Week 11 College Football Picks Review

Huskies win, Huskies win; promptly Hell froze over!
I had to do too many things on Saturday (aka – Recover from Friday Night), so I didn’t have much time to skip around and see what happened around the college ranks. Before I went into my deep, deep Tivo college football replay game depression, a random walker-by told me that the Huskies killed the Wildcats of Arizona. “Oh shit!” I thought, and as it turns out I had good reason to worry. Realizing that hell just froze over, I could only expect my worst set of college football picks of all time. That’s just what I got. As it turns out, I can’t tell the future. I’ll never make fun of that stupid, fat, ugly Jamaican lady again…

Fresno State @ Boise State (+9.5) – Bulldogs 27 – Broncos 7. It turns out I was wrong about a couple of things. Weird. Jared Zabransky looked like the same quarterback who intercepted the LSU game away, and the Bulldogs didn’t seem underrated one bit. Sometimes you think you have something but you really don’t, like Rosie O’Donnell thinks she has a penis.

Maryland @ North Carolina (-2.5) – Terrapins 33 – Tar Heels 30. It went into overtime, where I realized I couldn’t lose if North Carolina would just score and hold the Terps to nothing. If, again. It always seems to crap on your glasses when you figure out what you need to win. The Terps outlasted the Tar Heels in the extra session, sending me to 0-2, with the knowledge of a Husky loss on the horizon.

Northwestern (+18.5) @ Ohio State – Wildcats 7 – Buckeyes 48. Ohio State is finally playing as well as everyone thought they would all year. Sometimes it takes awhile to pull your head out of your ass, just ask the Bush family. Troy Smith is going to be a great quarterback, and State’s set of backs and receivers could probably take gold in the 4×100 at the next Olympic games. Unfortunately half of them will be making gobs of money playing professional football so they won’t have time to travel to Hong Kong to run around a track.

Michigan State (+6) @ Minnesota – Spartans 18 – Golden Gophers 41. The Spartans have now lost 5 of 6, making them almost as bad as the Blue Devils of Duke. Just kidding. State would still outscore Duke by 50 points in the first half. In this game it was Amir Pinnix and Gary Russell leading the Gopher rushing attack. Maroney was out for the day. The Gopher offensive line played at a high level, and the Gophers absolutely dominated the Spartans.

Iowa @ Wisconsin (-3) – Hawkeyes 20 – Badgers 10. Iowa led by 7 after three quarters, and their defense played stellar in the 4th, holding Wisconsin scoreless while taking home victory. The Badgers have really fallen off since their undefeated start to the season, while the Hawkeyes are playing their best football of the season. Another unlucky loss for Lucky.

Florida State (-2) @ Clemson – Seminoles 14 – Tigers 35. Terry Bowden took another game from his daddy on Saturday. The Tigers are a much better football team than I originally thought. This is beginning to look like a theme here; I think team is good, team is bad; I think team is bad, team is good.

Washington @ Arizona Wildcats (-13) – Kudos to Tyrone Willingham, he’ll end up building a solid team at the University of Washington. He got his first victory on Saturday, in response I originally thought hell had just frozen over. Especially with the way the Wildcats took down the Bruins’ hopes for an undefeated season last week. What can I say? You can’t win them all. You can’t win most of them, half of them, some of them, one of them… Can I get a tie?

Arizona State (+4) @ UCLA – Wildcats 35 – Bruins 45. The Bruins came back from their loss in a big way, taking down the Wildcats in a big-time scoring affair. Maurice Drew could only manage 88 yards on the ground, but that didn’t matter much as Drew Olson passes for 510 yards and 5 touchdowns, setting a new record for touchdown passes in a season for the Bruins. What happened to Arizona State after losing to the Trojans?

Texas Tech (-24) @ Oklahoma State – Raiders 17 – Cowboys 24. Not only did the Raiders fail to cover, but they got beat up by the Cowboys. Tech roared back with 14 points in the 4th quarter to tie the game, but a late touchdown by State took away any chances the Raiders had to pull out the victory. This is one of the biggest upsets of the weekend.

Oregon (-5) @ Washington State – Ducks 34 – Cougars 31. I’ll tell you what, the Cougars have been just good enough to lose every single Pac-10 game in the second half. This time it was the 3rd quarter that happened to be the Cougs’ undoing. Back here at home, we like to call this act, “Couging It”. It comes from all those games UW has taken down the Pussycats from Pullman. Loser = Me.

LSU @ Alabama (+3) – ‘Bama lost a heart breaker, but not without allowing me my one shot at mediocrity, allowing me a push and at least $20 left in my account. Thanks. Alas, their are only two undefeated teams left in the college ranks. And the BCS gets off again. Those Bastards!

Free NFL Picks 05-06 Week 10

Wing Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding! Start Your Engines!I’m one game under .500 if you take away the first week of the season. I’m 47-38-1 if you give me the benefit of two off weeks… (week 1 and week 8) Basically, I’m looking for a line here… Throw me a bone. All weeks included, I’m 54-61-1… Hey, not even Einstein was perfect. I’m halfway through the year with nothing but the up and up in my near future. The goal is 15 games over .500 for the year. Stay tuned to see if I reach the plateau. week 10 has the makings of a make-up week. I’m looking for 11-3, which would bring me up and over Shaq’s free throw percentage for the year. This is how I’m going to do it…

Kansas City Chiefs (+1.5) @ Buffalo Bills – This is my best bet of the week. I know what you’re saying, that doesn’t mean dick, but listen to what I’m saying. Since Takeo Spikes injury, the Buffalo Bills usually stout defense has been a sieved to opposing rushing attacks. The Kansas City Chiefs, both with and without Priest, have one of the leagues most feared running games. Kelly Holcomb is a better option than J.P. Losman, but he won’t make the difference against the Chiefs. Trent Green will have on of his best games of the year, as will Tony Gonzalez. With the Bills keyed in on Larry Johnson, Green will find wide open spaces in the secondary.
Game Date: 11/13/05 13:05 ET

