Georgia (-9.5) at Auburn, 12:30pm
Auburn is simply not a good football team right now. They don't have a legitimate quarterback and thus cannot move the football. The Tigers have won just two of their past seven games with those two wins coming against a couple of lowly Tennessee schools, Tennessee and Tennessee-Martin (who are basically indistinguishable at this point). On the other hand, Georgia can move the ball. In recent weeks the Georgia offense has found their rhythm against every team not named Florida. New Jersey product Knowshon Moreno is averaging an impressive 5.9 yards per carry, and Matthew Stafford is having his best year as Bulldog quarterback. The Tigers haven't scored more than 22 points in an SEC game yet this season, meanwhile the Bulldogs have scored at least 24 points in five of their seven SEC games. Look for more of the same this weekend as Georgia puts Auburn one more loss closer to missing a bowl game while making Tommy Tubberville's seat that much hotter. Dawgs win by at least two touchdowns.
UCLA (-6.5) at Washington, 10:15pm
Hey, just because a game features two teams who aren't any good doesn't mean you can't at least make some money off of it. This is a good spot for the Bruins in a year mostly devoid of good spots. The Bruins aren't very good, but they have taken care of business against teams they should beat. As long as that holds true, this should be a layup. UCLA's three wins came against Tennessee, Stanford and Washington State -- teams they're supposed to beat. Their six losses all came against teams who will be going to a bowl this year -- teams they shouldn't beat. The only BCS conference team who is anywhere near as bad as Washington is their in-state counterpart Washington State. The Cougars are winless on the season and have been outscored by an embarrassing average of 26 points per game. UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel will be going against a Washington program which he led to a Pac-10 title and Rose Bowl victory for the first time. The program has been crippled since he left and now he'll be able to add further to the pain of the Cougar faithful. Washington puts up another stinker as UCLA cruises.
Troy (+16.5) at LSU, 8pm
No, that's not a typo. We're sure most of you don't even know where Troy University is -- that would be southern Alabama. LSU has been on a downswing in the past six weeks. Both Georgia and Florida hung 50 on the Bayou Bengals and although they took #1 Alabama to overtime, they still lost the game. The Weekly has constantly knocked LSU QB Jarrett Lee and rightly so. The sophomore from Brenham, Texas has been unimpressive at best. He's throw 13 touchdowns and 14 picks while only completing 53.4% of his passes. As The Weekly watches more and more football, we think it becomes more and more evident that defensive lines win and lose games. Stopping the run and creating pressure with your front four is essential in order to play winning football. The Trojans have SEC-quality talent on the defensive line. They are fifth in the country in sacks with 29, they'll get to and rattle Lee just enough to make this a game. Baton Rouge will be rockin' as always, but these Trojans are a feisty bunch. It may be a tough game, but Troy covers for us.
Oklahoma State at Colorado (+17.5), 8pm
The Weekly hates picking these late games since that means we have to sit around all day waiting and it seems like we've been taking lots of these late games in 2008, but we digress... The Cowboys are having a stellar season, but have historically had trouble winning in Boulder. More importantly, the Buffaloes have been solid at home this season. They're 5-1 at home with the lone loss coming against the mighty Longhorns from the University of Texas. Sophomore signal caller Cody Hawkins has been getting better every week and should be able to move the ball against a porous Okie State secondary. Buffs RB Rodney Stewart has been impressive in his rookie campaign and he gives Colorado another way to attack the Cowboy defense. The Oklahoma State offense may be a bit much for the Buffaloes to win this one outright, but Hawkins and Stewart will be able to give the Buffs a shot to win it in the 4th quarter.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
Beans' Weekly Winners: Week 11
Oklahoma State at Texas Tech (-3.5), 8pm
As we said you're going to see some old favorites this week. We love, love, love the Raiders in this spot. Oklahoma State is way too good to be overlooked by anyone, so this is certainly not a trap game. For those of us who were lucky enough to watch Saturday night's game between Texas and Texas Tech (yes, it was that good) you noticed that it was an extremely emotional game. Those fans in Lubbock were wild and the team definitely fed off of their excitement. This week should be no different. They'll be playing under the lights against a top 10 ranked Big XII South rival for the second straight week and those fans won't let the Red Raiders experience a letdown. For years we've been talking about Tech's offense, but now they have the defense to match it. The D-Line has been phenomenal all year long, especially last week against Texas. The Raiders should be able to slow the Cowboy running attack just enough to put QB Zac Robinson in some third-and-longs, where the Raiders thrive. The Raiders can get pressure on the quarterback without blitzing and have a pair of ballhawking safeties in Darcel McBath and Daniel Charbonnet, who have each picked off five balls this season. That combination will make it really tough, even for a potent offense like Oklahoma State, to make any long conversions. We worry a little about the hook here, so maybe you want to buy a half-point, but we're confident that the Harrell for Heisman campaign will come out of Week 11 with another win for its cause.
