Versus, cable home to the National Hockey League, continues to try and develop buzz-worthy original programming. Although, let's face it: At this point, a guy being placed in an unfamiliar job, and the culture clash that follows, is about as original a television concept as a drama set inside a city hospital.
So the success or failure of "Sports Jobs" on Versus likely comes down to three factors: The quality of the production, the quirkiness of the jobs and the appeal of host Junior Seau.
If you're watching the NHL on Versus, then you've seen the ads pimping this new show, which features the 12-time Pro Bowl linebacker for the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots taking on a variety of different "Sports Jobs." On tonight's season premiere (10 p.m. EST), Seau takes us inside the construction of the new stadium for the Jets and Giants; in an additional episode, he plays ball boy for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Next Wednesday is the episode featuring Seau as an equipment manager for the Washington Capitals. He spoke with us recently about working that sports job, gauging the toughness of hockey players and the impression Alex Ovechkin(notes) made on him. That, along with talk about his three days as a reporter for Sports Illustrated, concussions in the NFL and NHL and attempting to be a TV star after football. Oh, and a strange moment involving man-on-man tickling. Enjoy.
Q. Who do you think is going to have a bigger beef with you after this show airs: The guy who does "Dirty Jobs" or Shaq for that show on ABC?
SEAU: Well, I don't think either one of them will. When you look at our show, it's basically promoting the people that are unsung. With "Dirty Jobs," they're promoting the jobs. With Shaq, he's promoting celebrities that are making billions of dollars. We're totally the opposite of that.
So let's talk about "Sports Jobs." How do you go about developing a personality for TV? Were you inspired by anyone, or do you do your own thing?
Being inspired by others' work on TV wasn't something I was going to try and assimilate. I knew going into this that it was either going to have to be me or be nothing.
The great thing about Versus is that they allow the personality to be mine. The format the show has was obviously delivered by Versus, and it's something I believe in: Promoting people behind the scenes in sports that don't get any kind of love. And there are so many groups of people out there in every different sport. Hopefully our show can go into a second season and people can be educated about what they do and how they go about their daily lives.
You were an equipment manager for the Washington Capitals for the show. What did you know about that gig going into it?
Sorry, but can you repeat that? I have a guy here that was tickling me.
(Ed. Note: At this point we feet it important to acknowledge that in the short history of Puck Daddy interviews, this is/was the first time this phrase had ever been uttered by an interviewee. It has appeared at least a dozen times from an interviewer, however.)
Sure. As far as being an equipment manager, did you have a sense for what that was going to be like, based on what you saw in the NFL?
Going into that show, it was something I was familiar with. After 20 years in the National Football League, I eventually had a relationship with all of my trainers and equipment managers and field crews that have been part of my life.
When I went with the Capitals, it was like I was at home: Picking up jerseys, doing laundry -- which I haven't done in, like, 15 years -- it was a great experience but it was also a learning experience about how much passion these men have at what they do.
On a player to player basis, who has more equipment: Football or hockey?
Oh, definitely a hockey player. There's so much more going on. They wear leotards underneath those pads.
What's that one stud's name?
Ovechkin?
Yeah, Alex. Watching him, you'd think that he would be a prima donna. That guy is a jokester. He lightens it up. The reason why the Capitals are doing so well is basically because the guy puts it in perspective. He's not bigger than anybody on that team, and he cares for the players in that locker room, which I got to see firsthand.
What's your hockey history? Are you a fan, or did you go into this thing sort of blind?
I learned how to ice skate during the show. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It doesn't snow in San Diego. I'm pretty sure if it was a cold climate and we had ice rinks, I definitely would have been on the ice.
Hockey players have this reputation for being blue-collar guys, low key. Was this your first interaction with players like this, and how did you find them?
I found them as cordial, laidback and tough. All in one. You see a hockey player, you'd never know he's a professional athlete. But you put the skates on him, and he becomes a beast. That was something I recognized from the start. You better watch out if you're ever walking into a bar; never judge a book by its cover.
They definitely have a linebacker mentality. But these guys are crazy. They're nuts. They really enjoy their sport. And because they have so many games, they really can't treat it, as far as intensity or total focus, like we do [in football]. Ten games for them is one game for us.
Both hockey and football have something in common recently, which is a lot of attention on concussion prevention. Do you think enough is done to curb them? Are they simply going to be part of the game?
When I first started playing football, a headache was called a "headache." And now it's called "a concussion."
