White Suburban Punk

Unfortunately, the college football season is now over.  It’s such a short season.  The “National Championship Game” ended up being kind of anticlimactic with Colt McCoy’s injury, but we can now look at each conference’s bowl performance.

Overall conference bowl records:

Mountain West 4-1

Big East 4-2

SEC 6-4

Big Ten 4-3

Big 12 4-4

WAC 2-2

Sun Belt 1-1

Independent 1-0

ACC 3-4

Conference USA 2-4

Pac 10 2-5

MAC 1-4

Of course, there are so many bowl games that a lot of mediocre teams get in and therefore skew the results, so let’s look at the top of each league, the top four teams in each league’s conference standings.

Records of top 4 teams in each conference:

Big Ten 4-0 (#8 Ohio State, #10 Iowa, #11 Penn State, #24 Wisconsin)

Mountain West 3-1 (#3 TCU, #15 BYU, #23 Utah, Air Force)

SEC 3-1 (#1 Alabama, #5 Florida, #13 LSU, Ole Miss)

Big 12 2-2 (#2 Texas, #20 Nebraska, #21 Oklahoma State, Texas Tech)

Big East 2-2 (#4 Cincinnati, #17 Pitt, #18 West Virginia, Rutgers)

ACC 2-2 (#9 Georgia Tech, #12 Virginia Tech, #14 Miami, Clemson)

Pac 10 0-4 (#7 Oregon, #22 Arizona, #16 Oregon State, #19 Stanford)

It looks like the top of the Big Ten was better than everyone else, but maybe they lucked into a cupcake schedule.

Conference records vs. ranked teams

Big Ten 4-0 (beat #7 Oregon, #9 Georgia Tech, #13 LSU, #14 Miami)

SEC 2-1 (beat #2 Texas, #4 Cincinnati, lost to #11 Penn State)

Mountain West 1-1 (beat #16 Oregon State, lost to #6 Boise State)

Big 12 1-1 (beat #22 Arizona, lost to #1 Alabama)

Big East 0-1 (lost to #5 Florida)

ACC 0-2 (lost to #10 Iowa, lost to #24 Wisconsin)

Pac 10 0-3 (lost to #8 Ohio State, lost to #20 Nebraska, lost to #15 BYU)

So,

The Big Ten had 4 ranked teams and they went 4-0 against other ranked teams.

The SEC had 3 ranked teams and they went 2-1 against ranked teams.

Mountain West had 3 ranked teams, went 1-1 against ranked teams (won vs. unranked).

Big 12 had 3 ranked teams, went 1-1 against ranked teams (lost vs. unranked).

Big East had 3 ranked teams, went 0-1 vs. ranked, 1-1 vs. unranked.

ACC had 3 ranked teams, went 0-2 vs. ranked, 1-0 vs. unranked.

Pac 10 had 4 ranked teams, went 0-3 vs. ranked, 0-1 vs. unranked. 

It looks pretty clear which conference had the best grouping of teams at the top, and it’s equally clear which was the worst.  The conference power tends to go in cycles, and unquestionably the Big Ten has been down for the last few years.  But this year’s bowl season looks like it could be a sign that things have turned.

239 days until Jump Around.

Wisconsin put together an impressive, punishing, dominating performance in the Champs Sports Bowl to beat Miami, 20-14.  Supposed 2010 Heisman Trophy candidate Jacory Harris, despite his “star” haircut, actually looked scared most of the game, and was completely outplayed by Wisconsin quarterback Scott Tolzien.  Both QBs were under pressure most of the night, but Tolzien was cool and calm, consistently stepping up, delivering the ball, and taking the hit, while the only thing consistent about Harris was panic.  Wisconsin really doesn’t do anything fancy in the passing game, but it looked like their receivers got open fairly easily, despite Miami’s alleged EXPLOSIVE SPEED, which was apparently negated by temperatures below 50 degrees.  After all, everyone knows it’s impossible to run when it’s in the 40s.  The classic look on TV was the Miami players huddled on the sidelines in front of heaters while the Badgers wore short sleeves.  And that was really the essence of the game — the Badgers were far tougher than the Hurricanes.

Miami had quite a few gadget plays, especially in the first half, which seems to indicate that Randy Shannon knew his team couldn’t win straight up.  ESPN made a big deal that John Clay averaged just 67 yards per game against ranked teams Ohio State and Iowa, but he finished with 22 rushes for 121 yards and two scores.  Miami proved that they don’t belong with the Big Ten’s ranked teams.  Unfortunately, Clay doesn’t always play like that.  He kind of seems to have Laurence Maroney syndrome in big games, far too tentative.  But he was fierce and punishing from the very first carry last night.  Just a sophomore, he insists he’s coming back next season.  If he learns the lesson from last night, there’s your 2010 Heisman candidate.

