Surrogates Short Review (2.5 of 5 with Mild spoilers)

I didn’t go see Surrogates because I HAD TO SEE IT. I hadn’t seen a movie since Inglourious Basterds, so it was time and this was one of the movies playing. This just hasn’t been an exciting year for movies for me. Hopefully ‘Where The Wild Things ARe’ in a couple of weeks will be the mark of a turnaround. Back to Surrogates…

From the com---erh... Graphic Novel. No comment. No comment on the art, either.

Based on a comic book or as they like to say now… the Groff-ick Nawhhhhh-ville… Elitist bastards. If it has cartoons and word balloons, I got news for ya’. It’s still a comic book. Anyway…It’s directed by the guy (Jonathan Mostow) that directed Terminator 3… One of the crappy  non-Cameron Terminator movies.

Radha with Mostow.

He also directed a very non-historical historical movoe U-571.I love stuff about World War II and that one didn’t endear him to me. It wasn’t completely awful, but completely forgettable along with being inaccurate. He DID direct a pretty good movie called Breakout many years ago starring Kurt Russell, Kathleen Quinlan and the late J.T. Walsh, so I had hopes for this one.

John McClane! Where's Hans Gruber?!

This movie was not good or bad; it just is. I did like the actors in it. Bruce Willis can make just about anything he’s in better. He’s one of those actors that sometimes doesn’t do a whole lot, but is always believable.  It was cool to see him in a movie with Ving Rhames again (is this their first together since Pulp Fiction?)…

Lovely and talented...

Also in the movie was Radha Mitchell who is always lovely and talented. She’s had a spotty career filled with hits and misses, but like Willis is always believable. She’s been in several movies that I would compare in quality to this one such as Pitch Black or Silent Hill. Both were terribly flawed, but enjoyable enough time wasters. I also have to note that I think it was funny that they had to use a lot of makeup to make her look UN-attractive in this one. I would have liked to have seen more of that version in this movie. They only showed her as the non-surrogate for like 4 seconds.

From Pitch Black.

Surrogates is a intended to be an entry into science fiction, but ends up being a little too light on ideas and on suspense. I’ve seen everything in this in some form in other better sci-fi movies. Strange Days came to mind more than once along with several other Virtual Reality movies. The premise is that most of the population have become shut ins and go out into society in the form of a Surrogate (a humanoid robot that the person lives through from the safety of their homes).

This chick NEVER appears in the movie....

I knew before I went to see this that they would be making the point that people should go and live their lives instead of living through video games and their televisions (or something to that effect), but I don’t think they really thought about the repercussions and anything other than the point that they were trying to make. They state that crime and accidental deaths have become almost nonexistent. Apparently they have more faith in humanity than I do (and I have a lot). Criminals would have a field day with these things. I don’t think I need to spell that out.

Not one appearance....

     The whole undertaking was fairly domestic; everything from the acting, to the writing, to the special effects.  It also would have benefitted from a larger budget and/or a bit more imaginative director. This is definitely an instance where the movie NEEDED more FX.

Half of the budget went to that awful rug on Willis' head...

What was shown onscreen was a slight upgrade from the fem-bot effects of the old Bionic Man and Woman shows. Peeling the ‘face’ from a robot dummy. Bruce wearing something on his shoulder to make it look like he lost an arm. Very low budget/old movie type of effects.

Some of the hi-tch FX....Snore....

     The ‘big twists’ were predictable. I knew who the antagonist was long before his first appearance. I think they did a cheat also. All of the Surrogates were emphasized with extra makeup  (especially Bruce) to look a little more doll-like and plastic (Radha just looked like Radha).

Radha looking like Radha... Unfortunately this was not in this film.

They were kind of spotty and inconsistent with this. (Here comes a very large spoiler… SPOILER ALERT) The red herring in the movie (who I KNEW was a red herring from the beginning) was the Ving Rhames character.

Underutilized actor. Ving didn't do much in this one....

     The normal people in the movie all seemed unshaven, unkempt and without makeup. Turns out he was a Surogate but he didn’t have that ‘perfect’ look like all the others because they didn’t want you to know that in the movie. Bruce was recognized as a Surrogate by a large number of people, but these same people couldn’t recognize their religious leader as one when they’re following this guy around every day? And the Surrogates did need to power up every so often. It just didn’t add up. The antagonist who was controlling him throughout, would have had to spend an inordinate amount of time making people believe he was the real thing. Anyway…

From Melinda & Melinda I believe. Could be wrong, though.... What? oh, yeah. Surrogates.

