Posted Tuesday, October 04, 2011 10:54 PMWell, I haven't blogged my picks in a while, it's about time I start listing my top 5 picks again after a great start. Though I don't bet a lot of money, I'm up a pretty substantial amount. Picked the right teams to parlay and tease, and single game betting those teams in the parlays as an insurance play. For those that don't get that, if you do a 3 team parlay for example, and it's a $20 play, single game $20 for each play and if you go 2-1 in the parlay then you'll end up even instead of instead of in the red. If you lose all, then you should bet others picks.
1) Oklahoma -9.5 vs Texas - With Texas starting a freshman quarterback...whichever QB they decide to play whether it's one they decide to play if not both, doesn't really create a whole lot of stability in the offense, which is exactly what Oklahoma's offense has with Landry Jones and Ryan Broyles along with their other abundance of weapons they have on that side of the ball. Travis Lewis and the rest of the OU defense should have a field day with Texas' offensive instability. Oklahoma 48 Texas 20
2) Air Force +16 @ Notre Dame - Although this Air Force team isn't what most have been in the 2000's, their still Air Force with the same principles, run the ball, physically work your opponent, and drain the clock. Notre Dame has an offense that can light up the scoreboard, but they also have a lot of trouble holding on to the ball. I'd look for Air Force to shorten the game as much as possible with as much power running as possible. Notre Dame's D is slow and doesn't tackle well, so if I had a crystal ball I'd throw this out there, Notre Dame 27 Air Force 20
3) LSU -13.5 vs Florida - What can I say about LSU? They're defense led by sophomore Tyrann Mathieu is unbelievable, they tackle like it's going out of style and they're absolute ball hawkers. The offense isn't any thhing special but the key is they take care of the ball and they don't give it up. Florida has a ton of speed with their skill players, especially in Rainey and Demps, but John Brantley is out and with a backup QB going up against that brick wall of a defense I don't see Florida having much of a shot in this game especially in Death Valley. LSU 31 Florida 13
4) Fresno State +20.5 vs Boise State - We all know Boise State can light up a scoreboard, we know they can stop people with their defense, but on the road against "Fearless" Pat Hill's gang of Bulldogs in Fresno, with quarterback Derrick Carr, and running back "Take it to the House" Rouse, the Boise defense will have their hands full. This year it's almost like Chris Peterson isn't worried about style points, he wants to go in to whichever game heis team has to play and just get the W. The Broncos have had plenty of chances and stepping on their opponents throats, but have let up, the Bulldogs may even keep it closer than some expect. Don't think for one second that Coach Pat won't have his boys up and ready to go for this one. "Anyone, Any time, Any place" Boise State 33 Fresno State 27
5) Clemson -20.5 vs Boston College - The Tigers have virtually come out of no where...and they feel like they've never left the spotlight, sure they dropped off when CJ Spiller and James Davis left, but ever since Tahj Boyd and Sammy Watkins have stepped in to the line up, it's been a trackmeet every time they've stepped on the field. BC doesn't have a lot going for them and with the speed and weapons the Clemson Tigers have, this game could be out of hand early and I don't see them looking back, just farther and farther downfield with Watkins on the recieving end of at least two deep balls. Clemson 45 Boston College 13
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Once again, another great week in college football. I don't think there has ever been a week that you can say it's a bad week, unless of course you bet the farm, the pink slips to the cars, the mortgage, the kid's college funds and everything else...and lose. But as far as I know, that didn't happen and a lot of great college football was played this last week.
The first game of the week, Kansas visited South Florida and that was a barn burner! The Jayhawks lead by 10 at half and then was shut out in the third quarter while giving up 17 points to the Bulls, but they fought their way back and eventually took tied the ball game up. But, what was inevitable, happened. Todd Reesing's scramble and heave techniques caught up with him as he tried to get greedy and go for a big play downfield and was picked off, the Bulls returned it inside the Kansas 30 which led to a game winning field goal for Jim Levitt and his Bulls.
A lot more happened last week too. An overpowering Georgia Bulldogs squad came in to Columbia, South Carolina to take on the Gamecocks and for being ranked preseason #1 they sure didn't play like it, they caught a huge break inside the ten minute mark, but managed to get out of there with a seven point win. BYU absolutely blew out the Bruins of UCLA and Max Hall had a day doing it throwing for seven touchdowns (repeat to self) in a 59-0 Cougar victory. A favored Oregon Ducks team came in to Purdue and overcame a 20-6 deficit and ended up taking the game 32-26 after QB Justin Roper went down with an injured knee. Auburn went to Starkville and if we didn't know any better we would have thought it was a baseball game where these two teams literally did the best they could to not score, the Tigers won 3-2...I never thought I'd see that in my life.
