Slacking
I've been a bit of a blog slacker. I'll work on that. Sorry, peeps.
College Football – Week 2 Results, Week 3 Picks
This week’s report will lack a lot of the snark, mostly because I don’t really have time. Grading papers is way harder than I ever imagined, and consumes a lot more time.
Last week, I wasn’t so good. I went 16-16-1, good for 324 points. I didn’t get much right in the way of upsets, with East Carolina being the only really decent one I called.
Now, for my week 3 picks. (Yes, I know some of the games have been played, but I’m not changing my picks. I’m honest like that.)
32 – #13 Oregon (Off) v Missouri State
31 – #20 Baylor (Off) v Stephen F. Austin
30 – #21 Missouri (Off) v Western Illinois
29 – #22 South Florida (Off) v Florida A&M
28 – Georgia (Off) v Coastal Carolina
27 – #4 Boise State (-27) at Toledo
26 – #8 Wisconsin (-17) at Northern Illinois
25 – #10 Nebraska (-17) v Washington
24 – UCLA v #24 Texas (-3.5)
23 – #14 Arkansas (-23) v Troy
22 – #6 Stanford (-9.5) at Arizona
21 – #9 Oklahoma State (-13.5) at Tulsa
20 – #23 Penn State (-6.5) at Temple
19 – Georgia Tech (-14.5) v Kansas
18 – Iowa (-3) v Pittsburgh
17 – Louisville at Kentucky (-6)
16 – #7 Texas A&M (-35.5) v Idaho
15 – #11 Virginia Tech (-24) v Arkansas State
14 – Tennessee at #18 Florida (-9.5)
13 – Minnesota (-4.5) v Miami-Ohio
12 – Arizona State at Illinois (-1)
11 – Mississippi (-1.5) at Vanderbilt
10 – #25 TCU (-29) v Louisiana-Monroe
9 – Virginia at North Carolina (-10)
8 – #17 Michigan State at Notre Dame (-5)
7 – Maryland (-1.5) v #19 West Virginia
6 – Navy at #12 South Carolina (-17)
5 – Miami (-2.5) v #15 Ohio State
4 – BYU (-4) v Utah
3 – #5 Florida State v #1 Oklahoma (-3)
2 – Clemson (-3.5) v Auburn
1 – #3 Alabama (-46) v North Texas
College Football – Week 1 Results, Week 2 Picks
Week 1 offered a mixed bag of results for me, just like most weeks are likely to do. I had a couple of highlights, including calling Baylor, LSU, and Northwestern as underdog winners for a total of 45 points. Of course, I also put way too much faith in Auburn, Missouri, Notre Dame, and USC. Overall, I finished 20-13 (60.61%) against the spread, earning 381 of 561 (67.91%) available points. Rankings are from the AP unless otherwise noted. ESPN.com Bottom 10 Poll rankings will also feature prominently.
That takes us to Week 2. We’ll see if I learned anything. Here are my picks.
33 — #2 Louisiana State (favorite – no point spread) v Northwestern State: This has the potential to get ugly. In fact, LSU may force a turnover and score before the game actually begins. I’m taking LSU, with a PlayStationesque final score of 102-3.
32 — #5 Florida State (favorite – no point spread) v Charleston Southern: FSU won’t treat Charleston as badly as did the later years of the Civil War, but it’ll get ugly.
31 — #17 Michigan State (favorite – no point spread) v Florida Atlantic: FAU are on the Bottom 10 Poll watch list, right between Louisiana-Monroe and Auburn’s defense. If this game had any kind of actual spread, this game would be nowhere near the top of my confidence rankings, but it doesn’t. All the Spartans have to do is win. Don’t blow it, Sparty.
30 — #19 West Virginia (favorite – no point spread) v Norfolk State: Maybe the weather in Morgantown will be good enough to let the teams play the entire game.
29 — Mississippi (favorite – no point spread) v Southern Illinois: Ole Miss covered for me last weekend, and I’m grateful to them for those 3 points. All they have to do is win this weekend. I’m sure we won’t revisit the Jacksonville State debacle of a couple years back, will we? Ole Miss’s play-calling did make the Bottom 10 watch list….
