First things first.
Today as I walked, I felt an urge to listen to a tune by The Bee Gees. No. This is not a common urge. But there was one song that I felt I needed to listen to. Had not heard it in years. One of those things you don’t ask why you just do. The song is titled For Whom the Bell Tolls. This has been a tough week for some that have been or still are in my inner sanctum. Loss is a tough thing to deal with. Calendars turn to days of months we still can’t make sense of be it five or twenty-five years later. It hurts. And recently one of those realities happened again this week. I don’t try to understand. I never will. Time is a mysterious thing for sure. It creeps on days we wish it would fly. Time flies on days we wish it would creep. Time is a mystery.
On to this week’s picks.
12-2 start last week and that included a defiant pick of Notre Dame over Ohio State. Some folks out there in speaktherights land try to take my Ohio State and Swissconsin picks seriously. I consider it a Cream and Crimson Badge of Courage each time I pick against Ohio State and Swissconsin, even out of pure spite and disdain for these nasty programs and the fans who follow them. Nasty. Nasty bunch. The Louisville pick? Never imagined they would turn the Carrier Dome into a Syracuse chicken coop laying one egg after another. But, guess what? I am giving them on more shot this week.
Louisville beats UCF…I don’t care if John Rhys Plumlee is quarterbacking the Knights. I saw him in Tuscaloosa in 2019 and quickly snapped a photo of the scoreboard with the Rebs ahead.
Alabama beats Texas…Do we need to say more? Roll Tide for Brother Tim!
Northwestern beats Duke…In the SAT/ACT Bowl! Lord these kids are smart.
Notre Dame beats Marshall…If I were not going to be in the press box at Indiana tomorrow night I would be in South Bend. If there was EVER a game I would hope I am wrong about THIS IS IT!!!
Pitt beats Tennessee…Pitt is good. UT? Not sure. Johnny Majors Bowl for sure. Some of you may need to look that up.
Iowa beat Iowa State….OFFENSE…OFFENSE…OFFENSE. That was the Hawkeye battle cry in practice this week. Iowa will come through.
Illinois beats Virginia…If for no other reason, they let the Indiana game slip through their fingers and I AM DELIGHTED THEY DID.
UCLA beats Alabama State…Who schedules this?
USC beats Stanford…Those wondering about the PAC-12 motivation toward USC and UCLA.
Ole Miss beats Central Arkansas…Practice game.
Mississippi State beats Arizona….Is there a better interview than Mike Leach?
Indiana beats Idaho…2-0 looks pretty good after 2-10. Does it EVER.
UK beats Florida…I have sources telling me that the UK reason for holding out players for this game deals with NIL deals? I don’t know. I do know that Will Levis may be the best quarterback Florida faces and the interior lines for UK make the interior lines of the Gators opponents last week, Utah, look like shredded wheat. If UK loses, it will be on them.
Wake Forest beats Vandy…Much like Northwestern vs. Duke, admissions counselors are proud of these teams!
Okay. A North Harrison note.
The Cougars are getting NO LOVE from the voters of the polls ranking the teams. The North Harrison Cougars are not mentioned in the AP poll. They are not mentioned in the Indiana Football Coaches Association Poll. This, though they sport a 3-0 record and have scored 40 or more points in their first three games. Corydon Central, while not a grand team record wise, had more success against teams with 2-1 records than they did against North Harrison.
There are a couple “phrases” I abhorred in recent years when referenced during football games on television and we rarely hear them today. “In Space” was one of them. Neil Armstrong would not approve. “Statement Game” was the other. Every game is a statement game. But, tomorrow, as North lines up against Charlestown, a team that historically has had North’s number, a statement will be made. I BELIEVE the Cougars will take care of business.
Speaking the RIghts…
Danny Johnson