iron bowl – Cole's Gameday Blog

Week 14 2014: College picks are graded; results are up! #cfb #rivalryweek #cfbplayoff

Posted on December 3, 2014 by gamedaycole

This week we had a wild week of football with a few unexpected results and some big games. We had some equally wild results in the picking game for week 14 of our college football season.

Winners include Kirk Herbstreit (9-5), Desmond Howard (9-4), Brett McMurphy (6-2), Kevin Carter (5-2), Lou Holtz (5-1), Jon Berger (5-2), Mike Bellotti (5-1), Danny Kanell (4-1), Trevor Matich (4-1), Brad Edwards (4-0), and my wife Jennifer (11-4). Our undisputed week 14 champion is Jason Sehorn, who put up an impressive 9-1 record picking the big games this week.

Losers this week are honorable mention Mark May (1-3), with Tim Tebow taking the title this week at 3-4. Things have taken a downturn for the SEC network’s golden boy in recent weeks, and he continues his slide into normalcy.

Special guest picker Joe Namath put up a respectable 6-3 on the week, and we hope to see him back in the future. Lee Corso nailed the headgear pick going with Alabama over Auburn in the Iron Bowl, while Charley the Cat lost another game on Corso after she chose Auburn.

Everyone else was somewhere in the mix between greatness and failure, so check out the full slate of results below to see how your favorite (or most hated) personality did this week.

Lee Corso: 6-5
WRONG Grambling St over Southern
RIGHT Oregon over Oregon St
WRONG Wash St over Washington
WRONG Miss St over Ole Miss
RIGHT Wisconsin over Minnesota
RIGHT Ohio St over Michigan
WRONG S.Carolina over Clemson
WRONG Georgia over GaTech
RIGHT FSU over Florida
RIGHT USC over ND
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn (headgear pick)

Kirk Herbstreit: 9-5
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn
RIGHT FSU over Florida
WRONG Marshall over WKU
RIGHT Wisconsin over Minnesota
RIGHT Mich St over Penn St
WRONG NW over Illinois
WRONG Grambling St over Southern
RIGHT Oregon over Oregon St
RIGHT Washington over Wash St
WRONG Miss St over Ole Miss
RIGHT Ohio St over Michigan
RIGHT Clemson over S.Carolina
WRONG Georgia over GaTech
RIGHT USC over ND

Desmond Howard: 9-4
RIGHT Wisconsin over Minnesota
RIGHT Mich St over Penn St
WRONG NW over Illinois
WRONG Grambling St over Southern
RIGHT Washington over Wash St
WRONG Miss St over Ole Miss
RIGHT Ohio St over Michigan
WRONG S.Carolina over Clemson
RIGHT GaTech over Georgia
RIGHT FSU over Florida
RIGHT Oregon St over Oregon
RIGHT USC over ND
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn

Joe Namath: 6-3
WRONG Minnesota over Wisconsin
RIGHT Ohio St over Michigan
RIGHT Clemson over S.Carolina
WRONG Georgia over GaTech
WRONG Miss St over Ole Miss
RIGHT FSU over Florida
RIGHT Oregon over Oregon St
RIGHT USC over ND
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn

Jennifer’s Picks: 11-4
RIGHT Wisconsin over Minnesota (close)
RIGHT Mich St over Penn St
WRONG NW over Illinois
RIGHT Oregon over Oregon St
RIGHT Washington over Wash St
RIGHT Ohio St over Michigan
RIGHT Clemson over S.Carolina
WRONG Georgia over GaTech
WRONG Miss St over Ole Miss
WRONG Florida over FSU (upset special)
RIGHT USC over ND
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn
RIGHT Louisville over Kentucky
RIGHT Tennessee over Vanderbilt
RIGHT Baylor over TTU

Chris Fowler: 1-0
RIGHT Southern over Grambling St

Charley the Cat: 0-1
WRONG Auburn over Alabama

David Pollack: 3-2
RIGHT Wisconsin over Minnesota
RIGHT Mich St over Penn St
WRONG NW over Illinois
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn
WRONG Florida over FSU