28 — #8 Wisconsin (21-point favorite) v B10 #5 Oregon State: Losing to FCS I-AA foe Sacramento State earned Oregon State the coveted #5 spot in the Bottom 10, but they were playing with what seems like half a team because of injuries. I hope that the visit to Camp Randall doesn’t amount to the football equivalent of Pickett’s Charge.
27 — #15 Ohio State (19-point favorite) v Toledo: I don’t expect the Rockets’ red glare to be visible from Columbus this weekend.
26 — #6 Stanford (21-point favorite) @ B10 #10 Duke: Duke lost to FCS I-AA school Richmond last weekend. I’m surprised that this line is only 21 points. Perhaps the oddmakers expect a calculus class to break out in the middle of the third quarter.
25 — #13 Oregon (26.5-point favorite) v Nevada: Despite Oregon’s punt returns having earned a spot on the Bottom 10 watch list, I think the Ducks are angry, and Nevada are the unfortunate foes who will get to experience their wrath.
24 — #10 Nebraska (28-point favorite) v Fresno State: The Bulldogs lost to Cal by 15. Nebraska are a much better team.
23 — California (6.5-point favorite) @ Colorado: I think Colorado may get to visit the Bottom 10 before the year is over.
22 — Arizona State (7.5-point favorite) v #21 Missouri: Missouri didn’t impress me last week. Maybe they were rusty, but I think that Arizona State will play well at home and win.
21 — Northern Illinois (5.5-point favorite) @ Kansas: I think the Jayhawks will be looking forward to basketball season.
20 — #18 Florida (23-point favorite) v Alabama-Birmingham: The Blazers might get scorched in Gainesville.
19 — #22 South Florida (20-point favorite) v Ball State: Ball State may not turn it over five times, but South Florida should win.
18 — #24 Texas (7-point favorite) v Brigham Young: BYU probably should have beaten Mississippi by more than a point. Texas will take care of business here.
17 — Central Florida (7-point favorite) v Boston College: I’ll give Central Florida the win, and the nod for class. UCF are encouraging their fans to wear red bandannas in honor of former BC lacrosse player Welles Crowther, who lost his life in the World Trade Center’s south tower.
16 — #12 South Carolina (3-point favorite) @ Georgia: Frankly, this may be a wider margin. I have a tough time coming up with reasons that Georgia (whose uniforms made the Bottom 10) could win this game. If they’re playing for Mark Richt, it seems like they would have started sooner.
15 — #16 Mississippi State (6.5-point favorite) @ Auburn: Before the season started, I wouldn’t have picked the Bulldogs to cover in this game. Then came the Utah State game. Auburn have something to prove to me. I don’t think they’ll prove it against a confident Mississippi State team, even at home. I think there is a reason that the Auburn defense is in the Bottom 10 watch list.
14 — Virginia (7-point favorite) @ Indiana: Indiana are on the Bottom 10 watch list, and I think they’ll make the poll before too much longer.
13 — Utah (8.5-point underdog) @ Southern California: USC managed 19 points against Minnesota. Really? Wow. I’ll take Utah to make it a decent game.
12 — Central Michigan (11.5-point underdog) @ Kentucky: Kentucky managed only 14 points against Western Kentucky last weekend, landing the offense on the Bottom 10 watch list. Could Kentucky be the doormats of the SEC? This game may tell us. I don’t know if CMU will win, but I like the Chippewas to cover.
11 — East Carolina (18-point underdog) v #11 Virginia Tech: Virginia Tech are good, but ECU have been decent for a while, and I think they’re better than an 18-point underdog. That’s a large spread. The Hokies win, but I think it will be closer.
10 — Tennessee (5-point favorite) v Cincinnati: Tennessee didn’t necessarily impress folks last week, but I think this is a program getting better. I have faith in Derek Dooley, even if the Bottom 10 poll doesn’t like his pants. Tennessee get the nod.
9 — San Diego State (9.5-point favorite) @ Army: It’s rough to make a cross-country trek, but Army didn’t fare well at Northern Illinois. Maybe NIU are just a really good team, but I think the quality of the Army team — or the lack thereof — may have been on display, too.
