MistaFlava
Cheerleader
2006 CFB Record: 48-34-2 (+24.70 Units)
2006 CFB ATS Record: 38-27-2 ATS (+22.50)
2006 CFB O/U Record: 10-7 (+2.20 Units)
PLAYS OF THE WEEK: 4-4 (-2.00 units)
PLAY OF THE MONTH: 0-0 (+0.00 Units)
PLAYS OF THE YEAR: 0-0 (+0.00 Units)
29-10-2 ATS in Football the last three weeks
I am 1-2 and not too happy with my capping in the midweek. Saturday is a new day and now it's time to kick some ass. Hopefully Saturday goes well because I have some huge plays lined up for Sunday's NFL slate and I will be releasing a pick for some Sunday Night College Football.
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Saturday, October 21
Nebraska Cornhuskers +5 (10 Units) ***BIG 12 PLAY OF THE MONTH***
The Texas Longhorns and Mack Brown are not good, they're not great, they are fuckin awesome. I mean this is one bad ass team, that kick everyone's ass in about 20 difference pieces week in week out. What else can be said about the defending National Champions? They are 6-1 on the season (4-2 ATS), they have been blowing out opposing teams left and right and they are looking like a team that is definitely interested in once again playing for the National Title. Now I know a lot can be said and a lot can be argued about Texas being one of the top teams in the nation but we have to keep things real here for a bit. Is this Texas Longhorns team really that good? I think so but they are beatable as was made evident in their home game against the best team in the Nation earlier this year. Apart from that game, the Longhorns and their freshman QB Colt McCoy are untested on the road (wins over Rice and a win over Oklahoma in Dallas don't really do much for me). You have to keep things real when it comes to the Longhorns and as much as many of you want to believe that they are untouchable, that's definitely not the case. Sure this is going to be one hell of a game but I think Texas loses this straight up. The Longhorns are averaging a whopping 49.0 points per game in their last three and have done so on a rather miniscule 362.7 total yards per game and 5.9 yards per play. I expected a lot more. Nebraska's defense is playing some good football allowing only 16.3 points per game in their last three and doing so on 394.3 total yards of offense and a very respectable 5.3 yards per play. On the ground, RB's Jamaal Charles and Selvin Young are good but I am not a big fan of the Texas rush attack that averages only 3.6 yards per carry in their last three games. Nebraska's run defense has been stout the last three games allowing only 81.3 rushing yards per game and 3.0 yards per carry. In the air, QB Colt McCoy is facing the biggest test of his young career. This is the most hostile environment he will have ever been in and I think he will make critical mistakes in this one. McCoy has been outstanding so far with 18 TD's and only 3 interceptions, while completing 70.3% of his passes for 9.2 yards per pass attempt in his last three games. That's nice but how about some good ole Husker style defense. Nebraska's last three opponent QB's completed only 48.6% of their passes for 6.7 yards per pass attempt. The Nebraska secondary has 2.0 interceptions per game and as long as they can shutdown WR Limas Sweed (which they definitely can) and put some pressure on McCoy, the crowd should help the Huskers to their biggest conference win in ages.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers, the Cornhusker fans and the entire Cornhusker nation is not about to accept anything less than a win in this afternoon's game. Texas has always been a probblem for the Huskers and as long as Nebraska have problems with the Longhorns, they can forget about playing for the Big 12 Title Game and they can forget about ever playing for a National Title. The last time Texas came in here, they were three point favs and escaped with a 27-24 win. Nobody has forgotten about that game and believe it or not, this edition of the Huskers is a lot better than the edition of 2002 that almost pulled off the upset at home. To be honest with you guys, I think the Huskers have missed out on the Big 12 Title Game the last who knows how many years and Texas has always been the big problem game for them. Coach Callahan had some rumors spreading around about him and his drunk driving arrest (which were all falsely started by Longhorn fans) and that just adds fuel to his fire. The difference between Callahan's first two years here and his third year now is that his players have all been with him for a long time, they are all in the third year of his system and this is the one game where they get to show that Nebraska football is back baby! In their last three games, the Huskers are averaging 29.3 points per game on a whopping 416.3 total yards of offense and 6.4 yards per play (take that Longhorn backers). Texas has one heck of a stout defense but they are allowing 14.7 points per game in their last three on 290.7 total yards of offense and a surprisingly high 5.0 yards per play. On the ground, RB Marlon Lucky and company have been lights out and are averaging 185.7 rushing yards per game on 4.6 yards per carry in their last three. Lucky along with his other two RB's have combined for 15 rushing TD's (Nebraska have 19 rushing TD's on the season). Texas has been good against the run and allow only 3.3 yards per carry in their last three but Nebraska has a definite advantage in the running game. In the air, QB Zac Taylor is getting one last shot at Texas. He is one of the most underrated QB's in the Nation, passing for 9.1 yards per pass attempt in his last three games and throwing no interceptions in those games. Texas allowed their last three QB opponents to complete 56.4% of their passes for 6.3 yards per pass attempt. The Huskers have to be careful with the ball (please no Buckhalter ghost) and as long as they keep pouding away on offense, the biggest win in Lincoln's last who knows how many years is about to finally happen. Rip those goal posts off boys and girls and let's party for the PLAY OF THE MONTH!
