Gary “The Gut” Goombah : Championship Saturday
Here we are at the end of the college gridiron season already. It’s time for the Conference Championship games. This is where the real money starts being wagered and won. From here on out Gary’s going to lay some legal tender on all the Conference Championship tilts as well as every FBS Bowl game. So get ready. Get your money out of the ATM. Call your bookie. Meet him in a secluded alley with nothing but an envelope of cash (and a set of brass knuckles) and let’s gamble!
Last week’s Recap :
Week 13 NCAA Selections – (All selections were ATS. Point spreads were from last Friday’s Chicago Tribune.)
Nebraska Cornhuskers (+9) over Iowa Hawkeyes – PICK: Nebraska ……….. FINAL SCORE: Iowa 31, Nebraska 28…….The Huskers beat the spread = WIN!
Michigan Wolverines (-4.5) over Ohio St. Buckeyes – I’m scared of this one but Gary isn’t. PICK: Michigan………… FINAL SCORE: Ohio St. 62, Michigan 39………. I was right to be worried and Gary was wrong. Doh! = BIG, BIG LOSS.
Wisconsin Badgers (-10.5) over Minnesota Golden Gophers – PICK: Wisconsin ………… FINAL SCORE: Minnesota 37, Wisconsin 15 …………. Wisky stunk this year. Why? Did they not work hard enough after all the preseason accolades? Did their luck finally catch up to them? Was QB Alex Hornibrook just plain awful? I’m not sure, but I am sure this = LOSS.
Texas A&M Aggies (-3) over LSU Tigers – PICK: Texas A&M ………. FINAL SCORE: Texas A&M 74, LSU 72 (7 OT’s) ……………. One of the greatest games of the year! I watched all of the overtimes. The game started about 6:30 pm central time and ended about 11:30 maybe? It was incredible. After all of the craziness, Gary wasn’t thrilled = LOSS
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-11) over USC Trojans – PICK: Notre Dame ……….. FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 24, USC 17 …………. Another tough loss ATS. = LOSS
2018 Season Totals:
- Week 1 : 1-4
- Week 2 : 2-3
- Week 3 : 2-3
- Week 4 : 1-4
- Week 5 : 4-2
- Week 6 : 4-1
- Week 7 : 2-3
- Week 8 : 4-1
- Week 9 : 2-3
- Week 10 : 3-2
- Week 11 : 2-4
- Week 12 : 2-3
- Week 13 : 1-4
- TOTALS: 30-37 (including 1-1 on “Locks of the Year”)
This is Conference Championship Week. This is for all the marbles. What will happen with the CFP? The current four teams in the Playoffs may change, since #1 plays #4 on Saturday afternoon. If nothing else, the seeds may change. Here are Gary’s Selections. As “The Gut” says, “It’s time to get busy winning, or get busy dying.”
Week 14 NCAA Selections – (All selections are ATS. Point spreads are from Friday’s Chicago Tribune.)
