Spooky Express Bowling For Dollars Selection And Analysis Thread

[Spooky]

Hope everyone had a great New Years Day.

We have no satellite tv here since DIRECT TV
has officially gone on my shit list.

Fucking making me wait until Monday to get
a service technician here to get any television
service.

Sucks!!

Not gonna be around tomorrow morning, taking
the kid to the airport since classes start on
Monday at Florida Atlantic.

So will do all the analysis when I get back.

But everyone knows I have been pounding
Mississippi since bowl matchups have come
out. So thats the early play tomorrow.

Friday's Dirty Dozen: Nobody asked me, but.........

12) Tough times for Big 11, with Iowa the only bowl winner so far in this bowl season. Yes, it seemed weird without Michigan in a bowl.

11) Kid on Clemson made one of the great defensive plays you'll ever see in Tigers' loss to Nebraska; he deflected an option pitch, scooped the ball up and ran it in for the first touchdown of the game. You do not see plays that great very often.

10) Was fun listening to Dan Fouts/Steve Beuerlein on Gator Bowl-- former QBs are like former coaches; because they have to think about the game more than most players, they make better analysts.

9) Best college hoop game of new year so far was Marquette's 79-72 win vs Villanova Thursday afternoon in Milwaukee. Looking at some of these teams' resumes, that game meant more to Marquette, due to their lower RPI- they might be a bubble team in March, without an impressive showing in Big East play. This was an excellent start.

8) The two Washington schools might be awful, but the rest of the Pac-10 kicked butt this bowl season, going 5-0, with wins ranging all over the map, from Oregon State's unwatchable 3-0 win in Sun Bowl, to USC's pasting of Penn State in Pasadena. Very impressive.

7) MLB Network showed Don Larsen's perfect game Thursday nite, which made me curious about Larsen's career- he lasted 14 big league seasons, posting a 91-81 career record.

6) They put over 40,000 people in Wrigley Field for Detroit-Chicago hockey game Thursday; this is going to be an annual event, which is going to be in the Bronx next year, for a Rangers-Bruins tilt.

5) The crawl on bottom of ESPN's screen has changed a lot recently; now you see rumors going across screen, then 20 minutes later, those rumors are often responded to by the people involved. Newspapers are so far out of the news cycle now-- things move very quickly.

4) Tulsa signed football coach Todd Graham to a 10-year extension to his contract this week; what are the odds that Graham will still be in Tulsa in 2018? Couple of years ago, he signed a 6-year extension with Rice, and quit the Owls for Tulsa three days later.

3) Oregon State coach Mike Riley was once coach of San Antonio in the old WLAF, team called the Riders that lasted two years. One of his QBs with Riders was Jason Garrett, now offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. Riley also won two Grey Cups in Canada.

2) Not only are all four road teams favored in Wild Card round in the NFL this weekend, but two of the four road favorties have a rookie QB, and a rookie head coach. No way that has ever happened before.

1) Suggestion to make next season's bowls little more interesting; no Big 11 opponents for USC. How about finally ending the drought of 20 years since an SEC team played a Pac-10 team in a bowl? Would you like to see Florida play USC, or Alabama-Oregon? Me, too. Wonder how many votes USC will get
for the National Championship regardless of what Florida does
to Oklahoma in the BCS game.

[Spooky]

Cotton Bowl
#25 Mississippi vs. #7 Texas Tech [FOX | 2 PM ET]


MISSISSIPPI +6 (early on) (Now +4.5) (5 UNITS)

#25Mississippi: The Rebels closed out the regular season as one of the nation's hottest teams - winning five straight - including wins over LSU and Mississippi State in the last two by a combined score of 76-13. Houston Nutt should take much of the credit for the team's turnaround and first bowl appearance since 2004, but he said his players have grown up a lot over the course of the season. “We gained a lot of confidence when we beat Florida in The Swamp, but we couldn’t handle success very well the following week (a 31-24 loss to South Carolina),” Nutt said. “We got on a roll so the last five weeks and November has been fun, but it starts with our seniors they’ve taken ownership of our team.”

Mississippi is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games vs. teams with a winning record.
The UNDER is 5-1 in Mississippi's last 6 games overall.

Key Injuries - LB Ashlee Palmer (academics) is probable.
OL Maurice Miller (academics) is probable.
FB Jason Cook (knee) is questionable.
K Justin Sparks (mononucleosis) is questionable.

[color=” blue”]#Texas Tech (-4, O/U 69.5): [/color] The Red Raiders were the odd man out of the BCS bowl picture since no conference can have more than two teams qualify. Regardless, they are proud of the season they have enjoyed and plan on finishing strong with a win in the Cotton Bowl. This game in Dallas also has added significance for Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell, who grew up roughly 35 miles away. “The chance to go back home and play in front of my family and friends from Ennis is going to be very special,” Harrell said. “We thought all along that our team could do some special things this year and getting the invitation to the Cotton Bowl is something we are all proud of.”

Ole Miss is only team to beat Florida (won 31-30, after being down 10 at half); they lost the next two games after that, then won five in row at end of season (4-1 vs spread); they covered their last seven tries as an underdog (4-0 this season). Rebels picked off nine passes in their last four games, but lets face it, no one in SEC throws ball the way Raiders do. Ole Miss QB Snead is a Texan who transferred from Texas; Rebels' four losses this season are by 2-4-6-7 points- they always play tough.

