Tag Archives: NCAA Free Picks

Cincinnati Bearcats vs South Florida Bulls Free Pick

Posted on by

This Thursday Night free football pick has two undefeated Big East teams squaring off in what should be one hell of a game. The spread is tight, the teams really fly around well, and the Bearcats have climbed all the way to 8th nationally without one single win against a ranked opponent – I guess that’s what 5-0 and some big passing numbers will do for a school. But how will they go this Thursday?

no banners

Cincinnati Bearcats (-2.5) @ South Florida Bulls: This game is tough, no doubt, you have history, you have this season, and you have Thursday Night Football, all three things are working their magic on my decision here. The Bearcats are 9-1 in their last 10 games, losing on New Years Day to the Virginia Tech Hokies 20-7. South Florida is 5-0 on the season, but late season breakdowns have been their MO. The home team has taken the win in 5 of the last 6 meetings between these Big East foes, and Cincinnati has covered the last 5. The Bulls’ star quarterback, Matt Grothe, is out for the season, while Tony Pike has been very busy making quite the name for himself while throwing for just under 300 yards per game in Cincinnati this season. This game is likely to be very close, as neither team looks likely to budge on Thursday. The Bulls have a little more speed on defense, but Tony Pike and company can put up some points offensively. What has me taking the road dog in this one is South Florida’s Thursday Night history. It’s tough to come in and pay mid-week, a lot of teams struggle with it, and the Bulls just happen to be one of those teams. They’ve been embarrased two straight seasons by big Thursday Night upsets, and I think Cincinnati just happens to be the better team this time around. I’ll take Cinci to do some damage on ESPN’s Thursday Night Football.

Week 3 College Football Free Pick Review

Posted on by

I started out winning 4 out of 5 of my NCAA free picks and was pretty excited going into the second half. I had picked some good upsets, some favorites, and a nice dog that turned into a mighty husky. After that it was all down hill. I may be killing it in the pros, but this is my worst start in college football ever. Here’s how it went.

no banners

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets @ Miami Hurricanes (-4.5): (WINNER) The Hurricanes were the much better team, smacking the Yellow Jackets around something fierce. Tech moved the ball better than the final score showed, but penalties kill a team that doesn’t throw the ball. They had 2nd and long lots of times.

Boston College Eagles @ Clemson Tigers (-6.5): (WINNER) I thought this one would be pretty one sided, I told you it would be, it was. Clemson is a pretty darn good team up front, I imagine they’ll keep showing up to play, and should be a nice bet moving forward, because they really get no love at all.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane (+15) @ Oklahoma Sooners: (LOSS) Oklahoma big brother’d the Hurricane in this one, treating them like a small college team, and using their strength to just flat out dominate from kickoff to finish. Missed this one.

Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (+6) @ Maryland Terrapins: (WINNER) “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.” I can’t say it better with 20-20 hind sight.

USC Trojans @ Washington Huskies (+20.5): (WINNER) WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!! The Huskies not only covered but iced the #3 Trojans to the tune of a huge 16-13 upset. Gotta love that! As big as this win was, for the Dawgs and myself, it was the last win of the week. Damn the man!

Arizona Wildcats (+5.5) @ Iowa Hawkeyes: (LOSS)  Arizona came to play as if they had walked to Iowa the night before the game. This one was pretty blah from the outset, I was wrong again.

no banners

SMU Broncos (-7) @ Washington State Cougars: (LOSS) Those blasted Cougars got lucky, so much for betting against them every single game just to see what happens. I hate when my plan gets foiled.

Cincinnati Bearcats @ Oregon State Beavers (EVEN): (LOSS) This was a close one, but the Beavers couldn’t do enough. Cincinnati didn’t put up big time points like they had been, but their defense was still pretty stout. They did enough to keep me losing.

Florida State Seminoles @ BYU Cougars (-7): (LOSS) Florida State showed why small programs can’t hang with the big boys on a good day. FSU came out pummeling the Cougars and never stopped. The athleticism on the away team’s sideline was too much from the get go.

Georgia Bulldogs @ Arkansas Razorbacks (-1): (LOSS) The Bulldogs came in and winged it around. I was pretty stoked up 21-10 after the first quarter, but both teams kept firing away and I was on the wrong end of a 4th quarter that put the Bulldogs up for good.

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors @ UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (-7): (LOSS) UNLV won, but naturally, because this is how my college football year has gone thus far, it wasn’t by enough to get me the win. A one point win for the Rebels was good enough to assure me a 4-7 Week 3. You ought to be killing College Football if you’re fading me.

