 11-11 ATS record in the Big 12 the past few seasons...Children of the Corn 38 Kansas 10
#10 Michigan State: IDLE (next vs. Purdue)
#17 Mississippi State over #11 ALABAMA taking 13 ½: Despite touchdowns from all three of its stars, Tide lost at LSU. ‘Bama followed up its previous defeat (at South Carolina) with ho-hum 23-10 home win over Ole Mist. Mississippi State has covered 5 of last 6 games this year and has limited 6 of 9 opponents to 17 or less. Bulldoggies need to take a pair of final three to go bowling...Alabama 22 MSU 17
#12 Oklahoma State over TEXAS giving 5 ½: Cowpokes were up 34-0 in the third quarter before Baylor hit the board. Maybe Mack Brown hasn’t given up on the season, but we think the Longhorns, 1-5 straight-up in last 6...including losses to UCLA and Iowa State, neither of whom have the scoring weapons that OKSU does, have... Cowboys 34 Texas 21
NORTHWESTERN over #13 Iowa taking 10: Hawkeyes went to the wire with Indiana. How well will the Wildcats, who own a single spread victory in 2010, respond in the wake of a defeat after being up on Vindicator’s alma mater by 21 (their first ATS loss as road dogs in last 10 chances). Iowa’s gone just 1-2 against the number outside Iowa City. N-Dub lost to Michigan State by 8. Will the Birds be motivated...or weary? ...Iowa 17 NW 9
#14 ARKANSAS over Texas-El Paso giving 28 ½: First BCS conference foe, much less first ranked opponent for the Miners, who upset Southern Methadone University two weeks after giving Tulane its only I-A victory on the season. Hogs whacked South Carolina, but are now 2-8 ATS giving double-digits off consecutive SU/spread victories. Arkie beat UL-Monroe 31-7 in September at Little Rock and boasts a 13-3 ATS record vs. non-SEC teams...Arkansas 48 UTEP 14
#15 Utah over NOTRE DAME giving 5 ½: We thought about this for lock, but are gun-shy following mishap at Air Force. Utes didn’t show up in the biggest game of their season....dropping passes, missing tackles and turning it over vs. TCU. Back in the news is a six-story statue of Jesus (in Monroe, Ohio) that was struck by lightning . Said Chad Ochocinco of the incident that damaged the Touchdown Jesus-wannabe, “Why didn’t I think of that???!!!”. (Ya think that bolt was a vote from on high against expansion of the Big Ten or Big Least to include the Catholics ???!!)...Utah 27 Irish 13
We'll back tomorrow night with the remainder of this week's 22-game minefield, our choice for lock of da' week, best bets and the ever-popular..."hashmarks"! Stay tuned!
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Vindy's Picks Week 10-2010
FORECASTER AT CENTER OF VALLEY’S BOTTOM RANKING
LAS VEGAS, Nevada (CNN)....In 2009, Sin City was next-to-last, but this year, Las Vegas is the cellar-dweller as the country’s “dumbest city” in the rankings published by the website called the Daily Beast. The hierarchy was based on numerical values assigned for the percent of residents over age 25 who completed college or graduate school, non-fiction book sales (thought to be an indicator of intellectual endeavors), as well as library and higher-education institution ratios. Beantown, Massachusetts topped the list, while Las Vegas was beaten out by the likes of San Antonio, Fresno and Houston at the other end of the spectrum. While the Weber Kid’s readership continues to increase, the local populace buys an average of less than one non-fiction book each. Researchers concluded that despite the gloom-and-doom distinction among the 55 metro areas on the list, “eliminating Vindy’s Picks from the equation woulda’ put Vegas easily in the mid-thirties”, somewhere between Kalamazoo and Oklahoma City.
Vindicator was on the wrong side of the half-point twice in Week 9 as the faves held serve again and our hero went just 8-10 (74-85-2, .465) for an unspectacular 39-36 over the last four weeks combined.
Bill Clinton refuted claims he suggested Democrat Kendrick Meek step away from the Florida senate race, but admitted to asking the fab forecaster, for the greater good of Las Vegans, Nevada residents and the country as a whole, to throw in the towel on...
