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Protect Your Unit Week 9 Picks Thread

Let’s go Peay!

Austin Peay v Vanderbilt Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images

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

There are only 5 AAC games this week, and one of them - Austin Peay vs. Central Florida - is unlikely to have a line. FBS vs FCS games often don't, especially late in the season. And this game might be more of a mismatch than most.

But because we love anyone who's playing C., let's get to know Austin Peay.

Austin L. Peay (pronounced like the letter "P") was the Governor of Tennessee from 1923 until his death in 1927. He is considered one of the best. He turned a state debt into a surplus, while also making great improvements in infrastructure. This included a highway system that connected the entire 500-mile length of the state, from Memphis to Bristol.

His most famous deed may have been signing into law the Butler Act, which outlawed the teaching of evolution in schools. This led to the well-known Scopes Trial. The case generated such national interest that it attracted legendary orators William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow to argue each side. It was also broadcast on the radio and brought many reporters to tiny Dayton, Tennessee, making it arguably America's first media circus.

Like a lot of smaller state universities, Austin Peay State University began as a normal school (for the training of teachers) and a junior college, in 1927. It took over the former site of Southwestern Presbyterian University in Clarksville, northwest of Nashville. Over the 20th Century, it began offering more programs and degrees, and became a comprehensive university. The school has grown rapidly since 2000, and now has 10,000 students, and two satellite locations.

APSU's sports teams are called the Governors, a further nod to the man the school is named after. Basketball is their best sport; they have made 7 NCAA trips, and former NBA player Trenton Hassell is an alum. Football was de-emphasized in the late 1990s, moving from the Ohio Valley Conference to the non-scholarship rungs of FCS, but has since returned to the competitive OVC. As you might guess, they're not good. In fact, they lost 44 of their last 45 games coming into this season. But they're 5-3 this year, with the losses coming to FBS teams and FCS #3 Jacksonville State.

So this would be quite an upset. But Austin Peay has beaten an FBS team before; Kansas State, in 1987. After it was over, losing coach Stan Parrish said "I came to the realization that we're not very good." That was putting it mildly. Sports Illustrated soon wrote a piece called “Futility U,” outlining why K-State football was so bad, and why it had little hope of getting better. But they increased their commitment to football, and hired a new coach named Bill Snyder.

This week’s picks, as of 6 AM Friday:

USER WAGER UNITS
andrewpina Memphis -10.5 points over Tulane 100.00
andrewpina Arizona State +3.0 points over Southern California 50.00
andrewpina Texas Christian -6.0 points over Iowa State 50.00
andrewpina Troy -25.5 points over Georgia Southern 50.00
BrianMartin South Florida -10.5 points over Houston 100.00
BrianMartin Texas Christian -6.0 points over Iowa State 100.00
BrianMartin Penn State +6.5 points over Ohio State 100.00
CarlZee Under 80.0 points in the Missouri-Connecticut game 75.00
CarlZee South Florida -10.5 points over Houston 35.00
CarlZee Over 73.0 points in the Oklahoma State-West Virginia game 30.00
CarlZee Penn State +215.0 money line to beat Ohio State 30.00
CarlZee Stanford -21.0 points over Oregon State 30.00
CarlZee Boston College +160.0 money line to beat Florida State 25.00
CarlZee Georgia -13.0 points over Florida 20.00
CarlZee North Carolina State +260.0 money line to beat Notre Dame 4.80
dsidwell31 Kentucky -3.5 points over Tennessee 50.00
dsidwell31 South Carolina -6.5 points over Vanderbilt 50.00
dsidwell31 Over 56.0 points in the Houston-South Florida game 50.00
ElliotMoore Over 57.5 points in the Houston-South Florida game 50.00
ElliotMoore Illinois +27.0 points over Wisconsin 50.00
ElliotMoore Over 56.5 points in the Penn State-Ohio State game 50.00
ElliotMoore Florida +475.0 money line to beat Georgia 30.00
ElliotMoore North Carolina +950.0 money line to beat Miami (FL) 30.00
ElliotMoore Tennessee +175.0 money line to beat Kentucky 30.00
GaryStephen Arkansas State -3.0 points over New Mexico State 100.00
GaryStephen Under 51.0 points in the San Jose State-Brigham Young game 40.00
GaryStephen Appalachian State -3.5 points over Massachusetts 40.00
GaryStephen Under 78.5 points in the Missouri-Connecticut game 40.00
gym399 Tulane +11.0 points over Memphis 80.00
gym399 Florida State -2.5 points over Boston College 80.00
gym399 Wake Forest +3.0 points over Louisville 80.00
gym399 North Carolina State +7.5 points over Notre Dame 10.00
ULhothot Louisville -3.0 points over Wake Forest 110.00
ULhothot Notre Dame -7.5 points over North Carolina State 55.00
ULhothot Missouri -11.0 points over Connecticut 11.00

As always, use the comments section to talk up your picks, talk about this week’s games, or whatever.