Free College Football Picks: NCAA Week 2

Posted on by

After a tough week, I look to get back on track with my free college football picks. Everybody has their ups and downs, and while I’m not saying I’m the best capper in the world, I am saying that I consistently win more than I lose. That, at the very least, deserves a little credit. Hopefully I can turn it around and pull at least 7 wins this week. Here’s my set of wagers…

Clemson Tigers (+5.5) @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: Clemson’s offensive and defensive lines are so very much underrated. The D-line is straight up fitly, and ranked 5th in the nation last season against the run. The offensive line is also tough, probably a top 15 group in the country. They may have a freshman quarterback, but they also have a very talented run game to give him a helping hand. They are a nice dog going into Georgia Tech on Thursday. Tech can really run the ball, and Nesbitt has shown the ability to make the big play through the air, but I like Clemson keeping it close. C.J. Spiller is one of the most dynamic players in college football, and is a real true threat to score the ball every time he touches it. The underdog struggled on Thursday night last season, as home teams dominated the time slot. I think that changes in this one as Clemson gets close to pulling the upset.

Central Michigan Chippewas (+14.5) @ Michigan State Spartans: I know, I’m nuts, but I like the Chipps to get awfully close to pulling off this upset. I like a lot of what Central Michigan has. I love their QB, the kid is a winner. Central Michigan has either won, or lost by less than 14 points in 19 of their last 20 games. I know the Spartans are solid, but the only team that beat the Chipps by more than two touchdowns last season was Georgia. State isn’t that kind of good. Thunder Dan and his Chipps took a 19-6 loss on the chin against Arizona in Week 1, they’ll show up to play against their instate competition.

North Carolina (-4) @ Connecticut Huskies: UConn’s new starting QB, Zach Frazer, threw 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions against Ohio last week in UConn’s easy win. Last year he completed just over half his passes while throwing just 2 TDs and 6 interceptions in 83 attempts. That’s 8 interception in about 100 throws. Carolina’s defense is not softy, and they’ll put enough pressure on Zach to up those INT numbers into double digits. And UNC can take advantage of those picks. I know the Tar Heels are heavily favored with the public (72%) but every once in a while the public gets one right. This is one of those times.

Stanford Cardinal @ Wake Forrest Demon Deacons (-3): The Cardinal really struggled on the road last season, tallying their only road win at Washington (and the Huskies didn’t even win one single game). I think that trend continues. I also think the Deacons came out slow last week, and while a late push made that game a game, the couldn’t quite pull it out. One of the sharpest tossers in the game, Riley Skinner, threw three picks last week. He won’t throw one this Saturday, and that should be enough to get Wake Forrest in the win column.

Syracuse Orange @ Penn State Nittany Lions (-28.5): Greg Paulus was re-introduced to football last week, and he played well. But that was Minnesota, this is a whole different beast. The Nittany Lions didn’t lose at home last season. Not only did they not lose, but they absolutely throttled the competition. They have lots of talent on that team, stuff that will make Syracuse coaches cringe in the film room. Despite the poor value at 28.5, I still think this is a pretty good bet. With that extra half point, the books are really trying to get action on Syracuse – can’t trick me….

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-3) @ Michigan Wolverines: I don’t think ND is that good, I just think they are barely better than the Wolverines. I’m sure Michigan has loads of young talent on that team, they have a coach that knows how to recruit and a program that draws big names. However, they also have a group of players that don’t like how much time they are putting in, likely have 10 freshmen starting, and even more getting minutes, and all this against a pretty mature Irish squad. I think this one is close, but 7-10 points in ND’s favor.

East Carolina Pirates (+6.5) @ West Virginia Mountaineers: The public is loving the Mountaineers in this one. But I see a lot to like about ECU. Despite the big names and elite speed playing for West Virginia, they didn’t look that impressive to me last week. The Pirates barely got by sub-division opponent Appalachian State, but that is a tough team no matter what division they are in, and in reality the Pirates were up 29-7 going into the 4th quarter of that contest. West Virginia struggled against Liberty. Yep, Liberty. ECU got a lot out of their running game, and I’m willing to bet that continues. It would not surprise me if the Pirates pulled an upset here, thus I’ll be happy to take the 6.5 points.

BYU Cougars (-17.5) @ Tulane Green Wave: I don’t like that over 75% of the bets are taking BYU. I don’t like that BYU pulled a huge upset over #3 Oklahoma last weekend. I don’t like a lot of things about this. But one of the most important don’t likes just happens to be how I feel about the Tulane Green Wave football team. I’m not sure if BYU will have their stud RB Unga back, but they should find running the ball a lot easier this week. They win cover this game by 3 touchdowns or more. That’s a cover.

