If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies,
preparing gourmet meals and arranging a beautifully adorned table at
mealtime, but do not show love to my family,
I'm just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home, and give all that I
have to charity, but do not show love to my family,
it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes,
attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata,
but do not focus on Christ,
I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside decorating to kiss the husband.
Love is kind, though harried and tired,
Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated
Christmas china and table linens.

Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way,
but is thankful they are there to be in the way.

Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return
but rejoices in giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things,
endures all things.
Love never fails.

Video games will break;
pearl necklaces will be lost,
golf clubs will rust.

But giving the gift of love will endure.

Merry Christmas!

Give the Winner

1. Wyoming @ #14 BYU (Mountain West vs Mountain West)
2. #4 Florida @ Tennessee (SEC vs SEC)
3. Rice @ #7 Texas (Conference USA vs Little XII)
4. #18 Wake Forest @ #24 Florida State (ACC vs ACC)
5. UMass @ #11 Texas Tech (Atlantic-10 vs Little XII)
6. #9 Alabama @ Arkansas (SEC vs SEC)
7. #3 Georgia @ Arizona State (SEC vs PAC-10)
8. #15 East Carolina @ NC State (Conference USA vs ACC)
9. Middle Tennessee @ Arkansas State (Sun-Belt vs Sun-Belt)

Give the Score

10. #6 LSU @ #10 Auburn (SEC vs SEC)

1. #13 Kansas @ #19 South Florida (Little XII vs Big Least) Friday Night!!!
It is Battle of the QB this weekend. Todd Reesing and Matt Grothe (this guy has been around FOREVER) will lead two very capable teams into battle. The Big Least is desperately looking for some kind of showing this year. Just ask West Virginia and their lofty ranking as they tanked @ East Carolina last week. Kansas on the other hand still has the stigma of still needing to prove itself. In the end Kansas is just too efficient and wins a great, great game.
Kansas 31 South Florida 24
2. #2 Georgia @ South Carolina (SEC vs SEC)
Things are about to get ugly in Columbia. Steve Spurrier has now lost two years in a row to Vanderbilt and this week if his defense doesn't keep him in the game, his gamecocks are going to get their clocks cleaned. Yeah, they won in Athens last year, and trust me, Mark Richt and the Bulldogs remember that b/c it kept them out of the SEC-Championship game and cost them a shot at the BCS Championship. This will be payback and it could be U-G-L-Y. However, it is in Columbia and the Gamecock defense will come to play….for a while. UGA is just too much in the end.
Bulldogs 24 Gamecocks 10
3. Arkansas @ #8 Texas (SEC vs Little XII)
The winner here is Hurricane Ike! This game has been moved to September 27th. We will have an extra game that week to make up for this one.

4. UCLA @ #18 BYU (PAC-10 vs Mountain West)
BYU's luck is gone in my opinion. They lost it all against the PAC-10 when they were GIVEN the game in Spokane last week. This week, even though it is at home, UCLA and Slick Rick will end the Cougars winning streak and also show they could be contenders quicker than everyone thought. The Defensive front of the Bruins are just dominating (at least they were against Tennessee two weeks ago). If they are that dominating again, the Cougs are dead.
Bruins 31 Cougars 27
5. Michigan @ Notre Dame (Big 10(1) vs Independent)
Wow. Talk about two of the most inept football programs on the planet this year. Michigan lost at home to Utah before staging a comeback to beat Miami (OH) last week. Notre Dame opened the season by floundering around at home before coming back to beat lowly San Jose State. Yikes! I say, flip a coin and whomever crosses mid-field first, wins. Deal!?!? Good lord.
Wolverines 3 Irish 2
6. SMU @ #11 Texas Tech (Conference USA vs Little XII)
I am not sure if they have installed a new score board in Jones Stadium or not, but they may need to after this game. I expect Tech to score as many points as they want to. I expect SMU to score some, but not that many (maybe next year). This one won't need the possession clock and it might need that third digit on the score. Harrell may break some records in this game. At least he can if he wants.
Ponies 21 Raiders 70
7. #3 Oklahoma @ Washington (Little XII vs PAC-10)
The last time OU went to the West Coast it wasn't pretty as the refs decided that Oregon should win and simply blew an onside kick call. Think Bob Stoops remembers that one? Well, let me tell you that Ty Willingham hasn't forgotten last week's hose job by the officials in his team's one point loss AT HOME to BYU on just an atrocious penalty at the end of the game. OU though is by far the superior team here and if they can play well on the road, they will dominate the Huskies.
Sooners 42 Huskies 14
8. #10 Wisconsin @ #21 Fresno State (Big 10(1) vs WAC)
Here we have yet another "title contender" from the Big 10(1) who thinks they can make it to the BCS Championship game to get demolished by yet another SEC team. However, they have a little road block in the way in the form of one Fresno State Bulldog team. If there ever were a one-dimensional team it is the Badgers. The Bulldogs on the other hand are good at each of the skilled positions and this game will be one they can use to carve another notch in their belt on the way to a BCS Bowl bid. Fresno loads up the line of scrimmage and force Alan Evridge (exactly) to beat them. He won't.
Badgers 17 Bulldogs 21
9. Southern Mississippi @ Arkansas State (Conference USA vs Sun Belt)
Ok, so Arkansas State is 2 – 0 for the first time since some guy named Nixon was living at 1600 Pennsylvania. Don't look for it to make it to 3 – 0 though. Even though this game is in Jonesbuggy, it won't matter. The same O-fence that scored 83 last week against Texas Southern will be facing a Southern Miss team that is just flat out loaded on defense. They are also adjusting to the Fedora Spread on O-fence. The Golden Eagles will be too much and put a huge damper on the spirits of the "Indians".
Eagles 35 "Indians" 14

