College Football Top 25 Bettors Guide.

Ahh Rivalry week. Usually at this time of year all bets are off; throw away the records all that good shit because far too often when you label a team an underdog, that just adds more fuel to their fire and they wind up pulling off the upset. Hence, you'll usually see these point spreads a bit lower than usual...well in most games. It can be a tough week; but you gotta also be realistic at the same time.

Last Week: 9-5 straight up; 7-6 against the spread (no line in the Citadel-Florida massacre)
Past 3 Weeks: 38-14 straight up; 26-25 against the spread.

Tonight:
Western Michigan @ #15 Ball State (-10.5) (7pm- ESPN2): Ball State is the forgotten mid-major team ranked in the BCS. Even if they win out they won't make it to one of the lucrative bowl games (Utah has that on lock) but they have plenty incentive enough in this one. Western is 9-2, 6-1 in conference themselves and an upset for them here could force a 3-way tie (if Central Michigan beats Eastern Michigan- a loss by Central in that case would send Western to the MAC title game). Ultimately I think BSU's emotions of Senior Night and knowing what's at stake for themselves get them over the hump in a high-scoring one. Ball State 38 Western Michigan 24

Thanksgiving:
Texas A&M (+35) @ #2 Texas (8pm- ESPN): Good God almighty. For a team who has won 2 straight in this series and to be pegged as this much of an underdog has got to be fluxommed. But Texas A&M has been pretty horrible in their Big 12 South games this year (yes including Baylor)- allowing 56, 41, 43 and 66 points in those contests and losing by an average of 26 ppg. Texas is gonna be looking for some sweet revenge and with Heisman Trophy candidate Colt McCoy in the house, there'll be no worries for Longhorn faithful in terms of a victory. But asking to cover 5 TDs is a bit much. Texas 52 Texas A&M 21

Friday:
West Virginia (-3.5) @ #25 Pittsburgh (Noon- ABC): Last year down in Morgantown, Pitt pulled off a 10-6 upset of the then #2 ranked Mountaineers and ended their hopes of going to the National Championship game (even though WVU had already clinched at least a share of the Big East title). This year, the stakes are equal for both teams as they both have faint chances to still win the Big East and an Orange Bowl berth. Nothing strikes me as impressive with either team but WVU is a tad more balanced and gets the close W. West Virginia 21 Pittsburgh 17

Fresno State @ #9 Boise State (-21) (6pm- ESPN2): Surprisingly there's not much at stake here for either team. Both teams are firmly entrenched in bowl berths, and Boise isn't gonna leapfrog Utah for the BCS berth even with a win here. Plus they clinched the WAC last Saturday. Nevertheless, here we are...Boise attempting to defend their blue-turf and win their 49th straight game at home. That hasn't been a problem vs. Fresno State- winning the last 3 home meetings by an average of 29 points. I expect the same here. Boise State 35 Fresno State 13

Saturday:
#22 Georgia Tech @ #11 Georgia (-8) (Noon- CBS): Georgia Tech had a convincing victory over The U last Thursday and is riding a wave of momentum heading into this one. Meanwhile, Georgia has had a week off after two straight close calls on the road with Kentucky and Auburn. Georgia has won 7 consecutive times although there have been some close games recently; with 4 of the past five years being decided by less than 10 points. They suck covering the spread...but I think for once, they will overcome. Georgia 27 Georgia Tech 17

I'm getting lazy so I'm just gonna go express-style from here on in.

Syracuse @ #16 Cincinnati (-22) (Noon): It's fitting that Cinci beats the Orangemen...to punch their ticket to the Orange Bowl. Expect them to show no mercy on Syracuse. They're not Notre Dame ya know? Cincinnati 35 Syracuse 10

Kansas vs. #13 Missouri (-14) (1230pm- FSN): This could be 25 and I'd take Missouri. Face it, Kansas doesn't show up against ranked opponents. Mizzou 49 Kansas 24

Auburn @ #1 Alabama (-14) (330pm- CBS): Bama just knows all they gotta do is keep winning and they're OK. I'm sure they wanna do more than just that however especially on Auburn's hapless offense. Alabama 24 Auburn 7

#4 Florida (-16.5) @ #20 Florida State (330pm- ABC): Most important rule of betting in college football- ALWAYS TAKE FLORIDA TO COVER. Florida 41 Florida State 21

Baylor @ #7 Texas Tech (-20.5) (330pm): Baylor is okay like I've said before...but when they face ranked teams they get smacked around...and you know TT is gonna want to take it out on someone. BAD. Texas Tech 55 Baylor 24

Maryland (+7) @ #21 Boston College (330pm- ABC): These are the games Maryland thrives on. 4-0 as an unranked team facing a ranked team. They'll assist Florida State into getting to the ACC title game because of this. Maryland 21 Boston College 20

