Holy Wagers - October 27th Weekend

Check my season long record here of 61% and up 11 units for the season. All bets are 1 unit, with the Most Blessed Wager of the Week being 2 units. Now on to the picks:

College Games

Tulsa -14 vs. SMU [Most Blessed Wager of the Week] >> SMU is horrible, and Tulsa can score points. I dont see this one being close at all. Check out SMU's season long record and who they have played and you will like this game even more. Prediction - Tulsa 42 SMU 17

Hawaii -27 vs. New Mexico St >> This game is in Hawaii, and the Rainbow Warriors need to keep pounding the opposition for a chance at a BCS bowl bid. This game should be high scoring and I think Hawaii will win big and cover. Prediction - Hawaii 55 New Mex St 24

California +3 @ Arizona St >> Its time to see how good AState is. Its also time for Cal to stop their 2 game losing streak. Tedford is a good coach and the Cal speed will be on display and win this game straight up. Prediction - Cal 35 Arizona St 21

PRO GAMES

Saints -3 @ 49ers >> This is a tough one, but I think the Saints are finally playing up to their potential. Throw in Trent Dilfer for the 49ers and you have an inept offense against a good offense. If the Saints defense and special teams play well they will win by a touchdown, which is what Im predicting - Saints 24 49ers 17

Bucs -3.5 vs. Jaguars >> The Jags will likely have a beat up David Garrard or possibly Quinn Gray (who?) playing QB for them. The Bucs are undefeated at home, and the Jags are coming off a tough defeat. MJD for the Jags will be a bit banged up also. Prediction - Bucs 24 Jaguars 10

Giants -9.5 vs. Miami (in London) >> I think the Giants will run the ball and score at will against the helpless Dolphins. I just dont see Miami being able to score more than 17 on the Giants tough defense, and I dont see the Giants scoring less than 28. Prediction - Giants 35 Dolphins 14

Best of luck this week.

"We're Better than Yall"

Let me start my brief rant with this: I think the SEC is the best, most traditioned and storied conference in the country. It has the most quality teams, the most intense rivalries, and the best fans, period. I have grown up in the south and been around SEC football my whole life, so I can make that statement on steady ground.

But I have also been to stadiums of the Big 10, ACC, Big 12, Big East, and Pac 10. I went to school at an Independent University in football. I have a horse in the race for college football supremacy no doubt, but I also likely have the most unbiased opinion that an average college football fan can have.

Down south especially here in Memphis, my home, all I hear on the radio, as well as in the undertones of conversations with many of my friends is that every team outside of the SEC plays "no one". Also prevalent is that these teams are all "soft". SEC fans criticize every program and conference not of their own and that essentially tells me that they think that college football is no good outside of the SEC. Of course this is a stereotype, but here goes - I think SEC fans are overly confident/delusional and ignorant to college football outside of their world.

A few scrambled notes/thoughts on this topic (pardon my lack of organization):

In this past offseason, you hear "Pac10 is soft" from all USC hating SEC fans, and even from LSU coach Les Miles. I dont hear those people as loudly now with Cal, Oregon, USC, and Arizona St all solid teams performing mostly better than expected.

For all mentions of teams like Michigan, Ohio St, Boston College, USC, Cal, and Penn St - SEC fans will say something bad typically from the following choices:

a.) they have no speed
b.) they play no one
c.) a reference to the Ohio St vs Florida national championship game
d.) a cocktail of the previous 4

People fail to mention that USC, Cal, and Penn St have all embarrassed SEC teams in the past two years, or that the Big Ten is 6-5 against SEC teams over the past 4 years. Excuses follow for all of these counter points, of which many more exist.

My favorite excuse of SEC fans is in response to the USC over Arkansas blowouts in 2005 and 2006 (yes, I know about Trojan beatdowns): "Arkansas wasn't ready last season because they didn't have a QB yet and Mcfadden didn't play." I guess Felix Jones is chopped liver. Also of note is that McFadden was on the bench most of the game because of a bar fight injury. Of course, despite his serious injury, Mcfadden had 9 carries in the game and people forget to mention that also. And I'm sure there is also an excuse for Wisconsin and PJ Hill (200 yards rushing) pounding Arkansas last year in the Capital One Bowl.

On the flip side, Ohio St got embarrassed by Florida in the championship game last year. Embarrassed. And this was a telling game to the country, revealing the ABC overhype of the Ohio St team. The only unfortunate part of that game, is that more fuel was added to the "SEC is better than yall" fire.

