Game Time: 11/10/2007 02:30 PM -
By: Mike Rose | who2beton.com
Off a loss to Navy, a defeat that snapped a 44-year Notre Dame win streak, look for another service academy to hang an 'L' on the Irish when Air Force comes to South Bend.
When Fighting Irish head coach Charlie Weis was asked went wrong in last week’s game against Navy, he quickly stated that Navy scored two more points than them and that was it. The fact that that’s all he thinks was wrong in last week's loss is laughable, and I’m really starting to wonder whether this guy knows what he’s doing, or if he was a product of excellence when he coached up in New England.
Notre Dame’s season has been a major catastrophe, and one has to wonder how much damage has been done. This club is yet to show improvement in any single area, and I can only imagine how much they’re looking towards the offseason to improve themselves.
The same can’t be said about the Air Force. The Flyboys have come out of nowhere to win seven games this year, and would love nothing more than to win in this spot to improve the caliber of the bowl game they’ll be invited to. Troy Calhoun has done a masterful job taking over for a coaching legend, and he’ll look to grab a win over the Irish for the first time since 1996.
Look for the Flyboys to punish ND’s offense with QB Jimmy Clausen at the helm by blitzing at an alarming rate. Then look for the playmakers on the Air Force offense to take center stage and pull away late en route to the road win and cover.
If you thought it couldn’t get any worse for the Irish this year, think again. Last week's loss to Navy was the first in 44 years, and they haven’t lost to two service academies in the same season since 1944. Streaks are meant to be broken, so lay the points with Air Force as they add to Notre Dame’s miserable season.
Game Time: 11/10/2007 08:00 PM -
By: Ben Burns | sportspic.com
Boston College will have a tough time regrouping this week after their first loss of the season last Saturday. Make your play on Maryland at home Saturday night.
It's often tough for college teams that had national title aspirations to regain the same intensity after suffering their first loss of the season. In fact, you may recall that we successfully played against South Florida (at Connecticut) a couple of weeks ago after the Bulls had suffered their first loss.
Here are a few other recent examples of highly ranked teams that struggled after suffering their first loss:
After #1-ranked LSU Tigers lost their first game of the season, they barely beat Auburn, failing to cover.
Another highly ranked team, the California Golden Bears, followed up their first loss by losing again the following week.
The same thing happened to defending champion Florida, as the Gators lost outright and followed it up with another loss.
After #13 Clemson suffered its first loss, the Tigers were crushed at home.
The Cincinnati Bearcats started the season with six straight wins. After losing in Week 7, they were favored by double-digits the next week but lost outright vs. Pittsburgh.
The Bearcats were in the opposite role only a couple of weeks before that, as they faced a Rutgers team which was coming off its first loss. What happened? The Scarlet Knights lost again!
This week, its Boston College which is coming off its first loss. A week after a rather miraculous comeback at Virginia Tech, the #2 ranked Eagles came up short vs. Florida State. Off that loss, with its dreams of a national title now history, I expect the Eagles to struggle at Maryland this week.
Despite last week's loss, the Eagles remain an impressive 10-3 SU and 9-4 ATS the last 13 times they faced a team with a winning record. However, this week they'll face a team with a losing record and they haven't been nearly as strong in that role. Indeed, the Eagles are a money-burning 1-8 ATS the last nine times they faced a team which was below 500.
They're also 5-7 ATS the last 12 times they were listed as road favorites of 3½-7 points, including 0-3 ATS the last three. During the same stretch, the Terrapins were 6-3 ATS as home underdogs in the 3½-7 range, winning five of those games outright.
Despite their 4-5 record, the Terrapins still have a small chance of becoming bowl eligible. Look for them to have more intensity from the opening kickoff and for that to result in at least a cover. Conisder taking the points.
Game Time: 11/09/2007 08:00 PM -
By: LT Profits Sports Group | who2beton.com
Army can’t score and Rutgers has no reason to run up the score in this non-conference game. Expect lots of running by Rice vs. a weak Army run defense and a safe Under.
The problem with this rather high total in the matchup between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Army Black Knights is that Rutgers will be the only team doing any scoring.
Army is averaging 17.2 points on a pathetic 271.8 total yards of offense per game. The Black Knights are only producing 76.6 rushing yards per contest on an anemic 2.3 yards per carry, and though the passing game has been a touch better, they are still averaging only 6.0 yards per pass attempt. Furthermore, the cadets have managed these putrid numbers vs. a rather soft schedule, and while the Rutgers defense has had a few tough moments this year, that unit is still good enough to keep Army in the single-digits here.
Now the Scarlett Knights are obviously much more potent offensively, but we expect to see a heavy dose of Heisman candidate Ray Rice tonight vs. an Army defense that is surrendering a horrendous 212.7 yards per game on the ground. Thus, Rutgers should be able to hold on to the ball for basically as long as they wish, and they will most likely call off the dogs late in this non-conference affair, saving their best efforts for Big East play.
Add this all up, ad we see something like a 34-7 final, which would be good enough for a safe Under.
Northwestern should win Saturday's home tilt against Indiana straight up, but take the two points just to be safe. Back CJ Bacher and the Wildcats at home versus the Hoosiers.
A big game takes place in Evanston, IL, that may have major bowl implications. It is not a given that Indiana will have a bowl game for the first time since 1993, as the conference is allotted only seven bowl bids, and if eight teams are eligible, one team may be left out that does not travel well.
The Northwestern Wildcats have won three of their last five games and have taken a step back in competition closing the season with Indiana and Illinois. Quarterback C.J. Bacher already has 16 touchdowns on the season and expect him to approach the 20 TD mark on Saturday. The spread offense will cause the Hoosiers problems and the Cats collect with the straight-up victory.
The moneyline is very inviting. Northwestern-28, Indiana-24.
SBR Top-Rated Sportsbooks
Saturday's Front Page NCAAF Picks (Nov 10)
Reply With Quote