The Best Five Games of Week 9

Each season, Poolsville bestows the Skunk of the Year award on the team that has the worst record in pool games only. Sorry to say this TCU grads, but right now TCU and Florida are in the lead with 0-3 records. However, Texas is not far behind at 1-2. Saturday's game could be the determining factor in which school is contacted by Poolsville with the news. Neither will be winning Slabby, I'll tell you that.

Boise State - BYU
7 p.m., Friday, ESPN
Line: BYU by 7
* Underdog worth three points

Texas Tech - Oklahoma 
2:30 p.m., Saturday, Fox
Line: Oklahoma by 7
* Underdog worth three points

South Carolina - Missouri
6 p.m., Saturday, ESPN2
Line: Missouri by 2

Texas - TCU
6:30 p.m., Saturday, Fox Sports 1
Line: TCU by 2

Stanford - Oregon State
9:30 p.m., Saturday, ESPN
Line: Stanford by 3


Good luck.
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The Best Five Games of Week 8

"Fans, this may be the greatest week of games in Poolsville history." That's how Tony Schiavone would start out this week's episode of Poolsville TV before introducing his co-host Larry Zbyszko. And, of course, what best week in pool history would be complete without an appearance by Clemson playing in what is being billed as the ACC Game of the Century against Florida State with national championship implications on the line. Clemson, Notre Dame, Missouri, TCU... what could possibly go wrong with your picks? Just don't be influenced by the subliminal messages. Which way is Corso really telling you to go?

TCU - Oklahoma State
11 a.m., Saturday, Fox
Line: Oklahoma State by 7
* Underdog worth three points

Florida - Missouri 
11:20 a.m., Saturday, SEC-TV
Line: Florida by 3

UCLA - Stanford
2:30 p.m., Saturday, ABC/ESPN2
Line: Stanford by 5
* Underdog worth three points

Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh
USC - Notre Dame
6:30 p.m., Saturday, NBC
Line: Notre Dame by 3

ACC Game of the Century
Florida State - Clemson
7 p.m., Saturday, ABC
Line: Florida State by 3


Good luck.
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The Best Five Games of Week 7

Does undefeated Missouri really have a chance against Georgia (which plays the toughest annual schedule in sports), or are the Tigers about to be exposed as a second-class citizen of the SEC? Well, according to the experts, Arkansas has a better chance beating South Carolina. Some say the Razorbacks' entire season hangs in the balance against the Gamecocks. A loss wipes out hope from fans that they can salvage a season better than the previous one. A win softens the defeat to Alabama and makes Auburn and Ole Miss look winnable. Which are you choosing?

Missouri - Georgia
11 a.m., Saturday, ESPN
Line: Georgia by 8
* Underdog worth three points

South Carolina - Arkansas 
11:20 a.m., Saturday, SEC-TV
Line: South Carolina by 6
* Underdog worth three points

Florida - LSU
2:30 p.m., Saturday, CBS
Line: LSU by 7
* Underdog worth three points

Michigan - Penn State
4 p.m., Saturday, ESPN
Line: Michigan by 2

Oregon State - Washington State
9:30 p.m., Saturday, ESPNU
Line: Washington State by 1

Good luck.
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The Best Five Games of Week 6

Who would have thought that Arizona State would be tied for most pool appearances after the first five weeks? With three appearances each already, Arizona State and Notre Dame make it number four this week in a game that will decide whether the Sun Devils are the surprise story of the season or Notre Dame is the early season flop. It is the Shamrock Series, which can only mean one thing -- time for Doug Virden to dress up as a leprechaun to give the Irish a little luck. But then again, Arizona State has the keg baby pictured above right, and that kind of fan enthusiasm is hard to beat.