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (-2) @ Washington State Cougars: Fade east of the mountains in Washington State. What can I say, after the passion the Huskies played with last week, I can’t say, fade Washington State teams anymore, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t fade THE Washington State team. The Cougars just keep getting wore. After cutting more than a couple starters last season, because they were clowns off the field, a few new players are in trouble already. Hawaii has to come a long way, and from Paradise to Pullman has to be tough on the Rainbow Warriors, but as far as plane rides go, this one isn’t a bad one for Hawaii. They aren’t great, but better than Wazzu is all you have to be to cover here.

Oregon State Beavers (-7) @ UNLV Running Rebels: The Beavers are one of the better teams in the Pac 10. The Rodgers brothers are beasts. Jacquizz is one of the more special talents in all of college football. He runs big. He’s really fast, and he’s sneaky good at this game. He’ll cover this spread. The Rebels have talent, but I think that OSU rushing attack will be too much.
Get them winners! Good luck this weekend!

NCAA Free Picks: Week 15

Posted on by

These are the games I like for Week 15 – talk about a huge week with a lot on the line for some big time programs – especially for the schools that are at home watching and rooting like all hell. Yes, Texas, I’m talking about you. Great games with a lot on the line this weekend, lets see if I can’t have a big winner in the old NCAA one-five (that’s Chad Johnson for Week 15). Eight big games for you college football fans!

Pittsburgh Panthers @ Connecticut Huskies (-2.5): Now Pittsburgh has beaten some teams that Connecticut has lost too, and Pitt has played pretty well down the stretch – but the one key here is that these two teams are pretty equal, and Connecticut has the better offensive line, plays much better at home, and something else too. Yeah, Pitt falls under my bet against list because they won last week when they should have lost. The played poor enough to lose, definitely, but 12 4th quarter points got them w pretty lucky win. That doesn’t bode well for the Panthers this time around.

East Carolina Pirates (+13) @ Tulsa Golden Hurricane: I honestly kind of like East Carolina to win this one outright, so that makes the spread that much nicer I guess. Here’s the deal, Tulsa hasn’t won a game where they’ve scored less than 38 points. East Carolina has given up more than 38 points just once this season. THey won’t do that again. They are a good defense and Tulsa has proven that they don’t do well against good defenses. Undefeated at home? Yeah, I know – I’ve looked at all those stats – but they struggle when they don’t score points at will. They won’t on Saturday.

Boston College Eagles @ Virginia Tech Hokies (pk): The Hokies play really tough at home, and while BC plays good football on the road as well, I think the Hokies split this season series and get the Eagles back here. VaTech’s defense will cause lots of problems for Dominic Davis, just like with Chris Crane last time out, and Tyrod Taylor won’t be asked to do too much for the Hokies. Davis played well last week, but VaTech’s defensive schemes are a different beast than Maryland’s. Hokies win at home.

Washington Huskies @ California Golden Bears (-35): This is a huge spread. It should be. I need to do this now because I might not have too many more chance. See, if Mike Leach gets hired on in Seattle, I’m turning the page on this “always bet against the Huskies” thing, and as sad as that will be, I’ll just have to do it. The Bears ousted WSU 66-3 and while I don’t quite expect that big of a lashing, I wouldn’t be surprised about 45-6.

Alabama Crimson Tide (+10) @ Florida Gators: For a #1 ranked team, the Tide sure get very little respect. They are the only “big school” with an undefeated record. If one thing has been consistent it’s that they know how to win. I hate betting against the Gators, and thus I’m only going to do it for a small amount of coin, but Alabama can really run the ball. I now Florida is super fast, but Bama is powerful. They might not win pretty, but they win. Florida has annihilated everyone all year long, sans one single blemish. That may continue, but I’ll never feel bad about taking a 10 point dog that plowed through the regular season without a single loss. Besides each other, I think the SEC is a little overrated, so the work each school did (all those points put up by Florida and those games Bama had giving up a touchdown or less), I’m not so sure about. But both teams can win, and both can really play the game. Hard to go against a Florida team that, last week, has their closest game of the year since their loss to Mississippi, and they still won by 30. But I will. I’m wild.

USC Trojans (-32.5) @ UCLA Bruins: Maybe the recent brotherhood moment of “timeout for timeout” between Carroll and Neuheisel is a sign that Pete will take it easy on the first year coach of UCLA. I’m guessing not. The Bruins haven’t scored double digit offensive touchdowns total this season. That’s right, they average less than an offensive TD per game. What makes anyone think they’ll put up a single one against the Trojans? Pure craziness I’m sure. USC has plans on a big win, and even taking it easy would probably get them a 42-6 win. That’s enough for me. No TDs for the Bruins, that’s my bet.

