Articles by Cappers Picks related to online NCAA Football betting, and handicapping live CFB matchups.
Luke Fickell is trying to win over the Buckeyes fan base, but some wonder if Mark Dantonio might be the next coach at Ohio State. Fickell was named the interim head coach after Jim Tressel was forced out in May, but speculation continues to run rampant about different names that Ohio State might be interested in.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers receive a special welcome to the Big Ten Conference by being forced to play at Camp Randall Stadium this Saturday. The Cornhuskers fan base travels extremely well, and the Badgers faithful will be rocking in this Saturday night game in Madison.
Wrigley Field was the site of last year’s matchup between these two teams, but they’ll be back in Champaign for this week’s contest. Dan Persa has missed the last three games for Northwestern, but he is listed as probable for this one.
Both Minnesota and Michigan have a new coach this season. Jerry Kill and the Gophers have had a very tough start to the season, while Brady Hoke and the Wolverines are 4-0. The Golden Gophers are widely regarded as the worst team in the Big Ten at this point, but in this conference anything can happen.
Entering Week 5, most bettors would’ve expected Wake Forest to be 1-3 and Boston College to be 2-1, not the other way around. Will the topsy-turvy ACC season continue or will a home game for Boston College bring balance back to the universe?
CFB Football Previews – Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs North Carolina Tar Heels
Clemson, Florida State and Maryland have gotten plenty of attention in the ACC so far this season – but what about Georgia Tech? The Yellow Jackets may be the quietest 4-0 team in the country this season. Can they keep the good times rolling against N.C. State this week?
NCAAF Week 5: Georgia Tech vs N.C. State
Date: Saturday, October 1, 2011
Venue: Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, North Carolina
Broadcast: ABC/ESPN
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at North Carolina State Wolfpack betting lines from Bodog.com
Money Line: OFF
Spread: Georgia Tech -10
Over/Under: OFF
(21) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (4-0)
With respect to Josh Nesbitt’s great efforts as Georgia Tech’s quarterback the last few years, the Yellow Jackets are making it look like the key was the system, not the passer, all along.
No one has an answer for the triple-option. Just as they did with Nesbitt, the Jackets are going absolutely nuts in the running game, only this time it looks like they might be even better. Tevin Washington has over 100 rushing yards and four rushing scores through four games but he’s also passed for 821 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception.
It’s terrifying. Georgia Tech is second in the nation in rushing, averaging 398.8 yards per game, but it’s also up to 231.8 passing yards per game. The Jackets average an FBS-best 630.5 total yards and 53.2 points per game. Now that they can actually throw to go along with the triple-option, the offense looks unstoppable.
Last week’s win over North Carolina was impressive but the 35-28 score reminded us that the Jackets won’t run away with every game. Their first three opponents were pushovers. Decent offenses can still score on Georgia Tech.
North Carolina State Wolfpack (2-2)
It’s time to seriously worry about North Carolina State. The Wolfpack’s two victories were against non-FBS teams. They lost to Wake Forest and got absolutely pumped 44-14 by a pretty ordinary Cincinnati team last weekend. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
N.C. State’s offense hasn’t been a total embarrassment, as Mike Glennon has looked pretty solid under center, but the Wolfpack have been awful defensively, allowing more than 400 yards of offense per game.
The pick:
I actually think N.C. will score a little on Georgia Tech’s defense at home. Glennon has been competent and should lead a few good drives. However, I don’t see the Wolfpack covering, even as 10-point home underdogs.
Georgia Tech will just have the ball too often and score too many times for N.C. State to keep up. For that reason, I like the Jackets to improve to 5-0, both straight up and against the spread.
Georgia Tech vs N.C. State prediction: Georgia Tech 38, N.C. State 24
Spread: Georgia Tech -10
Over/Under: OFF
The 2011 CFB Season is finally here. Welcome to the CappersPicks.com college football weekly predictions pages! We KNOW you will find our FREE weekly college football picks, tips, betting advice,
strategies, CFB gambling articles and more to help you become the best College football bettor on your block!!
The MAC’s Bowling Green Falcons step up in class to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers, out of the Big East, this upcoming Saturday afternoon at Mountaineers Field. Kick-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and the game will be available on ESPN3.com.
The Marshall Thundering Herd tangle with the Louisville Cardinals this upcoming Saturday afternoon at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium in search of their first non-conference victory this season. The kick-off for this one is slated for 7 p.m. and the game will be available on ESPN3.com.
The South Florida Bulls head north to Heinz Field for a Thursday night clash with the Pittsburgh Panthers in a crucial Big East showdown. The game is slated to get underway at 8 p.m. and it will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
It’s pretty clear that the No. 2 LSU Tigers are national title contenders. The question this week is whether or not No. 16 West Virginia throws its name into the hat, too. A road win over Maryland was impressive for the Mountaineers but beating LSU this week, even at home, would mean much more.
