Fearless football predictions say it's time to start a second career

The Big Mac Blog began this season with $50 of Monopoly money. I plan to mock bet, against the line, five games from college or the NFL every week to determine whether I should make my second career as a gambler.
 

Week 3 Results:
1. Arkansas at Alabama (-11.5): Tide. WIN
2. Cal at Washington (pick 'em): Huskies. WIN
3. Rice at Baylor (-20.5): Bears. WIN
4. 49ers at Bengals (-2.5): Bengals. LOSS. So, so, so, so very, very, very stupid. I'm an idiot.
5. Steelers (-10.5) at Colts: Steelers. LOSS. Where has this defense been, Indy?

Season Results:
College: 8-1
NFL: 2-2-1 

I have been plus $10 every week for a total cash value: plus $30.

But the pro game is killing me.

 

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The only Ranger to have a shot at any AL MVP votes is the guy they keep trying to dump

Baseball's painfully long regular season will end in three days, and the seamhead world is all aflutter that a pitcher may be the AL's MVP. YOU CAN'T DO THAT!
Arguing for Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander as the AL MVP is an easy pitch to hit. His stats are, what the kids say, sick: 24-5, 251 ip., 4 cg, 2 sho, 174 hits, 57 bb, 250 k

And this is a guy who in 2008 finished in 11-17. I am OK with a starting pitcher winning an MVP award. He accounted for nearly 25 percent of his team's wins.

But the first-place Rangers, who could very well finish with the second-best record in the American League, must have a vialble MVP candidate. Right? They could finish with 96 wins, and the only guy who figures to be among the top five in votes will be the one guy they keep trying to get rid of: Michael Young.

In 156 games, Young is batting .338 with 41 doubles, 85 runs, 209 hits, 6 triples, 11 home runs, and 104 RBI and a .380 on base percentage.

The signing of Adrian Beltre to replace Young at third, as much as I hated it at the time, has worked out when Beltre has been in the lineup. He has provided a monster bat, and been an upgrade defensively at third over Young. But Beltre, because of injury, has been limited to 121 games.

In all fairness, this discussion would be different had Josh Hamilton been healthy all season. As a per-game player, no one remains as dangerous and as difficult to get out as Hamilton.
 In 118 games, he has 25 home runs, 93 RBI, 31 doubles and a .300 batting average. If he played in 150 games, Hamilton would have been a serious contender for the AL MVP with Jacoby Ellsbury, Verlander and Curtis Granderson.

But Hamilton didn't play in that many games, so he is not a part of the discussion that only Michael Young is on the fringe of. 
Just know that there is no such thing as your-first place Texas Rangers without Michael Young. 

 

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Monday morning drive through: Three old Dallas Cowboys are behind the Bills' 3-0 start

Was going to rail on the Aggies leaving the Big 12 for the SEC, but I'm tired of it.
And apparently Molly Sims is married now, so that is off her bucket list.

Instead it's more fun to comment on the most unlikely start of any NFL team today: The Buffalo Bills are 3-0. That means both the Bills and the Detroit Lions are undefeated.

At the heart of this, besides a Harvard educated quarterback absolutley killing it right now, are three old Dallas Cowboys coaches: Chan Gailey, Dave Wannstedt and Bruce DeHaven. Throw in former TCU player and assistant coach Curtis Modkins, too.

I do not think this will hold up in Buffalo, but it's hard not to be happy for these guys, and the people who have suffered with this team for so long.

When Gailey was hired to take this job in 2010 it was considered a rather large white-flag hire by the Bills. The thought was no one really wanted the job. The Bills haven't made the playoffs since 1999, and had one only winning season since that time. Gailey is their fifth head coach since 2000.

Gailey was the guy hired to replace Barry Switzer by Jerry Jones in 1998, and went 18-14 in two seasons before Jerry fired him and replaced him with Dave Campo. Jerry called the decision to fire Chan that quickly a mistake. At that point, however, the talent on the roster was sliding and few head coaches were going to be able to reverse that trend.

