Fab 4 picks
Gang, this is the best time of year for family. It's the most confusing time of year for us entertainment hunters.
We all know the 'motivation factor' that hunters try to find. Which team wants to be there? Heck, let's roll with some important details and reminders in the nature of the Christmas season, and considering that we are 12 days from celebrating Jesus' birthday, well you guessed it.
Cue the music (12 days of Christmas one of those little humming tuner thingys).
Pac-12 league a-gaggin' (Pac-12 went 1-8 last year and, while this year figures to be better, that league has not been really good this year)
11 passers a-passin' (quarterback play is even more important now)
10 underdogs a-doggin (over the last 10 years, underdogs are 186-175-1 against the number)
Nine seniors a-starting (check experience, especially in the early bowls because those dudes at smaller schools know this could be their final time to suit it up)
Eight Urbie updates (I am already sick to my stomach about the Urban Liar updates throughout the next month and we have not even started bowl season)
Seven stars a-leavin' (From Will Grier to Greedy Williams, make sure you know which future NFL stars are in and which are out for the bowl)
Six Saturday games a-playing (Bowl season starts in earnest Saturday)
FFFFiiiiiiiivvee Golden picks (We'll share all our bowl picks in the contest Friday, but we are not going to make official Fab 4 picks on all the games this year)
Four playoff teams (watching how the schools such as Georgia, THE Ohio State, Michigan and UCF come out may be the biggest unknowns of the bowl season, especially THE OSU; side note: Did you guys hear that Urban Liar stepped down)
Three coaches leaving (research alert: Last year in bowl games before Dec. 31, teams that lost their head coach before the bowls went 1-5 straight up and against the spread)
Two Bama shoves (Still think it's the Tide and everybody else)
And a parlay in play is glee. (Amen and pass the picks)
Utah State minus-7 over North Texas. The Aggies were one of the best bets in the country this year, going 9-3 against the number. One of the sneaky things we trust in bowl time is experience. Did you know that of Utah State's 22 starters, all 22 have been in college for at least three years (redshirt sophomores or older)? The line has dropped to 7 as of this morning because Utah State coach Matt Wells left for Texas Tech and we discussed the hurdles that could present, but we will side with experience and talent here. Again, buy the price down.
Georgia Southern minus-2 over Eastern Michigan. Eastern Michigan has been really improved and competed in almost every game. The only exception? EMU got manhandled by an Army team that does what? Runs the ball right at you. What does Georgia Southern do? Hmmmmmmmm.
MTSU plus-7.5 over App State. Couple of things here that check our "Parlay in Play is Glee" list above with No. 11, No. 10 and 3. MTSU is saying good-bye to Little Stockstill, their quarterback for the last 14 years. App State coach Scott Satterfield is in Louisville. And the Blue Raiders are ticked after letting the conference title game slip through their fingers the last time out. Plus more than a TD? Yes please.
Arizona State-Fresno State under 54. The best FSU in the country - and likely the best team in California - has the second-best scoring defense in the country. Jeff Tedford - yes that Jeff Tedford - is 19-6-2 against the number the last two years at Fresno State, so there's that to think about too.
Last week college: 1-0 against the spread (100 percent)
Last week FCS playoffs: 0-2 against the spread (FCS playoffs picks are bagel-and-2 this season, and yes that's 0 percent and we're done)
Last week NFL: 3-1 against the spread (official NFL picks are 3-1 this year)
Last year bowls: 18-17-1 against the spread
This year (Fab 4 proper): 53-38-2 (58.2 percent)
NFL picks
We have made a few off the cuff NFL picks this year.
We had one official ballot last week and went 3-1, hitting the under 56 in New Orleans-Tampa Bay, the Titans minus-5 over Jacksonville and New York minus-2.5 over Washington. We missed the Rams dropping a freezing floater in the Windy City.
So where are we this week?
Glad you asked.
L.A. Chargers plus-3.5 over Kansas City. The Chargers are motivated. The Chargers are a sneaky strong defense that can get to the quarterback with four. The Chargers are the best road team in the AFC. This is the biggest moment of Philip Rivers career in a lot of ways and we are all in for the L.A. Chargers - and their average attendance of 25,378 - having home-field advantage in the playoffs.
Seattle minus-4.5 at San Francisco. Stakes are high for the Seahawks. The defense is better than most know, it's just not filled the the names we all remember.
Houston minus-6 at the New York Jets. Another road favorite. And you know what, we're good with that.
New England minus-2 over Pittsburgh. And we complete the road favorite run. The Pats, coming off an embarrassing last-second loss, and desperate. Yeah, we'll ride with Bill and Brady over Ben and Brown. Side note: Did you see the stat that 59 NFL games have been decided by 3 points or fewer this season, and that number is already a regular-season record?
Warriors, wassup?
OK that was unexpected, right?
Golden State was thumped. At home. By a Toronto team that rested Kawhi Leonard.
Yes, the Warriors are still the favorites to win everything.
But the eye popping pieces of this - and the season-long struggles of easily the most-talented team in the NBA - are undeniable.
This is Toronto's first win at Oracle since 2004 and the Raptors swept the Warriors this year.
Golden State was 6-of-26 from deep. Yes, 6-for-26, and the Splash Brothers (Steph and Klay) were 2-of-13.
Golden State is 19-10 this year and 7-7 on the road. Man, who would have guessed?
This and that
- How about this headline on ESPN.com: What's lurking in your stadium food? Oh my. Not sure I want to read this one.
- Because in this politically climate nothing should ever surprise us, here's a story that none other Jose Canseco is making his pitch to be Donald Trump's Chief of Staff.
- Wow, how about this for a situation getting salty. We knew the Raiders were planning on leaving Oakland for Las Vegas in 2020. Well earlier this week Oakland is suing the Raiders and the NFL. So, now it could mean that the Raiders may play San Diego - which is German for, well, let Ron Burgundy tell you - in 2019. Well, that escalated in a hurry.
- Here are some more details on Kyler Murray's contract with the A's and what it would mean if he opted to enter the NFL draft. (The answer is it would cost him millions of his signing bonus he cashed with the A's.)
- We are so in for this, and this does nothing to curb our excitement. Here's a story about one of the Game of Thrones stars saying the final season - which starts in April - will "Break your mind." Yes please. Here's the exchange from Gwendoline Christie (Brine of Tarth) on the red carpet when asked about any hints about the final GoT season: "You're going to need therapy." The reporter then asked, "So someone dies?" And Christie added, "I think just the show ending is going to send all of the world into professional help I think it's going to make me incredibly emotional. We're all emotional about the fact that this is the end, and this is the end of something incredibly significant for all of us, and it's been a truly incredible thing to be a part of." Again, yes please.
- Def Leppard, Stevie Nicks and Janet Jackson lead the class of the next inductees of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. That LL Cool J did not make it is insulting, and the fact that Janet is in before Whitney is absurd.
- If you want my view on all the bowl games, we'd lean toward Northern Illinois and Tulane too.
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Today's questions
Have you entered the bowl contest? If not, why not?
More info can be found here of course.
As for today, Dec. 13, well we are 12 days from Christmas.
It is Ice Cream Day, which we are in favor of.
On this day 15 years ago Saddam Hussein was captured during Operation Red Dawn. WOLVERINES!
Driving Miss Daisy was released on this day in 1989. The Mitchell Report was released on this day in 2007.
Taylor Swift, Jamie Foxx and Steve Buscemi each celebrate a birthday today.
Let's go with a sneaky awesome catalog and narrow down a Rushmore of Buscemi films. Go and remember the contest and the mailbag.