Purdue at Michigan State (-10), noon
Lots of factors at work in this play. The Boilermakers are not just a bad road team, they are a terrible road team. They're 0-3 and have yet to be competitive on the road this season. The defense ranks 91st in the nation against the rush, allowing 176 yards per game. That sounds like a recipe for disaster against a run-heavy Spartan offense. Weekly Favorite and Michigan State RB Javon Ringer has recovered from a virus and is expected to be at 100% for Saturday. Ringer hasn't rushed for 200 yards in a Big Ten game yet this year, we think that will change. Michigan State is still alive for a Big Ten championship despite losing to Ohio State a few weeks back. If they can win Saturday and then stage an upset of Penn State next week they would be conference champions thanks to a unique tiebreaker system which The Weekly applauds. In the event of a 3-way tie between Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan State, Michigan State would be awarded the conference title because they did not schedule a Division 1-AA opponent this year, while the other two purchased a couple of wins. Hopefully this would wake these schools up and force them to schedule some more challenging opponents. Anyway, this game will help set the table for Michigan State. Javon Ringer will personally account for more points than the entire Purdue team. Spartans win big.
Kansas (+1.5) at Nebraska, 2:30pm
Are we missing something here? Nebraska isn't a good football team. They have lost four of their past six games with the two wins coming over perennial Big XII cellar-dwellers Iowa State and Baylor. Kansas may have gotten lit up by Texas Tech and Oklahoma, but very few teams don't get lit up by Texas Tech and Oklahoma. Kansas QB Todd Reesing is the best quarterback that nobody cares about. Didn't this guy win the Orange Bowl last year? Doesn't this guy have 20 touchdown passes and over 2600 yards this year? Didn't this guy lead Kansas to a 76-39 win against Nebraska last year? Yes, yes and yes. Okay -- but now he's a one and a half point dog at Nebraska? Someone really mis-marked this line. Let's take advantage and hammer it. Kansas is tied for 1st place in the Big XII South and eyeing a showdown in the Border War with archrival Missouri for the division title. If they're going to trip up on their way to a division title it will be next week against Texas, not this week at Nebraska. Remember they hung 76 -- seventy-six -- points on the Huskers last year. The Husker D hasn't looked much better in 2008. Kansas hangs another 40 on the scoreboard and cruises to their 4th Big XII victory.
Cal at Southern California (-22), 8pm
Over/under 20.5 points against the USC defense over their final four regular season games? Sadly for their opponents, that's a legitimate question. The Bears' offense is going to have a long, long day at the office on Saturday. We could draw it out and talk about how USC has pitched three shutouts in its last four games and throw crazy stats out there like their opponents have averaged 7 points per game this year but it's really much simpler than that. A shaky offensive line + Nate Longshore as your quarterback + a pissed off USC defense = no points for Cal. The USC offense will grind out plenty of points. Until someone proves they can move the ball against these guys, we'll keep taking them. Look for something like Trojans 35 - Bears 3.
Good Luck. Many Hundos.
As we said you're going to see some old favorites this week. We love, love, love the Raiders in this spot. Oklahoma State is way too good to be overlooked by anyone, so this is certainly not a trap game. For those of us who were lucky enough to watch Saturday night's game between Texas and Texas Tech (yes, it was that good) you noticed that it was an extremely emotional game. Those fans in Lubbock were wild and the team definitely fed off of their excitement. This week should be no different. They'll be playing under the lights against a top 10 ranked Big XII South rival for the second straight week and those fans won't let the Red Raiders experience a letdown. For years we've been talking about Tech's offense, but now they have the defense to match it. The D-Line has been phenomenal all year long, especially last week against Texas. The Raiders should be able to slow the Cowboy running attack just enough to put QB Zac Robinson in some third-and-longs, where the Raiders thrive. The Raiders can get pressure on the quarterback without blitzing and have a pair of ballhawking safeties in Darcel McBath and Daniel Charbonnet, who have each picked off five balls this season. That combination will make it really tough, even for a potent offense like Oklahoma State, to make any long conversions. We worry a little about the hook here, so maybe you want to buy a half-point, but we're confident that the Harrell for Heisman campaign will come out of Week 11 with another win for its cause.
