Archive for November 17th, 2010

November 17th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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Matchup: Georgia State Panthers @ Alabama Crimson Tide
Date: Thursday, November 18th, 7:30 ET
Location: Bryant Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, AL
Game Line: Alabama -55.5
Over/Under OTB

For those of you that have an account at 5Dimes Sportsbook have college football betting lines available to you in this game. For those of you that don't, be sure to Sign Up for An Account to take advantage of this game. We know that the Crimson Tide have a significantly better squad than the Panthers do, but really and truthfully… how interested is Alabama in winning this game on the eve of the Iron Bowl against the No. 2 Auburn Tigers at home? To Georgia State, this game means everything. This is a situation where you have a team that has overachieved at the FCS level all season long, going 6-4 in its first year in existence under a head coach that used to graze the sidelines in Tuscaloosa. It's going to be no surprise to see Alabama jump out to a 35-0 lead at halftime or something like that, but it is really only going to take a stroke of genius or two by the Panthers offense to be able to take down the college football odds against a number like this.

Free College Football Picks: Georgia State +55.5
Prediction: Alabama 51 – Georgia State 7

Matchup: UCLA Bruins @ Washington Huskies
Date: Thursday, November 18th, 8:00 ET
Location: Husky Stadium, Seattle, WA
Game Line: Washington -2
Over/Under 53

Here, we have a game of significant interest for Pac-10 fans, as this game is going to determine who is still going to be eligible to go bowling, and who is probably just playing out the end of the regular season without having any shot at a December date with a team from another conference. UCLA knows that it still has some give, but it probably isn't winning both of its last two games at the Arizona State Sun Devils and at home against the USC Trojans, so claiming victory here in Seattle is imperative. The "Pistol" offense is in full force right now for UCLA, as HC Rick Neuheisel has become smart enough to realize that he doesn't have a quarterback that is really capable of throwing the football, especially with QB Kevin Prince on the sidelines. After all, QB Richard Brehaut has only tossed two TD passes all season long, and he has taken plenty of snaps. RB Johnathan Franklin is the real deal, as he is one good game away from being a 1,000 yard rusher on the season. However, UCLA's defense is a real concern in this one. QB Jake Locker knows that the Bruins are there for the taking, especially since this is the last home game of his career. He has never been to a bowl game before and would love to sniff a meaningful December game before he leaves school for the NFL. RB Chris Polk could really torch this defense as well, as he is the forgotten man in this offense. Washington needs to win out, but it will be favored in two of its last three games, and potentially in all three. This will be the first big step for U-Dub, as it has had a far more consistent team this year than the 4-5 Bruins, who just seem to squeak by and take advantage of great situations.

Free College Football Picks: Washington -2
Prediction: Washington 28 – UCLA 23

Matchup: Air Force Falcons @ UNLV Rebels
Date: Thursday, November 18th, 10:00 ET
Location: Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
Game Line: UNLV +19.5
Over/Under 56.5

The key statistic to look at in this game is very, very simple. The Rebels are allowing 211.9 yards per game on the ground. The Falcons are averaging rushing for 315.6 yards per game. The TCU Horned Frogs rushed for over 270 yards on UNLV. The West Virginia Mountaineers put up 220 yards. Heck, the Nevada Wolf Pack dropped 374. What do you think Air Force is going to do? 400? 450? One thing is for certain, and that's that the Falcons are going to be able to call their shot in this game. The Rebels are terrible. They have only beaten two teams this season in the MWC that are equally terrible, the New Mexico Lobos and Wyoming Cowboys. Air Force already has seven wins this year, and though a bowl game is already assured, the Independence Bowl wants to take the service academy. This would probably be the most illustrious bowl game that the Falcons have played in for years, and losing this game is just not an option. Especially in a standalone game that the eyes of the nation will be watching, you can bet that RB Asher Clark and QB Tim Jefferson are going to make sure that the job gets done in relatively comfortable fashion.

Free College Football Picks: Air Force -19.5
Prediction: Air Force 41 – UNLV 16

 
November 17th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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The Miami Dolphins will look to avoid a second straight NFL betting defeat at home against a divisional rival when they take on the Chicago Bears on MNF.

Matchup: Chicago Bears @ Miami Dolphins
Date: Thursday, November 18th, 8:20 ET
Location: Sun Life Stadium, Miami, FL
Game Line: Miami -1
Over/Under 39.5

Bears Notes: Everyone who thinks that the Bears are legitimate Super Bowl contenders, say "aye!" Hmm… The only voice that I just heard was my own… Most don't believe in this Chicago team, but with each passing week, I'm starting to buy in more and more. Don't get me wrong… I hate QB Jay Cutler just like the rest of you, because I know that he is capable of throwing six picks every single time he takes the field. And sure, I know that this running game is a nightmare, not so much because of RB Matt Forte, but because of an offensively line that thinks that "block" is a four letter curse word. However, I look around at the talent on this team, and I see speedsters like WR Johnny Knox, explosive athletes like WR/PR/KR Devin Hester, and I see a defense that is really darn right good. LB Brian Urlacher wasn't on this defense for the majority of last year due to injury, but now that he is back and DE Julius Peppers has been added to the bunch, this unit is just lethal. No, Peppers isn't the sack machine that he was with the Carolina Panthers, but there is no doubting the fact that he has been a disruptive force in opposing backfields all season long and can still do things that most other ends in this league don't stand a chance at. Did you know that the Bears were second in the NFL in rush defense at a shade over 80 yards per game? Or that no one has scored more than 23 points against them this year? Or that they are second in the league in scoring defense? Or that they have only lost to one team by more than three points? If you just take a second to analyze what Chicago has done this year instead of what it hasn't done, you'll see just how strong this team is, particularly in a very, very weak division.

Dolphins Notes: And yet, so many people are trusting a man named QB Tyler Thigpen to lay points at home in a nationally televised game, four days after becoming the team's starting quarterback by default. Not only is Thigpen being thrust into this situation, but he is going to end up playing the whole way unless he gets hurt because no one else that is healthy is going to know the offense. Sure, the possibility is there that QB Chad Henne could be ready for this one, but many are excited by the way that Thigpen played against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday afternoon to help seal up the team's first home win of the season. Don't get enamored with these numbers that Thigpen put up in his days as the starting quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs. Yes, he threw for 2,608 yards and accounted for a total of 21 TDs in 11 starts, but he also only completed 54.8 percent of his passes and was cut because he couldn't lead the team to victories. There's probably a reason that the other 31 GMs across the NFL had no interest in even making Thigpen a backup quarterback. Worse for Miami is the rushing game that is going against the best rush defense this side of the Pittsburgh Steelers. RB Ronnie Brown is coming off of a game in which he rushed for 11 yards on 12 carries against a Titans' 'D' that really isn't all that great. He only has 444 yards on the turf this year, which leaves him nowhere near on a pace for 1,000 yards on the campaign. RB Ricky Williams hasn't done much better. The defense? Giving up a modest 21.3 points per game and has been torched for an average of 28.0 points per game on the year at home.

The Final Word: Just don't fall into the trap this week with your NFL picks. It looks so easy to just lay that short point with the Fins, but don't do it! Chicago really does have the significantly better team, and even though this one is on the road, we still trust Cutler (goodness help us) a lot more than we do a third string quarterback, even if he is the best third stringer in the entire NFL. Back the Monsters of the Midway for the mild upset.

Free Pro Football Picks: Chicago +1
Prediction: Chicago 20 – Miami 13