trey's picks

College football games of the week: Who to bet for and against on Saturday

Florida Gators
Georgia Bulldogs

Compelling stuff this week. A really scary moment for Braxton Miller and, barring a miracle, the end of Gene Chizik at Auburn were the highlights. But what else happened?

Collin Klein is the leading the Heisman Race and has an awesome nickname.
Dave Christiansen lost his mind. The R-rated video has been removed from most outlets.
What in the world do you call this? The UNC kid says it was an accident. Which means he’s sorry he got in trouble. You be the judge.
That is still better than getting a real bomb thrown at you from the stands. Stay classy, Cypress.

This Week

There is an awesome slate of games this week. Let’s jump and see what’s good.

All games on Saturday, October 27

No. 2 Florida Gators vs. No. 10 Georgia Bulldogs: 2:30 p.m. on CBS

I apologize to you, Florida Gators, for not believing in you. I was wrong. At every turn you prove you are worthy of all the praise and the rankings. With that in mind I am picking the Gators to win big in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, which is set up like Texas/ou in Dallas, only this is Florida/Georgia in Jacksonville, stadium split down the middle. Florida wins big, and I promise I mean everything I say (I have my fingers crossed, but don’t tell Florida). Gators 31, UGA 20.

No. 11 Mississippi State Bulldogs at No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide: 7:30 p.m. on ESPN

Who knew Cow Bell U. was 7-0? You are smarter than I am if you did. The Bulldogs head Saban’s Lair tied atop the SEC but surely will not leave undefeated.

The Tide have had few struggles other than some pictures of their quarterback’s mom on the internets (I will not link, you can find if them if you must) and last time I checked MSU is not a snarky blogger breaking down a player’s mom like Mr. Blackwell on the red carpet. Obviously the chance for an upset is there, but Roll Tide snuffs it out quickly and wins convincingly. Alabama 44, Will Clarks 14.

No. 14 Texas Tech Red Raiders at No. 3 Kansas State Wildcats: 2:30 p.m. on Fox

Tommy Tuberville has turned the ship around on the South Plains. I thought he was on his way to unemployment and now Projectile Tortilla is bowl eligible and controls their own path towards a Big 12 Title… But so does K-State, who throttled West Virginia like Kimbo Slice back in the day.

Optimus Klein is going to run over, through and around the Tech defense and Kansas State, a little hungover from that win last weekend, will slug past Tech and take a commanding lead in the Big 12. K-State 31, Texas Tech 20.

No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at No. 8 oklahoma sooners: 7 p.m. on ABC

It’s a marquee showdown between two big programs, two top 10 teams and two coaches I cannot stand. I hate oklahoma. Hate them. I am not a fan of Notre Dame, but I don’t really like them; however, I do not like Brian Kelly at all and think he should have been fired for this, so I’m in a quandary. Who do I root for? It doesn’t matter because I think the land thieves are going to mop the floor with their face. sooners 39, Notre Dame 17.

Worst Game of the Week

No. 20 Texas A&M Aggies at Auburn Tigers: 6 p.m. on ESPNU

Auburn needs to beat No.20 A&M, No.10 Georgia and arch rival No.1 Alabama to keep from going winless in the SEC this season. Right now War Eagle is 1-6 with their lone win coming over Louisiana Monroe in overtime and need to win out (the last five) just to make a bowl game. Auburn boosters and administrators have a long and well-documented history of corruption and absurdity, and after the Plainsmen go 0-8 in SEC play, they will be done with Chizik. The next loss comes Saturday as A&M trounces the Tigers. Ags 35, Auburn 21.

Last Week

No. 7 South Carolina Gamecocks at No. 2 Florida Gators: 2:30 p.m. on CBS

Why it was included: Top 10 matchup, Steve Spurrier returns to the Swamp
Prediction: Cock 24, Gators 20. No way Florida is that good, right? No way. Right? They don’t go undefeated, right? right?
Reality: Gators 44, Cocks 11. Yes they are good. No really, they are. Seriously. They could go undefeated. No, really. NO. REALLY.

It was 44-11, and I don’t think it was even that close. Florida forced a fumble on the first play of the game and three plays later led, 7-0. Florida had kicked off, forced a turnover and scored and 59 seconds had elapsed in the game. Florida punched in a score late in the half and then Carolina fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which Florida turned into another touchdown and a Gamecock field goal at the buzzer cut the lead to 21-6 at the break. It was all Gators in the second half as they scored twice and kicked a field goal in the third quarter and took a 37-8 (USC blocked an extra point and returned it for two — how Texas of you) to the fourth and cruised to victory, ending a two-game losing streak to Spurrier and South Carolina.

No. 6 LSU Tigers at No. 18 Texas A&M Aggies: 11 a.m. on ESPN

Why is was included: Aggies and Johnny Football have turned the corner, top 20 matchup, Whoop!
Prediction: LSU 30, A&M 21. Les Miles is a great wagon circler, too many LSU athletes, don’t like Aggies
Reality: LSU 24, A&M 19. Les Miles is a great wagon circler, too many LSU athletes, don’t like Aggies

I was a touchdown off on this one. A&M looked terrific in the first half and LSU could do nothing offensively, but they couldn’t close the deal and let LSU hang around. Leading 12-0, A&M was looking to add to it late in the first half when Johnny Manziel was picked off and the Tigers converted with a 20-yard Michael Ford touchdown run with 1:49 to go. Ben Malena fumbled on the ensuing drive at A&M’s 41 and qb Zach Mettenberger shrugged off a terrible first half with a beautiful 29-yard td pass to Kadron Boone with 11 seconds left in the half, giving LSU a 14-12 lead they would never give up. The Aggies struggled with LSU’s athleticism and lost, but have nothing to be sad about. It wasn’t 48, 63 and 50 points, amIright Ags? Whoop!

