Book Log 2008 #50: Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon
Two wanderers in Central Asia get caught up in a power struggle in Khazaria in this novella, which was originally appeared in serial form in the New York Times Magazine. I didn't know it was published that way, not that it really matters as it's still a fun story with colorful characters and plenty of action. It'd be a nice way to kill a rainy day, and works well for commuting, too.
26 November 2008
25 November 2008
The Blogalicious College Football Games of the Week
Tuesday - Western Michigan at Ball State. Western Michigan is 9-2? Really? Too bad they're in the MAC division that doesn't suck, otherwise they'd have clinched their trip to the title game back in October. Score: Ball State 38, Western Michigan 17
Thursday - Texas A&M at Texas. A&M gets to go into Austin at a time where the Longhorns desperately need to prove themselves so they can top Oklahoma and Texas Tech in the BCS and earn a shot to play Missouri for the Big 12 title. And you thought that a Thanksgiving bloodbath only involves turkeys. Score: Texas 82, Texas A&M 9
Friday (early) - West Virginia at Pittsburgh. The Backyard Brawl may be my favorite name for a rivalry game, though this list has given me some new ones to consider. Clean, Old Fashioned Hate (Georgia-Georgia Tech) and Brawl of the Wild (Montana-Montana State) stand out. As far as the actual game goes, I expect both teams to play a hard-fought contest while trying to figure out how they hell they both lost to Cincinnati. Score: West Virginia 21, Pitt 17
Friday (late) - Fresno State at Boise State. I mentioned a few weeks ago the Fresno State was going to win this game and screw up our shot at a BCS-buster. Now I'm tacking the other way, as it'd be amusing to have Boise State and Ball State as undefeated conference champions who are ranked higher than the teams who win the Big East and ACC. More ammo for President Obama's playoffs!. Score: Boise State 37, Fresno State 20
Saturday (early) - Georgia Tech at Georgia. Speaking of Clean, Old Fashioned Hate, nothing would sum up the Bulldogs' season than dropping this game. It's almost quaint to think that they were such a big pre-season favorite. Thankfully for them, Tech is as consistent as any team in the ACC, which leaves the door pretty wide open. Score: Georgia 38, Georgia Tech 14
Saturday (mid-afternoon) - Florida State at Florida. So what is it with Florida and rivalry games? First there's the Georgia game, which lost its "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" name, and now there's the FSU game, which apparently has no nickname based on the game notes at the UF website. The list calls it the Sunshine Showdown, which makes me think that no name is the better choice. You'd think an educational institution as fine as the University of Florida would put its top thinkers to work on this. Score: Florida 57, Florida State 14
Saturday (night) - Notre Dame at USC. How big of a win does USC need to not actually lose ground in the BCS by beating the Irish? Triple digits? Done. Score: USC 147, Notre Dame 2
Last week: 5-4
Season: 54-35
Tuesday - Western Michigan at Ball State. Western Michigan is 9-2? Really? Too bad they're in the MAC division that doesn't suck, otherwise they'd have clinched their trip to the title game back in October. Score: Ball State 38, Western Michigan 17
Thursday - Texas A&M at Texas. A&M gets to go into Austin at a time where the Longhorns desperately need to prove themselves so they can top Oklahoma and Texas Tech in the BCS and earn a shot to play Missouri for the Big 12 title. And you thought that a Thanksgiving bloodbath only involves turkeys. Score: Texas 82, Texas A&M 9
Friday (early) - West Virginia at Pittsburgh. The Backyard Brawl may be my favorite name for a rivalry game, though this list has given me some new ones to consider. Clean, Old Fashioned Hate (Georgia-Georgia Tech) and Brawl of the Wild (Montana-Montana State) stand out. As far as the actual game goes, I expect both teams to play a hard-fought contest while trying to figure out how they hell they both lost to Cincinnati. Score: West Virginia 21, Pitt 17
Friday (late) - Fresno State at Boise State. I mentioned a few weeks ago the Fresno State was going to win this game and screw up our shot at a BCS-buster. Now I'm tacking the other way, as it'd be amusing to have Boise State and Ball State as undefeated conference champions who are ranked higher than the teams who win the Big East and ACC. More ammo for President Obama's playoffs!. Score: Boise State 37, Fresno State 20
Saturday (early) - Georgia Tech at Georgia. Speaking of Clean, Old Fashioned Hate, nothing would sum up the Bulldogs' season than dropping this game. It's almost quaint to think that they were such a big pre-season favorite. Thankfully for them, Tech is as consistent as any team in the ACC, which leaves the door pretty wide open. Score: Georgia 38, Georgia Tech 14
Saturday (mid-afternoon) - Florida State at Florida. So what is it with Florida and rivalry games? First there's the Georgia game, which lost its "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" name, and now there's the FSU game, which apparently has no nickname based on the game notes at the UF website. The list calls it the Sunshine Showdown, which makes me think that no name is the better choice. You'd think an educational institution as fine as the University of Florida would put its top thinkers to work on this. Score: Florida 57, Florida State 14
Saturday (night) - Notre Dame at USC. How big of a win does USC need to not actually lose ground in the BCS by beating the Irish? Triple digits? Done. Score: USC 147, Notre Dame 2
Last week: 5-4
Season: 54-35
19 November 2008
Book Log 2008 #49: How the States Got Their Shapes by Mark Stein
I occasionally have good ideas. Pork nog. The home nuclear power plant. And, many years ago, a book about the geographic oddities one finds in the US, such as the small notch on the Massachusetts-Connecticut border, or the city that's part of Washington state even though the only land it's connected to is British Columbia. But, as with most of my good ideas, they get lost in the ether or banned by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. At least, until I ran across this book at the library.
Its approach is broader than the one I'd have taken, as it covers all 50 states (and DC) and discusses how each of them got the borders they have today. There's also a chapter preceding the state entries that talks about treaties and other events that set common borders so that it doesn't have to be mentioned in detail for each state involved (for example, the Western states that border Canada to the north).
The one semi-major problem is that the states are presented alphabetically rather than regionally, which can cause some problems if you're trying to flip between a state entry and the ones for neighboring states. Going regional would create some arbitrary decisions and at least a little overlap, but I think it'd have been more effective from a reading standpoint. I'd also have liked better maps, but the ones that are there are adequate.
Overall, though, a great book for geography nerds, with a good dash of history thrown in to boot.
I occasionally have good ideas. Pork nog. The home nuclear power plant. And, many years ago, a book about the geographic oddities one finds in the US, such as the small notch on the Massachusetts-Connecticut border, or the city that's part of Washington state even though the only land it's connected to is British Columbia. But, as with most of my good ideas, they get lost in the ether or banned by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. At least, until I ran across this book at the library.
