When Cereal gets Super Serial

Sometimes charity is just a whore

Betting with the Angry Old Man, Week 5

With my boss on vacation for a second week, work has been crazy. I don't have time to analyze these picks, let alone pontificate on the reasons why I am awesome.

MEESHIGAN -10 @ Indiana
Notre Dame @ +3 BOSTON COLLEGE
Stanford @ -7 OREGON
Penn State @ -7 IOWA

ROAD DOGG OF THE WEEK:
FLORIDA +8 @ Alabama

HOMER CALL:
WEST VIRGINIA +1.5 @ Bye Week

- Grey Bush

The Email

After a disappointing loss, let's lighten the mood by doing what college football fans to best, talk shit on every other team that is worse than you.  Let's take solace in the fact that Notre Dame, god's perceived gift to the BCS, still plays football like a bunch of little girls.  Maybe Brian Kelly will turn them around, but for now I will still take the ladies from the South Charleston Methodist Church choir over them in a pick up game.  I have no doubt however; that if they beat Pitt they will be the first 1-4 team in history to be ranked #10 with 4 Heisman contenders.  Pitt in turn couldn't beat Andrew Lloyd Webber and his cast of Starlight Express in a scrimmage, even if it were in a packed Heinz Field, full of fans that got tricked into coming on the false pretense that they would get to see a Steelers game. To even the odds, I'd suggest one of Webber's characters be allowed to play all-time QB. Without Sunseri-Bostick at the helm, they might have a chance.  Webber, being Brittish, would not be a good canidate himself, but if we can extend outside of the aforementioned cast, I hear Mr. Mistoffelees throws a tight deep ball.

Before we go much further, for the spelling/grammar fanatics, please take it easy on me this week.  I have been out of town for seven days and wrote most of this on my phone on an airplane.  Thats right folks, I am dedicated to annoying you.

LSU Recap

Ok, onto the game.  Its always frustrating to lose a game that you a chance to win especially when it is game that marks the most significant game on your schedule.  We certainly could have played better, but that's what happens when you play an SEC team on the road in death Valley. When I said last week that I had gaurded optimism and that if we we kept it close, we would have a chance, I think we lived up to that by losing by six points.   I was worried about the O-line, but I thought they played very well. Certainly we were pressured, but that is a top ten defense with numerous players that will play on Sundays.

The special teams plays are what ultimately doomed us. Obviously the Peterson TD, but more importantly the field position game. They played this aspect almost flawlessly by pinning us deep and rendering our offense ineffective with little options. Other then the punt return, I don't think it is worthwhile to analize the "What Ifs".  If you want to take away the other ten points off from turnovers, then you have to take away our TD coming off from Jefferson's INT.  Jefferson btw was pretty terrible. Turnovers are part of the game and our mistakes were costly, but what it all comes down to is that were were two unforgiving defenses going at it Saturday night and the home team made a couple less mistakes resulting in a close win.  Place that game in Morgantown and we likely win.  In other words, it sucks, but shit happens, losses happen.  It is just unfortunate that the rest of our schedule, whether it by our fault or the fact that the BE is terrible, is devoid of any exciting matchups.

Random trip musings

While we are not exactly a rival worth picking on, the LSU fans were rather pleasant. A few "Tiger Baits" were thrown around, but that's what is great about college. Even had some great chats with their fans afterwards at the bar.

Had an interesting talk with my cabbie from airport. Old man that went to Grambling st and hates Southern.  Pretty cool to get a taste of one of the great rivalries from the historically black colleges.

Stadium wasn't really that loud. Granted I was pretty high up, which probably meant that I didn't get the effect felt on the field, but expected a bit more. The forth quarter improved, but I got the feeling the fans were largely looking past the game, and were on cruise control after 17-0. Thankfully we salvaged some respect and it was duly noted by their fans. I bet an SEC game has a much different feel.

Two facts were confirmed on Sunday, Bourbon street is crazy and does indeed smell like shit.

Finally, let's take some further solace in the fact that our defense can stand toe to toe with about anyone and we should hands down win the Big East this year.  After the LSU game we are ranked the #7 defense in the country in Total Defense.

I'm thinking about changing my look.  If I am going to waltz around as the end all be all of college sports, I should look like a man of the game.  What do you guys think of these fine examples who have excelled at the sport of football and have looked damn fine while doing it?

Choice A

Choice B

Choice C

Choice D

Let me know please.

Weekly pick-off

The Grey Bush is out to a heck of a lead going 3-3 this week. I moved up to tie FP with a decent week as he and Pigskin struggled.  Pigskin is goin to need to pick up his game, as he is already holding my jock strap in our NASCAR competition.  Do you need a jock strap in stock car racing?  Loved Texas AM this week, but I didn't get it in time.

Well, Thats it this week folks.  I am already working hard on next week's email, so hopefully will be longer for you all.

Enjoy,

Al

Shoeless week 5 picks

I was big on the Texas AM game, but didnt get these in time. so  here we go . . .

I like Big East teams to win this week.  I do not like them to cover.

FIU +17
Idaho -3
Iowa -7
Hawaii -8
Stanford +7

Hard Lean:  FAU +21.5

Pigskin Prognosticator Week Five Picks

Competition Record: 11-12-1
Hard Leans: 7-6
WVU: 2-1-1

Week 1: Competition Plays 1-4-1, Hard Leans 1-2
Week 2: Competition Plays 4-2, Hard Leans 2-3
Week 3: Competition Plays 4-2, Hard Leans 3-0
Week 4: Competition Plays 2-4, Hard Leans 1-1

Rough week 4 but at least nobody else set the world on fire. I'm busy trying to catch up on some things after an epic trip so less analysis and hopefully more winners this week.

1.) Hawaii -8 vs La Tech: This is as public and square a play as it gets but I simply can't see a La Tech team struggling to pick up a new system making this ludicrous road trip and hanging around against a Hawaii team that has looked very good offensively at times this year.

2.) Iowa -7 vs Penn St.: The Hawkeyes are as solid as it gets with the lone loss this season coming at Arizona when they dug a huge hole and still nearly came back. This is a Penn St team still searching offensively and one that to be honest, probably should have lost to Temple. Iowa D will hold them in check.

3.) Bowling Green -3 vs Buffalo: BG has played a brutal road schedule to get ready for league play and save for last week in the Big House they haven't looked bad in doing so. Buffalo on the other hand opens up conference play on the road in a year of transition.

4.) Northwestern -5 at Minnesota: The Wildcats always seem to win 7 or 8 games desite their obvious disadvantages. They roll in confident and unbeaten while the hapless Gophers have to wonder what the hell has happened since a decent opening night win at Middle Tennessee.

5.) ECU +13.5 at UNC: It's ECU's super bowl and they should be able to exploit a young UNC secondary. There are concerns with pass protection, but if the Pirates have improved that at all since the VT game two weeks ago, they should be able to score and be competitive in this one. A straight up win wouldn't shock me.

Hard Leans: (Games I'm wagering that didn't make cut)

IU +10 vs Michigan: Ben Chappel is a stud qb running an underrated offense but this is a huge step up in competition for the Hoosiers and their D worries me. However, Michigan's atrocious defense should also be tested and Rich Rod has been comically bad in Big Ten road games.

Navy +10 at Air Force: That's a lot of points for two option oriented attacks

Toledo -3 vs Wyoming: Toledo has won 3 straight road games after being embarrassed at home by Arizona to start the season, including a win at Purdue last week. Pretty impressive. They return home with confidence to face a Wyoming team that played better in a loss to Air Force sat but has to be gassed after opening up with a brutal schedule. The odd trip across country here won't help.

Florida +8 at Bama: Just don't see it getting out of hand and Gators made serious offensive strides last week.

Gameday Travels

First air machine flight for ole shoeless. Theys wouldn't let me take the Datsun or Rumpus on the air machine, I don'ts know y. Well I'm at the bar wathing NCST covering big for me early .... Beer in hand.

Let's Go Eers

Flying Potato-Week Four Picks

Quick post this week.

