Pigskin Picking is a grind and one Picker, reporter Mac Cordell, has found a way to grind his way to the top of the pack again with a 39-12 overall record. He can credit a solid week of picking last week, as he went 11-1 to take a one- game lead over sports editor Tim Miller.
Miller finds himself at 38-13 on the season after a 10-2 record last week.
The real meat-and-potatoes of the Pickers is the three-way tie in the middle of the pack. Managing editor Chad Williamson, publisher Kevin Behrens and sports reporter Sam Dillon all find themselves fighting to break the 34-17 stalemate.
Williamson has been riding the middle so far this season and did so again with a 9-3 record last week. Behrens decided to take a nosedive for the bottom of the pack with an 8-4 record and Dillon decided to pull himself out of the basement by turning in a 10-2 mark.
The only newsroom picker left is reporter Will Channell, who is all alone in the basement again with a 33-18 overall record.
This week’s guest pickers are once again Dave Laslow, Dean Cook, Bob Van Hoose and Kevin Truitt.
Williamson will be covering the Monarchs as they take on Dublin Coffman. Miller will head over to Fairbanks to watch them as they take on West Jefferson for Homecoming.
Cordell will cover the Cardinals as they take on Northeastern during their Homecoming game and Dillon will cover the North Union Wildcats as they try to notch their first home win of the season against Pleasant.
You can keep up to date on all the covered games by checking out the Journal-Tribune Facebook page for quarterly updates.
Marysville vs.
Dublin Coffman
Williamson: Marysville by 4
Miller: Coffman by 7
Behrens: DHS by 1
Cordell: Rocks by 4
Channell: Coffman by 9
Dillon: Dublin Coffman by 10
Cook: Marysville by 3
Laslow: Marysville by 6
Truitt: Marysville by 6
Van Hoose: Marysville by 3
Fairbanks vs.
West Jefferson
Williamson: West Jefferson by 7
Miller: Fairbanks by 3
Behrens: FHS by 2
Cordell: Rough Riders by 9
Channell: West Jefferson by 9
Dillon: Fairbanks by 7
Cook: Fairbanks by 6
Laslow: Fairbanks by 7
Truitt: Fairbanks by 6
Van Hoose: Fairbanks by 7
NU vs. Pleasant
Williamson: Pleasant by 3
Miller: Pleasant by 6
Behrens: Pleasant by 3
Cordell: Wildcats by 2
Channell: Pleasant by 9
Dillon: North Union by 1
Cook: North Union by 6
Laslow: North Union by 3
Truitt: NU by 7
Van Hoose: NU by 6
Jonathan Alder vs. Kenton Ridge
Williamson: JA by 7
Miller: JA by 3
Behrens: JA by 4
Cordell: Pioneers by 22
Channell: Jon Alder by 9
Dillon: Jon Alder by 6
Cook: Jonathan Alder by 14
Laslow: Jonathan Alder by 7
Truitt: JA by 6
Van Hoose: Jonathan Alder by 6
Triad vs. Northeastern
Williamson: Triad by 6
Miller: Triad by 3
Behrens: Triad by 5
Cordell: Jets by 3
Channell: Triad by 9
Dillon: Triad by 1
Cook: Triad by 6
Laslow: Triad by 6
Truitt: Triad by 6
Van Hoose: Triad by 6
Browns vs. Bengals
Williamson: Bengals by 9
Miller: Browns by 3
Behrens: Bengals by 6
Cordell: Cincinnati by 9
Channell: Bengals by 9
Dillon: Browns by 7
Cook: Browns by 3
Laslow: Browns by 7
Truitt: Browns by 6
Van Hoose: Bengals by 6
OSU vs. Rutgers
Williamson: OSU by 40
Miller: OSU by 35
Behrens: OSU by 7
Cordell: Buckeyes by 39
Channell: OSU by 9
Dillon: OSU by 21
Cook: OSU by 24
Laslow: OSU by 30
Truitt: OSU by 28
Van Hoose: OSU by 28
Clemson vs.
