Tag Archives: College Football Picks

Free College Football Picks: Week 3

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My free college football picks of the week are looking like a high-win group. There are some lines that get me real excited for my first big winner of the season, and since I’m 4 games down (because of my 3-7 Week 1 effort), I’m more than ready to get in the green. Follow my NCAA picks from Thursday Night Football’s action to Saturday afternoon. I snapped out 11 picks this week, because, well, I thought I had 10 picks, ended up counting wrong, and didn’t feel like deleting one of my previews: a win for you no doubt… Big winner, big winner!

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Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets @ Miami Hurricanes (-4.5): When a lower rated team is favored, I like the odds. I think Miami has a ton of ability. The players coming into that school are fast, physical, NFL bodied type guys. I am impressed with the Techies this year, no doubt, they have a solid rushing attack and one of the best runners in the NCAA’s. However, I don’t think GT played very well last week, and they still got the win, yet another situation I like to bet against.

Boston College Eagles @ Clemson Tigers (-6.5): The Tigers showed me a lot last week covering against Georgia Tech despite getting done in by 2 freakish fake field goal scores in the first quarter. They fought back to a tie after being down 21-0. They are a good team with strong lines on both sides. The Eagles don’t do much for me, and despite these two teams fighting good battles in the past, I think this one will be pretty one-sided.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane (+15) @ Oklahoma Sooners: Tulsa is pretty solid. They will play tough defense and keep the Sooners on their toes. Oklahoma should win this game, but it will be tough. The injuries and question marks still surround the Sooners.

Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (+6) @ Maryland Terrapins: The Blue Raiders have looked solid in their start to the season while the Terps have looked dismal. This spread should be smaller, yet 71% of the public is still riding the slow moving Terps. I think Maryland falls to the small school Blue Raiders. They just haven’t played well enough to win games, and nothing seems to be getting answered in Maryland.

USC Trojans @ Washington Huskies (+20.5): If you don’t count last season, because, well, the Huskies were a joke, then you have to admit the Huskies have played the powerful Trojans well over the last couple years. In ’06 the Huskies lost by 6 as a 19 point dog. In ’07 the Dogs lost by just 3 as an 18.5 point dog. This year I got the Huskies as a 20.5 point dog, and I’m pretty excited about it. They have a tough offense with a stellar athlete/leader at the quarterback position. They have a coaching staff that is very knowledgeable when it comes to the Trojans. I like the Dogs’ chances to cover here.

Arizona Wildcats (+5.5) @ Iowa Hawkeyes: The Hawkeyes don’t look ready for the Cats. Arizona is one of the better unknown teams in the Pac 10, and the Hawkeyes have played nobody thus far. Arizona hasn’t really had a powerful schedule either, and they are not the best traveling team in the world, but Central Michigan was a pretty good win, a better team than the Hawkeyes. I think AZ’s defense holds the Hawkeyes under two scores, making this an easy cover for the Cats.

SMU Broncos (-7) @ Washington State Cougars: Fade the Cougars. ‘Nough said.

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Cincinnati Bearcats @ Oregon State Beavers (EVEN): The Bearcats destroyed Rutgers, then took care of a low-level high school team… Ergh, I mean small division team. Tony Pike is looking good, finally living up to some hype for the Cats, but does that mean they can handle Jacquizz Rodgers? I don’t think so. Rodgers has a question mark by his name, ankle ding, but I think he plays, and I think he rumbles. The Beavers have looked pretty damn god since half way through last season, and they came back to oust a tough UNLV team in Vegas last week. I think they are more battle tested, I think that gives them the slight advantage.

Florida State Seminoles @ BYU Cougars (-7): I think Florida State is athletic, but I still think people aren’t giving the Cougars their due. They have a tough match-up this week, one of their toughest opponents for the rest of the season, but I think the Cougars do too many of the little things right to be caught up in trouble against FSU. They’ll run the ball more this week, that should open up some looks downfield for one of the better college quarterbacks in all the land. I’ll take BYU at home, because how out of place will the FSU kids feel in freaking Utah anyway?

Georgia Bulldogs @ Arkansas Razorbacks (-1): I like taking the lesser ranked favorite, and the Razorbacks opened up at exactly that. This is a well coached squad with some very good players, and they are getting stronger every game. They haven’t made much noise since McFadden and Felix Jones left town, but I think they oust the higher ranked Bulldogs at home this week.

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors @ UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (-7): Don’t get fooled by Hawaii’s dominance over the Pac 10’s own WSU Cougars last week, there’s a reason why I tell you to fade the Cougars. But the Rebels are good, they do lots of things well and have an experienced team looking to win games. They should have got the W last week, and this week it will happen, in relatively easy fashion.

