Friday Night: West Virginia -6.5 at USF. There will be no surprises this time. West Va is just too fast. USF is off to a great start but it is obvious that Auburn is having an off year so that diminishes their track record a bit.
Saturday
Duke +24 at Miami. I am not sold on Miami yet.
Arkon +15.5 at U Conn.
Indiana +10.5 at Iowa.
Miss. St. +13.5 at South Carolina. Spurrier is play with his QB's again and not getting the success he needs.
Air Force +2.5 at Navy. Navy is still living on past success.
Ball State -13.5 over Buffalo. (Key Play). Buffalo gets killed at home by Baylor and Ball State is coming of a very very close road loss to Nebraska. Should be at least 21.
Oregon -6.5 over Cal.
Alabama +2.5 over FSU.
Georgia -15 over Mississippi
Kansas St. +14.5 at Texas. Texas will be looking ahead to Oklahoma.
LSU -41 at Tulane. Who cares where they play this game, all the fans will be for LSU.
Vanderbilt -21 over Eastern Michigan.
Oklahoma -23 at Colorado and OVER 55.5. Can't go against Oklahoma until they show me a reason. Again is see Oklahoma scoring 50 on their own.
Tulsa -22.5 over UAB. Tulsa has a solid offense and UAB is very weak.
Louisville -8.5 at NC State. Can Louisville be this bad? I am betting they're not.
Rutgers -17.5 over Maryland and OVER 47.
Ohio St -23.5 at Minnesota and OVER 61. Ohio State will put up 50 + also this week. Too much speed for Minnesota.
Purdue -22 at Notre Dame. Maybe they should save some money this year and spray the helmets with silver so they look tarnished just like the legacy of the football program.
Arizona St -14 at Stanford
Cincinnati -14 at SDSU.
Arkansas -36 over North Texas.
NFL for Sunday
Lets get back to the NFL and get away from our 0-3 start.
Houston -3 +105 at Atlanta
Chicago -3 +105 at Detroit
Green Bay -1.5 at Minnesota
Philadelphia -3 +105 at NY
All road favorites, yeah I may be nuts but these are what make sense to me.
Good luck.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Week 5: Early Plays
So far this season I have had two good weeks and two so-so ones but we are yet to have a loser in college play yet. 11-10 last week, a push to bring the season total to 42-34. Up a few bucks but nothing to be proud of.
Thursday Night:
Southern Miss +10.5 at Boise St. In a perfect world both of these teams would have been undefeated and this would be like the "Bracket Buster" games ESPN promotes among the mid majors in NCAA hoops, but it is not. Boise lost to an improved Washington on the road and South Miss was taken out by Tennessee. I think Boise will win at home but it will be really close.
Arkansas St. -4 over Memphis. Memphis has to travel 5 days after getting wiped out at UCF. Arkansas St. is off a loss but played a solid 3 quarters at Tennessee, and they should enjoy some good home cookin'.
Friday Night:
West Virginia at South Florida. This should be a great game and I might have a pick on Friday.
Good luck tomorrow night.
Moss
Thursday Night:
Southern Miss +10.5 at Boise St. In a perfect world both of these teams would have been undefeated and this would be like the "Bracket Buster" games ESPN promotes among the mid majors in NCAA hoops, but it is not. Boise lost to an improved Washington on the road and South Miss was taken out by Tennessee. I think Boise will win at home but it will be really close.
Arkansas St. -4 over Memphis. Memphis has to travel 5 days after getting wiped out at UCF. Arkansas St. is off a loss but played a solid 3 quarters at Tennessee, and they should enjoy some good home cookin'.
Friday Night:
West Virginia at South Florida. This should be a great game and I might have a pick on Friday.
Good luck tomorrow night.
Moss
Friday, September 21, 2007
Week 4: College
Friday Night:
Oklahoma -23.5 and Ok/Tulsa Over 66. The Oklahoma offense has been fantastic this season and they should blow out Tulsa. Tulsa beat BYU (55-47) in an old fashioned WAC shootout last Saturday so their defense should not be a worry for Oklahoma. Tulsa will score at least 20 while Oklahoma will score at least 55.
Saturday
Baylor -3 at Buffalo. I know I should not touch this game, but I really don't think Buffalo is ready to beat a BCS conference team (Temple was an independent last year and now in the MAC). Baylor should win by double digits unless there is a fluke September snow.
Kent State -2 at Akron. Other then stumbling against Kentucky, Kent looks strong this season. This is a rivalry game but Akron's offense has been inept and they have been saved by their opponents turnovers.
Boston College -27 over Army. Wow did BC play well last week and Army got lucky that Wake Forest is just a terrible favorite. This week will be an easy cover.
Ball St. +23 at Nebraska. Ball St. brings a strong offense and a weak defense into Nebraska this week. Nebraska is a team with a similar set up who will win but not be able to separate by more then 3 TDs. The over here is tempting but I think it is slanted a little too high.
