Tag Archives: 2006

Free NCAA Football Picks Week 13 – 2006

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Its been up and down as the regular season has gone on, but this week I’m making up for the Gong Show weeks, and straight picking money makers left and right. Don’t get left out, these are the hot picks for this week in the College ranks.

TOP 5 Bets

1. Boise State
2. Southern Methodist
3. Oregon
4. Texas
5. West Virginia

Texas A&M Aggies @ Texas Longhorns (-13): 5 out of the last 6 match-ups between these teams have ended in a win for the Longhorns of 13 points or more. The only game that didn’t see the Horns hooking the Aggies by more than 13, an 11 point win by Texas last season. Look for yet another Longhorn win!

Oregon Ducks (+3) @ Oregon State Beavers: Just to show how big of a gong-show the entire Pac-10 is, the Ducks, who got trounced by the Trojans, will spank the Beavers, who handed USC their only loss thus far. I think the Big East is a stronger conference than the Pac-10. Hell, I know it is! The Ducks walk in this interstate showdown.

Cincinnati Bearcats (-3.5) @ Connecticut Huskies: UCONN doesn’t have a chance in this game. This is what I’m talking about, the Big East has a nice group of top level talent. The Bearcats are one of those top tier teams that will upset some “major conference” squads in bowl play. Mark my words. Cinci wins easily here.

Syracuse Orange (+15) @ Rutgers Scarlet Knights: After finally seeing their perfect season deteriorate, the Knights will have a tough one against the Orange. Syracuse won’t win, don’t get me wrong, but they will put up a fight against the Knights.

South Carolina Gamecoks @ Clemson Tigers (-5): After a week of Steve Spurrier rumors, the Old Ball Coach heading to Miami to take over a struggling Hurricane squad, something tells me the Gamecocks won’t play inspired football. God knows they aren’t good enough to play poorly and win, so expect the Clemson Tigers to take advantage of that situation and get a big win. Did I mention that they are the better team? Its true.

South Florida Bulls @ West Virginia Mountaineers (-21): The Mounties have dominated at home this season, and are playing as well as they’ve played all year. The Bulls are a formidable opponent, but that won’t stop the Mounties from mounting a dominating win at home. Pat White and Steve Slaton for president!

Southern Methodist Mustangs (+4) @ Rice Owls: I fully expect the Mustangs to win this contest. This will be Rice’s 4th home game this season, and they’ll look to win one for their home fans, but SMU is the better team here, despite the similar record. The Owls have been eeking out close wins while SMU has been pretty solid. Take the underdog here!

Louisville Cardinals (-10.5) @ Pittsburgh Panthers: 4 straight losses for the Panthers? Make that 5. Yes sir, the Cardinals are still one of the Nation’s best teams, and the Panthers are still on a 4 game losing streak that doesn’t look to be stopping any time soon. The Panthers have always been front runners, and God knows what a 4 game tank job does to front runners. The Cards should cover with ease on the road in this one.

Oklahoma Sooners (-5.5) @ Oklahoma State Cowboys: OK State will get handled in this one. A Sooner team that keeps getting better each week will come into their biggest rivals home turf and dominate from kickoff ’till game over.

Boise State Broncos (-2.5) @ Nevada Wolfpack: LOL! The Broncos have had 2 close games all season long. This one may be close, because Nevada has some talent, but there is a reason the Broncos are undefeated. I have a pretty good feeling Boise State will run the table this year, and that makes betting on this game a given. Nevada isn’t this good.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ USC Trojans (-7): The Irish have a better team, but I have a feeling they’ll come out flat against USC, something that won’t be tolerated, and won’t be taken lightly by the Trojans. An early lead for USC is almost a guarantee. I hope this game is closer than I expect it to be.

Week 12 College Football Picks Review: 2006

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While Rutgers saw their perfect season fall, and the Wolverines fell just short of beating the Buckeyes, my 6-5 record was anything but perfect. A couple late scores killed what should have been a brilliant week, and then there was the Terps and Deacons that flat out killed me. But all is well as I finished 1 game up, just enough to keep me going.

West Virginia Mountaineers (-11) @ Pittsburgh Panthers: WIN! The Mountaineers were just too much for the Panthers, as Steve Slaton and Pat White showed why they are future Heisman competitors. West Virginia lost a tough one against Louisville, but don’t be confused, they’d give any top level school a fight! For the first time in a few weeks, Thursday night was good for me.

Maryland Terrapins (+7.5) @ Boston College Eagles: LOSS! Boston College just absolutely dominated the Terps. From time to time, Maryland will play a game like this, I just didn’t expect it to come against a conference rival. The Terps just didn’t show up at all.

Iowa Hawkeyes (+3) @ Minnesota Golden Gophers: LOSS! Iowa has once again disappointed me. But if any team has been more difficult to figure out, it’s those pesky and promiscuous Golden Gophers. I don’t know what these guys do the night before games, but there are some weeks that Temple would run their show, and other weeks where they can compete with the Ohio State’s of the world.

