REST OF PRO FOOTBALL SEASON TO GET POLITICAL TREATMENT
STAMFORD, Connecticut (CNN)…Last week, Steve Kornacki, who famously offered voting-analysis for MSNBC amidst the presidential race, decided to apply similar concepts to the NFL as the march toward the playoffs and Super Bowl continues. During NBC’s ”Football Night in America” on December 6, the correspondent created quite the stir with a pre-mature statement that “With 89% of the votes counted, it appears the state of Michigan has declared for Tom Brady in the presidential election.” He followed-up that assertion by announcing the former Wolverines stand-out had also secured the Great Lakes State in the race for NFL MVP! Miss America host/Family Feud host Steve Harvey and 2017 Oscar-company announcement-botch PricewaterhouseCoopers did not immediately-return calls for comment!
We finally got off da’ schnide last weekend, going 3-2 (34-35, .493). Odd to be predicting conference title games right on the heels of early bowls though. Barely “drawing iron”, we hoist up...
THE WEBER KID’S 2020 CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK FORECAST
(Because moral spread-wins don't cash tickets!)
SAT. DEC. 19
SEC CHAMPIONSHIP (@ ATLANTA, GA)
#1 Alabama vs. #11 Florida (“under 74 ½”): We suppose Gators could still have gone down in OT, but in any case, loss to then 3-5 SU LSU, helps out the CFP committee, because even the upset here likely does not propel Crocs into Top Four. Tide has exceeded this total just twice. UF...just three times. Pachyderms have covered only two of last half-dozen post-season tries and were DD-faves in just two of ‘em (winning ATS in neither). Last meeting was 2016’s Tide victory 54-16 in conference championship game...bulletin-board material only for any fifth-year seniors. Can’t imagine ‘Bama defense, currently permitting just 11 points-against in past 7 tilts (even accounting for 24 vs. Joja’), letting Florida’s offense run-amok enough to send this finish into the mid-seventies ...Roll...Tiny Tim 41 Chomp 20
ACC CHAMPIONSHIP (@ CHARLOTTE. NC)
#2 Notre Dame (+10 ½) over #4 Clemson: Granted, ND won the first iteration 47-40 in double-extras (an excellent contest that saw ND go +2 in turn-overs, shut-down Travis Etienne [28 yards and a score on 18 carries] and tie the score with :22 to-play...our caveat?...Back-up QB DJ Uiagalelei lit up the pass defense for 439 yards, going 29 of 44!), but pressure’s on CU here as a second-loss this season to the Catholics would expel them from playoff-consideration. A narrow-defeat for Notre Dame would not necessarily get it bounced from the CFP picture. Both defenses are stronger of late and while expecting this time to end in regulation, we’re still leery of calling the “under 60”. Tigers have won and covered the ACC title game each of the past three years easily. A decisive-victory by Dabo’s charges prolly moves them into the two-hole and a possibly more-favorable contest toward the National Championship. Winning by 7 in the first match-up, has Our Lady regressed somehow by about 18 points since then?! Quoting American Idol judge Randy Jackson, “That’s a ‘no” fer us, ‘Dog”. When the Irish offense is on the field, will Tigers’ fans chant...”Dee-Frock... Dee-Frock!!”??!!...Clemson 33 Leprechauns 29
BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP (@INDIANAPOLIS, IN)
#15 Northwestern (+20 ½) over #3 Ohio State: Gotta’ admit we’re disappointed that the rule-change fer minimum number of games-played to qualify for the conference championship was altered by the Big Ten hierarchy. We woulda’ been seriously-down seeing Indy get another crack at the Buckeyes ahead of this one, having hung within a TD when it was said-and-done. So be it. As a Penn State-fan, we’d celebrate the upset. Having Big Tentacle-allegiances, that would provide the conference with no playoffs-representation. Feral Felines took out now #18 Iowa 21-20 and whacked now-exposed Badgers (ranked-at-the-time). N-Dub scoring-defense has been stingy at 14.5 ppg. On offense, Wildcats went over 28 just once. Rematch of 2018 Big Ten championship game...pocketed 45-24 by the Buckeyes, who also embarrassed NW 52-3 last season. MO goes to Northwestern here and we’ll lean on the stop-squad to let the ‘dog linger enough to cover generous-spread...Peas 38 Cats’ Meow 27
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP (@ARLINGTON, TX)
#8 Iowa State vs. #12 Oklahoma (“over 58 ½"): UPSET PICK OF DA’ WEEK. Counter-intuitive selection here. Dust Devils are 5-2 “under” in past 7 tilts. Sooners 3-2 as such in past 5 games. ISU–foes have put up 30 or more four times. Sooners have accomplished less-than that bar just once (27 in last live-match on 12/5 vs. Baylor). Cyclones got payback fer 42-41 let-down earlier this year with 37-30 final. Okies haven’t recorded an outright-“L” since then. Contestants are essentially-identical in pass-defense and both squads are stout vs. the run, so key-match-up is State RB Breece Hall, leading the country in rushing yards, against Oklahoma’s run-stoppers. Matt Campbell has improved his team’s success substantially since his first-year as HC in 2016 (3-9 SU)...Tornado-Warning 38 Boomer Schooner 34
