Tag Archives: Auburn Tigers

New Years Day Football Bowl Games Picks & Previews

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Friday’s Bowl games boast some pretty intriguing match-ups for die-hard football fans – you have Bobby Bowden rocking his last game at the head of the Florida State empire that he built. You have two college powerhouses, old – Penn State against new – LSU – and both did work in their respective conferences this season. And then you have the two BCS games, but I’ll talk about them separately. Here are the three games for New Years Day.

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OUTBACK BOWL
Northwestern Wildcats @ Auburn Tigers (-7): Well, Northwestern beat Iowa and Wisconsin, and I guess both of them had solid seasons in the all powerful Big 10 – but besides that, there’s hardly another noteworthy victory on their schedule, and their only good loss came against Penn State – good as in good team, not as in good game, they got beat 34-13. Other losses include Michigan State, Minnesota, and Syracuse – yikes. Auburn has had their fair share of piddlers, I mean they ended the season 2-5, but their 5 losses came to Arkansas, LSU, Georgia, and Alabama – and Kentucky, all pretty good teams in a pretty good conference. That’s enough for me, I think they win by double digits.

GATOR BOWL
Florida State Seminoles @ West Virginia Mountaineers (-2.5): The ACC hasn’t wowed me this season, and West Virginia has speed to burn. This Mountaineer team is built for Bowl Games, because the longer they prepare, the more their speed can be put to use. Florida State is playing without their big guy, as Christian Ponder is down and out with injury – and I don’t think they have the firepower to put up enough points to beat FSU. There it is.

CAPITAL ONE BOWL
LSU Tigers (+3) @ Penn State Nittany Lions: This is the first really big Top 15 match-up of the Bowl Season, as the Tigers and Nittany Lions go at it. Not only are they highly ranked, and with just two losses between them, but both have the talent to play with anyone – but as is, I think the tigers are the better team. They don’t have the greatest rushing attack, and through the air they leave a little to be desired, but Penn State hasn’t had one impressive win all season long. Honestly, Michigan State, Northwestern? That’s about it. And while they killed both of those teams, those teams aren’t LSU. I think the Tigers win.

Alabama Crimson Tide vs Auburn Tigers CFB Free Pick

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Alabama Crimson Tide (-12) @ Auburn Tigers CFB Free Pick: Lucky for you, this game is down to 10 at most books. 10 is much happier than 12, let me tell you what. I would love to make the change to 10, but picks are picks, and when mine came out on Tuesday Morning, the Tide were 12 point favorites, and I still liked them there.

It might not be the Tide that I like as much as the Tigers that I have absolutely no respect for. The Tigers have lost 4 of their last 6, their normal late season slide that never ends until they’re in some turd bowl floating like the rest of the brown trout. Yeah, I said it. Not impressed. The Tigers even lost to a stumbling Georgia team last week.

Now Auburn has beaten Alabama 6 of the last 7 times, a complete domination of the Crimson Tide, without doubt – but, there’s that one time, last year, when Alabama got good again, the Crimson Tide pulled out a 36-0 win over their rivals. Now Alabama hasn’t beaten Auburn in Auburn since 2001 – but that means about as much to me as the way the moons are aligning for the pre-game barbecue. Meaningless.

This Alabama team is very, very good. Up front they can beat and batter anyone, and I think we’ll all see that when they play Florida coming up here. The Tide have been out-rushed a total of zero times this season. Zero. Now that’s consistency. They’ve been out-passed just 3 times – now that’s a balanced attack – sure, but even more it’s one hell of a defense. Auburn scores lots of points, but not this time, they might max out around 10.

