Category Archives: notre dame

‘National Signing Day’ – All-Name Team

‘National Signing Day’ has come and gone. Now that the young men have picked their hat out of a line reminiscent of the shell game on “The Price Is Right”, we have a better idea of which colleges won the recruiting battle. You may not know who these young men are right now, but in a few years, some of these men will be in line to win the Heisman Trophy and/or a National Championship. Until then, we only have the names of these future college football stars to go by.

Here is a list of some of the best names of the incoming 2013 college football class…and a few players who already have famous names. Here’s a hint, one of their fathers had an exciting Sunday. Continue reading →

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.

Syracuse’s Fab Melo Ruled Ineligible

The East Region’s #1 seed, Syracuse Orange, will be without their star center, Fab Melo, for the entire NCAA Tournament. Yahoo! Sports reports that Melo will sit out due to eligibility issues. Syracuse’s lone Big East loss was against Notre Dame, a game in which Melo had to sit out due to the same eligibility issues. The Orange haven’t released a public statement explaining why Melo won’t be playing in the tournament.

Melo’s defensive ability will be missed the most. He only scores 7.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, but he registers nearly three blocks (2.9) per game. The 7-footer’s absence will leave a large hole in the paint. Kris Joseph and C.J. Fair will have to play their best to fill the void. Syracuse may need to rely on Baye Keita and Rakeem Christmas to play more minutes. They are a deep team and play an extended rotation, but this could lead to an early exit in this year’s tournament.

This is a huge hit to Syracuse’s shot at winning the NCAA Tournament. Ohio State, the #2 seed in Syracuse’s bracket, are looking like the new favorites in the East Region. If Syracuse makes it to the Elite Eight and faces the Buckeyes, the Orange will have a very difficult time with Jared Sullinger. His inside game is powerful and a team needs size in order to stifle the young star.

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

35 Snarky Reasons To Watch Every Bowl Game

There are 35 college football bowl games this season and to be honest, not all of them are worth watching. I do my best, or worst, to try and convince everyone to tune into every bowl game this season. I use cheerleader quality, famous alumni, Justin Bieber lookalikes, and Hawaiian shirts to coax you. Also, I added a picture of the USC song girls, just because you know you will miss them this bowl season.

New Mexico Bowl: December 18th: BYU vs. UTEP – This game is hard to promote. Jenn Brown is the sideline reporter and it could be funny to hear her try to attempt to pronounce BYU’s Kalama Kaluhiokalani.

uDrove Humanitarian Bowl: December 18th: Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State – NIU’s head coach left to coach Minnesota and Fresno State was destroyed the last time they played on the blue turf. I suggest drinking until the blue turf starts to look like a lake and you think you’re watching a water polo match.

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: December 18th: Ohio vs. Troy – Justin Bieber plays wide receiver for Troy.

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl: December 21st: Southern Mississippi vs. Louisville – Man Law #345 – If a bowl game is sponsored by meat, you must watch.

MAACO Las Vegas Bowl: December 22nd: Utah vs. Boise State – You may see a few Utah fans head explode just from being in Las Vegas.

S.D. County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: December 23rd: Navy vs. San Diego State – Drink every time Craig James says something that makes you want to punch him…you’ll be blacked-out by halftime.

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: December 24th: Hawaii vs. Tulsa – Although nothing will beat the year Notre Dame played in this bowl and Charle Weis sported an Hawaiian shirt, it’s always funny to see head coaches look like extras from an episode of Magnum P.I.

Little Caesars Bowl: December 26th: Florida International vs. Toledo – The legendary broadcast team of Dave Lamont, JC Pearson & Quint Kessenich will announce this game, enough said.

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl: December 27th: Air Force vs. Georgia Tech – The triple-option versus the triple option…quarterbacks might just want to sit this game out.

Champs Sports Bowl: December 28th: West Virginia vs. NC State – The over/under on the amount of WCW’s NwO Wolfpac t-shirts in crowd will be at 30.5…and those will just be from West Virginia wrestling fans.

Insight Bowl: December 28th: Missouri vs. Iowa – Okay, nothing to watch here, the country is still laughing that a team that lost to Minnesota made a bowl game.

Military Bowl Presented By Northrop Grumman: December 29th: East Carolina vs. Maryland – Ralph Friedgen will eat any ECU player that crosses his sideline.

Texas Bowl: December 29th: Illinois vs. Baylor – Baylor fans have a short trip and their fans should outnumber Illinois fans, should feel like a home game for Ron Zook.

Valero Alamo Bowl: December 29th: Oklahoma State vs. Arizona – I would just DV-R this game and watch Mike Gundy’s “I’m A Man, I’m 40” rant on YouTube for 3 hours…could be more entertaining.