Virginia Tech
Williamson: Clemson by 13
Miller: Clemson by 10
Behrens: Clemson by 8
Cordell: Tigers by 13
Channell: Clemson by 9
Dillon: Clemson by 10
Cook: Clemson by 14
Laslow: Clemson by 7
Truitt: Clemson by 7
Van Hoose: Clemson by 7
Auburn vs. Miss. State
Williamson: Auburn by 9
Miller: Auburn by 6
Behrens: Auburn by 9
Cordell: Tigers by 7
Channell: Miss. State by 9
Dillon: Miss. St. by 3
Cook: Miss. State by 6
Laslow: Auburn by 6
Truitt: Auburn by 3
Van Hoose: Auburn by 7
Georgia vs. Tennessee
Williamson: Georgia by 13
Miller: Georgia by 3
Behrens:Georgia by 10
Cordell: Dawgs by 6
Channell: Georgia by 9
Dillon: Tennessee by 7
Cook: Tennessee by 6
Laslow: Tennessee by 6
Truitt: Georgia by 7
Van Hoose: Georgia by 6
USC vs.
Washington State
Williamson: USC by 7
Miller: USC by 6
Behrens: USC by 11
Cordell: Cougars by 2
Channell: Washington State by 9
Dillon: USC by 10
Cook: Washington State by 6
Laslow: Washington State by 7
Truitt: USC by 6
Van Hoose: USC by 7
Miami vs. Duke
Williamson: Miami by 6
Miller: Miami by 7
Behrens: Miami by 12
Cordell: Hurricanes by 4
Channell: Miami by 9
Dillon: Miami by 7
Cook: Miami by 12
Laslow: Miami by 7
Truitt: Miami by 6
Van Hoose: Miami by 3
Oklahoma State vs.
Texas Tech
Williamson: OK State by 3
Miller: OK State by 6
Behrens: Okie St by 13
Cordell: Cowboys by 16
Channell: Texas Tech by 9
Dillon: Oklahoma St. by 9
Cook: OK State by 12
Laslow: OK State by 7
Truitt: OK State by 3
Van Hoose: OK State by 6
Disclaimers:
Williamson: “I know that West Jeff doesn’t have a lot of quality wins on their schedule, but the fact remains that they are 5-0. Being undefeated at the halfway point of the season does bring a team a certain level of swagger. If you look at the how each team played Olentangy, Marysville actually kept the game closer than Coffman did. I know the Monarchs seem to have a mental block when comes to Coffman, but maybe this is the year.”
Miller: “I know West Jefferson is 5-0, but their schedule hasn’t been all that challenging. I think maybe Fairbanks can surprise the Rough Riders. The Bengals-Browns is a tough one. We will see who stinks the least.”
Behrens: “Jim Dandee Dillion has finally picked his beloved Browns. For weeks he has been getting away with picking against them, so let’s see if he sinks like a rock. Speaking of getting away with a pick, Coco Cordell asked me to pick the Colts/ Browns game for him last week and I picked the Colts correctly so we now have split that pick ½ each. Let’s see how nervous he is as the season comes down to the end.”
Cordell: “K-Behr tried to bite my thumb and I can tell him’s nervous as we move into the second half of the season. As the season shortens and my lead grows, he will become more aggressive in turning his disjointed turrets my direction. I am so hopeful that I can keep this ball rolling. I have tried very hard to make my picks and not second-guess myself. I have very much enjoyed seeing Fairbanks the last couple of weeks and look forward to seeing Triad this week.”
Channell: “I look forward to critiquing this week’s coffee at Fairbanks.”
Dillon: “I seemed to have regained some footing, but this is football and my best guess is the same as yours. The Wildcats have a tough game ahead of them against Pleasant. Both programs play a similar game in the same league, containing the big play will be key.”
Cook: “The Monarchs will have their hands full as well as North Union and Fairbanks. The Bucks will roll!”
Laslow: “Go Bucks!”
Truitt: “Go Bucks!”
Van Hoose: “Go Bucks!”