Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions Week of 10/31/2011

Now in its 6th season, Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions are published weekly to show a possible college football playoff format. Similar to the NCAA basketball tournament, 11 conference champions receive automatic bids. 5 additional spots are available for at large bids.

Round 1 games would be hosted by the higher ranked seeds. Rounds 2 - 4 would incorporate the bowl system with host cities/bowls bidding to host the games. The "Big 4" BCS bowls would be permanent playoff hosts on a round-rotating basis (Championship, semi-finals and 1 round 2 game).

For the week of October 31, 2011:

1. LSU (SEC Champion)
2. Alabama (At Large SEC)
3. Oklahoma State (Big 12 Champion)
4. Stanford (PAC 12 Champion)
5. Boise State (Mountain West Champion)
6. Oregon (At Large PAC 12)
7. Oklahoma (At Large Big 12)
8. Arkansas (At Large SEC)
9. Nebraska (At Large Big 10)
10. Clemson (ACC Champion)
11. Houston (C-USA Champion)
12. Penn State (Big 10 Champion)
13. Cincinnati (Big East Champion)
14. Toledo (MAC Champion)
15. Nevada (WAC Champion)
16. Arkansas State (Sun Belt Champion)

Dropped out: Michigan State (#10, Big 10 Champion), Kansas State (#11, At Large Big 12)

Number Of Teams by Conference:
SEC (3), Big 10 (2), Big 12 (2), PAC 12 (2), ACC (1), Big East (1), C-USA (1), MAC (1), Mountain West (1), Sun Belt (1), WAC (1), Independent (0)

Match ups round by round assuming higher seeds win.

Round 1
(16) Arkansas State at (1) LSU
(9) Nebraska at (8) Arkansas
(12) Penn State at (5) Boise State
(13) Cincinnati at (4) Stanford
(11) Houston at (6) Oregon
(14) Toledo at (3) Oklahoma State
(10) Clemson at (7) Oklahoma
(15) Nevada at (2) Alabama

Round 2
(8) Arkansas vs (1) LSU
(5) Boise State vs (4) Stanford
(6) Oregon vs (3) Oklahoma State
(7) Oklahoma vs (2) Alabama

Round 3
(4) Stanford vs (1) LSU
(3) Oklahoma State vs (2) Alabama

Championship Game
(2) Alabama vs (1) LSU

Bleu, Halloween, Rankings, Football

After a couple of weeks of guessing and a shaky e-mail campaign, Downtown's newest restaurant has opened in the Westin. I haven't heard anything positive or negative about the Bleu, so I'll have to check it out in the near future.

Halloween festivities started to kick off at local bars on Thursday night. It's safe to say that most bars in the city will have some type of Halloween costume contest tonight. Can't wait to see all of the creativity.

A week after being announced as the #9 team in the pre-season Coaches Poll, Memphis has debuted at #11 in the AP Poll. Looks like their are some big expectations this season.

After beating Tulane last week, Memphis dropped out of ESPN's Bottom 10. Don't get your hopes up, the Tigers are still on the waiting list.

Here's the picks for this week.

Last Week: 2-4
Season: 33-15 (69%)

Central Florida over Memphis
Rhodes over Sewanee
Georgia over Florida
Stanford over USC
New Orleans Saints over St. Louis Rams
Tennessee Titans over Indianapolis Colts

Weekly Liberty Bowl Projection: Houston vs Tennessee-Knoxville

Houston looks to be the class of Conference USA, although SMU may give them problems. Mississippi State may only win or two more games this year, so the Vols should get the nod.

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions Week of 10/24/2011

Now in its 6th season, Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions are published weekly to show a possible college football playoff format. Similar to the NCAA basketball tournament, 11 conference champions receive automatic bids. 5 additional spots are available for at large bids.

Round 1 games would be hosted by the higher ranked seeds. Rounds 2 - 4 would incorporate the bowl system with host cities/bowls bidding to host the games. The "Big 4" BCS bowls would be permanent playoff hosts on a round-rotating basis (Championship, semi-finals and 1 round 2 game).

