On Tap

A lot late but better than never.

Assisting in the grant writing process takes up a shit load of time apparently.

And there was no beer of the week. If I don't get to drink beer, you don't get to drink beer.



Last Week 6-1 (13-6 overall)

Saturday

12:00 (ESPN) Michigan @ Minnesota. Minnesota

12:00 (ESPN2) Ohio State @ Northwestern. Ohio State

3:30 (ABC) Penn State @ Iowa. Penn State

3:30 (CBS) Alabama vs. LSU. LSU

8:00 (ESPN) Notre Dame @ Boston College. Boston College

8:00 (ESPN2) Florida @ Vanderbilt. Florida

8:00 (ABC) Oklahoma State @ Texas Tech. Texas Tech

On Tap

Helping you get your weekend viewing priorities straight since 2007

I am too lazy to write anything up, so here are the games and inevitably bad picks.


Last week 7-5 (I suck)


Saturday

12:00 (ESPN) Wisconsin @ Michigan State. MSU

12:00 (ESPN2) Northwestern @ Minnesota. Minnesota

2:30 (NBC) Pittsburgh @ Notre Dame. Pitt

3:30 (ABC) Florida State @ Georgia Tech. GT

3:30 (CBS) Georgia vs. Florida (Jacksonville). Florida

7:45 (ESPN) Nebraska @ Oklahoma. Oklahoma

8:00 (ABC) Texas @ Texas Tech. Texas Tech




all times eastern

Beer of the Week

Week of October 27th --- Beer of the Week


Spaten Optimator






Dark German Doppel Bock with a hefty 7.2% alcohol. I have had Spaten products before and always been happy with them, the Optimator would be my favorite of them. I would say for a beer that I have not had before and picked up off the shelf with no prior suggestions it may be one of the best choices ever. Many times a beer that is high in alcohol content can some times lose some of the beer flavor and have more of a wine like edge to it, but the Germans know what they are doing and have created a fine product here. I definitely recomend picking up a six-pack.

Yeah, the Optimator is submitting its candidacy for beer of the year.

On Tap

Helping you get your weekend viewing priorities straight since 2007


New deal I will try to predict the winners (this won’t go well)


Thursday

7:30 (ESPN) Auburn @ West Virgina. ESPN was probably pretty pumped up about this matchup when they looked at the schedule before the season started. Now? Not so much. A loss for either team will put an already embattled coach in a tough spot. WVU


Friday

8:00 (ESPN2) Boise State @ San Jose State. Boise State is up to #12 in the BCS standings. People have started to remember that when you talk about non-BCS teams crashing the BCS you need to include BSU. BSU


Saturday

12:00 (ESPN) Texas Tech vs. Kansas. Tech plays their first game of the year against a team that resembles real competition (sorry Nebraska you don’t count, maybe next year). Tech has a brutal schedule to finish up the season so a win here is crucial. Kansas

12:00 (ESPN2) Illinois @ Wisconsin. Wisconsin is 0-4 in the Big Ten and in serious danger of being 0-5, now that I have written that down they will probably win. Illinois

12:00 (BTN) Northwestern @ Indiana. Yeah this is here cause I have to point out Northwestern is ranked #22. Northwestern

12:00 (ESPN Classic) Minnesota @ Purdue. Also only listed to point out Minnesota is ranked #24. # freaking 24. Purdue

3:30 (ABC) OK State @ Texas. It is a load of crap, but we don’t get this game in our region. Yeah the ABC/ESPN2 swing game is freaking VT/FSU. Yep we get the best game from the worst conference in the BCS instead of possibly the best game of the day. That is just not right.
OK State

3:30 (CBS) Georgia @ LSU. Elimination game 1 in the race to be the SEC representative in the national title game. LSU

3:30 (ABC) Michigan State @ Michigan. If there is a year for Sparty to knock of UM in Ann Arbor this is that year. After getting throttled by OSU MSU will be looking to take out their aggression and who better to do it to than their biggest rival in possible there worst year in a half century. MSU

7:45 (ESPN) Alabama @ Tennessee. Tennessee needs a nice easy game to get themselves right. This will not be that game. Alabama will keep their dream season alive, for now, until they run into the other SEC powers. Bama

8:00 (ABC) Penn State @ Ohio State. Virtual Big Ten championship game (assuming the winner does not pull a USC the rest of the way). Penn State has run over everyone they have played and Ohio State has played down to their competition all season long. The only way I see OSU upsetting the Nittany Lions is if the D finds away to shut down the potent spread HD. PSU* (I just don’t see how I can pick OSU to win)

