College Football Bowl Picks - Part II

We're half-way through our college bowl pick and we're doing great, correctly picking 10 of 14 games. We're going to the home stretch and there will surely be some big upsets. We'll have our BCS pick next Friday.

Results to Date
Against the Spread: 8-4-2
Head-to-Head: 10-4


Friday December 30th

Armed Forces Bowl
Fort Worth, Texas
BYU vs. Tulsa
Line: Tulsa by 1
Smooth’s Pick – BYU (30-21)


Pinstripe Bowl
The Bronx, New York
Iowa St. vs. Rutgers
Line: Rutgers by 1
Smooth’s Pick – Rutgers (27-24)


Music City Bowl
Nashville, Tennessee
Mississippi St. vs. Wake Forest
Line: Mississippi State by 6½
Smooth’s Pick – Mississippi State (36-20)


Insight Bowl
Tuscon, Arizona
Iowa vs. (19) Oklahoma
Line: Oklahoma by 13½
Smooth’s Pick – Oklahoma (34-21)


Saturday December 31st


Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas
Houston, Texas
Texas A&M vs. Northwestern
Line: Texas A&M by 10
Smooth’s Pick – Texas A&M (28-17)


Sun Bowl
El Paso, Texas
Georgia Tech vs. Utah
Line: Georgia Tech by 2½
Smooth’s Pick – Utah (32-28)


Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
San Francisco, California
Illinois vs. UCLA
Line: Illinois by 3
Smooth’s Pick – Illinois (31-18)


Liberty Bowl
Memphis, Tennessee
Cincinnati vs. Vanderbilt
Line: Vanderbilt by 2
Smooth’s Pick – Vanderbilt (27-20)


Chick-fil-A Bowl
Atlanta, Georgia
Virginia vs. Auburn
Line: Auburn by 3
Smooth’s Pick – Auburn (26-21)


Monday January 2nd, 2012


TicketCity Bowl
Dallas, Texas
(20) Houston vs. (24) Penn St.
Line: Houston by 7
Smooth’s Pick – Houston (33-19)


Gator Bowl
Jacksonville, Florida
Ohio St. vs. Florida
Line: Florida by 2
Smooth’s Pick – Florida (37-13)


Capital One Bowl
Orlando, Florida
(21) Nebraska vs. (10) South Carolina
Line: South Carolina by 2
Smooth’s Pick – South Carolina (23-21)


Outback Bowl
Tampa, Florida
(12) Michigan St. vs. (18) Georgia
Line: Georgia by 3
Smooth’s Pick – Michigan State (27-24)


Rose Bowl
Pasadena, California
(9) Wisconsin vs. (6) Oregon
Line: Oregon by 5½
Smooth’s Pick – Oregon (24-23)


Fiesta Bowl
Glendale, Arizona
(4) Stanford vs. (3) Oklahoma St.
Line: Oklahoma State by 4
Smooth’s Pick – Stanford (23-21)


Tuesday January 3rd, 2012


Sugar Bowl
New Orleans, Louisiana
(13) Michigan vs. (17) Virginia Tech
Line: Michigan by 2½
Smooth’s Pick – Michigan (30-24)


Wednesday January 4th, 2012


Orange Bowl
(23) West Virginia vs. (14) Clemson
Line: Clemson by 2½
Smooth’s Pick – West Virginia (23-17)


Friday January 6th, 2012


Cotton Bowl
Arlington, Texas
(11) Kansas St. vs. (7) Arkansas
Line: Arkansas by 7½
Smooth’s Pick – Arkansas (24-21)


Saturday January 7th, 2012


BBVA Compass Bowl
Birmingham, Alabama
SMU vs. Pittsburgh
Line: Pittsburgh by 3
Smooth’s Pick – Pittsburgh (27-23)


Sunday January 8th, 2012


GoDaddy.Com Bowl
Mobile, Alabama
Arkansas St. vs. Northern Illinois
Line: Arkansas State by 1½
Smooth’s Pick – Arkansas State (20-16)

Week 17 - Dark Skies Awaits

This Monday stands to be pretty scary for some NFL coaches.  To be exact, five are looking squarely at the ax.  That includes, Raheem Ellis in Tampa Bay, Steve Spagnolo in St Louis and Norv Turner in San Diego.  Tom Coughlin may lose his job if the Giants don't win on Sunday night against the Cowboys. Another possibility is Philly's Andy Reid, who fans have been screaming for the guillotine.  The off-season is looking at one of the most active in terms of new coaching.