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: December 30th: Army vs. SMU – June Jones takes his SMU team to play Army in the Armed Forces Bowl. What is Jones biggest regret? Leaving Hawaii or arguing with Jeff George?

New Era Pinstripe Bowl: December 30th: Kansas St vs. Syracuse – The announcers will spend more time talking about the Yankees signing Derek Jeter than the actual game.

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: December 30th: North Carolina vs. Tennessee – Butch Davis versus Derek Dooley: A chess match! Okay, maybe it will be more like checkers.

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl: December 30th: Nebraska vs. Washington The nation finally realizes that Jake Locker is over-rated while Mel Kiper stands on the sideline with a boner for him.

Meineke Car Care Bowl: December 31st: South Florida vs. Clemson – Florida area & Southern belle cheerleaders…ESPN should just have a split-screen with the game and the sideline.

Hyundai Sun Bowl: December 31st: Notre Dame vs. Miami – I can’t wait for all the awesome highlights from Warren Sapp, Raghib Ismail, Tony Rice, Rick Mirer, Bernie Kosar, and Michael Irvin. This game should have an 80’s night promotion.

AutoZone Liberty: December 31st: Georgia vs. UCF – The eBay bidding for A.J. Green’s jersey has no reserve and you can start your bidding now.

Chick-fil-A Bowl: December 31st: South Carolina vs. Florida State – Jimbo Fisher should wear a Bobby Bowden mask on the sideline so Steve Spurrier will call bonehead plays and lose.

TicketCity Bowl: January 1st: Northwestern vs. Texas Tech – Can we renamed this the “Hangover Bowl”? Northwestern’s QB, Dan Persa, is out and the only shot the Wildcats have of beating the Red Raiders if an SAT test is the actual 4th quarter.

Outback Bowl: January 1st: Florida vs. Penn State – Joe Paterno may actually think he’s playing the game in the Outback. The Gators should use a kangaroo as their mascot to really throw him off.

Capital One Bowl: January 1st: Alabama vs. Michigan State – The best two teams that aren’t in a BCS bowl game. But we all know what usually happens when an SEC team plays against the Big Ten. Richardson and Ingram will score more times than co-eds on New Year’s Eve.

Gator Bowl: January 1st: Mississippi State vs. Michigan – Remember when pundits were giving Denard Robinson the Heisman trophy after three games? He may need another amazing game to save Rich Rodriguez’s job. If Michigan is down at the half, RichRod could be watching from a sports bar.

Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO: January 1st: Wisconsin vs. TCU – Wisconsin’s rushing attack versus TCU’s stingy defense. TCU will be Little Mac and Wisconsin is King Hippo. The key here is to hit him in the stomach when Bret Bielema opens his mouth.

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: January 1st: Connecticut vs. Oklahoma – There’s really only one reason to watch this game, hoping that UConn grad Molly Qerim attends the game and Fox shows her in the stands.

Discover Orange: January 3rd: Stanford vs. Virginia Tech – The last time Virginia Tech had this big of a game, they were beaten by Boise State. Andrew Luck is better than anyone on BSU, sorry Va Tech may have trouble in this one.

Allstate Sugar Bowl: January 4th: Ohio State vs. Arkansas – Ohio State vs. Michigan rivalry will be storyline in this game. Ryan Mallett played his freshman year against the Buckeyes, completing one pass for eight yards. Call me crazy, but he will have better numbers in this game.

GoDaddy.com Bowl: January 6th: Middle Tennessee vs. Miami (Ohio) – Tune in the game, watch for the commercials.

AT&T Cotton Bowl: January 7th: LSU vs. Texas A&M – Barrett Bailey, Patrick Peterson, Jordan Jefferson, David Detz, Jarred Joseph, Terrence Toliver, and Lazarius Levingston. LSU’s team is sponsored by alliteration. Sounds like characters in a Dr. Seuss book.

BBVA Compass Bowl: January 8th: Pittsburgh vs. Kentucky – Dave Wannstedt was fired and Kentucky’s head coach is named Joker. He may try the “pencil trick” to the new Pitt coach.

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: January 9th: Nevada vs. Boston College – Kyle Brontzman will not be attendance.

Tostitos BCS National Championship Game: January 10th: Oregon vs. Auburn – Cecil Newton has big money riding on this game, courtesy of the Auburn University football boosters. Also, at this point, Oregon could wear jerseys that resemble the World League’s Orlando Thunder.

Feel free to “Like” my blog on Facebook or click the Facebook box located within the sidebar.

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

2010 NCAA Football – Week 3 Betting Picks

I went 9-3 last week against the spread and I’m feeling pretty good about Week 3. There are a lot of dud games out there, but there are some with good value that you should look at. It’s looking like a week where a lot of favorites may not cover. Which teams did I pick? Check out this my NCAA football picks against the spread for Week 3 of the 2010 season.

