Thursday, October 11, 2018

Vindy's Picks Week 7-2018

GAME-SHOW ICON IN NOT-SO-HEAVY-DEMAND AFTER SIN CITY DEBACLE 
 
LAS VEGAS, Nevada (TMZ)…Despite a chilly-reception for Wheel of Fortune-stalwart Pat Sajak’s, who droned-on about his “life-long fandom”, announcement of the starting-line-ups for Game Three of the Stanley Cup Finals in Washington, DC last June; Vegas Golden Knights’ owner, William “Bill” Foley II, graciously-granted the pop-culture pillar a second-chance ahead of the Knights’ home-opener last week vs. the Flyers. Asserting a desire to bring a “chance-based Vegas-feel” to the game, Sajak had contestants actually spin the wheel and guess letters until the puzzle could be solved, revealing the name of a starter on either side. The process made thousands-of-fans-in-the-stands and a global TV-audience suffer for an excruciatingly-long period of time before the initial puck-drop. With the World Series almost upon us and the regular-season starts of the NBA and NCAA basketball on the horizon, Sajak’s agent reached-out to those organizations in hopes of landing more gigs for him. Those requests were swiftly- and resoundingly-rebuffed! 
 
We treaded-water to the tune of 10-9 (54-53-2, .505) over the past fortnight (as opposed to the past video-game sensation “Fortnite”!). Sponsored by Bud Light this week, we’re cancelling that request fer a “nice autumnal, malty and full-bodied mead” and replacin’ it with...
 
 
THE WEBER KID'S 2018 WEEK 7 FORECAST  
(Like Pizza Hut...”End-Zone Dancin’ at Yer Door-Step!”)  
 
FRI. OCT. 12 
TULSA (+7 ½) over 23 #South Florida: Second-best guess for “wish we had it back”. Bulls pocketed 10 outright-victories in a dozen-efforts last year, but lost a big-guy at QB and a bunch of D-Line starters.  Best win to-date is prolly 49-38 home-victory over the Bees of Joja’ Tech. A 16-point push vs. UMass recently doesn’t move us. Golden Hurricane went down five-times to one-possession tilts last year and show defeats by 7 at Austin, 14 at Temple and 15 at Houston. USF won in Tampa last season by 7. Only knock on Tulsa is 1-7 home-dog role last three-plus years... Toros 27 Tulsa 23 
 
SAT. OCT.13 
Missouri @ #1 ALABAMA (“over 75 ½): Best guess fer “Wish We Had It Back”. Be advised, we changed our primary-choice from Tigers +28. Coach Satan wasted little post-game time before lambasting his stop-squad for givin’-up 31 points to Soooey-Pigs last week, most since 2016-17 title-contest vs. Clemson, and permitting 405 yards offense, most so-far on the current-campaign. We here at Vindy’s Picks feel yer pain, Coach! We feel yer pain, you poor-bastard!...NOT!!!! Rub some dirt on it and git-back out there, Coach...James Tiderious Kirk (Star Trek fans will know that reference) 54 Tigers 27 
 
#13 LSU (+7) over #2 Georgia: Bengals, who’ve won on da’ scoreboard 18 times in last 22 games in Baton Rouge, looked great on opening-drive in Gainesville, then fizzled. Tigers covered (and won) by dog-opportunities so far and covered 8 of last 11 vs. ranked-foes (including 4-0 SU getting points and 7-4 outright overall). Dawgs also show 8 ATS-wins in 11 tries against the Top 25 (winning six, 3-1 as chalk)...Joja’ 31 LSU 28 
 
Minnesota over #3 OHIO STATE (“over 59 ½): After allowing a total of 27 points collectively to first trio of opponents, O-fers yacked-up 90 combined in consecutive-SU/ATS demises to Maryland and Iowa!  Buckeyes have dropped three of last four contests to the line. Gerbils handed Group-of-Five hopeful Fresno State its only loss to-date.  Minny has gone 5-13-2 against the number in Big Tentacle-play over last three-plus-years, but boasts 6-2-1 spread-tally vs. Top 25 over same period. State had its letdown-game last weekend over Indy (as we predicted) OSU 51 Gophers 23 
 