Duke Blue Devils (+26.5) @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: LOSS! Just barely, what can I say? A point… Damn Blue Devils always messing up my city wall. South Park humor. This is the last time I roll my money on the football Dukies.

Oklahoma Sooners (-19.5) @ Baylor Bears: WIN! The Sooners did the Bears dirty and hooked me up with a much needed win. Oklahoma is a very good football team, and will only get better as their young offense grows. Oh, and if Peterson comes back for a Bowl game.. Watch out!

Arkansas Razorbacks @ Mississippi State Bulldogs (+14.5): WIN! The Razorbacks almost did me good, but the Bulldogs did just enough in the first half to pull me out a half point victory. I’ll take it, any slobbery Bulldog way I can get it, thank you.

Michigan Wolverines @ Ohio State Buckeyes (-6.5): LOSS! Entering the 4th quarter, I had a terrible feeling that this game was going to come down to a late Michigan score and an attempt at an onside kick for a chance to win or tie. Well, the sickness came true, and although the Buckeyes had the game in hand, a late score by Michigan, with 2 minutes left, did me good and the big spread was to tough to cover. But what can I do? The Buckeyes were up 10 most of this game, just not when it came down to making me money.

Buffalo Bulls (+38.5) @ Wisconsin Badgers: WIN! The Bulls covered, got their asses kicked good, but covered no problem. Hate to say it, actually I love to say it, I told ya so.

Oregon State Beavers (-14) @ Stanford Cardinal: WIN! The Beavers walloped the Cardinal, something I definitely saw happening. No way in hell the Cardinal were going to play decent football twice in a season. They are that bad folks.

Auburn Tigers (-3) @ Alabama Crimson Tide: WIN! The Tigers pulled out a quick one on the Tide, giving me a guarantee at a winning week. Neither team could score in the final quarter, but Auburn managed a slim touchdown win over their cross state rivals.

Virginia Tech Hokies @ Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+2): LOSS! Wake Forest finally did what everyone kept predicting they were going to do. The Hokies whooped them good, and handed me my 5th loss in as many chances. Can’t win them all kids.

Week 10 NFL Pick Review – 2006

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I just can’t seem to put a winning streak together as I broke down and lost more games this week than any other week this season. It’s going to be a tough hole to climb out of, but what can I do? Gotta keep climbing till I get to the top! At least I won the majority of my Top 5 bets…

TOP 5 Bets

1. Jacksonville over Houston Loss
2. Chicago over New York Giants WIN
3. Philadelphia over Washington WIN
4. Jets over Patriots WIN
5. Tampa Bay over Carolina Loss
Baltimore (-7) at Tennessee: LOSS! The Ravens didn’t come out swinging like the Titans, and if it wasn’t for a late game missed field goal, the Titans would have broken the mighty Ravens, but isn’t that they way it goes. Ravens didn’t cover, but they won. Count how many times that happened this weekend.

Buffalo at Indianapolis (-11.5): LOSS! Colts win, don’t cover, looked terrible in the process, and gave up 1billion rushing yards to the A Train. That’s right, the A Train.

Chicago (+3) at N.Y. Giants: WIN! Chicago got me one of my few victories, as they dominated the 2nd half in their win over New York.

Cleveland at Atlanta (-7): LOSS! “The Falcons sure struggled last week against the Lions.” And much to my betting dismay, those freaking scraggly birds did me in again. I can’t believe the fall from grace Mr. Vick has taken. Kind of like mine. Ugh, with Vick goes Lucky…

Green Bay at Minnesota (-5): LOSS! Oh Vikings, take a hint from the Redskins, bench father time and go with a young gun, your season is caput.

Houston at Jacksonville (-10.5): LOSS! The Jaguars didn’t cover, that’s for sure. They lost to a bad Texan team in Jacksonville. What’s that I heard about Byron Leftwich being worse than David Garrard? Byron wins that game.

Kansas City (E) at Miami: LOSS! I hope Miami’s on a run very similar to last season, as this week I’m riding the train they may or may not be on.

New Orleans +4 at Pittsburgh: LOSS! New Orleans looked awfully good early, but I pick an entire game, not a half. And that tends to hurt me, never more than this week… Ugh umm…. Bengals/Chargers!

N.Y. Jets (+12) at New England: WIN! Not only did the Jets prove that they can compete with the Patriots, they beat those darn Pats and fled Foxboro in a close second place within the division.

San Diego at Cincinnati (+1.5): LOSS! What can Cincinnati do to win a ball game? Chad Johnson flat out dominated the game, yet the Bengals couldn’t hold on late, as LaDainian Tomlinson found his running mate, Phillip Rivers, and together they solved all the crime in Cinci, oh, and beat the Bengals like a bunch of rotten thieves.

