Rambling's Week 14 CFB Picks

Championship week is upon us and we are one week until we have all the bowls to look forward to. We have a Rose Bowl match-up to create and a MAC champion to crown. Enjoy the football and get ready for the most unique postseason in sports.

Thursday, December 1st, 2011:

#23 West Virginia at South Florida, 7:00 pm ESPN, West Virginia has appeared to turn a corner the last couple of weeks and that should make Mountaineers fans happy. South Florida has been as inconsistent but when they are on they can beat a lot of teams in the country. With the Big East on the line for WVU, I think we see a team that comes out tight in the first half which could be just the tonic the Bulls need. Winner: South Florida ATS: South Florida +1.5

Friday, December 2nd, 2011:

Ohio vs Northern Illinois, 6:00 pm ESPN2, I know many of you aren't enthused about the MAC championship game but it should be a good game and entertaining if nothing else. Winner: Northern Illinois ATS: Ohio +3.5

UCLA at #9 Oregon, 7:00 pm FOX, Rich Neuheisel... yep that is all. Winner: Oregon ATS: UCLA +31

Saturday, December 3rd, 2011:

#24 Southern Miss at #6 Houston, 11:00 am ABC, I picked Tulsa last week and got creamed but Southern Miss is much better than Tulsa and has the talent and coaching to match-up. Houston as Case Keenum and the hottest coach on the scene. Winner: Southern Miss ATS: Southern Miss +14

Iowa State at #11 Kansas State, 11:30 am, Iowa State has posed problems for some of the better teams on their schedule but I just don't see Bill Snyder allowing this team to not finish with only 2 losses and soaring expectations. Winner: Kansas State ATS: Kansas State -11

UNLV at #18 TCU, 1:00 pm Versus, ummmm, yeah.... TCU should run away with this. Winner: TCU ATS: UNVL +38.5

#22 Texas at #17 Baylor, 2:30 pm ABC, Baylor is the better team in my opinion because it can keep pace with good offensive teams where as Texas has more issues on offense than most teams in the country (although they are talented). Winner: Baylor ATS: Baylor -3

#14 Georgia vs #1 LSU, 3:00 pm CBS, LSU is the best team in the country, Georgia is the 3rd best in the MWC (wink wink), but has made some very nice improvements since a sloppy week 2 showing against South Carolina. Should be a low scoring affair but I think the Tigers go unblemished into the BCS Championship Game. Winner: LSU ATS: LSU -13.5

New Mexico at #7 Boise State, 5:00 pm, part two of the MWC ummm.... yeah game of the week. Winner: Boise State ATS: New Mexico 48.5

#10 Oklahoma at #3 Oklahoma State, 7:00 pm ABC, Oklahoma State has the better resume and the better bad loss of the two but I think the history of this match-up will weigh over the program this week. Oklahoma has one bad loss and one meh loss. Winner: Oklahoma ATS: Oklahoma +3.5

#5 Virginia Tech vs #20 Clemson, 7:00 pm ESPN, Clemson won the first match-up but I feel how I always feel about Clemson teams this late in the season. Virginia Tech has put it all together as the season went on but this is still an average Va Tech defense at best. Winner: Virginia Tech ATS: Clemson +7

#15 Wisconsin vs #13 Michigan State, 7:17 pm FOX, These two teams are equal and I am far from unbiased when looking at this game so I'm just gonna sit back and enjoy it for what it is... a game between two evenly matched teams who have produced some great games over the last 18 months. Winner: Wisconsin ATS: Michigan State +9.5

Rambling's Week 13 CFB Recap

My favorite two weeks coupled together are right now with Rivalry week and Championship week back to back I'm looking to bounce back this week and look forward to the Thanksgiving weekend of sports both football and baseball. Now on to the picks....

Thursday, November 24th, 2011:

#25 Texas at Texas A&M, 7:00 pm ESPN, Texas still isn't a top 25 team and A&M isn't as good as I keep hoping they will be. Texas has Baylor this we Winner: 0-1 ATS: 0-1

Friday, November 25th, 2011:

#8 Houston at Tulsa, 11:00 am, Is Houston a top 10 team? No. Do they deserve to be ranked in the top 10 right now? Yes. They are the only other undefeated next to LSU. Winner: 0-2 ATS: 0-2

Iowa at #21 Nebraska, 11:00 am ABC, With a season ending win Nebraska goes into the bowl game on a high note but must have regrets about what could have been in it's first Big Ten season. Winner: 1-2 ATS: 0-3

#3 Arkansas at #1 LSU, 1:30 pm CBS, LSU has now put themselves in a position in which they can lose the SEC championship game and still play in the NCG. Winner: 2-2 ATS: 0-4

Pittsburgh at West Virginia, 6:00 pm ESPN, The Big East is still a total mess with three teams still in the hunt for the conference championship. West Virginia has a chance to win it still but will need some help from other teams to achieve a BCS berth.  Winner: 3-2 ATS: 0-5

Saturday, November 26th, 2011:

Iowa State at #9 Oklahoma, 11:00 am FX, Bedlam is on the horizon and Oklahoma is coming off a stomping of Iowa State. Iowa State is bowl eligible and can take solace in that. Winner: 4-2 ATS: 1-5

#13 Georgia at #23 Georgia Tech, 11:00 am ESPN, Georgia has a chance to throw a wrench in the system by making the SEC the first 3-bid league. Georgia Tech has taken a bit of a dive after looking like a true contender in the ACC. Winner: 5-2 ATS: 1-6

#14 Michigan State at Northwestern, 11:00 am BTN, Had 'em on upset alert and it turns out it wasn't necessary the Spartan coaching staff had this team coached up to be ready to play on Saturday even with nothing to play for. Winner: 6-2 ATS: 2-6

Ohio State at #15 Michigan, 11:00 am ABC, Michigan is trending towards a BCS game in the minds of many pundits and I think this is dangerous for the Big Ten because of the fact that Michigan is decidedly average. Winner: 7-2 ATS: 3-6

Wyoming at #7 Boise State, 1:00 pm,  Winner: 8-2 ATS: 3-7

#2 Alabama at #24 Auburn, 2:30 pm CBS, Roll Tide, all the way to the BCS championship game. Winner: 9-2 ATS: 3-8

