Tag Archives: Washington Huskies

Week 9 College Football Picks Review: 2007

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I had some tough luck on Saturday, and that shows with all that good karma I had coming my way on Sunday (12-2 overall in my NFL picks). Anyway, check out my review and maybe you’ll be convinced that my 2-3 should have very well been a 4-1.

LUCKY LESTER’S Free NCAA Football Review

Free Picks: Week 9

Minnesota Golden Gophers (+23.5) @ Michigan Wolverines: loss
(Line: Thursday, 5:00am EST: Belmont)

With Michigan up 10-0 with a few minutes gone in the 2nd quarter, I liked my chances, basically up 33 points… Chances? Well, they were crushed when the Wolverines shutout the Gophers 34-0 after that, and I lost this 23.5 point game by half a damn point. Talk about bitter, that was like drinking pure cranberry juice after rinsing with Listerine. It was Carlos Brown’s 85 yard touchdown run with 9 minutes left in the 4th that killed me, well, aside from Minnesota going 45 minutes without a score, that hurt as well. Tough game to lose, even tougher to watch.

Florida International @ Arkansas Razorbacks (-39): win
(Line: Thursday, 3:00pm EST: Belmont)

“There are a lot of points on the board here, but the Razorbacks are going to be very close to shutting out FLINT, and I think McFadden, Jones, and company can put up 7 or 8 touchdowns. That will be enough in this one. ” Well, Flint put up 10, but as I imagined, the Razorbacks were ready to destroy Flint, rolling them by 48 and a much needed win for good Ole Lucky Lester.

Arizona Wildcats @ Washington Huskies (-3.5): loss
(Line: Thursday, 3:00pm EST: Belmont)

Talk about an absolutely brutal finish for Washington Husky backers such as myself. Since the opening day win over Syracuse (a game I picked) the Dogs have killed me one way or the other. This one I thought was well in hand, when I turned the channel up 41-26 half way through the 4th. Boy was I wrong. The Wildcats scored quick, then the Dog continued the collapse by fumbling on their own half of the field. The Cats punched that one in as well, and a two point conversion tied it. Still, the Huskies wasted another chance, and the Wildcats put together a touchdown drive to take the lead. 22 points in the 4th quarter – when will these Huskies learn? Better yet, when will I learn?

Baylor Bears @ Kansas State Wildcats (-24.5): win
(Line: Thursday, 3:00pm EST: WSEX)

“Kansas State is too good for the Baylor Bears. The Wildcats do all the little things right, and that’s the type of team that kills Baylor. It may seem like a lot of points, and I understand that, but the Bears haven’t lost a game by less than 20 points all season long. 5 losses, all by 20 points or more. I like the Wildcats in that situation.” Chalk it up as 6 losses and still by 20 points or more, one by 38 points, this one, a 51-13 stomping by the Kansas State Wildcats. And Baylor scored in the 4th, late. This was a good win.

Nebraska Cornhuskers @ Texas Longhorns (-20.5): loss
(Line: Thursday, 3:00pm EST: WSEX)

This was the only loss I think I picked wrong on Saturday. Yes, basically, I’m saying this is the only pick I would have changed after watching Saturday’s game. The Longhorns were in a lull, and the Cornhuskers played their best football of the season. I should have at least felt that possibly coming, and just left this game alone. The other games, I would pick the same if I had the chance to do it again.

Free College Football Picks Week 9 – 2007

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I had a nice Week 8, saying that a 4-1 record was all but guaranteed. Weird, I finished 4-1. Well, this week, I’m not guaranteeing anything, but I feel pretty strongly about my plays, and you should to. Check out my free picks, and for a small fee, my elite picks are solid as well.

LUCKY LESTER’S Free NCAA Football Picks

Minnesota Golden Gophers (+23.5) @ Michigan Wolverines:
(Line: Thursday, 5:00am EST: Belmont)

This game hasn’t finished with a 23 point difference since 1996 – and I don’t think this is the year Michigan changes that. Minnesota is the best 1-win team in college football. I don’t think Minnesota will pull out another underdog game-buster, like App State did in Week 1, but let’s not go crazy and say the Gophers suck because they lost to a D1-AA team last week. Uh, so did the Wolverines, remember? Take the Gophers and all those points.

Florida International @ Arkansas Razorbacks (-39):
(Line: Thursday, 3:00pm EST: Belmont)

There are a lot of points on the board here, but the Razorbacks are going to be very close to shutting out FLINT, and I think McFadden, Jones, and company can put up 7 or 8 touchdowns. That will be enough in this one.