THE WEBER KID’S 2010 WEEK 10 FORECAST(A couple standard deviations below normal on the IQ scale)
THURS. NOV. 4
#20 VIRGINIA TECH over Georgia Tech giving 13 ½: Bees boast one of the nation’s best rushing attacks again, but teams are catching up and while Tech had only three straight-up defeats all of last year, including a bowl loss, it already has that many in the “L” column with games yet-to-come vs. Miami and Joja’ after this one.‘Jackets were ranked early, but lost to a Kansas squad having a disastrous season. Can’t go against the Hokies on a Thursday night with revenge in their hearts for one of their trio of losses in 2009...VT 34 Wreck 16
SAT. NOV. 6
#1 OREGON over Washington giving 35: Second choice for lock of da’ week (and maybe shoulda’ been first choice!). Jake Locker is out for this one, though it probably wouldn’t have mattered. Mallards conceded the opening fifteen minutes to the Trojans, then left little doubt about who the best the best team is in the 12-PACK. Huskies posted all of 107 total yards of offense in 41-0 shellacking by Stanford. Decoys, now atop the BCS standings, can name the score...Drakes 55 UDUB 17
Hawaii over #2 BOISE STATE taking 21 ½: Again the Warriors get passed over for a ranking. This time by a Reno team they beat at home. Taters allowed 20 in blown cover vs. Weeziana Tech, who managed those points with just 50 more passing yards than rushing yards. ‘Bows outscored Utah State and Idaho the past two weeks by a total of 90-17 en route to current 7-1 ATS record. Hawaii has been the right side four of last five games vs. the Broncos. The lone spread loss came in last year’s 54-9 defeat. Assuming a defeat here, Hawaii finishes 9-3 and plays yet-another post-season game at home against some schmoe from the MWC or C-USA or something. This is basically the ‘Bows’ bowl game of significance. We’ll give the country’s top passing game (and a running game that averages almost two rushing scores per game as well) a shot to cover...Boise 48 Hawaii 37
Tennessee-Chattanooga @ #3 AUBURN: No line.
#4 Texas Christian over #6 UTAH giving 5: No doubt, this will be touted as Game of the Week, maybe of the Year/whatever, over-shadowing what will likely be a great SEC match-up below. Somebody’s national title aspirations bite the big one when this one’s done. Utes have appeared vulnerable twice, including last week when they held a TOP advantage of 13 minutes and got 5 turnovers from Air Force, but were held scoreless in the 4th to escape with a five-point victory. Frogs showed chinks in the amphibian armor maybe just once in opening win over Oregon State. Utes have covered the line in three of the last four vs. TCU, but were 55-28 victims in Ft. Worth last season. Each team faces just its second ranked foe on the year and first since the respective season-opening games. Toads are just 4-4 ATS in last 8 vs. the Top 25. Utah comes in at 6-2-1 in last 9, but we’ll take senior Andy Dalton over his sophomore counterpart Jordan Wynn...TCU 20 Utah 10
#12 LSU over #5 Alabama taking 6 ½: This will either be a low-scoring, 3-point loss and cover by the Bengals or a rout by ‘Bama. The last three years have been decided by an average of 7 points per game. Tide has covered 10 of last 15 against ranked foes, winning 13 of ‘em outright (the losses coming to Utah in the ‘08 season Sugar Bowl and at South Carolina earlier this year). Tide is just 2-2 ATS on the road in 2010. We’ll pass on the 27-9 victory by ‘Bama idea and guess that the Tigers can neutralize the opposing running game, while scoring on defense and/or special teams enough to end up...Bama 16 LSU 13
PURDUE over #7 Wisconsin taking 20: Uggghhhh. Collectively, the Boilers and Badgers have combined to go 4-9-1 ATS on the year. Line puts Purdue in about the same category as the early-season UNLV Rebels, the one FBS team Wisky beat by this many, barely. First game for Wisky following its back-to-back upsets of Ohio State and Iowa and the Cheeseheads are still lousy DD road faves (3-13). Gotta’ snag the handicap here...Badgers 23 Purdue 6