Purdue at Michigan State (-10), noon
Lots of factors at work in this play. The Boilermakers are not just a bad road team, they are a terrible road team. They're 0-3 and have yet to be competitive on the road this season. The defense ranks 91st in the nation against the rush, allowing 176 yards per game. That sounds like a recipe for disaster against a run-heavy Spartan offense. Weekly Favorite and Michigan State RB Javon Ringer has recovered from a virus and is expected to be at 100% for Saturday. Ringer hasn't rushed for 200 yards in a Big Ten game yet this year, we think that will change. Michigan State is still alive for a Big Ten championship despite losing to Ohio State a few weeks back. If they can win Saturday and then stage an upset of Penn State next week they would be conference champions thanks to a unique tiebreaker system which The Weekly applauds. In the event of a 3-way tie between Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan State, Michigan State would be awarded the conference title because they did not schedule a Division 1-AA opponent this year, while the other two purchased a couple of wins. Hopefully this would wake these schools up and force them to schedule some more challenging opponents. Anyway, this game will help set the table for Michigan State. Javon Ringer will personally account for more points than the entire Purdue team. Spartans win big.
Kansas (+1.5) at Nebraska, 2:30pm
Are we missing something here? Nebraska isn't a good football team. They have lost four of their past six games with the two wins coming over perennial Big XII cellar-dwellers Iowa State and Baylor. Kansas may have gotten lit up by Texas Tech and Oklahoma, but very few teams don't get lit up by Texas Tech and Oklahoma. Kansas QB Todd Reesing is the best quarterback that nobody cares about. Didn't this guy win the Orange Bowl last year? Doesn't this guy have 20 touchdown passes and over 2600 yards this year? Didn't this guy lead Kansas to a 76-39 win against Nebraska last year? Yes, yes and yes. Okay -- but now he's a one and a half point dog at Nebraska? Someone really mis-marked this line. Let's take advantage and hammer it. Kansas is tied for 1st place in the Big XII South and eyeing a showdown in the Border War with archrival Missouri for the division title. If they're going to trip up on their way to a division title it will be next week against Texas, not this week at Nebraska. Remember they hung 76 -- seventy-six -- points on the Huskers last year. The Husker D hasn't looked much better in 2008. Kansas hangs another 40 on the scoreboard and cruises to their 4th Big XII victory.
Cal at Southern California (-22), 8pm
Over/under 20.5 points against the USC defense over their final four regular season games? Sadly for their opponents, that's a legitimate question. The Bears' offense is going to have a long, long day at the office on Saturday. We could draw it out and talk about how USC has pitched three shutouts in its last four games and throw crazy stats out there like their opponents have averaged 7 points per game this year but it's really much simpler than that. A shaky offensive line + Nate Longshore as your quarterback + a pissed off USC defense = no points for Cal. The USC offense will grind out plenty of points. Until someone proves they can move the ball against these guys, we'll keep taking them. Look for something like Trojans 35 - Bears 3.
Good Luck. Many Hundos.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Mister Ted's Take on this past week in NFL
How much longer until TO comes out and says he hasn't scored enough touchdowns yet this season? Over/under is at 2 weeks....The Buccaneers either forgot to watch tape on the Cowboys last week or just aren't very good. Three field goals was all they could manage on a defense that last week made Stephen Jackson look like Bo Jackson from Tecmo Super Bowl?
I could have sworn Mike Martz left the Lions for the 49ers last season, but I'm guessing he still might be calling in plays to Coach Marinelli (33 yards from their 2 RBs)…Portis ran for 126 more yards Sunday, continuing his dominance. Santana Moss stole the show though with his 80 yard punt return for a TD, after it looked like he would be tackled for a 1 yard loss.