On offense, Wisconsin loses only tight end Garrett Graham to graduation.  He really didn’t have a great game.  I saw a couple of key blocks he missed, and he had the inexcusable fumble in the end zone when the Badgers were about to ice the game.  The other tight end, Lance Kendricks, was huge, catching seven passes for 128 yards, and he had several key blocks to spring Clay.  On defense, Wisconsin loses DE O’Brien Schofield, both starting defensive tackles, and safety Chris Maragos.  The defensive line recruiting has supposedly been strong the last couple of years, and the secondary is still pretty deep.  JJ Watt returns at the other DE.  Maybe Todd Blackledge can learn the names a little better next year.  He kept calling Kendricks Kendrick, and JJ Watt JJ Watts.

More numbers: Miami came in to the game 27th in the nation in scoring and 36th in total yards, averaging 412.5 yards per game.  They finished with 249 yards, and 79 of those were against the prevent defense on their 4th quarter TD drive.  Jacory Harris was 16-29 for 188 yards and was sacked five times.  Tolzien was 19-26 for 260.  Miami had 61 rushing yards.  Time of possession was 39:15 for Wisconsin, 20:45 for Miami.  Brad Nortman had three punts inside the 10 yard line for Wisconsin.

So Wisconsin returned to the scene of the crime (last year’s loss to Florida State on the same field, 42-13), and avenged it in a big way against a highly overrated (#15!) Miami team.  The weak ACC is now 1-3 in this year’s bowls, the Big Ten 1-0.

Photos from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Patriots win an ugly one in Buffalo, but a win is a win at this point.  Especially on the road.  Randy Moss’ comments after the game were hilarious.  I wonder if there will be any talk that Wes Welker quit on the team after his quiet day.  Laurence Maroney continues to look good, really fighting for yards.  I had to admit I was worried after the Bills’ first drive, but then they reverted back to what they are, and the Patriots defense played well against an awful team.  Jacksonville is up next, and supposedly New England still has an outside shot at the #2 seed if San Diego loses its final two games.  I still can’t figure out the Patriots offense, though.  The same personnel as 2007, but it sure doesn’t look like it.  Is it all Brady?

Liverpool lost to last place Portsmouth, 2-0, over the weekend.  They now sit in seventh place.  Javier Mascherano got sent off for a bad tackle, and he managed to strain his MCL on the play, as well.  So he’s suspended and injured.  I don’t know if it can really get any worse for this team.  Wolverhampton is next in the Premiership on Saturday.  They drew a Romanian team in the Europa League, which will start in February.

The Champions League draw also took place, with Inter Milan getting Chelsea, The Chosen One’s current team and former team.  And AC Milan drew Manyoo, David Beckham’s current team and former team.  Should be interesting.

The Landon Donovan loan to Everton went through.

So Mike Lowell is back with the Sox.  Both player and team must be thrilled.  If he’s going to be ok by Spring Training, why didn’t the Rangers just go through with the trade?  They’d only be paying him $3 million.

The Cubs traded Milton Bradley to the Mariners for Carlos Silva.  So the M’s continue to improve, while all the Angels have done is sign Hideki Matsui.  That also means that Jason Bay will not be going to Seattle.  I’ve got to think that he’s not real psyched to play for the Mets, with the big ballpark and circus atmosphere.  I hope I’m wrong, but I still think the yankees are going to swoop in.  Speaking of, Brian Cashman claims that the yankees will “almost certainly add a starter by New Year’s,” according to the New York Post.  But no one seems to have any idea who that would be.

Coco Crisp is going to the A’s.

Bill James projects your Opening Day first baseman, Casey Kotchman, to hit .272 in 372 at bats (122 games), with 9 HR and 52 RBI in 2010.  His best year was 2007 with the Angels, when he played in 137 games, hit .296 with an OBP of .372 and slugged .467.  He finished that year with 11 HR and 68 RBI.  The next year he was traded (with a prospect) to the Braves for Mark Texeira and hit his career high 14 HR.  He was considered a top prospect by Baseball America for a number of years; in 2002 he was ranked 22nd, 2003 13th, 2004 15th, and 2005 6th.  He’ll be 27 years old in February.