As for the two games that highlighted the night, we will start off in the valley of California, Fresno to be exact. The Bulldogs of Fresno State hosted PJ Hill and the Wisconsin Badgers. Wisconsin took control early with a ten point lead and at the end of the 3rd quarter the Badgers led 13-10 and that's all they needed. Wisconsin snuck out of Fresno with a victory in a very defensive and well played game. Let's head south to Los Angeles, SoCal, the home of porn, the rich and famous, and the USC Trojans where they hosted the (overrated yet again) Ohio State Buckeyes at the LA Coliseum. As I've said repeatedly, the Trojans are too fast, much more physical, athletic, too deep and just overall better than the Buckeyes, and they showed it. Ohio State took their only lead of the game very early in the first quarter going up 3-0, but as soon as they did that USC unleashed the Trojan army on them rattling off 34 unanswered points to take the game 34-3. Everyone on all sides of the ball for the Trojans were firing on all cylinders, Mark Sanchez who was extremely efficient all game showed he could play in the big game throwing for four touchdowns, all four tailbacks from Tailback U did their part including a big game from sophomore Joe McKnight who ran for 105 yards. The Buckeyes who had some question marks coming in to the game from their past "big games" (2006 & 2007 National Championship games) left Los Angeles with even more question marks, "When is Chris Wells coming back? Is Todd Boeckman really the guy they should have at QB? Are these guys a fluke yet again?", and my answer to those three questions are, "It doesn't matter when he comes back, Ohio State is Ohio State and will continue to be Ohio State, good in the Big 10, just another team every where else they go. Should Todd Boeckman be the Buckeyes QB? Yes and no, if they utilize him and Terrell Pryor the right way, they could treat it like Florida did in '06 with Leak and Tebow, though the Bucks don't have near that team speed the Gators did. And finally, yes, they are yet again another Ohio State fluke, they will be good in the Big 10, though I think Penn State has a very serious chance of knocking them off this year, but even if that doesn't happen and Ohio State makes it to another BCS bowl game, I have no doubt in my mind whoever they play will put them in their place...again.
Moral of the story is, Ohio State is Ohio State, they have proven that the last 3 years, they aren't an extra special team, they are good in conference, but when they play a team that creates a challenge and is a top team from another conference, they fold, they get outplayed because of superior athletic ability, the other teams are too physical and way too fast for Ohio State, as USC, LSU and Florida have already shown. Even last year when Illinois beat the Buckeyes at the Horseshoe, they showed if you can outrun the Buckeyes, you can beat them. I'm just anxious to see who they will fall to next, I'm already counting on JoePa's Nittany Lions.
WEEK 4 GAMES TO WATCH
WEST VIRGINIA @ COLORADO
FLORIDA @ TENNESSEE
LSU @ AUBURN
GEORGIA @ ARIZONA STATE
VANDERBILT @ OLE MISS
UNTIL NEXT WEEK, GOOD DAY AND GOOD BETTING
BRIAN BARNES
Week 2 of the NCAA football season wasn't exactly the most eventful or dramatic. Everyone's focus is on the event of the season, USC hosting Ohio State in week 3. But before we go there, we can't overshadow what a surprise the Skip Holtz led East Carolina Pirates have been. First, they come back and beat Frank Beamer's Virginia Tech Hokies at their own game ("Beamer Ball") by blocking a punt and returning it for a TD. Week 2, The Pirates simply dominated the West Virginia Mountaineers completely shutting down Pat White and Noel Devine and holding them to only three points...THREE! They are the Cinderella story this year and I don't see the clock striking midnight on them for quite a while.