NCAA Free Picks Review: Week 2

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Some would say “black Saturday” but it wasn’t that bad. Sure, I was 2-5 with my 7 Free PIcks, and just 3-3 with my DirecTV ESPN GamePlan Picks, but after a pretty tough Saturday on Week 2, I sit just one game under .500 for my college selections. Not winning money yet, but some tough luck will turn around, and I’m guessing next week. Here is my Week 2 college review, all games explained.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (+7) @ Boston College Eagles: (19-16 WINNER)

The Jackets pulled the upset, making me look good. I just love G-Tech’s rushing attack. When an underdog they can always find a way to smash mouth opposing defenses. Matt Ryan’s absence does seem to get more and more evident when watching the Eagles. Tech barely took this won, scoring 9 unanswered 4th quarter points. The ACC still looks gross.

Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (+18) @ Auburn Tigers: (13-27 WINNER)

It didn’t look good early as Auburn shutout Southern Miss in the 1st half, 14-0. But my boys came through late, playing the Tigers to a 2nd half tie and covering. YAY! If it weren’t for all of Southern Miss’s 1st half mistakes, this game would have been a heck of a lot closer. Auburn is the better team, but don’t sleep on the Golden Eagles.

Cincinnati Bearcats (+21.5) @ Oklahoma Sooners: (26-52 LOSS)

I really thought I had this one in the bag. The Bearcats started slow but came back in the 2nd quarter with a couple touchdowns to make things interesting – and I thought I could easily stay within 3 scores. But Oklahoma came out in the 2nd half showing everyone why they are one of the favorites to find a place in the BCS title game. They absolutely treated the Bearcats like their little brothers and beasted them throughout the duration of the game. I lost by 5 points.

Mississippi @ Wake Forest Demon Deacons (-8): (28-30 LOSS)

Up 20-14 headed into the 4th I thought I had a nice opportunity to take this one. One more Wake field goal and holding Miss would have given me the win. As it went, 24 points were scored in the final frame and I ended up taking a loss. Wake needed that “field goal” to win the game, as they did, taking out Miss by 2. Both teams look solid.

Buffalo Bulls @ Pittsburgh Panthers (-13): (16-27 LOSS)

Up one going into the 4th quarter, the Panthers couldn’t quite cover for me. They scored 10 4th quarter points to get me just a field goal away, but couldn’t pull the trigger. Those chumps. Buffalo is better than I thought. Pitt is exactly what I thought.

Tulane Green Wave (+30.5) @ Alabama Crimson Tide: (6-20 WINNER)

” A 30 point favorite is too much for me to buy. The Tide come in hot on bettor’s minds, and that’s never a good thing for the favorite. Tulane plays teams pretty tough. They lost a lot in Matt Forte, but in their season opener I expect enough excitement to keep this game closer than 4 touchdowns. Alabama is a tough match-up for Tulane, as their run defense is stellar, but that won’t stop the Green Wave from handing the ball off, and their schemes are good enough to get some first downs. John Parker Wilson will come back to earth in this one.” This one was tight, just as I figured. Don’t be spending too much money hoping for Bama to win by 30.

Connecticut Huskies (-6) @ Temple Owls: (12-9 LOSS)

When this game went into overtime I was stoked about a possible win despite the tight contest throughout. But the Owls won the toss and kicked a field goal, and now I was hoping for the Huskies to get stopped on the 5 and have to tie the game with a field goal just so they could try to score first and hold the Owls out to get me the ATS win. It’s a funny thing watching a game with money on the line. Ha. I was had when UCONN scored to end it.

BYU Cougars (-9) @ Washington Huskies: (28-27 LOSS)

The Huskies really played very well, then got hosed by a ridiculous celebration penalty as Jake Locker tossed the ball in the air after scoring the game tying touchdown with 2 seconds left. That call should never be made. I wonder if that striped donkey feels good about himself today. Idiot. Anyway, I knew I was in trouble as soon as the Huskies came out and scored in the second half. They usually don’t do that until the game is out of reach. I took it on the chin here, I thought this game would be a laugher.

Akron Zips (+5) @ Syracuse Orange: (42-28 WINNER!)