Game-Breaking Intangible: The Nebraska Cornhuskers are not about to lose this game at home and if they do, it will be by 1-3 points. Think of this, since 2001, Nebraska has hosted 7 ranked opponents in Lincoln. In those home games against ranked opponents at home, Nebraska is 6-1 ATS and they won four of those games straight up. Also making things interesting is that Nebraska is 16-2-1 ATS in their last 19 home games versus a team with a winning record. This should be good.
Nebraska 31, Texas 30
Florida State Seminoles -7 (50 Units) ***ACC PLAY OF THE YEAR***
Please excuse my french ahead of time but...THE BC EAGLES ARE FUCKED! Before dropping such a large amount of cash on one football game, I went out of my way to make a few calls to local papers, news agencies and BC football reporters to get a status report on QB Matt Ryan. Before I get into what I found, I was going to play this regardless of Ryan's status because with or without their star QB, there is no chance and there was never any chance that BC could walk in here and keep this thing close. Make no mistakes about it. Alright. QB Matt Ryan's foot is badly messed up. He banged it up badly in last week's win over Virginia Tech and from what my sources tell me, Ryan is still in excruciating pain as of last night and his status is almost 100% no-go for the game. Ryan did not practice with the first unit at all this week and even if for some reason they can freeze the foot a little bit and get him into the game, Florida State has one of the quickest defense in the Nation and they are going to feast on the fleet footed Ryan. However, I don't see Ryan coming into this game at all which puts everything on the shoulders of QB Chris Crane (haha unless they want to put Billy Flutie in..Doug's cousing). Crane has attempted a grand total of 7 college football passes. I don't care who you are but you are not walking into Tallahassee with a brand new QB and coming close to winning a game. No way, not in hell. Coach O'Brien even went as far as saying that Ryan's foot wouldn't be better until January. Ouch. Just to finish off on Ryan, he is the leading passer in the ACC and the loss is not explainable. Even if he plays, he is royally fucked. The Eagles average only 19.7 points per game in their last three on only 308.0 total yards of offense and 4.9 yards per play. Not impressive and that was with Ryan. Well FSU's defense is allowing 18.3 points per game in their last three on only 296.0 total yards and 4.4 yards per play. With the new QB, that should dip to 2.0 yards per play at best. On the ground, the experience BC running backs have to carry the load in this game but easier said than done against an FSU defense allowing only 2.8 yards per carry in their last three. If Crane or the fleet-footed Ryan have to go to the air, the last three FSU opponents completed only 45.6% of their passes and were on the receiving end of 2.3 sacks per game. This game is a statement game for the FSU defense who should feast on a very weak BC offense. Without Ryan these guys are screwed and even with Ryan they are done.
The Florida State Seminoles have been through a lot this season and the roller coaster ride is nowhere near done. Knowing that Clemson have a possible upset loss setup for them later in the evening, FSU should come out of the gates and throw the first punch when it comes to the ACC Atlantic division. FSU currently sits tied with Wake Forest, Boston College and NC State for the second place in the division as they all trail Clemson by only one game. One mistake by Clemson and they are all even. With Wake Forest having the week off and NC State playing in a big rivalry game with Maryland, this is FSU's chance to make a statement and put a little brown stain in the Clemson pants before they hit the field against upset minded Georgia Tech in the night cap. Are you ready to rumble guys? Other than games against Miami Florida, FSU is 3-1 ATS at home against ranked teams since 2001 and they are 3-0 ATS lifetime against Boston College, including a big 11 point win in Boston last season. The season lies in this game for Florida State because one more loss and they can forget about the division and they can forget about the long lost dreams of returning to the ACC Championship game. This is the perfect chance with BC coming off a huge win at home against VTech and with BC probably being without star QB Matt Ryan for the game. The Seminoles are averaging 42.0 points per game in their last three games, that comes after starting the season with 13, 24 and 20 points performances. They average an incredible 441.0 total yards per game on a whopping 7.2 yards per play in those games. They will however have their work cutout for them against a BC defense that has allowed only 20 points in their last three games. Whatever, still the same BC defense that allowed 20+ points in their first three games of the season. On the ground, this is RB Lorenzo Booker and Antone Smith's chances to run wild. They both average well over 4.0 yards per carry while Boston College's defense is allowing 132.0 rushing yards per road game on a whopping 5.3 yards per carry. Ouch. In the air, QB Drew Weatherford is quickly turning into the QB we all thought he would be and he is making big plays. He is averaging 8.5 yards per pass attempt the last three games, is getting sacked only once per game in those games (compared to 3.0 times per game on the season) and if he can cut down on the useless INT's, he should have his finest game of the season. BC's last three opposing QB's have completed 60.7% of their passes for 4.6 yards per pass attempt. This is the PLAY OF THE YEAR in the ACC because the matchup is just right.