#8 Ohio State: IDLE (next vs. the Nitwit Lions)
#9 Nebraska over IOWA STATE giving 18 ½: Huskers scored just once after first quarter of Mizzou game, but had things well in-hand by then. Even with shocker over Texas, ‘Clones are still 3-7 ATS in past 10 vs. the Top 25 and come in at the 111th-ranked rushing defense. Big Red played most of the game without starting QB Martinez, who is expected to return here. Even if he doesn’t, Huskers reel off average of three rushing scores per game and RB Roy Helu went for 300+ yards against one of the Big 12's best defenses...Children of the Corn 45 ISU 16
#13 Arizona over #10 STANFORD taking 9: ‘Cats will need a solid game from QB Scott after mere 8 point-win over UCLA, in which AZ out-gained the Bruins 583-299, but didn’t put it away until the field goal with 1:18 to play. Stanford is just 2-2 ATS in conference and 1-2 ATS at home on the year. ‘Cats won 43-38 in 2009 and bring their best for ranked opponents, going 9-3 against the line in last dozen, including earlier outright win over a mighty fine Iowa club...Trees 29 AZ 27
TEXAS A&M over #11 Oklahoma taking 3 ½: Line’s been droppin’ like a charge in favor of A&M, who beat Texas Tech easily behind a school record-setting pass performance by back-up QB Ryan Tannehill. Add to the mix an injury-depleted defensive line for the Sooners and Aggies’ close losses vs. Arkansas and at Oklahoma State and ya get a situation similar to the one that preceded Kentucky’s upset of South Carolina...Oklahoma 41 TAMU 39
#14 Missouri over TEXAS TECH (GASP!) giving 4 ½: LOCK OF DA’ WEEK. Tigers gave up four big scoring plays of 40 yards or more to lose at Nebraska. Tech hasn’t covered in three tries at home, beating SMU before losing to Texas and Oklahoma State. Mizzou defense, in a foul mood, should manhandle Raiders, who bumbled their way to a 3-point push against Colorado. Tigers have covered 5 of last 7 as road favorites...Missouri 41 Texas Tech 20
#15 Iowa over INDIANA giving 17: Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore may have violated NCAA rules by meeting with Hawkeyes hoops recruits prior to the Iowa-Iowa State football game in September. Vindy’s spies report Kutcher invited the prospects to one of the nightly marijuana-smoking circles on the set of That 70's Show and Demi reprised her role in Striptease. And this is a problem?... Birds 31 Hoosiers 12
#16 MICHIGAN STATE over Minnesota giving 24: Gilded Gerbils have little chance this week following Sparty’s humiliating loss at Iowa. Throw in suspensions by interim Minny coach Jeff Horton and MSU’s revenge factor for Gopher’s 42-34 win last season and State has all the inspiration it’s gonna’ need. Gophers may not have already quit on the season, but at least, are in transition to new head guy...Spartans 45 Minny 17
#18 SOUTH CAROLINA over #17 Arkansas giving 3 ½: There should still be a fair number of points scored even though Hogs will play without their top pass-catcher, Childs (gone for the season). Gamehens, ignoring mere 7 scored by Vandy, have allowed the past four opponents to score an average of 28 ppg. In uncommon display of defense, Arkansas held Vandy to just 36 passing yards and 14 points. Come to think of it, we noticed some purple and gold peeking out from underneath Razorbacks’ defenders unis...(and LSU was idle last Saturday... hmmm).... Poultry 34 Pork Loins 28
#19 OKLAHOMA STATE over #22 Baylor giving 7 ½: Cowboys visibly struggled to score points without WR Justin Blackmon at K-State, but he’s back from suspension for this one. Bears off first triumph over the Steers in 13 seasons, but Texas is a mess offensively. Baylor won and covered 3 of its last 4 road games this year, but got pasted at TCU and haven’t finished any closer than 26 in the past four matches between these two...OKSU 41 Bears 31
#21 Mississippi State: IDLE (next @ Alabama)