It's amazing how time has changed things. A twisted ankle back then was an ankle injury; now, it's a high- or a mid-[ankle injury]. That brings up a lot of awareness about what we need to do as far as educating players and coaches about what we put our players through and what they should expect.
So you think it's an issue? Because we've got some old-school hockey guys that still say a headache should be a "headache."
We're going to say that because we're dealing with the now. The League needs to protect the players for the future, or there's going to be more problems.
As writers, we wanted to ask you about the show in which you played a sports reporter. Did that give you a new appreciation for what the media goes through?
After that show, I basically came to the conclusion that I treated reporters really poorly.
Being a reporter and chasing down as assignment isn't an easy thing to do, especially when you're dealing with athletes that are so focused and trying to get their little game plan together to perform under adverse conditions ... it's tough. Trying to get that assignment done in a matter of time, and getting it back to Sports Illustrated to see what they can do with it ... there's so much going on behind the scenes.
So it's safe to say that a lot of athletes don't have an appreciation for deadlines?
No. "Deadlines" is basically "get the running back or the quarterback on the ground."
Each weekday morning, BDL serves up a handful of NBA-related stories to digest with your tea.
Gary Washburn, Boston Globe: "Rasheed Wallace has eight technical fouls in 18 games, which would equate to 36 over a full season. That number is astronomical, of course, especially since the NBA suspends players one game for each technical after the 16th. Wallace has a career high of 41 in 2000-01 with Portland, and he collected 19 last season with Detroit. Celtics coach Doc Rivers said his mercurial forward is going to have to reduce his propensity for technicals. Wallace picked up his third in three games in the second quarter of last night's 108-90 win over the Bobcats. After being replaced by Kendrick Perkins(notes), Wallace walked by official Derek Richardson, whispered some words, and received a technical before reaching the bench. 'I'm concerned, but there's nothing I am going to do about it, I'll tell you that,' said Rivers. 'I could talk to him until I'm blue.'"
Dave D'Alessandro, The Star-Ledger: "Sure, someday this occasion may mark the moment Kiki Vandeweghe was punished for an offense he committed in a previous life. But let the record — not the 0-17 record, but the public record — show that during his first day as Nets interim coach, the gym was nearly full, and the group he has been called upon to lead welcomed him as warmly as when they said farewell to the last guy. Vandeweghe, the team's general manager, was a mere spectator as assistant coach Tom Barrise ran Tuesday's practice, but he was still the center of attention, and the reviews were effusive. It wasn't an act: The players liked Lawrence Frank just fine, but they embrace Vandeweghe in a favorite-cool-uncle sort of way. 'We have a personal relationship off the court,' said point guard Devin Harris(notes), who has never really said that about his three previous coaches. 'He's been training the young guys since he got here, trying to get them better. Now he's doing it from another position.' 'This is a good choice,' said center Brook Lopez(notes). 'He's experienced the game at the highest level possible and he has a huge basketball IQ and he can bring that experience.'"
Phil Jasner, Philadelphia Daily News: "Forty days and 40 nights. That's if Allen Iverson(notes) signs today with the 76ers and remains on the roster Jan. 10. That's if Iverson and agent Leon Rose are willing to accept the Sixers' offer of a non-guaranteed, prorated $1.3 million, the NBA veteran's minimum for players with at least 10 seasons of experience. Non-guaranteed. That appears to be the key to Iverson's decision. It is as close as you could possibly come in pro basketball to a prenup agreement. Which is, according to a source familiar with the Sixers' situation, exactly the way president/general manager Ed Stefanski wants it. The source said Iverson and Rose were aware of the non-guaranteed issue before the two sides met for 2 hours Monday in Dallas. As of last night, Stefanski was awaiting a response, which is expected as soon as today."
Ben Bolch, L.A. Times: "December could be a rare month to remember for the Clippers. Having closed to within two games of .500 without rookie Blake Griffin(notes), the Clippers hope to nudge their record into winning territory before they welcome back the No. 1 overall draft pick from what so far has been a season-long knee injury. 'Whew, man,' small forward Al Thornton(notes) said when asked where the Clippers would be if they could sustain their recent success until Griffin's expected return late this month. 'We'd be scary if we keep playing the way we are and get the No. 1 pick back and get him into the flow of things. It could be on the up and up.' [...] Dunleavy said he received 'a good report' from a doctor regarding Griffin, who has been sidelined by a stress fracture in his left kneecap. Griffin has not been cleared to run but he took a handful of flat-footed shots after practice Tuesday. He is scheduled to have a MRI exam on his knee in about 10 days."
