OK so I lied, I forgot about the Big Ten/ACC Challenge

First off sorry, I lied I totally forgot about the Big Ten/ACC challenge so this is going to be a sports entry. I promise after I wrap up the challenge the next post will be about everything but sports, and you can hold me to that. This challenge snuck up on me for sure this year, for some reason I kept thinking I had one more week, hopefully my guest picker I lined up will get me back his picks in time, if not it was totally my fault dropping the ball like I did. Onto the picks.

Guest picking with me for this challenge is Mr Clemson Tiger himself Topolk. He has sent me his pick for tonights game, and will get me the rest before tomorrow's tip off. For those of you that don't follow basketball the Big Ten and the ACC the two best conferences in college basketball started a challenge, and the ACC has dominated it never losing to the Big Ten. While I am not ready to hand over the crown of best conference, because I don't believe this challenge really tells who is the better conference, I can admit the ACC is pretty damn good. Onto the games, I am going by the dates the games are played with the exception of picking Purdue and Clemson's games last.

Off to Purdue look for me at 7pm on ESPN!!! BOILER UP... HAMMER DOWN!

Nov 30th games
Penn State Nittany Lions at Virginia Cavaliers
Topolk- The Cavs aren't great, but Landesburg and Scott are better than anyone Penn State has to offer. This game won't be as close as the final score makes it out to be.
VIRGINIA 68 penn state 55

Phats- This is a critical game to start the challenge, if the Big Ten wants to win it might need the Nitts to come up with a big road win. Before the season started I liked PSU's chances to win this one, but man I am not sure what's happened to them lately. I gotta go with the Cavaliers.
VIRGINIA 65 penn state 59
EDIT FINAL SCORE PENN STATE 69 virginia 66
BIG TEN 1 ACC 0
Topolk- D'oh
Phats- D'oh

Dec 1st Games
Northwestern Wildcats at North Carolina State Wolfpack
Topolk- For the past two seasons, NC State has been "that" team in the ACC. You know, that team that "could" make a run but never does. This season could be the year they turn that around. Current the Wolfpack are undefeated and sitting pretty, but it's still early in the year. They'll have their hands full with a spunky (yes, I used the word 'spunky') Northwestern squad that's fresh off winning the Chicago Invitational. This should be a good game, matching two teams that (on paper at least) appear to be somewhat evenly matched. This one will be too close to call a winner, so I'm going to be a homer and stick with my conference.
NC STATE 67 northwestern 62

Phats- At the beginning of the year the Wildcats were talking NCAA tournament team, but since have suffered two season ending injuries to major players. It's too bad as they are the only Big Ten team to have never made the big dance. They seem to play OK without their two injured soldiers this past weekend, this could be another swing game. I am going with a slight upset here. Cats get the job done in a thriller
NORTHWESTERN 71 north carolina state 69
EDIT FINAL SCORE NORTHWESTERN 65 north carolina state 53
BIG TEN 2 ACC 0
Topolk- D'oh
Phats- WOOHOO

Maryland Terrapins at Indiana Hoosiers
Topolk- Indiana's been down lately. Maryland's been above average as always. Look for Maryland to win in what will probably be the least entertaining game of the challenge.
Maryland 80, Indiana 59
PS - USC Upstate is located in Spartanburg, SC -- which is about an hour and 15 minutes away from Clemson

Phats- GOD I HATE IU! Even though I want the Big Ten to win this challenge, not enough for me to pick those redneck losers down south. IU Sucks, they lost to Boston, and George Mason, and could have lost to SC Upstate, who the hell is that?! Maryland in a laugher
MARYLAND 88 indiana 56
EDIT FINAL SCORE MARYLAND 80 indiana 68
BIG TEN 2 ACC 1
Topolk- WOOHOO
Phats- WOOHOO

Michigan State Spartans at North Carolina Tar Heels
Topolk- This will not be the matchup that was held in Ford Field last year. Last year UNC embarrassed Michigan State (and the Big Ten) in a rout that wasn't even close at the tip. Thankfully, for Michigan State fans at least, last year was last year and UNC is weak. Sure, they're the defending National Champs, but an early season loss to Syracuse has the Tar Heels looking very beatable. If the Spartans can take advantage of UNC's weak inside, this one will be over midway through the 2nd half.
Michigan State 74, North Carolina 65

Phats- This could very well be the deciding game, and it should be a dandy. A rematch of the 2009 National Championship game but two different teams. MSU is coming off a shocking loss to Florida, while UNC is no longer a team people fear, while still good. I like the Spartans in an instant classic here
MICHIGAN STATE 83 north carolina 82 OT
EDIT FINAL SCORE NORTH CAROLINA 89 michigan state 82
BIG TEN 2 ACC 2
Topolk- D'oh
Phats- D'oh

Virginia Tech Hokies at Iowa Hawkeyes
Topolk- I'll be honest. I know nothing about either of these teams that isn't football related. Wait, I take that back. I do remember Va Tech giving my Tigers all they could handle and then some last year. Considering that Clemson is better than Iowa and I don't remember VT losing that many players to graduation, I'll give them the W here.
VT 77, Iowa 71

Phats- Boy Iowa is BAD, I mean REALLY BAD. This game will be a blowout out win for the Hokies, HOKIE HOKIE HOKIE HI!
VIRGINIA TECH 76 iowa 54
EDIT FINAL SCORE VIRGINIA TECH 70 iowa 64
BIG TEN 2 ACC 3
Topolk- WOOHOO
Phats- WOOHOO

Dec. 2nd Games
Minnesota Golden Gophers at Miami Hurricanes
Topolk- Miami should roll here. They've been playing lights out defense, shooting from anywhere on the court, and putting teams away early. The Gophers don't stand a chance.
Miami 80, Minnesota 62

Phats- I know nothing about Miami, but I know the Gophers found out they might be a tad overrated in the Anaheim classic in California, although they got a nice win over Butler. Tubby will has kids ready, and they will pull this one out for the Big Ten
MINNESOTA 67 miami 62
EDIT FINAL SCORE MIAMI 63 minnesota 58
BIG TEN 2 ACC 4
Topolk- WOOHOO
Phats- D'oh

Boston College Eagles at Michigan Wolverines
Topolk- Here we have the wildcard for both leagues. It's almost impossible to guess which Boston College team is going to show up. The same can be said about Michigan. Shame too as both teams are in need of a win after a couple early season losses. Call me a homer, but I'm going with THE conference once again.
Boston College 62, Michigan 58

Phats- I am not sure what's going on with Michigan they have also lost a couple early games that are head scratchers, including a loss to Alabama in the consolation game at Disney World. I thought i'd get a sneak peek at BC as Purdue was slated to play them in the Paradise Jam, but St Joes ruined that with an upset of the Eagles, this is a big game, that BOTH teams desperately need. I am going with the home team here,
MICHIGAN 59 boston college 54
EDIT FINAL SCORE BOSTON COLLEGE 62 michigan 58
BIG TEN 2 ACC 5
Topolk- WOOHOO(Holy shit you hit it spot on!)
Phats- D'oh

Duke Blue Devils at Wisconsin Badgers
Topolk- Everyone knew this Duke team was good, but no one was sure "how good." Any critics that the Blue Devils had were temporarily silenced after their convincing win against perennial power UConn. It's early, but Coach K appears to have his team on the right track. Good thing too, because they'll be going up against a Wisconsin team that's feeling good about themselves after a strong win over ACC-member Maryland in the Maui Invitational.
Duke 78, Wisconsin 61

