CFB Handicapping Week 8
I will make an effort to give my sports betting advice or a quick over view of the games you want to know about. The Top 25 match ups each week is where most of the eyes turn. Last week I went 4-1 on premium plays and have been on fire going 20-7 the last five Saturday’s. We are now 9-2 on POD’s in college football with North Carolina -2.5 pending as a 4-dime POD Thursday night.
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There will be only one match up between two Top 25 teams and that will come in the Mountain West when TCU visits BYU and what will be our Game of the Week.
**GAME OF THE WEEK**
#19 Ohio State vs. Minnesota (Ohio State -18) (Texas -3.5)
(Saturday 12:00 pm et)
Minnesota will come to Ohio State a week after the Buckeyes were upset by Purdue last week. Everyone will be looking to see what Terrelle Pryor can do to get this team back on track. Under coach Jim Tressel, Ohio State is 6-0 all timeMinnesota and they have not lost back to back games in the Big Ten in five years. Look for Ohio State to win this game, but it should be closer than many think.
#20 Pittsburgh vs. South Florida (Pitt -6.5)
(Saturday 12pm et)
Anyone know the last time Pitt were 7-1 in their first 8 games? It was when Dan marino was behind center. A win over South Florida on Saturday will put this team at 7-1. The story here has been freshmen sensation Dion Lewis for Pitt. The freshmen is third in the country in rushing, but will face a defense that ranks 18th in total defense.
#12 Georgia Tech vs. Virginia (Georgia Tech -4)
(Saturday 12pm et)
Georgia Tech looked impressive against a top 5 ranked team in Virginia Tech last week as they won as underdogs. This week they will visit Virginia, who have very quietly put together three straight wins after opening their season 0-3. Al Groh has this team playing hard at the right time.
#23 West Virginia vs. Connecticut (West Virginia -7.5)
(Saturday 12:00 pm et)
If you are one that believes in emotional victories well the Huskies will be playing for their fallen junior cornerback, Jasper Howard. Howard was killed just hours after Uconn played Louisville at a party on campus where he was stabbed late last Sunday morning. Connecticut should be up for this one and play physical defense like they normally do expect a low scoring game.
#15 Oklahoma State vs. Baylor (Oklahoma State -10.5)
(Saturday 12:30 pm et)
Oklahoma State will try to go 3-0 in conference play when they visit a fellow Big 12 opponent in Baylor. Despite missing some of their top players in Dez White and Kendal Hunter, Oklahoma State is still averaging over 5 TD’s a game. Baylor now has lost to 19 straight opponents that have been ranked dating back to 2004. The Cowboy also own the all time series 15-12 and are 12-1 in the last 13 meetings.
#13 Penn State vs. Michigan (Penn State -5)
(Saturday 3:30 pm et)
With the exception of last season which was a down year for Michigan you don’t often see the Wolverines as dogs in the big house. However, Michigan will be nearly a TD under dog to the Nittany Lions. Michigan will try to continue it’s dominance at home against Penn State where they have won every game since 1996. Penn State has won 3 straight games since losing to Iowa and seem to be back on top.
#11 Oregon vs. Washington (Oregon -7)
(Saturday 3:30pm)
Washington has not beaten Oregon since 2003 in Washington. It has been smooth cruising for Oregon since their loss to Boise State as they have had little trouble in the Pac-10 winning all three by a combined score of 118-19 including and old fashion beat down to California 42-3. Watch out as Seattle is a tough place to play and Jake Locker is now the #1 touted QB in the nation. Just ask USC if it’s easy to play here.
#2 Alabama vs. Tennessee (Alabama -14.5)
(Saturday 3:30pm et)
Mark Ingram has been spectacular at running back and is the early favorite to win the Heisman trophy. Alabama will host Tennessee off the bye. Ingram had troubles running against the Vols last year as he only got the ball 4 times and rushed for 1 yard. I expect Alabama to win, but Lane Kiffin is getting no respect here coming off a bye I think this one stays closer than many anticipate.
#5 Cincinnati vs. Louisville (Cincinnati -17.5)
(Saturday 3:30pm et)
Tony Pike injured his wrist again and it’s a huge loss for them. However, they have been here before losing a few QB’s last year including Pike. The Bearcats will find someone that can step in and Louisville has been terrible this season take a huge step back. Cincinnati has won 8 straight home games and should win this one.
#25 Kansas vs. Oklahoma (Oklahoma -8)
(Saturday 3:30 pm et)
Once again, Oklahoma will have to win without Sam Bradford as he is likely done for the season as he opts for shoulder surgery. Kansas although in the Top 25 while Oklahoma is not will be under dogs at home against a very good Oklahoma defense. It will be Landry Jones stepping in for Bradford who is more than capable of getting the job done.
