Week 18 Football Picks/13-14

Good afternoon everyone.  No Thursday night football right now as I'm typing this (which would actually be quite a story, since it's Friday afternoon), but I'm struggling along with AMC's 'Breaking Bad' marathon and the three college bowl games that will be televised on this Football Friday.  I'll be honest with you and admit that I have about as little interest in today's bowl menu as I will in what will be offered throughout the remainder of the bowl season.  No team that is in action today lost fewer than four games this season, and I think the nightcap (BYU/Washington) is easily the best game of today's trio.  That being said, please don't hesitate to go back and check out my 'Comprehensive Bowl Predictions (2013-2014)' entry if you want to look at any of the upcoming matchups or find any of the final scores that you've missed so far...  ;)  Oh, before I go any further, let me put this photo up so that you don't think that I'm a total hermit (because I've been making myself sound like a total hermit)...  :)

I did get out of the apartment today to send some Christmas cheer to my nieces and nephews (shhhh...), and I solved this mystery while I was walking to the Drag (Guadalupe Street).  Okay..., "solving the mystery" means that I read the sign that you see posted.  This new construction has been ongoing since I moved back into my apartment complex in August (I could actually walk out to the front of my complex and hit this new building with a baseball in 2 (maybe 3) throws.  As you can see on the sign (probably not), this is going to evolve into more housing on West Campus, and is supposed to ready by the start of the fall semester.

Okay, now that you're convinced that I'm not a hermit, let's continue.  In totally unrelated news, I may produce New Year's Eve photos from 6th Street soon, just so you won't worry about me being sheltered...  ;)  ANYWAY, you're curious about how my fantasy football championship is progressing (let's pretend).  My Bikini Hill Bobcats are up 91-68 after the first week of the two-week championship matchup against Good Dotto.  On Sunday, at about the time when the early games kick off (noon CST), I'll once again post our starting lineups for the finale of this championship. Thank you for your continued good karma...  Speaking of good karma and football, I somehow managed to win the weekly pick 'em contest sponsored by the Bobcat Nation Sports Bar & Grill for the fourth time this season.  Unbelievable?  Yes, I know...  ;)  I would love nothing more than to be able and go back and bother my friends Brandon, Andrea, Alyssa, and Heather after winning this contest for a fifth time this year, but we'll see how much mojo there is to go around on Sunday. Speaking of Mojo, I think that we've talked enough about pick 'em contests for one day, so I see no reason to bring up Lucki Duck's competition at the moment...  ;)  I may or may not be motivated enough to track down celebrity experts for the Texas/Oregon game (HEY..., I PROVED that I left my apartment today - what more do you want?), but here is the cumulative record of the celebrity experts so far this season...


Celebrity Experts (Last weekend 0-0/Overall record of 103-86 on Bobcats and Longhorns games)


Our favorite Texans fan is still on the BL (Busy List), but she is the winner of posting the most majestic photo of a cat on Christmas facebook contest...  :)  And although she doesn't have the time to entertain us with her banter this week, Alyssa did give us a Texans prediction.  I wonder who she chose...

Awwwwwww..., right?  :D

Alyssa's Corner (Last weekend 0-0/Overall record of 16-22 on Texans, Bobcats, & Longhorns games)

Houston @ Tennessee - Texans 13-10


Could this be the weekend that Alyssa is right?  If so, it better not be at the expense of Chris Johnson (if I play him)...  ;)  Now we go to the desert, to the man who is already watching basketball (more power to him).  :)  Live from the Palace Station Sportsbook in Las Vegas, here's Joey...

Joey's College Hoops Parlay Card (Last weekend 5-3/Overall record of 8-8 on the 13-14 season)


Merry Christmas everyone!!!  Hopefully Santa brought you everything you wanted.  If not, then do like I do and win the money to pay for it.  :)  This week's basketball slate starts with Villanova and Syracuse.  The Orange are shooting 47% from the floor, which has propelled them to an 11-0 mark.  Syracuse is also shooting 37% from outside the arc, something Villanova is having trouble stopping.  Syracuse wins this one 82-76.  Kentucky and Louisville have been bitter rivals and the stats are close in every category, so I have to go with the national champions in a close one, 86-82 Louisville.  My New Mexico State Aggies have won three in a row and have now had a week's rest before meeting South Alabama.  Shooting 70% from the floor puts NMSU in the top 10 shooting-wise.  Saturday, the inside game rules as the Aggies win, 76-70.  The UNLV Rebels have been looking like the team of old the past couple of games.  Kevin Olekaibe is averaging 17.2 points per game over the last 3 games, and against Cal State Fullerton I see the Rebels continuing their run, winning 75-68.  Finally, Colorado and Georgia play the last game of the night.  Colorado won second place in the Las Vegas Holiday Classic and now returns home to take on the Georgia Bulldogs.  This should help the 11-1 Buffaloes get a win - Colorado 77-73.  Til next week, may all your parlay bets be winners!


Syracuse (-4) vs. Villanova - (Over 136 1/2)
Louisville (-2 1/2) @ Kentucky - (Over 148 1/2)
South Alabama (+11 1/2) @ New Mexico State -
Cal State Fullerton (+14) @ UNLV - (Over 140)
Georgia (+14 1/2) @ Colorado - (Over 138 1/2)


In case you're wondering why Joey's record is 8-8, and why he hasn't picked 15 games so far, or 20, etc... (or maybe you don't have OCD like myself...), betting odds and/or overs/unders haven't been available on all of his selections to this point.  Oh, and the betting lines and overs/unders that are made available don't come out until Saturday, so if you're reading this on Friday, you're not seeing them yet...  ;)  AND..., don't look now, but Maryland is on the verge of going up 20-17 on Marshall, and I picked the Terps to win this game 27-24 - I TOLD YOU that this would be a great game to watch!!!  ;)


Now for the guy who seems to go 5-5 on his picks on a pretty consistent basis...

Coach's Ten Horrific Bets of the Week (Last weekend 5-5/Overall record of 79-86-5)

Steelers (-7) vs. Browns - Steelers will be playing for a playoff spot (at home) at kickoff...
Cowboys (+7) vs. Eagles - Boys won last meeting, getting a T.D. at home, w/ playoffs on line...
Eagles/Cowboys (Over 52 1/2) - Offense, not defense, is the strong suit of both teams...
Chiefs/Chargers (Over 45) - Last meeting had video game scoring...
Redskins/Giants (Over 46) - My hunch pick of the week...
Bengals (-6 1/2) vs. Baltimore - The better team is playing at home...
Patriots (-8 1/2) vs. Bills - Pats still fighting for first-round bye, at home...
Buccaneers/Saints (Under 47 1/2) - Bucs have decent D, but not much O...
Broncos/Raiders (Under 54) - Denver runs clock w/lead, score stays low anyway if not...
49ers/Cardinals (Under 43) - Lots of defense in this one...


And that's it folks...  I'll update this page tomorrow with those college basketball odds, and LOOK OUT for me this weekend if I predicted that Maryland/Marshall score exactly right (currently 24-20 Marshall).  Have a great day!