Dari Nowkhah: 3-1
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn
WRONG Miss St over Ole Miss
RIGHT Wisconsin over Minnesota
RIGHT FSU over Florida

Mel Kiper Jr.: 3-1
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn
WRONG Miss St over Ole Miss
RIGHT Wisconsin over Minesota
RIGHT FSU over Florida

Greg McElroy: 5-3
WRONG Georgia over GaTech
RIGHT FSU over Florida
WRONG S.Carolina over Clemson
RIGHT Louisville over Kentucky
RIGHT Tennessee over Vanderbilt
WRONG Miss St over Ole Miss
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn
RIGHT Wisconsin over Minnesota

Tim Tebow: 3-4
RIGHT Tennessee over Vanderbilt
RIGHT Louisville over Kentucky
WRONG S.Carolina over Clemson
WRONG Georgia over GaTech
WRONG Florida over FSU
WRONG Miss St over Ole Miss
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn

Marcus Spears: 4-3
RIGHT Tennessee over Vanderbilt
WRONG Kentucky over Louisville
RIGHT Clemson over S.Carolina
WRONG Georgia over GaTech
RIGHT FSU over Florida
WRONG Miss St over Ole Miss
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn

Paul Finebaum: 4-3
RIGHT Tennessee over Vanderbilt
RIGHT Louisville over Kentucky
WRONG S.Carolina over Clemson
WRONG Georgia over GaTech
RIGHT FSU over Florida
WRONG Miss St over Ole Miss
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn

Brett Mcmurphy: 6-2
WRONG Florida over FSU
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn
RIGHT Oregon over Oregon St
RIGHT Ohio St over Michigan
WRONG Cal over BYU
RIGHT UAB over S.Miss
RIGHT Louisville over Kentucky
RIGHT Duke over Wake Forest

Phil Steele: 12-7 FBS, 5-3 FCS, 17-10 Overall
WRONG Marshall over WKU
RIGHT TCU over Texas
RIGHT Ohio St over Michigan
RIGHT FSU over Florida
WRONG Miss St over Ole Miss
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn
RIGHT Wisconsin over Minnesota
WRONG UCLA over Stanford
RIGHT Mich St over Penn St
RIGHT NIU over W.Mich
WRONG Arkansas over Mizzou (upset special)
RIGHT Oregon over Oreg St
RIGHT Washington over Wash St
RIGHT Baylor over TTU
RIGHT Arizona over Ariz St
WRONG Georgia over GaTech
WRONG NW over Illinois
WRONG S.Carolina over Clemson
RIGHT Louisville over Kentucky

Phil Steele’s FCS Round 1 picks: 5-3
RIGHT Richmond over Morgan St
RIGHT Indiana St over EKU
WRONG SE Louisiana over SHSU
RIGHT Montana over San Diego
WRONG James Madison over Liberty
RIGHT S.Dakota St over Montana St
WRONG SF Austin over N.Iowa
RIGHT Fordham over Sacred Heart

Kevin Carter: 5-2
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn
RIGHT Wisconsin over Minnesota
RIGHT Ohio St over Michigan
RIGHT Oregon over Oregon St
RIGHT FSU over Florida
WRONG Miss St over Ole Miss
WRONG Georgia over GaTech

Colin Cowherd: 1-1
WRONG Texas over TCU
RIGHT FSU over Florida

Lou Holtz: 5-1
WRONG Arkansas over Mizzou
RIGHT FSU over Florida
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn
RIGHT Ole Miss over Miss St
RIGHT Oregon over Oreg St
RIGHT Baylor over TTU

Mark May: 1-3
WRONG Arkansas over Mizzou
WRONG Florida over FSU
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn
WRONG Miss St over Ole Miss

Jon Berger: 5-2
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn
WRONG Miss St over Ole Miss
WRONG Florida over FSU
RIGHT Ohio St over Michigan
RIGHT TCU over Texas
RIGHT Wisconsin over Minnesota
RIGHT Baylor over TTU