8:00 (ESPN2) Notre Dame @ Washington. Poor Ty Willingham, he has been blamed for the down fall of Notre Dame football and it looks like his UW teams is going to get stomped on ND’s way back up. ND


all times eastern


*I freaking hope not

Beer of the Week

Week of October 20th --- Beer of the Week

Hofbräu Oktoberfest




Is that an umlaut I see? I believe it is, and what more could you want from a German beer than an umlaut, seriously? If you require more from your beer the Hofbräu Oktoberfest is still a grand choice being that is has a solid flavor and above average drinkablity. How is one beer more drinkable than another? I have no idea but it sounds good. Just stop reading and go buy some, unless you were with me drinking it this weekend which pretty much rules out all but two of my readers.

Beer of the Week

Week of October 13th --- Beer of the Week


Taiwan Beer




Good luck getting your hands on one of these. Actually I am guessing that you can find it somewhere if you look hard enough for it. I had it hand delivered from Taiwan and it was probably worth the $932 airfare just to get one of these beers.* Anyhow it is a solid beer (I mean it says gold medal right on the bottle), but I would not give it higher than an average taste score. You can also notice the effect of added rice during the fermentation process giving it a Budweiser like taste. If you come across some it would be worth your while to pick up a six-pack just to say you tried the flagship of Taiwan beers.


*false

On Tap

Helping you get your weekend viewing priorities straight since 2007


Some solid football games this weekend, I have no time to write any thing about them though. You will just have to deal with knowing what games are on and no useless info about them.


Thursday

7:30 (ESPN) Clemson @ Wake Forest


Friday

8:00 (ESPN2) Louisville @ Memphis


Saturday

12:00 (ABC) Texas vs. Oklahoma

12:30 (ESPN2) Colorado @ Kansas

3:30 (ABC) Purdue @ Ohio State

3:30 (CBS) Tennessee @ Georgia

3:30 (ESPN2) Michigan State @ Northwestern

8:00 (ESPN) Penn State @ Wisconsin

8:00 (ESPN2) Oklahoma State @ Missouri

8:00 (CBS) LSU @ Florida

all times eastern

Beer of the Week

Week of October 6th --- Beer of the Week

Genesee Cream Ale




Didn't drink anything special this weekend so I will have to reach deep into the reserves and pull out Genesee Cream Ale as beer of the week.

Friday Rundown

That there is one disappointed Cubs fan.

It appears I have jinxed the Cubs.

Pitt only wins a game when you least expect them to, now they are back in the drivers seat to fulfill my prediction and win the Big East. I now expect them to drop three games in a row.

Ron put up a half-assed review of the ND weekend here.

On Tap

Helping you get your weekend viewing priorities straight since 2007


Thursday

7:30 (ESPN) Pittsburgh @ South Florida. Some fool picked Pitt to win the Big East, they sure are making him look like a jackass. South Florida should have a cake walk to the Big East title, but then again some pretty strange things have been happening in college football this year. The lesson here: never pick the Wandstache to win anything.


Friday

8:00 (ESPN2) Cincinnati @ Marshall. We are Marshall, and Cincinnati is starting their 7th string quarterback. Does anyone watch these Friday night games?


Saturday

12:00 (ESPN) Penn State @ Purdon’t. Purdue is sure in the midst of a tough little stretch of football (Oregon, CMU, ND, PSU, OSU). Penn State is hoping not to end up like Wake Forest, Florida, USC and actually beat a team they are supposed to.

2:30 (NBC) Stanford @ Notre Dame. I think this should be another win for Notre Dame, but you just never know what you are going to get from a Pac Ten team. Also apparently everyone and their brother got arrested last week at Notre Dame. I was there and I saw and was involved in none of this, thankfully.

3:30 (ABC) Illinois @ Michigan. Illinois has only lost twice, with both losses coming against teams currently ranked in the top six. Michigan has lost twice as well, but to Utah and Notre Dame, although those losses are becoming better and better by the week.

3:30 (CBS) Kentucky @ Alabama. Last week Alabama went into Athens and played the role of executioner at the black out. That means this week they should forget how to play football and lose by 10 to Kentucky.

4:00 (Versus) Navy @ Air Force. First game for the commander-in-chiefs trophy. Navy has won like 5 in a row (some kind of record). If you like teams that run the ball this game is for you. The Midshipmen and Falcons combine for almost 600 rushing yards per game.

