I don't have any abiding convictions on this weekend's scholarly tackle football games. Nothing jumps out at me and says, "Bet that one!" There are some under-the-radar games that I will be paying close attention to, however.
South Florida at UConn. This game has been moved from 7 pm to noon, I am not making this up, "due to mounting concerns over the mosquito-borne eastern equine encephalitis." Connecticut mosquitos only bite at night. Evidently. I have one strict rule on picking games: When a game is moved because of the threat of mosquitos, pass. USF is an 11-point favorite. UConn is such a dog of a team that I could not take UConn even without EEE. And the "Bulls" are so shit that I can't take them either. I have one other strict rule in picking games: When two backasswards teams play, don't play. I will make one prediction on this game: If Charlie Strong loses he'll be fired.
Maryland at Rutgers. Comme ci comme sa USF-UConn, no? Oui. Maryland has a coach but a shit one, Mike Locksley. Ruptures don't even have a coach. Fired 'im last week. MD started the season as fast turtles but the last two weeks have retreated into their shells. Ruptures. Ruptures will always be Ruptures, the asshole of the armpit of the nation. I have no idea what the line is and don't care. Pass.
Others:
#7 Auburn at #10 Florida. Good game! Great matchup. Lemme guess the line...Hmm, "War Tigers" higher ranked but FU playing at home in the "Swamp"...Oh! Oh! What about EEE? Is this game still on?...Arright, um..."Alligators" by 3. Une momento por favor...Auburn by 2.5! Investors saying FU to FU. Nope, not gonna touch it.
#11 Texas at West Virginia. This is a big game for the coaches, Tom Herman, in his third year in Austin, Neal Brown in his first in Couch Burn. 'Horns only loss to #6 Elle Es Ooh. But at home. 'Eers got blown out at Mizzou, blew out NC State, edged the "Grass Eaters." Tough out, the "Grass Eaters;" thought they might win that game. The line...'Horns giving 10. No. Doesn't grab me.
Northwestern at Nebraska. Man oh man, where are the 'Husker's heads? Who knows. Nebraska is an 8-point favorite? Okay, I'm talking so you better listen: I'm taking, and I hereby recommend you also take this financial advice, Northwestern and those points. "Wildcats" are only 1-3 but they have played a tough schedule: Lost to Stanford out there; beat UNLV in wherever...Evanston!...Is it Evanston?, at home wherever that is; got blown out in that same place by East Lansing Spartak; lost to #8 Wisconsin but lost close, 24-15, and that game was in Boogerville. I like the "Mildcats" getting eight points. So there, I did pick one. (Scott Frost needs to win that game; doesn't have to cover but needs to win.)
#3 Georgia at Tennessee. Oh my God. What must the line be on this one. "Canines" -20?...24.5. Yeah. "Vols" are a riverboat fire.
Oh! Michigan State-Ohio State! Oh, that is a nice little game. MSU #25, OSU #4. In Umbus. "Buckeyes" look soo bucking good, look like the best team in the country to moi. Mark Dantonio plays OSU tough, though. Mark Dantonio is a damn good coach. Ryan Day is in his first year. Ryan Day looks like an Urban Meyer clone so far. Investors in Vegas know all this, course. So knowing all this and more, what is the line? Man. This is a hard one. I'll say OSU -10...:o R U Effing kidding me, 20.5? I'll defer to my better bettors but I'm not touching that game with that line with those coaches.
Pitt at Duke. Beloveds got six points in AP Top 25 voting after saying g'night to the "Knights." Lost every one of them in a too-close win over lower division Delaware. That was such a weird game. Something like seven Pitt starters or major players didn't play, including QB Kenny Pickett, because of injuries. And nobody knew! The first tweets from the cognoscenti as they saw Pitt's starters were bewilderment. A Pittsburgh writer wrote after the game that top cat Pat Narduzzi had "rested" his starters. Pitt's Pat has made some strange decisions this year, I didn't put it past him. The consensus has settled though that all of the players were sufficiently nicked up to make the given injuries explanation legit. Pitt-Duke has been a crazy series. First game, 2013, 58-55 Pitt at Duke. Second game, #24 Duke 51-48 in two OT's at Heinz; Pitt has won the last four in a row, 31-13 at Duke; 56-14 in Pittsburgh; 24-17 down there; 54-45 last year in 'Burgh. Some of those games Pitt had no bidness winning. In four of the games "Panthers" scored over 50 points. In three of the games Duke
has scored over 40. The best Duke team in those six years needed two OT's to win. Pitt has murdered
them twice. David Cutcliffe is a damn good coach and as fine a man as there is in the game. But Pitt,
under two different coaches, just seems to have Duke's number. Duke is 3-1, Pitt 3-2; Pitt has played the harder schedule.Duke is a 5-point fave. They've won one game in six years and that by three points in 2 OT's as the #24 team in the country. No. I can't pass on that. So after starting this post saying I have no abiding conviction on any game worth your or my money I'm breaking my uncertainty a second time. Take Pitt getting five.
