Tomorrow's picks

Virginia Tech -28
Boston College College -20
Flordia St -18
Bowling Green -1
Central Flordia -6
South Flordia +8

Last college football week, I was 3-0. Hopefully, I'll go at least 4-2 this week.

Sorry for stuttering college, college!

Let's have a little fun with the College football championship game. The line is Miami -9.5 over Nebraska. So which monger will come closest to predicting the final result and thus be given the First Undisputed College Knowledge Award (FUCKA)? Since it's the first contest of its kind, you could say it's the Mother Fucka.

My prediction: Miami 38 Nebraska 17 (i.e. Miami covers and total points is 55). Reason: I haven't seen a college football team this dominant in a while (some expert, aren't we all, said nine Miami starters will be immediate starters in the NFL next year). Plus, I didn't like what I saw while Nebraska got blown out at Colorado.

So who will be a better Mother Fucka than me? Let's hear your predictions. Judge Ootie (I know, I'm a J.O.) will make the final decision and present the award in a dramatic Internet ceremony before he continues to fade off into the sunset.

A But would love to see a close exciting game instead kind of guy,

Out-of-Towner

Miami 51 Nebraska 34

Nebraska 72
Miami 6

That is after 11 Miami starters are arrested for various felonies the night before the game. Oh wait, Jimmy Jihnson isn't coaching there any longer, is he?

Miami 31, Nebraska 10.

Miami wins decisively, in spite of the fact that over half the team was nearly late for the game. Details are cloudy at this point, but it seems that the involved players were delayed by an unusually long line at the Tijuana border crossing. Rumor has it they were sampling some of the more sordid aspects of the nightlife south of the border, and were just barely able to make it back to Pasadena by kickoff time.

You heard it here first.

I'm predicting an upset. I think Nebraska wins 31 to 24. This will be like a home game for Nebraska because of all the fans that came to Pasadena for the game. Went to the Rose parade today and saw absolutely NO Miami people whatsoever, There was red everywhere.

34-0 at the half. Looks like none of us will be close, unless Nebraska puts some points on the board in the second half.

Early in the fourth quarter: 34-14. Hey Farsider, if it ends this way, we'll both win the Gold Medal!

A Those missed extra points always come back to haunt me kind of guy,

Out-of-Towner

Ootie... 37-14 final. I'm putting a contract out on Miami's field goal kicker.

Seriously... that was a pretty good call!

Ootie - Gold Medal
Farsider - Silver Medal (not too shabby either)
Bullitt - Bronze Medal

All please rise for the playing of the United States National Anthem!

A Hope to see a lot more gold for Americans in February also kind of guy,

Out-of-Towner

Steve Spurrier coach of Univeristy of Florida resigns per espn.com. On to the pros....One of the more innovative college coaches...wonder how he will do in the NFL?

Can you say "Chargers"?

I can't stand Spurrier personally, but he can coach. The Chargers would be fortunate to get him...his specialties are QB development,an innovative offense & making an ass of himself in no particular order. The odds are 50/50 that he goes to the Chargers.

Sad day for Gator fans, but good news for Vol fans!

After Mike Reilly(nice Guy), Steve Spurrier(Asshole) would seem to make sense.
When you are dealing with assholes(many pro players) you need a really tough SOB to coach them. Spurrier's picture is next to SOB in the dictionary.
I would bet many college coaches are smiling today.

Ben,
Not just coaches, the SEC football fan boards are buzzing away. The Dawgvent (Georgia) & Volquest (Tenn) are especially busy...Before Spurrier FU (as we like to call it here in the south) was barely a .500 team.

As much as I despise the guy, he would have turned Ryan Leaf into a ProBowler...No telling what he could do with the talent the Chargers have now...But the Chargers are just one team among many bidding for Spurrier (AKA, Visor Boy).

My concern, as an Oklahoma alumni, is that Bob Stoops has already been mentioned as a potential canidate to replace him at FU.
Use to be asst. coach at FU, seems to have learned allot from Spurrier, and even wears a visor sometimes.

Jim Donnan's available...grin...seriously, most folks here believe if Stoops leaves OU, little brother takes over the Sooners.

I don't understand why Stoops would leave Norman where he has resurected a program thought to be past its prime to follow a legend in Gainsville...He is bound to disappoint Gator fans unless he wins as often and as convincingly as Spurrier did..whereas in Norman he is THE MAN!