Let's get to business, USC Trojans vs. Ohio State Buckeyes. This is the game of the year, or at least it's hyped to be. And why wouldn't it be? Ohio State won the National Championship in 2002, and has been in the hunt ever since. They made two title games, the first coming in 2006, where they were heavy favorites against Chris Leak and the Florida Gators. Florida out-everythinged them that game and blew them out. The second time they were back was in 2007 and the same thing happened. The Buckeyes got out to an early lead and lost it progressively throughout the game. They were overmatched, outplayed and was just anihilated by a better LSU Tigers team. USC won their championships in 2003 (splitting with Michigan) and 2004 where they blew out the Oklahoma Sooners. The Trojans this year have everyone returning except for John David Booty, but they have a very talented, strong armed QB in Mark Sanchez to step in and take over. The defense is a year older and just as talented as they were last year, even after losing Sedrick Ellis, Lawrence Jackson, and Keith Rivers, they still have Brian Cushing, Ray Maualuga, Taylor Mays, and an extremely physical front four. I know Ohio State struggled this last week with Ohio, they weren't showing their hand or anything, but I don't see the Trojans losing this game. USC is too fast, too strong, and better coached, we all know Carroll can get his team primed for the big game, especially when it's in the coliseum.
Look for the Trojans to win convincingly.
Week 3 games to watch...
Wisconsin @ Fresno State
Kansas @ South Florida
Oklahoma @ Washington
UCLA @ BYU
Good luck to every one this week
Was there really any doubt? Should Georgia have been labeled #1 in the preseason? Should Ohio State be #1 or considered for it? Surprises of the year...
I can't argue against preseason rankings because it's all a prediction, it's designed to create talk and speculation about the season and the tops that top the charts. In the beginning, Georgia was ranked #1, Ohio State #2, and USC was ranked #3. After the first week of the season, USC jumps to #1, Georgia and Ohio State each drop back a spot. If you ask me, USC is the unanimous #1 team in the land and should have been in the beginning of the season. Why? They have zero...I'll repeat, zero question marks at every spot on the field. They have an NFL defense with Taylor Mays, Brian Cushing, the punishing Ray Maualuga, and a dominant front four. What about the offense? The Trojan army has every receiver back from last year, including a huge and fast target in Patrick Turner who in my opinion will have a breakout season. CJ Gable, Allen Bradford, Steffon Johnson and Joe McKnight hold down the backfield and every one of them has big play potential every time they touch the ball. If they had one question mark at the beginning of the season, it would have been Mark Sanchez, but he quickly put that to rest with over 300 yards, and 3 TD's while showing off a cannon he calls his right arm.
Georgia and Ohio State all have the capability of being #1, but you look at Ohio State and just a sour taste from the last two seasons is left in your mouth when you mention the boys from Columbus, although with all the experience they bring back on defense with Malcom Jenkins and James Laruinitis, on offense with Bryan Robiskie, Todd Boeckman, and Chris Wells. They have the potential to win the championship and to sweep through the season and take the title, but when they go to Los Angeles that will put an end to the Buckeyes perfect season. The Dawgs playing in the SEC won't go undefeated, they'll have a big issue going up against the Gators, and if the Dawgs survive that game I still am not confident they'll go undefeated, in my opinion one or two losses are inevitable for the Dawgs.
Surprise surprise, who loves surprises? I know I do. A team to look for this year and on the rise in the next few years and hopefully for a long time to come will be the no Bo Pelini led Nebraska Cornhuskers. I don't say this because I grew up in Nebraska or that I'm a life long Husker fan, but the one season Bo Pelini was the defensive coordinator he turned the D around completely and once he left they fell off to a level the Blackshirts never knew existed. By my predictions, the Huskers will finish 9-3, losing to Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas Tech, but not being blown out in any of the three. Rebuilding, but the pieces are being placed starting with Bo and his passion of defense. Order will be restored.
With the way the ACC is starting off, it is not out of the question that Wake Forest could get their second conference title in the last three years, but this could also be a stretch, but the Miami Hurricanes could have an ACC resurgence this year, a disappointing team last year and a disappointing conference this year. I'm not cancelling out Clemson, but what reason should we have to believe in them? Little Bowden hasn't for any reason placed any confidence in any of us to have us think he will lead them to a conference title, he's brought in great talent, but it hasn't been utilized the way the talent should be. If it had been, he would have gotten a conference title by now. Believe it or not, a disappointing year after disappointing year Florida State team somehow has the possibility in my opinion. Virginia Tech...they do too, I don't know how, but this conference is so awful that anyone, and I mean ANYONE (barring Duke) has the possibility to take this conference crown and create a BCS blowout that I will take no part in watching.
Let's raise our glasses to a new year of college football, cheer your teams, and bash your rivals. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I will.
Post your comments if you'd like, if not, I hope you enjoyed reading, I'll be posting again next week.
Thank you,
Brian Barnes