For the week of October 24, 2011:

1. LSU (SEC Champion)
2. Alabama (At Large SEC)
3. Oklahoma State (Big 12 Champion)
4. Stanford (PAC 12 Champion)
5. Boise State (Mountain West Champion)
6. Clemson (ACC Champion)
7. Oregon (At Large PAC 12)
8. Arkansas (At Large SEC)
9. Oklahoma (At Large Big 12)
10. Michigan State (Big 10 Champion)
11. Kansas State (At Large Big 12)
12. Houston (C-USA Champion)
13. Cincinnati (Big East Champion)
14. Toledo (MAC Champion)
15. Nevada (WAC Champion)
16. Arkansas State (Sun Belt Champion)

Dropped out: Wisconsin (#4, Big 10 Champion), Nebraska (#11, At Large Big 10), Louisiana-Lafayette (#14, Sun Belt Champion), Temple (#15, MAC Champion)

Number Of Teams by Conference:
SEC (3), Big 12 (3), PAC 12 (2), ACC (1), Big 10 (1), Big East (1), C-USA (1), MAC (1), Mountain West (1), Sun Belt (1), WAC (1), Independent (0)

Match ups round by round assuming higher seeds win.

Round 1
(16) Arkansas State at (1) LSU
(9) Oklahoma  at (8) Arkansas
(12) Houston at (5) Boise State
(13) Cincinnati at (4) Stanford
(11) Kansas State at (6) Clemson
(14) Toledo at (3) Oklahoma State
(10) Michigan State at (7) Oregon
(15) Nevada at (2) Alabama

Round 2
(8) Arkansas vs (1) LSU
(5) Boise State vs (4) Stanford
(6) Clemson vs (3) Oklahoma State
(7) Oregon vs (2) Alabama

Round 3
(4) Stanford vs (1) LSU
(3) Oklahoma State vs (2) Alabama

Championship Game
(2) Alabama vs (1) LSU

Latest Clue On New Downton Restaurant, RiverArtsFest, Football

The latest clue on Downtown's newest restaurant is "We pull flavors from around the world so you can taste the world here." I've given up on guessing. The only thing that can be confirmed is restaurant will be in the Westin.

The weather is looking perfect for the RiverArtsFest this weekend. If you haven't been to this festival, be sure to check it out.

A lot of the focus has been on the poor state of Memphis football, but there are some positives with Memphis athletics right now. Two other teams are ranked for the good things they are doing. Memphis basketball is ranked #9 in the first USA/ESPN Coaches Poll of the season and Tigers women's soccer team is ranked in the Top 10 in two polls.


Larry Porter's football team is still ranked in ESPN's Bottom 10 poll, coming in at #4. The beauty of this weekend's game against Tulane is that someone has to win. The Tigers have a chance. Ole Miss is #10.


Here's the picks for this week.

Last Week: 5-1
Season: 31-11 (74%)

Tulane over Memphis
Austin College over Rhodes
LSU over Auburn
Wisconsin over Michigan State
New Orleans Saints over Indianapolis Colts
Tennessee Titans over Houston Texans

Weekly Liberty Bowl Projection: Houston vs Tennessee-Knoxville

Houston looks to be the class of Conference USA, although SMU may give them problems. Mississippi State may only win or two more games this year, so the Vols should get the nod.

Quick Liberty Bowl note - KC and the Sunshine Band will be this year's half time entertainment.

Second Clue For Neu Spot Downtown, Alchemy, C-USA Coaching Change, Conference Re-alignment

The second clue for Downtown's newest restaurant was revealed yesterday. "Cleu #2" is "We like to keep company with superstars." This again led me to believe that the new Westin restaurant was probably the right guess. Then later, I was proven right. The restaurant to replace Sole is being announced Thursday. With all the neu, cleu and bleu talk, who knows what the name will be. Let's just hope it's a good spot.

After talking to one of the owner's of McEwan's on Monroe, it sounds like Alchemy is shooting to open in early November. Located in Cooper-Young, Alchemy will feature 30 plus small plates.

Today, Tulane had the guts to fire their head coach after another embarrassing loss. If the Memphis Tigers lose to Tulane this weekend, then Larry Porter needs to be canned before the bus ride home. Tulane is rumored to be going after LSU's top recruiter Frank Wilson. Hey Green Wave fans and administration, look at the Larry Porter experiment. It doesn't work.

