Category Archives: manti te’o

2015 NFL Team Preview: San Diego Chargers

The San Diego Chargers have been playing second and third fiddle in the AFC West to Denver and Kansas City. They can’t seem to get over the hump.

Many have pointed the finger at quarterback Philip Rivers, but I don’t see him being the reason. Tight end Antonio Gates hasn’t been able to stay healthy and the rest of their receivers haven’t been up to the task. Also, Rivers misses a LaDanian Tomlinson-like running back. Ryan Matthews was not a fit there. They have yet to find the right running back.

The Chargers selected running back Melvin Gordon early in the 2015 NFL Draft. Could he be the answer in San Diego?

Here is the 2015 NFL team preview for the San Diego Chargers.

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2012 NCAA Football – Week 11 Betting Picks

I’ve had a very successful college football season. The spreads have been easy to work with and the favorites have covered in a lot of games I picked. Notre Dame has been fairly dependable to cover the spread (except last week), so their game against Boston College looks like a quality play in Week 11.

Will Oregon State keep surprising Vegas? They have done very well in the Pac-12 against the spread. They are on the road and play in Palo Alto on Saturday. Is Stanford up to the task of stopping the Beavers from winning a moneyline play?

We breakdown the bets and pick some NCAA college football games against the spread.

Florida State (-14.5) at Virginia Tech (+14.5) – My pick is Virginia Tech +14.5

Both of these teams are under .500 against the spread this season. I think this line is too high for Florida State to cover on the road. Blacksburg is a tough place to play at night. Even though VT is having a down year, the crowd will be into this one.

Louisville (-3) at Syracuse (+3) – My pick is Louisville -3

Louisville is coming off a tough loss to Cincinnati. They will be motivated to keep their great season alive. Syracuse is no pushover, but Louisville is 14-4 ATS (against the spread) in their last 18 road games.

Massachusetts (+17) at Akron (-17) – My pick is Akron -17

This game will be ugly. UMass has yet to win a game and Akron has only one win under their belt. In their last three games, UMass has been outscored 136-7. Akron will cover in this contest.

Arizona State (+9) at USC (-9) – My pick is USC -9

USC is coming off of two losses against Pac-12 opponents…in games they could have won. The are coming into this game with a chip on their shoulder. ASU is a good team, but I see USC winning this game large.

Notre Dame (-19) at Boston College (+19) – My pick is Notre Dame -19

The Fighting Irish know they are lucky to come out of last week’s game unbeaten. They were leapfrogged by Oregon in the BCS polls and need to start winning games with extra style points. I don’t expect Notre Dame to lay off the accelerator in this contest. I know 19 points is a big number to cover on the road, but I expect them to cover the spread.

Wyoming (-1) at New Mexico (+1) – My pick is Wyoming -1

I have long had a love affair with the Wyoming Cowboys…from a betting standpoint. I spent most of the 2009 betting with them and I had a nice season. They are 6-2 against the spread in their last eight road games. New Mexico is an improved team, but Wyoming will leave Albuquerque with the upset.

West Virgina (+7.5) at Oklahoma State (-7.5) – My pick is Oklahoma State -7.5

I have been burned by West Virginia too many times this season. They are coming off three losses in which they looked pedestrian at times. Oklahoma State is 8-1 ATS at home following a loss. I trust them much more than the Mountaineers at this point in the season. The O/U is currently 79, which could easily be blown out of the water by the beginning of the fourth quarter.

Texas A&M (+14) at Alabama (-14) – My pick is Texas A&M +14

Texas A&M and Alabama both have close games against Oregon this season. The Aggies have done very well against the SEC this season. They are an unfamiliar opponent and have taken advantage of the unknown. They had a stretch in the middle of the season that was rough, but rebounded in the last three weeks. If Texas A&M can get their passing game going again, this game could be very close.

Mississippi State (+14.5) at LSU (-14.5) – My pick is LSU -14.5

MSU haven’t played very well the last two games. They were down to Texas A&M by five touchdowns by halftime. LSU is coming off a tough loss to Alabama last week. They always play every team well and never play down to the other team’s talent. LSU should have this spread covered by halftime.

Vanderbilt (+3) at Mississippi (-3) – My pick is Mississippi -3

Ole Miss is 7-2 ATS this season. Vegas and the betting community doesn’t seem to give them much respect. Vanderbilt has looked impressive the last two weeks, but it was against winless UMass and a Kentucky, who look like a high school team. This is close to a lock, since this line should stay around -3, with the public looking at the box scores from the last two Vandy games.

The betting lines are courtesy of Sportsbook.ag. These picks are for entertainment purposes.

