Rambling's Week 5 CFB Picks

I got some early games out tonight in time for Thursday night's game between the Cardinal and Huskies. The rest will be up tomorrow evening.

Thursday, September 27^th, 2012

#8 Stanford at Washington, 8:00 pm ESPN, Stanford visits Washington for their first road conference game of the post-Andrew Luck era, and things are definitely looking more positive than many expected. Stanford’s upset win of USC has left us wondering if the Cardinal are better than we thought or the Trojans are worse. I think most of us underrated the Cardinal a bit but this week’s contest should tell us more. Washington hasn’t really taken the leap in the Steve Sarkisian era that many were expecting, a blowout loss at LSU in week 2 quelled none of the fears in Washington. Winner: Stanford ATS: Stanford -6.5

Saturday, September 28^th, 2012,

#25 Baylor at #9 West Virginia, 11:00 am FX, I like Baylor post RGIII so far but I just don’t see the explosiveness on offense that it takes to beat West Virginia on the road. Baylor’s defense should have some success with a talented secondary, however if you can’t put up the points in bunches you’re gonna have a tough time beating West Virginia. Winner: West Virginia ATS: West Virginia -11.5

Arkansas at Texas A&M, 11:00 am SEC Network, Two teams that can comfort each other about their respective disappointments. A&M hasn’t been able to shake the stench of Mike Sherman off it’s team which in their first SEC game gave up a halftime lead to what we now realize was a pretty good Florida team. Arkansas followed up a disappointing overtime loss to ULM, with an even more disappointing showing a week later. Tyler Wilson’s return should help this team against a pretty good A&M team. Winner: Arkansas ATS: Arkansas +14

Tennessee at #5 Georgia, 2:30 pm CBS, Georgia continues to look very good this season on both sides of the ball, they welcome Tennessee this week. After a horrible second half against Florida, Tennessee doesn’t seem as far along as many thought after their thrashing of North Carolina St. Georgia is the best team the Vols have faced and I think the talent wins out at home this week. Winner: Georgia ATS: Georgia -13.5

#14 Ohio State at #20 Michigan State, 2:30 pm ABC, Ohio State travels to East Lansing for their first real test of the season and their Big Ten opener and these two teams are in similar positions heading into this game. Ohio State hasn't lost but weak showings against Cal and UAB in back to back weeks which is a bit of a concerns heading into a game against such a stout defense. Michigan State lost to Notre Dame in ugly fashion two weeks ago and a win versus Eastern Michigan that took another ridiculous effort by Le'Veon Bell. Winner: Michigan State ATS: MSU -2.5

#17 Clemson at Boston College, 2:30 pm ESPN2, This game will be closer than many think, in my opinion as BC has some talent on offense and Clemson may very well have a hangover from a tough second half loss to Florida State on the road. BC isn't a great team but we've seen some flashes and in a not so deep ACC they should have a better overall record this year. Clemson is talented but a step behind FSU already and this game becomes an interesting bounce back game. Winner: Clemson ATS: BC +9

#4 Florida State at USF, 5:00 pm ESPN, If this is typical Florida State this is a loss, if this is a slightly better FSU this is a close win and if they have turned the corner Florida State win this one sometime in the third quarter and coast to the victory. Winner: Florida State ATS: FSU -17

#24 Boise State at New Mexico, 5:00 pm, Boise is down, but not this down. Winner: Boise State ATS: New Mexico +26.5

#6 South Carolina at Kentucky, 6:00 pm ESPN2, Kentucky got kicked around by a talented but inconsistent Florida team, South Carolina should put this away early and get ready for next week. Winner: South Carolina ATS: South Carolina -21

#15 TCU at SMU, 6:00 pm, This game has been close the last couple of years and TCU comes in playing really sloppy offensive football. June Jones doesn't have his best team at SMU and could have a bit of a meh season. TCU should win this game as they have the most talent, but playing on the road for a sloppy team is always a challenge because you don't wanna give the crowd a reason to disrupt you. Winner: TCU ATS: SMU +16

#12 Texas at Oklahoma State, 6:50 pm FOX, Texas travels to Stillwater for it's first real test of the season. Texas has so far looked better than they have at any time since Colt McCoy era and has their best defense in recent memory. Oklahoma State seems to have a bit of an uncertainty at the Quarterback position but the offensive staff their is excellent and should produce a very good game plan. The defense is the worry and David Ash has been effective if not spectacular and should be able to have success moving the ball against the 'Boys. Winner: Texas ATS: Texas -2

#19 Louisville at Southern Miss, 7:00 pm CBS Sports Net, Even without Larry Fedora I thought Southern Miss would have a chance to have a good season but with the last few results that doesn't seem to be in the cards for the Golden Eagles. Speaking of Cards, Louisville comes into the game with some close wins but nothing that gives great confidence in this team to put away teams and leave no doubt as to the outcome. Winner: Louisville ATS: Southern Miss +10.5

Ole Miss at #1 Alabama, 8:15 pm ESPN, Remember when Texas romped in Mississippi? Yeah Alabama gonna roll. Winner: Alabama ATS: Alabama -30

#18 Oregon State at Arizona, 9:00 pm Pac-12 Network, Oregon State appears to be much better than just about anyone thought, but with a second year starter at QB and a front seven that has been nasty so far the Beavers have made a huge impression in their games against UCLA and Wisconsin (a deflated Wisco, but still.). Arizona looked very good against Oklahoma State earlier in the year and outmatched against Oregon this week. The 'Cats should give the Beavers defense a challenge this week but I think the defense holds and this comes down to the less thought of units. Winner: Oregon State ATS: Oregon State +2.5 

#2 Oregon at Washington State, 9:30 pm ESPN2, I really want to say that this game will be exciting because I want a classic Leach team but he doesn't have the talent yet in Pullman and that means that Wazzou has no chance to keep up with a very talented Ducks team. Winner: Oregon ATS: Oregon -29.5

Well there we have it another week of picks submitted and already a loss by the time I've finished... not sure there is an elite Pac-12 team but I think there is very nice depth out west. Enjoy week 5.