Northern Illinois (+8) at Illinois (-8) – My pick is Illinois

Neither of these teams look very good so far this year, but I will take a tested Illini team over Northern Illinois. Illinois did get beat in their first game against Missouri, but came back with a strong effort against Southern Illinois. Northern Illinois lost for a weak Iowa State team in Week 1 and came back to win a close game against North Dakota, a team they should have smoked.

Iowa State (+4) at Kansas State (-4) – My pick is Kansas State

The game is listed as a “neutral site,” but it is being played at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, it’s basically a home game for Kansas State. KSU already has a home win over UCLA, though a bit ugly, they still pulled it out. Iowa State’s victory came against Northern Illinois and followed that by getting smoked by Iowa. Bill Snyder is back going KSU, the team will improve as the season goes on.

Arkansas (+2.5) at Georgia (-2.5) – My pick is Arkansas

Arkansas has yet to be tested this year…and they will get their test on Saturday at Georgia. Ryan Mallett will need a big game to keep his stock high, I believe he does that over the Bulldogs.

Hawaii (+11) at Colorado (-11) – My pick is Hawaii

Hawaii is coming off a weak win over Army and Colorado limps into this contest by losing to Cal 52-7. Hawaii held their own against USC for most of the game and proved that they can compete on the mainland. The Rainbow Warriors are 2-0 against the spread so far this season and will win against it again this week.

Nebraska (-3.5) at Washington (+3.5) – My pick is Nebraska

This will be a very far away game for Nebraska to play, but I’m sure Cornhusker fans will still make it there. Sportsbook.com has Nebraska projected 10 point favorites, so this line seems quite low, so expect this to get higher as the week progresses. Nebraska looked good against small programs so far this year and Washington comes in 1-1 with a win against Syracuse and a loss at BYU. Nebraska will cover, but if line gets close to 6, stay away, it will still be a contest.

Toledo (+4.5) at Western Michigan (-4.5) – My pick is Western Michigan

Western Michgan beat Toledo last season 58-26 with a balanced offensive attack. Both teams come into this contest with 1-1 records, both losing to a major program. Toledo’s offense hasn’t looked good this season and their defense is even worse. Western Michigan has used their passing attack this season and is only averaging 100 yards on the ground. WMU will win this game and cover easily.

Notre Dame (13.5) at Michigan State (-3.5) – My pick is Notre Dame

Notre Dame was an injury to Dayne Crist away from beating Michigan last week. If Crist didn’t miss a substantial portion of that game, the Irish could be sitting at 2-0. Michigan State hasn’t played any elite talent yet and Notre Dame has already played two other Big Ten teams this season. The Spartans are weak against the pass and that is what Notre Dame has excelled at this season. The Irish will win against the spread AND win the game in East Lansing.

Boise State (-24) at Wyoming (+24) – My pick is Wyoming

Let me start by saying that Wyoming has very little hope in winning this game. Boise State will come into this game with something to prove, but Wyoming’s defense is stout and will cause them problems. I rode Wyoming all season last year and they did very well against the spread, you can get good value with them. BSU will win, but not by 24 points.

Iowa (-2) at Arizona (+2) – My pick is Iowa

This line has a possibility of moving towards Arizona, since the game is at home and Iowa has trouble on the road at times. Both teams have played very well this season, but Iowa has played better competition. The Big Ten is stronger than the Pac-10 this season and I’ll go with Iowa to cover and win outright.

Utah (-23.5) at New Mexico (+23.5) – My pick is Utah

New Mexico has been outscore 124-17 in their first two games. Utah has a win against, then top-25 ranked Pitt. Utah will win this game…BIG.

Texas (-3) at Texas Tech (+3) – My pick is Texas

The Longhorns and Red Raiders are more equal this year than ever. Texas lost a lot of talent in the draft and the Red Raiders are playing more balanced football, since Mike Leach is no longer there. Tech hasn’t played much talent this season and UT has played an improved Rice & Wyoming teams. Even though the game is in Lubbock, the Longhorns will come out winners and cover the spread. (Michael Crabtree isn’t walking through that door)

Middle Tennessee State (-6) at Memphis (+6) – My pick is MTSU

MTSU went 10-3 last season and even beat Souther Miss in a bowl game. Memphis has been a weak football school and only won two games last year. MTSU has looked strong early this season with a close loss against Minnesota and a routing of Austin Peay. Memphis has been routed by Mississippi State and East Carolina so far and should get routed again, this time by MTSU of the Sun Belt Conference.

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.