Arizona Wildcats @ Washington Huskies (-3.5):
(Line: Thursday, 3:00pm EST: Belmont)

The Huskies have struggled to find wins after their 2-0 start. In fact, wins have been downright impossible to find, despite some quality performances against some very good football teams. They’ve been tied or up at or after half time in each of their 5 losses, and those 5 losses haven’t come against shmucks. Aside from a loss to the undefeated in the Pac 10 Bruins, the Huskies haven’t lost to a team not ranked in the Top 25. In fact, each of those 4 losses have come to teams in the Top 10. That’s a dirty schedule. I think the Huskies will put two halves together against the Wildcats, and notch their 3rd win of the season. The toughest part of their season is over, this is where the wins start to come.

Baylor Bears @ Kansas State Wildcats (-24.5):
(Line: Thursday, 3:00pm EST: WSEX)

Kansas State is too good for the Baylor Bears. The Wildcats do all the little things right, and that’s the type of team that kills Baylor. It may seem like a lot of points, and I understand that, but the Bears haven’t lost a game by less than 20 points all season long. 5 losses, all by 20 points or more. I like the Wildcats in that situation.

Nebraska Cornhuskers @ Texas Longhorns (-20.5):
(Line: Thursday, 3:00pm EST: WSEX)

Nebraska isn’t stepping up and beating anyone any time soon. That whole program is in the dumps, and the kids no longer believe they can win. That’s not something that can help Cornhuskers chances against a very good Longhorn team. The Longhorns haven’t kicked any good teams around, but they’re used to smashing bad ball clubs. Remember, the Longhorns were ranked in the Top 5 earlier this season, and even without Limas Sweed, they have the talent to put 50 on the Huskers’ terrible defense. Take Texas here.

Week 8 College Football Picks Review: 2007

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There we go! 4-1… It’s all coming back around. I had a big week, and I hope you did, too. This is how I took home four out of five.
Free Picks: Week 8

Oregon Ducks (-11) @ Washington Huskies: (winner)
(Line: Thursday, 5:00am EST: Belmont)

“The Huskies are a great first half team, but the Ducks are a great every down team. The Dogs should be close at half time, but with a defense that breaks down the stretch, I expect a Ducks team that can put up points in a hurry, to win without much trouble. Dennis Dixon is magic.” What can I say? I called this game to a T. The dogs played well for just around 3 quarters, but their defense spent too much time on the field, and in the end, their offense couldn’t go blow for blow with Oregon. The Ducks won by 21.

Iowa Hawkeyes @ Purdue Boilermakers (-7): (winner)
(Line: Thursday, 5:00am EST: Belmont)

“I like Purdue to be too offensive for the Hawkeyes. I know that’s what I expected last week when I had Purdue taking down Ohio State, but this week it will come true.” The Boilermakers scored a touchdown or more in every single quarter, and easily beat the Hawkeyes 31-6 – as their defense stepped up and allowed only two field-goals. And how about that offense? Just like I predicted, Purdue ran the Hawkeyes off the field. 315 yards passing for Curtis Painter, and three touchdowns to boot. Easy win for me.

Michigan Wolverines @ Illinois Fighting Illini (+3): (loss)
(Line: Thursday, 5:00am EST: Belmont)

This game was a bit of a joke. The game was tied at 17, and Michigan was driving, well, kind of. What actually happened was Michigan cashing in on personal fouls, late hits, and face mask penalties all the way down the field. But that still wasn’t enough, and they had to punt anyway. However, Illinois bailed the Wolverines out when they muffed a punt and soon after that the Wolverines scored an easy touchdown on a reverse pass.

Arkansas Razorbacks (-4.5) @ Mississippi: (winner)
(Line: Thursday, 5:00am EST: SBGGlobal)

“I know they’re favored on the road, which is rarely a good thing, but the Razorbacks have too much talent in their rushing attack for the boys from Mississippi to handle. McFadden is a beast, probably the scariest weapon in all of college football. I like his chances to fight back and have a big game after a sub-par performance last week.” McFadden and Jones rushed for 100+ yards each, and the Razorbacks didn’t allow a point until the 4th quarter. This game was too easy. The talent on Arkansas showed up when it was most important, converting on 66% of their 3rd downs, and reeling off big plays. Another easy win.

Kansas State Wildcats (+3) @ Oklahoma State Cowboys: (winner)
(Line: Thursday, 5:00am EST: Belmont)

I was wrong about this game – but I still covered. I thouh K-State would run through the Cowboys and OK State would be lulling. Well, they pulled off 17 4th quarter points and ended up taking the crown by a deuce. It was one hell of a game, and like I said, the Cowboys played much better than I imagined. But hey, a cover’s a cover – and a win is a win is a win.

