5-at-10: Fab 4 picks, Braves new warrior, unhappy Michael Sam, Rushmore of fast food joints

Wow, it’s Thursday already.

Side story before we get started. We were telling the 4-year-old Lil Princess 5-at-10 about Christmas and the reason for the season the other day. We then asked her what are some of the other ways Christ is in our lives. She paused, looked at the pantry and said, “We sometimes have Christ Krispies for breakfast.” Snap, Crackle and Pop could be the Whole Grain Trinity, we supposed.

From the “Talks too much” studios, let the good times roll.

Fab 4 picks

We are running short on time, and compared to previous years, we are low on our expected return of entertainment.

The year in college picks has been a wild ride, not unlike Auburn’s hills-and-valleys-filled trek. So it goes.

We’ve tried a variety of options and have managed to stay right above .500 with a few simple rules. We need to remember these for next year, and maybe it’s time to re-write the guidelines. In truth, and this will be especially entertaining to follow this weekend, style points are going to matter more than ever since the college football committee rewards sizzle more than substance.

That means bigger point spreads for heavy favorites in the championship mix. Take TCU this weekend for example. The Horned Frogs need to win impressively against an over-matched Iowa State team, so Vegas has pushed that number five points to TCU minus-35 in most circles. Crazy, right?

So let’s tweak our guidelines, shall we? (Note: We’ll put this in later – short on time today. Deal? Deal.)

Cincinnati minus-7 over Houston. We have had the most success this year picking Georgia Southern, picking against SMU (we love you Smoo) and riding Cincy. Thanks Tommy Tuberville for being the guy that is that guy. Cincy quarterback Gunner was less than effective last week but that tempers this line to a very comfortable price. Houston pounded SMU (still love you Smoo), and that means little. Yes please.

Temple minus-3 over Tulane. Tulane stinks. Temple has turned a a 4-1 start into a 5-6 record and needs this one to be bowl-eligible. The second-half slide has coincided with a tougher schedule. Did we mention that Tulane stinks? Hello, rule No. 3.

Marshall-La. Tech over the 68. The public is riding La. Tech and the points – almost 94 percent of the betting public is on the Bulldogs plus-12 – so that makes following Rule No. 2 very tempting. Still, with big-bowl dreams dashed, Marshall now has to refocus. And the one thing that is clearly in focus is each of these teams score. A lot. Like Fonzie-level scoring. Ayyyyyeee. Take out losses to Oklahoma and Auburn, and La. Tech is averaging better than 43 points per game. Marshall is averaging better than 46 per game.

Northern Illinois minus-6.5 over Bowling Green. Yes, there’s a little bit of having to ignore Rule No. 1 here, but Northern Illinois proved us wrong last week and has fashioned a program that is the class of the MAC. That’s especially important when your team knows and even mores when the other team knows it.

Baylor-Kansas State over the 67. A classic sizzle-moment here as Baylor needs to win and do it with some style. We’d lean toward taking the Bears minus-9 too, but a late backdoor cover – and the presence of KSU coach Bill Snyder – lead us to over the total.

Georgia Tech plus-4 over Florida State. Check No. 4 above, and yes, we believe Tech is going to win the game. And credit goes to Sam B., a regular caller and emailer, who called the Tech-over-Georgia upset right after Halloween. Tip of the visor to you Sam, and to these Jackets, who are physical and purposeful and resilient.

Ohio State plus-4 over Wisconsin. Ohio State is better at every position save tailback. Yes, losing quarterback J.T. Barrett likely flipped this line by as many as 10 points – with Barrett, who broke his ankle last week, the Buckeyes are at least a 6-point favorite – and in normal circumstances, that would be magnified. These are not normal circumstances, however. This is the Big Ten title game, and Urban Meyer has three great motivation ploys to get the most from his team. He can play the “No one believes in you” card. He can play the “Do it for your hurt quarterbacks” card. And he can play the “Remember last year” card, when the Buckeyes gagged under the pressure on this same stage. The math here makes it one-sided: Meyer + points + motivation + better overall talent > Melvin Gordon + OSU third-string quarterback. Sometimes it’s easier when you write out the equation.

