LARRY COOK
3* on Wisconsin Badgers -26.5
The Wisconsin Badgers return 17 starters this season and are picked to finish second in the Big Ten conference because of it. Akron?s entire defensive backfield will have a new look, considering they lost four of five starters in the secondary from their 3-3-5 scheme last year. Reggie Corner and John Mackey combined for 10 interceptions last year, and both are gone from the Akron secondary this season. That means Wisconsin will be able to move the ball through the air whenever they decide to. Senior Allan Evridge, a Kansas State transfer, is expected to be taking the snaps under center. Evridge will be working behind an offensive line that returns four starters. These four horses up front have combined to make 85 starts between them. P.J. Hill is back at running back after rushing for 2,805 yards and 29 touchdowns in his first two seasons as the Badgers? starter in the backfield. Now that?s a solid foundation to work with. Wisconsin is 53-34 ATS in their last 87 Saturday home games. The Badgers are 16-6 ATS in their last 22 home games overall. Wisconsin is 11-3 ATS in their last 14 non-conference games. Meanwhile, Akron is just 3-9 ATS in their last 12 road contests. Bet Wisconsin at home.
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3* on Wisconsin Badgers -26.5
The Wisconsin Badgers return 17 starters this season and are picked to finish second in the Big Ten conference because of it. Akron?s entire defensive backfield will have a new look, considering they lost four of five starters in the secondary from their 3-3-5 scheme last year. Reggie Corner and John Mackey combined for 10 interceptions last year, and both are gone from the Akron secondary this season. That means Wisconsin will be able to move the ball through the air whenever they decide to. Senior Allan Evridge, a Kansas State transfer, is expected to be taking the snaps under center. Evridge will be working behind an offensive line that returns four starters. These four horses up front have combined to make 85 starts between them. P.J. Hill is back at running back after rushing for 2,805 yards and 29 touchdowns in his first two seasons as the Badgers? starter in the backfield. Now that?s a solid foundation to work with. Wisconsin is 53-34 ATS in their last 87 Saturday home games. The Badgers are 16-6 ATS in their last 22 home games overall. Wisconsin is 11-3 ATS in their last 14 non-conference games. Meanwhile, Akron is just 3-9 ATS in their last 12 road contests. Bet Wisconsin at home.
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BLACK WIDOW
1* on New York Mets +103
(List Pelfrey only)
The Mets are finding ways to win the close games, hitting a grand slam in the top of the 9th last night to beat the Marlins. This comes after the Mets beat the Phillies in the late innings the game before. The great thing about tonight?s meeting with the Marlins is the fact that New York won?t need another come-from-behind victory because they are throwing Mike Pelfrey at Florida Saturday. Pelfrey has been on fire, going 3-0 with a miniscule 1.44 ERA over his last 3 starts. Pelfrey has allowed only 16 hits in 25 innings during this span. The Mets are now 17-8 in their last 25 meetings at Florida. Take the Mets on the Money Line as they lead from start to finish tonight.
1* on New York Mets +103
(List Pelfrey only)
The Mets are finding ways to win the close games, hitting a grand slam in the top of the 9th last night to beat the Marlins. This comes after the Mets beat the Phillies in the late innings the game before. The great thing about tonight?s meeting with the Marlins is the fact that New York won?t need another come-from-behind victory because they are throwing Mike Pelfrey at Florida Saturday. Pelfrey has been on fire, going 3-0 with a miniscule 1.44 ERA over his last 3 starts. Pelfrey has allowed only 16 hits in 25 innings during this span. The Mets are now 17-8 in their last 25 meetings at Florida. Take the Mets on the Money Line as they lead from start to finish tonight.