#4 Clemson: IDLE (next vs. NC State)
 
#5 NOTRE DAME (-21) over Pittsburgh: LOCK OF DA’ WEEK. So far, Irish, who laid 45 on Hokies’ vaunted-D, look like the real-deal for CFP-berth. Pitt wanders into Indiana off upset of Syracuse in extra-frames and shows 3-3 SU/2-3 ATS record. T’Challas (Marvel comic-book geeks will get that reference) got bashed in ATS-defeats by 46 to Vin’s Alma Mater and by 31 at UCF. Gotta’ figure only reason line is this low reflects Our Lady’s sluggish-season-beginning, with triumphs 7, 8 and 5. Only a neutral-ground test vs. Da' Middies looms for ND... Catholics 47 Pitt 17 
 
#6 West Virginia (-6 ½) over IOWA STATE: Dust-Devils still celebrating upset of da’ OKSU Cowpokes. Will Grier atones for miscues in blown-cover vs. the KU Blue-Jays...WVU 34 ISU 24 
 
#17 OREGON (+3) over #7 Washington: MINOR UPSET PICK OF DA’ WEEK...Mallards 27 Huskies 23 
 
Michigan State @ #8 PENN STATE (“under 54”): The Alma Mater had a week to stew over late collapse on D vs. the Buckeyes. Sparty gave up 29 in loss to Northwestern! Expect both stop-squads to bring their best to this one. FG-fest...Lions 19 Michigan State 16 
 
Baylor (+15) over #9 TEXAS: After hittin’ da’ game-winner vs. the Sooners, Steers’ freshman K Cameron Dicker will probably miss his first three FG-tries against Da’ Bears!..Burnt Orange 34 Baylor 21 
 
#10 Central Florida @ MEMPHIS (“under 78): Knights 34 Tigers 30 
 
#11 Oklahoma: IDLE (next @ TCU) 
 
#15 Wisconsin (+7 ½) over #12 MICHIGAN: Errata: We had the Wolverines visiting da’ Hawkeyes of Iowa rather than the NW Wildcats in Week 6. Wouldn’t likely have changed our selection, which went for a forecast-loss anyway! Badgers seemingly-semi-easy trek to at least the conference-title game is now in-doubt, but we think they’ll keep this entertaining. Shy of calling the upset, but we’ll say...Michigan 19 Wisky 17 
 
#14 Florida (-7) over VANDERBILT: This got a glance fer “lock”. Including important-win in Baton Rouge following Tim Treebeard’s induction in the Gator Bathtub-Ring-of-Honor, Crocs are on 4-0 SU/ATS streak. Margins-of-victory in 2015 and 2016 were 2 and 7, respectively, but Gators won 38-24 last year. Admirals (7-0 prior to Kentucky according to Marc Lawrence) are 1-1 ATS facing conference-opponents, but got smoked at Georgia and have covered just one of last 8 SEC tilts...Crocs 27 Vanderbilt 13 
 
#16 Miami (-6) over VIRGINIA: We considered this for “lock”. Yes, letdown-spot for ‘Canes off 28-27 win vs. FSU, but not by that much. Expect Da’ U to start slow, then pull-away late for easy-cover...Miami 24 Cavs 7 
 
#18 Kentucky: IDLE (next vs. Vanderbilt)
 
#19 Colorado (+7) over USC: UPSET PICK OF DA’ WEEK. Troy’s layinfull-TD? No. Trojans edged both Wazzou and Wildcats. Yup, they’ve beaten Bison seven-straight years, including two-score victory in 2017. After win over Arizona State, we doubt the 5-0 Buffs no longer...UC 27 Sudden Cal 24 
  
#20 NC State: IDLE (next @ Clemson)
 
Tennessee (+15 ½) over #21 AUBURN: Tigers 30 Vols 16 
 
#22 Texas A&M (-2) over SOUTH CAROLINA: Aggies 29 Pugilistic Poultry 20 
 
#24 Mississippi State: IDLE (next @ LSU)
 
#25 Cincinnati: IDLE (next @ Temple) 
 
BETWEEN THE HASHMARKS  
 
BTW, the MLB, NBA and NCAA did concede to allowing Vanna White to turn-over illuminated-numbers on their respective scoreboards! Also, a Final Jeopardy clue earlier this week in response to the news, was “Alex Trebek’s Current Mood”. The correct answer?...”What is BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA"!” 
 