Texas Tech won four of last five bowls, with its last three all decided by 3 points-- only loss was 13-10 vs Alabama in this game three years ago. Red Raiders are 11-1, losing only to Oklahoma; senior QB Harrell has a lot to prove in his 39th and last start, after being shunned in the Heisman voting. Experienced Tech team, with 18 starters back from LY's 9-4 club that nipped Virginia 31-28 in Gator Bowl. This season, Tech scored 35+ points in every game but the Oklahoma loss; they're 3-3-1 as a favorite.

Rebels are playing in first bowl since Eli Manning's senior season in '03, when they beat Oklahoma State 31-28 in this game. Houston Nutt won both his Cotton Bowl appearances, but is just 3-4 overall in bowl games. Have to respect Ole Miss' 7-0 streak as underdog, but Harrell is senior QB with a lot to prove, and if Tech gets its offense rolling, they're not averse to running up a big score. This is the most fun matchup of all 34 bowls. Big 12 teams lost four of last five Cotton Bowls (Missouri won LY), with average total in last four, 36. Great game to sit back and enjoy. Love Ole Miss and looking for a big win by the Rebels.

Texas Tech is 3-1 ATS in the last 4 meetings.
The OVER is 5-1 in Texas Tech's last 6 games overall.

Key Injuries - QB Graham Harrell (hand) is probable.

[Spooky]

Back later with weight of selection. Not sold on this
game as of yet.

Liberty Bowl
Kentucky vs. East Carolina
[ESPN | 5 PM ET]


EAST CAROLINA -2

Kentucky: The Wildcats will be appearing in their third straight bowl game for just the second time in school history, but they have never won three in a row. That's what is on the line against East Carolina in the Liberty Bowl, and SEC teams have beaten the Conference USA champ in Memphis each of the last two years. “There are not a lot of bowl games that have been around 50 years,” Brooks said. “It has great history. It has great teams that have played, great coaches that have been in it, great players that have been in it
Kentucky is trying to win bowl for third straight year, having won last two Music City Bowls, over Clemson, Florida State; Wildcats' offense isn't good; their leading receiver didn't play in team's last six games- for a while, the QB (who moved from WR) was the leading receiver. Wildcats lost last three games, allowing 42-31-28 points, losing to Tennessee and Vandy, not exactly SEC's finest- they trailed their last six games at half. Question for UK is where mobile QB Cobb (knee) will play here-- their offense was better when he took over from less mobile Hartline.

Kentucky is 2-5 SU & ATS in its last 7 games overall.
The UNDER is 3-1-1 in Kentucky's last 5 road games.

Key Injuries - FS Marcus McClinton (leg) is questionable.
DE Jeremy Jarmon (knee) is questionable.

East Carolina (-3, O/U 41.5): The Pirates just have one loss in their last seven games following a season-high three-game winning streak, and the play of QB Patrick Pinkney has been the key to the rebound. Pinkney was benched midseason but has responded by throwing for 2,379 yards and 11 touchdowns down the stretch. “It’s human nature to feel kind of down,” Pinkney said. “But you can’t be selfish if you weren’t getting the job done. I knew if I got my chance, my teammates were counting on me.”
East Carolina started season 3-0, beating Va Tech, West Va back/back, then lost next three games, giving up 35.3 pog, before rallying to go 5-1 in its last six games, losing only 21-3 at Southern Miss. Pirates are 6-1 in games decided by five or less points- they forced seven turnovers in last game of regular season, 27-24 win at Tulsa in C-USA title game-- they scored 40+ points in three of last four bowl appearances. East Carolina has 32 takeaways this season, T4th in country- they need them to win.

Underdog covered three of last four Liberty Bowls; dogs covered four of East Carolina's last five bowl appearances, with Pirates 0-2 as a favorite. C-USA teams are 2-4 in their last six appearances in this game. ECU has inferiority complex snce being left out of Big East a few years back; any game they play against a BCS school is a crusade. Can't see an SEC team getting overly fired up to play a C-USA Squad. Kentucky has QB issues and a weak offense. Not sure on this one yet.

East Carolina is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games overall.
The UNDER is 6-1 in East Carolina's last 7 games overall.

Key Injuries - DL Khalif Mitchell (toe) is questionable.

[Spooky]

Will be back later once I get settled and update
any totals and upgrades.

Just getting back from the airport and a few things to
catch up on.



Sugar Bowl
4 Alabama vs. #6 Utah
[FOX | 8 PM ET]


UTAH +10.5 (3 UNITS)

#Alabama (-9, O/U 45.5): The Crimson Tide were within one quarter of playing for the national championship and now must play the lone unbeaten team remaining. They led Florida 20-17 going into the fourth quarter of the SEC championship game, suffering their first loss of the season after entering that contest unbeaten. “Our players are certainly disappointed,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. “But this is an opportunity. If you’re going to be a great team, when you lose, you want to come back and play your best the next time you play.”
Alabama lost its best player, Outland Trophy winner OT Smith because of agent-related issues, which is huge loss for a young team whose only loss was hard-fought setback to Florida in SEC title game. If you take away the LSU/Florida games (14-14, 10-17 at half), Tide outscored their foes 220-39 in first half, thats how good they are, but young team losing its best player is an issue. Bama is 7-3 vs spread as a favorite this year, 4-3 when laying double digits. Wilson is senior QB making his 39th and final career start- they've had two less weeks to prepare/get stale. .