Wanstedt was a member of Jimmy Johnson's original staff in Dallas, and later was a part of that crew that went on to get his chance as a head coach. He was the head coach in Chicago, Miami and most recently the University of Pittsburgh where he proved once and for all, as a head coach he makes a wonderful defensive coordinator.

And then there is DeHaven, who was the Bills' special teams coach during their run of dominance in the '90s before he was fired off Wade Phillips' staff as the man responsible for the Music City Miracle. DeHaven joined Bill Parcells' staff in Dallas for his time there before he left, and is now in the place he probably never really wanted to leave.
The NFL may not have have a better man as a coach than DeHaven.

The Bills' 3-0 start, I don't think, will be able to last only because they are giving up so many points right now that to think they are going to be able to point-whip teams every week is unrealistic. But for this team, and this trio of coaches, it's good to enjoy it while they can.

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Quote of the day

Christine: You will end up childless and alone.

Will: Well, fingers crossed, yeah.

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College football reality check: Red Raiders 1/2 towards bowl eligibility & Ryan Tannehill does a good Jerrod Johnson impersonation

1. The Big Day That Was in the top 25 was moslty a collection of blowouts and dogs. LSU's beat down of West Virginia was reflective of the entire Top 25 day but one.
Every game involving Top 25 teams was decided by double digits, except ...

No. 24 Illinois 23, Western Michigan 20
No. 25 Georgia Tech 35, North Carolina 28
No. 21 Clemson 35, Florida State 30
No. 7 Okie State 30, No. 8 Texas A&M 29 

2. Football in  Indiana is wretched, or at least it can't hang with teams from Texas. The two flag ship schools in the Hoosier state, Purdue and Indiana, both of the Big 10, can't beat some of the worst teams in Texas. 
North Texas defeated Indiana, 24-21 on Saturday. North Texas defeated Indiana. North Texas. Defeated. Indiana. 
In Week 2, Purdue lost at Rice to snap the Owls' 10-year losing streak against BCS teams.

3. Tommy Tuberville knew what he was doing when he got out of the game at TCU. The man knows how to schedule him some junk to get bowl eligibility status, get that bowl appearance bonus, and secure his job.
The Red Raiders are 3-0 after getting fat on Texas State, New Mexico and most recently a wild comeback at home to defeat Nevada by one point.
This team is going to get crushed by the Sooners, Cowboys, Aggies and probably Bears, too, but it will get to a bowl.

4. Not sure how else to spell it out for the Aggies. That was about as bad of a loss as they've had in a long, long time. At least they did cut down on the turnovers against the Cowboys.
The Aggies had four second half turnovers at Kyle Field.
In 2010 in Stillwater, Jerrod Johnson had five turnovers.
So the Aggies have made an improvement.
Add it up and it's another nasty loss, and a giant D on this dude's report card. 

5. The upgrades at Amon G. Carter Stadium are going to be really slick and nice. Just don't expect a breeze ever again. The way the stadium is being enclosed at each endzone means the winds that once came through the place are no more.
The TCU game against Portland State was a total snore.

6. The game I really look forward to: LSU at Alabama, Nov. 5.

6.5 After opening with two losses since returning to San Marcos, Dennis Franchione is now 2-2 at Texas State.

7. No. 1 Oklahoma is really, really good and Ryan Broyles is the best WR in the nation, but .... the Sooners are not better than LSU or Alabama. The Sooners' defense is good, but the defense played by the Tigers and Tide have an edge of nastiness that the Sooners don't currently have.

8. Missouri QB James Franklin is going to be really good, but he needs to quit drifiting to his right every time a play breaks down.

9. Kansas coach Turner Gill's timing couldn't have been any worse - he's going to be get crushed by Kansas State coach Bill Snyder, who may be the best coach in the Big 12. The Wildcats won in Miami last season, and Synder is the big reason why.

9.5 What Baylor QB Robert Griffin III is doing is now beyond stupid: He has completed 70 of 82 passes for 962 yards with 13 touchdowns and no interceptions.
That means he has more TD throws than incompletions.
And he's only a junior. 

