NCAA Football
INDIANA @ WASHINGTON Sept 6/03
Washington has won 16 of 17 home openers SU . The Hoosiers are 6-13 ATS L9 on the road. Look for Neuheisels offensively orientated Huskies to score at will vs what appears to be a very unstable version of the Hoosiers. I like the Huskies here by a landslide.
Take the Huskies (-23)
MARSHALL @ TENNESSEE Sept 6/03
Marshall when playing outside of its own MAC conference has gone 5-0 ATS L5..Marshall is also 1-5 ATS L6 on the road. The Thundering Herd are 0-6 ATS vs non conference oppostion as road dogs The loss of superstar QB Bryan Leftwich still looms big as untested junior Stan Hall takes over behind center for Marshall. The Volunteers after last seasons less than stellar performance will be out to make a statement in this affair.note:Look for an exceptionaly strong Vols secondary to keep Marshalls Darius Watts at bay.
Take Tennessee (-19)
LSU @ ARIZONA Sept 6/03
The Wildcats continue to flounder when playing as a host . The desert cats are 3-13 ATS at home as dogs . In the month of September Arizona is 4-12 ATS at home since 93? .Over the L4 years the Wildcats are 4-20 ATS(17%) at home. One of the worst ATS home records in the nation.There will be some changes in Arizona this season as their system changes from a flex defense to a basic 3-4.However despite the changes I am expecting the same dubious results. Note: Arizona loses their only offensive catalyst from 2003 , that being talented WR Bobby Wade. I just love to fade Arizona at home .
Take LSU (-12)
BAYLOR @ NORTH TEXAS Sept 6/03
The Bears have failed to cash in 15 of their last 19 as underdogs and are 2-8 ATS L10 on the road. North Texas are 5-1 ATS L6 at home as a favorite. North Texas is offensively impudent, but fortunately for Mean Green backers their defense is very capable. Last week Baylor looked real good, but that was against a very week UAB defense. Expect Baylor RB Rashad Rashad Armstrong to smash heads with the Sun Belt conferences best defense. Home field advantage, superior defense and coaching take the Mean Green to the SU & ATS win in what I expect to be a very low scoring defensive affair.
Take North Texas (-16)
Alex Smart of Who2beton
<B>9/6 CFB FREEBIES
WASHINGTON STATE VS. NOTRE DAME 2:30 EST</B>
HC Willingham & the Irish look to get off on the right foot this afternoon against Wazzou in front of the Golden Domer faithful. I have them pegged to make some real noise this season since they?re one of the most talented teams in the country. Their schedules a bitch, so we expect them to put forth a solid effort before packing their bags and heading to Ann Arbor next weekend. ND stormed out of the gates a year ago by winning and covering their first 8 games. They were upset by BC at home, but still finished out the season at a respectable 10-3. This season looks to be a big one as most of last year?s squad returns with another year of experience under their belt. They?re loaded with experience & talent at just about every position, and have a major advantage in just about every category over the Cougars. Washington State loses its stud QB from a year ago, its top WR, stud D-lineman, and one of the best cover men in the country a year ago. That?s a lot of impact players to overcome, and the fact that this is their first road trip under a new HC spells trouble on this day. Wazzou got to play its first game of the year last week vs. Idaho, and the stats sounded off some alarms. They rushed for close to 300 yards with solid RB Jermaine Green & Co, but passed for under 100 yards. They won?t come close to rushing that much vs. ND?s defense, so it?ll be interesting to see how QB Kegel fairs vs. one of the best secondaries in the country. The Irish have way too much speed for the Cougars offense to match-up with. Add into the mix that HC Willingham is familiar with the Cougars schemes on both sides of the ball from his days at Stanford, and you?ve got a recipe for disaster for Wazzou this afternoon. I have the Irish installed us 2 TD home chalks in this one, and I?m thrilled with the line value were getting in this one. Wazzou went on the road a year ago into a hostile environment, and got smoked by a solid Buckeye defense. We see the mirror image occurring this afternoon. The fact that ND is 6-1 SU & 5-2 ATS their L/7 home openers shows us that the Irish come ready to play to open the season up in ND Stadium.