Phats- Wisconsin has easily been the surprise of the Big Ten so far as they lost a lot to graduation, yet are having a nice start to the season. Duke won a huge game vs Connecticut in taking the Pre-Season NIT. This will be a good game, the Kohl Center is one of the toughest places to play, and Bo knows how to win there, but Duke will have too much in the end
DUKE 67 wisconsin 59
BIG TEN 3 ACC 5
EDIT FINAL SCORE WISCONSIN 73 duke 69
Topolk- D'oh
Phats- D'oh

Florida State Seminoles at Ohio State Buckeyes
Topolk- A few years ago, this would have been a fantastic BCS Championship game, no? It's only a so-so basketball game. It'll be close as both teams are defensive minded, but it won't be overly exciting. If Florida State can hit their free throws, they should be fine. History has that being a big "IF" though.
*flipscoin*
Ohio State 73 Florida State 66

Phats- Could OSU put the cherry on top of a Big Ten win in this challenge as this is the last game of the challenge. If it's 5-5 going into this game, I like our chances here as the Buckeyes have been playing really well early, and Evan Turner is a matchup problem for anyone. FSU played really well though in the Disney tournament, but I gotta give the edge to the Bucks with this being at OSU, it's tough to win there.
OHIO STATE 70 florida state 58
EDIT FINAL SCORE OHIO STATE 77 florida state 64
BIG TEN 4 ACC 5
Topolk- WOOHOO
Phats- WOOHOO

Illinois Fighting Illini at Clemson Tigers(Topolk)
Topolk- Here's a bit of history for you. Clemson has never lost a Big 10/ACC Challenge game at home. And just for reference, our last Challenge home game was in 2007 when we beat some crappy team from Indiana 61-58. What the heck is a Boilermaker anyways? Digression aside, this year's game against Illinois appears to be just as good as our last on paper. Both teams return the majority of their respective squads, so their should be no drop off in the level of competition from last year's game. But even with everyone coming back, two things work out in Clemson's favor: our depth and home court advantage. This game will be extremely tight until the last four minutes where the Tigers start to pull away.
Clemson 68 Illinois 64

Phats- Battle of the Orange teams here. Clemson is coming off a nice showing out in Anaheim winning the consolation bracket and beating a top ten(yet overrated) Butler team. Illinois comes into this game limping big time with a head scratching loss to Bradley. Bruce needs to get the Illini going and what better place to start than Clemson, it will be a fun close game to the finish with the Illini taking a thriller.
ILLINOIS 65 clemson 63
EDIT FINAL SCORE ILLINOIS 76 clemson 74
BIG TEN 5 ACC 5
Topolk- D'oh
Phats- WOOHOO

Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Purdue Boilermakers(Phats)
Topolk- Phats is going to be happy with my pick here. Wake Forest is going to have their hands full with a Purdue squad that many of the so-called experts have in their pre-season Final Fours. Add in the fact that this game is being played at Purdue and the ACC has almost no chance of stealing the W here. The Deacs fall and fall hard here.
PURDUE 82 wake forest 60

Phats- This is going to sound odd, but Purdue got a huge 64-38 win over Central Michigan Saturday, and it was huge for many reasons. Last year we were known to have a major let down after a big win, this year we beat #9 Tennessee and come back over a break when the students are not on campus and drill a CMU team that is picked to win the MAC. If there is a better defensive team in the country i'd like to see it, Wake won't know how to attack the Boiler defense, and Purdue will roll in this one, getting another quality win on the resume towards what will hopefully be a 1 or 2 seed in the MidWest come March
PURDUE 78 wake forest 58
EDIT FINAL SCORE PURDUE 69 wake forest 58
BIG TEN 6 ACC 5
Topolk- WOOHOO
Phats- WOOHOO

TOPOLK'S PREDICTION ACC 8 BIG TEN 3
PHATS PREDICTON BIG TEN 7 ACC 4
EDIT FINAL CHALLENGE SCORE BIG TEN 6 ACC 5!!! BIG TEN WINS!!!

Hail Hail to old Purdue all Hail to our old gold and black
Hail Hail to old Purdue our friendship may she never lack
Ever Grateful, ever true thus we raise our song a new FIRE UP!
Of the days we've spent with you, all Hail our own Purdue
GO BOILERS!

BTFU!!!

Happy and sad all rolled into one

First off I wanted to say HAPPY THANKSGIVING to everyone! I have a good friend that always says "Gobble til ya Wobble!" That's what I plan on doing. Although I am not a big fan of Thanksgiving, I am a big fan of eating amazing food. So, everyone enjoy their Thanksgiving, and stop and remember something you are thankful for. For me, I will go with my health. Here is one more thing for you all to be thankful for, my next blog post will be completely sports free.

I am at a crossroads as I write this post I am both happy and sad so you can say I am conflicted. I am happy, no wait that really doesn't describe it, I am elated over the Purdue mens basketball team, yet sad that football season is over, but more on that later. Lets start with basketball.

The Boilers are ranked #6 in the latest poll and competed in the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands this past weekend(rough life eh?) Anyway the first two games we all knew weren't going to be much competition, and we breezed into the final where the #9 ranked Tennessee Volunteers awaited us. Not only were they waiting but with their 100 point average per game! I first want to say that even had we lost, yes I would have been upset, but I still would have said WHAT A GAME! I am not sure if I have caught my breath yet from such a great match up. This game was INTENSE from the start, several scrums, the head coaches yelling at each other, neither team wanting to lose. To show you how close the game was Tennessee's biggest lead in the game was 6, and our biggest lead in the game was 6, and it came down to a final possession. The Boilers were able to hold on and beat the Vols by 1 when they missed a three pointer and we rebounded the miss for a 73-72 win. Here's the deal this game had all the makings of a march madness game, to steal a line from ESPN's Doug Gottlieb(yes I know he's an idiot) "this game had an elite 8 type feel to it" and it's rare to get that this early in the season. This is part of the reason I am so excited, we played this game without our starting center for a majority of it because he was in foul trouble, our other "star" player struggled from the field, and our starting point guard didn't play at all due to injury and WE WON. This is truly a team, and its leader is Chris Kramer, I don't believe there is a better defensive player in the country than Mr Kramer, and Dick Vitale agrees with me, via his twitter page. This is that elusive win that we couldn't quite get last year, so it shows our maturity, and hopefully springboards us to even bigger wins down the road. The schedule doesn't get any easier we still have Wake Forest, West Virginia, as well as a road game at Alabama, but I love this team and I will take them against ANYONE! A side note on the game, I wanted this game so bad because of the Tennessee fans. Most of you probably know what message boards are, well Purdue's was invaded by a bunch of redneck UT fans, sure i'll give you one or two flamers on every board, but ours was invaded by at least 30, and of course after we won they are nowhere to be found, these people were just plain BAD FANS. I also didn't care for Tennessee's players that much, on three separate occasions our player went to help one of theirs up, and their player would trash talk, WTF!?! The best was when our little guard Ryne Smith helped one of them up, and after the dude trashed him you could read Ryne's lips he said "What, seriously?!" So, it was a great weekend to be a Boilermaker, 2009 Paradise Jam Champs! Check out Kramer's defense here, wish I could find a better video of it but this was the best one I could find


Onto football. As for the picks, here are the FINAL results from this year.
Tina- 10-5
Phats- 10-5 FINAL OVERALL RECORD 109-53 not too shabby
I think I should stick to predicting college games, because I stumbled quite a bit on the pro games. Again I want to thank everyone who participated in the guest picking this year I truly appreciated it! Hopefully you'll all be a part of the third annual Phats-Bracket Challenge come March!

