Rambling's Week 7 CFB Picks

For the first time this year I'm actually less than enthused for this weeks slate. That being said this week should go a long way in answering some questions in the SEC, Big Ten, Big XII, ACC and Pac-12 through some very good conference games. (All times Central Standard and let me know what you think)

Saturday, October 14th, 2011:

#15 South Carolina at Mississippi State, 11:00 am, with the dismissal of embattled QB Stephen Garcia, current  Gamecocks QB Connor Shaw no longer has to look over his shoulder while preparing and playing in games. Mississippi State has it's own quarterback controversy with as Chris Relf  has really struggled to find his stride at the helm of the Bulldogs offense. I think this comes down to the more stable QB situation which, and this is hard to believe, is the Steve Spurrier led team. Winner: South Carolina 24-20 ATS: South Carolina -2.5

#11 Michigan at #23 Michigan State, 11:00 am ESPN, the battle for Michigan football supremacy and the Paul Bunyan trophy is an intriguing match-up from all sides. Michigan's offense is averaging 491.4 yards a game with 270 coming on the ground good for 14th and 7th respectively in the nation. Michigan State's defense ranks 3rd nationally against the run allowing 64 yards a game and 1st in total defense at 173.4 yards a game. Something has to give, but the biggest match-up may be the abilities of the Wolverine D vs. the Spartans O and which unit has shown the most improvement so far this season. Winner: Michigan 27-20 ATS: Michigan +2

#20 Baylor at #21 Texas A&M, 11:00 FX, is RG3 talented enough to lead this team to a top five team in  a top heavy Big XII, is Texas A&M gonna finally fulfill the promise that we all saw in the preseason? This game will continue to clear the picture of these two teams and the season that await them. Winner: Texas A&M 38-27 ATS: Texas A&M -9

Indiana at #4 Wisconsin, 11:00 am ESPN2, last year the Badgers put up 80 on the Hoosiers, this year should be much of the same in Madison. Winner: 62-17 ATS: Wisconsin -40

#12 Georgia Tech at Virginia, 2:30 pm ESPNU, Virginia is a team climbing it's way back out of oblivion under the tutelage Mike London. Paul Johnson's Yellow Jacket team is one of the surprise teams out of the ACC this year. With Miami and Clemson coming up on the schedule I think this is a definite trap game for Georgia Tech on the road. Winner: Georgia Tech 27-24 ATS: Virginia +7.5

#6 Oklahoma State at #22 Texas, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN, the Longhorn's finish the Oklahoma portion of their schedule with a visit from the Cowboys of Oklahoma State. Unfortunately for Mack Brown's team the biggest weakness of his squad matches up with the greatest strength of the Cowboys which should make for a long day in Austin. Winner: Oklahoma State 55-31 ATS: Oklahoma State -7.5

#1 LSU at Tennessee, 2:30 pm CBS, if Tyler Bray were playing this game would be a "so you're saying there's a chance?" games for the Vols, unfortunately that won't be the case Saturday. LSU's defense will eat a young Vols offense alive. Winner: LSU 31-13 ATS: LSU -15.5

Ohio State at #16 Illinois, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN, this game will decide which team will battle PSU for the right to be #1 contender to Wisconsin in the Leaders division. If Braxton Miller plays in this game, which looks likely as of today then Ohio State has a shot to leave Champagne with a victory on Saturday. If he isn't I have little faith in Bauserman or the freshman that are below Miller on the depth chart to win this game. Winner: Ohio State 24-21 ATS: Ohio State +4

UCF at SMU, 2:30 pm, a game that has lost a little bit of it's luster from the start of the season but is a still a very enlightening non-AQ match-up this week in Texas. SMU looks to be a legit contender in C-USA after beating, an admittedly down, TCU and improving under June Jones every year. UCF was a preseason darling for fans and media alike and has been underwhelming to say the least so far this season, but can also make a difference in how Conference USA shakes out. Winner: SMU 41-31 ATS: SMU -3

#5 Boise State at Colorado State, 5:00 pm, after back to back contests against former and future conference foes Boise starts it's seven week run through it's Mountain West schedule. I think this is the first of at least four cakewalks in conference for Boise. Winner: Boise State 55-10 ATS: Boise -32

#2 Alabama at Mississippi, 5:00 pm ESPN2, the Mississippi Rebels are really bad and will battle Kentucky for title of worst in the SEC. Winner: Alabama 48-9 ATS: Alabama -25.5

#19 Virginia Tech at Wake Forest, 5:30 pm, both teams come in with one loss on the resume, but Virginia Tech's is in conference if it wants to avoid a similar fate to the Seminoles it would be advised to not take the Deacons too lightly this week. Winner: Virginia Tech 31-17 ATS: Virginia Tech -7

#17 Kansas State at Texas Tech, 6:00 pm, Kansas State is the surprise of the Big XII season so far with wins over Miami (FL), Baylor and Missouri the past three weeks but still don't seem to be getting any respect from most college football fans and analysts. Texas Tech is coming off a back door cover against the  A&M last week and welcomes the Wildcats to Lubbock. I think Kansas State has some trouble with the high flying Tech offense but I have my doubts about the Red Raiders D. Winner: Kansas State 41-38 ATS: Kansas State +3

Florida at #24 Auburn, 6:00 pm ESPN, Florida is a young team on it's 3rd quarterback of the season, Auburn is young with it's original starter and have won big games this season. Florida will be able to get pressure on Auburn with their defense as they have had success with talented group to this point in the season but I think it all comes down to the effectiveness of the Gators offense on the road. Winner: Auburn 31-14 ATS: Auburn +2

#8 Clemson at Maryland, 6:00 pm ESPNU, Clemson takes a trip to a Maryland team that has had it's fair share of issues this season in the transition under Randy Edsall and no one embodies that more than Danny O'Brien. Clemson is having the most Clemson season in recent memory led by Tajh Boyd and an explosive group of talent surrounding him. Winner: Maryland 28-27 ATS: Maryland +8.5

Northwestern at Iowa, 6:00 pm BTN, Northwestern has dominated this match-up in recent years both at Iowa and at home. Iowa is coming off of a disappointing loss in a series in which it has been the more successful team recently, does the trend busting continue this week in Iowa City or do Dan Persa and company get back on track. Winner: Northwestern 31-28 ATS: Northwestern +6 P.S. if Iowa loses this game its chances of making the Big Ten Championship game go from slim to practically none.

#7 Stanford at Washington State, 6:30 pm Versus, Washington State is making strides toward being competitive in the Pac-12 but Stanford has Andrew Luck and a punishing defense. Winner: Stanford 52-17 ATS: Stanford -21

#3 Oklahoma at Kansas, 8:15 pm ESPN2, Kansas gave up 56 in the first half of the against Oklahoma State, Landry Jones and company should give that mark a run for it's money. Winner: Oklahoma 76-13 ATS: Oklahoma -34.5

#18 Arizona State at #9 Oregon, 9:15 pm ESPN, This match-up is intriguing because it should tell us something about both teams, however Arizona State hasn't won a big game in what feels like a decade and Oregon has been pretty much unstoppable in conference play the last couple years. Winner: Oregon 45-24 ATS: Oregon -16

Enjoy week 7 of the College football season and I'll see you soon to think fondly on this weekend's games.

Rambling's Poll Recap (10/9/11)

First off let me establish what you're gonna see here, I'm going to compare my top 25 to the AP, USA Today and BCS top 25's in the coming weeks on and share my ideas on the teams in each 5 team tier. To make this clear if I say a team is overrated or underrated I mean in relation to the polls and not necessarily in real life...