BTW, those of you may have caught my Twitter rant concerning the Bell TV/CTV debacle regarding their abrupt switch of the Giants/Jets game.  I'm still pretty pissed over it. Whenever CBS or Fox has to swich, they usually alert their viewers of the change.  On Sunday, there was no announcement, not even a craw by Bel TV/CTV, to alert of the change. Keep in mind, this is the same company that petitioned the CTRC (Similar to the FCC in the states) to blackout US channels that have the same programming.  They've shown that they're not capable of putting together a quality product.  I highly recommend anyone with Bell TV to switch to another service. Maybe if more people drop their subscriptions, Bell TV/CTV will get the message.

Last week was another success head-to-head, but against the spread, we were caught off guard.  The final week of the season is our last chance to break over 60% percent.  Highly unlikely, though.

Last Week’s Results

Against the Spread:  6-6-5

Head to Head: 11-5

Season to Date

Against the Spread: 111-91-37

Head to Head: 149-91

Odds Courtesy of OddsShark.com

Detroit at Green Bay  

Line: Packers by 3½

Smooth’s Pick – Green Bay (26-24)

Indianapolis at Jacksonville

Line: Colts by 3½

Smooth’s Pick – Jacksonville (24-17)

NY Jets at Miami

Line: Dolphins by 1½

Smooth’s Pick – Miami (23-21)

           

Carolina at New Orleans

Line: Saints by 9

Smooth’s Pick – New Orleans (30-17)

Chicago at Minnesota

Line: Pick ‘em

Smooth’s Pick – Chicago (19-14)

           

Buffalo at New England

Line: Patriots by 12½

Smooth’s Pick – New England (34-16)

Tennessee at Houston

Line: Texans by 2½

Smooth’s Pick – Tennessee (28-13)

           

Washington at Philadelphia

Line: Eagles by 10

Smooth’s Pick – Philadelphia (20-16)

San Francisco at St. Louis

Line: Niners by 12

Smooth’s Pick – San Francisco (21-7)

Tampa Bay at Atlanta

Line: Falcons by 13

Smooth’s Pick – Atlanta (33-18)

Seattle at Arizona

Line: Cards by 1½

Smooth’s Pick – Seattle (20-13)

           

San Diego at Oakland

Line: Raiders by 2½

Smooth’s Pick – Oakland (24-20)

Kansas City at Denver 

Line: Broncos by 3½

Smooth’s Pick – Denver (17-15)

           

Pittsburgh at Cleveland

Line: None

Smooth’s Pick – Pittsburgh (23-12)

Baltimore at Cincinnati

Line: Pick ‘em

Smooth’s Pick – Cincinnati (18-16)

           

Dallas at NY Giants

Line: Giants by 2½

Smooth’s Pick – NY Giants (21-20)

College Football

The Author of this post is Velma Baird

I graduated from Florida State University in 2004 and am a huge college football fan. After living in Tallahassee for four years, it would be amazing if I wasn’t. Fans there are hardcore, and it’s so much fun going to all of the games. Watching the games on TV gives me a sense of nostalgia for my college days. I live in Burbank now, and most of the time the local stations don’t carry FSU football games on Saturdays. I am able to watch some of the games online, but my internet connection was so bad, that some weekends I couldn’t watch the game at all, and others my connection would come in and out. I had had enough of that, so I searched 4G internet Burbank to see who the best and most reliable local internet service provider was. After making the change to Clear, things have gotten much better. I get to watch the games that are shown online, and I also got a mobile hotspot so that I can watch on my laptop when I’m on the go. I’m so glad I didn’t sit idly by and keep that bad internet service!

Live365 Fantasy Football League Playoffs - Finals

Live365 Fantasy Football League Championship

10th street titans 87     

Choirboys 109

The Choirboys defeated the hard charging titans for their second championship since 2009.  Led by the thrilling play of quarterback Michael Vick (18-32 for 293 yards and 2 TD's for 24 points), the ‘boys recovered from their near-collapse at the end of the regular season.  The win ties the ‘boys with the Metal Maniacs with two championships each.   

3^rd Place Game

Fumbles and Stumbles 93

Kittycat365 71

Aaron Rogers had 5 TD's for 41 points, as the Fumbles ended their season on a high note, defeating Kittycat365.  Despite Tom Brady’s 31 points, the offense just couldn’t get anything going.  The win gives the Fumbles their best season to date.