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

2012 College Football Preview: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Joe Pasquali, our resident college football analyst, is back again this year to cover NCAA college football. We will be unveiling his Big Ten team previews later this week, but to whet your appetite, here is his 2012 college football preview for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

The 2011 season was a frustrating one for the Irish, a year marred by turnovers, late game collapses, and inconsistent play on the offensive side of the football. Notre Dame ranked 118th (third from the bottom) in turnover margin last year, forcing 14 while turning the ball over 29 times. Many turnovers came in crucial points in the game or in the red zone (where ND finished 88th in efficiency), making it nearly impossible to win games. This year Notre Dame returns 15 starters and a wealth of experience on both sides of the ball, making them some people’s dark horse in 2012. Though picking the Irish for a rebound seems like the thing to do every summer, their schedule makes it impossible for me to do so. With no set quarterback and the loss of Michael Floyd you can chalk up losses to Michigan State, Michigan, USC and Oklahoma. Outside of that, they still play talented teams in Stanford, Miami (FL), and BYU. Oh, and don’t forget pesky little Purdue.

Offense (B)

Quarterback Tommy Rees decided to kick a cop and is serving a one game suspension for the Irish, though many people weren’t sure if he would have been the opening day starter anyways. Andrew Hendrix, Everett Golson, and Gunner Kiel are battling for the starting position and the current word is Golson has a head up on the others. It’d be no surprise if we saw all four quarterbacks at some point this year; Brian Kelly has shown he has no qualms about switching QB’s, even mid game. Cierre Wood returns as the starting running back and impressed last year with 1,102 yards and 9 touchdowns. Tyler Eifert is an all-American and all around stud at tight end. He should make the job for whoever is throwing the ball a bit easier, he is a huge target and has great hands.

Defense (A-)

The front seven of Notre Dame is very experienced and should improve on what was a decent year in 2011. All- American Manti Te’o leads a linebacker core that is as physical and good against the run as any in the country. The front three are back as well, and though a little thin, are very disruptive. The secondary could see a lot of rotation in 2012, especially at the corner position. Juniors Lo Wood and Bennett Jackson should step into the starting roles but if they can’t stop big plays on the outside Kelly will look to younger players. Breakout player to watch is freshman Aaron Lynch who should see some time at defensive end.

Special Teams (B)

Nick Tausch looks to have regained the kicking duties after not seeing any game action last season. He made 14 consecutive field goals as a freshman before his season ended early with an injury. Ben Turk enters his third season as punter for Notre Dame and has averaged 39.0 yards a punt in his career.

Coaching (B)

Brian Kelly has had success at every program he has coached, all the way from Grand Valley State to Cincinnati. Back to back 8-5 seasons doesn’t seem that bad, but it was the way Notre Dame lost games in 2011 that left fans with a bad taste in their mouth. Notre Dame at times looked rattled and without leadership, this starts at the top. Though the schedule is brutal, people have high expectations out of Notre Dame, even if those expectations are somewhat unrealistic. You hate to say it is a make or break year for Brian Kelly, but his predecessors didn’t get long to make an impact either.

2012 Win/Loss Prediction: 7-5

A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.

Why Manti Te’o Signed With Notre Dame

Manti Te’o, who is considered to be the best defensive recruiting prospect, decided that he will attened the University of Notre Dame. This is a huge shock to many experts who had him going to either USC or UCLA. There are many reasons why Te’o should have signed with either of those Pac-10 schools, but I will explain one main reason why Manti Te’o signed on to wear a golden helmet during his college career.

There are so many reasons why a top defensive recruit wouldn’t choose Notre Dame, especially a guy like Manti Te’o. For starters, he is a devoted Mormon and Notre Dame is one of the large Catholic universities in the U.S. He is so devoted that he wants to go mission work when he turns 19, which could delay his arrival to Notre Dame. Also, Notre Dame hasn’t had a decent defense since Chris Zorich and Bobby Taylor were in college. And lastly, Notre Dame seemed to be inches away from firing Charlie Weis and he could be playing for a different coach by the time he is finished with his college career. Those are all huge reasons why Te’o shouldn’t have signed with the Irish, but yet he did.

Going into last season, the Irish expected to make some sort of bowl game by the end of the year. I’m not sure if they were thinking that they would end up playing Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl, but it could have been a blessing. Manti Te’o is from Hawaii and I’m 100% sure that he watched the Hawaii Bowl very closely. The Irish looked very polished and made easy work of the Rainbow Warriors, it could be considered that it was their best overall team goal. If the Irish didn’t up in the Hawaii Bowl or any bowl game period, they wouldn’t have had a shot at Te’o.

USC should have snatched Te’o up very easily. They have a long lineage of Pacific-Rim descendants have very good careers as a Trojan. Troy Polamalu, Junior Seau, and most recently, Rey Maualuga, to name a few, played in huge games and made the USC program what it is today. One negative about playing at USC is that they are extremely stacked at every position. Te’o probably wouldn’t have had any trouble breaking into the starting line-up, but at Notre Dame he could start as a freshman.

Congratulations to Notre Dame for landing a top defensive recruit. This speaks a lot about the recruiting skills of Charlie Weis and proves that the Golden Dome can still attract top-flight athletes. If Te’o ends up on campus next season, it could catapult the Irish into a top-25 ranking at some point next season. They were a very young team last year and most of their starters will be back next year. Expect big things in South Bend in 2009, even if they do have two Golic boys.

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A Sports & Entertainment blog that focuses on absurdity in sports, snarky banter, updates on Tim Tebow’s virginity, and decent sports gambling advice.