"Happy Halloween”
Written by Wendi
As the last Saturday in October wrapped up, we’ll embark on a November to remember with some teams still looking to become bowl eligible. The question is, who wants to actually remember November when it is all said and done? I know I don’t. Being a Michigan fan and looking at their upcoming schedule, it’s going to be tough just getting bowl eligible. Oregon, Indiana, Northwestern, Ohio State wraps it up for us. Maybe we can get the win over Northwestern? Guess it depends on which Michigan team shows up. Let’s looks at our other favorite teams.
If you’re an Auburn fan, you will need three more wins out of Vanderbilt, UL Monroe, Texas A&M, and Alabama…Yeah not likely this year.
Florida State…Nope!
Oregon State…you need two more wins out of San Jose St, Air Force, Washington St, and Boise St. It’s doable, right?
Alabama…must be nice to already be bowl eligible.
Anywho, Notre Dame sunk Navy’s undefeated ship 51-14. You can’t play a team like Notre Dame and have six turnovers. I was surprised by the turnovers, but I was not surprised by the outcome. Notre Dame will play an undefeated Army (if they stay that way) in a few weeks. Will they bury Army the same way they did Navy?
With Georgia Tech’s starting quarterback still out, we all felt highly confident in a Virginia Tech win... unless your name is Evelyn. The Hokies won 21-6.
Even though UCF was considered the favorite to win (not sure why), BYU took it personally and throttled the Knights in Orlando 37-24. Despite the score, it was not even close. BYU remains undefeated and UCF is on a five-game losing streak and will face a feisty Arizona team this week which is on the picks this week. This is a perfect example on why I don’t even look at the Vegas odds, spread, etc.
Minnesota hosted Maryland and jumped out to a quick 21-0 lead after the first quarter. Maryland didn’t stand a chance with a final score of 48-23. Both teams are still looking to get bowl eligible which could be tough for both teams.
With only two wins on the season and a team riddled with injuries, Stanford is on hard times. According to the televised cameras, even the fans are not even showing up to the games. Wake Forest traveled the different time zones to sunny California to play the Cardinal. The first half showed a lot of offense with a total of 41 combined points. The second half was a complete 360 with only a 10 points scored combined. Wake Forest got the win 27-24. Too close for comfort.
In a back-and-forth game, Oklahoma State tried to keep pace with Baylor but eventually Baylor pulled away in the fourth quarter and won 38-28. Both teams still need multiple wins to make it to a bowl game.
West Virginia took a half time lead of 17-7 over Arizona but a late fourth quarter surge by the Wildcats brought the final score to 31-26 in favor of West Virginia. Both teams are still looking for bowl eligibility.
Michigan hosted their in-state rivals in Michigan State for the Paul Bunyon Trophy. The first half started as a typical Michigan team this year, but they got creative after halftime and starting moving the ball downfield. Where has this team been all year? And yes, I will apologize again…for not only NOT having any confidence in my own team but "threatening” to smack talk you in this article for going high on Michigan if they lost. Michigan shockingly won 24-17. GO BLUE!
In a battle for first place in the SEC, Texas A&M wore all black hoping it would be for LSU’s funeral. But would it be for their own funeral? LSU wasted no time scoring and going up 17-7 at halftime. The Aggies decided to bench quarterback Weigman and put in the dual threat Reed and that changed the whole trajectory of this game. LSU had no answer for Redd on defense and the Aggies scored quickly and often with him at the helm. As far as the Tigers on offense? Well, there were some turnovers that were costly. Aggies rolled 38-23. Talk about a tale of two halves.
Speaking of a tale of two halves, Kentucky shot up to a 10-0 lead over Auburn at home during the first quarter but never scored again. Auburn went on to score 24 unanswered points in a much-needed win for some offensive confidence. The Tigers even had a total of 498 yards! What happened to the Kentucky team that beat Ole Miss? They’ve lost the last three games coming off of that win and will face a tough Tennessee team this weekend.
FUN FACT: The only undefeated teams left are Army, Miami, Pittsburgh, BYU, Iowa State, Indiana, Penn State, and Oregon. The only winless team is Kent State (Nick Saban’s alma mater for those who don’t know).
On to the Pick’ems…
Cindy, Sam, and I are still in the top three for the second week in a row with the only difference of Cindy and Sam swapping spots. After looking at this week’s picks, I’m not sure if it will look the same. Will Cindy continue to drop spots, or can she maintain? Will an 11-year-old (Sam) take first place after this weekend and kick his mom (me) out of the top spot?
Mike H. is still on an upwardly trajectory after winning the last two weeks. He is now sitting in fourth place, 8 points behind the lead. Marc sits just behind Mike H. and David not far off. With Cindy, Sam and myself in the boat, they are swimming and fighting to get on. I may or may not have seen Cindy pushing them under the water with life jackets while I was rowing the boat. Or was it a pillow?
Only David could move up in the rankings but get further behind first. When you’re in 6th place but still closer to last than first, that’s a problem.
Which leads me to say this… There are only five more weeks left in this contest and little room for error. If you have under 320 points, your chances are slim to none to get a chance at the top three. Something drastic has to happen to everyone above you. That includes Sean, Evelyn, Megan, Adam, Kim and Rick. There is already a 9-point gap between 5th and 6th place.
But the good news of it all… Rick is no longer at the bottom...by himself. Kim decided to tank on her picks and join him. Will this week be the week he finally moves out of last? All four of the Meggers are no higher than 8th place.
Happy Halloween! Don’t eat too much candy that’ll put you in a food coma so you can’t do your picks. It’s a challenging week. Thanks Admins. <sarcasm>
Most points for the week: For the first time this year, someone scored a perfect score of 55. And for the second week in a row, Mike H. won the weekly $10 for said score. Lucky!
Least points for the week: Kim took the "L” this week for only getting 37 points. In all fairness, it’s really not a bad score. Except when everyone else does better, it is.
Best pick of the week: Yay for Auburn on getting their 3rd win of the season. Mike H., David, Adam, & Kim picking Auburn on the road. – I got nothing else for the best pick.
Worst pick of the week: Just because I said I would, Adam going 9 points on Michigan State… Seriously, several of Kim’s picks were questionable which is why she is now tied for last place.
Here are the rankings after Week 9:
1. Wendi – 347 points
2. Sam – 343 points
3. Cindie – 342 points
4. Mike H. – 339 points
5. Marc – 338 points
6. David – 329 points
7. Noah – 325 points
8. Mike M. – 324 points
9. Sean – 319 points (I made sure I got it right this time)
10. Evelyn – 318 points
11. Megan – 317 points
12. Adam – 315 points
13. Kim – 312 points
14. Rick – 312 points
There is a 35-point difference from first to last place.
