It's been a streaky year for me. I've had two 4-0 weeks on my over/under plays, then stubbed my toe last week by going 0-4. Ending up turning a tidy profit though as I went 6-0-1 on my sides. That was my second undefeated sides week of the season. Hmmm, hot and cold. This week I hope to stay hot with the following plays.....
ARIZONA -3 at WASHINGTON
Gonna be tough for Coach Sarkisian to have his Huskies fired up for this clash, after last week's heartbreaking loss in South Bend. Did you happen to see that 2-point conversion the Irish made late in the game when their offensive line totally outmuscled the Huskies D and they rugby-scrummed it into the endzone? That was embarrassing. It makes sense that the Wildcats huge offensive line will try the same strategy this week. Arizona is averaging 5.9 ypc this season. Meanwhile Washington is allowing 5.4 ypc, and seems to be regressing. Look for the Wildcats to dominate the ground game and notch the 'W'.
MISSISSIPPI +6 against ALABAMA
It was fun to watch how quickly Joe Q. Public jumped off the Rebels bandwagon after that donkey-punching they took from South Carolina. Clearly they weren't as good as everyone thought. But my guess is they're not as bad as people think either. This will be a huge game in Oxford and I expect a huge effort. Look for the rushing stats to be close, but I think the home cooking will work in QB Snead's favor. The Rebs should make a few big plays in the air and either win outright or keep it close enough to come in under the number.
MICHIGAN +8 at IOWA
Kudos to the Hawkeyes for winning their first five to start the season. They've done it with ball control offense and a stout D. No team has scored more than 21 on them. But now they're asked to lay over a TD to the dangerous Wolverines. Sure Coach Rod's boys are off that tough loss to archrival Michigan State, but this is a young team and I expect their bruises to heal quickly. I look for Michigan to get their offense back in gear and wouldn't be at all surprised by an outright victory.
ARKANSAS +2 against AUBURN
And another one bites the dust...! Coach Chizik has garnered some early votes for Coach of the Year. These 5-0 Tigers in no way resemble the team they were last year, when they averaged only 17 ppg. This year they're averaging 41 ppg. They're tough to stop. And don't expect the Hogs to do just that. But Petrino's boys can score. The raucous home crowd and the arm of QB Mallet will be enough to seal the deal, in a shootout.
FRESNO -10 at HAWAII
Realize that it's tough for a bunch of college kids to stay focused in Honolulu, but still have to side with the visiting Bulldogs in this one. The Bulldogs stand 1-3 and are in dire need of a victory. Their 3 losses were to Wisconsin, Boise St., and Cincinnati, all undefeated. Fresno's rushing attack has been hitting on all cylinders, averaging 275 ypg and a whopping 5.9 ypc. Last week the Warriors lost their starting QB Alexander for the season. Don't think they can trade points in this one. Fresno by a lot.
OKLAHOMA -25- against BAYLOR
This one's got blowout written all over it. The disappointment of losing that battle last week to the Hurricanes will be quickly overshadowed by the expected return of Sooner QB Bradford. Baylor meanwhile lost their best player, QB Griffin, 2 weeks ago. They're in the wrong place at the wrong time. Oklahoma will dominate on the ground, in the air, and on the scoreboard.
HOUSTON +1- against MISSISSIPPI STATE
Gotta believe that the Cougars got caught napping last week in El Paso. Must've started reading their own press clippings and got stupid. But let's not forget that this Houston team has already beaten Oklahoma State and Texas Tech this season. Their defense is weak, and the Bulldogs will be able to move the chains on the ground. But the total in this game is currently set at close to 70, so it's clearly gonna be a shootout. Houston is averaging close to 450 ypg passing. In a shootout, I'll side with the Cougars and their vaunted aerial attack.
As always, best of luck.
Harry
ncaa football sides (20-14)
ncaa football totals (13-7)
ARIZONA -3 at WASHINGTON
Gonna be tough for Coach Sarkisian to have his Huskies fired up for this clash, after last week's heartbreaking loss in South Bend. Did you happen to see that 2-point conversion the Irish made late in the game when their offensive line totally outmuscled the Huskies D and they rugby-scrummed it into the endzone? That was embarrassing. It makes sense that the Wildcats huge offensive line will try the same strategy this week. Arizona is averaging 5.9 ypc this season. Meanwhile Washington is allowing 5.4 ypc, and seems to be regressing. Look for the Wildcats to dominate the ground game and notch the 'W'.
MISSISSIPPI +6 against ALABAMA
It was fun to watch how quickly Joe Q. Public jumped off the Rebels bandwagon after that donkey-punching they took from South Carolina. Clearly they weren't as good as everyone thought. But my guess is they're not as bad as people think either. This will be a huge game in Oxford and I expect a huge effort. Look for the rushing stats to be close, but I think the home cooking will work in QB Snead's favor. The Rebs should make a few big plays in the air and either win outright or keep it close enough to come in under the number.
MICHIGAN +8 at IOWA
Kudos to the Hawkeyes for winning their first five to start the season. They've done it with ball control offense and a stout D. No team has scored more than 21 on them. But now they're asked to lay over a TD to the dangerous Wolverines. Sure Coach Rod's boys are off that tough loss to archrival Michigan State, but this is a young team and I expect their bruises to heal quickly. I look for Michigan to get their offense back in gear and wouldn't be at all surprised by an outright victory.
ARKANSAS +2 against AUBURN
And another one bites the dust...! Coach Chizik has garnered some early votes for Coach of the Year. These 5-0 Tigers in no way resemble the team they were last year, when they averaged only 17 ppg. This year they're averaging 41 ppg. They're tough to stop. And don't expect the Hogs to do just that. But Petrino's boys can score. The raucous home crowd and the arm of QB Mallet will be enough to seal the deal, in a shootout.
FRESNO -10 at HAWAII
Realize that it's tough for a bunch of college kids to stay focused in Honolulu, but still have to side with the visiting Bulldogs in this one. The Bulldogs stand 1-3 and are in dire need of a victory. Their 3 losses were to Wisconsin, Boise St., and Cincinnati, all undefeated. Fresno's rushing attack has been hitting on all cylinders, averaging 275 ypg and a whopping 5.9 ypc. Last week the Warriors lost their starting QB Alexander for the season. Don't think they can trade points in this one. Fresno by a lot.
OKLAHOMA -25- against BAYLOR
This one's got blowout written all over it. The disappointment of losing that battle last week to the Hurricanes will be quickly overshadowed by the expected return of Sooner QB Bradford. Baylor meanwhile lost their best player, QB Griffin, 2 weeks ago. They're in the wrong place at the wrong time. Oklahoma will dominate on the ground, in the air, and on the scoreboard.
HOUSTON +1- against MISSISSIPPI STATE
Gotta believe that the Cougars got caught napping last week in El Paso. Must've started reading their own press clippings and got stupid. But let's not forget that this Houston team has already beaten Oklahoma State and Texas Tech this season. Their defense is weak, and the Bulldogs will be able to move the chains on the ground. But the total in this game is currently set at close to 70, so it's clearly gonna be a shootout. Houston is averaging close to 450 ypg passing. In a shootout, I'll side with the Cougars and their vaunted aerial attack.
As always, best of luck.
Harry
ncaa football sides (20-14)
ncaa football totals (13-7)
