Protect Your Unit Week 6 Results: My Head's In Mississippi

(DISCLAIMER: This contest is for entertainment purposes only. No actual money is being wagered.)

1990 was a strange year. The 1980s were clearly over, but the defining aspects of the 1990s hadn't arrived yet.

This was even true of college football. Colorado and Georgia Tech split a controversial national title, which led to the development of the godawful BCS. Virginia had been #1 most of the season. Washington, Houston, and Illinois were Top 5 teams. Florida State, Penn State, Miami, Louisville, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and South Carolina had not yet joined conferences. The Blockbuster Bowl was a thing. 1990 was also the last time four of the top six teams lost in the same weekend, as happened two days ago.

On the pop culture front, the things that defined the 1990s -- the Internet, the end of the Cold War, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Friends, Seinfeld, the dawn of reality TV, the Bill Clinton presidency -- were not yet present. Entertainers knew it wasn't the big-hair-and-synthesizers 1980s any more, but didn't know which way to go. As a result of this lack of direction, much of the pop cultural output of that year was a little odd:

This song reached #1 in the Modern Rock chart. The video got heavy airplay on MTV. I challenge anyone to make any sense out of the song or the video.  But it name-drops Texas, Mississippi, Memphis, and (implicitly) Louisiana, so it perfectly suits our purpose of discussing last weekend's results. And it's way less ridiculous than "Velcro Fly."

The big story was the state of Mississippi, where Ole Miss and Mississippi State defeated heavyweights Alabama and Texas A&M, respectively. This was bad news for our players, many of whom bet big against the Magnolia State teams. The biggest win on either of these games was a mere $38, by iwaswrongabouthowell, who put $20 on Ole Miss +190.

Another surprising result was Memphis blowing out Cincinnati 41-14 on the road. Six players lost on Cincinnati ATS, though ucscott cushioned the blow somewhat by putting a small amount on Memphis +165 to win outright. To the extent that $4.95 in fake money can cushion the blow of such a loss by one's own team.

Memphis' two losses this season are 24-3 at Ole Miss, which looks even more respectable now, and by a touchdown at UCLA. With BYU losing (and losing QB Taysom Hill), the G5's automatic major bowl bid could be within reach. What about East Carolina, you ask? Memphis doesn't play them. Nor do they play UCF. If the Tigers can beat Houston in the Liberty Bowl next week, their remaining opponents are: at SMU, Tulsa, at Temple, at Tulane, USF, and UConn. 10-2, and 8-0 in the American, are very much in play for Memphis. Raise your hand if you saw that coming.

The Floyd's Money Team Degenerate Bet of the Week goes to everyone who bet on the SMU money line. That would be snafu13, tacoman206, leavittown, and zls44. I know longshot money lines can be appealing, but SMU hadn't scored a touchdown all season, and East Carolina scores three touchdowns before it gets out of bed. I was surprised that so many people made this bet, and for more than a flyer in most cases. But SMU was reasonably competitive, and I lost on East Carolina -39, what do I know? Maybe I should accept nominations for these.

The Randolph & Mortimer Spite Bet of the Week goes to zls44, for making the $1.11 "your won-lost record" bet on SMU.

Standings:

Collin moves into first place after hitting two of three $100 wagers, separating himself from Kendom, who missed on six of seven smaller bets. It's still anybody's race at this point.

LeavittTown was one week away from having to go all-in, until this happened: