With October now rolling in full force, I get to sit back and enjoy my favorite time of the year. The fall season is the best season. The cool, crisp weather, the sweaters, the changing colors, the Saturdays full of football. I love it all.

But, there are things I don’t like about this season. There are things that tarnish the good name of fall and I’m here to put those things on blast. Six of those things, to be exact.

1. Raking leaves: Yes, I know it’s hard to be upset at such a critical part of the fall season. In fact, fall’s name comes from the 16th century name of the season, “fall of the leaf.” So, leaves falling is something I should not complain about. But, I’m not, I’m complaining about having to rake them up. So, there. Physical labor is the first thing I hate about fall.
2. Autumn: Look at you, using the word autumn to impress people. You make me sick. This is America and we use the term “fall” here. There is no room for fancy words like autumn. However, there is room for fancy words like balderdash and I wish we would bring that usage back. The leaf doesn’t autumn to the ground, the leaf falls to the ground. The same as when you open up a can of Coke it goes *pop* and not *soda*. (Yes, I know where autumn comes from and why it’s used. I can use Wikipedia, too.)
3. Tom Brady: He is not mutually exclusive to fall, I just really don’t like him.
4. Adrien Brody: While were on the topic of people I don’t like…This guy. Pfft. Like, we get it, you’re white Snoop Dogg. Why should that make me want to see your movies?
5. Clowns: Okay, I’ve always hated clowns but now that they’re seeping out from Halloween and onto the streets of everyday life, I am NOT okay with it. Clowns are creepy and horrifying and I cannot understand why they were ever symbols of fun and enjoyment. I used to watch Bozo the Clown as a kid and I still don’t know how I wasn’t just crying the whole time. Clowns are evil and should be banned from existence. Oh, if I come across one randomly standing on the road I WILL run it over. Do not test me.
6. Pumpkin spice everything: Why? Why did we have to ruin a perfectly good season by also ruining a perfectly good flavor? Pumpkin spice things are delicious, but we have gone off the deep end, America. We have jumped the shark when it comes to flavoring things with this Devil’s spice. Boulder Canyon has brought out pumpkin spice flavored kettle chips. There are pumpkin spice latte Peeps. Pumpkin spice biscotti. Pumpkin spice milano cookies. MILANO COOKIES. C’mon, Pepperidge Farms! Remember when companies made sane decisions? Clearly Pepperidge Farms does not remember. Chobani yogurt has a pumpkin spice flavor. There’s Pumpkin spice kettle corn. How about pumpkin seed tortilla chips? I’ve always wanted my English muffin to have a pumpkin spice flavor, thankfully that exists now as well. There are at least four different kinds of pumpkin spice cereals. Nestle has pumpkin spice chips to put in your cookies. Good lord, these sick people have even come after apple cider. Because last time I had my apple flavored anything I thought, “Jeez, this would be so much better with pumpkin.”

Last Week: 7-3
Overall: 41-18

High School Football Week Eight 10/7

Warsaw (5-2, 4-1) at NorthWood (7-0, 5-0), 7 p.m.
The Scoop: Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. How easy would it be to call this a cat fight? But that just doesn’t do justice to the knockdown, drag-out type of game this will be. NorthWood and Warsaw are going to lay it all on the line this week. Seriously, any cliché sports saying you can think of would be proper in describing what this game should be.
The NLC title is on the line, a win for NorthWood and the conference is theirs. Warsaw would not be guaranteed anything with a win, except for a much better shot at a piece of the crown and some great bragging rights. The Panthers have a high-flying offense, but Warsaw brings something very similar to the table. I like the Tigers a lot in this one but I can’t pick the Orange and Black this week. Not on the road. Not at Andrews Field.
Take it to the chalk board, Coach Jensen. This game is winnable for Warsaw, but I’m leaning towards the Panthers tonight. I’m also probably shooting way under the total points.
Nick’s Pick: NorthWood 29, Warsaw 24.
Also, we’re once again graced by the Panther’s Pride of the East Side (Milford), Keith.
Keith’s Pick: NorthWood 36, Warsaw 20.

Wawasee (3-4, 1-4) at Elkhart Memorial (2-5, 0-5), 7 p.m.
The Scoop: The Warriors have now dropped four in a row after a promising 3-0 start. This game is simple, protect the football. Wawasee struggles with turnovers, usually at the most inopportune times. Not that there is ever a good time for a turnover. Wawasee has dramatically improved its offensive production this year, that’s helped them run with the better teams in the conference. But slow starts and turnovers have hurt the Warriors in several games during this skid. Memorial is in a much worse place, but has shown that it is also much better than it’s 2-5 record would suggest. All I’m saying is, don’t let records define your opinion on these two teams.
Either way, Wawasee has been itching for a win and I think that comes tonight.
Nick’s Pick: Wawasee 35, Memorial 20.

