Fab 4 picks
Before we get started, and we have not really heard this discussed much, but there's a narrative that has been undersold in the aftermath of the Miami-Duke debacle.
You know the Miami-Duke debacle, in which the Hurricanes used eight laterals, four blown calls, three missed reviews, two missed personal fouls and a partridge in a pare tree that allowed Miami to win 30-27 on a walk-off kick return. Yes, that one.
Well, the discussion this week turned to whether the game should have been overturned and if Duke should have been given the win.
Miami's Dallas Crawford (25) returns a kickoff, which featured multiple laterals before Corn Elder subsequently received the final lateral, and scored to beat Duke 30-27 in an NCAA college football game, in Durham, N.C., Saturday, Oct. 31, 2015. (AP Photo/Rob Brown) Well, at its core, reversing field ex post facto is against almost everything in sports. Yes, even more than mistakes - by coaches, players or even referees - costing a team a win.
But in modern sports, a time when legal and illegal gambling is such a part of the fabric of the games, overturning an on-the-field result 12-plus hours later is a complete and total impossibility.
As for our picks, well, last week, only that ACC officiating crew had a better week, and we ignored what we know bets. We talked all week about Tennessee starting its spring to the finish, and to be fair if any of us had known that Faton Bauta was going to be QB1 against Florida, well, that would have made a difference.
Still, we made out picks and won two of seven - losing an over/under of 60 when the teams scored 59 and having two backdoor covers.
So it goes, and the way to have some fun again is to hunt that entertainment.
Mississippi State minus-7 over Missouri. This game is tonight, so you've been forewarned. And we know this: Dan Mullen's team is overachieving and led by the best quarterback in the SEC who wants to finish strong. Missouri is floundering and just had to suspend its original starting quarterback for the second time this season. Teams headed in different directions quickly. (Buy the half here of course.)
Florida-Vandy under the 38.5. Two good defenses. Vandy's offense is involved. That's more than enough. Some times we over think this, you know? In fact, as long as the total of any Vandy game involving two FBS teams is 38 or higher, we'll take the under on principle.
BYU minus-13 over San Jose State. The Cougars are a personal favorite of the picks, going 6-2 against the spread this year. That's like Will Ferrell movies - are they going to win the big awards, nope, but you have a quality feeling that in the end you will be entertained. And that's more than enough.
Tulsa minus-14 against Central Florida. Get on this game as soon as possible. The line started at 10 on Monday, it was at 14 Thursday morning and likely will get closer to 20 by kickoff. First, Tulsa is not terrible, and while that's not a ringing endorsement, it's downright glowing compared to this: Central Florida is the second-worst team in the country behind North Texas. Now know that UCF is 0-9 on the season, 1-8 against the spread, lost its coach two weeks ago and is playing for the 10th consecutive week on the road in Tulsa.
Navy plus-8 at Memphis. We normally tend to shy away from underdogs, but this one feels sneaky close. Navy is mature and with Keenan Reynolds and that unique offense, they are a matchup nightmare for a Memphis team that a) had only a week to prepare for the Midshipmen, b) have listened to how great they are and how cool it is for the Tigers to be No. 13 in the first college football playoff rankings and c) have a monster date with Houston next week.
Marshall plus-3 over MTSU. Yes, this one strains the "too-good-to-be-true" scenarios, but we're going to risk it. (The line of Utah getting points at Washington, however, screams run and hide.) We're OK buying the half here, too, but Marshall is simply better than MTSU. Period.
Michigan State minus-5 over Nebraska. Yes, another line that seems puzzling, but remember that Nebraska is still a little big of national name among casual entertainment seekers who still associate the Cornhuskers with power running and a great home-field environment. This Nebraska team is neither of those, and here's betting than MSU coach Mark D'Antonio has spent more than a little time this week reminding his team that they have work to do to get into the top of the college football playoff rankings.
Last week against the spread: 2-5 (28.6 percent, which is only entertaining to your local entertainment broker).
This season against the spread: 32-24 (57.1 percent, which is still entertaining, but not as entertaining as 60 percent).
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SEC items of interest
1. Alabama-LSU big-boy football. There is so much talent on the field when these two teams meet, it feels like an NFL matchup. Among those that are the most interesting, let's draw two tight circles when the LSU offense faces the Alabama defense. First, we'll go Leonard Fournette, easily the best player in the country through the first two months, against an Alabama defensive line filled with guys who will chase Fournette on Saturday and for many Sundays to come at the next level. Secondly, the LSU wide outs - Trey Quinn, Malachi Dupree and a slew of high-profile athletes - will need to make plays against the Bama secondary in several years. Good times.
2. Tennessee rolls. The Vols were going to be one of our picks, but the line is soaring. It reached 17 Thursday morning - and if you also believe UT is going to drum South Carolina, well, make the call now because it will only go higher - and that makes for tense moments in an already decided game. More than the final score, though, we're excited to see how Tennessee handles its business as a three-score favorite.
