This is the Saturday on which Michigan wins the Big Ten
Five games capture my attention this weekend. None of them, of course, will be nearly as interesting to me as watching my beloved Wolverines crush the life out of the Buckeyes will be.:
Western Michigan (+14.5) at Iowa – Western Michigan is hit and miss and have not been a great team to bet on this year. that being said, I like them here. It comes down not to what they bring to the table, but rather that I have no faith in Iowa’s ability to beat anyone by more than two touchdowns right now. Pick: Western Michigan.
Iowa State (+27) at Kansas – I love the Jayhawks story this year, and I hope they run the table and really make a mess of the BCS. That being said, they are getting a ridiculous number of points here. Iowa State has won two in a row, covered four straight, and has regularly shown their ability to get up for a big game. This is the biggest of games – a chance to knock of the last major conference undefeated team. Kansas has covered every game this year, and I think that this is a case of the books trying to set a line high enough to get them beat. Pick: Iowa State.
Cal (-7) at Washington - The season has taken a horrible, horrible turn for Cal after such a great start. They are still a talented team, though, and I think that this is where they start to get it back on track. Two more wins gets them a decent bowl game. Washington has been terrible, and QB Jake Locker is likely out for this game. They have the look of a team that could quit, and I like Cal’s chances of winning by at least a touchdown. Pick: Cal.
NC State (+6.5) at Wake Forest - I love the way that the Wolfpack is playing lately. Tom O’Brien is a great coach, and his message is clearly catching on. They have won four in a row, covered five straight, and are playing tough, competitive ball. They are one win away from bowl eligibility, and I believe that that will be a huge motivator for the squad. Wake Forest has has two straight missteps, and they need to improve from where they have been to win this game. I think NC State is getting too many points here, and that makes this a betting opportunity Pick: NC State.
Boston College (+8.5) at Clemson – This line makes no sense to me. I know that the Eagles have lost two in a row, but they are a solid team with a talented QB, and they can be expected to bounce back. These two teams have played very tight games the last two weeks, and they are reasonably well matched. Clemson is on a tear over the last four, but they looked pretty mortal before that and could easily crash back to earth. I think that this game could go either way, but I will happily bet that BC can stay within a touchdown. Pick: Boston College.
UPDATE: First, Michigan sucks. What a disgusting effort. Or rather, lack of effort. So long, Lloyd Carr. It’s only sort of been good to know you. That lousy game was part of a pretty lousy day of football from a betting perspective. I was happy with how Western Michigan did, and I was glad to see Boston College win a tight one, but that was the end of the good news. Kansas is a very solid team – better than I have given them credit for. I am very much looking forward to their showdown with Missouri next Saturday night. Cal is just a mess – what a collapse. NC State didn’t show up either. That brings me to 2-3 on the day. Yuck. My first losing weekend since week 6.
3 Comments
I like the picks, especially Iowa State. Kansas should get a test and the points are very hard to pass up.
The NCAA picks of mine were about a wash, down .5 units but my MMA bets killed me. I went 0-7 on the UFC and lost 11. Hockey was -1 as well. Bad day overall for my picks but am hoping my NFL ones are good (they’re looking good at half of the one o’clock games).
My college picks were 2-1. I took Notre Dame, Ohio State and Oklahoma.