Glen Davis will supposedly return to the Celtics in early January.

Everyone’s favorite whipping boy, the Big 10, has seven teams in bowl games.  Only two are favored to win, Minnesota by 2.5 over Iowa State, and Penn State by 2.5 over LSU.  The other five are underdogs.  Wisconsin is 3 point dogs to Miami, Ohio State 3.5 to Oregon, Iowa 4 to Georgia Tech, Northwestern 7 to Auburn, and Michigan State 8 to Texas Tech.  Does the fact that 5 of the teams are underdogs prove the conference sucks, or if they have another bad bowl year, can Big 10 fans say, “yeah, but 5 of the teams were underdogs?”

John Lackey and Mike Cameron to the Sox.  Sweet.  Lackey as a #3 starter?  That’s pretty freaking good.  It’s great that Theo kept these moves so quiet, too.  Just last week I wrote that I wished Lackey was more on the Sox’ radar, and it turns out he was.  I guess Theo isn’t writing off 2010 after all.  Lackey will fit in great with Beckett, Youk, Pedroia, and Victor Martinez.  I really like this plan of attack — there’s no way we’ll ever be able to outslug the yankees, but we could outpitch them.  And improving the defense is key to that.  Jason Bay never seemed like a particularly bad outfielder to me, but the defensive metrics apparently say otherwise.  And Mike Cameron is unquestionably an excellent defensive outfielder.  He can play any of the outfield positions, too, allowing Tito great flexiblity to sit Ellsbury or Drew against tough lefties.

I would also be fine with Adrian Beltre at third base.  Again, excellent defensively, but don’t expect too much with the bat.  If the offense is as bad as the Boston media says it will be, they can always try to add something during the season.  I’m afraid to mention it, but Big Papi claimed he was going to come into camp next year in the best shape of his life.  Just sayin’.

I guess an Adrian Gonzalez deal could still be in play, maybe even more so since they’ve added a quality starter without giving anything up.  It seems that would create a very left handed heavy batting order, though, without a real right handed power hitter.  Still, that would be a nice problem to have.

Ah, Randy Moss.  Sixth in the NFL in receiving.  Opponents double team him so much that it allows Wes Welker to have an absolutely crazy day.  In fact, Welker is #2 in receiving yards and Moss #6 in the league.  And Moss is #5 in the NFL in receiving touchdowns.  Not bad for a quitter.  Sure, his production Sunday definitely didn’t pass the smell test.  So he had a bad game, but the team won.  It appears the coach is behind him, the QB is behind him, and the rest of the team is behind him.  He’s still a captain.  As the Young Fresh Fellows say, everything’s gonna turn out great.

The Patriots should retire Kevin Faulk’s #33 when he retires.

The Celtics have won 11 in a row and have the best record in the NBA.  When is Big Baby coming back?  I thought it was supposed to be December.  Anyway, the only win over an elite team was opening night against Cleveland, but they’re definitely beating the teams they should beat, and looking good doing it. 

Big 10 to add a twelfth team?  I think it would be a good thing at this point.  It could even help in recruiting, and of course an elite conference shouldn’t be sitting home watching everyone else play.  But divisions will be awkward, especially for football.  Do you go east/west, or north/south?  I would think that Michigan and Ohio State have to be together, but then do you include Penn State with those two?  And who exactly is the twelfth team?  Notre Dame, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Missouri?  Don’t even freaking joke about Rutgers.

Liverpool lost to Arsenal 2-1, this weekend, and the misery continues.  They didn’t even look passionate, which is extremely worrying.  So far this year, they’ve really risen to the occasion against the big teams, but not so in this game.  The Europa League draw is Friday.  Juventus and Marseille joined Liverpool in dropping out of the Champions League.

Flight of the Conchords is over after two seasons.  Great show, but probably a good decision.  How far could these guys really go before things got tired?  It was just too creative to go on for too long.  Hopefully they’ll come up with some one-off type stuff, and maybe some HBO specials.

On another TV note, Friday Night Lights has been incredible this season.  Best show on television, bar none.

The news from Patriots camp is pretty insane, with the two losses in a row, the inability to win in someone else’s stadium, the four players being sent home, Adalius Thomas essentially blasting BB, and now Brady supposedly has a rib injury.  Things really seem to be falling apart, but BB has four games to rally them.  It’s been a confusing year.  They still have so much talent on offense, but stunningly can’t execute, especially in crunch time.  I think Bill O’Brien has to get a lot of blame for the play calling.  It seems that whenever they start running the ball effectively, they immediately go away from it.  Please come back, Charlie Weis.  The defense has probably played about as well as anyone could have expected, with the youth and all the new players.  Adalius Thomas and Derrick Burgess appear to be bums, and the lack of a pass rush is killing them.  Any secondary would look bad put in that situation.  It’s incredible that they’ve already lost as many games this year as last year, especially considering how Matt Cassel has played this year.  Four games to get their act together, get back to basics, and PLAY TO WIN THE GAME.

