Greeson: Finding entertainment when games are not entertaining

LSU running back Derrius Guice is stopped short of the goal line by a jersey tug from Arkansas defensive back Santos Ramirez during the Tigers' 33-10 win Saturday in Baton Rouge. Guice and the Tigers will visit Tennessee this Saturday for the Vols' first game under interim coach Brady Hoke.
LSU running back Derrius Guice is stopped short of the goal line by a jersey tug from Arkansas defensive back Santos Ramirez during the Tigers' 33-10 win Saturday in Baton Rouge. Guice and the Tigers will visit Tennessee this Saturday for the Vols' first game under interim coach Brady Hoke.

Last weekend was amazing. Top to bottom.

In truth, one of the reasons the dudes coaching your college football team are making more money in a year than we will make in our lives is because they have to handle the fallout from amazing.

Kirby Smart has to handle the amazing letdown of Georgia playing its worst game on its biggest stage to date. So do Brian Kelly and Gary Patterson. Gus Malzahn and Mark Richt have to try to avoid letdowns after a week of love-fests with everyone telling their players how awesome (some would say rat poison) they are.

So it goes.

When hunting entertainment - and as always, we make these picks for entertainment purposes only - those emotional roller coasters must be considered.

photo Miami Hurricanes football coach Mark Richt and his team enjoyed a blowout win against Notre Dame last week, and now they'll try to avoid a letdown against Virginia.

Middle Tennessee State University minus-3 over Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers are 2-7-1 against the number, theoretically hollowing out that 5-5 record when in comes to entertainment ventures. Also, know this: MTSU is 3-1 over and against the number with quarterback Brent Stockstill on the field this year. Stockstill in four games has a 10-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio; the other Blue Raiders to take a snap at QB have a 7-to-9 ratio. Buy the half, and remember this game is tonight, so get a jump-start on your entertainment this weekend.

Iowa minus-7 over Purdue. I almost mentioned Georgia Tech here, but I'm going with Iowa for two reasons that actually fold into one reason. Iowa has been excellent at home this year - we all remember what they did to THE Ohio State at Kinnick Stadium a few weeks ago, right? - and Purdue is winless on the road in conference play. Another line that was teetering on a magic number as of Thursday morning - it started at 8.5 and has dropped on VegasInsider.com - so invest wisely and buy the hook.

Army plus-3 over North Texas. Yes, North Texas is 7-3, but that record is a little hollow, considering the record includes one-score wins over UAB, UTSA, Old Dominion and Louisiana Tech that could have gone either way. Now know that former Georgia Southern coach Jeff Monken has Army staring at a potential 10-win season. Buy the half to be safe, but here's saying the wrong team is favored in this one.

N.C. State plus-2 over Wake Forest. Here's another game in which it feels like the wrong team is favored. Each offense has firepower - yes, Tennessee fans, Wake has an explosive Claw-fense, operated by former Vols offensive coordinator Dave Clawson. That said, Wake has exploited weaker defenses in recent weeks but has struggled against the better defensive fronts. North Carolina State has one of the best groups along the defensive lines in the country.

TCU minus-7 over Texas Tech. Yes, the loss to Oklahoma was painful, and, yes, it derailed College Football Playoff dreams for the Horned Frogs. But TCU still is in the mix for a spot in the Big 12 title game and another shot at the Sooners. Tech has struggled against teams with better talent, and be very sure that TCU has much better talent, especially on defense, where the Frogs rank 13th nationally, allowing 309 yards per game. (And, yes, buy the half.)

Arizona State minus-7 over Oregon State. Another number right there on the magic button. We'll buy the half and know that the weather - in the 50s for a noon kick local time - will not be an issue for the visiting Sun Devils. Also know that running the football travels well, too, and Oregon State is allowing 5.7 per carry in Pac-12 play. Giddy-up.

Last week: 3-3 against the spread (50 percent)

This season: 37-23-1 against the spread (61.7 percent)

SEC 4 ITEMS OF INTEREST

First down. Brady's bunch. After the tumultuous weekend in which Butch Jones was finally shown the door, the Tennessee Volunteers and the league's worst run defense welcome LSU and Derrius Guice to Neyland. Guice has 494 yards rushing and four TDs in his last three games. One of the main areas of frustration and futility in a season filled with them for Tennessee has been its defense against the run. The Vols rank 126 out of 129 FBS teams with 256.9 rushing yards allowed per game. So maybe promoting Brady Hoke to interim coach will solve two problems. First, it means Butch no longer will be making calls using his brick-by-brick head. Secondly, with his newfound responsibilities, whoever is looking after the defensive line in Hoke's place cannot do any worse.

Second down. Bowl positioning. The league looks like it will fall short of its normal bowl allotments. Florida is 3-6 with two games left, so it cannot get to the six wins needed to guarantee a postseason invitation. Ole Miss is 5-5 but has put itself on a self-imposed bowl ban because Hugh Freeze watched one too many Rick Pitino "recruit" videos. Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Arkansas are 4-6 and would need to win out to make the postseason. UT and Vandy each needs to win out and one of them definitely won't, and they are home underdogs against LSU and Missouri, which needs one more win to become the ninth bowl-eligibile team from the Southeastern Conference. Assuming at least one SEC team is in the playoff and at least one more is in the pool of six, the SEC is going to have a hard time filling its allotment this year.

Third down. Everyone gets to play. How bad is the week before Thanksgiving in which SEC teams traditionally feast on direction schools and money games? Georgia-Kentucky is the CBS 3:30 game this week. Yes, the Georgia team that was throttled at Auburn and is a three-TD favorite over the Wildcats is center stage. So know two things will happen this weekend. One, there will be a slew of guys playing for your team that you have to check the program to get their names right. Secondly, one of the group of Mercer, Louisiana-Monroe, UAB or Wofford will scare somebody well into the second half.

Fourth down. Alabama in prime position. Normally, about this point in the week as the top-ranked Tide get ready for an overmatched foe like Mercer, Nick Saban is crowing about rat poison or the process or responsibility for excellence. You know the routine. Well, Uncle Nicky spent Wednesday practicing his "open-mic night" routine on ripped jeans. He even cracked himself up on the podium. Heck, who knew Saban even had teeth.

Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com.

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