8 — Iowa (6.5-point favorite) @ Iowa State: Iowa State struggled against Northern Iowa last weekend. It’s a rivalry game, and maybe the Cyclones will be motivated to win a sub-par rivalry trophy, but motivation may not be enough.
7 — Washington (6-point favorite) v Hawai’i — Sure, Hawai’i knocked off Colorado at home. Still, the win was against Colorado. I’ll take Washington.
6 — North Carolina (10.5-point favorite) v Rutgers: I don’t really know what to do with this game. The spread seems large to me, but I think North Carolina probably have better talent, and they’re playing at home.
5 — Vanderbilt (favorite – no point spread) v Connecticut: This game looks like a match-up of two teams that don’t figure to be overly good. It seems like a toss-up to me, so I’m not going with the usual bit of awarding maximum points to games with no line.
4 — Air Force (2-point underdog) v #25 Texas Christian: I’m not sold on TCU yet. Who would have thought the TCU defense would be on the Bottom 10 watch list? Air Force always pose an interesting challenge to an opposing defense. This game is basically a toss-up, and I’m going to pick the home team.
3 — B10 #4 New Mexico (36-point favorite) @ Arkansas: The only reason I’m picking New Mexico is the size of the spread. They’re not good, but that’s a huge spread.
2 — Notre Dame (3.5-point favorite) @ Michigan: Notre Dame’s turnovers are on the Bottom 10 Poll watch list, and with good reason — Notre Dame should have won last weekend against South Florida, but literally gave the game away. Similarly, Michigan didn’t outplay Western Michigan, but made big plays when it mattered. I don’t think that Notre Dame will be as bad this time around, and I don’t think that Michigan will be as good, so I’m taking Notre Dame on the road, 30-17.
1 — #3 Alabama (10-point favorite) @ #3 Pennsylvania State: As usual, Alabama are the subject of my one-point pick. The Alabama defense looked to be dominant, but the offense committed five turnovers against mighty Kent State. If Alabama commit five turnovers against Penn State, they won’t win 48-7. They likely won’t win at all. I expect a healthy dose of Richardson and Lacy from Alabama, and I don’t think Penn State will be able to stop it all night long.
That’s the story from here. We’ll see what remains after the smoke has cleared.
College Football – Week 1 Picks
Once again, I’ve signed up to participate in my friend Robert’s College Football Pick’em group at Yahoo! Sports. While I personally wish we weren’t picking nearly every college football game on the planet (it takes a lot of time), it’s a bit easier for me this year because of my work schedule (four 10-hour days).
In an effort to be sure I’m not neglecting my blog, and for the sake of making this way more fun for me, I’m going to post my picks each week. The odds are good that my end-of-season results will leave you feeling better about your skills in prognostication.
In the College Football Pick’em game, we pick games against the spread (not that anyone involved — Yahoo! Sports, Robert, or me — is promoting gambling), and then assign confidence points. Our scores aren’t based on wins and losses against the spread, but on total points earned. I’ll report them here from highest confidence to lowest, listing my pick first, along with my insightful (?) commentary.
33 – Nebraska (favorites – no point spread) v Chattanooga: I always assign really high confidence points to teams that just have to win. I think this is Vegas’s way of saying, “You’re so bad, underdog, that we’re not even going to predict how badly the favorites are going to beat you. We just assume that you’ll be the mouse to their housecat looking for some entertainment.”
32 – Florida (favorites – no point spread) v Florida Atlantic: I rarely pick schools that are regular inhabitants of the ESPN Bottom Ten poll as a multi-school listing. FAU have spent a lot of time in the Bottom Ten with Florida International as “F_U.” I’m filling in the blank with an A.
31 – Tennessee (favorites – no point spread) v Montana: Unlike the first officer of the Red October, the kids at Montana will have gotten to see Montana before getting smushed by Derek Dooley’s Volunteers. I’ll be looking forward to insightful commentary from Dooley after the game.
30 – Virginia Tech (favorites – no point spread) v Appalachian State: VT are no Michigan, Mountaineers.