As for the Boilers we closed out our season at 7-5(4-4 Big Ten) going 4-2 down the stretch. We POUNDED IU 38-21 sure it wasn't 62-10 like last year, but it still was a romp, and I don't believe I caught anything while visiting their flea infested campus. The game itself was awesome because IU did everything we did in our first 6 games IE self destructing, it was nice to see us take advantage of another teams misfortunes for a change. We raced out to a 21-0 lead and never looked back. The most exciting play was the start of the second half as a true freshman ran the opening kick off back for a touchdown sending the Boilers into hysterics! I will never get tired of winning the bucket, and beating IU. We didn't get our rare triple, as our running back Ralph Bolden hurt his hamstring and couldn't go, ironically enough his back up Jaycen Taylor ran for over 100 yards, so if Ralph were healthy it's a good bet he would have gotten his 1000 yards. Joey Elliott in his only year as QB for us did get the 3000 yard passing mark, and it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy! I am sad the season is over, some people might think that odd after a 5-7 season but it was a lot of fun this year even with those defeats. Realistically people had us pegged as a 2-10 or 3-9 team and not only did we win 5 games we are the ONLY big ten team to have beaten Ohio State who is heading to the rose bowl. We finally won at Michigan, and we kept the Bucket. Every team can do the coulda shoulda woulda game, and we are no different we had the two point loss at Oregon where we missed a 2 pt conversion to tie it late, then coming back and collapsing against Northern Illinois, allowing Notre Dame to score basically as the clock expired, and of course the Northwestern game where we lead 21-3 with 2 mins to go in the first half them without timeouts and only took a 21-19 halftime lead. That was the only time this season I found myself pissed and frustrated, and needed the 1 hr drive home to cool off. It was a fun season, and I am sad it's over, 2010 could be an exciting year with all we have coming back, and a hot shot QB coming in, watch out for the Boilers!

Other Games
Notre Dame made my weekend complete by losing to Connecticut, and then hearing that the biggest pussy douchebag in college football Casey Clausen got punched after the game at a restaurant just made it even better. Now if only they could lose to Stanford and finish 6-6 Phats would be happy! NOTRE DAME YOU SUCK! :)

This college football season has been a disappointment in that there are no GREAT teams, like a team that's WOW they are head and shoulders above the rest. All the top teams have flaws, Texas hasn't played ANYONE, Alabama has offense issues, and Florida seems unmotivated, of the three I am going with Gators and Tebow to win it all. TCU might be the best team in college football, but we might never know.

Everyone screaming for a playoff need to SHUT UP! We don't need a playoff, the system works just fine. If you want one so bad why not just do an and 1 type situation. Have Boise play Florida, and TCU play Texas and the winners play for the title. Although I am still not sold on Boise belong with the elite teams. They really need out of the WAC.

Since this was my last college football blog for the entry here are my BCS match ups and picks.
Rose- OHIO STATE(clinched) vs Oregon WINNER- OHIO STATE
Sugar- Alabama vs Cincinnati WINNER- ALABAMA
Fiesta- Boise State vs Iowa WINNER- IOWA
Orange- Georgia Tech vs TCU WINNER- TCU
National Title- Texas vs Florida WINNER- FLORIDA

Everyone have a GREAT Thanksgiving!!
Phats

Go Purdue FUCK iu! Lets keep our bucket!

I HATE IU, HATE HATE HATE HATE THEM! They are our arch rival, and did I mention I HATE THEM! So, when my Boilers play them Saturday at 3:30 on the Big Ten Network, it's imperative that we win this game. This is a true rivalry, not just a rivalry that happens in one sport we hate them, they hate us we want to kill them in everything, and they us. I highly doubt that any of their fans, players, or coaches will forget what we did to them last year we well giving them a 62-10 beatdown that could have actually been worse. Now we travel there this year, and like I tell everyone I hope I don't catch stupid or a STD that's running wild on their campus as I watch my Boilers crush the hapless hoosiers! Purdue is going for a rare triple as well as our quarterback can pass 3000 yards, our running back Ralph Bolden can pass 1000 yards, and receiver Keith Smith can pass 1000 yards receiving, and both Bolden and Smith are back next year! This is what we're playing for, our Old Oaken Bucket baby lets keep it in West Lafayette!
FUCK IU!!

Guest picking this week is Tina. If you don't read her blog I suggest you give it a look, she's a VCU Ram fan, but I don't believe they play football, but I had to have her pick with me :) Last week I was 9-7 brining me to 99-48 overall not bad. Onto the games! Illinois, Idaho, and West Virginia are off this week.

PRO GAMES
Miami Dolphins at Carolina Panthers(Topolk)
Tina- MIAMI 27 carolina 20

Phats- Nice win last week by the Panthers, the Dolphins seem to play good for a period of time and then self destruct. I'll take the home team in a close one.
CAROLINA 28 miami 24
EDIT FINAL SCORE MIAMI 24 carolina 17
Tina- WOOHOO
Phats- D'oh

Pittsburgh Steelers(rocket) at Kansas City Chiefs
Tina- Pittsburgh 35 Kansas City 21

Phats- I was surprised that Pittsburgh lost to Cincinnati last week, they won't lose to a bad, I mean bad, KC team.
PITTSBURGH 41 kansas city 21
EDIT FINAL SCORE KANSAS CITY 27 pittsburgh 24 OT
Tina- D'oh
Phats- D'oh

Buffalo Bills(Egg) at Jacksonville Jaguars
Tina- JACKSONVILLE 24 buffalo 14

Phats- Not sure what to make of the Bills this year, they looked to have righted the ship then got blown out last week. I think i'll go with the Jags please.
JACKSONVILLE 31 buffalo 17
EDIT FINAL SCORE JACKSONVILLE 18 buffalo 15
Tina- WOOHOO
Phats- WOOHOO

COLLEGE GAMES
Boise State Broncos(Duck) at Utah State Aggies
Tina- BOISE STATE 31 utah state 21

Phats- I don't think the question is will the Broncos lose anymore, more like how will the BCS screw them over? This one will be over at halftime.
BOISE STATE 65 utah state 14
EDIT FINAL SCORE BOISE 52 utah state 21
Tina- WOOHOO
Phats- WOOHOO

Chattanooga Mocs at Alabama Crimson Tide(Cheryl, Gary, & Booya)
Tina- ALABAMA 42 chattanooga 24

Phats- Upset Special HA Just Kidding!! :) Bama could play their 3rd string and probably win this one, just what their anemic offense needs to get going for the stretch run! ROLL TIDE!
ALABAMA 35 chattanooga 3
EDIT FINAL SCORE ALABAMA 45 chattanooga 0
Tina- WOOHOO
Phats- WOOHOO

Northern Illinois Huskies at Ohio Bobcats(Skii)
Tina- OHIO 24 northern illinois 10

Phats- I hate NIU, we should have beaten them, and they are part of a big reason we are home for the holidays. That said they are better than Ohio, and will win
NORTHERN ILLINOIS 31 ohio 21
EDIT FINAL SCORE OHIO 38 northern illinois 31
Tina- WOOHOO
Phats- D'oh

