• Rule #1 Don’t bet what you don’t have. You don’t want to spend grocery money on my picks no matter how hot I get. 
• Rule #2 No matter how much you like a game, bet the same amount on the all games I give you. Freaky things happen in college football.

This is the time of the year when you make your money. Vegas is not sure how certain teams are going to perform, how new players are going to react to certain situations, and who will be the new stars emerge across the country.

And for the record, I only play the big games, the games you will see on TV (which you can find out at the MSF college football TV schedule).  Thus, I will not be giving picks on North Texas vs. some other cream puff.

We have a theme this week, so let’s begin.

Game #1 I love; actually, I love all four of the gems I’m going to give you, but I like this game the most.

Follow the link or click the image below to get great deals on college football tickets at StubHub.

Boise St vs. Oregon

• Boise State-Oregon Point Spread: Boise State -3.5
• Boise State -Oregon Over-Under: 64

The oddsmakers have Boise State favored in this game by 3.5 with the over-under at a whopping 64. I don’t believe either team will have many stops in this game and I expect the over to be in full effect. With that being said, Boise State is at home, it’s the first BIG game of the NCAA year, and oh by the way it’s on a Thursday night.

Folks, for starters, Boise State does not lose many home games, I can probably count on one hand how many losses they have had at home over the past five years. Boise State also has the experience, with 90% of their players having started a game last year. Oregon can’t match that experience, which is HUGE in the beginning of the season.

What does this game mean for Boise State? Well, if they win tomorrow night you might as well pencil them in to BCS Bowl, and maybe even a national championship. For Oregon, this game means a lot, but nowhere near what it means to the Broncos. Oregon did not have this game circled on their schedule as they had Cal, Oregon State, and USC.

Go with the Boise State and give the points.

Georgia at Oklahoma State

• Georgia-Oklahoma State Point Spread: Oklahoma State -5

Game #2 is Georgia at Oklahoma State. Will Georgia be able to stop the high powered offense of the Cowboys? Oklahoma State has some key players like Zac Robinson and Dez Bryant, who just so happens to be my projected #1 wide receiver in the country.

Georgia, on the other hand, has some players, but when the game is close who are they going to turn to? No Matthew Stafford, and no Knowshon Moreno.

Like the previous game, this game means a lot to Oklahoma State. This will be on Saturday night, on ABC, and the country will be watching. Oklahoma State has added seats for this year, so this will be the largest amount of fans to attend an Oklahoma State football game.

Georgia, well they need to worry about the SEC, so this game again means a lot but nowhere near what it means to the Cowboys. Oh and by the way, when was the last time Georgia traveled outside of their time zone?

Give the 5 and count your cash.

Missouri at Illinois

• Illinois-Missouri point spread: Illinois -7

Game #3 has Illinois giving 7 to Mizzou. I will keep this one quick, short, and to the point.

Mizzou lost everyone, Illinois has not. Gone for the Tigers are Chase Daniels, Jeremy Maclin and Chase Coffman. Mizzou had a great run, but they don’t reload like the top teams in the country do.

Illinois, on the other hand, returns quarterback Juice Williams. He had a great year last year, but still flew under the radar. He will be throwing the rock all day to up-and-coming stud Arrelious Benn. This is a home game for the fighting Illini and they have returning starters.

Give the points as Mizzou can’t stay up with the Illini like Ron Zook can stay up on his skis.

Virginia Tech vs Alabama

• Alabama-Virginia Tech point spread: Alabama -6.5

Game #4 is Virginia Tech vs. Alabama. The line in this game is 6.5. When I first saw this I almost jumped out of my chair. My first thought was there wasn’t going to be 6.5 points scored the whole game, not that I am advocating the under over in this game, but it just seems like a lot to give Virginia Tech, team with more firepower than the Crimson Tide.

Alabama over it’s past two games has been destroyed, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Nick Saban is sweating tonight thinking about the game on Saturday. I like Tyrod Taylor, and I think he is a playmaker, something Alabama doesn’t have many of on the offensive side of the ball.