Fresno State plus-21 over Boise State. The Broncos figure to win at home in the Mountain West title game. But, we have previous evidence, as these teams met during the regular season at the same venue – a 37-27 Boise win in October. Fresno State has won its last three and has averaged 35 points a game in that stretch. A Fresno State offense that has found a stride and a Boise State team just needing a win makes the three-touchdown spread too much.

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Michael Sam

We knew this was going to be a discussion at some point right?

Michael Sam is saying he is no longer in the NFL because he’s openly gay. Yep, here we are.

Sam told TMZ Sports that the reason he was cut by the Rams and later the Cowboys was because of his sexual orientation. He even said, “I think I was the SEC defensive player of the year last year… so I don’t think it had to do with talent.”

PUH-lease.

Dude, one the great frontiers about on-the-field athletics is the simple meritocracy that sports represents at its collective core. If you can play – whether you are green polka-dotted, believe the moon-landing was staged or smooch a little white fellow after being drafted – you can play. And if you can play, you will get to play. Period. Especially in the NFL, where winning is the only thing that matters.

And Mr. Sam, your skill set does not match. You are too slow to play in space and too light to play with your hand on the ground. Everyone saw it and discussed it at the combine. Everyone knew during the draft. Everyone knew it in camp and in the second-chance with Dallas. And everyone knows it today.

Well, everyone that is but you.

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Braves add Markakis

Pulling a paraphrased “Dumb and Dumber” moment, right when we thought the Braves were completely gutting the roster, they go and do this and totally redeem themselves.

It’s impossible for the 5-at-10 not to be giddy about the Nick Markakis signing, bringing the Woodstock, Ga.-native back to Atlanta. Great times.

Even if we had not covered the young Mr. Markakis during his standout high school days and saw how good a kid he was, we’d be pleased about this for a slew of reasons.

First, in replacing Jason Heyward in rightfield, Markakis is very good defensively. Maybe not as athletic as Heyward, who is among the game’s best defensively, but Markakis is very polished and has a great arm. And just a reminder, that Markakis did win a Gold Glove of his own last year.

Second, his offensive style is the antithesis of the Braves swing hard, swing often, homer occasionally and fan frequently approach that left a small country of runners stranded and confounded fans across the South. Markakis is a career .290 hitter and has averaged about 72 strikeouts a season over the last four years. That’s what Stinky Upton churns up in a month and a half.

Finally, for a club craving a true leader since Chipper retired and McCann left in free agency, Markakis can certainly fill that void. Want proof? After winning the AL East last year, his Orioles teammates are hot that Baltimore did not do everything possible to resign Markakis. We don’t know much, but we feel pretty sure when your teammates are mad and emotionally moved that a player is leaving, well, that’s a good sign.

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This and that, excellent addition

– Excellent win for Duke on Wednesday night. Young Devils go on the road to Madison and strong-arm Wisconsin. Can we give Duke and UK byes into the Final Four and then just continue like normal?

– Excellent view from our ace columnist Mark Wiedmer here about UAB bagging its program. Great comments from Bill Curry – one of our all-time favorite people and the guy who delivered the best Best of Preps speech in our 12 BoP banquets – and UTC AD David Blackburn.

– Excellent feature on Keon Williams from UTC football ace Stephen Hargis. Great story and good for Williams, who has overcome some serious life hurdles to be an all-SoCon running back.

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Today’s question

We want your feedback on the above, so there’s that.

Also, feel free to chime in on Jameis Winston’s statement detailing the night he met and the subsequent events with the woman alleging Winston raped her.

In a little more light-heartness mode, today is Burger King’s 60th birthday. The first one opened today in Miami in 1954. So, what’s our Rushmore of fast-food joints (definition, you have to have a drive-through window)?

Go.