Kent State Golden Flashes(DG) at Temple Owls
Tina- KENT STATE 28 temple 7

Phats- How about the Temple Owls, once the laughingstock of College Football, now in line to win the MAC. They will trounce DG's poor flashes in this one.
TEMPLE 42 kent state 14
EDIT FINAL SCORE TEMPLE 47 kent state 13
Tina- D'oh
Phats- WOOHOO

Iowa State Cyclones at Missouri Tigers(Tsofah)
Tina- MISSOURI 17 iowa state 10

Phats- Nice win for the Tigers last week, they will win again this week.
MISSOURI 35 iowa state 17
EDIT FINAL SCORE MISSOURI 34 iowa state 24
Tina- WOOHOO
Phats- WOOHOO

Kansas State Wildcats at Nebraska Cornhuskers(Travis)
Tina- NEBRASKA 42 kansas state 14

Phats- Nebraska is playing really well right, probably the second(possibly third) best team in the Big 12. K-State was embarrassed last week, and my gut says that will happen again this week.
NEBRASKA 38 kansas state 14
EDIT FINAL SCORE NEBRASKA 17 kansas state 3
Tina- WOOHOO
Phats- WOOHOO

Duke Blue Devils(david) at Miami Fla Hurricanes Phats- Duke has had a nice season,
Tina- DUKE 31 miami 17

Phats- Miami should be better. Duke can start the chant wait til basketball in this one, because they have no shot at beating a decent Canes team. It makes me laugh to say anything in the ACC is decent though.
MIAMI 33 duke 21
EDIT FINAL SCORE MIAMI 34 duke 16
Tina- D'oh
Phats WOOHOO

Virginia Cavaliers at Clemson Tigers(Topolk)
Tina- VIRGINIA 38 clemson 35

Phats- Hmm this could be an upset if it were at Virginia, but it's not so give me Clemson, and my favorite player not on a Purdue team CJ Spiller
CLEMSON 31 virginia 14
EDIT FINAL SCORE CLEMSON 34 virginia 21
Tina- D'oh
Phats- WOOHOO

Vanderbilt Commodores at Tennessee Volunteers(Tiggy)
Tina- TENNESSEE 35 vanderbilt 17

Phats- This is another decent rivalry, that I believe has mostly been one sided. That won't change as the Vols will roll over the Dores!
TENNESSEE 38 vanderbilt 21
EDIT FINAL SCORE TENNESSEE 31 vanderbilt 16
Tina- WOOHOO
Phats- WOOHOO

Oklahoma Sooners at Texas Tech Red Raiders(Jef, and Fuzz)
Tina- TEXAS TECH 45 oklahoma 28

Phats- OU with or without Bradford will pound the Hapless Red Raiders into the ground
OKLAHOMA 44 texas tech 17
EDIT FINAL SCORE TEXAS TECH 41 oklahoma 14
Tina- WOOHOO
Phats- D'oh

BIG GAME OF THE WEEK
Cal Bears at Stanford Cardinal
Tina- STANFORD 28 cal 21

Phats- This game is huge for both teams, Stanford still has a shot at the Rose Bowl, but win out I believe. Both teams are nationally ranked, and could be a very exciting game. I am going with the home team, and former Indianapolis Colts QB now Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh.
STANFORD 31 cal 28
EDIT FINAL SCORE CAL 34 stanford 28
Tina- D'oh
Phats- D'oh

Purdue Boilermakers(me) at Indiana Hoosiers
Tina- PURDUE 42 indiana 14

Phats- I HATE IU! I hope we drub them, and keep our bucket. IU sucks, everyone knows it their fans don't even attend the games because they know it. Instead they tailgate and never enter the stadium. That makes it more of a home game for us, and we have played better than them down the stretch, Joey Elliott lights up the Hoosier secondary all day long. BOILER UP!!

PURDUE 999999999999 iu 0 haha Watch the video below you can sing along!
EDIT FINAL SCORE PURDUE 38 indiana 21
Tina- WOOHOO
Phats- WOOHOO

Hail Hail to old Purdue all Hail to our old gold and black
Hail Hail to old Purdue our friendship may she never lack
Ever Grateful, ever true thus we raise our song a new FIRE UP!
Of the days we've spent with you, all Hail our own Purdue
GO BOILERS!

BTFU!!!

Last home game of the season

Welcome to another edition of the weekend picks! After a huge win over the Michigan(meat-chicken!) wolverwines where we snapped a losing streak at Michigan Stadium(The Big House) that went back to 1966. and this is the first time we have swept Ohio State and Michigan in the same season since 2000 led by Drew Brees! Now we have Michigan State at home for the last home game of the year and Senior Day. It's sad because the season is pretty much over, but it's also exciting that this game actually means something. This actually might be a bowl elimination game, but we'll see just taking it one game at a time! The game starts at Noon on ESPN, so you all BETTER watch it, and better cheer loud.

Onto to the picks. Haven't heard from the guest picker so it looks like I am going solo this week. Kent State and Ohio are off this week.

PRO GAMES
Buffalo Bills(Egg) at Tennessee Titans
This game should be a laugher, emphasis on SHOULD as the Titans are having a horrible season. The Bills seem to be back on track and will roll to a win.
BUFFALO 41 tennessee 21
EDIT TENNESSEE 41 buffalo 17
Phats- D'oh

Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers(Topolk)
This could actually be a good game, Carolina seems to be playing better, and the Falcons are a decent team. Both gave my Saints great games recently, I am not exactly sure who to pick, but I think the Falcons are playing a little bit better.
ATLANTA 31 carolina 24
EDIT FINAL SCORE CAROLINA 28 atlanta 19
Phats- D'oh

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers(Rocket)
This is actually a pretty good game, however the Steelers seem to have found their groove. Being at home makes them even tough so I am taking Pittsburgh and Big Ben
PITTSBURGH 31 cincinnati 21
EDIT FINAL SCORE CINCINNATI 18 pittsburgh 12
Phats- D'oh

COLLEGE GAMES
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Duke Blue Devils(David)
I don't know if Duke is improved, or if the ACC just plain sucks, I am going with the latter. Georgia Tech should win this one, and keep on trucking towards a division title.
GEORGIA TECH 31 duke 21
EDIT FINAL SCORE GEORGIA TECH 49 duke 10
Phats- WOOHOO

Texas Tech Red Raiders(Fuzz and Jef) at Oklahoma State Cowboys
I don't think Texas Tech is very good, but they do know how to score points, and OK State lost their only big game of the year this year and looked awful. Give me the Cowboys in a close game in Stillwater.
OKLAHOMA STATE 35 texas tech 31
EDIT FINAL SCORE OKLAHOMA STATE 24 texas tech 17
Phats- WOOHOO

Northwestern Wildcats at Illinois Fighting Illini(Tsofah)
Both teams are playing for bowls, Northwestern for a better bowl, Illinois for their bowl lives, and this is a rivalry game. I like how Northwestern has played this year they are a team that never gives up, example 1 we had them down 21-3 and they came back, and example 2 IU had them down 28-3 and they came back to win. Illinois seems to be playing really well right now, but I think Northwestern is just a tad better.
NORTHWESTERN 28 illinois 24
EDIT FINAL SCORE NORTHWESTERN 21 illinois 16
Phats- WOOHOO

Tennessee Volunteers(Tiggy) at Mississippi Rebels
What has happened to Ole Miss? They started the season with such high expectations, and now well they aren't very good. I think it's funny everyone kisses the SEC's ass well I don't think it's as strong this year, still the best conference but nowhere near what it has been. I like Tennessee getting a road upset here.
TENNESSEE 31 mississippi 17
EDIT FINAL SCORE MISSISSIPPI 42 tennessee 17
Phats- D'oh

