UNLV v. Wisconsin
The Badgers let me down last week against Akron. However, I hold no grudges and will come right back with them again in this spot. Wisconsin is a bit embarrassed by how they played last week vs. Akron. The score was tied in the 3rd quarter before the Badgers made a few plays and pulled away. They are motivated by their lackluster play and will be a more focused team for this contest. Perhaps Wisconsin was feeling a little too good after opening up the season with a road win over West Virginia. Now, I am sure the coaching staff was all over them this week and I expect them to respond. UNLV has not provided a challenge for the Badgers in any of their last three meetings as they have lost to Wisconsin by an average of 33 points. The last time UNLV visited Wisconsin they were stomped 52-7.
UNLV got their noses wiped last week vs. Kansas of all people. The Runnin´ Rebels just aren´t going to have the horses to run with a Wisconsin team that is coming into this game with focus and desire. Perhaps UNLV will come out with the right intentions but the first punch in the mouth is going to see them begin their fold. UNLV´s last three non-conference road trips have resulted in losses of at least 17 points. Expect them to get manhandled in this one.
Wisconsin 47 UNLV 17
Boston College v. Connecticut
I am looking for the Eagles to be a little too high off of their win over Penn St. last week. Let´s face it, that was not a good Penn St. team that they beat in that contest but all Boston College knows is that they beat Joe Paterno and the legendary Penn St. in their stadium. That might give them a false impression of themselves and damper their preparation for this contest. This is still the Boston College team that gave up 32 points to Wake Forest in their home opener and lost by four points. I don´t think Connecticut is being give enough credit in this one as they are lining up as home dogs of more than a field goal.
This is a bigger game for Connecticut than it is for Boston College. The Huskies are set to join the Big East in football next year. It is important that they show they belong and the way to do that is to get a win over Boston College in this contest. U.Conn has opened the year impressively flexing their muscles vs. Indiana and then on the road vs. Army. Last season U.Conn defeated Iowa St. at Iowa St. and came within a touchdown of beating Boston College at Chestnut Hill. This football team is for real and they will be out to prove to even more people this Saturday. I say they will do just that. Take Connecticut.
Connecticut 23 Boston College 17
Louisville v. Syracuse
The Orangemen got a win last week that they shouldn´t have over North Carolina. Syracuse was getting pretty much manhandled by North Carolina before the Heels fell asleep and Syracuse mounted a comeback. This Syracuse team doesn´t really have much. They are inexperienced in key areas, they have lost that winning feeling and they are going to have their hands full here. I thought this game should have been a pickem but with Louisville getting 3.5 points, I have to go with them here. North Carolina, who was shut out by Florida St., rolled up 496 yards on this Syracuse team in the game last week and that´s going to be a problem. In fact, defense has been the problems for Syracuse during their recent collapse. Each of the last three years has seen a decline in defensive performance and this year looks to be no exception. Syracuse is 1-5 ATS in their last six as favorites and I don´t see them being in position to improve on those numbers.
Louisville rolled some strong offense in their opener against what should be a decent Kentucky team. The Cardinals put up 420 yards in the game and they are just licking their chops to get after the disorganized Syracuse bunch. I would look for Louisville to come out hard and fast in this one and to have some success the way North Carolina did. Louisville is a team that has done some winning in recent seasons which is why I feel that, unlike North Carolina, they aren´t going to let Syracuse right back in the game when they get a lead. Take Louisville.
Louisville 34 Syracuse 27
Fresno St. v. Oklahoma
This is old hat to the Bulldogs. They are very much used to take on the big named schools in the bigger conferences and they have more than held their own. They are being treated like they are UTEP in this one as the Sooners are greater than four touchdown favorites. That is sure to motivated Fresno St. and bring them into this game with the right frame of mind. You can´t ignore Fresno St.´s track record either. They are 7-2 ATS in their last nine non-conference road games vs. teams in BCS Conferences. Fresno St. will not be intimidated by Oklahoma, especially after winning in places like Colorado and Wisconsin in recent years. Their offense is not explosive with Grady at the controls but they can keep the chains moving. Defensively, they have played quite well to start the year. With their offense sputtering in Tennessee, the defense came up with turnovers and held things together. I see them doing the same thing in this contest.
Oklahoma is highly ranked but I don´t know for how long. They have not been particularly impressive thus far and it´s obvious that they are missing the real potent ground game. They don´t have a go getter at the quarterback position so that leaves a big question mark over their offense. I don´t see the Sooners being explosive enough offensively to score the necessary points to get the cover. I don´t think they are capable of shutting Fresno St. out so each time Fresno St. scores, the pressure will be on the offense to get points and I don´t think that is call that they are going to answer consistently enough to cover the number. I think Oklahoma wins it but four touchdowns plus is too much.
