Saturday 8/30 Service Plays
top dollar (GOLD MEMBER) 3 months ago // 55 responses // TopSportsBets.com Other Service Plays

Bettorsworld

1* Alabama +5.5 over Clemson – (Ratings on this one will increase if line moves)

This matchup could very well be the game of the week for week one of the 2008 College Football season. We have two proud programs both coming off good years and both looking for big things this year. This game will be played at a neutral site, the Georgia Dome, with an equal number of tickets going to each school.

Certainly, Clemson had the better year last season, going 9-4 while Bama lost it’s last 3 regular season games and finished the year 7-6. But a close look at the Alabama season and we see more than a few games that could have gone their way and had them with a very different record. They lost in OT to Georgia and lost by a TD or less to LSU, Auburn, Florida State, Miss St and Louisiana Monroe. Clemson on the other hand, ended up on the right side of a couple of close ones.

Clemson was the better team a year ago. No argument here. These two had two common opponents a year ago, FSU and ULM and Clemson beat them both while Bama lost to both. But when you take a step back and look at both teams entire body of work, you’d have to come to the conclusion that not much separated them. We already went over Bamas close losses against some top teams. They also beat a good Arkansas team and blew Tennessee off the field.

Clemson lost to Va Tech by 18, lost to Georgia Tech, Boston College and beat South Carolina by 2. All in all were talking similar performances against similar teams. I bring up last season for a reason. In many instances, you simply can’t look back to last season for an indication of the current season, in college football. Key players are lost, coaches change, and so on. However, both of these squads are largely intact from a year ago. Both return a healthy number of starters on offense and both return last years QB’s. Clemson has a couple more defensive starters returning but both teams are in decent shape there.

For some added motivation, Clemson starts out the year ranked #10 in the AP poll while Bama weighs in at 24. So we have two well coached teams of similar talent, playing on a neutral field, with Bama having the added motivation of being the underdog and being ranked lower in the AP. Don’t think these additional motivators are meaningless. It matters. Lastly, all the pressure here is on Clemson. They aren’t just talking ACC title for the Tigers. They are talking National Title.

This is a winnable game for the Crimson Tide. This game opened up Clemson -6 at Bookmaker.com and the sharps quickly ate up those 6’s. At +5 we have just marginal interest. At +6 you’d have our attention. At +7 we’d hardly be able to contain ourselves. With this write up being sent out well in advance, we’ll leave off with the following guidelines for playing this one.

Alabama +5 or 5.5 = 1

Alabama +6 or 6.5 = 2

Alabama +7 = 3

2 East Carolina +10 over Va Tech

Skip Holtz has done a great job with the East Carolina program. He has done, exactly what is expected when a program brings in a coach to turn a program around. He took over a team that was 2-9 in 2004. In 2005 he won 5 games. In 2006 he won 7 and last year he won 8. Hopes are sky high this year as the team is loaded with returning starters at every position including QB where they have to kids who can start. To add to the hype, their toughest two games of the season look to be games 1 and 2 against Va Tech and West Virginia. Every other game on the schedule is winnable. Look for the Pirates to go to a major bowl and also look for the major schools to come calling on Skip Holts.

But, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Right now, we’re concerned with Virginia Tech. These two met on opening day a year ago, an emotional day for Tech, a game in which Tech came away with a 17-7 win. Not much has changed talent wise for Holtz and East Carolina. But lots has changed for the Hokies. They lost their top 4 receivers, their leading rusher and 7 starters from a defense that ranked 4th in the nation. For many programs, that would be huge. But Tech always has talent. Put them right up there with the Michigan’s of the world. As they saying goes, they don’t rebuild, they reload. They win 10 or 11 games just about every year regardless of how many returning starters they have.

But if the door were ever open for a team like the Pirates to pull an upset, it would have to be now. They are a confident bunch that comes into this one knowing they played these guys even last year. They are largely intact from a year ago and have the benefit of having played together whereas Tech will more than likely start slowly with all the new faces. This game is being played in Charlotte, the Panthers home field, before a sellout crowd of over 73,000 which will only ad to the excitement.

We can’t pass up getting 10 points in a game where an upset is not entirely out of the question. We’re not kidding ourselves. We realize East Carolina is no Virginia Tech. You can’t compare the two. Tech is always loaded, and plays a much tougher schedule than East Carolina will ever play. But this looks to be the start of a special season for Holtz and East Carolina, so we’ll take the +10 and hope Tech starts slow as we anticipate and makes this game close heading into the 4th quarter. Another wager that may be worth a look is taking East Carolina in the first half.

Power Sweep Week 1

4* Wyoming over Ohio 38-13
3* USC over Virginia 35-7
3* W Michigan () over Nebraska 27-30
2* Louisiana Tech () over Miss State 20-23
2* Missouri over Illinois 34-21
2* Arkansas State (+) over Texas A&M 17-27

Power Plays

4* Utah
4* Miss
4* Wyoming
4* W.Mich
4* Oregon
4* N.Illinois
4* Missouri
4* Clemson
4* Kansast St

Lucky Lester

Bowling Green Falcons (+13) @ Pittsburgh Panthers

The Bowling Green Falcons bring 17 of 22 starters back to a team that is expected to compete for a WAC crown this season. The Falcons won 5 of their last 6 regular season games in 2007 before getting absolutely crushed in their bowl game against Tulsa. I like that last part. The Falcons have waited all summer, 17 returning starters and many other frustrated kids, to get back on the football field and prove that bowl game was a fluke. In comes the Panthers with one of the best running backs in the Nation and a former pro-football head coach. I like the Falcons’ chances – take them and all those points.

Akron Zips @ Wisconsin Badgers (-26)

As if going into Wisconsin to play the 12th ranked team in the Nation wasn’t a tough enough opener, the Zips have really struggled with injuries during football camp. With a couple junior college transfers and position battles being effected by these injuries, the Zips preparation time for a tough Wisconsin team will be shortened. The Badgers return big names, it seems, when looking at their 2008 starters. P.J. Hill, the ultra talented tailback, and Travis Beckum, one of the most highly touted TEs in college football. Defensively, the Badgers are senior laden with an elite linebacking crew. It may be his first season as a starter, but senior quarterback Allen Evridge has been around for a while. Look for the Badgers to lean heavily on the run and really pound it to the Zips.

Utah Utes (+3.5) @ Michigan Wolverines

The Utes are very good and should win their conference this season. Michigan lost too many good players and are in the midst of a complete turn-around with their new head coach, Rich Rodriguez. I don’t know what else to say besides this, Utah is the better team with a better mentality and they also have nothing to lose in this one. Sign me up for that every single week.

Oklahoma State Cowboys (-6) @ Washington State Cougars

The Cougars weren’t very good a year ago, usually open the season soft, don’t have much of a home-field advantage during the first few weeks of the college football season, lost their star quarterback to graduation, and don’t have much confidence either. Hmm… I don’t like Pac-10 teams that open their seasons against tougher conferences, and that’s what I think this is. The Cowboys might not finish above .500 and they’ll probably look really bad in some games – but not this one. This is a team that, last year showed they can play tight with Kansas and Texas, beat Kansas State, Texas Tech, and Indiana – so I surely like them against the Cougars.

Michigan State Spartans (+5) @ California Golden Bears

This isn’t me loving the Spartans as much as me down on the Bears. Cal has a super talented and amazingly fast sophomore running back in Jahvid Best, but besides that I’m not too impressed. They are supposed to have one of the top rated offenses in the Pac-10, but without a quarterback to deliver the bread, I’m not sure that will be the case. Michigan State’s defense isn’t dynamic, but I think they’ll stack the box and make Cal’s quarterbacks beat them. That’s what will be the undoing of the Bears in Week 1, I just don’t think they can beat the Spartans through the air.