Its approach is broader than the one I'd have taken, as it covers all 50 states (and DC) and discusses how each of them got the borders they have today. There's also a chapter preceding the state entries that talks about treaties and other events that set common borders so that it doesn't have to be mentioned in detail for each state involved (for example, the Western states that border Canada to the north).
The one semi-major problem is that the states are presented alphabetically rather than regionally, which can cause some problems if you're trying to flip between a state entry and the ones for neighboring states. Going regional would create some arbitrary decisions and at least a little overlap, but I think it'd have been more effective from a reading standpoint. I'd also have liked better maps, but the ones that are there are adequate.
Overall, though, a great book for geography nerds, with a good dash of history thrown in to boot.
17 November 2008
The Blogalicious College Football Games of the Week
Tuesday - Northern Illinois at Kent State. This game is not televised, but I assume is on Tuesday to set up next Tuesday's NIU-Navy broadcast. NIU will not play a weekend game this month, which I assume is a prelude to an all mid-week MAC schedule in 2009. I suppose I'm for it if it reduces the amount of World Series of Poker that's aired. Score: Northern Illinois 31, Kent State 10
Wednesday - Ball State at Central Michigan. Finally, the clash of the titans that's been anticpated for weeks, a gridiron slugfest to once and for all determine the champion of the MAC West. Be still my heart! Score: Ball State 23, Central Michigan 14
Thursday - Miami at Georgia Tech. While I'm sure it doesn't work out this way, if you look at the ACC standings it appears that only Duke has been eliminated from winning the Coastal division. I'm too lazy to go through the schedules to see who really has a shot; let's hope Miami can bail me out and clarify things. Score: Miami 28, Georgia Tech 20
Friday - Fresno State at San Jose State. You'd rather I talk about one of the two MAC games also on Friday? While I can't say this game really matters (outside of the loser getting knocked out of bowl contention), the real issue is that, somehow, Fresno is going to derail Boise State's BCS drive and screw the conference. But we'll save that for next week. Score: San Jose State 27, Fresno State 24
Saturday (early) - The Citadel at Florida. Giving Thanks for Cupcakes, Part I. The best part about this match-up is the Florida game notes, which leads off by noting that a majority of the current top 10 have played 1-AA teams this year, and that Texas Tech has played two. They then go on to note that after playing 1-AA Western Carolina in 2006, they actually went up in the rankings. Good that they got the propaganda out front. Score: Florida 77, The Citadel 3
Saturday (mid-afternoon) - Washington at Washington State. The football game that will set the sport back decades. The over/under on headlines that make a pun using the game's Apple Cup name and some form of rotting is 1.3 million. You should still take the over, and even then I don't think the astonishingly excremental nature of this game would be adequately captured. This is the sort of game someone should get Roger Ebert to review, if only to give North a break. I know ties are no longer possible in college football, but I can see this one ending that way out of sheer disinterest. And the best thing is that both teams have a game after this one, so they can spread their putridity into the holidays. Score: Washington 2, Washington State 2 (called after 137 OTs)
Saturday Mid-Afternoon Extra! Cal Poly at Wisconsin. Giving Thanks for Cupcakes, Part II. I didn't find the game notes for the Badgers (truth be told, I didn't look all that hard), but I'd love to have seen the section where they'd try to argue that winning this game would make them a better Motor City Bowl rep than the winner of Iowa/Minnesota. That may be putting the cart before the horse, as Cal Poly was the team that opened the season by beating San Diego State (who are, admittedly, a different brand of awful by an order of magnitude from Wisconsin). Score: Wisconsin 49, Cal Poly 14
Saturday (night) - Texas Tech at Oklahoma. Finally, decent football. I find it amusing that TCU is the only team to have held the Sooners under 45 points in a game this season (Sooners topped the Horned Frogs 35-10). The Sooners have also topped 60 points in their last two games, albeit against lesser opponents. I have to think this is when the Red Raiders finally fall, though I expect it to go much like the Texas game. Just with more points. Score: Oklahoma 69, Texas Tech 63
Sunday: Connecticut at South Florida. Do you think that Mark Mangino looks at the game tape from the South Florida game and wonders how he lost to them? Especially after the Bulls lost to Rutgers 46-19 this past week? UConn, meanwhile, just wants the win so they can get some sweet Meineke Car Care Bowl action, even if they do have to play Wake or UNC. Either way, this should be one useless game. Score: UConn 11, South Florida 10
Last week: 5-2
Season: 49-31
Tuesday - Northern Illinois at Kent State. This game is not televised, but I assume is on Tuesday to set up next Tuesday's NIU-Navy broadcast. NIU will not play a weekend game this month, which I assume is a prelude to an all mid-week MAC schedule in 2009. I suppose I'm for it if it reduces the amount of World Series of Poker that's aired. Score: Northern Illinois 31, Kent State 10
Wednesday - Ball State at Central Michigan. Finally, the clash of the titans that's been anticpated for weeks, a gridiron slugfest to once and for all determine the champion of the MAC West. Be still my heart! Score: Ball State 23, Central Michigan 14
Thursday - Miami at Georgia Tech. While I'm sure it doesn't work out this way, if you look at the ACC standings it appears that only Duke has been eliminated from winning the Coastal division. I'm too lazy to go through the schedules to see who really has a shot; let's hope Miami can bail me out and clarify things. Score: Miami 28, Georgia Tech 20
Friday - Fresno State at San Jose State. You'd rather I talk about one of the two MAC games also on Friday? While I can't say this game really matters (outside of the loser getting knocked out of bowl contention), the real issue is that, somehow, Fresno is going to derail Boise State's BCS drive and screw the conference. But we'll save that for next week. Score: San Jose State 27, Fresno State 24
Saturday (early) - The Citadel at Florida. Giving Thanks for Cupcakes, Part I. The best part about this match-up is the Florida game notes, which leads off by noting that a majority of the current top 10 have played 1-AA teams this year, and that Texas Tech has played two. They then go on to note that after playing 1-AA Western Carolina in 2006, they actually went up in the rankings. Good that they got the propaganda out front. Score: Florida 77, The Citadel 3
Saturday (mid-afternoon) - Washington at Washington State. The football game that will set the sport back decades. The over/under on headlines that make a pun using the game's Apple Cup name and some form of rotting is 1.3 million. You should still take the over, and even then I don't think the astonishingly excremental nature of this game would be adequately captured. This is the sort of game someone should get Roger Ebert to review, if only to give North a break. I know ties are no longer possible in college football, but I can see this one ending that way out of sheer disinterest. And the best thing is that both teams have a game after this one, so they can spread their putridity into the holidays. Score: Washington 2, Washington State 2 (called after 137 OTs)
Saturday Mid-Afternoon Extra! Cal Poly at Wisconsin. Giving Thanks for Cupcakes, Part II. I didn't find the game notes for the Badgers (truth be told, I didn't look all that hard), but I'd love to have seen the section where they'd try to argue that winning this game would make them a better Motor City Bowl rep than the winner of Iowa/Minnesota. That may be putting the cart before the horse, as Cal Poly was the team that opened the season by beating San Diego State (who are, admittedly, a different brand of awful by an order of magnitude from Wisconsin). Score: Wisconsin 49, Cal Poly 14
Saturday (night) - Texas Tech at Oklahoma. Finally, decent football. I find it amusing that TCU is the only team to have held the Sooners under 45 points in a game this season (Sooners topped the Horned Frogs 35-10). The Sooners have also topped 60 points in their last two games, albeit against lesser opponents. I have to think this is when the Red Raiders finally fall, though I expect it to go much like the Texas game. Just with more points. Score: Oklahoma 69, Texas Tech 63
Sunday: Connecticut at South Florida. Do you think that Mark Mangino looks at the game tape from the South Florida game and wonders how he lost to them? Especially after the Bulls lost to Rutgers 46-19 this past week? UConn, meanwhile, just wants the win so they can get some sweet Meineke Car Care Bowl action, even if they do have to play Wake or UNC. Either way, this should be one useless game. Score: UConn 11, South Florida 10
Last week: 5-2
Season: 49-31
14 November 2008
Our Fox affiliate, whose news department hasn't found a three day old story that it can't repackage as current news, had some sort of report last night about hypermiling. If hypermiling sounds familiar, it's because it was big news in, what, June?