Game-Breaking Intangible: Boston College has not played well on the road and with Matt Ryan not playing at all or playing injured, FSU's defense is going to have a feast on these guys. Injuries are key and the fact that BC is going with a QB that has 7 lifetime snaps, tells me that this game is heading for blowout city baby.
Florida State 34, Boston College 10
Washington State Cougars +3.5 (4 Units)
The Oregon Ducks are on a mission this year it seems but now that they have already lost to Cal and now that they still have USC in three weeks, this is a game that Oregon football team might quite easily overlook and forget about. In case you haven't been paying attention to this rivalry, the underdog is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings and the underdog has won three of those games outright. Oregon are 5-1 on the season straight up with a nice 4-2 ATS to boast about but judging from the way things have gone for them since the California game, I would say that this team is heading in the wrong direction and they are prime for the picking right now. The Ducks have a game against a Division I-AA team next week in Portland State but what you have to understand is that Oregon is a Jekyll and Hyde type of team that can show up one night and be the best (like they were against Oklahoma and Arizona State) but then again they can come out and beat Fresno State by only seven points, lost to cal by 21 points and beat UCLA at home by only 10 points. Sure they are ranked #15 but I don't think they deserve to be in the TOP 20 at this point. The Ducks are averaging 34.3 points per game on the road this season for a whopping 6.2 yards per play but have to play against a Wazzou defense allowing only 18.5 points per game at home on 326.5 total yards and 4.9 yards per play. On the ground, the Ducks average a nice 174.7 rushing yards per road game on 5.1 yards per carry but Wazzou is stout against the run at home allowing only 96.3 rushing yards per game on 3.3 yards per carry. In the air, QB Dennis Dixon has been good on the road completing more than 60% of his passes for 7.2 yards per pass attempt. However, visiting QB's are completing only 57.4% of their passes in Pullman this season for 6.2 yards per pass attempt. Dixon has thrown three interceptions on the road this season and he needs to be careful against a defene intercepting 1.5 passes per home game. Wazzou's ability to stop the run will make a big difference on Dixon is pressure to throw a lot more.
The Washington State Cougars have had their fair share of ups and downs over the years but if there is one game they see as must-win year in and year out, it has to be this one. In both 2004 and 2005, the Oregon Ducks came into Pullman and escaped with three point wins on both occasions. Martin Stadium is not that big by any means but the Cougars have turned it into a nut house and are 2-1 ATS here this season. The Cougars are currently one points behind Oregon in the PAC 10 Conference standings so this game has some big time Conference implications and I fully expect the Cougars to give it their best shot. Since losing a heart-breaking thriller at home to USC 28-22 a few weeks back, it doesn't seem like Wazzou players have ever been the same since. Well now that all the pounting and complaining about officials in that game has stopped, it's time to move on and coach Doba has these kids ready to finally pull off the elusive upset home win against Oregon. Seeing that the Cougars are 4-3 on the season right now, they have a very good shot a Bowl Eligibility and a win in this game would almost seal the deal on the spot. The Cougars average 24.5 points per game at home this season on a whopping 435.3 total yards of offense and 6.4 yards per play. Oregon's defense has been their big time weakness and they are allowing 27.3 points per game on the road this season on 4.9 yards per play. The key here will be the running attack. Wazzou average 150+ rushing yards per home game this season on 5.1 yards per carry which means they should have another huge game because Oregon allow an incredible 194.3 rushing yards per game on the road on 5.0 yards per carry this season. In the air, QB Alex Brink want that big win so bad. He almost got it against USC but now has another chance against a weaker defense. Brink is completing 60.0% of his passes at home for 7.5 yards per pass attempt. He has great line protection and is up against an Oregon defense that is pretty damn good through the air. Like I mentioned earlier...this game will come down to running the ball all Oregon. The Ducks have not been able to stop the run away from home and I don't see them doing it here either. Combine all the right elements and it's time for an upset special.
Game-Breaking Intangible: Vegas knows exactly what they are doing with this line because Washington State are always game for an upset attempt at home over Oregon. The Ducks have been roasted on the ground away from home and they are prime for the upset picking. Since 2001, the Cougars have hosted 10 ranked opponents in Pullman and have gone 7-3 ATS in those games. It's time to make it 8-3 ATS.
