Articles by Cappers Picks related to online NCAA Football betting, and handicapping live CFB matchups.
Barring any non-conference craziness I feel it is safe to say that the Sun Belt will be the least talked about conference in college football this year. They have only 8 teams after having lost some programs to Conference USA (WHY?) and the teams that remain are far from the national spotlight.
The ACC should have a fascinating season in 2013. There are a number of true contenders as you can see below and they have some great matches with their geographical big brother the SEC, which could really shake up the way things look at the top of the polls this season.
The Troy Trojans got very used to winning the Sun Belt Conference and dominating on an annual basis. The past two years something has gone very wrong. After winning five straight Sun Belt Conference titles between 2006 and 2010, the Trojans have won only eight games in the past two seasons combined.
Arkansas State is the defending champion in the Sun Belt Conference. The Red Wolves went 7-1 in the conference and 10-3 overall in 2012. Gus Malzahn left the team for Auburn after last season, and Bryan Harsin will get the chance as the team’s new head man.
Over the past couple of seasons, Oklahoma State has become more than just an offensive juggernaut that dumps points on the opposition. The Cowboys have a chance to be a very respectable defensive team in ’13, thanks to the athleticism of DT Calvin Barnett and LBs Shaun Lewis and Caleb Lavey.
How on earth could a team go from 12-2 to 0-12 in the next season?
The Southern Miss Golden Eagles managed to do that in 2012. Larry Fedora left for North Carolina and Ellis Johnson took over the Golden Eagles program. Johnson was let go after one season of futility.
The Ohio Bobcats started last season with a big win at Penn State and even entered the Top 25 at one point, but injuries held the team back, and they finished the MAC with just a 4-4 record. They did finish off the season with a very impressive 45-14 win in the Independence Bowl over Louisiana-Monroe.
Bowling Green has made a lot of progress in the last couple years, but this season’s team has the highest upside of any Bowling Green football team in a very long time. There are nine starters returning on offense and nine starters returning on defense.
It’s the SEC vs. the Big 12 for Texas bragging rights as the No. 13 LSU Tigers will arrive at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, looking to win their 11th straight season opener in the 5th annual Cowboy Classic against the No. 20 Texas Christian Horned Frogs in Week 1 college football action.
ESPN’s show College Game Day will visit “Death Valley” for the second time as the defending SEC East champion No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs kick off their 2013 season by renewing an old rivalry with a No. 8 ranked Tigers team that is looking to build on last year’s season success.
Although it’s still more than two weeks away, the smack talking has already begun with Ole Miss strength coach Paul Jackson talking trash about something Vanderbilt cornerback Andre Hal’s said regarding last year’s Commodores’ come-from-behind win over the Rebels.
The SEC is loaded with very good teams. Though there are some favourites in each division in Alabama and Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Texas A&M and LSU should all be good this season and one upset could easily shake things up from the expected path.
Louisiana Tech had a very successful season in 2012, but they lost their head coach after the season. Sonny Dykes left for California in the offseason, but Louisiana Tech was able to bring in another big name head coach. Skip Holtz did a great job at East Carolina before struggling at USF.
The MAC always gets overshadowed by the Big Ten and rightfully so.
I am in complete agreement with those who say the PAC 12 does not get enough respect nationally. Most polls have two teams – Oregon and Stanford – in their top 5 and I see no reason why USC could not finish the season in the top 10 as well, especially now that scheduling means they don’t have to all beat up on each other.
The Rice Owls have had a very strange last few seasons. Rice went 10-3 in 2008 and it seemed like David Bailiff had the program going in the right direction. The team turned around and went 2-10 in 2009 and 4-8 in both 2010 and 2011. In 2012, the team went 7-6 and went to a bowl game again.
