Every week T-Roc will share his thoughts on what is going on in college football, make picks and fire back at your nasty comments. Want to learn more about him, check out his first post or visit his archive.

I don’t know the geographic whereabouts of Cuzoogle readers, but I can’t imagine anyone’s province or state being more of an embarrassment about the H1N1 flu than dear old Nova Scotia.

It started with mass advertising from both the feds and the provincial government, urging everyone to “be responsible” and get a shot. Not surprisingly, given the novelty of such suggestions in a first-world country, this created near-hysteria which swelled once folks realized how small the initial shipments were.

Then the province changed the rules mid-stream about who could receive shots and when. “Did we say ‘everyone’? My bad, we meant preggo women and natives and babies ‘n shit.”

Bad calls for sure, in terms of both the unnecessary hype and the colossal miscalculation of availability. But I can’t shit on either level of government too much when I watch the news and see how people are reacting.

For fuck’s sake, people, grow a stiff upper lip and deal with negative news with a little bit of civility. For the adult dudes out there, don’t get all Cal Hockley on us and butt in on the lifeboat action (yeah, I referenced Titanic…). Stop being such whiny bitches and acting like the world’s against you. Yeah, there’s been a fuck-up, but it’s not like either level of government (or the medical system as a whole) has it in for you and wants your family to suffer.

Heaven forbid Canada had to deal with a crisis on the level of massive food shortages or malaria or a brutal dictatorship. It’s fucking embarrassing, people. And that’s why I have no problem shutting off the news and gorging myself on college football this weekend. As usual, all odds are from Pinnaclesports.com as of Thursday evening.

UCF at Texas, noon ET: Over 48 ½

These schools have played over their respective totals only four times in a combined 16 games. But this is an exceedingly low total the ‘Horns can top by themselves.

Texas put up 64 the last time a C-USA opponent came to Austin and the Longhorns’ defence and special teams always look capable of piling on the points the offence tallies.

Kansas at Kansas State, 12:30 p.m. ET: Kansas State +2 ½

I liked the Jayhawks this year ‘til the narrow home wins over Southern Miss and Iowa State. KU has since shit the bed and I do not want them as a road favourite at all, at all, at all.

K-State can’t duplicate its demolition of Texas A&M from mid-October, but an effort akin to last week’s game against Oklahoma would be good enough for a win against the current Jayhawks.

LSU at Alabama, 3:30 p.m. ET: Alabama - 7 ½

What’s your take on riding gut feelings? Not a lot of analysis behind this pick other than watching both teams all year and genuinely feeling ‘Bama should win by double digits.

I’m also eyeing the over in this one, though the total’s already jumped to 40+.

Vanderbilt at Florida, 7:15 p.m. ET: Under 48

I can’t echo my UCF-Texas sentiments for Saturday night’s game in the Swamp.

Vandy’s offence sucks and is liable to get shut out, while the Gators’ relative offensive impotence has been covered to death in recent weeks. The 41 points against Georgia would be a ‘Wow!’ total most years, but not so much in 2009.

Florida State at Clemson, 7:45 p.m. ET: Florida State +8 ½

Rolling the dice on this one, but only a little. Florida State is only .500, but in hindsight, losing to B.J. Daniels and then Boston College isn’t as embarrassing as it was a month ago.

Clemson’s 6-2 against the spread this season but I won’t lay more than a touchdown against a more talented Seminoles squad.

USC at Arizona State, 8 p.m. ET: Arizona State +10

Who else enjoyed watching Oregon steamroll the Trojans last week? It confirmed what a lot of folks felt even before the non-dominant win at Ohio State: this year’s USC has more weaknesses than we’ve ever seen during the Pete Carroll era.

ASU is no dynamo, but I like the Sun Devils’ ‘D’ to at least keep it close on Saturday night.

Last week: 5-7 (a failed attempt at chasing a nice week by doubling my action)

2009 to date: 26-27-1 (goddamned mediocrity personified)

By Andy Charlies

Can we start the title talk yet? Well, there were certainly some scribes predicting big things after the Raptors opened the NBA season with a fantastic 101-91 win over the heavily-fancied Cleveland Cavaliers at the Air Canada Center.

Even LeBron James, he of the other-worldly stat-lines, couldn’t beat the Raptors on his own as his 23 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists failed to inspire the rest of the roster and meant they dropped to an 0-2 start after losing on opening night to the Boston Celtics.

