College Football Idiot Savant Playoff Week 1
While championship week left a little to be desired from Buckeye fans everywhere, they only dropped one spot in the playoff. Liveforthepage went 2-1 despite the letdown, as we look forward to the first round of the playoff.
Prediction 1: Most Americans wouldn’t live in Alabama if given the choice, but those who do live for their college football. #9 Alabama (-1.5) takes another trip to Norman playoff style to see #8 Oklahoma in a rematch of the regular season contest won narrowly by Oklahoma. They say a wounded dog hunts, three loss Alabama is wounded and I wouldn’t wanna be animal control this weekend. This goes double when considering that Oklahoma gave them a loss last year as well. Three wins against Alabama by anybody would be an anomaly, and with the spread this close, Alabama covers sooner than later.
Prediction 2: In what may be the best watch of the weekend, #10 Miami travels to meet #7 Texas A&M (-3) in Saturday’s noon game. The last two matchups between these two sides split evenly, and it should stay close, but I don’t think that’s the college football story here. The story is that in your second big year of the 12 team playoff, with all the money and media attention, playoff week one will be in the books by 3:30 Saturday afternoon. I say that because the remaining two games will be snooze-fests relegated to TNT/HBO Max that few will watch or care about. If this is the premium product of the college football year, how do the remaining two games have spreads of -17.5 and -21 respectively where you also limit the viewership to cable? Texas A&M covers, then you’ll need to cover the rest of the Saturday in ranch dressing watching something else.
Prediction 3: In that vein, #12 James Madison takes its freshly minted FBS program up to Eugene to face #5 Oregon (-21). Not only is this one of the toughest places in the country to play, but I don’t think Oregon will need to lean into crowd noise after the first 4 possessions when this is a 14-0 chase for a cover. Respect to James Madison for getting here, I don’t have any material about them yet, but give it one more playoff run and I’ll have jokes. Mostly I just hate this matchup for the fans and my entertainment prospects on Saturday, Oregon covers and it might get ugly.
Shout out to the alma mater for finishing strong and landing a spot in the Boca Raton Bowl, Toledo students need as much sun as they can get this time of year. I’ll be monitoring the score from my cubicle on Tuesday, and Louisville should be a fun matchup. However, the only reason to ever find oneself in Kentucky is for the subsidized cigarettes, and Rocket senior Tucker Gleason is gonna be smokin’ defensive backs all day. Hope you enjoy the games and the holiday everyone, always remember to abide.
Summary:
#9 Alabama covers -1.5
#7 Texas A&M covers -3
#5 Oregon covers -21
Record: 32-16-2
College Football Idiot Savant Week 11
Win, loss and push was not what I was hoping for with last week’s picks, but that’s gambling. Credit to Vandy for keeping in close enough for the push against a traditional powerhouse, and props to the Buckeyes for leaving no doubt against Penn State. I saw there were rumblings about making certain prop bets illegal, which makes sense considering the rampant opportunities for abuse, so get your silly ones in while you can.
Prediction 1: The long distance dedication pick of the week comes from all the honor code followers at #7 Brigham Young University. They would like this one to go out to all their unloved girlfriends who, in their hearts, wish they were dating men from #8 Texas Tech (-10). The Cougars are getting ten points as a top ten team, and this could turn into a blowout, but I’m going Casey Kasem on this one: BYU and the points.
Prediction 2: I never expected Missouri to come up in the picks this frequently when we started the season, but I’ve got one reference left. #3 Texas A&M (-6.5) will visit #22 Missouri on Saturday and they will cover nonchalant style. The real best thing to ever come out of Missouri is the 2010 coming of age drama, Winter’s Bone featuring our introduction to Jennifer Lawrence. Aggies cover.
Prediction 3: As the radio advertising in Columbus reiterates this week, Drew Brees no longer plays for Purdue, so there isn’t much to worry about this week. However, #1 Ohio State (-29.5) with nearly a thirty point spread is a little rich for my blood. I think the Buckeyes will systematically dismantle Purdue, but in their interest of preserving bodies and sportsmanship, it may not get to thirty. That’s not to say you won’t see some showmanship and skill in big plays, everybody should eat on Saturday, but take Purdue and the points.
Shout out to the Toledo Rockets getting back on track with a 42-3 win over Northern Illinois in some Wednesday Maction. The Rockets may not win the conference this year, but they always make me proud. Well, except for the various point shaving scandals throughout the years, but I digress. Enjoy the matchups this weekend, don’t get baited into picking an Iowa upset in Autzen, it ain’t happenin’. Get yourself some Black Dog Pizzeria this weekend to change things up, fantastic specialty pizza.
