Last week’s record: 6-4. Season to date: 79-41.

Texas @ Texas A&M: The Longhorns can’t overlook this rivalry game in College Station before the Big 12 title game next week. My pick: Texas

Alabama @ Auburn: Another rivalry game with Alabama trying not to look ahead to next week’s SEC showdown with Florida. My pick: Alabama

Illinois @ Cincinnati: Bearcats quarterback Tony Pike returns. My pick: Cincinnati

Pittsburgh @ West Virginia: Pitt needs to stay focused for next week’s huge game with Cincinnati. My pick: Pittsburgh

Oklahoma State @ Oklahoma: The Pokes are hoping for a BCS bowl invitation and Zac Robinson returns from a shoulder injury. My pick: Oklahoma State

Arkansas @ LSU: My pick: LSU

UCLA @ USC: After getting blown out 2 of the last 3 games the Trojans are just trying for a respectable bowl game. My pick: USC

Nebraska @ Colorado: The Huskers are already in the Big 12 title game next week but the Buffs have had another disappointing season under Dan Hawkins. My pick: Nebraska

Missouri & Kansas: No longer a big game in the Big 12 north with Mizzou already bowl eligible and KU’s Mark Mangino likely gone. My pick: Mizzou

Notre Dame @ Stanford: Charlie Weiss is another coach who’s history after this game. My pick: Stanford

This morning’s trivia on KOIT:

Q: What was San Francisco’s FIRST coffee  roasting house?

A: Folger’s. An employee of SF’s first coffee roaster, bought out his boss. The employee’s name was J.A. Folger. MJB and Austin and Reuben Hills  came later.

For info regarding the massive crib recall going on, head to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website.

This morning’s trivia on KOIT:

Q: According to Consumer Reports, what percentage of us have already finished our Christmas shopping?

A: about 3%.  A number that’s almost too small to measure. I’ve already started. I try to get things finished by the second week in Dec. It’s a practical matter, really, because most of my family lives on the East Coast, so I need to get the stuff shipped so it can be delivered on time.

Do your kids have the whole week off for Thanksgiving? Ours do. When I was in school we got out early on Wed then had Thurs  & Fri off.  I think what’s happened over the years is that kids took of the whole week anyway, and the schools just gave up and said “take the whole thing”.

Both our sons were away from home Saturday night, so Kim and I actually had a date. We had a nice dinner at Portelli Rossi in Novato, then went to see “Precious”. We knew going in that it wasn’t going to be a “feel good” movie, but little did we know….VERY intense! Wonderful acting & soundtrack.

Went to fill up Sunday, only to discover that I’d left my credit card at the restaurant the night before. Glad Portelli’s is open Sundays.

This morning’s trivia on KOIT:

Q: In which country is tipping at a restaurant considered an insult?

A: Iceland

Speaking of tipping, I couldn’t believe this when I read about it. A couple was arrested in Northeastern PA when they refused to pay the mandatory 18% gratuity added to their restaurant tab. Hauled off in handcuffs! They didn’t feel that they should have been forced to tip at all. And who could blame them? Service from their server was practically non-existent! How awful was it? Click here to get the whole story. If I could be accused of ANYTHING, it would be OVER tipping. I’ve always felt that being a good server is an art, and if I ever tried it, it would be a disaster! But I think the restaurant and police were WAY out of line on this one. Taken away in handcuffs? Please!

Week 11 record: 8-2. Season to date: 73-37.

Cal @ Stanford: After beating Oregon and USC, Stanford is hot just in time for The Big Game. My pick: Stanford

LSU @ Ole Miss: LSU has won 4 in a row at Mississippi. My pick: Old Miss

Ohio State @ Michigan: Buckeyes are already in the Rose Bowl and the Wolverines are reeling. My pick: Ohio State

Oregon @ Arizona: A trip to the Rose Bowl is on the line for the Ducks. My pick: Oregon

Minnesota @ Iowa: The Gophers struggled against South Dakota State last week while Iowa has lost 2 in a row. My pick: Iowa

Penn State @ Michigan State: Penn State could get an at-large BCS big with a win in East Lansing. My pick: Penn State

North Carolina @ Boston College: The Eagles are undefeated at home and North Carolina is coming off a big win over Miami. My pick: BC

Hawaii @ San Jose State: The Jim Tomey era is coming to an end at San Jose State. My pick: San Jose State

Kansas @ Texas: The Longhorns have more 3 more games to go before reaching the national championship game but this isn’t the one they’ll lose. My pic: Texas

Kansas State @ Nebraska: The Big 12 North title is on the line. Miracle worker Bill Snyder does it again. My pick: K-State

This morning’s trivia on KOIT:

Q: What year was the parking garage under Union Square in San Francisco built?