Washington Redskins (-2) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers – The Washington Redskins showed me they were for real with a win over an emotionally charged Eagle team that was ready to play. Both teams played stern defense, but it was the Redskins who came away with the big play when the game was on the line. In some cases, you just have to admit you were wrong about a team and remove your foot from your mouth. This is one of those times. I’ve been hard on Joe Gibbs and the Skins. I’ve been critical of the Redskin offense. The bottom line is, Santana Moss is the real deal, Clinton Portis is a solid back, and Mark Brunell still has enough in the tank to get the ball to his two playmakers. Game Date: 11/13/05 16:20 ET

New England Patriots (-3) @ Miami Dolphins – The Patriots let me down for the millionth time. This time I was taking the Pats to pull out the upset. Sure enough, the Colts were much too good for Tom Brady’s Patriots, leaving me to question if the Patriots are indeed done. I predicted in my season preview that the Patriots would be lucky to be 4-4 halfway through the regular season. At 4-4 the Patriots still control their own destiny. They are the sure leaders of their division. Even if they continue down the path of mediocrity, they’ll beat out the Bills, Titans, and Jets with relative ease. Take the Patriots over the Dolphins in a game they should win. They’re still good enough to this kind of game.
Game Date: 11/13/05 13:05 ET

San Francisco 49ers (+13) @ Chicago Bears – I’ll be surprised if either of these teams score 13 points in this game. The 49ers will most likely rely on Cody “Couldn’t win at UW” Pickett while the NFC Norris leading Bears will bet their load on Kyle “Just enough to win” Orton. These two signal callers don’t make for an air assault, that’s for sure. The Niners will do their best to run the ball as much as possible, as will Chicago. That doesn’t sound like a 13 point spread to me. That sounds more like 17-7. Take the Niners for the single reason that both the Bears and San Francisco struggle to put points on the board. Game Date: 11/13/05 13:05 ET

Minnesota Vikings @ New York Giants (-10) – The Vikings got a big win against the up again down again Detroit Lions in week 9. That doesn’t mean they are good enough to play with the Giants. That means they are good enough to trick the betting world in to wagering on the “new” Vikings. Let me tell you something; the “new” Vikings are led by the “not so new” Brad Johnson. Betting on Michael Bennett busting out for another 100+ yard performance is a little bit of a stretch. Eli Manning is back at home, which means, he’s in his comfort zone. Take the Giants in a clubbing.
Game Date: 11/13/05 13:05 ET

Arizona Cardinals (+4) @ Detroit Lions – Up or down? How will the Lions play in week 10? Last week was down, so many would expect a little improvement… Ha! Don’t bet on it. The Arizona Cardinals are ready for a breakout game after falling to the bottom of their division. The Lions are an easy target, especially with Joey “DD” Harrington at the helm. Kurt Warner will manage his best game of the year, possibly even going turnoverless in Detroit. Customarily the Lions play better football at home. Customarily the Lions don’t suck.
Game Date: 11/13/05 13:05 ET

Baltimore Ravens (+7) @ Jacksonville Jaguars – The Jaguars don’t usually play with a huge lead. The Jaguars don’t often score more than 21 points. With the Ravens playing better football of late, the Jaguars will be lucky to grind out a tough win at home against the aging Ravens. Fred Taylor won’t be available for the Jaguars, but their young receiving corps and the ageless Jimmy Smith will make enough big plays to down the Ravens. Not without a fight, which is exactly why the Ravens will cover the spread in Jacksonville.
Game Date: 11/13/05 13:05 ET

Houston Texans @ Indianapolis Colts (-17) – 17 points is tough, but not tough enough. I know the Texans covered last week against the Jaguars, but these aren’t the Jaguars, these are the 8-0, finally beat he Patriots, going 9-0 without question, Colts. The Colts won’t fumble their undefeated season chances against the hapless Houston Texans. Andre Johnson finally broke out of his season long slump with a whopping 91 receiving yards in week 9. Big F-ing deal! Getting excited about 91 yards is why the Colts will beat the Texans by 30 points. Game Date: 11/13/05 13:05 ET

New York Jets @ Carolina Panthers (-9) – The Carolina Panthers are starting to really come together. Imagine how good they’d be with the best defensive tackle in football, Kris Jenkins. With or without Kris, they’re still 10 points better than the Bollinger led New York Jets. Stephen Davis will finally have a good yard per carry average and Steve Smith will continue to dominate as he has all year. Don’t look now, but the Panthers are going for their 6th straight victory.
Game Date: 11/13/05 16:10 ET

Denver Broncos @ Oakland Raiders (+3) – The Oakland Raiders will stun the world by taking down the unflappable Denver Broncos. Jake Plummer can’t throw the ball, don’t be confused by his last two games, without a rushing attack Jake is nothing. The Raiders will stand stout against the Bronco blocking scheme, putting pressure on Jake to do the right thing. He’ll fail the test as the Oakland Raiders fight back to 4-5, giving their postseason hopes another week of survival. This game means too much to Warren Sapp, Randy Moss and the rest of the Raiders to give up a game to their rival Broncos in Oakland. Game Date: 11/13/05 16:10 ET

St. Louis Rams @ Seattle Seahawks (-7) – There are a lot of things pulling me in the Rams’ direction. The 7 points the Seahawks are giving is painful, the way Stephen Jackson is running the rock, and the way the Rams usually take care of the Hawks is another reason. But can I bet against the Hawks? No. Not after Shaun Alexander learned to lower his shoulder into opposing defenses, not after the Hawks went down to Arizona and came away victorious, and not after the way the Hawks finished off the Rams in their early-season match-up. Look for the Hawks to further distance themselves from the rest of their weak division. Don’t look too much into the easy Seahawk schedule, but if they win the games they should, they’ll have the best record in the NFC by seasons’ end. Game Date: 11/13/05 16:20 ET