Jason Sehorn: 9-1
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn
WRONG Miss St over Ole Miss
RIGHT FSU over Florida
RIGHT Ohio St over Michigan
RIGHT TCU over Texas
RIGHT Oregon over Oregon St
RIGHT Clemson over S.Carolina
RIGHT Baylor over TTU
RIGHT USC over ND
RIGHT Arizona over Ariz St

Pat Forde: 22-14
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn 35-17
RIGHT Oregon over Oreg St 44-21
RIGHT FSU over Florida 21-20
WRONG Miss St over Ole Miss 23-17
RIGHT Ohio St over Michigan 38-14
WRONG Georgia over GaTech 32-28
RIGHT Arizona over Ariz St 34-31
RIGHT Wisconsin over Minnesota 24-13
WRONG CSU over AF 35-20
RIGHT KState over Kansas 41-14
WRONG UVA over VaTech 16-14
RIGHT Louisville over Kentucky 27-16
WRONG NW over Illinois 29-24
RIGHT Tennessee over Vanderbilt 37-17
RIGHT Nevada over UNLV 45-28
RIGHT USC over ND 34-31
WRONG S.Carolina over Clemson 23-22
WRONG UNC over NC St 43-19
RIGHT Indiana over Purdue 41-37
RIGHT Washington over Wash St 34-27
RIGHT UCF over USF 20-12
RIGHT BC over Syracuse 26-14
RIGHT Duke over Wake Forest 19-10
WRONG Texas over TCU 26-24
RIGHT Mizzou over Arkansas 21-16
RIGHT LSU over TAMU 25-21
WRONG Iowa over Nebraska 30-28
WRONG Maryland over Rutgers 28-21
RIGHT Utah over Colorado 23-20
RIGHT Mich St over Penn St 24-0
WRONG Akron over Kent St
WRONG UCLA over Stanford
WRONG Marshall over WKU
WRONG Cal over BYU
RIGHT Baylor over TTU
RIGHT Boise St over Utah St

Chris Fallica: 3-3
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn 34-28
RIGHT Ole Miss over Miss St 20-16
RIGHT Wisconsin over Minnesota 38-14
WRONG Texas over TCU 24-23
WRONG Iowa over Nebraska 28-24
WRONG Colorado over Utah 31-27

Mike Bellotti: 5-1
WRONG Texas over TCU
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn
RIGHT FSU over Florida
RIGHT Oregon over Oregon St
RIGHT Ohio St over Michigan
RIGHT Stanford over UCLA

Booger McFarland: 4-3
WRONG Georgia over GaTech 38-24
WRONG S.Carolina over Clemson 28-14
RIGHT FSU over Florida 35-17
WRONG Miss St over Ole Miss 30-14
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn 42-28
RIGHT Louisville over Kentucky 27-24
RIGHT Tennessee over Vanderbilt 31-24

Danny Kanell: 4-1
RIGHT FSU over Florida
RIGHT Oregon over Oregon St
RIGHT Ohio St over Michigan
RIGHT Wisconsin over Minnesota
WRONG Texas over TCU

Rece Davis: 2-1
RIGHT Baylor over TTU
RIGHT FSU over Florida
WRONG Arkansas over Mizzou

Trevor Matich: 4-1
WRONG Miss St over Ole Miss
RIGHT FSU over Florida
RIGHT Wisconsin over Minnesota
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn 27-20
RIGHT Mizzou over Arkansas

Brad Edwards: 4-0
RIGHT Baylor over TTU
RIGHT FSU over Florida
RIGHT Wisconsin over Minnesota
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn

Mack Brown: 3-2
RIGHT Mizzou over Arkansas
WRONG Miss St over Ole Miss
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn
WRONG UCLA over Stanford
RIGHT FSU over Florida

Skip Bayless: 2-1
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn 42-17
WRONG Miss St over Ole Miss 30-13
RIGHT FSU over Florida 27-24

