Vindy's Picks Week 10-2012

INCUMBENT CLARIFIES “COLLEGE” PROMISE

BOCA RATON, Florida (Reuters)…In August, President Obama pledged to “make college available to everyone”. Supporters, opponents and media took that to mean unconditional access to higher-education. But at the latest tete-a-tete between candidates here last week, Obama said he actually meant he would ensure all Americans could watch NCAA football regardless of economic status or location, noting he would work with providers, such as DirecTV, to “establish government-subsidized satellite coverage so all of the nation’s people can tune in to games such as Ohio State-Michigan, or even Citadel-Wofford”, as they see fit.

Our 4-15 plummet in Week Nine (76-84, .475) made Felix Baumgartner’s skydive-from-space look like a jump off the top-rung of a step-ladder and might as well have been picked by Honey Boo-Boo. Vindicator now heads out to trick-or-treat in Green Bay as the most horrifying creature the locals can imagine…a replacement NFL referee…but not before carving scary eyes and a jagged-mouth into…

THE WEBER KID’S 2012 WEEK 10 FORECAST
(As mumbled to an empty chair by Clint Eastwood)

SAT. NOV. 3
#5 LSU (+9 ½) over #1 Alabama: Fourth match-up of these two in last 24 months. We have fared better this season taking the ‘dog with the points in rivalries like this than we expect some sort of break from the traditional trends. Bengals have won and covered 2 of the last 3 and no doubt circled this one after 21-0 loss in 2011 season title game. We’d love to see the Tigers make it three wins in four tries and complicate the BCS. Not convinced anybody can beat the Tide, but again, we offer State’s remarkable Death Valley 24-1 SU win record since start of 2009. ‘Bama’s covered three straight and all four outside Tuscaloosa. LSU was even in turnover-margin and yielded one sack in last year’s regular-season win, but was minus-two turnovers and gave up 4 sacks in championship game demise. Could come down to LSU’s rush defense vs. Elephants stellar ball-carriers…Alabama 19 LSU 13

#2 Oregon (-7) over #18 USC: Ducks 44 USC 31

#3 KANSAS STATE (-9) over Oklahoma State: Purple Persians will look to avenge one of just two regular-season defeats in 2011. KSU won by 5 at Oklahoma and by only 6 at Iowa State, but recently smoked highly-touted conference opponents West Virginia and Texas Tech by combined 110-38. Cowpokes whipped Horny Toad squad off 3OT loss last week, but got clobbered at Arizona and struggled in 20-14 home victory vs. poor Kansas team. Wildcats have hit da’ board for 51 or more in four of five games in Manhattan this year. Unless Klein leaves early with an injury…KSU 52 OKSU 38

Pittsburgh (+16 ½) over #4 NOTRE DAME: The defense remains stellar and Leprechauns as a whole were nearly flawless in upset over Oklahoma….no turnovers and just one penalty for 5 yards. Sooners QB Landry Jones did have a big passing day in the losing effort and Pitt’s senior quarterback Tino Sunseri is one of the top-rated passers in the country. Panthers have recorded back-to-back wins after opening 2-4. Last four games in this series have been tight, all decided by 6 or less…Catholics 26 Pitt 17

#6 OHIO STATE (-26 ½) over Illinois: OSU 38 Illini 6

Mississippi (+14) over #7 GEORGIA: LOCK OF DA’ WEEK. Even formerly-Weber-friendly Joja’ (5-2 in 7 forecast appearances entering the Florida game) lowered the boom on our humble narrator last week, toppling the Gators in a slopper that saw nine combined turnovers and 24 flags (though Week Ten’s Penalty-a-Palooza title went to Arizona-USC…27 hankies for 246 yards!!!). Aaron Murray wasn’t special, accounting for all three Dawgs miscues via INT, but got it done. Ole Mist has won the money in six of seven FBS games (losing ATS only in embarrassing loss at Texas), beating the line in 19-point loss at ‘Bama and three-point defeat vs. A&M before beating Auburn and Arkansas. We’ll gladly take almost two scores here with Georgia historically-dismal ATS after notchin’ an upset and Rebels already 4-0 ATS in SEC play this season. Given the upsets in the 2012 books, it’s a possibility here, but again, we’ll go punt-safe and say…UGA 23 Rebels 20