4-1… That’s been along time coming.

Free College Football Picks Week 8 – 2007

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Week 8 should prove to be much more profitable than my week 7 venture. With a couple easy games, I think 4-1 is all but guaranteed this week. Check out my free picks, and enjoy the writeups!

LUCKY LESTER’S NCAA Football Pick’em

Free Picks: Week 8

Oregon Ducks (-11) @ Washington Huskies:
(Line: Thursday, 5:00am EST: Belmont)

The Huskies are a great first half team, but the Ducks are a great every down team. The Dogs should be close at half time, but with a defense that breaks down the stretch, I expect a Ducks team that can put up points in a hurry, to win without much trouble. Dennis Dixon is magic.

Iowa Hawkeyes @ Purdue Boilermakers (-7):
(Line: Thursday, 5:00am EST: Belmont)

I like Purdue to be too offensive for the Hawkeyes. I know that’s what I expected last week when I had Purdue taking down Ohio State, but this week it will come true. Now that the Boilermakers have that OSU game out of the way, all they can think about is now, and this is a must win for the Boilermakers. Iowa is a tough team, but in the end, I like the Boilermaker passing attack to win by a couple touchdowns.

Michigan Wolverines @ Illinois Fighting Illini (+3):
(Line: Thursday, 5:00am EST: Belmont)

I don’t think much of the Wolverines, especially without Mike Hart (a very distinct possibility in this one) and I don’t know how the Wolverines are favored on the road against a very good Illini team. It’s all pretty confusing to me. Michigan has won 5 straight, but hasn’t looked amazing in many games this year. I like Illinois to expose the Wolverine’s defense and win out right in this one. I don’t know why one 6-10 loss to Iowa would drop the Illini so far after wins over Penn State and Wisconsin, so I’m taking them here.

Arkansas Razorbacks (-4.5) @ Mississippi Rebels:
(Line: Thursday, 5:00am EST: SBGGlobal)

Both teams are winless in conference, but I like the Razorbacks to get off the snide in this one. I know they’re favored on the road, which is rarely a good thing, but the Razorbacks have too much talent in their rushing attack for the boys from Mississippi to handle. McFadden is a beast, probably the scariest weapon in all of college football. I like his chances to fight back and have a big game after a sub-par performance last week.

Kansas State Wildcats (+3) @ Oklahoma State Cowboys:
(Line: Thursday, 5:00am EST: Belmont)

After basically crushing the Nebraska athletics program with a 45-14 road win last week in Lincoln, I might even have a lull this week. I can’t imagine how the Cowboys are going to react. Think about it. They just came off a game where the Cornhuskers reacted by firing their AD, questioning their coaching staff, looking for ways to rebuild, all the while preparing for next weeks game. And they were the cause of this. At home this week, they’ll play a much tougher foe in K-State, a team that has plenty of speed and know-how, and will strike quick if OK-State doesn’t have their A game. I can’t imagine they will, so I’m taking the Wildcats.

Week 1 College Football Picks Review: 2007

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What can I say? Right off the bat I busted out the big stick and broke down the College Football Week 1 like a pro. Its nice to start off big, and I did exactly that, losing only 1 game in Week 1. If you’re interested in how the Free Picks went down – follow my wrecking ball through my Top 5 Free Picks.

The Picks

Washington Huskies (-4) @ Syracuse Orangemen: (WIN) 42-12
“I don’t know what else to say besides the Huskies are the better team here. Freshman quarterback, Jake Locker, is an amazing athlete who will breathe life into the program. I expect a win of a couple touchdowns in this one.” Something about the 30-3 score in this one that just proves me right. Washington was dominant after Jake got his beginner’s jitters out. This kid is a beast, and this won’t be the last time he gives opposing defenses hell.

UCLA Bruins (-17) @ Stanford Cardinal: (WIN) 45-17
“Stanford isn’t a tough match-up, and UCLA has a history of starting the season playing well. Even though Jim Harbaugh is doing his best to turn Stanford around, he’ll have to do it with a new quarterback – as Trent Edwards is in the NFL. Look for Stanford to take some bumps early, one of them will be this weekend against UCLA.” Would you consider a 45-17 ass-kicking a bump? I sure would. Stanford played tough early, but when UCLA got going, they weren’t about to be stopped. 31 2nd half points had the Bruins running away with this one.

UAB Blazers (+21.5) @ Michigan State Spartans: (LOSS) 18-55
My man, SonnerBS from www.therxforum.com, had this game all but called to a T. He was right and I was dead wrong, as I didn’t take into account the extreme amount of young players, and coaches, that had to play well to give UAB a chance. Not only that, but the Spartans looked good – and I was all kinds of wrong on this one. But hey, 4-1 ain’t bad.