AP Top 5: LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Boise State
USA Today Top 5: Oklahoma, LSU, Alabama, Wisconsin, Stanford
My Top 5: LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma, Boise State, Wisconsin
Reaction: One could make an argument for any arrangement of the top 3 but I believe that LSU has the best resume of the 3 and deserves it's place at the top. I have Boise at 4 because it has the next best win and resume. Wisconsin rounds out the top five on the strength of it's Nebraska win and it's demolishing of the teams it should beat in it's non-con just edging out Stanford.

AP 6-10: Oklahoma State, Stanford, Clemson, Oregon, Arkansas
USA Today 6-10: Boise State, Oklahoma State, Clemson, Oregon, Michigan
My 6-10: Stanford, Clemson, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Arkansas
Reaction: Stanford is still a top 5 team with Luck at QB but it falls due to no marquee wins on it's resume. I have Clemson so high because they won three straight against ranked opponents including one at Lane Stadium  and have looked impressive all year. Oklahoma State's only such win is Texas A&M otherwise the resume is a little flat. Oregon and Arkansas round out the top ten having top 5 losses but nothing spectacular to fill out their respective resumes so far.

AP 11-15: Michigan, Georgia Tech, West Virginia, Nebraska, South Carolina
USA Today 11-15: Arkansas, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Nebraska, Illinois
My 11-15: Georgia Tech, South Carolina, Michigan, Nebraska, Illinois
Reaction: Georgia Tech, Michigan and Illinois are gained their spots through going undefeated and are ranked according to strength of opponents and wins. South Carolina lost a "meh" game to Auburn but also has a good win over Georgia, Nebraska had a nice bounce back against Ohio State and has a good win over a top 30-35 Washington team. The AP has WVU up here but until they show that they can play a complete game I think 13 is a bit overrated for the Mountaineers.

AP 16-20: Illinois, Kansas State, Arizona State, Virginia Tech, Baylor
USA Today 16-20: West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Kansas State, Michigan State, Arizona State
My 16-20: Kansas State, Arizona State, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Texas A&M
Reaction: First off let me just say that Kansas State is getting no respect coming off wins over Miami (FL), Baylor and Mizzou. I know Miami is down but on winning on the road there is still tough and Baylor and Mizzou have better talent than they do. I also think A&M has fallen a bit too far, they blew leads to two very good offenses in back to back weeks but have shown they have the team to compete with both of them for an entire game.

AP 21-25: Texas A&M, Texas, Michigan State, Auburn, Houston
USA Today 21-25: Texas, Houston, Texas A&M, Baylor, Penn State
My 21-25: Houston, Michigan State, Baylor, Notre Dame, Penn State
Reaction: First off, let me just say that this was the toughest 5 to figure out as I made my top 25. Houston Baylor and Michigan State were all right there in the conversation around 20 so lets focus on the last two teams I put in and the two that appear in the polls that I didn't. Notre Dame has two blown lead losses to teams that are much better than we expected them to be and have gone on to win convincingly in 3 out of the next four games. Penn State on the other hand keeps winning and their only loss is to the #2 team in the country. I left Auburn out of my top 25 because I just don't believe they are a top 25 team, yes they find ways to win but you could see how much the youth hurts this team this week against Arkansas and that was enough for me to drop them. Similarly, Texas' youth is a detriment to them and they seem to be partially back to being Texas but not quite, which makes them a top 35 or so team instead of a top 25 team.

Feel free to leave comments below and I'll have my week 7 picks blog posted Tuesday or Wednesday.

Rambling's Week 6 Recap

The Chalk was pretty good this week which no doubt aided my picks...

Thursday, October 6th, 2011:

California at #9 Oregon, 8:00 pm ESPN, Oregon looked like a team with a mission to prove that last year was a fluke game against the Bears. Scary looking injury to LaMichael James is something to watch for this week and will be a harbinger for the rest of the Ducks' season. Winner: 1-0 ATS: 1-0

Friday, October 7th, 2011:

#5 Boise State at Fresno State, 8:00 pm ESPN, Boise State steamrolled this game, and the starters were out by the 3rd quarter. Winner: 2-0 ATS: 2-0

Saturday, October 8th, 2011:

#3 Oklahoma vs #11 Texas (Dallas), 11:00 am ABC, Oklahoma came out swinging in this game and it was never really in question. Some positives for the Texas defense early as they stopped the Sooners multiple times in the red zone but ultimately Landry Jones and company were just too much for the Longhorns. Winner: 3-0 ATS: 3-0

Maryland at #13 Georgia Tech, 11:00 am ESPNU, Maryland did a nice job of containing Georgia Tech's triple option today even bouncing back from a 21-3 deficit at the end of the 3rd quarter. Ultimately Maryland came up short losing by 5 but at least there are signs of life from Randy Edsall's squad. Winner: Georgia Tech 4-0 ATS: 4-0

Connecticut at #16 West Virginia, 11:00 am, another sluggish start for the Mountaineers, down 6-3 at half time but yet again a huge second half. WVU pulled away from UCONN in this game, finally exerting it's talent advantage over the Huskies. Winner: 5-0 ATS:5-0

Kentucky at #18 South Carolina, 11:21 am SEC Network, Connor Shaw was better than expected even against Kentucky and the Gamecocks easily walk away with a victory. Kentucky is in for a long season  of bad bad games in the SEC. Winner: 6-0 ATS: 5-1

#23 Florida State at Wake Forest, 11:30 am, Think this says it all, FSU's two wins are over Charleston Southern and Louisiana-Monroe. That is all. P.S. Congrats Wake Forest on a well played game and on the win. Winner: 6-1 ATS: 6-1

#19 Illinois at Indiana, 1:30 pm BTN, I had Illinois as being 18 points better and they won by 19. Not much to say other than Illinois will put up a fight for Wisconsin and Indiana won't worry just about anyone. Winner: 7-1 ATS: 7-1

Boston College at #8 Clemson, 2:00 pm, for a while it looked like Clemson might have something to worry about but they won going away. The bigger news out of this game is the injury of Tahj Boyd for the Tigers, that should be the Clemson faithfuls biggest concern. Winner: 8-1 ATS: 7-2

#17 Florida at #1 LSU, 2:30 pm CBS, Florida never really had a chance with it's two best quarterbacks injured on the road against the best defense in the country. Winner: 9-1 ATS: 8-2

Kansas at #6 Oklahoma State, 2:30 pm, as said in the picks column... ummmmmm, yeah. Stat of note in this game however, Oklahoma State had 56 points at halftime. Winner: 10-1 ATS: 9-2

Missouri at #20 Kansas State, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN, Kansas State won held on to win a tough Big XII game at home further cementing them as the best of the second tier of teams in the conference behind Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M and maybe tied if not better than Texas. Winner: 11-1 ATS: 10-2

Miami (FL) at #21 Virginia Tech, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN, the Fightin' Beamers pulled out the late victory at home over the Hurricanes. A late ground based drive was the Hokies response to the Canes touchdown with around 2 minutes left. Winner: Virginia Tech 12-1 ATS: 10-3

#22 Arizona Sate at Utah, 2:30 pm, Utah didn't have much of a chance in this game with Jordan Wynn out and that showed in the final score against Arizona State. Osweiller and company were just too much for a team that had trouble scoring when healthy. Winner: 13-1 ATS: 11-3

Iowa at Penn State, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN, another ugly game and another win for the Nittany Lions. The defense is top 15-20 in the country but the offense is but 10% which isn't helped by the inability of Joe Pa and staff to pick a QB. Iowa continues to have growing pains with a young team including a myriad of drops by wide receivers in this game. Winner: 14-1 ATS: 11-4

