Vokda Martini Tasting, Shell Out For The Arts, Football

Cafe Society will host a 360 Vodka Martini Tasting on Thursday, October 4th at 7:00pm. For $25 plus tax and tip, you will sample 6 different flavors of 360 Vodka, the planet's first eco-friendly vodka.$5 small plates will also be available. Call 901-722.2177 for reservations.

ArtsMemphis is hosting a Mid-Fall Mardi Gras themed Shell Out For The Arts event on Sunday, October 14th from 5-8pm at the Levitt Shell. $20 will get access to beer, wine and dinner from Whole Foods in a private tent before and during the Mardi Gras Indians led by Big Chief Juan Pardo concert. The concert begins at 6pm. For ticket information, contact Sandra Kealge or buy tickets online.  Buying tickets in advance is recommended.


The Memphis Tigers football team enters a bye week with a winless 0-4 record. Memphis isn't the only Conference USA team unable to lock down a win. In addition to the Tigers, Houston, Southern Miss, Tulane and UAB are also fielding horrible clubs this year. The sad part is, both Houston and USM were both in the conference championship game last year. With the way things are going, USM and Memphis may be playing each other to avoid a zero win season on Thanksgiving Weekend.

Here's the picks for this week.

Last Week: 3-3
Season: 16-8 (66%)


Michigan State over Ohio State
Georgia over Tennessee-Knoxville
Trinity over Rhodes
Alabama over Mississippi
Green Bay Packers over New Orleans Saints
Houston Texans over Tennessee Titans

Weekly Liberty Bowl Projection: Tulsa vs Auburn

As the season begins to unfold, Tulsa appears to be the best team in Conference USA. Auburn is barely hanging on.  No change here...yet.

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions Week of 9/24/2012

Now in its 7th 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 September 24, 2012:

1. Alabama (SEC Champion)
2. LSU (At Large SEC)
3. Florida State (ACC Champion)
4. Oregon (PAC 12 Champion)
5. Georgia (At Large SEC)
6. West Virginia (Big 12 Champion)
7. Notre Dame (At Large Independent)
8. South Carolina (At Large SEC)
9. Kansas State (At Large Big 12)
10. Louisville (Big East Champion)
11. Michigan State (Big 10 Champion)
12. Boise State (Mountain West Champion)
13. Ohio (MAC Champion)
14. Louisiana Tech (WAC Champion)
15. Louisiana-Monroe (Sun Belt Champion)
16. Tulsa (C-USA Champion)

Dropped out: Oklahoma (#5, Big 12 Champion), USC (#7, At Large PAC 12), Clemson (#8, At Large ACC), Michigan (#11, Big 10 Champion)

Number Of Teams by Conference:
SEC (4), Big 12 (2), ACC (1), Big 10 (1),  Big East (1), C-USA (1),  Independent (1), MAC (1), Mountain West (1), PAC 12 (1), Sun Belt (1), WAC (1),

Match ups round by round assuming higher seeds win.

Round 1
(16) Tulsa at (1) Alabama
(9) Kansas State  at (8) South Carolina
(12) Boise State at (5) Georgia
(13) Ohio at (4) Oregon
(11) Michigan State at (6) West Virginia
(14) Louisiana Tech at (3) Florida State
(10) Louisville at (7) Notre Dame
(15) Louisiana-Monroe at (2) LSU

Round 2
(8) South Carolina vs (1) Alabama
(5) Georgia vs (4) Oregon
(6) West Virginia vs (3) Florida State
(7) Notre Dame vs (2) LSU

Round 3
(4) Oregon vs (1) Alabama
(3) Florida State vs (2) LSU

Championship Game
(2) LSU vs (1) Alabama

Burger Fest, Football

Memphis-area burger fans are happy to see a new festival next weekend. The Best Memphis Burger Fest will be held Sunday, September 30 from 10:30am to 5pm at Minglewood Hall. There will be a burger cooking competition, a team Kookamonga burger eating contest, live entertainment and more. This sounds like a fun time.

Another football weekend is in full swing. Rhodes is off to a nice 2-0 start, but their schedule gets a little tougher today when Birmingham Southern comes to Fargason Field. The 1pm game might be great way to enjoy the weather and have a lazy Saturday in Midtown.

Here's the picks for this week.