Green Bay Packers (+9.5) @ Atlanta Falcons – Take the Packers? Green Bay has played close in too many games to bet against Brett Favre with 9.5 on his side. Green Bay’s 7 loses have come by a total of 40 points. That’s an average of less than 6 points difference, with 4 of those losses coming by 3 points or less. In other words, the Packers do just enough to screw you over when you bet against them. Don’t let Brett fool you; he’s still got enough gas in the tank to put points up against a Falcons defense that couldn’t sack Gus Frerotte once last week in Miami. Game Date: 11/13/05 16:20 ET

Cleveland Browns (+8) @ Pittsburgh Steelers – This marks my 6th underdog point spread of the week. I’m not sure Cleveland can score enough to beat the Steelers, but I am sure that Charlie Batch attempted 11 passes last week against the pathetic Green Bay secondary. If that’s any indicator on what’s to come in his second start, there is no way the Steelers will finish off the Browns easily. With Willie Parker out, the Steelers will rely on Duce Staley and Jerome Bettis to carry the load. Cleveland will be ready, take them with more than a touchdown on their side.
Game Date: 11/13/05 20:40 ET

Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles (-3) – It’s time for the Eagles to step up and play like the best team in the NFC. Even without TO, Donovan McNabb and the rest of the birds showed they can produce on offense. Reggie Brown is a solid talent. If you ask me, between Donovan and Brian Westbrook, the Eagles will run more in week 10 than they’ve done all year. Without TO, Donovan McNabb is the perfect rushing weapon to keep the Cowboys honest. Last week there were multiple times when McNabb had ample opportunity to pull the ball down and get an easy first down. He didn’t and they ran out of time against Washington. Don’t expect Andy Reid to make the same mistakes twice. Game Date: 11/14/05 21:10 ET

WAGERING SMART MAKES WATCHING NFL GAMES MORE FUN

Good Luck with your NFL Football Betting!
Lucky Lester – Free Football Picks

2005 Week 9 NFL Pick Review

7-6-1 What can I say? Better than 2-12…
What a week, what a week… The Vikings climbed out of the black hole they had seemingly slipped into and beat the roarless Lions. All around the league there were surprises, amazements, firsts and lasts, but leave it to me to come out of my jetlag in the nick of time, with a winning week following a terrible performance by team Lucky in Week 8. Wait, Hold it… Go; The breakdown…

LOSERS – 6

Lions (-1.5) @ Vikings – Kevin Jones continued his gag-show ’05 season, and Joey Harrington looked like a sure 1st round bust as the Lions gave up too many too early, and couldn’t claw back to victory. The Vikings had their first decent game on the ground, and the “revamped” Minnesota defense finally stepped up to seal the victory.

Chargers (-6.5) @ Jets – Brooks Bollinger came off the bench to lead the Jets back within “breaking the bank” territory, and he almost didn’t stop there. Down 5 with minutes, no, seconds to go, Brooks Bollinger threw that ridiculous lob pass that never gets caught into the end zone, hoping his receiver would make something happen. The pass was incomplete, the Jets lost, the Chargers finally pulled out a close one. On the bright side, the Jets covered, losing me gobs of money… Hooray!

Titans (+3) @ Browns – After Reuben Droughns run-in with the law, he ran into the Titans to the tune of 189 all purpose yards, stepping up to lead the Browns over the Tennessee Titans. Chris Brown had another decent day, but it wasn’t enough as the Brown defense held tight in the 4th.

Raiders @ Chiefs (-5) – Holmes was a late-week scratch, but that didn’t scare me. Larry Johnson is for real! He played as well as I thought he would, doing it all on the last drive, and finishing off the Raiders with a diving score into the end zone. But it wasn’t enough, the Raiders found a way to score just enough to take the cash from my pocket. But wait… The entire Raider team left the field before the mandatory extra point, if Green just hikes the ball and walks into the end zone I’ll push… Damn! Vermeil must have not bet on the game… son of a bitch!

Colts @ Patriots (+3.5) – After a showdown in the land of Patriots, the Colts continue their rush for an undefeated season. The Colts looked good and the Patriots looked like their record, 4-4. It’s safe to say, the Colts have just abolished the Patriot Act. After picking the Patriots to lose in every Colts game the last 2 years, I finally took the Pats to pull out with a victory. It’s only fitting!

Eagles (+2.5) @ Redskins – I had no idea the Eagles were going to ditch TO. I certainly didn’t see them going the rest of the season without the leagues most infamous “team player”. Either way, I’ll take the loss because I would have gone with Philly anyway. McNabb will bring this team together, showing people why he is one of the leagues greatest players. Terrell will continue to do his best to get his paycheck, but the Eagles are done with Owens’ childish behavior… wait a second, if a child acted like this he’d get slapped.
PUSH – 1

Bears (-3) @ Saints – Push me this way and that, push me backward, push me forward. At -3 I knew this game had the making of a push. I had hopes as high as Method Man with the Bears set at 1st and goal at the 8 yard line in the final minutes. But to no avail, or Lucky Victory, they settled for three straight useless runs, setting up an easy game winning, Lucky pushing, Chicago Bear victory.

WINNERS – 7
Bengals (-3) @ Ravens – The Ravens continue to struggle, this week without their top defensive playmakers, Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. From the sidelines it was all cheers and smiles from an injured Ray, but on the field Carson Palmer and his Bengals were the only ones with smiles. Palmer was an ideal quarterback again, and Rudi Johnson found enough room to keep the Ravens defensive unit honest. The Bengals won easily, 21-9.

