Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Buy or Sell Verification

As a scientist, it's almost impossible for me to let a hypothesis go without verifying my results. So, with that said, let's see how I did on my first "buy or sell" extravaganza...

Texas Longhorns (4-1)
What did I say? Sell.
And I was right. The Longhorns got steamrolled at home by K-State, exposing the first set of many pretenders. A loss to the Sooners this weekend in Dallas would solidify it.
Verdict: That's one for me.

Arizona State (5-0)
What did I say? Buy.
I said the Sun Devils would be 7-0 before their home date with the Golden Bears. They hit 5-0, but they played Stanford. The Shady Acres Retirement Home could beat Stanford. Notre Dame could bea... well, let's hold off on that one.
Verdict: Let's wait and see what happens in Tempe in two or three weeks.

Clemson (4-1)
What did I say? Sell.
First of all, I misread the Tigers' schedule and said they got GTech at home, followed by VTech in Blacksburg. That's not the case. Their game with the Hornets was in Atlanta, and now the Hokies come to Clemson. However, one thing I didn't mess up is the fact that Clemson folded against Georgia Tech, putting up only a field goal in the process. We'll see if Clemson's in classic meltdown phase this weekend against Frank Beamer.
Verdict: Chalk another one up for me.

Kentucky (5-0)
What did I say? Buy.
The Wildcats rolled over Florida Atlantic, as predicted, but that clearly doesn't bring down a verdict. Kentucky will be dragged through hell the next three weeks, at South Carolina, vs. LSU, and vs. Florida. Posting a 2-1 record against those three would solidify a "buy" for me.
Verdict: Jury's still out.

Cincinnati (5-0)
What did I say? Sell.
The Bearcats played a nobody in SDSU, but Big East play starts this weekend in Piscataway against some angry Scarlet Knights. Watch out!
Verdict: A loss to the Scarlet Knights would be the telltale.

Wisconsin (5-0)
What did I say? Sell.
As predicted, they kept it close with MSU. The month of October will decide the fate of this Wisconsin squad, as road trips to Champaign, Happy Valley and Columbus still loom.
Verdict: A 2-1 record against Illinois, Penn State, and Ohio State would be enough for me to forfeit this one.

Missouri (4-0)
What did I say? Buy.
The Tigers had a bye this week, but watch out when the Huskers roll into town.
Verdict: The outcome of the Nebraska game would be enough to verify my guess.

South Florida (4-0)
What did I say? Buy.
Did you watch last Thursday night? The Bulls are suddenly the Big East favorites.
Verdict: A resounding win for me on this one.

Purdue (5-0)
What did I say? Sell.
So they beat Notre Dame. Big whoop. The real test is this weekend in primetime against Ohio State. If they lose to the Buckeyes, we'll see that Joe Tiller's bunch is probably another bunch of pretenders.
Verdict: Still waiting on results from West Lafayette.

Kansas (4-0)
What did I say? Sell.
The Jayhawks were off this week, but travel to Manhattan to take on K-State. If they lose this one, they're toast.
Verdict: Waiting on Kansas/K-State.

Connecticut (5-0)
What did I say? Sell.
I did, say, however, that the Huskies would resume Big East play at 5-1. They got at least the split I predicted with Akron and Virginia. Let's see how they play against the Cavs on the road.
Verdict: The road date with Virginia looms.

Michigan State (4-1)
What did I say? Buy.
This is one where I was a little shaky. I said the game in Madison would be a big test, and the Spartans came up just short. I did say they'd be at least 6-1 before their date with OSU in Columbus. If they don't end up 6-1 or drop the game to the Buckeyes, I'll take the hit.
Verdict: Must win the next two and the one with the Buckeyes to be legit.

So far, looks like I'm 3-0 out of 12, with some big games looming. However, the validity of my Wisconsin and MSU predictions may turn out shaky. We'll know by the end of October where these teams stand.

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