• Penn State (-4) vs. Syracuse – In short: STAY. AWAY. I like PSU’s chances in this one, but with both teams breaking in new quarterbacks, and the Orange featuring a new head coach as well, there are just too many unknowns for me, especially over 100 days before the game.
• Florida State (-6.5) at Pitt – If you follow me on Twitter (and you really should), you already know my thoughts on this one:
  

  //bets mortgage on Florida State -6.5 over Pitt

  — Matt d (@PSUMatt2005) May 20, 2013

  In short, I don’t see any possible way Pitt keeps this close. Florida State just has more talent at every conceivable spot.

• UMass at Wisconson (-45) – I think I like the Minutemen in this one.  Sure, Wisconsin is a vastly superior team, but 45 points is a lot, and the Badgers don’t exactly have a dynamic offense, even if new coach Gary Andersen is a miracle worker on the offensive side of the ball.
• Alabama (-15.5) vs. Virginia Tech – Can anyone give me a reason to think VT has any chance of covering the 15.5 points here?  An Alabama team with many of the same parts, especially at key spots, systematically picked apart Notre Dame, who is much better than the Hokies, with weeks to prepare.  What is Saban going to do with an entire summer, and presumably some slight weakness to harp on to his team for all that time?
• Georgia vs. Clemson (-1) – Give me just a minute to stop drooling over this one…..OK.  Seriously, how great of a match up is this, and in week 1, no less.  Add in the Death Valley (the Clemson one) crowd under the lights, and you’ve got the recipe for a fantastic college football game.  As for who I like? I have no idea.  Clemson has the home crowd, but using Vegas’ 3 points for home field, they think Georgia is 2 points better.

Follow VBR Lead Editor Matt de Bear on Twitter for the latest on Penn State and suspect betting advice.

Sep 24, 2011; Laramie, WY, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers cheerleaders warm up before the game between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Wyoming Cowboys. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports

Happy New Year!  Penn State may be home for New Year’s Day for the first time in five years, but there is plenty of football action to keep us satisfied all day.  For better or worse, 5 of today’s 6 games feature Big 10 teams, three of which pit our conference brethren against the SEC.  Buckle up, indeed.  Two of the premier early games take place in Florida, with Michigan taking on South Carolina in Tampa at the Outback Bowl, and Nebraska returning to Orlando and the Capital One Bowl for the second straight season, this time against the Bulldogs from Georgia.

OUTBACK BOWL

A year removed from a BCS win in the Sugar Bowl against Virginia Tech, Michigan took a step back this year, wrapping up an 8-4 (6-2 Big 10) campaign with a trip to Tampa, Florida and the Outback Bowl.  Their reward?  One time top #3 South Carolina (10-2, 6-2 SEC), and one of the nation’s top defenses.  Denard Robinson will wrap up a record setting career with the Wolverines against 2013 Heisman favorite, all everything defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.

How They Got Here

Sep 1, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Michigan Wolverines cheerleader on the sidelines before the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan

Michigan opened the season in Cowbows Stadium against #1 Alabama, and, well, it didn’t go well.  Alabama cruised to a 41-14 win.  3 weeks later, Michigan would travel to South Bend and fall to then #11 Notre Dame in 13-6 defensive struggle.  While the 2-2 record after non-conference play was not where Big Blue expected to be, both of their losses wound up being to national title game participants.  Michigan went 6-2 in Big 10 play, falling to Nebraska and Ohio State on the road.  The former came after Robinson missed much of the game with a nerve injury in his elbow, the latter in Columbus against 12-0 Ohio State.  The Wolverines were carried by their defense, which ranked 16th nationally in scoring.  Devin Gardner has replaced Robinson at quarterback, and provides a better passing option, but Robinson will still see plenty of the ball.