Air Force -13.5 @ Wyoming

Oklahoma -13.5 @ Cincy

Stanford -4.5 @ Notre Dame

Oregon -11.5 @ Arizona St

Arizona -6.5 vs California

Last but not least.

WVU +10 @ LSU

WVU @ LSU: The AccuScore Simulation

Well, take this for what its worth, but West Virginia has already lost to LSU... approximately 6,300 times.

AccuScore, an internet-based statistics think-tank, makes its bones by pumping their statistical model full of stats from around the NCAA and the real-world, then applying that model to each week's slate of games 10,000 times each, predicting the probability of each teams victory based on the elements of the model and the results of each set of simulations. Their NCAA simulations were 57.6% accurate against the spread last week... everyone on this site is that good, and none of us use math.

"Shfifty-five"?

The brain-farts at AccuScore produced 10,000 simulations and gave the LSU Tigers a 64% of victory at home against the Mighty Mountaineers of West Virginia U Saturday night. What their models cannot account for, and this is the inherent failure of all statistical models, is that at the moment the ball is put into play in the highly-anticipated Big East-SEC match-up Saturday night, the model is obsolete because new data is now available that has not been applied to the model. The old "you-can-throw-the-stats-out-when-these-two-teams-get-together" dynamic.

But more there is more to this model that just doesn't add up. A closer look at the simulated stats shows that the teams will be relatively even in the turnover battle (1.6 for WVU, 1.8 for LSU), yet LSU has a better TD projection despite WVU's superior -- albeit marginally -- passing, receiving, AND rushing stats (see below):

WVU
Pass Rtg - 126.6
Pass Yds - 181.5
Pass TD - 0.9
Pass INT - 0.5

Rush Yds - 122.8
Rush YPC - 4.0
Rush TD - 0.7

Rec Yds - 156.6
Rec YPC - 12.0
Rec TD - 0.8

LSU
Pass Rtg - 122.0
Pass Yds - 158.4
Pass TD - 1.3
Pass INT - 0.8

Rush Yds - 113.1
Rush YPC - 3.6
Rush TD - 1.0

Rec Yds - 122.7
Rec YPC - 12.3
Rec TD - 1.0

No, this is not a spreadsheet of Brandon Hogan's blood-alcohol contents, but the statistical averages across the series of simulations. So there you have it: LSU 22.8 - WVU 16.4. In the immortal words of Mr. Lee Corso, "NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND!"

How LSU is projected to be almost an entire TD better than WVU, based upon those other offense statistics is really beyond me. Factor in that Jordan Jefferson may actually be clinically retarded, and I am just not seeing this.

The model also projects Tavon Austin to have just 3 reception and ZERO carries for the entire game. Jeff Mullen (who is a toss-up with Jefferson in Quiz Bowl), will surely have some wrinkles in the game plan to get the budding superstar more than 3 touches in this game.

Did I forget to mention that Noel Devine is playing with his Heisman hopes on the line? Yeah, he'll probably have a little something to say Saturday night too.

Expect the Mountaineers D to stand tall (with or without Hogan), and the offense to continue to unleash the fury of speed and talent that it showcased during the 1st half of the Maryland game.

Take the points America, and in my humble opinion, take the Mountaineers STRAIGHT UP!

- Grey Bush

AccuScore Game Forecast Preview [AccuScore.com]
AccuScore Game Forecast [AccuScore.com]

Betting with the Angry Old Man, Week 4

Yes kiddies, it is that time of the week again, when I make excuses about why I can't write more because I'm too busy. Well get over it. If you want to here more about how awesome I am, pick up the damn phone and call me. Otherwise, if you have enough free time on your hands to actually read this blog, quit your bitching and get a job.

 

Some serious layup lines this week... (as always, my picks are in bold. Home team in CAPS)

Oregon -11.5 @ ARIZONA STATE
Kentucky @ -14 FLORIDA
Stanford -4.5 @ NOTRE DAME
California @ -6.5 ARIZONA

ROAD DOGG OF THE WEEK!
South Carolina +3 @ AUBURN

HOMER CALL OF THE WEEK!
West Virginia +9.5 @ LOUISIANA STATE

- Grey Bush

The Email

Well last weekend’s performance surely shut up a lot of the haters out there.  As I tried to convey to numerous people who were camped out in Bill Stewart’s front yard shooting tater guns at him and his bride, it’s a long season.  If we win these next few and end up in a BCS game, we will all look back and laugh at how we teased Marshall fans.  There was certainly room for concern after that game, I will not debate that, but the squad did quite well in putting some these concerns to rest.

There are some great games around the nation including Bama vs Arkansas and South Carolina at Auburn.  I am especially looking forward to the later of those two, both have looked decent, but I am still a bit unsure on.  You cannot say Clemson got jobbed at Auburn, but it sure did feel like it.  Personally I am looking forward to Jim Harbaugh making Notre Dame fans cry like babies and already ask for Kelly’s resignation when they get blown out at home, but it really looksto be a huge week for the maligned Big East.  To this point, the BE has been more fraudulent than Balloon boy.  WVU’s win over Maryland last weekend proved to be the league’s first win over a BCS foe.  Cincy is likely going to get stomped at home  by Oklahoma, UNC can probably roll Rutgers even with their 8^th stringers in, and if Syracuse, USF, or Uconn lose, we might as well through in the towel as they play Colgate, WKY, and UBuff respectively.  Clearly at this point West Virginia and Pitt are carrying the torch for the league and have great opportunities to shine some light on the dismal dark ages.  The league has looked so bad, that I don’t think I will even be able to root against Pitt this week.  Even if we do beat LSU, we need some more credible opponents downstream. 

Before we get into my outlook on the LSU game that you have been dying to read, let’s delve into a story that you may not have been following, but you probably should have:

As a former Lansing High Bobcat, it tugged at my heart strings to see a fellow Bobcat viciously attack Brutus “the Brutally Retarded” Buckeye mascot this past Saturday.  Such spirit should be commended and praised within a football community that takes so much pride in vivaciously standing up for one’s own alma mater.  Knowing that his team would inevitably get whacked and the school’s pride rested on his shoulders alone, this proud Ohio Bobcat took it upon himself to stick it to the Buckeyes.  Sure they escorted him off the field, they are probably creating lies about his jealousy of the Big 11 and how he escaped from a mental ward prior to the game, but for one shining moment he was the man and isn’t that what college is all about?  If one of my friends went Terry Tate on the Buckeye I would speak their name in reverence until the day I passed on to the great beer fridge in the sky.  For the people who are so overtly caught up in today’s political correctness trends (which is clearly not supported by this email), the fact of the matter is that this young gent is an American hero who stands up for the average Joe who is trying to wage forward in his pursuit of happiness in spite the corrupt corporate world that is infamously known as The Man.  The bobcat also reinforces the fact that Athens is the only town in Ohio worth more than a dung beetle.  Hopefully Frank Solich’s former team, the Huskers, take the same tact next year when they join this league.  I’d love to see Herbie Husker clock Brutus, but I’m sure Brutus would love to husk his cob if he tried, so he better stay away.

LSU OUTLOOK

Let’s preface this with some facts.  LSU is 51-5 since 2000 in home night games.  Les Miles is 24-1 in his tenure.  The lone loss you may ask?  How about a Tim Tebow led Florida team last year in a 13-3 game?  There is a reason why they call this place Death Valley and is consider the hardest place to win in college football.  Morgantown, myself in included, likes to brag about how teams do not win in Morgantown at night, especially on a Thursday evenings, but LSU walks the walk against top notch SEC foes and rightfully can stick their noses in the air to our aforementioned claim to fame.  Point is, it is a more than a bit asinine to assume that you are going to walk into Tiger Stadium and come out with a win.

