I didn’t get 8 wins in Week 8, in fact I only tallied half that many in my first down week this month. I’ll come back swinging next week, but as far as Saturday was concerned, this is how I got three black-eyes… 4-6-1

Iowa Hawkeyes (+14) @ Michigan Wolverines: Those bloody Wolverines stold this game from me when they scored 10 4th quarter points to push this game. That’s what I get for changing the channel thinking I had this game in the bag.

SC Fighting Gamecocks @ Vanderbilt Commodores (+3.5): Vanderbilt couldn’t even get their feet off the ground before SC was whipping them good. For the first time this year, the Commodores were dominated from start to finish. Luckily I took them. Ugh.

North Carolina State Wolfpack @ Maryland Terrapins (-3): The Terps covered even though they gave up 2 4th quarter touchdowns. What can I say? College football is interesting, and that’s never more true than when Maryland is holding a big 4th quarter lead. Their 4th quarter field goal was just enough to give me the win.

West Virginia Mountaineers (-22) @ Connecticut: WV won by 26 points as they ran all over the UCONN Huskies on Friday Night. It’s always nice to walk into the weekend with a win under your belt.

Texas Longhorns (-6.5) @ Nebraska Cornhuskers: A nice 2nd half for the Cornhuskers took me out of the cover running. However, a big mistake late allowed the Horns to claw back for a game winning field goal. It wasn’t enough for me, the Longhorns win and I lose.

Indiana Hoosiers (+31.5) @ Ohio State Buckeyes: Indiana just didn’t have a chance. I thought they’d score a couple times late, and that would have gotten me the W, but OSU was on the ball, hustling until the very last play of the game. Needless to say, I didn’t win this one.

Wisconsin Badgers @ Purdue Boilermakers (+6.5): 24 unanswered points by the Badgers took me down kicking and screaming. I couldn’t believe how easily the Badgers shut down the Boilermakers regularly efficient offense, but that’s exactly what happened. Next week must be the week Wisconsin starts to tumble…

Illinois Fighting Illini (+18) @ Penn State Nittany Lions: PSU ended up taking this game by 14, not enough to cover, and a much bigger final score than it seemed. This game was tight throughout, especially in the 1st half, but Penn’s big second half got them the win.

Miami Hurricanes (-17.5) @ Duke Blue Devils: The Hurricanes were basically covering at the half, up 17-0 on the hapless Blue Devils. In the 3rd quarter the Canes didn’t come out to play, but still had the game covered after only giving up a safety and scoring a field goal. Then their was 4… Quarters that is; In the 4th, Duke rolled out 13 points to cover easily, blowing what I thought was a sure win.

UCLA Bruins (-13.5) @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish: UCLA couldn’t pull it out, as the luck of the Irish took them out late in the 4th. You could almost feel it coming. UCLA easily covered though, giving me what I think is my first Notre Dame game win since opening week.

Washington Huskies @ Cal Bears (-22.5): The Bears didn’t look nearly as good as they have all season, while UW looked solid without their fearless leader, Isaiah, at QB. It wasn’t enough to take down the Bears, but UW sent the game into overtime, easily covering and marking my 6th loss of Week 8.

For the 2nd week in a row, I busted out 7 wins in 10 attempts. That means I’m 22-8 in the last 3 weeks of college football. Yes. Championship type stuff. I started hot early, had a couple tough ones, and finished with a bang. Check it out and love the outcome as I put up 7 W’s in Week 7.

Virginia Tech Hokies @ Boston College Eagles (+3): WINNER! “The Eagles, with a big win over Clemson, a 4-1 record, and coming off a bye week will surprise a lot of people when they dismantle the Hokies.” (me) What can I say? Some times it’s best to just quote myself. The Eagles soared to an “upset” victory over the Hokies on Thursday Night. 1 game 1 win.

Temple Owls @ Clemson Tigers (-44): WINNER! Those wonderful little Tigers followed through, and I took this game easily. Considering Clemson only scored in the first 3 quarters, the cover was even more impressive. It was nice to have two wins before the weekend arrived.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+4) @ North Carolina State Wolfpack: WINNER! There was no letting down on either side. This was one hell of a football game. The Deacons had points to burn, but they came with it, and busted out of NC State with a victory and a 6-1 record.