Rocky Atkinson
Boston College @ Kent State 7:30 PM EST
Play On: 1* Kent State +10
Boston College is 0-6 ATS last 3 years as a road favorite. Boston College is 1-4 ATS last 5 non-conference games. Boston College is 1-5 ATS last 6 games overall. Boston College is 0-5 ATS last 5 games in August. ROCKETMAN Ratings has Kent State to surprisingly win this game straight up by 5.07 points giving us great value in getting double digits. We'll recommend a small play on Kent State as our FREE pick on Saturday! Thanks and good luck, Rocky
Boston College @ Kent State 7:30 PM EST
Play On: 1* Kent State +10
Boston College is 0-6 ATS last 3 years as a road favorite. Boston College is 1-4 ATS last 5 non-conference games. Boston College is 1-5 ATS last 6 games overall. Boston College is 0-5 ATS last 5 games in August. ROCKETMAN Ratings has Kent State to surprisingly win this game straight up by 5.07 points giving us great value in getting double digits. We'll recommend a small play on Kent State as our FREE pick on Saturday! Thanks and good luck, Rocky
DAVE MALINSKY
GAME: USC @ Virginia Aug 30, 2008 3:30PM
SPORT: College Football Picks
PICK: USC
REASON FOR PICK: 4* SOUTHERN CAL (#185) over VIRGINIA
What happens when you put great talent and great coaching together? USC?s program happens, that is what. And what happens when you give that combination time to fully prepare for an opponent? Routs happen, even when the opponent is capable of matching up. Virginia is not that class of opponent, so now that our sources tell us that Mark Sanchez is looking comfortable again in practice, we can step in here.
Let?s look at some Pete Carroll history with major preparation time since the end of his second year with the program, when he had a chance to put his full playbook into action. First, the bowl games ?
2002 Orange ? USC 38 Iowa 17 as -4.5
2003 Rose ? USC 28 Michigan 14 as -7
2004 Orange ? USC 55 Oklahoma 19 as -1
2005 Rose ? USC 38 Texas 41 as -6.5
2006 Rose ? USC 32 Michigan 18 as -1
2007 Rose ? USC 49 Illinois 17 as -14
That is an outstanding 5-1 SU and ATS, beating the pointspread by a significant 80 points. And remember that even in the Texas loss in the 2005 Championship Game the Trojans led by 10 in the 4th quarter, but could not hold off Vince Young. Now on to openers ?
2003 ? USC 23 Auburn 0 as +3.5
2004 ? USC 24 Virginia Tech 13 as -17
2005 ? USC 63 Hawaii 17 as -36
2006 ? USC 50 Arkansas 14 as -8
2007 ? USC 38 Idaho 10 as -47
A most impressive run there also, and we can excuse the margin against Idaho LY, as Carroll was holding his team under wraps for what was perceived as a showdown game at Nebraska the following week (which his Trojans then went out and completely dominated). And the Idaho contest was the only one played at home, which made it even easier for him to back off.
So what do we see here? First, a complete dominance by the Southern Cal defense, which not only should be the nation?s best this season, but has a chance to be among the best in recent memory. We could see five Trojan starters on that side of the ball draft in the NFL first round next April. That creates a huge headache for a Virginia OL that is breaking in far too many new faces, with only 48 returning starts for the entire group. It means not only a challenge in terms of talent, but also tactics as well, as the Trojan blitzes and complex schemes take a toll. And exacerbating the issue is the lack of experience at QB for the Cavaliers, which creates the real chance of the Southern Cal defense directly scoring points.
The Trojans will also dominate the line of scrimmage when they have the ball, mashing through a Virginia defensive front that does not return a single starter, and will have depth issues on a hot afternoon. The physical presence and leadership of Chris Long will badly be missed in that huddle, as the younger players drag their heads when forced to be on the field far too long.
Yes, Virginia is coming off of a bowl season, but put an * next to that ? the Cavaliers set an all-time NCAA record by going a prefect 5-0 in games that were decided by two points or less. And these were not escapes against major powers, with North Carolina, Middle Tennessee, Connecticut, Maryland and Wake Forest on the list. They are in way over their heads here in terms of talent, and with 14 starters that combined for 378 career starts missing from 2007, the experience is also not there to handle the negative situations that this game will provide. There will be plenty of such situations ? in the only dress rehearsal before having two weeks to prepare for Ohio State, Carroll can go for the jugular here, knowing that it is the only chance to get the timing down for both units. And with only the travel roster on hand there are few options for letting up anyway ? that is an awfully talented plane.