Give The Score
10. #5 Ohio State @ #1 USC (Big 10(1) vs PAC-10)
Ok, so the latest word out of the Buckeye camp is that Beanie Wells is now "probable". He is probably probable due to him finally watching game film of the USC Defensive Unit. Good lord I would be "probable" as well. Carroll has his best defense ever since he arrived in Southern Cali. Ohio State on the other hand, can't find its way without Wells. They had just horrendous issues with Beckman last week as the QB and that "other guy" only played one series (BIG mistake Tressell). You are going to need Pryor and if at all possible you can find away to get AJ Hawk, Tedd Ginn Jr., Maurice Clarett (he is probably in prison though), and any other Buckeye great you want to name over the past few years, eligible, you might have a shot. Since that ain't happening anytime soon. The Trojans will steam roll them some Buckeyes once again proving that Speed Kills in the Big 10(1). When is this pathetic conference ever going to learn?!?!?
Buckeyes 13 Trojans 38

Top 10 Things Saw/Read/Heard From Week 2

1. Vanderbilt is 2 – 0 and 1 – 0 in the SEC. Yes, Vanderbilt. Bobby Johnson is a very underrated coach if the Dores keep up this success.
2. Ohio State struggled mightily w/out Beanie Wells. Or were they just looking forward to the match-up with the Trojans this weekend? Buckeye fans can only hope that was the issue.
3. The Pirates continue to over-whelm opponents. East Carolina vaulted up to #14 in the polls after back-to-back wins over Top 25 teams. They simply man-handled West Virginia.
4. After spotting Marshall 14 points, Wisconsin rolled off 51 unanswered to destroy the Thundering Herd at Camp Randall.
5. Alabama looked very lethargic in a win at home against Tulane. Hang-over from the Clemson game probably.
6. Absolutely the worst call in the 2008 season was made in Spokane over the weekend when an Unsportsmanlike Conduct penatly against the Huskie QB Jake Locker after the apparent game-tieing TD. The PAT was blocked and BYU escaped with some help from the refs.
7. A last second FG keeps the Used Car Salesman from starting the season 2 – 0 at Ole Piss.
8. Arkansas improved on the run defense against La-Monroe. However, they left the pass defense at home in Fayetteville. Another 4th Quarter comeback by Casey Dick saves the day.
9. OU disposed of supposedly the toughest defense it would play all year in Norman. They did it to the tune of 52 – 26 rolling up 592 yards of total offense.
10. Arkansas State is now 2 – 0 on the season after beating Texas A&M and Texas Southern. They get a team from Mississippi this week in Southern Miss. Something tells me they won't score 83, yes they scored 83 against Texas Southern, this weekend.

Brick of the Week
Did I mention how easily it is to go from POTW to BOTW with one simply swing in emotion? Or one simple very, very, very bad call in a game? Well, that is what this person found out this week. They were the only one in 18 people who picked this week to pick Washington to beat BYU. And as I have already stated, it took the worst call in College Football this year to not send that game to overtime where no telling what might have happened. Had the Huskies made it to OT, they might have won and this contestant would be on the POTW and not the BOTW. But seeing as how, that is the way College Football goes sometimes, Mrs. Tammy "I hate PAC-10 officials" Tucker is the BOTW with her pick of Washington to beat BYU. I am sure those officials will be receiving a Christmas Card from Mrs. Tucker!