Iowa Hawkeyes (-12.5) @ Northern Illinois: (WIN)
The Hawkeyes didn’t route NIU by any means, this game was a tough-nosed early season defensive ball game. However, the Hawkeyes scored 16 while holding NIU to just 3 measly points. So, yeah, the Hawkeyes didn’t shellac the Huskies like I thought they would, but they did enough to cover their first game of the year.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (+2) @ ND Fighting Irish: (WIN)
“I just love GT’s toughness too much for a soft Fighting Irish club. None of the 3 Irish quarterbacks have played well enough to take the starting job, but that’s all Charlie Weis has, so it’ll have to do. Georgia Tech’s defense might be the toughest and fastest unit Notre Dame sees all year. That’s not who I’d like to start the season with. Look for Tech to out-muscle Notre Dame at every step.” Did I say every step? I meant every single movement. The Irish were outmanned and out coached, and like I said, the quarterback situation in South Bend looked rocky at best. The frosh looked good late, but Tech was on shutdown mode while Tashard Choice ran buck-wild on Notre Dame’s soft defense. The kid was unstoppable.

4-1: now that’s how good season’s start. I’ll be back next week for my free picks – so keep up and make a little dough!

Free College Football Picks Week 1 – 2007

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Washington Huskies (-4) @ Syracuse Orangemen:
8/31/07 8:00pm EST

I don’t know what else to say besides the Huskies are the better team here. Washington had some tough bounces last season, but they were a much better team under the guidance of Tyrone Willingham. He hasn’t gotten much credit for his job well done, probably because he finished out of bowl eligibility, and he’s on the hot seat this season because the UW job is highly sought after these days. To make matters worse, the Huskies have the Nation’s toughest schedule. Fortunately, this game isn’t one of those tough ones. Freshman quarterback, Jake Locker, is an amazing athlete who will breathe life into the program. I expect a win of a couple touchdowns in this one. Hopefully Tyrone can find some wins this season, he’s a very good coach.

UCLA Bruins (-17) @ Stanford Cardinal:
9/1/07 3:30pm EST

The Bruins have been inconsistent at best, as they ousted cross town rival, USC, to knock them out of the National Championship last season before losing their bowl game against FSU. The Bruins have the talent to give USC a run in the Pac 10, but Karl Dorrell needs to coach these kids to consistency. Stanford isn’t a tough match-up, and UCLA has a history of starting the season playing well. Even though Jim Harbaugh is doing his best to turn Stanford around, he’ll have to do it with a new quarterback – as Trent Edwards is in the NFL. Look for Stanford to take some bumps early, one of them will be this weekend against UCLA.

UAB Blazers (+21.5) @ Michigan State Spartans:
9/1/07 12:00pm EST

I just don’t think the Spartans have it in them. They aren’t a good football team, as was seen by losing game after game as the season went on last year. UAB played a lot of close games in 2006, and they’re returning a lot of starters. New MSU coach, Mike Dantonio, will have to work with the little talent he has, and that will be apparent early as they have to fight tooth and nail to beat UAB. Michigan State will not be in a bowl in 2007.

Iowa Hawkeyes (-12.5) @ Northern Illinois:
9/1/07 3:30pm EST

Iowa had a tough season in 2006, and NIU played way above their talent level to finish 7-6. Garret Wolfe is gone, and so is NIU’s starting quarterback from last season. Iowa will be dominant defensively in this game, and will make a run at the Big 10 title, despite what people think. Kirk Ferentz is one of the best college coaches around. His first losing season was last year, and he’ll be back with at least 9 wins in 2007. I just don’t think this team can continue to lose, they have enough talent all over the field to turn ’07 into a success, and I’ll believe they’re going to do just that. They should route NIU.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (+2) @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish:
9/1/07 3:30pm EST

I initially wanted to take the Fighting Irish at home, but I just love GT’s toughness too much for a soft Fighting Irish club. Last year the Irish needed their own luck to skip past the Yellow Jackets, but I don’t see it happening this year. Notre Dame had too much resting on their freshman quarterback’s shoulders, and since he injured one of those shoulders, they could fumble early in the season. None of the 3 Irish quarterbacks have played well enough to take the starting job, but that’s all Charlie Weis has, so it’ll have to do. Georgia Tech’s defense might be the toughest and fastest unit Notre Dame sees all year. That’s not who I’d like to start the season with. Look for Tech to out-muscle Notre Dame at every step.