#5 Virginia Tech at Virginia, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, Virginia Tech reminded Virginia Saturday that they rule the ACC for a reason and that reason is the talent gap between them and the Cavaliers. Winner: 10-2 ATS: 4-8

Oregon State at #10 Oregon, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, ummm.... yeah this game turned out predictably. Winner: 11-2 ATS: 4-8-1

#19 Penn State at #16 Wisconsin, 2:30 pm ESPN, Wisconsin is in the Big Ten title game and we get to see a rematch of a very good game from the season. Winner: 12-2 ATS: 4-9-1

Texas Tech vs #18 Baylor, 6:00 pm, Tech is really bad. RG3 is really, really good. Winner: 13-2 ATS: 5-9-1

#17 Clemson at #12 South Carolina, 6:45 pm ESPN,  Winner: 14-2 ATS: 5-10-1

#22 Notre Dame at #6 Stanford, 7:00 pm ABC,  Winner: 15-2 ATS: 6-10-1

UCLA at USC, 9:00 pm,  Winner: 16-2 ATS: 7-10-1

Rambling's Week 13 CFB Picks

My favorite two weeks coupled together are right now with Rivalry week and Championship week back to back I'm looking to bounce back this week and look forward to the Thanksgiving weekend of sports both football and baseball. Now on to the picks....


Thursday, November 24th, 2011:
#25 Texas at Texas A&M, 7:00 pm ESPN, I'm not sure how Texas is still in the top 25, they lost each of the last two weeks and their best win is either BYU or Iowa State which is to say a middling team. Texas A&M looked like a top 10-15 team to start the year but has fallen flat in the second halves of games this season and appears to be a much better team than their record would show. Winner: Texas A&M ATS: Texas A&M -8
Friday, November 25th, 2011:
#8 Houston at Tulsa, 11:00 am, Houston's first of two tests happens this week in a square off for the C-USA West crown this week in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Houston is the odds on favorite here but a closer examination of Tulsa gives us a team that has only lost to top 10 teams this season (Oklahoma, Boise, Oklahoma State) and  has only had one other game decided by under 17 points. Could Houston be looking ahead to the C-USA championship game thinking they have a cake walk in Tulsa and is Tulsa better than anyone thinks. Winner: Tulsa ATS: Tulsa +3
Iowa at #21 Nebraska, 11:00 am ABC, Both these teams are enigmas, Iowa has played very well at points but then has a loss to Minnesota. Nebraska on the other hand can be described by two games, the blowout at Wisconsin and the win over Michigan State. Winner: Nebraska ATS: Iowa +9.5
#3 Arkansas at #1 LSU, 1:30 pm CBS, This game will decide who wins the SEC West one way or another and more than likely shape the BCS Championship game. LSU has the best resume in the country, with the best win, at Alabama, and a still very good non-con win against Oregon. Arkansas has only the loss at Alabama on their resume with their best wins over underwhelming A&M and Auburn teams or a South Carolina team without Marcus Lattimore. Winner: LSU ATS: Arkansas +13.5
Pittsburgh at West Virginia, 6:00 pm ESPN, Let me preface this pick by saying, my track record on Big East picks this year has been horrendous. The Backyard Brawl has produced some great games through the years the most memorable to me is the '07 version of the game that shook up the BCS. Both teams are nearing the end of year 1 of new regimes and West Virginia looks to be in better shape. Winner: West Virginia ATS: West Virginia -7
Saturday, November 26th, 2011:
Iowa State at #9 Oklahoma, 11:00 am FX, Iowa State is coming off the match that lit the powder keg last week over Oklahoma State and Oklahoma is coming off an upset loss to Baylor and both should come out a little sluggish. I don't think Iowa State has enough to hang on in this game as the emotional letdown should be too much to overcome. Winner: Oklahoma ATS: Iowa State +28
#13 Georgia at #23 Georgia Tech, 11:00 am ESPN, I don't have much to say on this game neither team is a top 10 team and Georgia may be more focused on LSU/Alabama/Arkansas next week. Winner: Georgia ATS: Georgia Tech +5.5
#14 Michigan State at Northwestern, 11:00 am BTN, Michigan State is on upset alert for the same reason Clemson should have been last week for me, they have nothing to play for after clinching their title game berth. Winner: Michigan State ATS: Michigan State -6.5
Ohio State at #15 Michigan, 11:00 am ABC, This years addition of The Game isn't lacking for story lines but won't be a great game on the field one team is trending up and one town but both are average at best. Winner: Michigan ATS: Ohio State +7
Wyoming at #7 Boise State, 1:00 pm, Wyoming is a solid MWC team but Boise is a good team in any conference. (even yours SEC fans) Winner: Boise State ATS: Boise State -33.5
#2 Alabama at #24 Auburn, 2:30 pm CBS, If you follow college football at all then all you need to hear is Roll Tide... War Eagle, if not just type in either slogan and read posts that show up and you'll get what is up. Winner: Alabama ATS: Auburn +21
#5 Virginia Tech at Virginia, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, The surprise of the year has to be the improvements made in year two of the Mike London era at Virginia, the Cavaliers are developing a stingy attitude to them that will challenge just about any team in the conference and most across the nation. Virginia Tech just keeps chugging along after the early loss to Clemson and the offense is continuing to come around after a slow start, the defense is uncharacteristically average for a Bud Foster led squad. Winner: Virginia Tech ATS: Virginia Tech -4.5
Oregon State at #10 Oregon, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, I know this is the Civil War but, ummmmm....yeah. Winner: Oregon ATS: Oregon State +28
#19 Penn State at #16 Wisconsin, 2:30 pm ESPN, This is the match-up I expected coming into the season that would decide the Big Ten Leaders division and it matches up a great rushing attack against a top 10 defense in the country that has one of the best DTs in Still, if the Badgers are with Konz and Wagner however this game will be a major struggle for the Badgers. Winner: Wisconsin ATS: Penn State +15
Texas Tech vs #18 Baylor, 6:00 pm, Tech is really bad. RG3 is really, really good. Winner: Baylor ATS: Baylor -13
#17 Clemson at #12 South Carolina, 6:45 pm ESPN, The Battle for South Carolina should be a very good game but a Lattimore-less team isn't #12 in the country and should be in for one heck of a fight when the Tigers come to town. Clemson is coming off a major letdown against a horrible Boston College team last week and doesn't appear to have a lot to play for. Winner: South Carolina ATS: Clemson +4
#22 Notre Dame at #6 Stanford, 7:00 pm ABC, Notre Dame isn't the 22nd best team in the country and I'm not completely sure that Stanford is the 6th but I am more sure that they are indeed a top 15 team at worst with the best quarterback in the country. Notre Dame had issues against a jump ball passer in Denard Robinson and those struggles should be tenfold against Andrew Luck. Winner: Stanford ATS: Stanford -7
UCLA at USC, 9:00 pm, The best team in the Pac-12 faces off against the current Pac-12 South representative to the championship game. Neuheisel, only a couple weeks removed from being fired now has a chance to have his team in a position that would likely make him unfireable for another year. Lane Kiffin, much like Matt Barkley for the Heisman, is being overlooked for the coach of the year award. I will concede he has a large amount of talent but he has kept a young team focused after a rough start to have a legitimate claim to being the best team in the country. Winner: USC ATS: -14