#10 Miami vs. Clemson (Miami -7)
(Saturday 3:30pm et)
Miami has not played a game in the ACC in almost a month and they will return when they take on an athletic Clemson team. Clemson coming off a huge win at the hands of Wake Forest 38-3 and will try to stay in this game against the ranked Hurricanes. Clemson ranks 11th in the country in total defense and this game should be a very close and entertaining game.
#18 Utah vs. Air Force (Utah -9.5)
(Saturday 4:00 pm et)
Utah will enjoy three straight home games and continue to be a ranked team out of a smaller conference. They will host Air Force and the key will be to stop the running game. Air Force actually owns the series 14-11 and always seem to play Utah well.
#6 Iowa vs. Michigan State (Iowa -2)
(Saturday 7:30 pm et)
This may be the game of the year for Iowa because if they win this and win out including against Ohio State they could be heading to the National Championship. Beating the Spartans on their home turf won’t be easy despite Iowa leading the series 20-18-2. This will be the most challenging defense by far that Michigan State will face all year, but Iowa has lost 4 straight in East Lansing.
#24 South Carolina vs.Vanderbilt (South Carolina -11.5)
(Saturday 7:00 pm et)
Vanderbilt has beaten South Carolina two straight years, but this is a very different team in my opinion. The Gamecocks are very sounds defensively as they hung in their and covered their spread against Alabama last week. Look or the Gamecocks to get this won at home as they have won 14 of their last 18 games in this series.
#17 Houston vs. SMU (Houston -16.5)
(Saturday 7:30pm et)
Houston has some ground to make up and it’s all because of the loss against UTEP, who now has the tie breaker in Conference USA over both Tulsa and Houston. SMU has been impressive this year as well but they will face Houston a team that leads the nation in total offense and passing. The Mustangs can throw the ball too, but I fear they will not be able to keep up in this one.
#8 TCU vs. BYU (TCU -1)
(Saturday 7:30 pm et)
Last season TCU dealt BYU its first loss, knocking it out as a potential BCS-buster. BYU could get sweet revenge at home this year if they return the favor to an undefeated Horned Frogs team. TCU ranked fourth in total defense will face BYU who has a solid offense and ranked 6th in the nation in scoring behind Max Hall. The Cougars will be looking to return the favor this year when the Horned Frogs travel to Provo. TCU, ranked fourth in total defense, faces a BYU squad ranked sixth in scoring. BYU leads the all-time series 5-3. 
#1 Florida vs. Mississippi State (Florida -23)
(Saturday 7:30 pm et)
Interesting line here considering Miss State played a very close game at home against LSU, and Florida has not been its usual self in terms of blowing opponents out. They are coming off close wins against LSU and Arkansas. Is this the game Florida gets back to their high scoring offense?
#9 LSU vs. Auburn (LSU -7.5)
(Saturday 7:30 pm et)
Auburn has not been the same since they were ranked after a 5-0 start and lost my 20 points to Arkansas as favorites. LSU looks to get back on track after its first loss of the season as they will host Auburn a team that is struggling. The problem with LSU is it’s offense which is ranked 112th in the country. Auburn who is averaging 35 points a game will be able to score some should be a fun SEC match up.
#3 Texas vs. Missouri (Texas -12)
(Saturday 8:00 pm et)
Texas who opened as -14.5 favorites have moved down to just under 2 TD at -12. Texas caught a break last week in my opinion when Bradford went down in the game as they were dominated on defense. Oklahoma had this game, but their struggles to move the ball is what lost it for them. Careful here I fear Vegas is just begging you to take Texas and I would not considering the struggles this team has had this year. Do you feel comfortable laying the points on a team that trailed midway through the third quarter one game ago to Colorado?
#7 USC vs. Oregon State (USC -21)
(Saturday 8:00 pm et)
A near total melt down for USC last week in the 4th quarter for USC in what looked like a game that was just over Notre Dame pulled their way back and had a couple of chances in the red zone to score a TD to tie the game, but could not pull it off. Oregon State is no stranger to giving USC troubles if you remember them knocking them off last year and ruining USC’s national title hopes. This year they will visit USC as USC seeks revenge.
#4 Boise State vs. Hawaii (Boise State -24.5)
(Saturday 11:05 pm et)
Boise State just keeps on winning and now they head for a vacation when they visit Hawaii as 24 point favorites. Earlier in the year this match up looked like an interesting battle between Hawaii the original BCS buster and Boise State now the perennial power out of the WAC. However, Hawaii lost it’s QB Greg Alexander and seem to not be able to recover.
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