PRESS PICKS (Week 6): Blueblood weekend has basketball schools making waves in other sport
STAFF REPORT
To quote the late Slim Pickens, “what in the Wide Wide World of Sports is a-goin on here?”
Football is so screwed up now, the AP Top 25 has four teams in the first 10 from the soon to be defunct Pac-12; only one team from the SEC (Georgia) in the Top 10 and a handful of Bluebloods in the overall Top 25.
That’s “Bluebloods” as in basketball schools.
Yes Slim, the world is turned upside down.
For once, a college basketball fan might take a look at the rankings and wonder, “what’s Duke doing in there?” Or “Kansas, 24th, really?”
No, it doesn’t make sense but it might when we consider how the transfer portal might be making a mockery of traditional football.
Duke, which opened the season with a resounding win over Clemson, is ranked for the first time since 2018. The Blue Devils are ranked 17th this week, the highest since 1994.
They have a chance to make history with a victory over Notre Dame on Saturday. It would be their first over a ranked Irish team ever.
Kansas? The Jayhawks actually started all of this last year, being in the spotlight for half a season in 2022 before falling into the normal abyss we expect from their football team. They did finish above .500, which is a big achievement for an otherwise putrid program.
This week, they travel to Austin to face the Longhorns of Texas in, believe it or not, a battle of ranked teams. This is a first in this series and the first time both are undefeated at 4-0.
North Carolina has been in and out of the polls consistently since 2020, when the Tar Heels got as high as fifth in the AP poll. They enter Saturday’s game against Syracuse as the No. 15 team in the country. Meanwhile, the Orange might be considered one of those B-ball Bluebloods since they, too, are undefeated at 4-0,
So is Louisville.
Kentucky is just outside the poll. The Cats face Florida on Saturday. The Wildcats are attempting to stay perfect with a win over the Gators in Lexington.
No, it doesn’t make sense, but it seems like that type of year.
So, go ahead and call this a “Blue Blood Saturday.”
Wesley Lyle was near-perfect in picks last week and moved ahead in the Press Picks standings.
2023 Overall Standings (Last week)
1. Wesley Lyle 60-15 (14-1) .800
2. Graham Dunn 59-16 (13-2) .787
3. Doug Amos 58-17 (13-2) .773
Mike Peacock 58-17 (14-1) .773
5. Lindsey Bonner 56-19 (12-3) .747
6. Tim Gayle 55-20 (13-2) .733
7. Michael Butler 54-21 (13-2) .720
8. Rosie Langello 53-22 (14-1) .707
9. Barry McKnight 48-27 (12-3) .640
10. Rick Hendrick 43-32 (11-4) .573
Wesley Lyle (River Region Sports & al.com)
60-15 (14-1) .800
Stanhope Elmore at Prattville - Prattville
Alabama Christian at Montgomery Academy - ACA
Catholic at Demopolis - Catholic
Wetumpka at Greenville - Wetumpka
Alabama at Miss St - Alabama
Georgia at Auburn - Georgia
Troy at Georgia State - Georgia St
Arkansas at Texas A&M (Arlington) - Texas A&M
Florida at Kentucky - Florida
LSU at Ole Miss - LSU
Missouri at Vanderbilt - Missouri
South Carolina at Tennessee - Tennessee
Clemson at Syracuse - Clemson
Kansas at Texas - Texas
Notre Dame at Duke - Notre Dame
Graham Dunn (River Region Sports/Voice of Alabama State Hornets)
59-16 (13-2) .787
Stanhope Elmore at Prattville - Prattville
Alabama Christian at Montgomery Academy - ACA
Catholic at Demopolis - Catholic
Wetumpka at Greenville - Wetumpka
Alabama at Miss St - Alabama
Georgia at Auburn - Georgia
Troy at Georgia State - Troy
Arkansas at Texas A&M (Arlington) - Arkansas
Florida at Kentucky - Kentucky
LSU at Ole Miss - Ole Miss
Missouri at Vanderbilt - Missouri
South Carolina at Tennessee - Tennessee
Clemson at Syracuse - Clemson
Kansas at Texas - Texas
Notre Dame at Duke - Duke
Doug Amos (ESPN The Ticket)
58-17 (13-2) .773
Stanhope Elmore at Prattville - Prattville
Alabama Christian at Montgomery Academy - ACA
Catholic at Demopolis - Catholic
Wetumpka at Greenville - Wetumpka
Alabama at Miss St - Alabama
Georgia at Auburn - Georgia
Troy at Georgia State - Troy
Arkansas at Texas A&M (Arlington) - Texas A&M
Florida at Kentucky - Kentucky
LSU at Ole Miss - LSU
