Thanks very much to Bike Jocks for taking over the contest for the next few weeks. Be sure to send your entries to him via Private Message or email -- jim32809@cfl.rr.com.

After two weeks featuring four or five games between Top 25 teams, this week there's only one -- but a bunch of potentially troublesome road games in the mix.

The games:
1. Boston College at #25 Notre Dame
You could ask WWJD -- but it's more fun to pick it without help from above. BC's two losses were both on the road, one in OT, one by a field goal.
Last season: BC 27 - ND 25

2. #5 Florida State at Wake Forest
Two of Wake's three losses have come in OT -- the other by just a TD. Can they surprise FSU?
Last season: FSU 48 - Wake 24

3. #11 Michigan at #12 Purdue
The Boilers have to get over last week's heartbreaker -- and exact some revenge on Michigan. (PLEASE PLEASE exact some revenge on Michigan!!)
Last season: Michigan 31 - Purdue 3

4. Alabama at #13 Tennessee
see discussion of this on the SEC board
Last season: TN 51 - Bama 43

5. #21 Oklahoma State at Missouri
The Cowboys biggest game is next week in Norman -- they have to be careful not to ignore the Tigers along the way.
2001 score: Missouri 41 - OK State 38

6. UCLA at #23 Arizona State
AZ State got demolished by the Trojans last Saturday. Now they take on some more SoCal boys, this time at home.
Last season: ucla 20 - AZ State 13

7. #6 Georgia at Arkansas
see discussion on the SEC thread
2002 Score: uga 30 - razorbacks 3

8. #8 California at Arizona
Cal still has Rose Bowl on their mind (if USC makes it to the Orange)., Or will that Rose wilt in the desert heat (OK shoot me, I just sounded like that narrator from VH1's "Behind the Music")
Last season: Cal 42 - Arizona 14

9. #9 Texas at #24 Texas Tech
The Red Raiders are coming off a bye week after crushing Nebraska.
Last season: Texas 43 - TTech 40

10. UNLV at #10 Utah
Stud QB Alex Smith leads the Utes, who have to prove they earn their lofty ranking every game.
Last season: Utah 38 - UNLV 10

11. #3 Miami of Florida at N.C. State
Pundits have picked this, along with the uva game in a few weeks, as the best chance for a Hurricane loss. They have met maybe half-a-dozen times over the years, the last time in the 1998 Micron PC Bowl.
1998 Score: Miami 48 - NC State 23

12. Fresno State at #16 Boise State
The Smurf field will see a great match-up; Fresno State has played well lately in big games on the road (despite losing two-in-a-row).
B-State 31 - FSU 17

CUT-AND-PASTE
1. Boston College at Notre Dame
2. Florida State at Wake Forest
3. Michigan at Purdue
4. Alabama at Tennessee
5. Oklahoma State at Missouri
6. UCLA at Arizona State
7. Georgia at Arkansas
8. California at Arizona
9. Texas at Texas Tech
10. UNLV at Utah
11. Miami at N.C. State
12. Fresno State at Boise State -- GAME OF THE WEEK -- predict by how many points the victor will win.

RULES
1. Pick the winner in each game.

2. Predict how many points the team you pick to win the designated Game of the Week will win by. This will be used for tiebreak purposes. This week it is the Fresno State at Boise State game.

3. The first pick is needed by the kickoff of the first game -- Saturday noon.

4. Picks must be submitted either via the Private Message function or E-mail. Bike Jock's email address is jim32809@cfl.rr.com -- please do not post your picks here. Include your Outsports nickname with your picks.

[ October 19, 2004, 08:58 AM: Message edited by: DCBucky ]

Buck--you're getting my picks as well

does anyone else want me to send them a copy while I'm at it?

is it time to go home yet?

Picks now in from:

Hwkpride
pat125
KeyWestGuy
theodoresdaddy
Palladio
TheBMan
wilderblue
chix20chix
bballrob
PurdueFan
DeepRivers
auNsoccer

[ October 20, 2004, 06:24 PM: Message edited by: BikeJocks ]

Picks in from:
MichaelMaineFan
Itsplaytym
George_vikingfan
Frustrated_Coach
GatorJamie
MiamiDr
DCBucky
bobby78751
gmginsfo
meric
Aubie in Bham
MarinerDuckBoy
GoMonica

Predicitions as of Thursday afternoon:

14-11
Texas Tech over Texas (those of you claiming this as your upset special aren't alone)

15-10
Oklahoma State over Missouri

19-6
Boise State over Fresno State

20-5
Arizona State over UCLA

22-3
Notre Dame over Boston College

23-2
Purdue over Michigan
Miami over NC State

24-1
Utah over UNLV

25-0
Florida State over Wake Forest
California over Arizona
Georgia over Arkansas
Tennessee over Alabama

Jim

[ October 21, 2004, 01:19 PM: Message edited by: BikeJocks ]

Hey folks, I got a few more entries in just as I was leaving the house for Fernandina Beach. (It's just north of Amelia Island and I'm up here getting a nice paycheck for announcing at a marching band contest.) Remember that the deadline is noon Saturday. My computer at home is running and the email program is up so I will know when any last minute entries come in. Private message entries will also still be accepted (as they are time stamped).

