Runway Challenge Week 10: Post Halloween edition

No real notes coming out of the Thursday Randy Edsall teleconference. No new injuries, no changes on the depth chart to announce, the team is still focused and not getting swelled heads.

A couple random notes before I update my bowl projections and then onto the weekly picks.

• For those without tickets and ESPNU looking for a place to watch the game Saturday night, got a memo from Sports Haven, a massive bar/OTB center located on Long Wharf here in New Haven. They will be broadcasting the UConn game on their movie theater-sized screen. Parking and admission are free. As a bonus, you can always make a bet on Chachi Arcola to show in the eighth race at Arlington during a TV time out.

• OK. If you owned a race horse, what would you name it? If it's me, of course, I would go for comedy value. It would have to be something to get a laugh as announcer Dave Johnson is calling the stretch run at a Triple Crown race. Chachi Arcola isn't bad. But here's my top five: 5) Feech LaManna: Was just watching season 5 of the Sopranos on A&E...Robert Loggia's character made a brief but memorable run. 4) Dave: Nothing's better than an animal/pet named Dave. 3) C'monIwannaLayYa: "Making a move on the outside, it's C'monIwannaLayYa." 2) Why the Long Face? Punchline for every horse-related joke ever written. 1) Serenity Now. Frank Costanza's mantra is fit for a Kentucky Derby champ.

• I usually spend a good portion of the evening hours on Oct. 30 out on my deck with a cigar and my satellite radio. Partially to relax, and partially to serve as a deterrent to the kids who plaster the neighborhood with toilet paper every year on the night before Halloween. OK. I admit it. I did the same thing growing up every Mischief Night, as we called it. Actually, we did a lot worse. Live frogs in mailboxes, soap on car windows, even flaming bags of dog pooh (a gag that no one ever fell for). But if I can avoid having to do any additional cleaning in my yard, well, I'm all for it. The last three years, while on watch, there was never an incident. This year, I let my guard down and awoke to a ticker-tape parade of TP in my trees and streamed across that very deck I spend so much time on. Gutsy little bastards. Guess I had it coming. But a warning. I'll be out on the deck again next year.

An update on my bowl projections. Again, I am using ultra-conservative predictions.

CINCINNATI (6-2, 1-2)

11/3: at South Florida (L)
11/10: UConn (L)
11/17: West Virginia (L)
11/24: at Syracuse (W)
Predicted record: 7-5 (2-5 Big East)

UCONN (7-1, 3-0)

11/3: Rutgers (W)
11/10: at Cincinnati (W)
11/17: Syracuse (W)
11/24: at West Virginia (L)
Predicted record: 10-s (6-1)

LOUISVILLE (5-4, 2-2)

11/8: at West Virginia (L)
11/17: at South Florida (L)
11/29: Rutgers (W)
Predicted record: 6-6 (3-4)

PITTSBURGH (3-5, 1-2)
11/3: Syracuse (W)
11/17: at Rutgers (L)
11/24: South Florida (L)
12/1: West Virginia (L)
Predicted record: 4-8 (2-5)

RUTGERS (5-3, 2-2)

11/3: at UConn (L)
11/9: at Army (W)
11/17: Pitt (W)
11/29: at Louisville (L)
Predicted record: 7-5 (3-4)

SOUTH FLORIDA (6-2, 1-2)

11/3: Cincinnati (W)
11/10: at Syracuse (W)
11/17: Louisville (W)
11/24: at Pitt (W)
Predicted record: 10-2 (5-2)

SYRACUSE (2-5, 1-2)

11/3: at Pitt (L)
11/10: South Florida (L)
11/17: at UConn (L)
11/24: Cincinnati (L)
Predicted record: 2-9 (1-6)

WEST VIRGINIA (7-1, 2-1)

11/8: Louisville (W)
11/17: at Cincinnati (W)
11/24: UConn (W)
12/1: Pitt (W)
Predicted record: 11-1 (6-1)

Which would make the Big East standings as follows:

1. West Virginia (6-1), wins tiebreaker, auto BCS
2. UConn (6-1)
3. South Florida (5-2)
4. Rutgers (3-4)
4 (tie). Louisville (3-4)
6. Cincinnati (2-5)
6 (tie). Pitt (2-5)
8. Syracuse (1-6)

And the bowl shake out

BCS
BCS National Championship game: LSU vs. Ohio State
Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. West Virginia
Orange Bowl: Boston College vs. Missouri
Sugar Bowl: Georgia vs. Hawaii
Fiesta: Oklahoma vs. USC

The rest of the Big East

Sun Bowl: UConn vs. UCLA
Meineke Car Care Bowl: South Florida vs. Clemson
Papajohns.com Bowl: Rutgers vs. Southern Mississippi
International Bowl: Louisville vs. Ball State
Armed Forces Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Air Force

For UConn, best-case scenario is to win out and earn a BCS bid, though its possible going 3-1, with a loss to WVU, could be enough for an at-large. More realistic best-case scenario: Go 3-1 and get Sun Bowl. Realistic worst-case scenario: Go 2-2 and make Charlotte or International Bowl (Sun also possible). Worst-case scenario: The Huskies beat only Syracuse and lose the rest, or just lose the rest: International Bowl or Birmingham bowl.

On to the picks:

Game 1: OHIO STATE (-16) over Wisconsin
Game 2: Wake Forest (-1) over VIRGINIA
Game 3: PITTSBURGH (-13) over Syracuse
Game 4: Texas (-3) over OKLAHOMA STATE
Game 5: Cincinnati (+5) over SOUTH FLORIDA
Game 6: Michigan (-4) over MICHIGAN STATE
Game 7: Louisiana State (-7) over ALABAMA
Game 8: Missouri (-4) over COLORADO
Game 9: Arizona State (+7.5) over OREGON
Game 10: Rutgers (+2) over UCONN (why break superstition. again, you'll thank me later)
Game 11: BOSTON COLLEGE (-7) over Florida State
Game 12: Oregon State (+15) over SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Game 13: YALE (-16) over Brown -- Included to keep Sean O'Rourke happy

Get your picks in this week. Click the "comments" key at the bottom of this post, then cut and paste the template.

Last week's results (rough one all around)
1. Sammy 7-3-1
2. Mitch 6-4-1
3. Pete 5-5-1
SeanO's Ghost 5-5-1
kooch 5-5-1
ian 5-5-1
7. Detroittigershater 4-6-1
Will L 4-6-1
luc 4-6-1
Caleb Mandrake 4-6-1
11. Chip 3-7-1
Vinny from East Haven (who has been very quiet during the Huskies run) 3-7-1
Sturge-rock 3-7-1

Overall standings

1. SeanO's ghost 59
2. Ian 58
3. Kooch 56
Sammy 56
5. Chip 51
6. Vinny from East Haven 49
7. Will L 48
8. DetroitTigersHater 47
9. Caleb Mandrake 46
10. Pete 42
11. Dan 41
Kevin 37
13. sturge-rock 25
14. Mitch Kumpstein 22
Alex 16
16. Steve P 8
P.J. 8
18. Luc 4