Panthers (-1.5) @ Buccaneers- “Look for Steve Smith to continue his MVP-Type season by out-dueling a very good Buc secondary.” (Me) Though many experts predicted the Buccaneers would slow down Steve Smith, it was the real expert, Lucky Lester, who came out looking like a fortune teller. The Panthers followed their star receiver’s lead, clobbering the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay.

Texans (+13) @ Jaguars -“This week they’ll (Texans) assuredly lose, so don’t get ballsy and take the Texans to win for big money. However, I’m betting the slow it down, drag it out Jaguars won’t win by more than 13, giving me a rare Texan victory.” (Me) What can I say, one man’s genius can only be apparent so many times before he takes on the title of Genius… I’m not quite there yet, but for now, Lucky “Genius” Lester will do just fine, thanks.

Falcons (-2) @ Dolphins – The Falcons didn’t dominate the way I thought they would, but Gus Frerotte played just as poor as predicted. With Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown both playing well (Combined 22 carries for over 115 yards and a touchdown) Nick Saban put the game in Gus’ hands, and sure enough, Gus followed through in fine fashion, an interception that sealed his Dolphins fate. Thanks to all those involved, Gus, Nick, Little Jay Jay, Billy and the Kids, Uncle Joe, Shinaenae….

Giants (-10.5) @ 49ers – The Giants were much too good for the 49ers. Then again, Cody Picket was starting for San Francisco. What else is there? For those of you who took the Niners because Eli Manning had never won a road game… HAHAHAHA! What will you guys do next time the Giants travel?

Seahawks (-4) @ Cardinals – “Shaun Alexander should look like the Jamaican Bobsled team, having “Cool Runnings” all game long in Arizona.” (Me) 188 yards? Check. Multiple touchdowns? Check. League MVP? Half way through, you got my vote. A new pay check? If it doesn’t come from Seattle, it will come from someone. Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck are doing all they can to make Seattle a premier team in this league. There are no problems within the team, and the Hawks are not Humpty Dumpty. Stay tuned for a big game against the Rams next week.

Steelers (-3) @ Packers – I couldn’t believe the 3 point line in this one. I would have taken the Steelers giving 10. Luckily for me, they only gave 3 and I won instead of pushing myself along. Charlie Batch threw for 65 yards, and Duce Staley led the Steelers with 75 yards on the ground. They still won by 10, amazing. The Packers are pathetic.

Good Luck with your NFL Football Betting!
Lucky Lester – Free Football Picks

College Football Picks Week 11 2005

A winning week is in the cards. I’ve gone back to the pattern and process that brought me three straight weeks with a winning percentage over 75%. May the outcome remain the same in week 11… I sure hope not. 75% isn’t good enough anymore, oh no, I want a perfect week in the college ranks. This is how I will master the betting world!

TOP 5 Bets

1. Oklahoma Sooners
2. Maryland Terrapins
3. Fresno State Bulldogs
4. Vanderbilt Commodores
5. Cincinnati Bearcats

Louisville Cardinals (-6.5) @ Rutgers Scarlet Knights: After watching Louisville dismantle the Mountaineers last Thursday, I don’t know how I can bet any other way in this one. Like I said last week, 2 undefeated teams are always tough to gamble on, but if I had to, I’d put my money on the Cards and one hell of a coaching staff.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (-13.5) @ North Carolina Tar Heels: The Yellow Jackets should step up and dominate the Tar Heels in North Carolina, if only because they know damn well this will be the last time their school is favored over the Heels throughout the rest of the school year. Basketball is coming up, and, ah, good luck Jackets. No, but honestly, the Jackets have a bowl bound football team with a few special players that should have their way with this basketball school in Carolina.

Cincinnati Bearcats (+19.5) @ West Virginia Mountaineers: You never can tell how a team will respond to being eliminated from Championship play. I love West Virginia, but if they think they’re going to suit up and win just because on Saturday, the Bearcats have something for West V. Nati has been solid all year, Pitt, Louisville, Ohio State, and Virginia Tech are responsible for the Bearcats’ only losses this season. Tough schedule. Cinci has played tough, and against Westy’s generous defense, they’ll give the Mountie faithful a scare.

Wisconsin Badgers @ Iowa Hawkeyes (+1): The Hawkeyes have won 4 straight in this rivalry, and are very tough at home. All signs point to Wisconsin, but lets not forget the importance of home field advantage in a divisional rivalry like this one. Iowa has struggled lately, but a big win over Wisconsin here would get them right back in the Bowl picture. Look for Iowa to surprise a lot of people on Saturday.

Vanderbilt Commodores (+2.5) @ Kentucky Wildcats: I love betting on the Commodores. (6-3 ATS) You can see why. The Wildcats are coming off a huge win over Georgia, so they should struggle out of the gates. The Commodores love to take advantage of squads who expect an easy win when they come to town. Vanderbilt will win this game in Kentucky!

Miami Hurricanes @ Maryland Terrapins (-2.5): The Terps just aren’t getting any love here because they aren’t a Miami school. In a tumultuous year for the Canes, you’d think things couldn’t get any worse. The Murder of defensive end Bryan Pata has put everything into perspective. As the Saints proved last season, its almost impossible to go in to games week in and week out with so much regular life draining your system. I’m not trying to take advantage for Miami here, I would have taken the Terps either way, but these kids can only worry about so much before it starts to really catch up with them.

New Mexico State Aggies @ Fresno State Bulldogs (-11): The Bulldogs aren’t even close to as bad as their record insists. The Aggies, they’re just as bad. New Mexico won’t stat close in this one, as finally the bounces will play fair with the Bulldogs as they dominate from 1 to 4. Since 1987 the Bulldogs haven’t beaten the Aggies by less than 2 touchdowns.