That game will be the undertone of what I am predicting now - a Florida vs Ohio St rematch in the national championship game. I will take a hungry Ohio St and the points all day against an overconfident SEC team, much like the 2002 national championship game.

I'm sure within a week Ohio St will lose or Florida will get beat again and my prediction will be moot. Ohio St still has a lot to prove, but they definitely have the easiest road to the championship game of any one team. Oklahoma has an easy road also, assuming someone slips up.

SEC fans fight back against my argument online with a vengeance. My favorite websites with these voices are here, here, and here. Oh, my bad, I guess its the SEC Conferance. But my favorite website is here, the "Old School Nasty" Blog.

There, my rant is done. I guess opinions like this is why college football is king.

Crazy 8's

The Titans looked great for 3 quarters, and then for 50 seconds.

Somehow the Titans beat the Texans 38-36, after blowing a 25 point 4th quarter lead. The game was won on the foot of journeyman Rob Bironas, who kicked an NFL record 8 field goals from distances of 29, 52, 43, 25, 21, 30, 28, and 29 (for those of you keeping fantasy points scored at home, thats 27.5 for a kicker!).

The Titans looked better than the two previous weeks, which is a good sign. They have not really played well after the bye week 3, but they did on Sunday mostly. The defense continues to pressure the QB and be extremely aggressive, getting turnovers to help our offense sans-Vince Young. Kudos to Kerry Collins, who made some fantastic throws all day, especially in the game-winning drive. Also kudos to the long snapper and field goal place holder, who gave Bironas the 8 opportunities to score.

Beating the Texas and the Jags losing puts us at 4-2, holding the 2nd place spot in the division with tiebreaking wins over the Jags and Texans. We have a few easy games coming up at home that we need to win. I think 10 wins gets us in the playoffs, assuming we are second place in our division of course. That means 6 more wins out of our last 10 games. Definitely doable.

Recruiting Help

Too bad Notre Dame is struggggglllllling a bit. Instead of blabbering about excuses and discussing how we played, I think stepping back is the only way to digest this season.

So I will start with a question - how does a program recruit new players to come play for a 1-7 team that ranks dead last in nearly every offensive category, and not much better in defensive categories? You sell playing time, and simply ask the recruit, "Well you tell me, do you think you can get out there and make a difference next year?" Recruits are listening.

The Irish picked up our #WR target recruit over the weekend (Michael Floyd), and can likely land 3 more top 100 recruits. This recruiting class, if it keeps going and holds together, will be the greatest recruiting class in the history of Notre Dame. Scout.com and Rivals.com both have the class firmly entrenched at the #1 ranking. Its really amazing considering how the season has gone. The recruits responding the way they have tell me that Charlie does know what he's doing, and these kids and their parents recognize that.

Eventually the tide will turn, and I think that historically this season and maybe a part of next season will be remembered as the fire that forged our program into the future. I really hope that I'm right . . . certainly something good must come out of this season, which has been nothing but a disaster. To take the big picture view is the only hope for this team, and for Irish fans.

Holy Wagers Results Posted

You can see them by clicking the permanent link to the left, or by clicking here

The Pope had his best week ever, going 3 for 4 in college (winning the Most Blessed Pick so being up 3 units) and 3 for 3 in pro football. On the season, an average record just got bumped up a bit.

Holy Wagers - Pro Football October 21st

Nice pick by the Pope last night with the Rutgers victory. Now on to the Pro football games this weekend (Check out the Pope's record for the season by clicking on the link to the left near the top of the page):

Colts -3 @ Jaguars - Monday night special. Yes, the Jags were all over the Colts last year. Yes, the Jags are 4-1 now and looking pretty solid. But also yes, the Colts have Peyton Manning. I just dont see the Colts making similar mistakes this week, despite how well the Jags are playing. Peyton thrives under the lights in big games traditionally, with the exception of two teams: the Patriots and the Florida Gators. This aint them - Prediction: Colts 33 Jaguars 24

Detroit -1 vs. Tampa Bay - Detroit has a great offense at home, and Im not sold on Tampa Bay. The Titans played awfully last week against them, and the Bucs needed a questionable pass, an injury to Vince Young, and a last second field goal to beat the Titans. Prediction: Detroit 28 Bucs 17

Bears +5 @ Eagles - Everyone is against me on this one. I just think the Bears are not going to let the Eagles score lots of points, not that the Eagle offense could anyways. I think this will be a close game, with a huge defensive play for the bears being the difference - Prediction: Chicago 24 Philadelphia 21

Holy Wagers - October 20th Weekend

Here we go with this week's College picks. Check out the full season of Holy Wagers by clicking here. The Pro picks will be up tomorrow.