Vanderbilt at #2 Alabama, 6:00 pm ESPNU, Alabama pitched a shutout at home against the commodores in what was another less than satisfying game leading up to the LSU game in 2 weeks. Winner: 15-1 ATS: 11-5

#15 Auburn at #10 Arkansas, 6:00 pm ESPN, Finally an Auburn outcome that makes sense, their weak defense especially a young secondary were taken advantage of by the Razorbacks in Fayetteville. Auburn put up a good fight through halftime but then the cracks started to show and the team with superior talent emerged. Winner: 16-1 ATS: 11-6

#12 Michigan at Northwestern, 6:00 pm BTN, Dan Persa makes a difference for the Wildcats but the Michigan defense continued it's opportunistic ways and forced a couple turnovers on the road to get the victory. Northwestern once again doesn't have much defense to speak of under Pat Fitzgerald in a quest that continues to perplex. Winner: 17-1 ATS: 11-7

#24 Texas A&M at Texas Tech, 6:00 pm FX, better game than I thought it would be as Tech drove late to bring it within 5 but A&M finally won a game after a solid first half lead. Texas Tech's offense is still rolling but the defense hasn't taken that step forward that was expected under Tuberville. Winner: 18-1 ATS: 11-8

Iowa State at #25 Baylor, 6:00 pm, RG3 and Baylor have cemented themselves behind Kansas State in the middle tier of the Big XII whilst Iowa State seems to have taken a step back from last year. Winner: 19-1 ATS: 11-9

Georgia at Tennessee, 6:00 pm ESPN2, Georgia pretty much dominated  Winner: 20-1 ATS: 12-9

Colorado at #7 Stanford, 6:30 pm Versus, ummmmmm... yeah Winner: 21-1 ATS: 12-10

Ohio State at #14 Nebraska, 7:00 pm ABC, Ohio State played well well into the 3rd quarter until Braxton Miller went out with a right ankle injury. Nebraska showed good heart to come back after another tough game a lagging defensive showing to start the game. Burkhead and Martinez both showed up to propel the Cornhuskers to the victory. Winner: 22-1 ATS: 12-11

TCU at San Diego State, 9:30 pm, TCU got a big bounce back conference win on the road late Saturday night in San Diego. San Diego shows that they still haven't quite made it to the point in which they will be a constant headaches for the top of the conference. Winner: 23-1 ATS: 12-12


Had a really good weed this week going 23-1 on winners, I'll grant you that it was a pretty weak week but still I didn't get greedy and try for too many upsets after a rough week 5. Keep an eye out on later today or early tomorrow for a poll recap, with a week until the BCS rankings come out I wanted to start adding my two cents to how teams are ranked.

Rambling's Week 6 CFB Picks

Welcome back for another week of college football action it's hard to believe we're already to the 6th week of the season but it's been fun so far and hopefully the fun will continue. Last week was a rough week for me as far as picking was concerned, I went 15-7 on winners and 12-10 against the spread to move my season totals to, 85-21 and 40-39-3 respectively. Every AP top 25 team except #4 Wisconsin is in play this week which should make the slate enjoyable if not overtly exciting. So without further ado lets get to the picks.... (all times are central time zone)


Thursday, October 6th, 2011:
California at #9 Oregon, 8:00 pm ESPN, Cal played the Ducks tough last year playing them to within two points, however, I don't expect this years contest to be that close or that low scoring. Cal has been hit or miss and Oregon looks to be running on all cylinders. Winner: Oregon 41-17 ATS: Oregon -24 (Push)
Friday, October 7th, 2011:
#5 Boise State at Fresno State, 8:00 pm ESPN, for the second straight week Boise plays a former and future conference foe. I like the Fresno program and how they schedule each year but Boise has too much firepower for this team. Winner: Boise State 48-23 ATS: Bosie -21
Saturday, October 8th, 2011:
#3 Oklahoma vs #11 Texas (Dallas), 11:00 am ABC, another addition of the Red River Rivalry comes to us from the Cotton Bowl. I keep hearing this will be a close one but the last 10 contests have been won by an average of 19.5 points which suggests the winners will walk away in the fourth quarter. Winner: Oklahoma 38-20 ATS: Oklahoma -10
Maryland at #13 Georgia Tech, 11:00 am ESPNU, Georgia Tech has been the second biggest surprise in the ACC this year behind Clemson be the anti-Clemson and the triple option is tough to prepare for in the middle of the season. Maryland looks to be having a tough time with the coaching transition and haven't shown much life this year. Winner: Georgia Tech 24-13 ATS: Maryland +14
Connecticut at #16 West Virginia, 11:00 am, last years Big East champion versus this years front-runner heading into the heart of the conference schedule looks like a mismatch on paper. The Holgersen offense seems to be gaining some steam after some sluggish starts to open the season. Connecticut has look bad so far this year with losses to Vandy, Iowa State and WMU. Winner: West Virginia 58-24 ATS: WVU -20
Kentucky at #18 South Carolina, 11:21 am SEC Network, if the Gamecocks hadn't lost to Auburn last week this would have been that game that South Carolina loses each year that you hear Homer Simpson in your head going, "Dope". Winner: South Carolina 24-10 ATS: Kentucky +21
#23 Florida State at Wake Forest, 11:30 am, Florida State had a week to stew over a loss to Clemson and Wake Forest has looked like it could at least contend with some of the better teams in the ACC. With the turmoil at QB for FSU and a home game for Wake a perfect storm could be a brewing. Winner: FSU 24-21 ATS: Wake Forest +10
#19 Illinois at Indiana, 1:30 pm BTN, Indiana gave Penn State a run for their money but I don't think that matters in this weeks game. Illinois is 5-0 for the first time since the Truman administration brings a stout defense and a meh offense with some pop. Indiana brings a loss to Ball State. Winner: Illinois 27-9 ATS: Illinois -14.5
Boston College at #8 Clemson, 2:00 pm, is this the week Clemson returns to being Clemson, I say know but put this down as a trap game for the Tigers. Boston College has looked bad and have some major injuries but the Tigers have to regress to past levels of Clemson one of these weeks and a bad team after three ranked wins just sounds right. Winner: Clemson 21-20 ATS: Boston College +21
#17 Florida at #1 LSU, 2:30 pm CBS, Florida comes in bruised and battered from it's match-up with Alabama and it's bag of oranges defense, this week it gets LSU and it's bag of potatoes. Florida has talent on both sides of the ball and the Defense has shown flashes of brilliance along the way. Winner: LSU 34-17 ATS: LSU -13.5
Kansas at #6 Oklahoma State, 2:30 pm, like Oklahoma last week, ummmmmm, yeah. Winner: Oklahoma State 58-20 ATS: Oklahoma State -31.5
Missouri at #20 Kansas State, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN, Kansas State has two esteem building wins in row now beating Miami (FL) and Baylor back to back which makes this match-up all the more intriguing. The Wildcats are young but so is Missouri which makes this a very close match-up. Winner: Kansas State 31-27 ATS: Kansas State +3.5
Miami (FL) at #21 Virginia Tech, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN, the Fightin' Beamers are coming off of a really poor showing against Clemson and with conference black-eye coming to town I think we see a beating at Lane Stadium. Winner: Virginia Tech 24-7 ATS: Virginia Tech -7.5
#22 Arizona Sate at Utah, 2:30 pm, Utah looks bad and it gets worse with Jordan Wynn out with injury, Arizona State has been everyone's favorite, "am I good, I'm not sure" team. Winner: Arizona State 38-24 ATS: Arizona State -4
Iowa at Penn State, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN, Penn State looks like Bama lite on defense and Fordham on offense. Iowa looks like a good young team that has grown in-season but looks like the wobbly infant learning to walk. Winner: Penn State 17-16
Vanderbilt at #2 Alabama, 6:00 pm ESPNU, Vanderbilt is improving in year one of the Franklin regime, Alabama is team 1B in the country. Winner: Alabama 27-10 ATS: Vanderbilt +29
#15 Auburn at #10 Arkansas, 6:00 pm ESPN, Auburn is coming off of a sloppy come from behind win at South Carolina, Arkansas is coming off an impressive come from behind game against the Fighting Gaggies of A&M. Auburn looks like it's starting to find it's stride defensively but Arkansas has Tyler Wilson. Winner: Arkansas 41-38 ATS: Auburn +10
#12 Michigan at Northwestern, 6:00 pm BTN, the second real test for the Michigan defense looks to be legitimate because of the return of Dan Persa. With his return we can judge the strides taken since the Notre Dame game in the weakest part of the defense, it's secondary. Northwestern on the other hand has less defense than Michigan which will make it very tricky to stop Denard Robinson from tearing them apart. Winner: Michigan 38-35 ATS: Northwestern +7.5
#24 Texas A&M at Texas Tech, 6:00 pm FX, the presumed last of the A&M-Tech match-ups for a while should leave A&M with fond memories and Tech saying good riddance. Winner: Texas A&M 45-20 ATS: Texas A&M -9.5
Iowa State at #25 Baylor, 6:00 pm, two lower tier Big XII teams trying to move up a tier and put themselves squarely on the minds of those fighting for the conference championship. This one should be a fun quarterback match-up between Steele Jantz and RG3.Winner: Baylor 31-28 ATS: Iowa State +15.5
Georgia at Tennessee, 6:00 pm ESPN2, two teams that have fallen on hard times to varying degrees during the SEC's time a top the college football hierarchy. Tennessee has some good pieces in place especially at QB but seems to still be lacking up front on both sides of the ball. Georgia lost it's opening two games to very good teams but winning this one keeps them in the East division race. Winner: Georgia 31-17 ATS: Georgia -2
Colorado at #7 Stanford, 6:30 pm Versus, ummmmmm... yeah Winner: Stanford 45-17 ATS: Colorado +30
Ohio State at #14 Nebraska, 7:00 pm ABC, Ohio State is struggling with issues on and off the field right now and there doesn't appear to be much help in sight with Posey and Herron being put back on suspension. Nebraska is coming off a beat down at Camp Randall in which their defense looks average and their offense proved it lacked the ability to play well from behind. Winner: Nebraska 34-13 ATS: Nebraska -11
TCU at San Diego State, 9:30 pm, TCU is down and San Diego State looks to keep the momentum from  the Brady Hoke era going. TCU has been bad this year with the combination of youth and injuries on defense and youth on offense. San Diego has some pieces in place to make this game interesting especially at home. Winner: TCU 28-27 ATS: San Diego State +4.5