I like the way you think Ezy. I hope you are right.

Stoops is second to Spurrier in salary,at least that was true a year ago(Stoops 2 Million and Spurrier 2.1 Million).

Money is probably not the issue, but Stoops is going to have a problem holding together his coaching staff and I would think recruting to FU easier than OU.

oil + cattle $$$= no problema matching salary. You are right, if Stoops leaves the issue will not be money....You also correctly observe that Florida is an easier sell to recruits than is Oklahoma I've been to Norman in Jan. Not exactly paradise. But I have also been to Lincoln, Neb....it is worse than Norman and they seem to do ok with recruiting.

Mike Stoops was quoted yesterday as saying that this will be a very hard decision for his brother to make....we'll see.

On another note:It seems odd to be discussing something other than women on this board! I've never been to TJ, but I read your posts. Be careful with favoritas, they can break your heart.

One already has(and it is still mending), which is pretty ridicleous for an old guy like me.

I will never let that happen again.

Now back to more important things like college football.

Norman in January never gets lower than maybe 10-15 degrees above 0, but that North wimd coming out of Canada at 35 MPH is what makes it a killer.
Only thing slowing down the wind is a bobed wire fence some where in Kansas..
I will never forget mornings as a kid standing out in a pasture unloading feed for cattle with wind cutting right threw you like a knife.
So cold your ears felt like they would break off.

Florida is hot and humid in the summer, guess what so is Oklahoma.

Left Norman for CA in 1967 and never missed the weather, but really nice people in that part of the country.

The guy that took over for Bud Wilkinson(early 60's Gomer Jones, yes Gomer) at Oklahoma lasted 2 years. Wilkinsons big claim to fame 47 staight wins in the mid 50's. No one ever has come close.

Maybe Stoops will consider the problem of taking over for Spurrier, but I don't think Bob Stoops lacks the confidents. Stoops has 4 more years on his current contract at Oklahoma.

Where did you read about his brother's statement regarding dicision?

RE: Favoritas...ditto, amigo, on all counts...a 22 year old broke my heart(she's in the gallery section under Argentina, Luz). still mending, rediculous for an old guy like me, never do that again...or so I tell myself...

Hey, you are writing about football on the eve your your big threesome? Threesomes sound like a good way to help an old guy move on...hope you have 100mg Viagra...

Sorry, I can't remember where I read the Stoops quote..it was from a link off the Dawgvent to either an Oklahoma or Florida paper.

RE: Current contract...my source, one of the gossip mongers on the Dawgvent, says there is no buy out clause in Stoops contract. He's free to leave. I'm sure you can trust a guy with a username like ElvisinOKC (my source).

found the link...

http://espn.go.com/ncf/news/2002/0104/1305851.html

Ezy,

Thanks for the information.

Only 20 hours until blast off.

Assuming Peri Mason's friend is presentable and dressed well(some of younger girls wear only blue jeans) I am planning on going back to La Espanada's for Margarita's and steaks.

These girls are going to need their strength.

Go Ducks.

Will Guys, it seems a reather appropriate time to bring up the subject of college football.

Harvard of the southwest (Oklahoma) is picked by many as the number 1 team this year. Many claim their defense will be better this year than last year. I doubt this claim, but I do think they will have an excellent defense and if the offense is just a little bit better than average they could have a run at numero uno.

Miami also seems to be the other popular choice.
Miami has, as usual, an easy schedule. Big East Conference

The shock over the weekend was how close Iowa St. came to knocking off Florida State...How often do you see the Seminoles fumble away a 31-7 lead, and to the Cyclones?...Weird...

Ben, Oklahoma's schedule is tough but not brutal...It includes S. Florida, UTEP, and Tulsa...Toss in Missouri, Baylor, and Oklahoma State and you are locked into 6 wins already...You guys also miss K-State...and (gasp!) Nebraska!?!...

Texas and Texas A&M will be away from Norman, but you get Alabama and Colorado at home...

At QB, the jury is still out on Hybl, and White is unproven...we'll see...

YoungBrig

You nailed it YB.

Quarterback was their problem last year and I think it will be the same this year.

I always felt that White was better than Hybl, but White missed the last (I think) four games when he had to have knee surgery.

Texas and Colorado are definitely going to be their toughest games. Texas A&M also tough, particularly playing at College Station, Texas.