I suppose they were reacting to news that the New Oxford American Dictionary dubbed hypermiling word of the year status for 2008. Personally, I'd have gone with staycation, and am surprised that it didn't get off the short list. I've not heard any of the other finalists in day to day parlance other than toxic debt, which is kind of a stupid choice for a finalist.
Still, way to be on the ball, Fox 25. I'm looking forward to your upcoming report about Hurricane Gustav.
I suppose they were reacting to news that the New Oxford American Dictionary dubbed hypermiling word of the year status for 2008. Personally, I'd have gone with staycation, and am surprised that it didn't get off the short list. I've not heard any of the other finalists in day to day parlance other than toxic debt, which is kind of a stupid choice for a finalist.
Still, way to be on the ball, Fox 25. I'm looking forward to your upcoming report about Hurricane Gustav.
12 November 2008
11 November 2008
The Blogalicious College Football Games of the Week
Tuesday - Ball State at Miami (Ohio). Second straight Tuesday night game for the RedHawks, third straight loss. Score: Ball State 37, Miami (Ohio) 3
Wednesday - Central Michigan at Northern Illinois. A match-up fraught with MAC division title implications, or at least as fraught as anything involving the MAC can be that didn't involve Randy Moss' tenure at Marshall (I know, they weren't in the MAC at the time, go with me here, I have nothing). A win here and the Chippewas play for the MAC West title against Ball State next Wednesday. Nothing like a relatively important college football game on a Wednesday. Score: Central Michigan 31, Northern Illinois 17
Thursday - Virginia Tech at Miami. The winner here keeps pace with North Carolina in the ACC Coastal division. That sentence tells you everything you need to know about the sort of year the ACC is having. Score: Virginia Tech 13, Miami 12
Friday - Cincinnati at Louisville. Speaking of conferences that no one wants to win, this match-up appears to have significant Big East implications, but the way everyone is playing you could have a five way tie at 4-3. The Orange Bowl must be looking forward to another ACC-Big East showdown. Score: Cincinnati 24, Louisville 20
Saturday (early) - Northwestern at Michigan. Northwestern doesn't fare well against Michigan. They've not beaten the Wovlerines since 2000, and haven't won in Ann Arbor since 1995 (and before that? 1959!). On the plus side, Michigan hasn't been this bad since LBJ was in office, so if there was a time to chalk up a win, it's now. Score: Northwestern 17, Michigan 13
Saturday (mid-afternoon) - Boise State at Idaho. It's games like this that'll keep the Broncos out of the BCS, which is unfortunate give that they're more fun to watch than any team in the ACC or Big East. And while she's not personally responsible for this one, Idaho alum Sarah Palin gets to be connected to her second blowout in ten days. Score: Boise State 61, Idaho 2
Saturday (night) - Tulsa at Houston. Without any Texas Tech to liven up our screens, Tulsa is your next best bet for offense, as they lead the nation with a 52 points per game average. It'll pay the Golden Hurricane to be wary, as the last time Houston played a team ranked 23rd in the nation they won, besting East Carolina 41-24. I don't expect a repeat. Score: Tulsa 47, Houston 30
Last week: 4-3
Season: 44-29
Tuesday - Ball State at Miami (Ohio). Second straight Tuesday night game for the RedHawks, third straight loss. Score: Ball State 37, Miami (Ohio) 3
Wednesday - Central Michigan at Northern Illinois. A match-up fraught with MAC division title implications, or at least as fraught as anything involving the MAC can be that didn't involve Randy Moss' tenure at Marshall (I know, they weren't in the MAC at the time, go with me here, I have nothing). A win here and the Chippewas play for the MAC West title against Ball State next Wednesday. Nothing like a relatively important college football game on a Wednesday. Score: Central Michigan 31, Northern Illinois 17
Thursday - Virginia Tech at Miami. The winner here keeps pace with North Carolina in the ACC Coastal division. That sentence tells you everything you need to know about the sort of year the ACC is having. Score: Virginia Tech 13, Miami 12
Friday - Cincinnati at Louisville. Speaking of conferences that no one wants to win, this match-up appears to have significant Big East implications, but the way everyone is playing you could have a five way tie at 4-3. The Orange Bowl must be looking forward to another ACC-Big East showdown. Score: Cincinnati 24, Louisville 20
Saturday (early) - Northwestern at Michigan. Northwestern doesn't fare well against Michigan. They've not beaten the Wovlerines since 2000, and haven't won in Ann Arbor since 1995 (and before that? 1959!). On the plus side, Michigan hasn't been this bad since LBJ was in office, so if there was a time to chalk up a win, it's now. Score: Northwestern 17, Michigan 13
Saturday (mid-afternoon) - Boise State at Idaho. It's games like this that'll keep the Broncos out of the BCS, which is unfortunate give that they're more fun to watch than any team in the ACC or Big East. And while she's not personally responsible for this one, Idaho alum Sarah Palin gets to be connected to her second blowout in ten days. Score: Boise State 61, Idaho 2
Saturday (night) - Tulsa at Houston. Without any Texas Tech to liven up our screens, Tulsa is your next best bet for offense, as they lead the nation with a 52 points per game average. It'll pay the Golden Hurricane to be wary, as the last time Houston played a team ranked 23rd in the nation they won, besting East Carolina 41-24. I don't expect a repeat. Score: Tulsa 47, Houston 30
Last week: 4-3
Season: 44-29
04 November 2008
Oh, the voting.