10. The Big 10 sucks.

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Today is more proof why the Big 10 is in a junk cycle

FULL DISCLOSURE - I take great pride in being from the Midwest, and equal parts pride in ripping the most overrated, bloated and entitled football conference in America: The Big 10.

The conference's pitiful performance in last year's bowl season was just more proof that, as of right now, it's in a down cycle and can't compete with the warm weather schools. The Big 10's slate of games suggests it doesn't even want to try.

Michigan best be careful with San Diego, State, but other than that game the directional schools from Michigan and two Dakotas will be receiving large appearance fees and getting their collective fannies kicked at the dispense of the mighty Big 10. Thank God it has its own network to televise this crap ...

Central Michigan at Michigan State

San Diego State at Michigan

Eastern Michigan at Penn State
LA-Monroe at Iowa
Colorado at Ohio State
South Dakota at Wisconsin

Western Michigan at Illinois
North Dakota State at Minnesota
Indiana at North Texas

Nebraska at Wyoming

Purdue, which recently managed to do the impossible by losing to Rice, is off, but it's a 3-point underdog despite that reality.

Nebraska is also off, but will allegedly hold a celebration in managing to get away from DeLoss Dodds and Texas. (To all - this was written as a joke because NU was at Wyoming).

Michigan will get a lot better under Brady Hoke, and Wisconsin is legit ... but this slate of games is garbage.

 

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The search for college football games is a winner

Today is a good day. 
The Rangers have won the AL West for the second consecutive seasons. When is MLB going to discontinue with its bad hats? They are too stiff.

Equally good news is that Saturday football schedule is loaded with real games. Not fake ones, although because the Big 10 exists there will always be garbage on the TV every Saturday.

Notre Dame at Pitt - Not sure why this counts, but I call this the Underachievement Bowl. The Irish are better than their 1-2 record.

Georgia at Ole Miss - The losing coach will say to the other after the game, "Sorry, man ... I know you're going to be fired now."

Oklahoma State at TexasA&M - The Aggies host a top 10 game for the first time at Kyle Field for the first time since the '70s. Aggies should have won in Stillwater last season, and will win this one because their QB won't turn it over a dozen times.

Arkansas at Alabama - This is better on paper than it will be on the field. Alabama is going to put a beat down on a hurting Arkansas team.

Nevada at Texas Tech - Tommy Tuberville has loaded his non-conference schedule with junk, but this may be harder than he realized. At least harder than Texas State.

LSU at West Virginia - LSU will win, but couches will burn in Morgantown. This game begins at 7 p.m., 8 ET. Can you imagine the alcohol consumption today up there?

Florida State at Clemsnon - Both teams are going in wildly different directions. The Seminoles are coming off a difficult loss at home against No. 1 OU, while the Tigers are coming off an emotional home win against Auburn.

Missouri at Oklahoma - The Sooners were No. 1 the last time they faced the Tigers, and lost, last season in Missouri. That won't happen in Norman, where the Tigers haven't won since 1493. That's not a misprint.

USC at Arizona State - Don't think for a moment Larry Scott isn't rooting for the Sun Devils. The Pac 12's best team may be USC, but it's ineligble for the first Pac 12 title game because of various violations. In the spirit of irony, go Trojans! 

 

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Week 3 Fearless football predictions: Hard not to like the Tide

The Big Mac Blog began the season with $50 of Monopoly money. The plan is to mock bet, against the line, five games from college/NFL every week to determine whether I should make my second career as a professional gambler.

Record:  6-3-1, and plus $20

1. Arkansas at Alabama (-11.5): Tide. Hogs are hurt, and Tide is at home.

2. Cal at Washington (pick 'em): Huskies. UW opened as 3-point favorites, and I just have a feeling.

3. Rice at Baylor (-20.5): Bears. The game is at home, and RGIII should go off.

4. 49ers at Bengals (-2.5): Bengals. I'm a dope for picking this, but I'm an Andy Dalton guy.

