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Both Penn State and Eastern Michigan come into this game with a 2-1 record. Eastern Michigan beat two FCS opponents before falling 31-3 against Michigan last weekend. Penn State was beaten badly at home by Alabama, but they did bounce back with a hard fought win over Temple last week.
It will be Brady Hoke and the Michigan Wolverines against the team Hoke coached last season this weekend in Ann Arbor. Hoke did a great job with the Aztecs of San Diego State, and they are certainly not an opponent that Michigan should take lightly.
Time/Date: 1:00 PM EST, September 18, 2011
Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium
Broadcast: CBS
Browns vs. Colts Gambling Odds from BetOnline
Spread: Browns -2.5
Moneyline: Browns (-135) Colts (+115)
Over/Under: 40
Peyton Manning is on the shelf for quite a while, and the Indianapolis Colts showed just how badly they miss him last weekend. The Browns were expected to roll over the lowly Bengals, but Cincinnati beat Cleveland in the season opener. Both of these teams had to be extremely disappointed with their performance in week one. Which team will bounce back with a big win?
Colt McCoy and the Browns offense just never really got it going against the Bengals defense. McCoy threw two touchdowns and one interception, but he completed only 47.5% of his passes last week. The running game really struggled to get going, because the Browns offensive front just couldn’t get much of a push against Cincinnati. Peyton Hillis continued to show his value out of the backfield. Hillis caught six passes, three more than any other Brown did last weekend. Cleveland will certainly be looking to get Hillis more than 17 carries this week against the Colts.
The Cleveland defense really blew it when they got caught napping in the fourth quarter last weekend by the Bengals. Cincinnati quick snapped while the Browns were still in the huddle, and A.J. Green was wide open for a 41 yard touchdown reception. The Browns pass defense was pretty solid for most of the game, but they did allow too many yards on the ground. Cedric Benson put up 121 yards rushing. Joe Haden and T.J. Ward lead a talented secondary for Cleveland. I expect them to be ready to bounce back this week. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
There were plenty of questions about how Kerry Collins would perform as the Colts starter before last weekend. After last weekend’s drubbing, there are even more questions now. Collins numbers actually weren’t that awful last week, but those who watched the game saw that this Colts offense really struggled to get into a groove last weekend. Collins had two costly fumbles, and the running game never got going at all against the Texans. Clearly this is an offense that will have to try to score in different ways without Manning at the helm. It will be interesting to see what kind of changes they make to the game plan this week.
It was the Colts run defense that really let them down last week. Despite Arian Foster being out of the lineup, Houston still ran for 167 yards. Ben Tate had 116 yards rushing in his first career start. Over the past few years, the Colts front seven has had a lot of difficulty stopping the run. Indianapolis has a solid secondary and two very god pass rushers in Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, but the middle of the defense must improve against the run. They’ll be tested by Hillis and the Browns in this one.
I don’t expect the Colts to play nearly as bad as they did a week ago. The Browns secondary is pretty good, and the Colts aren’t a good running team. At the same time, I could see the Colts getting to Colt McCoy fairly often here. I think this one has the makings of an ugly low scoring game.
Free NFL Pick: Under 40
Time/Date: 4:15 PM EST, September 18, 2011
Venue: Sports Authority Field at Mile High
Broadcast: CBS
Bengals vs. Broncos Gambling Odds from BetOnline
Spread: Broncos -3.5
Moneyline: Broncos (-180) Bengals (+160)
Over/Under: 40
The fans will likely continue chanting for Tim Tebow, but John Fox made it pretty clear that he is sticking with Kyle Orton as his starting quarterback. Andy Dalton and a young Cincinnati Bengals team will visit Denver this weekend. The Broncos are coming off a tough loss to the Raiders, while the Bengals are coming off a surprising victory over the Browns.
Andy Dalton was efficient in his time as the starter last weekend, but he injured his wrist and had to miss the second half. Bruce Gradkowksi struggled at the beginning of his time in the game, but he connected on a great quick snap pass to A.J. Green to put the Bengals in front late in the fourth quarter. While the quarterback play was pretty good, it was the running of Cedric Benson that was key for the Bengals last weekend. Benson gained 121 yards on 25 carries in last week’s win. If this team is going to be successful at all this year, they must be able to run the football consistently.
The Cincinnati defense was pretty impressive last week. The front four dominated the Browns offensive line, and they really held Peyton Hillis and the Browns running game in check. The Bengals have a couple very solid corners in Nate Clements and Leon Hall. Rey Maualuga looks like he has made the transition to middle linebacker quite successfully. The Bengals are hoping to get Keith Rivers back soon, but he is questionable this week. The defense is expected to be the strength of the Bengals team this season. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Billboards around Denver are starting to pop up with Play Tim Tebow messages, and the fans are clearly getting upset already. Kyle Orton threw for 304 yards last week, but a crucial fumble cost the Broncos a chance of winning last week. Brandon Lloyd has emerged as a star wide receiver for this Broncos team. He had six catches for 89 yards last week. The running game struggled all last year, and they weren’t good against Oakland either. Knowshon Moreno is likely out this weekend, so expect Willis McGahee to get most of the carries. John Fox really wants the Broncos to establish a running game.
The Broncos defense only allowed 105 passing yards against Oakland, but the Raiders rolled up 190 yards on the ground. Brian Dawkins and Champ Bailey were the leading tacklers for Denver last week. It’s never a good sign when your secondary leads the team in tackles, especially when the other team didn’t throw it very often at all. Von Miller showed flashes of brilliance last weekend, and I expect the Broncos to blitz the young Bengals quarterback early and often this week.