29 – Michigan State (favorites – no point spread) v Youngstown State: This is the first stop in MSU’s tour of Jim Tressel’s former employers.
28 – Arkansas (favorites – no point spread) v Missouri State: Even with a new quarterback and no Knile Davis, this should be a glorified scrimmage.
27 – Vanderbilt (favorites – no point spread) v Elon: For propping up the SEC’s conference-wide GPA, Vanderbilt deserve to get to play schools like Elon.
26 – Florida State (29.5-point favorites) v Louisiana-Monroe: ULM are routinely part of the UL-U-Pick’em in the Bottom Ten, and what Florida school doesn’t like to run up points against a minnow for the sake of boosting team ego?
25 – Oklahoma (25-point favorites) v Tulsa: Oklahoma are ranked number 1 for a reason. Tulsa will find out why.
24 – USC (23.5-point favorites) v Minnesota: For once, Lane Kiffin’s team might actually be able to back up all of his annoying, empty-headed rhetoric. Really, Lane, I love you … just like the fans in Knoxville do.
23 – Notre Dame (10-5-point favorites) v South Florida: It’s a homecoming of sorts for USF’s coach Skip Holtz. I don’t think your dad will really pick the Bulls to win, even with the threat of retribution from his wife.
22 – South Carolina (20.5-point favorites) v East Carolina: Every now and then, ECU cause a big-name school problems. I don’t think they’ll be doing that in this game.
21 – Missouri (20.5-point favorites) v Miami-Ohio: I’ve got nothing. What a boring match-up. Missouri are breaking in a new quarterback, so we’ll see if the offense can still put up points.
20 – West Virginia (23-point favorites) v Marshall: It’s an in-state rivalry game, but I like the Mountaineers to win big so the students can carry couches just outside the Morgantown city limits and turn them into bonfires.
19 – Stanford (30-point favorites) v San Jose State: I’m counting on Andrew Luck to cover a very large spread.
18 – Auburn (23-point favorites) v Utah State: I’m counting on Gus Malzahn to cover a very large spread.
17 – Northwestern (3-point underdogs) @ Boston College: Both of these teams are dealing with injury problems, and picking the road underdogs to win is always an interesting proposition, but I’m choosing to have a little faith in the Wildcats. Actually, I’m having a lot of faith in them, given that I’m assigning 17 points to this game. I’m picking Northwestern to cover and to win outright.
16 – Baylor (4.5-point underdogs) v TCU: Baylor have a great quarterback and they’re playing at home. TCU have to replace their starting quarterback. I think that could matter. I think it’ll be a close game, and I think Baylor may win outright.
15 – California (10-point favorites) v Fresno State: The Bulldogs are usually a tough out, but I think the Golden Bears can do it. Don’t ask me why, because there’s no logic behind it.
14 – SMU (15.5-point underdogs) @ Texas A&M: I don’t think SMU will win this game, but I think that the spread is large. The administration at Texas A&M have been more focused on their conference for 2012 than anything else. We’ll see if the players and coaches have been focused on that, too. Since this is a tiebreaker game, I have to pick the score. I’m calling it SMU 30, Texas A&M 37.
13 – Hawai’i (7-point favorites) v Colorado: I’m picking Hawai’i because it’s a long, long trip from Colorado, and because the Buffaloes haven’t been that good in a while.
12 – LSU (3.5-point underdogs) v Oregon: Until Oregon demonstrate they can defeat a top-tier SEC defense, I don’t think they can do it. LSU may not score a lot of points, but I think they can shut down the Ducks.
11 – Georgia (3.5-point underdogs) v Boise State: This is almost a toss-up. Here’s the deal, Mark Richt — Georgia are an SEC team. If you can’t take care of a good Boise State team — minus two starters — in a virtual home game, it may be a long year between the hedges.
10 – Texas (24-point favorites) v Rice: I’m not willing to express confidence in Texas until they demonstrate they are back. I think they’ll win, and I think they’ll cover, but I’m not very confident.
9 – Maryland (3-point favorites) v Miami: This game may be decided by which team will have enough players to field a team. Maryland have two suspended, while Miami have eight players on ice. I’m picking Maryland solely because they’re at home. This is also a tiebreaker game, so I have to pick the score. I’m calling it Maryland 8, Miami 2.