Rambling's Week 4 CFB Picks Review

It was a very interesting and telling week for some upper tier teams and the picture of the best teams in each conference continues to clarify as we head into conference schedules for all leagues. 

Thursday, September 20th, 2012:

BYU at #24 Boise State, 8:00 pm ESPN, This was an ugly game for both teams and a game that showcased the limitations that we've seen out of both teams this year in early season losses. Inefficiencies on offense will hamper the success of these teams but both should have shots at double digit win seasons. P.S. Boise isn't a top 25 team. Winner: 1-0 ATS: 1-0 

Baylor at ULM, 7:00 pm ESPN, I think the last three weeks have shown us that, A) ULM is a pretty solid team, and B) Arkansas should be a little less ashamed of what happened a couple weeks back. This game was close but Baylor got out by two scores and did a nice job finishing. ULM should be the class of the Sun Belt this season which should provide us with a good amount of fun. Winner: 2-0 ATS: 2-0

Maryland at #8 West Virginia, 11:00 am FX, Is Maryland better than we thought, and based on the first 4 weeks I think we have to say yes, or was this an anomalous game for a talented West Virginia team? I'm gonna go with both being true but we will know more after WVU's Big XII opener this weekend against Baylor. Maryland won't be pretty to watch but i suspect should cause some trouble in the ACC. Winner: 3-0 ATS: 2-1

Kentucky at #14 Florida, 11:00 am SECN, This was everything we thought it would be and it was just awful from Kentucky. Winner: 4-0 ATS: 3-1

UAB at #16 Ohio State, 11:00 am BTN, There is definitely reason for concern in Columbus, because the words shut down by UAB should never have been written about Braxton Miller. Winner: 5-0 ATS: 4-1 

Virginia at #17 TCU, 11:00 am ESPN, What happened at Virginia this year, strides had been taken the last few years at Virginia to the point where they were challenging for a division crown. This years story is much different and there seems to be if not regression some stagnation of progress for the Cavaliers. TCU is churning out victories but doesn't have one that makes you stop and stare. As Big XII competition churns into gear we should get a better bearing on Gary Patterson's ball club. Winner: 6-0 ATS: 4-1

Missouri at #7 South Carolina, 2:30 pm CBS, Missouri has a good team but they don’t have the horses to keep up with top teams in the SEC on offense nor the studs to give their offense a chance to put up enough. South Carolina will be a tough out for Georgia this season and the Old Ball Coach has a shot a division and conference title. Winner: 7-0 ATS: 5-1

Oregon State at #19 UCLA, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, First off, I was wrong. Oregon State is legit on defense especially in the front 7 where they dominated this game. UCLA is much improved this season so far under Mora but still have some flaws with depth and talent.Winner: 7-1 ATS: 5-2

Eastern Michigan at #21 Michigan State, 2:30 pm BTN, Michigan State fans have much to worry about coming into this game as they needed another Herculean performance out of Le’Veon Bell. The Big Ten is down but Michigan State may not be as equipped as once thought to win this conference. Winner: 8-1 ATS: 5-3

Florida Atlantica at #1 Alabama, 4:00 pm ESPN3, ‘Bama’s good, a 50 point spread is a major tease. Winner: 9-1 ATS: 6-3

California at #13 USC, 5:00 pm Pac-12, USC wasn’t flashy again and maybe this should have been a warning sign two weeks ago against Syracuse. Depth is the major issue in LA and there is no amount of coaching that can fix that or the luck of injuries. Cal is what Cal is, they are a solid team that doesn’t do enough to win the games they shouldn’t but enough to win 80% of the games they should. Winner: 10-1 ATS: 7-3

#2 LSU at Auburn, 6:00 pm ESPN, I’m willing to give LSU a pass on this one as they have looked dominant, especially in the Washington game. Auburn isn’t good, but they have the talent to bother some people; LSU can’t really afford to stumble against such an average opponent if they want to keep the benefit of the doubt. Winner: 11-1 ATS: 7-4

#20 Louisville at Florida International, 6:00 pm ESPN3, FIU isn’t spectacular but this win marks another step in Charlie Strong’s tenure at the ‘Ville. They are winning when they should and now just need to show they can win convincingly against a quality opponent. Winner: 12-1 ATS: 7-5

South Alabama at #23 Mississippi State, 6:00 pm ESPN3, Is it possible that we were a year early on the maturation of the Mississippi State program. They asserted themselves as a thorn to LSU & Alabama in the west with their pipe laying against Auburn. Winner: 13-1 ATS: 8-5

