Temple (-8) over TOLEDO — I was debating taking Temple (+8) over Maryland last week and ended up passing since I wanted to see what Temple was made out of. Temple ended up beating Maryland 38-7. Temple almost beat Penn State, losing that contest 14-10. In Temple’s opening two games they beat Akron 41-3 and Villanova 42-7. Temple is a legit program and you should see it this game.

Baylor (-3.5) over KANSAS STATE — I underestimated K-State a bit when I took Miami. Kansas State QB Collin Klein was solid in that contest and made Miami pay with his legs when his receivers were covered. However, the QB to talk about is Robert Griffin III, who is likely the front-runner for Heisman at this point in the season. Griffin has thrown more TD passes than incompletions this season. He has thrown for 962 yards, completed 85% of his passes, and has 13 TDs and 0 INTs. His team averages 51.3 PPG. I’ll take Baylor.

Arizona (+12.5) over USC — USC hasn’t been blowing out opponents this season like in year’s past. The last four contests between Arizona and USC have been decided by 7 points of less. Minnesota alsmost beat USC in their opener and USC just lost on the road to Arizona State. USC is a mediocre football team. Take the points.

Georgia Tech (-10) over NC STATE — Georgia Tech’s offense should be able to run all over NC State.

Friday Night Weeknight Guarantee (1-0-0):

Utah State (+7.5) vs. BYU W

Saturday Locks (2-2-0):

Northwestern (+10) vs. Illinois W

Air Force (+3.5) vs. Navy W

Kent State vs. Ohio (-16) L

Auburn vs. South Carolina over 59.5 L

Saturday Normal Plays (1-3-0):

North Carolina vs. East Carolina (+7) L

Nebraska (+10) vs. Wisconsin L

Notre Dame (-12) vs. Purdue W

Baylor (-3.5) vs. Kansas State L

SOUTH FLORIDA BULLS (-2.5) @ PITTSBURGH PANTHERS

Thursday night presents itself with a nice betting opportunity when Thursday Night Football features a week 5 Big East matchup between the South Florida Bulls (4-0, 3-1 ATS) visiting the Pittsburgh Panthers (2-2, 1-3 ATS).

The Bulls come into this game ranked 14th in the nation. They have been extremely impressive so far this season, starting out by beating Notre Dame on the road 23-20. Notre Dame came into Pittsburgh last week and escaped with a 15-12 win. Since the Bulls week 1 stunner over the Fighting Irish, the Bulls have demolished Mickey Mouse opponents in Ball State, Florida A&M, and UTEP by winning those contests 37-7, 70-17, and 52-24.

I have not been impressed with Pittsburgh this season. The Panthers barely beat Maine and lost against Iowa 31-27 by blowing a 27-10 lead. How do you give up 3 unanswered touchdowns in the 4th quarter? Pittsburgh managed to do it.

Pittsburgh’s offense has been simply average. While the running game gets going at times with RB Ray Graham, QB Tino Sunseri is average at best, and fails to stretch the field with the deep ball. I expect the Bulls to key in on Graham and force Sunseri to beat them with his arm. Sunseri’s 4 TD/4 INT season doesn’t instill confidence in Pittsburgh fans. I have much more faith in the dual-threat senior QB B.J. Daniels. The Bulls have been on fire all season long, albeit against 3 weak opponents.

When these teams faced each other last season, Pitt ended up winning 17-10 as 3-point favorites on the road. South Florida QB B.J. Daniels struggled against Pittsburgh — 15/29, 132 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT, and 6 rushes for -5 yards. That’s an ugly stat line. Pittsburgh has taken a huge step back this season though. Pittsburgh couldn’t really move the ball either with Sunseri limited to 142 yards on 16 attempts and Pittsburgh going 2-for-9 on 3rd down. If it wasn’t for a 22-yard TD run by Dion Lewis in the 4th quarter (now with the Philadelphia Eagles), the Bulls could have pulled off the win.

The Bulls are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 road games. Pittsburgh is 10-1 ATS following a loss in their last 11, but are 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 on Thursday night. I’m not one for trends though, I’ll simply stick with the Bulls who have the offense to outscore the Panthers.