8 – Army (10.5-point underdogs) @ Northern Illinois: My gut tells me that Army can cover against a MAC school, even on the road. Right? Maybe some Green Berets can temporarily detain all the skill players for NIU to determine whether they’re, … ummm … trying to establish a separate country in the middle of Great Lakes country?
7 – Oklahoma State (37-point favorites) v Louisiana-Lafayette: I expect Oklahoma State to crush one of the UL-U-Pick’em schools, but 37 points is a huge spread.
6 – Akron (34-point underdogs) @ Ohio State: I expect Ohio State to crush their in-state non-rivals, but 34 points is a little too rich for my points given all the turmoil in Columbus.
5 – UCLA (3-point underdogs) @ Houston: Houston get back their star quarterback after last year’s knee injury, but I think UCLA will show up to play.
4 – Louisiana Tech (13-point underdogs) @ Southern Mississippi: I think the margin might be a bit wide.
3 – Mississippi (3-point underdogs) v BYU: C’mon, Rebels. You’ve got a new mascot, a Nutt, you’re playing at home, and you’re an SEC school. Just win the game.
2 – Alabama (38-point favorites) v Kent State: I think Alabama will cover. I also think that my heart has often gotten in the way of my brain when scoring Alabama. As a rule, they’re one of my two lowest-confidence picks.
1 – Western Michigan (14-point underdogs) @ Michigan: Until Michigan demonstrate they can stop the pass, I’m just going to assume they can’t. This trumps the fact that WMU are regularly part of Directional Michigan in the Bottom Ten. Oh, and Michigan have a history of doing the opposite of whatever I pick, so I always put them at a single point.
That’s it from here. Look for a recap after the weekend’s games. May God have mercy on my picks.
Musical Guilty Pleasures
I listened to Scott Van Pelt’s radio show today, and sports was only part of the conversation. He mentioned that he was in the ESPN cafeteria yesterday and heard Celine Dion’s “That’s the Way It Is” playing. He loves the song, and declared so on the air. He asked the rest of us to share our musical guilty pleasures. I shared two of them.
First up is “Alone” by Heart.
The other one is “Take a Chance on Me” by ABBA.
Oh, and here’s the video that started it all.
Dream Police: More Mice?
I had an interesting dream sometime between going to bed on Tuesday and waking up on Wednesday. I was sitting at my desk, when I noticed a couple of little pieces of mouse excrement in front of my keyboard. I got out of my chair, knelt in front of my desk, and peered at the stuff, trying to make sure it was really mouse excrement. I then cleaned it and went about my day.
We had a bit of trouble with mice in the building recently, so it would seem that my brain is concerned that the problem may not be over. Go figure.
Open Note to US Soccer
I’m a fan of the US football teams. Whether it be the men or the women, I’m a fan.
Note: I’m talking about the football played with the round ball, otherwise known as soccer, and primarily actually played with the feet. If there were a US national team in American football (the one played with the oblong ball), I’d be a fan of that team, too.
I didn’t go to the Gold Cup match in Detroit. I had a lot going on, and I had to pick something to not do, and I settled on that. In retrospect, that was a poor decision. It seems that all but the most devoted of US fans had something else to do the day of the Gold Cup final; as a result, the US played — and lost — an away match on their own soil.
Going to California might have been a bit much for me to pull off, but going to Detroit shouldn’t have been. I can’t whine about the lack of respectable levels of support for the US national teams if I’m part of the problem.
Dear US Soccer and all the players on our national teams,
I’m sorry. I have let you down. I should have been there to see you in Detroit, and I should be more than just a “remote control” fan. That changes now.
My commitment to you is that, when you’re playing within five hours of where I live, I will be there unless providentially hindered. You play hard to represent this country. Heck, we can always count on seeing every hand of every player on a heart during our national anthem. You deserve this.
Thanks for playing so very hard for us, even when we don’t support you like we should. I look forward to seeing you in Detroit, Columbus, or Chicago, sometime soon.
Respectfully yours,
Darrell Harden
Photos: Neon
It wouldn’t be my blog without some photographs of neon signs, would it?