#18 Michigan at #11 Notre Dame, 6:30 pm NBC, This Golden Domers defense is definitely for real as they have now beat up on three straight opponents and have played well sideline to sideline. Montae Ta’o is an absolute beast and may be the best linebacker in the nation. Michigan may end up being this season’s biggest disappointment as we all jumped the gun on this squad improving coming into the year. They still have a shot to win the Big Ten, because I’m pretty sure someone has to. Winner: 13-2 ATS: 8-6

Vanderbilt at #5 Georgia, 6:45pm ESPN2, The SEC has a significantly dominant upper tier of teams and a soft squishy center. Georgia has proven that it has the team to be the favorite to have the shot to beat LSU or Bama in Atlanta. Vanderbilt is disappointing in their worst loss in half a decade. They can still be around .500 because the middle of the SEC is that weak but I think it falls short of expectations.Winner: 14-2 ATS: 8-7

#15 Kansas State at #6 Oklahoma, 6:50 pm FOX, Nobody messes up a chance to cement themselves as National Champ contenders quite like the Oklahoma Sooners. Kansas State is indeed better than we thought they were, a great road win for Bill Snyder’s team sets them apart from any other Big XII team. Winner: 14-3 ATS: 9-7

#1 t0 Clemson at #4 Florida State, 7:00 pm ABC, Speaking Could we see Jimbo Fischer’s FSU turning a corner this year, a talented defense has matured and is a real force for the ‘Noles. Clemson is a good team this year, maybe even a very good team but they are not an elite team this year and that was born out in the second half against Florida State, they were outscored by 21 after holding a 31-21 lead and failed to show what many expected of this iteration of the Tigers. Winner: 15-3 ATS: 10-7

#22 Arizona at #3 Oregon, 9:30 pm ESPN, I think at the moment we can say that Oregon is the second best team in the country and might be the best Oregon team we have seen in the best couple years. Arizona will be a good team and is clearly better than Washington and the much of the rest of the middle of the Pac-12 but they aren’t close to Oregon, Stanford or USC right now. Winner: 16-3 ATS: 10-8

Rambling's Week 4 CFB Picks

Week four is here and I feel pretty confident about my picks this week. There were some big spreads and those are always a bit tricky but I think I got my finger back on the pulse of the game. Feel free to comment and enjoy Week 4...

Thursday, September 20th, 2012:

BYU at #24 Boise State, 8:00 pm ESPN, This game is tricky contest to predict, BYU looked to have this year figured out and were playing some of their best ball in recent years. Boise State is in a rebuilding mode having lost 16 starters from last years team and a few more from the two deep, they showed promise on defense against Michigan State but the offense looked lost as suspected post Kellen Moore. BYU is the older team, but Boise has been great at home for most of recent memory. Winner: Boise State ATS: BYU +6.5 (Would love to get that extra half point, but Vegas won't give that up easily.)

Baylor at ULM, 7:00 pm ESPN, ULM is coming of back to back giant killing weeks, two weeks ago they beat Arkansas in Little Rock and last week they took Auburn to overtime in Jordan-Hare, which should mean Baylor isn't looking past them to West Virginia but that may be inevitable. Baylor comes into this game continuing to replace RGIII's impact from the last couple of years and should have a test in a ULM team that has some talent. I think ULM has a chance to pull off a second upset in three weeks but the biggest factor will be if Baylor is looking ahead to it's first conference game. Winner: Baylor ATS: ULM +7.5

Maryland at #8 West Virginia, 11:00 am FX, Maryland is somehow still above .500 three weeks into the season and has shown some life under Randy Edsell, however they haven't come up against a team like West Virginia which will put up points in bunches and won't take it's foot off the pedal until the Holgo train is satisfied. This one could be close early if West Virginia is looking ahead to Baylor otherwise it shouldn't be close. Winner: West Virginia ATS: West Virginia -27

Kentucky at #14 Florida, 11:00 am SECN, No two teams in a conference could be coming into a game in more different scenarios, Florida is coming off a very impressive win and second half against Tennessee. Kentucky is coming off a new point for their squad in a loss against Western Kentucky. If the Florida offense can keep up it's dominance from the second half last week then this should be what we thought the Bowling Green game was going to be for Florida. Winner: Florida ATS: Florida -24

UAB at #16 Ohio State, 11:00 am BTN, Ohio State will roll in this game and if they don't we should all have real concerns. Winner: Ohio State ATS: Ohio State -36 

Virginia at #17 TCU, 11:00 am ESPN, Virginia has been disappointing so far in the early part of the season and it seems to have taken a step back this season after last season showed so much promise for the future. Gary Patterson's TCU team had an unusually careless game last week and should be back to there normal selves this weekend. I don't see how Virginia keeps up in this game. Winner: TCU ATS: TCU -17

Missouri at #7 South Carolina, 2:30 pm CBS, South Carolina is still dealing with the injury to Connor Shaw but he is cleared to play in this game. Missouri has been dealing with its own QB injury as James Franklin missed last week’s game against Arizona State. Both backups have played well in relief but the loss of either starter may be the tipping point in this matchup. I think South Carolina has too many weapons and a slugfest of a game suits them well. Winner: South Carolina ATS: South Carolina -10