I Hate Joe Theismann

BenMaller.com, which is a rumors page ran by the weekend late-night radio host for Fox Sports Radio, posted a rumor about Joe Theismann that has left me speechless. He is rumored to be in the running to replace Pat Haden as the color commentator for Notre Dame games on NBC. Haden left to be the athletic director at his alma mater, USC, so a replacement will need to be added by this fall. Can I go an entire season without driving to South Bend and cussing out Theismann? Let’s find out…it could be a long season

I have had a long history of hate when it comes to Joe Theismann. I am too young to remember his playing days, but listening to him as a color commentary analyst during football games have been atrocious. He worked on the broadcast of ESPN’s “Sunday Night Football” from 1988 to 2005 and then one failed year on “Monday Night Football” when ESPN bought the rights. The sheer tone of his voice leads to the hairs standing up on my arms and a rise of my blood pressure by 20%.

I know that I am over-reacting and I am a bit tongue-in-cheek about it, but I just think that he isn’t good at his job. He is too critical of the teams and often tries to overshadow the game by hogging airtime away from the play-by-play commentator. There was a reason why ESPN let him go from MNF, he clashes with nearly ever on-air personality. He doesn’t clash on a personal level, I’ve never heard anything about him not getting along with crew, but his style doesn’t fit with many people. Tom Hammond is the play-by-play commentator for Notre Dame broadcast and he is a true professional. He has covered nearly everything on NBC sports from football to the Olympics. If Theismann is chosen as Haden’s replacement, I’m sure Hammond will do his best to make it work.

I guess I am a little biased when it comes to how critical Theismann is on the teams during the games. He has called many Indianapolis Colts games over the years and all the quarterbacks during that time, Jeff George to Peyton Manning, he has ripped for not being polished. Yes, he ripped Manning for not being polished, even though this was early in his career, it’s ridiculous. Anyone who has watched a game in which he is broadcasting knows how worked up I get, it’s almost comical.

Theismann isn’t the only former Notre Dame album rumored for this position, but is the only one that has national appeal. I hate to say this, but he would probably be the best choice if Notre Dame is looking to increase their ratings.

I hate Joe Theismann.

Feel free to “Like” my blog on Facebook or click the Facebook box located within the sidebar.

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

Notre Dame Should Go To A Bowl Game

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish decided to forgo a bowl game this season. They finished 6-6 and would have gone to a decent bowl game, since they are Notre Dame. I don’t see why they would pass up the chance to recoup some of the money that they paid Charlie Weis to get out of town. I know that the Fighting Irish don’t look like they have much fight in them, but they made a big mistake by passing up their bowl game.

Remember Notre Dame’s bowl game last year? They beat Hawaii 49-21, which was one of the biggest highlights of a dim season. If it wasn’t for that game, many people wouldn’t have been so high on the Irish this season. It looks like a few of the players are going to forgo their senior year and head to the NFL, wouldn’t it be good for them to have one last showcase before the combines? I just don’t get the reasoning behind this decision.

Notre Dame said that they spoke to their assistant coaches and team leaders to make their decision. I understand that the players were behind Charlie Weis and didn’t want to see him go. This could be one last moment of standing up for their coach. I can understand that, but as the University, in these economic times, I don’t care if you are Notre Dame, you need the money. South Bend, Indiana isn’t exactly Manhattan, they are hit just as bad as any other place in the Midwest. You should have taken the money, even if it meant that you stand the chance of finishing the season under .500.

I don’t see the reasoning behind this decision and I probably never will, but hey I wouldn’t have been accepted to Notre Dame, even if I could afford it.

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

NCAA Football – Week 8 Betting Picks

I went 9-4 picking against the spread last week and I’m still fuming over the Notre Dame/USC game. I’m a fan of the Fighting Irish, but they pick the one week that I pick USC to cover to play very well against the Trojans. I have a lot of teams covering the spread this week, but you may find my upset pick of the week pretty interesting. Can we have another good week ATS? I feel pretty confident, but here are my NCAA Football picks against the spread for Week 8.

I’m staying away from a few teams this week. I’m not touching Oklahoma (because of Sam Bradford), Cincinnati (because of Tony Pike), and UConn (because of the murder of a player). Those games are very unpredictable and I would stay away.

Tulsa (-7.5) at UTEP (+7.5) – My pick is Tulsa

Tulsa had a close game against Boise State last week, but fell short by a touchdown. They have an explosive offensive and UTEP won’t be able to keep up. Tulsa will win this game by two touchdowns.

Florida State (+2.5) at North Carolina (-2.5) – My pick is Florida State

The Seminoles have had a pretty bad year so far, but North Carolina has been very unimpressive against BCS schools. This game is a must-win if they have any aspirations on going to a bowl game this year. Florida State will win this game, but I feel it will be close.

Georgia Tech (-5.5) at Virginia (+5.5) – My pick is Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech had an impressive win against Virginia Tech last week. The Hokies couldn’t stop their running game and Virginia won’t be able to do it either. I’ll give the points and take Georgia Tech.