It wasn’t a bad movie, it just seemed like everyone was just doing this until their next ‘better’ job came along.

Radha contemplating her next movie...

Take a paycheck, do an adequate pro job and move along. It’ll probably be one of Bruce’s more forgettable movies IMO. Maybe I should have sent someone in my place to see this movie. Where are the real Surrogates when you need them? I wouldn’t have missed anything, really.

One more of Radha before we go.

 All in all I give it  2.5 out of  5 whatevers (and I think I just came up with a rating system). I don’t know if I see anything before ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ on the 16th. It’s just a down period for good movies I guess. Well, that’s it. Until next time. Same Crash! time. Same Crash! Channel….

STILL not in the movie! False advertising, I say!

Crash! Picks Week 5

 

Go Noles!

 

 

I was horrible last week. So was FSU.We’ll both be better this week. Here’s where my picks stand for the year: 70-17 in Top 25 picks and 21-7 in ‘Notable’ Games. 

Against Evil FSU Hatin’ ACC Blogger Heather Dinich (in ACC picks) I am 28-10 to her 27-11. A shaky lead.

Florida, my #1 ranked team and everyone else’s is off this week, which is great for them, since Tebow is resting his noggin’. He’ll play at LSU in 2 weeks, trust me. Texas, my #2 ranked team and everyone else’s is also off this week. 

#3 ALABAMA @ Kentucky Crash! Picks: BAMA

#4 LSU @#18 Georgia Crash! Picks: Georgia

#5 Boise State vs Some Obscure Opponent Crash! Picks:BS

#6 Virginia Tech @ Duke Crash! Picks: VT

#7 USC @ #24 Cal Crash! Picks: Cal (even after they got spanked)

#8 Oklahoma @ #17 Miami Crash! Picks:Oklahoma

#9 Ohio State @ Indiana Crash! Picks:OSU

#11 TCU vs SMU Crash! Picks: TCU

#12 Houston @ UTEP Crash! Picks: Houston

#13 Iowa vs Arkansas State Crash! Picks: Iowa

#15 Penn State @ Illinois Crash! Picks:Penn State

#16 Oregon vs Washington State Crash! Picks: Oregon

#20 BYU vs Utah State Crash! Picks: BYU

#21 Ole Miss @ Vanderbilt Crash! Picks: Ole Miss

#22 Michigan @ Michigan State Crash! Picks: Michigan (This one was a tough call. I’m picking Against the Gut on this one.)

#25 Georgia Tech @ Mississippi State Crash! Picks: GT

 

Other Notable Games:

FSU @ Boston College Crash! Picks: FSU (if they don’t win, I will Officially begin to question the Jimbo Era before the Jimbo Era has Officially begun. They SHOULD win this game. Handily.)

Clemson @ Maryland Crash! Picks: Clemson

NC State @ Wake Forest Crash! Picks: Wake Forest (I think Wake is due for a big win since the bounces have been going against them this year. Skinner has been making a lot of mistakes this year. If he plays better, they’ll win in a defensive struggle.) 

Virginia @ North Carolina Crash! Picks: North Carolina

UCLA @ Stanford Crash! Picks: Stanford

Washington @ Notre Dame Crash! Picks: Notre Dame 

Texas A& M vs Arkansas Crash! Picks: Arkansas (A&M is still kind of an unknown.)

Wisconsin @ Minnesota Crash! Picks: Wisconsin

South Florida @ Syracuse Crash! Picks: Syracuse (might be a bit of a trap game for South Florida…. and I hate them for beating FSU so this is more of a hope thing. Going against the gut for the second time this week.)

Week 5 Crash! Landen College Top 25 Football Poll

I switched back to a Top 25 format in only the 2nd week. Found a solution for teams on the cusp. Just hide ‘em…. The only ones that I am completely sure about right now are the Top 3.

