Homecoming Day is finally here

No words necessary in this video, although I wish I had the technical ability to dub in D.J. Khaled's "All I Do is Win" as background music. Watch the reaction of Matty Brown at the 39-second mark to Vaughn Carraway's big-time hit. Also love the "not again" comment during Chris Coyer's touchdown run.

We take a break from all of this Big East talk for a special announcement.
Homecoming Day has finally arrived.
Well, technically, it will be here tomorrow (1 p.m., Lincoln Financial Field) and the occasion provides a "laboratory-type" environment to test a couple of theories.

1. Have the Owls learned anything from the Toledo loss?
2. Will not being on television provide a boost to the attendance figures?

After the Toledo game, several players pointed to the "lackadaisical" attitude that followed the Maryland game, indicating that the Owls were "full of themselves" and that was the reason they got their heads handed to them.
Head coach Steve Addazio alluded to it as well, saying he would create an environment that would insure that he'd had a "pissed-off football team" taking the field at Ball State.

My picks this week:
MAC GAMES (home teams in Caps):
TEMPLE (+21) 24, Buffalo 10 _ Owls have a solid outing, but fail to cover the high number due to the intense 40 mph wind forecast.
Toledo (+7 1/2) 29, BOWLING GREEN 14 _ I realize it's a rivalry game, but the talent differential is too high and the number too low.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN (+13 1/2) 40, Eastern Michigan 20 _ Central Michigan seems to have gotten its act somewhat together after a big loss to Western Michigan.
Miami (Ohio, +4) 17, KENT STATE 10 _ Better bet is going under the 39 1/2 in this one.
Western Michigan (+1 1/2) 24, NORTHERN ILLINOIS 20 _ When in doubt, go with the better team. Broncos are clearly better this year.
OHIO (+14) 27, Ball State 10 _ Bobcats will be motivated coming off a loss at Buffalo.
Others:
NORTH CAROLINA (+3) 21, Miami (Fla.) 14 _ Phil Steele said he's picking Miami in this game because it is the "better-coached" team. He must have not attended a Temple game in awhile.
PENN STATE (+12) 40, Purdue 24 _ Is 5-1 Penn State going to win the Big 10. Geez, I hope so for Temple's sake.
RUTGERS (+4) 31, Navy 17 _ Mids are coming off a 63-35 loss at home to Southern Mississippi. Four points is a bargain.
Last week straight up: 6-2
Last week ATS: 3-5
Season SU: 35-17
Season ATS: 24-24.

That seemed to work.
Hopefully, Addazio duplicated the atmosphere this week.
If he went back to the post-Maryland practice routine, hopefully the Owls don't produce post-Maryland-type results.
I've never understood the word "letdown" as it relates to college football, though. Being a Division I college football player is a 365-day-a-year job. You invest that much time and get three hours a dozen or so times a year to show the fruits of that effort and you can't bring it 100 percent for that short period of time? Weak.
Since joining the MAC, Temple is 13-4 at home and it is time to re-establish that turf after dropping the last two MAC home games (Toledo this year, Ohio last).
As far as the TV, my theory as it relates to Temple fans is that every time Temple is on local television it costs the uni 5K-10K at the gate. We have a "hardcore" fan base who will show up anytime (like me) but unfortunately we have a much too large "softcore" fan base that is great for TV ratings but is far too lazy to push away the remote, chips and dip and get off the couch and into the car for the short trip to the stadium on TV days. You see this group a lot on days when games aren't on TV. They are usually heavy-set, big-boned, people you see at the tailgates only once or twice a year (setting themselves apart from us heavy-set, big-boned, people you see every week).
Last year, the Homecoming opponent was Bowling Green, a cellar-dweller at the time, and the Owls drew a solid 23K with no local TV.
Anything less than 25K tomorrow with the game not on TV would be an extreme disappointment.
Anything more would be a pleasant surprise.
I'm going for the over.
Heck, if it's under 23K, we really don't deserve to be in the Big East anyway. Our fans will vote with their feet.
No time better than the present for Temple fans to show the Big East specifically and the world in general that this is a market that will support Division IA college football.