That being said, I have guarded optimism.  I am personally going into the game just hoping that we keep it close to give ourselves a chance to win if we get the appropriate bounces.  On the other side of the coin, there are a few positives in our favor.  This may be one of the weaker Les Miles teams.  They are by no means bad, but I do not fear their offensive one bit.  Matter of fact I wouldn’t trade our playmakers (Geno, Devine, Jock, Austin) for any of their offensive talents, however our O-line versus their D-line is enough to send shudders down Bill Brasky’s back.  Or at least incite him to make love to wife, either or.  The interesting matchup to watch in my opinion is who they will choose to lockdown with their all world CB Patrick Peterson.  I would assume he will blanket Austin, which will mean that we need to rely on our seniors, Jock and Noel, to come up with something big, which should not scare you in the least, obviously.  While we saw improved line play Saturday, my big fear is their hogmolies will look like a fleet of Mongo’s after a pot of baked beans, with the one goal of treating Geno Smith like the Sheriff of Rock Ridge.  Shockingly, I think that may be The Email’s first Mel Brooks reference, which just fires me up even more for this weekend.  I will meet you all at the commissary after a Mountaineer win for beers and a food fight!

Tailgating

For those of you staying back home, do not think that you can merely sit around on the couch and will this team to win by sipping on a cold one.  I am a firm believer in football Karma.  While it is not possible for everyone to make it to the game, that should not stop you from getting up early and practicing your calisthenics, bonging a beer or two, and playing with the dog and the neighbor’s children in flip cup.  This team needs YOU to believe in them, much like how Tinker Bell needed us to clap for her in Peter Pan.  She was pretty hot by the way, especially in the Hook version, but that is another story entirely.  I urge of you to prepare yourself mentally Saturday morning/afternoon to gain the proper focus this game needs and channel your energy towards the Old Gold and Blue.  It will also help the day go by faster and help release any anxiety you may have.  I know a few faithful readers will certainly be pacing around their homes in need of a puffer by kick off.   These are just some words of wisdom folks, use them how you wish, but beware that you may end up like our dear friend The Grey Bush, who due to his old age and narcissism will likely need a Rascal with stabilizing wheels by mid afternoon.

Picks update

In a less serious note, the ole Grey Bush has surged out to a massive one point lead over the Flying Potato in our pick off challenge on the blog with a solid 5-1 week.  The rest of the pack was 4-2 with everyone except for FP picking WVU to cover, what a douche.  He must be a Boise fan.  Arkansas was the sexy pick last week that resonated with most bettors, personally I bit on Houston and got snake bit.  I’m liking a couple SEC lines this week, one in Tennessee and one in the Swamp.  These teams are not looking great, but the low lines seem to be a bit of an aberration.

Well, I guess we’ll see what we are made of this weekend, I am guessing a lot of carbon.  See ya on the other side . . .

Sleepless on my way to Baton Rouge

Picking w/no Shoes on

WVU:  I trust these boys like my best coon dog Rumpus.  WVU + 9.5

South Carolina +3:  I hate all tigers this week.  They are godless killing machines.

Gators -14:  them shits make good eats.  Momma has some gator skin thongs flossing her ass crack too.  I slap that shit when I wants me a milk steak.

Pitt +3.5:  I should eat shit of Wannastaches stache for this, but that would turn  him on, so I wont

Stanford - 4.5:  I'm hoping on the bandwagon, but only cause those fucks stole the bandwagon from me!  those frubbergusters nipped it out from underneath me back in '62.  I was 14 pints of shine in and off pissin in prairie dog holes and they came up on me like a pack of injuns!

FIU +12:  I heard that floridian coach has crystal balls, i'd be swingin them nuts down to the waterin hole every night if I had crystal balls

Good Ole Grey Bush

Pigskin Prognosticator Week 4 Picks

Competition Record: 9-8-1
Hard Leans: 6-5
WVU: 1-1-1

Week 1: Competition Plays 1-4-1, Hard Leans 1-2
Week 2: Competition Plays 4-2, Hard Leans 2-3
Week 3: Competition Plays 4-2, Hard Leans 3-0

Well last week was very encouraging as I went 7-2 overall. I was somewhat unlucky that both losses came in the competition picks but what can ya do? Hopefully I am starting to get on a roll.

I would be remiss without complimenting my competitors at this point. The fact that all four of us are over .500 three weeks and 18 picks into the season is very impressive.

And away we go.........

1.) UGA +1 at Mississippi State: Desperation is a key motivating factor for any football team. The Dawgs simply cannot afford to drop to an unthinkable 0-3 in SEC play. While their o-line and lack of big playmakers on offense is a concern, I look for a spirited effort this week in Starkville. Also, UGA looked better than I expected against a very good Arkansas team and almost pulled it out, while Miss St appears to still be a year or two away and is having real problems with turnovers.

2.) Oklahoma -13.5 at Cincy: Sometimes you just have to take the obvious play. While the line movement scares me (it opened at -17 and fell like a rock to -13.5) I see no way the Bearcats can hang in this game. If their oline couldn't protect Collaros against Fresno and NC State, I really fear for Collaros' safety in this game. On the other side of the ball, OU has a wealth of playmakers going against a UC defense that has been torched twice this year and has no depth. The line is low due to the look ahead factor for the Sooners, who have Texas on deck, but it won't matter. Sooners big.

3.) Stanford -4.5 at Notre Dame: I really thought the Irish would be better than this. I guess I drank the Brian Kelly can do anything immediately Kool-aid. They have beaten a bad Purdue team and lost to Michigan and Michigan State teams that I would call just above avg. The Notre Dame defense is absolutely atrocious, whiile Stanford has a top 3 pick NFL quarterback to go with one of the most dominating offensive lines in the country.

4.) South Carolina +3 at Auburn: As I said in this space two weeks ago, I believe this is the year the Gamecocks finally win or come in 2nd in the SEC east. They finally have a decent offensive line to protect Garcia and the Lattimore kid is a stud RB. Auburn meanwhile is a bit overvalued after scraping by Miss St. and Clemson. They were incredibly lucky to beat Clemson last week. Wonder what this line would be if they had lost? Wrong team favored here, go Cocks.

5.) Oregon -11.5 at Arizona State: We got an incredible number here due to the Sun Devil's close loss against a Wisconsin team that I simply don't think is very good. This Sun Devil defense is absolutely terrible, setting up another playstation like day for Oregon's offensive skill players. To cover this number ASU would have to score at minimum 28 points and perhaps far more. Not happening.

6.) WVU +9.5 at LSU: I have preached this all offseason and I will say it again. If we win the turnover battle in Baton Rouge, we win the football game. Period. The Tigers have an anemic offense that settled for 5 Fgs last week against Miss St while the defense fattened up on five Bulldog turnovers. Their strength is running and you simply aren't going to just line up and run on the 3-3-5. Forcing them to pass likely plays into our favor with or without Brandon Hogan (I think he'll play) simply because Jordan Jefferson is brutal, completing just over 55% of his passes for 2 TDs and 2 INTs against less than stellar competion. Admittedly the Tiger's defense is nasty and if we put the ball on the ground as we have in each of the first three games and kill drives or give them field position it could get away from us in a hurry. I don't think there will be many points. I look for us to manage the game, take care of the ball and be right there at the end. Who knows, we may even get a fast start like against UGA, OKlahoma or Auburn. We seem to come ready in huge games.

Hard Lean: NC State +8.5 at Georgia Tech: I think this will be Tom Obrien's best Wolfpack team, this line seems high and the Yellow Jackets aren't close to what they were last year. However, NCSU has beaten a bad 1-aa, UCF, and a bad Cincy team. That doesn't exactly tell me much. Plus, they are historically brutal on the road. For all those reasons I left this off the competition picks.

Hard Lean: Southern Miss -3.5 at La Tech: Who needs logic? Why not fade Sonny Dykes' team all year? It's sure as hell worked so far.

Wow, I can't believe all 8 of my plays are on road teams. That's nerve-wracking to say the least but I like the card a lot anyway.

Bobcats dont fear the nut.

Some people would say that this has no place in sports but come on its funny.