Chris Tomasson, NBA FanHouse: "Matt Harpring said he's not going to retire. But that doesn't mean he hasn't played his last game for the Utah Jazz. The forward, who might not play this season due to knee and ankle injuries, told FanHouse on Tuesday he expects the Jazz to release a statement later this week or early next week on his status. Harpring said he's been told by Jazz officials and his agent, Richard Howell, not to divulge what the statement will say. Harpring, though, confirmed he still wants to play. 'I'm not retiring,' said Harpring, 33, who has played 11 NBA seasons, the past seven for Utah. He was asked if he wants to play this season. 'I would love to play,' Harpring said. Harpring, though, declined to answer when asked if he will be physically able to play this season."
Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel: "The Orlando Magic entered Tuesday with the Eastern Conference's best record. But the team leads the entire NBA in a different category: the number of individuals fined by the NBA since training camp started in late September. Matt Barnes(notes), Dwight Howard(notes) and coach Stan Van Gundy each have been punished by the league office for separate offenses. They are expected to pay a total of $70,000. That's not to say the Magic are bad guys. In fact, the number of fines assessed to various teams likely will even out over the course of the 2009-10 season. 'I don't think it's been anything crazy,' Van Gundy said Tuesday. Yet the frequency of the Magic's fines since Oct. 16 - the date the first punishment was announced — naturally has raised questions here in Central Florida about how the fine process works. How does the NBA collect information about potential offenses? How does the league determine the dollar amount for each fine? Where does all the money go?"
Doug Smith, Toronto Star: "[Spud]
Webb, 46, [was] in Toronto to take part in the CIBC's Miracle Day, an
annual fundraising event in which stock traders and investment advisers
donate their day's fees to charity. It was pure coincidence that he was
at a Raptors game in which another diminutive guard — [Earl] Boykins —
was in action. And it strikes him as odd that there have been so few.
'I thought after me and Muggsy and then Earl came along, I thought
everybody would be catching on (to) the need for a change-of-pace,
up-tempo guy,' said Webb. 'There's no hand-checking, a smaller guy can
get away with getting anywhere on the floor, like Allen Iverson does or
(Dwyane) Wade does.' It is odd that there are so few little waterbug
types playing these days, given rule changes that have taken some of
the backcourt physical play out of the game, moves that should allow
players of Webb's stature to thrive."
Eric Koreen, National Post: "Well, where is the closest panic button? If there is one in the Air Canada Centre, Triano is not reaching for it just yet. With little in the way of practice time to change up their schemes, an alteration to the starting lineup would seem the obvious move. Alas, Triano is against that, too. 'Were they bad?' Triano asked. 'I don't think so. I don't know if it's our starting lineup. We didn't get off to a bad start. In the third quarter we were fine. I don't know if it's our starting lineup.' Well, something has to give. The attendance of 15,776 was the lowest of the last two seasons. While Toronto's slow start has not buried them in the standings yet, it has killed any momentum it had to start the year with the city. By the end of the evening, though, most of those who did show up were booing."
Bob Cooney, Philadelphia Daily News: "Recently, [Elton] Brand has regained his game a bit. It was before the Nov. 18 game at home against the Charlotte Hornets that Jordan relented and kept Brand in the starting rotation. The 6-9 Duke product responded in force that night, posting 19 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks. It started a string of three-straight games in which Brand averaged just under 20 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.7 blocks. Then came a nasty collision with Washington's Antawn Jamison(notes) that caused Brand to feel tightness in his right hamstring and forced him to miss the next three games. He returned Monday night in Dallas, and in 25 minutes off the bench, posted 21 points and 10 rebounds. 'I think I'm getting over the hump,' Brand said following his outing against the Mavericks. 'I'm feeling stronger all the time. The hamstring was a setback, but overall my game is getting close.'"
Eddie Sefko, The Dallas Morning News: "It's the next-to-worst thing to being 0-18 and it's what Devin Harris and the New Jersey Nets are facing in tonight's game against the Mavericks. Lose one more, and the Nets will become the NBA's poster kids for losing to start a season. Two other teams, the expansion 1988-89 Miami Heat and the 1999-2000 LA Clippers, started 0-17. [...] Drew Gooden(notes) has been in this position. Not this exact position, but very close. He's played on teams that lost 19 in a row during the season (in Orlando after winning the opener in 2003) and 13 in a row to start the 2002 season at Memphis. 'So they beat my record,' Gooden said Tuesday. 'We don't want them to start getting things going. I've been in that situation. Now, the shoe's on the other foot. I know how things can get. We don't want to be that team.'"
