Saturday Service Plays

Alex Smart

UNLV @ Utah
Prediction: Utah

HC Kyle Whittinghams Utah Utes (No.23)ming off the biggest win in the schools history, against the Michigan Wolverines last week in the big house, by a score of 25-23, covering as 3.5 point underdogs . A let down you would think would be inevitable , despite of this being a MWC conference opener. Guess again, as the Utes have a huge revenge scenario on board this week against a UNLV Runnin Rebels team, that upset them in embarrassing fashion last season, by a score of 27-0 . To add insult to injury, the Rebels top RB Frank “ The Tank “ Summers, a Jerome Bettis look alike , told the media , after that above mentioned loss , that the Utes, were diving for his ankles, as they looked to avoid making body tackles against the bruising runner . Needless to say the Utah D , that allowed the Wolverines just 4 rushing yards in the first half last week, did not take kindly to his words, and will use them as motivation in in front of what is expected to be a sell out crowd of 30,000 plus.

The Rebels know a run away train is headed their way this week, and will have a game plan set up that will try to get them out of here here without being humiliated , however, that will be easier said than done ,against a far superior foe .

Final notes & Key Trends: Utah is 11-1 L/12 in this series , with last years loss the first since 1979. Utah has lost 15 straight Mountain West road games, and 20 of their 21 overall away from Sin city . Runnin' Rebels are 4-14 ATS in their last 18 games following a SU win.

Projected score: Utah 41 UNLV 10

FAO Sports

Take Wisconsin

Marshall is 5-12 ATS and 2-15 on the road L3Y.
Wisconsin is 12-5 ATS and 15-2 SU L3Y at home.

Greg Shaker

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Kansas Jayhawks
Play: Kansas -20

I don't know which way this line will go, but my best educated guess is that it will go upward when it is all said and done. For now it has dropped 1/2 point. That is why I am getting on it now and there is good reason to believe that we will see a large pointspread win by the Jayhawks. I am not one to lay very many large spreads but I certainly will here. Everything went right for La Tech in their home opener with the visiting Bulldogs of Miss State as they failed miserably in that contest. Miss State threw 3 Int's, they has numerous offensive mishaps, not caused by La Tech's D. La Tech was outgained in this game, and they managed just 14 of 40 completions with 2 Int's. They also ran the ball for only about 3 yards per rush. Those same numbers are not going to get them anywhere as they travel to Lawrence Kansas to play a Jayhawk team that was 8th overall in the country on offense production and 12th overall on D last year. This team has 15 starters returning, including very talented QB Todd Reesing. They were an amazing 11-1 verses the spread last year, making them a bettor's dream. With almost the entire D back, I can't see the visiting Bulldogs having much success moving the ball and putting points on the board. I can see Kansas gathering up 40+ points. I think that we will see that. There is great optimism in Ruston Louisiana about the their team. Even former Bulldog Terry Bradshaw is pumped about their chances this year. But, they are coming off one of their largest wins ever, and they are traveling to a venue that could spell disaster. The Jayhawks punished the poor squads last year at home. Baylor caught a 58-10 whooping. Nebraska got blown clean out of the stadium 76-39. Iowa State lost 45-7. Fla Int lost 55-3. Toledo, Southeastern La, and Central Michigan lost by combined scores of 159-20. BINGO!! Let's enjoy this rout.

Jimmy Boyd

Tulsa vs. North Texas
Play: Tulsa -21.5

Tulsa helped us cash ticket in week 1 beating the UAB Blazers 45-22 as our NCAAF Blowout of the Week. We’re on Golden Hurricane once again this week against a N. Texas team which was trounced by a K-State program expected to finish near the bottom of the Big 12 North. N. Texas is 1-11 ATS as an underdog of 21.5 to 31 points since 1992 and 2-15 ATS after a game where they committed no turnovers since 1992. The Mean Green are also 1-11 ATS vs. a team with a winning record and 3-13 ATS in their last 16 games in September while the Golden Hurricane are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 vs. the S-Belt and 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games following an ATS win. Tulsa’s prolific offense will continue to put up big numbers this week.