#23 Oregon @ #17 Oregon State (-3.5) (7pm- Versus): Oregon State has come full circle this year and that win versus (no pun intended) USC...pays off in what will be a close tight game. Oregon State 28 Oregon 24

#3 Oklahoma (-7) @ #12 Oklahoma State (8pm- ABC): For a team that thrives on napalming opponents in the first half this is ridiculously generous. OK State does play OU tough in Stillwater, but this psychotic offense of OU will "Let'er Rip". Oklahoma 56 Oklahoma State 31

Notre Dame (+30) @ #5 USC (8pm- ESPN): USC sucks versus the spread. Notre Dame should be embarassed after what happened to them versus Syracuse. It won't be pretty but like I said...USC can't cover spreads, and their offense hasn't caught up to their defense just yet. But on Saturday night it will not matter. USC 31 Notre Dame 3

And so on.

NFL Playoff Projections/Power 5/Powerless 5.

For the next few weeks on Mondays I'm going to project the seedings for the AFC and NFC. I'm not gonna predict who wins the matchups or any of that though. Also, my Top 5 teams in the league and Bottom 5 teams in the league.

Playoff Projections:
AFC:

1) Tennessee (13-3): wins over Det, Cle and Hou but losses to Pit and Ind at the end.
2) NY Jets (12-4): wins over Den, Buf, Mia and SF. upset loss to Sea prevents them from clinching homefield.
3) Baltimore (11-5): they have a more favorable sked down the stretch than the Steelers. I'll take my chances facing Cin (W), Was (W), Pit (upset W), Dal (L), Jax (W)
4) San Diego (8-8): losses to Ind, TB but they'll beat Atl, KC, Oak and Den in the last game of the year
5) New England (11-5): wins over Pit, Sea, Oak, Buf. loss to Ari
6) Pittsburgh (10-6): wins over Ten and Cle but losses to NE, Dal and Bal

NFC

1) NY Giants (13-3): wins over Was, Phi, Car. losses to Dal and Min (last game- resting starters)
2) Arizona (11-5): wins over StL, Sea, NE, Min. upset loss to Phi
3) Tampa Bay (11-5): wins over NO, SD, Oak. losses to Atl and Car
4) Green Bay (10-6): they can feasibly go through this gauntlet undefeated but I see it as this- wins over NO, Car, Hou, Chi, Det. upset loss at Jax
5) Dallas (11-5): late season push has them winning over Sea, NYG, Pit and Bal but losing to Phi last game of the season as they rest their starters
6) Carolina (10-6): a late-season collapse occurs but they're barely able to hang on. wins over Den and TB but losses to GB, NYG and NO

My Power 5:

1) New York Giants (10-1): Their defense was severely tested by the air Cardinals down in Phoenix, and they were held to half their rushing average. However, winning without Jacobs AND Plaxico Burress shows just how well-oiled their machine is especially on offense. They're in the zone right now.

2) New York Jets (8-3): Call me biased, but when you win at New England and Tennessee in consecutive weeks, you have made a statement. If it weren't for the Giants, the Jets would be the hottest team in all of football. They'll no longer be flying under the radar and with the media expected to tab them as a force to be reckoned with, they can ill afford to get caught in the hype now. The AFC East (most competitive division in football) isn't even a guarantee at this point.

3) Tennessee Titans (10-1): They got punched in the mouth and were unable to respond to the count. They still feel they're the best team in the AFC and you can argue that they MIGHT be in the wide open AFC. Just not now. Their run game was nullified and the Jets simply killed them with the short, quick passes that ultimately stretched out their defense. The poor Lions are gonna suffer Tennessee's wrath on Thanksgiving and it will not be pretty.

4) Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3): Their defense is top-notch and has kept them in every game this season. Come playoff time they are the team I fear the most. Their offense is a step behind however and if the game gets away from being a slugfest, this team could have problems. With that said, their extremely tough sked continues and it's gonna be real interesting to see if and/or when they begin wearing down from all of this.

5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-3): There isn't anything that strikes you with this team. No WOW factor whatsoever. But they have a pugnacious defense, you can't really throw on them and Jeff Garcia is still extremely underrated. They took it to Detroit last week after being generous guests for one quarter. Also, they beat the teams they're supposed to. They have no "bad losses" of note.

My Powerless 5:

1) Detroit Lions (0-11): Tampa Bay already was preparing for Thanksgiving, being good sports in spotting the Lions 17 points. It went downhill from there in a HURRY though.

2) St. Louis Rams (2-9): Did they really beat Washington and Dallas in back-to-back weeks? They made the Bears look like we thought they were...for a week. Then again, they could make the Washington Huskies look like a National Championship contender at this rate.

3) Kansas City Chiefs (1-10): They really made Trent Edwards look like Tim Tebow. Their offense is no longer the problem, but good lord that defense. Oakland might score 35 on them next week. I'm not joking.

