A little after 5:30 pm on Wednesday, January 13th, 2010, Lane Kiffin took the podium in Heritage Hall and spoke into the mic, his first press conference as head coach of the University of Southern California.  “To be here today, I’m extremely fortunate”.  That’s the understatement of the f#@&ing century, and we’re only 10 years into it.

Lane Kiffin has somehow parlayed failure, before being rescued by mediocrity, into 3 coaching gigs in the last 4 years (each one seemingly superior to the prior), thanks to having good people around him. Senile Al Davis (who is beginning to look more sane thanks to Kiffin) hired him away to be a first time head coach…anywhere.  Kiffin sported a .333 winning percentage, though in his defense, it was the Raiders.  Still, he was fired, and somehow got hired at a national power program at the University of Tennessee, replacing a legend, where they have had 3 head coaches in 30 years.  Kiffin, the last, was there only 14 months.

Kiffin jumped into the toughest conference in America, openly taking on conference rival and defending National Champion Florida and coach Urban Meyer.  Kiffin even went so far as to accuse Meyer of recruiting violations and cheating, which was inaccurate, before racking up 6 NCAA violations himself.  Not seeming to know or care about the NCAA rule book and moving on to USC, a program that may incur sanctions for things he did when he was there, would seem to be a recipe for disaster.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If it was Kiffin by himself.

However, Kiffin comes in a package.  A package that contains two other great coaches (One of which, Ed Orgeron, was reportedly calling the recruits he brought to Tennessee and told them to now come to USC-a classless move), thereby increasing his own value. A package that will no doubt convince recruits to come to USC, just when it looked like the program was imploding faster than David Hasselhoff at a local drinking hole.  And one of those great coaches is revered defensive coach Monte Kiffin, Lane’s dad.  Continuing to get by on his daddy’s merit is one way Lane was hired at Tennessee.  A national power program wouldn’t normally hire a young coach who had never coached in college, and who’s only head coaching was a 5-15 record.  Lane Kiffin now seems to have achieved one of the signs of the football apocalypse:  Making Al Davis look completely likeable. Kiffin has gone from success as an assistant to failing on his own, to mediocrity with a hand-picked staff that is far more talented.  He moves on to USC with that staff, and his own ego-driven self-delusion.

Seeing Kiffin the night of Tuesday, January 12th, in a 60 second self-congratulatory monologue before scurrying away like a coward, the fear in his face and body language was more than distinguishable.  Knowing the Lynch mob wasn’t too far behind; Kiffin briefly rattled on about how he was proud of what he did and worked hard every day.  Then he slithered away, where he must have had a chopper waiting with blades churning, needing to be extracted from a hot LZ.  It was reminiscent of Mussolini in Dongo, trying to find a way to escape.  Or Ceausescu in Bucharest and then Targoviste.

Unlike those sociopaths, Kiffin did get away.  Kiffin is the loudmouth kid in the gang who loves to start trouble, as long as he has his boys around him to protect him.  But one thing is for sure.  If SC falters again, not even little Laney’s supporting cast will be good enough to save him from the axe.

And after Pete Carroll fails in the NFL (again), look for his prodigal return.  It should only be a couple years.

Every year it seems, the BCS is on the verge of a major controversy that would push for a playoff.  And every year, somehow, the questions that develop after the season ends somehow fall on deaf ears.  But this year, a scenario developed that couldn’t be ignored, or so we thought.  This year, a “BCS BUST” scenario has never been more prevalent, but the BCS selection committee chose the chicken sh!t way out.

Case in point: pairing Boise State and TCU in the Fiesta Bowl.

Going into the 2009-2010 Bowl season we had 4 undefeated teams, something the system has never had.  The argument has always been that schools from historically “weaker” conferences couldn’t play with the big boys in the power conferences.  But that argument has been drilled like a Paris Hilton on a night out in recent years.

Just three years ago, Boise State put all the critics complaints to rest, taking out Oklahoma in-maybe not so arguably-the most exciting college football game in history. The dramatic 43-42 overtime victory culminated with Boise State’s Statue of Liberty 2- point conversion was seen on prime time national television.  And let’s not forget, Oklahoma was a 2 loss team that year, with one of them being to Oregon on a call that was pure robbery.  The game was stolen from Oklahoma like the innocence of a child by Gary Glitter. If not for that horrible call, Oklahoma would have been playing for the national title, and Boise State beat them.

And last year, undefeated Utah squared off against #3 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.  The SEC is perennially thought to be the toughest conference in the country year after year, and the Mountain West shouldn’t have been able to compete.  Utah not only competed, but dominated from the outset and finished the year undefeated and with a #2 ranking.  After working over the SEC #2, we all wanted to see them square off against the BCS champion and SEC #1 Florida.  What we were left with was the only undefeated team finishing the season ranked second, and an ass load of questions.