Mississippi +23 over Florida. Mississippi is not the hapless pushover they have been over the past few years. Florida will be looking ahead to Auburn and LSU, just trying to get back home to the swamp with a win.
Texas Tech -5.5 at Oklahoma St. (Key Game) This is the best Red Raider team in years and Oklahoma St has no confidence coming after their horrific performance at Troy. The Cowboys are not the same team as advertised after suffering through some early season injuries.
Michigan St. -10 (bought the half) at Notre Dame. More power to ND if they turn it around this week, but I don't see it happening. Michigan State seems to be on pace for their usual disappearing act after a strong start, but this is still non-conf play so the disappearance will wait another week.
Georgia Tech -3.5 (i am not paying 20% to buy a game down to 3 and I am less scared of this game then I was of Alabama, although I really wanted to pick them) at Virginia. I still think Tech is a great team just had an off week and I think Virginia sucks. So lets hope the stars realign back to where they should be.
Colorado St/Houston over 65. Both teams are more offensively oriented and can score.
Clemson -7 at NC State. NC State beat a 1-AA team, who cares. They will not be close to Clemson.
Marshall +24 at Cincinnati. Marshall is not as bad as they look losing to 1-AA UNH who beat Northwestern last year too. The starting QB for Marshall sat for most of the 1st half and then led the team on 5 almost 6 straight Touchdown drives. Cincinnati is good but I think this might be the week they are ripe for a letdown back at home.
Kentucky +6.5 at Arkansas and Over 66.5. Kentucky is not a team to mess with this season and they can score with the best teams in the country. Both teams are coming off shootouts and heading into another one.
New Mexico St. + 16.5 at Auburn. Auburn can't move the ball very well this season and just don't seem to be awake. New Mexico St's strong passing offense might give Auburn some trouble especially if Auburn continues to turn the ball over often.
Wyoming -4 at Ohio. Ohio plays a tough opponent for the 2nd week in a row. They had no offense last week and were lucky to push against Va Tech. Wyoming played tough D against Boise but still lost. Actually made it closer in the 4th quarter then it should have been, but Wyoming is the much better team.
South Carolina +18 at LSU. Some points will be scored this week against LSU and it will be a closer game then expected with LSU winning by around 10 or 11.
Wisconsin -7 over Iowa. I still think Wisconsin, after some struggles the last couple of weeks, will win the Big Ten.
Purdue -13.5 at Minnesota. Minnesota sucks and I think Purdue might even hold them to scoring in the low 20s otherwise I would have played the over too.
Arkansas St +19.5 at Tennessee. All the teams in the Sunbelt are not pushovers anymore. Tennessee will have a much harder time then expected at home this week coming off the Florida loss.
So we have 7 dogs this week. I wish you all good luck and lets have a winning week. Also to answer a few of your comments, I DO WORK. I just like to fit some pleasure travel in with my work also.
Happy Winning and Happy Fasting (to those of you who fast).
Oklahoma -23.5 and Ok/Tulsa Over 66. The Oklahoma offense has been fantastic this season and they should blow out Tulsa. Tulsa beat BYU (55-47) in an old fashioned WAC shootout last Saturday so their defense should not be a worry for Oklahoma. Tulsa will score at least 20 while Oklahoma will score at least 55.
Saturday
Baylor -3 at Buffalo. I know I should not touch this game, but I really don't think Buffalo is ready to beat a BCS conference team (Temple was an independent last year and now in the MAC). Baylor should win by double digits unless there is a fluke September snow.
Kent State -2 at Akron. Other then stumbling against Kentucky, Kent looks strong this season. This is a rivalry game but Akron's offense has been inept and they have been saved by their opponents turnovers.
Boston College -27 over Army. Wow did BC play well last week and Army got lucky that Wake Forest is just a terrible favorite. This week will be an easy cover.
Ball St. +23 at Nebraska. Ball St. brings a strong offense and a weak defense into Nebraska this week. Nebraska is a team with a similar set up who will win but not be able to separate by more then 3 TDs. The over here is tempting but I think it is slanted a little too high.
Mississippi +23 over Florida. Mississippi is not the hapless pushover they have been over the past few years. Florida will be looking ahead to Auburn and LSU, just trying to get back home to the swamp with a win.
Texas Tech -5.5 at Oklahoma St. (Key Game) This is the best Red Raider team in years and Oklahoma St has no confidence coming after their horrific performance at Troy. The Cowboys are not the same team as advertised after suffering through some early season injuries.
Michigan St. -10 (bought the half) at Notre Dame. More power to ND if they turn it around this week, but I don't see it happening. Michigan State seems to be on pace for their usual disappearing act after a strong start, but this is still non-conf play so the disappearance will wait another week.