South Carolina

Oct 1, 2011; Columbia, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks cheerleader during the first quarter against the Auburn Tigers at Williams-Brice Stadium. Tigers won 16-13. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

The Gamecocks raced out to a 6-0 record, including a dominant 35-7 win over SEC runner-up Georgia, and a #3 ranking nationally.  Life in the SEC caught up to Steve Spurrier.  First came a trip to Death Valley under the lights against #9 LSU, which ended in a 23-31 loss.  There was no break as a visit to The Swamp and #2 Florida followed, with a 44-11 beating.  USCe would rebound the following week with a tough 38-35 win over Tennessee in Columbia, but they lost All American runningback Marcus Lattimore to one massive leg/knee injury.  The Gamecocks would win their final 3 games as well, including a big W over in-state rival Clemson, to earn their trip to Tampa.

Key Matchups

Jadeveon Clowney vs. Taylor Lewan

October 20, 2012; Gainesville FL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (7) warms up prior to the game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

You’ve probably heard of the former, but not the latter.  Clowney has been a star since his arrival in Columbia, and has been downright dominant at his defensive end position.  If he was eligible for the draft, he would be a lock to go #1.  Taylor Lewan has anchored Michigan’s offensive line from his left tackle position, and has quietly played his way into a bona fine top 15 pick.  They may not go head-to-head every play, as Clowney will come off both the left and right end, but when they do, it will be interesting to see how one of the best pass protectors handles a guy that no one has had answer for in two seasons.

Devin Gardner vs. South Carolina Secondary

November 24, 2012; Columbus, OH, USA; Michigan Wolverines quarterback Devin Gardner (12) looks for an open receiver as running back Vincent Smith (2) looks to block against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won the game 26-21. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

Devin Gardner took over for Michigan in their 35-13 win over Minnesota, which followed Robinson’s elbow injury in Nebraska, and Russell Bellomy’s….less than stellar efforts in Lincoln.  All Gardner did was throw for just over 1,000 yards and 8 touchdowns in Michigan’s final 4 games, posting a 3-1 record.  Gardner did struggle to some degree in Columbus against the best defense he faced, but the Wolverines never really figured out how to utilize both Garder and Robinson.  Devin gets the start again at QB, and he will need to contend with one of the nation’s stingiest defenses, and a secondary that has picked off 14 passes this season.

Prediction

Neither team fields what you would call a potent offense.  South Carolina ran the ball over 150 times more than they went to the air this year, and only threw for 2,700 yards.  Michigan’s strength on defense has been in stopping the run, and that becomes even more pronounced with starting CB J.T. Floyd suspended for the game.  Michigan will need to find a way to get the ball to Robinson and allow him to use his speed and athleticism.  Expect tailback Fitz Toussaint to get a heavy workload too.  However, I think South Carolina’s superior athleticism on both sides of the ball will prove to be too much for Michigan.  It will be close on the scoreboard, but the Gamecocks will win comfortably.

Michigan 10

South Carolina 16

It’s been fun picking and not sure what the VBR Staff has planned for the Bowl Season, but I will probably partake in that.

Louisville (+2) at Rutgers (Big East Championship*)

*The de facto Big East title game to naturally be played on a Thursday.  ACC vs. B1G in this one and I think that Louisville is just way better a team.

Louisville 34 Rutgers 27

Northern Illinois (-6.5) vs. Kent State (#MACtion Championhip Game)

A Kent State win combined with a UCLA loss could mean Kent in the BCS automatically.  That makes this pick and easy one.

Kent State 30 Northern Illinois 29

UCLA (+10) vs. Stanford (Pac 12 Championship Game)

I’ll hand it to Stanford, they win games.  I’m still bitter over that play calling in the Notre Dame game, but I need them combined with that Kent game.

Stanford 28 UCLA 16

Florida State (-13) vs. Georgia Tech (ACC Championship Game)

Florida State is having a distraction of a week so they will come out flat.  Doesn’t matter, the game sucks bad,

Florida State 30 Georgia Tech 21

Nebraska (-2.5) vs. Wisconsin (B1G Championship Game)

Speaking of games that suck, this one is way up there.  A 3rd place team in Wisconsin vs. a spaz in Pelini.  Wisconsin could pose some issues, but Martinez will pull one out.