4) Cincinnati Bengals (1-9-1): They hung in there versus the Steelers but did you seriously think that 7-0 lead would stand up? They have three players who have caught TDs this year. Pathetic.

5) Seattle Seahawks (2-9): They're just so poor. They have their chances to win games...but somehow find a way to flub up in the waning moments of the game. And that homefield advantage? Where the hell did it go?

My next NFL blurb will be on Wednesday with my predictions and all that good shit.

And so on.

High School Reunion.

On an otherwise unremarkable weekend; I decided for the fuck of it to hit up my high school's 5-year reunion. Mainly I wanted to go for the humor aspect of the situation- I was that dude in HS that knew just about everyone but didn't bother gettin too close to anyone (and I'm still like that to this day). My HS (St. Francis Prep) there's just a unique aspect to it. Our graduating class was 650 and in general it's a huge school...yet you always felt like it was home. It was very cliquish but everyone was in harmony at the same time. The lunch tables were perfect examples of this hah- they were separated based on where you were from (ie- ppl from Whitestone sat on one table, ppl from Howard Beach, Cheerleaders, Football Team, Black ppl, etc.) I couldn't do that after a while though since I was a social butterfly.

Nevertheless, for $40 I figured it'd definetly be worth it to say "Oh shit" about 70 times and say whats good to ppl. When I got there, it's not like many people looked much different, if at all. The only difference really was now everyone was LEGALLY able to drink hah. The girls still looked bangin, even if I still have no chance with them- unless liquor is involved then it increases from 0 to 7%. One thing that surprised me was how there were a lot of friendships that successfully carried over from Prep that have passed the test of time...and that's the weird advantage of being such a big school- the ppl who are regional to you you share that common bond that manages to last.

Thank God there was an open bar because as dope as the first hour being there was...it just became a lot of walking around for me after a certain point. Most of my convos with people generally lasted about 3-5 min and for it being a 5-year and with the shit economy...I'm not gonna lie I found it a bit awkward asking and answering that "so what're you doin now" question ugh. The people who I expected to be there weren't, and vice-versa. The shocker of the year was that I didn't get much of the way of "let's hang out sometime" nor number exchanges. It was a combination of seeing right through it, and general apathy to be honest. I'm terrible at following through with phone calls and shit because I've gotten to the point where especially with chicks, even if I do call...I ain't gonna get an answer so I get apathetic. I did get this one chick's digits...will I call her? Probably not; but if she's on Facebook I'll go that route first hah.

God Bless Facebook.

Oh, afterwards, everybody decided that we would go down the infamous Bell Blvd to this spot called Sullivans to drink more. To my shock, a lot of the Prep Heads actually wound up there and stayed til the wee-hours of the morning. Bell Blvd is not my cup of tea- as I rarely ever hung out there...but it was straight. I would have stayed there longer but I had to go to the city to meet up with some people...which turned out to be a bad idea; backfiring in my face and leaving me more frustrated than I was even before...but I'm not even gonna go there right now.

Do I wish I was back in High School? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I wish I never damaged my shoulder and actually played my senior year in football. I do wish I hadn't gone to an all-boys school prior to Prep- as I felt like I was playing catch-up. I sorta wish I was a "cool transfer" and went to more Sweet 16s (but I never got invited to any really...except one or 2). If Prep was college...it'd be hilarity at its finest. I'm sure I'll come back on November 2013 for the 10-year and I'll see these Prep Heads married with each other and all that good shit. And hopefully, we'll hang out sometime.

And so on.

NFL Week 12 Bettors Guide.

Last week: 9-6-1 straight up; 6-8 against the spread (there was no line on the Bears-Packers game until late).

Past 2 weeks: 18-11-1 straight up; 13-14 against the spread

Tonight:
Cincinnati Bengals (+11.5) @ Pittsburgh Steelers- Thus far on Thursday night NFL the road team is 2-0 straight up/ATS. It will be 2-1 straight up after tonight. Cincinnati is injury-ravaged and has had major issues moving the ball...even though they've been playing more inspired football. Meanwhile, the Steelers while still ferocious on defense- they've been having issues on the offensive side of the ball as well. Plus at home this year, the Steelers while 3-2...are a mere 1-4 ATS. This is gonna be one boring as hell game IMO. Pittsburgh 17 Cincinnati 7

Sunday's 1pm Games:
San Francisco 49ers (+10) @ Dallas Cowboys- The Cowboys got a much needed victory off of their bye on the road last week in Washington...meanwhile Mike Singletary's boys have been playing much more inspired the past couple of weeks including last week's 35-16 complete domination of the Lambs, I mean, Rams. Both teams have the capability of scoring, each with 230 points to their credit on the season, and their defenses have been lackluster- 275 allowed by the Niners; 229 by the Cowboys. Expect a high scoring one with the Cowboys winning...but the Niners for the 3rd week in a row coming out to play and covering. Dallas 27 San Francisco 20