Oregon State Beavers (-2) @ UCLA Bruins: California schools are front runners, don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise. That’s why most of them schedule easy folks early in the season. That’s what UCLA did, but, lately it hasn’t worked. The Bruins have lost 4 straight while Oregon State has won 4 straight, including games over USC and Arizona State. I don’t think this is a fluke as finally the Beaves are starting to play up to their potential. We’ll see if I’m right come Saturday.

Washington State Cougars (-1) @ Arizona State: The Cougars have to get ready for a very disappointing loss to the Huskies next week in Pullman, because that’s what they do, so they should get an easy victory here over an Arizona State team that has struggled this year after their coach allowed the players to decide who their starting quarterback was going to be. The Cougars are tough, and although the Sun Devils do well at home, this time of year, WSU players are happy as hell to go on the road.

Texas Tech Red Raiders @ Oklahoma Sooners (-8.5): The Sooners have done well without their start player, Adrian Peterson, while the Red Raiders have had a down year on each side of the ball, but still have managed to put up some pretty solid numbers going 6-4 overall. The Sooners should return to dominate this series, after losing last year by two points. Oklahoma’s only home loss this season came against Texas, so expect them to hold their ground in front of the home crowd. Only two of OK’s 7 wins this season have come by less than 9 points.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+9) @ Florida State Seminoles: I don’t know how the cappers came up with this number, but honestly, lets look at some game film. Lets see, yes, that’s right, ah, there it is. The Seminoles haven’t beaten any of the Top 5 ACC teams this season, while their only wins have come against Miami, Duke, Troy, Rice, and Virginia. The Deacons have yet to get any street credit from going 8-1 on the season, with their only loss coming in a close one against Clemson. Yeah, after review, I’ll roll the dice on the Deacons and 9 freaking points. Unbelievable.

Tennessee Volunteers @ Arkansas Razorbacks (-5.5): The Razorbacks haven’t lost since an opening whooping put down by the USC Trojans. You can understand why they started off kind of slow, they’re a team with a new offense and a freshman quarterback. He’ll only get better. Darren McFadden has been great this season, averaging over 100 yards per contest, and scoring 11 touchdowns. The Volunteers are a great group of kids, and they are undefeated on the road this season, but Arkansas keeps finding a way to win. Something they’ll continue to do this week at home, where they too are undefeated thus far.

Week 10 College Football Picks Review

A shot below the belt… 5-6
Lets say the Belt is right at .500, well this week marks a shot right in the junk. At 5-6, I couldn’t make a hat trick out of my winning weeks, but a nail biter makes for good TV right? At least an ulcer. I’ll have to take a trip to the family doctor before I go back to the drawing board in an all or nothing week 11. For now, take a look at my ups and downs and try and figure out where I went wrong.

Losers – 6

Michigan State (-5) @ Purdue – College football is a mess, no one can figure this stuff out… okay, I just couldn’t figure this one out… Purdue takes down Michigan State, the only team besides USC to beat Notre Dame… what is this world coming to? I get it; sure money is not sure at all… okay, okay, I’ll learn my lesson.

Toledo (-11) @ Ohio – The Rockets could only outscore Ohio by 9 which is… carry the two… oh yeah, not enough for me to cover the 11 points needed for payout. Schucks!

Wake Forest (+8) @ Georgia Tech – It looks like the swagger Tech has been walking around with finally followed them into a football game. Georgia Tech is loaded with talent, too much for the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest. Reggie Ball finally played some good football, and the Yellow Jacket defense was too much for the offensive unit in Wake.

Miami @ Virginia Tech (-6) – Markus Vick looked terrible. He couldn’t throw, run, or hold on to the damn ball. He’ll grow up, but not soon enough to make a BCS catastrophe… dang! I had hopes for some Texas, USC, Virginia Tech, and Alabama undefeated season BCS ugliness… but now it looks more and more like a USC – Texas title game. Thanks Hokies!

Tennessee (+8.5) @ Notre Dame – Notre Dame is one of the NCAA’s best teams. They took a Tennessee scare and dominated in the last 15 minutes. Notre Dame will play in a big BCS game if they can win out.

UCLA (-9) @ Arizona – The dream is dead in California. There were many season ticket holders and college students’ alike waiting and hoping to see the UCLA Bruins and the Trojans of USC playing in a match-up between undefeateds, but their dreams were dashed by the horrendous play of the Bruins. At the bottom of the Pac-10, the Arizona Wildcats took down the Bruins, giving UCLA what had been coming to them over the last three weeks. This just shows, you can’t deny destiny!

Winners – 5

Minnesota (-13) @ Indiana – The Golden Gophers were much better than the overmatched Indiana Hoosiers. Marooney looked good and the Gophers over powered the young Hoosier team easily.

Duke (+31) @ Clemson – “The oddsmakers must be slamming their heads into walls left and right.” (Me) Yes, the Blue Devils made this closer than it needed to be, but I was right on top of the score. No way the Tigers outscore a college football team by more points than they’ve scored all year. So, Duke lost and I won… Can’t have a better day than that!

Texas A&M @ Texas Tech (-17) – “Texas Tech shall dominate this match-up. Tech is a solid, offensively explosive machine while A&M is what? The 8th best school in Texas. Exactly. No-brainer.” (Me) 56-17… Are you kidding me? Once again, that’s Lucky “Genius” Lester, I’ll be here all year.

Texas (-28) @ Baylor – “Texas will absolutely obliterate Baylor. 28 points will be had after 1.5 quarters of football, and a 40-point victory will be on the horizon.” Okay, okay, I was wrong… the Longhorns only had 27 points at halftime. And they didn’t win by 40, they won by 62… You can’t be perfect all the time.

Oregon State (-3) @ Washington – The Huskies continue to be the Pac-10 doormat, but it’s not their fault, they’re just really, really bad. Who’s fault is it? I blame Drew Bledsoe and Tom Cruise. Bledsoe is sluggish on a fast day and Tom Cruise is borderline dwarf material. Plus, they’re both assholes. Another Husky loss means another win for me!