Idaho Vandals @ Arizona Wildcats (-27)

It seems like a lot of points, and it is, but I just have a feeling the Wildcats are going to go off for about 45 points in this one. They always run the ball hard and Idaho consistently can’t stop anybody else’s ground game. The Wildcats finished the season well, beating Washington, UCLA, and Oregon before losing to ASU by 3 points. The Wildcats really played well all season last year, losing to Stanford by 1, USC by 7, Oregon State by 2 scores. I like the Wildcats to get a little luck to sway their way this season – but that shouldn’t matter against the Vandals. Idaho was 1-11 in the WAC last season, and I expect much of the same this time around. This game wouldn’t surprise me if it was a 45-7 WIldcat blowout.

Jimmy Boyd

Hawaii vs. Florida
Play: Florida -35.5

Without Colt Brennan, an experienced wide receiver corps, and the coaching wisdom of June Jones, I expect Florida to put a hurt on the Warriors like they’ve never imagined. Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow leads an offense which averaged 42.5 ppg last season and racked up nearly 460 ypg. It’s not an offense you ever want to face, let alone on the road in your season opener. The Gators are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 non-conference games. Head coach Urban Meyer is 52-29 ATS in all lined games in all games he has coached, 28-11 ATS in home lined games in all games he has coached, 24-4 ATS in all non-conference games he has coached, and 10-1 ATS in the first two weeks of the season in all games he has coached. Lay the points.

Tony Stoffo

Utah vs. Michigan
Play: Utah +3.5

Boy have things changed in Ann Arbor as the odds makers are giving little or no credit to this 08 version of Rich Rodriguez’s new team making them just a 3 point favorite here. And the unknowing public has already started to bet the Wolverines with 72% of all bets placed. Yet the line has dropped on Michigan as the sharps know what his team is made up of. With new quarterbacks, a very inexperienced offensive line, and a group of Freshman running backs Sam McGuffie and Michael Shaw, wide receivers Martavious Odoms and Darryl Stonum seeing their first action. I look for a very nervous Michigan team taking the field with the memories of what happened last season against Appalachian State, and Oregon to start the season. So I look for Utah with 16 starters returning, and their skill players once again healthy including QB Brian Johnson, RB Matt Asiata, and WR Brent Casteel to come away with the outright win here. This game sets up as a trap and we won’t fall for it as we makes the Utes our solid value play for today. Utah is 22-9 against the spread as an underdog of 3.5 to 10 points.

Scott Ferrall

Michigan -4—I keep wanting to take the Wolverines, but the UTES are tough as hell and have everyone back from a team that could go to a BCS bowl this yr…tough call, but I figure to get laid more as a Michigan fan.

Northwestern 12 to Syracuse-the Orange are awful and will finish last in the Big East

Ol Miss -9 to Memphis

Wyoming 10 to Ohio-The Game is in the Mountains and good luck with the distance traveled and the calls you aren’t going to get in this one

Nebraska 14 to Western Michigan-The Huskers aren’t going to be great, but they are better than this easy one to start the season in Lincoln

Tulsa 14.5 to UAB-it doesn’t matter that the game is in Birmingham

New Mexico +6.5 from TCU—what the hell, go for it ! They are at home at least !

Louisiana Tech +9 from Mississippi St—another upset in the making, so the points will help you

Kent +10 from BC-they won’t upset the Eagles, but they’ll be in it-The Eagles lost Matt Ryan to the NFL, so they aren’t going to be the same without him at QB

Oklahoma St 6 to Washington St-The Cougars are going to finish last in the Pac 10

Minnesota 8.5 to Northern Illinois-The Gophers have to show up for their opener in Minney

East Carolina +10 from Virginia Tech—The Pirates are going to play hard, as usual, and the Hokies won’t respect them

Illinois +8.5 from Missouri-The Illini will be in this game at Columbia, count on it-Don’t believe the hype on the Tigers—they are good, but not great

Cal 5 to Michigan St-The Spartans will figure out how to screw up this road trip out West

Western Kentucky +21 from Indiana-The Hoosiers don’t beat anyone by that much-EVER

Southern Miss -10 to La. Lafayette

Kansas St 24.5 to North Texas-The Wildcats get it done in Manhattan

Will Cover

KENT STATE plus vs Boston College

This game takes place at Cleveland Browns’ Stadium and we think the Golden Flashes can stay within the number! KSU returns 16 starters while BC is in a rebuilding mode. The Eagles have been horrid as a road fav of late, going 0-8 ATS last eight in that role and they have a key ACC battle vs Georgia Tech on deck in their home opener at Chestnut Hill in a possible look-ahead situation. Kent campus just down the road from Cleveland so the crowd should be solidly behind the Flashes. Take the generous points with Kent State!

NORTHCOAST

UNDERDOG KENT STATE +10

4* POWER PLAY N. ILLINIOS +8

WINNING POINTS

BEST BET
MEMPHIS over MISSISSIPPI* by 6
ALABAMA over CLEMSON by 7 (Atlanta)

PREFERRED
Nebraska* over Western Michigan by 2
Pittsburgh* over Bowling Green by 25

Mike Anthony

Oklahoma State vs. Washington State
Play: Oklahoma State -7

I see one difference here and its the OKIE Cowboys offensive line and the Cougars defensive line . With four key starters back for Oklahoma State I expect this big experienced group will step over and dismantle their opposition play after play, making for big gaping holes up the middle , that running backs Kendall Hunter and JUCO transfer Beau Johnson will exploit .

I also expect lots of time for seasoned vet QB Zac Robinson to sit in the pocket and pick apart an extremely vulnerable Wash st secondary. There is not doubt in mind, that the Cowboys are going to score points in bunches today. Meanwhile, Washington State comes to their opening game with a new head coach which means trouble for PaulWulff.

WSU has lost 25 of their L/37 SU against Big 12 oppositions. OKla St by 14-21

Greg Shaker

Alabama Crimson Tide at Clemson Tigers
Play: Under 48.5

Alabama is still a year or two away from being one of the better teams in the SEC. The offense struggled last season and prompted Nick Saban to gather up another offensive coodinator. Jim McElwain from Fresno State will have his hands full. Can he light a fire under the Tide offense and start generating points? The jury’s out, and there’s no excuse for the O to not be appreciably better with the possible exception of Wide receiver. D.J. Hall who is now gone. But learning the new offense will come with growing pains and probably is not going to be clicking on all cylanders right away. That is especially going to be true this Saturday as the Tide faces what is going to be a pretty good Clemson D. The Tigers will come into the 2008 season with three quarters of their D line intact, and the entire defensive backfield. Alabama has serious problems passing the ball with any consistancy last year and going up against what was the 9th best D in the land last year is not what the doctor ordered. Alabama will play strong defense, that is what Saban coached teams do. They should have the advantage at the get go as Clemson replaces their four offensive linemen. This Clemson Team is going to be an offensive threat from all parts of the field as the season progresses but that will come when the O Line gets more comfortable. Last year we saw the Tigers score a lot of points, but verses the better D’s they faced, they were held down. 24 verses Florida State, 3 verses Georgia Tech, 23 verses Virginia Tech, 17 verses BC, and 23 verses South Carolina. All of those games played UNDER this Posted Total except for one. Alabama will be in that category this year. UNDER is 13-6 in Alabama’s last 19 non conference games. They do like to play conservative, and being the Dog in this contest, they will Saturday. UNDER is 12-5 in Clemson’s last 17 non conference games as well. The Turf in the Dome scares me a bit as it will be a faster surface than these two teams usually play on, but not enough to play this game. I expect perhaps the 40 mark to be broken, but not much more than that, and we could easily see this total fall much lower than that.

Chris Copeland

Oklahoma State vs. Washington State
Play: Oklahoma State -7

Oklahoma St returns fifteen starters from last season including a solid QB in Zac Robinson. Robinson flourished in the spread offense and looked especially strong in spring camp.

