Week 4 - Miami Hurricanes vs. Pittsburgh Panthers

Miami Hurricanes (1-1 SU, 0-1 ATS) vs. Pittsburgh Panthers (1-1 SU, 0-1-1 ATS), Week 4 College Football, 7:30 p.m. EST, Thursday, September 23, 2010, Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Betting Odds: Canes -3.5/Pitt +3.5

Over/Under Total: 53

Miami and Pittsburgh both have already lost a game this season and have yet to defeat a legitimate opponent, but with both teams having had almost two weeks off since their last game these teams will be prepared to try and earn a key non-conference win.

Pittsburgh started its season with a 27-24 loss at Utah. Pitt was ranked No. 15 in the preseason and Utah was unranked, but is now ranked, and the loss was on the road and in overtime, so it's certainly nothing to be ashamed of. Pitt RB Dion Lewis, a possible Heisman candidate, had just 75 rushing yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. Pitt QB Tino Sunseri was 16-for-28 passing for 184 yards, a touchdown and an interception. With neither the passing game nor the running game really working effectively, it was tough for the Panthers to score enough points to win the game. Despite turning the ball over twice, the Panthers stayed in the game with three forced turnovers. They did a decent job against the run, allowing 122 yards, but they also allowed 283 passing yards and three passing touchdowns.

In their second game, the Panthers won 38-16 over New Hampshire. The Pitt offense was solid but allowing 16 points to a FCS team isn't a great accomplishment. Sunseri threw for 275 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while completing over 70 percent of his pass attempts. Lewis struggled mightily, running for only 27 yards on 10 carries, although he did get into the end zone once. Ray Graham was the real backfield threat for the Panthers, running for 115 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries, including a 64-yard TD run in the fourth quarter. WR Jon Baldwin had six receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown. The Panthers need to do a better job against the pass, as they allowed New Hampshire WR Chris Jeannot to catch 12 passes for 110 yards.

Miami opened its season with an easy 45-0 win over Florida A&M. The Hurricanes held their opponent to 110 total yards of offense (52 rushing, 58 passing). Meanwhile, QB Jacory Harris was 12-for-15 passing for 210 yards and three touchdowns. The Hurricanes also ran for 155 yards, led by Lamar Miller's 65 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. WR Leonard Hankerson had six receptions for 115 yards and two touchdowns.

In their second game, the Hurricanes lost to No. 2 Ohio State on the road, 36-24. Harris really struggled throwing the ball. He threw for 232 yards and one touchdown, but he threw four interceptions. The Hurricanes had 120 rushing yards. RB Damien Berry totaled 94 yards on 16 carries. Hankerson had seven catches for 90 yards. The Hurricanes had a lot of trouble containing OSU QB Terrelle Pryor, who threw for 233 yards and ran for 113 yards. Miami turned the ball over four times and couldn't force any turnovers.
Miami's offense revolves around Harris. When he gets time in the pocket, he can pick defenses apart. If Miami can establish the run, it will make it even easier for Harris. Pitt's offense was supposed to revolve around Lewis, but he hasn't been running the ball well thus far. If Lewis again can't put together a quality game, Pitt won't have much of a chance against this quality Miami team.

Pitt is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games following an ATS loss. The Panthers are 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10 games in September and 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games following a bye week. Miami is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 non-conference games. The under is 7-0 in Miami's last seven games vs. the Big East. The under is 5-1 in Pitt's last six games in September. The under is 5-1 in the last six meetings between these teams.

Ryno's Pick to Cover the Point Spread: This should be a very close game. Pitt might not win straight up, but I do like them to cover the +3.5.

Week 3 - Kansas Jayhawks vs. Southern Miss Golden Eagles Point Spread and Pick

So after week 2 of college football, I would like to know if anybody has the Kansas Jayhawks figured out yet? If you would like me to bring you up to date, the Jayhawks were upset by the North Dakota State Bison out of the NCAA FCS 6-3 in their opener in what was arguably the worse defeat in school history. While many thought Kansas would be forgotten for the rest of the 2010 season, the Jayhawks bounced back last week with an impressive 28-25 victory over the no. 15 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Not only did the Jayhawks redeem themselves, but they also looked like a totally different team throughout the game on both sides of the ball.

The question now is what team will show up this week when the Jayhawks take their first road trip out to Hattiesburg to battle with the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. Southern Miss suffered a disappointing loss to South Carolina in their opener before breezing by Prairie View A&M last week 34-7. The Golden Eagles are expected to challenge for tops in Conference USA this season and a very interesting battle waits when Kansas rolls into town. The Golden Eagles were outmatched by speed and power against an SEC power in their opener, but their meeting with Kansas should be a better precursor of what is to come considering this will be very similar to the type teams they play for the rest of the season.