Free NFL Picks 05-06 Week 9

A Layover with a HangoverHere I am, down under… way, way too far down under. Note to self, while spending hours and hours waiting for the next plane headed to the US because your original plane is being glued back together (not kidding), don’t buy $112 worth of drinks at Sydney International’s King’s Palace. Note number two; after suffering the effects of $112 worth of Sydney’s finest, both in the pocket and in the gut, don’t sit down at an airport internet bar to type an entire weeks worth of picks. After breaking every airport rule I know, besides the bowie knife in the sock trick, here are my NFL Week Nine Picks.

Lions (-1.5) @ Vikings – Who would have thought? The Green Bay Packers are last in a weak NFC North Division at 1-6… the Randy Mossless, and now Daunte Culpepperless, Minnesota Vikings are stuck at 2-5 and the Kyle Orton led Chicago Bears have bulldozed their way to a 4-3 record by taking down the Detroit Lions last week. Where does that leave the Lions? 3-4, second place. Look for the Vikings to play with their heads down now that their fearless leader is down and out. The Lions will take full advantage of the party-happy Vikings, having a touchdown party of their own on Sunday, led by Kevin Jones, who is still looking to match his breakout second half a year ago. Game Date: 11/06/05 13:00 ET

Chargers (-6.5) @ Jets – The San Diego Chargers had a huge win against the Kansas City Chiefs last week. As good as the Chargers have been this year, they are still looking up at the playoffs with a 4-4 record halfway through the season. The Jets are lost, their season all but in the dumps, and the Chargers will take advantage of Herman Edwards’ squad in New York. The Chargers, despite their record, have one of the leagues best offensive attacks; they’ll showcase the stars of that unit, Keenan McCardell and Ladainian Tomlinson and Drew Brees, on Sunday. Game Date: 11/06/05 13:00 ET

Titans (+3) @ Browns – The Titans took one on the chin at home last week to the Oakland Raiders. Look for them to turn the tides on the Browns this week, upsetting a very average or below average Cleveland squad. The Browns found a way to give the Texans a victory last week, they’ll manage to do the same for the 2-6 Titans. Chris Brown will be looking for 100 yards as Steve McNair will pick on a Brown secondary minue Gary Baxter, who is out for the year for the Browns. At least this will keep Cleveland in the Matt Leinart sweepstakes. Game Date: 11/06/05 13:00 ET

Raiders @ Chiefs (-5) – The Raiders have won 3 of 4 after starting the season with 3 straight losses. I said they were the best winless team in football, they’re just now starting to prove me right. Unfortunately, the Chiefs won’t get caught shifting their entire defense towards Randy Moss like the Titans did. They’ll play a zone that will fool Kerry Collins into at least two costly picks, allowing Priest Holmes, Tony Gonzalez, and Trent Green to take advantage of easy scoring opportunities. Gonzalez will have his second big week in a row, and Holmes will team with Larry Johnson to outgun the Raiders.
Game Date: 11/06/05 13:00 ET

Bears (-3) @ Saints – Kyle Orton is this year’s Ben Roethlisberger. His team’s not as solid as the Steelers were last year, but that won’t stop the Bears from pushing themselves through a weak North Division, and into the playoffs. The hapless Saints will continue their tumble toward a top pick in the draft. Look for Chicago’s star runner, Thomas Jones not Cedric Benson, to have a big day against the “River Runs Through It” defense of New Orleans. Aaron Brooks better do his best to keep the Saints out of the top spot in the draft, or Matt Leinart might be taking over his position as soon as next season.
Game Date: 11/06/05 16:05 ET

Bengals (-3) @ Ravens – The Bengals played down to the Packers level last week, but they’re still a much better team than the Ravens. Baltimore has been “playing hard” as Brian Billick has pleaded to the media… Well, it must be the coaching. Hint, hint. The Ravens will fall to 2-7 with a loss to the Bengals this week, look for Billick to be the leagues first coach to get axed. Yikes. I said it. He’s not getting the job done, and not even his defense has been able to find him victories. The Ravens need something to change.
Game Date: 11/06/05 13:00 ET

Panthers (-1.5) @ Buccaneers- The Panthers are 5-2 and just won in dominating fashion against the Vikings in week 8. Look for Steve Smith to continue his MVP-Type season by out-dueling a very good Buc secondary. The Bucs should be absolutely disappointed with their Week 8 loss to the 49ers. I know I’m disappointed in them. Cadillac Williams needs to run like he did at the beginning of the year for the Bucs to have a chance. Can he do it against a banged up Panther front 7 who are without Kris Jenkins? That’s the question. Either way, Jake Delhomme and the Panther rushing attack will dive headfirst into Tampa Bay’s defense. This will be a big time game ending with a Panther W. Game Date: 11/06/05 13:00 ET

Texans (+13) @ Jaguars – The Texans found a victory last week against Cleveland. Don’t ask me how they did it? It’s still beyond me. This week they’ll assuredly lose, so don’t get ballsy and take the Texans to win for big money. However, I’m betting the slow it down, drag it out Jaguars won’t win by more than 13, giving me a rare Texan victory. David Carr will continue to throw a limited amount of times, while Dominic Davis gets pounded into a Jaguar defensive front that gave up 174 yards to Steven Jackson last week. Ouch.
Game Date: 11/06/05 13:00 ET

Falcons (-2) @ Dolphins – The Falcons should demolish the Dolphins of Miami. Amazingly to me, the Dolphins find themselves at just a game under .500 going into their 8th game. An even record of 4-4 is too much for me to swallow, as any team lead by Gus Frerotte doesn’t belong at .500. Ronnie Brown has begun to show why he was picked where he was, further distancing himself from Ricky Williams as the teams leading rusher. The Falcons will gang up on Brown, forcing Gus to beat them… he won’t. The Falcons should win big in Miami.
Game Date: 11/06/05 13:00 ET