Alabama is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games overall.
The UNDER is 14-2 in Alabama's last 16 games on turf.

Key Injuries - OL Andre Smith (suspension) is OUT.

#6Utah: The Utes are looking forward to another opportunity to prove themselves as an elite program after finishing up 12-0 four years ago following a win over Pitt in the Fiesta Bowl. They are 10-3 all-time in bowl games and have won six postseason games in a row, giving them just the confidence they need to pull off another upset. “Hopefully we can keep this going and keep it up and make this a yearly thing,” Utah QB Brian Johnson said. “I’ve been saying all along I felt we were an elite team. We’ll get a chance to prove ourselves.”
Utah is 12-0, but won four games by three or less points- they won at Michigan 25-23, won 30-23 at Air Force, needed late FGs to beat both Oregon State, TCU at home, but also struggled in 13-10 win at less-than stellar New Mexico. Utes also won their last five bowls, scoring average of 33.3 ppg in last four, but they were favored in four of those five tilts, upsetting Georgia Tech 38-10 (+9) in Emerald Bowl three years ago. In short, Utah is really good team that flies under radar because their games are on Versus and only NHL fans know how to find that channel.

This is Alabama's first trip to Sugar Bowl in 16 years; safe to say they'll have a huge crowd advantage in SEC country, against a Mountain West team playing in just its second BCS bowl (beat Pitt 35-7 in Fiesta Bowl). Alabama's last five bowls were decided by six or less points-- I changed my mind on this game after reading about Smith's suspension-- think Utah can keep this game close against mighty Tide. I think Utes are the right side, with the under probably worth a look, too.

Utah is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games on turf.
The OVER is 10-2 in Utah's last 12 games overall.

Key Injuries - NONE

[The General]

GL on all your action Spooky. Thanks for sharing the information and plays.

[junkmansports]

Good luck Spooky:smiley

[The General]

Hope Carolina hangs on and then if the Utes get er'done, too. Well..... Dancin the night away.

Nice call on the Crooked letters guys.

[Spooky]

Okay, not often I do this, but it makes sense to me and this is one of those games where my heart says one thing and my head says another.

Basically I am going to look for a middle tonight.
I can and have purchased Utah at PLUS 11 buying the half point so putting more on it now and also turning around and taking Alabama and buying the point and laying 8 for a 3 point middle for some decent money. My profits will ride with Utah still since they will cover the vig, but cashing Mississippi which was one of my best bowl bets other than FLORIDA all season long and USC yesterday, I want to appreciate the profits for a few hours.

Hope this makes sense.

GL

And if you had any questions why I am so confused with tonights game.



Sugar Bowl
#4 Alabama vs. #6 Utah
[FOX | 8 PM ET]


UTAH +11 (buy 1/2) (5 UNITS)

ALABAMA -8 (buy pt) (4 UNITS)

#4 Alabama (-9, O/U 45.5): The Crimson Tide were within one quarter of playing for the national championship and now must play the lone unbeaten team remaining. They led Florida 20-17 going into the fourth quarter of the SEC championship game, suffering their first loss of the season after entering that contest unbeaten. “Our players are certainly disappointed,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. “But this is an opportunity. If you’re going to be a great team, when you lose, you want to come back and play your best the next time you play.”
Alabama lost its best player, Outland Trophy winner OT Smith because of agent-related issues, which is huge loss for a young team whose only loss was hard-fought setback to Florida in SEC title game. If you take away the LSU/Florida games (14-14, 10-17 at half), Tide outscored their foes 220-39 in first half, thats how good they are, but young team losing its best player is an issue. Bama is 7-3 vs spread as a favorite this year, 4-3 when laying double digits. Wilson is senior QB making his 39th and final career start- they've had two less weeks to prepare/get stale. .

Alabama is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games overall.
The UNDER is 14-2 in Alabama's last 16 games on turf.

Key Injuries - OL Andre Smith (suspension) is OUT.

#6 Utah: The Utes are looking forward to another opportunity to prove themselves as an elite program after finishing up 12-0 four years ago following a win over Pitt in the Fiesta Bowl. They are 10-3 all-time in bowl games and have won six postseason games in a row, giving them just the confidence they need to pull off another upset. “Hopefully we can keep this going and keep it up and make this a yearly thing,” Utah QB Brian Johnson said. “I’ve been saying all along I felt we were an elite team. We’ll get a chance to prove ourselves.”
Utah is 12-0, but won four games by three or less points- they won at Michigan 25-23, won 30-23 at Air Force, needed late FGs to beat both Oregon State, TCU at home, but also struggled in 13-10 win at less-than stellar New Mexico. Utes also won their last five bowls, scoring average of 33.3 ppg in last four, but they were favored in four of those five tilts, upsetting Georgia Tech 38-10 (+9) in Emerald Bowl three years ago. In short, Utah is really good team that flies under radar because their games are on Versus and only NHL fans know how to find that channel.