The Crash! Landen Top 25 College Football Poll

#1 Florida (4-0)

#2 Texas (4-0)

#3 Alabama (4-0)

#4 LSU (4-0)

#5 Oklahoma  (2-1)

#6 Cincinatti (4-0)

#7 Michigan  (4-0)

#8 Iowa (4-0)

#9  Houston (3-0)

#10 TCU (3-0) 

#11 Missouri (4-0)

#12 Oklahoma State (3-1)

#13 Georgia (3-1)

#14 Boise State (4-0)

#15 Virginia Tech (3-1)

#16 Notre Dame (3-1)

#17 USC (3-1)

#18 Ohio State (3-1)

#19 Nebraska (3-1)

#20 Miami (2-1)

#21 Georgia Tech (3-1)

#22 Auburn (4-0)

#23 Kansas (4-0)

#24 South Florida (4-0)

#25 Wisconsin (4-0)

#26 UCLA (3-0)

#27 South Carolina (3-1)

#28 Penn State (3-1)

#29 Texas A & M (3-0)

#30 NC State (3-1)

#31 North Carolina (3-1)

#32 Oregon (3-1)

#33  Cal (3-1)

#34 Stanford (3-1)

#35  Florida State (2-2)

#36 Washington (2-2)

#37 Ole Miss (2-1)

#38 BYU(3-1)

#39 Texas Tech (2-2)

#40 Arkansas (1-2)

Week 4 Picks Aftermath

I’m thinking this was my worst week of picks. There were a rash of upsets and I ignored the gut. Apparently the gut is never wrong, but I’ll get to that. The Noles lost of course… Despite ESPN’s efforts to make it sound like they were dominated by the Bulls, the fault lies at the feet of the Noles themselves. Having 4 fumbles, a failed 4th and  goal on the 1 yard line,  43 yard TD called back on penalty, a hobbled QB, DBs constantly being 20 yards out of place, several dropped interceptions, and I could go on…. Well, you just can’t win that way. I’ve grown accustomed to the ‘Noles inability to build on success. Anytime they’re ranked they falter, usually in games that they should win handily. BUT, they’ll bounce back. Just means that there will probably be no National Title this year… That’s next year… (ahem).

I was surprised by a few games this week. LSU struggling. Georgia eeking one out against Arizona State. Illinois laying an egg against Ohio State (and I picked Ohio State). Houston nipping Texas Tech. I was not so surprised by some of the upsets. Like I said last week, there were some REAL tough calls that could’ve gone either way, but the way some of the favored teams got blown out was a little surprising, especially Miami, Cal and Washington. I kind of had a feeling, though, that the Va. Tech players saw the same thing that I saw… Miami Qb Jacory Harris saying that “I REFUSE to lose” and all of that before the game…. Suddenly the Canes don’t look like the Canes of old anymore.

There were some really good games played this week. The Iowa/Penn State was typically good. LSU -Mississippi State was surprising. Georgia-Arizona State was interesting all the way to the end… And of course, Clausen and Co. saved Charlie Weis’ job again, beating the Purdue Boilermakers on a 4th and goal in the waning moments of that game. Charlie’s beginning to look like the old Detroit Lions coach Wayne Fonts on Thanksgiving, when the team would rally seemingly every single year to rescue him from the unemployment line… Except for the Fightin’ Charlies, EVERY week is Thanksgiving. 

Anyway, let’s just get right into the wrong….

#1 Florida @ Kentucky Crash! Picked: Florida (GatorNation was holding their collective breath when Tebow took that MAJOR shot from a Kentucky defender….)

#2 Texas  vs UTEP Crash! Picked: Texas

#3 Alabama vs Arkansas Crash! Picked: BAMA

#4 Ole Miss @ South Carolina Crash! Picked: South Carolina 

#5 Penn State vs Iowa Crash! Picked: Penn State (I went against the gut. I’m 0-4 vs the gut now. The gut was actually SCREAMING at me on at least 4 other games, but since I didn’t mention them in my original picks I won’t do so now…)

#6 California @ Oregon Crash! Picked: Cal

#7 LSU @ Mississippi State Crash! Picked: LSU

#8 Boise State @ Bowling Green Crash! Picked: BS

#9 Miami @ #11 Virginia Tech Crash! Picked: Miami

#12 USC vs Washington State Crash! Picked: USC

#13 Ohio State vs Illinois Crash! Picked: OSU

#14 Cincinatti vs Fresno State Crash! Picked: Cincinatti

#15 TCU @ Clemson Crash! Picked: Clemson

#16 Oklahoma State vs Grambling State Crash! Picked: OSU

#17 Houston vs Texas Tech Crash! Picked: Texas Tech

#18 Florida State Seminoles vs South Florida Bulls Crash! Picked: FSU… AAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!…………………………………. (ahem).