Georgia Tech -3.5 (i am not paying 20% to buy a game down to 3 and I am less scared of this game then I was of Alabama, although I really wanted to pick them) at Virginia. I still think Tech is a great team just had an off week and I think Virginia sucks. So lets hope the stars realign back to where they should be.
Colorado St/Houston over 65. Both teams are more offensively oriented and can score.
Clemson -7 at NC State. NC State beat a 1-AA team, who cares. They will not be close to Clemson.
Marshall +24 at Cincinnati. Marshall is not as bad as they look losing to 1-AA UNH who beat Northwestern last year too. The starting QB for Marshall sat for most of the 1st half and then led the team on 5 almost 6 straight Touchdown drives. Cincinnati is good but I think this might be the week they are ripe for a letdown back at home.
Kentucky +6.5 at Arkansas and Over 66.5. Kentucky is not a team to mess with this season and they can score with the best teams in the country. Both teams are coming off shootouts and heading into another one.
New Mexico St. + 16.5 at Auburn. Auburn can't move the ball very well this season and just don't seem to be awake. New Mexico St's strong passing offense might give Auburn some trouble especially if Auburn continues to turn the ball over often.
Wyoming -4 at Ohio. Ohio plays a tough opponent for the 2nd week in a row. They had no offense last week and were lucky to push against Va Tech. Wyoming played tough D against Boise but still lost. Actually made it closer in the 4th quarter then it should have been, but Wyoming is the much better team.
South Carolina +18 at LSU. Some points will be scored this week against LSU and it will be a closer game then expected with LSU winning by around 10 or 11.
Wisconsin -7 over Iowa. I still think Wisconsin, after some struggles the last couple of weeks, will win the Big Ten.
Purdue -13.5 at Minnesota. Minnesota sucks and I think Purdue might even hold them to scoring in the low 20s otherwise I would have played the over too.
Arkansas St +19.5 at Tennessee. All the teams in the Sunbelt are not pushovers anymore. Tennessee will have a much harder time then expected at home this week coming off the Florida loss.
So we have 7 dogs this week. I wish you all good luck and lets have a winning week. Also to answer a few of your comments, I DO WORK. I just like to fit some pleasure travel in with my work also.
Happy Winning and Happy Fasting (to those of you who fast).
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Week 4:
So we had a nice Saturday going 11-7 to up the college total to 31-23 on the season, the NFL went the wrong way so we are 0-3 so far. Ugh.
I am traveling so here is my pick for Thursday Night.
Texas A&M +2.5 over Miami. I would think about buy the half (I was in a hurry and forgot), but I think that A&M has this game straight up on the road.
Good luck and picks for Saturday will be up Friday afternoon.
(By the way, for you golfers out there, get to Kohler Wisconsin if you can because it is the mecca of golf. Whistling Straights has to be the nicest golf course complex I have ever seen. The two courses are unique due to the setting the landscape, created by nature and Pete Dye. I was floored and am already thinking of heading back.)
I am traveling so here is my pick for Thursday Night.
Texas A&M +2.5 over Miami. I would think about buy the half (I was in a hurry and forgot), but I think that A&M has this game straight up on the road.
Good luck and picks for Saturday will be up Friday afternoon.
(By the way, for you golfers out there, get to Kohler Wisconsin if you can because it is the mecca of golf. Whistling Straights has to be the nicest golf course complex I have ever seen. The two courses are unique due to the setting the landscape, created by nature and Pete Dye. I was floored and am already thinking of heading back.)
Friday, September 14, 2007
Week 3: NFL and last minute plays
Well it was nice to West Virginia get the split last night, but my better move was my thought that I had while driving last night when I decided to book AF and the under. Sorry I did not get a chance to post it, but such is life.
NFL on Sunday:
Cincinnati -6.5 at Cleveland. Well I am not sure if a team has ever traded their opening day QB in the subsequent week, but that does not look good for Cleveland in the short term. They must be counting the weeks until the Brady Quinn era begins.
Indianapolis -7 at Tennessee. Tennessee is coming off a surprise upset and Indy looks better then last year coming out out the box. Indianapolis is for real right now and I don't see them faltering this early in the season.
Good luck this week!
NFL on Sunday:
Cincinnati -6.5 at Cleveland. Well I am not sure if a team has ever traded their opening day QB in the subsequent week, but that does not look good for Cleveland in the short term. They must be counting the weeks until the Brady Quinn era begins.
Indianapolis -7 at Tennessee. Tennessee is coming off a surprise upset and Indy looks better then last year coming out out the box. Indianapolis is for real right now and I don't see them faltering this early in the season.
Good luck this week!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Week 3: Weekend Action
I hope I am not being sacrilegious thinking about betting on a holy day. Oh well.