Syracuse Orange (+25.5) @ West Virginia Mountaineers: WINNER! Syracuse finally lost a game by more than 10. However, they didn’t lose a game by more than 24, and on Saturday, that’s what mattered most to Ol’ Lucky. This game was close early, and even in the middle, but down the stretch, the West Virginia rushing attack, both Slaton and Pat White, was too much for the Orange. But I win anyway! Moowah ha ha ha!

South Florida Bulls (-2) @ North Carolina Tarheels: WINNER! This game was easy to call. The Tarheels got stomped on as the Bulls gave NC the horns early and often. I’m looking forward to the basketball season, as are Heel fans everywhere.

Minnesota Golden Gophers (+8.5) @ Wisconsin Badgers: LOSER! I was the tool for taking the Gophers like a fool. Wisconsin had this game wrapped up from the moment they walked onto the field. I don’t know what Minnesota was doing on Saturday, because it definitely wasn’t playing football. My firs loss was a slap in the face.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (+2.5) @ Navy Midshipmen: WINNER! Rutgers rode out of their game with Navy, easily holding on to their undefeated record. How does 32-0 sound in a game they weren’t expected to win? Rutgers was the better team in this one. I like the Knights, but the true tests will come against Louisville and West Virginia. Two tough games.

Marshall Thundering Herd (+4) @ Southern Methodist Mustangs: LOSER! Marshall just couldn’t get it down the stretch. After the first half, the Thundering Herd was up 4, and looked like they were ready to pull the upset. But as is often the case, the Mustangs won the second half and the game. Two 4th quarter touchdowns doomed me in, as SMU pulled ahead by 10.

Iowa State Cyclones(+19.5) @ Oklahoma Sooners: LOSER! Iowa State just couldn’t get it done on the Sooners side of the field. As 20 point underdogs, I was sure this game would be close, and I’d get the win. But Oklahoma wasn’t having any of that. ISU could only manage a safety in the 2nd half as they were ousted by 25 points on the road. My 3rd and last loss on Saturday was a tough one.

California Golden Bears (-8) @ Washington State Cougars: WINNER! Cal was just too good early, and that was plenty to put down the Cougs. WSU had their chances, but couldn’t put anything on the board after their 2nd quarter field goal. Cal’s 21 first half points were all they needed for the win and my 7th victory of Week 7. 7 in 7… I hope that trend continues in week 8 if you get my drift.

Its not 8, but 7 wins in Week 6 had me breaking out a little dance in celebratory fashion. 15-5 during Week 5 and 6 has me right back on track in the NCAA. How did I get my 7 wins? Read more and find out.

Florida State Seminoles @ North Carolina state Wolfpack (+10.5): And the Wolfpack won this game, putting an end to any predictions that they wouldn’t cover. I like it, I love it, I wanted more of it. Guess what… I got it.

Arkansas Razorbacks (+16) @ Auburn Tigers: Another underdog I picked came out on top as the #2 Auburn Tigers tumbled at home to the Razorbacks. Like I said, Arkansas has been getting better with each passing week, so don’t expect this win to be a fluke. They aren’t championship material just yet, but a BCS game isn’t out of the question.

Penn State Nittany Lions @ Minnesota Golden Gophers (+3): My favorite uniforms in sports (Penn State) pulled out a big win after the Gophers’ kicker missed an extra point in overtime. The one point win made the Gophers a loser, but with 3 points to play with, my 3rd win was graciously accepted.

Clemson Tigers @ Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+17): It looked as thought the Deacons were going to continue their defensive dominance, even over the high-powered Clemson attack, but, ah yes, but, the Tigers roared back in the 4th scoring 24 unanswered points to hand Wake Forest their first loss of the season. Luckily for me, I had 17 points to ponder, 6 more than I needed for my 4th win of the weekend.

Vanderbilt Commodores (-1.5) @ Mississippi Rebels: Vanderbilt disappointed once again, handing me my first loss in Week 6. What can you do?

Kent State Golden Flashes (-23.5) @ Temple Owls: Temple was actually up after the 1st quarter, something that obviously shocked them into their 5th loss in as many games. Kent State pulled away at the end, but the 23.5 points were way too many for me, as I lost my 2nd straight game.