Arizona State Sun Devils @ Arizona Wildcats (-10.5): The Sun Devils are just as bad as the rest of the Pac 10 while Arizona is really just a step under USC. That’s right, I think the Wildcats are just as good as the Ducks and Beavers despite losing to both teams late in the year. The Wildcats can put up lots of points if they need to and they can play defense too. ASU has been bad all year, I expect that to continue.

Missouri Tigers (+17) @ Oklahoma Sooners: I think that Chase Daniel and his Missouri Tigers saw how Oklahoma piled it on at the end of the Oklahoma State game and said, “F that Stuff – we won’t let them be in the position to do that to us.” We’ll see how it works out, but with Oklahoma already writing themselves in to the National Championship, I’m willing to bet that Missouri gives them a bigger scare than the books are suggesting with this big spread. I like Oklahoma to pull this one out, but around a touchdown is what I expect to see in this one.

DirecTV ESPN GamePlan Free Picks: Week 12

Posted on by

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 Free Picks: Week 10

Posted on by

I’ve got twelve big ones for Week 10 – I hope you enjoy. Just to let you know, my favorites are Minnesota, Oregon, and Iowa – but I like them all enough to throw a bet down. Here’s to hoping home field advantage doesn’t rear it’s ugly head this weekend – 10 out of my 12 are road warriors – just five road favorites though – ha, that’s good for me. Enjoy, and as always, good luck. 

Wisconsin Badgers (+5) @ Michigan State Spartans: Lots of bad football from the Badgers this year, but I tend to think these two teams are just about even, and Michigan State isn’t some freakishly tough place to play by any means. I think Wisconsin runs the ball well and likely upsets the Spartans, as MSU starts their normal late season slide. 

Northwestern Wildcats @ Minnesota Golden Gophers (-6): The Gophers are ranked just one spot behind the Wildcats, and favored in this game by 6 – why? Well, that’s because it is becoming more and more likely that C.J. Bacher won’t be under center in this one for Northwestern and the fact that Minnesota is actually the better team, oh, and Tyrell Sutton (damn good running back) is out for the game too. Rankings are stupid. Write that down. Take Minnesota here.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane (-7) @ Arkansas Razorbacks: Maybe it’s my hatred for Bobby Patrino, or maybe I like the Hurricane as one of the tougher outs in the Nations – I don’t know. I do know this, Arkansas has been destroyed by good teams, and the Hurricane are good. It’s a tough out of conference game, maybe, but Tulsa has shown me that they can play ball and boy can they take advantage of a bad defense. They score like Texas Tech – and coming off yet another close loss, I think the Razorbacks are in line for an old fashioned butt kicking. But let me make this clear, Tulsa hasn’t beaten anyone, and taking this line means you are buying into their undefeated crap schedule hype. I am taking this game, yes, but that doesn’t mean you have to. Ha. I’m making a “small” bet on this one. 

Arkansas State Indians (+23.5) @ Alabama Crimson Tide: The Tide are one of the Nation’s best teams, I’m not arguing that – but they still aren’t a “kill you” team. Arkansas State can run the ball well, they throw the ball well enough, and they do alright defensively. I think ‘Bama takes this one by two touchdowns, maybe even three, but then again, that still makes me a winner.

Oregon Ducks (+3) @ California Bears: I think Oregon hammers the Bears. There, I said it. There are lots of reasons I believe this, but I’m confident in just saying they’re going to kill them, on the road, conference rival, big game for both teams – Ducks by three touchdowns. 

Florida State Seminoles (+2.5) @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: The quarterbacking troubles continue for Georgia Tech – and I don’t think their running game is good enough to beat the Seminoles all by it’s lonesome. Favored by just under a field goal, that’s almost like being a dog. The Yellow Jackets are ranked in the Top 25, a few spots higher than the Noles – but I still think FSU is the better team. Too many athletes for GT in this game. 

Iowa Hawkeyes (+3) @ Illinois Fighting Illini: I think Iowa runs all over Illinois, and not even Juice Williams can put up enough points to win this game for the home team. Iowa has one of the better runners in the nation, and they will showcase him in this one. 

Stanford Cardinal (-29) @ Washington State Cougars: Because I have to, it’s part of my religion now. 

San Jose State Spartans (-16.5) @ Idaho Vandals: I know Idaho won last week, but taht’s all the better reason to think they lose by 30 to the Spartans here. San Jose state showed me a solid football team last week against Boise State, despite the tough loss. San Jose at anything less than minus three touchdowns seems like a deal in this one. 