Joey Porter leads the league in sacks with an insane 10.5 through 7 games. Amazing how much more effective he is in a 3-4 D…Buffalo lost 3 fumbles in the process of falling to the Fish; I guess it was the kiss of death I gave them last week (your welcome AFC East fans).
So much for the Rams winning streak; at least they're playing competitive football and have some life on both sides of the team (top pick Chris Long notched 2 sacks)…I don't remember the last time this has happened in a game, but the Patriots played a perfect, penalty-less game on Sunday. Is it me, or is that pretty uncommon in the game today?
Drew Brees continues to impress me each week. To me, he is Steve Nash in pads. Both players left their original teams to play somewhere else, they spread the ball around to everyone, they see things develop before everyone else, and are just flat out fun to watch.
Pretty ironic that the most exciting game the Jets played was on Sunday against former coach Herm Edwards. Three Jets turnovers apparently was not enough for the Chiefs to win, but two things are for sure. One, Leon Washington needs the rock more, and two, the Jets are playing not to lose, which won't account for many wins in this league.
Brian Westbrook's return to the lineup was too much for a young Falcons team to overcome; as long as he is healthy the Eagles have a shot at the playoffs…the Ryan/White connection is reminding me a lot of the Manning/Harrison connection earlier in their careers. Ryan might not have the potential that Peyton has, but Roddy White's ceiling is as high as Marvin's.
Good to see Anquan Boldin back to catching touchdowns after that vicious hit he took in New York. If only the Cardinals secondary could have covered and tackled Steve Smith, they might have come out with a win (side-note: Boldin also led the Cardinals in rushing with 30 yards).
192 yards on the ground for Baltimore set the tone against the Raiders. I'm sure Al Davis is still convinced that this is all somehow Lane Kiffin's fault. What a joke this franchise has become.
Someone please take the 2008 Cincinnati Bengals out back and put a bullet in them…just put them out of their misery already.
Good news: Matt Jones doesn't snort cocaine anymore, but I was convinced on Sunday he snorted more than enough smelling salt on the sidelines; he finally came to play on a Sunday. Bad news: the rest of the Jaguars looked like they stayed up all night blowing lines off their playbooks. Not looking good for the Jaguars this season…
The Giants defense exposed a major flaw in the Steelers offense: the offensive line. Pressure Roethlisburger and watch the dividends pay off. Aside from the two touchdowns the Steelers had, the offense looked like nothing special. The GMen proved that they can still play with anyone in the league.
Congratulations to Coach Singletary for guaranteeing himself a spot on ESPN for the rest of his life after he went nuts on Vernon Davis. Good tirade, but definitely not the best. Ditka easily takes that one down, followed closely by Dennis Green's "They are who we thought they were" explosion. Of course you can never rule out Herm's infamous "You play to win the game" speech.
The Titans keep winning, and Peyton Manning continues to grimace at the very thought of his team not only bowing down to a new division winner but also not even making the playoffs at all. What a world we live in where a Kerry Collins led team is undefeated. I've got nothing but respect for him and what Jeff Fisher continues to do in Hicksville, USA.
I could have sworn Mike Martz left the Lions for the 49ers last season, but I'm guessing he still might be calling in plays to Coach Marinelli (33 yards from their 2 RBs)…Portis ran for 126 more yards Sunday, continuing his dominance. Santana Moss stole the show though with his 80 yard punt return for a TD, after it looked like he would be tackled for a 1 yard loss.
Joey Porter leads the league in sacks with an insane 10.5 through 7 games. Amazing how much more effective he is in a 3-4 D…Buffalo lost 3 fumbles in the process of falling to the Fish; I guess it was the kiss of death I gave them last week (your welcome AFC East fans).
So much for the Rams winning streak; at least they're playing competitive football and have some life on both sides of the team (top pick Chris Long notched 2 sacks)…I don't remember the last time this has happened in a game, but the Patriots played a perfect, penalty-less game on Sunday. Is it me, or is that pretty uncommon in the game today?
Drew Brees continues to impress me each week. To me, he is Steve Nash in pads. Both players left their original teams to play somewhere else, they spread the ball around to everyone, they see things develop before everyone else, and are just flat out fun to watch.
Pretty ironic that the most exciting game the Jets played was on Sunday against former coach Herm Edwards. Three Jets turnovers apparently was not enough for the Chiefs to win, but two things are for sure. One, Leon Washington needs the rock more, and two, the Jets are playing not to lose, which won't account for many wins in this league.