Enjoy the week of football and as always please leave your comments and thoughts below, I would love to hear from you.

Rambling's CFB Week 5 Recap

Another wonderful weekend of college football brings us to another day of looking back on the action...

Thursday, September 29th, 2011:

#16 South Florida at Pittsburgh, 7:00 pm ESPN, had a hunch here and didn't follow it I was on the right track with a team firmly with it's back against the wall and they played like it. South Florida always had the holes on defense and they showed more of it against Graham. Winners: 0-1 ATS: 0-1

Saturday, September 1st, 2011:

#14 Texas A&M vs #18 Arkansas (Arlington),  11:00 am ESPN, well apparently A&M is a 3 quarter team and those quarters are 1, 2 and 4. They out played and physically beat Arkansas on both lines for most of the game but it didn't matter because of another team wide brain fart.  Winner: 1-1 ATS: 1-1

Minnesota at #19 Michigan, 11:00 am BTN, the Wolverines utterly dominated this game from start to finish as Gophers could do nothing right in this game. Winner: 2-1 ATS: 1-2

Northwestern at #24 Illinois, 11:00 am ESPN2, Persa was a huge step up for the Wildcats and we saw just how much as they squandered a 4th quarter lead with him back on the sidelines with a re-injured ankle. The Illini found a way to come back and win this one at home. Winner: 3-1 ATS: 2-2

Mississippi State at Georgia, 11:00 am, Georgia pounded Mississippi State in this one and got themselves a keep conference victory between the hedges. Mississippi State can now focus on being a spoiler in the West. Winner: 4-1 ATS: 2-3

Air Force at Navy, 11:00 am CBS, this one came down to a blocked extra point and overtime. Air Force won a game in which they controlled and ultimately was decided on a personal foul committed by the Midshipman. Winner: 4-2 ATS: 3-3

Kentucky at #1 LSU, 11:21 am, Cupcake city. Winner: 5-2 ATS: 4-3

Nevada at #4 Boise State, 1:30 pm Versus, This one was much more lopsided than last years game, which isn't surprising because Kellen Moore is still at Boise and Nevada was on their second string QB. Winner: 6-2 ATS: 4-4

Auburn at #10 South Carolina, 2:30 pm CBS, the Gamecocks had this win in their hands, even if it was a sloppy and poorly played game by both teams. Auburn on the other hand continues to pull the proverbial rabbit out their butts just about every week. Winner: 6-3 ATS: 4-5

#15 Baylor at Kansas State, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN,  RG3 put up another great game, but came up short on the drive to win the game with 3 minutes to go. The Wildcats came up with another big win and this one against a conference foe with top flight talent.Winner: 6-4 ATS: 4-6

SMU at #20 TCU, 2:30 pm, and just like that Boise State's BCS title hopes took a gigantic hit. Unfortunately that's the biggest take away from SMU's streak busting victory against TCU. June Jones has the Mustangs pointed in a upward direction and they should contend in Conference USA this season. Winner: 7-4 ATS: 5-6

#21 Georgia Tech at North Carolina State, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN, Georgia Tech walked away a winner in this game and they did it with a slightly more balanced attack than in recent years at Tech. Tech used the triple option to perfection and purely outscored the Tom O'Brien led Wolfpack. Winner: 7-5 ATS: 6-6

Bowling Green at #22 West Virginia, 2:30 pm, Cupcake city. Winner: 8-5 ATS: 7-6

Arizona at USC, 2:30 pm, USC won but not without a whole lot of trouble. Lane Kiffin has the offense running on all cylinders but Monte's defense gave up a school record amount of yards. On the Arizona side Nick Foles threw for 400 yards again in a losing effort. Winner: 9-5 ATS: 8-6

Michigan State at Ohio State, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN, Zzzzzzzzz, a snoozer out of Columbus as Michigan State outlasted Ohio State 10-7. Winner: 9-6 ATS: 8-7

#13 Clemson at #11 Virginia Tech, 5:00 pm ESPN2, Clemson has impressed with three straight victories over ranked teams. Virginia Tech disappoints on offense as they fail to score while entering Clemson territory. The Clemson defense should be what keeps this team in the ACC title hunt. Winner: 9-7 ATS: 9-7

Ball State at #2 Oklahoma, 6:00 pm, Cupcake city Winner: 10-7 ATS: 9-8

#17 Texas at Iowa State, 6:00 pm FX, Texas avenged last years loss with a beat down this year. Texas is well on the road back to being Texas, Iowa State well is Iowa State and will be middle of the pack at best in a top heavy Big XII. Winner: 11-7 ATS: 9-9

#3 Alabama at #12 Florida, 7:00 pm CBS, Alabama showed the country why it deserves it's reputation, the defense was swarming and the offense avoided mistakes. Florida is definitely improved but it has a bit to go until it catches the LSU's and Alabama's of the country again. Winner: 12-7 ATS: 10-9

#8 Nebraska at #7 Wisconsin, 7:00 pm ABC, the Badgers looked like they were a full step above the Cornhuskers on Saturday night in Madison. It was much more lopsided than expected and the biggest surprise was most assuredly how the defense took a step forward. Winner: 13-7 ATS: 11-9

UCLA at #6 Stanford, 9:30 pm, Stanford still has Andrew Luck, UCLA is well on the way to getting rid of Rich Neuheisel. Winner: 14-7 ATS: 12-9

Oregon State at #25 Arizona State, 9:30 pm, Arizona State did what it had to and was suppose to do it beat a weak conference opponent at home. Winner: 15-7 ATS: 12-10

Rambling's Week 5 CFB Picks

Sorry about not having a recap article this week I wasn't able to find the time yesterday to take care of that but I'm back for our new week of picks. Last week, I went 13-4 on winners and 7-9-1 ATS bringing my totals for the season to, 70-14 and 28-29-3 respectively. Now onto the week at hand we have three top 13 match-ups and a 7-8 match-up for the second week in a row. As always feel free to comment and all times Central time zone...