Arkansas (+6) at Mississippi (-6) – My pick is Arkansas

Who knew that Bobby Petrino would get Arkansas playing well this soon? They almost knocked off Florida last week and I’ve seen a few Ole Miss games this year and they are pretenders. Give me the points and I’ll take Arkansas.

Oklahoma State (-9.5) at Baylor (+9.5) – My pick is Oklahoma State

Even without Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State has looked pretty good and Baylor has been very inconsistent. I believe 9.5 points is a pretty big point spread, but the Cowboys will cover it.

Ball State (-2.5) at Eastern Michigan (+2.5) – My pick is Ball State

Neither of these teams have won a game this season, but Ball State’s offense is better than Eastern Michigan’s defense. Give me my old alma mater and the Cardinals will get their first win.

Buffalo (+5) at Western Michigan (-5) – My pick is Western Michigan

Buffalo was a cinderella team last year, but they haven’t looked like a pumpkin this year. Western Michigan hasn’t had as good of a year as last either, but they are a much better team. I’ll take Western Michigan ATS of 5.

Clemson (+5) at Miami (FL) (-5) – My pick is Miami (FL)

This line seems pretty low with Miami with only one loss. They have looked very good since they lost to the Hokies. Clemson are only a .500 team and they have to travel to Miami. I’ll take Miami all day ATS, this should be an easy cover.

Boston College (+8) at Notre Dame (-8) – My pick is Notre Dame

Notre Dame is a team that I haven’t been able to predict. I have been wrong nearly every week with this team and I even refused to make a pick in the Notre Dame game for about three weeks. Their games have been pretty close the last four weeks, but Boston College haven’t looked very good. BC does have a pretty long winning streak against Notre Dame, but this will be the year that the Irish will win and cover the spread.

Penn State (-4.5) at Michigan (+4.5) – My pick is Penn State

Can we finally say that Michigan isn’t very good? I know they looked good at the beginning of the year, but they have looked pretty bad against the Big Ten so far. Penn State was my preseason pick to win the Big Ten and I’m sticking with them. JoePa will win this game and cover the spread.

UCLA (+7.5) at Arizona (-7.5) – My pick is UCLA

This one is my upset pick of the week. UCLA has a three game losing streak, but Arizona is a little bit over-rated. Their wins have come against Central Michigan, Northern Arizona, Oregon State, and a close win against Stanford. I feel that UCLA could go in there and make it a close game. I’m not saying UCLA will win, but it will be within a touchdown.

Iowa (pick’em) at Michigan State (pick’em) – My pick is Iowa

I’ve been perfect this year on picking Iowa games. Michigan State has been playing well, but Iowa has a perfect record since changing their quarterback at mid-season last year. Iowa is the real deal and they will win this game in East Lansing.

Auburn (+7.5) at LSU (-7.5) – My pick is LSU

LSU is coming off of a bye week and Auburn lost to Kentucky. LSU is a very good team and they want to do as much to erase the memory of the Florida loss. They will beat Auburn by two touchdowns and cover the spread.

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.

NCAA Football – Week 7 Betting Picks

I was 7-6 in my picks against the spread last week, but I barely missed a couple. I am around .600 for the season and I hope that improves this week. There are some big games on the schedule this week and who are some moneyline underdogs? I have a few in my Week 7 NCAA college football picks against the spread.

I have stayed away from Notre Dame the last couple weeks, but I have a better feel for what kind of team they are now and you will finally get a Notre Dame game pick this week.

Cincinnati (-2.5) at South Florida (+2.5) – My pick is Cincinnati

I love the Bearcats in this game. Tony Pike and the rest of Cincinnati’s offense is very explosive. I think that they will do damage on the road. Cincinnati’s is one of the best teams in the nation in turnover margin.

Pittsburgh (-3.5) at Rutgers (+3.5) – My pick is Rutgers

I really don’t know what kind of team Pittsburgh is. They have yet to play many tough opponents and Rutgers plays well at home. Rutgers is 10-7 against Pitt in since 1992. I think Rutgers keeps this game close and could end up winning this game.

Ohio State (-14) at Purdue (+14) – My pick is Ohio State

I like Purdue’s offense, but I like Ohio State’s defense even more. The Buckeyes have had trouble scoring points on offense, but I think that they can get some turnovers and nice field position. Purdue hasn’t looked good since Week 2 and I don’t see them doing much against the physical defense of Ohio State.

Iowa (+2.5) at Wisconsin (-2.5) – My pick is Iowa

Wisconsin turned the ball over a lot last week against Ohio State and Iowa has a defense that’s just as good. Iowa beat Penn State and until someone knocks them off in the Big Ten, they shouldn’t be the underdogs in any game.