Don't miss the deadline! Good luck everyone.

Jim (currently in Fernandina Beach with a great oceanview room)

For the record, here are my picks:

1. Notre Dame
2. Florida State
3. Purdue
4. Tennessee
5. Oklahoma State
6. Arizona State
7. Georgia
8. California
9. Texas
10. Utah
11. Miami
12. Boise State by 14

Jim

I have two questions:

Why have they started announcing the number of the player responsible for a penalty this year?

What do y'all think about instant replay during college games?

Sorry if these have already been addressed in other threads.

Sorry for the delay folks, but I visited a cousin on Amelia Island on my way back from Fernandina Beach. He tempted me to stay with an offer of steaks on the grill, but it was two screwdrivers that convinced me I needed to stay overnight. (I am a total lightweight when it comes to liquor.) I got home today just in time to make it to Monday Night Football - high school style. (Make-ups for hurricane cancelled games).

Anyway with three unanimous picks (Which we all got right - Florida State, California and Georgia) it basically came down to a 9 game pool.

Last minute valid entries were received from gamecock and PCC(? - you guys have to identify yourselves with your Outsports ID) to bring the number of entries to 31.

Quick review of the picks:

31-0
Florida State over Wake Forest
California over Arizona
Georgia over Arkansas

30-1
Tennessee over Alabama
Utah over UNLV

29-2
Purdue over Michigan
Miami over NC State

28-3
Notre Dame over Boston College

25-6
Arizona State over UCLA

24-7
Boise State over Fresno State

20-11
Oklahoma State over Missouri

16-15
Texas Tech over Texas

And here are the results. We have a logjam at the top, and a tie with the tiebreaker! Since I am one of those, I will do the honorable thing and give this week's win to Aubie in Bham who, like me, picked BSU to win by 14, only 3 points off of their 17 point win. (I did this before I noticed that I won the SEC Pick'em on a tiebreaker. Good karma, I guess.)

10-2 (tiebreaker)
Aubie in Bham (14)
BikeJocks (14)

PurdueFan (10)
meric (9)
PCC? (9)
azairforce (7)
TheBMan (6)
chix20chix (4)
GoMonica! (3)
gmginsfo (3)
Hwkpride (3)

9-3
gamecock
GatorJamie
theodoresdaddy
pat125
Palladio
bballrob
Itsplaytym
MarinerDuckBoy

8-4
Ed13
Frustrated_Coach
bobby78751
wilderblue
DeepRivers
George_vikingfan

7-5
AtlJock
KeyWestGuy
auNsoccer
MiamiDr
DCBucky

6-6
MichaelMaineFan

[edited after seeing that I won the SEC Pick'em]

[ October 25, 2004, 10:56 PM: Message edited by: BikeJocks ]

That is my ID.

Jim, Buddy, I'll share the honors with you anytime.

Now, I'd like to thank all of the little people that allowed me to step on them on my climb to the leader of the pack. Now, where's my crown dammit

Another case of where even a blind squirrel occasionally finds an acorn.

Don't you mean "tiara"? (ducking) wink

Hey, I'm secure in my manhood, give me a crown, tiara, whateva, I'll wear it with pride. But if it's a tiara, it better be big and sparkly. Do I get any scholarship money for this?

Big, sparkly, with sapphires, diamonds, and orange thingies, a rim of tiger fur and 100% houndstooth free.

Very nice idea, except, of course, it is FAUX tiger fur. I wouldn't want any Tigers harmed just for my coronation. I don't want any houndstooth fabric, but I would be willing to have Smoky's canine's somewhere on the crown for a real Houndstooth's? ROFL

If we're not going to harm any Tiggers, we're not going to harm any mangy coon dogs, either. How about getting Krispy Kreme to sponsor it instead? The diversion of profits away from UT would accomplish the same insult. wink

Bobby, I think you're up.

GRRRRRRRR! You two are treading on this ice. For one of you, it's pretty brave talk for someone who has a lame-duck coach.

Bobby, after last weekend, and after everything that has gone on this season, there's nothing that you could say that would insult us. We've already done it to ourselves.

Thank GAWD he's a lame duck!

gj

p.s. A PUBLIC thank-you for the card for Teddy. That was very sweet of you. xxoo

Strike one, Bobby! That's some weak smack. They called your mascot a mangy coon dog and your coach a porker. Granted, both are true; but you've still gotta fight back.