Texas and Oklahoma ranked up in the top five, reminds me of when I was in college. Going to Dallas for the OU/Texas game sometimes decided the national champion.

Man what a great party weekend in Dallas. I had a buddy get thrown into jail on a Friday for getting into a fight with some Texas guys. The cops were cool and after a few hours of letting them all sober up, let them go with no fine, ticket. etc.
As they were walking out of the police station they started fighting again and the cops threw them all back in jail until Sunday afternoon.

i wouldn't run to the window with any of these but can kansas be so bad as to get 21 points from iowa state. mississippi state plus 8 seems a little inviting as well--don't these guys always have a great defense. i like the good defense plus points angle.
so i'll take kansas and miss state and hold my breath. nice to see football back.

Sampson:

Oregon's new QB Fife will probably be a gunslinger like Harrington...Belloti's system is such that probably Milkman could step in at QB and throw for 180 yards...Mississippi St. will be a long way from home and will find that Autzen Stadium in Eugene is loud, raucous, and a tough place to play...

I would stay away from this one...

YoungBrig

thanks YB, why didn't you tell me to stay away from kansas?

What an Exciting Game with Michigan.
That Field goal kicker will be getting laid tonight.
He now has the title of Tough Guy !!!

Milky

Milkman:

Wow, what a tough loss for Washington...Horrible call on the 4th and 2 incomplete pass which would have been game-over, and then 12-men on the field after an incomplete on 3rd and 10 with 6 seconds left-- which gave Michigan an extra 15 yards...

Even at that, Michigan's field-goal kicker hitting from 44 yards is like me heaving up a 40-footer and getting nothing but net with Gary Payton in my face...

Neuhiesel looked like a ghost after the game...This one will hurt for a while...

YoungBrig

Sampson:

I should have...Iowa State is on the rise-- witness their performance last week vs. Fla St.-- and Kansas is really struggling these days...

I don't feel good about any of the Sun-Mon games...Kentucky is a *possibility* at +12 in rivalry game at Louisville, but I am staying away from Va-Tech/Lsu...

Regarding Auburn/So.Cal, my *theory* is that Auburn does not have what it takes to come out to the West Coast and defeat the Trojans, but SC is so damned unpredictable-- altho they finished hot last year and have everyone back...another *possibility* at -7 1/2...

YoungBrig

I really like Arizona St. laying the 3 points against C. Florida...The East Coast seems to be enamored with everything Florida in regards to football, but what C. Florida will find is that even "marginal" ASU teams can be pretty damn tough in Tempe on a Saturday night...This line should have been much larger than -3...

As for Miami/Florida, stay away!!...This one can be argued either way, altho this will no doubt be your only opportunity of the year to get Miami and points...Zook appears to have things cranked-up in Gainesville, but Miami is not the consensus national #1 for nothing, obviously...

Alabama-Okalahoma, you ask?...This line at Okla-12 is probably too small...Alabama struggled mightily last week against Middle Tennesse St. at home...Take Oklahoma and lay the points...

A rather intriguing matchup will be WAC power Boise St. traveling to Arkansas...rest assured that the Broncos will not get any calls in Fayetteville, but remember that they came within 30 seconds of defeating Wisconsin in Madison a couple of years back-- in other words, those Idaho guys aren't necessarily intimidated by traditional-power, big-conference surroundings...

YoungBrig

Okay here's my two cents for Saturday.

Lay the points with Cal. over New Mexico St. Even though New Mexico St. typically surprises the big conference schools, Cal is the most underrated team in Pac 10. Cal -13 1/2

Don't call me homer but take the points with SDSU. This is a different football philosophy from years past. They should show respectably in Boulder. SDSU + 21 1/2

gb

Jeez! Can you gamblers even watch sports for the enjoyment of it, or is it all just point spreads and over/unders?

-Superman-

Bye bye Heisman for Rex Grossman. What a crappy performance.

Miami played poorly and still whipped the Gators in the Swamp.

Bama had OU on the ropes late in the 4th quarter ... you guys are crazy to bet on this stuff.

Spend your money on whores.

-Superman-

can you bet on whores?--yeah i guess you can stand outside of ab and bet on the over/under time a chica takes from the sidewalk and back. you could also watch to mongers go up at roughly the same time and wager on which one returns first. i guess you could watch tonya for a whole shift and bet on her over/under for trips upstairs. great idea supes, i think i'll start my own little caliente booth out there.