Free Pick: South Florida Bulls -2.5 (Confidence: 3/5)

Prediction: South Florida 27 – Pittsburgh 20

After scanning the games, there’s not a whole lot of games that I really like. Last week, I liked a handful of games, especially Wisconsin and Stanford. I just don’t see many games that I want to jump on this week. I just have two picks for the time being: Florida and Miami. Miami would be my top play, followed by a potentially small play on Florida.

Florida (-19.5) over KENTUCKY — The spread is too high for me to take, but Florida has blown out Kentucky the last three years: 48-14, 41-7, 63-5. Florida is 14-5 ATS in their last 19 on the road. Florida should win by 3 touchdowns in my opinion.

MIAMI (-12.5) over Kansas State — Miami looked excellent against Ohio State last week. Lamar Miller is going to have a big season. Look for him to have a big game against this Kansas State defense. Kansas State was awful against the run last season, giving up 5.9 yards-per-carry and 229.1 yards-per-game. Miller tore apart Ohio State’s defense and I think he’ll have another incredible performance. He’s averaging 6.9 YPC and 151.5 YPG this season. Some are calling a Miami let down after last week’s “emotional” win, but I don’t see it happening.

SATURDAY MORNING UPDATE:

Might nibble on some noon action. Just two small plays. Nothing crazy.

GEORGIA TECH (-6.5) over North Carolina — GT has a great running game and should top UNC at home.

Notre Dame (-7)/Under 54 Parlay over PITTSBURGH — I see a low-scoring affair where ND wins by 10.

For the 3:30 action, here’s what I’m looking at.

CLEMSON (-1.5) over Florida State — Florida State will turn to a freshmen QB to replace the injured Manual. Although FSU has a tough defense, Clemson’s offense has been remarkable. I’ll go with the home team in this one.

Colorado (+17) over OHIO STATE — Could be a good opportunity to take points.

Tonight’s action.

LSU (-6) over WEST VIRGINIA — You just have to go LSU tonight.

Lamar Miller Highlights

Northwestern (-5) over ARMY/Under 54.5 — Army’s defense has struggled so far this year. Northwestern is a solid team that was able to beat Boston College on the road. Army solely relies on its run game as its passing game is non-existent. Although Army piles up yards on the ground, Northwestern has a more balanced offensive attack. Unfortunately, Northwestern’s QB Dan Persa is out, but his backup was efficient in managing the game last week, 10/13 for 104 yards, while relying on his running game. Northwestern has averaged 273 rushing yards in their two games, while Army has given up an average of 217 rushing yards per game. With both teams relying on their running game, the clock should be eaten up and the points should come in under 54.5.  Northwestern 31 – Army 20.

FINAL: Army 21 – Northwestern 14. Hit on the under, loss on the spread.

Wisconsin (-16.5) over Northern Illinois @ Soldier Field — Wisconsin is strong on both sides of the ball. They have a solid passing game with QB Russell Wilson and a tremendous running game to boot. Their defense is also one of the top D’s in the nation. They trampled UNLV 51-17 and followed that up with a shut out against Oregon State 35-0. Northern Illinois doesn’t have a defense, but has been able to score in bunches against Army and Kansas. Don’t look for Northern Illinois’ offense to continue rolling against this defense. Wisconsin can completely shut down the run. Northern Illinois is 3-10 ATS in their last 13 when facing a team with a winning record. Wisconsin is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 when favored by 10.5+ points. Wisconsin should win this one in a blowout. Wisconsin 38 – Northern Illinois 17.

FINAL: Wisconsin 49 – Northern Illinois 7. 2-1 ATS.

Oklahoma (-3) over FLORIDA STATE — Potential trap game for Oklahoma in hostile road game, but the spread is too favorable to pass up on a team that is better. I took Oklahoma last year when the game was in Oklahoma and Oklahoma stomped Florida State 47-17. I’ll stick with the better team in Oklahoma, even if this is a difficult road win to pull off. Oklahoma 38 – Florida State 31.

