Quick update on Week 2 Results:
MR: 9-5 (BAL)
AW: 8-5 (BAL, SD)
MC: 9-6
SS: 8-6 (SD)
MH: 8-6 (BAL)
JR: 8-7
JG: 8-7
GR: 6-8 (SD)
RO: 5-9 (BAL)
Lots of action still going tonight - I'll send out the full recap tomorrow and the lines for Week 3...and potentially a Gopher rant.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Week 2 Preview
Well, still waiting on a couple of picks...but I have to throw this together now.
NCAA
JR: CMU, GT, HAW, CAL, ND, BYU, OKST, WASH, A&M, ALA
JG: SJST, KAN, SC, IDAHO, ISU, MICH, MIA, OKST, PSU, USC
MR: MISST, SC, FLA, NEB, OHIOST, BYU, WASH, TEX, TT, NEV
AW: AUB, MARSH, UTEP, GEO, HAW, CAL, MICH, BYU, PSU, UCF
GR: WV, GT, FLA, NEB, MICH, UTAH, OKST, WASH, TT, USC
MH: GEO, OK, IOWA, ND, OHIOST, UTAH, BYU, LSU, ALA, USC
MC: WAITING
SS: WAITING
RO: WV, SJST, GT, HAW, IOWA, ND, MIA, BYU, OHIO, ALA
CONSENSUS PICKS (2-1 LW)
BYU - 5
NFL
JR: CIN, IND, PIT, MIA, SF
JG: MIN, TB, GB, SF, DAL
MR: NO, DET, GB, ARI, BAL
AW: MIN, MIA, GB, BAL, SD
GR: IND, NYG, SF, DAL, SD
MH: IND, MIA, GB, SF, BAL
MC: PENDING
SS: PENDING
RO: MIN, IND, CHI, SF, BAL
CONSENSUS PICKS
IND - 4
GB - 4
SF - 5
BAL - 4
When I get the final 2 sets of picks I will post those as well.
$$$ PLAYS and ANGLES
CMU +8 at TEM
TEM needed a last second win to beat Nova last week, CMU is a bit of an unknown after replacing their coach who left to replace their old coach...follow that? Anywho, I think TEM was a fluke in 2009 and giving over a TD at home against a traditional MAC power is insane...CMU!
GT -12.5 at KAN
KAN looked worse than horrible last week and GT is about the most steady team you can find. I know my rebound rule plays into KAN here, but the exception to that rule is if you are a very bad team...which I think KAN might be this season. GT doubles the spread in this one.
HAW +2 at ARMY
HAW can score in the 50's on any given night, and they typically do. ARMY has trouble getting to 21 points, and they are favored at home as a bad team. The only HAW negative is the 80 hour trip to get to ARMY, but I think they've overcome that before so I'm expecting a beat down.
CAL -7 vs. COL
The Bears always roll this time of the year, and Hawk and company always suck...especially after a nice win over a rival. They will get rolled in Berkley.
ND -4.5 vs. MICH
Lots of action on this one, and it's split. I really like ND. First, their D isn't as atrocious as UCONN and their offense is light years ahead of UCONN. MICH has injuries at WR and lots of injury issues in the secondary not to mention the fact that their D isn't good to begin with. Plus, the whole world loves them after last week's win, and people are sleeping on ND. 1st year Irish coaches always pull off wins like this en route to a nice season...bet the Irish.
BYU -0 at AF
The Mormons ALWAYS beat AF. AF is forever the upstart team that's just below the top tier in the MWC, and this year is no different. Making this a pick'em is like giving away free money.
OKST -9 vs. TROY
The Cowboys housed a terrible WASU team last week, now they welcome in a reeling TROY club that is 1-0 but had to struggle for that 1st home win. TROY is not good on the road and I think everyone overlooked OKST this year...OKST wins by 15.
OLE -20 at TULANE
Do you think this team wants to beat the hell out of someone? Losing to JAX ST. was bad, but this is still an SEC team and they can score a bundle. Tulane continues to be very bad, and OLE will win this one 55-10.
HEAD SCRATCHER OF THE WEEK
This week, I'll give the honor to JG for his KAN pick. I kind of get the angle he's going with, but if they were playing a less predictable team than GT I might like it. However, GT will come out and kick you then spit on you when you're down...and KAN is very down right now. Bad team in rebuild mode that will get destroyed.
GOPHERS-USD PREVIEW
USD got destroyed by UCF last week and allowed a ton of yards through the air. They are the dreaded 1-AA game that the Gophers always seem to struggle with, but this just doesn't look like a very good team. The Maroon and Gold come in at 1-0 after running the ball all night at MDTN.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN?
I fully expect the same kind of plan as last week early on in this one. We'll run the ball a lot early and force them to commit 8-9 in the box. Then the AWEB show will start throwing the ball a bit and make this a very vanilla cruise-control kind of win. I think the defense will look better, hopefully we'll see some pass rush, because you know that USD will be trying to throw it to catch up.
GOPHERS 38 USD 13
PURPLE at AINTS
Well, the Old Man is back for his 'final' year...as for now at least. I just hate this game for the Purple. The secondary issues couldn't come at a worse time than going into play the pass happy Aints. I'm not sure that Favre is 100% ready to go either and he will be shaking off rust for the 1st part of this game. I think the rest of the D should come to play and keep this one close, but in the end I just can't see it ending well.