Philadelphia Eagles (+1) @ Baltimore Ravens- Both teams here need this one. The Ravens got owned by the World Champs last week...meanwhile the Eagles played to an embarassing tie of the lowly Bengals. Considering how these two play defense (both ranked in the top 10 overall), you can expect a low-scoring affair that'll put these offenses to the test. The Eagles have a bit more explosiveness in their O however and should pull this one out. Philadelphia 20 Baltimore 13

NY Jets (+5) @ Tennessee Titans- The 1pm game of the week. The AFC's highest scoring offense goes up against the NFL's most stingy scoring defense and usually when a matchup like that happens...the defense usually comes out on top. These teams are eerily similar in that both teams have their most success running the ball (and have success stopping it also). In order for my Jets to have a chance against the spread-covering beasts from Nashville (9-0-1 ATS; 10-0 S/U) they're gonna have to continue getting Dustin Keller involved in the passing game...and the secondary is gonna have to come up huge when Kerry Collins does decide to air it out. I really hope I'm not getting ahead of myself here but here goes nothing: NY Jets 20 Tennessee 17

Buffalo Bills (-3) @ Kansas City Chiefs- One team has been completely falling apart (Buffalo); meanwhile another team keeps coming so close (Kansas City). The problem for both teams lately has been stopping the other team when it needs to most and digging themselves into holes they cannot climb out of later. KC is 2-0 ATS versus the AFC East and this is the inverse for Buffalo versus the AFC West. The sense of urgency should be higher for the Bills and THIS TIME...they'll get off the schnide. Buffalo 23 Kansas City 17

I'm not gonna waste much time explaining the rest since I'm in a rush to continue my 10K training so here goes:

Minnesota Vikings (+2.5) @ Jacksonville Jaguars: Jags= done. Vikings will get the job done here. Minnesota 21 Jacksonville 14

New England Patriots (+1) @ Miami Dolphins: The Pats haven't been swept by the Fins since like 1998. Dolphins have struggled versus shitty teams and the Pats though injury-ravaged, are seeking revenge that they'll get. New England 21 Miami 17

Chicago Bears (-7.5) @ St. Louis Rams: No more blind faith in these Lambs anymore from me. They're just playing out the string here, while the Bears are trying to find themselves. Complete domination shall ensue. Chicago 31 St. Louis 13

Houston Texans (+3) @ Cleveland Browns: Both teams are confusing as all hell. As long as the weather is not bad, they'll put up points on each other like a ping-pong. SageCopter however knowing that the Browns are even worse at blowing games than he is, will pull this one off. Houston 28 Cleveland 24

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-7.5) @ Detroit Lions: The Lions really beat the Bucs 23-16 last year. The Lions are nowhere near as good as last year's squad even if the Bucs are remarkably unremarkable at 7-3. The spread is too low for the Lions to cover (they're beasts when it's over 10 tho). Tampa Bay 24 Detroit 6

Sunday 4/815pm games:
Oakland Raiders @ Denver Broncos (-9): Yeah I understand the Raiders-Broncos series has played some close games...and Oakland has an above-average secondary. But if the Broncos score more than 17...I mean really now...Denver 28 Oakland 9

Washington Redskins @ Seattle Seahawks (+3.5): They need to hope Clinton Portis is at full strength because the Seahawks actually showed some feistiness last week...which was a shock. I'm calling the upset here only because: Seattle 20 Washington 17

NY Giants (-3) @ Arizona Cardinals: The 4pm game of the week. Regardless of whether Brandon Jacobs plays or not, the Giants can mash it with the best of them. The Cardinals can pass it with the best of them. The one thing the Cards' don't have? A pass rush, and Warner will not face one as intense as the one he'll face this Sunday. He'll make enough mistakes to lead his team to an L. NY Giants 31 Arizona 20

Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons (-1): The underrated game of the week. Carolina is on fire...even if their two wins over the Raiders and Lions have been unremarkable. Atlanta fell short last week versus the Broncos and are looking to make sure that was nothing more than a blip on the screen. Delhomme's mediocrity gets the best of Carolina this week. Atlanta 24 Carolina 17

Indianapolis Colts (+2.5) @ San Diego Chargers: The Chargers are the NFL's unluckiest team; meanwhile the Colts are probably the NFL's luckiest. Their 6-4 record could easily be 3-7 but Peyton Manning has nearly singlehandedly won his boys those games. The Chargers are in an identity crisis phase right now and it'll get even worse this week in a Sunday Night Football upset. Indianapolis 23 San Diego 20 in OT.

Monday Night:
Green Bay Packers (+2.5) @ New Orleans Saints: When you have an opportunistic defense like Green Bay's, yes it'll lead to points for the other team if their gambles are off...BUT they are gonna get theirs too. Drew Brees is gonna have to air it out to win this one again...and once again I don't think it'll be enough. Green Bay 34 New Orleans 24

And so on.