Washington St is in rebuilding mode. After losing four-year starter QB Alex Brink and breaking in a new scheme with a new head coach, look for the Cougars to take a step back this season. Wazzu will implement a form of the no-huddle offense, but with no experienced QB, it will take some time to grasp Wulff’s offense. The Cougs scoring defense ranked near the bottom of the barrel in D-I last season, so Robinson and the high-powered Cowboy offense should put up points at will.

Bottom line here is even though Oklahoma St has issues winning on the road; this might be their best team in some time. Look for both offenses to put up a lot of points, but the more experienced QB to make fewer mistakes which will lead to the Cowboys victory.
Oklahoma St- 42 Washington St- 31

Doc’s Sports

Utah State vs. UNLV
Play: UNLV -12.5

The Rebels should be a much improved team in 2008 and will get off to a good start by knocking off the Aggies, a team that beat last year in Logan, 23-16. The Rebels return all of their offensive playmakers from 2007 and should be able to frustrate teams with the spread offense. They ran the ball really well last year against Utah State going for 173 yards on the ground and 4.6 yards per carry. The Aggies are predicted to finish last in a very competitive WAC Conference and must replace their quarterback and top receiver from 2007. Vegas jumps out early and will cruise to a much needed victory in the opener. This is a must win game for the Rebels if they want to go bowling and they will make a statement. Doc’s Sports has a full card going this week in college football, sign-up now!

Tony George

Western Michigan vs. Nebraska
Play: Nebraska -14.5

The Bo Pellini era kicks off in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln Nebraska on Saturday to the delight of Husker Nation, who filled the same stadium this past spring game close to 75,000 people. Expectations are high in Huskerland, but also managed somewhat by a level headed new head coach with Husker ties. Actually Bo Pellini is 1-0 as Husker head coach, as he led the Huskers to victory in 2003 in the Alamo Bowl after the firing of Frank Solich, thus an era of disappointment and downslide under Bill Callahan began. The order in Lincoln Nebraska is about to be restored under AD Tom Osborne and his new hire.

Nebraska will be sky high and return in tact a great deal of the 9th ranked offense in the country last year with QB Joe Ganz at the helm, a very capable QB who threw for 16 TD’s and 1400 yards in 4 starts at Nebraska last year. RB Marlon Lucky is a top 3 back in the Big 12, and the offensive line returns all 4. The problem is defense, and they were deplorable in 2007. With Bo Pellini running the show, and proving his prowess at calling defenses as head man at LSU, when his defense’s dominated the SEC and won titles, expect a re-newed vigor for the once proud Blackshirts at Nebraska. Expect a monster effort this Saturday in all phases as winning needs to be established early and in convincing fashion.

Western Michigan is no patsy, but is in a real tough spot here. Tim Hiller at QB threw for 267 yards per game in 2007 and returns as well as their RB who pounded out 858 yards last year, as the Bronco’s ended up 5-7 overall, and to note, 2-8-1 ATS in lined games last year, which is a concern. The defense of WM allowed over 400 yards per game last year and that is the KEY to this game. Nebraska’s offense is a Top 5 offense in the Big 12 this year, mark my words. They will move the chains all day long. The defense will be improved vastly and the home opener will be one big coming out party, as Bo Pellini will drop the hammer and make the natives very happy in Husker Nation this Saturday.

Nebraska 41 Western Michigan 17

WILD BILL

Memphis + 9 (5 units)
Nebraska -14 (5 units)
Washington State + 6 (5 units)
Florida -33 1/2 (5 units)
Kansas -37 (5 units)
Illinois +8 (5 units)
Virginia +21 (5 units)

JB Sports

Utah @ Michigan Under 40.5

Michigan is undergoing drastic changes in offensive philosophy under new coach Rich Rodriguez. It’s going to take awhile for this offense to mesh as not only is it a drastic change from the past but they also are having to break in 8 new starters, including a new QB. Michigan’s defense should be the strength of the team this year so I do not look for Utah to put up a lot of points either. Therefore, let’s look for this one to stay under the total.

Larry Ness

Utah State at UNLV
Prediction: Utah State

UNLV and Utah State opened against each other last year as well, with the Rebels coming away with a 23-16 win. UNLV scored with 1:02 remaining in that game, which ended the school’s 15-game road losing streak (FYI, the Rebels went on to lose their other five road games last year). UNLV’s only other win in ‘07 came at home against Utah (27-0 shocker), as the team ended the year on an eight-game losing streak (2-10 overall). That leaves head coach Mike Sanford just 6-29 in his three years at the school and squarely on “the hot seat.� Sanford insists there has been improvement with the program since his arrival but it’s a “hard sell� when the team has managed just two wins in each of his three years in Las Vegas. Even more troubling has been the fact that his teams have unraveled in similar fashion. Losing the final eight games last new was nothing new, as the ‘06 team went 1-10 after winning its season-opener and the ‘05 team lost eight of its last nine, including its final five. Now Utah State is not exactly a powerhouse, as the Aggies are just 3-21 the last two years. However, they do open the ‘08 season on a two-game winning streak, after winning their final two games of the ‘07 season, 35-17 and 24-19. The back-to-back wins ended a 16-game losing streak and surprisingly, both wins came on the road (at New Mexico St and at Idaho). I should mention at this time that the Aggies have won their last FIVE visits to Las Vegas and that the Rebels are a pathetic 6-17 ATS as home favorites, a record that stretches back into the 1990s. I’ll also mention that UNLV is 0-4 ATS in its last four tries as a double-digit favorite, twice losing outright. Utah State was reasonably competitive in all but two games in ‘07 (lost at Oklahoma 54-3 and at home to Boise State 52-0) and was particularly good away from home, covering EVERY road game but the team’s trip to Norman (6-1 ATS). Let’s take the points.

Right Angle Sports

Oklahoma State -7 at Washington State

OSU head coach Gundy made a controversial QB switch to Zac Robinson early last season and it paid off as the team ended up setting a school record for total offense. They finished the season winning six of ten including a bowl game that gave them valuable extra practice time. Of the four losses mentioned two were the result of improbable double digit late comebacks (up 17 lost by 1 to TA&M, up 21 lost by 3 to Texas) and the two others came vs top 10 opponents. More importantly the team now has a junior dual threat signal caller poised for a breakout year. The offense returns seven starters in all, including a top notch offensive line, 1st team all conference tight end, and a promising sophomore receiver. Combined with a more experienced Robinson in his second year as a full time starter, the offense will again be potent. If the Cowboys get any improvement out of their defensive unit they will be a scary team. That has been the specific focus during the offseason. Five of the top six tacklers return and an infusion of upper echelon JC talent has added much needed speed and depth. Coaches are optimistic after seeing marked improvement in Spring & Fall scrimmages.

Washington State has not had a winning season since 2003. They have only avoided further embarrassment in recent years by featuring one of the better passing attacks in the West. Now the school’s all time leading passer has departed as have three of the top four receivers from last year. Two projected replacement starting receivers (Blackledge & Anderson) are out with injuries this week and the team’s top RB is probable but less than 100% as he recovers from offseason knee surgery. One of the biggest criticisms of departed head coach Doba was how poorly he recruited during his five seasons, and insiders say it will take at least few years to improve the talent base here. The Cougars are at a major disadvantage early on having to adjust to a new head coach, a new offensive system, and a new QB. Progress was slowed in fall camp due to an inordinate number of injuries. First year coach Wulff 8 days ago said, “We have an unacceptable amount of people on the injured list. In all my years of coaching, I have never seen anything like this. It’s affecting our growth as a team.” This game will be played five hours from WSU’s campus at Qwest Field (home of the Seahawks) which takes away some home field advantage. In the unlikely event that WSU’s new QB and brand new offense clicks on all cylinders right out of the gate this game has a chance to be competitive, otherwise look for the Cowboys to win by double digits. Give the points.

