The pro teams we follow here continue their early-season sojourn against NFL competition from the southern tier of states, so it seems necessary and proper to salute one of the greatest of Cheesehead racecar drivers, Dick Trickle. We could have picked Dave Marcis or Matt Kenseth, but Trickle's very name is comedy gold, as an entire generation of ESPN anchors reminded us 15-20 years ago. But enough about that: on to the picks!
Xavier Hawks 34, Berlin Politically Incorrect Term for Native Americans 14. Not many schools still use the name "Indians," but Berlin (pronounced BURR-lin for my non-Cheesehead readers) is bucking the trend. It's a better nickname than "Brownshirts," I suppose. In any event, the Hawks will handle them.
ACTUAL RESULT: XAVIER 21, BERLIN 0. Teri Nunn was unavailable for comment.
Irondale Knights 38, Chisago Lakes Wildcats 27. Probably the toughest conference foe left on Irondale's schedule and the game is up in Chisago Lakes. I suspect the Knights will prevail but it won't be easy.
ACTUAL RESULT: IRONDALE 35, CHISAGO LAKES 22. The Knights continue to play very well. This was probably the toughest conference game left on the schedule and the Knights are probably on the way to a high playoff seed in their section.
Mounds View Mustangs 31, Robbinsdale Armstrong Falcons 21. Tough one to gauge, as Armstrong is a member of the Classic Lake conference, an odd 5-team league that has four powerhouses in it. Unfortunately, Armstrong is not one of them.
ACTUAL RESULT: MOUNDS VIEW 40, ARMSTRONG 14. Armstrong might have thought they were getting a break getting away from the rugged Classic Lake. Guess not. The Mustangs win easily.
Lake Forest Foresters 21, Beloit Bucs 17. Lake Forest is a team that Beloit can beat. Lake Forest is also a team that Beloit does not beat, especially in Lake Forest. Go with the Foresters on their home field.
ACTUAL RESULT: BELOIT 27, LAKE FOREST 21. Real progress here. The Bucs hadn't won at Lake Forest for a number of years. Next week will be a trip to Ripon. A strong showing there would suggest that the team is turning the corner.
Wisconsin Badgers 21, Ohio State Buckeyes 20. The Badgers did one of the all-time choke jobs in Ann Arbor last week and this is not exactly an easy assignment. My guess is that Brett Bielema will have found a way to heal Bucky's psyche sufficiently to get past the Buckeyes in Madison. But I won't be surprised if I'm wrong.
ACTUAL RESULT: OHIO STATE 20, WISCONSIN 17. No band, no defense at the end. This is starting to look like 1995 or 2001, seasons where the Badgers were pretty good but not quite good enough. We'll find out how good a coach Brett Bielema is next week when Penn State comes to town.
Minnesota Golden Gophers 34, Indiana Wants Me (Lord I Can't Go Back There) 24. The Gophers have improved. If they are ready to take the next step, they need to beat the Hoosiers, a perennial footwipe in the Big Ten. The guess here is that they will.
ACTUAL RESULT: MINNESOTA 16, INDIANA 7. Defense? The Gophers play defense? Really? Hmm.
Green Bay Packers 31, Atlanta Falcons 24. I don't know what to expect from the Packers. The Falcons are a pretty ordinary bunch, but with all the injuries that Packers have suffered on defense, it wouldn't surprise me if the Packers have to go find someone off the street to play defensive line. Early possibilities include John Jurkovic and Clarence "Big Cat Williams," but we probably shouldn't rule out the immortal Blaise Winter.
ACTUAL RESULT: ATLANTA 27, GREEN BAY 24. Can't stop the run, can't win the game. Don't pin this on Aaron Rodgers, although he did throw a bad pick in the 4th quarter. He's not the problem right now. Maybe they could put some casters on Gilbert Brown or something.
New Orleans Saints 31, Purple Helmeted Love Warriors 17. The Saints feature a healthy Drew Brees. The Vikings feature a banged-up Gus Frerotte. Next question?
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