Darlington Hotel, Chicago, IL
Green Mill Cocktail Lounge, Chicago, IL
National Car Wash, Chicago, IL
Pequod's Pizza, Chicago, IL
Casler Hardware, Jackson, MI
Miller's Shoes, Jackson, MI
Zoobie's Tavern, Lansing, MI
Oasis, Paw Paw, MI
Downtown Grill and Brewery, Knoxville, TN
Photos: Fun Stuff Not in Chicago
First up is a sign in Plainwell, Michigan. I’m pretty sure there’s a story behind this one.
Next, here’s the back of a van that I photographed in a Kalamazoo school parking lot.
Next up … my left foot. Really, it’s not about the foot; it’s all about the shoelaces.
From Lansing, Michigan, comes the junction of Michigan Avenue and … parking enforcement?
Here’s the Old Michigan City Lighthouse in (you guessed it) Michigan City, Indiana.
Inside the lighthouse is a museum that includes some typed histories of events. This one relates to World War I, and references the Versailles Versigh Treaty. Yes, someone is hooked on phonics.
From Lansing, here’s the capitol of the great state of Michigan.
Last, here’s a photo of a nifty sign in Jackson. Kudos to Paul Lott for tipping me off to this one.
Photos: Fun Stuff in Chicago
Chicago seems to have a limitless supply of fun things to find. Here are a few of them. First up is the painted wall of Rabbit’s Bar and Grill. I love it!
The next photograph is above the awning for Fast Food Underground in Chicago.
Here’s some furniture at the CTA Brown Line’s Damen station. It’s made of metal, but shaped to look like luggage.
The Chicago Theatre hosted both Charlie Sheen and Glenn Beck in the space of a couple of weeks. If only they could have been on stage together.
Next, how about a pair of murals from the post office in Uptown.
Here’s another pair of photographs, this time featuring creatively named portable toilet companies.
Photos: Historical Markers
Here are historical markers I’ve found in 2011.
Charles Dawes House National Historic Landmark Marker - Evanston, Illinois
Old Michigan City Lighthouse National Register of Historic Places Marker - Michigan City, Indiana
Old Michigan City Lighthouse Historical Marker - Michigan City, Indiana
First Congregational Church Historical Marker - Jackson, Michigan
First Congregational Church Jackson County Historic Place Marker - Jackson, Michigan
First Congregational Church City of Jackson Historic Place Marker - Jackson, Michigan
Horace Ismon Historical Marker - Jackson, Michigan
Ismon Building Historical Marker - Jackson, Michigan
Jacksonburg Public Square Historical Marker - Jackson, Michigan
Felt Mansion Historical Marker, Obverse - Laketown Township, Michigan
Felt Mansion Historical Marker, Reverse - Laketown Township, Michigan
Box 23 Club Historical Marker - Lansing, Michigan
Kerns Hotel Fire Historical Marker - Lansing, Michigan
Michigan Licensed Beverage Association Historical Marker - Lansing, Michigan
North Presbyterian Church National Register of Historic Places Marker - Lansing, Michigan
North Presbyterian Church Historical Marker, Obverse - Lansing, Michigan
North Presbyterian Church Historical Marker, Reverse - Lansing, Michigan
North Presbyterian Church Ingham County Historical Marker - Lansing, Michigan
118-122 West Ottawa Street National Register of Historic Places Marker - Lansing, Michigan
Andrew Johnson Hotel National Register of Historic Places Marker - Knoxville, Tennessee
Blount College National Register of Historic Places Marker - Knoxville, Tennessee
Blount Mansion Historical Marker - Knoxville, Tennessee
Fidelity Building National Register of Historic Places Marker - Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville's Market House Historical Marker - Knoxville, Tennessee
Mecklenburg Place Historical Marker - Knoxville, Tennessee
Old Knox County Courthouse Historical Marker - Knoxville, Tennessee
Old Knox County Courthouse National Register of Historic Places Marker - Knoxville, Tennessee
Staub's Theatre Historical Marker - Knoxville, Tennessee
Treaty of the Holston Historical Marker - Knoxville, Tennessee