Washington State 38, Oregon 34
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets +7 (3 Units)
The rivalry continues tonight and tonight we go PRIMETIME BABY! By now, some of you have probably lost tons of cash today or possibly even made tons of cash today. The 7:45pm game is designated for those who want to win some cash back and have nothing else to do on a Saturday Night. Well you have come to the right place because the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets mean business and business they are going to bring. GTech is currently sitting pretty atop the ACC Coastal Division without many teams to worry about behind them. They already have the wins over Virginia Tech and Virginia and pending a Miami miracle this season, the Jackers are going to find themselves in the ACC Title Game. It's HomeComing week next week and hopefully the Jackets are not looking too forward to that Miami game. What I do like about this game is that Clemson might already be feeling some big time pressure of having the FSU Seminoles creep up on them in the division and the Tigers might come out without much juice. Georgia Tech is not in a must win situation but since everyone is challenging the saying that thier defense is not tested on the road, the Jackers are going to be out to make a statement in this game much like they did in the game against the Hokies. You guys all know that I am not a big fan of taking road teams coming off a BYE week but this is an exception. The Jackets are averaging 28.7 points per game this season on 354.0 total yards of offense and 5.7 yards per play. Clemson's defense has been solid up to this point allowing only 13.3 points per game but having not faced any big time offenses. On the ground, the Jackers are going to have to get things going early. They are averaging 183.2 rushing yards per game on 5.0 yards per carry this season but Clemson somehow allow only 2.2 yards per carry on the season (again, weak opponents). In the air, QB Reggie Ball has to find #21...and I don't care who is covering him. Get him the damn ball. Ball doesn't have great numbers and isn't the best passer around but he does have big time grit and determination which makes him so effective. Luckily for him, Clemson don't intercept too many balls this season and Reggie has thrown as many INT's as Will Proctor has on the other side. The key for the Jackets in this game will be to use RB Tashard Choice the way he has been used the last few games. He is a big time threat running the ball as he has shown recently and Clemson is going to get caught off guard if they don't keep an eye on Choice and #21 CJ.
Clemson is one of the best teams in the Nation but I have some big time questions about some of the teams they have faced. I mean sure it's nice to have 2 conference road wins and sure it's nice to be almost unbeaten on the season but playing against Temple, Florida Atlantic, North Carolina and Louisiana Tech does not impress me. Clemson may or may not have some added pressure when it comes to winning this game tonight because Florida State will have already have beat Boston College comfortably to come within a game of the Tigers in the division standings. Should that actually happen, the Tigers would now have to win to avoid falling into a second place tie with the team they already beat earlier this season. Clemson is 5-2 ATS on the season but their level of opponents sucks big time. The only impressive game they have played in terms of their opponent being a good team was the game against FSU in Tallahassee but at that point in the season the Noles were still half asleep and had that game been played nowadays, I think we would be seeing a different restul this time around. Virginia Tech is on deck for the Tigers and they can then win out on the season. The Tigers are averaging a total of 43.9 points per game this season on 459.0 total yards of offense and 6.9 yards per play but it's time to bring this son of a bitch back down to earth. Georgia Tech's defense is allowing only 16.2 points per game this season on 275.7 total yards and 4.1 yards per play. Apart from a sleeping FSU defense, this is by far the best D Clemson have faced all season. The Tigers love to rush RB James Davis and they average 250.6 rushing yards per game on 6.0 yards per carry this season. However, GTech's defense allows only 2.4 yards per carry this season and things might have to go to the air if the ground attack stumbles. In the air, QB Will Proctor has been good but not much better than Reggie Ball. So we're even there. He has done a great job this season passing the ball but the Jackets are very good defensively and allow only 5.4 yards per pass attempt while averagin 1.2 interceptions per game and allowing opposing QB's to complete only 52.9% of thier passes on the year. This could be a defensive battle before we even know it. I know Clemson has a lot of weapons and they aren't afraid to use them but my money is on WR Calvin Johnson and I trust 100% that he can kick some ass in this game.
Game-Breaking Intangible: The underdog is kicking ass in this series covering in 16 of the last 17 games. You combine that with the fact that since 2001, Georgia Tech is 8-3 ATS in 11 games on the road versus opponents that are ranked and that tells me that Chan Gailey will have his boys ready to play off the BYE week. I am not a fan of teams playing on the road coming off a BYE week but this game has too much meaning and did you know that 9 of the last 10 games in this series have been decided by 5 points or less?
Clemson 22, Georgia Tech 21
RECAP:
Florida Atlantic +9 WIN
Bowling Green +7.5 LOSS
Connecticut +23 LOSS
Nebraska +5 ***B12 POM***
Florida State -7 ***ACC POY***
Washington State +3.5
Georgia Tech +7
Good Luck to all this week!