We got to our polling place 10-15 minutes before it opened, and there was a line of 20-25 people in front of us (depending on how you count; there were several children in the line, so while they were in front of us they weren't going to be voting, unless ACORN got to them). By the time the polls opened I'd estimate 75 or so people were in line (based on the the segment behind us looking about twice as long as the segment in front of us).
For whatever reason, about 90 percent of the people in front of us lived in the other precinct (our ward is split into two precincts, both of which vote in the same place). This made our trip to the booth much quicker than expected, and we were out of there by 7:10 at the latest. We were the fifth and eighth voters for our precinct. Go us!
No problems with electioneering out front of the location, with only the write-in candidate for state rep out there when we arrived (turns out the wife and I both wrote him in). The whole thing went very smooth, with the exception of the bake sale not being set up in time for us to make a purchase. The women running it can be excused, given how the city put the kibosh on bake sales in 2006. But they better be ready to go in 2010.
We got to our polling place 10-15 minutes before it opened, and there was a line of 20-25 people in front of us (depending on how you count; there were several children in the line, so while they were in front of us they weren't going to be voting, unless ACORN got to them). By the time the polls opened I'd estimate 75 or so people were in line (based on the the segment behind us looking about twice as long as the segment in front of us).
For whatever reason, about 90 percent of the people in front of us lived in the other precinct (our ward is split into two precincts, both of which vote in the same place). This made our trip to the booth much quicker than expected, and we were out of there by 7:10 at the latest. We were the fifth and eighth voters for our precinct. Go us!
No problems with electioneering out front of the location, with only the write-in candidate for state rep out there when we arrived (turns out the wife and I both wrote him in). The whole thing went very smooth, with the exception of the bake sale not being set up in time for us to make a purchase. The women running it can be excused, given how the city put the kibosh on bake sales in 2006. But they better be ready to go in 2010.
You may recall that there was a period right after the wife and I moved to Beverly that we had three incidents involving drivers on train tracks. Things abated after that, and it looked like the general public had gotten the subtle reminder that in the battle between car and train, train wins.
But that lesson apparently didn't make it one town over to Salem, as a guy managed to drive into a train tunnel and get hit by an oncoming train. Going one better than the Beverly incidents, which all involved street crossings, the driver here got on the track after driving down the platform. Neither platform nor tunnel are on street crossings, which has left us wondering how this whole thing played out (there is an area on one end of the platform where you could conceivably get a car on to the platform, but there's a gate there that I've never seen open; maybe yesterday was the day).
Of course, this happened at the start of the home-bound commute, so we got to add a couple of hours to our travel time as we sat on the train waiting to be let of at Lynn, where we then got to wait for a bus to take us to Salem, from where we got another bus to Beverly and then could, thankfully, walk home. Things went about as well as could be expected on that end, I suppose. Even so, we drove in today, both to facilitate voting and to avoid any lingering delays from the investigation or potential track damage. We managed to stay off the rails.
But that lesson apparently didn't make it one town over to Salem, as a guy managed to drive into a train tunnel and get hit by an oncoming train. Going one better than the Beverly incidents, which all involved street crossings, the driver here got on the track after driving down the platform. Neither platform nor tunnel are on street crossings, which has left us wondering how this whole thing played out (there is an area on one end of the platform where you could conceivably get a car on to the platform, but there's a gate there that I've never seen open; maybe yesterday was the day).
Of course, this happened at the start of the home-bound commute, so we got to add a couple of hours to our travel time as we sat on the train waiting to be let of at Lynn, where we then got to wait for a bus to take us to Salem, from where we got another bus to Beverly and then could, thankfully, walk home. Things went about as well as could be expected on that end, I suppose. Even so, we drove in today, both to facilitate voting and to avoid any lingering delays from the investigation or potential track damage. We managed to stay off the rails.
03 November 2008
The Blogalicious College Football Games of the Week
Tuesday - Miami (OH) at Buffalo. Expect this game to poll well with gamblers, drunk alumni, and people who need to replace the battery to the remote control and can't be bothered to get off the couch. Score: Democracy 538, Buffalo 27, Miami 6
Wednesday - Northern Illinois at Ball State. The weekly updates from here on out are going to be pretty MACtacular, as the league monopolizes Tuesday and Wednesday broadcasts from here on out. I'll try to pretend I care. This game apparently has divisional implications, and of course Ball State is trying to remain undefeated, all of which we'll hear about in spades as November rolls along. Score: Ball State 27, Northern Illinois 20
Thursday - TCU at Utah. The other game for Thursday is Maryland at Virginia Tech. If you'd been asked in August which would have the greater BCS implications, you'd have chosen the latter. It's OK to admit, everyone else would have said the same thing. TCU already beat BYU this season, so a win here would make the horned toad the least popular reptile in the Beehive State, assuming they keep track of reptile popularity. Score: TCU 31, Utah 30
Friday - Nevada at Fresno State. Speaking of teams poised to crash the BCS but won't, how about the Bulldogs? Losing to Wisconsin was understandable. Losing to Hawaii and Louisiana Tech not so much. This is the sort of game that defines the WAC, as it'll be high scoring yet pretty much meaningless. Score: Fresno State 42, Nevada 37
Saturday (early) - Wyoming at Tennessee. This could be the ugliest game of the year, sartorially speaking, what with Tennessee's bright orange and Wyoming sporting the brown and yellow that the Padres rocked back in the mid-80s. It'll also proabably be ugly on the field, too, as both teams sport 3-6 records. This will be the first game of Phil Fulmer's lame duck head coaching; I hope he puts in the wishbone for shits and giggles. What are they going to do, fire him? This is the third time these teams have played, with the Vols never making the trip out to Laramie. It can't be that much worse than Knoxville, can it? Score: Tennessee 41, Wyoming 2
