Keep Flipping Coins

This past week went 14-1 on the week to run my season record to 52-24.  I have never had any other week where I have never missed only one game.  The only game I missed was Pittsburgh.  What are they doing losing to Jacksonville?  Here we go with  this week's picks.

Chicago 1-5 @ Green Bay 3-2:  The best quarterback over the last five years in the NFL has been Aaron Rogers.  Not so far this year at this point he has only been average.  Without Rogers pulling his magic act Green Bay is only average. Doubt they have any trouble with the Bears. Packers 26 Bears 17

Giants 3-3 @ Rams 3-3:  I like this Giant team except for one thing Eli Manning.  I don't see the Rams can score enough to win this game Giants 23 Rams 17

Saints 2-3 @Chiefs 3-2:  The Saints have beaten the Chargers and Panthers.  Two teams with three wins between them.  I think the Chiefs are rather good.  Chiefs 28 Saints 23

Colts 2-4 @ Titans 4-2:  who knows that the Titans are 4-2.  Colts are just bumbling along and will have a hard time winning in Nashville.  Titans 30 Colts 26

Vikings 5-0 @ Eagles 3-2:  I think Eagles started out like a house on fire but they have come back to earth.  The Vikings one of the best defense's in the league will be hard for anybody to beat holding the other team without many points Viking 27 Eagles 17

Browns 0-6 @ Bengals 2-4:  Bengals are having a hard time beating anybody that is good.  That's ok this week as they play the Browns.  Bengals 27 Browns 21

Redskins 4-2 @ Lions 3-3:  Very interesting game this week between two teams that you don't  know what you are going to get each week.  Lions 33 Skins 30

Raiders 4-2 @ Jags 2-3:  Just how good are the Raiders?  The Jags are as good as they have been in at least 10 years.  I like Jax at home 26-23

Bills 4-2 @ Dolphins 2-4:  Bills are riding high set up to fall down in Miami.  Dolphins 26 Bills 20

Ravens 3-3 @ Jets 1-4:  Ravens are not the defense of years past.  Jets are the Jets of years past.  I like Jets 32-26

Tampa 2-3 @ San Fran 1-5:  Buc go to 49ers and Win 30-23

Chargers 2-4 @ Falcons 4-2:  You know the Chargers could be 6-0 tight now riding high beating Denver.  Falcons defense might let Philip Rivers have a field day.  This is how ever a west coast / east coast game.  Falcons 33 Chargers 30

Patriots 5-1 @ Steelers 4-2:  Did  Steelers look past Jaxsonville?  I think steel city could win but maybe no Ben.  Pat's 30 Steelers 17

Seahawks 4-1 @ Cardinals 3-3:  I keep waiting for the Cardinal defense to start playing.  They need to this week.  Cards 27 Hawks 23

Texans 4-2 @ Broncos 4-2:  Not much offense in Denver.  Texans are a rising team. I doubt Denver wins eight games by season ends.  Houston 23 Denver 16

NCHSAA Relents

Depending on how much flooding you may have had in 1999 or 2016 if you flooded in 99 or 16 that will depend for you which storm was worse. 1999 Floyd hit in September so in some cases three non conference games were wiped out.  Matthew hit in October right in the middle of conference play and conference determine who makes the Playoffs so in football's case Matthew hit at the wrong time.

Since so many schools east of use remain closed because that school might be a shelter or roads to get to the school are blocked in all directions where you can't even get there yet. Many schools east of us may not go at all this week.  With all of this in mind the North Carolina High School Athletic Association has extended the football season one extra week which will now end on November 11th instead of the fourth.

Extending the season an extra week will allow the Big East to drop the three games in eight days format which was schedule to start this Friday night.  The games that were to be played on the 25th will now be played on Thursday night November 10th.  This will create the natural finishing games every season the Northern Nash at  Rocky Mount, Southern Nash at Nash Central and Hunt at Fike they now be the next to last game of the season.  It also eliminates that Rocky Mount at Southern Nash the game everyone expects to determine the conference champion will not be the third game in that eight days.

The Big East football will now finish the season on November 10th with these games Rocky Mount at Hunt, Fike at Nash Central and Southern Nash at Northern Nash.  The football seedings will come out on the 12th and the first playoff game on the 18th, second round 25th, third round December 2nd, fourth Round 9th and the state championship 16th and 17th one week later than scheduled.  Because the sites were not schedule for the 16th and 17th the state chsmpionship sites are up in the air right now.