And it would prove to be supposed draft bust Andrea Bargnani who was the main hero, his 28 points sparking an excellent second quarter run which gave the Raptors enough of a lead to overcome LeBron’s excellent third period.

But the victory was certainly not a one-man show as Chris Bosh again showed his star quality and Hedo Turkoglu opened up with an efficient performance that actually included less in the way of high-scoring and more defense – three blocks for a player who has never averaged more than 0.4 per game in a 10-year career!!

All my criticism from the last pre-season report came back to haunt me as Cleveland repeatedly took bad shots and ended the night shooting only 34.9% from the floor. Indeed, one of the few worries for Raptors fans was that the Cavs actually shot better from beyond the arc, so maybe defending the three might need a little work on off-days.

There was also a nice little cameo from Marco Belinelli, who had his contract option for the 2010-11 season exercised on Thursday – he only scored 10 points but he was on the court when the Raptors went scoring crazy and he produced a +19 efficiency line to lead the team.

So, finally, there was something for fans in Toronto to cheer and those fans who have seemingly deserted the Leafs already this season (one win in 10 games – oh dear!!) might just get cheering for a successful hoops franchise instead.

Let’s hope this one early win is translated into a solid season, the play-offs and maybe even some silverware…long way to go though as far as NBA Picks are concerned.

Every week T-Roc will share his thoughts on what is going on in college football, make picks and fire back at your nasty comments. Want to learn more about him, check out his first post or visit his archive.

All apologies for the absence last week, it couldn’t be helped - overtime at the office, a family member in the hospital and an extended weekend in Montreal.

I did Montreal the proper way, from the early-morning bagels on Saint-Laurent through the cinq à sept on Saint-Denis through the late-night booze and boogie a la discotheque. I ignored sports beyond the pair of Habs wins I caught at the Bell Centre (Olé!) And thought I’d miss it.

Nope. I didn’t pine for the MLB playoffs, didn’t ache over missing the NFL and I sure as fuck didn’t care about missing Nebraska shitting the bed last Saturday.

But now I’m back home and I’m pumped to catch up on college football. Lots of it. That’s why I’m including a dirty dozen pixxx for Halloween.

Cincinnati at Syracuse, noonET: Cincinnati -14 ½

Style points, baby! The Turf at the Carrier Dome will only make Mardy Gilyard look that much faster as he peels away from defenders into the end zone.

UL-Lafayette at FIU, noon ET: ULL +3 ½

The Ragin’ Cajuns have some injury problems and haven’t wowed anyone on the road, but the running game should be fine. Love these guys getting points here.

Ole Miss at Auburn, 12:20 p.m. ET: Ole Miss -4

The Tigers’ offense has gone AWOL just as that of the Rebels has stirred to life. Imagine what the line for this game would have been in August.

Iowa State at Texas A&M, 3:30 p.m. ET: Texas A&M -7

The Cyclones’ defence ain’t bad, but there’s no way they get a win handed to them like they did last week.

Florida vs. Georgia (at Jacksonville) 3:30 p.m. ET: Under 48

The Cocktail Party should be a slugfest this year. Not only is the defensive speed there, but neither offense looks overly potent.

Air Force at Colorado State, 4 p.m. ET: Colorado State +5 ½

Goddam, the Rams might be a schizophrenic as the Seminoles this year. I’m obviously banking on a return to early-season form here.

UCLA at Oregon State, 4 p.m. ET: Oregon State -10

Oregon State’s going to be a tough bowl team (again). UCLA hasn’t come within a touchdown of winning a Pac-10 game. Fuck the Bruins.

Washington State at Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. ET: Notre Dame -28

You could try to convince yourself to bet Wazzu, seeing as the Cougars are 4-1 against the spread in the last five. But you know they’re junk. Don’t do it.

South Carolina at Tennessee, 7:45 p.m. ET: South Carolina +5 ½

Yeah!!! The ‘Cocks!!! The South Carolina defence will not allow Jonathan Crompton to succeed at Neyland. The ‘Cocks are a fine, fine football team.

Texas at Oklahoma State, 8 p.m. ET: Oklahoma State +8 ½

Having seen Texas struggle out of the game so often this season (last week notwithstanding), I don’t see them blowing away a top-15 school on the road.

USC at Oregon, 8 p.m. ET: Over 47

Both offenses flying, this should be the polar opposite of the Cocktail Party in style. The game I most want to see on Saturday (assuming I’m still sober at this point).