College Football Review: Week 1

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Three and Seven, 3 and 7, 3 for 7, 3-7…. However you say it, look at it, write it – it looks bad. But I’ve had tougher weeks and always seem to fight back. I took Week 1 on the chin, but not for a lack of effort, here’s what I missed, or what went wrong, or how I was tricked…. Hopefully I can turn the tables next week.

Oregon Ducks @ Boise State Broncos (OVER 64): LOSS – “While I like the Broncos to win, and likely cover the 4 point spread in this one, I like the OVER even more.” Lucky for me all I bet was the over. That gives me a loss. What I didn’t take into account was Oregon starting 4 new offensive linemen. That will mess up anyone’s offensive flow, even the Ducks. The Punch heard round the states put an interesting spin on this game, but the truth of the matter is the Broncos killed the Ducks. Kellen Moore was a sniper at the Q and the Ducks couldn’t find much room to run anywhere. Boise should have a scored a couple more TDs, shooting themselves in the foot more than a couple times. And the turnovers didn’t help the total – but in the end, Oregon just didn’t have enough to get even close to their side of the over.

South Carolina Gamecocks (+5) @ North Carolina State Wolfpack: WINNER – “Gamecocks will get big contributions from freshman, a better season out of the quarterback position, and an upset win at NC State this Thursday Night.” I liked my chances at an upset win, didn’t think the Wolfpack would do much against that SC defense. At least one of my picks went right, get ready for a nice little downhill slide…

Minnesota Golden Gophers (-6.5) @ Syracuse Orange: LOSS –  I thought I had this game well in hand early, the Orange were stinking and the Gophers were moving, but Greg Paulus started to remember how to play this game and the Orange put some points up, eventually sending this one into overtime. Tough deal, the Gophers couldn’t quite cover with an OT field goal to win it.

Baylor Bears @ Wake Forrest Demon Deacons (-2.5): LOSS – A really tough start put the Deacons too far behind. They fought back late but lost a close one to the Bears. I expected accuracy from Riley, he threw a couple interceptions, and missed target on a few more. I still think Wake is a decent team to take this year.

BYU Cougars @ Oklahoma Sooners (-22): LOSS – I must admit, the offensive line change killed me this week, assuming Oregon would score points, and in this game as well – but I have to think that if Sam Bradford played, went into halftime, came out with a new plan of attack, this not only wouldn’t have been a loss for the Sooners, but possibly a cover. I expected an early struggle, but once they settled down I expected the Sooners to dominate. Well, even without their stud running back, the Cougars pulled off a big one, and I was on the wrong side of it.

Virginia Tech Hokies (+6.5) @ Alabama Crimson Tide: LOSS – the Hokies didn’t play nearly as well as they needed to, and I still thought I was going to get a win. Offensively they couldn’t hang, but I was only down three in the 4th quarter, and a defensive stop would have given me a much better chance at a W. But ‘Bama kept pushing past the smaller VT front, and scored again, and the Hokies lost by 10. Alabama just has too many big guy7s up frong

Maryland Terrapins (+21.5) @ California Golden Bears: LOSS –  The Bears ran all over the Terps, laughing at my claim that 21 was too high… I cried about it.

LSU Tigers (-17.5) @ Washington Huskies: LOSS –  There’s lots I could say about this game, but the bottom line is Washington is not the team they used to be. Fade Washington schools might have to be changed to fade WSU….

Mississippi Rebels (-16.5) @ Memphis Tigers: WINNER –  “Anybody worth anything hammered Memphis last season. The Rebels were one of those teams.”  It took a while for them to remember they were one of those teams, but in the 4th they finally figured it out and did work, covering for me by plenty.

Miami Hurricanes (+6.5) @ Florida State Seminoles: WINNER “I think Miami’s the better team. There it is.” And I think that’s what it came down to. They had more firepower on both sides of the ball, and while it was one hell of a game, the Canes were the better team.

Better next week, that’s what I’m thinking…

Free NCAA Football Picks: Week 14

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A little late this week, and I hope you can get on some of these games. My Week 13 follow up to my awesome Week 12 was not what I hoped it would be. In fact, it was down right piss. On to some better leads this time around. I hope your Turkey Day got you good like it got me. 

Washington State Cougars @ Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (-28): I know I said last week that the Warriors hadn’t beat anybody by more than 20 points, and thus they were a bad play, but I think they are the type of team that will slowly pound the Cougars into a 30 point hole. I like Hawaii to cover at home in this one. I know Hawaii is a great place to go when you call Pullman, Washington home this time of year – but I have a feeling this trip will be more about celebrating a win over the Husky’s than a well played game against Hawaii. 