South Florida at UConn. This game has been moved from 7 pm to noon, I am not making this up, "due to mounting concerns over the mosquito-borne eastern equine encephalitis." Connecticut mosquitos only bite at night. Evidently. I have one strict rule on picking games: When a game is moved because of the threat of mosquitos, pass. USF is an 11-point favorite. UConn is such a dog of a team that I could not take UConn even without EEE. And the "Bulls" are so shit that I can't take them either. I have one other strict rule in picking games: When two backasswards teams play, don't play. I will make one prediction on this game: If Charlie Strong loses he'll be fired.
Maryland at Rutgers. Comme ci comme sa USF-UConn, no? Oui. Maryland has a coach but a shit one, Mike Locksley. Ruptures don't even have a coach. Fired 'im last week. MD started the season as fast turtles but the last two weeks have retreated into their shells. Ruptures. Ruptures will always be Ruptures, the asshole of the armpit of the nation. I have no idea what the line is and don't care. Pass.
Others:
#7 Auburn at #10 Florida. Good game! Great matchup. Lemme guess the line...Hmm, "War Tigers" higher ranked but FU playing at home in the "Swamp"...Oh! Oh! What about EEE? Is this game still on?...Arright, um..."Alligators" by 3. Une momento por favor...Auburn by 2.5! Investors saying FU to FU. Nope, not gonna touch it.
#11 Texas at West Virginia. This is a big game for the coaches, Tom Herman, in his third year in Austin, Neal Brown in his first in Couch Burn. 'Horns only loss to #6 Elle Es Ooh. But at home. 'Eers got blown out at Mizzou, blew out NC State, edged the "Grass Eaters." Tough out, the "Grass Eaters;" thought they might win that game. The line...'Horns giving 10. No. Doesn't grab me.
Northwestern at Nebraska. Man oh man, where are the 'Husker's heads? Who knows. Nebraska is an 8-point favorite? Okay, I'm talking so you better listen: I'm taking, and I hereby recommend you also take this financial advice, Northwestern and those points. "Wildcats" are only 1-3 but they have played a tough schedule: Lost to Stanford out there; beat UNLV in wherever...Evanston!...Is it Evanston?, at home wherever that is; got blown out in that same place by East Lansing Spartak; lost to #8 Wisconsin but lost close, 24-15, and that game was in Boogerville. I like the "Mildcats" getting eight points. So there, I did pick one. (Scott Frost needs to win that game; doesn't have to cover but needs to win.)
#3 Georgia at Tennessee. Oh my God. What must the line be on this one. "Canines" -20?...24.5. Yeah. "Vols" are a riverboat fire.
Oh! Michigan State-Ohio State! Oh, that is a nice little game. MSU #25, OSU #4. In Umbus. "Buckeyes" look soo bucking good, look like the best team in the country to moi. Mark Dantonio plays OSU tough, though. Mark Dantonio is a damn good coach. Ryan Day is in his first year. Ryan Day looks like an Urban Meyer clone so far. Investors in Vegas know all this, course. So knowing all this and more, what is the line? Man. This is a hard one. I'll say OSU -10...:o R U Effing kidding me, 20.5? I'll defer to my better bettors but I'm not touching that game with that line with those coaches.
Pitt at Duke. Beloveds got six points in AP Top 25 voting after saying g'night to the "Knights." Lost every one of them in a too-close win over lower division Delaware. That was such a weird game. Something like seven Pitt starters or major players didn't play, including QB Kenny Pickett, because of injuries. And nobody knew! The first tweets from the cognoscenti as they saw Pitt's starters were bewilderment. A Pittsburgh writer wrote after the game that top cat Pat Narduzzi had "rested" his starters. Pitt's Pat has made some strange decisions this year, I didn't put it past him. The consensus has settled though that all of the players were sufficiently nicked up to make the given injuries explanation legit. Pitt-Duke has been a crazy series. First game, 2013, 58-55 Pitt at Duke. Second game, #24 Duke 51-48 in two OT's at Heinz; Pitt has won the last four in a row, 31-13 at Duke; 56-14 in Pittsburgh; 24-17 down there; 54-45 last year in 'Burgh. Some of those games Pitt had no bidness winning. In four of the games "Panthers" scored over 50 points. In three of the games Duke
has scored over 40. The best Duke team in those six years needed two OT's to win. Pitt has murdered
them twice. David Cutcliffe is a damn good coach and as fine a man as there is in the game. But Pitt,
under two different coaches, just seems to have Duke's number. Duke is 3-1, Pitt 3-2; Pitt has played the harder schedule.Duke is a 5-point fave. They've won one game in six years and that by three points in 2 OT's as the #24 team in the country. No. I can't pass on that. So after starting this post saying I have no abiding conviction on any game worth your or my money I'm breaking my uncertainty a second time. Take Pitt getting five.
