Happy Thanksgiving to all and a hope for no turkey games.

football

Last week in college games I went 6-1 which leaves me at 37-16.

In pro games I went 3-0 bringing me to 23-12.

Key College games:

#17 Texas A&M @ Texas – A&M had a big upset last week over Nebraska in a 9-6 win. The D did a great job. A&M gets another win to break a long losing streak this week against the Horns.

#21 Arizona @ #1 Oregon – If the game was at Arizona they would be a better challenge for the Ducks. But no duck hunters here, Oregon wins.

#2 Auburn @ #12 Alabama – Despite all the smoke around Tiger QB Newton, the NCAA is silent. They will likely make a ruling early in 2017. Bama wins in a close tough game but Auburn still plays for the national championship.

#4 Boise State @ #19 Nevada – This is a big game for Boise against a good team on national TV. Boise wins only if they can keep Nevada QB Kapernick under control.

Northwestern @ #7 Wisconsin – If the game was away there might be a chance for an upset but the Badger O line will punish the Cats and win the game.… Read more at FryingPanSports

Ethical Dilemmas For Student Athletes

College Sports

College sports is an industry. It not only provides a way for athletes to get an education, but brings money into schools, builds school spirit, and entertains many people across the nation. With thousands of student athletes across the country competing in a vast number of sports, it is sometimes more interesting to watch how they deal with ethical dilemmas.

Student athletes are on their own for the first time. High school coaches, mom, dad, best friends who have known them their entire life, are no longer there as mentors or sounding boards. Many times the student athlete sees themselves as alone.

Most of the student athlete’s life is simple, they go to classes, train, compete, and must keep up their GPA to continue competing. But what happens to the high school star if they are not succeeding in their chosen sport? While more training seems the logical answer, shortcuts are sometimes thrown in, such as sport enhancing drugs. Decisions are made on the spot without clearly thinking about the consequences of their actions.

And the consequences can be quite severe in college sports. Being banned for all sports in any colleges, expulsion from college, sometimes even jail time for … Read more at FryingPanSports

The pressure mounts on College and NFL teams.

football

Mississippi @ #5 LSU – LSU is promoting the concept that the highest ranked SEC team should have a shot to play in the BcS national championship game. If Auburn loses to either Alabama in the Iron Bowl or in the SEC game against South Carolina, LSU is making the case that they are the natural choice to play in the big game. The argument is that their schedule is much tougher than either Bosie or TCU. LSU should win.

#6 Stanford @ California – Stanford is a well balanced team ranking 9th nationally in points scored and 27th in points against. Cal’s only hope is to use their running game to keep QB Luck and the Stanford O off the field. Stanford wins but they do not play as well on the road so it could be close.

#7 Wisconsin @ Michigan – This is the last test for the Badgers. The Blue D is very young but has gotten a little better this season. The Blue O will be a challenge IF QB Robinson is healthy. Look for the Badgers to win but it should be fairly close.

#8 Nebraska @ #19 Texas A&M – Both teams need … Read more at FryingPanSports

The BCS and NFL Playoffs are becoming clear.

Wilson Football

In college games I went 8-1 bringing the season total to 31-15.

In pro games against the spread I went 1-4 bringing the total to 20-12.

College football:

#1 Oregon 15 California 13 – The Ducks ducked a close call to continue on the road to the BcS game. They survived to play #22 Arizona at home this week and at Oregon State next.

#2 Auburn 49 Georgia 31 – Tiger QB Newton played very well accounting for 4 scores. The Auburn D is a problem particularly in a possible game against a O like Oregon’s. Auburn will play #11 Alabama next week and #17 South Carolina in the SEC Championship game.

#3 TCU 40 San Diego St. 35 – TCU lost some ground against Boise with a close game against a good SDS team. They have no chance to recover that ground with only the 1 win New Mexico State team left on the schedule.

#4 Boise St. 52 Idaho 14 – Boise is in the best shape to sneak into the Big game if one of the top 2 fall. They have 6-3 Fresno State, #18 Nevada, and 4-6 Utah State.

#5 LSU 51 La. Monroe 0 – Read more at FryingPanSports

A bad weekend for good College and NFL games.

College:

#1 Oregon @ California – Cal struggled with Washington State last week 20-13 but plays better at home. That said it does not play well enough to make this a game. That’s OK because no one will see it because the game is on Verses. Oregon continues to win and gets this one easily.

Georgia @ #2 Auburn – Georgia is playing a little better than in earlier in the season. They have won 4 out of their last 5 but that stops Saturday. Georgia’s best hope it that Auburn is looking past them to next weeks game with Alabama. Auburn wins if Newton plays but not as big as you might think. If Newton does not play, the Bulldogs win. In any case this game will be pulled off the board at Vegas.

San Diego State @ #3 TCU – SDS is the last chance for a team to beat TCU. Next week TCU gets 1 win New Mexico State. SDS is a solid team at 7-2 but does not have enough speed to play with TCU. TCU wins and finishes the perfect season next week with a win over NMS.

Penn State @ #9 Ohio State – … Read more at FryingPanSports

The Cowboys fire Phillips and other failures this past week.

Wilson Football

It was a tough week for picking college games. I went 1-4 and now have a 23-14 record.

I did better on the pro game vs the point spread. I went 5-0 with Indy covering but losing. I now am 19-8 against the spread.

Cowgirl Owner Jerry Jones fired HC Phillips.

JJ finally had enough of the way the Girls were playing and fired the head cheerleader HC Wade Phillips. The 45-7 loss last week to the Packers on Sunday night football was the last straw. OC Garrett is now temporary HC. The team had quit on the coaching staff and that included the O under Garrett. The Girls will not be Boys again until JJ gives up meddling with the team and turns over the football operations to someone that knows what they are doing.

College Football:

#3 TCU 47 #5 Utah 7 – This was a landslide from the kickoff. As I predicted, Utah was badly over rated. TCU moved over Boise State in the latest BcS rankings to 3rd overall. If either Oregon or Auburn fall, TCU will be in the big game.

#10 LSU 24 #6 Alabama 21 – A 4th down trick play and the … Read more at FryingPanSports