It's amazing this guy still has a job.
Sure, years ago he used to win a bunch of games when he still had his faculties about him.
He's got a national championship under his belt, and he's great with members of the media.
But his fans are getting unruly, craving - nay, demanding - a change.
His southern charm makes him an affable personality, and he has accomplished a lot during his time at his Florida school. Yet the recent run of reprehensible results seems to warrant a firing. Disgruntled boosters are calling for his head. His bosses, however, seem unwilling to pull the trigger due to all the good will he has accumulated in previous years.
He is, of course, Palm Beach Post beat writer - and dear friend of the Alligator - Ben Volin.
The last time out, our panel of experts here at the alligatorSports Brand Picks Column logged a banner week.
Volin? He managed a pathetic 3-7 mark. His reaction? Bliss.
Those three wins were a 300 percent increase from his previous two weeks combined.
Without further ado, here's our Boston College-Virginia Tech debate:
BC will unquestionably crap all over the +13.5-point spread because … The Eagles own a three-game regular-season winning streak against the Hokies. So BC may have lost the last two ACC Championship games. Big deal. The last time I checked, it was still October. More importantly, Boston College has covered in eight of its last 11 games against Virginia Tech, including six of the last eight in Blacksburg. If you need one more reason to agree with me, just consult the picks column standings.
- MIKE DiFERDINANDO
VT will without a shadow of a doubt cover the -13.5-point spread because … BC is about as untested as Derrick Rose. Unless you count the Golden Eagles' win against a Volin-led … I mean, Bobby Bowden-led FSU team. BC is yet to even play a ranked opponent, nevermind beat one. VT, on the other hand, has won two out of three games against ranked opponents, with its lone loss coming against No. 3 Alabama. Plus, Volin picked BC.
- KYLE MAISTRI
Now, on to the picks!
Leading the pack of journalists with a 28-21 record is Mike "I feel too connected" DiFerdinando, who recently made the switch to an iPhone and decided to read the Alligator on his phone's Web browser rather than the print copy less than a foot away.
In second place with a 24-25 record is Mike "How many different kinds of alcohol did you say are in a hand grenade?" McCall, who wants no part of our plans to bomb out on New Orleans' most famous drink. If he can't handle a grenade, imagine what a Hurricane might do to him …
Locked in a three-way tie for third at 23-26 is Ed "The youth of a nation" Aschoff, who directly contridicted our implications that golf doesn't exactly reach out to America's "hip-hop" culture. To be fair, Ed also scored 120 out of 129 on the "Stuff White People Like" list, including scarves, having gay friends and Juno.
In the middle of the manwich is Bobby "Enough with the short jokes" Callovi, who will be buckled up in the back seat as per law on our trip to Baton Rouge. Luckily, his girlfriend is coming along so we don't have to worry about keeping his bottle filled this weekend.
Moving into the top half of the table for the first time is Kyle "I meant to bubble 'F'" Maistri, who forgot to answer a multiple-choice exam question despite no penalties for wrong answers.
In sixth place with a 22-27 record is Phil "I got stuff to do" Kegler, who should have cured cancer, discovered new planets and won a Nobel Peace Prize considering how many times he turns down social interactions. We suspect he's actually sitting around the apartment feeding his knitting, pottery and quilting addictions.
First in a line of poor-performing "real" journalists with a 21-28 record is Jeremy "I wish I were back at the Alligator" Fowler, whose life is so boring that he literally waits on this picks column e-mail in the middle of the week. I guess having a wife and a job at a major newspaper just isn't enough for some people.
Nipping at his heels with a 20-29 record is Mike "How do I reach these keeeds" DiRocco, who thought it would be funny to flip off a couple of us while waiting at a stop light. He's no longer our favorite grandpa.
After an epic fall from grace, in second-to-last place and also with a 20-29 record is Joe "Gator Clause" Goodman, whose blog name makes him sound like a red-and-green-clad Albert.
And rounding out our collection of hard-working wordsmiths is Ben "Is being compared to Bobby Bowden that bad?" Volin, who requested we leave out other similarities like involuntary bowel movements, balding and a creepy old man affinity for co-eds.
| MDF | MM | EA | BC | KM | |
| BC(+13.5)-VT | BC | VT | BC | VT | VT |
| Bama-Miss(+5.5) | Bama | Bama | Miss | Bama | Miss |
| UGA(+1)-UT | UGA | UGA | UGA | UGA | UGA |
| GT(+2.5)-FSU | FSU | FSU | GT | FSU | FSU |
| OU-UCLA(+3.5) | OU | UCLA | OU | OU | OU |
| Aub-Ark +2.5) | Aub | Aub | Ark | Ark | Aub |
| UM(+7)-Iowa | UM | UM | UM | UM | UM |
| Hou(+1)-MSU | Hou | Hou | Hou | Hou | Hou |
| Stan-OSU | Stan | Stan | OSU | Stan | OSU |
| UF-LSU(+7.5) | UF | UF | UF | UF | UF |
| PK | JF | MDR | JG | BV | |
| BC(+13.5)-VT | VT | BC | VT | BC | BC |
| Bama-Miss(+5.5) | Bama | Bama | Bama | Miss | Bama |
| UGA(+1)-UT | UGA | UGA | UGA | UGA | UT |
| GT(+2.5)-FSU | GT | FSU | GT | FSU | FSU |
| OU-UCLA(+3.5) | OU | OU | UCLA | OU | OU |
| Aub-Ark(+2.5) | Aub | Aub | Aub | Aub | Aub |
| UM(+7)-Iowa | UM | UM | Iowa | UM | Iowa |
| Hou(+1)-MSU | Hou | Hou | Hou | MSU | Hou |
| Stan-OSU | Stan | Stan | Stan | Stan | OSU |
| UF-LSU(+7.5) | UF | UF | UF | LSU | UF |