The Kansas offense came to life last week behind QB Jordan Webb who tossed 3 touchdown passes with a total of 179 yards through the air. Now the Jayhawks may not be the heavily favored passing teams of years past, in fact they prefer establishing the run upfront. However, the passing game must be able to be effective if their running game is going to be reliable and that is exactly what Webb was able to accomplish against Georgia Tech. Jayhawks running back James Sims carried the ball for 17 times while racking up 101 yards against the Georgia Tech defense last week. It was Simms first taste of action this season after the freshman did not take a snap in the opening loss. However, with the added consistency coming from the ground it should ensure that Simms will get a lot of action again next week. The Jayhawks will need that balance to remain effective offensively going forward.

Also, Kansas perhaps biggest playmaker is their utility player in Daymond Patterson. Patterson is used in a variety of ways whether it be running the ball out of the back field or moving outside to catch the football through the air. Either way he is the Jayhawks difference maker when big plays are needed. Patterson caught 7 passes for 85 yards last week including a big game changing 32 yard touchdown pass as well. The Golden Eagles defense must know where Patterson is lining up every play throughout the game if they plan on preventing any big plays.

Southern Miss has a fairly solid defense that kept Prairie View A&M to just 211 total yards last week. The Golden Eagles defense is an experienced group that can be very disciplined as well. They do a good job at keeping the ball in front of them preventing big plays. Thus it takes a patient offense to have success against the Golden Eagles defense. It will be interesting to see if the young Jordan Webb keeps his poise and does not try to force the ball into spots that could turn into Golden Eagle interceptions.

The Golden Eagles offense is led by a strong passing force led by junior WR DeAndre Brown. Brown is perhaps the best wide out in Conference USA and is coming off a 100 yard performance on just 5 catches from a week ago. Targeting Brown will be QB Austin Davis. Davis is the best throwing quarterback on the team and completed 11 of 18 passing for 178 yards last week.

However, the Golden Eagles will also let QB Martevious Young get into the action as well. Young is a bit more inconsistent than Davis, but also gives more of a dual threat behind center with his rushing capabilities. However, the Kansas defense proved last week that they could stop rushing quarterbacks when they shut down Georgia Tech QB Josh Nesbitt to just 33 yards last week. Nesbitt is perhaps the best rushing quarterback in America so I'm assuming we will see much more of Davis trying to spread the ball out down field for the Golden Eagles offensive attack.

Alright, so we went against Kansas last week by underestimating the rush defense. However, their pass defense is still plenty questionable and that is where their main problems will be in 2010. Kansas will have to prove it to me again because taking down a top ACC team is obviously not too difficult. Take Southern Miss -4

Week 3 - Central Michigan Chippewas vs. Eastern Michigan Eagles

We continue to see this but the linesmaker continues to ignore it. Losing an elite quarterback to the NFL results in an initial major setback to a college football program. It's happened this year in Texas, Florida, Notre Dame and Oklahoma and the most glaring drop-off could be in Mt. Pleasant as Dan LeFevour is no longer under center for the Chippewas. LeFevour may not have gotten the national pub as the Heisman Trophy hopefuls as previously mentioned but he's now playing on Sundays, at least holding a clipboard. The youngster set all kinds of passing records for Central and now after first entering play against Boston College as a freshman he's no longer on the sidelines.

The Chippewas averaged 33.9 points per game a season ago and after two games they are at 21.5 ppg and that includes as overtime game. One of the opponents was FCS opponent Hampton. This is a sandwich situation for Central as they are just off an overtime loss to projected league champion Temple with a trip to Northwestern on deck. We are all well aware of the last time the Chippewas headed to Big Ten country as they upset Michigan State at this time last year 29-27 in an exciting finish. Now they must face league doormat Eastern Michigan who they beat 56-8 a season ago.

The Eagles of Eastern Michigan entered this season off a winless 2009. They were outscored by 21.9 ppg a year ago in Ron English's first season. And while they enter this game on a 14 game losing streak this club is now playing respectable football. They easily covered their first two games dropping 4 and 7 point decisions to Army and Miami Ohio. They always get up to face their big instate rival Central Michigan, in fact, they have upset them 2 of the last 3 years getting double digits both times. The three years prior all went into overtime.
Central Michigan ran for just 1.3 yards per carry against Temple and without a decent running game they won't be able to attack through the air. The loss of LeFevour hurts tremendously not only on the field but in the locker room. This spread is simply too high as these two squads go in opposite directions.
PLAY EASTERN MICHIGAN

Week 3 - Kent State Golden Flashes vs. Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State's offense is now led by freshman QB Robert Bolden. Bolden looked good in their 44-17 season opening victory in an unlined game against Youngstown State. It was a little quick to throw him to the wolves last Saturday when playing on the road against the defending national champions, Alabama, who possibly owns the best defensive unit in the country. Penn State didn't perform that bad, as the offensive line didn't allow Alabama to sack QB Bolden even once in his 29 attempts, while he completed 13 of 29 passes for 144 yards. Penn State returns home to host an outgunned Kent State squad that has allowed 474 passing yards in their first 2 games, against Murry State and Boston College. HC Paterno will use last week's tough loss to teach QB Bolden to be a better college quarterback, and things will only get easier in front of their home fans while taking a huge drop in class against Kent State. With Head Coach Joe Paterno is 17-8 ATS at home following a road loss, expect the Lions to turn things around this Saturday