This is Alabama's first trip to Sugar Bowl in 16 years; safe to say they'll have a huge crowd advantage in SEC country, against a Mountain West team playing in just its second BCS bowl (beat Pitt 35-7 in Fiesta Bowl). Alabama's last five bowls were decided by six or less points-- I changed my mind on this game after reading about Smith's suspension-- think Utah can keep this game close against mighty Tide. I think Utes are the right side, with the under probably worth a look, too.

Utah is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games on turf.
The OVER is 10-2 in Utah's last 12 games overall.

Key Injuries - NONE

[The General]

The best sense is that I (most men) woud like to spend a little time with dem cheerleaders and get some blood pumping. :D

GL to ya Spooky

[Spooky]

Hope you are back to feeling better General.

Simple as this, posted UCONN weeks ago with the numbers
and bought it at 4 for the few weeks, now the line is 7.
Crazy.
Its a 4 Unit play at 4 when I mentioned and what I did.
At the 7 point number it has to be downgraded a unit or two.

Your poison.

GL
---------------------------------------------------

International Bowl
Buffalo vs. Connecticut
[ESPN2 | 12 PM ET]


CONNECTICUT -4 (4 UNITS)

Buffalo: The Bulls should be loose and confident after upsetting previously unbeaten Ball State in the MAC championship game back on December 5th. They won six of their last seven games following a 2-4 start and nearly lost head coach Turner Gill following a very successful turnaround from 2-10 in his first season. “I’m just proud,” Gill said. “We came to a program where there wasn’t a lot of hope or expectations. We came together as a unit and that’s why this football team is successful.”

Buffalo is 99 miles southeast of Toronto, so 8-5 Bulls figure to have the edge in crowd support for this indoor game. Buffalo has never been in a bowl before, so players will be excited, hopefully not too much so- they played four OT games this season, winning last three, and they also beat Temple on Hail Mary on last play of game-- eight of their 13 games were decided by three or less points, or in OT, this is a mentally tough team with a senior QB and three senior starters on OL. Bulls are +16 in TOs, but were outscored 44-14 in first half of their last three games.

Buffalo is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games vs. Big East.
The UNDER is 8-0 in Buffalo's last 8 games vs. Big East.

Key Injuries - WR Ernest Jackson (foot) is probable.
FB Chris Scharon (ankle) is questionable.

UConn (-6.5, O/U 51.5): The Huskies headed the opposite direction of Buffalo down the stretch, dropping five of seven games following a 5-0 start. Regardless, they are going bowling for the second straight game behind the nation's leading rusher Donald Brown, who has already announced that he will return for his senior year and set his main goal to make it to the Orange Bowl as Big East champs. “For the overall good of the program, it’s a significant step to be in back-to-back bowls,” UConn head coach Randy Edsall said. “When you take a look at where we were and where we are right now I just want to give the kids a lot of credit for doing what they’ve done.”

UConn has nation's leading rusher, which is good thing, since their pass offense is putrid- they completed less than half their passes the last five games, going 6-31 in last game vs Pitt. After a 5-0 start, Huskies ended on 2-5 skid, scoring 13 or less points in all five losses- they were +6/+3 in turnovers in the two wins. UConn is 1-5 vs bowl teams this year- on Oct. 25, they got six turnovers and stunned Cincinnati 40-16. They had three wins by five or less points. This isn't an impressive bowl team.

These teams met from 2003-5, with UConn winning all three, 38-7/29-0 and 38-0 in '05 season opener; since then Gill arrived in Buffalo and has changed the culture, as Bulls are not only in their first-ever bowl, they're above .500 in D-I for first time ever. Huskies split pair of bowls, losing 24-10 to Wake Forest in Charlotte LY, after crushing Toledo 39-10 in Motor City Bowl four years ago. MAC teams are 0-3 in bowls so far, so Bulls are not only playing for themselves, they're playing for the MAC.

Worth noting that underdogs are 18-12 vs spread in bowls with four left to go this season; under is 17-13, even after three overs on Friday.

UConn is 2-9 ATS in its last 11 games vs. teams with a winning record.
UConn is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games overall.

Key Injuries - CB Darius Butler (ankle) is probable.
LB Greg Lloyd (personal) is probable.

[Spooky]

Back to work List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Saturday from this weekend........


13) What in the name of Edward R. Murrow is NBC thinking when it puts Matt Millen on its airwaves, as an "expert"? This guy was one of the most inept executives in NFL history, yet he is rewarded for his incompetence with a spot on a pre-game show. Terrible idea.

12) Luckily, NBC doesn't have the NBA contract, or they'd be hiring Isiah Thomas to analyze NBA games.

11) Colt-Charger game was a tremendous NFL game; didn't seem like a Wild Card game. After San Diego fumbled on the 1 and threw a pick in end zone, you didn't think they'd win, but they did. Norv Turner is not considered to be much of a head coach, but he seems to have the Colts' number. Funny how that works sometimes.