#23 NC State over CLEMSON taking 3: The week off gave State a chance to re-group and they pulled off the upset of Florida State. A spread victory would let Wolfpack exceed five ATS dubyas in a season for just the second time in six years and NCSU got a couple extra days to rest/prepare off the Thursday nighter. Tigers on 2-3 spread dive and lost 16-10 last week to Boston College. The two major political parties were on opposite sides of nearly every issue recently, except anti-trade sanctions against China....oh...and Vindy’s choice of.....NC State 24 Clemson 19
North Carolina over #24 FLORIDA STATE taking 10: Tarheels took advantage of last week’s home game to squeak by I-AA William & Mary 21-17. UNC has now lost 7 of last 8 games it has allowed the opponent to score more than 17 (including all three this year). Conversely, Carolina has won 12 of last 13 games when holding the other team to 17 or less (including all five wins in 2010). Injuns have scored 17 or less just once this year (in loss at Oklahoma)...FSU 25 UNC 17
#25 Nevada over IDAHO giving 11 ½: Coach Chris Ault cannot be pleased with UNR defense that almost blew a 35-0 halftime lead by allowing 42 second-half points to Utah State. Vandals lost at Hawaii 45-10 last week and collectively, this pair went 1-7 ATS for the month of October. Sharon Angle nearly won her bid to be a Silver State senator this week, but in addressing UNR players after the game late Saturday, shot herself in the foot, saying, “I don’t know that you’re all northern Nevadans. Some of you look a little more Rebel-ish to me.”...Reno 42 Spuds 24
BETWEEN THE HASHMARKSBTW, your fateful (as opposed to faithful) forecaster is among the mere 7% of the population in this berg holding an advanced degree. (Sorry...Prognostication 401 was not part of Vindicator’s master’s curriculum at Richmond! Yeah, yeah...we know...it shows!)
Tony Romo advanced in last May’s preliminary play to go on to the U.S. Open. But every time Jessica Simpson was in the gallery, his putts got intercepted.
Starbucks in Seattle decided to continue allowing customers to carry guns in their establishments. Oooooh...a post-prison job opportunity for Plaxico Burress!
Marijuana-related domain names are being bought up by a proactive entrepreneur in anticipation of pot becoming legal and turning a profit by re-selling the sites. Vindy’s scarfed up a few he probably hasn’t considered, such as.... PointspreadPot.com, BluntBets.Com, FieldGoalGanja.Com RoachClipPicks.Com and our personal fave...The AcupulcoGoldSheet.Com.
Black Shirt: Goes to Oklahoma State Johnny Thomas for the INT return for touchdown that allowed the Cowpokes to cover at K-State.
“Locked in a Box?”: The W-L-W-L pattern continues as Utah cover not cover a simple touchdown at Air Force, lowering the tally to 4-5 (.444).
Shoppe Talk: The Frogs hop away with the cover at UNLV and the Steers (2-6) get a brief respite, but the Buckeyes (3-6) return and are joined by the Volunteers (1-4), the Razorbacks (2-4) and the Hurricanes (2-4).
Vindy’s Week 10 Best Bets: Last Week: 1-3-1 Season: 17-24-1 (.415)
Central Florida -2 ½ over HOUSTON (Friday), WEEZIANA TECH + 1 ½ over Fresno State, MEMPHIS +19 ½ over Tennessee Southern Miss -10 over TULANE, UTAH STATE -18 over New Mexico State
LAS VEGAS, Nevada (CNN)....In 2009, Sin City was next-to-last, but this year, Las Vegas is the cellar-dweller as the country’s “dumbest city” in the rankings published by the website called the Daily Beast. The hierarchy was based on numerical values assigned for the percent of residents over age 25 who completed college or graduate school, non-fiction book sales (thought to be an indicator of intellectual endeavors), as well as library and higher-education institution ratios. Beantown, Massachusetts topped the list, while Las Vegas was beaten out by the likes of San Antonio, Fresno and Houston at the other end of the spectrum. While the Weber Kid’s readership continues to increase, the local populace buys an average of less than one non-fiction book each. Researchers concluded that despite the gloom-and-doom distinction among the 55 metro areas on the list, “eliminating Vindy’s Picks from the equation woulda’ put Vegas easily in the mid-thirties”, somewhere between Kalamazoo and Oklahoma City.