Stanford Cardinal @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-31): Remember when I said I wouldn’t bet on the Irish games anymore? I think I’m 0-3 in Irish games since then. Damn me all to hell. They will not make the list next week, I guarantee you that. My 3rd loss in a row was my last.

Washington Huskies (+20.5) @ USC: I don’t know what happened in the Husky game toward the end for sure, because I was listening via the radio, but it sounded like a douche-bag Zebra had his head all the way up his own ass, forgot to wind the clock like a real referee, and the Huskies didn’t get a chance for on last play, 15 yards out. The Huskies lost by 6, so I won by 14… I guess I’ll take it.

West Virginia Mountaineers (-23) @ Mississippi State Bulldogs: 42 minus 14…. 28…. Yep, covered by 5… YES! My 6th win of the day came easy as the Mountaineers built a lead early, and then came on even stronger late, with 21 points in the 4th to cover me like a blanket.

Oklahoma Sooners @ Texas Longhorns (-3.5): The Sooners walked into half time with a 3 point lead, then never scored again as Colt McCoy passed for 2 touchdowns and Aaron Ross recovered a fumble for the Longhorns’ final score. 21 unanswered 2nd half points gave Texas their 5th win of the season. Their 5th win meant my 7th, and 15th in the last two weeks. Lets see if I can’t have another big winner in Week 7.

ITS about damn time! Feels good to be a big winner in the college ranks for the first time this season. 8-2. Rockin’ it Ya’ll. This is how I did it. And my two losses, I missed covering by a point in each one. Not a bad week, not bad at all.

Auburn Tigers @ South Carolina Gamecocks (+14.5): Winner winner chicken dinner. I kept looking at this game on Thursday, asking myself what the hell I was thinking. And it all worked out. Some how the Tigers didn’t have their roar, allowing SC to play with them for most of the game. A late score kept Auburn undefeated, but I still rolled to victory 1.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (-3) @ South Florida Bulls: Rutgers couldn’t win by enough to keep me happy. For the 5th week in a row, I was broken by a point. One point, one loss.

Virginia Cavaliers (-5) @ Duke Blue Devils: Hahahaha…. I still can’t believe this game had a 5 point spread. Unbelievable. Duke… Haha… Virginia held on late, winning 37-0. What a joke. Win number 2, I’ll take it with a smile.

Toledo Rockets @ Pittsburgh Panthers (-14): What can I say? When it’s going well, it’s really going well. The Panthers blew out the Rockets to the beat of 45-3. I love it when it’s a sure thing.

Alabama Crimson Tide (+14) @ Florida Gators: What do you know, lost this game by a point. I hate points. Check that, points are fine, one singular point sucks. The Tide could only manage a field goal in the 2nd half as Florida scored 21 to upend ‘Bama 28-13. Loser.

Oregon Ducks (-1) @ Arizona State Sun Devils: Lets see, does 48 to 13 cover the spread? Let me check. Oregon -1. 48 minus 13… Oh, yeah, apparently 35 points is plenty in this situation. Feels good to know what’s going one. Took me a few weeks, but this is lookin’ good.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (+10) @ Virginia Tech Hokies: How about this? Not only did I pick this game, I told you Tech was getting the upset. Check it out.. “I really think Georgia Tech isn’t getting enough credit here, while the Hokies are 10 point favorites for no particular reason whatsoever. Tech has a close loss to Notre Dame, and wins over a decent Virginia team and solid Troy team. The Hokies have a nice strength of schedule… If we’re talking college basketball. But here in the football realm, wins over North Carolina and Duke really don’t mean jack. I’m looking for a Jacket upset here, especially with the Hokies losing their starting defensive end and #2 wide receiver for this game.” Winner.

California Bears (-9) @ Oregon State Beavers: 41-13. Yeah they covered, and not by a measly point either. The Bears dominated because they are many times better than the Beave. Love the Pac 10 winners, baby.

Ohio State Buckeyes (-6) @ Iowa Hawkeyes: You heard it here… “I’m not saying they don’t belong amongst college football’s best, but I’m saying they don’t belong with college football’s best… Wait, I was saying that after all. Iowa will get stomped by a far superior Ohio State team that got a nice wakeup call last weekend.” Winner.