Doc's Sports

Stanford vs. Arizona State
Play: Stanford +14

The Cardinal are coming off an impressive victory against Oregon State in the Bay Area and now will head south to take on the Devils in Tempe, AZ. Arizona State dominated this game last year winning, 41-3, and you can be sure Coach Harbaugh will not let his team forget about that. But this is not the same Sun Devils team as in 2006, as they have to replace most of their offensive line and struggle in the opener to put away Northern Arizona. Sun Devils Stadium is one of the worst field in the conference for an advantage, as mostly the crowd is laid back and there is always a bunch of empty seats. ASU wins this game, but it will be much closer then what the experts think. Doc’s Sports has a strong card going this week in college and pro football and wants you aboard for the winning ride.

LT Profits

Miami Ohio @ Michigan Over 40.5

Michigan ran into a buzz-saw in the Utah Utes last week, but unlike last year when they started the season 2-0, we look for them to score with relative ease vs. a shaky Miami-Ohio defense this week, and that should be enough to push this game Over.

Defense has been a problem for Miami for several seasons now, and this year appears to be no exception based on their opening week performance, a 34-13 home loss to Vanderbilt. The RedHawks were just atrocious vs. the run, allowing a whopping 269 rushing yards on 5.4 yards per carry.

Miami did have a few offensive highlights though, as quarterback Daniel Raudabaugh passed for 244 yards. Sure, a lot of that came after the game was already decided, but we have no problem with a repeat of that in garbage time here too, as it would only help the Over.

The Wolverines should appreciate this drop in class after playing Utah, so this may be the week that the new offense brought in by Rich Rodriguez starts to shine. On the other side of the ball, the defense has some issues, especially a secondary that allowed 305 passing yards to the Utes. This should leave the backdoor open to Raudabaugh should Michigan build up a big lead.

That is the very reason why we would be reluctant to lay the big points here, but we do expect this contest to go Over rather safely.

Pick: Miami-Ohio, Michigan Over 40.5

New Mexico +2.5

The Texas A&M Aggies were shocked at home by Arkansas State last week, and we look for them to suffer their second consecutive upset at the hand of the New Mexico Lobos this Saturday.

Now the Lobos also lost at home in their opener 26-3 to TCU, but keep in mind that starting quarterback Donovan Porterie was knocked out early with a neck injury in that contest. He is listed as probable for this week and that should make all the difference here. The defense did not play as bad as the final score would indicate, as New Mexico allowed just 120 passing yards.

As for the Aggies, sure they literally fumbled the game away last week with four turnovers in the second half, but they did not exactly apply much defense pressure the entire game either. In fact, beside two sacks, they only had one other tackle for a loss the entire game. Porterie is quite capable of picking the Aggies apart of he has that much time to throw.

Look for him to do just that in a Lobos victory.

Pick: New Mexico +2.5

Mike Anthony

Texas Tech vs. Nevada
Play:Texas Tech -10.5

Texas Tech has a solid veteran cast in the OL to unleash the attack. Texas TEch should be able to score at will. Nevada has a new defensive coordinator and a lot of new faces in he huddle on that side of the ball, do they have the speed or tactics to make many stops? I doubt it. Texas Tech by 24

Sportsbettingstats

West Virginia at East Carolina

The Mountaineers come into this game after beating the Villanova Wildcats 48-21, while the Pirates pulled off a big upset beating, then, #17 Virginia Tech 27-22. Can the Pirates pull off another huge upset this week? Last week they beat a solid Virginia Tech team away and now host an even better team in West Virginia. QB Patrick Pinkney, who in the VT upset was 19/23 for 211 yds and 1 TD, leads the Pirates. The Pirate rushing attack is led by the duo of Brandon Simmons and Jonathan Williams, who combined for 102 yards in the win over the Hokies. Pinkney's main targets are WR's Dwayne Harris and Davon Drew, who combined for 9 rec and 133 yards last week. QB Pat White, who was stellar last week going 25/33 for 208 yds with 5 TD and 1 INT in the win over Villanova, leads the Mountaineers. White also led in rushing yards with 63 yards and RB Noel Devine, who had 47 yards last week, will help him. White's main targets are WR's Alric Arnett and Jock Sanders, who last week combined for 12 rec 132 yds and 4 TD's last week.

