Handicapping by Liz

With just the NFL this weekend my final college stats for the year have been posted with the bowl games starting this upcoming weekend. The only category that wasn’t above 500 was my regular plays every other category finished in the black so if you were playing my college picks this year you should have ended up in the black, especially if you put more on my best bests and less on my regular plays.  So all in all I am very pleased with my college results. The NFL this weekend had a few surprises, San Francisco went down to the Cardinals, the Broncos had yet another miraculous comeback and my Giants beat the Cowboys on a dejavu play only this time the opposing coach called the timeout to freeze the kicker and freeze him he did. In the AFC there is now a winner in the AFC South as Houston got a touchdown in the final seconds of their game against the Bengals and clinched their division. The best the Titans can do is tie the Texans but the Texans have all the tiebreakers. Well below are my final stats for college and my stats for the past weekend in the NFL.

Bowl games to be coming

2011 College Final year to date stats 

Best Bets 38-22-1 ATS and 54-7 SU

Regular Plays 28-37-2 ATS and 53-14 SU

Underdogs 30-29-1 ATS and 22-38 SU

Over/Unders 29-19 ATS

College Marquee game opinion 7-5 ATS and 7-5 SU

Week 14 NFL stats 

Best Bets 2-1 ATS and 2-1 SU

Regular Plays 1-2 ATS and 3-0 SU

Underdogs 2-1 ATS and 2-1 SU

Over/Unders 3-1 ATS

2011 NFL year to date stats 

Best Bets 24-18 ATS and 33-9 SU

Regular Plays 17-19-2 ATS and 24-14 SU

Underdogs 17-23-1 ATS and 15-25-1 SU

Over/Unders 31-21 ATS

I will be later in the week with some upcoming bowl games. I will not be using the same categories in the bowls as I did in the regular season. Also, my bowl picks will be coming at different times during the week as the bowls are scattered throughout the entire week.

I have not received any comments from anyone who follows my picks and I am thinking about not doing this next year, so please just drop me a short note to let me know I am not doing this just for myself.

Week 14 of the NFL and I have to admit this week is one of the hardest I’ve looked at this year. The lines seem spot on for the sides but I do have a few over/under plays that I like a lot. Four games left and it’s very obvious whoever wins the Dallas/New York match-ups will win the NFC East. The 49ers have it wrapped up in the NFC West as well as Green Bay in the NFC North, the only NFC division still up for grabs is the NFC South as the Saints have a 2 game lead on the Falcons with one more to be played with each other but my money is on the Saints. The AFC is another story as no division race is over. Well onto my picks for this week.

My first best bet this week is on the GREEN BAY PACKERS at home giving the Oakland Raiders 11 points. This is once again a big number for any team to cover but if any team can cover it, the Packers can and will. Green Bay had a scare last week in the Meadowlands beating the Giants in the last 58 seconds with a field goal, not covering the 6 ½ points. This week they are home and facing a west coast team that really doesn’t like the cold. The weather will be nice on Sunday with no wind or snow to speak of but a high of just above freezing. The one trend that sticks out for me is that the Packers are 7-0 ATS after an ATS loss. They are also 5-1 ATS their last 6 home games and also 5-1 ATS their last 6 at home as a favorite. Oakland’s Michael Bush is running very well in replace of the injured McFadden, but Palmer has yet to get all the rust out and this will be a problem for the Raiders as the Packers can score and score quickly. Once Green Bay gets up by 14 or more the run game for the Raiders will take a backseat and that’s when the Raiders troubles will begin. It will take awhile for the Packers to control this game but once they do they will keep Oakland at arm’s length. Lay the 11 points and sometime in the second half you will be able to relax.