Notre Dame “Fighting” Irish @ USC Trojans (-30): I don’t think the Trojans are as great as everyone else thinks they are, but they kill bad teams – lets be honest. They have 11 athletes on both sides of the ball that can take poor steps, get fooled, and still get back to make the play after a small gain. I wouldn’t be surprised if USC shuts out the Dame – in fact, I will be surprised if the Irish get anywhere close to an end zone offensively. 

Oregon Ducks @ Oregon State Beavers (-3): I like the Beave in this one. It may or may not be because my cousin was a professional Beaver for quite some time, and it may or may not be because he owns a fan bus that does work at every Beaver home game – but look at what we have here. A Beaver team that has crap stomped everyone at home, and the home team has won this battle in 9 of the last 10 seasons – and it was OSU that took the Ducks on the road last year. I know the injury issues, and I know the Beavers have more riding on this game than Oregon does, but I still like the Beave here. Plus their mascot is a freaking Beaver for God’s sake – that’s worth a look if nothing else. 

Oklahoma Sooners @ Oklahoma State Cowboys (+7.5): Really? More than a touchdown in this rivalry game? Both teams are very good, don’t be confused. I think people must be seeing Oklahoma’s beatdown of Texas Tech and immediately making the comparison and contrast and saying, “If Tech beat Oklahoma State, and Oklahoma destroyed Tech, then this game should be over before it starts.” That’s not how it works. Oklahoma is very good, but OK State is a lot different than the Raiders – and this game should be closer, especially on the road, and especially against a Cowboys team that has everything to win and nothing to lose. 

Auburn Tigers (+14.5) @ Alabama Crimson Tide: Too much going on in the helmet’s in Alabama to truly destroy the Tigers in this one. Alabama isn’t a destroyer type team – and I like this one to play closer. 

Houston Cougars @ Rice Owls (+3): I like the Owls to win outright, obviously. Both of these teams are home town hero type clubs, undefeated on their respective home fields, and both are offensive juggernauts. I like the home team to pull this one out. I’d say they are equal talent clubs with the home field advantage meaning a lot more than you’d think. 

Florida State @ Florida Gators (-16): I know it’d be cool to take the road team Seminoles here, and they have played much better lately, but I’m done betting against the Gators, even in this supposed “let down” game zone. The Gators haven’t had a game closer than 4 touchdowns since their loss to Mississippi. And they’ve beaten some big time programs. This team is FAST. 

Kansas Jayhawks (+16) @ Missouri Tigers: I like the Jayhawks to score enough against Missouri to cover this spread. Both of these offenses can put lots of points on the board, and while Missou’s offense is the better of the two, I’m not sure the Tigers are much better defensively. I like my chances of staying within a couple touchdowns. 

South Carolina Gamecocks (+1) @ Clemson Tigers: I know there hasn’t been much consistency from the Gamecocks, except this, they win most all of the games they are supposed to, and they beat the teams they are even with. Except maybe Vandy (and Vandy was pretty dang good before their whole team started to go down with injuries in mid-October) the Gamecocks have beaten everybody they are equal to or better than. That’s Clemson to a T. Clemson isn’t Florida or LSU or Georgia. Clemson is Arkansas and Tennessee and Mississippi. Clemson is the type of team South Carolina beats by two touchdowns. Even on the road, I like them here.

NCAA Football Free Picks REVIEW: Week 12

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Nice week me… 14-5 is something to smile at – and Saturday had plenty of smiles. 

Rutgers (+8) @ South Florida: (win) I’m starting to figure the Big East out I think – whatever the consensus is, go the other way. I liked me some Rutgers in this one, and for good reason, they walked into South Florida and won outright. And talk about a beating, without any scoring in the 1st quarter, the Scarlet Knights put up 49 points on the Bulls. That’s big time. It was a sign of things to come, that’s for sure. 

Duke (+11.5) @ Clemson: (loss) Okay, I lost this one, and Duke was greatly outplayed – but their best player and team leader, quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, went down in the 2nd series of the game and Duke didn’t have a shot. In that case, neither did I. Clemson won 31-7, and I take one on the chin. 

Georgia (-8.5) @ Auburn: (loss) I should have listened to myself on this one. I knew it wasn’t a gimmie game, and I knew Georgia’s early season close wins were starting to look worse and worse, but I went with Georgia anyway, and while they did win, it wasn’t enough to get me in the W column. 