College

Rutgers +2 vs USF (Thursday night special!!) - Rutgers is at home, they have a very good running game. I am not sold on the turnover prone USF Green Knights and dont see how they escape this game. Prediction: Rutgers 24 USF 21

Florida -6.5 @ Kentucky [Most Blessed Wager of the Week!!!] - Just another day in the SEC where the good teams beat each other up. Kentucky cannot possibly top the top two SEC teams in consecutive weeks can they? Florida might even be better than LSU and I think they will show it this Saturday - bigtime. Prediction: Florida 48 Kentucky 28

Louisville -3 @ UConn - Louisville has no defense, but they certainly have an offense. And while they may not be a top ranked team anymore, they are definitely not chopped liver. I expect UConn to fear the previous version of Louisville and the Cardinals to win a close one. Prediction: Louisville 41 UConn 31

Michigan St +17.5 @ Ohio St - Most Spartan teams meltdown this time of year. This new coach is a strict disciplinarian, and has the Spartans running the ball very well and playing hard. I expect Ohio St to win comfortably, but the best running back duo in the big 10 will control the clock a bit and allow 17.5 points to be close enough. Prediction: Michigan St 20 Ohio St 31

Pro picks will come out tomorrow, Friday morningish.

Notre Dame vs. USC Week

Its a special week for Notre Dame and USC football fans. Yes, records up to this point are thrown out the window (much to the delight of the 1-6 Irish fans) in what many call the greatest Intersectional Rivalry in all of college football.

There is a great summary/history of the rivalry here, straight from the gurus at Wikipedia. For instance, Knute Rockne's wife was a main reason the Irish play USC every year as a rival instead of Nebraska. She wanted to hit up some warm weather and convinced Knute to play USC instead of Nebraska.

This is a very big game for both teams. It might not be as bitter as the regional rivalries of Auburn vs Alabama, or Ohio St vs Michigan, but a win for either team is a very big deal. USC has beaten the Irish 5 straight games, and have never beaten Notre Dame 6 times in a row. The series record still favors the Irish (42-31-5); although lately, its hard to remember the days when the Irish were favored over the Trojans.


(The Obvious) Keys to Victory for the 2007 edition of the rivalry, for Notre Dame of course:

1. Win the Time of Possession Battle - Pretty simple, we need to get a ground game and sustain some drives. Their offense is cold right now but its still USC.





2. Win the Special Teams Battle - Our special teams have been awful this season. We need stops on all punt and kickoff returns, and we need to give ourself a few huge pickups in field position.





3. Execute more screen plays (no run game, must execute these on all out blitz) - We have no sustainable ground game this season. Screen plays have always been Weis's way of stopping over-aggressive defenses that prevent us from running. However, our O-lineman this year are young and look like monkeys trying to hump a football when we call a screen play. We need at least a few screen plays to work in this game.





4. Complete at least 3 passes of 30 yards or more - Completing these gets us yards in a hurry, and it keeps the defense on its heels a bit more. This will protect our QB and open up what little running lanes there might be.





5. Win turnover battle (at least 2 for us and 1 or none for them) - Obvious obvious obvious


6. Wear these throwback uniforms >>> The Irish have already announced that they will be wearing yellow pants and kelley green jerseys like to the right, to honor the 1977 National Championship team. Also, Adidas has it in their contract with us that we need to introduce a new special jersey every few years. I dont mind them but would prefer suprise I guess.
   
   


7. Dont let either of these happen again

The Pope also wants to give a special blessing to Sacred Heart Catholic Church in South Bend, for using fantastic discretion on this church signage:

The Pope's prediction: USC 28 Notre Dame 31

Yes, Im predicting a victory, despite the low chance of the Irish being successful on #2 and #3 of the keys to victory (not to mention the others!). I am not sure USC's offense is going to be able to score 30 on us, and I think we can score 20 on them. There will be a play or two go our way and we'll win.

GO IRISH BEAT TROJANS!!

Holy Wagers - Updated Results

You can find the full season stats for the Vatican by clicking here.