There are two interesting things that I forgot to share yesterday in my post. Did you know that Michigan and Notre Dame have never both started off a season 0-2? The more interesting fact is: Michigan is 0-4 since the death of former Head Coach and Athletic Director Bo Schembeckler.
Saturday's Games:
North Carolina -3 over Virginia. I have not confidence in this Virginia team that has a totally inept offense. HC Davis has UNC improving already.
Auburn -13 over Mississippi St. I smell a strong bounce back by Auburn. They have had their heads up their asses the first two games and are lucky to be 1-1. Miss State did beat Auburn last week but they still suck.
Central Michigan/Purdue over 66. Purdue should score in the high 40's and CMU does have a decent offense.
Ohio U. +21 at Va. Tech. Ohio U is 2-0 with some confidence while Va. Tech is starting a new QB. They will win but it will not be decisive.
Cincinnati -7 at Miami-OH. I am going against some conventional wisdom here but Cincinnati is confident and will force turnovers again this week.
Toledo/Kansas over 65. Same argument as above for the Purdue game but just change the names.
Wake Forest -19 over Army. This is a nice get healthy and running again game for Wake. Army is as bad as usual.
Tennessee/Florida over 55. I would not be surprised to see 70 points here without any trouble. Both teams have shown impressive offenses and so-so defenses.
Michigan -7 (bought down from 7.5) over Notre Dame. Experience will get Michigan the win this week even with a young QB.
Ohio St. -3 (bought down from 3.5) at Washington. I think Washington is the trendy upset pick this week and I don't see it. Ohio State had a let down last week and the Buckeyes don't snooze through two games in a row.
UCF +17.5 over Texas. Texas has played uninspired football. UCF is coming off an upset win on the road over NC State and now hosts Texas to open their brand new stadium. I think they will be up for this game while Texas will still be sleep walking.
Indiana -13 over Akron. The Zips are more the like the slugs on offense. Indiana has a speedy offense that I like playing at home this week.
Houston -14 at Tulane. My error with Tulane last week. Houston is eager to get back on the field after giving Oregon a tough battle in their opener two weeks ago.
Louisville/Kentucky under 77. I think Louisville's defense will appear this week in a tough in-state rivalry game against an improving Kentucky.
Texas Tech -28 at Rice. Again another nutty pick last week, Rice sucks too. Last year was a miracle for them that will not be repeated. Texas Tech looks even stronger this season and could be a Big 12 South contender.
Nebraska +10 (bought a half from 9.5) over USC. The Trojans are a mess, but they are a damn talented mess. Players transferring and getting injured has weakened their depth. They are playing a QB, Sam Keller, who has experience against this great Trojan D. It will be close.
Wyoming +12.5 at Boise St. The Coyboys have a tough defense and I think Boise may be a little rattled from last week's loss. There could be an upset on the blue turf.
UNLV +17.5 over Hawaii. Hawaii spent the week on the mainland after a crazy game against La Tech where they barely escaped with an OT win because La Tech went to 2 in the first overtime. UNLV played Wisconsin very tough last week and their young QB is playing very well. Hawaii needs to play much better and I think they will but UNLV is a better team as well.
Arizona State -28 over SDSU. SDSU sucks and Arizona State is playing really tough defense. ASU by 40 in a run away.
There are two interesting things that I forgot to share yesterday in my post. Did you know that Michigan and Notre Dame have never both started off a season 0-2? The more interesting fact is: Michigan is 0-4 since the death of former Head Coach and Athletic Director Bo Schembeckler.
Saturday's Games:
North Carolina -3 over Virginia. I have not confidence in this Virginia team that has a totally inept offense. HC Davis has UNC improving already.
Auburn -13 over Mississippi St. I smell a strong bounce back by Auburn. They have had their heads up their asses the first two games and are lucky to be 1-1. Miss State did beat Auburn last week but they still suck.
Central Michigan/Purdue over 66. Purdue should score in the high 40's and CMU does have a decent offense.
Ohio U. +21 at Va. Tech. Ohio U is 2-0 with some confidence while Va. Tech is starting a new QB. They will win but it will not be decisive.
Cincinnati -7 at Miami-OH. I am going against some conventional wisdom here but Cincinnati is confident and will force turnovers again this week.
Toledo/Kansas over 65. Same argument as above for the Purdue game but just change the names.
Wake Forest -19 over Army. This is a nice get healthy and running again game for Wake. Army is as bad as usual.
Tennessee/Florida over 55. I would not be surprised to see 70 points here without any trouble. Both teams have shown impressive offenses and so-so defenses.
Michigan -7 (bought down from 7.5) over Notre Dame. Experience will get Michigan the win this week even with a young QB.
Ohio St. -3 (bought down from 3.5) at Washington. I think Washington is the trendy upset pick this week and I don't see it. Ohio State had a let down last week and the Buckeyes don't snooze through two games in a row.
