Posted by Brandon Phillips in College Football Picks on October 30th, 2008 | 2 Comments
I have already covered these picks below, but for those only following my underdog plays I posted them here:
1. West Virginia at Connecticut(+4): Both teams are coming off great wins last week. Again these teams match-up pretty well statistically, however I give a slight advantage to UCONN as they hold the edge in total yards and passing. Both teams play solid defense and that will play an important role in this game. UCONN’s run defense has been very tough holding their opponents to less than 75 yards rushing per, which is critical as WVU ran all over a very tough Auburn defense. I like the fact that WVU 0-2 on the road and UCONN is 5-0 at home. Take UCONN plus the points. (Rating +1) WVU 35 UCONN 13
2. Air Force at Army (+10): This should be another very tight competitive game. AF is having one of their better years, but Army has come on as of late. They have won 3 of 4 after losing their first four games, with the one loss coming on the road in OT. You have to give a slight edge in defense to Army as they allow only about 116 yards rushing compared to AF’s almost 150 per game. The real question comes down to the passing game. These teams rarely pass the ball, but AF has a better aerial attack than Army. I still see this game being a controlled possession game with Time of Possession playing a critical role. Take the points with Army as they should be able to keep this game close. (Rating +1) AF 16 ARMY 7
3. Tulsa at Arkansas(+7): While Arkansas is not that good of a team they are still by far the …
Posted by Brandon Phillips in College Football Picks on October 27th, 2008 | Comment »
Some of you, I am sure, have paid money for picks, as most of us have, but don’t you hate it when you want to watch a game and put some money on it, only to find that no one has analyzed the game and given you their two cents. Well this week, that will not be the case. If you want to have some insight on a game you want to drop money on then you will find an analysis of that game here at thepassrush.
Tuesday
1. Buffalo Bulls (+2) at Ohio Bobcats: Ohio is pretty banged up after losing their back-up QB and RB last out. Buffalo is pretty healthy and has played several solid football games this year covering against Pitt, Missouri, and Central Michigan and they beat Temple. Ohio has played a couple tough games covering against Ohio State and Northwestern. Buffalo holds a slight edge in total yards per game, but Ohio’s defense is stronger. I think this game comes down to the success of Buffalo through the air. They pass for about 250 yards per, but Ohio’s defense is only allowing about 180 yards against the pass. Ohio may find it more difficult to score b/c of their injury problems, but their defense should keep this game tight. Buffalo’s defense is very weak giving up almost 400 yards per. This game should be very tight and if Buffalo’s offense can score then they should win this game against a banged up Ohio team. (Rating +2) Final Score: Buffalo 32 Ohio 19
2. Houston (-8) at Marshall: While I don’t generally like going against home dogs sometimes they just simply don’t match up. Houston’s offense is scoring almost 40 per and gaining over 500 …
Posted by Brandon Phillips in College Football Picks on October 27th, 2008 | Comment »
The underdog plays Week 9: 2-3
Total for the year: 27-19 (59%)
Underdog Units: -3
Other Plays: 1-0
Overall Units of Profit: +2
***I am working on something for the readers for Week 10 in college football: a full analysis of every game on the card. I have a theory that I am working on and the only way I know how to test the theory is to analyze every game. Now I know one week won’t give full evidence to prove my theory, but it could be a sign of whether to pursue it or not.…
Posted by Brandon Phillips in NFL Picks on October 27th, 2008 | Comment »
Indianapolis (+165) outright win over Tennessee
Examining the stats Tennessee is clearly the favorite and rightly deserves to be, however the Colts will win this game. First, what is the difference between Tennessee and Baltimore? Statistically almost nothing. Both defenses give up about 250 yards per game (rushing under 100 passing almost exactly 179) and both offenses average about 300 yards (Rushing close to 150, passing about 160). Second, what did the Colts do against do to the Ravens? Colts 31 Ravens 3. Thirdly, why were the Colts able to dominate the Ravens? Well Manning and the Colts got their timing back and looked the explosvie offense of old. Manning is still in that preseason form, he missed the preseason because the knee surgery, and he is still looking to find that rhythmn with his offense. So he is going to have some games where he looks that the old Manning and some games that he simply looks old. However, after last weeks complete embarrassment, I am sure the offense will be much more focused and ready to go. The defense will have to do the same thing they did when they played the Ravens. I am sure the Colts defense will pack the box with 8 or even 9 guys to stop the explosive running game of Titans and this should cause more pressure on Collins, forcing him to make quick decisions and possibly poor decisions. The Colts defense has to cause a few turnovers tonight for the Colts to win. In my opinion turnovers is the most critical aspect of this game. If the Colts win the TO category they will win this game. The Colts are 5-0 ATS on Monday Night Football. I know that recently the …