Wyoming at Utah, ET: Wyoming +17

“I wanna be a Cowboy… and you can be my cowgirl!” Boys Don’t Cry might’ve inspired both my costume as well as this pick.

Last week: 4-2

2009 to date: 21-20-1

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Toronto’s undoubted talent has not really come to the party yet in pre-season, but not to worry quite yet because there are still a couple of weeks until the season opener when LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers come to town.

But there has been a deal of disappointment so far for the Raptors, not least in the 124-112 home defeat by a Houston side lacking almost all of its star talent and starting a team that would more than likely not even have a chance of starting for the Raptors. Not many NBA Predictions, suggested they would lose – that is for sure.

Although the Raptors shot well, going .500 from the floor, their three-point shooting was well off the pace and the defense was, well shall we say, seriously lacking.

The only real bright spots were 11 points from Sonny Weems, who appears to be getting back to fitness, and 10 from Amir Johnson, who fantasy freaks out there might like to have on their radars in really deep leagues for his blocks potential.

Houston was allowed to hit 13 shots from beyond the arc, with Shane Battier hitting eight of those on probably the hottest shooting night he has had in his career – star performances at Duke included.

And just to rub salt into the wounds, there was a 17-point, seven rebound, five block night from the one and only Pops Mensah-Bonsu, deemed surplus to requirements by Raptors management at the end of last season, just when he looked to be showing the talent off that he undoubtedly has.

Toronto’s loss looks to be Houston’s gain, although they will need it with Yao Ming already out for the season, Tracy McGrady unlikely to play anytime soon and Luis Scola also sidelined.

But that has to be a worry for Toronto, even if this was a pre-season matchup, and even more concerning is that Chris Bosh feels like the Raptors have to go back to the drawing board just a matter of days before the season starts and NBA Picks are assessed.

He said after the game: “It wasn’t our best output and we’re going to have to play a lot better on defense if we want to win a lot of basketball games. There can’t be any slippage. Some nights your shots are going to be off but you can always move your feet and be in the right spot. We have to get back to the drawing board a little bit.”

Every week T-Roc will share his thoughts on what is going on in college football, make picks and fire back at your nasty comments. Want to learn more about him, check out his first post or visit his archive.

I know that talking about weather is normally the domain of older folks and untalented conversationalists, but Sweet Jesus, it’s not even mid-October and I’m already digging out the thermal fucking underwear. Fucking depressing.

I have friends in Edmonton who’ve already developed the winter blues ‘cause of all the snow. A buddy just played a soccer tournament in Saskatoon, where the wind chill pushed the temperature well below freezing the entire long weekend. And the shit finally hit the eastern part of the country - I woke up this morning to a forecast of freezing rain and/or snow.

I can only assume that this cold snap is temporary and there’ll be some warmer days ahead in which my fair city’s female population can bring out the sundresses again.

As it stands, it’s too fucking early for me to be wondering if chicks I see on the street are hot or not under their three layers of Goretex and fleece. I’m a dirty old man in training and I demand six more weeks of practice before I pack it in for the winter.

On to some of Saturday’s biggest games, with all odds are from Pinnaclesports.com as of Wednesday evening.

Ohio State at Purdue, noon ET: Over 48

So Ohio State scores one offensive touchdown against Wisconsin yet covers the double-digit spread. Fucking Buckeyes. They won’t struggle to score on Saturday, even without RB Dan Herron.

The Boilermakers are overdue to recapture some of their early season fireworks. Should be a routine OSU win, but with plenty of points both ways on a nice September day in West Lafayette.

Oklahoma vs. Texas, noon ET: Oklahoma +3 ½

Ignore the double-digit margins of victory if you can, ‘cause Texas has struggled to get started in three of its last four games.

Lost in the Sam Bradford hubbub is the fact that OU’s defence has only allowed 42 points in five games. Given the neutral site, I like the Sooners to (slightly) upset the ‘Horns this time around.

USC at Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m. ET: Notre Dame +10

Notre Dame is just as close as USC is to being 5-0 this year, maybe closer. The Trojans have faced a tougher slate of opponents but hadn’t bowled anyone over since opening week ‘til last week’s demolition of collapsing Cal.

I’ve always disliked the Fighting Irish but come Saturday, I’ll lay money on the hottest quarterback in the country getting 10 points at home. Even against USC’s pass rush.

Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech, 6 p.m. ET: Virginia Tech -3

I’m looking forward to this game in spite of the ugly passes Tyrod Taylor and Josh Nesbitt are sure to hoist at some point in the action.

