Football Twilight and Racy Photos!

Good Day Grover Pickers,
It’s twilight for football season. The darkness of February-August isn’t quite over us, but it’s settling in. First, we shall enjoy a brilliant sunset including two college championship games and a four more delightful NFL playoff matchups.

Even though there is this one more week to pick, it does not take a super genius to realize that SHERISH95 is going to be The Everlasting Super Genius of the Season. She has a 7 pick lead on the field with just 6 games left to pick. Prepare your congratulations accordingly.

For the rest of us, we have 6 picks left to win bragging rights over as many of our friends as we are able.

ABOUT THAT LAST BLOG POST

Before Christmas The Commissioner posted a new way to organize college football. It is a revolutionary and correct way to proceed. Since that post, The Commissioner, has received a TON of feedback, and by ’Ton’, I mean The Commissioner’s father-in-law, AKWEAV, told him over Christmas dinner, “Seems like it must take you about 70 hours to write all that crap.”

I can confirm that it takes at least 70 hours to write the crap, and another 70 to make it readable-ish.

DID YOU KNOW?

Sports Illustrated becomes a monthly magazine this year, with a few special issues to boot including one loosely related to swimming. (SEE COMMEMORATIVE ALL-TIME GREATEST SWIMSUIT PHOTO AT BOTTOM OF THIS BLOG).

Many of you, if not all of you, likely had an SI subscription at one time. Maybe you loved the photographs, the long articles, the quirky last page, or the excellent gifts-with-purchase such as a PHONE SHAPED LIKE A SHOE OR A FOOTBALL! (I don’t even want to try to explain that to a millennial.)

In 2020, Sports Illustrated is no longer the magazine of legend. The only difference between SI and fellow 80’s publications SPORT and The National is that the last two are all dead and SI is merely mostly dead, or, slightly alive. Some say there is a big difference between the two states of existence.

To commemorate SI’s oncoming demise, I, Your Commissioner, present the last great SI Football Preview Predictions for 2019.
Sports Illustrated 2019 Pre-Season Top 25

Alabama
Clemson
Georgia
Oklahoma
Texas
Ohio State
Notre Dame
LSU
Oregon
Florida
Michigan
Washington
A&M
Utah
UCF
Penn State
Auburn
Iowa
Wisconsin
Mississippi State
Michigan State
Virginia Tech
Iowa State
Nebraska
Stanford

That’s not too bad! Picking Bama #1 was bold and really angered defending champion Clemson. Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio State and Notre Dame are great top 10 picks if you want to sell magazines to the fan bases. As a bonus, all of those teams were actually good, except for Texas, which is ‘Back, baby!’, the same way Miami and Michigan are perpetually ‘Back!’, but not really.

The list falls apart after #20, where Mississippi State, Michigan State, Nebraska and Stanford combined to finish 22-28.

You know who SI should have used to predict the season? EDHALEY and SUNDVL! These Grover Pickers tied by correctly choosing college games 75.1% of the time! Astounding and highly commendable.
Here’s the full Grover Picks College Standings

(The number second from the right is net wins)

1	EDHALEY	251-83-0	168	75.1%
1	SUNDVL	251-83-0	168	75.1%
3	SHERISH95	248-85-0	163	74.5%
4	MXKING	247-87-0	160	74.0%
5	87PROGRAM 1HEART	245-89-0	156	73.4%
5	PROGNOSTIG8R	245-89-0	156	73.4%
7	BRIANS1840	244-90-0	154	73.1%
7	COMMIT TO THE G	244-90-0	154	73.1%
9	AKWEAV	243-91-0	152	72.8%
9	BWAHL729	243-91-0	152	72.8%
11	DESERTHUSKER2	242-92-0	150	72.5%
11	HUSKER ZAG	242-92-0	150	72.5%
13	NY FAN	241-93-0	148	72.2%
14	THE COMMISSIONER	240-94-0	146	71.9%
14	THE_NAIL	240-94-0	146	71.9%
16	NOOGAEAGLE	222-77-0	145	74.2%
17	RYAN P R	239-95-0	144	71.6%
17	R_MONROE12	239-95-0	144	71.6%
17	SOFT FOCUS	239-95-0	144	71.6%
20	AZARTHEGREAT	238-96-0	142	71.3%
20	MORE COWBELL	238-96-0	142	71.3%
20	TX TOAST	238-96-0	142	71.3%
23	JOSHPSTEPHENSON	235-99-0	136	70.4%
23	ROLLTUATIDE	235-99-0	136	70.4%
25	CHATTABABY	208-73-0	135	74.0%
26	SCOTTHIRSHMAN	232-101-0	131	69.7%
27	VOLUNATOR	203-74-0	129	73.3%
28	JLO	229-105-0	124	68.6%
28	OBIEWAN75	229-105-0	124	68.6%
30	R-FORCE	227-107-0	120	68.0%
31	CASHNIN	211-98-0	113	68.3%
32	CATDADDY TARHEEL	215-119-0	96	64.4%
33	GATORLOOKIN’2CASHIN’	214-120-0	94	64.1%
34	Teskridge	198-122-0	76	61.9%
35	JMPGATOR	113-48-0	65	70.2%
36	LUKE_DAVIS	170-107-0	63	61.4%
37	E3RICK	70-31-0	39	69.3%
38	DREWDEFRATIES	98-63-0	35	60.9%
39	AKEIGER	121-87-0	34	58.2%
40	JERE512	66-40-0	26	62.3%
41	ALL ABOUT THE U	130-105-0	25	55.3%
42	ATUCKER	69-48-0	21	59.0%
43	HURRICANEJACK	61-55-0	6	52.6%
44	TERYNLEIGHANNE	43-57-0	-14	43.0%

Sports Illustrated 2019 Pre-Season NFL Predictions
AFC Wild Card

Chargers over Browns

Colts over Steelers

AFC Division

Colts over Chiefs

Patriots over Chargers

AFC Championship

Patriots over Colts

NFC Wild Card

Vikings over Packers

Eagles over Niners

NFC Division

Rams over Eagles

Saints over Vikings

NFC Championship

Saints over Rams

Super Bowl LIV

Patriots over Saints

That is atrocious predicting. You can’t pick the Saints to win anything in the playoffs as long as the pass interference rules are not enforced in the NFL.