#19 BYU vs Colorado State Crash! Picked: BYU

#20 Kansas vs Southern Miss Crash! Picked: Kansas

#21 Georgia vs Arizona State Crash! Picks: Georgia

#22 North Carolina @ Georgia Tech Crash! Picked: Georgia Tech

#23 Michigan vs Indiana Crash! Picked:Michigan

#24 Washington @ Stanford Crash! Picked: Washington

#25 Nebraska vs Louisiana-Lafayette Crash! Picked: Nebraska

In other ‘Notable’ Games…

Wake Forest @ Boston College Crash! Picked: WF

Rutgers @ Maryland Crash! Picked: Rutgers

PITT @ NC State Crash! Picked: NC State

North Carolina Central @ Duke Crash! Picked: Duke

Arizona @ Oregon State Crash! Picked: OSU

Michigan State @ Wisconsin  Crash! Picked: Wisconsin

Coming in my Top 25 pick total stood at 54-10.  This week I went an embarrassing 16-7. Just horrible. In other ‘Notable’ Games I am 17-5.  This week I went 4-2. Not great.  I said this week would be the hardest to pick, thus far, and boy was I right.

In Acc picks, against Evil FSU Hatin’ ACC Blogger Heather Dinich I am 24-6 before this week. The Evil One was 23-7. This week, however, I broke even going 4-4. So did the FSU hater. She picked FSU to beat the Bulls, but I bet FSU losing trumps missing a pick for her. Anyway I now stand at 28-10 in ACCPicks. The Evil One sits on a 27-11 record.

Overall in Top 25 picks: 70-17. In other ‘Noteable’ Games:21-7. Grand Total: 91-24

Looking forward to next week, so I can forget about this one (especially the FSU part).

Crash! College Football Week 4 Picks

   Even though the Crash! Poll is out, I will still be going by ESPN’s rankings to post picks. Why? To make it easy on me. Why else?

My Top 25 pick total stands at 54-10. In other ‘Noteable’ Games I am 17-5. So the Grand Total stands at a respectable 71-15. This week might be a lot harder to pick than last week, having so many teams play each other that are kind of on the ‘same level’ (like Ole Miss and South Carolina).

Against Evil FSU Hatin’ ACC Blogger Heather Dinich I am 24-6. The Evil One is 23-7. I really should keep a tally of how many times she works a dig at FSU into her column or how many outright verbal attacks she posts, but that would be a lot o’ tallyin’. So that’s a no go.

 On a side note, I’m listening to Ivan Maisel’s podcast which usually is co-hosted by the always great Beano Cook, but he’s still under the weather so Todd McShay is filling in. He’s doing the majority of gumflapping (there’s a 1000-1 word ratio between McShay and Maisel). I think he just likes hearing the sound of his own voice. He still hasn’t mentioned anything about being completely wrong about the FSU-BYU game. This may help my picks, though. I’ll just pick whoever McShay doesn’t pick…. Hey, he did mention the FSU-BYU game… ‘He couldn’t believe it.’ That’s about all he said.

Tough calls in bold… ‘Upsets’ in Red

#1 Florida @ Kentucky Crash! Picks: Florida (This might be a little bit of a trap game… but UF will pull away in the 2nd quarter)….

#2 Texas  vs UTEP Crash! Picks: Texas (McCoy won’t play much in the 2nd half)

#3 Alabama vs Arkansas Crash! Picks: BAMA (a lot of points will be scored by both teams in a blowout)

#4 Ole Miss @ South Carolina Crash! Picks: South Carolina (Going with Spurrier… Although, that Nutt’s a good coach, too.)

#5 Penn State vs Iowa Crash! Picks: Penn State (I’m going against the gut. I’m 0-3 vs the gut right now.)

#6 California @ Oregon Crash! Picks: Cal

#7 LSU @ Mississippi State Crash! Picks: LSU

#8 Bosie State @ Bowling Green Crash! Picks: BS

#9 Miami @ #11 Virginia Tech Crash! Picks: Miami

#12 USC vs Washington State Crash! Picks: USC

#13 Ohio State vs Illinoise (‘e’ for the Zooker) Crash! Picks: OSU

#14 Cincinatti vs Fresno State Crash! Picks: Cincinatti

#15 TCU @ Clemson Crash! Picks: Clemson

#16 Oklahoma State vs Grambling State Crash! Picks:OSU

#17 Houston vs Texas Tech Crash! Picks: Texas Tech

#18 Florida State Seminoles vs South Florida Bulls Crash! Picks: FSU! FSU! FSU!

