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Posts Tagged ‘Fresno State Bulldogs’

December 17th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor
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In the second bowl game of the year, the Humanitarian Bowl will kick it off on the Smurf Turf in Boise. The Fresno State Bulldogs are very familiar with this field, playing here every other season against the Boise State Broncos, but this will be a new location for the Northern Illinois Huskies, who have a lot of new things to try to break into before the end of the weekend. These two teams are knotted right down the middle in the eyes of the oddsmakers, but we have our college football picks for the game that can sort of which team should be favored.

Humanitarian Bowl Matchup: Northern Illinois Huskies vs. Fresno State Bulldogs
Date: Saturday, December 18th, 5:30 ET
Location: Bronco Stadium, Boise, ID
Humanitarian Bowl Line: Northern Illinois -1
Over/Under 58.5

Huskies Notes: The poor Huskies are going to have their work cut out for them just to get up the energy to play in this bowl game. This is clearly the less desirable location for the bowl, especially after losing the MAC Championship Game in stunning fashion to the Miami Redhawks. On top of that, right after the game, Head Coach Jerry Kill up and left the program, heading for the Minnesota Golden Gophers instead. That leaves linebackers coach Tom Matukewicz in charge until this one is over. The good news for NIU is that it really could still be classified as "on a roll," knowing that it had gone 8-0 SU and 7-0-1 ATS in conference play before the dud at Ford Field. This is clearly a team that is either a product of a weak MAC or is just that darn good. We tend to believe that the Huskies belong ranked in the Top 25 in the country, even with three losses. The defensive numbers definitely suggest that, as this team ranks No. 28 in the land overall at 328.2 yards per game and is No. 29 and No. 35 against the rush and pass respectively. No 'D' in this conference allowed fewer points per game than did NIU at 19.1, and the only team to score in the 30s against it all season long were the Toledo Rockets… who promptly gave up 65 points on that same night. Offensively, this is one of those teams in the land that is averaging over 200 rushing yards and 200 passing yards per game, and the end result is a tremendously balanced attack in which you never really know what's coming. QB Chandler Harnish should be putting on a real display in the Humanitarian Bowl. He threw for 2,230 yards and just five INTs this season, and he rushed for another 764 yards. The junior accounted for 25 TDs on the year. However, he would be nowhere without his top rusher, RB Chad Spann. Spann is clearly where this offense starts and finishes most of the time. He has toted the rock a whopping 243 times for 1,293 yards with 20 scores, making him one of the best scorers in the country.

Bulldogs Notes: The Bulldogs might not have the same type of offensive or defensive numbers that the Huskies do, but NIU also didn't play teams like the Boise State Broncos, Nevada Wolf Pack, and Hawaii Warriors either. The WAC was downright tough this year, and save those three games, there was no doubt that this was the best team amongst the rest in this conference. Fresno absolutely was a decided bowl bound team from the start, and unlike NIU, there is no doubt that it is going to love to be here in Boise with a chance to redeem itself from the beat down suffered on the Smurf Turf at the hands of the Broncos. The best news that Head Coach Pat Hill has to work with in this one is that his top runner, RB Robbie Rouse should be back in the fold after his injured ribs kept him out of the final two games of the regular season. There were just no runners that could do what Rouse did on a regular basis for the Bulldogs this year, as he rushed for 1,097 yards and ten scores, and he had a pair of 200+ yards performances in a row before getting hurt to boot. The play of QB Ryan Colburn has been okay, but not fantastic this year. Colburn threw for 2,529 yards and 21 TDs, numbers which are solid, but not amazing. His nine picks were acceptable, but at times, he really did look like a deer in headlights, especially against Boise State. The problem that the Dogs had this year was that they really didn't play very well against teams going to bowl games. There is only one win, a 25-23 'W' over the Illinois Fighting Illini, and the 'D' allowed at least 35 points in each of the other three games in the WAC. Still, that unit held teams to just 342.7 yards per game this year, and that number was right around 300 yards per game if you take out the biggies in the WAC.

