Pick 'Em Corner - The Professor's Week 11 Smart Money Picks

The Professor is back. Back to his rightful place atop the Pick 'Em Corner standings. That's right, YOUR two-time defending Pick 'Em Corner Big Ten Regular Season Handicapping Champion owns the top spot in everyone's favorite college football betting program.

My fellow panelists wrote off The Professor after an admittedly awful 4-10-1 Week 7, which left The Professor below .500 for the year and the owner of a 2-5 locks record. Well, my how the tables have turned. Since Week 7, The Professor has posted a 31-13-1 tear, including a 3-0 mark in locks.

The Professor is back, indeed.

So, without further ado, sit up straight, sharpen your pencils and enjoy the lecture, for these are The Professor's Smart Money Picks, brought to you by the City of Chanhassen.

Iowa -10 NORTHWESTERN
The Professor is a numbers guy and all the numbers say to pick the Cats in this one. There's Kirk Ferentz's 4-5 mark against NU, including a 1-3 record against Pat Fitzgerald. There's the Hawkeyes' lackluster win over Indiana last weekend. And then there's the Northwestern's upset win in Iowa City last season to derail the Hawks' undefeated season. So why is The Professor siding with Iowa? First, Iowa is very, very good. Northwestern is not. Second, although this is a road game, it's not a road game since there will be thousands of Iowa fans at Ryan Field. Plus, KCKCKCK will probably be picking the Cats, since that's what he does. Go Hawks.

WISCONSIN -21.5 Indiana
Chalk this one up to my hatred of all things Wisconsin. The Badgers are head and shoulders better than Indiana, but by now, you know how much The Professor loves the schadenfreude angle as it related to Wisconsin. Nothing says schadenfreude more than a Hoosier cover. Plus, Special K is fond of saying, "Bucky is yucky."

ILLINOIS -21 Minnesota
In the aftermath of the Gophers' shellacking at the hands of Michigan State last week, Minnesota tight end Eric Lair said, "I don’t want to say we’re cocky, but we just believe no one can really stop us.” So, much like Mr. Lair, The Professor is going to delude himself into thinking the Gophers can cover this week on the road. Plus, I'm 2-5 this year when I pick against Goldy.

Michigan -12.5 PURDUE
Michigan: Explosive offense, high school defense. Purdue: Anemic offense, "meh" defense. Sounds like a 14-point Maize and Blue win to me. Plus, RichRod is still pissed at Danny Hope and his weird post-game exchange after Purdue's win at Michigan Stadium last year.

Utah -5.5 NOTRE DAME
Utah looking for redemption after last week's embarrassing home loss to TCU + Notre Dame's 11-game losing streak to ranked opponents + the Irish starting a true freshman QB + a quiet home crowd = a convincing Utah win. Plus, it's always fun to cheer against Notre Dame.

OHIO STATE -18 Penn State
The Bucks are rested and ready to introduce PSU QB Matt McGloin to a real Big Ten defense, not the high school-level defenses at Northwestern, Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois. Plus, it's always fun to pick against the alma mater of The Cornerman and Foreman's Forecast.

AUBURN -8.5 Georgia
Color me surprised that Steve Stellar didn't take this one off the board when the rest of the sports books already have, thanks to the ongoing Cam Newton saga. Are we really providing our viewers a service when we include a game on our docket that bookies won't touch with a 10-foot pole? Ok fine. I'll go with the conventional wisdom that the distractions will keep this game close. Plus, I'd like to see the SEC's top team fall to help out TCU/Boise State.

FLORIDA -6.5 South Carolina
This game is a tale of two teams going in separate directions - Florida up and USC down. Throw in the fact that this game will be played in the Swamp and you have the makings of a convincing Gator win. Plus, the Gamecocks lost by 21 at home to Woo Pig Sooie last weekend.

Oregon -19.5 CAL
It's worked for two straight weeks, so why not try it again? In the spirit of the Mighty Ducks movies, of which the esteemed publication Let's Play Hockey was a part: Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack! DO YOU HEAR THAT SOUND? EEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRR-PLUNK! EEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRR-PLUNK! EEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRR-PLUNK! It's The Professor's Statistically-Proven Lock of the Week, brought to you by National American University!



ALABAMA -13.5 Mississippi St. (Roll Tide Turkey game)
I haven't picked against the Tide a single time this season. Sure, it's led me to a 5-4 mark in Roll Tide Turkey games, but I think it's time to shake things up a bit. Plus, I think 13.5 points are just a tad too much in this "closer than the experts think" game.