Staff Pick: The Pirates have a tough task to try to contain White and the powerful offense of the Mountaineers. In their win last week White passed Marc Bulger as the career leader in total offense at WV, as White now has 7,984. Even though the WV offense is lethal their D was not great in giving up 21 points to a lowly Villanova team. The Mountaineers cannot take the Pirates lightly, as the Pirates are on a high after winning the Hawaii Bowl to end the 2007 season and beating a top 20 team in their first game of the 2008 season. The Pirates will look to stop the run and it may open up the passing game for White and company. The Pirates will have to deal with a D that will blitz early and often and it is up to their running game and O line to step up and give Pinkney some time, as that is their only chance to win. If this game becomes a shootout the Pirates have no chance with the many offensive weapons that the Mountaineers have. If the Pirate D cannot stop the run or get to White it will be a long day in East Carolina. Look for WV to play a better defensive game and for them to beat the Pirates and cover the spread.

Mountaineers 41 Pirates 23

Wild Bill

Duke +6 1/2 (5 units)
Bowling Green -6 (5 units)
Cincinnati +21 (5 units)
Georgia -23 1/2 (5 units)
Air Force +3 1/2 (5 units)
San Diego St +22 (5 units)
New Mexico +2 1/2 (5 units)
Houston +16 1/2 (5 units)
Wake Forest -8 (5 units)
Kansas -20 1/2 (5 units)
UTEP-Texas Over 58 (5 units)
Memphis-Rice Over 66 (5 units)
Pitt-Buffalo U Over 44 1/2 (5 units)
Michigan-Miami Ohio Over 40 1/2 (5 units)
ASU-Stanford Over 52 1/2 (5 units)
Kansas-Louisiana Tech Over 52 (5 units)
Penn St.-Oregon State Over 47 (5 units)

Vegas Sports Informer

Take Ohio (+34) over Ohio State

Ohio is 4-0 ATS against non-conference teams and 5-2 ATS when playing a team with a winning record. Ohio State is 1-6 ATS in their last seven games following a SU win of more than 20 points.

Dustin Hawkins

West Virginia vs. East Carolina
Play: Over 50

West Virginia heads to East Carolina to take on David as the upset Virginia Tech last Saturday!! The Mountaineers are coming off 48-21 win over Villanova in which Pat White threw for 5 touchdowns and was 25 of 33!!! The rumor before the season was that he had developed into a pocket passer and wasn't going to run as much. West Virginia did not run that much on Saturday, but expect that to change this weekend. With this game going to be tougher, look for him to pull it down and run to take over the game. On the other side of the ball is the ECU Pirates who played about as well as they can and beat an average VTech team. This Pirate team will have a little easier time scoring on WVU and should help push this score over the total. Can West Virgina stop David from pulling two upsets back to back? We will find out as we cheer for both teams to score!!!

Pick : Over 50

Bettorsworld

2* East Carolina +8 over West Virginia

Truthfully folks, we intended on staying away from this one. We had zeroed in on East Carolina for week one well in advance when we released them as a Key Release 10 days before the game. But now, the cat is out of the bag. They won't be sneaking up on West Virginia. You can be sure they will have the Mountaineers full attention.

For East Carolina, once they get past this game, the schedule lightens up. Every single game the rest of the way is a winnable one. So even a loss here really isn't a backbreaker. It looks as if East Carolina has a great chance to have a special year regardless of whether or not they can handle West Virginia. But if they do get by WVA, look out.

But it won't be easy. Sure, they pulled off a great upset last week as you know, that certainly didn't surprise us. Virginia Tech lost key personnel this year and figured to be in trouble. The Tech offense can't compare to West Virginia's. Where you'd have to be concerned with East Caroline is on the defensive side of the ball. This is a team that is largely intact from a year ago. A look back to last year shows this team giving up some big time points to quite a few teams, many not too good. They gave up 31 to North Carolina, 28 to Southern Miss, 35 to Houston and 38 to UCF. They gave up 30+ points 7 times last year and who did they give the most up to??? Right, West Virginia who hammered them 48-7.

So, all the credit in the world to Skip Holtz and company for winning some close games last year in some shootouts with conference USA opponents. But are they ready to take out West Virginia? Has the defense that averaged giving up 30 points per game last year improved that much? Will there be a let down after last weeks upset? Remember, this West Virginia offense is also largely intact from a year ago.