Stephen A. Smith: 2-1
WRONG Miss St over Ole Miss
RIGHT Alabama over Ole Miss 37-20
RIGHT FSU over Florida 35-21

Joey Galloway: 2-1
RIGHT FSU over Florida
WRONG Texas over Okla St
RIGHT Ohio St over Michigan

Ryen Russillo: 0-2
WRONG Arkansas over Mizzou
WRONG Miss St over Ole Miss

Tim Cowlishaw: 1-0
RIGHT TCU over Texas

Bill Plaschke: 1-1
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn
WRONG Texas over TCU

Jackie MacMullan: 1-1
RIGHT Alabama over Auburn
WRONG Florida over FSU

Charles Arbuckle: 0-1
WRONG Marshall over WKU

Matt Millen: 1-0
RIGHT FSU over Florida

Heather Dinich: 0-1
WRONG Texas over TCU

Butch Davis: 1-0
RIGHT Ohio St over Michigan

Week 14 2014: College Gameday review #rivalryweek #cfb #cfbplayoff

Posted on November 29, 2014 by gamedaycole

Rivalry week games are in full swing with some great action on the fields so far on this Saturday, so it is time to stop down and review this morning’s College Gameday.

This edition of College Gameday was broadcasting to your television set from Tuscaloosa, Alabama for the legendary Iron Bowl game between Alabama and Auburn. The rest of the rivalry week game slate is nearly that impressive all the way around, so this week’s show was very football intensive and short on nonsense.

The Gameday crew opened up the show with their quick hit segment advertising the ESPN network games of the day, and was then followed by the re-emergence of the mysterious entity known as Babi Mac. Ms. Mac was featured while entertaining the crowd after coming back from the first commercial break, but was completely obstructed from view by the cameraman who chose to record her appearance with a trophy and a pole in the way.

There was an appearance by QB guru George Whitfield to discuss Marcus Mariota with Sam Ponder. It appears that in Whitfield’s spare time he may also be joining the Nation of Islam with this week’s outfit. I do have to admit, his suit fit much better this week and it was much less outlandish on the patters. Please note the teeny tiny lapel rosette for your enjoyment.

Signs this week were pretty disappointing. It was quite a large crowd this week with tons of signs, so I’m sure we missed something good, but it was slim pickings to find gold this week. For that reason, we will highlight the most crude sign of the week, as well as the biggest giveup of a sign this week.

While we are looking at Kirk’s handsome mug above, please take note that he is not wearing a lapel rosette this week. Our public relations department attempted to contact his people for an official statement regarding the lapel rosettes he has been wearing recently, but they declided to comment on his behalf. Or maybe I tweeted at him and he never responded. Jerk.

While we are on the topic of fashion, let’s stop down to review the Sam Ponder Outfit of the Week! This week she was wearing a nice knit sweater with a black skirt and leggings. Jennifer complimented the skirt and sweater combo as well as the jewelry, calling it all around “a good look”. Sam Ponder, if you are reading this for some reason, just remember your biggest fan is waiting for a shoutout @GamedayJen.

A feature piece this week was a segment highlighting “grand entrances” in college football. You know, where teams follow whatever ritual before storming the field prior to the game. Most of this segment seemed to focus on the Michigan banner and Howard Schnellenberger introducing the smoke effect into the pregame entrance at Miami, but the beginning was a pretty funny segment about a youth football team failing to break their entrance banner. I found it odd there was no mention of grand entrances such as the Clemson rock and hill they run down, the Colorado team being led onto the field by a buffalo, OU and Texas coming out of the same tunnel, or whatever your favorite entrance may be. The video can be found here for those interested http://goo.gl/bexlz2

The most important segment of the day was the appearance of Jesse Palmer on College Gameday. In case you missed it, David Pollack and Jesse Palmer attempted to recreate the Odell Beckham Jr. catch from last week’s Cowboys game. The video can be found here http://goo.gl/5pjUxd

Gene W. had a piece covering last year’s Iron Bowl and some of the quirkier aspects you may not have known about. The segment featured the team’s equipment manager Dana Marquez, who sewed together a torn jersey on the sideline late in the game rather than use a spare, because a new jersey might jinx the game. Apparently the field crew discovered that after the field was rushed last year, someone scattered a person’s ashes on the field perhaps in accordance with their last wishes. The main focus was on Auburn student Hayden Hart, who stole Gus Malzahn’s visor after the game last year. They were reunited this year when Gus met Hayden and offered to sign the visor for him.