Actually, it was just GJ who called beloved Smokey a "mangy coon dog". I guess that says a lot when her school can't even figure out what kind of reptile their mascot is.

Aubie just wants Smokey's teeth for decoration...which is still pretty horrible. I suppose some other Auburn fans would want Smokey's teeth for other reasons...maybe for replacing the teeth they have lost. Aubie's team did come into K-town and wipe out the Vols. Still, the Crocs haven't been able to handle the Vols for two years.

As for Phil being fat...yes he is...but he still has the best winning percentage of current coaches...and he still has a job! Eat that!

[ October 26, 2004, 12:44 PM: Message edited by: bobby78751 ]

Hey! I protected his dentata! "Houndstooth-free" referred to Bear's hat, silly!

And.. yes we DO know what our mascot is. As for who our coach is, that is a reptile of an entirely different color.

Hello pot, meet kettle.....

Until he's exposed as the snitch he is in bringing down Bama. Oh, and by the way, you better enjoy Jason Swain, because his recruitment is going to be a BIG, BIG story that might put the winning percentage in the history books.

BPT, that's not even the pot calling the kettle black. It's the Bamers and the Hillbillies that are toothless. Most Aubs are pretty safe in the orthodonita world.

But, Bobby, you should know I wouldn't harm a hair on that coon dog.

[ October 26, 2004, 01:05 PM: Message edited by: Aubie in Bham ]

Heck from my view of the world, if you're south of 39°43'19.11"N. (that's the Mason-Dixon line for non Vandys), or the Ohio River, there is a damn fine chance that your town/college has more people than teeth. eek!

(ok, I'm getting out of this thread before I'm beaten to death )

[ October 26, 2004, 01:44 PM: Message edited by: BPT336 ]

From that damn Yankuh BPT:
Hell, it's our preference that y'all stay above the line as well. But, for some reason, y'all come down here and WON'T leave. We must have something that keeps you here.

wink

Disneyland.

Spring break. We keep tellin 'em, "Y'all better play nice or we won't let you south of the Fla-Ga or Fla-Ala border."

Makes 'em reconsidre every time, especially after they've been watching "Girls Gone Wild" all winter long in snow-bound hovels.

California???? I thought we were talking about the sweet-talkin' south.

Sorry, but my idea of Spring Break usually consists of going to wherever the NCAA hockey playoffs are. Maybe skiing in Vermont. And I've never watched "Girls Gone Wild" or "Guys Gone Wild" for that matter. Really, if the temperature (outside my bedroom wink ) is over 70, it's TOO DAMN HOT! :cool:

Why watch it? You lived it in Philly in Sept.

can we get current standings posted

Current standings:

GJ/Bobby/Aubie 10 BPT 0

Now BPT, Bobby's right, if you're going to give reason to be down here, you should know that DisneyWORLD is in Orlando.

70 degrees is just right...nothing like a nice winter day in the South.


wink

<THWACK!> BPT throws "yeller" snowball at Aubie. wink

You know, the best part of this whole thread is that I have united all SEC fans against me in a a common cause! :cool: Neville Chamberlian would proclaim it, "Peace in Our Time" and then send everyone out for unlimited rice pudding. It's a wonderful feeling. I'm feeling warm all over.... but that's cause I spent too much time writing this post and I piddled. eek!

No, no, no - when the temperature is below 70 its TOO DAMN COLD! When the temp hits the 60s is when I crank up the heater and break out my heavy jackets. No, seriously - that's what I do. And only someone whose brains have been addled by all that snow and ice from the north would say that Disneyland was in the south. It's Disney World down here. But then what can you expect from someone piddling on himself at the desk. wink

Jim

Would you call him a Golden Knight? (ducking)

HEY!!! I did NOT go to Clarkson! (spits) -- and leave MDB out of this!

[ October 27, 2004, 12:03 PM: Message edited by: BPT336 ]

SEC hell, what about the ACC? I know we don't have any powerhouse football schools except for the two pro teams south of Ga. Tech, but when it is really cold up north it is nice to go waltzing into the Dean Dome or Cameron or Joel Gray to watch the best conference in college bball beat up on those poor northern teams.

Oh I am so sorry bballrob!!! I thought all you ACC folk were still in jail. Oops! My bad.

Deah Suhr, I beg your pardon, only the athletes from that state that has all those yankees actually go to jail. The student-athletes from the Un-I-ver-sities in Virginia and North Carolina have their alumni take care of such problems quietly and without the necessity of those silly jails.

From BBallrob:
That just proves my saying about Florida, the further south you go, the further North you are.

[ October 27, 2004, 01:25 PM: Message edited by: Aubie in Bham ]

you forgot about that judge in Maryland that gave one of the Twerp players a get out of jail free card over the summer

and let's not forget about Marcus Vick and his little (and I do mean little) girlfriends

Only up to a certain point, then you make a jump to Caribbean World.