PURPLE 23 AINTS 34
Good Luck!
NCAA
JR: CMU, GT, HAW, CAL, ND, BYU, OKST, WASH, A&M, ALA
JG: SJST, KAN, SC, IDAHO, ISU, MICH, MIA, OKST, PSU, USC
MR: MISST, SC, FLA, NEB, OHIOST, BYU, WASH, TEX, TT, NEV
AW: AUB, MARSH, UTEP, GEO, HAW, CAL, MICH, BYU, PSU, UCF
GR: WV, GT, FLA, NEB, MICH, UTAH, OKST, WASH, TT, USC
MH: GEO, OK, IOWA, ND, OHIOST, UTAH, BYU, LSU, ALA, USC
MC: WAITING
SS: WAITING
RO: WV, SJST, GT, HAW, IOWA, ND, MIA, BYU, OHIO, ALA
CONSENSUS PICKS (2-1 LW)
BYU - 5
NFL
JR: CIN, IND, PIT, MIA, SF
JG: MIN, TB, GB, SF, DAL
MR: NO, DET, GB, ARI, BAL
AW: MIN, MIA, GB, BAL, SD
GR: IND, NYG, SF, DAL, SD
MH: IND, MIA, GB, SF, BAL
MC: PENDING
SS: PENDING
RO: MIN, IND, CHI, SF, BAL
CONSENSUS PICKS
IND - 4
GB - 4
SF - 5
BAL - 4
When I get the final 2 sets of picks I will post those as well.
$$$ PLAYS and ANGLES
CMU +8 at TEM
TEM needed a last second win to beat Nova last week, CMU is a bit of an unknown after replacing their coach who left to replace their old coach...follow that? Anywho, I think TEM was a fluke in 2009 and giving over a TD at home against a traditional MAC power is insane...CMU!
GT -12.5 at KAN
KAN looked worse than horrible last week and GT is about the most steady team you can find. I know my rebound rule plays into KAN here, but the exception to that rule is if you are a very bad team...which I think KAN might be this season. GT doubles the spread in this one.
HAW +2 at ARMY
HAW can score in the 50's on any given night, and they typically do. ARMY has trouble getting to 21 points, and they are favored at home as a bad team. The only HAW negative is the 80 hour trip to get to ARMY, but I think they've overcome that before so I'm expecting a beat down.
CAL -7 vs. COL
The Bears always roll this time of the year, and Hawk and company always suck...especially after a nice win over a rival. They will get rolled in Berkley.
ND -4.5 vs. MICH
Lots of action on this one, and it's split. I really like ND. First, their D isn't as atrocious as UCONN and their offense is light years ahead of UCONN. MICH has injuries at WR and lots of injury issues in the secondary not to mention the fact that their D isn't good to begin with. Plus, the whole world loves them after last week's win, and people are sleeping on ND. 1st year Irish coaches always pull off wins like this en route to a nice season...bet the Irish.
BYU -0 at AF
The Mormons ALWAYS beat AF. AF is forever the upstart team that's just below the top tier in the MWC, and this year is no different. Making this a pick'em is like giving away free money.
OKST -9 vs. TROY
The Cowboys housed a terrible WASU team last week, now they welcome in a reeling TROY club that is 1-0 but had to struggle for that 1st home win. TROY is not good on the road and I think everyone overlooked OKST this year...OKST wins by 15.
OLE -20 at TULANE
Do you think this team wants to beat the hell out of someone? Losing to JAX ST. was bad, but this is still an SEC team and they can score a bundle. Tulane continues to be very bad, and OLE will win this one 55-10.
HEAD SCRATCHER OF THE WEEK
This week, I'll give the honor to JG for his KAN pick. I kind of get the angle he's going with, but if they were playing a less predictable team than GT I might like it. However, GT will come out and kick you then spit on you when you're down...and KAN is very down right now. Bad team in rebuild mode that will get destroyed.
GOPHERS-USD PREVIEW
USD got destroyed by UCF last week and allowed a ton of yards through the air. They are the dreaded 1-AA game that the Gophers always seem to struggle with, but this just doesn't look like a very good team. The Maroon and Gold come in at 1-0 after running the ball all night at MDTN.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN?
I fully expect the same kind of plan as last week early on in this one. We'll run the ball a lot early and force them to commit 8-9 in the box. Then the AWEB show will start throwing the ball a bit and make this a very vanilla cruise-control kind of win. I think the defense will look better, hopefully we'll see some pass rush, because you know that USD will be trying to throw it to catch up.
GOPHERS 38 USD 13
PURPLE at AINTS
Well, the Old Man is back for his 'final' year...as for now at least. I just hate this game for the Purple. The secondary issues couldn't come at a worse time than going into play the pass happy Aints. I'm not sure that Favre is 100% ready to go either and he will be shaking off rust for the 1st part of this game. I think the rest of the D should come to play and keep this one close, but in the end I just can't see it ending well.
PURPLE 23 AINTS 34
Good Luck!
Quirky Stats while waiting for the rest of the picks to come in...