Next, pick this weekend goes to the SEATTLE SEAHAWKS at home giving the St. Louis Rams 6 points on Monday night. (Sorry again, Clive) First of all, I can’t imagine why the TV and NFL head execs thought this would be a ready for primetime game but they did. The line on this game is only in a few places so I used the line I saw the most. I’m sure this line has been put on hold because of the status of Rams quarterbacks Sam Bradford and A.J. Feeley. However, even if they were healthy I still think Seattle is the play here as they are a different team at home then on the road, case in point they beat the Eagles at home last week 31-14. The Rams on the other hand loss to the 49ers on the road in a shutout, 26-0. There are also strong streaks going here as the Rams are 1-8 ATS the last 9 meetings and 0-4 ATS the last 4 meetings in Seattle. There are not a lot of games I would put in my best bet category this week but this is definitely one of them. Lay the 6 points as Seattle will put the final nail in the coffin of the Rams for this year as the Rams still have Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and San Francisco left and I don’t see a win in the bunch.

My third choice and my last best bet this week is on the SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS on the road giving the Arizona Cardinals 3½ points. The 49ers are an incredible 10-1-1 ATS this year and I don’t see how the Cardinals are going to stop this freight train. San Francisco has won and covered the last 5 meetings between these two and they are also 5-0 ATS the last 5 games in Arizona. I’m sure this line would have been higher but the Cardinals are off a big come from behind win over the Cowboys last week and they are now on a 2 game winning streak. The 49ers are flat out playing the best football I’ve seen from them in a very long time and this is the first time since the 2002 season that they will have a winning record, they were 8-8 in the 2009 season but that’s not a winning record. This is a team on a mission and the final score of this game will reflect that mission as I’m sure they would like to secure the 2^nd seed in the playoffs, I just don’t see how they could beat out the Packers unless they have a total collapse. Look for the Cardinals to keep this game close until the 4^th quarter when the 49ers will pull away with a win and a cover. Lay the 3½ the 49ers will not let us down.

As for regular plays, and I can’t believe I’m saying this but I like the San Diego Chargers at home giving the Buffalo Bills 7½ points. I also like the Denver Broncos at home to cover the 3½ points against the Chicago Bears.(No Cutler, No Forte). And finally I like the New England Patriots on the road to cover the 9 points against the Washington Redskins. (No mercy this week)

As for underdogs, I like the Houston Texans on the road getting 3 points from the Cincinnati Bengals. I also like the Carolina Panthers at home getting 3 points from the Atlanta Falcons.  Finally I like the New York Giants on the road getting 3½ points from the Dallas Cowboys. (B-Jay I’m sure your dad will love this pick)

My over/under picks include the over 46½ in the Vikings/Lions game, the over 48 in the Patriots/Skins game, the over 48½ in the Giants/Cowboys game and my under pick this week is the under 39 in the Bucs/Jaguars game.

Good Luck this weekend and as always bet with your head not over it.  

There is an NFL game tonight between Cleveland and Pittsburgh and I do have an opinion on the game but it is just an opinion. Pittsburgh is home and is playing to keep their playoff hopes alive but they do have a propensity to play to the level of their competition which makes this 2 touchdown line very difficult to handicap.  Cleveland is a bad road team having only 1 win this year and that was over the Peytonless Colts. They do however have only 1 road loss of more than 14 points. Pittsburgh on the other hand has owned Cleveland in Pittsburgh going 5-2 ATS the last 7 meetings in Pittsburgh. The Steelers I’m hoping will continue their dominance over the Browns and win and cover this game. The intriguing spread on this game is the over/under as the over is currently at 7-1-1 ATS the last 9 in Pittsburgh and 8-3-1 ATS the last 12 overall. So my pick here would definitely be to take the over 38 1/2. I hope this info helps with your pick. I lean much more towards the over than Pittsburgh.

As for the Army/Navy game on Saturday I am leaning towards taking the 7 points with Army but I think the under 57 1/2 is the much better bet.  These are only opinions as I will probably just watch the game.

I will be back on Saturday with my NFL picks for the weekend.

