The Picker: Notable storylines get gloomy updates
BY The Picker
Thursday, December 29, 2011
1/02/12 at 12:28 PM
Click here to read The Picker's Blog
Original Print Headline: Notable storylines get gloomy updates
Here are the results of some stories we've been working on for some while.
Congratulations to the fans of Missouri and North Carolina for avoiding the Independence Bowl. The announced attendance was around zero. Staying away is the only hope of ending the epidemic of bowl nonsense.
College basketball in this state is as dead as an air ball. Oklahoma State is giving away free tickets for its upcoming game with Virginia Tech. ORU celebrated selling out its bottom section for a change. TU draws crickets. OU is the best hoop team in the state.
It is puzzling to note that Mike Stoops is thought to be such a good coach, yet his numerous Arizona teams couldn't play a lick of defense.
The Thunder's Perkins is still getting his one basket, or so, per game. But at least now he looks like a player. Pass the channel flipper, the NBA season is over, it's the Thunder versus Miami in the finals, with the Heat taking the title in six games. All you have to watch of any NBA game is the last five minutes, as little that happens earlier has a bearing on the end game.
Extreme violence has turned the NFL upside down. Running games and defenses are irrelevant. Best quarterbacks and receivers win.
Playing Iowa in a bad bowl seems to have robbed Bob Stoops of the last of his sense of humor.
Lower the school flags to half-staff. There are no football bowl games Jan. 1, once the hallowed day of the collegiate gridiron. This disfigurement of the game is the final blow to a failed system in which every game counts only if you're a gambler or an ESPN employee.
PICKS
Thursday
Champs Sports Bowl, Notre Dame versus Florida State (-3): Winner to be tabbed second most disappointing.
State by 1.
Alamo Bowl, Washington versus Baylor (-9 1/2): The new Baylor is one game away from becoming the old Baylor, bye, bye quarterback.
Baylor by 8.
Friday
Armed Forces Bowl, TU vs. BYU (-1 1/2): Has TU had a successful season?
Nope. Sorry, the Houston fiasco left a bad taste.
The TU quarterback owes everybody one, himself included, prior to the NFL draft.
Will a win turn the season for the better? Sure.
TU by 4.
Pinstripe Bowl, Iowa State versus Rutgers (-2): Yankees to wave, leave stadium.
First of several Big 12 blushes.
Rutgers by 4.
Music City Bowl, Wake Forest versus Mississippi State (-6 1/2): Beats work.
State by 7.
Insight Bowl, Iowa versus OU (-14): How about that tour of the music instrument museum! And some thought Phoenix was comprised only of geezer golf.
To the points: OU had a lousy year. Iowa stinks.
Why wouldn't Landry Jones want to come back a year, postponing the money and horrific hits.
He needs to get mobile.
Wonder who OSU will cheer for as it looks down its nose at this one.
OU by 4.
Saturday
Meineke Bowl, Northwestern versus Texas A&M (-13): Aggie 2012 schedule includes: Florida, Alabama, LSU, Ark, Auburn. That's no Aggie joke, that's Aggie taps.
Aggies by 10.
Sun Bowl, Utah versus Georgia Tech (-7): Beats the flu.
Tech by 4.
Liberty Bowl, Cincy versus Vandy (-1 1/2): Beats jail.
Vandy by 4.
Fired Coaches Bowl, UCLA versus Illinois (-2 1/2): Players to wear sacks over helmets?
Illinois by 6.
Chick-Fil-A Bowl, Virginia versus Auburn (-3): Is this Auburn team next year's OSU?
Auburn by 7.
New Year's Day
Baltimore (-3) at Cincinnati: Gresham OU's best in the pros.
Pressure attacks rookie Cincy QB.
Baltimore by 6.
Kansas City at Denver (-3 1/2): Could Tebow be the grandson of old ESPN blabbermouth Bayless?
Denver by 7.
Dallas at the Giants (-3): Meddling owner Jones is the common thread tying all the bad years together.
Giants by 7.
Monday
TicketCity Bowl, Penn State versus Houston (-6): Back to being bowl ineligible for Houston.
Houston by 9.
Capital One Bowl, Nebraska versus South Carolina (-2): Hot heads sling coaching hats along sideline.
Nebraska by 3.
Outback Bowl, Michigan State versus Georgia (-3 1/2): Which conference has the best scrubs?
Georgia by 6.
Gator Bowl, Ohio State versus Florida (-2): Big names, little games.
Ohio State by 3.
Fiesta Bowl, Stanford versus OSU (-3 1/2): Imagine if the winner of this got the Alabama-LSU victor.
Imagine the excitement, the drama, the interest.
Back to reality: It's a fancy exhibition.
A big Cowboy win would help convince the remaining couple or three BCS fans how lousy the system is.
Is OSU out of the top 15 without Weeden?
OSU by 7.
Tuesday
Sugar Bowl, Virginia Tech versus Michigan (-2 1/2): Worst Sugar Bowl ever.
Tech by 2.
Wednesday
Orange Bowl, West Virginia versus Clemson (-3 1/2): Worst Orange bowl ever.
Clemson by 7.
Associated Images:
|