Take the Hookies and take the points.

**********

Keep your eye out for Rich’s next column here at MSF, and you can also follow his blog at http://www.nflandcollegefootball.com/.

* – Ron Zook skiing photo credit: Deadspin

This post will analyze the UConn-Missouri Elite 8 game using a statistical analysis provided by the Game Predictor at ESPN.com, which is powered by TeamRankings.com. For an analysis of how this program works, hop over to the first individual game Sweet 16 preview I put out for UConn-Purdue. The methodology is all explained there.

One of these two teams I expected to get this far. The other one not so much. One of these teams was my championship pick on my original bracket. The other team I had getting bounced in round two.

So you would think that this would be an easy prediction right?

Wrong.

The horse I decided to ride all the way through the brackets to the championship was UConn. I didn’t necessarily “decide” on them, per se, as much as I was led to picking them because of the bracket picking system I devised. Still, I wasn’t too upset or surprised. UConn is a very good team that is extremely strong at point guard and center. The loss of Jerome Dyson certainly hurt, but this appeared like a team with enough juice to go all the way.

And I still think they can. But I’m a little worried.

All of the hubbub over the investigation into potential recruiting violations has to be a distraction. It obviously did not affect them too much against Purdue, but it might start to as the story gains steam. Maybe it won’t affect the team as much as it will Jim Calhoun, but I think UConn needs their fiery coach at his best to navigate through the defensive scheme and intensity of Missouri.

Which brings me to the real reason I’m worried: Missouri is a damn good team. I underestimated them in the Big 12 Tournament. I underestimated them in the NCAA Tournament, and now here they are, ready to play for a shot at the first Final Four in school history.

Let’s outline the particulars of the game and then we’ll jump right into a prediction.

UConn-Missouri Elite 8 Regional Final Preview

• StubHub: West Region Elite 8 Regional Final Tickets
• West Regional Breakdown
• Date: Saturday, March 28
• TV Time: 4:40 PM on CBS
• Site: University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ
• Announcers: Dick Enberg and Jay Bilas
• Point Spread: UConn -5 (according to ESPN Game Predictor)
• Over-Under: 150 1/2

Before I offer my own first impressions and prediction for this game, let’s see how Game Predictor views the action, based on the same five statistical categories we used to analyze the Sweet 16 games.

• Offensive Efficiency: UConn – 1.098 | Missouri – 1.100
• Defensive Efficiency: UConn – 0.888 | Missouri – 0.918
• Assist/TO Ratio: UConn – 1.284 | Missouri – 1.538
• Free Throw %: UConn – 0.674 | Missouri – 0.668
• Defensive Field Goal %: UConn – 0.374 | Missouri – 0.418

Other than the significant advantage for UConn in terms of defensive field goal percentage, these two teams are very evenly matched across these five categories. My anticipation is that UConn will be a slight favorite by Game Predictor based on the SOS and higher seed (and I base this on the results of the Sweet 16 predictions). Let’s see:

• Odds to Win Game: UConn – 59.4% | Missouri – 40.6%
• Most Likely Final Score: UConn – 70.8 | Missouri – 68.2
• Odds to Cover Spread (MIZZOU +5): UConn – 45.9% | Missouri – 54.1%
• Confidence Level: 2 Stars

So a relatively solid vote of confidence for UConn, at least for an Elite 8 game where each team should be pretty evenly matched. Here the issues though:

1. UConn was not as good after the Dyson injury as they were before. However, the stats used in my original bracket analysis and this Game Predictor analysis take into account their performance with a healthy Dyson in the lineup.
2. Game Predictor obviously cannot factor in the swirling controversy about the recruiting violations. I don’t know to what extent this will affect UConn — no one does — but let’s put it this way: I don’t see it as a positive in any way.

Still, I can’t abandon the Huskies. Not yet anyway.