As always bet with your head and not over it.    :)

The college football season is now officially over and other than the Army/Navy game this Saturday the bowl season will be starting Saturday, December 17^th. Houston lost their game on Saturday to Southern Miss and what a way to destroy a perfect season, not only losing to ruin their perfect record and at home, but losing any chance to play in a really good BCS game. Oh well, it was a nice run for them but a very disappointing ending. My best bets went 1-2 ATS but my over/under picks this week finally went a perfect 4-0. LSU blew away Georgia and I can’t believe we are going to have to sit through another LSU/Alabama matchup especially since Oklahoma State blew away arch rival Oklahoma. Oh well maybe the BCS will get their head out of their butt and fix this very poorly designed BCS that has only elite conferences getting the best games. We can only hope. As for the pro games this week, I must admit the Giants played a helluva game against the Packers only to go down to defeat in the last 58 seconds, but the good news for Giants fans is that the Cowboys also lost, so the 2 games left between these 2 will definitely decide who makes the playoffs and who doesn’t. As for other games, I will only say, TEBOW TEBOW TEBOW, nuf said. Anyway below are my stats for this week and the season.

Week 14 College stats

Best Bets 1-2 ATS and 2-1 SU

Regular Plays 1-3 ATS and 3-1 SU

Underdogs 2-1 ATS and 1-2 SU

Over/Unders 4-0 ATS

2011 College year to date stats 

Best Bets 38-22-1 ATS and 54-7 SU

Regular Plays 28-37-2 ATS and 53-14 SU

Underdogs 30-29-1 ATS and 22-38 SU

Over/Unders 29-19 ATS

College Marquee game opinion 7-5 ATS and 7-5 SU

Week 13 NFL stats 

Best Bets 1-2 ATS and 2-1 SU

Regular Plays 1-2 ATS and 2-1 SU

Underdogs 1-2 ATS and 1-2 SU

Over/Unders 2-2 ATS

2011 NFL year to date stats 

Best Bets 22-17 ATS and 31-8 SU

Regular Plays 15-17-2 ATS and 21-14 SU

Underdogs 15-22-1 ATS and 13-24-1 SU

Over/Unders 28-20 ATS

I will be back late Friday with a possible pick on the Army/Navy game and my picks for the NFL.

I want to thank all those who have stuck with me through this college season and I hope that my write-ups have been informative as well as rewarding. If you have followed me all season, please let me know as I get so few comments.

Week 13 of the NFL and the playoff picture is starting to become clearer, for some teams there is still a chance and for others it’s time to play out the string and head home, case in point the Eagles who looked just awful on Thursday night. I guess the Dream Team will be dreaming about the post season. There are enough games this week to choose from so without further adieu here are my picks for week 13 in the NFL.

My first best bet this week is on the DALLAS COWBOYS on the road giving the Arizona Cardinals 4½ points. This is a big revenge game for the Cowboys who lost last year in Arizona on Christmas Day with 5 seconds left Jay Feely kicked the winning field goal and Dallas lost 27-26. So you know Dallas is not looking past this game and now that they have finally taken over first place in the NFC East, I’m sure they are taking every game more seriously now. Dallas is 7-3 ATS the last 10 times these two teams have met and I expect that trend to continue. Kevin Klob is coming back for the Cardinals but how good he will be after missing 4 games with turf toe is yet to be seen. This to me is just a matter of which team is better right now and without a doubt it is the Cowboys. If Romo can go without throwing a pick, the Cowboys will win this easily, if he can’t it will be a nail biter. I think the Cowboys are ready to make their run into the playoffs and their current 4 game winning streak can attest to that. Look for the Boys to have enough offense and a strong defense to win and cover the 4½ points and gain some revenge in the process.

Next, pick this weekend goes to the GREEN BAY PACKERS on the road giving the New York Giants 6½ points. (Yes I am picking against my Giants) The Packers have to be one of the best overall teams I’ve seen since the Pats almost went undefeated. They are 11-0 right now but what is more impressive is that they are 8-3 ATS and they were double digit favorites all 3 of those losses. Here they aren’t even giving the Giants a touchdown so to me this is a no brainer. The Giants are pretty bad right now losing the last 3 SU and ATS. I can’t imagine laying my money on the G-men to cover, even with Bradshaw coming back. The Packers are 5-2 ATS the last 7 times these two teams met and the road team is 5-1 ATS the last 6 meetings. With or without stats or streaks I just don’t see how the Giants are going to stop this freight train. Lay the 6½ points this won’t be pretty for Giants fans.

