Got to love week 16………Ok, that was pure “cheer yourself up” talk. Hate to see the season wind down but ZT does love everything about Army-Navy and it being the only FBS game of the weekend. That is a tradition I hope remains intact regardless of whether the NCAA opens up the transfer portal on a weekly basis and allows players to move among different teams during the regular season or even if the XFL makes it more than 1 season this time. Only negative is Gary Danielson will be in the announcing booth. Word is there is a plan to offer him a “demo ride” on an Army aircraft after the game and then drop him at a weather station in Nome, AK for the bowl season. We can only hope that story in the National Enquirer is true!
Heisman Trophy will be awarded tonight as well. About as much surprise in this one as checking your Mega Millions lottery ticket and realizing you did not win so you have to get out of bed and go to work……. LSU QB Joe Burrow will win it and rumor is he will have to pump gas into the car driven in the Heisman House ad by Bo Jackson. ZT predicts former BAMA & current OU QB Jalen Hurts will take the 2nd spot. Main reason is the late breaking story about Jalen’s ancestry after many questioned why he seems to be so calm and show so little emotion…..
No Vulcan has ever won the Heisman and it was just too much for the voters to overcome in 2019. Expect to see former GA QB and current OSU QB Justin Fields finish 3rd with his defensive buddy Chase “Do Bears really eat their” Young ( who was heard to say ” if that’s true, I ain’t going to Chicago!” ) rounding out the Top 4.
One negative to this time of year, NFL bags their Thursday game this week but does add some Saturday games on the 21st so we don’t have to watch Florida International vs. Arkansas State in the Camellia Bowl in Montgomery.
ZT did eat at a neat place in STL this week. Rock & Brews is a newer establishment that is franchising behind the support of none other than Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS fame…liked the statement “Dinner & a Concert” and ZT ate some wings that had drums so big he thought they were mini-turkey legs! ZT did later eat the hottest pork rinds ever later that evening and the combination led to a record consumption of Tums back in the Springhill Suites room ( yes, my apologies still to the cleaning crew!! ).
ZT & Padre plan to prognosticate Bowl Season 2019-20 in 2 waves. 1st will be the “I only care because of my office pick sheet” wave which will get you through Dec 27 (fitting that Pirate Mike Leach would be the final game of this phase! ) . Then, work ahead through January 1. No decision on the “poser bowls” that are played between Jan 2-6. Considered writing those scores on the 2nd stall wall at a public rest area on I-10 near Tallahassee so I could talk to former FSU HC Willie Taggart while he was trying to hitch a ride to AZ to watch HIS FSU Seminoles in the Tony the Tiger Bowl. We will see…
Army Black Nights 17 #24 Navy Midshipmen 31 The 120th meeting!
Army is on a 3 game win streak in this series but has lost 6 of its last 8 games this season. Hawaii hung 52 on them 2 weeks ago. Big change from 2018 when the Black Nights won 9 games. QB Kelvin Hopkins has seen his production fall off dramatically this year as Army has slipped to 5-7 under HC Jeff Monken. Navy has the distinction of one of the longest HC names in the NCAA with Ken Niumatalolo ( thought that was a name of a life form found 4 miles deep in a South African Gold Mine ) bringing in DC Brian “I traded my Blackberry for a” Newberry to shore up the defense. With Midshipmen QB Malcolm Perry leading the way with over 1500 yards RUSHING & 19 TDS along with throwing for over 1000 yards and 6 TDs, it is likely to be a tough day for the Army to find a win. Expect Army to try to keep the ball and hope for a low scoring game as well as some turnovers to help equalize a better Navy Offense. Do note it can happen as no team has scored over 21 points in the last 5 years. In the end, expect Bill the Goat to have his way with the West Point Mule and it won’t be pretty! President Trump will be in attendance and rain is expected….word is he will use his hair as a canopy to keep the team captains and referees dry during the coin toss.
ZT is out and working up until game time with a busy travel schedule next week. Will go at halftime to see if he can find some “impossible rinds” in the vegan section of Whole Foods…………………ok, no he won’t. Padre is on a 72-hour prayer vigil dedicated to UF recruiting and unless the land a Running Back with more than 3-stars, not expected to prognosticate…..
Pigskin Prognostications by the Piedmont Padre and Zimmern's Twin 