Washington Huskies @ USC Trojans (-43): Because not only do I have to, but it feels good when I do it. 

Boise State Broncos (-20) @ New Mexico Lobos: I know this probably isn’t a good way to go about this, so I’m basically advising you to only wager a small bet on this one, but the freaking Lobos lost to the freaking Vandals. Ewwww… Boise State brings the ruckus night in and night out. I think they can score three more touchdowns than a Lobos team that is losers of back to back games against San Jose State and Idaho. I also really like the fact that two starting offensive linemen are out for New Mexico (well I don’t like it, I’m not saying yahoo for injuries, I’m just liking my bet more. 

TCU Horned Frogs (-13.5) @ UNLV Running Rebels: The Horned Frogs are this good folks, it’s not a joke. They’ve lost one game to Oklahoma and pretty much handled everyone else. I don’t think that stops with the Running Rebels, even though UNLV has played tough the last couple weeks. They’re in for a down week against a great opponent.

NCAA Free Picks: Week 9

Posted on by

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.

NCAA Free Picks: Week 8

Posted on by

Tough week for me last time around, I’m still up on the year but my positive money is dwindling a bit. Here’s what I have for Week 8 – which should be great – where my wins won’t be late – hate, mate, kate, rate, don’t eat the bait – and so on and so forth. 😉

LSU Tigers (-3) @ South Carolina: You bet – free money. LSU is so much better than South Carolina that I can’t even fathom losing this game. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible, I just can’t fabricate a situation that sees LSU losing back to back games, their second being to South Carolina – no way no how.

Missouri Tigers (+6) @ Texas Longhorns: Maybe Texas is better and this game is at home for them, but I just have a feeling that Texas won’t keep playing great and Missouri will be on their best behavior after ruining a chance at perfection while losing last week.

Virginia Tech @ Boston College (-2.5): I like my chances with this one. VaTech plays well, and they are talented, but Boston College is a solid team playing on the road, and they got Tech last time the two went head to head. I see the Eagles pulling this one out.

Oregon State Beavers (-13.5) @ Washington Huskies: Free money again. This fits so many of my “good bet” categories I’m not even going into detail.

Mississippi State Bulldogs (+7.5) @ Tennessee Volunteers: The Vols aren’t good and while Miss State isn’t great either, they are just about equal with Tennessee. The fact that Tennessee usually just stops the Dogs in this match-up gets me excited for MSU having a chance and making it happen. I like the upset here so the points look good.

Utah State Aggies (+21) @ Nevada Wolfpack: I just don’t think Nevada should be favored by 3 touchdowns against anyone in their conference, and despite the Aggies attempt to crush my soul be getting pounded by San Jose State last week, I think they are a good bet here.

Pittsburgh Panthers @ Navy Midshipmen (+3.5): First of all, this game won’t come down to points – either the Midshipmen or they’ll get beat pretty good. I think Navy wins this game. Pittsburgh loves to take teams lightly, Navy has a gnarly rushing attack, and PIttsburgh doesn’t have enough offensive firepower to handle the Midshipmen’s biggest weakness, their defense.

USC Trojans (+42) @ Washington State Cougars: This spread is freaking huge – I’ll take it. Bet against Washington – it’s been a working motto for me thus far and I’m sticking to it, through thick and borderline crazy. The Cougars have already lost 3 Pac-10 games by 40+, I don’t see why the best Pac 10 team (USC) can’t be the 4th to do so.

Kansas Jayhawks (+20) @ Oklahoma Sooners: I just think Kansas is closer to Oklahoma’s level than this. OK will be up to play this game after having their #1 ranking plundered from them, and I think they win this game, just not by this much.

Ohio State Buckeyes (-3) @ Michigan State Spartans: Really? Hmm… I don’t see it that close. I see Ohio State by a touchdown, even on the road. I wouldn’t doubt if OSU doubled my spread. The Spartans are 6-1, but they aren’t that good. They don’t have one quality win on their schedule thus far – and that won’t change this weekend against the chestnuts.

NCAA Free Picks REVIEW: Week 6

Posted on by

15-10-1 in a tough Saturday in NCAA Football. I was a handful of tough losses away from a brilliant week, but I’ll take 5 games up – that’s for sure. A special thanks goes out to college football teams in Washington – keep up the coverless football fellas!

Rutgers Scarlet Knights at West Virginia Mountaineers (-14) (LOSS): Up 14 headed into the 4th, I thought I could get a little help from the Mountaineers and pull this one out despite the injury to Pat White that had him out headed into the final frame. The Mounties tried to run out the clock, and White was out for good. Rutgers scored a late touchdown and I lost this one. I still think it was a good bet, but having White go out was tough.