Brian Westbrook's return to the lineup was too much for a young Falcons team to overcome; as long as he is healthy the Eagles have a shot at the playoffs…the Ryan/White connection is reminding me a lot of the Manning/Harrison connection earlier in their careers. Ryan might not have the potential that Peyton has, but Roddy White's ceiling is as high as Marvin's.
Good to see Anquan Boldin back to catching touchdowns after that vicious hit he took in New York. If only the Cardinals secondary could have covered and tackled Steve Smith, they might have come out with a win (side-note: Boldin also led the Cardinals in rushing with 30 yards).
192 yards on the ground for Baltimore set the tone against the Raiders. I'm sure Al Davis is still convinced that this is all somehow Lane Kiffin's fault. What a joke this franchise has become.
Someone please take the 2008 Cincinnati Bengals out back and put a bullet in them…just put them out of their misery already.
Good news: Matt Jones doesn't snort cocaine anymore, but I was convinced on Sunday he snorted more than enough smelling salt on the sidelines; he finally came to play on a Sunday. Bad news: the rest of the Jaguars looked like they stayed up all night blowing lines off their playbooks. Not looking good for the Jaguars this season…
The Giants defense exposed a major flaw in the Steelers offense: the offensive line. Pressure Roethlisburger and watch the dividends pay off. Aside from the two touchdowns the Steelers had, the offense looked like nothing special. The GMen proved that they can still play with anyone in the league.
Congratulations to Coach Singletary for guaranteeing himself a spot on ESPN for the rest of his life after he went nuts on Vernon Davis. Good tirade, but definitely not the best. Ditka easily takes that one down, followed closely by Dennis Green's "They are who we thought they were" explosion. Of course you can never rule out Herm's infamous "You play to win the game" speech.
The Titans keep winning, and Peyton Manning continues to grimace at the very thought of his team not only bowing down to a new division winner but also not even making the playoffs at all. What a world we live in where a Kerry Collins led team is undefeated. I've got nothing but respect for him and what Jeff Fisher continues to do in Hicksville, USA.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Big Baby Dean's PickSlip for 10/25
The Thursday Night game ended awful. I still cannot believe it. However, in this business you know you will win some and lose some. The losses you have to forget about and begin to look for new potential winners. Well read below for my Saturday picks:
6* South Florida (-4) @ Louisville 330pm
Love Love Love this game. In the past I have always been on South Florida's side but I think this may be the first time I am picking them this year. Please tell me this is Louisville's homecoming because thats the only thing that may keep this game close. Both teams haven't played the toughest schedules but USF looks night and day over Louisville. The Bulls can attack Louisville with the strong run game or even through the air. Grothe will take charge and lead South Florida in this one.
Pick: South Florida (-4)
4* Georgia (PK) @ LSU 330pm
SEC road dogs are on fire this year. On top of that, to me these teams are heading in separate directions and you will see for yourself on Saturday. The Bulldogs are led by Matthew Stafford and Jersey native Knowshon Moreno. Georgia's defense will be all over the LSU offense. The Bulldogs have too much firepower in this game and will win outright.
