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September 24th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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Bowling Green Falcons (+25.5) @ Michigan Wolverines
Saturday, September 25th
12:00 ET, Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI

A week after the Wolverines really struggled with the Massachusetts Minutemen, they have to get right back at it against a relatively potent Bowling Green offense. We all know how good QB Denard Robinson is, and we aren't doubting that he is going to go off for 400+ yards of total offense and five scores in this one, as Bowling Green's defense is flat out terrible. However, the Falcons are a 3-0 ATS team this year for a reason. The oddsmakers still aren't giving them nearly enough respect. Yes, QB Tyler Sheehan and WR Freddie Barnes are both gone, but the combination of QB Aaron Pankratz and WR Kamar Jorden should be enough to beat this number. QB Matt Schilz is out of action in this one, but are we really going to miss a guy who has thrown for just two scores and four picks on the year? We think not. The Falcons will stick around in this game and improve to 8-0-1 ATS in their L/9 overall.

Prediction: Michigan 41 – Bowling Green 24
NC State Wolfpack (+8) @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Saturday, September 25th
12:00 ET, Bobby Dodd Stadium, Atlanta, GA

The Techsters need to be awfully careful in this game. The team with the best rush defense right now in the ACC has been NC State, and this is a team that really can do some damage this year. QB Russell Wilson just doesn't throw interceptions, and this year has been no exception to the rule that he started in his freshman season three years ago. If HC Tom O'Brien's defense can force just a couple turnovers and ground the triple option of Georgia Tech for just a few drives, Wilson and the offense have the skill to do some real damage here. Don't be so sure that the Ramblin' Wreck are rolling to 2-0 in conference play. This NC State team reminds us a lot of the team that O'Brien left a few years ago, as his first season away from Boston College was when the Eagles moved up as high as No. 2 in the land. A college football upset might be in the cards on Saturday.

Prediction: NC State 30 – Georgia Tech 27
Alabama Crimson Tide @ Arkansas Razorbacks (+7)
Saturday, September 25th
3:30 ET, Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, AR

Yesterday, we called for QB Ryan Mallett to lead the Hogs to an upset of the Crimson Tide, and for good reason. He is the only 1,000 yard passer in the nation coming into this week, and he is going to test the newly constructed Alabama defense for the first time all season. This isn't a freshman quarterback coming to Tuscaloosa under the lights like it was a few weeks ago for the Tide against the Penn State Nittany Lions, and though QB Sean Renfree is solid for the Duke Blue Devils, the Razorbacks are certainly several steps up from the ACC cellar dwellers. Alabama is the best team in the nation and we aren't taking anything away from it. However, HC Nick Saban knows that his team has one get out of jail free card under its belt this year, as even an 11-1 (or as the case may have it, 12-1) Crimson Tide team is probably heading to the BCS Championship. The duel with Florida next week might still be first and foremost in the Tide's minds, which could lead for the shocking upset that will shake the nation.

Prediction: Arkansas 35 – Alabama 31
Eastern Michigan Eagles (+44.5) @ Ohio State Buckeyes
Saturday, September 25th
3:30 ET, Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH

We aren't exactly calling for an outright upset here, but we have plenty of reason to believe that the Eagles can stick around and at least make this final score look somewhat respectable on Saturday afternoon. First of all, the Buckeyes clearly have bigger fish to fry, as there are plenty of upcoming games against Big Ten foes that are going to be significantly more challenging than this. But the play of Eastern Michigan is improving week by week, and we think that it's only a matter of time until this dreaded losing streak that dates back to 2008 will go by the boards. QB Alex Gillett and RB Dwayne Priest are capable of putting a TD on the board against this defense in garbage time, and if that happens, it's going to take quite the effort from the standpoint of the Buckeyes to beat this hefty spread. We tend to think that OSU is going to leave EMU with a shred of confidence to back to Ypsilanti with.