College Football Top 25 Bettors Guide.

Last Week: 14-5 straight up; 8-11 against the spread

Overall these past 2 weeks: 29-9 straight up; 19-19 against the spread.

Wednesday:
#17 Ball State @ Central Michigan (+7) (7pm- ESPN2): This is essentially the MAC West championship game to decide who goes to the MAC Championship game (and most likely win it too because the MAC East is fairly weak- think Big 12 South vs. Big 12 North). Last year, Central dominated BSU 58-38 in Munice- on their way to a 2nd consecutive MAC title. Both teams are coming off of less than convincing road victories. Ball State looked sluggish at Miami (Ohio), while Central nearly blew a 30-6 lead late at Northern Illinois. Central Michigan is the underdog by this much due to their 1-8 all-time record vs. top 25 teams, and this only being their 2nd ever home game against a ranked opponent. However, I have the feeling since Central's been in this situation before, it will trumpet that statistic and they'll pull off the upset. Central Michigan 34 Ball State 28

Thursday:
#23 Miami (FL) (+3.5) @ Georgia Tech (730pm- ESPN): In this wacky wacky ACC, now it's the U who controls their ACC Coastal destiny. A win here puts them in even better shape to get to the ACC title game and possibly a berth in the BCS. Both teams are hella young, however the U appears to be rising; while the Yellow Jackets have come down to earth some. The U is 13-1 all-time on Thursday nights; meanwhile Georgia Tech is 9-4 all-time in this series, including 3 straight victories. For once, the ACC will be normal here and the U will pull off the "upset". Miami (FL) 21 Georgia Tech 17

Saturday:
#2 Texas Tech @ #5 Oklahoma (-7) (8pm- ABC): Both teams were off last week and it sets up this epic showdown, which you can view to an extent as being a NC semifinal game. Texas Tech has proved the doubters wrong all year and finally has a semblance of a defense to go along with their psychotic offense. If there's one team however that can match their offense step-by-step...it's Oklahoma's. The key here is the first quarter. Oklahoma has scored 21+ points in that quarter alone in 6 of their 10 games and another fast start even against a team like Tech could prove demoralizing. OU is 60-2 in the Bob Stoops era at home and Texas Tech has never beat them in Norman. Plus, when was the last time Tech won a key Big 12 road game? It'll be a shootout but I think OU will keep Tech at bay just enough. Oklahoma 56 Texas Tech 45

Citadel @ #4 Florida (NL) (130pm): Just a simple tune-up for Florida on Senior Day before their rivalry game at Florida State next week. Everyone will get a chance to play, yada yada yada. Florida 63 Citadel 7

#14 BYU @ #7 Utah (-6.5) (6pm- The Mountain): The Holy War, and good God it's gonna be a good one. BYU's coming off of an impressive road victory over Air Force; meanwhile Utah simply annihilated San Diego State. A BCS at-large berth is at stake in this one. Four years ago, Utah was in this exact same position (except BYU wasn't as good as they are now) and they thrived. With the homefield advantage, Utah will come out ready to go. Plus, BYU is susceptible to coming out flat on the road (see 28-27 win @ Washington, 32-7 loss to TCU as some examples). Frankly, I don't think BYU is that good, and Utah will repeat 2003-2004. Utah 24 BYU 10

#15 Michigan State (+14.5) @ #8 Penn State (330pm- ABC regional-east coast/ESPN elsewhere): The defacto Big Ten title game (although there's more on the line for Penn State than there is for Michigan State IMO). Penn State has looked flat in their last few games after starting off the season like a house of fire. Meanwhile, Michigan State has been steady, and surprisingly hasn't had their annual 2nd half swoon. It'll be a classic Big Ten battle: a low-scoring affair in which MSU will be content to grind it out, while Penn State will try to kick their Spread HD into gear. I can't envision whoever wins this winning by more than 7, even if MSU hasn't done all too well lately in games like this (see 45-10 smackdown by Ohio State at home for proof). Penn State will know the urgency of the situation...but Michigan State shocks a good portion of the country here and will send Ohio State to the Rose Bowl (and maybe insert themselves into a BCS bowl themselves). Michigan State 24 Penn State 21.