Thursday, September 29th, 2011:
#16 South Florida at Pittsburgh, 7:00 pm ESPN, a battle of two teams whose years have been defined by one game. South Florida became a media and fan darling by beating ND week one on a handful of Irish turnovers and have run with that momentum to an undefeated early season. Pittsburgh on the other hand is coming off back to back bad beats to Iowa and ND and looks to be a dejected team with its back firmly against the wall. Winner: South Florida 24-17 ATS: South Florida -2.5
Saturday, September 1st, 2011:
#14 Texas A&M vs #18 Arkansas (Arlington),  11:00 am ESPN, a preview of the SEC West for at least next year takes place in Arlington Saturday and we should see a pretty good game. Both these teams are coming off of disappointing performances against conference foes. A&M blew a 17 point lead at half-time in the 3rd quarter of a game in which they outscored Oklahoma State 29-9 in the other three quarters. Arkansas on the other team lost to a superior team in Alabama and looks to redeem some of their SEC buzz. Winner: Arkansas 38-34 ATS: Arkansas +2.5
Minnesota at #19 Michigan, 11:00 am BTN, this one is a mismatch I don't care what you think of Marquis Grey or the Michigan defense this one isn't close. The Gophers don't have the team defense to deal with a truly gifted player in Denard Robinson where as Grey is hit or miss at best on understanding what he's doing on the field. Winner: Michigan 45-28 ATS: Minnesota -19
Northwestern at #24 Illinois, 11:00 am ESPN2, the battle for the Land of Lincoln Trophy comes to Champagne this year as the Illini and Wildcats meet to open their conference slates. Northwestern gets Dan Persa back this week hopefully fully healthy which should help the passing game. Illinois looks like less of a certainty with this news. Winner: Illinois 28-27 ATS: Northwestern +8
Mississippi State at Georgia, 11:00 am, this one will go a long way in telling up which of these two teams will be a tough out for the contending teams in later in the year. Both teams still have a chance to win the SEC title with a win but neither has looked like they can knock off the tops in their divisions. Winner: Georgia 31-27 ATS: Mississippi State +6.5
Air Force at Navy, 11:00 am CBS, the top two service academies of the last decade face off in the first leg of the Commander in Chief's Trophy. I think this will be a fun game to watch and a nice showcase for the  service academies and two good not great teams. Winner: Navy 28-27 ATS: Air Force +3
Kentucky at #1 LSU, 11:21 am, you don't get many cupcakes on the SEC conference schedule but Kentucky is looking the part this year. Winner: LSU 31-9 ATS: Kentucky +30
Nevada at #4 Boise State, 1:30 pm Versus, a rematch of a great game and upset in Reno last year comes to us in the non-conference this year. Nevada looks exactly how we expected them to look, young. Boise looks like we thought Boise would look, scary good. Winner: Boise State 48-17 ATS: Boise -27.5
Auburn at #10 South Carolina, 2:30 pm CBS, The Gamecocks host a young and slightly faltering Auburn team. Unless Auburn's defense finds a way to slow down the best running back in the country they don't have a chance in this game. Winner: South Carolina 38-17 ATS: South Carolina -10
#15 Baylor at Kansas State, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN, RG3 is putting up ridiculous numbers this season for a surprise Bears team. Kansas State is coming off a win over the Miami Hurricanes but look to be the inferior team from a talent perspective. Winner: Baylor 38-24 ATS: Baylor -3.5
SMU at #20 TCU, 2:30 pm, this game holds Boise State's BCS hopes in the balance if SMU wins TCU falls out of the top 25 and Boise has no top 25 teams left on the schedule. SMU under June Jones is seeing it's first sustained success and upward trend since the death penalty. TCU is struggling for the first time in a while in the Gary Patterson era, and it's due to a lack of experience on both sides of the ball. Winner: SMU 28-24 ATS: SMU +13
#21 Georgia Tech at North Carolina State, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN, the winner becomes a contender in their division the loser becomes the spoiler in their division. NC State looks like it could use Russell Wilson right about now on an offense that looks even more anemic than usual. Georgia Tech is coming off of back to back routes of so-so teams. Winner: North Carolina St. 24-21 ATS: North Carolina St. +10
Bowling Green at #22 West Virginia, 2:30 pm, Winner: West Virginia 58-17 ATS: WVU -20
Arizona at USC, 2:30 pm, these two teams are coming off of big losses last week to conference foes and both are struggling this season despite solid QB play. This one comes down to which defense stiffens up the best and which team gets the most out of their talent. Winner: USC 38-35 ATS: Arizona +13
Michigan State at Ohio State, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN, Another see which team has what game in Columbus between Big Ten Co-Champions from last season. Ohio State has looked good, bad and ugly this season and Michigan State has looked great and horrible. This game is much like both the Miss St. at GA and Ga Tech at NC State games the winner challenges for a division title the loser most likely becomes the conference spoiler. Winner: Ohio State 24-21 ATS: Ohio State -3 (Push)
#13 Clemson at #11 Virginia Tech, 5:00 pm ESPN2, this is the most un-Clemson team we have seen this late into a season for a long time. Virginia Tech is still working out kinks on offense but the defense is a Frank Beamer defense and has held some pretty good offenses down this season. This comes down to which young QB you like better Boyd or Thomas. Winner: Virginia Tech 27-21 ATS: Clemson +7
Ball State at #2 Oklahoma, 6:00 pm, ummmm....yeah. Winner: Oklahoma 45-20 ATS: Ball State +38
#17 Texas at Iowa State, 6:00 pm FX, Iowa State pulled off the upset last year and looks to be a team on the rise to the middle of the Big XII pack. Texas looks to be at least Texas lite. Winner: Texas 24-23 ATS: Iowa State +9.5
#3 Alabama at #12 Florida, 7:00 pm CBS, Florida is better in year 1 is better than any of thought they would be, Bama is a Nick Saban coached team. Florida's offense has the most dynamic set of backs in the country, Alabama might have the best set of backs in the country. Florida's defense has speed and talent, Alabama's has at least 3 first round NFL players. Winner: Alabama 27-20 ATS: Alabama -3.5
#8 Nebraska at #7 Wisconsin, 7:00 pm ABC, Jim Delany's wet dream is here. Two top ten teams, one is the newbie one is the rising star of the conference, both are exciting (Wisconsin was top 10 in points per play last year), and both bring buzz to ABC on Saturday night. Winner: Wisconsin 31-21 ATS: Wisconsin -9
UCLA at #6 Stanford, 9:30 pm, Stanford has Andrew Luck, UCLA has Rich Neuheisel. Winner: Stanford 45-20 ATS: Stanford -20.5
Oregon State at #25 Arizona State, 9:30 pm, Arizona State is Arizona State week on the road good at home but will let inferior competition sneak up on them and keep it so much closer than it should be. Oregon State is inconsistent. Winner: Arizona State 41-17 ATS: Arizona State -18


Enjoy week 5 of the college football season. 