There is a major schedule conflict by moving the state championships to the 17th.  That is the day the North Caroina/ South Carolina Shrine Bowl game is scheduled.  It really is not much of a problem for most of the players who will play in the game because most will already be knocked out of the playoffs and will be available for the game.  If you are scheduled to play and your team is in the state championship games which one would you want to play in.  I would suspect 10 to 15 players on the North Carolina roster could be effected that day.

Women's Tennis indivual playoffs will start with regional starting in October 21st and 22nd.  The State chsmpionship will be October 28th and 29th..  Team first round starts Oct 25th-November 1st- November 3rd, a Regionsl Nivember 9th and State championship Nivember 12th

Volleyball seeding will come out on the 25th, first round October 26th, 2nd round October 27th, 3rd November 1st  fourth November 3rd and State Championship Nivember 5th.

Soccer seeding November 3rd.  First round November 5th, 2nd round November 8th, third November 10th, 4th November 12th and regional November 15th and state chsmpionship November 19th

Cross Country playoffs are as regularly scheduled.

Should your school make it all the was to state championship  football game is basketball who may start season without their full team.

This Weather Perdicament Who's Advantage

This weather is nothing new.  Basketball has had to play up to four games in order to catch up the schedule.  Just last spring baseball had almost three weeks without practice or games.  During Hurricane Floyd  Several teams lost three non conference games in 1999.   This is  a new experience for football playing three games in eight days.  There has been many times when a rainout has caused a Monday/Friday two game week.

When this begins on October 21st there will be three teams that will have 1-0 conference records at the start.  Northern Nash will be the only team that already knows what it will take to survive three games in eight days.  Will that be an advantage for them having already lived through this experience?

Here's what's ahead for the Big East.  First Northern Nash.  Friday the 21st they host Nash Central
0-1.  Tuesday 25th host Southern Nash 1-0 and on the 28th travel to Fike 0-1.

Southern Nash host Hunt 0-1 next Friday 21st.  They are on the road to Northern Nash 1/0 on the 25th and on the 28th host Rocky Mount 1-0.

Rocky Mount has Homecoming against Fike 0-1 on the 21st.  A visit to Hunt 0-1 on the 25th and they finish up on the 28th at Southern Nash 1-0.

Of those three that are tied for the lead now Northern Nash has two of the three games at home.  Southern Nash two and Rocky Mount only one.  Both Northern and Rocky Mount play two games that lost  their first conference where Southern Nash gets both Northern and Rocky Mount in this three game stretch.

Since this three games in eight  days effects everyone what is the three games for the three teams that stand 0-1.  Hunt 0-1 travels to Southern Nash on the 21st, host Rocky Mount on the 25th and finish their three game sprint at Nash Central 0-1. So Hunt gets  two of the heavy weights.

Fike 0-1 begins the 21st at Rocky Mount 1-0, the 25th at Nash Central 0-1 and finish off their venture
hosting Northern  Nash 1-0.  Fike has two of the heavy weights.

Nash Central 0-1 will travel to Northern Nash on the 21st. They will host Fike on the 25th and Hunt comes to Central on the 28th.  So Nash Central has only one of the heavy weights in this stretch.

So who has the advantage in the next 11 days.  60% of the conference schedule will be in those upcoming days.  This conference could be turned upside down by just one injury this Friday by any teams best player who might be out for just one week and that would be two games missed instead of one.  There is no doubt that this is the uncharted territory for every team when conference games were involved.  This would be a bad time for any team to have a bad week.

Sports Schedule Changes

There were way too many football games postponed Friday night  and the NCHSAA has announced that the football playoffs will begin as scheduled that second Friday night in November.  That is of course is  causing major schedule dilemmas  for conferences trying to get as many of their games in as possible.  So far the Big East has their plan in place playing three games in eight days starting this Friday night.

The Big East is a lucky one being on the western end of the storm the water headed east and the further east you go water is still covering roads and closing schools.  How is both North Edgecombe and Tarboro both unbeaten in conference play going to get back on the field.  There may be no school at all again this week.  I could see teams with only nine or ten games being lower seeded in the tournament because their records are 7-2 over. 10-0 team.  The road is always harder the further down  the seeding you are.

