Category Archives: penn state nittany lions

2014 NCAA Football – Week 5 Betting Picks Against Spread

I went 12-7-1 with last week’s college football picks against the spread. I could have had a historic week if a play went my way late in a few games…but that’s sports betting for you. You always focus on the late-game plays that didn’t go your way.

I love this portion of the college football schedule. Teams start playing conference games and you have less 40-point spreads. I love it. I hope to keep the positive picks going into Week 5. I am currently 30-28-1 on the season.

We were 134-79-8 against the spread betting on college football games last season. We hope to keep it going and help you guys out again this season.

We pick against the spread for all the big college football games on Saturday (September 27th, 2014), and picked some smaller conference games as well. Enjoy!

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2012 Big Ten Preview: Penn State Nittany Lions

Joe Pasquali, our resident college football analyst, is back with some more of Big Ten team previews. We are about halfway through the conference and the best is yet to come. Can Penn State move past the scandal and bring the attention back towards football?

By now we all know about the off season drama at Happy Valley. We know more gruesome, disturbing, and troubling details then we probably ever wanted to. With all of that said, football is played on the field. Eleven men still have to line up against eleven men and beat the hell out of each other. Coaches, athletic directors and lawyers don’t run, they don’t block, and they don’t tackle. This is still a football team with some very talented young men, a rabid fan base behind them, and a pretty kind 2012 schedule. The Nittany Lions get Ohio State and Wisconsin at home, their two biggest conference/divisional games of the year. They’ll win one of those in ugly, 10-7 Penn State fashion.

Offense (C-)

The Penn State offense in 2011 was boring, predictable, and ineffective in 2011. Their lack of a passing attack mixed with inability to get a big play from anywhere led to their 110th ranked 19 points per game. The departure of running back Silas Redd to USC isn’t going to help matters. Pair that with the fact that Penn State still has no quarterback and you are going to see low scoring games again this year. Matt McGloin and Rob Bolden are still the two quarterbacks to choose from, with neither being anything close to impressive last season. Matt Stankiewitch is the lone returning starter to the offensive line, a unit which lost four of six players with any experience. Justin Brown is the lone weapon on the outside with 35 career catches and will be relied on to be a downfield threat.

Defense (B+)

Penn State’s defense was the strength of the team last year and this season should be no different. Linebacker U will be stacked at just that in 2012, with seniors Gerald Hodges and Michael Mauti as well as juniors Glenn Carson and Khairi Fortt leading the way. The loss of Devon Still to the defensive line will hurt, but Jordan Hill and Pete Massaro should lessen the growing pains of a relatively young front four. The weakness of the defense will be in the secondary where Penn State replaces all four starters from a year ago. First year defensive coordinator Ted Roof will have his work cut out for him shaping this back four into a working unit.

Special Teams (C-)

With last year’s kicker/punter Anthony Fera transferring to Texas, Penn State has a huge gap to fill on special teams. Senior Evan Lewis saw some time kicking last season and could win the role in 2012. The loss of Fera will definitely be felt and it’ll be interesting to see if anyone steps up into the open roles he leaves behind.

Coaching (B)

Bill O’Brien has an impressive resume including five years under Bill Belichick in New England at a variety of offensive coaching positions. His offensive mind should help a Penn State team in desperate need of putting points on the board. Some thought the hire of Ted Roof at defensive coordinator was a bit of a questionable one, but lucky for him he inherits a pretty talented bunch.

2012 Win/Loss Prediction: 7-5 (3rd in Leaders)

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2010 NCAA Football – Week 2 Betting Picks

Week 2 of this college football season is looking to be a very entertaining week, especially for the Big Ten. You have three marquee teams facing national powerhouses. Ohio State is at home against University of Miami of Florida, Michigan plays Notre Dame, and Penn State travels to Alabama. Here are my college football picks for week 2 of the 2010 college football season.

Auburn (-2.0) at Mississippi State (+2.0) – My pick is Auburn

Auburn should be able to travel to Mississippi State and handle them. This betting line is trending towards Auburn, so this line may get pushed farther in Auburn’s favor.

West Virginia (-13.5) at Marshall (+13.5) – My pick is West Virginia

The Thundering Herd didn’t have much to cheer about last week when they opened their season in Columbus, Ohio against Ohio State. If it wasn’t for scoring on a blocked field goal, they could have ended up not scoring at all in that game. West Virginia is another well-coached team and blanked Coastal Carolina in their opener. I see the Mountaineers running up this score and 13.5 points should be the spread at the half.

Georgia (+3) at South Carolina (-3) – My pick is South Carolina

South Carolina seems to have trouble with Georgia, but this season, the tables have turned. The Gamecocks are the favorites and have a better squad. Steve Spurrier doesn’t have to worry facing a more talented team, if South Carolina keeps to their gameplan, they should win and cover.

South Florida (+15.5) at Florida (-15.5) – My pick is Florida

Matt Grothe and George Selvie are no longer on South Florida, so the Gators shouldn’t have much trouble covering the 15.5 points. This is a transition year for Florida, but they haven’t slipped that much.

