| Sport: Bryan Leonard Pick - NCAAF Picks |
| Game: Vanderbilt @ Miami Ohio on 8/28/2008 7:30:00 PM |
| Prediction: under |
Reason: Vanderbilt at Miami OH
Vanderbilt is returning only 10 starters this season including just three on the offensive side of the football. They lost three players to the NFL draft including wide receiver Earl Bennett who had been a fixture in the end zone. The Commodores do have depth at the quarterback position and the running attack has talent. But the receiving corps has a lot of work to do to make up for Bennett's departure. The offensive line loses all five starters but they do have some experienced players stepping in. Defensively the strength will be in the backfield, led by cornerback DJ Moore who was first-team All-SEC a year ago.
Miami is coming off a divisional championship season despite ranking 108th in the country in scoring. We expect more of the same from the Redhawks this season as the quarterback and running back combination looks weak. They do have a solid receiving corps if the man behind center can find his teammates a little more often than a year ago. The defense returns nine starters including one of the best linebacking corps in the country. Clayton Mullins was the MAC Defensive Player of the Year last season and he looks to continue his success.
Despite returning just three offensive starters the Commodores still have the better offensive unit. But with the Miami defense returning virtually intact they will still hold the upper hand in that matchup. Vanderbilt beat Miami 24-13 in Nashville a year ago. With the offense being down a bit for the Commodores we can see this game being another very low scoring affair.
PLAY UNDER
Thursday Free Play |
| Sport: Marc Lawrence Pick - |
| Game: @ on 8/28/2008 7:02:40 AM |
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| Sport: Larry Ness Pick - |
| Game: @ on 8/28/2008 7:02:40 AM |
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| Sport: The Miller Group Pick - |
| Game: @ on 8/28/2008 7:02:40 AM |
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| Sport: Doc's Sports Pick - NCAAF Picks |
| Game: Utah St. @ UNLV on 8/30/2008 10:00:00 PM |
| Prediction: UNLV |
Reason: #102 Take UNLV over Utah State (Saturday 10:00 pm) The Rebels should be a much improved team in 2008 and will get off to a good start by knocking off the Aggies, a team that beat last year in Logan, 23-16. The Rebels return all of their offensive playmakers from 2007 and should be able to frustrate teams with the spread offense. They ran the ball really well last year against Utah State going for 173 yards on the ground and 4.6 yards per carry. The Aggies are predicted to finish last in a very competitive WAC Conference and must replace their quarterback and top receiver from 2007. Vegas jumps out early and will cruise to a much needed victory in the opener. This is a must win game for the Rebels if they want to go bowling and they will make a statement. Doc’s Sports has a full card going this week in college football, sign-up now!
Free Pick |
| Sport: Steve Merril Pick - |
| Game: @ on 8/28/2008 7:02:40 AM |
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| Sport: Stephen Nover Pick - |
| Game: @ on 8/28/2008 7:02:40 AM |
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| Sport: David Malinsky Pick - |
| Game: @ on 8/28/2008 7:02:40 AM |
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| Sport: Ted Sevransky Pick - |
| Game: @ on 8/28/2008 7:02:40 AM |
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| Sport: Matt Fargo Pick - NCAAF Picks |
| Game: Ohio @ Wyoming on 8/30/2008 2:00:00 PM |
| Prediction: Wyoming |
Reason: The Cowboys will look to start the season better than they ended it last year as a 4-1 start turned into a 1-6 finish. Part of the problem was a schedule that was bottom heavy with road games and Wyoming has always struggled away from Laramie as it has won only eight of its last 46 road games including seven of 29 in the Joe Glenn era. The Cowboys do have a good home field edge especially in non-conference games where they are 6-1 ATS in their last seven.
Revenge is on the mind of the Bobcats as they head to Wyoming but getting that revenge on the road is a very difficult challenge. The Cowboys won this game last season by a single point in Athens so with that, the thinking could be another close game is in store. That is not the case as that score does not tell the story. Wyoming outgained Ohio 441-292 and more than doubled the first downs but the Bobcats were able to keep it close thanks to a 94-yard kickoff return as well as a 30-yard interception return.