5^th Place Game

The SJM ThunderCats 93

Polarbear Express 85

The ThunderCats took advantage of the last minute misfortunes of the Express and won a close game to take the Consolation bracket. Cam Newton (36 points) and Victor Cruz (22 points) led the ThunderCats in scoring.  The Express had few options at game-time with 5 players out due to injury.    

7^th Place Game

First Down Syndrome 36

Green-Ellis & Ham 74

Joe Flacco scored 19 points, as Green-Ellis & Ham ripped apart the Syndrome. Without Tony Romo, who suffered a bruised right hand and was out for the game, the Syndrome was unable to score points.

-----------------------

And with that ends the fantasy football season.  Join us as we continue our picks for the NFL playoffs and the BCS Championship.   We thank everyone who participated this year and we hope to see everyone again next season.

Bye for now! 

Has Osi Umenyiora Sold The Giants Out?

For the fourth consecutive week, New York Giants all-star defensive end Osi Umenyiora will be out due to injury for Saturday's pivotal game against the Jets. It couldn't have come at a worse time for the G-men, who are struggling for the third consecutive year to make the playoffs. But to tell you the truth, I'm very suspicious of Umenyiora's motives.

Yes, he has been nursing a ankle/knee injury. But this is the same Osi Umenyiora who held the Giants hostage at the beginning of the season to re-negotiate his contract and even went so far as to ask for a trade. So that begs the question, Is Umenyiora lighting the candle at both ends? Is he actually hurt, or is he sticking it to Giants management? The only person that can answer that question is Osi Umenyiora himself. Thankfully, the play of Jason-Pierre Paul has stepped up during Umenyiora's absence.

But still, in the back of my mind and in the mind of all Giants fans alike, the question remains.  Is Osi Umenyiora really hurt, or has he sold the Giants and their fans out?

Week 16 - Win...or Die!

It was simple. Beat Washington, then win one of your last two games of the season and you're in. Well last weekend, my Giants picked a great time to lay an egg. They didn't even show up to play last week. And even though the final outcome was a manageable 23-10 loss, the final score didn't match the play on the field. Right about now, I'm reserved to another crash and burn by the G-men, and if that happens, we could be looking at Bill Cowher as our next coach.

Despite the missed pick, we correctly picked Indianapolis to get their first victory of the season. We're not completely sold on the Giants collapse. We've picked Giants and the E-girls as our upset specials.


Last Week’s Results
Against the Spread: 9-6-1
Head to Head: 10-6

Season to Date
Against the Spread: 105-86-32
Head to Head: 138-86

Odds Courtesy of OddsShark.com


Thursday, December 22nd

Houston at Indianapolis
Line: Texans by 6½
Smooth’s Pick – Houston (21-14)


Saturday, December 24th

Oakland at Kansas City
Line: Chiefs by 1
Smooth’s Pick – Kansas City (20-17)

Minnesota at Washington
Line: Redskins by 7
Smooth’s Pick – Washington (22-16)

Tampa Bay at Carolina
Line: Panthers by 9
Smooth’s Pick – Carolina (27-14)

Miami at New England
Line: Patriots by 11
Smooth’s Pick – New England (28-13)

Cleveland at Baltimore
Line: Ravens by 14
Smooth’s Pick – Baltimore (33-10)

Jacksonville at Tennessee
Line: Titans by 8
Smooth’s Pick – Tennessee (23-12)

St. Louis at Pittsburgh
Line: Steelers by 17
Smooth’s Pick – Pittsburgh (24-13)

Arizona at Cincinnati
Line: Bengals by 4
Smooth’s Pick – Arizona (19-17)

Denver at Buffalo
Line: Broncos by 1½
Smooth’s Pick – Denver (17-15)

NY Giants at NY Jets
Line: Jets by 2½
Smooth’s Pick – NY Giants (24-15)

San Diego at Detroit
Line: Lions by 1½
Smooth’s Pick – Detroit (20-16)

San Francisco at Seattle
Line: Niners by 1
Smooth’s Pick – San Francisco (19-14)

Philadelphia at Dallas
Line: Cowboys by 1
Smooth’s Pick – Philadelphia (28-21)

Chicago at Green Bay
Line: None
Smooth’s Pick – Green Bay (27-16)


Sunday, December 25th

Atlanta at New Orleans
Line: Saints by 7½
Smooth’s Pick – New Orleans (30-24)

Live365 Fantasy Football League Playoffs - Semi-Finals

Championship Bracket

Choirboys 101
Kittycat365 89

After struggling during the last half of the season, the Choirboys put together a strong playoff run as are now in position to win their 2nd league title in three years with a clutch victory over Kitttycat365. They were led by all-league running back LeSean McCoy (18 carries for 102 and 3 TD’s for 26 points), Michael Vick (15-22 for 274 yards, 2 TD’s [1 rushing, 1 passing] and an INT for 24 points) and Lance Moore (5 catches for 91 yards and 2 TD’s for 21 points). A strong push by Tom Brady (23-34 for 320 yards, 3 TD’s [2 passing, 1 rushing] for 30 points) and Donald Brown (16 catches for 161 yards and a TD for 22 points) weren’t enough to spark Kittycat365, as their wide receivers couldn’t get the job done.

