Abby Picks, Year 4, Week 11

For the third time in ten weeks Abby had to pay the man.  When you lose 6 bones ($66) and win 4 ($40) you slowly run out of money unless you are the US government.

Luckily for Abby the year-to-date totals still look good, so she doesn’t need a paw out (aka handout).   Ten weeks deep her won-loss record is 37-27, the bones won are 55 v 38 surrendered.

We must give a special shoutout on her hunch bet.  She took  Army v Air Force under the thirty-seven points total.  The game went to overtime and the under still won the day.  The hunch stands tall like the soldiers that competed at 8-1 for the season.

  1. West Virginia at Kansas St -6 –K St at home is a significantly better team than on the road.  WV on the road is a significantly worse team than at home.  One bone.
  2.  Michigan at Penn St under 49 — This feels like a game that a late field goal wins it somewhere in the 20-17 range.  Woody Hayes didn’t like either of these teams but would like the three yards and a pile of dirt scrum.  One bone.
  3.  Notre Dame -5 1/2 at Virginia —  ND has had some closes finishes.  This one covers late, however.  Two bones.
  4. Oklahoma at Baylor under 62 — Abby’ll bite. This one almost seems too good.   Aranda will have them ready to defend the Okla O.   One bone.
  5.  NC State at Wake Forest -1 — Will Wake be hungover from the sting of the Tarheel come from behind victory? Maybe for a series or two.  That O can go.  One bone.
  6. Stanford + 12 at Oregon St —  Abby’ll bite again.  This line seems so out of whack that normally she would take the zig.  But 12 points and the Cardinal seems too juicy.  One bone.
  7. Mississippi St at Auburn -5 — Auburn went to College Station and got stuffed.  We smell an angry rebound and a close cover.  One bone.
  8. Texas A&M -2 at Ole Miss — A road favorite after a big home win in the SEC is dangerous.  A&M is a better team in the trenches than Ole Miss and the Black Bears (formerly Rebels) are banged up.  Two bones.

Arkansas travels to Death Valley to face LSU.  We’re sending one of our staff members to cover the game.  LSU is going to play two QB’s.  Arkansas likes to run the ball.  The total at 59 looks way too high.  The under seems like a sure bet.  Abby will take the over on another crazy hunch.

Woof!

Big Stage, Bright Lights

Be careful what you wish for.  Sometimes the big stage and the bright lights are too big and too bright.

Ask the Kenosha prosecuting attorney if he agrees with the above.  He’s either smart reaching for a mistrial or real dumb at his job.  We’re picking plum dumb.

The Rittenhouse case is going so poorly that you would think the witnesses he called were defense witnesses.  The judge has all but tossed him from the courtroom.

If you got behind a microphone and asked “why was Kyle Rittenhouse even there?” should you also ask yourself why were the protesters there?  Ah yes, they were protesting (rioting and burning down the town) because of perceived social injustice.

However, the video proved otherwise, and it’s not even debatable.  The DOJ investigated and declined to press any charges against the officer.  It was deemed a necessary shooting.

But, never, ever let facts get in the way of a good narrative, especially in an election year.

Well, if you can’t make a case against the officer, try the “white supremacist” AK-toting teenager. Somebody has to pay.

We would ask LeBron James, but we already know that he isn’t afraid of the bright lights.  He tweeted after Rittenhouse took the stand and broke down, “what tears?????”  There are plenty King, you just aren’t looking in the right place.

Blake is paralyzed.  Two protesters are dead.  Shop owners lost their place of business.  Employees lost their jobs.  All for nothing.  Nothing.   Maybe King James should devote more time to furthering his expertise on human relations in the People’s Republic of China.

There is blood on the hands of more than Rittenhouse in this one.

Ask Kamala Harris if she agrees with the above.

The VP, her nervous laugh, and “cringe-worthy” moments travel together.  This time she descended on France for whatever reasons that pale compared to the mess that this side of the pond is in.  Undeterred, Harris broke into some drivel about “The Plan” in front of worldwide cameras and decided now was a good time to throw in a bad attempt at a French accent.