Week 4 (October 13th Weekend) Roundup >> The Pope had a subpar week in college football, going 1-3 and losing the "Most Blessed Wager" of the week as the Central Florida Knights could not even remotely hang with the South Florida Bulls. In Pro football, the record was 2-1 to gain a betting unit back that was lost on Saturday.

Week 5 looks to be solid, as the third week of Locktober is always a fertile betting field. Check back late on Thursday.

Titans Wrapup

Yes, the Titans lost to the Bucs. I was pretty emotionally spent from the ND game on Saturday to feel too down, but I couldnt help but remember my fear going into the bye week in a post two weeks ago - that we would go flat and lose some of the offensive chemistry we had. It appears that has come to fruition, as our offense performed very inconsistently and is turning the ball over.

The bright spot is the defense, which continues to hold teams in the teens. Certainly we have only played one high power offense (the Colts), but the Titans defense has performed admirably.

Yes, we gave up a 70 yard drive for the game winning field goal on defense. However, two things come to mind there:

• Our defense played great the whole game, so 13 points by the other team should be low enough bar for our offense
  
• Jeff Garcia through a critical pass on the drive when he was arguably across the line of scrimmage

I've searched YouTube and cannot find video footage of the play. It was so close that it at least should have been reviewed, being in the last minute of the game and on a critical third down conversion. No replay occurred, and the Bucs were in position to kick a game winning field goal.

The offense was largely stagnant the entire game, but having Vince Young out with an injury most of the second half didnt help either.

Next week the Titans play at Houston in a huge game for both teams. Winning this game will give the Titans a legup over all division teams except the Colts, as winning the AFC South is likely impossible and a wild-card birth is more likely this teams goal. With the game being in his hometown, I bet Vince Young will play and play very well.

Dirty Laundry

"Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down
Kick em when theyre up
Kick em when theyre down

You dont really need to find out whats going on
You dont really want to know just how far its gone
Just leave well enough alone
Eat your dirty laundry "

Thank you Don Henley for that magical song, "Dirty Laundry".

In a game that the Irish were going to need some breaks to win, the Irish got very few and came up short, losing to #5 ranked (now #2 in the BCS) Boston College 27 - 14. A flag happy officiating crew certainly didn't help either.


A few notes from the game, which the Pope attended:



- Our defense played well, especially given the short field our offense gave them on two drives (more on that later). Matt Ryan took the checkdown receiver on nearly every pass, and handled our blitz very well. We gave up very few big plays, and even scored a TD. More pressure on Ryan would have been the only realistic improvement our defense could have made in the game, but certainly they were blitzing and at least trying to rattle the QB.



- It might just be bad karma from the 4th and 9 play in 2005, but its time for Ambrose Wooden to see the bench and not the field. The guy continues to be around the play and make tackles, but on receivers that he failed to cover. I might be picking on him too much, but I get an awful feeling whenever I see #22 on the field or around the ball.



- The stadium was loud in the second half. I was happy to see Irish fans cheering and feeling that a victory was never in doubt until 5 minutes to go in the game.



- A few huge officiating calls that proved to be the difference between an overtime game or even an outright win for the Irish:

• Geoff Price's knee being called "down" during a low, botched snap on a punt. The punter was never pressured and booted a solid 45 to 50 yard punt, only to have the ball marked where he caught the snap. The drive for BC resulted in a TD, given the very short field they had due to the play. Ive said time and time again, the NFL rule of being down only when another player on the defense tackles or touches a player while down needs to be applied to college. This was ludicrous as he was simply trying to balance himself to catch the snap, which he did. The real problem might be with the rule, but none the less Price's knee touched the ground for just a split second, and the call never should have been made.


• Excessive celebration after the Irish closed the gap 20-14 after a defensive touchdown on an interception return by true freshman Brian Smith [Note: After the game the Pope saw Brian Smith and Gary Gray at Buffalo Wild Wings on Grape Rd. The Pope gave Brian a blessing for his big play and noted that he liked the "Asian Zing" buffalo sauce.] The Irish team piled up in the end zone, celebrating the score as a team. However, the officials saw this as excessive. They should have seen the Pope in the parking lot before the game, who would have been penalized for excessive drinking. Either way, we gave BC the ball on our own 40, promptly resulting in another TD out of their 3 total.