The Final Word: We just love what Fresno State is bringing to the table here. The last time the Bulldogs played a team with a crazy offense like this on the ground, they nearly upset the Nevada Wolf Pack. This is just not a very good matchup for NIU, and its lack of heart and energy after getting everything sucked out of it over the course of the last two weeks or so is going to prove to be too much to overcome. Hill's team gets the job done and wraps up another solid season.

Humanitarian Bowl Free Pick: Fresno State +1
Humanitarian Bowl Prediction: Fresno State 31 – Northern Illinois 21

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December 2nd, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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Matchup: Illinois Fighting Illini @ Fresno State Bulldogs
Date: Friday, December 3, 10:15 ET
Location: Bulldog Stadium, Fresno, CA
Game Line: Illinois -5.5
Over/Under 57.5

Pat Hill’s 7-4 Fresno State Bulldogs will look to add another BCS conference scalp on its mantle Friday night when it takes on the 6-5 Illinois Fighting Illini Friday night. Illinois became bowl eligible last week with a big 48-27 win over Northwestern on Saturday. The win may have solidified Zook’s job after a disastrous last two seasons in Champaign. Zook has a 27-44 record in his time at Illinois and this season will mark only the second time in six seasons he has been to a bowl game. Against Northwestern, the story was all about RB Mikel LeShoure, who put together one of the best games we’ve seen in all of college football this season. LeShoure carried the rock 33 times for an incredible 330 yards and two touchdowns in leading the Illini offense. All told, Illinois carried the ball 70 times for 519 yards and five touchdowns against the Wildcats defense. Priority one for the Bulldogs to win this game, will be to stop the Illinois running game. Fresno State bounced back after an embarrassing loss to Boise State and a heartbreaking loss to Nevada to beat Idaho 23-20 last week. Fresno State was ahead most of the game, but a late Idaho rally left them needing a 1-yard touchdown plunge from A.J. Ellis with 14 seconds left to get the victory. Fresno State dominated Idaho on the stat sheet, putting up 371 yards against Idaho’s 210 total yards, but four lost fumbles and an Idaho kickoff return for a touchdown kept the Vandals in the game throughout. Last year, Fresno State and Illinois played a thrilling game in Champaign. The Bulldogs scored a touchdown with two seconds left to make the score 52-51 Illinois and opted to go for two instead of the tie. On the two-point conversion, QB Ryan Colburn heaved a desperation pass in the air while being brought down by an Illinois defensive lineman that somehow found its way into the hands of G Devan Cunningham for the score and the win.

Free College Football Picks: Fresno State +5.5
Prediction: Fresno State 35 Illinois 32

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November 16th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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Matchup: Fresno State Bulldogs @ Boise State Broncos
Date: Friday, November 19th, 9:30 ET
Location: Bronco Stadium, Boise, ID
Game Line: Boise State -30.5
Over/Under 65.5

Boise State will look to keep its BCS Title hopes alive on Friday night when it hosts perennial rival Fresno State for the last time in WAC play. The last time we saw the Broncos, they were delivering a 52-14 whooping to the Idaho Vandals last Friday night. Boise State jumped out to a 38-0 halftime lead and cruised the rest of the way to the victory. QB Kellen Moore completed 19 of 26 passes for 216 yards with three touchdowns on the day in limited action. RB Doug Martin had a huge day as well, carrying the ball 16 times for 117 yards with two touchdowns on the night. RB Jeremy Avery also contributed with a rushing and a receiving touchdown. If Boise State beats Fresno State, it will be their 24th consecutive win and 27th consecutive home victory. As for Fresno State, the Bulldogs suffered a tough 35-34 home loss at the hands of Nevada last Saturday night. RB Robbie Rouse had the best game of his collegiate career and simply carved up the porous Nevada defense. Rouse carried the ball 26 times for 217 yards and two touchdowns on the evening, and also caught a touchdown from QB Ryan Colburn. Colburn completed 16 of 26 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns but failed to get the Bulldogs points on their last drive. Boise State has won and covered the last four meetings between these two teams.

Free College Football Picks: Boise State -30.5
Prediction: Boise State 52 Fresno State 21

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November 12th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor
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Here at Cappers Info, we are taking a weekly look at the teams that could be ones ripe to pull off some major upsets! Check out the potentially ugly dogs that could come up and bite you in the butt in you aren't careful for the Week 11 of college football betting action!

