2012 College Football Predictions

Time for some official college football predictions!

SEC – Georgia over LSU

ACC – Clemson over Va Tech

Big Ten – Wisconsin over Nebraska

Pac 12 – USC over Oregon

Big XII – Oklahoma

Big East – Pittsburgh

Mountain West – Boise State

MAC – Ohio over Northern Illinois

Major Bowls

National Title Game: USC over Georgia

Rose Bowl – Wisconsin vs Oregon

Orange Bowl – Pitt vs Clemson

Fiesta Bowl – Oklahoma vs Nebraska

Sugar Bowl – LSU vs Notre Dame

Heisman – Matt Barkley : QB : USC

Iowa HS FB Picks – Week 0

Back again for a 3^rd year, Iowa High School Football Predictions.  Feel free to play along!

Week 0 Games and selections below.  Let the games begin!

Class	Game	Pick
A	Grundy Center at AGWSR	AGWSR
A	SE Webster Grand vs GMG	GMG
A	North Mahaska at Belle Plaine	Belle Plaine
2A	CMB at North Polk	North Polk
2A	Prarie City Monroe at Roland Story	PCM
3A	West Marshall at Iowa Falls-Alden	West Marshall
4A	Indianola at Hoover	Indianola
4A	Marshalltown at Ankeny	Marshalltown
4A	Dowling at Johnston	Dowling

Friday 6 Pack

1. The 30^th Olympics are over, what is your lasting image from the London Games?

Matt – Usain Bolt easing his way to a 100M and 200M repeat and Misty May and Kerry Walsh’s 3 peat in the sand and Oscar Pistorius.

Wendt – Michael Phelps

Painter – U.S. dominating the final medal count

Blake – I'm something of an Olympic junkie so I have a few.  Aly Raisman breaking down just before the end of her Team Gold medal clinching floor routine.  Michael Phelps rebounding after a tough start and just looking pissed off at the world that you knew the world was going to be in trouble, and the sight of Usain Bolt getting the baton behind the American's on the 4x100M relay, and taking about 3 steps to not just catch up, but leave the field in the dust.

BSox – How much of a dumbass fatboy slim looks like at the closing ceremony. Horrible. Spice girls though…AWESOME!

Majors – I enjoyed the Olympics this year. There seemed to be a lot of intensity, the coverage in social media was excellent as well, especially Twitter. WInning 2 Golds in wrestling was awesome!

Zach – My lasting image is the look on the faces of the women's gymnastics team after winning team final.

2. Now that the Olympics are over football is right around the corner, and high school games begin TONIGHT!  Open up your crystal ball, any school any class – what is one headline the state will see this year in IA HS FB?

Matt – GMG will not go 0fer.  They haven’t won a game in over 20 games or so (that’s like 2 full seasons +) but Wendt has assured me that one of the teams on the Wolverines schedule sucks worse this year.

Wendt – Class A football will be extremely watered down this fall (lots of teams dropping to 8man) Class 4A will dominate the headlines because it always does

Painter – I don't care much about high school football unless I'm helping out Mr Wendt.

Blake – That it will take me the entire year to fully remember there is no more CIML

BSox – I really don’t know. I haven’t paid much attention to high school games since my brother played at north polk. However, I live in Johnston now, and I’ve always wanted to head over for a game…maybe this is the year!

Majors – Ummm, no clue. So I will go with Boone & Ogden! Go Toreadors!!!

Zach – The fact that Valley vs. Dowling late in the season adds a new element of drama.

3. College football starts in 2 weeks.  Next week we’ll get to Big Ten/Big XII/ BCS predictions.  This week – Who is your Heisman pick?

Matt – Last year I picked Landry Jones and was off.  This year I’m going to go with Matt Barkley at USC. 

Wendt – Montee Ball-Wisconsin

Painter – Sadly I have to say Denard Robinson

Blake – Well, Honey Badger is out.  I'll take Matt Barkley

BSox – Probably what’s his name from USC. Will he get it is debatable, but he has to be the front runner right?

Majors – Well it won't be the Honey Badger. I think Montee Ball has a good shot, especially if he puts up numbers like he did last year. But the B1G bias will always come out, so the voters will forget about him
Zach – I'll take a layup here and go with Matt Barkley at So Cal.