The Sox are reportedly close to consummating the deal trading Mike Lowell to the Rangers.  Great guy, 2007 World Series MVP, but the team just has to have better defense on third base.  Of course, they now have to replace his bat, too.  I would think they’re either going to trade for Adrian Gonzalez or sign Adrian Beltre.  If they trade for Gonzalez, Roy Halladay is obviously out.  My guess is that Jason Bay will re-sign here, but if not, I don’t think they’ll get Matt Holliday.  LF would probably end up being a platoon between Jeremy Hermida and somebody like Xavier Nady. 

Is everyone excited about Marco Scutaro?  No.  Boof Bonser?  No, but I’ve actually always liked him.  He was a first round pick in 2000, and is now coming off shoulder surgery.  Good risk, but probably not lots of upside.  After the yankees traded for Curtis Granderson, if they get Bay or Matt Holliday or, god forbid, Doc Halladay, just forget 2010 and 2011.  Although Doc is probably out for them now after trading away one of their top prospects in the Granderson deal.  They could sign John Lackey, though, which would be almost as bad.  I’ve always liked him; it’s too bad the Sox don’t seem to be looking at him any closer.  Theo did have a comment about 2010 being a “bridge” to the future, and it’s getting to the point where no one will be able to compete with yankees next year anyway, so why bother.

The only good news this offseason has been the report that Peter Gammons is leaving the four letter network to join MLB Network and NESN.  Welcome home, Commish.

Badger football doesn’t get a New Year’s Day bowl game after the Outback Bowl bizarrely picked Northwestern.  Sure, they beat the Badgers, but we had a better overall record.  Anyway, I much prefer the matchup against Miami.  Better team than Auburn, and Miami is a team I truly hate.  Incidentally, ESPN’s 30 For 30 show is doing “The U” this Saturday night.  I’ve watched all the episodes so far of this thing, and it’s really good.

Badger hoops got themselves ranked after beating Duke, and then lost in OT at UW-Green Bay.  Harsh, but it looks like UWGB is actually a pretty good team, so hopefully that loss won’t look so bad later in the season.  Marquette is up this Saturday at 6:00 Eastern on ESPN2, in Madison.  Gotta win that one.

Badger hockey is on a nice roll, and they look like they could be for real this season.  They’re #11 in the country now, and they play at #3 North Dakota this weekend.  Friday night’s game will be televised on the NHL network, and I think they usually use the Badger announcers for those games.  The trend this year is for the Badgers to massively outshoot their opponents, at least with shots that reach the goalie.  Five of Wisconsin’s six defensemen have been drafted in the first two rounds of the NHL draft.

Liverpool finished up their Champions League schedule with yet another hard luck loss, this time to Fiorentina at Anfield, giving up the game winning goal basically at the death.  They play a huge game against Arsenal Sunday at Anfield.  I think it will be televised on Fox Soccer Channel.  It looks like Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard will both start for the first time since October.

Everton is supposedly in talks to get Landon Donovan on loan from the MLS.  Hopefully it happens, but I’m skeptical.  The league owns all the contracts in the MLS, and they have a history of asking for exorbitant sums for players on loan.  It would be great for Landycakes, though, and I would be really curious to see how he performs in the Premiership.

That’s all I got.

Perfect 8-0 on college picks last week, and 8-8 on pro games, all against the spread.  That makes me 38-32 overall on pro games.  On to Turkey Week:

College:

Clemson (-2.5) over SOUTH CAROLINA

South Carolina has lost three straight and four of five, while Clemson has won six straight and is one of the hottest teams in the country.  Stephen Garcia still makes a lot of stupid decisions that tear Steve Spurrier’s heart out.

GEORGIA TECH (-7) over Georgia

Georgia blew a halftime lead and lost at home to Kentucky last week, while Georgia Tech has won eight straight and is looking forward to its ACC title game vs. Clemson.

Ole Miss (-7) over MISSISSIPPI STATE

Ole Miss will have something to prove in the Egg Bowl after winning the bizarre LSU game last week.  Mississippi State isn’t going anywhere.