5. Steelers (-10.5) at Colts: Steelers. Let's face it, the Colts need some Luck.

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Brett Hull on Mike Modano's retirement, and other musings on the final day for Modano as a Star

DALLAS - A bit bizarre to watch 41-year-old Mike Modano formally announce his retirement today. It was sad and happy at the same time. Not many guys in pro sports get to do it this way. You knew it couldn't last for forever, but it always felt like it would.

The most "unique" part of the day at the Ritz Carlton Hotel ballroom in Dallas was loud, party sounds coming from the room behind the press conference. It, apparently, was a celebrity waiter party where alcohol was flowing. So as Mike Modano tearfully tries to get through his speech, party sounds are blaring through as well as the song, "YMCA". 

Other highlights ...

* Seeing Brett Hull, Richard Matvichuk, former Stars president Jim Lites, former Stars owner Norm Green, Craig Ludwig, Stu Barnes and a host of other current and past players brought to mind just how many players Modano played with in his career.

* Not seeing former Stars owner Tom Hicks there was a bit odd. And sad. Tom really liked Mike a lot.

* Listening to Modano thank his wife, Willa, before saying, "I really wish you could have seen me play when I was 27 or 28." Willa replied from the audience, "I was in elementary school then."

*  Watching Modano's mother, Karen, come up to her son near the end of the speech as he thanked his parents. She reached out to him and they hugged before he said, "Now go sit down."

* Personally, it was a very surprising touch when Modano thanked members of the FW/d media, including Mike Heika, Dale Hansen, Randy Galloway, the "clowns" from the Ticket and, "Jen and Mac Engel". Really wasn't expecting that.

Here is what Brett Hull had to say about Mike Modano: 

"You don't think it's ever going to end and then you wake up one day and you're like, 'Where did it all go?'" Hull said. "Every day playing with Mo was awesome. To get a part of that every day and watch that, and I was fortunate enough to be able to play with a guy - Adam Oates - who thought the same way, and then there was two or three years where I didn't have anyone to play with - and then to come to Dallas and to be able to play with Mike was great. We think the same way on the ice and have the same philosophies and you have such a greater appreciation for who he was when I played with him. 

"To be able to play with him and along side him I had a much greater appreciation for his talents. It's sad that it's over, but it's great that he gets ready to start with a new part of his life."

 

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Does TCU Nation want to be a part of the DeLoss Dodd's 12?

With the Pac 12 giving UT and DeLoss Dodds the "We're No. 1" salute and Oklahoma's leverage seemingly stripped, the Big 12 Minus Beebe is looking for a 10th school after A&M heads East to the SEC.

I didn't believe it when I first heard it, but there is some actual traction to the Big 12 looking to add TCU.

If the Big 12 is looking to add another TV market, adding TCU makes no sense.
If the Big 12 is looking to add a quality school/athletic department, adding TCU makes perfect sense.

Selfishly, I would love watching UT, Baylor, Kansas, OU and OSU all come to Fort Worth every year to play basketball, football, etc. It is the type of regional affiliation that college sports needs, and should retain.

But not everyone at TCU is thrilled with saying "Thanks, but we got a better date" to the Big East before it even joins the league that invited them less than one year ago. It looks bad.
And not everyone at TCU is thrilled with being a part of a conference that, as of right now, still appears to be under the influence of a certain athletic director in Austin.

Then there is the competitive issue.
Answer this: Where does TCU fit in this Big 12 equation:

Iowa State
Oklahoma State
Texas
Baylor
Kansas State
Oklahoma
Texas Tech 
Kansas
Missouri

Answer this: Where does TCU fit in this Big East equation, assuming UConn actually gets its wish and leaves and the conference adds one or two more football schools:
South Florida
West Virginia
Cincinnati
Louisville
Rutgers 

If the Big East can recruit some adequate replacements for the departures of Pitt and Syracuse, and thus keep its AQ status, the easier ticket is the Big East in everything but men's basketball.

Selfishly, however, if the Big 12 invites TCU I am pushing for a "Yes".

What does TCU Nation want?

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