<B>RECOMMENDATION: NOTRE DAME (-6) VS. WAZZOU
UNLV VS. KANSAS 7:00 EST</B>
Most will tell you that the Runnin? Rebs are the side in this one, but I beg to differ. Kansas is a much-improved team this year, & showed a bunch of heart last week against Northwestern. They were down 14-0 in a torrential downpour, and then got TD scores from their defense and special teams. They eventually fell to the Wildcats 28-20, but I believe they gained some much-needed confidence to start off the year. UNLV completely dominated their game against Toledo, but saw themselves down by 4 points going into the 4th quarter. QB Kurt Nantkes completed an awesome pass to his Tight End to take the lead, and then scored 1 play after the defense forced a turnover. UNLV is still a very undisciplined squad under HC Robinson. The amount of penalties they were flagged for was just ridiculous, and I don?t foresee them cutting down on that problem in just 1 week?s time. KU finally has themselves a solid QB with a bunch of speedy WR?s. Toledo had success downfield on the Reb?s secondary, so we expect more of the same for the Jayhawks. KU covered as a 14-point dog in Sam Boyd last season, so they?re familiar with the Rebs plan of attack. I have KU installed as a 7-point home pup in this one, so we?re getting a few points of value backing the Hawks. UNLV?s a woeful 4-13 ATS on artificial turf the L/6 year?s, & 1-3 ATS vs. the Big 12. This looks to be a bit much chalk for UNLV to be laying in this spot, so we?ll take a stab with the home pup. ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK?GO KU!!!!!
<B>RECOMMENDATION: KANSAS (+11?) VS. UNLV
WEST VIRGINIA VS. EAST CAROLINA 7:00 EST</B>
Some might tell you that WV?s first effort of the season was an overall success even though they lost SU, but I beg to differ. Wiscy completely dominated the game. They racked up 438 yards of offense while grabbing 26 first downs against the Mounty?s inexperienced defense. They penetrated WV territory in 10 of their 13 drives, but shot themselves in the foot with missed FG?s & turnovers. Bottom line, the final score doesn?t represent what truly happened on that field. WV was severely outmatched, and I have to believe Wiscy?s first game jitters prohibited them from running away with this one. ECU?s first game performance was abysmal at Cincy, but they?re a much better team than they showed. I feel their performance was by no means a true barometer as to what they?re all about this season. The first game for the new coaching staff also played a role as well. ECU was severely outplayed, out-hustled, and out-coached in this one. They have a potent offense that never really got to flex its muscle, but we see them being a bit more relaxed tonight in their own backyard. They?ll be able to move the ball and score on the Mounty?s defense. WV is 1-3-1 ATS vs. ECU since 1986, and that lone win ATS came last season as they rolled the Pirates up 37-17. This line came out at WV (-7?) & has already been bet up 2 points. I?ve got WV installed as a TD favorite in this one, but I see ECU as having major perception value this week & we're going to roll the dice with the revenge minded home dog.
<B>RECOMMENDATION: ECU (+9?) VS WEST VIRGINIA </B>
Mike Rose of Who2beton
INDIANA @ WASHINGTON Sept 6/03
Washington has won 16 of 17 home openers SU . The Hoosiers are 6-13 ATS L9 on the road. Look for Neuheisels offensively orientated Huskies to score at will vs what appears to be a very unstable version of the Hoosiers. I like the Huskies here by a landslide.
Take the Huskies (-23)
MARSHALL @ TENNESSEE Sept 6/03
Marshall when playing outside of its own MAC conference has gone 5-0 ATS L5..Marshall is also 1-5 ATS L6 on the road. The Thundering Herd are 0-6 ATS vs non conference oppostion as road dogs The loss of superstar QB Bryan Leftwich still looms big as untested junior Stan Hall takes over behind center for Marshall. The Volunteers after last seasons less than stellar performance will be out to make a statement in this affair.note:Look for an exceptionaly strong Vols secondary to keep Marshalls Darius Watts at bay.
Take Tennessee (-19)
LSU @ ARIZONA Sept 6/03
The Wildcats continue to flounder when playing as a host . The desert cats are 3-13 ATS at home as dogs . In the month of September Arizona is 4-12 ATS at home since 93? .Over the L4 years the Wildcats are 4-20 ATS(17%) at home. One of the worst ATS home records in the nation.There will be some changes in Arizona this season as their system changes from a flex defense to a basic 3-4.However despite the changes I am expecting the same dubious results. Note: Arizona loses their only offensive catalyst from 2003 , that being talented WR Bobby Wade. I just love to fade Arizona at home .
Take LSU (-12)
BAYLOR @ NORTH TEXAS Sept 6/03
The Bears have failed to cash in 15 of their last 19 as underdogs and are 2-8 ATS L10 on the road. North Texas are 5-1 ATS L6 at home as a favorite. North Texas is offensively impudent, but fortunately for Mean Green backers their defense is very capable. Last week Baylor looked real good, but that was against a very week UAB defense. Expect Baylor RB Rashad Rashad Armstrong to smash heads with the Sun Belt conferences best defense. Home field advantage, superior defense and coaching take the Mean Green to the SU & ATS win in what I expect to be a very low scoring defensive affair.