Nebraska 26 Wisconsin 24

Upset Special
Georgia (+7.5) vs Alabama (SEC Championship Game)

Screw the SEC.  I have no justification for this pick, but I just think that everyone is so hard up for Alabama Notre Dame, I just want to see the disappointment.

Georgia 23 Alabama 21

Season Record 49-28 (7-6 on Upset Specials)

Evil Bill O’Brien is not affiliated with Penn State University or head coach Bill O’Brien. 

I think the majority of the nation would agree that if Alabama wins their remaining games (Texas A&M, West Carolina, Auburn, SEC title game), they are as much of a lock to go to Miami as any of the unbeaten teams.  Alabama survived a scare in Death Valley this past weekend, only to see the finish line in front of them.  They need to be careful though because Texas A&M and their super freshman Johnny Manziel could present a bit of a problem for a defense that was definitely worn down by games end last week.  Assuming Alabama gets past the Aggies, I would expect smooth sailing until the reach the SEC title game, most likely against Georgia.  In the end, it would seem the number-1 team in the country controls their own destiny to get to the title game.

Oregon would now seem like the most likely partner for Alabama in the title game.  Chip Kelly’s squad is an offensive juggernaut to say the least.  I’m not even sure video games set on the easiest level could match the offensive output that the Ducks are capable of getting.  Oregon literally outscored USC Saturday night in the Coliseum.  USC really didn’t play that bad of a game yet they lost by double digits and gave up 62 points.  In fact, Oregon has scored at least 42 points in every game they have played thus far (Oregon leads the nations in average points scored per game with 54.3).  The remaining games for the Ducks include @ Cal, Stanford, @ Oregon State, Pac-12 Title game.  Of the undefeated top-5 teams, Oregon has the toughest remaining schedule, but winning out will also improve their strength of schedule enough that they should be able to leapfrog Kansas State in the BCS rankings.  At this point, some wagering sites have listed Alabama as a 4-point favorite over Oregon right now.  Interesting!

Kansas State is playing some of its best football right now.  Wildcats quarterback Collin Klein, nicknamed Optimus Klein, has not only given his team a shot at the national title, but also he has given himself a chance at the Heisman Trophy.  Klein left Saturday night’s game against Oklahoma State with what is believed to be concussion-like symptoms.  Early reports out of Manhattan say he is doing well and is likely to play this weekend.  Kansas State plays a tough schedule to end the year @ TCU, @ Baylor, Texas).  The bonus / problem for Kansas State is that there is no Big 12 title game.  Many teams, especially those in conferences like the Big Ten prior to last year, used to loathe the fact that their season was over in November while other teams played either into December or had conference championship games with which to impress voters.  Kansas State will essentially be done at the end of November.  So, while the Wildcats only have to win 3 more games to finish unbeaten, they also won’t have a chance to impress voters after that either.  It would seem that unless either Oregon or Alabama loses or has a poor showing, Kansas State will be left out of the national title picture.

Finally, Notre Dame would present the longest odds of making the title game out the four top-rated undefeated teams.  The Irish have been a breath of fresh air this season as their magical run to an unbeaten season continues.  The Irish were fortunate to remain without a loss after a 14-point come-from-behind victory over Pittsburgh this past weekend.  Notre Dame took advantage of the Panthers miscues and made the plays they had to in order to come out on top.  Unfortunately for Notre Dame and their fans, the Irish’s strength of schedule, compared to the other top teams is likely to go down.  Notre Dame’s remaining schedule looks like this: @ Boston College, Wake Forest, @ USC.  Most certainly voters will be tuning in to see how the Irish are able to do out in SoCal, but they are in a no-win spot by playing Boston College and Wake Forest.  If they win by large margins, well, they were supposed to do that.  If they lose, that’s even worse.  Close games are also no good for a team that really needs to impress voters.  While Notre Dame has had a remarkable season, one that many outside the program did not think was possible this year, I just don’t see how Notre Dame makes the title game without both Oregon and Kansas State losing a game along the way.

