The Picker: Bob Stoops tops this week's hot topics
BY The Picker
Thursday, September 27, 2012
9/27/12 at 11:51 AM
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Original Print Headline: Halloween refs among hot topics
You think that a few people might go as replacement refs this Halloween?
Bumping into street signs. Falling off curbs. Dropping candy.
Here are five hot topics.
1. Bob Stoops.
He has settled into the John Cooper routine. The former TU coach perfected the art of winning just enough at Ohio State to keep the hotheads off his back. Criticize a coach with a 9-3 record? Are you nuts? Stoops has never thrown in a stinker year and benefits from all the Auburns and Miamis of the world, big names much worse.
He has the OU job as long as he wants it.
2. Gambling.
Picking winners with the real refs is hard enough. With the Halloween refs, it's harder than betting on a coin flip.
Backdoor covers are the bane of the football gambler's existence. Backdoor covers happen when a bum like Dallas gives up a late score and wins the game but doesn't cover the point spread.
Losing real money on a backdoor cover is like leaving your billfold in a gentleman's club.
3. Running quarterbacks.
Four NFL quarterbacks are known as hot runners: Tebow, RG3, Vick, Newton. One gives testimony from the bench. The other three just lost.
4. The second best team in college football.
Don't ask "genius" and media hustler Phil Steele, who had OU winning it all.
The second-best is not the team whose fight song is "Dueling Banjos," West Virginia, as the defense is not worthy. It's not LSU, there's no quarterback again this decade. South Carolina is close, but is an exploding cigar on offense. Oregon with one loss? Maybe. Its defense is suspect and the quarterback has a runner's arm. Florida State is a media darling with a Play-Doh schedule, and has only Florida left.
Once again, the depressing BCS is a guessing game, a popularity contest.
Bama versus Florida State is the most likely title all south combo.
5. Sam Bradford.
Great guy who needs to step it up. And step it over. He needs quicker feet and a snappier release. With all the lousy-players-around-him excuses, you'd think he was still at OU.
PICKS
Saturday
Texas (-2 1/2) at Oklahoma State: It's the new Texas, with coach Mack trying to turn every series into a cage-fighting match.
The team has been revamped toward power football and a blitzkrieg defense that confuses its own self. An improved quarterback is capable of repeatedly throwing short passes close to receivers.
The former Texas quarterback is bouncing them off cars at SMU.
If Mack has another rotten year, they'll name a goal post for him and usher him up to a guest suite.
Hard to shake the image of the team that obliterated O-State being shut out by Oregon.
Texas by 6.
Tulsa (-13 1/2) at UAB: The TU quarterback is on the clock due to wild throws.
TU is a well-coached team full of nice players that is fighting an uphill PR battle after the opening loss to Iowa State.
A weekly routine is building up a strange foe.
TU by 14.
Arkansas at Texas A&M (-13): Battle of SEC victims.
The good news from the Arkansas side is that the Razorbacks may be too bad for one of those cut-rate bowls.
When they called the Hog defense, some skunks showed up.
It won't matter who the new coach is with those loafers on defense.
Home team by 14.
Texas Tech (-2) at Iowa State: Think Missouri and the Aggies might miss these two?
State by 3.
TCU (-17) at SMU: The BMWs are SMU's, the pick-ups, TCU.
SMU seemed better right after the death penalty wore off.
TCU by 20.
Baylor at West Virginia (-11): Mountain folk have the Heisman favorite pretty much by default.
The new Baylor quarterback has a howitzer.
Defense takes a holiday.
WV by 16.
Ohio State at Michigan State (-2): Big Ten's best looks to crack the nation's top 30.
Ohio State by 4.
Tennessee at Georgia (-13 1/2): Looking at the likes of these down the road, Missouri and the Aggies consider begging for re-entry to the Big 12.
Georgia by 14.
Oregon State at Arizona (-3): Solid minor bowl stock.
Zona by 6.
Wisconsin at Nebraska (-12 1/2): The Nebraska quarterback auditions for the Canadian league.
Home team by 20.
Sunday
New England (-3) at Buffalo: Brady versus some Ivy League guy with a beard?
New England by 7.
San Francisco (-3) at the Jets: The third quarter should be Tebow time with the Jets trailing by double figures.
SF by 4.
San Diego (-1 1/2) at Kansas City: Charger coach Norv Turner has managed to keep his job down through the years by accomplishing absolutely nothing.
SD by 1.
Seattle (-2) at St. Louis: Bradford needs to produce some touchdowns before his nickname becomes "Paper or Plastic" due to all the sacks.
Seattle owes the league a loss.
St. Louis by 3.
Giants at the Eagles (-2 1/2): Vick looks like a scrambled egg.
Couple of more vicious hits and he'll be lining up facing the wrong direction.
Eagles by 3.
Monday
Bears at Dallas (-3 1/2): Two second-tier quarterbacks fire turnovers at one another.
Time to start thinking who might replace both of these coaches.
Dallas by 6.
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