All fall sports have been effected and the NCHSAA has said the only sport that will not begin as scheduled in girls tennis.  The State has delayed the date of conferences announcing who the teams making the tournament as well as the individual performers who will play singles and doubles.  Last week was suppose to be conference tennis tournament in Big East but that has been shifted to Monday and Tuesday at Barton College.  The regular season Rocky Mount team went 9-1. Fike finished  second at 8-1.  Hunt was third.  Only two teams will make the tennis playoffs so if someone other than Rocky Mount and Fike get it the upset will have to happen by Tuesday. The state playoffs start Thursday now.

Volleyball and Boys soccer the conference voted to drop the conference tournaments and use that time to finish the regular season schedule and the playoff teams will be based on regular season standings.  Volleyball at this point has Hunt at 9-0, Fike 7-2 and Rocky Mount 7-3.  Depending on how many teams get in Northern Nash 3-6 and Southern Nash 2-7 could be watching from the sidelines.

Soccer is no where near as close to finishing as VB.  Right now Hunt stands 5-0 followed by Fike 4-1.  Soutthern Nash 3-2, fourth is Rocky Mount 2-4, Northern Nash 1-4 and Nash Central trails the field 1-5.  There is still time for those teams in the middle to get on a hot streak and make a push for the playoffs.

Golf regional Start Monday for our area at Reedy Creek Golf Club.

Weather almost every year whether it is snow during basketball or rain in the spring has to make adjustments accordingly to complete their schedules.  This year it is a hurricane  that has disrupted many schools and in some cases games will never be played or made up due to the extreme amount of school days lost.  There just isn't enough days to help get all games in without interrupting the playoffs. Those who have lost everything in their life their homes their clothes on their back missing sporting events is very trivial to them.  We will pray for all in distress.

Only One Left Undefeated

It was the only game in town.  It was the only game in the county in fact many surrounding counties as Rocky Mount Academy and Southampton Academy from Courtland Virginia both undefeated at 7-0 and riding on the outcome the top seed probably for the  upcoming at season's end in the NCISAA playoffs.  Both have been recent champs so this game not only is for supremacy in North Carolina Eight Man football this year but creates for the winner to have home field advantage helping the odds for adding another title.

This game will not be pleasant for the Eagles of RMA as they found themselves down 30-0 midway in the second quarter before they crossed the goal line for the first time.   Cutting the lead to 30-6 now needing to stop the Raiders there is always a chance to score many points in eight man but the Eagles could not find a way to slow down SA. The Eagles needed desperately to get into the half down by only 24 but Southampton scored again to lead by 30 at 36-6.

There is coach speak that when you are up by a big margin at the half that they will remind their teams that if we scored 36 in a half that there is no reason that they could do it to us in the second half if we don't come out and play intensely like they did  in the first half.  Coach Terrell Hudgins had to preach to his team that the game is not over if we eliminate the mistakes made in the first half.

The second half was a repeat of the first as Southampton put 20 unanswered points on the board in the third.  RMA scored a single touchdown  in the fourth but The Raiders were just too dominant.   Southampton becomes the only unbeaten team left in eight man football as they torch the Eagles in Rocky Mount 64-12.  Certainly all of the games played already this season gave us no indication of this kind of score.

RMA loses their first game of the season have a chance to recover next week but head to Southampton in two weeks to meet again.

It is official that the homecoming football game which was suppose to be played Saturday  at The Rocky Mount Athletic Complex between Methodist College and North Carolina Wesleyan College has been cancelled and will not be rescheduled.  Wesleyan was able to pick up the pieces midweek after Hurricane Matthew but for Methodist all activities have been cancelled through Sunday. 

If you have ever been on the campus of Methodist I don't remember if it's campus is on any of the banks of the Cape Fear River but it can't be very far away  as of Friday the Cape Fear river crested at 58.5 feet.  Much of their fall sports are in jeopardy for the remainder of the fall season.

Even without a football game to introduce the 2016 North Carolina Wesleyan new members to the Hall Of Fame the show will go on Saturday night  at Edge Gym at 6:30.  The entire squad of the 1999 National Champion baseball team will be inducted. Long time head baseball coach Charlie Long and loyal assistant Ernie Jones will have their names added to the Hall.

Week Of Decision

I don't know if you have noticed this or not with ECU cancelling their game this week none of the Big Four schools are home and all four play the top four teams in the ACC.  Nobody that plays in the ACC that call North Carolina home are favored and they are all underdogs Saturday.  Last week 6-3 to run my guess totals for college football to 45-16.