Jerome Solomon, Houston Chronicle: "It is at times fun and at times frustrating to watch the Trevor Ariza(notes) transformation. You watch him disappear for a while, and you wonder what's wrong. But you almost can't help but root for the kid. Nice guys can jump. On the 'kid' thing. Yeah, he is 24 and in his fifth NBA season, but he is still growing. Ariza is a work in progress, and his growth this season is about as important to the Rockets' fortunes as any possible Tracy-McGrady-for-a-healthy-body trade general manager Daryl Morey might be trying to make. Ariza says he is the same guy he has always been, though he is averaging 18.2 points a game and his career high before this year was 8.9. He went from being the fifth or sixth best player on a championship team to being one of the two or three best players on a team that hopes to squeeze into the playoffs. He is being asked to do things no one has ever asked him to do, but they are things he thinks he has been capable of doing all along. Ariza loves his new role: lead scorer. He just has to learn what a lead scorer is."
Chris Dempsey, The Denver Post: "Fortune can be a funny thing. So can a little perspective. On draft night in June while Stephen Curry(notes) beamed from ear to ear, Ty Lawson(notes) was making his list and checking it twice. The 17 teams that passed on him were going to pay when he faced them. He'd punish them with points, assists, steals and spectacular plays. All designed to make them wonder what on earth they could have been thinking by going in a direction other than with him. But between then and now an interesting thing happened — Lawson stopped caring. While being picked in the high teens and immediately traded didn't do wonders for his ego five months ago, it turns out the Denver Nuggets rookie point guard has found something better: Success and happiness. And that's priceless. Just ask Curry."
Charles V. Bagli, NY Times: "The developer Bruce C. Ratner won another court challenge to his $1 billion basketball arena in Brooklyn on Tuesday, just as he began the sale of the bonds for the long-delayed project. The financial underpinnings of the project, the cornerstone of the 22-acre Atlantic Yards development, also emerged on Tuesday when two rating agencies assigned an investment grade rating for $646 million in bonds for the project. In addition, the developer and his partners will use a $131 million subsidy from the Bloomberg administration and invest $293.4 million of their own to build the 18,282-seat arena at the intersection of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues. Mr. Ratner, who is already doing construction work on portions of the site, plans to start selling the bonds this month and to take possession of the entire property early next year. The arena is expected to be completed by June 2012, when the New Jersey Nets would move from East Rutherford, N.J., to Brooklyn."
Hey. How you doing? We need to talk.
As you've probably noticed, things have been a little different around here the last few days. When you logged off right before Thanksgiving, this was a place of golf conversation, with the occasional rant, weird video or exotic golf locale thrown in for good measure. Now, you come back and we're neck-deep in tabloidy headlines. Some of you are cool with that. Some of you aren't. Believe me, I understand both sides.
Here's the deal. Even in the best of times, we focus a lot on Tiger Woods -- how he played, what he shot, what he did on the golf course. Everyone in this sport does; he's the centerpiece around whom all of golf revolves.
But just because his story has now left the golf course and entered the realm of celebrity scandal, we can't ignore what's going on. He's a public figure, and news is continuing to break about him. You may not like the news that's coming out, you may not want to read it, you may not even think it qualifies as "news" at all. I get that. But we have an obligation to present it, in as fair and evenhanded a way as possible.
Let me emphasize this: I have nothing but respect for Tiger as a golfer. I think he's the greatest ever, and much as I love Jack Nicklaus, I'd be happy to see Tiger break his majors record. Outside of that, I can't claim to know Tiger as a person; the extent of our "relationship" is merely questions asked and answered across a press tent.
But my greater obligation is to this story. My goal as this unfolds is to present the facts, provide links to sources, and allow you to make up your own mind. Along the way, I'm also going to offer my opinion at certain times, and it'll be very obvious when I do -- that's my picture there at right, after all. (The far right, not Al Czervik.) It'll then be up to you to decide whether you agree or disagree with me, or whether you skip over the Tiger posts entirely. Honestly, I wouldn't blame you if you did that. (Just make sure you keep visiting the site, because we'll still have plenty of non-Tiger, golf-centric material as well.)