Updated Info: Since this play was released the line has moved from -6.5 to -7, OSU has announced the suspension of projected starting WR Damian Davis, WSU has announced that returning starting offensive lineman Dan Rowlands has been forced to quit football, and key reserve DT Andy Roof has been kicked off the team. WSU had OL issues even before losing Rowlands. I still recommend OSU as a play up to -7.

Play: Oklahoma State -7 1 UNIT

LT Profits

USC @ Virginia Under 43.0

The USC Trojans are the favorites to win the national championship, thanks in part to a great defense, while the Virginia Cavaliers should also have a good defense even with Chris Long departed.

USC is talented at every position, but for the time being, the defense looks to be ahead of the offense. This is only because they are so deep at running back that no one has emerged as the clear-cut starter yet, so the timing may be a tad out of synch until a go-to guy emerges. The defense was fantastic last year, but even though the unit lost three key starters to the NFL, big things are expected from a prized defensive recruiting class.

Now Virginia was not exactly an offensive juggernaut in 2007, and they are now turning the offense over to quarterback in Peter Lalich, who saw some action as a true freshman. The USC is a daunting task for his sophomore debut though. The Cavaliers will have to rely on their defense to win games this year, and although Long is obviously a devastating loss up front, the Cavs do have veteran linebackers and defensive backs to pick up the slack.

The key to this contest is that only one team will be doing most of the scoring, which usually makes it difficult for a game to go Over.

Pick: USC, Virginia Under 43

Utah St. @ UNLV Under 48.0

Both Utah State and UNLV are coming off of lousy seasons last year, and we expect both offenses to struggle to generate many points here.

Utah State is very inexperienced on the offensive side of the ball, with untested quarterback Sean Setzer and a bunch of young running backs. Their top returning receiver from last season is actually tight end Rob Myers, who had just 320 receiving yards last season. While the offense is green, the Aggies do have a lot of seniors on defense led by linebacker Jake Hutton, who was among the conference leaders in tackles last year.

The Rebels have a similar make-up, which is probably not a good thing after going 2-10 last year. UNLV is virtually a one man show on offense, with that man being running back Frank Summers. Not only did Summers rush for 928 yards last year, but he is also a receiving threat out of the backfield. As for the defense, the Rebels ranked number 22 in the entire country in pass defense last season, and while the run offense is suspect, Utah State simply does not have the tools to take advantage of that.

UNLV beat the Aggies 23-16 for one of their two wins last year, and while they may or may not emerge victorious again, we do expect the final combined point total here to closely resemble that output from last season.

Pick: Utah State, UNLV Under 48

The Gold Medal Club

Ohio vs Wyoming
PLAY WYOMING -11

These teams met last year in Ohio with the Cowboys coming out on top 34-33 despite turning the ball over 7 times! Whats changed?

Well, Ohio has lost QB Brad Bower and 1st team ALL MAC running back Kalvin Mcrae.

For Wyoming who managed to cover 2 games ats last season, we have the entire offensive line back to open the holes for standout running back Wynel Seldon.

We see one team on the rise and the other in decline. A home opener, with a sleeper team , we will lay the chalk here as the Cowboys will dominate from start to finish.

Note Ohio 11-1 ats in there last 12 on grass, while Wyoming 1-12-1 in there last 14 on grass..we’re not biting!

Oddswiz

TCU vs. New Mexico
Play: New Mexico +6.5

Last year TCU shut out New Mexico 37-0 but that score really not indicative of the difference between these two teams. A look at common opponents suggests that the talent level between these two much closer than that one game. TCU in better shape with returning starters but REVENGE can be sweet in college football, especially when your a touchdown home dog. This game opened -5.5 over a month ago and has been bet up to -6.5 even 7 with heavy juice in a few spots. We’ll do a lean on New Mexico here.

Bryan Leonard

Utah @ Michigan
PICK: Under

The Utes are loaded this year with fifth year senior QB Brian Johnson returning fully healthy. A win here and a victory over rival BYU could set up a possible BCS Bowl with an undefeated season. While the offense gets most of the credit defensively the Utes are well stocked. They could be the most balanced team in the Mountain West Conference.

There has been a great deal of change in Ann Arbor as the Wolverines welcome in former West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez. He was one of the innovators of the popular spread option offense which worked so well for the Mountaineers. The problem is that none of these players were recruited to run this offense. The team brings back just three starters on offense which is probably a good thing considering the change in scheme. But they did lose not only graduation losses but also multiple offensive line deflections as well as a quarterback transfer. It’s easy to say that this scoring unit will be a work in progress all season for the Wolverines. While the offense tries to get the system learned the defense will have to carry the load. Michigan brings back a very talented stop unit who should fare much better than in the past vs the spread attack. Keep in mind that these players will face the spread everyday in practice, and the team has recruited more defensive speed the past two seasons.

With Michigan changing offensive schemes we can really see them struggling to score on Saturday. Look for Rodriguez to be very conservative offensively as he lets the defense keep them in the game. Utah will have a tougher time moving the ball on a much improved Wolverine defense which is much more accustomed to the spread than in last years opener against Appalachian State. The host doesn’t have the offensive firepower to compete here so we expect Michigan to take as much time as possible in keeping the ball on the ground. Less plays equal less scoring as this game stays under the posted total.

PLAY UNDER

Elite Sports Circle Guaranteed Selections

5000* ELITE NON CONFERENCE GAME OF THE YEAR
Florida -34

Robert Ferringo

3-Unit Play. Take #171 Oklahoma St. (-7) over Washington St.

Here we have two teams that are at two completely different stages. Oklahoma State is a dark horse in the ultra-competitive Big 12 which, to me, is the No. 2 conference in the country. Washington State is breaking in a new coach, an entirely new offensive system, and a new quarterback to replace the school’s all-time leading passer. The Cougars are a second-tier team in a conference on the decline (at least for this year) and I think they are still finding themselves. Also, Wazzou players have been dinged up over the past couple weeks and I’ve read reports that Wulff has said that the number of injured players is “unacceptable�. We already know they will be starting a freshman left tackle and they just dismissed DT Andy Roof this week. Further, this game is being played in Seattle, which negates some of the WSU’s home-field edge and will only make the OSU speed that much more lethal. Oklahoma State is an experience team, with a veteran quarterback leading a sharp, athletic offense. The Cowboys know what they’re doing, and coach Mike “I’m a Man� Gundy said he learned a lot from last year’s opening-week beat down at Georgia. He will have his Cowboys in Seattle a day earlier and they will be more prepared for this contest. We’ll take the talent and the more advanced offense in this one.

2-Unit Play. Take #185 Southern California (-19.5) over Virginia

This is one of those games that I’ve looked at and I just don’t see how it could NOT be a blowout. And it’s not that I am so overwhelmed by USC. That’s not it. It’s that Virginia caught lightning in a bottle in 2007 and were – literally – about a half-dozen plays away from being a 4-9 or 5-8 team. They lost their heart and soul in Chris Long and have been gutted on both the offensive and defensive lines. They lost their quarterback, two of their top three wideouts, and seven of their nine starting linemen. Much like the South Carolina game, this is a situation that I just don’t think that UVA will score more than 10 points. The Trojans, on the other hand, will find ways to score with their plethora of skill position players. Also, I like it that they are going on the road to start the season. It gets them out of their comfort zone, gets them away from everyone at home telling them how good they are, and makes them focus on just what’s going on between the lines. The ACC has been dreadful against other BCS schools and is 36-56-3 ATS in nonconference games over the last two years.

2-Unit Play. Take #164 UAB (+13.5) over Tulsa

I think this number is a little thick for a Tulsa team that is trying to replace seven defensive starters and All-World quarterback Paul Smith. The Golden Hurricanes rang up nearly 700 total yards against the Blazers last year at home, but won just 38-30. Now they open on the road, against a more experienced, improved, revenge-minded UAB club, without their quarterback as a two-touchdown favorite? UAB is 11-1 SU in home openers dating back to 1996 and they are 8-3-1 ATS as a home dog over the last eight years. Tulsa is not a great road program, traditionally, going just 17-32 SU over the last eight seasons. And UAB has a history of early-season surprises. Remember their seven-point loss AT Oklahoma in 2006? Or how about their seven-point loss AT Tennessee in 2005? I remember both clearly. And I think that they might actually get the upset this time around.