Oregon State at #19 UCLA, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, Yes, Oregon State beat Wisconsin and their defensive front was very impressive but is there any firepower the Beavers offense. UCLA has the offensive firepower to beat Oregon State and enough defensive talent to make a few stops to win this game. Winner: UCLA ATS: UCLA -7.5

Eastern Michigan at #21 Michigan State, 2:30 pm BTN, Michigan State is coming off a butt whooping at the hands of Notre Dame. This game should be a nice cure all of headaches on offense for a week before Michigan State heads into Big Ten play. Winner: Michigan State ATS: MSU -33

Florida Atlantica at #1 Alabama, 4:00 pm ESPN3, This game won’t be close but Alabama will coast to the victory from sometime in the 3^rd quarter. Winner: Alabama ATS: Florida Atlantic +50

California at #13 USC, 5:00 pm Pac-12, I don't think this game fits the mold of the last couple Oregon games for Cal where they're pesky and stick around, I think we see an angry USC team put the hammer down against an inferior opponent on Saturday. Winner: USC ATS: USC -16.5

#2 LSU at Auburn, 6:00 pm ESPN, I don’t know how this game is going to be competitive or how Kyle Frazier is going to be able to put on his pants on Sunday. LSU’s front four should eat Auburn’s offensive line alive and their offensive line is going to open up holes all evening for the Tigers rushing attack. Winner: LSU ATS: LSU -20.5

#20 Louisville at Florida International, 6:00 pm ESPN3, It looks like Charlie Strong finally has a contender in the ‘Ville and should be in the mix for a BCS game this season. Florida International has been a breakout team the last few years under Mario Cristoball and should give Louisville some issues in this game, but as long as Louisville shows up they should have this game in control heading into the fourth quarter. Winner: Louisville ATS: Louisville -13.5

South Alabama at #23 Mississippi State, 6:00 pm ESPN3, Mississippi State clobbered Auburn, South Alabama just jumped to the FBS level. Shouldn't be close. Winner: Mississippi St. ATS: S. Ala +35

#18 Michigan at #11 Notre Dame, 6:30 pm NBC, Michigan ventures into the land of Touchdown Jesus and I think they have a real chance to beat the Fighting Irish. Denard has worked his magic the last few seasons against ND and that should be in the back of their minds all night. I understand that ND has their best defense in recent memory which should make this one close and interesting coming down to the wire for the fourth straight year. Winner: Michigan ATS: Michigan +6

Vanderbilt at #5 Georgia, 6:45pm ESPN2, I was a big believer in the 'Dores this season and that hasn't looked very good up to this point. A squeaker loss against South Carolina that was decided by a pass interference started the slide and a loss to Northwestern has lost the rest of the respect built up by James Franklin and this team last season. Georgia is a very good team with grown ass men on defense including Jarvis Jones who dominated the second half of the Missouri game and helped the defense provide that boost we haven't seen from Georgia in a few years. Winner: Georgia ATS: Vandy +16

#15 Kansas State at #6 Oklahoma, 6:50 pm FOX, This game is tricky for me, I really like what is happening in Manhattan, KS but I don’t think the overall talent level is up to snuff compared to what’s going on in Norman. Colin Klein is going to have a monster game between the 20s but with the Sooner defenses back against the wall is there going to be enough firepower through the air to put up the points to match Landry Jones and Oklahoma’s offense? I say no and that’s why I see this game going Boomer Sooners way. Winner: Oklahoma ATS: Kansas State +14

#10 Clemson at #4 Florida State, 7:00 pm ABC, This game is very similar to Kansas State-Oklahoma, the line is tricky because there are a few different ways for these games to go. In this one it comes down to the matchup of Clemson’s offense and Florida State’s defense. Florida State has the athletes once again but Sammy Watkins ran rough-shod all over the Seminoles defense. The ‘Noles front seven is better this year and should be able to better check the Clemson offense. This one comes down to the wire but I think we’re looking at a different Florida State team this year. Winner: Florida State ATS: Clemson +14

#22 Arizona at #3 Oregon, 9:30 pm ESPN, I’ve heard a lot of talk about the challenges that Arizona presents to Oregon. It is true that Arizona has an offense that can put up points in bunches and that will keep them in this game for a quarter or two, but what about the other side of the ball. This is a team with a defense that doesn’ have much of a chance to slow down the Duck offense, especially DAT (not that many have those type of athletes). I think we see a 3 touchdown win for the Ducks. Winner: Oregon ATS: Arizona +23.5

Rambling's Week 3 CFB Recap

Saturday, September 15th, 2012:

Wake Forest at #5 Florida State, 11:00 am ESPN, Winner: 1-0 ATS: 0-1

California at #12 Ohio State, 11:00 am ABC,  Winner: 2-0 ATS: 0-2

#13 Virginia Tech at Pittsburgh, 11:00 am ESPNU,  Winner: 2-1 ATS: 0-3

#16 TCU at Kansas, 11:00 am FX, Winner: 3-1 ATS: 0-4

#1 Alabama at Arkansas, 2:30 pm CBS, Winner: 4-1 ATS: 1-4

UMASS at #17 Michigan, 2:30 pm BTN, Winner: 5-1 ATS: 1-5

North Carolina at #19 Louisville, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, Winner: 6-1 ATS: 2-5