San Francisco at Detroit (-5.5): LOSS! Detroit, Detroit, Detroit…. What can I do with you donkeys? Talk about a team that changes their complete identity as soon as I put money on them. I’m not taking them next week… (wink, wink – maybe they’ll read this and win – cackle)

Washington at Philadelphia (-6.5): WIN! The Redskins suck, and the Eagles are very good. It’s nice when that works out to an easy win, why couldn’t the Jaguars, Chiefs, Colts, Ravens and Broncos follow through like that? Bugger me!

Denver -9 at Oakland: LOSS! “I hate picking Denver with any more than 3 points to cover,” And since I already said that, I will never do it again, for eternity. Or until Jake Plummer pulls a Drew Bledsoe and watches young Culter run the team.

Dallas at Arizona (+7): LOSS! What was I thinking here? Maybe I thought Dallas would come out thinking they’d easily beat the struggling Cards… Well, they didn’t think it, they just did it.

St. Louis (+3.5) at Seattle: WIN! The Hawks pulled out another game winning field goal, and the Rams covered. I have to be honest, this was the best of both worlds for me.

Tampa Bay (+11) at Carolina: The Panthers fought their kryptonite, and pulled out over the spread, but don’t bet on them to do that two weeks in a row… Next week is St. Louis, and another big spread is no good for the Panthers.

Free NCAA Football Picks Week 12 – 2006

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Perfection…. Do I hear you lifting your beautiful head? I like these picks this week, so much so that I found if very difficult to differentiate between my Top 5 and the rest. So, stay tuned, see if I find a big winner on my hands at weeks end.

TOP 5 Bets

1. Iowa Hawkeyes
2. Maryland Terrapins
3. Duke Blue Devils
4. Oregon State
5. Wake Forest

West Virginia Mountaineers (-11) @ Pittsburgh Panthers: I’m sick and tired of losing Thursday Night games, but with Pitt hosting the Mounties, I think this is my time to shine. WV killed Pitt last year, and generally, that Panthers suck towards the end of the season. Offensively, Pitt doesn’t, and won’t have a clue how to stop the Mounties, which should prove entertaining if you like 4 game losing streaks by Pittsburgh.

Maryland Terrapins (+7.5) @ Boston College Eagles: I actually like the Terps to pull this one out in Boston. Maryland fought through a tough emotional rollercoaster game last week against the Hurricanes, so this week should be a relief if anything. I like the Terps to win the ACC, is that crazy?

Iowa Hawkeyes (+3) @ Minnesota Golden Gophers: Last week Iowa fell in a close battle with the Wisconsin Badgers, but if you are expecting a let down game, good luck. Drew Tate didn’t play that well, and he’ll be out to prove he’s still go it, like Uncle Ricco. Expect him to have it, very unlike Uncle Ricco.

Duke Blue Devils (+1) @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: Duke is 0-10, and this won’t make them 1-10, but I imagine they’ll be ready to play their 2nd to last game of the year. That and the fact that they’ve only lost 2 games by more than 25 points, and Georgia Tech has only 1 win by more than 25, makes me take the freaking Blue Devils. Finally, I found a line I like with Duke. We’ll see how this works out.

Oklahoma Sooners (-19.5) @ Baylor Bears: The Bears haven’t played a team on Oklahoma’s level since they got pasted by Texas 21-63. Last week against OK State, the Bears allowed 66 to their 24. I’m not trying to pull the this team beat this team by this many so this team will win by this…. But I know the Sooners, and they can shut down a poor team with ease. They can also put up some mean points, (5 times over 30), so expect an easy cover by the Sooners.

Arkansas Razorbacks @ Mississippi State Bulldogs (+14.5): I love what the Razorbacks have done, but I have to take the points and the home team in this match up. The Bulldogs have played pretty well all season, and while the Razorbacks have dominated most of their games, coming down to the wire with only 1 loss often manages to tense up players. The Bulldogs will put up a fight.

Michigan Wolverines @ Ohio State Buckeyes (-6.5): The game is in Ohio, the Buckeyes are the better team, and Troy Smith is a tougher and better quarterback than Henne. Oh, and Tressell is the better coach. I guess I’ll take the Buckeyes, and god help us not to see a rematch for the National Championship!

Buffalo Bulls (+38.5) @ Wisconsin Badgers: The Bulls have lost by more than 38 points once this year. They won’t play close with the Badgers, but with a 38 point lead to start the game, sure, I’ll take the Bulls, no problem. With Michael Jordan, that team was unstoppable!

Oregon State Beavers (-14) @ Stanford Cardinal: Home field advantage is a pile of brown smelly lies in the PAC 10. Stanford may have fooled you into believing they are a real football team, ala that long nosed kid and being a real boy, but don’t fall under the trap. The Beavers screwed it up last week just so the line would shrink on this game. Take the sure thing cover and win from the Beave in this one.

Auburn Tigers (-3) @ Alabama Crimson Tide: Kenny Irons has to get on track, the Tigers defense has to step up their game, and Brandon Cox must stop his turnover baking. My guess, if one of those things happen, Auburn throttles Alabama. Auburn is too good to blow it for the 2nd week in a row.