Betting With The Angry Old Man; Week 3

Short post this week, sorry for the lack of analysis. I'll have a complete run-down of the reasons why I'm completely right when I get 5 seconds of free time next week. (home team in CAPS; my picks in bold)

OKLAHOMA -16.5 v. Air Force

Nebraska -3 @ WASHINGTON

Alabama -23.5 @ DUKE

STANFORD -17.5 v. Wake Forest

ROAD DOGG OF THE WEEK:
Arkansas +2.5 @ Georgia

HOMER CALL OF THE WEEK:
WEST VIRGINIA -10 v. Maryland

- Grey Bush

Pigsking Prognosticator Week 3 Picks

Competition Record: 5-6-1
Hard Leans: 3-5
WVU: 0-1-1

Week 1: Competition Plays 1-4-1, Hard Leans 1-2
Week 2: Competition Plays 4-2, Hard Leans 2-3

Well, last week at least reassured me that I am seeing things relatively clearly. I went 4-2 in the competition picks and 2-3 on Hard Leans for 6-5 overall The shit of it is, I was 2-0 on my originally posted Hard Leans but my 3 adds through the week, including my drunken late USC add proved disastrous. Could have easily been 6-2 week instead of 6-5 but hey, if mom had a dick she'd be dad. I've waited longer to post this week and given that I will be drunk all day Saturday, there will not be any adds. And away we go.

1.) Illinois -7 vs No. Illinois: Being the college football junky that I am, I watched a good portion of No. Illinois' opener at Iowa State. They were dreadful then and didn't exactly reassure me last week in barely beating North Dakota. The Zookers are no world beaters but they should be able to cover this spot that I believe is a TD too low. Despite the intangibles that the Huskies bring into this game, the talent gap is just too vast.

2.) Navy -3.5 at La Tech: This may be a reoccuring theme for me as I see absolutely no reason to stop fading Sonny Dykes' disfunctional La Tech squad. Texas A&M covered easily vs this team, rushing for 216 yards The Middies may double that. Their close win over Ga Southern does not concern me.

3.) Utah St +5.5 vs Freson State: Two factors here. I think UTSU is the second best team in the WAC this season behind Boise and I believe this is a classic look ahead sandwhich spot for Fresno on the road with a game against SEC foe OLe Miss the following week. Pat Hill's team has a habit of beating or scaring the big boys and then laying an egg in conference play. They are also a completely different team on the road historically.

4.) Arkansas +2.5 at UGA: I think Arkansas will be in the mix in the West this year and to be there they will have to beat the Dawgs for the first time in 6 years. It's a tall order but with A.J Green out and the absurd wealth of talent the Hogs possess at the skill position, their opportunity to win a game in this series has never been better. They will score, it's just a matter of whether they can slow UGA.

5.) Tennessee +14.5 vs Florida: I thought Florida would be vulnerable this year and their pull away 38-14 win over USF did nothing to change that in my mind. 21 of the Gator's points were scored off turnovers, most handed to them by the walking turnover himself, B.J Daniels. If the Bulls had taken care of the football in this contest it would have been quite a game. Despite losing cash on the Vols last week when they were embarassed in the 2nd half against Oregon, I am willing to bite again. If they don't turn the ball over as they did last week, they should have a great chance to get inside this number. Having just played the speed of Oregon should help them as well.

6.) WVU -10 vs Maryland: Not sure I would have played this at -13.5 but I'll bite here. I'm not actually betting this game as I literally have no idea what will happen but I broke it down this way. Comebacks like the one last week can be the spark a team needs. Remember Louisville 2005? Ok ludicrous comparison I know as the Cards were a great team but we can hope that the magical comeback this year sets a similiar fire under the team. We've been searching for an identity and perhaps we found one as a pass first team that sets up the run through the air. I'm hoping, we'll see. Also, Maryland looked inept offensively against Navy and were extremely fortunate to win. (see Navy's clock management)

Hard Leans: (Games I'm wagering on that just missed the cut)

Indiana -12 at WKU: WKU might be the worst team in the country and despite IU's historical struggles they should have a potent offense this year. I believe they score in the 40s which should be enough to cover this with comfort. The thing that kept this off the competition for me was IU's 0-3-1 record ATS as a road favortie the last 10 years. It's certainly not a spot they are used to.

VT-19.5 vs ECU: Some will no doubt think I'm crazy but you have to understand what Vegas is selling here. Why in the world would they make Tech a 17 point fav over a team that plays them tough historically, right after they lost to a I-aa team? The answer? Vegas thinks that loss was an anomaly and they are betting on Tech to cover. Don't believe me? This line opened at -17 and 75% of the public is on ECU. That should make the line creep down toward 15, however it's gone up to 19.5. ECUs D is ridiculously porous. Tech will score at will and their D, while shaky, will get enough stops to hold an ECU team that has fattened up offensively on Tulsa and Memphis teams that simply play no defense. In fact, ECU was fortunate to cover for me last week. They beat Memphis by 22 but in doing so Memphis tturned it over on their first 3 possessions, all resulting in ECU TDs. This is going to be a public blood bath. Be sharp, lay the points with the Hokies. I wouldn't be shocked if the Pirates covered late in this one but the odds are with VT.

Notre Dame +3.5 at Michigan State: 3.5 is a key number in football wagering, specifically when betting a game that always seems to be a classic. In the last 10 yrs this game has been decided by more than a touchdown just once. In 3 of the last 5 years it has been decided by a FG. I believe had Crist not been out for the middle part of the game last week the result easily could have been diffferent. Also, an Irish defense, thought to be pretty weak, actually looked decent against Michigan in the 2nd half last week. I'll take the points and hope for another classic finish as I watch this prime time affair at Bugsys in Morgantown.

Shoeless week 3 picks

Well I need to rebound after last week's miserable picks.  I may have over thought these, but tried to put some extra time in.  Lets see how it goes:

WVU:  I was a bit shocked when this line came out at 13.5 and definitely would have taken Maryland, but I decided to wait for the line to come down, and even without the Doghouse Wonder Brandon Hogan, I am biting on WVU -10.

Tenn +14.5:  Home SEC team getting more than 2 TDs in a rivalry.  Oregon is that good, and Florida is that bad.  Remember, a USF team gave Fla a run for its money for 3 quarters at home last weekend and 21 their points were scored on turnovers.  I like BJ Daniels, but the kid doesn't have much around him and he is young enough to make big mistakes.

Hawaii +11.5:  Since I bet on them against a service academy on 9/11 and it worked, I might as well go back to the well.  Tim Brewster will probably be the first coach to be fired; can Slick Rick outlast Hawkins?

Bama -24:  could be a huge letdown game vs a Duke team thats throwing the ball around, and I wouldve rather had it a few points ago on the open, but I just cannot resist this line, or the chick at the top.  I mean pantyhouse and spareribs, thats what this tailgate is about.

Houston -3:  this is another one I feel like I am getting tricked into taking (and I know Keenum may be out), but Houston is looking so dominant and UCLA looks like Marshall versus anyone, but WVU.

Arkansas +2.5:  Ive flipped flopped more than Kerry on this one (editors note:  I voted for Kerry and stand by it to this day, I like ketchup).  Another road game in the SEC and the hogs havent played a legit opponent yet, but ya gotta think they outscore a freshman QB without his top target.

Tips For Showering by Derek Dooley

You can't make this shit up. From Pat Forde's 40-yard Dash.

Tennessee coach Derek Dooley (6) took micromanagement to new (and intimate) levels last week. He said he's coaching up his Volunteers on how to shower.

"We've had a few staph infections, so we did a clinic yesterday on proper shower technique and soap and using a rag," Dooley told the Knoxville News-Sentinel. "We put some new rags in -- y'all think I'm kidding, but I'm serious.

"We had, I told them, the worst shower discipline of any team I've ever been around. So we talked a little bit about application of soap to the rag and making sure you hit all your body. You know, you can neglect it trying to cut corners, and it shows in how you practice and elsewhere. I'm hoping we show some improvement in that."

Having surrendered three touchdowns of 70 yards or longer against Oregon Saturday, Dooley and staff might be better served recruiting some team speed than coaching shower protocol.