10) You look at how Darren Sproles saved the Chargers against Indy, and you realize once again that the most important person on an NFL team is the personnel director, who has to find good players to add depth to a team. Same with the Giants and their running backs, and it is why Dallas missed the playoffs, not having a decent backup QB.

9) Larry Fitzgerald is one great WR who doesn't act like a baby--he has tremendous hands, catches everything thrown to him, then goes back to the huddle like an adult. Good for him.

8) Funny about the Colt-Charger game: Indy had been 8-1 in games decided by eight or less points, San Diego 2-7. Could be there was a little luck involved in those numbers, and it evened out somewhat in Saturday night's game.

7) Ironic that Kurt Warner and Edgerrin James are teammates, since it was the Colts' drafting James that led Indy to trade Marshall Faulk to the Rams, which helped make Warner's Rams world champions.

6) San Diego beat the Colts in last two playoffs, despite Tomlinson's combined 12 rushes for only 53 yards in the two games.

5) Big win out west for Wake Forest last night, snapping long home court win streak that BYU had--- 94-87 game that BYU led 48-45 at the half, but deep, talented Deacons prevailed in second half.

4) Pitt controlled their game at Georgetown from the start and kept its undefeated record intact; Panthers could be 2nd-best team, behind a North Carolina squad that could very well go unbeaten this season.

3) Illinois State pulled away from Creighton in the second half, won 86-64, keeping Redbirds unbeaten and establishing them as the team to beat in Missouri Valley this year-- league is little down, but ISU is a really good team and could make some noise in March.

2) Wonder how baseball executives feel about ESPN promoting their televising The Masters already? Baseball season starts way before that, but you don't see any commercials for that anywhere.

1) The more I think about Matt Millen getting a TV gig, the worse it seems to me; imagine if you put CNBC on, and Bernie Madoff was an expert on how to build wealth-- it would be offensive, no?

[Spooky]

Back later with my thoughts and weighted selection.
I have been leaning towards OSU but not sure since
I do have Texas winning the game by a slight margin.
--------------------------------------------------

Fiesta Bowl
#10 Ohio State vs. #3 Texas
[FOX | 8 PM ET]


OHIO STATE +9

Ohio State: The Buckeyes have played for the national championship in each of the past two years and now get to face a team that believes it should be playing for the title this year. One advantage they might have in trying to stop Texas QB Colt McCoy is that they allowed just 164.3 passing yards per game, ranking sixth in the country. “They have tremendous execution, they’re good at every spot,” Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel said. “I think sometimes statistics are misleading. Our guys will get ready to go and I hope we do a great job against them. Ohio State against Texas, I don’t know, it doesn’t get much better than that.”

People remember that Ohio State got blitzed in the last two national title games, 41-14/38-24, but last three years before that, Buckeyes played in regular bowls and won all three, 35-28/33-7/34-20, and they were the dog in two of those three games (two of the three were also the Fiesta Bowl). State's two losses this season are to USC (35-3), Penn State (13-6)- they are +19 in turnovers this season, and are planning to use both QBs, some plays at the same time. This is the last time Buckeyes are finishing their regular season the week before Thanksgiving- they haven't played a game in over six weeks. Its hard to believe they won't play well here.

Ohio State is 23-8 ATS in its last 31 games on grass.
The OVER is 4-1 in Ohio State's last 5 games overall.

Key Injuries - OL Ben Person (leg) is probable.

Texas (-8, O/U 51.5): The Longhorns look to avoid a major letdown here after missing out on the BCS championship game in favor of Big 12 rival Oklahoma. Two similar teams - Alabama and Texas Tech - also had lost just one game apiece heading into their respective bowls and both were beaten badly as favorites. “It’s time for us to put behind us all the BCS stuff and move forward and look forward to a great game,” Texas head coach Mack Brown said. “The BCS doesn’t satisfy everybody. We’ve been on the positive side of it a few times. We’ve been on the negative side a few times.”

Texas has legitimate claim to be playing in national title game, but they're here, and that can be a problem; Longhorns gave up 31+ points in three games this season, winning twice- they're 8-3 vs spread as a favorite this season (they beat Oklahoma 45-35 as 7-point dog). Mack Brown won his last four bowl games (winning by 1-3-2-18 points), with an average total of 73. Longhorns are only +3 in turnovers this season- they played a brutal stretch of consecutive games (Oklahoma/Mizzou/Oklahoma St/ Texas Tech in consecutive weeks), you figure they had to lose once.

Ohio State played Texas in '05 and '06, with road team taking both games (25-22T, 24-7OSU). Big 12 dominated the regular season spotlight this season, but haven't fared too well in bowls, with Missouri, Okla State, Texas Tech losing, Kansas/Nebraska winning, and Oklahoma playing in national title game Thursday. This is a classic battle of offense/defense, with Ohio State having more to prove after getting squashed in last two national title games. If Longhorns are feeling sorry for themselves after getting left out of BCS title game, they could get upset here, too.

Worth noting that underdogs are 18-13 vs spread in bowls with three left to go this season; under is 17-14, even after last four bowls went over.

Texas is 10-3 ATS in its last 13 games overall.
The OVER is 6-3 in Texas' last 9 games overall.