Nick Saban joined the crew to discuss football items. I know he may have a reputation of being stoic, but I am predicting he will end up as an ESPN mainstay whenever he decides to call it quits at Alabama.

When it came time to pick the games, this week’s special guest picker was none other than Alabama legend, wearer of fur coats, and best friend of Suzy Kolber, the man known as Joe Namath. He seemed in great spirits and sobriety this morning as he picked the slate of games today. On set, both Namath and Corso manifested themselves a pair of fur coats to wear while picking games.

In this week’s edition of “Desmond Howard picking the Michigan game”, a dejected Desmond Howard said his Wolverines would fight hard but that it just wouldn’t be enough to overcome the Ohio State Buckeyes this year. I may have seen a single tear roll down his cheek, but this is unconfirmed.

For this week’s big game, David, Desmond and Kirk were unanimous that Alabama would win today’s big game. Joe Namath too went with his Crimson Tide. Lee Corso goaded the crowd, saying that he picked Alabama the previous year and was let down. Just when you thought he was going to pull the trigger on Auburn, he faked us out and threw that elephant headgear on for another Alabama pick.

Now my memory may be a little bit hazy, but I’m pretty sure that in my Gameday season preview back in August I predicted at some point we would see Lee Corso and Joe Namath wearing matching fur coats while Corso donned an elephant mascot head. Anyways, Charley the Cat did a triple fake-out before picking Auburn to beat Alabama this morning, so we are looking for a showdown between Charley and Corso tonight.

Week 14 2014: Weekday college picks! #cfb #cfbplayoff #rivalryweek

Posted on November 26, 2014 by gamedaycole

It is a holiday week here around these parts, so the big games this week will be starting early. This means that picks are starting early, so without further adieu, here week 14’s weekday picks. We will be updating as more come in.

Phil Steele:
Marshall over WKU 52-24
TCU over Texas 30-23
Ohio St over Michigan 37-20
FSU over Florida 31-20
Miss St over Ole Miss 22-20
Alabama over Auburn 34-21
Wisconsin over Minnesota 35-13
UCLA over Stanford 28-17
Mich St over Penn St 31-10
NIU over W.Mich 28-27
Arkansas over Mizzou 23-17 (upset special)
Oregon over Oreg St 45-21
Washington over Wash St 37-27 (best bet of the week)
Baylor over TTU
Arizona over Ariz St

Phil Steele’s FCS Round 1 picks:
Richmond over Morgan St
Indiana St over EKU
SE Louisiana over SHSU
Montana over San Diego
James Madison over Liberty
S.Dakota St over Montana St
SF Austin over N.Iowa

Colin Cowherd:
Texas over TCU

Lou Holtz:
Arkansas over Mizzou
FSU over Florida
Alabama over Auburn
Ole Miss over Miss St
Oregon over Oreg St
Baylor over TTU

Mark May:
Arkansas over Mizzou
Florida over FSU
Alabama over Auburn
Miss St over Ole Miss

Jon Berger:
Alabama over Auburn
Miss St over Ole Miss
Florida over FSU
Ohio St over Michigan
TCU over Texas
Wisconsin over Minnesota
Baylor over TTU

Jason Sehorn:
Alabama over Auburn
Miss St over Ole Miss
FSU over Florida
Ohio St over Michigan
TCU over Texas
Oregon over Oregon St
Clemson over S.Carolina
Baylor over TTU
USC over ND
Arizona over Ariz St

