11-30-12

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Lee Earnest
CFB
NCAAF is UCLA +9

[Can'tPickAWinner]

SPORTS BANK
SPORTS UNLIMITED
MILLIONAIRES CLUB

pass football

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Larry Ness' 10* MAC Game of the Year (No. Illinois / Kent St)
My 10* MAC Game of the Year is on Kent St at 7:00 ET.


Ohio U opened the season with a win at Penn St and the Bobcats won their first seven games, earning a top-25 ranking in the AP for the first time since 1968 and made the BCS standings for the first time in school history. However, Ohio U imploded down the stretch (would finish 8-4), leaving Kent St and Northern Illinois to square off in this year’s MAC championship game. Both schools enter 11-1 and the MAC title game will feature two ranked competitors for the first since 2003. No. 19 Northern Illinois has won 11 straight since an 18-17 opening-game loss to Iowa in Chicago (only Notre Dame and Ohio St own longer active winning streaks), while No. 18 Kent St has won 10 in a row since its inexplicable 47-14 loss at Kentucky, which finished the season 2-10. When these two teams meet at Ford Field Friday night, it’s an outside possibility that a BCS Bowl bid could also be on the line. Kent St jumped from No. 23 to No. 17 in the most recent BCS standings, meaning the Flashes need only move up one spot to ‘steal’ the Big East’s BCS Bowl berth. Northern Illinois is currently No, 23 in the BCS standings, leaving the Huskies with a much higher ‘hill to climb.’ However, neither team will liley be focused on that aspect. Kent St has made only TWO previous bowl appearances, so this season has been quite special. To cap it with a MAC championship win (regardless of the BCS outcome), would be more than enough reward. As for Northern Illinois, the Huskies are playing in their third straight MAC title game and the school is looking to perform much better than it has the previous two years or in its only other MAC title-game appearance back in 2005 (more on that later). The Huskies are led by QB Jordan Lynch, the least appreciated player in the FB. He’s thrown for 2,750 yards with 23 TDs and just four INTs while rushing for 1,611 yards on 6.9 YPC and 16 TDs. Kent’s QB Keith can’t come close to matching those numbers but the team's RB duo of Archer and Durham is unmatched in the FBS ranks this season. Archer has run for 1,337 yards on 9.7 YPC with 14 TDs while Durham has 1,176 yards on 5.0 YPC with 14 TDs. Archer leads the team in catches with 30 (15.3 YPC) and has four TD receptions. Throw in his three KO returns for TDs and he has 21 TDs! Both head coaches have some record in a short time. Northern Illinois’ Dave Doeren is completing his second season and the Huskies have not only won 11 straight games by an average of 25.1 PPG, but NIU also has the longest current conference winning streak in the country with 16 consecutive wins over MAC rivals. Doeren's career record is 22-4 as he nears the conclusion of his second year. Kent St head coach Darrell Hazell took over the program following a 5-7 finish in 2010 and guided the team to the same record in his first year. Kent State was not expected to be competing for the league title this season but KSU had the biggest turnaround in the FBS in terms of wins, after going unbeaten in MAC play during the regular season for the first time in school history. It also picked up a win over a ranked opponent for the first time in school history with a 35-23 decision at then No. 15 Rutgers on Oct 27. Win or lose here, the team will be playing in a bowl game for just the third time in school history and for the first time since 1972. Northern Illinois may look like the better team on paper and Lynch is scary-good at QB but I’m betting this is Kent St’s year. The Golden Flashes have 35 takeaways (second to only Oregon) and in the end, Northern Illinois’ history in this game, is just plain DREADFUL. The school’s first MAC championship game came back in 2005 and as 13-point choices, lost 31-30 to Akron. Then in 2010, Northern Illinois came in on a nine-game winning streak (10-2 overall), and lost 26-21 as 17-point favorites against Miami-Ohio. Last year, the Huskies were favored by 3 1/2-points over Ohio U and fell behind 20-0, only to rally and win 23-20 (failing to cover). I ‘love’ the points here and I’m sure hoping for a Kent St outright win, which would set up a possible BCS Bowl bid for my beloved MAC.

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Executive

200 Northern Illinois

[Can'tPickAWinner]

kelso 25 stanford kent st foots 50 atl 20 s. fla 5 lakers hoops

[Can'tPickAWinner]

HSW Late phones
2 N Ill-already started
2 Stanford game over
GD West
2 Stanford game over
GD New York
1 Stanford
3 Stanford game over
L & M Las Vegas
2 Stanford game over
L & M New York
3 Stanford game over

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Burns MAIN EVENT

UCLA football game UNDER

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Rainman

1* KENT STATE +7.5
1* STANFORD -8.5
1* UNDER 46.5

[Can'tPickAWinner]

Root
Millionaire - UCLA