Arkansas RB Suffers "Bowel Injury;" Hilarity Does Not Ensue

Yeah, this sounds as bad as you think...

Arkansas' Dennis Johnson Suffers the Painful & Bizarre Bowel Injury [sbnation.com]
New Worst Football Injury Ever Discovered [cbssports.com]
Johnson Suffers "Bowel Injury," Undergoes Surgery ["The Hog Blog"]

If something like this ever happens to me, please just pull back the curtain and give me the pink syringe (sorry Barbaro).

- Grey Bush

Over Before it Began

Well, sadly the season only lasted two weeks this year.

Thanks to the new qualification threshold established by ESPN during the preseason and week leading up to the Boise/VT game for qualification into the national championship game (which is to beat the Virginia Tech Hokies), we can now cancel the rest of the college football season. Vegas has installed the James Madison Dukes as early 3.5-point favorites over the Boise State Broncos by virtue of their more convincing victory over Virginia Tech

Great season guys!!! Really looking forward to 2011!!!

Flying Potato-Week Three Picks

Maryland +13.5 @ WVU. With last weeks performance from out beloved Mountaineers I don’t think we can cover this spread.

UCONN-4 @ Temple. I still don’t think UCONN is that good but if they cant beat Temple by more than 4 the Big East is in BIG TROUBLE.

Alabama -22 @ Duke.

Nebraska -4 @ Washington.

Idaho -7.5 vs UNLV. I dont know why but I’m really digging Idaho against the spreads right now….

Navy -3.5 @ Louisiana Tech.

Wow yeah I know I just took 5 road teams out of my six picks but I have no faith in the home teams this week.

Recap/Look Forward

What was supposed to be a wild weekend for college football, turned out to be rather plain, outside of the Coal Bowl which was far too interesting for most WVU fans appetite.  I will have more on the Coal Bowl in The Email, so lets focus on the rest of the weekend.

Monster Matchups that were not:

It seems like every time we get amped up for a weekend of great matchups, they always fail to live up to expectations.  The truly great college football weekends are the ones that come out of nowhere to shock and amaze you.  This proved to be true for the much hyped afternoon games on Saturday.  The Notre Dame/Michigan game is the only game that lived up to the hype, but I would contend that outside of the Miami game, it was the only one that should have been hyped.  Not to say that I was not anxious to see the Alabama/Penn State and FSU/Oklahoma games, but I think most of us new ‘Bama would roll (no pun intended) and I at least thought Boomer Schooner would move on easily. 

I was highly disappointed in the play of Miami against Ohio State, and not simply because of my distaste of the Buckeyes; I thought that could be a hell of a game.  The problem is that for the last five years, the media has been cringing on every moment that they can declare the Hurricanes and Seminoles as “Back”.    I think both squads will have quality seasons this year, but they clearly are not at the top ten level that Oklahoma and OSU have been playing at for most of the past decade.  I would be surprised if these two do not compete for ACC’s BCS birth, but from now on, lets take it easy on the “they’re back!” comments until one of them actually beats somebody credible (i.e. Oklahoma or Ohio State).

Looking Forward:

Looking at week three’s schedule, it appears to be rather bland.  Lets hope the opposite of this weekend occurs.  I was quite impressed, though largely aided by many of the blowouts, that WVU was not only able to remain in the polls, but move up (#21 in AP and Coaches).  From top to bottom, there does not appear to be many potential losses in front of them that would aid in further movement.  Auburn receives a visit from Clemson, which should be a good game and LSU plays host to Mississippi State.  Dan Mullen’s crew looks poised to pull an upset somewhere this year, although hopefully not here as I would like to see the Mountaineers play an undefeated LSU in Baton Rouge. 

Iowa at Arizona, Arkansas at Georgia, and Maryland at WVU are probably the most interesting games in the top 25.   That being said, the best thing WVU can do is take care of business at home against a Terps team that appears to be an all around improved team.  If there was any concern of the ‘Eers looking past Maryland to LSU, there shouldn’t be now.  Clearly WVU has some things to work out, but thankfully Geno and his crew of WRs look to provide the best passing attack since the Bulger era.  I look for the Mountaineers to pitch the ball around a bit and win a close one at home to the Fridge.

Shoeless

WVU vs Marshall Pics

Ok so here is a link to the photos provided by ESPN, PLEASE check out the ones that do not have football player or coaches, pretty funny stuff.

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/photos?gameId=302530276

WVU drops Thundering Turd in bed, still better than Marshall

Last nights game went from bad to worse then worser then ok. As we all know our O-Line is down right atrocious, we made Marshall's D-Like look like the Pittsburgh Steelers out there. Not only could they not sustain a block they couldn't even figure out the damn snap count. Paging Rick Trickett; where are you when we need someone to land a solid right on someones chin? I don't know what we did all summer but it sure as hell wasn't strength training cause you looked like a bunch of pussies! Ok that's enough about the O-Line..get your shit together!

What really surprised me was the lack of pressure we put on the QB all night. It seems like there was so much talk about our experienced D-Line and how we were going to blitz more. If it were up to me and it obviously isn't Bruce Irving would be in there way more often...not just 3rd downs. Oh yeah Keith Tandy, you got beat deep......again. How the fuck are you still a starter are we that bad at the CB position that you got the job or does Stewy just not want to hurt your feelings?

Alright so what good came from this game. We beat Marshall again. Brandon Hogan looked like a stud, shedding blocks and making great open field tackles when we needed them late in the game. Eugene Smith showed us that we have ourselves one hell of a QB. A true sophomore in only his second start conducted two 90+ yard drives (96, 98) with 8 minutes left in the game is amazing. He was smart with the ball making good decisions and knew when to tuck it and run. Not to mention that TD pass and 2pt conversion were perfectly thrown passes (although it looked like the TD pass was going to sail into the 1st row when he released it).

The one thing I will say is that Marshall's punter is pretty good.

Well I'm ready to get my college football programing on! A ton of good games today and Josie is ready to start pounding beers so I'll be checking in randomly throughout the day. Happy watching college football fans!

West Virginia-Marshall Recapalooza!

Well, that was close...

Geno Smith looked like a star in the making tonight. His passing stats: 32-45-316-1-0, which was remarkable considering the constant barrage of pressure he felt from the Marshall blitz, which was aided by the spectacularly-awful play of his offensive line, which appeared to have more holes than a Singapore hooker.

One lost fumble aside, Noel Devine again did nothing to disqualify himself from Heisman contention 23-112-1, but without a breakout performance soon, he may find himself on the outside looking in to the Downtown Athletic Club come December. Let's just say he's not winning any awards with his relatively dull, workman-like performances.

Some instant analysis and recaps from around the interweb:

West Virginia Escapes in OT [ESPN | Big East Blog]
No. 23 WVU rallies, escapes Marshall upset in OT [ESPN.com]
Full Box Score [ESPN.com]
Smith, No. 23 WVU clip rival Marshall, 24-21 (OT) [SI.com]

Apparently the AP started writing their recap early and, forgot to change the team records:

"Brian Anderson threw three touchdown passes for Marshall (1-1) and the Thundering Herd appeared to have the outcome in hand after jumping ahead 21-6 early in the fourth.

West Virginia (1-1) twice drove more than 90 yards for a touchdown down the stretch, including Smith's 5-yard TD toss to Will Johnson with 12 seconds left. Smith then threw to Jock Sanders in the back of the end zone on the 2-point conversion try to send the game into overtime tied at 21-21."

Haha. Links from ESPN recap and SI recap.
(UPDATE: ESPN and SI have both updated their websites with the correct records.)

Also news of note from the Friends of Coal Bowl, Gov. Joe Manchin announced that the rivalry game would be extended for 10 more years, now to run through 2022. The sound you hear is the collective groan of Mountaineer fans everywhere. I personally do not think this rivalry is helping our program, but our play on the field has done little in recent years to lead anyone to believe that our program is on a different level than the Herd. As much as we don't want it to, don't expect this game to disappear from the WVU schedule for a looooooong time.