Rambling's Week 4 CFB Picks

Welcome back for another round of college football picks and thank you for reading. Week 4 seems like the season just started but the bus keeps rolling on. I've been pretty good this year picking winners with a 57-10 record but need some work against the spread (ATS) at 21-20-2. As always feel free to let me know what you think in the comments section below and lets look towards this weeks games...

Friday, September 23rd, 2011:
UCF at BYU, 7:00 pm ESPN, both teams are coming off of tough but different losses. BYU is coming off a 40 point beat down from Utah and UCF a close loss to in-state non-AQ FIU. I think UCF is in a better place overall than BYU is but I think that BYU front four could give their offense fits. Winner: UCF 27-24 ATS: UCF +2.5
Saturday, September 24th, 2011:
North Carolina at #25 Georgia Tech, 11:00 am ESPN, an ACC match-up between two very different teams. Georgia Tech is coming off a dismantling of Kansas last week in which they put up some gaudy offensive numbers but can they do that against a much more physically gifted Tar Heels defense. The Tar Heels on the other hand have been dealing with a myriad of off the field issues for over a year now and turmoil surround the team. Winner: North Carolina  27-21 ATS: UNC +6.5
San Diego State at #22 Michigan, 11:00 am, the battle for Hoke's soul takes place in Ann Arbor this weekend as Brady's former team visits his Alma Mater. Although he left a solid base in place at his last stop I think that he inherited a more talented team in the Wolverines. Winner: Michigan 38-21 ATS: Mich -10.5
Notre Dame at Pittsburgh, 11:00 am ABC, Notre Dame is coming off its first loss of the season, where as Pitt is coming off what will most likely be their most devastating. The trouble of the Wannstedt era seem to be seeping over into the this team and I don't like the direction. Notre Dame on the other hand looked like it learned a few lessons from it's heartbreaks and should cruise here. Winner: Notre Dame 34-21 ATS: Notre Dame -6.5
#11 Florida State at #21 Clemson, 2:30 pm ESPN, we see a similar story to this game as we did the ND-Pitt match-up with one major difference there were positives to take from a tough loss to Oklahoma for FSU. Jimbo Fisher is making strides in his second year as head man and we should continue to see signs of that this week in Death Valley. Clemson is shouting from the mountain tops in joy of its streak snapping victory over the defending national champs but can Dabo and his team keep this from being just another mirage of what could have been for the Tigers. Winner: Clemson 24-21 ATS: Clemson -2
#7 Oklahoma State at #8 Texas A&M, 2:30 pm ABC, an afternoon showcase for a conference which will most likely be no more with-in the next year. This should be as exciting as last years contest was but the story on the field will see which style of offense is better suited for victory. A&M brings it's pro style attack will most definitely try to slow the game down, as to not give Justin Blackmon and Brandon Weeden from racking up points like it's Super Mario Brothers. Winner: Texas A&M 31-28 ATS: Ok State +4
#13 Virginia Tech at Marshall, 2:30 pm, this one shouldn't be close but if the last few weeks have taught us anything is that Va Tech is struggling more than most of us thought with their QB transition and it shows in the points differential. However, this game shouldn't be too much of a struggle for Beamer and Co. but will be a close one past halftime. Winner: Va Tech 35-20 ATS: Marshall +20
#14 Arkansas at #3 Alabama, 2:30 pm CBS, big time SEC West match-up this week, the Hogs going to Tuscaloosa to face a top tier 'Bama defense. Offense wins games but defenses wins championships is the motto which means Arkansas has a chance here but I think the home field advantage and the strength of this Bama D win the day. Winner: Alabama 24-14 ATS: Arkansas +11
Western Michigan at #24 Illinois, 2:30 pm BTN, this will be a closer game than many think but I still don't give WMU much chance to win this one. Winner: Illinois 35-27 ATS: WMU +13.5
#15 Florida at Kentucky, 6:00 pm ESPN, Kentucky has been bad, I mean really bad, losing to Louisville and only scoring 14 on a WKU team that lost to an FCS team this weekend bad. Florida has shown signs of being, well, Florida. Winner: Florida 31-10 ATS: Florida -19
Rice at #17 Baylor, 6:00 pm, see: Robert Griffin III Winner: Baylor 45-21 ATS: Baylor -20
Vanderbilt at #12 South Carolina, 6:00 pm ESPN2, a battle of unbeaten SEC teams in Columbia this week as the Commodores visit the Gamecocks. With a newly aggressive defensive strategy and a competent offense so far this season we will see if Vandy can get a surprise SEC upset. The key will be how well Lattimore runs. Winner: South Carolina 27-24 ATS: Vandy +16
#9 Nebraska at Wyoming, 6:30 pm Versus, Nebraska visits Wyoming in a warm-up to the the Huskers first Big Ten game at Camp Randall next weekend which suggests we may see a sluggish Nebraska team. Winner: Nebraska 38-17 ATS: Wyoming +23
Tulsa at #4 Boise State, 7:00 pm, Boise State has Kellen Moore, Tulsa has given up over 360 yards to both Landry Jones and Brandon Weeden. Winner: Boise State 52-17 ATS: Boise State -28.5
Missouri at #1 Oklahoma, 7:00 pm FX, a week after a big win at Florida State they come home to avenge last years loss at the hands of the Tigers in Columbia last year. The Tigers don't have the talent that says they have a chance but you never know coming off an emotional game last week. Winner: Oklahoma 38-20 ATS: Missouri +21 
#2 LSU at #16 West Virginia, 7:00 pm ABC, the ABC game of the week is a mirror of the Arkansas-Alabama contest and I think the same thing applies although, West Virginia does have the added advantage of playing at home making this a closer game in my opinion. Winner: LSU 21-20 ATS: West Virginia +5.5
#23 USC at Arizona State, 9:15 pm ESPN, the better of the two late night Pac-12 match-ups in the deserts Arizona is between USC and ASU. The men of Troy come in undefeated and looking to prove that although they can't play for the Pac-12 Championship they are the best in the South. Winner: USC 38-35 ATS: +2.5 
#10 Oregon at Arizona, 9:15 pm ESPN2, this one isn't much of a contest but you will see Nick Foles puts up huge numbers in a loss, again. Winner: Oregon 48-27 ATS: Oregon -15.5


Enjoy the football and a NFL preview to come in the next day or two.