Some other teams that have title game aspirations would be the Georgia Bulldogs and Ohio State Buckeyes.  For Georgia its clear that their only shot at getting to the title game is to win the SEC title over an undefeated Alabama team as well as having two of the three other unbeatens (Kansas State, Oregon, Notre Dame) lose a game.  While that is not impossible, it does seem like a stretch.

Ohio State presents an interesting case because they are under NCAA sanctions.  As such, they are ineligible to participate in a bowl game as well as assume a ranking in the USA Today Coaches Poll and BCS rankings.  How can Ohio State win the national title then?  Well, they are still ranked 5th in the latest AP poll and if Alabama, Oregon, Kansas State, and Notre Dame all lose prior to the bowl games, it could be possible an undefeated Ohio State team gets the nod as national champion.  It seems unlikely a split national champion would be crowned, but that is why college football is unique and exciting.

So, with the college football’s regular season winding down, the intrigue and the excitement is just heating up.  Time and time again I hear about November games are what separate the title contenders from the pretenders.  It seems like this year is just another example where that adage is proven correct.  I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen as we come down the stretch.

OK, before we take a look at the games we have on tap for week #11, let’s quickly take a look back at how my “prime-3″ games and extra points picks for week#9 fared (Sorry I missed last week!).

For Full Disclosure:

“Prime-3″ Picks from week #9 – 1-2 ATS, 0-3 SU.  On the season, my record stands at 13-14 ATS, and 14-13 SU.

Extra Points Picks (ATS) from last week – 12-10-0.  On the season, my record stands at 82-61-2.

…As always, I will try and do better this week!

“Prime-3 Games”:

In this week’s installment of “prime-3″, we will turn our attention to the number-1 team in the country and see how they fare after their emotional win last week.  We will then look at a game pitting two Pac-12 North teams, and finally we delve into a Big Ten match-up that will have Legend’s Division title implications.

We start with a look at some key match-ups involving the #15 Texas A&M Aggies and #1 Alabama Crimson Tide.  We then shift our focus out west as Pac-12 teams #11 Oregon State and #14 Stanford duke it out for 2nd place in the Pac-12′s Northern Division. Finally, we look at a Big Ten tilt that has Legend’s Division ramifications.  The Penn State Nittany Lions travel to Lincoln to do battle with the #16 Nebraska Cornhuskers.

And, without further ado, let’s get to the “Prime-3″ games!

Here are last week’s results:

Oregon 43 (-9) at Arizona State 21

Matt – Oregon (W)

Tim – Oregon (W)

Craig – Oregon (W)

Corey – Arizona State (L)

Michigan State 10 at Michigan 12 (-10)

Matt – Michigan State (W)

Tim – Michigan State (W)

Craig – Michigan State (W)

Corey – Michigan (L)

Kansas State 55 at West Virginia 14 (-3)

Matt – Kansas State (W)

Tim – West Virginia (L)

Craig – West Virginia (L)

Corey – Kansas State (W)

South Carolina 11 at Florida 44 (-3)

Matt – Florida (W)

Tim – South Carolina (L)

Craig – Florida (W)

Corey – Florida (W)

LSU 24 (-3.5) at Texas A&M 19

Matt – LSU (W)

Tim – LSU (W)

Craig – LSU (W)

Corey – LSU (W)

Penn State has a big game this week, but we found 5 more to take a shot at.  Point spreads are as of Monday evening.

Free Falling!