Oklahoma got their ass kicked in the second half.

I think, what little chance they had to win a national championship went down the drain when they lost an average QB and now have to go with Hybl at QB. This could be a great team if they had a good QB.

Great defense, but they were really tired by the fourth quarter.

Also OU gave up on the run early and they need to use Kewan(sp?) Jones and Works more in the backfield.

By the way, I probably don't know what I am talking about, as Bob Stoops is now considered one of the best coaches in college football.

Superman:

I decided a few years back that Sports-betting is an inevitably losing proposition, so actually you are preaching to the choir here...

I follow the college lines because they are often so interesting in their size and volatility relative to the NFL...Case in point: Everyone knew that Ohio State was going to kick Kent St.'s butt this weekend, but toss in 28 points and its like, who knows?...

Its also not uncommon to see a spread move 5-7 points in a week, unlike NFL lines with their 1/2-1 point movements...

I like the College game for all of the right reasons: the Color, the Bands, the long game times and high number of plays (relative to the overly-programmed NFL), and-- oh yeah-- those hot 18 and 19-yr old College Cheerleaders!!...

YoungBrig

Ben: Couldn't help but think about you and your mighty Sooners as that Alabama game unfolded...I figured that Alabama would not top 200 yards but they actually wound-up outrushing OU and also topped OU in first downs, 14-12...Total yardage for the Tide was 288...

And now, White is out for the year...They may be better-off with veteran hand Hybl, anyway...

But bottom line, OU needs to get that ground game cranked-up...Obviously, the defense will be there...But you guys cannot rely on Hybl to win you ball games once you get into conference...Teams like Colorado and Texas will dare Hybl to beat them with the pass...

YoungBrig

Unfortunately you are right YB.

I think they will have a good season with two or three losses and play in some lesser bowl game.

Miami seems like the real deal, even though they lost some great players to the NFL.

No wonder Spurrier left Florida.

Okay:

I like:

1. Toledo plus the 7 1/2 at Minnesota...Toledo arguably the class of the MAC and traditionally competes well up and down the Big 10...Why they are getting a touchdown here is beyond me...

2. Brigham Young minus the 14 at Nevada...The Mormon Boys have really got things cranked-up this year and Nevada has been a sadsack for over two years now...This line is too small...

3. Indiana plus the 18 at Kentucky...The Wildcats beat Louisville to start the season and suddenly they are laying 18(!) against rival Indiana?...This line is way-off; expect a competitive game...

4. Northwestern minus the 6 at home versus Duke...Duke getting way too much respect on the road against a Big 10 team...Northwestern doesn't have the horses this year, but Duke has even less in the stables...

Miscellaneous observations:

Notre Dame is getting points at home (+5 1/2), which is always tempting, but...Michigan is probably stronger...

If you are wondering why Boise St. is only laying 6 at Wyoming, its because their QB Dinwiddie is out with an injury...

Colorado only laying 2 1/2 vs. So.Cal?...My gut feeling is that even facing a back-up QB, the men of Troy will wilt in Boulder...And I hate to say that, really...

Wazzu getting 7 at Columbus...Like they say, the Bakery is closed, you fetching Cougars...No more cupcakes...

YoungBrig

Halftime score from East Lansing: Cal 25, No. 15 Michigan State 0...

This is not a misprint...What is up with those fetching guys from Beserkley?...Perhaps Jeff Tedford is the answer, after all...

YoungBrig

Lemme guess, YB, you had your Tommy Ho(l)mo(e) shrine built next to the Adelman one?

Bend over Nebraska!

Porker:

That's good...

Holmoe was the ultimate goodguy/family man-- who simply could not win in Strawberry Canyon...I get up to about 3 or 4 Cal games each year, and I can tell you that Holmoe worked his butt off; but there was never any payoff for his efforts...I still feel really bad for him...

Adelman?...Give him Kobe and Shaq and he'll win a title, too...

YoungBrig

Obviously Berkeley's a tough place to win, as no top recruit wants to go to a losing program, and for all their little victories and isolated incidents of success they can never get a tradition going, something a guy like Willingham or Holtz would have had a hard time changing. Ken Dorsey grew up literally in their backyard, and do you think for a SECOND he ever considered going there?

But if Stanford can compete with their academic requirements... Sometimes W's and L's talk very loudly. There was a time when I too thought Holmoe might be able to turn things around.