Rambling's Week 3 CFB Picks

Welcome back college football fans, we have another week of college football to preview and enjoy. So far this year I am 39-6 in straight game picks and was 9-10-2 in my first week of picking against the spread (ATS) and a reminder all times are central because I watch them in the central time zone an don't hesitate to leave me feedback in the comments section...
Thursday, September 15th, 2011:
#3 LSU at #25 Mississippi State, 7:00 pm ESPN, this is the more interesting of the two marquee SEC games this week and it should go a long way in confirming our thoughts on the SEC West. I believe that this will be a closer game than many in the college football world believe coming off a bad loss by the Bulldogs at the hands of Auburn. This game will come down to which team can run the ball and stop the run with the most effectiveness. I think LSU wins those battles and walks away with the win. Winner: LSU 24-21 ATS: MSU +3.5
Friday, September 16th, 2011:
#4 Boise State at Toledo, 7:00 pm ESPN, Toledo is coming off a near upset in Columbus and showed the rest of the country what they have but I think that was their best game against a Ohio State team looking a little bit ahead towards this weeks Miami game. I think that Boise should be ready for a fight but that they are the far superior team in this match-up. Winner: Boise 41-24 ATS: Toledo +20
Saturday, September 17th, 2011:
#18 West Virginia at Maryland, 11:00 am ESPNU, an interesting match-up for both sides, Maryland under  Edsall look like they have improved. West Virginia should have the full playbook in hand this week and we should see how well Holgerson has assimilated his new team into his offensive system. I think he puts it together and gets a good road win at Maryland. Winner: West Virginia 31-17 ATS: Pk WVU
#21 Auburn at Clemson, 11:00 am ABC, Auburn has shown great resilience in both of its wins this season and carry some momentum into perennial let down Clemson, last years game was a barn burner and this years game should be no different. Winner: Clemson 28-24 ATS: Clemson -3.5
ULM at #23 TCU, 1:00 pm, This game has all the makings to either be really close or a blowout midway through the third quarter. ULM will challenge for the Sun Belt title and isn't as bad as their name says but I think the talent in Fort Worth is just too superior to overcome. Winner: TCU 35-21 ATS: ULM +28.5
Tennessee at #16 Florida, 2:30 pm CBS, this match-up has been all Florida the last 3-4 years but this year Tennessee has some good skill players and an improving defense under Derek Dooley. Florida has made strides however on offense as well with Brantley picking up Weis' offensive system. This one should be an exciting one in Gainesville. Winner: Florida 28-27 ATS: Tenn +9.5
#15 Michigan State at Notre Dame, 2:30 pm NBC, Notre Dame has caused the heartbreak of Domers across the country in the first two weeks of the season and I don't see week 3 playing out any differently for Brian Kelly's team. These teams are pretty close on talent with MSU having a slight edge development wise however Michigan State hasn't shown the same propensity for shooting themselves in the foot and that could be the edge this week. Winner: Michigan State 24-17 ATS: MSU +5.5
#23 Texas at UCLA, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN, this was the upset of last year until we realized that Texas was horrible and UCLA wasn't actually trending upwards. This years game should be an entertaining game but I'm not sure that either team has made great strides to take this game by the horns, no pun intended. Winner: Texas 20-17 ATS:UCLA +4
Washington at #11 Nebraska, 2:30 pm ABC/ESPN, they split the season series in two lop-sided games that told us little about either team. With the Huskies traveling east I think Nebraska has the advantage on them and has the experience to beat Washington for the second regular season in a row. Winner: Nebraska 24-10 ATS: Washington +16.5
Northern Illinois vs #7 Wisconsin, 2:30 pm, Soldier Field hosts this years neutral site game in Chicago but I don't think this one will be as close as last years. Wisconsin has a running game that will shread a very weak NIU front seven and should allow this game to be put away early. NIU has a chance to put up some points on a banged up Wisconsin secondary but I don't think it will be enough to bridge the talent gap. Winner: Wisconsin 38-17 ATS: Wisconsin -17
Arkansas State at #13 Virginia Tech, 3:00 pm, this one has the opportunity to put Hugh Freeze on the map or leave Arkansas State another year behind in the Sun Belt. If they can put up a moderate amount of points on the Hokies you have to walk away excited if you're an Ark State fan. On the flip side, if that happens you have to be worried for another season that your team will come up a hair short of any kind of ultimate promise by seasons end. Winner:Virginia Tech 35-20 ATS: Arkansas State +24 
Central Florida at Florida International, 5:00 pm, the battle for early season non-AQ #2 goes down Saturday evening in Florida. This is a battle between teams that have lofty expectations and aspirations of big things to come in conference play. FIU won't be considered non-AQ #2 by seasons end even if it wins but with a win at home they look to be ahead of where many thought they would be this season. Winner: UCF 21-17 ATS: UCF +5.5
Navy at #10 South Carolina, 5:00 pm ESPN2, this one should be relatively easy compared to last weeks shenanigans based meeting with Georgia. Navy does not have the athletes to compete with South Carolina nor does anyone expect them too. Winner: South Carolina 28-14 ATS: Navy +17
Idaho at #9 Texas A&M, 6:00 pm, with Oklahoma State and Arkansas coming up in the next two weeks I expect a slow start by the Aggies but a win going away against an over-matched Idaho team. This one will show us how well tuned the A&M offense is going into a very tough two week stretch. Winner:Texas A&M 58-16 ATS: A&M -35.5
#22 Arizona State at Illinois, 6:00 pm ESPN2, one of the most underrated games of this college football weekend the Sun Devils come up north to take on the Fighting Illini in Champaign. The best match-up is between Brock Osweiler and Nathan Scheelhaase the quarterbacks for ASU and Illinois respectively. I think the QB that makes the fewest bad decisions will put their team in the win column. The other man who will have something to say will be Vontaze Burfict the stud linebacker for the Sun Devils will certainly be a man to watch again this week. Winner:Arizona State 27-21 ATS: Arizona State Pk
Troy at #14 Arkansas, 6:30 pm, anther sneaky Sun Belt match-up between Sun Belt juggernaut Troy and perennial SEC West #2 Arkansas. Once again I see a good 2.5-3 quarter fight from troy but ultimately Arkansas should walk away in this one. Winner: Arkansas 35-17 ATS:Toy +22.5
North Texas at #2 Alabama, 6:30 pm, the final Tide warm-up before Arkansas and Florida games Alabama won't be tested. Winner: Alabama 48-6 ATS:North Texas +45.5
#17 Ohio State at Miami (FL), 6:30 pm ESPN, Convicts vs. Convicts comes to ESPN Saturday night as the kings of the off-season face off in Miami. Al Golden's team seems to just be treading water right now as a program and that does not bode well for this season and beyond. The Buckeye's on the other hand have a much steadier program at the moment and seem to at least be heading in a slightly positive direction early in the season even with a rough showing against Toledo. Winner: Ohio State 27-21 ATS:Ohio State +2.5
#1 Oklahoma at #5 Florida State, 7:00 pm ABC, the game of the week by any standards comes to us from Tallahassee and should be a barn burner at least into the fourth quarter. Oklahoma has more established talent but I like the direction of the 'Noles which to me should make this a very entertaining ball game. Winner:Oklahoma 38-35 ATS: Push (-3)
Utah at BYU, 8:15 pm ESPN2, the holy war in Provo, UT brings us a match-up of former MWC foes in new positions, Utah Pac-12 and BYU independent, along with two teams that are trending up from collapses last year. BYU has the front seven advantage and both teams are coming off tough losses last week. Winner: Utah 21-17 ATS:+4
#8 Oklahoma State at Tulsa, 9:00 pm, Oklahoma State's offense doesn't seem to have skipped a beat and that is a good thing as the team also gives up a good amount of yards. Tulsa has been beaten around in the first couple of weeks. Too much firepower here but OK State could be looking ahead to A&M. Winner: Oklahoma State 41-20 ATS:Oklahoma State -13.5
#6 Stanford at Arizona, 9:45 pm ESPN, a Pac-12 showdown in the desert as Stanford visits the Wildcats off the heals of a beat-down at the hands of Oklahoma State. Another good QB match-up with Foles versus Luck and that in and of itself is a very good reason just to tune in. Winner: Stanford 38-20 ATS: Stanford  -9.5


Enjoy another great weekend of college football and I'll see those of you who follow the NFL on Friday.