Yhatzee! If you took my Zips to win you must be a happy human. Akron pulls the minor upset showing themselves to be a much better team than Syracuse. The days of Donovan McNabb to Marvin Harrison are a long ways away Orange fans!

Central Michigan Chippewas @ Georgia Bulldogs (-23.5): (17-56 WINNER!)

How about this Knowshon Moreno kid? Talk about efficient – he was handed the ball 18 times and ran 168 yards with it – oh, and three touchdowns to boot. Plus he caught 3 balls for 30 yards. Not a bad day for one of the most talented runners in college football. Matt Stafford played well, but he didn’t need to be dynamic today, the Georgia rushing attack, as I predicted, was way too much for the Chipps.

Oregon State Beavers (+17) @ Penn State Nittany Lions (14-45 LOSS)

And it wasn’t that close. Okay. I was wrong about Oregon State. For the foreseeable future I will not pick them. Ha.

West Virginia Moutaineers (-7.5) @ East Carolina Pirates: (3-24 LOSS)

WVU 3? Points? Maybe I expected too much from this offense? I don’t know. Back to the drawing board on this one I guess. I liked the Pirates, and this game only intensifies that admiration, but the Mounties just didn’t come to play. They got some unlucky bounces and rolls and whatnot, but surely not 24-3 worth of that stuff. Yikes.

Maryland Terrapins (-12.5) @ Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders: (14-24 LOSS)

The Terps lost by 10. Yep. If there was ever an example of a team that just hasn’t come to play for two straight weeks, it’s the Terps. Usually it’s not two straight weeks, but in this case, that is what happened. Until they prove they’re heads are clearly out of their rears, I would stay away from them.

DIRECTV – ESPN GamePlan Free NCAA Picks: Week 2

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One of my readers asked me to cap all of DirecTV’s GamePlan picks during the season. I looked into it a little bit and figured I could give my insight on these games every week during the year without too many tears being shed. This will be in addition to my normal college picks every single week, because those picks are the one’s I find the most value in. Again, these are all the games that DirecTV has in their college football package for Week 2’s games. Enjoy and good luck! A couple games didn’t have lines, but these are the ones that did – 6 DTV package games for your viewing (and betting) pleasure.

All games take place on Saturday the 6th!

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (+7) @ Boston College Eagles (12:00PM EST):

I’m not crazy about this game. I’m taking the points because both teams are led by their defense and pose a lot of questions on offense. Georgia Tech runs the ball very effectively, but the Eagles have a stout defense to combat that upside. The Eagles have won ATS in 4 of the 5 contests between these schools, and have won last season 24-10. I still like Tech’s ability to keep this game within reach, and turn the Eagles young offense over a couple times. I’m taking Tech.

Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (+18) @ Auburn Tigers (12:30PM EST):

It won’t be too easy for the Tigers. Southern Miss has a few great athletes that could give the TIgers some trouble. Austin Davis (QB) will be good enough to put the ball in the air at Auburn, but it will be the Southern Miss rushing attack that does their share of damage. I understand last week’s game was against UL Lafayette, but still, the Golden Eagles had two backs rush for over 100 yards including Damion Fletcher’s 222 yard 2 touchdown performance. Any team with a running game is a good (+17) bet against a mediocre offense. Take the Golden Eagles.

Cincinnati Bearcats (+21.5) @ Oklahoma Sooners (3:30PM EST):

This game looks a little scary for the Sooners, except for the fact that they are one of the Nation’s best teams. The Bearcats have a very good defense that will kick and scratch all night long if it means they have a chance. Offensively, the Bearcats will struggle to score at Oklahoma, but I still like their chances of keeping this game within that huge 3 touchdown margin. The Sooners are good, but not good enough to beat everyone in the 57-2 range like they did last week. I’ll take the Sooners to win by 10, but the Bearcats will make it a battle.

