tamu/miss st over 58.5
Yes!
Old Dominion or Old Dominion TT over or Old Dominion/Marshall over - I sort of like Old Dominion to score in this game. I just have a good feel for this team right now but I am having hard time putting tangible reasoning to my belief. It has left me with the dilemma of whether to invest or not at all and left me with the dilemma of the safest way of backing it. I would love for others to post their opinions or any information regarding this game.
At current numbers, here are some remaining interests ....
I have a minor investment in the usf Memphis game tailing someone I handicap with while my numbers don't really warrant it, which I won't discuss but the spot in this game is really bad for Memphis imo. I won't have a recommendation or any further involvement in the game.
I have a minor investment in the in the Nebraska game which I won't discuss. Again, tailing a different person I handicap while my own numbers don't really warrant the play. I won't have a recommendation or any further involvement in the game.
Kansas - I have a bit of a lean here but think I might have learned my lesson about backing them on the road and this is sort of a bad spot for them anyway. Cozart will play and that matters and is good for Kansas. I would probably need the 17 minimum to seriously consider it. This would be a talk me off.
minny/nw over - I want to look the game over some .. I posted the Ball st nw box in one of the other threads because I think it points to nw maybe not being as pure low scoring game oriented as some of us might be inclined to think. Both of these teams have banged up secondaries especially nw and that could be tough with a total this low to keep the scoring down. Strong lean to the over.
Ville/ncsu under - I missed the number and it will be tough for me to get involved in any capacity now but ncsu a bit methodical and I think both defenses have the edge over the offenses. talk me off and leaning to not playing.
Houston/Tulsa over - I don't see Houston not scoring a ton. Tulsa playing so fast and has the offense in high gear already. Those that know me and my style of handicapping know I have been a bit slow to adjust to the higher scoring nature of football these days. It is hard for me to go over a number like this as one bad qtr can end any chance but there should be tons of plays and tons of points. It is a talk me off and part of me wants to get involved just to prove to myself I can take an over like this ..... I will wait for weather regardless . no way I am investing without knowing it is perfect.
central mich plus the 2.5 - Talk me off lean. I am pretty sure NIU is down a notch this year and Cmich has now played tough against Oklahoma state and Michigan state and is at home against a team that has dominated the mac in recent years. They should be very up for this game and fairly confident. The problem is that I am not sure the line value is truly there or not when you are basically asking them to win the game. Maybe at 3/3.5 I could pull a trigger? If Cmich wins the word might get out on NIU before I can cash in on my opinion. bleh,.
Texas Tech Baylor under 88 -- Mahomes was limping around end of last game and there has to be some zing taken out of texas tech after what happened last Saturday. Hard for the zing to be taken out of their 8 man defensive unit though. I probably cannot do this after what I watched last week with tcu and after having rice against Baylor. Thing could easily hit 120 pts if both offenses are primed and running smooth. likely a pass on this talk me off but if you are interested in either texas tech or the over I would keep one eye on Mahomes health. Matters a lot.
Old Dominion or Old Dominion TT over or Old Dominion/Marshall over - I sort of like Old Dominion to score in this game. I just have a good feel for this team right now but I am having hard time putting tangible reasoning to my belief. It has left me with the dilemma of whether to invest or not at all and left me with the dilemma of the safest way of backing it. I would love for others to post their opinions or any information regarding this game.
ND/Clemson under 53 - Talk me off. Tell me what you think and I will add my thoughts later.
SDSU -9 -- Talk me off. I watched a struggling SJSU running attack and oline manhandle them. SDSU rb is pretty good and SDSU defense is pretty good and fresno state just looks like a bad football team right now. They must be for me to consider the Aztecs laying this many.