You can run, but you can’t hide.  And, she can’t run for any office again and be taken seriously.  And, the race is on.  She’s trying to run from the Biden Administration and the Biden Administration is trying to run from her.  Ten months into the second-highest job in the land and her approval rating sits at 28%.

As a reminder, she was so popular in the party that she withdrew from the presidential nominee process before the first primary with a less than a 1% poll number.

Ask Joe Biden, when he wakes up if he agrees with the above.  His approval rating stands at 38%.

Why? Afghanistan, border chaos, vaccine mandates, out-of-control social program spending, decades high inflation, a November 2nd ballot box wake-up call, and Senator Joe Manchin comes to mind.

Sunday his Department of Energy Secretary took to the talk shows.  Jennifer Granholm said oil is a global market “controlled by a cartel, the cartel is called OPEC.”  To think that just a dozen months ago America was darn near energy independence.  Asked if she would ask the US producers to ramp up production, she laughed loudly and said, “that is hilarious.”

Folks paying $4-6 a gallon don’t get the joke.  Inflation is the biggest tax on the low to middle-income families you can assess.  They spend all that they make to provide for their families.  The more things cost, the less they can buy.

Be careful what you wish for.

 

 

Yin and Yang

If America had a nickel for every time a politician said “we need to come together as a nation and move forward,” America wouldn’t be in debt.  Well, it still would be actually based on the “free” for all mentality we have in place now.  But, go with it anyway.

The truth is we never come together in the absolute sense of the phrase.  We aren’t even built that way as the checks and balances that our founding fathers (can you still say that?) put in place some 245 years ago create what used to be a purposeful debate.  And, we should thank them for that.

But, way back when we did a much better job of putting the country first and the agendas of factions thereof second.

Remember when House Majority Leader Tip O’Neill and Ronald Reagan would top off Tip’s glass of Scotch and hammer out a deal while Tip got hammered?

Bill Clinton’s tenure at the top produced nearly balanced budgets and a budget surplus once or twice.  He signed into law the three strikes and you’re out legislation.  The border was ours and we protected it well.   As a friendly reminder, Clinton was a Democrat.  But most all Americans saw these policies as effective, not just the more moderate left back then.

No more, and close isn’t close.

So, what to do?  Well solving it on just one quick dip of the pen in the ink well is far too ambitious.  But, with an early eye on 2024, we have an idea to try on.

Biden has no shot unless you count his three and counting “vaccine” shots.  Kamala will be off creating a new gameboard phenomenon called “Where’s Kamala?”  She’s practicing and perfecting it now.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the President and Vice President of the United States, Ron DeSantis(R) and Tulsi Gabbard(D).

Did you see the R and D inside of those parentheses?  Of course, you did.

Forget if you like DeSantis or not. The pendulum always swings and it’s swinging right now.  The Republicans will return to the highest office in the land, mail-in ballots or not. It’s him or someone else from the right.

The point is, what if he used his Floridian stones to go where only Abe Lincoln and Andrew Johnson have gone before?  Nominate the opposite party as your running mate.  He’s not afraid to make bold moves and take chances.

At a minimum, for the Republicans, it would(should) neuter the every four-years “war on women” nonsense that the Dems drag out.  The cries of misogyny would be dampened.  And it reaches across the aisle like never before.  It might even make Morning Joe happy, or infuriated, or both.

She seems very even-keeled, intelligent, and moderate in her views. She could be the yin and Ron the yang.  Her actions (military service) and her words always seem to try to put America, not her party, first.

And, most of all “we could come together as a nation and move forward.”

Couldn’t we?

Sure, probably, maybe, doubtfully, no chance.

 

A Taco, a Burger, and a Duck

When you watch a lot of the same type of programming you see a lot of the same commercials.

The intent is obvious.  Advertisers target their existing and potential customers by viewing habits and hit them with their best shot.

For example, if you’ve watched a lot of NCAA football this fall you’ve seen a lot of Taco Bell, Burger King, and AFLAC spots.  We repeat, a lot.