Week 3 - Iowa State Cyclones vs. Kansas State Wildcats

Take Kansas State Wildcats over Iowa State Cyclones (Saturday 12 pm FSN) Two of the teams in the Big XII North are set to open up conference play Saturday morning in Kansas City. Kansas State is 2-0 on the season and has one quality win against UCLA in week one. The Cyclones were exposed as frauds last week against Iowa and going on the road for the second straight week (game is in Kansas City) will be their undoing. The Wildcats have won two straight in this series including a dramatic 24-23 victory last year when they blocked a potential tying PAT. The difference in this game will come at the running back position where K-State has a big time player in Daniel Thomas. Thomas already has 371 yards on the season in just two games and that includes running for 234 yards against UCLA, a team with a much better defense then what Iowa State has. Kansas State will pull away late and we will collect big in the process as well. Do not miss

Week 2 - Wyoming Cowboys vs. Texas Longhorns Point Spread and Pick

Wyoming Cowboys (1-0 0-1 ATS) vs. No. 5 Texas Longhorns (1-0 0-1 ATS), Week 2 College Football, Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, Texas 7 PM EST Saturday September 11, 2010


by Jason Green of Predictem.com

Point Spread: Cowboys +28/Horns -28

Over/Under: TBA

On Saturday night in the Lone Star State the 5th ranked Texas Longhorns face (smash) the Wyoming Cowboys, who both won their season openers, but while Texas looked good Wyoming did not. The Longhorns have National Championship aspirations and while they are much better on both sides of the ball than the Cowboys Wyoming is an up-and-coming team that was a surprising 7-5 last season and beat Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl.

Texas beat Rice 34-17 in their first game of the season, but they did not come close to covering the big 31-point spread.

Wyoming beat Southern Utah of the huge football conference of the Great West Conference and just like Texas Wyoming did not come that close to covering the 21-point spread.

Wyoming beat Southern Utah even though they were out-gained in yardage (384 to 355) and had more turnovers (2 to 0). The Cowboys had a grand total of 36 yards rushing for a spectacular 1.4 yard per carry average. Really? 1.4 yards against Southern Utah, how well will they fare against Texas? However, Wyoming does have a decent passing attack and in the win over Southern Utah they did have 319 yards through the air with 3 TD.

The Longhorns used a well-balance offense in their win over Rice, as they rushed for 197 yards and passed for 172 yards. They were 7/14 on 3rd down conversions and their defense forced Rice into making 2 turnovers.

One thing that worries the Longhorns is their rushing attack, as even though they did gain 172 yards against Rice RB's Tre' Newton and Cody Johnson had their problems and each averaged less than 4 yards per carry. However, they will snap out of it this game against Wyoming and each will play well.

QB Austyn Carta-Samuels had a good game in the win over Southern Utah passing for 319 yards and 3 TD and for Wyoming to have any shot at the huge upset he will have to do so again, but this time against a much better Texas defense. WR's Zach Bolger and David Leonard are a good duo that combined for 11 catches and 192 yards in the Cowboys' opening week win.

Carta-Samuels has his work cut out for him against a Longhorns' defense whose strength is the pass rush and their secondary.

RB Alvester Alexander is the main back for Wyoming, but he struggled in the Southern Utah game only rushing for 40 yards and only averaging 3.7 yards per carry. It will not be easy improving upon those numbers against a solid Texas defense.

QB Garrett Gilbert leads Texas and he had a decent game against Rice passing for 172 yards, but he could not lead the Longhorns to the end zone. The defensive line of Wyoming may be the weakness of their entire team and they are very undersized.

The Cowboys' DL and LB stud Brian Hendricks will have to stop the run and try to use their quickness to get to Gabbert. Luckily they are facing a mediocre Texas offensive line that gave up 31 sacks last season. However, with a Wyoming line that lacks size look for Texas to push them around and for Gabbert and the Texas rushing attack to have no problems piling up the yards.

The strength of the Wyoming defense is their secondary, which returns all 4 starters.

Pass protection was a major problem for Wyoming last season and that will likely not change this season. The Texas pass rush is strong so look for them to Austyn Carta-Samuels early and often not allowing him time to find his targets.

Cowboys' RB Alvester Alexander had his problems against Southern Utah so how do you think he will do against Texas? Yeah, not well. He will have problems finding holes behind a suspect line and he will not pick up many rushing yards in this game putting even more pressure on Carta-Samuels.

Jason's Pick to Cover the Spread: Who made this spread? 28? How about 56-7? The ROLL in a huge blowout on Saturday.

Week 2 - LSU Tigers vs. Vanderbilt Commodores Point Spread and Pick

No. 21 LSU Tigers (1-0, 0-1 ATS) at Vanderbilt Commodores (0-1, 1-0 ATS), Week 2 College Football, Saturday September 11th, 7:00PM Eastern Dudley Field Nashville, T.N.


