Stuck Picks 2 (Final)
Stuck Picks 2 (Final)
Not a lot happened with the lines that I understood this week. Only a couple of games added on Friday, and unless something dramatic happens, there should be no more this week. Here are my picks and a few comments.
Ohio +10'
Va Tech -1
UGA -6'
MTSU +5
Tulane -4'
Florida -8
Arizona pick 'em
W. Virginia -3
LSU -2'
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Vandy +7
UL-Lafayette -2'
Va Tech +3'
All wagers weighted the same.
I still stand by my belief that UGA will lose 2-3 games this year. I do not believe that this will be one of them. My feeling is that UGA will score often in this game, and I suspect that Az St will simply wear out by the second half.
UCLA>Tennessee. Everyone Else> UCLA, therefore Florida >> UT. (Scissors>Paper>Rocks>Scissors, if you know what I mean). Seriously, when is the last time Phat Phil outsmarted anyone (other than certain UT boosters).
LSU! Wow, I do not like Les Miles, so I really hate to do this. Les Miles is the Urban Meyer of the swampy, gator-infested..., wait, this analogy isnt going anywhere. Here is my take on this situation. Tommy Tuberville has a massive reputation as a big game coach, and neither I, nor UF fans, can take any exception to this. He has done VERY well in games where AU is the dog to a top-ranked team. That said, I think that that is ALL that is behind this spread. The AU players to justify this simply arent there - not that they are injured, its that they dont go to school at Auburn. Tommy T will probably have a good enough game plan to hold it close in the first half, but he has never, to my recollection, made any successful half-time adjustment other than to yell at his players to play harder or they'll lose to Miss St. And another thing, 3rd and 18, down 2 scores late in the 4th was a certain draw play before Al Borges got there. Big Al is gone now... I think LSU will pull away in the second half.
Lastly, Va Tech. You know on those poker shows on TV, you sometimes see or hear that some pro has called and paid off a bet not because they think they're going to win, but just to see the other guy's hand? That's why I made a second bet on VaTech at +3'. Va Tech came out as the favorite, and as far as I was concerned, rightly so. Early betting sharps did not see a bad line here, so it was NOT hammered on Sunday. Over the ensuing week, it has moved 4 1/2 points to Va Tech +3'. Some folks say this is homer money based on last week's performance. No way. This is a huge swing thru 2 important numbers that the books are loathe to ever make. This looks like a line by the books begging folks to take Va Tech, and like playing games with street hustlers, sometimes you've got to take the sucker bet just to see what happens.