:cheers:
2006 CFB ATS Record: 38-27-2 ATS (+22.50)
2006 CFB O/U Record: 10-7 (+2.20 Units)
PLAYS OF THE WEEK: 4-4 (-2.00 units)
PLAY OF THE MONTH: 0-0 (+0.00 Units)
PLAYS OF THE YEAR: 0-0 (+0.00 Units)
29-10-2 ATS in Football the last three weeks
I am 1-2 and not too happy with my capping in the midweek. Saturday is a new day and now it's time to kick some ass. Hopefully Saturday goes well because I have some huge plays lined up for Sunday's NFL slate and I will be releasing a pick for some Sunday Night College Football.
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Saturday, October 21
Nebraska Cornhuskers +5 (10 Units) ***BIG 12 PLAY OF THE MONTH***
The Texas Longhorns and Mack Brown are not good, they're not great, they are fuckin awesome. I mean this is one bad ass team, that kick everyone's ass in about 20 difference pieces week in week out. What else can be said about the defending National Champions? They are 6-1 on the season (4-2 ATS), they have been blowing out opposing teams left and right and they are looking like a team that is definitely interested in once again playing for the National Title. Now I know a lot can be said and a lot can be argued about Texas being one of the top teams in the nation but we have to keep things real here for a bit. Is this Texas Longhorns team really that good? I think so but they are beatable as was made evident in their home game against the best team in the Nation earlier this year. Apart from that game, the Longhorns and their freshman QB Colt McCoy are untested on the road (wins over Rice and a win over Oklahoma in Dallas don't really do much for me). You have to keep things real when it comes to the Longhorns and as much as many of you want to believe that they are untouchable, that's definitely not the case. Sure this is going to be one hell of a game but I think Texas loses this straight up. The Longhorns are averaging a whopping 49.0 points per game in their last three and have done so on a rather miniscule 362.7 total yards per game and 5.9 yards per play. I expected a lot more. Nebraska's defense is playing some good football allowing only 16.3 points per game in their last three and doing so on 394.3 total yards of offense and a very respectable 5.3 yards per play. On the ground, RB's Jamaal Charles and Selvin Young are good but I am not a big fan of the Texas rush attack that averages only 3.6 yards per carry in their last three games. Nebraska's run defense has been stout the last three games allowing only 81.3 rushing yards per game and 3.0 yards per carry. In the air, QB Colt McCoy is facing the biggest test of his young career. This is the most hostile environment he will have ever been in and I think he will make critical mistakes in this one. McCoy has been outstanding so far with 18 TD's and only 3 interceptions, while completing 70.3% of his passes for 9.2 yards per pass attempt in his last three games. That's nice but how about some good ole Husker style defense. Nebraska's last three opponent QB's completed only 48.6% of their passes for 6.7 yards per pass attempt. The Nebraska secondary has 2.0 interceptions per game and as long as they can shutdown WR Limas Sweed (which they definitely can) and put some pressure on McCoy, the crowd should help the Huskers to their biggest conference win in ages.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers, the Cornhusker fans and the entire Cornhusker nation is not about to accept anything less than a win in this afternoon's game. Texas has always been a probblem for the Huskers and as long as Nebraska have problems with the Longhorns, they can forget about playing for the Big 12 Title Game and they can forget about ever playing for a National Title. The last time Texas came in here, they were three point favs and escaped with a 27-24 win. Nobody has forgotten about that game and believe it or not, this edition of the Huskers is a lot better than the edition of 2002 that almost pulled off the upset at home. To be honest with you guys, I think the Huskers have missed out on the Big 12 Title Game the last who knows how many years and Texas has always been the big problem game for them. Coach Callahan had some rumors spreading around about him and his drunk driving arrest (which were all falsely started by Longhorn fans) and that just adds fuel to his fire. The difference between Callahan's first two years here and his third year now is that his players have all been with him for a long time, they are all in the third year of his system and this is the one game where they get to show that Nebraska football is back baby! In their last three games, the Huskers are averaging 29.3 points per game on a whopping 416.3 total yards of offense and 6.4 yards per play (take that Longhorn backers). Texas has one heck of a stout defense but they are allowing 14.7 points per game in their last three on 290.7 total yards of offense and a surprisingly high 5.0 yards per play. On the ground, RB Marlon Lucky and company have been lights out and are averaging 185.7 rushing yards per game on 4.6 yards per carry in their last three. Lucky along with his other two RB's have combined for 15 rushing TD's (Nebraska have 19 rushing TD's on the season). Texas has been good against the run and allow only 3.3 yards per carry in their last three but Nebraska has a definite advantage in the running game. In the air, QB Zac Taylor is getting one last shot at Texas. He is one of the most underrated QB's in the Nation, passing for 9.1 yards per pass attempt in his last three games and throwing no interceptions in those games. Texas allowed their last three QB opponents to complete 56.4% of their passes for 6.3 yards per pass attempt. The Huskers have to be careful with the ball (please no Buckhalter ghost) and as long as they keep pouding away on offense, the biggest win in Lincoln's last who knows how many years is about to finally happen. Rip those goal posts off boys and girls and let's party for the PLAY OF THE MONTH!