Underdog Pick #1: Fresno State Bulldogs (+260 at Diamond Sportsbook) vs. Nevada Wolf Pack, Saturday, 10:30 ET: The Bulldogs treated us well last week when they traveled cross country to Ruston and took down the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, and we tend to think that they have a great chance of pulling off a real shocker this week at home against Nevada. For the Wolf Pack, this game really looks strangely familiar. They are in a position where they have to travel to a hostile environment against a good team that is vastly underrated, and they're coming off of a game in which they had a real offensive explosion. This is a dangerous, dangerous spot for a Top 25 team to be in. Fresno State never has fears about taking on anyone, so this game isn't going to sneak up on it. Perception is awfully high on Nevada right now due to the 844 yards it put on the board last week against the Idaho Vandals, and though we do believe that it should be favored, we recognize that the Bulldogs are winning this game at least one out of three times to make this well worth our investment.

Underdog Pick #2: Tulsa Golden Hurricane (+120 at Diamond Sportsbook) @ Houston Cougars, Saturday 8:00 ET: Tulsa is on a roll right now, having won three straight games and having covered six in a row. We have a hard time going against the Golden Hurricane, as we know they might have the best team in the West Division in Conference USA. This would be a huge 'W' for Tulsa as well, as it would put it in a position to win the conference if SMU happened to slip once more between now and the end of the year. QB GJ Kinne has his offense rolling right now to the tune of 494.7 yards and 40.1 points per game. The only problem that we run into here is that Houston is averaging 475.7 yards and 40.7 points per game and has really played well under QB David Piland. This is still a freshman quarterback in a test like he hasn't seen before. It's not that he's going to have a hard time scoring against the Golden Hurricane, but he is going to have to keep up shot for shot and cannot make mistakes. The Cougs are too bi-polar still. We'll take our chances on Tulsa pulling off the short upset.

Underdog Pick #3: UNLV Rebels (+180 at Diamond Sportsbook) vs. Wyoming Cowboys, Saturday, 10:00 ET: Our late game trio of dogs wraps up with a UNLV team that has to be hungry for a home win. Sin City hasn't been a great home for the Rebels this year, as they are only 1-3 there, with the lone win coming against lowly New Mexico. This is the last shot to win a contest here as well. Remember that the Rebs have been relatively feisty here, sticking inside some big numbers against the Wisconsin Badgers and Nevada Wolf Pack. We aren't so sure that Wyoming has enough offense to beat this type of a number, and we know that it isn't going to take all that much for UNLV to be able to win this game outright. A defense that has allowed at least 43 points in five straight games will finally get a breather, and that should be parlayed into a 'W' for the hosts in a mild upset fashion.

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November 5th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor
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Here at Cappers Info, we are taking a weekly look at the teams that could be ones ripe to pull off some major upsets! Check out the potentially ugly dogs that could come up and bite you in the butt in you aren't careful for the Week 10 of college football betting action!

Underdog Pick #1: Fresno State Bulldogs (+120 at Diamond Sportsbook) @ Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, Saturday, 4:00 ET: This isn't really the biggest upset in the world, but it's really high time for Fresno State to prove that it is better than your average WAC team in this Bulldog battle. La Tech's version of the Dawgs has played well this year at home of late, but we tend to think that this is too much respect for a team that really didn't kick it into gear until a few weeks ago. Fresno State hasn't covered a college football spread since September 18th, but this is its day. Head Coach Pat Hill never has a fear about going on the road and doing battle, and his Bulldogs have already done this type of a road trip once this year at the Mississippi Rebels. Fresno State is already 2-0 SU in WAC play on the road this year, and it knows that it needs to get to that coveted six win mark in a hurry with all of the big boys in this conference yet to go on the schedule. Expect QB Ryan Colburn to find a way to do just enough to get the Bulldogs out of Ruston with a 'W'.