The holes and push of the Wisconsin Oline are not what they have been. Iowa DL is pretty good and if Wisconsin cannot move them they have to rely on you-know-who to get the job done at QB. Iowa with good momentum. I do fear that Wisconsin has been looking forward to this game and has just been going through the motions the last few games but I don't see that same explosiveness out of their rushing attack. Clement is a notch or two below Gordon but only because Gordon was so good .... but he is good. The problem is that he is out with a sports hernia and the drop off from him to the next back is pretty big too. Game rates to play as a grinder and anything over a TD seems very excessive to me. Iowa has the better QB as well when the fourth quarter rolls around. Sort of see this as a year where Wisconsin takes a bit of a back seat in the conference .... like you I am not impressed. Iowa has shown a desire to win in the 4th qtr too .. doubt they quit if down 14 or something and we are still very live.
Another thing to note, while not trying to make excuses, is that ODU has played the following:
@Eastern Michigan- offense was adequate; not great. 5.7 yards per play. 4 TD
Norfolk State- in the driving rain. 5.7 yards per play. There was really no attempt to pass the ball as NSU could not move the ball on offense and we just ran the ball all over them (59 times)
NC State- Clearly outclassed. Just no competition
App State- in the driving rain. (though, they moved the ball in the rain; mainly on the ground) ODU had a couple drives where they moved the ball, but couldn't close the deal.
Clown, my gut tells me the offense will move the ball more. I don't want to rely too much on blaming the rain, but I do think its had an affect on 2 of the 4 games so far. Wind moreso last week vs. App State; there were gusts up to 40 mph.
Agree on all counts.
The thing about Wisconsin RBs is for so long know we have known who the heir and heirs are to replace the current stud. When John Clay was there we saw how good James White was. When James White replaced Clay, we saw Monte Ball. When White and Ball were both tearing it up we got a glimpse of Melvin Gordon and Gordon was like wow from first time you saw him.
So we knew that Clement was the next in that run of RBs as we saw him back up Gordon. And now he is out so they have run out of the difference making depth there. Atleast I haven't seen it. We are seeing average RBs and frankly an average OL. The drop off at RB and OL has hit at the same time so now Stave will have to win games with some pretty average receiving threats. Sure Iowa can be beat through the air, but don't think that Wisconsin is even as good at that compared to ISU or Pitt.
Wisconsin is 7th in the Big Ten scoring offense, this is off of games vs Troy and Hawaii their last 2 games. It no doubt bolsters their scoring D numbers, but vs those defenses Wisconsin should have been much more productive on O. I watched a good bit of the Hawaii game, and I'm not sure if it was just going through the motions or intentional playcalling, but UH really made them work for their yards and pts, there were maybe just 1 or 2 "explosive type plays". UW ran for 350+ but alot of that was just UH wearing out in the end.
I will definitely be ML this game as well. You'll have a better point spread than me, but hopefully it won't matter. Good luck!
Not sure on Hawaii. Are they staying consecutive weeks on the mainland? That can be as tough as the travel. Defense has been sound for Hawaii and they have performed admirably against col, tosu and Wisconsin. But this could be similar to what we saw with BYU at Michigan too, where Hawaii is just worn out. Boise started getting more aggressive in the play calling last week too. Wittek can be intercepted and the Boise DL will get pressure. I think Boise is probably slightly better than Wisconsin right now .... It just isn't for me. I could make a good case that Hawaii matches up well given they are pretty good against the run and tackle well and Boise is a run first team. So I am not interested in Boise either. BOL if you play it.
At current numbers, here are some remaining interests ....
I have a minor investment in the usf Memphis game tailing someone I handicap with while my numbers don't really warrant it, which I won't discuss but the spot in this game is really bad for Memphis imo. I won't have a recommendation or any further involvement in the game.
I have a minor investment in the in the Nebraska game which I won't discuss. Again, tailing a different person I handicap while my own numbers don't really warrant the play. I won't have a recommendation or any further involvement in the game.