Rambling's Week 12 CFB Recap

A fun week of college football as some meh games became upsets or much better games as anticipated, and turmoil became the name by which this week will be referred. Without further ado let's look back on the week that was.

Thursday, November 17th, 2011:

North Carolina at #8 Virginia Tech, 7:00 pm EPSN, With this win Virginia Tech is now one win over Virginia away from a berth in the ACC Championship game for the fifth time in the last seven seasons. North Carolina is a good team again this year and continues to feel the effects of last summers NCAA issues. Winner: 1-0 ATS: 0-1

#20 Southern Miss at UAB, 7:00 pm, Just as Southern Miss was starting to gain traction with the national media they lay a complete egg against a far inferior UAB team. Southern Miss should still win the East division but looks a little less daunting to Houston's undefeated bid. Winner: 1-1 ATS: 0-2

Friday, November 18th, 2011:

#2 Oklahoma State at Iowa State, 7:00 pm ESPN, Winner: 1-2 ATS: 1-2

Saturday, November 19th, 2011:

Indiana at #15 Michigan State, 11:00 am BTN, Indiana looks to be making strides under Kevin Wilson but it will be a few years before they make any real noise in the Big Ten Legends division. Michigan State has secured a place in the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game against the winner of Penn State-Wisconsin this weekend. Winner: 2-2 ATS: 2-2

#16 Nebraska at #18 Michigan, 11:00 am ESPN, Nebraska has been a disappointment even if a bit overrated by most of us coming into the season. Michigan continues to surprise by putting together a much more complete season than anyone outside of Ann Arbor would have expected.Winner: 2-3 ATS: 2-3

#17 Wisconsin at Illinois, 11:00 am ESPN2 Wisconsin dropped behind by two scores on the road for the third time this season, unlike the previous two they were able to pull all the way back and win comfortably in Champagne. Illinois continues to crash since a 6-0 start to the season. Winner: 3-3 ATS: 2-4

Louisville at Connecticut, 11:00 am, If anyone out there can explain the Big East this season I would love to hear the theory on what this conference is. I would also like to hear anyone who thinks that they still deserve a BCS bid. this did nothing to determine who gets the BCS bid. Winner: 3-4 ATS: 2-5

Cincinnati at Rutgers, 11:00 am ESPNU, Cincinnati blew their chance to separate from the pack in the Big East but a loss in Piscataway helps to muddle it even further. Winner: 3-5 ATS: 2-6

Kentucky at #14 Georgia, 11:21 am SEC Network, Georgia locks up a berth in the SEC championship game while struggling with the Wildcats furthering the belief that the SEC East is the far inferior league in the SEC. Georgia will be the last test before the National Championship Game for the winner of the SEC West. Winner: 4-5 ATS: 2-7

Mississippi State at #6 Arkansas, 2:30 pm CBS, Mississippi State has been the biggest disappointment to me this season as I thought they would be primed to challenge LSU and Alabama in the SEC West this season. Arkansas now sets themselves up for a shot at the West crown but an uphill battle to say the least to get there with this weeks game in Baton Rouge. Winner: 5-5 ATS: 3-7

#7 Clemson at North Carolina State, 2:30 pm ESPN/ABC, We have a Clemsoning by the Tigers the week after locking up a berth in the ACC Championship Game. That is all. Winner: 5-6 ATS: 3-8

SMU at #11 Houston, 2:30 pm, SMU hasn't been as good as expected this year and was much less of a hinderence to Houston leading up to the C-USA West showdown with Tulsa this week. Houston looks to gain some respect nationally as one of only two undefeated teams along with LSU. Winner: 6-6 ATS: 3-9

Colorado State at #19 TCU, 2:30 pm Versus, ummm... yeah, TCU continues to mature as a team in front of our eyes. Winner: 7-6 ATS: 4-9

#21 Penn State at Ohio State, 2:30 pm ESPN/ABC, With the Wisconsin win earlier in the day over Illinois this game meant absolutely nothing as far as the Big Ten Leaders division was concerned as neither a win nor a loss made the winner certain. Penn State however looked like a different team with a weight off their shoulders and showed some more diversity on offense. Ohio State continues to lack the continuity it has shown over the past decade. Unfortunately it is not likely to get better any time soon. Winner: 7-7 ATS: 5-9

#1 LSU at Ole Miss, 6:00 pm ESPN, ummmm... Yeah.Winner: 8-7 ATS: 6-9

Virginia at #25 Florida State, 6:30 pm ESPN2, Florida State's season has been a couple series of good followed by the lowest lows of the season. Virginia has a chance to make the title game but must go through rival Virginia Tech to get there. Winner: 8-8 ATS: 7-9

USC at #4 Oregon, 7:00 pm ABC, Oregon still controls its destiny and should still be the Pac-12 representative in the Rose Bowl, however, USC is the best team in the conference in my opinion as Lane Kiffin's team has matured really well as the season has aged. Like him or not this is a very good coaching job by Kiffin especially without much of carrot to dangle in front of his team. Winner: 8-9 ATS: 8-9

#5 Oklahoma at #22 Baylor, 7:00 pm ABC, At least it wasn't at home again. RG3 should be a candidate for the Heisman as he has truly been exemplary this season for the Baylor Bears. Winner: 8-10 ATS: 8-10