Oklahoma (+3.5) at Texas (-3.5) – My pick is Oklahoma

The Sooners may have not had a great game against Miami two weeks ago, but bounced back against Baylor. Texas is a one-trick pony, they can’t run the ball and Colt McCoy will have to have the game of his life to beat Oklahoma. The series is all tied up with Oklahoma since 1992 and I think Oklahoma has the edge with a better defense and a balanced offensive attack.

Wyoming (+10.5) at Air Force (-10.5) – My pick is Wyoming

I went against Wyoming last week and they came out and just flat out took it to their opponent. They have shutdown their opponent’s rushing attack and that’s all Air Force does on offense. Not only do I pick Wyoming ATS, but I am picking them to win this game.

California (-3.5) at UCLA (+3.5) – My pick is California

Cal has looked shaky the last couple weeks and UCLA has looked pretty good. I can’t pick UCLA in this one because California is a much better team. You have to think that they will turn it around in this game and beat the spread against UCLA. Jahvid Best is going to have a big game against the Bruins.

Central Michigan (-6.5) at Western Michigan (+6.5) – My pick is Central Michigan

Everyone knows that Central Michigan can pass the ball, but their running game is starting to blossom as well. They have looked great this season and is the MAC’s best team. Western Michigan had a nice game against Toledo last week, but CMU is a much better team. Central Michigan should be favored by more than a touchdown in this contest, so get in early, the line will move.

USC (-10) at Notre Dame (+10) – My pick is USC

If you think Notre Dame can win this game, please put down the kool-aid. This is the game that everyone will know how good this Notre Dame team really is. I would say that this game could be close if Malcolm Floyd was healthy, but USC will be double-covering Golden Tate and Jimmy Clausen will be handcuffed. USC will win this game big, even if the game is in South Bend.

Virginia Tech (-3.5) at Georgia Tech (+3.5) – My pick is Virginia Tech

Georgia Tech’s running attack has been very good this year, but the Hokies are for real. I wasn’t sure about this team a few weeks ago, but they have impressed me. I think that they go on the road and cover the spread this week.

Troy (-9.5) at Florida International (+9.5) – My pick is Troy

FIU is bad and Troy is good. I wish that kind of analysis would work on this site, but let’s go a little deeper. FIU has given up nearly 250 yards a game on the ground and Troy will be crushing through the line and gaining 200+ yards rushing against them.

South Carolina (+17) at Alabama (-17) – My pick is South Carolina

I have a feeling that this game will be very low scoring. The defenses on both of these teams is ridiculous. I watched South Carolina’s defense really turn up the screws against some nice teams this season. Alabama is a good team and deserves to be ranked high, but the Gamecocks aren’t to be taken lightly. I think this game will be very close with the Crimson Tide winning.

Washington (+6.5) at Arizona State (-6.5) – My pick is Washington

The Huskies had rough game last week, but the Sun Devils can be beat. I am not picking Washington to go on the road and win this game, but it will be within the spread and i’ll pick Washington with the points.

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.

How The Big Ten Can Be Relevant Again

Big Ten Football has been disappointing over the last few seasons. They havn’t won big games against elite teams in the SEC, Pac-10, or ACC. The offenses are boring and even the defenses are falling behind the other teams across the country. There are a lot of things plaguing the conference and we are going to point out a few ways how Big Ten football can be relevant again.

The last big game the conference won on a national stage was when Ohio State played Michigan as the #1 and #2 teams in the country back in 2006, so a Big Ten had to come out victorious. Since that game, USC has beaten Illinois, Michigan, and Penn State in consecutive Rose Bowls and have also beaten Ohio State twice. USC has owned the Big Ten and the Rose Bowl has turned into a sacrificial ritual of a “good” Big Ten team. It is only one of the things that has turned the public’s opinion of the conference upside-down.

They Must Successfully Recruit In The South – The SEC and Big-12 conference has a stranglehold on the most fertile area of high school talent in the nation. Texas and Florida produce elite talent on a yearly basis and schools in the region are at an advantage. It’s a lot to ask for the Big Ten to go down there and spend their recruiting dollars on the South when they believe that Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania are also a region with great talent. I can’t argue against that, the Midwest does produce some fine talent, but they need to expand their search. I know they do attempt to recruit down there, but it appears that a team like Ohio State is settling on the 4th best wide receiver in the state of Ohio, instead of the 7th best wide receiver in Texas, which would probably be better.

A Big Ten Championship Game Is Needed – I know that it is a tradition that Big Ten Football is finished by Thanksgiving, but college football has changed. You played a ten game season back then and now teams are playing twelves game seasons, other conferences are playing games two weeks after the Big Ten has finished. You can have a true winner of the conference and get one more elite game to help your conference winner’s BCS chances. It hurts them in the final polls and almost makes the conference forgettable.