Oct 6, 2012 Raleigh, NC, USA; Florida State Seminoles receiver Kelvin Benjamin (1) sits alone on the bench after a loss to the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium. North Carolina State won 17-16. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-US PRESSWIRE

Florida State Seminoles (#12 – AP / #11 – USA Today Polls)

The Seminoles carried the flag of the ACC into the national title picture only to drop it once again.  Not surprisingly they lost to a team they should have beaten, North Carolina State.  While the Wolfpack were thought to have an outside chance at the ACC’s Atlantic Division, the same one that includes the Seminoles and Clemson Tigers, many, including myself figured it was really a two-team race.  Once Florida State put away Clemson, it was supposed to be clear sailing toward a national title argument.  Well, something happened on their way to Miami, Fl (site of BCS National Championship Game), the Wolfpack showed up to the party as an uninvited guest.  And, like a jilted lover, they made sure the Seminoles were sure to regret it.

Multiple times Florida State could have put away the game, not to mention that they were ahead 16-0 at halftime.  No, it took a monumental 4th quarter collapse for this team that had looked like they had turned the corner and were ready to return to national prominence to return to the “form” that has plagued them for the better part of a decade.

No doubt this defeat will sting for quite some time in Tallahassee.  Florida State is now out of the national title picture barring a collapse of significant proportion by many other teams seeing as their schedule does not pit them against another top-25 team until November 24th when they host the annual “Battle for Florida” game with the Gators of Florida.  The game with Virginia Tech, once thought to be a battle of top-10 teams, has lost much of its luster not only because of Florida State’s loss, but the unbelievable collapse of the Hokies (3-3 record).

Sure, if Florida State wins the remaining games on its schedule (very do-able, BTW) the Seminoles will likely finish with a top-10 ranking, but its not the ranking they were hoping to achieve. The Seminoles still have the ACC title to play for which they should be favored to win.  The ACC champs automatically get an invite to play in the Orange Bowl in Miami, but unfortunately for Florida State, its about a week earlier than they were hoping to be there!

October 6, 2012; Columbia, SC, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Murray (11) lays on the ground after being sacked in the second half against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium. South Carolina won 35-7. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE

Georgia Bulldogs (#14 – AP / #12 – USA Today Polls)

Georgia entered its game last weekend in Columbia, South Carolina with the opportunity to erase last year’s hard fought loss to South Carolina and position themselves for the possibility not only at the SEC East crown, but also the SEC title and a chance at the national title.  They left the “Cock Pit” with nothing more than bruised egos, and football team left to answer questions of what happened.

From the get-go, the Gamecocks were a spirited group that beat Georgia in all facets of the game.  Before most of the rabid Gamecock fans could get in their seats, South Carolina sprinted out to a 7-0 lead.  As if that weren’t enough to stagger the Bulldogs, like a prize fighter getting pinned against the ropes, the knockout punches were delivered about 6  game-minutes later when South Carolina scored again and then returned the punt from Georgia’s ensuing possession for another score.  By the time the first quarter was over, Georgia trailed 21-0 and their spirits were crushed.

Unlike Florida State, Georgia still has a sliver of hope of playing for the national title.  The SEC, the nation’s premier conference, has so many good teams that if any one of them slips, another good team will be there to pick up the slack.  Of course Georgia will need some help to make it to Miami on January 7th.

They need to win the rest of their games starting with the Kentucky Wildcats on Oct 20 (Georgia is on a bye this week).  They must root for Florida to then beat South Carolina the same day, and they need defeat the Gators the following weekend (Oct. 27) in a game formerly billed as the “Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party”.  If those pieces line up, they may have a shot at the SEC East title where they would likely face either the Alabama Crimson Tide or the LSU Tigers in the SEC title game.  More than likely the winner of that game will make up one half of the national title contest.

While its a long shot for Georgia to reach its ultimate goal, a national title in 2012, they can still put together a very good record followed by a bowl of significant means, perhaps a BCS Bowl, but they are going to need to win the remainder of their games, and that starts with beating Kentucky next weekend.

