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Stephen Nover
Saturday winners 30-Dime Virginia Tech
10-Dime Michigan State
5-Dime Oklahoma
5-Dime Colorado State
THOUGHTS: Time for a huge three-day run. It begins in college football today, moves on to the second Sunday in the NFL and of course Monday night, with a pair of pro games to close the week.
I'm anticipating a big weekend as I'm strong on both today's college board and tomorrow's NFL menu.
Enjoy ...
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30-Dime Virginia Tech - The oddsmaker opened Virginia Tech too short and the wise guys have taken advantage pounding the Hokies. They are on the right side.
The oddsmaker was giving Nebraska too much credit for its pasting of Sun Belt teams Florida Atlantic, which never travels well when stepping up in class, and Arkansas State.
It doesn't matter that Nebraska has a huge revenge angle either after last season's 35-30 home loss. The Cornhuskers aren't in Virginia Tech's class. The Hokies had a top 10 defense last year in yardage (279.4 yard per game) and scoring (allowing 16.7 points per game). They held Nebraska to 55 yards rushing on 25 attempts, a feeble 2.2 yards per run.
Virginia Tech, on the other hand, rushed for more than 200 yards against Nebraska. The Hokies hold an edge in both the defensive and offensive lines. The Cornhuskers are 1-5 against the spread as a non-conference road underdog.
Virginia Tech opened with a 52-10 romp over Marshall rolling up 605 yards of offense, including 444 on the ground. Freshmen Ryan Williams and David Wilson each rushed for more than 160 yards. Marshall could manage just 252 yards of offense.
The Hokies haven't lost a non-conference home game since 1998. They've won 31 straight such games. Virginia Tech is 12-0 straight-up and against the spread under Frank Beamer as a home favorite of 21 points or less versus non-conference opponents.
10-Dime Michigan State - Who made this spread, Lou Holtz? It's way too high.
The Spartans are a talented team looking to reach their stride with a high-powered offense that can definitely stay in this game, especially if Notre Dame doesn't clean up its sloppy mistakes. This isn't a given with the Irish considering they're coached by Charlie Weis. He's among the worst coaches at a major program. There's no excuse for bad game management, terrible game-calling decisions and sloppy penalties.
The Irish have won just 11 of 29 games during the past two plus seasons under Weis. Notre Dame is 1-6 against the spread as a double-digit home favorite versus an opponent off a loss. The Irish also are 1-4-1 against the spread the week after playing rival Michigan.
Michigan State loves to play in South Bend. The Spartans are 10-2-1 against the spread versus Notre Dame. They've beaten the Irish straight-up at Notre Dame the past six times! The Spartans are laying in the weeds following a surprising loss last week to Central Michigan.
Notre Dame appears to have a great offense averaging 35 points and 500 yards. Michigan State, though, has the necessary pass rush ability from its defensive line to drop seven into coverage. The Spartans' defensive line already has five quarterback sacks.
The Spartans aren't without weapons either. They have home run threats at running back wide receiver. Notre Dame had trouble handling Michigan's speed last week. The Spartans have explosive targets to with Blair White and B.J. Cunningham. Each is averaging more than 16 yards per catch.
Michigan State can come at Notre Dame with a pair of quarterbacks. Kirk Cousins is an accurate pocket passer with time, while Keith Nichol can provide a spark with his mobility.
5-Dime Oklahoma - The line has moved higher, but Oklahoma is still underpriced considering the talent gap between these two teams. The Sooners should be at least three touchdown favorites against the Golden Hurricane. That's what the line would have been, if not higher, if the Sooners weren't upset by BYU.
Yes, Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford is out with a shoulder injury. But backup Landry Jones was even more highly recruited than Bradford was. The Sooners won't miss a beat with Jones behind center. The redshirt freshman completed 18 of 32 passes for 286 yards and three touchdowns last Saturday in the Sooners' 64-0 romp over Idaho State.
Tulsa is starting its third different quarterback in three years. The Golden Hurricane are down from last year. Don't put much stock in their victories against Tulane and New Mexico. Those are two very bad teams.
This is Tulsa's third consecutive road games. The Sooners aren't going to take the Golden Hurricane lightly because Tulsa is just good enough for Oklahoma to take serious. The Sooners have already faced a 3-3-5 defense, which is the kind Tulsa prefers.
Oklahoma is a proven money-maker in these type of spots. The Sooners have gotten the money nine of the past 10 times they've been a favorite of 10 or more points versus a non-conference foe.
5-Dime Colorado State - I'm not sold on Nevada being a road favorite in this matchup. The Wolf Pack have covered once in seven tries as road chalk the past two seasons. They opened the season by getting smacked on the road, losing 35-0 to Notre Dame.