In other Mountaineer news, WVU legend Pat White signed a minor league baseball contract with the Kansas City Royals. Let me join the rest of Mountaineer Nation in wishing Pat the best of luck in his future endeavors in the MLB.

- Grey Bush

West Virginia-Marshall : Live on Twitter

Follow Team MVP Live on Twitter for the Marshall game!

Search: #WVUCalisthenics

Tailgatin in Thunderin Turd land

Pigskin and Shoeless are on their way. I've already put 3 sedans w/Marshall Mom stickers into the wall on 64. Bitches!

The Diaper Bag

FP, I am writing to you anonymously, due to my unbearable shame. Every team I have ever had comes up short on expectations. I don't get it. I recruit as well as anyone in the country, place players in the NFL, which I know quite a bit about BTW, and I think people like me. I tried to do the right thing by scheduling tough opponents this, but even that blew up in my face. I've found myself walking around town in a daze trying to figure out how to change my bad luck and I've even thought of shaving my, errrr I mean changing parts of my identity so people don't recognize me. What you suggest for a struggling coach like me? - Sleepless in Pittsburgh

First and foremost nobody likes you, they like your mustache and if you were to shave you could just kiss any career you hoped of having goodbye. Now as far as the high expectations I think you could start by looking past them and realizing you suck and your team folds like a lawn chair. Let’s face it your QB’s name is Tino….Tino, really? How do you expect to win with a guy names Tino. Now a name that rhymes with that is Geno and he is a winner and probably 10 times more athletic but he plays for WVU. So my suggestion is recruit QB’s that don’t sound like an extra in a River Dance production. As for the rest of the season I don’t care what you do as long as you loose.

I turned on the WV game saterday whilse driving round the woods in the ole Datsun. Figured me and the mys best coon dog rumpus could do some dat maltie tasking whilse hearing the game on the radio and come up with some supper. Was fresh out Milk Steak and mommas stories were on the teevee anyway. Now, I got so damn frubbergusted hearing that damn racket I coudnt catch me possum if i was hanging upside down in a beechnut tree! I nose that Devine feller is faster than a jack rabbit in matin season, so we must got a bunch of damn gooks down in trenchs pussing footing round. What in the name of Dale Jr is going to take to get that darned offensive line to block better than the choir ladies down to the baptist church? I tells ya, Id sure whoop up into shape If was working with em. - shoeless

Alright Shoeless lets not go getting our overalls in a bunch and maybe give some credit to the choir ladies at the Baptist church they were rating the #1 offensive line in the Baptist Church Football League 3 years ago. Now on to our offensive line I answered a question about this last week and apparently we were doing the wrong arts and crafts in the offseason. It was the first week and that shouldn’t be an excuse but I think that we should be ok and I expect Devine to have another 100+ yard rushing performance.

Dear good sir, in the wake of another stellar victory against college football's establishment, I would kindly like you to retract your ill-willed statements of days prior towards the fine institution of Boise State. Your cynicism of the little guy has blinded you to the true hidden gem of the west. Remember that it is the average Joe that makes America such a beautiful place to live. As a true Maverick, Sarah Palin, once said: "The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama's 'death panel' so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their 'level of productivity in society,' whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil." When are we going do away with evil speculation of the BCS that simply empowers the rich to get richer and leaves Middle America behind? Go Broncos! - IdahoPotato

Yeah I figured you’d be back Potatoe. Ok I’ll give you props you beat a probably overrated VT team but you also did so in what might as well have been a home game for VT but with more fans. And for the record what do you people do in Boise because some of your fans don’t know who Rick Flair is which is just absolutely mind-blowing seeing that these fans were roughly 23-30 years old men. Another thing you guys need to come up with some kind of cheer besides chanting “Boise State” which is pretty lame. As for the BCS I hope they continue to not let you in the national championship but I think everyone would love to see a playoff but that means you wont have all year to game plan for one BCS opponent. A few final thoughts: I still think your team is annoying and I hate the blue turf, and I also have a quote from Matt Chambers “the good thing about Idaho is there is a good looking girl behind every tree…problem is there isn’t any trees.”

Hey, how about that thrilling loss in Manhattan this week? I bet you cock suckers love losing to North Dakota State don't ya? I'm sure you all would love to have me back kicking the shit out those rat bastards from hood now. Hahahhaaha, you are all terrible people and I hope you live diseased lives while I refocus my life on dominating KFC joints all across the universe. Bitches! - Jabba The Hut Mangino, A galaxy far far away

Oh shit if it isn’t one of the most feared buffet eaters in all the land. I bet you almost had a heart attack when you saw that score, then again I’m sure you almost have a heart attack when you do anything….you have to be a ticking time bomb. If your going to loose to a 1-AA team, at least score 48 points like Ole’ Miss (Side note all of Jacksonville States ipod’s and laptops were stolen during the game). And I’m sure Kansas would love to have you back as a motivational speaker if nothing else. I hope that in your travels you still wear that bad ass velour track suit, the best part was it doubled as a weather balloon.

Fast-Food Burger Rankings

Someone finally came to their senses and wrote an article worth taking my time to read!

 

http://huff.to/afwC2j

 

Now that we've annointed In-And-Out and Five Guys as the burger champions, I am asking YOU, MVP Nation, who has the best fast-food burger. (Obviously The Thurman Cafe is in a category all its own and cannot be ranked here).

 

 - Grey Bush

The Email

Dear EFAs,

Well what a wild first weekend of football.  Props to this year’s I-AA team, Jacksonville State, to win against a good I-A, which appears as though it is becoming a trend similar to opening round march madness upsets.  Week one provided some other thrillers including, Pitt losing in OT, ECU winning on a hailmary in an Arena style game, and there was some game in DC on Monday too.  There also were some duds; Kansas losing to North Dakota St 6-3, wow.  There are many conclusions that could be made after week one, but this week will be more telling.  The lineup is littered with quality matchups that will test the nation’s top teams as well as plenty of decent challenges that will help reaffirm or negate other supposed truths coming from week one.  But first, lets reflect . . .

The whole world seems to be buzzing or, errr, arguing about the Boise/Tech game.  Fulfilling my blog and email reporting duties, I sucked it up and traveled over there to cover the big game (check here for our photo coverage).  I am sure all of you have heard the various debates and watched the game yourself, so I won’t recap the game, but here comes my buck O’five on it.

1.       Tech fans are angry people.  Saw numerous drunken Tech fans fighting people.  Not surprising you may say; probably will see that in Huntington this weekend.  Well they were fighting each other.  Not trying to insinuate that they all were, but I don’t think I have ever seen so many fans of the same team fight each other.
2.       Tech fans are loud.  Gotta give it up to them, that place was rocking.  When their team came out the building was shaking.  This makes the Boise more impressive to me.  Only louder stadium I have been to is Beaver Stadium up in Old Man Paterno Valley for an OSU night game.  Here is a reverie of that to make you smile, go to 9:15 mark.
3.       People get mad that Boise doesn’t play anyone.  No one will schedule a home and home with Boise and rarely will schedule them at all (who wants to pay them to get their ass beat?).  People then say, if you want to build your program, play anyone, anywhere.  They just did.  They won.  Deal with it.

a.       I do not personally think Boise is one of the top 2 teams in the country, but what is speculation worth?  A couple years ago people thought Michigan should play OSU in a rematch National Championship.  They also thought Notre Dame was a BCS team.  Uh yea, bout that.  Point is, if they go undefeated again, they deserve a chance to prove it.

4.       Did not like either of their Nike Pro Combat jerseys, but I am glad to see you can buy them.
5.       Beer is expensive in FedEx field.

Final comment and I’m done with Boise.  They cannot help that they play a WAC schedule no more than WVU plays a “Big Least” schedule.  If the Big Ten invited them, they would jump in a second, as they just did with the MWC, which unfortunately is losing their Utah contingency. 