#19 BYU vs Colorado State Crash! Picks: BYU

#20 Kansas vs Southern Miss Crash! Picks: Kansas

#21 Georgia vs Arizona State Crash! Picks: Georgia

#22 North Carolina @ Georgia Tech Crash! Picks: Georgia Tech

#23 Michigan vs Indiana Crash! Picks:Michigan

#24 Washington @ Stanford Crash! Picks: Washington

#25 Nebraska vs Louisiana-Lafayette Crash! Picks: Nebraska

 

In ACC picks:

Wake Forest @ Boston College Crash! Picks: WF

Rutgers @ Maryland Crash! Picks: Rutgers

PITT @ NC State Crash! Picks: NC State

North Carolina Central @ Duke Crash! Picks: Duke

Mercifully, Virginia doesn’t play this week.

In other ‘Noteable’ Games…

Arizona @ Oregon State Crash! Picks: OSU

Michigan State @ Wisconsin  Crash! Picks: Wisconsin

 

Not ‘official picks’, but Notre Dame should handle Purdue, Auburn should be 4-0, and Tennessee should rebound… Oklahoma is the only Top 25 team that’s off until Miami (which may be a good one). 

The First Weekly Crash! Landen Top 30 College Football Poll

I think the Polls are a joke, especially the AP poll. FSU just flew across the country, spanked BYU at home and FSU is sitting one spot ahead of them in the AP poll. They’re only 1 spot better? Getting beat at home by 26 and that team is only 1 spot ahead of you in that poll? Really? Michigan at 3-0 with a win over a good Notre Dame team doesn’t deserve to be ahead of a 2-1 BYU team that just got BLASTED AT HOME by someone that this particular poll had unranked in the previous week? Washington is 2-1. They don’t deserve to be ahead of BYU? BYU beat the #3 team earlier in the year (Oklahoma). Well, Washington, just beat the #3 team also, a team who they are now still trailing in that poll along with BYU. USC is 2-1. Washington is 2-1. Why is Washington ranked 24th while USC is at 12th? SIDE NOTE: MARK MY WORDS, USC HAS A FEW MORE LOSSES ON THE WAY. They are not as good this year as they have been and I think that is because of the assistant coach losses more than the player losses. Their QBs are also shaky (including Barkley) and in college football you can’t win consistently without a QB. END OF SIDE NOTE. Don’t think I’m picking on BYU, either. I think they have a good team, but FSU’s win over them was not an upset. Anyone who knows anything about college football would know that.

All that being said, here is my own poll. I base my OPINION (because this is just My Humble Opinion) on what the teams did last year, who they have coming back (including coaches), who they have coming in (including coaches), who they play, how well they play and where, injuries, record, how motivated that I think they are, etc. I’m betting my poll on a weekly basis will be much more accurate than the Coaches and Writers Poll… But IT IS my own opinion and it’s just as flawed as anyone else’s. Keep in mind I don’t think Florida will be at the top at the end of the year. But they were #1 at the end of last year and they have most everyone coming back (with Harvin being their biggest subtraction) so they still get to be #1 on my poll. Until they lose. So here is my own irrelevant poll without fanfare or art or pictures. I’m happier for posting it. I love college football.

The Crash! Landen Top 30 College Football Poll

#1 Florida (3-0, beat Tennessee @ Home)

#2 Texas (3-0, Beat Texas Tech @ Home)

#3 Alabama (3-0, Dominated Virginia Tech on a Neutral field)

#4 LSU (3-0, Beat Washington)

#5 Miami (2-0, Beat FSU on a dropped pass in the end zone, Beat Georgia Tech @ Home) 

#6 Oklahoma  (2-1, Shut 2 Nobodies out, lost when Sam Bradford was injured)

#7 Cincinatti (Beat Rutgers like a drum, Beat Oregon State, both on the road)

#8 Michigan  (3-0, Beat Notre Dame @ Home)

#9 Penn State (3-0, Have beaten NO ONE)

#10  Cal (3-0, Beat an average Minnesota team)

#11 Florida State (2-1, Beat BYU like a drum, lost to Miami on a dropped pass in the end zone).