Saturday (mid-afternoon) - Arizona at Washington State. How bad are the Cougars? They're so bad that I couldn't give them the safety that I traditionally give to an obvious loser, because it'd overestimate their likely scoring. Arizona's biggest challenge this week will be to hang at least 50 on Wizzou while pitching the shutout, just as USC and Stanford(!) have done the last two weeks. Score: Arizona 63, Washington State 0
Saturday (night) - Florida at Vanderbilt. Remember what a great story Vandy was shaping up towards? A 5-0 start and a national ranking, coach Bobby Johnson the hot pick to move into whatever coaching job opened up? Well, they've lost three in a row (most recently to Duke!) and are looking to follow last season's form by sliding out of the bowl picture after a good start. This is not the best time for them to face a Florida team that's thinking it has a clear road to the SEC title game. If nothing else, Vandy recruits won't have to worry about Johnson moving to a more prestigious job. Score: Florida 45, Vanderbilt 17
Last week: 2-4
Season: 40-26
Tuesday - Miami (OH) at Buffalo. Expect this game to poll well with gamblers, drunk alumni, and people who need to replace the battery to the remote control and can't be bothered to get off the couch. Score: Democracy 538, Buffalo 27, Miami 6
Wednesday - Northern Illinois at Ball State. The weekly updates from here on out are going to be pretty MACtacular, as the league monopolizes Tuesday and Wednesday broadcasts from here on out. I'll try to pretend I care. This game apparently has divisional implications, and of course Ball State is trying to remain undefeated, all of which we'll hear about in spades as November rolls along. Score: Ball State 27, Northern Illinois 20
Thursday - TCU at Utah. The other game for Thursday is Maryland at Virginia Tech. If you'd been asked in August which would have the greater BCS implications, you'd have chosen the latter. It's OK to admit, everyone else would have said the same thing. TCU already beat BYU this season, so a win here would make the horned toad the least popular reptile in the Beehive State, assuming they keep track of reptile popularity. Score: TCU 31, Utah 30
Friday - Nevada at Fresno State. Speaking of teams poised to crash the BCS but won't, how about the Bulldogs? Losing to Wisconsin was understandable. Losing to Hawaii and Louisiana Tech not so much. This is the sort of game that defines the WAC, as it'll be high scoring yet pretty much meaningless. Score: Fresno State 42, Nevada 37
Saturday (early) - Wyoming at Tennessee. This could be the ugliest game of the year, sartorially speaking, what with Tennessee's bright orange and Wyoming sporting the brown and yellow that the Padres rocked back in the mid-80s. It'll also proabably be ugly on the field, too, as both teams sport 3-6 records. This will be the first game of Phil Fulmer's lame duck head coaching; I hope he puts in the wishbone for shits and giggles. What are they going to do, fire him? This is the third time these teams have played, with the Vols never making the trip out to Laramie. It can't be that much worse than Knoxville, can it? Score: Tennessee 41, Wyoming 2
Saturday (mid-afternoon) - Arizona at Washington State. How bad are the Cougars? They're so bad that I couldn't give them the safety that I traditionally give to an obvious loser, because it'd overestimate their likely scoring. Arizona's biggest challenge this week will be to hang at least 50 on Wizzou while pitching the shutout, just as USC and Stanford(!) have done the last two weeks. Score: Arizona 63, Washington State 0
Saturday (night) - Florida at Vanderbilt. Remember what a great story Vandy was shaping up towards? A 5-0 start and a national ranking, coach Bobby Johnson the hot pick to move into whatever coaching job opened up? Well, they've lost three in a row (most recently to Duke!) and are looking to follow last season's form by sliding out of the bowl picture after a good start. This is not the best time for them to face a Florida team that's thinking it has a clear road to the SEC title game. If nothing else, Vandy recruits won't have to worry about Johnson moving to a more prestigious job. Score: Florida 45, Vanderbilt 17
Last week: 2-4
Season: 40-26
Still time to get your entry for my election prediction game. It's due at 11:59 PM EST tonight, given that one of the questions on it will be answered by 12:15 or so tomorrow morning.
Note that the original spreadsheet didn't include Iowa, so if you filled that one out please email me with your call for that state. Sorry, Iowa.
Note that the original spreadsheet didn't include Iowa, so if you filled that one out please email me with your call for that state. Sorry, Iowa.
31 October 2008
Still being a bit new at the Facebook thing, I have a question. I have three people who I don't know who have sent friend requests solely to become allies on one game that I've been playing (World Domination, in case you're looking for allies as well). I know that it's pretty common for people to add strangers as friends, but was curious as to any potential downside. Comments welcome!
Book Log 2008 #48: House Lust by Daniel McGinn
I read this a while ago and apparently forgot to log it, but from what I can remember this was a pretty good survey of the ways property ownership - either in one's own house or in investment property in a state you may never visit - has gotten people to go off the deep end in both good and bad ways. I think it'd be a more interesting read in the wake of all the subprime nonsense, and I'd love to catch up with some of the people in the book to see how they're faring.
I read this a while ago and apparently forgot to log it, but from what I can remember this was a pretty good survey of the ways property ownership - either in one's own house or in investment property in a state you may never visit - has gotten people to go off the deep end in both good and bad ways. I think it'd be a more interesting read in the wake of all the subprime nonsense, and I'd love to catch up with some of the people in the book to see how they're faring.
29 October 2008
Now that we have a World Series that's dangerously close to going into November for no good reason, can someone consider bringing back the doubleheader? The players won't because they don't want to play two games in a day, and owners won't because they fear that two games on the same day won't perform as well as one game each on two days. And Bud won't because the owners won't. Maybe President Obama can do something about this?
If each team plays one doubleheader a month, that would take a week off of the schedule. This may not help avoid the current problem (it's just as likely to be crappy on October 19 as October 26 in the Northeast), but mentally I think it'd be a nice move.
If each team plays one doubleheader a month, that would take a week off of the schedule. This may not help avoid the current problem (it's just as likely to be crappy on October 19 as October 26 in the Northeast), but mentally I think it'd be a nice move.
