I Smell A Rat...Or Two

First and foremost, a belated thank you to all our veterans!!!!  Yesterday was Veterans Day and like all Americans, I would like to extend my appreciation to all former and current members of the military for protecting our freedom and from dangers we don't even realize exist.  THANK YOU!!!

Now on to some sports talk. The biggest news in the sports world, by far, is the Cam Newton situation at Auburn University.  As a brief review, several individuals with ties to the Mississippi State football program have accused Cam's father of looking for money to get his son to commit to their school.  There was also a "leak" from the University of Florida, where Cam originally attended before transferring to a junior college, that he cheated in three classes and was on the verge of getting expelled.  Obviously, I have no idea what is true regarding this situation, but it isn't looking good for Cam.  But one thing i definitely notice is a common thread among the coaches.  The head coach at MSU, Dan Mullen, was the offensive coordinator at Florida while Cam was there.  It seems that being an assistant for Urban Meyer teaches you more than just being a good coach.  Could it be just coincidence that these stories are getting out to the media at the same time???  The cynic in me says no chance.  This information seems to be coming out at the perfect time to distract Cam and his teammates as they push forward to win the SEC West and then play in the SEC title game against...most likely Florida.  Auburn losing and looking bad will greatly benefit MSU in recruiting and winning a SEC title obviously looks good for Florida, especially in what is considered a down year for them.  In a world of millions of dollars for universities, football programs and football coaches, I put nothing past anyone involved in this story. 

Apparently, mid week picks are not my forte.  Miami(OH) beat Bowling Green by three, which was good for me as I had them minus 2.5, but some of you may not have gotten as good of a number.  Given that, I will call that game a push for me, especially since I was even willing to lay as many as four.  As for the Spurs, they did once again beat down the Clippers, but by only 12.  I was expecting the line to be about 10 but it was actually at 14, so no good for me.  That teaches me to be a little bit more specific when giving out future picks.  All that said, the 0-1-1 mid week leaves me at 2-4-1 since I began this blog.  But the weekend is here and if last weekend tells us anything, this is where we can make a little coin.  First up is a visit to the well.  I am hoping it isn't dry yet as Michigan takes on Purdue this week, with an over/under number at 61.5.  The last three years these teams have played the scores have been, 48-21, 48-42 and 38-36, for an average of just under 78 points.  The injuries on Purdue's offense scares me a bit, but I have faith in the failings of Michigan's defense...give me the OVER.  Next up is Virgina Tech travelling to Chapel Hill to play North Carolina.  The Hokies are currently favored by 3.5.  The visitor in this series has won 4 of 6 and Tech is 19-2 in conference games played in November.  Since the letdown against James Madison, Virginia Tech has not lost and is looking like the preseason top 10 team we all thought they were.  North Carolina has done itself proud playing through all the distractions and suspensions, but now they have lost Johnny White, starting RB, for the season.  Against a great team it will be a bit too much this week.  I am laying the 3.5 and taking the Hokies, but shop around on the number...I was able to get it at minus 3.  My third pick of the week is Oklahoma State at Texas, where the Cowboys are favored by 5.  I may be getting suckered here, but OSU should win this game by double digits, easily.  Texas just isn't very good this year and everyone just keeps waiting on them to be the same team they have been the last decade.  Well, they were for one week, against Nebraska, but now it's just all downhill for the Longhorns.  Give me the Cowboys minus the 5.  Normally I will give you three games for every weekend, but this week you get a bonus game.  In response to a loyal reader, I took a closer look at the South Florida at Louisville game.  In this series, the visitor is 0-7.  Louisville is coming back home after back to back road games, which they split,  and South Florida is coming off a very unimpressive win against Rutgers.  I tried to trust Coach Holtz and the QB BJ Daniels I saw light up Cincinnati, but I can't stay on that bandwagon.  I'll take the Cardinals minus 2.5.  Good luck and don't forget, never bet what you can't afford to lose.