10th street titans 93
Fumbles and Stumbles 72

Roddy White (10 catches for 135 yards and 2 TD’s for 25 points) led 5 players in double figures, as the 10th street titans rolled over the top seeded Fumbles. They won despite the poor play of Eli Manning (23-40 for 257 yards and 3 INT’s for 7 points). The sparkling play of all-league QB Aaron Rodgers (17-35 for 235 yards, 2 TD’s [1 passing, 1 rushing] for 30 points) was just not enough for the Fumbles, who had a poor running attack from both backs. The titans will be gunning for their first ever Live365 league title next weekend.


Consolation Bracket

Polarbear Express 135
First Down Syndrome 85

It was another 40+ weekend for all-league QB Drew Brees (32-40 for 412 yards and 5 TD’s for 44 points), as the Express destroyed the Syndrome. The Philadelphia Eagles defense garnered 4 sacks and returned a fumble for a TD for 21 points. Tony Romo led the Syndrome in scoring with 31 points, as they just couldn’t overcome the play of Brees.

The SJM ThunderCats 71
Green-Ellis & Ham 66

All-league and rookie of the year Cam Newton threw for two TD’s (13-23 for 149 yards [204 total yards] for 22 points) as the ThunderCats defeated Green-Ellis & Ham. Joe Flacco (23-34 for 226 yards, 2 TD’s and 2 INT’s) scored 20 points in the loss. The Express will play their sister team, the ThunderCats for 5th place.


Next Week’s Matchups

Live365 Fantasy Football League Championship
10th street titans vs. Choirboys

3rd Place Game
Fumbles and Stumbles vs. Kittycat365

5th Place Game
The SJM ThunderCats vs. Polarbear Express

7th Place Game
First Down Syndrome vs. Green-Ellis & Ham

2011 Live365 All-Fantasy Football Team

Here is the Live365 All-Fantasy Football team, as compiled by the total number of fantasy points compiled during the regular season.

Three teams had three representatives to the squad.  Ironically, those three teams did not make the championship round.  With a bit more of a twist, the only team not represented was First Down Syndrome, which made the championship round, but didn't have players with enough fantasy points individually.


1st Team

QB

Aaron Rodgers - Fumbles and Stumbles

WR

Wes Welker - Metal Maniacs

Calvin Johnson – Autobots

Jordy Nelson - Missouri Crushers

RB

LeSean McCoy - Choirboys

Ray Rice - 10th street titans

TE

Rob Gronkowski - Kittycat365

K

David Akers - WITD Radio

DEF

Baltimore - Choirboys


2nd Team
QB

Cam Newton - The SJM ThunderCats

WR

Victor Cruz - The SJM ThunderCats

Mike Wallace - Kittycat365

Steve Smith - Metal Maniacs

RB

Maurice Jones-Drew - Green-Ellis & Ham

Arian Foster - Tackling Dummies

TE

Jimmy Graham - Missouri Crushers

K
Dan Bailey - Fumbles and Stumbles

DEF

Chicago - 10th street titans


3rd Team


QB - Drew Brees - Polarbear Express

WR

Larry Fitzgerald - PVR Wasted Bandwidth

Greg Jennings - Green-Ellis & Ham


Percy Harvin - Tackling Dummies

RB

Adrian Peterson - Metal Maniacs

Marshawn Lynch - Tackling Dummies

TE

Tony Gonzalez - The SJM ThunderCats

K

Mason Crosby - Autobots

DEF

San Francisco - PVR Wasted Bandwidth


Teams with representatives


Metal Maniacs - 3
The SJM ThunderCats - 3
Tackling Dummies - 3
Missouri Crushers - 2
Fumbles and Stumbles - 2
Autobots - 2
Choirboys - 2
10th street titans - 2
Kittycat365 - 2
Green-Ellis & Ham - 2
PVR Wasted Bandwidth 2
Polarbear Express - 1
WITD Radio - 1
First Down Syndrome - 0