Key Injuries - OL Chris Hall (knee) is questionable.

[Spooky]

Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports weekend

13) Strange doings in Boston Sunday, after Boston College shocked the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill word came out that BC administrators have threatened football coach Jaff Jagodzinski that he'll be fired should he go to his interview for Jets' head coaching job Monday.

12) According to reports, Jagodzinski is going to the interview, so it looks like former East Carolina coach Steve Logan (he is current BC offensive coordinator) will get hired as Eagles' new head coach. Wow.

11) What does it say about NFL officiating this season that the crew of Ed Hochuli graded out #1 in the league, even after the debacle out in Denver in Week 2, when an inadvertent whistle cost the Chargers a huge game? Hochuli worked a playoff game this weekend, so his crew was downgraded because of that error, but still..........

10) If you're old enough to remember Pat Haden butchering playoff games for the Rams in the 70's, then you must have had a flashback Sunday, watching Chad Pennington play against Baltimore. They're the same player, thirty years apart- they even look alike.

9) To listen to certain former players who now give their opinions on TV, you'd think Andy Reid benching Donovan McNabb for second half of the Baltimore game in Week 12 was the greatest injustice since the '72 Olympic basketball game. Well, McNabb was 10-23 for 73 yards and two INTs in that game, and Eagles are 5-1 since that game, so maybe the move actually sparked both McNabb and the Eagles.

Isn't that what coaches are supposed to do?

8) For those of you who hate football in domes, gametime temp for the Eagle-Viking game was 2 degrees, with a windchill of 14 below.

7) I guess I'm surprised they don't have Sunday nite playoff games.

6) If there is any justice in this world, Jim Mora get royalties every time his "PLAYOFFS!?!?!?!" rant get used on TV these days.

5) Switching to hoops, total shock over Boston College pulling upset in Chapel Hill Sunday night- they were 22-point underdogs. Just a guess, but Tar Heels won't stay in ACC cellar too long.

4) If I coached either Kentucky or Louisville, wouldn't want a rivalry game like that so close to start of conference play. I realize that TV probably chooses when the game is played, but December seems like a much better time to play such an intense game.

3) I am 100% convinced those who announce Big East basketball are coached to pump up the league, as if all 16 teams are one step away from the NBA. You watch all these other games, and no one else in any other league dishes out propaganda like the Big East. Well, with 16 teams, you're going to have some stiffs-- St John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall, and to a degree Providence are stiffs.

2) Lets say Cincinnati finishes 10th in the Big East- they're OK, but not a great team, a bubble team for sure. Should a team that finishes 10th in its league be allowed to compete for a national title? There are leagues that don't even have ten teams in them. I'm guessing they are going to get nine teams in (top nine are all ranked in top 27) NCAAs.

1) When I was a kid, today was my least favorite day of the year, the first day back to school after Christmas vacation- it was way worse than the first day of school-- at least the weather was good then. But six weeks of school before the next vacation? Absolutely hated it.

[Spooky]

BOWL SEASON FOR THE EXPRESS

26 WINS

20 LOSSES

1 PUSH


71 UNITS WON

59 UNITS LOST

Only thing to make note of since
New Years Day I am

10 Wins, 6 Losses with
34 Units Won and 16 Units Lost

Not a good start at all, but without chasing
and nothing wagered more than 5 units on a game,
turned it around after an awful brutal
(See Navy and Troy State) heartbreaking defeats.

[Spooky]

Six-pack for Monday


-- Miami Dolphin owner Wayne Huizenga said Sunday that Bill Parcells will stay with the Dolphins next year, even though he can opt out of his contract and still get paid in full.

-- Looks like Patriots will put the franchise tag on Matt Cassel, a subtle confirmation of Tom Brady's rehab problems, and sets up a fascinating scenario if Brady sits '09 out and Cassel plays well.

-- Jeff Fisher once broke his leg while returning a punt for Chicago, when he was tackled by Eagle special teamer Bill Cowher.

-- I'd love to see the NFL adopt the college rule that if you run the opponents' 2-point conversion back for a TD, you get two points.

-- Arizona's run of consecutive NCAA tournaments isn't going to get extended this year; they're 0-4 on the road and look lost.

-- With North Carolina's loss, West Virginia assumed the top spot in the computerized kenpom.com rankings. No way are they best team in the country, but they have played a tough schedule.

[Spooky]

The Worst of Wild Card Weekend

Happy New Year!

Anyone watch Fox Business and get turned on just
my listening to Sandra, Nicole and the girls talking money? Okay enough of my little head, let's get to the goats of this pretty boring football weekend, shall we? We've cut the number down from 10 to 5 but the breakdown on each one will be top notch per usual. On with the show:

5. Tyler Hansbrough - Lost in the shuffle of a weekend packed of football goodness, was last night's shocking upset in Chapel Hill. Boston College went into the Dean Dome and ended the Heels' bid for a potentially perfect season. Even with the referees pulling a Tom Donaghy and giving Roy's Boys EVERY call down the stretch, Big Teeth Skinner's Eagles dominated the #1 team in the nation. Let's end this talk now...North Carolina is not the best college hoops team ever. They may not even be the best team this year (Pitt is fucking awesome and they had the honor of beating the RedHawks). Hell, they would get rolled by that Heels team that won the title a few years back. And, dammit, Hansbrough gets away with murder in the post. He should be fouling out of every game but he gets the Laettner treatment by everyone. And he sucks.

