Week 9 Line-up

With the exception of KU in College Station the FBB usual suspects are a bit of a yawner. But the Thursday night game in Blacksburg should be exceptional.

• Wildcard: Boston College (-3.5) at Virginia Tech (-3.5) A Thursday night game
• KU (-2.5) at tamu…had you told me this would be the line in August I would have said Fran would not be coaching in this one
• Pitt at Louisville (-11)
• Nebraska at Texas (-21.5)
• Colorado at Tech (-13)

Kansas at tamu
Another solid test for the Fighting Manginos. The storyline in this one is the nucleus of the Fran’s program, the massive offensive line, vs. the quicker and seemingly more athletic KU defensive front. If a&m establishes the run KU’s defensive will wear down in a hostile environment and will eventually come up short. If KU’s defensive line can keep the the aggies off KU’s solid linebacking trio KU will force McGee to mix it up And if Air McGee is unveiled Talib should lock up his All-American campaign and an invitation to the Downtown Athletic Club — ok, that may be a stretch. Should be quick game in a hostile environment.

Its worth noting that in both 68 and 95, KU’s win streak was stopped cold at on the eighth game but…..this is not your father’s KU football team and I’ll ride this out for as long as I can. KU covers.

Nebraska at Texas
The Big Red Machine limps into Austin for what “should” be a massacre. But given the lackluster performance against the mighty Bears, and playing in Austin proving not to be much of an overwhelming advantage I’m going to go with the fighting Osbornes to cover.

CU at Tech
CU’s defensive, lead by the leading tackler in the nation in Dizon, is good. They shut down the pass last week and made it difficult for KU to move the ball on the ground. This is a team on the rise as evidenced by their marked improvement over last year’s team….a horrible team that put one over on the Pirates in Boulder. CU has shown little to nothing on the road and Tech has revenge in mind, going with Tech at home.

Pitt at Louisville
I know little to nothing about Pitt and I can’t seem to get a line on this Cardinal team. I get the impression that Wannstedt is falling short of expectations and I know Kragthrope has been a major disappointment. The Cardinal D is balanced out by a really good offense…leaving RObert with an average squad…so I’ll take an average Cardinal’s team over a crappy Pitt team in a game needed by both in quest of a bowl bid. Brohm does enough to impresses the reps from the Houston Bowl and Ville covers.

Wildcard: I’m really torn on this one. BC has been great all season and Va Tech has only gotten better week over week. Given the points and the game is in Blacksburg I’ve gotta go with the Hokies.

Results through Week 8

Damn this race is getting good. A stellar showing last week by RObert pushes him into a tie for first with the Blaine. The “winner” (wife) and come-back king (self) are a single game behind. Hands down the most competitive FBB to-date.

Here are the standings through 8 weeks. Do feel free to review my google xls and notify me of any discrepancies…

1. RObert: 19
2. Call-in King (Blaine): 19
3. Julie: 18
4. self: 18
5. Mark: 13

Week 8 Line-up

Some great games on tap as KU looks to gain respect and Tech rolls into Columbia. Still waiting on the lines to complete the line-up and pick the Wildcard. I’m open to WC suggestions.

Sans lines, here is this week’s line-up:

• Kansas (-4.5) at Colorado
• Texas (-24.5) at Baylor
• Tech (+3.5) at mizzou
• Louisville (-3) at UConn This is a Friday game
• Wildcard: South Florida (-2.5) at Rutgers This is a Thursday game

Wildcard: SFU at Rutgers: I have to go with the Scarlet Knights to cover in this one as the Bull’s steady offense should be kept in check on the road and in the cold. I’ve waited for trains in NJ and it is effing c-o-l-d. Groeth and his mohawk will come down to reality, leaving one less undefeated by the end of the weekend.

Kansas at Colorado
The weekend is shaping up to be the fall of the undefeated. For KU, this one is a toss up game.

Expect that homer Fowler ( a CU grad) to rant, yet again, on about KU’s schedule and compare it to the k-st schedules of the 90s. This is becoming cliched and predictable. KU has three of the next four on the road in CU, Okie St, and A&M with Nebraska coming to Lawrence. This stretch should finally put this tired-ass banter to bed…KU will either be exposed as a product of a favorable schedule or a legit team with big things in mind.