#8 FLORIDA (-15 ½) over Missouri: Gators 27 Mizzou 7

#9 Florida State: IDLE (next 11/8 @ Virginia Tech)

#10 Clemson (-13 ½) over DUKE: We incorrectly noted in last week’s picks that Duke needed one more win to be bowl-eligible, when in fact, the Devils already have the requisite six. Clemson was one of our four correct selections amidst the rubble of Week Ten, belting Wake Forest in Thursday-nighter that saw Taj Boyd throw for 428 yards, with nearly half of those going to Sammy Watkins…who isn’t even (anybody else notice how many times we’ve said “even” this week??!!) the leading receiver on the squad. Tigers picked up a rare double-digit road fave cover in that one (now 3-9 in last dozen spots in that role). Blue Devils have won and covered all four games in Durham on the year. CU’s margin-of-victory has increased steadily over last three games from 14 to 29. Ironically, while Tigers trail Atlantic Division leader Florida State by one, Duke, at 3-2, is tied atop the ACC Coastal Division…Clemson 31 Duke 14

#11 South Carolina: IDLE (next vs. Arkansas)

Temple (+14 ½) over #12 LOUISVILLE: Cardinals 24 Owls 13

#13 OREGON STATE (-4 ½) over Arizona State: Beavers stewing over stunning road loss to UDUB. We think maybe QB Sean Mannion, who tossed a pair of interceptions in the final stanza, is still feeling after-effects of earlier injury and maybe the second-stringer needs to get some more live snaps. However, we expect solid effort to take out visiting Sun Devils, who could be tired after losing back-and-forth 45-43 shootout to UCLA on heels of field goal with nuthin’ on the clock last week. Beavers lost 35-20 in Tempe in 2011 after taking the previous three years by 2, 11 and 2. State is 2-1 SU/ATS on the road, with victories at Cal and (duh) Colorado. OSU looks like one of two conference clubs that’s truly interested in the 12-PACK crown…Beavers 20 Pitchforks 10

#14 Oklahoma (-10 ½) over IOWA STATE: Spooners 29 ISU 16

COLORADO (+27 ½) over #15 Stanford: Let’s face it…the Bison blow. Not because they gave up 70 to the Oregon juggernaut, but because they couldn’t score more than 14 last week and have lit the scoreboard for more than 17 just twice all year. But Cardinal is having issues at quarterback and not deft on offense this year either. We’re a glutton for punishment and give Colorado the nod again. They may not even need points to cover… Stanford 23 Buffalo Wings 0

#17 MISSISSIPPI STATE (+6 ½) over #16 Texas A&M: UPSET PICK OF DA’ WEEK #1…State 31 A&M 28

San Diego State (+13 ½) over #19 BOISE STATE: Broncos have won all four home games, but only 2-2 ATS. SDSU is just a game back in the loss column behind BSU for the conference lead. Defensive edge again goes to the Broncos, but Aztecs ground game might keep them in this long enough, given 9-point loss at Washington and 12-point loss at Fresno. Aztecs coach Rocky Long helped bring about the NCAA ban on Broncos’ all-azure unis when hosting Mountain Jest opponents. In response, the BSU players will wear blue contact-lenses and nail-polish, just to weird them out…Broncos 27 SDSU 17

Texas (+6 ½) over #20 TEXAS TECH (GASP!): UPSET PICK OF DA’ WEEK #2…Steers 38 Tech 34

MICHIGAN STATE (+1) over #21 Nebraska: Big Dread has one road victory in three tries this year. Spartans are having disappointing season but have been very competitive. Huskers scored touchdowns in the first- and fourth quarters as bookends to what was otherwise a battle of kickers. Nebraska is atop the Legends Division of the Big Tenement at 3-1, but a State win here could make things real interesting. We’ll back MSU’s top 10 scoring defense to keep Nebraska RB Abdullah under wraps and lead the way to a victory for the home team…Sparty 19 Nebraska 17