UCF +17.5 over Texas. Texas has played uninspired football. UCF is coming off an upset win on the road over NC State and now hosts Texas to open their brand new stadium. I think they will be up for this game while Texas will still be sleep walking.
Indiana -13 over Akron. The Zips are more the like the slugs on offense. Indiana has a speedy offense that I like playing at home this week.
Houston -14 at Tulane. My error with Tulane last week. Houston is eager to get back on the field after giving Oregon a tough battle in their opener two weeks ago.
Louisville/Kentucky under 77. I think Louisville's defense will appear this week in a tough in-state rivalry game against an improving Kentucky.
Texas Tech -28 at Rice. Again another nutty pick last week, Rice sucks too. Last year was a miracle for them that will not be repeated. Texas Tech looks even stronger this season and could be a Big 12 South contender.
Nebraska +10 (bought a half from 9.5) over USC. The Trojans are a mess, but they are a damn talented mess. Players transferring and getting injured has weakened their depth. They are playing a QB, Sam Keller, who has experience against this great Trojan D. It will be close.
Wyoming +12.5 at Boise St. The Coyboys have a tough defense and I think Boise may be a little rattled from last week's loss. There could be an upset on the blue turf.
UNLV +17.5 over Hawaii. Hawaii spent the week on the mainland after a crazy game against La Tech where they barely escaped with an OT win because La Tech went to 2 in the first overtime. UNLV played Wisconsin very tough last week and their young QB is playing very well. Hawaii needs to play much better and I think they will but UNLV is a better team as well.
Arizona State -28 over SDSU. SDSU sucks and Arizona State is playing really tough defense. ASU by 40 in a run away.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Week 3: Actually Week 2 Recap and Picks for Thursday
So we did not have a great week at 9-8-1 (I am not going to track the ties this year since it is irrelevant, especially since most of you got the win on that Rutgers game when the line went back down,) but it was a winning week again in college anyway.
The Pac-10 and Big East conferences helped themselves with strong performances mostly from top to bottom with a few exceptions. Cincinnati and South Florida had big wins over BCS conference teams that were unexpected. Louisville and West Virginia showed a lack of defense but still won their games with strong offenses. Syracuse still sucks but ever conference needs a bottom. Oregon St. was the one disappointment for the Pac-10 but Washington and Oregon had stellar performances. The rest of conference looks pretty decent as well but for Stanford at the bottom. I love hearing east coasters whine that west coast football getting too much press but I think it is the opposite right now.
The Big Ten looks really weak right now. Ohio State and Wisconsin did not look good in wins over the weekend that were much less dominant then expected. Penn State looks good but it all hangs on Morelli's shoulders right now. Michigan St. and Minnesota struggled against the MAC. Northwestern barely beat the WAC. So far the Big Ten looks like they could be carrying up the rear for the major conferences this season.
For you tribe members out there, Happy New Year.
Picks for Thursday:
West Virginia -16.5 over Maryland and Over 65. West Virginia is the ultimate scoring machine and they can't play more then a half of defense. I don't see Maryland's defense keeping up.
Good luck.
The Pac-10 and Big East conferences helped themselves with strong performances mostly from top to bottom with a few exceptions. Cincinnati and South Florida had big wins over BCS conference teams that were unexpected. Louisville and West Virginia showed a lack of defense but still won their games with strong offenses. Syracuse still sucks but ever conference needs a bottom. Oregon St. was the one disappointment for the Pac-10 but Washington and Oregon had stellar performances. The rest of conference looks pretty decent as well but for Stanford at the bottom. I love hearing east coasters whine that west coast football getting too much press but I think it is the opposite right now.
The Big Ten looks really weak right now. Ohio State and Wisconsin did not look good in wins over the weekend that were much less dominant then expected. Penn State looks good but it all hangs on Morelli's shoulders right now. Michigan St. and Minnesota struggled against the MAC. Northwestern barely beat the WAC. So far the Big Ten looks like they could be carrying up the rear for the major conferences this season.
For you tribe members out there, Happy New Year.
Picks for Thursday:
West Virginia -16.5 over Maryland and Over 65. West Virginia is the ultimate scoring machine and they can't play more then a half of defense. I don't see Maryland's defense keeping up.
Good luck.
Friday, September 07, 2007
Week 2: Saturday's Plays
Well last night there were two surprising results to me. First, Oregon St. has some QB problems and is looking to be overrated right now despite their offensive weapons. Second, has there ever been a game where there 5 offensive touchdowns score within the first 5 minutes of the game. I am, of course, speaking about the Louisville-MTSU offensive spectacle last night. Louisville needs to step up otherwise Kentucky is going to beat them next week. If I were a head coach, I would have locked the defense out of the locker room at halftime and praised the offense inside for a solid start. I will be interested to see if Louisville drops a position or two in the rankings. (By the way, I right that Louisville likes to score in the mid 50's in these kind of games, just I was not expecting the performance from MTSU.)