I really like this Missouri team. They obviously play a very frenetic style of defense and an up-tempo style, yet they have an impeccable Assist/TO ratio. Additionally, they have scoring balance on offense. All five starters scored in double figures against Memphis with JT Tiller leading the way with 23. Plus, the duo of DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons is outstanding. They had a combined 32 points and 18 rebounds against a Memphis team with a strong presence inside. This bodes well for their ability to compete against the inside presence of Hasheem Thabeet.

But, I am not going to get carried away yet and jump two-feet first onto the Missouri bandwagon. Yes, they had an impressive win over Marquette; but it was against a Marquette team playing with a hobbled Dominic James. And after jumping out to a big lead they had to hang on late. Their win over Memphis was obviously impressive as well; but I have not been a believer in Memphis all year so I am not ready to anoint them West Region champs simply because of that victory. And just like in the Marquette game, Missouri displayed an inability to shut the door by letting Memphis back into the game late — though they never relinquished the lead.

The fact of the matter is that a week ago, I would not have thought twice about who to pick in this game. After how well Missouri has played over the last three weeks, they have given me plenty of reasons to pause long and hard and consider their chances.

At the end of the day though, I am a sucker for experienced backcourts and teams that can control the paint defensive. UConn is led by a player I love, senior AJ Price, and his senior backcourt teammate Craig Austrie. And, of course, they have Hasheem Thabeet down low who has proven all year, and did again last night against Purdue, that if he stays out of foul trouble he is an absolute beast and gives UConn a huge advantage against every team in American that does not have a 7′3 center with great defensive timing — which is pretty much every team in America.

This is a fascinating game between two outstanding teams with plenty of compelling storylines to go around. In the end, this game will come down to what most UConn games come down to: can Hasheem Thabeet stay on the floor and can UConn get enough scoring from their backcourt. UConn beat Purdue because Thabeet played 36 minutes, grabbed 15 rebounds, scored 15 points, and controlled the paint with 4 blocks. UConn also got 32 points from Price and Austrie on 9-21 shooting, plus 11 assists against only 4 turnovers from the duo. If these three guys produce like that against Missouri, UConn will win.

But if Thabeet gets in foul trouble, or Price and Austrie get out of their comfort zone against the Tigers’ D, Missouri has a great chance to win. Mix in the prospect of the Huskies being distracted as a result of the recruiting violation story, and the game gets ever so close to being a complete toss-up in my mind — and I start to think that Missouri may even be the “safer” pick.

There are lots of variables on the UConn side, but they are also the better team when they are at their best. I’m not ready to say that I am still 100% committed to them as the eventual national champions, but I am willing to say that they’ll at least reach the Final Four. Missouri will put up a great fight, and UConn better be ready. I think they will be. I like Missouri with the points (assuming the spread stays at 5, and I’ve only seen it listed on ESPN), but UConn to win straight up. And I can’t wait to see how this one actually unfolds once the ball is tipped.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Demarre Carroll photo credit: Jon Goering/KANSAN

This post will analyze the Memphis-Missouri game using a statistical analysis provided by the Game Predictor at ESPN.com, which is powered by TeamRankings.com. For an analysis of how this program works, hop over to the first individual game Sweet 16 preview I put out for UConn-Purdue. The methodology is all explained there.

If John Calipari were to have read MSF over the past couple of weeks, he would know that I was not among those who thought Memphis should have received a #1 seed and that I picked the Tigers to lose in the second round. (And I predicted that loss to come against Cal, who lost in the first round to Maryland. Shows you how much I know.)

Of course, John Calipari has plenty of more important things to do than read our little blog here. On the off chance he did, he would probably just chalk our site up as another one of the haters and naysayers and not give it a second thought. Calipari is a pretty cool customer who does not seem to get rattled or frustrated in the face of people constantly doubting his team, or disparaging its conference and schedule.

Now, if John Chaney read MSF and I had been down on Temple, he might not be such a cool customer…

Video: John Chaney v John Calipari

Forgive me, I had to get that in there. It’s been years since I’ve seen that video, but it never gets old. If only we could have seen how the fight ended up…

But I digress.