Mississippi @ Wake Forest Demon Deacons (-8) (3:30PM EST):

The Demon Deacons did Baylor dirty last week on the road. The Bears looked lost as Wake marched through their defense to win 41-13. Riley Skinner is for real, and so are the Deacons. Being lost in the mess of ACC peers, Wake should continue to get favorable lines. Eight points to cover against a decent but not great Mississippi team seems easily manageable. Wake isn’t a team that’s going to win a lot of games by 20 points, but this could be one of the few times they do.

Buffalo Bulls @ Pittsburgh Panthers (-13) (6:00PM EST):

Buffalo mangled UTEP in week 1, as quarterback Drew Willy completed 10 passes for 221 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Bulls also managed two 100 yard rushers, as RB James Starks took 31 carries for 179 yards. But that was UTEP, can they really do the same thing against a team like Pittsburgh? I don’t think so. But they don’t have to do the same thing against Pitt to win against the spread. But I’ll have to go with Pitt here. Sure, they lost to Bowling Green last week, but the Falcons are much better than advertised, and their offensive attack is a bad match-up for the Panthers. This week, Pittsburgh has to shut down the run to win, and I like their chances at that a lot more. LeSean McCoy will have his way with the Bulls, and I like the Panthers come back from last week’s opening day loss to win by at least two touchdowns.

Tulane Green Wave (+30.5) @ Alabama Crimson Tide (7:00PM EST):

After being moved around a lot because of Hurricane Gustav, and being thoroughly outmatched by the Tide athletically, the Tulane Green Wave are in for more tough times this weekend. Alabama may have played perfect football last week against a good Clemson team, but even so, they have definitely show that they are better than advertised. But that doesn’t mean I’ll be taking the Tide in this one. A 30 point favorite is too much for me to buy. The Tide come in hot on bettor’s minds, and that’s never a good thing for the favorite. Tulane plays teams pretty tough. They lost a lot in Matt Forte, but in their season opener I expect enough excitement to keep this game closer than 4 touchdowns. Alabama is a tough match-up for Tulane, as their run defense is stellar, but that won’t stop the Green Wave from handing the ball off, and their schemes are good enough to get some first downs. John Parker Wilson will come back to earth in this one. We’ll see, but I’m not buying the Tide beating many more teams by four scores…

Week 7 College Football Picks Review: 2007

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Week 7 proved to be another stinger, and nobody likes their arm feeling like it’s on fire after a hit to the neck. Stingers suck. Anyway, here’s how my terrible Week 7 panned out.

LUCKY LESTER’S Free NCAA Football Picks

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (-18) @ San Jose State: loss
(Line: Thursday, 5:00am EST: Belmont)

Colt Brennan looked confused at times, and his receivers dropped plenty of balls. The kids still tossed 5 touchdowns, but those 5 interceptions made this game closer than I needed it to be. The Warrior pulled it out in overtime, but I lost my spread easily. One game in, one loss.

Oregon State Beavers @ California Bears (-14): loss
(Line: Thursday, 5:00am EST: Belmont)

“I know this is a conference game, and you’d think I would have learned my lesson betting against a big spread and the Stanford Cardinals last week, but that just isn’t’ the case.” As it turns out, if you’re ranked in the Top 5, and in the Pac 10 – you’re about to be upset. I guess I need to learn my lesson, but in this one, the injury to Nate Longshore didn’t help my cause all that much. I was killed by injured quarterbacks all week long, in both the NCAAs and the NFL.

Auburn Tigers @ Arkansas Razorbacks (-3): loss
(Line: Thursday, 5:00am EST: Belmont)

Auburn pulled out this victory in one hell of an ugly contest. Arkansas pulled ahead with 2 and change to go, but Auburn kicked a game winning field goal for a 9-7 win. I just didn’t expect the Tigers to shut down McFadden and Jones the way that they did.

San Diego State Aztecs @ Utah Utes (-14): win
(Line: Thursday, 5:00am EST: Belmont)

Thank God for the Utes!!! They dominated the Aztecs by just enough to make me a winner… in one game. Well, what can you do? Bet ’em big and go home with a loss. Believe you me, this has been a painful last couple weeks for Ole Lucky’s pocketbook.

