Nick’s Picks: Friday The 13th Edition
Yes, it jumped up on me too. The first freaky Friday of 2013. A day when everyone becomes a little superstitious and bad luck seems to be at the forefront of everyone’s mind. It is also a great day to avoid any abandoned campgrounds, but I digress.
I can only imagine that bad luck will strike my picks this week. I have a nice thing going here with 8-2 marks in back-to-back weeks. I’ve decided to get real crazy with the picks this week by doing more than just 10, I am bumping it up to…13! (Cue the lightning and thunder sound effects)
Yes, 13 guaranteed picks from yours truly on this most cursed of weekends. Just as a bonus, I will even tell you my favorite film of the Friday the 13th franchise. None of them. Are you kidding me? Movies about a vengeful, undead slasher with a hockey mask that wreaks havoc on a campground? I was a Boy Scout, I was on campgrounds alot, these movies did not sit well with me. Anyways, mention your favorite horror flick in the comments below, we all need something to watch after football tomorrow night.
Last Week: 8-2
Overall: 19-7
High School Football Week 4 9/13
Southwood (1-2) at Tippecanoe Valley (1-2), 7 p.m.
The Scoop: Valley has finally moved into the win column! The Vikings did an outstanding job in beating Manchester last week. The offense was efficient and high-scoring as most have expected it to be all season. I look for Ben Shriver and the offense to do some more damage and help get the Vikings on the fast track to another Three Rivers Conference title.
The Pick: Valley 42, Southwood 13.
Manchester (0-3) at Whitko (1-2), 7 p.m.
The Scoop: Speaking of efficient offenses, Manchester put up 43 points against Valley last week and lost. That has to leave a bad feeling in the Squires locker room. Whitko picked up its first win last week and has got to be feeling good going into this Friday’s game. If the Wildcat defense can make a few stops in this one it will be Whitko’s game to lose. But that might be a big ‘if.’
The Pick: Manchester 34, Whitko 21.
Triton (1-2) at Bremen (1-2), 7 p.m.
The Scoop: I had the privileged of interviewing Trtion’s three senior captains, Cole Creighbaum, Josey Farmwald and Jayden Mosier this off season. When I asked the trio what game was a must win for this team all three responded in unison, “Bremen.” Yes, this game is circled in red on the calendars of many Trojan players. With both schools in such close proximity and players flip-flopping between teams over the years, it is safe to say that there is some bad blood between the two teams. If Triton wants to get some respect this year, winning this weekend would certainly turn some heads.
The Pick: Triton 27, Bremen 21.
Concord (3-0) at Wawasee (1-2), 7:30 p.m.
The Scoop: Concord rolls into Syracuse for a rematch of last year’s sectional title match. The Minutemen are currently ranked No.2 in class 5A and do not intend on being derailed by Wawasee. The Warriors, however, are not inclined to just roll over for the NLC’s powerhouse squad. The last time these two teams met in Syracuse, Wawasee nearly pulled off a huge upset. While it will certainly take some nice breaks for Wawasee to stay in this game, this is Friday the 13th and anything could happen.
The Pick: Concord 38, Wawasee 24.
Warsaw (2-1) at Elkhart Memorial (1-2), 7:30 p.m.
The Scoop: Well, Tigers, we proved a lot of doubters wrong last week. I say “we” because I knew the orange and black would get it done last week. This week will be no different as Elkhart Memorial’s lone win is against a hapless Goshen squad last week. Tristan McClone, this game could be a career night for you.
The Pick: Warsaw 48, Memorial 17.
College Football Week 3 9/14
Bowling Green (2-0) at Indiana (1-1), 12 p.m.
The Scoop: Well the Hoosiers really dropped the ball last week. Navy is a one-trick pony but it is darn good at that trick and IU did not look prepared for it at all. The high-octane Hoosier offense should bounce back this week but post-season hopes are fading quickly after last week’s loss.
The Pick: Indiana 53, Bowling Green 31.
Ball State (2-0) at North Texas (1-1), 4 p.m.
The Scoop: The Cardinals are the real deal. No, they have not played any notable teams yet but they have dominated the teams they should be dominating (take some notes IU and Purdue) and that should not change this week. Keith Wenning will go for 300 or more yards and attribute at least two scores. Chirp-chirp.
The Pick: Ball State 49, North Texas 25.
No. 21 Notre Dame (1-1) at Purdue (1-1), 8:00 p.m.
The Scoop: Too bad this is not a battle of the bands. At the beginning of the season, I had planned on picking Purdue to win this game. Then I watched Purdue’s first two games. Look, I am sorry Boiler fans but this team needs help. While Notre Dame certainly looked like it needed help on executing a game plan last week, the Irish are just a better team all around this week. If Purdue can force Tommy Rees into some pressure then there is a chance for the Boilermakers.
The Pick: Notre Dame 35, Purdue 14.
Mens College Soccer 9/14
Ohio Christian (2-2) at Grace College (3-2), 2 p.m.
The Scoop: I have not been able to talk about the mens team at Grace College yet so I thought I would shed some light on the team this week. The Lancers are 3-2 and have won their games by an average of six goals per game. Now, that stat is certainly skewed by Monday’s 12-1 throttling of Andrews on Monday night. Grace is 2-0 at home this year so the Lancers expect a big crowd at Miller Field on Saturday to keep the trend going.
The Pick: Grace 5, Ohio Christian 1.
NFL Week 2 9/12-9/15
New York Jets (1-0) at New England (1-0), Thursday Night Football 8:25 p.m.
The Scoop: With all that off season drama and constant media coverage, certainly the Jets would get blown out on the road in week one. Well, apparently not. The Jets and Patriots surprisingly meet in a battle for early control of the AFC East. While the Colts fan inside of me wants to pick the J-E-T-S Jets to win, the realist knows that Tom Brady is going to light up the scoreboard in his home opener.
The Pick: New England 45, New York 17.
Minnesota (0-1) at Chicago (1-0), 9/15 1 p.m.
The Scoop: ‘Da’ Bears pulled it out last week. It could not have been much closer but, a win is a win. Chicago has a tough task this week with Adrian Peterson coming in to run the ball for the Vikings. While Peterson should have a decent outing, it is the Bears that will be running away with the victory.
The Pick: Chicago 34, Minnesota 14.
Miami (1-0) at Indianapolis (1-0), 9/15 1 p.m.
The Scoop: “A win is a win” comes back into play for the Colts here. Indianapolis look awful last week but ultimately picked up the win and that is all that matters. The Colts will win this week. The reason? This little gem from a die-hard Colts fan in Waterloo, Indiana. If a giant corn maze portrait of your teams franchise cannot bring you a win, then I do not know what will.
The Pick: Indianapolis 28, Miami 20.
Denver (1-0) at New York Giants (0-1), 9/15 4:25 p.m.
The Scoop: Manning Bowl III. The two brothers, Eli and Peyton, battle for the third time in their professional careers with Peyton holding a 2-0 advantage over his little sibling. Last week the elder Manning decided to toss a record-tying seven touchdown passes against an allegedly “improved” Baltimore secondary. While there should not be that kind of outburst from either Manning this week, it should be a fun and high scoring game to watch. My Colts bias sticks with me for this pick.
The Pick: Denver 31, New York 28.