The old coach, Thomas Watson, fashioned an 11-4 mark last week to draw into a tie for the lead in the Peerless Pigsking Prognosticators race.

Watson used a 4-1 mark in the high school games to get out to a hot start last week, and if his blood had run a little more Orange (that could be said for many), he might have been 9-1 heading into the NFL games. He was still two games clear of the field for the week.  

Watson gained ground on the rest of the field in those first 10 games, as he and defending champ Michael Miller (also known as “Mr. Go Out on a Limb”) picked Gordonsville over Westmoreland to pick up a game on the other five progs. Everybody lost their pick of the Dawgs over Jackson County, and Miller (out on a limb again) lost his pick of Watertown over Friendship. 

Only Brent Burchett (alone in third place) and Gary Strong had enough courage to pick the Vols over Georgia, and UT rewarded them for their efforts.  Brent and Miller lost a game to the field, though, by choosing LSU over the Florida Gators. 

Except for Miller’s lone wolf choice of Cleveland over Buffalo, there was little drama in the NFL results. Every other game was picked the same by the seven panelists. That, along with some earlier picks, looks like a possible conspiracy. 

Miller, Mark Strong and brother Gary are in a three-way tie for fourth, only three games back. Teia Adams is in seventh place, but only four games from the top. 

If the race stays this tight, weeding the field to four for the playoffs could get very interesting.