• 4th & 1, 5 minutes to go in the game, the Irish score a touchdown on a play action pass to Robby Parris. The gutsy call pulled the Irish to 27 to 21 after the extra pt . . . but no, holding was called on the play by LG Mike Turkovich. Thats a tough call to make on a play that certainly was the play of the game. I haven't been able to see the replay, but I hope it was a blatant tackle/hold, because anything less likely would not have affected the play and thus should have not changed the game. The Irish would have kicked off to BC with 3 timeouts in a 27 to 21 game with 5 minutes to go - and the stadium would have been rocking. Instead, the Irish had to go for a 4th down and 10 and came up short.


• 3rd and 12 one play before the call above. Evan Sharpely amazingly escapes pressure to deliver the ball to Carlson for what looks to be a 12 yard gain and a first down. The spot is then reviewed up in the booth, which was the first booth review of a spot of this type I had ever seen in a college game. The officials move the ball back a half of a yard, setting up the 4th and 1 mentioned above. This was only wild because a) it happened back to back with the above terrible call and b) Ive never seen a spot review that the other team or an official on the field did not request.


• My favorite officiating move of the game was in many ways the most telling. Irish Tight End John Carlson stepped back from the line to go into a standard motion in the backfield, which tight ends do probably 40% of the plays on the Irish offense. The flag-happy referee immediately through a flag, jumping the gun on what he thought was a false start. He then picked up the flag and corected his mistake. Despite his correction, he still looked like a complete idiot that was obviously throwing flags at everything.
• Referee quote of the day on the stadium loud speaker: "Please put Nyinne Teeehnn on the clock." I'm from Tennessee so I guess I cant make fun.

To be fair, the Irish had a few roughing the passer penalties in our favor that were very likely bad calls. The officials did not blow this game, but they certainly didnt provide the Irish much of a chance given how ineffective our offense and especially rushing game performed.

I wish the officials would eat their dirty laundry after that game.

Holy Wagers - October 13th Weekend

You can see the Pope's record to the left. I have had a solid run in college football, so lets keep it going tonight and this weekend! On to the picks:

College

Florida St - 6 @ Wake Forest (Thursday night special!!) - FSU is 5-1 and the one loss was on a Monday night ESPN game at Clemson. They appeared to be the better team for 3 quarters but got behind early and couldnt come back. That experience will help them tonight against a solid but not great Wake team. FSU will play defense and win, 28 to 17.

Central Florida +12 @ South Florida [Most Blessed Wager of the Week] - The South Florida train takes a hit in this game. South Florida has athletes. They also have the ability to turn the ball over, and Im not sold on their QB. I think 12 points is too many against a Central Florida team that has dominated the little guys and hung with Texas for 4 quarters. They also have one of the top 3 rushers in the nation in their backfield. I just feel a South Florida let down here. Central Florida 28 South Florida 24 [Upset Special!!!!]

Baylor +25.5 @ Kansas - Kansas is undefeated, but they left it all out on the field last week in a big win over Kansas St. Baylor and Kansas have played very close games the past three years, and while Baylor is bad, they aint 26 points behind Kansas, no way. Prediction - Kansas 35 Baylor 21

Kentucky +9.5 vs. LSU - As you can see in my post below, Les Miles gambled and won quite a bit last week against the Gators. LSU is a great team, but playing a Kentucky team that likely is much better than its turnover ridden game at South Carolina last week is definitely a trap game for the Tigers. They have not played in a tough road game since 2006, and I think these Kentucky fans are going to rise to the occasion and keep this game close. LSU will make some mistakes by switching QBs too much, never allowing either QB to get settled into the game. UPSET SPECIAL OF THE WEEK!! >> Kentucky 24 LSU 21

PRO

Browns -4.5 vs. Dolphins - The Dolphins are awful, and the Browns can score some points. I expect the Browns to run away with this one, especially with the Dolphins having no QB with Trent Green retiring. Cleveland 35 Miami 17

Texans +6.5 @ Jaguars - The AFC South is turning into one of the toughest divisions in football. I expect all of these games to be close as Houston is much tougher and Jacksonville can be inconsistent. Remember, Houston beat JAX twice last season, so I will take the points in this close game. Jaguars 21 Houston 17

Giants -3.5 @ Falcons - Eli and Plaxico come to play on Monday night, but the real work is done on the ground by Brandon Jacobs and the Giants big play defense. I think it will be high scoring and not close - Giants 35 Falcons 27

Best of luck to those of you out there. Remember, betting one unit on all games and two units on the most blessed pick of the week is the Pope's recommended strategy.