Coal Bowl

Unfortunately, I am legally bound to not ripping on Ohio State this week.  It was part of the terms and agreements set forth by our tailgates good buddy “Buckeye Jack”, who kindly donated our entire allotment of tailgate t-shirts this year (see what kind of love can be brought out through unadulterated hatred of each other’s alma maters?).  Thankfully, OSU made it easy by steam rolling Marshall this past week, so there is nothing to really say outside of my normal obnoxiousness which will just have to wait for a week.  Don’t worry, I have stuff stored away.

I was really hoping to get an idea of what Doc’s offensive scheme will be.  It would be easy to say it would be similar to WVU’s, but I think that would be an unwise assumption.  For every comment that could be made about his lifetime recruiting coordinator roles, Doc is a well traveled coach who has seen his share of offense (re: Florida).  Well, we didn’t learn shit, other than Marshall might be completely inept on offense.  Granted they were playing in the Horseshoe, but I was still hoping they would have a few sustained drives and perhaps a scoring drive.  The question will have to remain until Friday night, were they that bad, was OSU that much better than them, or were they writing off that game in hopes to show WVU nothing?  I would bet on some combination of the three.

Too many people have put predictions around this game so I will be brief on my guesstimate.  Atmosphere will be great, a young WVU QB will make some early mistakes, the game will be close around half, but WVU’s defense will prevail and then the playmakers will show up when needed on offense.  WVU by 14.  Look forward to my first Coal Bowl outside of Motown.

Games to Watch

If you have been stuck on one show all week, glued to Jersey shore, then your thumbs may struggle this weekend (try this to catch up).  The 3:30 slate will test the wizards of remotes to keep up with the stellar matchups.  I know I will be yielding two remotes for two TVs; that’s four primary games via the last button and 2 off primaries.  The skill set most overlooked is knowledge of your channels.  Even the numbers you have mesmerized can slip a sharp mind when three different games are on at once.  My suggestion is to print the schedule and right channel numbers above.

3:30 slate in my order of preference:  Miami/OSU and FSU/OU on first TV (HD), Michigan/ND and Iowa st/Iowa on second (Teams of hate go on crappier TV).  BYU vs Air Force will be a good game to flip to in down times, especially at half.  Also wouldn’t mind catching BC for the Mark Herzlich.  Probably the only chance I will have to catch coverage of what will hopefully be the comeback player of the year, if he isn’t already.

The night caps may not be as competitive, but more range into the historically epic proportions.  Who looks older, Joe Pa or Bear Bryant?  Bear has only been dead for 27 years, so it may be closer than you think.  Oregon traveling to a rebuilding Tennessee after waxing New Mexico may look like a blow out, but that’s a long way to show up in Neyland.  Speaking of New Mexico, how many WVU fans still would prefer Mike Locksley over Bill Stewart?? Anyone? Crickets? 

Editors Note:  Even I cringe at making Joe Pa jokes, but it’s too easy sometimes.  No ill will intended, hope they don’t ever push him out.

Keep an eye on FSN, CBS college sports, and ESPN Cinco.  A bunch of games that may not catch your eye, but could get interesting.

Blog betting update:

The Grey Bush and Shoeless Hillbilly jump out to the early 3-2-1 lead, leaving Flying Potato and Pigskin behind at 2-3-1 and 1-4-1.  All pushed on WVU, all got LSU.  GB also picked up on Ohio State and Rich Rod .  Shoeless got Kentucky and Oregon St.  Always good luck going with the Beavers.

Check it out for this weeks ineptitude.

Enjoy the weekend folks,

Al

Flying Potato-Week Two Picks

Alright so last week wasn't great but it also wasn't a complete disgrace. As expected the first week proved to be hard to pick but now we all know how good these teams really are since they have a nice 1-AA team under their belt. Here are the Flying Potato's magic 8-Ball picks.

WVU -13.5 @ Marshall. Outlook not so good......for the Thundering Holidays that is. I agree with the Grey Bush when he says that WVU is better than they appeared in their first game and Marshall sucks. Hopefully in this second week test we will open the playbook up a little more and confuse the shit out of the Thundering Herd's Prop 48 defense.

Idaho +28.5 @ Nebraska. Dont Count on It......and by it i mean Nebraska winning by more that 4 touchdowns. I'm not saying this will be close, but this isn't your Father's Vandals team from years past, hell they even have Boise scared. I'll say Nebraska wins by 20.

Iowa -13.5 vs Iowa St. As I see it, yes....I know its a rivalry game but I think that this could be the year where Iowa finally lives up to the preseason hype. Unless Seneca Wallace shows up with another year of eligibility I think the Hawkeyes shouldn't have a problem covering the spread. (Note: If Seneca Wallace would come back I would expect this line to shift to favor Iowa St as he is currently undefeated in the Cy-Hawk series).

Stanford -6 @ UCLA. Signs point to yes....I normally try to stay away from Pac-10 games since that whole conference is a Jekyll and Hyde. One week a team may score 72 and the next they might not score at all. With that said I like Andrew Luck and I like his father even more.

Hawaii +3 @ Army. Outlook good. ...Seeing that I work and off shift I actually watched the whole Hawaii vs USC game to start the season and Hawaii looked pretty good. Now I know that USC's defense was absolute shit during that game, but it was enough to convince me that Hawaii's offense can outscore Army by at least 4....and get lei'd.

Texas A&M -19.5 vs Louisiana Tech. You may rely on it.......I like Jerrod Johnson and its a night game at Kyle Field. I don't see the Aggies having a problem covering this.

Betting With The Angry Old Man, Week Two

Posting my picks this early in the week is seriously cutting into my nap time, but if I want equitable lines, I'll have to make a sacrifice. Here's to more shut-eye later this week (my selections in bold)

Auburn -1.5 @ Mississippi State
Maybe this is a trap game for novice gamblers as Auburn has a reputation as somewhat of a powerhouse, whereas Mississippi State has been down for a long while. Regardless, I still like what Gene Chizik has done in his short time with the War Eagles, and think the Bulldogs may be a season or two away from a big breakthrough. I'll take the road favorite in what amount to a near pick.

Iowa State @ Iowa -13.5
Iowa is as solid a footbal team as you'll find across the midwest this season. Too much firepower in this one for the Cyclones to handle as the Hawkeyes host their in-state rivals to early-season tit-scrubbing.

Oregon -12 @ Tennessee
Oregon Neon Yellow > Tennessee Blaze Orange

Troy @ Oklahoma State -13.5
I don't see an offense as potentially explosive as Oklahoma State being held in check at home by a marginal Sun Belt defense. I like the Cowboys big.

ROAD DOGG LOCK
Michigan +3.5 @ Notre Dame
The Brian Kelly Experiment is off to a great start, but I'll maintain what I said last week: DickRod needs a HUGE season if he wants to stay in Ann Arbor, and can't afford to let many of these games slip away. Given the recent history of this series, we know that Notre Dame isn't going to win big (factoring out Rodriguez's debut 2008 campaign, which was Michigan's worst season in 100 years or something like that, Wolverine losses to Notre Dame have come by an average of less than 6 points).

The fact that no one should trust a Fighting Irish squad who looked suspect against a marginal Purdue Boilermakers only adds to my confidence that an explosive Wolverines offense that can strike at anytime is going to be too much for the BKE this year. Lay the points!

THE HOMER CALL OF THE WEEK
West Virginia -13.5 @ Marshall
Having seen both these teams in person last week, I have two observations: 1) The Mountaineers are better then last week's score would suggest; 2) The Thundering Herd is worse than last week's score would suggest. Nevermind that the much-ballyhooed WVU offense looked less-than-impressive against 3C (Coastal Carolina Chanticleers); as loyal follower of Team MVP, Buckeye Jack remarked that Marshall "may be a worse" than Coastal.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Buckeye Jack's name may or may not be an allusion to his favorite activity to engage in with his "weenus")

One thing struck me as odd/interesting as I sat through the drubbing in Columbus last Thursday: Marshall's entire squad is made up of players with names that you'd probably recognize from off-season recruiting in EA Sports NCAA Football (Brian Anderson, Antavious Wilson, Chuck Walker, to name a few).