Underdog Pick #2: Washington State Cougars (+450 at Diamond Sportsbook) vs. Cal Golden Bears, Saturday 4:00 ET: The Golden Bears are in a lot of trouble right now. They're not playing all that well, having gotten smacked in two of their last three games against the Oregon State Beavers and USC Trojans. The offense has struggled in those two games, and things aren't about to get any easier with QB Kevin Riley now stuck on the sidelines. Junior QB Brock Mansion saw his first playing time of the season last week, and now he's being asked to go on the road and win a conference game by more than two touchdowns? The Cougs haven't won a game in this series since 2002 and haven't had any sort of success in the Pac-10 of late. A 42-0 setback last week against the Arizona State Sun Devils was disappointing, but Wazzou really put forth solid efforts this year against the Arizona Wildcats and Oregon Ducks. Upset, anyone? If it's happening this year, this is probably the best chance for the Cougars.

Underdog Pick #3: Kansas Jayhawks (+270 at Diamond Sportsbook) vs. Colorado Buffaloes, Saturday, 2:00 ET: The Jayhawks have just been getting rolled over week in and week out, but we really didn't like the look that the Buffs had last week when they got throttled by the Oklahoma Sooners. Now, we know we're comparing apples to oranges in this one, as Rock Chalk is nowhere near like saying "Boomer Sooner," but the Jayhawks are bound to get back in the win column at some point, one would think. These two teams are surely going nowhere fast, and with the season essentially coming to a close, there seems to be a lot more optimism floating around in Lawrence than there is in Boulder. It's time for someone to finally put HC Dan Hawkins out of his misery. HC Turner Gill and his men just might be the best guys for the job this weekend. These are great odds to get on KU at home.

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

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Baylor Bears @ TCU Horned Frogs (-21.5)
Saturday, September 18th
4:30 ET, Amon Carter Stadium, Waco, TX

The Horned Frogs have absolutely beat the living heck out of the Bears, winning 27-0 at home in 2007 and 17-7 in Waco in 2006. TCU has won three straight in this series ATS dating back to 1995. On the field itself, the winningest QB in the history of the program, QB Andy Dalton is going to hopefully have a showcase game, which would be his first big outing of the year. However, Dalton has a pair of fantastic running backs in Matthew Tucker and Ed Wesley, both of which have the ability of going for 100+ yards against anyone in the nation. The Bears really only have one man that can take over a game. The good news is that he plays the quarterback position. QB Robert Griffin is absolutely going to have to have one of those games where he throws for 300+ yards and probably runs for near another 100 and accounts for four scores. The bad news? TCU hasn't given up more than 28 points in a game at home since 2006. Without scoring at least 24 or so, the Bears don't have a chance of sticking in front of this number.

Prediction: TCU 41 – Baylor 17
Mississippi State Bulldogs (+7.5) @ LSU Tigers
Saturday, September 18th
7:00 ET, Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA

Could the Bulldogs be ready to pull off a big time upset of the Tigers in the Bayou? Mississippi State has played the role of a very strong side so far this year, and the 17-14 loss to Auburn last week really could have gone either way. The play of QB Chris Relf is improving, the QB Tyler Russell could get into the act as well after playing a strong game against Memphis in Week 1. As for the Tigers… We're not sold yet. The Bayou Bengals barely hung on against a depleted North Carolina side in Week 1 and really hasn't done anything even remotely impressive since that point. LSU might not even win this game, let alone beat the TD+ spread. However, this is LSU, and this is a team that just keeps finding ways to win games. And just as we said last week when it was Vanderbilt playing against the Bayou Bengals, Mississippi State usually just finds ways to lose.

Prediction: LSU 20 – Mississippi State 17
Clemson Tigers @ Auburn Tigers (-7)
Saturday, September 18th
7:00 ET, Jordan Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL

This tussle of the Tigers is going to be a rematch of bowl games of the past. However, just as always seems to be the case when these two teams lock horns, there is a little twist in the plot. QB Cameron Newton has played like a Heisman Trophy candidate so far this season, and his brother, Syvelle already spent a number of years tearing apart Clemson when he was at South Carolina. As for the purple and orange Tigers, head coach Dabo Swinney has his work cut out for him. QB Kyle Parker seems to be the only real offensive threat, as guys like Ford, Spiller, etc. are all gone from the program. Clemson's offense doesn't seem to be able to quite keep up with Auburn's. Both of these teams have played relatively well this year, but we think that we'll be yelling "War Eagle!" at the end of the night.

