THIRD WEEK’S A CHARM.

 

Wow! Last weekend was pretty pretty pretty exciting. And rewarding!

We hit on three of four UPSET SPECIALS, which translates to some serious change if you called your sports book in time.

Overall we went 4-4, and are 63% for the season. Not too shabby, especially when you factor in multipliers for the upset specials. Cha ching, baby.

• Alabama clobbered New Mexico State but failed to cover their 55.5 point spread. Cha ching!

• Same thing with Clemson. They won but did not cover. Cha ching!

• BYU used the power of prayer in their overtime win in Knoxville. Cha ching!!

• Colorado Buffs stormed back to beat the Cornhuskers and the Big Red Nation that flooded into Boulder. Cha ching!

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?

Vol head coach Jeremy Pruitt endures another week of hate speech as foolish fans call for his head. He’s two games into his second season and you want to boot him? Seriously? He inherited a ton of untalented ingrates from Butch Jones and you already want to kick him to the curb? Check back in two years, please. Hopefully Tennessee rights the ship soon as they head into a buzz saw of a schedule featuring Florida, Georgia, and Alabama.

Our Top 12 College Mascots. Whose your Favorite?

Mascots add a lot of fun, color and craziness to college football.  It all began in 1898 with Yale’s Handsome Dan, a bulldog that brought a lot of bite and charm to east coast football. Since then, every college has added it’s own mascot from animals, insects and reptiles to people, trees and colors.

As with anything associated with the sport, we felt compelled to produce our own ranking of America’s favorite mascots.

WWW’s Top 12 Mascots…Who made the list?

Bevo from Texas…badass longhorn that almost ate UGA last season.  Too bad it didn’t happen.

Ralphie from Colorado…another four hoofed badass with horns. Ate some Huskers last week.

Notre Dame’s Leprechaun…a little creepy but at least he’s not a priest.

Sparty…Michigan State’s guy that you don't want to meet in a dark alley. Sports very cool head gear.

UGA….no mascot drools more then this little mutt. He seriously needs a bib.

Traveler….Southern Cal’s white steed. Very LA.

Mike the Tiger…do NOT go near his cage, especially if you’ve been drinking all day in the Red Stick.

Chief Osceola…pride of the Seminole casinos.

Smokey the Blue Tick Hound…regal on Rocky Top. Sets a high bar for canine mascots.

The Duck…from Oregon…flies while high.

Bucky the Badger…this dude knows how to party down in Madison...brats, beer, and babes.

Sooner Schooner…reminds me so much Ralston Purina’s dog chow commercial from 1972 (google it).

What’s your favorite mascot?  Let us know. We promise not to laugh.

Opening later this year, the Official Beer Garden of Woolard's Weekend Winners. Stay tuned for updates and get your thirst ready. The place for Winners like you to mingle and mix.

THE GREAT EIGHT™ FOR WEEK THREE

We’re a week away from hitting some key marquee games but we still have an intriguing line up that promises to make us some serious cash. So let’s take a quick look.

#11 FLORIDA @ KENTUCKY…this game appeared earlier to be a pretty good matchup. But then Wildcat qb Terry Wilson injured his knee. So tomorrow a backup transfer from Troy, Sawyer Smith, gets his chance against the Gator D. Ain’t going to be pretty. And along comes Feleipe Franks and the Gator offense. It will click but it will be the Florida defense that makes the difference in this game, especially with a strong pass rush. This will be a close game but the Gators will growl in Lexington.

#2 ALABAMA @ SOUTH CAROLINA…here comes the Tide so buckle up Cock fans. Bama will roll in this one but it may be closer than expected. South Carolina has just enough talent to give Bama a fight. They have athletes and SEC skill but they lack depth to keep up the pace. Saban has the Tide revved up. QB Tua looks stronger, his receivers are doing a better job of taking short passes a long way, and the running game is poised to take off. The last time these two teams met was in 2010 and the Cocks pulled off a 35-21 win. Can it happen again? Not tomorrow. Take the Tide, leave the canoli.

#15 PENN STATE  @ PITT…the key to this game is if the Panthers can keep the chains moving and keep the Penn State offense off the field. Sadly – for Pitt fans – that won’t happen. Nittany Lion qb Sean Clifford has been great from the start, even overcoming lackluster output by his running backs. The line of 16.5 is tempting but we won’t bite.  Penn State over Pitt.

SOUTHERN CAL @ BYU…the Trojans are looking mighty strong after their shocking performance against Stanford. QB Kedon Slovis was deadly accurate, completing 28 of 33 passes for 377 yards. The USC run defense locked up the Cardinal ground game, yielding only 98 rushing yards. BYU got lucky against an inept Tennessee team but this week is going to be a lot different. This is only the third time these two have played…USC won both games in 2003 and 2004. Tomorrow they make it three. Trojans pound the Mormons.

FLORIDA STATE @ VIRGINIA…when was the last time the Cavs were favored over the Noles? It’s been a long long time. Let’s be honest. FSU is a hot mess right now. The defense can’t stop third downs, the secondary is getting lit up like a Christmas tree, and they look really out of shape. It’s going to be in the high 80’s in Charlottesville so the Noles better hydrate because Virginia is going to wear them out in dominating time of possession. UVA wins.

#20 IOWA @ #25 IOWA STATE…these two teams will battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy and a ton of in-state pride. Iowa is a one point favorite but you can throw that out the window. The key will be the Hawkeyes ability – or lack thereof – to put pressure on the Cyclone’s qb. They’ve been effective against the run; not so much with pass pressure. Like 6 of the last 8 matches, this will be another close fist fight for four quarters. Iowa State will hang around, but in the end, Iowa wins with a strong effort from qb Nate Stanley. Hawkeyes fly in this one.

#4 OKLAHOMA @ UCLA…poor Chip Kelly. His offense ranks 126^th in the nation in total offense. They can’t move the chains, there’s no running game, and the team is dead last in time of possession. Ouch. Meanwhile Sooner qb Jalen Hurts leads an offense that can score from anywhere on the field at any time. They lead the nation averaging 710 yards per game. Okay…it was against Houston and South Dakota, but still!  The Sooners will hit a few speed bumps with the Bruins but will blow this game open in the second half. Put your money on the Sooners and get ready to sing….Oklahoma where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain….

NORTH CAROLINA @ WAKE FOREST…this is a Friday night game with a 6pm kick so don’t sit on your thumbs too long. Dial up your sports book because this game has a lot of promise as Mack Brown continues his comeback tour with the Heels. QB Sam Howell has shown a lot of potential with his arm and big veteran receivers. But the real story for tonight is Wake’s qb Jamie Newman. He’s a playmaker and he’ll pick the Tar Heel secondary clean. In a tight game, Demon Deacons pull off a thriller.

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