#18 Florida at #23 Tennesseee, 5:00 pm ESPN, Winner: 6-2 ATS: 2-6

UAB at #8 South Carolina, 6:00 pm ESPN3, Winner: 7-2 ATS: 3-6

North Texas at #15 Kansas State, 6:00 pm, Winner: 8-2 ATS: 3-7

#2 USC at #21 Stanford, 6:30 pm FOX, Winner: 8-3 ATS: 4-7

Florida Atlantic at #7 Georgia, 6:30 pm ESPN3, SEE: Idaho at LSU Winner: 9-3 ATS: 5-7

Idaho at #3 LSU, 7:00 pm ESPN3, Winner: 10-3 ATS: 5-8

#20 Notre Dame at #10 Michigan State, 7:00 pm ABC, Winner: 10-4 ATS: 5-9

#14 Texas at Ole Miss, 8:15 pm ESPN, Winner: 11-4 ATS: 5-10

#25 BYU at Utah, 9:00 pm ESPN2, Winner: 11-5 ATS: 5-11

Houston at #22 UCLA, 9:30 pm, Winner: 12-5 ATS: 6-11

No write ups this week as I am taking a little more time looking over each game. Much better week straight up for me but I was atrocious against the spread this week, I have to take a look at recalibrating the teams values heading into week 4, hopefully I can rebound against the spread. This brought my overall record to 41-15 on winners and 28-28 ATS. I'll have my Week 4 picks up late Wednesday or mid-day Thursday.

Rambling's Week 3 CFB Picks

Well, we're already to week three and we have some solid match-ups but I'm ready for every conference to get into conference season. The intrigue increases and the scenarios become increasingly interesting. But now onto this week's picks...

Saturday, September 15th, 2012:

Wake Forest at #5 Florida State, 11:00 am ESPN, Wake is coming off a late winning effort against North Carolina last week, and seems to have a solid team this year. Florida State hasn't been tested and has beat up two teams with significantly lesser talent. I think FSU has the clear talent edge in this game and shouldn't be lacking for motivation after last years upset loss to Wake. Winner: Florida State ATS: Wake Forest +28

California at #12 Ohio State, 11:00 am ABC, Cal looked absolutely awful in it's first two games, a loss to Nevada and a scrappy win against Sacramento State, and does not breed much confidence as it travels to the Horseshoe this weekend to take on the Buckeyes. Ohio State has been inconsistent but they've put away teams they should have each of the first two weeks. Ohio State should continue that trend when they take on the Golden Bears. Winner: Ohio State ATS: Ohio State -17

#13 Virginia Tech at Pittsburgh, 11:00 am ESPNU, Virginia Tech visits Pittsburgh and that's just unfortunate for Pitt. The Panthers have looked horrible against far less competition than Va Tech and should have issues with Frank Beamers defense. Winner: Va Tech ATS: Va Tech -10.5

#16 TCU at Kansas, 11:00 am FX, Charlie Weis and Dane Crist are both on the Kansas sideline. Yep, that's all you need to know. Winner: TCU ATS: TCU -21

#1 Alabama at Arkansas, 2:30 pm CBS, Arkansas fully healthy would be a heck of a game for Alabama, however with Tyler Wilson day to day and a couple key defensive injuries for the Razorbacks this game shouldn't be in doubt for very long. Winner: Alabama ATS: Alabama -21

UMASS at #17 Michigan, 2:30 pm BTN, It took forever for UMASS to score on Indiana. Michigan will roll. Winner: Michigan ATS: UMASS +46.5

North Carolina at #19 Louisville, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, Both teams have some promise at the quarterback position, however, Louisville doesn't have a major academic scandal looming over it's sports programs. Charlie Strong has his team heading in the right direction and an offense that should help them keep pace. Winner: Louisville ATS: Louisville -3

#18 Florida at #23 Tennesseee, 5:00 pm ESPN, Gameday visits Tuscaloosa this week for the first meaningful match-up in this rivalry in a few years. Florida beat A&M last week but there are still some questions about what this Gator teams identity is. Tennessee doesn't appear to be missing Da'rick Rogers all that much so far as Tyler Bray and company are putting up plenty of firepower. I think we see that offense slow down against a good Florida front seven but I think the Vols pull off the victory at home. Winner: Tennessee ATS: Tenn -3

UAB at #8 South Carolina, 6:00 pm ESPN3, South Carolina can calm a lot of fears if they do the un-South Carolina thing this week and puts away a second straight team they should. And handily. Winner: South Carolina ATS: South Carolina -34

North Texas at #15 Kansas State, 6:00 pm, Kansas State will whoop up on Kansas State. Winner: Kansas St. ATS: KSU -28.5

#2 USC at #21 Stanford, 6:30 pm FOX, This is the best game of the day, USC comes in after a perplexing game against Syracuse in the Medowlands and Stanford comes off one very good game against Duke and a game in which they looked very mortal aginst San Jose State. I think USC has the best unit on the field (Off.) and the 3rd best (Def.). Stanford will be a very fine team this year in Pac-12 but I don't think they're defense can hold USC down enough to make up for the difference in talent on their offense. Winner: USC ATS: Stanford +7.5

Florida Atlantic at #7 Georgia, 6:30 pm ESPN3, SEE: Idaho at LSU Winner: Georgia ATS: FAU +43