Missouri Tigers(Tsofah) at Kansas State Wildcats
I believe the K-State Wildcats are in the drivers seat to win their division, as long as they keep on winning. I think you'd have to say this has been a successful season for Missouri even if they don't win another game, and they won't win this one.
KANSAS STATE 28 missouri 14
EDIT FINAL SCORE MISSOURI 38 kansas state 12
Phats- D'oh

Texas Longhorns(Gary, and Cheryl) at Baylor Bears
Texas is taking it's victory lap, as I don't believe they will play a ranked team on their way to the National Title Game. You can't penalize them for the Big 12 not being as good as usual though, and they will roll over Baylor
TEXAS 49 baylor 3
EDIT FINAL SCORE TEXAS 47 baylor 14
Phats- WOOHOO

Clemson Tigers(Topolk) at North Carolina State Wolfpack
Clemson might be the best and most complete team in the ACC, and I am admitting to knowing nothing about NC STATE. I do know that Clemson has Spiller who probably should be in the running for the Heisman, and will run all over the Pack in this one.
CLEMSON 31 north carolina state 17
EDIT FINAL SCORE CLEMSON 43 north carolina state 23
Phats- WOOHOO

Alabama Crimson Tide(Gary, Cheryl,& Booya) at Mississippi State Bulldogs
Upset Special waiting to happen! Bama coming off a huge win, and having to play a Mississippi State team that gave Florida all it could handle earlier in the season. The Bulldogs stun the Tide ending their National Championship hopes
MISSISSIPPI STATE 14 alabama 10
EDIT FINAL SCORE ALABAMA 31 mississippi state 3
Phats- D'oh

Nebraska Cornhuskers(Travis) at Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas was having a pretty good season, when they weren't brawling with the basketball team, but seemed to have gotten off track. Nebraska seems to be back to the black shirt defense they used to always tout years ago. Nebraska continues with a big win.
NEBRASKA 21 kansas 3
EDIT FINAL SCORE NEBRASKA 31 kansas 17
Phats- WOOHOO

Idaho Vandals(Shife) at Boise State Broncos(Duck)
Man i'd love to not only take Idaho, but have them actually win this game especially for Shife. Being a Boiler I know it is to be the team ignored in your own state. I got on the Boise bandwagon, and they almost lost, now they are in the media crying and whining about the 2011 season and how nobody will play them. Maybe you shouldn't be asking for a million dollar payout, how convenient that was left out your article you totally spun! I understand how frustrating it probably is, but stop crying you don't see TCU crying. Anyway, Boise will beat Idaho, but it will be closer than usual.
BOISE STATE 31 idaho 21
EDIT FINAL SCORE BOISE STATE 63 idaho 25
Phats- WOOHOO

West Virginia Mountaineers(Angel Jr) at Cincinnati Bearcats
If I weren't already picking this game it would be the game of the week, as Cincinnati tries to stay in the National Title chase with probably their toughest game of the year. The Big East is not that good, but these two teams are. Cincy let their guard down a bit with UConn last week after getting up big and almost lost, that won't happen this week as their crowd will be jacked for such a big game, and they will get by the "Eers" and keep their dream season alive.
CINCINNATI 35 west virginia 28
EDIT FINAL SCORE CINCINNATI 24 west virginia 21
Phats- WOOHOO

BIG GAME OF THE WEEK
Iowa Hawkeyes at Ohio State Buckeyes
This one is for the roses! As I believe the winner goes to the Rose Bowl, at least I know if OSU wins they definitely go to the Rose Bowl. It's hard to believe that we could very well have beaten the Big Ten Champs this year go figure. Ohio State played really really well last week in Happy Valley, and have looked to have righted the ship. The Hawkeyes saw their national title dreams evaporate to Northwestern last week after their quarterback Stanzi went out with an injury, and I don't believe he's playing Saturday. That's enough for me, Buckeyes head to Pasadena.
OHIO STATE 28 iowa 10
EDIT FINAL SCORE OHIO STATE 27 iowa 24 ot
Phats- WOOHOO

Michigan State Spartans at Purdue Boilermakers(phats)
I am actually back to be nervous about games, as we have no room for error whatsoever. My biggest concern is one of those close calls we could close out is going to come back to haunt us but I hope I am wrong. This is a definite winnable game for the Boilers, as MSU's pass defense is suspect at best, and that's what we do best so that is in our favor. It's also Senior day so there will be a TON of emotion on the field, as it's not secret how much Joey Elliott means to this team, and Coach Hope. I think it's going to be another nail biter but in the end Boilers keep post season hopes alive with a huge win.... BOILER UP... HAMMER DOWN!
PURDUE 35 michigan state 24
EDIT FINAL SCORE MICHIGAN STATE 40 purdue 37
Phats- D'oh :(

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Cal State Northridge Matadors at Purdue Boilermakers
Well the season opens Friday night as the much anticipated 2009-2010 season gets underway. Purdue opens as the #7 team in the country after returning all 5 starters, and top player off the bench, and add to that a highly touted recruiting class and you have lofty expectations. I like that they haven't shied away from the fact that the final four is in Indy, and they want to be there, and this is the first step as they cruise over the Matadors a NCAA tournament team from last year in front of the home crowd.
PURDUE 83 cal state northridge 56
EDIT FINAL SCORE PURDUE 89 cal state northridge 64
Phats- WOOHOO

Hail Hail to old Purdue all Hail to our old gold and black
Hail Hail to old Purdue our friendship may she never lack
Ever Grateful, ever true thus we raise our song a new FIRE UP!
Of the days we've spent with you, all Hail our own Purdue
GO BOILERS!

BTFU!!!

Feels Great!

The Streak Is OVER!! The Boilers defeated the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday 38-36 winning in Michigan Stadium AKA The Big House for the first time since 1966, and they did it in dramatic fashion. It was a fun game, an exciting game, and a game that kept our slim post season chances alive, and that's all you can hope for right that your next to last game is meaningful and boy is it! It didn't start out well as we went to halftime down 24-10, but the defense woke up and got the ball rolling. When the UM freshman QB Forcier pitched our defensive player got a hand on the ball deflected got the fumble and that got the ball rolling. We score right away cutting it to a 1 TD lead, but our big concern all year reared its ugly head kick off coverage as UM got a HUGE run back. They scored BOO but missed the extra point, I was glad to see it was not us for a change! Anyway, it seemed like we could do whatever we wanted on offense as we scored again to make it 30-24 then the play happened, a gutsy play to say the least. Our kicker Carson Wiggs did an onside kick that UM never saw coming and we recovered it, the very next play Joey Elliott found a wide open Smith for a beautiful TD pass and we took the lead! We would score again before UM gave it one more shot. They did score but Superman AKA Ryan Kerrigan sacked Forcier on the two point conversion, game set match! What a day, what a win! So many things went against us too, one of these worst calls I have ever seen on a Purdue punter the UM kid called for a fair catch literally fell over his OWN DAMN FEET fumbled we recovered on the 50, they called catcher interference. The replay showed there were no Boilers within 5 feet of him! The other call thank god they reversed their player was on top of our player OUT OF BOUNDS and flung a lateral, luckily it was reviewed and overturned, these refs dropped the ball. So, now it comes down to a 2 game season win both we probably go bowling(although being 6-6 guarantees nothing) we do have a great shot with Michigan State at home, and then the bucket game at IU. So said that I only have 1 lonely ticket left this season went too fast.

