Spring Break
Going streaking
Nick Gourdoux and Frank Pellegrino
Issue date: 10/29/09 Section: Sports
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Last week, Frank once again managed one more accurate prediction than Nick - three and two respectively - and maintains a .150 advantage in overall prediction percentage. Nick, on the other hand, still has the longest streak of the season with five, compared to Frank's long of four. The only prediction the two sports editors differed on last week was whether or not the UW-Eau Claire soccer team would score first against UW-Oshkosh. They did, and that's how Frank got his one-prediction advantage.
Men's hockey - Who will win the season opener? (A) UW-Eau Claire (B) Marian University
Nick: Since this is the season opener, there aren't really any stats to look back on and use to help figure out how a team is going to perform. The one thing that stands out to me is the 53-4-1 record that Marian boasts over the past two seasons. That astonishing record is a key contributor to the Bulldogs being Ranked No. 1 in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association (MCHA). My prediction: (B) Marian University.
Frank: Like Nick said, Marian has been one of the best Div. 3 college hockey teams the last two years. Eau Claire is coming off of a mediocre season, and 16 of their 28 players are underclassmen. On top of that, 12 of the 16 underclassmen are freshmen, so I see this as somewhat of a rebuilding year for the Blugold hockey team. I still see success for this team, but opening against Marian will be a tall task. My prediction: (B) Marian University.
Football - What will the combined score of Saturday's football game be? (A) 55 or more (B) less than 55
Nick: Both of these teams have records hovering around .500 on the season. The Blugolds are 3-4, while the Titans are 4-3. Offense, however, hasn't been the problem thus far for either team. Both teams have scored exactly 196 points on the season, which averages down to 28 points per game. Despite only mustering 15 points against UW-Stout last weekend, I still believe Eau Claire's offense can keep them in a high scoring game. My prediction: (A) 55 or more.
Frank: Nick should never be trusted no matter what he says, but he practically took the words out of my mouth, err … fingers. The Blugolds offense has been incredibly productive at times, and I see them scoring around 30 points against the mediocre Oshkosh defense. Likewise, I see the Oshkosh offense taking advantage of the fairish Blugold defense and putting up at least 30 points of their own. I think Oshkosh will take this one 34-31. My prediction: (A) 55 or more.
Volleyball - How many matches will the volleyball team win this weekend in the UW-River Falls Trick-or-Treat Classic? (A) Two or fewer (B) three or more
Nick: The Blugolds are a combined 122-49 all time against the opponents they are scheduled to play in this weekend's tournament. On top of that, they already beat two of their opponents - UW-Superior 3-0 on Oct. 21, and UW-Stout 3-0 on Oct. 14 and Sept. 4. I think Eau Claire will enter the WIAC Championship tournament on a high note, by winning at least three of these matches. My prediction: (B) three or more.
Frank: Not only has Eau Claire swept Stout once this year, but they have done it twice. The sweep against Superior came just nine days before they will face each other again, so I'm looking for more of the same. You can pretty much pencil, or pen for that matter, the Blugolds in for those two wins. One of the other teams Eau Claire will face is Marian University (IN), who are just 5-20 on the year and have a slim chance against the Blugolds. I wouldn't be surprised if they took down their fourth opponent this weekend as well. My prediction: (B) three or more
Cross Country - Which cross-country team will finish higher? (A) Women's team (B) Men's team or tie
Nick: The women's cross country team has been one of the best in the nation this season. They have finished no lower than third in any of their races and have taken first place three consecutive times. The men's team hasn't been bad by any means, but they haven't been as good as the women. My prediction: (A) Women's team.
Frank: I couldn't agree with Nick more; not much else to say here about this. The Eau Claire women's team has been impressive this year, and few teams in the country have been able to edge them. The men's team will need a stellar performance and a slip up from the women's team to take this one. My prediction: (A) Women's team.
National - Who will win in Brett Favre's return to Lambeau Field? (A) Minnesota Vikings (B) Green Bay Packers
Nick: The Vikings got off to a really good start, but I'm not sold yet. Their first six games featured three of the worst teams in the league - the Cleveland Browns, the Detroit Lions and the St. Louis Rams. Against the better teams, the Vikings managed wins, but the games easily could have gone the other way. What if Favre's miracle toss against the 49ers was a little bit off the mark? What if Donald Lee had caught the fourth and goal pass in the first meeting of these two teams? What if the Ravens made that kick? What happened to their great defense, too? Against many of the same opponents as the Packers, the Vikings are giving up five more points per game.
The Packers have many questions to answer too, but I'm from Wisconsin, and I'm a diehard Packer fan. My mind was made up before I even thought of those stats. My prediction: (B) Green Bay Packers.
Frank: Let me first start off by proclaiming my allegiance to the Green Bay Packers and by saying that throughout history they have been by far the superior team (as proven by their 12 world championships to the Vikings 0). However, the Vikings have a lot of things going in their favor this particular season. Although they've had some close encounters, the fact still remains that they won those games and are 6-1.
The Packers offense has been great when Aaron Rodgers has gotten enough time, but I don't see him getting that time against Jared Allen and the Vikings defensive front. If the Packers can get their offense going, then they have a chance. I think the Vikings will take this one 24-20 in an epic battle at Lambeau. My prediction: (A) Minnesota Vikings
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