Bizarre Random Thought...Standard-issue boy-band meets football-schemes...New Kids on Da’ Chop-Block...On da’ Pass-Block...On da’ Run-Block...On Da’ Blocking-Sled...On Da’ Block-In-Da'-Back???!!! 
 
The NFL, this week, lightened the wallet of NYJ RB Isaiah Crowell by more than thirteen-grand fer wipin’ the pigskin against his butt-crack prior to launchin’ it into the stands following a TD. He did, however get a deal to endorse Dude-Wipes. Similarly, Vindy got himself a casino black-book entry after doin’ likewise with a winning parlay-card ticket ahead of violently-thrusting it in da’ face of an undisclosed sportsbook-writer! (BTW, we’re hopin’ said-vendor reaches-out to us to advertise their product too!) 
 
In related-news, several teams at the pro- and college-level have incorporated practicing a pumpkin-spice hook-and-latte-ral into their game-plan in the event of a full-length kick-return necessary to overcome a last-minute deficit! 
 
Among the Top Five Box-Office draws this week...”The Big House With a Game-Clock in Its Walls”!!!! 
 
Last March, Vegas Golden Knights net-minder Marc-Andre Fleury, following an undisclosed injury, got some time off and spent it watching a soap-opera called..."ESPN’s Game Days of Our Lives"!
  
Hooray Fer Da' Little Guy: Liberty fell short this past weekend, actually losing at then 1-4 New Mexico State in a 49-41 track-meet. True story...yer humble-narrator briefly enrolled in the FightinFalwells’ psychology correspondence-PhD program in the early-90's. Much-like the Flames’ miracle-run in 2018, Vindy’s effort was also quickly-snuffed! 
 
“Wish We Had It Back”: We’d gladly revisit our Commodores + 27 over JOJA’-pick given our pre-game assertion of “No faith in either side...”
 
"Locked in a Box": Da’ Mounted Ears of West-By-Gollum-Virginia, layin’ four touchdowns, bungled their way thru mere 16-point victory over Kansas, with three picks thrown by Will Grier! Last Week: 0-1 Season: 3-2 (.600).
 
Black Shirt: The garnered-garment goes to Texas Freshman K Cameron Dicker fer 40-yard FG with a dime left to culminate our Upset Pick of Da’ Week #1 of UT +7 over Oklahoma! And a big shout-out to da’ coin we used to finally pick ‘Bama on da’ correct-side of da’ spread last week! 
 
Shoppe Talk: ‘Bama, Clemson and Ohio State get weekend passes. Meanwhile, the Miami Hurricanes (0-5, .000), Meeshigan Wolverines (1-5, .167) and Washington Muskies (1-4, .200) get to spend the week with their noses pressed-up against the Armpit of Misery (DILLY! DILLY!)! 
 
Fer inquirin’-mimes that wanna’ know...mid-year frontrunners for Vindy’s post-season AllstateYer In Good-Hands" Award fer best forecast-record (minimum seven appearances in da’ Picks) include Notre Dame (5-0, 1.000), Kentucky (3-0-1, 1.000); Auburn, Michigan State and Stanford...all at 4-1 (.800) and Oregon (4-2, .667)! 
 
Vindy's Week 7 Best Bets: Last Week: 3-1   Season 14-11-1 (.560) 
Miami @ VIRGINIA “under 48”, MIAMI-OHIO –11 ½ over Kent State, WEEZIANA TECH -13 over Texas-San Antonio, CAL-7 over Ucla  
 

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