My third choice and last best bet this week is on the SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS at home giving the St. Louis Rams 13½ points. This is a lot of points for the 49ers to give up but they have had since Thanksgiving night to stew about their loss to Baltimore a game in which they only scored 6 points, but in their defense they did have a touchdown called back on a penalty. This is also a revenge game as the Rams beat them last year the day after Christmas 25-17, so you know the 49ers will be ready for them this time. San Francisco is 9-2 SU and an incredible 9-1-1 ATS as well. The Rams are basically out of contention and they will start playing out the string and my guess it will start this week. Look for the 49ers to rebound at home and pull ahead sometime in the second half and have the Rams in their rear view mirror the rest of the game. The 49ers will get back on track this weekend with a big win and cover against the Rams. Sorry Clive but I didn’t pick them, I picked against them. <smile>

As for regular plays, I like the New Orleans Saints at home giving the Detroit Lions 9 points. I also like the Chicago Bears at home to cover the 7 points against the Kansas City Chiefs. And finally I like the New England Patriots at home to cover the 20½ points against the Indianapolis Colts. Can you believe the Colts are getting almost 3 touchdowns and I’m not hesitating to pick against them, oh what a difference a year makes.

As for underdogs, I like the Oakland Raiders on the road getting 3 points from the Miami Dolphins. I also like the Denver Broncos on the road getting a point from the Minnesota Vikings. Finally I like the Washington Redskins at home getting 3 points from the New York Jets.

My over/under picks include the over 52 in the Packers/Giants game, the over 45½ in the Cowboys/Cardinals game, the over 53½ in the Lions/Saints game and my under pick this week is the under 38 in the Ravens/Browns game.

Good Luck this weekend and as always bet with your head not over it.  

Don’t forget to check below these NFL picks for my College picks this weekend.

This is the last week of the regular college season along with 6 championship games. I have to admit I love the college football season and I am sad when football comes to an end. However I do have another week of great college football games to pick and with only 22 games to pick from this will be an abbreviated version of my normal college football picks. So below are my best picks for this weekend.

My best bets this week start with HOUSTON at home giving 12½ points to Southern Miss. This is the CUSA Championship game and it has an undefeated Houston team going up against a Southern Miss team that has only 2 losses on the season. Both of these teams are ranked in the BCS, which in itself is pretty amazing coming from the CUSA conference. Houston is ranked sixth while So. Miss. is ranked twenty-fourth. After the season the Cougars have had I see no reason why they would let up now just one game away from a perfect season and a chance to move up a little higher in the BCS rankings. Unfortunately for them they will not get into the BCS championship game due to the fact they are not in an elite conference. Houston however will play with an intensity that Southern Miss has not seen this year and they will pull away from them sometime in the second half and cover this spread with ease. Houston will end their perfect season with another perfect effort from Keenum and the whole team. The only other undefeated team in the BCS rankings will take it to the Golden Eagles and cover the 12½ points with room to spare.

Next on my list of best bets this week is BYU on the road giving Hawaii 7½ points. BYU is coming into this game off a bye but for Hawaii this is their 8^th straight game in a row. BYU has only allowed 14 points in their last 2 games and with Hawaii playing with their backup quarterback points for the Rainbows (I know they changed to the Warriors, I just like the Rainbows better) will be at a premium. BYU is on a 5 game ATS winning streak while Hawaii has covered only once in the past 7 games. In addition I’m sure BYU wants to win this game as the last time they played in Hawaii they lost 72-45 and I’m sure BYU is very aware of this.  I also think if they beat Hawaii they will get their ticket into the Armed Forces Bowl. So take the Cougars minus the 7½ to win and cover this game but not without a fight from Hawaii that will fall short sometime in the second half.

