Not exactly back on track, but back from the abyss last week. We came up one game short of .500! Let’s celebrate being slightly below mediocre by posting T.I. and Iggy Azalea’s video where T.I. tells us that he doesn’t want no mediocre.
Weekly Reminder 1: As always, our strategy for most games (we go with our gut occasionally) is pretty simple: Vegas doesn’t like losing money so we go against the overwhelming trends (e.g. when one team has 80% of the public behind it), which leads to many underdog picks because the public is always in love with favorites. Unfortunately, our strategy also incorporates picking UCLA every week because Mr. Rudin went there. We still won somehow.
Weekly Reminder 2: Some of the games on Yahoo show the spread as “off”, which means a spread has not been assigned. Yahoo makes those games an even line. We won’t be making picks for those in this column. Our picks will appear here in a weekly column on Thursday mornings until season’s end or the time where we realize that our picks have become so putrid that they become embarrassing to post, whichever comes first.
VIRGINIA +13 at BOISE STATE
It’s just about time for everyone to hop on the Boise State blue field bandwagon. Not us.
ARIZONA +3 vs. UTAH
78% of the picks are on Utah. Vegas is going to get sick of losing money at some point, right?
N.C. STATE +13 at FLORIDA STATE
80% of the public is with Florida State. Vegas comeback week?
TEXAS A&M -2.5 at ARKANSAS
Arkansas is overrated. This isn’t the week that Sumlin’s hot seat gets boiling at A&M.
HOUSTON -7 vs. TEXAS TECH
Houston is out to prove that they’re not missing ol’ what’s his name who’s coaching Texas now.
ARMY +2.5 at TULANE
Army got waxed in the second half against Ohio State, but that was supposed to happen. They bounce back this week.
NEW MEXICO +11.5 at TULSA
82% of people on Yahoo picked Tulsa. Vegas does not like losing money.
CENTRAL FLORIDA +3.5 at MARYLAND
84% on Maryland? You know we’re on UCF.
NORTH CAROLINA +2.5 vs. DUKE
Can we just scrap this game and bring the basketball teams out? We’d even be fine watching them play football.
TOLEDO +13.5 at MIAMI
90% on Miami? Vegas knows something.
CALIFORNIA +17 vs. USC
Cal stinks, but we’re starting to think that ‘SC might be a tad bit overrated.
ALABAMA -18.5 at VANDERBILT
Are we missing something? Why isn’t ‘Bama just going to win by five TD’s?
APPALACHIAN STATE +5 vs. WAKE FOREST
78% of the public on Wake Forest. They’re not good at football.
PURDUE +10 vs. MICHIGAN
Purdue is sneaky underrated and Michigan remains a year away.
LOUISIANA LAFAYETTE -6.5 vs. LOUISIANA MONROE
A good excuse to root for the Rajun’ Cajuns.
GEORGIA -5 vs. MISSISSIPPI STATE
People are overreacting a bit too much to Mississippi State’s thrashing of LSU.
AIR FORCE +3 vs. SAN DIEGO STATE
Beating Stanford was SDSU’s biggest win in years. It’s very easy to have a let down the following week, especially on the road against a military school that’s worried they’re going to have to defend in an air war against North Korea.
IOWA +12.5 vs. PENN STATE
We figure that Iowa will bore the Nittany Lions to death.
OKLAHOMA STATE -11.5 vs. TCU
TCU is good, but Oklahoma State is a playoff contender and in a shootout like this, 11.5 is not a ton of points. Watch this play. Are you really betting against Mason Rudolph and Oklahoma State?
FLORIDA -2 at KENTUCKY
Easy money, which worries us.
RICE -2.5 vs. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL
Another Florida school? What, is there one on every block?
MICHIGAN STATE +4 vs. NOTRE DAME
Bet against Notre Dame time.
COLORADO +11 vs. WASHINGTON
84% of the money on Washington. Is there any other way to go?
ARIZONA STATE +15 vs. OREGON
Oregon’s far better, but we see a late cover happening.
UCLA +7.5 at STANFORD
Ugh, no way UCLA covers here, but you know the rules.
LAST WEEK: 12-13
SEASON: 23-44