Must Schedule More Elite Non-Conference Games – It may save teams money, but playing a handful of games against MAC teams isn’t going to get people paying attention to your conference. Ohio State have had a couple home-and-home series the last few years with USC and Texas, it was a step in the right direction. Even though Ohio State went 1-3 in those series, they were marquee games that made the nation take notice of the Big Ten. The Ohio State/Notre Dame series must be re-established. There was some great games between those teams and they are locally a rival. Wisconsin has done a decent job at scheduling tough opponents this season, Fresno State and California, other teams should take notice.

Persuade Notre Dame To Join The Big Ten – Now that Notre Dame looks to have re-gained a little big of their swagger, the Big Ten may have missed their chance to snatch Notre Dame up. The NBC television contract is probably the major obstacle in this, because the Big Ten has their own network now. The NBC deal would have to expire for the Big Ten to have a shot. It would add one more elite program to the mix. Ohio State has been the only constantly good team over the last six seasons. Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Penn State, and even Purdue have all had their ups and downs. There needs to be at least three great teams in the conference for a number of years to earn the respectability the SEC and Big-12 have earned this decade.

More Imagination In Their Offenses – I remember when Joe Tiller took over as head coach at Purdue, you would have thought that he re-invented the wheel. He started throwing the ball all over the place with Drew Brees and they knocked the entire conference for a loop. The conference has prided itself on the power running game, but that offense is stale. They can take a few notes from nearby MAC teams and if the offenses that are taking place in that conference happened in the Big Ten with better players, there is no telling what kind of damage they could do in the BCS.

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

College Football: What A Weird Day!

I can barely begin to point out all the surprises that happened this week in college football. You had big upsets, teams looking like crap, crappy players looking amazing, and the Big Ten not looking so hot (well, that isn’t much of a surprise). Here are the weirdest things that happened today in college football.

– Tate Forcier looked like Fran Tarkenton against Notre Dame. He was passing with precision and even made a guy lose his joke when he faked him out on a touchdown run on 4th and 3. Is Michigan for real or was this just bad clock management by Notre Dame?

– The University of Houston made Oklahoma State look like Big 12 title pretenders. The Cowboys started the game out in a hole and even Dez Bryant’s return touchdown couldn’t save this team from imploding. This was Houston’s biggest win in a long time.

– Northwestern was supposed to be good, but barely sweaking by Eastern Michigan? That isn’t going to cut it, they aren’t even the good directional Michigan school. They are going to lose a few before the Big Ten season begins, but as bad as some of the Big Ten teams have looked, they could fair well during conference play.

– Speaking of bad Big Ten teams, Michigan State let Central Michigan win this game. Dan Lefevour will be playing in the NFL, but the rest of the Chippewas aren’t up to his level. The Spartans shouldn’t forget this game or they will be doomed to repeat it.

– Ohio State actually gave USC a game tonight. I thought for sure that USC would roll them in Columbus, but it didn’t look like the Trojans’ offense could ever get started. I think they were taking the Buckeyes lightly, but OSU’s defense brought it’s A-game. I still think Ohio State will lose a game or two more this year and USC could be in danger of losing a game to Cal or even Notre Dame in South Bend.

– Oklahoma didn’t lose a stride without Sam Bradford and Jermaine Gresham. I know that they were playing Idaho State, but this could mean that BYU could actually be for real. The Cougars rolled over Tulane today and should move up even more spots up the rankings.

– North Carolina has to be better than this. Butch Davis is a great recruiter and he has had some great recruiting classes since he’s been the coach at UNC. They will need to develop these guys into winning games by more than a lucky holding call against Connecticut.

– The Georgia vs. South Carolina game was supposed to be a low-scoring game, since both offenses looked bad in their previous games and both defenses are above-average. Well, they ended up scoring a combined 78 points with Georgia barely hanging on for the victory. I don’t think anyone saw this coming.

– Is the MAC good again this year? Bowling Green took Missouir all the way to the wire today and this is coming a week after Mizzou spanked Illinois. Bowling Green wasn’t supposed to be that good this year, but this will get people’s attention.

– Wasn’t this supposed to be the year that Tennessee finally beats UCLA? They have had their number and the Vols lost today against a freshman quarterback. Things won’t get any easier as Tim Tebow and the Gators face them next week. I have a feeling that the Lane Kiffin won’t be happy with the outcome of that game either.

– I know that Kansas State wasn’t going to be great this season. They lost Josh Freeman to the draft, but they are supposed to beat teams like Louisiana-Lafayette. I’m not sure why KSU agreed to play this game on the road, but it bit them in the ass.