Pick of the Week
You guys are really making it easy to hand out these awards each week. Sometimes it is a little bit more difficult, but this week and last week, it was pretty easy. This week, the East Carolina Pirates once again pulled off a win over a ranked opponent. That leads us to our current Co-POTW winners. Two individuals correctly picked the Pirates to up-end the Mountaineers. A rare feat was also accomplished this week as one individual received the BOTW and also received the POTW. Not very often will you see that folks. The Co-POTW winners this week are Mrs. Tammy "PAC-10 Officials Fan Club President" Tucker and Mr. Jerry "I cheated by looking at my wife's picks" Tucker. Congratulations guys!

Champion of the Week
So, this week's scores were more reminiscent of the first couple of weeks of the Pick-Em contest. Everyone rebounded nicely from the first week debacle and posted some very nice scores. The average number of correct picks for the group this week was a hearty 7.89. Very impressive. As a matter of fact there were 8 individuals who correctly picked 9 games out of the 10. Amazing. So, the tie-breaker came into play for the first time this year. Therefore, the Champion of Week 2 was none other than Mr. Carroll "Thank God for Ike" Walls with his tie-break score of 6. Congratulations bud!

Scores for the Week
Southern Miss 13
Auburn 27

BYU 28
Washington 27

West Virginia 3
East Carolina 24

Texas A&M 28
New Mexico 22

Louisiana Tech 0
Kansas 29

Arkansas 28
La-Monroe 27

Florida 26
Miami 3

Texas Tech 35
Nevada 19

Texas 42
UTEP 13

Ole Miss 28
Wake Forest 30

Results of the Week

Standings After Week 2

You can comment on the post or send your picks to RazorPicks.
The Picks are due by Friday, September 12, @ 6:00 pm CST.

Pick The Winners

1. #13 Kansas @ #19 South Florida (Little XII vs Big Least) Friday Night!!!
   Are the Jayhawks ready for some real competition? Are the Bulls really competition?
2. #2 Georgia @ South Carolina (SEC vs SEC)
   The Ol Ball Coach better get them going in a hurry or suffer an 0 – 2 SEC start.
3. Arkansas @ #8 Texas (SEC vs Little XII)
   This one could be ugly, with a capital UG.
4. UCLA @ #18 BYU (PAC-10 vs Mountain West)
   Can the Cougars get lucky one more time against the PAC-10?
5. Michigan @ Notre Dame (Big 10(1) vs Independent)
   Pillow Fight 2008 Part I
6. SMU @ #11 Texas Tech (Conference USA vs Little XII)
   Um, the Spread O of June Jones, hasn't made it to Dallas yet. Wonder if will make it to Lubbock in time for the game?
7. #3 Oklahoma @ Washington (Little XII vs PAC-10)
   Can the Huskies bounce back from having one stolen from them by the referees??? At HOME?!?!?!
8. #10 Wisconsin @ #21 Fresno State (Big 10(1) vs WAC)
   The Bulldogs are GOOD. And Wisconsin is decent. Should be a great game.
9. Southern Mississippi @ Arkansas State (Conference USA vs Sun Belt)
   Can the "Indians" start 3 – 0 and knock off ANOTHER big-time conference contender?

Give The Score

10. #5 Ohio State @ #1 USC (Big 10(1) vs PAC-10)
    Were the Buckeyes looking past Ohio last week to this game? Or are they really that bad??

The Picks are due by Friday, September 12, @ 6:00 pm CST.
Good luck!

#16 BYU @ Washington (Mountain West vs PAC-10)
Last year the Huskies were in their first year under Willingham. He had a better defense back then. His offense will pretty much be the same this year, but his defense is much younger. The Huskie defense gave up 496 yards to the Ducks last week in a 44 – 10 loss. It won't get any easier this week as the Cougs roll in and deliver a resounding win for the BCS-Buster hopefuls.
Cougs 38 Puny Pups 17