2-Unit Play. Take #165 TCU (-6.5) over New Mexico

I am looking for a steep drop-off from New Mexico, a team that had a nice W-L record (9-4) but a weak ATS mark (5-7) last year. Basically, despite a host of talent and one of the better offenses in the Mountain West, the Lobos overachieved and got a bit lucky. Not this year. And not in this game. TCU has been dominating in conference over the last several years (34-14 SU in L6 years, 15-7-2 ATS in L3) and they have owned the Lobos. They have won three straight in the series by an average score of 38-16, including last year’s 37-0 blowout. New Mexico brings back just 10 total starters from that game, including just one offensive lineman, zero linebackers, and zero DE’s. TCU welcomes back 15 starters from the team that rocked the Lobos, including eight defensive starters. The Frogs have a load of experience and a great coach. If this game was played later in the year at this line I might stay away. But I just think that TCU is much further along than NMU and that will negate any home-field edge.

(I WOULD WAIT TO PLAY THESE NEXT TWO PICKS BECAUSE I THINK THE LINES MAY REACH +28)

1.5-Unit Play. #195 Louisiana-Monroe (+26) over Auburn

It’s a similar theme to the weekend: Auburn has a new offense, two new quarterbacks, two new coordinators, and are just 3-3 SU in their last six home openers. Yet they are laying nearly four touchdowns. Curious. Louisiana-Monroe has been spry under Charlie Weatherbie. Last year they covered as 26-point underdogs at Clemson and won as 25-point dogs at Alabama. In 2006 they went 3-1 as an underdog of 20 or more points, nearly winning at both Kansas and Kentucky, while also covering at Arkansas. In 2005 they covered at Georgia early in the year also, and in 2004 they covered at both Auburn and Arkansas as underdogs of more than four touchdowns. This is a veteran Warhawks squad, with eight retuning defensive starters and six three-year starters on offense. ULM is 9-3 ATS in the last two years as a road underdog and 12-5 ATS over the L3 years. They are also 8-3 ATS over the last four years as an underdog of 20 or more points, with most of those covers (7-2) coming on the road against SEC opponents. Tony Franklin knows UL-M from his days at Troy, but the Warhawks held Troy to two of its lowest outputs (24 each) the L2 years. That means Monroe might be more familiar with Auburn’s offense than the Tigers are!

2-Unit Play. Take #189 Idaho (+27) over Arizona

The Wildcats are just 3-14 ATS as a home favorite over the last seven years and just 1-7 ATS in the last three years. Idaho has covered its first game of the year – a road game as a huge underdog against a marquee BCS foe – in each of the past three years. Last year they actually put up nearly 200 yards of offense at USC to easily cover a 47-point line, losing 38-10. In 2006 they lost by just 10 at Michigan State (as 29-point dogs) and in 2005 they lost by just 12 at Washington State (as 29-point dogs). Arizona can’t stop anyone and the Vandals, like Arizona, return 10 starters on offense. Arizona is without a key offensive weapon and I have little, if any, confidence in Mike Stoops. And Willie Tuitama, for that matter. The Stoops-Willie combo is a bit shaky, and Stoops is just 2-5-1 ATS in nonconference games in his tenure at U of A. And that doesn’t count three shaky wins over Northern Arizona in non-lined game (agv .win: 20 points). Arizona has also won seven straight home openers, but just by an average of 20 points. I think Idaho can score just enough to keep this one interesting and keep us in the back door.

Alex Smart

3* Michigan State +5

Ben Burns

4* Northwestern -11.0
4* California -4.5

LT Profits

2* Louisiana Tech +7.5
2* Northern Illinois +8.0
2* Michigan State +4.5

Ted Sevransky / Teddy Covers

5* Oklahoma State -7.0
4* USC -19.0
3* Auburn / Lou Monroe Over 49.0

Nelly

Louisiana Tech + over Mississippi State

Louisiana Tech was outscored 82-10 in two games against the SEC last season but this is a huge opportunity to level the playing field with a chance to host a big-time school after routinely visiting hostile SEC environments year after year. The La Tech Bulldogs will break in an inexperienced QB but the rest of the offense is well in-tact for a solid season. Louisiana Tech was very tough at home last year nearly ending Hawaii’s perfect season bid in September and playing Boise State close as well. Mississippi State enjoyed a breakthrough with eight wins last year but the record could crash back this year after several close wins and good fortune. The MSU offense was inconsistent much of last season and the MSU Bulldogs are not used to playing as a road favorite. We expect these teams to go in opposite directions this season as Ruston is a very tough place to play as WAC teams can attest. Tech looks dangerous here, especially with a good chance of stormy weather.

Larry Ness

Las Vegas Insider-CFB (1st of ‘08!)-TV game

My Las Vegas Insider is on USC at 3:30 ET. Al Groh’s Virginia team won nine games last year but SIX were by five points or less with FIVE coming by two points or less (an NCAA record). Let’s see what USC has been up to lately. In the last six years, there have been at least a share of six consecutive Pac-10 titles, six straight BCS bowls, three Heisman Trophy winners and two national championps. Pete Carroll was hired in December 2000 and after a 2-5 start, has gone 74-9! He’s coached 30 first-team All-Americans and 11 first-round draft choices (four in 2007 alone). He has the best winning percentage (.844) among active coaches with at least five years of experience and if USC wins at least 11 games this season, it will be the first school to ever accomplish that it six consecutive seasons. Let’s not forget the school’s 34-game winning streak (tied for sixth-longest ever) that started after a triple-overtime loss to Cal and ended with the BCS title game loss to Texas. That was in the 2006 Rose Bowl when Carroll came within 19 seconds of becoming the first coach to win three consecutive major-poll national championships. Not bad stuff! The Cavs were merely average offensively in 2007 and won’t be much better (if at all) in ‘08. QB Jameel Sewell is gone, leaving Peter Lalich (a true frosh LY, who had 61 attempts), senior Scott Deke and sophomore Marc Verica vying for time. It will help greatly if WR Kevin Ogletree (who missed 2007 due to injury) can contribute as he did in ‘06. The RB situation should be decent with the return to health of Cedric Peerman (585 YR / 5.2 YPC) plus Mikell Simpson, who played well down the stretch and finished the year averaging 5.0 yards per carry (570 YR). However, the Trojans had a devastating defensive unit last season and despite some huge losses, big things are expected from USC’s defense once again in 2008. QB Mark Sanchez dislocated his left kneecap during warm-ups on August 8th but he is listed as the starter for this game. Even if he doesn’t play all that much, I’m not worried. The Trojans are very deep at RB and any one of a number of players could step up this year. Virginia’s D will be physically overmatched and while Al Groh is 34-10 SU at home with the Cavs (including 14-4 as a home dog), I expect Pete Carroll to want to blow out more opponents out this year. That wasn’t the case in ‘07 and it cost USC in the final BCS standings. The Ohio State showdown is still two weeks away (with an off week up next), so expect a very crisp effort by USC in this one. Las Vegas Insider on USC.