Last Week: 5-1
Season: 13-5 (72%)


Birmingham Southern over Rhodes
South Carolina over Missouri
Duke over Memphis
Clemson over Florida State
New Orleans Saints over Kansas City Chiefs
Detroit Lions over Tennessee Titans

Weekly Liberty Bowl Projection: Tulsa vs Auburn

As the season begins to unfold, Tulsa appears to be the best team in Conference USA. Auburn is barely hanging on.

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions Week of 9/17/2012

Now in its 7th 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 September 17, 2012:

1. LSU (SEC Champion)
2. Alabama (At Large SEC)
3. Florida State (ACC Champion)
4. Oregon (PAC 12 Champion)
5. Oklahoma (Big 12  Champion)
6. Georgia (At Large SEC)
7. USC (At Large PAC 12)
8. Clemson (At Large ACC)
9. West Virginia (At Large Big 12)
10. Louisville (Big East Champion)
11. Michigan (Big 10 Champion)
12. Boise State (Mountain West Champion)
13. Ohio (MAC Champion)
14. Louisiana Tech (WAC Champion)
15. Tulsa (C-USA Champion)
16. Louisiana-Monroe (Sun Belt Champion)

Dropped out: Michigan State (#7, Big 10 Champion), South Carolina (#10, At Large SEC), Southern Miss (#15, C-USA Champion), Florida International (#16, Sun Belt Champion)

Number Of Teams by Conference:
SEC (3), ACC (2), Big 12 (2),PAC 12 (2), 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-Monroe at (1) LSU
(9) West Virginia  at (8) Clemson
(12) Boise State at (5) Oklahoma
(13) Ohio at (4) Oregon
(11) Michigan at (6) Georgia
(14) Louisiana Tech at (3) Florida State
(10) Louisville at (7) USC
(15) Tulsa at (2) Alabama

Round 2
(8) Clemson vs (1) LSU
(5) Oklahoma vs (4) Oregon
(6) Georgia vs (3) Florida State
(7) USC vs (2) Alabama

Round 3
(4) Oregon vs (1) LSU
(3) Florida State vs (2) Alabama

Championship Game
(2) Alabama vs (1) LSU

Cooper-Young Fest, Big East Changes, Football

One of the better festivals in the Memphis-area returns tomorrow when the Cooper-Young Festival kicks off at 9am. As usual there will be vendors, live music and great people watching. Admission is free.

Earlier this week, the Big East took another blow when Notre Dame announced in was moving all sports but football and hockey to the ACC. This was a big hit for TV negotiations, but something the Big East can survive. Over the next several months, everyone will have a close eye on the stability of the conference. Already rumored to be ready to bolt to greener pastures are Louisville to the Big 12 and the basketball only teams onto another conference or forming their own league. With marquee names gone (and more possibly leaving) and the football AQ bid  no longer existing after this season, Memphis fans find their Tigers in a glorified version of Conference USA.

Early on, CBS scored the big game of week 3 when the network selected the Alabama vs Arkansas game for the network's weekly SEC game. Their hearts, and those of Razborbacks fans, were broken last week when the Hogs lost to the Warhawks of Louisiana-Monroe. (There is something fun about watching John L. Smith lose). The game will still be solid match up, but it appears the Florida vs Tennessee-Knoxville game may be the best SEC game of the weekend. What are the "Fire Dooley" fans going to do if the Vols keep winning?

Here's the picks for this week.

Last Week: 4-2
Season: 8-4 (66%)

Rhodes over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges
Alabama over Arkansas
Florida over Tennessee-Knoxville
Middle Tennessee State over Memphis
New Orleans Saints over Carolina Panthers
San Diego Chargers over Tennessee Titans

Weekly Liberty Bowl Projection: Southern Miss vs Auburn
 
Central Florida may be the best team in Conference USA, but since the Knights are serving a post season ban, the Golden Eagles get the nod. Auburn's struggles continue and Memphis may be more likely during bowl season. If the Tigers lose to Louisiana-Monroe this weekend, Auburn its way to the BBVA Compass Bowl in Birmingham.

Breaking: Jerrry Lawler Collapses at Live Event - UPDATE

Several media outlets are reporting that Memphis' own Jerry Lawler collapsed at a live WWE event. He was removed from the arena on a stretcher and CPR was performed. According to the WWE broadcast, this was real and not part of the entertainment storyline. The announcer also said Lawler has been moved to a hospital. As a show of respect for Lawler, Raw is continuing to broadcast without an announcer for the remainder of the show. Seems like they would shut down the production, but I guess the show must go on.

Thoughts and prayers to Jerry Lawler and his family.