Prediction: Auburn 28 – Clemson 17
Texas Longhorns @ Texas Tech Red Raiders (+3.5)
Saturday, September 18th
8:00 ET, Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock, TX

The Longhorns return to the scene of the crime where their 2008 National Championship hopes were dashed by the Red Raiders the night after Halloween on an absolutely amazing play by WR Michael Crabtree. It was one of the games of the year, if not one of the games of the decade, as HC Mack Brown's team narrowly fell short to a Texas Tech squad that nearly found itself playing for the National Championship as well. Now, both of these teams have new looks. The Red Raiders are at least running the ball a tad more with new HC Tommy Tuberville in charge, while Texas appears to have some problems both at the running back position and at quarterback. The starting running back job has changed hands already, while QB Garrett Gilbert, who many thought was a Heisman Trophy candidate at the start of the season, just hasn't played up to his expectations thus far. Texas is ripe for the picking in this one if it isn't careful. Don't be shocked if the guns are up once again in this NCAA football betting affair in the Lone Star State.

Prediction: Texas Tech 37 – Texas 34
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+3.5) @ Michigan State Spartans
Saturday, September 18th
8:00 ET, Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI

Very simply put, the Fighting Irish seem like a team that is going to fight through the entire season, and it only seems like a matter of time until the Spartans collapse. HC Mark Dantonio just doesn't have a good history, and that history seems to kick in right around this time every single season. QB Dayne Crist and the Irish are on their way to something special, as they put up a great fight last week against a Michigan team that might be contending for the Rose Bowl this year. Sparty has covered three straight in this series, but the road team had won seven straight outright from 2001 to 2007. These games are always close, as eight of the L/10 clashes have been decided by a TD or less. This one won't be an exception.

Prediction: Notre Dame 27 – Michigan State 24
Fresno State Bulldogs @ Utah State Aggies (+4)
Saturday, September 18th
8:00 ET, Romney Stadium, Logan, UT

The Aggies are really on the verge of something special in the WAC. No, they're not going to be contending with Boise State, and no, they probably aren't going to be able to score with Nevada, but this is a winnable fixture that could ultimately end up sending them to a bowl game if they can pull it off. Utah State has done just about as well this year as it ever could have imagined, as it nearly pulled off the upset in Norman and took care of Idaho State without any real hassles. The Bulldogs have only played one game this year, and though we tend to believe that a 28-14 win over the Cincinnati Bearcats was relatively impressive, the more win watch the U of C, we aren't so sure that's the case. This is going to be a great test for both of these teams, but we think that USU is being severely underrated. This game should be a heck of a lot closer to a pick 'em, and if that's the case, we'll take the points in hopes for the Aggies to, at bare minimum, keep this one close.

Prediction: Utah State 34 – Fresno State 33
Iowa Hawkeyes (+1.5) @ Arizona Wildcats
Saturday, September 18th
10:30 ET, Arizona Stadium, Tucson, AZ

This is the game of the day without a doubt. College football betting fans have gone back and forth with this one throughout the week, and with good reason. This is the same Arizona squad that nearly beat the mighty Oregon Ducks last year at home that would've won the Pac-10 and sent the Wildcats to the Rose Bowl. Unfortunately, this is also the same Arizona team that marched into Kinnick Stadium last year and left with its tails tucked between its legs in a bad defeat. What tends to be forgotten is that this Iowa bunch hasn't lost a game that QB Ricky Stanzi has both started and finished in his career. The Hawkeyes found ways to win last year at Penn State and at Wisconsin. This is a long, long roadie, but there aren't many coaches that we'd rather have in our corner in this situation than HC Kirk Ferentz. Iowa has always been good. This is a chance to make it great. Go with the Hawkeyes in what should be a very, very tough game.