Missouri at Vanderbilt - Missouri
South Carolina at Tennessee - Tennessee
Clemson at Syracuse - Clemson
Kansas at Texas - Texas
Notre Dame at Duke - Notre Dame
Mike Peacock (River Region Sports)
58-17 (14-1) .773
Stanhope Elmore at Prattville - Prattville
Alabama Christian at Montgomery Academy - ACA
Catholic at Demopolis - Catholic
Wetumpka at Greenville - Greenville
Alabama at Miss St - Alabama
Georgia at Auburn - Georgia
Troy at Georgia State - Troy
Arkansas at Texas A&M (Arlington) - Texas A&M
Florida at Kentucky - Kentucky
LSU at Ole Miss - Ole Miss
Missouri at Vanderbilt - Missouri
South Carolina at Tennessee - Tennessee
Clemson at Syracuse - Clemson
Kansas at Texas - Texas
Notre Dame at Duke - Duke
Lindsey Bonner (Sports Director WAKA Ch. 8)
56-19 (12-3) .747
Stanhope Elmore at Prattville - Prattville
Alabama Christian at Montgomery Academy - MA
Catholic at Demopolis - Catholic
Wetumpka at Greenville - Wetumpka
Alabama at Miss St - Alabama
Georgia at Auburn - Georgia
Troy at Georgia State - Georgia St
Arkansas at Texas A&M (Arlington) - Texas A&M
Florida at Kentucky - Kentucky
LSU at Ole Miss - LSU
Missouri at Vanderbilt - Missouri
South Carolina at Tennessee - Tennessee
Clemson at Syracuse - Clemson
Kansas at Texas - Texas
Notre Dame at Duke - Notre Dame
Tim Gayle (River Region Sports/Montgomery Independent)
55-20 (13-2) .733
Stanhope Elmore at Prattville - Prattville
Alabama Christian at Montgomery Academy - ACA
Catholic at Demopolis - Catholic
Wetumpka at Greenville - Wetumpka
Alabama at Miss St - Alabama
Georgia at Auburn - Georgia
Troy at Georgia State - Troy
Arkansas at Texas A&M (Arlington) - Texas A&M
Florida at Kentucky - Kentucky
LSU at Ole Miss - Ole Miss
Missouri at Vanderbilt - Missouri
South Carolina at Tennessee - Tennessee
Clemson at Syracuse - Clemson
Kansas at Texas - Texas
Notre Dame at Duke - Notre Dame
Michael Butler (WTLS 106.9&94.7 FM/1300 AM/Tallassee Times)
54-21 (13-2) .720
Stanhope Elmore at Prattville - Prattville
Alabama Christian at Montgomery Academy - ACA
Catholic at Demopolis - Catholic
Wetumpka at Greenville - Wetumpka
Alabama at Miss St - Alabama
Georgia at Auburn - Georgia
Troy at Georgia State - Georgia St
Arkansas at Texas A&M (Arlington) - Arkansas
Florida at Kentucky - Florida
LSU at Ole Miss - LSU
Missouri at Vanderbilt - Missouri
South Carolina at Tennessee - South Carolina
Clemson at Syracuse - Clemson
Kansas at Texas - Texas
Notre Dame at Duke - Notre Dame
Rosie Langello (Sports Director - WSFA Ch. 12)
53-22 (14-1) .707
Stanhope Elmore at Prattville - Prattville
Alabama Christian at Montgomery Academy - ACA
Catholic at Demopolis - Catholic
Wetumpka at Greenville - Wetumpka
Alabama at Miss St - Alabama
Georgia at Auburn - Georgia
Troy at Georgia State - Troy
Arkansas at Texas A&M (Arlington) - Arkansas
Florida at Kentucky - Florida
LSU at Ole Miss - Ole Miss
Missouri at Vanderbilt - Missouri
South Carolina at Tennessee - South Carolina
Clemson at Syracuse - Syracuse
Kansas at Texas - Texas
Notre Dame at Duke - Notre Dame
Barry McKnight (SportsRadio 740 /Voice of Troy Trojans)
48-27 (12-3) .640
Stanhope Elmore at Prattville - Prattville
Alabama Christian at Montgomery Academy - MA
Catholic at Demopolis - Catholic
Wetumpka at Greenville - Wetumpka
Alabama at Miss St - Alabama
Georgia at Auburn - Georgia
Troy at Georgia State - Troy
Arkansas at Texas A&M (Arlington) - Texas A&M
Florida at Kentucky - Kentucky
LSU at Ole Miss - Ole Miss
Missouri at Vanderbilt - Missouri
South Carolina at Tennessee - Tennessee
Clemson at Syracuse - Syracuse
Kansas at Texas - Texas
Notre Dame at Duke - Notre Dame
Rick Hendrick (WXFS 95.1 The Fox/PA Montgomery Biscuits)
43-32 (11-4) .573
Stanhope Elmore at Prattville - Prattville
Alabama Christian at Montgomery Academy - MA
Catholic at Demopolis - Catholic
Wetumpka at Greenville - Wetumpka
Alabama at Miss St - Alabama
Georgia at Auburn - Georgia
Troy at Georgia State - Troy
Arkansas at Texas A&M (Arlington) - Texas A&M
Florida at Kentucky - Kentucky
LSU at Ole Miss - Ole Miss
Missouri at Vanderbilt - Missouri
South Carolina at Tennessee - Tennessee
Clemson at Syracuse - Clemson
Kansas at Texas - Texas
Notre Dame at Duke - Notre Dame