Oklahoma 31 Fresno St. 13
Notre Dame v. Michigan
Many will be tempted to play the revenge angle in this one after the Wolverines took a tough loss in South Bend a year ago however, revenge is never a good reason to run out and lay double digits. Another reason why folks will want to jump on Michigan in this contest is the fact that Notre Dame continues to look unimpressive. Most will see the offensive output by Michigan in their first two games and reason that the Wolverines will get the blow out win in this one but I don´t see things quite going that way. Michigan has a tendency to play games close to the vest. You wouldn´t have guessed it if you watched their first two games of the season but even vs. Houston they were threatening not to cover. Notre Dame is not going to roll over and quit like Michigan´s first two opponents and games between these two are usually down to the wire.
Notre Dame continues to win ugly. This has not gained them a lot of new fans but they are hitting that bottom-line which is winning. Notre Dame does the little things right to keep them in ball games and have their chances to win in the end. Last year it would see like they did very little but they came away with a win over these Wolverines at home. This year, I am confident that they can put themselves in that position again. The Fighting Irish are the kind of team that will scratch, bite and punch for everything and that´s the kind of team that Michigan St. has a problem with. I see the Wolverines getting conservative and this game coming down to a field goal kicker.
Michigan 24 Notre Dame 21
Rice v. Duke
Duke as a double digit favorite? That´s an outrage. I know the Blue Devils returned an experienced team this year but let´s not go too far here! Duke has been one of the most lousy performers as a favorite over the last decade. The Blue Devils are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 as favorites of any kind. Making them double digit favorites puts a bullseye on the back of a team that can´t afford to have one there. Making matters worse is the fact that Duke is coming off of a blowout win over Western Carolina. It´s hard to keep losing teams focused after they get that rare win. I expect to see them make silly mistakes in this contests that could end up in them losing this game.
Rice was hammered in their opener vs. Houston and they´ve had two long weeks to think about it. Fortunatley for them, they did have the bye week so they had extra time to prepare for the Blue Devils. You can bet that Rice will want to do something about the way they played vs. Houston in their opener. With this in mind, I expect a spirited effort from them and one that keeps this game close if they don´t win it. Double digits is too many points for Duke to cover in this contest
Rice 21 Duke 20
The Badgers let me down last week against Akron. However, I hold no grudges and will come right back with them again in this spot. Wisconsin is a bit embarrassed by how they played last week vs. Akron. The score was tied in the 3rd quarter before the Badgers made a few plays and pulled away. They are motivated by their lackluster play and will be a more focused team for this contest. Perhaps Wisconsin was feeling a little too good after opening up the season with a road win over West Virginia. Now, I am sure the coaching staff was all over them this week and I expect them to respond. UNLV has not provided a challenge for the Badgers in any of their last three meetings as they have lost to Wisconsin by an average of 33 points. The last time UNLV visited Wisconsin they were stomped 52-7.
UNLV got their noses wiped last week vs. Kansas of all people. The Runnin´ Rebels just aren´t going to have the horses to run with a Wisconsin team that is coming into this game with focus and desire. Perhaps UNLV will come out with the right intentions but the first punch in the mouth is going to see them begin their fold. UNLV´s last three non-conference road trips have resulted in losses of at least 17 points. Expect them to get manhandled in this one.
Wisconsin 47 UNLV 17
Boston College v. Connecticut
I am looking for the Eagles to be a little too high off of their win over Penn St. last week. Let´s face it, that was not a good Penn St. team that they beat in that contest but all Boston College knows is that they beat Joe Paterno and the legendary Penn St. in their stadium. That might give them a false impression of themselves and damper their preparation for this contest. This is still the Boston College team that gave up 32 points to Wake Forest in their home opener and lost by four points. I don´t think Connecticut is being give enough credit in this one as they are lining up as home dogs of more than a field goal.
This is a bigger game for Connecticut than it is for Boston College. The Huskies are set to join the Big East in football next year. It is important that they show they belong and the way to do that is to get a win over Boston College in this contest. U.Conn has opened the year impressively flexing their muscles vs. Indiana and then on the road vs. Army. Last season U.Conn defeated Iowa St. at Iowa St. and came within a touchdown of beating Boston College at Chestnut Hill. This football team is for real and they will be out to prove to even more people this Saturday. I say they will do just that. Take Connecticut.