So now here we are, with 2 undefeated schools ready to play the big boys, and prove once and for all that a playoff system is necessary.  The problem is, the big boys don’t want to play them, and the BCS selection committee didn’t want to put their power conferences in a position to be beaten.  The BCS had a chance to redeem themselves, or at least practice what they preach, and instead went and hid like cowards.

We can sit here and speculate that, although Georgia Tech had a very nice year, but TCU would very likely beat them, but now we’ll never know.  And what would happen if Boise State were to face Iowa?  If you are going to put the Big Ten #2 in a BCS game, that’s  nothing.  Boise State already proved they could beat the Big 12 #1 two years ago. Given these scenarios, there would be 3 undefeated teams including the BCS title game winner.  If Cincinnati were to upset Florida, that would have given us 4 unbeaten teams at year’s end, all but demanding a new system be implemented.

At the very least, a “Plus 1” scenario would be some sort of improvement, but don’t count on the BCS to revamp any time soon.  BCS conferences have perennial toilet teams like Duke, Syracuse, Indiana, and Vanderbilt raking in 3 times as much money as TCU and Boise State. The WAC and Mountain West Champions put it all on the line and succeed every year, including beating the best conference and teams in bowls, but can’t get paid because the conference is apparently not good enough.  So don’t expect the BCS conferences to all of a sudden go for a playoff, even though it’s clear that it would be fairer.

Just like organized crime (and the case can be made that’s exactly what the BCS is) its all about money.

Here we go again.  Yet another chance for another story of East Coast bias.  This time, it’s an award ceremony at New York City’s Downtown Athletic Club for the best college football player on the land, and while there is only 1 out of the 5 nominees playing on the East Coast, a lot of the time its West Coast” hating.  Case in point:  Stanford running back Toby Gerhart, the most deserving of all the nominees, may very well get overlooked.

Some may point to the fact that Gerhart is heavily rumored to pursue a career in baseball, one in which he may be more talented than football, which is scary.  That may preclude people from voting for him, just like when Florida State quarterback Charlie Ward won in 93.  Ward went on to an average career in the NBA.

But the award shouldn’t be predicated on “what the athlete might do”.  It’s for the best player in college football, and if you look at who each payer has played, you will see what I mean.  Gerhart’s main competition at running back is Alabama’s Mark Ingram.  Gerhart racked up more rushing yards, touch downs, and yards per game than Ingram.

Gerhart          Ingram
Yards                        1736              1542
Yards per game        144.67          118.62
Touch downs             26                 15

More importantly, Ingram played in one more game, facing a division I-AA school in Chattanooga. Gerhart played a tougher schedule, as evidenced by his average rush defense faced of 59th, when compared to Ingram facing the 67th, and no doubt would have been lower if not for the fact that you can’t even factor in Chattanooga because they are not a D-1 school. Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, the other main threat, faced a pass defense that ranked on the average 77th in the nation. And everyone’s favorite Christian Warrior, Florida Quarterback Tim Tebow, already ha the award once.  Losing to Alabama in the SEC championship sealed his fate for a chance at a second award.

Certainly, the winner of this award by no means goes on to greatness at the professional level.  In the last 20 years, there have been numerous busts, while setting records in college.  This includes Andre Ware (89), Ty Detmer (90), Gino Toretta (92), Charlie Ward (93), Danny Wuerffel (96), Chris Weinke (2000), Eric Crouch (2001), Jason White (2003), Matt Leinart (2004), Troy Smith (2006).  Four of the above player never started an NFL game.

The running backs were no guarantee either, and besides Eddie George, who was always “good” but never “great”, ’94 winner Rashaan Salaam and ’99 winner Ron “No Gain” Dayne were complete busts. 1998 winner Ricky Williams snagged one NFL rushing title, but his career has been significantly damaged due to multiple retirements, drug use and depression.  2006 winner Reggie Bush is little more than a 3rd down back.

Though it seems the Heisman is more of a curse than a blessing, there can be no denying Gerhart is more deserving of the award.  So lets here it for Toby.  The ward isn’t about who might be the higher NFL draft pick, but who has exhibited the most excellence on college football this year.  And tough Stanford is vastly improved, the fact remains that the PAC-10 is far better than anyone gives it credit for, and has higher rush defense ratings than other conferences thought to be better.

We’ll see if the West Coast Hate continues December 10th.

Whoops

Ever since the Connecticut debacle, and some would say the Navy debacle, Charlie Weis was pulled to the side of the boat, and it was only a matter of time before the gaff hook impaled the big tuna.  Unlike Bob Davie and Ty Willingham’s demise, Weis’s arrogance makes his downfall that much more interesting, and to some, delightful.  Weis has clearly been humbled, and his demeanor in the press the last 2 weeks wreaked of a defeated man…a man who knows his public execution is immanent.  The fish fry happened today, and we now wait to find a replacement.  Below are our top 5 choices, in order of most likely.  My gut is telling me Kelly, but the animosity between Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh would make the most compelling rivalry between the schools in years, and that’s the one I’m routing for.