Rambling Sports Week 2 CFB Picks

After a pretty solid Week 1 picks it's time to turn our focus to week 2, also wanted to add a little twist and put how I think teams will perform against the spread (ATS), so let's get to it...
Thursday, September 8th, 2011:
Arizona at #9 Oklahoma State, 7:00 pm ESPN, the first of a couple of interesting Big XII-Pac-12 match-ups this week, as the Wildcats meet the Cowboys. I believe this one comes down to both teams ability to stop the passing attack of the other and with the Cowboys having the more explosive and experienced laden offense I think we see them win a shootout... Winner: Oklahoma State, 45-31, ATS:Push (line currently OK State -14)
Friday, September 9th, 2011:
#21 Missouri at Arizona State, 9:30 pm ESPN, the other major Big XII-Pac-12 match-up this weekend pits the favorite in the Pac-12 South versus what is probably the 4th or 5th best team out of the BXII although Missouri is the higher ranked team coming in I think the talent on ASU's defense will help them win this match-up... Winner: Arizona State, 28-20, ATS: ASU -7.5
Saturday, September 10th, 2011:
Oregon State at #8 Wisconsin, 11:00 am ESPN, Oregon State's coming off a loss to FCS Sacramento State in overtime on Saturday and will be looking to make a Statement Saturday afternoon in Madison however teams from out west don't do well in morning games multiple time zones east and the Badgers are dominant in Camp Randall. I think the Badgers walk away with a victory in this one...Winner: Wisconsin, 44-24, ATS: Oregon State +22
Toledo at #15 Ohio State, 11:00 am BTN, Ohio State plays it's second MAC team in as many weeks and this one should be a little more trouble than its last game, however this still shouldn't be much of a challenge for the Buckeyes...Winner: Ohio State, 38-17, ATS: OSU -18
Florida Atlantic at #17 Michigan State, 11:00 am ESPN2, Michigan State was a little sluggish last week against Youngstown State and they may start sluggish again here due to not being as excited about their match-up again this week but it should be a very relaxing day for Spartan fans. Winner: Michigan State, 49-13, ATS: MSU -31.5
#16 Mississippi State at Auburn, 11:21 am SEC Network, if the reigning have any chance in this game they need to play a more balanced game on defense and draw from the home crowd. Dan Mullen, however, has his best team in his tenure in Starksville and should win this one going away to go 1-0 in SEC play this year... Winner: Mississippi State, 38-21, ATS: Miss. State -7 
#3 Alabama at #23 Penn State, 2:30 pm ABC, in the second game of the home and home Penn State hopes for a better fate than last year's 24-3 defeat in Tuscaloosa. The good new for PSU is that they have a stout defense that has many veterans and Alabama's QBs surrendered 4 Int's to a Kent State defense. Alabama has a top 10 defense and will likely pose a threat for whomever gets under center for Penn State, I believe this will be a low scoring affair which favors the home team but I think the talent level is definitely higher than PSU... Winner: Alabama, 16-10, ATS: Penn State +10
#6 Stanford at Duke, 2:30 pm ESPNU, Battle of the Brains always a great showcase for student-athletes will not be exciting for fans of the game. Stanford behind Andrew Luck will roll an improving Blue Devils team led by David Cutcliffe in a relatively easy game... Winner: Stanford, 38-13, ATS: -20.5
#11 Virginia Tech at East Carolina, 2:30 pm, ECU a week off of a neutral site game against the Gamecocks, welcome the Hokies to town. This isn't Skip Holtz's ECU however, and they just don't have the defense to win many games against this high quality of opponent.... Winner: Virginia Tech, 51-20, ATS: Va Tech-19.5
Nevada at #13 Oregon, 2:30 pm FX, Oregon fresh off a bad beat at the hands of the LSU Tigers, come home to face off against the only team to beat Boise State in the last two years, however they are missing a lot of pieces from last years team and don't seem to be as up to snuff as last year... Winner: Oregon, 49-17, ATS: Oregon -26
#25 TCU at Air Force, 2:30 pm Versus, TCU comes off a poor showing against Baylor last week, the defense which returned only 2 starters from last years team seems to be struggling with such a lack of experience. Air Force runs the triple option which is always an interesting prep for a defense and should pose a problem to the Horned Frogs, however, I think they bounce back with an early conference victory this week... Winner: TCU, 35-31, ATS: Air Force +2.5 edit 9/9/11... Winner: Air Force, 31-28, ATS: Air Force -1.5
California at Colorado, 2:30 pm, a non-conference game between conference mates seems like something to hit on plus it gives us an opportunity to mention that Cal looked surprisingly good in it's season opener, something that Tedford's teams have lacked in the past. Look for the Bears to roll the Buffs in this one.... Winner: California, 27-13, ATS: Cal -6
#12 South Carolina at Georgia, 3:30 pm ESPN, a loss hear would be devastating for both Richt and the Georgia program not only would a year full of promise go away in 120 minutes, but Richt's job would go from hot to scalding in near record time. The defending SEC East champs come in after cruising past ECU and will be looking to solidifying their status atop their division along with putting their hat farther into the SEC ring... Winner: Georgia, 24-23, ATS: Georgia +3
Fresno State at #10 Nebraska, 6:00 pm, As Polini stated this week, Fresno has made a habit of playing these early season games very tight and should be a good challenge for the Huskers and their new offense. Nebraska holds the talent edge and home field on their side and should win this game but the 'Dogs should put up a fight... Winner: Nebraska, 34-17, ATS: +27.5
New Mexico at #14 Arkansas, 6:00 pm ESPNU, The Lobos suck, plain and simple... Winner: Arkansas, 52-6, ATS: Arkansas +36
UAB at #18 Florida, 6:00 pm, UAB has some hope that 2010 will bet better than 2011 but it most certainly looks that way for Florida and they do have the far superior talent in this contest... Winner: Florida, 31-3, ATS: UAB +23
Ball State at #22 South Florida, 6:00 pm, fresh off an upset victory over Notre Dame the Bulls should be raring to go for their first home game of the season against a Ball state team coming against it's own victory over Indiana. I think the Bulls take this one behind the leadership of B.J. Daniels but with a little hangover to accompany it... Winner: South Florida, 27-23, ATS: Ball State +20
BYU at #24 Texas, 6:00 pm ESPN2, The Longhorns didn't stay out of the AP top 25 long and welcome the newly independent Cougars to Austin to celebrate. The Longhorns may want to discuss independence and the trials of running ones own network with BYU and the action on the field should be entertaining as the  revamped Longhorn rushing attack goes up against a stout BYU front seven... Winner: Texas, 21-20, ATS: BYU +7
Utah at USC, 6:30 pm Versus, USC welcomes Utah to the Pac-12 at the Coleseum in what should be another great example of what makes college football so compelling. Utah comes in looking to prove that it can run with the "big boys" on a week by week basis and USC wants to prove that it will be back on top the Pac-12 when the post-season ban comes off next year.... Winner: USC, 23-17, ATS: Utah +9
Notre Dame at Michigan, 7:00 pm ESPN, rivalry, first night game at the big house and teams seemingly headed back to their primes. Notre Dame's trek back up the BCS latter took a hit with it's home loss to USF last week and dampens the optimism around Brian Kelly's program. In contrast, the Michigan defense proved that it made strides during the off-season and the offense still looked very explosive...  Winner: Michigan, 27-17, ATS: Michigan +3.5
Boston College at UCF, 7:00 pm, BC is coming off a bad home loss to Northwestern, but they can't dwell on that loss long if they're to have a chance against UCF. What should scare BC fans is that UCF runs the ball even better than Northwestern and has their stud QB healthy... Winner: UCF, 35-21, ATS: UCF -7
There you have it hope you enjoy week 2 of the college football season and I'll be back with a recap Sunday or Monday and some NFL content in the next day or two.