RC Johnson should be on the chopping block shortly after, but it's looking like Memphis will need someone to guide the Tigers through conference re-alignment. The announced football alliance between the Mountain West and Conference USA seems like the best possible position for Memphis. The Big East is reportedly adding six teams and Memphis is not one of them. Once the latest round of moves is complete, then Johnson should pack his bags and move on.

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions Week of 10/17/2011

Now in its 6th season, Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions are published weekly to show a possible college football playoff format. Similar to the NCAA basketball tournament, 11 conference champions receive automatic bids. 5 additional spots are available for at large bids.

Round 1 games would be hosted by the higher ranked seeds. Rounds 2 - 4 would incorporate the bowl system with host cities/bowls bidding to host the games. The "Big 4" BCS bowls would be permanent playoff hosts on a round-rotating basis (Championship, semi-finals and 1 round 2 game).

For the week of October 17, 2011:

1. LSU (SEC Champion)
2. Oklahoma (Big 12 Champion)
3. Alabama (At Large SEC)
4. Wisconsin (Big 10 Champion)
5. Oklahoma State (At Large Big 12)
6. Boise State (Mountain West Champion)
7. Stanford (PAC 12 Champion)
8. Clemson (ACC Champion)
9. Oregon (At Large PAC 12)
10. Arkansas (At Large SEC)
11. Nebraska (At Large Big 10)
12. West Virginia (Big East Champion)
13. Houston (C-USA Champion)
14. Louisiana-Lafayette (Sun Belt Champion)
15. Temple (MAC Champion)
16. Nevada (WAC Champion)

Dropped out: Michigan  (#11, At Large Big 10), Hawaii  (#14, WAC Champion)

Number Of Teams by Conference:
SEC (3), Big 10 (2), Big 12 (2), PAC 12 (2), ACC (1), Big East (1), C-USA (1), MAC (1), Mountain West (1), Sun Belt (1), WAC (1), Independent (0)

Match ups round by round assuming higher seeds win.

Round 1
(16) Nevada at (1) LSU
(9) Oregon  at (8) Clemson
(12) West Virginia at (5) Oklahoma State
(13) Houston at (4) Wisconsin
(11) Nebraska at (6) Boise State
(14) Louisiana-Lafayette at (3) Alabama
(10) Arkansas at (7) Stanford
(15) Temple at (2) Oklahoma

Round 2
(8) Clemson vs (1) LSU
(5) Oklahoma State vs (4) Wisconsin
(6) Boise State vs (3) Alabama
(7) Stanford vs (2) Oklahoma

Round 3
(4) Wisconsin vs (1) LSU
(3) Alabama vs (2) Oklahoma

Championship Game
(2) Oklahoma vs (1) LSU

Neu, Five Guys, Bottom 10, Football

The first clue for the location of Neu, one of newest restaurants in downtown Memphis, was issued yesterday. Here's the clue: "One of our neighbors is very high strung." My initial guess that this is referring to the Gibson Guitar Factory. Is the Gibson Lounge space in play? Could there be a new restaurant coming to the Westin? Or replacing the former Ground Zero? Guess we will find out when Neu opens on October 22.

In last night's Overton Square development presentation, Loeb Properties announced that Five Guys Burgers is opening in Midtown. The location will be on Union near Cooper in a spot that used to be a title loan business. I think this is next to Burger King on Union.

The Memphis Tigers are still holding a firm spot in ESPN's Bottom 10 this week, coming in at #4.

The college football realignment carousel keeps on spinning this week. TCU is now locked in to join the Big 12 next season and the Big East is scrambling to find new members. Air Force, Army and Navy have been rumored to join the Big East and there have been reports that Conference USA members Central Florida and East Carolina are also in the mix. Memphis has been mentioned, but only briefly. The wild card in all of this is the SEC's decision on a 14th member. Once Mike Slive plays his card, the next wave of moves will be set in motion for the destruction of college football as we know it.

Here's the picks for this week.

Last Week: 5-1
Season: 26-10 (72%)

East Carolina over Memphis
Millsaps over Rhodes
LSU over Tennessee-Knoxville
Oregon over Arizona State
New Orleans Saints over Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Chicago Bears over Minnesota Vikings

Weekly Liberty Bowl Projection: Houston vs Mississippi State

Houston looks to be the class of Conference USA, although SMU may give them problems. If the Bulldogs continue this slide, they may be spending bowl season in Starkville.