1)    Brian Kelley, Head Coach, Cincinnati
After heading the Bearcats to a BCS bowl victory and several Big East conference championships, Kelly may have achieved all he can, which is quite a bit.  2 bowl victories, a conference title and a BCS bowl appearance is not bad in 3 years, nor is his 33-6 record.  But to move on to a school of National Prominence with an exclusive television contract aint a bad gig either.  When you consider his current program and resume, it will be easier for Kelly to move than some of the other top contenders.

2)    Urban Meyer, head coach, Florida
Certainly, Meyer has the most impressive resume of any candidate, and if Notre Dame had their choice, he would most likely be the guy.  A 5-1 record in bowls since he has been there, including 2 conference titles and 2 BCS titles.  In the past, Meyer had referred to coaching at Notre Dame as his dream job.  However, Notre Dame’s main problem is their higher academic standards.  They cannot get the players that Florida, USC, or some of the other schools have with lower academic standards.  With Meyer’s 2 national Titles and perhaps another on the way, the only reason for him to go to Notre Dame would be to become a Deity.  This would occur, however, if he were to go to the most preeminent Catholic university and performs a miracle.

3)    Bob Stoops, head coach, Oklahoma
Stoops name continues to surface, and he continues to deny.  Maybe because he is not the first choice, and doesn’t want to pine for something in which he knows the feeling isn’t mutual…yet.  There’s no doubting his success.  8 straight bowl games, 5 of which are BCS bowls including a BCS championship in 2000.  He has great regular season success with a 115-29 record, but much more shaky in Bowls with a 4-6 record.  That may suggest his 10 year run at Oklahoma could use a fresh start somewhere else.

4)    Jim Harbaugh, Head Coach, Stanford
Harbaugh has done the unthinkable, and he’s been brash and unapologetic in doing so.  He took a team from the toilet and turned them into a force that no one wants to play.  Say what you want about Heisman Candidate Toby Gerhart’s amazing year, but he’s not all Stanford has.  A big reason for his success is Stanford’s great offensive line.  When you are recruiting in the same conference against Pete Carroll, landing great players is no easy task, and Harbaugh has done it.  Speaking of, Harbaugh has made it clear that he doesn’t particularly care for Carroll, or USC’s arrogance.  Beating them twice in the last 3 years in SC’s house, including running up the score and embarrassing Carroll just 2 weeks ago in a 55-21 slaughter is evidence enough.  Even though Harbaugh is a Wolverine, what better way to establish a hate-fueled rivalry than by going to SC’s most storied rival?  We’re talking Bo Schembechler-Woody Hayes stuff here.  That could be really fun.

5)    Gary Patterson, Head Coach, TCU
This would almost certainly have to be a default hire, with the other 4 electing to stay where they are.  All but Kelly have vehemently denied any desire to go to Notre Dame.  If they cannot get them, Patterson isn’t a bad choice, and he may jump at the chance. Stuck in a small conference, Patterson has done about as good as anyone ever could, going 53-10 over the last 4 years, and more importantly, 4-0 in bowls.  He now has a chance to have a perfect season if he can win his BCS bowl, and against a top program, that would be extremely impressive.  That would provide the necessary catapult to see what he can do with a national power.

Hey You Kids! Get Off My Lawn!

Sunday started out great for Tennessee Titan’s owner Bud Adams.  Breakfast with the commissioner, then on to the game, where his Tennessee Titans whooped the Buffalo Bills, 41-17.  However, old Bud got a little carried away toward the end of the game, and proceeded to let the fans from upstate New York know just we he thought of them, and their team.  Adams stood up, and proudly displayed his long, bony middle fingers to the crowd (including several gyrating gestures and the “Double F-U”) 5 times. Sunday’s classless display didn’t go unnoticed:  Commissioner Roger Goodell fined Adams $250,000 for his activities.

And you thought Zombieland was just a movie

As people journey into their Golden years, many times dementia sets in.  This is usually accompanied by a regression to childlike behavior.  We’re not sure if indeed, Adams is having one of these spells, but it may be cause for mild concern…amongst those that count themselves as giving a sh$t.

The other side of the argument is that Bud Adams is just a good old fashioned American bad ass, who doesn’t give a F$%& what anyone thinks.  This argument would seem to have some weight as well, when you consider he had breakfast with Goodell that morning, and actually watched the game with Goodell in the suite where he let his birds fly later on (Goodell had vacated the suite by that time, but was still I the viewing areas of the stadium below).  Adams displayed the ultimate “get off my lawn you a$$hole kids” approach, every bit the cantankerous old fart you love to hate.

