Well, I’ve had good luck the last three weeks. After tanking in week 6, I’ve posted three solid weeks. I went 3 and 3 in Week 7, 4 and 3 in Week 8 and 4 and 3 this last weekend.That’s 11 and 9 for a three week record, which I’m very happy with*.
*So happy, in fact, that I end a sentence with a preposition.
Anyway, here are this week’s picks.
| Navy ML +150, 2u |
Navy @ Notre Dame. Navy hasn’t won a game against the Irish in a bazillion years. Navy’s got a solid offense, even if their defense is terrible. I’m betting Navy puts up six touchdowns, and despite their awful defense, the Irish won’t be able to locate the end zone often enough to keep it close. |
| Oregon -7, 2u |
Arizona State @ Oregon. Autzen is a horrible place for opposing teams. I went to the game vs. USC, and MAN was it loud. The crowd is really into it this year, and our defense just feeds off all that noise. Arizona State is a pretty good team this year, but their QB, Carpenter, hurt his thumb in the fourth quarter vs. Cal and apparently he showed up to practice wearing a thumb brace. I figure that might affect his throwing, and with the performance of our D-backs, that means we get a few picks out of the deal. Also, we have this QB named Dixon and I think he’s pretty swell. For the record, I really, really don’t like the spread of a touchdown here, but I think Oregon pulls it off more than 50 percent of the time. |
| Michigan -4, 1u ML -170, 3u |
Michigan @ Michigan State. Michigan has been on fire since their losses vs. spread offenses. I’m a little worried because Hart has been out for a few games with injuries, after carrying the ball 200 times this season. But the Wolverines have the momentum and the motivation: If they win out, the Nov. 17 matchup vs. Ohio State will determine who wins the Big 10, and give Michigan a chance to foil OSU’s chances at the national championship. I’m betting on the moneyline here because I’m not convinced Michigan will win by more than a field goal … I just think they’re going to win. |
| Oklahoma -21, 2u |
Texas A&M @ Oklahoma. As Jamey notes below in the comments, Stoops has no qualms about running up the score, even if margins of victory are not considered by the BCS computers. (I guarantee that the human voters pay attention to the margins.) A&M is awful this year and Oklahoma has everything to prove - after all, the Ducks are still ahead of them in the BCS ;-). |
| Wisconsin +15 1/2, 1u |
Wisconsin @ Ohio State. OK, so PSU couldn’t take out the Buckeyes last week. And I doubt the Badgers will, either. But despite OSU’s stingy defense, I just don’t see Wisconsin losing by more than two touchdowns here. |
| Missouri - 3 1/2, 2u |
Missouri @ Colorado. The spread is low here because Colorado has snuck up on a few good teams. They are not a great team yet, they just prey on the unprepared. Missouri is paying attention to this one, and they are not Texas Tech (remember, Missouri’s win over Tech probably caused the downward spiral that made the Red Raiders lose to Colorado the next weekend.) Missouri wins here by 10 at least. |
| Troy +16 1/2, 3u ML 700, 1u |
Troy @ Georgia. Does my betting streak with the Trojans come to an end here? Georgia is coming off a huge win over Florida and they’ve got another big game next weekend vs. Auburn. This weekend’s game is commonly referred to as a trap game - a game where the underdog is not as bad as many think, and the favorite is looking ahead to the next game instead of treating their competition seriously. I think Troy keeps it close here. I also think there’s an outside chance they upset the Bulldogs (Oklahoma State, anyone?) so I’ll take the moneyline as well as the spread. |
Glad my advice is paying off for you. I think that Oklahoma game is a sure bet - Fran was talking trash at the beginning of the year regarding Oklahoma’s recent NCAA violations and I don’t believe for a second that Stoops will call off the dogs on this one. 77-0, anyone?