No. 4 Kansas State Wildcats at No. 13 West Virginia Mountaineers: 6 p.m. on FOX

Why it was included: Best Big 12 game of the day, top 15 matchup, top spot at stake
Prediction: WVA 38, K-State 34. K-State will limit Geno Smith but not stop him, rabid home crowd helps WVA
Reality: K-State 55, WVA 14. K-State limited Geno Smith AND stopped him, rabid home crowd was gone by half

There was a Heisman candidate on display, but it was Collin Klein. He accounted for seven touchdowns and threw for a career high 323 yards and Kansas State raced out to a 31-7 halftime lead, sending the Mountaineer fans home and saving the lives of countless couches (they burn less of them in defeat). The Wildcats forced Geno Smith into his first 2 interceptions of the year and held him to 143 yards passing. Smith’s Heisman campaign is likely over, but Klein’s is just getting started.

Worst Game of the Week

Idaho Vandals at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs: 6 p.m.

Why it was included: La Tech is good. Idaho is not. A recipe for horrific-ness.
Prediction: Idaho gives up 38 a game, Tech scores 53 a game. Math is fun.
Reality: La Tech 70, Idaho 28. See? Fun!

The Bulldogs amassed 839 yards of offense, which is the most by any D 1-A team this year. How bad was this loss and how bad off is Idaho? They fired head coach Robb Akey after the loss on Sunday and promoted Jason Gesser to the interim position. Gesser is the OC and his most recent job before Idaho was coaching a high school team two years ago.

That’s it for this week. See you next week. For more nonsense follow me on Twitter @TreyMcLean

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in this corner

Premier Japanese women's wrestling league performs in Houston this weekend

Two Japanese women wrestlers compete in a ring. One is stomping in the other with both feet.

Photo courtesy of Tokyo Joshi

Hard-hitting women's wrestling for two nights in Houston

For the first time ever, one of Japan's premier women's wrestling promotions, Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, will be touring Texas, with a two-night stay in Houston this week.

"Bringing TJPW to Texas reflects Tokyo Story’s broader strategy," a Tokyo Story representative writes in an email. "As a Japan-inspired toy and event company, we see major Southwest cities — especially in Texas — as prime for the growth of Asian pop culture. Houston, Dallas, and others are becoming more diverse, culturally curious, and open to new entertainment formats. This isn’t a one-off stop — it’s part of a long-term push to bring Japan’s creativity to cities with eager audiences. And we are making TJPW Live an annual event!"

The events happen on Thursday, July 10 and Friday, July 11 at POST Houston (401 Franklin). Tickets are available at TokyoStoryUSA.com.

TJPW split off from DDT Wrestling in 2012 as a sister promotion (or "league") that ran alongside its male counterpart before becoming its own entity in 2015. In that time, they've launched the career of international superstars like Yuka Sakazaki and Mina Shirakawa (both currently signed to All Elite Wrestling in America), as well as hosting non-Japanese guest grapplers like Thunder Rosa.

The fighting is excellent and often brutal, but TJPW is also known for its playfulness. Matches embrace anime-like absurdity, such as having a wrestler work in a giant panda mascot costume. The promoters are hoping to one day partner with Texas truck stop icon Buc-ee's for a more mascot shenanigans. Many of the women also perform in J-pop girl groups on of their wrestling duties.

On Night 1, strike specialist Miyu Yamashita will take on Maki Itoh, known for her flamboyant style and high risk maneuvers. Night 2 will feature much of the local guest talent, such as Houston's own Kaylia Capri (Reality of Wrestling) vs Yuki Arai in a singles bout, and Austin's Vert Vixen teaming with reigning TJPW tag champ Hyper Misao. Other Texans slated to appear ar Maya World, Alejandra Quintanilla, and Billie Starkz.

The last decade has seen a marked rise in the quality and prestige of women's wrestling in America, with WWE hosting all-women Royal Rumbles and stars like Rhea Ripley and "Timeless" Toni Storm becoming household names. Most major promotions now feature robust line-ups of Japanese women wrestlers, with some like Asuka and Iyo Sky becoming world champions.

For Japan, women's wrestling has a more consistent history of legitimacy going back decades, and the talent pool there is vast. TJPW branching out into Texas tours gives them a chance to showcase their wrestlers in the land that spawned legends like The Undertaker, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and the Von Erich Family.

"The response has been overwhelmingly positive," said the TJPW spokesperson. "Many who had never experienced joshi (women’s) wrestling before are discovering how entertaining, emotional, and uniquely captivating it is. Since announcing the Texas shows, we’ve received a flood of enthusiastic messages — not just from wrestling fans, but from people drawn to the theatricality, comedy, and creativity of TJPW. We've also heard from fans in other states asking us to bring the tour to their cities."