Game of the Week

We have good news and bad news for West Virginia fans. First the bad news: Mark Mathis, our pigskin prophet, is here to shake things up. He's going to make fun of you and we are going to laugh and laugh hard at your expense. Now before you get angry, here's the good news: In the end, you will have the last laugh. Why? Because the beloved Mountaineers are going to beat Louisville on Thursday night in our game of the week. This is certain to ignite a new round of couch burnings in Morgantown. Take this to the bank because Mathis' record is a sparkling 8-1. Those who have been following our advice have already put a sizable down on that new Ferrari. So let's do this! Mark, take it away:

"When I lived in Charlotte I went to the Continental Tire Bowl. Next to Oklahoma, West Virginians are second on my list. Those people are crazier than a bucket full of squirrels and dumber than a box full of hair!

"Question: Why do ducks fly over West Virginia upside down?
Answer: There's nothing worth crapping on!"

"Q. How do you know the toothbrush was invented in West Virginia?
A. If it was invented anywhere else, it would have been called a teethbrush."

"Why do folks from West Virginia go to the movie theater in groups of 18 or more? Seventeen and under not admitted. ... Why did O.J. Simpson want to move to West Virginia? Everyone has the same DNA. ... Did you hear that the governor's mansion in West Virginia burned down? Almost took out the whole trailer park."

"West Virginia still wins, 34-28. Clear at kickoff with a gametime temperature of 45 and a north wind. Peace out!"

C. Ray Hall, Louisville Courier-Journal: This is the biggest game in the history of Louisville football and scalpers are cashing in.

Mickey Furfari, Charleston Daily Mail: Perhaps the Big East made a mistake in accepting Louisville as a member.

Chris Dufresne, Los Angeles Times: It's the moment of truth for West Virginia, which should have an inside track to the BCS title game with a victory.

Louisville Courier-Journal: What do the experts think? The paper gets the breakdown from members of the national media.

We Must Ignite This Couch: The West Virginia fan site comes with this note of caution: This site is for entertainment purposes only.

We Report, You Decide

The Big 12 has completed its review of the officiating in Saturday's Texas-Texas Tech game and neither league officials or Red Raider athletic director Gerald Myers had much to say regarding the findings. On Monday, Texas Tech send a videotape of 18 calls, no-calls or rulings that it disputed in a 35-31 loss to the Longhorns in Lubbock. Now one fan has taken it upon himself to break down the game film and detail several of the calls in question. Joe of the fine site Irish Round Table alerted us to these videos, and neither he or the Wiz have a dog in this fight. But the combined 14 minutes of video detail some iffy calls. And just to be fair, there no doubt were instances of Texas Tech players getting by with shenanigans in the game. Also take note that we didn't hear any complaints from the Red Raiders last Nov. 19 when they benefited from several controversial calls in a 23-21 victory over Oklahoma. Texas Tech officials even used the final controversial play of that game in a promotional campaign. Nonetheless, the hardcore fans in our audience will want to take a look at what happened Saturday in Lubbock. Video one (it takes a few seconds to get rolling) is above this post and the second video is below.

Hit of the Year?

Minnesota was routed by Ohio State, 44-0, but the Golden Gophers did have one highlight. Safety Dominic Jones of Minnesota flattens receiver Ray Small of the Buckeyes. And we mean flatten. You'll want to check this one out a couple of times.