Vindicator was on the wrong side of the half-point twice in Week 9 as the faves held serve again and our hero went just 8-10 (74-85-2, .465) for an unspectacular 39-36 over the last four weeks combined.
Bill Clinton refuted claims he suggested Democrat Kendrick Meek step away from the Florida senate race, but admitted to asking the fab forecaster, for the greater good of Las Vegans, Nevada residents and the country as a whole, to throw in the towel on...
THE WEBER KID’S 2010 WEEK 10 FORECAST(A couple standard deviations below normal on the IQ scale)
THURS. NOV. 4
#20 VIRGINIA TECH over Georgia Tech giving 13 ½: Bees boast one of the nation’s best rushing attacks again, but teams are catching up and while Tech had only three straight-up defeats all of last year, including a bowl loss, it already has that many in the “L” column with games yet-to-come vs. Miami and Joja’ after this one.‘Jackets were ranked early, but lost to a Kansas squad having a disastrous season. Can’t go against the Hokies on a Thursday night with revenge in their hearts for one of their trio of losses in 2009...VT 34 Wreck 16
SAT. NOV. 6
#1 OREGON over Washington giving 35: Second choice for lock of da’ week (and maybe shoulda’ been first choice!). Jake Locker is out for this one, though it probably wouldn’t have mattered. Mallards conceded the opening fifteen minutes to the Trojans, then left little doubt about who the best the best team is in the 12-PACK. Huskies posted all of 107 total yards of offense in 41-0 shellacking by Stanford. Decoys, now atop the BCS standings, can name the score...Drakes 55 UDUB 17
Hawaii over #2 BOISE STATE taking 21 ½: Again the Warriors get passed over for a ranking. This time by a Reno team they beat at home. Taters allowed 20 in blown cover vs. Weeziana Tech, who managed those points with just 50 more passing yards than rushing yards. ‘Bows outscored Utah State and Idaho the past two weeks by a total of 90-17 en route to current 7-1 ATS record. Hawaii has been the right side four of last five games vs. the Broncos. The lone spread loss came in last year’s 54-9 defeat. Assuming a defeat here, Hawaii finishes 9-3 and plays yet-another post-season game at home against some schmoe from the MWC or C-USA or something. This is basically the ‘Bows’ bowl game of significance. We’ll give the country’s top passing game (and a running game that averages almost two rushing scores per game as well) a shot to cover...Boise 48 Hawaii 37
Tennessee-Chattanooga @ #3 AUBURN: No line.
#4 Texas Christian over #6 UTAH giving 5: No doubt, this will be touted as Game of the Week, maybe of the Year/whatever, over-shadowing what will likely be a great SEC match-up below. Somebody’s national title aspirations bite the big one when this one’s done. Utes have appeared vulnerable twice, including last week when they held a TOP advantage of 13 minutes and got 5 turnovers from Air Force, but were held scoreless in the 4th to escape with a five-point victory. Frogs showed chinks in the amphibian armor maybe just once in opening win over Oregon State. Utes have covered the line in three of the last four vs. TCU, but were 55-28 victims in Ft. Worth last season. Each team faces just its second ranked foe on the year and first since the respective season-opening games. Toads are just 4-4 ATS in last 8 vs. the Top 25. Utah comes in at 6-2-1 in last 9, but we’ll take senior Andy Dalton over his sophomore counterpart Jordan Wynn...TCU 20 Utah 10
#12 LSU over #5 Alabama taking 6 ½: This will either be a low-scoring, 3-point loss and cover by the Bengals or a rout by ‘Bama. The last three years have been decided by an average of 7 points per game. Tide has covered 10 of last 15 against ranked foes, winning 13 of ‘em outright (the losses coming to Utah in the ‘08 season Sugar Bowl and at South Carolina earlier this year). Tide is just 2-2 ATS on the road in 2010. We’ll pass on the 27-9 victory by ‘Bama idea and guess that the Tigers can neutralize the opposing running game, while scoring on defense and/or special teams enough to end up...Bama 16 LSU 13
