RazorPicks 08 — Week 2 Results

Sep 11

Ok, here they are:

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

9 – 1
Carroll Walls (6)
Jason Shirey (9)
Gene Strode (11)
Jamey Vaught (12)
Jerry Tucker (13)
Lance Williams (17)
Ben Gilbert (18)
Jon McCurdy (24)
8 – 2
Jim Carter
Tammy Tucker
Travis Stout
Steven Leija
Jonathan Butcher
April Mashburn
Lisa Hill
Damon Hill
7 – 3
Jessica Leija
Brian Mashburn

Standings After Week 2

16 – 4
Tammy Tucker
Jerry Tucker
15 – 5
Gene Strode
Jamey Vaught
Carroll Walls
Ben Gilbert
14 – 6
Jessica Leija
Brian Mashburn
Travis Stout
Jim Carter
Steven Leija
Lisa Hill
Damon Hill
Jason Shirey
Jon McCurdy
Lance Williams
13 – 7
April Mashburn
Jonathan Butcher
6 – 4
Lee Smith
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RazorPicks 08 — Week 3 Games

Sep 08

Ok, here are the games for week 3 of the contest. Please notice the due date.

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?
  10. Give The Score

  11. #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!

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RazorPicks 08 — Week 2 My Picks

Sep 05

Southern Miss @ #10 Auburn (Conference USA vs SEC)
Auburn has changed QBs this week after Burns hurt his leg in the La-Monroe game last week. Therefore, it will be interesting to see how Todd performs as the starter. The defense for Southern Miss will be a step up from the La-Monroe defense for the Tigers. However, the Southern Miss offense will still be facing a very, very good Auburn defense. In the end, the Tiger defense is just too tough for the Eagles.
Southern Miss 10 Auburn 24

#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

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RazorPicks 08 — Week 1 Results

Sep 05

Ok, sorry for the delay, but here they are, enjoy.

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

8 – 2
Tammy Tucker
7 – 3
Jerry Tucker
Jessica Leija
Brian Mashburn
6 – 4
Travis Stout
Lee Smith
Gene Strode
Jim Carter
Jamey Vaught
Carroll Walls
Ben Gilbert
Steven Leija
Lisa Hill
Damon Hill
5 – 5
April Mashburn
Jonathan Butcher
Jason Shirey
Jon McCurdy
Lance Williams
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RazorPicks 08 – Week 2 Games

Sep 02

Week 1 Results hope to have posted by this evening.

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.
  10. Give The Score

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