I don't see last year's 2-point squeaker as a trend; the talent gap in the Coal Bowl is not shrinking. When you recruit on XBox and are fielding a squad of Mark Snyder retreads, What do you expect? Mountaineers roll.

Hard Leans
Miami, FL +9.5 @ The Ohio State University
Syracuse +14 @ Washington
Standford -6 @ UCLA
Mississippi @ Tulane +20.5
Georgia @ South Carolina -3

If I had actually watched any football or highlights this weekend, I'd probably be feeling a lot more confident about most of the leans. You live, you learn, you drink more beers.

Chalk.

- Grey Bush

The Tailgate Travels to DC!

The Tailgate couldn't pass up an opportunity to checkout the weeks biggest game.  Don't worry, we started many Lets Go Mountaineers and Eat Shit Pitt chants.  Click next to the slide counter to enlarge.

week 2 picks

Short post as I'm rolling back from Boise tittalating performance. A slideshow of game will be posted tonight.

About the only thing I agree w/the foreskin prognosticator on, is that I want the WVU line before it moves.
Wvu - 13.5

Hawaii +2 vs army
Lsu -10 vs vandy
Idaho +28.5 vs neb
Ga Tech -13 vs kansas. Ok agree here too. 6-3? Really?
Byu -1

Pigskin Prognosticator Week Two Picks

Competition record: 1-4-1
WVU record: 0-0-1
Hard Leans record: 1-2

It was a pathetic opening week for me, culminating in Boise destroying my most confident play of the week this evening. Disastrous start for Tech. The thing that still amazes me is that Tech was unable to consistently run the ball when they had to, instead doing an excellent job of passing to move the football. Nothing was more telling about Tech's night offensively than when they had the ball with under four minutes left with a chance to run the clock out with a few first downs late. The Hokie Oline simply could not push around a tired Boise defense, opting instead to pass on 3rd down to seal it when they could have run and at the very least run more clock. They had zero confidence in their workhorse backs ability to run the ball. In the words of Alex Trabek on celebrity Jeopardy, simply stunning. Kudos to Alan for vehemently disagreeing with me all week and for the most part being correct.

Now to the matter of digging myself out of the hole in this competition. In light of the circumstances of the past weekend, one could reasonably assume I'm up at 1 a.m. "on tilt" due to my losses of the past weekend. That's partially it, but moreover I wanted to get a few lines in before they moved against me.

From henceforth my picks will never again be titled using the word "Philanthropy"

Less analysis, hopefully more winners

1.) Miss St +2 vs Auburn: This pick will likely be unpopular this week. However, I loved what I saw from Miss St's passing game, all be it against a horrendous Memphis team. Conversely, Auburn still hasn't improved its defense from a year ago, giving up 26 points to an Arkansas State team that was breaking in a new QB. Auburn can score in bunches, however, freshman phenom qb Cameron Newton makes his first road start in what will likely be a hostile Scott Stadium. I also favor the coaching matchup between an emerging Dan Mullen and the much maligned Gene Chizik. I'll take the Thursday night home dog which is more often than not, a good bet. Hope to hear the cow bells all night.

2.) ECU -12.5 vs Memphis: Ahh yes the horrendous Memphis team mentioned above. They are in the midst of a QB controversy but have already named Cannon-Smith, son of Fred Smith (owner of Fed Ex who is offering to pay money to get Memphis in a BCS league) the starter despite the fact that he played far worse than his backup. Shocking news I know. Meanwhile ECU comes off a thrilling home win over Tulsa and while a letdown is a concern, they can light up the scoreboard and should be able to at least hold the putrid Tigers offense in check enough to cover this number. This spread will climb, which is why I want to get it in now.

3.) South Carolina -2.5 vs UGA: Georgia QB Aaron Murray is going to be a good one but the freshman may have a rough time Saturday in his first road start against the Gamecock's nasty defense. However, the true logic behind this pick is that I believe this is finally the year Steve Spurrier's team has a great chance to win the SEC east. (or at least finish second to Fla in close game) Stephen Garcia is a solid QB and they have always had great skill people. The question has been the offensive line and the ability to give Garcia time to throw. I think I saw enough against a decent Southern Miss team to indicate the line may be a strong this year. This is a must win league game for both squads in week 2. I will take the Sr QB at home vs the Fr QB on the road at an under fg line every time.

4.) Texas A&M -18.5 vs La Tech: Not a lot to say here. The Techsters are having a very difficult time picking up Sonny Dykes' system as evidenced by their pathetic 20-6 victory over a woeful Grambling State team. They now roll into College Station to face Jerrod Johnson and Co. I had this spread at -28. Should get damn ugly.

5.) Bama -10.5 vs Penn State: I know Alabama will likely have Mark Ingram sitting out this game due to injury but I imagine they will do just fine with Trent Richardson taking the bulk of the carries. True freshman Rob Bolden makes his first road start in Bryant-Denny Stadium and a slow start similar to last week's 7-3 deficit at the end of the first quarter to Youngstown State will likely bury the Nittany Lions. I look for Saban's defense to overwhelm this young qb, holding the PSU scoring in the 10-14 range, allowing for a relatively comfortable cover.

6.) WVU -13.5 at School that will not be named: This line is going to climb and getting it under 2 TDs is the sole reason I'm sacrificing sleep to post at the ungodly hour that has now surpassed 2 a.m. However, I'll be furious if that becomes a factor. I won't use logic or compare matchups here. The spread could be -100 and I would take WVU. I hate this school and it's delusional fans with their inferiority complexes worse than anything in sports. I hope they go 0-12 every year and we can't beat them bad enough to suit me. 81-0, 92-6, whatever, let's make it worse. I'm waking up the ghosts of the 1915 WVU coach Sol Metzer and vowing to "eat my own hat if this sad Marshall team scores a point"

Best of the Rest: (Games I will also be wagering on that just missed cut)

Hard lean: SMU -12.5 vs UAB: The Mustangs ran into a buzz saw at Texas Tech yet managed to rally for the backdoor cover and look impressive offensively doing so. They return home to face a UAB team that was beaten at home by Florida Atlantic.

Hard Lean: Michigan +4 at Notre Dame: It appears Rich has found a QB and there is no doubting the incredible speed the Wolverines possess. They certainly passed the eye test in week one. The defense even looked decent. On the other hand, Notre Dame didn't exactly look like world beaters against a less than stellar Purdue squad. I'm going with the coach that is much further along in his rebuilding process. Regardless of the outcome, let's all just pray for some sort of horrific natural disaster at Notre Dame Stadium.

Hard Leans added Wed afternoon: (games I will wager on that didn't make cut)

Hard Lean: Miami +9.5 vs Ohio State: Upon further reflection screw it, the U is back! Seriously, Miami is healthy, and so is Jacory Harris. He was virtually unstoppable early last season before getting dinged up. I look for him and Terelle Pryor to go tit for tat in a classic game.

Hard Lean: Tennessee +13.5 vs Oregon: First of all Oregon is getting waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much credit for a laughably easy win over a hapless New Mexico team. This line should have been 7 or 8 and was inflated due to that beating. Secondly, I love the angle of of UT's defensive coaches having recent experience scheming for Oregon. UT's new defensive coordinator served in the same roll at Boise the last two years, shutting down the ducks in the process.

Drunken add on Saturday evening: Hard Lean: USC -19.5 vs UVA: I expect the trojans to play better this week, looking for late night action and UVA is dreadful.

Games I agonized over but couldn't pull trigger on:

Tulane +21 vs Ole Miss: So let me get this straight, Tulane beats their I-aa foe, Ole Miss loses to theirs and yet the Green Wave is a 21 point home dog? Gambling is never that easy from a logical standpoint. I must be missing something.

Ga Tech -13 at Kansas: Kansas was embarrassed at home in their opener, losing 6-3 to North Dakota State. Georgia Tech dispatched their I-aa opp 41-10 but the defense appeared shaky and trigger man Joshua Nesbitt is the lone remaining piece of that vaunted option attack from a year ago. I'm too afraid Turner Gil will summon a spirited effort from his team which is probably already being left for dead in Lawrence.