28 October 2008
The Blogalicious College Football Games of the Week
Tuesday - Houston at Marshall. This sounds less like a football game and more like the name of a '50s TV western. "Tune in next week to find out if Marshall Houston can save Miss Lil from the clutches of the evil Benson gang!" God knows the western would be more interesting. Houston does pass a lot, so let's pretend that this will be some sort of shootout at the medicore at best corral. Score: Houston 31, Marshall 7
Thursday - South Florida at Cincinnati. I'm a little shocked that South Florida is still ranked after their loss last week to Louisville, but am even more shocked at how many Big East teams are on the cusp of bowl eligibility. Six of the conference's eight teams have at least five wins, which I'm sure is comforting to the folks at the International Bowl. Anyway, tonight's winner will be one step closer to not playing in Toronto in January, which seems like a good thing. Score: South Florida 31, Cincinnati 23
Saturday (early) - Northwestern at Minnesota. Pre-season consensus was that neither of these teams would finish in the top half of the Big 10. Sports Illustrated had the Wildcats as high as sixth, while no major publication put the Gophers higher than ninth. So, of course, the teams are a combined 13-3 this season (5-3 in conference). A win for Minnesota puts them at 8-1 and, with a favorable schedule, potentially into the Rose Bowl. I'd like to see that. Score: Minnesota 21, Northwestern 10
Saturday (mid-afternoon) - Arkansas State at Alabama. Even for a homecoming game, this is weak. The Tide could at least play a C-USA team. I hope this drops them in the BCS standings, if just for the week. Score: Alabama 93, Arkansas State 2
Saturday (night) - Texas at Texas Tech. Expect another tight defensive struggle from these two teams. Ha! We'll be lucky if neither team fires its defensive coordinator before halftime. If the Longhorns get through this they'll run the table (with Kansas as a minor bump), while the Red Raiders get Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to follow this up. Should they win all three, I'd be OK with letting them, Alabama and Penn State play a round robin to determine the national title. Score: Texas 52, Texas Tech 48
Sunday - Central Florida at East Carolina. Scheduling tip - the Golden Knights have demonstrated why two weeks off in the middle of the season may not be such a good idea. They lost back-to-back games, took the time off, and got whacked by Tulsa upon their return. If you can't put together a workable game plan in two weeks, what hope do you have for the rest of the season? Score: East Carolina 33, UCF 3
Last week: 4-3
Season: 38-22
Tuesday - Houston at Marshall. This sounds less like a football game and more like the name of a '50s TV western. "Tune in next week to find out if Marshall Houston can save Miss Lil from the clutches of the evil Benson gang!" God knows the western would be more interesting. Houston does pass a lot, so let's pretend that this will be some sort of shootout at the medicore at best corral. Score: Houston 31, Marshall 7
Thursday - South Florida at Cincinnati. I'm a little shocked that South Florida is still ranked after their loss last week to Louisville, but am even more shocked at how many Big East teams are on the cusp of bowl eligibility. Six of the conference's eight teams have at least five wins, which I'm sure is comforting to the folks at the International Bowl. Anyway, tonight's winner will be one step closer to not playing in Toronto in January, which seems like a good thing. Score: South Florida 31, Cincinnati 23
Saturday (early) - Northwestern at Minnesota. Pre-season consensus was that neither of these teams would finish in the top half of the Big 10. Sports Illustrated had the Wildcats as high as sixth, while no major publication put the Gophers higher than ninth. So, of course, the teams are a combined 13-3 this season (5-3 in conference). A win for Minnesota puts them at 8-1 and, with a favorable schedule, potentially into the Rose Bowl. I'd like to see that. Score: Minnesota 21, Northwestern 10
Saturday (mid-afternoon) - Arkansas State at Alabama. Even for a homecoming game, this is weak. The Tide could at least play a C-USA team. I hope this drops them in the BCS standings, if just for the week. Score: Alabama 93, Arkansas State 2
Saturday (night) - Texas at Texas Tech. Expect another tight defensive struggle from these two teams. Ha! We'll be lucky if neither team fires its defensive coordinator before halftime. If the Longhorns get through this they'll run the table (with Kansas as a minor bump), while the Red Raiders get Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to follow this up. Should they win all three, I'd be OK with letting them, Alabama and Penn State play a round robin to determine the national title. Score: Texas 52, Texas Tech 48
Sunday - Central Florida at East Carolina. Scheduling tip - the Golden Knights have demonstrated why two weeks off in the middle of the season may not be such a good idea. They lost back-to-back games, took the time off, and got whacked by Tulsa upon their return. If you can't put together a workable game plan in two weeks, what hope do you have for the rest of the season? Score: East Carolina 33, UCF 3
Last week: 4-3
Season: 38-22
Book Log 2008 #47: The Great Derangement by Matt Taibbi
Disgusted with the way that day to day goverment runs in Washington (as attested in asides on how both parties are twisting the legislative process), Taibbi sets out to see how others similarly disaffected have channeled their energies. On the right, he hooks up with John Hagee's church, while on the left he samples some of the groups who believe that the US government either supported or simply allowed the 9/11 attacks to occur.
I enjoyed the two long, strange trips into the subcultures, but I'm not sure to what extent either group was really reacting towards the derangement in the title. In many cases (especially with the church group), the people Taibbi speaks with don't seem particularly political, but are more looking for some sort of individual direction in their lives (the truth groups less so, though the middle-level leaders come off as joining so they can boss other members around).
As I said I did enjoy the book and Taibbi's brand of participatory journalism. Not sure how much it informed me on the current political climate, but it's better than most of the usual political stuff that's out there.
Disgusted with the way that day to day goverment runs in Washington (as attested in asides on how both parties are twisting the legislative process), Taibbi sets out to see how others similarly disaffected have channeled their energies. On the right, he hooks up with John Hagee's church, while on the left he samples some of the groups who believe that the US government either supported or simply allowed the 9/11 attacks to occur.
I enjoyed the two long, strange trips into the subcultures, but I'm not sure to what extent either group was really reacting towards the derangement in the title. In many cases (especially with the church group), the people Taibbi speaks with don't seem particularly political, but are more looking for some sort of individual direction in their lives (the truth groups less so, though the middle-level leaders come off as joining so they can boss other members around).
As I said I did enjoy the book and Taibbi's brand of participatory journalism. Not sure how much it informed me on the current political climate, but it's better than most of the usual political stuff that's out there.
22 October 2008
For those of you who are looking for one more thing to drive you to distraction on election night, I've created a little prediction game.
Point yourself here to get a copy of the spreadsheet, and get your completed predictions to me by 11:59 PM EDT on Monday, November 3. If I've screwed anything up, feel free to note it in the comments for my public shaming and eventual correction. The winner will get a prize, by which I mean something I'll find at home that can be easily mailed or hand-delivered the next time I see the winner.
Point yourself here to get a copy of the spreadsheet, and get your completed predictions to me by 11:59 PM EDT on Monday, November 3. If I've screwed anything up, feel free to note it in the comments for my public shaming and eventual correction. The winner will get a prize, by which I mean something I'll find at home that can be easily mailed or hand-delivered the next time I see the winner.
21 October 2008
Two weeks until the election, so you know what that means. Endorsement time!
President - OK, I voted for John McCain in the primary, as I got to couple the vicarious thrill of voting in a Republican primary with maximizing my opportunities to vote against Mitt Romney. But I went into it knowing that I wouldn't vote for him again in November, and that's still the case. We're too far apart on issues, and he's clearly not the McCain of 2000. His talk is less straight now than ever, and I fully expect he'll bust out some revamped versions of John Edwards' "two Americas" stump speech before the week is out.
So then there's the other major option, Barack Obama. We in Massachusetts got a sneak preview of his campaign two years ago when Deval Patrick ran for governor, as the whole hope/change theme was the basis of his candidacy. And considering that it's been a mixed bag for Governor Patrick, I worry about similar lack of results for a potential President Obama (though I think Obama will find working with Congress less problematic than Patrick has found working with our hack-infested state legislature). So I'm at a bit of an impasse with him.
Normally, I'd settle this by going with one of the third-party candidates. In 2004 I endorsed voting for any one of them, depending on your politics. The only problem is that this year's crop of third-party candidates is sorely lacking. Your choices:
Chuck Baldwin, Constitution Party: I don't know much about him as a person, but looking at the Party's website is interesting, to say the least. To quote their mission statement, "The goal of the Constitution Party is to restore American jurisprudence to its Biblical foundations and to limit the federal government to its Constitutional boundaries." Which is great news to the folks who train seeing-eye dogs. They also seem very concerned about the North American Union, a theoretical merger of the US, Canada and Mexico, though I think they're missing a fundraising opportunity by not selling party logo-embossed tinfoil hats on their website.