UPDATE - Jerry "The King " Lawler's girlfriend has confirmed that Lawler had a heart attack this evening. He is in stable condition and breathing on his own.

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions Week of 9/10/2012

Now in its 7th 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 September 10, 2012:

1. USC (PAC 12 Champion)
2. LSU (SEC Champion)
3. Alabama (At Large SEC)
4. Oklahoma (Big 12 Champion)
5. Oregon (At Large PAC 12)
6. Florida State (ACC Champion)
7. Michigan State (Big 10 Champion)
8. Georgia (At Large SEC)
9. Clemson (At Large ACC)
10. South Carolina (At Large SEC)
11. Louisville (Big East Champion)
12. Boise State (Mountain West Champion)
13. Ohio (MAC Champion)
14. Louisiana Tech (WAC Champion)
15. Southern Miss (C-USA Champion)
16. Florida International (Sun Belt Champion)


Dropped out: Arkansas (#8, At Large SEC), West Virginia (#9, At Large Big 12)

Number Of Teams by Conference:
SEC (4), ACC (2), PAC 12 (2), Big 10 (1), Big 12 (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) Florida International at (1) USC
(9) Clemson  at (8) Georgia
(12) Boise State at (5) Oregon
(13) Ohio at (4) Oklahoma
(11) Louisville at (6) Florida State
(14) Louisiana Tech at (3) Alabama
(10) South Carolina at (7) Michigan State
(15) Southern Miss at (2) LSU

Round 2
(8) Georgia vs (1) USC
(5) Oregon vs (4) Oklahoma
(6) Florida State vs (3) Alabama
(7) Michigan State vs (2) LSU

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

Championship Game
(2) LSU vs (1) USC

Rock For Love 6, Football

Rock for Love 6 started yesterday with a show at the Hi-Tone. Concerts continue tonight and tomorrow night at the Hi-Tone. New this year is the addition of the Rock for Love 6 Overton Square Street Festival from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Madison Avenue (Cooper to Diana) on Saturday. This will be a family friendly street festival with food trucks, vendor booths, a Kids Zone and music. Admission is free.

Rock for Love 6 wraps up Sunday night at the Levitt Shell with Booker T. Jones. Admission is free and food and drink sales will benefit the Church Health Center.

Memphis suffered a heart breaking loss to Tennessee-Martin last week. Memphis will have a tough time bouncing back on the road against Arkansas State. A win for the Tigers isn't out of the question, but it will be a long shot.

Here's the picks for this week.

Last Week: 4-2
Season: 4-2 (66%)

Rhodes over Washington University in St. Louis
Arkansas State over Memphis
Florida over Texas A&M
Tennessee State over Jackson State
New Orleans Saints over Washington Redskins
New England Patriots over Tennessee Titans

Weekly Liberty Bowl Projection: Southern Miss vs Auburn

Even with a blowout loss to Nebraska, USM may still be the class of C-USA. It looks like Auburn will struggle this year and find its way to Memphis during bowl season.

Memphis Lagniappe's Fabled College Football Playoff Predictions Week of 9/4/2012

Now in its 7th 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 September 4, 2012:

1. USC (PAC 12 Champion)
2. Alabama (SEC Champion)
3. LSU (At Large SEC)
4. Oklahoma (Big 12 Champion)
5. Oregon (At Large PAC 12)
6. Florida State (ACC Champion)
7. Georgia (At Large SEC)
8. Arkansas (At Large SEC)
9. West Virginia (At Large Big 12)
10. Michigan State (Big 10 Champion)
11. Boise State (Mountain West Champion)
12. Louisville (Big East Champion)
13. Ohio (MAC Champion)
14. Louisiana Tech (WAC Champion)
15. Southern Miss (C-USA Champion)
16. Florida International (Sun Belt Champion)





Dropped out: Michigan (#8, Big 10 Champion), South Carolina (#10, At Large SEC)

Number Of Teams by Conference:
SEC (4), Big 12 (2), 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) Florida International at (1) USC
(9) West Virginia  at (8) Arkansas
(12) Louisville at (5) Oregon
(13) Ohio at (4) Oklahoma
(11) Boise State at (6) Florida State
(14) Louisiana Tech at (3) LSU
(10) Michigan State at (7) Georgia
(15) Southern Miss at (2) Alabama

Round 2
(8) Arkansas vs (1) USC
(5) Oregon vs (4) Oklahoma
(6) Florida State vs (3) LSU
(7) Georgia vs (2) Alabama

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

Championship Game
(2) Alabama vs (1) USC