Florida State (+8) at Oklahoma (-8) – My pick is Florida State

Bobby Bowden is no longer strolling the sidelines for Florida State and Jimbo Fisher has them looking pretty good. Bob Stoops is trying to replace some key pieces from their team a year ago. I look for Florida State to score early and keep Oklahoma from controlling the game. If this happens, not only could FSU keep the Sooners from covering, but they could squeak out an upset win.

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

I tried to stay away from Notre Dame last season, but I feel a little better about them after they beat Purdue last week. I’m not saying that I feel better about them as in they are going to win, but I feel like I got an idea of who they are. They have lack an identity the last few seasons. Michigan looked really good against Connecticut last week and I see them going into South Bend and winning this game.

Iowa State (+13.5) at Iowa (-13.5) – My pick is Iowa

This is a big rivalry game for both of these teams. You usually get the underdogs’ best effort, but the Hawkeyes should roll all over Iowa State in this game, Iowa is a much better team.

BYU (pick) at Air Force (pick) – My pick is BYU

This game rests on only one thing….can BYU stop Air Force’s running attack. I think BYU should be able to do that, since they handled Washington last week and won by a touchdown. This will be Air Force’s first test of the year and BYU will win this game.

Wyoming (+29.5) at Texas (-29.5) – My pick is Wyoming

Let me say first, Wyoming will not win this game. I rode them last season and they were great against the spread last season. I think that they will go down to Texas and not let the Longhorns cover this huge spread. Wyoming is sneaky and this line may even get larger since Texas is a “public” team and people will bet on them with this large of a spread.

Penn State (+11.5) at Alabama (+11.5) – My pick is Alabama

Alabama is one hell of a team, but we all know that they have trouble putting points on the board at times. Penn State lost a few weapons last season, but they still have Evan Royster. Paterno seems concerned about his recent weight gain and his stamina, he will have to have a great game if the Nittany Lions wish to keep this one close. I see the Crimson Tide controlling the tempo of this game with their defense and winning this game 24-6.

Texas Tech (-24.5) at New Mexico (+24.5) – My pick is Texas Tech

The Oregon Ducks blanked New Mexico last week with the score of 72-0. The Texas Tech Red Raiders could probably dress an average intramural squad in Lubbock and cover this 24.5 point spread. They win this game and cover big.

Miami (+9.5) at Ohio State (-9.5) – My pick is Ohio State

This is the first time these two teams have met since Ohio State upset the Hurricanes to win the 2002 BCS Championship. The kids playing in this game were in elementary school when that happened, but revenge is on Miami’s mind. Ohio State has a talented team and they have the advantage this year with the game being played in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State has a reputation for not showing up for big games, well that should change with a big win over a ranked team on National television. The Buckeyes should win this game 34-17.

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.

Big Ten Preview: Penn State Nittany Lions

Yes, we are predicting that Penn State will win the Big Ten this year. Yes, I will probably be beat up in the alley by my house in Columbus, OH. Yes, Joe Pasquali wrote this piece. Yes, Joe Paterno is still the coach. I agree with Joe, Penn State are going to be good and the conference will be close, but the game against Ohio State will decide the Big Ten Championship. Enjoy the finale of the Big Ten Preview.

Finishing #1 in the Big Ten
Penn State Nittany Lions (Predicted Finish 11-1)

Summary– The Lions from Happy Valley will be repeating as Big Ten Champions this year. Too many things are looking in Penn State’s favor to think otherwise. Nine offensive and nine defensive starters return, a schedule that is very kind, and off years for other Big Ten Powers. The stars have all aligned for Penn State to repeat and be playing in Pasadena once more.

Offense (A-)– Evan Royster and Daryll Clark return to lead an offense that lead the Big Ten in scoring last season. It was a unit that was not only balanced but very explosive for the Nittany Lions. For a mobile quarterback such as Clark and running back with the potential as Royster, a key component is the offensive line. Penn State only returns two of their big uglies up front; if there is any question mark on the offense the line would be it. The only thing I foresee hurting them from putting the ball in the end zone is conservative play calling. (See Ohio State game 2008)

Defense (B)– It will be a cold day in you know what when Linebacker U has an off year on the defensive side of the ball. No other school has reloaded like Penn State at the linebacker position over the last ten years, and this year poses to be no different. Sean Lee is returning from an injury that kept him sidelined last year and will prove to be a difference maker. Look for fellow LB Navarro Bowman to have a big year as well. The one weakness of the Penn State defense will be against the pass. Maybin and Gaines were great pass rushing defensive ends that harassed opposing quarterbacks often. Lydell Sergeant and Tony Davis were two solid CB’s with big play potential. These losses will hurt PSU more than anything else in 2009.

Special Teams (B)– A lot of kickers competing for the starting job including three freshmen. Junior Collin Wagner will most likely get the nod as the man knocking it through the uprights, at least to start. Jeremy Boone is one of the better punters in the Big Ten (42 yard net average) and should be once again this year.

Coaching (A)– Who really knows if Joe Pa is still calling the plays for Penn State, but who cares? This team keeps popping out winning seasons. Yeah, USC smoked ‘em last year in the Rose Bowl, but when did a Big Ten team NOT get smoked by USC.

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