One stat that jumps out was the rushing totals. Wyoming finished with 267 yards on 47 carries (5.7 ypc) while the Bobcats were limited to 37 yards on 33 carries (1.1 ypc) and I would not be surprised to see a similar disparity again this season. The Ohio rushing game will take a serious hit this season with the loss of Kalvin McRae who rushed for 4,398 yards for the Bobcats over the last three seasons. Chris Garrett will take over for McRae and he had just 108 yards last season.
On the other side, the Cowboys bring in a superior rushing game and there is even better news with a new system. The Cowboys should fit into his system right away as it relies heavily on running the ball with a simplified playbook. Reason being is that Wyoming brings back two solid backs in Devin Moore and Wynel Seldon as well as all five offensive linemen. The offensive line is ranked the second best in the MWC and is going to be able to knock around the Bobcats here.
The Bobcats finished 91st in rushing defense last season, allowing 186.4 ypg on 4.5 ypc and with an offense likely to be less productive, it will be up to the defense to improve and help carry the squad early on. That could happen in some cases but not here. After allowing just 303 ypg and 18.1 ppg in 2006, the Bobcats gave up 407 ypg and 29.9 ppg last year. Overall, Ohio once again brings back the fewest starters in the MAC and it is going to show its growing pains. The Cowboys know they escaped this meeting last season so they will not be taking the Bobcats lightly. Play Wyoming Cowboys 1.5 Units
The first full card of the college football season is Saturday and it is loaded with moneymaking opportunities! The TOP PLAY on the card is form an out of conference matchup and one that has the makings of an ANNIHILATION! Join Fargo for his Non-Conference Game of the Month that is backed by a 35-11 (76.1%) Power Situation! Get on it now and bring it home with ease! Guaranteed!
Free Play For Saturday |
| Sport: Scott Rickenbach Pick - |
| Game: @ on 8/28/2008 7:02:40 AM |
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| Sport: Ben Burns Pick - |
| Game: @ on 8/28/2008 7:02:40 AM |
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| Sport: Lee Kostroski Pick - |
| Game: @ on 8/28/2008 7:02:40 AM |
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| Sport: David Chan Pick - |
| Game: @ on 8/28/2008 7:02:40 AM |
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| Sport: The Prez Pick - |
| Game: @ on 8/28/2008 7:02:40 AM |
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| Sport: Alex Smart Pick - NCAAF Picks |
| Game: Oklahoma St. @ Washington St. on 8/30/2008 3:30:00 PM |
| Prediction: Oklahoma St. |
Reason: There are some key mismatches in this non conference tilt featuring Oklahoma State and their hosts Washington State . One of the most glaring of which comes via the Cowboys offensive line and the Cougars defensive line . With four key starters back for Oklahoma State I expect this big experienced group will step over and dismantle their opposition play after play, making for big gaping holes up the middle , that running backs Kendall Hunter and JUCO transfer Beau Johnson will exploit . I also expect lots of time for QB Zac Robinson to sit in the pocket and pick apart an extremely vulnerable Wazzu secondary. There is not doubt in mind, that the Cowboys are going to score points in bunches today.
Meanwhile, Washington State under new HC PaulWulff, comes into his first game , ready to fire back behind a shot gun offense, that is gearing up to play wide open football this season, in part because of their obvious defensive deficiencies. Oklahoma States pedestrian defense has proven itself to be equally inept , but with this tilt being so early in the season, the Cougars , who are still learning a multitude of new schemes , will be unable to consistently take advantage of the situation, which I believe will have them on the wrong side of the score when the final whistle blows.
Final notes & Key Trends: This is not a true home game for Washington State, as this contest will be played in Seattle. WSU has lost 25 of their L/37 SU against Big 12 opposition . The Cowboys when they have scored 28 points or more in a road game are a perfect 6-0 ATS L/6 winning those games by an average of just under 20 PPG.
Play on Oklahoma State -Projected score: Cowboys 38 Cougars 30
Comp Selection |