Pick: Georgia (PK)
3* Michigan State (-3.5) vs Michigan 330pm
Look for Javon Ringer and the Spartan offense to bounce back after that humiliating loss to the Buckeyes last week. Michigan has not shown much and I don't think this week will be the week for them. The Spartan defense will be amped up and will be too much for the Meeshigan offense. The spread is low because its a rivalry game at Michigan and MSU is coming off a big loss. Take the Spartans. Pick: Michigan State (-3.5)
2* Oklahoma State @ Texas (Over 66.5) 330pm
There is a reason that this total is so high. We will see lots of point in this one. Both of these teams can put a lot of points up quickly. Texas is averaging 48 pts a game and they didn't exactly play walkover teams. This was against some good competition. Oklahoma State is putting up 46 a game. Try and watch this game fellas if you want to see a back and forth game with a lot of points. To me, this is what college ball is about. The new ncaa rules scare me a little, but doesn't seem to scare these 2 teams. Colt McCoy and Zac Robinson will surely be trading back TD for TD in this one. Pick: OSU / Texas (Over 66.5)
2* USC @ Arizona (+16) 1015pm
USC is still one of the most explosive teams on offense and defense in all of football. They are still the team to beat in my opinion. However, this is a veteran Arizona team under a good up and coming coach. Willy Tuitama and Nic Grigsby will be the focal points for the USC defense. Also, Arizona has not lost on homecoming in a few years now. I don't know if this trend will stand, but I think they will definitely cover the game. Arizona only lost by 7 pts last year and tomorrow they will be in their back yard. 3 scores is a lot against a veteran Wildcat team who has been playing everyone tough. Pick: Arizona (+16)
2* Ole Miss (-5) @ Arkansas 7pm
This is a very underrated game since both teams are 1-3 in the SEC West this year. Both teams have played Alabama and Florida. Arkansas went through a stretch of playing Bama, Texas, Florida, and Auburn. Thats insane but hey, thats what you get when you are in the SEC. Ole Miss needs to stop Michael Smith to take control of this game. One way they can do this is to get out to an early lead with QB Jevan Snead and WR's Shay Hodge and Dexter McCluster. Pick: Ole Miss (-5)
1* Penn St (-2.5) @ Ohio State 8pm
I have to throw a small unit on this game just to have action. Look I have fallen in love with this Penn State team this year and think it will be a good way to send Joe Pa off by winning a Big 10 championship and maybe even a chance at the National Championship game. OK ..it is still early to be talking National Championship, but if they win this one at the Horseshoe, we mine as well start talking. This game will get off to a slow start and will probably be low scoring. Terelle Pryor is looking good and has a very good future, but I don't think he is ready for this big game yet. Go easy on this game fellas. Pick: Penn State (-2.5)
6* South Florida (-4) @ Louisville 330pm
Love Love Love this game. In the past I have always been on South Florida's side but I think this may be the first time I am picking them this year. Please tell me this is Louisville's homecoming because thats the only thing that may keep this game close. Both teams haven't played the toughest schedules but USF looks night and day over Louisville. The Bulls can attack Louisville with the strong run game or even through the air. Grothe will take charge and lead South Florida in this one.
Pick: South Florida (-4)
4* Georgia (PK) @ LSU 330pm
SEC road dogs are on fire this year. On top of that, to me these teams are heading in separate directions and you will see for yourself on Saturday. The Bulldogs are led by Matthew Stafford and Jersey native Knowshon Moreno. Georgia's defense will be all over the LSU offense. The Bulldogs have too much firepower in this game and will win outright.
Pick: Georgia (PK)
3* Michigan State (-3.5) vs Michigan 330pm
Look for Javon Ringer and the Spartan offense to bounce back after that humiliating loss to the Buckeyes last week. Michigan has not shown much and I don't think this week will be the week for them. The Spartan defense will be amped up and will be too much for the Meeshigan offense. The spread is low because its a rivalry game at Michigan and MSU is coming off a big loss. Take the Spartans. Pick: Michigan State (-3.5)
2* Oklahoma State @ Texas (Over 66.5) 330pm
There is a reason that this total is so high. We will see lots of point in this one. Both of these teams can put a lot of points up quickly. Texas is averaging 48 pts a game and they didn't exactly play walkover teams. This was against some good competition. Oklahoma State is putting up 46 a game. Try and watch this game fellas if you want to see a back and forth game with a lot of points. To me, this is what college ball is about. The new ncaa rules scare me a little, but doesn't seem to scare these 2 teams. Colt McCoy and Zac Robinson will surely be trading back TD for TD in this one. Pick: OSU / Texas (Over 66.5)
2* USC @ Arizona (+16) 1015pm
