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(DISCLAIMER: This game is for entertainment purposes only. No actual money is being wagered.)
I don't often acknowledge this, but: I was once a Florida Gator.
I went to the University of Florida out of high school in 1990, and transferred to USF later. I wished I'd gone to USF initially; it was a much better fit for me. In fact, my first day at USF in 1995 (I took some time off), I moved into the old "Village" housing that was on the northeast part of campus. As I pulled up to the place for the first time, I saw there was a chipping green in front of it... and students using it. Seriously, I pull up to my new dorm, and there were some guys out there with clubs, working on their short game. I was initially unsure about USF, but this was the moment that made me say to myself "Yeah, I'm in the right place now." And I was.
But I'm here today to talk about something that happened when I was at UF. In the pre-Nirvana 1990s, Tom Petty's Full Moon Fever was the biggest album out there. Petty booked a concert at the O'Connell Center in Gainesville - his hometown - and sold it out instantly. In a rare but awesome move, the concert was broadcast live on a local radio station. This was long before streaming Internet content was even imagined, so this was a big deal. It's one of the last times I ever listened to the radio, and definitely the last radio event I would ever call "appointment listening."
Like a lot of UF students that night, we got a bunch of beer, and invited some friends over to listen to the concert. About halfway through, Tom Petty says "to everyone listening at home: none of us have any pants on."
25 years later, I still remember that joke. Which was pretty funny. And an amazing show. So thank you, Tom Petty, for a good laugh, and for letting me enjoy your concert for free. Not many artists would do that. I wish you were still with us.
Okay, on to this week's picks, as of 6:50 AM:
| USER | WAGER | UNITS |
| andrewpina | Ohio -11.5 points over Central Michigan | 100.00 |
| andrewpina | Southern Methodist +215.0 money line to beat Houston | 25.00 |
| andrewpina | Marshall -15.0 points over Charlotte | 25.00 |
| andrewpina | North Carolina State +160.0 money line to beat Louisville | 25.00 |
| andrewpina | Kentucky -10.0 points over Missouri | 25.00 |
| andrewpina | San Diego State -10.5 points over Nevada-Las Vegas | 25.00 |
| andrewpina | Utah +205.0 money line to beat Stanford | 25.00 |
| BrianMartin | Georgia -16.0 points over Vanderbilt | 100.00 |
| BrianMartin | Penn State -14.0 points over Northwestern | 100.00 |
| BrianMartin | East Carolina +3.0 points over Temple | 50.00 |
| carlzee | Northwestern +15.0 points over Penn State | 50.00 |
| carlzee | Over 68.0 points in the West Virginia-Texas Christian game | 50.00 |
| carlzee | Duke +120.0 money line to beat Virginia | 40.00 |
| carlzee | Northwestern +475.0 money line to beat Penn State | 20.00 |
| carlzee | Temple -2.0 points over East Carolina | 20.00 |
| carlzee | West Virginia +14.0 points over Texas Christian | 15.00 |
| dsidwell31 | Under 73.5 points in the Memphis-Connecticut game | 50.00 |
| dsidwell31 | Cincinnati +16.5 points over Central Florida | 25.00 |
| dsidwell31 | Georgia -16.0 points over Vanderbilt | 25.00 |
| dsidwell31 | Louisville -2.5 points over North Carolina State | 25.00 |
| dsidwell31 | Florida -5.5 points over Louisiana State | 25.00 |
| dsidwell31 | Washington State +2.5 points over Oregon | 24.25 |
| ElliotMoore | Cincinnati +16.5 points over Central Florida | 50.00 |
| ElliotMoore | Oregon +2.0 points over Washington State | 40.00 |
| ElliotMoore | Washington State +2.5 points over Oregon | 40.00 |
| ElliotMoore | Cincinnati +18.0 points over Central Florida | 40.00 |
| ElliotMoore | Michigan State +14.0 points over Michigan | 40.00 |
| ElliotMoore | Michigan -10.0 points over Michigan State | 40.00 |
| GaryStephen | Louisville -3.5 points over North Carolina State | 50.00 |
| GaryStephen | Vanderbilt +18.0 points over Georgia | 50.00 |
| GaryStephen | Memphis -13.5 points over Connecticut | 50.00 |
| GaryStephen | Tulsa +190.0 money line to beat Tulane | 30.00 |
| Gibbsak | Memphis -13.5 points over Connecticut | 10.00 |
| Gibbsak | Michigan State +14.0 points over Michigan | 10.00 |
| Gibbsak | Michigan -10.5 points over Michigan State | 10.00 |
| Gibbsak | Washington State +2.5 points over Oregon | 10.00 |
| Gibbsak | Georgia -17.0 points over Vanderbilt | 10.00 |
| gym399 | Kansas State +4.0 points over Texas | 50.00 |
| gym399 | Texas Christian -13.0 points over West Virginia | 50.00 |
| gym399 | Over 60.5 points in the Washington State-Oregon game | 50.00 |
| gym399 | East Carolina +120.0 money line to beat Temple | 50.00 |
| gym399 | East Carolina +2.5 points over Temple | 50.00 |
| lrdnorman | Navy -7.5 points over Air Force | 50.00 |
| lrdnorman | Cincinnati +18.5 points over Central Florida | 50.00 |
| lrdnorman | Nevada-Las Vegas +11.5 points over San Diego State | 25.00 |
| lrdnorman | Oregon +3.0 points over Washington State | 25.00 |
| lrdnorman | Oregon +120.0 money line to beat Washington State | 15.00 |
| lrdnorman | Cincinnati +675.0 money line to beat Central Florida | 10.00 |
| McIntyre2K7 | Oklahoma -7500.0 money line to beat Iowa State | 50.00 |
| McIntyre2K7 | Clemson -2000.0 money line to beat Wake Forest | 50.00 |
| McIntyre2K7 | Georgia -800.0 money line to beat Vanderbilt | 50.00 |
| McIntyre2K7 | Florida State +130.0 money line to beat Miami (FL) | 30.00 |
| McIntyre2K7 | Central Florida -800.0 money line to beat Cincinnati | 20.00 |
| McIntyre2K7 | Louisiana State +130.0 money line to beat Florida | 10.00 |
| McIntyre2K7 | East Carolina +120.0 money line to beat Temple | 10.00 |
| McIntyre2K7 | Kansas +675.0 money line to beat Texas Tech | 10.00 |
| McIntyre2K7 | Maryland +4000.0 money line to beat Ohio State | 1.00 |
| ucscott | Louisville -3.0 points over North Carolina State | 30.00 |
| ULhothot | Over 66.5 points in the Pittsburgh-Syracuse game | 110.00 |
| ULhothot | Navy -7.5 points over Air Force | 55.00 |
| ULhothot | Cincinnati +16.5 points over Central Florida | 22.00 |
| ULhothot | Missouri +14.0 points over Kentucky | 11.00 |
| ULhothot | Texas A&M +2000.0 money line to beat Alabama | 2.00 |
As always, you can use this thread to discuss this week’s picks. Though if you have any Tom Petty stories, I’d love to hear them. I leave you with a live performance of what is probably my favorite TP song: “Runnin’ Down a Dream”, from 1991.