And somewhere along the way -- probably several times -- we'll stop to examine why we're even following this path at all. That's a major issue, but it's one we'll leave for later discussion.
And for those of you just now discovering Devil Ball -- welcome. Glad you're here. Hope you'll hang out long after this is over, however long it lasts and however it turns out.
Thanks, as always, for reading. And feel free to keep in touch -- you can reach me at jay.busbee@yahoo.com.
More soon.
The week in the undercards.
Bring on the coronations ...
With Saturday's shellacking of New Mexico (you can tell the actual game is a mere formality when the opponent isn't even mentioned until the third paragraph of the AP roundup), TCU cinched up its perfect regular season nice and tight, and with it an equally fierce grip on that No. 4 BCS ranking that puts the Frogs lying in wait for a shot at Pasadena if Texas somehow goes down Saturday in the Big 12 Championship game.
Elsewhere, Troy bested Louisiana-Lafayette and laid claim to the Sun Belt title for the fourth year in a row, but Boise State's latest WAC championship odyssey -- the Broncos' eighth in nine years in the conference -- is more interesting. With Friday's win over Nevada, the last opponent with any real hope of making any kind of headway against the reigning conference kings, Boise retained its No. 6 standing in the BCS and should finish out another perfect season with no trouble Saturday against lowly New Mexico State. The Broncos also, however, have newly rekindled hopes of getting their hands on an at-large BCS bid thanks to Oklahoma State's dilly-dallying at Oklahoma.
... and ready the cannons.
Conference USA is down to East Carolina and Houston, with the Purple Pirates hosting Saturday's C-USA Championship tilt after edging out the Doc's Golden Eagles in the winner-take-all regular season finale for the East Division crown. And if you found yourself particularly wowed by Houston's explosive offensive antics in their 73-14 obliteration of Rice -- a game the Cougars led 59-0 at the half thanks to six offensive touchdowns, and two more scores on a kickoff and interception return, respectively -- just remember that it's the kind of needlessly garish win that screams, "Please kindly disregard our subpar defense and inexplicable road losses at UTEP and Central Florida and look at all these points!" Don't lose focus on the sparkly lights: The Pirates are sound enough to repeat as C-USA champs.
Moving to the MACtion, we've got the early-anointed favorite Central Michigan, fresh off dispatching Northern Illinois to lock up the MAC's West Division, and a surprise from out of the East: The Chippewas are not facing Temple, previous owner of a seven-game conference win streak. Entering Saturday's do-or-die showdown with Ohio U., there was only one obstacle between the resurgent Owls and a date with CMU (two obstacles if you count the injury to star rusher Bernard Pierce), and the Owls hit it dead on and bounced off. It will be the Bobcats instead facing off with Central Michigan in Detroit on Friday, marking perhaps the first championship game in history in which Temple is surprised to not be on hand.
The Utah Utes have compromising photos of the entire BCS voting body and at least one computer.
Utah is still ranked after losing to BYU, yet somehow Central Michigan is not despite winning 10 of its last 11 with only two losses, both to BCS competition, and a better win (at Michigan State) than the Utes' best victim, over 7-5 Air Force in overtime. That is all we have to say about that.
Step into the arcade.
Check out the big arm on Case Keenum! It's hard to continue getting worked up about
Houston's gluttonous offensive numbers this late in the year, but even for the
Cougars, 684 total yards is downright gaudy, to say nothing of the 73 points and 30 first downs. That point total is a season high for any
team in I-A, in fact, and if Keenum's first completion against East Carolina
in next week's C-USA title game covers eight yards or longer,
it'll put him past the rare 5,000-yard mark for the second straight year.
Coaches! Get your coaches!
As you may have heard, Marshall's Mark Snyder "resigned" following a bad loss to UTEP, a 6-6 season and a reputedly not-so-great relationship with Marshall's new athletic director, Mike Hamrick. As is sadly the norm with these things, the timing could be better -- we're sure the Thundering Herd want to get a jump on their coaching search, but having some random assistant coach guide the team through a fifth-tier bowl game will be an even more ignominious end to the year.
In other Conference USA East bottom-dwelling news, someone wants the Memphis job! LSU assistant Larry Porter has a long history as a Tiger of a different stripe, so at least he knows what he's getting into. Memphis, for the record, fell short in its bid to upset Tulsa and end "nice guy" Tommy West's final season on a high note.
Give us your tired, your poor, your downtrodden yearning to be bowl eligible.