FINAL: Oklahoma 23 – Florida State 13. 3-1 ATS

Stanford (-9) over ARIZONA — I’ve been riding Stanford over the last two weeks and they have won both games. Andrew Luck is scoring at will. Although Nick Foles is a solid QB, he is not on Andrew Luck’s level. Stanford crushed Arizona 42-17 last year as 7.5 favorites. I don’t see any reasons why they can’t do it again. I was expecting Stanford to be favored by 13.5 so giving up just 9 points seems generous. Stanford 38 – Arizona 24.

FINAL: Stanford 37 – Arizona 10. 4-1 ATS.

My pick in Iowa -6.5 over Iowa State went into triple overtime in a thriller.  California -6.5 was another pick that wound up in overtime. My last play of TCU +1 over Air Force and over 50 points both hit with TCU winning 35-19. Like I said, expect TCU to put up at least 30 while Air Force puts up at least 20.

My recommendation on the big Michigan vs. Notre Dame game was no action and you clearly saw why. The game was an instant classic, but if you had money on the game, you better get your blood pressure checked. 3 touchdowns in the final 2 minutes of the game. Are you serious? Another thriller to add to the crazy Georgia vs. South Carolina and Auburn vs. Mississippi State games. What an awesome week of college football.

For the NFL games this Sunday, I’m going to pick 5.  Quick plug for our PICK ‘EM LEAGUE before we get to the games. Sign up for a chance to win a free NFL Shop t-shirt.

I like Cardinals -6.5 over Panthers. Expect Cam Newton to make a few rookie mistakes in his first NFL regular season start on the road. His preseason stats don’t really whoo me. His completion percentage and yards-per-attempt numbers are dismal. The Cardinals pass offense should be solid this year with Kevin Kolb and Larry Fitzgerald.

You may want to consider Titans +2 over Jaguars. With David Garrard cut five days before the season opener, the Jaguars may sputter on offense.

Chargers -8.5 over Minnesota. Chargers offense is always on fire at home. Their D is solid too. Minnesota will try to pound the rock with AP, but their offensive line has huge question marks and the Chargers ranked 5th against the run.  I don’t see the Vikings scoring more than 17 while the Chargers score about 27 points, their average (27.6) from last season.

Falcons -2.5 over Bears. The Bears are a little overrated going into this season and I feel that the Falcons are a top 5 football team. It will be a tough game for them to win on the road, but they should get the job done. Ray Edwards will boost the Falcons pass rush, so pressure should be on Cutler all day forcing him into mistakes. The addition of Julio Jones will really open up the Falcons offense as well. Could be a sucker play with a lot of people thinking Atlanta is easy money. A road win in Chicago won’t be easy, but I can’t help but not pick the Falcons here.

Chiefs -5 over Buffalo. The Chiefs were my top pick before, but I’ve lowered it to my 5th favorite pick this week. The Chiefs had a 7-1 record at home last year and Matt Cassel has the green line for the start after bruising his ribs in the last week of preseason. With Buffalo’s issues on defense, I think the Chiefs offense will pick up yards at ease. Apparently, a study found the Bills are the best looking team in the NFL though. Wait, not in the quality of their play, but an analysis of their facial structure by Ursinus College. In any event, the Bills defensive unit should improve with the addition of first-round pick DT Marcell Dareus, LB Nick Barnett and a healthy Shawn Merriman. When the Bills faced the Chiefs last year, the Chiefs won 13-10 in overtime so the Bills can keep this one close. The Chiefs offense didn’t really whoo me in the preseason, but Jamaal Charles has had a lot of success against the Bills in the past. In 3 games against them, he’s averaged 162 total yards. Charles should be let loose in this one, but has a tougher defensive test this year. Proceed how you wish, but I’m favoring the Chiefs at home.

If you want some more games where I like the points, look at Cowboys+4.5 over Jets and Redskins +3 over Giants.

Top 5 Week 1 Picks Against the Spread:

1. Cardinals -6.5 over Panthers
2. Chargers -8.5 over Vikings
3. Falcons -2.5 over Bears
4. Titans +2 over Jaguars
5. Chiefs -5 over Bills

Good luck gentlemen.

Andrew Luck to throw darts all over Duke.