But isn’t the fine a little excessive?  Goodell, since taking over for Paul Tagliabue, has made it clear he will make examples out of anyone perceived to desecrate the integrity of the league.  Ask Mike Vick and Pacman Jones.  Vick was only hit with a $10,000 fine for the same gesture to fans.  Perhaps the gesture is proportionately based on a scale of the offender’s wealth, considring there is no doubt Adams can afford it.  But before we’re quick to BBQ the old man, lets just remember that if any of us were fined in a similar fashion for the same gesture, we probably would owe several million after a few hours.

Eventually, it’s got to come to an end.  When it does, the fans, players, and everyone who declare their allegiance to whatever power that falls, should acknowledge their greatness, and say thank you. But making excuses, deflecting commentary about what really happened, and trying to make the rest of the viewing population take part in a game of semantics is perhaps more embarrassing than the loss itself.

Case in point:  USC’s dismissal from BCS and Pac-10 championship consideration after their second embarrassing conference loss in 3 games.  This time, at the hands of perennial loser, but now much improved Stanford.

Stanford pummeled USC 55-21 in front of their home fans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 14th.  After escaping with a win over lowly Arizona State the week before, Trojan fans instant recall of a 48-20 onslaught at the hands of Oregon 2 weeks ago was ever present.  In the last 2 weeks USC tallied won unimpressive victory by hanging on against a weak team, and the other 2 games resembled a whore waiting for the ship to dock at the harbor, as she anxiously waited to get owned in the ass by about 10 sailors when the ship disembarked.

Perhaps more telling than the embarrassing losses is some of their wins. Vegas had the Trojans a 44 point favorite in week 4 against one of the worst teams in college football in Washington State.  After putting up a 20 spot in the first quarter, the game was virtually even the rest of the way, with the Trojans outscoring the lowly Cougars 7-6 over the final 3 quarters.  By the way, the Cougars are 87th nationally in total defense. In week 9, they held on against the sorry Sun Devils of Arizona State, in which they eeked out a 5 point victory and managed only 1 offensive touchdown against the 117th ranked defense in the country.

It’s so funny how USC fans are attempting to deflect their punishment.  Then there’s all the excuses of the injuries and that they are starting freshman quarterback.  Guess what?  It’s not anyone else’s fault that a true freshman is the best you have at the position.  And the true freshman didn’t allow 613 yards to Oregon and 469 yards to Stanford in a 2 week period. Many people are trying to spew nonsense such as Harbaugh going for two late in the game ruined a great victory for Stanford.  “Now all anyone remembers is that they went for 2 when the game was well in hand”, I’ve heard SC apologists cry.

Wrong.  They remember your team getting pounded like a hooker that needs to pay her rent in 2 days.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Though this was a team photo, Cable always had the mug shot down.

Tom Cable is the perfect Raider.  After allegedly breaking Assistant Randy Hanson’s jaw in an argument last August, more disturbing accounts were just uncovered last week, documenting Cable’s violence towards women.   Cable’s ex wife and ex girlfriend both told ESPN about alleged abuse doled out at the hands of Cable, and they have the paperwork to prove it.  Additionally, his 2^nd wife, while declining an interview with the network, did file in official court documents abuse allegations.  That’s 4 people that we know of, with paperwork and/or photos and hospital bills to prove his onslaught.

The National Organization for Women is calling for the NFL to suspend Cable.  Although I admittedly have never been a fan of NOW, it’s hard to admit they don’t have a case here.  After all, people’s lives are at stake.  In fact, forget NOW, because its not just women being attacked.  After his vicious attack on Hanson this August, it’s clear we need an organization dedicated to all human rights.  I’d like to see Amnesty International or Green Peace get involved at this point. Hell, call in S.W.A.T, or the Marine Corps, because those may be the only forces strong enough to withstand Cable’s fury, and protect the vulnerable. The NFL is now investigating Cable’s alleged abuse.

This Referee has not been seen or heard from since.

Hanson told Napa police, “From my blindside, Tom Cable threw me from my chair and into a piece of furniture that a lamp sat upon,” said Friday. “He was screaming, ‘I’ll (bleeping) kill you! I’ll (bleeping) kill you!’ And I have no reason to believe he wouldn’t have killed me if they hadn’t pulled him away.”  He also said, “If my head would’ve hit a different way, I might be dead right now.”

We’re not sure if we have to put the word “allegedly” in this story describing the incidents, because there is quite a bit of recorded, documented evidence and paperwork to show Cable’s abuse.