Prediction: Iowa 16 – Arizona 14
Houston Cougars @ UCLA Bruins (+3.5)
Saturday, September 18th
10:30 ET, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA

Be very, very careful, oddsmakers. We were taught a long, long time ago that NCAA football betting and NCAA basketball betting both have one thing in common. If it looks like a fish and it smells like a fish, something is probably really, really fishy. The Bruins were shutout last week by Stanford at home in one of the most embarrassing losses the team has suffered this year. The Cougs avenged last year's loss to UTEP in a big way, crushing the Miners to improve to 2-0. However, this is the first time that QB Kevin Prince and the UCLA offense has seen a beatable defense. Houston flat out stinks defensively. We think that this is also the first time that QB Case Keenum is going to be facing a defense with a ton of great athletes on it. Regardless of how banged up the Bruins are on that side of the ball, these are still great recruits, largely from a very talented base in California. This looks to be a very, very sharp play for us, as UCLA could be the team to end the Heisman Trophy dreams of Keenum and the BCS busting dreams of these Cougs.

Prediction: UCLA 31 – Houston 26
Wake Forest Demon Deacons @ Stanford Cardinal (-17.5)
Saturday, September 18th
11:15 ET, Stanford Stadium, Stanford, CA

Last season, the Cardinal flew all the way East to tango with the Demon Deacons and left town with their heads held high in spite of the fact that they lost 24-17. In short: It's payback time. Basically that entire Wake Forest team has turned over, and it is clear that the defense, which allows a whopping 325.0 yards per game this year through the air, doesn't have the goods to keep up with the Stanford offense. With QB Ted Stachitas already not that great, his injured thumb is going to force HC Jim Grobe's hand. Needless to say, this isn't Presbyterian or Duke anymore that the Demon Deacons are going up against, and this is one heck of a road trip to get to Stanford. The Cardinal should be able to get a ton of yards from QB Andrew Luck in a game that should be all one way traffic. Wake Forest will get exposed as a fraud on Saturday night in the final game of the day.

Prediction: Stanford 48 – Wake Forest 13

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September 3rd, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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Miami (OH) Redhawks @ Florida Gators (-37.5)
Saturday, September 2nd
12:00 ET, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, FL

The Gators are probably going to end up dominating this game. They are out to make a real statement now that QB Tim Tebow is gone. QB John Brantley is going to be getting a good test to begin his career as a starter. Many feel as though he might be better than Tebow as a passer, though he clearly doesn't have the mobility or the inherent leadership abilities of the departed No. 15. Still, this is going to be one of the best rushing games in the country still with RBs Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey. As for the Redhawks, they are coming off of an absolutely terrible season in which they only won one game. It is fairly clear that they aren't going to win this game, but they did a decent job last year sticking inside of college football betting lines. Unfortunately for Miami, this probably won't be a day in which it does that. If the Gators have a desire to win by at least six scores, they will. Brantley might cover the Redhawks all by himself.

Prediction: Florida 59 – Miami 7
Western Michigan Broncos (+23.5) @ Michigan State Spartans
Saturday, September 2nd
12:00 ET, Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI

Michigan State seems to start every single season with unrealistic expectations. This year is probably no exception even though HC Mark Dantonio is clearly on the hot seat and is probably going to have to win at least seven or eight games to save his job. The good news is that QB Kirk Cousins is back after having a very respectable first season as a starter. He threw for 2,680 yards and 19 TDs against just nine picks, and there are high hopes for him this season. Unfortunately for the Broncos, they can't say the same thing. QB Tim Hiller was one of the best that this program has ever seen. With him gone, QB Alex Carder is going to take over. Carder only threw seven passes last year backing up Hiller, but he is going to be thrown into the fire right away in East Lansing as a sophomore. Still, this is a hefty point total for Sparty to be laying against a team that could reasonably still be one of the best in the MAC if Carder can keep his head on straight. Expect WMU to beat the college football odds in this one.

Prediction: Michigan State 34 – Western Michigan 21
Texas Longhorns (-31) vs. Rice Owls
Saturday, September 2nd
3:30 ET, Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX

The QB Garrett Gilbert is going to get the first start of his career this week in Houston against the Owls, which should be a nice little warm up for the real big boys coming up in the weeks to come for the Longhorns. There are a number of returners for this team even though there were a number of players that were drafted in the first two days of the NFL Draft this year off of the squad in burnt orange. The Owls are playing this close to the vest, as they haven't even announced a starting quarterback yet. The good news for the Longhorns is that they are 8-2 ATS in their L/10 games against Conference USA opponents. The bad news for Rice is that they are just 1-7 ATS in their L/8 against the Big XII. The even better news for Texas and worse news for Rice is that the Horns have outscored the Owls by an average score of 49-10 since 2003. That sounds about right for Saturday afternoon.