Prediction: Ohio State 41 – Eastern Michigan 7
UCLA Bruins @ Texas Longhorns (-15.5)
Saturday, September 25th
3:30 ET, Royal Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, TX

Many are going to be on the bandwagon of HC Rick Neuheisel and company this weekend due to the fact that the Bruins are coming off of a big 31-13 upset of the Houston Cougars from last week. However, we know that without the services of QB Case Keenum (let alone his backup), Houston is nothing more than a mediocre team from a mediocre (at best) conference. This is a totally new challenge. Laying this many points with a Texas offense that has looked shaky in all three of its games is dangerous, but how on earth is UCLA scoring in this one? The Bruins have RB Johnathan Franklin, but the 'Horns have the top rushing 'D' in the land now two years running. Is QB Kevin Prince going to put points on the board? We don't think so. It's going to take a lot more than 45 percent completions to score on the men in burnt orange, and the end result here should be a whitewashing. If the Longhorns find even some sort of an offense, this NCAA football spread will never be in doubt.

Prediction: Texas 31 – UCLA 3
Stanford Cardinal @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+4.5)
Saturday, September 25th
3:30 ET, Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN

Bottom line: The wrong team is favored in this game. Without WR Ryan Whalen in the lineup, the Cardinal are going to be missing a key component in the passing game, and this is going to be the first time their defense is going to run up against a formidable opponent all season long. Irish eyes haven't been smiling on Notre Dame yet this year, but that could all change on Saturday. The Irish are a miserable team in front of their hometown crowd, going just 4-10 ATS in their L/14 overall there, but all of that is going to change on Saturday. The Golden Domers have covered three straight and seven out of nine in this series. Make it four straight and eight out of ten on Saturday with an easy outright upset that makes the oddsmakers cry about the line they set. This one might never be that close either and certainly doesn't qualify as a huge upset in our eyes.

Prediction: Notre Dame 37 – Stanford 20
Temple Owls (+14) @ Penn State Nittany Lions
Saturday, September 25th
3:30 ET, Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA

Last week, the Kent State Golden Flashes were three TD underdogs to the Nittany Lions and came up just short of the cover. Is Temple really only seven points better than Kent State? We tend to believe not. These two teams have a history against each other, and it isn't a good one for the Owls. PSU has absolutely owned them over the last two decades, and don't think for one second that this isn't going to be used as motivation in that Temple locker room. The Owls are solid this year and could legitimately be a Top 25 team by season's end. RB Bernard Pierce and QB Chester Stewart are as good as anything that the Nittany Lions are trotting out there right now. If the running game with RB Evan Royster can't get going, Penn State is going to be on major upset alert. We tend to think that the Nittany Lions are going to escape Happy Valley with another 'W', but this is going to be significantly closer than recent history suggests.

Prediction: Penn State 27 – Temple 21
Wake Forest Demon Deacons @ Florida State Seminoles (-19)
Saturday, September 25th
3:30 ET, Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, FL

Welcome to our beat down of the week! The Seminoles absolutely have the Demon Deacons outmatched this week, and it should show on the field. QB Christian Ponder has really yet to have a rock solid game this season, and that could change against a Wake Forest defense that has been absolutely mauled all season long. Is Florida State as good as Stanford was last week in a 68-24 win? Nah. But we don't need a 44 point beating. We just need a three TD beating. The Noles are coming off of their best defensive game in years, a 34-10 victory over the BYU Cougars. Keep in mind that the last two trips to Tallahassee for the Deacs have resulted in upset wins of 12-3 and 30-0. That's going to be all that HC Jimbo Fisher is talking about all week and all day leading up to that 3:30 kickoff. The heat will be too much for Wake Forest to take this time around, and as long as the garnet and gold show up with at least a few stops, the offense is going to be able to slam this defense time and time again. The cover won't be in doubt in the fourth quarter at any point.

Prediction: Florida State 51 – Wake Forest 20

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September 23rd, 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 4 of college football betting action!

SMU Mustangs (+700 at Diamond Sportsbook) vs. TCU Horned Frogs, Friday 8:00 ET: It's not often that we think that a team that is a 17.5 point underdog can reasonably win a game outright, but SMU really has a chance in this one. The passing assault with QB Kyle Padron is good enough to lead the Mustangs to victory over almost any team in the country, anywhere. The key though is that this one is going to be played at home, not on the road, and we've already seen just how dangerous the 'Stangs can be there when they nearly toppled Texas Tech the day before Labor Day. TCU is good… In fact, TCU is great. However, the Horned Frogs are walking into what might be a very, very dangerous trap this week. HC Gary Patterson knows that there are some strong competitors waiting to make names for themselves and the HC June Jones on the other sideline is a natural at pulling off upsets like this to ruin a team's season.