Georgia head coach Mark Richt hugs his son Zack at the end of a NCAA college football game against Florida on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2015, in Jacksonville, Fla. Florida defeated Georgia 27-3.3. Georgia responds for Richt. Mark Richt has come under more fire this week than at any previous time in his record-setting 15 seasons in Athens. When the chair under a coach's fanny moves beyond warm - because let's face it, other than the teams in the top 20 in the country, every coach's seat is at least a little bit warm - how a team responds speaks volumes about how a coach is valued in the locker room. And buckets, if the Bulldogs lay down against Kentucky, well, the noise from the Georgia fan base will be staggering.
4. Would anything surprise you in the Texas A&M-Auburn? This series has been as wild as any in recent SEC memory. There was Nick Marshall running nuts in College State two years ago. Last year the Aggies won when Auburn couldn't snap the football. Anything is possible here. (Side note: Despite all the disappointments for an Auburn team projected to be among the best in the country, the Tigers are some missed Red Zone chances in three of their four losses from having a completely different narrative.)
5. Ole Miss controlling its destiny. The Rebels get a dated with Arkansas knowing two motivating things. First, Arkansas trounced them last year. Second, Ole Miss controls the fate of the SEC West. Period. Let all the noise and distraction around the LSU-Alabama ring from the rooftops. The road to Atlanta rolls through Oxford, Miss.
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Johnny Football
John Maziel, Esquire is a lot of things.
Dude lived the life of an SEC-college-version of James Bond.
He was a first-round pick, and his family has Texas oil money.
He also has battled some demons, and that's never pleasant, even if they are self-inflicted.
In this Sunday, Oct. 18, 2015, photo Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel watches on the sidelines during the second half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, in Cleveland. Police have released a dash-cam video and 9-1-1 emergency calls from a roadside incident involving Manziel. The former Heisman Trophy winner was questioned by Avon, Ohio, police last week after Manziel got into an argument with his girlfriend, Colleen Crowley. (AP Photo/Aaron Josefczyk) That said, Manziel gets the start tonight for the Cleveland Browns and it's not an overstatement to say that his NFL future is in the next few games before him.
The time is now.
Doesn't matter that the Browns are an 11-point underdog against a Cincinnati team that is 7-0 and among the NFL elite.
Doesn't matter that the Browns are among the most limited offenses in the league and the Bengals are among the most talent-rich defenses.
All that matters for the artist formerly known as Johnny Football is that he shows the Browns something around which they can build.
There are only so many chances a quarterback will get before he goes from former first-rounder to has-been.
This is one of those chances, and considering his off-the-field antics, this one may be Johnny's last chance to be good.
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This and that
- This boxing official needs to answer some serious questions. When either boxer begs the ref to stop the fight, well, you stop the fight. They know. Hey, that's how Apollo Creed got killed. Stupid Drago. (Side note: Are we silly to have high hopes about the new Stallone vehicle "Creed" which also could be called Rocky IIX?)
- It's pretty clear Zach Grienke is a top-line ace and bona fide pitching aces command a pretty penny. How pretty? Well, Grienke opted out of his contract with the Dodgers to test the open market. That contract was worth almost $24 million per year for the next three seasons in baseball's best pitcher's park. Good luck with that.
Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James dunks the ball against the New York Knicks during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) - OK, LeBron James does not like the sleeves on his jersey. He's far from alone. Dude ripped off his sleeves after a slow shooting start last night. He said it was because of frustration. OK. James rebounded from the field after his jersey modification, but the NBA has to address this. Say if that had been Cavs point guard Mo Williams, dude would have been forced to put on a new sleeved jersey after his frustration-based outburst. Hey, there are double standards in all walks of life, but for the most part they most be assumed double standards not clear double standards. And we're a James apologist for crying out loud.
- This just in - we need a breaking news sound clip - but Steph Curry is pretty good at hoops. That is all.
- OK, Justin Timberlake was outstanding last night at the CMAs, and whomever this newcomer Chris Stapleton is, well, we approve. He actually looks like a country musician rather than a Days of Our Lives extra.
- If there was any doubt that Bill Belichick is the most prepared coach ever, well, dude has got the coin flip scouted. Yep, according to this, the Patriots have won 19 of the last 25 coin flips. Darth Hoodie uses the force. Of course the other side of that coin (see what we did there) is that the Patriots have figured out a way to cheat at the coin flip. Discuss.
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A saleswoman displays the new Monopoly board game version at a toy store near the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015. The French version of Monopoly is celebrating its 80th year by slipping cash into 80 boxes of the game. One box will have the full complement in real money 20,580 euros ($23,600) as well as the Monopoly money needed to actually play the game, one of the most popular in France. 79 other boxes will have smaller amounts according to Hasbro. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) Today's question
Feel free to offer your insight on any of these.
For a Rushmore: On this day in 1935, Monopoly was introduced.
What's the Rusmore of board games?
Go (and remember the mailbag).