Mike Anderson, the coach of Missouri, would probably not think much of this site either. I picked the Tigers to lose in the Big 12 tournament and I predicted a second round loss for them against Marquette. Obviously, neither happened.

So it is with great shame, humility, and surprise that I type this Memphis-Missouri Sweet 16 preview. I did not expect either team to make it this far, yet here they are: my own personal bracket busters duking it out to ensure that I cannot have a perfect Elite 8 this year.

But you know what? I can’t wait for this game. These two teams play an entertaining style of basketball that should make this one of the more exciting Sweet 16 games this year. Here are the particulars for the Mizzou-Memphis matchup later this week:

Memphis-Missouri Sweet 16 Preview and Prediction

• StubHub: West Region Sweet 16 Tickets
• West Regional Breakdown
• Date: Thursday, March 26
• TV Time: 9:37 PM on CBS
• Site: University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ
• Announcers: Dick Enberg and Jay Bilas
• Point Spread: Memphis -4 1/2
• Over-Under: 140
• My prediction (done before looking at the Bracket Predictor): Missouri

Let’s see how the Bracket Predictor sees this game going, based on the five statistical categories I submitted to the prediction engine:

• Offensive Efficiency: Memphis – 1.071 | Missouri – 1.097
• Defensive Efficiency: Memphis – 0.826 | Missouri – 0.913
• Assist/TO Ratio: Memphis – 1.149 | Missouri – 1.541
• Free Throw %: Memphis – 0.695 | Missouri – 0.668
• Defensive Field Goal %: Memphis – 0.366 | Missouri – 0.415

And based on these numbers, plus the strength of schedule factor that is automatically used to calculate the results, the Game Predictor sees the outcome as follows:

• Odds to Win Game: Memphis – 60.7% | Missouri – 39.3%
• Most Likely Final Score: Memphis – 70.6 | Missouri – 67.5
• Odds to Cover Spread (MIZZOU +4.5): Memphis – 42.8% | Missouri – 57.2%
• Confidence Level: 3 Stars

So, the Game Predictor sees this as being a closer matchup than UConn-Purdue and Pitt-Xavier, which one would expect. I am still a little bit surprised that Memphis’ odds are above 60%, and I completely agree that Missouri has a great chance to beat the spread in this one — if not win it outright.

Here is what I did not like about the Game Predictor analysis of this one: the historical comparisons (not shown in the images above). The majority of the teams Missouri was compared to were double-digit seeds. I don’t know exactly how these historical comparisons are generated, but the typical seed differentials of the ten comparisons provided was 6 or 7 seed slots. This game is a #2 seed versus a #3 seed, and two teams that I think are very, very comparable. Luckily, the final projection anticipates a close game that I project to be even closer.

Missouri plays a fast style of basketball, attacking on both ends of the court. I was shocked to see that their Assist/TO ratio is as good as it is. Obviously that number is driven by their great ability to pressure teams into turnovers; but it shows a strong ability on their part to protect the ball as well. Their high offensive rating shows that they are able to turn the majority of those turnovers into points.

Memphis, on the other hand, is not quite as strong in either category but still in the top 15% or so in the nation in both. And their defensive numbers are outstanding, with the best defensive efficiency and defensive field goal % ratings in the nation. My apologies to Coach Cal and the Memphis Tigers: I underestimated your ability on defense, otherwise I just might have had you advancing this far, if not further.

At the end of the day, I look at this game as a toss-up. Tyreke Evans has really improved Memphis as he has become more comfortable controlling the basketball as the season has gone on. He leads the team in points at 16.6 per game and also grabs 5.4 rebounds per. However, he also turns it over 3.6 times per game, only generating an Assist/TO ratio of 1.1/1. Antonio Anderson has been much more steady, with an Assist/TO of 2/1. Against the Missouri press, Evans will have to take better care of the basketball.

For Missouri, DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons must continue to lead with excellent all-around play from the forward slots. If the Tigers can get a performance out of Matt Lawrence like they got against Marquette (16 points) it will make them that much more difficult to overcome.