And the Browns? Looks like SI got caught in their own puffery loop of hyping a bunch of underachieving loudmouth goof nuts.

And consider the Rams and Patriots for a minute. The idea that a team that was close last year will be good again this year in the NFL is the same flawed thinking that had us believing that SI would always be SI. It’s old thinking for a bygone era.

You know who SI should have hired to pick the NFL season? SHERISH95 and maybe her husband SCOTTHIRSHMAN. These two finished #1 and #2 in the Contest for NFL Picks. SHERISH95 got 66.5% of her picks correct, and her husband was at 65.4%. Oddly, they were both the top pickers for NFC games in particular. The best picker of AFC games was your One and Only Beloved and Revered Commissioner his own self.
Here’s the full NFL Grover Picks Standings.
(The number second from the right is net wins)

1	SHERISH95	173-86-1	87.5	66.5%
2	SCOTTHIRSHMAN	170-89-1	81.5	65.4%
3	HUSKER ZAG	168-91-1	77.5	64.6%
4	THE_NAIL	166-89-1	77.5	64.8%
5	DESERTHUSKER2	167-92-1	75.5	64.2%
6	MXKING	167-92-1	75.5	64.2%
7	COMMIT TO THE G	165-94-1	71.5	63.5%
8	OBIEWAN75	165-94-1	71.5	63.5%
9	TX TOAST	165-94-1	71.5	63.5%
10	EDHALEY	162-93-1	69.5	63.3%
11	GATORLOOKIN’2CASHIN’	162-93-1	69.5	63.3%
12	NY FAN	164-95-1	69.5	63.1%
13	JOSHPSTEPHENSON	163-96-1	67.5	62.7%
14	THE COMMISSIONER	163-96-1	67.5	62.7%
15	87PROGRAM 1HEART	162-97-1	65.5	62.3%
16	CATDADDY TARHEEL	162-97-1	65.5	62.3%
17	JLO	160-95-1	65.5	62.5%
18	PROGNOSTIG8R	160-95-1	65.5	62.5%
19	BRIANS1840	160-99-1	61.5	61.5%
20	BWAHL729	159-98-1	61.5	61.6%
21	SOFT FOCUS	158-97-1	61.5	61.7%
22	RYAN P R	157-98-1	59.5	61.3%
23	SUNDVL	159-100-1	59.5	61.2%
24	AKWEAV	158-101-1	57.5	60.8%
25	ROLLTUATIDE	155-100-1	55.5	60.5%
26	NOOGAEAGLE	138-84-1	54.5	61.9%
27	MORE COWBELL	156-103-1	53.5	60.0%
28	R_MONROE12	155-103-1	52.5	59.8%
29	AZARTHEGREAT	153-102-1	51.5	59.8%
30	VOLUNATOR	121-70-1	51.5	63.0%
31	CASHNIN	148-107-1	41.5	57.8%
32	LUKE_DAVIS	114-77-1	37.5	59.4%
33	JMPGATOR	75-45-1	30.5	62.0%
34	R-FORCE	144-115-1	29.5	55.4%
35	JERE512	58-29-0	29	66.7%
36	ALL ABOUT THE U	100-77-1	23.5	56.2%
37	Teskridge	139-116-1	23.5	54.3%
38	CHATTABABY	122-102-1	20.5	54.2%
39	E3RICK	48-29-1	19.5	61.5%
40	TERYNLEIGHANNE	48-29-1	19.5	61.5%
41	ATUCKER	51-40-1	11.5	55.4%
42	AKEIGER	84-78-0	6	51.9%
43	HURRICANEJACK	48-43-1	5.5	52.2%
44	DREWDEFRATIES	62-58-1	4.5	51.2%

As for this week….
FCS Championship James Madison v North Dakota State

For perspective, North Dakota State are the New England Patriots of FCS, but without the implied cheating, surly press conferences, or euro-roided QB. James Madison plays the role of Skywalker, pick whichever Skywalker you prefer, fighting to end an empire.
This game is Saturday at noon on ABC and is worth your time.

FBS Championship Clemson v LSU
The defending champs versus Corn Dog Nation! Clemson wants you to believe they are the underdog, that they get no respect, that everyone is forgetting about them and insulting them and nobody wants them here.

Yep, Dabo, you dadgum got that right!.

Here is a great corn dog recipe:

And, in case you’ve never heard about this, here is a link to explain why corn dogs are important to LSU.

AFC Division Titans v Ravens and Texans v Chiefs
Titans-Ravens feature 5, FIVE!, Heisman Trophy winners- Lamar Jackson, Mariota, Mark Ingram, RG3, Derrick Henry. The only thing this game is missing is Tim Tebow!

The Chiefs will score a 40-yard+ TD in each quarter of their game and Bill O’Brien will counter by calling run plays on first and second down until Deshaun Watson finally drills O’Brien in the crotch with an ‘errant’ pass.

NFC Division Seahawks v Packers and Vikings v Niners
Sure, Titans-Ravens have 5 Heisman winners, but has there ever been a division round with four better looking Pretty Boy QB’s than this one?