I'm waiting for picks from 2 guys, so in the meantime...here's some strange stats.
1. UAB ran for 345 yards last week against FAU...and lost.
2. KENT ST. leads the nation in rushing D at -65 yards/game!
3. MARY threw for 11 yards last week...and won!
4. OHIO gave up 0 passing yards last week.
5. USC and LSU are 2 of the 3 worst passing defenses in the country.
6. AKRON, WASU, ULL all punted 10 times last week
7. FRESNO and MIAMI both had 8 sacks last weekend
8. Finally...the Gophers are a 30.5 pt favorite on Saturday in the only book I can find that lists these games. If I was a betting man, I'm guessing we don't cover that...please prove me wrong.
Full Week 2 preview coming soon...
1. UAB ran for 345 yards last week against FAU...and lost.
2. KENT ST. leads the nation in rushing D at -65 yards/game!
3. MARY threw for 11 yards last week...and won!
4. OHIO gave up 0 passing yards last week.
5. USC and LSU are 2 of the 3 worst passing defenses in the country.
6. AKRON, WASU, ULL all punted 10 times last week
7. FRESNO and MIAMI both had 8 sacks last weekend
8. Finally...the Gophers are a 30.5 pt favorite on Saturday in the only book I can find that lists these games. If I was a betting man, I'm guessing we don't cover that...please prove me wrong.
Full Week 2 preview coming soon...
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Week 2 Lines
Send me your 10 NCAA picks and 5 NFL picks by Noon on THURSDAY...short week, don't forget.
| CMU | |
| TEM | -8 |
| AUB | |
| MISST | 2.5 |
| WV | |
| MARSH | 13 |
| UTEP | |
| HOU | -18 |
| MEM | |
| ECU | -11.5 |
| DUKE | |
| WF | -5.5 |
| SJST | |
| WIS | -37.5 |
| MSU | |
| FAU | 28.5 |
| GT | |
| KAN | 12.5 |
| GEO | |
| SC | -2 |
| HAW | |
| ARMY | -2 |
| USF | |
| FLA | -16.5 |
| IDAHO | |
| NEB | -28.5 |
| EMU | |
| MIAOH | -16.5 |
| ARKST | |
| ULL | -2.5 |
| COL | |
| CAL | -7 |
| KENT | |
| BC | -17.5 |
| FSU | |
| OK | -8.5 |
| ISU | |
| IOWA | -13.5 |
| MICH | |
| ND | -4.5 |
| MIA | |
| OHIOST | -9.5 |
| UNLV | |
| UTAH | -22 |
| BYU | |
| AF | 0 |
| TOL | |
| OHIO | -7 |
| TROY | |
| OKST | -9 |
| LSU | |
| VAN | 10.5 |
| BUFF | |
| BAY | -16.5 |
| SYR | |
| WASH | -11 |
| ARK | |
| ULM | 34 |
| BGU | |
| TULSA | -16 |
| LT | |
| A&M | -18.5 |
| RICE | |
| NTEX | -1.5 |
| WY | |
| TEX | -28 |
| PSU | |
| ALA | -11 |
| ORE | |
| TN | 13.5 |
| WKY | |
| UK | -23 |
| NCST | |
| UCF | -4 |
| UAB | |
| SMU | -13.5 |
| SDST | |
| NMST | 10 |
| TT | |
| NM | 23 |
| RUT | |
| FIU | 19.5 |
| OLE | |
| TULANE | 20 |
| STAN | |
| UCLA | 8 |
| VIR | |
| USC | -18 |
| COLST | |
| NEV | -20.5 |
| _________ | |
| MIN | |
| NO | -5.5 |
| DEN | |
| JAC | -1.5 |
| OAK | |
| TEN | -7 |
| CIN | |
| NE | -5.5 |
| CLE | |
| TB | -1.5 |
| IND | |
| HOU | 3 |
| DET | |
| CHI | -7 |
| ATL | |
| PIT | -1.5 |
| MIA | |
| BUF | 1.5 |
| CAR | |
| NYG | -7 |
| GB | |
| PHI | -1 |
| ARI | |
| STL | 3.5 |
| SF | |
| SEA | 0 |
| DAL | |
| WAS | 3.5 |
| BAL | |
| NYJ | -3 |
| SD | |
| KC | 4.5 |
Week 1 Recap
1 week down for Football Challenge 2010, and it was a record breaker. Out of 9 guys in the pool, all 9 of us finished above .500 for the first time ever. Either we were all just too lucky, or maybe we're starting to get the hang of this thing. Here's the standings through 1 week:
MR 10-5
GR 10-5
RO 10-5
AW 9-6
MH 9-6
MC 9-6
JR 8-7
JG 8-7
SS 8-7
Cumulative of 81-54 or 60% for week 1. Nice work guys. If only my money plays would have gone as well...that wasn't pretty, but no need to dwell on that when there a little bit of season left to get ahead.
For week 2 we add in the guys that get paid, well...get paid more in most cases, than the college folks. I'll send out the complete list of Week 2 lines in a minute, but first a little recap.
WHAT WE LEARNED FROM WEEK 1
1. HAW looks like the HAW of old by throwing the ball all over the field against a young USC secondary. They are a lot more fun to watch when you can count on them for a fun 51-49 game to top off the night.