PURDUE over #7 Wisconsin taking 20: Uggghhhh. Collectively, the Boilers and Badgers have combined to go 4-9-1 ATS on the year. Line puts Purdue in about the same category as the early-season UNLV Rebels, the one FBS team Wisky beat by this many, barely. First game for Wisky following its back-to-back upsets of Ohio State and Iowa and the Cheeseheads are still lousy DD road faves (3-13). Gotta’ snag the handicap here...Badgers 23 Purdue 6
#8 Ohio State: IDLE (next vs. the Nitwit Lions)
#9 Nebraska over IOWA STATE giving 18 ½: Huskers scored just once after first quarter of Mizzou game, but had things well in-hand by then. Even with shocker over Texas, ‘Clones are still 3-7 ATS in past 10 vs. the Top 25 and come in at the 111th-ranked rushing defense. Big Red played most of the game without starting QB Martinez, who is expected to return here. Even if he doesn’t, Huskers reel off average of three rushing scores per game and RB Roy Helu went for 300+ yards against one of the Big 12's best defenses...Children of the Corn 45 ISU 16
#13 Arizona over #10 STANFORD taking 9: ‘Cats will need a solid game from QB Scott after mere 8 point-win over UCLA, in which AZ out-gained the Bruins 583-299, but didn’t put it away until the field goal with 1:18 to play. Stanford is just 2-2 ATS in conference and 1-2 ATS at home on the year. ‘Cats won 43-38 in 2009 and bring their best for ranked opponents, going 9-3 against the line in last dozen, including earlier outright win over a mighty fine Iowa club...Trees 29 AZ 27
TEXAS A&M over #11 Oklahoma taking 3 ½: Line’s been droppin’ like a charge in favor of A&M, who beat Texas Tech easily behind a school record-setting pass performance by back-up QB Ryan Tannehill. Add to the mix an injury-depleted defensive line for the Sooners and Aggies’ close losses vs. Arkansas and at Oklahoma State and ya get a situation similar to the one that preceded Kentucky’s upset of South Carolina...Oklahoma 41 TAMU 39
#14 Missouri over TEXAS TECH (GASP!) giving 4 ½: LOCK OF DA’ WEEK. Tigers gave up four big scoring plays of 40 yards or more to lose at Nebraska. Tech hasn’t covered in three tries at home, beating SMU before losing to Texas and Oklahoma State. Mizzou defense, in a foul mood, should manhandle Raiders, who bumbled their way to a 3-point push against Colorado. Tigers have covered 5 of last 7 as road favorites...Missouri 41 Texas Tech 20
#15 Iowa over INDIANA giving 17: Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore may have violated NCAA rules by meeting with Hawkeyes hoops recruits prior to the Iowa-Iowa State football game in September. Vindy’s spies report Kutcher invited the prospects to one of the nightly marijuana-smoking circles on the set of That 70's Show and Demi reprised her role in Striptease. And this is a problem?... Birds 31 Hoosiers 12
#16 MICHIGAN STATE over Minnesota giving 24: Gilded Gerbils have little chance this week following Sparty’s humiliating loss at Iowa. Throw in suspensions by interim Minny coach Jeff Horton and MSU’s revenge factor for Gopher’s 42-34 win last season and State has all the inspiration it’s gonna’ need. Gophers may not have already quit on the season, but at least, are in transition to new head guy...Spartans 45 Minny 17
#18 SOUTH CAROLINA over #17 Arkansas giving 3 ½: There should still be a fair number of points scored even though Hogs will play without their top pass-catcher, Childs (gone for the season). Gamehens, ignoring mere 7 scored by Vandy, have allowed the past four opponents to score an average of 28 ppg. In uncommon display of defense, Arkansas held Vandy to just 36 passing yards and 14 points. Come to think of it, we noticed some purple and gold peeking out from underneath Razorbacks’ defenders unis...(and LSU was idle last Saturday... hmmm).... Poultry 34 Pork Loins 28