My gut is still telling me that Missouri is going to win, but obviously the Game Predictor, using the stats I fed it, has a 3 Star confidence level on Memphis. Either way, one of these teams is going to surprise me by making it to the Elite 8, only to have me (most likely) pick against them on Saturday. Luckily for Memphis and Missouri, the opinions of some idiot blogger mean nothing and they have been able to prove their worth on the court.

When these two skilled, athletic, well-coached teams meet up on Thursday, it could very well provide the most exciting game of the weekend.

Unless you picked neither to be here and your bracket is toast.

Then it’s just depressing.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Tyreke Evans photo credit: AP Photo/Nick Wass

Demarre Carroll photo credit: Jon Goering/KANSAN

Let’s break down what should be an extremely tight round of March Madness betting. (Editor’s note: All picks are straight up, not against the spread. Go to the homepage and check out the recent game-by-game posts for a closer look at how to pick these games against the spread.)

EAST REGION

No. 1 Pittsburgh Panthers vs No. 4 Xavier Musketeers

Xavier is like the plucky little kid trying to measure up to his older brother in this NCAA basketball betting matchup. What do the Musketeers do best? Play defense and rebound like crazy. They showed off those skills in the first two rounds of the tournament, totally stymieing Wisconsin in the round of 32 after shooting the lights out against Portland State.

Problem: Pittsburgh battles the same way Xavier does and does it better. While the Musketeers are fifth in the nation in rebounding, the Panthers are second. Pittsburgh will eke out a win here thanks to superior backcourt talent with Levance Fields leading the way alongside outstanding big man DeJuan Blair.

Online betting pick: Pittsburgh

No. 2 Duke Blue Devils vs. No. 3 Villanova Wildcats

Playing in the powerful Big East, Villanova has flown under the radar for much of the season. This weekend, the Wildcats be outed as major contenders when they knock off the Blue Devils. Duke’s overreliance on perimeter shooting doesn’t bode well against the defensively sound Villanova. Expect the Wildcats to control the pace and reach the Elite 8.

Online betting pick: Villanova

SOUTH REGION

No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels vs No. 4 Gonzaga Bulldogs

There aren’t too many “pretenders” left in the March Madness betting field, but Gonzaga is close. Yeah, the Bulldogs put up some points against Akron and Western Kentucky, but those were No. 13 and No. 12 seeds, respectively. Gonzaga barely survived those matchups, coming from behind to beat Akron and downing Western Kentucky with a last-second shot.

Jumping from that competition to No. 1 North Carolina, still the odds-on sportsbook favorite to win the March Madness odds, will be too much for the ’Zags to handle. The Tar Heels should drop major points on the Bulldogs in a high-scoring affair here. Bet on North Carolina, who should keep getting better with Ty Lawson regaining his form.

Online betting pick: North Carolina

No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners vs No. 3 Syracuse Orange

It’s Blake Griffin Versus the World in what could be the closest of all the Sweet 16 lines. Well, maybe that’s an overstatement, but the point is that Griffin has been the force of the Tournament so far, averaging 30.5 points and 15 rebounds. Is Syracuse up to the task after breezing through the first two rounds?

I say yes. The Orange are a potent offensive unit with well-distributed scoring; five different Orange players averaged 10 or more points per game this regular season. The Orange offense can top Griffin’s inevitable powerhouse performance and guard Jonny Flynn has been sensational. Bet on Syracuse to pull off what some online betting experts would call a minor upset.

Online betting pick: Syracuse

WEST REGION

No. 1 Connecticut Huskies vs No. 5 Purdue Boilermakers

So, uh…Connecticut did pretty well in its first two March Madness betting contests, averaging a 46-point victory margin. Does that mean the Huskies are extremely sharp or extremely untested? Only time will tell. What we do know is that Purdue enters the Sweet 16 nicely battle-hardened, being the only No. 5 seed to avoid the dreaded 5/12 loss and grinding out a tough win over Washington. Center JaJuan Johnson in particular has stepped up his play and will need to maintain that high standard against UConn.