For no good reason this AM, we decided to dissect these three attempts at getting you out of your LayZBoy recliner and getting into your wallet.

First up we make a run for the border, although you shouldn’t say that anymore.  And, actually, that’s part of the point.   Taco Bell might be changing its image right before your eyes.

For years after it dropped that campaign, it attempted to shove too many “lipstick on a pig” creations down your throat all at a great value (read cheap) price surely ending in $.99. “Try our taco stuffed chalupa on a bun,” or something similarly unappealing like that.

Suddenly, they have the newly paired couple about to embrace on the beach, waves in the background, when the buoy falls over and makes the Taco Bell familiar gong sound.  Like Pavlov’s dogs, the female heads directly to the nearest Taco Bell.  When you need a taco, you need a taco, and you need it from Taco Bell.

It’s whimsical, its lifestyle, and it doesn’t trade on price.  If you have a brand that has value, why incessantly promote price?  Maybe Taco Bell’s brand had little value, and it’s now attempting to gain some.

We grade the initiative S for solid.

With Burger King, let’s flame broil the 30 seconds wasted straight away.  Let us count the ways.

The Burger King name limits the offerings that people will assign value to.  Quick, name another offering there besides the Whopper?  Subtly change the name already.  Think Popeyes.  It’s now calling itself Louisiana’s Kitchen more loudly by the year.

Second, change your corporate colors and uniforms.  This is a tough one.  But, if you keep doing the same things over and over again and you expect better results you define insanity someone once said.

Third, rework the mascot from head to toe.  Burger King, the character, is plastic-looking, intimidating to children, looks like Charlton Heston in Gray Lady Down, and provides no symbiotic connection.  Think Geico.  That gecko is tied at the hip to your home, boat, car, or motorcycle insurance.

And, lastly, stop offering your best product on sale every single day.  It’s not a sale anymore.  Two Whoppers for six bucks is the new price point.  Trading against yourself on price is a race to the bottom.  It’s one you can’t win, and if you do you lose anyway.

If the Home of the Whopper went out of business, would anyone notice?

We grade the initiative T for tired.  Very.

Speaking of kings, the king of football coaches, Nick Saban found 30 seconds here and there to trade in his crimson-colored wardrobe for a bright light blue blazer and shill for AFLAC.  Sometimes it’s he and the AFLAC duck, and sometimes Prime Time Neon Deion Sanders joins the two legends.

But just like how his defense can hit you directly in the jaw from the first play till the final whistle, Saban’s acting (or lack thereof) is something that you cannot unsee.  You focus on it, not the message.

When paired with the duck and its iconic quack of AFLAC, it does make an impression.  Goal number one is to get the audience to remember you.  Sometimes that’s good, and sometimes not so much.  Adding Sanders, who is now coaching too, looks downright uncomfortable on air.

And about that nasty blue color that overrides the entire spot-terrible.

Saban doesn’t need AFLAC’s money.   AFLAC doesn’t need Saban.

The duck isn’t lame, but the spot should be a lame duck.

We grade the initiative B for barn.  What?  As Mr. Wonderful would say on Shark Tank, “take the video out behind the barn and humanely dispose of it.”

And, now we’re set for the second-half kickoff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-Sports

In cold enough way down yonder to consider a big ole pot of gumbo for dinner this evening.

Gumbo is a whole bunch of “stuff” blended smartly over a long cooking time.  As are the sports nuggets below.

If you’re a health nut what’s better than 10 Piece Nuggets early and gumbo late?  No need to answer that one.