Oct 6, 2012; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Texas Christian Horned Frogs head coach Gary Patterson stands with his team prior to taking the field for the game against the Iowa State Cyclones at Amon G. Carter Stadium. The Cyclones beat the Horned Frogs 37-23. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

TCU Horned Frogs (NR – AP / #23 – USA Today Polls)

Do you hear that giant sucking sound…no its not Ross Perot’s jobs going to Mexico, its the BCS Bowl hopes of TCU going down the drain!  Perhaps I’m being slightly hard on Gary Patterson’s bunch, but after their veteran signal-caller Casey Pachall was suspended last weekend, their subsequent loss to Iowa State, and the revelation that Pachall would voluntarily leave campus to receive treatment for substance abuse thereby ending his 2012 campaign premature, I don’t see how this group rebounds to make it anywhere close to a BCS Bowl game.  Not in the uber-difficult Big 12 where every contest is a mini playoff game.

The Horned Frogs don’t have time to sulk and lick their wounds because they are just hitting the true “meat” of their schedule.  This week they travel to Baylor and face one of the most prolific offenses in the country.  The following week they take on Texas Tech, a team with the nations #2 defense.  As an entree to that appetizer, the Horned Frogs end their regular season with the following schedule: at West Virginia (Nov. 3), home with Kansas State (Nov. 10), Bye week, at Texas (Nov. 22), home with Oklahoma (Dec. 1).  Yikes!!

While head coach Gary Patterson will put on a brave face for the media, the public, and his team, internally he has to know that the loss of Casey Pachall to his team is devastating.  They currently sport a record of 4-1, but they may need a Herculean effort just to make it to the 6 wins necessary to make it to a bowl game.  That would be real shame for a team that was excited to leave the Mountain West Conference and their non-AQ status to move to the Big 12 and rub elbows with some of the nation’s elite and most storied teams.

Watch List:

Oregon State, Stanford, Kansas State, Mississippi State

In fact, this past week Nick Saban, head coach of the #1-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, thinks that the speed with which offenses get up to the ball and snap it, is presenting a possible safety issue for defenses since they can’t substitute.  Of course this is all rhetoric since the offense has to play the same number of plays the defense does.  Saban is just looking for a way to slow down these teams!  Or, could he be thinking down the road to a possible Alabama-Oregon showdown for the national title?  No one is going to accuse Saban of running an offense as frenetic as Marshall (who leads FBS in plays run from scrimmage), or Arizona, or even Oregon for that matter.

College football is all about finding the right gimmick and making it work.  In the NFL, the Miami Dolphins first used the “Wildcat” offense against the New England Patriots, it worked, and now every team seemingly has a version of the “Wildcat” package in their repertoire.  Tim Tebow has made a very nice living off such a package!

In college football, the spread offense or even the read-option offense has become the “new thing” for many coaches.  The more they can spread out the defenses, force the linebackers into coverage against a faster and/or bigger receiver, and allow the offensive skill players to play in space, the better chance they have to score – and score they have!  There are currently 6 teams that through 5 or 6 games are scoring an average of over 50 pts per game.  There are 112 of the 124 FBS schools that average scoring 20 points or more per game.

The offenses will always have the advantage, the defenses are constantly playing catch-up.  Eventually, the defenses will figure out a way to defend all the spread offenses, and the offensive coordinators will have to devise a new scheme, and I’m sure they will!  Until that time, college football nation is going to have to adjust and get used to new forms of a spread or read-option offense as they are the offenses of the 21st century, thus far.

As we turn the calendar to October we move on to the week 6 slate, it brings us another set of dandy football games to watch.  There are five games featuring two ranked teams, plus a few other exciting games involving one ranked team and another perched, waiting for a chance to break into the top-25.  It ought to be another fun and wild weekend around the college football country.