Holy Wagers Results - Week 4 (Oct 6th Wkend)

Week 4 record > 3-4 (2-2 in College, 1-2 in Pro)

Net Betting Units Week 4 > EVEN (+1 in College, -1 in Pro)

And that brings the overall season record to . . . 14 - 10 - 2 , and + 5 betting units.

College record is now 10 - 4 with a +7 betting units net, and Pro is 4 - 6 - 2 with a -2 betting units.

Remember, we are in the month of LOCKTOBER. This week's picks up on Thursday. Hopefully the College picks by the Pope can continue.

Saint & Heretic of the Week - October 6th Weekend

Saint of the Week - Maurice Crum Jr

This guy is in his third straight year as an Irish starting middle/inside linebacker. He has always been a solid player, but never one that was off the charts with his play. Against UCLA on Saturday night, that changed, as Mo Crum had 2 interceptions, 2 fumbles recoved, and a touchdown on one of the interceptions. Wow. See the highlights below, highlights that feature Crum Jr. Maurice has a 5th year of eligibility, and I certainly hope we use it. Congrats on a huge game. Hopefully he will use the UCLA game as a springboard for his confidence and leadership the rest of the season.

Heretics of the Week - UCLA Bruins DE Bruce Davis and CB Trey Brown

These guys talked some smack, and then got beatdown. I'm sorry, but you just dont trash talk to a team that hasn't been close to winning all season. Because then, when you lose to this team, people like me get to openly make fun of you in the blog world. I doubt anyone is listening, but kudos to you two knuckleheads for motivating the Irish and looking stupid.

A recap of the bulletin board material last week before the game:

Bruce Davis > "Jimmy Clausen is one of the better true freshman quarterbacks I've seen [since] I've been here," DE Bruce Davis told the Los Angeles Daily News. "Unfortunately, his O-line is falling apart. They can't block a soul. That's going to hurt your team. That's going to hurt your offense. That's going to get you to 0-5." Thanks for the compliment to our QB, Bruce. We blocked you well enough.

Trey Brown > "I don't like the green," Brown said at a Monday news conference, evidently unaware the Irish were wearing their normal blue and gold colors last year. "I don't even like money this week. Before I came in here, I threw my wallet in the trash. I don't like those guys and they don't like us, that's what it is." Thanks Trey, very insightful. I got two questions for you - what garbage can did you use? And, did you rip that money/green quote out of the rap lyrics to this 3-6 Mafia song? Nice work Trey.

If only these two guys knew the motivation they provided the Irish:

ND coach Charlie Weis said his offensive line performed well.``Number 44 (Davis) helped them out,’’ Weis said. ``You don’t think they noticed when someone says you’re a pile of crap?’’

Thanks again Bruce. You played well (3 sacks - actually played quite well), but not well enough.

Snake Handler of the Week - Les Miles (new feature)

This guy went for 3 fourth downs in the 4th quarter, and got them all. Gutsy playcalling. He also had a flag or two that was very beneficial in the late stretches of the Florida win this past weekend. LSU is darn good, trust me I know. But I think this past weekend's cajun cooking is a sign that sometime soon, something will go wrong for LSU and cost them a win and a shot at the national title. We'll have to see how things play out.

Winning Ugly

Despite the big first win for the Irish, I certainly did not fail to notice another big win by my Tennessee Titans. In years past, the Titans would never have won that football game yesterday against the Atlanta Falcons. Read here for a good summary of the game.

After the way the Titans played in weeks 2 and 3, nearly beating the Colts and thumping the Saints on MNF, I wished out loud that the Titans did not have a bye week in week 4 - we were playing too well to take a week off. I was correct, and we certainly looked rusty out there against the hapless Falcons. Vince Young was not all there, and the offensive line did not have the power they showed in weeks 1-3. The defense picked up the offense though, and made enough big plays and key stops to give us a W in a game that would have been an L to 75% of NFL teams. Very very very rarely can you win any football game in which you turn the ball over 5 times. Just ask UCLA.

We have to be pleased with a 3-1 start at the quarter mark of our season. The only issue with early byes is that there will be a week later in this season where we are tired, and could use a rest. Hopefully we have used our bye week and gotten good rest and can stay focused the next few weeks.