4. The Iowa Speedway had its second Nationwide race a couple weeks ago.  Rusty Wallace on KXNO was talking more and more that Iowa is a great spot for a NASCAR race and maybe in the next 5 years.  Would this be the biggest sports stage to hit central Iowa? 

Matt – I think the only thing that could top it would be the NCAA 1^st & 2^nd round games if they come to the Well, though the NCAA Wrestling Championships I think will be HUGE here in March.  Those might be the only 2 things.  But no question about it a Sprint Cup race would be AMAZING here.

Wendt – I'd be shocked if Newton ever holds a Sprint Cup race but if they do, more power to em

Painter – While a Sprint Cup race would be huge for Iowa it may not be the biggest sports stage, although it would generate the most interest within any given fan base

Blake – I'm not sure it's ahead of the NCAA Women's basketball tournament or the wrestling tournament, or even the US Senior Open.  But hey, it's good for sports in Iowa to be shown on National TV as much as possible.

BSox – Part of me says yes, but part of me says no. this is still a college football/basketball state. While Jack Trice or Kinnick doesn’t always hold as many as the speedway, the speed way doesn’t have people fighting for a tv to watch an Iowa/Iowa St game every single weekend. Speedway can’t say the same. Speedway has big crowds, not near as many people following at home.

Majors – I think it is pretty cool that there is so much racing up there. You have Knoxville, Boone, plus others I don't know about I'm sure

Zach – Football, both high school and college, will always take the big stage. NASCAR will provide to set up the big "audition" for Des Moines to host other major events and not just NCAA based events.

5. The Expendables 2 opens up this week.  Which of these stars is your favorite and which one is truly Expendable and needs to hang it up?

Matt – Bruce Willis as John McClane is a bad ass!  I think it’s time for Arnold to hang it up, he shouldn’t be coming back, he old.

Wendt – Jason Statham is actually pretty solid, and I always enjoy Chuck Norris. Stallone needs to go away

Painter – Tough question.  I've liked Stallone and Willis but I also think their times have passed.

Blake – I just borrowed a buddies copy of the first Expendables since I hadn't seen it yet.  Let me just say this, I love the old school action stars, but Hollywood hasn't developed any new ones worth a damn for about 30 years.

BSox – I don’t think any of them need to. This is such a throwback to 80s action movies that it makes me warm and fuzzy. I want 47 more movies like this.

Majors – Hmmm, Sly is getting up there, along with Mr. Van Damme. I have always liked Jet Li

Zach – While they all probably need to hang it up, Willis is my favorite. "Die Hard" will always live easy with me.

6.  A 24 hour wedding chapel opened in a Las Vegas Denny’s.  What’s the menu item you are saying “I DO” to after getting hitched?

Matt – You gotta go with the Grand Slam breakfast since later after the I DO’s  and flapjacks you going to most likely hit a home run at the hotel.

Wendt – French Toast Slam (mmmmmm mmmm good)

Painter – A Grand Slam of course

Blake – I'd say chilli cheese dogs with a side of baked beans.  Gotta break her into a new reality quickly.  

BSox – Corn beefed hash…by the gallons.

Majors – A beer...or shot. My last marriage ended in a ball of flames, hopefully I will have better luck next time, haha!!!

Zach – Champagne. And maybe a waffle.

Lasting Images - 2012 Olympics

As with all Olympic games there are usually moments that stand out that are the memories of those Games.  This time in London was the same.  For everyone it is different and this time for me I have 3 moments that stand out.

First is Usain Bolt and the men's final 100m.  Bolt became the 1st person to repeat as gold medalist in the 100 & 200M.  He's arguably the best sprinter in Olympic history.  The mens final too was also the fastest in Olympic history.   4 of them ran the fastest times in Olympic history.  

Second is Misty May & Kerry Walsh's Golden 3-peat on the beach.  They are the best volleyball team EVER.  In 3 Olympics they never lost a match and only lost 1 game.  That's dominance.

Final is Oscar Pistorius from South Africa.  He became the first ever amputee to compete in the Olympics and made it to the 400m semi's.  If you don't think you can do anything you should look at Oscar's story. 

What's your Lasting Image from the 2012 Olympics?