Middle Tennessee State (-2) @ Western Kentucky: (win) “But the better team is MTSU, they are good enough to be favored on the road as a 3 win team, and that tells me a lot about Western Kentucky.” Middle Tennessee ran the show in this game, never trailing for a minute and winning by 11 on the road. What can I say? It was a good week to be a me. You could almost say a Lucky day to be Lester? Whoa!!! A quick one. 

Toledo (+16) @ Western Michigan: (win) “Toledo has one good game against a decent team, and no I’m not talking about their win over Michigan – the Wolverines suck. I’m talking about a close loss at home against Central Michigan. Other than that, they’ve played terribly – especially on the road. Take away their win at Michgan and they’ve lost two straight on the road, to Norther Illinois and Akron, but 31 and 17 respectively. Western Michigan is better than that. But there’s this little thing called a let down game, and that’s what has me riding the Toledo Rockets in this one. Western Michigan sure can score the pigskin, but they allow a good amount of points as well. After upsetting Illinois (though it wasn’t much of an upset, but still a big win over a big name school) this game should be one in which they come out a little flat. I still like them to win, but Toledo at +16 will be my pick here.” I hit this game right in the nuts, you can’t argue with that. No doubt about it, Toledo is the lesser team, but Western Michigan didn’t play up to their ability. Sometimes that’s just the way the cookie crumbles. 

California @ Oregon State (-3): (win) The Beavers were better than Cal, and a late pick 6 cleared this one up perfectly. Cal couldn’t deal with constant pressure all day, and a Rodgers’ brother duo that did work from start to finish. The Beave is tough enough. 

North Carolina @ Maryland (+3): (win) “But this should be a bit of a let down week for the Heels, a win gets them a tie for first place in their division, but they are walking into Maryland. The Terps are undefeated at home and as good as NC is, they aren’t far and above better than Maryland. The Terps have crushed some dreams this season, and are trying to find the way to the top of their own half of the ACC. In College football, the home field advantage can be the answer to your betting questions – this is one of those times.” And what do you know, the Terps pull out the win at home. It was close. It was a battle. It was everything I thought it was, and at the foot of a 4th quarter field goal the Terps are still undefeated in Maryland. 

New Mexico State (+17) @ Fresno State: (win) “This seems like a good bet. Despite Fresno killing their bettors, the public still seems to love them, just waiting for them to finally win their second game against the spread. Interesting. What has Fresno done to be a 17 point favorite this season? Nothing is the answer. Take the Aggies.” There you have it. It took a late Fresno State 4th quarter touchdown to take the lead from New Mexico State, while me and that 17 point spread easily. 

Boise State @ Idaho (+36.5): (win) I said the value was with Idaho because the spread in this rivalry game had never been as big as it was this weekend. Boise State won by 35, and just by the hair on the spread’s butt crack, I won. Boise hammered Idaho in the 2nd half, but it was that early fight that got me the win. 

Oklahoma State @ Colorado (+18): (win) I said this spread was a touchdown bigger than it should be. I was right. The OK State Cowboys won by 13, but that was still enough for me to cover. Yhatzee! 

Troy State (+16.5) @ LSU: (win) This was a weird one. You can see why I wanted to leave it alone. The first 3 quarters were why I took Troy State, and the last quarter, the one where LSU did anything they wanted to do and fought back after being down by a seemingly insurmountable spread, and won – that’s why I didn’t want to bet on this game. That being said, I had the right side, as surprising as that was – it was Troy State’s side. 

Boston College @ Florida State (-6): (loss) The Seminoles fought back late, but BC was too tough defensively – mainly on their defensive front. FSU was hurried all day long and the Eagles won by a touchdown. 

Ohio State Buckeyes (-9.5) @ Illinois Fighting Illini: (win) I thought Juice’s touchdown pass with 50 seconds left in the game was going to get me, but then I remembered my line was 9.5 not 10.5 – close one. Ohio State won this game much bigger than the score showed. 

Nebraska Cornhuskers (-6.5) @ Kansas State Wildcats: (win) The Cornhuskers trounced the WIldcats, making me look like a smart little sports writing college picks advisor. Wahoo! 

Washington State Cougars (+36.5) @ Arizona State Wildcats: (win) As I said, it came down to wondering if the Wildcats could score enough points. A team that hasn’t scored 42 all season long shouldn’t be favored by 36.5 – Now 31? Sure… Haha… The Cougars tried to get me a loss, but they managed to hold the Wildcats out of the end zone one last time. 

Arizona Wildcats (+4) @ Oregon Ducks: (loss) The Ducks killed the Cats early, it was 44-17 at half time. But the Wildcats fought back and it took a late touchdown run by LeGarrette Blount that actually covered the spread for Ducks bettors. Arizona scored 28 straight points to pull within three and pull a sure loss into a cover win, but that late score did bettors justice and I lose. 