Here are a few shots in the dark for the NCAA week 2 action. I’m not going to pretend I did a ton of quality research into these picks, but let’s put a few picks up on the board and see how they play out. NFL is my forte, not NCAA. However, I want to put some picks up for college football to test my skills before putting up big wages on the action. I don’t like to make any big college plays until week 3 when I can truly evaluate teams. Of the picks, I’m fairly confident in Stanford, California, and Iowa.

Do your own due diligence on the games before taking any picks. I’m siding with mostly road favorites, which I don’t like to do, but I don’t see the games coming out any other way. I’ll also see if our college football guru, Brandon, will be back for another season. Don’t forget to check out our pick ‘em league. Sign up before Sunday.

Stanford -20.5 over DUKE — I loved Stanford last week and they rolled 57-3. Duke doesn’t have the offense to hang with Stanford and their defense surrenders a lot of points.

Iowa -6.5 over IOWA STATE — Iowa’s tough D should shut down Iowa State while the Iowa offense gets the job done.

California -6.5 over COLORADO — California looked good against a decent Fresno State squad last week while Colorado came out flat against Hawaii. Colorado has questions on D. Look for Cal to roll.

TCU +1 over AIR FORCE and OVER 50 – Air Force has a quality team. TCU almost came back to beat Baylor last week, but ended up falling short in a crushing defeat. This could result in the “hangover” effect where they get stomped based on lack of focus or they can also use that game as motivation to come out and beat this Air Force team on the road to stay in the Top 25. TCU’s defense isn’t what it used to be, but Baylor is a top 15 offense. Air Force’s offense is not nearly as good as Baylor’s. I think you seek Air Force put up at least 20 points and TCU putting up at least 30.

MICHIGAN (+3.5) vs. Notre Dame — I’m not going to play this one, but wanted to give my two cents. Will Notre Dame bounce back this week? They suffered a tough loss against South Florida last week after shooting themselves in the foot with 2 turnovers in the red zone. Michigan had a strong win over Western Michigan last week, 34-10, mostly due to turnovers. There were high expectations for Notre Dame going into this season. Will the team that most people thought Notre Dame could be show up tonight? Michigan has won the last 5 of 6 contests between these teams. I’m leaning Michigan, but expect the Notre Dame defense to step up in this one. I’m just looking forward to a great game. No action.

Brock Osweiler threw for 262 yards with a 71.8 completion percentage in week one.

I am typing this article up at 5:04 pm ET and currently the line we have for this game is Arizona State giving 10 to Missouri. The line opened up at seven and has now bounced to ten. When it was at seven I loved the Arizona State pick, but now that it’s ten, ehhh I think I’m going to lay off betting on the spread. Instead, I see a lock in the under. The obvious reason behind this pick is due to the fact that yes, Missouri did only put up ten points against the MAC Miami Redhawks. Missouri just outgained the Redhawks getting 291 yards of offense compared to Miami’s 270.

Then there are the number of injuries for Arizona State. Cornerback Omar Bolden, linebacker Brandon Magee, and wide receiver T.J. Simpsons are just a few of the key injuries racked up on their sideline. Missouri also has Jacquies Smith and Will Ebner out for them who are two key players.

The under has hit in six of Missouri’s last seven games. The under has hit in four of Missouri’s last five road games. The under has hit in nine of Arizona State’s last eleven non-conference games.

I like the under in this one, seems a lock.

Prediction: Missouri 17 – Arizona State 24

Play: Under 52.5

Look for some routes in Week 1 CFB action.

Rather than getting into the razzle-dazzle of breaking down the high-profile week 1 college football games. Let’s throw a few picks up on the board and see how these do. Now, I’m merely trusting my gut here with these picks. Before taking any of these games, please do your own due diligence. I generally don’t like high spreads, but if there’s any time to lay big points in anticipation of a route, it’s week 1 of college football. I have all home team powerhouse programs on the board against the jobbers of college football, which I like.

AUBURN (-24) over Utah State — I smell a good ole’ fashion route to the tune of 40+ points to 3-10. You have to get the home fans into the season after winning the National Championship. Look for Auburn to impress.

MISSOURI (-20) over Miami-Ohio — I like it, don’t love it. Miami-Ohio isn’t a shabby team in the Mid-American Conference, but Missouri should win in a beatdown.

