ARTICLE OF THE DAY

Make The Weather Your Friend
by Jonathan Ellerbe
9/15/06

The weather!  It’s a part of everyone’s everyday life and we can not do much about it, except plan for it. When planning your football weekends the weather can be a huge factor.  From turnovers, attendance, tailgating, etc, the weather can be your friend or enemy.  Eddie King, the 2x defending Miller Lite Lock Champion, emailed me this week his four keys to understanding the impact of weather on a football game, especially when you are making a wager.  Since Eddie is “The King of Miller Lite Locks”, I thought I would share his secrets with you:

1. Heat & Humidity: This is most noticeable in late summer college football games, where field conditions on the turf can rise to over 110 degrees. This often affects the visiting team traveling with a smaller squad, where replacement bodies (quality or not) are scarce. To add insult to injury, the visitors are often on the sunny side of the field in their dark away uniforms (absorbing the heat).

2. Wind: Usually associated with late season games, this can have an effect on both the kicking game and the weak armed QB. Conversely, some teams can manage this very well. Who can forget the master use of the swirling Giant Stadium wind during Phil Simms brilliant days there?

3. Cold: Oh, that frozen tundra. Yeah, it gets cold but there were no heated benches back in the Coach Lombardi's days. This tends to be overrated and the effects of which are built into the spread. Still when combined with wind and precipitation, the cold can reduce a flashy offense into turf crawlers.

4. Rain and Snow: Slick fields, muddy turf tends to give the offense an edge. Sure, the slippery ball is an accident waiting to happen but for the most part the offense knows where it is going and where it is going to cut.  That leaves the defense less sure footed and an additional half step behind.

Now for the “Miller Lite Lock” standings and picks for the week:

Standings:

Eddie King 5-1
Matt (Betus.com) 2-1
Clip (Regular Bar Patron) 4-2
Jonathan Ellerbe 3-3
Tony (Regular Bar Patron) 3-3
Lee “The Statman” 2-4
 
Miller Lite Locks:

Jonathan Ellerbe
West Va. -16.5 vs. Maryland
Va. Tech -35 vs. Duke
Texas -31.5 vs. Rice

Eddie King (2x Miller Lite Lock Champ)
Rams -3 vs. 49ers
Raiders +11.5 vs. Ravens
Seahawks -7 vs. Cardinals

Lee “The Statman”
Purdue -16.5 vs. Ball State
Over 36 Bucs/Falcons
Under 37 Panthers/Vikings

Matt (Betus.com)
Panthers -1.5 vs. Vikings
Jags +1 vs. Steelers
Eagles -3 vs. Giants

Tony (Regular Bar Patron)
Miami (Fla) +4 vs. Louisville
Bucs +5.5 Falcons
Redskins +6 Cowboys

Clip (Regular Bar Patron)
UConn –6 Vs. Wake Forest
Notre Dame –6 vs. Michigan
Cowboys –6 vs. Redskins