With the biggest local football game of the year about to kick off this afternoon (4:30 p.m. at Genesis Place field), I thought it would be fitting to take a fun and irreverent look at the crosstown rivalry game between the George McDougall Mustangs and the Bert Church Chargers.
• The betting line in Las Vegas closed with Bert Church at -7, while the over/under is at 30.
The Mustangs (1W-4L) are coming in on a high note after winning its first game of the season, 25-12 over the Chestermere Cowboys, last week. The Chargers (2W-3L) have lost two in a row – 10-9 to Springbank on a late field goal and 16-0 to Bow Valley last week – but still have the better record, a more experienced team and a 22-1 week one win over George Mac.
Prediction: The Mustangs will cover the spread and the collective score will be more than 30.
• Who will win the coin toss?
Bert Church is the home team, and will be on the east side of the field, thus will be looking into a potential westerly wind during the pregame ceremony.
Prediction: A gusty 15-km/hour wind will die down just enough to have a fair toss that will land the Chargers’ way.
• Who will be the first team to score?
The Chargers have a few more weapons in its offense, but the Mustangs have been known to mix in some trick plays this year, so it could go either way.
Prediction: The first point of the game (singular use intended) will be on a missed field goal by Bert Church, before George Mac responds with a single point on its next possession to tie the game 1-1 at the end of the first quarter.
• Can I work in a Sega, Phil Collins, or Peter Gabriel Genesis (Place) reference into this preview somehow?
I just did.
So, what’s happening in the pros this week?
Fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers are already prematurely planning parade routes for next June after good starts by both clubs.
I think they are both much improved over last year, and could contend for playoff spots, but let’s remember the calendar still says October.
Tampa Bay/Texas will take on the New York Yankees in the ALCS, while the San Francisco Giants will play the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS.
History and common sense foreshadow a rematch of last year’s World Series between the Yankees and Phillies – teams that have also won the last two championships.
Another year, another Tour de France winner with alleged blood doping, as it was reported by outlets in Europe that 2010 race champion Alberto Contador had traces of the performance-enhancer Clenbuterol in his system during July’s TDF.
What else is new? I’d like to see this grueling event actually be contested by legit riders, but doesn’t seem likely to happen any time soon.
Ohio State is the new No. 1 this week, after Alabama lost on the road to South Carolina last week, but face a tough road game in Madison, Wis., against the No. 18 Wisconsin Badgers this weekend.
The Buckeyes are one of 13 remaining unbeaten teams, including Oregon and potential BCS-busters Boise State and TCU, so the race will be something to watch in the coming weeks.
The top emerging storylines, besides the league’s overall parity and Brett Favre’s alleged indecencies, are the records that could potentially be broken this year.
Philip Rivers has thrown for 1,759 yards in five games – a 351.8 average. At his current pace, Rivers would throw for more than 5,600 yards and would shatter Dan Marino’s 5,084 passing yards from the 1984 season – all without his No. 1 receiver, contract holdout Vincent Jackson.
Chris Johnson had 131 yards last week and now has 485 yards on the season. He’ll need to average 136 in Tennessee’s last 11 games to become the only player to have consecutive 2,000-yard rushing seasons.
I hear the playoffs are just around the corner and every team still has a chance to make it.