A:  1942.  It was the worlds first garage built under a park, and was also designed to be a bomb shelter as WWII was heating up.

As promised, here’s the  Sarah Palin Newsweek cover. The photo was originally a cover photo for “Runner’s World” magazine. I’m certainly no apologist for Sarah Palin, but Newsweek should have made that fact clear on their cover. Or maybe a little more clear, or passed on this particular photo altogether.  There’s a tiny little mention in the lower left hand corner.

This morning’s trivia on KOIT:

Q:  Who said  “Duct tape is like The Force.  It’s got a light side and a dark side, and holds the universe together.”?

A: Oprah Winfrey, who’s hosting Sarah Palin on her show this afternoon. I know people who are hosting “Oprah parties” this afternoon. I’m not one of them.

Two Englishmen rowed under the Golden Gate Bridge after paddling across the Pacific from Japan, about 5,000 miles, in a 23 foot-long rowboat. They figure that with shifting tides throwing them off  it was more like 6,900 miles. More than six months of rowing…two hours on, two hours off, day & night.  They ate freeze dried food, which almost ran out. Why do people do things like this? Certainly not to get someone like me to write about it.

Last week’s record: 4-6. Season to date record: 65-35

Arizona @ Cal: The Wildcats have the #11 defense in the country and the Bears will be without Jahvid Best. My pick: Arizona

Stanford @ USC: Cardinal Toby Gerhart is starting to get some Heisman buzz. My pick: USC

South Florida @ Rutgers: Both teams are starting freshman quarterbacks. My pick: Rutgers

West Virginia @ Cincinnati: The Bearcats go for the 1st 10-0 start in school history. My pick: Cincinnati

Michigan @ Wisconsin: The Wolverines have dropped 5 of 6. My pick: Wisconsin

Florida @ South Carolina: SC Head coach Steve Spurrier takes over play calling duties for his struggling offense. My pick: Florida

Texas A&M @ Oklahoma: 3 more Sooners are out with injuries and OU needs one more victory for a bowl. My pick: Oklahoma

Notre Dame @ Pitt: The Panthers haven’t been ranked this high in 20 years. Notre Dame drops out of the rankings. My pick: Pitt

Utah @ TCU: Neither team has lost a conference game. My pick: TCU

Iowa @ Ohio State: The winner goes to the Rose Bowl. My pick: Ohio State

Last week’s record: 8-2.  Season record: 61-29!

Oregon State @ Cal: The Beavers have won 4 in a row in Berkeley. My pick: Cal

Oregon @ Stanford: The Cardinals could keep it close early but the Ducks offense will be too much late in the game. My pick: Oregon

Washington @ UCLA:  QB Jake Locker is back from injury as the Huskies look to end their 10 game road losing streak. My pick: Washington

USC @ Arizona State: After the disaster at Oregon, USC will climb back up. My pick: USC

Oklahoma State @ Iowa State: Cyclone QB Austen Arnaud returns from an injury and tries to get ISU bowl eligible. My pick: Oklahoma State

LSU @ Alabama: The Crimson Tide tries to stay undefeated. My pick: Alabama

Oklahoma @ Nebraska: Could be low scoring with 2 good defenses. My pick: Oklahoma

Ohio State @ Penn State: Another low scoring Big 10 game. My pick: Penn State

Florida State @ Clemson: My pick: Clemson

Purdue @ Michigan: Wolverines look to get bowl eligible. My pick: Michigan

This morning’s trivia on KOIT:

Q: Which Bay Area bridge picked up the largest increase in traffic during the Bay Bridge closure?

A:  ‘Should be no surprise that it was the San Mateo Bridge with a 36 percent jump in traffic. The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge had a spike of about 25 percent, and the Dumbarton, 10. The Bay Area Metropolitan Transportation Commission laments that about 2.4 million dollars went down the drain at the Bay Bridge toll plaza because of the shut-down.  But the increased traffic – and tolls – at the other bridges brought the net dollar loss down to to about 1.9 million, give or take.  ‘Hope we don’t have to go through THAT again.  Scratch that. They’ll have to close the bridge again in a couple of months to make a permanent fix.

Thanks to the volunteers  working real hard to clean up the Alameda shoreline after that bunker oil spill  a few days ago…..some actually using spatulas to clean up the muck. Oil covered birds are being hauled off to the Oiled Wildlife Care and Education Center in Cordelia.  So far they’ve cleaned up 36 birds.  Sadly 11 have died.

Taylor Swift (“Love Story”) is now dating actor Taylor Lautner.   Let the confusion begin.

As heard on KOIT. The video for Michael Buble’s “Haven’t Met You Yet”  also stars his Argentinian actress girlfriend, Luisana Lopilato. As promised, here it is…