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions Week of 10/10/2011

Now in its 6th season, Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions are published weekly to show a possible college football playoff format. Similar to the NCAA basketball tournament, 11 conference champions receive automatic bids. 5 additional spots are available for at large bids.

Round 1 games would be hosted by the higher ranked seeds. Rounds 2 - 4 would incorporate the bowl system with host cities/bowls bidding to host the games. The "Big 4" BCS bowls would be permanent playoff hosts on a round-rotating basis (Championship, semi-finals and 1 round 2 game).

For the week of October 10, 2011:

1. LSU (SEC Champion)
2. Oklahoma (Big 12 Champion)
3. Alabama (At Large SEC)
4. Wisconsin (Big 10 Champion)
5. Boise State (Mountain West Champion)
6. Stanford (PAC 12 Champion)
7. Oklahoma State (At Large Big 12)
8. Clemson (ACC Champion)
9. Oregon (At Large PAC 12)
10. Arkansas (At Large SEC)
11. Michigan (At Large Big 10)
12. West Virginia (Big East Champion)
13. Houston (C-USA Champion)
14. Hawaii (WAC Champion)
15. Temple (MAC Champion)
16. Louisiana-Lafayette (Sun Belt Champion)

Dropped out: Texas (#10, At Large Big 12), Nevada (#14, WAC Champion), Ohio (#15, MAC Champion)

Number Of Teams by Conference:
SEC (3), PAC 12 (2), Big 10 (2), Big 12 (2), ACC (1), Big East (1), C-USA (1), MAC (1), Mountain West (1), Sun Belt (1), WAC (1), Independent (0)

Match ups round by round assuming higher seeds win.

Round 1
(16) Louisiana-Lafayette at (1) LSU
(9) Oregon  at (8) Clemson
(12) West Virginia at (5) Boise State
(13) Houston at (4) Wisconsin
(11) Michigan at (6) Stanford
(14) Hawaii at (3) Alabama
(10) Arkansas at (7) Oklahoma State
(15) Temple at (2) Oklahoma

Round 2
(8) Clemson vs (1) LSU
(5) Boise State vs (4) Wisconsin
(6) Stanford vs (3) Alabama
(7) Oklahoma State vs (2) Oklahoma

Round 3
(4) Wisconsin vs (1) LSU
(3) Alabama vs (2) Oklahoma

Championship Game
(2) Oklahoma vs (1) LSU

Election Day, Football, Steve Jobs

Today is Election Day in Memphis. Please get out and exercise your right to vote. Early in the day, the lines have been thin with no wait. Here is a list of the Memphis polling locations. Polls close today at 7pm.

Another week, another Memphis loss and more chatter about conference realignment. There's even talk out of New Orleans that the Big 12 is looking at Tulane. Even though the Green Wave's football program is well below average, it makes you wonder the role of academics in this puzzle. Could being a top tier university be the tie-breaker? Probably not, but in the crazy world of conference re-shuffling, who knows.

Here's the picks for this week.

Last Week: 3-3
Season: 21-9 (70%)

Rice over Memphis
LSU over Florida
Arkansas over Auburn
Texas over Oklahoma
New Orleans Saints over Carolina Panthers
Pittsburgh Steelers over Tennessee Titans

Weekly Liberty Bowl Projection: Houston vs Mississippi State

Houston looks to be the class of Conference USA, although SMU may give them problems. If the Bulldogs continue this slide, they may be spending bowl season in Starkville.

Apple IIc

Today we remember Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. For many people, the Apple influence has only been in the past decade or so with Iphones, Ipads and for a longer period, Mac computers. I like to think of myself as an early adopter of Jobs' vision. My first computer, in 1984, (when I was 8 years old) was an Apple IIc . What a gem it was at the time. Lemonade Stand, Oregon Trail were some of my favorite games. Ah, the good ole days when you had to know computer languages and programming to operate computers. Come to think of it, I still have it in my attic. Maybe one day it will be a collector's item.

Hopefully innovation will continue to thrive at Apple without Jobs.

Canadian Thanksgiving, ESPN Bottom 10

Canadian-themed restaurant Kooky Canuck will host a Thanksgiving celebration on Monday, October 10. Wonder if Shawn will have the "Thanksgiving Day Classic" on tv?