Virginia Tech Hokies @ Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+2): Sure, Tech has a nice record, 8-2, and they’ve won 4 straight, but lets really get into their season. They’ve played 3 tough teams, (Miami doesn’t count – Clemson, Boston College, and Georgia Tech) and are 1-2 in those games. Wake Forest is very good, they are playing at home, and remain a damn underdog besides beating every team on their schedule sans Clemson. That’s got to piss off some Deacons. And so they’ll say, “Basketball school our nuts!”

Week 11 College Football Picks Review: 2006

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I fumbled. Like Louisville, I lost my championship hopes. Like Iowa, I struggled at home. Like Maryland, I didn’t cover the close wins. And just like Fresno State, I couldn’t even cover the easy ones. It was a tough week, this is the score…

TOP 5 Bets

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

Louisville Cardinals (-6.5) @ Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Loss. The Game I was expecting happened in the first 20 minutes. The game that gave me an early college week loss happened during the next 25 minutes. After halftime I was thinking, ha, exactly what I expected. After the game I was thinking…. What the hell just happened?

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (-13.5) @ North Carolina Tar Heels: Loss! This game was disgusting. I wouldn’t take $50 in payment to watch this thing again. I don’t know what happened to Tech’s offense, but Reggie Ball isn’t a passer. He’s been brutal lately. 7-0. Gross!

Cincinnati Bearcats (+19.5) @ West Virginia Mountaineers: WIN! I just barely got by in this one, it was close, but the way the last few weeks have been going,

Wisconsin Badgers @ Iowa Hawkeyes (+1): Loss! 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: Loss! 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): Loss! I should have thrown this game out the window because of the shooting, but I let it roll. The Canes came out with fury in their hearts. It was a tough game, and in the end Maryland came out on top, but not by enough to get me a much needed win.

New Mexico State Aggies @ Fresno State Bulldogs (-11): LOSS! 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: Loss!

Washington State Cougars (-1) @ Arizona State: Loss!

Texas Tech Red Raiders @ Oklahoma Sooners (-8.5): WIN!

Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+9) @ Florida State Seminoles: WIN! “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.” It’s nice to pick an upset like this and have it go even better than ou expected.

Tennessee Volunteers @ Arkansas Razorbacks (-5.5): WIN! 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 9 NFL Pick Review – 2006

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While it wasn’t a killer start to the second half of the season, it was good enough to get me a winning week. 8-6 isn’t something to do ached Johnson Touchdown dance about, but it’s good enough to make me feel a little better about the goings on in the NFL. This is how the games panned out…

Atlanta (-5) at Detroit: Loss! “Riding Michael Vick’s rainbow ride might get me in trouble here,” Ah, trouble, yeah, I’d say that’s safe. Atlanta struggled form the get, and after half time the shit hit the fan. Mike Vick turned in to just another quarterback, Atlanta’s running game was limited, and Detroit’s Jon Kitna picked apart a Falcon defense like he was Peyton Manning. All in all, I got my first loss.

Cincinnati at Baltimore (-3): Win! “Because of Carson Palmers’ inability to throw the ball accurately when he’s under pressure, something I’m sure the Ravens will put on him, I have to take Baltimore.” Yeah, I said it. Palmer’s struggles showed early, and Cincinnati fumbled the game away early. Where is Chad Johnson lately? I celebrated my first win.

Dallas (-3) at Washington: Loss! The Cowboys really messed this one up. They dominated the game for the most part, yet they let Washington hang around. With a 35 yard field goal about to win the game for the Cowboys, I was already thinking about what I was going to write about my push. So you could imagine how I felt when Vanderscrewit’s field goal was blocked. Actually, I lost a little dough, but the Cowboys looked ridiculous losing a game they had all along. So, basically, I felt great!

Green Bay at Buffalo (-3): Win! They didn’t look good doing it, but I’m not looking for style points these day. A wins a win, and the Bills ousted the Packers in 24-10 fashion on Sunday, getting me my second win while covering easily.

Houston at N.Y. Giants (-13): Loss! David Carr played well, easily well enough to cover, which made me a loser. I can’t figure out the Texans, though I often expect blunders like this from the Giants. I just hate that those Yorkies won and didn’t cover. A stab in the chest and a kick in the butt.

Kansas City (+3) at St. Louis: Win! An upset I’ve got to love. I had the underdog beating the home team, and the Chiefs have been terrible away from Kansas City. But, everything went as planned, LJ had a huge day, Damon Huard played well, and the Chief defense, the much improved Chiefs defense, made just enough plays to win.

Miami at Chicago (-13.5): Loss! “To start with, let me tell you that the Dolphins have yet to lose a game by more than 11 points all season long.” Mark that up as another week that the Dolphins didn’t lose by more than 11 points. I just couldn’t justify picking the Dolphins. However, I need to follow the old gut feeling a little more these days, it’s games like this that break my balls.