NEBRASKA (-36) over Tennessee-Chattanooga — Week 1 is the time to pick up routings. You think Tennessee-Chattanooga is going to score against the Nebraska defense? QB Taylor Martinez is an absolute stud. He’ll be ready to become a household name this season. I’m thinking this one ends 45-0.

MICHIGAN (-14) over Western Michigan — Denard Robinson was insane his freshman year. I want to see some follow up in his sophomore year. Nice start to week 1 with a Michigan matchup at home.

NOTRE DAME (-10) over Southern Florida — ND returning 17 starters. A lot of people are raving about this Notre Dame team this year. The ND defense should be solid. On offense, you have QB Dayne Christ to WR Michel Floyd, get used to it. Don’t underestimate the Bulls though. With their dual-threat QB, they’re capable of covering the spread.

STANFORD (-30) over San Jose State — Let’s stick to the week 1 home powerhouse routes in their setup games. Andrew Luck to throw darts all day.

Fresno State (+10) over CALIFORNIA — I’ll take the points.

WASHINGTON (-16) over Eastern Washington — Several years of rebuilding should help.

ARIZONA (-26) over Northern Arizona — Nick Foles vs. Division I-AA defense.

Will LSU's defensive line shut down LeMichael James?

NO. 4 LSU TIGERS VS. NO. 3 OREGON DUCKS (-3)

This game is riddled with suspensions on both sides. The key suspensions are LSU QB Jordan Jefferson and Oregon CB Cliff Harris. However, the loss of Jefferson is not a major blow to LSU. The LSU offense was able to do just fine last season despite Jefferson’s subpar 7 TD and 10 INTs last season while completing just 56% of his passes. LSU beat both Florida and Alabama in the regular season. His backup is Jarrett Lee, who some consider a better pocket passer than Jefferson, and Lee took a few snaps almost every game last season. Lee is prone to make critical mistakes though, so expect LSU to heavily rely on their running game led by sophomore RB Spencer Ware.

The key matchup this game is the LSU defensive line vs. the Oregon offensive line, who will be trying to move the ball with Heisman hopeful LeMichael James. With three new starters on the Oregon defensive line, LSU may win that matchup and dominate the trenches. The LSU defense was ranked 13th in the nation last season.

Although LSU may win the battle at the scrimmage, Oregon can swing LeMichael James out on screens, wheel routes, swing routes, work some play action, and have returning QB Darron Thomas hit his speedy receivers. Thomas completed 61% of his passes for 2,881 yards, 30 TDs and 9 INTs last season.The Oregon defense isn’t too shabby either. They finished 34th in the nation last season and will be returning 5 starters. However, they’ll be without key cornerback and playmaking returnman Cliff Harris.

This is a great game to kickoff the college football season in week 1. There is tremendous speed on both teams which will make for a great game. LSU has the defensive edge, while Oregon has the offensive edge. I don’t see LSU outscoring Oregon in this one though. In order for LSU to top Oregon, they’ll have to completely shut down LeMichael James. I just think LeMichael James is too versatile a player to be shut down. The Ducks will get their points depsite LSU’s talent on defense and I don’t think the LSU offense can catch up.

Speed is the name of the game here and the Ducks have it. That isn’t to say that LSU doesn’t have speed. They do. Their defense will give Oregon fits all night, but Oregon should still be able to outscore LSU here. The key to Oregon winning this game is containing LSU’s running game. If the Oregon front seven can win the battle up front, this game is theirs. If the Oregon front seven faulters, LSU will be pounding the ball down their throat to the victory. LSU averaged 187.5 rushing yards per game last season, ranked 23rd in the nation.

I’m staying away from betting on tonight’s action for one simple reason: SEC is the power conference. The SEC has won five straight National Championships and Oregon fell short last year against an Auburn team who is known for their tough SEC defense, just like this LSU squad. That is why a lot of experts are taking LSU with the +3. It’s a compelling argument, but I’m weary about LSU’s offense outscoring the Ducks tonight. The line has moved from LSU +4.5 to LSU +3. The public clearly likes LSU with the points. Your call to make.

Prediction: Oregon 24 – LSU 20

Free Pick Against the Spread: Oregon -3 (Confidence: 3/5)