By Jay Horne of Predictem.com

Point Spread: Louisiana State University -10/Vandy +10

Over/under: TBA

The no. 21 LSU Tigers held off a late rally from the no. 18 North Carolina Tarheels last week at the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Classic in an exciting 30-24 win. The Tigers actually had the Tarheels dominated leading by as much as 30-10 at the half before being held scoreless in the 2nd half and escaping two North Carolina passing attempts at the end zone in the final plays of the game. This game just confirmed my beliefs on Coach Les Miles as he almost blew another important game late in the 4th quarter by being very conservative on offense. However, the Tigers still prevailed over a depleted North Carolina defense that had over 14 players out due to NCAA rules violations and now look to move forward into SEC action this Saturday.

The Vanderbilt Commodores lost their most important figures over the off-season when Coach Bobby Johnson surprisingly left in the middle of July just 6 weeks shy of the Commodores first game. Now coaching Vanderbilt is Robbie Caldwell who failed at capturing victory in his season debut last week when the Commodores fell to Northwestern 23-21.

One of the highlights from that match-up was a decision by Caldwell to go for a 2 point conversion in the 3rd quarter which failed ultimately coming back to bite the team in the end. Vanderbilt has always been shy of talent in the SEC over the last few years, but Coach Johnson always had his teams prepared and could keep them competitive. With Johnson out of the picture, I am just not convinced that Vanderbilt will stay any bit competitive this season.

One reason is because what Vanderbilt lacked on offense in terms of talent, Johnson made up for with brilliant defensive game plans. Now that the defensive mind is out of Nashville, it's hard to think the Commodores can accommodate those losses by putting up points against those nasty SEC defenses. Attempting to prove critics like me wrong, the Commodores are led by QB Larry Smith who is a dual threat type player behind center.

Smith's numbers last week were respectable completing 19 of 33 passing for 240 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 pick. Junior tight end Brandon Barden led all receivers with 4 catches for 63 yards and 1 touchdown. While the passing offense is not too much to get excited about, the Commodores do have the tools needed to provide a solid ground game. Smith carried the ball 14 times for 48 yards. More importantly the Commodores have solid tailbacks in both Zac Stacy and Warren Norman. Both tailbacks combined for 19 carries and 115 yards last week for 2 touchdowns. Both guys have ability to eat up yards which may be the Commodores safest option on offense.

LSU on the other hand has talent all over the field. QB Jordan Jefferson threw for 15 of 21 passing for 151 yards and 2 touchdowns in last week's win over North Carolina. The passing offense did not rack up a ton of yards, but I still blame that on the conservative play call of Coach Les Miles. Rather the Tigers ran the ball a combined 36 times for 162 yards. Tailback Stevan Ridley carried the ball 19 times for 81 yards to lead the offense. None of those numbers are extremely impressive for a ball club that scored 30 points all of which came in 1 half of football.

However, it was the special teams that provided the sparks last Saturday night. Patrick Peterson returned 4 punts for 157 yards capped by an electrifying 87 yard touchdown run. Patrick's punt return yardage was the best out of any returner in the nation last week and that is excluding the additional 100 yards on 3 kick returns that the LSU standout also posted on the night as well. If not for all the big plays in the return game, LSU would have likely never escaped the Georgia Dome with a win last Saturday night. However, talented teams find ways to win and that is exactly what they will have to do if they are to compete in the SEC West this season.

Jay's Pick to Cover the Spread: Despite the losses North Carolina had last week, they are still an under rated group and that is why I believe that LSU win was still very solid. I believe the playbook opens up a bit this week and they find many more ways to score. Take LSU -10.

Week 2 - Oregon Ducks vs. Tennessee Volunteers Point Spread and Pick

Oregon Ducks (1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS) vs. Tennessee Volunteers (1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS), 7:00 p.m. EST, College Football Week 2, Saturday, September 11, 2010, Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee


By Scotty L, Professional College Football Handicapper of Predictem.com

Point Spread: U of O –13.5/Vols +13.5

Over/Under: TBA

The University of Oregon Ducks travel to Knoxville on Saturday to take on the Tennessee Volunteers. These teams have never met before, but should make for an interesting game. Both squads are coming off week one blowouts, however their identities have not been cast in stone yet. We know what we have with these teams to some degree, but the dye has yet to be cast. As it stands now, the 11th ranked Ducks look to be a Pac-10 power this year, while Tennessee figures to suffer from growing pains in a year of transition and rebuilding.

Oregon CRUSHED New Mexico 72-0 last week to underline their potential. The tandem quarterback unit of Nick Costa and Darron Thomas clicked wonderfully, while the running game seemed in full bloom. With LeMichael James serving a one-game suspension, Kenjon Barner ran for four touchdowns and caught another one, showing Oregon’s explosiveness and depth and offense. 14 different players caught passes! Cliff Harris was running wild on kickoff and punt returns. It was quite a show of force. Their ballyhooed defense also looked great, giving up a paltry 107 yards of total offense.