But seriously…what more can you say about Cable’s impressive resume? Never before has there been a pedigree so deserving, a degree of symmetry so perfect between Coach and the organization and fan base. It’s no secret that NFL teams have to hire increased security when they play the Raiders.  Maybe it’s just because of Tom Cable.  But who could forget the news footage of a Pittsburgh Steelers fan being bloodied and left unconscious-and possibly for dead-in a game in 1990? What about several years ago, when a Raider fan and Charger fan got in an argument in a bar, and the Raider fan went Mike Tyson and bit his ear off?  What about the footage of a Raider fan stabbing a Charger fan?  I remember being at a game in the early 90’s in which a large, muscular biker took on 2 gang bangers.  After initially losing the scrum, the gang bangers were able to wrap and tie the biker’s long hair around a pole so he couldn’t get away, and they got the upper hand and proceeded to bludgeon him.  Blood flowed profusely…and children screamed.

Fun for the whole family!!!

The only question is where is Cable’s inner “yes man”?  Typically, abusers don’t take kindly to orders.  That goes against the dominant-which is obviously Cable’s role-in the dominant/submissive world Cable seems so perfectly involved in. As we know, the only way to keep a Raiders head coaching job, especially with continued exhibition of failure, is to be Al Davis’s puppet.  So perhaps Cable does have a softer side.  A side where, after his team gets embarrassed in front of 50,000 prisoners/convicts/fans, he dresses up in a leather g-string and leather mask with a zippered mouth hole, and gets kicked in the scrotum by the Godfather in the white jump suit.  Plus, it’s a release for Davis, as he gets to get out his aggression on the worst football team of the last 5 years.

This can be the only reason Cable is still under Davis’s employ.  However, we welcome your theories.  Please post them below.

UPDATE:  Hitting 65% on the season…we REALLY like some match-ups this week.  Win some money and use our picks for week 10!

UPDATE: 9-4 last week.  For the year, we are about 67%, which is better than Vegas odds makeres, because we pick EVERY game with/against the spread.  Scroll to the bottom for our week 8 predictions!

14-2 in Week 3 against the spread.  That’s right. and 87.5 winning percentage. The previous week I was 67%.  Scroll to the bottom to see our week 4 picks, and make some money!!!  Use them to go win some money and by your woman that cubic zirconium she’s been wanting.

Miami @ Atlanta -4

Kansas City @ Baltimore -13

Denver @ Cincinnatti – 4 1/2

Philidelphia -3 @ Carolina

Minnesota – 3 1/2 @ Cleveland

Jets @ Houston -4

Detroit @New Orleans -13

Jacksonville @ Indianapolis -7

Dallas – 5 1/2@ Tampa Bay

San Francisco @ Arizona -6

St. Louis @ Seattle -8

Chicago @ Green Bay – 3 1/2

Washington @ New York Giants – 6 1/2

San Diego -9 @ Oakland

Buffalo @ New England -11

UPDATE: 8-7…not exctly an Oracle.  Lets see how we do week 2.

WEEK 2

Carolina at Atlanta -6

Houston +7 @ Tennessee (Houston is 6-2 in their last 8 overall ATS)

St. Louis @ Washington -10 (St. Louis is 2-6 in their last 8 ATS vs. NFC)

New Orleans -1 @ Philidelphia

Oakland + 3 @ Kansas City (KC is 3-10 ATS in their last 13 Home games)

New England -3.5 @ New York Jets (NE is 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 meetings)

Arizona + 3 @ Jacksonville (Jville is 1-7 in their last 8 home games ATS)

Cincinnati@Green Bay -9.5 (GB is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 home games in Sept)

Minnesota – 10.5 LOCK @ Detroit (Detroit is 1-8 ATS in their last 9 home games)

Tampa Bay @ Buffalo -5

Seattle – 1.5 LOCK@ San Francisco( Seattle is 9-3 ATS in their last 12 vs. NFC West)

Pittsburgh -3 LOCK @ Chicago (Pittsburgh is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 overall)

Cleveland @ Denver -3 (Cleveland is 0-8-1 in their last 9 ATS on grass)

Baltimore + 3 @ San Diego (Baltimore is 9-2 in their last 11 ATS vs. AFC)

New York Giants -3 @ Dallas( NY is 20-7 ATS in their last 27 games overall)

Indianapolis -3 LOCK @ Miami (Road Team is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 meetings)

UPDATE

67% winning percentage in week 2…that’s what we’re talking about.  However, only 2 of 4 on locks.  Some tough matchups this week, we’ll be happy if we have the same success

Indianapolis + 2.5 LOCK @ Arizona

Carolina @ Dallas -9

Miami @ San Diego -6 (SD is 12-5 in their last 17 home games ATS)

Pittsburgh -4@ Cincinatti (Cin 3-10 ATS in their last 13 vs. AFC)

Denver -2 @ Oakland (OAK is 8-21 ATS in their last 29 home games)