Prediction: Texas 49 – Rice 10
Purdue Boilermakers (+10.5) @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Saturday, September 2nd
3:30 ET, Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN

For HC Brian Kelly, this will be his debut in South Bend and could be the most important game of his coaching career. Coaches that get off to a bad start at Notre Dame generally don't end up lasting very long, and Kelly is going to want to make sure that he doesn't blow this in a year of high expectations, especially against a team that is probably not going bowling this year. The Boilers were destroyed by RB Ralph Bolden's knee injury that is going to keep him out for the season. Meanwhile, Notre Dame is going to be breaking in a new quarterback in the form of QB Dayne Crist. TE Kyle Rudolph is questionable with a hamstring injury, and if he doesn't end up playing, Crist is going to be relying heavily on WR Michael Floyd, who could be one of the best receivers in the nation. Still, Purdue hung last year with the Irish, losing 24-21 at home. With QB Robert Marve eager to make a good debut for the black and gold, the Boilers have the potential to hang in this game, though the Boilermakers probably won't win it.

Prediction: Notre Dame 31 – Purdue 28
Kentucky Wildcats (-3) @ Louisville Cardinals
Saturday, September 2nd
3:30 ET, Papa John's Stadium, Louisville, KY

It's the battle to determine whether the Bluegrass State will be blue or red on Saturday, and the annual Kentucky/Louisville battle has even higher stakes this season. Both teams will be entering this game with new head coaches, as Joker Phillips (Kentucky) and Charlie Strong (Louisville) are both making their head coaching debuts. QB Mike Hartline is going to have a lot of experience under his belt in this one even though he is a much maligned signal caller. Louisville is changing its offense to a spread attack, which is a drastic change from the offense that Steve Kragthorpe tried running over the last few years. The winning mentality isn't quite there yet for the Cardinals, which have fallen a long way in a short period of time. Kentucky is hoping to head to another bowl game this year, and it is the significantly better team, at least this early in the year. Take the Blue State in this NCAA football betting affair.

Prediction: Kentucky 27 – Louisville 20
Connecticut Huskies (+3) @ Michigan Wolverines
Saturday, September 2nd
3:30 ET, Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI

If the maize and blue don't win this game to start off the 2010 season, the Big House might be burning. HC Rich Rodriguez knows that this is his last chance to try to impress the Ann Arbor faithful before he ends up on the unemployment lines, and this game against Connecticut is a very important one to start the season. Unfortunately for Big Blue, this won't be their day. The Huskies are one of the best teams in a conference that is relatively strong this season, and RB Jordan Todman might have a field day against a defense which struggled against the rush last season. Rodriguez still hasn't settled on a quarterback either, though QB Tate Forcier sounds like he is getting the nod. We are puzzled as to why the Wolverines are favored in this one, as we aren't buying into their hype as a team that is that much improved from the one that went 5-7 last year. The Huskies are going to be dogs that are barking very, very loudly.

Prediction: Connecticut 28 – Michigan 24
UCLA Bruins @ Kansas State Wildcats (-2)
Saturday, September 2nd
3:30 ET, Bill Snyder Family Field, Manhattan, KS

The biggest question that we have in this game is whether or not QB Kevin Prince is really going to be able to play for the full 60 minutes with his back injury or not. If he can't go, UCLA is in a heck of a lot of trouble in this one. Trying to stop RB Daniel Thomas is going to be virtually impossible for a defensive line that has been beat up all offseason long for the second straight year with injuries. HC Rick Neuheisel has his work cut out for him this year. The Bruins only made the Eagle Bank Bowl on the back of their non-conference slate, as a 3-6 record in conference left little to the imagination. This year is going to be a tough grind for the blue and gold, and it is going to start with K-State getting some big time payback for last season's 23-9 loss in LA.