For full disclosure, lets see how my “prime-3″ picks did from last week as well as my “extra Points” picks.  My “prime-3″ games let myself and a lot of other people down last week, as I went 0-3.  Those 3 losses dropped my yearly record in “prime-3″ games to 5-10 ATS and 6-9 SU.  My “Extra Points” picks were 8-11-1 for the week, running my yearly total to 31-26-1.  As always…I’ll try and do better this week!

In this week’s installments of the “Prime-3″, I am going to focus on two of the biggest games in the SEC this year.  The first game, #5 Georgia Bulldogs traveling to the “Cock Pit” to take on the #6 South Carolina Gamecocks.  In the second game, I am going to delve into the clash on the banks of the Olentangy between the #12 Ohio State Buckeyes and the #20 Nebraska Cornhuskers.  Finally, I am going to return to the SEC to look at a major cross-over game between #4 LSU of the SEC West traveling to “The Swamp” to do battle with #10 Florida Gators of the SEC East.

Stanford (-7) 13 at Washington 17

Matt – Stanford (L)

Tim – Washington (W)

Craig – Stanford (L)

Corey – Stanford (L)

Ohio State 17 at Michigan State (-3) 16

Matt – Ohio State (W)

Tim – Michigan State (L)

Craig – Ohio State (W)

Corey – Michigan State (L)

Wisconsin 27 at Nebraska (-13.5) 30

Matt – Nebraska (L)

Tim – Nebraska (L)

Craig – Nebraska (L)

Corey – Nebraska (L)

Texas (-2.5) 41 at Oklahoma State 36

Matt – Texas (W)

Tim – Texas (W)

Craig – Texas (W)

Corey – Oklahoma State (L)

Tennessee 44 at Georgia (13.5) 51

Matt – Georgia (L)

Tim – Georgia (L)

Craig – Georgia (L)

Corey – Georgia (L)

This week’s point spreads are as of Monday night.

In quick reflection, here were my week #1 picks, Michigan St (-8), Clemson (-3.5), and Michigan (+12.5).  My record last week: ATS: 1-2, SU: 3-0.  Clemson was able to come through and cover the spread, but Michigan State and Michigan were unable to cover their spreads.  I guess its time to go back to the drawing board and look at three new games for this week.

While week #1 had some marquee match-ups, week #2 offers some less headline-grabbing games, but intriguing games with teams in new conferences.  Both Texas A&M and Missouri have joined the SEC this year, and they will both have to be reckoned with by nationally ranked Florida and Georgia respectively.  The transition to the new conference has caused some scheduling glitches, so early games within the conference were forced to be played.  I will be taking a look at those games plus another interesting SEC – Big Ten match-up (Vanderbilt vs. Northwestern) in my college football viewpoint this week.

South Carolina 17 (-7) at Vanderbilt 13

Matt – South Carolina (L)

Tim – South Carolina (L)

Craig – South Carolina (L)

Corey – South Carolina (L)

Chris – South Carolina (L)

Boise State 13 at Michigan State (-7) 17

Matt – Michigan State (L)

Tim – Michigan State (L)

Craig – Michigan State (L)

Corey – Michigan State (L)

Chris – Michigan State (L)

Notre Dame 50 (-16.5) at Navy 10

Matt – Navy (L)

Tim- Navy (L)

Craig – Navy (L)

Corey – Notre Dame (W)

Chris – Notre Dame (W)

Ohio 24 at Penn State 14 (-6)

Matt – Penn State (L)

Tim – Penn State (L)

Craig – Penn State (L)

Corey – Penn State (L)

Chris – Penn State (L)

Michigan 14 at Alabama 41 (-12.5)

Matt – Alabama (W)

Tim – Alabama (W)

Craig – Michigan (L)

Corey – Michigan (L)

Chris – Alabama (W)

Now, onto Week 2.  Chris celebrated his “not nearly as bad as the rest of us” Week 1 a little too hard, and will not be appearing this week.  As a reminder, spreads are as of Tuesday morning.