Larry Ness’ Weekend Wipeout Winner (12-2 finish LY)-Early game

My Weekend Wipeout Winner is on the Yes, the Gators have Miami up next but the ‘Canes are hardly the rivals they once were. Hawaii was last year’s non-BCS ‘darlings,’ going 12-0 in the regular season with Colt Brennan running Junes Jones’ offense to perfection. However, Brennan is off to the NFL and Jones is now at SMU. Taking over on the sidelines for Hawaii is last year’s DC, Greg McMackin, in his first head coaching job. Senior QB Tyler Graunke is still dealing with academic issues and Brent Rausch, a third-year sophomore from College of the Desert, was announced as the team’s No. 1 quarterback two weeks ago. However, he has been bothered the past week with tenderness in the right forearm and biceps of his throwing arm and is now listed as questionable for this game. The team’s top-four receivers are gone from last year (three had topped 1,000 yards) and Hawaii’s running game, which ranked 116th of 119 team’s in ‘08 with 77.6 YPG (3.4 YPC), cannot be expected to “carry the load.” The Hawaii defense did a solid job last year but only four starters return in ‘08. The real strength of the defense is the linebacking corps but the secondary loses both CBs and a starting safety from last year. Hawaii must make this long trek to Florida and then deal with the weather (especially the humidity) in “The Swamp.” Florida is the AP’s No. 5-ranked team but many SEC observers feel as if the Gators and not preseason No. 1 Georgia, is the favorite to take CFB’s toughest conference. Speaking of Georgia, last year’s Hawaii team (the best in school history) was totally outclassed by the Bulldogs in last year’s Sugar Bowl, losing 41-10. The game wasn’t as close as the score, as Brennan had almost “no chance” against Georgia’s blitzes. The Gator D was young last year but this year returns eight starters. It will be way too athletic and fast for the Rainbows and even the backups will be able to control the line of scrimmage in the latter stages of the game. Heisman-winner Tebow became the first sophomore to ever win that award last year, becoming the first player in NCAA history to pass for more than 20 TDs (32) and rush for more than 20 (23) in the same season. WR Percy Harvin is expected to miss but Florida has plenty of talent in its receiving corps. Meyer is happy with his RB depth (he claims it’s four-deep) and the offense, which was third nationally with 42.5 PPG, will score easily against a severely overworked Warrior defense. Weekend Wipeout Winner of Florida.

Carlo Campanella

Game: Michigan St. at California
Prediction: Michigan St.

Michigan State opens the NCAA season on Saturday with a tough trip to the west coast to face the Cal Bears, but must “take” the points here as they’ve been a money machine during Head Coach Mark Dantonio’s rookie season while owning a 5-1 ATS on the road and 5-0 ATS as Dogs, while never losing by more than 7 points last season! Cal opened last year with 4 straight wins, however, they won just 2 of their final 8 games while posting a 1-7 ATS record. Tough spot to rebound against an aggressive unit from the Big 10.

7* Play On Michigan State

Nick Parsons

Game: La.-Lafayette at Southern Miss
Prediction: La.-Lafayette

I am posting this play for you on Friday because the line on this game continues to move downward and I want you to be able to get the best number on this game! Don’t ignore the added board during the college football season! The added board can equate to “added profits� and we look to prove that right away in Week 1 of the College Football season. This Saturday night affair features a big number and the line has already come down as money has come in on UL-Lafayette. Certainly though, the value with the Ragin’ Cajuns is not gone because, as of this writing they are still catching double digits against a team they can absolutely compete with! The Cajuns are truly a “running dog� and those are often the most dangerous dogs! UL-Lafayette is expected to have one of the best running games in the Sun Belt Conference this season. The defense does need to improve this season but there is no shortage of athleticism on that side of the ball and the fact that the Ragin’ Cajuns went just 4-7 ATS last season is giving us solid line value to kick off the 2008 season with a play on UL-Lafayette plus the big points. The Ragin’ Cajuns have great team speed on both sides of the ball and they their offense will absolutely keep Southern Mississippi on their heels here. UL-Lafayette is “flying under the radar� a bit right now because they truly do have wealth of returning talent from a team that was better than the 3-9 mark they ended up with last season. The Golden Eagles were 7-6 last season and then they wrapped up the year with a bowl loss to Cincinnati. They have a brand new coaching staff as well as just ten returning starters so this truly could be a rebuilding year for Southern Mississippi. The Eagles do have a solid running game but their passing offense could struggle as they try to learn the new playbook. Still lacking playmaking ability at the WR position is not helping in that regard. The defensive line is rebuilding and the secondary has a number of holes due to graduation. Laying double digits last season saw the Golden Eagles go just 1-3 ATS and they lost two of those games outright as a big favorite. This is not a good role for them and this is especially true in Week One of the regular season as there has been both coaching and personnel turnover at Southern Mississippi. The Ragin’ Cajuns are the play here plus the big points!

Marc Lawrence

Game: Bowling Green at Pittsburgh Panthers
Prediction: Bowling Green

The word out of Pittsburgh is that this year’s team is so talented not even head coach Dave Wannstedt can screw things up. Or can he? Wanny’s Panthers may not have a walk in the park here against the BeeGees, a squad that’s loaded with 17 returning starters and owns a 5-1-1 ATS log in its initial road game of the season. Hey, we like 7-plus win teams taking double digits from losers, a setup that’s cashed 9 on the last 13 tickets in lidlifters. And even though Pittsburgh has shown some pointspread success squaring off with the MAC (5-1 at home) and in Game One situations (4-1 L5), they’ll also be buckling beneath the unfamiliar weight of high expectations from a host of preseason pundits. Pitt could very well be this year’s surprise team in the Big East but we’ll have to witness a few convincing sermons before we go changing religions. Today doesn’t look like the day. Grab the points.

Scott Spreitzer

Game: Utah at Michigan
Prediction: Utah

I’m playing the Utah Utes, plus points. The Michigan Wolverines will no doubt be in “upset watch” mode when they welcome the Utah Utes to the Big House. After all, last season’s opening loss to Appalachian State would make anyone a bit skiddish, especially a new coaching staff that inherits the pressure to succeed right out of the blocks. But new HC Rich Rodriguez will have to get things done with several key components missing from last season’s offensive unit. QB Chad Henne, RB Mike Hart, WR Mario Manningham are all gone, and the Wolverines will have to replace four of last season’s five starters along the offensive line. It’s an offensive line made up mainly of juniors, but their two years of experience were obviously in a much different offense than the one they’re learning under Rodriguez. Making matters tougher for the Wolverines is the strength of the team they’re opening up against. Utah is entertaining thoughts of an undefeated season if they can get by the Wolverines. They’ll have a few serious tests down the road, including a game against rival BYU, but UM obviously presents the biggest hurdle on the way to their goal. Utah suffered a ton of injuries last season that amounted to a total of 51 lost starts. HC Kyle Whittingham’s Utes return 14 starters to this year’s version, including eight on offense, not to mention several two-deep players who received valuable experience last season due to the injuries mentioned above. As the Utes began to get healthy and newcomers began to get comfortable after being thrown into starting roles, Utah found their way after a sluggish start. They won eight of their last nine games, with the only loss coming by just a TD at BYU. QB Brian Johnson, ironically, would be “just the man” to run Rich Rodriguez’ spread attack. Unfortunately for the new Michigan coach, Johnson is a Ute. Johnson is healthy this season and brings with him the MWC’s best running back corps, led by senior Darrell Mack. Those running backs will line up behind a loaded offensive line. Four of five starters are back up front, totaling 83 starts between them. Defensively, the Utes bring Paul Kruger back to the mix at defensive end. He will lead a solid pass-rushing front-four. The linebacking corps may be down a notch from last season, (lost Jamel King in spring practice), but will be bolstered by a strong secondary that returns nine of their top 10 players. As far as techinals are concerned, Utah has been a decent money-maker in the role they’re in on Saturday. The Utes are on a 38-19, 67% spread run when installed as an underdog, and they’re a healthy 22-9, 71% ATS run when getting 3 1/2 to 10 1/2 points, (currently +3 1/2). Meanwhile, the Wolverines are on an 18-34 spread slide laying 3 1/2 to 10 1/2 points and they have covered just three of their last nine non-conference tilts. While those numbers came under the old regime, I do expect the new staff’s schemes to take a while to take hold. Meanwhile, their dangerous visitor has their most talented team in four seasons under HC Whittingham. Look for the Utes to shock the Wolverines on Saturday. I’m taking the points with Mountain West entry, Utah.