Arkansas Razorbacks (+230 at Diamond Sportsbook) vs. Alabama Crimson Tide, Saturday, 3:30 ET: Sure, we realize that everyone and their brother is calling this upset and that picking against the No. 1 team in the land, a team that hasn't lost a game since the 2009 Sugar Bowl probably isn't all that wise, but we are going to go there anyway. QB Ryan Mallett has a chance not just to become the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, but we think he can legitimately win it going away with a big performance this weekend. And why not? This is the first legitimate test to an Alabama defense which has lost ten of its 11 starters from a year ago and will be tested for the first time against some big time competition. We know that HC Nick Saban isn't one to worry about the road ahead, but if we're members of the Crimson Tide, we're sitting there wondering how we're going to get through a schedule ahead that features games against Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee, and South Carolina. Just getting through the first of the four games is going to be a major, major hassle.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+170 at Diamond Sportsbook) vs. Stanford Cardinal, Saturday, 3:30 ET: We're continuing with the theme of the home dogs in this one. We've discussed time and time again and prospects of perception in NCAA football betting. The perception on Notre Dame isn't great. The Irish are just 1-2 this season and just barely covered their first spread of the season last week in spite of the fact that it took a fluke, trick play in overtime to beat them in East Lansing. Meanwhile, perception on Stanford is great. The Cardinal are in the Top 25 and just came off of a huge beat down against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. The problem is that Stanford really isn't this good and Notre Dame isn't this bad. QB Dayne Crist might be the better signal caller of the two in this game, even though we do love QB Andrew Luck. This is a long, long road trip for the Cardinal, and the last time they won in South Bend in a number of seasons, and there doesn't seem to be a good reason to make them such a big favorite in this game. This is a tremendous price on the Irish.

West Virginia Mountaineers (+250 at Diamond Sportsbook) @ LSU Tigers, Saturday, 9:00 ET: Are we certifiably insane to pick against the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge at night? West Virginia is a stronger team than it is letting on to at this point, and though QB Geno Smith really hasn't come forth with a huge outing on the road yet this year, this is a grand opportunity. We hate the Tigers this year and we know that the offense isn't going to be able to get through this defense for enough points to beat this type of a number if the Mountaineers end up scoring some points. Don't be shocked to see this game turn out to be a big, big upset that spoils the SEC and gives a huge boost to a Big East conference that is considered the weakest of the BCS conferences in the country.

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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 10th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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San Jose State Spartans (+38.5) @ Wisconsin Badgers
Saturday, September 11th
12:00 ET, Camp Randall, Madison, WI

Look, we know that the Badgers are clearly the superior team in this game, but San Jose State showed at least a little bit of spunk last week against one of the best teams (and probably THE best team) in the country. Going into Camp Randall certainly is no more fun than going into Tuscaloosa, but there is no reason for this college football betting line to be higher than the one that Spartans had on their side against the defending champs last week. Wisconsin allowed 21 points to lowly UNLV this week, and only conceding half of that will probably result in a number that won't be conducive to covering this spread. Wisconsin's offense is as good as it has been this year, but asking this team to drop near 50 on anyone in the country is a tall, tall task.

Prediction: Wisconsin 41 – San Jose State 10
Georgia Bulldogs @ South Carolina Gamecocks (-3)
Saturday, September 11th
12:00 ET, Williams-Bryce Stadium, Columbia, SC

The Gamecocks were one of the more impressive teams in the land last week, which is why the AP Poll bounced them into the Top 25. Still, the coaches aren't on board yet with the Cocks, which sets up one of those prototypical situations where an unranked team is favored over a ranked team while playing at home. Even though we know we're exaggerating, it feels like this cashes in for the team favored team virtually 100% of the time, and we aren't ones to go against that trend. Congrats to the Bulldogs for beating Louisiana-Lafayette 55-7 last Saturday. You won't be so lucky this week without WR AJ Green once again, as South Carolina is out to prove that it is in the class of the SEC East this year and not a doormat like it has been for the majority of the Steve Spurrier era.