Chicago +2 @ Seattle

Atlanta @ New England -4.5

Tennessee @ New York Jets – 1.5

Baltimore -13.5 @ Clevelnd (CLE is 0-9-1 ATS in their last 10 games on grass)

Green Bay -7 LOCK @ St. Louis (STL is 6-15 ATS in their last 21 home games)

New York Giants -7 @ Tampa Bay (NY is 22-6 ATS in their last 28 road games)

Kansas City @ Philidelphia -9

San Francisco @ Minnesota -7

Washington @ Detroit + 6.5 LOCK (Home team is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 head to head)

New Orleans -6 LOCK @ Buffalo (New Orleans is 7-1-1 ATS in their last 9 overall)

Jacksonville @ Houston -3.5 (JAX is 2-15 ATS in their last 17 on grass)

Week 4

14-2 Last Week.  Spread the word, go to notespn.com!!!

Detroit + 10 @ Chicago (underdog is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 meetings)

Cincinnati -6 LOCK @ Cleveland (Cle is 1-10-1 in their last 12 overall ATS)

Seattle @ Indianapolis -10.5 LOCK (Sea is 6-21 in their last 27 ATS in October)

Oakland @ Houston -9.5 (Hou is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 overall)

Tennessee +3 @ Jacksonville (Jax is 1-8 in their last 9 home games ATS)

New York Giants -9.5 LOCK@ Kansas City (NYG is 21-5 ATS in their last 26 road games)

Tampa Bay + 7.5@ Washington (Was is 1-7-3 in their last 11 games ATS overall)

Baltimore +2 @ New England (Bal is 18-5 ATS in their last 23 overall)

New York Jets +7 @ New Orleans

St. Louis @ San Francisco -10 (Stl. is 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games overall)

Buffalo -2 LOCK@ Miami (Buf is 7-2-1 ATS in heir last 10 meetings)

Dallas -3 @ Denver (Den is 7-19-1 in their last 27 home games ATS)

San Diego @ Pittsburgh -6.5 (Favorite is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 meetings)

Green Bay @ Minnesota -3.5

UPDATE

Week 4 saw our heads get a little too big, and after two impressive weeks we dropped down to .500, going 7-7.  We’re still ahead of the game though.  Hopefully we’ll bounce back in week 5.

Cincinnati @ Baltimore -8.5 (Bal is 18-6 in their last 24 overall ATS)

Cleveland @ Buffalo -6 (Cle is 1-8-1 in their last 10 overall ATS)

Pittsburgh -10.5 @ Detroit (Det is 2-9 ATS in their last 11 home games)

Washington +3.5@ Carolina

Oakland @ N.Y. Giants -16 (NYG are 5-2-1 in their last 8 home games ATS)

Dallas -9 @ Kansas City

Minnesota -11 LOCK @ St. Louis

Tampa Bay @ Philidelphia -16 (Phili is 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games overall)

Houston @ Arizona -5.5 (Ari is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games on grass)

Atlanta + 2.5 LOCK @ San Francisco

New England -3.5 LOCK @ Denver ( Denver is 6-13 ATS vs. a team with a winning record)

Jacksonville @ Seattle

Indianapolis -4 @ Tennessee

New York Jets -2 LOCK @ Miami (NYJ are 20-5-2 in their last 27 meetings ATS)

UPDATE: WEEK 7-  We took a week off after a lackluster albeit winning week.  Back to the grind.  We are still hitting 65%!  Spread the Word!

San Francisco @ Houston -3

San Diego _4.5 @ Kansas City (Kansas City is 4-12 in their last 16 home games ATS)

New England -14.5 LOCK @ Tampa Bay (Tamp Bay is 1-7 in thier last 8 games ATS overall)

Indianapolis -14 LOCK @ St. Louis (STL is 5-15 in their last 20 games ATS vs. a team with a winning record)

Green Bay -9 @ Cleveland (Cleveland is 3-8-1 in their last 12 overall ATS)

Minnesota -5.5 @ Pittsburgh

Buffalo @ Carolina -7

New York Jets -6 @ Oakland (OAK is 15-35-1 ATS in their last 51 home games)

Atlanta -4 @ Dallas

New Orleans -7 LOCK @ Miami (New Orleans is 15-5-1 in their last 21 games overall ATS)

Chicago @ Cincinnati PICK ‘EM

Arizona @ New York Giants -7 (NYG is 17-5 ATS vs. a team with a winning record)

Philidelphia -7 LOCK @ Washington (Philidelphia is 2-9-3 in their last 14 games overall ATS)

UPDATE:  9-4 last week, back in the saddle!  We benefitted from great teams playing bad teams, and even though they were laying a lot of points, they covered.  Lets see how week 8 does.  We are hitting about 66-67%, better than most odds makers!  Spread the word and tell them all to go to www.notespn.com!!

