Get Up It's Gameday - Week 10 Preview

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Cities Are Running Out of Salt Before Winter Even Starts

Road salt is one of those things nobody thinks about until plow trucks come back empty, and this year that's happening before the first snowfall. Some cities haven't gotten a single bid for winter supply, while others are paying nearly double last year's price. 

North America doesn't mine enough of its own, which is why it ships in 8 to 10 million tonnes from places like Egypt and Chile, two weeks away by boat.

Atlas Salt (TSXV: SALT | OTCQX: SALQF) is building a mine in Newfoundland near a deepwater port where ships can reach Boston in three days. With salt, the real cost is in shipping, and CEO Nolan Peterson says the difference is so big that overseas producers could give their salt away and still come out more expensive than Atlas. The project is shovel-ready and projected to generate roughly C$188 million a year in free cash flow.

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Boy, am I getting tired of Carolina fans incessantly boasting about only losing to Miami by 3, to Syracuse by 1, to Notre Dame by 11, and to Clemson by 8. Then I had to hear how their basketball team beat Western Carolina by 8! It’s like listening to drunk teenagers talk about how cool they are, even if they’re theater nerds. Wake Forest easily dispatched Virginia 51-7, averaging 6.1 yards per carry in rolling up 309 yards rushing and holding UVA to a total of 16 yards on the ground. NC State handled Cal 31-10, and Georgia defied my prediction of a Florida win, dropping the Gators 27-8. Clemson put an end to the Mike Norvell era at FSU. Nice work FSU, always complaining about how valuable you are to the ACC and should get paid more, but sitting at 3-5 with wins over NM State, Central Arkansas, UVA and blowing $50M to send Norvell packing isn’t impressing anyone. USC claimed the biggest upset of the week, beating Ohio State 30-18, and Lincoln Riley made sure to let everyone know after the game that he really is a dick.  There are lots of interesting games this week to talk about, so let’s do it.  

#9 BYU @ #3 Utah (Utah -4.5, O/U 48.5)

The Holy War returns with two top 10 teams, what’s not to like? Well, maybe the 10 AM local time kickoff, but those Mormons don’t care, it’s not like they’re going to do anything fun Friday night anyway, and when the game is over, they’ll still have plenty of time to go around to the Utah dorms proselytizing about the evils of caffeine. BYU does have the big win over Notre Dame on it’s resume, and Utah’s biggest win was beating then #14 Houston by 8, so I have no idea who will win this game.

#5 Alabama @ #14 LSU (LSU -6, O/U 52.5)

Both teams have two conference losses and need this win, but LSU needs it more as they still have to play Texas and Tennessee. The Tide’s most impressive win this season was beating then unranked Kentucky in week 2, after that it’s the beatdown of then #16 Mississippi State. Like the Heels, they can brag about impressive losses, losing to Georgia and Tennessee. They are currently #5 in the CFP rankings, well ahead of LSU at #14. There is nothing Lane Kiffin would like to do more than go on a General Sherman scorched earth rampage across the southland, and he just may be able to pull it off. Tigers are dangerous when they’re hungry.  

#23 Oregon @ #12 Ohio State (OSU -7.5, O/U 46.5)

If you’re already getting excited about possibly seeing an Ohio State Michigan game in a few weeks with two backup quarterbacks and nothing on the line, I am too! The Quack Attack can make that happen with a win on Saturday. Going into Ohio Stadium and winning is still a tall order, but the Ducks did it in 2021 in their only previous visit and have the talent to do it again this year. OSU was lackluster in their loss to USC last weekend, a team that Oregon beat in LA by two touchdowns. Keep an eye on this one while you’re flipping channels between LSU/Bama and the Wake/Merrimack game.  

Merrimack @ #16 Wake Forest (Wake -47.5, O/U 59.5)

The Merrimack Warriors, who are from North Andover, Massachusetts, come in sporting a gaudy 4-5 record after grudge match wins over New Hampshire AND Maine. If not for losses to Rhode Island and Delaware they would have retained the Small States Cup trophy, which is an actual athletic supporter, but alas, it was not meant to be. The last time Wake Forest was favored by 47.5 over anyone was during the Mack Brown era against Carolina, and Merrimack probably would have beaten Carolina that season. I’m getting some Mountain Fried Chicken and cold beer for the tailgate, Jim claims JJ’s chicken is better, but I know what I like.

#6 Kentucky @ #13 Tennessee (UT -6.5, O/U 50.5)

This is easily the biggest game in the rivalry since 1950, when Bear Bryant led the #3 ranked and undefeated Wildcats into Knoxville to face #9 Tennessee. The Vols won 7-0 that day, handing Kentucky it’s only loss of the season. Tennessee then defeated #2 Texas in the Cotton Bowl and Kentucky beat #1 Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl. What a season for both!  

What do they call this game anyway? The Redneck Rumble? The White Trash Brown Liquor Bowl? Clash of the Honkies? Kentucky is currently tied with Georgia for the conference lead, and beating the Vols would go a long way toward getting them to Atlanta. Tennessee could still make it there too, but only if they beat the Cats.

#2 Georgia @ #10 Ole Miss (Dawgs -3.5, O/U 56.5)

I was speaking with Tate at length about this game and he is supremely confident, the win over Florida reminded the Dawgs they can’t take a week off like they did against Auburn, and he assured me they’re focused and ready. However, Ole Miss managed to beat Auburn by 30 just last week and Georgia hasn’t seen a quarterback as good as Trinidad Chambliss all season. A night game in Oxford with a lot on the line, this could go either way.  

#1 Miami @ #11 Notre Dame (ND -7.5, O/U 55.5)

For anyone under the age of 40 who is not familiar with this rivalry or has not seen Catholics versus Convicts, these teams hate each other. The game is not played very often anymore, but the history doesn’t go away. I’m sure both teams will see videos this week of the old games with the fights in the tunnel, the missed calls, the accusations of running up the score. Most teams hate Notre Dame, but Notre Dame doesn’t hate many teams, this is an exception.  Notre Dame is also #11 in the CFP rankings and there are no ranked teams left on their schedule after this game, so they will have a hard time making the playoff with another loss. Of course I’m kidding, the CFP is a rigged TV show and ND and Bama get a pass almost every year. Miami hasn’t played a team all season that was ranked when they played them, and close wins over FSU and UNC makes one question how good this team really is. The ACC really needs Miami to win, and it would help the Deacs, so . . . GO CONVICTS!

North Carolina @ UConn (UNC -10, O/U 10)

This game has the makings of a barnburner as both teams come into the game reeking of confidence after both lost to Syracuse by 1. Carolina features an erratic quarterback, a coach who cries in the locker room before games because his girlfriend dumped him for Bobby Petrino, and some really talented players that they rarely give the ball to. UConn uses Dan Hurley to give their pregame motivational speeches to scream vulgarities, insult everyone, and incessantly claim the referees are incompetent and personally out to get him. He’s won the Dean Smith Sportsmanship Award three years in a row, which is given to the current coach who best exemplifies the values of Coach Smith; although he’s never had an academic scandal.