I don’t think either of these teams will be very good this year. The Broncos like to throw it, but the Bengals secondary is pretty good. Cincinnati’s offense isn’t good at all at this point, but they can probably run it some against Denver. I think this goes down to the wire.
Free NFL Pick: Bengals +3.5
It may not be the headliner this weekend, but this PAC 12 vs. Big Ten matchup at Illinois has all the makings of one of the best games of the week.
Soldier Field will be the site of an interesting matchup between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Northern Illinois Huskies this Saturday. The game is being billed as the “Soldier Field Showdown II.”
When Washington and Nebraska meet this coming Saturday in Lincoln, it will be the third time these teams have met in the last year.
The Iowa Hawkeyes look to bounce back from a disappointing triple overtime loss to Iowa State. It was a game that the Hawkeyes were expected to win, but in the end their defense let them down.
The Michigan Wolverines made Michigan Stadium rock in a way it hasn’t in years last Saturday night. The Wolverines appeared set to lose handily to Notre Dame, but they rallied from down 17 to win on a touchdown pass with two seconds remaining.
Week 1 of the NFL Season is here. Welcome to the CappersPicks.com NFL football weekly predictions pages! We KNOW you will find our FREE weekly NFL football picks, tips, betting advice, strategies, NFL gambling articles and more to help you become the best NFL football bettor on your block!!
Week 1 of the NFL Season is here. Welcome to the CappersPicks.com NFL football weekly predictions pages! We KNOW you will find our FREE weekly NFL football picks, tips, betting advice, strategies, NFL gambling articles and more to help you become the best NFL football bettor on your block!!
Mike London is in his second year as coach of the Virginia Cavaliers. Kevin Wilson is in his first year at Indiana University.
This was billed by some as a big early season matchup, but Oregon State’s inexplicable loss to Sacramento State last weekend definitely took some of the luster away from this game.
Luke Fickell started his Ohio State coaching career off with a big 42-0 win over Akron last week. The entire Ohio State program was thrilled to get back on the field and have the talk be about the team and its ability rather than off-the-field issues.
The Florida Atlantic Owls gave Michigan State a pretty good game last year before losing 30-17. Howard Schnellenberger’s Owls are much weaker than they were last year, but the Spartans are still a very powerful team.
Can Florida Atlantic hang in there this year or will it be a complete mismatch?
Florida Atlantic vs. Michigan State
Spartan Stadium
Saturday September 10, 12:00 PM EST
NCAA Football Odds from JustBet
Moneyline: Off
College Football Spread: Michigan State -32 (-110) Florida Atlantic +32 (-110)
Over/Under: 50.5
FAU vs. MSU ATS Gambling Stats –>
A few years ago Florida Atlantic appeared to be a program that was destined to become a perennial leader in the Sun Belt Conference. The team won a bowl game in both 2007 and 2008, but since then the program has turned south in a hurry.
Last year’s team went 4-8, and most of the top players from that team graduated. The Owls were thrashed 41-3 by Florida in their season opener last weekend. Graham Wilbert is the team’s starting quarterback, but he is very inexperienced.
Alfred Morris is a talented runner that the team must get involved as often as possible, but the offensive line is a real problem area. Rob Housler and Lester Jean were both stars in the passing game last year, but both are in the NFL now. The defensive side of the football doesn’t look any better for this squad.
The team is stacked at the linebacker position, but everywhere else on the field they have question marks. The defense moved to a 3-4 over the offseason primarily because they were struggling badly to find quality defensive linemen. Florida picked up six yards per carry last week, and this run defense will be tested by the Spartans this weekend.
Expect it to be a long season for the Owls.
Michigan State wasn’t particularly impressive in their 28-6 victory over Youngstown State last weekend. The Spartans led just 7-6 late in the second quarter, but they did play better in the second half.
Kirk Cousins was extremely efficient last week in the season opener. Cousins went 18 for 22 passing while throwing for 222 yards. B.J. Cunningham caught nine passes for 130 yards and a touchdown. Edwin Baker, Le’Veon Bell, and Larry Caper are all very talented running backs for Michigan State. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The Spartans have as much talent in the backfield as any team in the Big Ten this year. Look for Michigan State to try to pound the football consistently this week.
The Michigan State defense employed the bend but don’t break philosophy last week against Youngstown State. Greg Jones was the unit’s leader last year, and it wouldn’t surprise me a bit to see a big drop in production from the linebacker position this season.
Jerrell Worthy is a defensive tackle that all the NFL scouts have their eyes on. Worthy can take over a game at any time, and he does a great job of both rushing the passer and stuffing the run.
Michigan State is looking to prove that last year’s run was no fluke. Florida Atlantic will likely be at the bottom of the Sun Belt this year.
I think this one could get ugly pretty quickly.
I don’t like laying this many points, but I think the Spartans dominate here.
NCAA Gambling Trends:
Under is 10-1 in FLATL last 11 games on grass.
FLATL are 1-10 ATS in their last 11 games overall.
FLATL are 1-8 ATS in their last 9 games on grass.
Over is 7-1 in MCHST last 8 non-conference games.
Free College Football Pick: Michigan State -32
Score Prediction: Michigan State 45 Florida Atlantic 7
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It may not get the national coverage that some other rivalries do, but the Iowa/Iowa State intrastate rivalry is definitely important in the Hawkeye state.
