ESPN Pick’ems Week 8 Review
So….week 8 was fun right? This is starting to be a really weird college football season. Upsets and near upsets from out of nowhere are becoming the norm. Yeah, Illinois beating Wisconsin stole all the headlines but there was some others you probably didn’t watch like Vanderbilt shocking Missouri 21-14 and Miami dropping their game to a miserable Georgia Tech team. And for fun, BYU knocked off Boise State in the late night game that went into the wee hours of Sunday morning.
And then there were some close calls such as Texas getting into a shootout with freaking Kansas of all teams in Austin and barely coming up with the win. Purdue gave #23 Iowa a fight which was unexpected. And who knows what’s going to happen this week.
Okay Wisconsin, if you want to right the ship, go beat #3 Ohio State Saturday. If you were truly overlooking Illinois, then you better not get your doors blown off by Ohio State or your national street cred will go down the drain. I might change my mind tomorrow, but Wisconsin just might get their doors blown off anyway.
Is it time to start taking Baylor serious? After getting the week off, Oklahoma State should have been rested but wore out in the second half. Baylor ripped off 21 points in the 4th quarter to secure the victory, but all the talking heads before the game stated that Baylor hadn’t faced an offense like the Cowboys.
#11 Oregon may have just locked up the Pac 12 North with the win over Washington. The Ducks are undefeated in conference play with everyone else having two or three conference losses.
At first, I thought Penn State was going to get away with a televised murder of Wendi’s beloved Wolverines after going up 21-0. However, Michigan fought back and had a chance to at least tie the game. But thanks to a dropped pass in the end zone, it just added a new type of misery for Wendi.
It may not happen this week, but without quarterback Tua Tagovailoa leading this offense, this Alabama team is going to get tagged. Tagovailoa got knocked out of the Tennessee game in the second quarter with a high ankle sprain. It doesn’t help that the defense is not up to their normal self but the Tide hosts LSU in three weeks.
On to Pick’ems…
Is Mom really going to run away with this thing? She’s been in 1st place in five out of the last eight weeks and she doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon. And you know we’ll NEVER hear the end of it if she does win.
Wendi wet the bed at the worst possible time after talking a bunch of smack before the games even kicked off. Not only did the Michigan loss emotionally set her back, but her picks didn’t do her any favors either. She’s still in a good spot sitting in 3rd place only down 10 points from the top.
However, Wendi has a serious Cindie problem behind her. After Wendi’s week 8 debacle, Cindie is in prime position to take 3rd place next week down only one point behind her. And you know the Michigan / Notre Dame game will be on the picks which means Wendi will once again be tossing at least one point into the garbage.
A chasm has begun to open separating 4th and 5th place by a sizable 13 point margin. That could spell very bad news for everyone in 5th place and below. Mike, Marc, and Adam didn’t exactly help themselves in week 8 either as their picks were a flaming big bag of whatever.
Teddy appears to be on autopilot with his descent to the bottomless pit after falling to 10th place. The graph at the top says it all.
With only six weeks left, don’t be shocked if Kim, Dave, Teddy, Megan, and Brendan start throwing Hail Mary passes with their picks by picking some ridiculous upsets in their bid to catch up. Sure, statistically speaking it’s possible to catch up, but realistically, their picks kind of resemble a crime scene that nobody wants to get near.
Most points for the week: Mom snagged 48 points which was tops for the week. She, and a few others, were dangerously close to grabbing all 55 points but Boise State ruined the fun.
Least Points for the week: Teddy and Wendi were the ones that turned in the dismal performance with
39 points.
Best Pick of the week: Mom, Kim, Brendan, Marc, and myself sticking points on undefeated Baylor to knock off Oklahoma State at home.
Worst Pick of the week: Although it wasn’t a completely terrible pick, Wendi and Marc sticking low points on Michigan beating Penn State was worthless as Michigan found a new way to lose a game at the very end.
Who needs the $120 this week? Mom is highly aware that her vehicle is in need of brake pads and the cash will be needed to pay for them. If she can just hang on to the top spot another 6 weeks, those driving in front of her will be thankful.
Here’s how we rank going into week 9:
1. Mom – 351 points
2. David – 346 Points
3. Wendi – 341 Points
4. Cindie – 340 Points
5. Mike – 327 Points
6. Marc – 323 Points
7. Adam – 321 Points
8. Kim – 316 Points
9. Dave – 311 Points
10. Teddy – 310 Points
11. Megan – 302 Points
12. Brendan – 291 Points
If you aren’t apart of the GroupMe conversation, it’s not too late to join. Good luck in Week 9!