Colorado State is an improving team under second-year coach Steve Fairchild. He took the Rams to their first bowl game since 2005 last season and has them at 2-0 this year. The Rams were impressive opening week upsetting in-state rival Colorado on the road, 23-17. The Rams just nipped Weber State, 24-23, last week. Keep in mind, though, Weber State was ranked in the top 10 in the FCS coaches poll.
Nevada had an inconsistent passing attack versus the Irish. The Wolfpack have a high-powered offense. I safe to say they won't get shutout again. But their defense has many holes.
The Rams have the most experienced offensive line in the country. They can have their way with a soft Nevada defensive front thus keeping the ball away from Nevada.
Colorado State has beaten Nevada in seven of of the last eight meetings. The Rams are 24-10-1 against the spread when taking points at home, including 4-0 as a home 'dog under Fairchild.
Tampa has won 49 of the last 62 games as a home favorite of -150 to -200 and they have also won 6 of the last 7 games vs. Toronto at home. Matt Garza has an ERA of 3.40 in home games this season and he also has an ERA of 1.90 vs. Toronto over his career.
25* Play St. Louis (-175) over Chicago Cubs (MLB PLAY)
St. Louis has won 18 of the last 20 games as a favorite of -175 to -250 and they have also won 6 of the last 7 games vs. Chicago at home. Chris Carpenter is 8-2 in home games this season with an ERA of 2.76 and he is also 9-3 vs. Chicago over his career with an ERA of 3.02.
Tony Weston
SATURDAYS PLAYS 30 Dime Georgia
15 Dime Tennessee
5 Dime Utah
Georgia at Arkansas
GEORGIA - The Arkansas Razorbacks open the season by destroying Missouri State 48-10 and they get on the good side of the linesmakers, who install Arkansas as about a 2 1/2 point favorite tonight against visiting Georgia.
Well I’m taking advantage of that mistake and taking Georgia in this one. After a tough loss to open the season at a really good Oklahoma State team, the Bulldogs came back last week and pulled out a 41-37 win against Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina Gamecocks.
While the Bulldogs don’t play Arkansas regularly, when they do, they come out on top. Since 2000, these two have met five times, with Georgia going 3-2 ATS, but winning each of those games SU.
In fact, the average margin of victory in those five meetings is in double digits for Georgia, which has beaten the Razorbacks by an average of 15.6 points per game in that stretch.
Consider, too, Arkansas comes into this game having covered in only 2 of its last 11 games in September and is only 1-5 ATS its last 6 games when installed as a home favorite of between 1/2 and 3 points.
The Bulldogs, on the other hand, are 5-2 ATS their last 7 games when installed as an underdog and have covered in 4 of their last 5 games when installed as a road underdog.
Tonight, Georgia will take care of business again and cash in on the road.
Tennessee at Florida
TENNESSEE - Because of Lane Kiffin’s mouth and Tennessee’s inability to beat UCLA last week, the number on this game at Florida is set at a ridiculous 29 1/2 points.
In some places, that number is at 30 points.
And I absolutely love that line and I’m taking full advantage and taking the Volunteers on the road in Gainesville.
Since Urban Meyer took over at Florida in 2005, the Gators have gone 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS against Tennessee, coached under Phil Fulmer for all those years. But in that stretch Florida only beat the Vols by an average of 18.2 points per game.
Consider, too, since Meyer took over, his record in September against SEC opponents has been well below average ATS.
In 10 September meetings against SEC teams the Gators have gone 8-2 SU, but have covered in only 3 of those 10 games. In that stretch they’ve only outscored their opponents by about 14 points per game (30.6-17.6).
Keep in mind, too, over the last two seasons, with quarterback Tim Tebow under center, the team has gone just 3-2 SU and only 2-3 ATS against the SEC in September. And the point differential has tightened, as the Gators have outscored their opponents only 33.2-20.2.
I’m not going to say Kiffin’s team is going to pull off the outright win, but the Vols will keep this one within 30 points.
Take those points and take the Vols on the road in this one.
Utah at Oregon
UTAH - Both Utah and Oregon come into today’s game having failed to cover in each of their first two games of the season.
But, in their first two games of the year Utah has been installed as a favorite and has won each SU. Today, the Utes are catching points and will come damn near close to pulling off the outright victory in Eugene, Oregon.
In their first two games of the season the Ducks have gone 0-2 ATS and only 1-1 SU, losing on the road at Boise State to start the season.
Including both of those non-covers, Oregon has gone only 1-4 ATS its last 5 games in September. And when installed as a home favorite, the Ducks have covered in only one of its last five games.
When installed as a favorite of between 3 1/2 and 10 points Oregon has covered in only four of its last 14 games, while the Utes come into this game having gone 25-5-1 ATS their last 31 games when installed as an underdog.
