College Football Picks

It was a tremendous Saturday for THE PASS RUSH. Vegas’s and Brandon’s college football picks went a combined 11-4 (73.33%).  That’s more than 2 out of 3.  As Meatloaf would say, 2 outa 3 ain’t bad. Anytime you’re picking 2 out of 3 winners, you’re doing damn good. In fact, if you’re hitting 55-60% of your picks, you’re doing your job.  We also started off the day going 8-1 with our first 9 picks in the early games on Saturday.  It’s always good to get those early winners.

Brandon’s posted picks went 6-3. Including his last minute picks of Maryland and Utah, he scored an 8-3 record.  That’s why you guys gotta read the comments.  That’s where you’ll get last-minute updates on spreads and the hot games to take right before kickoff.  Also be sure to leave some of your own thoughts on the games.

Brandon proved all the haters wrong on his Kentucky +9 call on the road against South Carolina. What makes this week all the better is that Brandon’s “call of the week” (Oregon St.) — a.k.a. his 2-unit bet (on his 1-2 unit scale for you rookies) — was a big winner.

Vegas Martin’s picks went 3-1. He picked 4 college games. The 3 games he was most confident in all hit. The sole game that he lost he even gave a mere 1/5 confidence rating and picked it purely on hunch due to his theory that FSU would win this game for Coach Bowden. FSU was close, but no cigar, losing by a score of 49-44.

I’m not counting the LSU game since I specifically advised you fools to avoid betting on this game and not take the points if Timmy Tebow …

FLORIDA GATORS (4-0) -9 @ LSU TIGERS (5-0)

First order of business is checking the status of Tim Tebow.  As your probably already know, Tebow suffered a concussion last week and is questionable for the game meaning that there’s about a 50/50 shot that he plays.  The latest word on Tebow is that he will play IF he is medically cleared by passing a test and this will be a game-time decision.  I would not wager of this game until Tebow’s status is 100% certain.  If he plays, I would lean towards taking the Gators at -9, but if he’s out, taking LSU +9 is likely the play to make.  Let’s look at the tale of the tape.

Both teams are unbeaten this season.  Florida is averaging 45.5 PPG and allowing 7.2 PPG.  LSU is averaging 27.0 PPG and allowing 14.8 PPG.  Florida won the last contest between these two teams last November by a score of 51-20.  Florida’s most impressive wins this season are their week 1 win over Oklahoma 24-14 and their win last week on the road over Kentucky, 41-7.  LSU has only played 1 legitimate team and 4 weaker teams and their sole “impressive” win was a 20-13 win on the road against Georgia.  The week before that, LSU barely beat Mississipp State on the road, escaping with a 30-26 win.

Not only does Florida have Tebow questionable, but their injury list is almost a mile long (see full list here).  With several offensive linemen, linebackers, and wide receivers out for Florida, that raises a lot of questions on whether they can cover the 9 points on the road.

Florida is an impressive 11-1 against-the-spread (ATS) in their last 12 road games, while LSU …

College football is not my forte, I usually leave that up to Brandon, but I’m going to post up some picks and see what happens. I’m feeling lucky!

1.) West Virginia -10.5 over SYRACUSE (W) — Syracuse is traditionally the Raiders of college football the last few years, but they’re a tad more competitive this year with that Duke kid playing QB. 15/18 experts at Covers.com like this pick and so do I.  At only 10.5 points, I think it’s a steal since the Orange are so bad, but some places have the line at -9.5/-10 so see if you can find that one.

2.) Oklahome State -4.5 over TEXAS A&M (W) — T A&M has some defensive issues, so I think Oklahoma St. is poised to put up a lot of points with their 39 PPG average.  The bad news is that their stud WR Dez Bryant is out with a suspension.  After a tough loss to Houston, OSU boosted their confidence with shellackings over Rice and Grambling where they reached almost 100 points in those 2 contests.  This is a tough spot for them on the road, but they have the edge on offense and defense.  Texas A&M hasn’t beaten anyone special this season, but got CRUSHED by Arkansas last week by the score of 47-19 (at home to boot). 8/11 experts agree with my Oklahoma St. over Texas A&M pick.