  1.  But, if you were in an NFL survivor pool going into yesterday are you still in one coming out?  A scant few early season upsets prior turned into a blood bath yesterday.  Buffalo scores only six and loses 9-6 at Jacksonville.  Dallas got run out of Jerry’s playground by Denver.  Atlanta beats New Orleans who last week tattooed Tampa Bay.  The New York Giants took it to the Raiders.
  2. Last night Tennessee also took it to the LA Rams.  Vegas had the Rams as the favorite.  No Derrick Henry, no problem for the now 6-2 Titans.  Could the Titans secure home field throughout the AFC playoffs with Indy, Jacksonville, and Houston in their division? You bet.  They play physical ball for sixty minutes every sixty minutes that they suit up.
  3. The New England Patriots are now 5-4 after three straight wins.  They played Tampa Bay and Dallas tough in close losses.  Is their best football ahead of them?  It needs to be as they face their division-leading 5-3 Buffalo Bills twice in the coming weeks.   If they manage to get a leg up on Buffalo they close out the seventeen week schedule with the woeful Dolphins and hapless Jets.  It’s never too early to look ahead, is it?  Two words.  Bill Belichick.
  4. Odell Beckham Jr. is looking ahead as well. He will be a free agent this time tomorrow now that the Browns said enough already.  He’ll take his “talents” and his cancerous attitude to some team hopeful of the good outweighing the bad.  It will soon be marriage number three for OBJ and some desperate team.  Ditto the Raiders as DeSean Jackson is apparently headed there.  There is a reason why some talented players play for more teams than you would think they should.  Jackson started his career with the Eagles, then theRedskins, Bucs, Eagles again, and Rams.  The next stop is Vegas baby.  What could go wrong there?
  5. The Browns might have added by subtracting.  With OBJ gone they lambasted the Bengals 41-16 in Cinncinatti.  Their defense is good enough to make a run.  Will Baker Mayfield and the offense find a new identity?  Yesterday was a great start. He still held a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3 in the third quarter as the Browns became the first team since 2012 with three touchdown plays of 60 yards or more.
  6.  It’s a different league, but maybe it’s the same result.  In the NBA the Philadelphia 76ers, who are dealing with a star sidelined for a different reason, have risen to the top of the East as Ben Simmons continues to be away from the team.  Ben is troubled.  The 76ers suddenly are not.  We’ll leave it at that for now.
  7.  In MLB, fresh off of their World Series loss to the Atlanta Braves, the Houston Astros offered Carlos Correa a 5-year deal valued at about 32 million a year.  Sounds like good work if you can get it.  But, for Team Correa, it will be adios amigo as some team (Yankees?) will nearly double the years which effectively doubles the money guarantee.
  8. Correa is one of many, many free agents available as the Hot Stove League kicks in gear.  At the shortstop position alone in addition to Correa stands Javier Baez, Trevor Story, Marcus Semien, and Cory Seager on the newly unemployed line.  Assuming baseball doesn’t lock out the players in a labor dispute, the comings and goings will be quite interesting this offseason.
  9. One way to extend your shelf life as an NCAA head football coach is to blame your assistants when your team struggles.  After three consecutive losses, Florida’s Dan Mullen fired DC Todd Grantham and offensive line coach John Hevesy on Sunday.  South Carolina embarrassed them Saturday.  The Washington Huskies fired OC John Donovan.  The decision comes a day after a loss that drops the Huskies to 4-5 overall and 3-3 in the Pac-12.  And, Oregon State DC Tim Tibesar was fired yesterday as the Beavers defense sunk to the bottom of the PAC 12 after a decent start.  Make them the bad guys even though you hired them in the first place.  It buys you a year and quiets the opposition some on the recruiting trail.
  10.  Georgia is #1 and second place isn’t close as the jockeying for the four playoff spots hits the far turn.  A very valid argument could be made for about eight teams to fill the final three spots as of now.  But, “that’s why they play the games,” someone once famously said. It’ll sort itself out.  It always does.  One thing is certain though.  Alabama is #2 because of its history, not its play on the field this year.  Still, they control their chances as they will face Auburn in the Iron Bowl in two weeks.  If they pass that test, Georgia looms in the SEC Championship in the Georgia Dome.  The committee wouldn’t still put them in the top four with two losses, would they?

Pass the rice.

Abby Picks, Year 4, Week 10

When you’re hot, you’re hot.  And, through nine weeks Abby is en fuego.

As November rolls in her record stands at 33 wins and 23 losses, and 51 impressive bones won versus only 32 lost.  And, hopefully, her hunch won you a bunch last week.  It stands tall at 7-1.