North Carolina (-5.5) over NC STATE

UNC has won four straight, including over Virginia Tech and Miami, while NC State is not going bowling and has lost six of their last seven.

COLORADO (+8) over Nebraska

It’s a rivalry game, at least for Colorado, and they have no hope for a bowl game, so this is it.  This game doesn’t matter in the least to Nebraska, who is waiting to be destroyed by Texas in the Big 12 championship next week.  Plus, Nebraska’s offense is weak, and Colorado has actually showed a little life lately, with the close loss to Oklahoma State.  Dan Hawkins may not even get fired, but that’s because of budget constraints.

Wyoming (+3) over COLORADO STATE

Border war, and Wyoming is coming off a thrilling comeback win against San Diego State.  They become bowl eligible with a win.  Colorado State is 0-6 in the conference and one of the worst teams in FBS.

Marshall (+1) over UTEP

UTEP lost to Rice last week, for chrissake, and has completely fallen apart down the stretch.  Marshall beat a pretty good SMU team and is still alive for a bowl bid.

SOUTH FLORIDA (+1) over Miami

Miami continues to be inconsistent and has motivation problems, while South Florida considers this to be a big game, and it’s at home.  They’re both going bowling, but Jacory Harris mistakes will cost Miami.

IDAHO (+1) over Utah State

Idaho is at home and needs a win to lock down a bowl bid.  Utah State isn’t going anywhere and their best win was against San Jose State.

NFL:

Green Bay (-11) over DETROIT

The Lions will be without Player of the Week Matthew Stafford, so Daunte Culpepper will start.  The Packers are fourth in the NFL in total offense, while Detroit is last in scoring defense and 31st in total defense.

DALLAS (-14) over Oakland

The Cowboys desperately want to get their offense going, and Oakland will be coming in happy with their upset last week.  Bad combination.

NY Giants (-6) over DENVER

Denver is reeling, having lost four straight, and hasn’t scored an offensive TD in its last two games at home.  It looked like the Giants got untracked last week with the OT win over Atlanta.

ATLANTA (-12.5) over Tampa Bay

The Bucs are in turmoil with their demotion of the defensive coordinator and Atlanta needs a big win at home to turn things around after two straight road losses.

Miami (-3) over BUFFALO

The Dolphins have won two straight close ones, while Buffalo has lost three in a row. 

CINCINNATI (-15) over Cleveland

Bengals were upset last week in Oakland, so they’ll be focused.  Browns had the stupid pass interference to lose to Detroit in a heart breaker.

Carolina (+2.5) over NY JETS

The Jets just won’t shut up, while Carolina has quietly gone 4-3 after losing three straight to begin the year.

Washington (+9) over PHILADELPHIA

‘Skins have been playing terrific defense, while the Eagles have played three straight close games.

ST. LOUIS (+2.5) over Seattle

Although both teams are just playing out the string, St. Louis has lost close ones to New Orleans and Arizona the last two weeks.  Seattle is playing its third straight road game and has looked awful.

Kansas City (+14.5) over SAN DIEGO

The Chiefs have won two straight and look much better than when San Diego blew them out in KC.

SAN FRANCISCO (-3) over Jacksonville

Tough call, but I like the ’49ers.  The Jags have overachieved to reach 6-4, while SF has underachieved to 4-6.  Long road trip for the Jags.

MINNESOTA (-9.5) over Chicago

I keep picking against the Vikings and losing, but there’s no way I’m picking Jay Cutler.

TENNESSEE (-3) over Arizona

Cards are 5-0 on the road, but I guess I believe in Vince Young.  WTF?

Pittsburgh (+2) over BALTIMORE

Both teams are hurting, and it’s a big game for playoff implications.  I still don’t believe in Baltimore.  Their defense isn’t as good as they think it is.

Houston (+2) over INDIANAPOLIS

What the hell.

New England (+2.5) over NEW ORLEANS

Could be a classic, and I’ll never pick against Belichick when his team has a chip on their shoulder.

Wrapping up the weekend, Liverpool tied Man City 2-2 at Anfield Saturday.  The Reds got goals from Martin Skrtel and Yossi Benayoun, who returned from what looked like a severe hamstring injury in the previous game.  He received treatment from a woman in Belgrade with horse placenta.  Yes, horse placenta.  Steven Gerrard played the whole game, but he still looks rusty after missing so much time.  Fernando Torres is still out and will miss the Champions League match with Debrecen Tuesday, and probably will miss the Everton derby next weekend.  The Reds need to beat Debrecen and hope Fiorentina does not beat Lyon tomorrow to have any hope of continuing on the Champions League.  They are still seventh in the Premiership.  The World Cup starts in 199 days.