Friday Night Specials (2 games) – MAC Championship & PAC 12 Championship
Northern Illinois Huskies (+3.5) over Buffalo Bulls – NIU is good at MAC Championship Games. At least, they’re good at getting to them. This is the Huskies 7th MAC Title Game appearance in the last 9 years. Wow! That’s impressive. It’s also surprising and makes one wonder about the rest of the MAC West Division. Anyway, PICK: Northern Illinois
Washington Huskies (-5) over Utah Utes – Washington is the far superior team. Expect a big victory, probably by 14 to 20 points or more by the Huskies. Hey, that’s two teams named Huskies winning a Conference Championship on the same night. Interesting. PICK: Washington
Championship Saturday (8 games) – Big 12, Sun Belt, Conference USA, AAC, SEC, Mountain West, ACC, & B1G
Oklahoma Sooners (-8) over Texas Longhorns – Let’s do it again! The Red River Rivalry/Shootout/Showdown will be played for an unprecedented second time in one season with this rematch. Texas upset OU 48-45 in the first meeting back on October 6 in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Will the Sooners get revenge on Saturday in Arlington, TX at Cowboys Stadium/AT&T Stadium/JerryWorld? Both Gary and I think they will get revenge in a big way. There’s been a ton of trash talk and bad blood spilled over the years in this hate-filled fest. This week has seen even more than normal. Nobody can stop OU’s superstar QB Kyler Murray. This week, Texas is “nobody”. PICK: Oklahoma
Louisiana Rajin’ Cajuns (+16.5) over Appalachian St. Mountaineers – They used to be called “Louisiana-Lafayette”. They dropped the Lafayette suffix now that they’re big time. Check that…..they’re not THAT big-time. Nonetheless, PICK: Louisiana
UAB Blazers (+1) over Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders – UAB is a tremendous success story. They didn’t even HAVE a football team in 2015 and ’16. They returned to FBS action last year and went 8-5. This year they’re 9-3. Wouldn’t it be amazing if they won the Conference USA Championship in just their 2nd year back? Give loads of credit to Head Coach Bill Clark. The Blazers phenomenal defense will earn them this victory. (See Fun Fact #3 below for more info.) PICK: UAB
- FUN FACTS about UAB #1 – UAB’s #3 all-time rusher: Jordan Howard. Yeah, that’s right. Prior to his transfer to Indiana, Jordan Howard played great at UAB. When they announced they were disbanding their football team, Howard transferred to Indiana before getting drafted by the Chicago Bears.
- FUN FACTS about UAB #2 – UAB plays at legendary Legion Field in Birmingham. If you’re old enough you might recall that the annual Iron Bowl matchup between Alabama and Auburn was played at this neutral site every year from 1904-1988. In fact, the term “Iron Bowl” was coined because Birmingham, Alabama is historically a steel town. Then, like most conference rivalry games, they started playing in their home stadiums in Tuscaloosa and Auburn. It might be fun to go back to Legion Field sometime for a “Throwback” theme.
- FUN FACTS about UAB #3 – UAB has a fantastic defense. They are ranked in the top 20 in the four major categories: scoring D (9th), rushing D (19th), passing D (7th), and total D (8th).
Memphis Tigers (+3) over UCF Knights – I just don’t think UCF will be able to get over the loss of superstar QB McKenzie Milton. PICK: Memphis
THE GAME OF THE YEAR!!! OUR 3rd LOCK OF THE YEAR!!!
Georgia Bulldogs (+13.5) over Alabama Crimson Tide – If this game doesn’t get your blood boiling, what will? Remember last year? Georgia beat Auburn in the SEC Championship, then won the Rose Bowl to advance to the National Championship against…….Alabama. You might recall that ‘Bama won 26-23 in OT. Frankly, Georgia outplayed the Crimson Tide for much/most of that game. They blew the game. They blew the Championship. Well, now it’s time for Saban/Smart II. Gary “The Gut” and I expect a much closer game than the “experts” do. It wouldn’t surprise us to see Georgia win this game straight up. That is possible. Beating the thirteen-and-a-half point spread is probable. PICK: Georgia
Boise St. Broncos (-2.5) over Fresno St. Bulldogs – The Broncos get to play on their home turf…..the Smurf Turf. Fresno is good but Boise is better. PICK: Boise St.
Pitt Panthers (+27.5) over Clemson Tigers – Clemson is tremendous. Pitt has absolutely no chance to win this game. However, twenty-seven-and-a-half points are too much. PICK: Pitt
OUR 4th LOCK OF THE YEAR!!!!
Ohio St. Buckeyes (-14) over Northwestern Wildcats – We’ve seen Ohio State do this before under HC Urban Meyer. They stumble somewhere in the middle of the season and then get on a roll and try to dominate their B1G Championship Game opponent for “style points”. Gary and I expect a blowout by a minimum twenty points. I could see something like Ohio St. 42, Northwestern 20. Perhaps it will get even worse. Remember that year the Buckeyes beat the Badgers of Wisconsin 59-0!!! PICK: Ohio St.
Enjoy Championship Weekend! Gary “The Gut” and I are already enjoying it. Would you believe Gary is so confident that he already went out and purchased a new Corvette with his projected winnings? I know what you’re thinking….. Gary has a credit problem. He picked me up for a spin the other day. I have to say, it’s quite impressive. His ‘Vette is out of this world. Check it out!
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