Two Minute Drill: Get the Old Men off the Field - jmik58's Blog

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Two Minute Drill: Get the Old Men off the Field Stuck

Posted on September 7, 2012 at 10:07 AM.

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College football randawesomeness packed into 120 seconds or less (reading levels not checked); getting you up to speed on the weekend ahead and dropping you off on a gravel road three miles outside of town.

FIVE UP, FIVE DOWN

I've got to learn to sandbag a little to start the year. Five picks I made last week, five picks I nailed. Clemson, Virginia Tech, Alabama, Michigan State, and Louisville. Got 'em all. Now there's nowhere to go but down. Hooray.

This week's five beware. One of you -- if not more -- are likely going down as is required by the law of averages. I'm allowed one homer pick each year (or more as I see fit) so naturally I have to take the Iowa Hawkeyes over Iowa State -- only this time not in quintuple overtime. I'm also taking the Wildcats of Kansas State over the Miami (FL) Hurricanes. The 'Canes looked fancy against Boston College but they'll see a more steady squad in Manhatten.

Three more quickies: Arizona State over Illinois, Florida over Texas A&M, and Nebraska over UCLA.

1-800-185-HUSKER

Speaking of Nebraska, their matchup with UCLA could be a tricky one. As teams that have so little in common geographically, Nebraska has found a way to matchup with PAC-12 squads on almost a yearly basis the past few years. The 'Huskers haven't had an easy go of it either -- their embarrassing 2010 bowl game loss against Washington being the pit of the budding rivalry -- and this weekend's contest has folks in Lincoln very worried. But if they want to win, the magic number for Nebraska appears to be 185. Over the past two seasons when the Cornhuskers have totaled 185 rushing yards they are 18-0. In games they fall short of the mark, 0-9.

NO TWEET FOR YOU, COME BACK NEXT YEAR

If the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld was a college football fan, he would love the option. Why? I'm not really sure, but I had to justify the subheading for this paragraph. Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson has banned his players from using Twitter during the season to prevent distractions. The move appears to be a power play and nothing more than a formality considering Yellowjackets -- as a species -- have yet to develop appendages capable of using a keyboard or touchscreen.

BROUGHT A CAT TO A DOG FIGHT

Kansas State tight end Andre McDonald is being sued after an alleged dog attack on another person orchestrated by the Wildcat player's pit bulls. This comes after McDonald spent nearly a week in jail this past summer for disobeying the city's dangerous dog ordinance. He was also suspended for the team's opening contest against Missouri State. When contacted, McDonald cited the ongoing litigation as a reason he didn't feel right meow was the appropriate time to comment.

LEATHER HELMETS, UPHILL, BOTH WAYS

Missouri Tigers defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson let a zinger fly towards the Georgia Bulldogs and indirectly nipped at the feelings of Big-Ten country. When asked about this week's matchup with the Bulldogs, Richardson highlighted his inability to watch the 'Dawgs' game on t.v. this past week by stating, "I watched that game. I turned it off, too. � It's like watching Big Ten football. It's old-man football." Someone is asking for a rude welcoming to the SEC. Lucky for Richardson, old men don't read internet news, follow social media or give a hoot what a young whipper-snapper has to say.

SPREAD 'EM FELLAS

Oklahoma State's 84-0 victory in week one has TMD wondering what the threshold is for sanity when predicting games based on extreme spreads. Florida State might give us a good shot to see how it would play out as they're favored by a mere 70.5 points against Savannah State. It's the first time Vegas has produced a line reaching the seventy-point mark for a college football game according to latimes.com.

The natural question then, who do you take? To cover that kind of spread you have to actually score at least 71 points. I don't see Jimbo Fisher leaving his starters in that long. I think I'll take Savannah State on the spread in this one. One final question though -- why the extra half point? Did Vegas actually get enough bets to have to move the line by half-a-point in order to keep the house solvent?

Three other crazy spread picks for week two:

Oregon (-35) over Fresno State. Quack, Quack.
Texas (-38) over New Mexico. Longhorns are good, but not that explosive on offense.
Mississippi State (-3) over Auburn. Crazy to see Bulldogs favored at all. I would take the Tigers by a touchdown if it was offered.

WHAT DO YOU MEME?

The official propaganda poster that got the conference commissioners on board with a playoff: CFB Memes

LONG SNAPPER SPOTLIGHT

Last but not least, welcome again to the caboose of TMD's college football train. Whether for good or bad, long snappers need lovin' too. This week, thankfully, we return to the feel-good side of things.

Many of you may be familiar with the tragic story of Alabama's Carson Tinker. The young man from Tuscaloosa lost his girlfriend from the clutch of his very grip as a tornado ripped her away and ended her life in 2011. The walk-on long snapper of the Crimson Tide has become an inspiration to the rebuilding efforts in Tuscaloosa and was rewarded -- finally -- prior to the regular season for his efforts on the field as well. Tinker is the newest man on scholarship as a player for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Justin Mikels is a staff writer for Operation Sports. Follow him on Twitter: @long_snapper