Wednesday Chores; breaking up your hump day

Written by Grubby | 23 September 2009

I got a message from a Buffalo that said "I could have a list of things to do on Wednesdays, but it most likely would get lost in the couch cushions."

Well, my hairy friend, here's three more for your list.

1 - Go read how Deadspin has Sean Salisbury going nuts again.  This time with threats and encouragement.

2 - Watch a UT assistant coach steal a homemade sign from a poor Gator lady. (via EDSBS)  Though Bruce Feldman says it isn't David Reaves.

3 - Bid adieu to Patches.  (Or keep fixing it, whatever you like)

Make Money, Bet the Opposite

Written by Josh Cohron | 23 September 2009

I used to gamble on college football. I was awful. Actually, I was so awful that people started betting the opposite I did and made decent money that way. So, if I did still bet, these would be my bets for the upcoming weekend. Bet against me and make a lot of cash.

• Florida (-21.5) @ Kentucky: Sure, the Gators didn't drub the Vols last week like everyone assumed they would. Does that really matter? No. Florida and Tennessee is still a rivalry game, seeing as neither team has a 20+ game winning streak against the other. Both Florida and Tennessee share such streaks against Kentucky. The national media has been talking about how the Gators aren't as great as previously hyped; don't think Urban Meyer hasn't heard them. Gators drub the Cats, 62-10.
• Mississippi (-3.5) @ South Carolina: The Rebels have a very lofty rating and are facing their first real test of the season. Since this game is being played on a Thursday night, the whole country will be watching. This is a fact that Ole Miss coach, Houston Nutt, will not let his players forget. The Rebels should come into Columbia ready to roll, while Steve Spurrier will probably be coming straight from the 18th green to the stadium just in time for kickoff. Rebels roll the Cocks, 38-17.
• Miami @ Virginia Tech (+3): This is a classic letdown game for the Hurricanes. For over a week going into this game, all the players will have heard, "The U is back!" It seems, lately, that Miami plays better when they are the underdogs. Also, don't forget that Oklahoma the week after this game. Can the 'Canes play at a high level for four straight weeks? I say no. Expect the crowd in Blacksburg to be one of those classics from earlier this decade and the energy will be too much for Miami. Hokies win a good one (as good as an ACC game can be), 24-20.
• Washington State (+45) @ USC: Yes, USC is going to come out playing extra hard after losing last week to an awful Washington team, but they still may have to start Aaron Corp if Matt Barkley's shoulder isn't fully healed. Of course the Trojans are going to win, but I don't trust a healthy Aaron Corp or a banged up Matt Barkley to score enough points to cover 45 points. Plus, USC and Cal play next week in what will probably be the Pac-10 championship game. Pete Carroll will do enough to win by a lot, but not by six TDs. Trojans get nasty with the Cougars (hey now!), but not enough to cover, 38-10.
• Iowa @ Penn State (-10): This has all the makings of a rout: Iowa was Penn State's only regular season loss last year (revenge game), first night game at Beaver Stadium (crazy, drunken Nittany Lion fans), Kirk Ferentz coaching Iowa (most overrated coach in America), Penn State needing to help the Big 10's image on national TV (if they lose, let's just cancel the Big 10's 2009 season). Joe Pa's Lions beat the Hawkeyes like they caught them trying to steal his dentures, 45-13.

In case you couldn't understand by this point, this gambling "advice" should be used only for entertainment purposes. Besides, there are only four states in the US that allow gambling!

What Did You Learn About Your Team In Week Three?

Written by Ian | 22 September 2009

After blanking Miami Ohio on a neutral field the University of Kentucky football Wildcats had two weeks to prepare for Louisville.  Maybe next time the Cats shouldn't take off two weeks. 

Kentucky came out and scored a field goal early in the game and then promptly gave up a quick touchdown.  They appeared to be on the verge of taking over the game in the first half after a 100 yard Locke kickoff return for touchdown and a good drive that culminated in John Conner plunging in from the two.

Then the wheels fell off.  Kentucky ran what Rich Brooks was quoted this week as saying "the worst two minute drill we've had since I've been (at Kentucky) and possibly the worst on any team I've coached."  The half ended when a time clock operator error (the HOME field clock operator) failed to start the clock on a short passing play.  The result was the referees running off the final 15 seconds of the half, keeping Kentucky from kicking a field goal at the buzzer.

Read more...

College Football: Week 3 Recap

Written by Josh Cohron | 21 September 2009

Let's take a look back on a weekend of college football that left a lot to be desired...

• For the second year in a row, USC lost after beating Ohio State. The Trojans went to Washington and lost to their former offensive coordinator and now Huskies head man, Steve Sarkisian. The Trojans were without QB Matt Barkley and FS Taylor Mays, but there is just no excuse for this loss. USC's second string should be able to beat a roster of Ty Willingham's recruits. No one will ever argue how great of a recruiter Pete Carroll is, but some of his decisions make you scratch your head during games. Unless a lot of teams lose, USC looks to be out of the BCS title picture... again.
• Charlie Weis just barely held onto his job for another week. The Irish eked one out against Michigan State (who had been beaten by Central Michigan the week before) 33-30 on Saturday. If they hadn't been able to hold on, many speculate that Weis might be in the same boat that roughly 12% (a stat I made up) of his countrymen are in, the unemployed one. The Irish will most likely be without WR Michael Floyd for the rest of the season and everyone's favorite Clausen named Jimmy may not be at full strength when ND travels to Purdue this week.
• Another Big 10 team lost to an awful football team. This week, Purdue decided to lay down against Northern Illinois... at home. For a conference needing all the good publicity it can get, losses like this certainly don't help. The only shot the Big 10 has at getting a team in the BCS title game is for Penn State to go undefeated. A one-loss team from this awful conference absolutely will not be in the running.
• Tennessee fans felt a lot better after watching a loss. No one likes to admit a loss is a good thing, but the Vols surprised almost everyone in The Swamp on Saturday. They were coming off a loss to a mediocre UCLA team, were (at least) 4 TD underdogs and their head coach had made some less than flattering comments about the Gators in his short college career. They played extremely well, considering the circumstances, holding the Gators to 23 points. UT's next three games are all at home, and should be on the good side of .500 before heading to Tuscaloosa in about a month.
• Kentucky fans don't know what to think after beating Louisville. Most people I talked to before the UL/UK game assumed the Wildcats would absolutely throttle the Cardinals. Justin Burke played well at QB for Louisville and almost snuck into his hometown and got a win. Is Kentucky any good? Who knows? They host #1 Florida and #3 Alabama the next two weeks. They will then travel to South Carolina (Steve Spurrier has never lost to Kentucky) and Auburn. It could be a while before Cats fans see another win.
• Michigan did what was needed to beat Ron English's Eastern Michigan squad. Was it pretty? Not really. Did EMU have the ball twice as long as the Wolverines? Yes. But, those numbers may be skewed a bit as the Wolverines had three offensive drives that lasted 41 seconds or less. Rich Rodriguez's team is 3-0 and the talk of violations seems like ancient history. It's amazing what winning can do for a program, especially when the Wolves won 3 games total last year. Indiana comes to town Saturday, so 4-0 appears to be likely in Ann Arbor.

Week 4 brings us another slate of games that we'll watch just because there is nothing else on. There is only one matchup pitting ranked teams against one another, but it's football, so we'll take it.

TPS Week 3; "Duck and Cover!"

Written by Grubby | 18 September 2009