Bob Barr, Libertarian Party: My problem here is personal, as Barr's role in the Clinton impeachment makes me want to slap the stupid little mustache off of his face every time I see him on TV. That he's turned his back on the GOP and now may help to torpedo McCain in some states makes me a little happy, in that now people on both sides hate the twerp.
Cynthia McKinney, Green Party: Assuming I never get the change to slap Barr's mustache off his face, McKinney may be able to do the honors for me. I've voted for the Greens the last couple of times, but can't see myself doing so this time between the cop slapping and all.
Ralph Nader, Independent: At this point I think he keeps running because he likes to get out of the house.
With all that in mind, the best I can do is say that Blogolicious endorses no one in particular, but wouldn't be heartbroken if you voted for Obama. Or Nader, if you want to get your third party on.
Senate - John Kerry is up against Republican Jeff Beatty and Libertarian Robert Underwood. Kerry is actually going through the motions of a campaign, as he's run TV ads, sent out mailers (including one with him acting as the T in the word VOTE) and even had a debate with Beatty on New England Cable News. I'll admit to knowing very little about Beatty and Underwood, but perusing their websites there's not enough there to convince me that either one of them is the right agent for change. So, for what it's worth, Blogalicious endorses John Kerry, though not exactly with enthusiasm.
US House - John Tierney runs against Richard Baker, a Republican. We actually got a mailing for Baker last week, looking to get money from us to do another mailing. Why he didn't just do one mailing I'm not sure, but he did tout his experience balancing the budget of his local school district as why he's the pefect person to fix our economy. I expect his plan has Treasury agents going door to door to sell wrapping paper, scented candles, and shares of AIG. While I'm dubious on him due to his switcharoo on the bailout bill, Blogalicious endorses John Tierney.
State House - Our state rep (Mary Grant) and state senator (Fred Berry) and governor's councilor (Mary Ellen Manning) are all running unopposed, so an endorsement seems pointless. However, we'll go out of district as Blogalicious endorses Arthur Vigeant for state representative for the Fourth Middlesex District. In the interest of full disclosure I work with one of his family members, but he does seem like the right choice, given that he's a long-time Marlborough city counselor running against a Democrat who was an aide to the previous rep.
I won't bore you with county races.
Ballot Question 1 seeks to repeal the state income tax in Massachusetts, cutting it in half next year and removing it entirely the following year. This doesn't seem like the best idea, given what the medium-term predictions are for the economy, and when paired with the cap cities and towns have on raising property tax the results of this passing look pretty grim. On the other hand, if you ever wanted to pay $750 to renew your driver's license, this seems like the perfect way to have it happen. Blogalicious endorses a no vote on Question 1.
Ballot Question 2 would decriminalize possession of an ounce or less of marijuana, replacing criminal sanctions with fines and (in some cases) mandated treatment. Law enforcement and county DAs are against the question, and while I do have some concern related to public health and safety, I'm not convinced that the criminal system is the best way to approach things, so Blogalicious endorses a yes vote on Question 2.
Ballot Question 3 would ban dog racing, a proposal that's been brought up before and met with narrow defeat. While supporters focus on animal cruelty issues, I'm thinking this would be a good way to open up space for actual casinos. Trump's people have already looked at Wonderland, the track in Revere, which is located near public transportation and is likely to go bankrupt due to low revenue and significant tax debt. This could also shift racing fans to Suffolk Downs, which could use the business as well. So, perhaps twisted logic, but it leads to Blogalicious endorsing a yes vote on Question 3.
President - OK, I voted for John McCain in the primary, as I got to couple the vicarious thrill of voting in a Republican primary with maximizing my opportunities to vote against Mitt Romney. But I went into it knowing that I wouldn't vote for him again in November, and that's still the case. We're too far apart on issues, and he's clearly not the McCain of 2000. His talk is less straight now than ever, and I fully expect he'll bust out some revamped versions of John Edwards' "two Americas" stump speech before the week is out.
So then there's the other major option, Barack Obama. We in Massachusetts got a sneak preview of his campaign two years ago when Deval Patrick ran for governor, as the whole hope/change theme was the basis of his candidacy. And considering that it's been a mixed bag for Governor Patrick, I worry about similar lack of results for a potential President Obama (though I think Obama will find working with Congress less problematic than Patrick has found working with our hack-infested state legislature). So I'm at a bit of an impasse with him.
Normally, I'd settle this by going with one of the third-party candidates. In 2004 I endorsed voting for any one of them, depending on your politics. The only problem is that this year's crop of third-party candidates is sorely lacking. Your choices:
Chuck Baldwin, Constitution Party: I don't know much about him as a person, but looking at the Party's website is interesting, to say the least. To quote their mission statement, "The goal of the Constitution Party is to restore American jurisprudence to its Biblical foundations and to limit the federal government to its Constitutional boundaries." Which is great news to the folks who train seeing-eye dogs. They also seem very concerned about the North American Union, a theoretical merger of the US, Canada and Mexico, though I think they're missing a fundraising opportunity by not selling party logo-embossed tinfoil hats on their website.
Bob Barr, Libertarian Party: My problem here is personal, as Barr's role in the Clinton impeachment makes me want to slap the stupid little mustache off of his face every time I see him on TV. That he's turned his back on the GOP and now may help to torpedo McCain in some states makes me a little happy, in that now people on both sides hate the twerp.
Cynthia McKinney, Green Party: Assuming I never get the change to slap Barr's mustache off his face, McKinney may be able to do the honors for me. I've voted for the Greens the last couple of times, but can't see myself doing so this time between the cop slapping and all.
Ralph Nader, Independent: At this point I think he keeps running because he likes to get out of the house.
With all that in mind, the best I can do is say that Blogolicious endorses no one in particular, but wouldn't be heartbroken if you voted for Obama. Or Nader, if you want to get your third party on.
Senate - John Kerry is up against Republican Jeff Beatty and Libertarian Robert Underwood. Kerry is actually going through the motions of a campaign, as he's run TV ads, sent out mailers (including one with him acting as the T in the word VOTE) and even had a debate with Beatty on New England Cable News. I'll admit to knowing very little about Beatty and Underwood, but perusing their websites there's not enough there to convince me that either one of them is the right agent for change. So, for what it's worth, Blogalicious endorses John Kerry, though not exactly with enthusiasm.