GAME: USC @ Virginia Aug 30, 2008 3:30PM
SPORT: College Football Picks
PICK: USC
REASON FOR PICK: 4* SOUTHERN CAL (#185) over VIRGINIA
What happens when you put great talent and great coaching together? USC?s program happens, that is what. And what happens when you give that combination time to fully prepare for an opponent? Routs happen, even when the opponent is capable of matching up. Virginia is not that class of opponent, so now that our sources tell us that Mark Sanchez is looking comfortable again in practice, we can step in here.
Let?s look at some Pete Carroll history with major preparation time since the end of his second year with the program, when he had a chance to put his full playbook into action. First, the bowl games ?
2002 Orange ? USC 38 Iowa 17 as -4.5
2003 Rose ? USC 28 Michigan 14 as -7
2004 Orange ? USC 55 Oklahoma 19 as -1
2005 Rose ? USC 38 Texas 41 as -6.5
2006 Rose ? USC 32 Michigan 18 as -1
2007 Rose ? USC 49 Illinois 17 as -14
That is an outstanding 5-1 SU and ATS, beating the pointspread by a significant 80 points. And remember that even in the Texas loss in the 2005 Championship Game the Trojans led by 10 in the 4th quarter, but could not hold off Vince Young. Now on to openers ?
2003 ? USC 23 Auburn 0 as +3.5
2004 ? USC 24 Virginia Tech 13 as -17
2005 ? USC 63 Hawaii 17 as -36
2006 ? USC 50 Arkansas 14 as -8
2007 ? USC 38 Idaho 10 as -47
A most impressive run there also, and we can excuse the margin against Idaho LY, as Carroll was holding his team under wraps for what was perceived as a showdown game at Nebraska the following week (which his Trojans then went out and completely dominated). And the Idaho contest was the only one played at home, which made it even easier for him to back off.
So what do we see here? First, a complete dominance by the Southern Cal defense, which not only should be the nation?s best this season, but has a chance to be among the best in recent memory. We could see five Trojan starters on that side of the ball draft in the NFL first round next April. That creates a huge headache for a Virginia OL that is breaking in far too many new faces, with only 48 returning starts for the entire group. It means not only a challenge in terms of talent, but also tactics as well, as the Trojan blitzes and complex schemes take a toll. And exacerbating the issue is the lack of experience at QB for the Cavaliers, which creates the real chance of the Southern Cal defense directly scoring points.
The Trojans will also dominate the line of scrimmage when they have the ball, mashing through a Virginia defensive front that does not return a single starter, and will have depth issues on a hot afternoon. The physical presence and leadership of Chris Long will badly be missed in that huddle, as the younger players drag their heads when forced to be on the field far too long.
Yes, Virginia is coming off of a bowl season, but put an * next to that ? the Cavaliers set an all-time NCAA record by going a prefect 5-0 in games that were decided by two points or less. And these were not escapes against major powers, with North Carolina, Middle Tennessee, Connecticut, Maryland and Wake Forest on the list. They are in way over their heads here in terms of talent, and with 14 starters that combined for 378 career starts missing from 2007, the experience is also not there to handle the negative situations that this game will provide. There will be plenty of such situations ? in the only dress rehearsal before having two weeks to prepare for Ohio State, Carroll can go for the jugular here, knowing that it is the only chance to get the timing down for both units. And with only the travel roster on hand there are few options for letting up anyway ? that is an awfully talented plane.
Carlo Campanella
Game: Michigan St. at California Aug 30 2008 8:00PM
Prediction: Michigan St.
Reason: Michigan State opens the NCAA season on Saturday with a tough trip to the west coast to face the Cal Bears, but must "take" the points here as they?ve been a money machine during Head Coach Mark Dantonio?s rookie season while owning a 5-1 ATS on the road and 5-0 ATS as Dogs, while never losing by more than 7 points last season! Cal opened last year with 4 straight wins, however, they won just 2 of their final 8 games while posting a 1-7 ATS record. Tough spot to rebound against an aggressive unit from the Big 10.
7* Play On Michigan State
Game: Michigan St. at California Aug 30 2008 8:00PM
Prediction: Michigan St.