Tennessee’s defense, expected to be a strong suit of the team, gave up only 142 yards of total offense, but their offense also played surprisingly well, albeit against Division I-AA Tennessee-Martin. Quarterback Matt Simms, son of the New York Giant legend, has the genes and now has the opportunity to shine in his first year as a Division I starter. He was just 14-24 for 181 yards and one touchdown against the woeful Tennessee-Martin “D” and might struggle against a legitimate big-time defense on Saturday. The Volunteer running game did put up over 300 yards, but we’ll see how well that translates against a nationally ranked opponent.

How much can one gleam from last week’s blowouts? Perhaps not much. Whereas both teams were ice-skating last week, this might be more of a trudge through the mud. Last week’s numbers will not be matched this week, with both teams in a much more difficult spot. Tennessee has a young QB, an offensive line returning no starters, an unproven backfield, and a defense facing a lot of question marks after the departure of top players. With their third different coach in 3 years, there is no stability. Their recruiting class was left in tatters after coach Lane Kiffin made a late departure to USC. These things didn’t manifest against Tennessee-Martin, but they will in spades against the talented Ducks.

If Oregon can continue having things click into place, they could have a special year. Games like this, however, are always tough. Making a long trip to play in front of a rabid SEC hometown crowd is not easy. The Oregon quarterbacks will be tested. Nevertheless, the Ducks are fortunate to not be drawing one of the good Tennessee teams from the past. This Volunteers team is probably a bottom-half SEC team this year that figures to struggle. On offense, they need a lot of stars to line up correctly and their defense is relying on inexperienced players to fill in gaps for guys who were either drafted in the first round or suspended last year.

Matt Simms, operating behind a patchwork O-line, will be up against it. Oregon figures to aggressively pursue him and the Volunteers will struggle to establish the run. On defense, they may be a bit more effective, with a strong pair of ends in Chris Walker and Ben Martin, in addition to a strong linebacking crew. Their pass rush could give Thomas and Costa something to think about.

Scotty L’s Pick to Cover the Spread: Tennessee’s D-line is weak inside, which should give way to a lot of Oregon first downs. With the Volunteer secondary in shambles after the departure of Eric Berry and the suspension of Darren Myles, they will be vulnerable on Saturday. The Ducks will not be flying up and down the field the way they did against the awful Lobos squad, but they will thrive.

Tennessee’s shortcomings will be exploited by one of the better teams in the nation on Saturday. Their offensive line will struggle, putting tremendous strain on Matt Simms and the rest of the offense. How many points can they realistically score facing a Ducks defense that is one of the best in the nation? The running game could conceivably give the smaller Ducks D-line some problems, but looking good against a Division I-AA team is one thing and this is a different proposition altogether.

I see Oregon establishing themselves quickly, while Tennessee struggles to keep up. The Volunteers could catch a couple breaks in the form of some turnovers to keep it close early. The Ducks, however, have too many weapons on both sides of the ball to be kept down for long. The opening line of Oregon –13.5 is by no means a gimme. It could be a tough road game that ends up 24-14, or something like that. But I envision a reasonably close game that breaks open a bit in the second half, with Oregon cruising to a cover. Before the line creeps up, take the Quack Attack minus 13.5 points.

Week 2 - Idaho Vandals vs. Nebraksa Cornhuskers Point Spread and Pick

Idaho Vandals (1-0 0-0 ATS) vs. No. 9 Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-0 0-1 ATS), Week 2 College Football, Memorial Stadium Lincoln NE 12:30 PM EST Saturday September 11, 2010


by Jason Green of Predictem.com

Point Spread: UI +28.5/Neb -28.5

Over/Under: TBA

In the first test for both teams in the young college football season the 9th ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers host the Idaho Vandals. Idaho is known for potatoes and not football (ok, Boise State is decent lol.), but they play in a legit conference in the Western Athletic Conference and last season they were 8-5 and beat Bowling Green in the Humanitarian Bowl.

The Huskers are one of the 3 teams in the Big 12 that are ranked in the top 10 (Oklahoma and Texas) and to make it to the conference championship game they may have to beat Texas in the middle of the season.

In their opening games both teams blew out their opponent, as Nebraska beat Western Kentucky 49-10 and Idaho blanked North Dakota 45-0.

In the win over WKU Nebraska dominated on offense racking up 536 yards (247 passing yards 289 rushing yards). Their defense is a little cause for concern in this game against Idaho since in the Western Kentucky game they gave up 179 rushing yards to a team that has lost 21 straight games.

Last week Nebraska QB Taylor Martinez became the first freshman ever to start under center for the Huskers in a season opener. He had a game against Western Kentucky going 9/15 for 136 yards passing and became the first Nebraska QB to rush for over 100 yards (127 yards) since 2003 and he scored 3 rushing TD's.

Idaho will have to keep Martinez and RB Rex Burkhead from making the big play on the ground, as in the WKU game each averaged over 11 yards per carry and Martinez averaged 18.1 yards per carry.