The motivational edges should be there for EC. Last weeks game was at a neutral site. Now they get to come home to a crowd where there's actually some excitement and high expectations for a change. Winning breeds confidence. They get a crack at a team that has dominated them over the years going 17-2 straight up but it wasn't always easy. In Holtz' first year they went into Morgantown and almost pulled the upset losing 20-15 and holding WVA to just 127 yards on the ground. In 2006 it was a 27-10 loss (17-7 after 3 quarters). So they know they can compete. As we've seen over the last few years with teams like Rutgers, Wake Forest and Kentucky, when these types of programs, teams not used to winning consistently, get a crack at the big time, they have to take advantage. The opportunities before them may not come around again any time soon. To a man, East Carolina realizes this.

While the defense may be cause for some concern, the offense certainly gives us hope. They had no trouble finding the end zone last year averaging 31 points per game and the West Virginia defense has plenty of new faces this year.

Special seasons for programs like East Carolina don't come often. They've come close to WVA before but this is the year they have to break the door down if it's ever going to happen. They'll have a rabid crowd on hand for a game that will be the biggest some of these kids will ever play in. The game opened up at WVA-9 at Pinnacle and -8 at Bookmaker and sharp action came in on the Pirates at both books after a few initial early hits on WVA.

We love backing teams on a huge emotional roll. The emotion can oftentimes make a team better than it really is. If EC pulls the upset, it certainly would not be a shocker. Many actually expect it. We'll make a small play here on the Pirates + 8.

2* Georgia Tech +7 over Boston College

This game certainly has some intrigue and figures to answer some questions about both of these squads. To illustrate just how badly Matt Ryan will be missed at BC, just take a look at last weeks performance at Kent State. It was a dink and dunk, safe passing game for BC and QB Chris Crane for a grand total of 106 yards. Now that was Kent State, a 3-9 team a year ago that gave up on average 228 passing yards per game. It shows the confidence, or lack of, in their passing game if you're not willing to open it up a little against Kent State. All of BC'S damage was done on the ground last week rushing 47 times and averaging 5 yards per rush.

Matt Ryan carried this team last year. They benefited from an easy early schedule and pulled some rabbits out of the hat to win a couple of games. They were good last year. They weren't great. 11-3 could have easily been 8-6. Take away Matt Ryan and it would have been 8-6. Take away half of their offensive starters and more than half of their defensive guys from a year ago and you have the 2008 version of the Boston College Eagles.

Georgia Tech certainly isn't the cream of the crop either. Paul Johnson (Navy) takes over the coaching duties and brings with him the Triple Option offense which gives defensive coordinators fits. Here's a direct quote from Jacksonville St head coach Jack Crowe - “There’s just too many issues with this offense for people to deal with,” Crowe said. “We had two and a half weeks to deal with it. The rest of these folks will get two days. Good luck, ACC.”

Now, of course, that's Jacksonville State. Not sure what we can learn from that 41-14 drubbing other than Tech got some much needed real game experience out of the deal as reports were that in their spring game and a couple of scrimmages, they were turning the ball over like crazy.

But, do that math. Two teams that are literally half of what they used to be, BC without it's superstar QB and Tech with a new offensive scheme, both looking to rely heavily on the run. That keeps the clock moving, shortens the game and likely makes it close heading into the stretch where is exactly where you want to be if you're taking +7. Ok, you'd rather be up by 3 touchdowns. But we'll take close in the 4th quarter with a chance to win. This one may even be exciting! Georgia Tech +7

2* Auburn -17 over Southern Miss

Two squads with new offensive schemes here and we have to give the nod to Auburn simply due to it's defense. The Auburn stop unit was actually down a notch last year yet still only gave up 10, 3, 3 and 7 in it's last 4 home games last year. Prior to last season Auburn defenses put up yards per point numbers in the 20's for three straight years which is superb. Last years ypp number was 18, still good, but giving up 45 to Georgia and 30 to LSU didn't help. New defensive coordinator but same Auburn defense.

We're talking SEC talent vs. Conference USA talent here folks. No comparison. Just take a glance back to last season when So Miss took a trip to Tennessee to take on the Vols. End result? A 39-19 loss in which So Miss gave up 469 total yards as the Vols got it done over land and air. Auburn moves to a spread attack this year on offense but a look at last weeks results shows us that there will be a big difference between an Auburn spread and say, a West Virginia spread. The running game still dominates.