Please, No Cheering on the Sidelines

Former Ohio State quarterback and ESPN "GameDay" co-host Kirk Herbstreit might have been taught to take it one game at a time as a player, but the "journalist" — seen jumping on the back of former Buckeye running back Eddie George after a Mike Doss interception in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl — is already looking ahead, the Detroit News reports. Herbstreit, who hosts a talk show on WBNS 1460 in Columbus, has started ripping rival Michigan, which plays Ohio State on Nov. 18 in Columbus. Here are some excerpts:
On the Michigan defense: I personally don't think their defense, the way Ohio State will spread them out, can just dominate the game and shut Ohio State down."
On what would happen if the Wolverines and Buckeyes played today: "If those two teams were to play right now, just the way they're playing, I don't even think it would be close. Ohio State not only wins that game the way they're playing right now, maybe by a few scores."
On Michigan receiver Steve Breaston: "He's worthless in my mind, outside of returning a few punts. I'll say that, and he'll end up winning the game for them on Nov. 18. But he hasn't done anything since his freshman year."
On Wolverine fans leaving last Saturday's home game against Northwestern early: "If you're a Michigan fan, honestly, help me to understand, you have a team that is No. 2 in the country, you only get a chance to see them play at home six or seven times and you bail in the second quarter."

Bulldogs Without a Bite

Less than a year ago, Fresno State went toe to toe with No. 1 USC at the L.A. Coliseum. Only a joystick performance by the Trojans' Reggie Bush, who gained 513 total yards, kept the Bulldogs from a stunning upset. It has been nothing but hard times for Fresno State since that 50-42 loss. The Bulldogs have gone 1-9, but coach Pat Hill is not buying the USC-hangover theory. "I'm not going to say the SC game is the reason we had a slide.... We'll make another run. And it might be next year," he said. On Wednesday night, Fresno State gets a shot at ruining Boise State's run to an undefeated season, but even a victory could be costly to the Bulldogs. If the Broncos were to lose, it would end their hopes of a bid to a Bowl Championship Series game. That would mean each team in the Western Athletic Conference would lose out on approximately $500,000. Even though Boise State is on a roll, not everybody in the conference believes the Broncos are the best team at the moment. New Mexico State's Hal Mumme, whose team has played Boise and Hawaii, says the Rainbows are the better team. Hawaii, by the way, can become the first team to secure a bowl bid with a victory over Utah State.

Send Us Your Scoop

It's fairly obvious by now that we need help. A lot of help. Professionals have told us this for years. So don't be shy. If you see something that might interest our audience, please let us know. The address is dawizofodds (at) aol.com. YouTube, message boards, college newspapers, websites, radio talk shows, your hometown paper ... it's all in play here. This site is about contributions from readers, and we can't express how much we appreciate your help. Photos? We love photos. In exchange, we'll plug any site you request. And for the journalists in the audience (we hear from plenty of you already), send us a URL of a story you want featured. Yes, we wish that we could offer mounds of cash, but much like your employer, all we really offer is credit.

Reporters' Notebooks

Carol Slezak, Chicago Sun-Times: Terrific piece on the NCAA's findings from the "Presidential Task Force on the Future of Division I Intercollegiate Athletics." In other words, a bunch of hogwash. Thanks to reader Dan for sending this.

Don Williams, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Busy day in Lubbock. The Texas Tech staff, feeling their team was ripped off in the loss to Texas, sent a videotape of controversial calls to the Big 12. Then three players were arrested in connection with a residential burglary. Thanks to the Midwest Correspondent.

Jake Schaller, Colorado Springs Gazette: Tempers are flaring among the brave fighting men of the Air Force football team.

Jeff D'Alessio, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: The best one-loss team? Former coaches say it won't be the loser of the West Virginia-Louisville game (registration).

Mike Hlas, Cedar Rapids Gazette: Indiana might be one win from becoming bowl eligible, but the Hoosiers still can't draw flies (subscription, so story is in comments).

Tom Mulhern, Wisconsin State Journal: Penn State's Joe Paterno nixed a Wisconsin suggestion to play Saturday's game at night because "we had to come home and play the next week [against Temple]."

Ryan Finley, Arizona Daily Star: Pacific 10 notebook. Oregon State's stunning victory over USC might be an indication that other teams in the conference are catching up with the Trojans.

Jim Masilak, Commercial Appeal: Conference USA notebook. East Carolina, under Skip Holtz, has taken a giant step back to respectability (registration).

Scott Rabalais, Baton Rouge Advocate: If two plays had been different, Louisiana State might be 8-0 instead of 6-2.