2. TOLEDO was a terrible pick! They scored 2 damn points at home against Zona. I guess I overestimated their coach in Y2 thinking he would have the team ready to go against a team like Zona. This was probably the worst pick of the entire week.
3. GATORS look extremely shaky in their first Post-Tebow game. I think they said there were 12 fumbled snaps and/or bad snaps by the Gators...12! But come on, it's Urban and his collection of athletes, you know this is only going to allow them to lay in the weeds for a few extra weeks before totally surprising someone.
4. ZOOKERS had signs of life in the 1st half against MIZZOU, but the 2nd half was pathetic. In typical Zook fahsion, they ran it well in the 1st half and then forgot to run it at all in H2. The young QB made a lot of mistakes and lost them the game. I still won't believe that they have an improved defense until I see them actually make some plays.
5. F'ING NORTHWESTERN! Smart kids vs. smart kids in football is not very fun to watch. I tuned into the great ESPN 3 for the last quarter or so. NW looked like their terrible early season never win when you're favored self in this one. VANDY threw it all over the field against them, the same VAN team that barely even fields an offense that could score on LeRoy-Ostrander. Don't forget this rule - NEVER, EVER pick NW as a FAVORITE...especially on the ROAD.
6. COLORADO was picked by only 1 smart guy this week - GR - but they rolled through COLST. It was a rivalry game, and COLST was starting a true freshman at QB, so it really was a great bet. But I'm not convinced that the Buffs will make any noise this season...stay tuned.
7. MEEEECHIGAN looked very strong in pounding UCONN. Robinson is the perfect QB for DickRod and friends to actually run the system that they want to. I still don't think their D is anything worth watching, and the UCONN offense looked about as pathetic as I have ever seen. Not 100% thinking that MICHIGAN is back, but this was a nice start.
8. PURDUE...ewww. That was an ugly performance as well. Granted, ND looks better, as I thought they would with Kelly running the show, but PUR looked bad. I thought their D played okay, but offensively I think they have a loooong way to go. The great Bob Marve looks like he has happy feet and makes every throw on the run. They can't run it at all...if you can't run on ND then you can't run at all. As I suspected, PUR looks to be overhyped coming into 2010.
9. ARMY by 10?!? This was a big miss for me. When bad teams like ARMY are double digit road FAV's, then bet the mortgage against them! They were at EMU, and they only won by 4...missed opportunity.
10. WASU hasn't gotten better. I was a little hesitant in my OKST pick last week over the Cougs, but my hunch was wrong. I thought, year 3 of the Paul Wulff system, they can't possibly be as bad as they have been...but they are. OKST did anything they wanted on offense and rolled this club. Any spreads under 30 = bet against the Cougs.
11. OKLAHOMA suffered a scare vs. UTST at home. Didn't see this one coming, but I think this spells hell for FSU next week in Norman.
12. JAKE LOCKER is a good QB and fun to watch, but his teams just flat out don't win games. He proved this once again at BYU on Saturday. He can't win the Heisman at 6-6.
13. TCU/BOISE hate is rampant because everyone can see the writing on the wall. Both of these teams should go undefeated and it will be very tough to keep them out of the BCS picture. I don't want it to happen, but the facts are that these teams are really good and in a 1 game situation they can play with anyone.
14. LSU-NC - I didn't really watch much of this game, but what a weird one. LSU won the game, but was outgained by an NC offense that was anemic in 2009 and they couldn't move the ball in the 2nd half against a D that was missing like 6 NFL players...Les, your ass is on fire right now. And that's fine by me, because I can't stand the guy and think he's a terrible coach.
15. WISCONSIN -20.5...and they win by 20. UNLV looked like one of the worst teams in the country coming in, and they did nothing in this game to make me think any different. Yep, I stayed up and watched this damn game and saw the Beckys piss me off once again. I can't pick these teams any more, makes me too angry when it doesn't work out. UNLV scored on a horrible pick 6 and then one play after an 82 yard fumble return. They apparently made an actual drive to get their last score, I think I was dosing at that point. Just a nice kick in the balls to round out the Saturday.
16. MARY won a game over Navy, nice upset, but man do they look bad as well. They literally can not throw a forward pass...that might not bode well for them in the next 11 games.
GOPHERS looked solid and ran the hell out of it. It's a good win to start the season against a pretty decent team. I loved the offense, AWEB figured out how to throw the ball a bit better in the 2nd half and Duane Bennett looks like he's on a Heisman mission. The defense struggled when the tables were turned against them and the MDTN offense ran the hurry up run and shoot type thing. So defensively, I think we came up with a few really big plays that helped the cause, but ultimately, I'm still a little unsure about our back 7 and our ability to stop the good passing teams. Another tune-up this week before the Trojans come to town, let's hope we get some stuff figured out before then. Bottom line, 1-0 and that's the goal.
Week 2 lines coming out soon.
MR 10-5
GR 10-5
RO 10-5
AW 9-6
MH 9-6
MC 9-6
JR 8-7
JG 8-7
SS 8-7
Cumulative of 81-54 or 60% for week 1. Nice work guys. If only my money plays would have gone as well...that wasn't pretty, but no need to dwell on that when there a little bit of season left to get ahead.