Summary:
BYU and the points +10
Texas A&M to cover -6.5
Purdue and the points +29.5
Record: 23-12-2
College Football Idiot Savant Week 2
What a great week one it was, Lee Corso makes his last headgear pick count, and the three top ten matchups didn’t disappoint. Upon further self reflection, I realize I should pick Notre Dame to cover more. For those counting at home that makes it a two game losing streak for the domers, they better start praying harder if they hope to make the playoff. Shout out to Florida State for knocking off Alabama, and setting up a good one for the first week of October against Miami.
Prediction 1: If you’re looking for some good MACtion this week, look no further than the Toledo Rockets. Toledo put up a fight against an SEC opponent last week in Kentucky, and this week they are (-6.5) favorites against Western Kentucky. This one will be held at the Glass Bowl however, so I trust the band will help march them right down the field, first down after first down. Look for them to cover, paving the way, one week at a time, to that matchup on October 11th with that team from the Pemberville exit.
Prediction 2: The real savants in Las Vegas aren’t putting out a spread on the Buckeye game until hours before kickoff, so I’ll go prop bet here. This one will be particularly ugly and unwatchable, so I hope you have a great Saturday spread, or better yet a tee time. Look for Ohio State to put up over 300 yards of offense as they work their way through the backups. The best thing about this game will be whatever food you consume while watching.
Prediction 3: Bring out the Sooner wagon, the only game this week between ranked teams is a middle tier SEC/BIG Ten matchup between #18 Oklahoma (-4.5) and #15 Michigan. As great as week one was, these are the kind of weeks where I look at the Xfinity race as an alternative. That being said, it is a primetime game between ranked teams that will have great atmosphere in support of an Oklahoma cover. Oklahoma has more frequent earthquakes now due to all the fracking, but the maze and blue will be the only ones on shaky ground.
There is a feel of muted confidence on campus this week after the big win. It will be interesting to see how far the Buckeyes carry their new #1 ranking, as I am not predicting an undefeated season. Pro tip: Tommy’s pizza in Dublin opens at 11 am on Saturdays, with the 3:30 kickoff that gives you a window to get the best damn pizza in Columbus for your viewing.
Summary:
Toledo covers -6.5
Ohio State over 300 yards total offense
Oklahoma covers -4.5
Current record: 2-2
It’s a Wonderful Life of Albums: Oracular Spectacular
Everyone should have a psychedelic rock album from their youth, and in 2007 we got ours. Oracular Spectacular was the studio album debut for soon to be indie giants MGMT, and nothing sounds more like my sophomore year of college than this record. Formed by Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden at Wesleyan University in 2002 as freshman, MGMT would explode into the mainstream with a blend of psychedelia, electronica and indie rock that was as catchy as it was brilliant.
The trip starts with the single, “Time to Pretend” a wonderful synthesizer filled ode to dying young and all the fun you can have. There is a point in everyone’s partying youth that this ethos seems plausible, if only momentarily. The hook during the chorus is instantly recognizable, and the lyrics were canon among college students at the time. As they agree to live fast and die young, the future seems absurd, “Yeah it’s overwhelming, but what else can we do? Get jobs in offices and wake up for the morning commute?”
Further on the journey we run into a song about a special lady with the magic touch in, “Electric Feel.” The grooving bass drives a stomping beat that makes you want to move, as slowly as you like of course. This one will hook you with its’ ear worm quality and its hard not to bounce with the chorus, “I said, ‘Ooh girl, shock me like an electric eel, babygirl, turn me on with your electric feel.’” Infectious doesn’t even begin to describe this song at a house party, and this album should come with glow sticks.
The highest charting single on the album, “Kids” which peaked at number nine on the billboard alternative list is one of the best songs of my college years. The synth-heavy track oozes with pop sensibility, the melodic lead synth line that permeates is contagious and it’s really fantastic on large speakers. I have never understood what this song was about, and I have never cared, it’s pop perfection. I have to mention the acoustic cover of the song by The Kooks in 2008 is also worth looking up, in the realm of indie-sublime.
This record came out during the perfect time for me to hear it, and I am nostalgic about it. It’s not rosy retrospection however and I am not overapraising it. It appears on Rolling Stone’s, “Top 500 Albums of All Time” 2012 list at #494, as well as on every roommate’s iPod from the late oughts. It’s a very easy listen with some drinks and friends or your favorite psychedelic sweetener, and it’s catchy choruses just may expand your mind as well.
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