#10 Boise State at San Diego State, 7:00 pm, Coming off of a crushing defeat to TCU Boise responded well on the road and took care of business against San Diego State. SDSU on the other hand has regressed this season with a new coach do to the departure of Brady Hoke. Winner: 9-10 ATS: 8-11

#13 Kansas State at #23 Texas, 7:00 pm FX, If someone can explain how Texas was favored in this game I would love to hear it because nothing that the Longhorns have done this year warrants them being a favorite over the Wildcats. Winner: 10-10 ATS: 9-11

California at #9 Stanford, 9:15 pm ESPN, Stanford took care of business against their rival but need another Oregon loss to represent the Pac-12 North in the title game and most likely the Rose Bowl this season. With Andrew Luck's career most likely in it's twilight let's try to enjoy it while it is still around. Winner: 11-10 ATS: 9-12


Rough week with a myriad of upsets and the F*#@$& Big East I struggled a bit but look to bounce back next week as we are now just two weeks from conference championship Saturday. On the season I am now 204-53 on winners and 120-107-4 ATS. No more poll recaps as I don't think much can be learned right now but will be looking to put a second blog out the next couple weeks.

Rambling's Week 12 CFB Picks

Sorry about the lack of recaps last week I was moving this weekend and it put the clamps on the usual blogs to recap quickly last week I went 17-4 on winners and 15-5-1 ATS bringing my season totals to 193-43 and 111-95-4 respectively. A weak slate this week as there are four games against FCS opponents and the only real interesting race that will be affected this week is the Big East which doesn't have a marquee team among their ranks. No write ups this week because of time constraints.


Thursday, November 17th, 2011:
North Carolina at #8 Virginia Tech, 7:00 pm EPSN, Winner: Virginia Tech ATS: Va Tech -11
#20 Southern Miss at UAB, 7:00 pm, Winner: Southern Miss ATS: Southern Miss -22.5
Friday, November 18th, 2011:
#2 Oklahoma State at Iowa State, 7:00 pm ESPN, Winner: Oklahoma State ATS: Iowa State +27
Saturday, November 19th, 2011:
Indiana at #15 Michigan State, 11:00 am BTN, Winner: Michigan State ATS: Michigan State -28
#16 Nebraska at #18 Michigan, 11:00 am ESPN, Winner: Nebraska ATS: Nebraska +3.5
#17 Wisconsin at Illinois, 11:00 am ESPN2 Winner: Wisconsin ATS: Wisconsin -14
Louisville at Connecticut, 11:00 am, Winner: Connecticut ATS: Pk Connecticut
Cincinnati at Rutgers, 11:00 am ESPNU, Winner: Cincinnati ATS: Cincinnati -3
Kentucky at #14 Georgia, 11:21 am SEC Network, Winner: Georgia ATS: Georgia -30.5
Mississippi State at #6 Arkansas, 2:30 pm CBS, Winner: Arkansas ATS: Arkansas -13
#7 Clemson at North Carolina State, 2:30 pm ESPN/ABC, Winner: Clemson ATS: Clemson -7.5
SMU at #11 Houston, 2:30 pm, Winner: Houston ATS: SMU +19.5
Colorado State at #19 TCU, 2:30 pm Versus, Winner: TCU ATS: Colorado State +33
#21 Penn State at Ohio State, 2:30 pm ESPN/ABC, Winner: Ohio State ATS: Penn State +7
#1 LSU at Ole Miss, 6:00 pm ESPN, Winner: LSU ATS: LSU -29.5
Virginia at #25 Florida State, 6:30 pm ESPN2, Winner: Florida State ATS: Virginia +17.5
USC at #4 Oregon, 7:00 pm ABC, Winner: Oregon ATS: Southern Cal +14.5
#5 Oklahoma at #22 Baylor, 7:00 pm ABC, Winner: Oklahoma ATS: Oklahoma -15.5
#10 Boise State at San Diego State, 7:00 pm, Winner: Boise State ATS: Boise State -18
#13 Kansas State at #23 Texas, 7:00 pm FX, Winner: Kansas State ATS: Kansas State +9
California at #9 Stanford, 9:15 pm ESPN, Winner: Stanford ATS: Stanford -17.5

Rambling's Week 11 CFB Picks

I'm ready for some football after the scandals that came out this week at Penn State (Most important) and UCF to a much much lesser extent. Remember all times are central and that comments are greatly appreciated...