The running game figures to be key here. Both squads played weak opponents last week. However, it was Auburn piling up 321 yards on the ground while only giving up 84 while Southern Miss piled it up on the ground but gave up 394 yards of total offense with 263 of those yards coming on the ground. Even in this day and age of potent west coast offenses and complicated offensive schemes football is still about running the football. Auburn figures to be able to do that with ease this week while it's doubtful Southern Miss will have any success at all on the ground.

Let's put it in perspective another way. Southern Miss had the top defense in Conference USA last year. A "top" defense that gave up 30 to UTEP, 29 to Memphis, 34 to UCF, 31 to Rice......it goes on, but you get the picture. Granted not all points scored are as a result of the offense but it still illustrates the difference between the two conferences and this is a defense that only returns 4 starters. Utep, Memphis and Rice surely don't compare to LSU, Georgia and Florida....Night and Day.

If Auburn can get their new offense humming as the season goes on, they could be a damn scary team. In the meantime, they should have no trouble moving the ball this week and finding the end zone a few times. The offense will only get better each week, while the defense should be able to contain anything Southern Miss throws at them. It's not like they haven't seen it all before. Heck, they held Florida to 17 points a year ago and that game was in the swamp!

The number is reasonable enough. At -17, the Tigers may not need to find the end zone that many times to cover this one, providing the defense holds as expected. This weeks card in general is a very weak one for us. So, we'll leave this game as a small 2* play.

Brian Gabrielle

FL Hurricanes vs Florida Gators

The Florida Gators were sensational in their first game of the season. By whipping the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors 56 to 10, the Gators signaled to college football betting fans that they are definitely a team to key football bets around this season.

The Gators offense was spectacular as usual, racking up four touchdowns in both the second and third quarters, but it was their defense that looked absolutely awesome. The Gators held the Rainbows to 10 points and all 10 points were scored in the fourth quarter when the Gators had the game well in hand.

Florida will look to continue their dominance this weekend when they face the in state rival Miami Hurricanes. The Hurricanes look to be much improved from last year with athleticism on both sides of the ball. Football betting fans wonder whether or not the Hurricanes have improved enough to handle a team like Florida.

It’s too early to talk trends in this game. So, we’re going to have to just consider the notion that both teams will play to the best of their ability. With that being written, are the Florida Gators really more than three touchdowns better than the Miami Hurricanes?

They could very well be. This Florida Gator team is loaded in every position. So much so that they racked up 56 points against Hawaii without Percy Harvin, their best wide receiver, linebacker Brandon Spikes and guard Jim Tartt. With those three returning to the line-up, what chance do the Hurricanes actually have of beating the Florida Gators in this game?

Oh, yeah, the Hurricanes don’t have to actually beat the Gators. They just have to lose by no more than 21 points. The Hurricanes have improved enough for me to believe that beating the BetUS online sportsbook spread of 21½ is absolutely doable. They are adept at playing a much faster game with quarterback James Harris running the spread offense with abandon. He racked up over 70 yards rushing and 190 yards passing. Tim Tebow, Harris is not, but he won’t have to be for NCAAF betting fans to win this wager.

I’ll be making an online bet on the Miami Hurricanes to beat the BetUS online football betting spread of 21½ points in this Saturday game.

One thing to note is that Hurricane Hannah, yes, it’s a real storm and not a crazy woman who keep bothering Florida recruits, is on its way to the state of Florida. We’ll have to wait and see how it impacts the start of this game.

Take Miami + 21 ½

Chris Copeland

Texas Tech vs. Nevada
Play: Texas Tech -10

Texas Tech looked sloppy in the first half (including the entire 2nd quarter) against Eastern Washington last week surrendered 24 points. This won't sit well with Mike Leach so look for Tech's defense to come out rearing to get going. And of course, expect Graham Harrell to put up ridiculous numbers against the suspect pass defense of Nevada.

The Wolfpack are very solid at home and have a dangerous QB in Colin Kaepernick, but Graham Harrell and the Tech offense will be too much as Tech pulls away late to secure the cover and the win.

Texas Tech- 38 Nevada- 24