For week 2 we add in the guys that get paid, well...get paid more in most cases, than the college folks. I'll send out the complete list of Week 2 lines in a minute, but first a little recap.
WHAT WE LEARNED FROM WEEK 1
1. HAW looks like the HAW of old by throwing the ball all over the field against a young USC secondary. They are a lot more fun to watch when you can count on them for a fun 51-49 game to top off the night.
2. TOLEDO was a terrible pick! They scored 2 damn points at home against Zona. I guess I overestimated their coach in Y2 thinking he would have the team ready to go against a team like Zona. This was probably the worst pick of the entire week.
3. GATORS look extremely shaky in their first Post-Tebow game. I think they said there were 12 fumbled snaps and/or bad snaps by the Gators...12! But come on, it's Urban and his collection of athletes, you know this is only going to allow them to lay in the weeds for a few extra weeks before totally surprising someone.
4. ZOOKERS had signs of life in the 1st half against MIZZOU, but the 2nd half was pathetic. In typical Zook fahsion, they ran it well in the 1st half and then forgot to run it at all in H2. The young QB made a lot of mistakes and lost them the game. I still won't believe that they have an improved defense until I see them actually make some plays.
5. F'ING NORTHWESTERN! Smart kids vs. smart kids in football is not very fun to watch. I tuned into the great ESPN 3 for the last quarter or so. NW looked like their terrible early season never win when you're favored self in this one. VANDY threw it all over the field against them, the same VAN team that barely even fields an offense that could score on LeRoy-Ostrander. Don't forget this rule - NEVER, EVER pick NW as a FAVORITE...especially on the ROAD.
6. COLORADO was picked by only 1 smart guy this week - GR - but they rolled through COLST. It was a rivalry game, and COLST was starting a true freshman at QB, so it really was a great bet. But I'm not convinced that the Buffs will make any noise this season...stay tuned.
7. MEEEECHIGAN looked very strong in pounding UCONN. Robinson is the perfect QB for DickRod and friends to actually run the system that they want to. I still don't think their D is anything worth watching, and the UCONN offense looked about as pathetic as I have ever seen. Not 100% thinking that MICHIGAN is back, but this was a nice start.
8. PURDUE...ewww. That was an ugly performance as well. Granted, ND looks better, as I thought they would with Kelly running the show, but PUR looked bad. I thought their D played okay, but offensively I think they have a loooong way to go. The great Bob Marve looks like he has happy feet and makes every throw on the run. They can't run it at all...if you can't run on ND then you can't run at all. As I suspected, PUR looks to be overhyped coming into 2010.
9. ARMY by 10?!? This was a big miss for me. When bad teams like ARMY are double digit road FAV's, then bet the mortgage against them! They were at EMU, and they only won by 4...missed opportunity.
10. WASU hasn't gotten better. I was a little hesitant in my OKST pick last week over the Cougs, but my hunch was wrong. I thought, year 3 of the Paul Wulff system, they can't possibly be as bad as they have been...but they are. OKST did anything they wanted on offense and rolled this club. Any spreads under 30 = bet against the Cougs.
11. OKLAHOMA suffered a scare vs. UTST at home. Didn't see this one coming, but I think this spells hell for FSU next week in Norman.
12. JAKE LOCKER is a good QB and fun to watch, but his teams just flat out don't win games. He proved this once again at BYU on Saturday. He can't win the Heisman at 6-6.
13. TCU/BOISE hate is rampant because everyone can see the writing on the wall. Both of these teams should go undefeated and it will be very tough to keep them out of the BCS picture. I don't want it to happen, but the facts are that these teams are really good and in a 1 game situation they can play with anyone.
14. LSU-NC - I didn't really watch much of this game, but what a weird one. LSU won the game, but was outgained by an NC offense that was anemic in 2009 and they couldn't move the ball in the 2nd half against a D that was missing like 6 NFL players...Les, your ass is on fire right now. And that's fine by me, because I can't stand the guy and think he's a terrible coach.
15. WISCONSIN -20.5...and they win by 20. UNLV looked like one of the worst teams in the country coming in, and they did nothing in this game to make me think any different. Yep, I stayed up and watched this damn game and saw the Beckys piss me off once again. I can't pick these teams any more, makes me too angry when it doesn't work out. UNLV scored on a horrible pick 6 and then one play after an 82 yard fumble return. They apparently made an actual drive to get their last score, I think I was dosing at that point. Just a nice kick in the balls to round out the Saturday.
16. MARY won a game over Navy, nice upset, but man do they look bad as well. They literally can not throw a forward pass...that might not bode well for them in the next 11 games.
GOPHERS looked solid and ran the hell out of it. It's a good win to start the season against a pretty decent team. I loved the offense, AWEB figured out how to throw the ball a bit better in the 2nd half and Duane Bennett looks like he's on a Heisman mission. The defense struggled when the tables were turned against them and the MDTN offense ran the hurry up run and shoot type thing. So defensively, I think we came up with a few really big plays that helped the cause, but ultimately, I'm still a little unsure about our back 7 and our ability to stop the good passing teams. Another tune-up this week before the Trojans come to town, let's hope we get some stuff figured out before then. Bottom line, 1-0 and that's the goal.
