Week 4 - NCAAFConverter says...

After last week's 3-2 outing, I thought NCAAFConverter was running as well as could be expected. Looking back to last week's picks, I realized I was the one who picked Auburn over Clemson after reviewing all the catfight gibberish the Converter spat out. However, the similarities between those results and the gibberish Dabo Sweeny was slinging after the game (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B72qHHdCeMY) are certainly in line with each other. The Converter's only bust was its pick of Florida State and I think that time may someday tell that the pick was not exactly wrong, only premature, before its time.

So I should have left well enough alone and not tinkered with NCAAFConverter, but I did not listen to my own advice and I tinkered with the machine. Now, I am sad to report, it seems to be running rough. For example, to test it out, I ran the Ole Miss-Georgia game through the machine and no matter how I mash the buttons, both teams come out at the end of the game with a 1-3 record. Go figure.



So I'm not really sure how this week's picks are going to turn out; let's get NCAAFConverter up to cruising speed and see what pops out:

1. Oklahoma State - Texas A&M

NCAAFConverter : Sidekick battle:


I think the powers that be over at A&M have failed to appreciate how much violence their move to the SEC will do in the sidekick universe (http://www.listafterlist.com/tabid/57/listid/11289/Personalities/Famous+Sidekicks.aspx). Did Tattoo ever abandon Fantasy Island for another? Did Sancho Panza ever change conferences on Don Quixote? But maybe the A&M Board of Regents realizes all too well that its overlord UT will always be hoggish at the trough; sometimes you just can't take it any more and you move on. So what do you think, Pistol Pete? Will you move out from under the shadow of OU as well? Since the Converter's guidance is muddled here, so I'm going with my gut, and respect for A&M, I'll take the AGGIES, thank you very much.

2. Arkansas - Alabama (Arkansas worth four points)

NCAAFConverter : HogTide. And the image says it all:

Seriously, there's no way I can pull for Alabama on this one; I'd rather take the loss than pick a non-Hog winner here. So I'll take ARKANSAS and the bonus points, thank you very much.

3. Florida State - Clemson

NCAAFConverter : An Indian in Death Valley:

The conversion is spot on (great job, Converter!) but the message is somewhat mixed. After consulting the programmer's guide, I think the prediction is that a legendary brand triumphs in the desert. Too bad Dabo Swinney's been wasting time this week trying to trademark Clemson's new slogan ("We got greatness in us!"); that feeling of greatness will turn to indigestion when the Seminoles ride victorious out of Death Valley after the game. So I'll take FSU, thank you very much.


 4. LSU - West Virginia (WVa worth three points)

 NCAAFConverter : 7th (Bengal) Mountain Battery of the Indian Army taking on Kyber Pass Afridis. Now I'll be honest, I sure did not see this one coming. I expected images of Sigmund & Roy-sized Bengal Tigers chasing down and devouring moccasin-clad Davey Crockett-types by the dozen. Instead, the Converter has led me to the border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan and bands of mountain men who have repeatedly defeated empires over the centuries. NCAAFConverter is clearly telling us that the Mountaineers have this one, so I'll go against my gut and take WEST VIRGINIA and the bonus point, thank you very much.



5. USC - Arizona State

NCAAFConverter : Trojan virus infects Sun Microsystems.

I have to be honest here; I think NCAAFConverter is not firing on all cylinders on this one. Sun Microsystems as an analog for the Sun Devils? The Converter promptly went into safety shutdown mode after generating this image; it's probably spooked from the mere thought of what a virus would do to its vital systems. So I'm on my own here, no way I'll pull for Kiffy's Trojans, I'll take ASU, thank you very much.