USC is still one of the most explosive teams on offense and defense in all of football. They are still the team to beat in my opinion. However, this is a veteran Arizona team under a good up and coming coach. Willy Tuitama and Nic Grigsby will be the focal points for the USC defense. Also, Arizona has not lost on homecoming in a few years now. I don't know if this trend will stand, but I think they will definitely cover the game. Arizona only lost by 7 pts last year and tomorrow they will be in their back yard. 3 scores is a lot against a veteran Wildcat team who has been playing everyone tough. Pick: Arizona (+16)
2* Ole Miss (-5) @ Arkansas 7pm
This is a very underrated game since both teams are 1-3 in the SEC West this year. Both teams have played Alabama and Florida. Arkansas went through a stretch of playing Bama, Texas, Florida, and Auburn. Thats insane but hey, thats what you get when you are in the SEC. Ole Miss needs to stop Michael Smith to take control of this game. One way they can do this is to get out to an early lead with QB Jevan Snead and WR's Shay Hodge and Dexter McCluster. Pick: Ole Miss (-5)
1* Penn St (-2.5) @ Ohio State 8pm
I have to throw a small unit on this game just to have action. Look I have fallen in love with this Penn State team this year and think it will be a good way to send Joe Pa off by winning a Big 10 championship and maybe even a chance at the National Championship game. OK ..it is still early to be talking National Championship, but if they win this one at the Horseshoe, we mine as well start talking. This game will get off to a slow start and will probably be low scoring. Terelle Pryor is looking good and has a very good future, but I don't think he is ready for this big game yet. Go easy on this game fellas. Pick: Penn State (-2.5)
Beans' Weekly Winners: Week 9
Texas Tech (+1) at Kansas, noon
The Weekly was somewhat shocked to see this line. Texas Tech comes into this game riding its longest undefeated start in 30 years by winning each of their first seven games. Tech QB Graham Harrell is one of the reasons why the entire nation is focused on the Big XII. Over his last four games he's completed nearly 80% of his passes, even while some of his top wide outs have been banged up. Well the bad news for Kansas is that Michael Crabtree and Co. should be healthy and ready to explode this weekend in Lawrence. Kansas QB Todd Reesing is one of the most underrated players in the nation. He seems to always be overlooked because of the elite talent at his position within his conference. Reesing is a very good college quarterback, but can the offensive line give him enough time to make plays? The KU O-Line ranks 73rd in the nation in sacks allowed, and is going up against a defensive front which seems to be coming into its own. Ultimately we think that the underachieving offensive line won't be able to protect Reesing enough or run the ball enough to keep the Red Raider offense off the field. Kansas will put up points, but it won't be enough to stop Weekly Favorite Mike Leach's high octane offense.
South Florida (-3.5) at Louisville, 3:30pm
The Bulls still aren't getting the respect they deserve from the odds makers. A healthy South Florida team is going to be very, very tough to beat in the Big East this year. Don't let Louisville's 4-2 record fool you, they've played a glorified Sun Belt schedule. Three of their four wins have come over Tennessee Tech, Memphis and Middle Tennessee State. Thanks to that soft schedule RB Victor Anderson has averaged 7.0 yards per carry and rushed for six touchdowns. It is highly unlikely that he's going to be able to put up numbers like that against this South Florida defense, which means the ball will be in the hands of QB Hunter Cantwell. Against the aforementioned soft schedule, Cantwell has thrown for just eight touchdowns and eight interceptions, not a good ratio. The Bulls have a veteran team and know how to win on the road. They've won all three road games in 2008 and have won eight of their last ten away from Tampa. The Bulls are on a roll, tough away from home and playing an untested opponent. All signs point to a double-digit victory.
Penn State at Ohio State (+2), 8pm
Ohio State isn't playing in the national championship, whether they run the table or not. Don't let any Buckeyes tell you that they deserve it if they win out. They don't. This is a different team than the one who lost to USC, but that embarrassing USC loss still counts. The key here is that they are a different team than the one in early September. We saw it last week in their dominating win at Michigan State. Everyone knows what a healthy Beanie Wells can do, but Terrelle Prior is the one who is making the biggest difference for the OSU offense. He can make plays with his legs that Todd Boeckman can only dream about. More importantly, this Buckeye defense is one of the best in America, better than anything these Lions have seen. Penn State's first year starting QB Daryll Clark has been extremely impressive, but playing the Buckeyes at the Horseshoe is a different animal. Clark is playing behind an offensive line which is just okay, nothing special. Let's see how Clark responds to playing under college football's brightest lights, in the face of intense pressure from an incredibly fast defense. Penn State hasn't won in Columbus since 1978, we think that streak will continue.