The Hokies’ results so far this season are that much better than those of the Yellow Jackets, whose defence has indeed been a Ramblin’ Wreck on more than one occasion this year.

Miami at UCF, 7:30 p.m. ET: Under 47

Folks in Orlando are pumped about UCF’s opportunity to knock the revamped ‘Canes off their high horse. It ain’t gonna happen, but the Golden Knights will slow the tempo as much as possible, pounding the ball again and again to keep Jacory Harris off the field.

Brynn Harvey had 42 carries in last week’s win over Memphis and might top that total on Saturday. Coach O’Leary’s never been shy about giving a running back a heavy workload.

South Carolina at Alabama, 7:45 p.m. ET: South Carolina +17

Alabama’s been the most impressive team in the country this year, with only its first half performance against Kentucky failing to impress. But this is too many points to lay against a top defensive opponent, even for a game in Tuscaloosa.

The ‘Cocks won’t get dragged into another road shootout like they had in Georgia. Saturday’s prime-time SEC game should be a hard-hitting, conservative-gameplanned, low-scoring affair.

Last week: 3-3

2009 to date: 17-18-1

This one has potential.

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Now out of nowhere comes the Raptors fantasy draft that I have been waiting for since it was announced a few weeks ago.

My first few picks are decent but when you are in the No. 9 draft slot, luck plays a big part.

Here is the breakdown of the draft and who is all in it. (thanks to Pete Marasmitch)

Raptors FANtasy League, where Toronto Raptors fans, bloggers and media collide.

Here is the complete list of fantasy GMs vying for that coveted RFL Championship Trophy, in draft order, along with links to their sites and Twitter accounts:

1. Dr. J. Naismith, Raptors Forum, @RaptorsForum
2. Romes, Hip Hoop Junkies & Hoop Heads North, @romyaquino
3. AltRaps, The AltRaps Blog, @altraps
4. James Borbath, Dino Nation Blog, @dinonationblog
5. Nat, Heels on Hardwood, @Nat77
6. Eric Koreen, National Post & A Snack and an Ego Stroke, @ekoreen
7. Raps Fan, Raptors Republic, @RapsFan
8. Vicious D, Raptors HQ, @RapHQVicious
9. Cuzzy, Cuzoogle, @cuzoogle
10. Jeff W, PeteMarasmitch, @Marasmitch
11. Tim Chisholm, 3 in the Key on TSN.ca, @timpchisholm
12. Zack Cooper, FAN590, @ZCooperstown

I will post my full team once the draft is over and of course update as the year goes on, assuming I do good.

Every week T-Roc will share his thoughts on what is going on in college football, make picks and fire back at your nasty comments. Want to learn more about him, check out his first post or visit his archive.

It’s Canuck Thanksgiving this weekend and I’m not going home for the first year in an eternity. Not surprisingly, my social options for the weekend are limited, given everyone else fucking off to their families for turkey and pumpkins and shit.

So that leaves me, my couch and my TV as best friends all day on Saturday, and that’s how I like it. ‘Cept I gotta problem with the pussy, y’see…

I have a cat for the weekend. A friend needed a favour while she left town and there was a mouse in the house last week, so I figured it’d be a mutually-beneficial thing. The furball spent his first night chez moi last night. So far all he’s done is knock shit over. That’s fine, but if he somehow pushes my TV over, that shithead’s got some serious ‘splaining to do.

Here’s hoping I report back next week with neither cats nor mice to worry about. And a winning betting weekend would be fucking sweet too. I’m overdue, dontcha think? All odds are from Pinnaclesports.com as of Wednesday evening.

Wisconsin at Ohio State, 3:30 p.m. ET: Wisconsin +16

I’m basing this one on the raves Wisconsin has been drawing from some of the better college football writers I read. This seems like too many points for the Buckeyes to lay against a team with some nice recent performances.

Everybody knows Terrelle Pryor, but who’s confident he’ll be the best QB on the field on Saturday?

UConn at Pitt, 3:30 p.m. ET: Pitt -8

I haven’t touched Pitt since LeSean went pro, but Dion Lewis is doing a fine job of keeping defences from keying on Bill Stull, who’s putting up massive numbers in turn.

The Huskies are full of underrated unknowns and have covered the spread in every game this season, but UConn has less talent and less health than this Saturday’s opponent.

