SBR Top-Rated Sportsbooks
rjt's Week 14 Plays
Sides: 31-31-4, +3.47
Totals: 13-8-1, +4.68
ML: 4-5, +1.65
YTD: 48-44-5, +9.8
2* Virginia Tech -4: (Bookmaker) Here are my thoughts on this game from another thread:
As a result of the weather conditions, there's very little that can be taken from their meeting 5 weeks ago, but since that game these 2 teams have gone in completely opposite directions. VT's offense is infinitely improved from earlier in the season when they struggled against the likes of E. Carolina and UNC. This is largely due to the fact that in recent weeks RB Brandon Ore has finally resembled the player he was a year ago, and he's done so against some very good defenses - GT, FSU, Miami and UVA. Tech has also gotten very good QB play in recent weeks, both from Glennon and Taylor, who, as djeffectz mentioned, wasn't available in their first meeting. It's likely that they will split time, and Taylor's ability to scramble brings and added dimension to the offense.
BC's pretty banged up on defense, and the loss of DB Dajuan Tribble can't be overstated on multiple fronts. He's likely a future first or second-round pick in the NFL, and a big-play guy who's one of the undisputed leaders of the Eagles' defense. His absence will also be felt on special teams, where he's a very effective return man. I think a healthy and surging VT offense will give BC a lot of trouble.
VT's defense has been equally effective of late, and while Matt Ryan is quite good, he's still prone to making poor decisions. One of the primary faults of BC this year has been Jagodzinski's tendency to abandon the run and throw the ball all too much. It's really ridiculous considering the Eagles possess two very good backs, but this mentality has, and will likely continue to lead to costly turnovers, particularly against an aggressive and talented defense like VT.
I think VT wins this game by 10-14.
2* Oregon State/Oregon UNDER 47 (+100): (Bookmaker) Points will be tough to come by for the Ducks in this rivalry game. Very tough. The loss of Dennis Dixon removed any and all explosiveness and big-play ability from the UO offense, and his absence has proven even further that he was a more than worthy choice for the Heisman before going down. A strong argument could be made that he's the single most important player to his team in the country, and Oregon's in bad shape without him, as evidenced by the fact UO's QB's are a combined 33/85 (39%) for 268 yards (a terrible 3.15 YPP) and 5 INT's without a TD pass in the last 7 Q's since Dixon's injury. Freshman Cody Kempt, who was just 6/23 against UCLA last week, will likely get the start, which means the Ducks will rely heavily on RB Jonathan Stewart. The problem is that Oregon State has the top run defense in the country, allowing only 64 YPG on the ground, and the Beavers figure to load up the box with many 8-man fronts to stop Stewart, just as UCLA did a week ago.
OSU, meanwhile, has QB problems of their own. Lyle Moevao will get the start in place of the injured Sean Canfield, and both QB's have struggled mightily this season. RB Yvenson Bernard, the one consistent on this Beavers' offense, is questionable after knee surgery, but with or without him, OSU will run the ball early and often to prevent turnovers, which have plagued the team all year. Both teams, in fact, will emphasize running the ball to protect their young QB's, which will keep the clock running much of the game. 47 is simply too many.
1* Washington +14 (+103): (Matchbook) Ignore Washington's 4-8 record, for this is the best team Hawaii has played this season. How Hawaii can be a 3-pt. favorite last week over Boise St. and a 14-pt. fav. over a Washington team that handled Boise rather easily earlier in the season is ridiculous. I don't like to compare common opponents and I understand the UW/Boise game was several weeks ago, but a Hawaii team that's playing only their second capable opponent this season (Boise being the other) is getting too much respect here. The Pac 10, which is surely a bit down this season, is still far superior to the WAC, which is even worse than past years after the top 2 teams, making UW's 4-8 record, as well as Hawaii's undefeated mark, extremely misleading and a poor representation of the talent of these two schools. The USC game notwithstanding, UW has had little trouble moving the ball offensively all season, and that's likely to continue against Hawaii's defense. Sure, the Huskies' defense is vulnerable and Brennan & co. figure to put up points rather easily, but Jake Locker and the rest of the Huskies' offense will also move the ball with ease, making the 14 too many to pass up in a game in which both defenses figure to offer little resistance.
Looking at 1 more total that I will likely add later in the week.
Good luck everyone.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by imgv94