South Carolina Gamecocks at Mississippi Rebels (-2.5) (LOSS): I still think the Rebels are the better team. A couple freakish “spurrier plays” turned momentum and South Carolina pulled this one out. When analyzing these two teams, I think Mississippi wins 7 or 8 out of ten. This just happened to be one of the 20% – bummer for me.

Florida State Seminoles (+3) at Miami Hurricanes (WINNER): “Talk about two up and down teams, you never seem to know what to expect from these two teams absolutely chalked full of talent. I’m just going to go ahead and chalk FSU’s 3 point output against Wake Forest up as a flukey bad loss and go with them headed into “The U” – Miami has talent, no doubt, but FSU has shown some strength against decent teams, Miami has only played well against nothing good. Rivalry game, but I’ll take the road team.” Well, I was certainly right on the button about these two Florida schools being more up and down than a yo-yo circus act. With FSU up 24-0, Miami’s lone 1st half score, a measily field goal, seemed to open up some kind of sadistic U flood gate to points. Miami put up 36 second half points, but that wasn’t enough to keep the visiting Seminoles out of the win column as FSU won by two.

Arizona State (+9.5) and (+10) at California 3:30 pm: (LOSS, PUSH) This was a push, though earlier in the week the line was 9.5 and so I guess I get a loss for that bet, my late bet got me a push though – so I’ll take that – ha. Arizona State didn’t do anything offensively, and I was lucky to get a push here.

Temple Owls (+8) at Miami (Ohio) Redhawks (WINNER): “I just like what Temple brings to the table with 11 returning starters, 20 seniors, and 26 juniors – this is a good football team that has had some tough losses against some good programs to start the season. I think they fight back with a nice win in this one.” Sometimes what I like and what I think become one in a fantastic explosion of joy and money winnings -this was one of those instances. The Owls were never down in this game, and while it got close in the 3rd, Temple came out tough in the 4th to put up 14 unanswered and make me a smart winner of more money.

Florida International (-6) at North Texas (WINNER): “Florida International is pretty decent – they stick close to good teams, and given a shot against a relatively equal opponent I think they will win easy. North Texas isn’t good – against anyone. Unless I’m sleeping on something, I like the FLINT to win by 3 touchdowns – lots of rushing yards from them in this one.” Did I say three touchdowns? How about 42-10, and North Texas didn’t put a touchdown on the board until the 4th quarter. I think I had this one pretty well figured out.

Northern Illinois at Tennessee Volunteers (-15.5) (LOSS): Maybe I’m wrong and Tennessee is really bad. Fluke loss to UCLA or just not very good? I’m thinking, after this week’s performance against NIU, option two is looking good. Sorry about this beat.

Oregon Ducks at USC Trojans (-16): (WINNER) Up 27-10 at half time I liked my chances. up 37-10 after three I was beginning to cash my check. And the 44-10 end game result was icing on the cake. Maybe the Trojans just had a bad game, and quite possibly, wait for it, they are actually really freaking good. Crazier things have happened.

Hawaii at Fresno State Bulldogs (-21): (LOSS) And Hawaii wins… It’s an interesting ball game, this college football, you never know what’s going to happen for sure. Just ask the Bulldogs. 21 point favorites losing in overtime to a Hawaii team that’s never upset a ranked team on the road. Ranked team
? Fresno? Well not anymore they aren’t.

Oregon State Beavers @ Utah Utes (-11): (LOSS) Damn Thursday Night games… That’s it for me, take the underdog on Thursday night or don’t bet the game at all. There’s no point in watching black magic happen against you – that’s my new philosophy and I’m sticking to in, until of course there’s nice value on a favorite.. Haha..

Cincinnati Bearcats (-3) @ Marshall Thundering Herd: (WINNER) The Bearcats, with 3rd string quarterback and all, were a heck of a lot better than the Thundering Herd. I knew it, you knew it, everyone knew it, so I’m hoping I wasn’t the only one cashing in on this winner.

BYU Cougars (-29) @ Utah State Aggies: (LOSS) “Cougars by 38 – that’s my best guess. Did I say guess? I didn’t mean it, I meant that’s my strong opinion based on facts and assumptions that border on the line of reality.” You can say what you want, and argue what you will, but I watched a BYU team walk into the 4th quarter with a 34-0 lead and on pace to one up my 38 point win prediction. What happened? Once again a team lets up late, not thinking of the bettors at all, and a couple souls get crushed. They didn’t go for the jugular and they allowed a couple late scores, and 34-14 doesn’t even cover my private parts. This was the first of four tough losses for me this weekend.