4. Michael Turner - The only chance that the Falcons had was if The Burner exploded for at least 125 yards against the Cardinals. He didn't even get to 50. What really stuck out to me about this game was how tight the Falcons played in the first and third quarter. I mean, they were playing with the house's money since they already achieved their goals this season, I figured that they would come out gunning. But Matty Ice took too long to get going and now they must go home. Let me ask you this: when was the last time a team won in the postseason when their douchebag owner stood on the sidelines during the game? Stay in your box, Artie Blank. Home Depot sucks. Finally, was that an Edgerrin James sighting? I thought he died three years ago.

3. Tarvaris Jackson - This guy just isn't very good. He isn't a QB that is going to win you a big game. I was surprised at the effectiveness of Adrian Peterson considering that the Eagles were going to make Jackson beat them. But he kept grinding and got his yards with a couple of scores and didn't even put the ball on the turf. I give HERM! a lot of credit for being the worst coach ever, but Brad Childress is completely ignorant. He does NOTHING right. One thing I am kind of coming around on is Andy Reid's playoff beard. It's growing on me. Why he wore his parka fat-suit for a game in a dome though is something I will never understand.

2. Chad Pennington - Poor Rat Boy. He, like Matt Ryan, was playing with house money yesterday but unfortunately was the sacrificial lamb for the Ravens defense. 4 interceptions and one being returned for a TD only proves my point that the Dolphins truly did suck. This game was unwatchable. Both quarterbacks should be playing in the arena league. I fully expect Miami to go back to their normal and winning 5 games next season when they actually play a real schedule. Another point not mentioned! Another Bill Parcells team that doesn't win in the postseason...who'd'a thunk it?

1. The Colts' Composure - If you didn't watch this game, you are not an American. This was, by FAR, the best game of the season. Before we get to the breakdown, Colts fans can take all of their excuses and shove them up their asses. If you've got a beef, how about you win your division next year. The playoff format isn't changing just because you couldn't beat Norv Turner. There were many factors leading to the Colts dismissal from the playoffs: Mike Scifres bad ass punting skills, no running game, inability to stop Darren Sproles, and fucking dumb, retard penalties. Notice that I didn't say Phil Rivers because he absolutely sucked. When Rivers threw the ball away to a RB by pussing it about 3 yards in front of him, he totally reinvented the "Gay Pass". Not since Kordell Stewart has a QB executed the Gay Pass better than Rivers did on Saturday night. That shit made me embarrassed to be an NFL fan.

There you go. Discuss what you want.

As far as tonight's Fiesta Bowl, I should get a prediction in. One thing that you worry about is that a team will not show up to play because they think that they deserved a better bowl. Unfortunately for Buckeyes fans, Alabama and Texas Tech already filled that role for bowl season this year. So now you have to match them player-for-player and you don't want that at all. Jim Tressel has stated that they are implementing plays that have both Terrelle Pryor and Todd Boeckman on the field at the same time. I'm sure that Texas is scared shitless about that. That was the funniest news that I'd heard since the Barkley DUI/BJ incident. Why would you tell your opponent that you plan on putting your shitty backup QB in the game? Whatever. If Ohio State lose tonight it puts the exclamation point on the sentence, "The Big Ten Still Sucks". Texas should win by double digits but I just dont think so. Watch for Ohio State to keep this game close. I'll be back later to make my final prediction and tomorrow to discuss the aforementioned matchup so OSU fans can either get their bragging shoes out or make excuses once again. Take your pick because I'll be sitting on my high horse. FIGHT ON!!!
USC FOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!

[junkmansports]

Good Luck Spooky

[Spooky]

Thanks Junkman.

This is like my own little pyscho room. Padded walls and everything.
I post all by myself.

Hope you are doing well.

Happy New Year and good luck.

[Spooky]

Tuesday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but.........


13) High drama in the desert late last night, as Texas converted a 4th down play with 0:38 left, then scored winning TD with 0:16 left in a 24-21 win against Ohio State, handing Buckeyes their third straight loss in a bowl game.

12) Game really picked up in second half, after Ohio State led 6-3 at the half-- Ohio State used 6th-year QB Boeckman to rally after the Longhorns had grabbed a 17-6 lead late in the third quarter.

11) I just realized this: Buckeye freshman QB Pryor was in 8th grade when Boeckman was a freshman at Ohio State. Pryor actually caught a TD pass from Boeckman, was a blocking back on another play.

10) I'm wondering how many people actually saw the game; FOX doesn't do many college games-- will have to check out the ratings.

9) Screw up in communication is costing Phillies reliever JC Romero a 50-game suspension and $1.25M in salary-- he tested positive for a supplement last summer, after he was told the supplement was OK, even asking the Phillies trainer about it.

8) Kicker is that Romero was winning pitcher in Games 3 and 5 of the World Series-- if he did indeed take an illegal substance, why was he pitching in the postseason? If you read all the info that is out there on this case, though, it seems like Romero did what he could to make sure he was legal, and shouldn't be suspended at all. Seems like this is a middle ground that is obviously unfair, one way or the other.