Game-Breaking Intangible: The Nebraska Cornhuskers are not about to lose this game at home and if they do, it will be by 1-3 points. Think of this, since 2001, Nebraska has hosted 7 ranked opponents in Lincoln. In those home games against ranked opponents at home, Nebraska is 6-1 ATS and they won four of those games straight up. Also making things interesting is that Nebraska is 16-2-1 ATS in their last 19 home games versus a team with a winning record. This should be good.
Nebraska 31, Texas 30
Florida State Seminoles -7 (50 Units) ***ACC PLAY OF THE YEAR***
Please excuse my french ahead of time but...THE BC EAGLES ARE FUCKED! Before dropping such a large amount of cash on one football game, I went out of my way to make a few calls to local papers, news agencies and BC football reporters to get a status report on QB Matt Ryan. Before I get into what I found, I was going to play this regardless of Ryan's status because with or without their star QB, there is no chance and there was never any chance that BC could walk in here and keep this thing close. Make no mistakes about it. Alright. QB Matt Ryan's foot is badly messed up. He banged it up badly in last week's win over Virginia Tech and from what my sources tell me, Ryan is still in excruciating pain as of last night and his status is almost 100% no-go for the game. Ryan did not practice with the first unit at all this week and even if for some reason they can freeze the foot a little bit and get him into the game, Florida State has one of the quickest defense in the Nation and they are going to feast on the fleet footed Ryan. However, I don't see Ryan coming into this game at all which puts everything on the shoulders of QB Chris Crane (haha unless they want to put Billy Flutie in..Doug's cousing). Crane has attempted a grand total of 7 college football passes. I don't care who you are but you are not walking into Tallahassee with a brand new QB and coming close to winning a game. No way, not in hell. Coach O'Brien even went as far as saying that Ryan's foot wouldn't be better until January. Ouch. Just to finish off on Ryan, he is the leading passer in the ACC and the loss is not explainable. Even if he plays, he is royally fucked. The Eagles average only 19.7 points per game in their last three on only 308.0 total yards of offense and 4.9 yards per play. Not impressive and that was with Ryan. Well FSU's defense is allowing 18.3 points per game in their last three on only 296.0 total yards and 4.4 yards per play. With the new QB, that should dip to 2.0 yards per play at best. On the ground, the experience BC running backs have to carry the load in this game but easier said than done against an FSU defense allowing only 2.8 yards per carry in their last three. If Crane or the fleet-footed Ryan have to go to the air, the last three FSU opponents completed only 45.6% of their passes and were on the receiving end of 2.3 sacks per game. This game is a statement game for the FSU defense who should feast on a very weak BC offense. Without Ryan these guys are screwed and even with Ryan they are done.
The Florida State Seminoles have been through a lot this season and the roller coaster ride is nowhere near done. Knowing that Clemson have a possible upset loss setup for them later in the evening, FSU should come out of the gates and throw the first punch when it comes to the ACC Atlantic division. FSU currently sits tied with Wake Forest, Boston College and NC State for the second place in the division as they all trail Clemson by only one game. One mistake by Clemson and they are all even. With Wake Forest having the week off and NC State playing in a big rivalry game with Maryland, this is FSU's chance to make a statement and put a little brown stain in the Clemson pants before they hit the field against upset minded Georgia Tech in the night cap. Are you ready to rumble guys? Other than games against Miami Florida, FSU is 3-1 ATS at home against ranked teams since 2001 and they are 3-0 ATS lifetime against Boston College, including a big 11 point win in Boston last season. The season lies in this game for Florida State because one more loss and they can forget about the division and they can forget about the long lost dreams of returning to the ACC Championship game. This is the perfect chance with BC coming off a huge win at home against VTech and with BC probably being without star QB Matt Ryan for the game. The Seminoles are averaging 42.0 points per game in their last three games, that comes after starting the season with 13, 24 and 20 points performances. They average an incredible 441.0 total yards per game on a whopping 7.2 yards per play in those games. They will however have their work cutout for them against a BC defense that has allowed only 20 points in their last three games. Whatever, still the same BC defense that allowed 20+ points in their first three games of the season. On the ground, this is RB Lorenzo Booker and Antone Smith's chances to run wild. They both average well over 4.0 yards per carry while Boston College's defense is allowing 132.0 rushing yards per road game on a whopping 5.3 yards per carry. Ouch. In the air, QB Drew Weatherford is quickly turning into the QB we all thought he would be and he is making big plays. He is averaging 8.5 yards per pass attempt the last three games, is getting sacked only once per game in those games (compared to 3.0 times per game on the season) and if he can cut down on the useless INT's, he should have his finest game of the season. BC's last three opposing QB's have completed 60.7% of their passes for 4.6 yards per pass attempt. This is the PLAY OF THE YEAR in the ACC because the matchup is just right.