Take North Texas (-16)
Alex Smart of Who2beton
<B>9/6 CFB FREEBIES
WASHINGTON STATE VS. NOTRE DAME 2:30 EST</B>
HC Willingham & the Irish look to get off on the right foot this afternoon against Wazzou in front of the Golden Domer faithful. I have them pegged to make some real noise this season since they?re one of the most talented teams in the country. Their schedules a bitch, so we expect them to put forth a solid effort before packing their bags and heading to Ann Arbor next weekend. ND stormed out of the gates a year ago by winning and covering their first 8 games. They were upset by BC at home, but still finished out the season at a respectable 10-3. This season looks to be a big one as most of last year?s squad returns with another year of experience under their belt. They?re loaded with experience & talent at just about every position, and have a major advantage in just about every category over the Cougars. Washington State loses its stud QB from a year ago, its top WR, stud D-lineman, and one of the best cover men in the country a year ago. That?s a lot of impact players to overcome, and the fact that this is their first road trip under a new HC spells trouble on this day. Wazzou got to play its first game of the year last week vs. Idaho, and the stats sounded off some alarms. They rushed for close to 300 yards with solid RB Jermaine Green & Co, but passed for under 100 yards. They won?t come close to rushing that much vs. ND?s defense, so it?ll be interesting to see how QB Kegel fairs vs. one of the best secondaries in the country. The Irish have way too much speed for the Cougars offense to match-up with. Add into the mix that HC Willingham is familiar with the Cougars schemes on both sides of the ball from his days at Stanford, and you?ve got a recipe for disaster for Wazzou this afternoon. I have the Irish installed us 2 TD home chalks in this one, and I?m thrilled with the line value were getting in this one. Wazzou went on the road a year ago into a hostile environment, and got smoked by a solid Buckeye defense. We see the mirror image occurring this afternoon. The fact that ND is 6-1 SU & 5-2 ATS their L/7 home openers shows us that the Irish come ready to play to open the season up in ND Stadium.
<B>RECOMMENDATION: NOTRE DAME (-6) VS. WAZZOU
UNLV VS. KANSAS 7:00 EST</B>
Most will tell you that the Runnin? Rebs are the side in this one, but I beg to differ. Kansas is a much-improved team this year, & showed a bunch of heart last week against Northwestern. They were down 14-0 in a torrential downpour, and then got TD scores from their defense and special teams. They eventually fell to the Wildcats 28-20, but I believe they gained some much-needed confidence to start off the year. UNLV completely dominated their game against Toledo, but saw themselves down by 4 points going into the 4th quarter. QB Kurt Nantkes completed an awesome pass to his Tight End to take the lead, and then scored 1 play after the defense forced a turnover. UNLV is still a very undisciplined squad under HC Robinson. The amount of penalties they were flagged for was just ridiculous, and I don?t foresee them cutting down on that problem in just 1 week?s time. KU finally has themselves a solid QB with a bunch of speedy WR?s. Toledo had success downfield on the Reb?s secondary, so we expect more of the same for the Jayhawks. KU covered as a 14-point dog in Sam Boyd last season, so they?re familiar with the Rebs plan of attack. I have KU installed as a 7-point home pup in this one, so we?re getting a few points of value backing the Hawks. UNLV?s a woeful 4-13 ATS on artificial turf the L/6 year?s, & 1-3 ATS vs. the Big 12. This looks to be a bit much chalk for UNLV to be laying in this spot, so we?ll take a stab with the home pup. ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK?GO KU!!!!!
<B>RECOMMENDATION: KANSAS (+11?) VS. UNLV
WEST VIRGINIA VS. EAST CAROLINA 7:00 EST</B>
Some might tell you that WV?s first effort of the season was an overall success even though they lost SU, but I beg to differ. Wiscy completely dominated the game. They racked up 438 yards of offense while grabbing 26 first downs against the Mounty?s inexperienced defense. They penetrated WV territory in 10 of their 13 drives, but shot themselves in the foot with missed FG?s & turnovers. Bottom line, the final score doesn?t represent what truly happened on that field. WV was severely outmatched, and I have to believe Wiscy?s first game jitters prohibited them from running away with this one. ECU?s first game performance was abysmal at Cincy, but they?re a much better team than they showed. I feel their performance was by no means a true barometer as to what they?re all about this season. The first game for the new coaching staff also played a role as well. ECU was severely outplayed, out-hustled, and out-coached in this one. They have a potent offense that never really got to flex its muscle, but we see them being a bit more relaxed tonight in their own backyard. They?ll be able to move the ball and score on the Mounty?s defense. WV is 1-3-1 ATS vs. ECU since 1986, and that lone win ATS came last season as they rolled the Pirates up 37-17. This line came out at WV (-7?) & has already been bet up 2 points. I?ve got WV installed as a TD favorite in this one, but I see ECU as having major perception value this week & we're going to roll the dice with the revenge minded home dog.
<B>RECOMMENDATION: ECU (+9?) VS WEST VIRGINIA </B>
Mike Rose of Who2beton
