We have been having a blast with our weekly pick’em show (Sports Guys Iowa on Spotify and You Tube). I’ve had alot of readers and SGI staffers reach out on how much they enjoy the show.
I’ve also been asked who on the pick’em team is leading the standings for the year thru week 4.
Before I answer that question, I have some general comments.
If you have been following along, you know our pick’em team is filled with former Coe College football players and Coe fans. Although we all try to be objective, that Kohawk blood makes our team have an allergic reaction to the color- Orange. So, we have all been respectful but have consistently picked against the Orange-clad Wartburg Knights.
Which brings me to my next point….
Picking against the Wartburg Knights in 2025 has been a fool’s errand
We follow and use Hansen Ratings for his line predictions, and Wartburg has been a cover machine this year. Wartburg is 4-0 in wins, and 4-0 in covers. The SGI team overall, has underperformed on the Knights by a mile.
That leads me to my next points. Hansen ratings for any DIII fan are a must follow during the football season, and the games this weekend in Iowa DIII, all have homecoming game point spreads.
These are, of course, American River Conference teams only. It is not a surprise that Coe and Dubuque’s home games are Homecoming week games.
When I checked Grinnell and Cornell in the Midwest Conference this weekend is no better. Grinnell is at home against Powerful Monmouth and a 47 point underdog, and Cornell is traveling to Beloit, WI, and is a 53-point favorite.
It’s a great weekend to catch a great College Game this weekend in Iowa
The Grandview at William Penn game on Saturday in Osky is going to be the biggest home game for the Statesmen in the past twenty years. The Statesmen are undefeated (which no one outside the team and coaches in Oskaloosa predicted) and the defending National Champion Vikings will row their powerful longboat down the Des Moines river, and then portage over to the stadium for the big game.
For the other home games in Iowa, the weather this weekend is going to be perfect, but the only game within a 2 touchdown point spread of the 22 teams we cover is Upper Iowa @ Missouri S&T where the Peacocks are favored by 3.5.
Drake is home against Valparaiso (Parents weekend). Morningside, Northwestern College, and Graceland all have homecoming games. So, this week we will be picking some games with big point spreads.
Who Leads the SGI Pick’em race
Brandon Roseberry (Coe Running Back Class of 2017) leads our pick’em crew with a 63% win rate year to date. If he did not pick against the Wartburg Knights every week (he says he can’t pick them for morale reasons) Rose would be well over a 70% win rate.
Brandon (Ghost) Leonard won last week with 71% win rate. (Yes, he did not pick Wartburg either).
Jordan Cole, Mitch Malloy, Ty & Zach Gunderson, Zak (Chef) Ranshaw, and myself are still in the race to climb up. It’s important to not finish last, as the loser has to wear a Wartburg Knight’s Orange shirt as punishment for an entire day.
That day in an orange shirt would be a long day for any of the SGI pick’em team.
As always, we appreciate your readership and support. Thank you for all the kind words and support of us on X, the website, and our podcast channels.