Washington State Cougars (+19) @ Oregon Ducks: loss
(Line: Thursday, 5:00am EST: Bodog)

“Everything points to the Ducks in this game, except when you look at the small print.” And let me tell you this, sometimes the small print misguides you into believing that the past matters and the Cougars are actually decent enough to hang with Dennis Dixon and the Ducks… Well, forget the small print because it straight broke my balls in this one.

Luckily for me, I was once again a winner with my Elite picks – only 3-2, but I’ll take it…

Free College Football Picks Week 7 – 2007

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Week 6 was a tough go for Old Lucky Lester in the free picks section – and I wish I could have put up a mirror of my elite picks that were 4-1. This week I put about another hour into my Free Picks section, because I need to start winning these little buggers. Keep the buggering to yourselves, but check out my free picks this week, a couple big winners waiting in the weeds.

LUCKY LESTER’S Free NCAA Football Picks

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (-18) @ San Jose State: (Friday Night Game)
(Line: Thursday, 5:00am EST: Bodog)

The San Jose State Spartans seem to give up a lot of points to decent offenses. They gave up 45 to Arizona State, 34 to Kansas State, and 37 to Stanford (just threw that last one in there, its not like the Cardinal have a solid offense). Anyway, Hawaii has one of the best offenses in the Nation, one of the best young quarterbacks, and a scheme that absolutely annihilates lesser college competition. The Spartans are the definition of lesser college competition. Even if Colt Brennan doesn’t play the whole game, I still like the Rainbows to win by at least 3 touchdowns in this one.

Oregon State Beavers @ California Bears (-14):
(Line: Thursday, 5:00am EST: Belmont)

I know this is a conference game, and you’d think I would have learned my lesson betting against a big spread and the Stanford Cardinals last week, but that just isn’t’ the case. I’m sticking to my guns here, as the Bears are just way too good for the Beavers. Oregon State hasn’t gotten over their loss of Matt Moore, and to be honest, they just aren’t nearly as good as I thought they were to start the season. Look for the Bears’ playmakers to turn this game upside down.

Auburn Tigers @ Arkansas Razorbacks (-3):
(Line: Thursday, 5:00am EST: Belmont)

I just don’t see how Auburn is going to win this one. They are coming off of 3 straight wins, one of which was against Florida. Right now they must be thinking how good they are, not realizing their struggles to start the season. Unfortunately for the Tigers, the Razorbacks need wins and they need them now. After back to back losses to Alabama and Kentucky, Arkansas needs every win they can get to climb back toward the top of the SEC. They are at home, and they just need this game more. Auburn is more like the team that lose to Mississippi State then they are the team that beat Florida. Expect a down game from the Tigers in this one. They’ve really played decent football all season, but all the more reason to tumble in this one.

San Diego State Aztecs @ Utah Utes (-14):
(Line: Thursday, 5:00am EST: Belmont)

San Diego state has been brutal this season, aside from one close game against the Colorado State Rams. Oh, and they took it to Portland State. Utah has a quality team, despite a 27-0 loss to UNLV a few weeks ago. Wins at Louisville (44-35) and at UCLA (44-6) both show how solid the Utes can be. I’d imagine this game isn’t even close, with the Utes coming out on top by 3 or 4 touchdowns. The styles of play just make for a dominant performance out of Utah.

Washington State Cougars (+19) @ Oregon Ducks:
(Line: Thursday, 5:00am EST: Bodog)

Everything points to the Ducks in this game, except when you look at the small print. This game is ALWAYS close. Only once in the last 7 years has this game been decided by more than 11 points, and that was a game at Oregon that Washington State dominated 55-16. I like Oregon to win this one, but Washington State has a couple good games in them. They fight until the end, and in this conference, I like those 18.5 points.

Let the free picks make you oodles of money!