Hopefully, she didn’t spend too much time patting (pawing) herself on the back this past week.  In the handicapping business you’re only as good as your next pick.

Week 10 is upon us.  But be wary.  There are plenty of double-digit lines, big road favorites, and trap games.  Abby’s playing it close to the dog vest.  Bet too much this week on a game and you might need some hair of the dog on Sunday.

  1. Army at Air Force -2 1/2 — Abby thanks all for their service, including service dogs.  The game, rightfully so is a tossup.  She’ll take the high elevation home-field advantage along with a stout D.  One bone.
  2. NC State at Florida St +3 and Clemson -4 at Louisville — It’s a parlay reminiscent of the old days of the ACC when there were Tigers and Seminoles and not much else.  Two bones to win six bones.
  3. Houston -13 at South Florida — Like mentioned above, when your hot, you’re hot.  It’s hot temperature-wise in Tampa, but the Cougars are even hotter.   Abby’s been riding the hot hand of Dana Holgerson. Houston covers late.  One bone.
  4. Wake Forest at North Carolina +2 1/2 — It feels like the line is off a good bit here.  Vegas wants you on the WF side.  Abby, as you know, likes to zig when others zag.  One bone.
  5. Liberty at Ole Miss over 67 — A point a minute plus a touchdown is plenty of scoreboard action.  Ole Lane and Hugh are going to pull out all of the stops.  One bone.
  6. Baylor at TCU + 6 1/2 — The steady hand at the wheel is Dave Aranda for Baylor.  The steady hand that was at the TCU wheel for 20 years was Gary Patterson.  Abby hates cats but loves dead cat bounces.  One bone.
  7. Michigan St at Purdue +3 — It feels like the line is a good bit off here, part two.  Purdue took down then #2 Iowa in Iowa after a big win last month.  Now, the Spartans hit the road in a similar situation.  Buyer beware.  One bone.
  8. LSU at Alabama – 28 1/2 —  Two years ago Coach O made much over the win in Tuscaloosa over Alabama.  Maybe too much.  WIll St. Nick have mercy on O’s soul?  He might in the fourth quarter, but by then it’ll be 49-10.  Two bones.

The Air Force v. Army game in Colorado is an early Saturday kickoff.  The over/under is a crazy low 37 1/2.  On a crazy hunch, Abby likes the under.

Ten bones wagered to win sixteen.

Four chalks, four dogs, six home teams, two road warriors, one parlay, one over, one under.

Woof!

 

 

 

A Free Chicken

Ok, it’s time for Congressional Jeopardy.  Welcome, everyone!  What a great group of contestants we have today.  Let’s get started.

Madame Speaker, please select.

“I’ll take Marketing 101 for $100.”

This game-changing business owner famously declared “focus groups are worthless, we know what our consumers want more than they do.”

Senator Manchin buzzes in. “Who is Steve Jobs?”

“Correct, and boy was he, please select.”

“Marketing 101 for $200”

“This American President famously believes he knows more about what Americans want than they do.”

Rep Jayapal buzzes in.  “Who is President Joe Biden?”

“Correct. Unfortunate.  But, correct.  Please select.”

“How about Campaign Slogans for $100.”

“The date that “Build Back Better” got reduced to “Better Not Build Back.”

Senator Manchin.

“What was Tuesday?”

Correct again, please select.

“Let’s take Now What? for $100.”

And the clue is, ha, well, “Now What?”

Jayapal.  “Spend more?”

“In the form of a question, please.”

“What is spend more and offer a free chicken in every pot?”

No sorry.

Madame Speaker buzzes.  “What is blame Trump?”

No sorry.  “Impeach Trump?”  No, still sorry.

Senator Manchin, do you want to take a shot?

“What is you better pay attention to what Virginia just told you.”

Correct.  Select again.  We have but a minute remaining in Double Jeopardy.

Let’s take “All things Minnesota” for $1000.

The clue is, “enough of this nonsense already.”