#8 West Virginia @ East Carolina (Big East vs Conference USA)
Little Lou (Skip) Holtz has built a contender at East Carolina in a few short years. He made a huge step forward with that program last week with the "upset" of Virginia Tech. However, the ACC is just a horribly dreadful conference. So, stepping into the top tier of the Big Least conference this week should pose a more daunting task. Paul White is still at West Virginia (seems like his 10th year to me) and is obviously a trendy pick for the Heisman Trophy. The Mountaineers will prove to be too tough and the turnovers that didn't haunt them in the Va Tech game will spell disaster this weekend.
Mountaineers 45 Pirates 24

aTm @ New Mexico (Little XII vs Mountain West)
So, how bad are things going to be in College Station after this weekend when the Aggies travel to Albuquerque this weekend and lay another dud? Should they crash and burn in the desert it is going to be an 0 – 3 start for the Mike Sherman era as they will next play an improving Miami team. The Lobos aren't very good themselves, but they will have enough to edge the Aggies in this one at home.
Aggies 17 Lobos 21

Louisiana Tech @ #14 Kansas (WAC vs Little XII)
La Tech pulled off the upset last weekend at home when they bested Sylvester Croom's Mississippi State Bulldogs. However, this weekend in Lawrence Kansas, things will be COMPLETELY different for the Bulldogs. They will be without their defensive star in LB Quinn Harris, or if he plays it will be very limited, as he broke his hand in the MSU game. Kansas just seemed to show up last week against Florida International. Look for them to work on tuning things up this week.
Bulldogs 21 Jayhawks 42

Arkansas @ La-Monroe (SEC vs Sun Belt)
The Bobby Petrino era got off to a resounding, Lord thank you for the comeback, last week against Western Illinois. This week, the competition moves up considerably as a talented La Monroe team comes calling in Little Rock. Last week the DL was just abysmal for the Razorbacks. This week they have to step up and and shut down the run and get off the field on 3rd down. If they are able to do that, the Offense was beginning to click in the second half as they scored on 3 of their final 5 possessions. Look for more DeAnthony Curtis this week at RB and Michael Smith will return as well. A more balanced attack and a much improved DL will lead to a much easier win for the Hogs.
Hogs 35 La-Monroe 13

Miami @ #5 Florida (ACC vs SEC)
Next year this will be a great game. This year, it will more than likely be a Tebow coming-out party. And not coming-out that way either. He will probably rebound from his sub-part Super Tebowesque performance against the Warriors of Hawaii to have a big game. Oh yeah, and Percy Harvin is well again and will be back on the field. Those things combined, it doesn't matter how much improved the U is, they won't be on the same level as the Gators.
the U 17 Gators 49

#12 Texas Tech @ Nevada (Little XII vs WAC)
Texas Tech struggled a little against Eastern Washington last weekend. This weekend they face a tougher challenge from the Wolfpack from Nevada. The Wolfpack can put up points just like the Red Radiers can. Although last year the Radiers D made huge strides, they may have taken a step backwards in allowing 21 points to Eastern Washington. Should be an entertaining game and hopefully Graham Harrell has lots of ice, because he will probably throw it close to 80 times.
Raiders 56 Wolfpack 49

#11 Texas @ UTEP (Little XII vs Conference USA)
Texas steps up just a bit in competition this week when they travel to UTEP. While the Miners aren't anything to write home about, they are decent (compared to Florida Atlantic from last week for the Shorthorns). In a final tune up before their game against the Hogs, the Shorthorns will work more on the running game. Colt McCoy is good, but they need someone to relieve the pressure. 232 yards last week was a good start, and they should fair even better this week. The Miners, well, they are dreadful.
Shorthorns 55 Miners 14

Ole Miss @ #23 Wake Forest (SEC vs ACC)
And so the HDN era in "big games" begins in Oxford. One will have to wait and see if the same tendencies that plagued him in big games at Arkansas are still prevalent in the neighboring state. Or if someone moving across the Mississippi River has washed those things away. Will it look like a Chinese fire-drill performed by blind midgets on the Ole Miss sideline Saturday? Will the Rebels know what hit them when the Demon Deacons come out in those all black unis? Will the stars and bars be flying? After giving up 453 yards of offense to a very young Tiger team last week, Skinner and the Deacons have to be licking their chops right now. If Skinner doesn't set his personal high in yardage this weekend it will be a miracle.