NC State 4-1 @ Clemson 6-0: I just don't think the Pack is all that bad a club this year but I have no dreams of believing they have a chance in this one.  Last few years these games have been high scoring an I see no reason it will not be that way again.  Clemson 45 Pack 32

North Carolina 4-2 @ Miami 4-1:  Canes put up a fight but fell to Florida State for their first loss of season.  Carolina drowned in their own stupidity.  If you have two runners that Carolina has why do you try to pass in the pouring rain.  They should have run over VT but chose to pass. This could be an interesting game.  Miami pulls it out 34-30

Duke 3-3 @ Louisville 4-1:  Houston losing and Louisville losing a projected top five game against Houston gone they will need to beat everyone on their schedule by 70 to impress the pollster.  Duke is the first team that must face this onslaught. I hope they stay within 35.  Louisville 56 Duke 24

Wake Forest 5-1 @ Florida State 4-2:  Can you believe Wake is 5-1.  FSU coming off off a big rival win over Miami and they may not respect the Deacs and be set up for an upset.  You know Wake has given the Noles trouble in the past.  I can't see them winning in Tallahassee.  FSU 38 Wake 24

Georgia Southern 3-2@ Georgia Tech 3-3:  This is not a gimme for the Rambling Wreck. They have their work cut out for themselves.  GT 37 GS 28

Virginia Tech 4-1 @ Syracuse 2-4:  VT showed everyone in Chapel Hill they are back. So here is a question.  Would the old Frank Beamer teams go to a place like  Syracuse who we can not say they are an average team and lose.  I say no Tech 42 Cuse 24

Pitt 4-2 @ Virginia 2-3:  UVA's first couple of games they were awful but they have turned the corner.  Pitt I still like and think they have no problem in Charlottesville.  38-20 Panthers.

Stanford 3-2 @ Notre Dame2-4:  If you were impressed  with the Irish coaching in Raleigh you didn't see the game I saw.  Kelly stuck to the pass the entire game never gave his team a chance.  Stanford has lost  big two games in a row badly.  Can they rebound against a bad Notre Dame team?  Yes 35 -24 the Cardinals or Trees what ever their mascot is.

It's Obvious No High School Sports This Week

Edgecombe County schools closed through the week.. Nash and Wilson County for sure closed Thursday.  Both Wilson and Nash Counties have a rule that if any school is closed all day or close early because of weather no games or even practices can be held.  That makes very good sense that if it is bad enough to keep school  from taking in or get out early should students be  endangered by practice after school or a game

This of course means no football in this area Friday night and we are  in the middle of a conference season.  Football you only play teams once and if any one game is lost that is 20% of the season.  You will see every one play three games in eight days just like Northern Nash did a few weeks back.

Rocky Mount will play Fike  in Homecoming Friday October 21st as is on the schedule.  The Big East Athletic Directors discussed Wednesday how to proceed with the games that will be missed this Friday night.  Tuesday October 25th Rocky Mount will travel to Hunt.  Southern Nash will visit Northern Nash and Nash Central makes their makeup game with Fike.  This way all teams will play three games within that eight day period basically giving all teams the same schedule with no one having it easier than another other than where the games are played.

You may ask the question why not play next Tuesday and play three games in 11 days? You must remember everyone played their last game on Thursday Night and that means all teams have not played or practice in a week.  WRAL-TV  reported tonight that in Nash County 50 bus routes were still effected by flooded roads.  So there is no guarantee schools go Monday.  If they do go Monday which we all hope that give four days to get ready for Fike Friday and to get back in shape.

Look at the plight for North Carolina Wesleyan.  Homecoming and the Hall of Fame weekend has been wiped out this Saturday against Methodist.  Both Methodist and The Battling Bishops have no open dates for the rest of the season.

DIII playoffs start November 19th.  Wesleyan has a game every week until then.  Methodist even had to cancel their game last Saturday with Averitt.  Only one lost so far the Bishops still have a shot at the DIII playoffs  from Conference USA South.  They could by not playing all games find themselves a half game short in any tie situation.

I could see this happen.  No playoffs and Home Coming and the Hall of Fame weekend just might be moved to November 19th.  The Bishops just might be playing the first weekend of the national playoffs but not in the playoffs.