UCLA - Utah
9 p.m., Thursday, Fox Sports 1
Line: UCLA by 4

Ole Miss - Auburn 
6 p.m., Saturday, ESPNU
Line: Ole Miss by 2

Shamrock Series 2013
Arizona State - Notre Dame
6:30 p.m., Saturday, NBC
Line: Arizona State by 5
* Underdog worth three points

Ohio State - Northwestern
7 p.m., Saturday, ABC
Line: Ohio State by 5
* Underdog worth three points

Washington - Stanford
9:30 p.m., Saturday, ESPN
Line: Stanford by 6
* Underdog worth three points

Good luck.
*****#*****

The Best Five Games of Week 5

As Ric Flair used to say right before applying the figure four, now we go to school. Many participants bemoaned the five games last week as not being Marquis Luis enough to warrant pool action. That's what you get when most of the major players are either cupcaking the schedule or rebuilding after a disastrous coaching transition. But this week, it is on. Included for the first time is Arkansas in a game with a mystery line against Texas A&M. How do you determine what the line is? Call Peppas because Vegas isn't saying. The bonus points will be set when Vegas says so. Until then it is pin the tail on the Aggie.

LSU - Georgia
2:30 p.m., Saturday, CBS
Line: Georgia by 3

Oklahoma - Notre Dame 
2:30 p.m., Saturday, NBC
Line: Oklahoma by 3

Texas A&M - Arkansas
6 p.m., Saturday, ESPN2
Line: Off
* Wild card points in effect

Wisconsin - Ohio State
7 p.m., Saturday, ABC
Line: Ohio State by 7
* Underdog worth three points

USC - Arizona State
9:30 p.m., Saturday, ESPN2
Line: Arizona State by 5
* Underdog worth three points

Good luck.
*****#*****

The Best Five Games of Week 4

What has happened to the great rivalries of the SEC? The Third Saturday in September, also known as the Tennessee-Florida game, used to be my favorite game of the year. But this weekend it is another mismatch on paper with Florida listed as a 17-point favorite. Same goes for the Tiger Bowl with Auburn vs. LSU where Malazahn's boys are booked as a 17-point underdog to the genius of Les Miles. So much for the SEC this week. Instead, it is more punishment for Texas fans in the pool. Sorry, Sal! Who is going all underdogs?

North Carolina - Georgia Tech
11 a.m., Saturday, ESPN
Line: Georgia Tech by 6
* Underdog worth three points

Utah State - USC
2:30 p.m., Saturday, ABC/ESPN2
Line: USC by 6
* Underdog worth three points

Michigan State - Notre Dame
2:30 p.m., Saturday, NBC
Line: Notre Dame by 6
* Underdog worth three points

Arizona State - Stanford
6 p.m., Saturday, Fox
Line: Stanford by 7
* Underdog worth three points

Kansas State - Texas
7 p.m., Saturday, ABC
Line: Texas by 6
* Underdog worth three points

Good luck.
*****#*****

The Five Best Games of Week 3

TCU - Texas Tech
6:30 p.m., Thursday, ESPN
Line: TCU by 3

UCLA - Nebraska 
11 a.m., Saturday, ABC
Line: Nebraska by 4

Alabama - Texas A&M
2:30 p.m., Saturday, CBS
Line: Alabama by 7
* Underdog worth three points

Ole Miss - Texas
7 p.m., Saturday, Longhorn Network
Line: Texas by 3

Wisconsin - Arizona State
9:30 p.m., Saturday, ESPN
Line: Arizona State by 5
* Underdog worth three points


Brazil!
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The best five games of Week 2

For my money, your football program is not on the map unless it can make at least one pool appearance every decade. Congratulations, Arkansas State Red Wolves, your program has arrived. For the first time in pool history and to the delight of Mr. Steve Wells who campaigned for an appearance years ago, ASU makes the best five games of the week. Yes, it is probably due more to a dearth (Word Wealth) of good games this week than climbing up to earn a pool spot, but the intrigue of ASU traveling to Auburn to play against its old coach is too good to ignore. Upset alert, Aubie.