Tulsa Golden Hurricane @ Houston Cougars (+4.5): (win) These teams weren’t quite as equal as I thought, either that or Houston just had the right bounces because the Cougars did work, basically doubling up Tulsa and scoring 70 points on the Hurricane. 

San Jose State Spartans (+15.5) @ Nevada Wolfpack: (loss) It was 31-17 going into the 4th quarter, but the Spartans were shutout in the final frame as they allowed 10 – that got me another loss on this college Saturday. 

UCLA Bruins (-7) @ Washington Huskies: (win) The Huskies play calling is brutal. They are not good personnel-wise. There was absolutely no reason this game should have had this close of a spread. Free money indeed.

DirecTV ESPN GamePlan Free Picks: Week 12

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DirecTV has some games on their agenda these days, or at least on their plethora of channels – here they are. I’ve picked everyone, leaning one way or another and maybe even giving a reason or two why. Let the Week 12 begin!

Rutgers (+8) @ South Florida: What has Rutgers done for me lately? A lot more than what the South Florida Bulls have done, that’s for sure. as a touchdown underdog, I see the Scarlet Knights playing good enough football against a tough opponent to cover this game. The Knights had a disappointing start to the season, but things can change, and they certainly have with 3 straight wins including a win over Connecticut and a win over Pittsburgh.

Duke (+11.5) @ Clemson: Duke has been the better team all year long. I know that’s surprising, especially for me, a guy who can’t stand Duke doing anything good – but it’s true. They make far fewer mistakes, they play decent defense, and despite a 1-4 stretch of late, they will give Clemson trouble. The Tigers definitely have the talent over the Devils, but Duke is turning the corner and it will be those lack of mistakes that keeps them close.

Georgia (-8.5) @ Auburn: This may seem like a gimmie, but it’s not necessarily that way. The Bulldogs barely slipped by the Wildcats last week, and they were outscored by 39 at home against Florida two weeks ago. Close wins over LSU, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee are starting to lose a lot of their luster, no doubt about that. HOwever, Auburn’s inability to play well against anybody doesn’t excite me, and despite their knack for close games, I have a feeling this one will be a beatdown of Knowshon proportions.

Middle Tennessee State (-2) @ Western Kentucky: MTSU has played tougher against better teams – they can score points, have a solid passing attack, and good leadership. Neither of these teams are good, don’t get it twisted, and between the two there is only one road win on the season. But the better team is MTSU, they are good enough to be favored on the road as a 3 win team, and that tells me a lot about Western Kentucky. I’m taking the Blue Raiders (that’s MTSU for those that don’t know their Mascot).

Toledo (+16) @ Western Michigan: Toledo has one good game against a decent team, and no I’m not talking about their win over Michigan – the Wolverines suck. I’m talking about a close loss at home against Central Michigan. Other than that, they’ve played terribly – especially on the road. Take away their win at Michgan and they’ve lost two straight on the road, to Norther Illinois and Akron, but 31 and 17 respectively. Western Michigan is better than that. But there’s this little thing called a let down game, and that’s what has me riding the Toledo Rockets in this one. Western Michigan sure can score the pigskin, but they allow a good amount of points as well. After upsetting Illinois (though it wasn’t much of an upset, but still a big win over a big name school) this game should be one in which they come out a little flat. I still like them to win, but Toledo at +16 will be my pick here.

California @ Oregon State (-3): I really want to go with the Bears here, because they have played decent teams lately where Oregon State has been subject to a four game stretch that started with the Washington schools (which are basically like playing your incoming freshmen in a scrimmage) and then Arizona State and UCLA (neither are worth much, though ASU gave the Beavers fits). They are 4-0 in their last 4, but haven’t played a good team since they lost to Utah on the 2nd of October. Cal beat Oregon two weeks ago, lost to USC last week – so they should be ready. Except that they haven’t beaten anybody on the road besides Washington State on September 9th. So, like I said, they haven’t beaten anybody on the road yet this season. The Beavers are undefeated at home, and that includes a game in which they dominated USC and barely won – and dominated Hawaii and destroyed them by 38. The Beave is a tough place to play and that’s what has me rocking the rude orange and black colors in this one.

North Carolina @ Maryland (+3): The Tar Heels have taken 5 of their last 6, and played well doing so. They stomped Georgia Tech last week, and basically doubled up Boston College three weeks ago. In their 5 recent wins, they took out Miami, Connecticut, and Notre Dame as well. But this should be a bit of a let down week for the Heels, a win gets them a tie for first place in their division, but they are walking into Maryland. The Terps are undefeated at home and as good as NC is, they aren’t far and above better than Maryland. The Terps have crushed some dreams this season, and are trying to find the way to the top of their own half of the ACC. In College football, the home field advantage can be the answer to your betting questions – this is one of those times.

New Mexico State (+17) @ Fresno State: This seems like a good bet. Despite Fresno killing their bettors, the public still seems to love them, just waiting for them to finally win their second game against the spread. Interesting. The Aggies have played close to teams all year long, sans a couple games against Nebraska and Boise State. The Aggies have played well on the road (despite losing to horrible Idaho) – they did beat Nevada – and UTEP. They’ve played tight with Hawaii, San Jose State, and New Mexico – and they have a short history of playing tight with better Fresno State clubs, winning 3 of their last 4 Bulldog games against the spread. What has Fresno done to be a 17 point favorite this season? Nothing is the answer. Take the Aggies.

Boise State @ Idaho (+36.5): Tough game for me, I don’t like it. This is on the road for Boise, but not really – you’d think most of that little forgotten state is rooting for the Broncos to go undefeated, and they definitely have all the firepower needed to beat the Vandals by 7 touchdowns or more. But they are undefeated, and Idaho would like nothing more than to crush their in-state rivals hearts. That won’t happen, don’t worry Bronco fans, and the fact that Boise State has covered 3 times in the last 4 years against the Vandals has me steering the way of the Bronco. Those spreads were all big, 34, 31, and 30 – all covers. But there there’s Idaho covering each of the last two games at Idaho – and never has the spread been as high as it is for this weekend’s tilt. That alone has me finding value with the stinking Vandals, a team I really can’t stand but have to pick here. There it is.

Oklahoma Stae @ Colorado (+18): Texas was only a 12 point favorite at Colorado this season. So can you see the inflation of this spread? I know the Buffs haven’t played well of late, losing to basicaly all the solid teams they’ve played – but they are at home, their only loss at home came to Texas, and while it was a 26 point loss, I have a feeling this one will be closer. The Buffaloes are always good at home, and this spread is about a touchdown bigger than it should be. Value has me taking Colorado.

Troy State (+16.5) @ LSU: I feel like punching myself for going this route – but that’s what my value chart has me picking. I would say DON’T BET ON THIS GAME!!! SO there you go. Troy has played solid football on the road, and LSU has too many close games against mediocre teams. On the other hand, you have to see that LSU’s 3 losses haven’t come to donkeys – Alabama, Florida, and Georgia are pretty legit folks – so they could come out and really run this score up. I have to pick this, so Troy is my pick, but I don’t recommend much of a play here.

Boston College @ Florida State (-6): The Eagles shut out Notre Dame last week, but that doesn’t tell me much. What tells me more is their road games this year, and how they haven’t looked that good. Throw out a 21-0 win over Kent State – thanks. They barely snuck by the Wolfpack of NC State and got hammered by the Tar Heels in Carolina. I’d say FSU is close to North Carolina’s level of talent, so I expect a two touchdown win by the Seminoles in this one.

NCAA Football Free Picks: Week 12

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I have less games for you this week, just 7 solid bets that catch my eye – but don’t fret folks, I also will have a DirecTV ESPN GamePlan section again this week – so there will be plenty of college games to choose from. Lets hope I rock the push this week and dominate in the 70% column…. Here’s what I got.

Ohio State Buckeyes (-9.5) @ Illinois Fighting Illini: Here it goes folks, write this down… The Buckeyes are WAY better than the Illini. That’s right, on Juice’s best day he won’t crack this Ohio State offense for much more than 3 scores, and the Buckeyes will run all over a very shaky Illinois defense. Take the Buckeyes in an easy one.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (-6.5) @ Kansas State Wildcats: I’m not a fan of Bobby P – but he does some good things in College ball. The Cornhuskers have played pretty well down the stretch, and I expect them to continue to improve the more time they have to learn Bobby’s style. They should easily oust a K-State team that has looked overmatched in almost every single conference game they’ve played. What else? Well, the Cornhuskers have played solid football on the road – and that’s never a good thing for a bad home team.

Washington State Cougars (+36.5) @ Arizona State Wildcats: Here’s the deal. You know how I feel about Washington schools, and this is going straight against my credo, but the Wildcats will have a very hard time scoring 42 points against any single team in the Nation – and the Cougars will score at least once. That means the Cougars are a solid bet here. Who knows what happens, but the Cougars shouldn’t be getting this many points – or maybe they should, but not against the ASU boys – that team just isn’t very good at all. I hate doing it, I really do, but winning is winning and the Cougs should get me a win this week.

