Some 1970s flashbacks I experienced this week before we begin week 1 of the Runway Challenge:

• The Dunkin' Donuts around the corner from the New Haven Register has been closed for the last three weeks for renovations, throwing a monkey wrench into my daily coffee routine for most of the last month. It reopened today. High comedy, even if it was unintentional. It was like a time warp. They morphed this place from a run-of-the-mill Dunkin' Donuts into something straight out of 1979. The decor, the colors, the wall murals. Even the employees seemed to be wearing throwback uniforms. I thought I had stepped into a roller rink. All that was missing was a disco ball and a D.J. with a bad perm playing "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugar Hill Gang. If you're anywhere near the Dunkin' Donuts on Kimberly Ave. in West Haven, you have to check it out. I promise you won't be disappointed.

• I was lukewarm on the ESPN mini series "The Bronx is Burning". The acting was pretty bad. Best part was that they used real highlight clips from the 1977 season instead of recreating the action. I was only 5 years old in '77, and don't remember much from the season aside from Reggie's three dongs in the World Series. But I loved how hard-nosed they played the game back then. If someone broke up a double play nowadays like they did back then, there'd be a congressional investigation and Joe Buck would cry real tears on air. I used Tivo to rewind three plays from the Yanks ALCS against Kansas City and watched them over and over: Willie Randolph getting leveled by Lee May while turning a double play; Greg Nettles not bothering to slide, just plowing head on into Freddy Patek at second on another DP; and the Nettles/George Brett brawl that started after Brett slid hard into third base. Phenomenal stuff.

• My last post is referencing the 70s Broadway musical "Godspell" and its hit song "Day by Day", which I couldn't get out of my head after seeing the 2001 comedy flick "Wet Hot American Summer" on Comedy Central last week. Hearing Randy Edsall describe Ryan Henegan as day to day for the last three weeks didn't help the matter. At any rate, Godspell is a tremendous play. Wet Hot American Summer, which spoofs early '80s summer camp comedy movies, is pretty stupid, though it did have its moments.

• Anybody else think Joba Chamberlain bears a striking resemblance to Babe Ruth? Loved the two pitches over Yook's head, by the way. Welcome to the Bronx, Joba.

On to the first week of the picks. Last year, a good number of readers posted their own picks with mine and I tallied up the results on a weekly basis. You're all welcome to pick again this year. I plan to keep running standings for the season with the winner getting full control of the Runway blog for a day. Is that something you might be interested in? Well, you can still post your picks every week. Let's go:

Game 1: DUKE (+4.5) over Connecticut: UConn wins, but only by three.

Game 2: WEST VIRGINIA (-24) over Western Michigan: Mountaineers will cover even if they ease off the gas pedal in the second half.

Game 3: PITTSBURGH (+20) over Eastern Michigan: Dave Wannestadt hasn't been mingling at with the locals in the Steel City watering holes over fish sandwiches and Iron City Lites much lately.

Game 4: Virginia (-3.5) over WYOMING: No good athletes at Wyoming since Fennis Dembo left

Game 5: BOSTON COLLEGE (-6) over Wake Forest: Can someone tell me what BCU means? Just curious.

Game 6: Georgia Tech (+1.5) over NOTRE DAME: This game would have been a lot more interesting last season.

Game 7: GEORGIA (-6) over Oklahoma State: Throwing a bone to Register copy editor and UGA grad Sean Look (perhaps he'll trade me the top pick in our fantasy draft on Monday).

Game 8: AKRON (-5.5) over Army: Keeping an eye on future UConn opponents. Otherwise...a big yawn.

Game 9: Tennessee (+6.5) over CAL: Bears lose Marshawn Lynch and still might have a crack at reaching BCS championship game.

Game 10: Florida State (-3.5) over CLEMSON: Monday night special.

Get your picks in. Click "comments" below, and do a simple cut and paste of the template posted in there.