Boston College Eagles (-8) @ North Carolina State Wolfpack: (LOSS) I hate Boston College. They went into “try not to lose” mode and nearly let one slip away. What they did do was allow a bad Wolfpack team to crawl right back into this one with a 14 point fourth quarter. A late touchdown won it for BC, but I was still a point down, and despite my hopes and dreams, the Eagles didn’t elect to go for two to get me a push. Damn them.

Akron Zips (-3.5) @ Kent State Golden Flashes: (LOSS) The Zips win by 3 in overtime and I get a half point loss. You win some you lose some, but when I look back at what could have been an unbelievable week, I see a couple very tough losses on the card that could have easily gone the other way.

Florida Gators (-24) @ Arkansas Razorbacks: (WINNER) I needed most of those 21 fourth quarter points to pull out a cover here, but Arkansas couldn’t get into the end-zone all day. They had plenty of chances, and this game shows me that Florida probably doesn’t have much value anywhere close to 4 touchdown dogs, but it’s nice to learn a lesson and get a win – no doubt about that.

Oklahoma Sooners @ Baylor Bears (+27): (LOSS) This one didn’t start out well, that’s for sure, but it got close there, and if it weren’t for a late 4th quarter touchdown by the Sooners, I would have walked out of Baylor with yet another win to my name. As it was, I lost this one by 5 points. That’s the bad news. The good news, I wouldn’t lose another one all day long…

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (+28) @ Virginia Tech Hokies: (WINNER) “This is a real test, but after much deliberation I still can’t even fathom the Hokies as a -28 favorite against anybody in the nation, not even a Hilltopper team that has a 38 point loss to Kentucky and a 34 point loss to Alabama to be credited for.” You have to say that I had this one right on the dot. The Hokies can will a win out as well as anyone, and they play some solid defense, no doubt about it, but this game shows you they aren’t 28 point favorites, not even against Hilltoppers.

Texas Tech Red Raiders (-7) @ Kansas State Wildcats: (WINNER) “Don’t be fooled by K-State’s 3-1 record thus far, North Texas and Montana State don’t count, they lost to Louisville, and beat ULLaffayette by 10. Needless to say I like the Raiders, even though the public is riding this like a used up quarter pony at Walmart. Ride it!” Ride it, my pony…. The Raiders made K-State’s defense look like stationary defensive decoys as the TT put up 58 points on their conference foe. Maybe the Raiders are pretty good afterall, and maybe beating North Texas and Montana State doesn’t put you in close proximity to a Top 10 team in the Nation. Shoot, I don’t know.

Kentucky Wildcats (+17) @ Alabama Crimson Tide: (WINNER) Just as I thought, the 17 was too big of a spread here. Alabama came out and put up 14 quick points, but the rest of the game wasn’t that easy, and they needed a late onside kick recovery to finally put away the hard fighting Wildcats. Kentucky is solid, and maybe Alabama shouldn’t be huge favorites regardless of competition.

Illinois Fighting Illini (+3) @ Michigan Wolverines: (WINNER) “Because one of these weeks the Wolverines are going to get obliterated by all those stupid mistakes and Illinois is too physical and good to allow Michgan back in a game in which the Wolverines are getting handled. Juice will have a huge game, showing the Wolverines what kind of QB they need to be legit.” You know Rich Rodriguez was watching Juice throw the ball all over his defense and just admiring the young QB. Williams absolutely torched Michigan in the 2nd half. Juice’s 310 passing and 121 rushing yards were plenty of offense for the Illini, as they fought an early 14-3 first quarter deficit to win 45-20.

Nevada Wolfpack (-24) @ Idaho Vandals: (WINNER) “Because that’s how bad Idaho is.” Nevada went to 3-2 and beat Idaho 49-14. Does that cover a 24 point spread? Let’s see, carry the 3, you bet. It was 28-0 in the 3rd quarter, and Idaho’s 21 fourth quarter points sealed a nice win for me.

UL Lafayette (-2) @ UL Monroe: (WINNER) A little closer than I thought, Lafayette still took this one by 9 after Monroe put up 13 points in the 4th quarter. I love me some winners!

Washington Huskies @ Arizona Wildcats (-21): (WINNER) Well, this one was even easier than I thought. I needed some Washington Sports programs to come to my rescue, and by losing big and without much of a fight, they did exactly that.

Ohio State Buckeyes (-1) @ Wisconsin Badgers: (WINNER) Ohio State didn’t win by 10 like I thought they would, but a late touchdown put them over the top of one of the best home teams in the Nation, and they covered that 1 point spread by the hair on Jim Rome’s chinny chin chin.

