Week 12 of the 2022 College Football Season.
Ouch.
This post is being written to Brian Wilson’s 2015 release titled No Pier Pressure.
Four years ago this weekend, my dear wife, Carrie, and I were under this pier.
The Santa Monica Pier.
Indulge me one more time. Going to the Rose Bowl to watch UCLA play USC with my Dad in 2016 and then taking Carrie in 2018 to see this iconic game in a more iconic stadium than any one I know, well, after the last few years, it means that much more.
Pretty darn cool.
Yes, UCLA hosts USC in the Rose Bowl with fans for the first time since Carrie and I were there. The game will be televised by FOX at 8 PM EDT. We will be watching.
Last week’s picks were not memorable. So, this week:
Pitt beats Duke…Yes, I am for the Dukies. But the weather? Might play a factor.
Michigan beats Illinois…The last warm-up before going to visit Brutus.
Purdue beats Northwestern…As the Boilermakers look for a trip to Indy for Big Ten Champ Game.
Nebraska beats Swissconsin…Yes, you are correct. I can’t stand Bucky.
Notre Dame beats Boston College…Where have you gone, David Gordon? I was lying on a couch in the house across from Hancock Chapel Church, where I lived with my old friend Malcolm “Corner King” Lincoln. In 1993, David Gordon kicked a 41-yard field goal for BC that took down a #1 ranked Notre Dame team. I jumped off the couch. I did not know there was a sturdy, faulty spring hanging out of the section that was under my left arm at the time. When I jumped up, my left arm felt a tug. The scar is still there. I can show it to you. Stitches were probably needed. There was more college football to watch that day.
Georgia beats Kentucky…Imagine, what would happen if, oh, never mind.
NC State beats Louisville…I know U of L is a darling right now. How is Cunningham? It won’t matter. NC State is the better team and they will find themselves in Cardinal Stadium feeling unabashed.
Iowa beats Minnesota…Yes, I am a glutton for punishment. But I still love those Iowa boys. Great place. Great coach. Go Hawkeyes!
North Carolina beats Georgia Tech… Drake Maye. If this played in the SEC he would already be handed the Heisman Trophy. You heard it here. Watch.
Auburn beats Western Kentucky… Right?
Oklahoma State beats Oklahoma… He’s a man! He’s 40! Bedlam. I don’t want to imagine college football with it. Watch while you can. Dollars are winning over tradition.
Ole Miss beats Arkansas… Lane Kiffin, if you have a brain, you will hang with Oxford! Have you been to Auburn lately?
Wake Forest beats Syracuse…The Deacons don’t lose this one at home.
UCLA beats USC… I would love to be there again. Look, I have been to many college football stadiums. I have seen 73 of the FBS teams play in person. Walking into the Rose Bowl the first time with my Dad, and spending time on the field there in an empty Rose Bowl the second trip, thanks to some kind folks, did something to me. A child of the Big Ten who dreamed of seeing his Indiana Hoosiers play there one day, I got there myself. Few places live up to the hype. The Rose Bowl Stadium exceeded my dreams. Not many dreamers can say that.
Watching my Dad walk into that tunnel is an indelible image for me.
Go Bruins!
Speaking the Rights.
Danny Johnson