Benster and D Pick Your Games -- Whatever Gino Wants, Gino Gets Edition

So, old dude, I saw that Gino was bothered that we didn't pick the Bears game last week.

I suppose we could pick the Bears each week as a courtesy.

Have you seen them play, Geritol Fan? It seems to me that the courteous thing to do would be not to mention the Bears at all! Especially now that they are attempting to play without half their offense!

The Bears are struggling. They don't even have Jay Cutler this week.

Well, it does set things up nicely for one of my patented outrageous point spread picks. Those are always entertaining, right?

Depends on which end of the point spread you are, I guess.

Yeah, I guess it does. But there's plenty of games and HYYYYYYPPPPPE! to offer this week, so let's get to it. Watch me work!

Ohio University Bobcats (+10) vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Gophers have issues that concern me. They have struggled against Colorado State and Kent State. No disrespect to those schools, but they are not exactly big time opponents. Jerry "The Cable Guy" Kill needs to coach them up, because Ohio is a MAC team. And MAC teams can be powerful run teams. Just ask any Razorback fan. Ohio 31, Gophers 13.

Way to work in that Bielema shot, there, young fella! The Gophers are struggling, particularly on offense. They have some talent but it hasn't been easy for them to score much lately. If you can only score 10 points against Kent State, you've got issues. Ohio is better than Kent State, so this one is potentially an issue. I think the Gophers win, but they won't cover. Gophers 21, Ohio U. 16.

Hawaii Rainbows (+24.5) vs. Beloved Wisconsin Badgers. Bucky looked okay last week, though the officiating left something to be desired. If the NCAA is so concerned with going after DraftKings, maybe they should have some time to look at the targeting rule. Hawaii gave Buckeye fans a little scare earlier, but they couldn't get it done. And unlike the Buckeyes, Wisconsin does not have a quarterback issue to worry about. Joel Stave is still one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten and he will make the difference. Wisconsin 56, Aloha 21.

Tough deal for the Badgers, losing Corey Clement for 4-6 weeks. Fortunately, they have Taiwan Deal, their backup running back. He'll get going this week. Hawaii played Ohio State tough for a while in the horseshoe a few weeks back, but I don't think they have the firepower to hang with the Badgers. Wisconsin 31, Hawaii 10.

Bear Down Chicago da Bearz (+14.5) vs. Seattle Seabags. This game might be the most interesting game on the schedule this week outside of the Packer game in my eyes. Chicago looked solid against my Packers, and then reverted to form against Arizona. Seattle has looked out of sorts, and it is time for me to uncork a bit of a rant. The failure of Seattle so far can be attributed to giving Russell Wilson too big a contract. I like Russell a lot, because he is a great guy, and if you lead Wisconsin to a Rose Bowl and a conference title, you have a place in my heart forever. Still, Kam Chancellor is the key to the whole team, because he allows Richard Sherman to do his thing, and allows Seattle to only rush four. I am not saying Chancellor should have held out; that was moronic. What should have happened was that Wilson should have been a better leader and offered to restructure his contract to avoid this mess. Chancellor really hurt his team by being selfish and not doing a better job negotiating a contract that he liked. Regardless, Seattle is not going anywhere this year because the teamwork and discipline that Chancellor and Wilson showed over the past two years has gone away. I have never seen a quarterback hurt his team by taking more money than he is worth, money that could have been used to keep an important player happy,. Seattle is not going to win, because they are distracted. Jimmy Clausen gets a chance to prove he can be successful. The Seahawks are throwing away a dynasty if they don't stop the drama and just play football. da Bearz 39, Drama Queens 8. 

Didn't see that coming! I'll have to agree to disagree with your assessment. Not a promising scenario for the Bears, I think. Seattle is, to use the Benster's favorite phrase, the desperate team at home. And it's difficult to see where the Bears are going to get their offense, especially since Cutler and Alshon Jeffrey are unavailable for this game. Matt Forte is going to have about six dudes in his breakfast nook at all times during this game. If the Seahawks finally figure out how to use Jimmy Graham, this could get ugly. Seahawks 38, Bears 13.

San Diego Chargers (+2.5) vs. Minnesota Vikings. San Diego is  a good team and has been in my lifetime. Phillip Rivers is a guy I enjoy watching. Norv Turner will be the key this week because he knows Rivers very well and can help Zimmer figure out how to stop Rivers. Keenan Allen is a dangerous threat and will test the Vikings, who looked good against Detroit and are my pick to finish second in the division and maybe challenge for the division title. Vikings 42, Sterling Hitchcock 28.

This is actually a pretty intriguing matchup. The Chargers are an entertaining team and they can score points. The Vikings defense looked very good last week against the Lions and basically beat Matthew Stafford into a pulp. That won't happen this week, but it could be tough sledding for Phillip Rivers and company. Close game, I think. Vikings 27, Chargers 24.

Kansas City Chiefs (+6.5) vs. Glorious Green Bay Packers. So, old dude, did you see that the Best Sportscaster Ever, Jack Harry, has retired? This guy was a fixture in Kansas City for years and was the crustiest person you'll ever see on local television. Check him out in all his glory!

When Jack points the finger at you, watch out! The Packers won a game that the fan base needed. This game is making me nervous, because if you recall last year the Packers won a huge home game against New England, then got ambushed in the second half against Atlanta. The Chiefs do have a quarterback in Alex Smith who was the better option in the Bay Area, but got thrown under the bus for a read option quarterback who is just an athlete, and not a quarterback. The Packers will win, but expect a close and tough game. Packers 27, Chiefs 23.

More crust on Jack Harry than on a four-foot baguette. As for the game, the Chiefs have some tools, but I don't think they'll be able to move the ball through the air that much. Aaron Rodgers is awfully tough to beat in Green Bay, especially in prime time. The Packers will wear them down. Packers 31, Chiefs 17.

Okay, old dude! Now if only we could get Gino to replace Jack Harry in Kansas City, then you'd have something! Ben out!