Prediction: South Carolina 34 – Georgia 16
Michigan State Spartans (-28) vs. Florida Atlantic Owls
Saturday, September 11th
12:00 ET, Ford Field, Detroit, MI

Some "home game" this is for the Owls, huh? You've always gotta love when the schedule makers try their best to make you feel better by telling you that you're the "host" of a game that is about 100 times further away from your campus than it is from the team that is technically "visiting" you… Anyway, FAU caught lightning in a bottle last week in a narrow win over UAB. Both of those teams are trying to do a huge rebuilding job. Last week, we saw that Michigan State does have an offense competent enough to score 40+ points against the worst teams on its schedule. That's been the problem for Sparty over the years, though. They're good enough to beat the worst teams down, but not good enough to even remotely compete with the big boys. Fortunately for MSU, this is a bad team that it is running up against on Saturday. Take the "visitors" here by a comfortable margin of more than four scores.

Prediction: Michigan State 41 – Georgia 10
Iowa State Cyclones @ Iowa Hawkeyes (-13.5)
Saturday, September 11th
3:30 ET, Kinnick Field, Iowa City, IA

The annual rivalry between Iowa and Iowa State heads to Kinnick this season, a place where the Hawkeyes have won in this series every year since 2002. The home team had won five straight before last year when the Hawkeyes opened a can on ISU 35-3. That also stopped a run of five straight covers for the Cyclones. This year is probably largely going to be the same story as last season. Iowa just has a superior team, and we aren't so sure why the oddsmakers aren't giving the hosts a tad more respect. Do they think this is a look ahead game for the Hawkeyes with Arizona coming up next week? We can't imagine a Kirk Ferentz coached team being caught with its pants down. ISU is okay, and it is clearly that defensively, there have been some changes. But if QB Austen Arnaud can only put 27 points up on Northern Iowa, we tend to think that he is going to struggle to do a lot more than the three he managed last year at home against Iowa. The Hawkeyes should be ready to make their statement after handling Eastern Illinois without incident last week.

Prediction: Iowa 27 – Iowa State 7
Florida State Seminoles (+7) @ Oklahoma Sooners
Saturday, September 11th
3:30 ET, Oklahoma Stadium, Norman, OK

It's sad to think that this is legitimately the undercard game for the Canes and Buckeyes going on at the same time. Still, the Noles are going to go in search of their first major victory of the Jimbo Fisher era, and if it comes, it'll be at the expense of an Oklahoma team that will officially be in a tailspin. That tailspin came close to being underway last week against Utah State, a team that had no business only losing 31-24 in Norman. If QB Landry Jones has any hopes of becoming the Heisman Trophy winner this year, he needs to have the game of his life in a beat down of the garnet and gold. Unfortunately for him, FSU's QB Christian Ponder is saying the exact same thing. Though we haven't seen either team take on legitimate competition this year, we know that OU's strengths have yet to shine, while Florida State looks like a team on the rise. Don't be shocked to see the upset here in what should be a very, very fun game that you should be keeping a close eye on while flipping back to UM/OSU.

Prediction: Florida State 31 – Oklahoma 27
Michigan Wolverines (+3.5) @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Saturday, September 11th
3:30 ET, Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN

We are never too keen about a game that pits the Irish and Wolverines against each other, because at least as of recent years, we haven't been thrilled about the way either team is playing. We continued to not be overly impressed with the Irish last week, as they needed to slip past a Purdue team that was playing without its best player and is clearly in rebuilding mode. However, Big Blue was a story of big difference. All of a sudden, QB Denard Robinson looked like Pat White Jr. out there for HC Rich Rodriguez, as he was making the throws necessary to take down the Connecticut Huskies and when nothing was available in the pocket, he was running and doing so for huge chunks of yards. Granted, a lot of people got excited when QB Tate Forcier largely did the same thing at the beginning of last season, so we're still tempered. However, it's clear that between these two squads, Michigan is the lesser of the evils at this point.

Prediction: Michigan 38 – Notre Dame 30
Miami Hurricanes @ Ohio State Buckeyes (-8.5)
Saturday, September 11th
3:40 ET, Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH

This is the second game going on at the exact same time that is a rematch of a previous National Championship Game. The Buckeyes looked the role of one of the best teams in the country last week in a virtually flawless domination of the Marshall Thundering Herd. The problem is, you could say the same thing about the Canes in their destruction of the Florida A&M Rattlers. Unfortunately, neither team has really proven much yet. Here's what we do know, though. We know that this game is in Columbus, a place where most good teams not named Texas and USC come to die. We know that the Buckeyes have a stifling defense that can stop anyone in the country (see: 2009 Oregon Ducks). We also know that QB Terrelle Pryor for OSU and QB Jacory Harris for Miami are largely on a level playing field. Harris will do a bit more with his arm. Pryor a bit more with his legs. Still, Miami's defense has a bunch of talent and speed, but a lot of question marks. This could be a real slug fest from the get go. Still, in the end, we tend to believe that Harris, while using that cannon of a right arm, is going to make that one mistake that "The U" doesn't recover from, as Ohio State makes its case to be the No. 1 team in the country.

Prediction: Ohio State 21 – Miami 10
BYU Cougars @ Air Force Falcons (-1)
Saturday, September 11th
4:00 ET, Falcon Stadium, Colorado Springs, CO

We know that the Cougars have won six straight in this series both SU and ATS. We know that Air Force's defense didn't put up the most stellar effort in the world against a lousy Northwestern State team last week. We know that the Cougars stomped QB Jake Locker and the Washington Huskies in Week 1 as well. However, there's something about taking a true freshman quarterback on the road for his first real test that scares us. It's true that both QBs Jake Heaps and Riley Nelson looked good last week against U-Dub, but this could be a significantly different challenge. Air Force is going to deploy about a million different players on offense, and a ton of them are returners that have a lot of experience. These Falcons have never beaten BYU, and you have to believe that this is a game that has been circled on the calendar for quite some time for them. Air Force is 11-5 ATS in its L/16 games played at home… This is a very, very interesting line that we tend to want to take advantage of.

Prediction: Air Force 37 – BYU 31

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

Perennial powers in the college basketball betting world will collide in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night when the #9 Wake Forest Demon Deacons (19-10, 15-11 ATS) do battle with the #8 Texas Longhorns (24-9, 10-19 ATS).

What's At Stake: The winner of this game will most likely get a chance to take on the #1 Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday for the right to go to the Sweet 16 in March Madness. The loser's season comes to a bitter and premature ending by their standards.

College Basketball Odds: Texas -5 at JustBet Sportsbook

Wake Forest Notes: The Demon Deacons put themselves in a lot of hot water for this tournament by losing four straight games right at the end of the regular season. As a result of that and a first round elimination in the ACC Tournament, they still haven't even reached 20 wins, making them one of the few teams amongst these 64 left standing that can say that. Thanks to a high-motor offense that takes a lot of shots and a defense which forces a ton of bad shots, the Deacs are a tremendous rebounding team, averaging a whopping 39.4 per game against 34.7 for the opposition. Wake's offense is stellar at 73.0 points per game, but its defense makes it go, allowing teams to shoot just 38.3% from the floor on the year.

Texas Notes: Speaking of teams that fell a long way in a hurry… Remember when Texas was ranked #1 in the country and considered a shoe-in for a #1 seed in the dance? What happened? The Horns stumbled in Big XII play and are now subjected to a very, very difficult road to the Sweet 16. Much like Wake Forest, Texas is a tremendous rebounding team thanks to its size and length. It is averaging almost an identical number of rebounds per game as the Demon Deacons (39.5 per game), but it is +9.1 rebounds per game as compared to the +4.6 for its foes. The Longhorns have the seventh ranked offense in the nation at 81.2 points per game.

Players to Watch

Aminu Al-Farouq, Wake Forest Demon Deacons: Averaging 15.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game isn't easy over the course of a season, particularly in the ACC. But Al-Farouq not only pulled it off this year, but he expected significantly better. The big man has had four straight very poor games, averaging just 9.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, numbers that must improve if the Demon Deacons are getting through Round 1 of the tournament.

Damion James, Texas Longhorns: James' descent this year was also a big part of the reason for the Longhorns' decline. He never completely fell off the face of the earth like the team did though, as he has scored in double digits in all but three games this year and had 17 double-doubles. Much like Al-Farouq, James is averaging a double-double per game at 18.0 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.

Trends of Note

-Wake Forest is 6-0 ATS in its L/6 games against teams with a winning percentage of at least .600
-Wake Forest is 10-1 ATS in its L/11 games as a underdog of less than seven points
-Wake Forest is just 6-24 ATS in its L/30 neutral site games
-Texas is 6-2 ATS in its L/8 games against ACC opponents
-Texas is 3-11 ATS in its L/14 games as a favorite
-Texas is 3-14 ATS in its L/17 games against teams with a winning record
-Texas is 2-0 ATS in the L/2 meetings with Wake Forest (both in 2004)

Final Analysis: This is a hefty pointspread for a game that looks like it is largely a tossup. The Longhorns get a bid of a nod for their rebounding advantage and the fact that they played so well outside of the Big XII this year, but Wake Forest has enough weapons both on the inside and the outside to keep up with Texas if the boys in burnt orange try to make this a track meet. Even if the Horns advance, Wake should stay in front of this number.

Selection: Wake Forest +5

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

It's easy as pie to just come out and say that John Wall, Evan Turner, Sherron Collins, or Greg Monroe is going to be the difference maker in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The truth of the matter is that one of those guys is probably going to be in the discussion for the MVP of the dance if their team reaches the Final Four. But here at Cappers Info, we're going to take a look at some of the players that you might not have heard of before that can botch up your brackets if you're not careful!

Omar Samhan, St. Mary's Gaels: If you're an avid hoops watcher on the West Coast, you know that Paddy Mills may not have been the heart and soul of that St. Mary's team of a year ago. Now Samhan, who averaged team highs in both scoring (20.9 points per game) and rebounding (10.9 boards per game), is the undisputed leader of this squad. He's a force in the middle and won't have an equal, let alone a superior to match up with him in the South Bracket, save perhaps Notre Dame's F Luke Harangody. Villanova had better watch out. A potential second round date with St. Mary's could be lethal.

Keith Benson, Oakland Golden Grizzlies: Here's another double-double per night guy that can do some real damage to your brackets right away if you've got the Pitt Panthers going far in the West. Benson was Oakland's leader in several categories, including points (17.0 per game), rebounds (10.5 per game), field goal percentage (53.6%), and blocks (3.4 per game). At 6'11", Benson is a legitimate center. Pitt has the bodies inside to throw at him, but Benson may ultimately be too strong for any of them to contain. The Golden Grizzlies are a potentially very dangerous #14 seed.

Jahmar Young, New Mexico State Aggies: HC Tom Izzo has to know that this guy is going to be a real offensive force in the Spartans' 5/12 game this week. Young is scoring 20.5 points per game this year, and he's coming off of a 19-point WAC Championship Game against Utah State. He's not afraid to stroke the three ball, as he's a 37.6% shooter from beyond the arc, and he's also prolific from the field (46.1%) and the free throw line (83.8%). New Mexico State already played the role of spoiler once when it took down the WAC title. With Young's help, it can do it again to one of last year's NCAA Championship Game squads.

Ryan Wittman, Cornell Big Red: Perhaps if you watched the Cornell/Kansas game earlier this year, you've heard of Wittman. The guy can shoot the rock from anywhere on the court, and he can take the ball in the post if needed as well. Wittman led the Ivy League champs in scoring at 17.5 points per game, and his 42.4% shooting from beyond the arc is a big reason why Cornell led the nation in three point shooting percentage this year. Now, the Big Red will have their toughest task at hand since that trip to Allen Fieldhouse when they have to tackle a Temple team that is #3 in the country in total defense. If Wittman can get going though, Cornell can catch some fire and blow several teams out of the East Bracket.

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February 28th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

Cappers Info takes a look at the ten most significant upsets in the week that was in the sports betting world…

10: Monday – Connecticut Huskies 73 – West Virginia Mountaineers 62: At the outset of the week, the Huskies had to feel like they were left for dead and headed to the NIT. But a huge win at home against West Virginia helped set the stage for their dramatic return to the bubble. It wasn't that it was an upset of epic proportions, as the hosts were only 2.5-point pups, but without that win, we're still leaving UConn outside of the NCAA Tournament.

