The Wiz of Odds

Gay Tailgating in the Blue Ridge Mountains

After a three-year absence, the Outsports Tailgate Tour is back, with Todd Heustess making his first stop of the 2009 season at Boone, N.C., home of the Appalachian State Mountaineers.

Heustess writes: "Boone, affectionately known as the 'Boulder of the East,' is not just a liberal-leaning, outdoor sports-orientated college town in a somewhat conservative part of the state, it has one of the highest per capital lesbian populations in the country (Subarus are everywhere — in fact it's where I bought mine) and a very active LGBT student and faculty population.

"There is an intriguing growing connection between the LGBT students and faculty on the campus of 16,000 and the gay and lesbian professionals who have either bought second homes in the area or have moved or retired to this bucolic, lush college town smack in the middle of the Blue Ridge Mountains."

Game(s) of the Weak

Mike Hlas is an award-winning columnist with the Cedar Rapids Gazette and force behind The Hlog. Each week, he will break down the worst matchups in college football. Considering the increasing number of uncompetitive and uninteresting games, Mike's task is harder than getting Levi Johnston, Jon and Kate Gosselin, and anyone named Kardashian to just go away.

Here's how it is done in most major football conferences:

You play your nonconference games against designated victims in September, then you play your conference games after that. It's only logical. You wouldn't open a rock festival with U2, then bring out a bar band three-fourths of the way through the event.

The Southeastern Conference does things a little differently. Sure, the league has the marquee game of the week in Louisiana State at Alabama. But look at what else the conference is trotting out on the 10th Saturday of the season:

Tennessee Tech at Georgia
Furman at Auburn
Eastern Kentucky at Kentucky
Northern Arizona at Mississippi

That's right. Four — count 'em, four — games between SEC teams and Division I-AA teams. In November. That's just wrong. So each gets one quarter of this week’s Game of the Weak.

Crystal Ball

A look at how prognosticators from around the country view this week's games.

Tim Sullivan, New York Post: Louisiana State, after losing to No. 1 Florida, has rattled off consecutive covers vs. ho-hum teams and has the nation — or at least some of it — believing once again. But don't buy into it because Alabama is coming off a bye week and is playing at home. Take the Crimson Tide and give the points.

Double D, Boston Herald: Why is Case Keenum an afterthought in the Heisman Trophy talk? He has thrown for 3,293 yards and 25 touchdowns with only five interceptions. Keenum will show his stuff again on Saturday against Tulsa, and the Cougars, who are slight underdogs on the road, should walk away with the victory.

Jon Wilner, College Sports Hotline: Oregon State's three losses have come to teams with a combined record of 19-4: USC (by six), Arizona (by five) and Cincinnati (by 10). The Beavers are getting points at California and appear to be the better team.

Chuck Carlton, Dallas Morning News: Struggling Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor dismissed Penn State as "too country" during recruiting. The fans in Happy Valley haven't forgotten or forgiven. Penn State 27, Ohio State 12.

Phil Steele: His top-24 forecast calls for Oklahoma to edge Nebraska, 16-13, and Iowa to slip past Northwestern, 27-20.

Reporters Notebooks

Helen Anders and Ameera Butt, Austin American-Statesman: Texas fans are already booking flights and hotels and lining up to purchase tickets to the Bowl Championship Series title game on Jan. 7 in Pasadena. Southwest Airlines flights from Austin to Burbank have been filling up and some Pasadena hotels, including the Westin Pasadena, already are booked. "I have 100% confidence that we are going to be there and beat the alligator skin off of any team that has the audacity to show up," fan J.B. Goodwin said.

David Jones, Florida Today: XOS Technologies Inc., which has a new contract with the Southeastern Conference and starting this year is policing the use of the league's video, is clamping down on fans who have been posting videos of games on YouTube. Plus, Florida's Urban Meyer said he hasn't been contacted by anyone from the SEC office over his remarks that were critical of officiating.

Hank Kurz Jr., Associated Press: Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage cast an ominous cloud over coach Al Groh's future. A crowd of only 41,713 watched the Cavaliers lose to Duke, 28-17, last Saturday.

Dan Steinberg, D.C. Sports Bog: Maryland athletic director Debbie Yow got testy when asked about the future of coach Ralph Friedgen on a local radio show. Question: "Could you guarantee ... coach Friedgen's job after this season?" Yow: [Three-second pause] "What I can pretty much guarantee is I probably won't be back on this show."

Jon Wilner, College Sports Hotline: Most telling Dennis Erickson stat: Since the final month of the '07 season, Arizona State is 11-13 and, it should be noted, has lost substantial ground relative to Arizona. Chances of the Sun Devils (4-4) getting things turned around this year: Nil.

Ron Morris, Columbia State: George Rogers, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1980, paid a price for his bruising running style. "Some days I hate to wake up, because I know I can't stand on my feet. I have trouble walking some days."

Leach Being Leach

Texas Tech's Mike Leach filmed this scene for DirecTV's "Friday Night Lights" on Sept. 18 in Austin, the night before his team played Texas in a nationally televised game.

While Leach is always worth a laugh or two, it's truly amazing what he gets away with. Few universities would allow their coach to run off and try to start a career in Hollywood on the eve of a big game. Too bad the same rules don't apply to his players. They can't even use Twitter.

Thanks to Dr Saturday.

Billboard Bandits at It Again

It's Kansas-Kansas State week, and Wildcat fans have again targeted the Topeka Jayhawk Club's billboard on Interstate 70 between Topeka and Manhattan. The message this year is the same as last — EMAW, which stands for Every Man a Wildcat. Thanks to John!

After the jump are images of the billboard after it was defaced in 2008 and 2007.

Reporters Notebooks

Jon Solomon, Birmingham News: Will Florida's Urban Meyer get fined or suspended for his comments about officiating in the Georgia-Florida game? It's the first test of Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive's policy to crack down on coaches for public criticism of officials, replacing the previous policy of a reprimand.

Dave Hooker, Knoxville News-Sentinel: Tennessee's Lane Kiffin seemed skeptical that Meyer would be punished. "Urban Meyer?" Kiffin deadpanned after practice Wednesday. "Criticized the officials, wow, that will be interesting. We'll see."

Kevin Scarbinsky, Birmingham News: Slive has to sit Meyer or gut his own policy.

Michael Lev, Orange County Register: Is Pete Carroll's USC dynasty on its deathbed? Some believe that the Trojans' embarrassing loss at Oregon signaled the end of an era.

Mike Kern, Philadelphia Daily News: Penn State could finish 11-1 and be left out of a Bowl Championship Series game. The Nittany Lions' biggest problem could be a 10-2 USC.

Chris Dufresne, Los Angeles Times: The more unbeaten teams, the merrier for the BCS.

David Jones, Patriot-News: How class distinctions drive the BCS and ESPN.

Patrick Rupinski, Tuscaloosa News: Tickets for the Louisiana State-Alabama game are commanding an average price of $410, but several tickets have sold for more than $1,000 each.