Guest Picking, still 2 games to go the Monday night pro game, and Ohio is playing on Tuesday but here are the standings so far.
Cheryl- 11-5 with 2 games still to play
Phats- 10-6 with 2 games still to play (90-41 overall)
If I beat cheryl she owes me desserts for life!

Around College Football
There was a bad incident at the Purdue game, I am not proud of Coach Hope for doing this, although we haven't really heard his side just an issued statement. After the game when the coaches shook hands, Coach Hope literally brought Zack Reckman an offensive lineman over with him. Here is the backstory, during the UM/ND game a Michigan player was suspended, during our game with Northern Illinois a similar play occurred with Reckman, and afterwards Coach Rodriguez said in his weekly teleconference he should be suspended too, and he was calling the Big Ten Offices, and sure even Reckman was suspended. So, after the game Saturday Coach Hope brought Reckman over, and he said "thanks coach for doing that" Yeah I am not a fan of that really, even though Rich Rodriguez is a douchebag, I mean he's known around the conference as DICKROD, not to mention he literally stole a recruit from us. Still this heats up the rivalry a tad.

Iowa's 9 lives ran out. As a Big Ten fan I was hoping they'd run the table, but when your QB who you have relied on quite a bit goes down it makes it hard. Now they have to regroup and play a red hot Ohio State team this week, that won't be easy especially if Stanzi is out.

I am not sold on Alabama. Don't get me wrong Cheryl my blogger friend has me yelling Roll Tide, I just don't think they're better than either Florida or Texas, and I am convinced their lack of offense is going to catch up to them sooner or later, almost did this past weekend. I will say this, I wish my Boilers got half the gift calls Bama gets from the zebras! That was an interception by LSU! I would have been LIVID had I been a Tiger fan.

Texas is the best team in the country right now in my opinion, however Florida seems to be finding its swagger again, I think a title game of those two would be very entertaining. I am very anti playoff, but I would be all for Texas/Florida winner taking on TCU/Boise State winner. I am not sure what to think of Boise to be honest with you, I jumped on their bandwagon, but bad teams are playing them close. I definitely think TCU is the better team of the two.

Thank you Navy for exposing the biggest fraud in college football, known as Notre Dame. All the talk was Notre Dame is going to a BCS bowl game, yet they can't even beat Navy. It's funny the ND fans are all we're the best blah blah, umm who have you beaten?! Michigan State is 5-5, we're 4-6 come on Notre Dame sucks as usual but people still kiss their ass. It's funny they are not well liked in the state of Indiana, and the news here barely even covers them. Wish the rest of the country would catch on.

NON SPORTS
The weather here lately has been absolutely gorgeous, we've been in the midst of an indian summer. Today it was 70 degrees, I literally played tennis outside at 7pm in shorts and a tshirt. The only thing I don't like is how freaking dark it is at like 5pm! BLAH!

Anyone have exciting Thanksgiving plans? I really hate that holiday, never have liked it. If it were up to me i'd either sleep thru it or volunteer at a shelter, however my mom kind of wants me at the family function, so I guess I better go. The only exciting thing about it is that Christmas is right around the corner, and I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!! Easily my favorite holiday.

Going to leave you with a video from the New Mexico/BYU womens soccer game. Has anyone seen this? It's seriously over the line, and shocking that she only got 1 yellow, or that her teammates or coach didn't stop it or take her out. I have never considered soccer a sport, and this video doesn't help its cause.


Have a great week
Phats

Time to move on, bring on scUM

When I am in season coaching and we lose a match whether it be a tough loss or a blow out, I want nothing more than to play again immediately. Good thing for Purdue football that we still have a games left after what happened in Madison Wisconsin. It definitely wasn't a treat on Halloween, it was down right ugly. Hopefully we can turn it around and go to the big house and beat the Wolverines. Michigan is one of those teams that I just don't like, I feel like they are a great example of the rich getting richer, although they have fallen on some hard times. I wonder if they regret pushing out Carr, and hiring Rich Rod?? Last year we beat them on a great hook n ladder player as time ran out, hopefully we can put the game away sooner this year, as tight games make me nervous. Kick off is set for Noon on the Big Ten Network, GO BOILERS!

I would also like to give a big shout out to the Mens Hoops team for opening up exhibition season with a 78-44 win over California of Pennsylvania. It was a good start the main stays didn't play much and the Freshmen class looked pretty good, one in particular. DJ Byrd had 11 pts on the evening. Going to be a FUN season that's for sure.

Guest picking with me is one of my favorite bloggers for many reason, but mostly because she understands my sports fanatic syndrome because she is right there with me! It's none other than Cheryl. Her blog is really good, and often has great pictures of her family if you haven't I suggest you give it a read. Cheryl's team Alabama has one of the biggest games of the year on Saturday so I figured it was only fitting she pick with me this week. She wanted to pass along this message, Onto the games, Welcome to Big Game Saturday!! My beloved Crimson Tide lays it all on the line in its game against LSU. We win and we clinch the Western division and still have a shot at the national championship! I’ll be at the game and, believe me, you haven’t experienced football until you’ve seen a battle against the LSU Tigers. They’re fan base is crazed; you never know what you’re gonna hear (or have hurled at you); and the game is always a great one! My prediction on that game later on, but on to the other picks for this week

Buffalo and Texas Tech are off this week.

PRO GAMES Pittsburgh Steelers(Rocket) at Denver Broncos
Cheryl- Denver has really been a surprise to me this year, but I’m gonna go with a win by the Steelers.
PITTSBURGH 34 denver 23
EDIT FINAL SCORE PITTSBURGH 28 denver 10
Cheryl- WOOHOO
Phats- D'oh

Phats- This is a tough one for me because former Boilermaker Kyle Orton is the quarterback for Denver, and I feel like he really got shit on after the Cutler trade, and all he has done is led Denver to a 1 loss record. Pittsburgh seems to be playing better, but I like Denver to bounce back from their first loss, especially at home in a close one.
DENVER 28 pittsburgh 21

Carolina Panthers(Topolk) at New Orleans Saints
Cheryl- Boy are the Saints impressive! Phats, your boy Drew Brees is having a great season and he is surrounded by playmakers this year. In fact, I think the Saints may win it all this year. New Orleans 42 carolina 20
(By the way, I am a HUGE Dallas Cowboys fan and have been since before birth. So I’m giving them a shout-out too! My Boys are playing really well this year, so I’m predicting a big (and very important) win against the Eagles this week.)

Phats- Well, this is my NFL team the mighty Saints with the best quarterback in the NFL and former Boilermaker Drew Brees! Brees is treated like a hero at Purdue, he can pretty much do no wrong in West Lafayette, and the people in New Orleans have taken to him as well. This week the Saints will TROUNCE the hapless Panthers, as Brees will carve up that defense with ease. WHO DAT!?
NEW ORLEANS 42 carolina 7
EDIT FINAL SCORE NEW ORLEANS 30 carolina 20
Cheryl- WOOHOO
Phats- WOOHOO

COLLEGE GAMES
Ohio Bobcats(Skii) at Buffalo Bulls
Cheryl- Buffalo ’s had a rough season, while Ohio is having a pretty good one. I think this game will follow that script and the Bobcats will win another one.
Ohio 30 buffalo 17

Phats- Last year Buffalo had a really good season, and I believe went to a bowl game. I have no idea how they are doing this year, but it's enough to make me pick them over Ohio.
BUFFALO 41 ohio 35
EDIT FINAL SCORE OHIO 27 buffalo 24
Cheryl- WOOHOO
Phats- D'oh

Kent State Golden Flashes(DG) at Akron Zips
Cheryl- In the battle of the best-matched nicknames of the week, I’m going with Kent State to flash past the Zips (mostly because the Zips have only won one game this year!).
Kent State 28 akron 10.

