Here’s what wishful thinking got me last time out.
Nuttin’, Honey.
If I’ve learned anything in this the most strange annum of my long lifetime, it should have been that it ain’t ’93 anymore. And that Boston College, feisty former future Fighting Irish Star QB at the helm or not, was going to trap this year’s Notre Dame team.
So, I got that one wrong. Which I supposed was going to happen, but hey.
I did predict that the Cats would survive Vandy. Big Props to both Kentucky and the Commodores. The former for declining the penalty UK received when sweetly honoring its lost OL coach; the latter for the team’s display of affection and grief.
Nebraska afflicted the Nittany Lions with their fourth L of the season against zero Ws. Indiana continued on its roll. And shorthanded U of L fell to Virginia.
4-1 on the weekend puts me at 34-21-4 on on the season.
This weekend’s winners:
Oklahoma State @ Oklahoma. One of my favorite concerts back in the day was savoring Bonnie Raitt at the Greek Theater in Berkeley. Midway through the show, she brought out her dad John, for a duet on “Oklahoma,” which play he starred in on Broadway. Too cool. Even though on a bucolic hillside looking at the Bay in the distance, I could feel the wind come sweeping down the plain. What could be more apropos of these times than the Game They Call Bedlam? Coach Mullet’s Cowboys are a game up on the Sooners in league standings. Winner here probably gets one of the spots in conference title battle. Boomer Sooner.
Cincinnati @ Central Florida. The Knights, significantly formidable in recent seasons — just ask ’em — hit the skids a month ago, losing in consecutive tussles to Tulsa then Memphis State. But the Orlandians rebounded in what is now fashionably considered a really tough conference. They handled Temple, Houston, and Tulane with high scoring dispatch. Those who cherish outliers are lobbying for the Group of 5 Bearcats to be prey for Numero Uno in the last spot of the Final Four. If they win out . . . this game considered a major factor in that if. Cincy barely escapes Big Thunder Mountain.
Indiana @ Ohio State. Not only are the Hoosiers this year’s darling team, they have the niftiest named trio of receivers in college pigskin. Whop Philyor. Ty Fryfogle. Peyton Hendershot. Whom Michael Penix has been finding to great effect thus far, as #9 IU has opened 4-0, and is actually a half game up on the Buckeyes in the B10 East. Does that translate into a legit chance of victory in the Horseshoe? Uhhh, not really.
Kentucky @ Alabama. Were the Wildcats smart, they’d get to Tuscaloosa, head directly to Dreamland BBQ, get some carryout, and head right back home. No. Chance. Here.
Syracuse @ Louisville. As my loyal readers know — OK, long time readers would be more accurate — this predictions are not weighed against the spread. But, I am intrigued by what happened to the line in this one. The Cards opened at -6 or so. Then zoomed to something like -17.5. Which means Big Money believes in Louisville’s chances. ‘Cuse has only won once. But the W did come over Georgia Tech, which had its way against Louisville. How many frontline Cardinals will be back on the gridiron Friday night? Certainly not Javian Hawkins. But enough to prevail in what will be the last encounter where the Cards will be favored.
— c d kaplan