7) Tampa Rays gave Pat Burrell $16M for two years Monday; he'll be the Rays' DH, and play LF when Carl Crawford gets days off.

6) Why do the Cubs always lose? Because they give Milton Bradley types $30M for three years-- what are they thinking? Can't wait 'til Bradley's first meltdown, when the poor umpire has to deal with the player and then the manager, mild-mannered Lou Piniella.

5) Big Sky favorite Portland State was down 16 at half Sunday night at Northern Arizona, rallied to force OT, then wound up surviving a 4-OT marathon, 92-91 in Flagstaff. Vikings have won at Gonzaga, so they have to be taken seriously as a March Cinderella.

4) Western Kentucky continues to be schizophrenic, losing by 28 at Mississippi State (were down 22 at half). This is a team that won at Louisville, but then lost by 32 at Evansville-- very strange team.

3) Tennessee-Martin, which has very good guards, but no history of success in hoops, ended a long losing skid against Murray State when they beat the Racers 75-71 at home, their first win in last seventeen games against Murray State.

2) Strong rumors have Jason Giambi signing up with A's, which isn't good news for me, an A's fan-- you sell out and take money from the Bronx, don't come crawling back when your career goes in the toilet. I'd much rather have Adam Dunn to play first or DH.

1) Kansas plays Siena tonight; last Tuesday, they beat UAlbany by 36- fans in Lawrence have to be wondering where the hell Albany is, and why their team is playing two teams from there in same week?

[Spooky]

Posted above, I like Tulsa but not love em. Line moved almost 6 points and understandably. But that doesnt make it any easier to stay with them.
Lets hope the run continues.

GMAC Bowl
#22 Ball State vs. Tulsa
[ESPN | 8 PM ET]

TULSA -2 (1 UNIT)

TULSA/BALL STATE UNDER 73 POINTS (3 UNITS)

Ball State: The Cardinals will have head coach Brady Hoke on the sideline for the very last time after accepting a job at San Diego State. Offensive coordinator Stan Parrish will take over for Hoke and believes not much will change. “Brady’s footprints, fortunately, will stay on the program,” Parrish said. “It makes the transition for me very, very easy. There will be a lot of continuity in this program, because I had a lot of say in what we did before. That’s a wonderful situation.” Both coaches will also have QB Nate Davis around for at least one more game following his worst game of the season in the conference title game. Davis has been rumored to be heading to the NFL but has denied those claims.

Ball State had a dream season going, then they lost to Buffalo in MAC title game, then the coach quit and went to San Diego State, so things are not as rosy for the Cardinals, who lost 52-30 to Rutgers in Motor City Bowl LY, their first bowl in 11 years. Ball has terrific QB in Davis, who may be off to the NFL a year early; Cards were +11 in turnovers before losing five fumbles against Buffalo (-3). Two teams that were unbeaten late in year (Ball 12-0/Tulsa 8-0). In their last four losses dating back to last season, Ball State allowed 38+ points in all four games.

Ball State is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games on grass.
The UNDER is 4-0 in Ball State's last 4 road games.

Key Injuries - WR Dante Love (back) is OUT.

Tulsa (-2.5, O/U 74): While Hoke is leaving Ball State, Golden Hurricane head coach Todd Graham should be around through the 2018 season after agreeing to a 10-year contract extension. Graham is eager to see his team bounce back from a disappointing 27-24 loss to East Carolina in the Conference USA title game. “Naturally, we’re disappointed we didn’t win the Conference USA championship, but on the same hand we’re very excited to have the opportunity to represent Conference USA at the GMAC Bowl and play an opponent like Ball State,” Graham said. “They’re a 12-1 team and a nationally ranked team which is what we’re excited about.”

Tulsa won this bowl game 63-7 over Bowling Green LY; this is their 3rd bowl in row, and fourth in five seasons-- Hurricane had a weird season, starting 8-0, then losing at Arkansas, then getting crushed 70-30 by pass- happy Houston team, before rallying to score 94 points in their last two regular season games. before they lost C-USA title tilt to East Carolina 27-24-- they were -6 in turnovers, tossing five INTs. You know not too many teams are -6 in turnovers and still almost win the game. Tulsa QB Johnson is senior, so that's good.

Marshall (Byron Leftwich) won the furst GMAC Bowl 64-61; in the six bowls since, the closest margin of victory was 17 points, with favorites covering all six. MAC teams haven't done too well in bowls this season, going 0-3, losing to Florida Atlantic, Louisiana Tech, Rice- MAC teams lost this bowl the last two years, after winning first five GMAC Bowls. C-USA teams are 3-2 this season, with Memphis, ECU losing to teams from BCS leagues, while Southern Miss, Houston, Rice all won games vs teams from non-BCS leagues. Ball State isn't from a BCS conference.

Worth noting that underdogs are 19-13 vs spread in bowls with three left to go this season; under is 18-14 (four of last five bowls went over).


Tulsa is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games vs. teams with a winning record.
The UNDER is 7-1 in Tulsa's last 8 games on grass.

Key Injuries - NONE