Connecticut 23 Boston College 17
Louisville v. Syracuse
The Orangemen got a win last week that they shouldn´t have over North Carolina. Syracuse was getting pretty much manhandled by North Carolina before the Heels fell asleep and Syracuse mounted a comeback. This Syracuse team doesn´t really have much. They are inexperienced in key areas, they have lost that winning feeling and they are going to have their hands full here. I thought this game should have been a pickem but with Louisville getting 3.5 points, I have to go with them here. North Carolina, who was shut out by Florida St., rolled up 496 yards on this Syracuse team in the game last week and that´s going to be a problem. In fact, defense has been the problems for Syracuse during their recent collapse. Each of the last three years has seen a decline in defensive performance and this year looks to be no exception. Syracuse is 1-5 ATS in their last six as favorites and I don´t see them being in position to improve on those numbers.
Louisville rolled some strong offense in their opener against what should be a decent Kentucky team. The Cardinals put up 420 yards in the game and they are just licking their chops to get after the disorganized Syracuse bunch. I would look for Louisville to come out hard and fast in this one and to have some success the way North Carolina did. Louisville is a team that has done some winning in recent seasons which is why I feel that, unlike North Carolina, they aren´t going to let Syracuse right back in the game when they get a lead. Take Louisville.
Louisville 34 Syracuse 27
Fresno St. v. Oklahoma
This is old hat to the Bulldogs. They are very much used to take on the big named schools in the bigger conferences and they have more than held their own. They are being treated like they are UTEP in this one as the Sooners are greater than four touchdown favorites. That is sure to motivated Fresno St. and bring them into this game with the right frame of mind. You can´t ignore Fresno St.´s track record either. They are 7-2 ATS in their last nine non-conference road games vs. teams in BCS Conferences. Fresno St. will not be intimidated by Oklahoma, especially after winning in places like Colorado and Wisconsin in recent years. Their offense is not explosive with Grady at the controls but they can keep the chains moving. Defensively, they have played quite well to start the year. With their offense sputtering in Tennessee, the defense came up with turnovers and held things together. I see them doing the same thing in this contest.
Oklahoma is highly ranked but I don´t know for how long. They have not been particularly impressive thus far and it´s obvious that they are missing the real potent ground game. They don´t have a go getter at the quarterback position so that leaves a big question mark over their offense. I don´t see the Sooners being explosive enough offensively to score the necessary points to get the cover. I don´t think they are capable of shutting Fresno St. out so each time Fresno St. scores, the pressure will be on the offense to get points and I don´t think that is call that they are going to answer consistently enough to cover the number. I think Oklahoma wins it but four touchdowns plus is too much.
Oklahoma 31 Fresno St. 13
Notre Dame v. Michigan
Many will be tempted to play the revenge angle in this one after the Wolverines took a tough loss in South Bend a year ago however, revenge is never a good reason to run out and lay double digits. Another reason why folks will want to jump on Michigan in this contest is the fact that Notre Dame continues to look unimpressive. Most will see the offensive output by Michigan in their first two games and reason that the Wolverines will get the blow out win in this one but I don´t see things quite going that way. Michigan has a tendency to play games close to the vest. You wouldn´t have guessed it if you watched their first two games of the season but even vs. Houston they were threatening not to cover. Notre Dame is not going to roll over and quit like Michigan´s first two opponents and games between these two are usually down to the wire.
Notre Dame continues to win ugly. This has not gained them a lot of new fans but they are hitting that bottom-line which is winning. Notre Dame does the little things right to keep them in ball games and have their chances to win in the end. Last year it would see like they did very little but they came away with a win over these Wolverines at home. This year, I am confident that they can put themselves in that position again. The Fighting Irish are the kind of team that will scratch, bite and punch for everything and that´s the kind of team that Michigan St. has a problem with. I see the Wolverines getting conservative and this game coming down to a field goal kicker.
Michigan 24 Notre Dame 21
Rice v. Duke
Duke as a double digit favorite? That´s an outrage. I know the Blue Devils returned an experienced team this year but let´s not go too far here! Duke has been one of the most lousy performers as a favorite over the last decade. The Blue Devils are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 as favorites of any kind. Making them double digit favorites puts a bullseye on the back of a team that can´t afford to have one there. Making matters worse is the fact that Duke is coming off of a blowout win over Western Carolina. It´s hard to keep losing teams focused after they get that rare win. I expect to see them make silly mistakes in this contests that could end up in them losing this game.
Rice was hammered in their opener vs. Houston and they´ve had two long weeks to think about it. Fortunatley for them, they did have the bye week so they had extra time to prepare for the Blue Devils. You can bet that Rice will want to do something about the way they played vs. Houston in their opener. With this in mind, I expect a spirited effort from them and one that keeps this game close if they don´t win it. Double digits is too many points for Duke to cover in this contest
Rice 21 Duke 20