Reason: Michigan State opens the NCAA season on Saturday with a tough trip to the west coast to face the Cal Bears, but must "take" the points here as they?ve been a money machine during Head Coach Mark Dantonio?s rookie season while owning a 5-1 ATS on the road and 5-0 ATS as Dogs, while never losing by more than 7 points last season! Cal opened last year with 4 straight wins, however, they won just 2 of their final 8 games while posting a 1-7 ATS record. Tough spot to rebound against an aggressive unit from the Big 10.
7* Play On Michigan State
The Gold Medal Club
Ohio vs Wyoming 2:00pm
PLAY ON WYOMING -11
These teams met last year in Ohio with the Cowboys coming out on top 34-33 despite turning the ball over 7 times! Whats changed?
Well, Ohio has lost QB Brad Bower and 1st team ALL MAC running back Kalvin Mcrae.
For Wyoming who managed to cover 2 games ats last season, we have the entire offensive line back to open the holes for standout running back Wynel Seldon.
We see one team on the rise and the other in decline. A home opener, with a sleeper team , we will lay the chalk here as the Cowboys will dominate from start to finish.
Note Ohio 11-1 ats in there last 12 on grass, while Wyoming 1-12-1 in there last 14 on grass..we're not biting!
Ohio vs Wyoming 2:00pm
PLAY ON WYOMING -11
These teams met last year in Ohio with the Cowboys coming out on top 34-33 despite turning the ball over 7 times! Whats changed?
Well, Ohio has lost QB Brad Bower and 1st team ALL MAC running back Kalvin Mcrae.
For Wyoming who managed to cover 2 games ats last season, we have the entire offensive line back to open the holes for standout running back Wynel Seldon.
We see one team on the rise and the other in decline. A home opener, with a sleeper team , we will lay the chalk here as the Cowboys will dominate from start to finish.
Note Ohio 11-1 ats in there last 12 on grass, while Wyoming 1-12-1 in there last 14 on grass..we're not biting!
WUNDERDOG
Game: Akron at Wisconsin (Saturday 8/30 12:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: Wisconsin -26.5 (-110)
Coach Bielema has taken this Wisconsin team to January Bowl games his first two years. But this may in fact be his best team yet. The offensive line is one of the best in the country and they have several backs that can do damage running the ball. They return 17 starters from a 9-win team a year ago. The Zips finished 3-5 in the MAC last season and return only 13 starters which is tied for fewest in the conference. They were outgained by MAC opponents last year by 70+ yards per game, and have just five defensive players returning. The defensive line struggled against MAC opponents so how will they fare versus one of the top offensive lines in the country? You get the picture. This is a lot of points but we see a Wisconsin rout here, and will lay the heavy points.
Game: Akron at Wisconsin (Saturday 8/30 12:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: Wisconsin -26.5 (-110)
Coach Bielema has taken this Wisconsin team to January Bowl games his first two years. But this may in fact be his best team yet. The offensive line is one of the best in the country and they have several backs that can do damage running the ball. They return 17 starters from a 9-win team a year ago. The Zips finished 3-5 in the MAC last season and return only 13 starters which is tied for fewest in the conference. They were outgained by MAC opponents last year by 70+ yards per game, and have just five defensive players returning. The defensive line struggled against MAC opponents so how will they fare versus one of the top offensive lines in the country? You get the picture. This is a lot of points but we see a Wisconsin rout here, and will lay the heavy points.
Pointwise
1-Mississippi State (-8 1/2) over Louisiana Tech 33-13
1-Tulsa (-14) over UAB 45-24
2-Michigan State (+4) over California 27-24
3-Memphis (+8 1/2) over Ole Miss 27-26
4-Fresno State (+5 1/2) over Rutgers 27-24
4-Wyoming (-11) over Ohio U. 37-17
5-Colorado State (+11 1/2) over Colorado (in Denver) 24-32
5-Temple (-7) over Army 33-13
1-Mississippi State (-8 1/2) over Louisiana Tech 33-13
1-Tulsa (-14) over UAB 45-24
2-Michigan State (+4) over California 27-24
3-Memphis (+8 1/2) over Ole Miss 27-26
4-Fresno State (+5 1/2) over Rutgers 27-24
4-Wyoming (-11) over Ohio U. 37-17
5-Colorado State (+11 1/2) over Colorado (in Denver) 24-32
5-Temple (-7) over Army 33-13