Northfield (6-1, 5-0) at Whitko (6-1, 4-1), 7 p.m.
The Scoop: Win and you’re in. The Wildcats host Northfield tonight for what amounts to being the Three Rivers Conference North Division championship game.
Whitko has only played one quality opponent all year and that was Southwood. The Knights rolled in that game with a good passing attack. Northfield does not bring a huge passing game into this game, both teams like to ground and pound. That Southwood game has me worried about which way to lean here given that Northfield is another quality opponent. But, I’m going to stick with the home team in what should be a very good game.
Nick’s Pick: Whitko 43, Northfield 35.

Wabash (4-3, 2-3) at Tippecanoe Valley (2-5, 2-3), 7 p.m.
The Scoop: The Vikings are going for their third-straight victory. That’s not something I thought I’d get to write this season after the shaky start they had. But, here we are. Wabash is working towards its second straight winning season after not having one since the late 1990’s. This is coming only a few years after I suggested the program should get an eternal dumpster fire going outside the locker room. I could not find the link to that story. But, trust me, I said it. Anyway….Valley’s offense still concerns me a little bit (14.1 PPG) but I like the momentum they have going, I think that should count for something.
Nick’s Pick: Valley 26, Wabash 14.

Knox (5-2, 4-2) at Triton (0-7, 0-6), 7:30 p.m.
The Scoop: The Trojans are still searching for their first win and it’s probably not coming this week. It’s been a rough ride for Triton, hopefully that will change with next week’s game with West Central. But for right now, Knox is just the better team. The Trojans have potential but seem to struggle to get everything working at the same time.
If the Trojans can get momentum early, then I like them to stick around and maybe even win this game, but hot starts have not been Triton’s thing this season.
Nick’s Pick: Knox 33, Triton 14.

College Football 10/8

Notre Dame (2-3) at North Carolina State (3-1), noon.
The Scoop: I have no real reason for picking ND here, nor do I have a good reason to pick against the Irish.
There has been a lot of heartbreak for ND faithful this season, and there will certainly be more. But, not this week. it’s too soon. Wait until the Navy game.
Nick’s Pick: Notre Dame 31, NCST 24.

Purdue (2-2, 0-1) at Illinois (1-3, 0-1), 3:30 p.m.
The Scoop: Well, here is a matchup between two bad teams. While I’d certainly like to pick Purdue here and keep the bowl hopes alive for Boiler Nation, I have little faith in Darrell Hazell to make that happen. Like, actually, I have no hope in Hazell. Lovie Smith is coach of the Illini, that’s something fun to mention. He went to a Super Bowl. Hazell has only made it to toilet bowls. Super Bowls trump toilet bowls.
Nick’s Pick: Illinois 20, Purdue 9.

Indiana (3-1, 1-0) at No. 2 Ohio State (4-0, 1-0), 3:30 p.m.
The Scoop: If Indiana were to win this game, the national media, by default, would have to mention the Hoosiers as a player for the College Football Playoff. Think about that for a minute. Okay, not that we’re back to reality…
IU has ran with TOSU for the past few seasons. Of course, they have not gotten the win but have still given the Buckeyes plenty of competitive games. That’s why I’m not buying the 32-point spread in favor of the home team. That’s all I wanted to say. Not a fan of the spread. Okay, moving on.
Nick’s Pick: THE Ohio State University 45, Indiana 28.

NFL Week Five 10/9

Chicago (1-3) at Indianapolis (1-3), 1 p.m.
The Scoop: The NFL’s potentially worst team pays visit to….the NFL’s potentially worst team.
Seriously, this could be a battle of who gets the better drat pick this spring. What a total mess both of these teams are. Ryan Grigson needs to be fired in Indy, along with Chuck Pagano. The franchise has been run into the ground. Chicago, well, we’ll let them off with injury excuses for now. But, it’s not much prettier for the Bears.
I’ll go with the Colts for the very simple fact that they are the home team. Seriously, that’s it. But, as a Colts fan, I hope the Bears win. Wins won’t help the Colts make the changes they need.
Nick’s Pick: Colts 24, Chicago 17.