Wednesday, November 9th, 2011:
Miami (OH) at Temple, 7:00 pm ESPN, Temple is a half game back of both Ohio and Miami (OH) but they can put themselves in a position to take advantage of an Ohio slip up with a win this season. Miami (OH) has been a bit of a surprise with a new coach and turnover at multiple positions but right now has themselves in a good spot to make it to the conference championship game again this year. Winner: Miami (OH) ATS: Miami (OH) +13
Thursday, November 10th, 2011:
#10 Virginia Tech at #21 Georgia Tech, 7:00 pm ESPN, Georgia Tech is right there with Texas for most overrated, they run the triple option which allows them to sneak up on teams especially in  non-conference but Virginia Tech and Bud Foster have seen this for the past couple years and shouldn't be too surprised by anything on Thursday. Winner: Virginia Tech ATS: Virginia Tech -1
#11 Houston at Tulane, 7:00 pm, until the final regular season game and the conference title game, the Cougars shouldn't be tested by anyone in C-USA. Winner: Houston ATS: Houston -34
Saturday, November 12th, 2011:
#2 Oklahoma State at Texas Tech, 11:00 am ABC, Texas Tech left it's game in Norman, Oklahoma and hasn't shown a glimmer of that same team the last two weeks against Texas and Iowa State. Oklahoma State rolls here. Winner: Oklahoma State ATS: Oklahoma State -17
Wake Forest at #9 Clemson, 11:00 am ESPNU, Clemson is coming off a bye after their road loss to Georgia Tech and they should be raring to go but Wake has shown they have a bit of the upset bug in them and should put up a fight in Death Valley. Winner: Clemson ATS: Wake Forest +16.5
#19 Nebraska at #12 Penn State, 11:00 am ESPN, Winner: Nebraska ATS: Nebraska -3
Florida at #13 South Carolina, 11:00 am CBS, South Carolina would have been at least a two score favorite for this game with Marcus Lattimore but this game should be tight in to the fourth quarter but should be able to pull out a W. Winner: South Carolina ATS: South Carolina -3.5 
#16 Texas at Missouri, 11:00 am FX, Missouri has been a challenge for good teams in the Big XII and Texas won't be any different. Texas comes in almost as overrated as they were coming into the Oklahoma game and Texas is going to have issues going point for point with Missouri. Winner: Missouri ATS: Missouri +1
#17 Michigan State at Iowa, 11:00 am ESPN2, Can Iowa do it two weeks in a row and knock off a Legends division competitor and continue to stay in the division race even after a loss to Minnesota. Will Michigan State look better than it did against the Gophers and be able to block out the memory of last years loss in Kinnick Stadium. Winner: Iowa ATS: Iowa +2.5
West Virginia at #23 Cincinnati, 11:00 am ABC, I'm done supporting West Virginia as they have laid eggs on their way to screwing up their Big East chances coming into this weeks match-up with conference leader Cincinnati. Winner: Cincinnati ATS: Cincinnati -3.5
Louisiana-Lafayette at Arkansas State, 2:00 pm, This game is ULLs last conference game and sets up a 3 way race that will be decided by Arkansas State and Western Kentucky the rest of the year. Winner: Arkansas State ATS: ULL +11
TCU at #5 Boise State, 2:30 pm Versus, TCU has looked forward to this game all week and has become a better team if not what they have been in the past couple years. Boise State has been very good this season and should be able to take advantage of the weaknesses of the TCU Secondary. Winner: Boise State ATS: Boise State -16
Texas A&M at #14 Kansas State, 2:30 pm ABC, Kansas State is coming off of back to back losses to the Oklahoma schools but gets the perfect hangover cure in the Aggies from College Station. Kansas State looks like a team growing up as it got beat the last two weeks. Winner: Kansas State ATS: Kansas State +4.5
#20 Auburn at #15 Georgia, 2:30 pm CBS, Georgia is in the drivers seat in the SEC East after South Carolina's lost last week but should be challenged by Auburn this week in a game that will be closer than it appears at first glance considering Georgia's struggles this year against adequate competition. Winner: Georgia ATS: Auburn +13
#18 Wisconsin at Minnesota, 2:30 pm BTN, The Paul Bunyan Axe should reside in Madison for another year. Winner: Wisconsin ATS: Wisconsin -27.5 
#24 Michigan at Illinois, 2:30 pm ESPN/ABC, The Illini defense should be a tough test for the Wolverines offense that has stagnated against good competition this year. If the Illini offense can exploit holes in the Wolverines defense this game will come down to a handful of fourth quarter plays. Winner: Michigan ATS: Pk Michigan
Tennessee at #8 Arkansas, 5:00 pm ESPN2, With Tyler Bray still out Arkansas should have no real trouble with the Vols. Winner: Arkansas ATS: Arkansas -14.5
WKU at #1 LSU, 6:00 pm ESPNU, ummm, yeah... Winner: LSU ATS: WKU +41.5
#3 Alabama at Mississippi State, 6:45 pm ESPN, I thought that Mississippi State would be a much better team this year but it seems that they just can't climb that hill to routinely be a pest to the top tier of the SEC each year. Alabama is coming off a tough home loss to LSU which makes this a trap game for Alabama. Winner: Alabama ATS: Mississippi State +18
#7 Oregon at #4 Stanford, 7:00 pm ABC, Stanford bounded out to a quick lead last year but lost to Oregon on the way to the National Championship game. This year's game should be a barn burner once again as Oregon is finally getting healthy and Stanford is being hit with the injury bug. Winner: Oregon ATS: Oregon +3.5
UCF at #22 Southern Miss, 7:00 pm, Southern Miss has become a much more complete team as the year has gone along and this game against UCF should be no different as they are the more talented and better coached team on the field this week. UCF has been a major disappointment this season as they were expected to challenge for at least a division title in the East division of C-USA. Winner: Southern Miss ATS: Southern Miss -9

Rambling's Week 10 CFB Recap

Only recapped some of the games due to a short week and some time constraints sorry.

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2011:

Temple at Ohio, 7:00 pm ESPN, Temple has put itself into a hole in the East with a loss to Ohio, now sitting a half game behind both the Bobcats and Miami (OH).  Winner: 0-1 ATS: 0-1

Saturday, November 5th, 2011:

#15 Michigan at Iowa, 11:00 am ESPN,  Well the Legends division in the Big Ten is Michigan State's to lose at this point with the easiest remaining schedule and losses by Michigan in this one leaves the Spartans at a distinct advantage. (use recap for both 11:00 am Big Ten games.) Winner: 1-1 ATS: 1-1

Minnesota at #17 Michigan State, 11:00 am BTN, Michigan State struggled the entire team Winner: 2-1 ATS: 1-2

Texas Tech at #21 Texas, 11:00 am FX, I'm gonna have to suffer through the Texas is good talk again but let's remember this Tech team isn't nearly as good as they showed in Norman as is proof by the loss to Texas and Iowa State the last two weeks. Texas is overrated this year. Winner: 3-1 ATS: 1-3

Louisville at #24 West Virginia, 11:00 am, West Virginia is an underrated Winner: 3-2 ATS: 1-4

New Mexico State at #18 Georgia, 11:30 am, ummm, yeah. Winner: 4-2 ATS: 2-4

TCU at Wyoming, 1:00 pm,  Winner: 5-2 ATS: 3-4

#4 Stanford at Oregon State, 2:30 pm ABC, ummm, yeah Winner: 6-2 ATS: 4-4

Texas A&M at #6 Oklahoma, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2,  Winner: 7-2 ATS: 4-5

Northwestern at #10 Nebraska, 2:30 pm BTN, This loss puts Nebraska even further behind the eight ball   Winner: 7-3 ATS: 5-5

Purdue at #20 Wisconsin, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, Wisconsin needs a win by Nebraska or Ohio State against Penn State to have a chance in the Leaders division but beating Purdue easily and having only the Illini between them and the game with PSU makes their road a bit easier. Winner: 8-3 ATS: 5-6

#25 Southern Miss at East Carolina, 3:00 pm, Southern Miss has a very real chance of beating Houston in the C-USA championship game. Winner: 9-3 ATS: 6-6

#13 Houston at UAB, 6:00 pm, Second, ummm, yeah game of the week. Winner: 10-3 ATS: 7-6