Giants (-10.5) @ 49ers – The New York Football Giants gave it to the Washington Redskins hard in week 8. Eli Manning didn’t look dominant, but he didn’t need to as the Giant defense stepped up big and Tiki Barber ran like a man on a mission to dominate. Think “The Rock” in “Doom”. The 49ers just got their last win of the season, blowing my mind and yours, by taking the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 15-10. That’s it for them. No way in hell they beat the Giants.
Game Date: 11/06/05 16:05 ET

Seahawks (-4) @ Cardinals – The Seahawks got a much needed week off. Ken “The Hammer” Hamlin is out for the season after getting beat up outside of a Seattle Night Club. Look for the Seahawks to come out and play rough and tough like Ken, and beat the Cardinals in a big divisional game. Shaun Alexander should look like the Jamaican Bobsled team, having “Cool Runnings” all game long in Arizona. Matt Hasselbeck has been great for the Hawks, finally showing that he can lead his team to big victories. This will be another notch on the Hawks’ belt. Game Date: 11/06/05 16:05 ET

Colts @ Patriots (+3.5) – I can’t take the Colts until they finally beat the Patriots. Not even their undefeated record allows me to take them against New England. As my long-time readers know, the Patriots have been the bane of my existence one too many times. Until Manning shows me he can take advantage of a struggling Patriot defensive unit, I have to put my money on Tom Brady, Corey Dillon, and the rest of the Pats. Game Date: 11/07/05 21:05 ET

Steelers @ Packers – The Pittsburgh Steelers pulled out a big one on Monday Night against the falling Ravens. Baltimore came back in the 4th with 3 field goals, taking the lead, and seemingly ruining Pittsburgh’s night. Not to be outmatched, Big Ben took his team down for the winning field goal in the game’s final minutes. This week Big Ben, Hines Ward, Jerome Bettis and the rest of the Steel Crew will find it much easier as they take on Grandfather Brett in Green Bay. At 1-6 the Pack can only go up right? Wrong. Will 1-7 be the straw that breaks Favre’s back? Brett will tell you, “there is no last straw, there is only hay.” Think about that, as the Steelers thump the Packers in Lambeau. Game Date: 11/06/05 16:15 ET

Eagles (+2.5) @ Redskins – The Eagles will turn it up after getting embarrassed for the second time this year. The first ribbing came from the Dallas Cowboys, who the Eagles will get a chance to pay back in Week 10. The second came from the Bronco’s last week. I believe Washington showed their true colors when they got throttled by the Giants 36-0 last week. Don’t be surprised if the Eagles take down the Redskins in another laugher. Philadelphia is too good to dabble in mediocrity for too much longer. Game Date: 11/06/05 20:30 ET
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Lucky Lester – Free Football Picks

Free NFL Picks 05-06 Week 9

A Layover with a HangoverHere I am, down under… way, way too far down under. Note to self, while spending hours and hours waiting for the next plane headed to the US because your original plane is being glued back together (not kidding), don’t buy $112 worth of drinks at Sydney International’s King’s Palace. Note number two; after suffering the effects of $112 worth of Sydney’s finest, both in the pocket and in the gut, don’t sit down at an airport internet bar to type an entire weeks worth of picks. After breaking every airport rule I know, besides the bowie knife in the sock trick, here are my NFL Week Nine Picks.

Lions (-1.5) @ Vikings – Who would have thought? The Green Bay Packers are last in a weak NFC North Division at 1-6… the Randy Mossless, and now Daunte Culpepperless, Minnesota Vikings are stuck at 2-5 and the Kyle Orton led Chicago Bears have bulldozed their way to a 4-3 record by taking down the Detroit Lions last week. Where does that leave the Lions? 3-4, second place. Look for the Vikings to play with their heads down now that their fearless leader is down and out. The Lions will take full advantage of the party-happy Vikings, having a touchdown party of their own on Sunday, led by Kevin Jones, who is still looking to match his breakout second half a year ago. Game Date: 11/06/05 13:00 ET

Chargers (-6.5) @ Jets – The San Diego Chargers had a huge win against the Kansas City Chiefs last week. As good as the Chargers have been this year, they are still looking up at the playoffs with a 4-4 record halfway through the season. The Jets are lost, their season all but in the dumps, and the Chargers will take advantage of Herman Edwards’ squad in New York. The Chargers, despite their record, have one of the leagues best offensive attacks; they’ll showcase the stars of that unit, Keenan McCardell and Ladainian Tomlinson and Drew Brees, on Sunday. Game Date: 11/06/05 13:00 ET

Titans (+3) @ Browns – The Titans took one on the chin at home last week to the Oakland Raiders. Look for them to turn the tides on the Browns this week, upsetting a very average or below average Cleveland squad. The Browns found a way to give the Texans a victory last week, they’ll manage to do the same for the 2-6 Titans. Chris Brown will be looking for 100 yards as Steve McNair will pick on a Brown secondary minue Gary Baxter, who is out for the year for the Browns. At least this will keep Cleveland in the Matt Leinart sweepstakes. Game Date: 11/06/05 13:00 ET

Raiders @ Chiefs (-5) – The Raiders have won 3 of 4 after starting the season with 3 straight losses. I said they were the best winless team in football, they’re just now starting to prove me right. Unfortunately, the Chiefs won’t get caught shifting their entire defense towards Randy Moss like the Titans did. They’ll play a zone that will fool Kerry Collins into at least two costly picks, allowing Priest Holmes, Tony Gonzalez, and Trent Green to take advantage of easy scoring opportunities. Gonzalez will have his second big week in a row, and Holmes will team with Larry Johnson to outgun the Raiders.
Game Date: 11/06/05 13:00 ET