#12 Boise State (3-0, Beat Oregon @ Home)

#13 North Carolina (3-0, Beat 2 Average Teams)

#14  TCU (2-0, The Game against Clemson will determine how good they are)

#15 Ole Miss (2-0, Have Beaten NO ONE)

#16 Washington (2-1, Beat USC, Played LSU pretty close @ home)

#17 USC (2-1, Beat Ohio State, Lost to Washington)

#18 Houston (2-0, Beat Oklahoma State)

#19 Oklahoma State (2-1, Beat Georgia @ Home)

#20 Georgia (2-1, Beat South Carolina, Beat Arkansas, Both on the road)

#21 Ohio State (2-1, Struggled with Navy, lost to USC… Typical Sweater Vest team)

#22 Virginia Tech (2-1, Beat Nebraska, Was Beat Down by Alabama on  a neutral field)

#23 Missouri (3-0, embarrassed Illinoise… That ‘e’ is for Ron.)

#24Nebraska (2-1, Should have beaten Va. Tech on the road)

#25 Georgia Tech (2-1, Lost to Miami on the road, Beat Clemson)

#26 Texas Tech (2-1, Lost a close one @ Texas)

#27 Notre Dame (3-0,Beat Michigan State)

#28 Arkansas (1-1, Lost a barnburner to Georgia)

#29 Auburn (3-0, Beat West Virginia)

#30 Iowa (3-0, Beat Arizona, but what does that mean really?)

#30 BYU(2-1, Beat Oklahoma without Sam Bradford)

 #30 Kansas (3-0, Beat NO ONE)

How I Did…Week 3 Picks

Pretty good actually. I got the Washington upset over USC, Charlie saved his job,  and of course I called the BYU beatdown by the ‘Noles… All of the ESPN commentators acted like they were stunned by that and were talking like it was an upset. In fact, they were trying NOT to talk about it. Coming into Saturday, all of the ‘experts’ like Todd McShay and Kirk Herbstreit kept saying “BYU is for real” and that FSU “no longer has the athletes” and all of that hyperbolic garbage, but it played out just like I thought it would. After the Georgia/Arkansas game (which was a good one), the Gameday Crew wanted to talk about every other game except FSU-BYU. Finally, they commented that they still have all kinds of time, “so what else do guys want to talk about? How about BYU?” Even on Sportscenter, they showed the USC upset TWICE, and Notre Dame-Michigan, before they got to the ‘#7′ team being upset. Had they won, it would’ve been a HUGE story. FSU wins and its the sports world’s version of “meh”. I really think FSU will have to run the table and beat UF to get any genuine credit…. Yes, I’m an FSU homer. But everything that I’ve said is true. That being said, let’s see how I did…

Coming in for the Year I’m 34-8 in Top 25 picks and 9-4 in Other Noteable Games… Grand Total is 43-12.

Coming in against Evil FSU Hatin’ ACC Blogger Heather Dinich I am 17-3 to her 15-5 (she thinks she’s 16-5, but apparently she can’t do math either).

On to the picks:

#1 Florida 23 vs Tennessee 13 Crash! Picked UF (but UT kept it respectable…Kiffen’s dad impressed me).

#2 Texas 34 vs Texas Tech 24 Crash! Picked Texas

#3 USC 13 vs Washington 16 Crash! Picked UW… YOU HEARD ME. WASHINGTON! I CALLED THAT ONE!

#4 Alabama 53 vs North Texas 7 Crash! Picked  Bama

 #5 Ole Miss 52 vs Southeastern La.6 Crash! Picked Ole Miss

#5 Penn State 31 vs Temple 6 Crash! Picked Penn State

 #7 BYU 54 vs FSU 28 Crash! Picked  The Noles in a beatdown.Heather D was predictably silent for the most part on her blog about this one. “Shaft! Shut yo’ mouth…”

#8 Cal 35 at Minnesota 21 Crash! Picked  Cal

#9 LSU 31  vs Louisianna Lafayette 3 Crash! Picked  LSU

#10 Boise State 51 at Fresno State 34 Crash! Picked  BS (which is appropriate)

# 11 Ohio State 38 vs Toledo 0 Crash! Picked  OSU

#12 Oklahoma 45 vs Tulsa 0 Crash! Picked  OU

 #13 Va. Tech 16 vs #19 Nebraska 15 Crash! Picked  Nebraska

#14 Georgia Tech 17 vs #20 Miami 33 Crash! Picked  GT

#15 TCU 56 vs Texas State 21 Crash! Picked  TCU

#16 Oklahoma State 41 vs Rice 24 Crash! Picked  OSU

#17 Cincinatti 28 vs Oregon State 18 Crash! Picked  Cincinatti

#18 Utah 24 at Oregon 31 Crash! Picked  Oregon

#22 Kansas 44 vs Duke 16 Crash! Picked  Kansas

#23 Georgia 52 vs Arkansas 41 Crash! Picked  Georgia in a close One

#24 North Carolina 31 vs East Carolina 17 Crash! Picked  NC

#25 Michigan 45 vs Central Michigan 17 Crash! Picked  Michigan

In ACC games:

BC  7 at Clemson 25 Crash! Picked  Clemson

Maryland 31 vs Middle Tennessee State 32 (WOW.) Crash! Picked  Maryland in  squeaker

NC State 45 vs Gardner-Webb 14 Crash! Picked  NC State

Wake Forest 35 vs Elon 7 Crash! Picked Wake

Virginia 34 at Southern Miss 37 Crash! Picked  SMU

In Other Games:

Notre Dame 33 vs Michigan State 30 Crash! Picked Notre Dame

West Virgina 30  at Auburn 41 Crash! Picked  Auburn

Louisville 27 AT Kentucky 31 Crash! Picked Kentucky

Iowa 27 vs Arizona 17 Crash! Picked Iowa

So in Top 25 picks I was a sparkling 20-2. In Other Noteable Games I was 8-1.

In ACC picks against the Evil FSU Hatin’ ACC Blogger Heather Dinich I went 7-3. She went 8-2, so I did very poor in the ACC picks this week. I probably picked with my heart on the Miami/Tech game, since they were coming off the FSU win. I had a feeling that they were going to beat Tech with the extra time to prepare for them and since they hadn’t beaten them in several years. They were focused for that one.

My Top 25 pick total stands at 54-10 (84.375% rate). In other Noteable Games I am 17-5 (about 77%). So the Grand Total stands at a respectable 71-15 (an 82.5% rate)…

Against Evil FSU Hatin’ ACC Blogger Heather Dinich I am 24-6. The Evil One is 23-7 so I’m still a game ahead after 3 weeks. And she’s the ‘expert’. My one advantage is that when FSU is against anyone other than a D-2 team, she’ll pick against them.

Teams that have been impressing me (besides FSU, of course). Washington (obviously, since I called the USC upset). Cincinatti. Tennessee’s defense in a loss.Texas Tech in a loss. Auburn’s playing pretty good for having a new coach (and one that many thought was terrible… including me). Teams that impressing everyone… BAMA. Oklahoma’s defense. Miami (hurt me to say that).

Florida looked beatable at home. If Tennessee only had a QB. Tennessee lost on the scoreboard, but out hit Florida all day long. You can’t beat Florida, though, with a run only team. Once Florida figured that out, it was all over. But Urban Cryer still didn’t get what he wanted. It probably hurt his ego that they didn’t blow Tennessee out. I think Tebow is a great player and leader, but the reason they won their first title was Chris Leak. Tebow stole his thunder by being able to come in on a 3rd and 1 or a 4th and 1 and getting a yard or throwing A PASS. And last year without Hersey Harvin, they don’t play for the national title or win it. Even with all of the players that they have back, I still don’t think they’ll repeat because they don’t have a ‘game changer’ like Harvin was.

Looking forward to next week. FSU plays the South Florida Bulls for the first time ever and they should be coming in with a MAJOR chip on their shoulders. That should be a pretty good one. More on that later.

Link Test

Just seeing if I can link a picture from one of those ‘Image hosting sites’….

This is a drawing I colored and inked this morning. Somebody on Rob Liefeld’s board was asking if someone could redraw some of his characters and even though I really don’t have the time to do that, I did one. Anyway…

Appears to be too big. Here it is uploaded from the HD.

Hmmmm….

College Football Week 3 Picks

So, in  Top 25 Picks last week I went 18-4. In Other Noteable Games I was 6-1. The Grand Total is 24-5.

Against Evil FSU Hatin’ ACC Blogger Heather Dinich I went  9-0 to her 8-1.

For the Year I’m 34-8 in Top 25 picks and 9-4 in Other Noteable Games…

Against Evil FSU Hatin’ ACC Blogger Heather Dinich I am 17-3 to her 15-5.