Idaho at #3 LSU, 7:00 pm ESPN3, I'm packaging these two games because they include top level SEC talent versus over matched low level mid major teams. Winner: LSU ATS: Idaho +42.5

#20 Notre Dame at #10 Michigan State, 7:00 pm ABC, Second favorite game of the day, let''s just do this by the units on the field, MSU has the better offense, not by much but it's better. MSU has the better defense both teams have more talent on that side of the ball. Michigan State in this one by a nose. Winner: Michigan State ATS: MSU -5.5

#14 Texas at Ole Miss, 8:15 pm ESPN, I keep hearing talk this week about Ole Miss having a chance at the upset. It's a nice thought, SEC at home versus Texas who hasn't looked good in a couple years. This shouldn't be a contact much past the 3rd quarter. Winner: Texas ATS: Ole Miss +11 (I'm not picking a Texas offense by more than 10 on the road. I'm not crazy.)

#25 BYU at Utah, 9:00 pm ESPN2, The holy war rolls on another year but this years affair does not appear to be shaping up in the Utes favor. They haven't looked good this season, and after a loss to Utah State and the loss of Jordan Wynn the promise is all but gone from the 2012 Utah season. BYU is rounding into one of the best non-AQ schools of the season along with La Tech and Ohio. Should be a fun team to watch, this game is probably not. Winner: BYU ATS: BYU -4

Houston at #22 UCLA, 9:30 pm, Houston lost to Texas St. UCLA is a better than any of their Neuheisal teams. Winner: UCLA ATS: UCLA -17

Should be a pretty good week 3 in college football. Hope everyone enjoys the game and sorry for a late set of picks.

Rambling's Week 2 CFB Picks Recap

Saturday, September 8th, 2012:

UCF at #14 Ohio State, OSU 31, UCF 16, This game went pretty much as expected, UCF showed up to play and kept the game in check for around a half and then the Ohio State athletic advantage overwhelmed them. Winner: 1-0 ATS: 1-0

Miami (FL) at #21 Kansas State, KSU 52, Mia FL 13, Kansas State absolutely demolished a young Hurricanes team. Kansas State should be dangerous as long as Colin Klein stays healthy. Winner: 2-0 ATS: 2-0

Penn State at Virginia, Virginia 17, PSU 16, What a heart breaker for Penn State as a late touchdown for Virginia and a handful of missed field goals left them 1 point on the wrong end versus the Cavaliers. Not much to say here on either team as Virginia won on luck and Penn State is in for a very long year. Winner: 3-0 ATS: 3-0

Auburn at Mississippi State, MSU 28, Aub 10, What can I say I believed in Auburn coming into the season, a week 1 loss to Clemson was understandable. This week's loss was not, on the road at Miss State isn't an abomination, until you realize it was by 18. Can this be the year the Bulldogs at least show up in the West, I don't know yet. Winner: 3-1 ATS: 3-1

East Carolina at #9 South Carolina, SCar 48, ECU 10, South Carolina did what it hasn't done the last couple of years and put away a far inferior team and this time without their starting QB. Winner: 4-1 ATS: 3-2

Ball State at #12 Clemson, Clem 52, BSU 27, See: the other South Carolina team, minus back-up QB. Winner: 5-1 ATS: 3-3

WKU at #1 Alabama, Ala 35, WKU 0, Yeah not much to glean from this game, Alabama continues to be more efficient than anybody in the country. Winner: 6-1 ATS: 4-3

#2 USC vs Syracuse, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, USC started slow and which most teams traveling that many time zones tend to. Barkley through for 6 TD's and USC walked away with the 13 point win. Winner: 7-1 ATS: 5-3

#11 Michigan State at Central Michigan, MSU 41, CMU 7, Three things for this game: the Spartan defense wants to know who wants some, the offense can do enough and Central Michigan is a middle tier MAC team. Winner: 8-1 ATS: 6-3

Air Force at #19 Michigan, Mich 31, AFA 25, Michigan didn't lose this game but by-god they tried their hardest to. Winner: 9-1 ATS: 6-4

Purdue at #22 Notre Dame, ND 20, Purdue 17, A late score put Purdue up with only a Notre Dame 2 minute drill between them and a win, and then.... Rees happened. Let's think about that statement, are we as college football fans ready for Rees to happen? Winner: 9-2 ATS: 7-4

#24 Florida at Texas A&M, Florida 20, A&M 17, Texas A&M has the same issue as it had last year. Florida is, well pretty much as confusing as the last 3 Florida teams. Winner: 9-3 ATS: 7-5

Iowa State at Iowa, ISU 9, Iowa 6, Iowa State won, neither team proved much to anyone, and I can't wait 'til Iowa State beats Texas and we can all laugh at how much 2012 continues to mimic some of the most wonderful twists of 2011. Winner: 10-3 ATS: 8-5

#13 Wisconsin at Oregon State, OSU 10, WI 7,  Duff'd it  Winner: 10-4 ATS: 8-6

Fresno State at #4 Oregon, Oregon 42, Fresno 25, Oregon's results are becoming as routine as Alabama. Two big losses came out of this game and we will see how the Duck's respond. Winner: 11-4 ATS: 8-7

Washington at #3 LSU, LSU 41, Wash 3, LSU absolutely dominated this game from start to finish. Washington should win some games in the Pac-12, but LSU is head and shoulders above Sark's team. Winner: 12-4 ATS: 9-7