Washington Huskies (+4) @ Arizona Wildcats: I don’t care that they only scored in one quarter. That quarter was the 2nd, and it just so happened to be 21 points, and that easily held against the Wildcats. I can’t believe it, I bet on the Dawgs, and they came through in fine fashion. Boy-O-Boy, it feels a lot better to go 8-2 than it does to go 5-7. Let the wins roll!

I can’t even say how many games I lost… Hell, I’m still counting. Take a look below and fight through the horror to review my Week 4 in NCAA Football.

USC Trojans (-20) @ Arizona Wildcats: The Trojans didn’t do enough to cover. I had a push until a field goal in the 4th did me in. But it’s not like USC had this game locked away either, 3-0 at the half, 10-0 after 3, it was a close one. My first pick, my first loss.

Troy Trojans (+21) @ Nebraska Cornhuskers: So much for a fight. The Trojans laid down and just took it from the Cornhuskers, 56-0. This was one of those games you feel sorry for the team you bet on. That doesn’t happen much for me. Loss numero two-o.

Alabama Crimson Tide @ Arkansas Razorbacks (-2): Those one point losses make me feel like crying. My 3rd in a tough Saturday came when the Razorbacks gave up a touchdown in the 4th quarter to send the game into overtime. In OT, Arkansas kicked their extra point, the Tide didn’t, and I lost for the third time in as many attempts.

Boston College Eagles (-6.5) @ North Carolina State: The Eagles learned to lose last Saturday in North Carolina. The Wolfpack scored two touchdowns in the 2nd half to win their 2nd and lose me my 4th.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-4) @ Michigan State Spartans: Notre Damn didn’t cover, and somehow they won, call it luck of the jackasses that never cover when lucky lester bets on them… Freaking Irish.

Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (+29) @ Oklahoma Sooners: This was a destruction process. MTSU got handled by the Sooners. Oklahmoa is finaly getting it, just in time to blow me out of the water. 6 losses in 6 games.

Florida International Golden Panthers (+19) @ Maryland Terrapins: Thank God for being right about one game. I was on the money here, as FLINT gave Maryland a run, coming up just short, but winning me some much needed cash.

Colorado Buffaloes @ Georgia Bulldogs (-26): Got destroyed on this one…. The Buffs put all their cash into one game, and it just happened to be this one. Georgia won a nail biter, 14-13. I lost.

Washington State Cougars (-9.5) @ Stanford Cardinal: The Cougs stomped the Cardinal, bringing Stanford’s record to 0-4. That leaves UW and WSU at 3-1 on the season. Crazy man!

Ohio State Buckeyes (-16.5) @ Penn State Nittany Lions: After halftime, I must admit, I was a little worried. 28 2nd Half points got me, and the Buckeyes, the W. Whew.

Arizona State Sun Devils @ California Bears (-7): Like it always is, this game was a blowout. My Bears outplayed the Sun Devils to the tune of 49-21. And I got a much needed win. 4 wins is better than none, but this 4-7 week put me in the dumps. Check out my Week 5 picks, they’re bound to be better.

The BYU Cougars took the Eagles into overtime, but Boston College came up big for me by scoring a touchdown in the tiebreaker and denying the Cougars on 4 downs. I have to admit this was a crazy one, but a win is a win.

Troy played tight with the Jackets, and a 4th quarter touchdown eliminated the 17 point spread, giving me my 1st loss on the week. GT won the game, but as you well know, winning isn’t everything. Not with spreads anyway.

Not only did Miami of Ohio struggle with the Golden Flashes, but they just flat out lost. It’s tough when you’re going for an 11 point win and your team crumbles. Now that’s the beauty of college football. However, 1-2 isn’t so lovely.

I must have been drunk when I took the Hurricanes. This isn’t THE U like it usually is, this is the “We get our asses pasted by Louisville without their best player” Hurricane team. I should have known better. Getting stuck in the past gets you to 1-3… Well, that’s where it got me.

Oklahoma got beat by Oregon by a point. As you well know, this is one of those cases where winning isn’t everything. I won taking Oklahoma, while they actually lost. Crazy. What’s really amazing is, they lost despite 150 4th quarter yards by Adrian Peterson.

Boise State and Wyoming pushed. That’s all the details you get on that one.