On the road, Utah has covered in 25 of its last 32 games when catching points and is 13-3-1 ATS its last 17 games when installed as an underdog of between 3 1/2 and 10 points.
Today will be no different as the Utes cash in on the road and flirt with the outright victory.
Date: Saturday, September 19, 2009
Game: Cincinnati Bearcats @ Oregon State Beavers
Sport: NCAA Football
Time: 5:45PM CST
Risk/Win: $550 to win $500
(190) Oregon State Beavers +1
(Line from Betjamaica)
Oregon State is a step up from Cincinnati’s first two opponents and the Beavers play very tough at home. Cincinnati's defense against the run is questionable and they are going to have a hard time with the Beaver’s running back Jacquizz Rodgers. This is a long road trip to the west coast and Corvallis is a very tough place to play (as USC can attest). The Bearcats have lost their last six games against non-conference BCS teams by an average of 21 points per game on the road and should not be favored here. Take the Beavers.
***** 3 STAR SELECTION *****
Date: Saturday, September 19, 2009
Game: Connecticut Huskies @ Baylor Bears
Sport: NCAA Football
Time: 4:00PM CST
Risk/Win: $330 to win $300
(168) Baylor Bears -10.5
(Line from Betjamaica)
Baylor has had two weeks to prepare for this revenge game with Connecticut who defeated the Bears last year in Storrs. The Huskies are struggling on offense. Starting quarterback Zach Frazer is out with a knee injury and their backup quarterback Cody Enders has been battling a stomach virus all week. I expect Connecticut to struggle to score against the improved Bear defense. On the offensive side of the ball Baylor's quarterback Robert Griffin should put on a show here in the Bears home opener. The Huskies usually don't fare very well when traveling this far west and I don't expect them to here. Lay the points.
***** 2 STAR SELECTION *****
Date: Saturday, September 19, 2009
Game: Nevada Wolfpack @ Colorado State Rams
Sport: NCAA Football
Time: 4:00PM CST
Risk/Win: $220 to win $200
(156) Colorado State Rams +3.5
(Line from Betjamaica)
The Wolfpack has had two weeks to prepare for this game after being shut out by Notre Dame in their opener, but I don't think this team should be laying points on the road. Colorado State's defense can shutdown the Nevada running game and the Rams quarterback Grant Stucker will be able to exploit the holes in the Nevada secondary. Nevada is only 1-6 against the spread as road favorite the last two seasons and the Rams are 4-0 against the spread as a home underdog under head coach Steve Fairchild. Take the points.
***** 2 STAR SELECTION *****
Date: Saturday, September 19, 2009
Game: Florida State Seminoles @ BYU Cougars
Sport: NCAA Football
Time: 6:00PM CST
Risk/Win: $220 to win $200
(175) Florida State Seminoles +8
(Line from Betjamaica)
BYU upset the Sooners in their opener and hammered Tulane last week but I like FSU to be in this one down to the wire. Florida State defense plays their best against a pro style offense like the one BYU runs. I don’t see the BYU scoring at will against the Noles. On the other side of the ball, FSU's quarterback Christian Ponder is solid. I think he can take advantage of a BYU defense that is not great in coverage and tends to over pursue. I expect this one to be close all the way. Take the points.
***** 2 STAR SELECTION *****
Date: Saturday, September 19, 2009
Game: Hawaii Warriors @ UNLV Rebels
Sport: NCAA Football
Time: 10:00PM CST
Risk/Win: $220 to win $200
(186) UNLV Rebels -7
(Line from Betjamaica)
Hawaii is off to a 2-0 start, but they struggled to beat a FCS team in their first game and their score against Washington State last week is a bit misleading because the Cougars self inflected a lot of damage on themselves and Hawaii capitalized on those mistakes. The Warriors defense has been horrible on the road and I look for the Rebels to run it up here. Lay the points.
***** 1 STAR SELECTION *****
Date: Saturday, September 19, 2009
Game: Los Angeles Angels @ Texas Rangers
Sport:: MLB
Jim Feist's 5-Star Inner Circle CFB TV Blaster - Saturday!
CF (127) ARIZONA VS (128) IOWA
Take: 5-Star (127) ARIZONA
Reason: Inner Circle: Arizona. Iowa is not an explosive offense, a slow, plodding/running Big 10 team. Those Big 10 teams can struggle against clubs with speed on both sides of the ball, and that's the case here. Arizona (2-0 SU/1-0 ATS) comes to town playing great defense, plus they still have offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes, who helped get the passing game going the last few years (from Texas Tech). The Wildcat defense is loaded with speed. Iowa escaped with a 17-16 victory in the opener over Northern Iowa, getting outgained 354-329. Play Arizona.
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