Posted by Brandon Phillips in College Football Picks on October 26th, 2008 | 1 Comment
Central Florida vs. Tulsa (-23.5): There is no Sunday Night NFL, but there is one college game showcasing the high-powered offense of Tulsa who is averaging 56 points per game. Central Florida beat Tulsa twice last year covering on both occassions as favorites. However, CF is no where near the team they were last year. The critical issue of this game is CF’s poor road play. 1-2 SU and 1-2 ATS, the offense is only averaging 11 points on the road and has failed to score more than 24 points in any game this year. CF played tough against Miami last weekend while Tulsa continued to roll scoring 77 points against UTEP. Tulsa has not scored less than 54 points in any home game and I don’t think that trend will stop tonight. CF is giving up almost 37 points a game on the road and Tulsa has revenge in mind. I just see CF having trouble to stay with Tulsa’s offense and coupled with its inability to score on the road you have to like Tulsa. (Rating +4)…
Posted by Brandon Phillips in College Football Picks on October 22nd, 2008 | 1 Comment
We got back on track last week going 3-1 with +6 units of profit. We are 25-16 which is about 61%. This week we look to continue the impressive run and I think I have some picks that may shock you.
1. Boise State at San Jose State (+7.5) (This game is on Friday Night): There are a number of angles/reasons for playing this game. (1) Let me start by asking you this, who is in first place in the WAC conference? San Jose State is the answer with a perfect 3-0 record. BS is second with a 2-0 record. (2) Why is the #12 ranked team in the nation only favored by a TD over a school that many people know very little about? The oddsmakers must know that SJS is a little better then what most people think and they know that with a line much higher than 7 the smart betters would be pounding SJS. Remember an oddmaker’s goal is not to predict the winner, but to get even money on both teams so that Vegas gets their 10% cut. (3) Stats: SJS’s defense is very solid giving up less than 200 yards passing per and less than 50 yards rushing per game (that isn’t a typo, less than 50 yards rushing, that is simply sick). This is probably the best defense Boise State will see for the rest of the year. It will take a great defensive effort to stop the high powered offense of Boise State, but I think they will be up to the challenge at home. SJS has covered the last two at home vs. Boise State. Take the points. (Rating +2) Boise St 33 SJS 16
2. Mississippi vs. Arkansas (+5): This …
Posted by Brandon Phillips in College Football Picks on October 21st, 2008 | Comment »
I have put together 10 games that appear to me be strong solid plays. I will list the picks in order of strength with 1 being the strongest play and 10 being the weakest play, but remember I like all these picks. There is only a quick description of the games. I will be posting home dog plays later this week with more detailed analysis. So here we go:
1. Boston College (+3) at UNC: BC is playing great and UNC is coming off a tough loss on the road verse Virginia. Looking at the stats BC dominates in average total yards, time of possession, causing turnovers, and BC’s defense allows over 100 yards less per contest then UNC’s defense. Take the points.
2. Auburn (+3.5) at WVU (notice this game is on Thursday): This game should be very tight. Auburn dominates time of possession which will be important in keeping White off the field. They are causing at least 2 turnovers a game and hold their opposition to around 100 yards rushing per game. Take the points.
3. Middle Tennessee St at Mississippi State (-11): This simply comes down to the poor performance of MTS on the road 0-4 SU and 1-3 ATS. They have allowed an average of 31 points on the road and have only managed to score an average of 18. On the other hand, MSU has played well at home allowing less than 10 points and causing at least 2 turnovers and going 2-1 SU and 2-0 ATS. MSU should control the ball and simply dominate this game.
4. Eastern Michigan at Ball State (-24): I know this is a big line, but Ball State has been on fire. I have been following …