NWC Pick 'em Contest: Week 8

Send 'Em Up!

Had a solid week in picking 5 out of 6 games.  Once again, I was bit by the Rats as my continued non-logic based faith in Whitworth has almost ruin any shot of being in contention in the NWC Pick 'Em Contest.  I moved up to 35 out of 46 on the season (a very average 76.1%).  That has left me way off the pace and near the bottom half of this year's contest.  The NWC seems like no-brainers for the most part but some big games are going on at the National Level out in the MIAC and CCIW.  Keep and eye on those games as they will have a ripple effect towards the playoff selections and seeding a few weeks down the road.

Northwest Conference

Lewis & Clark (5-0) over Puget Sound (0-6) (@ L&C): First off, you're welcome Lewis & Clark. I took Whitworth last week which pretty much meant the Pios were a lock for victory. Second, the folks up on the hill are very excited...I mean excited about their 5-0 start. UPS decided nothing is going to happen this year and is building for the future by starting a Frosh QB last week vs Willamette. That's probably the best long term decision but short terms it just means more losses. L&C should roll Puget Sound this week. (Side rant: BTW, that link above and the L&C fan calling their field "rated best in Oregon". I want to know who rated that mess of a field "the best" and get them fired. Beyond the look, that surface feels odd under your feet and you can get dizzy looking at those LAX & Soccer lines crisscrossing all over the place.  It's almost as ugly as Pacific's surface)

Whitworth (1-5) over Pacific (0-6) (@ Rats): Oh my. Listen at this point I need the Rats to come though for me here. If they continue to lose when I keep picking them as winners I could be forced to pick Whitworth over Linfield in a few weeks. Seriously, I'm frightened that I have this George Costanza karma going on with Whitworth that the opposite thing is going to happen when I pick Whitworth to win/lose. Come on Rats, break the spell so you don't force me to pick against my 'Cats.

Portland State (3-3) over Willamette (3-3) (@ PSU): I don't know weather to congratulate the Bearcats for playing at Portland State or to call them foolish for doing so. It might be a little of both. If you're Portland State how could you be excited to play this game? You just got done losing a tight game in front of 25,000 people at U of Montana and now you get to come home and play Willamette. That has to be the one hope for the Bearcats that the PSU players will be so disinterested/flat that Willamette will be able to hang at least for a half with the Vikings. This could get ugly.

West Region Game of the Week

#3 St. Thomas (7-0) over #10 Bethel (5-1) (@ Bethel): HUGE game in the west. I mean big. Bethel is playing for their playoff lives and UST is playing for that #1 seed out west (assuming Whitewater gets moved to another region). This is a game I will not be sad about getting wrong because if Bethel can knock off UST then there is a little team out West that could be in position to capture a very high seed in the playoffs. However, UST seems like the read deal this season and Bethel, while very good, might be over-matched this weekend.

National Game of the Week

#6 North Central (5-1) over #15 Illinois Wesleyan (6-0) (@ IWU): I know NCC is very good and if you're a Redlands fan you're praying that the Cardinals continue to win and win big. Honestly, I don't know anything about Illinois Wesleyan and I'm not going to pretend I do. I'll take NCC just based on rep alone.