Kansas - I have a bit of a lean here but think I might have learned my lesson about backing them on the road and this is sort of a bad spot for them anyway. Cozart will play and that matters and is good for Kansas. I would probably need the 17 minimum to seriously consider it. This would be a talk me off.
minny/nw over - I want to look the game over some .. I posted the Ball st nw box in one of the other threads because I think it points to nw maybe not being as pure low scoring game oriented as some of us might be inclined to think. Both of these teams have banged up secondaries especially nw and that could be tough with a total this low to keep the scoring down. Strong lean to the over.
Ville/ncsu under - I missed the number and it will be tough for me to get involved in any capacity now but ncsu a bit methodical and I think both defenses have the edge over the offenses. talk me off and leaning to not playing.
Houston/Tulsa over - I don't see Houston not scoring a ton. Tulsa playing so fast and has the offense in high gear already. Those that know me and my style of handicapping know I have been a bit slow to adjust to the higher scoring nature of football these days. It is hard for me to go over a number like this as one bad qtr can end any chance but there should be tons of plays and tons of points. It is a talk me off and part of me wants to get involved just to prove to myself I can take an over like this ..... I will wait for weather regardless . no way I am investing without knowing it is perfect.
central mich plus the 2.5 - Talk me off lean. I am pretty sure NIU is down a notch this year and Cmich has now played tough against Oklahoma state and Michigan state and is at home against a team that has dominated the mac in recent years. They should be very up for this game and fairly confident. The problem is that I am not sure the line value is truly there or not when you are basically asking them to win the game. Maybe at 3/3.5 I could pull a trigger? If Cmich wins the word might get out on NIU before I can cash in on my opinion. bleh,.
Texas Tech Baylor under 88 -- Mahomes was limping around end of last game and there has to be some zing taken out of texas tech after what happened last Saturday. Hard for the zing to be taken out of their 8 man defensive unit though. I probably cannot do this after what I watched last week with tcu and after having rice against Baylor. Thing could easily hit 120 pts if both offenses are primed and running smooth. likely a pass on this talk me off but if you are interested in either texas tech or the over I would keep one eye on Mahomes health. Matters a lot.
Old Dominion or Old Dominion TT over or Old Dominion/Marshall over - I sort of like Old Dominion to score in this game. I just have a good feel for this team right now but I am having hard time putting tangible reasoning to my belief. It has left me with the dilemma of whether to invest or not at all and left me with the dilemma of the safest way of backing it. I would love for others to post their opinions or any information regarding this game.
ND/Clemson under 53 - Talk me off. Tell me what you think and I will add my thoughts later.
SDSU -9 -- Talk me off. I watched a struggling SJSU running attack and oline manhandle them. SDSU rb is pretty good and SDSU defense is pretty good and fresno state just looks like a bad football team right now. They must be for me to consider the Aztecs laying this many.
Is ODU just a PR play? I'm against ya here but that offense has been atrocious
And Devon Johnson is "?" for Marshall, and he's about the only weapon they have right now. And yes, great breakdown on the game. I can't believe how collapsed this Marshall team is compared to last year's.
It's not a pr play.
What has Marshall done? Team won week 1 despite being outgained 397-454 against Purdue, lost to Ohio while being outgained 263-375, and won against kent state in overtime while being outgained 436-277. The common opponent faced was handled in similar fashion with roughly 200 yards of advantage for both teams vs. norfolk state. Doesn't hurt that there is a chance of wind that certainly should have a greater effect on the Marshall offense compared to the Old Dominion offense this week, though there is part of me that would prefer Marshall QB's handle it as much as possible. Old Dominion is a bad offensive team right not but probably not as bad as the stats show because they have played two really good defenses in App St and NCSU (both currently in the top five in total defense but obviously some of that is having faced the Monarchs in a small sample). Doubt that either of those defenses finishes in the top five this year but they will both be in the top 20 I would think or thereabouts. So the offense stinks, not saying otherwise, but it might not be as bad as the numbers show currently. But the defense hasn't been all that bad if you consider everything. They got worn down by both NCSU and App State because they were outplayed a combined 152-93. Again, I think you are looking at two rushing attacks that are pretty good when compared to what Marshall has right now. Marshall hasn't done diddly doo on offense in my opinion. They scored ten points against Ohio with the lone TD being a 73 yard run .... so didn't show the ability to drive the field for a score there (both idaho and Minnesota gained more yards against Ohio than did Marshall). They scored 41 pts against Purdue but 14 of that was on interception return for TD's (both VT and BG gained more yards against Purdue than did Marshall). They scored 22 points in regulation against Kent State and 7 of those were from a kickoff return for a TD (Both Illinois and Minnesota gained more yards against Kent State than did Marshall despite Marshall adding 50 yards in overtimes).
So basically have a team that has scored 52 offensive points in three games vs. FBS competition (though all three superior to ODU) for an average of roughly 17 pts per game in offensive production laying 18.5. Now, I would say they rate to score closer to what they did offensively against Purdue than a very good kent state defense or a pretty good ohio defense in perfect weather but that is a lot of pts to lay with a currently anemic offense possibly playing in high wind and wet.
The third down conversion numbers are a concern for me with Old Dom being so bad offensively and Marshall being pretty good defensively ... I don't think ODU can cover the game if they are in another situation where they run less than 50 plays and their opponent runs over 70 plays ... so they will need to get better at third down. Another concern is how they obliterated Old Dominion in last year's game and largely with the running game where the QB situation is less meaningful, though Cato was 18 of 23 in that game.
From a situation standpoint .. Marshall may well realize they are not as good a football team as they had last year but I don't think they are in any position that would make the players feel the urgency because they won two games they should have lost. And it can't be a game they are overtly concerned about given last year's game when they have a more important game against USM on deck Friday night for a slightly shorter week afterwards.
Just seems like too many pts. to me. Maybe Marshall wakes up offensively in this game (rain/wind or no) and I do think that ODU being shut down completely last week was mostly bad offense vs. good defense and not because they just had a bad game .... but I also feel that ODU finds the end zone this week a couple of times and that makes it pretty tough to cover this number for the Herd.
Marshall 30 Old Dominion 17 in the rain or Marshall 36 Old Dom 23 in decent weather. Either way, I think Monarchs compete a full sixty minutes after hanging their heads last week against a much better team than Marshall.
Great writeup Kyle...really appreciate the time you took to do it
The end game stuff aside, he bet hope they make serious noise in the conference portion of the schedule. That loss feels like the final nail to me. It's been the same things every year during his tenure and he has shown an inability to fix them namely: 3rd down conversion, penalties and defensive scheme. The secondary was terrible last night, Dallas Crawford in particular.
Friday night overs says clown
For full disclosure i have a little USF at dd tailing someone else. The spot is horrible for Memphis, sandwiched between Cin and Ole Miss ... but this has gotten a bit out of hand.
Well at least we won't see all the teams in the spread offense tonight.I just eant to watch good defensive football and investing in overs seems the easiest way
I could take an hour and write several pages on Golden last night ... but I have beaten that horse to several ctg guys already and I need to move on. And I didn't start complaining just at the end, I started first qtr...
The pace they got plays in, the wasted timeouts, the lack off aggression except the one moment he should not be, the play calling, the time management, the run pass ratio, the pace of play itself, the desire to attempt to defeat the bearcat D up the middle on the ground every key play on offense which was the lone spot the bearcats were clearly beating them, the red zone calls, etc etc etc ...it was hard to watch. Incidentally, Tubs wasn't much better.
Oregon -7 (a bit out of hand)
I put colorado in on the H2H contest, but didn't actually bet....I have a feeling that by kickoff I will be betting this game on the Ducks side.....my biggest worry is watching the first 5 minutes and realizing that I have the lesser team, laying points, on the road....then, its all about cocktails and miracles.
GL this week CC.....you da man