Last season the Vandals ranked 9th in the nation on offense and they are led by QB Nate Enderle, who may someday being playing on Sundays.Iin Idaho's opening game blowout of North Dakota State he passed for 311 yards and 2 TD. He could have had a HUGE game, but he was taken out in the 3rd quarter.

The Vandals' offensive line gave up 25 sacks last season and they will have to good pass protection in this game.

Idaho racked up 547 yards in their rout of North Dakota, but it is obvious they will be playing a tougher defense of Nebraska this Saturday. The Vandals may have to score a ton of points since their D is not their strength and one match up problem for them is their run defense against the Huskers' rushing offense. In the North Dakota game Idaho gave up 148 rushing yards.

Last season the Vandals finished 114th in the nation in sacks and 115th in tackles for loss and they may not have to get to Martinez in this game, but they will have to play well in run defense and have a solid tackling game.
The Nebraska defense ranked 7th in the nation last season and even though they lost Ndamukong Suh to the NFL they will still be solid against the run and the pass. The Huskers' secondary has good CB's, but their safeties lack experience and they will be tested in this game by a great Idaho passing offense.

The Vandals can score with the passing offense they have, but they will not have a lot of time on the field since the Huskers will dominate the game on the ground. Look for the Huskers to rack up a ton of yards on the ground in this game.

Idaho has had their issues on the offensive line and Nebraska will be able to get to Nate Enderle and not allow him to find his targets. However, Enderle will come up with a couple of TD strikes in this game.

Idaho is 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games and Nebraska is 6-0-1 ATS in their last 7 non-conference games.

Jason's Pick to Cover the Spread: While Nebraska will easily win this game it will not be a high scoring one since they will control the clock by running the ball. The Huskers will move to 2-0 SU with a win over Idaho, but the Vandals are a solid squad and they will cover the spread.

Week 2 - South Florida Bulls vs. Florida Gators Point Spread and Pick

South Florida Bulls (1-0, 0-0 ATS) at No. 4 Florida Gators (1-0, 0-1 ATS), Week 2 College Football, Saturday September 11th, 12:21PM Eastern The Swamp Gainesville, F.L.


By Jay Horne of Predictem.com

Point Spread: USF/ +17/University of Florida -17

Over/under: TBA

Ever wondered where the best place is to bet on college football games? The answer is 5Dimes. Why you ask? Because they let you bet at -105 odds instead of -110 which is like getting a bonus every time you place a wager!

The no. 4 Florida Gators put their top 5 ranking on the line when they host the South Florida Bulls in The Swamp at Ben Hill Griffith Stadium early this Saturday afternoon. Despite a lot of big time upsets last weekend, it was perhaps the Gators lackluster performance that was perhaps most surprising. The Gators battled with Miami (Ohio) and produced just 13 yards of total offense during the first half. Despite the Gators prevailing 34-12, it was still the worse offensive performance in the Urban Meyer era in Gainesville. The Gators now get the chance to shake off the rust as they prepare for Skip Holtz South Florida Bulls.

The Bulls stampeded over Stony Brook last week 59-14 in Coach Holtz first game in Tampa. South Florida racked up 563 yards of total offense while the passing game assaulted the unmatched Stony Brook secondary for an additional 383 yards in the air. The Bulls are led by sophomore QB B.J. Daniels who completed 15 of 22 passing for 264 yards and 2 scores in the openers. Daniels exploded onto the scene for South Florida last season as a freshman providing the offense with a dual threat from behind center. If Daniels has progressed with consistency from a year ago, he should be able to provide some sparks for the South Florida offense.

The Bulls main concern entering 2010 is replacing a lot of playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. South Florida lost 4 players to the NFL from 2009 and replacing the talent on the defensive side of the ball will be fairly hard to accomplish. However, the Bulls still have the opportunity to be solid defensively even with the losses. Considering how bad the Florida pass offense appeared against Miami (Ohio) last week, the Bulls must prepare to stop the Gators up front and force freshman quarterback John Brantley to beat them with his arm. If South Florida's defense can target stopping talented tailbacks Jeffery Demps and Emmanuel Moody on the ground, it will greatly increase their chances at scoring what would be a milestone upset for the South Florida program.

Florida as stated before appeared very predictable for the first time in several years last Saturday. The ground game behinds veteran Jeffery Demps who rushed for 98 yards on just 8 carries was nothing new out of the playbook. However, the pass offense was simply non-existent. Freshman QB John Brantley completed 17 of 25 passing for 113 yards for 2 touchdowns. While Brantley did not turn the ball over, there were some miss opportunities in the passing game as well which we have come to expect from Florida. Florida did not have one receiver to total over 50 yards receiving and it just appeared that nobody wanted to step up and lead the receiving core. The Gators lost both top receivers from a year ago in Riley Cooper and Aaron Hernandez. With Brantley still getting his feet wet on the college scene, the Gators desperately need a receiver to step up and make some plays to assist the passing game.