I read two interesting statistics this morning on philsteele.com.
"Michigan entered the year #5 in the polls and did not even make the top 25 this week. That was the largest fall EVER in the AP poll after one week. The next closest was when Notre Dame entered the year at #8 in 1995 and fell out of the rankings after a loss to Northwestern. . . .Since the start of 2000 Michigan is the 50th team to lose to a 1AA foe and the previous 49 combined to finish just 160-408 that same season with only FOUR of the 49 finishing with a winning record!"
Yes I had to put in the Northwestern plug.
Also note I have a game that I am considering my key play that I bet double on. I may or may not have games like these going forward but I will tell you when I do.
West Virginia -24 at Marshall. Yeah, it is a road game in a rivalry but these two teams are at different levels right now. With HC Rodriguez now signed on long term, I see a 51-14 blowout.
Nebraska/Wake Forest over 49.5. Nebraska armed with a good passing qb and a running game looks dangerous to me and should put up lots of points again for the 2nd straight week. I was also impressed with Wake scoring 28 up at BC last week. The total goes over 60.
Oklahoma -10 (bought down from -10.5) over Miami. This is not 15 or 20 years ago. Miami needs some time to get back to being a team that can compete in a game like this. Maybe Miami can get a QB too since it has been too long since they have had a competent one.
Rice +6.5 at Baylor. If a college football game is played and no one attends nor anyone cares, did it actually get played? OF Course it did, because I bet on it! Rice got knocked off by a 1-AA team last week in a game played in freakish weather. Baylor valiantly tried against TCU but did not score. Just too many points to give a team that played in a bowl last year (although does that real matter anymore since there are so many bowls).
Cal/Colorado St over 61. I am not really comfortable with the spread in this game but I know both teams will be prolific offensively.
Missouri -6 at Mississippi. Missouri as always seemed to keep a game closer then it really needed be but I will stick with them again this week since they are superior team. It should not be this close.
Boston College -14 at NC State. Here is a chance for the BC player to give their old coach the big F.U. NC State lost to UCF last week in a pathetic showing. They will be better in future years but it will take HC O'Brien time to get the team in order.
Boise St. -3 at Washington. No respect for Boise. This is a joke, Washington beats Syracuse easily last week and now the odds makers think this will be a close game. (Who hasn't beaten Syracuse easily the last few years?) Boise wins by 14 or more.
Penn St. -17 over Notre Dame. Big revenge game for PSU after getting stomped in South Bend last season, I see very little mercy in this one. More growing pains for ND but they should score a touchdown this week if Claussen can survive. 41 -7 Penn State.
Tulane +6 over Miss St. I think Tulane has an advantage since they have not played yet instead of just playing terribly like MSU did against LSU. This is an even series over the last four years and I don't see the home team as the dog.
Kent St. +13 at Kentucky. Kent State played well against Iowa State last week and pulled off an upset win. I see they keeping this game close while Kentucky looks ahead to playing interstate rival Louisville next week.
Washington St. -14 over SDSU. After playing well against Wisconsin for the first half, the Cougars will take out their frustrations on the weak Aztecs.
Hawaii -27.5 at La. Tech. (Key Play) (I put double on this one) For once, I think Hawaii will have no trouble covering on the road. La. Tech is terrible getting out gained and barely being whatever crappy team they played last week. (They were so bad I am just too lazy to look it up.)
New Mexico St +7 at New Mexico. New Mexico St. has the better offense and a few days extra rest and they are getting 7 points. NMSt should win straight up again a team that lost to UTEP 10-6. It should be a high scoring game here too.
UL Monroe +27 at Clemson. Clemson has never been a consistent team under little Bowden. I think they will be over confident this week and just cruise to a victory of less then 20 points.
Well that's all for now. I may have a few more up later today or tonight.
Good luck.
Oh yeah and I have one NFL play for the weekend.
Eagles -3 at Green Bay.
I read two interesting statistics this morning on philsteele.com.
"Michigan entered the year #5 in the polls and did not even make the top 25 this week. That was the largest fall EVER in the AP poll after one week. The next closest was when Notre Dame entered the year at #8 in 1995 and fell out of the rankings after a loss to Northwestern. . . .Since the start of 2000 Michigan is the 50th team to lose to a 1AA foe and the previous 49 combined to finish just 160-408 that same season with only FOUR of the 49 finishing with a winning record!"
Yes I had to put in the Northwestern plug.
Also note I have a game that I am considering my key play that I bet double on. I may or may not have games like these going forward but I will tell you when I do.
West Virginia -24 at Marshall. Yeah, it is a road game in a rivalry but these two teams are at different levels right now. With HC Rodriguez now signed on long term, I see a 51-14 blowout.