6:00 (ESPN) Auburn @ Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt is undefeated (and it is not the academic bowl) seriously. Auburn can’t score. I am feeling a 7-6 Vandy win.

8:00 (ABC) Ohio State @ Wisconsin. Can you say Ohio State out of the national title picture? With a loss here that would be all but certain, but with a win they will still be on the hairy edge of the conversation annoying approximately 93.7% of the country. Badger Badger Badger.

9:00 (ESPN) Missouri @ Nebraska. Late game on ESPN, look for Cornhusker coach Bo Pelini to rupture a blood vessel after Mizzou scores their 5th touchdown of the first half.


all times eastern

Playoffs?

Let me put down in print how I think the MLB playoffs will turn out. I do this so at the end of the playoffs you can point out how wrong I was.

AL Divisional Series

Angels over Red Sox in 4

Rays over White Sox in 5


NL Divisional Series

Cubs over Dodgers in 4

Brewers over Phillies in 4

ALCS

Rays over Angels in 6

NLCS

Cubs over Brewers in 5


World Series

Cubs over Rays in 6

Beer of the Week

Week of September 29th --- Beer of the Week

Miller Lite


I had successfully avoided naming Miller Lite for something like 14 months, but since I did not drink anything interesting in South Bend and I started Saturday morning with Miller Lite I have no other choice than to name it beer of the week.

A full (OK, partial) recap of the weekend will be up later this week (most likely not written by me) all I will let you in on is both Ron Burgundy and I hurled before noon on Friday. It was a hell of a start to the weekend.

On Tap (Little to no effort edition)

Helping you get your weekend viewing priorities straight since 2007

I even had time to work on this and just chose not to, your loss (or gain).

Thursday

9:00 (ESPN) USC @ Oregon State. USC gets their first chance to get back on the field after throttling Ohio State. Every year it seems like USC finds one game to forget to show up to, unfortunately for the Beavers that is not this game. Key Fact: It is nearly impossible to ignore the obvious “the Trojans will pound the Beavers” joke, see I even tried.


Friday

8:00 (ESPN2) Connecticut @ Louisville. Another Friday night game for Connecticut. Also known as another Friday night game for you to ignore.


Saturday

12:00 (BTN) Minnesota @ Ohio State. I don’t even know what to think of OSU anymore, some day some game the Buckeyes are going to let a team hang around just a little too long.

12:00 (ESPN) Random early afternoon game on ESPN. One team will probably be ranked in the 20’s the other will be looking for a marquee upset but will totally settle for knocking off anything that resembles a top 25 team.

3:30 (ABC) Wisconsin @ Michigan. Wisconsin opens up there Big Ten campaign against the hurting Wolverines. Both teams are coming off a bye week. The Badgers have been celebrating their victory over Fresno and Michigan has been thinking about getting greased by the pillow Fighting Irish.

3:30 (ABC) Arkansas @ Texas. If you don’t live in the Midwest you will have the opportunity of watching Texas dismantle the fighting Bobby Petrinos.

3:30 (NBC) Purdue @ Notre Dame. First and foremost I will be at the game, if that is not reason enough to watch there is not much else that will get you to tune into a Notre Dame game.

3:30 (CBS) Tennessee @ Auburn. The Vols get the pleasure of getting blasted on national TV for the second week in a row.

7:30 (ESPN2) Mississippi State @ LSU. I don’t think Mississippi State is going to have a whole lot of fun in Baton Rouge.

7:45 (ESPN) Alabama @ Georgia. A battle of top 10 teams. The first chance for the SEC to really start beating themselves up. Will Georgia prove that it is national championship caliber, or will Alabama crash the party showing that the SEC championship goes through them?

8:00 (ABC) Illinois @ Penn State. Penn State has a chance to prove they are for real or at least as good as Missouri.


all times eastern

Well this sure won't get you anywhere

Normally this is where I would point out that this would come in handy for a Notre Dame fan, but it seems particularly convenient for Buckeye fans as well.

Beer of the Week (The long awaited return)

Week of September 22nd --- Beer of the Week

Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest



Yeah, of course it is not quite October, but it was this or Genesee Cream Ale.

Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest holds the wonderful quality of being able to survive a 3 day power outage and come out tasting better than it went in. Not sure if that is a good thing. Not the best Oktoberfest I have ever had but for the price it is worth giving it a taste.