SUBSTITUTE REFS SHOW-OFF OWN FANDOM AT GAMES
OAKLAND, California (AP)…Little did Eagles RB LeSean McCoy know just how prophetic his statement about replacement officials being “just like fans”, upon learning he was on a referee’s fantasy league squad, would turn out to be. The stand-in crew working Sunday’s game here, between the Raiders and the Steelers, took the field wearing black-and-silver Raider Nation skull-and-crossbones garb, complete with masks and spikes, and tossed Pittsburgh’s famous “terrible towels” in place of regular penalty flags. They weren’t alone in their partisan displays, as zebras at other games across the country elected to wear team colors on their faces, while going shirt-less and bearing painted letters on their chests while calling games (like the fans they were!)! Others, still, brought banners declaring their love for their preferred-clubs and held them up between plays, hoping to be seen on the stadium scoreboard or Jumbo-Tron!
The underdogs continued their early dominance for a fourth straight outing, leading to a 5-13 result (32-39, .450) for Week Four. Mired in a 10-25 backslide, we wonder if Monday night’s Seahawks-Packers officiating crew would replace the bookies behind the betting counter long enough for us to throw up a desperation 10-team parlay, using…
THE WEBER KID’S 2012 WEEK 5 FORECAST
(With soundtrack by Russian punk band Pussy Riot!)
THURS. SEPT. 27
#8 Stanford (-6 ½) over WASHINGTON: The very young Huskies continue to get the label “dangerous”. Nonetheless, we’ll take a Cardinal squad that beat USC by a touchdown a week after ignoring that distraction and crushing Duke, despite youth on its own offensive line. Stanford’s allowing just 14 points-and-change per game. Sled Dogs will have to prove themselves worthy before we take ‘em with a single score vs. a Top Ten club… Stanford 28 UDUB 13
SAT. SEPT. 29
Mississippi (+31) over #1 ALABAMA: Tide 34 Rebels 6
Washington State (+28 ½) over #2 Oregon (@ Seattle): Wazzou’s been denting the scoreboard heavily as usual, especially now under former Texas Tech Air Raid coach Mike Leach, but the defense continues to make otherwise-cane-assisted offenses look fabulous, including a long-dormant Colorado Buffaloes team that beat State last week. We put no stock in Mallards’ whitewash of Arizona. Coogs lost 43-28 last season. Should be plenty of scoring and we recommend the ‘over”…Ducks 59 WSU 34
Towson @ #3 LSU: No line.
#4 Florida State (-17) over SOUTH FLORIDA: LOCK OF DA’ WEEK. Interesting timing for the match-up. ‘Noles were on the ropes for the better part of three quarters vs. Clemson, but turned the game around enough, overcoming self-inflicted wounds, to almost cover as two-touchdown chalk. Meanwhile Bulls went down SU to ATS-perfect Ball State. USF was anticipated (again) to do good things by the “experts”, but BJ Daniels and his cohorts have floundered (again) and should be 1-2 SU rather than 2-1, courtesy of a gift in the waning moments at Nevada. ‘Noles could come out flat for a half after last week, but…FSU 42 USF 17
Tennessee (+13) over #5 GEORGIA: Joja’ 31 Rocky Top 24
#6 South Carolina @ KENTUCKY: OFF
#7 Kansas State: IDLE (next vs. Kansas)
#9 WEST VIRGINIA (-12 ½) over #25 Baylor: Uh-oh. We changed our initial selection in this one. Baylor survived last week’s track-meet at Weeziana-Monroe and has beaten SMU and AA James Madison. We woulda’ loved to have seen Mounties’ QB Geno Smith go toe-to-toe with RGIII, but the game comes a season too late. Lots of upperclassmen for the Bears and we think an “over” is likely, but ‘Eers will be on their game after mere 10-point victory vs. Maryland despite a +3 turnover advantage and it’s Homecoming in Morgantown…WVU 48 Baylor 34
#10 Notre Dame: IDLE (next vs. Miami)
#11 Florida: IDLE (next vs. LSU)
#12 Texas (-3) over OKLAHOMA STATE: Both teams were idle last week after embarrassing their opponents. Both sides will field very young quarterbacks and Cowpokes are 19-4 SU in Stillwater, but State is 1-4-1 as a home dog and the experience-edge goes to ‘Horns Davis Ash. The Steers D will be the difference for Texas (3-0 SU/2-1 ATS)…Texas 37 OKSU 29
#13 USC: IDLE (next @ Utah 10/4)
#14 Ohio State (+3) over #20 MICHIGAN STATE: Big PreTENder Conference opener for a pair of teams that were lucky to escape lower-tier opposition last week. Both trailed at some point, but each mustered enough points to put one in the win-column. Buckeyes have dropped three straight to the line (2-7 skid back to last year), but excel in revenge mode. Michigan State won 10-7 in 2011. MSU also 1-3 ATS. Offensive struggles, including lone field goal vs. the Irish, so far make us wonder how good the Spartans really are and Buckeyes are solid-money facing ranked foes. Defenses should dominate here and “under” is the preferred choice, but we’ll take OSU’s Braxton Miller at QB over Andrew Maxwell and company…OSU 16 MSU 13