New Orleans at Tampa Bay (+1): Loss! I don’t know what happened to the Bucs, maybe Coach Jon Gruden has lost his club. The Saints remain a top team, and I fail to pick them as winners again. This Saints club reminds me of Drew Brees’ first good season with the Chargers. I had the same trouble with them. Another loss via the hands of New Orleans.

Tennessee at Jacksonville (-9): Win! Jacksonville thundered the Titans like they were a high school club. David Garrard has taken a step forward, and to be honest, I don’t know if Byron Leftwich will sniff his job anytime soon. It’s tough to see, as a Leftwich fan, but Garrard has been running that team the way they should be run.

Minnesota (-6.5) at San Francisco: Loss! How does Brad Childress justify playing Brad Johnson for an entire game against the 49ers, a terrible defensive secondary, when he is making them look like the Steel freaking Curtain. Johnson is making Mark Brunell look youthful. Two words, Tevaris Jackson. Two more words, Big Loss!

Cleveland Browns (+14) at San Diego: Win! “The Browns looked much better under Romeo Crenell’s new offensive mindset, and Charlie Frye won’t have to deal with Shawn Merriman, so I’m rolling with the Browns and two touchdowns. Cleveland has a talented team, and with a new approach on offense, Frye should be able to pass efficiently enough for Cleveland to give San Diego a scare on Sunday.” And a scare they got. The Brownies played tight, and if it weren’t for LT’s 3 touchdowns, a big upset would have been completed by the Browns. I got a big win from the Browns.

Denver (+3) at Pittsburgh: Win! “I don’t see the Steelers’ season turning around here. A week after getting Manning’ed by the Colts, Shanahan’s crew will bounce back in Pittsburgh.” What can I say? Despite 400+ yards from Big Ben, the Steelers lost their 6th game, all but eliminating them from any chance at the post season. The Big Turnover completed 3 passes to the Broncos, and Denver gave me another big one.

Indianapolis (+1) at New England: Win! Peyton played very well, never making the big mistake that hurt his squad, and often putting the ball where only his receiver could make the catch. And make the catch Marvin Harrison did. If you didn’t see Marv’s catch for a touchdown when he one handed Peyton’s pass, and then snuck two feet in before falling out of the end zone. Watch Week 9 highlights, because that play won this game for me. The Colts big win put me in the Green for Sunday, with the Hawks going for my 8th win on Monday Night.

Oakland at Seattle (-8): “Without Matt Hasselbeck, without Shaun Alexander, without God’s good graces, the Seahawks will still dominate the Raiders. Oakland comes in winners of their last two games, sure, but there is no way they get that lucky 3 times in a row. Their team is terrible, and the Hawks defense isn’t as bad as it has been lately. Expect a drumming,” LL. That about sums it up. The Hawks got out to an early lead and then just made sure they didn’t make any mistakes. Because, that’s the only way the Raiders can score. With that game-plan set, the Hawks covered easily, shutting out the Raiders, and bringing me to 8-6. Not too shabby.

Week 10 College Football Picks Review: 2006

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With another sub par performance, I’m stuck holding my head in shame. Sitting at 5-7 in the college ranks, I’m stuck wondering what could have been… Another week of pondering a shift in predictions awaits me, but for now, here’s my week 10 in review.

West Virginia (+1.5) @ Louisville Cardinals: LOSS! Louisville could stop West Virginia 1 out of every 3 drives, and Westy’s defense could never halt the Cardinal attack. Those two important factors kept the home team Cardinals undefeated while eliminating West Virginia’s Championship hopes.

Virginia Cavaliers (+12.5) @ Florida State Seminoles: LOSS! The Cavaliers just didn’t come to play, and that’s the flat out truth. FSU finally played like a Florida program, and I got my second loss in as many tries.

Missouri Tigers (+6.5) @ Nebraska Cornhuskers: LOSS! Those pesky Cornhuskers gave the Tigers yet another loss after their 6-0 start to the season. Nebraska is like Norte Dame for me these days, I just can’t figure out when they’re going to come to play and when they’re staying home.

Maryland (+17) @ Clemson Tigers: WIN! Maryland came out and slapped Clemson around, and I knew from the get go this was going to be an easy cover. Naturally, the game came down to a field goal, and the Terrapins walked out of Clemson with another big win, giving me win numero uno on the day.

Indiana Hoosiers (+6) @ Minnesota Golden Gophers: LOSS! The Hoosiers got pistol whipped by the Gophers, something I should have seen coming. I knew Minnesota was better than their record, but I thought the Hoosiers passing attack get them the win. I forgot about their terrible run defense, as the Gophers dominated early and often.

Pittsburgh Panthers (-5) @ South Florida Bulls: LOSS! The Pitt Panthers lost on the road, and except for the fact that they’re Pitt, and they do that type of stuff to sub par teams, I still don’t know how the managed to blow this much needed victory. What they did do is guarantee I wouldn’t have a good week.