Oregon at UCLA, 3:30 p.m. ET: Oregon -3 ½

Oregon shit the bed the last couple times against the Bruins, but the Pac-10 title’s a possibility and (almost) everyone’s forgotten about the opening loss in Boise.

Plus I just haven’t liked UCLA’s football program since I started writing about college ball. I wanted to when DeWayne Walker was touted for the head coaching gig, then Rick Neuheisel was hired instead and, well, there goes your goodwill.

Duke at NC State, 4 p.m. ET: NC State -14 ½

The Wolfpack offence sucked ass on national TV to open the season but has blown up since. I like Russell Wilson to revert to his form vs. Pitt as opposed to repeating last week’s dud vs. Wake.

Duke’s defence has led to the bulk of the Blue Devils’ paydays in recent years but opponents have been toasting the ‘D’ regularly in ‘09.

Utah at Colorado State, 6 p.m. ET: Colorado State +7 ½

The Utes have posted double-digit wins in the last three head-to-heads but that stops on Saturday. Utah hasn’t impressed and is far removed from last year’s Sugar Bowl squad.

Colorado State’s loss at Idaho last week was shit, but the Rams are better than that. The line is too tempting not to call for a big bounce-back at home for inconsistent CSU.

Fresno State at Hawaii, 11 p.m. ET: Fresno State -10

Whether it’s related to travel fatigue or off-field distractions, Hawaii’s home-field advantage normally ranks among the strongest in the country. Fuck that noise this weekend. The Warriors start an inexperienced QB on ‘O’ while their ‘D’ can’t stop the run.

Fresno State’s backfield is sick for a school outside the BCS conferences. The Bulldogs have also held their own against undefeated BCS teams on the road this year and are coming off a bye.

Last week: 3-3

2009 to date: 14-15-1

4th Annual Reader Survey Ranks Mad Men’s Fictional Character As The Most Iconic Male Personality Of The Year Above Usain Bolt, President Obama & Mark Zuckerberg

AskMen.com the world’s largest lifestyle portal for men with more than 11 million visitors monthly, revealed its highly anticipated 4th annual reader-voted list of the Top 49 Most Influential Men of 2009 today.

The list assembles a diverse collection of men from around the world and from a variety of industries including entertainment, politics, technology, and sports. All the honorees had a direct effect on the way men see the world, and notably in 2009, many reflect classic values that are most meaningful to the male identity today.

“In a turbulent 2009, men are seeking the stability of tradition in the masculine qualities that they imagine their fathers and grandfathers to have had,” says James Bassil, Editor-in-Chief of AskMen.com. “The character of Don Draper brings all these traits together, and in doing so speaks directly to the modern man. He’s a man whose time has come.”

Others on the list embody a host of classic qualities; Usain Bolt as the personification of competitive and athletic ability, President Barack Obama as the male portrait of classic statesmanship, Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs as pillars of entrepreneurial spirit and determination.

The top 49 most influential men in order are:

1 Don Draper

2 Usain Bolt

3 Barack Obama

4 Mark Zuckerberg

5 Simon Cowell

6 Michael Jackson

7 Steve Jobs

8 Roger Federer

9 Peyton Manning

10 Dana White

11 Jay-Z

12 Tom Ford

13 Jon Stewart

14 Jack Dorsey

15 Quentin Tarantino

16 Conan O’Brien

17 Ashton Kutcher

18 Gary Vaynerchuk

19 Ryan Seacrest

20 George Clooney

21 Brad Pitt

22 Lionel Messi

23 Chesley Sullenberger

24 Manny Pacquaio

25 Mark Ronson

26 Kanye West

27 Seth MacFarlane

28 Cristiano Ronaldo

29 Harvey Levin

30 Tiger Woods

31 Shepard Smith

32 Hugh Jackman

33 Kobe Bryant

34 Sidney Crosby

35 Andy Roddick

36 Georges St. Pierre

37 Chris Martin

38 Bear Grylls

39 James Cameron

40 Jeff Bezos

41 Andre Balazs

42 LeBron James

43 Dwayne Wade

44 Robert Pattinson

45 Italo Zucchelli

46 Mario Batali

47 Santiago Calatrava

48 Jenson Button

49 Lance Armstrong

See the entire list of 2009’s Top 49 Most Influential Men complete with profiles at AskMen.com.

No Cuzzy on this list? And to think I was having a kick ass year with a new job, house, kid etc. Oh well there is always 2010.

So what do you think? Is anyone missing? Is Don Draper the shit?

Let us know.