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 6:00 pm ESPNU,  Winner: 9-4 ATS: 7-7

#9 South Carolina at #7 Arkansas, 6:15 pm ESPN,  Winner: 10-4 ATS: 8-7

#19 Arizona State at UCLA, 6:30 pm Versus,  Winner: 10-5 ATS: 8-8

#1 LSU at #2 Alabama, 7:00 pm CBS, Read my LSU-Alabama Game blog for my thoughts here. Winner: 11-5 ATS: 9-8

#14 Kansas State at #3 Oklahoma State, 7:00 pm ABC/ESPN,  Winner: 12-5 ATS: 10-8

#5 Boise State at UNLV, 9:30 pm, UNLV isn't good, period. Winner: 13-5 ATS: 11-8

#8 Oregon at Washington, 9:30 pm,  Winner: 14-5 ATS: 12-8

Louisiana Tech at Fresno State, 9:30 pm, Winner: 14-6 ATS: 12-9

Some struggles this week with 6 losses but the late season slate in conference can have some strange outcomes, hopefully I'll have a better week next week and sorry for the delay in the column busy weekend. This week brings my season totals to, 176-39 on winners and 96-90-3 against the spread.

Rambling's 11/6/11 Poll Recap

After the game of the Century last week we have Oregon Stanford to tell us more about the top ten this week and Oklahoma-Oklahoma State still on tap for December 3rd. So on to the rankings... (Sorry for the delay.)

AP Top 5: LSU, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Alabama, Boise State

Coaches' Top 5: LSU, Stanford, Oklahoma State, Alabama, Boise State

Harris Top 5: LSU, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Alabama, Boise State

BCS Top 5: LSU, Oklahoma State, Alabama, Stanford, Boise State

My Top 5: LSU, Boise State, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Alabama

AP 6-10: Oregon, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Clemson, Virginia Tech

Coaches' 6-10: Oregon, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Virginia Tech, Clemson

Harris 6-10: Oregon, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Clemson, Virginia Tech

BCS 6-10: Oklahoma, Oregon, Arkansas, Clemson, Virginia Tech

My 6-10: Oregon, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Virginia Tech, Houston

The top fives and top tens don't have much disagreement except for what order to put certain teams in, I prefer Oklahoma to Oregon even though Oregon has the better loss and I prefer Houston and Virginia Tech over Clemson at this point in the season. To me the best argument can be had about Boise State, I think they are a top 3 team in the country and I have most of the season with Alabama's loss I think that they have the best defense behind Alabama out of the top 5.

AP 11-15: Houston, Penn State, Michigan State, Georgia, South Carolina

Coaches' 11-15: Houston, Penn State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, South Carolina

Harris 11-15: Houston, Penn State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Georgia

BCS 11-15: Houston, Penn State, South Carolina, Kansas State, Georgia

My 11-15: Clemson, Penn State, Michigan State, Wisconsin, South Carolina

This section could easily fit up top with the top 10 because their isn't much argument who belongs here right now  except for the BCS computer do not like the Big Ten teams. The combination of weak non-conference schedules and down year for close to elite teams this conference is taking a hit in the polls. Georgia to me is the only quibble and it's a small one I just don't think they have made it back to the top 15 yet but if they continue to win they will continue to climb slowly but surely.

AP 16-20: Wisconsin, Kansas State, USC, Nebraska Georgia Tech

Coaches' 16-20: Georgia, Nebraska, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Texas

Harris 16-20: South Carolina, Nebraska, Kansas State, Georgia Tech, Texas

BCS 16-20: Texas, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Auburn

My 16-20: Southern Miss, Georgia, Nebraska, Kansas State, Texas

AP 21-25: Texas, Michigan, Cincinnati, Auburn, Southern Miss

Coaches' 21-25: Michigan, Kansas State, Southern Miss, TCU, Auburn

Harris, 21-25: Michigan, Cincinnati, Southern Miss, Auburn, TCU

BCS 21-25: Georgia Tech, Southern Miss, Cincinnati, Michigan, Baylor

My 21-25: Cincinnati, Ohio State, Michigan, USC, TCU

The absence of USC in the Coaches', Harris and BCS leaves room for teams like Auburn and Baylor to sneak into the top 25 despite what they have done this year or the make up of their teams. I think Georgia Tech resides all too high in all of the polls, losing to two mediocre to bad teams in Virginia and Miami is not made up for by beating Clemson.

LSU-Alabama Game Blog

7:14pm KICKOFF!!  Alabama wins the toss and takes the ball first getting the ball out to the 30 yard line should be an exciting game.  Richardson off tackle left goes for 18 yards surprised to see such big gains early on here.  Richardson is the key to this game but he’s got to watch his ball handling. Big 3^rd down stop for LSU after some troubles early on…. Missed FG for Alabama and LSU has to be happy with the resolve of their defense after one drive in Tuscaloosa.

7:21pm First LSU possession of the game, let’s see what Jarrett lee and company can do after a big stop from the Tigers defense. I think we see a healthy dose of the run early with some short to mid-range passes from LSU.

7:25pm Second tone setting third down of the game with LSU in Bama territory, and LSU runs one of the smartest plays in college football and sneaks it for the first down on third and inches. Tigers’ first down is followed by a momentum stalling time out to avoid a delay of game penalty.

7:31 pm Alabama answer with a combo of pressure and some errant LSU passing, forcing a Brad Wing punt who boots a beauty that is downed at the Alabama five yard line. Field position battle could be key LSU winning it early with a great special teams play.

7:36 pm Our first huge third down play made by an offense, with Maze getting open over the middle for 19 yards and a really bad facemask penalty moving them out to the 40 yard line. The front seven of LSU has been giving Bama running game troubles after some issues on the opening drive. Alabama picks up another third down and look much more comfortable on drive two.

7:45 pm  50 yard field goal for Alabama after drive two stalls at the 30, Alabama burns a time out.  And 3 more points left on the board for Alabama, a tough field goal no doubt but LSU makes another stop in its own end gets the Tigers offense good field position starting at their own 40.

7:50 pm Jarrett Lee looks like the man we remember so fondly, a bad snap and a forced throw lead to an interception and a flipping of the field position battle. Through two, drives each Alabama has looked smoother on offense and both defenses have shown us why they are highly regarded.