Wisconsin basketball has their first real test of the season tonight at midnight eastern in Hawaii against Arizona.  Remember these were the two last at-large invites to the tournament last year, but both proved they belonged.  Wisconsin is generally picked seventh or eighth in the Big 10, and are not projected to make the tournament field.  However, they have never missed under Bo Ryan and the strength of this year’s team is two senior guards, Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon.  If Jon Leuer becomes the force they were hoping for, I think they’ll be in the mix again.  Unusually, most prognosticators are saying that the Big 10 is strong this year.  It sounds strange when all you hear is Big 10 bashing all the time.

The Sanchize didn’t look to good in Foxboro yesterday.  In fact, he looked absolutely bewildered.  Maybe we can add a Sanchize face.  8-21, 136 yards, 4 interceptions, and 1 fumble.  And I haven’t heard much mouthiness from them since the game, either.  That loss effectively knocked them out of the playoffs so Rex The Mouth Ryan will have to find another way to motivate his team the rest of the year.  Crying failed, what else you got?  Wes Welker was awesome and the defense only gave up 1 score.  The hype for Monday night in New Orleans has already started, and I’ll be interested to see what the line is.

Wisconsin football lost at Northwestern, 33-31, a game I was frightfully afraid of.  I haven’t still haven’t watched it, and I’m not sure if I will.  The Badgers apparently had three possessions to win it and punted once and turned it over twice.  At Hawaii in two weeks, and then wait for the bowl assignment.  They deservedly dropped out of the top 25 in both polls, although it still looks like a New Year’s Day bowl in Florida.  Tennessee would be interesting matchup.

Les Miles completely bungled the clock in LSU’s loss to Ole Miss, and then lied about it after the game.  He claimed he didn’t know who told his QB to spike the ball with 1 second left, but TV cameras showed him making the arm motion.  Plus he let 17 seconds go off the clock before he called a timeout.  It’s hard to believe that national championship was only two years ago, when he blew off Michigan.  Speaking of Michigan, Rich Rod managed to blame Lloyd Carr for his team sucking the last two years, saying that they’ve had bad Februarys the last four years.  The guy just seems like he’s over his head in Ann Arbor.  Jim Harbaugh is a Michigan man, isn’t he?  Although he will probably be considered the favorite for the Notre Dame job after they fire Charlie Weis.  I wonder if Charlie will come back to the Patriots.

I actually went 8-0 on my college picks against the spread, so I would’ve doubled my money if gambling were legal.  But I don’t live in Vegas, so it’s not.  I was actually kind of curious about this, so I did a bit of research.  Here’s what I found out:

Sports betting had been left up to the states until The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, which effectively outlawed sports betting nationwide, except for a few states.  It passed overwhelmingly in both the House and Senate.  Sports lotteries in Oregon and Delaware were exempt, as were licensed sports pools in Nevada.  Then in 2006, the Security and Accountability for Every Port Act was passed and signed by President Bush, which had an online gambling measure called the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006.  It prohibits the tranfer of funds from financial institutions to illegal internet gambling sites.  The Congressional supporters were Republican Jim Leach of Iowa and Republican Robert Goodlatte of Virginia.  Republicans Bill Frist and Jon Kyl are credited with ensuring passage in the Senate.  The Bush Administration had previously stated that it would not finalize any rules after November 1, 2008, but the final regulations were issued on November 12, 2008 and came into effect on January 19, 2009, the day before President Obama took office.  Democrat Barney Frank introduced a bill in May, 2009 seeking to overturn the gambling aspects of the Act, and he also introduced a bill to delay the implementation of the Act for one year, until December 1, 2010.  Neither have been acted upon.

Last week was the definition of mediocrity.  11-11 on the top 25 college games, 7-8 in pro games, all against the spread.  That makes me 30-24 over the last four weeks in pro, and 20-24-1 over the last two weeks in the college top 25.  So I’m going to try something a little different this week with the college games, just picking a select few.  As always, every pick is against the spread.

College Picks:

SMU (+3.5) over MARSHALL

Marshall was eliminated from the conference title race with a loss to Southern Miss. last week, while SMU is still in the mix after beating UTEP.