#15 Texas Christian (-17) over SMU: Horny Toads 28 SMU 7
#16 Oklahoma: IDLE (next @ Texas Tech)
#17 Clemson (-9 ½) over BOSTON COLLEGE: Tigers know they let a big one get away, getting enough Florida State miscues (untimely false starts, a couple turnovers and a pair of missed FGs early) to pull the upset. Beagles are 0-2 ATS, sandwiching a win over AA Maine between opening loss to Miami and last week’s 9-point road loss to Northwestern. Clemson is terrible laying double-digits away from home, but whacked BC 36-14 last season and should win handily again here if they fix the kick-coverage and time management issues from Week Four’s loss… Clemson 29 BC 13
#18 Oregon State (+2 ½) over ARIZONA: Dam-Builders have stepped-foot on the gridiron just twice. The results? Two upset-victories over Top-25 opponents and a pair of “lock of da’ week” losses for your numbskull narrator, who ignored his own preseason guidance to “bet on State early” in the year. Seven days after blanking AA SC State 56-0, ‘Cats end up on the business end of a goose-egg by Oregon???!! AZ now 8-18 ATS in last 26 I-A matches. Beavers won 37-27 last year. UA just 6-14 vs. the number in Tucson the past 2+ seasons. Which side is doin’ it with smoke-and-mirrors?...OSU 27 AZ 24
#19 Louisville (-10 ½) over SOUTHERN MISS: Louisville 29 SoMiss 14
#21 Mississippi State: IDLE (next @ Kentucky)
Wisconsin (+13) over #22 NEBRASKA: Huskers 20 Wisky 13
#23 Rutgers: IDLE (next vs. UConn)
NEW MEXICO (+27) over #24 Boise State: Off the upset of rival NMSU Aggies, those loco Lobos, using a clock-burning rushing attack (gaining almost 6 yards per carry), claim their first two-win September since posting (GASP!) three in 2007 en route to 9-4 straight-up record (OK, OK…so the first victory came vs. AA Southern! Haters!). Broncos still ranked by the hair on their chinny-chin-chin, getting by BYU 7-6 (scoring only on a late pick-six) in a Thursday-night snoozer. Boise on 14-5 road-fave streak, but State is clearly hobbled by graduation of its superstar backfield to the NFL. UNM has gone 3-1 ATS the last three years following an outright triumph…Broncos 33 Lobos 10
BETWEEN THE HASHMARKS
BTW, the NFL rulebook defines “simultaneous possession” as the occurrence in which the heads of two or more players spin around 360-degrees while spewing pea soup and hurling obscenities and insults at officials, who, while dodging flying debris, such as kicking tees, playbooks and down-markers, try to exorcise footballs from the grasp of afflicted players by brandishing silver whistles, dousing them with Dixie-cups of blessed Gatorade and shouting, “The power of replay commands you!”
During a stop in Sin City over the weekend, Mitt Romney gave President Obama an “F” on the economy and a proposed plan to improve the housing situation in the Silver State. That was a half-grade higher than what the GOP candidate saw fit for Vindy’s Picks!
And just FYI, our flustered forecaster does not apologize for firing-out against the bookies’ offensive line with the sportsbook manager preparing to take a knee at the end of Saturday’s college pigskin slate!
Much like she did for her hubby following the Patriots’ 21-17 loss to the Giants in Super Bowl 46, supermodel Gisele Bundchen defended our haggard host this past Sunday, noting “Vindicator cannot !@%$@!! make his predictions and #!@%!@!! play those games too!”
Black Shirt: Goes to WR Sammy Watkins for throwing a second-half TD pass, helping Clemson at least cover vs. Florida State and providing one of the quintet of correct selections. Honorable mention to Sooners’ QB Landry Jones for an early fumble recovered for TD by K-State, helping validate one of our two upset picks!
“Wish I Had That One Back”: 5-13?????!!! Take yer pick! (But we did identify Mississippi State -34 over South Alabama as best guess for this category in Week Four)
“Locked in a Box?”: The lock tally remains winless at 0-4 (.000) after UCLA was upset by the Beavers (that’s gotta’ be unprecedented for our longtime weekly publication!)
Shoppe Talk: USC (0-4, .000) continues to confound us and is joined by the Ruins of UCLA (0-3, .000), with West Virginia (0-2 season, 3-10 in last 13) and LSU (1-3, .250) also getting stuffed and mounted this week!
Vindy’s Week 5 Best Bets: Last Week: 2-2 Season: 10-9 (.526)
Nevada -21 over TEXAS STATE, Ball State -1 over KENT STATE, San Jose State -3 over NAVY, IOWA STATE +2 ½ over Texas Tech
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