Game-Breaking Intangible: Boston College has not played well on the road and with Matt Ryan not playing at all or playing injured, FSU's defense is going to have a feast on these guys. Injuries are key and the fact that BC is going with a QB that has 7 lifetime snaps, tells me that this game is heading for blowout city baby.
Florida State 34, Boston College 10
Washington State Cougars +3.5 (4 Units)
The Oregon Ducks are on a mission this year it seems but now that they have already lost to Cal and now that they still have USC in three weeks, this is a game that Oregon football team might quite easily overlook and forget about. In case you haven't been paying attention to this rivalry, the underdog is 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings and the underdog has won three of those games outright. Oregon are 5-1 on the season straight up with a nice 4-2 ATS to boast about but judging from the way things have gone for them since the California game, I would say that this team is heading in the wrong direction and they are prime for the picking right now. The Ducks have a game against a Division I-AA team next week in Portland State but what you have to understand is that Oregon is a Jekyll and Hyde type of team that can show up one night and be the best (like they were against Oklahoma and Arizona State) but then again they can come out and beat Fresno State by only seven points, lost to cal by 21 points and beat UCLA at home by only 10 points. Sure they are ranked #15 but I don't think they deserve to be in the TOP 20 at this point. The Ducks are averaging 34.3 points per game on the road this season for a whopping 6.2 yards per play but have to play against a Wazzou defense allowing only 18.5 points per game at home on 326.5 total yards and 4.9 yards per play. On the ground, the Ducks average a nice 174.7 rushing yards per road game on 5.1 yards per carry but Wazzou is stout against the run at home allowing only 96.3 rushing yards per game on 3.3 yards per carry. In the air, QB Dennis Dixon has been good on the road completing more than 60% of his passes for 7.2 yards per pass attempt. However, visiting QB's are completing only 57.4% of their passes in Pullman this season for 6.2 yards per pass attempt. Dixon has thrown three interceptions on the road this season and he needs to be careful against a defene intercepting 1.5 passes per home game. Wazzou's ability to stop the run will make a big difference on Dixon is pressure to throw a lot more.
The Washington State Cougars have had their fair share of ups and downs over the years but if there is one game they see as must-win year in and year out, it has to be this one. In both 2004 and 2005, the Oregon Ducks came into Pullman and escaped with three point wins on both occasions. Martin Stadium is not that big by any means but the Cougars have turned it into a nut house and are 2-1 ATS here this season. The Cougars are currently one points behind Oregon in the PAC 10 Conference standings so this game has some big time Conference implications and I fully expect the Cougars to give it their best shot. Since losing a heart-breaking thriller at home to USC 28-22 a few weeks back, it doesn't seem like Wazzou players have ever been the same since. Well now that all the pounting and complaining about officials in that game has stopped, it's time to move on and coach Doba has these kids ready to finally pull off the elusive upset home win against Oregon. Seeing that the Cougars are 4-3 on the season right now, they have a very good shot a Bowl Eligibility and a win in this game would almost seal the deal on the spot. The Cougars average 24.5 points per game at home this season on a whopping 435.3 total yards of offense and 6.4 yards per play. Oregon's defense has been their big time weakness and they are allowing 27.3 points per game on the road this season on 4.9 yards per play. The key here will be the running attack. Wazzou average 150+ rushing yards per home game this season on 5.1 yards per carry which means they should have another huge game because Oregon allow an incredible 194.3 rushing yards per game on the road on 5.0 yards per carry this season. In the air, QB Alex Brink want that big win so bad. He almost got it against USC but now has another chance against a weaker defense. Brink is completing 60.0% of his passes at home for 7.5 yards per pass attempt. He has great line protection and is up against an Oregon defense that is pretty damn good through the air. Like I mentioned earlier...this game will come down to running the ball all Oregon. The Ducks have not been able to stop the run away from home and I don't see them doing it here either. Combine all the right elements and it's time for an upset special.
Game-Breaking Intangible: Vegas knows exactly what they are doing with this line because Washington State are always game for an upset attempt at home over Oregon. The Ducks have been roasted on the ground away from home and they are prime for the upset picking. Since 2001, the Cougars have hosted 10 ranked opponents in Pullman and have gone 7-3 ATS in those games. It's time to make it 8-3 ATS.