9: Wednesday – Notre Dame Fighting Irish 68 – Pittsburgh Panthers 53: Ditto here as well. Notre Dame's win over Pittsburgh was just a tad more significantly because it came without F Luke Harangody in the lineup. The slight 1.5-point upset won't be the only time that you see the Irish on this list…

8: Saturday - New Mexico Lobos 83 – BYU Cougars 81: The Mountain West regular season title was likely decided on Saturday afternoon when the Lobos marched into Provo and secured the season sweep of the Cougars. Though it probably won't ultimately end this way, New Mexico has earned the right to be in the discussion for a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament if it can run the table and win the MWC Tournament as well. The oddsmakers were off base quite a bit in this one, as the visitors were hefty eight-point underdogs.

7: Tuesday – Phoenix Suns 104 – Oklahoma City Thunder 102: This was a significant road win for the guests, as it snapped Oklahoma City's long winning streak and moved the Suns into a lot sturdier ground for the playoff chase in the Western Conference. It was also a significant game for the psyche of F Amare Stoudemire, who went off for 30 points just a week after not being traded at the NBA trade deadline as requested.

6: Saturday - Oklahoma State Cowboys 85 – Kansas Jayhawks 77: Any time the #1 team in the land takes a tumble, it's noteworthy. But the fact that that 'W' secured up a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the Pokes, it became that much more relevant. The Cowboys really took it to the Jayhawks from wire to wire and won their biggest game of the season as 5.5-point underdogs in Stillwater.

5: Sunday - Ohio State Buckeyes 74 – Michigan State Spartans 67: It's hard to tell if this was a bigger win for Ohio State or a bigger loss for Michigan State. The Spartans have totally fallen down the brackets in recent weeks, and a home loss to the Buckeyes as short favorites didn't help matters any. It was loss #4 in their L/6 games. For the Buckeyes, they moved one step closer towards the regular season Big Ten title, and considering the fact that Purdue is now without F Robbie Hummel for the rest of the year, they could be on track for a #1 seed in the tourney as well. All it's going to take is a Big Ten Tournament title and it'll probably happen, but none of it would've been possible without the upset in East Lansing.

4: Saturday - New Jersey Nets 104 – Boston Celtics 96: Without a doubt, this is the lowest point in the season for the Celtics. Yes, the C's were playing without G Paul Pierce in the lineup, but there just isn't any excuse to lose at home to one of the worst teams in NBA history when you're as good as Boston is. The hosts have had a miserable time playing at Boston Garden all season, but not even the fans in Beantown saw this one coming. HC Doc Rivers has his work cut out for him to get the Celtics in playoff shape.

3: Saturday - Notre Dame Fighting Irish 78 – Georgetown Hoyas 64: As promised, the Irish are back for their efforts on Saturday in our nation's capitol. The Hoyas laid a total egg for the second time this year at home, and though it won't cost them a spot in the NCAA Tournament, it's going to leave them with a sour taste in their mouths and a significantly more difficult matchup. The Irish are almost certainly on the inside of the field right now, and they proved once again that they have the ability to win without Harangody. When the big man comes back, Notre Dame could be a real force to be reckoned with.

2: Friday - Dallas Mavericks 113 – Atlanta Hawks 103: For the second time in the L/2 weeks, the Mavericks traveled half way across the country and took out one of the big boys in the Eastern Conference. This was a show of grit and character for the Mavericks, who have been sending a big notice to the Lakers and Nuggets in the Western Conference of late. They're here, and they're ready to take over as the new bosses of the West with F Caron Butler, C Brendan Haywood, and G DeShawn Stevenson now in tote.

1: Sunday – United States of America 5 – Canada 3: For the Americans' sake, this will hopefully only be the second biggest upset of the Olympics. The USA dominated the Canadians from the get go, and save a few hairy moments when Team Canada staged a huge comeback in the third period, the Americans really looked to have the better side. All will be settled today in the gold medal game, where the stars and stripes will go in search of their first gold medals in hockey since the 1980 Miracle on Ice.

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