ULM vs #8 Arkansas, ULM 34, Ark 31, Yes Arkansas had injuries, yes ULM played out of their minds in the second half. No you can't use these excuses when your 2nd string should beat the opposing team. Winner: 12-5 ATS: 9-8

#16 Nebraska at UCLA, UCLA 36, Neb 30, Impressive win for UCLA as they pulled out the win over Nebraska. Was a bit of a sloppy game by both sides but UCLA capitalized on Nebraska mistakes much more successfully than Nebraska. Nebraska is better than many of us thought coming into the season and should cause Michigan and Michigan State some issues in the Legends division. Winner: 12-6 ATS: 10-8

#7 Georgia at Missouri, UGA 41, Mizz 20, This game was a slug fest in the first half and then Georgia decided to take a belt to Missouri's behind. Jarvis Jones showed what men can do as he dominated Mizzou's offense in the second half. Mizzou is gonna cause many headaches this year but Georgia is the clear favorite in the SEC East. Winner: 13-6 ATS: 11-8

New Mexico at #17 Texas, Texas 45, UNM 0, It would have been more of a surprise if Texas didn't cover in this game. Winner: 14-6 ATS: 12-8

#18 Oklahoma State at Arizona, Ariz 59, OK St 38, I guess I was right to doubt OK State but I should have taken it further, Arizona put a beat down on the Cowboys and must be looked at in a slightly altered like in Rich Rod year 1. Winner: 14-7 ATS: 13-8

Duke at #25 Stanford, Stan 50, Duke 13, A very nice bounce back game for Stanford as they put a whooping on Duke after struggling in week 1. Duke is making steps but they won't challenge for an ACC crown in teh next year or two. Winner: 15-7 ATS: 13-9

Kind of a rough week as there where some marquee upsets that I didn't see coming, I'm alright with my 13-9 ATS record but there's no excuse for losing 7 games straight up. Hopefully I can do better in week 3. This brought my overall record to 29-10 on winners and 22-17 ATS. I'll have my Week 3 picks up late Wednesday or mid-day Thursday.

Rambling's Week 2 CFB Picks

With the long weekend of football I didn't have time to write up a week 1 recap and that is my bad. I will get back to that next week, but just a quick little recap of last weeks picks. I went 15-1 on winners and 9-8 against the spread. With one week in the books, let's move forwards to week two...