On the other side of the ball, the Gators defense performed pretty much as expected. The Gators speedy defense kept the Redhawks offense to just 212 total yards on the game and also prevented Miami's offense from finding the end zone throughout the game while having to settle for 4 different field goals. In fact, the game may have been much closer if the Gators defense had not picked off 4 passes on the afternoon. Janoris Jenkins picked off a pass and returned it 67 yards to score the Gators first touchdown. Then in the 2nd quarter, Ahmad Black returned an interception 40 yards to the Miami 2 yard line to setup another easy touchdown. If those interceptions had not occurred, the game may have been much closer and frustrating for the Gators.

The defense will again look to make plays against South Florida's B.J Daniels who had consistency problems in 2009. However if more scores are not setup by the defense, the offense must be much more productive going forward. After bombing as 38 point favorites last week, the betting lines have opened favoring the Gators by 17 points over South Florida for this week's match-up. I would not be surprised to see some action lay with the Bulls after Florida poor performance last week. However, the Gators are still receiving 60% of the public's votes early in the week.

Jay's Pick to Cover the Spread: Skip Holtz is famous for getting the most out of his players and drawing up wonderful game plans in the big games. Holtz and the Bulls catch the Gators in a position where they are still trying to work out a lot of kinks on offense. With those factors in consideration, I really expect South Florida to cover the points here and hope the Gators offense does not come to life. Take USF +17.

Week 2 - Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Kansas Jayhawks Point Spread and Pick

No. 16 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (1-0, 0-0 ATS) at Kansas Jayhawks (0-1, 0-0 ATS), Week 2 College Football, Saturday September 11th, 12:00PM Eastern Memorial Stadium Lawrence, Kansas


By Jay Horne, NCAA Football Handicapper of Predictem.com

Point Spread: GT -13/KS +13

Over/under: TBA

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The no. 16 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will travel out west to take on the Kansas Jayhawks early Saturday afternoon. The Yellow Jackets breezed by South Carolina State 41-10 in their opener and get their first taste at an opponent from a BCS Bowl Conference. Like Georgia Tech, Kansas was also paired up with a team out of the FCS (formerly Division I-AA) in their opener in what was expected to be an easy win. However, the Jayhawks ended up being one of the biggest upset stories of opening weekend as they fell to the North Dakota Bison by an embarrassing score of 6-3.

Kansas kicked off new head coach Turner Gill's era with an embarrassing performance on the offensive side of the ball. The Jayhawks were held to just 293 total yards of offense and again a measly total of 3 points for the entire game. In fact, the Jayhawks lone field goal of the game occurred midway through the first quarter and then they were held scoreless for over 3 quarters which of course fueled the frustration for the Jayhawks faithful. Kansas now must look to rebound and figure out a way to be more productive on the offensive side of the ball. Unfortunately for Kansas things are bound to get tougher for the offense, especially when the Yellow Jackets bring a much more talented defense into Memorial Stadium for Saturday's battle.

Georgia Tech not only will have a much better defense than North Dakota, but they will also bring the ACC's top offense into town from 2009. The Yellow Jackets produced 422 yards and 34 points per game in 2009 to lead the ACC. Also, Georgia Tech led the nation in rushing yards per game at a whopping 295 yards per contest. If the Yellow Jackets 372 yard rushing performance last week against South Carolina State was any indication of things to come, they could very well have one of the best rushing offenses in America yet again this season.

Veteran QB Josh Nesbitt is a rushing quarterback that rarely throws the football down field. Nesbitt eclipsed the 1,000 yards rushing mark a year ago and racked up another 130 yards on 16 carries for 3 scores in the Yellow Jackets opener. Junior running back Roddy Jones will share the backfield with Nesbitt in place of standout Jonathan Dwyer that terrorized the ACC last season. Jones has some experience in the backfield and should compliment Nesbitt and the running game very well. For those not familiar with the Georgia Tech offense, they run a ton of misdirection option style plays on the ground.

However, normally Nesbitt will take off with the ball himself rather than hand the ball of to the running back which is the more traditional for an option style offense. Therefore, the Jayhawks defense simply needs to stop Nesbitt and force others to make plays. Nesbitt has been very inconsistent throwing the football and only completed 1 of 6 passes last week. The Kansas defense must force Nesbitt into having to throw the football and finding a way to stop any big plays from happening on the ground. As simple as that sounds, few teams have been able to stop the Georgia Tech running attack over the past two seasons.

As for the Kansas defense, they were not that impressive last season as they were one of the worse in the Big 12 allowing just less than 400 yards of total offense per game. Another worrisome statistic is that the defense also allowed nearly 140 yards per game on the ground. The defense did return 7 players on that side of the ball, but there is still not a big playmaker to threaten the defense. The strength of the defense comes in the secondary, but considering how much the Georgia Tech offense throws the ball the only thing the secondary may be doing is tackling the ball carrier.

The Jayhawks offense has a much different appearance under Turner Gill compared to the historical spread offense over the past few seasons. QB Kale Pick and Jordan Webb are both inexperienced guys who have not given a lot of confidence for a strong passing game. The offensive line was suppose to be the strength this season after returning 5 starters but looked horrific against a weak North Dakota defense. The big guys up front must play better and allow time to get the ball in their playmakers hands if anything positive is going to come from the offense. Daymond Patterson can make plays on the ground and catching the football after totaling 129 all-purpose yards last week. Expect Patterson to be to go to guy again as Kansas searches for answers on offense.