Washington State Cougars @ UCLA Bruins (-17): (WINNER) This one seemed easy – it was – boy oh boy, Washington Sports is at a tough spot right now.

DIRECTV – ESPN GamePlan Free NCAA Picks: Week 6

Posted on by

Rutgers Scarlet Knights at West Virginia Mountaineers (-14) 12:00 pm: Fresno State handled them easily, North Carolina trounced them on National Television, and Navy ran the ball all over them for a close victory. The fact that they beat Morgan State last week doesn’t make me feel better about Rutgers. West Virginia has some tough losses, but I think they play good in this one and oust the Knights by 3 or 4 scores.

Akron Zips (-3.5) at Kent State Golden Flashes 12:00 pm: (already picked this game in my NCAA Free Picks: Week 6) This Zips team is legit. They’ve played well against quality opponents. They almost took down Cincinnati last week, and that wasn’t because the Bearcats played bad. Akron forces the issue, and they should easily handle Kent State.

Boston College Eagles (-8) at North Carolina State Wolfpack 12:00 pm: I picked this game earlier, but the more I look at it the closer it is. Boston College’s quarterback situation is almost as bad as NC State’s, but I think BC is still the favorite to cover here but it’s not the greatest bet around, not as good as I thought it was yesterday.

Florida (-24) at Arkansas 12:30 pm (already picked this game in my NCAA Free Picks: Week 6)

South Carolina Gamecocks at Mississippi Rebels (-2.5) 2:00 pm: I like going against Spurrier, especially when his team is getting a “Spurrier line” – he’s tough to go against because he’s bound to make anything happen, but the better team is Mississippi – they are at home, and I don’t think they let down this week – nobody has let down games against Steve Spurrier’s teams, everyone hates them right?

Florida State Seminoles (+3) at Miami Hurricanes 3:30 pm: Talk about two up and down teams, you never seem to know what to expect from these two teams absolutely chalked full of talent. I’m just going to go ahead and chalk FSU’s 3 point output against Wake Forest up as a flukey bad loss and go with them headed into “The U” – Miami has talent, no doubt, but FSU has shown some strength against decent teams, Miami has only played well against nothing good. Rivalry game, but I’ll take the road team.

Arizona State (+10) at California 3:30 pm (already picked this game in my NCAA Free Picks: Week 6)

Temple Owls (+8) at Miami (Ohio) Redhawks 3:30 pm: I just like what Temple brings to the table with 11 returning starters, 20 seniors, and 26 juniors – this is a good football team that has had some tough losses against some good programs to start the season. I think they fight back with a nice win in this one.

Texas Tech (-7) at Kansas State 3:30 pm (already picked this game in my NCAA Free Picks: Week 6)

Nevada (-24) at Idaho 5:00 pm (already picked this game in my NCAA Free Picks: Week 6)

Florida International (-6) at North Texas 7:00 pm: Florida International is pretty decent – they stick close to good teams, and given a shot against a relatively equal opponent I think they will win easy. North Texas isn’t good – against anyone. Unless I’m sleeping on something, I like the FLINT to win by 3 touchdowns – lots of rushing yards from them in this one.

Northern Illinois at Tennessee Volunteers (-15.5) 7:00 pm: Alright – Week 1 was a fluke loss to a bad UCLA team. Week 2 was about right, killing UAB 35-3. Week 3 was about right, losing by a little more than I expected, but still getting handled by a real good Florida team. Week 4 might have been even better than I expect from Tennesse, going on the road and finishing two back of a good Auburn team. This week they play Northern Illinois. The best teams they’ve beat are Indiana State and Eastern Michigan. Yeah. They lost to Western Michigan (close game) and Minnesota (close game). I think Tennessee comes out with a little to prove in this one and wins by 3 touchdowns.

Oregon Ducks at USC Trojans (-16) 8:00 pm: I’m not crazy about this game, but I’ll take USC at home to come back and get a nice Pac 10 win. They are still one of the best teams in the nation, one down game where they were outplayed doesn’t change that for me. If they would have won last week I’m guessing this would have been a 22-24 point line. I’ll take the value coming after that loss, especially with all those quarterbacking questions at Oregon.

Ohio State (-1) at Wisconsin 8:00 pm (already picked this game in my NCAA Free Picks: Week 6)

Hawaii at Fresno State Bulldogs (-21): It’s that loss to San Jose State that does it for me here. I know this is a bit of a rivalry, but Hawaii just isn’t the same team without the coach that built their program. I’ll take Fresno State here and expect it to be 5 or 6 touchdowns by the end of this thing. The Bulldogs won’t let up.