Last week, thanks to Josh Rosen’s arm and toughness, I finished 8-4 instead of 7-5.  There is a difference and it was a good way to start the season.

I don’t know why I am here writing this right now.  I suppose it is just what I do.  At this moment I am so removed from what I am sitting here doing that it feels like an out of body experience.  I don’t like it.

For this week’s picks I will be brief and without game commentary:

Purdue beats Ohio

Indiana beats Virginia

UK beats EKU

Louisville beats North Carolina

Ole Miss beats UT Martin

Iowa beats Iowa State

Penn State beats Pitt

Georgia beats Notre Dame

Auburn beats Clemson

USC beats Stanford

Oklahoma beats Ohio State

Minnesota beats Oregon State

Enough football.

I got a call Tuesday morning from my dear friend Kelly in Seymour.  He found a way to tell me that the youngest of his four children, Nathaniel, had died.  Tino, we called him, was 21.  Kelly had seen and talked to him before going to bed at 10 PM Monday night.

I say it again, Nathaniel was the youngest of four children.  An older brother and two older twin sisters are hurting right now, as are his parents and so many more of us.

In an email today to my own siblings I lamented this has taught me that I still have a great deal to learn.  Over the years I have seen so many friends come and go.  I have been subjected to more death than most, I suppose.  It is never easy.  This time, though, it is much different.  He was one of our kids.

I just finished sitting here with my arms folded looking intently at this page wondering what to type next.

I’m sure I’ll get to it eventually.