Here's the menu:

Lunch $7.99 - Dinner $12.99

Turkey (6oz portion)
Dressing ( 6 oz scoop) served on top of turkey
Broccoilli & Cheese ( 8 oz )
Garlic Mash Potato's & Gravy ( 6 oz )
Cranberry Sauce ( 2oz Scoop)
Stuffing ( 4 oz )
Dinner Roll (1 ) with butter pat's (2)
Minced Tart ( 2) with (1) oz scopp of Ice cream in center


Whenever I think of Canada, South Park comes to mind. Here's the latest Canada-themed South Park episode, Royal Pudding.

Larry Porter's Memphis football team improved in the ESPN Bottom 10 rankings, coming in at #6 this week.

The Blind Bear, Restaurant Poll

The Blind Bear will be the new bar replacing Bar None on Main Street in Downtown Memphis. Congrats to Jamie and Jeanette. Can't wait for it to open!

The Memphis Magazine Restaurant Poll is running through October 31. Be sure to visit the poll and let them know your favorite spots in Memphis.

Memphis Madness, Mississippi State Football

The time of year that all University of Memphis sports fans are waiting for has finally arrived. Basketball season tips off on Friday with Memphis Madness at FedEx Forum.

Larry Porter's football team looked like a much improved club in their loss to Middle Tennessee. Maybe there is something to build on, but a loss is still a loss.

Mississippi State has returned to their losing ways. In addition to trying to keep the wheels from completely falling off the bus, Dan Mullen needs to remind his players of the appropriate places to use the restroom. In the hedges at the University of Georgia is not the spot.

MSU DB Nickoe Whitley having fun with the hedges.

Do these guys live on a farm? Oh wait...

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions Week of 10/3/2011

Now in its 6th season, Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions are published weekly to show a possible college football playoff format. Similar to the NCAA basketball tournament, 11 conference champions receive automatic bids. 5 additional spots are available for at large bids.

Round 1 games would be hosted by the higher ranked seeds. Rounds 2 - 4 would incorporate the bowl system with host cities/bowls bidding to host the games. The "Big 4" BCS bowls would be permanent playoff hosts on a round-rotating basis (Championship, semi-finals and 1 round 2 game).

For the week of October 3, 2011:

1. LSU (SEC Champion)
2. Oklahoma (Big 12 Champion)
3. Alabama (At Large SEC)
4. Wisconsin (Big 10 Champion)
5. Boise State (Mountain West Champion)
6. Stanford (PAC 12 Champion)
7. Oklahoma State (At Large Big 12)
8. Clemson (ACC Champion)
9. Oregon (At Large PAC 12)
10. Texas (At Large Big 12)
11. Arkansas (At Large SEC)
12. West Virginia (Big East Champion)
13. Houston (C-USA Champion)
14. Nevada (WAC Champion)
15. Ohio (MAC Champion)
16. Louisiana-Lafayette (Sun Belt Champion)

Dropped out: Nebraska (#8, At Large Big 10), South Carolina (#10, At Large SEC), Virginia Tech (#11, ACC Champion), South Florida (#12, Big East Champion), Temple (#14, MAC Champion)

Number Of Teams by Conference:
Big 12 (3), SEC (3), PAC 12 (2), ACC (1), Big 10 (1), Big East (1), C-USA (1), MAC (1), Mountain West (1), Sun Belt (1), WAC (1), Independent (0)

Match ups round by round assuming higher seeds win.

Round 1
(16) Louisiana-Lafayette at (1) LSU
(9) Oregon  at (8) Clemson
(12) West Virginia at (5) Boise State
(13) Houston at (4) Wisconsin
(11) Arkansas at (6) Stanford
(14) Nevada at (3) Alabama
(10) Texas at (7) Oklahoma State
(15) Ohio at (2) Oklahoma

Round 2
(8) Clemson vs (1) LSU
(5) Boise State vs (4) Wisconsin
(6) Stanford vs (3) Alabama
(7) Oklahoma State vs (2) Oklahoma

Round 3
(4) Wisconsin vs (1) LSU
(3) Alabama vs (2) Oklahoma

Championship Game
(2) Oklahoma vs (1) LSU