Phats- Not sure who to pick here so I did a coin flip, Akron was heads, Kent State was tails, and tails wins!
KENT STATE 14 akron 7
EDIT FINAL SCORE AKRON 28 kent state 20
Cheryl- D'oh
Phats- D'oh

Duke Blue Devils(David) at North Carolina Tar Heels
Cheryl- In the duel between the two teams who are just thinking, “Can we please start basketball season already?” this should actually be a pretty good game. I think it will be a close one, but then the Tar Heels will pull away in the end (capitalizing on their big win last week against Virginia Tech).
North Carolina 17 duke 14

Phats- This is a great college basketball rivalry, not so much in football. Duke proves how bad the ACC is by being in the driver's seat to win their division. However the Heels will win this one.
NORTH CAROLINA 31 duke 28
EDIT FINAL SCORE NORTH CAROLINA 19 duke 6
Cheryl- WOOHOO
Phats- WOOHOO

Fresno State Bulldogs at Idaho Vandals(Shife)
Cheryl- Wow, Idaho ’s won 7 games last year. I guess I’m gonna predict that they get to eight. Idaho 31 fresno state 21

Phats- How about them Vandals, they are having a great season Shife must be loving this! However, I don't like their chances in this one, but don't worry you're going bowling more than likely!
FRESNO STATE 49 idaho 31
EDIT FINAL SCORE FRESNO STATE 31 idaho 21
Cheryl- D'oh(you had the right score wrong winner!)
Phats- WOOHOO

Memphis Tigers at Tennessee Volunteers(Tiggy)
Cheryl- Tennessee is getting better and better by the week and their defense is scary (believe me, I saw it in person last week when they almost beat my Tide), and they should take care of Memphis quite easily.
Tennessee 28 memphis 7.

Phats- First off loved the black and orange the Vols wore on Halloween. Second off love him or hate him Kiffin has the Vols in the right direction again. My guess is this is somewhat of a rivalry game, and I am sure Memphis will play their best but it won't be enough.
TENNESSEE 31 memphis 17
EDIT FINAL SCORE TENNESSEE 56 memphis 28
Cheryl- WOOHOO
Phats- WOOHOO

Central Florida Golden Knights at Texas Longhorns(Gary and Cheryl)
Cheryl- Life is good when your two favorite teams—Alabama and Texas—are both in the top 3 and still have a shot at playing for the national title (that’s the matchup I’m wanting REALLY bad!). Texas finally looked dominant last week (after sputtering for a while, in my mind) and this game should be a walk in the park.
Texas 42 ucf 13.

Phats- Who the hell scheduled this game so late in the season? Not that it matters Texas might be the best team in the country and this will just be a breather from their Big 12 schedule. Hook Em Horns!
TEXAS 55 central florida 7
EDIT FINAL SCORE TEXAS 35 central florida 3
Cheryl- WOOHOO
Phats- WOOHOO

Louisville Cardinals at West Virginia Mountaineers(angel jr)
Cheryl- Louisville has really fallen on tough times this year (they barely beat Arkansas State last week), and I don’t think it gets any better this Saturday.
West Virginia 24 louisville 10

Phats- Doesn't seem like just yesterday that the Cardinals were tearing it up, what the hell happened? Not much of a game here, the "Eers" are clearly the better team.
WEST VIRGINIA 41 louisville 7
EDIT FINAL SCORE WEST VIRGINIA 17 louisville 9
Cheryl- WOOHOO
Phats- WOOHOO

Illinois Fighting Illini(Tsofah) at Minnesota Golden Gophers
Cheryl- Cheryl picked the Golden Gophers!
MINNESOTA

Phats- The Illini were the team of the week last week in the Big Ten knocking off Michigan and making the Wolverines more pissed off(Thanks Illinois!) Can they make it two straight? I could have sworn this team quit a few weeks ago, but now I think they have a shot to win a few more before the season ends, but not this one Minny play too good right now even without All American WR Decker.
MINNESOTA 35 illinois 21
EDIT FINAL SCORE ILLINOIS 35 minnesota 32
Cheryl- D'oh
Phats- D'oh

Boise State Broncos(Duck) at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Cheryl- This could be a good match-up for the first half, but Boise State will take control and roll over the Bulldogs very easily in the end.
Boise State 42 louisiana tech 21.

Phats- Wow there are some decent road trips in the WAC, how the hell did these two end up in a conference together?? It doesn't really matter Boise will roll, and I have officially jumped on the bandwagon, sorry shife!
BOISE STATE 49 louisiana tech 14
EDIT FINAL SCORE BOISE STATE 45 louisiana state 35
Cheryl- WOOHOO
Phats-- WOOHOO

Florida State Seminoles at Clemson Tigers(Topolk)
Cheryl- Sheesh, who wants to win this game more? From one week to the next, I can’t figure out either the Seminoles or the Tigers. I’m impressed one week, then scratching my head the next. I just have a feeling, though, the Florida State will have a down game and Clemson will win this one (besides, I really like Clemson’s coach, Dabo Swiney, who played for Alabama ).
Clemson 20 florida state 13

Phats- Ahh yes the Tigers taking on the CrimiNOLES who read at a 3rd grade level. Clemson seems to be playing better, but that Miami win doesn't look as good after they about lost at Wake Forest. I think Fla State gets a slight upset on the road here
FLORIDA STATE 28 clemson 17
EDIT FINAL SCORE CLEMSON 40 florida state 24
Cheryl- WOOHOO
Phats- D'oh

Oklahoma Sooners at Nebraska Cornhuskers(Travis)
Cheryl- I really want Nebraska to win (very few Texas fans—of which I am one—want Oklahoma to win), but I just think that Oklahoma has more offense and will win a good, competitive game.
Oklahoma 35 nebraska 28

Phats- A few weeks ago this was a great game as both teams were on the up, but now Sam Bradford is out, and Nebraska isn't playing as well. However, Nebraska prides itself on defense and defense wins championships, add that to being at home in the sea of red, and Nebraska gets a nice win over Boomer Sooner
NEBRASKA 28 oklahoma 21
EDIT FINAL SCORE NEBRASKA 10 oklahoma 3
Cheryl- D'oh
Phats- WOOHOO

BIG GAME OF THE WEEK
Ohio State Buckeyes at Penn State Nittany Lions
Cheryl- Neither team has impressed me at all this season, but I’m going with the team I like the most. In fact, I’ve always like Penn State and JoePa and all the tradition that surrounds the Nittany Lions (and I’m SO excited because we start a series against them next year!), so I’m going with a big win for Penn State this year. Ohio State gets knocked out again!
Penn State 27 ohio state 17.