Humble Pie 17 Restoring some ACC pride 41

Top 10 Things I Saw/Heard/Read Over the Weekend

1. So, some teams are better (Vanderbilt) and some teams are worse (Texas A&M) than we had thought.
2. How bad is Texas A&M? Two words: Arkansas STATE
3. How good is Alabama's defense? Depends upon how overrated Clemson's run offense is. 0 rushing yards against Bama.
4. USC is still pretty good or Virginia is just horrible.
5. The Bobby Petrino era has started at Arkansas….let's just hope it gets better in a hurry.
6. Dave Wannstedt is still a very overrated coach at Pittsburgh. No change there.
7. It took a Holtz to beat Frank Beamer at his own game. East Carolina blocks a punt and returns it for a TD to beat the Hokies.
8. Super Tebow was anything but in his 2008 opener. 9/14 137 yards and 1 TD passing; 9 for 37 yards rushing
9. Michigan and the Rich Rodriguez era started tough against the Utes from Utah and a loss in the Big House.
10. Chase Daniel got the leg up on the Heisman Race with his performance against the Illini: 26/45 323 yards 3 TD 1 INT; 9 rushes for 48 yards

Brick of the Week
Well, things were NOT pretty this week. Not pretty at all. Several upsets that were beyond shocking and some that were not AS shocking. This week we had 19 participants who submitted picks for the games. Of those 20, every single one of them missed one game. Therefore, to give everyone a mulligan, I will award the BOTW to everyone that picked this week for missing the Bowling Green win over Pittsburgh IN Pitt. Next week it gets personal.

Pick of the Week
This goes hand in hand with the above "award". You can fall into either category with the slimmest of margins. Go out on the limb and win big time, or go out on that limb and break a leg when it snaps and you fall. This week, I am not sure if she picked it out of spite of if she picked it accidentally thinking it was Arkansas playing aTm, however, she picked Arkansas State to defeat the Aggies in College Station. Yeah. That is probably going to go down in history as the BIGGEST pick ever in the history of the Pick-Em. Therefore, the POTW goes to a Freshman in the Pick-Em joining us this year for the first time. Congratulations Mrs. Tammy "Queen of the UA Alumni" Tucker!!

Champion of the Week
Of course each week we have one of these. They are the person who is lucky enough to get the most picks correct and navigate the tie-breaker with the lowest score. Some weeks this is easy. Others it is NOT at all easy. Typically the first couple of weeks are your easy ones where people can REALLY build a lead. However, no Perfect 10s this weekend. Not even close. Of the 19 people picking the average number of picks correct was 6.00! Ouch! However, there was one person who correctly picked 8 of the 10 correctly INCLUDING the tie-breaker. Therefore, Week 1's COTW goes to none other than Mrs. Tammy "Still Queen of the UA Alumni" Tucker! Congratulations Tammy!!!

Actual Scores of the Games
Virginia Tech 22
East Carolina 27

Bowling Green 27
Pittsburgh 17

USC 52
Virginia 7

Eastern Washington 24
Texas Tech 49

Arkansas State 18
Texas A&M 14

Illinois 42
Missouri 52

Western Illinois 24
Arkansas 28

Florida Atlantic 10
Texas 52

Appalachian State 13
LSU 41

Alabama 34
Clemson 10

Standings After Week 1

These picks are due by 10:30 am, Saturday, September 6, 2008.

Pick The Winners

1. Southern Miss @ #10 Auburn (Conference USA vs SEC)
   Auburn is pretty banged up after the La-Monroe game.
2. #16 BYU @ Washington (Mountain West vs PAC-10)
   BYU owns the longest current winning streak in the country at 11 games.
3. #8 West Virginia @ East Carolina (Big East vs Conference USA)
   Can West Virginia survive the Pirates? Or has Baby Holtz turned around a program?
4. aTm @ New Mexico (Little XII vs Mountain West)
   Wow. Lost to Arkansas State. Now have to go on the road?? Could get ugly in College Station real quick.
5. Louisiana Tech @ #14 Kansas (WAC vs Little XII)
   Can La Tech pull off another stunner over a BCS conference opponent?
6. Arkansas @ La-Monroe (SEC vs Sun Belt)
   After surviving against W. Illinois, how will the Hogs respond in LR?
7. Miami @ #5 Florida (ACC vs SEC)
   This game will be back to its big-time nostalgia next year. Maybe.
8. #12 Texas Tech @ Nevada (Little XII vs WAC)
   Tech pulled away late from E. Washington. At least is isn't New Mexico this year
9. #11 Texas @ UTEP (Little XII vs Conference USA)
   Colt McCoy rolled through Florida Atlantic. Expect more of a fight this week.

Give The Score

10. Ole Miss @ #23 Wake Forest (SEC vs ACC)
    Can the used-car salesman pull off an upset in ACC country?