Protect Your Unit Week 9 Picks Thread

(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:

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