Hitting Refresh

It has been 322 days since the Irish last experienced the feeling of victory. Let that sink in . . . the last win was November 2006 against Army at home. This game certainly wasn't pretty (from what I hear - more on that in a minute), and the stat line was atrocious, but the way college football is going this season, we'll take it.

This was the first Irish football game that I was unable to watch on live TV in quite sometime. ABC opted to regionally televise the Irish, preventing most of the country from getting the game broadcast without pay per view. My thumb is still sore from hitting refresh on my blackberry countless times, on a night that saw a refresh of the Irish Football season.

Yes we had 140 yards total offense. Yes, we beat up on their third string walk on QB after we knocked out their starter. Yes, the Irish forced 7 turnovers. And yes, I was utterly confused when refreshing the play by play sequence on my blackberry, especially when we recovered a fumble at the UCLA 1 yard line, and then had 3 offensive plays for a loss of 7 yards (certainly UCLA had the ball and was advancing right?)

I don't care. A win is a win (El Kabong doesnt care either).

The reality is that the Irish are a 1-5 football team that doesn't do anything great and certainly will be favored in only a few more football games this season. Right now, par for the course would be 5-7, which might even be a longshot right now. Despite all this, I can only name a few victories more satisfying than this one, and certainly no victory more satisfying since maybe Pittsburgh or Purdue in 2005.

Beating Boston College or USC would be huge upsets, and the Irish are going to need some bounces in our favor to contend in either game. But the way this college football season is going, nothing will surprise me. Congrats to the Irish on avoiding tying the longest losing streak in Notre Dame history, and knocking the "monkey" off their back.

Enjoy highlights of the game from Oldie, via youtube:

Holy Wagers - October 6th Weekend

Lets keep the picks going strong for the Pope! Just to review, the season totals thus far through 3 weeks for the Pope are as follows:

• College Record > 8 - 2


• Pro Record > 3-4-2


• Net Betting Units Up (Down) > + 5

All games are one betting unit, unless noted. The "Most Blessed" Pick of the Week is two units. Now on to this week's picks:

College Games

Oklahoma -11 vs. Texas > The favorite has covered the last 9 years in this game, in a series that hasnt featured many close games. OU is the favorite, Texas has injuries at QB, and both are coming off losses. OU was a national championship contending team and will show that talent in this game. Prediction: OU 38 Texas 14

Ohio State - 7 vs. Purdue > I got to watch Purdue play last week, and they had an awful second half against the Irish. We passed all day on them, and even outgained the mighty Purdue offense in total yards. I think in the horseshoe, this Purdue team will lay down like a cheap tent on national television. Prediction: Ohio State 45 Purdue 20

Hawaii -39.5 vs. Utah St > Hawaii is at home, and needs to keep rolling big to have a chance at a BCS bowl. Hawaii has covered against these guys the last two years, including 63 to 10 last year. Hawaii is especially good this year, while Utah St is especially bad. Not close - Hawaii 70 Utah St 24. [Note: This is a high spread, yes. But remember I picked Arkansas -36 last week and they covered that spread by more than 20 points against North Texas. Its worth a look]

THURSDAY NIGHT SPECIAL!!!! ***South Carolina -3.5 vs. Kentucky*** [Most Blessed Pick of the Week] > The talk is all about Kentucky, but they are human my friends. Columbia is very tough place to play, and tonights crowd will be extremely roucous. The bigger story than Kentucky, to me, is can South Carolina impress in front of a national TV audience. South Carolina has only lost to LSU, but gave them a decent game. Kentucky's defense gives up to many yards on the ground, and their offense will sputter a bit with all this hype and pressure finally hitting them. You heard it here - South Carolina 35 Kentucky 21

Pro Games

Steelers -5.5 vs. Seahawks > Pitt is very tough at home, especially coming off a loss. Seattle is good but the cross country travel and the ghosts of Super Bowl 40 will not let them get off the ground in this game. Steelers 31 Seattle 21

Ravens -3.5 @ 49ers > The Ravens burned me last week against the Browns. Not this week, playing agianst their old QB Trent Dilfer for the 49ers. I just dont see the Ravens losing this game, as the 49ers offense does not match up well against the Ravens D. Ravens 24 49ers 17

Cardinals -3.5 @ Rams > The Cardinals are playing good offensive football, especially with Edge James. The Rams will be starting Gus Frerotte . . . no, thats not a misprint. Bulger is out and the O-line is decimated. The away team has won the last 4 meetings between these guys. Cardinals 28 Rams 21