North Carolina (+3.5) over BOSTON COLLEGE

This should be a defensive battle, as both offenses frankly suck.  BC was only able to put up 14 points on Virginia last week, while UNC lost to UVA in Chapel Hill early in the season.  North Carolina is coming off a big win over Miami in which the D got four picks.

Iowa State (+13) over MISSOURI

Mizzou played their best game of the year last week, crushing Kansas State 38-12, but they had lost 4 of 5 before that.  Iowa State became bowl eligible with a 17-10 win over Colorado.

Kansas State (+15) over NEBRASKA

This game is for the Big 12 North title and the privelege to get waxed by Texas in the conference championship.  The game is in Lincoln, but Nebraska’s offense is weak.

TEXAS TECH (+4.5) over Oklahoma

Sticking with the awful Big 12, this will be a shootout, and Texas Tech is at home.  Oklahoma destroyed Texas A&M last week, so they’re due for a letdown.  Landry Jones is wildly inconsistent (especially on the road), and Texas Tech is able to pressure the QB.

Army (+2) over NORTH TEXAS

North Texas’ defense is horrible, while Army could go to a bowl with a win this week and over Navy.

Penn State (-3.5) over MICH STATE

Michigan State put up 40 points on Purdue last week but only had 12 first downs, while Penn State’s D has been good against mediocre teams.  Penn State also needs to look impressive to stay alive for an at-large BCS spot, although I really hope that doesn’t happen.

Connecticut (+6) over NOTRE DAME

The humiliating loss to Pitt, all the questions about Charlie Weis’ future, and UConn is coming off a bye.  UConn has had so many heartbreaking losses this year, but they play everyone close.

PRO:

Miami (+3.5) over CAROLINA

I still don’t believe in the Jake Delhomme or the Panthers.  Delhomme should revert to his pick happy self.

Washington (+12) over DALLAS

The Skins showed some life last week beating Denver, while Dallas had a completely uninspired loss at Green Bay.  They should bounce back, but Washington should be able to keep it close.

San Fran (+5.5) over GREEN BAY

The Pack got back with a solid win over the Cowboys, while SF was gifted a win by Jake Cutler.  This should be low-scoring, but the Pack should win at home.

JAX (-8) over Buffalo

It’s always tough to predict what will happen in the first game after a coaching change, but Jacksonville has won 2 straight and seems to be pulling it together, although both wins have been close.  I say they roll through Buffalo’s disarray.

Pittsburgh (-10) over KC

The Steelers are coming off the tough division loss to Cinci, while KC beat Oakland.  Pittsburgh should be able to circle the wagons on the road.  Remember, the Steelers had been really rolling before last week, having won 5 in a row, including wins over San Diego, Minnesota, and Denver.

Seattle (+11) over MINNESOTA

The Seahawks have been moving the ball pretty well, while the Vikes just went through the motions against Detroit last week.  Favre has got to start throwing dumb picks again at some point, doesn’t he?

TAMPA BAY (+11.5) over New Orleans

The Saints keep winning, but they keep getting closer.  Tampa is awful, but has been better with Josh Freeman at QB.  The Saints should keep finding a way to win, but it will be close again.

ST. LOUIS (+9) over Arizona

The Cardinals are better on the road than at home, but St. Louis has looked better lately.  Steven Jackson is still a stud, and they had a good showing against the Saints last week.

NEW ENGLAND (-10.5) over NY Jets

With everything that has gone on in the last week, plus the fact that the Jets beat the Patriots earlier in the year, the Patriots should be on a mission this week at home.  New England can put a stranglehold on the division with a win, and this team will want a BIG win.

Cincinnati (-9.5) over OAKLAND

Letdown for the Bengals on the long trip west?  Probably, but that doesn’t seem to matter against the Raiders.  Jamarcus Russell is out, so Oakland should be better, but still not within 10 points.

Philadelphia (-2) over CHICAGO

Jay Cutler will get booed at home and handle it with all the maturity of Jay Cutler.

Indy (+1) over BALTIMORE

Baltimore’s defense isn’t as good as people say it is.

DETROIT (-3.5) over Cleveland

Detroit is at home.  That’s all I have to say about that.

Atlanta (+7) over NY GIANTS

I’m still picking against the Giants.  The bloom is off the rose and they’re going to regret signing Eli to that massive contract extension.  Upset Special.

San Diego (-3) over Denver

San Diego is hot and Denver is not.  The Broncos really aren’t very good.

HOUSTON (-3.5) over Tennessee

A Monday night game in Houston, with Vince Young in prime time.  Good for the Texans, bad for the Titans.