Senator Manchin. “What is the police defund just got a refund.”

“Correct.”  Bahhhhh.  “Time is up.  We see Manchin in the lead with $12,000, Madam Speaker with $2,000, and unfortunately Rep Jayapal with -$200 which makes you unable to play Final Jeopardy.

Jayapal asks, “why not?”  Alex Trebek’s fill-in responds, “you actually have to have your own money to risk money.  And the category today is Famous Bills.  We’ll be back after this commercial word.”

The video cuts to the commercial  “Hello, I’m President Biden.  As you know I have a job that requires long hours.  If you’re like me and sometimes fall asleep in meetings, or interviews, or summits, try NoDoz. It gets the job done when I’d rather sleep on it.”

“Welcome back to Final Jeopardy, the category again is famous Bills, and the clue is, “This Bill now carries a price tag of somewhere between $1.7 and $3.5 trillion dollars?”  “Good luck.”

Do do do, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah doo, doo doo doo, dum, dum, dum.   Pens down, please.

“We go now to Madame Pelosi. Let’s see what she wrote.  ‘What’s the cost of paying off all of Bill Clinton’s dalliances?’  No sorry.  How much did you wager?”

“I wagered $1,000,000.”  Well, you only had $2,000, so I’m not sure how you can do that.”

“I’m the Speaker, I can do anything I want.”

“And to Senator Manchin.   He wrote, ‘The Reconciliation Bill, vote for it and America will vote you out in 2022.'”

“CORRECT.”  Let’s see how much you wagered?  “Your entire political career!”

And Senator Manchin you are our Congressional Jeopardy Champion!

Congratulations!”

doo, doo, doo, dah, dah, dah…

 

 

 

The Friendly Skies

United Airlines marketed the jingle “fly the friendly skies.”   And, one pilot of United’s very worthy adversary, Southwest Airlines, should have taken note, perhaps.

We write “perhaps” because, in spite of AP reporter Collen Long’s outrage expressed on her Twitter account, there is no clear-cut audio or video of the reported SWA pilot uttering “Let’s Go Brandon” as passengers were about to deplane in Alberquerque this past weekend.  Not yet.

Predictably both sides of the divided country quickly stepped up to either defend the yet unnamed pilot or want to have him fired by sundown in New Mexico.

Fox News had their roundtable of five on the Outnumbered show yesterday take turns citing examples of either Alec Baldwin or Robert DeNiro screaming “F Trump” into microphones, or even that has been redheaded comedienne (her name escapes us) that faux beheaded Trump as justification for the pilot’s behavior.

There are few more staunch supporters of the freedom of speech than BBR.

But, the above examples are individuals acting as individuals.  You don’t have to like what they said or did any more than watching the American flag being set ablaze. You just have to respect their right to do so.

So, simply stated he had a right to say what he said.  And, because of that, the airline has a right to take whatever disciplinary action it deems appropriate against the pilot.  He was on their time earning his dime.

The SWA pilot was representing SWA.  And a company spokesperson released the following statement yesterday.  “Southwest Team takes pride in providing a welcoming, comfortable, and respectful environment for the millions of customers who fly with the airline each year, and behavior from any individual that is divisive or offensive is not condoned.”

A wise owl once said, “you can say anything you want on your last day.”

Whether the purported incident did or did not happen is still for debate. What is not debatable is that a corporate line is a corporate line.

And, now a pilot, vaccinated or not, might have to join the unemployment line. His freedom of speech wasn’t free.

At a minimum he’ll get his wings clipped a bit.

Meanwhile, “Let’s Go Brandon” seems to have a lot of air under its wings.

 

 

Meet The Depressed

Rush Limbaugh used to mockingly refer to the NBC Sunday morning news show as “Meet the Depressed.”

Perhaps it is an apropos name even if just for a week for the party in power.

Yesterday, Halloween Day, host Chuck Todd delivered some scary news for Democrats.  An October 23-26 NBC News poll was discussed and answers to it disseminated.