Washington upset the Fresno State Bulldogs in a game that absolutely made me feel like I haven’t a clue. We’ll see if I can pull my ass out of the gutter next week, but this loss felt like burning. 2-4… Icky.

Arizona State stomped Colorado. Duh. They didn’t look super impressive, but they didn’t have to. They took down the Buffaloes 20-3. They took me to 3-4.

Notre Dame sucked Chef’s “Chocolate Salty Balls” and I paid the price. I can’t figure out the Irish. Barely beat Georgia Tech, killed Penn State, and got absolutely mauled by the Wolverines. So, I won’t be taking any more Irish games. See what they did? See? Forget them!

My 4th win came by way of a Clemson win over the Seminoles of Florida State. So let me get this right… Florida State and Miami both loss on Saturday? Oh yeah…. It fells so good, like that one time in the Home-Ec room with that one girl after school. She made delicious apple pie. It felt so good in my belly.

The Auburn Tigers barely covered the 3 point spread over LSU, but barely shmarely, that’s what I always say. This was a big hitting, smack you in the mouth, my defense is better than your offense, one touchdown wins, type of game. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Even more so after it brought me to .500. 5-5.

Nebraska covered the spread by a single point, so I’ll just write this one off as luck. They were never in it, and it didn’t seem like they had a chance after half time. But, the Husker defense fought tough, and limited the Trojans just enough for my 6th win.

To complete the .500 week in gambling, Florida beat the Tennessee Vols in Tennessee, but not by the 3 points I needed to finish week at 7-5. Florida should move up to #2 or #3 in Monday’s polls. I need to start moving up as well. But after such a slow start, it was nice to ride my way back into a tie for the week. Week is on the way!

Ugh… So, after two weeks of college football action, good Ol’ Lucky Lester is 10-11… Not so hot. But there’s always down weeks. After an opening winner in Week 1, 4-7 wasn’t what I was going for in Week 2, but as it turns out, that’s the way the cookie crumbled. Check out the pieces in my WEEK 2 REVIEW…

The Dukies put up a nice fight against a far superior Wake Forest team as I got my first loss of week 1. Picking the Deacons to win by nearly 3 touchdowns isn’t a mistake I’ll make again.

Those blasted Army boys were too busy worrying about the next time President Bush is going to send them into a lose-lose situation to destroy Kent State. Luckily for them, a spread means nothing, unfortunately for me a spread means no dinner tonight.

Thank God for those Auburn cats. A big win in the exact fashion I imagined gave me one of my few victories on Saturday. Kenny ran like LT, and Auburn’s defense played like the Great Wall.

I don’t know what I was thinking jumping off the Notre Dame band wagon because of a close game on the road against Georgia Tech, but that’s exactly what I did. I knew GT was better than advertised. I blame myself completely for this one.

Clemson couldn’t get it done, but it wasn’t for lack of effort. BC took the game by a point, and I lost by 2, but close only matters in horseshoes and games in which you have a spread in your favor. I didn’t have that. I lost again.

I think Washington might be much better than I thought, and I know Oklahoma isn’t as good as everyone else thought. That being said, Adrian Peterson beat the Dawgs by 17 points, just enough for me to cash in.

Iowa was without Drew Tate, and I still don’t know why. I do know that without Drew, Syracuse almost took down Iowa in what would have been a huge upset. As for me, I lost again.

Idaho couldn’t hang. Washington State actually came to play this week, proving that Auburn could be the Nation’s best team… You heard it here first. Idaho, on the other hand, isn’t the Nation’s best, and as it seems, neither was I on Saturday.

Colorado State made me a winner for the 3rd time in my fist 8 games, but its not like they didn’t make me sweat it out. These rivalry games are always tough, luckily I came out on top in this one.

Though my Minnesota/Cal game turned out to be a huge typo, that didn’t replace last weeks pick, (me=moron this time around) it didn’t turn out well for me anyhow. Minnesota didn’t seem like the same team they were last week, and neither did Cal for that matter. To make a long drunk story short, I lost money here too.

At least I won my game of the week. Ohio State trotted into Texas and branded the Longhorn’s asses in a show of dominance over last week’s #2 team in the nation. I’ll be very surprised if OSU loses this season. Their young defenders look great.