Ace-Ace

4-Unit Play. #136 Take Stanford (+3) over Oregon State

We’re going to take a shot with Jim Harbaugh and the home dogs of Stanford. The Cardinal welcomes back a host of experience, including 16 starters, and should be roaring to go for this home opener. Harbaugh has this team and this program revitalized, and they’ll look to use that energy to overtake an Oregon State team in transition. The Beavers have to replace their entire front seven and will be without safety Al Afalava. Also, OSU All-Pac-10 guard Jeremy Perry will not even make the trip. The Cardinal upset OSU in 2005 and played them tough on the road last year before falling. I’m looking for an outright win here.

3-Unit Play. #145 Temple (-7) over Army

This is a revenge game for the Owls, who lost 37-21 at home against the Black Knights last season. But Temple actually “won� the stats in that game, and bring back 21 starters (11 on from the MAC’s No. 1 defense) from the club that took the field that day. Army is one of the most inexperienced teams in the country, with just eight returning starters. Al Golden has his Temple program headed in the right direction and I think they step off with a big win to open the season. The Owls are 6-2 ATS in their last eight against Independants and are 4-1 ATS in their last five games on turf.

4-Unit Play. Take ‘UNDER’ 40.5 Utah at Michigan

Neither one of these clubs boast what can be called an “explosive� offense, and I think two big, physical lines will control this contest. The Wolverines are playing their first game in Rich Rodriquez’s spread offense attack and this will be the first start for many of the skill players for UM. Michigan does return seven starters from a powerful defense and 11 of their top 15 tacklers from 2007. The teams combined to allow just 38 points last year and I think it will take at least a quarter for both clubs to work the jitters out. The ‘under’ is 7-1 in Utah’s last eight road games and 9-3 in Michigan’s last 12 home contests.

6-Unit Play. #171 Take Oklahoma State (-7) over Washington State

This is my Game of the Month and I think we’ve found a great spot to attack the books early in the year! Oklahoma State brought back several key weapons from the No. 22 scoring team in the nation last year, including Zac Robinson to quarterback the Cowboys’ no-huddle spread option attack. Wazzou, on the other hand, is trying to replace the program’s all-time leading passer, Alex Brink, while learning a new system under new coach Paul Wulff. On top of that, the Cougars will be starting a freshman at left tackle, as starter Vaugh Lesuma is likely out with a bad back, and starting DT Andy Roof was just expelled from school this week. This game is being played on the turf of Qwest Field, which negates some of the home-field advantage for WSU. We’re going with a team that has more overall experience and more familiarity in its system, and we’re looking for a double-digit win by the talented team from the Big 12.

3-Unit Play. #203 Arkansas State (+19) over Texas A&M

Here we are going to play against another coach making his debut in the college ranks. Mike Sherman comes to A&M from the NFL and is implementing a completely new offensive scheme, going against the classic option-based attack the Aggies have run for years. Texas A&M is 3-0 against Arkansas State, but its average margin of victory is just 18 points. While I think the Aggies win this one, I think this number is too high and that the Red Wolves offense will be able to move the ball well enough to keep us under it.

4-Unit Play. #162 Take Oregon (-13.5) over Washington

The Ducks have dominated this Pac-10 rivalry over the past several years, earning a 4-0 record both straight-up and against the spread. Oregon’s average margin of victory in those games has been 22.5 points and per game and it’s been since 2000 that this series has been decided by less than 20 points. Oregon welcomes back a load of talent on both sides of the ball from a team that rushed for nearly 500 yards against the Huskies last year! Mix in the fact that the Huskies will be relying on a bunch of rookie starters – playing their first game in one of the toughest venues in the country – and I’m looking for a blowout. The favorite is 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings, the home team is 4-1 ATS, and the Ducks are 4-1 ATS in their last five at home against the Huskies.

3-Unit Play. #209 Colorado (-10.5) over Colorado State

We’re siding with the road chalk in this rivalry game out west. Dan Hawkins is in his third year at CU and his son, Cody, leads an offense that should be much stronger with outstanding freshman running back Darrell Scott leading the way. CSU coach Steve Fairchild is making his first start as a head coach at any level and simply doesn’t have the talent to keep up with a rugged Big 12 team.

3-Unit Play. #211 Fresno State (+5) over Rutgers

Are you ready for some Monday afternoon football? The Bulldogs of Fresno State have a chance to be a BCS sleeper in the mold of Boise State and Hawaii over the last two years. Fresno returns 10 starters from an offense that finished No. 38 in the country last year. I think they can win this game outright and we’re getting good value on a team that started the season in the Top 25.

Dave Cokin

Akron @ Wisconsin
Play: Wisconsin -26.5

I’ve never been shy about spotting a big number where it’s warranted, especially early in the season when the differences between teams may not be yet fully recognized. That’s the case as Akron heads to Wisconsin. The Zips basically have no chance in this game. They were terrible against the run last season, and the defense figures to be even worse to start this season. The Badgers are at their best when they can simply pound a soft stop unit on the ground, and I look for them to rumble for five plus yards per carry in this game. Akron looks totally overmatched here, and I expect a 5TD win by the Badgers. I’ll lay the big number with Wisconsin.

Great Lakes Sports

Ohio U at Wyoming
Play:Wyoming Cowboys

The Wyoming Cowboys are a solid 11-3ATS in their last 14 non-conference games, and they are 7-2ATS as a home favorite of 10.5 to 14 points since 1992. The Ohio U Bobcats are only 30-34ATSas an underdog since 1992, and they are a terrible 19-23ATSwhen playing on grass since 1992. We look for the Wyoming Cowboys to roll over the Ohio U Bobcats for the home ATS win & cover tonight.

Brad Diamond Sports

Play on: Tulsa over UAB

One of the games on the card where a solid line study would detect an underlay is in the aforementioned contest. Last season, the initial campaign for Neil Callaway as HC, saw the Blazers catch 23 points from the offensive minded kids from Oklahoma. Tulsa delivered the win, but could not make up the huge spread winning just 38-30. Here the Blazers return 16 starters, but the team was 2-10 in 2007 and gave up 35 points a game on defense. With the offense losing QB Sam Hunt’s experience, I doubt UAB in game #1 can be competitive against a club that averaged 41 points per game last season.

Marc Lawrence

Bowling Green at Pittsburgh Panthers
Prediction: Bowling Green

The word out of Pittsburgh is that this year’s team is so talented not even head coach Dave Wannstedt can screw things up. Or can he? Wanny’s Panthers may not have a walk in the park here against the BeeGees, a squad that?s loaded with 17 returning starters and owns a 5-1-1 ATS log in its initial road game of the season. Hey, we like 7-plus win teams taking double digits from losers, a setup that’s cashed 9 on the last 13 tickets in lidlifters. And even though Pittsburgh has shown some pointspread success squaring off with the MAC (5-1 at home) and in Game One situations (4-1 L5), they’ll also be buckling beneath the unfamiliar weight of high expectations from a host of preseason pundits. Pitt could very well be this year’s surprise team in the Big East but we’ll have to witness a few convincing sermons before we go changing religions. Today doesn’t look like the day. Grab the points.

David Malinsky

USC @ Virginia
PICK: USC 4*

What happens when you put great talent and great coaching together? USC’s program happens, that is what. And what happens when you give that combination time to fully prepare for an opponent? Routs happen, even when the opponent is capable of matching up. Virginia is not that class of opponent, so now that our sources tell us that Mark Sanchez is looking comfortable again in practice, we can step in here.