Total Recall and The Bourne Legacy

Last Tuesday Night I went and saw Total Recall, the redux, on Carmike stimulus night.  It had a nice crowd and I’m not sure why all the hub-bub about the film from the critics.  I honestly think that I liked it better than the original all though it follows a lot of the same plot lines and story as the original.  I went into it with as clear of a palette as I could so I wouldn’t compare it to the original but that didn’t happen and I keep thinking “oh yea that’s how it went”.  In the original when they go to Mars and this one they stay on Earth, which I liked better.  And of course the effects were a lot better this time 20 years later.  Collin did a good job in the main role, Kate was far superb than Sharon and Jessica Beil didn’t suck either.  This one was better than the original in my opinion, don’t worry about the box office numbers, go enjoy it.

6/10

Friday night I saw The Bourne Legacy.  It’s not a reboot of the Bourne franchise that originally starred Matt Damon, but more so it is an extension of that movie.  This one stars Jeremy Renner and Ed Norton.  The movie was ok; it had some good action sequences.  If you haven’t seen it I hope I don’t spoil it for you so please quit reading now…….  It has a little Captain America type feel with messing with DNA and “super soldiers.”  That is one thing I didn’t like but the way they did it had an ok feel to it.  The ending was abrupt too.  It felt rushed, not complete like the other Bourne movies.  I did like how this movie was intertwined with the last Damon-Bourne movie, and what I excited for though is the possibility of a 5^th movie including both Damon and Renner. 

6/10

Best and Worst of the Weekend

So I haven’t done a Best and Worst of the weekend in a while again so I figure I’ll do it now since I had a bit of bests and one big worst. 

Weekend started out ok.  Friday night had supper at the new Cozy Café on the corner of SE 14^th and Army Post Road.  It was the 2^nd time there.  The first time it was really good so I was hoping the 2^nd time would be too.  Now going in I was stuffed after Jethro’s earlier in the day so maybe that was it too, but I was disappointed. 

After that it was off to go see the Bourne Legacy with Jeremy Renner.  First off, how bad is it when a movie ticket is more than your supper?

The movie was ok.  This really wasn’t a reboot, but more so of an extension of the original trilogy.  It was cool how they intertwined it with the 3^rd Bourne with Damon and story lines began to inter twine.  But from the other 3 it missed something and I think that was Damon.  Renner was good, but this is Damon’s franchise.  The climax seemed rushed and then the ending abrupt.  One thing I am excited about is the hope that a 5^th movie may include both Damon and Renner!   So that was Friday.

Saturday started out getting up early with Ryleigh and the older kids were up and I thought, hey, it’s PERFECT out lets go to Grey’s lake and walk and/or ride bikes and get some exercise.  I go out to my car and find it was broken into.  My glove compartment and center console were all emptied out and I didn’t realize till Sunday that my work badge and coaching badge was gone, along with about a dollar in change.  Really people need to get a life and not mess with other people’s property.  My neighbors also had theirs broken into also.  Anyone up for a neighborhood watch program? 

So we went to Greys and still went around, Addy biked and Bray walked and ran, Ryleigh sat most of it.  It felt pretty good to start out that way.  Later that morning we headed off to Living History Farms.  I have a a membership to their, the zoo and Science Center and we  hadn’t hit that place yet so we went there.  It’s basically what Iowa would be like about 150 years ago.  I enjoy that kinda stuff.  It would be interesting to see what life was like back then.  The kids were excited from the start seeing live chickens in the first houses yard.  The first house was pretty cool.  If it had AC I think I could have lived there.  The other places I thought were cool were the news paper with the printing press and then also the pharmacist with all the chemicals where the guy can make anything from perfumes, medicines and axel grease.  We only got half way through there and the kids got hungry so we hit the Machine Shed for lunch.  After that when we got home it was NAP TIME!  Brayden woke up last at about 530 and after supper we ended the night with the Lorax.  It was an ok movie in my opinion, the kids probably liked it more, BUT it did have a great message at the end. 

Sunday I slept in a little till 9 then realized my badges where gone and started to contact the DM Police department and also my work.  Brayden and I drove out to work to tell them and the drive there was great.  He and I had a fun conversation about Ninjago.  Just his joy with it and how he talks about it reminds me of how I was with Ninja Turtles and Transformers.  It’s probably my favorite time I’ve had with him in a while.