ARIZONA (home) -4 USC
In the last five weeks USC has given up 32 or more points four times. Meanwhile, Arizona is 10th in the nation in points against. Plus, this is a night game in front of the 'Zona Zoo.

Army Pick’Em KENT STATE (Service Academy game)
In honor of Veteran's Day Weekend, I give you the complete lyrics to the Army fight song:

The Army team's the pride and dream
Of every heart in gray,
The Army line you'll ever find
A terror in the fray;
And when the team is fighting
For the Black and Gray and Gold,
We're always near with song and cheer
And this is the tale we're told:
The Army team ...
(Band accompaniment)
(Whistle)
On, brave old Army team,
On to the fray;
Fight on to victory,
For that's the fearless Army way.



Miami -2.5 GEORGIA TECH
For two consecutive weeks, I've had the pleasure of picking against Steve Stellar's favorite squad and came away the big winner. What makes you think I'm going to change now. Plus, this is the first time this season we get to sing, "I'm a Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech, and a hell of an engineer--A helluva, helluva, helluva, helluva, hell of an engineer."



*Boise State -34.5 Idaho
Despite the mounting evidence that it's going to take a miracle for Boise State to get a piece of the BCS pie, there's still hope for the Smurf Turfers. They're still on a mission and that means they'll pile on the points again this week, then wake up the next morning and watch a distracted Auburn team implode against Georgia.

Iowa State -2.5 COLORADO (Meaningless game of the Week)
Befitting the Meaningless Game of the Week, here's my analysis: [This space intentionally left blank].

*Stanford -5 ARIZONA STATE
Did I mention I'm 31-13-1 in the last three weeks? I did? Well, then just go with me on this one.

Thus concludes The Professor's Smart Money Picks, brought to you by The City of Chanhassen.

2010 Pick 'Em Corner Standings - Total Points
1. The Professor 82-66-5 (92 pts.)
2. Special G 83-65-5 (91)
3. The Veteran 78-70-5 (90)
4. Strickly Cash 81-67-5 (87)
5. The Host 71-77-5 (87)
6. Steve Stellar 79-70-5 (85)
6. KCKCKCK 75-58-5 (85)
8. The Cornerman 68-80-5 (84)
9. Foreman's Forecast 70-76-5 (80)
10. Miss Money 54-65-3 (62)
11. C-Noth 51-64-4 (59)
12. Money Traen 35-40-3 (37)
13. Vose 30-30-3 (32)
14. autoMATTic 24-33-3 (26)
15. Lockrem's Locks 9-6-0 (9)

2010 Pick 'Em Corner Standings - Points Per Week (Locks)
1. KCKCKCK 9.4 (5-4)
2. The Professor 9.2 (5-5)
3. Special G 9.1 (4-6)
4. The Veteran 9.0 (6-4)
4. Lockrem's Locks 9.0 (0-1)
6. The Host 8.7 (8-2)
6. Strickly Cash 8.7 (3-7)
8. Steve Stellar 8.5 (3-7)
9. The Cornerman 8.4 (8-2)
10. Foreman's Forecast 8.0 (4-6)
10. Vose 8.0 (1-3)
12. Miss Money 7.8 (4-4)
13. C-Noth 7.4 (4-3)
13. Money Traen 7.4 (1-4)
15. autoMATTic 6.5 (1-3)

Pick 'Em Corner - The Professor's Week 10 Smart Money Picks

Much like my reaction to the news of the Tim Brewster firing, The Professor would like to celebrate the end of East Coast Bias Week for the 2010 season. The fact that The Host allows Pick 'Em Corner to be hijacked by a couple of transplants who play Duck, Duck, Goose and Flush/Knockout is a troubling sign for the future of this esteemed program. With that in mind, I propose that in weeks that The Host is too busy to choose games, the previous week's top scorer should do the honors.

Of course, that would mean The Host actually gets around to, you know, doing his job and compiling the results from previous weeks, so never mind, I guess.

On to Week 10. The Professor is happy to see we're done with the abomination of ECBW, even though I did notch 13 points last week. The Professor is also happy to see Cornerman and Steve Stellar have listened to the plethora of complaints from Pick 'Em Corner's Midwest-centric fan base and avoided games like Syracuse-Louisville and Boston College-Wake Forest. Good on ya, fellow panelists.

So, without further ado, sit up straight, sharpen your pencils and enjoy the lecture, for these are The Professor's Smart Money Picks (West Coast Bias Week Edition), brought to you by the City of Chanhassen.