#19 OKLAHOMA STATE over #22 Baylor giving 7 ½: Cowboys visibly struggled to score points without WR Justin Blackmon at K-State, but he’s back from suspension for this one. Bears off first triumph over the Steers in 13 seasons, but Texas is a mess offensively. Baylor won and covered 3 of its last 4 road games this year, but got pasted at TCU and haven’t finished any closer than 26 in the past four matches between these two...OKSU 41 Bears 31
#21 Mississippi State: IDLE (next @ Alabama)
#23 NC State over CLEMSON taking 3: The week off gave State a chance to re-group and they pulled off the upset of Florida State. A spread victory would let Wolfpack exceed five ATS dubyas in a season for just the second time in six years and NCSU got a couple extra days to rest/prepare off the Thursday nighter. Tigers on 2-3 spread dive and lost 16-10 last week to Boston College. The two major political parties were on opposite sides of nearly every issue recently, except anti-trade sanctions against China....oh...and Vindy’s choice of.....NC State 24 Clemson 19
North Carolina over #24 FLORIDA STATE taking 10: Tarheels took advantage of last week’s home game to squeak by I-AA William & Mary 21-17. UNC has now lost 7 of last 8 games it has allowed the opponent to score more than 17 (including all three this year). Conversely, Carolina has won 12 of last 13 games when holding the other team to 17 or less (including all five wins in 2010). Injuns have scored 17 or less just once this year (in loss at Oklahoma)...FSU 25 UNC 17
#25 Nevada over IDAHO giving 11 ½: Coach Chris Ault cannot be pleased with UNR defense that almost blew a 35-0 halftime lead by allowing 42 second-half points to Utah State. Vandals lost at Hawaii 45-10 last week and collectively, this pair went 1-7 ATS for the month of October. Sharon Angle nearly won her bid to be a Silver State senator this week, but in addressing UNR players after the game late Saturday, shot herself in the foot, saying, “I don’t know that you’re all northern Nevadans. Some of you look a little more Rebel-ish to me.”...Reno 42 Spuds 24
BETWEEN THE HASHMARKSBTW, your fateful (as opposed to faithful) forecaster is among the mere 7% of the population in this berg holding an advanced degree. (Sorry...Prognostication 401 was not part of Vindicator’s master’s curriculum at Richmond! Yeah, yeah...we know...it shows!)
Tony Romo advanced in last May’s preliminary play to go on to the U.S. Open. But every time Jessica Simpson was in the gallery, his putts got intercepted.
Starbucks in Seattle decided to continue allowing customers to carry guns in their establishments. Oooooh...a post-prison job opportunity for Plaxico Burress!
Marijuana-related domain names are being bought up by a proactive entrepreneur in anticipation of pot becoming legal and turning a profit by re-selling the sites. Vindy’s scarfed up a few he probably hasn’t considered, such as.... PointspreadPot.com, BluntBets.Com, FieldGoalGanja.Com RoachClipPicks.Com and our personal fave...The AcupulcoGoldSheet.Com.
Black Shirt: Goes to Oklahoma State Johnny Thomas for the INT return for touchdown that allowed the Cowpokes to cover at K-State.
“Locked in a Box?”: The W-L-W-L pattern continues as Utah cover not cover a simple touchdown at Air Force, lowering the tally to 4-5 (.444).
Shoppe Talk: The Frogs hop away with the cover at UNLV and the Steers (2-6) get a brief respite, but the Buckeyes (3-6) return and are joined by the Volunteers (1-4), the Razorbacks (2-4) and the Hurricanes (2-4).
Vindy’s Week 10 Best Bets: Last Week: 1-3-1 Season: 17-24-1 (.415)
Central Florida -2 ½ over HOUSTON (Friday), WEEZIANA TECH + 1 ½ over Fresno State, MEMPHIS +19 ½ over Tennessee Southern Miss -10 over TULANE, UTAH STATE -18 over New Mexico State
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