Washington State 38, Oregon 34
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets +7 (3 Units)
The rivalry continues tonight and tonight we go PRIMETIME BABY! By now, some of you have probably lost tons of cash today or possibly even made tons of cash today. The 7:45pm game is designated for those who want to win some cash back and have nothing else to do on a Saturday Night. Well you have come to the right place because the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets mean business and business they are going to bring. GTech is currently sitting pretty atop the ACC Coastal Division without many teams to worry about behind them. They already have the wins over Virginia Tech and Virginia and pending a Miami miracle this season, the Jackers are going to find themselves in the ACC Title Game. It's HomeComing week next week and hopefully the Jackets are not looking too forward to that Miami game. What I do like about this game is that Clemson might already be feeling some big time pressure of having the FSU Seminoles creep up on them in the division and the Tigers might come out without much juice. Georgia Tech is not in a must win situation but since everyone is challenging the saying that thier defense is not tested on the road, the Jackers are going to be out to make a statement in this game much like they did in the game against the Hokies. You guys all know that I am not a big fan of taking road teams coming off a BYE week but this is an exception. The Jackets are averaging 28.7 points per game this season on 354.0 total yards of offense and 5.7 yards per play. Clemson's defense has been solid up to this point allowing only 13.3 points per game but having not faced any big time offenses. On the ground, the Jackers are going to have to get things going early. They are averaging 183.2 rushing yards per game on 5.0 yards per carry this season but Clemson somehow allow only 2.2 yards per carry on the season (again, weak opponents). In the air, QB Reggie Ball has to find #21...and I don't care who is covering him. Get him the damn ball. Ball doesn't have great numbers and isn't the best passer around but he does have big time grit and determination which makes him so effective. Luckily for him, Clemson don't intercept too many balls this season and Reggie has thrown as many INT's as Will Proctor has on the other side. The key for the Jackets in this game will be to use RB Tashard Choice the way he has been used the last few games. He is a big time threat running the ball as he has shown recently and Clemson is going to get caught off guard if they don't keep an eye on Choice and #21 CJ.
Clemson is one of the best teams in the Nation but I have some big time questions about some of the teams they have faced. I mean sure it's nice to have 2 conference road wins and sure it's nice to be almost unbeaten on the season but playing against Temple, Florida Atlantic, North Carolina and Louisiana Tech does not impress me. Clemson may or may not have some added pressure when it comes to winning this game tonight because Florida State will have already have beat Boston College comfortably to come within a game of the Tigers in the division standings. Should that actually happen, the Tigers would now have to win to avoid falling into a second place tie with the team they already beat earlier this season. Clemson is 5-2 ATS on the season but their level of opponents sucks big time. The only impressive game they have played in terms of their opponent being a good team was the game against FSU in Tallahassee but at that point in the season the Noles were still half asleep and had that game been played nowadays, I think we would be seeing a different restul this time around. Virginia Tech is on deck for the Tigers and they can then win out on the season. The Tigers are averaging a total of 43.9 points per game this season on 459.0 total yards of offense and 6.9 yards per play but it's time to bring this son of a bitch back down to earth. Georgia Tech's defense is allowing only 16.2 points per game this season on 275.7 total yards and 4.1 yards per play. Apart from a sleeping FSU defense, this is by far the best D Clemson have faced all season. The Tigers love to rush RB James Davis and they average 250.6 rushing yards per game on 6.0 yards per carry this season. However, GTech's defense allows only 2.4 yards per carry this season and things might have to go to the air if the ground attack stumbles. In the air, QB Will Proctor has been good but not much better than Reggie Ball. So we're even there. He has done a great job this season passing the ball but the Jackets are very good defensively and allow only 5.4 yards per pass attempt while averagin 1.2 interceptions per game and allowing opposing QB's to complete only 52.9% of thier passes on the year. This could be a defensive battle before we even know it. I know Clemson has a lot of weapons and they aren't afraid to use them but my money is on WR Calvin Johnson and I trust 100% that he can kick some ass in this game.
Game-Breaking Intangible: The underdog is kicking ass in this series covering in 16 of the last 17 games. You combine that with the fact that since 2001, Georgia Tech is 8-3 ATS in 11 games on the road versus opponents that are ranked and that tells me that Chan Gailey will have his boys ready to play off the BYE week. I am not a fan of teams playing on the road coming off a BYE week but this game has too much meaning and did you know that 9 of the last 10 games in this series have been decided by 5 points or less?
Clemson 22, Georgia Tech 21
RECAP:
Florida Atlantic +9 WIN
Bowling Green +7.5 LOSS
Connecticut +23 LOSS
Nebraska +5 ***B12 POM***
Florida State -7 ***ACC POY***
Washington State +3.5
Georgia Tech +7
Good Luck to all this week!
:cheers:
