Tag Archives: BYU

Week 4 – Let the Games Begin

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With the coming of mid-September, we finally begin to see the real slate of games shape up.

Conference play is more the norm than paycheck games, but of course there are still a few of those left. The top of the polls remained static in contrast to the fluidity of the bottom of the 25. It seems that teams like USC and Maryland don’t prefer to be ranked. Utah seems destined to rise to the top and UCF has one its annual big game against a marginal Power 5 school. And the Iowa v Iowa St game had almost as much delay as play as the state was pummeled by storms.

This week we find three rank v rank games. We will know the real Michigan Saturday night, Auburn must travel to Texas A&M, and Notre Dame goes to Georgia for the first time. That will guarantee more movement within the polls. I think the Wolverines, Aggies, and Bulldogs all prevail. BYU has looked pretty good so far with OT wins against big name programs. The season is shaping up to entertain. And what will the nation think if Auburn wins and we find 4 of the top 5 from the SEC on Sunday afternoon?

Last week was another decent wee in the Top 25 and SEC action for me. I went 19-9 bringing my season to 54-28.

In the Vegas 5, I went 4-1 to bring the season to 11-4.

This week I take Washington St (-18.5) over UCLA. I like Oregon (-10.5) at Stanford. Give me The Over (61.5) for Southern Miss @ Alabama and Utah (-4) at USC. Lastly, I take Miami-Ohio (+39.5) at Ohio State, cause that’s a lot of points.

Who’d you have?

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Week 3 – Blah

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Hopefully this is the last of the blah weeks. Not many marquee matchups and blowouts should be plentiful.

It was hot in Tuscaloosa. I mean, hot. The Alabama O Line needs to gel if the Tide hope to achieve their goals. Clemson took care of aTm in what now looks like their toughest challenge of the regular season. Outside of that, the races are still too early to call due to lack of quality opponents. Ohio St and Oklahoma are yet to be challenged. Michigan did what the Sooners did last year and went to OT against Army. Let’s see if their season ends with a playoff run, too. Oregon found their offense and LSU found a QB. But the LSU D did not look like the LSU D we are accustomed to seeing.

UCLA, Tennessee, and Miami are 0-2. Florida St probably should be as well. Throw in the recent dip in performance at USC (until last week) and it’s easy to find why the attendance numbers are down in college football. When five of the top programs with massive stadiums can’t fill seats, it skews the numbers.

This week sees Alabama attempting to own an active win streak against every SEC opponent if they beat South Carolina. The teams have not met since Stephen Garcia had his best day ever in 2010. Clemson going to Syracuse no longer looks like a prime-time game after the Orange were routed by a surprisingly good Maryland team. Nebraska looks to rebound after falling to another surprising team in Colorado. The CyHawk will be decided when Iowa travels to Iowa St. Should be one of the better matchups on the day. And stay up late to track Hawaii at Washington. Do the Huskies bounce back or do the Rainbow Warriors shock the West?

Last week I went 3-2 in the Vegas 5 taking the season total to 7-3. In Top 25 and SEC action I went 19-9 (there was a push in the Auburn game) which takes me to 35-19 on the year.

This week the Vegas 5 give me the Over (59.5) for Ohio St @ Indiana. I like Oklahoma (-23.5) against UCLA. I’ll grab the Under (64) for Colorado St @ Arkansas. Give me Georgia Southern (+16.5) at Minnesota. And lastly, I want BYU (+4.5) against USC.

Who are you taking?

Week 2 – The Overreaction

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Every major conference suffered perception setbacks in Week 1. The SEC East provided the biggest face plant moments.

There were not a lot of crisp, complete performances by teams. It truly looked like the first week of action. I expect there will be squads looking to make statements this coming weekend. No Thursday games this week as the incorrect assumption that everyone would rather watch the only NFL game instead of three or four different options at the college level. Jalen Hurts looked solid in the Oklahoma opener, but that defense really needs to play Sooner than later (sorry). While I’m not ready to eliminate any of the big boys from contention just yet, FSU and Va Tech both squandered opportunities.

This weekend has two marquee matchups. Texas A&M travels to Clemson for the return game of last year’s classic. I expect aTm to give the Tigers all they want. LSU takes their newly discovered offense to Austin to battle the Texas Longhorns. The SEC (West) could make quite a statement winning both games. I like LSU in this one, but the spread has already moved 3.5 points since opening. Tells me I’m not the only one who likes them Saturday.

Last week was a good start to my Vegas 5. I went 4-1 and the only setback was due to a UGA FG. In Top 25 and SEC action, I went 16-10. I wonder what it could’ve been if the SEC East had shown up. This week I’ll start by taking LSU (-6.5) over Texas. Based on what I saw last week, give me BYU (+4) against Tennessee. Syracuse at Maryland is surprisingly a good matchup. I’ll take the Over (57.5). Hawaii (-6.5) over Oregon St. Lastly, I like the Over (62.5) when WVU travels to Missouri.

Who’d you take?

Week 1 – The Calm

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Week 1 opens with hope for all teams. The harsh reality is that after this weekend, nearly half the teams will be unofficially eliminated from playoff contention. A path exists for Group of 5 to make the playoffs, but it is highly unlikely. Any Power 5 school that runs the table would be in the conversation, but let’s face it, we all know that there are really about a dozen worth considering as toe finally meets leather.

Last year was good to me at the book, but unfortunately my school did not finish the season with a win. Each season witnesses its own questions and injury issues. All teams must find their answers and hopefully dodge the injury bug. The pre-season podcasts are posted on The Football page. This year we went with a condensed format that we feel worked. Let us know what you think.

Thursday kicks us off. Clemson will venture into the great unknown that will be Georgia Tech’s offense. It’ll be interesting to see what the Jackets run this season. My sneaky good game that night is UCLA travelling to Cincinnati (a great place to watch a game). The Holy War between Utah and BYU closes the night. I’ve been to one of those and believe me, they don’t particularly care for each other. Friday gives us the Colorado v Colorado St game and a Power 5 match up of Oregon St v Oklahoma St, but I’m more interested in Utah St @ Wake Forest.

The Saturday slate, to me at least, lacks the oomph that some of the more recent season openers had. Granted the sloppiness of Miami v Florida and Arizona @ Hawaii did entertain, but that’s what Week 0 is for. Oregon v Auburn has to be the highlight and I for one think it’ll be a great game. Sunday has Houston @ Oklahoma while Monday is ND @ Louisville. The former should be good while the latter a snooze fest.

Let’s start the season with a solid Vegas 5. For those of you who are new to my Vegas 5, it’s the five games I would take in Vegas this week. I expect Alabama (-33.5) to cover. I’m taking Vandy (+22) and the points. I like the Over (51.5) when Boise St travels to Florida St. I’ll take Cincinnati (-3) to cover over UCLA. And finally, Utah St (+5.5) over Wake Forest.

Who’d you have?