I’m not touching any more of the Belichick fallout.  Let’s just say it’s been a tough week to live in New England as a sports fan.  The sports talk radio has been especially vicious, and add to that the predictable savage hatchet jobs from the columnists, especially Shaughnessy and CTRL-C Borges.

We’ll know the entire 32 team field for the World Cup at the end of the day today, with the final leg of the six playoff matchups.  Greece is at Ukraine tied 0-0.  Portugal plays Bosnia at Sarajevo with a slim 1-0 lead.  It appears Portugal will have Bruno Alves (who scored the goal in the first leg) and Deco for the game, but no Ronaldo.  Apparently Ronaldo will be back from his ankle injury for Real Madrid’s ”clasico” against Barcelona on Nov. 29.

In the other matchups, Ireland plays France in Paris, with France up 1-0, Russia is at Slovenia with Russia ahead 2-1, Algeria plays Egypt in Sudan with Egypt up 2-0, and Uruguay hosts Costa Rica ahead 1-0.

The final draw for the World Cup is December 4.

Liverpool plays Manchester City at Anfield Saturday.  Glenn Johnson, Daniel Agger, and Steven Gerrard are expected back from their injuries, while Fernando Torres, Yossi Benayoun, and Albert Riera will continue to be sidelined, although Benayoun and Riera’s injuries may not keep them out the full four weeks that was originally expected.

Wisconsin scored the most points they’ve ever had vs. Michigan Saturday in the 45-24 win.  Michigan came in as the #1 rush offense in the Big 10 and got only 71 yards.  The Badgers struggled in the first half, as Scott Tolzien had an ugly interception and fumble, but Michigan only got 7 points off the turnovers thanks to a blocked field goal.  The Badgers then scored on all four of their second half possessions, with 3 touchdowns and a field goal.  John Clay rushed for 150 yards, Nick Toon had 5 catches for 98 yards and 2 TDs, Brad Nortman had one punt all day, and Scott Tolzien became the first UW QB to win Big 10 offensive player of the week twice in the same season.  He finished 16-24 for 240, with 4 passing TDs and 1 rushing TD.  I’d say the game was a small measure of payback for what Michigan has dished out to Badgers fans over the years, although we all remember the punch in the gut losses more than the wins. 

Wisconsin is now ranked #16 in the BCS, #14 USA Today, and #17 AP.  Collegefootballnews.com has them at #10 in their overall rankings.  The bowl picture is still very unclear, but the Outback Bowl vs. an SEC team seems likely, as long as they win the downright scary game this week in Evanston against Northwestern.

So I went 9-13-1 on college picks and 5-9 on pro picks last week, all against the spread.  Not so good.  Interestingly, underdogs went 14-8-1 in the college top 25 and 10-3 in the pro games.  I am 23-16 overall on pro picks since I started picking three weeks ago.

This week’s top 25 college picks against the spread:

#1 Florida (-15) over South Carolina

Baylor (+25.5) over #2 Texas

Miss. St. (+12.5) over #3 Alabama

#16 Utah (+17.5) over #4 TCU

#5 Cincinnati (-9.5) over West Virginia

#6 Boise State (-28) over Idaho

#7 Georgia Tech (-10.5) over Duke

#8 Pitt (-7) over Notre Dame

#9 LSU (-24) over La. Tech

#10 Ohio State (-13.5) over #15 Iowa

#25 Stanford (+11.5) over #11 USC

North Carolina (+3.5) over #12 Miami

#13 Houston (-5.5) over Central Florida

#14 Oregon (-17) over Arizona State

#17 Oklahoma State (-3.5) over Texas Tech

#18 Arizona (-1.5) over Cal

Indiana (+22) over #19 Penn State

#20 Virginia Tech (-17) over Maryland

#21 Wisconsin (-9) over Michigan

New Mexico (+27) over #22 BYU

#23 South Florida (-1) over Rutgers

#24 Clemson (-6) over NC State

PRO:

San Fran (-3) over Chicago

Atlanta (-1) over Carolina

Tampa Bay (+10) over Miami

Detroit (+15.5) over Minnesota

Jacksonville (+7) over NY Jets

New Orleans (-14) over St. Louis

Buffalo (+6.5) over Tennessee

Oakland (-1) over KC

Arizona (-9) over Seattle

Dallas (-3) over Green Bay

San Diego (-3) over Philadelphia

New England (+2.5) over Indy

Cleveland (+12) over Baltimore

Cincinnati (+7.5) over Pittsburgh

Denver (-4.5) over Washington