I am going back to one of my favorite picks this year as my last best bet this week and it is on KANSAS STATE at home spotting Iowa State 10½  points. KSU has had a terrific season as they are currently 11^th in the BCS standings, a win here and a loss by Oklahoma and they could end up in the Top 10 of the BCS and this would greatly improve their chances for even a better bowl game. Kansas State is off a bye and win over Texas and Iowa State is coming into KSU after playing Oklahoma State and Oklahoma back to back. I just can’t see how this Iowa State team can possibly get up for another big road game, especially seeing they have already punched a ticket to a bowl game. Look for KSU to end their season on a high note and win and cover this game convincingly.

As for other games I like, they include – Virginia Tech on the road giving 7 points to Clemson. (Sorry Jim), San Diego State at home giving Fresno State 8 points, Cincinnati at home giving Connecticut 9 points, and last but not least I like Oklahoma State at home giving 3½ points to Oklahoma.

As for underdogs, I like UCLA on the road getting 31½ points from Oregon. I like Texas on the road getting 2½ points from Baylor. I like Michigan State in Indianapolis getting 9 points fromWisconsin.

As for my over/under picks, I like the over 71½ in the So. Miss./Houston game, the over 52 in the Iowa State/Kansas State game. I like the UCLA/Oregon game to go over 66, and finally I like the over 55 in the BYU/Hawaii game.

As for a Marquee game, I do have an opinion on the SEC Championship game between LSU and Georgia. LSU is on the road and giving Georgia 13½ points. I just can’t see how LSU can lose this game. They are playing at a different level then everyone else this year and even though Georgia will put up a fight, in the end LSU will beat Georgia both physically and on the score board. Throw away the stats on this game, this game comes down to who wants it more and who can play 4 quarters of SEC football and for me the answer is LSU. Lay the 13½ points, LSU will go undefeated this year and take no prisoners in Georgia. I’m sure James Oglethorpe would agree.

That’s it for my college picks this week and unfortunately until the bowl games begin.  I will be back late Saturday with my NFL picks.

Due to the fact I have no idea if Vick is going to play and the game being in Seattle I have no opinion on the Thursday night NFL game between the Eagles and Seahawks, I just know that a bird will win.

As always, remember to bet with your head and not over it.  :)

The college football season is dwindling down and the bowl games will be starting soon, and with it another year of college football will come to an end, and for Penn State I’m sure not soon enough. I just hope the BCS doesn’t keep Penn State out of the bowls as there is absolutely no reason to punish the kids for the crimes of a coach, nuf said. I had another great college weekend with my best bets, this week going 4-1 ATS losing only my SMU pick ATS, for the season my best bets are hitting just a little shy of 65% and all the stats can be verified just by going back in my website. As for the pros, having 3 less games to choose from, I went 2 out of 3 on my underdog picks and 2 underdogs won outright. You gotta love Tebow, he just WINS!! And while I’m thinking of it, I think the football announcing crews should layoff making fun of Tebow, would they knock any other quarterback who comes off the bench and wins 4 games in a row and 3 of them on the road, I don’t think so. BAD ANNOUNCING CREWS, LAY OFF TEBOW PLEASE !! I hit another under pick this week with the Jacksonville/Houston game going under the total.  I want to thank Moose the Greek again for taking time out of his Thanksgiving weekend to weigh in with his picks on Thursday. I will have him back again so that he can have a chance to redeem himself. I hope everyone who reads my picks had a very fulfilling Turkey Day. Anyway below are my stats for this week and the season.

Week 13 College stats

Best Bets 4-1 ATS and 5-0 SU

Regular Plays 2-2-1ATS and 5-0 SU

Underdogs 1-4 ATS and 0-5 SU

Over/Unders 2-2 ATS

2011 College year to date stats 

Best Bets 37-20-1 ATS and 52-6 SU

Regular Plays 27-34-2 ATS and 50-13 SU

Underdogs 28-28-1 ATS and 21-36 SU

Over/Unders 25-19 ATS

College Marquee game opinion 6-5 ATS and 6-5 SU

Week 12 NFL stats 

Best Bets 1-2 ATS and 3-0 SU

Regular Plays 2-1 ATS and 3-0 SU

Underdogs 2-1 ATS and 2-1 SU

Over/Unders 3-1 ATS

2011 NFL year to date stats 

Best Bets 21-15 ATS and 29-7 SU

Regular Plays 14-16-2 ATS and 19-13 SU

Underdogs 14-20-1 ATS and 12-22-1 SU

Over/Unders 26-18 ATS

I will be back early Thursday morning with my college picks for the Thursday night and weekend games and possibly a pick on the Thursday NFL game.