Vaya con dios, Yarbnalls
-- Idaho, our favorite plucky, huddled mass of the season, is bowl-bound
despite a late-season skid and a weird loss to Utah State in Saturday's finale. SMU, too, is eligible for the postseason for the first time in a quarter-century, since being nuked by the NCAA in the mid-eighties. And they can grow just about anything in Hawaii, including a football team that might not be entirely terrible, after all.
Profiles in continuing ineptitude.
The first certified winless team of 2009 is in the books: Eastern Michigan, toiling under first-year coach Ron English, lost to Akron, 28-21, despite outgaining the Zips in total offense and time of possession, dropping the Eagles to an infamous 0-12 for the season. They're done. Winless Western Kentucky fell, again, this time to the tune of 29-23 at the hands of Florida Atlantic, and has one final shot at a one-win season next week against Arkansas State. With head coach Dave Elson on his way out following the Hilltoppers' first season as a full-fledged I-A doormat, it should be an emotional scene in Bowling Green.
What should have been ...
Cruelly, both of our tracked winless teams played close enough to fool themselves into hoping -- for a little while. Western Kentucky was upon Florida Atlantic for four whole minutes in the third quarter. Eastern Michigan never led, but was tied with Akron for bits of the first half.
... and what never had a prayer:
Weep, weep for New Mexico at the hands of a TCU team looking to slam the door on an undefeated season. The 10 points permitted the Lobos in the second quarter were quite gracious, but the Horned Frogs still cracked 50 with ease.
Player of the Week: Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State.
We can't give it to BYU quarterback Max Hall, much as we'd like to just for running his mouth in epic fashion. So let's turn instead to Moore, Boise's sophomore phenom, who's put up ridiculous numbers for the season and went over 3,000 yards for the second year in a row with 262 on just 17 completions against Nevada, adding five touchdown passes in that number to fuel BSU's 44-33, conference-clinching win. Oh, and he hasn't thrown an interception since early November, against Louisiana Tech.
(A Somewhat Arbitrary) Mid-Major Top 10
1. TCU (12-0) Bring on the BCS.
2. Boise State (12-0) Just don't screw up next week?
3. Central Michigan (10-2) Don't get us wrong, we still think they've got the MAC title for the taking.
4. BYU (10-2) We resent this. Good lord, their losses are stupid in retrospect.
5. Houston (10-2) Not as stupid as Houston's, though.
6. Ohio (8-3) Bring back Boo Jackson! Bring him back, we say!
7. Nevada (8-4) Wishing quarterback Colin Kaepernick a grand finale to a quietly spectacular season in the bowl game.
8. Temple (9-3) Division title or no, still the best bunch of Owls in decades, by far.
9. Troy (9-3) Perennial Sun Belt champs return to the firmament.
10. MTSU (9-3) Blue Raiders haven't lost since falling to Troy in early October.
Dropped out: Navy (sorry), Utah (not sorry)
Stay Tuned.
For the final week of regular season play, we have on tap: Houston at East Carolina for the C-USA title, Arkansas State at Western Kentucky, the MAC title matchup of Ohio U. and Central Michigan, Fresno State at Illinois, New Mexico State at Boise State, and Wisconsin at Hawaii.
• Most Realistic Upset: Fresno State over Illinois. The Bulldogs, 7-4 and third in the high-scoring WAC, are one-point underdogs, on the road, yes, but traveling to face a 3-8 team. Something tells us the homefield advantage enjoyed by the Illini isn't that pronounced.
• Most Unrealistic Upset: We do not like Western Kentucky's last chance for a win against Arkansas State. This makes us sad, as we have watched the Hilltoppers flutter from the nest this year and basically plummet to the hard earth of the Sun Belt, over and over again. That said, Arkansas State is having a down season as well, so maybe they'll catch a lucky break. Maybe?
• Most Inevitably Gruesome Blowout: TCU is done for the year, but Boise State's got one more chance to put on a fireworks show, and the target in their sights is 3-9 New Mexico State. The line on this game is 46.5 in the Broncos' favor, and that may be a little soft, frankly.
Scoreboard.
With no games against BCS schools in rivalry-heavy Week 13, the score for the year remains 19-92 when mid-majors step up to "Big Six" competition. We'll revisit this next week after Fresno State visits Illinois and Wisconsin hits the road for Hawaii to get the little guys over the .180 barrier.
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Holly welcomes your adulation and veiled threats at nastinchka-at-yahoo, etc.