Texas-San Antonio (+32) over #22 LOUISIANA TECH: Bulldogs 54 UTSA 27

#23 WEST VIRGINIA (-7) over Texas Christian: Mounties’ QB Geno Smith has been kept quiet the last two weeks in bad losses to the Red Raiders and the Wildcats, with WVU scoring just 14 in each of those contests (7 of which came on 100-yard kickoff return vs. K-State). Usually-defensively-stout Horny Toads have lost three of last four games outright, yielding 37.5 ppg in that span. The fact that West Virginia is still ranked says something about the continuing belief in its offense, despite the tendency to simply outscore opponents rather than stop them. WVU did get a bye last week and fares well with time off…’Ears 41 Frogs 30

#24 Arizona (+3) over #25 UCLA: Arizona 27 UCLA 23

BETWEEN THE HASHMARKS

BTW, Obama’s last-minute campaign slogan is…”A chicken in every pot, an Ohio State-discount car in every garage and a satellite dish on every roof!”

Forgot to mention last week that Florida was flagged for “roughing the snapper” in the South Carolina game. Thought we heard “roughy and snapper” and had accidentally tuned in to some kinda’ “Field & Stream” segment on Animal Planet or The Discovery Channel!

Favorite play on offense for the Zombies football team? “Student-body left-overs”!

Is it just us or does anybody out there who’s seen the beginning of Rocky Horror Picture Show think the actor who plays Ralph Hapschatt in the wedding scene looks an awful lot like…Peyton Manning!

In the same vein, anybody out there, besides your humble host, think NYG owner Raymond Berry looks a bit like Burgess Meredith in his “Twilight Zone” days???!!!

Playing on a continuous loop in all the multiplex theatres at the Leon Out-Lett Mall…“Dawn of the Dead-Ball Foul”.

Barack Obama was quoted earlier this season as saying, “If you hit a five-team parlay, you didn’t bet that. Someone else made that happen.”

Newt Gingrich promised a colony on the moon if elected president. Guess who the Toledo Rockets are hoping gets to the White House as a write-in candidate!

Vindy was in Jacksonville for da’ Florida-Georgia game and decided to take advantage of the opportunity to cast his early presidential-election ballot. For inquiring minds who wanna’ know…yes, we voted along cocktail-party lines!

Earlier this month, ten North Dakota State players were suspended for roles in forging signatures they were hired to get on ballot measure petitions. Guess that explains how they got the votes to be #1 in the FCS poll all these weeks, don’t it???!! Gotta’ love a team that can stuff the run…and da’ ballot-box!

In support of a certain beloved Sesame Street character that got dissed, we recommend the temporary name-changes of certain regional groupings of college teams to the Big Bird Ten, Big Bird 12 and Big Bird East conferences!

Honoring a certain rookie from 2011-12, we acknowledge the start of the NBA regular-season with one word…”Vinsanity”!!!!

Black Shirt: Goes to Irish QB Everett Golson for leading Notre Dame to a big 4th Quarter and bringing Vindy’s upset pick of da’ week to pass!

“Locked in a Box?”: The MSU Bulldogs put up little resistance vs. the Tide, dropping the tally to 2-7 (.222)

Shoppe Talk: Leading candidate for the post-season Grill-Master Supreme award USC (1-7, .125) did it to us again. On the radar…West Virginia (1-5, .167), UCLA (0-4, .000) and Florida State (2-5, .285).

Vindy’s Week 10 Best Bets: Last Week: 3-1 Season: 23-20 (.535)

Vandy -7 ½ over KENTUCKY, Boston College +3 ½ over WAKE FOREST, INDIANA -1 ½ over Iowa, Florida Atlantic +15 ½ over NAVY, WEEZIANA-MONROE -10 over Weeziana-Lafayette

Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re to off to pre-order our “2013 Women of Friday the 13th” calendar!

BTW…”Who ya gonna’ call?”…Vindi-cator! (He ain’t afraid of no toast!)