Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ . . . keep these games a rollin’.
Another weekend come and gone, another 4 to 1 correct prognosticatory ratio.
Thank you, thank you, vury much. Really, hold your applause, please.
Houston lifted off, though it was down to the last nanosecond what with the possibility that the whole mission would be scrapped. Surprising North Carolina continues to beat up on any league foe in its path. The Cards again survived a see saw affair at Papa J’s.
And the Wildcats, bless their coach’s dithering (in)competence, lost on a play that doesn’t even work on the sandlot where it was invented. The old I Hear My Mom Calling Me For Dinner play, which always ends up with a lonesome end untouched, crossing the goal line with the pigskin nestled in his arm, the nearest defender yards away and embarrassed.
So, yeah, I got those all correct.
Only Baylor proved that maybe that frosh QB needs some seasoning, and that they’re not quite ready for prime time. Also underscoring that Seedy K, your pigskin prediction pontiff, is far from perfectamundo. (Except for Week IX.)
The 4-1 weekend makes me 17-3 for the last four Saturdays, 36-19 for the entire campaign.
We got us some biggies this coming Saturday, pigskin pals, so let’s get this party started.
Michigan State @ Ohio State. So, I was out to dinner with some pals the other night. One’s son graduated from THE Ohio State University, and, for some unfathomable reason, dad was actually wearing some chenille adorned Buckeye jacket he was given. When we walked in the restaurant, the manager looked at him, and immediately barked “O-H,” to which my friend instinctively responded, “I-O.” Gag me with a friggin’ spoon. The denizens of the Horseshoe are undefeated, but, while nobody seems to mention it, look a whole lot like last year’s Florida State defending champion. Which is to say underwhelming. Against a rather pedestrian lineup of opponents at that. Come Saturday, the Scarlet & Gray will have to finally prove their worth on the gridiron. Sparty is wounded, having succumbed on a jive hummer from the refs by a wafer thin digit week before last to the Huskers. But they be itching for redemption. The schools have split their last four battles. Green winning in Columbus and in the B10 title game, while the Buckeyes twice scored Ws in East Lansing. Pope Urban’s minions are a substantial overdog. Methinks Sparty is ready to pull off their own Trojan Horse thing, throwing the whole Final Four scenario into a chaos unlike anything Condolleeza Rice has ever seen, even in the aftermath of 9/11. Biggie and Duffy shall be smiling in the great man cave in the sky.
North Carolina @ Virginia Tech. The kid may be rollin’, but the Tar Heels, those baby blue all of a sudden really competent footballers, have been steamrollin’. Nine in a row since an opening weekend L to the Gamecocks, whompin’ up its foes with a 24 ppg margin. They’ve topped 50 thrice, and tallied 66 against reeling rival Duke. Larry Fedora, Coach of the Year? There certainly are a lot more improbable possibilities. Many of you are more than ready to note that the Hokies are 5-5, that their once formidable coach has lost his mojo, and that Vegas has the home team a six point dog. But 29 year vet Frank Beamer has 236 Ws at VT, turning the patsy into a power for years. This is a tough one, because Blacksburg is going to be hyped to 11 for beloved coach’s last home game. So too, his team. My head says the Hokies pull the upset. But, my heart is with Louisville, which will be a lot better off come bowl selection time, if NC continues to win, at least it until it meets Clemson in the ACC title game.1 So, I’m trying to will it. Tar Heels.
Baylor @ Oklahoma State. Whatever does T. Boone Pickens State have to do to get some props from the powers that be? The Pokes have bested all comers. Scribes and coaches (at least their SIDs) have the Cowboys ranked fourth in the land. Which, if they mattered, and held, would put Okie State in line for a sure spot in the Final Four. But that All Important Committee has them sixth, behind the first four in and Iowa. Well, they’ve got a chance to prove the naysayers wrong. After this one with the Bears, they meet arch-rival Oklahoma in a battle that will surely be bedlam if both schools win this weekend. Baylor was stompin’ its way through its slate of games, until the Sooners put the Boom on ’em last Saturday in Waco. They should be pissed. With underwhelming Texas coming up in the closer, the Bears need a W in this one to stay relevant. I believe in the orange-clad Cowboys. Who shall be hosting the battle on TBP’s turf. Smash those paddles in the stadium ye students.
Charlotte @ Kentucky. What a deft bit of scheduling from Messrs. Barnhart and Stoops. A season after losing the last six in a row, they added a pre-rival game patsy to the campaign. The Wildcats are a three TD and a FG fave over the neophyte visitors. Who even knew Charlotte had a football team. Is it coached by Bobby Lutz? Kentucky has been — Oh, I’ll try to be gentle here — woeful. Awful, actually, if you force me to tell the truth. The best word to describe the Cats non-performance against Vandy is moribund. Which is defined as something “in terminal decline.” Should UK somehow lose this, Coach Stoops had best remain standing, given the soaring temperature of his seat. But, they won’t. Which means, for the 2d season in a row, a W over arch foe Louisville in the finale would mean “bowl eligible.”
Louisville @ Pittsburgh. This is a key game for both schools. And a fascinating one to boot. By all accounts, Pat Narduzzi was one of the fellas Tom Jurich considered, before rehiring Bobby Petrino. The defensive ace was a head coach in waiting for years. Given the Panthers surprising 7-3 record, it looks like somebody shoulda grabbed him sooner. A couple of slips lately, to Carolina and the Fighting Irish, have tarnished his inaugural season a smidge. Last weekend, they joined the crowd of teams battering the Blue Devils, and get the upticking Cards in Steel City. U of L hasn’t exactly been jackbooting its lesser foes the last few weeks, but has done what it’s needed to do. To take care of this task, the Cards shall need to do significantly more. The winner of this one moves up the ACC bowl hierarchy, giving it a better chance of celebrating the holidays somewhere other than less than bucolic Shreveport or Detroit. The Panthers are for real, but . . . against my better judgement, and because I love ’em, and believe they might actually have a heretofore unseen complete performance in them, Cardinals.
— Seedy K