UNLV at BYU (-23.5), 2pm
The Cougars are coming off their first loss in over a year. This is still a really good football team, and potent offense. QB Max Hall is one of the nation's best passers, one loss won't change that. Last week they ran into a TCU defense which, when playing well, can be as good as anyone in America. The Horned Frogs were the more focused team and took it to BYU. BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall is one of the brightest young coaches in college football and we expect his team to come out ready to dominate a lesser opponent. UNLV had an impressive win at then No. 15 Arizona State. A few weeks later that win doesn't look quite as impressive, since it looks like it's going to be a rebuilding year in Tempe. The Runnin' Rebels are coming off of three straight conference losses and have given up 229 points in seven games. The Cougars are ready to light up the scoreboard in front of the home crowd and stay in the hunt for a Mountain West championship. Cougars run away from the Rebels in this one.
The Weekly was somewhat shocked to see this line. Texas Tech comes into this game riding its longest undefeated start in 30 years by winning each of their first seven games. Tech QB Graham Harrell is one of the reasons why the entire nation is focused on the Big XII. Over his last four games he's completed nearly 80% of his passes, even while some of his top wide outs have been banged up. Well the bad news for Kansas is that Michael Crabtree and Co. should be healthy and ready to explode this weekend in Lawrence. Kansas QB Todd Reesing is one of the most underrated players in the nation. He seems to always be overlooked because of the elite talent at his position within his conference. Reesing is a very good college quarterback, but can the offensive line give him enough time to make plays? The KU O-Line ranks 73rd in the nation in sacks allowed, and is going up against a defensive front which seems to be coming into its own. Ultimately we think that the underachieving offensive line won't be able to protect Reesing enough or run the ball enough to keep the Red Raider offense off the field. Kansas will put up points, but it won't be enough to stop Weekly Favorite Mike Leach's high octane offense.
South Florida (-3.5) at Louisville, 3:30pm
The Bulls still aren't getting the respect they deserve from the odds makers. A healthy South Florida team is going to be very, very tough to beat in the Big East this year. Don't let Louisville's 4-2 record fool you, they've played a glorified Sun Belt schedule. Three of their four wins have come over Tennessee Tech, Memphis and Middle Tennessee State. Thanks to that soft schedule RB Victor Anderson has averaged 7.0 yards per carry and rushed for six touchdowns. It is highly unlikely that he's going to be able to put up numbers like that against this South Florida defense, which means the ball will be in the hands of QB Hunter Cantwell. Against the aforementioned soft schedule, Cantwell has thrown for just eight touchdowns and eight interceptions, not a good ratio. The Bulls have a veteran team and know how to win on the road. They've won all three road games in 2008 and have won eight of their last ten away from Tampa. The Bulls are on a roll, tough away from home and playing an untested opponent. All signs point to a double-digit victory.
Penn State at Ohio State (+2), 8pm
Ohio State isn't playing in the national championship, whether they run the table or not. Don't let any Buckeyes tell you that they deserve it if they win out. They don't. This is a different team than the one who lost to USC, but that embarrassing USC loss still counts. The key here is that they are a different team than the one in early September. We saw it last week in their dominating win at Michigan State. Everyone knows what a healthy Beanie Wells can do, but Terrelle Prior is the one who is making the biggest difference for the OSU offense. He can make plays with his legs that Todd Boeckman can only dream about. More importantly, this Buckeye defense is one of the best in America, better than anything these Lions have seen. Penn State's first year starting QB Daryll Clark has been extremely impressive, but playing the Buckeyes at the Horseshoe is a different animal. Clark is playing behind an offensive line which is just okay, nothing special. Let's see how Clark responds to playing under college football's brightest lights, in the face of intense pressure from an incredibly fast defense. Penn State hasn't won in Columbus since 1978, we think that streak will continue.
UNLV at BYU (-23.5), 2pm
The Cougars are coming off their first loss in over a year. This is still a really good football team, and potent offense. QB Max Hall is one of the nation's best passers, one loss won't change that. Last week they ran into a TCU defense which, when playing well, can be as good as anyone in America. The Horned Frogs were the more focused team and took it to BYU. BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall is one of the brightest young coaches in college football and we expect his team to come out ready to dominate a lesser opponent. UNLV had an impressive win at then No. 15 Arizona State. A few weeks later that win doesn't look quite as impressive, since it looks like it's going to be a rebuilding year in Tempe. The Runnin' Rebels are coming off of three straight conference losses and have given up 229 points in seven games. The Cougars are ready to light up the scoreboard in front of the home crowd and stay in the hunt for a Mountain West championship. Cougars run away from the Rebels in this one.
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