The Florida Cup
Florida - Miami
11 a.m., Saturday, ESPN
Line: Florida by 3

South Carolina - Georgia 
3:30 p.m., Saturday, ESPN
Line: Georgia by 3

Texas - BYU
6 p.m., Saturday, ESPN2
Line: Texas by 7
* Underdog worth three points

Arkansas State - Auburn
6:30 p.m., Saturday, Fox Sports Net
Line: Auburn by 12
* Underdog worth four points

Notre Dame - Michigan
7 p.m., Saturday, ESPN
Line: Michigan by 4


Good luck.
*****#*****

The best five games of Week 1

Ole Miss - Vanderbilt
8:15 p.m., Thursday, ESPN
Line: Ole Miss by 3

AdvoCare Texas Kickoff
Mississippi State - Oklahoma State
2:30 p.m., Saturday, ABC/ESPN2
Line: Oklahoma State by 12
* Underdog worth four points

Georgia - Clemson
7 p.m., Saturday, ABC
Line: Georgia by 2

Cowboys Classic
LSU - TCU
8 p.m., Saturday, ESPN
Line: LSU by 4

Boise State - Washington
9 p.m., Saturday, Fox Sports 1
Line: Washington by 3

Boobs talk about C Cups

That’s what the kids call an SEO friendly web head.

Yet, it is also a perfectly appropriate way to describe the NFL Draft.

Yes, the NFL draft — pro football’s version of the slave market on Game of Thrones, but here the Unsullied still have all their parts.

While the merits of keeping the draft around are better left to the likes of Patrick Hruby over at Sports on Earth, this is more about the non-stop coverage of the draft by ESPN and the NFL Network.

Much has been made recently about the non-stop coverage of breaking news on CNN, NBC and the other broadcast networks.

How much of that coverage, in the relentless push to fill air space, turns out to be wrong.

That is also true for the NFL draft coverage.

Most of the player evaluations, most of the speculation, most of the mock drafts all turn out to be wrong when viewed from three or four years in the future.

Remember when the NFL engaged in a serious debate on the strengths of Ryan Leaf and how he needed to be picked ahead of Peyton Manning?

That is but one example of how all the experts got it wrong but those same experts keep getting called back to say all the same things, and say all the same things that will be proven wrong.

It is the sports equivalent of rolling a rock up the mountain.

In some ways, the NFL Network can be excused. They are, after all, the house organ of the league and if the league wants NFL draft coverage, the NFL Network will provide draft coverage.

ESPN is a little bit more problematic.

The network is a broadcast partner of the NFL, so they have a vested interest in providing NFL coverage. But they are also supposed to provide journalism, and that gets us to C Cups, even when it doesn’t appear anything like journalism.

On the second day of the NFL draft, at the start of the fourth round, quarterbacks began to get picked by teams.

Quarterback is the league’s glamour position, and leading the fourth round was Matt Barkley, who played at Southern California, and before an injury-riddled senior year, was considered amongst the best players in the country.

Then more quarterbacks began getting picked. And that’s when the discussion went off the rails.

Trent Dilfer and Ron Jaworski, both former NFL quarterbacks got into a spirited discussion on the merits of C Cup and U Cup quarterbacks.

If those aren’t familiar terms, don’t be surprised; they almost seem invented on the fly. Or at quick production meeting before the second day’s coverage began.

In previous years, U Cup and C Cup would have been called “grip” as in how the quarterback grips the ball before he throws it.

The letters are how the quarterback grips the ball. Hold your hand out, form a “C.” That’s a C Cup. Now hold your hand out, bend at the wrist and form a “U.” That’s the U Cup.

Dilfer said a C Cup quarterback was more likely to be successful in the NFL because having your wrist flexible would be able to put touch on the throw. A U Cup quarterback was only able to throw at one velocity — fast, because they would be unable to turn the wrist meaning they would be unsuccessful in the league where precision was needed.

Jaworski countered with Tom Brady, a U Cup quarterback who has been amazingly successful in the NFL.

And at that point my eyes glazed over and I drifted off into a comfortable nap with my dog in my lap.

If they said more, I didn't hear it.

It is worth noting that Brady was one of the more remarkable missed by NFL scouts. A starter at a top-flight school in Michigan and who fell to the draft’s sixth round when he turned pro.

What’s the point of U Cup and C Cup conversations?

None. This is what you call filling airtime.

It also has the side benefit of making anyone watching just a little dumber about football.