Jay's Pick to Cover the Spread: Obvious choice here. Georgia Tech wins this one handedly unless something drastic changes with Kansas from the way they looked last week.

Week 2 - Georgia Bulldogs vs. South Carolina Gamecocks Point Spread and Pick

No. 23 Georgia Bulldogs (1-0, 1-0 ATS) at South Carolina Gamecocks (1-0, 1-0 ATS), Week 2 NCAA Football, Saturday September 11th, 12:00PM Eastern Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, S.C

By Jay Horne, College Football Handicapper of Predictem.com

Point Spread: UGA +2.5/USC -2.5

Over/under: 47

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The biggest game in the SEC this week will take place at Williams-Brice Stadium when the South Carolina Gamecocks host the Georgia Bulldogs. South Carolina thumped Southern Miss in front of a nationally televised audience last week 41-13 while looking impressive on both sides of the ball. Georgia was also equally impressive in a big blow out win over Louisiana-Lafayette 55-7. The two teams now get their first major test of the season when the two SEC powers collide this Saturday afternoon. Considering how unimpressive Florida looked last week, the winner of this game will have a great start in the race for the SEC East.

The Gamecocks appeared to be clicking on offense last Thursday behind junior QB Stephen Garcia. After a summer of criticism, Garcia rose to the challenge while completing 16 of 23 passing for 193 yards. Garcia also bulldozed his way for two scores on the ground as the Gamecocks dismantled the Golden Eagles defense all night. Perhaps if you watched the game last Thursday, then the youth of South Carolina may have been a standout. Sophomore WR Alshon Jeffery caught 7 passes for 106 yards and is quickly becoming a household name in the SEC.

Freshman running back Marcus Lattimore also had a solid opening debut carrying the ball 14 times for 54 yards and 2 touchdowns. Lattimore was listed as the nation's top running back out of high school last year and South Carolina fans are eager to see how he will progress this season. Another youngster that was impressive last week for the Gamecocks was freshman wide out Ace Sanders. Sanders does not possess an intimidating frame at just 5'7 and 165 pounds. However, Sanders showed some lightening quick speed with two receptions for 43 yards and another carry for 53 yards in the Gamecocks home opener. With so much talent at the skill positions for South Carolina, it is easy to see why expectations are so high.

The Gamecocks posted 449 yards of total offense with a very balanced attack. South Carolina split their offensive production right down the middle with 225 passing yards and 224 yards on the ground. However, the real test comes this Saturday against a much better defense from Georgia. The Bulldogs defense held teams to just 339 yards per game in 2009 and are stacked to be even better this season. South Carolina's biggest concern is how will the offensive line hold up against a better defensive rush? The Gamecocks surrendered 37 sacks in 2009 which was the 11th worse in the nation. While the South Carolina offensive line appeared improved last week, their first real test comes this Saturday. If the Gamecocks are to really challenge in the SEC this year, the offensive line must be better.

The Bulldogs on the other hand have a lot of similarities compared to the Gamecocks. Georgia has tons of talent at the skill positions on offense backed by a solid defense. WR A.J. Green is most likely the best receiver in the SEC and will make is expected to make his season debut after being held out of last week's contest due to an NCAA rules investigation. Green posted 53 receptions for 808 yards for the Bulldogs last season. While those numbers do not sound overly impressive, remember Georgia struggled severely throwing the football in 2009.

Freshman QB Aaron Murray hopes to answer all the concerns in the passing game. Murray looked fairly solid last week completing 17 of 26 passes for 160 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 pick last week. However, Murray will be one of those players under the microscope this week as we will eagerly wait to see how the freshman plays against a much better defensive group. The most important concern Georgia has concerning Murray is establishing ball security. In a game expected to be very close, turnovers will be key and that is where the concern lies with Murray.

Still, this game will likely be won in the trenches. Both teams will be looking to control the football and establish a running game. Let's face it time of possession may be critical and the offense that can keep the other off the field will have the advantage. South Carolina and Georgia have historically been hard fought games with 5 of the last 6 games being decided by last than 7 points. Considering what is on the table for both teams, another great battle is expected yet again.

Update: Georgia WR A.J Green is now listed as doubtful as NCAA rules investigations continue.

Jay's Pick to Cover the Spread: This game has been on my radar all summer and believe the lines are right where I expected with another predicted grudge match. In fact, the opening line favors South Carolina by 2.5 and odds makers are using that enticing line to lure in a lot of action on the Bulldogs while believing South Carolina will cover. I also just do not see Georgia staying with the Gamecocks all 4 quarters in this one. South Carolina has tons of weapons on offense that will score points even against solid defenses. While Georgia possesses the same in terms of talent, I believe the Gamecocks defense will rattle freshman QB Murray with all of the different looks that defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson brings. Consider this a big play with the Gamecocks.