Iowa -17.5 INDIANA
The Professor can admit when he's wrong. I partially had written off Iowa after they picked up their second loss a couple weeks ago. Oops. That thumping of Sparty showed how far off I was. Two losses or not, the Hawkeyes are still in the mix for the Big Ten title and they're not going to let their foot off the gas in what should be an Iowa rout in Bloomington.

MICHIGAN ST. -24.5 Minnesota
The Professor's Progeny (v1), Special K, learned quickly last week what it means to be a Gopher fan. After Ohio State marched down the field for a touchdown on its opening possession, Special K turned to me and said, "I want to go home." Expect the Gophers to feel much the same way early on in this tilt with Sparty.

MICHIGAN -3 Illinois
The Ron Zook Postulate does not apply for games where the spread is actually opposite of what it should be. This is one of those games. Much like last season, the wheels are coming off in Michigan. Meanwhile, the Illini look like a team just a notch below the Big Ten elite. It's hard to believe, given who their coach is, but this is my secondary lock of the week (no extra points awarded, though they should be if you pick a team coached by Ron Zook).

MIAMI (Fla.) -7.5 Maryland
Ugh, Steve Stellar's East Coast bias rears its ugly head again. Fear the Turtle.

Wisconsin -20 PURDUE
You know I hate to do it, but I have to pick Bucky here. Purdue is bad, really bad, like almost Minnesota bad.

Air Force -6.5 ARMY (Service Academcy GOW)
Army's new awesome camouflage uniforms are good enough for a cover in West Point.

On, brave old Army team!
On to the fray.
Fight on to victory
For that's the fearless Army way.

TCU -4.5 UTAH (Home)
Some people are looking at this game as a playoff for a BCS bowl spot. Others are looking at this game as the winner's opportunity to leapfrog Boise State in the BCS standings. The Professor is looking at this game as a battle between two teams who really haven't played anybody. Ok, TCU beat Oregon State and Baylor, but that doesn't do a lot for me. And Utah beat, well, umm, choose which team does it for you: Iowa State, Pitt, Air Force. TCU's body of work is a tad stronger that the Utes, so that's what I'm going with here.

BOISE STATE -21 Hawai'i
I really want to take the Rainbow Warriors here as they've put together a solid season, but Boise State is on a mission to upset the apple cart that is the BCS. To do that, the Broncos obviously need to win, but moreso, win big. That's exactly what they do here.

Alabama -6.5 LSU (RTT GOW)
Like the Cornerman, I wouldn't be sad to see the Roll Tide Turkey Game of the Week take a break from time to time, but not this week. I'm still of the belief that LSU is as mediocre a 7-1 team as you'll find. Meanwhile, Alabama should be back to being Alabama after a pair of good wins following the upset loss to South Carolina. The difference maker here is the Tide defense. Aside from the hiccup in Columbia, Bama has allowed more 13 points just once this season. The Bama defense will stop the LSU run and force the anemic Tiger pass offense to do what it does best - throw interceptions. Roll! Tide! Turkey!

PENN STATE -5.5 Northwestern
Joe Paterno gets his first shot at getting his 400th win and his players aren't going to let a team of nerds prevent it from happening.

OREGON -35 Washington
It worked last week, so why not try it again? In the spirit of the Mighty Ducks movies, of which the esteemed publication Let's Play Hockey was a part: Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack, Quack! DO YOU HEAR THAT SOUND? EEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRR-PLUNK! EEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRR-PLUNK! EEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRR-PLUNK! It's The Professor's Statistically-Proven Lock of the Week, brought to you by National American University!



Nebraska -17.5 IOWA STATEI'm tired of picking the favorite. Yup, that's why I'm going with the Cyclones.

California -14 WASHINGTON STATE (Victory Sports Meaningless GOW)
See Nebraska-Iowa State.

STANFORD -9.5 Arizona
I'm running out of steam here, I'll admit. I like the Cardinal to take the win here, but the spread is just a tad too big for me, especially considering Zona's stout defense. Go Cats.

USC -5 Arizona StateLast week's game against Oregon was USC's bowl game for they year and they allowed 53 points. Now, I don't expect Arizona State to put up anywhere near the same numbers as the Ducks, but there's just no chance the prima donna-laden Trojan roster has any sort of motivation for this game with the Devils. Lane Kiffin will do his best to rally the troops, but in a season that now means nothing, the USC players will mail in the rest of the season, starting with this game. DEVILS!!!



Thus concludes The Professor's Smart Money Picks, brought to you by The City of Chanhassen.