The season finale has arrived
No one said it would be easy. Greatness (or, in this case, a .500 record picking Mountain West Conference basketball games) isn't guaranteed.
But a sweep on the final regular-season day would be good enough for a break-even finish. For this, I'll obviously need more than just a hunch on each game.
I need serious motivation, the kind that can only be drawn from the best show on television few know about, "Friday Night Lights."
You can't get better than the stories in and around Dillon High football. Nothing on the tube has compared since Salami, Coolidge and Thorpe shot baskets for Coach Reeves.
TODAY'S GAMES:
NEW MEXICO (minus-5.5) at WYOMING: A victory gets the Lobos at least a share of the regular-season championship, meaning they are this close to hoisting a trophy no one believed they could own, meaning they are a lot like Dillon quarterback Matt Saracen, who went from nobody to state champion.
My pick: Wyoming.
TEXAS CHRISTIAN (plus-14.5) at UTAH: I think of Utah coach Jim Boylen and visualize Dillon booster Buddy Garrity. Sort of nutty. Very controlling. More than a bit unpredictable.
My pick: Texas Christian.
AIR FORCE (plus-22.5) at BRIGHAM YOUNG: The poor, pathetic Falcons. They are 40 minutes from an 0-16 league record. They are a sad sack of a team, the Landry Clarke of Mountain West hoops. Then again, Landry dated school beauty Tyra Collette for a while, which means anything can happen. Anything includes covering such a big spread.
My pick: Air Force.
UNLV (plus-3) at SAN DIEGO STATE: Kyle Chandler is the Dillon head coach who is respected for his even-keeled nature and ability to adjust in difficult situations. Sort of like a guy named Lon Kruger.
My pick: UNLV.
OVERALL RECORDS
Me: 29-33-1.
Guest celebrities:
Matt Youmans, UNLV basketball beat writer for the R-J: 1-2.
Bridget Graney, my 7-year old daughter: 3-1.
Coin flip: 1-3.
Ellie May, the family dog: 2-2.
Adam Hill, UFC beat writer for the R-J and assistant coach to the Irish Rookies of NJB Northwest: 2-2.
Jay Posner, UCLA alum and assistant sports editor for the San Diego Union-Tribune: 2-2
Bonnie, my wife: 3-1