Week 2 lines coming out soon.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Week 1 Pick Summary
9 sets of picks are in, and we're ready to get this thing started!
First, here's a great idea I saw for a new opening song for the Gophers to run out to...love it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkAMtXTEjco
Now, on to the important stuff...here's the picks:
JR: MN, UTAH, USC, TOL, FLA, MSU, NW, LOU, KST, PUR, TROY, OKST, LSU, WIS, TULSA
JG: MARSH, MN, SC, NILL, HAW, MIAOH, VAN, MICH, UCLA, PUR, SJST, UTST, WASH, UNLV, VT
MR: OHIOST, SC, USC, AZ, FLA, GEO, MSU, NEB, MISST, CLEM, TEX, ORE, AUB, OK, WIS
AW: MARSH, MN, MIZZ, LOU, MICH, CLEM, PUR, AKR, OKST, BYU, LSU, FRES, UNLV, NAVY, BOISE
GR: OHIOST, MN, PITT, FLA, GEO, ILL, NEB, NW, COL, PUR, TEX, OK, OREST, LSU, VT
MH: MN, SC, NILL, UTAH, MIZZ, NW, UCONN, UCLA, ND, OKST, BYU, OREST, LSU, NAVY, BOISE
MC: MN, ISU, UAB, MSU, NEB, NW, KST, TEX, ARMY, TROY, OKST, LSU, FRES, TULSA, MARY
SS: OHIOST, MN, ISU, USC, FLA, NEB, MICH, CLEM, UCLA, ND, TEX, AKR, OK, LSU, VT
RO: OHIOST, MN, ISU, PITT, HAW, MIAOH, ILL, LOU, UCLA, ND, TEX, ALA, ARMY, OK, BOISE
Got it? Good.
Our consensus picks (5+ agree on one side = sure doom)
MN-8
TEX-5
LSU-6
My $$$ plays for the week (games I will actually bet $$$ on)
GOPHERS (-1.5) - more on why later.
USC (-21.5) - team looking to crush, and have the players and opportunity to do it at HAW
NW (-4.5) - VAN is starting over with a new coach and 5 new OLman...NW isn't bad and should exploit this.
KST (-2.5) - UCLA started out favored but now they have suffered 5 OL/DL injuries and suspensions and QB is ? to play
PUR (+11) - ND has new QB, new systems on both sides...11= too much. Love Kelly by the end of the year, but not now
TROY (-14) - Troy is the #1 home covering team in the world the last 10 years...this is a good trend to go with
LSU (-1.5) - NC might have as many as 16 guys on suspension, I liked the Tigers (and the SEC) before this even went down
WIS (-20.5) - UNLV is breaking in a brand new coach, who came from MT and little boy football. Becky will roll HUGE!
BOISE-VT (UNDER 50) - will be a defensive battle, no way this goes over.
UPSET ALERT (Dogs I think can/will win straight up)
NILL (+4.5) at ISU - Clones offense is supposedly ready to explode...I'll believe that when I see it. NILL might win the MAC and is a really nice looking team that will give us a hell of a game in a couple of weeks.
TOL (+16) vs. AZ - AZ on the road as a FAV in non-conference...scary proposition. TOLEDO coming in for a bounce back season, and the whole world loves AZ...do you smell it? And it's the only game in town on FRI night...oooo, I like it.
LOU (+3) vs. UK - Charlies Strong will totally turn this progrum around from the Kragthorpe years. He has brought in a buddy from the FLA staff to run the offense, and he's the former Gator DC. And he has a history against UK from his time in the SEC. BTW, UK is also replacing their coach, but this is a little more of an iffy transition, I mean the new coach is named Joker...really?
UCONN (+3) at MICH - Can DickRod's nightmare begin in week 1...I think so, and almost included this on my picks. UCONN is a frightening team to bet against, and MICH still has no defense.
ARKST (+31) at AUB - ARKST isn't going to win this thing, but they cover. They play a slow, defensive, grinder style - and the high flying Tigers will not quite hit their number in this one.
SMU (+14) at TT - TT now has Tuberville running the show, while June Jones is just hitting his stride at SMU. Tommy, you don't have the AUB athletes to play D for TT...this could be a VERY interesting game. I think the 'Stangs might sneak up and take this one.
YOU PICKED WHO?...(peculiar picks or reasoning, according to me...I could be wrong)
MR - only guy out on the team GOPHERS pick tonight...week 1 and ROE is already against the club!
Actually, ROE's whole pick set is hilarious...no email, I just got the voicemail to pick 15 FAV's in the highest 15 spread games besides ALA...so that's what he's got for week 1. It's a theory, so we'll see what happens - good luck!
GOPHERS at MDTN
6:30 - Mufreesboro, TN
ESPNU
Finally, it's time for the season to begin. The Golden ones got a nice break when Dwight Dasher decided to get suspended for the opener...enter Kilgore. A 6'2" 170lbs QB from a JC who is making his first ever start. Hmmm, this could be fun. The MDTN skill players are still decent and the defense forces a lot of turnovers, but the Dasher exclusion has crushed their hopes in this one. The have a new coordinators on each side of the ball that should be very familiar with us. Schultz is their OC, he held the same spot at ILL last year, and they tore up our defense in that brutal home game. McCray is the new DC, he was with WIS last year and knows quite a bit about our personnel and I'm sure he realizes we'll be running the same offense that WIS does. These are a couple of advantages that MDTN has, but that's it.