Bears (-3) @ Saints – Kyle Orton is this year’s Ben Roethlisberger. His team’s not as solid as the Steelers were last year, but that won’t stop the Bears from pushing themselves through a weak North Division, and into the playoffs. The hapless Saints will continue their tumble toward a top pick in the draft. Look for Chicago’s star runner, Thomas Jones not Cedric Benson, to have a big day against the “River Runs Through It” defense of New Orleans. Aaron Brooks better do his best to keep the Saints out of the top spot in the draft, or Matt Leinart might be taking over his position as soon as next season.
Game Date: 11/06/05 16:05 ET

Bengals (-3) @ Ravens – The Bengals played down to the Packers level last week, but they’re still a much better team than the Ravens. Baltimore has been “playing hard” as Brian Billick has pleaded to the media… Well, it must be the coaching. Hint, hint. The Ravens will fall to 2-7 with a loss to the Bengals this week, look for Billick to be the leagues first coach to get axed. Yikes. I said it. He’s not getting the job done, and not even his defense has been able to find him victories. The Ravens need something to change.
Game Date: 11/06/05 13:00 ET

Panthers (-1.5) @ Buccaneers- The Panthers are 5-2 and just won in dominating fashion against the Vikings in week 8. Look for Steve Smith to continue his MVP-Type season by out-dueling a very good Buc secondary. The Bucs should be absolutely disappointed with their Week 8 loss to the 49ers. I know I’m disappointed in them. Cadillac Williams needs to run like he did at the beginning of the year for the Bucs to have a chance. Can he do it against a banged up Panther front 7 who are without Kris Jenkins? That’s the question. Either way, Jake Delhomme and the Panther rushing attack will dive headfirst into Tampa Bay’s defense. This will be a big time game ending with a Panther W. Game Date: 11/06/05 13:00 ET

Texans (+13) @ Jaguars – The Texans found a victory last week against Cleveland. Don’t ask me how they did it? It’s still beyond me. This week they’ll assuredly lose, so don’t get ballsy and take the Texans to win for big money. However, I’m betting the slow it down, drag it out Jaguars won’t win by more than 13, giving me a rare Texan victory. David Carr will continue to throw a limited amount of times, while Dominic Davis gets pounded into a Jaguar defensive front that gave up 174 yards to Steven Jackson last week. Ouch.
Game Date: 11/06/05 13:00 ET

Falcons (-2) @ Dolphins – The Falcons should demolish the Dolphins of Miami. Amazingly to me, the Dolphins find themselves at just a game under .500 going into their 8th game. An even record of 4-4 is too much for me to swallow, as any team lead by Gus Frerotte doesn’t belong at .500. Ronnie Brown has begun to show why he was picked where he was, further distancing himself from Ricky Williams as the teams leading rusher. The Falcons will gang up on Brown, forcing Gus to beat them… he won’t. The Falcons should win big in Miami.
Game Date: 11/06/05 13:00 ET

Giants (-10.5) @ 49ers – The New York Football Giants gave it to the Washington Redskins hard in week 8. Eli Manning didn’t look dominant, but he didn’t need to as the Giant defense stepped up big and Tiki Barber ran like a man on a mission to dominate. Think “The Rock” in “Doom”. The 49ers just got their last win of the season, blowing my mind and yours, by taking the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 15-10. That’s it for them. No way in hell they beat the Giants.
Game Date: 11/06/05 16:05 ET

Seahawks (-4) @ Cardinals – The Seahawks got a much needed week off. Ken “The Hammer” Hamlin is out for the season after getting beat up outside of a Seattle Night Club. Look for the Seahawks to come out and play rough and tough like Ken, and beat the Cardinals in a big divisional game. Shaun Alexander should look like the Jamaican Bobsled team, having “Cool Runnings” all game long in Arizona. Matt Hasselbeck has been great for the Hawks, finally showing that he can lead his team to big victories. This will be another notch on the Hawks’ belt. Game Date: 11/06/05 16:05 ET

Colts @ Patriots (+3.5) – I can’t take the Colts until they finally beat the Patriots. Not even their undefeated record allows me to take them against New England. As my long-time readers know, the Patriots have been the bane of my existence one too many times. Until Manning shows me he can take advantage of a struggling Patriot defensive unit, I have to put my money on Tom Brady, Corey Dillon, and the rest of the Pats. Game Date: 11/07/05 21:05 ET

Steelers @ Packers – The Pittsburgh Steelers pulled out a big one on Monday Night against the falling Ravens. Baltimore came back in the 4th with 3 field goals, taking the lead, and seemingly ruining Pittsburgh’s night. Not to be outmatched, Big Ben took his team down for the winning field goal in the game’s final minutes. This week Big Ben, Hines Ward, Jerome Bettis and the rest of the Steel Crew will find it much easier as they take on Grandfather Brett in Green Bay. At 1-6 the Pack can only go up right? Wrong. Will 1-7 be the straw that breaks Favre’s back? Brett will tell you, “there is no last straw, there is only hay.” Think about that, as the Steelers thump the Packers in Lambeau. Game Date: 11/06/05 16:15 ET

Eagles (+2.5) @ Redskins – The Eagles will turn it up after getting embarrassed for the second time this year. The first ribbing came from the Dallas Cowboys, who the Eagles will get a chance to pay back in Week 10. The second came from the Bronco’s last week. I believe Washington showed their true colors when they got throttled by the Giants 36-0 last week. Don’t be surprised if the Eagles take down the Redskins in another laugher. Philadelphia is too good to dabble in mediocrity for too much longer. Game Date: 11/06/05 20:30 ET
WAGERING SMART MAKES WATCHING NFL GAMES MORE FUN

Good Luck with your NFL Football Betting!
Lucky Lester – Free Football Picks