It’s tempting to pick Purdue to pull off the sportsbook upset here, but UConn sure isn’t getting much respect for a No. 1 seed. Better to have the Huskies surprise you with a loss than to pick the No. 5 seed and kick yourself afterwards. Go with Connecticut until they prove you wrong.

Online betting pick: Connecticut

No. 2 Memphis Tigers vs No. 3 Missouri Tigers

It just doesn’t feel right picking Missouri. For one, J.T. Tiller’s convenient last-second injury, which allowed Kim English to shoot the game-winning free throws in his place, seemed shady. Missouri also got pretty darn lucky when Marquette’s Lazar Hayward blew the game by stepping on the baseline during an inbound.

Karma aside, Memphis is still be better of the two March Madness picks here. It got its major scare out of the way in the first round and should ride its outstanding defense to the Elite 8 and maybe the Final Four.

Online betting pick: Memphis

MIDWEST REGION

No. 1 Louisville Cardinals vs. No. 12 Arizona Wildcats

Like them or not, the Arizona Cardinals have impressed in the March Madness odds after many detractors felt they shouldn’t have qualified for the tournament at all. Many online betting sharps correctly predicted their upset over Utah in the first round and they had the lucky draw of No. 13 Cleveland State in the second round, so the Wildcats haven’t really been tested.

Louisville, the top overall seed in the tourney, won’t be like anything the Wildcats have faced so far. This may be the only Sweet 16 betting matchup with blow-out potential.

Online betting pick: Louisville

No. 2 Michigan State Spartans vs No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks

Still feels weird to see Michigan State seeded higher than Kansas, doesn’t it? Most basketball betting fans didn’t expect much from Kansas in its attempted national title defense after the Jayhawks lost all their starters from last year’s team. However, they’ve looked very impressive early, riding the torrid play of Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins.

A couple of weeks ago, Michigan State would have been the consensus sportsbook pick here, but the Spartans had their hands full with USC and may not have an answer if Aldrich does anything close to the triple-double he posted against Dayton. Bet on Kansas to win one more round.

Online betting pick: Kansas

There were spells during the game that it felt like Mizzou might actually get something going but then OU would make an adjustment and immediately shut things down. On the flip side I saw nothing that led me to believe Mizzou was trying different schemes or options to try and slow OU down. The most puzzling to me was how far off the line the corners were playing. They were giving OU receivers 5 to 8 yards of cushion the entire game. I mean come on, you’re down 38-7 at the half, what is there to lose by jamming some receivers and getting a little more physical?

Now, I will say that Oklahoma is very impressive; this squad is clicking on all cylinders right now. I keep hearing that Oklahoma will be an underdog to Florida in the Championship game. I don’t see it. Florida is a very good team as well but I honestly don’t see any college team beating the Sooners right now. You can’t tell me that OU’s defense is not good enough to hang with Florida. There’s no doubt Mizzou didn’t do themselves any favors by turning the ball over 3 times, but still, the OU D held the 6th ranked offense in the nation to only 21 points.

I do think this will be a great matchup between the Sooners and Gators but I have to give the edge to Oklahoma.

Meanwhile, Mizzou has accepted an invite to play in the Alamo bowl against Northwestern on Dec. 29th. Two teams with completely different expectations coming into the season, Missouri was a preseason National Championship favorite while Northwestern was just hoping to get into and win a bowl game.

These two teams have not faced each other since 1987 when the Tigers beat the Wildcats in Columbia 28-3. These teams have previously faced off 8 times and are split at 4 wins apiece.

Again, the strength of Mizzou is its explosive offense and its weakness is the 100th ranked defense. Mizzou has losses to three top 25 teams, getting beat by an average of 23 points. Northwestern has losses to two top 25 teams by an average of 26 points. Both teams faced Illinois this year with Mizzou winning by 10 and Northwestern winning by 17.

This should be a good ballgame. Mizzou has several seniors in which this will be their last hoorah, so I am sure they will want to go out on top and give Mizzou their first back to back 10-win seasons in school history.

