Reverend Ref +

RIVALRY WEEK

Yes, it's that time of year again when football fans go nuts. Civil Wars, Iron Bowls and Apple Cups abound. This is a particularly stressful time for me as my beloved Cougs travel to Seattle to play the hated huskies. On paper, WSU should take uw easily; but as Chris Berman says, "Dat's why dey play da game." Honestly, the Cougs are the all-time losers in this event, but ever since 1982 things haven't been the same (one of the greatest days in sports history, when uw had to return those fancy new jerseys with the roses on the shoulders that they had purchased a week before traveling to Pullman -- good memories man).

Pros and Cons of this game for me: Pro - the Cougs are favored; Con - the Cougs are favored. Pro - It's televised; Con - Can't watch it if you live in Big 10/11 country. Pro - Not watching it will keep my bp down; Con - I'll probably be staring at the live updates on the computer for 3-1/2 hours.

Here are my picks for the weekend - based on nothing more than the fact that I never win the lottery. OSU v UM, UM. WSU v UW, WSU. OSU v UO, undecided. USC v UCLA, USC. Cal v Stanford, it doesn't matter as long as there's a band involved.

Enjoy the weekend and may we all be blessed with great games (remember, just because your team loses doesn't mean it wasn't a good game).

Peace