Week 12 of the NFL and because this is being written after the Turkey Day games there are 3 fewer games to pick from. Our guest handicapper Moose the Greek had a rough day but as we ALL know “s—t happens” and if we always won betting football, then everyone would be doing it. As handicappers we have no control over the games, we do research, look for trends and give you our best handicapping opinion, and like I always say at the end of every post, bet with your head and not over it.  So I will do my best to give you my best picks from the games left for Sunday and Monday. Here are my picks for this week in the NFL, and because my good friend, Clive asked me to not pick the Rams I will be avoiding that game.

My first best bet this week is on the HOUSTON TEXANS on the road giving the Jacksonville Jaguars 3½ points. Even though Matt Schaub is gone for the year for the Texans and they have to rely on Matt Leinhart, I still believe they will win and cover this game. Jacksonville’s offense is averaging only 12 ppg while Houston’s offense is averaging 27 ppg and even without Schaub they should still be able to run the ball with Arian Foster. The Texans defense is ranked #1 giving up only 16 ppg, so scoring for the Jaguars will not be any easier this week. Houston has a 2 game league in the AFC South so I see them keeping Leinhart’s calls close to the vest to keep turnovers at a minimum. This will be a close game but the Texans defense will shutdown the Jags anemic offense and the Texans offense will score enough points to keep the Jags at arms length. Lay the 3½ points I see the Texans winning this game by at least 10 points.

Next, pick this weekend goes to the CINCINNATI BENGALS at home giving the Cleveland Browns 9 points. The Browns will once again be without their star running back, Peyton Hillis, and this is a big loss for a team that hasn’t scored a TD in the 1^st or 3^rd quarter all year.  The Bengals need a division win, so they will be focused as they lost a big game last week to Baltimore on the road. They return home this week to take on the Browns who are an awful 1-3 on the road this year. Cincy is 9-1-1 ATS the last 11 games against the AFC, while Cleveland is 2-8-1 ATS the last 11 games against the AFC. Cincy has won and covered the last 2 between these teams and are 7-3 SU the last 10 meetings. Cleveland won their game last week against the Jags by putting up a goal line stand, this week they face a much more balanced Bengals attack and I don’t think there will be any goal line stand this week as the Bengals should have this game in hand sometime in the 3^rd quarter when they go up by 2 touchdowns, an insurmountable task for the offensive Browns offense, who only average 14 points a game. Lay the 9 points here as the Bengals take out their frustrations on an underachieving Browns team.

My third choice and last best bet this week is on the PITTSBURGH STEELERS on the road giving the Kansas City Chiefs 10½ points. Not only are the Chiefs without starting quarterback Matt Cassel but this is a revenge game for the Steelers as they lost in Kansas City in 2009 in overtime and the Steelers are off a bye. Big Ben has a broken right thumb but is going to play. Tyler Palko will be facing a well rested Steelers defense that will be licking their chops with a rookie quarterback at the helm for the Chiefs. The only thing going for the Chiefs this week is that they are home, but if they get way behind the Chiefs crowd will turn on them and the boo birds will be out in force. Look for the rested Steelers to take the lead in this game early, and never look back. Lay the 10½ points as the Steelers will win and cover this rather easily.

As for regular plays, I like the New York Jets at home giving the Buffalo Bills 9 points. I also like the Carolina Panthers on the road to cover the 3½ points against the Indianapolis Colts. And finally I like the New England Patriots on the road to cover the 3 points against the Philadelphia Eagles.

As for underdogs, I like the Chicago Bears on the road getting 4 points from the Oakland Raiders. I also like the Denver Broncos on the road getting 6½ points from the Sand Diego Chargers. Finally I like the Washington Redskins on the road getting 3½ points from the Seattle Seahawks.