Northwestern will be playing to reach that 10-win mark as well. Like Mizzou, Northwestern has 23 seniors that will be looking to go out on top. It has been 59 years since Northwestern has won a bowl game.

I have to give the edge to Mizzou on Offense and Northwestern on Defense. Should make for an interesting game. Go Tigers !!

coop92 is a contributing author to Midwest Sports Fans, as well as the editor at Midwest Sports Junkies. Check out his site for additional analysis of the St. Louis Cardinals, the BCS, and Missouri Tigers football.

–Congratulations are in order for Blues forward Keith Tkachuk, who scored career NHL point 1,000 with a goal in the Blues’ 4-2 win at Atlanta on Sunday.

We keep waiting for the 36-year-old Tkachuk to fade into the background and for his days as a top-six forward to come to an end, but “Walt” keeps coming back for more and despite a recent scoring slump, has 16 points in 22 games. He will be a free agent after this season.

Speaking of the Blues, goaltender Chris Mason may be aligning himself for more playing time in the future. Mason got the win on Sunday and has won his last three starts. He has stopped 106 of the last 109 shots he has faced. His goals against average this season is 2.29, compared to Manny Legace’s 3.19.

–Things were looking rosy for the Saint Louis University Billikens when they upset then-ranked Boston College by a 53-50 score at home on Nov. 22. But since then, SLU has dropped a pair of road games at Nebraska (71-57) and Detroit Mercy (62-57). Next up is a date at Southern Illinois University Carbondale on Tuesday. While SIUC’s 2-3 record doesn’t look too glitzy, keep in mind that two of the Salukis’ losses came against Duke and UCLA. Simply put, if SLU wants to put key wins on its resume in order to entertain NCAA Tournament hopes, a triumph in Carbondale is paramount.

–The St. Louis Rams have been just plain offensive on offense this season. The Rams rank dead last in the NFL in touchdowns scored (12) on offense and overall (13). It was more of the same on Sunday in a 16-12 defeat at the hands of Miami. All of the Rams points came off the foot of Josh Brown via field goals. The Male Sheep have gone eight straight quarters without a touchdown.

–Rams quarterback Marc Bulger, who suffered a concussion the week before against Chicago, had a passer rating of 22.2 and threw three interceptions. The Rams picked a bad year to have a bad year — Detroit and Cincinnati seem to have dibs on the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Bulger is clearly on the downside of his career. He was exposed way too much in Mike Martz’s system and the hits are starting to take their toll. Despite already giving big money to Bulger in 2007, the Rams have to draft a quarterback next spring.

–Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel will apparently have a void to fill on his coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Dave Christensen has reportedly accepted the head coaching job at Wyoming. He’s expected to stay on board as the Tigers prepare for Saturday’s Big 12 title game date with Oklahoma in Kansas City.

According to ESPN.com’s Pat Forde on Friday, head coach Gary Pinkel has agreed to terms to a contract extension that will give him a nifty pay raise. However, a Mizzou spokesperson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Friday that no such agreement has been reached, though one is imminent.

Few details were revealed by Forde, but the extension is believed to put Pinkel’s annual salary around $2.5 million per year. It bears noting that Forde is a 1987 University of Missouri alum, so it’s safe to say Forde is well-connected when it comes to Mizzou and perhaps the Post-Dispatch is taking a cautious approach before reporting any such accord.

Regardless of which source you would like to believe, keeping Pinkel is paramount for the Tigers to continue the momentum they have built in recent years.

Mizzou is 21-4 under his watch the last two seasons and beat Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl last season. The Tigers have a shot for getting a BCS nod next month in the Big 12 Conference title game for the second straight year. The Tigers have already sewn up the Big 12 North Division crown.

Mizzou will undoubtedly want to keep Pinkel and his top assistants in the fold. With the Tigers faced with the reality of not having senior quarterback Chase Daniel, senior safety William Moore and senior tight end Chase Coffman next season, there’s also the chance of Mizzou losing standout sophomore do-it-all Jeremy Maclin to the NFL draft next spring. Since Maclin is a redshirt sophomore, he will be three years removed from high school and eligible for the draft. With Pinkel and his staff in tow, the Tigers won’t have to worry about having any recruiting pipelines severed with a new staff coming aboard.