7:52 pm Vern is right let’s all take a breath and celebrate a wonderful first quarter.

7:58 pm Another big 3^rd down stop by LSU this team gets after it when they get up against it, they brought pressure on 2^nd and 3^rd downs and forced another field goal, this time from 49 and IT’S BLOCKED and returned to the Bama 48. 9 points left on the field for Alabama which is a lot the way these defenses are playing.

8:02 pm Jefferson comes in for his first start of a drive,  I don’t like this move because of the effect that it has on Lee you got to show confidence after a bad pick in the kid otherwise you leave the window open for him to get too far into his head. Jefferson tries to switch the play at the line and time out number 2 for LSU with 12 to go in the second quarter.

8:10 pm LSU stalls out after an illegal shift penalty sets them back five yards, offense looks one dimensional with Jefferson in there as the only passing routs seem to be underneath. Wing drops this one inside the five and puts the long field in front of Bama once again as field position continues to play huge in this game.

8:19pm That’s at least 3rd blown coverage by the Tigers in the flats that have resulted in huge plays for Alabama, this one into the LSU red zone.  Drive stymied inside the twenty at the 17 this field goal should be and is much more manageable as Bama takes the first lead of the game 3-0.

8:31pm Jefferson airs it out and a faulty route pattern winds up getting LSU inside the 10. A TD here combined with getting the ball first next half would put LSU in great position.  Huge penalty on Kirkpatrick gives LSU a new set of down and gives Les the opportunity to get aggressive with his play-calling. Great job by Les to get the time out from the referee as the play ends, Bama holds the line and we are all set up to go to half tied.  Does Les surprise us all and fake or will he just tie the game up? Saban ices the kicker and gives Les more time to think about being crazy. Nope, Les takes the points and we go to half tied.

8:42pm Half time in Tuscaloosa and we are tied it’s been a good half of football, not as exciting as many like but a very well played half. LSU controlled field position with the punt game and missed/blocked Alabama field goals, while Alabama had much better offensive production, but failed to score when it had opportunities. It should be an interesting second half as both staffs are very good at making adjustments and counter-adjustments. I think the biggest story will be Miles’ use of his quarterbacks and the how they use the option run in the second half.

9:04pm Second half from Tuscaloosa let’s see what these teams have for us in the second half, will LSU clean up its pass defense troubles and will Alabama find a way to convert the opportunities in this half.

9:09pm Wing shanks his first punt of the second half for 22 yards giving the Crimson Tide great field position just short of the 50 yard line we’ll see if the Tide can take advantage of this shift in the field position battle. Big set of downs coming up for LSU and I look for Saban to take a shot down field.

9:13pm The 100^th time that the broadcast crew has brought up Julio Jones so far in this game, Alabama, apparently, has no playmakers on this team.

9:15pm Was anyone else surprised to hear that Les Miles is only 2 years younger than Nick Saban? Maybe it’s because he spent time in the NFL or his stern demeanor but he seems like Saban is 5 or 10 years older than Les Miles.

9:18pm Lee throws his second interception, but I like the play call by Les but his quarterback just made a horrible decision to throw into double coverage one again. Luckily for LSU a really bad block in the back by Alabama gives this defense a little room to work with. Bama ball LSU 35.

9:21pm Great stop by the LSU defense which has clamped down on the first two drives of the second half and that sets up a 46 yard field for Foster, and he drills this one. 6-3 Alabama.

9:41pm Maurice Claiborne picks off the McCarron pass, and returns it to the Bama 15 a huge opportunity for this Tigers offense to put LSU ahead for the first time in this game. Barrett Jones just left for the locker room could be big trouble for the Tide, All-American tackles are tough to replace obviously.

9:47pm LSU can’t take advantage of the good field position but they do get points and tie the game up 6-6. The 3^rd wasn’t as well played as the first half but still a good bit of football this 4^th quarter should be a wonderful thing to watch unless you only like offensive football in which what are you doing watching this game in the first place.

10:00pm What a punt by Brad Wing, assist from Maze, but still a great punt. So far win has put punts at the 4, 5, 11 and 19 with the 19 being a 70 yard punt.

10:05pm What a cheap shot from Mathieu on that play, I mean come on there is being aggressive and being cheap and that was a cheap shot, backs LSU up inside their own ten. Good job getting out of their own end zone now Wing to pin Bama back. Drops it in at the 20 with 52 seconds let’s see what Nick Saban does here with 80 yards to go.  2 TOs Bama, 3 TOs LSU

10:21pm End of regulation, 6-6 as Bama just ran out the clock to go to OT. Surprised that Les didn’t take a TO after second down trying to force something but this should be epic first offense to move the ball 30 yards wins. This just keeps getting better and better.

10:28pm That was huge McCarron took a sack at the 35 after just missing Richardson on a wheel route, Foster from 52 and he shanks it left, LSU’s turn to score. Substitution penalty was huge there before the sack happened. LSU needs 2 runs up the gut and a FG. 12 points left on the field for Alabama.

10:31pm TOUCHDOWN, no, that was a TD but no Ford steps out on his own at the 7 yard line wow if they miss the field goal, how that would haunt the Tigers going forward.

10:35pm LSU wins!! LSU wins!! What a great game, may not have been high scoring and it may not have been what most people consider pretty but that was a very well played football game.

10:37pm I’m gonna keep this going through the end of the Oklahoma State Kansas State game K State at the 32 with 25 seconds to go. 3&10 aft an incompletion what do you do here take a shot at the end zone or work the sidelines? 1 TO remaining. Great throw great catch Klein to Harper down to the 5 yard line, 12 seconds left, 1 time out. Well defended fade with 5 seconds, great throw by Klein as well.

10:41pm Fade out of the time out great play by the defense, 1 second left eerily reminiscent of Texas Nebraska two years ago. Incomplete, Oklahoma State survives Kansas State but give a hand to the Wildcats on the road.

Been a great night of football, two great finishes, one great game and one giant quagmire.