Navy Midshipmen (-10.5) @ Duke Blue Devils: WIN! The Navy Midshipmen came out and stomped the Blue Devils, just as I had suspected. 38-13 looks nice, but I did suspect the Midshipmen would shut Duke out. However, whooping them by 25 will do just fine.

Georgia Bulldogs (-7) @ Kentucky Wildcats: LOSS! After Kentucky pumped Georgia, scoring 14 of their 24 points in the 4th quarter, I was now looking to win out to get to .500, something that never feels good. Georgia has really gone full circle in their tumble. A team dedicated to their defense has been man-handled by more than a couple teams this year.

North Carolina Tar Heels (+27) @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish: WIN! Those Irish, tricky little buggers, but I had their number this week. The Tar Heels are a bad football team, yet, for some reason, I knew the Irish would have a hard time coming to play on Saturday. I covered by 8 points, and the Irish, who should have won 52-7, just stalled long enough to get me the win. Thanks guys.

Florida Gators @ Vanderbilt Commodores (+17): WIN! Vanderbilt was down 25-6 after 3 quarters of play, but a couple 4th quarter scores guaranteed a victory for me. The Commodores couldn’t pull off the upset, falling 6 points short, but once again, they fought to the bitter end against a much stronger opponent.

Purdue Boilermakers (+2.5) @ Michigan State Spartans: WIN! Purdue ousted the Spartans in Michigan, 17-15, in a very boring game between two big time struggling programs. State lost their 6th game in their last 7 after crumbling to the Fighting Irish in Week 4. What a fall from grace. The Spartans always seem to really struggle after a big loss.

Washington Huskies (+14) @ Oregon Ducks: LOSS! The loss of Isaiah Stanbach finally came to kill the Huskies, as Oregon played tough throughout, and the Dawgs came up a touchdown short of making me a winner. Nothing seemed to go the Huskies way, as they lost their 5th straight game, (all close except the Duck game) going into their last two games of the season.

Week 8 NFL Pick Review – 2006

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I just can’t pull off two good ones in a row. Following up a winner last week, the Halloween tricksters weren’t on my side. I needed a Monday Night blitz by the purple defense in Minnesota to collect a whopping 4 wins. Records of 3-10-1 just aren’t acceptable. Back to the drawing boards for me, but first, check how I fumbled more than the 49ers on Sunday. Double digits in the L column get you fired… One more week?

Arizona (+4) at Green Bay – LOSER! The Cardinals were horrible again, and now I can see why the Titans rolled with Vince Young. After a great start to his Arizona career, Leinart has looked human during the last two weeks. Human for Matt means jobless for Dennis Green? It sure means another loss for me.

Atlanta at Cincinnati (-4) – LOSER! The Bengals played tough, but never had the spread in hand as Atlanta pressed on. Mike Vick might not be overrated anymore, making Atlanta one of the scariest teams in football. The Bengals bungled and I lost one early.

Baltimore (+2.5) at New Orleans – WINNER! The Ravens made me a winner early, as this was the first game I was watching to start the day. I thought to my self, now this is going to be a good day. I didn’t knock on wood, didn’t rub a rabbits foot, just went to the bathroom and had an omelet. Read on to see how that turned out.

Houston (+3) at Tennessee – LOSER! The Texans played really poorly until Sage Rosenfels came in for David Carr… But it wasn’t enough as the Titans held on late to win by 4. Lost by one. A loss is a loss.

Jacksonville (+8) at Philadelphia – WINNER! With no passing game, the Jags still ousted the Eagles. Jacksonville showed their stout defense and a very productive running game against an Eagles team that never seemed to come out of the locker room. Lucky me.

Seattle (+7) at Kansas City – PUSH! Yeah! A push. TO be honest, I knew I was in trouble when the Chiefs completed their 2 point conversion to go up 7… I pushed.

San Francisco (+17) at Chicago – LOSER! Unfortunately their were two halves to this game. The first one I didn’t care much for, the 2nd one would have made me a winner. The 49ers had a touchdown and a field goal in the 4th to finish the 2nd half with a 10-0 lead. However, the first half netted the Niners 0 and the Bears 41…. Add those two together. Did I cover? Ah… No.

Tampa Bay (+10.5) at N.Y. Giants – LOSER! Another close one broke my heart. Eli and the Giants O was held in check for much of the game, as little Manning could only muster 154 yards passing. Tiki only had 68 yards on 26 carries. But the bigger story was the Bucs inability to do anything. The Rook, Bruce Gradkowski, completed just over 35% of his passes. That won’t get you many wins, that’s for sure. Giants win, Lucky loses.

St. Louis (+10) at San Diego – LOSER! The Rams just couldn’t stop LT. The cat had over 200 total yards, 183 rushing, and managed 3 scores on the day. Bulger passed for 32, but it wasn’t enough as the Ram defense couldn’t hold. I lost again.

Indianapolis (+3) at Denver – WINNER! Indy made it interesting, but they couldn’t be denied as even the league’s best defense didn’t have an answer for Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne. The three hooked up 10 times for 3 touchdowns and a bus-load of yards to get me a much needed W.