Arizona Wildcats (+4) @ Oregon Ducks: I know Oregon is a very tough place to play, and the Ducks have been solid this year – but Arizona is the better team. The only time the Wildcats struggle, or play below their talent level, is when they go up against an inferior opponent. They won’t feel that way as an underdog – and I’m always a fan of taking Arizona as an underdog in the Pac 10.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane @ Houston Cougars (+4.5): These teams are as close to even as an 8-1 versus a 5-4 can get. Houston is at home, they play well there. Tulsa is coming off a game that saw their perfect season end. Everyone thinks Tulsa is the much better team. There’s a lot of reasons I like Houston here, but the fact that they are just as good as Tulsa and playing at home makes them a solid bet for me – oh, and they are dogs.

San Jose State Spartans (+15.5) @ Nevada Wolfpack: Here’s another game with two very even teams. The Wolfpack are coming off a nice win over Fresno last week, but that doesn’t make them that much better than San Jose State. The Spartans are coming off a terrible game last week, losing 21-0 against Louisiana Tech – but they aren’t that bad folks. And if one thing is true about sports, it’s that things even out. Solid teams play great games followed by mediocre games, and bad games followed by good games – this one will even out – and at a 15.5 point dog, the Spartans are a great bet to give the Wolfpack hell, even in Nevada.

UCLA Bruins (-7) @ Washington Huskies: I’ll take anyone besides WSU as a 7 point favorite over the Huskies – even a pretty bad UCLA team. The Huskies played better than they are last week – so be excited to jump on this game here. Just look at the Huskies injury list – it’s just about as big as their healthy roster. UCLA should win this game easily.

NCAA Free Picks: Week 9

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Eight more picks for Week 9’s action – here they are… 

Boston College Eagles @ North Carolina Tar Heels (-3): You know my love affair with unranked favorites over ranked opponents – lets do it again this week. I know the Heels are without their starting quarterback and their stud receiver, but I like them against a weak Boston College team. 

Kentucky Wildcats (+26) @ Florida Gators: The Wildcats aren’t as good as the Gators, but just as they proved against Alabama, the nearness of ability is closer than three touchdowns. I like Kentucky at +26. I know they have a bunch of injuries, but the Gators know that too, and playing a tough opponent at home when they have a bunch of injuries doesn’t get you up for the game. 

Penn State Nittany Lions (-2) @ Ohio State Buckeyes: I know the history here. I know the Nittany Lions haven’t won at Ohio State in my lifetime (does that date me?) – but I’m not so sure that means jack right now. The Lions have really impressed me. They’ve started big and finished big, they’ve started slow and finished strong – they are just a talented and physical football team that should give Ohio State trouble. I never thought I’d see the Buckeyes as home dogs, but I’m betting against them in this big one. 

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-10) @ Washington Huskies: The only thing about this game is that UW needs this win for any kind of respect for the season. And I know Ty Willingham has a lot riding on this one because he was booted early from the Irish. But I almost think Notre Dame can find a lot to play for here with the emotional belief that many people think “this is Ty’s team he recruited”. That’s a joke, but it has been said. The Huskies have won of the Top 10 worst defenses in all the land. The Irish should find lots of room in UW’s secondary. 

Oklahoma Sooners (+18.5) @ Kansas State Wildcats: I know, I know, don’t bet big road favorites in conference. I would like to abide by that rule except this exception is exceptionally exciting to me. Oh, EEEE – that’s close to the mark of the literary devil, luckily I’m just writing sports picks and I do what I want anyway. Yhatzee. 

Wyoming Cowboys @ TCU Horned Frogs (-30): Gotta take the Frogs here – they are a top 15 team in the country and only a handful are worse than the Cowboys. 41-3…

South Florida Bulls (-3) @ Louisville Cardinals: I don’t know, something about Louisville’s wins that just doesn’t get me on their side. The Bulls beat Kansas and Central Florida, and they almost took down Pitt. All 3 of those teams are better than Louisville’s 4 wins put together. I’ll take an in conference road dog again, blimey! 

Texas Tech Red Raiders @ Kansas Jayhawks (-1): Maybe I’m crazy but I like the Jayhawks here because they are at home and promise a more balanced attack and defensive game plan than the Raiders. That being said, this is a TT game and anything can happen. This is my smallest play of the week, but a play nonetheless.

College Football Picks Week 3 Review 2005

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THIS WEEKS RECORD 3-6-2
OVERALL RECORD 3-6-2

In my first week of College Pick ‘Em, I got schooled by big time college performances. Check out who taught me the biggest lesson in my college review.

