What I’m wondering while waiting for this weekend’s games…

Poor John Chavis.

Saturday will mark the 31st consecutive season the current Arkansas defensive coordinator has coached against Alabama as either an assistant coach or DC.

Thirty-one consecutive years. Oh, the humanity.

In that stretch, Chavis’ teams are 12-18-1 against the Crimson Tide.

At the start of this run, Chavis actually enjoyed some success against Alabama — until a guy named Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa.

Chavis’ teams B.S. (Before Saban) were 10-7-1 against Alabama. All of those contests were when Chavis was with Tennessee. But since Saban took over for the Crimson Tide in 2007, Chavis is only 2-11 against Alabama.

Chavis’ streak against Alabama began when he was an assistant at his alma matter Tennessee in 1989. In 1995 he was promoted to defensive coordinator for the Vols, where he remained for the next 14 seasons.

After that, he was defensive coordinator at LSU (2009-14) and Texas A&M (2015-17) before coming to Arkansas last season.

Saturday will also mark the 13th consecutive season that Chavis’ defense will face an Alabama team coached by Nick Saban.

Chavis’ numbers against Saban — like pretty much everyone that faces Saban — are not good. Chavis is 3-13 against Saban: 1-2 when Saban was LSU’s head coach and 2-11 against Saban at Alabama.

However, Chavis did something no one else has accomplished: He held Saban and Alabama to only two field goals in their 2011 regular season matchup, won by LSU 9-6.

But even that season, Chavis couldn’t enjoy his victory because the schools met months later in the 2012 Allstate BCS National Championship Game, which was won by Alabama 21-0.

Chavis was asked about his history of facing Alabama each year by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

“You want to play the best and find out where you are and how you measure up,” Chavis said. “You might say, ‘Is he serious about that?’ You’re doggone right.”

---

“Doggone right” is not an accurate description of how my picks have fared lately. After a respectable 10-7-1 start, I’ve staggered to a 6-14 mark the past four weeks.

I’ve had some ugly results, so I’m embracing it by picking two of the ugliest games of the season: Liberty at Rutgers and UConn at UMass. And from UMass, I’ll pick UMess — Michigan trying to rebound off the Penn State loss.

On to this week’s selections. Odds from @BetOnline_ag:

Liberty -7.5 at Rutgers
UConn -9.5 at UMass
Michigan +1 vs. Notre Dame
Texas Tech -3.5 at Kansas
Purdue -9 vs. Illinois

Lock of the Week: Master Lock Magnum 2-in Wide Combination Padlock

The Tote Board
Last week: 2-3
Year to date: 16-21-1

MORE: Could Appalachian State Earn a Cotton Bowl Bid?