Phats- The traditional big ten powers will play in what is probably a BCS elimination game. Ohio State has rebounded nicely since the Boilers put the hammer to them, while Penn State seems to just win as long as they aren't playing Iowa. Penn State has the better defense and is at home, the Lions win a squeaker.
PENN STATE 17 ohio state 14
EDIT FINAL SCORE OHIO STATE 24 penn state 7
Cheryl- D'oh
Phats- D'oh

Louisiana State Tigers at Alabama Crimson Tide(Cheryl, Gary, & Booya)
Cheryl- Okay, I’ve made it back to the main attraction for the week in college football…and I have to be honest, I’m pretty nervous! LSU always plays us strong, there is a lot riding on this game, and our offense has sputtered in the last several games. Still, our defense is great (I think it’s the best in the country!) and our running attack wears down the other team. LSU has looked impressive in their last two wins, so they’re coming in to Tuscaloosa looking the best they have all year. But throw everything out the window! I think my Bama Boys know what’s on the line (and if they haven’t, rest assured that Coach Saban has made it VERY clear to them!), and they will play their best game of the year. Alabama comes out victorious in a defensive battle, and our offense pulls a few tricks out of its pocket; a key interception, a few field goals, and some defensive stands wins it out and we’re heading to Atlanta for a rematch against Florida in the SEC championship.
Alabama 23 louisiana state 13.

Phats- I have been really hard on Alabama all season long, when in reality they are a great football team, but they have one major flaw. They have no offense to speak of, however they have the best defense in the country. I still think their offense not being able to score is going to catch up to them sooner or later, probably against Florida, but not this week. Bama takes another step towards a National Championship with a HUGE win over the tigers
ALABAMA 17 louisiana state 10
EDIT FINAL SCORE ALABAMA 24 lsu 15
Cheryl- WOOHOO(you were close!)
Phats- WOOHOO

Purdue Boilermakers(me) at Michigan Wolverines
Cheryl- I’m one of the few people in Alabama who actually keeps up with the Boilermakers (I love the looks I get when I wear my Purdue shirt to Walmart on gameday!), so I’m pulling for them to get a big win this week against Michigan . It won’t be easy, but if “Good Purdue” shows up (not the Bad Purdue who played so poorly last week against Wisconsin ), then I think they can take care of Coach Rod and his Wolverines. Boiler Up!
Purdue 21 michigan 20.

Phats- I'll be honest here we haven't won in the Big House since the 60's, even Drew Brees took a team there and lost pretty bad, so what makes me think we can win this year? It's simple this isn't a typical Michigan team. Everyone wanted to jump back onboard because they beat an overrated Notre Dame team, well not me! I think it's an average team at best, but so are we, so why can't we win?! I think we go in there and shock the crowd by building up a big lead, and then having to hold on to the bitter end but finally break the big house streak! The All American Marching Band will be in attendance and I will love hear me some Hail Purdue! BOILER UP... HAMMER DOWN!
PURDUE 35 michigan 28
EDIT FINAL SCORE PURDUE 38 michigan 36
Cheryl- WOOHOO
Phats- WOOHOO BTFU BABY!

Hail Hail to old Purdue all Hail to our old gold and black
Hail Hail to old Purdue our friendship may she never lack
Ever Grateful, ever true thus we raise our song a new FIRE UP!
Of the days we've spent with you, all Hail our own Purdue
GO BOILERS!

BTFU!!!

That was just plain ugly

Yeah, sometimes you just don't have it, and that's pretty much what happened to the Boilers on Saturday. On Halloween it was a frightening experience for sure in a 37-0 loss. I knew it was going to be a long day when Wisconsin, starting on their own 20, went 80 yards all on rushing plays and scored. We just looked like we never got off the bus for some reason, maybe they were out trick or treating the night before. Who knows, all I know is Michigan is up next and we need to just erase this one QUICKLY! The odd thing we could win out (Mich, Mich State, and IU) or loss all three who knows with this team, but one thing is for sure I am ready to move on from this ugly loss. Also the first exhibition basketball game is this Tuesday where the #7 ranked Boilermakers will take on California of Pennslyvania at 7pm. To say Boiler Nation is excited about the upcoming hoops season would be a huge understatement. Can't wait to see how we look the first time out, Boiler Up!

As for the picks, not too bad, but not great either. I think I proved that I don't follow the NFL that closely since I bit the big one predicting those games.
Phats- 8-7 (Overall 80-35)

Around College and Pro Football
Pro Football- Up until today the three undefeateds had one thing in common, anyone know what that is? Yes, all three had Boilermaker quarterbacks on their teams, of course Bree in New Orleans, Orton in Denver, and third stringer Curtis Painter with the colts! HA! Unfortunately the Broncos were beaten today to end that streak, but it was fun to brag about while it lasted.

I am not a Colts fan, just because I live in Indiana everyone assumes I root for them, NOPE sorry. I don't root against them, and I want to see them do good, but my team is the Saints. I have to root for my boy Drew Brees! I like Peyton Manning a lot though and respect him, but listening to him talk is like nails on a chalkboard. Can anyone say HICK!

Around College
I am admitting something here today, I was wrong. I have changed my mind about Boise State, because of what Oregon is doing. At first I didn't think it was that big of a win since my Boilers should have beaten the Ducks, but what they did to USC made me a believer, of both them and Boise. Could the Broncos be the best team in the country?

I would rank the top teams like this
1- Texas 2- Florida 3- Alabama 4- Boise State 5- Iowa.
Texas is the best, and probably most complete team in the country in my mind. That drubbing they put on OK State was impressive, although I wouldn't sleep on Florida they seem to be getting back on track as well. I think Alabama's not being able to do anything offense will bite them in the ass sooner or later. I am rooting for our Big Ten contender Iowa.

Speaking of Iowa, does anyone in college football have more luck on their side than the Hawkeyes? I wouldn't want to play them I know that they almost look like a team of destiny. So many close finishes, and trailing the worst team in the Big Ten Indiana, when they reeled off 27 straight 4th quarter points to pull off another come from behind win. I like Coach Ferentz so I hope they continue to do well.

I think the fact that Duke has a shot to win the ACC should prove just how bad the conference is, didn't the Blue Devils lose to Richmond?!?! The ACC is downright awful, I am pretty convinced they wouldn't win a head to head challenge with teams from Conference USA. Sorry Topolk!

Non Sports-
Did everyone have a nice Halloween? Alright who was what, what were your costumes? Kristen and I were Sally and Linus from peanuts, went to a party over at Purdue. Not a bad one had a good time.

So, I had a pretty good weekend, coming off Fall Break. Today my sister, brother in law, and nephews came over and we took my mom, and grandma to lunch. My nephews, the twins are 6, and the youngest 5, are a little crazy a times so it can be a zoo, but still funny. After lunch we hit the bookstore so I could pick up a book more on this in a bit. Anyway, my sister was telling me that one of the twins they have been having problems with lately writing on the furniture. Apparently, one day he wrote in ink pen on their couch "I love Harry Potter" So, yeah I laughed, but the story got a little funnier. They asked one of the twins thinking he did it, and his response "No I don't even know how to spell Harry Potter" so the other twin knew he was busted! haha they still can't get it out of their couch. Kids can be pretty entertaining.

I just finished a book that I literally could not put down, and was so pissed off at the ending! My sister recommend that I read this book called "The Hunger Games" and she and I have similar tastes in authors so I thought alright. Wow it was so good, I read it in 2 days! Anyway, it has a sequel so I picked that up today can't wait to start it! I love finding new books or authors it's always a real pleasure, I love to read.

Alright that's all I have, I am not even sure if anyone even reads this blog anymore. I think I could write that I am alien and nobody would know! For those of you that do thanks!! :)

Phats