The Tigers are 9-2 heading into the Nov. 29 showdown with rival Kansas at Arrowhead.

Meanwhile, Missouri’s neighbor to the east — Illinois — will have to brace itself to see if offensive coordinator Mike Locksley stays in the fold. Locksley, according to ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich, interviewed for the head coaching position at Clemson recently.

Locksley, in his fourth season at Illinois, is a highly-regarded recruiter who came to the Illini along with head coach Ron Zook. Locksley was on Zook’s staff at Florida from 2003-04.

Locksley hails from Washington, D.C., played his college ball at Towson and spent six years as an assistant at Maryland. He is a big reason why the Illini have been able to recruit better in the Maryland/D.C. area. Wide receiver Arrelious Benn, backup quarterback Eddie McGee and cornerback Vontae Davis all came from D.C., where the Illini have pulled eight players from.

As soon as word came down that Tyrone Willingham was out as the football at the University of Washington, speculation immediately began to build about the possibility of UDub making a run at Missouri coach Gary Pinkel.

It would be a case of career suicide if Pinkel decided to drop what he has built at Mizzou and head for the Pacific Northwest.

Pinkel spent 13 seasons as an assistant coach of the Huskies (1976, 1979-90) under former head coach Don James. Pinkel followed Don James to the Seattle school after playing his college ball under James at Kent State, in their native state of Ohio from 1970-73.

Gary Pinkel does have a history at Washington. But does that outweigh what he has built at Missouri?

Granted, Pinkel hasn’t won a Big 12 Conference championship during his seven-plus seasons in Columbia. And while he has managed to post some wins over Nebraska in recent years, in addition to a marquee victory over Kansas last year at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City for the Big 12 North crown, his team has stumbled against the likes of traditional Big 12 bullies Oklahoma (two losses last year, the last in the conference title game) and Texas.

But Gary Pinkel has been able to transform Mizzou from also-ran status to a team that could contend for Big 12 titles on a regular basis, or at the least, be the big dogs in the North Division. Pinkel has led the Missouri Tigers to three straight bowl games for the first time in 25 years. The Tigers also ascended to the No. 1 ranking in the Associated Press poll for the first time since 1960 last year.

Records aside, Pinkel has made huge recruiting inroads with Mizzou’s recent success. He’s been able to cop premier talent from the state of Texas, namely senior quarterback Chase Daniel. He has successfully fended off the efforts of enemy coaches and kept the likes of tight end Chase Coffman and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin in the Show Me State.

He’s made Missouri relevant again and there’s no reason to think he couldn’t continue to build on that. Washington? That’s another story. The high school talent base in Washington pales in comparison to that of the Southwest, where Pinkel and Co. have gotten stronger, or even Missouri for that matter. Where else are you going to go to stock the cupboard? California? Good luck with that.

Pinkel’s recruiting would start once Southern California, UCLA and Cal get done picking over the five-star recruits. The chances of Washington being able to consistently compete with the California schools are slim. At Missouri, Pinkel can reasonably expect to compete in the Big 12 North and at least get into a Big 12 title game on a neutral field. In the Pac-10 Conference, there is no such title game to guarantee a berth in a BCS bowl game.

The pockets may be a bit deeper with the Washington alumni and there may be a bit more exposure playing in a big city like Seattle; but the program has been run into the ground under Willingham’s watch and the rebuilding project could be long and grueling. Would Gary Pinkel want to undergo that type of fix-it-up job again?

It would be a different story if Pinkel was being lured from his previous job — head coach at Toledo from 1991-2000 — to Washington. Toledo to Washington is a step up.

Missouri to Washington? Nothing more than a sideways move at this point.

And many more headaches.
[tags]missouri tigers, gary pinkel, washington huskies, Big 12, Pac 10[/tags]