US House - John Tierney runs against Richard Baker, a Republican. We actually got a mailing for Baker last week, looking to get money from us to do another mailing. Why he didn't just do one mailing I'm not sure, but he did tout his experience balancing the budget of his local school district as why he's the pefect person to fix our economy. I expect his plan has Treasury agents going door to door to sell wrapping paper, scented candles, and shares of AIG. While I'm dubious on him due to his switcharoo on the bailout bill, Blogalicious endorses John Tierney.
State House - Our state rep (Mary Grant) and state senator (Fred Berry) and governor's councilor (Mary Ellen Manning) are all running unopposed, so an endorsement seems pointless. However, we'll go out of district as Blogalicious endorses Arthur Vigeant for state representative for the Fourth Middlesex District. In the interest of full disclosure I work with one of his family members, but he does seem like the right choice, given that he's a long-time Marlborough city counselor running against a Democrat who was an aide to the previous rep.
I won't bore you with county races.
Ballot Question 1 seeks to repeal the state income tax in Massachusetts, cutting it in half next year and removing it entirely the following year. This doesn't seem like the best idea, given what the medium-term predictions are for the economy, and when paired with the cap cities and towns have on raising property tax the results of this passing look pretty grim. On the other hand, if you ever wanted to pay $750 to renew your driver's license, this seems like the perfect way to have it happen. Blogalicious endorses a no vote on Question 1.
Ballot Question 2 would decriminalize possession of an ounce or less of marijuana, replacing criminal sanctions with fines and (in some cases) mandated treatment. Law enforcement and county DAs are against the question, and while I do have some concern related to public health and safety, I'm not convinced that the criminal system is the best way to approach things, so Blogalicious endorses a yes vote on Question 2.
Ballot Question 3 would ban dog racing, a proposal that's been brought up before and met with narrow defeat. While supporters focus on animal cruelty issues, I'm thinking this would be a good way to open up space for actual casinos. Trump's people have already looked at Wonderland, the track in Revere, which is located near public transportation and is likely to go bankrupt due to low revenue and significant tax debt. This could also shift racing fans to Suffolk Downs, which could use the business as well. So, perhaps twisted logic, but it leads to Blogalicious endorsing a yes vote on Question 3.
20 October 2008
The Blogalicious College Football Games of the Week
Tuesday - Ohio at Temple. Ah, sweet, sweet Tuesday football. It's MACtacular! Or whatever you call a match-up between a pair of 2-5 teams who would probably lose to North Dakota State. Score: Ohio 3, Temple 2 (23 OT)
Thursday - Auburn at West Virginia. A decent Thursday night affair, though I think the ESPN folks were expecting at least one of the teams to be nationally-ranked coming into it. Auburn limps in after a home loss to Arkansas (who may not win another game in conference), and West Virginia literally limps in with an injury to Pat White (not literally limping, it's a head injury) derailing their offense. White will be back this week, so it looks like another backwoods thumping for the Tigers. Score: West Virginia 24, Auburn 14
Friday - Boise State at San Jose State. With BYU's BCS-buster bid gone blooey, the Broncos face their toughest test before the season-ending game with Fresno State. We have to have at least one team spoil the party, and I'd prefer it be a team that's done so before in notable fashion. Score: Boise State 31, San Jose State 20
Saturday (early) - Texas Tech at Kansas. I feel kind of bad for Texas Tech. They're undefeated, yet all the talk is about Texas, Oklahoma State and one-loss Oklahoma. I don't feel as bad when I look at their schedule, peppered as it is with easy wins (recall their game a few weeks ago against UMass). I go back to feeling bad when I see that the Red Raiders will play Texas, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma in consecutive weeks in November. But, oddly, I'll feel something like relief when they leave Lawrence with a shootout loss. Score: Kansas 45, Texas Tech 38
Saturday (mid-afternoon) - UCLA at California. UCLA scored a touchdown with 10 seconds left to pull out a win over Stanford last Saturday. This makes a Cal win doubly important, as it will help the Golden Bears their fifth win and one they can lord over the Cardinal during the Big Game. Score: Cal 31, UCLA 20
Saturday (night) - Middle Tennessee State at Mississippi State. While I've not done the research on it, I think this could be the longest combination of school names possible for division I football. Expect MTSU to win when they hit the triple word score. Score: MTSU 24, Mississippi State 22
Sunday - Central Florida at Tulsa. Take that, Hawaii! And this game's even on TV, which will be great comfort to the dozens of people who didn't want to watch Indy-Tennessee or game 4 of the World Series. Score: Tulsa 37, Central Florida 9
Last week: 5-1
Season: 34-19
Tuesday - Ohio at Temple. Ah, sweet, sweet Tuesday football. It's MACtacular! Or whatever you call a match-up between a pair of 2-5 teams who would probably lose to North Dakota State. Score: Ohio 3, Temple 2 (23 OT)
Thursday - Auburn at West Virginia. A decent Thursday night affair, though I think the ESPN folks were expecting at least one of the teams to be nationally-ranked coming into it. Auburn limps in after a home loss to Arkansas (who may not win another game in conference), and West Virginia literally limps in with an injury to Pat White (not literally limping, it's a head injury) derailing their offense. White will be back this week, so it looks like another backwoods thumping for the Tigers. Score: West Virginia 24, Auburn 14
Friday - Boise State at San Jose State. With BYU's BCS-buster bid gone blooey, the Broncos face their toughest test before the season-ending game with Fresno State. We have to have at least one team spoil the party, and I'd prefer it be a team that's done so before in notable fashion. Score: Boise State 31, San Jose State 20
Saturday (early) - Texas Tech at Kansas. I feel kind of bad for Texas Tech. They're undefeated, yet all the talk is about Texas, Oklahoma State and one-loss Oklahoma. I don't feel as bad when I look at their schedule, peppered as it is with easy wins (recall their game a few weeks ago against UMass). I go back to feeling bad when I see that the Red Raiders will play Texas, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma in consecutive weeks in November. But, oddly, I'll feel something like relief when they leave Lawrence with a shootout loss. Score: Kansas 45, Texas Tech 38
Saturday (mid-afternoon) - UCLA at California. UCLA scored a touchdown with 10 seconds left to pull out a win over Stanford last Saturday. This makes a Cal win doubly important, as it will help the Golden Bears their fifth win and one they can lord over the Cardinal during the Big Game. Score: Cal 31, UCLA 20
Saturday (night) - Middle Tennessee State at Mississippi State. While I've not done the research on it, I think this could be the longest combination of school names possible for division I football. Expect MTSU to win when they hit the triple word score. Score: MTSU 24, Mississippi State 22
Sunday - Central Florida at Tulsa. Take that, Hawaii! And this game's even on TV, which will be great comfort to the dozens of people who didn't want to watch Indy-Tennessee or game 4 of the World Series. Score: Tulsa 37, Central Florida 9
Last week: 5-1
Season: 34-19
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