I’m in this crazy little pool, where each week you get 10 college games and must pick the winner of each of the 10 games, against the spread. There is a pari-mutuel aspect to this, which complicates things a bit. You want to be the only person who picked a certain game correctly. I had a despicable performance last week, picking only two out of 10 correctly. Worse, one of my workmates decided he would pick exactly the opposite of my picks, resulting in a stunningly good week for him, and taunting e-mails to me all weekend.
This sort of pain deserves to be shared with the world, so here it is, J. Hawg’s Pick 10. Remember, the host of the pool gave us the lines, so these may have moved in the interim:
SEC
Vanderbilt (+15) at Georgia: All signs are, the Dores are not really very good, and Georgia is fully recovered from the Bama smackdown. Many see this as the game that finally puts Vanderbilt where it belongs. Still, that’s a lot of points, and worse, I went to Vanderbilt. The Dores have no hope of winning, but covering is something I can at least hope for. DOG.
Ole Miss (+13.5) at Alabama: Lessee, Ole Miss loses to Vandy, beats Florida, loses to South Carolina, takes a week off. The Tide should roll, and roll big, but this is one of those crazy Nutt Things. Ole Miss won’t win, but I have a funny feeling things will get Nutty before Ole Miss finally succumbs. DOG.
Mississippi State (+8) at Tennessee: The Vols really blow. The Bulldogs really blow. Forcing someone to watch this game should be covered in a John Yoo memo. I just think eight points is too many in a game where only 30 may be scored total. DOG.
Arkansas (+10) at Kentucky: C’mon, the Hogs actually have a shot of winning this game, much less covering a two score spread. Kentucky’s offense doesn’t impress. I am betting the Hogs continue to improve. That sounds like a pretty big kiss of death, but DOG.
LSU (-3) at South Carolina: Safe to say LSU is not the team I thought they were before I saw them dismantled by a Florida team that the Hogs played close for three quarters. But I don’t think Les Miles lets these guy stink it up two weeks in a row. FAVE.
Elsewhere
Kansas (+19) at Oklahoma: Okay, so my rooting interests go like: this Arkansas (because I live here), Vanderbilt (because I went there) and Kansas (because my parents went there). This explains why I like basketball better than football. But I have already picked rooting interests above, and, wow, I think the Sooners are going to be looking for serious blood coming off the loss to Texas. Yeah, KU is ranked 16th, but I don’t believe it. Has Kansas ever won at Norman? FAVE.
Ohio State (-3.5) at Michigan State: Let me be the first to say that I have no idea what Michigan State’s football team is like. I have a vague idea that Ohio State has a new un-Buckeye-like quarterback. My confidence for this pick is extremely low, but FAVE.
Michigan (+24) at Penn State: Penn State has been posting some really big numbers. Michigan lost to Toledo. It’s at Penn State, where they have been dying to put a whupping on Michigan for years. Despite the biggest spread in the field, FAVE.
Missouri (+6.5) at Texas: Texas is the real deal. Missouri is a pretty pretender. The spread is right on the money, but I think the Horns win by a touchdown in a fireworks display game. FAVE.
Virginia Tech (+2.5) at Boston College: I could not have less of a clue. What conference is this? The spread says it’s very close. I take the home team. FAVE.