Let’s look at some Pete Carroll history with major preparation time since the end of his second year with the program, when he had a chance to put his full playbook into action. First, the bowl games –

2002 Orange – USC 38 Iowa 17 as -4.5

2003 Rose – USC 28 Michigan 14 as -7

2004 Orange – USC 55 Oklahoma 19 as -1

2005 Rose – USC 38 Texas 41 as -6.5

2006 Rose – USC 32 Michigan 18 as -1

2007 Rose – USC 49 Illinois 17 as -14

That is an outstanding 5-1 SU and ATS, beating the pointspread by a significant 80 points. And remember that even in the Texas loss in the 2005 Championship Game the Trojans led by 10 in the 4th quarter, but could not hold off Vince Young. Now on to openers –

2003 – USC 23 Auburn 0 as +3.5

2004 – USC 24 Virginia Tech 13 as -17

2005 – USC 63 Hawaii 17 as -36

2006 – USC 50 Arkansas 14 as -8

2007 – USC 38 Idaho 10 as -47

A most impressive run there also, and we can excuse the margin against Idaho LY, as Carroll was holding his team under wraps for what was perceived as a showdown game at Nebraska the following week (which his Trojans then went out and completely dominated). And the Idaho contest was the only one played at home, which made it even easier for him to back off.

So what do we see here? First, a complete dominance by the Southern Cal defense, which not only should be the nation’s best this season, but has a chance to be among the best in recent memory. We could see five Trojan starters on that side of the ball draft in the NFL first round next April. That creates a huge headache for a Virginia OL that is breaking in far too many new faces, with only 48 returning starts for the entire group. It means not only a challenge in terms of talent, but also tactics as well, as the Trojan blitzes and complex schemes take a toll. And exacerbating the issue is the lack of experience at QB for the Cavaliers, which creates the real chance of the Southern Cal defense directly scoring points.

The Trojans will also dominate the line of scrimmage when they have the ball, mashing through a Virginia defensive front that does not return a single starter, and will have depth issues on a hot afternoon. The physical presence and leadership of Chris Long will badly be missed in that huddle, as the younger players drag their heads when forced to be on the field far too long.

Yes, Virginia is coming off of a bowl season, but put an * next to that – the Cavaliers set an all-time NCAA record by going a prefect 5-0 in games that were decided by two points or less. And these were not escapes against major powers, with North Carolina, Middle Tennessee, Connecticut, Maryland and Wake Forest on the list. They are in way over their heads here in terms of talent, and with 14 starters that combined for 378 career starts missing from 2007, the experience is also not there to handle the negative situations that this game will provide. There will be plenty of such situations – in the only dress rehearsal before having two weeks to prepare for Ohio State, Carroll can go for the jugular here, knowing that it is the only chance to get the timing down for both units. And with only the travel roster on hand there are few options for letting up anyway – that is an awfully talented plane.

Jimmy Moore

Mississippi State @ Louisana Tech
Pick: Miss State -8

I know being a road favorite is not that familiar for the Bulldogs but coming off of a very successful season last year they will be very focused on a good start, especially considering thier opener last season where they lost 45-0 to LSU. Lay this short number with the much better team.

Norm Hitzges

Double Play-Utah +3 vs Michigan
Double Play-Wyoming 11 vs Ohio
Double Play-Colorado 11 vs Colorado St
Double Play-Michigan St +4.5 vs California
Utah/Michigan Under
Memphis +7.5 vs Mississippi
Wisconsin -26.5 vs Akron
W. Michigan +14.5 vs Nebraska
Oregon -13.5 vs Washington
New Mexico +6.5 vs TCU
Oklahoma St -7 vs Washington St
Florida -34.5 vs Hawaii
USC -19.5 vs Virginia
ULaLa +10.5 vs So. Mississippi

yourwinningpicks

Best Bets
Wake Forest (-12)
Troy State (-6)
Clemson (-5)
Kansas State (-24.5)
Cal (-4.5)
Pittsburgh (-12.5)

Strong Opinions
USC (-19.5)
Fresno State (+5.5)
Western Kentucky (+20.5)
Colorado State (+11)
UAB (+14)
Mississippi (-7.5)

GOLDSHEET

COLLEGE KEY RELEASES

Utah-Michigan UNDER the total

OHIO by 1 over Wyoming

KANSAS by 48 over Florida International

UCLA by 3 over Tennessee

Sportsbettingstats

Alabama Crimson Tide at Clemson Tigers -5

The Clemson Tigers head into the 2008 season with high hopes, as they are expected to win the ACC Title and will be in the hunt for the National Title. They will get a tough test in their home opener against a tough, yet young, Alabama Crimson Tide team. Clemson is stacked, especially on offense, where they scored a school record 430 points last year. Even though the Crimson Tide lost 6 games last season they did not lose by more than a touchdown in any of those games. Clemson is led by QB Cullen Harper (2991 yds 27 TD 6 INT in 2007), who is a legit NFL player, who will be handing the ball of to, arguably, the best backfield duo in the nation of James Davis (1064 yds 10 TD in 07) and C.J. Spiller. (768 yds 3 TD in 07). Harper’s main target is Aaron Kelly (88 rec 1081 yds 11 TD in 07), who should break the ACC reception record if he stays healthy this season. On defense Clemson ranked 9th in the nation in 2007. Alabama is led by QB John Parker Wilson (2846 yds 18 TD 12 INT in 07), who will be handing it off to the backfield duo of Terry Grant (891 yds 8 TD in 07) and Glen Coffee (545 yds 4 TD in 07). Wilson’s main target will be Mike McCoy (28 red 207 yds 1 TD in 07), but there are many new faces of the Crimson Tide receiving corps that have high expectations. Alabama ranked 31st in total defense in 2007.

Staff Pick: Even though the Tigers have a legit offense their defense may be even better, maybe the best in the country even though they lost 4 linebackers. The Tigers were in the top 10 in the nation in 2007 in scoring defense (18.3 ppg) and total defense (297.2 ypg). The Crimson Tide are a solid team, but are very young and they may be a couple of years away from being in the top 10 or getting a BCS Bowl bid. However, they are talented and their secondary is especially strong. The youth of the Crimson Tide is apparent in their up front D, as the entire defense returns only 5 starters from last year. They will have a tough time containing Spiller and Davis. Unlike many other top 10 teams that are playing Division 1AA teams, Clemson will have a test to see how good they really are right away. DB Chris Chancellor said, “We don’t want any cupcake team to open up.” Even though the Crimson Tide has the secondary to keep Harper from lighting them up, their inexperienced D line will not contain the Tigers rushing attack and the Tide will have a hard time scoring on the Tigers D. Look for Clemson to come out smoking and beat the Tide convincingly and easily cover the spread.

Tigers 35 Crimson Tide 14

Illinois Fighting Illini at Missouri Tigers -9

College football season is finally here, SWEET, and this is the biggest game of the opening docket, as Illinois travels to St. Louis to play the upstart Missouri Tigers and Heisman hopeful QB Chase Daniel. Mizzu has title hopes and unlike many top 25 teams they do not play a Division 1AA cream-puff in order to pad their win total, as they go head-on into the season with a tough test against #20 Illinois. The Illini were a surprise last season and even though the were crushed by USC they did play in the Rose Bowl and head coach Ron Zook thinks they will be even better in 2008. Mizzu is led by Heisman hopeful QB Chase Daniel (4306 yds 33 TD 11 INT on 2007), who is legit and exciting to watch. Daniels will be handing it off to RB’s Derrick Washington and Jimmy Jackson, who take over in the backfield for a departed Tony Temple. Daniels main target is another Heisman candidate in Jeremy Maclin (80 rec 1055 yds 9 TD’s), who is constantly commanding double teams. On defense last year the Tigers ranked 59th in the nation, but were especially weak against the pass. Illinois is led by the Juice, in QB Juice Williams who can beat you with his arm (1743 yds 13 TD’s 12 INT’s) and his legs (755 yds 7 TD’s). He will be handing the ball off to RB Daniel Dufrene (294 2 TD’s), who will be the feature back now that Rashard Mendenall plays in the N