Posts Tagged ‘UNLV Runnin’ Rebels’

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

 
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