N.Y. Jets (+2) at Cleveland – LOSER! The Jets couldn’t stop the Browns famed rushing attack. Famed? Oh, I’m sorry, Cleveland had the worst rushing attack in football coming into Week 8. On the other hand, New York had the worst rushing defense. Apparently bad offense beats bad defense. Makes sense.

Pittsburgh (-9) at Oakland – LOSER! I can’t believe the Raiders won again. I really don’t have an explanation for this game, besides the fact that Ben Roethlisberger sucked for nearly the entire contest. What is with this guy. He couldn’t lost the first couple years, and now he’s an interception machine.

Dallas at Carolina (-4.5) – LOSER! In the midst of a tough, painful, foot in the mouth week, not only did I lose my 9th Sunday game of the day, but the Cowboys just happened to come out of Carolina with a victory. It looked good for me early, but too many turnovers and absolutely no production from the Panthers’ offense got me numero nine.

New England at Minnesota (+3) – Could I have been more wrong? I’d like to own up now. The Patriots aren’t overrated, the Vikings defense is. Or even better yet, the Vikings could very well stop any other team in the league, while the Patriots are the only dominant force that can completely annihilate such a club. Honestly, Tom Brady is amazing, he makes everything look easy, and ice water seems to run through his veins.

What a terrible week for UN-Lucky Lester…. Next week is guaranteed to be better.

Week 9 College Football Picks Review: 2006

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Even Steven. My Best Bets didn’t pan out, and I wasn’t happy as I pushed my way up hill all day long. On the other hand, I made the best of a tough Saturday by picking 5 winners. To make a mediocre Saturday sunny, the USC Trojans were had by the Oregon State Beavers. 5-5…

Clemson Tigers (-4) @ Virginia Tech: LOSER! Clemson just took a huge poop in the bed. What they were afraid of is beyond me. Tech isn’t a very good ball club, but they sure had their way with the Tigers, and my pick, on Thursday Night Football.

Oklahoma Sooners (+2) @ Missouri Tigers: WINNER! The Sooners took it to the Tigers, just as I had suspected and planned. It was nice to get a big win early, after starting Thursday with a loss.

North Carolina State Wolfpack (E) @ Virginia Cavaliers: LOSER! NC State didn’t come to play. Watching this game made me sick a little bit. It’s just about impossible to predict which NC State team is going to come out on a nightly basis. This time I was on the wrong end of a Wolfpack loss.

Northern Illinois Huskies (+16.5) @ Iowa Hawkeyes: Northern Illinois was down early, but they did enough to cover, fighting back like they did. With a strong running game and a stout defense, NIU is in every game.

Northwestern Wildcats (+33) @ Michigan Wolverines: WINNER! The Wildcats were on track to pull the upset of the day. However, the Wolverines showed why they plan on going udefeated, stepping up toward the end and taking down Northwestern. But, NW scored plenty for me to pull out ahead, so I’m all smiles in this one.

Vanderbilt Commodores (-9) @ Duke Blue Devils: WINNER! Duke is a joke, and Vanderbilt just helped me point that out with a nice lopsided win on Saturday. I wonder what would happen if Mike Ditka played for the Commo’s in this one. They probably would have won 100 to 0. Crazy.

Bowling Green Falcons (-19) @ Temple Owls: LOSER! Temple collected their first win in the last 21 games. Nice work Bowling Green, make me look like a dumby and help the Owls snap a 20 game winless streak. It’s as if the Falcons were put on this earth to punish me for picking on hapless programs like the Owls. Who can root for a team named after the most useless sport we have anyway?

Illinois Fighting Illini (+22) @ Wisconsin Badgers: WINNER! The Illini almost clubbed themselves a furry badger on Saturday. Juice Williams (best name in college football) couldn’t complete many passes late as the Illini lost their chance to upset the Badgers in Wisconsin. I sure appreciated the effort though, as I came out with another win.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons (-8.5) @ North Carolina Tar Heels: LOSER! The Deacons had to pull out a lucky one late. It wasn’t Lucky enough though, as Good Ol’ Lucky hit the skids losing by a point and a half. This was a huge let down game for the Deacons, and I feel like a homer for letting that by me. It won’t happen again.

Miami Hurricanes @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (-5): WINNER! The Hurricanes love to find a way to disappoint the bettors out their. This time, they didn’t get me. The Jackets pulled out a dandy late, as Miami found another way to lose on Saturday. Miami never gave themselves a shot to win the game, as they fumbled the punt return with under a minute left and the Jackets came out on top.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (-5.5) @ Oklahoma State Cowboys: LOSER! A let down by the Cornhuskers put me in a hole, as the Cowboys slapped me twice over the weekend. Once it was the youngsters on Saturday, and once it was those pros on Sunday Night, but I’ll get to that later.