Our Gophers come in looking to make a statement after an off-season full of disrespect. We outweigh them (OL vs. DL) by about 50-75lbs/man. We will run the ball and run it A LOT tonight. Defensively, we will have 11 new starters vs. last year - that's every single spot. Royston and Theret, our 2 returning starters, will not play because of injury and suspension. Even though we technically have 11 new starters, 7 of them started at least once last year and they played significant time...so this whole "brand new defense" angle is very overrated. Plus, we are actually in year 2 of a scheme for the 1st time under Brew!! Woo-Hoo!! The new QB is much more of a pocket passer than Dasher, so we won't need to worry nearly as much about the dual-threat.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN?
The defense will sit back and make this green QB try to beat them. I really don't expect a lot of blitzing early on, but we'll show some wrinkles eventually. On offense, I expect 40-50 rushing plays and over 150 yards on the ground. We just have much more mass than they do, and should be able to wear them out if we can move the ball and run a ton of plays. Weber will look sharp and complete a couple of over the top TD's, Bennett will add 2 more scores. The defense creates 3 turnovers and the good guys are 1-0.
GOPHERS 31 MDTN 14
Game 1 needs a little motivation from Album #1....PORCH - PJ
Daily minefield
This could be my time
How 'bout you?
Would you hit me?
Would you hit me?
All the bills go by
And initiatives are taken up
By the middle
There ain't gonna be any middle any more
And the cross I'm bearing home
Ain't indicative of my place
Left the porch
Left the porch
Hear my name
Take a good look
This could be the day
Hold my hand
Walk beside me
I just need to say...
IT'S PAST NOON, WE'RE 6 HOURS FROM KICK-OFF, GET THE GOPHER KOOL-AID FLOWING!!
GOOD LUCK!
First, here's a great idea I saw for a new opening song for the Gophers to run out to...love it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkAMtXTEjco
Now, on to the important stuff...here's the picks:
JR: MN, UTAH, USC, TOL, FLA, MSU, NW, LOU, KST, PUR, TROY, OKST, LSU, WIS, TULSA
JG: MARSH, MN, SC, NILL, HAW, MIAOH, VAN, MICH, UCLA, PUR, SJST, UTST, WASH, UNLV, VT
MR: OHIOST, SC, USC, AZ, FLA, GEO, MSU, NEB, MISST, CLEM, TEX, ORE, AUB, OK, WIS
AW: MARSH, MN, MIZZ, LOU, MICH, CLEM, PUR, AKR, OKST, BYU, LSU, FRES, UNLV, NAVY, BOISE
GR: OHIOST, MN, PITT, FLA, GEO, ILL, NEB, NW, COL, PUR, TEX, OK, OREST, LSU, VT
MH: MN, SC, NILL, UTAH, MIZZ, NW, UCONN, UCLA, ND, OKST, BYU, OREST, LSU, NAVY, BOISE
MC: MN, ISU, UAB, MSU, NEB, NW, KST, TEX, ARMY, TROY, OKST, LSU, FRES, TULSA, MARY
SS: OHIOST, MN, ISU, USC, FLA, NEB, MICH, CLEM, UCLA, ND, TEX, AKR, OK, LSU, VT
RO: OHIOST, MN, ISU, PITT, HAW, MIAOH, ILL, LOU, UCLA, ND, TEX, ALA, ARMY, OK, BOISE
Got it? Good.
Our consensus picks (5+ agree on one side = sure doom)
MN-8
TEX-5
LSU-6
My $$$ plays for the week (games I will actually bet $$$ on)
GOPHERS (-1.5) - more on why later.
USC (-21.5) - team looking to crush, and have the players and opportunity to do it at HAW
NW (-4.5) - VAN is starting over with a new coach and 5 new OLman...NW isn't bad and should exploit this.
KST (-2.5) - UCLA started out favored but now they have suffered 5 OL/DL injuries and suspensions and QB is ? to play
PUR (+11) - ND has new QB, new systems on both sides...11= too much. Love Kelly by the end of the year, but not now
TROY (-14) - Troy is the #1 home covering team in the world the last 10 years...this is a good trend to go with
LSU (-1.5) - NC might have as many as 16 guys on suspension, I liked the Tigers (and the SEC) before this even went down
WIS (-20.5) - UNLV is breaking in a brand new coach, who came from MT and little boy football. Becky will roll HUGE!
BOISE-VT (UNDER 50) - will be a defensive battle, no way this goes over.
UPSET ALERT (Dogs I think can/will win straight up)
NILL (+4.5) at ISU - Clones offense is supposedly ready to explode...I'll believe that when I see it. NILL might win the MAC and is a really nice looking team that will give us a hell of a game in a couple of weeks.
TOL (+16) vs. AZ - AZ on the road as a FAV in non-conference...scary proposition. TOLEDO coming in for a bounce back season, and the whole world loves AZ...do you smell it? And it's the only game in town on FRI night...oooo, I like it.