And remember . . . Barney loves Soulja Boy

Saint & Heretic of the Week - September 29th Weekend

Saint of the Week - Golden Tate (True-Freshman WR for the Irish)

Golden made a few plays in the game that changed our offensive look in many ways. After really having zero passes that would be considered "deep" passes, Golden made 3 in one game. Two of his catches were nothing short of spectacular, showing fantastic timing, great leaping ability, and nice hands. The only way one can really explain how a true freshman can do what a lot of upper classman cannot is talent. He barely knows the offense and certainly doesnt know much about the nuances of playing WR in college. I'm excited to see what Coach Weis can do with this cat once Golden develops more of an understanding of the position. Enjoy his Purdue highlight clip:

Golden Tate . . . what a name. A Notre Dame name. Hopefully his progress the rest of this season will continue, as we desperately need a deep threat at WR. Who's next to breakout? The 6 foot 4 Duval Kamara, who some might argue already has. In reality, we've seen some great short routes from him, but nothing deep yet.

Runner up for Saint of the Week - Mike Gundy. Hilarious and awesome. I enjoyed this guy's rant. His passion was unquestioned and so was his loyalty to his team and players. Lots of sportswriters (not all) are arrogant academic liberals that twist facts to their own tune, creating a story out of nothing. Gundy may have gone a bit overboard, but sometimes a bit overboard is exactly the best way to send a message. Enjoy this video as well:



Heretic of the Week - Urban Meyer

This guy made a play that I absolutely despise in football. The timeout right before a field goal for the opposing team is kicked, yet the kicker is not stopped and kicks a meaningless kick anyway.

This rule is stupid, and has to go. Too many times you see the first kick go through, but then nerves or a bad snap or whatever mess up the second kick. The Cleveland Browns in week 2 made a kick that was ruled a time out play, only to miss the second kick and lose the game. Allowing this is stupid and its up to the NCAA and NFL rules committees to make the change. I cannot totally fault Urban I guess, but as an Irish fan I dont like him for obvious reasons. This play gets me madder and madder each time I see it occur and hurt a team trying to win a game, on the road especially.

Holy Wagers - Week 3 Results

Post- week 3 picks, here are the season pick standings for the Vatican (click here to see my picks I made last week for week 3):

• Wins = 11


• Losses = 6


• Push = 2


• College Record 8-2


• Pro Record 3-4-2


• Net Betting Units = +5 (for the season)

I lost my Most Blessed Pick of the week in Michigan, but won 3/4 games. Unfortunately the most blessed pick was 2 units, so that loss only gave me +1 unit for college and -1 unit for Pro, net, for week 3 of my picks. Michigan won by 12 but was 5 points short of covering.My favorite pick that worked out was Arkansas -36 over North Texas, as they won by more than 50 points.

This was my worst week yet, but I still broke even on betting units and was 4-3 on the picks. Not bad. Lets keep it going for the Pope.

Divine Diatribes - Irish week 5

There are many different emotions that I feel after this week's Irish loss to the Boilers. On one hand, we are 0-5, and really havent had a chance to win any of the games (arguable). We have given up at least 30 points in every game, and our rushing attack hasn't really had a great game yet. We are atrocious on third down offense, and our third down defense gave the Boilers 6 first downs because of stupid penalties. We also gave up a 3rd and 27 on defense that almost caused my HDTV to become injured.

On the other hand, the Irish outgained the very good Purdue offense in yards for the game. In the second half, after a Weis halftime tirade, we won the half 19-10. We saw the emergence of a playmaker in WR in freshman Golden Tate (pictured) and Duval Kamara. Our defense essentially shut Purdue down in the second half, throwing out the poor special teams field positions and the crazy 3rd and 12 penalties to keep their drives alive. We showed spark, fight, and had some big passing plays. We looked like the team that I expected for this year - a bend but not break defense with an improving offense that could keep us in 75% of our games.

I sure hope the second hand feelings end up being reflective of what we see the rest of the year. We have 3 more tough opponents in a row, and many it would be nice to steal a win (or two) from those guys. Not likely though, unless our special teams and defensive penalties drastically improve, while improving our play across the board on offense and defense.

Go Irish, beat Bruins.

Unfortunately the Titans were off this week. With as hot as we've been, I kinda wish we could have played someone this week and gotten another win. Next week we get the Falcons, so we should be able to win that game if we play like we can.