“The overarching message, Americans have lost their confidence in President Joe Biden and their optimism for the country. At least they have right now. Just 22% of adults say we are headed in the right direction. A shocking 71% say we’re on the wrong track and that includes a near majority of Democrats who are saying that,” Todd said.

Did he say “a near majority of Democrats as well?”  It is spooky indeed that the left-leaning network and its marquee show would even kick off the broadcast with that.

Further, fifty-four percent of Americans disapprove of the job Biden is doing, while only 42% approve.  The numbers are in a free fall from a similar poll conducted just two months ago.

The further you dive into the details the worse it gets for team Biden on some issues.  On border security, inflation, crime, national security, and the economy the president is underwater by 18-27 percent vs how Americans think that Republicans would handle such needs.

All of this sets up as an early tell.  Later this week Biden travels back from Europe to Virginia to lend a political hand.   Republican Glenn Youngkin is within striking distance of Democrat Terry McAuliffe in the Virginia governor’s election.  This statistical dead heat comes just one year after Biden routed Trump in the state by 10 points.

Can McAuliffe survive after he told parents that they shouldn’t have a say in what their children are taught?  Biden is ridin’ to the rescue.

The good news about the scary news is that the midterms are a year away.  Poll numbers can change significantly by then.  But will they?

The Dems currently hold all of the power, but constantly argue over spending more, or a lot more money than this country can afford?  Too much candy isn’t too good for you.

Will Halloween time a year from now be a trick or a treat for the Democrats?

Abby Picks, Year 4 Week 9

Last week Abby was downright crabby.

Coming off of only her second losing week in eight was one thing.  But, labor shortages in her department are another.

This lack of staffing caused a deadline error that accidentally omitted her hunch bet.  She won, but it doesn’t count if it’s not published.

Regardless, she had a week to let the canine teeth shine right through her smile.  For the season the won-loss is 27 up and 21 down.  The bones for are a tasty 42 v 29.  The hunch bet sat in timeout and is 6-1.

To the picks she goes.

  1. Iowa at Wisconsin -3 —  Abby’s been on Whisky (too much isn’t good) for three weeks.  Others gave up the bottle and on Paul Chryst too early.  Time for another Saturday happy hour.   One bone.
  2.  Michigan -4 1/2 at Michigan St.  — Big brother is coming to East Lansing to teach little brother who is the boss of the state. The Spartans are undefeated, but their wins are against teams with names like Rutgers, Little Sisters of the Poor, and Western Kentucky.  This one won’t be too close.  Two bones.
  3.  Miami Fla +10 at Pittsburgh —  The Hurricanes aren’t very good.  Pitt is pretty good but like Sparty, they haven’t played much of a schedule.  Abby likes this one, but doesn’t love it.  One bone.
  4. Florida St at Clemson -9 1/2 –Dabo is due for a good game.   Can his offense outscore anyone by 10?  When the sky looks like it’s falling, Abby smells a zig on a zag.  One bone.
  5. Washington St + 16 at Arizona St.– Are the Sun Devils good enough to be favored by 16 over anyone?  The Cougars aren’t too good, but she sniffs a backdoor cover.  Call it about 38-24.  One bone.
  6. Kentucky at Mississippi St -1 —  This line looks like the wrong team is favored to Abby.  Shouldn’t the Bulldogs be the underdog against a 6-1 opponent with pelts like Florida and LSU on the wall?   Upon further review, it isn’t.  Three bones.  And, P.S.  It’s Halloween, and Mike Leach still hates candy corn.  Enjoy forty-five seconds of YouTube gold.
  7. Penn St at THE -18 1/2 —  Jeez that’s a lot of points given.  Not enough.  THE has to win out convincingly to finish in the final four.   One bone.
  8. SMU at Houston Pick it — Two Cougars in one week?  Yes.  Pick them she will.  Two bones.

Auburn squares off at home vs Ole Miss.  The over/ under is 66 1/2.  It seems low considering the scoring prowess of Ole Miss and as well as their leaky defense.  Somehow it stays under on a hunch.

Five favorites, two dogs, one pick it, and no candy corn.

Woof!