I just never got the memo.
The one advising Mark Stoops brought in Bo Pelini as a special defensive consultant in advance of UK’s trip to StarkVegas.
It’s obvious from the manner of Kentucky’s comeuppance that something of that nature occurred. Pelini was VanGordered at LSU, after last season, where in his first game as DC his not so tenacious D allowed Bulldog QB K.J. Costello to pass for 5 TDs and 663 yards on 36/60 passing. Mike Leach thereby won his State debut in Baton Rouge as a 16 point dog.
The Wildcats’ D allowed State’s rookie QB Will Rogers to connect on 36 of 39 attempts, leading the Cowbells to victory over the not as surging as they were beforehand Cats.
Louisville, whom I also picked, also lost.
But I got more right. Three. App State, led by DE Caleb Spurlin’s two offensive touchdowns, beat La. Monroe as expected. Auburn and Michigan State both prevailed as I advised they would.
3-2 for the weekend. 30-19 for the season.
This week’s prevailers:
Wake Forest @ North Carolina. The Demon Deacons are the lowest ranked contingent of consequence, whose record remains unblemished. Sparty, the Bearcats, and the Boomer Sooners are considered more worthy by the Selection Committee than the ACC’s only hope for the Final Four. Which means they obviously have incentive to prove the naysayers wrong. A trip to battle the overhyped, egregiously underwhelming 4-4 Tar Heels is the latest test. I’ve never exactly understood what the colloquialism “woke” means. So Wake may be woke after this one. Or, maybe not. Which is to rather cryptically infer my prediction is that Tar Heels win at home.
Texas @ Iowa State. There’s Burnt Orange, the school color at the University of Matthew McConaughey. Which may be Awright! Awright! Awright! with the Lone Star staters. But not so much with moi, who has been burned too many times this campaign picking Hook ‘Em Horns. While they have developed a nasty habit of blowing double digit leads late. To quote an inveterate Texan of some notoriety: “There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.” Guess he got his orange hues mixed up. Anyway, even though, despite all evidence to the contrary, I’ve got a hunch the future SECer will get it together, I am not going to be shamed. In Texas. In Tennessee. Or here. Brocktober prevails. Even though it’s, you know, a different month. Like Texas is a different state than Tennessee.
Michigan State @ Purdue. Well, lookee who has become B10 Flavor of the Month. Mel Tucker, second year head man for the #3 Spartans of Michigan State. Beating arch rival in the noon time slot on national TV will do that sort of thing. Kind of, sort of, perhaps just like his counterpart roaming the other sideline this weekend held that spot a couple of seasons back after crushing the #2 Buckeyes by 29, as a 12 point dog. The Boilermakers are a smidge above average so far. But, no victories that jump off the page in bold colors. Will Sparty continue its upsurge? Or, fall prey to thegameafterthegameitis? The former.
Tennessee @ Kentucky. It seems that an Orange team, the one not Burnt, goes Krogering this weekend. It’s an annual battle that wasn’t so annual in the COVID campaign. Battle being not entirely accurate, since the Vols have had their way with UK through the decades. The word outta the Bluegrass is the Cats are pissed. As well they should be for losing their mojo and momentum in the din of cowbells last time out. Wildcats.
Clemson @ Louisville. What the . . .? Wasn’t Halloween so last week? Here’s another Orange squad showing up on the radar. It’s like some kid got all candy corn, but she only likes the white and yellow parts, and threw all the orange portions she didn’t consume down the toilet into the system. And everything’s coming up . . . Orange. As in Clemson comes a visiting. With 3 Ws in it last four after a bracing start to the post Trevor Era. Those who pay attention here know I’m loathe to pick against my Cardinals. Bad karma, etc. etc. But I’m doing it this time. In hopes that I’m absolutely, positively, dead wrong.
— c d kaplan