Week 10 Predictions: Tommy's Picks

Tommy's Picks (5 of 5 Week 9, 39 of 50 on the season)

Another year comes to a close this week for at least eight of the UMAC teams. St. Scholastica and Greenville face off to determine who will get to play in the NCAA playoffs. If Greenville loses, they may still have a chance for the NCCAA Victory Bowl game that they played in last season versus Northwestern. But now for this week, as I hold a comfortable 3 win lead over Jay in our season's picks, I'm going to take a few chances with my picks because I'm feeling lucky this week.

Iowa Wesleyan @ Northwestern- I want the Tigers to end their season off with a win because I like underdog stories, but I think this would be a little too far of a stretch. Offensively the Tigers are clicking but defensively they are just too young for them to pull this one out. Eagles RB Josh Sinnen will gain over 100 yards and lead the Eagles to a victory, although it will be closer than you may think. Northwestern 33 Iowa Wesleyan 27

Martin Luther @ Westminster- I can feel comfortable taking a chance on this game because Martin Luther's offense can be surprisingly productive at times. I think Knights QB Luke Rothe has a good game against a unmotivated Westminster defense, throwing for 150 yards and 2 scores while running for at least one on the ground. Westminster at least shows up to play, but they don't have enough will power to finish this season strong. Martin Luther 29 Westminster 21

MacMurray @ Minnesota-Morris- The Cougars have come so close so many times but have been unable to seal the deal. Their 2-6 UMAC record does not reflect the talent on this team, as they could be as good as 6-2 if those games had gone their way. MacMurray has had their fair share of close games as well, losing by one possession on three separate occasions. I am picking this game off of pure gut feeling. And I hate to see a team go winless. MacMurray 28 Minnesota-Morris 21

Crown @ Eureka- Crown is a team I have been waiting for to come into their potential all season. I think the past 4 weeks they have just begun to find it but they are not done improving. Eureka has played their best football in nearly 20 years but were unable to win the conference championship. I predict that Blake Robles throws for 3 TDs, but also 2 interceptions. I also predict Eureka LB Frankie Bray, who has caught 2 passes for 2 touchdowns this season, catches another to end his senior season. Crown will rush for over 250 yards between their freshmen running backs. I want the Storm to continue their win streak, but I don't think it will happen on the road. Eureka 27 Crown 17

Game of the Week

St. Scholastica @ Greenville- The game that everyone has been waiting for is finally here. I'm going to be honest, I read Jay's prediction for this game (after I picked my winner) and he talks way too much. So since you're probably tired after reading his biography series on each team, I will keep my prediction brief and to the point. Greenville has a great offense and good defense. St. Scholastica has a great defense and good offense. It's like an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. But I guess this is UMAC football so I guess a more appropriate adage would be it's like "two equally sized toddlers stumbling into each other". One of them is going to topple and cry while the other one giggles and moves on. The real question is who is going to be happy when they get back to their crib?

Greenville 35 St. Scholastica 31