3.) Alabama -4.5 over MISSISSIPPI (W) — After Ole’ Miss’s loss to South Carolina, I lost all faith in them.  Look for Alabama to prove to the country why they’re a top 3 team in the country.  Tough spot on the road, but they’re clearly the stronger team here.  Alabama has DOMINATED both Kentucky and Arakansas.  Miss’s …

Overall Profit +0.6 units.

Solid win last night with Nebraska. They struggled early, but pulled away late.  That brings us to 2-0 this week with winners on Troy and Nebraska.

I love the card this weekend and think there is a ton of money to be made.

1. Houston at Mississippi State (+2) or (-1) for 1 unit (L): I bet this game on Tuesday at +2, however the line currently is at -2 and -2.5 in some places. There is no way Houston deserves to be favored on the road against an SEC opponent. Plus Houston’s BCS hopes are already out the window. MSU has lost 2 straight at home to difficult SEC opponents. I just don’t see them losing three in a row at home.

2. UCONN (+7.5) at Pittsburgh for 1 unit (W): Another game showing great line movement as UCONN is only a 6 point underdog at the Hilton. UCONN has continued to impress me all year as I have counted them out on several occassions. I think this game is low scoring and will gladly take the points.

3. Iowa State (+19.5) at Kansas for 1 unit (W)

4. Bowling Green at Kent (+3.5) for 1 unit (W)

5. Stanford at Oregon State (+1) for 2 units (W)

6. Oregon at UCLA (+3.5) for 1 unit (L)

7. Kentucky (+9) vs South Carolina for 1 unit (W)

8. Wisconsin at Ohio State (-16) for 1 unit (W): first road test for Wisconsin. Tough spot for Wisconsin as Ohio State isn’t the easiest place to start your road Big Ten play.

9. Arizona State (-21) at Washington State for 1 unit (L): ASU was disappointing last week, they come much more focused …

Solid win last night with Troy as the cover was never in question. I am releasing several games early this week. I will be breaking down these games as the week goes on, but I want to release them so you can shop around and get the best line.

Overall Loss -0.4 units

1. Houston at Mississippi State (+2) or (-1) for 1 unit: I bet this game yesterday at +2, however the line currently is at -1. There is no way Houston deserves to be favored on the road against an SEC opponent.

2. UCONN (+7.5) at Pittsburgh for 1 unit

3. Iowa State (+19.5) at Kansas for 1 unit

4. Bowling Green at Kent (+3.5) for 1 unit

5. Stanford at Oregon State (+1) for 2 units

6. Oregon at UCLA (+3.5) for 1 unit

7. Kentucky (+9) vs South Carolina for 1 unit

8. Wisconsin at Ohio State (-16) for 1 unit: first road test for Wisconsin.

9. Arizona State (-21) at Washington State for 1 unit: ASU was disappointing last week, they come much more focused this weekend.

I know that is a lot of games, but really like the card this week.

Good Luck. I welcome any questions or comments.

10/7 NHL Game:

Phoenix (+175) at Pittsburgh…

This game lines up very nicely for Troy. There are several key advantages that make Troy a great play tonight. First, my power rankings have Troy as an 11-point chalk, therefore I see some value with this line being at 7. Secondly, Middle Tennessee State is playing their third consecutive road game, which always seems difficult for college teams especially. I also believe that MTST may be playing their most difficult opponent of the three here tonight when they face Troy as Maryland and North Texas are pretty weak. Troy has dominated this series recently going 2-0 ATS and SU over the past 2 years. Look for Troy to open this game up early and win going away by 17 points.

The Play Troy (-7) for 2 units (W)

Good Luck!

If your interested, below are three NHL games I like tonight:

1.  Dallas (+125) at Edmonton  Play 1 unit on Dallas (W)

2.  Montreal (+155) at Calgary Play 1 unit on Montreal (W)

3.  Ottawa (+105) at Toronto Play 1 unit on Ottawa (W)…

Overall Loss -2.4 units.

Early release on this play as I think this line moves much higher before kickoff on Thursday. Nebraska has clearly played a much more difficult schedule and I think their defense really puts pressure on the Missouri offense. I think NB is a much more balanced team and their pass rush is very solid. Look for this game to be close, but NB wins pulling away in the 4th quarter.

The Play Nebraska -3 for 1 unit (W)…