Denver @ Baltimore -3 LOCK (Bal is 9-3 ATS in their last 12 home games)

Houston -3 LOCK @ Buffalo (Hou is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games vs. AFC)

Cleveland @ Chicago -14(Cle is 3-9-1 ATS in their last 13 games overall)

Seattle @ Dallas -10 (Dal is 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games vs. NFC)

San Francisco @ Indianapolis -13 LOCK

St. Louis @ Detroit (Off the Board)

New York Giants PICK @ Philadelphia

Miami @ New York Jets -3.5 LOCK (Miami is 6-20-2 ATS in their last 28 meetings)

Jacksonville +3 @ Tennessee

Oakland +17 @ San Diego

Carolina @ Arizona -10 (Ari is 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games overall)

Minnesota +3 @ Green Bay (Underdog is 16-5 ATS in their last 21 meetings)

Atlanta @ New Orleans -10 (NO is 7-1 ATS in their last 8 home games)

UPDATE WEEK 9: 6-6 last week, which when that’s one of yur worst weeks, you must be doing a pretty good job.  But we need to bounce back, and finish above 65% this year, which is better than vegas.  And we pick EVERY game.  Let’s go to week 9.

Washington @ Atlanta -10 LOCK (WASH s 3-12-3 ATS in thier last 18 games overall)

Arizona +3 @ Chicago (ARI is 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games overall)

Baltimore -3 LOCK @ Cincinnati (BAL is 12-4 ATS in their last 16 games vs. AFC)

Houston +9 @ Indianapolis (HOU is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 road games)

Kansas City @ Jacksonville -6.5 (KC is 2-7 ATS is their last 9 games overall)

Green Bay -10 @ Tampa Bay (TB is 1-12 ATS in their last 13 games on grass)

Miami @ New England -10.5 LOCK

Carolina @ New Orleans -14 (NO is 7-2 ATS in their last 9 home games)

Detroit @ Seattle -10 (SEA is 9-4 ATS vs. a team with a losing record)

San Diego @ New York Giants -4.5 (SD is 2-6 in their last 8 games overall ATS)

Tennessee @ San Francisco -4 (SF is 5-1-2 in their lat 8 games ATS overall)

Dallas @ Philadelphia -3 (PHI is 9-3 in their last 12 games on grass)

Pittsburgh -3 LOCK @ Denver (DEN is 7-17-1 in their last 25 home games ATS)

UPDATE: Week 9…OUCH! 5-8, the only saving grace is hw well we have done all year. 65% and counting.  Lets go to week 10.

Atlanta -1 LOCK @ Carolina (Atlanta is 15-7-4 ATS in their last 26 meetings)

Tampa Bay @ Miami -10 (TB is 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games overall)

Jacksonville @ New York Jets -7 (Jax is 3-8 in thier last 11 games vs. AFC ATS)

Detroit @ Minnesota -16.5 (Detroit is 2-6-1 ATS in their last 9 meetings)

Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh -7 (Pitt is 7-2 ATS in their last 9 home games)

St. Louis @ New Orleans -13.5 LOCK (NO is 11-3-1 in their last 15 games ATS overall)

Buffalo @ Tennessee-7.5 (Tenn is 8-3 in their last 11 games ATS vs. a team with a losing record)

Denver -4 LOCK @ Washington (Denver is 6-2 ATS this year)

Kansas City @ Oakland -2 (KC is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games overall)

Seattle @ Arizona -9 (Ari is 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games vs. NFC)

Dallas -3 @ Green Bay (Favorite is 7-1  ATS in their last 8 meetings)

Philadelphia -1 @ San Diego (Phi is 14-6 in their last 20 road games ATS)

New England @ Indianapolis -3 LOCK

Baltimore -11 @ Cleveland (Bal is 8-0 ATS vs. a team with a losing record)

UPDATE:  Week 11…”Boomer, I’m Melting”.  This is not good.  We are now down  in the low 60% range, which is still as good as Vegas, and we pick every game.  Why?  Because we have the balls.  Hopefully we will rebound in week 11.

Indianapolis-2 @ Baltimore

Washington @ Dallas -11 (Was is 1-5-2 in teir last 8 games vs. NFC ATS)

Cleveland @ Detroit -3.5 (Cle is 3-11-1 ATS in their last 15 games overall)

San Francisco @ Green Bay -6

Buffalo @ Jacksonville -8.5 (Buf is 3-10 ATS vs. a team with a winning record)

Pittsburgh -11 @ Kansas City

Seattle @ Minnesota -10.5

Atlanta @ New York Giants -7

New Orleans -10.5 @ Tampa Bay (New Orleans is 11-4-1 ATS in their last 16 games overall)

Arizona -9 @ St. Louis (Ari is 8-2 in their last 10 games vs NFC)

San Diego -6 @ Denver

New York Jets @ New England -11 (NY is 4-9-1 ATS in their last 14 meetings)

Cincinnati -9 @ Oakland

Philadelphia -3 @ Chicago (Phi is 12-5 in their last 17 games ATS vs. NFC)

Tennessee @ Houston-4

Toro!  That’s the fatty part of the tuna, and considered a delicacy.  But Big Tuna Charlie Weis looks more like a week old California roll than a delicacy, at least as far as his performance is concerned.