To this game, I like KU’s defensive match-up and, should they buck the trend of starting slow….KU comes out of Boulder with the win. 4.5 is a brutal line but I’ll take KU to cover.

Texas at Baylor
I think I was one of seven who actually witnessed the inaugural game last weekend on Fox’s new all college sports channel. The crew covering the game was about as bad as Baylor was that afternoon. Texas traditionally uses this as a stats buffer – recall the number Simms used to put up. Texas covers easily.

Tech at mizzou
I love this match-up. It was a game in Lubbock last season that put public ass-clown #1 (Daniel) in the spotlight as he lit the Raider D up. It got so bad at one point that GH gave the booing Tech fans the finger. When it was all said and done the Pirates fell, at home, on homecoming. Tech views this as a revenge game and wants to remind the pollsters they are one play away from also being undefeated. And since the OSU debacle their defense is for real. IMO…another coin-flip. mizzou has the athletes and are playing at home but their secondary was exposed by OU last Saturday. Man I am struggling with this one. I’ll go with my heart and take the Pirates to cover.

Ville at UConn
Missed getting this on in…no excuses I simply missed it.

Standings through Week 7

mizzou’s late touchdown did little to change the outcome of the game in Norman but did wonders for the FBB leader board. Through seven weeks the race has tightened up considerably. You can double check my work here.It’s still anyone’s contest and I’ll post this week’s picks as soon as they are available. Here are the standings through 7:

1. Julie: 17
2. Call-in King (Blaine): 17
3. self: 16
4. RObert: 15
5. Mark: 13

Week 7 Line-up

KU on top of the FBB leaderboard….I wouldn’t have “bet the house” on that one in August. But then again, not all of us can be as bold as RObert.

• Baylor at KU(-27)
• Iowa St at Texas (-16)
• tamu at Tech (-8.5)
• Louisville (+10) at Cincy
• Wildcard: mizzou (+10.5) at ou Yes I realize we covered both WC teams last week but this is the headliner AND a pivotal game for three of the four FBB squads.

Baylor at KU
Predictable let-down pick with KU coming off the win in Manhattan. That said, the lowlight of the last 25 years occurred in Waco last season when the Hawks gave up 18 pts in the fourth quarter. Since that melt-down on the Brazos the Jayhawks are 8-1 and have been itching to get a shot a redemption. If the Flying Manginos are to maintain the respect gained over the last six days they cover in a convincing manner. Look for KU’s secondary to be tested — recall how bad they were in 06 — and should they step-up the Hawks will cover while still playing it conservative.

Iowa St at Texas
UT fans are still trying to get that bitter Chizek taste out of their mouths…and no better way to do it than to blow out the lowly Clones. Texas will win by 14 and the UT faithful will be dissatisfied.

tamu at Tech
I tout the “system” as much, if not more, than anyone but the pride of Plainview (Crabtree) is a player in anyone’s program. Coupled with one of the great Big 12 coaches of all time Tech covers at home…8.5 is a lock.

Ville at Cincy
I will continue to ride the Cards only because the Big East is so jacked. I mean..UConn…come on. Cards win…and obviously cover.

Wildcard: mizzou at ou
Daniels picks apart the OU secondary, the same secondary exposed by the Golden Hurricane of Tulsa. The OU offense – as they need a statement game – puts on an clinic against a weak tigger D. This should be a good one. OU is the popular pick in Norman but I like mizzou to cover.

Week 6 Line-up

A huge week in the Big 12. By Sunday the front-runners in the North will emerge and the South will have been decided. The Ville has their first FNL game of the season….so get this game in stat.

• Utah at Louisville (-14.5) This is a Friday game
• KU (+3) vs k-st
• Texas (+11) vs. OU
• Iowa St. at Tech (-24.5)
• Nebraska at mizzou (-7)

Making this one quick as we will be heading out sooon.

Ville covers at home
KU wins and Covers….big road win for the Hawks.
OU covers
Tech covers
mizzou beats NU but falls short of the line…setting the North up for a KU/mu showdown over Thanksgiving.

Results through Week 5

The gap has closed. A strong week by Mark and myself have us all within two points. The self-proclaimed “winner” following week 1’s results remains in front but the field is closing in. Though five weeks:

1. Julie: 12
2. Blaine: 11
3. Mark: 10
4. RObert: 10
5. Brent: 10

Here’s a link to the xls doc….so you can check my math.