Bray and I ran a few errands and got home for lunch.  Noticing he still had some energy I took the older kids to the Science Center.  We were there for about 2 hours and thought I wore them out pretty good.  The rest of the day was watching Harry Potter movies, cleaning rooms, laundry and supper from the High Life.  It was a pretty good weekend outside of the car being broke into.

Today I start my last week of work at my current position at Wells.  I’ve got a feeling it will go pretty quick and before I know it I’ll be having cold drinks on Friday at Happy Hour.

Friday 6 Pack

1. Usain Bolt is still the fastest man in the world, dominating the 100M at the Olympics in arguably the best 100M field ever.  Michael Phelps added to his medal count and is at 22 total for his career.  Would you rather be the Fastest Man in the world or most decorated Olympian?

Matt – Fastest Man in the world has a nice ring to it, that’s only 1 medal.  I think I’d take the 22.

Painter – I'd rather be the fastest man in the world.  Having a lot of medals is nice but that doesn't always mean you're the best (I know Phelps has mostly golds) but being the fastest means you were the best in what you did.

Majors – Fastest man in the world

2. Gabby Douglas brought home the all around Gold Medal and the Fab 5 won the team gold in London.  In Beijing Shawn Johnson took home the all around Silver and Silver as team, and then a gold and silver in individual events.  Who is on the top pedestal at Chow’s Gymnastics in West Des Moines?

Matt – Gabby will have more to add on with the Rio games I’m sure, but without Shawn I don’t think there is a Gabby at Chow’s.  Shawn in my opinion is on the gold medal stand at Chow’s.

Painter – Right now it's Gabby.  She won gold in the all-around and she's not retired.

Majors – As much as I like Shawn, it has to be Gabby. 2 Golds beats 2 Silvers

3. The final PGA Major of the year happens this weekend, any chance that Tiger takes this one or will his hibernation continue in the major wins?  Who’s your pick to win?

Matt – I wouldn’t be shocked if Tiger wins it, he’s been around for all 3.  I don’t think we’ll see a repeat Major winner this year either, and I’ll be curious to see how Adam Scott responds too after the collapse.  Zach has been playing well all year too.  I’ll go on a limb and take Zach.

Painter – Tiger won't win this one and I'm taking Rickie Fowler.

Majors – Unless Rory broke up with his gf, Wozniack, then he won't be winning it. Sooo, I will pick Adam Scott

4. Penn State has had around a 10 player exodus including RB Silas Redd to USC.  I think the figure is Penn State has currently lost 42% of their point production from last year.  Will this team win a Big Ten game?

Matt – Well right now defense will have to carry this team.  O’Brein is going to struggle.  I pegged them at 7-5 pre-defections but may have to drop them more.  Indiana might be their only hope right now at a conference win

Painter – Yes, they do play Indiana after all.

Majors – Sure they will, it won't be easy, but I think they will be decent. They still had talent that was recruited, and BOB seems to be rallying them well

5. A lot of talk in the past year of the NFL and concussions.  Kurt Warner said on the Dan Patrick Show that he would like his boys to not play football and Troy Palumalu said later on the DP Show all NFL players have had their “bell rung” hundreds of times from High School to the Pros.  With all that has happened with concussions, how would you feel if your son wants to pursue and play football?

Matt – My boy right now is playing flag football.  With what I know now I don’t know if I’ll want him to play football or not.  I’m leaning towards no, but when the time comes to helmet to helmet hitting, I’ll have a talk with him and he’ll make the decision then.

Painter – I'd make sure he knows the risks and then tell him his dad was much better at distance running and that he probably is too. 

Majors – I would let them play. I have had a concussion from wrestling, so have countless others. As long as the coaches and parents are aware of what is going on, the kids should play

6. The Total Recall re-deux opened last week.  This version features Collin Farrell and Kate Beckansale in place of Arnold and Sharon Stone.  Who you taking in their prime, Kate or Sharon?

Matt – Sharon I always thought was dangerous sexy, but Kate is a top 5er for me.  Kate in a runaway.

Painter – On acting ability it's a push.  On looks Kate

Majors – Kate, but boy do I like Jessica Biel!!!