In 2004, the university gave him a 10 year contract extension just halfway through his first year with a 5-2 record. That’s more premature than the sexual stamina of a 16 year old boy (and some 30 year old men I know…just saying). The sad thing is that his first year success was using a large portion of former coach Tyrone Willingham’s recruits. Since that extension his record 26-21, a mark barely above .500 in a football program and alumni and booster association that demands much more than mediocrity.

So is it a case of too much time in the buffet line and not enough time game planning?  After all, when his shirt is off, it looks like he still has a fanny pack on…made of flesh.  We can go low-brow all day with the fat jokes-and no, we’re not above it- but I’m sure Weiss would welcome fat jokes in comparison to the discussion of his job being on the line.

Built for Comfort, Not for Speed

Gone is Jimmy Clausen’s Hulk Hogan Hair (Balding on top, long blond locks down the back, also known as the “Skullet”), and perhaps so too are his clutch performances.  Actually, that’s yet to be shown by Clausen.  So why, with only 9 seconds left, would Weis call for throwing a fade to the front part of the end zone, which may as well have been a punt because it got so much hang time, and an extra 1-2 seconds run off?  Then, on what could have been the final play, Clausen throws to a receiver on a slant route 3 yards short of the goal line.  Luckily, he had one more chance to redeem himself, which turned into one more chance to show just how bad they could choke; throwing an incomplete pass that wasn’t even close.

Perhaps most importantly, how in the name of Touchdown Jesus do you have the ball on the 4 yard line, 9 seconds on the clock, a time out left, and NOT RUN THE DAMN BALL? The play calling ultimately cost Notre Dame the game, and that falls directly on Weis.  USC was up by 20 in the 4th quarter and it’s a down year for them.  They no longer have that great vertical passing attack that has been a staple of their offense since Pete Carroll came around.  And if they didn’t take their foot off Notre Dame’s throat, the outcome could have been a lot worse.

That’s 8 straight for USC over Notre Dame, with Weis winless since he’s been there.  The ILLUSION that they came back in the end when it looked like USC just wanted to go home probably saved his job, at least for the foreseeable. But another 2 losses will very likely turn Charlie Tuna into sashimi.  And not the delicacy, either.

Waaaaahhhhh!!!!!!

Yes, the politician Mack Brown is at it again.  But this time he is just getting started a little early.  During his weekly press conference, the politician has begun to defend his team’s weak offensive play against a battered OU club.  He called it a defensive slugfest.  This a term used by ESPN, and the conference they have a man crush on, the SEC, when two horrible offensive teams square up and play to a 6-3 outcome.  I have seen soccer matches that are more exciting than some of these so called “defensive slugfests”.
It has become apparent that the Big 12 Conference is vastly overrated.  Mack is not liking this one bit, but how can he argue when one carefully examines their scheduling of non conference teams (or shall we say shark chum)?  Texas had brought in a few consultants on how to beat the BCS System after being left out of last year’s title game.  Their obvious solution was to schedule weak opponents and let the conference slate carry them to the finish line.
This looked to be a great tactic until the conference took a face plant.  Conference apologists will say, “The Big 12 is 33-13 in the conference games.  We also beat teams like Georgia and Wake Forest.”    True, but let’s look a little deeper.  33 of these wins came against teams like Northwestern State, Kent State, New Mexico, UAB, Northern Colorado, Duke just to name a few.  Now, let’s look at the losses.
-OU lost to BYU and Miami (I actually applaud OU for scheduling these teams)
-Texas A&M lost to Arkansas
-Texas Tech AND Okie State lost to Houston (Damn that school who owns the Big 12 this year)
-Kansas St lost to UCLA
-Colorado lost to W. Virginia, Colorado State and Toledo
-Nebraska lost to Viginia Tech
See the trend here?  Against good opponents (and some not so good), the Little 12 has looked feeble.  Texas also is not helping its cause playing teams like Louisiana Monroe, Wyoming and UTEP.   So quit your crying Mack, and don’t schedule cannon fodder while trying to rely on your conference’s reputation.  You were looking for a repeat of the Big 12 hype last year but your dice just crapped out.  So, if you lose a game and get left out again, just turnaround, and thank those BCS consultants you hired.