– Florida State almost loses to Jacksonville State, really? Ryan Perrilloux came back from suspension and almost leads his team past the Seminoles. How would that rank in the all-time worst loses for Bobby Bowden? I would guess that it would have been top 3, not knowing any other loses that would equal that, but he’s been coaching for longer than even my dad has been alive, so I’m sure there had to be a few bad ones.

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

A Michigan Fan’s Journey To The Season Opener

Our resident University of Michigan fan, Joe Pasquali, went to the season opener against Western Michigan last weekend. He starts out pretty timid, but ends like any true Wolverines fan, cocky as hell. Here is his detailed experience from the season opener.

We drove up, parked in the same place off the Michigan Golf Course, fired up the same grill, played the same game of corn hole (or bag toss, whatever you want to call it) and downed the same beers. On the exterior the 2009 Michigan opening game would look like every opening game I have been to over the past years, this being my 8th in a row. But, if I told you it felt like any of the others, I’d be lying.

Nervous
Worried
No Confidence
Quiet

These are things I would never expect to feel at an opening game in The Big House. And frankly, I shouldn’t have to feel. But I did. And I can tell you 100,000 other people were feeling the same way. Sure, we hid it well by going through our normal routine and pretending this year is just like every other, when deep down we knew it wasn’t.

Even before the game started, one point to hammer it home was when a Western Michigan fan started trash talking to me while walking up to the gate. We had struck up polite speculation on the game ahead when all of the sudden he started into it.

“Man, we are going to hang like 40 on you guys, just like App. State, Utah, Oregon, and everybody else that comes into the Quiet House. You got no defense, I mean, who do you got??”
Any other year, ANY OTHER YEAR, I would have just spat back a few curse words and told him to head back to crappy Western and hope he gets to head back East sometime for the Motor City bowl. But not this year.

I actually found myself defending UM to a Broncos fan! I said, “Well, Brandon Graham is good, and Obi Ezeh, OH and Donovan Warren is a great cornerback.” The Western fan laughed, cursed Michigan and yelled a projected Broncos whooping in front of 100 Michigan fans. No one yelled back. Everyone was too nervous to back UM.

I say now, thinking of the pre-game and the Western fan, that a University of Michigan fan should never defend his team to a Western Michigan fan, or really, most fans for that matter. And I never will again. Ok, two bad years, yeah we had that. Lets start counting your teams bad years. Yeah thought so. Below are the teams that I will defend my team to in the future, because I have respect for their programs and their winning traditions.

Ohio State
Penn State
Florida
USC
Oklahoma
Texas
Alabama
Nebraska
Tennessee

That’s it. Yeah, I know I left Notre Dame off. Why? Because I will not take trash talk from a Golden Domer, no sir. Sorry, I got my UM hat on for this article and if you are a Notre Dame fan feel free to send me hate mail at Radioguy1486@yahoo.com

Anyways, back to the game.

The environment at Michigan could not have been summed up better than the first two drives for both teams. Western gets the ball first, Michigan forces a punt after a 3 and out. Place goes nuts, the typical DEFENSE chants arise and the student section erupts, all is well and good.

Michigan gets the ball……. the place goes a bit quiet…. AND MICHIGAN GETS A FIRST DOWN. OH HAPPY DAYS. Literally, everyone wearing maize or blue starts cheering like we just won the game. FOR A FIRST DOWN. Oh, but it gets better.

Forcier is leading us on a pretty decent first drive and are already in field goal range and he has thrown some good balls. People in the crowd are murmuring about how well this freshman is playing, but still a bit nervous. Forcier runs a play action and rolls out of the pocket, he is looking downfield, he makes a read and lofts a ball to a breaking Junior Hemingway. In 2008 this ball is intercepted, the drive stopped and Michigan Stadium falls silent. But, THIS YEAR, the ball is just out of reach for the defender and Hemingway catches it falling into the end zone. Michigan Stadium lifts off the face of the earth. 100,000 plus people are yelling, screaming, hugging each other and praising Tate Forcier.

Tate Forcier, the second coming of Christ.
Tate Forcier, Tom Brady, Chad Henne, Brian Griese, all rolled into one.
Tate Forcier, who the f%$k needs Pryor.
Tate Forcier, with him all things are possible.

Not joking, this is how we all felt after that one drive. One drive. The rest of the game Michigan rolled and as the points stacked up us fans felt our confidence returning, slowly but surely.

One of the funniest parts of the game came near the end when my Dad looked to me in the third quarter and asked when I wanted to get out of here. Since we got a two hour plus drive home, in the past openers we usually left late in the game when Michigan was rolling. It had been at least two years since I could leave a UM game early because WE were beating on someone!

I turned to my Dad and said, “Yeah, we got this one. Let’s get out of here.”
Because really, Western Michigan, was there any doubt?

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