#9 Boise State (-6) @ Nevada (405pm): Another deja vu game here. 2 years ago, it was Boise State with a similar ranking to what they have now heading into Reno and bitchsmackin Nevada on their way to the Fiesta Bowl. It would be a similar situation here except Utah is ahead of BSU in the standings and it's likely that Boise State will be left out of the BCS picture. Nevertheless, Boise would love to wrap up the WAC title yet again and with the way they've been playing...even though Nevada is a very solid team (giving Texas Tech a fight before losing 35-19), good luck keeping it close with Boise- who has yet to win by less than 17 in conference play. Boise State 34 Nevada 17

Michigan (+20.5) @ #10 Ohio State (Noon- ABC): Just two years ago, this was a #1 vs. #2 battle and it was a national headliner- essentially a NC semifinal game and it lived up to the hype. Given the spread, you know times have changed. Michigan is 3-8 good God, while Ohio State, while not in the NC hunt this year as ppl thought they would, nevertheless has quite a bit at stake here (possible Rose Bowl hunt). In this series in the past, the team with the most to play for has been the loser...but I don't think you'll have to worry about that. Ohio State is hitting their stride at the right time and should be in firm control of this one. However- Michigan's defense will keep it a bit closer than ppl think...but their offense is a joke and OSU will have fun teeing off on them. Ohio State 27 Michigan 9

Air Force (+18.5) @ #16 TCU (330pm): I can understand why the spread is this high...TCU dominated Utah, but at the end of the day, two missed short field goals and a game-winning drive in the final minutes cost TCU a possible at-large berth and for two weeks, TCU has been stewing mad over this- ready to take it on a hapless opponent. Thing is though, Air Force is a damn good 8-3 squad who actually beat TCU last year; coming from 14 down to win in OT...a week after TCU had got kicked out the top 25. It's no secret Air Force can't beat ranked opponents for the life of them and they will not on Saturday, not against this ferocious defense. But they'll be able to cover. TCU 20 Air Force 10

Mississippi (+4.5) @ #18 LSU (330pm- CBS): Honestly, I don't know what to make of this game. Ole Miss is arguably the best 6-4 team in the nation, taking out Florida in the Swamp and giving Alabama the scare of their life down in Tuscaloosa before losing 24-20. They looked much better in their 59-0 bloodbath of Louisiana-Monroe than LSU did by making a miraculous comeback from 31-3 to beat Troy 40-31. LSU's defense is nowhere near as good as the champs were last year and Ole Miss is a markedly improved team. Even in the 41-24 victory in Oxford last year, it was closer than the score indicated. And LSU's homefield advantage seems to be irrelevant now. I'm gonna go with the upset here. Mississippi 31 LSU 27

#20 Pittsburgh @ #19 Cincinnati (-5.5) (715pm- ESPN2): Guess which conference is tougher to guess than the ACC? Yes, the Big East. Another defacto title game; particularly if Cinci wins this, the Big East and the Orange Bowl is theirs for the taking (they would own the tiebreakers over Pitt and West Virginia by virtue of beating both teams). Honestly, I don't know how they do it, but their bend-but-don't break style on defense doesn't get them in trouble. Meanwhile, Pitt hasn't won any game convincingly this year with the exception of two weeks ago against Louisville, a 41-7 ambush. Both teams have the toughness, but I think Cincinnati is more equipped and will gain revenge from last year's 24-17 defeat by winning by the exact same score. Cincinnati 24 Pittsburgh 17 (PS- the Steelers will beat the Bengals on Thursday hah- in case you were wondering)

#21 Oregon State @ Arizona (-3) (7pm- FSN or Versus...I'm not sure): Why is Arizona favored? Yes, it's November and the Wildcats are notorious for pulling off upsets of their ranked Pac-10 bretheren (three top-ten teams have gone down in four years). While Oregon State is not a top-10 team, they do by virtue of beating USC lead the Pac-10 and are gunning for an improbable Rose Bowl berth. OSU has a rep of their own however for being great 2nd half finishers. Something will have to give here. I think it'll be Oregon State that gives up their Pac-10 lead and restores order in the USC+9 realms. Arizona 34 Oregon State 28

North Carolina State (+10.5) @ #22 North Carolina (Noon): The wild wild ACC once again in the house. Last week, the favorites in conference games were 2-3 straight up and 1-4 ATS (only Clemson covered when they beat Duke)...with three of those games being decided by 4 or less points. Last year, NC State pulled out a 31-27 win over UNC, and with UNC having issues figuring out which QB they're going to use...a vastly improved (over the course of a couple weeks) NC State should have no issues covering. I don't think they'll win, but expect a close one just like rivalries always do. North Carolina 24 North Carolina State 20

Florida State (+1) @ #25 Maryland (745pm- ESPN): Good God not this again. Maryland is 4-0 as an unranked team beating a ranked team...but each time they've returned to the rankings, they have lost (0-2). Now they have control of the ACC Atlantic after Florida State couldn't solve the Boston College rubix cube last week. Maryland doesn't handle prosperity well. Then again, almost everyone in the ACC doesn't. I'm getting tired anyway. Florida State 20 Maryland 17 in OT fuck this.

And so on.

Get The Fuck Outta Here.

Shut the fuck up.

1) The sad-puffy face trick never works on me. Why bother usin it hah? The only pity I have is watchin ur face look like it droops down and make sure that bottom lip is wiped (not droolin) for Christ sakes.