Kentucky doesn’t like the Florida Gators (though it is fair to say that none of the programs in the enmity-filled SEC East do) and is coming off a tough loss to in-state rival Louisville, 24-17. It is certain that the home-side Wildcats will throw everything and the kitchen sink at the Gators this Saturday night in Lexington.
Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia SC
Saturday, Sept. 24, 7:00 pm EST
NCAA Odds from Bodog.com:
MoneyLine: OFF
Spread: Vanderbilt +15.5, South Carolina -15.5
Over/Under: OFF
It is downright bizarre to see a Week 4 battle of two SEC unbeaten teams, where one of the participants is the Vanderbilt Commodores. But that’s exactly what’s happened thus far for Vandy, which procured two nice wins so far versus Connecticut and Ole Miss. The Cinderella story may be ending this Saturday in the Palmetto State, however.
Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina Gamecocks haven’t been winning games in an overly convincing fashion, in fact Carolina have been grinding it out against the likes of East Carolina (56-37 win), Georgia (45-42 win) and Navy (24-21 win). With as good as the Commodores looked last week versus Ole Miss, you can’t even predict the Commodores – usually a bottom-dwelling SEC outfit – as a back pocket win, either. Though the Gamecocks “D” has been rather dreadful (save super-athlete D-lineman Melvin Ingram) the offensive game-plan has produced enough to secure wins.
Veteran quarterback Stephen Garcia, and do-everything skill stars RB Marcus Lattimore and WR Alshon Jeffery should carry the offense for Carolina, as usual. The trio should have a productive weekend against Vandy. True, Vandy only surrendered a touchdown to Ole Miss last week, but the Rebels have looked awful and were without their top RB and a starting WR. With a Gamecocks team that has a cupboard much better stocked, look for the offensive talent to get an appropriate yield from the visiting Commodores.
To be fair, you have to give Vanderbilt credit where credit is due. The running platoon of junior Zac Stacy and freshman Jerron Seymour has been really effective, with both backs averaging over 5.5 yards per carry (9.0 yards per clip for Stacy). Senior QB Larry Smith – whom didn’t inspire confidence in anyone before the season – has played well and stayed within himself.
Perhaps most impressive and most crucial to Vandy’s 2011 success thus far is the turnover-hungry defense. The Commodores’ secondary picked off Ole Miss QB Zack Stoudt five times last week and we know how vital turnovers are for the sudden swings in momentum. Garcia is a savvy vet, though, and while it is true he was prone to INTs earlier in his career, he won’t be as easy a mark as Ole Miss’s scuffling pivot. Vanderbilt’s defense has definitely exceeded expectations, but Jeffery and others downfield (sophomore WR Ace Sanders also comes to mind) will create match-up problems for the visitors.
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Very few people would have predicted Vanderbilt to be unbeaten this long; if it can somehow keep the magic intact, South Carolina hasn’t looked too convincing at times – especially on defense. Getting multiple touchdowns dropped on you from East Carolina and Navy will not cut it for an SEC East program that considers itself the top-dog contender this season. This trend makes it look possible that Vandy could get downfield and perhaps drop a few scores on the home team. If Stacy and Seymour keep running well and Vandy’s unheralded offensive line keeps doing its job, Carolina has shown that it isn’t the stingiest outfit this side of the Missouri River.
Yet the same is true for Vanderbilt and the most pertinent detail is that Garcia, Lattimore and Jeffery are far more imposing than anyone the Commodores can roll out. Those guys should do enough for the Gamecocks to snag this home contest, and a convincing win over Vanderbilt – perpetrated on both sides of the ball – would do a lot for Carolina’s confidence moving forward into the teeth of the regular season schedule, despite its cushy #12 national ranking.
Score Prediction: South Carolina 31, Vanderbilt 14
Over/Under Prediction: 45
The CappersPicks.com college football weekly predictions pages! We KNOW you will find our FREE weekly college football picks, tips, betting advice, strategies, CFB gambling articles and more to help you become the best College football bettor on your block!!
With all the re-booted hysteria about conference shuffling and re-alignment this past week, it will be nice to get back to playing some actual football this Saturday. One of our midday games this week features two SEC programs having some headaches lately.
One of the most exciting clashes of the week takes place in Dixieland this Saturday afternoon, where two unstoppable forces do battle in Tuscaloosa.
Week 4’s FSU/Clemson tilt will tell us a ton about both team’s true forecasts for 2011. The Seminoles were hyped as a national title contender until Oklahoma took them down. A loss to Clemson would shift them from a powerhouse to an also-ran in two weeks.
Last season Mizzou (2-1) made a furious comeback to beat Oklahoma (3-0) at home and now in Norman the Sooners look to get some revenge, as the top-ranked team in the nation. Oklahoma is a big 21-point home favorite in this game with a total of 56.5.