Free NCAA Football Picks Week 9 – 2006

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After my first losing week in some time (3 straight 7-3 or better weeks in a row prior to last weeks 4-6) I’m ready to climb back on the horse, or galloping parade of horses that got me here. With a nice season and a winning record on my mind, read my week’s picks to see how I’ll climb back from a down week. This week I’m putting a (*) next to my top 5 bets of the week, hope this helps you cash in on game day.

Clemson Tigers (-4) @ Virginia Tech: (*) When it comes right down to it, the Hokies just aren’t as good as the Tigers. Tech has been known to have a solid program, but their struggles late in the season are well documented over the years. Clemson has one (single point) loss on the season. There’s no doubt in my mind that the Tigers are the best team in the ACC. This is a tough road test, but Clemson should end the game up a touchdown or two in Virginia.

Oklahoma Sooners (+2) @ Missouri Tigers: (*) With everyone riding the Tigers’ 7-1 record all the way to the bank, Oklahoma will do their best to tip bandwagon. Even without Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma is the more talented program here. As an underdog, they’re money. If you can name one solid school Missouri has taken down, I might think about rethinking this bet. Since you can’t, and it wouldn’t really matter if you did, I’m taking the Sooners all the way in this one.

North Carolina State Wolfpack (E) @ Virginia Cavaliers: (*) I just haven’t seen Virginia do much to justify them wining this game. I think they are decent at best, where NC State has the talent to go bowling if they can get it together. North Carolina, Duke, and Wyoming. Those are where the 3 Cavalier wins have come from. Those 3 teams are 5-17 combined. 4 of those wins coming from Wyoming. Right, like I said, who have the Cavs beat? NC State took down Boston College and FSU. NC State should walk over Virginia.

Northern Illinois Huskies (+16.5) @ Iowa Hawkeyes: All in all, I see no reason the Huskies can’t upset the Hawkeyes in Iowa. These are the things NIU has going for them: Drew Tate won’t start or play for the Hawkeyes, so the Huskies 117th ranked pass defense won’t be under constant attack – Senior running back, Garrett Wolfe, leads the country in rushing – And they get more than two touchdowns to play with. Those are three things that have me leaning on the Huskies on the road.

Northwestern Wildcats (+33) @ Michigan Wolverines: Not once this year have the Wolverines won a game by more than 26 points. So is 33 pushing it against a Wildcats team that has played tough lately, and is known for gritty play against tougher competition? Yeah, you bet it is. Last weeks’ 38-41 loss to Michigan State had to be crushing for the Wildcats, but I still don’t expect a huge margin of victory from Michigan.

Vanderbilt Commodores (-9) @ Duke Blue Devils: Do you guys think you saw something from Duke when they nearly took down Miami last week? Please, if you actually think that had anything to do with Duke’s solid play, hold your breath. Duke is terrible, no win terrible, can’t wait ’till basketball season terrible. Expect nothing more but an easy double digit win out of those Commos.

Bowling Green Falcons (-19) @ Temple Owls: It has occurred to me that Bowling Green hasn’t beaten any team by more than 11 points this season, and those teams weren’t very good, either. However, this is the first time they have played the Owls this season, hence it will be the first time they win by more than 3 touchdowns. Last season BG won 70-7 in this game. Yeah, no joke, or big joke, either way, 70-7. Temple has 1, maybe two losses by less than 20. I like my chances with the better of the bad.

Illinois Fighting Illini (+22) @ Wisconsin Badgers: (*) Once again, Illinois has lost one game by more than 17 points this season. Wisconsin is much better than I imagined, but Illinois knows how to keep it close, and they’ll do it again on Saturday. After walking over Purdue, Wisconsin’s let down is almost sure to happen. Take Illinois!

Wake Forest Demon Deacons (-8.5) @ North Carolina Tar Heels: Don’t be persuaded to take the terrible tar foots just because Duke nearly took out Wake earlier this season. Wake is much, much, much better than North Carolina. This is one game I think Vegas sill definitely lose some money on. 80% of the peeps are rolling with the Deacons, and for damn good reason. Every once in a while Li’l Davey will slay Goliath, just don’t expect that from a Tar Heel team that can’t wait to go watch the cute little cheer leaders bounce around during college basketball games where their school is actually good.

Miami Hurricanes @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (-5): GT are you with me? Oh yeah! The Hurricanes have calmed down a little bit lately, losing their Hurricane title and turning into a heavy rain cloud. 5 whole points isn’t enough to keep me on Miami’s root list. The Canes are headed downhill in a hurry, while Calvin Johnson and the Jackets are sure to come out attacking a relatively weak Miami squad.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (-5.5) @ Oklahoma State Cowboys: (*) OK State just doesn’t have the tenacity to go toe to toe with Nebraska. Although they lost last week against the Longhorns, the Corns showed me they can ball, something OK hasn’t shown me in quite some time. Oklahoma State hasn’t beaten anyone, and frankly, the teams they’ve lost to aren’t that good either. In what should be a killing at the hands of the Huskers, expect an easy cover in Oklahoma.