2) I find it hilarious that ppl don't know what a Hookah is. Go on Wikipedia and read up on it, try some, and you'll thank me later.

3) After the Jets-Pats game on Thursday it was hilarious and fitting that the Pats fans exited the bar like Bill Belichick would after a loss. They do NOT handle losin well whatsoever, I don't blame them though- I'd exit with my head down too and mumble. BTW, if Chad Pennington was QB, we woulda lost that game.

4) Anyone who thinks the Titans are the best team in the NFL is delusional. Do they have the NFL's best defense? Yes. But overall- that's the Giants right now. I'd have my Jets somewhere around #3 and yeh that's a stretch but no one else really sticks out right now. I got it: NYG, TEN, NYJ, CAR, PIT for top 5. I'm still cautiously optimistic about them but it'll be at a fever pitch if we can beat the Titans (last year it was an ugly one with the Titans winning 10-6 but our offense is much better this year).

5) That's it yo, it's official. Montreal February 12th-15th fuck this shit. Yeah, I'm goin on Valentine's Day weekend. To be frank with you I've never really had a good one. Well no, that's a lie- I had an interesting one with my best girl friend at the time in 2005 but I got sick like a dog that day. The one time I had a girlfriend on V-Day? Yeh it was aight but you can tell it was all forced at that point. This will be best of all however; I'm sure- all the single Canadian women should be in the house and if they have jungle fever...it shall be complete domination. I normally don't get amped up for nothin but considerin my luck with chicks outside of NYC is way better...sheeit why not.

6) I ran a shit 5K the other day. 29:56 what the fuck is that? It was the hardest run I've ever had tho to be honest tho, the course was hilly as a motherfucker and I'm not used to runnin up hills, they aint got em out in Rosedale. Plus there were 768 runners dear God- I'm used to maybe 150-200 or so. I finished in 362nd ick. So yeh I finished average.

7) I ain't even realize Thanksgiving is in 10 days holy shit. I'm not sure what I have to be thankful for yet I'll figure that whole shit out eventually. Aside from being alive and having the athletic ability...to jog 4.5 miles 5x/week?

8) I'm convinced the Peter Rosenberg show is the most underrated show on the radio in NYC. If you live there turn it to Hot 97 on Sunday nights between 12am-2am. If you don't know who he is fuckin Google it.

9) Convo dialogue of the weekend (yeh I got owned):
Me- I ain't got cash fuck that.
Mandy 1- I take credit but only American Express
Me- Fuck I don't own an AMEX, and definetly not the Black Card I'm not ballin like that whatsoever.
Mandy 2- Ohhh, you ain't got a black card, who stripped the blackness off of you??
Me- Shit.

10) The Nevadas' no Lauren effect has really taken a toll. Ever since she dipsetted from there way back in July (I think??) Nevadas' definetly hasn't been the same. I don't like the other random dude who does Karaoke on Thursday nights either. Thursday nights have officially lost their luster. Probably because of the fuckin economy.

11) Did I really see regular gas goin for $1.96 out in Jerz when I got out the Holland Tunnel Saturday mornin? Good grief. I had a half-tank left but I put $20 and was able to fill the rest of my tank with $2.33 worth of Premeium gas. By me, it's still $2.70 or so to do that shit.

12) Yeh I finally decided to get rid of the full-grown beard I was growin. Not many ppl seen that shit because I was hidin in the shadows. With the Swag Market at 0; there was nothin to lose. It went up 8 points this past weekend to finish at 8. Its high this year was 94 back on August 1st, 2008.

13) Can someone explain to me why the fuck you have lines outside of a fuckin bar/lounge to get in for free?

14) Why the fuck would I pay to go into a mediocre wanna-be "club" for $10 and go into a "room" for $40? Am I gonna get laid or at least have a 30% chance? If the answer is no then fuck that.

15) I never understood what's wrong with "baggy attire"? Let people dress how they wanna dress, you gotta problem? Turn off your station. Well, I understand you wanna give out a "vibe" of classiness but puttin a nigga in a collared shirt and khakis still doesn't make him any less "dangerous" than a nigga in a Dennis Rodman jersey, baggy jeans and matchin Nikes. Oh wait, I do have a Dennis Rodman jersey. God bless that man.

Fuck it.

And so on.

The Clutchness of the Gambling Gods II.

Every week, I try a 12-team progressive parlay of college football games. They only allow you to take point spreads- you can't bet on a team to win straight up or take a over/under total. The payout is a bit smaller if you hit it (900-1 as opposed to 1800-1) but they do reward you if you lose up to 3 games. If you lose 1, then it's a 80-1 payout; 2 losses= 10-1 payout; 3 losses= 3-1 payout.