My over/under picks include the over 41½ in the Bills/Jets game, the over 41½ in the Bears/Raiders game, the over 39½ in the Steelers/Chiefs game and another under pick, I like the under 37½ in the Texans/Jaguars game.

Good Luck this weekend and as always bet with your head not over it.  

Don’t forget to check below these NFL picks for my College picks this weekend.

Wow here we are in Week 13 of  the college football season and the end is drawing near, now that is sad, but the bowl season is coming up. I really can’t wait for this weekend to come to fruition as the BCS will have their hands full if LSU goes down toArkansas. I’m of the mindset that the BCS in its current form has to be changed and if LSU and any of the top 5 teams go down watch out, we already know that LSU andArkansasare in the top 5 so one of them will lose, just from the BCS standpoint, I’m hoping it’s LSU. Well onto my picks for this week in college football.

My best bets this week will start with a Friday game, WESTERN MICHIGAN at home giving Akron 28 points. This will be both teams last game and I’m sure Akron sitting at 1-10 can’t wait for this season to be over as I think they already packed it in losing last week to a very mediocre Buffalo team, by a score of 51-10. Not only is Western Michigan a better team but they also have a much better offense than Buffalo, and they most likely will need this win to insure a bowl bid. WMU has won and covered 4 out of the last 5 and I don’t see how this Akron team can change that, so give the 4 touchdowns and take WMU to win and cover in their last home game of the season.

My second pick this week goes to NORTH CAROLINA STATE at home giving Maryland 12 points. Last week at home NC State not only knocked off Clemson but knocked them out of the Top 10 in the BCS rankings. This week they take on a Maryland in what is a revenge match as Maryland beat NC State last year. In addition, Maryland has yet to win a game on the road and they will make it a perfect 0-5 after this week. The Wolfpack is playing sound football right now and have a chance to finish 7-5 for the season, instead of 6-6.  I look for NC State to come out firing on all cylinders and from the start they will be looking in the rear view mirror at Maryland. Lay the 12 points I feel a rout coming on.

My next choice this week is on, SMU at home giving 13½ points to Rice. These 2 teams have identical 4-1 SU records at home, the only catch is only SMU is home this week. Rice is a miserable 0-6 SU away from home and this game will also end with another team having a perfect 0-7 SU record away from home. Look for the Mustangs to regroup this week after scoring only 7 points last week against Houston but only allowing Houston to score 37 points, a team that averages 53 ppg. SMU is in a similar situation to NC State as they are currently 6-5 and this win puts them at 7-5 instead of 6-6 a record that is winning instead of average. I like picking against teams at the end of the year that have yet to win a road game, to me why would things change now. So lay the 13 ½ points and take SMU to cover this number.

Next on my list of best bets this week is also a Friday game, HOUSTON on the road giving Tulsa 3 points. I wish I could will Houston to win here as this would secure the Cougars a very good BCS game and at least 1 BCS bowl game with an explosive offense, but I can’t. This is however, one of my favorite plays as it is a revenge match for the Cougars as the Hurricanes beat them last year in Houston and I’m sure the Cougars would love to return the favor. This will be a very hard fought game but with a lot of scoring as these teams are very familiar with each other. The major reason I’m picking Houston this week is because Case Keenum did not play in this game last year and what better way to end his career at Houston then to make amends for the Cougars. Lay the 3 points here as this will be a close game but Houston will come out on top and cover the 3 points.

My last best bet this week is CINCINNATI on the road spotting Syracuse 2 points. The Big East winner this year is probably going to go down to the wire as both Louisville and Rutgers have only one game left, while Cincy has this week and next week. If the Bearcats win out and Louisville and Rutgers win this week it will be a 3 way tie for first and I’m sure that Cincy is well aware of this and will take this game very seriously. This is yet another revenge match as Syracuse punished Cincy last year at Cincinnati beating them soundly 31-7. Both teams are on losing streaks but Cincinnati has a lot more to play for than do the Orange.  I look for the Bearcats to come out focused for this game and for them to take it to ‘Cuse and win and cover this small 2 point spread.

