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