This past week I did the following:

Progressive Parlay (12 Teams) 11/12/08 23:01 ET
bet 6.00 to win 5,400.00 Result: Loss

BuffaloU 43
Akron 40
BuffaloU +3.5

Wyoming 14
UNLV 22
UNLV -7

Indiana 7
PennSt 38
Indiana +36

OhioSt 30
Illinois 20
OhioSt -9.5

MinnesotaU 32
Wisconsin 35
MinnesotaU +14

NorthCarolina 15
Maryland 17
Maryland +3

Missouri 52
IowaSt 20
IowaSt +27.5

Connecticut 39
Syracuse 16
Connecticut -10

MississippiSt 7
Alabama 32
MississippiSt +21.5

Troy 31
LSU 40
Troy +18.5

Tulsa 30
HoustonU 70
Tulsa -4.5

OklahomaSt 30
Colorado 17
OklahomaSt -17

This is a classic example as to why the more games you select; even though the payouts significantly increase, the more volatile your situation becomes. You do get aided at times by the Gods, but they'll come right back with something to truly piss you off.

1) In the Buffalo-Akron game; Akron scored with 23 seconds left in the game to tie it...and once a game goes into overtime, there's no guessing what could happen. Buffalo would win straight up in the 4th OT after Akron fumbled on their first possession of that period.

2) In the Wyoming-UNLV game; UNLV had to score 13 points in the 4th quarter to barely cover. Had they just won by 7, in a progressive parlay it counts as a loss.

3) In the Indiana-Penn State game; it did help that the weather was shitty and Penn State fumbled at the Indiana 1 on one of their possessions where it appeared for sure they were gonna score. It was 10-7 PSU at halftime and they did explode in the 2nd half but fortunately for me I had enough cushion there.

4) In the Ohio State-Illinois game; I was fortunate that even though Illinois was movin the ball on OSU, they would self-destruct. OSU's blocked punt for a saftey turned out to be tremendous as well, and thankfully Illinois didn't try going for 2 when they scored a garbage TD in the last minute of the game.

5) In the Minnesota-Wisconsin game; it was the first real game of the day that I didn't really have to worry. Minnesota went up 21-7 but then self-destructed. There was some worry when Wisconsin was up 35-24 late in the game, but when Minnesota scored and made their 2 point conversion; all was well again.

6) In the North Carolina-Maryland game; even though that was one boring as hell game, the line was hella low so any big play that happened could have been a make-or-break play. The fact there was almost no scoring for the longest time I wasn't too concerned but of course when UNC was driving late, I was hopin to God they wouldn't score a TD, a FG would have been fine bc UNC would have won by 1; and I had 3 points to work with. Maryland recorded the late INT to preserve the win.

So now I'm 6-0 and on my way to history but now the tables are about to turn...

7) In the Missouri-Iowa State game; Mizzou was in control the entire game and as they should have been. Iowa State kept it close in the covering category...but ultimately I was fucked by three things. a) Iowa State couldn't stop Mizzou's offense for the life of them. b) Mizzou had an interception return for a TD which made it 21-0 early. c) Iowa State down 45-20 and still covering, was inside the Mizzou 5 but once again another interception put a stop to that. Mizzou's psychotic offense would drive down the field to score, and Iowa State had another possession but not enough time to drive down and score.

8) In the Connecticut-Syracuse game; there was concern...for a half. Then it was UConn=complete domination since Syracuse has no offense.

Now we're 7-1...at least 2 more victories and bam. Not so fast though.

9) In the Mississippi State-Alabama game; Alabama blocked a punt for a safety and then took a 5-0 lead...but Miss State did score to take a 7-5 lead. Alabama would take a 12-7 lead into halftime and I was doing OK. In the beginning stages of the 3rd quarter however, Miss State had to punt...and it was returned for a touchdown. Even though that only made it 19-7 at that point, I just felt that the air had been sucked out of Miss State and it would be domination for Alabama from that point onward. Miss State did barely miss out on covering but good God their offense sucks.

10) In the Troy-LSU game; I was stunned when Troy just jumped on LSU like that, taking a 24-3 lead into halftime and 31-3 through most of the 3rd quarter. Finally LSU rose to life but by then having essentially a 46 point cushion to work with, I was good.

So we're 8-2. It's time for the show....

11) In the Tulsa-Houston game; my God did I get ambushed. You'd figure it'd be Houston that would have the difficulty keeping up with the Tulsa Show...but Tulsa kept fuckin up, while Houston was nearly flawless in their execution...no comment.

8-3 now. And now for the nail in the coffin...

12) In the Oklahoma State-Colorado game; of course OK State would win. But when you are forced to settle for three FGs of 25 yards or less, and you allow Colorado to convert a 4th and 10 on your 29 (a TD pass to cut a 20-3 deficit to 20-10); you do shake your head and think about what might have been. A 13 point win should have easily have been at least a 24 point win.

So there you have it. I beared witness there's only one Gambling God.

And so on.