Pat Forde:
Alabama over Auburn 35-17
Oregon over Oreg St 44-21
FSU over Florida 21-20
Miss St over Ole Miss 23-17
Ohio St over Michigan 38-14
Georgia over GaTech 32-28
Arizona over Ariz St 34-31
Wisconsin over Minnesota 24-13
CSU over AF 35-20
KState over Kansas 41-14
UVA over VaTech 16-14
Louisville over Kentucky 27-16
NW over Illinois 29-24
Tennessee over Vanderbilt 37-17
Nevada over UNLV 45-28
USC over ND 34-31
S.Carolina over Clemson 23-22
UNC over NC St 43-19
Indiana over Purdue 41-37
Washington over Wash St 34-27
UCF over USF 20-12
BC over Syracuse 26-14
Duke over Wake Forest 19-10
Texas over TCU 26-24
Mizzou over Arkansas 21-16
LSU over TAMU 25-21
Iowa over Nebraska 30-28
Maryland over Rutgers 28-21
Utah over Colorado 23-20
Mich St over Penn St 24-0
Akron over Kent St
UCLA over Stanford
Marshall over WKU
Cal over BYU
Baylor over TTU
Boise St over Utah St

Kirk Herbstreit:
Alabama over Auburn
FSU over Florida
Marshall over WKU

Chris Fallica:
Alabama over Auburn 34-28
Ole Miss over Miss St 20-16
Wisconsin over Minnesota 38-14
Texas over TCU 24-23
Iowa over Nebraska 28-24
Colorado over Utah 31-27

Mike Bellotti:
Texas over TCU
Alabama over Auburn
FSU over Florida
Oregon over Oregon St
Ohio St over Michigan
Stanford over UCLA

Kevin Carter:
~~Auburn over Alabama~~
Alabama over Auburn
~~Minnesota over Wisconsin~~
Wisconsin over Minnesota
Ohio St over Michigan
Oregon over Oregon St
~~Florida over FSU~~
FSU over Florida

Brett Mcmurphy:
Florida over FSU
Alabama over Auburn
Oregon over Oregon St
Ohio St over Michigan

Booger McFarland:
Georgia over GaTech 38-24
S.Carolina over Clemson 28-14
FSU over Florida 35-17
Miss St over Ole Miss 30-14
Alabama over Auburn 42-28
Louisville over Kentucky 27-24
Tennessee over Vanderbilt 31-24

Greg McElroy:
Georgia over GaTech 42-28
FSU over Florida 21-17
S.Carolina over Clemson 31-17
Louisville over Kentucky 24-21
Tennessee over Vanderbilt 35-14
Miss St over Ole Miss 28-24
Alabama over Auburn 31-21

Danny Kanell:
FSU over Florida
Oregon over Oregon St
Ohio St over Michigan
Wisconsin over Minnesota
Texas over TCU

Rece Davis:
Baylor over Okla St
FSU over Florida
Arkansas over Mizzou

Trevor Matich:
Miss St over Ole Miss
FSU over Florida
Wisconsin over Minnesota
Alabama over Auburn
Mizzou over Arkansas

Brad Edwards:
Baylor over Okla St
FSU over Florida
Wisconsin over Minnesota
Alabama over Auburn

Mack Brown:
Mizzou over Arkansas
Miss St over Ole Miss
Alabama over Auburn
UCLA over Stanford

Skip Bayless:
Alabama over Auburn 42-17
Miss St over Ole Miss 30-13
FSU over Florida 27-24

Stephen A. Smith:
Miss St over Ole Miss
Alabama over Ole Miss 37-20
FSU over Florida 35-21

Joey Galloway
FSU over Florida
Texas over Okla St
Ohio St over Michigan

Ryen Russillo:
Arkansas over Mizzou
Miss St over Ole Miss

Tim Cowlishaw:
TCU over Texas

Bill Plaschke:
Alabama over Auburn
Texas over TCU

Jackie MacMullan:
Alabama over Auburn
Florida over FSU

Charles Arbuckle:
Marshall over WKU

Matt Millen
FSU over Florida

Heather Dinich:
Texas over TCU

Butch Davis:
Ohio St over Michigan