College Football IS Sort Of Like Politics

My neighbor got me into a college football pool before the season started.  It only cost $20 to buy in, and you had to pick the winner of four games, every week of the season, and you had to pick them, before Labor Day.

Every game was assigned a point value from 2 to 5 points.  At the end of the year, the guy with the most points, takes home 50% or 60% of the total buy in of everyone involved.  I'm not even sure what the pay out would be.  But after last week?  I'm in first place, tied with another guy, so I'm doing OK.  With 31 people in this thing, I think I would stand to make several hundred bucks at the end of the season if I win it.

And that's not even the reason I got in.  I got in just so it gave me a reason to care about games other than the Ute game each weekend.

The 4 point game this weekend was USU v. BYU.  I picked BYU.  Keeping in mind that I had to make that pick in August, I would not have made it last week.  But it's a big one for me.  4 of a possible 14 points is a big deal.  You lose the two point game (this week it's Notre Dame v. Purdue.  I took Purdue), you can recover.  Lose the four point game?  You won't win the week.  The five point game is Nebraska v. Wisconsin.  I went with the Badgers.

So tonight, I felt like a guy who punches a time clock at his job, if he still has one, who votes for Republicans.  I was rooting against my own, economic self interest, hoping USU would beat BYU!  I knew it was going to cost me money if they won, but Damn it, even though they are no longer relevant to college football at all, and especially not to anything that happens to the Utes, I just can't root for those bastards to win!

When they threw that game winning deflection, I was relieved and pissed off, all at the same time!  How is that even possible?

I don't gamble much.  I hate to throw my money away.  I'll bet a college football game once in a while if I'm really confident.  But this deal was kind of like buying into the office NCAA Basketball pool every spring.  Even if you don't know anything about the game, you want to get involved, just so you have some reason to pay attention when Alcorn State is playing Arizona.  You know Alcorn isn't going to win, but if you have picked U of A, you pay attention.  It's fun!

I feel bad for Gary Anderson. He's a few bad plays away from being 4-0 instead of 1-3, and ranked in the top 25.  And he's taken USU from abysmal to respectable in three years.  They are a team that people, even those in the SEC have to take seriously.  And he's done it in Logan.  In a Conference that is only slightly better than the Sun Belt and might not be as good as The Mid America Conference since Boise State, Fresno and Nevada have bolted, or WILL bolt, next year.  He's done some really good stuff up there.

So I don't think he's going to be there next year.  No offense to USU, but if they are doomed to stay in the WAC, which might be doomed to not exist in a year or two, he would be better off to take another job offer.  Don't be surprised to see him the next coach at New Mexico.  Or UNLV.  Or even, UCLA if they can't win a BUNCH more games this fall.  And don't count on THAT.

Hell, if Boise State's coach gets a BCS school offer and leaves, Anderson could end up there!  He's a natural for that job.  It's just up the street.  Figuratively.

So to paraphrase, The Stones, tonight, I got what I needed, not what I wanted.  But that's alright.  Still what?  8 weeks of college football left?  I love every Saturday of it.