Prediction: Kansas State 30 – UCLA 10
Oregon State Beavers (+13) vs. TCU Horned Frogs
Saturday, September 2nd
7:45 ET, Dallas Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX

Though this is technically a neutral site game, we know that Oregon State is going to clearly be the road team in this duel. The Horned Frogs are going to try to make a huge statement for the rest of college football, proving that they deserve to be considered for the BCS Championship, not just for a regular BCS bowl game like last year in the Fiesta Bowl. A slew of returning starters on both sides of the ball are going to help that cause out dramatically. QB Andy Dalton is going to have to lead the way against a very talented Oregon State defense. The offense for the Beavers is going to once again feature both the Rodgers brothers, as Jacquizz and James are virtually impossible to stop. Though the secondary is entirely intact from last year for TCU, the front seven has two major holes to fill in the form of DE Jerry Hughes and LB Daryl Washington. We give Oregon State a lot of credit for scheduling this game, and though the ultimate reward of an upset won't be the end result, we wouldn't be surprised to see HC Mike Riley's club hang around and make things quite uncomfortable for the de facto hosts.

Prediction: TCU 33 – Oregon State 28
LSU Tigers (-7.5) vs. North Carolina Tar Heels
Saturday, September 2nd
8:00 ET, Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA

Suspensions have absolutely destroyed North Carolina's chances of accomplishing just about anything this year. Their offseason probe is going to end up seeing 13 players suspended for this opening game against the Bayou Bengals, including four of which were all projected NFL stars and were first team All-ACC members in the preseason. HC Les Miles now knows that this has gone from a game that would be a huge boost to win, to one that might ultimately decide whether he gets to stay in Baton Rouge or not next year. LSU needs to pick it up in a big way in order to make it back to the big time in the SEC, and winning a game like this against a quality ACC opponent would go a long way. Speaking of going a long way, if QB TJ Yates can find a way to pull this one off, he would suddenly go from being a zero in Chapel Hill to a hero. QB Jordon Jefferson hopes to just not see his name as a gigantic screw up in his '10 debut with the purple and gold. It's hard to see how North Carolina is doing enough damage on either side of the ball, and in spite of the fact that this is a hefty line that is only rising, we don't see how LSU can do anything but smash it.

Prediction: LSU 24 – North Carolina 13
Cincinnati Bearcats (+3) @ Fresno State Bulldogs
Saturday, September 2nd
10:00 ET, Bulldog Stadium, Fresno, CA

Is the wrong team really favored in this game? The Bearcats are getting absolutely no respect this year after going undefeated in the regular season in 2009. Yes, it's true that HC Brian Kelly has jumped to Notre Dame and both QB Tony Pike and WR Mardy Gilyard have moved on to the NFL, but there are a number of quality replacements set to step up. The oddsmakers were burned last year when QB Zach Collaros stepped into the starting lineup in place of Pike and looked like Joe Montana. Collaros is only a sophomore now, but he clearly has the tools to bring Cincinnati back to the BCS. Fresno State still has a lot of questions, none bigger than who is going to replace the departed RB Ryan Mathews, who at times last year, single handedly carried it to victory. Remember that Cincinnati traveled up to Reser Stadium last year and knocked off Oregon State in a very similar position. Expect the same on Saturday night.

Prediction: Cincinnati 41 – Fresno State 28
Wisconsin Badgers (-19.5) @ UNLV Runnin' Rebels
Saturday, September 2nd
11:00 ET, Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, NV

New Rebs HC Bobby Hauck made the first huge decision of his head coaching career when he named QB Mike Clausen his starter for this crucial, potentially program changing duel with the Badgers. Unfortunately for Hauck and UNLV, this is still a team that doesn't have the horses defensively to stop Wisky. Most years, the Badgers have a subpar offense and a stellar defense, but QB Scott Tolzien might be the best signal caller this team has had in well over a decade. This is also the first game of the potential Heisman Trophy campaign for RB John Clay. With Alabama's Mark Ingram sidelined, Clay might be the best running back in the nation that no one is talking about. This is a bunch of Badgers that might be severely underrated. This game is going to be the first of a slew of huge wins for a team that we think could be a big time sleeper in the Big Ten. The Badgers will round out Saturday night's slate with a monstrous victory over a hapless and unsuspecting foe.

Prediction: Wisconsin 51 – UNLV 20

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