Saturday, September 8th, 2012:
UCF at #14 Ohio State, 11:00 am ESPN2, Ohio State had a very solid first showing under Urban Meyer and Braxton Miller looks like this system will be a perfect fit for his talents. UCF comes off a week 1 drubbing of Akron and enters the Horseshoe with a good amount of talent on a team that has had a good amount of preseason distractions. I think you see a competitive game for three quarters before Ohio State separates from UCF. Winner: Ohio State ATS: UCF +18.5
Miami (FL) at #21 Kansas State, 11:00 am FX, Miami beat Boston College in week 1 which included some added positives in the run game, however Kansas State just has way too much talent for this edition of the Hurricanes to hang with. Winner: Kansas State ATS: Kansas State -6.5
Penn State at Virginia, 11:00 am ABC, I promise I won't be putting every Penn State game this season in the weekly picks but I thought this game was an interesting on each teams front. Penn State comes into this game after a loss to Ohio at home. Ohio is a talented team but Penn State's intensity really flatened as the second half wore on. How will this team respond on the road after a tough home loss? Will we learn anything about the Bill O'Brien era? Virginia is a team that could take a major leap in the ACC this year under Mike Locksley, will they be able to put away a team they certainly should be able to or will they play down to their opponents skill level. Winner: Virginia ATS: Penn State +10
Auburn at Mississippi State, 11:00 am ESPN, Mississippi State's home opener is a stiff SEC divisional test. MSU was a sleeper team I really liked last year and they let me down. I look forward to seeing how well their offense can keep some of the pressure off the defense which should be a solid unit again. Auburn is coming off a tough loss to rival Clemson in week 1 and is in real trouble if they don't show up to play in week 2. Losing to a non Alabama/Arkansas SEC West team will be a tough pill to swallow for the Tigers. Winner: Auburn ATS: Auburn +3.5
East Carolina at #9 South Carolina, 11:21 am SEC/ESPN3, South Carolina sneaked out a win against Vandy, partially thanks to a pass interference non-call, but the bigger issue for the 'Cocks is that Connor Shaw still hasn't been able to throw a football this week. Whether or not Shaw plays the Gamecocks should roll in this one easily. Winner: South Carolina ATS: East Carolina +21.5
Ball State at #12 Clemson, 11:30 am ACC/ESPN3, I'd love to tell all of you that Clemson has a chance to Clemson this game but Ball State just doesn't have the chops this year to pull off that kind of upset. Clemson is coming off a second straight win over Auburn and should keep this train rolling at least for now with a victory over Ball State. Winner: Clemson ATS: Clemson -27
WKU at #1 Alabama, 2:30 pm SEC/ESPN3, See Clemson, only with better players, a better week 1 win and a better head coach. Winner: Alabama ATS: WKU +40 (sure, I'll go with that)
#2 USC vs Syracuse, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, Teams traveling cross country often have troubles with the time changes and it's affect on their bodies. With that in mind I think it will take USC a quarter or so to really hit it's stride against Syracuse. Syracuse themselves have to deal with the fact that they let a golden opportunity to open the season with a win against Northwestern. I think this game is close because of the outside effects but USC is a far superior team than the Orange. Winner: USC ATS: Syracuse +26
#11 Michigan State at Central Michigan, 2:30 pm ESPNU, Central Michigan started slowly against SE Missouri State last week, they pulled it out but you got to have some concern about that game. Michigan State played a sloppy game versus Boise State; Saved by a otherworldly performance by Lavian Bell, the Spartans need to cut down on the mistakes on offense if they're gonna win 11 or 12 games this year. Winner: Michigan State ATS: Michigan State -20.5
Air Force at #19 Michigan, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN2, Does anybody really think that Michigan is gonna go back to back losses under Brady Hoke's watch, he might suit up at CB just to prove the point. Winner: Michigan ATS: Michigan -21.5
Purdue at #22 Notre Dame, 2:30 pm NBC, Notre Dame should win this game, on a talent basis, better coach and it's at home, but the Golden Domers made a trip across the atlantic just one week ago and I think we will see some adverse effects of this trip this week. Purdue welcomes back suspended QB TerBush who from the sound of Danny Hope out of practice will more than likely be your week two starter for the Boilermakers. Winner: Purdue ATS: Purdue +14
#24 Florida at Texas A&M, 2:30 pm ESPN, The first of two welcome to the SEC games this weekend, Florida travels to Kyle Field to take on the Aggies. Florida comes off what can only be described as a lackluster performance in it's opener against Bowling Green. The Gators offense looked out of sorts with both QB's under center, while the defense looked good but bent too much against an average at best MAC team. A&M hasn't played yet this season after it's week one game against La Tech was cancelled by Hurricane Issac. A&M introduces a new offense, QB and coach heading into the 2012 campaign. Winner: Texas A&M ATS: Texas A&M -1
Iowa State at Iowa, 2:30 pm BTN, Iowa State won this game behind Steele Jantz and the hubris of Paul Rhodes, this years game promises to be equally as intriguing. Iowa comes in after escaping a scare from Northern Illinois which highlighted some issues in the secondary and efficiency on offense. Winner: Iowa State ATS: Iowa State +5
#13 Wisconsin at Oregon State, 3:00 pm FX, Last years game in Madison was so lopsided Oregon State decided to punt backwards to help there defense. Duff'd it Oregon State should be better, and Wisconsin played a rough game game against Northern Iowa last week but I don't see that factoring into this game too much as Wisconsin rolls. Winner: Wisconsin ATS: Wisconsin -7
Fresno State at #4 Oregon, 5:30 pm Pac-12, Fresno should be a well coached football team that will be middle of the road in the MWC. Oregon is an extremely well coached team and is one of the four beset teams in the country. Winner: Oregon ATS: Oregon -35
Washington at #3 LSU, 6:00 pm ESPN, Steve Sarkisian believes he has his best team in his Washington tenure and much of that revolves around QB Keith Price who should give us a much better indication of how good the depth is in the defensive backfield. LSU should be able to move the ball against this Washington defense, whilst the LSU defensive front should bulldoze the Huskies offensive line. Winner: LSU ATS: LSU -23.5
ULM vs #8 Arkansas, 6:00 pm, See: Alabama & Clemson and place Arkansas in the middle. Winner: Arkansas ATS: Arkansas -30.5
#16 Nebraska at UCLA, 6:30 pm FOX, This will be a match-up of two teams that saw better quarterback play on the field week 1 than they have in many moons. Nebraska rolled Southern Miss on the arm of Taylor Martinez who looks to have fixed some of the kinks in his motion. UCLA rode redshirt freshman Brett Hundley to a clobbering of Rice. Winner: Nebraska ATS: UCLA +6
#7 Georgia at Missouri, 6:45 pm ESPN2, The second of the welcome to the SEC games, pits Missouri up against Georgia. Pregame bickering should add a little more fun to our enjoyment of the lead up but this game comes down to how Georgia deals with the suspensions on defense against a Mizzou attack that should have a bit of explosiveness to it. Georgia's old man offense should have some success against the Tigers to the dismay of some. Winner: Georgia ATS: Georgia -2.5
New Mexico at #17 Texas, 7:00 pm LHN, If you've watched college football the last couple season, you know New Mexico. Same for Texas. This shouldn't be close. Winner: Texas ATS: Texas -39
#18 Oklahoma State at Arizona, 9:30 pm Pac-12, I missed this game when I wrote this and I apologize Oklahoma State looked very impressive in a week 1 win over Savannah State, but Arizona's win was better versus Toledo. I don't think this is the upset of the week but Arizona should cover this and make the Cowboys sweat out a victory. Winner: Oklahoma State ATS: Arizona +10
Duke at #25 Stanford, 9:30 pm, This should at least be interesting, Stanford is coming off a lackluster performance against San Jose State and Duke is coming off a whacking of FIU. I don't know what to make of either of these teams at this point so I think I'll wait til this game is over to pass judgement on either. Winner: Stanford ATS: Duke +15

Well that's it for the week 2 picks and because of the hectic week this was finished despite that all encompassing allure of Pittsburgh-Cincinnati. Enjoy your football and look Sunday for a recap of the week that was.