And there are some great games this week, starting off with the Miami-Georgia Tech game tonight. The big one for me (of course) is the FSU -BYU game in Provo. That ought to be a good one. I found ESPN’s Todd McShay hilarious today. He was fillin’ in for Beano Cook on Ivan Maisel’s podcast today (hope you feel better Beano!).  McShay started out blasting FSU and saying that “this isn’t the 80s), they just don’t have the talent anymore” while saying that Miami is back and is headed in the right direction. Todd, FSU lost on a dropped pass. In the end zone. On the last play. Miami didn’t even stop FSU. Fortson dropped the ball!  He also added the speed and talent of BYU (…BYU!) was vastly superior to FSU’s players. Apparently McShay is just another ‘so-called’ journalist who does his best to stir the pot, and exist on hyperbole and exaggeration. After he made those negative comments, he pointed out BYU would prove that they were a legitimate title contender by beating FSU at home. So which is it? Every single one of these reporters on TV should have to have a daily fact check/hypocrisy test. If they contradict themselves 3 times, they should be fired. Anyway, I’ll be anxious to see how that one shakes out.

On to the picks:

#1 Florida vs Tennessee Crash! Picks UF (and it could get ugly for UT)

#2 Texas vs Texas Tech Crash! Picks Texas

#3 USC vs Washington Crash! Picks UW… YOU HEARD ME. WASHINGTON!

#4 Alabama vs North Texas Crash! Picks Bama

Over-rated #5 Ole Miss vs Southeastern La.?! C’mon!

#5 Penn State vs Temple Crash! Picks JoPa

Over-rated #7 BYU vs FSU Crash! Picks The Noles in a beatdown.

#8 Cal at Minnesota Crash! Picks Cal

#9 LSU vs Louisianna Lafayette Crash! Picks The Hat

Over-rated #10 Boise State at Fresno State Crash! Picks BS (which is appropriate)

# 11 Ohio State vs Toledo  Crash! Picks OSU

#12 Oklahoma vs Tulsa Crash! Picks OU

Over-rated #13 Va. Tech vs #19 Nebraska Crash! Picks Nebraska

#14 Georgia Tech vs #20 Miami Crash! Picks GT

Over-rated #15 TCU vs Texas State Crash! Picks TCU

#16 Oklahoma State vs Rice Crash! Picks OSU

#17 Cincinatti vs Oregon State Crash! Picks Cincinatti

#18 Utah at Oregon Crash! Picks Oregon

#22 Kansas vs Duke Crash! Picks Kansas

#23 Georgia vs Arkansas Crash! Picks Georgia in a close One

#24 North Carolina vs East Carolina Crash! Picks NC

#25 Michigan vs Central Michigan Crash! Picks Michigan

In ACC games:

BC at Clemson Crash! Picks Clemson

Maryland vs Middle Tennessee State Crash! Picks Maryland (tough call, there)(no, really)

NC State vs Gardner-Webb Crash! PicksReally?

Wake Forest vs Elon Crash! PicksWake in a Close One

Virginia at Southern Miss Crash! Picks SMU

In Other Games:

Notre Dame vs Michigan State Crash! Picks The Fightin’ Charlies

West Virgina at Auburn Crash! PicksAuburn

Louisville AT Kentucky Crash! Picks Kentucky

Iowa vs Arizona Crash! Picks Iowa

And that’s all, folks.

UPDATE:2:15 Thursday… I AM worried that USC WON”T be playing with their freshman QB Matt B. and that Corp will be fillin’ in for him. I’m still going with Washington in a trap/upset/grudgefest game. I think UW’s new coach has them believing. And they’ve got a decent dual threat QB.

I also wanted to correct my assertion that Dan Hawkins will be fired by the end of the year. Apparently, he has a HUGE buyout clause and Colorado’s athletic dept. is already on shaky ground, so he still has a chance to turn things around (I don’t WANT to see someone get fired…).

Vote 4 Goldilock on Zuda

Well, I just sent  my submission in to Zuda. So I guess I’ll try not to think about it… I will think of the current competition!  I think there are several really good ones this month, but the one I actually voted for was ‘Goldilock’ by StrokerX/Adam Lucas.

If I did that right you can click on the image and vote for it. It’s fairly well done sci-fi with really neat animated style art. He deserves to win, so please vote for him. Registering isn’t difficult and they don’t send you spam or sell you to other companies.

Oh and here’s a link to his blog… thegoldilockszone.blogspot.com

It looks like he’s put a lot of work into it, it has great art and the story might actually be going somewhere. What’s not to like?

Anyway, he’s curently #2, so he needs more than just my vote, and I know I get a couple hundred hits a day, so all of you lurkers get to it!