Nebraska/Wake Forest over 49.5. Nebraska armed with a good passing qb and a running game looks dangerous to me and should put up lots of points again for the 2nd straight week. I was also impressed with Wake scoring 28 up at BC last week. The total goes over 60.
Oklahoma -10 (bought down from -10.5) over Miami. This is not 15 or 20 years ago. Miami needs some time to get back to being a team that can compete in a game like this. Maybe Miami can get a QB too since it has been too long since they have had a competent one.
Rice +6.5 at Baylor. If a college football game is played and no one attends nor anyone cares, did it actually get played? OF Course it did, because I bet on it! Rice got knocked off by a 1-AA team last week in a game played in freakish weather. Baylor valiantly tried against TCU but did not score. Just too many points to give a team that played in a bowl last year (although does that real matter anymore since there are so many bowls).
Cal/Colorado St over 61. I am not really comfortable with the spread in this game but I know both teams will be prolific offensively.
Missouri -6 at Mississippi. Missouri as always seemed to keep a game closer then it really needed be but I will stick with them again this week since they are superior team. It should not be this close.
Boston College -14 at NC State. Here is a chance for the BC player to give their old coach the big F.U. NC State lost to UCF last week in a pathetic showing. They will be better in future years but it will take HC O'Brien time to get the team in order.
Boise St. -3 at Washington. No respect for Boise. This is a joke, Washington beats Syracuse easily last week and now the odds makers think this will be a close game. (Who hasn't beaten Syracuse easily the last few years?) Boise wins by 14 or more.
Penn St. -17 over Notre Dame. Big revenge game for PSU after getting stomped in South Bend last season, I see very little mercy in this one. More growing pains for ND but they should score a touchdown this week if Claussen can survive. 41 -7 Penn State.
Tulane +6 over Miss St. I think Tulane has an advantage since they have not played yet instead of just playing terribly like MSU did against LSU. This is an even series over the last four years and I don't see the home team as the dog.
Kent St. +13 at Kentucky. Kent State played well against Iowa State last week and pulled off an upset win. I see they keeping this game close while Kentucky looks ahead to playing interstate rival Louisville next week.
Washington St. -14 over SDSU. After playing well against Wisconsin for the first half, the Cougars will take out their frustrations on the weak Aztecs.
Hawaii -27.5 at La. Tech. (Key Play) (I put double on this one) For once, I think Hawaii will have no trouble covering on the road. La. Tech is terrible getting out gained and barely being whatever crappy team they played last week. (They were so bad I am just too lazy to look it up.)
New Mexico St +7 at New Mexico. New Mexico St. has the better offense and a few days extra rest and they are getting 7 points. NMSt should win straight up again a team that lost to UTEP 10-6. It should be a high scoring game here too.
UL Monroe +27 at Clemson. Clemson has never been a consistent team under little Bowden. I think they will be over confident this week and just cruise to a victory of less then 20 points.
Well that's all for now. I may have a few more up later today or tonight.
Good luck.
Oh yeah and I have one NFL play for the weekend.
Eagles -3 at Green Bay.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Week 2: Thurs-Fri Night Action and some discussion
Week 2:
I am still not sure if I am over last week yet. I think the Big Ten needs a big weekend to work on restoring its weakened reputation. Minnesota can't lose a 2nd straight game to a MAC team, Michigan needs to win at home over Oregon, and the rest of the conference needs to win their games.
Another thought, I did not realize until the middle of last season that the Pac 10 started to play 9 conference games in seasons with 12 games. On the surface for creating a true conference champion I believe this makes sense, but I think it also will increase the "bias" against West Coast teams. If they played only 8 conference games it would be another opportunity for them to get exposure in the East and Midwest. Just a thought.
On to some games:
Thursday Night:
Oregon St. -3.5 at Cincinnati. I think Cincinnati is getting too much respect in this match up. They blew out a 1-AA team last week but yet missed 3 extra points between to kickers and also missed their only field goal attempt. Oregon St is very experienced at kicker with a 4 year starter at the position who is one of the best right now and will not be playing on short week since they played last Thursday also.
Middle Tennessee St./Louisville over 59.5. Louisville likes to score at least in the high 50's without any help from their cream puff opponents.
Friday Night:
Rutgers -17 over Navy. Either Temple is a little better then in the past or Navy is much worse then last season. Anyway, Rutgers has no reason to look past Navy with a patsy on deck.
Saturday's Games will be posted tomorrow and Friday.
I am still not sure if I am over last week yet. I think the Big Ten needs a big weekend to work on restoring its weakened reputation. Minnesota can't lose a 2nd straight game to a MAC team, Michigan needs to win at home over Oregon, and the rest of the conference needs to win their games.
