Chapter 3

This past Sunday, I found myself at the local watering hole with my buddy Tim. Tim grew up a Raiders fan, and I grew up a Jaguars fan. Both teams went down this weekend in nail biters so we didn’t have the greatest Sunday. Well, I guess that is a lie. This Sunday was amazing, pure mayhem. After the 1pm games I did something unconventional. I left the local watering hole and rushed home. I put my television on and watched something better than football. Yes, there are few things better than football on a Sunday. One of those things is Tiger Woods in contention on a Sunday. I was glued to my television watching Tiger’s every swing, nearly praying he would hang on. I don’t think I can name a more wild moment in sports then when the security guards had to part the people for Tiger to make it to the 18th green. I was speechless. And when Tiger hit that putt? I cried with him. I couldn’t hold back the few tears in my eyes. It was a magical moment that I knew I would one day see again.

Alright, lets get back on topic. The Korner was HOT this past weekend! Here is a recap:
Georgia Missouri Over – Hit! Georgia 43 Missouri 29.
Buffalo -4.5 at Rutgers – Hit! Buffalo 42 Rutgers 13.
Navy -6 at SMU. Miss. SMU 31 Navy 30.
Oklahoma -30 vs. Army – Miss. Oklahoma 28 Army 21.
Wisconsin -3 at Iowa – Hit! Wisconsin 28 Iowa 17.
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Bonus Picks:
North Texas -12 at Liberty – Hit! North Texas 47 Liberty 7.
Rams -7 vs. Chargers. Hit! Rams 35 Chargers 23.

5-2 BABY !!! I separated my bonus picks because if you recall, I left a friendly bet out there for the first person to take me up on it. The bet was my five picks vs. their five picks. The person with the worse record buys pizza. Please watch the video attached for the results of the bet, with our special guest Johnny T, who challenged me.

Lets dive right back in to the Korner!!

**Friday Night Lights**

Princeton -12 at Columbia – That’s right, I am picking the best football team in New Jersey to open up conference play 1-0! Nothing gets more exciting than Ivy League football. Princeton really is an exciting team though. One of my football mentors has a job with Princeton and every week he keeps telling me I have to make a trip to see this team. They have a senior quarterback who has their offense firing, scoring 50 points a game! You can catch this game Friday night, 6pm on ESPNU. Princeton 38 Columbia 21.

**Saturday Slate**

Michigan -14 at Northwestern – These two teams are trending in opposite directions. After Michigan lost to Notre Dame, they won the next three by an average of 39 points! Northwestern is coming off two straight home losses, the most recent being vs. Akron. I expect Michigan to handle Northwestern easily. I will go as far as saying this is my lock of the week! Michigan’s running attack is heating up, and they have a stellar defense led by Linebacker Devin Bush, and New Jersey native Rashad Gary. Michigan 31 Northwestern 10.

Florida ML at Mississippi State – That’s right, I am taking this 7.5-point underdog straight up with a money line pick! My upset of the week is Florida, led by Feleipe Franks, goes to Starkville and comes out victorious. Both teams have fallen to the Kentucky Wildcats, but Florida has looked like the more impressive team outside of that game. I wouldn’t pick this upset if Mississippi State’s quarterback, Nick Fitzgerald, has looked like himself this year. He has been off, missing a lot of passes and throwing too many dump-offs. While he is an outstanding runner, I can see him turning the ball over, costing his team the victory. Florida 28 Mississippi State 24.

Stanford +4.5 at Notre Dame – Everybody knows about the luck of the Irish, right? Well, did anyone see how lucky Stanford last week vs. Oregon? They should have lost no doubt about it, but they recovered two wild fumbles. After the slugfest they were in, the will be riding high into Notre Dame. Notre Dame has some uncertainty with their quarterback situation. Book looked great, but I worry about his consistency. You cannot make mistakes against Stanford. They are extremely well coached, and have talent to go with the discipline. Notre Dame will turn the ball over one too many times and this game will come down to the wire. Stanford 28 Notre Dame 27.

Ohio State -2.5 at Penn State – This is a game many college football fans circled when the schedules were set. #9 Penn State hosts #4 Ohio State at 7:30pm in a “whiteout.” It doesn’t get better then this. I believe Ohio State will get tested, but will pull away late vs. the Nittany Lions. Ohio State not only are explosive, but they take care of the ball. And as the weeks go on, Dwayne Haskins keeps impressing and could play his way in to the #1 overall pick of next years NFL draft. His teammate, Nick Bosa, is projected a top five pick himself as a pass rusher. Bosa will not play Saturday night, but I believe this Ohio State offense is too much to handle. Ohio State 34 Penn State 28.

**Sunday Funday**

Dolphins +6.5 at Patriots – The Patriots made the Super Bowl last season – cool. The Dolphins made the playoffs in 2016 (Tannehill did not play in 2017) and are 3-0 this season. I’m not guaranteeing a Dolphins upset, but I feel confident they can keep it a one-possession game. The Dolphins are built on speed with the likes of Kenny Stills, Jakeem Grant, and Kenyan Drake. Did anyone see how slow New England looked this past Sunday night? And did anyone see the two Dolphins high-five each other running in to the endzone Sunday?! Talk about playing a game and having fun! **Swagger Alert** Party like its 1972. The Dolphins strengths is the Patriots weakness and speed kills. I will ride the Dolphins while they are hot, and fade the Pats while Edelman is still suspended. Patriots 23 Dolphins 21.

Raiders -2.5 vs. Browns – Long ago, before the Goose was the Goose, and before Kowal’s Korner existed, the Rabbit roamed the local watering hole. The Rabbit is a 76-year-old tout who is known all through Union County. Luckily for me, he is loyal to Rahway and comes around a ton. I have had some of my best sports conversations with the Rabbit. This past Sunday he pulled me to the side and told me “Raiders over Browns … it’s a lock” and walked away. I trust this man, and so does the rest of the county. Baker Mayfield looked like the #1 pick in this past draft, but this will be his first NFL west coast trip. Many teams do not survive the Black Hole in Oakland. Expect the Raiders to get in the win column this week. Raiders 28 Browns 17.

Chiefs -3.5 at Broncos – Ain’t life great when I get to write this blog for “Me and Mahomies” !! Yeah, that’s a Patrick Mahomes reference and my fantasy team name! The MVP is not slowing down any time soon, especially in Mile High. Mahomes made two throws last week on the run and I cannot believe how hard and accurate he threw it. This dude is scary good. It’s only a matter of time before Kareem Hunt gets it going as well. Mahomes is turning in to a national star, and I am hoping Monday night will be his coming out party to the rest of America. Chiefs 35 Broncos 17.

There we have it folks! Best of Luck!!

Goose