Virginia went in to Maryland and pimp-slapped Ralph Friedgen and his Terrapins. The West Virginia rushing attack pounded Maryland’s defense to the tune of 6 players gaining more than 30 yards. The Mountaineers were led by Owen Schmitt’s 80 yards on 6 carries. Maryland had 13 4th quarter points, but was outscored by a touchdown in the final period, as they tumbled 31-19. In a domino effect, I took my first college loss.

Toledo toppled the Temple Owls with ease. I thought my money was in place with the Owls down 42-10 with mere minutes left on the clock. Then lightning struck when Collin Clancy chucked a 20 yard touchdown pass to Brian Allbrooks against the Toledo Rocket second teamers. My second loss came true with the Toledo beating the Owls 42-17.

Washington made me look like an idiot, absolutely dominating the Vandals throughout the entire game. The Vandals could only produce 2 field goals against the Huskies, who gave up 56 points to California in the Husky home opener. Louis Rankin rushed for 115 yards and Isaiah Stanback threw for 145 yards and a touchdown. For the first time in more than a year, the Huskies lost me money. It was bound to happen with Idaho in town. Washington in a laugher, 34-6.

Miami snapped the Clemson hopes with a triple overtime thriller on the Tigers home field. Tyrone Moss led the Hurricane attack with 140 yards on the ground, and three big time touchdowns. After the Tigers and Hurricanes traded touchdowns and field goals during the first two overtimes sessions, the Hurricanes halted the Tiger attack and scored, taking the win, but only by 6; 36-30. This marked my first win of the young college season.

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets allowed 13 first quarter points. Not another Connecticut Husky point was put on the board in the next three quarters. The Jacket’s sensational starting quarterback, Reggie Ball, was out with illness late in the week. He didn’t play. Still, the rest of the Yellow Jackets did their best to make me a winner. They fell one point short, but a push with a back up quarterback isn’t bad. The Jackets took the Huskies 28-13.

Vince Young and the Texas Longhorns did everything I thought they’d do to the Rice Owls. At the end of the half, Texas was up 42-0 and my 41-point spread looked to be in good shape. Who knew the starting Longhorns wouldn’t play another down, and they’d be outscored 10-9 in the second half, and win by on mere 41. The Longhorns gave me my second push, pushing the Owls out the door with a 51-10 stomping.

Wisconsin made me proud. They didn’t give up a single touchdown to the Tar Heels and managed 14 points. Still, they were only up 4 in the fourth quarter and I was worried. But leave it to the Badgers to pull you through when in need. The win took Wisconsin to 3-0 on the season. Brian Calhoun continued his big rushing totals, piling up 171 yards carrying the rock 38 powerful times while leading his team to victory. “Sconsin took the Heels out of their game, and took the win, 14-5.

Boston College couldn’t score from their own one yard line. They had first and goal and failed to succeed. This was the biggest series in the game and FSU won. State played a pretty good game against a tough BC squad. The Eagles were up 17-14 after the first half, but couldn’t pull it together as the game wound down. They didn’t score in the second half and gave up 14 points in the 4th quarter. You can’t do these things and win against the 6th ranked team in the country. Florida State dealt the Boston College Eagles their first loss of the season, 28-17. They dealt me my 4th loss of the week.

The Florida Gators were a better football team than the Tennessee Volunteers. The Gators were up by 6 in the 3rd quarter, making them winners but me a loser. Luckily for me the Gators kicked a field goal late in the 4th to put them up 9, making us both winners. Chris Leak looked all right, but so did the Vol defense. It was Urban Meyer trickery, an option reverse, that made the difference in the game. Florida took the Vols in the Swamp, 16-7.

Purdue couldn’t escape Arizona by more than a touchdown. That’s where that half point comes in I guess. The Wildcats played the Boilermakers tough, answering early scoring drives with touchdowns of their own. But I was still taking home cash until the 4th quarter came around and gobbled up my spread. A touchdown late by Arizona didn’t keep Purdue from taking the game, but kept me from my 4th win. Purdue won by a touchdown, 31-24.

Oklahoma kept up the good work, losing their 2nd game of the season, this time to UCLA. But all they had to do was keep it under 7 points, and I’d still come out on top. Thanks to a defensive implosion, and one sickening offensive performance by the Sooners, the Bruins scored 21 points in the 4th quarter, demolishing my hopes for a decent week, and making me hate Oklahoma even more than I did right after they took Auburn’s place in the National Title game. Karma! The Sooners took me to a putrid 3-6-2 in my college debut by losing to the Bruins of UCLA 24-41.

It was a tough week for un-Lucky Lester, with close pushes and closer losses bringing me down. Next week has to be better. Stay tuned for my second go at College Pick’em.