Rambling's Week 10 CFB Picks

Starting this week in my picks I have decided to try and do my best to include games with, division and conference championship implications. I will still be focusing on the top 25 BCS teams... (all times central)


Wednesday, November 3rd, 2011:
Temple at Ohio, 7:00 pm ESPN, This game will give a good idea about who holds the cards in teh MAC-East. Temple currently holds a half game edge on the Bobcats and have the more impressive resume with a win over Maryland and putting up very good showing against Penn State. Ohio has some bad losses on it's resume and a propensity to give up points in bunches. Winner: Temple ATS: Temple -3.5
Saturday, November 5th, 2011:
#15 Michigan at Iowa, 11:00 am ESPN, Iowa has been a bit of an anomaly this season oscillating between really bad and alright. Michigan comes in with only one blemish on the resume being a road loss in East Landing. Iowa however has a way of sneaking up on teams and a young team coming off a bad loss to Minnesota should be ready to play if only on pride. Winner: Iowa ATS: Iowa +4
Minnesota at #17 Michigan State, 11:00 am BTN, Minnesota is bottom 5% of the nation bad and Michigan State is a real contender for the conference championship. Winner: Michigan State ATS: Michigan State -27.5
Texas Tech at #21 Texas, 11:00 am FX, I don't like this version of Texas, it is undoubtedly better than last years installment but I think this team is far too overrated because of how bad last years team was. Tech has been a tale of two teams, one beat Oklahoma and almost beat A&M and the other lost to Iowa State last week. This game should tell us a little more about these teams. Winner: Texas ATS: Texas Tech +12.5
Louisville at #24 West Virginia, 11:00 am, although West Virginia is a talented team it has a tendency to allow inferior teams to outplay them in the first half, a habit which will inexorably catch up to them in the near future. Louisville has been a major disappointment in the second year of the Charlie Strong era as it has taken a step back across the board. Winner: West Virginia ATS: West Virginia -14
New Mexico State at #18 Georgia, 11:30 am, ummm, yeah. Winner: Georgia ATS: Georgia -35
TCU at Wyoming, 1:00 pm, you can see TCU starting to mature as the season passes the half way mark and under the guidance of Patterson they should continue to take steps forward but I don't think you can assume they'll blow out anyone other than the bottom tier of the MWC at this point. Wyoming sits at 2-0 in MWC standings and should challenge TCU into the second half as TCU looks forward to next weeks Boise game. Winner: TCU ATS: Wyoming +18.5
#4 Stanford at Oregon State, 2:30 pm ABC, Stanford is on a roll behind the Andrew Luck and that roll should continue this week as the Cardinal take their show to Corvallis. Oregon State has been horrible this season but should catch a Stanford team looking forward to a showdown with Oregon. Winner: Stanford ATS: Stanford +20.5
Texas A&M at #6 Oklahoma, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, This game held a lot more intrigue at the beginning of the year, because of the talent returning for both squads, but A&M's inability to hold a lead and Oklahoma getting shocked by Texas Tech this match-up is good not great. Winner: Oklahoma ATS: Texas A&M +13.5
Northwestern at #10 Nebraska, 2:30 pm BTN, Northwestern has been an okay defense away from being a very tough team to deal with in the Big Ten, however they have yet to show a pulse on the defensive side of the ball. Nebraska on the other hand has begun to play blackshirt defense the past couple of weeks as they continue in their quest towards the Big Ten Championship. Winner: Nebraska ATS: Northwestern +17
Purdue at #20 Wisconsin, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, I like Purdue and think they have more talent than they get credit for, but I just don't see enough to overcome a road game at Camp Randall against a hungry Badgers team. Winner: Wisconsin ATS: Purdue +25.5
#25 Southern Miss at East Carolina, 3:00 pm, This isn't close Southern Miss walks away in this one. Winner: Southern Miss ATS: Southern Miss -9.5
#13 Houston at UAB, 6:00 pm, Second, ummm, yeah game of the week. Winner: Houston ATS: Houston -28
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, 6:00 pm ESPNU, Cincinnati can take a big leap towards winning the Big East with a win at Heniz Field Saturday. Pittsburgh has looked very good and very bad at home and just lost their leading rusher for the year. Winner: Pittsburgh ATS: Pittsburgh +2.5
#9 South Carolina at #7 Arkansas, 6:15 pm ESPN, This game lost some of it's luster with the injury of Marcus Lattimore but neither of these teams has looked overly impressive as of late. Arkansas had to squeak out two wins over Ole Miss and Vandy the last two weeks and hasn't looked as good as many expected this season. South Caorlina's troubles come down to the lack of the elite talent of Lattimore being missing. This game should go a long way in the Gamecocks bid for the East title. Winner: Arkansas ATS: Arkansas -5.5
#19 Arizona State at UCLA, 6:30 pm Versus, the Neuheisel era has been an unmitigated disaster and this year has been no different. Arizona State has been very good on offense but off and on on defense even with a stud like Vontaze Burfict. Winner: Arizona State ATS: Arizona State -10
#1 LSU at #2 Alabama, 7:00 pm CBS, LSU and Alabama meet up in the most anticipated regular season match-up in a long time with neither team being an overwhelming favorite of the public coming in. So let's just break-down the edges for each team. Secondary: LSU, Linebackers: Alabama, D-Line: LSU, O-Line:Alabama, WRs: LSU, RBs: Alabama, QBs: Push, Special Teams: LSU, final count: LSU 4-3 Winner: LSU ATS: LSU +7
#14 Kansas State at #3 Oklahoma State, 7:00 pm ABC/ESPN, Kansas State looks like it may have been a fraud after last weeks beat down from Oklahoma and should be out to prove other wrong. Oklahoma State has looked better than expected this year and should have plenty of offense in this game, but I still have questions about the defense. Winner: Oklahoma State ATS: Kansas State +21
#5 Boise State at UNLV, 9:30 pm, UNLV isn't good, period. Winner: Boise State ATS: UNLV +41
#8 Oregon at Washington, 9:30 pm, Washington has been better in year 1 sans Locker but the defense has been what has been most disappointing this season. Oregon is injured on offense but the back-ups have proven more than able to pick up the slack. Winner: Oregon ATS: Oregon -15.5
Louisiana Tech at Fresno State, 9:30 pm, This game will give us a clearer picture of the WAC in it's last year of even moderated relevance in college football. Fresno has played some solid and not so solid games against strong competition, while Tech has been gaining steam as the year goes on.Winner: Fresno State ATS: Fresno State -3.5


Please leave your thoughts and comments and I'll be back to recap the games and the rankings on Sunday.