SUN BELT CHAMPIONSHIP
#9 COASTAL CAROLINA (-3 ½) over #17 Louisiana-Lafayette: Rematch of 10/14 meeting, won 30-27 by CCU, Weeziana-Lafayette's sole demise to-date. Cajuns got a week off to prepare, while Birds needed a TD in the final minute to keep the perfect-record intact vs. Troy last Saturday. The first clash, historical data showing 2018’s 30-28 triumph by the Chanticleers and both sides reflecting approximately-50% over/under 55 this season, makes us play it safe and stay socially-distanced from a pick on the total. CCU had gone unpleasant 4-11 ATS in Conway entering 2020, but has covered 4 of 5 home-games thus far. UL-Lafayette won and covered both tries in road-dog role as well. Third-consecutive Shaolin-Belt championship contest fer Cajuns, who dropped both of the previous pair to App State, by 11 and 7. Interesting conflict of trends as Marc Lawrence’s Playbook.Com notes Coastal hasn’t won ATS over last five as chalk after yielding more than 35 (again, 38 to the Trojans), while ULL has failed vs. the line in five of the previous six-pack getting points with rest following an outright victory. Ironically, Roosters and Creole have top and 3rd-ranked passing yardage leaders in the conference, yet team-wise, come-in at just #7 and #8 overall. Coasties’ points-against is conference-best at 18.7 and 16th-nationally. Counting on Sun Belt’s 3 of top 5 sack leaders and another player tied for INTs lead to create enough disruption to make Cajuns one-dimensional and stay on the ground. We’ve been on the Poultry all-season and won’t stop now...Coastal Cinderella 34 Crawfish Etouffee 26
BETWEEN THE HASHMARKS
BTW, if Kornacki does likewise in the weeks leading up to the NCAA Tournament, will he be known as “Stevie Brackets”???!!!
Following a 3rd-Quarter interception by Coastal Carolina deep-inside Lafayette’s side of the field in the original-skirmish, one of the ESPN broadcasters made reference to Game of Thrones, quipping, “Night gathers...and now my watch begins.” Wonderin’ if he meant, “my Heisman-watch begins”??!!
Also, this week, the Electoral College validated Joe Biden had won the position of POTUS, then subsequently cancelled its gridiron game at the College of Cardinals, citing a COVID-outbreak among players and staff!
Donald Trump conducted the Army-Navy coin-toss and quickly challenged the result (“tails” and Middies’ choice), claiming da’ coin was “loaded” and da’ toss was “rigged”!
Last week, K Sarah Fuller became the first woman to score in a Power Five match with two XPs for Vandy, a fortnight-removed from her inaugural appearance in a Power-Five contest. Sadly, she’s transferring elsewhere to focus on futbol. We woulda’ loved seeing her score a TD on a Fuller-back dive!?
A personal-foul against Gators DB Marco Wilson for throwing an opponent’s cleat cost the Gators a victory vs. LSU Speaking of which, Vindy launched a bookie’s shoe across the casino, drawing a yellow-hankie for unsports-bettor-like behavior and a $15 penalty tacked-on to his wager!
Fun-fact of the week...After opening at home vs. Hawaii, Fresno State in a scheduling-quirk has played five straight contests...on the road! Not on consecutive weekends, but still something no other I-A team has experienced.
NFL players have been recently donning footgear bearing images of St. Nick or Kris Kringle in a fundraising effort known as “My Claus, My Cleats”!
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes suffered a history-making 30-yard sack vs. the Dolphins. We say, “Grab some pine, Junior” as Vindy scrambled for his life and was eventually brought-down 45-yards from the sportsbook-counter after trying to place a bet last weekend!
Is it a matter of time before sponsors start buying ad space on players’ and coaches’ COVID-masks?!
A shout-out to Jake from State Farm fer givin’ us the Vindicator-Value on our insurance (Oh wait...!)
With March Madness 2020 taken off the table ahead of most conference tournaments and definitely prior to the scheduled-start of Da’ Big Dance, we were hopin’ fer maybe some August Anarchy or at least some September Insanity!
Black Shirt: This week’s ebony-tee-of-excellence is awarded to Apparition State QB Zac Thomas fer loftin’ a 28-yard first-quarter pick-six that put Joja’ Surburban (+9) up 7-nil en route to its eventual 8-point loss, converting our lone correct “best-bet”-choice.
Shoppe Talk: With their failure to win, much-less cover, at Chapel Hill, we’re stuffing the Tropical Depressions of Miami (1-3, .250).
Vindy’s Week Championship Week Best Bets: Last Week: 1-2 (and Cal @ WAZZOU postponed) Season: 32-17 (.653)
Nebraska @ RUTGERS “under 54”, ARMY +2 ½ over Air Force, Nebraska @ RUTGERS “under 54”, Missouri –1 over MISSISSIPPI STATE
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