Another thought, I did not realize until the middle of last season that the Pac 10 started to play 9 conference games in seasons with 12 games. On the surface for creating a true conference champion I believe this makes sense, but I think it also will increase the "bias" against West Coast teams. If they played only 8 conference games it would be another opportunity for them to get exposure in the East and Midwest. Just a thought.
On to some games:
Thursday Night:
Oregon St. -3.5 at Cincinnati. I think Cincinnati is getting too much respect in this match up. They blew out a 1-AA team last week but yet missed 3 extra points between to kickers and also missed their only field goal attempt. Oregon St is very experienced at kicker with a 4 year starter at the position who is one of the best right now and will not be playing on short week since they played last Thursday also.
Middle Tennessee St./Louisville over 59.5. Louisville likes to score at least in the high 50's without any help from their cream puff opponents.
Friday Night:
Rutgers -17 over Navy. Either Temple is a little better then in the past or Navy is much worse then last season. Anyway, Rutgers has no reason to look past Navy with a patsy on deck.
Saturday's Games will be posted tomorrow and Friday.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Week 1 Recap: What great fun!
First of all, I really do want to send out a heartfelt consolation to the fans of Michigan since they are still all feeling quite Blue. Now I want to say to the Athletic Director and HC Lloyd Carr, "What were you thinking and get your damn heads out of the sand. Did you see how many other Big Ten teams lost to 1-AA opponents last season? I believe it was three! And then you decide to get the best 1-AA team out there, the team that was rated #70 in the Sagarin ratings which includes all the 1-A teams. Maybe you should start paying attention to the outside world, and not just talk about getting younger players some experience in the opening game and escaping without any injuries. (I am not a Michigan fan, but I will share their sentiment.) YOU SUCK!!"
Sorry for that rant but after going through it with Northwestern last season when we lost to the #1 1-AA offense and top 10 ranked team New Hampshire, I just think it is really stupid to even try to play one of these teams that might be good. This is not like one of those games that are scheduled years in advance. There are plenty of Sunbelt, MAC, and WAC teams willing to do a lopsided deal to play. In addition there are about 90 teams in 1-AA, why pick one of the better ones? There is no upside to it. Now for Appalachian State, congrats for going in with a positive attitude and winning.
Well I can't say I was surprised about Notre Dame, depending on how the lines are I will be against them all season. They should be better in the future but this is just going to be a bad year.
I listened to most of the Oklahoma St - Georgia and K St - Auburn games while driving back home from Myrtle Beach and came out with the overall impression that the Big XII is a little behind the SEC. I think Kansas State will be good but they are throwing the ball way too much. I am less confident in Oklahoma St. playing on the tougher side of the Big XII. Georgia earned some respect from me while Auburn is team I need to see play more to see if they just got lucky to win and were having an off day or otherwise.
So on the week we finished 10-7 with an 8-3 on Saturday.
On other notes, gotta love Miss Teen USA for raising the IQ of all Americans who watch and participate. Oh yeah and she announced she is going to attend Appalachian State in the fall. Any other week that would be a welcomed statement but now we understand how they beat Michigan, supposedly App St. is a good college for educating future teachers. (I hope she sticks with Elementary School.) HC Carr can complain about the high academic standards of Michigan and how it hampers his recruiting.
See you tomorrow or Thursday.
Sorry for that rant but after going through it with Northwestern last season when we lost to the #1 1-AA offense and top 10 ranked team New Hampshire, I just think it is really stupid to even try to play one of these teams that might be good. This is not like one of those games that are scheduled years in advance. There are plenty of Sunbelt, MAC, and WAC teams willing to do a lopsided deal to play. In addition there are about 90 teams in 1-AA, why pick one of the better ones? There is no upside to it. Now for Appalachian State, congrats for going in with a positive attitude and winning.
Well I can't say I was surprised about Notre Dame, depending on how the lines are I will be against them all season. They should be better in the future but this is just going to be a bad year.
I listened to most of the Oklahoma St - Georgia and K St - Auburn games while driving back home from Myrtle Beach and came out with the overall impression that the Big XII is a little behind the SEC. I think Kansas State will be good but they are throwing the ball way too much. I am less confident in Oklahoma St. playing on the tougher side of the Big XII. Georgia earned some respect from me while Auburn is team I need to see play more to see if they just got lucky to win and were having an off day or otherwise.
So on the week we finished 10-7 with an 8-3 on Saturday.
On other notes, gotta love Miss Teen USA for raising the IQ of all Americans who watch and participate. Oh yeah and she announced she is going to attend Appalachian State in the fall. Any other week that would be a welcomed statement but now we understand how they beat Michigan, supposedly App St. is a good college for educating future teachers. (I hope she sticks with Elementary School.) HC Carr can complain about the high academic standards of Michigan and how it hampers his recruiting.
See you tomorrow or Thursday.
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