LOU (+3) vs. UK - Charlies Strong will totally turn this progrum around from the Kragthorpe years. He has brought in a buddy from the FLA staff to run the offense, and he's the former Gator DC. And he has a history against UK from his time in the SEC. BTW, UK is also replacing their coach, but this is a little more of an iffy transition, I mean the new coach is named Joker...really?
UCONN (+3) at MICH - Can DickRod's nightmare begin in week 1...I think so, and almost included this on my picks. UCONN is a frightening team to bet against, and MICH still has no defense.
ARKST (+31) at AUB - ARKST isn't going to win this thing, but they cover. They play a slow, defensive, grinder style - and the high flying Tigers will not quite hit their number in this one.
SMU (+14) at TT - TT now has Tuberville running the show, while June Jones is just hitting his stride at SMU. Tommy, you don't have the AUB athletes to play D for TT...this could be a VERY interesting game. I think the 'Stangs might sneak up and take this one.
YOU PICKED WHO?...(peculiar picks or reasoning, according to me...I could be wrong)
MR - only guy out on the team GOPHERS pick tonight...week 1 and ROE is already against the club!
Actually, ROE's whole pick set is hilarious...no email, I just got the voicemail to pick 15 FAV's in the highest 15 spread games besides ALA...so that's what he's got for week 1. It's a theory, so we'll see what happens - good luck!
GOPHERS at MDTN
6:30 - Mufreesboro, TN
ESPNU
Finally, it's time for the season to begin. The Golden ones got a nice break when Dwight Dasher decided to get suspended for the opener...enter Kilgore. A 6'2" 170lbs QB from a JC who is making his first ever start. Hmmm, this could be fun. The MDTN skill players are still decent and the defense forces a lot of turnovers, but the Dasher exclusion has crushed their hopes in this one. The have a new coordinators on each side of the ball that should be very familiar with us. Schultz is their OC, he held the same spot at ILL last year, and they tore up our defense in that brutal home game. McCray is the new DC, he was with WIS last year and knows quite a bit about our personnel and I'm sure he realizes we'll be running the same offense that WIS does. These are a couple of advantages that MDTN has, but that's it.
Our Gophers come in looking to make a statement after an off-season full of disrespect. We outweigh them (OL vs. DL) by about 50-75lbs/man. We will run the ball and run it A LOT tonight. Defensively, we will have 11 new starters vs. last year - that's every single spot. Royston and Theret, our 2 returning starters, will not play because of injury and suspension. Even though we technically have 11 new starters, 7 of them started at least once last year and they played significant time...so this whole "brand new defense" angle is very overrated. Plus, we are actually in year 2 of a scheme for the 1st time under Brew!! Woo-Hoo!! The new QB is much more of a pocket passer than Dasher, so we won't need to worry nearly as much about the dual-threat.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN?
The defense will sit back and make this green QB try to beat them. I really don't expect a lot of blitzing early on, but we'll show some wrinkles eventually. On offense, I expect 40-50 rushing plays and over 150 yards on the ground. We just have much more mass than they do, and should be able to wear them out if we can move the ball and run a ton of plays. Weber will look sharp and complete a couple of over the top TD's, Bennett will add 2 more scores. The defense creates 3 turnovers and the good guys are 1-0.
GOPHERS 31 MDTN 14
Game 1 needs a little motivation from Album #1....PORCH - PJ
Daily minefield
This could be my time
How 'bout you?
Would you hit me?
Would you hit me?
All the bills go by
And initiatives are taken up
By the middle
There ain't gonna be any middle any more
And the cross I'm bearing home
Ain't indicative of my place
Left the porch
Left the porch
Hear my name
Take a good look
This could be the day
Hold my hand
Walk beside me
I just need to say...
IT'S PAST NOON, WE'RE 6 HOURS FROM KICK-OFF, GET THE GOPHER KOOL-AID FLOWING!!
GOOD LUCK!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
One day to go...
We're almost there, 1 day left until the season if officially up and running.
I still need picks from ROE, BOMB, CORCORAN, and OLSON
A founding father of the Football Challenge, Mr. Kobow, has decided he's out for the regular season in 2010. He'll still be on the email list, but he's not playing this year...so we're down to 9, with the final 3 payments coming in today and tomorrow.
I still haven't been able to get in touch with Mr. Roe, so I went to his wife and she said the check is in the mail. MR - maybe I'll just start sending everything to Amanda, does she have the same kind of skill in picking football games as you, our 3 time defending regular season champion!??
Make sure you get your picks over to me by NOON Tomorrow.
Once I have everything, I'll throw together a giant recap so we all know who to root for this weekend.
I still need picks from ROE, BOMB, CORCORAN, and OLSON
A founding father of the Football Challenge, Mr. Kobow, has decided he's out for the regular season in 2010. He'll still be on the email list, but he's not playing this year...so we're down to 9, with the final 3 payments coming in today and tomorrow.
I still haven't been able to get in touch with Mr. Roe, so I went to his wife and she said the check is in the mail. MR - maybe I'll just start sending everything to Amanda, does she have the same kind of skill in picking football games as you, our 3 time defending regular season champion!??
Make sure you get your picks over to me by NOON Tomorrow.
Once I have everything, I'll throw together a giant recap so we all know who to root for this weekend.
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