Standing in my kitchen with a coffee and a J…

Also, snow everywhere here in the mountains!!

Thanksgiving lasagna has come and gone and let me tell you that it was the most satisfying holiday meal I can remember.  Alongside the lasagna was braciole which is rolled up sirloin or flank steak basted in tomato sauce, I mean gravy.  I was corrected by the chef to refer to it as gravy.  Parmesan encrusted asparagus, lightly breaded cauliflower, rounded out the spread and were phenomenal I might add.  To cap off the meal were traditional pumpkin pie and Dutch Apple Pie.  I’ll let you guess which one of those was delicious. 

Anyways, how about that week of FOOTBALL!  I mean 2-2 on the picks that I gave out isn’t what we want, but entertainment value was there.  I do wish there was a bit more drama to be had this weekend, but it appears that Georgia, TCU, and Michigan should be in regardless of this weekends results.  Which means the 4^th spot will go to USC if they win or Ohio St or Alabama could sneak in.  I feel like it’s only fair for the 5^th and 6^th ranked teams play each other and the winner has then earned the right to be considered in the playoff.  Ohio St and Alabama benefit by not playing this weekend if they end up making the playoff somehow.  USC is at a disadvantage because they must play an extra game in which if they lose, they drop.  It just doesn’t seem like a fair system.  I am also holding a USC natty ticket at 18/1 so maybe I am being biased, but I think there is merit to my point.  USC/ Utah is Friday night at 8 pm est so be sure you don’t miss it because the game may mean the most this weekend.  Not too mention these two teams played an epic 43-42 game back in October in which cool kid Kyle Whittingham went for 2 instead of kicking the PAT and going to OT.  One of the best moments of the college football season by far.  Hoping for a few more epic moments before this season is laid to rest in a few weeks.

One last thing before the picks, let’s continue to be kind to our neighbors and carry with us a spirit of gratitude, but let’s add finding a reason to be joyful this week.  It is always easier to find a reason to be melancholy or unhappy, but l encourage everyone to find a reason to be joyful.  Joy is contagious and can spread just as quickly as negative emotions.  Smile and say hi to a stranger.  Connect with other humans and share the joy within you, so that it may also be passed on to the next person.  I get it, there is a lot of bull shit in the world, but control what you can control.  Be the thermostat that controls the temp of a room, not the thermometer that simply shows the temperature.  So, be kind, be thankful, and show your joy to others around you this week.  Let’s help make a difference one person at a time.

“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it everyday.”- Henri Nouwen

Time for the picks.  I have traveled into the future using my hot tub time machine to gather the outcomes of this weekend’s games.  I should probably charge you for these picks because keeping Chevy Chase on retainer to “fix” my hot tub is getting expensive.  In the spirit of kindness you get them here for free, and they are worth exactly what you paid.

   

•  KANSAS ST +2 ½  
•  UTAH +3 ½ (-140)
•  UCF +4 ½ (-130)
•  LSU +17 ½
•  PURDUE + 17 ½ (-130)
•  CLEMSON – 7 ½

Remember: Wager for fun, Not to retire.

SingleHighSports.com