College Football 2010 Week 2

Week 1 Record – 2-3-1 ATS


Covers: Kentucky (-3), Western Michigan (+24.5, glad I had that extra half point)

Losses: Northwestern (-4), LSU (-8), BYU-UW (Over 57)

Push: Purdue (+11)

Although a 2-3-1 record won’t lead to bankruptcy court it doesn’t make you any money either. Needing a half point for a W. Michigan cover and watching an ugly Purdue-Notre Dame game end in a push left me in a bad mood heading into the evening. LSU taking a 30-10 lead brought out the smiles and laughs, but in typical Les Miles fashion the Tigers didn’t hold up well late in the game and almost blew the entire game. I wish they did, why should Miles be able to say “at least we got a win,” when bettors around the nation have to stomach their lackluster effort. Anytime the Tigers want to take the field in the second half I’ll be ready to watch.

Week 2 promises to bring more excitement and definite big money games to Vegas. The slate will keep the sports books busy from morning until night. Here are the Saturday Lox for week 2 and some commentary on the other best games of the week.
Georgia @ South Carolina (-3)

This game would be much easier to bet if it was under 3, but I believe this is the year Steve Spurrier takes some wins away from the Florida-Georgia domination of the SEC West. They had a good start on the opening Thursday, but have the cloud of suspicion around campus because of NCAA investigations. Georgia has its own problems with top talent WR AJ Green suspended the first month of the season for selling a game worn jersey on Ebay. Shouldn’t either A) a player better conceal selling merchandise on the internet or B) he better have been selling a lot more and they only caught him on this one, I mean shoot if you get caught on the first jersey you sell, that is just bad. Anyway I see Spurrier getting it done at home and giving the Columbia, SC faithful much to look forward to in 2010.

Colorado (+10) @ California

Although the teams may have a dislike for one another it wouldn’t surprise if drum circles and peace pipes were spotted in shared sections of the crowd. Berkeley and Boulder are the equivalent of Mecca and Medina for hippies. This will be a love fest in the city but a hard fought game that I expect Colorado to hang with Cal and even have a chance late to pull the upset. The Buffaloes looked good week 1 in their quest to keep Dan Hawkins’ job. Cal also showed up big time with a 52-3 win over FBS UC Davis. This is a preview of the expanded Pac 10 and will give Colorado their first taste of recruiting in California as a Pac 12 member. In fact their California brethren are already bringing out the welcome mat. Reports surfaced that VW busses have been granted a zoning ordinance for the weekend to allow owners to live out of their vehicles on public property within city limits. Ticket sales from Boulder shot up with the announcement. Tailgating at its best.

Michigan (+3) @ Notre Dame

This pick is simply because I think if Michigan plays up to potential they should win this game. Rich Rodriguez has found his QB in Denard Robinson, who fits his spread offense as good as anyone but Pat White. They have to keep him upright and use his arm as much as possible, but I believe the road won’t bother this team and if Michigan shows up as they did last week vs. UConn they will not only cover but win this game.

Miami (+8) @ Ohio State

The only thing left for Cleveland and Ohioans to endure is for Lebron to inflict harm on their state institution, the Ohio State University football team. Being close enough to QB Terrelle Pryor and also with Tressell for the sweater vest coach to issue a statement inviting Lebron to the game, all these fans need to endure now is for Lebron to jinx their team. Not like when he wore a Yankees hat to the playoffs in Cleveland, Lebron will be decked out in Buckeye gear, but regardless the jinx is on, Ohio State will lose (or at least Miami will cover). This could come down to which QB has a better game, Lebron’s new hometown team, led by Jacory Harris or his protégé back in Ohio (not even Akron, where’s the love for the Zips football team), Pryor. My guess is Harris is good enough to keep it close and maybe put Miami back in the National Title talk.

Oregon (-13) @ Tennessee

This one is fairly simple. Both teams shut out opponents week 1, Oregon 72-0 over New Mexico and UT 50-0 over UT Martin. The Volunteers though will be overmatched against an Oregon offense that returns their best player after suspension last week. LaMichael James will join Kenjon Barner and new QB Darron Thomas in wearing out a young Tennessee defense. But the Oregon defense may actually prove to be the difference. An inexperienced UT offense will get its first true test against a fierce unit from Oregon, don’t look for the Vols to generate much on the scoreboard. Oregon might sputter out of the gate getting used to Neyland Stadium’s 100,000 plus fans, but eventually they will get Chip Kelly’s machine rolling and have no problem in Knoxville.

Florida State @ Oklahoma (-7) is another big game on the schedule. The Sooners barely escaped an upset from Utah State while Jimbo Fisher made his debut in Tallahassee a success with a whooping of Samford. Both teams will get tested in this one and while FSU is 7-point underdogs the fans will want an early statement victory in the new regime and they believe they can get it after watching OU last week. Brotherly love will be on display with Mark Stoops the new defensive coordinator at FSU against his brother Bob at OU.

Penn State @ Alabama (-13) will be a test for the defending National Champs. Without Heisman winner Ingram and defensive leader Marcel Dareus Penn State has to feel they have a chance in the deep south. But the Tide will be out to make a statement that they are better than anyone no matter who is on the sideline. I lean towards Alabama as I do believe their offense won’t miss a beat. If the defense holds up it might be a long day for a young Penn State team.

Stanford @ UCLA (+6) is an early season crucial matchup in the Pac 10. The Cardinal come in favored but having lost 6 straight at the Rose Bowl. They did win this game last year at home and enter with a lot of confidence. If UCLA can’t keep Kansas State under 30 points they better hope they find their defense at home under the lights. Andrew Luck given time will put up big numbers. If the o-line protects him and they get a decent running game, Luck should find holes in a great UCLA secondary. If the UCLA defense pressures Luck it could be a long night for Jim Harbaugh. UCLA though will need to find their offense, while. Stanford’s defense has a lot to prove as a unit. They could end up deciding this game though with some big plays against a turnover prone offense. I lean towards the Cardinal but hesitate because of past history.