As for other games I like, they include – Oklahoma at home giving 27½ points Iowa State, Oregon at home giving Oregon State 28 points, Hawaii at home giving Tulane 16½ points, Purdue on the road giving Indiana 7½  points, and last but not least I like Stanford at home giving 6½ points to Notre Dame.

As for underdogs, I like Wake Forest at home getting 1 ½ points from Vanderbilt. I like Nevada on the road getting 1½ points from Utah State. I like UL Lafayette on the road getting 14 points from Arizona. I like Texas Tech on the road getting 12½ points from Baylor and finally I like Virginia at home getting 5 points from Virginia Tech.

As for my over/under picks, on Friday night, I like the over 55 in the Tulane/Hawaii game, the over 51 ½ in the Michigan State/Northwestern game. I like the Oregon State/Oregon game to go over 63½ and finally I like the over 61 in the Wyoming/Boise State game.

As for a Marquee game, I do have an opinion on the big Friday game between Arkansas and LSU. Arkansas is on the road and getting 12 points from LSU. Both of these teams have something to play for as Arkansas would like nothing better than to knock LSU down a peg or two. It was back in 2007, the last time Arkansas beat LSU at Baton Rouge and I don’t think it is out of the realm of possibility it could happen again. This is the last game for both teams and if Arkansas wins they would be in a tie with LSU in the SEC West and if Alabama wins it could be a 3 way tie, so you can see how very important this game is for the Razorbacks. I like getting 12 points here as I think Arkansas has a legit chance to win this game and even a better chance to keep it within the number.

That’s it for my college picks this week.  I will be back late Saturday with my NFL picks.

As always, remember to bet with your head and not over it.  

First of all, I want to wish ALL the people who actually come to this site to read my picks a very very HAPPY TURKEY DAY.  Next, I am very pleased to have my favorite guest handicapper, Moose the Greek, weigh in with his Thanksgiving picks. I will be back late Thursday night or very early Friday morning with my college picks for the week, but for now,  here’s Moose………

Thanksgiving again and ‘Moose the Greek’ is here to do what he does best.  Yes, eat like a wild animal.  But I am also going to give you a few of my picks for the Holiday.  Liz has had a good year so far and I hope I can keep up her good work.  I like two pro and one college game Thursday.  So here we go:

My first pick is the OVER in the Packers/Lions game. The Pack can score at will and the Lions and Stafford can pass at will.  In my opinion neither team has a very good defense.  So that adds up to points, points, and points.  For now, the total is 55,  that is a lot of points but everyone likes offense on Turkey day.  So going with the theme of the day, OVER eating, OVER drinking, and OVER staying your welcome at a relative’s house, the GREEK says take OVER 55 in this game.

Pick number two in the league that ‘plays for pay’ is what I think is an easy pick.  I like the DALLAS COWBOYS to send the Miami Dolphins to the bottom of the sea.  This could be a 30 point beating.  Miami is on a three game winning streak and they have had some close games but it ends Thursday. The Cowboys are hot and Romo is GREAT in November.  The line right now is Dallas by 7.5. Jump on the Boys like you jump on the pumpkin pie after dinner.  It is back to earth for the fish.

My last pick for Turkey Day is in the night time college game.  In a rivalry that dates back to the Stone Age, and which is coming to an end this year due to realignment, the Longhorns meet the Aggies in College Station.  I am not a big fan of betting games which don’t involve top 25 teams but this game should be fun.  Right now the Aggies are giving 8 points.  I am picking them to cover the 8 and send the Longhorns back to the pasture.  I think Cyrus Gray will run wild and he will be the difference in this game.  So take TEXAS A&M minus the 8 and enjoy the game….

That’s it from the Greek. Thank you, Liz for giving me the forum this week.  I want to wish everyone a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving.  I will leave you with a tip about the Turkey.  Buy the biggest bird you can get.  The carcass can only get so big and the rest is meat. MOOSE THE GREEK has spoken ….

Thanks Moose, I love your picks, and I just want to wish you and your family a Happy Turkey Day.