What Rough Beast

It is often remarked that there is no fool like an old fool. We should know.

But rarely does the foolishness descend to a circle of hell not limned by “il Sommo Poeta.” It is a special place for the old man who stays too long at the fair, blinded enough by his specialness to tell the bosses they don’t need to spend another second discussing his future because he’s quitting their vale of tears after a few more slack-jawed, back-bent shuffles to the Penn State sidelines.

Bad form, old sport. Check your glasses. Grandiosity little becomes you now.

Greater pens than ours have opined on the scandal (the very word seems inadequate) unfolding in State College, Pa., like Yeats’ beast slouching toward Bethlehem. We can add no more to the chorus of obvious revulsion, so we’ll leave it at this; the ugly critter is slouching still. There is much more to come in this unpretty spectacle of men too old and too cocooned by enabling fans and hagiographers to man up.

For entertainment purposes only, our picks follow. Last week we were perfect, going five for five and adding 6,000 units, bringing our year-to-date bounty to plus 11,390.

We will put 1,000 units on these four contests and 2,000 on our lock of the week.

Spread:

Stanford -3 ½ over Oregon (The Trees’ defense is the star of this one)

Wisconsin -27 ½ over Minnesota (The behemoths manning the Badger line will maul the Gophers)

UCLA +7 over Utah (UCLANS will win the Pac-12 south)

Tennessee +14 ½ over Arkansas (Volunteers hung tough against 'Bama for a half)

Over/Under Lock of the Week:

Texas A&M vs. Kansas State over 65 (Aggies can't stop anybody, but will score 35 themselves in the first half)